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Group work as a mechanism for the collective participation of children and young people with lived experience of child sexual abuse and exploitation: practitioner briefing
Get PDFWe have produced this briefing to share what our panel of experts felt were some of the potential positive outcomes for young survivors who engage in collective, group-based participation. While there was agreement that participatory group work could support a number of positive outcomes, it was also highlighted that this very much depended on the focus, aims, content and activities included in these sessions. Often there is potential for both positive and negative outcomes to co-exist. Facilitators are key to moderating the potential outcomes for young survivors engaged in participatory group work. Facilitators being equipped with the right skills, experience and knowledge is central to supporting positive outcomes
Towards continuously programmable networks
Get PDFWhile programmability has been a feature of network devices for a long time, the past decade has seen significant enhancement of programming capability for network functions and nodes, spearheaded by the ongoing trend towards softwarization and cloudification. In his context, new design principles and technology enablers are introduced (Section 7.2) which reside2 at: (i) service/application provisioning level, (ii) network and resource management level, as well as (iii) network deployment and connectivity level
Safeguarding, young people and gangs
No full textSafeguarding, Young People and Gangs, Isabelle Brodie explores how safeguarding policy and practice have been applied, and not applied, to the issue of youth violence in gangs and drug trafficking via county lines, and the significance of this for the experience of young people, their families and the professionals who work with them. The chapter places the issue of gangs and county lines within the policy discourse of ‘child exploitation’which has gradually emerged over the past 20 years. It considers the extent to which this discourse serves to promote a safeguarding approach to the children and young people concerned, or whether it has generated a new set of difficulties. It will argue that understanding of this issue in the contexts of the lives of children, young people and their families has been constrained by the nature of the discourses surrounding young people in trouble of various kinds. These include assumptions relating to age, gender, race and ethnicity as well as the ‘blind spots’that exist within the worlds of policy, practice and research conversations. These fissures are deeply rooted, she argues, and have historically been little recognised, far less overcome
Systematic review of the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving male involvement in family planning in sub-Saharan Africa
No full textReview objectives What is the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving male involvement in family planning in sub-Saharan Africa? Searches Search for relevant studies in academic databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, Google Scholar, Scopus, Frontiers, and Discovery (the database of the University of Bedfordshire library). The search strategy will include only terms relating to or describing the intervention. The terms will be combined with the PubMed filter for various interventions. The search terms will be adapted for use with other bibliographic databases in combination with database-specific filters for intervention studies, where these are available. The search will be restricted to studies published in English Language only. Studies published between January 2013 and the date the searches are run will be sought. The searches will be re-run just before the final analyses and further studies retrieved for inclusion. Study design There are no restrictions to the types of study to be included
Privacy-preserving patient-centric electronic health records exchange using blockchain
No full textThe global electronic health records (EHRs) market is expected to reach USD 38.5 billion by 2030. This growth is expected owing to reasons, such as the digitalization of healthcare systems, and wearable healthcare devices. However, this raises the challenge to preserve the privacy of EHRs when massive amounts of data are created, retrieved, and circulated daily. Furthermore, it is vital that the patient's EHRs that are controlled by the medical industry are transited to a patient-centric model, where patients are fully authorized to control their data. It is widely acknowledged that distributed ledger technologies (DLTs), particularly blockchain enable the storage and exchange of data in a decentralized, trusted, pseudonymous, and immutable fashion. This chapter explores adapting blockchain technologies toward patient-centric and privacy-preserving EHR exchange. Furthermore, the concept of patient-centric EHR is introduced while exploring existing methods on privacy-preserving and patient-centric EHR exchange using blockchain, and possible research directions
Voluntary torque production is unaffected by changes in local thermal sensation during normothermia and hyperthermia
Get PDFWhat is the central question of this study? Hyperthermia reduces the human capacity to produce muscular force, which is associated with decreased neural drive: does mitigating a reduction in neural drive by altering localised thermal sensation help to preserve voluntary force output? What is the main finding and its importance? Altering thermal sensation by cooling and heating the head independent of core temperature did not change neural drive or benefit voluntary force production. Head cooling did slow the rate of rise in core temperature during heating, which may have practical applications in passive settings. This study investigated altered local head and neck thermal sensation on maximal and rapid torque production during voluntary contractions. Nine participants completed four visits in two environmental conditions: at rectal temperatures ∼39.5°C in hot (HOT; ∼50°C, ∼39% relative humidity) and ∼37°C in thermoneutral (NEU; ∼22°C, ∼46% relative humidity) conditions. Local thermal sensation was manipulated by heating in thermoneutral conditions and cooling in hot conditions. Evoked twitches and octets were delivered at rest. Maximum voluntary torque (MVT), normalised surface electromyography (EMG) and voluntary activation (VA) were assessed during brief maximal isometric voluntary contractions of the knee extensors. Rate of torque development (RTD) and EMG were measured during rapid voluntary contractions. MVT (P = 0.463) and RTD (P = 0.061) were similar between environmental conditions despite reduced VA (-6%; P = 0.047) and EMG at MVT (-31%; P = 0.019). EMG in the rapid voluntary contractions was also lower in HOT versus NEU during the initial 100 ms (-24%; P = 0.035) and 150 ms (-26%; P = 0.035). Evoked twitch (+70%; P < 0.001) and octet (+27%; P < 0.001) RTD during the initial 50 ms were greater in the HOT compared to NEU conditions, in addition to a faster relaxation rate of the muscle (-33%; P < 0.001). In conclusion, hyperthermia reduced neural drive without affecting voluntary torque, likely due to the compensatory effects of improved intrinsic contractile function and faster contraction and relaxation rates of the knee extensors. Changes in local thermal perception of the head and neck whilst hyperthermic or normothermic did not affect voluntary torque
The attachment relationship between hostel-based homeless individuals and their keyworkers
Get PDFResearch on the relationship between individuals experiencing homelessness and their keyworkers from an attachment perspective is scarce. In Study 1, 84 young individuals experiencing homelessness and their keyworkers completed measures of attachment, post-traumatic stress, and work-related distress. Hierarchical regression indicated that secure attachment with the keyworker was independently predicted by failed protection and goal-corrected partnership. Preoccupied attachment with the keyworker was predicted by fear of parental loss and client post-traumatic stress while avoidant attachment to the keyworker was predicted by goal-corrected partnership. These findings suggested that the relationship between youth experiencing homelessness and hostel staff was linked with the formers’ attachment experiences with their caregivers. In Study 2, 46 homeless individuals undergoing psychological therapy completed measures of attachment and psychopathology before and after treatment. Moderated hierarchical regression suggested that individuals experiencing homelessness who tended to be avoidantly attached to their keyworkers had relatively limited improvement in post-traumatic stress after therapy. Present studies identified specific ways in which the attachment system is implicated in the homeless-keyworker relationship
Dual-task decrements in mono-, bi-, and multilingual participants: evidence of multilingual advantage
Get PDFEvidence suggests that language processing in bilinguals is less left-lateralized than in monolinguals. We explored dual-task decrement (DTD) for mono-, bi- and multilinguals in a verbal-motor dual-task paradigm. We expected monolinguals to show greater DTD than bilingual participants, who would show greater DTD than multilingual participants. Fifty right-handed participants (18 monolingual, 16 bilingual, 16 multilingual) completed verbal fluency and manual motor tasks in isolation and concurrently. Tasks were completed twice in isolation (left-handed, right-handed) and twice as dual-tasks (left-handed, right-handed); participants’ motor-executing hands served proxy for hemispheric activation. Results supported the hypotheses. Completing dual-tasks incurred greater cost for manual motor tasks than for verbal fluency tasks. Negative cost of performing dual-tasks diminished as number of languages spoken increased; in fact, multilingual individuals demonstrated a dual-task advantage in both tasks when using the right hand, strongest in the verbal task. Dual-tasking had the greatest negative impact on verbal fluency of monolingual participants when the motor task was completed with the right hand; for bi- and multi-lingual participants, the greatest negative impact on verbal fluency was seen when the motor task was completed with the left hand. Results provide support for the bi-lateralization of language function in bi- and multilingual individuals
Application of sensor data based predictive maintenance and artificial neural networks to enable Industry 4.0
Get PDFPossessing an efficient production line relies heavily on the availability of the production equipment. Thus, to ensure that the required function for critical equipment is in compliance, and unplanned downtime is minimized, succeeding with the field of maintenance is essential for industrialists. With the emergence of advanced manufacturing processes, incorporating predictive maintenance capabilities is seen as a necessity. Another field of interest is how modern value chains can support the maintenance function in a company. Accessibility to data from processes, equipment and products have increased significantly with the introduction of sensors and Industry 4.0 technologies. However, how to gather and utilize these data for enabling improved decision making within maintenance and value chain is still a challenge. Thus, the aim of this paper is to investigate on how maintenance and value chain data can collectively be used to improve value chain performance through prediction. The research approach includes both theoretical testing and industrial testing. The paper presents a novel concept for a predictive maintenance platform, and an artificial neural network (ANN) model with sensor data input. Further, a case of a company that has chosen to apply the platform, with the implications and determinants of this decision, is also provided. Results show that the platform can be used as an entry-level solution to enable Industry 4.0 and sensor data based predictive maintenance
Interrupting sitting acutely attenuates cardiometabolic risk markers in South Asian adults living with overweight and obesity
Get PDFPurpose: This study examined the acute effects of interrupting sitting with light-intensity walking on postprandial cardiometabolic risk markers in South Asian adults. Methods: South Asians with overweight/obesity (n=19; body mass index [BMI] >23 kg·m-2) and normal-weight (n=8; BMI 18.0-22.9 kg·m-2) aged 48.8 ± 5.6 years completed two, 5-h conditions: (1) prolonged sitting (SIT), and (2) interrupted sitting with 5-min bouts of light-intensity walking every 30-min (INT-SIT). Blood samples and resting expired air samples were collected throughout each condition. Statistical analyses were completed using linear mixed models. Results: In participants with overweight/obesity, postprandial glucose, triglycerides (TAG) and metabolic load index (MLI) over time were lower, whereas resting substrate utilisation and resting energy expenditure (REE) were higher, in INT-SIT than SIT (all p≤0.05). Compared with SIT (0.18 [95% CI 0.13, 0.22] kcal.min-1), INT-SIT (0.23 [95% CI 0.18, 0.27] kcal.min-1) increased postprandial REE iAUC in participants with overweight/obesity (p=0.04, d=0.51). Postprandial TAG concentrations over time were lower in INT-SIT versus SIT (p=0.01, d=30) in normal-weight participants, with no differences in any other outcomes for this sample group. Conclusion: These findings suggest that interrupting sitting with 5-min bouts of light walking every 30-min acutely attenuates cardiometabolic risk markers among South Asians living with overweight/obesity, whereas limited effects may be seen in individuals with normal-weight
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