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So, what does well-being mean to you? The understanding of well-being by service users in a local authority setting: A qualitative study
Get PDF#400WORDS: DELIVERING A RESEARCH SKILLED WORKFORCE SPECIAL EDITIO
The Effect of Exercise Training on Blood Lipids: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
No full textBackground: Dyslipidemia is a primary risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Exercise training (EXTr) improves some lipid markers but not others; the literature is dated and analyses may be underpowered. Objectives: To clarify which lipid markers are altered with ExTr and establish if information size had yet reached futility. Methods: We conducted a systematic review/meta-analysis, with meta-regression, to establish expected effect size in lipid profile with aerobic (AT), resistance (RT) and combined (CT = AT + RT) ExTr. We conducted trial sequence analysis (TSA) to control for type I and II error and establish if information size had reached futility. Results: We included 148 relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of ExTr, with 227 intervention groups, total 8673 participants; exercise 5273, sedentary control 3400. Total cholesterol (TC) MD – 5.90 mg/dL (95% confidence interval (CI) – 8.14, – 3.65), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) 2.11 (95% CI 1.43, 2.79), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) – 7.22 (95% CI – 9.08, – 5.35), triglycerides – 8.01 (95% CI – 10.45, – 5.58) and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL) – 3.85 (95% CI – 5.49, – 2.22) all showed significant but modest 3.5–11.7%, improvements following ExTr. TSA indicated all analyses exceeded minimum information size to reach futility. CT was optimal for dyslipidemia management. Meta-regression showed every extra weekly aerobic session reduced TC – 7.68 mg/dL and for every extra week of training by – 0.5 mg/dL. Each minute of session time produced an additional 2.11 mg/dL HDL increase. Conclusion: TSA analysis revealed sufficient data exist to confirm ExTr will improve all five lipid outcomes. CT is optimal for lipid management. The modest effect observed may moderate dyslipidemia medication for primary prevention. Prediction intervals suggest TC, HDL, LDL and TGD are only improved in one-quarter of studies
The role of community engaged dental education in producing socially accountable graduates in the context of the General Dental Council\u27s Safe Practitioner Framework
No full textThe General Dental Council\u27s Safe Practitioner Framework sets out the required behaviours and learning outcomes for UK graduates across four domains, and social accountability is a new competency in the domain of professionalism. Community engagement is a type of community-based education, which has been advocated as a promising pedagogical approach to help institutions produce socially accountable graduates. It is conceptualised as a form of experiential education which uses community exposure educational programmes or activities (i.e., students are exposed to the population/community of interest usually in a non-clinical setting) to highlight and address community health care needs. Community engaged education can help students appreciate the role of the social determinants of health in shaping oral health; provide opportunities to improve empathy, cultural competence and sensitivity; improve interpersonal skills and communication; and may open the eyes of new graduates into the importance of social justice and health equity in their future professional practice. This paper will describe the key terms involved in social accountability and will discuss some of the benefits of community engaged education in the context of the Safe Practitioner Framework reflecting on the evidence from the international healthcare literature
Bubble Image Velocimetry application to flow characterization for incipient overtopping events@ challenges and opportunities
Get PDFThis study employs the Bubble Image Velocimetry (BIV) technique to characterise the flow velocity of individual extreme waves that overtop sea dikes. Physical experiments were conducted in the small-scale wave flume at the Marine Engineering Laboratory (LIM) of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya –BarcelonaTech (UPC). The objective of the experimental campaign was to develop methods to enhance predictive models for wave overtopping volumes of structures with emergent toes. Focused wave groups were used to simulate extreme individual wave overtopping under realistic random sea states. In addition, the campaign prioritized the development of non-intrusive measurement techniques to quantify overtopping volumes and associated flow velocities, leveraging the data gathered throughout the study. To this extent, the present study, in particular, examines the potential of employing the BIV technique for non-intrusive measurements and offers preliminary insights into the characterisation of overtopping flow velocity for the selected structure. The study demonstrates that overtopping flow fields are highly non-uniform, which challenges the assumptions of simplified models such as Boussinesq or non-linear shallow-water models. The BIV technique is therefore crucial in capturing the complex spatial and temporal variations in flow velocities
Combining Remote and Collaborative Research: A Critical Reflection on Large-Scale, Comparative, and Interdisciplinary Research in Times of a Global Crisis
No full textThis paper examines the methodological and ethical challenges of conducting remoteresearch on child-animal relationships across thirty communities in seventeen countriesduring the COVID-19 pandemic. It critically assesses remote research as a mode ofcollaboration informed by decolonial aspirations, highlighting the complexities of navigatingtemporal and geographical distances, mitigating global inequalities, and addressing politicaland methodological tensions at the intersection of psychological anthropology and crosscultural developmental psychology. By engaging with these challenges, the paper fosterscritical dialogue on research ethics and methodologies between anthropology andpsychology, advancing a broader intellectual engagement toward translocal equit
Intraspecific Sensory Diversity and the Decapod Claw: Patterns of Sensillation Are Heterochelic and Sexually Dimorphic In Pagurus bernhardus
Get PDFInformation detection affects physiological performance and behaviour and is vital to survival and fitness. Despite the recognised importance of sensory adaptations in information acquisition and manipulation, many forms of sensory variation—from within individuals to between species—remain underexplored. To better understand the role of information in evolution, it is important to examine sensory variation as part of a cohesive framework of sensory diversity. Using the decapod claw, a structure well-recognised for its morphological variation, we investigated sensory diversity at the intraspecific level by assessing heterochely and sexual dimorphism in the chelar morphologies of Pagurus bernhardus hermit crabs. We employed a novel methodology using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to assess moulted chelar tissue from both the major and minor claws. The shape, size, and sensillation (i.e., the distribution and abundance of sensilla) of both chelipeds were examined by geometric morphometric landmark analysis (GMLA), generalised Procrustes analysis (GPA), and linear mixed effects models. Hermit crabs exhibited heterochely and sexual dimorphism in both gross and sensory chelar morphologies. Sexual dimorphism was greater in the sensory morphology of the major claw, suggesting sex-based sensory specialisations, likely due to differences in mating roles and behaviours. In contrast, the minor claw\u27s sensory morphology lacked sexual dimorphism, suggesting the sensory role of this appendage is equally important for both sexes. Our results highlight sensory variation as a fundamental aspect of functional morphology and emphasise the need to consider sexual dimorphism and body asymmetry in information acquisition. These findings contribute to a broader framework for studying sensory diversity, underscoring the importance of integrating sensory morphology, function, and ecology to fully understand the evolutionary implications of sensory specialisations
A new exceptionally preserved phosphatocopid crustacean from the Furongian of Laurentia and a synthesis of Cambrian phosphatocopid distribution patterns
No full textCT scan TIFF Files and STL files of Planamandibulus nevadensis (Arthropoda:Phosphatocopidia). Cambrian Arthropod
Conveying the Need for Mental Healthcare – A Qualitative Study of How Patients Communicate Mental Health Challenges’
Get PDFBackground: Access to timely mental healthcare relies on patients’ descriptions of their mental health problems. We therefore sought to better understand, from the patients’ perspective, how they communicate their need for specialised mental healthcare to their GPs or mental health specialists and what factors affect communication when patients are referred from their GPs to specialised mental healthcare. Methods: This was an exploratory interview study. Ten adults who started treatment in specialised mental healthcare facilities were interviewed individually. The interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. A method based on thematic analysis was used to develop patterns and themes within the dataset using an iterative inductive approach, with checks for internal consistency throughout. Results: Three typical personal approaches – or styles – of communicating needs could be generated. These approaches varied in how active the patients were in their help-seeking, how unrestrictedly they communicated their health concerns and their receptiveness to input from healthcare professionals. Relevant factors affecting the communication were the characteristics of the healthcare services; the responses of others; fear of rejection and misunderstanding; health literacy and experience with mental healthcare; taking responsibility for one’s own treatment; and the mental health problem itself. Conclusions: The different patient approaches to getting help for mental health problems and how those approaches are affected by individual, contextual and system factors highlight the need for individualised and welcoming communication by care providers. The current study contributes with useful insights from the patient’s perspective into how e.g. the patient’s previous experiences and understanding of the healthcare system influences the process of seeking help from a GP and being referred to specialist mental health services
Electrical characterization of the alleged bio-memristor Physarum polycephalum
Get PDFThis study investigates the potential of the slime mold Physarum polycephalum to function as a bio-memristor. In contrast to earlier reports, our experimental results did not show a significant memristive behavior. Instead, all tested slime molds exhibited elliptical I-V characteristics, attributed to their inherent capacitance. To model this behavior, we developed replacement circuits consisting solely of resistors and capacitors, which accurately reproduced the observed results. While these circuits lack memristive properties, they demonstrate potential utility as sub-circuits in analog applications, such as filters, timing circuits, and phase shift networks. Despite it not being a memristor, P. polycephalum may hold promise for alternative bio-electronic applications, including its use in microbial fuel cells. Our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the electrical properties of bio-inspired systems and suggest new avenues for integrating biological components into electronic circuits
Predicting dune evolution on a regional scale for coastal management
Get PDFDunes provide a range of ecosystem services, including natural resilience against coastal flooding, and it is essential for proactive coastal zone management to forecast future dune behaviour as sea levels rise. However, dunes exhibit dynamic behaviours over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales, posing challenges for predicting their evolution. Here we demonstrate a high degree of variability in contemporary dune behaviour along a single coastal region, across 31 sites in Cornwall, southwest England. Rates of change varied widely, with sediment loss ranging from −12.4 m³/m/yr to a gain of +5.1 m³/m/yr, and dune retreat/advancement ranging from −3.7 m/yr to +1.6 m/yr. The results highlight four distinct modes of dune evolution: (1) volume gain with advancement, (2) volume loss with retreat, (3) volume gain with retreat, and (4) volume loss with advancement. These findings validate scepticism regarding the applicability of the Bruun rule over long timescales and underscore the importance of incorporating site-specific factors, such as sediment supply, aeolian transport, underlying rock surface and estuarine channel dynamics, into future model development. Nonetheless, this study demonstrates that combining contemporary dune behaviour analysis with the Bruun Rule offers a practical approach for initial predictions of future dune evolution. When combined with observed data, the Bruun Rule can effectively identify coastal change ‘hot-spots’ and guide coastal management decisions. Until more sophisticated models are developed, we recommend a staged approach for coastal managers: starting with regional-scale projections using observed trends and the Bruun Rule, followed by targeted application of reduced complexity and process-based models in areas of high concern. Incorporating probabilistic assessments is essential for managing uncertainties in these predictions, ensuring more informed and effective coastal management strategies