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Orgasm as women’s work? Rethinking pleasure, ‘sex’ and the power dynamics of orgasm through the embodied experiences of orgasmic meditation practitioners
Get PDFDrawing upon interviews with 33 practitioners of ‘orgasmic meditation’ in the UK and US, I question the extent to which the practice of orgasmic meditation might facilitate ways to uncouple orgasm from negative gendered constructions. I explore how the practice in some cases enables people to establish clear bodily boundaries and encourages women to centre their own pleasure, as well as opening up space to rethink what constitutes a ‘sexual’ practice. Theorised through a queer feminist perspective, I argue that tensions remain with orgasm as a form of women’s work, with an onus upon women to police bodily boundaries, and with moments where boundaries are broken
Intellectual Property and Health Technological Innovations at the time of the Pandemic
Get PDFTechnological innovations at the time of the pandemic and post pandemic is the focus of this paper which examines the relationship between intellectual property (IP), artificial intelligence (AI) and the healthcare sector. Research in this area includes the rapidly growing artificial intelligence industries in the healthcare sector and the impact of intellectual property protection on emerging technologies. Taking an interdisciplinary and diverse perspective, this paper enriches the evolving scope of ethical discourse literature by focusing on intellectual property assets that use AI and regulation that shape the healthcare sector. Considering the gap between law and development theory and practice, this paper bridges academic knowledge in unpacking ethical and governance issues in the intellectual property industry, healthcare law and emerging technologies. Unpacking these issues is important in the law and development context as ethical issues that arise from emerging technologies using AI systems and the responses from policymakers in governing their developments create long-term implications to individuals and populations. Governance responses often vary according to the local contexts, and are dependent on the unique socio-cultural structures, institutional organisations and legal frameworks
Highly Amplified Broadband Ultrasound in Antiresonant Hollow Core Fibers
Get PDFHigh‐frequency broadband ultrasound in nested antiresonant hollow core fibers (NANFs) is investigated for the first time. NANFs have remarkable features enabling high‐resolution microscale optoacoustic imaging sensors and neurostimulators. Solid optical fibers have been successfully employed to measure and generate ultrasonic signals, however, they face issues concerning attenuation, limited frequency range, bandwidth, and spatial resolution. Herein, highly efficient ultrasonic propagation in NANFs from 10 to 100 MHz is numerically demonstrated. The induced pressures and sensing responsivity are evaluated in detail, and important parameters for the development of ultrasonic devices are reviewed. High pressures (up to 234 MPa) and sensing responsivities (up to −207 dB) are tuned over 90 MHz range by changing the diameters of two distinct NANF geometries. To the best of knowledge, this is the widest bandwidth reported using similar diameter fibers. The results are a significant advance for fiber‐based ultrasonic sensors and transmitters, contributing to improve their efficiency and microscale spatial resolution for the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases in biomedical applications
Dynamic risk assessment approach for analysing cyber security events in medical IoT networks
Get PDFAdvancements in Medical Internet of Things (MIoT) technology ease remote health monitoring and effective management of medical devices. However, these developments also expose systems to novel cyber security risks as sophisticated threat actors exploit infrastructure vulnerabilities to access sensitive data or deploy malicious software, threatening patient safety, device reliability, and trust. This paper introduces a lightweight dynamic risk assessment approach using scenario-based simulations to analyse cyber security events in MIoT infrastructures and supplement cyber security activities within organisations. The approach includes synthetic data and threat models to enrich discrete-event simulations, offering a comprehensive understanding of emerging threats and their potential impact on healthcare settings. Our simulation scenario illustrates the model’s behaviour in processing data flows and capturing the characteristics of healthcare settings. Our findings demonstrate its validity by highlighting potential threats and mitigation strategies. The insights from these simulations highlight the model’s flexibility, enabling adaptation to various healthcare settings and supporting continuous risk assessment to enhance MIoT system security and resilience
Introduction: League of Nations and United Nations interventions in post-imperial crises and conflicts
No full textThe introduction places the essays in this special issue in the context of recent studies by social scientists and historians on foreign interventions, international conflict management, and global governance. It defines the key terms used in the case studies and discusses the various dimensions of what constitutes “success” in foreign interventions carried out by international organizations in post-imperial/post-colonial contexts. The introduction then assesses the seven case studies examined in the five essays in this special issue. These span the period from the early 1920s to the late 1970s, cover parts of Europe, the Middle East, central Africa, and Asia, and range from financial reconstruction and fundamental education programmes to refugee resettlement, peacekeeping, and military intervention. Despite the large variety of historical contexts and forms of intervention, the introduction identifies several common challenges that League of Nations and United Nations officials faced as they sought to influence the outcome of a domestic crisis or conflict. These challenges include not only practical issues such as lack of local knowledge or budgetary constraints, but also the persistence of patronizing attitudes, secrecy, competition with other external interveners, and, crucially, a mismatch between the interests of the international interveners and the populations affected. The introduction then assesses the main strategies the League of Nations and United Nations interveners used to overcome these challenges. It demonstrates that they frequently overstepped their mandates, ventured into legal grey zones, adopted covert strategies of intervention, or avoided meaningful action while settling on safer and allegedly apolitical and “impartial” humanitarian aid. The final section discusses the mixed historical record of foreign interventions and international conflict management and the severe risks both of failure and of inaction. It concludes by offering some tentative historical “lessons” or reflection points that may stimulate current debates among social scientists and practitioners working in international organizations
Towards AI-Powered Edge Intelligence for Object Detection in Self-Driving Cars: Enhancing IoV Efficiency and Safety
Get PDFIn the rapidly advancing field of intelligent transportation systems, integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) with edge computing presents a promising way to enhance the safety and efficiency of the Internet of Vehicles (IoV). This study explores and presents a deep learning based object detection model within an edge computing framework which aims to facilitate real time object detection in self driving cars. Using an urban traffic scenarios based dataset, our research shows the ability of the model to accurately detect and classify various objects important for autonomous driving. The YOLOv8 model is used in this work due to its optimal balance between accuracy and computational efficiency. This model has also demonstrated its worth by achieving good performance results, including an average precision of 0.79, a recall of 0.62, and an F1-score of 0.69. The results are demonstrated by a detailed confusion matrix, highlighting the model’s effectiveness in complex driving environments and underscoring its reliability for in-vehicle deployment. By implementing AI directly on edge devices within vehicles, our approach might be helpful in significantly reducing latency, boosting decision-making speed, and enhancing data privacy by minimising dependence on cloud processing. The findings not only support the model’s capabilities but also illustrate the practical benefits of edge intelligence in autonomous vehicles. These benefits, such as faster decision-making and improved data privacy, contribute effectively to the IoV infrastructure. This study marks a substantial step towards recognising the possibility of AI-enhanced edge computing in driving the next generation of autonomous vehicle technology
Continued changes to contact lens practice following adjustments made as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
Get PDFBACKGROUND: This study aimed to explore behaviour of practitioners in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, analysing the factors that influenced their decisions to resume professional practice post-lockdown and intention to adhere to COVID-19 protective measures. METHODS: A web-based cross-sectional survey targeting Italian practitioners was carried out to study the post lockdown behaviour and future intention to provide new contact lens (CL) fittings, and the use of protective measures. The survey also explored the dimensions of the Integrated Behavioural Model (IBM) and the Health Belief Model (HBM) to predict the intention to resume professional practice and to comply with protective measures respectively. RESULTS: A total of 212 professional (150 males; age range 22-76 years) completed the survey. Past behaviour and positive attitudes toward CL practice were the variable in IBM that predicted more strongly the intention to provide both new CL fittings and aftercare visits, whereas past behaviour and perceived benefits of HBM were the strongest predictors of future compliance with protective measures. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that the more engaged practitioners are more willing to get back to their routine even in uncertain circumstances, and that a tailored approach, leveraging past behaviours and perceived benefits, could enhance compliance strategies
Engaging South Asian Communities in the United Kingdom to Explore Infant Feeding Practices and Inform Intervention Development: Application of the REPLACE Approach
Get PDFBreastfeeding in UK Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities is positively and negatively influenced by cultural beliefs and practices. The LIFT (Learning about Infant Feeding Together) project aimed to understand the determinants of infant feeding in these target communities and to engage them in the development of a culturally specific and acceptable infant feeding intervention to support breastfeeding. Reported here is phase one of the LIFT project guided by the REPLACE approach (a framework for the development of community‐based interventions). The project involved an initial lengthy period of engagement with the target communities, using methods such as a community outreach event and identification of community peer group champions to help build trust. This was followed by iterative community workshops used to explore and build an understanding of infant feeding practices and the social norms and beliefs underlying these, and to assess community readiness to change. Consistent with previous research, the six key practices and beliefs identified from the workshops were: (1) Disparities between personal views versus cultural and normative barriers, (2) Family relationships and the influence on infant feeding decisions, (3) Pardah (modesty) and being unable to breastfeed in front of others, (4) Discarding colostrum (first breast milk), (5) Pre‐lacteal feeds (feeds within a few hours of birth and before any breast or formula milk has been given) and complementary feeding before the baby is 6 months old, and (6) The belief that bigger babies are better and that formula helps babies to grow. Participants perceived that Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities would be amenable to intervention that aimed to change some but not all of the infant feeding behaviours identified. Findings informed the co‐development of a culturally appropriate intervention toolkit to optimise infant feeding behaviour
Unveiling the complexity of Arnold’s tongues in a breathing-soliton laser
Get PDFSynchronization occurs ubiquitously in nature and science. The synchronization regions generally broaden monotonically with the strength of the forcing, thereby featuring a tongue-like shape in parameter space, known as Arnold’s tongue. Such a shape is universal, prevailing in many diverse synchronized systems. Theoretical studies suggest that, under strong external forcing, the shape of the synchronization regions can change substantially and even holes can appear in the solid patterns. However, experimentally accessing these abnormal regimes is quite challenging mainly because many real-world systems displaying synchronization become fragile under strong forcing. Here, we are able to observe these intriguing regimes in a breathing-soliton laser. Two types of abnormal synchronization regions are unveiled, namely, a leaf-and a ray-like shape. High-resolution control of the loss allows holes to be revealed in the synchronization regions. Our work opens the possibility to study intriguing synchronization dynamics using a simple breathing-soliton laser as a test bed
Revolutionizing Construction Safety: Unveiling the Digital Potential of Building Information Modeling (BIM)
Get PDFThe construction industry is facing issues worldwide, particularly worker fatalities and injury rates. Construction safety requires careful attention and preparation across the project’s entire lifecycle, from design to demolition activities. In the digital era, Building Information Modeling (BIM) has emerged as a transformative technology in the construction industry, offering new opportunities to enhance safety standards and reduce accidents. This study examines the influence of BIM on construction safety, particularly its capacity to transform safety protocols, enhance danger identification, and minimize accidents during the construction project’s duration. The review approach used is based on PRISMA. Scopus and Web of Science were the databases used to search for qualifying publications. From an initial cohort of 502 papers, 125 were chosen as relevant to the scope of this research. A thorough analysis of the existing literature was conducted to examine the processes by which BIM helps to improve safety, such as early hazards identification, conflict detection, virtual safety simulations, and improved communication and collaboration among project stakeholders. This study examined the following knowledge gaps: integration with safety regulations and standards, a comprehensive safety dimension in BIM, BIM for real-time safety monitoring, and a BIM-driven safety culture. The following potential future research directions were highlighted: enhanced BIM applications for safety, longitudinal studies on BIM and safety outcomes, BIM for post-construction safety and maintenance, and BIM for safety training and simulation. In conclusion, the integration of BIM into construction safety protocols presents significant potential for mitigating risks and improving safety management over the asset lifecycle. As the industry increasingly adopts digital technology, BIM will be crucial in establishing safer and more efficient construction environments
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