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Respect Health: an innovative digital health home-based intervention for intermittent claudication
Full text linkIntroduction: Supervised exercise training is the first-line treatment for patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) presenting with intermittent claudication. However, provision, uptake and adherence to these programmes is notoriously poor in the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK. The ‘Respect Health PAD programme’ is a home-based digital innovation aimed to allow all patients with PAD access to National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE)-compliant exercise services. We aim to describe the 1-year service evaluation from an ongoing pilot programme.
Methods: A prospective observational service evaluation was conducted. Eligible patients were provided with specially engineered tablet computers preloaded with a 12-week, NICE-compliant exercise programme, smoking cessation course, patient education and motivational counselling via pre-recorded video. Simple home-based exercise equipment was also provided. Changes in initial (ICD) and absolute claudication distance (ACD) were measured on treadmill testing and quality of life using the Vascular Quality of Life Questionnaire-6 (VASCUQoL-6) tool. Data on accessibility, compliance and patient-reported outcomes were also investigated.
Results: Between May 2022 and March 2024, 105 patients were enrolled, with a compliance rate of 77%. Mean (95% CI) increase in ICD (p<0.01) and ACD (p<0.01) were 219.6% (95% CI 111.9% to 327.3%) and 110.9% (95% CI 59.9% to 161.9%), respectively. Overall VASCUQOL-6 scores increased (p<0.01) from mean (95% CI) 11.3 (95% CI 10.6 to 12.0) to 15.1 (95% CI 14.0 to 16.2). 57% of current smokers reported this programme helped them stop smoking.
Conclusions: This evaluation provides early evidence for a clinically promising and accessible method of delivering exercise therapy for patients with PAD. Its digital, home-based format offers potential for scalable, cost-effective implementation within the NHS.Author Original replaced by VoR on 12th March 2026. Embargo also lifted on same date
FireNet-Lite: A separable convolutional network for ultra-efficient fire image classification
No full text© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.Fire outbreaks pose serious threats to ecological systems, human lives, and property, necessitating rapid and efficient detection mechanisms. While traditional fire detection approaches using deep learning have shown promising results, many rely on computationally intensive architectures, limiting their applicability in real-time scenarios and resource-constrained environments. In this study, we propose FireNet-Lite, a lightweight convolutional neural network optimized with depth-wise separable convolutions for fire image classification. FireNet-Lite achieves a test accuracy of 93% and a high recall of 96.57%, using only 7,693 parameters, thereby significantly reducing computational overhead. Owing to its compact size and low latency, the model is well-suited for deployment on edge devices such as surveillance cameras and drones, where efficient and timely fire detection is critical. Experimental results demonstrate that FireNet-Lite effectively balances detection performance with computational efficiency, outperforming many existing models in this regard. Furthermore, the model exhibits robustness to variations in lighting conditions, backgrounds, and flame intensity, enhancing its reliability in diverse real-world environments. Its architecture is specifically designed for low-latency inference, making it highly applicable in real-time fire detection systems. The promising results of FireNet-Lite highlight its potential as a scalable, practical solution for next-generation fire prevention technologies.Unfunde
The contemporary archaeology of Offa’s Dyke
Full text linkThis article evaluates the present-day material cultures of Offa’s Dyke, Britain’s longest linear monument.
Having previously considered how Offa’s Dyke is constituted in today’s landscape through road and residence
signs (Williams 2020), artistic heritage trails (Williams 2023a) and heritage interpretation panels (Williams
2025), here I consider the broader assemblage of art, material cultures, monuments, waymarkers and local
landscape features between Sedbury (Gloucestershire) to Prestatyn (Denbighshire) that together constitute
a variegated landscape-scale assemblage we can define as ‘today’s Offa’s Dyke’. While elements are designed
to support the Offa’s Dyke Path National Trail, other components have accrued by happenstance to waymark,
interpret and commemorate Offa’s Dyke both along the surviving line of the monument, following the path, but
also in locations disconnected from either. Today’s Offa’s Dyke is a late-modern hybrid of embodied practice and
diverse materialities. This perspective invites reconsideration of the monument’s role within the contemporary
landscape. It offers recommendations for enhancing heritage interpretation in the Welsh Marches, with attention
to the complex interplay of landscape, monument, and borderland identities.unfunde
An efficient tamed Milstein Scheme for the Stochastic Allen-Cahn equation with multiplicative noise
Full text link©The Author(s) 2026.The version of record of this article, first published in [Journal of Scientific Computing], is available online at Publisher’s website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10915-026-03218-7This paper investigates the strong convergence of a fully discrete scheme for the stochastic Allen–Cahn equation with multiplicative noise, combining a tamed Milstein method for the temporal discretization with the finite element method in space. The proposed method is shown to be unconditionally stable in spatial dimensions d ∈{1,2,3}. Beyond the inherent challenges caused by, see, e.g., [1], the cubic non-globally Lipschitz drift term and multiplicative driving noise in the convergence analysis, the Milstein scheme further complicates the error estimation of the noise term compared to the Euler-Maruyama discretization. By introducing a novel auxiliary process, we rigorously establish strong convergence rates in both space and time under mild assumptions for d ∈{1,2}. Our analysis shows that the temporal convergence order is doubled compared to that of tamed Euler-Maruyama scheme. Numerical experiments are provided to confirm the theoretical results and to demonstrate that the proposed scheme exhibits improved robustness over the pure semi-implicit Milstein method
Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior
No full textThis book chapter is not available on ChesterRepPain is a sensory and emotional experience that has significant consequences on an animal’s welfare. To improve animal welfare, there is a need to prevent as well as manage pain, but we cannot manage what we cannot measure. In this chapter we highlight pains complexity, with the experience affected by multiple factors, including age, sex, personality and previous experience and remains a critical issue in veterinary care. We provide details on the physiological mechanism of pain and show how with this knowledge we can provide appropriate treatment to manage pain effectively. We acknowledge that many animals are however still experiencing pain. Even with the acceptance of animal sentience, recognizing, assessing and evaluating pain in animals is difficult. We briefly detail physiological indicators of pain such as heart rate and cortisol but acknowledge that there are difficulties in their use within veterinary clinics, for example. Behavioral indicators of pain can range from change in eating behavior to aggression. We discuss that there are many tools currently available to identify and assess pain, but that many require extensive training, are time consuming to carry out, and tend to measure the long-term impact on general biological functioning rather than pain per se. We highlight the more recent increase of the use of facial expression scales as an alternate tool that can accurately recognize and assess pain in a variety of species and can indicate what an animal is feeling at that moment in time. We also briefly touch on the use of technology such as Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision as a novel tool to assess pain, providing a much more objective assessment. There is an urgent need for tools that can effectively and directly detect and measure pain in animals and further research in the use of computer-based modelling will be key for the future.Unfunde
The efficacy of Cotrimoxazole for the prevention of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia among HIV-exposed and infected children: A systematic review
Full text link© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.BACKGROUND: HIV-related opportunistic infections like Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia (PCP) remain a major contributor to child morbidity and mortality globally. PCP accounts for over 60% of AIDS in the first year of life and is responsible for a third of AIDS in children globally. Cotrimoxazole prophylaxis, which is an intervention directed towards tackling this burden, has not attained remarkable coverage despite advocacy towards scale-up. This work was therefore aimed at evaluating the efficacy of cotrimoxazole in the prevention of PCP among children exposed to and infected with HIV by carrying out a systematic review. METHODS: Key scientific databases were searched for primary studies not older than 15 years old without language restrictions. Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) and Cohorts comparing the effectiveness of cotrimoxazole versus placebo in the prevention of PCP among children (<17 years) exposed to and infected with HIV were selected. Studies with a duration of follow-up not less than 3 months long were included. A meta-analysis was conducted on RevMan 5.3 statistical application software following data extraction, and the data quality and risk of bias were also assessed. Exactly Ten (10) studies were selected and analyzed. FINDINGS: It was observed that cotrimoxazole had beneficial effects in terms of a reduction in mortality among HIV-exposed and infected children, as 72 fewer children in 1000 (based on an absolute 95% CI) will die as a result of cotrimoxazole compared to a placebo. Cotrimoxazole also significantly reduces hospital admissions (p-value of 0.008). The adverse events associated with cotrimoxazole are comparable to a placebo when co-administered with ARTS (p = 0.90), which did not impact adherence. CONCLUSION: The benefits of cotrimoxazole prophylaxis far outweigh its risks. Therefore, scaling up the intervention is recommended as a prophylactic for wider coverage, especially in resource-limited settings.Unfunde
The Routledge Companion to Music, Autoethnography, and Reflexivity
No full textThis is an Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge in [The Routledge Companion to Music, Autoethnography, and Reflexivity] on [18/12/2024], available online: https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Companion-to-Music-Autoethnography-and-Reflexivity/Gouzouasis-Wiley/p/book/9780367351472?srsltid=AfmBOoqM9ftRl6s3y3ZzIlce3ypLnRlQ3rCUJR7sjyaH2FNfcyCcXHFGThis chapter introduces The Walk to Kitty's Stone, a unique choral composition that intertwines the personal narrative of the composer with indigenous epistemology to create an autoethnographic reflection. Originating in 2018, this 17-minute piece harnesses 140 voices to articulate an immersive experience. Central to its creation is the recognition of the landscape and its inhabitants as active participants, aligning with an autoethnographic approach that acknowledges the agency of both human and non-human entities. Drawing from Bausinger's folkloristic framework, the composition engages with temporal, social, and spatial dimensions, providing a multifaceted exploration of the journey. A key innovation in the composition process is the development of the perambulograph, a device enabling on-the-move graphic scoring to capture the nuances of the journey in real time. Employing this methodology across 30 iterations, the composer achieves a comprehensive understanding of the varied perspectives at play. Beyond its artistic merits, this work advocates for a folkloristic disposition within music pedagogy, positioning songwriting as a form of arts-based practice-as-research. Through The Walk to Kitty's Stone, the composer not only crafts a captivating musical narrative but also advances a broader discourse on the intersection of ethnography, creativity, and education.Unfunde
A catalyst for conversation: Dialogic approaches to teaching sensitive histories in secondary schools
No full textThis article explores the application of dialogic pedagogy in teaching sensitive histories in secondary school settings. Drawing on personal experiences and current research, it highlights how dialogic approaches can enhance students’ understanding of historical events and their relevance to contemporary issues. The paper discusses three effective methods for facilitating dialogic pedagogy in history: silent conversations; structured debates; and Socratic seminars. These approaches can foster critical thinking, empathy and active citizenship by creating an inclusive and respectful classroom environment. The article concludes by considering some of the potential challenges in navigating the complexities of sensitive histories through dialogic approaches.N/
Homocysteine levels and cardiovascular disease risk factors in chronic kidney disease (CKD), hypertensive and healthy Nigerian adults: A comparative retrospective study
Full text link© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2025. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ Group. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/OBJECTIVES: To investigate homocysteine (Hcy) levels in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD), hypertension and a healthy Nigerian population, and to assess their association with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. SETTING: The study was conducted using data from the Ibadan CRECKID (Cardiovascular and Renal Event in People with Chronic Kidney Disease) study in Nigeria. Participants: A total of 420 adults (aged 18+) categorised into three groups: individuals with stage 2 CKD or higher, hypertensive non-CKD individuals and normotensive individuals. OUTCOMES: The primary outcome was the difference in serum Hcy levels across the groups; secondary outcomes included the prevalence of hyperhomocysteinaemia (HHcy) and correlation with fibroblast growth factor (FGF). RESULTS: No significant difference in mean serum Hcy levels among the CKD, hypertensive and healthy groups (p=0.39) was observed. However, HHcy (≥15 µmol/L) prevalence was significantly higher in the hypertensive group (p<0.05). A strong positive correlation between Hcy levels and FGF was identified across all groups (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicates that Hcy levels may not serve as a reliable predictor of CVD outcomes across populations with varying kidney function and CVD risk profiles.Unfunde
Does machine learning risk reinforcing societal prejudice in education?
No full textCopyright (c) 2025 Zedina Sujoldzic-Lambert, Steve Lambert.Machine learning is increasingly being applied in sectors ranging from healthcare to finance; however, in education, it is typically only used for predicting students’ grades. On the other hand, deeply rooted societal prejudice is more challenging to measure, so could machine learning contribute to the current discourse? As a result of a gap in existing literature in the use of machine learning in education, this study uses this novel approach to investigate the potential links between the levels of prejudice of college students and their parents’ levels of education. An Implicit Association Task (IAT) was used to collect the information from the participants. Before applying three different machine learning models: Decision Tree (DT), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN). It was found that KNN marginally outperformed not only the DT model but also SVM, with the results being validated by using the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS). This demonstrated a clear correlation between the parents’ education and their children’s prejudice levels. The paper adds to the limited research that is available on the use of machine learning in education and proposes that a larger study be conducted to provide a more nuanced understanding of prejudice in education.N/
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