26207 research outputs found
Sort by
Patient-clinician communication about weight loss
Get PDFThe worldwide prevalence of obesity has more than doubled between 1990 and 2022, with more than 890 million adults living with obesity in 2022.1 International guidelines recommend that clinicians offer weight loss support to their patients living with obesity, and effective communication from clinicians is associated with patient weight loss.2 Clinicians and patients think these conversations are important, and clinicians who do not specialize in treating obesity want to know how to introduce and offer support and treatment for weight loss
Auditors’ trust in audit committees and audit quality
No full textIn light of global advancements in corporate governance, it is imperative for external auditors and audit committees to engage in communication and interactions to ensure that external audits are conducted to a high standard and quality. While many studies report that audit committee expertise, diligence, and independence are associated with monitoring, often they do not provide explanation of the mechanisms through which these happen. There is limited research on how external auditors' trust in audit committees affects their interactions and therefore audit quality. This paper examines external auditors' trust and their interactions with audit committees. We find that external auditors' perceptions of audit committee members' competence, goodwill, and integrity shape their trust in audit committees. Overall, our findings suggest that auditors' trust in audit committees enhances their perception of the quality of their interactions, affects information sharing and the conduct of the audit, and thus helps to improve the quality of auditing
On emergence of spontaneous oscillations in kombucha and proteinoids
Get PDFAn important part of studying living systems is figuring out the complicated steps that lead to order from chaos. Spontaneous oscillations are a key part of self-organisation in many biological and chemical networks, including kombucha and proteinoids. This study examines the spontaneous oscillations in kombucha and proteinoids, specifically exploring their potential connection to the origin of life. As a community of bacteria and yeast work together, kombucha shows remarkable spontaneous oscillations in its biochemical parts. This system can keep a dynamic balance and organise itself thanks to metabolic processes and complex chemical reactions. Similarly, proteinoids, which may have been primitive forms of proteins, undergo spontaneous fluctuations in their structure and function periodically. Because these oscillations happen on their own, they may play a very important part in the development of early life forms. This paper highlights the fundamental principles governing the transition from chaos to order in living systems by examining the key factors that influence the frequency and characteristics of spontaneous oscillations in kombucha and proteinoids. Looking into these rhythms not only helps us understand where life came from but also shows us ways to make self-organising networks in synthetic biology and biotechnology. There is significant discussion over the emergence of biological order from chemical disorder. This article contributes to the ongoing discussion by examining at the theoretical basis, experimental proof, and implications of spontaneous oscillations. The results make it clear that random oscillations are an important part of the change from nonliving to living matter. They also give us important information about what life is all about
Cyber-physical-human systems for mobile robots in energy asset management: Current practices and future opportunities
No full textRapid advancement of digital technologies has resulted in an acceleration of cyber–physical systems for autonomous mobile robots to improve energy asset management activities within inspection, maintenance and repair. Within this systems-based approach, the role of the human-in-the-loop has also increased leading to cyber–physical-human systems requiring real-time interaction of robotics and digital twins with a human operator. Subject to existing network systems and physical systems, cyber–physical-human systems face enormous challenges requiring further investigation. This review presents the state-of-the-art in discovery, design, development and deployment of cyber–physical-human systems for mobile robots in energy asset management. To address dominant concepts and misconceptions in this area, key terminologies, system concepts and applications are presented. Then a state-of-the-art review with associated trends for several applications within academic and industrial sectors is presented where current practises and limitations are then discussed. Finally, future opportunities are explored alongside highlighted concepts providing a pathway for rapid adoption and improved key performance indicators of mobile fleets for facility operators and those in the wider community
Colorectal cancer progression to metastasis is associated with dynamic genome-wide biphasic 5-hydroxymethylcytosine accumulation
Get PDFBackground: Colorectal cancer (CRC) progression from adenoma to adenocarcinoma is associated with global reduction in 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC). DNA hypomethylation continues upon liver metastasis. Here we examine 5hmC changes upon progression to liver metastasis. Results: 5hmC is increased in metastatic liver tissue relative to the primary colon tumour and expression of TET2 and TET3 is negatively correlated with risk for metastasis in patients with CRC. Genes associated with increased 5-hydroxymethylcytosine show KEGG enrichment for adherens junctions, cytoskeleton and cell migration around a core cadherin (CDH2) network. Overall, the 5-hydroxymethylcyosine profile in the liver metastasis is similar to normal colon appearing to recover at many loci where it was originally present in normal colon and then spreading to adjacent sites. The underlying sequences at the recover and spread regions are enriched for SALL4, ZNF770, ZNF121 and PAX5 transcription factor binding sites. Finally, we show in a zebrafish migration assay using SW480 CRISPR-engineered TET knockout and rescue cells that reduced TET expression leads to a reduced migration frequency. Conclusions: Together these results suggest a biphasic trajectory for 5-hydroxymethyation dynamics that has bearing on potential therapeutic interventions aimed at manipulating 5-hydroxymethylcytosine levels
Characterization of the mixed‐mode interlaminar fracture toughness of an additive manufacturing continuous carbon fiber reinforced‐thermoplastic composite
Get PDFThere is a lack of knowledge concerning the interlaminar fracture toughness under mixed-mode ratios of 3D-printed composites. In this work, several additive manufacturing (AM) continuous Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic (cFRT) specimens have been tested to characterize the initiation and propagation of interlaminar fracture toughness under three different mixed-mode GII/(GI + GII) ratios: 25, 50, and 75%. The results obtained do not exhibit the common tendency seen in traditional laminated composite materials, in which the fracture toughness increases with the mixed-mode ratio. While the fracture toughness for the 50% mixed-mode ratio falls between the corresponding mode I and mode II values, the fracture toughness for the 25% and 75% ratios falls outside this range. To provide a reasonable explanation, fractography and microstructure analyses were conducted to quantify fiber, matrix, and void contents. It was concluded that this uncommon behavior is probably related to the intrinsic variability of the material and manufacturing process
Ensemble learning approaches for multi-class intrusion detection systems for the Internet of Vehicles (IoV): A comprehensive survey
Get PDFThe emergence of the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) has revolutionized intelligent transportation and communication systems. However, IoV presents many complex and ever-changing security challenges and thus requires robust cybersecurity protocols. This paper comprehensively describes and evaluates ensemble learning approaches for multi-class intrusion detection systems in the IoV environment. The study evaluates several approaches, such as stacking, voting, boosting, and bagging. A comprehensive review of the literature spanning 2020 to 2025 reveals important trends and topics that require further investigation and the relative merits of different ensemble approaches. The NSL-KDD, CICIDS2017, and UNSW-NB15 datasets are widely used to evaluate the performance of Ensemble Learning-Based Intrusion Detection Systems (ELIDS). ELIDS evaluation is usually carried out using some popular performance metrics, including Precision, Accuracy, Recall, F1-score, and Area Under Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC-ROC), which were used to evaluate and measure the effectiveness of different ensemble learning methods. Given the increasing complexity and frequency of cyber threats in IoV environments, ensemble learning methods such as bagging, boosting, and stacking enhance adaptability and robustness. These methods aggregate multiple learners to improve detection rates, reduce false positives, and ensure more resilient intrusion detection models that can evolve alongside emerging attack patterns
Cryptos ESG rating and price crash risks
Get PDFCryptos operate in decentralised, fast-evolving ecosystems where environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations may influence market behaviour. This study examines how ESG factors affect the price crash risk of 149 cryptos, offering a novel perspective on the sustainability of crypto assets. First, we extract ESG-related information from white papers and industry reports. Based on each crypto’s mechanism and function, we develop ESG criteria and assign environmental, social, and governance ratings. We then quantify price crash risk, used as a proxy for sustainability, using two indicators: negative coefficient of skewness (NCSKEW) and the down-to-up volatility ratio (DUVOL). To ensure sufficient data coverage, we select all cryptos ranked in the top 500 by market capitalisation as of 30 October 2024 and limit the sample to those with data available from 1 October 2020, ensuring each crypto predates the COVID-19 pandemic. We use ANOVA tests and decision tree models to explore how ESG factors contribute to crypto sustainability. Our findings confirm that ESG considerations can enhance crypto market resilience, as higher ESG ratings are associated with lower crypto price crash risks. Cryptos at relatively low crash risk (i.e., low NCSKEW risk or DUVOL risk) have an average E, S and G score at 1.3 (Max 3), 3.4 (Max 6) and 2.2 (Max 3), respectively. These insights offer practical value for investors, developers, and policymakers aiming to reduce risks and promote sustainability in the crypto ecosystem
A multi-language toolkit for the semi-automated checking of research outputs
Get PDFThis article presents a free and open source toolkit that supports the semi-automated checking of research outputs (SACRO) for privacy disclosure within secure data environments. SACRO is a framework that applies best-practice principles-based statistical disclosure control (SDC) techniques on-the-fly as researchers conduct their analyses. SACRO is designed to assist human checkers rather than seeking to replace them as with current automated rules-based approaches. The toolkit is composed of a lightweight Python package that sits over well-known analysis tools that produce outputs such as tables, plots, and statistical models. This package adds functionality to (i) automatically identify potentially disclosive outputs against a range of commonly used disclosure tests; (ii) apply optional disclosure mitigation strategies as requested; (iii) report reasons for applying SDC; and (iv) produce simple summary documents trusted research environment staff can use to streamline their workflow and maintain auditable records. This creates an explicit change in the dynamics so that SDC is something done with researchers rather than to them, and enables more efficient communication with checkers. A graphical user interface supports human checkers by displaying the requested output and results of the checks in an immediately accessible format, highlighting identified issues, potential mitigation options, and tracking decisions made. The major analytical programming languages used by researchers (Python, R, and Stata) are supported by providing front-end packages that interface with the core Python back-end. Source code, packages, and documentation are available under MIT license at https://github.com/AI-SDC/ACRO
Written evidence: Building support for the energy transition (Parliament Inquiry)
No full textThis written evidence, submitted by Dr Tariq Umar, addresses key challenges and opportunities in the UK’s energy transition, with a focus on improving public understanding, financial clarity, and citizen engagement. It argues that while the UK Government has made efforts to promote the benefits of net zero policies—such as long-term savings, energy security, job creation, and health improvements—public awareness remains limited due to inconsistent messaging and overly technical communications. The submission emphasizes the need for clearer cost transparency, particularly concerning the upfront investment versus long-term benefits of green technologies, and highlights a widespread lack of awareness about available government incentives.Dr Umar calls for comprehensive public campaigns to counter anti-net zero narratives that frame climate policies as economically damaging. He recommends a more participatory approach to policy development, including community-based forums, tailored education programs, and transparent financial incentives. The evidence outlines practical strategies such as leveraging digital platforms, fostering trusted messengers, and promoting local success stories to build trust and engagement. Ultimately, the submission advocates for a coordinated, inclusive, and transparent approach to ensure broad societal support for the UK's sustainable energy transition