70015 research outputs found
Sort by
A multicentred two-arm parallel single-blind superiority randomised controlled trial comparing psychological and emotional stabilisation with eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing and treatment-as-usual to treatment-as-usual with adults with intellectual disabilities who have post-traumatic stress disorder (the Trauma-AID trial): protocol
No full textIntroduction
The primary objective of this clinical trial is to determine the clinical and cost-effectiveness of psychoeducation and emotional stabilisation (PES), together with eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) plus treatment-as-usual (TAU) in reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among adults with intellectual disabilities compared with TAU. Secondary objectives include: (1) determining whether PES/EMDR plus TAU is superior to TAU in improving mental health problems and quality of life (QoL) among adults with intellectual disabilities who had a diagnosis of PTSD and (2) completing a process evaluation to examine intervention implementation and acceptability.
Methods
This is a two-arm parallel single-blind randomised controlled trial comparing PES-EMDR+TAU to TAU including an internal pilot phase. Outcome data will be captured prior to randomisation, and at 4 (after PES), 8 (after EMDR) and 14 months postrandomisation by masked assessors. 144 adults with intellectual disabilities with a diagnosis of PTSD will be allocated (1:1) randomly using minimisation from National Health Service (NHS) community and inpatients services for adults with intellectual disabilities in England. Participants are eligible to take part in this trial if: (1) they are aged 18 or older, but younger than 66, (2) have a Full Scale IQ<75, (3) meet diagnostic criteria for PTSD and (4) have suffered a major identified trauma at least a year earlier and (5) are able to communicate using English and have capacity to consent to take part in this clinical trial. Participants allocated to the active intervention will receive 10 sessions of PES, followed by up to 15 sessions of EMDR alongside TAU. The active intervention is being delivered by psychologists experienced in working with adults with intellectual disabilities who have received additional intervention training. TAU is likely to include medication, behaviour support plans designed to target challenging behaviour, or non-trauma-focused psychological interventions. The primary outcome is a measure of PTSD symptoms. Secondary outcomes are other mental health problems, including anxiety and depression, challenging behaviour, participant and carer QoL, and carer burden. We are also capturing cost data to allow for a cost–utility analysis. A process evaluation will be completed using data generated from semistructured interviews with a sample of participants, therapists and carers alongside the capture of fidelity and adherence data.
Analysis
The primary outcome will be assessed using an intention-to-treat analysis. Baseline characteristics will be compared between arms to determine whether any potentially influential imbalance occurred. The primary outcome will be analysed by analysis of covariance, adjusting for baseline values of the outcome and any variables used in the randomisation process. Secondary outcomes will be analysed using linear or logistic regression models as appropriate reflecting the distribution of the outcome variable. The treatment effect will be estimated as an adjusted difference between sample means, presented with 95% CIs and p values. A complier average causal effect analysis will be considered should the data availability be sufficient to estimate the impact of non-compliance. A series of subgroup analyses on the primary outcomes will be considered considering differences in the Impact of Event Scale–Intellectual Disabilities scores at 14 months for (1) differing levels of general intellectual functioning and (2) PTSD versus complex PTSD.
Ethics and dissemination
This clinical trial was designed to allow for conclusions about whether PES/EMDR+TAU is efficacious in reducing symptoms of PTSD, relative to TAU, for adults with intellectual disabilities. A favourable ethical opinion has been received from an NHS ethics committee in the UK. The findings from this trial will be published within peer-reviewed journals and shared at national and international conferences. We will also aim to record and distribute podcasts detailing our findings together with our partners
A hedonic analysis of the market for Southeast Asian slipper orchids (Paphiopedilum)
No full textSince the Victorian era, orchids have been in continuous demand within the horticultural trade. As a result, the entire family of over 29,000 species are listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), making up over 73% of the species listed on CITES. With the continued threat from (often illegal) over-exploitation of orchids and discovery of new species of potential horticultural value, this raises the question as to whether we can develop statistical models to identify species likely to be threatened through over-exploitation by identifying those plant attributes that attract the highest price premium. Using species of Southeast Asian slipper orchids (Paphiopedilum) as a model system, we analyse market level data from a systematic survey of online trade using hedonic regression analysis to assess the relationship between price and plant attributes. Our analysis reveals that a range of plant attributes (taxonomic sections, plant size, plant colour and rarity on the market) influence price and that these vary by species. Importantly, our study reveals that coding observable attributes such as colour (primary and other) for use in statistical analysis is complicated. Future research on how colour and other attributes affect choice would benefit from employing more advanced consumer research techniques such as eye-tracking that can help inform what is specifically driving consumer choice
Validating a Set of Candidate Criteria for Evaluating Software Tools and Data Sources for National CSIRTs’ Cyber Incident Responses
No full textNational Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs) are established worldwide to coordinate responses to cyber security incidents at the national level. It is known that software tools (including open source ones) and public data are routinely used to facilitate incident response in national CSIRTs. However, there is a lack of an authoritative set of criteria that can be used for a systematic evaluation to decide which software tools and data sources should be used by national CSIRTs for incident response. A prior study identified a set of potential candidate criteria for such an evaluation. The study presented in this article aims to validate these candidate criteria empirically by asking staff members of several national CSIRTs how they perceive the candidate criteria’s practical usefulness and readiness for deployment in national CSIRTs’ operations. The study involved online semi-structured interviews with nine interviewees from nine national CSIRTs in Asia-Pacific, Africa and Europe. After validating the candidate criteria using semi-structured interviews with these nine interviewees, we applied the criteria to evaluate a selection of software tools and data sources by converting each criterion into one or more relevant metrics, such as ‘measuring the time taken by a tool to produce results’. Results from the study led to the following main findings: (1) all interviewees perceived the candidate criteria as practically useful for evaluating tools and data sources in the operations of national CSIRTs; (2) all interviewees agreed that the candidate criteria could be deployed in national CSIRTs and other types of CSIRTs and (3) the candidate criteria can be applied relatively easily in practice. These criteria are envisaged to help national CSIRTs select the most appropriate tools and data sources to facilitate effective incident response, improve their operational practices and improve the quality of wider security operations
Perceptions of science, science communication, and climate change attitudes in 68 countries - the TISP dataset
Get PDFScience is integral to society because it can inform individual, government, corporate, and civil society decision-making on issues such as public health, new technologies or climate change. Yet, public distrust and populist sentiment challenge the relationship between science and society. To help researchers analyse the science-society nexus across different geographical and cultural contexts, we undertook a cross-sectional population survey resulting in a dataset of 71,922 participants in 68 countries. The data were collected between November 2022 and August 2023 as part of the global Many Labs study "Trust in Science and Science-Related Populism" (TISP). The questionnaire contained comprehensive measures for individuals' trust in scientists, science-related populist attitudes, perceptions of the role of science in society, science media use and communication behaviour, attitudes to climate change and support for environmental policies, personality traits, political and religious views and demographic characteristics. Here, we describe the dataset, survey materials and psychometric properties of key variables. We encourage researchers to use this unique dataset for global comparative analyses on public perceptions of science and its role in society and policy-making
Straightforward Formation of Borirenes from Boroles and Dialkynes
Get PDFWe report a selective one‐step synthesis of perarylated borirenes by reaction of antiaromatic boroles with 1,4‐diarylbuta‐1,3‐diynes. Mechanistic studies, both experimental and computational, reveal key intermediates, including boranorbornadiene and 7‐borabicyclo[4.1.0]heptadiene species, which are all in equilibrium with each other, ultimately leading to borirene formation by migration of the boranediyl bridge from the cyclohexadiene ring to the remaining exocyclic alkyne residue
Family caregiver perspectives on digital methods to measure of stress: a qualitative descriptive study
Get PDFBackground:
Family caregivers provide essential care in the home to millions of individuals around the globe annually. However, family caregiving results in considerable burden, financial hardship, stress, and psychological morbidity. Identifying and managing stress in caregivers is important as they have a dual role in managing their own health as well as that of the person they care for. If stress becomes overwhelming, a caregiver may no longer be able to perform this essential role. Digital methods of stress monitoring may be 1 strategy for identifying effective interventions to relieve caregiver burden and stress.
Objective:
This study aims to explore the perceived acceptability, challenges, and opportunities of using digital and biosensing technologies to measure caregiver stress.
Methods:
We conducted a descriptive qualitative study using semistructured interviews with an interview guide structured to obtain qualitative data addressing our study aims. We used reflexive thematic analysis methods. We recruited adult family caregivers (aged 18 years and older) currently or previously caring for an adult in the home with significant health issues. Interview questions focused on stress monitoring more generally and on ecological momentary assessment, remote monitoring technologies such as smartwatches, and fluid biosensors.
Results:
We recruited 27 family caregivers of whom 19 (70%) were currently in a caregiving role, and the remainder were previously in a caregiving role. We identified 3 themes with 10 subthemes addressing elements of acceptability, challenges, and opportunities of using digital and biosensing technologies to measure caregiver stress The themes comprised “providing meaningful data” with subthemes of “monitoring without action is pointless,” “monitoring that enables self-management,” and “seeing the bigger picture”; “low-burden monitoring” with subthemes of “low effort,” “practical alongside daily routines,” and “retaining control over monitoring”; and “inadvertent harms of stress monitoring” with subthemes of “stigma of stress,” “need for discretion,” “contributing to stress,” and “trust.”
Conclusions:
In this descriptive qualitative study examining the perspectives of a diverse sample of family caregivers on methods of stress monitoring, we identified 3 themes addressing elements of acceptability, challenges, and opportunities. These provide useful considerations for the use of stress monitoring and implementation of interventions to ameliorate family caregivers’ stress of relevance to social care and community teams, researchers, and policy makers. These include providing meaningful situationally specific data resulting in action, that does not contribute to caregiver burden, or inadvertent harm to either the caregiver or the care recipient
Pristine nanostructured α‑Ni(OH) 2 as a nonenzymatic electrochemical strip sensor for trace detection of phenolic compounds
Get PDFDeveloping electrochemical sensors capable of detecting multiple analytes at distinct potentials is vital for applications in environmental, biomedical, and quality monitoring. Here, we explore nanostructured, nonenzymatic α-Ni(OH)2 as a versatile sensing material for the selective detection of phenol, catechol, and p-nitrophenol using two platforms: a standard three-electrode system and a portable strip sensor. α-Ni(OH)2 was synthesized via a wet-chemical method and coated onto glassy carbon and screen-printed carbon electrodes for the respective configurations. Electron microscopy confirmed semicrystalline nanoscale morphology (nanoparticulate films), and cyclic voltammetry revealed clear redox signatures for each analyte, enabling selective detection with distinct peak positions across both systems. The three-electrode setup reached limits of detection of 0.003 μM (phenol), 0.1 μM (catechol), and 1 μM (p-nitrophenol), whereas the portable sensor achieved 0.3, 1, and 2 μM, respectively. Amperometric measurements confirmed sensor performance at target potentials. Additionally, machine learning algorithms were applied to model signal behavior and support analyte classification. This combined approach demonstrates a robust strategy for sensitive, selective, and portable detection of multiple phenolic compounds
Interplay of EGFR, JNK, and ROS signaling in soma-germline communication in the Drosophila testis
Get PDFCell communication via signalling exchange plays a pivotal role in multicellular development for building up functional tissues and organs. In the Drosophila testis, a pair of somatic cyst cells (CCs) encapsulate the germline that differentiates through close-range EGFR signalling activation. The Dlg/Scrib/Lgl polarity complex and clathrin-mediated endocytosis attenuate EGFR signalling in CCs and loss of their function leads to EGFR overactivation and death of the neighbouring germ cells. Here we show that EGFR overactivation leads to upregulation of JNK and p38 signalling in CCs and ROS levels in germ cells destined to die. Our data uncover a bidirectional-feedback mechanism between JNK signalling and ROS who regulate each other, while reducing the levels of either JNK or ROS restored germ cell survival. This study provides a framework of how polarity and cellular trafficking regulate the output of multiple signalling responses cell-intrinsically and across cells, to coordinate tissue-specific responses and maintain homeostasis
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage Kent Academic Repository? Access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard!