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Eating behaviours in care-experienced children: a mixed-methods UK comparative cohort study to examine mealtime challenges
No full textInsufficient food provision and malnutrition are features of neglect and are reasons children are taken into care. Subsequent eating difficulties may have long-term negative physical and mental health impact. Literature from various countries indicates patterns of over- and under-consumption, hoarding and stealing food, and consumption of contaminated or non-food (pica) sources in care-experienced children, but no studies have examined these patterns in the UK.
This study recruited parents and carers of care-experienced children (CE, n = 105, Age M = 9.24 years, 62% male), comparing them with birth parents living with their child/ren (NCE, n = 103, Age M = 7.95 years, 43% male) on problematic eating measures. Participants were also asked open-ended questions about challenges and enjoyment of mealtimes.
The CE group reported higher levels of problematic eating, dietary concern and food maintenance in their children than the other group, with medium-large effect sizes. Number of Adverse Childhood Events experienced was positively associated with these factors. Through Template Analysis, the CE group identified food consumption, disruptive behaviour, negative communication and food rejection/aversion as challenges. The comparison group reported similar challenges, with lower levels of behavioural extremes. Time together, creating a positive environment and exploring/enjoying new food were identified as enjoyable mealtime aspects in both groups. The CE group placed more emphasis on creating a nurturing and calm atmosphere.
This is the first study in the UK to provide a comprehensive picture of eating and mealtime behaviours in care-experienced children. Insights into the specific challenges that parents and carers face in this context can assist intervention development
Mitigating hypothetical bias in choice experiments: an in-depth review on the use of cheap talk
Get PDFCheap Talk is one of the most popular techniques used to mitigate hypothetical bias in choice experiments, but there is uncertainty about how it is used by researchers, and its effectiveness. We reviewed and explored in-depth how cheap talk is used and how effective it is in mitigating hypothetical bias by examining 172 articles in the literature using a systematic review. The results show that cheap talk is largely used in choice experiment studies, but only a minority of articles make the cheap talk scripts available to the readers. Furthermore, we found that there is a large heterogeneity on how the cheap talk script is used by researchers in terms of length, words used, structure, and its effectiveness. This review provides useful insights about the implementation of cheap talk in choice experiments as well as outline several future research avenues that could be useful in improving the validity and reliability of data collected using hypothetical choice experiments
Explaining and predicting the Southern Hemisphere Eddy Driven Jet
No full textThe summertime Eddy Driven Jet (EDJ) in the Southern Hemisphere is a critical mediator between regional climate and large-scale phenomena, guiding synoptic systems that shape weather patterns. Uncertainties in global climate models (GCMs)—-particularly in projecting changes in remote drivers like tropical warming, stratospheric polar vortex strengthening, and asymmetric tropical Pacific warming—-hinder predictions of EDJ trends and associated regional
outcomes. In this study, we develop a novel causal framework that combines observations, reanalysis datasets, and storylines estimated from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) projections to attribute past EDJ changes and predict plausible future trajectories. Our findings indicate that tropical warming has evolved along the low end of plausible CMIP trajectories, while the stratospheric polar
vortex shows robust strengthening, both strongly influencing observed EDJ trends. Our results suggest that 50% of the observed EDJ latitude shift can be directly attributed to global warming (GW), and the remaining 50% to remote drivers whose attribution to GW remains uncertain. Importantly, GCMs appear to accurately estimate the observed latitudinal shifts but underestimate the observed strengthening of the
EDJ, while the proposed storylines are able to capture the observed trend. By integrating causal inference with climate storylines, our approach narrows the divide between attribution and prediction, offering a physically grounded method to estimate plausible pathways of future climate change
The concept of spectrally nudged storylines for extreme event attribution
Get PDFSpectrally nudged storylines (constraining the large-scale atmospheric circulation to follow that of a particular weather event) represent a relatively new attribution method. They differ from conventional, probabilistic attribution approaches which consider a class of similar, generally univariate, extremes. Instead, their focus is on particular, historic extreme events of large impact which are still vividly anchored in collective memory. The innovation of the method is the feasibility to quantify the role of anthropogenic climate change for specific extreme events of the recent past, and it draws on experience from regional climate downscaling. Spectrally nudged storylines thus offer a new, easily implemented and easily understandable way of communicating climate change to the general public and decision-makers, as well as a pathway for detailed attribution of climate impacts. The technique offers great potential as an addition to the established attribution methods by answering different questions and providing new attribution results
The games we play together: towards a dramaturgy of playable performance
No full textPlay is essential for social connection. Playable performances are one outlet for adults to
explore their desire to play. In the last decade, the UK has seen an increase in ‘playable
performances’ and alongside this, in related scholarship. Playable performances are pieces of
interactive or immersive performance that use game or play mechanics as the core of their
dramaturgical structure. I suggest that playable dramaturgies are constructed out of the
foundational elements of invitation, agency, and interaction. These help to build the playful,
social, and narrative worlds of different forms of playable performance. This thesis explores
these concepts through a practice led methodology, using my own portfolio of practice of
three different approaches to playable dramaturgy that I created. These performances
explored the ways in which I invite audience players into play experiences, how they can have
the appearance of choice within dramaturgical structure and the ways in which I explicitly
design the interactions available in my work, to enable audience players access to different
aspects of play experience.
In interpreting and defining playable dramaturgies, I draw from literature within game, play
and performance studies. I also analyse performances by other correlating practitioners
whose work I consider playable. This thesis contextualises the growth of playable practices in
the last decade and situates it within immersive theatre discourses, to define what playable
dramaturgy is. Part One of the thesis, which is comprised of a thesis introduction and two
chapters, addressing the different elements of playable dramaturgy. This contains both
critical reflection on my exploratory practices, and a close analysis of key selected
practitioners including Fast Familiar, Seth Kriebel and Ontroerend Goed. This is followed by a
brief introduction to my central doctoral practice, namely, the online playable performance
Beyond The Stars, alongside its key underpinning of the creative and contextual decisions,
with specific critical reference to the work of Metis Arts. In Part Two of the thesis, which is
comprised of two chapters and a conclusion, I suggest that alongside their reliance on a
playful structure, playable dramaturgies develop a certain social and narrative dynamic, one
that is vital to this structure’s operation. With reference to Beyond The Stars, I argue that
performance is not simply a set of dramaturgical decisions, but a much more nuanced
process of understanding and offering choices that allow us to exist together, participate in
worlds beyond our own and most importantly, to play together with others
Investigating the neuroprotective effects of estrogen in the medial prefrontal cortex of adult male mice
No full textThis study examined the neuroprotective properties of estrogen in the male brain, specifically
focusing on its production and effects on the prefrontal cortex (PFC) during oxygen-glucose
deprivation (OGD). This research addresses a knowledge gap regarding the role of estrogen in
male neuroprotection, considering the lower systemic estrogen levels in males compared to
females. PFC slices from adult male mice were incubated in artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF)
for 0 and 24 hrs. Elevated estrogen levels were detected in ACSF after 24 hrs, indicating active
estrogen synthesis in male PFC. To explore the neuroprotective effects of estrogen during OGD,
recordings were used to measure field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) in PFC slices
using a perforated multi-electrode array (pMEA). Slices were treated with 100 nM estrogen,
0.1% DMSO (vehicle), or estrogen + 1µM ICI 182,780 (GPER1 agonist and ERα/ERβ antagonist).
During 10 min of OGD, fEPSP amplitude significantly decreased in DMSO-treated slices
compared to estrogen-treated slices. Estrogen maintained the fEPSP amplitude during OGD.
Estrogen + ICI 182,780 treatment did not alter the fEPSP amplitude, suggesting that GPER1 is
involved in neuroprotection and not ERα or ERβ. Lastly, to explore the neuroprotective effects of
estrogen during OGD on neuronal firing rate, slices were perfused with 100 nM of estrogen, and
recordings were used to measure the firing rate. The application of estrogen did not affect the
firing rate in the adult male mPFC; however, this was the first study to explore the firing rate of
the adult PFC undergoing OGD using pMEA. The male PFC demonstrated a capacity for active
estrogen synthesis. Estrogen exhibits neuroprotective properties in the male brain during OGD.
The neuroprotective effects may be mediated, at least partially, by the GPER1 receptor. These
findings suggest that estrogen may function as a neuroprotective steroid in the male brain,
particularly during ischemic conditions, despite lower systemic estrogen levels than in females
Regional environmental protection investments, cluster ecosystems and firm innovation: evidence from Germany
Get PDFThis paper presents an exploration of how regional Environmental Protection Investments (EPIs) and cluster ecosystems affect the innovation performance of research and development (R&D) firms versus non-R&D firms across regions in Germany. We develop a conceptual framework to elucidate the relationship between regional EPIs, cluster ecosystems, R&D decisions and innovation performance of firms. We test this framework by employing ordinary least squares (OLS) and fixed effect regressions to analyze a unique sample of panel data from ORBIS and DESTATIS for the period 2009-2017. We find that in regions in which there are higher environmental protection investments, R&D firms outperform their non-R&D counterparts in terms of intangible assets formation. We also find that the relationship between cluster ecosystem and firm innovation performance is contingent on firm R&D engagement and specific types of regional EPIs. Additional insights reveal that there are spillover effects on firm innovation performance for non-R&D firms belonging to business clusters and at the same time, in proximity to geographical areas that are populated by higher numbers of other cluster constituents. The results of this study contribute to our nascent understanding of innovation ecosystems and hold important implications for policymakers in terms of how to formulate effective environmental policies to promote firm innovation
Modeling of HDT pneumatic drying machine for moisture control
Get PDFThe drying process in cigarette factories, centered around the HDT pneumatic drying machine, has historically faced significant challenges with moisture inconsistency. To address this issue, a steady-state model grounded in mass and energy conservation principles was developed, focusing on key variables such as tobacco moisture content and temperature. By integrating model-based feedforward control, the system successfully reduced moisture fluctuations across different batches, ensuring more consistent tobacco moisture levels. Validation through Monte Carlo simulation confirmed the model’s accuracy, and actual control effect demonstrated a mean reduction of 7.65% in the standard deviation of cooling moisture and a 20.27% decrease in the standard deviation of overall moisture variation, significantly improving batch consistency
Auroral and non‐auroral H3+ ion winds at Uranus with Keck‐NIRSPEC and IRTF‐iSHELL
Get PDFTo date, no investigation has documented ionospheric flows at Uranus. Previous investigations of Jupiter and Saturn have demonstrated that mapping ion winds can be used to understand ionospheric currents and how these connect to magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling. We present a study of Uranus's near infrared emissions (NIR) using data from the Keck II Telescope's Near InfraRed SPECtrograph (NIRSPEC) and the InfraRed Telescope Facility's iSHELL spectrograph. H3+ emission lines were used to derive dawn-to-dusk intensity, ionospheric temperatures and ion densities to identify auroral emissions, with their Doppler shifts used to measure ion velocities. We confirm the presence of the southern NIR aurora in 2016, driven by elevated H3+ column densities up to 6.0 × 1016 m−2. While no auroral emissions were detected in 2014, we find a 14%–20% super rotation across the planet's disk in 2014 and a 7%–18% super rotation in 2016