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Household Wildfire Risk and the Community Preparedness: A Case Study of Rural Villages of Central Highlands of Sri Lanka
No full textBelihuloya forest reserve, an environmentally sensitive zone serves as a vital catchment in the central highlands, spans altitudes ranging from 589 m to 1,237 m. The range is home to a diverse array of flora and fauna, hosting numerous endemics, indigenous, and threatened species. The region faces recurrent threats from bush fires during May to August, driest and windiest season that significantly impact local agriculture, tea cultivation, and the tourism. The objectives of this study were to conduct scoping study on heavily bushfire affected villages of central high lands of Sri Lanka, to find out the bushfire vulnerability levels of villages and their properties and to identify the status of early warning, community preparedness and fire management. Case study approach was used, followed by in-depth interviews with community members in three GN divisions; Wiharawela, Passaramulla, and Kubalgama in Imbulpe DS division and with institutions such as Disaster Management Centre, Department of Forest, Sri Lanka Army, and Tourism Service providers. As per the results of our study, Imbulpe, Passaramulla, Wiharawela, and Medagedaragoda GN divisions encountered bushfires in Hagala forest, Helamalkadiya, Wewkadura, and Kabaragala forests areas. The villages encounter annual bushfires resulted from unconfirmed causes, including land preparation for Chena cultivation, hunting, camping sites, and other human interventions. Bush fire threat of human lives and properties are high but no recorded incidents on causalities keep them away from preparedness. Highly protected and sensitive forest reserves recorded as highest vulnerable. However, those residing in the forest buffer zone experienced significant impacts and property exposure. A lack of preparedness for bushfire incidents was identified, characterized by the absence of an alarming system, lack of awareness, complacency, and inefficient communication among villagers. However, the community involvement and the participation of Sri Lanka army were noted as key bushfire management strategies
The Child Protection Response to Domestic Violence and Abuse: a Scoping Review of Interagency Interventions, Models and Collaboration
Get PDFPurpose
There is a growing acknowledgement that children are direct victims of domestic violence and abuse, and require support and protection in their own right. However, professional interventions designed to protect children may unintentionally further victimise parents, most often mothers. In response, a number of new interagency approaches have been developed.
Method
Updating a previous review by Macvean et al. (Australian Social Work, 71(2), 148–161, 2018), we report the findings of a scoping review of models of interagency working between child protection and either domestic abuse services or family law services, or all three services, to improve understanding of practices that may facilitate collaboration between child protection and other agencies in the context of domestic violence and abuse. We also consider the effectiveness of such approaches in improving the safety of child and adult victims.
Results
A systematic search of all sources identified 4103 documents that were screened for inclusion. The outcome of this screening was the identification of thirteen papers or reports dated between 2018 and 2022 that comprised an evaluation of six models of interagency interventions. Nine publications originated in Australia, three in the UK and one in the USA. The most referenced model was Safe & Together, primarily due to the number of publications from the same research team in Australia. None of the included studies reported the outcomes or impact for children and families.
Conclusions
While there are a growing number of promising approaches identified, there is little evidence of effectiveness, or the views of child and adult family members about the acceptability and utility of such approaches
Autologous breast reconstruction in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): a systematic review of current practices and challenges
No full textEfforts to improve global healthcare persist, yet LMICs face challenges accessing surgical care, especially breast reconstruction amidst rising breast cancer cases. This review evaluates the present state and challenges of autologous breast reconstruction in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Utilizing the PRISMA guidelines and the Cochrane Collaboration's standards, databases such as EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane, PubMed, and Google Scholar were examined for studies on breast reconstruction in LMICs (based on the World Bank's 2022-2023 definitions) up to August 2022. Articles and case reports focusing on autologous reconstruction following breast cancer surgery in these regions were incorporated. From an initial 288 articles, 19 met the criteria after thorough assessment. These articles documented 4899 patient cases from LMICs, with the breakdown being: 11 on LD flaps, nine on TRAM flaps, eight on DIEP flaps, two on TDAP flaps, and one on TMG flap. Flap necrosis emerged as the prevalent complication in four studies. While autologous breast reconstruction presents superior aesthetic benefits without notable long-term economic setbacks, its adoption in LMICs is limited. This is partly due to the domination of implant-based methods among patients and surgeons, selected due to convenience. The scarcity of concrete evidence and standardized metrics in LMICs clouds the understanding of this procedure. Despite its advantages, awareness is low, necessitating more training and awareness campaigns. Uniform reporting, quality data, and financial analysis can provide a comprehensive LMIC understanding, aiding future research
The Functional Positioning of Digital Media in the Upgrading of Sports Industry: The Case of NBA
Get PDFSports industry is an important part of many industries in modern society, and more and more people are paying attention to sports industry. The rapid development of the Internet has led to the rapid progress of digital media, which also brings great opportunities and challenges to the sports industry. However, how to make good use of the functions of digital media to promote the upgrading of the sports industry in the current digital transformation process still deserves further research. This study aims to explore the positioning of the functions of digital media in the upgrading of the sports industry, and to study and analyze the NBA as an example. The significance of this study is to provide the sports industry chain and sports industry practitioners with an in-depth understanding of the important role of digital media in the transformation and upgrading of sports industry development, and to provide experience and reference for the future development of the sports industry. This study adopts the literature research method and case analysis method. By systematically collating and analyzing the literature, it elaborates the functional positioning of digital media in the upgrading of sports industry. Then, the NBA is chosen as a typical case, and the case study method is used to analyze the application and effect of digital media in the development process of NBA. Finally, through comparative analysis, the common features, and referable experiences of digital media in the sports industry are summarized
Observations of spiral and streamer on a candidate proto-brown dwarf
Get PDFSpirals and streamers are the hallmarks of mass accretion during the early stages of star formation. We present the first observations of a large-scale spiral and a streamer towards a very young brown dwarf candidate in its early formation stages. These observations show, for the first time, the influence of external environment that results in asymmetric mass accretion via feeding filaments onto a candidate proto-brown dwarf in the making. The impact of the streamer has produced emission in warm carbon-chain species close to the candidate proto-brown dwarf. Two contrasting scenarios, a pseudo-disk twisted by core rotation and the collision of dense cores, can both explain these structures. The former argues for the presence of a strong magnetic field in brown dwarf formation while the latter suggests that a minimal magnetic field allows large-scale spirals and clumps to form far from the candidate proto-brown dwarf
Merging Policy and Practice: Crafting Effective Social Engineering Awareness-Raising Policies
Get PDFCybersecurity policies play a fundamental role in fostering organizational cyber governance and cyber resilience. Cybersecurity awareness-raising and training policies specify upskilling requirements and explicitly address persistent threats such as social engineering attacks. While cybersecurity awareness-raising and training activities complement the objectives of security policies, challenges including stakeholder diversity, budget constraints, generic messaging and low user engagement hinder their effectiveness. For successful policy adoption it is crucial for the workforce to grasp the relevance of these policies within their work context, understand how social engineering attacks are deployed, and apply policy rules appropriately. However, existing awareness-raising and training policies often lack specificity, leading to gaps in employee engagement and behavioural change, especially regarding social engineering threats. To address these issues, the paper proposes a dedicated social engineering awareness-raising policy, guided by Merrill's Principles of Instructions. This work aims to merge policy and practice, offering tailored examples of social engineering attacks, explicitly connecting them to relevant cybersecurity policies and making the content more engaging and relevant to the workforce. This is envisioned as a cost-effective resource for organizations with a limited training budget, which can be utilized as a starting point to enhance employee awareness, engagement, and foster a stronger organizational cyber resilience culture
Seasonal variation and the effect of the transition period on physical fitness parameters in youth female soccer players
Get PDFThis study examined seasonal variation and the effect of the transition period on physical fitness parameters in female youth soccer players. Twenty-four players (13–17 years old) were assessed through field and laboratory testing. They completed laboratory testing three times: (1) at the beginning of the season (post-preseason), (2) at the end of the regular season (postseason), and (3) following the transition period (preseason). Field testing was conducted post-preseason and postseason. Results indicated that weight and body fat significantly increased from post-preseason to postseason and following the transition period. A paired samples T-test revealed that the players performed significantly better in the vertical jump and 30 m sprint test (all p < 0.01) postseason compared to post-preseason. Also, it was indicated that torque production for the right quadriceps, left quadriceps, and right hamstring (all p < 0.01) was significantly reduced after the transition period by 10%, 11.8%, and 10.5%, respectively. Cardiorespiratory measurements demonstrated that performance on an incremental cardiopulmonary treadmill test, maximal oxygen consumption, velocity at the first ventilatory threshold, velocity at the second ventilatory threshold, and velocity at maximal oxygen consumption (all p < 0.01) were significantly reduced postseason and following the transition period. Based on the results, coaches and trainers should primarily focus on maintaining the aerobic capacity of the players during the season, as it has been indicated to be reduced from the beginning to the end of the competitive period (VO2max reduced by 3.3%). In addition, they should focus on maintaining lower body strength and aerobic capacity during the transition period
Prevalence of mental health conditions and brain fog in people with long COVID: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Get PDFLong COVID can include impaired cognition ('brain fog'; a term encompassing multiple symptoms) and mental health conditions. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate their prevalence and to explore relevant factors associated with the incidence of impaired cognition and mental health conditions. Searches were conducted in Medline and PsycINFO to cover the start of the pandemic until August 2023. Included studies reported prevalence of mental health conditions and brain fog in adults with long COVID after clinically-diagnosed or PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. 17 studies were included, reporting 41,249 long COVID patients. Across all timepoints (3-24 months), the combined prevalence of mental health conditions and brain fog was 20·4% (95% CI 11·1%-34·4%), being lower among those previously hospitalised than in community-managed patients(19·5 vs 29·7% respectively; p = 0·047). The odds of mental health conditions and brain fog increased over time and when validated instruments were used. Odds of brain fog significantly decreased with increasing vaccination rates (p = ·000). Given the increasing prevalence of mental health conditions and brain fog over time, preventive interventions and treatments are needed. Research is needed to explore underlying mechanisms that could inform further research in development of effective treatments. The reduced risk of brain fog associated with vaccination emphasizes the need for ongoing vaccination programs
‘It’s both a blessing and a curse’: law firm attitudes to Qualifying Work Experience in England & Wales
Get PDFWith the advent of the Solicitors’ Qualifying Exam (SQE), Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) allows for flexibility in the journey to qualification as a solicitor in England & Wales that was not previously permitted by the Period of Recognised Training. This development was heralded as a lever to widening access to the profession, with the potential to assist those who may not have been recruited onto traditional graduate-level training programmes in securing a qualified legal role. This paper discusses the findings of empirical research conducted by the authors with a view to understanding the perceptions of, and attitudes towards, QWE of those responsible for recruitment in UK law firms. It reveals a friction between the perceived, and actual, value of QWE obtained via non-traditional routes and exposes the threat that law firm stances on QWE pose to the regulator’s aim of widening access to the profession
The impact of institutional child abuse: A systematic review using Reflexive Thematic Analysis
Get PDFInstitutional child abuse has several negative impacts, including effects on mental health, well-being and interpersonal relationships. There is a need to understand this complex form of abuse occurring in an out-of-home setting. The current review aims to understand the literature base regarding the impact of institutional child abuse and to identify areas where further research is needed. Consequently, a systematic review was conducted, which captured quantitative and qualitative methods. This resulted in 58 papers being included. The papers captured the impacts of institutional abuse, covering physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect (i.e., a failure to be adequately cared for). These were then analysed using a qualitative methodology, specifically Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Several factors, such as prior abuse, were reported to exacerbate the impact of institutional abuse, whereas secure attachment was noted as a protective feature. Responses to disclosure appear to have an important role in recovery. Areas important for further research included understanding the role of protective factors and how they impact future outcomes, but to do so alongside an acknowledgement and greater exploration of negative impacts