Digital Commons Network^™

Perceived Impact Of Covid 19 On Dental Therapy And Hygiene Students’ Wellbeing., Morag Powell, James Donn, Vivian Binnie

Peninsula Dental School

AimThe aim of this research was to investigate any impact from the COVID 19 pandemic on the well-being of dental therapy students. MethodsDental therapy students were invited to participate in focus groups to explore any impact of COVID 19 on their wellbeing. One pilot and two online focus groups were conducted.ResultsThree themes were identified from the focus groups including stress in relation to clinical experience and assessment, pandemic behaviours and perceptions of the University.ConclusionThe overall conclusion of the research is that COVID 19 did have an impact on the dental therapy students’ mental wellbeing. The stress from worry over missing …

Using Wellbys To Demonstrate The Social Value Of Social Prescribing At A National Level: Evidence From Green Social Prescribing In England, C Dayson, Ian Wilson, D Leather, A Foster, R Jaques, A Haywood, R Garside, C Harris, H Hunt, E Holding, Kerryn Husk, Rebecca Lovell, Katie Shearn, J Dobson, J Thompson

Peninsula Medical School

Social prescribing is a health policy initiative that aims to create closer links betweenhealth services and community activities. Despite its rapid adoption there are concernsabout efficacy and value for money. We used a WELLBY (Wellbeing Adjusted Life Year)approach to identify the social value created through a national mental health-focussedgreen social prescribing (GSP) programme in England (2021-23). We found that GSP canlead to significant wellbeing benefits for people experiencing mental ill-health, with asocial return on investment (SROI) of between £2.38-£5.90. However, we argue that theWELLBY approach should not be used uncritically. In our study WELLBYs proved to be aneffective social value …

Holistic Management Of Epilepsy In Adults With Intellectual Development Disorders, Elena Fonseca, Antonella Riva, Samuel López‐Maza, Malin Zaddach, Marie‐Claire Porter, Ingo Borggraefe, Lance Watkins, Andreas Schulze‐Bonhage, Rohit Shankar, Pasquale Striano, Lina Nashef

Peninsula Medical School

This seminar addresses the complexity of the management of epilepsy in adults with intellectual development disorders (IDD), advocating holistic and multidisciplinary care aligned with the learning objectives of the International League Against Epilepsy. Epilepsy is significantly more prevalent in people with IDD, presenting unique diagnostic, therapeutic, and psychosocial challenges. Accurate diagnosis is hampered by limitations in communication, necessitating reliance on caregivers' observations. In adults with IDD and epilepsy, utilization of diagnostic tools, e.g., video electroencephalograph (EEG) monitoring, is helpful but can be challenging. Management requires careful consideration of cognitive and behavioral comorbidities and the effects of antiseizure medications (ASMs) on …

Muscle Changes In Critically Ill Children Following An Early Progressive Exercise In The Paediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Pre- And Post-Intervention Study, Shaodan Qi, Yuxia Yang, Jing Hu, Weijie Shen, Hao Zhou, Jos M. Latour, Weiming Chen, Ying Gu

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Background: Most critically ill children in the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) are immobilised. Prolonged immobilisation in the PICU negatively affects children's physical health outcomes. Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an early progressive exercise (EPE) intervention to improve the PICU-acquired muscle weakness and to assess the safety of the EPE intervention. Study Design: A single-centre pre- and post-intervention design was adopted. The intervention was the EPE starting within 48–72 h after PICU admission. Primary outcome was the 7-day difference of right rectus femoris muscle cross-sectional area (RRMCSA). Secondary outcomes were the 7-day difference …

Proceedings Of The 2026 International Conference On Decision Support System Technology (Icdsst 2026), Huilan Chen, Dulekha Kasturiratne, Guoste Pivoraite, Xinyi Li, Xiaoning Chen, Shaofeng Liu

More Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Research

No abstract provided.

Reflections On And Recommendations From The Oceanic Study Cyp And Parent Advisory Group: A Patient And Public Involvement And Engagement Case Study, Emma Popejoy, Julie Menzies, Aysha Sheikhi, Sally O’Loughlin, Fred O’Loughlin, Deborah Barker, Rachael White, Jos M. Latour, Elizabeth S. Draper, Philip Quinlan, Jane Coad, Joseph C. Manning

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Background: Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) is increasingly recognised as essential to the relevance, feasibility, and impact of paediatric intensive/critical care research. However, reporting of PPIE processes and outcomes, particularly in child health studies, remains limited, often lacking detail on sustained involvement and its influence across the research lifecycle. Case study: This case study presents the PPIE approach embedded within the OCEANIC Study, a multi-centre longitudinal mixed-methods investigation into the outcomes and support needs of children and families following paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) discharge. The study uniquely sustained engagement with a Children, Young People and Parent Advisory …

Songs For A Burning World: Youth-Led Storytelling Through Vr And 360° Opera, Toby Young, Lucinda Jarrett, Misha Myers

School of Art, Design and Architecture

Songs for a Burning World is a youth-led, co-created immersive opera realised through 360° film, VR, and dome exhibition. Developed through extended online workshops with young participants across twenty countries, the project mobilises operatic voice and sound-led XR practices to articulate climate experience as lived, situated, and plural. Youth and community members are positioned as authors and co-researchers, shaping narrative, sonic material, pacing, and modes of address, rather than contributing testimony to pre-existing frames. Their songs, spoken texts, field recordings, and visual material form both the content and the method of the work, foregrounding embodied knowledge about the climate crisis …

Serum-Derived Albumin As A Cryoprotective Agent For The Long-Term Storage Of Red Blood Cells: A Preliminary Examination, Thomas Bailey-Schmidt, Christine V Saunders, Chloë E George, Thomas G Scorer, Lynn M R Mccallum, Tracey E Madgett

School of Biomedical Sciences

BACKGROUND: Cryopreservation extends the shelf life of red blood cells (RBC) from weeks to years, offering major advantages for blood banking logistics, especially in remote environments. However, current glycerol-based methods, though effective, are limited in scope due to complex post-thaw washing and incompatibility with routine clinical workflows. This study evaluated plasma-derived albumin as a potential alternative cryoprotective agent (CPA) for human RBC.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Donor-derived RBC were suspended in 25% w/v bovine serum albumin (BSA) prepared in various diluents and tested for biocompatibility and cryoprotective efficacy under rapid freezing (immersion in liquid nitrogen) and gradual freezing with storage …

Supported Storytelling Through The ‘Life Threads’ Approach For Family Members After Traumatic Brain Injury: “We've Been Through All Of This Trauma, And You're Giving Me Some String?, Alyson Norman

School of Psychology

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) brings inevitable and significant changes for family members, yet there is little to relieve their trauma, resolve their grief, or prevent ongoingsuffering. The aim of this qualitative pre-feasibility study was to understand theclinical potential of storytelling for families after TBI using the ‘Life Threads’ approach(LTA). An in-depth inductive qualitative design was adopted within an interpretivist paradigm. Following informed consent, participants took part in an online focusgroup, then engaged with the LTA over four weeks before completing an unstructured, in-person interview. A final focus group explored participants’ reflections on theLTA. A purposive sample of 20 family members …

A Systematic Literature Review On Data-Efficient And Adaptive Learning Techniques For Encrypted Traffic Classification Under Modern Protocols, Muntakimur Rahaman, Azwan Mahmud, Azlan Abd Aziz, Osama M. S. Abujawa, Ji-Jian Chin

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Recent studies suggest that few-shot and zero-shot learning methods, drawing on meta-learning, self-supervised approaches and metric-learning ideas, can classify encrypted traffic (TLS 1.3 and QUIC) with competitive accuracy across different protocol conditions. This systematic literature review (SLR) investigates 22 studies selected from an initial pool of 500 papers using PRISMA 2020, focusing on current methodologies for non-stationary network traffic classification, with particular attention to few-shot, zero-shot, and meta-learning approaches. The research addresses four questions: (1) Which approaches have been employed for non-stationary network traffic classification and threat detection? (2) How do hybrid or cross-domain models improve adaptation, detection and overall …

Impact Of Food Insecurity On The Management Of Children With Food Allergy: A Scoping Review, Kiranjit Atwal, Kate Maslin

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Child health and development are affected by food insecurity, which is an increasing phenomenon globally. The rates of food allergy are also increasing, and the multifaceted burden is well documented. The higher costs of allergen-free food, essential to food allergy management, may compound the levels of food insecurity, but evidence is still emerging. This scoping review was conducted with the aim to understand the impact of food insecurity on the management of children living with food allergy by mapping the current types of evidence, key concepts, and research gaps. Following JBI methodology, evidence about children aged ≤18 years living in …

Inclusion On The Margins: Exploring Multicultural Education In Predominantly White Areas, Suparna Bagchi

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

At a time when the Western world is facing major sociocultural and geopolitical turbulence through far-right and anti-immigration protests, it has become even more important to practise multicultural education. This is particularly pertinent in unique topographies that remain predominantly White, despite experiencing an increase in their global majority populations. This article is based on a doctoral study that explored teachers’, parents, and students’ experiences and understanding of multiculturalism in mainstream primary schools in an under-researched geographical location in southwest England. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with adult participants, students’ classroom activities, field notes, and classroom and corridor displays. This …

Repetition Without Learning: Nine Years Of Safeguarding Adults Review Involving Acquired Brain Injury., Alyson Norman, Hannah Steed, Lucy Milliner, Mark Holloway, Joshua Deacon

School of Psychology

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to produce an extensive review of safeguarding adult reviews (SARs) pertaining to individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI) since 2014. This review examines the lessons learned and recommendations arising from these reviews as they relate to health and social care practice in England.Design/methodology/approachThe review presented and discussed findings across multiple reviews and then applied narrative analysis to synthesise the findings and recommendations from the SARs reviews.FindingsThe authors identified 22 SARs relating to people with ABI that matched the inclusion criteria. Four main themes were identified: (1) ABI-responsive safeguarding policies and legal frameworks, (2) training …

Perspectives On Physical Activity From People With Parkinson’S Disease Who Do Not Engage, Heather Hunter, Jennifer Freeman, Hilary Gunn

School of Health Professions

PurposeDespite substantial evidence supporting the benefits of physical activity, People with Parkinson’s disease (pwPD) struggle to remain active. Previous research on physical activity has largely focused on those already engaged. This study aimed to capture the perspectives of pwPD who perceived themselves as inactive.Materials and MethodsConstructivist Grounded Theory was used to explore the beliefs, attitudes, and meaning of physical activity in PwPD who self-identified as inactive. Twenty-one participants consented to participate and were interviewed. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded. Data collection and analysis occurred simultaneously, using a constant comparative approach.FindingsFive categories were developed: four that helped explain a lack …

Precise Kinetic Parameters For Thermal Resetting Of Clumped Isotope Signatures In Biogenic And Abiogenic Calcites, Nico Kueter, Nathan Looser, Jordon D. Hemingway, Nils B. Gies, Gregory D. Price, Alberto Perez-Huerta, Stefano M. Bernasconi

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Carbonate clumped isotope (∆₄₇) thermometry is a powerful tool to reconstruct paleotemperatures. However, episodes of heating or cooling can alter original ∆₄₇ values through diffusive C-O bond reordering—i.e., isotopic exchange between neighboring carbonate groups within the mineral lattice—and/or oxygen-isotope exchange between carbonate groups and water (collectively termed “thermal resetting”). Nevertheless, if precise kinetic constraints are available, altered ∆₄₇ values can be utilized to reconstruct thermal histories of sedimentary basins or to restore primary ∆₄₇ values from carbonates which experienced thermal resetting in their geological history. Here, we present new high-resolution heating experiments on optical (abiogenic) …

Future-Oriented Science Education: A Delphi Study Of Policymakers’ Views From Four European Countries, Sibel Erduran, Jessica Chan, Olga Ioannidou

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

Future-oriented skills have become increasingly important in science education. These skills include critical thinking, problem solving and managing complexity. While policymaking has a direct bearing on the what and the how of a future-oriented perspective in science education, previous research focused on a narrow group of stakeholders such as teachers and students. Little is known about what policymakers perceive as significant future-oriented skills to be included in the science curriculum. By policymakers we mean government officials, legislators, educational administrators, and other influential figures who are key decision-makers in the educational eco-system. The exploratory empirical study reported in the paper employed …

Sensation-Suppression Theory: A New Explanation For Fibromyalgia Syndrome And Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Me/Cfs), Michael E. Hyland

School of Psychology

Explanations and treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) are controversial, and outcomes are poor. This paper describes sensation-suppression theory, a theory modelled on self-organizing control systems that are capable of adaptation in response to inputs and used in applications of artificial intelligence. The theory shows how the need to suppress inflammatory and other causes of pain or fatigue due to challenging circumstances sensitizes the neurological processing of pain and fatigue, thereby creating the amplified sensations and abnormal cognitions of central sensitivity syndromes. These syndromes are caused by errors in an evolutionarily early behavior-control mechanism of …

A Timely Warning: Clock Drawing Errors In Young Adults And The Long-Term Validity Of Cognitive Screens, Alastair Smith, Sarah Salo

School of Psychology

Objective: The clock drawing test (CDT) assesses multiple cognitive functions, including visuospatial construction and executive planning, and it is a core feature of many cognitive screens. Recent evidence indicates that young adults may experience difficulties producing an accurate response and we present a closer examination of generational differences in CDT performance in the context of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), where a notable failure rate was observed in our young adult respondents. Method: A total of 165 younger adults (18–35 years) and 53 healthy older adults (65–93 years) completed the MoCA as part of a larger study. CDT performance was …

Multi-Focal Ultrasound Neuromodulation To The Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex Disrupts Behavioural And Neural Pain Processing, Sophie Clarke, Samuel Mugglestone, Mathilde Lojkiewiez, Joshua Marquez, Nadège Bault, Elsa Fouragnan, Sam Hughes

School of Psychology

Transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) is a promising non-invasive neuromodulation technique for pain-related deep brain regions. This study aimed to investigate neural mechanisms underlying TUS effects on pain processing using neuroimaging. Thirty-two healthy participants underwent two double-blind, randomised sessions (active or sham). A tonic cold stimulus was applied during multifocal TUS applied to the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), and during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). While no significant main effect on pain intensity was observed, active TUS showed a significantly greater reduction in pain ratings between 28- and 55-minutes post-stimulation, suggesting a delayed analgesic effect. …

Social Prescribing For Refugee Populations: A Rapid Realist Review Of International Evidence, Victoria Touzel, Doreen Reifegerste, Luisa Bartz, Anna-Lena Esser, Kerryn Husk

Peninsula Medical School

BackgroundSocial prescribing offers potential for addressing social determinants of health and supporting health equity among disadvantaged groups. However, evidence for refugee populations remains limited, despite this group facing profound social and systemic barriers. This rapid realist review synthesizes social prescribing and comparable social-capital based intervention evidence to address this gap.MethodsWe conducted a RAMESES-compliant rapid realist review supported by an expert advisory board. Searches across six databases (2014–2024) were supplemented by grey literature and citation chasing strategies. Eligible studies included refugee, asylum-seekers and forcibly displaced populations engaged in either formal social prescribing or comparably operationalized social-capital interventions. Synthesis developed Context-Mechanism-Outcome configurations …

To Reveal Hpws Factors Shaping Turnover Intention Within The Uzbekistan Automotive Industry, Jinwoong Yoo, Isroiljon Alimov, Hyunmi Jang, Saeyeon Roh

Plymouth Business School

Drawing on the JD-R theory, this research examines a paradox: HPWS elements, typically deemed as job resources, can function as job demands under certain conditions, increasing turnover intention in Uzbekistan’s automotive sector. Using fsQCA on 230 responses, four configurations were discovered, including a robust pattern indicating that when most resources exist, including compensation, the absence of communication can shape turnover intention. Findings extend the JD-R theory by revealing how HPWS can act as demands depending on resource combinations, and provide suggestions for leaders and HR managers to adjust HPWS practices in high-growth and resource-constrained environments in Uzbekistan.

Current Options And Future Trends In Green Fuels Storage, Muhammad Anas Maqbool, Md Jahir Rizvi, Yeaw Chu Lee, Pablo Borja Rosales

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

The global transition to renewable energy underscores the urgent need for safe, efficient, and cost-effective storage solutions for green hydrogen and green ammonia. This review critically examines their fundamental characteristics and unique behaviours, emphasising storage, handling, and integration engineering challenges. To identify the influential studies, knowledge gaps and future trends in the research area, a systematic Scopus-based bibliometric and data analysis is conducted. A novel approach is adopted to identify the better green energy storage option between green hydrogen storage and green ammonia storage, combining a risk-mitigation assessment framework, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT) analysis, and a multicriteria taxonomy based …

Stability Of Sufentanil Sublingual Microtablets (Dzuveo) In Extreme Cold Weather Conditions: An Experimental Study, David Mcconnell, Hayley Manners, Paul Sutton, Nicola Gawman, Tim Parham, Jonathon Lowe

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Introduction Extreme cold weather environments are challenging for medication storage and delivery, particularly for injectable analgesics vulnerable to freezing and device failure. These risks may compromise pain management in austere or operational settings where temperature control cannot be maintained. Sufentanil sublingual microtablets (sold in the UK as Dzuveo) provide an oral analgesic option with manufacturer-reported sub-zero stability. Evidence describing the effects of sustained extreme cold exposure and repeated freeze–thaw cycling on chemical stability and delivery system function is limited.Methods We conducted a laboratory study assessing the effect of sustained freezing and repeated freeze–thaw exposure on sufentanil sublingual microtablets (30 µg …

Cracks In The Earth: Why Is East Africa Losing Its Soil?, Maarten Wynants, Aloyce Amasi, Will Blake, Pascal Boeckx, Andrew Brooks, Claire Kelly, Ivan Lizaga, Linus Munishi

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Ultrasound Neuromodulation Reveals Distinct Roles Of The Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex And Anterior Insula In Learning, Nomiki Koutsoumpari, Johannes Algermissen, Siti Yaakub, Hanneke E. M. Den Ouden, Nadège Bault, Elsa Fouragnan

School of Psychology

Pavlovian biases reflect how evolutionarily hard-wired tendencies—automatic approach toward reward cues and withdrawal from threat cues—can interfere with flexible, goal-directed action. Such biases arise through three mechanisms: (a) anticipated rewards energize action while anticipated punishments suppress it (response bias), (b) agents learn differently from actions than from inactions (learning bias), and (c) reward/punishment cues themselves drive repetitive behavior, independent of outcomes (perseveration bias). The neural origin of these biases is unclear. Past evidence suggests dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and anterior insula (aIns) as part of a “reset network” that rapidly responds to salient information and might contribute to these …

Challenges To Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Digital Technology Adoption In Farms: A Multi-Method Approach, Guoqing Zhao, Shaofeng Liu, Xiaoning Chen, Huilan Chen, Xinyi Li, Guoste Pivoraite

Plymouth Business School

Artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled digital technologies have the potential to transform agriculture by supporting decision-making and automating operations. However, their limited adoptions and scholars’ atheoretical explorations constrain our understanding. Drawing on the technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework, we investigate the challenges hindering the AI-enabled technology's adoption in farms using a multi-method approach, including semi-structured interviews, thematic analysis, total interpretive structural modeling, and fuzzy cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification analysis. Our finding shows novelty in several aspects. First, we identify 13 challenges, some of which are underexplored, such as the absence of effective intermediaries in promoting agricultural technology. Second, we developed a hierarchical …

Annona Muricata (Soursop) And Hematopoiesis: Ethnomedicinal Insights, Immunomodulatory Mechanisms, And Translational Challenges, Fatma Matano, Amiya Patra

Peninsula Medical School

Annona muricata (soursop) is a tropical medicinal plant widely used in traditional medicine across Africa, the Caribbean, and parts of South America. While its ethnomedicinal applications span a range of conditions, including infections, inflammation, and anemia-related symptoms, its potential relevance to hematopoiesis has not been systematically examined. This narrative review synthesizes ethnomedicinal knowledge, phytochemical composition, and experimental evidence to explore the biological plausibility by which A. muricata may indirectly influence hematopoietic processes. Bioactive constituents of A. muricata, including flavonoids, polyphenols, and acetogenins, have demonstrated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties in preclinical models. These effects are particularly relevant given the established …

Do We Need Systematic Reviews Of Research Priority Setting? A Proposal For A New Concept On Conducting Systematic Reviews Of Research Priority Setting Exercises, Mona Nasser, Sumanth Kumbargere Nagraj, Seilin Uhm, Prashanti Eachempati, Soumyadeep Bhaumik

Peninsula Dental School

With the increasing number of research priority setting (RPS) exercises, systematic reviews synthesising their findings have also grown in prevalence. While these reviews offer a structured way to compare methodologies, identify underrepresented stakeholder groups, and guide funding decisions, conventional systematic review methodologies, designed primarily for clinical and health research, often fail to capture the complexity, contextual nuance, and participatory nature of RPS. In this commentary, we critically examine these limitations and propose methodological adaptations to enhance the relevance and utility of systematic reviews of RPS. Beyond knowledge generation, we highlight the broader implications of RPS, including its role in stakeholder …

Momentary Assessment Of Mental Imagery And Pain-Related Psychological Factors In Youth With Chronic Pain, Jemma Todd, Brydee Pickup, Julie Ji, Alice Norton, Emily A Holmes, Louise Sharpe

School of Psychology

Mental imagery is a powerful cognitive process implicated in various psychological disorders, yet its role in chronic pain remains underexplored. This study examined the temporal relationship between mental imagery, pain-related psychological constructs, and pain outcomes in young adults with chronic pain. A sample of 121 university students with chronic pain completed baseline assessments of mental imagery (tendency, ability, intrusive imagery), pain-related psychological constructs (interpretation bias, fear of progression, pain anxiety), and general psychological constructs (depression, anxiety, stress, emotion regulation difficulties, trauma symptoms). Participants then completed an ecological momentary assessment delivered by smartphone app 3 times daily for 1 week, reporting …

Threat-Related Mental Imagery Reduces Endogenous Pain Modulation In Healthy Individuals, Julie L. Ji, Meghan Whitehouse, Sam Mugglestone, Sam W. Hughes

School of Psychology

Mental imagery-based simulations of threat can evoke “as-if-real” emotional and motivational responses, which may alter top-down pain processing. This study investigated the impact of mental imagery simulations of threat on endogenous pain modulation in n = 71 healthy participants using a cuff-pressure algometry protocol. In block one, participants were assessed on their baseline pain detection threshold (PDT), pressure pain tolerance (PTT), and their conditioned pain modulation (CPM) responses. In the second block, participants underwent the same procedures again but were randomly allocated to imagine the dominant leg cuff as being made of bubble-wrap (benign imagery condition; n = 36) or …