151398 research outputs found
Sort by
Preconception health indicators and deprivation: a cross-sectional study using national maternity healthcare data
No full textObjectiveTo use routinely-collected maternity healthcare data to (1) describe the prevalence of key preconception indicators (e.g., smoking, folic acid supplement use) and (2) explore differences in prevalence by deprivation.DesignRetrospective population-based study.SettingNorthern Ireland (NI).Population255 177 pregnancies recorded in the Northern Ireland MATernity System (NIMATS).MethodsAnonymised NIMATS data recorded during antenatal booking appointments (2011–2021) were accessed through the Honest Broker Service and analysed using R. Prevalences were calculated for each indicator, and logistic regression models explored the relationships between each preconception indicator and area-level deprivation quintiles. The indicators included were selected based on the current evidence base, availability in NIMATS, indicator modifiability and Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement.Main Outcome MeasuresPreconception indicators, including behavioural factors (e.g., planned pregnancy), pre-existing health conditions (e.g., severe mental health) and area-based deprivation.ResultsA high proportion of women had sub-optimal preconception indicators (e.g., 21.3% living with obesity). Women living in the most deprived quintile generally had a higher prevalence of risk factors than women in the least deprived quintile (e.g., smoking prevalence was 25.7% in the most deprived quintile and 5.6% in the least deprived quintile).ConclusionsPopulation-based maternity data in NI highlight many areas of women's preconception health that require improvement and support, especially for women living in the areas of greatest deprivation. Although these findings are a reference point to inform interventions, policy and ongoing monitoring of preconception health in NI, they should be interpreted in light of the methodological limitations of the data.<br/
Electron-impact excitation of zirconium i–iii in support of neutron star merger diagnostics
No full textRecent observations and analyses of kilonova spectra as a result of neutron star mergers require accurate and complete atomic structure and collisional data for interpretation. Ideally, the atomic data sets for elements predicted to be abundant in the ejecta should be experimentally calibrated. For near-neutral ion stages of zirconium in particular, the A-values and the associated excitation/de-excitation rates are required from collision calculations built upon accurate structure models. The atomic orbitals required to perform the structure calculations may be calculated using a Multi-Configuration-Dirac-Fock (MCDF) approximation implemented within the General Relativistic Atomic Structure Package (grasp0). Optimized sets of relativistic atomic orbitals are then imported into electron-impact excitation collision calculations. A relativistic R-matrix formulation within the Dirac Atomic R-matrix Code (darc) is employed to compute collision strengths, which are subsequently Maxwellian convolved to produce excitation/de-excitation rates for a wide range of electron temperatures. These atomic data sets subsequently provide the foundations for non-local thermodynamic equilibrium collisional-radiative models. In this work, all these computations have been carried out for the first three ion stages of zirconium (Zr i–iii) with the data further interfaced with collisional-radiative and radiative transfer codes to produce synthetic spectra that can be compared with observation.<br/
Accounting history in a digital age: empirical experiences, improving methods and unlocking new research avenues
No full textTechnology has increasingly opened new avenues and methods in accounting and other business research. Accounting history research is not immune to technological developments, and we propose that increased digitalisation offers opportunities to enhance the appeal and relevance of such research, both within the accounting history realm itself and beyond. After setting out a clear definition of digitalisation, we reflect on what accounting history is as represented in the literature and then present empirical insights from two research settings – a religious organisation and a brewery – to provide a representation of what digitalisation means in terms of ‘doing’ accounting history research. The article also reflects on how a digital world can open new research avenues and reduce the risks of scholasticism and sophism.<br/
More than one agent? Authority expansion and delegation dynamics in the EU
No full textRecent studies focus on the issue of authority transfer to supranational institutions. While examining the opportunities and obstacles for expanding the Union's competencies, this literature often overlooks the effects of adopting ambitious policies on their implementation modes. This paper argues that the costs associated with the expansion of EU authority and opportunities for blame-shifting drive delegation choices and define the relative discretion granted to agents. Proposals for expanding EU authority increase the likelihood of the exclusively supranational implementation path being selected by the principals while undermining the appeal of the national path. In contrast, aiming to preserve opportunities for blame-shifting while maintaining some degree of control over implementation, the EU principals increasingly turn to joint delegation, where the Commission and national administrations cooperate. Yet, even within the partner-like relationship of joint implementation, national agents enjoy broader discretionary leeway.<br/
Chasing a clean slate: the shifting roles of privacy and technology in criminal record expungement law and policy
No full textThis Article explores criminal record expungement policy in the United States through the lens of privacy interests. Embarking on a historical policy analysis spanning from the 1950s to the 2020s, it unveils the evolving interplay between privacy rights and the shifting tides of rehabilitative and punitive ideologies and policies in the criminal legal system. The analysis shows that privacy concerns initially emerged as a silent underpinning of rehabilitative policies where privacy was recognized as key to rehabilitation but were subsequently dismissed in the “tough-on-crime” era, where emphasis was placed on public punishment and labeling in the name of public safety. The Article then posits that contemporary strides in criminal record expungement legislation and the embrace of automated record-clearing processes through algorithmic means find their roots in our current moment that emphasizes personal data privacy alongside criminal justice reform.The Article argues that in the current data-driven landscape, informational privacy — the right of individuals to control and protect their personal data from unauthorized access or disclosure — has emerged as an essential yet often understated element in legal reforms addressing criminal record discrimination. These reforms are unfolding against the backdrop of societal calls for safeguarding individuals against lifelong stigmatization and unwarranted surveillance. Privacy considerations, serving as a surrogate for rehabilitation, also help avoid “soft on crime” criticism, redirecting attention toward providing individuals with an opportunity to rebuild their lives free from perpetual judgment.However, the Article also introduces a nuanced perspective, cautioning against unbridled optimism in these technological advancements meant to mitigate the collateral consequences of having a criminal record. Specifically, it scrutinizes the potential pitfalls inherent in the algorithmic automation of record clearance processes, as technological realities may also undermine the purported success and fairness of recently enacted criminal record clearance mechanisms. Ultimately, the Article contributes a timely and critical analysis that not only illuminates the historical trajectory of privacy considerations in criminal record expungement law and policy but also injects a note of caution regarding the implications of contemporary technological solutions
Making sense of AI benefits: a mixed-method study in Canadian public administration
No full textPublic administrators receive conflicting signals on the transformative benefits of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the counternarratives of AI’s ethical impacts on society and democracy. Against this backdrop, this paper explores the factors that affect the sensemaking of AI benefits in Canadian public administration. A mixed-method research design using PLS-SEM (n = 272) and interviews (n = 38) tests and explains the effect of institutional and consultant pressures on the perceived benefits of AI use. The quantitative study shows only service coercive pressures have a significant effect on perceived benefits of AI use and consultant pressures are significant in generating all institutional pressures. The qualitative study explains the results and highlights the underlying mechanisms. The key conclusion is that in the earlier stages of AI adoption, demand pull is the main driver rather than technology push. A processual sensemaking model is developed extending the theory on institutions and sensemaking. And several managerial implications are discussed.<br/
EvoDevo: bioinspired generative design via evolutionary graph-based development
No full textAutomated generative design is increasingly used across engineering disciplines to accelerate innovation and reduce costs. Generative design offers the prospect of simplifying manual design tasks by exploring the efficacy of solutions automatically. However, existing generative design frameworks rely heavily on expensive optimisation procedures and often produce customised solutions, lacking reusable generative rules that transfer across different problems. This work presents a bioinspired generative design algorithm utilising the concept of evolutionary development (EvoDevo). This evolves a set of developmental rules that can be applied to different engineering problems to rapidly develop designs without the need to run full optimisation procedures. In this approach, an initial design is decomposed into simple entities called cells, which independently control their local growth over a development cycle. In biology, the growth of cells is governed by a gene regulatory network (GRN), but there is no single widely accepted model for this in artificial systems. The GRN responds to the state of the cell induced by external stimuli in its environment, which, in this application, is the loading regime on a bridge truss structure (but can be generalised to any engineering structure). Two GRN models are investigated: graph neural network (GNN) and graph-based Cartesian genetic programming (CGP) models. Both GRN models are evolved using a novel genetic search algorithm for parameter search, which can be re-used for other design problems. It is revealed that the CGP-based method produces results similar to those obtained using the GNN-based methods while offering more interpretability. In this work, it is shown that this EvoDevo approach is able to produce near-optimal truss structures via growth mechanisms such as moving vertices or changing edge features. The technique can be set up to provide design automation for a range of engineering design tasks.</p
DesignLink: a model for co-design. Future Island-Island
No full textFuture Island-Island Phase One is a 24-month project led by Ulster University in collaboration with Queen’s University Belfast, Glasgow School of Art, and University of the Arts London, alongside 12 local companies. The project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and supported by the Design Museum’s Future Observatory research programme
The psychosocial experiences of people with pancreatic cancer: A qualitative systematic review protocol
No full textDebt-related regret and well-being in people resolving problem debts
No full textBackgroundRegret is an often painful emotion experienced upon the realisation that a different decision would have led to a better outcome. As regret related to poor real world financial decision making has been neglected, here we examine whether people with debt problems regret the financial decisions that led to those problems, whether their explanations for their debt problems are associated with what they regret, and relations between regret, explanations for indebtedness, and well-being.MethodsWe measured the well-being of people resolving problem debts (N = 260) who also rated the extent to which each of a set of factors (e.g., spending beyond their means, bad financial decisions, health, employment etc.) contributed to their debt problems and described up to three regrets about the events leading up to their problems with debt.ResultsAlthough participants most often regretted spending or financial decisions, fewer than half of their regrets concerned such decisions and even amongst those who attributed significance to their financial or spending decisions, a substantial minority did not express spending regrets. Poor well-being was common in the sample and was associated with regrets about uncontrollable events and perceptions that employment issues contributed to the debt problem. Regrets over time taken to seek debt advice were common, although delays in seeking advice predicted better well-being. Gender significantly affected debt size, time before seeking advice, explanations for the debt problem, and well-being.ConclusionsThese results suggest that (a) regret for myopic financial decisions may fade with time, even when those decisions have profound consequences, (b) people explain their debt problems in a variety of ways only some of which relate to their financial decision making, and (c) debtor well-being is associated with particular explanations and regrets. The results have implications both for delivery of debt advice and the design of interventions to encourage people to seek debt advice.<br/