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Cognitive outcome and its neural correlates after cardiorespiratory arrest in childhood
Full text linkHypoxia-ischaemia (HI) can result in structural brain abnormalities, which in turn can lead to behavioural deficits in various cognitive and motor domains, in both adult and paediatric populations. Cardiorespiratory arrest (CA) is a major cause of hypoxia-ischaemia in adults, but it is relatively rare in infants and children. While the effects of adult CA on brain and cognition have been widely studied, to date, there are no studies examining the neurodevelopmental outcome of children who suffered CA early in life. Here, we studied the long-term outcome of 28 children who suffered early CA (i.e., before age 16). They were compared to a group of control participants (n = 28) matched for age, sex and socio-economic status. The patient group had impairments in the domains of memory, language and academic attainment (measured using standardised tests). Individual scores within the impaired range were most commonly found within the memory domain (79%), followed by academic attainment (50%), and language (36%). The patient group also had reduced whole brain grey matter volume, and reduced volume and fractional anisotropy of the white matter. In addition, lower performance on memory tests was correlated with bilaterally reduced volume of the hippocampi, thalami, and striatum, while lower attainment scores were correlated with bilateral reduction of fractional anisotropy in the superior cerebellar peduncle, the main output tract of the cerebellum. We conclude that patients who suffered early CA are at risk of developing specific cognitive deficits associated with structural brain abnormalities
‘Specialist before physiotherapist’: physicians’ and physiotherapists’ beliefs and management of chronic low back pain in Ghana – A qualitative study
Full text linkPurpose: This study provides an understanding of the chronic low back pain (CLBP) beliefs and management practices of physicians/doctors and physiotherapists in Ghana, and the mechanisms underlying their beliefs and practices. Materials/Methods: Thirty-three individual semi-structured interviews, involving eighteen physio-therapists and fifteen physicians involved with CLBP management, were carried out. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analysed using Straussian grounded theory principles and critical realist philosophy.
Results: Five categories were derived: The predominance of bio-medical/mechanical beliefs, maladaptive beliefs, maladaptive practices, limited involvement of physiotherapists and other healthcare professionals(HCPs) and evidence-based beliefs and practices. The predominant mechanisms underlying the HCPsbeliefs and practices were: the healthcare environment (professional roles/identity hinged around paternalistic and biomedical care, fragmented CLBP management, limited physiotherapy/HCPs’ knowledge)and sociocultural environment (sociocultural/patients’ expectations of passive therapy and paternalism).
Conclusion: The CLBP beliefs and practices of HCPs involved with CLBP in Ghana is modelled around a professional identity that is largely hinged on paternalism and bio-medical/mechanical understandings. Lack of collaboration and sociocultural expectations also play a significant role. There is the need for are constitution of Ghanaian HCPs’ CLBP beliefs and management approaches to align with evidenced-based approaches (e.g., imaging should not be universally prescribed, biopsychosocial and patient-centred care)
Prioritising Actions for Improving Classroom Air Quality Based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process: Case Studies in China and the UK
Full text linkThe air quality in classrooms significantly impacts school children’s health and learning performance. It has been reported worldwide that classroom air quality does not meet the required standard and actions are pledged for improvement. However, it poses a challenge for decision-making in terms of prioritising taking-up measures. The aim of this study is to propose a method of identifying the action measures for improving classroom air quality and prioritising them. Case studies in the UK and China were conducted, and the key measures were identified through literature studies, open-ended questionnaire surveys, and workshop discussions, which are classified into three categories: B1, policy; B2, technology; and B3, information sharing. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is applied in the prioritisation of the action measures. A total of 138 teachers and parents from China and the UK participated in this case study. The genetic algorithm-optimised Hadamard product (GAOHP) method is applied to justify the consistency ratio (CR) within the required threshold value in order to ensure the consistency of the subjective perception and the accuracy of comparative weights. The results show that item B2, technology, is the most desired measure by both Chinese and British parents and teachers, despite the deviation from the optimal choice in China and the UK. Among the proposed action measures, the UK respondents strongly expected air purifiers with natural ventilation as opposed to their Chinese counterparts preferring to share the real-time status of classroom air quality. Our work will provide strong support for the subsequent selection of indoor air quality improvement strategies for schools
The phenomenon of revivals on complex potential Schrödinger’s equation
No full textThe mysterious phenomenon of revivals in linear dispersive periodic equations was discovered first experimentally in optics in the 19th century, then rediscovered several times by theoretical and experimental investigations. While the term has been used systematically and consistently by many authors, there is no consensus on a rigorous definition. In this paper, we describe revivals modulo a regularity condition in a large class of Schrödinger’s equations with complex bounded potentials. As we show, at rational times, the solution is given explicitly by finite linear combinations of translations and dilations of the initial datum, plus an additional continuous term
Emotions
No full textThis chapter demonstrates how emotions allow us to see, think and interpret political events ‘otherwise’ by exposing the political nature of emotions and their ability to resist and contest hegemonic stories about world politics. Acknowledging the significance of emotions in the social and political world, this chapter examines how emotions contribute important insights into the production of knowledge and dynamics of power at both the micro and macro level of global politics. First, we situate emotions research in the discipline of International Relations and illustrate how the inclusion of emotions in IR can transform our interpretation of global political events such as the European refugee ‘crisis’. Second, the chapter highlights key theoretical, empirical, and methodological debates in emotions research and shows how emotions are social, political and cultural. Lastly, drawing on the response to violence against Indigenous women in Canada in the #nomorestolensisters campaign, the chapter examines ways in which emotions research can challenge the Western-centric nature of world politics and raises the possibility for it to be central to decolonial scholarship and politics
A three-wave longitudinal study on the underlying metacognitive mechanism between depression and Internet gaming disorder
Full text linkAbstractBackground and aims: Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) and depression have negative consequences on individuals' mental health, but their relationships are complex. This three-wave longitudinal study aimed to detect the metacognitive mechanisms underlying the association between IGD tendency and depression based on the self-regulatory executive function model. Methods: A total of 1,243 Chinese undergraduate student gamers (57% female, M = 19.77, SD = 1.29) were recruited at the baseline survey (Wave 1 [W1]), with 622 and 574 of them taking part in the two follow-up surveys (Wave 2 [W2] at 6 and Wave 3 [W3] at 12 months later), respectively. Results: The three-wave path model demonstrated, after controlling for the autoregressive effect of each variable, that depression consistently predicted IGD tendency but not vice versa, while negative but not positive metacognitions about online gaming (MOG) significantly predicted both depression and IGD tendency. Moreover, two statistically significant mediation paths: (i) negative MOG [W1] → depression [W2] → IGD tendency [W3]; and (ii) depression [W1] → negative MOG [W2] → IGD tendency [W3] were identified. Discussion and conclusions: These findings extend the understanding of the associations among depression, IGD tendency, and MOG, highlighting how negative MOG has a stronger prospective effect than positive MOG on depression and IGD tendency, and also reveal the mutual mediation effects of depression and negative MOG on IGD tendency. Integrated programmes with both emotional regulation training and Metacognitive Therapy are recommended for IGD treatment
Influence of an Engineered Notch on the Electromagnetic Radiation Performance of NiTi Shape Memory Alloy
Full text linkThis work explores the influence of a pre-engineered notch on the electromagnetic radiation (EMR) parameters in NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) during tensile tests. The test data showed that the EMR signal fluctuated between oscillatory and exponential, signifying that the specimen’s viscosity damping coefficient changes during strain hardening. The EMR parameters, maximum EMR amplitude, and average EMR energy release rate remained constant initially but rose sharply with the plastic zone radius with progressive loading. It was postulated that new Frank–Read sources permit dislocation multiplication and increase the number of edge dislocations participating in EMR emissions, leading to a rise in the value of EMR parameters. The study of the correlation between EMR emission parameters and the plastic zone radius before the crack tip is a vital crack growth monitoring tool. An analysis of the interrelationship of the EMR energy release rate at fracture with the elastic strain energy release rate would help develop an innovative approach to assess fracture toughness, a critical parameter for the design and safety of metals. The microstructural analysis of tensile fractures and the interrelation between deformation behaviours concerning the EMR parameters offers a novel and real-time approach to improve the extant understanding of the behaviour of metallic materials
Performance evaluation of solar chimney in tunnel for passive ventilation and smoke exhaustion: A numerical approach
Full text linkSolar chimney applied in building ventilation can passively regulate indoor air quality without electricity cost and carbon emissions, but its application in tunnel is limited. This study conducted a numerical modelling and theoretical analysis to investigate the volumetric flow rate through multi-channel solar chimney group in tunnel under normal and fire conditions. The influences of the solar chimney arrangements on ventilation and smoke exhaustion capacity were analyzed. Results show that the solar chimney group can afford natural ventilation in tunnel without compromising the performance of smoke exhaustion through shaft. With absorbed more solar energy, increasing cavity amount and cavity width can effectively improve the ventilation performance but limited effect on smoke exhaustion. The volumetric flow rate increases with cavity height and cavity depth that is proportional to hc1/3 and L2/3 under natural ventilation. The volumetric flow rate under natural ventilation and smoke exhaustion both increase with total chimney channel area. A theoretical model considering horizontally semi-parabolic temperature distribution inside each channel was developed to correlate the volumetric flow rate, the predictions agree reasonably with numerical results under normal and fire conditions. This study contributes to the application of solar chimney group in urban tunnels and guides extraction design
Fatigue After CriTical illness (FACT): Co-production of a self-management intervention to support people with fatigue after critical illness
Full text linkPurpose: Fatigue is a common and debilitating problem in patients recovering from critical illness. To address a lack of evidence-based interventions for people with fatigue after critical illness, we co-produced a self-management intervention based on self-regulation theory. This article reports the development and initial user testing of the co-produced intervention.
Methods: We conducted three workshops with people experiencing fatigue after critical illness, family members, and healthcare professionals to develop a first draft of the FACT intervention, designed in web and electronic document formats. User testing and interviews were conducted with four people with fatigue after critical illness. Modifications were made based on the findings.
Results: Participants found FACT acceptable and easy to use, and the content provided useful strategies to manage fatigue. The final draft intervention includes four key topics: (1) about fatigue which discusses the common characteristics of fatigue after critical illness; (2) managing your energy with the 5 Ps (priorities, pacing, planning, permission, position); (3) strategies for everyday life (covering physical activity; home life; leisure and relationships; work, study, and finances; thoughts and feelings; sleep and eating); and (4) goal setting and making plans. All material is presented as written text, videos, and supplementary infographics. FACT includes calls with a facilitator but can also be used independently.
Conclusions: FACT is a theory driven intervention co-produced by patient, carer and clinical stakeholders and is based on contemporary available evidence. Its development illustrates the benefits of stakeholder involvement to ensure interventions are informed by user needs. Further testing is needed to establish the feasibility and acceptability of FACT.
Implications for clinical practice: The FACT intervention shows promise as a self-management tool for people with fatigue after critical illness. It has the potential to provide education and strategies to patients at the point of discharge and follow-up
Venturi nozzles for desalination brine discharges
Full text linkSeawater desalination is a reliable way to confront the growing challenges of freshwater demands in the world.
Brine is the primary by-product of this process and needs to be carefully managed and discharged back into the
sea. In coastal desalination plants, the use of submerged outfall as a pipeline laying on the ocean floor is a
popular strategy to minimize the environmental impacts of brine discharge. The Venturi nozzle has been proposed
as a more efficient method for dispersing brine into the ocean. However, it requires a high exit velocity,
which poses limitations for steep nozzle angles in shallow waters. This study aims to investigate the benefits of a
lower range of exit velocities in the Venturi nozzles. The 60◦ inclined dense jet from a Venturi nozzle was
explored, numerically and experimentally, and the results were compared to those of a simple dense jet. Comparisons
showed that the Venturi nozzle decreases the flow path and diminishes flow dilution at the critical
points. However, this reduction can be compensated by increasing the discharge Froude number to reach the
same trajectory as a simple jet. It is important to note that this compensation is intricately linked to the discharge
velocity, and it makes the use of Venturi nozzles for brine discharge a challenging proposition in both deep and
shallow waters