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Befriending, Loneliness, and Quality of Life of Older Adults: A Pilot Evaluation Study
No full textObjectives: An aggregated interventional N-of-1 or single-case design was used to assess the impact of a befriending intervention on a) health-related quality of life (HR-QoL), and b) the association between loneliness on HR-QoL among older adults.
Methods: Participants were n = 33 new users of the service, aged 60 + . Outcomes were measured at 13 timepoints across 26 weeks, and data were analyzed using generalized additive modeling (GAM) with a subset of data analyzed using supplementary visual analysis.
Results: Results indicate that the befriending service may reduce decline of HR-QoL (i.e. HR-QoL declined in the baseline phase over time: edf = 3.893, F = 3.0, p = .002, while in the treatment phase, HR-QoL remained more stable: edf = 5.98, F = 2.98, p = .008). The intervention also suppressed the impact of loneliness on HR-QoL.
Conclusions: Befriending interventions may prevent declines in HR-QoL, and may moderate the impact of loneliness on HR-QoL.
Clinical Implications: Our preliminary findings suggest that befriending services may be useful if clinicians have concerns about the health impacts of loneliness for older people. It is difficult to evaluate community-based services, and we consider the challenges we faced, with a view to assisting others planning similar evaluations
Cellular and extracellular white matter alterations after childhood trauma experience in individuals with schizophrenia
No full textBackground: Childhood trauma (CT) is related to altered fractional anisotropy (FA) in individuals with schizophrenia (SZ). However, it remains unclear whether CT may influence specific cellular or extracellular compartments of FA in SZ with CT experience. We extended our previous study on FA in SZ (Costello et al., 2023) and examined the impact of CT on hypothesized lower free water-corrected FA (FAT) and higher extracellular free water (FW).
Method: Thirty-seven SZ and 129 healthy controls (HC) were grouped into the ‘none/low’ or ‘high’ CT group. All participants underwent diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. We performed tract-based spatial statistics to study the main effects of diagnostic group and CT, and the interaction between CT and diagnostic group across FAT and FW.
Results: SZ displayed lower FAT within the corpus callosum and corona radiata compared to HC (p 0.05, TFCE).
Conclusions: These novel findings suggest that the impact of CT on lower FAT may reflect cellular rather than extracellular alterations in established schizophrenia. This highlights the impact of CT on white matter microstructure, regardless of diagnostic status
The impact of foreign players in the English premier league: a mathematical analysis
No full textWe undertake extensive analysis of English Premier League data over the period 2009/10 to 2017/18 to identify and rank key factors affecting the economic and footballing performances of the teams. Alternative end-of-season league tables are generated by re-ranking the teams based on five different descriptors—total expenditure, total funds spent on players, total funds spent on foreign players, the ratio of foreign to British players and the overall profit. The unequal distribution of resources and expenditure between the clubs is analyzed through Lorenz curves. A comparative analysis of the differences between the alternative tables and the conventional end-of-season league table establishes the most likely factors to influence the performances of the teams that we also rank using Principal Component Analysis. We find that the top teams in the league are also those that tend to have the highest expenditure overall, for all players, including foreign players; they also have the highest ratios of foreign to British players. Our statistical and machine learning study also indicates that successful performance on the field may not guarantee healthy profits at the end of the season
Malware Detection in PDF and PE Files Using Machine Learning and Feature Selection
No full textMalware detection is a crucial task in cybersecurity. Due to the dynamic nature of malware and the presence of new variants, signature-based malware detection solutions must be complemented by AI and machine learning-based solutions. Malware can hide in different file formats, and use obfuscation techniques to bypass detection. This paper contributes to the body of research by investigating the use of machine learning algorithms and feature selection for the detection of malware in Portable Executable (PE) and Portable Document Format (PDF) files. Different machine learning (ML) algorithms were used. The results from the experiments showed that RF outperformed other algorithms in terms of accuracy, F1 and AUC. Moreover, feature selection can decrease significantly the model building time while maintaining high prediction performance
Using Behavioural Skills Training with Healthcare Staff to Promote Greater Independence for People Living with Dementia: A Randomised Single-Case Experimental Design
No full textApproximately 72% of older adults in residential care have dementia and present with different levels of functioning. People living with dementia (PLwD) may not always be facilitated to independently carry out activities of daily living (ADLs) in care, increasing the likelihood of excess disability. This study incorporated Behavioural Skills Training (BST) to train healthcare staff how to increase opportunities for independence for PLwD by using task analyses and least-to-most (L-M) prompting procedures during ADLs. Three healthcare staff, two female and one male (mean age = 42.67, SD = 16.82), participated in the intervention. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Single-Case Design Technical Documentation guided the study’s design. A randomised single-case experimental (N-of-1) design was employed, using a multiple-baseline design (MBD) across participants (n = 3) for three separate ADLs. The dependent variable (DV) was the percentage of correct staff responses when implementing the L-M prompting procedure for each step during ADLs. Visual and statistical analyses demonstrated an increase in the correct use of a task analysis and L-M prompting for all three participants during the intervention compared to the baseline: for ADL1 (assistance to stand), effect sizes were d = 5.39, d = 9.38, and d = 6.79 for the three participants, respectively; for ADL2 (assistance with drinking), effect sizes were d = 3.27, d = 8.55, and d = 3.67; and for ADL3 (assistance to brush teeth), effect sizes were d = 5.99, d = 12.93, and d = 9.39. Maintenance data ranged from 70% to 100% correct responses at follow-up (mean = 93.11% SD = 7.85). Participants successfully generalised skills learned to two new ADLs (PLwD eating a meal and putting on a jumper). BST was demonstrated to be an effective training strategy to increase opportunities for independent responding for PLwD in care environments. The contingencies influencing staff behaviour require attention within the healthcare environment
Examining Burnout, Social Support, and Academic Motivation within College Students
No full textAcademic performance and student well-being is significantly impacted by the common problem of burnout among college students. This study examines the relationship between burnout perceived social support, and academic motivation among second-generation and non-immigrant undergraduate college students. Quantitative data was collected using standardised scales, including the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS-HS 28). The results from correlational analysis indicate no significant relationship was found between burnout, social support, and academic motivation. From t-tests results, no significant differences were demonstrates between second-generation and non-immigrant college students in relation to burnout, perceived social support, and academic motivation. The study's outcomes can inform academic policies aimed at the development of student support services and towards reducing burnout and enhancing student well-being by focusing on maintaining academic motivation and strengthening social and support networks
Using AI in Healthcare: Questions for Healthcare Providers
No full textAgainst a backdrop of staff shortages, high costs, and other systemic pressures, healthcare institutions are increasingly turning to digital solutions to bridge these gaps, including the deployment of AI-enabled systems. Although these may provide some opportunities for increasing efficiency under strict circumstances, using AI in healthcare may also pose risks to patients and their rights.
Healthcare providers have a role to play in mitigating some of these risks. To help raise awareness and support informed discussions, members of the Digital Rights and Health Alliance have developed a set of prompt questions to stimulate further dialogue on this topic – particularly between providers and their patients
The association between stress and academic performance
No full textAims: This study sought to investigate the complex relationship between stress and academic performance. Method: A questionnaire was administered to 69 participants. It included basic demographic questions and three scales. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Perceived Academic Performance Scale (PAPS) and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE).
Results: An initial Pearson correlation analysis found a significant moderate negative between perceived stress and perceived academic performance (r = -.344, p = .004), however a multiple regression analysis that controlled for other variables did not find that perceived stress could significantly predict perceived academic performance (β = -.103, p = .522). Rather, general self-efficacy was the only variable able to significantly predict perceived academic performance (β = .445, p = .003). This model explained 24.3% of variance in academic performance.
Conclusion: Findings suggest that stress does not have a direct effect on academic performance when controlling for self-efficacy. This could mean that psychological interventions within a higher education context could be more effective at increasing academic performance by focusing on improving students’ self-efficacy rather than reducing stress. Though a combined approach is recommended. However, further research is necessary
Does personality and self-esteem influence theory of mind considering age and gender?
No full textHuman life is said to give credit to theory of mind ability (ToM) that allows human to interpret social stimuli to fit into the society by inferring thoughts of and intentions of others. Emerging evidence demonstrates that exposure to stimuli is a key to ToM development while an increased tendency to withdraw from social situations in introverts is suggested. Studies also show that self-esteem plays an important role in social skills as well.
Aims: The current study aimed to gain a better understanding of to what extent that personality traits (introverts and extraverts) and self-esteem have an impact on ToM considering age and gender.
Method: 46 participants aged between 19 to 60 recruited through convenient sampling method completed The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, McCroskey’s Introversion Scale and Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET).
Results: Results showed that there was no difference in ToM between introverts and extraverts. ToM was not associated with age and no difference in ToM was found in the 3 age-groups. Introverts showed a higher level of self-esteem to a statistically significant degree compared to extraverts. There was no association between ToM and self-esteem within introverts. Males had significantly shorter reaction time in emotion identification, however ToM in males did no differ from females considering the number of correctly identified emotions. Neither personality traits nor self-esteem predicted ToM.
Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of further investigation on the influence of personality traits on ToM. Stereotypes toward introverts often blind people to see their strengths. Introverts may not correlate with deteriorated ToM as expected. The findings also propose that self-esteem may moderate the relationship between introverts and ToM. However, the current findings need to be examined further due to little to no evidence provided in previous research to date. Future studies may seek to fill the gap