Digital Commons Network^™

Designing A Mobile App For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Insights From Lived Experience And Clinical Practice, Rohit Shankar, Richard Laugharne, Michael Loizou, Marius Varga, Sivia Lin, Bojana Daw Srdanovic, Roger Farrell

Peninsula Medical School

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disabling anxiety disorder precipitated by severe trauma. Many people with this condition have little access to clinical interventions, especially in low-middle-income countries. For the development of any digital health intervention, it is vital to know the opinions of PLE and clinicians to guide the developers. We conducted two focus groups, one with clinicians (n = 5) and one with people with lived experience (PLE) (n = 11), to gain knowledge of their views on the development of a PTSD App. Transcripts of both focus groups were coded and thematically analysed. The key themes that …

“The True Me”: Unravelling The Dual Narrative Of Borderline Personality Disorder And Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Robin Iliffe-Lewis, Alison Bacon

School of Psychology

Objectives: There is growing recognition that some individuals who receive a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) are later diagnosed with autism. However, existing literature on this topic remains limited. This study aimed to explore the experiences of individuals diagnosed with BPD prior to autism, how they made sense of these diagnoses, navigated clinical systems, and learnt to manage the complex challenges associated with this diagnostic sequence.Methods: Thirteen (6 male, 6 female, 1 non-binary) adult participants took part in semi-structured interviews exploring their diagnostic journeys. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to develop a nuanced understanding of their experiences.Results: Three themes …

Psychophysiological Recovery From Viewing Nature And Urban Settings: A Multisite Replication, A. E. Van Den Berg, K. Dijkstra, D. Meuwese, F. Beute, P. M. Darcy, S. Dewitte, B. Gatersleben, C. J. Gidlow, C. M. Hägerhäll, J. A. Hipp, Y. Joye, Y. A.W. De Kort, S. C.M. Lechner, C. Neale, Sang Ode Sang, J. Roe, D. T. Scheepers, K. Smolders, H. Staats, R. S. Steensma, K. J. Wyles, S. L. Koole

School of Psychology

The idea that merely viewing nature can promote stress recovery has profound societal implications, driving the use of nature imagery in the design of environments where access to real nature is limited. Scientific support for this concept originates from a pioneering study by Ulrich et al. (1991), which demonstrated superior psycho-physiological stress recovery during exposure to nature videos compared to urban videos. Despite its influence, this foundational study has never been systematically replicated. To address this gap, ten research teams across the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, Sweden, and the USA collaborated on a multisite replication. A final sample of 959 …

Integrating Neuroscience And Social Psychology In Researching Interprofessional Education: The Inspire Framework, Kimberley Schenke, Pamela Rae, Jaysan Charlesford, Phil Gee

School of Psychology

There is an increasing focus on the importance of interprofessional education as an integral part of health and social care training. However, the fundamental psychological processes underlying successful interprofessional education are not well understood. Here we propose a single framework, Integrating Neuroscience and Social Psychology In Researching Interprofessional Education (INSPIRE), grounded in evidence from social psychology and neuroscience that could be used to generate testable hypotheses to inform the design, development and evaluation of interprofessional education. The application of this framework offers a novel, scientifically grounded approach to improving the learning outcomes of interprofessional education and provides a foundation for …

The Career Choices Of Final Year Nursing Students In The United Kingdom: A Qualitative Study., Kevin Hambridge, Frazer Underwood, Gosia Bettache, Matt Carey, Halil Kaya, Lisa Burrows, Rachel Tims, Christian Brailsford

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Aim: The aim of this study is to explore the career choices of final year under-graduate nursing students in the United Kingdom. Background: Worldwide there is a decreasing number of nurses and in the United Kingdom there is a decreasing amount of nursing students. There is sparce evidence relating to the career's choices of nursing students and reasons for those choices. Obtaining a deeper comprehension of these choices may aid healthcare employers, in partnership with universities, to design the future nursing workforce. Design: A qualitative design was used. Methods: Twenty-one final year under-graduate nursing students from across a range of …

Staphylococcus Aureus Strain Heterogeneity Modulates Virulence Traits Associated To Dual-Species Biofilms With Candida Albicans, Laure Nicolas Annick Ries, Beata Adrienn Brezniczky, Binduja Srelatha Pradeep, Esther Olabamiji, Lee Hutt, Glenn M. Harper, Alexander Strachan, Gyorgy Fejer

School of Biomedical Sciences

Staphylococcus aureus is a commensal Gram-positive bacterium and opportunistic pathogen that exhibits substantial variation in antimicrobial resistance and virulence traits. S. aureus is frequently co-isolated with the fungus Candida albicans, and together they represent the most common microorganisms recovered from biofilm-associated infections originating from both biotic and abiotic surfaces. Despite this clinical relevance, the impact of bacterial intra-species variation on interkingdom interactions remains poorly understood. This study therefore investigated how S. aureus strain heterogeneity influences C. albicans within dual-species biofilms. The majority of the 60 S. aureus strains tested suppressed fungal growth in a contact-dependent manner across different nutrient conditions …

Assessing The Application Of Optical-Photothermal Infrared Spectroscopy For Single-Grain Chemical Palynology, Laura Scoble, Hao Meng, Simon J. Ussher, Mark F. Fitzsimons, Lauren Ansell, Mustafa Kansiz, Billy Simmonds, Nick Stone, Ralph M. Fyfe

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Single-grain pollen analysis is essential for advancing chemical palynology, which classifies morphologically similar taxa based on taxon-specific pollen and sporopollenin chemistry. Fourier-Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and microspectroscopy (μFT-IR) are widely used to differentiate morphologically similar grains but face limitations from Mie scattering and coarse spatial resolution. Here, we present the first application of Optical-PhotoThermal Infrared (O-PTIR) spectroscopy to chemically treated single pollen grains, using Molinia caerulea as a model taxon to fully test and evaluate the technical capabilities and limitations of this technique. O-PTIR achieves sub-micron “super-resolution” infrared spectroscopy through non-contact, non-destructive measurements by exploiting the photothermal effect. O-PTIR spectra …

What Is The Evidence For Effective Teaching Of Clinical Reasoning In Pre-Registration Dentistry?, Sally Hanks

Peninsula Dental School

A Commentary on: The impact of different teaching methods on clinical reasoning and clinical decision-making of dentistry students: a systematic review. Journal of Dental Education, 2026, 90(1), pp.33–42 Design: This systematic review examined evidence on educational interventions aimed at developing clinical reasoning and decision-making skills in undergraduate dental students. Searches of PubMed, MEDLINE (Ovid), Cochrane Library, and Scopus were conducted to 15 September 2023. Eighteen studies met the inclusion criteria for qualitative synthesis. Study designs included cross-sectional and case–control approaches. PRISMA guidance was followed, and a flow diagram was provided. Case selection: Eligible studies were English-language reports evaluating clinical reasoning …

Integrated Incubators: A Novel Framework For Technology-Based Creative Arts Education, Brad Phelps Nisbet

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis investigates the development and impact of an educational framework designed to bridge the gap between academia and industry within the media and entertainment sector. It addresses the prevalent "skills mismatch" where graduates often lack the specific technical competencies, foundational knowledge, practical experience, or soft skills required for entry-level positions in a rapidly evolving landscape influenced by advancements like virtual production, real-time VFX, immersive media, and Al. Grounded in both theoretical and practical insights, the framework aims to foster student creativity, technical proficiency, industry readiness, transferable skills, and adaptability, prioritising a transformative, student-centric learning experience.

The research employed a …

Synergistic Removal Of Microplastic Fibres: Integrating Chitosan Coagulation In Hybrid Water Pre-Treatment Systems, Jayasuriya Arachchilage Nimesha Thathsarani

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Microplastic fibres (MPFs) are the most prevalent form of microplastics detected in the influents of water and wastewater treatment plants. Owing to their elongated shape and low density, MPFs frequently evade removal even during tertiary processes such as membrane filtration. Enhancing pretreatment, particularly through cost-effective coagulation-flocculation can reduce the treatment burden on downstream systems. However, conventional inorganic coagulants often necessitate high dosages and can leave residual ions, posing environmental concerns.

As a sustainable alternative, the use of environmentally friendly coagulants such as Chitosan has gained attention for MPF removal. While Chitosan exhibits favourable qualities, its practical application is hindered by …

Getting Ready Right: The Impact And Influence Of The University Appointed Supervisor, Madlen Griffiths

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Initial Teacher Education professional experience is a valued component of teacher education courses, where preservice teachers can practise applying what they have learned at university in classroom settings. Key to these experiences are supervisors, who are employed by the university and support these aspiring teachers during their professional experiences. This supervisory role is complex, underrated, under-theorised and under researched. Consequently, this research sought to address this shortfall through an investigation into the perspectives of two of the major stakeholders in these experiences: the preservice teachers and the supervisors.

Adopting a social constructivist methodology, this research examined the stakeholders’ perceptions of …

Development Of Virtual Reality Learning Environments In Science To Engage Secondary Students In Hazardous Activities, Luke Spartalis

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research examines the need for change in including hazardous activities in education. As different learning technologies develop, platforms that retain authentic outcomes via virtual reality are needed. The main objective of this research is to examine the inclusion of Virtual Reality Learning Environments (VRLEs) to determine their value in areas that include hazardous conditions. The research considered the ways that VR tools could be optimised to support these activities, as well as considering the challenges of VRLE implementation. The study examined whether VRLE’s allowed for authentic experiences to sufficiently drive an acceptance of VR to complement existing teaching and …

Enhancing Deep Reinforcement Learning With Expert Demonstrations For Mobile Robot Navigation In Unstructured Off-Road Environments, Dulitha Dabare

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Advancements in the field of Deep Learning has ushered in a boom in autonomous navigation research. Most of the work being conducted in this space, however, has focused on on-road urban navigation scenarios, with unstructured outdoor terrain navigation receiving much more limited attention. Given the wide range of applications that exist for legged and wheeled ground robots in off-road environments in areas such as agriculture, mining and disaster recovery, there is a growing need for research work to improve the navigational capabilities of mobile robots deployed in these challenging environments.

A promising candidate for application to these navigation challenges in …

Understanding Climate Change And Wellbeing Through Bhutan's Pursuit Of Gross National Happiness, Tashi Dorji

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Climate change has evolved into one of the biggest global challenges of the twenty first century reshaping ecological systems and social conditions with wide-ranging implications for human wellbeing. Bhutan offers a distinct context to explore interactions between climate change and wellbeing as it remains guided by its wellbeing-centred development philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH). At the same time, it remains highly vulnerable to climate change despite being the only carbon negative country in the world. Nonetheless, the intersections between climate change and GNH have not been systematically explored.

This research aims to explore the relationship between climate change and …

Multimodal Scene Understanding For Mobile Robot Navigation In Unstructured Outdoor Environments, Liyana Mudiyanselage Nipuna Dinendra Wijayathunga

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The application of autonomous field robots in agriculture, mining, transport and logistics, disaster management, and exploration has increased with advances in sensing, perception, and autonomous navigation technologies. Western Australian off-road environments present challenges for autonomous ground robots because they contain unstructured ter rain, variations in appearance and geometry, changing illumination, and visually similar regions with different traversal characteristics. Reliable operation therefore requires scene understanding methods capable of representing the environment according to its navigability for robot traversal.

This PhD research investigates multimodal scene understanding for autonomous ground robot navigation in unstructured off-road environments. The research focuses on the development of …

Antigypsyism: Foundations Of An Ideology Of Hatred Towards Roma, Fernando Ruiz Molina, Zoë James

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

Roma communities represent the largest ethnic minority in Europe (European Parliamentary Research Service, 2021), dating their presence from the fourteenth century onwards (Council of Europe [CoE], 2012a; CoE n.d.-a; End, 2012).¹Accord-ing to the Council of Europe, it is estimated that the population of Roma citizens living currently in Europe is around 10 to 12 million (CoE, 2012a). Despite their long-standing presence in European countries, Roma are hated within their own countries. From Eastern to Western Europe, animosity towards Roma centres on public acceptance of stereotypes of their criminality and lifestyles, leading to this minority group experiencing the most bias-motivated crime …

Productivity Of An Iconic Waterbird, The Common Loon, Is Decreasing Across The Southern Portion Of Its Breeding Range, Matthew Fuirst, Mark L. Mallory, Walter H. Piper, Kristin Bianchini, Sethulakshmi Kumbalathuparambil Sajeev, Griffin Archambault, Dan Clark, John H. Cooley Jr., David C. Evers, Tiffany Grade, Eric W. Hanson, Caroline Hughes, Daniel Poleschook Jr., Virginia R. Poleschook, Lucas J. Savoy, Nina Schoch, Hillary Siener, Andrew Vitz, Harry S. Vogel, Jillian Whitney, Douglas C. Tozer

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The Common Loon (Gavia immer) is an iconic waterbird of the northern wilderness and an indicator of the health of aquatic ecosystems. We conducted a benchmark comparison of productivity rates and long-term trends in productivity (6-week-old young raised per territorial pair) from 45 591 breeding events across 12 different study populations throughout the southern portion of species’ breeding range in North America. While all regions showed long-term mean productivity rates at or above the threshold considered necessary for population stability (0.48 chicks fledged per territorial pair), we found significant declines in productivity (ranging from −0.17% to −2.8% per year) in …

Experimental Investigation Into The Effects Of Air Staging On Fouling In A Fixed-Bed Biomass Combustor, Akram Elsebaie

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Biomass offers significant potential as a sustainable and renewable substitute for fossil fuels in energy generation, playing a critical role in the reduction of global warming. However, despite its environmental benefits, biomass combustion faces persistent operational challenges, particularly fouling, which reduces efficiency and increases maintenance costs. Although fouling mechanisms have been studied in various combustion systems, there is limited research which addresses its formation and behaviour in fixed-bed biomass combustors under different air staging conditions. This research investigates fouling behaviour in a counter-current combustor, focusing on the influence of design (secondary air location), operational (air staging flowrates between the primary …

Enhancing Offshore Wind Resource Assessment Through Neural Network-Based Hf Radar Data Analysis, Nikolas Martzikos, Matthew Craven, David Walker, Daniel Conley

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

The increasing demand for offshore wind energy underscores the need for accurate wind speed estimation to support the design and operation of offshore wind farms. High-Frequency Radar (HFR), a widely used remote sensing technology in oceanographic research, offers promising potential for wind resource assessment, particularly in areas where conventional measurements are limited. This study explores the application of artificial neural networks (ANNs) for offshore wind speed prediction using HFR-derived data, addressing key challenges in model development and training. A key feature of this approach is the use of a decade-long dataset from the Celtic Sea, off the southwest UK coast, …

Next-Generation Virtual Environment Training For Cybersecurity In The Maritime Logistics Industry: A Position Paper, Tyler Cheng, Rory Hopcraft, Kimberly Tam, Ji-Jian Chin

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

The maritime logistics industry is the most dependent on it in the modern world, yet it is not well protected against cyber risks. Recently, the maritime industry has been transitioning into industry-specific tech, and threats of cyberattacks are increasing as the adoption of technology and automation continues. One of the most effective methods to protect industries and ships from such security incidents, is to train seafarers to mitigate and handle such incidents. However, to the best of our knowledge, we did not find anything that addresses this gap. This article will present the idea and benefits of using virtual environments …

Angle-Based Formation Stabilization And Maneuvers In Port-Hamiltonian Form With Bearing And Velocity Measurements, Ningbo Li, Pablo Borja, Arjan Van Der Schaft, Jacquelien M.A. Scherpen

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

This paper proposes a port-Hamiltonian approach for angle-based formation stabilization and maneuvers using bearing and velocity measurements with an underlying triangulated Laman graph. The corresponding port-Hamiltonian controller is designed using virtual couplings on the errors of angle constraints in angle space. Then, the angle constraints and agent actuators are mapped by the constraint Jacobian, which can be applied to other formation constraints. In addition, to avoid unavailable distance terms in the control law, an estimator is designed based on port-Hamiltonian theory and the property that energy is coordinate-free for different sensor modalities using bearing and velocity measurements, which permits our …

Rapid Electrochemical Biosensor With Enhanced Accuracy And Repeatability Using Pyrene Nhs Ester Modified 3d Graphene Electrodes, S. Nazir, D. Jenkins, G. Pan

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

A consistent and reproducible chemical modification of the transducer interface is essential to ensure effectiveimmobilization of bioreceptors, thereby improving the sensitivity and reproducibility of biosensors. Althoughnotable progress has been made in fabricating graphene-based biosensors, the effects of surface biofunctionalization on sensing performance remain not fully understood. This study shows that combining threedimensional (3D) graphene foam electrodes with a straightforward, single-step surface biofunctionalizationmethod is key to enhancing the performance of graphene-based biosensors. Specifically, it presents a single-stepapproach to functionalize the 3D graphene foam (Gii-Sens) with 1-pyrenebutyric acid N-hydroxysuccinimideester (Pyrene-NHS ester). Electrochemical techniques, including cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulsevoltammetry (DPV), confirmed …

Diagnosing Long-Term Divergence In Build Back Better Outcomes In Low- And Lower-Middle-Income Communities, E. A. Opabola, M. Baiguera, A. Raby, T. Rossetto, A. Pomonis, E. Meilianda, Y. Idris, S. Nurdin, K. Adams, D. J. Mcgovern, N. Acikgoz, H. Mistry, F. Marafini

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Low-income communities in disaster-prone regions face persistent challenges in translating post-disaster recovery investments into sustained resilience, as they navigate trade-offs among engineering objectives, policy constraints, and evolving socio-economic needs. Despite the widespread adoption of Build Back Better (BBB) principles, evidence on the long-term sustainability of outcomes remains limited, particularly in low- and lower-middle-income contexts. This study examines the sustainability of BBB outcomes in two Indonesian case studies: Banda Aceh (approximately 18 years after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami) and Central Sulawesi (approximately 4 years after the 2018 earthquake, liquefaction, and tsunami). Drawing on structured housing assessments, household surveys, semi-structured interviews, …

A Multiple Case Study Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Special Education Teachers Of Students With Intellectual Disabilities, Patrece A. Scott

Doctor of Education Dissertations

Special educators, particularly the teachers of students with intellectual disabilities, remained an understudied group in research. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to examine how special educators navigated their lived experiences collaborating with three key stakeholder groups: parents, general education teachers, and administrators, particularly working with students with intellectual disabilities. Specifically, this study examined how special educators experienced collaboration with those stakeholder groups through the framework of McClelland's (1961) Theory of Needs. The study involved two semi-structured interviews with each of the 12 participants, all of whom were special educators at the middle or high school level. These …

(Reverse) Piercing The Trust Veil, Eric Kades

Faculty Publications

Emergent doctrine deems trusts legal entities distinct from their trustees and beneficiaries. Venerable doctrine empowers creditors to "pierce the veil" separating entities' and their owners' property to avoid inequitable treatment. This article weaves together the new and old to craft a legal roadmap for reversing the ongoing race to the bottom among the states authorizing indefensible self-settled asset protection trusts (SSAPTs) designed solely for the purpose of swindling creditors. As a matter of both policy and doctrine, piercing (more precisely, reverse piercing) an entity's veil is ideally suited to empower the creditor of a SSAPT beneficiary to get paid from …

The Specter Of Jury Nullification, Anna Offit

Faculty Publications

Attention to the trial of Luigi Mangione has renewed debate about nullification—the jury’s inviolate power to acquit a defendant contrary to the evidence presented. Jury nullification proponents hold that it is a mechanism of last resort for refusing to apply laws that conflict with the public conscience. Opponents, by contrast, argue that nullification undermines the law by diminishing its legitimacy. To prosecutors and defense attorneys, however, these arguments are immaterial: Jury nullification is part of the institutional landscape of the contemporary jury trial and thus must be treated as a potentiality—a feature of the agnostic, strategic, and ethical terrain of …

Shelled Shut-Ins: A Conditional Escape Task Showing Perceptual Awareness In Hermit Crabs, Ari Drummond, John Spicer, Mark Briffa

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Sentience is an increasingly popular topic in animal welfare and behavioural research. However, studying sentience can be difficult and contentious. Sentience has frequently been associated with ‘feelings’ and ‘subjective states’ not directly accessible to human observers; thus, investigating awareness in animals could be an alternative approach. Frameworks of awareness have been developed for the experimental examination of cognitive capacities that might underpin ‘feelings’ as affective states and subjective experiences. Using a framework of four hierarchically arranged levels of awareness (that is, perceptual, cognitive, assessment and executive), the awareness of an intertidal crustacean, the common hermit crab, Pagurus bernhardus , was …

Groundwater Spatial Variability Within An Atoll Island: Assessing Shallow Aquifer Heterogeneity With Geophysical And Physicochemical Measurements, N. I. Tobon-Velazquez, G. Masselink, T. J. O’Hare, R. Bates, F. K.J. Oberle, C. D. Storlazzi, D. C. Conley

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

This study examines the spatial variability of shallow groundwater on Dhigelaabadhoo Island using electromagnetic induction surveys, groundwater monitoring, and sediment analyses. The research reveals how variations in island morphology—such as differences in elevation, reef flat width, and sediment composition—affect the spatial distribution of groundwater lenses and the overall aquifer dynamics. Saltwater intrusion is especially pronounced in low elevated areas, with narrow reef flat plate and areas where higher hydraulic conductivity—driven by the presence of coarser sediments—is observed, whereas regions characterized by finer sediments, higher elevation, and wider reef flat plates tend to support more symmetric and less saline groundwater lenses. …

Testing The Transferability Of Ai Models For Cold-Water Coral Detection And Classification, Kyran P. Graves, Louise Allcock, David K.A. Barnes, Amelia E.H. Bridges, Kerry L. Howell

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

The proliferation of accessible deep-water imaging platforms has resulted in the acquisition of vast amounts of image data, resulting in an analysis bottleneck. Object detection is now being applied to assist the image annotation process, with the potential to reduce analysis time. However, for object detectors to effectively tackle the scale of the challenge, models need to be generalisable to allow the transfer between imaging platforms and in space. This study trains YOLOv5 object detection models to identify six coral morphology groups using annotated imagery collected by ROV ISIS in the UK (JC136). Model performance was tested with independent datasets …

Three Christmas Island Land Crabs Do Not Alter Extracellular Magnesium In Response To Acute Reduced Temperature, Katie N.G. Thiessen, Helena C. Reinardy, John I. Spicer, Lucy M. Turner

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Magnesium is essential to numerous biological processes in many species. Including protecting intracellular pH and ATP concentrations during temperature and anoxia stress. Extracellular [Mg²⁺] is tightly regulated in many, but not all crustaceans. There is evidence that extracellular [Mg²⁺] content may be open to environmental influence such as temperature. The alteration of extracellular [Mg²⁺] in decapod crustaceans in response to temperature has been proposed, with individuals exposed to low temperature often displaying an increase in extracellular [Mg²⁺]. However, data, supporting or refuting this hypothesis, are sparse and drawn mainly from temperate and …