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Immersive virtual reality rehabilitation after lower limb surgery in paediatric patients
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Patients who have undergone lower limb surgery require rehabilitation to regain movement and function in the affected leg. Unfortunately, physical rehabilitation can be painful, reducing compliance and recovery. This feasibility study aimed to demonstrate that immersive virtual reality (IVR) applications can provide potential benefits of anxiety reduction and pain distraction for children during gait rehabilitation, increased engagement and enjoyment, and improved perceived walking quality.
Methods
This study included 15 children aged 11–16 who required weight-bearing rehabilitation following lower limb surgery. A mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) approach and a multidirectional perspective (patients, parents and physiotherapists) were adopted to measure. Changes in anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder-7) and pain (visual analogue scale) before and after the intervention were assessed. Qualitative data were collected through interviews with children, their parents, and physiotherapists, focusing on their experiences, satisfaction, perceived effectiveness, and acceptability of the IVR intervention.
Results
Results demonstrated that IVR for rehabilitation after lower limb surgery in children (1) reduced anticipatory anxiety; (2) reduced the level of pain experienced during gait rehabilitation; (3) improved rehabilitation, such that children were walking more than expected and with better quality; (4) increased confidence; (5) made rehabilitation more enjoyable; and (6) was delivered via a system that was easy to learn and accept.
Conclusion
This rehabilitation IVR is the first product of its class for paediatric lower limb postoperative rehabilitation. These preliminary results will inform improvements to the system in a future multi-site study with a large calculated sample size to demonstrate its clinical effectiveness and safety in acquiring medical device markings and adoption
Examining Motivation Patterns among Recreational Sport Participants with Different PERMA Levels
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This paper aimed to use PERMA, a holistic measure of perceived well-being, to cluster recreational sport participants and further validate the clusters, based on scores of motivations and intentions to continue exercising.
Methodology:
The self-determination theory was used to study motivation. The sample of this study consisted of three hundred and eighteen (N=318) adult individuals in Greece. The PERMA profiler and SRQ-E were used to measure the study’s main variables.
Findings:
The results indicated that PERMA is a valid tool for clustering recreational sports participants. The group with the highest PERMA scores had higher scores in the intrinsic motivation dimension, the identified and integrated regulations sub-dimensions, and behavioural intentions.
Practical Implications:
Exercise providers should create exercise environments that promote the most autonomous motives, related to fun, enjoyment, and pleasure. Strategies to satisfy the psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness are important to build perceived well-being and increase individuals’ loyalty to the programs.
Research contribution:
The study contributes to the literature by profiling the first individuals with different well-being levels, as measured holistically by PERMA, based on their motivation dimensions, addressing the past contradicted findings on the relationship between extrinsic motivation and well-being among recreational sport participants
The judiciary and family-friendly policies: An institutional analysis of work-life balance challenges facing Ghanaian judges
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Relying on institutional theory, this study explores work-life balance challenges facing judges as a result of institutional factors that determine accessibility to family-friendly policies in the Ghanaian judiciary.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative design using thematic analysis is employed herein in order to analyse the primary data retrieved from 26 judges using semi-structured interviews. Thus, this paper is among the first to focus on the work-life balance realities of judges in a Sub-Saharan African context, where literature is scarce.
Findings
Considering the definitions ascribed to institutionalised conceptualization of work-life balance, our initial overall findings revealed challenges in attaining it. Further results revealed three key themes: inflexible work design, concerns related to one’s career stage, and patriarchy. These factors all constrain judges from effectively utilising available family-friendly policies that could potentially alleviate their work-life conflicts.
Research limitations/implications
The extent to which the findings can be generalised is constrained by the limited sample size. However, the aim of the study was to unpack how institutional rituals, norms, and routines form authoritative guidelines shaping judges’ perceptions of institutional practices that constrain the take-up of work-life balance policies.
Originality/value
The study contributes to extant research by showing nuanced experiences of judges – a workgroup conventionally ignored in work-life balance studies
Systematic method optimisation approach for small molecule imaging on the SELECT SERIES MALDI MRT - Drug mapping in fingerprints, a case study
Get PDFMolecular fingerprinting via Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionisation time-of-flight Mass Spectrometry profiling (MALDI MSP) and Imaging (MALDI-MSI) has been proven to provide biometric and lifestyle information from a fingermark. As such, it can be an effective tool to assist police investigations, thus justifying continued effort to improve the quality and range of the forensic intelligence that it is possible to provide. We are currently exploring the advancements in molecular fingerprinting capabilities on the state-of-the -art SELECT SERIES MALDI-MRT mass spectrometer based on its high mass measurement accuracy (sub-ppm) and spatial resolution (15 μm). The unique nature of this instrument requires careful optimisation to maximise the system's performance for the imaging of small molecules in fingerprints. In this study, a systematic approach to setting optimisation including optimisation of laser parameters, source voltage, quadrupole MS profile, and Transfer gas as well as RF voltage settings were determined for the analysis of latent fingerprint imaging and antipsychotics-contaminated fingerprint imaging. The developed method eventually yields significant improvement in image resolution over the default parameters
The influence of moisture on ash strength: implications for understanding volcanic stratigraphy
Get PDFAsh layers within extensive pyroclastic density current (PDC) deposits can be important in understanding the evolution of explosive eruptions. If interpreted as ashfall deposits, they may be used to identify hiatus episodes and determine how many pyroclastic density currents were generated during an eruption. However, such layers, which often contain ash aggregates indicating the presence of moisture, may be variably deposited, preserved and eroded, and there has been little study of their characteristics. This paper investigates the geomechanical properties of ash layers through a comparison of field observations and experimental analysis. We present new field evidence of intriguing relationships between ash aggregate layers and overlying ignimbrite facies within the 273 ka Poris ignimbrite of Tenerife. We identify three types of interactions, each displaying distinct erosional and remobilisation behaviours associated with varying moisture conditions. To complement these field observations, we performed direct shear box, ring shear and drop tests under both low (1 wt.%) and high (> 15 wt.%) moisture conditions. We find that fine pyroclastic material increases yield strength with moisture compared to dry conditions. Furthermore, we see shear thickening behaviours in fine ash at high moisture content. These behaviours show how ash layers formed under low and high moisture conditions are more likely to be preserved than dry layers. This may lead to misunderstanding in flow unit interpretation and, therefore, assessments of eruption frequency. Furthermore, dry, loose ash material may promote flow bulking, increasing mobility, runout and flow velocities in PDCs
Creativity is a Journey, not a Destination: A Team Flow Theory Perspective for Service Workers
Get PDFTeamwork, recognised for supporting employee creativity, is crucial to organisational sustainability and survival. However, the ways of unlocking teamwork for creativity remain an unrealised opportunity. By integrating team flow theory, we exemplify how flow can be activated in teams and give rise to creativity, adding to the nascent literature on teams achieving an optimal state. Using a creative problem-solving intervention, qualitative data was collected via participant observation and semi-structured interviews with front-line hotel managers. We show the creativity outcomes at the individual, team, and organisational levels resulting from team flow, with our data emphasising the longer-term impacts on individual creativity. Notably, we extend team flow theory with our model, contributing to the discussion of creativity processes and offering important insights into how the reciprocal relationship between teamwork and individual creativity can be achieved. Our findings have implications for business leaders seeking to drive high-performing, creative organisations
A feminist political ecology of household waste management in an urban township, South Africa
Get PDFIn the Global South, women disproportionately shoulder the burden of household waste management. Development Studies suggest that this persistent feminization of waste-related activities is rooted in cultural, social, and economic factors that confine women to private domestic spaces. Examining these gendered disparities within the intimate sphere of the home highlights issues of patriarchal power and female oppression. However, the intersections of multiple oppressions, particularly those tied to women’s interactions with household waste, remain underexplored. This paper critically investigates the relationship between gender and household waste management in Lamontville Township, South Africa. Drawing on household surveys and in-depth interviews, the study contributes to Feminist Political Ecology (FPE) scholarship, focusing on gendered knowledge and oppression. The intersectional analysis reveals how patriarchal cultural norms, socio-economic status, marital status, and proximity to waste collectively (re)produce gendered power relations and unequal exposure to household waste. FPE thus emerges as a valuable framework for exposing entrenched disparities tied to new forms of discrimination from the (neo)apartheid era, which have constrained women’s autonomy in South Africa’s urban areas. By understanding these intersecting inequalities, this research offers insights for policies aimed at dismantling gendered oppression in household waste management practices