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Characterising the impact of shift work on diet and glucose variability in healthcare employees living with type 2 diabetes:The Shift-Diabetes Study
No full textAims: To characterise differences in dietary intake, glucose variability, and activity in free-living healthcare shift workers with type 2 diabetes (T2D) across varying work conditions. Methods: Healthcare shift workers with T2D were monitored over 10 days, covering night shifts, day shifts, and rest days. Data were collected using blinded continuous glucose monitoring, activity trackers, and diet/sleep diaries. Within-person comparisons were made for mean glucose (MG), coefficient of variation (CV), mean absolute glucose change (MAG), mean amplitude of glycaemic excursion (MAGE), continuous overlapping net glycaemic action (CONGA), dietary intake (food choices, nutrient intake), and activity/rest periods. Results: The study sample (n = 37; 89.2% women) were mainly employed as nurses or midwives (62.2%). Energy intake was highest (2199 kcal SD 648) on a day when a night shift was worked. Percentage of energy intake from sweet snacks was higher on a night shift compared with a rest day after a night shift (13.4 SD 12.0% vs. 7.8 SD 11.8%, p = 0.013). Night shifts had the highest eating occasions (7.0 SD 2.2) and rest after night (RAN) the lowest (3.4 SD 1.6), p < 0.001. No differences were reported for MG, MAGE, or CV. MAG and CONGA were higher for night shift compared with RAN shift (p = 0.029). Step counts were higher on night shift days (13,775, SD 4270 p = 0.016), and participants were awake longer (22.2 h SD 2.4 h, p < 0.001) compared with other day types. Conclusions: Night shifts are associated with prolonged wakefulness, increased activity, and distinct dietary behaviours. Tailored interventions are needed to support night shift workers with T2D in managing their condition effectively.</p
TOWARDS CAUSALITY-AWARE MODELING FOR MULTIMODAL BRAIN-MUSCLE INTERACTIONS
Get PDFRobust characterization of dynamic causal interactions inmultivariate biomedical signals is essential for advancingcomputational and algorithmic methods in biomedical imaging. Conventional approaches, such as Dynamic Bayesian Networks (DBNs), often assume linear or simple statistical dependencies, while manifold-based techniques like Convergent Cross Mapping (CCM) capture nonlinear, laggedinteractions but lack probabilistic quantification and interventional modeling. We introduce a DBN-informed CCM framework that integrates geometric manifold reconstruction with probabilistic temporal modeling. Applied to multimodal EEG–EMG recordings from dystonic and neurotypical children, the method quantifies uncertainty, supports interventional simulation, and reveals distinct frequency-specific reorganization of cortico-muscular pathways in dystonia. Experimental results show marked improvements in predictiveconsistency and causal stability as compared to baselineapproaches, demonstrating the potential of causality-awaremultimodal modeling for developing quantitative biomarkersand guiding targeted neuromodulatory interventions
Does Global Value Chain Participation Matter for Economic Upgrading? A Nonlinear Insight
No full textIn recent decades, global value chains (GVCs) have come to dominate much of world trade. Participation in GVCs is widely regarded as a key driver of development by enabling countries to climb the value-added ladder. However, tighter governance structures within GVCs can make these benefits uncertain. This paper investigates the dynamic impact of GVC participation on economic upgrading using a semiparametric smooth coefficient model with panel data from 62 countries over 1995–2018. We uncover a novel N-shaped nonlinear relationship between GVC participation and economic upgrading, extending beyond the linear or U-shaped patterns found in earlier research. This relationship reveals three stages: initial learning with rising upgrading effects, an intermediate ‘upgrading trap’ with declining effects, and an advanced breakthrough stage with renewed rise. Decomposing transmission mechanisms shows that while GVC participation imposes output efficiency costs, it enhances upgrading by improving input factor productivities. Critically, forward linkage participation proves more effective than backward linkage for escaping the upgrading trap. Middle-income countries exhibit the strongest internal input factor efficiency gains from GVC participation alongside the highest dispersion in overall outcomes. These findings offer policy insights for designing openness and industry policies tailored to a country's development stage and GVC position.</p
A Protocol for the International Translation and Validation of the Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale for Preterm Birth [PSAS-PTB] and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit [PSAS-NICU] Contexts
Get PDFObjectives: To describe the process for the translation and validation of the Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale – Preterm Birth [PSAS-PTB] and the Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale – Neonatal Intensive Care Unit [PSAS-NICU].Methods: We outline a four-stage process for translation and validation of the 10-item PSAS-PTB and the 16-item PSAS-NICU.Results: The protocol outlines a multi-stage translation and validation process, including 1) independent forward translation, 2) independent back translation, 3) final approval following review, and 4) validity and reliability study.Conclusions: Culturally and contextually relevant assessment of postpartum anxiety is vital, particularly in vulnerable populations. Following standardised procedures will support broader applicability across diverse populations, providing a reliable self-report tool for both research and clinical use.<br/
Hydroponics and geopolitics: soilless farming and visions of state power, c.1936–1972
Get PDFFrom the late 1930s to today, the technological lure of hydroponics has inspired many geopolitical imaginations of planetary transformation. Hydroponics, or soilless farming, refers to a bundle of technologies to raise crops outside of arable land, using nutrient solutions in water, sand or gravel media. Envisioned as a technology with the potential to overcome food scarcity, soil exhaustion and climate limitations, hydroponics featured in many 20th-century geopolitical imaginations, often as a tool unlocking greater state power over formerly inhospitable regions and reducing territorial competition. In this article, we investigate three such geopolitical imaginations, as articulated by a raft of agronomists within the US Army, the Zionist movement, and the British Commonwealth. Engaging with these agronomists as international thinkers, we reveal how they fabricated geopolitical visions of hydroponics as part of new infrastructures of American transoceanic airpower, Israeli desert reclamation and postcolonial community development in South Asia and Africa. Through these three cases, we argue that geopolitical imaginations of hydroponics traded in distinctive geographical imaginations, epistemic politics and ideas of state power, placing emphasis on transforming frontiers, controlling plant productivity and enabling the contrasting politics of military hegemony, territorial occupation or postcolonial democracy alike. To conclude, we reflect on how hydroponics remains entangled with geopolitical speculation today, amid concerns with global climate change and agrarian shocks. Casting present-day anxieties through past futurisms, we suggest future avenues for the study of hydroponic imaginations within historical International Relations
N40 Stress after an ulcerative colitis diagnosis:examining factors alleviating or exacerbating stress in ulcerative colitis using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
No full textBackground: Stress significantly affects disease flares and quality of life in people with ulcerative colitis (UC), with over 25% experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression irrespective of disease activity.1–3 However, there is limited research on the specific stressors introduced by a UC diagnosis. This study aimed to explore how stress is experienced following diagnosis and identify contributing factors.Methods: Ten UK-based patients diagnosed with UC within the past six years (seven within the last year) participated in semi-structured online interviews exploring stress and coping during their first post-diagnosis year. Participants (7 female and 3 male; aged 16–76) were predominantly white (n=9). All had elevated scores on Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale prior to interview.4 The interviews were video-recorded and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to capture both shared and divergent aspects of their unique lived experiences.5Results: Analysis revealed a complex and evolving relationship between stress, resilience, and UC, captured in four themes:I. Rethinking health - Health became effortful and unpredictable, shaped by a tension between personal experience and others’ interpretationsII. Rethinking identity - A lifelong diagnosis disrupted self-identity, social roles, and life plans, often leading to feelings of body estrangementIII. Adapting life - Participants were compelled to adjust their behaviour and daily routines, acquire new knowledge and skills, and rely more on othersIV. Dealing with complex emotions - Emotional and physical health were closely linked, with stress and worry heightening distress but also motivating efforts to conserve emotional energy and seek positive experiencesIllustrative quotations for each theme are provided in Table 1.Conclusion: These findings enhance understanding of the stressors introduced by a UC diagnosis and the process by which individuals respond. While participants developed personal resilience to stressors, the role of others (including healthcare professionals) was pivotal in either alleviating or exacerbating stress. There is a pressing need to improve emotional and practical support for people newly diagnosed with UC and their close networks. Crucially, the collective knowledge and lived experience of people with UC should be actively harnessed, not only to guide and support those newly diagnosed, but also to inform and improve clinical practice and wider support services.References:Black J, Sweeney L, Yuan Y, Singh H, Norton C, Czuber-Dochan W. Systematic review: the role of psychological stress in inflammatory bowel disease. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2022;56(8):1235-1249. doi:10.1111/apt.172022.Luo H, Sun Y, Li Y, et al. Perceived stress and inappropriate coping behaviors associated with poorer quality of life and prognosis in patients with ulcerative colitis. J Psychosom Res. 2018;113:66-71. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2018.07.0133.Barberio B, Zamani M, Black CJ, Savarino EV, Ford AC. Prevalence of symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2021;6(5):359-370. doi:10.1016/S2468-1253(21)00014-54.Cohen S, Kamarck T, Mermelstein R. A Global Measure of Perceived Stress. J Health Soc Behav. 1983;24(4):385-396. doi:10.2307/21364045.Smith JA, Flowers P, Larkin M. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: Theory, Method and Research. SAGE; 2022
X-RAFT:Cross-Modal Non-rigid Registration of Blue and White Light Neurosurgical Hyperspectral Images
Get PDFIntegration of hyperspectral imaging into fluorescence-guided neurosurgery has the potential to improve surgical decision making by providing quantitative fluorescence measurements in real-time. Quantitative fluorescence requires paired spectral data in fluorescence (blue light) and reflectance (white light) mode. Blue and white image acquisition needs to be performed sequentially in a potentially dynamic surgical environment. A key component to the fluorescence quantification process is therefore the ability to find dense cross-modal image correspondences between two hyperspectral images taken under these drastically different lighting conditions. We address this challenge with the introduction of X-RAFT, a Recurrent All-Pairs Field Transforms (RAFT) optical flow model modified for cross-modal inputs. We propose using distinct image encoders for each modality pair, and fine-tune these in a self-supervised manner using flow-cycle-consistency on our neurosurgical hyperspectral data. We show an error reduction of 36.6% across our evaluation metrics when comparing to a naive baseline and 27.83% reduction compared to an existing cross-modal optical flow method (CrossRAFT). Our code and models are publicly available (https://github.com/charliebudd/x-raft-cross-modal-non-rigid-registration).</p
Neurosymbolic Explanation Selection in Robotics: Combining the Strengths of Planning and Foundation Models for XAI
No full textRobots operating in human environments should be able to answer diverse, explanation-seeking questions about their past behavior. We present a neurosymbolic pipeline that links a task planner with a unified logging interface, which attaches heterogeneous XAI artifacts (e.g., visual heatmaps, navigation feedback) to individual plan steps. Given a natural language question, a large language model selects the most relevant actions and consolidates the associated logs into a multimodal explanation. In an offline evaluation on 180 questions across six plans in two domains, we show that an LLM-based question matcher retrieves relevant plan steps accurately (F1 Score of 0.91), outperforming a lower-compute embedding baseline (0.62) and a rule-based syntax/keyword matcher (0.02). A preliminary user study (N=30) suggests that users prefer the LLM-consolidated explanations over raw logs and planner-only explanations
Effect of rotational forces on the durability of dental materials:Implications in biology and anthropology
No full textBoth natural and synthetic prosthetic teeth undergo mechanical degradation, impacting their durability. Experimental studies typically simulate dental contacts using simple configurations involving normal and lateral forces. While often necessary due to the constraints of apparatus set-ups and mathematical models, these assumptions oversimplify the complex conditions during mastication and ignore poorly understood but potentially important rotational forces, which occur when teeth are compressed into the alveolar bone. We investigate the influence of rotational forces on contact damage/wear in synthetic dental materials using advanced equipment with decoupled biaxial actuators. Cyclic contact loads combining compression (50 N) and rotation (30°) are applied to zirconia (Z), composite (CP), feldspathic (F) and lithium silicate based (ZLS) glass-ceramics. After 10 5 cycles, Z exhibits the greatest wear resistance (wear volume 4.16 × 10 -4 mm 3), followed by F (5.83 × 10 -3 mm 3), CP (9.17 × 10 -3 mm 3) and ZLS (1.64 × 10 -2 mm 3), with p-values 0.004 (Z-F), 0.631 (F-CP), 0.012 (F-ZLS) and 0.009 (CP-ZLS). Abrasion is the primary wear mode, with specific mechanisms such as plastic deformation and microfracture varying with material microstructure. Contact mechanics analysis indicates that rotational forces induce lower wear than non-rotational sliding. Potential implications in dentistry, biology and anthropology are discussed, including the design of culturally and behaviourally informed dental prosthetics.</p
Human-Centered Quantum Software Engineering:A Research Agenda
No full textQuantum computing, grounded in principles such as superpositionand entanglement, is revolutionising the design, testing, and understanding of software. While the community is working on its technical challenges, the human and collaborative aspects have received little attention. This vision paper outlines a research agenda for human-centred quantum software engineering (HC-QSE). Building on current QSE foundations, the agenda spans three interrelated themes: understanding practice, designing support, and embeddingresponsibility. The first calls for studying how interdisciplinaryteams construct and share mental models of quantum behaviour, collaborate across disciplinary boundaries, and reason under uncertainty inherent in probabilistic computation. The second focuses on creating tools, workflows, and learning environments that enhance comprehension, interpretability, and shared accountability among practitioners, educators, and learners. The third integrates ethical reflection and equity considerations into the design and governance of quantum software ecosystems. By centering human experience within QSE, this agenda encourages cooperative, reflective, and ethically grounded approaches to building quantum software