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Applications of artificial intelligence for chemical analysis and monitoring of pharmaceutical and personal care products in water and wastewater: A review.
Get PDFSpecifying and interpreting the occurrence of emerging pollutants is essential for assessing treatment processes and plants, conducting wastewater-based epidemiology, and advancing environmental toxicology research. In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has been increasingly applied to enhance chemical analysis and monitoring of contaminants in environmental water and wastewater. However, their specific roles targeting pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) have not been reviewed sufficiently. This review aims to narrow the gap by highlighting, scoping, and discussing the incorporation of AI during the detection and quantification of PPCPs when utilising chemical analysis equipment and interpreting their monitoring data for the first time.
In the chemical analysis of PPCPs, AI-assisted prediction of chromatographic retention times and collision cross-sections (CCS) in suspect and non-target screenings using high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) enhances detection confidence, reduces analysis time, and lowers costs. AI also aids in interpreting spectroscopic analysis results. However, this approach still cannot be applied in all matrices, as it offers lower sensitivity than liquid chromatography coupled with tandem or HRMS.
For the interpretation of monitoring of PPCPs, unsupervised AI methods have recently presented the capacity to survey regional or national community health and socioeconomic factors. Nevertheless, as a challenge, long-term monitoring data sources are not given in the literature, and more comparative AI studies are needed for both chemical analysis and monitoring. Finally, AI assistance anticipates more frequent applications of CCS prediction to enhance detection confidence and the use of AI methods in data processing for wastewater-based epidemiology and community health surveillance
Roundtable discussion: policy, data and the UK's hidden screen industries
Get PDFOn 8th July 2024, industry leaders Steve Davies and Steve Garvey met at the British Film Institute (BFI) to discuss research and policy issues with the PI and Co-I of the AHRC Hidden Screen Industries network (Emily Caston and Patrick Russell), along with Ian Cade of the BFI’s Research and Statistics Unit. Topics covered included tax reliefs, screen skills, diversity and inclusion, the lack of research on advertising screen production and branded film, and priorities for future research. A selection of excerpts of the key points arising in the discussion are presented in this final contribution to the Special Dossier on Hidden Screen Industries
The association between anti-smoking legislation and prevalence of acute respiratory illnesses in Indian children
Get PDFObjective: Exposure to tobacco smoke causes numerous health problems in children, and create burden on the population in terms of economy, morbidity and mortality. In order to protect the child from exposure to tobacco smoke in the outdoor environment, sufficient legislative enactments are available in Indian legislation. The objective of the present study is to investigate the fact that in absence of any specific laws stating about protection of children from exposure to tobacco smoke in indoor environment, whether outdoor related legislations are sufficient to protect children from exposureand to explore the scope for enforcement of both state and central laws in improving health of children in India.
Study Design: The study considered cross-sectional survey data of Demographic and Health Survey Data on India, National Family and Health Survey fourth round (NFHS-4) for the year 2015-16 on Indian children (below age of four).
Methods: Both bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess the impact of anti-smoking laws on the prevalence of acute respiratory infection (ARI) based on the place of residence, indoor tobacco smoke exposure and age of the child.
Results: The results have shown an inclination of ARI among children in association with states having single law, rural area resident, exposure to indoor tobacco smoke and age of the child, both as independent or in combination are quite conspicuous, and are found to be underestimated. The logistic regression also revealed the influence of these factors both as independent and even in interaction with other.
Conclusions: Legislative intervention through both at central (or national)and state levels through anti-smoking laws will decrease the indoor tobacco smoke exposure as a result ARI prevalence will also decrease among children in India
Managing epilepsy in the community: exploring the perspectives of community epilepsy nurse
Get PDFEpilepsy care is known to have evolved dramatically worldwide, but achieving optimal care remains a challenge. In the field of neurological disorder, epilepsy is one of the most disabling diseases and it has a significant personal, social, and economic impact1. People with epilepsy often have multiple healthcare needs and the current international healthcare policy advocate the adoption of a holistic approach to provide patient centered care (PCC) 1. The Epilepsy specialist nurse (EN) has a vital role to play within the epilepsy care team and they help to reduce unnecessary use of hospital facilities and enhance the quality of life of the patients
Consuming royalty: promotional narratives and the British royal family
Get PDFThe article examines the intersections of the British royal family and consumer culture, with a focus on the coronation of King Charles III. Conducting a content analysis of visual elements, captions and/or hashtags of sponsored posts, stories, and reels that promoted the British monarchy in the week leading up to the Coronation on 6 May 2023, we found that there is a shifting landscape when it comes to the British royals, tradition, lifestyle, and consumption. The study demonstrates that while brands from diverse corporations contribute enduring appeal of the British royals, and with narratives appearing to bridge the gap between royalty and the public, contemporary promotional narratives did shift focus from the sovereign and royal family to the broader institution of royalty
EVALUATION OF F0 STABILITY IN SPEECH AND SINGING USING LARYNGEAL BIOIMPEDANCE MEASUREMENTS.
Get PDFWithin human interaction, speech and singing represent essential and primordial forms of communication. The differentiation between these acts is hypothesised to be highly dependent on the stability of their fundamental frequency. Voice analysis is inherently dependent on the use of microphone which can make an accurate analysis of the fundamental frequency computationally dispendious and susceptible to noisy environments. In turn, current studies on singing–speaking distinction mainly rely on acoustical evaluation. The presented research seeks to provide a statistical analysis of the fundamental frequency variations in speech and singing by means of laryngeal bioimpedance measurements. These signals allow an accurate evaluation of the fundamental frequency whilst reducing the errors arising from noise and acoustic interreferences. A dataset was created containing 2400 laryngeal bioimpedance measurements with a 50:50 ratio of speech and singing. An evaluation of the fundamental frequency variability was conducted using the YIN pitch estimation method on batches of 200 randomly selected samples (100 of speech and 100 of singing). A statistical evaluation was then conducted to compute the variability of the fundamental frequency across the batches, The results support the hypothesis for which fundamental frequency stability is highly impactful in the distinction of speech and singing with speech displaying a substantially higher variability across all batches
Re-imagining Healthy Ageing Through the Lens of Flagship Campaigns: An Introduction
No full textThe Decade of Healthy Ageing 2021–2030 and related campaigns are promising initiatives aimed at supporting older adults and their families. Some crises that are experienced globally (e.g. climate change, natural disaster/earthquake, war/violence, infectious diseases, and extreme industrialisation), however, can offset the desired outcomes of these campaigns and make their action plans unachievable. This edited book offers an interdisciplinary discourse on how healthy ageing can be made more realistic amidst crises. It reframes healthy ageing using action plans of flagship campaigns as a lens and comprises 15 chapters contributed by 43 authors in 13 countries. The multidisciplinary nature of the book’s authorship underscores the applicability of its models and evidence in a wide spectrum of disciplines, including public health, architecture, sociology, engineering, finance, human resources management, geography, and social marketing. The themes covered span action plans of the Decade of Healthy Ageing 2021–2030 related to age-friendly communities, ageism, and research data and evidence for healthy ageing. The book suggests that healthy ageing is analogous to ‘sustainable ageing’ in contexts experiencing crises where individuals ultimately maintain healthy longevity despite health and social threats
Linguistic correlates of second language users’ attitudes to Arabic and Chinese varieties of English: a verbal guise study
No full textResearch into language attitudes suggests that L2 users often hold
negative attitudes toward their own and others’ L2 accents.
However, less is known about specific features that affect these
attitudes. Beinhoff’s study explored consonantal variation and its
impact on perceptions of L2 speakers, but this study further examines
linguistic correlates of L2 users’ attitudes toward Arabic and
Chinese varieties of English. Using the verbal guise method, Arabic
and Chinese male and female speakers read a paragraph in English
with varying L1 influences. Each sample was rated by 30 L2 listeners
on a 6-point semantic differential scale assessing status, solidarity,
and dynamism. Phonological and fluency analyses of the samples
revealed that non-segmental features, such as prosody, play a more
significant role in eliciting positive attitudes toward these English
varieties than do segmental features. These findings highlight the
importance of suprasegmental aspects in shaping listener perceptions
of L2 English speech
Evaluating an interactive tool that reasons about quality of life to support life planning by older people
Get PDFObjectives: In response to the lack of digital support for older people to plan their lives for quality of life, research was undertaken to codesign then evaluate a new digital tool that combined interactive guidance for life planning with a computerised model of quality of life. Method: First, a workshop-based process for co-designing the SCAMPI tool with older people is reported. A first version of this tool was then evaluated over eight consecutive weeks by nine older people living in their own homes. Four of these people were living with Parkinson’s disease, one with early-stage dementia, and four without any diagnosed chronic condition. Regular semi-structured interviews were undertaken with each individual older person and where wanted their life partner. A more in-depth exit interview was conducted at the end of the period of tool use. Themes arising from analyses of content from these interviews was combined with first-hand data collected from the tool’s use to develop a description of how each older people used the tool over the eight weeks. Results: The findings provided first evidence that the co-designed tool, and in particular the computerised model, could offer some value to the older people. Although some struggled to use the tool as it was designed, which led to limited uptake of the tool’s suggestions, the older people reported factoring these suggestions into their longer-term planning, as health and/or circumstances might change.
Conclusions: The paper contributes to the evolving discussion about how to deploy such digital technologies to support quality of life more effectively
Law and Sustainable Development After COVID-19
No full textThis book considers the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the realisation of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
Although efforts towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals are ongoing, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on these efforts: accentuating inequities, as well as absorbing resources. This book addresses this impact, as it takes up the question of how to ensure global recovery – in line with the target for the Sustainable Development Goals – after the pandemic. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, but focusing particularly on the role of law and legal frameworks in this recovery, the book considers the effect of the pandemic on key industries such as shipping, insurance, manufacturing, and banking, as well as on the role of the State and non-State actors. Pursuing an explicitly Global South perspective, the book maintains that in the post-COVID era it is the elaboration a rule of law framework that is in sync with both the Global North and South that is crucial if the Sustainable Development Goals are to be achieved.
This book will be of value to scholars, students and policymakers working in the general area of law and development, but especially those with specific interests in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals