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“I Am Very Happy That We Are Such Beautiful People” : Lived Experiences, Perceived Discrimination, and Mental Health in an LGBTIQ+ Community in Turkey
Full text linkCo‐produced by LGBTIQ+ activists and academic researchers, this study gave voice to an understudied LGBTIQ+ community in Turkey to narrate their lived experiences and examined their exposure to discrimination in various areas of their lives in relation to their mental health. The study utilized a mixed‐method design, where 61 individuals who identified as LGBTIQ+, aged 18–47, responded to an online survey. The quantitative tools included questionnaires assessing mental well‐being, psychological symptoms, resilience, and perceived discrimination. Qualitatively, participants responded to open‐ended questions regarding their lived experiences, such as coming out, access to healthcare, and self‐care practices. Participants were frequently exposed to various forms of discrimination, which were associated with lower mental well‐being and higher psychological symptoms. However, personal resilience factors lowered or diminished the negative role of discrimination on mental health. Identity‐based lived experiences and practices further provided an in‐depth picture of life of LGBTIQ+ individuals in this community and how they overcome adversity
Automated quantification of fine root production from minirhizotron image time series
Full text linkPlant root growth accounts for a major part of the net primary production in grassland and forest ecosystems and influences the global carbon and nutrient cycles. Measuring the production of roots is inherently difficult, prone to inconsistencies and time‐consuming. Notably, there are currently no methods yet to automate this task. We have developed GINGER, a new method for automated estimation of the fine root production from a time series of minirhizotron images. It compares pairs of consecutive images with each other, separating new root growth from standing crop. The method was evaluated on four datasets from grassland, drained fen peatland and forest ecosystems. It exhibits performance on a similar level to that of human annotators while substantially reducing the time required for the data analysis. Human annotators showed a significant degree of variability among each other, confirming that the task is subjective and error‐prone. For demonstration, this pipeline was applied on two real‐world image datasets, spanning 2 and 3 years, to compute the total annual root production. End‐to‐end, including annotation and model training, GINGER reduced the required human workload from several thousand to less than 40 work hours. It could allow to scale up monitoring efforts and enable full automation in the future
Facilitating Healthcare Access for Adults with Learning Disabilities : The Challenges and Experiences of Community Support Workers in England, the United Kingdom
Full text linkPeople with learning disabilities (PWLDs) suffer disproportionately higher levels of morbidity and mortality in comparison with the non-disabled population in the United Kingdom. Despite the improved longevity in the rest of the population in recent decades, the lives of men and women with learning disabilities are still shorter than those of non-disabled people. In addition, when PWLDs seek access to healthcare, they face healthcare systems that do not readily accommodate their specific and varied impairments. Most PWLDs access healthcare with the support of other people such as paid carers. Supported access to healthcare facilities brings with it unique challenges and opportunities for PWLDs and those who support them. Among these challenges is the capacity to communicate healthcare needs to healthcare providers. The aim of this study is to explore the experiences and challenges of community support workers (CSWs) as they facilitate healthcare access for PWLDs. This aim is achieved in two ways. Firstly, the challenges and facilitators that CSWs experience when they facilitate access to healthcare for PWLDs are identified. Secondly, the role of CSWs in the coordination of healthcare needs for PWLDs is examined. The aim and the objectives are underpinned by the research question: How do community support workers construct the challenges and experiences they encounter in facilitating healthcare access for people with learning disabilities? This is a qualitative study using Critical Realism (CR) as its theoretical approach in conjunction with the Social Model of Disability (SMD). The two approaches are used in tandem to complement each other. A literature review was conducted to identify the role of CSWs in the facilitation of healthcare access for PWLDs. The review identified a gap in the literature regarding the unique barriers and facilitators to healthcare for PWLDs from the perspective of CSWs. However, the review’s contribution is in the use of CR and SMD in the identification of structural issues which act either as enablers or hindrances in the facilitation of healthcare. In addition, the review situates the role of CSWs as communicators, advocates, ardent learners and collaborators of healthcare access for PWLDs. The key findings of this study are: the CSWs were assertive and proactive in ensuring the provision of reasonable adjustments for PWLDs; healthcare provision by healthcare providers can be an obstacle to healthcare access for PWLDs; CSWs’ were willing to be assertive in advocating for PWLDs; CSWs were aware of their roles in health care facilitation; CSWs were willing to collaborate with other agencies; CSWS were effective communicators with health care providers; additionally, CSWs were able to identify their own staffing and training needs as well as those of health care providers. This study highlights the vital role of CSWs in the facilitation of healthcare access for PWLDs. CSWs bring to their role skills in advocacy, collaboration, and assertiveness. Beside enablers, the study has highlighted serious barriers to healthcare access and facilitation such as CSWs’ lack of skills in early identification of signs of ill-health. In addition, the lack of awareness of key legislation such as the Mental Capacity Act (2005) in some HCPs remains an obstacle to both access and facilitation for PWLDs and CSWs respectively
A Cross-Cultural Comparative Study of Language Learning Applications for Self-Regulated Language Learning : Insights from Mainland China, the UK, and the US
No full textThis study comprises a cross-cultural comparative study of the ways in which foreign-language learners regard and use language learning applications (LLAs) as part of their strategy of language acquisition. Through providing questionnaires and undertaking interviews with language learners at universities across mainland China, the United Kingdom and United States of America, the study seeks to understand how factors such as motivations behind learning languages, attitudes towards language learning applications, and confidence in self-regulated learning skills can impact outcomes such as application choice and time spent using language learning applications. On the basis of survey responses from 1,298 students and interviews with some 30 of this number, the study notes a number of conclusions pertinent to its aims. It highlights important differences in how students from China, the UK and USA use LLAs for self-regulated language learning, particularly between the Chinese context and Anglophonic contexts. Chinese students favour applications that facilitate the structured delivery of content reflecting predetermined goals, whereas English and American students favour applications that offer more flexibility and personalised feedback. Motivations also vary, with Chinese students prioritising professional development and certification, whilst British and American students value personal growth and cultural appreciation. Identified challenges also differ, with Chinese users struggling to comprehend written content – prioritising written comprehension over other competencies – and confidence in SRL, whilst British and American users are often frustrated with repetitive content, a lack of sufficient personalisation, and insufficient opportunities for practising speaking and listening
The Complete Catalog (Season 1: Studio Ghibli) : My Neighbors the Yamadas w/ Zoe Crombie (Episode 17)
No full textEstimation of Poisson's Ratio of Potato Flesh : A Finite Element Analysis Approach
Full text linkDetermining mechanical properties such as the modulus of elasticity and Poisson’s ratio of agricultural products is a crucial initial step in designing optimal tools and machinery systems for mechanised harvesting and postharvest operations. However, this process presents measurement difficulties, particularly in calculating Poisson’s ratio due to limitations in experimental approaches and the organic structure of some agricultural products. This study describes a finite element analysis (FEA) approach for estimating Poisson’s ratio in potato flesh, a solid-like agricultural product sample. Analytical, experimental, and numerical methods were employed in the study. The results clearly demonstrate the success of the FEA approach compared to empirical calculations for determining Poisson’s ratio (relative difference of 7.93%). This study contributes to advancing the understanding of complex deformation phenomena in solid-like agricultural products. Moreover, the application of the FEA approach has significant industrial and research implications for enhancing the critical mechanical properties of agricultural products
Peer Review Report For: Portugal's health in all policies: A comprehensive review of legal frameworks [version 2; peer review: 3 approved, 1 approved with reservations].
No full textEternal inflation near inflection points : a challenge to primordial black hole models
Full text linkInflation with an inflection point potential is a popular model for producing primordial black holes. The potential near the inflection point is approximately flat, with a local maximum next to a local minimum, prone to eternal inflation. We show that a sufficient condition for eternal inflation is λ1 ≤ 3, where λ1 is the index of the 'exponential tail', the lowest eigenvalue of the Fokker-Planck equation over a bounded region. We write λ1 in terms of the model parameters for linear and quadratic regions. Wide quadratic regions inflate eternally if the second slow-roll parameter ηV ≥ -6. We test example models from the literature and show this condition is satisfied; we argue eternal inflation is difficult to avoid in inflection point PBH models. Eternally inflating regions correspond to type II perturbations and form baby universes, hidden behind black hole horizons. These baby universes are inhomogeneous on large scales and dominate the multiverse's total volume. We argue that, if volume weighting is used, eternal inflation makes inflection point primordial black hole models incompatible with large-scale structure observations
Disregard of the Empirical; Optimism of the Will : The Abandonment of Good Government in the Covid-19 Crisis
Full text linkCómo diseñar futuros más que humanos
Full text linkAl principio de Macbeth, la obra de teatro de Shakespeare, el protagonista se encuentra con tres brujas mientras camina por el páramo. Las brujas son tres seres sobrenaturales que predicen que Macbeth será el rey de Escocia y su profecía pone en marcha una serie de acontecimientos que conducen a la perdición de Macbeth y a la muerte de muchas personas. La profecía de las brujas suscita preguntas, pero no sobre si realmente se puede predecir el futuro, sino, más bien, acerca de la naturaleza del libre albedrío y sobre si la profecía influyó en las acciones de Macbeth. Esta escena de Macbeth sirve para ilustrar tanto el posible poder de presentar una visión futura atractiva como que este tipo de prácticas se deben llevar a cabo con precaución. Se podría decir que el diseño es una disciplina que siempre se preocupa por el futuro, como afirmó Berry [1978]: «Las visiones del futuro son muy importantes para los diseñadores porque estos deben imaginarse tanto las condiciones que existirán en el futuro cuando se utilicen sus diseños en la práctica como la manera en que la creación de su nuevo diseño cambiará dichas condiciones». Sin embargo, crear estas visiones no es tarea fácil, como afirman Reeves, Goulden y Dingwall [2016]: «Todos los diseñadores tienen que lidiar con la incognoscibilidad del futuro. Los objetos que se diseñan aquí y ahora se utilizarán en algún futuro en condiciones que su creador no puede conocer ni controlar [...] incluso los actos más triviales se pueden desbaratar si no se obtienen los resultados esperados». Si bien tiene en cuenta esta dificultad, este capítulo trata de cómo el diseño puede trascender la atención en productos y servicios futuros, y lidiar con problemas terribles como el cambio climático, ahora y en el futuro. Para conseguirlo, el diseño como disciplina debe cambiar su práctica, como explica Tony Fry [2020]: «Para lograr un auténtico cambio transformativo, el diseño tiene que devenir futurizo». Este cambio está representado por la futurización del diseño, que, como práctica, no se ocupa de crear futuros productos y servicios específicos, sino de lidiar con la incognoscibilidad del futuro y fomentar un diálogo sobre las condiciones futuras (económica, social, medioambiental, etc.) que surgirán y si son deseables para determinadas partes interesadas. Las partes interesadas que se suelen tener en cuenta son humanas y las no humanas rara vez se incluyen en el proceso. Esto supone un problema, ya que la realidad es que todos los aspectos de nuestra vida existen dentro de conjuntos complejos de cosas humanas y no humanas que actúan en relaciones interdependientes, pero, con frecuencia, con perspectivas independientes [Coulton y Lindley, 2019]. En este capítulo ofrezco un encuadre más que humano alternativo, empezando por un debate sobre las perspectivas de futurización actuales dentro del diseño