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Teaching person-centered practice to pre-registration physiotherapy students: a qualitative study
Get PDFIntroduction:
There has been a call for healthcare to consider more explicitly the needs of the individual patient by adopting a person-centered approach to practice. Consideration needs to be given to how this is taught to pre-registration physiotherapy students.
Purpose:
To understand how first-year pre-registration physiotherapy students envision their philosophy of practice and how person-centered aspects of that philosophy might be implemented in a clinical setting.
Methods:
Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 10 first-year physiotherapy students. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Results:
Five themes were identified: 1) understanding the person and their direction of travel; 2) contextual factors that impact on the delivery of person-centered practice; 3) awareness of personality traits; 4) doing the small things; and 5) the person-centered learning curve.
Conclusion:
Understanding the person and knowing what is important to them is central to the participant’s philosophy of practice. They drew on specific personality traits such as listening, being patient, or using small talk to develop rapport to better understand the person they were working with. Despite the challenge of high-pressured, under resourced healthcare contexts, student physiotherapists would strive to do the small things for each person they were working with. Practice-based learning settings presented a steep learning curve and appeared to be important in developing person-centered skills which were introduced in the university setting
'Taking back control’: the ambiguous impact of populist trade discourses on the international economic order
Get PDFThe relationship between populism and free trade has historically been a complex one. This article argues that populism affects trade not by expressing consistent economic preferences, but by operating as a discourse that articulates external policies as a struggle for popular recognition. We analyze trade discourses of Donald Trump and Brexiteers following their victories in the 2016 US presidential election and the EU referendum in the UK. These populist movements expressed opposing trade preferences: Trumpism was identified with protectionism, while Brexiteers supported free trade. However, they both articulated trade as a way to regain popular sovereignty from elites and hostile outsiders. A discursive approach helps identify a common logic in how populists articulate foreign relations despite pursuing nominally opposing policies. While this populist logic pertains primarily to domestic mobilization, it has implications for the international order as well, as evidenced in the persistence of protectionist instincts in the US under President Biden and the acceptance of a ‘global’ trade policy outside of the EU as the new frame of reference for UK external economic relations
Discovery of novel 1,2,4-triazole tethered β-hydroxy sulfides as bacterial tyrosinase inhibitors: synthesis and biophysical evaluation through in vitro and in silico approaches
Get PDFIn this study, a series of 1,2,4-triazole-tethered β-hydroxy sulfide scaffolds 11a–h was synthesized in good to remarkable yields (69–90%) through the thiolysis of oxiranes by the thiols in aqueous basic catalytic conditions. The synthesized 1,2,4-triazole-tethered β-hydroxy sulfides were screened against bacterial tyrosinase enzyme, and Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial cultures i.e., (S. aureus) Staphylococcus aureus & (E. coli) Escherichia coli. Among the synthesized derivatives, the molecules 11a (IC50 = 7.67 ± 1.00 μM), 11c (IC50 = 4.52 ± 0.09 μM), 11d (IC50 = 6.60 ± 1.25 μM), and 11f (IC50 = 5.93 ± 0.50 μM) displayed the better tyrosinase inhibitory activity in comparison to reference drugs ascorbic acid (IC50 = 11.5 ± 1.00 μM) and kojic acid (IC50 = 30.34 ± 0.75 μM). The molecule benzofuran-triazol-propan-2-ol 11c proved to be the most potent bacterial tyrosinase inhibitory agent with a minimum IC50 of 4.52 ± 0.09 μM, as compared to other synthesized counterparts and both standards (kojic acid and ascorbic acid). The compound diphenyl-triazol-propan-2-ol 11a and benzofuran-triazole-propan-2-ol 11c showed comparable anti-bacterial chemotherapeutic efficacy with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC = 2.0 ± 2.25 mg mL−1 and 2.5 ± 0.00 mg mL−1, respectively) against S. aureus bacterial strain in comparison with standard antibiotic penicillin (MIC = 2.2 ± 1.15 mg mL−1). Furthermore, among the synthesized derivatives, only compound 11c demonstrated better anti-bacterial activity (MIC = 10 ± 0.40 mg mL−1) against E. coli, which was slightly less than the standard antibiotic i.e., penicillin (MIC = 2.4 ± 1.00 mg mL−1). The compound 11c demonstrated a better binding score (−7.08 kcal mol−1) than ascorbic acid (−5.59 kcal mol−1) and kojic acid (−5.78 kcal mol−1). Molecular docking studies also validate the in vitro anti-tyrosinase assay results; therefore, the molecule 11c can be the lead bacterial tyrosinase inhibitor as well as the antibacterial agent against both types of bacterial strains after suitable structural modifications
The evolution of Qucs-S as a software tool for RF and mixed signal IC design using the IHP 130nm BiCMOS Open Source PDK
Get PDFOn going improvements in semiconductor device technologies have highlightedthe importance and the need for Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) that supports both compact modelling and IC circuit design based on "manufacturers open-source Process Design Kits" (PDK). This presentation outlines the evolution of the Quite Universal Circuit simulator (Qucs-S) as an integrated IC design tool with compact modelling capabilities and simulation features that support analogue, RF and mixed analogue/digital signal IC Design using the IHP 130nm BiCMOS Open Source PDK. A series of example models and simulation test benches are included. These demonstrate new Qucs-S features and their application. All the software introduced is freely available from the internet under GPL or equivalent license
Pro-social attitudes towards ethno-religious out-groups during the COVID-19 pandemic: a survey experiment in five countries
Get PDFTo what extent were individuals willing to help others during the pandemic? This article examines pro-social attitudes among 7000 residents in England, Ireland, Germany, Serbia, and Sweden by showing a fictitious scenario of an older neighbour who needs his groceries to be picked up from a nearby supermarket. The online survey experiment follows a 3 × 2 × 2 factorial design varying the ethno-religious origin of neighbours signalled by the name (Alexander vs Mohammed), the length of their residence (<1 year, 10 years, entire life), and if groceries, or groceries and beer need to be collected. We find that those of minority origin and those who have spent less than a year in a country are disadvantaged. Overall, religiosity is associated with a lower willingness to help a neighbour
The Timaeus, perspective, and early Renaissance concepts of architectural space
Get PDFThe reception of Plato’s Timaeus during the Renaissance coincided with ground-breaking developments in the conceptualisation and design of architectural space and the ‘invention’ of pictorial space. This coincidence gave rise to fertile areas of influence of Platonic principles on artistic and architectural creativity, which drew closely on the Timaean commentary tradition through the intellectual exchanges of humanists, artists, and architects. This chapter explores the influence of Plato’s cosmological accounts in the Timaeus on architectural and pictorial ideas in fifteenth-century Florence. This was revealed by a combination of harmonic proportional systems in architecture, conceived through imagined, mental constructs that pictured buildings as ‘cosmological receptacles’, and the creation of projective, illusory space in perspective that consciously drew alignments between the vantage point of the human observer and the infinitude of divine vision. A key figure in the early Renaissance who cultivated these connections between architecture, perspective, and Timaean principles was Leon Battista Alberti whose treatises on painting and architecture laid the theoretical foundations for the development of Renaissance ideas of Platonic ‘space’. The chapter examines Alberti’s writings in the light of influences of other key figures in fifteenth-century Florence such as Filippo Brunelleschi, Ambrogio Traversari and Marsilio Ficino
Environmental antimicrobial resistance: implications for food safety and public health
Get PDFAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious global health issue, aggravated by antibiotic overuse and misuse in human medicine, animal care, and agriculture. This study looks at the different mechanisms that drive AMR, such as environmental contamination, horizontal gene transfer, and selective pressure, as well as the severe implications of AMR for human and animal health. This study demonstrates the need for concerted efforts across the scientific, healthcare, agricultural, and policy sectors to control the emergence of AMR. Some crucial strategies discussed include developing antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs, encouraging targeted narrow-spectrum antibiotic use, and emphasizing the significance of strict regulatory frameworks and surveillance systems, like the Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) and the Access, Watch, and Reserve (AWaRe) classification. This study also emphasizes the need for national and international action plans in combating AMR and promotes the One Health strategy, which unifies environmental, animal, and human health. This study concludes that preventing the spread of AMR and maintaining the effectiveness of antibiotics for future generations requires a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and internationally coordinated strategy
A roadmap for lean production tools implementation
Get PDFThe purpose of this study is to identify the tools for implementing lean production. Also, providing a suitable roadmap for the implementation of lean production tools is another purpose of this research. This study examined the priority of using various lean tools with the focus on achieving lean production goals in Supplying Automotive Parts Company (SAPCO). At first, various tools of lean production were extracted using library research. They were reviewed and prioritised by analytic network process (ANP). In the next step, the interactions of the effectiveness and susceptibility of lean tools has been extracted through decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method. By analysing the obtained results, a suitable roadmap for the implementation of lean manufacturing tools [including personnel (continuous improvement, performance management, organising), Kaizen, value stream map, 5S, standard work, productive maintenance, pull system, Jidoka, single minute exchange of die, Heijunka and continuous flow] has been presented
PlayerRank: leveraging learning-to-rank AI for player positioning in cricket
Get PDFPlayer prioritization is crucial in sports analysis, yet prioritizing based on playing position is underexplored. This paper focuses on using learning-to-rank machine learning models to select the best players for slots within a cricket team's batting order in Twenty20 International (T20I) matches. The aim is to build and train position-specific models to rank potential players for each position in the batting order. These models will use listwise ranking algorithms and an artificial neural network architecture to provide data-driven player rankings, enhancing impartiality and performance focus. Each position-specific model is trained to rank players based on their suitability for that position in the batting order, considering factors like performance metrics and specialization. The models are designed to increase impartiality and focus on player performance. The models achieve an average ordered pair accuracy of over 94%, demonstrating their effectiveness in ranking players for specific batting positions. The specialization of positions enhances the utility of the recommendations, providing a more informed approach to player selection. This study highlights the value of using machine learning models to prioritize players based on their suitability for specific batting positions in T20I matches. The models offer an im-partial and performance-focused approach, enhancing the overall quality of player selection in cricket teams
A wearable circulator‐like circularly polarised antenna for full‐duplex wireless body area network applications
Get PDFA circulator‐like high gain, unidirectional, dual circularly polarised (DCP) wearable antenna with a low specific absorption rate of 0.088 W/kg for 5.8 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band (5.725 − 5.875 GHz) full‐duplex wireless body area network (WBAN) applications is proposed. The DCP full‐duplexing is achieved by a closed‐loop feedback structure between its orthogonal‐ports with enhanced axial ratio (AR) band-width and good impedance matching. The antenna is backed with a 7 x 7 electromagnetic bandgap array that allows for improved directionality, AR and isolation between the ports. The cross‐polarisation level above 17 dB is attained in the broadside direction, in both the E‐plane and the H‐plane, indicating good polarisation discrimination. Since the total power at each respective port is maintained and not halved (−3 dB) with the measured port isolation of ~28 dB in real scenarios (with the potential evidence of ~34 dB) within the ISM band, that leads to a circulator‐like antenna, meaning that a typically cascaded circulator/duplexer can be relieved and leave to the digital processing any self‐interference challenge of full duplex systems through digital cancelation techniques, which alleviates the overall costs of RF hardware and eases integration. Even though dual linear polarization as well as DCP can be supported, the closed‐loop feedback structure uses a port as Tx (RHCP) and the other one as Rx (LHCP) simultaneously with enhanced AR bandwidth. Without this structure, it would require a circulator/duplexer for DCP full‐duplex operation and the associated added insertion losses and/or 12 power (if duplexers) for operation, together with a polarisation misalignment problem that is undesired in wearable WBAN applications