Digital Commons Network^™

Establishing An Adhd Post-Diagnostic Support Group: A Quality Improvement Report, Katie Alexandra Jones

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: NATIONAL NURSING ASSOCIATE SPECIAL EDITION

Enhancing Patient Centred Care And Safety By Optimising Team Collaboration And Increasing The Nursing Workforce Capacity, Kayley Pooley

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: NATIONAL NURSING ASSOCIATE SPECIAL EDITION

Demonstrating How Consistent Kindness, Presence, And Patient Advocacy Improve Engagement And Dignity In Secure Forensic Mental Health Settings, Patricia Quarshie

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: NATIONAL NURSING ASSOCIATE SPECIAL EDITION

Case Study Report: The Nursing Associate Role Within Education In Practice And Teaching At University Level, Heidi Johnson

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: NATIONAL NURSING ASSOCIATE SPECIAL EDITION

Bridging The Gap: Enhancing Healthcare Support Worker Confidence And Skills Through A Nursing Associate Led Study Day, Lindsay Ewing

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: NATIONAL NURSING ASSOCIATE SPECIAL EDITION

Using Evidenced-Based Practice To Remove Hyperkeratosis To Improve Wound Healing In Venous Leg Ulcer Patients: A Case Study, Briony Flello

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: NATIONAL NURSING ASSOCIATE SPECIAL EDITION

Identifying Opportunities For Learning Following A Serious Incident, Laura Herring

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: NATIONAL NURSING ASSOCIATE SPECIAL EDITION

Bridging The Gap: Enhancing Healthcare Support Worker Confidence And Skills Through A Nursing Associate Led Study Day, Lindsay Ewing

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: NATIONAL NURSING ASSOCIATE SPECIAL EDITION

Demonstrating How Consistent Kindness, Presence, And Patient Advocacy Improve Engagement And Dignity In Secure Forensic Mental Health Settings, Patricia Quarshie

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: NATIONAL NURSING ASSOCIATE SPECIAL EDITION

Case Study Report: The Nursing Associate Role Within Education In Practice And Teaching At University Level, Heidi Johnson

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: NATIONAL NURSING ASSOCIATE SPECIAL EDITION

Biodiversity Performance Of Living Wall Systems In Urban Environments: A Uk Case Study Of Plant Selection And Substrate Effects On Multi-Taxa Communities, Paul Henry Lunt, James Buckley, Suzanne Mitchell, Gabriel Thomas, Elek Churella, Thomas Richard Murphy

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Urban densification threatens biodiversity, yet conventional greenspace expansion is constrained by limited land availability. Living wall systems (LWS) offer potential biodiversity enhancement through vertical green infrastructure, though their ecological value remains underexplored. This study evaluated the biodiversity performance of three LWS in Plymouth, UK, using multi-taxa surveys to assess invertebrate communities, bird assemblages, and bat activity. A scoping review of 2638 publications revealed limited research on LWS biodiversity, with only 27% of biodiversity-focused papers referencing specific species. Field surveys employed standardised protocols including flower-visiting pollinator observations, spider assessments, soil invertebrate extraction using Tullgren funnels, acoustic bird monitoring, and bat emergence …

Establishing An Adhd Post-Diagnostic Support Group: A Quality Improvement Report, Katie Alexandra Jones

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: NATIONAL NURSING ASSOCIATE SPECIAL EDITION

Periodontal Precision: Diagnostic Skills And Confidence Of Dentists In Asian Countries In Applying The 2017 Efp/Aap Periodontal Disease Classification- A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study, Kamran Ali, Priti Charde, Daniel Zahra, Ewen Mccoll, Tayeb Al Hadeethi, Nader Hamdan

Peninsula Dental School

Background: The classification of periodontal disease published in 2017 by the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) and American Academy of Periodontology (AAP), provides a framework for diagnosis and treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic skills and self-perceived confidence of dentists and dental students based in Asian countries in the use of this classification. Methods: A cross-sectional analytic study design was employed. An online questionnaire encompassing four periodontitis cases was used for data collection. A total of 500 participants were invited to provide a diagnosis and rate their confidence for each case. Results: Responses were provided …

Exploring The Clinical Utility Of The Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit For Use In Occupational Therapy Practice In Adult Social Care: A Qualitative Study, Rachel Cox, Sarah Reynolds

School of Health Professions

AbstractBackground/Aims Promoting the wellbeing of service users is a core focus in occupational therapy and adult social care. Despite a professional, policy and legal mandate to provide evidence of the effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions in adult social care, few local authority teams in England use standardised outcome measures to assess the impact of interventions on wellbeing. One local authority’s occupational therapy service in England sought to address this by introducing the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit. This study explored the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit’s clinical utility (usefulness) in this setting. As the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit has …

Toward A Roadmap For Addressing Today's Health Dilemma-The 101-Statement Consensus Report, Katharina C. Wirnitzer, Mohamad Motevalli, Derrick R. Tanous, Clemens Drenowatz, Maximilian Moser, Holger Cramer, Thomas Rosemann, Karl-Heinz Wagner, Andreas Michalsen, Beat Knechtle, Zlatko Fras, Merel Ritskes-Hoitinga, Adilson Marques, Natasa Fidler Mis, Fatima C. Stanford, Christian Schubert, Nandu Goswami, Claus Leitzmann, Per Morten Fredriksen, Gerhard Ruedl, Doris Wilflingseder, Rodrigo A. Lima, Christian Kessler, Michael Jeitler, Naim A. Khan, Hassan Joulaei, Maryam Fatemi, Andrew Knight, Karl W. Kratky, Kara K. Palmer

School of Health Professions

Importance: In recent decades there has been an expansion in the quantity and quality of scientific findings and guidelines on different health topics to promote individual and public health status. Reports also indicate that there has been a simultaneous increase in the financial burden of disease, including trillions spent on healthcare resources by governments worldwide (predominantly in developing countries) to address health concerns. At the same time, personal health behavior is well-known as efficient and cost-free, holding four times the potential to prevent early death compared to health care. Despite this knowledge, data show that the increasing prevalence of unhealthy …

Unreliable Landmarks Disrupt Egocentric Navigation In Desktop Virtual Environments, Rory Baxter, Alastair Smith

School of Psychology

Navigation relies on the integration of both allocentric (world-centred) and egocentric (navigator-centred) spatial cues. An influential real-world navigational task dissociated allocentric place learning from egocentric path integration, highlighting the decline in allocentric cue use associated with cognitive ageing. This report describes a novel computer-based replication of this task, designed as a remote test of navigational ability, that also addresses potential confounds in the original task, including tighter control of spatial cue competition. In Experiment 1a, participants learned a location signalled either by landmark cues in the absence of a stable starting position (Allocentric), distance and direction from the starting position …

Headwater Drainage Evolution In A Foreland Basin System Usingsurfaces And Topographic Metrics (Zadorra River, Upper Ebro,Spain), Ivan Martin-Martin, Pablo G. Silva, Martin Stokes, Antonio Tarriño, Benito Abalos, Fernando Sarrionandia

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Foreland basins are elongate depressions that develop around the flanks of collisional mountain ranges. Rivers are key agents that shape their landscape geomorphology and evolution. Their upstream headwater areas are geomorphologically dynamic locations prone to drainage network reorganisations via headward erosion by the foreland axial river. They are complex areas to investigate due to geological complexity, the absence of fluvial deposits and long timescales over which drainage evolution occurs. In this study, we examined the Zadorra River, a headwater tributary to the Ebro River that preserves a diverse number of different geomorphological features that record long-term drainage evolution. Four key …

Teaching Dental Public Health Using A Socially Accountable Approach, Anastasios Plessas, Martha Paisi, Nilufar Ahmed, Zoe Brookes, Robert Witton

Peninsula Dental School

Traditional approaches to dental public health education across Europe remain dominated by lecture-based learning which often fail to cultivate critical reflection on inequities, privilege, and the broader social determinants of oral health. Social accountability has been recognized as core competency for dental graduates, requiring dental professionals to align professional practice with the health needs of communities. Community-engaged education is a promising pedagogical model that situates learning within real-world contexts, fosters empathy, cultural competence, and advocacy skills, and strengthens professional identity formation. This paper discusses the Peninsula Dental School’s innovative model, which integrates community engagement, reflective practice, and interprofessional education within …

Global, Regional, And National Burden Of Cardiovascular Diseases And Risk Factors In 204 Countries And Territories, 1990-2023, Global Burden Of Cardiovascular Diseases And Risks 2023 Collaborators, Benjamin A. Stark, Nicole K. Decleene, Emily C. Desai, Johnathan M. Hsu, Catherine O. Johnson, Laura Lara-Castor, Kate E. Legrand, Prof Bhoomadevi A, Mohammad Amin Aalipour, Hasan Aalruz, Bedru J. Abafita, Ukachukwu O. Abaraogu, Mohammad Abavisani, Nasir Abbas, Madineh Abbasi, Mohammadreza Abbasian, Hedayat Abbastabar, Abdallah H.A. Abd Al Magied, Samar Abd Elhafeez, Prof Ahmed Abdelalim, Omar M. Abdelfattah, Prof Reda Abdel-Hameed, Mahmoud Abdelnabi, Prof Wael M Abdel-Rahman, Parsa Abdi, Wakgari Mosisa Abdisa, Daba Abdissa, Arman Abdous, Mujahid Abdullah

Peninsula Medical School

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of mortality and are among the foremost causes of disability globally. CVD burden has continued to increase in most countries since 1990, with trends driven by changing exposures to harmful risk factors, population growth, and population aging. Objectives: We report estimates of global, national, and subnational CVD burden, including 18 subdiseases and 12 associated modifiable risk factors. We analyzed change in CVD burden from 1990 to 2023 and identified drivers of change including population growth, population aging, and risk factor exposure. Methods: The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 study, a multinational …

Patient-Reported Experience Measures For Person-Centred Care: A Survey For The Development And Psychometric Testing Of A Targeted Measure, The Epcc-14, Ryan Statton, Lena Rosenlund, James Close, Anna Dencker, Helen Lloyd

School of Psychology

Objectives This study aims to develop a robust, targeted measure of patient experiences of person-centred care (PCC), informed by the lived experiences of patients with chronic illness using the psychometric theory of Rasch measurement. Design The Rasch measurement model was used to analyse the psychometric functioning of 57 candidate items and select appropriate items for a targeted measure. Setting Participants were recruited from Prolific.com, having experience of both chronic or long-term illness and first-hand experience of primary or secondary care in the UK healthcare setting and completed a survey containing PCC items and descriptors of healthcare experience. Participants Data from …

Public Priorities For The Post-War Reconstruction Of Ukraine’S Energy Sector., Olena Savchenko, Vasyl Zhelykh, Khrystyna Kozak, Omar Al-Hafith, Joao Alencastro, Olugbenga Oladinrin, Ademola Adebayo Akinbami

School of Art, Design and Architecture

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has resulted in the large-scale destruction of many cities across the country. Although the war has not yet ended, there will come a time when the conflict concludes, and reconstruction efforts will begin. Global experiences show that the first step in preparing for post-war reconstruction is to assess the level of destruction. Additionally, it is essential to understand people’s needs and priorities. Otherwise, reconstruction activities may fail to address the existing challenges and actual needs of local communities. This study aims to explore post-war reconstruction priorities of Ukrainians, with special focus on the energy sector …

Talking Sudep: Gaps, Confidence And Training Needs Among Spanish Epilepsy Professionals, Rohit Shankar

Peninsula Medical School

Objective: Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) is a major cause of epilepsy-related mortality, yetdiscussions about SUDEP in clinical settings remain inconsistent. This study aimed to assess the perspectives,practices, and barriers related to SUDEP counselling for epilepsy professionals in Spain.Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of 17 Likert style questions was disseminated via the Spanish EpilepsySociety between September 2023 and February 2024 to epilepsy professionals in Spain using a nondiscriminatory exponential snowballing technique leading to non-probability sampling. The survey was a validated instrument previously employed in similar international studies. Questions revolved around SUDEPcommunication and counselling. Descriptive and comparative analyses were conducted.Results: …

Life Cycle Assessment Comparing Electric And Petrol-Powered Rigid Inflatable Boats For Recreational And Harbour-Master Applications, Amir Bordbar, Badr Moutik, Adam Kyte, Simon Ussher, Keri Collins, Marcin Roszkowski, Tony Wilson, Sarah Fear

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

This study presents the first cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA), focusing exclusively on environmental impacts, comparing electric and petrol-powered rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) under low-usage recreational and high-usage harbour-master scenarios. The study follows ISO-compliant LCA methodology and emphasizes transparency in data and assumptions. Ten environmental impact categories were analysed, including global warming potential (GWP), particulate matter formation, acidification, eutrophication, ecotoxicity, and resource scarcity. Results show that switching to electric RIBs reduces GWP by 34 % for recreational and 52 % for harbour-master scenarios, despite higher production-phase impacts across all categories. The electric RIB delivers notable operational benefits in GWP and …

Light Or Acid? Suppressing Water Deactivation In Saf Production Via Phenyl-Mediated Charge Transfer In Wox/Zrox-Functionalised Pmos, Vannia C. Dos Santos-Durndell, Mark A. Isaacs, Jinesh C. Manayil, Lee J. Durndell

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The aviation sector contributes ∼2.5 % of global energy-related CO2 emissions, driving demand for sustainable aviation fuel production (SAF) from biomass. However, water, whether intrinsic or produced in situ, often drives on-stream catalyst deactivation, reducing efficiency and creating barriers to process scale-up. Here, we present an exciting new approach using WOx/ZrOx-functionalised periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) photocatalysts that exhibit exceptional stability and performance under aqueous conditions. The incorporation of bis(triethoxysilyl)benzene (BTSB) into the PMO framework not only enhances surface hydrophobicity and acidity but also strategically positions organic π-conjugated phenyl groups next to WOx/ZrOx active sites. These phenyl moieties act as conductive …

Tectonic Modulation Of Caldera Volcanism On The South Aegean Island Arc, A Metcalfe, Tim Druitt, Katharina Pank, Steffen Kutterolf, Jonas Preine, Sarah Beethe, Axel K. Schmitt, Christian Hübscher, Paraskevi Nomikou, Thomas A. Ronge, Carole Berthod, Hehe Chen, Shun Chiyonobu, Acacia Clark, Susan Debari, Ralf Gertisser, Raymond Johnston, Olga Koukousioura, Michael Manga, Molly Mccanta, Iona Mcintosh, Ally Peccia, Masako Tominaga, Yuzuru Yamamoto, Adam Woodhouse, Alexis Bernard, Tatiana Fernandez-Perez, Christopher Jones, Kumar Batuk Joshi, Günther Kletetschka

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Many highly hazardous, caldera-forming explosive eruptions occur in extensional tectonic regimes, but the role of lithospheric rifting in modulating caldera volcanism remains enigmatic. IODP Expedition 398 deep-drilled the volcano-sedimentary infills of submarine half-grabens around Santorini caldera on the continental South Aegean Volcanic Arc. Here we use the volcanic tephra archives to produce a high-resolution eruptive chronostratigraphy for Santorini, to ground-truth seismic stratigraphy, and to extract an integrated timeline of volcano-tectonic couplings. The rift basins contain several submarine volcaniclastic megabeds from the caldera-forming eruptions of Santorini and one from the Kos caldera. The thickest megabed succession is < 250,000 yrs old and lies on a seismic reflection onlap surface that records a phase of rapid rifting. Sedimentation lagged behind subsidence during this rifting phase, creating bathymetric troughs. Integrating submarine core-seismic and onland datasets, we propose that rifting may have driven the transition of Santorini from a prolonged state of effusive and minor explosive activity (∼550 – 250 ka) typical of arc stratovolcanoes to one of repeated caldera-forming eruptions (<250 ka). Rapid rifting may have amplified the normal internal dynamics of the magmatic system in three ways, driving the volcano into a sustained, highly explosive state: (1) an increase in the supply of mantle-derived basalt, (2) enhanced shearing, permeability, and melt percolation in the transcrustal magmatic system, and (3) the development of horizontally extensive magma reservoirs. Broadly simultaneous transitions into caldera-forming activity of the widely separated Santorini and Kos Volcanoes suggest that the two magmatic systems are linked by plate-scale lithospheric stresses.

From Familiarity To Loyalty: How Image And Emotion Shape Gastronomic Experience, Qian Chen, Qingchuo Zhang, Rong Huang, Jinhua Zhang

Plymouth Business School

Given the unique characteristics of gastronomic experiences, it is essential to understand how user-generated content (UGC) shapes consumers' perceptions of food-related images and their subsequent behavioural responses. This study adopts a mixed-methods approach to examine consumers’ cognitive and affective perceptions of gastronomy and their impact on loyalty. In the first phase, word frequency and sentiment analyses of UGC reveal that food-related terms appear most frequently and are predominantly associated with positive sentiments. Based on this analysis, three key dimensions of cognitive image are identified: food quality, culinary culture, and dining environment. In the second phase, a questionnaire survey explores the …

Investigating The Performance Of Fibre Reinforced Plastic Repairs To Timber Marine Civil Structures At His Majesty’S Naval Base Devonport, Anna G. Walther

The Plymouth Student Scientist

This paper explores Fibre Reinforced Plastics (FRPs) as a composite repair method to restore and enhance mechanical properties of timber marine civil structures within the context of His Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Devonport. To support this, timber composite specimens were manufactured and subjected to flexural and compressive strength tests. Comparisons are made to literature sources for initial predictions, in addition to hand calculations and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) models on SolidWorks. Data demonstrates that FRPs can be used as a cost-effective and beneficial method of repairing timber marine structures. Experimental data demonstrates an ability to restore compressive strength parallel to …

The Effect Of Exercise On Dynamic Balance And Walking Endurance In Patients With Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Connor Gibson

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) affects 2-3 million people worldwide, with relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) accounting for 75% of new cases. Exercise has been proposed to alleviate symptoms and enhance quality of life. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the effect of exercise on dynamic balance and walking endurance in RRMS patients.

Methodology: A comprehensive PubMed search identified exercise interventions that specifically measured walking endurance via the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and dynamic balance through the timed up-and-go (TUG) test. Mean and standard deviation values at baseline and post-intervention were extracted for analysis. For subgroup comparisons, interventions were classified as either lower …

Mechanical Properties Of Sintered Lunar Regolith Simulant Lhs-1 When Moulded Under Different Temperatures And Time At Constant Pressure, Jasper Stevens

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Humans are returning to the Moon for the first time since 1972. And when they arrive, In-Situ resource Utilisation (ISRU), the philosophy of using local materials and resources will be required to help maintain a more permanent presence on the Moon. Lunar regolith is the homogenous layer of inorganic ‘soil’ that covers nearly the entire Lunar surface, making it the most readily available material for ISRU. This report investigates the effect of changing time and temperature applied to samples of lunar regolith simulant LHS-1 formed as freestanding samples under constant pressure, before sintering into a consolidated sample. Compressive testing on …

Application And Suitability Of Using Paraffin Wax In A Thermal Store For Residential Buildings In The Uk, Cameron Edwards

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Heating costs and pressure to reduce carbon emissions are rapidly increasing. A possible solution is the implementation of efficient energy storage systems for UK residential buildings. Paraffin wax-based thermal energy storage offers a promising solution due to its low-cost, high-energy density, and long-term stability. However, its low thermal conductivity significantly reduces its practicality. Multiple upgrades, such as implementing highly conductive particles and nanotubes, have been previously studied but lack the inclusion of cost-effectiveness and real-world feasibility. This paper reviews current research and develops a numerical model using the Enthalpy method and a 2D finite difference approach, utilised in Python. It …