38869 research outputs found
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The town of poo
No full textReid-Searl, KA ORCiD: 0000-0001-5808-9296The content of this book is intended to help caregivers, parents and teachers
engage children in learning about the importance of healthy bowel functioning
The isometric midthigh pull in basketball: An effective predictor of sprint and jump performance in male, adolescent players
No full textDalbo, VJ ORCiD: 0000-0002-5944-7558; Elsworthy, N ORCiD: 0000-0002-5223-6803; Guy, JH ORCiD: 0000-0003-3000-2747; Lastella, AM ORCiD: 0000-0003-1793-3811; Scanlan, AT ORCiD: 0000-0002-0750-8697PURPOSE: To examine correlations between peak force and impulse measures attained during the isometric midthigh pull (IMTP) and basketball-specific sprint and jump tests. METHODS: Male, adolescent basketball players (N = 24) completed a battery of basketball-specific performance tests. Testing consisted of the IMTP (absolute and normalized peak force and impulse at 100 and 250 ms); 20-m sprint (time across 5, 10, and 20 m); countermovement jump (CMJ; absolute and normalized peak force and jump height); standing long jump (distance); and repeated lateral bound (distance). Correlation and regression analyses were conducted between IMTP measures and other attributes. RESULTS: An almost perfect correlation was evident between absolute peak force attained during the IMTP and CMJ (r = .94, R2 = 56%, P .05) and CMJ absolute peak force (100 ms, r = .73, R2 = 54%; 250 ms, r = .68, R2 = 47%; P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: The IMTP may be used to assess maximal and rapid force expression important across a range of basketball-specific movements
External workload can be anticipated during 5 vs. 5 games-based drills in basketball players: An exploratory study
No full textDalbo, VJ ORCiD: 0000-0002-5944-7558; Fox, J ORCiD: 0000-0001-8367-5297; Scanlan, AT ORCiD: 0000-0002-0750-8697© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This study determined whether external workload could be anticipated during 5 vs. 5 games-based drills in basketball. Thirteen semi-professional, male basketball players were monitored during 5 vs. 5 training drills across the season. External workload was determined using PlayerLoad™ (AU·min−1). The reference workload for each drill was calculated across all sessions, using bootstrapping. The bootstrap mean workload and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were then calculated for session 1, sessions 1–2, and continued for remaining sessions (1–3, 1–4, etc.), and were compared with those of the reference workload. The minimum sessions to anticipate workload for each drill was identified when the first normative value fell within ±5% or ±10% of the reference workload 95% CI. The minimum sessions were then tested to determine the accuracy to which workload could be anticipated. Three to four sessions were needed to anticipate workload within ±5%, while 2–3 sessions were needed to anticipate workload within ±10%. External workload was anticipated in 0–55% of future sessions using an error range of ±5%, and in 58–89% of sessions using an error range of ±10%. External workload during 5 vs. 5 games-based drills can be anticipated in most sessions using normative values established during a short-term monitoring period with an error range of ±10%
Machine learning to ensure data integrity in power system topological network database
No full textRay, BR ORCiD: 0000-0002-3016-1695Operational and planning modules of energy systems heavily depend on the information of the underlying topological and electric parameters, which are often kept in database within the operation centre. Therefore, these operational and planning modules are vulnerable to cyber anomalies due to accidental or deliberate changes in the power system database model. To validate, we have demonstrated the impact of cyber-anomalies on the database model used for operation of energy systems. To counter these cyber-anomalies, we have proposed a defence mechanism based on widely accepted classification techniques to identify the abnormal class of anomalies. In this study, we find that our proposed method based on multilayer perceptron (MLP), which is a special class of feedforward artificial neural network (ANN), outperforms other exiting techniques. The proposed method is validated using IEEE 33-bus and 24-bus reliability test system and analysed using ten different datasets to show the effectiveness of the proposed method in securing the Optimal Power Flow (OPF) module against data integrity anomalies. This paper highlights that the proposed machine learning-based anomaly detection technique successfully identifies the energy database manipulation at a high detection rate allowing only few false alarms
Men’s experiences of surviving testicular cancer: An integrated literature review
No full textAdeleye, AO ORCiD: 0000-0002-5375-4354Purpose: To synthesise literature in order to elucidate the experiences of men who have survived testicular cancer and determine their quality of life following treatment.
Methods: An integrated review sought appropriate literature by utilising a keyword search across seven databases. Retrieved studies were appraised for quality, with 2 qualitative, 12 quantitative and 2 mixed method studies deemed appropriate for this review. The data were extracted and aggregated into categories by way of a thematic analysis. The themes were personal challenges and impact on health, psychological and emotive challenges, perception of reproduction and sexual changes and outlook and support.
Results: Men experienced physical, emotional and sexual difficulties. Some men believed they were infertile, despite evidence that fertility is not compromised in the long term. Psychological conditions can be exacerbated by cultural pressures to conceive and cultural expressions about male identity. Men who had undergone orchidectomy reported minimal impact on their mental health than the men who had chemotherapy or radiotherapy as part of their treatment modality. Sexual dysfunction caused by chemotherapy-associated side effects was detrimental to men’s quality of life. In addition, men who had a partner, who were employed, and who had children were able to adjust better after treatment than those who did not. Provision of clear and honest information post-treatment helped testicular cancer survivors return to their normal lives.
Conclusions: The evidence from the review suggests that the burden of disease for testicular cancer survivors is overall low. Men who had surgical intervention and were treated for testicular cancer experienced minimal impact on their mental health status than the men who had chemotherapy or radiotherapy as part of their treatment modality.
Implications for Cancer Survivors: There is a need to provide appropriate referrals to the relevant services, including psychosocial support, and the development of more adequate communication resources for men following treatment for testicular cancer
A creative rapid assembly modular free form pavement for post-disaster temporary roads and sidewalks
No full textTahmoorian, F ORCiD: 0000-0002-5158-2077Immediate aid to survivors of a natural disaster is the keynote to crisis management. Providing temporary access is one of the most important principles of immediate relief. However, in the postdisaster conditions, it is not possible to use road construction machinery, especially in rural areas.
Therefore, in this study, the feasibility of using a Rapid Assembly Building (RAB) system for the temporary pavement with the possibility of rapid construction, which follows the natural topography of the place, is investigated. The introduced system consists of a high-density
polyurethane (PUR) foam core as well as two continuous layers of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) facings. For this purpose, the mechanical properties of the materials and composite pavement were determined by a series of laboratory tests. Then, the mechanical performance and
bearing behaviour of an element of the presented pavement system was numerically modelled under AASHTO loading. Since in the post-disaster situation, it is not possible to establish the subgrade, an un-compacted subgrade is used for modelling. The results show that this system can
be used well in post-disaster situations to provide a rapid, safe, yet robust road without any permanent deformation
Cancer care and occupational therapy: A scoping review
No full textMeredith, PJ ORCiD: 0000-0002-2981-9189INTRODUCTION: Cancer can disrupt participation in everyday activities, suggesting a place for occupational therapy; however, there is a need to articulate the nature, scope and available evidence supporting the occupational therapy role within cancer care. In this scoping review, we identify the breadth of practice and evidence for occupational therapy in cancer care, across all stages of the disease trajectory (diagnosis to palliation/survivorship) throughout the lifespan. METHODS: Five electronic databases were searched in June 2018, for English language articles. Key words were: cancer care, OR oncolog*, OR oncologic care, OR neoplasms, OR cancer survivors, OR terminal cancer, OR cancer rehabilitation, AND occupational therap*. No date restrictions were imposed. Included were: all styles of literature including grey literature, all types of cancers and all age brackets. There were no restrictions on place of origin of papers. Following the Arksey and O'Malley (2006; International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8: 19-32) framework for scoping reviews, the first author screened titles and abstracts, and all three authors reviewed sets of the included articles. Conflicts were discussed until consensus was reached. RESULTS: After evaluating 305 titles and abstracts and 111 full-text articles, 89 papers were retained. Articles included research studies (n = 43), reviews (n = 15), grey literature (n = 16), practice analyses (n = 14) and an editorial (n = 1). The occupational therapy roles described were diverse, but largely descriptive in nature, with little evidence of outcomes from treatment. Furthermore, the majority of papers addressed adult populations, with few considering children, adolescents or young adults. Most papers focused on specific stages of the disease, and none addressed the disease along its full trajectory. CONCLUSION: Despite identifying a diverse range of occupational therapy roles in cancer care throughout the disease trajectory and across the lifespan, the need for professional discourse and research within our profession was highlighted. This was particularly evident for adolescents and young adults with cancer
Explainer: What is systemic racism and institutional racism
No full text“Systemic racism”, or “institutional racism”, refers to how ideas of white superiority are captured in everyday thinking at a systems level: taking in the big picture of how society operates, rather than looking at one-on-one interactions.
These systems can include laws and regulations, but also unquestioned social systems. Systemic racism can stem from education, hiring practices or access
An electrothermally actuated MEMS braille dot
No full textAlbermani, F ORCiD: 0000-0001-8540-1724; Preethichandra, DM ORCiD: 0000-0001-6802-2212; Sul, J ORCiD: 0000-0003-0982-0921With some recent attempts on development of micro tactile displays, the realization of portable Braille is becoming more feasible. Such tactile displays can help visually impaired individuals to read and comprehend patterns by using the sense of touch. The current proposed designs for such tactile displays mainly use fluid expansion to enhance the out of plane displacements of the Braille dots. These methods render some challenge in terms of fabrication and size. In this work, we propose a design based on electrothermal actuation of a micro Braille dot. The ultimate goal of the research is to work towards a wearable system that can be connected to a computer for reading text files. The proposed design can generate out of plane displacements of 250 µm at a 58 ℃ rise from ambient. The dot can be actuated by low input voltage of 1.36 V and can apply a force of 5 mN. Physical displacement and temperature can reinforce a valid dot detection
Harmonic based analysis of DAB converters for ZVS operation and reactive power minimization
No full textAlahakoon, S ORCiD: 0000-0002-5802-7869; Haque, M ORCiD: 0000-0002-7615-7982; Wolfs, PJ ORCiD: 0000-0001-7048-1231The dual active bridge (DAB) converter is topologically considered as a preferred energy conversion system for applications that require bidirectional power flow between energy sources. To achieve maximum conversion efficiency, this converter needs to ensure zero voltage switching (ZVS) operation over a wide range of voltage variation. It also needs to maintain minimum reactive current. This paper adopts 3-level square wave modulation to control the active and reactive power of the DAB converter. However, the analytical solution of DAB converters is very difficult using the time domain analysis approach and requires a multiple mode analysis process based on different operational states. This increases the complexity for proper identification of the ZVS operating area. In this paper, a detailed universal expression of a DAB converter has been developed using the harmonic analysis method for ZVS region identification. This paper also proposes a method to reduce the reactive current of the DAB converter to ensure minimum reactive power. Simulation models have been developed to show the performance of the DAB converters under 2-level and 3-level square wave modulation methods. These simulation results have been validated by an experimental prototype. A comparative study shows that the proposed reactive power minimization method with 3-level modulation improves the conversion efficiency