‘To whom am I speaking?’; Public responses to crime reporting via live chat with human versus AI police operators

Driven by social and technological change and the imperative to enhance efficiency, police have in recent years adopted various technologies to transform their interactions with the public. In the UK, these initiatives often fall under "transformation" agendas, promoting "channel choice" strategies to facilitate public interactions through various technologically mediated platforms, such as reporting crimes online using form-based or chat functions. Artificial Intelligence already plays a role in some of these interactions, which is likely only to increase in the future. In this study we examine preferences and perceptions in online crime reporting. Participants read a fictitious ‘chat’ between a victim of crime and a police operator identified as either a human or a chatbot. Although the chats were identical, we find a consistent preference for human operators over chatbots across all scenarios. Human operators were thought to provide clearer explanations, although there were no significant differences in judgements of interpersonal treatment or decision neutrality between human and chatbot operators. Participants also responded more positively to the process when (a) the crime involved was less serious and (b) when the outcome was active (police attendance) rather than passive (simple recording). Our findings underscore the importance of procedural justice and communication clarity in online crime reporting systems – and perhaps of human interaction when reporting crimes

Assessing the effect of oxidizer on flame geometry and effluent composition from burning solids

The combustion chemistry and geometry of a diffusion flame are dictated by the transport of a fuel and an oxidizer towards a flame sheet. To enable the independent assessment of the impact of an oxidizer on a diffusion flame, the fuel injection rate must be controlled independently of the airflow. Through the independent control over the burning rate of the synthetic polymers polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and polyoxymethylene (POM), it is demonstrated that flame geometry can be systematically varied as a function of the oxygen environment. Both polymers were studied in the Fire Propagation Apparatus using a constant mass loss rate (MLR) under varying oxidative environments (177 L min−1, 0 – 20.9 % vol O2). This study draws upon frameworks developed for co-flow burners, allowing the characteristics of a diffusion flame to be established as a function of the oxidative environment. Flames sustained under lower oxidative environments displayed decreased luminosity and anchoring, with the heat flux from the POM flame decreasing by 14.7 kW m−2 as the oxygen concentration decreased from 20.9 % to 9.25 %. By relating combustion emissions to the flame geometry, through the use of a constant MLR, the processes controlling the emissions from the burning of solids have been studied in a novel manner

El doblaje al inglés y la percepción del humor cultural en el aula de traducción inversa

Esta propuesta se centra en la traducción inversa (español-inglés) del humor basado en estereotipos y referencias culturales, partiendo de una revisión de la literatura disponible para diseñar un estudio empírico en el marco de un proyecto de investigación a largo plazo. Para ello, se contó con un grupo de estudiantes de grado de una universidad española quienes, tras el visionado de una selección de videoclips de la versión doblada al inglés de la serie Valeria (Netflix, 2020), respondieron a cuestiones acerca de la percepción global de los pasajes humorísticos y la identificación de referencias culturales, así como de sus preferencias en cuanto a técnicas de traducción aplicables para la traducción inversa del humor basado en referencias culturales. Los resultados muestran la predilección por la conservación de los elementos culturales

Additive metal printing on multi materials using an atmospheric pressure plasma jet on a 5-Axis platform

Post-production embellishment of objects with metal tracks presents challenges, due to the need for multiple processing steps and the complexity of navigating intricate substrate geometries. Here we describe a flexible approach to deposit conducting metal tracks on 3D objects using an atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ). APPJs offer distinct advantages over traditional inkjet printing methods as they do not require metal particle inks or post-processing. An in-house-built APPJ print head was mounted onto a 5-axis platform to demonstrate metal printing on multifaceted metal, ceramic and glass complex objects. We use finite element modelling of the flow characteristics at the jet nozzle exit to understand and predict the track deposition. The modelling was corroborated through Schlieren imaging of the gas flow as well as chemical and physical characterisation of the resulting deposited track. Conductive metallic tracks of 0.3 mm widths were deposited on non-planar surfaces with one pass at a rate of 1 mm/s, using simple aqueous metal salts with an average plasma power of 10 W. Our findings reveal conductivity, adhesion strength and precision which present a benefit for additive manufacturing

Impact of out-of-home nutrition labelling on people with eating disorders: a systematic review and metasynthesis

Objectives: Mandatory nutrition labels for out-of-home food consumption have been introduced in several countries to curb rising obesity levels. However, concerns have been raised about the potential negative impacts of such policies on individuals with eating disorders. This review aimed to summarise the literature on the impact of out-of-home nutrition labels on individuals with eating disorders or disordered eating.// Design: A systematic search across eight databases was conducted on 11 October 2023.// Data sources MEDLINE, EMBASE, APA PsycINFO, Web of Science, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global, Scopus and CINAHL. Unpublished studies were searched for on Google Scholar and PsyArXiv.// Eligibility criteria: Studies were included if they assessed the impact of out-of-home nutrition labelling policies on individuals with eating disorders or disordered eating. Data extraction and synthesis: 538 studies were screened, of which 16 studies met inclusion criteria.// Results: The reviewed studies included five experimental/quasi-experimental studies, five cross-sectional studies and six qualitative/mixed-methods studies. Across studies, eating disorder pathology was associated with noticing labels more frequently, paying more attention to caloric intake and more frequent behaviour changes due to caloric values. The metasynthesis identified five themes based on the qualitative findings, being drawn to calories, facilitating the eating disorder, reassurance, social eating and frustration.// Conclusions: The current review summarised the existing literature on the impact of out-of-home nutrition label policies on individuals with eating disorders. The evidence suggests that there is cause for concern regarding negative impacts, particularly for those with restrictive eating disorders, which should be explored further by research and considered by policymakers when making decisions on public health policies

‘That’s kind of under my work blanket’—redeployment experiences of children’s hospital staff during the covid-19 pandemic: a qualitative interview study

Background: During COVID-19 pandemic, a rapid readjustment to continued delivery of healthcare was required. Redeployment is an intentional process to mobilise human resources by reassigning a healthcare worker to a new role or new work location, to achieve sustainable delivery of patient care. We report redeployment experiences of staff from a specialist children’s hospital during first and second waves of the United Kingdom COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study focuses on a specialist children’s hospital where redeployment occurred externally to adult intensive care units and other COVID-19 specific initiatives, and internally as some service activity reduced and others expanded. This was a study of staff experiences using a qualitative rapid appraisal design. Hospital staff participated in an in-depth one-to-one telephone interview. We used a semi-structured interview guide, and recorded and transcribed all interviews. Rapid Research Evaluation and Appraisal Lab sheets were used to share data; team-based analysis was facilitated using a framework approach. Results: Recruitment and interviews took place from March-November 2021. Twenty-four staff participated: 17 nurses, five doctors and two other healthcare professionals. Interviewees articulated their experiences of redeployment both within the specialist children’s hospital and externally to other health settings (predominantly adult intensive care). Redeployment impacted staff in multiple ways professionally and personally and was reported to be both challenging and rewarding. The reality of working in different settings was felt by everyone, with unfamiliar environments, patient safety, and delivery of a more task-based model of care creating some negative experiences. We identified five main themes: (i) Drivers and Agency; (ii) Journey to Redeployment; (iii) Working Reality; (iv) Personal Impact and Support; (v) Professional Disruption. Conclusions: Although experience of those redeployed varied, prior background of working in intensive care settings and with adult patients, with opportunities to share practice with colleagues, mitigated challanges for our participants. Positive experiences were associated with perceptions of support received, being welcomed in the new setting, and feeling valued. This study also highlights the act of ‘volunteering’, the nature of ‘voluntariness’ and the difference that may exert on the overall redeployment experience. Future guidance would be encouraged to consider the voluntary nature of redployment