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The distribution of glacier surge behaviour in Svalbard and implications for understanding unstable ice flow
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Parental Attitudes and Digital Parenting in the Early Years: Development and Validation of the PADTS Scale
No full textBackground: This paper reports on the development and validation of the 15-item Parental Attitudes to Digital Technology Scale (PADTS), a brief, psychometrically validated measure assessing parents' beliefs confidence, and concerns about their very young children's use of digital technologies. Method: Developed as part of the UK-wide Toddlers, Tech and Talk (TTT) study, PADTS addresses a gap in existing research by focusing on children from birth to 3 years, a stage often overlooked in digital parenting literature. Co-developed with parents and early years experts, the scale was tested with a nationally balanced UK sample (N = 934). Results: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a four-factor structure: perceived risks, perceived learning benefits, parental confidence and technology-related anxiety. The PADTS showed strong model fit and measurement invariance across parent gender, ethnicity and region, with some variation by child age. Correlational analyses indicated that benefits, perceptions and confidence were associated with supportive digital parenting, while anxiety was more weakly linked. Conclusion: PADTS shows potential as a practical tool for researchers, practitioners and policy-makers and may support a more nuanced understanding of how parental attitudes shape early digital experiences
Talking dirty: Anti-doping’s stigmatizing rhetoric and its impact on the unintentional doper
No full textThe World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is the principal body responsible for leading global efforts to address the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in sport. Central to WADA’s strategic approach has been the framing of PED use as a form of cheating, a morally deviant behaviour that undermines the integrity of competition. This moralised discourse constructs doping not merely as a regulatory infraction but as an ethical transgression, reinforcing a dichotomy between “clean” and “dirty” athletes. As a result, athletes who are found to have violated anti-doping rules are often subject to public condemnation, exclusion, and reputational damage, phenomena that amount to public shaming. Drawing upon Erving Goffman’s (1963) seminal sociological work on stigma, this paper critically examines the harmful consequences of this prevailing narrative, particularly for athletes who unintentionally consume banned substances. These individuals, whose infractions may arise from contaminated supplements, mislabelled medications, or inadvertent exposure, are nonetheless subjected to similar treatment as those who engage in deliberate PED use. By failing to account for the complexity and nuance of such cases, the dominant moral framing perpetuates stigma and exacerbates harm. By highlighting these issues, we call for greater awareness and reflection on doping stigma and the language we use to discuss doping
Multifunctional porous asphalt mixture containing metallic blast furnace dust for self-healing permeable pavements
Full text linkThis paper evaluates the effect of adding Blast Furnace Dust (BFD), a by-product of the steel industry, on the multifunctional performance of porous asphalt mixtures designed for self-healing permeable pavements. Porous mixtures were prepared with six different BFD percentages (i.e., 0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, 10% by weight), as substitutes for fine aggregate. The physical, mechanical, hydraulic, electrical, thermal, and self-healing properties of the porous asphalt mixtures were subsequently evaluated. The effect of the chemical, mineralogical, and physical properties of both the aggregate and BFD on microwave heating and healing efficiency was also examined. The healing capability of the mixtures was quantified by measuring the three-point bending strength of specimens before and after microwave-induced healing. X-ray micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) was also employed on core samples to assess the distribution of BFD and the internal porosity. Results showed that the lower density of BFD reduced air void content when used as a fine aggregate replacement. At 4% BFD, hydraulic permeability approached that of the reference mixture, due to its good void distribution and connectivity, as evidenced by µCT reconstruction analysis. Electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity were unaffected by BFD incorporation. Mechanical properties and durability improved under both dry and wet conditions, while energy efficiency during microwave exposure also increased. The highest heating rates were observed in BFD and fine aggregate components. Healing indices generally decreased from the third cycle onward; however, the 4% BFD mixture maintained a high healing index for an additional cycle without adverse effects. In short, incorporating BFD into porous asphalt mixtures improves mechanical performance, durability, and microwave heating efficiency, while supporting multifunctional pavement design and promoting sustainability
Improving perinatal mental health outcomes: The role of support in assisting breastfeeding experiences following birth trauma
No full textMedications Used Among Nonhospitalized Pregnant Women With COVID-19: A Prospective Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis in Europe and North America
Full text linkTo estimate the prevalence of medication use in nonhospitalized pregnant women with COVID-19. A prospective two-stage individual patient meta-analysis across 10 data sources in Europe and North America studied medication use among nonhospitalized pregnant women with COVID-19 between January 2020 and December 2022. Comparisons were made between medication use within 30 days pre- and post-COVID-19 diagnosis in this cohort and two comparator groups: pregnant women without COVID-19 and nonpregnant women with COVID-19. Prevalence estimates were pooled using a random-effects model stratified by trimester. 50 335 nonhospitalized pregnant women with COVID-19 were identified. The pooled prevalence of antibacterial use in the third trimester was higher post-COVID-19 diagnosis (6.8%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 5.5-8.4, I = 94%) compared with the same women pre-COVID-19 (3.9%, 95% CI = 3.1-4.9, I = 89%). Overall, pregnant women with COVID-19 had higher medication use compared to pregnant women without COVID-19, although the CIs of the prevalence overlapped. Post-COVID-19, antithrombotic prevalence was 4.5% (95% CI = 1.1-16.5, I = 100%) among pregnant women with COVID-19 in the third trimester, compared to 2.1% (95% CI = 1.2-3.6, I = 99%) among those without COVID-19 in the third trimester. Compared to nonpregnant women with COVID-19, pregnant women with COVID-19 were less likely to be prescribed analgesics, antiprotozoals, corticosteroids, psychoanaleptics and psycholeptics, and more likely to be prescribed antithrombotics, cough and cold and nasal preparations, and drugs used in diabetes across all trimesters. High heterogeneity existed in nearly all analyses. This international meta-analysis reveals low medication use and country-specific variations, enhancing insight into the management of COVID-19 in nonhospitalized pregnant women. Higher antithrombotic use post-COVID-19 suggests prophylactic treatment in this population, but variation between countries emphasizes the challenges of combining multinational data
Epoxytiglianes potentiate the activity of colistin against resistant Escherichia coli via modification of the bacterial cell membrane
Full text linkThe unrestricted use of colistin in animal husbandry has led to the emergence of mobile plasmid-borne colistin resistance (mcr). The antimicrobial epoxytigliane, EBC-1013, has been shown to be effective in the topical treatment of biofilm-mediated infections in vivo . Hypothesizing that EBC-1013 interacts with the modified bacterial outer membrane of colistin-resistant Escherichia coli, we investigated its ability to potentiate the activity of colistin using fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) index determinations against environmental mcr Enterobacteriaceae. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to visualize EBC-1013 interactions with the outer membrane in silico . Modification of outer membrane surface chemistry and adhesion properties was characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and hydrophobicity and bacterial membrane permeability assays. Anti-biofilm activity was quantified using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Checkerboard assays revealed synergistic effects of EBC-1013 with colistin (FIC ≤ 0.5) in 6/9 strains. MD simulations demonstrated weak EBC-1013 interactions with colistin and the outer membrane. XPS suggested modification of the outer membrane in both colistin-sensitive and colistin-resistant E. coli, as well as the interaction of colistin and EBC-1013 with the phosphoethanolamine (pEtN)-substituted mcr lipid moiety. EBC-1013 binding significantly decreased bacterial hydrophilicity and potentiated membrane permeability induced by colistin (P < 0.05). In the biofilm model, potentiation was also evident, with a marked decrease in bacterial biomass in EBC-1013/colistin combined treatments (P < 0.0001) for colistin-resistant E. coli . The results highlight the ability of EBC-1013 to modify the bacterial membrane of colistin-resistant E. coli and potentiate the activity of colistin in the treatment of multidrug-resistant wound bacteria. IMPORTANCE Resistance to colistin, an antibiotic of last resort for hard-to-treat infections, is on the increase. Therefore, the need to develop new antimicrobials to tackle antimicrobial resistance is of paramount importance. The epoxytiglianes represent an exciting range of molecules with a diverse range of biological effects in human and veterinary applications, including antimicrobial properties. In this study, we show how EBC-1013 interacts with the outer surface of colistin-resistant Escherichia coli cells, inducing chemical and structural changes to the cell wall, making it susceptible again to colistin treatment. This ability of EBC-1013 to enhance the activity of colistin against a range of colistin-resistant E. coli suggests that EBC-1013, alone (or as a combination therapy), has potential as a new treatment strategy to treat antibiotic-resistant bacterial wound infections and reduce antibiotic usage. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov as (Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Register: ACTRN12624000544572 )
Ratings of accuracy and insight following dream interpretation by ChatGPT
No full textThere have been many claims that ChatGPT can provide insightful interpretations of dreams. This study tests whether ChatGPT, if given a participant’s report of a recent dream, a report of their recent waking life, and their associations to the dream contents, can achieve outcome ratings by the dreamer comparable to those obtained after discussions of dreams in a lay dream group or with a therapist. The Gains from Dream Interpretation (GDI) questionnaire was used to assess participants’ evaluations of the output of ChatGPT regarding their dream. The mean GDI subscale scores were compared to subscale means from previous studies of group and therapist dream interpretations. 30 participants (mean age = 30.72 (SD=13.39)) completed this pre-registered study. Mean GDI insight-exploration subscale score was significantly lower than means for this variable in previous group and therapy studies, and each of the item scores was lower than for those previous studies. However, participants rated the ChatGPT dream interpretations as moderately accurate and as enabling some personal insight. Scores on the exploration-insight, personal insight and interpretation accuracy variables had no significant correlations with word length of the reports inputted to ChatGPT, nor with the individual difference measure Attitude Towards Dreams. As ChatGPT, other generative AI chatbots, and dedicated dream interpretation apps develop, the methods and evaluation questionnaire from the current study are available to assess the value of dream interpretations that the systems produce. This will enable comparisons between different systems and enable longitudinal assessment of individual systems across time and software version releases
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