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The News Values of Court Reporting
Get PDFReporting the courts on behalf of the public is one of the traditional tasks of local newspapers. Yet in the UK, twin financial crises affecting both the local media market and the criminal justice system have led to concerns over the sustainability of court reporting. Furthermore, the practice of reporting to the courts has arguably been under-explored, especially when set against media coverage of crime generally. This article seeks to establish insights into the quality and quantity of contemporary court reporting in the UK’s local press. It analyses content published on the websites of six prominent daily newspapers, using Steve Chibnall’s 1977 work on crime news values as a framework. The article finds that daily court coverage remains widespread, especially at key titles owned by the UK’s largest newspaper publisher, Reach, potentially challenging narratives around the decline of public interest journalism in the local press. It also develops a list of the news values of court reporting, as distinct from crime reporting, for the first time
An expert panel review of endoscopic vein harvesting devices: benefits, limitations, and clinical insights
Get PDFObjectivesEndoscopic vessel harvesting (EVH) devices are technically complex and the learning curve for novice practitioners can be steep, due to the need for refined hand-eye coordination and device familiarity. Training and mentoring approaches vary widely, as does the experience level of practitioners entering EVH practice.MethodsThis expert review was conducted by 10 international EVH specialists from the United Kingdom, United States, and Serbia, each with 18 to 28 years of experience. Comprehensive searches of EMBASE, Cochrane, PubMed, CINAHL, and Google Scholar revealed no head-to-head comparative studies of EVH devices. As a result, the group evaluated EVH device industry specifications and white papers to analyse the evolution, component features, and limitations of current systems. Expert consensus was also sought to outline ideal device attributes and training enhancements.ResultsStudies suggest the EVH learning curve ranges from 5 to 30 cases; however, studies have reported that even after 100 cases, learning may be incomplete, particularly when assessed using optical coherence tomography for conduit injury. A lack of high-quality comparative studies and wide variability in device design, institutional practices, and user experience hinder conclusions about the superiority of any specific EVH system. Device choice is often based more on training background and availability than on clinical evidence.ConclusionsNo existing studies link specific device-related learning curves to clinical outcomes or conduit quality. There is an apparent need for independent device evaluation, standardized training programmes, and robust comparative outcome data to support evidence-based device selection that prioritizes patient safety and conduit long-term patency
Development of a design specification for a context-appropriate passive adjustable wrist prosthesis: A Uganda-based study.
No full textMost research into upper limb prosthetics has focused on the design and control of hands. However, research has suggested that addition of a functional wrist to a simple hand may yield better results for persons with upper limb absence (PWULA) than a highly dexterous hand without a wrist. Attempting tasks in the absence of an adjustable wrist leads to compensatory movements in proximal joints and a reduced overall functionality. While a small number of studies have investigated passive prosthetic wrists and some devices are available commercially, their design rationale is rarely reported, and no consensus exists on which type of device performs best. Furthermore, except for a growing number of manufacturers in China, most devices on the market are designed in Europe or the USA for high income contexts. There are, therefore, very few studies of the needs of PWULA in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), and to the author’s knowledge, none that directly informs wrist prosthesis design in such settings.This PhD aimed to develop a design specification for a passive prosthetic wrist suitable for PWULA in LMIC. The first study, a secondary analysis of interviews with participants in Uganda and Jordan identified priority activities of daily living (ADLs): hand washing clothes, sweeping, peeling, driving, lifting objects and reading and writing, these studies strongly informed consecutive studies and highlighted the underrepresentation of LMIC user needs. The second study evaluated the reliability of different setup procedures to wrist and forearm kinematics measurement equipment (electro-goniometers and torsiometers), setup procedure 2 provided the highest reliability. This provided a protocol for using electro-goniometers and torsiometers to measure wrist and forearm kinematics in LMIC that have no access to equipped gait laboratories. The third study used the validated setup procedure in study 2 to capture wrist and forearm kinematics while performing a select ADLs identified in study 1. The results reported functional range(s) of motion (FROM) of: Fl/Ex: ~85°, Rd/Ud: ~50° and ~Pr/Su: 50°. Using the virtual neutral concept, we identified task specific optimal and worst orientations that were validated using a movement quality scale. The findings further showed that tasks were performed with the wrist biased towards Ex, Rd and Pr.Together, these studies provide three main contributions: (1) the identification of LMIC relevant ADLs to inform UL kinematics studies (ii) a reliable wrist and forearm kinematics measurement protocol (iii) a virtual neutral concept that can be used to determine optimal wrist and forearm orientations, (iv) functional ranges of motion and a normative database of wrist and forearm kinematics. These findings establish the first evidence-based design framework and recommendations for passive prosthetic wrists tailored to the needs of PWULA
Prescribing for weight loss
No full textDeborah Robertson provides an overview of recently published articles that may be of interest to non-medical prescribers. Should you wish to look at any of the papers in more detail, a full reference is provide
Policing, social media, and riots: user responses to the police during the 2024 UK summer protests and riots
Get PDFProtests and riots occurred across eight days during the summer of 2024 in the UK. Throughout this time, the police shared countless messages with users via the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). This paper sheds light on how users responded to this content. Using a rigorous research strategy, we studied user comments on 124 police threads. Research findings illustrate that users had overwhelmingly right-wing political, social, and cultural views, describing protestors and rioters as largely peaceful ordinary British citizens, while criticising the police for so-called two-tier policing and tyranny. This is significant because it shows that users who believed that the police no longer served their interests instead identified with the protestors and rioters. For the police, our research findings highlight the need to remain on X, and to both challenge and combat hate speech
Sleep Measurement in Osteoarthritis and Inflammatory Arthritis: A Systematic Scoping Review Protocol
Get PDFBackground: Osteoarthritis (OA) and inflammatory arthritis (IA), including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and axial spondylarthritis (axSpA), are leading causes of disability worldwide, significantly impacting health and quality of life. Sleep issues are highly prevalent in these populations, exacerbating pain, fatigue, and disease activity. However, there is a dearth of evidence regarding how sleep disorders should be assessed. Objective: The main objectives are to identify, describe, and synthesise which types of sleep dimensions are evaluated, what measurement tools are employed to measure them in individuals with OA and IA, and provide an overview of the impact of sleep issues in OA and IA. Methods: This systematic scoping review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute methodological framework and be reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analysis extension for Systematic Scoping Reviews. The search strategy will involve PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central, PsycINFO, and CINAHL, along with grey literature sources. Articles will be selected based on predefined eligibility criteria, and data will be synthesised narratively. Anticipated outcomes: This systematic scoping review will synthesise the current literature on studies that collect and report sleep assessment as a primary or secondary outcome in people with OA and IA. It will clarify which sleep dimensions are assessed and how they are measured, provide an updated overview to inform clinical practice regarding sleep assessment and impact in OA and IA, and identify key research gaps. Dissemination: The findings will be disseminated through research publications, including peer‐reviewed articles and conference abstract(s)/presentation(s)
Enhancing Diagnostic Precision in Breast Cancer Classification Through EfficientNetB7 Using Advanced Image Augmentation and Interpretation Techniques
No full textThe precise classification of breast ultrasound images into benign, malignant, and normal categories represents a critical challenge in medical diagnostics, exacerbated by subtle interclass variations and the variable quality of clinical imaging. State‐of‐the‐art approaches largely capitalize on the advanced capabilities of deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs), with significant emphasis on exploiting architectures like EfficientNet that are pre‐trained on extensive datasets. While these methods demonstrate potential, they frequently suffer from overfitting, reduced resilience to image distortions such as noise and artifacts, and the presence of pronounced class imbalances in training data. To address these issues, this study introduces an optimized framework using the EfficientNetB7 architecture, enhanced by a targeted augmentation strategy. This strategy employs aggressive random rotations, color jittering, and horizontal flipping to specifically bolster the representation of minority classes, thereby improving model robustness and generalizability. Additionally, this approach integrates an adaptive learning rate scheduler and implements strategic early stopping to refine the training process and prevent overfitting. This optimized model demonstrates a substantial improvement in diagnostic accuracy, achieving a 98.29% accuracy rate on a meticulously assembled test dataset. This performance significantly surpasses existing benchmarks in the field, highlighting the model's enhanced ability to navigate the intricacies of breast ultrasound image analysis. The high diagnostic accuracy of this model positions it as an invaluable tool in the early detection and informed management of breast cancer, potentially transforming current paradigms in oncological care
Prescribing proton pump inhibitors
Get PDFDeborah Robertson provides an overview of recently published articles that may be of interest to non-medical prescribers. Should you wish to look at any of the papers in more detail, a full reference is provide
A Review on Issues and Challenges in Planning Application System Delivery from Selected Literatures
Get PDFThe approval of a Planning Application is a mandatory requirement enforced by Local Authorities before developers can proceed with any proposed project. This approval process is a critical step in ensuring that development proposals align with regulatory standards and community interests. However, obtaining Planning Application approval has emerged as a significant challenge within the construction sector, a concern that has been widely discussed on a global scale. Recent studies highlight growing dissatisfaction and frustration among industry professionals and stakeholders, who express negative feedback towards the inefficiencies and delays in the Planning Application system delivery service. This paper aims to investigate the underlying issues and challenges associated with the Planning Application system, drawing from an extensive review of thirty-five selected literature sources. The research adopts a clustering technique philosophy to systematically categorize the problems identified. By utilizing a benchmarking methodology, the study extracted and analyzed nearly 150 elements that represent the key issues and challenges as discussed by scholars and professionals in the field. The findings of this study reveal a broad spectrum of challenges that are recurrent across different regions and contexts. These challenges have been classified into four primary components: Governance, which includes the regulatory and policy framework governing planning applications; Administration, Organization, and Management, which encompasses the procedural and managerial aspects of the application process; Human Capacity and Skills, highlighting the competencies and expertise of personnel involved; and Technology and Infrastructure, focusing on the technological tools and systems that support the planning application process. In conclusion, the study provides a comprehensive overview of the critical factors that hinder the effective delivery of Planning Application systems, offering insights that could inform future reforms and improvements in the process
Neuromuscular characteristics of eccentric, concentric and isometric contractions of the knee extensors
Get PDFPurpose: We compared voluntary drive and corticospinal responses during eccentric (ECC), isometric (ISOM) and concentric (CON) muscle contractions to shed light on neurophysiological mechanisms underpinning the lower voluntary drive in a greater force production in ECC than other contractions. Methods: Sixteen participants (20–33 years) performed ISOM and isokinetic (30°/s) CON and ECC knee extensor contractions (110°–40° knee flexion) in which electromyographic activity (EMG) was recorded from vastus lateralis. Voluntary activation (VA) was measured during ISOM, CON and ECC maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs). Transcranial magnetic stimulation elicited motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) and corticospinal silent periods (CSP) during MVCs and submaximal (30%) contractions, and short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) in submaximal contractions. Results: MVC torque was greater (P 0.05). Conclusions: The lower voluntary drive indicated by reduced VA during ECC may be partly explained by lower corticospinal excitability, while the shorter CSP may reflect extra muscle spindle excitation of the motoneurons from vastus lateralis muscle lengthening
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