947 research outputs found
Information technology and social cohesion : a tale of two villages
Acknowledgements This research was made possible by a grant from the EPSRC âDot.Rural Digital Economy Hubâ (EP/G066051/1) at the University of Aberdeen and EPSRC Communities and Culture Network+ (EP/K003585/1).Peer reviewedPostprin
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The Universal Place of Abjection
In the thesis exhibition and paper, I address autobiographical as well as universal concerns pertaining to basic interaction and communication between human beings. My belief is that we live our lives amongst each other never truly understanding and knowing the people closest to us. We strive for a complete understanding that is never realized. My work demonstrates my obsession with the struggle to communicate</p
Formulation of Plasticity Models through Symbolic Regression
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A systematic review of digital interventions for improving the diet and physical activity behaviors of adolescents
Many adolescents have poor diet and physical activity behaviors, which can lead to the development of noncommunicable diseases in later life. Digital platforms offer inexpensive means of delivering health interventions, but little is known about their effectiveness. This systematic review was conducted to synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of digital interventions to improve diet quality and increase physical activity in adolescents, to effective intervention components and to assess the cost-effectiveness of these interventions. Following a systematic search, abstracts were assessed against inclusion criteria, and data extraction and quality assessment were performed for included studies. Data were analyzed to identify key features that are associated with significant improvement in behavior. A total of 27 studies met inclusion criteria. Most (n = 15) were Web site interventions. Other delivery methods were text messages, games, multicomponent interventions, emails, and social media. Significant behavior change was often seen when interventions included education, goal setting, self-monitoring, and parental involvement. None of the publications reported cost-effectiveness. Due to heterogeneity of studies, meta-analysis was not feasible.It is possible to effect significant health behavior change in adolescents through digital interventions that incorporate education, goal setting, self-monitoring, and parental involvement. Most of the evidence relates to Web sites and further research into alternate media is needed, and longer term outcomes should be evaluated. There is a paucity of data on the cost-effectiveness of digital health interventions, and future trials should report these data
Impact of personal alcohol consumption on aspects of medical student alcohol-related competencies
AimAs part of the prevention and management of alcohol-related harms, health professionals need to be competent to assess the level of alcohol use in patients. In this study, we explored how medical studentsâ own alcohol consumption impacts on their familiarity with alcohol brands, strengths and alcohol-related harms.MethodsAs part of a wider study investigating the concept of âalcohol health literacyâ, this study combined an anonymous online survey, linked to an electronic alcohol âbrandâ recognition game. Participants were medical students in their first clinical year. The survey recorded demographics, self-reported alcohol consumption (using the AUDIT-C), a visual test of relative alcohol concentrations of wine, beer and spirits, and a free-text response asking them to list alcohol-related harms. Participants then completed the brand recognition game recording accuracy and reaction time for identifying alcohol drink brands.ResultsOne hundred and fifty students participated. There was a significant effect of ethnicity on drinking status, with 48% of non-white participants scoring zero on the AUDIT-C. Students who reported any alcohol consumption were more likely to correctly assess relative alcohol concentrations and were faster and more accurate at recognizing alcohol brands, which was dose dependent. Overall, only 45% correctly recognized relative alcohol strengths of drinks presented.ConclusionsAmong third-year medical students, ability to correctly identify relative strengths of alcoholic drinks is low. As might be expected, students who drink alcohol tend to identify brands and strengths more accurately. This has implications for how best to tailor the delivery of teaching and training about alcohol to ensure similar levels of clinical confidence in dealing with future patients regardless of personal experience
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An empirical investigation of intuitions about uptake
Since Austinâs introduction of the locutionary-illocutionary-perlocutionary distinction, it has been a matter of debate within speech act theory whether illocutionary acts like promising, warning, refusing and telling require audience âuptakeâ in order to be performed. Philosophers on different sides of this debate have tried to support their positions by appealing to hypothetical scenarios, designed to elicit intuitive judgements about the role of uptake. However, philosophersâ intuitions appeared to remain deadlocked, while laypeopleâs intuitions have not yet been probed. To begin rectifying that, we ran two experiments probing lay intuitions about the implications of uptake failure. Overall, we found that participantsâ responses were skewed towards agreement that speech acts were performed, despite the lack of uptake. There were, however, significant differences across the four different speech act types we investigated (with the highest levels of agreement found for refusing, followed by warning, then telling, and finally promising). We also obtained evidence of complex effects relating to the (high or low) stakes involved in the scenarios. While this study only represents an initial exploration of intuitions about uptake, our results form a basis for further research into their nature and significance, across a range of speech acts, scenarios, and experimental designs
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Plasma Levels of FetuinâA and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in US Women: The Nurses' Health Study
Background: FetuinâA may be involved in the etiology of coronary heart disease (CHD) through opposing pathways (ie, promoting insulin resistance and inhibiting ectopic calcification). We aimed to explicitly examine whether systemic inflammation, a factor leading to elevated vascular calcification, may modify the association between fetuinâA and CHD risk. Method and Results During 16 years of followâup (1990â2006), we prospectively identified and confirmed 466 incident fatal or nonfatal CHD case in the Nurses' Health Study. For each case, 1 healthy control was selected using riskâset sampling from 26 245 eligible participants. Cases and controls were matched for age, smoking status, fasting status, and date of blood draw. After multivariate adjustment for lifestyle factors, body mass index, diet, and blood lipids, fetuinâA levels were not associated with CHD risk in the whole population: odds ratio (OR) (95% CI) comparing extreme quintiles of fetuinâA was 0.79 (0.44 to 1.40). However, a significant inverse association was observed among participants with higher Câreactive protein levels (Pinteraction=0.04). The OR (95% CI) comparing highest versus lowest quintiles of fetuinâA was 0.50 (0.26 to 0.97; Ptrend=0.004) when Câreactive protein levels were above population median (0.20 mg/dL), whereas among the remainder of the participants, the corresponding OR (95% CI) was 1.09 (0.58 to 2.05; Ptrend=0.75). Conclusions: In this population of US women, fetuinâA levels were associated with lower CHD risk when Câreactive protein levels were high, but null association was observed among participants with lower Câreactive protein levels. This divergent pattern of association needs replication in future studies
Information technology and social cohesion: A tale of two villages
The study is about social cohesion in rural communities and how this interacts with Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Social cohesion is considered in terms of both system integration and social integration. System integration includes business and cultural organisations, civil society and communal spaces on and offline, which can provide bridging mechanisms to bring together disparate social groups. Social integration refers to more informal mechanisms of inclusion, including social networks, a sense of belonging, commitment to the common good. The paper considers these elements of social cohesion in relation to the intertwining of on and offline relationships by examining two contrasting rural communities in Northern Scotland. The paper concludes that ICT can play very different roles in social cohesion for different social and cultural groups as well as for different kinds of locational communities, but that ICT is becoming an integral part of rural social relations
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