26207 research outputs found
Sort by
Updating ‘stockpiling as resilience’ in the context of the cost-of-living crisis: Tracking changes in resilience strategies in the UK
Get PDFUsing the seven resilience strategies identified in the previous paper entitled “Stockpiling as Resilience,” this study offers an update on the previous study 1 year later with interviews with the same households. The first paper was the result of interviews with 19 households held between April and May 2020 across the UK, and explored how these households managed lack of access to food during the COVID-19 lockdowns. This paper presents the same participants’ experiences following the UK lockdowns in the context of the sharp rise in the cost-of-living in the UK Taken together, both phases of interviews bring into clear relief the influences affecting the UK food system, one characterized by increasing inaccessibility of food. This follow-up paper establishes that four of seven resilience strategies are still actively used, whereas three have become unnecessary. Two further themes are made salient in the interview data: weight management and convenience. Overall, this paper acts as a preliminary investigation into strategies that households are likely to utilize in the coming months and years in the context of the cost-of-living crisis
Oxygen: Highlights from the papers published in the journal up to February 2024
Get PDFThis article has no abstrac
‘The scale of the challenge dwarfs the available resources’— (un)affordable housing in the South West of England
Get PDFProto–neural networks from thermal proteins
Get PDFProteinoids are synthetic polymers that have structural similarities to natural proteins, and their formation is achieved through the application of heat to amino acid combinations in a dehydrated environment. The thermal proteins, initially synthesised by Sidney Fox during the 1960s, has the ability to undergo self-assembly, resulting in the formation of microspheres that resemble cells. These microspheres have fascinating biomimetic characteristics. In recent studies, substantial advancements have been made in elucidating the electrical signalling phenomena shown by proteinoids, hence showcasing their promising prospects in the field of neuro-inspired computing. This study demonstrates the advancement of experimental prototypes that employ proteinoids in the construction of fundamental neural network structures. The article provides an overview of significant achievements in proteinoid systems, such as the demonstration of electrical excitability, emulation of synaptic functions, capabilities in pattern recognition, and adaptability of network structures. This study examines the similarities and differences between proteinoid networks and spontaneous neural computation. We examine the persistent challenges associated with deciphering the underlying mechanisms of emergent proteinoid-based intelligence. Additionally, we explore the potential for developing bio-inspired computing systems using synthetic thermal proteins in forthcoming times. The results of this study offer a theoretical foundation for the advancement of adaptive, self-assembling electronic systems that operate using artificial bio-neural principles. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Memfractance of proteinoids
Get PDFProteinoids, or thermal proteins, are amino acid polymers formed at high temperatures by nonbiological processes. The objective of this study is to examine the memfractance characteristics of proteinoids within a supersaturated hydroxyapatite solution. The ionic solution utilized for the current-voltage (I-V) measurements possessed an ionic strength of 0.15 mol/L, a temperature of 37 °C, and a pH value of 7.4. The I-V curves exhibited distinct spikes, which are hypothesized to arise from the capacitive charging and discharging of the proteinoid-hydroxyapatite media. The experimental results demonstrated a positive correlation between the concentration of proteinoids and the observed number of spikes in the I-V curves. This observation provides evidence in favor of the hypothesis that the spikes originate from the proteinoids’ capacitive characteristics. The memfractance behavior exemplifies the capacity of proteinoids to retain electrical charge within the hydrated hydroxyapatite media. Additional investigation is required in order to comprehensively identify the memcapacitive phenomena and delve into their implications for models of protocellular membranes. In a nutshell, this study provides empirical support for the existence of capacitive membrane-memfractance mechanisms in ensembles of proteinoids
Exploring the content validity of the Chalder Fatigue Scale using cognitive interviewing in an ME/CFS population
Get PDFBackgroundThe Chalder Fatigue Scale, also known as the Chalder Fatigue Questionnaire (CFQ) is a Patient Reported Outcome Measure (PROM) comprising 11 items designed to measure physical and cognitive fatigue. It is widely used with people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). There is no published evaluation of the content validity of the CFQ.ObjectivesTo elicit information regarding the cognitive processes undertaken by people living with ME/CFS, when completing the CFQ to allow examination of the CFQ’s content validity.MethodsA qualitative study utilising semi-structured cognitive interviewing. All data were collated according to the CFQ item but some general criticisms of the content validity of the CFQ were also identified.ResultsThe CFQ currently consists of one item clearly related to physical symptoms (1.6), four items clearly related to cognitive function (1.8, 1.9, 1.10, 1.11) and one item relating to fatigue (1.5) which could be interpreted as cognitive and/or physical fatigue. The other five items have been identified by participants as lacking clarity (1.1, 1.7), relating to behaviour not symptoms (1.2, 1.4), or relating to sleepiness not fatigue (1.3).ConclusionParticipants provided a wealth of insight into the challenges related to relevance, comprehensiveness, and comprehensibility of the CFQ, indicating that revision is required. This strengthens the case for participation of people with lived experience at all stages of PROM development. There is a need for an assessment tool/PROM for clinical and research use ME/CFS which has undergone content validation involving people living with ME/CFS
Experiences of the safety operator role in the MultiCAV project
Get PDFThe MultiCAV research and development project, co-funded by Innovate UK and the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV), was established to deliver sustainable transport services in a ‘Mobility as a Service’ environment. The centrepiece of the project was a series of three phases of electric autonomous bus service trials, first operating on public roads within Milton Park Technology and Science Park, Didcot (Oxfordshire) and later linking to Didcot Parkway railway station. The demonstration services took place in 2023 and were branded to the public as part of the Mi-Link1 suite of transport services. The project was conducted by a consortium which brought together First Bus as lead, Milton Park, Oxfordshire County Council, Nova Modus, Fusion Processing2, Zipabout, and the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol). The report examines the experiences of the safety operators involved in crewing the MultiCAV Project’s Mi-Link demonstration Services 001 and 002. It considers the selection, specialist training and on-road operation of an automated electric minibus, a type-approved Public Service Vehicle. These were first-of-a-kind activities in the UK
Assessing the effects of cold atmospheric plasma on the natural microbiota and quality of pork during storage
Get PDFCold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a novel non-thermal technology with significant potential for use in meat processing to prolong shelf life. The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficiency of CAP treatment on the natural microbiota and quality traits of pork stored for 8 days at 4 °C. CAP treatment was applied by employing piezoelectric direct discharge technology to treat pork samples for 0, 3, 6, and 9 min. Reductions of approximately 0.8–1.7 log CFU/g were observed in total viable counts (TVC) and Pseudomonas spp. levels for CAP treatments longer than 3 min, immediately after treatment. A storage study revealed that CAP-treated pork (>6 min) had significantly lower levels of TVC, Pseudomonas spp., and Enterobacteriaceae throughout storage. Regarding quality traits, CAP application for longer than 3 min significantly increased water retention and yellowness and decreased meat redness compared to untreated pork. However, other parameters such as pH, tenderness, and lightness exhibited no statistically significant differences between untreated and CAP-treated pork. Lipid oxidation levels were higher only for the 9-min treatment compared to untreated pork. Our results revealed that CAP is a promising technology that can extend the microbiological shelf life of pork during refrigeration storage
Understanding Mental Health Apps: An Applied Psychosocial Perspective
No full textOffers insight into the power of apps to shape our sense of selves and others.Looks at the use of mental health applications from a social psychological perspective.Aims to show how everyday forms of distress are embedded in the use of mental health apps
A web-based physical activity promotion intervention for inactive parent-child dyads: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Get PDFBackground: Low levels of physical activity are associated with numerous adverse health outcomes, yet sedentary lifestyles are common among both children and adults. Physical activity levels tend to decline steeply among children aged between 8 and 12 years, even though children's behavioral patterns are largely governed by familial structures. Similarly, parents' activity levels have been generally reported as lower than those of nonparents of comparable age. For this reason, family-based physical activity promotion interventions are a potentially valuable and relatively underresearched method for mitigating physical activity declines as children develop into adolescents and for increasing physical activity in parents. Objective: This study aims to assess the efficacy, feasibility, and acceptability of a novel theory-based web-based physical activity promotion intervention among parent-child dyads in Finland who do not meet physical activity recommendations at baseline. Methods: Participants (target N=254) will be recruited from the general population using a panel company and advertisements on social media and randomly assigned to either an immediate intervention group or a waitlist control group. The intervention consists of 4 web-based group workshops over the course of 10 weeks, web-based tasks and resources, and a social support chat group. Data on physical activity behavior and constructs from the integrated behavior change model will be collected through self-report surveys assessing physical activity, autonomy support, autonomous motivation, attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, intention, self-monitoring, habit, and accelerometer measurements at baseline, post intervention, and 3 months post intervention. Exit interviews with participants will assess the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention procedures. Results: This study will reveal whether the intervention changes leisure-time physical activity among intervention participants relative to the control group and will examine the intervention's effects on important theoretical predictors of physical activity. It will also yield data that can be used to refine intervention materials and inform further implementation. Trial recruitment commenced in September 2023, and data collection should be completed by December 2024. Conclusions: The planned intervention has potential implications for both theory and practice. Practically, the use of an entirely web-based intervention may have scalable future uses for improving physical activity in 2 key populations, while also potentially informing on the value of dyadic, family-based strategies for encouraging an active lifestyle as an alternative to strategies that target either parents or children independently. Further, by assessing change in psychological constructs alongside potential change in behavior, the intervention also allows for important tests of theory regarding which constructs are most linked to favorable behavior change outcomes