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BabyHCI: Evaluating the Experience for Babies and Caregivers in the Context of an iPad App to Encourage Babbling
No full textThis work presents early findings from the evaluation of a prototype iPad game designed to encourage pre-linguistic vocalisations (baby ‘babble’) which support language development in babies. The core functionality within the prototype is already known to be effective and this work sought to evaluate and understand the experience of the app within the parent-baby dyad. The study was carried out with 10 babies (and caregivers) where the baby ‘played’ with the iPad app for five minutes and the caregiver then completed a short survey. This work is one of only a very small number of studies within the IDC community involving babies. The key contributions from this early work are a set of challenges which are valuable to other working within the field of ‘BabyHCI’
Exploring the Effects of Transitioning from Technology Use to Non-Technology Activities in Young Children
No full textOver time, technology becomes more and more accessible to 2-5 year old children but 30 percent of parents are concerned about the impact technology has on their child. The amount of time children spend daily on screens can influence their social and emotional development. Understanding how children transition from being onscreen to offscreen is important to support development. The aims for this PhD are: 1. to understand and assess young children’s abilities to evaluate their experiences. 2. to understand how children transition from technology to non-technology. 3. to create new guidelines for apps to ease transitions in children. A set of studies will be completed across three phases: Exploratory; exploring children’s abilities to evaluate their experiences and surveying parents and teachers, Co-design; older children designing for younger children and Experimental; using the co-designs to create an intervention that will be tested on 2-5 year olds. Contributions will include guidelines for developers that benefit children and parents
European and North American guidelines for treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Functional Abdominal Pain in Childhood: A guide for healthcare professionals
No full textAbdominal pain-related disorders of gut brain interaction (AP-DGBI) are very common amongst children and adolescents worldwide. These disorders—including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional abdominal pain-not otherwise specified (FAP-NOS)—have high rates of school absenteeism, psychological comorbidities, and chronicity into adulthood. A wide range of psychosocial, dietary, and pharmacologic treatments have been explored for treatment of AP-DGBI. However, the evidence base remains broad but shallow, limiting certainty about the effectiveness of specific therapies. This article translates the new evidence-based treatment guidelines, produced by the European and North American societies for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN and NASPGHAN, respectively) into practical guidance for general paediatricians and primary care providers. This paper aims to empower clinicians at all levels of care to make informed, evidence-based decisions through a shared decision-making approach tailored to the management of children with AP-DGBI
The handmade, bespoke eyewear process
No full textJake Burton summarises the process behind bespoke eyewear and the legislation to which it must compl
Child Sexual Abuse and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Implications for Social Work Practice
Get PDFChild sexual abuse (CSA) is a pervasive global issue impacting children worldwide, with alarming statistics highlighting its prevalence. In England and Wales alone, a staggering 103,055 cases of CSA were recorded in the year ending 2022, marking a concerning 15% increase from figures reported in 2021. Studies indicate that approximately one in ten children under the age of 16 in the UK endure CSA, with girls experiencing it at a higher rate (1 in 6) than boys (1 in 20). The repercussions of CSA extend far beyond childhood, with victims more likely to grapple with mental health challenges in adulthood. Research suggests that about two-thirds of CSA victims experience mental or emotional issues as a result, underscoring the profound and lasting impact of such trauma. Specifically, there is a noted association between CSA and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), with repeated abuse heightening the likelihood of developing CPTSD. Boumpa et al. (2022) conducted a recent systematic review and meta-analysis aimed at further elucidating the correlation between CSA and lifetime psychiatric diagnoses, shedding light on this critical area of study. This commentary endeavours to conduct a critical appraisal of the methodologies employed in the review conducted by Boumpa et al. (2022) and to extend the discussion of the findings within the realm of social work practice
Tales of the Old Church of Longmeanygate
No full textIn 1973, the Taylor family of 222 Longmeanygate on the outskirts of Leyland joined the Saint Pius V Association under the Superiorship of Father Peter Morgan and funded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Mr Derrick Taylor and Mrs Irene Mary Taylor defied their bishop by hosting priests of the Saint Pius V Association at their home called the Leyland Mass Centre from 1974 to 1978 due to their belief that the Tridentine Rite of the Mass was the true Mass and must be celebrated in Latin despite changes implemented following the Second Vatican Council that allowed for the Mass to be celebrated in the vernacular and with the Mass streamlined under Pope Paul VI. However, their actions in the 1970s were preceded by a long series of events that steam from Mr and Mrs Taylor's childhoods which this book details and in many ways celebrates. This short book provides a timeline of the lives of Mr and Mrs Taylor, using illustrations wherever possible to explain and visualise the significant events (some of which were supernatural) that shaped their beliefs. Each of the illustrations included in this work were commissioned by Mr and Mrs Taylor's grandson Cometan and created by British artist David Young who has been explaining the Taylor's story in the form of illustrations over the last five years. This work is a testament to Mr and Mrs Taylor's dedication to the Latin Mass despite the ridicule they faced and using intimate details about their lives helps to explain why they made their decisions and took controversial action at different stages of their lives
Effects of Exercise on Gait and Functional Performance in Individuals With Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus: A Scoping Review
Get PDFBackground and Purpose:
Exercise is recommended for individuals with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH), but its effects on gait and functional performance remain underexplored. This scoping review aimed to search (1) effects of exercise or physical therapy on gait and functional outcomes in individuals with iNPH, along with its underlying physiological and biomechanical mechanisms; (2) challenges to exercise implementation; and (3) replication potential of interventions.
Methods:
Five databases (PubMed, Embase, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and SpringerLink) were searched for full-text, peer-reviewed articles (2010-2023) on exercise or physical therapy for individuals with iNPH, with all types of study design. Two reviewers independently screened, extracted, and tabulated the search results. Research quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews and the Template for Intervention Description and Replication checklists were used as reporting guidelines.
Results:
Six articles met the criteria, covering exercise interventions such as the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment-BIG exercise program, Dynamic Equilibrium Gait Training, High-Intensity Functional Exercise, Action Observation, and home-based physical exercise program (stretching exercises for back, gluteal, and trunk; strengthening exercise for shoulder, arm, and leg; and balance training). These exercises indicated positive effects on gait, sit-to-stand, mobility, balance, balance confidence, and disability, but did not significantly improve quality of life. All six articles provided sufficient details for replication; however, two were based on the same study project, leaving five unique studies included.
Conclusion:
Exercise interventions, when carefully prescribed by physical therapists, represent a promising approach for improving gait and balance in individuals with iNPH. However, the current paucity of well-powered randomized controlled trials highlights the urgent need for further research to identify the most effective exercise protocol. Future studies should focus on specific exercise modalities and their long-term impact to improve management and rehabilitation of individuals with iNPH
“I didn’t know that had a name. I am Astronist”: Analysing Online Reactions to Astronism
Get PDFIn July 2024, the Astronist Institution published a video on TikTok that, within a week, amassed thousands of views and, up to that point, was the single largest exposure to the public that Astronism received after being founded in 2013. Since being posted, the video has received over 77,000 views, over 1,150 likes, over 120 comments and 297 shares on the platform. The mixed response to the video among members of the public prompts the question: How have people reacted to Astronism so far online? By scouring the internet for reactions to the story of how Astronism was founded and Astronist beliefs and practices, this article answers that question. In turn, it develops an ethnography of Astronists and non-Astronists about their initial response to content published by the Astronist Institution. The article begins by focusing on the “What is Astronism?” video posted on TikTok but broadens its scope to address reactions to Astronism appearing on other platforms. The aim is to analyse comments on the TikTok video and elsewhere to understand early forms of Astronist self-identification, lines of criticism against Astronist doctrine and the themes that people tend to raise whenever they discuss Astronism
Book Review: Irrational Mechanics: Narrative Sketch of a Futurist Science & A New Religion by Giulio Prisco
Get PDFThis review critically engages Giulio Prisco’s Irrational Mechanics, a speculative and ambitious attempt to synthesise futurist science and metaphysical inquiry into a new religious vision. Prisco’s narrative reimagines Newtonian rationality through a quasi-theological framework that champions transcendent technologies—time travel, resurrection, faster-than-light propulsion—as the metaphysical infrastructure of a post-scientific age. The review situates Prisco’s work within the emerging discourse of space religions, drawing comparisons and contrasts with Astronism, particularly on issues of revelation, grace, morality, and institutional coherence. While praising the imaginative scope and cosmic ambition of Irrational Mechanics, the review critiques its lack of revelatory grounding, ethical orientation, and structural clarity, suggesting these as essential components for any enduring religious system. The review positions Prisco’s work as a provocative, if incomplete, contribution to the growing constellation of philosophies and theologies seeking to unite science, spirituality, and the human future in space
A Hybrid Zero Trust Deployment Model for Securing O-RAN Architecture in 6G Networks
Get PDFThe evolution toward sixth generation (6G) wireless networks promises higher performance, greater flexibility, and enhanced intelligence. However, it also introduces a substantially enlarged attack surface driven by open, disaggregated, and multi-vendor Open RAN (O-RAN) architectures that will be utilised in 6G networks. This paper addresses the urgent need for a practical Zero Trust (ZT) deployment model tailored to O-RAN specification. To do so, we introduce a novel hybrid ZT deployment model that establishes the trusted foundation for AI/ML-driven security in O-RAN, integrating macro-level enclave segmentation with micro-level application sandboxing for xApps/rApps. In our model, the Policy Decision Point (PDP) centrally manages dynamic policies, while distributed Policy Enforcement Points (PEPs) reside in logical enclaves, agents, and gateways to enable per-session, least-privilege access control across all O-RAN interfaces. We demonstrate feasibility via a Proof of Concept (PoC) implemented with Kubernetes and Istio and based on the NIST Policy Machine (PM). The PoC illustrates how pods can represent enclaves and sidecar proxies can embody combined agent/gateway functions. Performance discussion indicates that enclave-based deployment adds 1–10 ms of additional per-connection latency while CPU/memory overhead from running a sidecar proxy per enclave is approximately 5–10 % extra utilisation, with each proxy consuming roughly 100–200 MB of RAM