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Energetic activity for depression in young people aged 13-17 years: the READY feasibility RCT
Get PDFBackground: Prevalence of depression is increasing in young people (YP). Behaviour change interventions providing benefits equal to or greater than talking therapies or pharmacological alternatives are needed. Exercise could be beneficial for YP with depression, but we lack robust, trials of effectiveness. Objective(s): Test whether an exercise intervention targeting YP with depression is feasible, including recruitment and retention of YP, recruitment and training of exercise professionals and intervention delivery. Design: Three-arm cluster feasibility Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) with embedded process evaluation and health economic data collection. Setting: Local community venues in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, and Norfolk. Participants: Young people aged 13-17 years experiencing mild to moderate low mood or depression (indicated by scoring 17-36 on the Child Depression Inventory version 2 (CDI 2)) identified by mental health services, schools or by self-referral. Interventions: Participants were randomised to one of three groups: high intensity exercise, low intensity exercise, or a social activity control. Group sessions ran twice weekly for 12 weeks delivered by registered exercise professionals (REP), supported by mental health support workers (MHSW). Main outcome measures: Referral, recruitment, and retention rates; attendance at group sessions; adherence to and ability to reach intensity during exercise sessions, proportions of missing data, and adverse events measured at baseline, 3, and 6 months; resource use; reach and representativeness. Results: Of 321 referrals to the study, 173 were assessed for eligibility and of the target sample size of 81, 15 were recruited and 14 randomised (1 withdrawal). Retention rate was 71.4% and attendance at intervention sessions was >67%; data completeness was >80% for baseline assessments. Follow up completion rate at 14 weeks was >80% for most outcomes, with 50% for accelerometer data in the low intensity group. Trial processes and the intervention were acceptable to YP. Barriers and facilitators to intervention delivery were identified. Limitations: Findings highlighted challenges around recruitment, delivery of exercise interventions and informed ways of addressing barriers to recruitment for future studies. The study was conducted between October 2020 and August 2022 and consequently COVID-19 had a disruptive impact on implementation. Conclusions: A large, randomised trial of the effectiveness of the intervention is not feasible using the current study design, but issues relating to recruitment could be addressed with further work. Future work: Developing appropriate recruitment strategies via triage services, GP practices, schools and social media and early engagement with local CRN (Clinical Research Network) to support the recruitment into the study would address significant shortfalls identified. YP who are deemed unsuitable for mental health services should be followed up to offer participation in such interventions. Collaborations between the NHS services and sports delivery partners should consider in-person contact with YP rather than remote consultations. Recruiting through GP practices is effective and relatively inexpensive. The role of community engagement (social-media, public health agencies, community groups) needs to be further explored. Strong PPI (Public and Patient Involvement) and engagement via YP Advisory Groups is important to ensure that research is relevant to YP
Acceptability of a remotely delivered sedentary behaviour intervention to improve sarcopenia and maintain independent living in older adults with frailty:a mixed-methods study
Get PDFBackground: Sarcopenia is a leading cause of functional decline, loss of independence, premature mortality, and frailty in older adults. Reducing and breaking up sedentary behaviour is associated with positive sarcopenia and frailty outcomes. This study aimed to explore the acceptability, engagement and experiences of a remotely delivered sedentary behaviour intervention to improve sarcopenia and independent living in older adults with frailty. Methods: This was a mixed-methods study. In-depth qualitative semi-structed interviews were conducted with a subset (N = 15) of participants with frailty (aged 74 ± 6 years) who had participated in the Frail-LESS (LEss Sitting and Sarcopenia in Frail older adults) intervention aimed at reducing sedentary behaviour. The interviews explored acceptability of the intervention overall and its individual components (a psychoeducation workbook, wrist-worn activity tracker, health coaching, online peer support and tailored feedback on sitting, standing and stepping). Process evaluation questionnaires with closed and scaled questions explored intervention engagement, fidelity and experiences. Results: Overall acceptability of the intervention was good with most participants perceiving the intervention to have supported them in reducing and/or breaking up their sedentary behaviour. The wrist-worn activity tracker and health coaching appeared to be the most acceptable and useful components, with high levels of engagement. There was attendance at 104 of 150 health coaching sessions offered and 92% of participants reported using the wrist-worn activity tracker. There was a mixed response regarding acceptability of, and engagement with, the psychoeducation workbook, tailored feedback, and online peer support. Conclusions: The Frail-LESS intervention had good levels of acceptability and engagement for some components. The findings of the study can inform modifications to the intervention to optimise acceptability and engagement in a future definitive randomised controlled trial. Trial registration: The trial was registered with ISRCTN (number ISRCTN17158017).</p
On the use of micro-perforated panels for sound absorption
Get PDFThis study deals with the sound absorption for Micro-Perforated Panels (MPP) as an effective solution for sound reduction. Single and multiple MPPs backed by an air cavity are presented, analysed, and both their behaviour and response are modelled and measured. The experimental setup relies on the use of an impedance tube. Three MPP samples were fabricated for this study: two MPP samples are made of Aluminium and one sample is polymer-made to analyse the contribution of the panel vibration to the overall sound absorption. To support the analysis, two models are presented: a model based on the acoustic propagation in short and narrow tubes and a model based on the equivalent fluid. Both models are compared to the experimental data and discussed. The theory considers no interactions between the holes. It is particularly showed that the sound absorption in the low-frequency ranges can be enhanced by using the combined effects of multiple MPPs and their vibrational effects. Relatively good agreement is also observed between the prediction and the measurement. The study suggests the present technique as a relatively easy and cheap technique for enhancing the sound absorption of systems including MPPs backed by air cavity
Stakeholder perspectives on supplemental milk for infants under six months with growth faltering
Get PDFBackground Growth faltering is a significant public health issue among infants aged <6 months (m). Supplemental milk is commonly used for infants with growth faltering, with variations in type and duration. We synthesized qualitative evidence on stakeholder perspectives about equity, feasibility, and acceptability of the type and duration of supplemental milk for infants aged <6m with growth faltering. Methods We conducted a comprehensive search of six electronic databases in addition to manual searches to identify all qualitative studies published during January 2000-June 2022. Identified articles were screened in two stages against an inclusion criteria with titles and abstract screened first followed by full-text screening. Included studies were quality appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist. The primary outcome was equity, feasibility, and acceptability of various supplemental milk for infants <6mwith growth faltering. Results Eighteen studies, reporting perspectives of mothers, fathers, grandmothers and healthcare providers were included. Studies were conducted in North America (9), Africa (5) and Asia (3) and South Australia (1). Donor human milk (DHM) (13) and infant formula(9) were the main supplementary milk reported followed by cow/goat milk (2). Key sub-themes derived were: education/awareness, socio-economic status (SES), race and religion, practicality, availability of resources, sustainability, cost, affective attitude, perceived effectiveness and ethicality. Maternal/caregiver SES was a key sub-theme across all three supplemental milk feeds, acting either as a barrier or facilitator for uptake. Conclusions DHM and infant formula were the most commonly reported supplemental feed for infants aged <6m with growth faltering. Maternal/care giver factors were perceived as key to ensure equity, feasibility, and acceptability with respect to type and duration of supplemental milk for infants aged <6m with growth faltering. Key messages • Stakeholders perceived donor human milk and infant formula as main supplemental milk for infants aged <6 months with growth faltering. • Maternal/care giver factors are key to ensure equity, feasibility, and acceptability of supplemental milk for infants aged <6 months with growth faltering
Filtration characterisation of leather-fiber wastewater
No full textThe treatment of industrial sludge has been going on for a while now and there exists various treatment methods and techniques which differ in terms of financial (device, process, etc…) and practical (space and treatment volume) constraints. The discharge of industrial waste often results into harmful agents that negatively affect our environment and lifestyle. Leather treatment finds many applications to our daily life and its manufacturing process makes it one of the most important sources of pollution to the environment. The present work deals with the filtration characterisation and dewatering techniques applied to an industrial sludge made of leather-fibre particles. The raw sample was collected from leather factory and was tested. The study focuses on characterising particles’ physical and geometry properties obtained from the sedimentation rate, centrifuge machine, particle size and spectrophotometry measurements. Particle size analysis of the raw sample showed that it contained large size and nano-particles contaminants. The sedimentation rate result revealed the speed at which the particles settle at the bottom of the wastewater plant. Stoke's law applied to this result demonstrated the presence of both nanoparticles and micro-particles. Parameters such as the particles' density was estimated using the centrifuge machine. Following the obtained results, two different filter systems were applied to the raw sample to measure their efficiency: a 50 µm fabric filter and a foam-type ranging [80 - 120 µm]. Particle size results revealed that the foam-type filter was able to remove both the nanoparticles and microparticles. This work is a contribution to the development of relatively cheap and sustainable techniques for the dewatering of industrial sludge
Subchronic exposure to low-level lanthanum, cerium, and yttrium mixtures altered cell cycle and increased oxidative stress pathways in human LO‑2 hepatocytes but did not cause malignant transformation
No full textHuman exposures to rare earth elements are increasing with expanded use in aerospace, precision instruments, and new energy batteries, materials, and fertilizers. Individually these elements have low toxicity, although few investigations have examined the health effects of longer-term mixture exposures. We used the LO-2 cell line to examine the effects of graded exposures to lanthanum, cerium, and yttrium (LCY) mixtures at 1-, 100-, and 1000-fold their human background levels (0.31 μg/L La, 0.25 μg/L Ce, and 0.12 μg/L Y) on cell cycle, oxidative stress, and nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor (NRF2) pathway biomarkers, assessing responses every 10 passages up to 100 passages. Cell migration, concanavalin A, malignant transformation, and tumorigenesis in nude mice were also examined. Mixed LCY exposures activated oxidative stress and the NRF2 pathway by the 30th passage and increased the proportion of cells in the S phase and cell cycle-specific biomarkers by the 40th passage. LCY exposures did not cause malignant transformation of hepatocytes or induced tumorigenesis in nude mice but enhanced cell proliferation, migration, and agglutination. Importantly, LCY mixtures with longer-term exposure activated the NRF2 pathway and altered the hepatocyte cell cycle at doses far below those used in previous toxicological studies. The consequences of LCY mixtures for public health merit further study
FedLSTM: a federated learning framework for sensor fault detection in wireless sensor networks
Get PDFThe rapid growth of Internet of Things (IoT) devices has significantly increased reliance on sensor-generated data, which are essential to a wide range of systems and services. Wireless sensor networks (WSNs), crucial to this ecosystem, are often deployed in diverse and challenging environments, making them susceptible to faults such as software bugs, communication breakdowns, and hardware malfunctions. These issues can compromise data accuracy, stability, and reliability, ultimately jeopardizing system security. While advanced sensor fault detection methods in WSNs leverage a machine learning approach to achieve high accuracy, they typically rely on centralized learning, and face scalability and privacy challenges, especially when transferring large volumes of data. In our experimental setup, we employ a decentralized approach using federated learning with long short-term memory (FedLSTM) for sensor fault detection in WSNs, thereby preserving client privacy. This study utilizes temperature data enhanced with synthetic sensor data to simulate various common sensor faults: bias, drift, spike, erratic, stuck, and data-loss. We evaluate the performance of FedLSTM against the centralized approach based on accuracy, precision, sensitivity, and F1-score. Additionally, we analyze the impacts of varying the client participation rates and the number of local training epochs. In federated learning environments, comparative analysis with established models like the one-dimensional convolutional neural network and multilayer perceptron demonstrate the promising results of FedLSTM in maintaining client privacy while reducing communication overheads and the server load
Stoneage site detected by high resolution seismic method
Get PDFIn 2014, we first noticed on high resolution seismic profiles acquired by a Teledyne high-resolution Chirp III subbottom profiler in the well-documented Stone Age settlement of Atlit-Yam, located off Israel’s Carmel coast irregular disturbances in the water column and we named it “haystacks”. We speculated if these disturbances could be related to the flint debitage (blades) documented at the flint workshop in the survey area. The ChirpIII instrument sweeps the frequency interval 2 kHz – 20 kHz and operate in two bands 2-8 and 8-20 KHz. Acoustic experiments in laboratory had previously shown that flint blades could exhibit resonance when exposed to certain frequencies (3–23 kHz, with the main area being 7–12 kHz). Acoustic modeling confirmed this and modelling showed that even flint debitage buried below 2 m of sand could resonance. In Demark practical ChirpIII (that sweep the frequency interval 2 kHz – 20 kHz) used on flint debitage and natural cracked flint placed at the seafloor showed that flint debitage produced “haystacks” on seismic profiles whereas the natural cracked flint did not. Test of buried debitage showed that it created resonance and produced “haystacks”. In the dredged part of the Svanemøllen Harbour, Copenhagen we by coincidence located “haystacks” while testing instrumentation setting. In the following three years, we recorded data on three days to outline the area where “haystacks” are present and to confirm that the “haystacks” were a permanent phenomenon. The interpretation of the seismic data reveal that the haystacks are related sub bottom areas characterized by shallow basins and rivers in a near coastal setting and that the “haystacks” are located at the rim of the basins or in the basins. In order to test if there was a correspondence between the “haystacks” and possible debitage 11 shallow vibrocores, with a max length of 1 m, were drilled below locations of “haystacks”. Based on the cores we found up to 36 cm of silt below the dredged seafloor before we reached a sandy cover of up to 80 cm representing part of the basin configuration. The sandy interval is underlain by till clay. Two cores centrally placed in the surveyed area confirmed the presence of man knapped flint at a depth of 80-90 cm below the sea floor. The Svanemøllen Harbour site is a hitherto unknown buried Stone Age settlement and this is the first time that such a site has been acoustically detected (Teledyne Chirp III) and verified by drilling. Acoustic modelling of the retrieved pieces of man knapped flint is carried out to confirm that the debitage can be brought to resonance. Due to the relative sea level rise a significant part of the submerged Stone Age sites must worldwide be expected to be buried in the seafloor sediments. This paper underlines the importance of the development of cost-effective methods for detecting such buried cultural deposits
'Colorblind game' can enhances awareness of color blindness
Get PDFThis study investigates whether awareness of color blindness can be enhanced through a virtual colorblind gaming experience. We conducted two user studies—one with undergraduates and one with working adults—using ‘colorblind’ color schemes in a digital game to explore whether such an experience enhances their assessment of their own knowledge about color blindness and awareness of its associated disadvantages in society, workplaces, and private life. The results with undergraduates showed increases in general, but not much in workplace disadvantages. In contrast, the results with working adults showed a significant improvement in the assessment of knowledge but not in other aspects. Thus, a virtual colorblind gaming experience can enhance awareness of color blindness, yet the interpretation of the experience may vary significantly depending on the players’ backgrounds
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