University of Wolverhampton

Post-stroke upper limb pain is prevalent and challenging to manage once established. Early use of botulinum toxin can reduce spasticity and contracture development and has potential to prevent or reduce pain. A secondary analysis of the EUBoSS study was undertaken to report pain prevalence in people post-stroke with severe upper limb impairment and spasticity in a hyper/acute setting, identify if botulinum toxin Type-A (BoNTA) could prevent pain developing and reduce pain if already present and evaluate differences in analgesic use between BoNTA and placebo groups. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Ninety-three participants (48F:45M) were randomised at a median of 11 days post-stroke (IQR 8-19) and included in the intention-to-treat analysis. Pain prevalence increased from 29.0% (95% CI [20.1-37.9%]) to 63.4% (95% CI [54.0-72.9%]) at six months. BoNTA treatment may prevent the development of pain at six months (OR = 0.42, 95% CI [0.18 to 1.01]) but not at three months (OR = 0.57, 95% CI [0.25 to 1.32]). The odds ratio for being on at least one analgesic at six months in the BoNTA group was 0.35 ([95% 0.14 to 0.87]). This secondary analysis suggests that early treatment of spasticity with BoNTA may potentially help prevent post-stroke upper limb pain and reduce analgesic use but appears less effective once pain is established. Further prospective studies are required to verify the hypotheses generated from this secondary analysis.

Purpose To describe the development of a healthy eating habits intervention in a school and to evaluate parents’ acceptability of this initiative. Design/methodology/approach This exploratory study was conducted between February and March 2022 in a public school serving children aged 1–4 years in São Paulo, Brazil. The school acted as an educational distribution channel. Interviews with school staff helped co-design four educational videos with seasonal recipes. These were matched with boxes of local vegetables (that would otherwise have been wasted by a local vegetable grower) and delivered to parents (matching ingredients to recipes). Qualitative analysis was conducted to evaluate parental acceptability of the intervention. Findings The intervention was well-received. All parents liked the videos, 74% used most of the fruits and vegetables provided and 83% tried the recipes. However, 30% suggested reducing the amount of leafy greens, as their children tended to avoid them. Originality/value This pilot intervention was feasible and appreciated by parents, indicating potential for adaptation in similar educational contexts. It contributes to the literature by testing a co-designed, school-based food education strategy in a low-income setting and emphasises the importance of integrating school and home environments to foster healthier eating habits. Further research is needed to assess long-term impacts and scalability.

The development of 3D printing has created an opportunity for educators to utilise such technology in teaching and learning. However, lack of training and other challenges can stop schools from using this technology effectively. This study presents an overview of current 3D printing technology usage in a makerspace at a school in Kuwait. Twenty-seven teachers participated in this study, primarily recruited and selected based on their prior experience using a 3D printing station in the makerspace. This paper is a case study that uses two data sources: observations and questionnaires. The integration of 3D printing is being analysed through the lens of the High Possibility Classrooms (HPC) model, providing a theoretical framework for the study. The results indicated that using 3D printing was effective for education, but there were specific areas that required improvement. Several insights emerged: 3D printing prepares students for the future, promotes student-centred learning, and accommodates various subjects and contexts. This study fills a gap in research, especially about Kuwaiti schools. Furthermore, the findings can inform administrators who are considering the adoption of 3D printing devices in their schools, providing valuable guidance for successful implementation to help students develop soft and engineering skills.

The global imperative to decarbonise has catalysed an unprecedented demand for "critical minerals," positioning the energy transition as a cornerstone of modern industrial policy.However, this transition is currently unfolding within a binary governance framework that privileges large-scale, corporate-led mining while systemically marginalising artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM).Despite employing over 40 million people and underpinning local economies in the Global South, ASM is frequently pathologised as a high-risk sector, leading to exclusionary ESG strategies and "de-risking" reflexes that drive miners further into informality.This article interrogates the "Decarbonisation Paradox": the reality that securing "clean" minerals for the Global North often inadvertently "outsources" environmental degradation and social inequity to the Global South.By synthesising current research on livelihood displacement, "Development Minerals," and the gendered inequities of resource governance, I argue that the current trajectory of the Green Transition risks reinforcing a two-tiered global economy.Drawing on evidence from unstable political settlements and the failed "rituals of inclusion" in mineral policy, this research contends that formalisation is not merely a development objective but a strategic necessity for global supply chain integrity.True sustainability requires moving beyond punitive "crackdowns" toward state-led, inclusive formalisation that provides technical assistance for mercury-free processing and legal security for miners.This study concludes that the global energy transition will remain structurally and ethically flawed until ASM is integrated as a formal, legitimate frontline of the green economy.

This study introduces a WaveNet-based deep learning model designed to automate the classification of Intracranial Electroencephalography (iEEG) signals into physiological activity, pathological/epileptic activity, power-line noise, and other non-cerebral artifacts categories. Traditional methods for iEEG signal classification, which rely on expert visual review, are becoming increasingly impractical due to the growing complexity and volume of iEEG recordings. Leveraging a publicly available annotated dataset from Mayo Clinic and St. Anne’s University Hospital, the WaveNet model was trained, validated, and tested on 209,231 samples with a 70/20/10 % split. The model achieved a classification accuracy exceeding previous non specialized CNN and LSTM-based approaches, and was benchmarked against a Temporal Convolutional Network (TCN) baseline. Notably, the model achieves high discrimination of noise and artifact classes (precision = 0.98 and $$\approx 1$$ , respectively). Although, classification between physiological and pathological signals exhibits a modest but clinically interpretable overlap, with F1-scores of 0.96 and 0.90 and 175 and 272 cross-class false positives, respectively. Reflecting inherent clinical overlap. WaveNet’s architecture, originally developed for raw audio synthesis, is well-suited for iEEG data due to its use of dilated causal convolutions and residual connections, enabling it to capture both fine-grained and long-range temporal dependencies. The research also details the preprocessing pipeline, including dynamic dataset partitioning, the use of focal loss to combat class imbalances and normalization steps that support model high performance. While results demonstrate strong in-distribution performance, generalizability across datasets and clinical settings has yet to be established.

ABSTRACT Orexin A and orexin B are neuropeptides that play an important role in regulating physiological functions such as stress response, reward, energy, and arousal. Orexin receptor antagonists (ORAs), such as nivasorexant, are a new class of medications targeting the orexin system. Nivasorexant is a selective orexin-1 receptor antagonist (OX1R) that was developed to avoid dual receptor antagonists. We aimed to conduct this systematic review to evaluate the safety and efficacy of nivasorexant and to explore the potential clinical uses in psychiatry. Relevant databases were searched to identify studies focused on nivasorexant’s pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, safety, efficacy, and clinical uses in humans. Out of 34 articles identified, five articles were included. Preclinical evidence suggested a promising role for nivasorexant in modulating compulsive behaviors due to its high selectivity for OX1R and lack of significant sedation. Clinical investigations have provided insights into its pharmacokinetic profile and generally favorable safety. While initial efficacy findings for a specific psychiatric indication were not definitively met, exploratory analyses suggest that patient characteristics might influence treatment outcomes. Furthermore, nivasorexant’s metabolic profile indicates potential for drug interactions, requiring careful consideration in clinical practice. Nivasorexant’s potential for addressing disorders is characterized by dysregulated reward processing, where maintaining alertness is desirable, based on its selective mechanism and tolerability. However, this review is limited by the current volume of clinical data, the scope of studies conducted, and the generalizability of findings across diverse patient populations. Further rigorous clinical validation is needed to fully ascertain its therapeutic potential and optimal application in psychiatry.

The proportion of Irish emerging adults (18–25) living at home has risen sharply due to economic pressures and housing crises, yet the mental health impacts of this shift remain understudied. This qualitative study, therefore, explores the lived experiences of Irish emerging adults living at home, assessing the impact of these living arrangements on their well-being and symptoms of depression. A purposive sample of nine Irish adults aged between 18 and 24 completed individual semi-structured interviews. Transcripts were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings indicate participants believed parental co-residence stunted their development, with economic pressures rendering it a necessity rather than a choice. In addition, they believed that co-residence exacerbated their emotional distress, particularly when living at home was not a voluntary choice. Ultimately, this study reframes co-residence as a structural issue, urging policymakers to address affordable housing, rent controls, public transport, and mental health supports to foster autonomy and well-being.