11237 research outputs found
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Controlling of Applied Force and Cornea Displacement Estimation in Robotic Corneal Surgery With a Gripper Surgical Instrument
No full textABSTRACTBackgroundThe human eye consists of highly sensitive, hydrated, and relatively thin tissues, making precise control and accurate force estimation crucial in robotic eye surgery. This paper introduces a novel control method and state observer designed for a gripper surgical instrument used on the external ocular surface during robotic eye surgery.MethodsA novel state observer, operating in tandem with the controller, estimates the applied force. The proposed control approach, termed the Fixed‐time Observer‐based Sliding Mode Control (FOSMC), estimates the applied force by determining the gripper states and uses an eye model to calculate its displacement.ResultsThe performance of the proposed control method was compared with two other finite‐time and asymptotic techniques across two scenarios. The results demonstrated excellent performance using the proposed method.ConclusionsThe FOSMC control technique effectively estimates the applied force during robotic eye surgery, making it a reliable solution for controlling the gripper surgical instrument.</p
Expert Perspectives on Factors Shaping Metaverse Adoption for Cultural Heritage Experiences in Hospitality Industry within an Emerging Economy
No full textPurpose –Although the Metaverse has been widely adopted in developed countries, there has not been any research investigating the implantation of this highly transformative technology in emerging economies and disadvantaged regions, such as Tunisia. This paper aims to critically explore the factors influencing the adoption of Metaverse for cultural heritage experience and discusses how will it disrupt the future of the hospitality and tourism industry.
Design/methodology/approach – 44 semi-structured interviews were conducted in the Tunisian hospitality and tourism industry who provided their expert opinions during in-depth interviews. The interviews were then analysed using thematic analysis.
Findings - The findings indicate that the Metaverse presents benefits, success factors and challenges for offering cultural heritage experiences in the hospitality and tourism industry and that its adoption in poor and less developed countries is nuanced.
Social Implications - Leveraging the Metaverse for cultural enrichment can be a powerful tool for the socioeconomic development of underprivileged regions, provided that it is implemented inclusively to include underprivileged labour, whose work in the industry lies on the bottom of the economic pyramid.
Practical Implications – The findings of the study help hospitality managers identify opportunities and challenges in Metaverse, fostering an understanding of the cultural environment and its socio-economic development as key requirements to enhance visitor experience via Metaverse tourism.
Originality/value –This paper further explains the impacts of Metaverse on cultural heritage experience provided in the hospitality and tourism industry rooted in the previous literature relating to technology-enhanced experience.</p
Doctor who? Reflecting upon regenerations of educational identity utilising autoethnography and the method of currere
No full textUndertaking a doctoral study involves a transformation of the self as well as of knowledge. This paper explores how the experience of undertaking a doctoral study affected the complex evolution of the identity of an educator working in the context of United Kingdom (UK) higher education. Autoethnography and the method of currere are combined to promote a qualitative reflection upon educational experiences and their impact on the professional and the person using a guiding framework for reflexive self-examination. The resulting life history features a situated unfolding storied account of how educational experiences can shape us professionally and biographically.</p
Mitochondrial dysfunction and mitophagy blockade contribute to renal osteodystrophy in chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorder
No full textChronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD) presents with extra-skeletal calcification and renal osteodystrophy (ROD). However, the pathophysiology of ROD remains unclear. Here we examine the hypothesis that stalled mitophagy within osteocytes of CKD-MBD mouse models contributes to bone loss. RNA-seq analysis revealed an altered expression of genes associated with mitophagy and mitochondrial function in tibia of CKD-MBD mice. The expression of mitophagy regulators, p62/SQSTM1, ATG7 and LC3, was inconsistent with functional mitophagy, and in mito-QC reporter mice with ROD, there was a two- to three-fold increase in osteocyte mitolysosomes. To determine if uremic toxins were potentially responsible for these observations, treatment of cultured osteoblasts with uremic toxins revealed increased mitolysosome number and mitochondria with distorted morphology. Membrane potential and oxidative phosphorylation were also decreased, and oxygen-free radical production increased. The altered p62/SQSTM1 and LC3-II expression was consistent with impaired mitophagy machinery, and the effects of uremic toxins were reversible by rapamycin. A causal link between uremic toxins and the development of mitochondrial abnormalities and ROD was established by showing that a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant (MitoQ) and the charcoal adsorbent AST-120 were able to mitigate the uremic toxin-induced mitochondrial changes and improve bone health. Overall, our study shows that impaired clearance of damaged mitochondria may contribute to the ROD phenotype. Targeting uremic toxins, oxygen-free radical production and the mitophagy process may offer novel routes for intervention to preserve bone health in patients with CKD-MBD. This would be timely as our current armamentarium of anti-fracture medications for patients with severe CKD-MBD is limited.</p
Nationwide trends in screen time and associated risk factors by family structures among adolescents, 2008-2022: nationwide cross-sectional study
No full textBackground: Although understanding long-term trends in adolescent screen time and the influence of family structure is essential, there is a lack of research addressing these issues comprehensively.Objective: This study aimed to conduct comprehensive investigations into adolescent screen time before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular focus on family structures.Methods: This study used nationwide, large-scale data from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey from South Korea. We aimed to indicate the changes in adolescent screen time over 15 years from 2008 to 2022. Weighted linear regression was used to analyze annual trends in screen time before and during the pandemic, and stratified analyses were conducted to examine associated risk factors across different family structures.Results: This study used data from a total of 836,972 individuals (n=403,456, 48.2% women), with an age range of 12-18 years. The analysis revealed an overall increase in screen time prepandemic (β=8.06, 95% CI 7.74-8.39), with a notable increase observed at the onset of the pandemic (β=162.06, 95% CI 159.49-164.64). Among diverse family structures, the orphanage group showed the most substantial increase in screen time during the pandemic (βdiff=221.90, 95% CI 159.62-284.17). Risk factors associated with screen time during the pandemic varied by family structure. Notably, the nuclear family group presented distinct screen time–related risk factors, including grade, region of residence, physical activity frequency, sadness and despair, and the highest education level of parents.Conclusions: There has been a notable increase in average screen time among adolescents since the onset of the pandemic, with the orphanage group exhibiting a pronounced trend. The risk factors associated with screen time during the pandemic varied for each family structure. Findings from this study suggest that the implementation of individualized measures tailored to each family structure should be adopted to effectively address the increased issue of adolescent screen time since the pandemic.</p
Exploring the meaning of and barriers to quality of care for people living with dementia through the perspective of care home staff: A qualitative study
No full textAIMS: The prevalence of dementia diagnoses means the demand for quality social care services is growing. This paper is an exploratory study of the larger project 'Music4theMind.' 'Music4theMind' is an intervention trial looking at the feasibility of music therapy in care homes to enhance care quality through the needs and symptom management of people living with dementia. This paper aims to understand the meaning of and barriers to delivering high-quality standards of care from the perspective of care home staff. Insights provided by staff will help to develop effective interventions in care homes for both residents and staff. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with fourteen care home staff (M age = 35, SD = 14) working on dementia specialist units at a not-for-profit care organisation across five care homes. The care homes were in the North and South of England and located in urban and rural areas. Interviews were carried out either in person or on Microsoft Teams between July 2022 and January 2023. RESULTS: An inductive thematic approach was used to identify themes from the data. Eight overarching themes and four sub-themes emerged. How care staff understand and practice quality care was (1) Caring for the health and well-being of residents' needs (1.1 physical care, 1.2 psychosocial care, 1.3 person-centred care), (2) Enabling residents to make choices and (3) Carer qualities. Staff reported that the help needed to deliver good quality care was (4) Information, learning opportunities and wider support, (5) Having enough staff on shift and (6) Resources for activities. The barriers to delivering high-quality care were (7) Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia and (8) Time constraints (8.1 staffing factors). CONCLUSIONS: This research provides insights into how care home staff understand and deliver quality care for residents living with dementia. It highlights factors needed to help staff deliver good quality care for residents and the frequent challenges faced during care practice. Care organisations, policymakers, stakeholders, and researchers should address the needs of care staff to ensure that high standards of quality care are delivered sustainably to residents living with dementia. The findings can be incorporated into future care home interventions to enhance care quality delivery.</p
The Role of Environmental Protection Expenditures, Urbanization, and Economic Growth in Promoting Sustainable Natural Resources
No full textOverexploitation of natural resources poses significant challenges to the global ecosystem. Because the world's natural resources are finite, maintaining ecological balance is essential to ensuring their sustainable production, consumption, and efficient use. Furthermore, one of the most essential elements in achieving sustainable development goals is the protection of natural resources. Therefore, knowing what influences and sustains natural resources offers essential information to help shape sustainable resource management practices. In this regard, the study investigates the effects of environmental protection expenditures, urbanization, fossil fuel consumption, and economic growth on the depletion of natural resources in 10 countries with the lowest
natural depletion between 1995 and 2021 through causality testing. Moreover, because they may impact natural resources, population, globalization, and population density were included as control variables in the study's model. The important aim of the study is to achieve Sustainable Development Goals 7, 8, 9, and 12. The test findings of the study show that these policies have a positive effect on the protection of natural resources and indicate a causal relationship supporting this finding. Governments should allocate affordable and easily accessible funds for initiatives that will reduce the negative consequences of processes that ensure the sustainability of natural resources. Additionally, the study highlights its contribution to the literature by proposing several concrete conclusions that determine the factors affecting the sustainability of natural resources</p
Navigating Law and Vulnerability: African Women, Legal Consciousness and Intimate Partner Violence in the UK.
No full textFeminist migratory research has highlighted the gendered dimensions of migration, drawing attention to the compounded challenges migrant women face due to both gender and exclusionism in the migration process. Drawing on research that conceptualises legal consciousness and understanding of the law as both cognitive and behavioural, this study examines the gendered relationship between UK immigration regulations and African migrant women’s experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) in the UK. Through qualitative interviews focusing on Nigerian migrant women on spouse visas, it explores survivors' informal understandings of their rights, duties, and justice in the face of violence and abuse. This paper identifies two key dynamics: first, the patriarchal inheritance of the law and its intersection with existing social contexts through its hegemonic and institutional power, shaping the women’s experiences; and second, the ways survivors exercise agency and show resistance by using the law to reduce or mitigate their vulnerabilities. It is argued that the UK immigration law within this context operates simultaneously both as a tool of oppression and as a legal pathway to safety and empowerment, with the women’s legal consciousness emerging at the intersection of these socio-legal structures.</p
Reply: “Depth of focus as a function of spherical aberration using adaptive optics in pseudophakic subjects”
No full textWe would like to thank Dr. Wang and Dr. Koch for their insightful remarks and appreciate their comments on our recent work...</p
Effects of photobiomodulation on multiple health outcomes: an umbrella review of randomized clinical trials
No full textBackgroundPhotobiomodulation (PBM) is a non-invasive therapy increasingly used for pain, inflammation, and tissue repair, yet a comprehensive synthesis of its effectiveness across multiple health outcomes remains lacking. Herein, we aimed to systematically assess the clinical effects and strength of evidence for PBM across a wide range of health outcomes using data from existing meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).MethodsWe conducted an umbrella review of meta-analyses of RCTs, searching five databases up to December 8, 2023. Two reviewers independently assessed methodological quality using AMSTAR 2 and evaluated certainty of evidence using a modified GRADE framework. Pooled effect sizes were recalculated as equivalent standardized mean differences (eSMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). The study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023495502).ResultsA total of 15 meta-analyses encompassing 204 RCTs and over 9000 participants were included, covering 35 health endpoints across 15 disease conditions. PBM showed significant effects for 12 outcomes, with moderate certainty of evidence supporting improvements in burning mouth syndrome (pain reduction, eSMD − 0.92 [95% CI − 1.38 to − 0.46]), knee osteoarthritis (disability, 0.65 [0.14 to 1.15]), fibromyalgia (fatigue, 1.25 [0.63 to 1.87]), androgenetic alopecia (hair density, 1.32 [1.00 to 1.63]), and cognitive function (0.49 [0.14 to 0.84]). Most other outcomes exhibited low or very low certainty due to heterogeneity or small-study effects. P-curve and funnel plot analyses indicated evidential value for several outcomes, though potential publication bias was identified in some.ConclusionsPBM appeared beneficial for some health conditions, such as the strongest support for fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis-related disability, and cognitive impairment. However, given the overall low-to-moderate certainty of evidence for most endpoints, further high-quality trials and standardization of PBM protocols are warranted before widespread clinical adoption.</p
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