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‘But not for him. Just by him’: Hungarian landscapes and women’s time in the short fiction of Anna T. Szabó and Krisztina Tóth
No full textContemporary Hungarian women writers use the short form as a feminist intervention in current gender politics. Creating space in which to explore alternatives to patriarchal cultures and illiberal political movements, they deploy physical and imaginary landscapes to critique the past and present of embodied feminine experience. Our comparison of two short stories, ‘Moon and Palm’ (2016) by Anna T. Szabó (1972–present) and ‘Black Snowman’ (2006) by Krisztina Tóth (1967–present) intersects their complex temporalities with traditions of folklore and tale-telling to show how they turn a ‘feminine form’ into a feminist practice
Beginners guide to microscopy
Get PDFIntroductionMicroscopy is a fundamental skill required across all areas of human and natural sciences at all levels of study. Therefore, it is a key threshold concept within several degree programmes, often aligned with modular intended learning outcomes or assessments. However, from our experience, many students struggle to conceptualise written protocols on microscopy due to the lack of ability to visualise the methodology or convert from text into practical use.With the demand for admission to programmes aligned to human and natural sciences there is an even greater demand on academic staff to teach microscopy to ever increasing cohort sizes. This put significant strain on staff time, to ensure all students are able to meet this core threshold concept to an equitable standard. Furthermore, many students are hesitant to seek help if they are struggling with this concept due to potential anxieties, or fears of exhibiting a lack of knowledge. In addition, students with complex additional requirements, for example autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia may have further confounding factors, impacting their ability to seek support or understand solely written guides. Despite visual materials such as videos and simulations being present on virtual learning environments, engagement with these resources for laboratory-based modules is limited with on average less than 10% of cohorts consistently reviewing these materials. This indicates that the majority of students mainly focus on content directly provided with sessions, meaning that addition visual approaches, which translate to laboratory environment are required.We also highlight that due to the differences in backgrounds of academic staff within higher education, there may be significant differences in how microscopy is taught between different modules and even within same module if delivery staff vary. This highlights the need for a more standardised approach, to ensure consistency, and allow students the opportunity to consistently repeat practical tasks in an identical fashion, thus enhancing knowledge acquisition and retention.Based on this we sought to develop a visual and simplistic approach to disseminating this knowledge, co-created with students to ensure suitability for all levels of study.Guidance for academic staffThe Beginners Guide to Microscopy is designed to be full adaptable to the requirements of all educational institutions which require conventional light-field microscopy as a part of their curricular. Within the guide we utilise images of the equipment used at the University of Salford, however, the document is provided in a way which is modifiable for academics to adapt to the equipment which they have. This is recommended to ensure enhanced student experience and to avoid confusion for your student populations. It is also highly adaptable to different languages, thus completely modifiable to meet international requirements.We have also provided a trouble shooting guide and checklist to allow students to independently problem solve any issues they may be facing in first instance before seeking further academic support. This seeks to allow academics to better support students as common issues should have been checked by the student, with only more complex challenges requiring academic support. This also seeks to give student the opportunity to learn key problem-solving skills, something which is commonly required within employment.For utilisation/embeddingDownload the Microsoft Word file “Beginners Guide to Microscopy”.Modify any text/images to be appropriate for your cohort.Print as an additional supplement to teaching or include within laboratory protocols books.Digital copies can also be provided via virtual learning environments as a pre-learning resource.Testimonials from studentsOn a scale of 1-5, with ‘1’ being poor and ‘5’ being very good/helpful:11 students scored it 5/5.5 students scored it 4.5/5
The Use of Digital Technologies in Physiotherapy Higher Education: a Mixed-Methods Study.
Get PDFPrevious studies demonstrated that digital tools can be effectively integrated into physiotherapy higher education. However, their adoption remains limited. This study aimed to 1) evaluate the perceived knowledge, confidence, and frequency of digital technology use among Italian lecturers and 2) explore lecturers' experiences with digital technology in higher education. We performed a convergent mixed-method study using an online survey instrument for Italian physiotherapy lectures. We employed a 5-point Likert to evaluate perceived knowledge, confidence, and frequency of digital technology use, with consensus defined as an agreement of ≥70% on a statement. An optional qualitative section explored lecturers' experiences with technology, which we analyzed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Between June and September 2023, 118 lecturers (mean age: 45 ± 11; 69% female, n = 81) completed the survey. Participants expressed confidence in utilizing digital tools such as videoconferencing (95%), online repositories (88%), and communication apps (78%). On average, 32% reported using technologies "often" or "always." In the qualitative section, completed by 77 participants, we generated three themes: 1) "Technology can promote a constructive educational approach"; 2) "Action of technologies on students' learning process," with mixed results on their impact; and 3) "Technology is not within everyone's reach," due to barriers to its implementation in didactics. Qualitative and quantitative findings confirmed one another, allowing for a deeper understanding of digital technologies among Italian physiotherapy lecturers. Our findings indicate that digital tools are still underutilized among Italian physiotherapy lecturers. The main barriers include inadequate infrastructure and a lack of digital competencies. [Abstract copyright: © 2025 The Authors.
Exploring the Information Needs of People With Elbow Osteoarthritis Seeking Healthcare: A Qualitative Interview Study
No full textObjective: To explore the information needs of people with elbow osteoarthritis. Design: Qualitative interview study using reflexive thematic analysis. Setting: A single National Health Service Teaching Hospital Trust and associated primary care services, providing musculoskeletal care across the clinical pathway. Interviews were conducted in person, by phone or video call according to participant preference. Participants: Twelve adults with clinically diagnosed elbow osteoarthritis, under the care of a general practitioner or consultant elbow surgeon, were included. Results: Four themes were developed: (1) self‐management in action, (2) experience of treatment options and navigating surgical decision making, (3) negotiating uncertainty and (4) active information seeking. Participants experiences were wide ranging and their varied information needs were at times unmet, particularly when related to treatment options, prognosis and surgical decision making. Across the clinical pathway, information was reported by some to be unclear or contradictory. Participants discussed a range of preferences for information sources. Accessing information was challenging for some participants and various barriers were discussed. Conclusions: This is the first study to report the lived experience of people with elbow osteoarthritis and their information needs. For some, accessing information can be challenging, and the unmet information needs can affect the ability to self‐manage ongoing symptoms and participate in treatment decisions. These findings provide a platform for the development of accessible, meaningful and culturally sensitive information sources capable of contributing to optimal treatment pathways
Quality of Experience Aware Service Selection Model to Empower Edge Computing in IoT
Get PDFQuality of experience-aware service selection can significantly remove well-known scalability issues of an Internet of Things (IoT) architecture. In traditional IoT architecture, several heterogeneous data streams from connected nodes are transmitted through gateways to the remote mobile cloud servers. The entire procedure is time- and energy-consuming if the target dataset is comparatively small and uninterrupted. Also, using this conventional technique, the reliability grade drops significantly to meet additional security-related quality of service (QoS) requirements compared to the service cost. We propose a quality of experience-aware task rescheduling model using edge modules that offer territory-based three-layered edge IoT data analysis and service selection. The observation module at the application layer takes a near-optimal remark upon each usage metric having distinct QoS components. Meanwhile, the QoS manager at the network layer handles network traffic due to the load associated with heterogeneous service needs. The precision of the knowledge is assured to the service manager through the sensing layer with few adaptability characteristics towards assorted service requests. The proposed three-layered energy-efficient model helps minimize data delivery time with minimal cost and optimized quality assurance for service-based IoT infrastructures like smart agriculture, patient monitoring, and student monitoring
Investigating the Relationship between Small Extracellular Vesicular MicroRNA Cargoes and Autophagic Alterations of Alzheimer's Disease and Frontotemporal Dementia
Get PDFDementia is caused by various diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), leading to cognitive deficiencies, behavioural impacts, and symptoms impairing daily functioning. Pathologically, AD and FTD involve neurotoxic protein accumulation (amyloid-β, tau, TDP-43) alongside impaired autophagic mechanisms, leading to proteostatic imbalance and neuronal cell death. Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) are implicated in the transsynaptic spread of pathological proteins in multiple neurodegenerative diseases and may also carry potential biomarkers of AD and FTD. Having previously shown to carry AD-linked proteins, other cargoes such as FTD and autophagy-associated proteins and microRNA (miRNA) are less studied. These regulatory species can cross the blood brain barrier and may shed light on disease processes and differentiate between different dementia sub-groups. Currently, no early method of AD or FTD diagnosis exists, and with rising cases of dementia, there is an urgent need for diagnostic solutions. This study aims to identify specific miRNA sEV cargo signatures to differentiate dementia subtypes whilst identifying potential pathways of therapeutic interest. Here, sEVs isolated from AD and FTD mutations (GRN, MAPT and C9orf72) post-mortem brain tissue was characterized using fluorescent nanoparticle tracking analysis, western blotting, and transmission electron microscopy. Next, isolated miRNA samples were analysed using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and small RNA-sequencing, with sEV protein cargoes examined using western blotting. Lastly, SH-SY5Y cell lines were treated with FTD-C9orf72 brain-derived sEVs to observe pathogenic causes such as TDP-43 mislocalisation. Using RT-qPCR, autophagic and cluster-associated miRNA displayed variation between dementia subtypes. Additionally, small RNA-sequencing revealed 12 AD, 7 GRN, 42 MAPT and 24 C9orf72 differentially expressed miRNAs. Analysis of pathogenic and autophagic protein cargoes showed toxic TDP-43 in GRN and C9orf72 sEVs, yet tau (Ser-202/Thr-205) was only found in AD sEVs; with Beclin-1 increased in AD, MAPT, and C9orf72 sEVs, whilst LC3B-II decreased in all FTD mutation sEVs. Fluorescent microscopy confirmed the uptake of no disease and diseased sEVs uptake, causing TDP-43 mislocalisation. Potential miRNA cargo variations has been identified which require further research to validate them as biofluid biomarkers
Building Performance Evaluation of The Energy House 2.0 Research Facility
Get PDFIn the current context of climate change, and the subsequent interest on energy consumption, production, and efficiency in the UK, building performance is a focus to meet targets such as the ‘Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener’ policy. This is especially important in non domestic buildings, as they account for around 5% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions. The performance gap, which refers to the disparity between a building’s designed and measured performance, is one of the main issues that must be addressed to achieve the 2050 net zero target. This gap leads to higher energy consumption and demand than originally predicted, and by thoroughly investigating the gap, potential energy saving measures can be identified and implemented to reduce inefficiencies and consumption. Energy House 2.0 (EH2) is a building performance testing facility that accelerates the progress towards net zero housing design. Ensuring this facility is energy efficient is important as it would lower the cost of research and development, ultimately saving energy and lowering greenhouse gas emissions across the nation and globally. This thesis investigated the performance gap and fabric performance of EH2. After identifying suitable techniques for testing a novel building, such as U value measurements, air permeability, infrared thermography, modelling, and simulation. The design specifications were compared to the measured values which provided a deeper understanding of the building, with a focus on its fabric performance. A metering strategy was developed in this project, which will offer significant insights and allow for much more accurate bidding for projects. Through a positivist and experimental approach, these aspects of fabric performance were empirically evaluated through both quantitative and qualitative research. The chambers were found to perform as designed, whilst the Central Core performed approximately 150% worse than the designed performance. This project showed the efficacy of various testing techniques on a novel building, and it identified possible energy saving measures. However, there is potential for improvement, such as measuring the U values of all building elements, which could then be integrated into a more detailed model to generate an accurate simulation
Enhancing seizure detection with hybrid XGBoost and recurrent neural networks
Get PDFEpileptic seizures are sudden and unpredictable, posing serious health risks and significantly affecting the quality of life of patients. An accurate and timely prediction system can help mitigate these risks by enabling preventive measures and improving patient safety. This study investigates machine learning and deep learning algorithms for seizure prediction, comparing their effectiveness on a large EEG dataset of epileptic patients. Signal processing techniques were applied to enhance data quality, and all models were trained on the same dataset for binary classification. Sixteen models were evaluated, including traditional classifiers such as Logistic Regression, K-Nearest Neighbors, Decision Trees, ensemble methods that include Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, and advanced techniques such as Extreme Gradient Boosting, Support Vector Machines, Gated Recurrent Units, and Long Short-Term Memory networks. Performance was assessed using multiple evaluation metrics on both training and validation datasets. While simpler models showed varied accuracy, ensemble and deep learning models performed significantly better, with hybrid approaches demonstrating strong generalization. Results show that whereas ensemble and deep learning models far exceeded simpler models, their accuracy varied. AUC of 0.995 and accuracy of 98.2% on validation data and 0.994 AUC with 96.8% accuracy on test data were obtained by the proposed hybrid Model integrating XGBoost with RNN-based architectures (LSTM and GRU). High recall (96.2%) shown by the Model guarantees minimal false negatives and is important for clinical uses. Furthermore, EEG signal preprocessing methods improved data quality, raising classification accuracy. This Model can be implemented for real-time monitoring using wearable devices, enabling continuous patient observation and remote healthcare applications
Using Generative AI to audit Online Choice Architecture in UK Financial Services: Understanding the choices facing vulnerable customers.
Get PDFWritten evidence submitted by Dr Richard Whittle and Dr Stuart Mills to the Treasury (AI in Financial Services) Committee. This submission is based on the authors’ recent academic publications relevant to the AI in Financial Services call for evidence. Focusing on the benefits and risks to consumers arising from AI, particularly for vulnerable consumers
Spaceflight causes strain-dependent gene expression changes in the kidneys of mice
Get PDFIncidence of kidney stones in astronauts is a major risk factor associated with long-term missions, caused by increased blood calcium levels due to bone demineralisation triggered by microgravity and space radiation. Transcriptomic changes have been observed in tissues during spaceflight, including the kidney. We analysed kidney transcriptome patterns in two different strains of mice flown on the International Space Station, C57BL/6J and BALB/c. Here we show a link between spaceflight and transcriptome patterns associated with dysregulation of lipid and extracellular matrix metabolism and altered transforming growth factor-beta signalling. A stronger response was seen in C57BL/6J mice than BALB/c. Genetic differences in hyaluronan metabolism between strains may confer protection against extracellular matrix remodelling through the downregulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. We intend for our findings to contribute to the development of new countermeasures against kidney disease in astronauts and people here on Earth
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