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'It's a Right Pain in the Pelvis!': post-traumatic stress and post-traumatic growth in a sample of females experiencing chronic pelvic pain
No full textChronic pelvic pain affects 38 per 1,000 women yearly (Daniels & Khan, 2010; Zondervan et al., 1999), accompanied by various psycho-logical sequelae. Positive psychology may offer new approaches to pelvic pain that complement existing interventions; these include post-traumatic growth (PTG), optimism, resilience, and models of recovery. In a sample of 132 females (aged 16 to 45), cross- sectional research revealed that participants with pelvic pain of unknown cause had the highest levels of post-traumatic stress dis-order (PTSD) symptoms. A regression analysis revealed that intrusive rumination, avoidant coping, and resilience were significant predictors of PTSD symptoms, and resilience and social support were predictors of PTG. Understanding the elements of positive psychology could help create positive psychology interventions focusing on chronic pelvic pain?s impact on mental health
The mediating role of flourishing on religious faith and psychological distress: a pilot survey
No full textFlourishing is a growing topic in positive psychology, and the positive influences of flourishing have been well documented. Although recent literature has shown that religion has an impact on one?s physical and psychological well-being in positive ways, the relationship between religiosity and flourishing has surprisingly not been studied. The present study aimed to explore the relationship of religious faith with flourishing and psychological distress. An online survey has successfully recruited 267 participants from UK and Taiwan. The survey used standardised inventories including the PERMA Profiler, the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire, and the Clinical Outcome in Routine Evaluation to measure flourishing, religious faith and psychological distress respectively. Results show that participants with strong religious faith do have higher levels of flourishing. Yet Path Analysis shows that participants who have stronger religious faith is indirectly related to lower psychological distress through the mediating effect of flourishing. Suggestions for future research and implications of the findings are discussed
Precision agriculture for sustainability. Use of smart sensors, actuators, and decision support systems
No full textThis book provides a comprehensive exploration of the aspects of the current state-of-the-art digital technological intervention for precision agriculture for sustainable agricultural development. It delves into how modern technologies—i.e., global positioning systems (GPS), unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), image processing methods, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning—are being used in agriculture to make it more farmer-friendly and more economically profitable.The volume discusses the use of smart sensors, actuators, and decision support systems for precision agriculture that provide intelligent data about crop health and for monitoring for yield prediction, soil quality, and nutrition requirement prediction, etc., using machine learning, deep learning, and artificial intelligence through a globally connected system via the Internet of Things (IoT).The book begins with a section on AI in agriculture that looks at using satellite data for vegetation studies, AI-based solutions to increase farmer income, satellite images for yield prediction using machine learning algorithms, and more. The second section presents robotic-based innovations in agriculture, including agricultural field robots, along with cobots (computer-controlled robotic devices designed to people) used in and outside farms and greenhouses, methods for continual robotic monitoring of crops, robot-based weed identification and control systems, and more.The section on intelligent computing in agriculture looks at soft computing methodologies and frameworks for yield forecasting for crop production, machine learning techniques to classify and identify plant diseases, machine learning algorithms to analyze all factors affecting crop yield and the climatic effect on produce, deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs) for recognizing nutrient deficiencies, etc. The last section explores IoT in agriculture and provides an overview of the research that has gone into making smart precision agriculture a reality, IoT applications for smart garden plantation condition monitoring, smart agriculture that makes use of cloud computing and IoT, and much more.The book covers artificial intelligence in agriculture, robotic-based innovations in agriculture, intelligent computing in agriculture, and the Internet of Things in agriculture, providing a rich resource on this exciting and developing area
Where are services regarding sexual minorities and psychological therapies post-COVID in 2024? A mixed-method systematised review
No full textPurpose: Since COVID-19, many services have burgeoned within the UK, but what about sexual minorities?Since the last review, there are appropriate therapies, but there is often inadequate research. I set out tostudy the research evidence available.Design: A mixed-method review synthesis, 3 studies looking into the efficacy of psychological therapies forsexual minorities and 4 studies addressing the experiences of sexual minorities partaking in psychologicaltherapies were identified.Findings: These included 3 quantitative and 4 qualitative studies. The minority stress hypothesis is used toformulate problems, but challenges remain to confidentiality and privacy in this context. Therapists stilloperate within the heteronormative framework, discounting intersectionality in therapy conversations.Research limitations: Most studies have had low retention rates since 2021. It shows that minority stressneeds to be accounted for at the ethics committee and research delivery levels.Practical implications: Applying a heteronormative framework to sexual minorities is not working. Analternative Progress World View is needed.Social implications: Healthcare clinicians strive for equitable care. Unfortunately, using an equitable healthservice scale adapted from Levesque et al., (2013), the rating is 3 out of 6. More work is needed to improveservices.Originality/value: Some services are reporting much improvement post-pandemic. Sadly, this is not thecase for sexual minorities. Individual and systemic barriers remain
Lignin-based carbon fibres: Effect of bio-polyamide on oxidative thermal stabilisation of lignin
No full textCarbon fibres have been produced from hydroxypropyl-modified lignin (TcC)/bio-based polyamide 1010 (PA1010) blended filaments. Two grades of PA1010, with different molecular weights and rheological properties, were used for blending with TcC. An oxidative thermal stabilisation step was used prior to carbonisation in an inert atmosphere to prevent the fusion of the filaments during the latter step. Thermal stabilisation was not possible using a one-step stabilisation process reported in the literature for lignin and other lignin/synthetic polymer blends. As a consequence, a cyclic process involving an additional isothermal phase at a lower temperature than the precursor filaments' melting point, was introduced to increase the cross-linking reactions between the lignin and polyamide. Thermally stabilised filaments were characterised by DSC, TGA, TGA-FTIR, ATR, and SEM techniques. Polymer rheology and heating rate used during thermal stabilisation influenced the thermal stabilisation process and mechanical properties of the derived filaments. Thermally stabilised filaments using optimised conditions (heating in the air atmosphere at 0.25 degree celsius/min to 180 degree celsius; isothermal for 1 h, cooling back down to ambient at 5 degrees C/min; heating to 250 degree celsius at 0.25 degree celsius/min, isothermal for 2 h) could be successfully carbonised. Carbon fibres produced had void-free morphologies and mechanical properties comparable to similarly thermally stabilised and carbonised polyacrylonitrile (PAN) filaments. (c) 2024 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science & Technology. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Intersection of AI and Business Intelligence in Data-Driven Decision-Making
No full textIn today's rapidly evolving business landscape, organizations are inundated with vast amounts of data, making it increasingly challenging to extract meaningful insights and make informed decisions. The traditional business intelligence (BI) approach must often address the complexity and speed required for effective decision-making in this data-rich environment. As a result, many businesses need help to leverage their data to drive sustainable growth and remain competitive. Intersection of AI and Business Intelligence in Data-Driven Decision-Making presents a transformative solution to this pressing challenge. By exploring the convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and BI, our book provides a comprehensive framework for leveraging AI-powered BI to revolutionize data analysis, predictive modeling, and decision-making processes. Readers will gain valuable insights into practical applications, emerging trends, and ethical considerations, inspiring and exciting them about the potential of AI in driving business success
Federated recurrent-based adaptive battle royale algorithm for privacy-preserving data aggregation in industrial IoT: a signal, image, and video processing perspective
No full textAs the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) continues to advance, ensuring robust data privacy in data aggregation processes becomes paramount. This paper introduces a novel approach, the federated recurrent-based adaptive battle royale (FR-ABR) algorithm, designed to address challenges such as latency, scalability, centralized aggregation, and data exposure in privacy-preserving data aggregation schemes within the IIoT. Leveraging federated learning, the FR-ABR algorithm employs Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) trained on decentralized edge devices, allowing each device to process local data without central data exposure. The study further integrates an adaptive strategy with battle royale optimization to fine-tune hyperparameters and enhance the overall performance of the FR-ABR method. Evaluation metrics including network lifetime, end-to-end delay, latency, throughput, energy consumption, communication overhead, and computation cost are employed to evaluate the performance of the FR-ABR method. Comparative analysis against existing methods establishes the superior performance of the FR-ABR algorithm, showcasing its potential as a robust solution for privacy-preserving data aggregation in IIoT applications. Experimental results presented in this study provide valuable insights into the efficacy and efficiency of the FR-ABR method within the realm of signal, image, and video processing for industrial networks
Reading the child in children's literature an heretical approach
No full textAn essential text that provides students with a dynamic, sophisticated and controversial look at the critical representation of the child in children's literature, arguing for a more open and eclectic approach: one that celebrates the diverse power, appeal and possibilities of children's literature. Drawing on psychoanalytically informed perspectives, David Rudd shows students how theory can be both exciting and liberating.This is a thought-provoking supplementary text for modules on Children's literature or literary theory which may be offered at the upper levels of an undergraduate literature degree. In addition it is a stimulating resource for advanced students who may be studying children's literature or literary theory as part of a taught postgraduate degree in literature
Time to consider social care nursing as the fifth field of practice
No full textThe social care workforce is struggling, with an estimated 44% turnover rate across the UK and numbers entering into social care are continually dwindling. According to The State of the Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce in England report (Skills for Care, 2023) there are currently 152 000 unfilled workforce posts in social care
Enhancing educational adaptability: a review and analysis of AI-driven adaptive learning platforms
No full textThis study explores the transformative potential of AI-powered adaptive learning platforms (ALPs) in education, specifically focusing on personalized learning paths and their impact on student engagement and outcomes.Through a comprehensive analysis of four prominent ALPs— Carnegie Learning, DreamBox Learning, Smart Sparrow, and Knewton—this study investigates their approaches to content tailoring and feedback delivery. The comparative analysis highlights each platform’s strengths and limitations, providing educators with valuable insights for informed selection and implementation. This study also considers the broader landscape of ALPs, acknowledging concerns such as bias, data privacy, and the role of educators in the tech-driven educational environment. The findings contribute to our understanding of how ALPs can empower educators, personalize learning, and address achievement gaps, offering a nuanced perspective on the complex tapestry of AI in educatio