Fall prevention intervention technologies: A conceptual framework and survey of the state of the art

In recent years, an ever increasing range of technology-based applications have been developed with the goal of assisting in the delivery of more effective and efficient fall prevention interventions. Whilst there have been a number of studies that have surveyed technologies for a particular sub-domain of fall prevention, there is no existing research which surveys the full spectrum of falls prevention interventions and characterises the range of technologies that have augmented this landscape. This study presents a conceptual framework and survey of the state of the art of technology-based fall prevention systems which is derived from a systematic template analysis of studies presented in contemporary research literature. The framework proposes four broad categories of fall prevention intervention system: Pre-fall prevention; Post-fall prevention; Fall injury prevention; Cross-fall prevention. Other categories include, Application type, Technology deployment platform, Information sources, Deployment environment, User interface type, and Collaborative function. After presenting the conceptual framework, a detailed survey of the state of the art is presented as a function of the proposed framework. A number of research challenges emerge as a result of surveying the research literature, which include a need for: new systems that focus on overcoming extrinsic falls risk factors; systems that support the environmental risk assessment process; systems that enable patients and practitioners to develop more collaborative relationships and engage in shared decision making during falls risk assessment and prevention activities. In response to these challenges, recommendations and future research directions are proposed to overcome each respective challenge.The Royal Society, grant Ref: RG13082

Invoice from Angelo Della Toffola, Venice, Italy, to A. H. Woodward, Birmingham, Alabama, December 19, 1925

This item is from the Woodward Family Papers, an extensive collection , including business and personal correspondence, financial records, photographs, and other materials of this Birmingham, Alabama family which operated the Woodward Iron Company

Groundwater invertebrates and droughts: resistance in stygobiont isopods and planarians

In surface freshwater habitats water level can be strongly variable and benthic invertebrates are usually adapted to cope with hydrological variability. Groundwater habitats are usually more stable, even if in sites at the interface with the vadose zone, in epikarst streams and dripping pools hydroperiod may vary. Adaptations to survive droughts are thus likely to have been developed also by groundwater-dwelling animals. However very few studies have been performed to assess stygobiont resistance to dryness. They involve mainly the amphipods of the genus Niphargus and Stygobromus; one case is reported for a triclad of the genus Atrioplanaria.Here we describe cases of resistance to drying in stygobiont planarians of the genus Dendrocoelum and the in the isopod Monolistra pavani.Since 2016 we performed multiple surveys in 53 caves in Italy and Switzerland, sampling different stable and unstable groundwater environments. Stygobionts were searched visually and by distressing the substrate. When we detected stygobionts in dry sectors of a cave, we observed their features and behaviours, we pictured them, and we tried to rinse them. We rinsed M. pavani individuals in small plastic tanks and recorded the time of reactivation.During the surveys we recorded a Dendrocoelum planarian encapsulated in a thick mucus layer on the substrate of a dry subterranean stream. When placed in water the planarian started gliding slowly and reached a length of 18 mm. During the drought of January-April 2022, we detected individuals of M. pavani in dry areas of two different caves. 72% of the individuals were able to reactivate. Time to reactivate ranged between 0 s to 30 s. We recorded living M. pavani individuals that were able to reactivate themselves even after 39 days of drought.Our observations provide new insights into the natural history of groundwater-dwelling invertebrate taxa which global climatic changes increase the risk of drought occurrence in subterranean environments