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Precision and Accuracy of Dimensional Assessment of Luminal Contours by Commercially Available Quantitative Angiography Software as a Prerequisite to Angiography Based FFR and Other Derived Parametrics
Get PDFBackground: Accurate dimensional measurements are critical for quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) and serve as the first step in angiography‐based fractional flow reserve (FFR) calculations. Aims: To compare minimum lumen diameter (MLD) measurements across multiple QCA or anigo‐based FFR software programs using phantom models. Methods: Fourteen QCA and angio‐based FFR programs were evaluated using six plexiglass phantoms, each containing three sequential bifurcations with known true values for the MLD of the proximal main, distal main, and side branch vessels. The accuracy and precision of MLD measurements were assessed by comparing software‐measured values with true values across 54 MLD measurement points. No manual correction of the vessel contour was performed. The results of the 14 programs were reported anonymously. Results: The mean differences between the measured and true values were small ( 0.3 mm). The standard deviations of the differences were approximately 0.1 mm, except in one angio‐based FFR program, where it exceeded 0.3 mm. Differences from true values were more pronounced in small (≦ 0.7 mm) compared to large (> 0.7 mm) true MLDs. The reproducibility of measurements was high (Pearson's correlation coefficient > 0.98) across all programs. Conclusion: Variations in MLD measurements were observed among different QCA and angio‐based FFR programs. These variations may influence diagnostic performance and can seriously impact decisions made solely using angio‐based FFR
Balancing Generative AI and Critical Thinking to Develop Written Communication Skills in Cybersecurity
No full textAs cybersecurity education continues to evolve, the need for curricula that effectively balance the capabilities of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools with the development of critical thinking and active learning skills has become increasingly urgent. This study addresses this challenge by proposing a curriculum for postgraduate cybersecurity education that focuses on developing transferable skills, particularly critical thinking and written communication. These skills are essential for cybersecurity professionals to excel in both their technical and communicationoriented responsibilities, meeting the growing demand of the cybersecurity industry in the age of AI. The proposed curriculum emphasizes the integration of constructivist learning principles and Bloom's taxonomy, two widely applied pedagogical models, to enhance learners' critical thinking and written communication skills. Designed for a penetration testing module, the curriculum follows a structured, step-by-step approach to build the necessary competences and empower aspiring cybersecurity professionals to meet the expectations of the cybersecurity industry. Through targeted activities, learners develop foundational knowledge while refining advanced written communication skills, equipping them to produce professional-level documentation, such as penetration testing reports. Generative AI is incorporated in the curriculum, providing opportunities for learners to experiment with AIgenerated content while fostering the cognitive skills needed to critically assess its accuracy, relevance, and alignment with professional standards. This study contributes to cybersecurity education by presenting a replicable curriculum model that equips learners with vital skills, preparing them to navigate the complexities of written communication responsibilities in cybersecurity roles and adapt to the evolving demands of the AI era
The perception of intonational peaks and valleys: the effects of plateaux, declination and experimental task
No full textAn experiment assessed listeners’ judgement of either relative pitch height or prominence between two consecutive fundamental frequency (fo) peaks or valleys in speech. The fo contour of the first peak or valley was kept constant, while the second was orthogonally manipulated in its height and plateau duration. Half of the stimuli had a flat baseline from which the peaks and valleys were scaled, while the other half had an overtly declining baseline. The results replicated the previous finding that fo peaks with a long plateau are salient to listeners, while valleys are hard to process even with a plateau. Furthermore, the effect of declination was dependent on the experimental task. Listeners’ responses seemed to be directly affected by the fo excursion size only for judging relative height between two peaks, while their prominence judgement was strongly affected by the overall impression of the pitch raising or lowering event near the perceptual target. The findings suggest that the global fo contour, not a single representative fo value of an intonational event, should be considered in perceptual models of intonation. The findings show an interplay between the signal, listeners’ top-down expectations, and speech perception
Fiber Laser-Assisted Synthesis of MoS2 Nanomaterials for Enhanced Anticancer and Antibacterial Activity
Get PDFMolybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is a promising nanomaterial with a wide range of applications. Its outstanding properties, good biocompatibility, and band gap characteristics allowed it to be used in biosensing, electronics, optoelectronics, and biological and medical applications. Furthermore, Biopolymers, including chitosan and PEG, are regarded as the most promising materials in the medical domain. Therefore, in this work, MoS2, MoS2-CS, and MoS2-PEG nanocomposite materials are generated using a laser ablation process. A comprehensive examination of the manufactured composites was performed using X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to validate the quality and content of the newly prepared composites. Based on the results, MoS2 NPs show a minimum average size of 20 nm generated using 127.3, 250mm/s, 3 minutes irradiation. Furthermore, the recorded average size of MoS2-CS and MoS2-PEG nanocomposite were 10.5 nm and 7.8 nm, respectively. The MoS2-CS hybrid nanocomposite showed the highest antibacterial activity against E. coli bacteria, while MoS2-CS and MoS2-PEG showed the highest antibacterial activity against S.aureus bacteria compared to pure MoS2 NPs. The anticancer analysis demonstrated that the MoS2-CS nanocomposite presented the highest cytotoxic effect against the A549 cell compared to MoS2 and MoS2-PEG
It’s about equality! disability advocacy in the UK
No full textAdvocacy means taking action to support people to secure their rights, pursue their interests, and obtain services they need. This study aimed to find out people’s knowledge and experiences of advocacy, as well as their recommendations for the improvement of advocacy services. Forty-six people from various regions of the UK were interviewed online, and 193 people completed a survey. Participants had different impairments, and some were family members of disabled people, most of whom experienced impairment and disability themselves. People said that they would like more access to advocacy services to support them with many areas of their lives, such as to reduce isolation, accessing employment and healthcare, support with benefits and help with documentation, financial support and advice, and to challenge inaccessibility and discrimination. There is a need for improved general statutory advocacy that involves disabled people as advocates, along with greater awareness of what is offered
Lifestyle Practices and Health Promotion Strategies to Support Physiological Well-Being During Ramadan
No full textFasting during the Holy Month of Ramadan serves as a period for spiritual reflection and the strengthening of communal bonds in Islam. This religious practice induces significant alterations in contemporary lifestyle routines, requiring adaptive adjustments in nutrition, physical activity, and sleep. Despite the global observance of Ramadan by approximately two billion Muslims, a comprehensive synthesis of evidence-based lifestyle practices to support physiological well-being during this month is lacking. This narrative review therefore aims to identify and evaluate health-promoting strategies tailored to the Ramadan fasting period. We conducted a systematic literature search and a structured quality appraisal of relevant studies. Our synthesis identifies several key health-promoting strategies, including the strategic periodization of carbohydrate intake, favoring slow-digesting carbohydrates at the pre-dawn meal (Suhoor), and the scheduling of low-energy-demand physical activities, such as walking, during daylight fasting hours. Resistance training is most effectively performed post-Iftar to optimize physiological adaptations. To address sleep disruptions, daytime napping for up to 30 minutes can mitigate nighttime sleep deficits and reduce daytime sleepiness. At the individual level, sustainable lifestyle changes may be fostered through self-directed learning, goal-setting using frameworks like SMART criteria, and the establishment of robust social support networks. From a public health perspective, national ministries of health, particularly in Muslim-majority countries, can play a pivotal role by coordinating with community-based organizations to disseminate these health promotion initiatives in the pre-Ramadan period. Implementing these multi-level strategies can help individuals maintain physiological well-being without compromising the spiritual and social significance of Ramadan
Forensic Metabolomics: Enhancing PMI Estimation through Porcine Bone Tissue Profiling
No full textThe estimation of the post-mortem interval (PMI) in forensic skeletal remains is extremely challenging, as traditional morphological methods lose their effectiveness and accuracy as decomposition progresses. To address this issue, this study utilizes metabolomics to investigate the biochemical changes affecting bone tissue during the decomposition process. Fragments of pig mandibles were buried in an open grassland field at varying depths (0, 10, 30, and 50 cm) and collected every month up to 6 months. Bone metabolites were extracted using a single-phase methanol–water protocol, and both gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) were applied for their analysis. The primary goal of this study is to identify specific metabolic shifts associated with increasing post-mortem intervals to identify potential bone metabolomic biomarkers for PMI and to assess the impact of burial depth on these changes. The generated regression models using LC-MS/MS data were able to estimate the PMI of the skeletal fragments with an accuracy of 14 days over 6 months, an outstanding result, particularly considering the current lack of methodologies to estimate PMI from bones. Burial depth, instead, did not play a significant role on the metabolomic bone signature. This research deepens our understanding of post-mortem biochemical processes in bones, making a significant contribution to the advancing field of forensic metabolomics, and highlights the potential of metabolomics for investigating buried skeletal remains and enhancing post-mortem interval assessments
Community‐based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Programmes for rheumatic conditions: An acceptability and qualitative process evaluation study
No full textPurpose: Dissemination and implementation of socially prescribed community‐based programmes for individuals with rheumatic conditions remain rare. However, such programmes can help overcome key barriers, including limited access to evidence‐based psychological interventions, individuals' preference for psychosocial care outside of rheumatology clinics and the prevention of isolation and loneliness. Methods: This study presents a qualitative process evaluation of a community‐based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) group intervention, delivered as part of a psychosocial service within a support organization for individuals with rheumatic conditions. We conducted 12 semi‐structured qualitative interviews following participants' completion of five in‐person ACT group sessions. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to assess acceptability and explore how participants conceptualized ACT's processes of change. Results: Four key themes emerged, offering practical considerations for planning and delivering ACT groups for individuals with rheumatic conditions: (1) the process of finding peace through mindfulness while managing practice‐related difficulties, (2) recognizing the importance of making values‐consistent choices, (3) navigating an ambivalent relationship with pain and (4) the dual nature of the group experience—both comforting and awkward. Conclusions: Findings highlight the implications of programme duration in planning ACT groups for individuals with rheumatic conditions in the community. The study suggests that acceptance and mindfulness may be time‐bound and context‐sensitive processes, influenced by the fluctuating symptomatology of rheumatic conditions. Mindfulness is best developed step by step, starting with body awareness, understanding symptoms and slowly bringing mindfulness into daily life. Pain acceptance should focus more on facilitating momentary patterns of activity engagement, rather than willingness towards the fluctuating symptoms
Person de-Identification: A Comprehensive Review of Methods, Datasets, Applications, and Ethical Aspects Along-With New Dimensions
Get PDFPerson de-identification has become a challenging problem that is receiving substantial attention because of the growing demand for privacy protection and related regulations. In this context, computer vision and Deep Learning (DL) algorithms offer automated solutions for Face de-identification (FDeID), commonly used to conceal personal identities in visual data. The existing survey studies addressing the FDeID topic lack comprehensive coverage of modern generative DL-based FDeID methods, limitations of data resources, proposing new applications, and potential technical and ethical research directions, which are covered for the first time in this survey. Throughout the manuscript, we offer critical analysis from various perspectives with a recurring theme of the growing impact that generative deep learning techniques are beginning to have on FDeID and related areas such as gait de-identification. In addition, we suggest 17 novel research dimensions and corresponding research questions in both technical and dataset perspectives, which will advance the research frontiers in this domain. The insights presented in this survey can benefit the research community and diverse stakeholders such as law enforcement, healthcare, industry, etc. It offers valuable insights into the performance analysis of existing methodologies, identifies research gaps, highlights application domains, and suggests precise possible avenues for future contributions
Cognitive behavioural therapies with a trauma focus for children and adolescents: a commentary on a systematic review
Get PDFThere is a clear relationship between childhood trauma and subsequent mental illness in adulthood. Cognitive behavioural therapies with a trauma-focus (CBTs-TF) are effective in
reducing psychological distress and are recommended in clinical guidelines. However, existing clinical trials of CBTs-TF have inadequate statistical power to comment on moderators of efficacy. This commentary summarises and critically appraises a systematic review which investigated the efficacy of CBTs-TF for young people and examined individual-level and
treatment-level factors that may moderate treatment effects. The findings of the original systematic review suggest that CBTs-TF are an effective treatment for young people with post-traumatic stress symptoms. This commentary expands upon the findings in the context of clinical practice