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The role of morality in corruption, theft, and violence in a Ukrainian context
No full textMany anti-crime efforts are found to be costly and unsuccessful in reducing crime, and new fresh approaches are needed. Morality has long been neglected in our understanding of crime prevention. This paper uses a theoretical and empirical approach to explore the relationship between individual morality, associated moral emotions, and crime in a sample of 11,671 respondents in Ukraine. To date, few studies have explored morality using large samples in a Ukrainian context. Existing morality studies have been largely limited to nonadult and Global North samples. In the current study, existing standardised scales are applied for the first time in a new context. Morality is measured with how right or wrong respondents feel that various acts of delinquent and criminal behaviour are, and logistic regression is used to analyse its association with self-reported corruption, theft, and violence. Findings show that weak individual morality is associated with higher corruption, theft, and violence. This paper empirically evidences this association, already evidenced in The Global North, in an Eastern-European context. The implications of this are potentially wide-reaching and can inform crime prevention measures in Ukraine and beyond. Individual morality, which develops from early childhood and throughout adolescence, is associated with crime involvement in numerous studies and samples. To reduce crime, suggestions are made to deliver and evaluate morality intervention programmes (such as The Compass Project) in schools (to youth) and in the workplace (to influential employees of organisations and institutions). This is likely to contribute to a societal shift in countries like Ukraine which are presented with politically historic complexities in relation to morally acceptable actions
Investigating patellar motion using weight-bearing dynamic CT: normative values and morphological considerations for healthy volunteers
No full textBackground
Patellar instability is a well-known pathology in which kinematics can be investigated using metrics such as tibial tuberosity tracheal groove (TTTG), the bisect offset (BO), and the lateral patellar tilt (LPT). We used dynamic computed tomography (CT) to investigate the patellar motion of healthy subjects in weight-bearing conditions to provide normative values for TTTG, BO, and LPT, as well as to define whether BO and LPT are affected by the morphology of the trochlear groove.
Methods
Dynamic scanning was used to acquire images during weight-bearing in 21 adult healthy volunteers. TTTG, BO, and LPT metrics were computed between 0° and 30° of knee flexion. Sulcus angle, sulcus depth, and lateral trochlear inclination were calculated and used with the TTTG for simple linear regression models.
Results
All metrics gradually decreased during eccentric movement (TTTG, -6.9 mm; BO, -12.6%; LPT, -4.3°). No significant differences were observed between eccentric and concentric phases at any flexion angle for all metrics. Linear regression between kinematic metrics towards full extension showed a moderate fit between BO and TTTG (R2 0.60, β 1.75) and BO and LPT (R2 0.59, β 1.49), and a low fit between TTTG and LPT (R2 0.38, β 0.53). A high impact of the TTTG distance over BO was shown in male participants (R2 0.71, β 1.89) and patella alta individuals (R2 0.55, β 1.91).
Conclusion
We provided preliminary normative values of three common metrics during weight-bearing dynamic CT and showed the substantial impact of lateralisation of the patella tendon over patella displacement.
Relevance statement
These normative values can be used by clinicians when evaluating knee patients using TTTG, BO, and LPT metrics. The lateralisation of the patellar tendon in subjects with patella alta or in males significantly impacts the lateral displacement of the patella.
Key Points
● Trochlear groove morphology had no substantial impact on motion prediction.
● The lateralisation of the patellar tendon seems a strong predictor of lateral displacement of the patella in male
participants.
● Participants with patella alta displayed a strong fit between the patellar lateral displacement and tilt.
● TTTG, BO, and LPT decreased during concentric movement.
● Concentric and eccentric phases did not show differences for all metrics.</p
Development and validation of a novel angiography-derived index of absolute coronary blood flow and resistance
No full textIntracoronary continuous thermodilution has been recently proposed as an invasive method to quantify absolute coronary flow (Qabs) and resistance (Rabs) in vivo. The aim of the present study is to develop and validate of a novel pressure-wire- and microcatheter-free surrogate of coronary flow and resistance derived from a standard coronary angiogram. Angiography derived coronary flow (Qangio) and resistance (Rangio) was prospectively validated in a two-center cohort of patients from Oxford Heart Centre and the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre. Qabs and Rabs were measured during resting and hyperemic conditions with continuous thermodilution using the Rayflow microcatheter. Qangio and Rangio were computed from the diagnostic coronary angiogram in a blinded fashion in resting and hyperemic conditions. A total of 62 patients and 115 vessels were included in the present analysis. The median Qabs at rest was 75 ml/min (53–95) and 151 ml/min (105–203) during hyperemia; Qangio at rest was 84 ml/min (66–108) and 154 ml/min (115–195) during hyperemia. There was a strong correlation between Qabs and Qangio (R = 0,72; p </p
Place relationships in geothermal project developer approaches to engagement
No full textDue to the ongoing climate crisis, the rollout of renewable energy technologies (RETs) will increase in the coming decades to achieve an energy transition. RET Project developers will need to conduct engagement which, if undertaken to empower publics with high levels of public inclusion, can facilitate wider societal change through the energy transition. Considering how place relationships can successfully expand engagement for renewable energy technologies (RETs) is an emergent theme in the literature; however research using the community perspective dominates, with the project developer perspective under-researched. I address this research gap by investigating how theoretical understandings of place relationships are practically experienced and subsequently interpreted by project developers.Using a constructivist approach to place-based research, I used a multi-case qualitative research design to explore three UK based case studies: two United Kingdom Geoenergy Observatories in Cheshire and Glasgow and the United Downs Deep Geothermal Power Project in Cornwall. Findings presented from deductive and inductive thematic analyses of data collected from three methods of 1) publicly available documents, 2) semi-structured interviews and 3) deliberative workshops are as follows.I designed a deductive codebook to explore project developer Place Constructions through Boundary Making Processes, Emplacement, and Place Framings used, and found that project developers longitudinally framed predominantly objective place characteristics to suggest Place-Technology Fit, established project boundaries through proximity to the drilling location, and held the predominant view that publics surrounding the drilling location are homogenous.I then show that project developers interpreted place relationships at developer-led exercises as ‘concerns’ around the project, a negative implication that I recontextualised as publics assessing potential threat to place, and whether the project represents Place-Technology Fit. Subsequently, I illustrate that project developers experienced publics with levels of knowledge of, and relationships with the subsurface that contrasted project developer framings, and underreported place relationships not threatened by the project. Additionally, I found that public place relationships resulted in engagement exercises being organised in collaboration with publics, and inferred that at such collaboratively organised exercises, project developers experienced collectively held place relationships more readily.Further analysis highlighted the dynamic project boundaries which expanded as a result project developers being introduced to Communities of Interest and refining their understandings of the stakeholder landscape, and contracted due to interpretations of place relationships as ‘contentiousness’. Similarly, interpretations of place relationships as ‘concerns’ resulted in resource imbalances within UKGEOS and modified project details. Finally, I show that the process through which project developers constructed Place Framings and experienced and interpreted place relationships is relational.Finally, four practical recommendations for future engagement were drawn from project developer reflections: 1) Clarify and Consider Engagement Early, 2) Scope the Surface as well as the Subsurface, 3) Take Publics Seriously to Mitigate Place-Washing in Top-Down Engagement, and 4) Create an Organisation Trained to Engage. These recommendations centre on how project developers can move beyond the dominant instrumental paradigm of engaging to foster social acceptance to best include publics and their place relationships into engagement.</p
PowerPoint-based lectures and students’ experiences in Eritrean higher education institutions
No full textPowerPoint (PPT) is extensively used in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), including those in Eritrea, for lecture delivery and student presentations. This raises questions about whether these lectures or student presentations are effectively designed and implemented and encourage students’ participation. This study explores instructors’ use of PPT-based lectures and students’ experience in Eritrean HEIs. Additionally, it seeks to identify and understand the challenges HEIs face in using PPT-based teaching. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and observations, involving nine instructors and fifteen students from three Eritrean HEIs. The study indicated a relationship between PPT design and delivery and revealed varied outcomes regarding the design and delivery of PPT-based lectures. The study also found discipline-specific differences regarding students’ experiences of PPT-based delivery. Moreover, it identified challenges related to institutional leadership, curriculum flexibility, internet access, and pedagogical expertise and commitment of instructors as key obstacles to the successful integration of PPT-based lectures within these institutions. </p
Bridge Profile and Vehicle Property Determination Using Vehicle Fleet Monitoring Concept
No full textOver the past 20 years, drive-by monitoring, using data from sensors in passing vehicles, has become increasingly popular due to its low cost and high efficiency at a network level. Despite significant advances, the dynamics of vehicles remains one of the main challenges to overcome before accurately identifying critical information about the infrastructure being crossed, bridges or road pavements. This paper introduces a novel approach to estimating bridge profiles (i.e. road surface profiles on the bridges) and vehicle properties using a fleet of passing vehicles. In this method, bridge profiles are first calculated using the innovative Inverse Newmark-beta integration method, and the cross-entropy optimization algorithm is employed to solve the problem. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed approach is highly effective in extracting bridge profiles and predicting vehicle properties, even in scenarios with significant levels of measurement noise. </p
Exploring sex differences in cardiac interoceptive accuracy using the phase adjustment task
No full textPrevious evidence suggests males and females differ with respect to interoception—the processing of internal bodily signals—with males typically outperforming females on tasks of interoceptive accuracy. However, interpretation of existing evidence in the cardiac domain is hindered by the limitations of existing tools. In this investigation, we pooled data from several samples to examine sex differences in cardiac interoceptive accuracy on the phase adjustment task, a new measure that overcomes several limitations of the existing tools. In a sample of 266 individuals, we observed that females outperformed males, indicative of better cardiac interoceptive accuracy, but had lower confidence than males. These results held after controlling for sex differences in demographic, physiological and engagement factors. Importantly, these results were specific to the measure of cardiac interoceptive accuracy. No sex differences were observed for individuals who completed the structurally identical screener task, although a similar pattern of results was observed in relation to confidence. These surprising data suggest the presence of a female advantage for cardiac interoceptive accuracy and potential differences in interoceptive awareness (metacognition). Possible reasons for mixed results in the literature, as well as implications for theory and future research, are discussed.</p
Association between sociodemographic factors and vaccine acceptance for influenza and SARS-CoV-2 in South Korea: nationwide cross-sectional study
No full textBackground: The imperative arises to study the impact of socioeconomic factors on the acceptance of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza vaccines amid changes in immunization policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective To enhance targeted public health strategies and improve age-specific policies based on identified risk factors, this study investigated the associations between sociodemographic factors and vaccination behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic, with emphasis on age-specific vaccine cost policies.Methods: This study analyzed data from the Korean Community Health Survey 2019‐2022 with 507,964 participants to investigate the impact of age-specific policies on vaccination behaviors during the pandemic period. Cohorts aged 19‐64 years and 65 years or older were stratified based on age (years), sociodemographic factors, and health indicators. The cohorts were investigated to assess the influence of relevant risk factors on vaccine acceptance under the pandemic by using weighted odds ratio and ratio of odds ratio (ROR).Results: Among 507,964 participants, the acceptance of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (COVID-19 vaccine) was higher among individuals with factors possibly indicating higher socioeconomic status, such as higher education level (age 19‐64 years: ROR 1.34; 95% CI 1.27‐1.40 and age ≥65 years: ROR 1.19; 95% CI 1.01‐1.41) and higher income (age 19‐64 years: ROR 1.67; 95% CI 1.58‐1.76 and age ≥65 years: ROR 1.21; 95% CI 1.06‐1.38) for both age cohorts compared to influenza vaccine acceptance before the pandemic. In the context of influenza vaccination during the pandemic, the older cohort exhibited vaccine hesitancy associated with health care mobility factors such as lower general health status (ROR 0.89; 95% CI 0.81‐0.97).Conclusions: SARS-CoV-2 vaccination strategies should focus on reducing hesitancy among individuals with lower social participation. To improve influenza vaccine acceptance during the pandemic, strategies for the younger cohort should focus on individuals with lower social participation, while efforts for the older cohort should prioritize individuals with limited access to health care services.</p
Test–retest variability of mesopic microperimetry‐associated parameters in patients with retinitis pigmentosa: REPEAT Study Report No. 2
No full textPurpose: Understanding test–retest variability (TRV) of mesopic microperimetry is critical for defining meaningful treatment effects in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) trials. This study uniquely evaluates intra‐ and intervisit TRV and coefficients of repeatability (CoRs) for microperimetry parameters in RP patients with varying best‐corrected visual acuity (BCVA) levels.Methods: In this single‐centre prospective cohort study, RP patients were assessed on two visits, 14.0 days apart. Patients were grouped by BCVA: low (≤20/50 Snellen; ≥0.4 logMAR) or moderate (>20/50 Snellen; Results: Intravisit CoRs for mean, volume, and pointwise sensitivity were 1.7 dB, 353.2 dB*deg2, and 8.6 dB, respectively, in the low‐BCVA group (n = 32), and 0.9 dB, 254.5 dB*deg2, and 7.3 dB in the moderate‐BCVA group (n = 15).Intervisit CoRs for mean, volume, and pointwise sensitivity were 2.4 dB, 355.2 dB*deg2, and 10.2 dB in the low‐BCVA group (n = 31). The moderate‐BCVA group (n = 16) showed smaller CoRs of 1.6 dB, 386.8 dB*deg2, and 7.7 dB for mean, volume, and pointwise sensitivity. BCVA and mean sensitivity, but not fixation stability, are predictors of TRV for volume sensitivity.Conclusions: Due to significant TRV, pointwise sensitivity is an unreliable endpoint for RP patients, irrespective of BCVA. Mean sensitivity is suitable as an endpoint when BCVA is relatively preserved. Volume sensitivity provides additional spatial information, and shows promise as a clinical endpoint for assessing macular sensitivity changes on mesopic microperimetry in patients with RP.</p
Use of optimized 1H selTOCSY for identification and individualization of petrol samples from fire debris
No full textDetection and identification of ignitable liquids in fire investigation is ongoing challenge for forensics investigators. This study uses the analytical power of NMR analysis and permits the identification of trace amounts of olefinic compounds the complex mixture of petrol that aids the individualization of petrol sources. The 1H selTOCSY NMR method has proven to be successful in the investigation of the four sets of alkenes namely: 3-methyl-1-butene (set 1), a mixture of 3-methyl-1-butene and 1-pentene (set 2), 2-methyl-2-butene (set 3) and a mixture of cis and trans-2-pentene (set 4) in petrol samples evaporated to different extents, simulating the action of weathering of actual casework samples, and still achieved significant discrimination of petrol brands at 25 % and 50 % evaporation. Discrimination of burned samples also proved possible, both of burnt petrol its own and then petrol burned on different substrates including wood, carpet, fabric, and paper materials representing common household fire debris residues. 1H selTOCSY NMR experiments on these alkene signals remove most of the non-alkene-related signals from the spectra and thus provide additional clarity in heavily burnt and contaminated samples, increasing the capacity to discriminate between samples using the four alkene markers.</p
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