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Seagrass meadows are important sources of reef island-building sediment
Get PDFThe future vulnerability of low-lying atoll nations is inextricably linked to the production of island-building carbonate sediments by organisms living in their adjacent marine environments. Seagrass meadows are commonly found adjacent to reef islands, but their potential role as sources of reef island-building sediments has been overlooked. Here, we quantify rates of sediment production by seagrass epibionts in a reef island sediment supply context. Total seagrass epibiont sediment production at our study site (Huvadhoo Atoll, Maldives) was 853,000 ± 90,000 kg CaCO3 yr-1 over an area of 1.1 km2. Of this total sediment production, 541,000 ± 23,000 kg CaCO3 yr-1 was estimated to be suitable to contribute to reef island building (i.e., sand-sized, post-agitation). Our findings highlight a previously unrecognised and highly valuable ecosystem service provided by tropical seagrass meadows as important potential sources of reef island-building sediment. This study, therefore, presents a new and compelling geomorphic argument for seagrass conservation
The effect of COVID rehabilitation for ongoing symptoms Post HOSPitalisation with COVID-19 (PHOSP-R): protocol for a randomised parallel group controlled trial on behalf of the PHOSP consortium
Get PDFIntroduction
Many adults hospitalised with COVID-19 have persistent symptoms such as fatigue, breathlessness and brain fog that limit day-to-day activities. These symptoms can last over 2 years. Whilst there is limited controlled studies on interventions that can support those with ongoing symptoms, there has been some promise in rehabilitation interventions in improving function and symptoms either using face-to-face or digital methods, but evidence remains limited and these studies often lack a control group.
Methods and analysis
This is a nested single-blind, parallel group, randomised control trial with embedded qualitative evaluation comparing rehabilitation (face-to-face or digital) to usual care and conducted within the PHOSP-COVID study. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions on exercise capacity, quality of life and symptoms such as breathlessness and fatigue. The primary outcome is the Incremental Shuttle Walking Test following the eight week intervention phase. Secondary outcomes include measures of function, strength and subjective assessment of symptoms. Blood inflammatory markers and muscle biopsies are an exploratory outcome. The interventions last eight weeks and combine symptom-titrated exercise therapy, symptom management and education delivered either in a face-to-face setting or through a digital platform (www.yourcovidrecovery.nhs.uk). The proposed sample size is 159 participants, and data will be intention-to-treat analyses comparing rehabilitation (face-to-face or digital) to usual care.
Ethics and dissemination
Ethical approval was gained as part of the PHOSP-COVID study by Yorkshire and the Humber Leeds West Research NHS Ethics Committee, and the study was prospectively registered on the ISRCTN trial registry (ISRCTN13293865). Results will be disseminated to stakeholders, including patients and members of the public, and published in appropriate journals.
Article summary
Strengths and limitations of this study
• This protocol utilises two interventions to support those with ongoing symptoms of COVID-19
• This is a two-centre parallel-group randomised controlled trial
• The protocol has been supported by patient and public involvement groups who identified treatments of symptoms and activity limitation as a top priorit
Serum Transthyretin and Aminotransferases are associated with Lean Mass in People with Coronary Heart Disease. Further Insights from the CARE-CR study
Get PDFBackgroundLow muscle mass disproportionately affects people with coronary heart disease compared to healthy controls but is under-researched and insufficiently treated. Inflammation, poor nutrition, and neural decline might contribute to low muscle mass. This study aimed to assess circulatory biomarkers related to these mechanisms (albumin, transthyretin, alanine aminotransferase ALT, aspartate aminotransferase AST) and C-terminal agrin fragment) and their relationship with muscle mass in people with coronary heart disease. Our findings could be beneficial to indicate mechanisms of sarcopenia, detect sarcopenia, and evaluate treatment. MethodsSerum blood samples from people with coronary heart disease were analysed for biomarker concentrations using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Skeletal muscle mass was estimated using dual X-ray absorptiometry derived appendicular lean mass and reported as skeletal muscle index (SMI; kg.m−2), and as a proportion of total body mass (appendicular skeletal mass ASM%). Low muscle mass was defined as a SMI <7.0 and <6.0 kg.m-2, or ASM% <25.72% and <19.43% for men and women, respectively. Associations between biomarkers and lean mass were adjusted for age and inflammation.ResultsSixty-four people were assessed; fourteen (21.9%) had low muscle mass. People with low muscle mass had lower transthyretin (effect size 0.34, P = 0.007), ALT (effect size 0.34, P = 0.008) and AST (effect size 0.26, P = 0.037) concentrations, compared to those with normal muscle mass. SMI was associated with inflammation-corrected ALT (r = 0.261, P = 0.039) and with inflammation- and age-adjusted AST/ALT ratio (r = −0.257, P = 0.044). Albumin and C-terminal agrin fragment were not associated with muscle mass indices.ConclusionCirculatory transthyretin, ALT and AST were associated with low muscle mass in people with coronary heart disease. Low concentrations of these biomarkers might indicate that low muscle mass is partially explained by poor nutrition and high inflammation in this cohort. Targeted treatments to address these factors could be considered for people with coronary heart disease
Oscillatory Reconnection as a Plasma Diagnostic in the Solar Corona
Get PDFOscillatory reconnection is a relaxation process in magnetized plasma, with an inherent periodicity that is exclusively dependent on the properties of the background plasma. This study focuses on the seismological prospects of oscillatory reconnection in the solar corona. We perform three sets of parameter studies (for characteristic coronal values of the background magnetic field, density, and temperature) using the PLUTO code to solve the fully compressive, resistive MHD equations for a 2D magnetic X-point. From each parameter study, we derive the period of the oscillatory reconnection. We find that this period is inversely proportional to the characteristic strength of the background magnetic field and the square root of the initial plasma temperature, while following a square root dependency upon the equilibrium plasma density. These results reveal an inverse proportionality between the magnitude of the Alfvén speed and the period, as well as the background speed of sound and the period. Furthermore, we note that the addition of anisotropic thermal conduction only leads to a small increase in the mean value for the period. Finally, we establish an empirical formula that gives the value for the period in relation to the background magnetic field, density, and temperature. This gives us a quantified relation for oscillatory reconnection, to be used as a plasma diagnostic in the solar corona, opening up the possibility of using oscillatory reconnection for coronal seismology
Predicting ocean-induced ice-shelf melt rates using deep learning
Get PDFThrough their role in buttressing upstream ice flow, Antarctic ice shelves play an important part in regulating future sea-level change. Reduction in ice-shelf buttressing caused by increased ocean-induced melt along their undersides is now understood to be one of the key drivers of ice loss from the Antarctic ice sheet. However, despite the importance of this forcing mechanism, most ice-sheet simulations currently rely on simple melt parameterisations of this ocean-driven process since a fully coupled ice–ocean modelling framework is prohibitively computationally expensive. Here, we provide an alternative approach that is able to capture the greatly improved physical description of this process provided by large-scale ocean-circulation models over currently employed melt parameterisations but with trivial computational expense. This new method brings together deep learning and physical modelling to develop a deep neural network framework, MELTNET, that can emulate ocean model predictions of sub-ice-shelf melt rates. We train MELTNET on synthetic geometries, using the NEMO ocean model as a ground truth in lieu of observations to provide melt rates both for training and for evaluation of the performance of the trained network. We show that MELTNET can accurately predict melt rates for a wide range of complex synthetic geometries, with a normalised root mean squared error of 0.11 m yr−1 compared to the ocean model. MELTNET calculates melt rates several orders of magnitude faster than the ocean model and outperforms more traditional parameterisations for > 96 % of geometries tested. Furthermore, we find MELTNET's melt rate estimates show sensitivity to established physical relationships such as changes in thermal forcing and ice-shelf slope. This study demonstrates the potential for a deep learning framework to calculate melt rates with almost no computational expense, which could in the future be used in conjunction with an ice sheet model to provide predictions for large-scale ice sheet models
A Secure and Privacy-Preserving E-Government Framework Using Blockchain and Artificial Immunity
Get PDFThe Intuitive Jacket: Creating A Wearable Interface Acknowledging the Role of the Body in Trauma Mental Health
Get PDFWe present a novel, wearable interface as an investigative tool for digital mental healthcare. Immersive environments for therapeutic interventions can potentially involve the whole body of the user in the experience, but often the interaction is through handheld controllers or virtual buttons. Building on suggestions in a previous study from users of an immersive environment for trauma mental healthcare, we developed a new interface, The Intuitive Jacket, to offer control and personalization to the therapeutic process. Our design consists of a physical jacket, allowing users to perform an emotionally powerful interaction: By touching the region of their heart at the end of the session, they “close the door” to the trauma the have been processing. The jacket contains a conductive thread sensor that communicates the garment wearer’s gesture to the software via Bluetooth. It was created via a multidisciplinary collaboration between HCI, Fashion Design and Electronics
Evaluation of the feasibility and acceptability of ReWin—A digital therapeutic rehabilitation innovation for people with stroke-related disabilities in India
Get PDFBackground: Developing culturally appropriate, scalable interventions to meet the growing needs for stroke rehabilitation is a significant problem of public health concern. Therefore, systematic development and evaluation of a scalable, inclusive, technology-driven solution for community-based stroke care are of immense public health importance in India. ReWin is a digital therapeutics platform that was developed systematically. This study aimed to evaluate its feasibility and acceptability in an Indian context.
Objectives: Phase–1: To pilot the intervention for identifying operational issues and finalize the intervention. Phase–2: To assess the feasibility and acceptability of ReWin intervention in an Indian context.
Methods: Design: Mixed-methods research design. Setting: Participant's home and rehabilitation centers. Participants were selected from rehabilitation centers in South India. Participants: Ten stroke survivors and their caregivers, as well as four rehabilitation service providers were recruited for phase 1. Thirty stroke survivors who were treated and discharged from the hospital, and their caregivers as well as 10 rehabilitation service providers were recruited for Phase 2. Intervention: ReWin a digital therapeutic platform with the provider and patient app for the rehabilitation of physical disabilities following stroke was piloted. Process: Evaluation of the intervention was completed in two phases. In the first phase, the preliminary intervention was field-tested with 10 stroke survivors and four rehabilitation service providers for 2 weeks. In the second phase, the finalized intervention was provided to a further 30 stroke survivors to be used in their homes with support from their carers as well as to 10 rehabilitation service providers for 4 weeks. Outcome measures: Primary outcomes: (1) operational difficulties in using the ReWin intervention; (2) feasibility and acceptability of the ReWin intervention in an Indian setting.
Results: Field-testing identified operational difficulties related to 1. Therapeutic content; 2. Format; 3. Navigation; 4. Connectivity, 5. Video-streaming, 6. Language; and 7. Comprehensibility of the animated content. The intervention was reviewed, revised and finalized before pilot testing. Findings from the pilot testing showed that the ReWin intervention was feasible and acceptable. About 76% of the participants had used ReWin for more than half of the intervention period of 4 weeks. Ninety percentage of the stroke care providers and about 60% of the stroke survivors and caregivers felt that the content of ReWin was very relevant to the needs of the stroke survivors. Forty percentage of the stroke survivors and caregivers rated ReWin intervention as excellent. Another 45% of the stroke survivors and caregivers as well as 90% of the stroke care providers rated ReWin intervention as very good based on its overall credibility, usability, and user-friendliness.
Conclusions: ReWin has all the essential components to connect care providers and consumers not just for stroke rehabilitation but for several other health conditions with the use of several other technological features that support rehabilitation of persons with disabilities and strengthen rehabilitation in health systems worldwide. It is critical to amalgamate ReWin and other evidence-based interventions for rehabilitation to innovate scalable solutions and promote universal health coverage for stroke care worldwide
Sexual Risk Behavior, Sexism, and Prejudices Towards Sexual Openness, Homosexuality, and Trans Individuals Among Young People in Spain and the UK
Get PDFIntroduction: Sexism, lack of sexual freedom, and negative attitudes towards minorities are related to risky and discriminatory sexual behaviors. To date, no cross-cultural comparisons have been made regarding these sexual behaviors and attitudes. The study also explores the sexuality competencies of young adults undertaking vocational courses in higher education before their transition to professional practice. Methods: The sample comprised 1235 university students (670 Spanish and 565 British) aged between 18 and 52 years (M = 22.06, SD = 4.38). During the years 2020 and 2021, respondents completed a survey structured in six standardized scales (HPSC, DSS, SOS, HATH, EANT, and TIBS). Results: Results report that British students show less gender adherence (DSS) while the Spanish ones show more positive attitudes towards trans individuals (EANT) and pleasure (SOS). These findings indicate that students in this research engage in more sexual risk behaviors (HPSC), display similar rigid gender adherences (DSS), and more positive erotophilic (SOS), homophilic (HATH), and trans-friendly attitudes (EANT and TIBS) than those in previous studies. There were, however, significant differences by gender, religion, and program of study. Conclusions: The research demonstrates the relevance of measuring cultural factors related to sexual behaviors and attitudes in youth and reflects a lack of attention to these issues in educational and healthcare settings. This is despite its broad impact on people’s health, as young people are more likely to display increased risky sexual behaviors. Policy Implications: These findings emphasize the importance of the development of updated strategies in sex education among young people. The added importance of doing so with students in higher education who are likely to enter professions where they will educate or influence others on these matters is identified
The challenge of establishing the impact of terrorist organisations: development of a database on ETA’s activities
Get PDFThis article presents a new account of the size and scale of ETA’s activities. Highlighting a range of political considerations that shape existing records of impact, the article traces deployment of a range of distinct methods of data collection and evidence verification in creation of the most comprehensive database of ETA’s activities produced to date. The resulting database suggests that ETA’s impact is significantly greater than previously recognized, with a total of 1,047 attacks from 1959 to 2010. Within those attacks, 66 people were kidnapped (32 of whom were killed), 956 people were killed, there were 1949 injuries and 3 post-incident deaths via suicide and cancer that was attributed to trauma. Of the attacks, 503 were bombings, 456 were shootings and 66 were kidnappings. The remaining attacks used other forms of violence (Molotov cocktails, arson, electrocution or being thrown from moving vehicles). This comprehensive account suggests that previous records underestimate the total number of people killed by over 100, with injuries often not even recorded formally. As more murders are detected and attributed to ETA, the methods deployed within this new database will ensure that the impact continues to be tracked. Those methods enable scholars of terrorism to track the impact of organisations more broadly. As such, this article serves as a means of fostering real discussion on methods more broadly, particularly in terms of criteria adopted for a range of political reasons