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Mapping trust relationships in organ donation and transplantation: a conceptual model
Get PDFThe organ donation and transplantation (ODT) system heavily relies on the willingness of individuals to donate their organs. While it is widely believed that public trust plays a crucial role in shaping donation rates, the empirical support for this assumption remains limited. In order to bridge this knowledge gap, this article takes a foundational approach by elucidating the concept of trust within the context of ODT. By examining the stakeholders involved, identifying influential factors, and mapping the intricate trust relationships among trustors, trustees, and objects of trust, we aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of trust dynamics in ODT. We employ maps and graphs to illustrate the functioning of these trust relationships, enabling a visual representation of the complex interactions within the ODT system. Through this conceptual groundwork, we pave the way for future empirical research to investigate the link between trust and organ donation rates, informed by a clarified understanding of trust in ODT. This study can also provide valuable insights to inform interventions and policies aimed at enhancing organ donation rates
The reliability and suitability of strength assessments in frail and pre-frail older adults: recommendations for strength testing in older populations
Get PDFBackground: Lifelong strength is fundamental to physical function, health, and quality of life. Reliable appropriate strength assessment measures for older adults play an important role in effective evaluation of baseline ability and exercise prescription to counter disease and disuse. This study aimed to investigate the within-session reliability of maximal isometric knee extension and flexion, hip abduction and adduction, and handgrip strength measures in frail and pre-frail older adults. Method: The study was conducted at a residential care home in Birmingham, UK. All care home residents aged ≥ 65 years; pre-frail or frail according to the Fried Frailty phenotype criteria; able to speak and read English; not currently involved in any other clinical trial; without severe sensory impairments; and with a predicted life expectancy greater than the trial length were eligible. Maximal isometric lower limb testing was performed using specialised resistance training equipment and a portable measurement device, and grip strength was assessed using a portable dynamometer. All eligible participants attended a single testing session and performed three trials per measure. Peak force measures were obtained for analysis. Within-session reliability for each measure was calculated from repeated-measures analysis of variance, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), and coefficients of variation (CV) with 95% confidence intervals. Results: Eleven frail and eleven pre-frail older adults participated in the study. Within-session absolute and relative measures were found to be reliable with the highest overall repeatability indicated between trial 2 and trial 3 for knee extension, hip abduction, and handgrip (CV ≤ 4.65%, ICC ≥ 0.96) with variation evident across all measures, except knee extension, from trial 1 to 2. Conclusions: Overall, maximal isometric strength in frail and pre-frail older adults with no previous testing experience can be measured with good to high reliability within their first testing session. An initial two familiarisation trials followed by two measurement trials is recommended to achieve the highest level of overall repeatability. Trial registration: The trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03141879 on 05/05/2017.</p
Integrative analysis of the metabolome and transcriptome reveals the potential mechanism of fruit flavor formation in wild hawthorn Crataegus chungtienensis
Get PDFHawthorns are important medicinal and edible plants with a long history of health protection in China. Besides cultivated hawthorn, other wild hawthorns may also have excellent medicinal and edible value, such as Crataeguschungtienensis, an endemic species distributed in the Southwest of China. In this study, by integrating the flavor-related metabolome and transcriptome data of the ripening fruit of C. chungtienensis, we have developed an understanding of the formation of hawthorn fruit quality. The results show that a total of 849 metabolites were detected in the young and mature fruit of C. chungtienensis, of which flavonoids were the most detected metabolites. Among the differentially accumulated metabolites, stachyose, maltotetraose and cis-aconitic acid were significantly increased during fruit ripening, and these may be important metabolites affecting fruit flavor change. Moreover, several flavonoids and terpenoids were reduced after fruit ripening compared with young fruit. Therefore, using the unripe fruit of C. chungtienensis may allow us to obtain more medicinal active ingredients such as flavonoids and terpenoids. Furthermore, we screened out some differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to fruit quality formation, which had important relationships with differentially accumulated sugars, acids, flavonoids and terpenoids. Our study provides new insights into flavor formation in wild hawthorn during fruit development and ripening, and at the same time this study lays the foundation for the improvement of hawthorn fruit flavor
Utilization of a Blockchain-based reputation management system for energy trading in Smart Grid 2.0
No full textThe futuristic energy grids comprise of predom-inantly renewable generation, to align with the sustainable development goals. This would require integration of renewable energy sources at different levels of the power system out of which, consumers turning into power producers, often referred to as prosumers is an important aspect. Prosumers who generate excess power beyond self-consumption are keen on selling it to the neighbourhood in a peer-to-peer manner, expecting a profit. On the other hand, consumers expect concessions for using more of the green energy. Further, with the high intermittency of these generation, Distribution System Operators (DSO) face the challenge of securing a reliable power supply. In the envisaged grid context, deciding the price for energy trading between prosumers and consumers as well as estimating the reliability of each DSO is considered to be crucial. Hence, this study proposes utilizing an end-to-end reputation management system to maintain the past record related to the performance of each stakeholder, which can be integrated in the price determination and selection decisions. To further ensure decentralized and secure operations of such reputation management systems, a blockchain-based service architecture and smart contracts have been incorporated. The impact of this to the performance of the proposed energy trading system is analysed through cost and latency indices
Positive technology: developing positive affect through implementing positive psychology in an interactive search system design
No full textInvestigating the self and other in improvisational dance-making using 360° immersive technology
No full textCross-disciplinary collaborations for sustainable futures and a vital and relevant academic community
Get PDFCollaboration in Higher Education, an open access book, focuses on the opportunities and challenges created by engaging in collaboration and partnership in higher education. As higher education institutions become ever more competitive to sustain their place in a global, neoliberal education market, students and staff are confronted with alienating practices. Such practices create an individualistic, audit and surveillance culture that is exacerbated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic and the wholesale 'pivot' to online teaching. In this atomised and competitive climate, this volume synthesises theoretical perspectives and current practice to present case study examples that advocate for a more inclusive, cooperative, collaborative, compassionate and empowering education, one that sees learning and teaching as a practice that enables personal, collective and societal growth. The human element of education is at the core of this book, focusing on what we can do and achieve together: students, academic staff, higher education institutions and relevant stakeholders. The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by Knowledge Unlatched
Exploring the dynamic relationship between Dr. GEPT feedback and learners’ L2 motivation
No full textFeedback is an important means to bridge assessment and learning, but its usefulness ultimately depends on whether and how learners engage with and act on the feedback. Learners’ L2 learning motivation may interact with feedback in meaningful and consequential ways, yet there is relatively little research to date that explores such a dynamic relationship, particularly among language learners in secondary education. This study aimed to fill this gap by exploring the relationship between learners’ motivation and assessment feedback offered by Dr. GEPT – automated personalised feedback provided to GEPT each test-taker alongside their test scores, including an analysis of their strengths and weaknesses, learning advice, and vocabulary and sentence patterns for further study. Taking a mixed-methods approach, Phase 1 of this study involved a large-scale questionnaire survey (n = 635) to explore L2 motivation among senior high school learners of English in Taiwan and their general perceptions towards assessment feedback. The questionnaire was developed based on the L2 Motivational Self System model (Dörnyei, 2005, 2009). Phase 2 used learning logs (n = 14) and interviews (n = 10) for an in-depth qualitative inquiry into how learners engaged with Dr. GEPT feedback and how the feedback might have shaped the developments in learners’ learning journeys. The report concludes with a discussion of how Dr. GEPT helps learners develop a positive orientation towards assessments and cultivates learner autonomy, as well as making some suggestions for enhancing the effectiveness of Dr. GEPT feedback
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