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Relational wellbeing in the lives of young refugees
Get PDFThis book is a Special Issue Reprint. In it we consider the ways in which a relational wellbeing approach can be used to understand the lives and trajectories of refugees in general and young refugees in particular. We mainly focus on the lives of young adults who came to the global North as unaccompanied children—that is, without an adult responsible for them when they claimed asylum. Many of the papers report from the Drawing Together project (see https://www.drawingtogetherproject.org/, accessed on 11 January 2024). The project focus is on ‘relational wellbeing’ for young refugees—that is, wellbeing that is experienced through actions that repair and amplify a sense of responsibility they and other people have to each other. Hospitality and reciprocity emerge through small acts of fellowship. In time, these build patterns of exchanges between young refugees and those important to them, leading to a mutual sense of ‘having enough’, ‘being connected’, and ‘feeling good’ (White and Jha 2020). This is wellbeing as a shared endeavour. Overall, the project and many contributions in this Special Issue stand at the conjunction between fields of research into wellbeing and refugee studies. The papers span contexts and countries, offering a sense of an international array of experiences, joined by an issue of supra-national importance—that is, the ways interaction and relationality mediate the experiences of becoming and being a refugee
From augmentation to inpainting: improving Visual SLAM with signal enhancement techniques and GAN-based image inpainting
Get PDFThis paper undertakes a comprehensive investigation that surpasses the conventional examination of signal enhancement techniques and their effects on visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (vSLAM) performance across diverse scenarios. Going beyond the conventional scope, the study extends its focus towards the seamless integration of signal enhancement techniques, aiming to achieve a substantial enhancement in the overall vSLAM performance. The research not only delves into the assessment of existing methods but also actively contributes to the field by proposing innovative denoising techniques that can play a pivotal role in refining the accuracy and reliability of vSLAM systems. This multifaceted approach encompasses a thorough exploration of the intricate relationships between signal enhancement, denoising strategies, their cumulative impact on the performance of vSLAM in real-world applications and the innovative use of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) for image inpainting. The GANs effectively fill in missing spaces following object detection and removal, presenting a novel state-of-the-art approach that significantly enhances overall accuracy and execution speed of vSLAM. This paper aims to contribute to the advancement of vSLAM algorithms in real-world scenarios, demonstrating improved accuracy, robustness, and computational efficiency through the amalgamation of signal enhancement and advanced denoising techniques
Mitigating the impact of harmful algal blooms on aquaculture using technological interventions: case study on a South African farm
Get PDFSeafood, especially from the ocean, is now seen as a greener and more sustainable source of protein, causing an increase in its demand. This has also led to people making choices towards seafood as a replacement for carbon-intensive protein sources. As a result, the demand for seafood is growing, and as the aquaculture industry looks to increase production, keeping products safe and sustainable is imperative. There are many challenges faced by the aquaculture industry in meeting these increased demands. One such challenge is the presence of harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the ocean, which can have a major impact on aquatic life. In this paper, we look at the impact of this challenge on aquaculture and monitoring strategies whilst illustrating the potential for technological interventions to help mitigate the impact of an HAB. We will focus on Abagold Limited, a land-based marine aquaculture business that specialises in the large-scale production of abalone (Haliotis midae) based in Hermanus, South Africa. HABs are considered a threat to commercial-scale abalone farming along the South African coastline and require continuous monitoring. The most recent HAB was in February–April 2019, when the area experienced a severe red-tide event with blooms of predominantly Lingulodinium polyedrum. We present some of the monitoring strategies employing digital technologies to future-proof the industry. This article presents the development of a novel hybrid water quality forecasting model based on a TriLux multi-parameter sensor to monitor key water quality parameters. The actual experimental real water quality data from Abagold Limited show a good correlation as a basis for a forecasting model which would be a useful tool for the management of HABs in the aquaculture industry
Identifying the number of steps required for familiarisation to athletic footwear in healthy older adults
Get PDFIntroduction: Research on athletic footwear familiarisation within an older population is sparse. This is problematic because unfamiliar footwear may act as a new perturbation and modify older adults’ walking gait and stability. In addition, while athletic footwear has been suggested to enhance older adults’ comfort and support during activities of daily living, the necessary period for familiarisation with athletic footwear is unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the number of steps required for older adults to be familiarised with athletic footwear of different midsole thicknesses. Methods: Twenty-six healthy and physically active community-dwelling older adults, 21 females (71.1 ± 4.5 years; 164.5 ± 5.3 cm; 68.4 ± 11.4 kg) and five males (70.6 ± 2.3 years; 175.2 ± 7.8 cm; 72.8 ± 9.7 kg) completed a walking-based protocol. Participants walked two trials of 200 steps at their habitual speed on a 10 m track of an optical measurement system in three footwear conditions: 1) New Balance® REVlite 890v6 (thick midsole); 2) New Balance® REVlite 1400v5 (moderate midsole); and 3) New Balance® Minimus 20v7 (thin midsole). Gait speed (m.s-1) and walking time (min) were analysed for each participant over the 400 steps. Number of required familiarisation steps were established over three analysis phases, consisting of steady state gait assessment, averaging and analysis of blocks of 40 steps, and sequentially comparing these steps with a pre-determined threshold. Footwear familiarisation was assumed when the mean gait speed fell within an acceptable level (± 2 SD from 320 to 360 step values) and subsequently maintained. Results: Most participants were familiarised with all three footwear conditions (thick n= 18; moderate and thin n= 20) after walking 80 steps. For all participants, the moderate midsole had the shortest familiarisation period (160 steps). The highest number of familiarisation steps were found in the thick (320 steps) and thin midsoles (240 steps) for some participants. Conclusion: A minimum of 320 familiarisation steps is recommended to account for both individual differences and midsole thicknesses. Implementing this walking-based footwear familiarisation protocol would improve validity of future studies, ensuring they analyse footwear effects rather than familiarisation with the footwear
Yet another example of ChatGPT's evasive tactics during long conversations: Japanese rock song lyrics case
No full textMuch attention has been devoted to the ChatGPT and other Large Language Models’ (LLM) capability assessment regarding syntax correctness, factual accuracy, adequate world representation, ethical alignment, common sense and formal logic reasoning. However, most of the research focused on "statically" generated texts, when the result of only a single iteration between a human and LLMs was recorded. More advanced techniques of open-ended discussions or debates between a human and LLMs produce much more interesting results, demonstrating such faulty rhetorical behaviours as circular arguments, self-contradictions, evasion, change of topic, lack of consistent position, and the mix of passive aggression with attempts to please human disputant. We present an original observation of such behaviour during the ChatGPT dialogue session discussing the translation of Japanese song lyrics
Language learning motivation and the ESOL exam system in England
No full textEnglish for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses in England are accessed by a wide range of learners, choosing to do so for a variety of reasons. Understanding the learning goals of these students is important for every teacher in this context, despite a presumption that people will have an inherent need to learn the language of their host nation. This short report presents the results of a pilot study aimed at identifying reasons adults enrol at the (pre)intermediate level, using self-determination theory as a basis of analysis. Data were collected through a paper-based survey and follow-up focus group interviews with learners on both accredited and non-accredited ESOL courses. The findings suggest that the majority of learners at this level are motivated by long-term career plans, but motivation can be undermined by exam registration decisions. The report concludes with a discussion of the individual differences of adult learners and a call for further research in this area
The mediocrity of AI
No full textPurpose: This paper aims to challenge the fashion of ubiquitous artificial intelligence (AI) and the effects which it will have upon society. In doing so it argues that the effects of AI will be minimal but important. Design/methodology/approach: This argument is based upon the Socratic method and explores the Utilitarian background in which AI is based while drawing upon classical literature and other examples to illustrate the argument. Findings: The findings are encompassed in the argument and show that we need to be more open and careful when considering AI and its effects. We also need to be more realistic when considering potential benefits. Practical implications: This argument has significant implications for the adoption of AI. Social implications: The social implications are equally profound and will impact upon our application of AI solutions to current problems and upon humanity more generally. Originality/value: This is the first paper which relates AI to human successes
Children's health in London and Luton (CHILL) cohort: a 12-month natural experimental study of the effects of the Ultra Low Emission Zone on children's travel to school
Get PDFBackground: The Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), introduced in Central London in April 2019, aims to enhance air quality and improve public health. The Children's Health in London and Luton (CHILL) study evaluates the impact of the ULEZ on children's health. This analysis focuses on the one-year impacts on the shift towards active travel to school. Methods: CHILL is a prospective parallel cohort study of ethnically diverse children, aged 6–9 years attending 84 primary schools within or with catchment areas encompassing London’s ULEZ (intervention) and Luton (non-intervention area). Baseline (2018/19) and one-year follow-up (2019/20) data were collected at school visits from 1992 (58%) children who reported their mode of travel to school ‘today’ (day of assessment). Multilevel logistic regressions were performed to analyse associations between the introduction of the ULEZ and the likelihood of switching from inactive to active travel modes, and vice-versa. Interactions between intervention group status and pre-specified effect modifiers were also explored. Results: Among children who took inactive modes at baseline, 42% of children in London and 20% of children in Luton switched to active modes. For children taking active modes at baseline, 5% of children in London and 21% of children in Luton switched to inactive modes. Relative to the children in Luton, children in London were more likely to have switched from inactive to active modes (OR 3.64, 95% CI 1.21–10.92). Children in the intervention group were also less likely to switch from active to inactive modes (OR 0.11, 0.05–0.24). Moderator analyses showed that children living further from school were more likely to switch from inactive to active modes (OR 6.06,1.87–19.68) compared to those living closer (OR 1.43, 0.27–7.54). Conclusions: Implementation of clean air zones can increase uptake of active travel to school and was particularly associated with more sustainable and active travel in children living further from school.</p
Saving the world, one dental practice at a time.
No full textA research insight, part of the British Dental Journal Publicatio
The uncanny workplace
Get PDFThe fact that dictionaries fail to agree completely on a definition of uncanny is perhaps, in and of itself, an uncanny occurrence, at least in the sense of uncanny that we hope to use consistently throughout this paper. (Whether we do use this slipperiest of concepts consistently is a matter for the reader to decide.) The writers and compilers of dictionaries, of course, have a job to make their contributions stand out from other similar publications, and a nod towards originality is expected.[1] However, a failure to align semantically – which we might describe as a non-event, as something that did not happen – feels rich with hidden meaning, especially given that “the uncanny” attracts synonyms such as “weird”, “eerie” and (in particular) “unsettling”. [1] For a fascinating account of the professional disagreements between dictionary writers, please see “Authority and American Usage” by David Foster Wallace. “[P]robing the seamy underbelly of US lexicography reveals ideological strife and controversy and intrigue and nastiness and fervor…” (Wallace, 2014, p.885)
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