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Frailty in randomised controlled trials of glucose-lowering therapies for type 2 diabetes:An individual participant data meta-analysis of frailty prevalence, treatment efficacy, and adverse events
Get PDFAuxetic Liquid Crystal Elastomers: Overcoming Barriers to Scale-Up
Get PDFThe observation of auxetic behavior (i.e., negative Poisson’s ratio) in liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) presents an exciting opportunity to explore application areas previously inaccessible to LCEs. Since its initial discovery, research has focused on improving understanding of the underpinning physics that drives the auxetic response, the structure–property relationships that enable the response to be tuned, and LCE properties such as the refractive index. However, the auxetic LCE materials reported to date have made use of either mechanical strain during fabrication, or unreactive ‘templates’ to stabilize the nematic ordering in the precursors. The latter approach provides excellent monodomain films, but there is unavoidable anisotropic shrinkage of the LCE. Both processes previously employed create complications toward manufacturing and scale-up. In this article, we report the first example of an auxetic LCE synthesized through surface alignment without the use of a nonreactive ‘template’ and thus without the need for a washout. The LCE includes both terminally and laterally attached mesogens, presents an auxetic threshold of 76% strain, and displays a comparable dependence of auxetic behavior on its glass transition temperature as that reported in the literature. This work presents an exciting milestone in the journey toward realizing applications for auxetic LCEs
The predictors, motivations and characteristics of image-based sexual abuse: a scoping review
Get PDFImage-based sexual abuse (IBSA) is a form of sexual violence and abuse that is facilitated by the use of technology. The array of different technologies, ever-changing behaviors, and varied terminology have created challenges in terms of appropriate response, legislation, and the protection of victims as well as difficulties in establishing the extent and harms of this behavior on a wider scale and context. This scoping review examines and synthesizes the current literature which focuses on predictors, the motivation of perpetrators, and the characteristics of both victims and perpetrators in relation to IBSA. The databases Web of Science, ASSIA, ProQuest, and StarPlus were searched in December 2023. A supplementary search was conducted in Google Scholar and hand-searching of two key journals within the topic area. The search focused on five geographical locations that share some cultural background (United Kingdom/Ireland, United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia). A total of 60 studies and reviews were included which meet the inclusion criteria. The main findings were: (a) diverse populations and marginalized groups are not represented in the current literature; (b) there is a vast number of interchangeable terminologies used; (c) there are limited studies that examine the predictors of victimization of IBSA; (d) the United States and Australia are the dominant countries of study of IBSA
Dynamic massive star formation: Radio flux variability in UC H II regions
Get PDFContext. Theoretical models of early accretion during the formation process of massive stars have predicted that H II regions exhibit radio variability on timescales of decades. However, large-scale searches for such temporal variations with sufficient sensitivity have not yet been carried out.
Aims. Our aim is to identify H II regions with variable radio wavelength fluxes and to investigate the properties of the identified objects, especially those with the highest level of variability.
Methods. We compared the peak flux densities of 86 ultracompact H II (UC H II) regions measured by the GLOSTAR and CORNISH surveys and identified variables that show flux variations higher than 30% over the ~8 yr timespan between these surveys.
Results. We found a sample of 38 variable UC H II regions, which is the largest sample identified to date. The overall occurrence of variability is 44±5%, suggesting that variation in UC H II regions is significantly more common than prediction. The variable UC H II regions are found to be younger than nonvariable UC H II regions, all of them meeting the size criterion of hypercompact (HC) H II regions. We studied the seven UC H II regions that show the highest variability (the “Top7”) with variations >100%. The Top7 variable UC H II regions are optically thick at 4–8 GHz and compact, suggesting they are in a very early evolutionary stage of HC H II or UC H II regions. There is a significant correlation between variability and the spectral index of the radio emission. No dependence is observed between the variations and the properties of the sources’ natal clumps traced by submillimeter continuum emission from dust, although variable H II regions are found in clumps at an earlier evolutionary stage
Perceptions and experiences of chair-based yoga by older adults with multimorbidity - A process evaluation of the Gentle Years Yoga trial
Get PDFBackground Yoga is increasingly practised by older adults, with growing evidence for its safety and effectiveness across a range of health conditions common to the age group. This process evaluation, embedded within a randomised controlled trial of chair-based yoga for older adults with multimorbidity, qualitatively explored participants’ perceptions and experiences of the chair-based yoga programme. Methods One-to-one interviews and class observations were conducted with a subset of trial participants randomised to receive the 12-week chair-based yoga programme. Interview participants were selectively recruited to represent the demographic breadth of the main trial cohort; one yoga class was observed at each delivery site. Interviews were audio recorded, independently transcribed, and analysed according to longitudinal and thematic analysis. Results Twenty-five yoga participants were interviewed once (N = 10) or twice (N = 15), providing a 40-interview data set. Participants were aged 66–91 years (mean age 74 years), 56% female (N = 14), predominantly White British (N = 22, 88%), with 2–8 long term health conditions (mean 4.5 conditions). Four interlinked and overarching themes predominated: perceptions of healthy ageing, delineating yoga and exercise, yoga as an adaptable multifaceted health tool, and patterns of ongoing yoga practice. Participants equated acute symptom presentation, not multimorbidity, with illness, and mostly viewed their health as good. They distinguished yoga from exercise based on its integration of the breath with physical movements, which provided a mental focus unfound in other physical activities. Impact of the yoga programme ranged from minimal to transformative, dependent on meaningful biopsychosocial improvements. Accordingly, continuation of yoga beyond the trial ranged from none to full integration as a multifaceted health management tool. Conclusions Participant experiences of the yoga programme interlinked views on health, ageing, exercise, and sustainable health management. Yoga presented as a safe, acceptable, and adaptable option for non-pharmacological health management in older adults. Impact on biopsychosocial health was variable, and directly linked to participants’ longer term yoga engagement. Education of health professionals and activity providers regarding ageist stereotypes of health and ageing, together with the evidence base for the safety and effectiveness of yoga, could support and broaden yoga’s reach and engagement among both older adult and multimorbid cohorts. Trial registration ISRCTN ISRCTN13567538. Registered 18 March 2019
Aligning Key Performance Indicators With Integrated Thinking Principles: Insights From Academic Literature and South African Organisations' Extra-Financial Reports
Get PDFThe aim of this paper is to identify which principles of integrated thinking can be applied by an organisation to develop holistic key performance indicators (KPIs) and to outline current practices in disclosing KPIs that align more broadly with an integrated thinking logic. To do so, an analysis of the academic literature is performed to identify the core integrated thinking principles that can be used as part of a performance evaluation structure that considers both financial and extra-financial matters. The identified principles are applied to a sample of South African-listed entities' extra-financial reports to illustrate how integrated thinking principles are incorporated into the KPIs being reported. Eight core themes specific to incorporating integrated thinking in KPIs are identified. These include (1) assurance, (2) timeframe, (3) coverage of the Sustainable Development Goals and multi-capitals, (4) factors influencing the achievement of the metric, (5) stakeholder engagement, (6) materiality, (7) the level of application and (8) post-implementation reviews. The analysis reveals that KPIs have incorporated more principles of an integrated thinking logic from 2013 to 2021 but that there is room for improvement. To facilitate this, examples of best and worst practices for reporting on KPIs are outlined. The study is among the first to outline formally the coverage of literature on integrated thinking, specifically in the context of performance evaluation and to assess the related performance evaluation disclosures in accordance with integrated thinking principles. The study offers practitioners and academics a framework for evaluating how KPIs can be set and evaluated in the context of integrated thinking
Civilization
No full textThe concept of civilization has been used to refer to historic societies known for their contributions to the world or for a society's civilized manner. In both uses, civilization denotes a place on a social, political, economic and cultural hierarchy. Although largely normative, these hierarchies are evident of political power. The societies denoted as civilized at the top of the hierarchy maintain an advantage through norm-setting, political manoeuvring, and in forms of imperial and colonial domination through historic and contemporary civilizing projects. Produced in the development of these civilizing projects are benchmarks, or ‘standards of civilization’, which function to reassert hierarchies and delineate who belongs to, as the English School would conceptualize, international society. Explored in this entry are the historic emergence, contemporary politics, and theorization of the concept of civilization and its derivatives, including civilized (civilité) and civilize (civiliser)
Translational activity of 80S monosomes varies dramatically across different tissues
Get PDFTranslational regulation at the stage of initiation can impact the number of ribosomes translating each mRNA molecule. However, the translational activity of single 80S ribosomes (monosomes) on mRNA is less well understood, even though these 80S monosomes represent the dominant ribosomal complexes in vivo. Here, we used cryo-EM to determine the translational activity of 80S monosomes across different tissues in Drosophila melanogaster. We discovered that while head and embryo 80S monosomes are highly translationally active, testis and ovary 80S monosomes are translationally inactive. RNA-Seq analysis of head monosome- and polysome-translated mRNAs, revealed that head 80S monosomes preferentially translate mRNAs with TOP motifs, short 5′-UTRs, short ORFs and are enriched for the presence of uORFs. Overall, these findings highlight that regulation of translation initiation and protein synthesis is mostly performed by monosomes in head and embryo, while polysomes are the main source of protein production in testis and ovary
Gastroesophageal reflux disease is associated with a more severe interstitial lung disease in systemic sclerosis in the EUSTAR cohort
Get PDFObjectives
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is frequent in systemic sclerosis (SSc) and could predict progression of interstitial lung disease (ILD). We aimed to analyse (1) the prevalence of GERD among SSc-ILD patients, (2) its association with disease characteristics and (3) predictive factors for ILD progression in SSc-ILD patients with GERD.
Methods
SSc patients from the EUSTAR database with ILD were included. GERD was labelled as present if reflux/dysphagia was reported at the baseline visit or before. Disease characteristics of patients with and without GERD were compared at baseline. ILD progression was defined as relative FVC decline ≥10% or relative FVC decline between 5–9% in association with relative DLCO decline of ≥15% over 12 ± 3 months of follow-up. Prognostic factors for ILD progression, overall survival and progression-free survival in SSc-ILD patients with GERD were tested by multivariable Cox regression.
Results
A total of 5462 SSc-ILD patients were included, 4400 (80.6%) had GERD. Patients with GERD presented more frequently with diffuse cutaneous SSc (OR: 1.44 [1.22–1.69], P < 0.001) and more severe lung involvement with lower FVC (85.8 ± 22.1 vs 90.2 ± 20.1, P < 0.001), lower DLCO (60.8 ± 19.7 vs 65.3 ± 20.6, P < 0.001) and worse performance at the 6-min walking test. Female sex (HR: 1.39 [1.07–1.80], P = 0.012) and older age (HR: 1.02 [1.01–1.03], P < 0.001) independently predicted ILD progression in SSc-ILD patients with GERD.
Conclusion
SSc-ILD patients with GERD appear to suffer from a more severe SSc disease. In this population, female sex may be considered a risk factor for ILD progression
Publishing public service media on demand: A comparative study of public service media companies’ editorial practices on their VoD services in the age of platformization
No full textThis article contributes to the emerging empirical research on the editorial practices of video-on-demand (VoD) publishing in European public service media (PSM). It presents results from a comparative study of the editorial practices visible on the VoDs from ten PSM companies across six countries: United Kingdom, Belgium, Poland, Italy, Canada and Denmark. The aim of the article is to map and compare the editorial practices in the ‘prime space’ of the VoD services and the ‘prime time’ of the companies’ main linear channels. The analysis is based on data from a sample week of 13–19 November 2023. The article contributes to research addressing the key issue of universality in terms of content and discusses the conceptualizations of the audience that seem to be at work in the transition towards an online PSM identity
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