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IoMT with deep CNN: AI-based intelligent support system for pandemic diseases
No full textThe Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is an extended version of the Internet of Things (IoT). It mainly concentrates on the integration of medical things for servicing needy people who cannot get medical services easily, especially rural area people and aged peoples living alone. The main objective of this work is to design a real time interactive system for providing medical services to the needy who do not have a sufficient medical infrastructure. With the help of this system, people will get medical services at their end with minimal medical infrastructure and less treatment cost.However, the designed system could be upgraded to address the family of SARs viruses, and for experimentation, we have taken COVID-19 as a test case. The proposed system comprises of many modules, such as the user interface, analytics, cloud, etc. The proposed user interface is designed for interactive data collection. At the initial stage, it collects preliminary medical information, such as the pulse oxygen rate and RT-PCR results. With the help of a pulse oximeter, they could get the pulse oxygen level. With the help of swap test kit, they could find COVID-19 positivity. That information is uploaded as preliminary information to the designed proposed system via the designed UI. If the system identifies the COVID positivity, it requests that the person upload X-ray/CT images for ranking the severity of the disease. The system is designed for multi-model data. Hence, it can deal with X-ray, CT images, and textual data (RT-PCR results). Once X-ray/CT images are collected via the designed UI, those images are forwarded to the designed AI module for analytics. The proposed AI system is designed for multi-disease classification. It classifies the patients affected with COVID-19 or pneumonia or any other viral infection. It also measures the intensity level of lung infection for providing suitable treatment to the patients. Numerous deep convolution neural network (DCNN) architectures are available for medical image classification. We used ResNet-50, ResNet-100, ResNet-101, VGG 16, and VGG 19 for better classification. From the experimentation, it observed that ResNet101 and VGG 19 outperform, with an accuracy of 97% for CT images. ResNet101 outperforms with an accuracy of 98% for X-ray images. For obtaining enhanced accuracy, we used a major voting classifier. It combines all the classifiers result and presents the majority voted one. It results in reduced classifier bias. Finally, the proposed system presents an automatic test summary report textually. It can be accessed via user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI). It results in a reduced report generation time and individual bia
The ripple effects of suicide: a personal account of dealing with the death of an adult sibling
No full textPurpose – This opinion piece documents the experience of losing an adult sibling to suicide and explores the experience of personal and family grief.Design/methodology/approach – The narrative is written from an autoethnographic perspective and utilises the current evidence base to support a personal reflection.Findings – The paper identifies the complex nature of bereavement following death from suicide and considers those factors which support more positive outcomes for those grieving.Research limitations/implications – The piece focuses on autoethnographic data but is supported by findings from the wider evidence base.Practical implications – The importance of seeking positives as part of the healing process when processing complex grief.Social implications – Disclosure has been identified as an important part of processing complex grief associated with suicide bereavement and yet suicide remains a taboo subject for many.Originality/value – This autoethnographic piece details the experience of dealing with a sibling suicide and the importance of creating the opportunity for positive reflection to process complex grief
The United Kingdom’s National Early Warning Score: should everyone use it? A narrative review
No full textThis review critiques the benefits and drawbacks of the United Kingdom’s National Early Warning Score (NEWS). Potential developments for the future are considered, as well as the role for NEWS in an emergency department (ED). The ability of NEWS to predict death within 24 h has been well validated in multiple clinical settings. It provides a common language for the assessment of clinical severity and can be used to trigger clinical interventions. However, it should not be used as the only metric for risk stratification as its ability to predict mortality beyond 24 h is not reliable and greatly influenced by other factors. The main drawbacks of NEWS are that measuring it requires trained professionals, it is time consuming and prone to calculation error. NEWS is recommended for use in acute UK hospitals, where it is linked to an escalation policy that reflects postgraduate experience; patients with lower NEWS are first assessed by a junior clinician and those with higher scores by more senior staff. This policy was based on expert opinion that did not consider workload implications. Nevertheless, its implementation has been shown to improve the efficient recording of vital signs. How and who should respond to different NEWS levels is uncertain and may vary according to the clinical setting and resources available. In the ED, simple triage scores which are quicker and easier to use may be more appropriate determinants of acuity. However, any alternative to NEWS should be easier and cheaper to use and provide evidence of outcome improvement
The values in action character strengths model: A resource for people in addiction recovery
No full textThe purpose of this study is to examine the Values in Action character strengths profile of people in addiction recovery, in order to identify which strengths are meaningfully represented in this population. This was compared with the generalised profile of a normative population to identify the differentiating features. Reasons for the profile variance and the significance this has for addiction recovery have also been explored.An independent group design was adopted using purposive sampling. This saw participants (n=100) complete the Values in Action assessment (VIA-IS-P) to establish a character strengths profile for people in addiction recovery. To identify the differences in this profile, a mean score and rank order comparison was conducted, using data taken from a normative population. Additional exploratory analysis was conducted to establish if there were any significant differences in the character strength profile of males and females.In descending order, the top five ranked strengths were kindness, humour, honesty, fairness, and teamwork. The lesser five strengths in the profile were spirituality, zest, perseverance, prudence, and self-regulation. A distinguishing feature was the presence of humour as a top five strength for people in addiction recovery. The existence of teamwork also deviated from the generalised normative population. There were two strengths shown to have a meaningfully higher score for females, teamwork, and love. This did not change the strengths present in the overall top five for males or females, however.This study contributes useful knowledge to the understanding of character strengths in addiction recovery. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time character strengths have been examined in a sample of people in addiction recovery
Proceedings of ICACTCE'23 - The International conference on advances in communication technology and computer engineering : New artificial intelligence and the internet of things based perspective and solutions
No full textThe third International Conference on Advances in Communication Technology and Computer Engineering.Today, communication technology and computer engineering are intertwined, with advances in one field driving advances in the other, leading to the development of outstanding technologies. This book delves into the latest trends and breakthroughs in the areas of communication, Internet of things, cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.This book discusses challenges and opportunities that arise with the integration of communication technology and computer engineering. In addition, the book examines the ethical and social implications, including issues related to privacy, security, and digital divide and law. We have explored the future direction of these fields and the potential for further breakthroughs and innovations.The book is intended for a broad audience of undergraduate and graduate students, practicing engineers, and readers without a technical background who have an interest in learning about communication technology and computer engineering
Positioning Social Enterprise as an Engine for Economic Growth: Policy Discourse
No full textThis chapter delves into a detailed exploration of the crucial interplay between social enterprises and economic growth. The primary aim is to conduct a thorough investigation of the multifaceted relationship between these entities. The authors analyse the challenges and advantages inherent in this relationship and propose strategies for policymakers to harness the profound impact that social enterprises can exert on both societal and economic progress. To achieve a comprehensive understanding of this subject, qualitative research methods have been employed throughout this chapter. The research methodology involves an extensive literature review, which serves as a foundation for gathering insights and knowledge pertaining to social enterprises and their intricate ties with economic growth. Recognising social enterprises as catalysts for economic expansion necessitates the formulation of a comprehensive policy framework. Consequently, it becomes imperative to address these challenges. This approach is not only crucial for ensuring the growth and sustainability of social enterprises but also for fostering a form of economic growth that embodies inclusivity, equity, and sustainability. The recommendations presented in this chapter advocate for the establishment of an enabling environment where social enterprises can thrive and make substantial contributions to economic development, all while addressing urgent social and environmental challenges
Is laughter really the best medicine? Reflecting on a mental health initiative using pragmatic collaborative autoethnography
No full textThis article relates to the potential of applied laughter in social science. Here, we explore the “Laughie Challenge Australia.” This community-based mental health initiative aims to get Australians laughing. We invite its instigator to discuss it, using a pragmatic qualitative research approach, Invited Collaborative Autoethnography (ICAE). Our purpose is to gain insight into the rationale and practicalities of using laughter to alleviate community mental health issues. Thus, we use ICAE instrumentally as a discourse platform to build understanding through joint narrative with a view of facilitating laughter community-science research collaborations. We recount the “story” of the Laughie Challenge, and the meeting of two academics and a community laughter leader, with a shared interest in the healing power of laughter and “real-world” laughter applications. ICAE enabled transparent, in-depth discourse. It has resulted in citizen science research to further advance knowledge in this area
Peter Bullimore: A living tribute
No full textThe aim of this paper is to provide a living tribute of the mental health activist and international trainer Peter Bullimore.Peter provided a list of people who he wanted to provide tributes. Jerome approached all these people. All agreed.Several people from around the world attest to the influence that Peter's teaching and personality has had on their clinical practice and on their lives.The disappearance of Open Mind has left a shortage of journals which welcome the user perspective. Mental Health and Social Inclusion has always championed the voice of people with lived experience. These are selected tributes to one man’s work in the field of mental health.These accounts provide insights into the work of a remarkable individual.Students of the mental health professions are mainly exposed to work produced by their peers. The history of mental health is filled with the stories of professionals, not the people who have used services.Historically accounts of psychiatry are written by mental health professionals. Service user or lived experience accounts are often written from the perspective of the person’s story of illness and recovery. There are comparatively few which celebrate the additional achievements of specific individuals with lived experience
The role of blockchain technology and student coin case in Saudi Arabia's higher education sector. The challenge of achieving 2030 vision
No full textAt present, researchers and practitioners are increasingly interested in blockchain technology. This is due to its unique characteristics, including safety, regionalisation, dependability, and data security. Even with the increased attention and engagement, few individuals are aware of the present state of knowledge and usage of Blockchain (BC) technology, more so in the context of higher education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabis. This paper offers a comprehensive evaluation of prior research pertaining to blockchain-based educational applications. It focuses on three primary themes: (1) educational applications and its use created by using blockchain technology, (2) the advantages of blockchain technology in higher education and (3) the adoption area in higher education challenges and problems of blockchain technology. Detailed analysis of the results for each topic and an in-depth discussion was carried out based on the survey results. This study also sheds light on other crucial areas of education where blockchain technology might help
Homelessness: measuring need to design more inclusive services
No full textPurpose – The purpose of this paper – the second of three – is to report the findings from a service user needs assessment in those who have contact with a local homelessness service in the North-West of England.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire that included a section exploring Adverse Childhood Experiences. Aggregated data from a total of 100 completed questionnaires were analysed to understand the nature and scope of those accessing the Homelessness and Vulnerable Adults Service (HVAS).Findings – Homeless people accessing HVAS face a number of challenges, which reflect their upbringing and chaotic and complex lifestyles. Reports of multiple disadvantage, social isolation, physical and mental health problems were common among the cohort.Research limitations/implications – This was a small cohort study, and the authors accept that this may potentially limit the scope of the findings. Themes identified are, however, reflected in wider research and official data collection sources. Future research may seek to widen the data collection methods to offer a more representative cohort.Practical implications – The provision of co-ordinated multi-agency support is essential to tackle health inequalities experienced by those who are homeless.Social implications – The complex issues often experienced by those who are homeless can further compound the impact of social exclusion on health and well-being. The reduction of statutory support and increased emphasis on self-reliance can further impact those people on the margins of society.Originality/value – This study identifies how multiple deprivations and social isolation impacts upon health and well-being, further compounding a person’s ability and willingness to engage with services. It raises the question of the systems failure to respond effectivel