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The organisational harm, economic cost and workforce waste of unnecessary disciplinary investigations
Get PDFEditorial comment. For further information about the programme to improve employee investigations in NHS Wales, readers are directed to: https://bit.ly/NHS-Wales-employee-investigations.Andrew Cooper and colleagues highlight the harm, cost and waste that can be caused by unnecessary and poorly managed employee investigations and highlights areas that need to be addressed to improve this area of human resources practice
HGNN-QSSA: Heterogeneous Graph Neural Networks With Quantitative Sampling and Structure-Aware Attention
Get PDFHeterogeneous information networks provide abundant structural and semantic information. Two main strategies for leveraging this data include meta-path-based and meta-path-free methods. The effectiveness of the former heavily depends on the quality of manually defined meta-paths, which may lead to the instability of the model. However, the existing meta-path-free methods lack of neighbor screening during aggregating, and there is also an overemphasis on attribute information. To address these issues, we propose the Heterogeneous Graph Neural Network model by incorporating Quantitative Sampling and Structure-aware Attention. We introduce a Quantitative Sampling Module that calculates the similarity between neighbors of the target nodes and target nodes, enabling us to select the top k nodes with the strongest relevance to the target node based on this measure, and incorporate a Structure-aware Attention Module during the aggregation of neighbor information. This module combines both structural and attribute information to aggregate the neighbor information effectively. By implementing these improvements, our proposed model exhibits superior performance compared to several state-of-the-art methods on two real-world datasets.10.13039/501100012166-National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant Number: 2022YFB4501704);
10.13039/501100001809-National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Number: 62302308, U2142206, 62372300 and 61702333);
Shanghai Sailing Program (Grant Number: 21YF1432900);
Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Intelligent Education and Big Data;
Research Base of Online Education for Shanghai Middle and Primary Schools
Measurement of the τ lepton polarization in Z boson decays in proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV
Get PDFA preprint version of the article is available at arXiv:2309.12408v2 [hep-ex], https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.12408. It has not been certified by peer review.The polarization of τ leptons is measured using leptonic and hadronic τ lepton decays in Z → τ+ τ− events in proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV recorded by CMS at the CERN LHC with an integrated luminosity of 36.3 fb−1. The measured τ− lepton polarization at the Z boson mass pole is Pτ(Z) = −0.144 ± 0.006 (stat) ± 0.014 (syst) = −0.144 ± 0.015, in good agreement with the measurement of the τ lepton asymmetry parameter of Aτ = 0.1439 ± 0.0043 = − Pτ(Z) at LEP. The τ lepton polarization depends on the ratio of the vector to axial-vector couplings of the τ leptons in the neutral current expression, and thus on the effective weak mixing angle sin2 θWeff , independently of the Z boson production mechanism. The obtained value sin2 θWeff = 0.2319 ± 0.0008(stat) ± 0.0018(syst) = 0.2319 ± 0.0019 is in good agreement with measurements at e+ e− colliders. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].SCOAP3
An examination of work-life balance policies and practices: A case analysis of Ghanaian judges
No full textThis thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonWork-life balance (WLB) is an emerging concept in Africa and currently not much is known about the WLB experiences of judges, particularly in Africa. Based on this, the study explored the WLB policies and practices of judges in Ghana. In addition, many studies have neglected the experiences of judges in WLB research. Specifically, the study critically examined the notion of work-life balance among Ghanaian judges, identified the available work-life balance policies and practices adopted by the Ghanaian judiciary; investigated the factors that facilitate or constrain the utilisation of work-life balance policies and practices in the Ghanaian judiciary and the coping strategies adopted by Ghanaian judges.
The study adopted a qualitative research method based on an interpretivist philosophy. The research approach adopted was inductive and the research strategy was a case study considering Ghanaian judges. Primary data was collected from 32 judges in Ghana using a semi-structured interview guide. The sample for this study was drawn from the population of Ghanaian judges in the Supreme Court, Court of appeal, High Court of justice, Circuit court and District court. The data collected were analysed using thematic analysis based on the recommendations of Braun and Clarke (2012).
The findings indicate that the judges had different notions of WLB: managing work and non-work demands, increased autonomy and control, absence of work-life conflict, healthy work and non-work experience and time for family. There was variance in the judges’ perception of WLB and their experience. The range of WLB initiatives in the Ghanaian judiciary were limited to flexible leave arrangements. Flexible working arrangements, flexible locations, and other arrangements were not prominent. The prevailing employment legislation was found to be reactive, and not reflective of the current realities in the workplace. Factors that facilitate the uptake of WLB initiatives are career stage, gender stereotype, marital status/dependants, health, support, and awareness. Factors that constrained the uptake of WLB initiatives are perceived career damage, lack of information, cultural stereotypes, organisational culture, economic factors, lack of support, and politics/corruption. Assistance seeking approach such as Family/spousal support, psychologists, spiritual/religious activities, and paid workers/house helps were the major coping strategies employed by judges. Other personal strategies included weekend travels, and rest and leisure activities. Strategies to transform WLB in the Ghanaian judiciary were digital transformation, expanding the workforce, introducing the rota and court sharing system and setting up more courts.
The study concluded that WLB is socially constructed and varies depending on the individual’s perspective and experiences. The scope of WLB initiatives in the Ghanaian judiciary is streamlined to leave arrangements, and this connects with the fact that the concept is still emerging. The study also concludes that the factors that constrain the uptake of WLB initiatives in the judiciary outweigh those that facilitate the uptake of WLB initiatives. The study hence recommended the need to address the WLB experiences of judges in Ghana in terms of their workload and long working hours. There is also the need for regulatory and supervisory frameworks to be established or strengthened as the case may be to assist public and private organisations in Ghana (re)design work more humanely and in line with globally accepted standards. Issues like support and awareness need to be addressed to mitigate the notion of perceived career damage, lack of information and cultural stereotypes
The REgulate your SItting Time (RESIT) intervention for reducing sitting time in individuals with Type 2 diabetes: findings from a randomised-controlled feasibility trial
Get PDFTrial registration: The trial was registered with ISRCTN (number ISRCTN14832389).Electronic supplementary material is available online at: https://dmsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13098-024-01336-6#Sec29 .Correction: Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome (2024) 16:87 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13098-024-01336-6. In Table 1 of this article [1], the data in the [Control (n = 35) Intervention (n = 35)] were calculated incorrectly. The correct version of Table 1 is given in this correction. The original article has been corrected. Correction issued 16 June 2024 as Brierley, M.L., Chater, A.M., Edwardson, C.L. et al. Correction: The Regulate your Sitting Time (RESIT) intervention for reducing sitting time in individuals with type 2 diabetes: findings from a randomised-controlled feasibility trial. Diabetol Metab Syndr 16, 142 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13098-024-01384-y.Background:
Reducing and breaking up sitting is recommended for optimal management of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Yet, there is limited evidence of interventions targeting these outcomes in individuals with this condition. The primary aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of delivering and evaluating a tailored online intervention to reduce and break up sitting in adults with T2DM.
Methods:
A mixed-methods two-arm randomised controlled feasibility trial was conducted in ambulatory adults with T2DM who were randomised 1:1 to the REgulate your SItting Time (RESIT) intervention or usual care control group. The intervention included online education, self-monitoring and prompt tools (wearable devices, smartphone apps, computer apps) and health coaching. Feasibility outcomes were recruitment, attrition, data completion rates and intervention acceptability. Measurements of device-assessed sitting (intended primary outcome for definitive trial), standing and stepping, and physical function, psychosocial health and wellbeing were taken at baseline, 3 months and 6 months. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted at six-months (post intervention) to explore acceptability, feasibility and experiences of the trial and intervention using the Framework Method.
Results:
Seventy participants aged 55 ± 11 years were recruited. Recruitment rate (proportion of eligible participants enrolled into the study) was 67% and participant retention rate at 6 months was 93% (n = 5 withdrawals). Data completion rates for daily sitting were 100% at baseline and ranged from 83 to 91% at 3 months and 6 months. Descriptive analysis demonstrated potential for the intervention to reduce device-measured sitting, which was 30.9 ± 87.2 and 22.2 ± 82.5 min/day lower in the intervention group at 3 and 6 months, respectively, compared with baseline. In the control group, sitting was 4.4 ± 99.5 and 23.7 ± 85.2 min/day lower at 3 and 6 months, respectively. Qualitative analysis identified three themes: reasons for participating in the trial, acceptability of study procedures, and the delivery and experience of taking part in the RESIT intervention. Overall, the measurement visits and intervention were acceptable to participants.
Conclusions:
This study demonstrated the feasibility and acceptability of the RESIT intervention and evaluation methods, supporting a future definitive trial. If RESIT is found to be clinically effective, this could lead to changes in diabetes healthcare with a focus on reducing sitting.Diabetes UK grant number [19/0005972]
A method to evaluate the rank condition for CCE estimators
Get PDFCopyright © 2023 The Author(s). We develop a binary classifier to evaluate whether the rank condition (RC) is satisfied or not for the Common Correlated Effects (CCE) estimator. The RC postulates that the number of unobserved factors, m, is not larger than the rank of the unobserved matrix of average factor loadings, ϱ. When this condition fails, the CCE estimator is inconsistent, in general. Despite its importance, to date this rank condition could not be verified. The difficulty lies in the fact that factor loadings are unobserved, such that ϱ cannot be directly determined. The key insight in this article is that ϱ can be consistently estimated with existing techniques through the matrix of cross-sectional averages of the data. Similarly, m can be estimated consistently from the data using existing methods. Thus, a binary classifier, constructed by comparing estimates of m and ϱ, correctly determines whether the RC is satisfied or not as (N,T)→∞. We illustrate the practical relevance of testing the RC by studying the effect of the Dodd-Frank Act on bank profitability. The RC classifier reveals that the rank condition fails for a subperiod of the sample, in which case the estimated effect of bank size on profitability appears to be biased upwards.Ignace De Vos acknowledges financial support from the Ghent University BOF research fund. Ignace De Vos and Gerdie Everaert further acknowledge financial support from the National Bank of Belgium
Mapping EU Externalisation Devices through a Critical Eye
Get PDFThe purpose of this article is to scope, map and critique EU externalisation devices in asylum law. The article first evaluates the internal dimension of externalisation in EU asylum law, with the Dublin system being an internal device of externalisation supported by the securitisation of asylum law. The article then maps EU border externalisation manifested in border violence and critically discusses judicial responses to it. Finally, the article scrutinises EU externalisation beyond its borders, as realised by the outsourcing of asylum responsibilities or border controls to non-European countries. EU externalisation is here studied in a multi-faceted way, taking stock of devices from across the spectrum of EU asylum law. It is argued that EU externalisation is wholly underpinned by a neo-colonial narrative of emergency and repulsion that is harmful to refugees as it does not sit comfortably with principles of refugee law or EU and international human rights law.Brunel University London, CBASS Athena Swan Scheme (Shifting Asylum Responsibilities and Human Rights: Mind the Gap!
“It’s Like Feeling Everyone Will Be Looking at You, but in Reality, No One Cares.” A Qualitative Visual Methods Study Exploring Adolescent Males’ Relatedness in Physical Activity
Get PDF...The basic psychological need of relatedness in physical activity (PA) is key to keeping adolescent males active into adulthood. This qualitative research study, framed by self-determination theory, aimed to discover how relatedness affects adolescent males’ motivations to be active and how their masculine identities affect their perceived relatedness in PA spaces. Photo elicitation interviews (PEIs) were conducted with 13 adolescent males in two phases: (1) researcher-led PEIs and (2) participant-led PEIs. In Phase 1, the researcher shared photos of PA to initiate conversation, and in Phase 2, participants were encouraged to take photographs of what motivates or amotivates them to be active, which were discussed in the second PEIs. Reflexive thematic analysis produced five themes: (1) How positive peer relatedness affects adolescent males’ motivations to be active, (2) How positive adult relatedness affects adolescent males’ motivations to be active, (3) How negative peer relationships affect adolescent males’ motivations to be active, (4) How adolescent males perceived relatedness in PA is affected by adolescence and masculine identities, and (5) How negative peer relationships of adolescent males leads to vulnerability in PA spaces. Social connections with peers were a key driver of intrinsic motivation to be active, whereas perceived peer judgment and poor relatedness triggered changes in or avoidance of PA. Participants experienced pressure to conform to hegemonic masculine traits, and comparisons of physique and muscularity were common. To ensure all adolescent males experience relatedness in PA, we need to create inclusive and supportive environments which accept and celebrate all forms of masculine identity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors
Near-surface mounted-FRP flexural retrofitting of concrete members using nanomaterial-modified epoxy adhesives
Get PDFData availability: Data will be made available on request.This study investigates the effectiveness of nanomaterial-modified epoxy adhesives (NMEAs) for NSM-FRP flexural retrofitting of concrete. A total of 48 specimens (i.e. prisms) were retrofitted using three different types of FRP reinforcement bars (CFRP, GFRP, and BFRP) inserted in grooves with sizes of 8 × 8, 10 × 10 or 12 × 12 mm and bonded to the concrete substrate using either neat epoxy (NE) or NMEAs. NMEAs were developed by incorporating either carbon-based (i.e. CNF, cellulose, and graphite) or silicon-based (i.e. silica and MMT clay) nanoparticles into epoxy at 0.1 wt.% while the graphite NMEAs were prepared with more wt.% (i.e. 0.2 and 0.3). SEM and XRD techniques were used to assess the dispersion quality of nanoparticles within the matrix, along with the % porosity and % crystallinity of the NMEAs. Results showed that using silica, clay, and graphite NMEAs rather than NE enhanced the retrofitted concrete capacities, whereas a strength decrease was observed when using CNF- and cellulose-modified epoxies. Moreover, it was found that the specimens bonded with silicon-based NMEAs had, on average, higher capacities than those bonded using carbon-based NMEAs, which, on the other hand, showed more ductile behaviour. The results also suggested that the capacities of the specimens decreased with increasing the wt. % concentration of the nanoparticles (i.e. graphite). Increasing the groove size from 8 × 8 mm to 10 × 10 mm decreased the capacities but enhanced the ductility, whereas increases in both the capacities and ductility were achieved when moving from 8 × 8 mm to 12 × 12 mm
A plausibility database summarizing the level of evidence regarding the hazards induced by the exposome on children health
Get PDFSupplementary data are available online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S143846392300202X#appsec1 .Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Childhood diseases correspond to major public health issues. A large number of studies using different approaches provide evidence regarding effects of environmental exposures, encompassed in the exposome, on children's health. We aimed to summarize the overall level of evidence (LoE) from all streams of evidence regarding exposome effects on child health.
For 88 selected chemical and urban factors, we retrieved the conclusions of agency reports or literature reviews published between 2015 and 2021 regarding effects on child health, including cardiovascular, metabolic, neurodevelopmental, respiratory and other health outcomes. Adapted versions of PRISMA flowchart and AMSTAR-2 tool were used to select and assess the quality of the systematic reviews retrieved from PubMed and SCOPUS databases.
For each factor-outcome pair, conclusions in three streams of evidence (epidemiological, toxicological and mechanistic, the latter corresponding to in vitro and in silico approaches) were translated into stream-specific LoEs and then combined into an overall LoE ranging from “very unlikely” to “very likely”.
The 88 environmental factors were implied in 611 factor-outcome pairs. Forty-four pairs (7%), corresponding to 16 factors, had a very likely overall LoE (≥80%); 127 pairs (21%), corresponding to 49 factors, had a likely or more overall LoE (≥60%). For 81 pairs (13%), no evidence was available in agency reports or published reviews, while for 275 pairs (45%), corresponding to 68 factors, the overall LoE was very unlikely (<20%). Exposure factors with the greatest number of associated health outcomes with a high overall LoE were HCB, PCBs, temperature (8 outcomes), PFOA (7 outcomes), PFOS, cotinine (6 outcomes), arsenic, lead (5 outcomes), bisphenols A and S, PFNA and PM2.5 (4 outcomes), DDT, DDE and DDD, PFHxA, PFDA, green space, UV radiation (3 outcomes).
We developed an approach to extract and summarize the existing evidence about effects of environmental factors on health. The plausibility database built for children's health can be used to identify research gaps, conduct quantitative risk assessment studies. It could be expanded to consider a larger fraction of the exposome and other age groups and should be updated on a regular basis.The ATHLETE project was funded by The European Commission, through its Horizon 2020 Framework Program for Research and Innovation (grant agreement 874583). This work was also supported by HERA (Integrating Environment and Health Research: a Vision for the EU) Horizon 2020 project (grant agreement 825417). We acknowledge support from the grant CEX 2018-000806-S funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, and support from the Generalitat de Catalunya through the CERCA Program
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