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Assessing the welfare of spiny lobsters and true lobsters in aquaria: biology-informed best-practice guidelines for captive conditions
No full textThe welfare of decapod crustaceans held in captivity, whether in aquariums, holding facilities, seafood restaurants, supermarkets, or fishmongers, is attracting growing attention and concern. This review focuses on three species that are commonly found in European commercial environments: the European spiny lobster (Palinurus elephas), the European lobster (Homarus gammarus), and the American lobster (Homarus americanus). We examine the biology and behavioural ecology of these decapods, emphasising their natural habits and environmental requirements. Based on current scientific knowledge, we propose conditions for their confinement that better align with their biological and behavioural needs. These crustaceans are commonly subjected to stressful captive environments characterised by overcrowding, claw immobilisation through banding, an absence of shelter or hiding spaces, and continuous exposure to direct lighting. Such practices contrast starkly with the animals’ innate behaviours and natural habitats, likely compromising their physical health and psychological welfare. It is thereby recommended that spiny lobsters and lobsters be kept separated and stocked at an appropriate density, that each animal should be provided with a shelter and have enough space to turn around, that true lobsters should never have their claws tied, that no direct light should be placed above the aquaria, and that water quality should be routinely monitored. By exploring the welfare challenges associated with confining these species, this review aims to promote a more ethical and humane approach to their care in commercial settings, and to encourage practices that enhance their quality of life in captivity
Initial diagnosis patterns of coexisting mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions in autistic children and youth: Evidence from a nationally representative sample in Canada
No full textBackground: Elevated prevalence of coexisting health conditions has been observed in autistic people, yet how the timing of their initial diagnoses varies by sex and age of autism diagnosis remains understudied. Using a person-centered approach, we examined the patterns of initial diagnosis for mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions among autistic children and youth identified from the general population. Methods: The sample was drawn from the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth (CHSCY) cohort (N = 47,781), consisting of 776 5–17-year-olds (82% assigned-male-at-birth) with a caregiver-reported diagnosis of autism. Multigroup latent class analysis was used to identify subgroups based on ages of initial diagnoses of autism, anxiety, mood, learning, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders stratified by sex assigned at birth. Functional difficulties and multimorbidity status, including the number and types of coexisting conditions, were compared across the subgroups. Results: Four latent subgroups were identified for each sex group, primarily differentiated by the age of autism diagnosis. The most prevalent class (46%) was characterized by an initial autism diagnosis at ages 3–5 years. The remaining subgroups, with autism diagnosed primarily before age 3, at 6–8, and at 9–17 years, each comprised ~20% of the sample. Subgroups with autism diagnosed after age 6 tended to have more coexisting conditions, with females showing heightened probabilities of mental health diagnoses across age windows from birth to age 17 years. The temporal order of coexisting diagnoses relative to autism diagnosis varied across subgroups, with sex differences more evident for anxiety and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders. Conclusions: There were nuanced variations in the timing of initial diagnoses of coexisting conditions based on the age of autism diagnosis. The sex-varying patterns highlight the importance of continuous monitoring and evaluation of the neurodevelopmental and mental health needs of autistic children and youth, with supports tailored to sex and the timing of autism diagnosis.</p
SAGIN-oriented covert communications: Joint robust beamforming and coverage optimization
No full textThe space-air-ground integrated network (SAGIN) paradigm has emerged as a pivotal enabler for the evolution of next-generation wireless systems. This article proposes a novel framework for covert communication in SAGINs, wherein a high-altitude platform (HAP), equipped with multiple antennas, serves terrestrial communication users (CUs) under the surveillance of multiple non-colluding wardens, with satellite assistance for warden location updates via space-air links. To safeguard the communication from detection by the wardens, the HAP employs artificial noise (AN) and robust beamforming techniques, addressing the challenges posed by imperfect channel state information (CSI) of the wardens. Subsequently, we formulate a non-convex optimization problem aimed at maximizing the number of served users, subject to stringent covertness constraints, satellite-HAP link outage probabilities, and maximum available power budgets. By employing ℓ0-norm relaxation, we convert the original problem into a mixed-integer optimization framework and develop a computationally efficient alternating optimization approach that combines bisection search, successive convex approximation (SCA), and semidefinite relaxation (SDR) techniques to tackle satellite power allocation, user scheduling, and beamforming design. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the proposed scheme significantly improves the user coverage while maintaining covertness, revealing a trade-off between covert communication and CU coverage capability in resource-constrained aerial-terrestrial environments, even under imperfect CSI conditions
Governing AI decison-making: balancing innovation and accountability
No full textThis article explores the growing use of algorithmic models to make or inform decisions within the public sector. Amidst a climate of accelerating investment, expanding system applicability, and rapid technical progress, it concentrates on how key jurisdictions, most prominently the “digital empires” of the United States, European Union, and China, construct the problems associated with such algorithmic systems, and how these constructions impact governance. Drawing on an example from the legal sphere, it highlights both the potential efficiency gains and the increasing tensions concerning automation and fairness. This article then adopts aspects of Carol Bacchi’s Foucauldian-inspired “What’s the Problem Represented to Be?” framework to trace how divergent problem framings, ranging from the United States’ emphasis on an “innovation gap,” to the European Union’s “trust deficit,” and China’s “stability risk,” have produced distinct regulatory trajectories. Yet, despite these divergent framings and national strategies, this article argues that a common post-2024 trend emerges, revealing a general shift toward regulatory softening, one that privileges innovation over precautionary safeguards. This convergence raises critical questions about the future direction and resilience of “algorithmic decision-making” governance.<br/
Mixed methods realist evaluation of a co-designed intervention to promote shared decision-making with frail older adults, planning discharge from hospital: a protocol
No full textBackgroundEffective planning for hospital discharge can best be achieved through shared decision-making (SDM): providing tailored, person-centred, strengths-based choice to allow for individuals to make fully informed decisions, with input from their relatives if they wish. Decisions such as care management, emergency planning and caregiver involvement. However, SDM is challenging for healthcare professionals and patients, particularly older people living with frailty. There is currently no consensus on the optimum way to achieve SDM, as the quality of evidence for interventions is minimal.AimThis protocol outlines a project that aims to co-design a multi-component intervention to prepare health professionals, patients, and patients’ carers to engage in SDM and to evaluate the feasibility of implementing the intervention using realist methods.MethodsThe research will be conducted in a health and social care trust in Northern Ireland with frail, older adults who are planning their discharge from hospital. The project will proceed in three stages. (1) Realist review of the literature will enable formulation of initial programme theory, including the impact of context and the identification of uncertainties. (2) Co-design of the intervention will ensure the inclusion of diverse stakeholders in the development of the intervention, with further development of the programme theory. (3) Implementation and feasibility testing of implementation processes, measurement of intervention costs, testing of outcome measures, and refinement of the programme theory.OutcomesIn line with MRC guidance for complex interventions we will seek insights to help refine the SDM intervention. The overall outcome evaluation will be guided by the ‘Quintuple Aim’ framework, which has five aims of seeking to advance health equity, enhance patient experience, improve health, reduce costs, and improve the work life of healthcare professionals.PROSPERO(International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews) registration number CRD42024541455.<br/
Computational imaging with dynamically reconfigurable metasurface antennas: an experimental study
No full textThis paper presents an experimental study on computational imaging (CI) using dynamically reconfigurable metasurface antennas (DMAs). By leveraging DMAs, the system generates spatially incoherent radiation patterns (measurement modes), enabling efficient three-dimensional image reconstruction with reduced hardware complexity. The performance of the proposed system is evaluated through experimental tests, analyzing key factors such as the number of tuning states (i.e., the number of masks), the number of frequency samples, and the image reconstruction methods. The results demonstrate that increasing the number of masks and frequency samples enhances the image quality while reducing them leads to degraded reconstruction performance. Furthermore, we conduct a comparative study between two spatial reconstruction techniques, namely matched-filter and least-squares, using the synthesized DMA system, providing a trade-off in terms of the computational efficiency and the image reconstruction quality. The findings confirm that DMA-based CI systems offer a flexible and hardware-efficient solution for electromagnetic imaging, paving the way for advanced applications in security screening, biomedical imaging and nondestructive testing
Facilitators and barriers to employment of neurodivergent individuals: a systematic literature review of employee and employer experiences
No full textPurposeWhile employment rates amongst neurodivergent adults are notoriously low, little is known about their experiences in the workplace and their contribution to innovation and productivity in the labor market. At the same time, the views of colleagues and employers with regard to the inclusion of neurodivergent adults in the workforce are important. The purpose of the systematic literature review presented here was to explore what is known about the experiences of neurodivergent employees, their colleagues, and employers in terms of facilitators and barriers to inclusive best practice in the workplace.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review of the literature. Our analysis and synthesis are based on 56 studies from 12 different countries that met inclusion criteria.ResultsEligible studies included 4909 neurodivergent employees, 2041 non-neurodivergent participants (mostly coworkers), and nearly 300 supervisors, managers, and employers. Identified barriers included a lack of awareness and education of supervisors, especially when they attributed social challenges to personal factors, at times resulting in disciplinary actions or exclusion. Key facilitators included supportive managers, flexible and tailored work arrangements, and the availability of assistive technologies. Benefits of inclusive approaches included improved employee retention, increased commitment, and an enhanced organizational image.ConclusionsOur review findings confirm that neurodivergent employees experience a number of impactful barriers at work. They also experience some important facilitators that can make their working life easier. We propose that future mainstream employment research should ensure that neurodivergent voices are heard and suggest that future work also includes employee, managerial, and organizational perspectives.<br/
New regulatory scaffolding for the United Kingdom: Brexit, devolution and the Windsor Framework
No full textMembership of the European Union had a cohesive regulatory effect on the United Kingdom. Coinciding with devolution, the obligations of European Union membership served as a regulatory scaffolding within which the United Kingdom Government and the United Kingdom devolved governments could pursue their own legislative and policy paths. European Union membership alongside Ireland also facilitated the 1998 Belfast ‘Good Friday’ Agreement, particularly as regards north–south cooperation on the island of Ireland. Brexit therefore raised the prospect of the regulatory scaffolding being removed and so questions about how to manage the regulatory consequences domestically. This article establishes the regulatory effects of European Union membership on the United Kingdom before considering the impact of the post-Brexit United Kingdom–European Union relationship and approaches of the United Kingdom to managing the regulatory effects of withdrawal. It then considers the replacement domestic scaffolding put in place to manage devolution outside the European Union and Northern Ireland’s unique post-Brexit position under the terms of the Windsor Framework.<br/
Trends in the weight status of adults in Ireland between 1990 and 2024
No full textPurposeThis study aimed to establish trends in overweight and obesity prevalence among adults living in Ireland (18–64 years) and older adults (> 65 years) over three decades, from 1990 to 2024.MethodsAnthropometric data pertaining to n4357 adults were collated from four nationally representative, cross-sectional nutrition surveys published in Ireland between 1990 and 2024. These anthropometric data were measured by researchers in three of the four datasets, and self-measured in the fourth. X2 tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to test for significant differences. Binary logistic regression explored the association between sociodemographic variables and the presence of overweight and obesity.ResultsSignificant increases in mean height and weight were observed between 1990 and 2011, across both age groups (18–64 years and > 65 years) and sexes (p ≤ 0.001). A decrease was observed in mean weight and BMI among the more recent 2024 cross-sectional sample (p < 0.001). A similar pattern was noted in the prevalence of those living with obesity with 11.5% presenting with obesity in 1990, increasing to 23.7% 2011, and declining to 17.3% in 2024 among the adults aged 18–64 years. The proportion of older adults living with obesity between 1990 and 2024 followed a similar trajectory. Social class was associated with the presence of overweight and obesity, with the greatest association noted among the 2011 cross-sectional sample (p = 0.003).ConclusionWeight status increased during the period 1990–2024, with the more recent data indicating a possible plateau emerging, methodological differences between the studies included hinder certainty. Consistent associations between social class and the presence of overweight and obesity are noted. Continuous monitoring of weight status is required to confirm the trends noted in the present study and to guide population wide public health measures related to weight status.