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Parental Attitudes and Digital Parenting in the Early Years : Development and Validation of the PADTS Scale
Get PDFBackground: This paper reports on the development and validation of the 15-item Parental Attitudes to Digital Technology Scale (PADTS), a brief, psychometrically validated measure assessing parents’ beliefs, confidence, and concerns about their 0-3 year olds use of digital technologies. Method: Developed as part of (REMOVED) PADTS addresses a gap in existing research by focusing on children from birth to three years, a stage often overlooked in digital parenting literature. Co-developed with parents and early years experts, the scale was tested with a nationally balanced UK sample (N = 934). Results: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a four-factor structure: Perceived Risks, Perceived Learning Benefits, Parental Confidence, and Technology-Related Anxiety. The PADTS showed strong model fit and measurement invariance across parent gender, ethnicity, and region, with some variation by child age. Correlational analyses indicated that benefit, perceptions and confidence were associated with supportive digital parenting, while anxiety was more weakly linked. Conclusion: PADTS shows potential as a practical tool for researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers, and may support a more nuanced understanding of how parental attitudes shape early digital experiences
‘SMART goals’ and ‘HR language’ : technologised literacy practices and counter-conduct in the workplace
No full textThis study examines the use of literacy practices in a performance management system which aims to produce reflective practitioners, and how these practices were discursively resisted by staff. It employed a linguistic ethnographic research method, drawing on interactional data, interviews, field notes, and documentation to examine technologised literacy practices. These practices were a form of technologisation of discourse in the workplace, and were usually forms of writing connected to the performance management system that worked to also position reviewees as reflective practitioners. However, running parallel with these was a form of discursive counter-conduct that variously portrayed these practices as HR language, KPI language or managese. Implications for workplace discourse, and the interplay between institutional and professional discourses, are explored
Diarrhoea in children under 5 years in two informal settlements in Accra, Ghana : The impact of antecedent rainfall and flooding
No full textDiarrhoea is a common and critical public health problem among children under five years of age in Africa's urban informal communities, resulting in high mortality. Poor sanitation and high microbial concentrations in surface waters, along with environmental factors such as rainfall and temperature, can increase diarrhoeal incidence, particularly during floods. However, information on the dynamic effects of these covariates is limited. This research in two informal settlements in Accra, Ghana - Gbegbeyise (GB) and Madina Zongo (MZ) - examined the relationship between diarrhoea cases in children under five and environmental factors. Bi-weekly data were collected from selected households over two years. Only the pre-intervention 40 visits were analysed, which were known to be relatively temporally stationary, using two Poisson regression models. The first model identified a significant relationship between diarrhoea cases and antecedent (up to 1-week) rainfall (significant in both settlements) and temperature (significant only in GB). The second model examined the association between the total count of diarrhoea cases and the spatial proximity of households to flood-prone areas and elevation, revealing that cases are expected to increase with proximity to flood areas (p < 0.001). Thus, the analysis established the importance of antecedent rainfall in increasing disease risk and identifies a potential pathway (flood water), linking disease risk to that rainfall. These findings highlight the potential role of rainfall and water in diarrhoeal disease transmission and underscore the importance of integrating climate-sensitive health interventions in informal settlements to mitigate the impact of diarrhoea in vulnerable communities exposed to flooding and poor sanitation. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Promoting healthy eating through nudges : Multimodal discursive representations of food and eating in weight‑loss articles in Chinese official WeChat posts
No full textIntroduction Encouraging healthy eating has become a key area in China’s efforts to curb rising obesity levels among the population. Previous research highlights the importance of media in shaping dietary behaviors, yet few studies examine official digital platforms. This study critically examines how ‘健康中国’ [Healthy China], the official WeChat account of the National Health Commission of China, represents food and eating in weight loss content to guide public food choices. Theory Guided by the theoretical concept of ‘nudges’, which are soft and subtle interventions designed to improve food choices while maintaining freedom of choice, this study applies the approach of multimodal critical discourse analysis. Healthy eating is conceptualized as extending across epistemic, material, moral, and emotional dimensions. Method A total of 66 posts from ‘健康中国’ [Healthy China] were analyzed. The analysis focused on how textual, visual, and interactive elements construct four eating discourses: educated eating (teaching the public to make informed food choices), tailored eating (integrating specific backgrounds of different groups), moral eating (emphasizing duties in food choices), and affective eating (enjoying healthy food with love and security). Results There are four identified eating discourses, which are ‘educated eating’, ‘tailored eating’, ‘moral eating’, and ‘affective eating’. These discourses are mobilized to produce nudge effects, subtly guiding dietary behavior while preserving individual autonomy. Discussion This study provides insights into how multimodal, culturally specific eating discourses in China are enacted as soft, paternalistic nudges, revealing their dual role in promoting public health while reinforcing weight stigma and individualizing responsibility, thus offering a critical perspective on the ethical and social implications of nudge-based health communication
Tuning Nanoscale Conductance in Cyclic Molecules via Molecular Length and Anchoring Groups
No full textThis theoretical study investigates the electrical conductance of non-conjugated cyclic molecules featuring three terminal anchoring groups at the single-molecule level. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that the conductance of the symmetric and asymmetric cyclic structures C6C6, C6C8, C6C10, C8C8, C8C10, and C10C10 (where the numbers indicate the lengths of the upper and lower branches) decreases with increasing molecular length, independent of the anchor group chemistry. Distinct trends are observed across molecular series: the 6-unit branch—defined as molecules containing a common six-carbon saturated segment (e.g., C4C6, C6C6, C6C8, C6C10)—exhibits a non-conventional pattern, whereas the 8-unit and 10-unit branches display parabolic and conventional length-dependent behavior, respectively. A key finding is that cyclic molecules with identical total CH2 units exhibit nearly identical conductance values, irrespective of structural symmetry. These theoretical predictions are strongly supported by previously reported scanning tunneling microscopy break-junction measurements, establishing a fundamental structure–property relationship for sigma-conjugated molecular systems. These findings provide critical design principles for developing advanced molecular-scale electronic devices
Highly Volatile POPs in Urban Air across Asia and Africa : Dominance of Volatile Methylsiloxanes
Get PDFHighly volatile persistent organic pollutants (HV-POPs) are characterized by high volatility, environmental persistence, bioaccumulative potential, toxicity, and ability for long-range transport, posing environmental and health concerns. However, research on HV-POPs remains limited, particularly in rapidly urbanizing regions, constraining understanding of their sources, environmental fate, and risks. This study investigated 52 HV-POPs, including Stockholm Convention-listed POPs like hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD) and hexa-/pentachlorobenzene (HCB/PeCB), and nonlisted HV-POPs such as volatile methylsiloxanes (VMS) and chlorinated nitrobenzenes (CNBs), using active air samplers in six major cities across Asia and Africa. The median total concentrations of HV-POPs were highest in Guangzhou (351 ng/m3), followed by Kuala Lumpur (167 ng/m3), Accra (82.4 ng/m3), Dhaka (73.3 ng/m3), Nairobi (44.9 ng/m3), and Islamabad (33.5 ng/m3). VMS dominated at all sites, accounting for 84 ± 18% of total HV-POPs, up to 2–5 orders of magnitude higher than other compounds. Source analysis showed VMS emissions in Guangzhou were mainly from industrial activities, while in the other cities, they were from usage of personal care products. Inhalation risk assessments indicated negligible noncarcinogenic and carcinogenic risks at all sites. This study provides the first multiregional HV-POPs data set in urban air, supporting chemical risk assessment efforts and broader international regulatory initiatives
Multimodal irony in public responses to digitally mediated NHS COVID-19 messaging
Get PDFThis study investigates how multimodal irony is discursively constructed in the expression of stance and evaluation in comments responding to the UK National Health Service’s (NHS) COVID-19 policy posts on Twitter/X. Using a discursive pragmatic approach, we identified and analysed comments containing instances of multimodal irony targeting COVID-19 policies, institutional authorities, and policy supporters. Our analysis shows that multimodal irony enables users to express negative stance and evaluation indirectly, reframe institutional messaging, and construct in-group alignment among those expressing dissatisfaction by creating and conventionalising semiotic signals. We argue Twitter/X’s platform features, including textual brevity, multimodal richness, threaded interaction, and perceived anonymity, to be critical factors in enabling the construction and circulation of such content. While we do not claim that the comment dataset we analyse represents general public opinion, the ironic responses identified may nonetheless carry communicative influence with other social media users due to their perceived authenticity and peer-like positioning. This influence is likely amplified by platform dynamics which favour affectively loaded and oppositional content, leading to an overrepresentation of dissenting voices relative to more compliant or non-evaluative responses. Significantly, these comments form part of the broader discursive ecosystem of digital crisis communication – in this case, relating to COVID-19 – in which institutional messages are not passively received but actively evaluated, reinterpreted and reframed. This study additionally offers an empirically grounded framework for identifying and analysing multimodal irony in social media discourse and highlights its relevance for understanding the negotiation of institutional legitimacy in digitally mediated contexts of public health communication
From stars to life : a quantitative approach to astrobiology
Get PDFWhere did we come from? Are we alone? Where are we going? Astrobiology poses and explores these age-old questions about the human situation. There is as yet no answer to the second one, but a lot can now be said about the first and, to some extent, the third of these questions. One of the great triumphs of the twentieth century was the joining up and coalescence of cosmology, particle physics, astronomy, chemistry, geology, palæontology and biology, enabling us to understand a great deal abut how we came to where we now are
Exploring factors influencing implementation across the explanatory-to-pragmatic trial continuum : a sequential qualitative integration of delivering higher-intensity walking exercise within inpatient stroke rehabilitation
No full textMany innovations with proven efficacy in randomized controlled trials encounter significant barriers to real-world implementation. Using an example from delivery of a higher-intensity walking exercise protocol within inpatient stroke rehabilitation, we explored factors influencing implementation when moving from an explanatory trial under ideal conditions to a more pragmatic trial under real-world conditions. We identified implementation strategies and practical actions for implementation into routine inpatient stroke rehabilitation. Context and perspectives of delivering higher-intensity walking exercise in the Walk 'n Watch (WnW) pragmatic trial were compared and contrasted with its predecessor, the Determining Optimal post-Stroke Exercise (DOSE) trial. The PRECIS-2 tool was used to quantify trials along the explanatory-to-pragmatic continuum. A sequential qualitative integrative approach compared perspectives from semi-structured interviews conducted with therapists and managers in the WnW trial (n = 18) to previously published therapist perspectives from the DOSE trial (n = 15). The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) was used deductively. The CFIR-Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) matching tool was used retrospectively to identify key implementation strategies, operationalizing to practical actions employed during WnW protocol implementation. PRECIS-2 analysis demonstrated a shift towards greater pragmatism (mean (SD) domain score 2.8 (1.4) vs 4.3 (0.7)). In both trials, therapists were motivated to deliver the protocol, despite differing belief systems and staffing challenges. In the WnW trial, therapists demonstrated greater readiness for change, actively implementing protocol principles whilst modifying delivery to meet needs. Managers and champions played an important role in supporting decision-making and systems-level compatibility. Ten ERIC strategies were identified focusing on evaluating needs, ensuring team readiness, promoting adaptability and ongoing engagement. Practical actions included optimizing innovation-context fit, fostering a collective commitment and focusing on communication. Capitalizing on a unique longitudinal opportunity, we report consistent, evolving and emerging factors that influenced implementation, highlighting the importance of iterative consideration of context and perspectives along the explanatory-to-pragmatic continuum. Our example indicates that higher-intensity walking exercise protocols hold promise for widespread adoption in stroke rehabilitation, with local modifications for optimizing innovation-context fit. Leveraging our relatively rare pragmatic trial, we identified implementation strategies and practical actions to provide tangible support for future implementation efforts. For long-term sustainability, economic factors require consideration. www. gov ID: NCT01915368. www. gov ID: NCT04238260
Super Utilization of Healthcare Resources Among Schizophrenia Patients in United States Medicaid System
Get PDFSuper Utilization of Healthcare Resources Among Schizophrenia Patients in United States Medicaid System Neeta Tandon Background: It is well documented that a small part of US population (top 5 to 10%) consumes 50% to 70% of the healthcare resources. Multiple emergency and hospitalization visits among schizophrenia patients may point to a poorly managed disease with multiple relapses. There is sparse understanding of the extent and causes of super utilization of emergency and hospitalization among patients with schizophrenia. Innovative population health management strategies targeting the super users with schizophrenia can alleviate the cost and improve the quality of care. This study aims to identify demographics and clinical characteristics associated with super utilizer of healthcare resource utilization among Medicaid schizophrenia patients. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted to understand the economic cost and resource utilization in managing schizophrenia across all payer types in the US. The narrative systematic literature review was utilized to identify factors associated with resource utilization among Medicaid schizophrenia patients. The literature was also analysed to define “super utilizer” cohort. Using IBM MDCD Medicaid health insurance claims data (January 2001-Decemeber 2019), adult patients with schizophrenia claims, and ≥12 months of continuous insurance coverage before and ≥12 months after the first schizophrenia diagnosis in the database were included in the analysis. Based on literature review and the emergency and hospital visit distribution in the database, top 10% of resource utilizer were defined as “Super Utilizer”. Bivariate analyses were conducted to identify explanatory variables for a predictive analysis. Logistic regressions were used to identify the demographic and clinical characteristics of being in the top 10% of patients with the highest emergency and hospitalization use. As the database had 11% missing race information, models were tested with data with and without missing race. Single and Two-stage models with varied factors were tested to find the model with strongest predictive power. Results: Top 10% of Medicaid schizophrenia patients had at least 9 visits to ER and hospitals in a year. In the study population with missing race (n=253,495) and a single model approach, Charlson Comorbidity Index-Romano (CCI), young age (18-34 years), suicide ideation or attempt were strong predictors of high emergency and hospital resource use, with odds ratios (ORs; 95% confidence interval [CI]) of 12.57 (10.6-14.9), 3.29 (3.05-3.55) and 3.04 (2.93-3.14), respectively. In the absence of CCI data, having suicide ideation or attempt (SIA), End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), and being young age (18-34 years) were the top three factors. All included factors were statistically significant, but the strength of odds ratios were small with race and gender. Given significant zero utilizers, a two-stage model approach was also applied. Being young, CCI, and being middle age emerged as top three predictors with SIA as close fourth. The odds ratios were 1.95 (1.76-2.16), 1.87 (1.39-2.51), 1.80 (1.67-1.94) respectively. In this model, alcohol and substance abuse and missing race data were not statistically significant. Without CCI as a factor, ESRD emerged as third strongest in effect size after young and middle age with SIA as close fourth. Limitations: Study was limited to data elements found in a payer sourced claims database. Thus, variables such as homelessness, perception of poor health, social isolation and other social determinants of health may be relevant but were not available. Conclusion: This study suggests that schizophrenia patients with super resource utilization have a high level of comorbidity burden along with being younger in age. Given the model’s high predictability in identifying super utilizer based on a claims data analysis, a practical, cost-effective, schizophrenia disease management is possible to improve quality of life among a significantly burdened patient and their caregiver population