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Effects of transtheoretical model of change-based interventions on physical activity among older adults: a systematic review of randomised controlled and non-randomised controlled trials
No full textBackground: Physical inactivity in older adults is a major public health concern associated with numerous non-communicable chronic conditions. Several behaviour theories have been advanced to address the issue of physical inactivity including Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of Change among older adults. The study aimed to primarily assess the cumulative effect of TTM-based interventions on physical activity and secondarily on self-efficacy among older adults. Methods: A systematic search of electronic databases (including Cochrane Library, AgeLine, Medline, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Web of Science Core Collections) was searched from inception to August 2024. Inclusion criteria comprised studies investigating TTM-based interventions on PA in individuals aged 60 and above, randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs. Risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane Collaboration’s tool for RCTs while ROBIN-I was used for non-RCTs. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation was used to evaluate the certainty of the evidence. Study findings were narratively synthesised in line with the Synthesis Without Meta-analysis framework. Results: Three studies (two RCTs and one non-RCT) met the inclusion criteria, comprising 1,474 participants (65–89 years; 71% females). TTM interventions showed low certainty of evidence of no significant effects on physical activity or self-efficacy for the RCTs. In contrast, the non-RCT showed very low-certainty evidence for the significant effects of TTM on physical activity among participants in the under-maintenance and maintenance stages, with long-term benefits limited only to those already in the maintenance stage. For self-efficacy, there was very low certainty of evidence for the significant effects of TTM only among participants in the under-maintenance stage. Conclusion: This review highlights the limited, inconsistent and low level of evidence of the effects of TTM-based interventions in promoting physical activity among older adults. Whilst for self-efficacy, there is limited, mixed and low to very low level of evidence for the beneficial effects of TTM interventions. More RCTs are needed to identify the most effective components of the TTM and understand the impact of different intervention delivery methods (e.g., digital versus face-to-face) for physical activity promotion in the older adult population
A Critical Exploration of the Multi-Dimensions of Aloneness Through the Examination of Midlife Adult Transitional Experiences and A Review of Social Policy
No full textLoneliness is deemed a societal concern due to its association with poor mental health. Solitude has
received less attention, despite evidence of its restorative properties and its promising role in relieving loneliness. The lack of integrated research exploring the relationship between loneliness and solitude in a societal context has arguably hindered awareness of the nuances of being and
feeling alone, conceptualised in this research as the multi-dimensions of aloneness. Novel qualitative and quantitative data were collected from midlife adults who had experienced life transitions—an under-represented population in loneliness and solitude research. The midlife transitional
experience was examined considering the opportunities and challenges that arise throughout this period of life. The participant data were supplemented with a critical study of social policy to uncover the ways in which policy-level narratives portray being and feeling alone in society, as well as to contrast the tensions and opportunities between individual and systemic conceptualisations of 'aloneness'. The research found that feeling and being alone are complex and highly contextualised within the societal system, dependent on psychological perceptions, environmental context, and societal factors. Time alone and social relationships are both offered as self-determined means to
feel emotionally connected to place, the self, community, and nature. This research presents an original contribution through novel methods that highlight the contextualised nuances of feeling and being alone and argues for the recognition of the value of promoting positive solitude in
communities alongside positive social relationships. Social policy would benefit from addressing societal barriers in conjunction with improving conditions within communities to foster emotional connectedness to self, place, community, nature, and purpose, whether alone or in the company of
others
A new soft sensing method based on serial-parallel GRU with self-attention mechanism for complex multi-unit industrial processes
No full textWith the deep digital transformation of traditional manufacturing industry and the continuous automation level improvement of production line, it is more important to predict the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of processes in a timely and accurate manner. The traditional laboratory destructive test method for obtaining KPIs consumes a large amount of time and incurs high costs, which not only fails to provide timely and effective guidance for production processes but also results in significant losses for manufacturing enterprises. To address these issues, an online prediction soft sensor model for KPIs based on a serial-parallel gated recurrent unit with self-attention mechanism (SPGRU-SA) soft sensor model is proposed. This model achieves accurate online prediction of KPIs by considering both the dynamic features of multi-unit and the process set-up static features. First, a serial-parallel gated recurrent unit model is designed to extract multi-unit dynamic features. Second, based on the self-attention mechanism, the attention weights of static features and dynamic features are calculated, which can reflect the correlation of the performance indicators. Then, the fully connected layers output the result. Finally, the comparative experimental results based on the hot rolling strip mill process and the Tennessee Eastman process show that SPGRU-SA can accurately predict the KPIs of complex multi-unit industrial processes
Diabetes management during the end of life
No full textFor individuals with diabetes, maintaining optimal glycaemic control is essential to reduce the risk of long-term complications. However, as patients approach the end of life, the emphasis on tight glycaemic targets becomes less relevant. Instead, the primary goal shifts to maintaining blood glucose levels within a range that minimises the risk of hypoglycaemia and prevents symptomatic hyperglycaemia, thereby ensuring comfort and quality of life. This article explores the transition from disease-focused management to a person-centred approach grounded in comfort, dignity and ethical responsibility. It examines the adaptation of glycaemic targets, deprescribing, nutrition, and monitoring across the recognised phases of dying, and addresses the specific challenges of managing type 1, type 2 and steroid-induced diabetes in palliative contexts. Ethical principles including autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice are critically applied to nursing practice, alongside recommendations for interdisciplinary communication and advance care planning. Nurses play a pivotal role in delivering proportionate, compassionate, and ethically sound care for people dying with diabetes
Sustainability Intelligence (SI): A Systemic Mindset Theory Transforming Global Denim Industry
No full textUnsuitability of transparent polypropylene for solar water disinfection (SODIS) applications
No full textSolar water disinfection (SODIS) is a low-cost but effective process for obtaining safe drinking water at the household level in resource-poor environments. SODIS is a solar energy-driven method where inactivation of microorganisms occurs due to the effect of incident UV photons and/or increased water temperature. Consequently, the optical and mechanical properties of SODIS container materials play a critical role. Previously, we reported advanced weathering studies of 10 L polypropylene (PP) transparent jerrycans (TJCs) without UV stabiliser, which became extremely fragile after only 2 months of solar exposure, leading to a complete loss of structural integrity. Herein, we evaluate food-safe 10 L PP SODIS TJCs which have been enhanced with UV-stabiliser. We report that although TJCs with UV-stabiliser are durable and capable of achieving bacterial inactivation of > 4 Log Reduction Values for Escherichia coli, it does not sufficiently inactivate the protozoan pathogen Cryptosporidium parvum. UV-stabilized TJCs had lower disinfection rates despite having increased durability compared to previous TJC prototypes. We attribute this loss of microbicidal efficacy to poorer UV transmission caused by the addition of the UV-stabiliser. In addition, cytotoxicity studies of UV-stabilised PP TJCs revealed several cell viabilities dropping below 80 , indicating they were slightly cytotoxic, as per ISO-10993–5:2009. We conclude that, despite early indications, PP is ultimately not a suitable container material for long-term SODIS applications