Newly evolved genes in the human lineage are functional.

Genes restricted to a given species or lineage are mysterious. Many emerged de novo from ancestral noncoding genomic regions rather than from pre-existing genes. A new study by Vakirlis and colleagues shows that, in humans, many of these are associated with phenotypic effects, accelerating our understanding of their functional importance.

Pervasive translation of Xrn1-sensitive unstable long noncoding RNAs in yeast.

Despite being predicted to lack coding potential, cytoplasmic long noncoding (lnc)RNAs can associate with ribosomes. However, the landscape and biological relevance of lncRNA translation remain poorly studied. In yeast, cytoplasmic Xrn1-sensitive unstable transcripts (XUTs) are targeted by nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD), suggesting a translation-dependent degradation process. Here, we report that XUTs are pervasively translated, which impacts their decay. We show that XUTs globally accumulate upon translation elongation inhibition, but not when initial ribosome loading is impaired. Ribo-seq confirmed ribosomes binding to XUTs and identified ribosome-associated 5'-proximal small ORFs. Mechanistically, the NMD-sensitivity of XUTs mainly depends on the 3'-untranslated region length. Finally, we show that the peptide resulting from the translation of an NMD-sensitive XUT reporter exists in NMD-competent cells. Our work highlights the role of translation in the posttranscriptional metabolism of XUTs. We propose that XUT-derived peptides could be exposed to natural selection, while NMD restricts XUT levels.

Intergenic ORFs as elementary structural modules of de novo gene birth and protein evolution.

The noncoding genome plays an important role in de novo gene birth and in the emergence of genetic novelty. Nevertheless, how noncoding sequences' properties could promote the birth of novel genes and shape the evolution and the structural diversity of proteins remains unclear. Therefore, by combining different bioinformatic approaches, we characterized the fold potential diversity of the amino acid sequences encoded by all intergenic open reading frames (ORFs) of S. cerevisiae with the aim of (1) exploring whether the structural states' diversity of proteomes is already present in noncoding sequences, and (2) estimating the potential of the noncoding genome to produce novel protein bricks that could either give rise to novel genes or be integrated into pre-existing proteins, thus participating in protein structure diversity and evolution. We showed that amino acid sequences encoded by most yeast intergenic ORFs contain the elementary building blocks of protein structures. Moreover, they encompass the large structural state diversity of canonical proteins, with the majority predicted as foldable. Then, we investigated the early stages of de novo gene birth by reconstructing the ancestral sequences of 70 yeast de novo genes and characterized the sequence and structural properties of intergenic ORFs with a strong translation signal. This enabled us to highlight sequence and structural factors determining de novo gene emergence. Finally, we showed a strong correlation between the fold potential of de novo proteins and one of their ancestral amino acid sequences, reflecting the relationship between the noncoding genome and the protein structure universe.

Strategies to improve the magnetic resonance imaging experience for autistic individuals: a cross-sectional study exploring parents and carers' experiences.

BACKGROUND: Autistic individuals encounter numerous barriers in accessing healthcare, including communication difficulties, sensory sensitivities, and a lack of appropriate adjustments. These issues are particularly acute during MRI scans, which involve confined spaces, loud noises, and the necessity to remain still. There remains no unified approach to preparing autistic individuals for MRI procedures. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with parents and carers of autistic individuals in the UK to explore their experiences, barriers, and recommendations concerning MRI scans. The survey collected demographic information and experiential accounts of previous MRI procedures. Quantitative data were analysed descriptively, while key themes were identified within the qualitative data through inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: Sixteen parents/carers participated. The majority reported difficulties with communication, inadequate pre-scan preparation, and insufficient adjustments during MRI scans for their autistic children. Key barriers included an overwhelming sensory environment, radiographers' limited understanding of autism, and anxiety stemming from uncertainties about the procedure. Recommended improvements encompassed accessible communication, pre-visit familiarisation, noise-reduction and sensory adaptations, staff training on autism, and greater flexibility to meet individual needs. CONCLUSIONS: There is an urgent need to enhance MRI experiences for autistic individuals. This can be achieved through improved staff knowledge, effective communication strategies, thorough pre-scan preparation, and tailored reasonable adjustments. Co-producing clear MRI guidelines with the autism community could standardise sensitive practices. An individualised approach is crucial for reducing anxiety and facilitating participation. Empowering radiographers through autism-specific education and incorporating insights from autistic individuals and their families could transform MRI experiences and outcomes.

Nanoscale self-assembly: concepts, applications and challenges.

Self-assembly offers unique possibilities for fabricating nanostructures, with different morphologies and properties, typically from vapour or liquid phase precursors. Molecular units, nanoparticles, biological molecules and other discrete elements can spontaneously organise or form via interactions at the nanoscale. Currently, nanoscale self-assembly finds applications in a wide variety of areas including carbon nanomaterials and semiconductor nanowires, semiconductor heterojunctions and superlattices, the deposition of quantum dots, drug delivery, such as mRNA-based vaccines, and modern integrated circuits and nanoelectronics, to name a few. Recent advancements in drug delivery, silicon nanoelectronics, lasers and nanotechnology in general, owing to nanoscale self-assembly, coupled with its versatility, simplicity and scalability, have highlighted its importance and potential for fabricating more complex nanostructures with advanced functionalities in the future. This review aims to provide readers with concise information about the basic concepts of nanoscale self-assembly, its applications to date, and future outlook. First, an overview of various self-assembly techniques such as vapour deposition, colloidal growth, molecular self-assembly and directed self-assembly/hybrid approaches are discussed. Applications in diverse fields involving specific examples of nanoscale self-assembly then highlight the state of the art and finally, the future outlook for nanoscale self-assembly and potential for more complex nanomaterial assemblies in the future as technological functionality increases.

Inverse Conformational Selection in Lipid-Protein Binding.

Interest in lipid interactions with proteins and other biomolecules is emerging not only in fundamental biochemistry but also in the field of nanobiotechnology where lipids are commonly used, for example, in carriers of mRNA vaccines. The outward-facing components of cellular membranes and lipid nanoparticles, the lipid headgroups, regulate membrane interactions with approaching substances, such as proteins, drugs, RNA, or viruses. Because lipid headgroup conformational ensembles have not been experimentally determined in physiologically relevant conditions, an essential question about their interactions with other biomolecules remains unanswered: Do headgroups exchange between a few rigid structures, or fluctuate freely across a practically continuous spectrum of conformations? Here, we combine solid-state NMR experiments and molecular dynamics simulations from the NMRlipids Project to resolve the conformational ensembles of headgroups of four key lipid types in various biologically relevant conditions. We find that lipid headgroups sample a wide range of overlapping conformations in both neutral and charged cellular membranes, and that differences in the headgroup chemistry manifest only in probability distributions of conformations. Furthermore, the analysis of 894 protein-bound lipid structures from the Protein Data Bank suggests that lipids can bind to proteins in a wide range of conformations, which are not limited by the headgroup chemistry. We propose that lipids can select a suitable headgroup conformation from the wide range available to them to fit the various binding sites in proteins. The proposed inverse conformational selection model will extend also to lipid binding to targets other than proteins, such as drugs, RNA, and viruses.

Self-Stigma Experiences Among Older Adults with Mental Health Problems Residing in Long-Term Care Facilities: A Qualitative Study.

Self-stigma is linked with a variety of deleterious consequences for the stigmatised individual. Much of the past research on self-stigma focuses on younger adults; however, little is known about the self-stigma experience among institutionalised older adults with mental health problems. This study aims to explore experiences of self-stigma among older adults with mental health problems in long-term care facilities. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted. Insight into mental illness was identified as having a key influence upon the self-stigma experiences among this group. Participants shared common understandings, views, and behavioural reactions towards mental health problems. Lacking control, public stigma, sympathy, disinterest, avoidance, and fear were key themes among them. Re-conceptualising self-stigma theories and implementing interventions that aim at reducing stigmatising attitudes among this group are essential.

Lessons learned from recruiting nursing homes to a quantitative cross-sectional pilot study.

BACKGROUND: A growing older adult population is leading to increased admission rates to long-term care facilities such as nursing homes and residential care homes. Assisted healthcare services should be flexible, integrated, and responsive to older adults' needs. However, there is a limited body of empirical evidence because of the recruitment challenges in these settings. AIM: To describe the barriers and challenges faced in recruiting to a recent pilot study, consider previously implemented and proposed recruitment strategies, and propose a new multi-method approach to maximising recruitment of care homes. DISCUSSION: The proposed multi-method approach harnesses key recruitment strategies previously highlighted as effective in navigating the many challenges and barriers that are likely to be encountered, such as mistrust, scepticism and concerns about disruption to routines. This includes making strategic use of existing personal and professional connections within the research team, engaging with care homes that have previously engaged with the research process, forming relationships of trust, and employing a range of incentives. CONCLUSION: Implementing carefully planned recruitment strategies is likely to improve relationships between nursing homes and researchers. As a consequence, recruitment can be augmented which can enable the production of rigorous evidence required for achieving effective nursing practice and patient wellbeing. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Boosting recruitment rates is crucial in helping to build new and less biased research evidence and for informing and underpinning all forms of evidence-based practice. The lessons learned from our pilot and the review of the literature highlight these issues and better enable investigators to access research settings that commonly possess many complex recruitment barriers and challenges.

Specific antenatal interventions for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) pregnant women at high risk of poor birth outcomes in the United Kingdom: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Disparity exists in maternal and infant birth outcomes of Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) women giving birth in the United Kingdom (UK) compared to the majority. There is therefore a need to reconsider existing maternity service provision to ensure culturally competent services. The purpose of this scoping review was to ascertain what specific maternity interventions have been implemented in the UK for BAME women (2004-2014) so that increased awareness of the need and scope of specific maternity interventions for BAME women can be identified. METHODS: A scoping review was conducted in order to determine the evidence base. It was determined that no prior systematic reviews had been conducted and it was apparent that literature in this field was sparse. Scoping review is an ideal method when literature is likely to be heterogeneous and the research field relatively unexplored. A keyword strategy was used implementing population (P), intervention (I), comparison (C) and outcomes (O). RESULTS: An initial 2188 papers were identified. Following screening and review, only 5 heterogeneous papers remained suitable and were included. The included interventions employed sample sizes of N = 160-1441, examined a range of different outcome measures and were delivered across different parts of the UK with high numbers of BAME residents. CONCLUSIONS: There is a lack of rigorous research interventions and practice interventions which are currently documented, of specific maternity interventions which are aimed to address culturally competent maternity services and the sharing of best practice addressing the increased risks of BAME women delivering in the UK.

The mental health, quality of life and life satisfaction of internally displaced persons living in Nakuru County, Kenya.

BACKGROUND: Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are among the most vulnerable people in the world today. Previous research highlights that conflict-induced forced displacement can cause problems with mental health and wellbeing. This study aimed to contribute to this body of knowledge by investigating the mental health, quality of life, and life satisfaction among IDPs living in Nakuru, Kenya. METHODS: A questionnaire that included the General Health Questionnaire-12, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and a modified version of the WHO Quality of Life-BREF tool was used for data collection. The questionnaire also included an open-ended question inviting qualitative responses about their experience as an IDP. The questionnaire was distributed through a three-stage sampling approach across four refugee camps from four regions of the Nakuru County in Kenya. RESULTS: One hundred IDPs participated in this study. All participants scored substantially higher than the applied GHQ-12 threshold for caseness (mean GHQ-12 score = 28.7, SD = 3.6). Quality of life and life satisfaction scores were also very poor (M = 10.24, SD = 1.9; M = 6.82, SD = 1.5 respectively). The qualitative results reflected these findings with statements reflecting suicidal thoughts, unhappiness with the government, lack of support, and fear for themselves and their children. Significantly higher GHQ-12 scores were found among older IDPs (rho = .202, sig = .046), widowers compared to married IDPs (mean difference = -2.41, SE = .885, sig = .027), while lower scores were found among IDPs who reported having friends as a source of support (U = 834, sig = .045), while quality of life scores were higher among IDPs who reported receiving governmental support (U = 248, sig = .018). CONCLUSION: The findings revealed poor levels of mental health, quality of life and life satisfaction. Older, widowed IDPs and those who did not perceive support from friends or the government were found to be at the highest risk of poor health and wellbeing.

A narrative review of the theoretical foundations of loneliness.

Loneliness has been found to relate to a wide range of harmful health outcomes. The adverse effects of loneliness upon people's lives emphasise the importance of understanding its nature and process. A number of theoretical and conceptual foundations have been proposed by scholars and are discussed and reflected upon in this article. The discussion and understanding of loneliness theoretical foundations provide useful insights toward the interpretation of its occurrence.

The effectiveness of HIV/AIDS school-based sexual health education programmes in Nigeria: a systematic review.

HIV/AIDS is one of the most important public health challenges facing Nigeria today. Recent evidence has revealed that the adolescent population make up a large proportion of the 3.7% reported prevalence rate among Nigerians aged 15-49 years. School-based sexual health education has therefore become an important tool towards fighting this problem. This systematic review assesses the efficacy of these educational programmes and examines how future programmes and their evaluations can improve. Primary literature published between January 2002 and May 2012, which measured sexual health outcomes among school-based Nigerians before and after a sexual health education programme was delivered, was identified. All seven studies that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria showed there had been positive changes in outcomes following these educational programmes. These included increased knowledge, healthier attitudes and safer sexual health behaviour. However, these studies each had methodological flaws which highlighted a range of important design, implementation and evaluation challenges that future programmes need to meet.

'Individualism-collectivism' as an explanatory device for mental illness stigma.

The aim of this study is investigate whether the cross-cultural value paradigm 'individualism-collectivism' is a useful explanatory model for mental illness stigma on a cultural level. Using snowball sampling, a quantitative questionnaire survey of 305 individuals from four UK-based cultural groups (white-English, American, Greek/Greek Cypriot, and Chinese) was carried out. The questionnaire included the 'Community Attitudes to Mental Illness scale' and the 'vertical-horizontal individualism-collectivism scale'. The results revealed that the more stigmatizing a culture's mental illness attitudes are, the more likely collectivism effectively explains these attitudes. In contrast, the more positive a culture's mental illness attitudes, the more likely individualism effectively explains attitudes. We conclude that a consideration of the individualism-collectivism paradigm should be included in any future research aiming to provide a holistic understanding of the causes of mental illness stigma, particularly when the cultures stigmatization levels are particularly high or low.

Toward Autism-Friendly Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Exploring Autistic Individuals' Experiences of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scans in the United Kingdom, a Cross-Sectional Survey.

Background: Autistic individuals might undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination for clinical concerns or research. Increased sensory stimulation, lack of appropriate environmental adjustments, or lack of streamlined communication in the MRI suite may pose challenges to autistic patients and render MRI scans inaccessible. This study aimed at (i) exploring the MRI scan experiences of autistic adults in the United Kingdom; (ii) identifying barriers and enablers toward successful and safe MRI examinations; (iii) assessing autistic individuals' satisfaction with MRI service; and (iv) informing future recommendations for practice improvement. Methods: We distributed an online survey to the autistic community on social media, using snowball sampling. Inclusion criteria were: being older than 16, have an autism diagnosis or self-diagnosis, self-reported capacity to consent, and having had an MRI scan in the United Kingdom. We used descriptive statistics for demographics, inferential statistics for group comparisons/correlations, and content analysis for qualitative data. Results: We received 112 responses. A total of 29.6% of the respondents reported not being sent any information before the scan. Most participants (68%) confirmed that radiographers provided detailed information on the day of the examination, but only 17.1% reported that radiographers offered some reasonable environmental adjustments. Only 23.2% of them confirmed they disclosed their autistic identity when booking MRI scanning. We found that quality of communication, physical environment, patient emotions, staff training, and confounding societal factors impacted their MRI experiences. Autistic individuals rated their overall MRI experience as neutral and reported high levels of claustrophobia (44.8%). Conclusion: This study highlighted a lack of effective communication and coordination of care, either between health care services or between patients and radiographers, and lack of reasonable adjustments as vital for more accessible and person-centered MRI scanning for autistic individuals. Enablers of successful scans included effective communication, adjusted MRI environment, scans tailored to individuals' needs/preferences, and well-trained staff.

Why is this an important issue?: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an examination that shows human anatomy and may explain the causes of symptoms. Autistic people may need MRI scans for various reasons, such as low back pain, headaches, accidents, or epilepsy. They have known sensitivities to sound, light, smell, or touch and increased anxiety, so the narrow, loud, isolating, unfamiliar MRI environment may be overwhelming to them. If MRI scans are, for these reasons, inaccessible, many autistic people will have to live with long-standing conditions, pain, or other symptoms, or have delayed treatment, with impact on their quality of life, and life expectancy. What was the purpose of this study?: We tried to understand how autistic people perceive MRI examinations, things that work, and the challenges they face. We also asked for their suggestions to improve practice and accessibility. What did we do?: We distributed an online questionnaire to autistic adults through social media. We analyzed the data using appropriate statistical and text analysis methods. What were the results of the study?: We received 112 responses. Autistic people rated their overall MRI experience as average. Nearly a third (29.6%) reported they were not sent any information before MRI, and only 17.1% reported that radiographers offered some reasonable environmental adjustments. Most participants (68%) reported that radiographers provided detailed information on the day of the scan. Only 23.2% of them disclosed their autistic identity when booking MRIs. We found that quality of communication, physical environment, patient emotions, staff training, stigma, and timely autism diagnosis impacted their MRI experiences. What do these findings add to what was already known?: Autistic people MRI scan experiences are at the heart of this project. Our project shows that MRI for common symptoms is often inaccessible by autistic people. We should improve the MRI environment, adjust communication format/content for them, and deliver person-centered care in MRI. Health care professionals should receive relevant training, to understand the challenges autistic people might face and better support them in MRI scanning. What are potential weaknesses in the study?: The pandemic has impacted participant recruitment; therefore, the results of this sample may not reflect the full impact on the wider autistic population or adequately represent the autistic community, due to small size and including only people who could consent.These results come from different centers, so there is a lot of variation in the use of MRI equipment. How will these findings help autistic adults now or in the future?: We outline the main challenges associated with MRI, so autistic adults and their families/carers understand more of what they could expect in future examinations; hopefully, researchers and scanner manufacturers will try to tackle these challenges to make MRI scans truly accessible for autistic people.We shared this knowledge with stakeholders to develop guidelines and started using it in training. We want to ensure that MRI is person-centered and more accessible for autistic patients.

Investigating the Association between Unhealthy Dietary Habits and Obesity among Libyan Adults.

BACKGROUND: Although an increasing number of studies have reported on nutrition transition and unhealthy eating habits (UEHs) worldwide, there is a paucity of studies on UEHs in the Arab region, particularly in Libya. Aim: This study investigated the associations between obesity among Libyan adults and UEHs. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted at the five major districts in Benghazi, Libya. A multistage cluster sampling strategy was implemented to choose and recruit Libyan adults. Anthropometric measurements were gathered by highly qualified nurses, using the Segmental Body Composition Monitor and a portable Stadiometer. The study used and adapted the two Self-administered questionnaires: the WHO STEPS Instrument and eating behaviors linked with obesity questionnaire. Results: Among a total of 401 participants who were successfully recruited in this study, 253 (63%) were female (aged 20-65 years), the response rate achieved was 78%. The prevalence of obesity amongst Libyan adults was estimated to be 42.4%. The results revealed the presence of a significant association between obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) and five UEHs for Libyan men and six UEHs for Libyan women. For Libyan men, an association was found between obesity and the following five explanatory factors: fast food intake in a day and a week, which were (OR: 2.52, 95% CI: 4.04-12.32) and (OR: 4.65, 95% CI: 1.04-9.46), respectively; large food portion sizes consumed at one sitting (OR: 19.54, 95% CI: 1.41-27.74); a high frequency of skipping breakfast either in a typical day or a week, which were (OR: 0.02, 95% CI: 0.01-0.77) and (OR: 0.03, 95% CI: 0.01-0.24), respectively. For Libyan women, a significant association was found between obesity and the following six explanatory factors: fast food intake in a day and a week, which were (OR: 2.14, 95% CI: 3.32-11.12) and (OR: 5.5, 95% CI: 1.88-16.11), respectively; intake of sugar-sweetened beverages in a typical week (OR: 4.02, 95% CI: 1.35-11.99); and large food portion sizes consumed at one sitting at one sitting (OR: 3.40, 95% CI: 1.18-9.84); and a high frequency of skipping breakfast either in a typical day or a week, which were (OR: 0.11, 95% CI: 0.03-0.43) and (OR: 0.12, 95% CI: 0.08-0.63), respectively. Conclusions: The findings of the study reveal areas of action for Libyan researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and government officials about UEHs in the Libyan context. This could inform establishing and developing new interventions for preventing and controlling the obesity epidemic through food system improvements.

Exploring the Peptide Potential of Genomes.

Recent studies attribute a central role to the noncoding genome in the emergence of novel genes. The widespread transcription of noncoding regions and the pervasive translation of the resulting RNAs offer to the organisms a vast reservoir of novel peptides. Although the majority of these peptides are anticipated as deleterious or neutral, and thereby expected to be degraded right away or short-lived in evolutionary history, some of them can confer an advantage to the organism. The latter can be further subjected to natural selection and be established as novel genes. In any case, characterizing the structural properties of these pervasively translated peptides is crucial to understand (1) their impact on the cell and (2) how some of these peptides, derived from presumed noncoding regions, can give rise to structured and functional de novo proteins. Therefore, we present a protocol that aims to explore the potential of a genome to produce novel peptides. It consists in annotating all the open reading frames (ORFs) of a genome (i.e., coding and noncoding ones) and characterizing the fold potential and other structural properties of their corresponding potential peptides. Here, we apply our protocol to a small genome and show how to apply it to very large genomes. Finally, we present a case study which aims to probe the fold potential of a set of 721 translated ORFs in mouse lncRNAs, identified with ribosome profiling experiments. Interestingly, we show that the distribution of their fold potential is different from that of the nontranslated lncRNAs and more generally from the other noncoding ORFs of the mouse.

A qualitative exploration of care homes workers' views and training needs in relation to the use of socially assistive humanoid robots in their workplace.

AIM: The study aimed to explore the views and attitudes of care home workers about the socially assistive robot that was trialled in their workplace, in order to identify training needs in relation to the hypothetical future use of these robots in their workplace. BACKGROUND: Care home workers face challenging workload conditions which may require the exploration of new solutions such as the use of socially assistive robots (SARs). METHODS: This is a qualitative descriptive study which used semi-structured interviews. Care home workers (n = 23) in the UK participated in the study, and data collection took place between October 2019 and January 2020. NVivo software was used for data management, and a thematic inductive analysis was conducted. RESULTS: Findings indicated that many participants were open to the use of robots and valued the potential usefulness of SARs in the care setting. However, some participants showed resistance to the use of robots and did not feel comfortable with the idea of working alongside them. Participants wished to receive technical training that would enable them to be competent in using SARs. Participants took seriously their duty of care to the older people and thus wanted to ensure that the use of the SAR would not negatively impact on the care being provided. Robots were viewed as having potential to be supplementary to human carers, such as sharing the workload and improving upon the care already being provided. CONCLUSIONS: Care home workers express both positive and negative views in relation to the hypothetical future deployment of socially assistive humanoid robots in their workplace. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The findings highlighted the importance of values around person-centred care which should be taken into account when planning for the implementation of robots in social care settings and training care home workers in how to work with robots.

The CARESSES Randomised Controlled Trial: Exploring the Health-Related Impact of Culturally Competent Artificial Intelligence Embedded Into Socially Assistive Robots and Tested in Older Adult Care Homes.

This trial represents the final stage of the CARESSES project which aimed to develop and evaluate a culturally competent artificial intelligent system embedded into social robots to support older adult wellbeing. A parallel group, single-blind randomised controlled trial was conducted across older adult care homes in England and Japan. Participants randomly allocated to the Experimental Group or Control Group 1 received a Pepper robot for up 18 h across 2 weeks. Two versions of the CARESSES artificial intelligence were tested: a fully culturally competent system (Experimental Group) and a more limited version (Control Group 1). Control Group 2 (Care As Usual) participants did not receive a robot. Quantitative outcomes of interest reported in the current paper were health-related quality of life (SF-36), loneliness (ULS-8), and perceptions of robotic cultural competence (CCATool-Robotics). Thirty-three residents completed all procedures. The difference in SF-36 Emotional Wellbeing scores between Experimental Group and Care As Usual participants over time was significant (F[1] = 6.614, sig = .019, ηp 2 = .258), as was the comparison between Any Robot used and Care As Usual (F[1] = 5.128, sig = .031, ηp 2 = .146). There were no significant changes in SF-36 physical health subscales. ULS-8 loneliness scores slightly improved among Experimental and Control Group 1 participants compared to Care As Usual participants, but this was not significant. This study brings new evidence which cautiously supports the value of culturally competent socially assistive robots in improving the psychological wellbeing of older adults residing in care settings.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes as base material for THz photoconductive switching: a theoretical study from input power to output THz emission.

This paper studies the relation between photoexcitation of a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) based device, and its THz output power in the context of THz photoconductive (PC) switching and THz photomixing. A detailed approach of calculating output THz power for such a device describes the effect of each parameter on the performance of the THz PC switch and highlights the design dependent achievable limits. A numerical assessment, with typical values for each parameter, shows that-subject to thermal stability of the device-SWNT based PC switch can improve the output power by almost two orders of magnitudes compared to conventional materials such as LT-GaAs.

SOLACE: A Psychosocial Stigma Protection Intervention to Improve the Mental Health of Parents of Autistic Children-A Feasibility Randomised Controlled Trial.

This study presents findings from a feasibility trial, testing an 8-week psychosocial stigma protection intervention (SOLACE) designed to improve the mental health of parents of autistic children. Seventeen parents were stratified then randomly assigned to either SOLACE (n = 9) or control group (n = 8). Retention and adherence rates were excellent with minimal missing data suggesting SOLACE had good acceptability and feasibility. Quantitative analysis revealed that mental health scores had significantly improved for those who took part in SOLACE compared to no significant changes for control group participants. In addition, changes in secondary outcome measures (e.g. stigma, self-esteem and self-compassion) were in favour of SOLACE. Focus group interviews revealed that SOLACE was acceptable to parents. Results suggest that a full randomised controlled trial is warranted.