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Critical Commentary. The psychology of laughter prescription: contributions to the research literature on laughter and humour.
Full text linkA growing body of evidence, highlighting multiple benefits of laughter for health and wellbeing, has resulted in physician calls for laughter prescription. As a pragmatist, I was inspired
to explore how these foundations could be converted into action. Here I present and critique
my six-year laughter and humour research journey. My purpose is to substantiate the
potential of laughter prescription with evidence-based, theoretical, and practical insight.
Central to my research is the one-minute Laughie (Laugh Intentionally Everyday) laughter
prescription. Here I introduce this original contribution, contextualise laughter prescription,
and present my first- and second-wave research. The latter, inspired by my critical literature
review (Chapter 3), includes the Laugh-Health and Laugh-Thrive models. My critical
commentary covers theoretical and applied research, reviews, commentaries, case studies,
and citizen science research, motivated by the independent use of the Laughie in the
“Laughie Challenge Australia”. My third-wave research, currently underway, includes the
book ‘The Positive Psychology of Laughter and Humour.’
Pragmatic autoethnography, an approach I conceived, allows me to convey findings,
experiences, and recommendations in accordance with my research paradigm. My five
research contributions, include the development of a feasible laughter prescription modality;
the demonstration that laughter and humour differ in nature, impact, and outcome and thus
merit treatment as co-equals; pioneering research in solitary laughter; prototypal citizen
science research; and a range of original ancillary methodologies.
I am the first to have engaged deeply with theoretical and applied laughter prescription. My
contributions raise the profile of laughter prescription and demonstrate why we should
consider to “laugh for a reason”. They also highlight the need to address conflational,
measurement, mindset, and modality challenges within laughter prescription research, and
value the hitherto dismissed topic of solitary laughter. Overall, I hope my research will
encourage insight into laughter prescription, and its exploration, expert usage and practic
Deep Learning for Cognitive Computing Systems : Technological Advancements and Applications
No full textUnravelling the impact of occupational stress on employee performance in a non-profit organisation in the UK
No full textThe manifestation of stress affects every aspect of the workplace. A plethora of research examines the sources and the effects of work-related-stress on employees' health and productivity. Occupational stress very often causes an imbalance and decrease in overall performance. Non-profit organisations are notoriously known to live in a precarious financial position. A review of the literature in the UK indicates that non- profit organisations are not immune to occupational stress and therefore managers have a duty of care to ensure that stress levels are mitigated to keep employees motivated
Mitigating postnatal depression: A big data self-help therapy
No full textMother, who gives birth, usually faces a mood disorder called postpartum or postnatal depression. It appears immediately after the third week of the baby's birth. However, during the first year of delivery, women can suffer anytime with this situation, and it could lead to a couple of years after birth. Few men as a father can face this condition. If it is not monitored immediately, it triggers severe and permanent disorders such as anger issues, isolation, stress, or anxiety. A significant increase has been observed in postpartum depression incidents with harmful consequences on children as well as parents regarding their physical and emotional well-being. This research paper analysed the literature to evaluate the psychotherapies that can be followed as self-help. We also evaluated automated psychotherapy systems and meta-analysed mobile applications that are available online to cope with postpartum depression. We discussed the acceptability of a therapeutic mobile application for reducing depression during parenting and postpartum period for the patients themselves. Finally, a combination of cognitive behavioural therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy; an algorithm, we proposed in this paper as a base to develop the mobile application that can help control and reduce depression during a postpartum situation
Sustainable technology adoption as a source of competitive advantage for pineapple production in Ejigbo, Nigeria
Full text linkAdopting new technology as a strategic resource can result in a competitive edge in any
market. However, a competitive advantage cannot be acquired in the production of horticultural
goods without first embracing the practices that are inextricably linked to those goods. This paper
investigates the adoption of farm practices in conjunction with technology transferred to farmers.
Some research debates on competitive advantages have identified both resources and processes of
production as sources of competitive advantage. The emphasis on the resource-based view and
dynamic capability view stipulates that firms acquire competitiveness via internal resources and
capabilities. However, there has not been much empirical exploration of horticultural production
sustainability in this regard despite its sufficiently outstanding contribution to the gross domestic
product in developing and developed economies. It specifically discusses how Technology Adoption
Practices (TAP) could lead to a competitive advantage in horticulture with particular reference to
the production of pineapple fruit in Ejigbo, Nigeria. From the angle of professional practice; the
study provides an insight into how farmers strive to suggest solutions to practical challenges faced
within the production process. Therefore, it is essential to have practices in place for the adoption of
sustainable technology. The outcomes of the study generate two different storylines and demonstrate
that attributing factors as well as reinforcing capabilities both boost competitiveness at the farm
level and enhance the farmers’ desire for farming pineapples. Pineapple farmers in Ejigbo employ a
differentiation approach to gain a competitive advantage in their agro-farming industry. This could
lead to an increase in the volume of fresh pineapple products that are exporte
Designing carbon fibre-reinforced composites with improved structural retention on exposure to heat/fire
Full text linkCarbon fibre-reinforced composites (CFRCs) are increasing in popularity due to their high
strength-to-weight ratio and resistance to corrosion. However, when exposed to temperatures
above 300°C, the polymer matrix within CFRCs decomposes and then starts burning, exposing
carbon fibres to the surroundings. The residual carbon fibres being electrically conductive, may
pose a hazard to the surrounding electronics. Moreover, at over 550°C the carbon fibres begin
to oxidise. This can lead to fibre defibrillation which also poses significant harm to human health
as broken fibres can be sharp enough to cut through human skin, and under 7µm these particles
are considered respirable where on inhalation they can causes damage to the trachea and lungs.
While considerable work has been carried out on assessing the effect of heat/fire on degradation
of the composite resin (matrix) and CFRCs themselves, there are limited studies on identifying
the damage to carbon fibres within CFRCs and the hazards posed by the exposed damaged
carbon fibres. This study examined the damage caused by high temperatures, radiant heat and
flames on carbon fibres and CFRCs, and the effects on their physical properties. A methodology
was developed to study and quantify the structural damage to carbon fibres and CFRCs after
exposure to a range of heat/fire conditions. These included thermogravimetric analysis (up to
900oC in nitrogen and air atmospheres), the tube furnace (450oC–900oC), cone calorimeter
(35kWm-2
to 75kWm-2
) and a propane burner (116kWm-2
) to simulate jet fuel fire conditions.
Residual fibres were removed from different parts of the CFRCs and the physical properties
were studied, such as fibre diameter reduction, change in electrical conductivity and decrease in
tensile strength. It was found that at heat fluxes ≥60kWm-2
oxidation of the carbon fibres
occurred. After 10min exposure to the propane flame, fibres in direct contact with the flame
showed signs of internal oxidation.The aim of this PhD project was to also improve the structural retention of CFRCs on exposure
to heat/fire so that the structural integrity is maintained and the carbon fibres are not exposed to
the environment. To address this, the following approaches were undertaken:
• Modification of the resin by adding flame retardants and nanoparticles in order to reduce the
flammability of CFRCs, improve the mechanical integrity of the char and its adherence to the fibre. Flame retardants included ammonium polyphosphate, resorcinol bis-(diphenyl
phosphate), 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene 10-oxide, and the nano-additives,
nano-clay, layered double hydroxide and carbon nano-tubes. Cone calorimeter testing at
75kWm-2 showed that the addition of 15wt% ammonium polyphosphate resulted in large char
formation and adherence to fibres in the underlying plies, which resulted in less oxidation to
these carbon fibres. The addition of layered double hydroxides and carbon nano-tubes on the
other hand caused pitting on fibres.
• Provide heat protection to carbon fibres within CFRCs by the inclusion of high performance
fibrous veils/woven fabrics of aramid, basalt, E-glass, polyphenylene sulphide and Kevlar.
The inclusion of the woven E-glass resulted in a notable reduction in the percentage of carbon
fibre oxidised. However, the volatiles produced during the decomposition of Kevlar and PPS
sensitised the carbon fibre to oxidation, causing it to occur more rapidly and at a lower
temperature.
• Using high temperature chemical coatings to individually coat carbon fibres prior to making
the CFRCs. Ceramic compounds (silica, alumina and zirconia), chosen as coating materials
because of their high thermal stability, were applied by different processes. The most
promising coatings included alumina and silica formed via sol-gel process and polysiloxane
deposited during plasma exposure. Tows coated in these chemicals underwent heat testing in
a tube furnace where those coated with alumina maintained the largest fibre diameters. While
polysiloxane coating provided oxidation protection up to 600°C, after which cracks in the
coating were observed. This was attributed to the mechanical mismatch of the polysiloxane
coating and the carbon fibre