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Psychological Distress and Coping Mechanisms Among Flood-Affected Children in Maiduguri, Nigeria.
Full text linkBackground: Flood disasters, alongside prolonged conflict and socioeconomic hardship in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria, have heightened the psychological vulnerability of children. This study examined the prevalence of psychological distress and explored the coping mechanisms employed by children affected by flooding in the region. Method: Children aged 7-17 years from flood-affected areas in Maiduguri were included in the study. Psychological distress was measured using the parent version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-13), and coping mechanisms were assessed using the KidCOPE parent version. Multivariate and ordinal logistic regression examined factors associated with psychological distress and coping mechanisms. Results: A total of 374 children participated in the study. A total of 63.6% experienced abnormal psychological distress. Moderate and high levels of maladaptive coping were significantly associated with greater odds of psychological distress (odds ratio [OR] = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.25-2.36; OR = 2.43, 95% CI: 1.46-4.04). Similarly, moderate adaptive coping was associated with higher odds of distress compared to poor coping (OR = 1.90, 95% CI: 1.38-2.61). In unadjusted models, age, female gender, higher education, Christian religion, and higher household income were associated with increased psychological distress. However, these were not significant in the adjusted model. Ordinal logistic regression showed no significant predictors of either maladaptive or adaptive coping levels. Conclusions: A high proportion of flood-affected children in Maiduguri experience psychological distress, with maladaptive coping playing a key role. The findings indicate the need for targeted psychosocial interventions to improve adaptive coping skills in flood-affected children
Support and service provision for women with substance use issues exiting prison in Australia: findings from a 10-year retrospective cohort analysis
No full textPurposeThe purpose of this study is to inform gender-responsive policy and practice by investigating services and supports that women with substance use issues need when exiting prison.Design/methodology/approachThis is a retrospective cohort study of women (n = 989 / 18%) and men (n = 4609 / 82%) exiting prison who engaged with the prison health program “Connections” in Australia between 2008 and 2018. Using pre-release assessment data, six re-entry variables were computed: substance use, mental health, housing, employment, social support and parenting. These variables represent areas of support/service provision that might be needed on release. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Associations between “re-entry support needs” and sex were estimated by multiple logistic regression, adjusting for potential confounders.Findings“Re-entry support need” was higher for women in housing (52% vs 46%), employment (88% vs 79%) and parenting (68% vs 60%) compared to men. Multivariate analysis found women also had increased odds of “re-entry support need” in these areas. Similar proportions of women and men were sentenced for substance-related offences (74.4% vs 75.3%), yet, twice the proportion of women were incarcerated for the first time (20.4% vs 8.6%), and double were sentenced to ≤6 months compared to men (44.3% and 22.9%).Originality/valueThis is a large-scale study of women’s re-entry needs on exiting prison, which is rare. The findings of this study indicate that gender-responsive policy/practice must account for women having higher level of need in housing, employment and parenting and ceasing the use of punitive short-term sentences. Gender-responsiveness requires addressing women’s social determinants of health and incarceration via policy, service provision and practice that will support women and address broader gender inequity taking an intersectional approach.</sec
Sublethal effects of dimethoate on energy metabolism and its link to cellular senescence due to impaired mitochondrial respiration and ATP production in SH-SY5Y cells.
Full text linkDimethoate (DM), a widely used organophosphate pesticide, induces significant alterations in mitochondrial-related proteomes of SH-SY5Y cells without directly affecting cell viability. After, cells were exposed to 100 μM DM for 48 h, proteomic analysis revealed that 27 proteins associated with cellular metabolism and mitochondrial function were notably altered, affecting pathways such as oxidative phosphorylation, electron transport chain, and ATP synthesis. At sublethal concentrations, DM reduced mitochondrial ATP production, oxygen consumption rates (OCR), basal and maximal respiration, while preserving spare respiratory capacity (SRC) and proton leak, indicating maintained mitochondrial membrane integrity. Despite this, DM exposure caused mitochondrial membrane depolarization and increased mitochondrial superoxide production. These mitochondrial alterations were accompanied by enhanced cellular senescence, marked by p53-independent p21 activation, p38 MAPK activation, increased senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) activity, and disrupted cell cycle progression. Additionally, DM treatment led to upregulation of DNA damage response (DDR) proteins and downregulation of proteins involved in DNA repair and genome stability. Although early-stage apoptosis was observed, elevated Bcl-2 expression suggested a shift toward apoptosis resistance and senescence. DM also disrupted energy-sensing pathways by increasing AMPK subunit expression, yet suppressed autophagy, as indicated by decreased p-mTOR, p-Beclin-1, and LC3-II/I ratios. Collectively, these findings highlight a complex interplay between mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular senescence, and survival mechanisms, suggesting potential long-term effects of DM exposure on cellular health and aging processes
Factors that facilitate treatment uptake for women with alcohol use disorders in high-income countries: A systematic review.
Full text linkBACKGROUND: Harmful alcohol use among some groups of women is increasing globally. Despite being susceptible to negative health impacts, women are less likely than men to seek treatment and can face barriers of access, acceptability, and affordability to treatment. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to identify key factors affecting treatment access for women with alcohol use disorders (AUDs), and to identify individual, social, and organizational factors that facilitate treatment uptake. DESIGN: Systematic review with narrative synthesis, guided by a social-ecological framework to identify organizational, individual, and societal enablers of treatment uptake among women with AUDs. METHODS: Six electronic databases were systematically searched for studies published between 2000 and 2024 in high-income countries. Data on study design, sample characteristics, interventions, and outcomes were extracted and synthesized. RESULTS: Twenty-five studies, conducted in various countries, identified factors affecting women's treatment uptake. Key themes included individual motivators linked to problem perception, alcohol use severity, age, relationships, and family cohesion; societal motivators influenced by social norms and relationships; and organizational themes of accessibility, acceptability, and affordability were positively affected by healthcare provider knowledge of treatment options. CONCLUSION: Facilitating factors of treatment uptake for women with AUDs include relational and personal goals, societal environments, normative expectations, and the knowledge of alcohol treatment from individual and organizational perspectives. Sober curiosity movements, alcohol-free months, and digital strategies can positively impact women's alcohol treatment uptake
The COnfederation of REspiratory Critical Care Trials (CoReCCT): a UK research confederation.
No full textMixing Data-Driven and Geometric Models for Satellite Docking Port State Estimation Using an Rgb or Event Camera
No full textIn orbit automated servicing is a promising path towards lowering the cost of satellite operations and reducing the amount of orbital debris For this purpose we present a pipeline for automated satellite docking port detection and state estimation using monocular vision data from standard RGB sensing or an event camera Rather than taking snapshots of the environment an event camera has independent pixels that asynchronously respond to light changes offering advantages such as high dynamic range low power consumption and latency This work focuses on satellite agnostic operations only a geometric knowledge of the actual port is required using the recently released Lockheed Martin Mission Augmentation Port LM MAP as the target By leveraging shallow data driven techniques to preprocess the incoming data to highlight the LM MAP s reflective navigational aids and then using basic geometric models for state estimation we present a lightweight and data efficient pipeline that can be used independently with either RGB or event cameras We demonstrate the soundness of the pipeline and perform a quantitative comparison of the two modalities based on data collected with a photometrically accurate test bench that includes a robotic arm to simulate the target satellite s uncontrolled motion The data has been made publicly available https uts ri githubio rgb event docking por
Design, Integration, and Field Testing of a Digital Twin-Based Teleoperated Rock Scaling Robot
No full textThis article presents the design, integration, and field testing of a digital twin-based teleoperated rock scaling robot aimed at improving safety in mining operations. Traditional rock scaling, which involves the removal of loose rocks to prevent rockfall, poses significant risks to mine site workers. The proposed solution is a teleoperated custom mobile manipulator capable of rope-based abseiling locomotion, equipped with an air chipper end-effector. Teleoperation is facilitated by live digital twins of the robot and environment, with a virtual reality (VR) interface that allows operators to perform rock scaling tasks within an immersive virtual reconstruction of the remote scene. The robot’s hardware design and sensing capabilities are detailed, along with the system’s teleoperation architecture. Key components include the integration of an optimized, hardware-accelerated, image-based point cloud streaming implementation; a markerless depth-camera extrinsic calibration process suitable for field settings; and the system’s teleoperation interfaces featuring a cyber-physical VR interface with affordance feedback. Field tests at a sandstone quarry and an open-pit mine demonstrate significant improvements in operator safety and highlight the system’s ability to withstand harsh mining environments while performing teleoperated rock scaling at its current scaled-down size and power. We collected and analyzed user data from rope access technicians with no prior experience in robot teleoperation or VR. The results suggest the system’s intuitiveness with learning effects over time. Lessons from these site trials, including hardware and software limitations, are discussed, providing directions for further robot design improvements and enhancements to the digital twin teleoperation architecture
A Review of Recent Advances in MgO-Based Cementitious Composites for Green Construction: Mechanical and Durability Aspects
Full text linkThe construction industry, as a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, urgently requires sustainable development solutions to achieve the Net Zero Emission Goal. Magnesium oxide (MgO)-based cementitious composites have emerged as promising alternatives due to their ability to reduce environmental impact and their potential to enhance structural integrity. Despite these advantages, limitations such as poor resistance to harsh environmental conditions and concerns over long-term durability continue to restrict their broader application. To better understand these strengths and limitations, this review investigates the influence of MgO; supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) such as fly ash, silica fume, and rice husk ash. It also examines fibers, including polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), glass, sisal, and cellulose, and their effect on the mechanical and durability properties of MgO-based composites. Mechanical performance is assessed through compressive and tensile strength, while durability is evaluated in terms of porosity, permeability, water absorption, shrinkage (autogenous and drying), and carbonation resistance. Key challenges and future research directions to promote the use of MgO composites in sustainable construction are also identified
Designing for Death: Learning from the Victorians
No full textAbstract Death is one of the most profound of human experiences. Yet in contemporary Western cultures, little attention is given to its onset, occurrence, or aftereffects. For such a significant event, death remains underexplored in the domain of design. Historically, material culture and ritual traditions facilitated direct engagement with the processes of dying and mourning. These were carefully crafted to ease the passage from life to death—they were, in a very real sense, designed. Over the past century, many such customs have lost currency. The medical system has industrialised and sanitised the end of life, removing families from direct involvement. Burial and remembrance, once unfolding within domestic spaces and overseen by loved ones, are now managed by strangers in impersonal funeral facilities. The socially atomizing effects of Modernism have played their part too. Finally, the economic rationalist drive of market economies means that death, the least productive of activities, is poorly valued. This article turns to the Victorian Era to examine three expressions of its rich material culture of mourning: gravestones, hairwork, and mourning dress. It explores how these artefacts provided embodied, aesthetic frameworks for processing grief, arguing that revisiting such approaches may support a more integrated experience of loss today
A standard operating procedure for the evaluation of vertical jumps performance through surface electromyography assessment: A scoping review.
Full text linkINTRODUCTION: The Countermovement Jump (CMJ) and the Squat Jump (SJ) are widely adopted tests to assess muscle strength and power. Neuromuscular data of the jump performance could be provided by surface Electromyography (EMG). While from a biomechanical and technical point of view, there are articles that support the two vertical jumps, less is published regarding surface EMG and the jumps. The objective of the present study was to review the literature to better understand the protocols adopted for a surface EMG evaluation during the CMJ and the SJ and eventually to propose a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). A SOP could be a useful tool to better understand, compare, and interpret the findings. METHODS: A scoping review was performed. Data were collected on PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus till 20th December 2024. The articles were screened against the eligibility criteria and narratively discussed. RESULTS: A total of 54 articles met the eligibility criteria. The articles present important differences in the methodology and the procedures followed. Differences were also detected in the hardware and the data analysis. From the common information of the articles, a SOP was proposed. CONCLUSIONS: Different methodologies were adopted to evaluate neuromuscular function during the CMJ and the SJ tests. This makes difficult to compare the data. A SOP was proposed with information and guidelines related to muscles, hardware, and data processing. In this way, future studies could follow similar protocols increasing the possibility to compare the findings
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