26729 research outputs found
Sort by
Assessing the prevalence of refractive errors and accuracy of vision screening by schoolteachers in Liberia
Get PDFBackground
Evidence indicates that school-based vision screening by trained teachers is an effective way of identifying and addressing potential vision problems in schoolchildren. However, inconsistencies have been reported in both the testing methods and accuracy of the screeners. This study assessed the prevalence of refractive errors and accuracy of screening by teachers in Grand Kru County, Liberia.
Methods
We conducted a retrospective analysis of data from four schools where, in February 2019, children were screened for refractive errors by trained teachers and then re-examined by ophthalmic technicians. One row of five optotypes of the Snellen 6/9 (0.2 logMar) scale (tumbling E chart) was used at a distance of 3 m. The prevalence of visual impairment and associations with sex, age and school were explored. Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values were calculated.
Results
Data were available for 823 of 1095 eligible children with a mean age of 13.7 y (range 5–18) and male:female ratio of 1:0.8. Poor vision was identified in 24 (2.9%) children with no differences by either sex or age but small differences by school. Screening by teachers had a sensitivity of 0.25 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.077 to 0.423) and a specificity of 0.996 (95% CI 0.992 to 1.000). Positive and negative predictive values were 0.667 (95% CI 0.359 to 0.975) and 0.978 (95% CI 0.968 to 0.988), respectively. The results were influenced by a high number of misclassifications in one of the four schools.
Conclusions
Teachers can be trained to conduct vision screening tests on schoolchildren to an acceptable level of accuracy, but strong monitoring and quality assurance systems should be built into screening programmes from the onset. In settings like Liberia, where many children do not attend school regularly, screening programmes should extend to community platforms to reach children out of school
National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic
Get PDFChanging collective behaviour and supporting non-pharmaceutical interventions is an important component in mitigating virus transmission during a pandemic. In a large international collaboration (Study 1, N = 49,968 across 67 countries), we investigated self-reported factors associated with public health behaviours (e.g., spatial distancing and stricter hygiene) and endorsed public policy interventions (e.g., closing bars and restaurants) during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic (April-May 2020). Respondents who reported identifying more strongly with their nation consistently reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies. Results were similar for representative and non-representative national samples. Study 2 (N = 42 countries) conceptually replicated the central finding using aggregate indices of national identity (obtained using the World Values Survey) and a measure of actual behaviour change during the pandemic (obtained from Google mobility reports). Higher levels of national identification prior to the pandemic predicted lower mobility during the early stage of the pandemic (r = −0.40). We discuss the potential implications of links between national identity, leadership, and public health for managing COVID-19 and future pandemics
Eye-tracking assistive technologies for individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Get PDFAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS, is a progressive nervous system disorder that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, resulting in the loss of muscle control. For individuals with ALS, where mobility is limited to the movement of the eyes, the use of eye-tracking-based applications can be applied to achieve some basic tasks with certain digital interfaces. This paper presents a review of existing eye-tracking software and hardware through which eye-tracking their application is sketched as an assistive technology to cope with ALS. Eye-tracking also provides a suitable alternative as control of game elements. Furthermore, artificial intelligence has been utilized to improve eye-tracking technology with significant improvement in calibration and accuracy. Gaps in literature are highlighted in the study to offer a direction for future research
The post‐COVID‐19 future of digital learning in higher education: views from educators, students, and other professionals in six countries
No full textPredictions about the post-pandemic future of digital learning vary among higher education scholars. Some foresee dramatic, revolutionary change while others speculate that growth in educational technology will be buffeted both by modest expansion and unevenness. To this debate we contribute evidence from four groups across six countries on four continents: college and university educators (n = 281), students (n = 4243), senior administrators (n = 15), and instructional design specialists (n = 43). Our focus is on the future of digital learning after the pandemic-induced pivot to emergency remote instruction. Using data from interviews and self-administered questionnaires, our findings reveal a high degree of congruency between respondent groups, with most envisioning more blended/hybrid instruction post-pandemic and some modest increases in fully online courses. Student opinion is more sceptical about future change than within the other groups. Among respondents in all groups there is little expectation for a full-blown, revolutionary change in online or digital learning
Momentum-based load prescriptions: applications to jump squat training
Get PDFVelocity-based training is often applied to ballistic exercises, like the barbell jump squat, to improve vertical jump performance. However, determining the ideal training load based on velocity data remains difficult, as load prescriptions tend to be limited to subjective velocity loss thresholds, velocity ranges, or both. Using data from jump squats performed with 0%, 15%, 30%, 45%, and 60% of the 1-repetition maximum squat, we explored subjective and objective methods to determine the ideal training load. Specifically, we explored takeoff velocity and a related metric only recently discussed in the literature, system momentum (i.e., takeoff velocity multiplied by the mass of the athlete-load system). At the group level, an ideal training load could not be revealed objectively using takeoff velocity. With individual participants, the process remained challenging using takeoff velocity. Conversely, an ideal training load could be revealed easily and objectively using system momentum at the group average and individual participant levels. System momentum at takeoff is well-suited to assist practitioners seeking to identify appropriate training loads for jump squat training, and potentially other ballistic exercises. We suggest a pivot from velocity to system momentum when seeking to objectively establish training loads for the jump squat and related exercises
Human Rights - the essential frame of reference in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic underscored the indivisibility and interdependence of human rights, as states’ pre-existing failure to realise economic and social rights, especially the right to health, exacerbated the spread of the virus, in turn creating the conditions for authoritarian power grabs and severe incursions into rights of all kinds. This chapter argues that it is mistaken to conceive of COVID-19 – or future pandemics – principally as a threat whose eradication requires rights to be sacrificed. Nor do human rights hinder decisive action to contain disease. Rather, human rights standards and principles offer a means of transparently balancing competing priorities in the cauldron of decision-making during a health emergency. The chapter synthesises trends in states’ human rights performance during the pandemic and explains the wide-ranging nature of their obligations. It explores routes to accountability for governments’ actions and omissions and discusses the human rights dimension of access to vaccines, and ‘immunity certificates’. The chapter concludes by looking ahead to the application of human rights in the post-COVID-19 world and preparedness for future pandemics
A perfect storm: the extraordinary constitutional attack against the Istanbul Convention in Bulgaria
Get PDFOn 27 July 2018, Bulgaria’s Constitutional Court delivered a judgment declaring the Istanbul Convention ‘incompliant’ with the country’s Constitution. This article examines the origin and nature of the extraordinary constitutional attack against this convention in Bulgaria which can be described as a ‘perfect storm’ – diverse, unrelated factors concurred and conditioned an event with long-lasting repercussions that are difficult to overcome. It first analyses the political context which permitted a misinformation campaign and motivated Boyko Borissov’s GERB party to seek a constitutional review of the document. Then, it explains why the method of appointing judges in Bulgaria’s Constitutional Court and the particularities of its jurisdiction make this institution susceptible to political influences. After critically evaluating the questionable legal reasoning in the actual decision, the article explores its consequences. Among them, the most notable damage concerns the current legal impossibility to ratify the Istanbul Convention in Bulgaria. At this stage, the country can only count on piecemeal legislative solutions to introduce to Bulgarian legislation the spirit of relevant provisions of the convention that have not been contested
Self-transcendent experiences and sustainable prosperity
Get PDFThe achievement of sustainable prosperity requires the enhancement of human wellbeing alongside increased care for the environment. In recent years, much has been written on the role of different mental states and their potential to influence our way of thinking and, perhaps more importantly, the way we act. In this working paper, we explore the emerging potential of a type of mental state known as Self-Transcendent Experiences (STEs) to deliver beneficial effects on human wellbeing and sustainable attitudes and behaviours. Self-transcendent experiences can be facilitated by experiences of flow, awe and meditation, as well as psychedelic experiences. Some of these experiences can occur naturally, through sometimes unexpected encounters with nature or during immersion in every-day activities that one intrinsically enjoys, as well as through more intentional practices such as meditation or the use of psychedelics. We demonstrate how each of the four alternative types of STEs share some similar neurological underpinnings and review their links to improvements in human wellbeing and sustainable attitudes and behaviours. We also highlight potential risks across the different varieties of STEs and consider factors that need to be considered if they are to be employed as a practical means of supporting sustainable prosperity
Politics as Sound: The Washington, DC, Hardcore Scene, 1978–1983, Shanya L. Maskell (2021) [Book Review]
No full textReview of: Politics as Sound: The Washington, DC, Hardcore Scene, 1978‐1983, Shanya L. Maskell (2021)
Champaign, IL: Illinois University Press, 265 pp.,
ISBN 978-0-25208-622-9, p/bk, £1
Assessing suicide ideation among older adults: a systematic review of screening and measurement tools
Get PDFObjectives: Rates of suicide in older adults may be higher than reported due to poor understandings of presentation of suicide ideation in this group. The objectives of this paper were to (i) review current measurement tools designed for older adults to detect suicide ideation and (ii) assess their psychometric properties.
Design: We used a systematic review approach to identify measurement tools developed specifically for older adults without cognitive decline or impairment.
Results: Ten articles that reported on a total of seven different measurement tools were identified. These included tools that focused on resiliency to suicide and those that measured risk of suicide behavior. There was wide variation across the articles: some were adaptations of existing scales to suit older populations, others were developed by authors; they varied in length from four to 69 items; a range of settings was used, and there was a mix of self-report and clinician-administered measures. Most displayed good psychometric properties, with both approaches showing similar quality. Limitations in terms of samples, settings, and measurement design are discussed.
Conclusion: The case for specific measures for older adults is clear from this review. There appear to be unique factors that should be considered in understanding suicide ideation and behavior among older adults that may not be directly assessed in non-specific measurements. However, there is a need to expand the diversity of individuals included in measurement development to ensure they are appropriate across gender, culture and minority status, and for the views of professionals to be considered