Digital Commons Network^™

The Volume And Characteristics Of Research On Gastrointestinal Symptoms In ‘Natural’ Peri- And Postmenopause:: A Scoping Review, Naomi Shaw, Rebecca Abbott, Clare Pettinger

School of Health Professions

BACKGROUND: Menopause has been linked to an array of symptoms, often with adverse effects on quality of life, work and relationships. Despite evidence of economic and social impacts, and a growing population of menopausal individuals, there are significant gaps in knowledge regarding menopause. Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in peri- and postmenopause are areas of uncertainty that warrant further investigation.

OBJECTIVES: Following JBI guidance, this scoping review aimed to systematically map research on GI symptoms in 'natural' peri- and postmenopause, exploring the volume and conduct of research, and variables investigated that could influence symptom experience.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Studies assessing GI symptoms (constipation, …

Fragile Balance: Managing Bone Health In People With Intellectual Disability And Epilepsy, An English Multi-Site Study, Rohit Shankar

Peninsula Medical School

BackgroundPeople with intellectual disability (ID) experience poorer health outcomes than the general population, with epilepsy and polypharmacy contributing to further risks. Bone health is a neglected area, despite the established association between antiseizure medications (ASMs), especially those cautioned by the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and reduced bone mineral density. We aimed to evaluate prescribing practices, fracture risk, and bone health management in adults with ID and epilepsy attending specialist ID services.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted across three English specialist ID epilepsy services between August 2021–August 2022. Data were collected from case-note review, including ASM prescribing, falls …

Unraveling Historical Carbon Records Of Zostera Marina Seagrass Meadows: High-Resolution Analysis, Dating, And Methodological Evaluation Of Deep Sediment Cores, Jessica A. Cramp, Jodie K. Fisher, Geoff E. Millward, Siân E. Rees, William Blake, Mark Parry, Martin J. Attrill

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Understanding long-term carbon storage in temperate seagrass habitats is crucial for assessing their role as a “nature-based” climate solution. However, many studies often use shallow cores, low-resolution analyses, and inconsistent methodologies, limiting the ability to infer large-scale carbon storage potential. This study presents the first high-resolution carbon analysis of temperate seagrass sediments to 3 m depth and provides first estimates of sediment and carbon accumulation rates for UK subtidal meadows. Three sediment vibrocores were collected from a subtidal Zostera marina meadow at Drakes Island, Plymouth Sound, UK. High-resolution sampling at 1 cm intervals in the upper meter, and every 5 …

Newspapers And Schooling: A Comparative Field Analysis Of England And Germany, Christian Herzog, Peter Kelly

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

This study establishes a field analytic approach for investigating and comaparing the influence of the print news media on educational politics in England and Germany. We identify cases from each country where national, regional and local newspapers act as intermediaries between actors engaged in discussions about schools and then subject these to field analyses focused on the form and content of press coverage. This allows us to identify in each country the role of newspapers as sites of political debate, as political actors and as shapers of public opinion.

Multi-Year Tracking Of European Sea Bass Shows Large-Scale Connectivity, Summer Site Fidelity, And Repeatability In Migration Timing, Jena E. Edwards, Allert I. Bijleveld, Anthonie D. Buijse, Peter Davies, Alice E. Hall, Jeroen Huisman, Inge Van Der Knaap, Melanie P. Meijer Zu Schlochtern, Jan Reubens, Emma V. Sheehan, Thomas Stamp, Hendrik V. Winter

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Movement data are essential to the effective conservation and management of migratory species. European sea bass, an ecologically and economically important migratory species in the northeast Atlantic, has expanded its range northward in recent decades. However, the dynamics of its large-scale and seasonal movement patterns across much of its range remain poorly understood. Notably, increasing sea bass abundance in the Wadden Sea, amidst widespread population declines across its broader range, highlights the potential significance of seasonal habitats for the species’ overall stability. We used acoustic telemetry to explore the importance of northern summer foraging grounds for sea bass, including examination …

Parental And Staff Experiences Of Participation In The Report-Bpd Feasibility Study: Insights From An Embedded Qualitative Research, Wisam Muhsen, Ana Guillot-Lozano, Jos M. Latour

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Highlights: What are the main findings? Parents exhibited a clear understanding of the study’s aims and procedures and expressed confidence in its safety, whereas healthcare professionals displayed inconsistent awareness. Both parents and staff valued participation, highlighted emotional and logistical challenges in the neonatal unit environment, and offered practical suggestions to improve future neonatal research engagement. What are the implications of the main findings? Sustained, multi-directional communication is essential to maintain staff engagement and ensure consistent understanding across all research stakeholders. Embedding family-centred, emotionally supportive strategies—such as structured reflective tools and timely feedback—can enhance ethical recruitment, retention, and data quality in …

Beyond The Diagnosis: Creativity, Compassion, And Clinical Insight In Dental Education, Casper Jonker, Lambert Sofia, Sema Halis, Leah Harper, Wendy Smith

Peninsula Dental School

No abstract provided.

Radiome: An Automated Home-Based Radio, Music Playlist, And Diary Reminder System: Report On Recruitment, Music Compilation, And Listening, And Preliminary Testing Of Heart Rate Activated Music, Alexander Street, Paul Fernie, Jorg Christfried Fachner, Patrizia Di Campli San Vito, Nicolas Farina, Ming Hung Hsu, Leonardo Muller, Stephen Brewster, Sube Banerjee, Alexis Kirke, Hari Shaji, Paulo Itaborai, Eduardo Reck Miranda

Peninsula Medical School

Background: One of the leading reasons for early admission to a care home in dementia is the escalation of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), and music listening can help regulate these symptoms.Aims: RadioMe was a project designed for people living at home with dementia to build a system to help them maintain the highest quality of life there for as long as possible, with three functional components: 1. Streaming radio; 2. Providing pre-recorded spoken diary reminders; 3. interrupting the radio with pre-compiled playlists when a wrist-worn heart rate (HR) monitor detects stress. This article reports on the first two stages of this …

On The Ecological Impact Of Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherers In Europe: Early Holocene (Mesolithic) And Last Interglacial (Neanderthal) Foragers Compared, Anastasia Nikulina, Anhelina Zapolska, Maria Antonia Serge, Didier M. Roche, Florence Mazier, Marco Davoli, Elena A. Pearce, Jens Christian Svenning, Dave Van Wees, Ralph Fyfe, Katharine Macdonald, Wil Roebroeks, Fulco Scherjon

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Recent studies have highlighted evidence of human impact on landscapes dating back to the Late Pleistocene–long before the advent of agriculture. Quantifying the extent of vegetation transformations by hunter-gatherers remains a major research challenge. We address this challenge by comparing climate-based potential natural vegetation cover with pollen-based vegetation reconstructions for the Last Interglacial and the Early Holocene. Differences between these datasets suggest that climate alone cannot fully explain the pollen-based vegetation patterns in Europe during these periods. To explore this issue, we used an upgraded version of the HUMan impact on LANDscapes (HUMLAND) agent-based model (ABM), combined with a genetic …

Supporting Men As Fathers: The Value Of A Uk Community Dads’ Project During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Ian Blackwell, Rebecca Carter Dillon

More Faculty of Health Research

This paper presents a study of a community dads’ project during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were gathered via a questionnaire, semi-structured interviews and by attending eleven on-line Conversation Cafés. Men described how the project supported and affirmed their fathering practices as they were able to speak with other father figures about their challenges, to celebrate the rewards of parenting, and to socialise with others. Participants described how their confidence was enhanced and their identity as a father was validated through successful solo parenting activities, opportunities to bond with their child, by creating shared memories, and by being playful and physically …

Occurrence Of Delphinids Off Egmont Atoll, Chagos Archipelago: Detection, Characterisation, And Temporal Variability Of Vocalisations, Udayanga Sampath, Clare B Embling, Danielle V Harris, Tom B Letessier, Isha Shyam, Simon N Ingram, M F M Fairoz, Samina Sharmin Rouf, Asha De Vos

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Passive acoustic monitoring techniques are useful for studying vocally active marine species, particularly in remote and difficult to access areas. In this study, three months of acoustic recordings were collected off Egmont Atoll, Chagos Archipelago in the central Indian Ocean to detect, characterise, and investigate temporal variability of delphinid whistles. A subsample (3.6% of the total dataset) was used to manually annotate whistles and test automated whistle detectors. Higher frequency whistles (6-25 kHz, n = 126) were manually classified into six categories: upsweep (56%), convex (19%), downsweep (13%), concave (5%), sine (4%), and constant frequency (3%). An automated whistle detector …

Height And Phytotelm Size Affect The Invertebrate Communities Of Epiphytic Bromeliads In The Amazon Rainforest, Xaali O'Reilly-Berkeley, Alex Pazmiño-Palomino, Andrea Hidalgo-Cárdenas, Sofía I. Trujillo-Regalado, Hannah Mossman, Jennifer K. Rowntree, Richard F. Preziosi

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Tank bromeliads are found in rainforests across the Neotropics and harbour diverse invertebrate communities between their leaf axes. Various factors influence the invertebrate species richness and differences in composition in bromeliad phytotelmata, most notably, habitat size. However, there has been little work on invertebrate communities in bromeliads in western Amazonia or at different heights in the canopy. We collected 63 epiphytic bromeliads (Aechmea hoppii (Harms) L.B.Sm, A. nidularioides L.B.Sm) on the eastern edge of the Tropical Andes Biodiversity Hotspot in Ecuador and explored which biological and physical variables explained the differences in invertebrate composition among bromeliads. We extracted a total …

User Behaviour Prediction In E-Commerce Using Logistic Regression, Wei-Wen Lee, Noramiza Hashim, Shaymaa Al-Juboori

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

From a psychological perspective, human behaviourreflectsunderlyingthoughtsand decision-making patterns, for example, consumer behaviour may correlate with the purchase decisions. In the fast-evolving e-commerce industry, predicting user behaviouris essential for enhancing marketing strategies, improving customer experiences, and increasing sales. However, traditional heuristic (e.g.market basket analysis) approaches to analysebuyer behaviour are often rigid and fail to adapt to complex consumer interactions. This research work develops a predictive model that analysesuser behaviour based on data such as historical purchasing patterns and demographic attributes. Based on a review of previous studies, Logistic Regression (LR) is utilized as theprimarymachine learning algorithm to estimate the likelihood of …

The Use Of Social Prescribing And Community-Based Wellbeing Activities As A Potential Prevention And Early Intervention Pathway To Improve Adolescent Emotional And Social Development: A Systematic Mapping Review, Siobhan B. Mitchell, Lucy Cartwright, Alex Gude, Alison Bethel, Harriet Hunt, Jane R. Smith, Daniel Hayes, Marcello Bertotti, Paul Jarvis-Beesley, Vashti Berry, Kerryn Husk

Peninsula Medical School

BACKGROUND: Social prescribing (SP) initiatives which aim to connect individuals to community-based assets have received increased research and policy attention, however schemes have mostly centred on adults. There is little research examining how social prescribing might work for children and young people (CYP), and specifically, what pathways into social prescribing look like for this group.

METHODS: We conducted a systematic mapping review to understand what social prescribing pathways look like for CYP. Searches were carried out in February 2022. We reviewed published journal articles and grey literature on pathways for CYP accessing activities or services in the community. We synthesised …

Wave Impacts On Vertical Cliffs: Insights From Laboratory Experiments And Field Observations, Yaxiong Shen, Colin N. Whittaker, Catriona F. Thompson, Alison C. Raby, Adam P. Young, Mark E. Dickson

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Many engineered and natural coastal structures suffer frequent damage from wave impacts. Motivated by field observations of wave impacts on coastal cliffs, we undertake controlled physical experiments with synchronised measurements of wave properties and their impacts on a vertical structure representing a cliff. Laboratory experiments using focused wave groups show that, in the investigated scenarios, large impacts occur within a relatively narrow phase range (−30° to 35°), covering ∼20% of the full phase range. Our irregular wave experiments indicate that ∼30% of waves break onto or near the cliff face, although not all these breaking waves result in large impacts. …

Plio-Quaternary Coastal Uplift Along The Western Iberian Margin: Insights From Dated Marine Terraces (Peniche, Portugal), M Gouveia, Pp Cunha, A Martins, Martin Stokes, A Gomes, Christophe Falguères, Pierre Voinchet, Jean-Jacques Bahain, Telom Pereira, Silvério Figueiredo, Qingfeng Shao, Olivier Tombret

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

This study presents a detailed geomorphological and geochronological analysis of a marine terrace staircase developed into the Peniche Peninsula (Portugal), a rocky headland of Jurassic carbonate bedrock located in the central sector of the Western Iberian passive margin. The marine terrace levels are described morphologically and sedimentologically, but also dated using ESR and U-Series methodologies. The marine terrace staircase comprises six emerged levels ranging from 4 m (above mean sea level, asl) (Tm6) to 24–28 m asl (Tm1), inset into a summit wave-cut platform at 29–45 m asl (Pm). The marine terrace sediments are composed of rounded boulders to cobbles …

An Exploration Of The Career Choices Of Nursing And Midwifery Students In A Uk University: A Survey, Kevin Hambridge, Frazer Underwood, Gosia Bettache, Matt Carey, Mohamed Eid, Lisa Burrows, Christian Brailsford, Rachel Tims

School of Nursing and Midwifery

AbstractBackground:There is a worldwide shortage of nurses, so an increase in the supply of graduating nurses is needed. Little is known about nursing students' career choices and the reasons why certain jobs, specialties and locations are chosen. Gaining a better understanding of these choices could help healthcare employers to plan the nursing workforce of the future.Aims:The study explored the career choices of nursing and midwifery students.Methods:A convenience sample of 163 final-year nursing, midwifery and nursing associate students responded to an online survey exploring career choices.Findings:Most students (87.1%; n=142) had secured their first job, with the vast majority staying in the …

Implementing Recommendations To Optimise Professional Support In The Medical Workplace: A Participatory Approach, E. Reynolds, H. Lloyd, J. Cleland, Geoffrey Wong, L. Withers, T. Price, T. Gale, N. Brennan

Peninsula Medical School

Introduction: The professional support (including remediation) of practising doctors has not been widely researched, and there have been no studies to date that have implemented evidence-based recommendations about support and remediation in the medical workplace. Our goal was to bridge the gap between research and practice in respect of optimising the delivery of professional support programmes for doctors in their workplace.Methods: We used a participatory-action research (PAR) approach to implement recommendations from a previous study, RESTORE 1, in five UK sites: two hospitals, two professional support units and a professional support body. Informed by observations and interviews, we conducted a …

Comparative Responsiveness Of Preference-Based Health-Related Quality Of Life, Social Care, And Well-Being Measures In The Context Of Multiple Sclerosis, Elizabeth Goodwin, Amy Heather, Nia Morrish, Jenny Freeman, Kate Boddy, Sarah Thomas, Jeremy Chataway, Rod Middleton, Annie Hawton

School of Health Professions

Objectives: To provide evidence on the responsiveness of social care and well-being preference-based measures (PBMs) compared with health-related quality of life PBMs in the context of multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: The ICEpop CAPability measure for Adults (ICECAP-A) and Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT) were completed online in September 2019, March 2020, September 2020, via the UK MS Register. Responses were linked to EQ-5D-3L and MS Impact Scale-8 Dimensions (MSIS-8D) values, and to MS Walking Scale-12, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Fatigue Severity Scale scores. Responsiveness was assessed in relation to minimal important differences on MS Walking Scale-12, …

Development Of A Natural Language Processing Application For Lgbtq+ Status In Mental Health Records, Margaret Heslin, Jaya Chaturvedi, Anne Marie Bonnici Mallia, Ace Taaca, Diogo Pontes, Charvi Saraswat, Charlotte Woodhead, Katharine Rimes, David Chandran, Jyoti Sanyal, Ruimin Ma, Robert Stewart, Angus Roberts

School of Psychology

BackgroundLesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and related community (LGBTQ+) individuals have significantly increased risk for mental health problems. However, research on inequalities in LGBTQ+ mental healthcare is limited because LGBTQ+ status is usually only contained in unstructured, free-text sections of electronic health records.AimsThis study investigated whether natural language processing (NLP), specifically the large language model, Bi-directional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT), can identify LGBTQ+ status from this unstructured text in mental health records.MethodUsing electronic health records from a large mental healthcare provider in south London, UK, relevant search terms were identified and a random sample of 10 000 strings extracted. …

Using Entrustment-Supervision Scales In Anaesthetic Assessments, William Hughes, Helen Westall, Tom Gale

Peninsula Medical School

No abstract provided.

Young Carers In Early Childhood - Exploring Experience With The Power Threat Meaning Framework, Carly Ellicott, Alyson Norman, Helen Lloyd, Felicity Dewsbery, Sarah Jones, Shoshana Jones

School of Psychology

This paper presents the first exploration of young carers in early childhood (YCEC), in the context of whole family support, through the application of the Power Threat Meaning Framework (PTMF). Existing contributions to young carer research have shaped social policy, legislation, and practice concerned with whole family approaches to the identification, assessment, and support for young carers globally. To date, the literature has predominantly focused on young carers in middle childhood to young adulthood, contributing to socially constructed Eurocentric ideologies of who young carers are likely to be. As such, YCEC remain disempowered in broader young carer and family science …

The Xeremies Of The Banda Municipal De Barcelona: From The Symphonic Turn Of The Cobla To The Invention Of The Barítona, Nuria Bonet, Albert Fontelles-Ramonet

School of Art, Design and Architecture

During the early twentieth century, Catalonia experienced a period of great cultural and musical development through the Noucentisme movement, which aimed to elevate its national culture to a symbol of high art. The xeremies (shawms) of the cobla ensemble, which played the sardana genre, were integrated into symphonic and chamber repertoire. This required the technical improvement of the tible (treble) and tenora (tenor) xeremies, but also encouraged the invention of new instruments in the shawm family. The barítona (baritone shawm) was premiered in 1930 by the Banda Municipal de Barcelona and represents a milestone in Catalan music in the tumultuous …

Creating Culture: Enabling Research-Active Practitioners To Thrive, Elizabeth Rajan, Philippa Clay, Shani Ackford, Katherine Broomfield

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: DELIVERING A RESEARCH SKILLED WORKFORCE SPECIAL EDITION

Establishing A Large Public Involvement Network For A Chronic Pain Research Consortium In The Uk, Sharon Grieve, Rosie Harrison, Noureen Shivji, Ian Taverner, Colin Wilkinson, Jo Lloyd, Carolyn Chew-Graham, Candy Mccabe, Ellen Readman, Lisa Austin, Adele Higginbottom, Ed Keogh

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: DELIVERING A RESEARCH SKILLED WORKFORCE SPECIAL EDITION

Getubetter Lockout Report Evaluation, Samantha Jenkins, Emma Lees, Sharon Viol, Simon Ingram, Faye Goodwin

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: DELIVERING A RESEARCH SKILLED WORKFORCE SPECIAL EDITION

Occupational Therapy Research Cafes – A Novel Route To Embed Research Into Practice, Mary Harvey

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: DELIVERING A RESEARCH SKILLED WORKFORCE SPECIAL EDITION

So, What Does Well-Being Mean To You? The Understanding Of Well-Being By Service Users In A Local Authority Setting: A Qualitative Study, Rachel Stott

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: DELIVERING A RESEARCH SKILLED WORKFORCE SPECIAL EDITION

Workplace Wellbeing Within The Pharmacy Team At University Hospitals Bristol And Weston Nhs Foundation Trust, Helen Ireland

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: DELIVERING A RESEARCH SKILLED WORKFORCE SPECIAL EDITION

Developing A Research Skilled Workforce In The South West: Nurturing Capacity, Carrie Biddle, Ralph Hammond, Gina Kallis, Susie Pearce

South West Clinical School Journal

Editorial