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Safety of 3-month rifampicin-isoniazid TPT in child household contacts in a community-based intervention
No full textThe WHO recommends shorter TB preventive treatment (TPT) regimens and decentralised delivery models to improve effectiveness. This study evaluated the safety of a 3-month rifampicin-isoniazid (3RH) regimen administered by community health workers (CHWs) in households in Cameroon and Uganda.
A cluster-randomised trial was conducted among child contacts of TB patients. We compared the safety of 3RH delivered by CHWs at home (intervention) vs standard-of-care, facility-based administration of 3RH. Safety outcomes included adverse events (AEs), serious adverse events (SAEs), and adverse reactions (ARs). We described the steps from symptom identification by CHWs to classification by a clinician.
Of 1,316 children initiated on 3RH, AEs were reported in 8.7% (81/936) in the intervention arm versus 11.3% (43/380) in the standard-of-care arm, P = 0.15. Overall, 37 SAEs occurred in 36 children, all non-medication related. There were 16 ARs reported, occurring in 1.0% (9/936) of children in the intervention arm and 1.6% (6/380) in the standard-of-care arm, P = 0.22. During 4,608 follow-up visits, 21 children reporting AR symptoms were identified by CHWs, 16 were assessed by clinicians, and 4 ARs were confirmed.
The 3RH regimen was safe, including when administered by trained CHWs in community settings, supporting its use in decentralised healthcare models
Automated transcoloration? Skin tone classification algorithms and the prominence of non-epidermic features in the Mexican racial schema
No full textThe scale of anti-racist research employing independent measures for skin tone (i.e., classification algorithms and colorimeters) is increasingly growing. However, recent studies reveal that non-epidermic traits (i.e., hair, lips, gender) contribute to the transcoloration –whitening or darkening– of perceived skin tone, signaling that their importance in the racialization process has been underestimated. The magnitude of this effect of non-epidermic features is critical, and the appropriateness of technology-based anti-racist research hinges on it. To what extent are independent measures of skin tone a good approximation to the study of racial discrimination in Mexico? Examining a novel dataset (n = 3000), I compare two different skin color variables (one coded by humans and other by an automated algorithm), finding little agreement about exact estimates but substantial —and statistically significant— agreement on the general direction of the variables. These findings corroborate that non-epidermic features slightly alter people’s perception of skin tone, without causing a major digression from independent skin color assessments. The results validate and encourage research employing these technological methods, which tend to be more accessible and feasible than their alternatives
Inpatients' experiences of falls: A qualitative meta-synthesis
No full textOBJECTIVES: Identify and synthesize published qualitative research reporting inpatient experiences of a fall to determine novel insights and understandings of this longstanding complex problem. RESEARCH DESIGN: Qualitative meta-synthesis. METHODS: Online databases were searched to systematically identify published research reporting inpatient experiences of a fall. The included studies were inductively analysed and interpreted then reported as a meta-synthesis. DATA SOURCES: Databases Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Ovid Emcare, CINAHL Complete, Scopus and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global were searched on 3rd August, 2023. RESULTS: From 10 included publications, four new themes of inpatients' experiences of a fall were constructed. Themes one, two and three related to antecedents of patient falls, and theme four related to consequences. Theme one, 'My foot didn't come with me: Physiological and anatomical changes', encompassed patients' experiences of medical conditions, medication, and anatomical changes. These aspects contributed to alterations in balance and strength, and misconceptions of capability in activities of daily (inpatient) living. Theme two, 'I was in a hurry: Help-seeking', encompassed patients' experiences striving for independence while balancing power and control, minimizing their own needs over care of others', and unavailability of support. Theme three, 'I couldn't find the call light: Environment and equipment', encompassed patients' experiences of not being able to reach or use equipment, and environment changes. Theme four, 'It was my fault too: Blame and confidence', encompassed patients' expressions of blame after their fall, blame directed at both themselves and/or others, and impacts on confidence and fear in mobilizing. CONCLUSIONS: Inpatient falls are embedded in a complexity of individual, relational, and environmental factors, yet there are potential ways forward both informed and led by the patient's voice. Strength-based approaches to address the tenuous balance between independence and support may be one opportunity to explore as a next step in complementing the existing multifaceted interventions. IMPACT: Inpatient falls are a complex and costly health safety and quality problem. Despite global initiatives in the prevention of inpatient falls, they remain intractable. This meta-synthesis provides an in-depth exploration of extant qualitative data on patients' experiences of falls in hospitals. Four themes were constructed expressing the inpatients' experiences: physiological and anatomical changes, help-seeking, environment and equipment, and blame and confidence. Novel considerations for future investigation are offered, drawing from self-determination theory and positive psychological interventions. IMPLICATIONS FOR PATIENT CARE: This meta-synthesis elicits new considerations for future interventions based on people's experiences of their fall in hospital, offering healthcare professionals novel directions in fall prevention. REPORTING METHOD: The review was reported according to the Enhancing transparency in reporting the synthesis of qualitative research statement (ENTREQ; Tong et al., 2012). PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No Patient or Public Contribution. REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42023445279
Input-mapping based data-driven model predictive control for unknown linear systems via online learning
No full textAbstract
Data‐driven model predictive control (MPC) is an effective control method in controlling unknown constrained systems. The existing data‐driven MPC methods either estimate the system online (adaptive) with extra computation efforts, or use the initially measured trajectory from offline trials to design controller. The offline trials are economically expensive for many practical systems. To overcome these limitations, we propose a multistep input‐mapping data‐driven scheme. It maps the current and future inputs to the past online measured input‐state trajectories and expresses the future state as a linear combination of the past states. A moving data window is used to update the data online. Based on this scheme, two computationally efficient multistep input‐mapping data‐driven robust model predictive controllers with guarantee of feasibility and stability are proposed. The simulation results verify the improved performance and better computation efficiency of the resulting methods
The role of academics as refugee policy advocates: lessons from Australia
No full textA significant challenge faced by refugees, scholars and advocates is the achievement of policy change toward a humanitarian approach for asylum-seekers. This article examines the interconnectedness between academia and policy. Firstly, it provides a context for this advocacy. Secondly, it examines how and why academics seek to influence policy and how scholars assess their effectiveness. Thirdly, it interrogates how academics could be more effective while working alongside refugees and other advocates. In so doing, it presents Australia as a case study from which lessons can be learnt. It considers how scholars might engage with policymakers and provides considerations on the past and future of academic advocacy
Diversifying language and culture through real-world connections: Virtual exchanges during the COVID-19 pandemic
No full textPerspectives on traditional and emerging mobility aids amongst Australians with inherited retinal disease
No full textOver the past decade, there has been increasing interest in advanced secondary mobility aids for people with low vision, such as sensory substitution devices (SSDs) and electronic travelling aids (ETAs). However, these new modalities have not been able to reach end-users in significant numbers. We conducted an online survey to investigate the current uptake of mobility aids, as well as perspectives on emerging technologies from people with inherited retinal disease (IRD). The cross-sectional survey received 74 complete responses from Australians that self-reported as legally blind from IRD. Approximately half (57%) of respondents were aged over 55 years, with the cohort exhibiting above average education levels (with half holding a bachelor’s degree or above). Long canes (54%) are currently the most used primary mobility aids in this cohort. However, around half of the respondents have used ETAs or SSDs (51 %) for additional help. Respondents reported that their choice of mobility aid was often based on whether they were in a familiar or unfamiliar environment. Most respondents showed interest in SSDs, but were concerned about usability and aesthetics. This cohort of people living with IRD in Australia was interested in advanced technologies and showed willingness to try novel mobility aids if the device was easy to use and the quality of training was guaranteed. Respondents indicated a preference for devices which were portable, and had a minimally intrusive form-factor. Our results can inform the research and development of emerging assistive devices. They serve as valuable guidance for selecting aids tailored to the needs of individuals with visual impairments. Future assessments on the effectiveness of low vision aids should include not only the functional improvement, but also participant-reported assessments regarding usability and portability, as these aspects dictate integration of the device into regular use
Organizational Engagement With Poverty: A Review and Reorientation
No full textRecognizing the potential contributions businesses can make to address the grand challenge of global poverty, management scholars have increasingly turned research attention to poverty. We conducted an integrative review of poverty studies in the organizational literature spanning from 1985 to 2022. Based on the review, we clarify poverty as a significant lack of market-oriented resources, opportunities, and capabilities. Further, we develop a framework that captures the ways in which organizational practices offer the poor, or deprive them of, resources, opportunities, and capabilities, and thereby contribute to poverty alleviation or aggravation respectively. Moreover, our framework identifies the necessary support conditions for an organization to effectively combat poverty. We conclude by proposing a research agenda aimed at advancing management scholarship on poverty
Skeletal Muscle Aging: Lessons From Teleosts
No full textAging is the greatest risk factor for a multitude of age-related diseases including sarcopenia-the loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength-which occurs at remarkable rates each year. There is an unmet need not only to understand the mechanisms that drive sarcopenia but also to identify novel therapeutic strategies. Given the ease and affordability of husbandry, along with advances in genomics, genome editing technologies, and imaging capabilities, teleost models are increasingly used for aging and sarcopenia research. Here, we explain how teleost species such as zebrafish, African turquoise killifish, and medaka recapitulate many of the classical hallmarks of sarcopenia, and discuss the various dietary, pharmacological, and genetic approaches that have been used in teleosts to understand the mechanistic basis of sarcopenia
Against book enclosures: Moving towards more diverse, humane and accessible book publishing
No full textMatthew Gandy's Commentary in Area (2023) criticised the decision of the national funder UKRI to mandate that all books resulting from the research that it funds must be published open access (OA) from 2024. This raises many issues of importance to geographers. We argue that scholars in the discipline need to fight for affordable and ethically produced OA books, not ‘legacy’ modes of publishing. In particular, books produced by scholar-led OA presses will not harm the reputation of departments or individual scholars, and they also have the potential to reduce significant financial barriers to accessing books across the globe. A more powerful critique must be to challenge the continued ‘enclosure’ of books, and the denial of OA by academic publishers and university presses