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Family-Centred Care Research in Paediatrics: A Scoping Review
Full text linkFamily-centred care (FCC) is central to care of children and families across healthcare settings. Research exploring FCC is increasing, so there is a need to identify clinical and research priority areas. This review aimed to describe FCC research for children and families in the 21st century. Studies were sourced from CINAHL, Ovid Medline, and Embase and underwent two-stage screening, guided by a published protocol. Data were extracted on study authorship, author discipline, funding, study methodology, study findings and use of “FCC”. Analysis included descriptive statistics, Pearson’s Chi-Squared tests, and content analysis. Five hundred and seventy-nine articles were included. Most used quantitative methodologies and were published from 2010, predominantly by authors from nursing or medical disciplines. Most studies were conducted in acute care settings, typically in North America, and primarily included nurses or mothers as participants. FCC was typically defined using multiple references, with several key authors identified. Future research should focus on historically underrepresented clinical and geographical areas and include multidisciplinary team members. Increasing cultural and familial diversity in FCC research is also necessary to ensure inclusive FCC practices that are transferrable within and between clinical and geographical settings
A qualitative exploration of the therapeutic characteristics of the art of therapy: Perspectives on Ayres Sensory Integration
Full text linkSince Dr. Jean Ayres first ignited the spark that became Ayres Sensory Integration®others have followed, inspired by her legacy to continue her dedicated life’s work.This theoretical approach continues to evolve, yet its fundamental core principlesremain true to Dr Ayres’s original ideal. Empowering practitioners to set the just rightchallenge, an inviting therapeutic relationship, and to entice engagement throughplay was conceptualized as the art of therapy. This qualitative phenomenologicalstudy explores the therapeutic characteristics of the art of therapy, emphasizing thejust right challenge, the therapeutic relationship and the experience of flow from theoccupational therapist’s viewpoint. Eight participants kept reflective journals andengaged in semi-structured interviews which were analyzed using reflective thematicanalysis. Three overarching themes were developed; 1) “The Human Connection”exploring components of the therapeutic relationship; 2) “Setting the Scene” investigating how the just right challenge is set, including the preparation and external factors involved; 3) “Magic Happens! The Optimal Experience” exploring a sense of achievement, how flow feels and how it is learned. Participants shared their unique therapeutic observations and provided clear insight into their understanding of the art of therapy. The findings demonstrated that this concept is complex and multifaceted with learning enhanced through mentorship and hands-on experiences. This highlighted the significant implications for the education and ongoing mentoring of both practicing and new clinicians. This study provided novel insight into the fieldof occupational therapy using Ayres Sensory Integration® by developing a deeperunderstanding of therapists’ experiences of the art of therapy
Revisiting the Delphi Technique - Research Thinking and Practice: A Discussion Paper
Full text linkThe Delphi technique is a research methodology which has traditionally been used to gain consensus among experts on complex issues characterised by uncertainty. Pioneered by the Rand Corporation in the 1950s for military applications, it has since been widely adopted across various fields, including nursing, health and social sciences and information systems on an array of multifaceted real-world issues. However, since its inception, the Delphi technique has undergone substantial methodological development and its use has now gone beyond its initial rationale. In the last two decades there has been a growing body of work illustrating an increasing methodological diversity of the method. While such diversity presents possibilities, it also challenges traditional application and methodological rigour. In an attempt to preserve the integrity of the method, generic and discipline specific guidelines have emerged providing general principles and standards. The aim of this paper is to present a much-needed critical reflection on the current application of the Delphi technique and its methodological development and to build on our paper from 2001 (Keeney et al., 2001). While the development of the Delphi method and its evolution are well recognised and reported in the literature, some controversies surrounding the approach remain and it is timely to revisit the method with a critical eye. Ultimately, the Delphi technique's flexibility is its significant strength, enabling the exploration of novel lines of inquiry, but it also presents a challenge. Striking the right balance between flexibility and rigour can lead to more meaningful insights and actionable outcomes from a Delphi study. Yet to achieve this, some level of consensus may need to be reached on the Delphi technique itself.</p
The International Trauma Interview (ITI): development of a semi-structured diagnostic interview and evaluation in a UK sample
Full text linkBackground: The International Trauma Interview (ITI) is a structured clinician-administered measure developed to assess posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD) as defined in the 11th version of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). This study aimed to investigate a psychometric evaluation of the ITI and to finalise the English language version. Method: The latent structure, internal consistency, interrater agreement, and convergent and discriminant validity were evaluated with data from a convenience sample, drawn from an existing research cohort, of 131 trauma exposed participants from the United Kingdom reporting past diagnosis for PTSD or who had screened positively for traumatic stress symptoms. A range of self-report measures evaluating depression, panic, insomnia, dissociation, emotion dysregulation, negative cognitions about self, interpersonal functioning and general wellbeing were completed. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis supported an adjusted second-order two-factor model of PTSD and disturbances in self-organisation (DSO) symptoms, allowing affect dysregulation to also load onto the PTSD factor, over alternative models. The ITI scores showed acceptable internal consistency, and interrater reliability was strong. Findings for convergent and discriminant validity were mostly as predicted for PTSD and DSO domains. Correlations with the ITQ were good but coefficients for the level of agreement of PTSD diagnosis and CPTSD diagnosis between the ITI and the ITQ were weaker, and item level agreement was variable. Conclusion: Results provide support for the reliability and validity of the ITI as a measure of ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD. Final revisions of the ITI are described
Judicial review in the Devolved Nations: a comparative analysis of the judicial review landscape in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland
Full text linkMitigating RGB-D camera errors for robust ultrasonic inspections using a force-torque sensor
Full text linkRobot-based phased array ultrasonic testing is widely used for precise defect detection, particularly in complex geometries and various materials. Compact robots with miniature arms can inspect constrained areas, but payload limitations restrict sensor choice. RGB-D cameras, due to their small size and light weight, capture RGB colour and depth data, creating colourised 3D point clouds for scene representation. These point clouds help estimate surface normals to align the ultrasound transducer on complex surfaces. However, sole reliance on RGB-D cameras can lead to inaccuracies, affecting ultrasonic beam direction and test results. This paper investigates the impact of transducer pose and RGB-D camera limitations on ultrasonic inspections and proposes a novel method using force-torque sensors to mitigate errors from inaccurately estimated normals from the camera. The force-torque sensor, integrated into the robot end effector, provides tactile feedback to the controller, enabling joint angle adjustments to correct errors in the estimated normal. Experimental results show the successful application of ultrasound transducers using this method, even with significant misalignment. Adjustments took approximately 4 seconds to correct deviations from 12.55°, with an additional 4 seconds to ensure the probe was parallel to the surface, enhancing ultrasonic inspection accuracy in complex, constrained environments
Belief-Rule-Based System with Self-organizing and Multi-temporal Modeling for Sensor-based Human Activity Recognition
Full text linkSmart environment is an efficient and cost-effective way to afford intelligent supports for the elderly people. Human activity recognition is a crucial aspect of the research field of smart environments, and it has attracted widespread attention lately. The goal of this study is to develop an effective sensor-based human activity recognition model based on the belief-rule-based system (BRBS), which is one of representative rule-based expert systems. Specially, a new belief rule base (BRB) modeling approach is proposed by taking into account the self- organizing rule generation method and the multi-temporal rule representation scheme, in order to address the problem of combination explosion that existed in the traditional BRB modelling procedure and the time correlation found in continuous sensor data in chronological order. The new BRB modeling approach is so called self-organizing and multi-temporal BRB (SOMT-BRB) modeling procedure. A case study is further deducted to validate the effectiveness of the SOMT-BRB modeling procedure. By comparing with some conventional BRBSs and classical activity recognition models, the results show a significant improvement of the BRBS in terms of the number of belief rules, modelling efficiency, and activity recognition accuracy.</p
Investigating the eye in Down syndrome as a window to Alzheimer's disease:the REVEAL protocol - a clinical cross-sectional study
Full text linkIntroduction There is a need for early, non-invasive and inexpensive biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which could serve as a proxy measure in prevention and intervention trials that might eventually be suitable for mass screening. People with Down syndrome (DS) are the largest patient group whose condition is associated with a genetically determined increased risk of AD. The REVEAL study aims to examine changes in the structure and function of the eye in individuals with DS compared with those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and cognitively healthy control (HC) individuals. REVEAL will also explore whether these changes are connected to inflammatory markers previously associated with AD.Methods and analysis The protocol describes a cross-sectional, non-interventional, single-centre study recruiting three cohorts, including (1) participants with DS (target n=50; age range, 6–60 years), (2) participants with MCI (target n=50; age range, 50–80 years) and (3) HC participants (target n=50; age range, 50–80 years). The primary research objective is to profile retinal, choroidal and lenticular status using a variety of eye imaging modalities and retinal functional testing to determine potential associations with cognitive status. The REVEAL study will also measure and compare established blood markers for AD and proteomic and transcriptomic marker profiles between DS, MCI and HC groups. Between-group differences will be assessed with an independent sample t-test and χ2 tests for normally distributed or binary measures, respectively. Multivariate regression analysis will be used to analyse parameters across all three cohorts. Data collection began in October 2023 and is expected to end in October 2025.Ethics and dissemination The study gained a favourable opinion from Health and Social Care Research Ethics Committee A (REC reference 22/NI/0158; approved on 2 December 2022; Amendment 22/0064 Amend 1, 5 April 2023; Amendment 22/0064 Amend 2; 23 May 2024; Amendment 22/0064 Amend 3; 25 June 2024; Amendment 22/0064 Amend 4; 16 January 2025; Amendment 22.0064 Amend 5; 9 May 2025; Amendment 22.0064 Amend 6; 9 June 2025). The study has also been reviewed and approved by the School of Biomedical Sciences Research Ethics Filter Committee within Ulster University. Findings from the REVEAL study will be presented to academic audiences at international conferences and peer-reviewed publications in targeted high-impact journals after data collection and analysis are complete. Dissemination activities will also include presentations at public events
Screening strategies and production of biosurfactants (BSs)/bioemulsifiers (BEs) from marine yeasts and fungi
Full text linkThe unique characteristics of the marine ecosystem support the existence of microorganisms with exceptional metabolic potential, enabling them to produce high-value bioactives. Among these, biosurfactants (BSs) and bioemulsifiers (BEs) are notable multifaceted molecules, distinguished by their unique structural, molecular, and functional properties. Marine yeasts and fungi produce BSs/BEs with distinctive properties in terms of stability under extreme conditions. It is important to mention here that in comparison to marine bacteria, yeast and fungi of the same habitat have been explored only intermittently. Some of the BSs/BEs producing bacteria may prove to have some pathogenic or cytotoxic traits or components, while most yeasts are mainly classified as Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) (by the Food and Drug Administration-FDA, USA), making their BSs/BEs products more amenable for a wide range of applications. The diverse and unique potential of surface-active agents is further enhanced by the endosymbiotic associations often found in marine yeasts and fungi. These microorganisms are acknowledged to produce glycolipidic (rhamnolipids, sophorolipids, and mannosylerythritol lipids) or glycolipoproteins. The SL have been reported well for their strong antimicrobial activity, including effectiveness against drug-resistant pathogens, making them promising candidates for controlling foodborne pathogens in the food industry. Furthermore, these microorganisms can utilize a broad range of carbon sources from simple substrates, like glucose and glycerol, to complex feedstocks such as food, oil, agricultural waste, and wastewater, which not only support their growth but also promote the production of substantial yields of these BSs/BEs. In this review, we endeavor to explore BSs/BEs from marine yeasts and fungi, including the screening, characterization, identification, production, and importance
