Research@THEA (Technological Higher Education Association)
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The Artificial Intelligence (AI) ‘Genie’ is out of the ‘Bottle’: Considering the Potential Impacts of AI on Public Health from a Climate Change and One Health Perspective
Full text linkArtificial Intelligence (AI) offers significant potential to improve health, medical and social care.
It equally offers substantial opportunities in improving the education and training of health,
medical and social care professionals. However, AI training and development, as well as AI use
into the future requires considerable electrical power. In our anthropocene world already
experiencing the negative impacts of global warming and climate change the increased burden of
additional power production should not be taken lightly. It is recommended that all AI
developments in the fields of health and social care and education be matched with equivalent or
better reductions in carbon productio
Exploring the sugar-sweetened beverage tax (SSBT) pass-through rate in the Irish hospitality sector
Full text linkBackground: The World Health Organization (WHO) supports the use of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes (SSBTs) as a fiscal lever to help reduce sugar consumption and tackle obesity. Obesity is associated with a range of adverse health outcomes. In response to increasing levels of obesity in Ireland, an SSBT was introduced in 2018. Previous research in Ireland has noted that the pass-through rate of the SSBT in retail (off-site consumption) settings was poor. However, to date, no research has examined the SSBT pass-through rate in hospitality (on-site consumption) venues in Ireland.
Methods: This research examines the SSBT pass-through rate on Coca-Cola versus diet versions of Coca-Cola in a convenience sample of 100 hospitality venues in two provincial Irish cities. Results Wilcoxon signed rank test analysis revealed that regular Coca-Cola was significantly more expensive compared to the price charged for diet versions of Coca-Cola. However, in 85.6% of cases the same price was charged for both full-sugar and sugar-free drinks. The mean pass-through rate of the SSBT was 33.8%.
Conclusion: The effective functioning of the SSBT is premised on persistent price differences between soft drink prices based on sugar content. However, this is barely evident in the hospitality sector in Ireland. A number of recommendations are suggested, including both increasing the SSBT, and increasing it annually in line with inflation.ye
Silica gel-supported Pd nanocatalyst: Efficient Mizoroki-Heck reactions and sustainable Ozagrel synthesis
Full text linkWe developed a cost-effective silica gel-supported palladium nanocatalyst in a three-step reactions process. Initially, silica gel (60–120 mesh) underwent amino group functionalization using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, leading to the formation of a Schiff base through a reaction with the 1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-dicarboxaldehyde ligand. Subsequently, palladium nanocatalyst was introduced to the silica matrix ligand in the presence of palladium salt and hydrazine hydrate, resulting in the formation of the silica gel-supported Schiff-base palladium nanocatalyst (Si@SBPdNPs 3). Successful functionalization of the silica matrix was confirmed using various spectroscopic techniques. FT-IR spectra demonstrated the incorporation of organic moieties onto the silica surface, while SEM images revealed the modified spherical shape of the silica gel. TEM and XRD analyses confirmed the presence of palladium on the silica matrix. ICP and EDX measurements validated the anchoring of 0.55 mmol/g of palladium to the catalyst. Additionally, XPS analysis showed the complexation of Pd(0) with the organic ligand on the silica matrix, confirming the successful integration of palladium into the system. This nanocatalyst demonstrated outstanding performance in Mizoroki-Heck reactions, yielding high product outputs in the cross-coupling of various aryl halides and olefins under mild conditions. Additionally, the nanocatalyst was effectively utilized in synthesizing Ozagrel, a thromboxane A2 synthesis inhibitor used for treating noncardioembolic stroke patients. Remarkably, the catalyst demonstrated excellent reusability, maintaining high productivity across five consecutive cycles, underscoring its economic and sustainable potential for industrial applications.ye
Designing a multiplex PCR-xMAP assay for the detection and differentiation of African Horse Sickness virus, Serotypes 1–9
Full text linkAfrican horse sickness is a severe and often fatal disease affecting all species of equids. The
aetiological agent, African horse sickness virus (AHSV), can be differentiated into nine serotypes.
The identification of AHSV serotypes is vital for disease management, as this can influence vaccine
selection and help trace disease incursion routes. In this study, we report the development and
optimisation of a novel, molecular-based assay that utilises multiplex PCR and microsphere-based
technology to expedite detection and differentiation of multiple AHSV serotypes in one assay. We
demonstrated the ability of this assay to identify all nine AHSV serotypes, with detection limits
ranging from 1 to 277 genome copies/μL depending on the AHSV serotype. An evaluation of
diagnostic sensitivity and specificity revealed a sensitivity of 88% and specificity of 100%. This
method can serotype up to 42 samples per run and can be completed in approximately 4–6 h. It
provides a powerful tool to enhance the rapidity and efficiency of AHSV serotype detection, thereby
facilitating the generation of epidemiological data that can help understand and control the incidence
of AHSV worldwide.ye
Women's experiences of specialist perinatal mental health services: the significance of therapeutic interpersonal relationships with staff
No full textAim of review: To systematically identify, appraise, and synthesise qualitative evidence exploring women’s experiences of specialist perinatal mental health services (SPMHS). To identify factors which influence women’s perceptions of their care and treatment from SPMHS and identify any gaps in current knowledge warranting further investigation.
Search and review methodology: A qualitative evidence synthesis with thematic analysis was used to explore the research questions of this review. Search terms were established using the PEO Framework. A systematic literature search of five databases: Medline (OVID), EMBASE (Elsevier), PsycINFO (EBSCO), CINAHL (EBSCO) and Scopus (Elsevier), grey literature searching, and backward citation, identified a total of 1035 papers of which sixteen met inclusion criteria. Methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) tool. The GRADE-CERQual approach was used to assess the confidence in synthesised review findings. This review undertook a secondary analysis of published literature; therefore, ethical approval was not required.
Findings: Twelve of the sixteen included studies of this review reported the significance of therapeutic interpersonal relationships with staff on women’s experience and perception of SPMHS care and treatment. Feeling understood and respected by staff was important to women. The relationship provided a safe space in which women felt listened to, comforted, and supported. The consistency and sensitivity shown by staff during women’s SPMHS care resulted in a positive service experience.
Conclusion and impact: Therapeutic interpersonal relationships developed with staff in SPMHS were significant and meaningful to women and positively impacted their mental health recovery and perception of services. Sensitive and collaborative care that is provided to meet women’s individual needs can promote positive SPMHS experience.ye
Automated music therapy for anxiety and depression management in older people (AMITY)
No full textThe onset of old age brings physiological and mental changes, with anxiety and depression being common mental disorders that can trigger other health issues and reduce lifespan. However, due to a global shortage of mental health professionals, combined with a growing population and limited awareness, these disorders often go undiagnosed. Music therapy offers a reliable method to address psychological, emotional, and cognitive needs. This paper presents an approach that monitors anxiety and depression symptoms in real time using low-complexity body sensors, followed by automated personalised music therapy, reducing the dependence on therapists and improving mental health care accessibility.ye
Punching up: boxing and librarianship - a different UX perspective (UKLibs7 workshop)
Full text linkLibraries and librarians come from a range of experiences and work in a variety of
environments. Many of these spaces are hybrid or completely online; some librarians
work remotely so the chances to connect and engage with colleagues, library
users and key decision makers can be challenging.
Librarians tend to be open to new ideas and engage enthusiastically with the
dynamics of our profession. That doesn’t mean it is easy – but the spirit is willing!
Often, in my opinion, while librarians openly engage with ideas and people,
they tend to be quite siloed in their approaches to challenges. We often look to the
existing library world for models and structures; I suggest that it would be a good
idea to look at other sectors, some that may not seem to be related to libraries at all.
The idea for this workshop came about whilst thinking about ideas of what other
sector, or environment that is very strategic, could be a source of ideas for librarians
to consult and reference in dealings with challenging experiences. Especially when
engaging with senior decision makers, where there is a requirement for negotiation
and persuasion skills. The answer for me was the sport of boxing
Electrospinning recombinant spider silk fibroin-reinforced PLGA membranes - a biocompatible scaffold for wound healing applications
Full text linkPolylactide-polyglycolide (PLGA) is one of the most attractive polymeric biomaterials used to
fabricate medical devices for drug delivery and tissue engineering applications. Nevertheless,
the utilisation of PLGA in load-bearing applications is restricted due to its inadequate
mechanical properties. This study examines the potential of recombinant silk fibroin (eADF4),
a readily producible biomaterial, as a reinforcing agent for PLGA. The PLGA/eADF4
composite membranes were developed using the process of electrospinning. The spinnability
of the electrospinning solutions, as well as the physicochemical, mechanical, and thermal
properties of the composite membranes, were characterized. The addition of eADF4 increased
the viscosity of the electrospinning solutions and enhanced both the mechanical characteristics
and thermal stability of the composites. This study demonstrates that PLGA membranes
reinforced with recombinant spider silk fibroin are non-cytotoxic, significantly enhance cell
migration and wound closure, and do not trigger an inflammatory response, making them ideal
candidates for advanced wound healing applications.ye
Gandy & 'Books under threat: A response
Full text linkGandy's (2023) resistance to open access requirements under recent UK government initiatives is disconcerting. This response explores these new requirements, before examining the inequitable impact of the paywall to academic outputs both globally and within the Global North
Development and optimization of machine learning models for estimation of mechanical properties of linear low-density polyethylene
Full text linkA hybrid methodology was developed and implemented for estimation of polymeric mechanical properties in rotational moulding process. The considered polymer in this study is linear low-density polyethylene, known as LLDPE, which has extensive application in plastic industry. The mechanical properties of the polymer were assessed and correlated to the oven residence time to build the predictive model of moulding process. A tiny dataset containing only 25 data rows via a number of machine learning models were assessed. Oven residence time is the only input, while the LLDPE's properties including tensile strength, impact strength, and flexure strength are the outputs considered in the machine learning models. We used tree-based ensemble methods for modeling in this work and they are tuned using FA (Firefly Algorithm) optimizer to find optimal hyper-parameters of them. Finally, the optimal models had shown a great performance to predict the output accurately. For tensile strength, the best model (FA-ET) has an R2 value of 0.9994, this score is 0.9995 for impact strength and 0.9968 for flexure strength. The tree-based models tuned in this study revealed to be robust in estimation of polymeric properties and can be used to obtain the products with the best quality.ye