932 research outputs found
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Malentangled: Function Redacting Tape
Get PDFThe neologism entanglement proposes that all things are connected through super-complex meshworks of mutable interdependencies. This entanglement of interdependencies is often obscured through forgetness, a radically reductive process by which things are taken to be isolated and interdependencies are forgotten.
In some instances – for example when objects break – people are again reminded of the interdependentness of things. Malentanglement theory proposes that forgetness may also encounter a remindness through humour, and not only through catastrophe (depunctualisation).
The ‘Function Redacting Tape’ project takes redaction as a method for doctoring documents, but it deploys this method in the material context of design. Project Participants are provided with black PVC adhesive tape and invited to consider the functions of designed objects. They are then asked to redact these functions (using the tape) and in doing so to make documented interventions that draw back the metaphorical veil of forgetness for reasons of design enquiry. The project functions as a sort of rudimentary cultural probe that might shed some light on entanglement, humour, and design, whilst simultaneously testing the employment of humour to aid participation in design research
Supporting carers to manage pain medication in cancer patients at the end of life: A feasibility trial
Get PDFBackground:
Carers of people with advanced cancer play a significant role in managing pain medication, yet they report insufficient information and support to do so confidently and competently. There is limited research evidence on the best ways for clinicians to help carers with medication management.
Aims:
To develop a pain medicines management intervention (Cancer Carers Medicines Management) for cancer patients’ carers near the end of life and evaluate feasibility and acceptability to nurses and carers. To test the feasibility of trial research procedures and to inform decisions concerning a full-scale randomised controlled trial.
Design:
Phase I-II clinical trial. A systematic, evidence-informed participatory method was used to develop CCMM: a nurse-delivered structured conversational process. A two-arm, cluster randomised controlled feasibility trial of Cancer Carers Medicines Management was conducted, with an embedded qualitative study to evaluate participants’ experiences of Cancer Carers Medicines Management and trial procedures.
Setting:
Community settings in two study sites.
Participants:
Phase I comprises 57 carers, patients and healthcare professionals and Phase II comprises 12 nurses and 15 carers.
Results:
A novel intervention was developed. Nurses were recruited and randomised. Carer recruitment to the trial was problematic with fewer than predicted eligible participants, and nurses judged a high proportion unsuitable to recruit into the study. Attrition rates following recruitment were typical for the study population. Cancer Carers Medicines Management was acceptable to carers and nurses who took part, and some benefits were identified.
Conclusion:
Cancer Carers Medicines Management is a robustly developed medicines management intervention which merits further research to test its effectiveness to improve carers’ management of pain medicines with patients at the end of life. The study highlighted aspects of trial design that need to be considered in future research
Sustainable tourism: Developing local capacity frameworks - the colead (cooperating for leadership in tourism) initiative
Get PDFThis study analyses the importance of sustainability in tourism and how it can be implemented in the management of tourism projects and destinations through a clear and structured methodology utilising the PM4SD (Project Management for Sustainable Development) approach to project implementation. The methods applied to this paper focus on a review and evaluation of the CoLead project and its effectiveness in transferring sustainable tourism projects from theory into practice. This study is based upon two case studies, in Bulgaria and Wales and have adopted a broad qualitative approach based upon in depth interviews with key protagonists and participants associated with the project. The paper's findings raise questions regarding broader applicability, sustained support, stakeholder participation and long term management and funding for the continuation for such projects. In this respect the paper concludes with broader lessons that can perhaps be learnt from projects such as CoLead
UBC-Nepal expedition: markedly lower cerebral blood flow in high-altitude Sherpa children compared with children residing at sea level
Get PDFDevelopmental cerebral hemodynamic adaptations to chronic high-altitude exposure, such as in the Sherpa population, are largely unknown. To examine hemodynamic adaptations in the developing human brain, we assessed common carotid (CCA), internal carotid (ICA), and vertebral artery (VA) flow and middle cerebral artery (MCA) velocity in 25 (9.6 ± 1.0 yr old, 129 ± 9 cm, 27 ± 8 kg, 14 girls) Sherpa children (3,800 m, Nepal) and 25 (9.9 ± 0.7 yr old, 143 ± 7 cm, 34 ± 6 kg, 14 girls) age-matched sea level children (344 m, Canada) during supine rest. Resting gas exchange, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and heart rate were assessed. Despite comparable age, height and weight were lower (both P < 0.01) in Sherpa compared with sea level children. Mean arterial pressure, heart rate, and ventilation were similar, whereas oxygen saturation (95 ± 2 vs. 99 ± 1%, P < 0.01) and end-tidal Pco2 (24 ± 3 vs. 36 ± 3 Torr, P < 0.01) were lower in Sherpa children. Global cerebral blood flow was ∼30% lower in Sherpa compared with sea level children. This was reflected in a lower ICA flow (283 ± 108 vs. 333 ± 56 ml/min, P = 0.05), VA flow (78 ± 26 vs. 118 ± 35 ml/min, P < 0.05), and MCA velocity (72 ± 14 vs. 88 ± 14 cm/s, P < 0.01). CCA flow was similar between Sherpa and sea level children (425 ± 92 vs. 441 ± 81 ml/min, P = 0.52). Scaling flow and oxygen uptake for differences in vessel diameter and body size, respectively, led to the same findings. A lower cerebral blood flow in Sherpa children may reflect specific cerebral hemodynamic adaptations to chronic hypoxia
Sunlight analysis for the Kuwaiti Government dwelling design and effects on householders’ health
Get PDFThis paper discusses access to sunlight and daylight in contemporary Kuwaiti Government dwellings. Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among the Kuwaiti population is related to a lack of exposure to sunlight radiation. Householders’ of the contemporary Kuwaiti Government dwellings in Al-Nahda town in Kuwait have been selected as a case study for the research project. Householders’ were interviewed about sunlight access into their dwelling and health issues associated with living in the dwelling. The research project includes a new design for the Kuwaiti Government dwellings, which has been analysed for sunlight and daylight access as related to Al-Nahda town location in Kuwait
Affect and Dialogue in Collaborative Cross- Disciplinary Research: Developing Interactive Public Art on Cardiff Bay Barrage
Get PDFWhere Cartesian philosophy distinguishes the perceiving and perceptual mind from the body, phenomenology constitutes the experiential/experiencing body as the subject, giving rise to the affective potential of art. An immersive world of digital connections, smart cities and the Internet of Everything dramatises the centrality of relationship, the intertwining of Self and Other, in the lived environments of human experience. This article addresses the contextual, disciplinary and practical challenges encountered in developing an ambitious interactive public art project embedding SMART technology on the coastal fringes of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales (UK). It examines the processes and problems involved in delivering a stimulating aesthetic experience in and on a complex site, for a complex audience profile. It traces, in particular, the dependence of a multi-disciplinary project team on the theoretical and practical effects of affect in their ongoing effort to produce engaging, provocative, socially inclusive interactive public art, in and through human-centred design techniques
Organisational learning capability in SMEs: An empirical development of innovation in the supply chain
Get PDFEvidence that a company’s innovation performance, Knowledge Management capability, and its corporate and operational performance are inextricably linked has been the focus of numerous academic studies over recent years. Whilst a significant body of research exists focusing on learning at company level, little research exists on how supply chains learn and innovate in collaborative working environments. The aim of this paper is to determine the learning and innovation skills that emerged from a collaborative project with new developed supply chain. Its focus is on identifying how each organisation within the supply chain developed its Organisational Learning Capability (OLC) when the companies were tasked to collaborate and develop a new and innovative product. The companies had not previously worked with each other and so the project monitored the level of collaborative activity as well as innovative output from the collaboration. The results suggest that improved organistional learning capabilities led to increased levels of organisational innovation as well as improved supply chain collaboration. The paper concludes with the development of a Supply Chain Organisational Learning and Innovation Framework (SCOLIF) and the identification of a number of cultural dimensions which are considered useful for managers and engineers to consider when implementing innovation project
Application of the Subsequent Injury Categorisation (SIC) model for longitudinal injury surveillance in elite rugby and cricket: Inter-sport comparisons and inter-rater reliability of coding
Get PDFBackground: When an athlete has more than one injury over a time period it is important to determine if these are related to each other or not. The subsequent injury categorisation (SIC) model is a method designed to consider the relationship between an index injury and subsequent injury(ies).
Objective: The primary aim was to apply SIC to longitudinal injury data from two team sports: rugby union and cricket. The secondary aim was to determine SIC inter-rater reliability.
Methods: Rugby union (time-loss; TL) and cricket (TL and non time-loss; NTL) injuries sustained between 2011-2014 within one international team respectively, were recorded using international consensus methods. SIC was applied by multiple raters; team clinicians, non-team clinicians, and a sports scientist. Weighted kappa and Cohen’s kappa scores were calculated for inter-rater reliability of the rugby union TL injuries and cricket NTL and TL injuries.
Results: 67% and 51% of the subsequent injuries in rugby union and cricket respectively were categorised as injuries to a different body part not related to an index injury (SIC code 10). At least moderate agreement (weighted and Cohen kappa ≥ 0.60) was observed for team clinicians and the non-team clinician for both sports. Including NTL and TL injuries increased agreement between team clinician and non-team clinician, but not between clinician and sport scientist.
Conclusion: The most common subsequent injury in both sports was an injury to a different body part that was not related to an index injury. The SIC model was generally reliable, with the highest agreement between clinicians working within the same team. Recommendations for future use of SIC are provided based on the proximity of the rater to the team and the raters’ level of clinical knowledge
Using Real-time Biofeedback of Heart Rate Variability Measures to Track and Help Improve Levels of Attention and Relaxation
Get PDFThe main purpose of the study was to investigate if it was possible for a person to use the real-time biofeedback of their heart rate variability (HRV), recorded from a heart rate monitor watch, to help improve their level of attention and relaxation. Attention and relaxation are important factors affecting creativity, so improvements in ‘relaxed concentration’ could help enhance creativity. New HRV analysis algorithms were developed and tested together with three different user interfaces to explore how the interaction design affects user performance. Initial results suggest that it is possible to estimate levels of attention and relaxation, at least at a crude level, and that people are able to use this information to help improve their level of attention and relaxation. In addition, the results suggest that the interaction design of the application has a very important role to play in supporting user engagement and to maintain motivation levels
Visual processing recruits the auditory cortices in prelingually deaf children and influences cochlear implant outcomes.
Get PDFObjective: Although visual processing recruitment of the auditory cortices has been reported previously in prelingually deaf children who have a rapidly developing brain and no auditory processing, the visual processing recruitment of auditory cortices might be different in processing different visual stimuli and may affect cochlear implant (CI) outcomes.
Methods: Ten prelingually deaf children, 4–6 years old, were recruited for the study. Twenty prelingually deaf subjects, 4–6 years old with CIs for 1 year, were also recruited; 10 with well-performing CIs, 10 with poorly performing CIs. Ten age and sex-matched normal-hearing children were recruited as controls. Visual (‘sound’ photo (photograph with imaginative sound) and ‘non-sound’ photo (photograph without imaginative sound)) evoked potentials were measured in all subjects. P1 at Oz and N1 at the bilateral temporal-frontal areas (FC3 and FC4) were compared.
Results: N1 amplitudes were strongest in the deaf children, followed by those with poorly performing CIs, controls and those with well-performing CIs. There was no significant difference between controls and those with well-performing CIs. ‘Sound’ photo stimuli evoked a stronger N1 than ‘non-sound’ photo stimuli. Further analysis showed that only at FC4 in deaf subjects and those with poorly performing CIs were the N1 responses to ‘sound’ photo stimuli stronger than those to ‘non-sound’ photo stimuli. No significant difference was found for the FC3 and FC4 areas. No significant difference was found in N1 latencies and P1 amplitudes or latencies.
Conclusions: The results indicate enhanced visual recruitment of the auditory cortices in prelingually deaf children. Additionally, the decrement in visual recruitment of auditory cortices was related to good CI outcomes