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Lack of social and physical opportunity are key barriers to adopting alternative pig farming systems
No full textIn high-income countries, pig production predominantly occurs in conventional indoor systems, but interest in alternative systems is growing. This research applied social science frameworks to understand barriers and facilitators influencing adoption of alternative pig farming practices. Using the COM-B model (Capability-Opportunity-Motivation = Behaviour) and Theoretical Domains Framework, semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with stakeholders from conventional indoor and alternative (free-range and organic) systems. Eighteen interviews (Conventional: n = 9; Alternative: n = 9) and two focus groups (Conventional: n = 5; Alternative: n = 4) explored individual- and industry-level factors affecting the adoption of alternative systems, with pig farming stakeholders. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling, and data were analysed using a deductive Framework approach. Barriers to adoption related to Capability (e.g., shortage of skilled staff, lack of knowledge of alternative farming methods), Motivation (e.g., alternative farming perceived as a hobby), and Opportunity (e.g., power dynamics in the industry, profitability). Facilitators included Capability (e.g., diversification of activities) and Opportunity (e.g., availability of woodlands, support from family and community). The majority of the identified barriers related to lack of opportunity, highlighting the need for a physical and social environment that facilitates the development of alternative pig farming systems. A supportive regulatory and physical environment are essential in progressing alternative pig farming systems.<br/
Effects of interventions on the psychosocial health and well-being of informal caregivers of people with dementia in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): a systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textBackground As the incidence of dementia grows globally, so does the number of individuals providing informal care. The highest care burden will likely be experienced by those living in low-resource settings, where need exceeds current service availability. The aim of this review was to explore the effects of interventions to support informal caregivers of people with dementia in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with respect to psychosocial outcome measures.Methods For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched 17 Global Databases and Resources, 12 Regional Databases and Resources, two Global Registers, six Regional Journals and two Global Dementia Organisations, from inception to July 2025. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs) delivered to informal caregivers of adults affected by dementia in LMICs were included. Exclusions were made for studies lacking a focus on dementia or informal caregivers, conducted in non-LMICs, focused on needs/attitudes rather than interventions or were reviews (relevant reviews were hand-searched). The primary outcome was caregiver burden, and secondary outcomes included caregiver distress and depression. Where possible, results were synthesised using meta-analysis, and remaining results were reported in a narrative synthesis. Risk of bias was completed using Cochrane Collaboration’s Risk of Bias V.2.0 tool.Findings Of 2369 records screened, 35 papers representing 32 RCTs from 13 LMICs were included, of these 24 contributed to the meta-analysis. NPIs in LMICs have a significant improvement post intervention on caregiver burden (MD 8·7, 95% CI 4·1 to 13·3; I2=89·9%), distress (MD 4·3, 95% CI 0·5 to 8·2; I2=66·5%) and depression (MD 5·9, 95% CI 1·7 to 10·1; I2=67·0%). Interventions were delivered in person (10 studies; MD 6.4, 95% CI 1.4 to 11.5; I² = 88.7%), remotely (two studies; MD 8.0, 95% CI 1.9 to 14.1; I² = 37.5%) or as a hybrid of both (two studies; MD 20.9, 95% CI 5.8 to 36.0; I² = 90.1%), with all showing improvement in caregiver burden except for two studies. Narrative synthesis revealed variation in effects on health and well-being; quality of life; anxiety/distress; depression; stress and self-efficacy and factors potentially influencing implementation.Interpretation Overall, NPIs for informal dementia carers are effective in LMICs. Due to the heterogeneity of design and delivery, it is impossible to state an optimal component combination. A pragmatic approach is needed to adapt and implement these interventions culturally and contextually. Limitations include inaccessibility of some databases and journals, difficulty in analysing multicomponent interventions and heterogeneity across studies. Nonetheless, consistency in direction of effect was observed, and sensitivity analyses excluding high-risk-of-bias studies did not alter the overall findings.<br/
The <i>windsele</i> in <i>Christ and Satan</i>: air and demonic winds in medieval tradition
No full textCommodities and aesthetics: Britain, India, China, and the opium trade
No full textThis chapter argues that over the Romantic period opium was transformed in significance from a commonly used medicinal substance to a subjectively and politically charged commodity closely associated with ideas of addiction and global commerce. The writers Coleridge and De Quincey, themselves dependent on opium, provided the crucial literary impetus for the transformation; however, their writings were embedded in a wider context of Sinophobic metropolitan culture driven by Britain’s sense of imperial rivalry with China. These processes, aided by the new media culture of periodicals and brought to a head in the First Opium War of 1839-42, resulted in the emergence of modern ideas of addiction with far-ranging implications, ushering in a powerful legacy of stereotypes and historiographical traditions that vary widely between western and formerly colonized regions. Colonial rule in India provided the opportunity to expand the cultivation of opium overseas while the habit-forming capacity of the drug could be capitalised to generate potentially limitless demand for the commodity. These developments spelt the growth of empire conveniently displaced in British territories overseas and accompanied by warfare and its rhetoric when confronted with perceived intransigence on the part of the Chinese. Thus, the place of opium within the interrelated global exchanges of crops such as tobacco, tea, and sugar can be vitally incorporated into the long nineteenth-century history of environmental degradation and climate change instigated by capitalism and empire. Literary writers such as Coleridge and De Quincey did not foresee these developments in their entirety; nevertheless, their imaginative experiences of the drug, informed by their anxious engagements with the east, have left a powerful literary legacy that have proved culturally formative to ideas of addiction embedded within our present condition of modernity
Crowdfunding and value-sharing: the case of saving the Gartenbaukino cinema
No full textThis case study aims to illustrate how crowdfunding platforms can encourage value-sharing by acting as a central hub for platform-based interactions that enable the creation and transfer of value, as well as the use of a market instrument for non-market exchanges. We examine how an urban project achieves its objectives by utilising crowdfunding as a hub for reaching and interacting with audiences. This case study research aims to enhance the understanding of the dynamics between online and offline communities in developing diverse and inclusive urban infrastructures using digital platforms. We contend that the connection between urbanism and online platforms is reciprocal: platforms can contribute to enhancing urbanism and localised initiatives, if individuals mobilise local networks and utilise platforms as digital intermediaries - as a virtual centre for both financial and non-financial transactions
Biofilm communities above and below the cuff of endotracheal tubes are spatially homogenous
No full textBackgroundDuring mechanical ventilation, the inflated cuff of endotracheal tubes (ETTs) may help to minimise patient secretions containing microorganisms from reaching the lower trachea and distal ETT surface. The primary study aim was to determine if there were differences in biofilm formation above and below the cuff using microbial community profiling.MethodsIn this prospective observational study, ETTs were collected following extubation of mechanically ventilated critically ill adults. The biofilm community composition and structure on ETT segments were examined by culture-independent (Illumina MiSeq 16S rRNA marker-gene sequencing) and -dependent (extended-quantitative culture) methods and related to clinical variables.ResultsSixty-four participants were recruited following a median (IQR) of 3.77 (1.56–7.49) days intubation. Although participant-level differences in communities were observed, most had evidence of multispecies biofilm development on the ETT surface. Community profiling indicated that there was no difference in alpha- and beta-diversity metrics or density in paired segments from above and below the ETT cuff. Culture-independent analysis detected a greater biofilm richness and more often identified microorganisms reported with clinically-directed culture of respiratory secretions than extended-quantitative culture (82.35% vs. 52.94%). At extubation a higher community density was associated with increased richness (p = 0.01) and diversity (p = 0.03) and reduced evenness (p = 0.01) and dominance (p = 0.03), but not bacterial pathogen or yeast presence/abundance by culture. Participant characteristics were not associated with the extent of biofilm community density.ConclusionsBiofilm communities forming above and below the ETT cuff are highly individual but conserved suggesting that an inflated ETT cuff does not provide an effective microbial barrier
Addressing investor concerns: a Chinese financial question-answering benchmark with LLM-based evaluation
No full textIn recent years, large language models (LLMs) have shown impressive performance across various natural language processing tasks and are increasingly adopted in high-stakes fields such as financial analysis. However, their effectiveness in Chinese financial contexts is hindered by the scarcity of high-quality, domain-specific datasets. To bridge this gap, we present the Chinese Financial Question Answering (CFQA) dataset, a novel resource designed to advance research in financial analysis. CFQA is constructed from publicly available annual reports of multiple Chinese listed companies, paired with corresponding questions and human-annotated answers. Evaluation results reveal that existing QA methods perform poorly on this dataset. CFQA introduces several unique challenges: (1) source documents are in PDF format with complex tabular structures, making information extraction difficult; (2) the length and intricacy of financial reports complicate answer retrieval; and (3) the questions are tightly focused on domain-specific financial content
