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Pleistocene Depositional Environments On The Eastern Ross Sea Continental Slope, Antarctica, Maxine Valentina King Jan 2023

Pleistocene Depositional Environments On The Eastern Ross Sea Continental Slope, Antarctica, Maxine Valentina King

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

In 2018, International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 374 drilled a 208.28 m-thick sequence of Plio-Pleistocene sediments on the Eastern Ross Sea continental slope, Antarctica (Hole U1525A). In this thesis, sediments from Hole U1525A are used to reconstruct the depositional environment on the slope since 2.4 Ma, focusing on characterising instances of West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) extension to the continental margin. Late Pleistocene Ross Sea Fan deposits in Hole U1525A are also studied to identify provenance changes that may link to changing ice stream dynamics. Core images, grain size, X-ray fluorescence and physical properties datasets were used from the upper …

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Phenomics: An Integrative Approach To Comparative Developmental Physiology, James Mccoy Jan 2023

Phenomics: An Integrative Approach To Comparative Developmental Physiology, James Mccoy

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Phenomics, the high-throughput acquisition of phenotypic data at the scale of the whole organism, has led to considerable advancements in plant biology and medicine, yet applications within animal environmental physiology and evolutionary biology are rare. The main aim of this thesis is to understand what phenomics can contribute to our understanding of Comparative Developmental Physiology (CDP), in terms of how environmental and evolutionary change affects the development of physiological function in aquatic embryos. Additionally, I aim to understand the consequences of changes in high-dimensional phenotyping methods used throughout the thesis within the context of embryonic life history. To achieve this, …

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Minute Moss Beetles In The Southern Hemisphere: Molecular Phylogeny, Historical Biogeography And Habitat Shifts (Coleoptera: Hydraenidae), David T. Bilton, Ma Jaech, Ignacio Ribera, Emmanuel F.A. Toussaint Jan 2023

Minute Moss Beetles In The Southern Hemisphere: Molecular Phylogeny, Historical Biogeography And Habitat Shifts (Coleoptera: Hydraenidae), David T. Bilton, Ma Jaech, Ignacio Ribera, Emmanuel F.A. Toussaint

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Minute moss beetles (Hydraenidae) are one of the most speciose and widespread families of aquatic Coleoptera, with an estimated 4000 extant species, found in the majority of aquatic habitats from coastal rock pools to mountain streams and from the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic islands. Molecular phylogenetic works have improved our understanding of the evolutionary history of the megadiverse Hydraena, Limnebius and Ochthebius in recent years, but most genera in the family have not yet been included in any phylogenetic analyses, particularly most of those which are restricted to the Southern Hemisphere. Using a multimarker molecular matrix, sampling over 40% …

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The Influence Of Migratory Distance On Atlantic Salmon Salmo Salar Population Responses To Interannual Variation In Sea Surface Temperature., Joshua Cook Jan 2023

The Influence Of Migratory Distance On Atlantic Salmon Salmo Salar Population Responses To Interannual Variation In Sea Surface Temperature., Joshua Cook

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

As a species, the Atlantic salmon Salmo salar is undergoing a range wide population decline. In the last 40 years alone, wild stocks have specifically declined due to continuing human pressures and global climate change. During the marine life stages, North Atlantic Sea surface temperatures (SST) have specifically impacted stocks, inducing range wide declines in abundance and morphometrics as temperature rises. Recent studies have indicated that SST’s effects on S. salar are more severe at the southernmost ranges, however we lack an explanation for why this may be the case. Acknowledging this trend, we hypothesise that while declines in returning …

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Inhibition Of Yap/Taz-Driven Tead Activity Prevents Growth Of Nf2-Null Schwannoma And Meningioma, Liyam Laraba, Lily Hillson, Julio Grimm De Guibert, Amy Hewitt, Maisie R Jaques, Tracy T Tang, Leonard Post, Emanuela Ercolano, Ganesha Rai, Shyh-Ming Yang, Daniel J Jagger, Waldemar Woznica, Philip Edwards, Aditya G Shivane, C Oliver Hanemann, David B Parkinson Jan 2023

Inhibition Of Yap/Taz-Driven Tead Activity Prevents Growth Of Nf2-Null Schwannoma And Meningioma, Liyam Laraba, Lily Hillson, Julio Grimm De Guibert, Amy Hewitt, Maisie R Jaques, Tracy T Tang, Leonard Post, Emanuela Ercolano, Ganesha Rai, Shyh-Ming Yang, Daniel J Jagger, Waldemar Woznica, Philip Edwards, Aditya G Shivane, C Oliver Hanemann, David B Parkinson

Peninsula Medical School

Schwannoma tumours typically arise on the eighth cranial nerve and are mostly caused by loss of the tumour suppressor Merlin (NF2). There are no approved chemotherapies for these tumours and the surgical removal of the tumour carries a high risk of damage to the eighth or other close cranial nerve tissue. New treatments for schwannoma and other NF2-null tumours such as meningioma are urgently required. Using a combination of human primary tumour cells and mouse models of schwannoma, we have examined the role of the Hippo signalling pathway in driving tumour cell growth. Using both genetic ablation of the Hippo …

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Assessing The Effect Of Temperate Mpas On Elasmobranch Communities, Chloe Renn Jan 2023

Assessing The Effect Of Temperate Mpas On Elasmobranch Communities, Chloe Renn

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Global chondrichthyan (sharks, skates, rays and chimaeras) populations are experiencing alarming declines, driven by intense targeted and incidental extraction. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) represent one potential solution, which has gained traction in recent years. When implemented effectively, MPAs demonstrate potential to rebuild populations and enable ecosystem recovery. However, their value as an elasmobranch conservation tool remains contested, particularly in temperate waters such as the UK. One essential component of MPA efficacy is the implementation of robust ecological monitoring regimes that allow species trajectories to be characterised and responded to, in real-time. However, several challenges, inherent to both elasmobranchs and temperate …

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Personality And Parental Care In The Corkwing Wrasse (Symphodus Melops), Benjamin Ellis Jan 2023

Personality And Parental Care In The Corkwing Wrasse (Symphodus Melops), Benjamin Ellis

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Parental care in many species is a repeatable aspect of the behavioural phenotype, in some cases covarying with other behavioural traits within wider behavioural syndromes. It is well understood that in several freshwater fishes, recreational and commercial fisheries often (directly or indirectly) impact traits concerning parental care adversely, in some cases through selection on covarying behavioural traits. In contrast, studies on commercially fished marine species that exhibit parental care are scarce. The corkwing wrasse (Symphodus melops) is a marine fish with complex reproductive behaviour, with parental males exhibiting nest building and parental care behaviours. This species is also subject to …

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Investigating The Diversity And Distribution Of Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems In The Chagos Archipelago, Clara Diaz Jan 2023

Investigating The Diversity And Distribution Of Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems In The Chagos Archipelago, Clara Diaz

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs, 30-150 m) have received increasing attention from the scientific community over the past two decades, as their significance has been recognised in terms of biodiversity, distribution, and ecological value. However, MCEs remain relatively unexplored compared to their shallow-water counterparts. They are also under-protected and under-represented in marine spatial planning, despite meeting the international criteria used to identify priority areas for conservation policies. One reason for the imbalance between their high ecological value and their low level of protection is that baseline data on MCEs is largely missing to date. Furthermore, research efforts have been unevenly distributed, …

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Metabolism, Swimming Performance, And A Behavioural Syndrome In Schoolmaster Snapper (Lutjanus Apodus), Peter Malorey Jan 2023

Metabolism, Swimming Performance, And A Behavioural Syndrome In Schoolmaster Snapper (Lutjanus Apodus), Peter Malorey

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Commercial overexploitation and climate change can alter the physiology and behaviour of affected marine organisms, although depending on the environment, species, and severity, intraspecific phenotypic response to such changes can vary greatly. Under the Pace-Of-Life Syndrome (POLS) hypothesis, behaviour, physiology, and life history traits can be linked and thus affected both directly and indirectly by selection targeting any aspect of behavioural physiology. However, such links are often understudied in tropical marine fish, with work needed to better understand the impacts of fisheries and climate change on fish stocks. Moreover, tropical regions have greater reliance on fisheries, thus investigations should focus …

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Understanding Coastal Change From Noisy Satellite-Derived Shoreline Datasets: Influence Of Tide And Runup Correction And Spatial Averaging, B Castelle, V Marieu, A Ritz, G Masselink, Tim Scott, C Stokes, A Konstantinou, An Lerma, M Vandenhove, S Bujan Jan 2023

Understanding Coastal Change From Noisy Satellite-Derived Shoreline Datasets: Influence Of Tide And Runup Correction And Spatial Averaging, B Castelle, V Marieu, A Ritz, G Masselink, Tim Scott, C Stokes, A Konstantinou, An Lerma, M Vandenhove, S Bujan

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Free-of-charge publicly available optical satellite imagery can now be used to provide short-term to multi-decadal shoreline satellite-derived shoreline(SDS) data, with errors typically under 10 m on microtidal beaches. However, SDSaccuracy dramatically worsens at high-energy and/or meso to macrotidal lowgradient beaches, which challenges a robust assessment of shoreline variability and trends. In this contribution we demonstrate that, on such beaches, water level (tide + runup) correction and/or an adapted space-averaging of uncorrected (noisy) SDS dataset can substantially reduce uncertainties and thus allow addressing the timeand space variability of shoreline change and their primary drivers.

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Coastal Typologies To Support Coastal Change Adaptation Management: A Study Of The South West Coast Of England, Ja Kirby, G Masselink, T Poate, T Scott Jan 2023

Coastal Typologies To Support Coastal Change Adaptation Management: A Study Of The South West Coast Of England, Ja Kirby, G Masselink, T Poate, T Scott

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Sea-level rise, increased coastal erosion and flooding due to climate change is threatening coastal communities across the world. Globally, coastal change management policies include zonation of the coast to restrict development in areas susceptible to coastal change. Defining the extent of the coastal change area can be problematic and is often done using large-scale (>1 km) coastal classifications and estimates of coastal retreat. In this study, we investigate the south west coast of England, using a high-resolution (0.1 km) coastal classification to determine coastal types and their response to sea-level rise. Nine coastal typologies were defined in the study …

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Satellite-Based Shoreline Detection For Macro-Tidal Coasts: Impacts Of Morphological And Hydrodynamic Setting, A Konstantinou, T Scott, G Masselink, C Stokes, D Conley, B Castelle Jan 2023

Satellite-Based Shoreline Detection For Macro-Tidal Coasts: Impacts Of Morphological And Hydrodynamic Setting, A Konstantinou, T Scott, G Masselink, C Stokes, D Conley, B Castelle

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Earth observation (EO) coupled with novel image analysis techniques have demonstrated the potential of EO for long-term, local, regional, and even global scale investigations of shoreline change. However, satellite-derived shoreline (SDS) data is associated with large uncertainties relating to environmental factors, tidal range, and wave action among other factors. This contribution investigates the impacts of morphological and hydrodynamic setting on the accuracy of SDS in macrotidal, highenergy coasts. Results revealed significant differences in SDS accuracy between the two morphologically contrasting sites in terms of the level of error and the optimal water level correction. We show that SDS accuracy at …

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Ocean Acidification Has A Strong Effect On Communities Living On Plastic In Mesocosms, X Zhang, P Zhang, Zichao Deng, Ruiping Huang, D Zhang, Yang Tian, N Wang, He Li, X Wang, Xiaowen Jiang, Jiazhen Sun, Qianqian Fu, Xiangqi Yi, Liming Qu, Cong Zhou, Yuming Rao, Xiaorong Zeng, Jm Hall‐Spencer, G Gao, K Gao, Xin Lin Jan 2023

Ocean Acidification Has A Strong Effect On Communities Living On Plastic In Mesocosms, X Zhang, P Zhang, Zichao Deng, Ruiping Huang, D Zhang, Yang Tian, N Wang, He Li, X Wang, Xiaowen Jiang, Jiazhen Sun, Qianqian Fu, Xiangqi Yi, Liming Qu, Cong Zhou, Yuming Rao, Xiaorong Zeng, Jm Hall‐Spencer, G Gao, K Gao, Xin Lin

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

We conducted a mesocosm experiment to examine how ocean acidification (OA) affects communities of prokaryotes and eukaryotes growing on single-use drinking bottles in subtropical eutrophic waters of the East China Sea. Based on 16S rDNA gene sequencing, simulated high CO2 significantly altered the prokaryotic community, with the relative abundance of the phylum Planctomycetota increasing by 49%. Under high CO2, prokaryotes in the plastisphere had enhanced nitrogen dissimilation and ureolysis, raising the possibility that OA may modify nutrient cycling in subtropical eutrophic waters. The relative abundance of pathogenic and animal parasite bacteria also increased under simulated high CO2. Our results show …

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Effects Of Preservation By Ethanol On Δ13c And Δ15n Of Three Tissues Of The Critically Endangered European Eel Anguilla Anguilla, Rose M. Boardman, Adrian C. Pinder, Adam T. Piper, Catherine Gutmann Roberts, Rosalind M. Wright, John Robert Britton Jan 2023

Effects Of Preservation By Ethanol On Δ13c And Δ15n Of Three Tissues Of The Critically Endangered European Eel Anguilla Anguilla, Rose M. Boardman, Adrian C. Pinder, Adam T. Piper, Catherine Gutmann Roberts, Rosalind M. Wright, John Robert Britton

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

The temporal effects of ethanol preservation on the δ13C and δ15N values of tissues excised from European eel Anguilla anguilla were assessed. Preservation significantly enriched 13C values of fin and mucus but not dorsal muscle. The 13C enrichment occurred in the initial 15 days of preservation and was independent of initial eel mass. Tissue preservation effects on δ15N values were negligible. These tissue-specific isotopic shifts should be considered when ethanol-preserved eel samples are used.

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Towards The Validation Of Novel Cognitive And Physiological Indicators Of Affective State In Horses (Equus Caballus), Sarah Kappel Jan 2023

Towards The Validation Of Novel Cognitive And Physiological Indicators Of Affective State In Horses (Equus Caballus), Sarah Kappel

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Assessing animal emotions reliably is crucial for making accurate decisions about animal welfare, but subjective affective (emotional) states are inaccessible for direct measurement. We know that negative affect modulates attention in humans and some animals. The overarching aim of this thesis is to investigate if the preferential attention allocation towards certain information (i.e. attention bias, AB) could be a potential proxy measure of affective valence in horses. First, I provide an overview of the theoretical background to attention and AB by reviewing the literature on AB in humans and animals (Chapter 2). I examine which methodological aspects need consideration when …

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Does Connectivity With Nature Alter Consumer Behaviour? Linking Ocean Connectedness And Consumer Views On Single-Use Packaging, Sohvi Katariina Nuojua Jan 2023

Does Connectivity With Nature Alter Consumer Behaviour? Linking Ocean Connectedness And Consumer Views On Single-Use Packaging, Sohvi Katariina Nuojua

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Single-use packaging items constitute a large proportion of the plastic litter found in the marine environment. Consumer behaviour is a key contributor to the accumulation of this pollution in the environment. This thesis outlines correlational and experimental research on consumer responses to environmentally relevant qualities of single-use packaging. Furthermore, it considers a novel concept of ocean connectedness as a psychological moderator of consumer response. Studies 1 and 2 investigated consumer responses to recyclability of packaging as well as its raw material (plastic, glass, carton and aluminium) in undergraduate students and in a broader UK public sample. Ocean connectedness was assessed …

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Assessing National Progress Of Mediterranean Countries In Shark Governance In The Context Of International Legal Obligations, Lydia Koehler Jan 2023

Assessing National Progress Of Mediterranean Countries In Shark Governance In The Context Of International Legal Obligations, Lydia Koehler

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

The work presented in this thesis introduces a conceptual framework for shark policy making against which national progress of Mediterranean coastal States in shark governance was assessed. A detailed assessment strategy was developed based on three distinct constructs, namely political commitment, research, and implementation effort. Based on multiple data sources (national reports under relevant conventions; policy documents; national legislation; online databases; scientific literature; and survey questionnaires to relevant government bodies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and national experts, designed as part of this assessment), individual differences between countries were determined and evaluated within the context of legal requirements under international and regional …

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Coastal Dune Dynamics Across Cornwall, Uk, L Brodie, G Masselink, C Stokes, J Saunders, Tim Poate, Tim Scott Jan 2023

Coastal Dune Dynamics Across Cornwall, Uk, L Brodie, G Masselink, C Stokes, J Saunders, Tim Poate, Tim Scott

More Faculty of Science and Engineering Research

No abstract provided.

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Three-Layer Model With Absorption For Conservative Estimation Of The Maximum Acoustic Transmission Coefficient Through The Human Skull For Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation, David Attali, Thomas Tiennot, Mark Schafer, Elsa Fouragnan, Jérôme Sallet, Charles F. Caskey, Robert Chen, Ghazaleh Darmani, Ellen J. Bubrick, Christopher Butler, Charlotte J. Stagg, Miriam Klein-Flügge, Lennart Verhagen, Seung Schik Yoo, Kim Butts Pauly, Jean Francois Aubry Jan 2023

Three-Layer Model With Absorption For Conservative Estimation Of The Maximum Acoustic Transmission Coefficient Through The Human Skull For Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation, David Attali, Thomas Tiennot, Mark Schafer, Elsa Fouragnan, Jérôme Sallet, Charles F. Caskey, Robert Chen, Ghazaleh Darmani, Ellen J. Bubrick, Christopher Butler, Charlotte J. Stagg, Miriam Klein-Flügge, Lennart Verhagen, Seung Schik Yoo, Kim Butts Pauly, Jean Francois Aubry

School of Psychology

Transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) has been shown to be a safe and effective technique for non-invasive superficial and deep brain stimulation. Safe and efficient translation to humans requires estimating the acoustic attenuation of the human skull. Nevertheless, there are no international guidelines for estimating the impact of the skull bone. A tissue independent, arbitrary derating was developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to take into account tissue absorption (0.3 dB/cm-MHz) for diagnostic ultrasound. However, for the case of transcranial ultrasound imaging, the FDA model does not take into account the insertion loss induced by the skull bone, nor …

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Decoding Brain Basis Of Laughter And Crying In Natural Scenes, Lauri Nummenmaa, Tuulia Malèn, Sanaz Nazari-Farsani, Kerttu Seppälä, Lihua Sun, Severi Santavirta, Henry K. Karlsson, Matthew Hudson, Jussi Hirvonen, Mikko Sams, Sophie Scott, Vesa Putkinen Jan 2023

Decoding Brain Basis Of Laughter And Crying In Natural Scenes, Lauri Nummenmaa, Tuulia Malèn, Sanaz Nazari-Farsani, Kerttu Seppälä, Lihua Sun, Severi Santavirta, Henry K. Karlsson, Matthew Hudson, Jussi Hirvonen, Mikko Sams, Sophie Scott, Vesa Putkinen

School of Psychology

Laughter and crying are universal signals of prosociality and distress, respectively. Here we investigated the functional brain basis of perceiving laughter and crying using naturalistic functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) approach. We measured haemodynamic brain activity evoked by laughter and crying in three experiments with 100 subjects in each. The subjects i) viewed a 20-minute medley of short video clips, and ii) 30 min of a full-length feature film, and iii) listened to 13.5 min of a radio play that all contained bursts of laughter and crying. Intensity of laughing and crying in the videos and radio play was annotated …

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What Bothers Severe Asthma Patients Most? A Paired Patient–Clinician Study Across Seven European Countries, Ben Ainsworth, Eleanor Chatburn, Aruna T. Bansal, Olivia Fulton, Dominique Hamerlijnck, Courtney Coleman, Katrien Eger, Michael Hyland, Joshua Holmes, Liam Heaney, Vratislav Sedlák, Sabina Škrgat, Natalija Edelbaher, Brinke A Ten, Celeste Porsbjerg, Mina Gaga, Claudia Loureiro, Ratko Djukanovic, Emmanuelle Berret, Namhee Kwon Jan 2023

What Bothers Severe Asthma Patients Most? A Paired Patient–Clinician Study Across Seven European Countries, Ben Ainsworth, Eleanor Chatburn, Aruna T. Bansal, Olivia Fulton, Dominique Hamerlijnck, Courtney Coleman, Katrien Eger, Michael Hyland, Joshua Holmes, Liam Heaney, Vratislav Sedlák, Sabina Škrgat, Natalija Edelbaher, Brinke A Ten, Celeste Porsbjerg, Mina Gaga, Claudia Loureiro, Ratko Djukanovic, Emmanuelle Berret, Namhee Kwon

School of Psychology

Introduction Severe asthma is a complex, multidimensional disease. Optimal treatment, adherence and outcomes require shared decision-making, rooted in mutual understanding between patient and clinician. This study used a novel, patient-centred approach to examine the most bothersome aspects of severe asthma to patients, as seen from both perspectives in asthma registries. Methods Across seven countries, 126 patients with severe asthma completed an open-ended survey regarding most the bothersome aspect(s) of their asthma. Patients’ responses were linked with their treating clinician who also completed a free-text survey about each patient’s most bothersome aspect(s). Responses were coded using content analysis, and patient and …

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Identifying Resilience Strategies For Disruption Management In The Healthcare Supply Chain During Covid-19 By Digital Innovations: A Systematic Literature Review, Goli Arji, Hossein Ahmadi, Pejman Avazpoor, Morteza Hemmat Jan 2023

Identifying Resilience Strategies For Disruption Management In The Healthcare Supply Chain During Covid-19 By Digital Innovations: A Systematic Literature Review, Goli Arji, Hossein Ahmadi, Pejman Avazpoor, Morteza Hemmat

School of Nursing and Midwifery

The worldwide spread of the COVID-19 disease has had a catastrophic effect on healthcare supply chains. The current manuscript systematically analyzes existing studies mitigating strategies for disruption management in the healthcare supply chain during COVID-19. Using a systematic approach, we recognized 35 related papers. Artificial intelligence (AI), block chain, big data analytics, and simulation are the most important technologies employed in supply chain management in healthcare. The findings reveal that the published research has concentrated mainly on generating resilience plans for the management of COVID-19 impacts. Furthermore, the vulnerability of healthcare supply chains and the necessity of establishing better resilience …

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Measuring The Effectiveness Of Using Rangers To Deliver A Behavior Change Campaign On Sustainable Palm Oil In A Uk Zoo, Katie Major, Daniel Smith Jan 2023

Measuring The Effectiveness Of Using Rangers To Deliver A Behavior Change Campaign On Sustainable Palm Oil In A Uk Zoo, Katie Major, Daniel Smith

School of Psychology

A fundamental objective of modern zoos is promoting pro-environmental behaviors. This study experimentally assessed the contribution of zoo rangers (staff employed to engage visitors) in delivering a behavior change campaign promoting sustainable palm oil use. The campaign was delivered in a dedicated area in a walk-through animal exhibit, with rangers either “present” or “absent” in the campaign space. Questionnaires assessing awareness, knowledge, and purchasing intentions were completed by 1032 visitors. Two analyses were conducted: (1) comparing the impact of ranger presence versus absence (to assess the overall impact of having rangers present regardless of whether they talked to visitors) and …

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Waterbodies Thermal Energy Based Systems Interactions With Marine Environment — A Review, Amir Bordbar, Konstantinos Georgoulas, Yong Ming Dai, Simone Michele, Frank Roberts, Nigel Carter, Yeaw Chu Lee Jan 2023

Waterbodies Thermal Energy Based Systems Interactions With Marine Environment — A Review, Amir Bordbar, Konstantinos Georgoulas, Yong Ming Dai, Simone Michele, Frank Roberts, Nigel Carter, Yeaw Chu Lee

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Waterbodies’ thermal energy potential, as a green, renewable, and limitless source of energy, can be exploited in response to the growing energy demands of islands and coastal cities. Up to now, the technologies that have been developed for this purpose include seawater air-conditioning, surface water heat pump, and ocean energy thermal conversion systems or their combinations, which are presented here as Waterbodies Thermal Energy Based Systems (WTEBSs). The growth and development of these technologies raise concerns regarding their potential impacts on sustainability of the marine environment. The present work provides a comprehensive review of the available literature and state-of-the-art technologies …

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Power Output Estimation Of A Two-Body Hinged Raft Wave Energy Converter Using Hf Radar Measured Representative Sea States At Wave Hub In The Uk, Daming Wang, Siya Jin, Martyn Hann, Daniel Conley, Keri Collins, Deborah Greaves Jan 2023

Power Output Estimation Of A Two-Body Hinged Raft Wave Energy Converter Using Hf Radar Measured Representative Sea States At Wave Hub In The Uk, Daming Wang, Siya Jin, Martyn Hann, Daniel Conley, Keri Collins, Deborah Greaves

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

For the physical model testing of wave energy converters (WECs) in the wave basin, it is necessary to test the models in a small number of sea states. Previously, the H – T binning method was widely used to determine the sea states that are representative of an ocean area. However, it omitted much useful information such as the wave directionality. In this paper, a novel method, the K-means clustering technique is used in combination with High Frequency (HF) radar measured data from Wave Hub, UK. The results show that K-means clustering method better preserves the characteristics of the ocean …

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Anti-Capsular Activity Of Cuo Nanoparticles Against Acinetobacter Baumannii Produce Efflux Pump, Israa M.S. Al-Kadmy, Sarah Naji Aziz, Ahmed Mahdi Rheima, Suhad Abbas Abid, Ahmed Suhail, Israa Hussein Hamzah, Eman N. Naji, Alexandros Besinis, Helal F. Hetta Jan 2023

Anti-Capsular Activity Of Cuo Nanoparticles Against Acinetobacter Baumannii Produce Efflux Pump, Israa M.S. Al-Kadmy, Sarah Naji Aziz, Ahmed Mahdi Rheima, Suhad Abbas Abid, Ahmed Suhail, Israa Hussein Hamzah, Eman N. Naji, Alexandros Besinis, Helal F. Hetta

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Copper oxide nanoparticles are modern kinds of antimicrobials, which may get a lot of interest in the clinical application. This study aimed to detect the anti-capsular activity of CuO nanoparticles against Acinetobacter baumannii produce efflux pump. Thirty-four different clinical A. baumannii isolates were collected and identified by the phenotypic and genetic methods by the recA gene as housekeeping. Antibiotic sensitivity and biofilm-forming ability, capsular formation were carried out. The effect of CuO nanoparticles on capsular isolates was detected, the synergistic effects of a combination CuO nanoparticles and gentamicin against A. baumannii were determined by micro broth checkerboard method, and the …

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Medical Diagnostic Value Of Digital Pcr (Dpcr): A Systematic Review, Sophia Nazir Jan 2023

Medical Diagnostic Value Of Digital Pcr (Dpcr): A Systematic Review, Sophia Nazir

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) is an emerging technique for the absolute quantification of target nucleic acids. dPCR got attention as a precise quantification tool in preclinical research, particularly when used to detect genetic mutations and result in highly precise measurements. In dPCR, the statistic of Poisson distribution was followed for the random distribution of molecules in different partitions, which is essential for dPCR quantification. Amplified target sequences in different partitions are identified by fluorescence and each partition functions as a separate PCR microreactor. Without the need for calibration, the percentage of PCR-positive partitions is sufficient to estimate the concentration …

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Biosensor For Rapid And Accurate Detection Of Cardiovascular Biomarkers: Progress And Prospects In Biosensors, Sophia Nazir, Rabail Azhar Iqbal Jan 2023

Biosensor For Rapid And Accurate Detection Of Cardiovascular Biomarkers: Progress And Prospects In Biosensors, Sophia Nazir, Rabail Azhar Iqbal

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

The primary cause of death worldwide is cardiovascular disease (CVD), which has a considerable mortality rate. It is essential to identify cardiac biomarkers and heartbeat signals early to lower mortality. Conventional CVD examinations require costly hospital equipment for standard CVD examinations and electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring, both of which take time and are inconvenient. Recently, interest in developing biosensing technologies for rapid CVD marker screening has increased. As a result of advancements in nanotechnology and bioelectronics, novel biosensor platforms are being created to achieve quick detection, precise quantification, and continuous monitoring during disease progression. Research is being done on chemical, electrochemical, …

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Recent Progress Of Molecular Diagnosis Via Crispr Cas-Based Biosensors And Bioassays, S. Nazir Jan 2023

Recent Progress Of Molecular Diagnosis Via Crispr Cas-Based Biosensors And Bioassays, S. Nazir

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

The immune systems of bacteria and archaea served as the inspiration for CRISPR/Cas technology, which won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for its achievements in genetic manipulation. Because of its enormous value globally, molecular diagnostics emerged as a fresh wave of diagnostic technologies. A growing number of studies have demonstrated the compatibility of CRISPR/Cas technology with biosensors and bioassays for molecular diagnostics. As highly precise, sensitive, easily programmable, and device-independent sensors, CRISPR-based detection has received a lot of interest. One of the most precise and sensitive diagnostic techniques is nucleic acid-based detection. It has the potential for detecting other …

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Investigation Of Microbiome Metabolites And Mitochondrial Function In A Model Of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Paula Boeira Jan 2023

Investigation Of Microbiome Metabolites And Mitochondrial Function In A Model Of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Paula Boeira

Peninsula Medical School Theses

Several dietary metabolites produced by gut bacteria have been linked to disease including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) and phenylacetic acid (PAA) are microbiome-derived metabolites that have been associated with early onset of NAFLD. Hypothesising that these metabolites contribute to lipid deposition in the liver by altering hepatic mitochondrial function, we assessed how TMAO and PAA affect hepatocyte bioenergetics in cell models of liver steatosis. Proliferative and differentiated HepaRG cells were cultured under standard conditions, and steatosis was established by 48h exposure to oleate and palmitate (2:1 molar ratio). Lipid accumulation was assessed by BODIPY™ staining and …

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