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Developing neural networks to rapidly map crystallographic orientation using laser ultrasound measurements
Get PDFRapid measurement of crystal orientation is critical in the materials discovery process as it facilitates real-time decision-making and quality control. Acoustic inspection methods rapidly characterise microstructure without the need for extensive infrastructure or expense – the laser ultrasonic method known as Spatially Resolved Acoustic Spectroscopy (SRAS) has been developed with this intent and accurately characterises crystal orientation by leveraging a combination of forward modelling and an exhaustive brute force process to obtain the best-fit orientation. While effective, this method is computationally demanding and time-intensive. We introduce a novel approach that utilises neural networks to classify measured acoustic signals into orientation planes to significantly expedite the characterisation process and demonstrate classification on real-world Inconel 617 and CMX4 specimens. A reduction in the orientation determination time from around 10 hours (brute force search) down to 15 seconds (neural network) was achieved while exhibiting an average plane angle difference of between 5.3∘ and 13.8∘
Pursuing systemic improvement through heterarchical school systems: A case of educational resources
Get PDFEngland's schooling landscape is being remodelled and the move from hierarchical to heterarchical modes of governance has implications for systemic change strategies. Balancing local and networked autonomy with centralising policies complexifies choices for schools, creating tensions that this article explores through the context of curriculum resourcing policies. In particular, we consider the contemporary case of mathematics textbook schemes in England's heterarchical school system, comparing them with an earlier resource-driven systemic change programme—the National Numeracy Strategy—which was implemented in a more hierarchical governance system. Drawing on key ideas from implementation science and data from a Wellcome-funded study of primary teacher professional learning in mathematics in England, we exemplify the challenges of implementing centralised improvement policies in a nominally schools-led, self-improving, heterarchical education system. Each of the 19 participating schools had evolved a bespoke curriculum, and these hybridised ‘mashups’ of different resources were enacted with varying degrees of fidelity by teachers. We discuss the implications of this comparative case for systemic improvement, both in the use of educational resources and for policy implementation more generally
A parametrization of nonassociative cyclic algebras of prime degree
Get PDFWe determine and explicitly parametrize the isomorphism classes of nonassociative quaternion algebras over a field of characteristic different from two, as well as the isomorphism classes of nonassociative cyclic algebras of odd prime degree m when the base field contains a primitive mth root of unity. In the course of doing so, we prove that any two such algebras can be isomorphic only if the cyclic field extension and the chosen generator of the Galois group are the same. As an application, we give a parametrization of nonassociative cyclic algebras of prime degree over a local nonarchimedean field F, which is entirely explicit under mild hypotheses on the residual characteristic. In particular, this gives a rich understanding of the important class of nonassociative quaternion algebras up to isomorphism over nonarchimedean local fields
Implementing vocational rehabilitation for people with multiple sclerosis in the UK National Health Service: a mixed-methods feasibility study
Get PDFPurpose: To implement a job retention vocational rehabilitation (VR) intervention (MSVR) for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their employers in the UK National Health Service (NHS). Methods: Multicentre, single-arm feasibility study with post-intervention interviews. MSVR was delivered by an occupational therapist (OT). Feasibility was assessed by recruitment rates, compliance, and practicality of delivery. Acceptability was assessed with post-intervention interviews. A survey assessed change in eight vocational outcomes (e.g., vocational goals, work instability) immediately post-intervention and at 3-month follow-up. Results: Recruitment and training an OT was challenging. Twenty participants with MS, three employers, and three healthcare professionals were recruited. All participants but one completed the intervention. Factors affecting intervention adherence included annual leave and family responsibilities. MSVR was associated with improved vocational goal attainment post-intervention (t(18) = 7.41, p = <0.001) and at follow-up (t(17) = 6.01, p = <0.001). There was no change to the remaining outcomes. Interviews identified six themes: intervention impact, accessibility of support, the OT’s role, readiness for support, workplace supportiveness, and barriers to NHS delivery. Conclusion: Challenges with recruitment, identifying newly diagnosed MS participants, and understanding the OT’s training needs to deliver the intervention were identified. The intervention demonstrated acceptability, but participants wanted it to continue for longer to address further needs
A novel method for fast and efficient numerical simulation of microwave heating in liquids during mixing
Get PDFMicrowave-assisted chemical reactions present potentially more sustainable routes for process intensification compared with traditional approaches, due to the reduction of reaction times, temperatures, and side reactions. Despite the common misconception that microwave heating is uniform, many processes can be expected to show temperature distributions that vary significantly over the volume, even at length scales far below the operating wavelength. Numerical methods are often employed in the design and optimization phase of a given process, however, due to the multitude of interdependent physics required; the fast and efficient modelling of microwave heating in liquids remains a significant challenge, particularly with respect to computational resources. Here, we report a new multi-physics simulation methodology that models microwave heating of liquids during agitation, requiring less computational resources and delivering temperature predictions within 2.78% of relative root mean square error. By applying the frozen rotor approach, near-perfect temperature profiles are predicted at approximately 600 times faster convergence time compared to the conventional sliding mesh method. Our proposed model can be used to mimic real reaction systems in a fast and resource-efficient way
Humans: an integrative review exploring dehumanisation in advanced dementia
Get PDFBackground: People living with advanced dementia risk being seen as someone without personhood in contemporary societies, an understanding that has been described and challenged for decades in dementia scholarly literature. Such perception can be characterised as forms of existential dehumanisation, which still asserts itself in dementia care practices, adversely affecting the ethical and caring aspects of such care. Aim: To challenge dehumanisation in dementia care, we must first learn to recognise what foster it in caring relations. Thus, the aim of our study is to identify existing perceptions of care recipients living with advanced dementia, which elicit dehumanising attitudes among formal caregivers. Research design: We conducted an integrative review based on Whittemore and Knafl’s updated methodology. This allowed us to identify and analyse 26 articles incorporating both qualitative- and quantitative studies as well as theoretical- and grey literature all describing perceptions of care recipients living with dementia that lead to dehumanisation. Ethical considerations: Studying the darker sides in caring relations was to be beneficial in improving dementia care practices. Findings: Through an analytical process five themes that can sprout dehumanising attitudes in caring relations were identified, which include perceiving people living with advanced dementia as (1) absurd, (2) shadow, (3) perilous, (4) void, or (5) repugnant. We argue that these perceptions can be seen as unintentional and stem from a misled embodied perception, which caregivers should learn to recognise and consequently be able to resist through virtue ethics. Conclusion: Our study indicates that challenging dehumanisation is a practical matter of identifying and reacting in a timely way to ones misled embodied perceptions. We suggest the five themes offer a potential means to warn formal caregivers of impending dehumanising attitudes and help them to review how they ethically are thinking and perceiving the person living with advanced dementia
Dilemmas of Care (Re) Allocation: Care and Consumption in Pandemic Times
Get PDFStudies into the ethical aspects of consumption tend to focus on a limited class of actions that are explicitly understood as “ethical consumption”. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic provided a context in which other ethical issues and questions of whom we should care for first, and how, suddenly and dramatically gained salience. This article draws on the care literature to explore the reconfiguration of consumption decisions and dilemmas during this period. Building on twenty-eight in-depth interviews, it considers the temporal and spatial dimensions of care and consumption and examines various ethical and ideological considerations that arose, particularly regarding the allocation of care in the face of competing demands. Subsequently, the article problematises mainstream accounts of ethical consumption, arguing for considering a plurality of ethics present within decisions about consumption. It concludes with a call to incorporate a more capacious understanding of care in broader discussions of ethics in consumption
Dual Migrations in Croatia: The Technopopulist Strains of Statebuilding in the New Borderlands of Europe
Get PDFThis article examines the technopopulist strains of statebuilding in Croatia, drawing on the history, language, and culture approaches in Slavonic studies. Through its exploration of EU migration governance in Croatia, the article discusses the dual migrations of citizens and non-citizens, namely the outward migration of Croatians and the inward migration of migrants and refugees from non-EU states. The article argues that Croatia is finding itself in a semi-peripheral relationship, reviving historical national concerns over its status as a militarized borderland–the antemurale of the EU. Croatia’s experience has potential insights for other countries on international political fault lines such as Ukraine
Towards a common definition of hospital-acquired deconditioning in adults: a scoping review
Get PDFBackground Hospital-acquired deconditioning is a term used in clinical practice, describing a loss of physical and/or cognitive function associated with hospitalisation. Previous reviews have addressed interventions, its prevalence in older adults and potential assessment tools. However, each review has reported a core limitation, the need for an agreed-upon definition and diagnostic criteria for hospital-acquired deconditioning. Objective We aimed to identify key components used to define hospital-acquired deconditioning in adults. We sought to do this by identifying diagnostic criteria, describing how authors operationalised Hospital- Acquired Deconditioning (HAD), and describing differences between HAD and other immobility-linked syndromes. This article focuses on how hospital-acquired deconditioning is understood and operationalised. Design A scoping review using the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for evidence synthesis. Eligibility criteria Published in English after 1 January 1990, investigating adults over 18, set in inpatient rehabilitation or acute care settings, and including either a definition or description of hospital-acquired deconditioning or an outline of strategies to assess, prevent or manage hospital-acquired deconditioning. Sources of evidence Published and grey literature, no restriction was placed on study design. Charting methods Relevant data, where available, was extracted from each source using a proprietary data extraction template. Results One hundred and three articles were included from 2403 retrieved results. Thirty-three were from rehabilitation or post-acute care settings, 53 from acute care, 15 from intensive care and two from other settings. The literature was diverse in methodology and research question addressed. Hospital-acquired deconditioning was poorly defined, no consistent patterns were identified in aetiology and sequelae; diagnostic criteria were not fully agreed on. Conclusions The literature on hospital-acquired deconditioning is large, diverse and incomplete. Further work is required to develop a shared definition of hospital-acquired deconditioning, enabling researchers to coalesce for better understanding of the phenomenon, and clinicians, in turn, to better treat and mitigate against it. Review registration OSF: https://osf.io/b5sgw/
Safety, Belonging and Success in Education for Refugees in Europe: A Systematic Review
Get PDFThis systematic review aims to explore refugees' educational access, experiences and outcomes in Europe since 2015. The review follows a systematic process of reviewing and synthesising texts compiled in the Hub for Education for Refugees in Europe (HERE) Knowledge Base to fill gaps in knowledge about the educational trajectories of learners of refugee and forced migrant backgrounds who have arrived in Europe. The review includes studies that focus on all forms of educational provision and services for refugees and forced migrants in Europe: formal, non-formal and informal. The review also takes a meta-ethnographic approach to data analysis and synthesis. Key findings highlight the interconnectedness of safety, belonging and success in education for learners with refugee and forced migrant backgrounds and the necessity of economic redistribution, cultural recognition and political participation for achieving these goals
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