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Assessing the impact of the A-Trainer exercise machine on cardiovascular health and muscle activation: a mixed-methods study
No full textRecent advancements in fitness technology have introduced innovative equipment like the A-Trainer, which integrates aerobic and anaerobic exercises for targeted muscle or whole-body engagement. This development holds significant potential for delivering impactful, low-impact, high-intensity workouts, enhancing rehabilitation and overall well-being. The objective of this mixed-method observational study was to evaluate the impact of this novel exercise machine on muscle activation and cardiovascular effects, as well as to understand user perspectives through interviews. Surface electromyography (sEMG) sensors were used to monitor specific upper body muscles, while a physical activity wearable tracker measured heart rate activity. Semi-structured interviews provided insights into participants' experiences with the exercise machine. Fifteen adults participated in this study. Results indicated a significant difference in sEMG muscle activity between the isometric pre-workout and post-A-Trainer workout strength assessments across all muscle groups, suggesting a substantial enhancement in muscular engagement. The wearable tracker also reported considerable calorie burn during short exercise sessions. However, this study focused on a single intensity and resistance level, which limits generalisability. Interviews highlighted the A-Trainer's effectiveness for cardiovascular training and accessibility for all ages.Future research should investigate the A-Trainer's effectiveness across varying intensities and resistance levels to achieve a comprehensive understanding of its benefits
Correction: Mentalization for Offending Adult Males (MOAM): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial to evaluate mentalization-based treatment for antisocial personality disorder in male offenders on community probation
No full textEnhanced optimisation of MPLS network traffic using a novel adjustable Bat algorithm with loudness optimizer
No full textThe increasing dependency on network connectivity necessitates superior network performance, characterized by continuous availability and high reliability. Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) networks have emerged as a robust solution to the limitations of traditional IP networks. However, determining optimal Label Switched Paths (LSPs) across multiple domains becomes a complex optimisation problem when considering multiple objectives. This paper addresses this challenge by transforming the path computation into an optimisation task. The Bat Algorithm, a popular meta-heuristic approach, is frequently employed for solving such optimisation problems. Despite its effectiveness, the Bat Algorithm is prone to premature convergence and the local optima problem, leading to sub-optimal solutions. This study explores the influence of the algorithm's loudness parameter and introduces a novel Adjustable Bat Algorithm (ABAT) that dynamically optimizes this parameter. The ABAT is integrated with a Pareto-based approach to enhance the discovery of non-dominant solutions. The proposed method effectively computes optimal paths while identifying the Pareto front of solutions, providing a balanced trade-off among competing objectives. The performance of the proposed algorithm was evaluated on networks of varying scales and compared against the standard Bat Algorithm and other meta-heuristic methods. The evaluation focused on convergence rate and computational complexity, demonstrating that the proposed Adjustable Bat Algorithm outperforms existing methods in both metrics, offering a more robust and efficient solution for multi-objective path optimisation in MPLS networks. Experimental results indicate that the proposed Adjustable Bat Algorithm (ABAT) outperformed the regular Bat Algorithm in terms of convergence rate by up to 35% and reduced load balancing expenses and routing latency by 15% to 20% at various MPLS network scales
Effect of nutritional supplementation with lipid-based therapeutic food on body composition of non-severely malnourished African children aged 6–59 months hospitalized with severe pneumonia
No full textPneumonia remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality among children in low- and middle-income countries. Poor outcomes are associated with undernutrition. Nutritional supplementation may be beneficial. We examined the effect of supplementation with lipid-based ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) on the body composition of children with severe pneumonia. Non-severely malnourished children (6–59 months) with severe pneumonia enrolled into the Children’s Oxygen Administration Strategies and Nutrition trial in Uganda and Kenya, and randomized to receive a diet supplemented with RUTF (500 Kcal/day) for 56 days versus usual diet alone (control) were included. We assessed arm anthropometry and bioimpedance analysis at admission and days 28, 90, and 180 of follow-up. We used mixed effects linear regression to compare body composition between groups. We included 737 participants (369 in intervention; 368 in control group). The median age was 16 months (IQR; 9, 26), and 58.1% were male. Overall, baseline mean arm fat area (AFA), arm muscle area, and arm muscle circumference were 5.8 ± 1.8 cm2, 11.6 ± 2.3 cm2, and 12.3 ± 1.2 cm2, respectively. The mean fat mass and fat-free mass calculated in 116 participants were 5.5 ± 1.5 kg and 5.5 ± 1.5 kg, respectively. There were modest increases in most body composition parameters. RUTF significantly increased AFA at days 28 and 90 but not at day 180 (P-value = .03, .02, and .99, respectively). RUTF did not change other body composition parameters. Despite initial increases in AFA, RUTF did not change the body composition of children with severe pneumonia
Project leadership for future making
No full textThe question of how project leadership can achieve desirable futures through projects is timely and important, yet under-explored. We synthesize recent insights on future making and socialized project leadership to address it. Our contribution is to frame project leadership for future making as the set-up and maintenance of organizational contexts for participation in collective practices of inquiry to identify desirable futures and achieve project outcomes. We argue that throughout the project life cycle, participants engage with incomplete representations of possible futures, and ask questions that identify and include diverse people, materials, and places to make ethical judgments for better futures
A social network analysis of an epistemic community studying neoliberal conservation
No full textResearchers typically operate in epistemic communities: groups that share common approaches to research agendas and sociopolitical action and define areas of debate. Although productive in their own spheres, a lack of understanding among these communities can undermine scientific progress. Thus, analyzing epistemic communities is important for understanding the politics of knowledge production. Social network analysis sheds light on these dynamics by mapping the collaborative networks that shape academic output. We used 255 publications examined in Apostolopoulou et al.’s review of neoliberal conservation literature and 2135 additional publications in a social network analysis. We compiled a coauthorship network for 318 authors and found a dispersed and polycentric network with low connectivity and relatively small clusters of scholars collaborating within tightly knit groups. Although the structure is conducive to innovation and diversity, building new connections among dispersed coauthor groups could enrich knowledge sharing to drive novel approaches. We identified central actors in building collaborations among communities and communicating ideas across the network. We considered actor attributes, such as gender and geographic location, alongside centrality measures. We found that seventy percent of the 20 authors with the highest betweenness centrality were men, and only one male author was affiliated to an institution in the Global South. Our analysis of thematic clusters in the literature highlighted the spatial patchiness and partialness of the literature across different subfields. Scholars should undertake more work on identified themes in currently excluded geographic regions through effective interdisciplinary collaborations and with local communities of research and practice and grassroots movements. There is a need to strengthen the field's intellectual diversity and to have a deeper engagement with issues of class, gender, and race. This would allow neoliberal conservation to reimagine conservation in ways that are not only environmentally sustainable, but also socially just
UK medical cannabis registry: an analysis of clinical outcomes of medicinal cannabis therapy for cancer pain
No full textCancer pain (CP) is a prevalent condition with limited pharmacotherapeutic options. Cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) have shown analgesic effects, but their efficacy in CP remains contentious. This study aims to evaluate the change in patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and adverse events (AEs) in CP patients treated with CBMPs. A case series was conducted using prospectively collected clinical data from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry. Primary outcomes were the changes in the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), pain visual analogue scale (Pain-VAS), EQ-5D-5L, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC) and Single-Item Sleep Quality Scale (SQS) questionnaires from baseline to 1, 3, and 6 months. AEs were recorded and graded. p < 0.050 was considered statistically significant. One hundred and sixty-eight participants were included. CBMPs were associated with improvements in all pain-specific PROMs at all follow-up periods (p < 0.050). Improvements in GAD-7, SQS, and EQ-5D-5L index scores were also observed (p < 0.050). Twenty-nine AEs (17.26%) were reported by five patients (2.98%), mostly mild-to-moderate (72.41%). Although the observational design means causality cannot be established, the findings support the development of future randomized controlled trials into CP management with CBMPs
The experience of recurrent oropharyngeal cancer and its impact on function and quality of life outcomes
No full textRecurrent oropharyngeal cancer (rOPC) presents some of the most challenging decision-making in head and neck cancer (HNC) practice. Persistent toxicities from previous treatments, including long-term and late swallowing dysfunction, coupled with the potential function and quality of life (QoL) morbidity of further treatment(s) can influence decision-making. National guidelines emphasise that patients must be counselled on the function and QoL morbidity of treatments. However, little is known about the functional morbidity of treatments and essential patient experience data is lacking.
Aim:
To address gaps in the current evidence base with a focus on function, QoL, patient priorities, and patient and carer experience.
Method:
A systematic review was undertaken to investigate if and how function, QoL and patient experience data are collected and reported for patients undergoing curative and non-curative treatments for rOPC. This informed the development and undertaking of a multi-centre mixed methods study to investigate function and QoL outcomes, patient priorities and the patient and carer experience of rOPC which was underpinned by patient and public involvement and engagement (PPI/E) from concept to completion.
Results:
Function and QoL will change with treatment for rOPC. Treatment-related priorities do not and remain focused on cure or survival, with patients acknowledging lower success rates and the possibility of poorer function/ QoL. Patient and carer experiences vary in terms of the opportunity for shared decision-making (SDM), pre-treatment counselling and ongoing support during and following treatment, highlighting an inequity of care.
Conclusion:
Clinical practice needs to focus on the provision of personalised care and SDM where patient concerns, values and priorities define the care, treatment and support provided. This needs to be informed by future research seeking to define core outcomes required to inform this SDM process and to capture the unique and changing needs of patients and their caregivers throughout the treatment pathway.Open Acces
Majoron-emitting double beta decays in the lux-zeplin (lz) experiment
No full textThe scale of neutrino masses is distinct from that of other particles, hinting towards an alternative mass generation mechanism beyond the Standard Model. One promising approach is to consider neutrinos acquiring Majorana masses through spontaneous symmetry breaking of the global U(1)_{B−L} symmetry, with the corresponding Goldstone boson denoted as the Majoron. The particle can potentially be discovered via the hypothetical Majoron-emitting double beta decay (0νββϕ). Observing such a process would illuminate numerous physics searches, including neutrino mass generation, leptogenesis of matter-antimatter asymmetry, and potential candidates for dark matter particles.
In this thesis, the capability of the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment to search for 0νββϕ in 136Xe is demonstrated. For the most commonly searched n = 1 mode, a conservative lifespan of 500 live-days will enable LZ to exclude T_{1/2} 2.1 × 10^23 yr at 90% CL with an 83.4 kg · yr exposure of 136Xe. This provides a concrete demonstration that LZ is capable of searching for 136Xe 0νββϕ and reaching competitive results in its full lifespan. It also highlights the general-purpose nature of a multi-tonne scale liquid xenon TPC and adds to the potential scientific goals of next-generation detectors.Open Acces
From pictures to policy: camera-based estimation of animal density to inform disease control
No full textReliable density estimates are essential for effective wildlife management, yet difficult to obtain. Camera traps have revolutionised density estimation for elusive species where individuals are recognisable, but until recently could not be used for other species. The random encounter model (REM) and camera trap distance sampling (CT-DS) are novel approaches which fill this methodological gap.
The management of European badgers (Meles meles) for the control of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) offers an ideal system for testing these methods because counting badgers is difficult, and abundance data are crucial for informing policy decisions. This thesis aimed to assess the REM and CT-DS for estimating animal density to inform disease management, focusing on badger vaccination for the control of bTB.
Density estimates aligned well between methods (Chapters 2, 4, and 5), and with independent reference estimates (Chapters 2 and 4). The REM was the more precise method, but both approaches were imprecise where density was low (Chapters 2 and 4). Precision improved with the use of more cameras, with both methods achieving adequate precision with ≥100 cameras (Chapter 4).
Where badgers were not culled, mean vaccination coverage ranged from 50.6% to 74.2%, surpassing the 30% threshold likely to be necessary for bTB elimination in badgers (Chapter 3). At two post-cull sites, point estimates of coverage also exceeded 30%, although confidence intervals were wide (Chapter 5), likely due to the small geographical scale of the study.
These findings show the utility of the REM and CT-DS for estimating the density of individually unidentifiable species. Additionally, the results suggest that badger vaccination can attain high levels of coverage, highlighting this as a feasible strategy for bTB management. However, the imprecision of estimates immediately post-cull calls for larger-scale evaluations. These findings are highly relevant to current bTB policy in England which is prioritising post-cull badger vaccination.Open Acces