Digital Commons Network^™

Editorial: Improving Outcomes In Diabetic Foot Care - A Worldwide Perspective, Richard Paisey, José Luis Lázaro Martínez, Frances Game, Honda Hsu, Joanne Paton

School of Health Professions

No abstract provided.

Combined Effect Of Sprint Interval Training And Post-Exercise Blood Flow Restriction On Muscle Deoxygenation Responses During Ramp Incremental Cycling, Brynmor C. Breese, Stephen J. Bailey, Richard A. Ferguson

School of Biomedical Sciences

Purpose: This study investigated the effect of sprint-interval training combined with post-exercise blood flow restriction (i.e., SIT + BFR) on pulmonary gas exchange and microvascular deoxygenation responses during ramp incremental (RI) cycling. Methods: Nineteen healthy, untrained males (mean ± SD age: 24 ± 5 years; height: 178 ± 6 cm; body mass: 77.0 ± 10.7 kg) were assigned to receive 4 weeks of SIT or SIT + BFR. Before and after the intervention period, each participant completed a RI cycling test for determination of peak oxygen uptake (V˙O_2peak) and the gas exchange threshold (GET) with deoxygenated heme (Δdeoxy[heme]) …

The Phylogenetically Isolated South African Endemic Diving Beetle Caperhantus Cicurius (Fabricius, 1787): Redescription And Range Extensions (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Colymbetinae), David T Bilton, C.R. Turner, M.C. Mlambo

More Faculty of Science and Engineering Research

New distribution records and a redescription are presented for Caperhantus cicurius (Fabricius, 1787), a diving beetle endemic to the Cape region of South Africa, which is only distantly related to other Afrotropical dytiscids. We show that the species is much more widely distributed than previously recognized and present details of occupied habitats for the first time. Caperhantus cicurius occurs throughout the winter rainfall zone in South Africa, from Namaqualand to the Eastern Cape Province, particularly in temporary waters in the Fynbos and Succulent Karoo biomes.

Voicing Experiences Of Family Members Providing Care To Loved Ones With A Pituitary Condition, Carly Ellicott, Alyson Norman, Sue Jackson

School of Psychology

Introduction: This paper draws upon lived experiences of family members caring for a relative with a pituitary condition. The rationale for the study stems from the crucial role provided by informal, unpaid carers. Yet in the specific domain of pituitary care, they remain overlooked within empirical research. Therefore, the current study aimed to understand 1) the experiences of family members whose loved ones have a pituitary condition and 2) the information and support needs of family members. Materials and methods: Adopting a qualitative participatory approach, the study involved six family members, each of whom provided care for a loved one …

Homelessness And Sofa-Surfing: Everyday Belonging, Mobilities, Identities And Morals In Hidden Spaces Of Welfare, Kieran Green, Mark Holton, Richard Yarwood

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

This paper advances existing work on the geographies of homelessness by considering the phenomenon of sofa-surfing—defined as the practice of living in a host's home, without a right to reside, in the absence of more permanent accommodation—as a distinctive, and until recently somewhat hidden, form of homelessness. Examining sofa-surfing is important as it recognises the varied and intersecting spatial, temporal and mobility characteristics of vulnerable populations, often thought to be living at the margins of homelessness. Across the globe, the significant increase in sofa-surfing since the 2010s, coupled with the unique, and frequently hidden, movements between ‘host’ homes, and the …

Co-Creation Of Social Innovations For Healthy Ageing In Rural Europe–A Process Evaluation Of A Volunteer-Led Guided Conversation Toolkit Using Normalisation Process Theory (Npt), Mahrukh Mirza, Basharat Hussain, Shukru Esmene, Catherine Leyshon, Michael Leyshon, Arunangsu Chatterjee

Peninsula Medical School

We critically explored the use of Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) in the evaluation of a co-designed intervention toolkit for Healthy Ageing through Innovation in Rural Europe (HAIRE). The toolkit was co-designed and implemented in rural communities in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. NPT was applied as a novel analytical framework to shed light on key practices and processes that supported implementation. Further, the paper discusses how social innovation research helps frame co-designing such interventions with local communities. During the study, 25 semi-structured interviews were conducted with project partners and volunteers who were involved in toolkit co-design and …

Factors Associated With Dementia-Related Stigma In British Adolescents, Esra Hassan, Ben Hicks, Naji Tabet, Nicolas Farina

Peninsula Medical School

Background: Dementia-related stigma is a prominent barrier for people living with dementia, leading to poor well-being and social isolation. Adolescents are an under-researched group in society that may already have experience of dementia and are more susceptible to attitudinal change which makes them ideal targets for anti-stigma initiatives outlined by public health policy. For the development of evidence-based anti-stigma initiatives in adolescents, it is important to understand which socio-demographic groups are most likely to develop stigmatising attitudes and why. This study aims to identify factors of dementia-related stigma in adolescents. Methods: A total of 1,044 adolescents (aged 11–18 years) from …

Impaired Updating Of Working Memory Representations In Individuals With High Bmi: Evidence For Dopaminergic Mechanisms, Nadine Herzog, Hendrik Hartmann, Lieneke K. Janssen, Arsene Kanyamibwa, Maria Waltmann, Peter Kovacs, Lorenz Deserno, Sean Fallon, Arno Villringer, Annette Horstmann

School of Psychology

Everyday life requires an adaptive balance between distraction-resistant maintenance of information and the flexibility to update this information when needed. These opposing mechanisms are proposed to be balanced through a working memory gating mechanism. Prior research indicates that obesity may elevate the risk of working memory deficits, yet the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Dopaminergic abnormalities have emerged as a potential mediator. However, current models suggest these abnormalities should only shift the balance in working memory tasks, not produce overall deficits. The empirical support for this notion is currently lacking, however. To address this gap, we pooled data from three studies …

Inshore Fisheries And Conservation Authorities: Fisheries Regulator Or Environmental Backstop? The Complexities Of Section 153 Marine & Coastal Access Act 2009, Emma Bean, Jason Lowther, Mike Williams

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

Since the introduction of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (‘MCAA'), fishing within England's inshore marine area has been managed by Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs). The powers and duties of IFCAs are contained in section 153 of MCAA and include a conservation remit; requiring IFCAs to have regard to the sustainability of fisheries activities and to conservation of the inshore marine environment. The inclusion of conservation in the name of these bodies and references to sustainability in their duties leads to questions as to the scope of IFCAs’ remit in relation to conservation. An examination of the …

An Advocacy Based Cross Sectional Study Of Healthcare Professionals Of Factors Impacting On Medication Adherence Across Nine Sub-Saharan African Countries, Rohit Shankar

Peninsula Medical School

BackgroundAdherence to anti-seizure medication (ASM) by people diagnosed with epilepsy in sub-Saharan Africa remains low. The factors for low adherence are not well understood. To improve adherence, it is important to understand the perceptions and views of healthcare professionals delivering epilepsy care to this population. The aim was to investigate the factors influencing ASM adherence.MethodsThis study uses a brief online questionnaire which asked healthcare professionals (both from nursing and medical backgrounds) who work in sub-Saharan African countries to rate a set of pre-established options designed with the feedback of a local focus group of epilepsy experts from countries targeted. The …

Vulnerability, Resilience And Empowerment: The Tripartite Typology For Addressing Modern Slavery In Global Value Chains, Krzysztof Kubacki, Natalia Szablewska, Dariusz Siemieniako, Linda Brennan

Plymouth Business School

Purpose: Modern slavery in global value chains is an emerging topic of interest across various fields, including in international business, but is often fragmented in its approach. This study aims to provide a practical framework for studying relationships between participants in global value chains by exploring the nexus of three concepts – vulnerability, resilience and empowerment (VRE) – in the context of modern slavery. Design/methodology/approach: This article offers a deductive thematic analysis of 51 empirical and conceptual business research studies on modern slavery in global value chains published until mid-2021 according to the three categories of interest at the micro …

Developing The ‘Life Threads’ Approach To Support Families After Traumatic Brain Injury In Uk Community Settings: Protocol For A Qualitative Pre-Feasibility Study., Charlotte Whiffin, Caroline Ellis-Hill, Alyson Norman, Morag Lee, Pam Singh, Jo Clark-Wilson, Audrey Daisley, Natasha Yasmin, Mark Holloway, Sara Rose, Fergus Gracey

School of Psychology

INTRODUCTION: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) brings about inevitable and significant changes for family members. Mental health effects for family members are well documented but there are significant gaps in support options across services. Here, we describe our protocol for a study that seeks to investigate the potential for a narrative, creative approach, the 'Life Threads' approach, as a low intensity, accessible means of support that can be applied across service contexts.

METHODS: We will recruit 20 family members of someone who sustained a TBI from services in an area of the UK with a diverse demographic. Family members will be …

Electron Microscopy Characterization Of King Scallop (Pecten Maximus) Shells From Low-Voltage Sem To 3d-Ebsd Reconstruction, Lise Guichaoua, Benazir Khurshid, Arnaud Benchetrite, Stéphanie Bessette, Bryce Stewart, Natalie Reznikov, Roland Kröger, Raynald Gauvin

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

Editorial: Artificial Intelligence And Cybersecurity In Pervasive Computing, Ji-Jian Chin

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Pervasive computing, or ubiquitous computing, is rapidly increasing in capacity and capabilities. With the Internet of Things (IoT) becoming an integral part of daily life and the growing availability of edge computing resources, automation guided by data is advancing applications in healthcare, manufacturing, automotive, and other areas. It's natural that pervasive computing will intersect with artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity. AI can improve detection, prediction, and anticipative responses to human needs, while cybersecurity addresses topics like misuse prevention, ethics, policies, and governance. This issue features seven articles on these intersections, including four AI articles exploring natural language processing and computer …

Do Linear Clearings In Boreal Peatlands Recover? Comparing Taxonomic, Phylogenetic, And Functional Plant Diversity, Ellie M. Goud, Scott J. Davidson, Anna Dabros, Kimberly Kleinke, Megan A. Schmidt, Maria Strack

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Land-use changes and anthropogenic disturbances are major threats to biodiversity, affecting ecosystem function and recovery. In boreal Alberta, Canada, petroleum development has led to extensive landscape fragmentation, notably through linear clearings created for seismic exploration that remove surface vegetation and microtopography. Despite partial recovery on forested seismic lines, peatland recovery is often arrested, impacting wildlife and carbon dynamics. Restoration efforts employ silviculture techniques to create microtopography and foster tree growth, but the efficacy of restoration treatments in restoring peatland plant diversity remains uncertain. We compared taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity of understory plant communities across treated and untreated seismic lines, …

Knowledge Discovery Of Patients Reviews On Breast Cancer Drugs: Segmentation Of Side Effects Using Machine Learning Techniques, Mehrbakhsh Nilashi, Hossein Ahmadi, Rabab Ali Abumalloh, Mesfer Alrizq, Abdullah Alghamdi, Sultan Alyami

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Breast cancer stands as the most frequently diagnosed life-threatening cancer among women worldwide. Understanding patients' drug experiences is essential to improving treatment strategies and outcomes. In this research, we conduct knowledge discovery on breast cancer drugs using patients’ reviews. A new machine learning approach is developed by employing clustering, text mining and regression techniques. We first use Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) technique to discover the main aspects of patients' experiences from the patients’ reviews on breast cancer drugs. We also use Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm to segment the data based on patients’ overall satisfaction. We then use the Forward Entry Regression …

Comparing Self-Report Medication Data From A Longitudinal Study On Intellectual Disability And National Dispensing Records, Rohit Shankar

Peninsula Medical School

BackgroundMedication data are a valuable resource in epidemiological studies. As the most common data collection method of medication data is self-report, it is important to understand the accuracy of this in comparison with other methods such as dispensing records. The aim of this study was to compare the agreement between two different sources of medication data of older adults with intellectual disability (ID).MethodsSelf-report medication data were gathered from the Intellectual Disability Supplement to the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing and linked to national pharmacy dispensing records. The kappa statistic was used to measure agreement between the two data sources for …

Buried Ice-Wedge Pseudomorphs As Indicators Of Younger Dryas Climate-Related Lake Evolution, Dali Lake, Inner Mongolia, Xiangge Zhang, Martin Stokes, Xujiao Zhang, Haoyue Zhang, Zexin He, Yifan Wang, Lingyue Wang, Haoshu Rao, Long Deng, Jingmin Guo, Junlei Li, Mingzhong Tian, Junxiang Zhao

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Ice wedges / pseudomorphs (IWPs) are key indicators of cold-climate (periglacial) frozen ground conditions. Their occurrence within the sedimentary sequences of lacustrine landforms can provide important evidence about palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic change. However, research using lake sediments in a geomorphological context to investigate climate change is limited. Here, we use newly discovered IWPs developed within lake sediment sequences to explore climate-related lake-level fluctuations in the Dali Lake region, a key area of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) system that drives Quaternary hydroclimate variability across East Asia. The IWPs penetrate down through clay-silt lake sediments and are overlain by coarser-fossiliferous, …

The Impact Of Virtual Reality Exposure On Ocean Connectedness And Consumer Responses To Single-Use Packaging, Sohvi Nuojua, Sabine Pahl, Kayleigh Wyles, Richard Thompson

School of Psychology

Efforts to mitigate plastic packaging pollution include behavioural strategies aimed at shifting consumer perceptions and behaviour. Connectedness to nature, and more recently ocean connectedness, has been associated with pro-environmental intentions regarding single-use packaging. Two experimental studies were conducted to examine the potential of Virtual Reality (VR) technologies in promoting ocean connectedness and shifting consumer perceptions around packaging and its environmental qualities. To assess the influence of the VR content, in Study 1 (n = 94), participants were briefly exposed to an oceanic VR environment or an urban VR experience. Levels of ocean connectedness, both explicit and implicit, were measured after …

Cyber-Securing Medical Devices Using Machine Learning: A Case Study Of Pacemaker, Shaymaa Al-Juboori, Suliat Jimoh

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

This study aims to enhance the cybersecurity framework of pacemaker devices by identifying vulnerabilities and recommending effective strategies. The objectives are to pinpoint cybersecurity weaknesses, utilize machine learning to predict security breaches, and propose countermeasures based on analytical trends. The literature review highlights the transformation of pacemaker technology from basic, fixed-rate devices to sophisticated systems with wireless capabilities, which, while improving patient care, also introduce significant cybersecurity risks. These risks include unauthorized entry, data breaches, and life-threatening device malfunctions. The methodology in this study utilizes a quantitative research approach using the WUSTL-EHMS-2020 dataset, which includes network traffic features, patients' biometric …

Impact Of Healthcare Education On Preferences For Electronic Health Records: Results From National Survey Of Patient Users In Sweden, Anna Kharko, Jamie Linnea Luckhaus, Charlotte Blease, Åsa Cajander, Josefin Hagström, Bridget T. Kane, Gunnar O. Klein, Sari Kujala, Jonas Moll, Isabella Scandurra, Maria Hägglund

School of Psychology

Electronic health records (EHR) are continuously evolving to better meet user needs, but the process is complicated by healthcare professionals and patients often disagreeing on priority areas of development. While this may be due to differences between professional and personal experiences, little is known whether specialist healthcare knowledge also affects user needs when using EHRs as patients. To investigate this, we analysed the responses of patient users in Sweden from the NORDeHEALTH 2022 Patient Survey. In the survey, respondents indicated whether they had healthcare education, and rated how useful various EHR information types and functions are. Average ratings were comparable …

Physical, Cognitive, Emotional, And Social Health Outcomes Of Children In The First 6 Months After Childhood Critical Illness: A Prospective Single-Center Study, Pei-Fen Poh, Jan Hau Lee, Rehena Sultana, Joseph C. Manning, Matthew C. Carey, Jos M. Latour

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Objectives: To describe physical, cognitive, emotional, and social health outcomes of children and their trajectory in the first 6 months after PICU discharge.Design: Prospective, longitudinal observational cohort study.Setting: PICU in a tertiary pediatric hospital in Singapore from January 2021 to June 2022.Patients: One hundred thirty-five children (1 mo to 18 yr), admitted for greater than or equal to 48 hours with at least one organ dysfunction and received PICU therapy.Interventions: None.Measurements and Main Results: Serial self/parent proxy-reported assessments were obtained at: PICU admission, PICU discharge, and 1, 3, and 6 months after PICU discharge. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory …

Meson Spectroscopy From Spectral Densities In Lattice Gauge Theories, Ed Bennett, Luigi Del Debbio, Niccolò Forzano, Ryan C. Hill, Deog Ki Hong, Ho Hsiao, Jong Wan Lee, C. J.David Lin, Biagio Lucini, Alessandro Lupo, Maurizio Piai, Davide Vadacchino, Fabian Zierler

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Spectral densities encode nonperturbative information that enters the calculation of a plethora of physical observables in strongly coupled field theories. Phenomenological applications encompass aspects of standard-model hadronic physics, observable at current colliders, as well as correlation functions characterizing new physics proposals, testable in future experiments. By making use of numerical data produced in a Sp(4) lattice gauge theory with matter transforming in an admixture of fundamental and 2-index antisymmetric representations of the gauge group, we perform a systematic study to demonstrate the effectiveness of recent technological progress in the reconstruction of spectral densities.To this purpose, we write and test new …

Perceived Employability Of International Doctoral Students In The Uk: Applying Bronfenbrenner’S Ecological Systems Theory, Fa Wang, Rong Huang, Wai Mun Lim, Jinhua Zhang

Plymouth Business School

The quality of the UK’s doctorate training system plays a fundamental role in fostering vibrant research outputs and attracting global talent. However, while maintaining a consistently high standard of quality remains static and challenging, little is known about how the employability of international doctorate students is shaped and at what juncture it is opportune to support their employability during their research studies. This paper aims to understand the employability of international doctoral students within business schools at British universities, drawing on Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory as a framework. The qualitative study involves 15 international doctoral students from 9 business …

Whole Genome Analyses Of Introgression In British And Irish Apis Mellifera Mellifera, Victoria G. Buswell, J. Vanessa Huml, Jonathan S. Ellis, Andrew Brown, Mairi E. Knight

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

The Western honey bee, Apis mellifera (A. mellifera) Linnaeus, is one of the world’s most economically important pollinators. Conserving genetic resources in this species is therefore of significant value. Despite this, little attention has been paid to the potential erosion of locally adapted genetic variants by transhumance of particular subspecies favoured by beekeepers. In particular, introgression and hybridisation by repeated backcrossing can disrupt naturally-selected allele combinations and therefore erode local adaptation. Here we use whole genome sequencing (WGS) to assess levels of introgression in the native subspecies Apis mellifera mellifera (A. m. mellifera) across a wide geographical scale in Britain …

Literature Review Of Maritime Cyber Security: The First Decade, Avanthika Vineetha Harish, Kimberly Tam, Kevin Jones

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

This is a comprehensive review of the current body of work for cyber security in the marine and maritime sectors. Reviews are useful as a field develops, both for those new to the field, and those contributing to a section of the existing body of work. This looks at the phases of research, from exploratory and positional papers in the early 2010s, to the more recent experimental research, and how ``maritime cyber security" has branched into subtopics addressing human factors, policy, law, cyber-physical security, and more. In addition to different topics of research, this comprehensive review summaries the focus of …

Ethical Frameworks And Global Health: A Narrative Review Of The “Leave No One Behind” Principle, Daniela Oehring, Poorna Gunasekera

School of Health Professions

The “Leave No One Behind” (LNOB) principle, a fundamental commitment of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizes the urgent need to address and reduce global health inequalities. As global health initiatives strive to uphold this principle, they face significant ethical challenges in balancing equity, resource allocation, and diverse health priorities. This narrative review critically examines these ethical dilemmas and their implications for translating LNOB into actionable global health strategies. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Semantic Scholar, covering publications from January 1990 to April 2024. The review included peer-reviewed articles, gray literature, …

Teaching Of Magnification In The Undergraduate Curriculum: A Position Statement From The British Endodontic Society Teachers Of Endodontology Group, W. Mclean, A. J.E. Qualtrough, Alexandra Coleman, Alyn Morgan, Aylin Baysan, Carol Tait, Conor Mclister, Damian Kavanagh, Damian O’Conner, Edward Longbottom, Emad Moawad, Erlind Pepla, Garrit Koller, Ewen Mccoll, Gillian Boswell, Graham Quilligan, Iad Gharib, Ian Jones, James Donn, James Hyde, Jenny Good, Jill Butler, Joshua Scaife, Kate Blundell, Mark Barber, Mary Freda-Howley, Mustafa Al Agha, Nargis Sonde, Nick Longridge, Obyda Essam

Peninsula Dental School

This position statement on undergraduate teaching on the use of magnification in endodontics represents the consensus of the British Endodontic Society Teachers of Endodontology Group. Current clinical and scientific evidence, as well as the expertise of the committee, has been used to develop this statement. The contributors to this position statement consider, as a minimum requirement, the use of dental loupes in non-surgical endodontics at undergraduate level. It is recommended that the use of dental loupes should be integrated into endodontic clinical skills training and the performance of endodontic treatment in the undergraduate curriculum.

Assessment Of Genetic Diversity By Phenological Traits, Field Performance, And Start Codon Targeted (Scot) Polymorphism Marker Of Seventeen Soybean Genotypes (Glycine Max L.), Mahmoud Abdel-Sattar, Ehab M. Zayed, Mohamed K. Abou-Shlell, Hail Z. Rihan, Ahmed A. Helal, Nabil E.G. Mekhaile, Ghada E. El-Badan

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

The Egyptian-farmed soybeans have a wide range of genetic diversity which is most important in plant improvement programs in order to develop new higher yielding soybean genotypes. The present study is designed to determine the genetic variability among seventeen genotypes of cultivated soybean (Glycine max L.) by examining the phenotypic level at the seedling stage, field performance over two years 2022/2023 and genetically using Start Codon Targeted (SCoT) markers. Results indicated that the SCoT markers, 100 seed weight, and tip angle (TA) traits were positively correlated with H2L12, DR 101, H15L5, and H117 genotypes. In addition, the number of branches …

Fathers At Work—Forfeits, Deficits And Disregarding Discourse, Jasmine Kelland, Andy Brown, Nicola Searle

Plymouth Business School

Existing research observes that fathers navigate the workplace through a complex network of mistreatment, adopting “ground breaker discourse” as a mechanism by which to maintain alignment with masculine norms to reduce mistreatment. Through analysis of online forum comments in response to a UK newspaper article exploring fathers and masculinity, this research investigates if “fatherhood forfeits” and the “patriarchal deficit” are evident in this context and how they are navigated. The research affirms the existence of “fatherhood forfeits” and the “patriarchal deficit,” uncovering an additional forfeit of “impeded attractiveness.” Additionally, it expands knowledge regarding the way in which fathers maintain hegemonic …