Comprehensive gait analysis of healthy older people: unveiling reasons for lack of long-distance walking

Many older adults do not adhere to the recommended physical activity levels. This study examines the gait changes upon long-distance walking among healthy older adults. Gait tests of 24 adults aged 65 or more were conducted at the baseline, at the end of 30 and 60 minutes of treadmill walk. Spatial temporal, kinematic and kinetic gait data were computed. Perceived level of exertion was evaluated for each subject. Ten subjects (Group B) perceived higher exertion level than the remaining fourteen subjects (Group A). After walking, group B had significant reductions in dominant-side ankle joint range of motion and power, suggesting lower-leg muscle fatigue, which appeared to be compensated by significantly increased non-dominant side knee and hip motions. These changes were not observed in Group A. Differences in gait parameters between Group A and B implied that some biomechanical factors might contribute to the lack of walking of some older adults

Створення та тестування спеціалізованих словників для аналізу тексту

Practitioners in many domains–e.g., clinical psychologists, college instructors, researchers–collect written responses from clients. A well-developed method that has been applied to texts from sources like these is the computer application Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC). LIWC uses the words in texts as cues to a person’s thought processes, emotional states, intentions, and motivations. In the present study, we adopt analytic principles from LIWC and develop and test an alternative method of text analysis using naïve Bayes methods. We further show how output from the naïve Bayes analysis can be used for mark up of student work in order to provide immediate, constructive feedback to students and instructors.Робота фахівців-практиків у багатьох галузях, наприклад, клінічних психологів, викладачів кол д ів, дослідників п р дбача збір пись ових відповід хніх клі нтів чи студ нтів. обр розробл ни тод, яки застосову ться сьогодні до т кстів такого типу, ц ко п’ют рни додаток Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC). Програма LIWC тракту слова в т кстах як індикатори нтальних проц сів людини, оці них станів, на ірів і отивів. У статті використано аналітичні принципи LIWC, розробл но та прот стовано альт рнативни тод аналізу т ксту з використання тодів на вного ба сового класифікатора. Автори д онструють, як р зультати аналізу за на вни ба сови класифікаторо о уть бути використані для аналізу студ нтсько роботи з тою надання н га ного, конструктивного зворотного зв’язку і студ нта і викладача

METEOR : methods for analysing multi-hazards with exposure. Report M6.2/P

The objective of this report is to review methods for analysing multi-hazards with exposure and to propose a methodology for integrating multiple hazards, exposure and vulnerability in Nepal and Tanzania. The report introduces the concepts of fragility curves, damage matrices and physical vulnerability and reviews existing methods for assessing multi-hazard risk. It goes on to test two existing methodologies for multi-hazard assessment, concentrating on integrated risk assessment and relative vulnerability indices before discussing the use of expert elicitation to determine expert weighting of hazards into the hazard assessment. The report shows the hazard footprints generated through the METEOR project for Tanzania before discussing the framework for deriving relative vulnerability indicators and results of integrated risk. This report (M6.2/P) describes a piece of work conducted by British Geological Survey (BGS) as part of the METEOR (Modelling Exposure Through Earth Observation Routines) project, a 3-year project funded by UK Space Agency through their International Partnership Programme, details of which can be located in the Foreword of the report, the project having completed in 2021. The project aimed to provide an innovative solution to disaster risk reduction, through development of an innovative methodology of creating exposure data from Earth Observation (EO) imagery to identify development patterns throughout a country and provide detailed information when combined with population information. Level 1 exposure was developed for all 47 least developed countries on the OECD DAC list, referred to as ODA least-developed countries in the METEOR documentation, with open access to data and protocols for their development. New national detailed exposure and hazard datasets were also generated for the focus countries of Nepal and Tanzania and the impact of multiple hazards assessed for the countries. Training on product development and potential use for Disaster Risk Reduction was performed within these countries with all data made openly available on data platforms for wider use both within country and worldwide. The METEOR project was led by British Geological Survey (BGS) with collaborative partners Oxford Policy Management Limited (OPM), SSBN Limited, The Disaster Management Department, Office of the Prime Minister – Tanzania (DMD), The Global Earthquake Model Foundation (GEM), The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT), ImageCat and the National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET) – Nepal. The project was broken into collaborative work packages including: Project Management (WP1 – led by BGS), Monitoring and Evaluation (WP2 – led by OPM), EO data for exposure development (WP3 – led by ImageCat), Inputs and Validation (WP4 – led by HOT), Vulnerability and Uncertainty (WP5 - led by GEM), Multiple Hazard Impact (WP6 - led by BGS), Knowledge sharing (WP7 – led by GEM) and Sustainability and capacity building (WP8 – led by ImageCat) with key collaboration throughout by the partners in Nepal (NSET) and Tanzania (DMD)

Hungry for change: the Sydney Food Fairness Alliance

The Sydney Food Fairness Alliance is one of a growing number of nascent food movements in Australia to have emerged out of concern for the country’s food future, as well as the deleterious effect the present food system is having on its citizens’ health and the continent’s fragile environment. The Alliance’s structure and activities clearly position it as a new social movement (NSM) engaged in collective action on a specific issue, in this instance, food security/justice, and operating outside the political sphere while aiming to influence and affect societal change. Food security as a human right lies at the heart of the Alliance’s philosophy, and equitable, sustainable food policies for New South Wales are a core focus of its advocacy work. The authors argue that the Alliance is a distinctive food movement in that it positions itself as an \u27umbrella\u27 organization representing a wide range of stakeholders in the food system. This chapter reflects on the values, achievements, issues of concern, strengths and weaknesses, and future of the Sydney Food Fairness Alliance. This resource is Chapter 8 in \u27Food Security in Australia: Challenges and Prospects for the Future\u27 published by Springer in 2013

Leveraging Students’ Game Culture in Education: Validating the benefits of utilising videogames to inform pedagogy

Checkpoint | Brunel University London . September 2023 Research Paper. All images used in this publication are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the students involved in the study ©monkeybusinessimages, iStock: ©SeventyFour, iStock.A blog post about the pilot, Videogames + Education: A Powerful Synergy for the Future of Learning by Tamer Asfahani, April 20, 2023, is available online at: https://checkpointmagazine.com/videogames-education-a-powerful-synergy-for-the-future-of-learning/ .Research Objectives: The overall challenge this research responds to is the need to increase all children’s engagement with education. One solution (among many) is to work through a game-based lesson content approach, as exemplified by Checkpoint Learning Materials (CLM). The aim of this research was to evaluate the ‘engagement value-add’ of CLM which, in turn, will enable greater outreach to schools of the Checkpoint materials. The sub-challenge is to work with Checkpoint to evidence the effectiveness of their Video Game culture-based learning materials, as outlined by their in-house pedagogy, in ways to support the National Curriculum in key stage 2 (years 3-6). The project will allow Checkpoint to further develop and market their learning materials to publishers and education providers. The aim is to validate Checkpoint’s pedagogy and lesson plans. It will enable Checkpoint to help design school CPD for training primary school teachers

Negotiating networks of self-employed work: strategies of minority ethnic contractors

Within the increased flexible, contracted work in cities, employment is negotiated through network arrangements characterised by multiplicity, mobility and fluidity. For black and minority ethnic group members, this network labour becomes fraught as they negotiate both their own communities, which can be complex systems of conflicting networks, as well as non-BME networks which can be exclusionary. This discussion explores the networking experiences of BME individuals who are self-employed in portfolio work arrangements in Canada. The analysis draws from a theoretical frame of ‘racialisation’ (Mirchandani and Chan, 2007) to examine the social processes of continually constructing and positioning the Other as well as the self through representations in these networks. These positions and concomitant identities enroll BME workers in particular modes of social production, which order their roles and movement in the changing dynamics of material production in networked employment

Robust Inference of Monocot Deep Phylogeny Using an Expanded Multigene Plastid Data Set

We use multiple photosynthetic, chlororespiratory, and plastid translation apparatus loci and their associated noncoding regions (ca. 16 kb per taxon, prior to alignment) to make strongly supported inferences of the deep internal branches of monocot phylogeny. Most monocot relationships are robust (an average of ca. 91 % bootstrap support per branch examined), including those poorly supported or unresolved in other studies. Our data strongly support a sister-group relationship between Asparagales and the commelinid monocots, the inclusion of the orchids in Asparagales, and the status of Petrosaviaceae as the sister group of all monocots except Acorus and Alismatales. The latter finding supports recognition of the order Petrosaviales. Also strongly supported is a placement of Petermannia disjunct from Colchicaceae (Liliales) and a sister-group relationship between Commelinales and Zingiberales. We highlight the remaining weak areas of monocot phylogeny, including the positions of Dioscoreales, Liliales, and Pandanales. Despite substantial variation in the overall rate of molecular evolution among lineages, inferred amounts of change among codon-position data partitions are correlated with each other across the monocot tree, consistent with low incongruence between these partitions. Ceratophyllum and Chloranthaceae appear to have a destabilizing effect on the position of the monocots among other angiosperms; the issue of monocot placement in broader angiosperm phylogeny remains problematic