13027 research outputs found
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COVID-19 open data: An ecological study and international collaboration examining pandemic trends in Northern Periphery arctic countries
No full textObjectives: In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, evidence generation lagged behind public health responses. This study describes an international collaboration of frontline clinicians who used open data describing COVID-19 trends to generate “practice-based evidence”. Methods: Open data resources from nine Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) countries were harnessed using the open-source programming language ‘R’ and our collaborations analyses and insights were published on a public-facing website. The website’s visualisations guided teleconference discussions from September 2020 to March 2021, focusing on contextualizing national responses, especially in rural regions. Results: This project facilitated shared learning from COVID-19 trends and highlighted key aspects of national responses. Notably, rural NPA regions experienced less COVID-19 cases and mortality in the first year of the pandemic. Conclusion: This international collaborative effort, driven by open data analysis, provided a platform to share real-world insights. The study offers a potential template for future pandemics and emphasises the importance of sustaining open data resources, including granular data like excess mortality, for effective pandemic learning.</p
Two-component lattice Boltzmann model for solute transport in bubbly flows
No full textA free energy lattice Boltzmann model has been developed to describe a binary system consisting of a nonideal solvent and a gaseous ideal solute. A free energy functional to describe this mixture has been derived, and it is used to determine the driving forces for two lattice Boltzmann equations, one for each component. The ell?balanced lattice Boltzmann method is used to avoid discretization errors, which allows correct thermodynamic equilibrium to be achieved for both components as well as high density ratios. In this model, the distribution of the solute between the liquid and vapor phases of the solvent follows Henry’s law due to the contributions of the two components to the free energy density. The momenta of the two components are coupled through the use of a mixture velocity in the equilibrium distributions of both components. The model also includes surface tension due to gradients of the solvent density and diffusion due to an added mobility term. The effects of model parameters on phase composition, surface tension, and the rate of solute transport are characterized, with examples of static gas bubbles and flat interfaces demonstrated. Mass transfer of the soluble component in the liquid phase of the nonideal component is characterized, and an equation for the solute diffusion coefficient is provided.</p
Continuous antisolvent crystallization of carbamazepine dihydrate: experiments and modeling
No full textContinuous antisolvent crystallization of carbamazepine dihydrate was carried out in three crystallizers, namely, stirred tank, oscillatory baffle crystallizer, and fluidic oscillator (with a helical coil). A generalized population balance model is developed using a tanks-in-series framework. Options for providing multiple input locations and internal recycling have been implemented. The crystallization kinetics were estimated by fitting the experimentally measured particle-size distributions and concentration profiles. The model was able to describe the continuous crystallization experiments reasonably well for all of the crystallizers considered in this work. The feed supersaturation was found to influence the yield of the process by a 10% increase on increasing the feed supersaturation from 1.5 to 4.5. The residence time was found to influence both the particle-size distribution and the overall yield of the process (increasing the residence time from 12 to 24 min, increased the yield by 10% and the particle size by 55 μm). Under the same operating conditions, the yield in the oscillator baffled crystallizer and the fluidic oscillator surpassed that of the stirred tank crystallizers by approximately 10%. The presented model and results will provide a sound basis for further work on the optimization of the crystallization of carbamazepine.</p
The Irish physical education and sport pedagogy workforce: an example of collective action for high impact
No full textSummary: This is the first book chapter that offers an in-depth exploration and analysis of the Irish Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy (PESP) Workforce. It is the product of a collaboration from key PE stakeholders (e.g., PE teachers, policy-makers, teacher educators). The chapter first outline the Irish educational context and introduce the key actors of the physical education and sport pedagogy workforce. Then, it presents examples of collaborative efforts where these actors work together toward a shared goal. The chapter concludes with considerations for future development. Indeed an outstanding contribution for the PESP field in Ireland, and an example of example of collective action for high impact for the international PESP community.</p
Consensus between healthcare professionals on the “appropriateness” of attendances in an Irish emergency department
No full textBackground Non-urgent care attendances to the emergency department (ED) increase the strain on this sector. Identification of patients who may benefit from appropriate alternative care pathways may serve to lessen ED crowding. However, healthcare professionals from different specialties may differ in their opinion of what is an appropriate use of ED services. Aim The study aims to establish the consensus between healthcare professionals, from different specialties, on the appropriateness of attendances to an Irish ED. Methods This was a single centre, cross-sectional study. Data were compiled in anonymised patient summary files (n = 77) from adults attending the ED over 24 h period. These summary files were reviewed by five different healthcare professionals; an emergency medicine consultant (EMC), an emergency medicine specialist registrar (EM SpR), an ED clinical nurse manager (CMN), an advanced paramedic (AP) and a general practitioner (GP). The clinicians were asked if the patient could have been managed by GP the same day or next day, if the patient’s ED visit was an inappropriate use of ED resources and to rank on a scale of 0–10 how appropriate the ED visit was. Results Inter-rater agreement on management by GP in 24–48 h was 56% and ranged from 30% (CMN) to 40% (EMC). For inappropriate use of ED resources, consensus was 58% and ranged from 12% (GP) to 35% (EMC). Median “appropriateness” rating ranged from 6 (EM SpR) to 8 (AP and CMN). When the “appropriateness” scale was trichotomized, the “inappropriate” attendances ranged from 1% (CMN) to 21% (EM SpR), whilst “appropriate” attendances ranged from 47% (EM SpR) to CMN (78%). Conclusion Despite agreement that there was “inappropriate” use of ED services, healthcare professionals from diferent backgrounds did not reach a general consensus on which attendances were inappropriate. Therefore, expectations regarding patients’ ability to self-assess illness or injury severity related to ED attendances may not be reasonable.</p
Quid pro quo: information disclosure for AI feedback in human-AI collaboration
No full textThis paper explores the intersection of AI-driven teamwork facilitation and user privacy concerns in virtual collaboration. Specifically, we investigate the extent to which individuals in AI-supported teamwork environments are willing to disclose personal information to improve collaboration and performance. Leveraging a vignette-based study, we assess participants’ intentions to disclose different different types of personal information, such as language and choice of words, talk times, body language or sentiments, during a professional virtual collaboration process. Thereby, conditions under which the information is disclosed vary, referring to whether the results of information disclosure are either shared individually or with the whole group and whether they are shared anonymously or non-anonymously. Drawing on privacy calculus theory, our investigation further incorporates crucial contextual factors—Trust in AI, Perceived Risks, and Perceived Benefits—to comprehensively examine their influence on individuals’ intentions to disclose information. Our findings reveal notable differences in Intention to disclose across various Information types, with lower intentions observed particularly for emotion and attention level disclosures. Surprisingly, other manipulated factors, including the level of anonymity, do not show an effect in influencing disclosure intentions. Crucially, our study underscores the pivotal role of Trust in AI, emerging as a consistent predictor of Intention to disclose across all Information types. Furthermore, its impact on disclosure intentions is mediated by individuals’ perceptions of risks and benefits associated with disclosure. Our research contributes to the evolving field of privacy calculus theory by shedding light on the nuanced interplay between Trust, Perceived Risks, Benefits, and information disclosure to AI in teamwork scenarios. These insights bear implications for the effective deployment of AI in facilitating teamwork within the workplace, emphasizing the need for cultivating trust and understanding the specific sensitivities associated with different types of information.</p
Surprisingly high probability of evaporation for a molecule passing through the Knudsen layer
No full textThe most important characteristics of the Knudsen layer are the temperature jump ^T between the liquid and vapor and the probability θK that a molecule, emitted by the liquid into the vapor, reaches infinity (as opposed to bouncing back due to collisions). In the present paper, the linearized Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook model is used to calculate ^T and θK and show that, in the absence of macroscopic gradients of temperature and density, θK ≈ 96.3%. It is then examined how ^T and θK are affected by a combination of a temperature gradient (heat flux) and the matching density gradient, such that the resulting pressure field is uniform</p
Social–emotional competencies and psychological well-being across secondary school transition
No full textThis study profiled the association between social– emotional competencies, psychological well-being (PWB), and secondary/middle school transition. Analysis drew from 233 sixth-class/sixth-grade students aged 11–13 years who completed measures of emotion regulation, perceived social support, self-esteem, and PWB at baseline and 1-month follow-up in primary school, and at 6-month follow-up post-secondary school transition. COVID-19 school closures, school socioeconomic status and gender were examined as moderators. Repeated-measures multi-level models revealed a significant decline in boys' emotional suppression use, an increase in boys' self-esteem, and a decline in girls' PWB across the transition. Further, perceived social support, self-esteem, and gender were significant predictors of post transition PWB while controlling for baseline PWB. This highlights the importance of enhancing social support and self-esteem across secondary school transition and considering gender differences in school transition effects. Policymakers should consider interventions that bolster these factors during this critical developmental phase.</p
Toward policy preparedness in physical education
No full textIn this position paper, we propose the uptake of policy preparedness by all physical education (PE) professionals so that they may best address policy issues to enhance quality PE. Our working vision is that policy preparedness starts with ‘awareness’ of the importance of policy and ‘knowledge’ of what policy is and how it happens. Such preparedness is further centred on practical ‘know-how’ for policy process engagement. Furthermore, policy preparedness depends upon ‘motivation and confidence’ to see oneself as a policy actor and to take action to implement policy know-how within one’s sphere of influence. We propose policy preparedness is best developed through sustained, theory-guided reflective dialogue between PE professionals from different policy spaces on their lived policy experiences. We conclude by inviting readers to reflect on their own and other PE professionals’ current and desired levels of policy engagement and to contribute to this working vision of policy preparedness accordingly.</p
Hydrothermal carbonisation products energy properties: The role of digested sludge type and operating conditions
No full textHydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a promising alternative to conventional sludge drying, enhancing energy recovery in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This study examines how temperature, residence time, and sludge collection point influence HTC product properties. Experiments were conducted at 200–250 ◦C for 30–120 min using digested sludge collected before filtration, after thickening, and after dewatering. Results show that sludge collection point strongly affects hydrochar’s higher heating value (HHV), while temperature and residence time influence the biomethane potential (BMP) of HTC liquids. The highest HHV (16.31 MJ/kg) was obtained from dewatered sludge (19.8 % TS) at 250 ◦C, 75 min, while the highest BMP (506 mlCH4/g NPOC) was observed from HTC liquids of thickened sludge (11.1 % TS) at 200 ◦C, 30 min. Findings highlight that sludge pretreatment (thickening, dewatering) plays a crucial role in HTC efficiency, influencing both solid and liquid fractions. From a WWTP perspective, dewatered sludge processed under mild HTC conditions provides the best trade-off between hydrochar quality, HTC liquid valorization, and operational costs. These insights support the optimization of sludge-to-energy strategies, essential for implementing HTC in WWTPs.</p