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Working with public contributors in Parkinson's research: What were the changes, benefits and learnings? A critical reflection from the researcher and public contributor perspective
Get PDFIntroduction: This paper provides a critical reflection from both the researcher and public contributor (PC) perspective on the benefits and the learnings taken from involving PCs in research related to Parkinson's. Approach toPatient and Public Involvement (PPI): This paper reports on how PCs shaped the design and development of the PRIME-UK research programme study materials through input into information leaflets, consent formsand other patient-facing documents used across three studies within the PRIME-UK research programme. The PRIME-UK research programme is designed to improve the quality of life of people with Parkinson's and this project included three studies: a cross-sectional study, arandomised control trialand a qualitative study. We captured these impacts using Public Involvement Impact Logs, which provide a framework allowing researchers and PCs to report on the learnings, immediate outcomesand impacts fromPPI. For this project, the impact logs enabled us to provide reflections from PCs and researchers on the process of involving ‘the public’ in Parkinson's research. Findings: This paper builds on existing evidence of the range of benefits and challenges that emerge from working with patients and the public in Parkinson's research; this includes reflecting on the changes made to the study materials and benefits for the people involved. Four themes emerged from the reflections that were common to the researchers and PCs; these were the importance of providing a supportive environment; recognition of the benefit of the evaluation of the impact of PPI; acknowledgement that engagement of PPI can make a positive difference to the research processand that timely communication and the use of face-to-face communication, where available, is key. Furthermore, we demonstrate how impact logs provide a useful and straightforward tool for evaluating public involvement practices and supporting the feedback process. Conclusion: We offer key recommendations for involving patients and the public in Parkinson's research and suggest approaches that could be implemented to capture the impacts of public involvement. Public Contribution: Public contributors (PCs) were involved in the design and development of the participant information leaflets, consent formsand other patient-facing documents used for studies within the PRIME-UK research programme. In addition, PCs evaluated their involvement using impact logs and co-authored this paper
The inadvertently revealing statistic: A systemic gap in statistical training?
Get PDFWhile concerns around data privacy are well-known, there's a lack of awareness and training when it comes to the confidentiality risk of published statistics, argue Ben Derrick, Elizabeth Green, Felix Ritchie, Jim Smith, Paul Whit
Detection and quantitative microbial risk assessment of pathogenic Vibrio cholerae in a river used for drinking, domestic, fresh produce irrigation and recreational purposes
No full textCholera infection results from the ingestion of water or food contaminated with toxigenic Vibrio cholerae. This study evaluated the occurrence of toxigenic V. cholerae in Asata River, Enugu Metropolis, Nigeria, and estimated V. cholerae infection risks from use of the River water for drinking, domestic and recreational purposes. Vibrio was detected and quantified using membrane filtration technique and thiosulfate–citrate–bile salts–sucrose agar. Isolates were screened by PCR, using specific primers targeting the internal transcribed spacer (its) region between 16 and 23S rRNA and the cholera toxin (ctx) gene. Sequenced 16SrRNA gene amplicons of two selected isolates were used for phylogenetic analysis. Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) was conducted using the β-Poisson dose–response model. About 81% (58/72) of Asata River samples recorded Vibrio counts above 1.0 × 103 cfu/100 mL. Of the fifty Vibrio isolates screened, its was detected in 54% (27/50), out of which 74% (20/27) had the ctx gene of toxigenic V. cholerae. Evolutionary relatedness of the sequenced isolates to V. cholerae was revealed. The estimated risks of cholera infection in persons exposed to untreated Asata River water were above 0.5 for all the exposure scenarios, for both the rainy and dry seasons. The risks were highest (~ 0.9) for exposure via drinking water and annual risk of infection was deduced to have a probability of 1.0. Therefore, dependence on the untreated Asata River water for drinking, recreational, domestic and irrigation purposes may present a potential public health risk of cholera outbreak. We recommend increased monitoring and surveillance of River water for Vibrio abundance and that Asata River be protected from further degradation
Communication and Electoral Politics in Ghana: Interrogating Transnational Technology, Discourse and Multimodalities
No full textRecognition of sounds by ensembles of proteinoids
Get PDFProteinoids are artificial polymers that imitate certain characteristics of natural proteins, including self-organization, catalytic activity, and responsiveness to external stimuli. This paper examines the acoustic response properties of proteinoids microspheres when exposed to auditory stimuli. We convert sounds of English alphabet into waveforms of electrical potential, feed the waveforms into proteinoid solutions and record electrical responses of the proteinoids. We also undertake a detailed comparison of proteinoids' electrical responses (frequencies, periods, and amplitudes) with original input signals. We found that responses of proteinoids are less regular, lower dominant frequency, wider distribution of proteinoids and less skewed distribution of amplitudes compared with input signals. We found that resonant acoustic excitation of proteinoids generates unique electrical impulse patterns dependent on sound frequency and amplitude. The finding will be used in further designs of organic electronic devices, based on ensembles of proteinoids, for sound processing and speech recognition. Our findings provide the first quantitative investigation into the potential of thermal proteinoid microspheres for bio-inspired sound processing and recognition applications. Using controlled speaker excitation on proteinoid samples, we create reliable markers of productive acoustic response capacities, paving the way for future advancement. [Abstract copyright: © 2024 The Author(s).
Achieving creative collaboration between language teachers and artists
Get PDFInspired by academic thinking and practice-based work on creativity and education, and creative approaches in language education, this article is based on outcomes of the project ‘Creating Welcoming Learning Environments: Disseminating Arts-Based Approaches to Including All Learners’, funded by the UK Arts & Humanities Research Council. The project brought together creative artists specializing in filmmaking, drama, crafting, poetry and the spoken word, textiles and music with teachers in the south-west of England, who collaborated on integrating arts-based practices into language teaching, learning and assessment. The focus of the project was to generate new ways of teaching a) children developing English as an Additional Language (EAL) in mainstream primary, secondary and special schools and b) all children in schools where there is a commitment to building an ethos of inclusion and diversity in relation to languages and cultures. The article reports on how co-operative, collaborative workshops were used to bring teachers, creative artists and researchers together in a way which valued everyone’s knowledge and expertise. A thematic analysis of data from evaluation interviews undertaken with the participating teachers is provided and the potential for workshop-based professional development opportunities as a way of achieving creative collaboration in schools is discussed
The impact of the cost-of-living crisis on population health in the UK: Rapid evidence review
Get PDFBackground: In the UK, unique and unforeseen factors, including COVID-19, Brexit, and Ukraine-Russia war, have resulted in an unprecedented cost of living crisis, creating a second health emergency. We present, one of the first rapid reviews with the aim of examining the impact of this current crisis, at a population level. We reviewed published literature, as well as grey literature, examining a broad range of physical and mental impacts on health in the short, mid, and long term, identifying those most at risk, impacts on system partners, including emergency services and the third sector, as well as mitigation strategies. Methods: We conducted a rapid review by searching PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, and HMIC (2020 to 2023). We searched for grey literature on Google and hand-searched the reports of relevant public health organisations. We included interventional and observational studies that reported outcomes of interventions aimed at mitigating against the impacts of cost of living at a population level. Results: We found that the strongest evidence was for the impact of cold and mouldy homes on respiratory-related infections and respiratory conditions. Those at an increased risk were young children (0–4years), the elderly (aged 75 and over), as well as those already vulnerable, including those with long-term multimorbidity. Further short-term impacts include an increased risk of physical pain including musculoskeletal and chest pain, and increased risk of enteric infections and malnutrition. In the mid-term, we could see increases in hypertension, transient ischaemic attacks, and myocardial infarctions, and respiratory illnesses. In the long term we could see an increase in mortality and morbidity rates from respiratory and cardiovascular disease, as well as increase rates of suicide and self-harm and infectious disease outcomes. Changes in behaviour are likely particularly around changes in food buying patterns and the ability to heat a home. System partners are also impacted, with voluntary sectors seeing fewer volunteers, an increase in petty crime and theft, alternative heating appliances causing fires, and an increase in burns and burn-related admissions. To mitigate against these impacts, support should be provided, to the most vulnerable, to help increase disposable income, reduce energy bills, and encourage home improvements linked with energy efficiency. Stronger links to bridge voluntary, community, charity and faith groups are needed to help provide additional aid and support. Conclusion: Although the CoL crisis affects the entire population, the impacts are exacerbated in those that are most vulnerable, particularly young children, single parents, multigenerational families. More can be done at a community and societal level to support the most vulnerable, and those living with long-term multimorbidity. This review consolidates the current evidence on the impacts of the cost of living crisis and may enable decision makers to target limited resources more effectively
Local solvability and dilation-critical singularities of supercritical fractional heat equations
No full textWe consider the Cauchy problem for fractional semilinear heat equations with supercritical nonlinearities and establish both necessary conditions and sufficient conditions for local-in-time solvability. We introduce the notion of a dilation-critical singularity (DCS) of the initial data and show that such singularities always exist for a large class of supercritical nonlinearities. Moreover, we provide exact formulae for such singularities
Financial technology education provision and perceived skill gap in the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka
Get PDFThe current spread of financial technology (Fintech) adoption within the financial and business industries across the globe is expected to increase the demand for employees with Fintech skills and competencies. This in turn is likely to shift the traditional skill set required for financial and accounting professionals. This paper investigates the competency level of employability skills required for the current job market from employers’ perspective in the UK and Sri Lanka. The UK and Sri Lanka are typical of industrialised and emerging economies, respectively. They are at the end of two opposing poles in terms of financial infrastructure, economic development, regulatory framework, and educational system. This suggests a significant divergence of the two countries in terms of skills gap. We test for this via three main hypotheses. To this end, we identify the competency level of employability skills as expected by employers and identify the skills gaps between expected and observed competency levels of employability skills. Information on a set of twenty skills is collected via a questionnaire. We find no major skills gaps in the UK. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, shows severe skills gaps. The gaps are particularly acute within the soft skills such as critical thinking, problem solving and decision making. Our findings reflect the importance of expanding the Fintech higher education curricula by assessing and implementing employability skills development activities
Research Handbook on Flood Risk Management
No full textPushing the boundaries of flood risk management research, this comprehensive Research Handbook presents pragmatic insights into all areas relating to flood risk. Through its use of dynamic and people-centred paradigms, it explores urban flood management within localities, properties, neighbourhoods and cities.Structured around the flood risk management cycle, chapters explore the critical importance of managing the consequences of flooding whilst examining key concepts such as mitigation, preparedness, emergency management and recovery. An international range of expert contributors from an array of disciplines recognize the inadequacies of existing governance approaches and mechanisms when it comes to addressing urban flooding, and identify the ways in which these can be strengthened in order to create an integrated flood and water management framework. Adopting a forward-thinking approach, the Research Handbook also investigates future directions of flood risk management research.The Research Handbook on Flood Risk Management will be an indispensable resource for academics, researchers and students interested in environmental geography, environmental governance and regulation, urban studies, politics and public policy, and the management of natural resources