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Ocean Acidification Stunts Molluscan Growth At Co2 Seeps, Liqiang Zhao, Ben P. Harvey, Tomihiko Higuchi, Sylvain Agostini, Kentaro Tanaka, Naoko Murakami-Sugihara, Holly Morgan, Phoebe Baker, Jason M. Hall-Spencer, Kotaro Shirai May 2023

Ocean Acidification Stunts Molluscan Growth At Co2 Seeps, Liqiang Zhao, Ben P. Harvey, Tomihiko Higuchi, Sylvain Agostini, Kentaro Tanaka, Naoko Murakami-Sugihara, Holly Morgan, Phoebe Baker, Jason M. Hall-Spencer, Kotaro Shirai

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

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Global Disruption Of Coral Broadcast Spawning Associated With Artificial Light At Night, Thomas W. Davies, Svenja Tidau, Laura F.B. Marangoni, Joerg Wiedenmann, Oren Levy, Cecilia D'Angelo, Tim Smyth May 2023

Global Disruption Of Coral Broadcast Spawning Associated With Artificial Light At Night, Thomas W. Davies, Svenja Tidau, Laura F.B. Marangoni, Joerg Wiedenmann, Oren Levy, Cecilia D'Angelo, Tim Smyth

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Coral broadcast spawning events - in which gametes are released on certain nights predictably in relation to lunar cycles - are critical to the maintenance and recovery of coral reefs following mass mortality. Artificial light at night (ALAN) from coastal and offshore developments threatens coral reef health by masking natural light:dark cycles that synchronize broadcast spawning. Using a recently published atlas of underwater light pollution, we analyze a global dataset of 2135 spawning observations from the 21st century. For the majority of genera, corals exposed to light pollution are spawning between one and three days closer to the full moon …

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Protocol For A Systematic Review Of Long-Term Physical Sequelae And Financial Burden Of Multidrug-Resistant And Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis, Ty Akalu, Aca Clements, Ag Baraki, Ka Alene May 2023

Protocol For A Systematic Review Of Long-Term Physical Sequelae And Financial Burden Of Multidrug-Resistant And Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis, Ty Akalu, Aca Clements, Ag Baraki, Ka Alene

Peninsula Medical School

Introduction Multidrug resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis (TB) are major public health threats that are significant causes of physical sequelae and financial consequences for infected people. Treatment for MDR- and XDR-TB are more toxic and take longer duration than for drug-susceptible-TB. As a result, the long-term sequelae are thought to be more common among patients with MDR- and XDR-TB than drug-susceptible-TB, but this is yet to be quantified. Hence, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to quantify the global burden and types of long-term physical sequelae and financial burden associated with both MDR- and XDR-TB. …

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Toxicokinetics And Bioaccumulation Of Silver Sulfide Nanoparticles In Benthic Invertebrates In An Indoor Stream Mesocosm, Pv Silva, Arr Silva, Nathaniel J. Clark, Joanne Vassallo, Marta Baccaro, Neja Medvešček, Magdalena Grgić, Abel Ferreira, Martí Busquets-Fité, Kerstin Jurkschat, Anastasios G. Papadiamantis, Victor Puntes, Iseult Lynch, Claus Svendsen, Den Brink Nw Van, Richard D. Handy, Gestel Cam Van, Susana Loureiro May 2023

Toxicokinetics And Bioaccumulation Of Silver Sulfide Nanoparticles In Benthic Invertebrates In An Indoor Stream Mesocosm, Pv Silva, Arr Silva, Nathaniel J. Clark, Joanne Vassallo, Marta Baccaro, Neja Medvešček, Magdalena Grgić, Abel Ferreira, Martí Busquets-Fité, Kerstin Jurkschat, Anastasios G. Papadiamantis, Victor Puntes, Iseult Lynch, Claus Svendsen, Den Brink Nw Van, Richard D. Handy, Gestel Cam Van, Susana Loureiro

School of Health Professions

Mesocosms allow the simulation of environmentally relevant conditions and can be used to establish more realistic scenarios of organism exposure to nanoparticles. An indoor mesocosm experiment simulating an aquatic stream ecosystem was conducted to assess the toxicokinetics and bioaccumulation of silver sulfide nanoparticles (Ag2S NPs) and AgNO3 in the freshwater invertebrates Girardia tigrina, Physa acuta and Chironomus riparius, and determine if previous single-species tests can predict bioaccumulation in the mesocosm. Water was daily spiked at 10 μg Ag L−1. Ag concentrations in water and sediment reached values of 13.4 μg Ag L−1 and 0.30 μg Ag g−1 in the Ag2S …

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Functionalization Of Graphene Oxide For Label-Free Electrochemical Detection Of Hepatic Cancer Cells, Samar Damiati, Shakil A. Awan, Martin Peacock, Bernhard Schuster May 2023

Functionalization Of Graphene Oxide For Label-Free Electrochemical Detection Of Hepatic Cancer Cells, Samar Damiati, Shakil A. Awan, Martin Peacock, Bernhard Schuster

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

: In this study, a graphene oxide-modified screen-printed carbon electrode was functionalized with the 1-pyrenebutyric acid-N-hydroxy-succinimide ester and conjugated with antibodies for the label-free detection of human hepatoma HepG2 cells. Using a user-friendly reservoir chamber, the functionalized film was exposed continuously to the cancer cells. The use of a continuous flow was intended to enhance the capture of the target cells by the sensing platform. The response of the biosensor was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry. The preliminary data showed good sensitivity for the detection of hepatic cancer cells. The developed biosensor could detect the HepG2 cells from a 1 × …

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Integrated Agriculture-Aquaculture As An Alternative To Improving Small-Scale Fish Production In Zambia, Oliver J. Hasimuna, Sahya Maulu, Kundananji Nawanzi, Benjamin Lundu, Joseph Mphande, Chisomo J. Phiri, Edwin Kikamba, Enock Siankwilimba, Sillah Siavwapa, Moses Chibesa May 2023

Integrated Agriculture-Aquaculture As An Alternative To Improving Small-Scale Fish Production In Zambia, Oliver J. Hasimuna, Sahya Maulu, Kundananji Nawanzi, Benjamin Lundu, Joseph Mphande, Chisomo J. Phiri, Edwin Kikamba, Enock Siankwilimba, Sillah Siavwapa, Moses Chibesa

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Aquaculture is a significant industry in food production, and its contribution to food and nutrition security is well acknowledged. Zambia’s aquaculture production has continued to increase significantly, thus playing a key role in supplying animal protein sources for human consumption. However, recent estimates show that 75% of the national aquaculture production comes from large-scale commercial producers despite being by far the minority while the majority of small-scale producers contribute the remaining 25% of the total annual production. This low production by small-scale producers is attributed to insufficient financial resources, poor management and utilization of farm resources, lack of access to …

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Coastal Survey Data For Perranporth Beach And Start Bay In Southwest England (2006–2021), R. J. Mccarroll, N. G. Valiente, M. Wiggins, T. Scott, G. Masselink May 2023

Coastal Survey Data For Perranporth Beach And Start Bay In Southwest England (2006–2021), R. J. Mccarroll, N. G. Valiente, M. Wiggins, T. Scott, G. Masselink

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Records of beach morphologic change and concurrent hydrodynamic forcing are needed to understand how coastlines in different environments change over time. This submission contains data for the period 2006 to 2021, for two contrasting macrotidal environments in southwest England: (i) cross-shore dominated, dissipative, sandy Perranporth Beach, Cornwall; and (ii) longshore-dominated, reflective gravel beaches within Start Bay, Devon. Data comprise monthly to annual beach profile surveys, annual merged topo-bathymetries, in addition to observed and numerically modelled wave and water levels. These data provide a valuable resource for modelling the behaviour of coastal types not covered by other currently available datasets.

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A New, Putatively Semisubterranean, Rhithrodytes Diving Beetle From Southwestern Sardinia (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae), Mario Toledo, David T. Bilton, Michael Balke, Antonio Schizzerotto, Adrián Villastrigo May 2023

A New, Putatively Semisubterranean, Rhithrodytes Diving Beetle From Southwestern Sardinia (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae), Mario Toledo, David T. Bilton, Michael Balke, Antonio Schizzerotto, Adrián Villastrigo

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

The diving beetle genus Rhithrodytes Bameul, 1989 is endemic to areas surrounding the Western Mediterranean Basin, and currently includes six lotic species; three each in Europe and North Africa. Here we describe a striking new species, Rhithrodytes pantaleonii sp. nov., discovered during recent fieldwork in southwestern Sardinia. The new species differs markedly from the only previously known Rhithrodytes from the Tyrrhenian Islands, R. sexguttatus (Aubé, 1838). The pale, flattened appearance of R. pantaleonii sp. nov., together with its small eyes and scarcity during collecting, all point to it being semisubterranean. A combination of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences, obtained non-destructively …

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Criminalising Neonaticide: Reflections On Law And Practice In England And Wales, K Brennan, E Milne May 2023

Criminalising Neonaticide: Reflections On Law And Practice In England And Wales, K Brennan, E Milne

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

This chapter considers the unusual case where a woman is suspected of killing her newborn baby following a secret pregnancy and birth. The research on what we know about the circumstances and incidence of what has been termed ‘neonaticide’ is explored. The complexities of these cases in terms of their circumstances and the vulnerability of women who conceal their pregnancies are highlighted. Following this, the difficulties, from a legal perspective, that arise when seeking to prosecute women for homicide when their babies die following an unassisted concealed birth are considered. What we know about current criminal justice practice in these …

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Drivers Of Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis Infection Load, With Evidence Of Infection Tolerance In Adult Male Toads (Bufo Spinosus), Jaime Bosch, Barbora Thumsová, Robert Puschendorf, Jon Bielby May 2023

Drivers Of Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis Infection Load, With Evidence Of Infection Tolerance In Adult Male Toads (Bufo Spinosus), Jaime Bosch, Barbora Thumsová, Robert Puschendorf, Jon Bielby

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Chytridiomycosis is affecting hundreds of amphibian species worldwide, but while in tropical areas, adult individuals have been the focus of most investigations, the exact role played by infection intensity of breeding adults is not well understood in temperate areas. We conducted mark–recapture–capture surveys during spiny common toad breeding seasons from 2006 to 2018 at the site of the first recorded outbreak of chytridiomycosis in Europe, the Peñalara Massif (Sierra de Guadarrama National Park, central Spain), and collected infection samples and several variables related to the reproductive effort of male individuals. We used general linear mixed models to evaluate the contribution …

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Patterns Of Antiseizure Medications Prescribing In People With Intellectual Disability And Epilepsy: A Narrative Review And Analysis, David Branford, James J. Sun, Lisa Burrows, Rohit Shankar May 2023

Patterns Of Antiseizure Medications Prescribing In People With Intellectual Disability And Epilepsy: A Narrative Review And Analysis, David Branford, James J. Sun, Lisa Burrows, Rohit Shankar

Peninsula Medical School

People with intellectual disabilities (PwID) have a bidirectional relationship with epilepsy. Nearly 25% of PwID have seizures and 30% people with epilepsy are thought to have a significant intellectual impairment. Furthermore, 70% of PwID are thought to have treatment-resistant epilepsy. In the United Kingdom, antiseizure medications (ASMs) are the second most widely prescribed psychotropic agent for PwID. However, it is unclear what the current evidence and patterns is on current prescribing of ASMs, including when and how a case is made to withdraw them. A narrative review along with an analysis of large-scale NHS Digital published data (2015–2020) on several …

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The Tragedy Of The Common? A Comparative Population Genomic Study Of Two Bumblebee Species, Jana V. Huml, Jonathan S. Ellis, Sarah Rustage, Mark J.F. Brown, Richard Billington, Mairi E. Knight May 2023

The Tragedy Of The Common? A Comparative Population Genomic Study Of Two Bumblebee Species, Jana V. Huml, Jonathan S. Ellis, Sarah Rustage, Mark J.F. Brown, Richard Billington, Mairi E. Knight

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Within the theoretical framework of the small population paradigm, we investigated the population genomics and parasite load of two bumblebee species across the UK and Ireland. Bombus pratorum is widespread and common throughout its range while Bombus monticola is restricted to higher altitudes and shows a more fragmented distribution. Bombus monticola showed stronger population structuring, isolation-by-distance, and a deficit of heterozygotes in the most isolated population in the south of its range (Dartmoor). Heterozygosity and inbreeding coefficients (FIS) were comparable between both species, but the proportion of polymorphic sites was much greater in B. pratorum. Notably, both species have suffered …

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Prey Resources Are Equally Important As Climatic Conditions For Predicting The Distribution Of A Broad-Ranged Apex Predator, Luke J. Sutton, David L. Anderson, Miguel Franco, Christopher J.W. Mcclure, Everton B.P. Miranda, F. Hernán Vargas, Jose De J. Vargas Gonzalez, Robert Puschendorf May 2023

Prey Resources Are Equally Important As Climatic Conditions For Predicting The Distribution Of A Broad-Ranged Apex Predator, Luke J. Sutton, David L. Anderson, Miguel Franco, Christopher J.W. Mcclure, Everton B.P. Miranda, F. Hernán Vargas, Jose De J. Vargas Gonzalez, Robert Puschendorf

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Aim A current biogeographic paradigm states that climate regulates species distributions at continental scales and that biotic interactions are undetectable at coarse-grain extents. However, advances in spatial modelling show that incorporating food resource distributions are important for improving model predictions at large distribution scales. This is particularly relevant to understand the factors limiting the distribution of widespread apex predators whose diets are likely to vary across their range. Location Neotropical Central and South America. Methods The harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) is a large raptor, whose diet is largely comprised of arboreal mammals, all with broad distributions across Neotropical lowland forest. …

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Nest Material Preferences In Wild Hazel Dormice Muscardinus Avellanarius: Testing Predictions From Optimal Foraging Theory, Sa Collins, Sm Lane, M Ishibashi, T Hamston May 2023

Nest Material Preferences In Wild Hazel Dormice Muscardinus Avellanarius: Testing Predictions From Optimal Foraging Theory, Sa Collins, Sm Lane, M Ishibashi, T Hamston

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Obtaining nesting material presents an optimal foraging problem, collection of materials incurs a cost in terms of risk of predation and energy spent and individuals must balance these costs with the benefits of using that material in the nest. The hazel dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius is an endangered British mammal in which both sexes build nests. However, whether material used in their construction follows the predictions of optimal foraging theory is unknown. Here, we analyze the use of nesting materials in forty two breeding nests from six locations in Southwest England. Nests were characterized in terms of which plants were used, …

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Analysing Patient-Generated Data To Understand Behaviours And Characteristics Of Women With Epilepsy Of Childbearing Years: A Prospective Cohort Study, Shang Ming Zhou, Brendan Mclean, Elis Roberts, Rebecca Baines, Peter Hannon, Samantha Ashby, Craig Newman, Arjune Sen, Ellen Wilkinson, Richard Laugharne, Rohit Shankar May 2023

Analysing Patient-Generated Data To Understand Behaviours And Characteristics Of Women With Epilepsy Of Childbearing Years: A Prospective Cohort Study, Shang Ming Zhou, Brendan Mclean, Elis Roberts, Rebecca Baines, Peter Hannon, Samantha Ashby, Craig Newman, Arjune Sen, Ellen Wilkinson, Richard Laugharne, Rohit Shankar

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Background Women with epilepsy (WWE) are vulnerable in pregnancy, with increased risks to mother and baby including teratogenic risks, especially from valproate. The free EpSMon mobile-phone app allows self-monitoring to afford patient-centred feedback on seizure related risks, such as sudden death in epilepsy (SUDEP) to its users. We sought to generate insights into various seizure related risks and its treatments in WWE of childbearing age (16 to 60 years ) using EpSMon. Methods The study utilizes a prospective real-world cohort of 5.5 years. Patient reported data on demographics, medication taken, diagnoses, seizure types and recognised biological, psychological, and social factors …

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Testing The Effect Of Relative Pollen Productivity On The Reveals Model: A Validated Reconstruction Of Europe-Wide Holocene Vegetation, M. A. Serge, F. Mazier, R. Fyfe, M. J. Gaillard, T. Klein, A. Lagnoux, D. Galop, E. Githumbi, M. Mindrescu, A. B. Nielsen, A. K. Trondman, A. Poska, S. Sugita, J. Woodbridge Apr 2023

Testing The Effect Of Relative Pollen Productivity On The Reveals Model: A Validated Reconstruction Of Europe-Wide Holocene Vegetation, M. A. Serge, F. Mazier, R. Fyfe, M. J. Gaillard, T. Klein, A. Lagnoux, D. Galop, E. Githumbi, M. Mindrescu, A. B. Nielsen, A. K. Trondman, A. Poska, S. Sugita, J. Woodbridge

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Reliable quantitative vegetation reconstructions for Europe during the Holocene are crucial to improving our understanding of landscape dynamics, making it possible to assess the past effects of environmental variables and land-use change on ecosystems and biodiversity, and mitigating their effects in the future. We present here the most spatially extensive and temporally continuous pollen-based reconstructions of plant cover in Europe (at a spatial resolution of 1° × 1°) over the Holocene (last 11.7 ka BP) using the ‘Regional Estimates of VEgetation Abundance from Large Sites’ (REVEALS) model. This study has three main aims. First, to present the most accurate and …

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How Efficient Is Model-To-Model Data Assimilation At Mitigating Atmospheric Forcing Errors In A Regional Ocean Model?, Georgy I. Shapiro, Mohammed Salim Apr 2023

How Efficient Is Model-To-Model Data Assimilation At Mitigating Atmospheric Forcing Errors In A Regional Ocean Model?, Georgy I. Shapiro, Mohammed Salim

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

This paper examines the efficiency of a recently developed Nesting with Data Assimilation (NDA) method at mitigating errors in heat and momentum fluxes at the ocean surface coming from external forcing. The analysis uses a set of 19 numerical simulations, all using the same ocean model and exactly the same NDA process. One simulation (the reference) uses the original atmospheric data, and the other eighteen simulations are performed with intentionally introduced perturbations in the atmospheric forcing. The NDA algorithm uses model-to-model data assimilation instead of assimilating observations directly. Therefore, it requires a good quality, although a coarser resolution data assimilating …

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Expanded Sampling Of New Zealand Glass Sponges (Porifera: Hexactinellida) Provides New Insights Into Biodiversity, Chemodiversity, And Phylogeny Of The Class, Martin Dohrmann, Henry M. Reiswig, Michelle Kelly, Sadie Mills, Simone Schätzle, Miriam Reverter, Natascha Niesse, Sven Rohde, Peter Schupp, Gert Wörheide Apr 2023

Expanded Sampling Of New Zealand Glass Sponges (Porifera: Hexactinellida) Provides New Insights Into Biodiversity, Chemodiversity, And Phylogeny Of The Class, Martin Dohrmann, Henry M. Reiswig, Michelle Kelly, Sadie Mills, Simone Schätzle, Miriam Reverter, Natascha Niesse, Sven Rohde, Peter Schupp, Gert Wörheide

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Glass sponges (Hexactinellida) constitute important parts of ecosystems on the deep-sea floor worldwide. However, they are still an understudied group in terms of their diversity and systematics. Here, we report on new specimens collected during RV Sonne expedition SO254 to the New Zealand region, which has recently emerged as a biodiversity hotspot for hexactinellids. Examination of the material revealed several species new to science or so far unknown from this area. While formal taxonomic descriptions of a fraction of these were published earlier, we here briefly report on the morphology of the remaining new species and use the collection to …

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When One’S Not Enough: Colony Pool-Seq Outperforms Individual-Based Methods For Assessing Introgression In Apis Mellifera Mellifera, Victoria G. Buswell, Jonathan S. Ellis, J. Vanessa Huml, David Wragg, Mark W. Barnett, Andrew Brown, Mairi E. Knight Apr 2023

When One’S Not Enough: Colony Pool-Seq Outperforms Individual-Based Methods For Assessing Introgression In Apis Mellifera Mellifera, Victoria G. Buswell, Jonathan S. Ellis, J. Vanessa Huml, David Wragg, Mark W. Barnett, Andrew Brown, Mairi E. Knight

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

The human management of honey bees (Apis mellifera) has resulted in the widespread introduction of subspecies outside of their native ranges. One well known example of this is Apis mellifera mellifera, native to Northern Europe, which has now been significantly introgressed by the introduction of C lineage honey bees. Introgression has consequences for species in terms of future adaptive potential and long-term viability. However, estimating introgression in colony-living haplodiploid species is challenging. Previous studies have estimated introgression using individual workers, individual drones, multiple drones, and pooled workers. Here, we compare introgression estimates via three genetic approaches: SNP array, individual RAD-seq, …

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Review Of Antimicrobial Nanocoatings In Medicine And Dentistry: Mechanisms Of Action, Biocompatibility Performance, Safety, And Benefits Compared To Antibiotics, James Butler, Richard D. Handy, Mathew Upton, Alexandros Besinis Apr 2023

Review Of Antimicrobial Nanocoatings In Medicine And Dentistry: Mechanisms Of Action, Biocompatibility Performance, Safety, And Benefits Compared To Antibiotics, James Butler, Richard D. Handy, Mathew Upton, Alexandros Besinis

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

This review discusses topics relevant to the development of antimicrobial nanocoatings and nanoscale surface modifications for medical and dental applications. Nanomaterials have unique properties compared to their micro- and macro-scale counterparts and can be used to reduce or inhibit bacterial growth, surface colonization and biofilm development. Generally, nanocoatings exert their antimicrobial effects through biochemical reactions, production of reactive oxygen species or ionic release, while modified nanotopographies create a physically hostile surface for bacteria, killing cells via biomechanical damage. Nanocoatings may consist of metal nanoparticles including silver, copper, gold, zinc, titanium, and aluminum, while nonmetallic compounds used in nanocoatings may be …

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Multi-Specific Calibration Of The B Isotope Proxy In Calcareous Red Algae For Ph Reconstruction, Giulia Piazza, Eduardo Paredes, Valentina Alice Bracchi, Leopoldo David Pena, Jason Hall-Spencer, Chiara Ferrara, Isabel Cacho, Daniela Basso Apr 2023

Multi-Specific Calibration Of The B Isotope Proxy In Calcareous Red Algae For Ph Reconstruction, Giulia Piazza, Eduardo Paredes, Valentina Alice Bracchi, Leopoldo David Pena, Jason Hall-Spencer, Chiara Ferrara, Isabel Cacho, Daniela Basso

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Calcareous red algae have calcified cell walls constituted by high-Mg calcite or aragonite (Morse et al., 2006). They are considered suitable paleoclimate archives due to their worldwide distribution and their longevity through indeterminate growth (Kamenos et al., 2008). Boron isotopes (δ11B) measured in their calcified thallus are considered a pH proxy (Hemming and Hanson, 1992). In seawater, boron occurs as boric acid and borate ion. Both species are enriched in 11B as pH increases, with boric acid characterized by an enrichment factor of 27‰ compared to borate. The boron isotope proxy theory states that borate is exclusively incorporated in the …

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Biophysical Flocculation Reduces Variability Of Cohesive Sediment Settling Velocity, L Ye, Ja Penaloza-Giraldo, Aj Manning, J Holyoke, T-J Hsu Apr 2023

Biophysical Flocculation Reduces Variability Of Cohesive Sediment Settling Velocity, L Ye, Ja Penaloza-Giraldo, Aj Manning, J Holyoke, T-J Hsu

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Biophysical cohesion, introduced predominantly by Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS) during mineral flocculation in subaqueous environments, plays important role in morphodynamics, biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem processes. However, the mechanism of how EPS functioning with cohesive particles and affects settling behaviors remain poorly understood. We measure initial flocculation rate, floc size and settling velocity of mineral and artificial EPS (Xanthan gum) mixtures. Combining results from these and previous studies demonstrate coherent intensification of EPS-related flocculation compare with those of pure mineral and oil-mineral mixtures. Importantly, the presence of EPS fundamentally changes floc structure and reduces variability of settling velocity. Measured data shows …

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Depression In The Times Of Covid-19: A Machine Learning Analysis Based On The Profile Of Mood States, M Palomino, R Allen, Ap Varma Apr 2023

Depression In The Times Of Covid-19: A Machine Learning Analysis Based On The Profile Of Mood States, M Palomino, R Allen, Ap Varma

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, a parallel outbreak of fear and depression is also spreading around, impacting negatively on the well-being of the general public and health care workers alike. In an attempt to develop tools to expedite mental health diagnosis, we have looked into emotion analysis and recognition, as this has become indispensable to understand and mine opinions. We have produced a machine learning classifier capable of identifying one of the moods most commonly associated with COVID-19: depression. To analyse how moods and emotions conveyed about COVID-19 have changed in the public discourse over time, we have …

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Toward Understanding The Effects Of Socially Aware Robot Behavior, Oliver Roesler, Elahe Bagheri, Amir Aly Apr 2023

Toward Understanding The Effects Of Socially Aware Robot Behavior, Oliver Roesler, Elahe Bagheri, Amir Aly

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

A key factor for the acceptance of robots as regular partners in humancentered environments is the appropriateness and predictability of their behaviors, which depend partially on the robot behavior’s conformity to social norms. Previous experimental studies have shown that robots that follow social norms and the corresponding interactions are perceived more positively by humans than robots or interactions that do not adhere to social norms. However, the conducted studies only focused on the effects of social norm compliance in specific scenarios. Therefore, this paper aims to guide further research studies by compiling how researchers in relevant research fields think the …

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Wildfire And Degradation Accelerate Northern Peatland Carbon Release, S. L. Wilkinson, R. Andersen, P. A. Moore, S. J. Davidson, G. Granath, J. M. Waddington Apr 2023

Wildfire And Degradation Accelerate Northern Peatland Carbon Release, S. L. Wilkinson, R. Andersen, P. A. Moore, S. J. Davidson, G. Granath, J. M. Waddington

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The northern peatland carbon sink plays a vital role in climate regulation; however, the future of the carbon sink is uncertain, in part, due to the changing interactions of peatlands and wildfire. Here, we use empirical datasets from natural, degraded and restored peatlands in non-permafrost boreal and temperate regions to model net ecosystem exchange and methane fluxes, integrating peatland degradation status, wildfire combustion and post-fire dynamics. We find that wildfire processes reduced carbon uptake in pristine peatlands by 35% and further enhanced emissions from degraded peatlands by 10%. The current small net sink is vulnerable to the interactions of peatland …

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Phytochemical Composition Of Combretum Molle (R. Br. Ex G. Don.) Engl. & Diels Leaf And Stem Extracts, Myuri Parusnath, Yougasphree Naidoo, Moganavelli Singh, Hail Rihan, Yaser Hassan Dewir Apr 2023

Phytochemical Composition Of Combretum Molle (R. Br. Ex G. Don.) Engl. & Diels Leaf And Stem Extracts, Myuri Parusnath, Yougasphree Naidoo, Moganavelli Singh, Hail Rihan, Yaser Hassan Dewir

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

The demand for medicinal plants is on a rise due to their affordability, accessibility and relatively non-toxic nature. Combretum molle (Combretaceae) is used in African traditional medicine to treat a number of diseases. This study aimed to screen the phytochemical composition of the hexane, chloroform and methanol extracts of C. molle leaves and stems using qualitative phytochemical screening. Additionally, the study aimed to identify the functional phytochemical groups, determine the elemental composition and provide a fluorescence characterization of the powdered leaves and stems by performing Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) microanalyses and fluorescence microscopy. Phytochemical screening revealed …

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Impact Of Global Warming On The Severity Of Viral Diseases: A Potentially Alarming Threat To Sustainable Aquaculture Worldwide, Marine Combe, Miriam Reverter, Domenico Caruso, Elodie Pepey, Rodolphe Elie Gozlan Apr 2023

Impact Of Global Warming On The Severity Of Viral Diseases: A Potentially Alarming Threat To Sustainable Aquaculture Worldwide, Marine Combe, Miriam Reverter, Domenico Caruso, Elodie Pepey, Rodolphe Elie Gozlan

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

With an ever-increasing human population, food security remains a central issue for the coming years. The magnitude of the environmental impacts of food production has motivated the assessment of the environmental and health benefits of shifting diets, from meat to fish and seafood. One of the main concerns for the sustainable development of aquaculture is the emergence and spread of infectious animal diseases in a warming climate. We conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the influence of global warming on mortality due to viral infections in farmed aquatic animals. We found a positive trend between increasing temperature and increasing viral virulence, …

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Contribution Of Glaciers To Water, Energy And Food Security In Mountain Regions: Current Perspectives And Future Priorities, C Clason, S Rangecroft, Pn Owens, E Łokas, G Baccolo, N Selmes, D Beard, J Kitch, Rm Dextre, S Morera, W Blake Apr 2023

Contribution Of Glaciers To Water, Energy And Food Security In Mountain Regions: Current Perspectives And Future Priorities, C Clason, S Rangecroft, Pn Owens, E Łokas, G Baccolo, N Selmes, D Beard, J Kitch, Rm Dextre, S Morera, W Blake

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Mountain glaciers are crucial sources of fresh water, contributing directly and indirectly to water, energy and food supplies for hundreds of millions of people. Assessing the impact of diminishing glacial meltwater contributions to the security of this resource is critical as we seek to manage and adapt to changing freshwater dynamics in a warming world. Both water quantity and quality influence water (in)security, so understanding the fluxes of water, sediment and contaminants through glacial and proglacial systems is required for holistic assessment of meltwater contribution to downstream resource security. In this paper we consider the socio-environmental role of and pressures …

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Sustainability Evaluation Of Pastoral Livestock Systems, Mohamed Ouali, Fathi Abdellatif Belhouadjeb, Walid Soufan, Hail Z. Rihan Apr 2023

Sustainability Evaluation Of Pastoral Livestock Systems, Mohamed Ouali, Fathi Abdellatif Belhouadjeb, Walid Soufan, Hail Z. Rihan

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

In order to manage important transformations affecting a steppe area, it is necessary to analyze the existing pastoral system by evaluating the sustainability of its subsystems of production. For this reason, in this study, a tool for the evaluation of the sustainability of livestock production in the steppe area was used in order to identify the most sustainable systems. The study was conducted using a survey of 87 livestock farmers (production units) in the region ranked first in terms of sheep production. Principal component analysis (PCA) enabled us to identify two production systems: (i) the pastoral production system, characterized by …

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Smart Home Technologies To Facilitate Ageing-In-Place: Professionals Perception, Olugbenga Timo Oladinrin, Jayantha Wadu Mesthrige, Lekan Damilola Ojo, João Alencastro, Muhammad Rana Apr 2023

Smart Home Technologies To Facilitate Ageing-In-Place: Professionals Perception, Olugbenga Timo Oladinrin, Jayantha Wadu Mesthrige, Lekan Damilola Ojo, João Alencastro, Muhammad Rana

School of Art, Design and Architecture

An ageing population is a global phenomenon. Like other developed economies, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), China, also faces a severe ageing problem. One initiative to enhance the safe living and well-being of the growing elderly population is to assist them by building ageing-friendly living environments with the application of smart home technologies (SHTs). Therefore, this study focused on investigating the perception of professionals on the use of SHTs to improve and enhance the “ageing-in-place” (AIP) of elderly residents in HKSAR, China. A questionnaire survey was employed to obtain the perception of professionals with requisite knowledge of the older …

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