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Effects of electromagnetic fields from an alternating current power cable on the embryogenesis of three benthic associated marine species
Get PDFThe global expansion in offshore renewable energy, primarily through offshore wind, is associated with the proliferation of subsea power cables (SPCs) throughout marine and coastal benthic environments. The transmission of electrical power through these SPCs will introduce electromagnetic fields (EMFs) into the seabed and the adjacent water column, which raises questions regarding the potential impact on benthic fauna, particularly during critical developmental early-life stages for which research considering the effects of both the electric and magnetic components of SPC EMFs is lacking. We conducted an experiment on three benthic egg-laying species, – the elasmobranch Scyliorhinus canicula, the cephalopod Loligo vulgaris, and the cephalopod Sepia officinalis – found in areas under consideration for the routing of SPCs. We exposed the embryos to realistic EMF levels (magnetic field 4-6 μT) recreated in the laboratory using an AC power cable set-up that simulated the EMF conditions, and examined the morphological, physiological, and behavioural responses. Our findings indicate subtle responses to EMF exposure in S. canicula and L. vulgaris with faster growth rates and morphometric differences, but no responses in S. officinalis. Our results highlight the value of a multiple end point approach to determine the potential influence of chronic exposure to EMFs on embryogenesis in benthic fauna and provide a baseline for future studies to build upon. Although our study cannot extrapolate the consequences of individual-level effects to population-level impacts, it does underscore the necessity of realistic and longer-term studies to assess the potential consequences of EMFs to marine fauna
Public Health Scotland (PHS) homecare medicines dataset : a national resource for linked prescribing data for specialist medicines prescribed in hospital outpatient setting and supplied via homecare services
No full textIntroduction: The Homecare Medicines (HCM) dataset is a national, patient-level dataset developed by Public Health Scotland (PHS) to capture the supply of specialist medicines delivered through homecare services in Scotland. These services are a critical component of outpatient treatment pathways, particularly for long-term conditions requiring specialist care, such as inflammatory arthritis, cancer, and immune-mediated diseases. Prior to 2019, data on homecare prescribing were fragmented and locally held, limiting national analyses. Methods: The dataset was initially established during the COVID-19 pandemic to identify immunocompromised patients for vaccine prioritisation. Monthly supply-level data are submitted by homecare providers. Each record includes a pseudonymised unique patient identifier, derived through national health person-level data linkage processes and standardised medicine information mapped to the NHS dictionary of medicines and devices (dm+d), including medicine name (brand and/or generic), formulation and supply date, and, where provided, treatment indication. The presence of a unique patient identifier enables deterministic linkage with a range of national datasets, including community and hospital prescribing, hospital admissions, mortality, cancer registry, and demographic indicators. Results: The HCM dataset is held securely within the PHS national data infrastructure and accessed via the National Safe Haven. As of April 2025, it includes data from five national providers and covers approximately 98% of the Scottish homecare market. The dataset comprises over 1.3 million supply records for more than 41,000 patients since 2019. Data quality is high for core fields, with missingness levels very low—almost all key variables have <1% missing values—and more than 99.9% of records are successfully indexed with the unique patient identifier. Indication data is partially complete and improving. Medicines are coded using standardised drug dictionaries. Conclusion: Access to the HCM dataset is available through eDRIS subject to Public Benefit and Privacy Panel (HSC-PBPP) approval. The dataset is well suited for studies on medicine utilisation, equity in access, treatment outcomes, and service planning. Ongoing improvements include enhanced indication capture and integration with Scotland’s wider digital prescribing infrastructure
What do the public think about artificial intelligence note-taking tools in social care?
No full textDozens of local authorities across England are piloting automated note-taking tools, often called ‘digital scribes’, in social care assessments and other interactions. These artificial-intelligence-enabled technologies automatically record, transcribe and summarise assessment meetings into standardised templates, promising a reduction in administrative burden and more time to focus on interpersonal interactions. While research has begun to explore staff attitudes towards these tools, public perspectives remain heavily underexplored. This article details findings from a survey experiment with 1,127 carers in England, examining attitudes towards these automated note-taking technologies. The article compares perceptions of automated versus manual note-taking and of fully automated systems versus those with human review (‘human in the loop’) and investigates demographic differences in attitudes. We draw on these data to set out a fourfold typology of attitudes: ‘enthusiasts’, ‘cautious adopters’, ‘pragmatists’ and the ‘resistant’
Strategies for managing information overload : a systematic review
No full textPurpose: The study aims to provide a comprehensive and interdisciplinary synthesis of strategies for managing information overload. While the causes and consequences of information overload have been widely studied, intervention-focused research remains fragmented. This review seeks to identify, categorise, and analyse strategies that enable individuals and organisations to cope with information overload across different contexts. Design/methodology/approach: The review followed the PRISMA 2020 guidelines and systematically searched four major databases (LISA, PubMed, IEEE, Taylor & Francis). Thirty-eight peer-reviewed studies met the inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis was conducted to extract, code, and synthesise data, resulting in four main categories and nine subthemes of information overload management strategies. Findings: The review identified a wide range of strategies grouped into four categories: personal strategies (e.g., filtering, withdrawal, avoidance), organisational and technological solutions (e.g., dashboards, recommender systems), educational and training approaches (e.g., information literacy programmes, skill development), and communication and information sharing (e.g., policy adjustments, simplified information). The findings highlight that effective IO management requires both individual coping techniques and systemic, technology-supported, and educational interventions. Social implications: The alleviation of the cognitive strain associated with information overload, facilitated by these strategies, fosters improvements in personal well-being, the quality of decision-making, and social engagement across the educational, healthcare, and workplace domains. Originality/value: This review contributes a unique interdisciplinary synthesis that integrates strategies from information science, computer science, psychology, and education. It provides a novel classification of information overload management strategies, bridging fragmented research and offering a roadmap for future studies and practical implementations
Feasibility of microbial-induced calcite precipitation in soils polluted by hydrocarbons
Get PDFMicrobial-Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP) is an effective bioremediation method for heavy metals, which often co-exist with organic pollutants in soils. Organic pollutants such as hydrocarbons inhibit soil urea hydrolysis critical in MICP whilst its feasibility in such enviroments is poorly understood. This study presents an investigation on the potential of biostimulation and bioaugmentation of MICP in soils polluted by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and their effect on ureolyisis at cell and enzyme level. Biostimulation of urea hydrolysis by soil autochthonous ureolytic bacteria was not detected over 62 days. Flow cytometry revealed Sproposarcina pasteurii at initial OD600 = 0.01 was able to grow in soil water extracts of increasing hydrocarbon concentration (TOC = 0.035–35 mg L−1), showing no negative effects on cell membrane stability. Urease activity assays in soil water extracts inoculated with S. pasteurii (OD600 = 0.01 and 1) and soybean Glycine Max urease enzyme (1 and 100 g L−1) indicated hydrocarbons negative effect on cell and enzyme urease activity was dependant on hydrocarbon and cell/enzyme concentrations, indicating the mechanism of inhibition was competitive. Glycine Max urease activity was unaffected at 100 g L−1 but at 1 g L−1 decreased with increasing hydrocarbon concentration up to 61%, whilst S. pasteurii urease activity (OD600 = 1) readily decreased at the lowest hydrocarbon concentration (TOC = 0.35 mg L−1) to an overall reduction of 31% at the highest TOC concentration. Bioaugmentation of S. pasteurii (OD600 = 1) inoculated in the soil matrix successfully hydrolysed urea within 24 h. These results evidence for the first time the ability of model MICP bacteria S. pasteurii to grow and maintain relevant metabolic ureolytic activity in soils significantly polluted by PAH
Performance investigation of an oscillating-body WEC with the tristable energy capture mechanism
Get PDFThis paper conducts an investigation into the energy harvesting performance of a tristable wave energy converter (WEC) utilizing a dual snap-through mechanism. Existing studies have indicated that the bistable characteristics inherent in such mechanisms can substantially improve the power output of oscillating-body WECs. The dual snap-through mechanism comprises four symmetrically configured inclined springs, with its energy harvesting behavior being highly dependent on the geometric arrangement and stiffness of the springs. A distinctive feature of the tristable system is the emergence of three potential wells. Following the development of a mathematical model for the nonlinear WEC, this study first examines the mechanism through which multiple potential wells contribute to enhanced energy conversion. Subsequently, a comprehensive parameter analysis is conducted to evaluate the influence of variations in the parameters of the dual snap-through mechanism and wave amplitudes on the energy conversion. The results demonstrate that appropriate stiffness and projected lengths of the springs can markedly improve the power output of the WEC. Furthermore, by adjusting the parameters of tristable mechanism, the WEC can achieve superior energy generation even at high wave frequencies or under low-amplitude excitation. Finally, the current study can offer some valuable insights for the design of other multistable WECs
Design, molecular docking, in vitro and in vivo evaluation of dimenhydrinate-cyclodextrin complex for fast-disintegrating tablet
Get PDFIntroduction: This study aimed to formulate and evaluate dimenhydrinate (DMH) as fastdisintegrating tablets (FDTs) complexed with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) to enhance its solubility, dissolution profile, and pharmacological performance. Methods: A DMH:β-CD inclusion complex was prepared at a 1:1 molar ratio using the kneading method. Characterization was performed through phase solubility studies, FTIR analysis, molecular docking, and in vitro dissolution testing. FDTs were developed using various superdisintegrants and assessed for quality attributes of a tablet, including hardness, friability, wetting time, water absorption ratio, and drug content. Results: Phase solubility and FTIR analyses confirmed the formation of a stable DMH:β-CD complex. Molecular docking indicated a binding affinity of -4.2 kcal/mol between β-CD and diphenhydramine. Among the FDT formulations, CP3 containing 9% crospovidone showed the best performance, with a disintegration time of 4.3 seconds and the highest drug release rate. In vivo pharmacological tests demonstrated enhanced sedative and antiemetic activities of the optimized FDTs compared to conventional DMH formulations. Discussion: The findings suggest that cyclodextrin-based complexation combined with orodispersible tablet technology can significantly enhance DMH's pharmacological efficacy and patient compliance. However, additional investigations on long-term stability, pharmacokinetics, and clinical scalability are warranted. Conclusion: The DMH:β-CD FDTs developed in this study offer promising improvements in solubility, dissolution, and therapeutic performance, indicating their potential for better clinical outcomes and patient acceptability
The big door prize : conceptualising potential in education as an arrow
Get PDFIf you were told your life’s potential, would it change how you live? This is one of the questions posed in Apple TV’s series The Big Door Prize (2023). The residents of a small town become fascinated by the MORPHO machine that appears mysteriously one night and dispenses small blue cards with the promise of revealing the life potential of the holder. Consequently, the townsfolk embark on a collective odyssey to understand what is meant by life potential. Potential in education is a confusing idea. On one hand, the rhetorical ubiquity of fulfilling one’s potential suggests it is a finite void within an individual into which all educational efforts should be funnelled. At the opposite end of the continuum, most teachers would likely balk at any mention of a student with no potential—almost as unicorn-like as those whose potential has been entirely fulfilled. In this paper, I will embrace this confusion and follow how the characters’ notions of potential change in The Big Door Prize, using Israel Scheffler’s comprehensive conceptualisation ‘Of Human Potential’ to discuss the characters’ journey and determine whether there is another way to think about potential and education
Do the means justify the ends? Entrepreneurs' moral legitimacy in religious networks
Get PDFWe build theory on how religious entrepreneurs construct and sustain moral legitimacy when profit-seeking is morally contested within their religious network. Examining Evangelical Christian entrepreneurs in Scotland, we use institutional complexity to analyse how profit-faith tensions arise in everyday venture building. Our analysis identifies three strategies through which entrepreneurs render profit-making morally acceptable within religious networks: (1) stewardship framing of profit, (2) selective generosity, and (3) strategic evangelism. While these strategies enable entrepreneurs to sustain moral legitimacy, they are constrained by boundary conditions that intensify scrutiny, in particular, resource scarcity and time constraints. We theorise moral legitimation as a multi-site evaluative process in which profit is judged across entrepreneurs’ motives (why profit is generated), means (how profit is generated), and ends (when tensions become most acute)
Quantum communication for semantic communication based image transmission
Get PDFThe growing demand for reliable image transmission in noisy vehicular networks exposes the limitations of classical communication, which often suffers from bandwidth constraints and susceptibility to noise. Classical semantic communication addresses this by focusing on essential information, but it still struggles to maintain consistent image quality under adverse channel conditions. To address these limitations, this study proposes a quantum communication system for semantic communication-based image transmission by leveraging quantum superposition. The system first uses a semantic encoder to generate a compact latent representation. This representation is subsequently processed by a channel encoder and mapped into quantum superposition states using a quantum encoder. The resulting quantum states are sent through a noisy quantum channel, where they are measured and decoded at the receiver to recover the corresponding classical bitstream. The bitstream is then channel decoded to recover the latent vector, which is used by a semantic decoder to reconstruct the image. Results from the experiments confirm that the proposed system outperforms classical semantic communication systems, achieving a peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) of up to 28.55 dB, a structural similarity index (SSIM) of up to 0.7996, a universal quality index (UQI) of up to 0.7836, and perfect classification accuracy at channel SNR levels as low as 6 dB, as evaluated by a convolutional neural network (CNN). These results highlight the system's effectiveness in task-oriented communication and show that combining quantum and semantic communication enhances image quality and reliability in challenging vehicular scenarios
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