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Protocol for an acceptability and feasibility study of sensor‐instrumented SmartSocks® for use by people with dementia
Get PDFBackground:
Currently ∼50% of people with dementia experience behavioural symptoms linked to unmanaged distress. Effective and safe management of these symptoms is critical to maintain the quality of life and overall care of people with dementia. Technological solutions have the potential to help with research into these symptoms. Milbotix are a health tech start-up who are developing ‘SmartSocks®, a sock-based wearable that provides wellbeing insights: notably by continually monitoring the physiological state of the wearer to recognise early signs of distress. In this study we will assess the acceptability and feasibility of SmartSocks® for clinical research in dementia in a care home environment.
Method:
30 people with dementia living in care homes in the UK will be asked to wear the SmartSocks®. We will conduct a survey of care home staff to assess the acceptability of the SmartSocks® so that we can ensure the socks are suitable for the care home environment. We will then carry out a focus group with care home staff to evaluate the integration of the SmartSocks® into care planning so that we can determine how care homes use the socks alongside best practice in care. We will determine the concurrent validity of SmartSocks® data with established measures of agitation and pain so that we can evaluate the potential of the socks to be used to deliver better care and used as objective outcome measures in clinical trials. Finally, we will estimate the cost of providing the socks and will assess if there are differences between the groups in resource use utilization and health related quality of life data.
Result:
We present a protocol for feasibility and acceptability study of a novel wearable technology.
Conclusion:
The study will start recruiting in July 2024 and finish in December 2024. Results will be used to inform the design of larger substantive studies that will test the efficacy of SmartSocks® in managing and measuring agitation and distress in care homes
Predicting individual‐level stroke risk associated with risperidone use in dementia using cardiovascular disease history: matched UK population based cohort study
Get PDFBackground:
Experiencing behavioural symptoms such as aggression, agitation and psychosis contribute significantly to reduced quality of life amongst people with dementia. These behavioral symptoms can be considered more detrimental to overall well-being than cognitive impairment. In the UK, risperidone is the sole approved atypical antipsychotic for treating these symptoms, despite its notable risk of serious side effects, including stroke. This project aims to develop personalized stroke risk prediction models based on individual clinical features upon introducing risperidone.
Methods:
This research will use data from 358,406 patient records contained in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). These data sets include individuals diagnosed with dementia after age 65 after January 1, 1990. The CPRD data will serve as the primary source of information for our study and will facilitate the analysis of stroke risk associated with risperidone use in this specific patient population. Our analysis will focus on two distinct groups, individuals diagnosed with dementia who have been prescribed risperidone and individuals diagnosed with dementia who have never been prescribed risperidone. To achieve our research objectives, we will analyze and compare the incidence of stroke within these two groups. We will then examine whether risk is moderated by individual clinical history. This thorough investigation will form the basis for our predictive models.
Results:
Preliminary findings from the data show a well-defined cohort of dementia cases with an average age of 82 years at diagnosis, consisting predominantly of females (64%). Of the cohort, 87,858 individuals fall into the 75-84 age category. Over the study period, 47.0% of the cohort died during the study period. The median survival time is approximately 4.4 years for males and 3.7 years for females in the study cohort. This median survival time increases to 6.8 years for people diagnosed at the age of 65-74 years.
Conclusions:
This project’s success could significantly enhance the safety and efficacy of risperidone prescriptions for people with dementia. By leveraging personalized prediction models based on individual clinical features, our research aims to equip clinicians with tools for more informed and patient-specific decisions concerning risperidone treatment
Cultural intelligence, acculturation, adaptation and emotional displays of other-condemning emotions and self-conscious emotions among Chinese international students in the UK
Get PDFAre emotional display rules – cultural norms regarding how to express emotions in culturally and socially proper ways – influenced by individuals’ acculturating experiences? The current study investigated the impact of cultural intelligence and acculturation variables (e.g., mainstream and heritage cultural identification, sociocultural adaptation, acculturative stress) on displays of other-condemning emotions (anger, disgust and contempt) and self-conscious emotions (shame and guilt) among Chinese international students in the UK (N = 161). The results indicated that there were indirect effects of cultural intelligence on emotional display rules through cultural identification and cultural adaptation. This research extends our current knowledge about the mechanisms that may influence emotional display rules and offers some practical guidance for acculturating individuals
Would Mixed Physical Barriers be able to Desalinate Coastal Aquifers from Seawater Intrusion Under Pumping Conditions?
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No data was used for the research described in the article.This study used the SEAWAT model to investigate the potential of using mixed physical barriers (MPB) to control SWI under pumping conditions in typical homogenous and layered heterogeneous coastal aquifers. The numerical models were based on controlled two-dimensional (2D) laboratory tests and field studies in the Biscayne aquifer, which is situated in the Cutler Ridge region close to Deering Estate, Florida, USA. The modelling results revealed critical insights into SWI behaviour under pumping conditions. Specifically, it was observed that the intrusion wedge extended significantly further inland in layered heterogeneous aquifers and homogeneous aquifers compared with the base case without pumping. Results showed that coastal aquifers with bottom low-hydraulic conductivity have smaller SWI compared with top and middle-layered aquifers. The SWI repulsion reached +27% by installing the MPB, while the groundwater salinity increased to +25%, -0.30% and -60% by increasing the abstraction well rates by 10 m3/day, 15 m3/day and 20 m3/day, compared with no pumping at the baseline case and MPB. The current study results are very interesting for coastal aquifer management and require economic study to ensure the feasibility of using this method
The effects of an acute bout of cycling exercise on brain function in young adults and children
Get PDFThis thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonAn acute bout of cycling may enhance brain function. A meta-analysis (Study 1) was conducted to elucidate the effect of acute ergometer cycling (EC) on executive functions (EFs) in young adults whilst addressing potential moderators. The findings revealed that 21-30 minutes of EC significantly improved EF task response time, predominantly during inhibitory control tasks administered immediately post-exercise. Study 2 compared the influence of EC, visual foraging (VF) and both combined (EC+VF) on young adults’ EFs, affective state and prefrontal cortex (PFC) oxygenation. Participants with poorer baseline inhibitory control scores showed more pronounced improvements in the EC condition than those with higher levels. PFC activation and subjective arousal were higher in the cycling conditions than in VF. Yet, PFC activation, cadence levels, and energetic investment were greater in the EC condition than in the EC+VF condition, potentially due to distraction by the VF task. Study 3 compared the effects of EC and EC+VF on children’s EFs, reasoning skills and affective state. Findings suggested that EC may be effective for improving working memory and academic reasoning – although practice effects cannot be ruled out. And as per Study 2, findings suggested that individual differences in participants pre-existing EF abilities may mediate exercise-induced changes in EF. The final study explored the effects of stationary cycling whilst viewing real-world 360-degree immersive on-road cyclist point-of-view footage on young adults' and children’s EF and reasoning task performance and affective responses; one group heard reward sounds for adaptive foraging behaviour, a second one did not. Findings showed that the cycling intervention heightened participants’ arousal and improved their nonverbal reasoning efficiency, irrespective of age or auditory rewards. This thesis partially lends support for using cycling-based interventions to improve brain function. Further research should consider individual differences in abilities, and using alternative tasks to assess cognitive function, for example, academic reasoning tasks
“Estimating Software Project Effort Using Analogies”: Reflections After 28 Years
Get PDFA version of the article is available at arXiv:2501.14582v2 [cs.SE] (https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.14582). Comments: 5 pages, invited and accepted IEEE TSE paper for the journal's 50th year anniversary on most influential papers. (This version corrects three typos.). Submission history
From: Martin Shepperd: [v1] Fri, 24 Jan 2025 15:44:25 UTC (14 KB); [v2] Thu, 30 Jan 2025 16:44:38 UTC (14 KB).This invited paper is the result of an invitation to write a retrospective article on a “TSE most influential paper” as part of the journal's 50th anniversary. The objective is to reflect on the progress of software engineering prediction research using the lens of a selected, highly cited research paper and 28 years of hindsight. The paper examines (i) what was achieved, (ii) what has endured and (iii) what could have been done differently with the benefit of retrospection. While many specifics of software project effort prediction have evolved, key methodological issues remain relevant. The original study emphasised empirical validation with benchmarks, out-of-sample testing and data/tool sharing. Four areas for improvement are identified: (i) stronger commitment to Open Science principles, (ii) focus on effect sizes and confidence intervals, (iii) reporting variability alongside typical results and (iv) more rigorous examination of threats to validity
Artificial neural networks fighting real neural decline: a systematic review of AI in Alzheimer’s research
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All data used in this systematic review were obtained from publicly available sources and peer-reviewed journal articles. The selection process is outlined in the PRISMA flow diagram included in the manuscript. A complete list of included studies is available in the Zotero library used for this review. This library can be shared upon reasonable request to the corresponding author. Any new data generated during this study can be obtained upon request.Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a major global health challenge, with Artificial Intelligence (AI) increasingly recognized as a transformative tool for early detection, disease progression modeling, and therapeutic discovery. This systematic review, conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines, analyzed 156 peer-reviewed studies published between 2010 and 2024, identified from four major databases (Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore). A particular emphasis was placed on multimodal approaches that integrate neuroimaging, genetics, biomarkers, and clinical data to improve accuracy and translational value. To organize this fragmented field, we introduce a novel Layered Framework that categorizes AI applications into four domains: Early Detection, Disease Progression Modeling, Therapeutic Discovery, and Real-World Integration. In addition, we applied ARIMA-based forecasting to project research trajectories through 2030, which revealed generative models and transformer architectures as the fastest-growing and most promising methodologies. The review highlights substantial advances in early detection and multimodal fusion, particularly through deep learning, while also identifying persistent challenges such as limited model generalizability, ethical concerns, and underexplored clinical implementation. Addressing these barriers will require multi-cohort validation, interpretable AI, and equity-driven model development. By consolidating evidence and forecasting future directions, this review provides a roadmap for accelerating precision-driven innovations in Alzheimer’s care.This work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
System-wide assessment of Indonesia's plastic value chain: Mapping flows and stakeholders dynamics
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Data will be made available on request.Supplementary data are available online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652625014325#appsec1 .Indonesia faces a severe plastic pollution crisis driven by extensive plastic usage and inadequate waste management. To effectively address this issue and promote sustainable circularity, it is crucial to understand the dynamics of plastic production, use, and end-of-life management, as well as the interactions among stakeholders throughout the plastics lifecycle. Without such a comprehensive understanding, mitigation efforts risk being ineffective or misdirected. Existing research tends to be fragmented, focused on specific regions or segments, and therefore fails to provide a comprehensive, system-wide analysis. This limits the development of effective and actionable interventions. To address this gap, this study employs a systems-based approach called CVORR (Complex Value Optimisation for Resource Recovery), which provides a structured framework for analysing complex resource rrecovery systems. Specifically, the study focuses on the initial pivotal steps of the CVORR approach: 1) mapping and analysing plastic mass and monetary flows, and 2) identifying key stakeholders directly involved in these movements in the Indonesian plastics value chain. This marks the first-ever systemic analysis of Indonesia's plastic value chain, offering novel insights into stakeholder power dynamics and their influence on plastic flows. The study's findings attribute Indonesia's plastic crisis to power imbalances, social norms, financial constraints, and varying value perceptions. Charting the power dynamics among formal and informal stakeholders is key to fostering synergies and collaboration across all sectors of the plastics value chain, driving transformative changes in both plastics production and waste management. Co-creating, testing, and piloting multidimensional interventions – spanning technical, infrastructural, policy, economic, and communication strategies – are essential to generate scalable solutions. Future research should focus on developing intervention strategies and further exploring stakeholder dynamics, particularly the engagement of secondary (external) stakeholders indirectly involved in plastic flows.This research was supported by the PISCES research project and partnership programme, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), grant number NE/V006428/1
Island Partition Strategy Based on Entropy Method-Set Pair Analysis for Microgrids
Get PDFThe scientific and reasonable island partition of microgrids containing DG is of great practical significance for ensuring the safe switching of microgrid island operation and improving the reliability of microgrid power supply. The existing island partitioning strategies focus on power balance and basic load distribution but often neglect multiple load attributes, resulting in failure to guarantee the reliability of the load power supply with a relatively high comprehensive evaluation level. Therefore, to comprehensively consider the influence of multiple load attributes on islanding, an island partitioning strategy based on entropy method-set pair analysis is proposed for microgrids in this paper. First, the entropy method is used to objectively assign the weights of three indexes of the level of the load, the economic loss of the load power outage and the coefficient of change per unit power. Next, the set pair analysis (SPA) principle is combined with the comprehensive connection degree of the index to determine the comprehensive connection degree of different loads while considering each index, and the connection degree is used as the final island partition power supply recovery coefficient of the load. Finally, the dynamic programming algorithm is used to solve the objective function of island partitioning. The IEEE-69 node system verifies the proposed strategy. The verification results show that compared with the existing methods, the proposed strategy can restore the power supply of the important load more effectively and reduce the economic loss when the load is cut off. The proposed island partitioning strategy shows significant potential in improving the reliability and economy of the power supply for microgrids with important loads, especially for microgrids with complex loads.10.13039/501100001809-National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Number: 52107108)
Prevalence of Carbapenem-resistant and Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacterales in Healthcare and Community Settings in the United Kingdom: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Get PDFPart of special issue:
Abstracts from the International Congress on Infectious Diseases 2024: Held in Cape Town, South Africa December 3-6, ‘ICID CT 2024’.Introduction:
Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) and Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) pose a growing threat in the UK, with increasing prevalence in recent years. CPE and CRE are associated with higher morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. This study aims to summarise the existing evidence on the prevalence of CRE/CPE across healthcare and community settings in the UK.
Methods:
A systematic review was conducted across five major databases and two preprint websites up to February 14th, 2024. Records underwent assessment in Covidence for eligibility and relevant articles were identified, screened, and included. Metadata from selected studies were extracted and methodological quality was evaluated using an adapted Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Pooled CRE/CPE prevalence rates with 95% confidence intervals were estimated using Der-Simonian-Laird's random-effects model (p <0.05). Heterogeneity was assessed using ChI2 and I2, publication bias was evaluated using Egger's test and funnel plot, and sensitivity analyses were performed.
Results:
Following the screening of 1,344 records, 32 studies were included, providing data on CRE/CPE prevalence, either in carriage or infection. In healthcare settings, the overall pooled prevalence of CRE and CPE was at 1.17% (95%CI 0.29%–2.51%; I2= 99.70%; n= 171,107) and 1.06% (95%CI 0.59%–1.64%; I2= 97.60; n= 263,833), respectively. For CPE, a high pooled proportion was observed in healthcare carriage samples at 1.23% (95%CI: 0.68%–1.91%; I2= 98.10%; n= 262,524) compared to infection samples at 0.03% (95%CI: 0.00%–0.37%; I2= 0.00%; n= 888). Surveillance of CPE in healthcare facilities varied, with risk-based admission screening identifying a slightly higher CPE proportion of 1.27% (95%CI: 0.97%–1.60%; I2= 67.30%; n= 24,763) compared to universal hospital screening at 0.82% (95%CI: 0.28%–1.65%; I2= 97.90%; n= 232,033). In the community, only two studies reported CPE prevalence (0.11%; 95%CI: 0.00%–0.79%; I2= 52.60; n= 2,630) from carriage samples using point prevalence surveys, showing a relatively low prevalence. Most of the studies on CRE/CPE were England-specific (n= 27/32), including 10 in London.
Discussion:
Despite high heterogeneity in the reported outcomes, the results showed consistency in the sensitivity analysis for the prevalence of both CRE and CPE. In healthcare settings, CPE was more prevalent in carriage samples, often for high-risk patients, while CRE/CPE prevalence in infection samples mirrored EuSCAPE-UK and UKHSA surveillance data. Limited community and species-level data for CPE available within the literature highlight significant gaps, particularly in the post-COVID-19 period. To mitigate the increasing prevalence of CRE/CPE, further research must be prioritised on standardized diagnostic and screening methods, exploring associated risk factors, and implement effective infection prevention and control measures.
Conclusion:
This review provided an overview of the expected prevalence rates of CRE and CPE in different contexts, which can further support the national surveillance of CPE/CRE in the UK, enabling more targeted screening efforts for CRE/CPE detection
Data sources:
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