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Multilevel Safety Climate for Lone Heavy Vehicle Drivers in the UK Quarrying Industry: Validation of the Heavy Vehicle Safety Climate Scale (HVSCS)
Get PDFThe primary goal of our research was to validate a context-specific safety climate measure (the Heavy Vehicle Safety Climate Scale: HVSCS) in a sample of heavy mobile equipment operators (N = 277). An exploratory strategy was adopted, using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to validate the items. The statistical results revealed a five-factor structure, with two factors at the organisational level and three factors at the group level. In addition, a nomological analysis showed that both organisational and supervisory safety climate factors presented distinct correlation patterns with other safety-related variables, including situational and routine violations, safety citizenship behaviour, context-specific safety behaviours and risk propensity. In this study we developed and psychometrically validated a context-specific safety climate tool for lone heavy vehicle drivers in the quarrying industry: the Heavy Vehicle Safety Climate Scale (HVSCS). It is hoped that the final 37-item HVSCS will be utilised by those managing heavy vehicle operations, particularly in the quarrying industry, to identify context-specific opportunities for safety climate improvements and in turn reduce the risk of safety incidents
The Wartime Social Survey as Information History
No full textThe Wartime Social Survey was designed to keep track of civilian morale and test the impact of government policy in Britain during the Second World War. This chapter explores the Survey through the lens of information history, using it as a case study to consider how information was viewed at the time. The chapter begins by reconsidering the infamous ‘Cooper’s Snoopers’ controversy. The affair shows that there was hostility to surveillance, but it overshadows other parts of the Wartime Social Survey’s history. This chapter rectifies the imbalance by showing how the Survey carried out its work. A wider view shows that the Survey’s work extended beyond the wartime emergency it was created to meet. With remarkably little fuss, it established itself as a pioneer in the field of social research and brought policymakers into closer contact with the lives of ordinary people than ever before
Belonging and the Lived Experiences of Underrepresented Occupational Therapy Students
Get PDFBelonging has been explored in research in higher education with a focus on student engagement or performance and the impact of psychological aspects on individuals' learning. Few studies focused on underrepresented occupational therapy students’ belonging. Our research aimed to explore the lived experience of occupational therapy students regarding belonging at university. This phenomenological study was conducted with six occupational therapy students from the United Kingdom who volunteered to participate in semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was carried out through Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA). Three themes were constructed: Theme 1: Representation and belonging - “I was the only non-white person in the room”; Theme 2: Navigating between being and doing - “we've done a lot of talking, what are we going to do?”, and Theme 3: Societal and Institutional Oppression - “Are they even aware?”. The sense of belonging appeared to fluctuate according to individuals, places, and cultures. Our analysis suggests considerations for further occupational therapy education regarding effective strategies to enable belonging, as well as inclusive practices in higher education
Insulin resistance in type 1 diabetes is a key modulator of platelet hyperreactivity
Get PDFAims/hypothesis
Individuals with type 1 diabetes are at increased cardiovascular risk, particularly in the presence of insulin resistance. A prothrombotic environment is believed to contribute to this risk but thrombotic pathways in type 1 diabetes are only partially understood and the role of platelets is incompletely studied. We hypothesised that platelets from individuals with type 1 diabetes exhibit platelet hyperactivity due to both increased propensity for activation and diminished sensitivity to inhibition, with an amplified maladaptive phenotype in those with insulin resistance.
Methods
Blood samples were obtained from individuals with type 1 diabetes enrolled on the ‘Double diabEtes and adVErse cLinical Outcome: identification of mechanistic Pathways’ (DEVELOP) study with insulin resistance assessed as estimated glucose disposal rate (eGDR), whereby eGDR >8 or <6 mg kg−1 min−1 indicates normal insulin sensitivity or advanced insulin resistance, respectively. Platelet function was analysed using whole blood multiparameter flow cytometry to simultaneously measure three distinct markers of activation, including integrin αIIbβ3 (PAC-1 binding), P-selectin (CD62P) and phosphatidylserine (PS) (Annexin V). Both activation and inhibition responses of the platelets were investigated, which were subjected to the machine learning tool Full Annotation Shape-constrained Trees (FAUST) to characterise platelet subpopulations.
Results
A total of 32 individuals with type 1 diabetes were studied (median age [range] of 24 [18–34] years, 59% male, diabetes duration [mean ± SD] of 14.0 ± 6.3 years and HbA1c of 65.3 ± 14.0 mmol/mol [8.1%]). An increased basal expression, measured as mean fluorescence intensity, of all three platelet activation markers was detected in the type 1 diabetes group compared with healthy control participants (CD62P expression 521 ± 246 vs 335 ± 67; p8 mg kg−1 min−1) with single agonist stimulation CD62P expression (29,167 ± 2177 vs 22,829 ± 2535, p<0.001 and PAC-1 19,339 ± 11,749 and 5187 ± 2872, p=0.02). Moreover, individuals with type 1 diabetes showed reduced sensitivity to platelet inhibition by prostacyclin (PGI2) compared with control participants. Stratification of individuals with type 1 diabetes by insulin resistance demonstrated that in the presence of PGI2, suppression of stimulated CD62P was 17 ± 11% and 33 ± 12% (p=0.02) for advanced insulin resistance and normal insulin sensitivity groups, respectively, with even larger differences demonstrated for PAC-1 (48 ± 17% and 75 ± 7%; p=0.006) and PS exposure (33 ± 12% and 84 ± 10%; p=0.001). Furthermore, FAUST analysis showed that, under basal conditions, there was a different distribution of the eight platelet subpopulations comparing advanced insulin resistance and normal insulin sensitivity groups, with differences also detected following PGI2 inhibition.
Conclusions/interpretation
Our novel characterisation of platelets in type 1 diabetes shows a maladaptive phenotype with increased basal activity together with hyperactivation following stimulation and diminished responses to inhibition. Insulin resistance appears to further drive this adverse thrombotic phenotype, suggesting an enhanced platelet-driven cardiovascular risk in those with type 1 diabetes and reduced insulin sensitivity
A Critical Review of Dysfunctional Breathing
Get PDFDysfunctional breathing (DB) refers to various abnormalities breathing patterns. Whilst a formal definition exists, subsequent research has inconsistently applied or omitted it. As interest in breathing techniques grows among both healthcare professionals and the public, it is important to reach a consensus on DB's definition to ensure effective assessment and treatment. This critical review explores how DB is currently defined and applied within respiratory and musculoskeletal health. A lack of consistency in the literature identified the need for a more comprehensive framework of DB. To address this, a new model of DB is proposed that includes three subcategories: biomechanical, biochemical and psychophysiological DB. This revised model offers a foundation for future research and clinical application
A New AI Framework to Support Social-Emotional Skills and Emotion Awareness in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Get PDFThis research highlights the importance of Emotion Aware Technologies (EAT) and their implementation in serious games to assist children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in developing social-emotional skills. As AI is gaining popularity, such tools can be used in mobile applications as invaluable teaching tools. In this paper, a new AI framework application is discussed that will help children with ASD develop efficient social-emotional skills. It uses the Jetpack Compose framework and Google Cloud Vision API as emotion-aware technology. The framework is developed with two main features designed to help children reflect on their emotions, internalise them, and train them how to express these emotions. Each activity is based on similar features from literature with enhanced functionalities. A diary feature allows children to take pictures of themselves, and the application categorises their facial expressions, saving the picture in the appropriate space. The three-level minigame consists of a series of prompts depicting a specific emotion that children have to match. The results of the framework offer a good starting point for similar applications to be developed further, especially by training custom models to be used with ML Kit
Simulation of renewable energy source integration in a smart energy grid using MATLAB/Simulink
Get PDFThe transformation of the power grid from traditional methods into smart grids for the generation, transmission, distribution, and utilization of electric energy reduces the dependency on fossil fuels, thus taking a step towards environmental sustainability. This research paper simulates a smart grid's behavior when integrated with a renewable energy source. The grid network topology of a power system was modeled and simulated in MATLAB/SIMULINK, where the model consisted of renewable energy resources (RER's) having a series of solar panels, redundant power generating stations, a transmission infrastructure, and a power utilization section for 3-phase high voltage industrial load and low voltage domestic load, respectively. The results of the study showed that there is power loss and signal distortion in the output voltage when multiple generators are integrated. These harmonics can be easily filtered out when the integration is done between the generator and a renewable energy resource (RER) using properly designed Resistor-Inductor-capacitor filters and booster circuits. The results further demonstrated that when integration was accomplished between the generator and the RERs, a stable output voltage of 0.6e4 V was obtained, given a generator capacity of 6600 V. The industrial and domestic load also showed minimal instability by maintaining an output of 1100/440 V, respectively, before and after integration. The study also showed that RERs can be used to support the power supply to the grid to maintain its supply voltage and the overall stability of the system. However, RERs cannot withstand supplying a power grid on their own
What are the emotional burdens of precarious educators working in the higher education sector? A scoping review
No full textThe use of precariously employed educators is increasing in the global higher education (HE) sector, with many struggling to gain long-term employment and experiencing emotional burden. Scholars report that unpredictable job security, ambiguous career progression, and inadequate remuneration can detrimentally impact precarious educators. This scoping review aimed to uncover and synthesize the literature related to emotional burdens for precariously employed educators in HE. A systematic search across five databases was conducted, and 38 studies published between 2012 and 2023 were included. Analysis revealed four main categories of emotional burden: (1) exclusion or disconnection, (2) feeling undervalued, (3) stress and (4) anxiety. These were mapped to themes of job satisfaction, personal health and wellbeing, career progression, and the work environment. We conclude that precarious educators bear complex emotional burdens. The implications of these could be critically explored and considered by educators, administrators, researchers, and policymakers to work towards more inclusive and equitable academic environments
Reflections and Guidance on Using Ethnographic Approaches in Health and Care Research – Ten Researcher’s Diverse Insights
Get PDFEthnographic approaches to health and care research are invaluable. They offer rich insight into contextual and cultural factors that influence the health service, as well as the delivery of care within any given community, and recognise the centrality of the researcher in the process. Understanding the unfolding of real-life events, as well as interactions between people, space, technology and other affordances, is crucial to developing impactful and contextually sensitive interventions. Information derived from ethnography may also be unreachable by other, retrospective research approaches. By combining a collection of ten researchers’ diverse first-hand experiences relating to past studies, with collaborative reflections on conceptual, theoretical, methodological, and ethical issues pertaining to ethnographic inquiry in health and care research, this paper offers a unique, accessible and revealing ‘backstage’ introduction to ethnographic approaches. It aims to de-mystify ethnography and prepare researchers planning to adopt ethnographic approaches to health research, by describing how it can
look
and
feel
in practice with empirical illustrations. This is perhaps particularly valuable for researchers new to ethnographic approaches across disciplines and expertise levels (e.g., clinical researchers and PhD students), as well as any stakeholder who may wish to be involved, or support such work in health and care settings
A Collaborative Approach to Co‐Creating Contact Confident, an Evidence‐Informed Tackle Safety and Technique Intervention for Coaches and Players in Rugby Union
Get PDFTraining strategies to promote safe and effective tackle technique are an important target for injury prevention and enhancing performance across the rugby codes. However, there is a research‐to‐implementation gap in ‘real‐world’ settings and a need for more studies with women and girls. This article outlines the development of an evidence‐informed tackle coaching intervention co‐created with content and context experts in women's rugby union. Based on previous work which developed a context‐specific injury‐prevention programme for women playing Australian Football, a 7‐step process was adopted. After gaining organisational support, the process included using research evidence and applied experience and engaging intervention implementers to co‐create the content for ‘Contact Confident’. Iterative integration of feedback from early implementers enhanced practical relevance for coaches. This study underlines the importance of stakeholder collaboration in cocreating and implementing injury prevention interventions, offering a scalable resource for tackle and ball carrier skill development in rugby union for women and girls, with wider relevance for other genders and sports. Future research should look to evaluate the impact of this and similar context‐specific interventions on coach behaviour and athlete outcomes across varied global rugby settings
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