The Development of an Integrated Computing Platform for Measuring, Predicting and Analyzing Profile-specific Fixity of Railway Tracks

The current measures for railway track fixity in the UK’s railway remain at a relatively low level of granularity. This paper presents a pilot proof-of-concept study on the development of an integrated computing framework for improving the measurement, prediction, and analysis of profile-specific track fixity in the context of the UK’s rail network. The framework is aimed to produce a data integration and mining tool, which can determine track fixity parameters for any given section of track. In this study, we propose to measure track movement based on point cloud data and assess the track fixity by a set of parameters such as the direction and rate of the track movement relative to the plane of rail within a certain period. We seek to integrate a data mining algorithm into the framework to predict these parameters, given vast amounts of disparate and heterogeneous data of potential influencing factors in the area. From the study, we have developed a prototype framework, which allows the rapid implementation of data workflows with the necessary functionality. The feasibility of the prototype was demonstrated by training a random forest model on real data from an approximately 80-kilometer section of the East Coast Main Line, southeast of Edinburgh, Scotland. The modelling results indicate that curvature, cant, and maximum speed of trains are among the key factors that impact on, and are critical for predicting and analyzing, the profile-specific track fixity

Urban and Rural 4-H Adult Volunteer Leaders\u27 Preferred Forms of Recognition and Motivation

The article describes a study comparing the motives of urban and rural volunteers and identified differences in recognition preferences. A survey sent to 714 leaders across urban and rural Nebraska yielded 326 usable responses. Urban and rural respondents identified affiliation as their primary motivation. Urban respondents were more positive about the state and county 4-H programs. Rural volunteers were less interested in recognition at the county fair. Both groups identified Letters from 4-H members as the most meaningful form of recognition. The article presents recommendations for broader volunteer recruitment strategies and more personalized 4-H volunteer recognition

Evidence of the Impact of Rural Road Investment on Poverty Reduction and Economic Development

This report provides a rapid review of some of the recently published evidence of the impact of such investment. This rapid evidence based assessment builds on the more thorough systematic review conducted by Hine et al. (2016) which found that published studies in general demonstrated a strong link between good access and indicators of socio- economic benefit. The findings of this rapid review confirm the earlier findings by Hine et al. (2016) and demonstrate positive impacts associated with increased income, poverty reduction, employment, agricultural output and sales, education, health, traffic volumes, transport services, transport costs and general economic indicators. In a number of the recent studies it was found that rural road investment encouraged structural transformations of villages by facilitating non-farm employment and enabling migration to urban areas. However, this did not necessarily translate into substantial increases in incomes. With increased interest in climate change a small but growing body of literature outlines the potential negative impacts of roads on forest cover and biodiversity, although it depends on the local context and type of road

'Getting to Know Me': The second phase roll-out of a staff training programme for supporting people with dementia in general hospitals

Objectives The aims were to evaluate a second phase roll-out of a dementia care training programme for general hospital staff and to further develop two outcome scales: the Confidence in Dementia scale for measuring confidence in working with people with dementia and the Knowledge in Dementia scale for measuring knowledge in dementia. Method Following a 'training the trainers' phase, the study involved the delivery of the 'Getting to Know Me' training programme to a large number of staff (n = 517) across three National Health Service (NHS) Trusts situated in North-West England. The impact of the programme was evaluated using a pre-post design which explored: (i) changes in confidence in dementia, (ii) changes in knowledge in dementia, and (iii) changes in beliefs about behaviours that challenge. Results Statistically significant change was identified between pre-post training on all outcome measures (Confidence in Dementia: eight point increase, p < 0.001; Knowledge in Dementia: two point increase p < 0.001; controllability beliefs scale: four point decrease, p < 0.001). Medium to large effect sizes were demonstrated on all outcome measures. The psychometric properties of the Confidence in Dementia and Knowledge in Dementia scales are reported. Conclusion Staff knowledge in dementia and confidence in working with people with dementia significantly increased following attendance at the training sessions. The findings are consistent with preliminary findings and strengthen current knowledge about the impact of dementia care training in general hospitals. The Confidence in Dementia and Knowledge in Dementia scales continue to demonstrate psychometrically sound properties and demonstrate utility in the field of dementia research.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was funded by, and undertaken as part of, the Health Innovation and Education Cluster (HIEC) programme. The HIEC programme was developed to support the delivery of high quality health care, provide education and training, promote innovation in health care, and lead to adoption of research. One of the main aims of the HIEC programme was to produce sustainable change in practice within the NHS

'Getting to Know Me': the development and evaluation of a training programme for enhancing skills in the care of people with dementia in general hospital settings

OBJECTIVE: The aims of the study were to report on the development and evaluation of a staff training intervention in dementia care designed for use in the general hospital setting: the 'Getting to Know Me' training programme. The study also aimed to undertake initial psychometric analysis on two new outcome scales designed to measure knowledge and confidence in dementia care. METHODS: The study comprised two phases. The first phase comprised the design of two questionnaires which are shared within this paper: Confidence in Dementia (CODE) Scale and Knowledge in Dementia (KIDE) Scale. In phase two, staff undertook the 'Getting to Know Me' training programme (n=71). The impact of the programme was evaluated using a pre-post design which explored: (1) changes in confidence in dementia; (2) changes in knowledge in dementia; and (3) changes in beliefs about challenging behaviour. RESULTS: The psychometric properties of the CODE and KIDE scales are reported. Statistically significant change was identified pre-post training on all outcome measures. Clinically meaningful change was demonstrated on the CODE scale. CONCLUSIONS: The 'Getting to Know Me' programme was well received and had a significant impact on staff knowledge and confidence. Our findings add to a growing evidence base which will be strengthened by further robust studies, the exploration of the impact of staff training on direct patient outcomes, and further identification of ways in which to transfer principles of care from specialist dementia environments into general hospital settings.This study was funded by, and undertaken as part of, the Health Innovation and Education Cluster (HIEC) programme. The HIEC programme was developed to support the delivery of high quality healthcare, provide education and training, promote innovation in healthcare, and lead to adoption of research. One of the main aims of the HIEC programme was to produce sustainable change in practice within the NHS

Murray Valley encephalitis: a review of clinical features, diagnosis and treatment

Murray Valley encephalitis virus (MVEV) is a mosquito-borne virus that is found across Australia, Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya. MVEV is endemic to northern Australia and causes occasional outbreaks across south-eastern Australia. 2011 saw a dramatic increase in MVEV activity in endemic regions and the re-emergence of MVEV in south-eastern Australia. This followed significant regional flooding and increased numbers of the main mosquito vector, Culex annulirostris, and was evident from the widespread seroconversion of sentinel chickens, fatalities among horses and several cases in humans, resulting in least three deaths. The last major outbreak in Australia was in 1974, during which 58 cases were identified and the mortality rate was about 20%. With the potential for a further outbreak of MVEV in the 2011–2012 summer and following autumn, we highlight the importance of this disease, its clinical characteristics and radiological and laboratory features. We present a suspected but unproven case of MVEV infection to illustrate some of the challenges in clinical management. It remains difficult to establish an early diagnosis of MVEV infection, and there is a lack of proven therapeutic options