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Machine learning for mortality prediction: do we need yet another model?
No full textNo abstract available
Conducting reflexive research: insights from the compilation of a teaching toolkit at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK
Get PDFThis case study is based on original research for a new teaching toolkit at the University of East Anglia (UEA), in Norwich, UK. The toolkit seeks to support the cultivation of equitable, fair, and dignified learning environments in UK Higher Education. It is grounded in decolonial principles that emphasize the relevance of ongoing reflexivity and critical awareness while striving for social justice. Primary data collection for the toolkit consisted of two components: examples of teaching or teaching-related practice, submitted by members of staff at the university; and students’ insights of their learning experiences, shared with the toolkit team through an online survey and interviews that were held either face-to-face or online. The case study refers to the student survey and interviews only, conducted between May and July 2022. We discuss the features, challenges and opportunities of our data collection approach, which was based on reflexive research practice. The central elements of reflexive research practice entail ongoing awareness of researchers’ and research participants’ positionality, and critical reflection about the power dynamics that affect the interplay between researchers, research participants and their research environment. Readers will learn about the practical steps that we took to reduce the power asymmetries between researchers and research participants; the strategies that we followed to ensure that participants felt safe and respected when sharing their insights about sensitive topics relating to lived experiences of racialisation, ethnicity, nationality, gender, and class; and the relevance of ongoing communication and debriefing among the research team
NK3 receptor antagonist alters centrally controlled perception of menopausal flushing – a pilot study
No full textObjective:
Kisspeptin/neurokinin/dynorphin (KNDy) signaling links reproductive and thermoregulatory systems, and improvements in menopausal flushing are reported with neurokinin 3 receptor (NK3R) antagonists. A rise in brainstem activity preceding a flush has been proposed as its functional origin, with subsequent activity in the insula and prefrontal cortices reflecting individual perception. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), this study investigated the central effect of the NK3R antagonist MLE4901 during a flush, particularly functional connectivity changes in the salience network.
Method:
Five postmenopausal women with flushes completed a 1-week flush diary prior to baseline fMRI, during which hot flushes were triggered by heating. Diaries were continued during 7 days of treatment with the NK3R antagonist MLE4901, with repeat fMRI on day 7. Sternal monitors recorded objective flushing before each fMRI. Connectivity changes in the salience network post flush were assessed.
Results:
Treatment with MLE4901 reduced the subjective flush frequency (from median 6.9 to 1.1 per day; p = 0.02) without changes in objective flushes. Treatment decreased right anterior insula connectivity, which correlated significantly with decreased subjective flushing.
Conclusion:
This pilot study demonstrates decreased connectivity in the salience network during NK3R antagonist treatment. This may indicate areas of interest for further targeted fMRI studies and mechanistic investigation of this novel treatment for flushing
Ever distant union: the EU (In)action during COVID-19 as a source of disruptive dissensus
Get PDFThis article provides a new perspective on EU exit as an exemplary form of disruptive dissensus or extreme Euroscepticism by examining how it is shaped by people’s attitudes towards the Union’s actions during the COVID-19 pandemic. We test how the dissatisfaction about how the EU handled the pandemic limited the trust in how it would manage it in the future, and influences a preference to exit the EU. We use a multi-level statistical model which combines individual-level data from a Eurobarometer survey and country-level characteristics from all 27 EU member states. The results indicate that disruptive dissensus is linked to both the retrospective and prospective attitudes towards the EU policy initiatives, even when controlling for the severity of the pandemic as well as the populists in government at the country level. We also find that the link between specific and diffuse support at the EU level holds during crises
Co-production as an approach for developing youth advocacy videos on countering unhealthy food marketing and e-cigarette advertising
No full textBackground: Community-based participatory research has been a cornerstone of health promotion and public health for over two decades, providing a foundation for co-production approaches that actively involve communities in the design and implementation of interventions. This paper examines the application of co-production as a research approach for developing youth advocacy videos on countering unhealthy food marketing and e-cigarette advertising.
Methodology: The research to co-produce videos was conducted with 33 young people aged between 12 and 16 living in the Central Belt of Scotland. The research comprised four stages: workshops, photovoice, focus groups and video development.
Results: The findings presented are derived from the co-production process involved in creating two youth advocacy videos on unhealthy food marketing and e-cigarette advertising. Through this approach, young co-researchers were provided with opportunities to both learn about and conduct research, fostering their active involvement at every stage of the project. Co-production with young co-researchers enhanced the relevance and impact of advocacy videos, empowering participants through authentic collaboration. While challenges like power dynamics, engagement, and ethical considerations arose, fostering trust, inclusivity, and skill-building ensured success. The project highlighted the importance of youth-led approaches in creating relatable content and developing leadership and practical skills for broader applications. The advocacy videos produced in this study emphasise the critical importance of engaging young co-researchers in the research process. They highlight the necessity of safeguarding young people from harmful advertising practices while empowering them to take an active role in shaping health interventions.
Conclusion: This research underscores the value of co-production in health promotion, demonstrating its effectiveness in tailoring interventions to the unique perspectives and needs of the target audience. Notably, it also addresses a significant gap in the existing evidence base, which has historically focused on individual interventions rather than systemic or community-level approaches
Effects of the nonsteroidal MRA finerenone with and without concomitant SGLT2 inhibitor use in heart failure
Get PDFBACKGROUND:
Patients with heart failure (HF) with mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction face heightened long-term risks of morbidity and mortality. Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and the nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist finerenone have both been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in this population, but the effects of their combined use are not known.
METHODS:
FINEARTS-HF (Finerenone Trial to Investigate Efficacy and Safety Superior to Placebo in Patients With Heart Failure) was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of finerenone in patients with HF and left ventricular ejection fraction ≥40%. Baseline SGLT2i use was a prespecified subgroup. The primary outcome was a composite of total (first and recurrent) worsening HF events and cardiovascular death. We first assessed for evidence of treatment heterogeneity on the basis of baseline SGLT2i use. We further examined SGLT2i uptake during the trial and evaluated the treatment effects of finerenone accounting for baseline and during-trial use of SGLT2i in time-varying analyses.
RESULTS:
Among 6001 participants, 817 (13.6%) were treated with an SGLT2i at baseline. During 2.6 years median follow-up, treatment with finerenone similarly reduced the risk of the primary outcome in participants treated with an SGLT2i (rate ratio, 0.83 [95% CI, 0.60–1.16]) and without an SGLT2i at baseline (rate ratio, 0.85 [95% CI, 0.74–0.98]; Pinteraction=0.76). In follow-up, 980 participants initiated SGLT2i, which was less frequent in the finerenone arm compared with placebo (17.7% versus 20.1%; hazard ratio, 0.86 [95% CI, 0.76–0.97]). Time-updated analyses accounting for baseline and subsequent use of SGLT2i did not meaningfully alter the treatment effects of finerenone on the primary end point.
CONCLUSIONS:
The treatment benefits of the nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist finerenone were observed irrespective of concomitant use of an SGLT2i. These data suggest that the combined use of SGLT2i and a nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist may provide additive protection against cardiovascular events in patients with HF with mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction.
REGISTRATION:
URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT04435626
Beyond Clicks: Eye-Tracking Insights into User Responses to Different Recommendation Types
No full textModern recommender systems increasingly rely on implicit human feedback to enhance recommendation quality, personalization,
and user engagement. In e-commerce, eye-tracking has emerged
as a valuable tool for capturing attention and preference, yet little
work has explored how users behave across different recommendation categories. In this study, we analyse eye-tracking data from
users exposed to four recommendation types—Exact, Substitute,
Complement, and Irrelevant—in a query-based setting. Our results
reveal consistent patterns: users exhibit predictable, text-focused
viewing for Exact and Substitute items, while Complement and
Irrelevant items trigger more distributed, exploratory behaviour.
Notably, Irrelevant items elicit higher emotional arousal associated
with disengagement—a pattern not seen with Complement items,
suggesting the latter may increase diversity without harming user
experience. These findings highlight the importance of considering
recommendation context in user modelling, and provide a foundation for future work on context-aware recommender systems and
the use of eye-tracking data
Can a Check List Debrief Toll Help to Standardise Non-Technical Skills Learning Across Different Undergraduate Groups? Faculty Opinion Vs Student Learning Feedback
No full textNo abstract available
ALPHA-NET: Intelligent Agent-Based Coordination for Real-Time Optimization in Mission-Critical Applications
No full textUltra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) has become essential for mission-critical applications such as autonomous systems, remote surgery, and industrial automation. This growing demand has been a key driver behind the development and deployment of fifth-generation (5G) networks and is influencing the design of future 6G systems. However, dynamic traffic patterns and limited bandwidth, particularly during peak load conditions, lead to network congestion, packet loss, and reduced reliability, undermining URLLC performance. This paper proposes ALPHA-NET (Agentic Latency and Prioritization for High-Availability Networks), an Agentic AI framework that dynamically prioritizes bandwidth allocation to reduce latency and improve reliability in mission-critical 5G/6G networks. The proposed system outperforms traditional bandwidth management strategies by leveraging a decentralized multi-agent architecture and real-time monitoring execution. ALPHA-Net consists of three collaborative agents: a latency monitoring agent, a bandwidth slicing agent, and a traffic forecasting agent. These agents operate through an on-demand, distributed infrastructure to enable real-time decision-making with minimal overhead. Simulation results demonstrate a 62.8% reduction in packet loss and a 22% improvement in critical bandwidth allocation compared to baseline approaches. These findings highlight the potential of intelligent, adaptive coordination for resilient next-generation network management
Contingency-aware spatiotemporal optimization for safe autonomous vehicle trajectory planning
No full textAutonomous lane changing requires balancing safety, comfort, and efficiency while managing complex spatiotemporal vehicle interactions. Current methods often separate risk assessment from trajectory planning, leading to either conservative or unsafe maneuvers. This paper presents a contingency-aware spatiotemporal optimization framework that integrates dynamic risk assessment and trajectory optimization to ensure the autonomous host vehicle (HV) achieve safer, more efficient lane changes. First, the HV uses a dynamic risk field method to assess the collision risk with surrounding vehicles (SVs) in real-time, integrating dynamic obstacle interactions through modified Gaussian distributions. Second, a spatiotemporal safety corridor construction scheme leverages regression-based boundaries to transform spatiotemporal requirements into manageable optimization constraints. Third, the HV adopts a contingency-aware model predictive control framework that incorporates SVs uncertainty for human-like lane changes. The formulated optimization problem is solved using sequential quadratic programming with stability and recursive feasibility. Simulations confirm that our approach ensures safety and comfort of the HV across lane changing scenarios, achieving smoother trajectories, improved stability, and enhanced safety margins, with up to 95% reductions in longitudinal and lateral accelerations and a 27% decrease in lane-changing time
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