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Is digit ratio (2D:4D) a biomarker for lactate in women? Evidence from a cardiopulmonary test on professional female footballers
No full textBackground
Lactate and digit ratio (2D:4D) have been linked to sports performance, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers. 2D:4D is strongly and positively associated with lactate during exercise across a range of running speeds in men. This study aimed to consider the relationship between 2D:4D and lactate in women during an incremental cardiopulmonary exercise test.
Method
The participants were professional female football players. The treadmill test began at a speed of 6 km/h and was increased by 2 km/h every 3.15 min, with measurements at 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 km/h.
Results
There were 25 Caucasian and 3 Black participants; 2D:4D and lactate levels were lower in the latter, but the sample size was too small for meaningful comparisons. Lactate levels increased with running speed. The 2D:4D was not associated with lactate at 6 to 12 km/h. At 14 km/h, lactate was positively associated with right and left 2D:4D (stronger for the former) and negatively with height and digit lengths. These correlations were significant for the total sample and Caucasians only. Multiple regressions for the Caucasian sample showed that right 2D:4D was positively related to lactate at 14 km/h, and height was negatively associated with lactate at all speeds.
Conclusion
During exercise, the effect sizes for relationships between 2D:4D and lactate in women are positive but smaller than those reported for men and restricted to higher running speeds. Unlike men, women show a negative relationship between height and lactate. It is suggested that prenatal and pubertal sex steroid effects may explain these sex differences
Machine-learning based classification of 2D-IR liquid biopsies enables stratification of melanoma relapse risk
Get PDFNon-linear laser spectroscopy methods such as two-dimensional infrared (2D-IR) produce large, information-rich datasets, while developments in laser technology have brought substantial increases in data collection rates. This combination of data depth and quantity creates the opportunity to unite advanced data science approaches, such as Machine Learning (ML), with 2D-IR to reveal insights that surpass those from established data interpretation methods. To demonstrate this, we show that ML and 2D-IR spectroscopy can classify blood serum samples collected from patients with melanoma according to diagnostically-relevant groupings. Using just 20 μL samples, 2D-IR measures ‘protein amide I fingerprints’, which reflect the protein profile of blood serum. A hyphenated Partial Least Squares-Support Vector Machine (PLS-SVM) model was able to classify 2D-protein fingerprints taken from 40 patients with melanoma according to the presence, absence or later development of metastatic disease. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) values of 0.75 and 0.86 were obtained when identifying samples from patients who were radiologically cancer free and with metastatic disease respectively. The model was also able to classify (AUROC = 0.80) samples from a third group of patients who were radiologically cancer-free at the point of testing but would go on to develop metastatic disease within five years. This ability to identify post-treatment patients at higher risk of relapse from a spectroscopic measurement of biofluid protein content shows the potential for hybrid 2D-IR-ML analyses and raises the prospect of a new route to an optical blood-based test capable of risk stratification for melanoma patients
Institutional Stimulus and Firm Innovativeness: Examining the Roles of Digital Technologies Adoption and Inbound Openness
Get PDFDrawing on the structure–conduct–performance (SCP) paradigm, this study proposes and tests a framework of how government institutional stimulus can spur small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises' (SMEs) innovativeness. An analysis of survey data from 195 SMEs operating in Ghana—a resource‐constrained developing economy—indicates that (1) institutional stimulus has a positive relationship with SME innovativeness; (2) the effect of institutional stimulus on SMEs' innovativeness is channeled through the adoption of relevant digital technologies; and (3) the positive effect of institutional stimulus on firm innovativeness through the adoption of digital technologies is strengthened under high levels of inbound openness. Our findings make important contributions to the extant innovation and R&D management literature and have practical implications
OPTIMIZING SECURE ROUTING PROTOCOLS FOR RESILIENCE NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS
Get PDFRouting protocols are very crucial in wired and wireless networks, as they ensure that data packets are efficiently transmitted from a source to their intended destination. These protocols determine the best data route, controlling traffic flow, avoiding congestion, and maintaining communication between routers. Routing protocols are prone to attacks that aim at manipulating or disrupting the operations of the routing protocols. The primary objective of this research is to enhance the security of routing protocols by reducing their vulnerability to attacks while maintaining efficient network performance. A mixed-method approach involving qualitative and quantitative techniques was used. The proposed protocol was compared with BGP, OSPF, AODV, and DSR. Results show that the proposed protocol achieves a high PDR of 95%, while baseline protocols were considerably low, depicting efficiency in terms of the dependability of the protocol to sustain communication in unfavourable scenarios reliably. Besides, the average latency of the proposed protocol is 30 ms, which proves its potential to support time-critical applications that require real-time data delivery. It was observed from the average latency that the value for the proposed protocol was the smallest, about 30 ms, which was sharply different from other protocols; the average latencies for BGP, OSPF, AODV, and DSR were 50 ms, 40 ms, 60 ms, and 55 ms, respectively. The lower latency of the proposed secure routing protocol indicates that it is efficient in packet processing and also capable of supporting applications sensitive to delays like voice and video communication
Effective methods of promoting hand hygiene to reduce hospital acquired infections: A literature review
Get PDFAim: A literature review aimed to explore the most effective methods of promoting hand hygiene in nursing to reduce the prevalence of hospital acquired infections (HAIs).
Methodology: A literature search was conducted using AMED, British Education Index, CINAHL Ultimate, ERIC and MEDLINE with the search terms “hand hygiene, hospital acquired infection, reduction, and promotion” between 2014 and 2024. A PICO framework helped to create a search hypothesis and a PRISMA flowchart used. The search was later repeated between 2017 and 2024 to be relevant post Covid 19 pandemic.
Results: n=9 research studies were retrieved, reduced to n=6. The research studies were critically appraised to identify themes and relevant discussion.
Findings: The reviewed research studies had a variety of methodologies used, sample size and time periods. Three key themes were first, education and knowledge; second, direct observation, and third, reminders/ prompts. All research studies demonstrated a correlation between promoting hand hygiene and a reduction in hospital acquired infections.
Discussion: The cost of HAIs was an issue in terms of a negative effect on hospital resources (beds, staffing costs, equipment) and positive patient outcomes. Despite WHO (2020) and organisational guidelines of best practice, education and training, hand hygiene frequency had improved at the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic, with healthcare staff being key to reduce HAIs but hand hygiene later became less observed due to high staff workload and burnout. The research findings reinforce WHO guidelines, and indicate a need for regular training, reminders, and updates in clinical practice to promote hand hygiene to reduce the incidence of HAIs.
Conclusion: HAIs have a negative impact on patients’ treatment outcomes, cost, and resource implications and despite WHO (2020) guidelines, continue to have a negative impact on patients’ health outcomes. Nurses dealing with a high workload and burnout are at risk of forgetting the importance of hand hygiene and evidence-based practice, yet hand hygiene is most cost-effective method of reducing HAIs
A New Era for Physical Education teacher training: perceptions of delivering the CARE Curriculum of Physical Education in China, lessons for effective implementation
Get PDFChina’s development plans to establish a New Era for the country are driven by aspirations to modernise, enhance health and wellbeing, and establish social harmony. Physical Education (PE) plays an important role in achieving these objectives. China has sought international partners to support this culture shift and help deliver a new form of education and training in PE through the Sino-UK joint led Higher Education programmes in PE and Sport. The purpose of this study was to investigate one of these joint programmes and the CARE Curriculum ethos that underpins it, providing unique insights into its operationalisation and effectiveness. The study explored different perspectives from students, teachers and managers about the benefits and challenges of the curriculum in order to better inform its future implementation and contribution to the New Era objectives. A qualitative case study is presented including individual interviews, observations, reflective narratives and focus groups with teachers, students, and managers at University ‘X’ in South Central China. Reflexive Thematic Analysis was employed to develop 5 higher-order and 14 lower-order themes. The many benefits of the curriculum are presented as well as its perceived limitations. The CARE Curriculum was deemed an appropriate model to support pupil development and wellbeing for the New Era. Challenges are identified and framed in the context of transnational education and socialisation debates. Finally, recommendations are made about how to modify its communication, delivery, assessment, and professional training to support more effective implementation, offering insight and guidance to similar international joint programmes
Evaluating Emotional Responses to Experimental Video Art
No full textVideo is a medium that conveys information capable of reflecting multiple emotions to the viewers. Experimental video, a new contemporary art form, is a complex stimulus that can induce diverse emotions in its audience. This study exposed 22 individuals to two experimental videos, each comprising multiple sequences of experimental images and sounds. We asked participants to record their facial expressions while watching the videos using web cameras. We analysed the recorded footage using DeepFace and Facial Emotion Recognition (FER) algorithms to estimate the seven universal emotions. The Deepface algorithm demonstrated higher sensitivity than FER. We performed time analysis to detect possible visual events that might trigger emotional alterations and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to search for similarities in participants’ emotional profiles. The sudden voice of a child and the sudden appearance of a human figure, possibly triggered the increase of happiness as the time analysis exposed. PCA revealed high variability in neutral emotion across clusters, with notable increases in anger in two of the three clusters. The first cluster showed the most variability in sadness, while happiness slightly increased only in this cluster
A randomised controlled clinical and cost effectiveness trial of an online integrated bipolar parenting intervention (IBPI) compared to treatment as usual in improving child emotional and behavioural outcomes: a study protocol
Get PDFBackground
Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe mental health problem linked to substantial personal and social costs. Many individuals living with bipolar disorder are parents. Due to the nature of the condition, parents with BD often experience challenges in delivering consistent parenting. In addition, up to 60% of their children experience at least one mental health problem in childhood and are at increased risk of future severe mental health problems including bipolar disorder. This paper describes the rationale and protocol for a definitive randomised controlled trial of a new digital intervention (Integrated Bipolar Parenting Intervention; IBPI) to support effective parenting in the context of BD.
Methods and Design
The randomised controlled clinical and cost-effectiveness trial compares IBPI plus treatment as usual (TAU) with TAU alone. Parents with BD with a child aged 4-11 years old and living in the UK will be recruited through the NHS, mental health charities, and social media. Participants will be screened to confirm a clinical diagnosis of BD. They will then complete baseline assessments and be randomised to receive either IBPI+TAU or TAU with follow up assessments after 24- and 48- weeks. The primary clinical outcome is child emotional and behaviour problems measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire at 24 weeks. The primary economic evaluation will be a cost-utility analysis at 24-weeks with quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) measured using the Child Health Utility 9 Dimensions measure of health-related quality of life. Secondary outcomes include parental mood and confidence and family functioning at 24- and 48- weeks, and child emotional and behavioural problems and health economic outcomes at 48 weeks.
Discussion
Despite the challenges faced by children of parents with BD and the parents themselves, research on how to improve their lives is lacking. This will be the first definitive trial of a tailored intervention that aims to improve child and parent outcomes. Results will be reported in line with CONSORT guidance for clinical and health economic findings
Politics Before Everything, 1965–1968
No full textThis chapter undertakes a brief socio-legal study of Cypriot society in the aftermath of the violent 1964, illustrating the differences in the daily life of the two communities. It also provides an extensive study of the legal reforms undertaken by the Republic of Cyprus government following the invocation of the DoN. From an international perspective it discusses the ‘diplomatic turn’ following the publication of the report of the first UN Mediator for Cyprus, Galo Plaza. It then returns to an examination of military developments surrounding the infamous Kophinou Operation in November 1967, before concluding with the establishment of the de facto ‘Provisional Cyprus Turkish Administration’ in December 1967