Digital Commons Network^™

Mind Your Meds: Safe Opioid Disposal Awareness, The Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute At Virginia Commonwealth University, Mary Ann Davies, Jenny Fox, Kenneth Johnson, Jennifer Papenfuse, Michelle Schmitt, Shijun Zhang, Lori Zoghby

GEHLI - 2026 VCUL Team Project Publications

Driven by the effects of the opioid epidemic on friends, family members, students, and patients, members of the 2019 GEHLI Team “Mission Possible” are dedicated to bolstering educational awareness of safe leftover opioid disposal methods to decrease the supply of opioids in our community. On average, over 2/3 of opioid prescription medications are leftover and lead to later misuse or abuse (JAMA Survey). Despite a decrease in prescription writing for pain medication over the years, the mortality rate from overdose, and the rate of infants born to mothers with opioid abuse continues to steadily increase in Virginia (VDH). Team Mission …

Science Identity Development Trajectories In A Gateway College Chemistry Course: Predictors And Relations To Achievement And Stem Pursuit, Kristy A. Robinson, Tony Perez, Justin H. Carmel, Lisa Linnenbrink-Garcia

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This investigation of undergraduates’ heterogeneous science identity trajectories within a gateway chemistry course identified three latent classes (High and Stable, Moderate and Slightly Increasing, Moderate and Declining) using growth mixture modeling. Underrepresented minorities were more likely to exhibit Moderate-and-Slightly-Increasing science identities versus High-and-Stable patterns. Students with higher perceived competence were more likely classified into the High-and-Stable class compared to the other classes. Students classified into the High-and-Stable class scored significantly higher on the final exam and appeared to be more likely to remain in a STEM major across fall and spring semesters compared to the other two classes. Results suggest …

Happy Golden Anniversary, St. Mary's Law Journal!, Stephen M. Sheppard

Faculty Articles

Half a century ago, a handful of dedicated St. Mary's law students and faculty begat a premiere experience in legal education, the St. Mary's Law Journal. As the Journal marks its 50th anniversary, it continues to represent the diligence, imagination, practicality, and sheer effort of our faculty and students,

Optimising Feedback For Early Career Professionals: A Scoping Review And New Framework, Karen Mattick, Nicola Brennan, Simon Briscoe, Chrysanthi Papoutsi, Mark Pearson

Peninsula Medical School

No abstract provided.

Progression Of Hearing Loss In Neurofibromatosis Type 2 According To Genetic Severity, C. Oliver Hanemann, Beatrice Emmanouil, Rory Houston, Anne May, James D. Ramsden, Dorothy Halliday, Allyson Parry, Samuel Mackeith

Peninsula Medical School

No abstract provided.

Sofosbuvir/Velpatasvir For 12 Weeks In Hepatitis C Virus-Infected Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease Undergoing Dialysis, Sergio M. Borgia, Janet Dearden, Eric M. Yoshida, Stephen D. Shafran, Ashley Brown, Ziv Ben-Ari, Matthew E. Cramp, Curtis Cooper, Matthew Foxton, Conrado Fernandez Rodriguez, Rafael Esteban, Robert Hyland, Sophia Lu, Brian J. Kirby, Amy Meng, Svetlana Markova, Hadas Dvory-Sobol, Anu O. Osinusi, Rafael Bruck, Javier Ampuero, Stephen D. Ryder, Kosh Agarwal, Raymond Fox, David Shaw, Shariq Haider, Bernard Willems, Yoav Lurie, Jose Luis Calleja, Edward J. Gane

Peninsula Medical School

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Although off-label use of sofosbuvir-containing regimens occurs regularly in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection undergoing dialysis for severe renal impairment or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), these regimens are not licensed for this indication, and there is an absence of dosing recommendations in this population. This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir in patients with HCV infection with ESRD undergoing dialysis. METHODS: In this phase II, single-arm study, 59 patients with genotype 1-6 HCV infection with ESRD undergoing hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis received open-label sofosbuvir/velpatasvir (400 mg/100 mg) once daily for 12 weeks. Patients …

Trends In Phenotype In The English Paediatric Neurofibromatosis Type 2 Cohort Stratified By Genetic Severity, Dorothy Halliday, Beatrice Emmanouil, Grace Vassallo, Karine Lascelles, James Nicholson, Saleel Chandratre, Geetha Anand, Martin Wasik, Pieter Pretorius, D. Gareth Evans, Allyson Parry, Patrick Axon, Juliette Gair, Carolyn Smyth, Shazia K. Afridi, Rupert Obholzer, Vanessa Everett, Nicola Jarvis, Kirsty Henshaw, C. Oliver Hanemann, Wendy Howard, Anne May, Carolyn Redman, Rohini Rattihalli, Helen Tomkins

Peninsula Medical School

No abstract provided.

Fully Guided Placement Of Orthodontic Miniscrews-A Technical Report, B Kirnbauer, P Rugani, E Santigli, P Tepesch, K Ali, N Jakse

Peninsula Dental School

No abstract provided.

How Data Science Can Advance Mental Health Research, Tc Russ, E Woelbert, Kas Davis, Jd Hafferty, Et Al

Peninsula Medical School

Accessibility of powerful computers and availability of so-called big data from a variety of sources means that data science approaches are becoming pervasive. However, their application in mental health research is often considered to be at an earlier stage than in other areas despite the complexity of mental health and illness making such a sophisticated approach particularly suitable. In this Perspective, we discuss current and potential applications of data science in mental health research using the UK Clinical Research Collaboration classification: underpinning research; aetiology; detection and diagnosis; treatment development; treatment evaluation; disease management; and health services research. We demonstrate that …

Social Prescribing: Where Is The Evidence? Commissioned Editorial, Kerryn Husk, Julian Elston, Felix Gradinger, Lynne Callaghan, Sheena Asthana

Peninsula Medical School

Social prescribing is the topic of the moment. Many national organisations and individuals from policy, practice, and academia (such as NHS England, the RCGP, the Mayor of London, and National Institute for Health Research) are rightly advocating social prescriptions as an important way to expand the options available for GPs and other community-based practitioners to provide individualised care for people’s physical and mental health through social interventions. No robust figures exist but it is thought that around 20% of patients consult their GP for primarily social issues, given this and the driving forces of an ageing population, increased complex health …

Insulin Resistance During Normal Child Growth And Development Is Associated With A Distinct Blood Metabolic Phenotype (Earlybird 72), Joanne Hosking, Jonathan Pinkney, Alison Jeffery, Ornella Cominetti, Silva L Da, Sebastiano Collino, Martin Kussmann, Jorg Hager, Francois Pierre Martin

Peninsula Medical School

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of A Countywide Alternative To Qof, Aimed At Improving Person-Centred Coordinated Care, J Close, B Fosh, R Byng, R Blackwell, L Witts, L Hall, H Lloyd

Peninsula Medical School

No abstract provided.

Hemizygous Uba5 Missense Mutation Unmasks Recessive Disorder In A Patient With Infantile-Onset Encephalopathy, Acquired Microcephaly, Small Cerebellum, Movement Disorder And Severe Neurodevelopmental Delay, Karen J. Low, J. Baptista, M. Babiker, R. Caswell, C. King, S. Ellard, I. Scurr

Peninsula Medical School

Introduction Ubiquitin-fold modifier 1 (UFM1) is involved in the post-translational modification of proteins and has been implicated in various human diseases (Padala et al., 2017). UFM1 is ubiquitously expressed and has been demonstrated to play a crucial role in cellular stress response and has also been implicated in cancer pathways (Daniel and Liebau, 2014). However the role of the UFM1 cascade in the nervous system is not well understood. In order for proteins to be modified by ufmylation, UFM1 must first be activated by UBA5, a non-canonical E1 activating enzyme, then transferred to an E2 enzyme (UFC1 in the case …

To Accept Or Decline Academic Remediation: What Difference Does It Make?, Catherine Coelho, Daniel Zahra, Kamran Ali, Christopher Tredwin

Peninsula Dental School

AbstractIntroduction: Academic remediation offered after failure in a knowledge-based progress-test assessment is voluntary and involves student-centered individualized support that helps students to learn most effectively for themselves. This paper explores whether accepting or declining the offer of academic remediation given to struggling students impacts their outcomes both short-term and longitudinally.Method: Data was collated from 2015–16, 2016–17, and 2017–18 and included all students offered academic remediation in the third, fourth, and fifth years of a five-year Dentistry program. Z-scores for each stage and test were calculated and centered on a triggering point; the point at which the offer of remediation was …

When Do We Cooperate With Robots?, Debora Zanatto

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Robotic usage is entering the world into many diverse ways, from advanced surgical areas to assistive technologies for disabled persons. Robots are increasingly designed and developed to assist humans with everyday tasks. However, they are still perceived as tools to be manipulated and controlled by humans, rather than complete and autonomous helpers. One of the main reasons can be addressed to the development of their capabilities to appear credible and trustworthy. This dissertation explores the challenge of interactions with social robots, investigating which specific situations and environments lead to an increase in trust and cooperation between humans and robots. After …

Graphene/Silicon Schottky Junction Solar Cells With High Efficiency, Ahmed Suhail

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Silicon p-n junction solar cells have a power conversion efficiency (PCE) up to 12%. Graphene, which has unique properties is an excellent material for solar cells with the potential to achieve higher PCEs. Since 2009, researchers have started to integrate CVD-graphene with Si substrates to develop Schottky junction solar cells with potentially higher PCE. However, there are several challenges remaining in designing and fabricating these cells. In this project, a novel graphene/Si Schottky junction solar cell with a back-contact structure was fabricated to increase the active area and also enable a texturing process to be implemented on the front of …

Fatigue Crack Growth Of Recycled Rubber In Natural Rubber/Butadiene Rubber Blends, Dayang Habibah Binti Abang Ismawi Hassim

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Ground rubber from waste tyres may be added to elastomers to provide economic and environmental benefits. Both untreated and treated fillers have been investigated in different types of virgin rubber matrix. A principal concern is their crosslinked structure and large particle sizes. These additional fillers introduce flaws corresponding to micro-crack initiation sites especially under dynamic loading. Smaller particles, incorporated at a suitable concentration, may alleviate reduction of key mechanical properties. Many studies involving recycled rubber powder (RRP), untreated or treated materials, focus mainly on the quasi-static mechanical properties; generally few works examine the fatigue life and fracture morphology. In this …

Evaluation And Enhancement Of Public Cyber Security Awareness, Faisal Fahad G Alotaibi

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

With the spread of the Internet and the technology, Cyberspace has become the life of everyone, which requires them to be aware of the threats of it. Also, to be prepared with the speed of the technology, whether electronic payment, social life, leisure work IOT، and everything. However, in spite of increasing security practices there has been a rise in the cyber security threats and attacks. As the life is becoming more and more dependent on the technology, the need for cyber security awareness has become an important activity that need to be practiced in order to be safe and …

The Benefits Of Integrating Dental And Dental Therapy And Hygiene Students In Undergraduate Curricula., Daniel Zahra, Louise Belfield, Jon Bennett, Svetislav Zaric, Clare Mcilwaine

Peninsula Medical School

PURPOSE: The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the impact of integrating the teaching of Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) and Bachelor of Dental Therapy and Hygiene (BScDTH) students in enquiry-based learning (EBL) sessions, using performance on multiple related integrated dental science (IDS) multiple-choice question assessments. METHOD: IDS assessments are sat twice in the first stages of both the BDS and BScDTH programmes. IDS scores from integrated and non-integrated cohorts were collated and compared across test occasions (first or second assessment of the stage) and programmes (BDS and BScDTH). RESULTS: The results revealed that IDS scores were, overall, …

An Assessment Of Steady State, Transient And Fault Conditions Within A Concept Ship Submersible Conventional Power System, Simon L Grace

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This thesis reports on research performed on the modelling and simulation of a full concept design Ship Submersible Conventional electrical power and propulsion system. In order to achieve this the research programme undertook a review of three sets of pertinent Classification Society design codes (Rules) and a design review of two historic submarine classes. Based on the outcome of the Rule review a concept 55 m submarine design was produced in order to support the design of a full concept power and propulsion system. Dynamic models of each of the power and propulsion system’s electrical machines and sub-systems were then …

Relationship Of Nocturnal Sleep Dysfunction And Pain Subtypes In Parkinson's Disease, Pablo Martinez-Martin, Alexandra M. Rizos, John B. Wetmore, Angelo Antonini, Per Odin, Suvankar Pal, Rani Sophia, Camille Carroll, Davide Martino, Cristian Falup-Pecurariu, Belinda Kessel, Thomasin Andrews, Dominic Paviour, Claudia Trenkwalder, Kallol Ray Chaudhuri

Peninsula Medical School

© 2018 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society Background: Little research has been conducted regarding the relationship between sleep disorders and different pain types in Parkinson's disease (PD). Objective: To explore the influence of the various pain subtypes experienced by PD patients on sleep. Methods: Three hundred consecutive PD patients were assessed with the PD Sleep Scale-Version 2 (PDSS-2), King's PD Pain Scale (KPPS), King's PD Pain Questionnaire (KPPQ), Visual Analog Scales for Pain (VAS-Pain), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Results: According to the PDSS-2, 99.3% of our sample suffered from at least one sleep issue. Those who reported …

Non-Invasive Coronary Ct Angiography-Derived Fractional Flow Reserve: A Benchmark Study Comparing The Diagnostic Performance Of Four Different Computational Methodologies, Jason Matthew Carson, Sanjay Pant, Carl Roobottom, Robin Alcock, Blanco P Javier, Bulant C Alberto, Yuri Vassilevski, Sergey Simakov, Timur Gamilov, Roman Pryamonosov, Fuyou Liang, Xinyang Ge, Yue Liu, Perumal Nithiarasu

Peninsula Medical School

Non-invasive coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography-derived fractional flow reserve (cFFR) is an emergent approach to determine the functional relevance of obstructive coronary lesions. Its feasibility and diagnostic performance has been reported in several studies. It is unclear if differences in sensitivity and specificity between these studies are due to study design, population, or "computational methodology." We evaluate the diagnostic performance of four different computational workflows for the prediction of cFFR using a limited data set of 10 patients, three based on reduced-order modelling and one based on a 3D rigid-wall model. The results for three of these methodologies yield similar …

An Investigation Into How Teachers Develop Connected Approaches To School Mathematics, Nicola Jane Trubridge

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This thesis details the longitudinal case study of a mathematics department as they implemented aspects of the Collaborative Connected Classroom (CCC) Model, a literature informed framework exemplifying teaching for understanding. The CCC Model describes the nature of mathematical activity as: activities build on learners’ prior knowledge; tasks connect different areas of mathematics or connect different ideas using multiple representations; links are made between procedures and concepts; tasks involve making comparisons and application tasks are presented as challenges. A CPD programme was designed to demonstrate the CCC Model to the department through a series of engaging, challenging and inspiring activities. Then, …

Ward-Based Goal-Directed Fluid Therapy (Gdft) In Acute Pancreatitis (Gap) Trial: Study Protocol For A Feasibility Randomised Controlled Trial, Farid Froghi, Fiammetta Soggiu, Federico Ricciardi, Kurinchi Gurusamy, Daniel S. Martin, Jeshika Singh, Sulman Siddique, Christine Eastgate, Maria Ciaponi, Margaret Mcneil, Helder Filipe, Otto Schwalowsky-Monks, Gretchelle Asis, Massimo Varcada, Brian R. Davidson

Peninsula Medical School

IntroductionAcute pancreatitis is an inflammatory disease of the pancreas with high risk of developing multiorgan failure and death. There are no effective pharmacological interventions used in current clinical practice. Maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance is the mainstay of supportive management. Goal-directed fluid therapy (GDFT) has been shown to decrease morbidity and mortality in surgical conditions with systemic inflammatory response. There is currently no randomised controlled trial (RCT) investigating the role of GDFT based on cardiac output parameters in patients with acute pancreatitis in the ward setting. A feasibility trial was designed to determine patient and clinician support for recruitment into …

Social Impacts Of Climate Change And Occupational Heat Stress And Adaptation Strategies Of Mining Workers In Ghana, Victor Fannam Nunfam

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Excessive heat exposure due to rising temperatures associated with climate change adversely affects workers’ health, safety, productivity, and psychosocial well-being in occupational settings. In the hot and tropical regions of developing countries, long hours of physically demanding work, coupled with inadequate adaptation policies to climate change, increases the occurrence of heat-related illnesses and injuries, and contributes to the loss of productive capacity, poor decision making, and other negative effects on the social well-being of workers.

Based on the theories of social impact assessment, risk assessment, adaptation and resilience planning, this study assesses the social impacts of climate change and occupational …

Monitoring Erosive Toothwear: Bewe, A Simple Tool To Protect Patients And The Profession, David Bartlett, Soha Dattani, Ian Mills, Nigel Pitts, Raj Rattan, Diane Rochford, Nairn H.F. Wilson, Shamir Mehta, Saoirse O’Toole

Peninsula Dental School

No abstract provided.

Implementation And Impact Of Co-Locating The Voluntary Sector With A Multidisciplinary, Cross-Sector Community Hub At The Integrated Care Organisation (Ico) In Torbay And South Devon, Uk, F Gradinger, J Elston, S Asthana, C Lilley-Woolnough, C Myers, M Fox, D Butler, R Byng

Peninsula Medical School

No abstract provided.

Mrs Smith - Chapter 2: Vertical And Horizontal Integration And Care Model Implementation In The Integrated Care Organisation (Ico) In Torbay And South Devon, Uk - A Workshop On Leadership And Co-Production, F Gradinger, J Elston, M Fox, C Myers, D Butler

Peninsula Medical School

No abstract provided.

The Role Of National Debts In The Determination Of The Yen-Dollar Exchange Rate, Ioannis Litsios, Keith Pilbeam

Plymouth Business School

An intertemporal optimization model is developed to examine the determinants of the long-run nominal yen-dollar exchange rate in the presence of national debts. The model is tested empirically using data from Japan and the United States. The proposed theoretical specification is well supported by the data and shows that relative national debts as well as monetary and financial factors may play a significant role in the determination of the long-run nominal exchange rate between the yen and the dollar.

Of Piracy And General Average: Contribution In General Average For Ransom Payment Occasioned By Piratical Activity, Gm Gauci

Plymouth Business School

This article examines the interplay between two ancient legal areas encountered in admiralty law, i.e. general average and piracy; the first is a unique indemnification system, to an extent similar to insurance, described as providing in ancient law ‘security against a certain aspect of the maritime risk, namely that which consists in deliberate sacrifice for the common safety’, whilst the second displays the idiosyncratic approach of admiralty law in providing a marine insurance definition of piracy which is to a substantial extent y at odds with that in public international law. The recent United Kingdom Supreme Court judgment in The …