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Involving community members in designing behavioural weight management programmes:A scoping review
Get PDFBackgroundInvolving community members when developing health programmes can improve intervention outcomes. We undertook a scoping review to describe how community members contributed to the development of Behavioural Weight Management Programmes (BWMPs). Different terms have been used to describe this process, including co-design, co-production, Community-Based Participatory Research, or Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement. Our aim was to describe: (1) at what stage(s) communities were involved (e.g. planning, delivering and/or evaluating); (2) what level of involvement they had (e.g. leading, collaborating, consulted, informed or not involved); and (3) examples of how they were involved.MethodsWe searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL databases from 2010 to 2023. Two authors independently screened papers and extracted information using predefined criteria. We extracted data on study characteristics, and stages, levels and methods of community involvement.ResultsWe identified 58 BWMPs reported in 91 papers. Most were conducted in the US (n = 48, 83%). Their focus included race and ethnicity (n = 43, 73%), gender (n = 17, 29%) or low-income/underserved communities. Community members initiated the development of BWMPs in 36% of programmes (n = 21). Most programmes used community involvement to adapt an existing intervention (n = 33, 57%). Community involvement was highest at the planning stage where 55% (n = 32) of studies included community members as collaborators and 9% (n = 5) had community members leading the process. At the delivery stage, nine studies (16%) were led by community members and 19 (33%) included them as collaborators. In the evaluation stage, no studies were led by community members but a quarter (n = 14, 24%) included them as collaborators. Few programmes reported either the cost (n = 3, 5%) or the duration (n = 13, 22%) of community involvement. Programme adaptations ranged from relatively easy-to-implement changes such as changing language or menus, to more substantive adaptations like format, activity and personnel.ConclusionsOur review identified substantial levels of community involvement (leadership or collaboration) in planning BWMPs, but less so in their delivery, and rarely in evaluation. Greater involvement of communities in evaluation would ensure programmes focus on what matters most to them. Reporting of community involvement, especially costs and time involved, should be improved to allow for shared learning
Recent trends in the chemical modification of polysaccharides for food packaging:A review
Get PDFThe environmental impact of petroplastics that do not readily biodegrade has intensified the search for sustainable packaging materials. Polysaccharides derived from plant and marine sources are biodegradable and renewable, but their hydrophilicity and weak mechanical and barrier properties limit their use in high-performance packaging. Chemical modification offers an effective solution by introducing hydrophobic or functional groups that enhance physicochemical performance, making modified polysaccharides strong candidates for sustainable packaging applications. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in the chemical modification and development of plant-based polysaccharides (starch, cellulose and its derivatives, and pectin) and marine-based polysaccharides (agar, carrageenan, alginate, and chitosan) for food packaging applications. Emphasis on how chemical modifications influence key functional properties relevant to sustainable packaging, including barrier performance, biological activities, and freshness-monitoring capabilities. Film fabrication techniques such as solution casting, extrusion, coating, and electrospraying are also discussed regarding their impact on material performance. Overall, the reviewed studies demonstrate that chemical modification can substantially enhance the functional properties of polysaccharides and enable active and intelligent packaging functionalities. While challenges related to food safety, scalable production, environmental impact, and real-world performance remain, chemically modified polysaccharides show strong potential as sustainable and functional materials for the next generation of food packaging
Effective acid recovery from rare earth stripping solution by diffusion dialysis
Get PDFThe consumption of substantial alkali and emission of high-salinity wastewater during the precipitation step of stripping solutions in rare earth (RE) element extraction processes remain critical challenges. This study proposes an energy-efficient and environmentally benign diffusion dialysis (DD) process for separating H+ and rare earth ions (RE3+) in simulated rare earth stripping solutions. Six commercial anion exchange membranes (AEMs) were first evaluated for separating RECl3/HCl mixtures. The dense AEM with single polyethylene terephthalate string structure (M6) demonstrated the optimal DD performance for H+ and RE3+ separation. Among three typical RE3+ ions with different radii (i.e., Y3+, La3+, and Yb3+), the M6 AEM exhibited the lowest selectivity between H+ and La3+, which is correlated with the higher tendency of La3+ hydrated ions to dehydrate during transmembrane transfer. Under optimized operation conditions (feed solution: 0.2 mol L−1 HCl and 0.25 mol L−1 La3+), the DD process using the M6 AEM achieved an H+ recovery rate of 69.77 % and a La3+ leakage rate of 0.05769 % with a H+/La3+ selectivity of 5519.2. Importantly, the M6 AEM maintained consistently stable DD performance for separation of H+ and RE3+ ions over a 30-cycle consecutive operation in the stimulated rare earth stripping solution containing typical organic pollutants (i.e., P507 and sulfonated kerosene), showing an impressive antifouling property. This study provides an insightful guideline for practical acid recovery from the rare earth stripping solutions.</p
Overlapping Effects of Music Training on Multisensory and Emotion Processing:A Systematic Review
Get PDFEvidence suggests musicians have enhanced audio-visual and emotion recognition abilities. However, these two lines of research have generally been separated in the literature, despite these processes being similarly altered in certain populations (e.g., autism, schizophrenia). The current systematic review presents a comprehensive picture of the effect of music training on behavioural and neural changes in audio-visual and emotion recognition processes, to better understand where they might overlap or share any similarities. It additionally assessed the impact of different music training factors (i.e., training onset, length, type of musical instrument and the type of research task). Finally, this review aimed to produce a clearer understanding of whether the effects of music training extend beyond the music and sound domain. Following PRISMA guidelines, 64 papers were identified, of which 41 examined audio-visual processing, 20 investigated emotion processing, and three examined both processes. The available evidence revealed a consistent musician advantage for some audio-visual processes (e.g., audio-visual temporal correspondence), with some evidence that this advantage extended beyond the music domain. Consistent musician advantages were also found for processing basic emotions from speech prosody, with some evidence that this extended to complex emotions. A share brain network for these effects was identified comprising the anterior cingulate cortex and superior frontal gyrus. Together, our findings suggest that audio-visual and emotion recognition processes share a number of similarities in how music training can shape them. Further research should directly explore the combined effect of music training on multisensory and emotion recognition to inform effective music interventions aimed at enhancing these processes
Numerical and experimental investigation of silk/carbon hybrid composites:Mechanical properties and progressive damage
Get PDFThe limited toughness, fracture energy, and elongation of carbon fiber-reinforced composites restrict their broader application. In contrast, silk fiber exhibit high toughness and ductility, making them attractive candidate for hybrid reinforcement. In this work, silk/carbon hybrid fiber reinforced composite were fabricated using continuous natural fiber 3D printing followed by vacuum-assisted hot pressing. Mechanical tests combined with scanning electron microscopy was employed to evaluate the effect of silk fiber content on the mechanical properties and damage mechanisms of hybrid fiber reinforced composite. The incorporation of silk fiber enhanced the Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness by 62.32 %. With higher silk fiber fractions, tensile fracture energy and flexural ultimate strain improved by 153 % and 182 %, respectively. A finite element model based on the Hashin failure criterion was developed to accurately predicted the progressive damage, and the numerical simulation showed good agreement with experimental results. These findings demonstrate that hybridizing carbon with silk fibers provides a viable pathway to tailor toughness, ductility and other mechanical properties in composite systems.</p
Olympic Ice Sports:A Narrative Review and Perspectives Toward Milano-Cortina 2026
Get PDFAs the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics approach, a consolidated understanding of performance determinants across the diverse spectrum of ice sports is crucial, yet the scientific literature remains unevenly distributed. This structured narrative review synthesizes available evidence on key performance-determining factors and contemporary training characteristics for Olympic ice sports, based on topic-driven literature searches and qualitative synthesis. Disciplines are grouped according to their primary performance demands. (1) High-volume gliding sports (long- and short-track speed skating): Performance balances biomechanical efficiency (e.g., aerodynamic posture) against physiological constraints. This necessitates high annual training volumes (900–1100 h·year−1), polarized, mixed-modal training, with short-track adding critical tactical and pack-dynamic elements. (2) Exposure-driven gravity sports (bobsleigh, skeleton, luge): Performance is overwhelmingly determined by start velocity, with the initial 15–65 m contributing disproportionately to overall race outcome. Bobsleigh and skeleton training mirrors sprint athletes, prioritizing lower-body power, while luge demands explosive upper-body strength. (3) Arena-based sports (ice hockey, figure skating, curling): These sports show varied demands. Ice hockey requires managing high-intensity intermittent efforts, with 40%–50% of on-ice distance performed at high skating speeds; figure skating hinges on the power and precision of high-value jumps (e.g., triple and quadruple rotations); and curling relies on delivery accuracy and sweeping strength-endurance. Sex-specific differences, often related to absolute power output (skating, sliding) and biomechanics, are evident, although evidence remains limited or uneven across several disciplines. Rather than providing prescriptive training models, this review identifies discipline-specific training priorities and key gaps in the current evidence base relevant to athlete preparation for Milano-Cortina 2026
Multi-Objective Optimisation of a Hydrogen Combustion Mechanism with Direct Kinetic Modelling:Application to Combustion Engines
Get PDFHydrogen combustion can decarbonise difficult-to-abate sectors. However, practical deployment depends on reliable prediction of combustion behaviour under transient conditions, which contrasts with the steady-state experiments typically used for combustion mechanism development. This study presents a fully optimised H2-NOx mechanism, calibrated against 118 fundamental combustion datasets containing 1695 datapoints, which shows significant improvements in the prediction of ignition onset in an internal combustion engine with nitric oxide injection into the intake system.In contrast to prior single-objective approaches, this study introduces a fundamentally new approach to chemical kinetic mechanism optimisation, which leverages a Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimisation framework on a High-Performance Computing platform. The framework simultaneously balances accuracy and consistency across datasets, explicitly incorporates experimental uncertainty, and evaluates all candidate mechanisms with full chemical simulations. Prediction accuracy is quantified using the normalised root mean square error (nRMSE) to experimental measurements and the proportion of predictions within experimental uncertainty limits. Relative to the best existing mechanism, the optimised model achieves a 35 % reduction in nRMSE and a 19 % increase in the number of predictions within uncertainty bounds, demonstrating improved predictive performance for fundamental combustion targets.When the optimised mechanism was applied to autoignition timing in a Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition engine, significant improvements were found for data with nitric oxide. Nevertheless, the overall accuracy in autoignition prediction is insufficient for practical applications, indicating that transient engine conditions are not adequately represented by steady-state datasets. These findings underscore that even fully optimised mechanisms based solely on fundamental experiments will not deliver high-accuracy predictions under real-world, transient conditions and integration of transient combustion data into future development of chemical mechanisms is recommended.<br/
The dynamic effects of becoming disabled on work, wages and wellbeing in the UK from 1991 to 2018
Get PDFOver recent decades it has consistently been shown that disabled adults in the UK fare worse in the labour market and have lower levels of wellbeing than non-disabled adults. However, this is in part due to the selection into dis-ability of those with existing socio-economic disadvantages. In this article, we use panel data from the combined British Household Panel Survey and Understanding Society, covering the 27-years from 1991 to 2018, to distinguish between the effect of selection, the effect of dis-ability onset and the effect of dis-ability duration on a range of labour market and wellbeing outcomes. We show that there is important selection both into dis-ability and into longer experience of dis-ability on the basis of observable characteristics. We also show the importance of controlling for time-invariant unobservable individual characteristics that similarly affect selection into dis-ability and duration of dis-ability. Even after controlling for both forms of selection we find significant negative effects of dis-ability onset and duration, and offer policy solutions to address them
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