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Which infrastructure can I use to share human neuroimaging data? A survey and literature review on current solutions for EU researchers
Get PDFThe ability to share research data publicly is crucial for enhancing statistical power, improving the quality of results, and ensuring the generalizability of findings. Despite the widespread availability of web-based tools and collaborative opportunities, sharing human neuroimaging data remains challenging for researchers based in the European Union (EU) due to various obstacles. In particular, many of the infrastructures available to share brain imaging data do not comply with the General Data Protection Rule (GDPR), which is applicable in the EU for all data that come from human participants. To investigate the awareness and utilization of data sharing platforms, we conducted a global survey targeting neuroimaging researchers. Our findings showed that amongst the 81 respondents, less than 50% were familiar with an infrastructure designed for EU researchers and about 20% had already shared data. Respondents also identified several key challenges, including legal compliance and privacy concerns, resource and infrastructure limitations, ethical considerations, institutional barriers, and awareness gaps. These results underscore the critical need to better publicize data sharing platforms that may be used by EU researchers. Here, we compiled a comprehensive list of infrastructures suitable for EU researchers to share brain imaging datasets from human participants
Nonlinear Decoupling Control of Multiport Resonant Converters Based on Gray Wolf Optimization Algorithm
Get PDFIn this article, a novel power decoupling method for multiport resonant converters (MRCs) is proposed. Due to the natural coupling of resonant impedances and phase-shift angles between each port, the transient performance of MRC is usually poor. To mitigate this issue, a power decoupling method based on the gray wolf optimization (GWO) algorithm is proposed. This algorithm can iterate and find the optimum value of phase-shift angles quickly and accurately compared to other iteration methods. Furthermore, the proposed method does not require linearization and parameter estimation algorithms, which makes it robust to operate at all operating points and parameter mismatch. In addition, a simple online implementation with a digital signal processor is also given. The performance of the proposed method is compared with several existing methods and validated using results from both simulations and laboratory-scaled experimental hardware. The results show that the maximum overshoots during step changes in load and power reference can be significantly reduced from 20% to 27% to only 7%–9%
Tangible visualisation for risk communication and planning in heat emergency events: a case study in Nottingham City, UK
No full textObjectives We explored the use of tangible visualisation (2D data projections onto a 3D city map) for engaging members of the public and the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Local Resilience Forum (LRF) and to explore its potential for risk communication and collaborative emergency planning. Study design Exploratory workshop study of tangible visualisation of heat vulnerability in Nottingham City. Methods Publicly available data from Office for National Statistics (ONS) were used to create tangible visualisation of heat vulnerability on a Projected Augmented Relief Model (PARM). Risk perception was obtained before and after interaction with PARM, followed by a 2.5h focus groups (n=8) with members of the public and LRF. Results The use of PARM significantly increased risk perception of heat events for all workshop attendees (W=33, z=2.11, p=0.035) with a large effect size (0.74). The data showed that PARM helped Nottinghamshire and Nottingham LRF improve their understanding of the scale and issues associated with heat vulnerability. Furthermore, PARM also helped them assess the viability of emergency planning measures and explore or discuss various options of emergency strategies and resource allocation. Conclusion Tangible visualisation can play an important role in influencing risk perception and supporting collaborative emergency planning measures
Co-creating community engagement and involvement strategies: understanding challenges and needs of people living with multiple long-term conditions and stakeholders’ perspectives in India and Nepal
Get PDFLiving with multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs) presents significant healthcare and patient-level challenges, which are further compounded by fragmented and poorly coordinated healthcare systems, leading to difficulties in access, dissatisfaction with quality of services, non-engagement with treatment protocols and poor outcomes. Overcoming these barriers requires a strong and equitable primary healthcare system that prioritises people-centred care and fosters meaningful community engagement. We aimed to understand how individuals with MLTCs navigate healthcare systems and co-create strategies to support community engagement. 10 community conversations (n=90 respondents) were held in New Delhi, Jodhpur, Visakhapatnam (India), Duwakot and Bhaktapur (Nepal) between October–November 2021. These structured discussions explored experiences, beliefs, needs and perceptions of people living with MLTCs, caregivers and healthcare providers. Participants included adults aged 30–75 years, with an equal distribution of men and women. Respondents living with MLTCs reported conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory diseases and mental health conditions. Using a six-step inductive thematic analysis, we examined access, availability, affordability of healthcare services, continuity of care, expectations of health system interventions—electronic decision support system, assisted telemedicine, patient-facing services and community engagement and involvement (CEI). Six key themes emerged: (1) definition of community; (2) disease labelling, identity, social stigma, discrimination and coping mechanisms among people living with MLTCs; (3) access, availability and affordability of medications and healthcare services and associated challenges in receiving care; (4) role of local leaders, decision makers and healthcare professionals; (5) uptake, acceptability and building capacity on use of digital interventions such as telemedicine for healthcare service delivery; (6) community engagement methods, including the need for creation of community champions and innovative approaches to improve healthcare service delivery. The findings highlight significant barriers to accessing care yet also demonstrate the community’s readiness to embrace digital tools, especially when guided and supported by trusted local leaders. These insights have key implications for health policy and programme design. Meaningfully engaging people with lived experiences as community champions can improve trust, screening, early diagnosis and self-management, while also bridging gaps between communities and health systems. Digital health interventions such as telemedicine should be embedded within primary care systems through culturally resonant and locally tailored approaches that build digital literacy and foster acceptance. Co-created CEI strategies can help design more equitable, people-centred and scalable health interventions
Deus Ex Machina: An Ethnographic Exploration of Technology, Death and Decision‐Making in Respiratory Care
Get PDFNoninvasive advanced respiratory support (NARS) is widely used in acute respiratory failure, including at the end of life, where its use is ethically and emotionally fraught. This ethnographic study examines how decisions to initiate, sustain or withdraw NARS are negotiated within the institutional and moral complexities of a UK hospital. Drawing on fieldwork including nonparticipant observation, reflective fieldnotes and composite narratives, this paper explores how dying is not simply recognised but discursively produced through clinical interactions. Guided by Foucault's concept of power/knowledge and Orlikowski's theory of technology-in-practice, this study shows how authority circulates unevenly across professional boundaries and how machines become nonhuman actors that structure time, command clinical attention and produce epistemically privileged outputs. These outputs, especially blood gas samples, change the flow of power/knowledge and can override patient experience, shaping decisions around palliation. By tracing how clinical truth is co-produced through medical technology, discursive hierarchies and institutional logics, this paper intervenes in sociological debates on end-of-life care, technological agency and the moral labour of frontline staff. It argues that recognising dying is not merely a clinical judgement but an emergent, distributed achievement, one shaped as much by machines and metrics as by human actors
Site-level variation in field of view is associated with altered anti-predator responses in farming damselfish
Get PDFThe three-dimensional (3D) structure of habitats influences how prey detect and respond to predators, but the specific roles of different aspects of structural complexity remain poorly understood, particularly in coral reef ecosystems. We used 3D models of 3 Caribbean reef sites to quantify 3 structural metrics at site level: field of view (the extent of observable area), refuge density (density of holes), and rugosity (reef surface roughness). We then observed the anti-predator behavior of damselfish, parrotfish, and wrasses at each site. Territorial damselfish showed species-specific responses to habitat structure, especially in relation to field of view. Stegastes adustus, for example, exhibited shorter flight initiation distances (FIDs) at the site with the highest field of view, consistent with expectations from optimal escape theory. In contrast, wrasse and parrotfish species showed little variation in behavior across sites, though larger individuals tended to have longer FIDs and flight distances. Refuge density was similar across sites, likely reflecting long-term regional loss of fine-scale complexity in the Caribbean. While rugosity is widely used as a proxy for reef complexity, our results suggest that field of view may be more strongly associated with differences in anti-predator behavior, particularly in damselfish. These findings highlight the need to assess multiple dimensions of habitat structure, as even closely related species may exhibit distinct behavioral adaptations to their 3D environment
Fusion gene depletion eliminates stemness and induces bidirectional differentiation of acute myeloid leukemia
Get PDFChromosomal rearrangements that generate novel fusion genes are a hallmark of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Depletion experiments in cell line models have suggested that their continued expression is required for maintaining their leukemic phenotype and that fusion genes therefore represent ideal cancer-specific therapeutic targets. However, the extent to which this result holds true for the different stages of hematopoietic development in primary cells and whether therapeutic agents can be efficiently delivered to those cells is still unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that primary AML cells harboring the chromosomal translocation t(8;21) are critically dependent on the corresponding fusion gene, RUNX1::RUNX1T1, to suppress differentiation and maintain stemness. Silencing RUNX1::RUNX1T1 expression using small interfering RNA (siRNA)–loaded lipid nanoparticles induces substantial changes in chromatin accessibility, thereby redirecting the leukemia-associated transcriptional network toward a myeloid differentiation program. Single-cell analyses reveal that this transcriptional reprogramming is associated with the depletion of immature stem and progenitor-like cell populations, accompanied by an expansion of granulocytic and eosinophilic/mast cell–like populations with impaired self-renewal capacity. These findings underscore the essential role of RUNX1::RUNX1T1 in sustaining AML and highlight the therapeutic potential of targeting fusion gene expression in primary AML cells
ADHD and attachment in care settings: implications for clinical and wellness practice
Get PDFCurrent debates on the intersection of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and attachment theory risk being stalled by theoretical silos. While the ABC+D model and the Dynamic-Maturational Model (DMM) both draw from Ainsworth’s foundational attachment classifications, they offer divergent interpretations of fear, continuity, and developmental change. This article argues that the lack of conceptual integration between these models obscures clinical understanding of ADHD-related relational patterns, and risks conflating neurodevelopmental symptoms with the sequelae of relational trauma. This paper provides a perspective that illustrates points of convergence and divergence between the two frameworks, exploring how each conceptualises security, fear, developmental trajectories, and the role of caregiving environments. Special attention is given to the clinical implications of misattributing behaviours rooted in neurodevelopmental processes to relational trauma, and vice versa. It calls for future research that bridges model-specific limitations and for clinical practice that adopts an integrative, nuanced approach to assessment and intervention. We outline non-diagnostic ways spa and wellness teams can support clients who present with attentional dysregulation and high arousal, including environment adjustments, communication strategies, and clear referral pathways. Recommendations align with trauma-informed, boundaries-led practice appropriate to non-medical settings
People with non-communicable diseases using Ayurveda: a UK-based qualitative study
No full textIntroduction: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United Kingdom, placing significant pressure on the National Health Service (NHS). Despite the growing popularity of Ayurveda for managing NCDs, little is known about its use among people with these conditions in the United Kingdom. This study explored the experiences and perspectives of people with NCDs who use Ayurveda to manage their conditions in the United Kingdom. Methods: Twenty qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with UK-based adults with NCDs. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Findings: Three key themes were identified. First, participants chose Ayurveda due to its alignment with personal values like natural, holistic healing and dissatisfaction with Western medicine, particularly side effects and impersonal care. Second, they reported positive experiences with Ayurvedic treatment, including personalised consultations, diverse treatment options and improved health outcomes. Third, participants highlighted challenges in sustaining Ayurvedic care, such as concerns over product safety, difficulty following complex regimens, limited medicine availability and financial barriers—especially since treatments are not covered by the NHS. Conclusion: People living with NCDs described Ayurveda as a more natural and philosophically congruent healing system, reflecting their cultural and personal perspectives. Despite structural and financial challenges, they considered it a relevant option for managing their conditions. These findings suggest that Ayurveda continues to hold significance as a complementary approach to NCD management in the United Kingdom
Using mixed methods and community participation to explore household and ambient air pollution practices in a rural community in Malawi
Get PDFAim: Globally, household and ambient air pollution (HAAP) accounts for almost 7 million premature deaths each year. Over half of these are from incomplete biomass fuel combustion in open fires and inefficient cookstoves. Solutions to the problem remain challenging due to cost, people’s perception of pollution and unsuitability to meet user needs. Subject and methods: We used mixed methods and participatory approaches to measure and understand practices and beliefs relating to HAAP in a low-resource community in Malawi. Eighty-six households were randomly sampled for the survey, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels were measured in 46 kitchens and four ambient locations, and 38 households were engaged during participatory transect walks. We analysed the data using descriptive and thematic analysis. Results: Kitchen PM2.5 levels far exceeded the World Health Organization’s recommended safe levels. Open-burning practices further contributed to ambient air pollution in the community. While there was high awareness of smoke in cooking areas, participants did not associate it with adverse health outcomes. Availability and affordability of cleaner alternatives influenced household energy choices. Integrating participatory methods alongside quantitative data allowed an in-depth understanding of the community’s practices and relationship with HAAP. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that energy poverty is a key factor in access to clean energy sources and highlight the importance of engaging communities to design HAAP interventions that meet their physical, socioeconomic and cultural needs
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