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The acceptability, practicality, implementation and efficacy of a physical and social activity intervention ‘BreatheHappy’ for people with long-term respiratory conditions: A feasibility study
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Data can be made available on reasonable request.Supplemental material for this article is available online at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14799731241238435#supplementary-materials .Objectives:
This study aimed to determine the feasibility of a group-based pilot programme of low-to-moderate physical activity training, education and social activities, by investigating acceptability, practicality, implementation and efficacy testing. We offer suggestions on programme adaptions for future study.
Methods:
People with a range of chronic respiratory diseases were invited to participate in a pilot 12 week group activity programme. Activities included outdoor walking, tai-chi, education and a range of social activities. Acceptability was determined by participant experiences determined during interviews. Practicality was determined by programme and outcome measure completion, cost and adverse events. Implementation was determined according to whether the programme ran as planned. Efficacy was determined by statistical analyses of outcomes including hand grip strength, timed up and go test, COPD Helplessness Index, COPD Assessment Test, and measures of physical activity via accelerometry.
Results:
Thematic analysis indicated that the “BreatheHappy” programme was acceptable. Seven of nine participants completed eight out of 10 sessions and the majority completed all outcome measures. “BreatheHappy” was therefore considered practical. The programme was not implemented as planned, with only 10 sessions running rather than the 12 intended. There was a significant increase in daily step counts (MD: 1284 95% CI: 240-2329 p: 0.024 effect size: 0.988), stepping time (MD: 16 min 95% CI: 5-27 min p: 0.011 effect size: 1.36) and daily minutes completing light physical activity (MD: 23 95% CI: 6-38 p: 0.006 effect size: 1.6). However, time spent sitting for ≥30 min but ≤60 min significantly increased (MD: 26 95% CI: 0.2-52 min p: 0.049 effect size: 0.931), showing signs of efficacy and changing physical activity behaviour patterns.
Discussion:
A 10-week programme of low-moderate physical activity training, education and social activities shows signs of feasibility for future research. Suggested adaptions for future study include using physical activity measures such as daily step count or light physical activity for a primary outcome, and mental health and social health related outcome measures relatable to participant's beneficial experiences of the programme. Recruitment in future studies will try and reach both those less socially active and possibly those who have completed pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). Venues should be close to efficient transport links whilst different frequencies and durations of programme delivery should be trialled. Adequate funding should be provided for both staff running the programme and blinded research staff for outcome measurement.The University of Gloucestershire from the “Enhancing Research Culture Fund”
Real-Time Monitoring of Wind Turbine Bearing Using Simple Neural Network on Raspberry Pi
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The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to commercial privacy.Wind turbines are a crucial part of renewable energy generation, and their reliable and efficient operation is paramount in ensuring clean energy availability. However, the bearings in wind turbines are subjected to high stress and loads, resulting in faults that can lead to costly downtime and repairs. Fault detection in real time is critical to minimize downtime and reduce maintenance costs. In this work, a simple neural network model was designed and implemented on a Raspberry Pi for the real-time detection of wind turbine bearing faults. The model was trained to accurately identify complex patterns in raw sensor data of healthy and faulty bearings. By splitting the data into smaller segments, the model can quickly analyze each segment and generate predictions at high speed. Additionally, simplified algorithms were developed to analyze the segments with minimum latency. The proposed system can efficiently process the sensor data and performs rapid analysis and prediction within 0.06 milliseconds per data segment. The experimental results demonstrate that the model achieves a 99.8% accuracy in detecting wind turbine bearing faults within milliseconds of their occurrence. The model’s ability to generate real-time predictions and to provide an overall assessment of the bearing’s health can significantly reduce maintenance costs and increase the availability and efficiency of wind turbines.This work was supported in part by the Royal Society award (number IEC\NSFC\223294) to Professor Asoke K. Nandi
Everybody Needs Help Sometimes: Facilitators of Soviet Defectors’ Publications
Get PDFSoviet intelligence officer defectors arrived in their new countries lacking skills that translated easily into postdefection jobs. To earn money, they often turned to the one asset they had—their stories. To publish their stories, they had to work with a variety of facilitators who connected them with publishing companies and distributed their works. Those helpers can be characterized into four categories: activists/dissidents, academics, journalists, and intelligence practitioners. Helpers were sometimes connected to and supported by a Western government, particularly the United States or United Kingdom, and the resulting work reflected the Cold War ideological competition. However, government sponsorship was not always the case, and some helpers expressed views that extended beyond the receiving government’s policy or that criticized the handling agency. In any case, most defectors could not have published their works without the helpers’ support
Grain refinement of Mg-Ca alloys by native MgO particles
Get PDFSupplementary materials are available online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213956724000938?via%3Dihub#sec0012 .In Mg-Ca alloys the grain refining mechanism, in particular regarding the role of nucleant substrates, remains the object of debates. Although native MgO is being recognised as a nucleating substrate accounting for grain refinement of Mg alloys, the possible interactions of MgO with alloying elements that may alter the nucleation potency have not been elucidated yet. Herein, we design casting experiments of Mg-xCa alloys varied qualitatively in number density of native MgO, which are then comprehensively studied by advanced electron microscopy. The results show that grain refinement is enhanced as the particle number density of MgO increases. The native MgO particles are modified by interfacial layers due to the co-segregation of Ca and N solute atoms at the MgO/Mg interface. Using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy, we reveal the nature of these Ca/N interfacial layers at the atomic scale. Irrespective of the crystallographic termination of MgO, Ca and N co-segregate at the MgO/Mg interface and occupy Mg and O sites, respectively, forming an interfacial structure of a few atomic layers. The interfacial structure is slightly expanded, less ordered and defective compared to the MgO matrix due to compositional deviations, whereby the MgO substrate is altered as a poorer template to nucleate Mg solid. Upon solidification in a TP-1 mould, the impotent MgO particles account for the grain refining mechanism, where they are suggested to participate into nucleation and grain initiation processes in an explosive manner. This work not only reveals the atomic engineering of a substrate through interfacial segregation but also demonstrates the effectiveness of a strategy whereby native MgO particles can be harnessed for grain refinement in Mg-Ca alloys.EPSRC is gratefully acknowledged for financial support under grant number EP/N007638/1. The SuperSTEM Laboratory is the UK National Research Facility for Advanced Electron Microscopy, supported by EPSRC under grant number EP/W021080/1. SHW gratefully acknowledges ETC in Brunel University for providing access to the facilities
Emerging antioxidant therapies in Friedreich's ataxia
Get PDFFriedreich’s ataxia (FRDA) is a rare childhood neurologic disorder, affecting 1 in 50,000 Caucasians. The disease is caused by the abnormal expansion of the GAA repeat sequence in intron 1 of the FXN gene, leading to the reduced expression of the mitochondrial protein frataxin. The disease is characterised by progressive neurodegeneration, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, diabetes mellitus and musculoskeletal deformities. The reduced expression of frataxin has been suggested to result in the downregulation of endogenous antioxidant defence mechanisms and mitochondrial bioenergetics, and the increase in mitochondrial iron accumulation thereby leading to oxidative stress. The confirmation of oxidative stress as one of the pathological signatures of FRDA led to the search for antioxidants which can be used as therapeutic modality. Based on this observation, antioxidants with different mechanisms of action have been explored for FRDA therapy since the last two decades. In this review, we bring forth all antioxidants which have been investigated for FRDA therapy and have been signed off for clinical trials. We summarise their various target points in FRDA disease pathway, their performances during clinical trials and possible factors which might have accounted for their failure or otherwise during clinical trials. We also discuss the limitation of the studies completed and propose possible strategies for combinatorial therapy of antioxidants to generate synergistic effect in FRDA patients.ZR was supported by funding to SA from the Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA) and Ataxia UK. FE was sponsored by the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat
Board gender diversity and ESG performance: The mediating role of temporal orientation in South Africa context
Get PDFData Availability Statement: Data available on request from the authorsPrevailing research on the interaction between board gender diversity (BGD) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance presents equivocal findings, particularly in the context of developing countries. This study ventures into an exploratory examination of this association, situated in the socio-cultural milieu of South Africa, a region where the lower social status of women often leads to a bias towards short-term perspectives. Drawing on the role congruity theory of prejudice toward female leaders, this study aims to investigate the mediating role of short-term orientation (SHRT) in the BGD-ESG relationship. We further explore how the preference of female directors toward SHRT varies depending on their tenure on the board and across family and non-family firms. The empirical findings, drawn from an examination of publicly listed non-financial firms on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) from 2015 to 2020, indicate a negative relationship between BGD and ESG, with SHRT predominantly mediating this association. Additionally, the tenure of female directors attenuates their preference for SHRT. Notably, we found the effect of BGD on SHRT is less pronounced in family firms, where the choices of female directors are more aligned with the family firm's long-term orientation. Our findings contribute to both theory and practice by advancing our understanding of the BGD-ESG relationship and providing practical implications for organizations, leaders, and policymakers.The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article
A typology and model of privacy- and security-concerned users' attitudes towards digital footprints and consequent influence on their social media adaptation
Get PDFA preprint is available online: Muhammad, Syed Sardar; Dey, Bidit L.; Bala, Hillol; Alwi, Sharifah Faridah Syed; and Asaad, Yousra, "A Typology and Model of Privacy- and Security-Concerned Users’ Attitudes towards Digital Footprints and Consequent Influence on their Social Media Adaptation" (2024). JAIS Preprints, 142.
DOI: 10.17705/1jais.00893
Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/jais_preprints/142 [the DOI is not public].How users with privacy and security concerns engage with social media in light of their perceptions of risks associated with their digital footprints is a critical question for research and practice. Using a mixed-methods approach, we examine privacy- and security-related concerns of social media users and their subsequent adaptation behaviors in two studies. The first study, a qualitative enquiry, helps us develop a typology of four groups of social media users with respect to their privacy- and security-related attitudes characterized as careless, carefree, conscious, and cautious. A conceptual model comprised of eight hypotheses is developed based on the qualitative study that captures the relationship between privacy- and security-related attitudes and social media adaptation. The second study, a quantitative study, tests the model and reveals that users with careless and carefree attitudes are likely to explore social media to maximize benefits and exploit certain applications, while cautious users are likely to avoid using social media as much as possible. The findings are inconclusive for conscious users’ adaptation, however. This could be due to their systematic and informed decision-making, which is likely to have contextual variability. We contribute by offering a clear and coherent typology and a model of privacy- and security-concerned users’ attitudes and social media adaptation
Trust matters: A global perspective on the influence of trust on bank market risk
Get PDFJEL Classifications: G10; G14; G21; G28; Z19.Data availability:
The authors do not have permission to share data.Supplementary material is available online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1042443124000258#s0135 .This paper examines the role of societal and organizational trust in mitigating market risk within the banking sector. Using a global sample of 10,616 bank-year observations across 45 countries, we find that higher trust significantly reduces bank total and idiosyncratic risk. The risk-mitigating effect of societal trust becomes more pronounced for banks headquartered in countries with weaker investor protection, diminished legal rights, dissatisfaction with government economic policies, and higher political unrest. Our results suggest that trust serves as an alternative governance mechanism, substituting for ineffective formal institutions in reducing bank risk. These findings have important implications for financial regulation worldwide.This research received funding from the El Shaarani Centre for Ethical Finance, Accountability & Governance at Durham University
Overview of the participation of nurses in antimicrobial stewardship activities
Get PDFAntibiotic resistance is a planetary threat demanding maximum attention from health and social care services worldwide due to the clinical, economic, and human costs. Interventions to address resistance—antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs—are multipronged and require the close collaboration of all health care workers involved in antimicrobial decisions and use. Nurses have traditionally been absent from such engagement. This Commentary highlights existing evidence of the need for, and impact of, nursing involvement and leadership in AMS. In addition, four barriers (ie, foundational, ownership, education, and leadership) to the increased involvement of nurses in AMS are discussed, with implications and potential solutions.This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. [British Academy ref: IWW23\100335, Addressing global challenges in academic writing: fostering scholarly pathways in Zambia, Uganda, and UK]
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