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Metal oxide nanocatalysts for the electrochemical detection of propofol
Get PDFPropofol is one of the most widely used intravenous drugs for anaesthesia and sedation and is one of the most commonly used drugs in intensive care units for the sedation of mechanically ventilated patients. The correct dosage of propofol is of high importance, but there is currently a lack of suitable point-of-care techniques for determining blood propofol concentrations. Here, we present a cytochrome P450 2B6/carbon nanotube/graphene oxide/metal oxide nanocomposite sensor for discrete measurement of propofol concentration. Propofol is converted into a quinol/quinone redox couple by the enzyme and the nanocomposite enables sensitive and rapid detection. The metal oxide nanoparticles are synthesised via green synthesis and a variety of metal oxides and mixed metal oxides are investigated to determine the optimal nanocatalyst. Converting propofol into the redox couple allows for the measurement to take place over different potential ranges, enabling interference from common sources such as paracetamol and uric acid to be avoided. It was found that nanocomposites containing copper titanium oxide nanoparticles offered the best overall performance and electrodes functionalised with such nanocomposites demonstrated a limit of detection in bovine serum of 0.5 μg/mL and demonstrated a linear response over the therapeutic range of propofol with a sensitivity of 4.58 nA/μg/mL/mm2
Proton pump inhibitor omeprazole alters the spiking characteristics of proteinoids
Get PDFThis study reveals the significant effect of the proton pump inhibitor omeprazole on the spiking behavior of proteinoids, leading to a transformative shift in the field of unconventional computing. Through the application of different concentrations of omeprazole, we see a notable modification in the spiking characteristics of proteinoids, including significant alterations in amplitude, frequency, and temporal patterns. By using Boolean logic techniques, we analyze the complex dynamics of the proteinoid-omeprazole system, revealing underlying patterns and connections that question our understanding of biological computing. Our research reveals the unexplored potential of proteinoids as a foundation for unconventional computing. Moreover, our research indicates that the electrical spiking observed in proteinoids may be linked to the movement of protons. This discovery offers new insights into the fundamental mechanisms governing the spiking activity of proteinoids, presenting promising opportunities for future research in this area. Additionally, it opens up possibilities of developing new computational models that exploit the inherent nonlinearity and complexity of biological systems. By combining the effects of omeprazole-induced spikes with Boolean logic, a wide range of opportunities arise for information processing, pattern identification, and problem-solving. This pushes the limits of what can be achieved with bioelectronics
Evidence of greater dung beetle abundance in a rewilded area compared to nearby organic farms
Get PDFOrganic farms have been shown to harbour larger and more diverse invertebrate populations and associated ecosystem services compared to other conventional farming methods. However, data on the impacts of rewilding on invertebrates remain scarce.Dung beetles contribute significantly to ecosystem function and are considered reliable indicators of ecological integrity. They have undergone serious population declines, largely due to changing agricultural practices.Dung beetles were sampled simultaneously at each of four sites for a total of 120 trapping days at each site. Two of the sites had been rewilded using large, free-roaming herbivores, and two were nearby organic farms.The rewilding sites yielded greater species richness and abundance compared to organic farms. The abundance of dung beetles was more than 20 times greater at the rewilded sites compared to organic sites.One paracoprid (dung-burying) species, Onthophagus similis, was particularly abundant, comprising 95% of all individuals at the rewilded sites. Nonetheless, captures at the rewilding sites remained significantly higher even after this species was omitted from the analysis.Practical implication: While additional research is necessary to ascertain whether our findings signify an atypical occurrence, the evidence from this case study suggests that rewilding with large herbivores may provide an effective strategy to combat dung beetle declines, restore ecological function and enhance ecosystem services
'It feels like we're out of the rat race': Family reflections on traumatic school experiences leading to home education
Get PDFThe rise in numbers of children experiencing school attendance difficulties in recent years makes this an important focus for UK school inclusion. Simultaneously, increases in school deregistration in favour of home education have caught media as well as regulator attention. These figures disproportionately include children on schools' special educational needs registers. This article presents findings from a doctoral study of families' reflections on their educational transitions leading to school deregistration and undertaking of home education. Through a UK-wide online survey and interviews with seven parents and six children, the research explored the experiences of 99 families. Participants described cumulative traumatic events and liminal experiences as they sought inclusive education, negotiating with under-resourced and/or underprepared professionals in unsupportive or even hostile systems. The study employed reflexive thematic analysis using an original Bronfenbrenner-Turner conceptual framework to understand the data. The framework underpins the research recommendations and has potential for policymakers and as a school inclusion tool to help educators and allied professionals recognise and support-rather than ostracise-vulnerable children and their families.Key points • Patterns exist in the reported school practices and educational transitions of children and families across mainland Britain.• Families form expectations of schools based on their understanding of teachers' professional standards and educational policy.• Educators lack confidence in implementing school inclusion, and this is a finding that reflects the existing literature. Further training could enable schools to collaborate with families in children's best interests.• Some families see flexi-schooling as a school inclusion strategy for their children. However, schools are reluctant to offer this, due to Government requirements for marking days at home as 'unauthorised', which affects attendance figures and funding
The nature of Trauma Informed Care in the treatment of men convicted of a sexual offence with trauma history
Get PDFIndividuals who have committed sexual offences are more likely to have experienced trauma or childhood adversity than the general population (Kahn et al., 2020; McMackin et al., 2008). Further, individuals who were convicted of a sexual offence perceive a strong connection between their own victimisation and their sexual offending (Grady et al., 2022). This initial scoping work, funded by the University of West England in the United Kingdom, involved in-depth qualitative interviews with 20 professionals and a roundtable including academics, policy makers and front-line practitioners from His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, NHS and third sector organisations. All participants had a history of working with individuals with a sexual conviction and a history of trauma or had been involved in academia in this area. The work identified an inconsistent use of the term ‘trauma informed’ across the sector and a gap in trauma informed care (TIC) for individuals with a ‘dual status’ as both a perpetrator of sexual abuse and victim of trauma. This was especially prominent for adult men relative to females or young people with sexual convictions. Individuals with a ‘dual status’ are particularly disadvantaged in having their trauma acknowledged and addressed if they are male. The extent that true TIC can be implemented across the justice system is challenged by the necessities of managing risk. Further research is required to better understand the experiences of people with lived experience and to explore the impact of TIC on reintegration and reoffending.Key messages/highlights from the paper1.Trauma histories are present in men convicted of a sexual offence.2.Having been caught and convicted of a sexual offence often means that the individual’s victim status is compromised.3.More work needs to be done to develop trauma informed approaches, within the criminal justice system, for men convicted of a sexual offence
Using scenarios to address uncertainty in planning for sustainable mobility in small and medium-sized Norwegian cities
Get PDFIt seems hard now to ignore uncertainty over what the future holds. Such uncertainty poses significant challenges for assessing and appraising policy and investment decisions. Correspondingly scenario planning has become the subject of increasing interest internationally as a means to explore uncertainty and in turn support more robust decision making. In this paper we bring together scenario planning alongside more traditional national planning to support more robust planning for sustainable mobility for small and medium-sized Norwegian cities. The paper describes the mapping of key uncertainties influencing mobility, the development of four explorative plausible future scenarios—and in turn how these scenarios can be used as part of transport analysis and appraisal to inform more robust decision making. The purpose of the paper is twofold. First, it provides case study insight into scenario development and planning. Second, it takes the reader on a ‘learning by doing’ journey through the process of what was done and why, with a sharing of the lessons learned by the study team in the interest of helping others who wish to embark on their own journeys into this important developmental area of transport planning
Beam model development and clinical experience with RadCalc for treatment plan quality assurance in online adaptive workflow with an MR‐linac
Get PDFPurpose: The aim of this work was to report on the optimization, commissioning, and validation of a beam model using a commercial independent dose verification software RadCalc version 7.2 (Lifeline Software Inc, Tyler, TX, USA), along with 4 years of experience employing RadCalc for offline and online monitor unit (MU) verification on the Elekta Unity MR‐linac (MRL) for a range of clinical sites. Methods: Calculation settings and model parameters, including the Clarkson integration settings and radiation/light field offset, have been systematically examined and optimized, and pitfalls in the use of density inhomogeneity corrections and in off‐axis calculations were investigated and addressed. The resulting model was commissioned by comparing RadCalc calculations to measurements for a variety of cases, selected following relevant recommendations, ranging from simple fields in a water tank to end‐to‐end point dose measurements in an anthropomorphic phantom. Results: For simple geometries, the agreement was within 2%, and for complex geometries, within 5%. When validating against the Monaco (Elekta AB, Stockholm, Sweden) treatment planning system (TPS), for 39 clinical commissioning plans, the mean total point dose difference was −0.3 ± 0.8% (−2.0%–1.1%). Finally, when applied retrospectively to 4085 clinical plan calculations, the agreement with the TPS was 0.3 ± 1.1% (−4.8%–4.2%), with fail rates of 0.1% for total point dose (discrepancy > 4%) and 0.3% for individual fields (discrepancy > 10%). Conclusions: Improved calculation agreement with the TPS and therefore increased confidence in the online QA, opened the way for an automated and physics‐light independent MU verification workflow within our MRL program
We must begin with the land: Seeking abundance and liberation through social ecology
No full textWe live at a time of intractable armed conflicts starved of resolution. We inhabit a planet where damaged ecosystems are hungry for restoration. We endure chronic inequalities of wealth and power which crave redistribution. During the past decade, such intertwined factors have precipitated a food crisis, in which increasingly millions experience malnutrition. As elsewhere, the UK is constrained by legacies of structural injustice and failing neoliberal policies. Yet We Must Begin with the Land is not another account of global doom. It explores an abundance of innovative and traditional alternatives for producing food, renewable energies, and organic materials through agroecology.Using the anti-colonial lens of social ecology, Stephen E. Hunt considers mini real-world case studies for diversifying and democratising how we might grow, share, and eat. Gleaning such examples takes us from La Via Campesina, the world’s largest food-sovereignty network, to efforts to preserve Indigenous knowledges; from radical material sciences using hemp, seaweed, and fungi to the defiant trees and fruits of revolutionary Rojava; from proliferating Kleingärten to micro-projects at home, such as an inner-city growing community where refugees sprout hope and Japanese Shumei cultivation unexpectedly thriving in a Wiltshire hamlet.Social ecology is a powerful set of conceptual principles for transforming our relationship to food. It offers a critique of existing supply chains that all-too-often shackle producers and consumers alike in dependency and poverty. But it also sparks different conversations about how we might delink from and reconnect into food chains that are more intricate and, ultimately, more resilient. It signals priorities not just to meet social needs and for ecological survival but also for human liberation and pleasure and flourishing sustainability
Financial dominance: Why the ‘market maker of last resort’ is a bad idea and what to do about it
No full textFinancial regulation, influenced by mainstream models of banks as sources of liquidity risk, rather than post-Keynesian models of banks as liquidity providers, fostered the growth of the repo market and shadow banking from the 1980s on. In the repo market banks provide funding liquidity, which interacts with market liquidity to cause liquidity spirals. Examples are the 2008 and 2020 crises. The central bank has responded to these crises by stepping in to purchase assets. This paper argues that we are now in a situation of ‘financial dominance’ where sophisticated financial market participants design financial instruments in expectation that the central bank will rescue the debt market from liquidity spirals. To address the problem of financial dominance, this paper argues for regulation based on the post-Keynesian approach to banks such that central bank financial support is provided via the banking system. This paper recommends (i) requiring that non-financial corporation repo and derivatives liabilities be supported by bank lines of credit and that banks face constraints on the ability to sell collateral into an illiquid market; (ii) requiring that monetary run-risk intermediaries, such as money market funds, be regulated as banks; and (iii) stricter regulation of BBB rated holdings for investment funds (or non-monetary run-risk intermediaries) when they are prohibited from holding below investment grade assets. These reforms must be accompanied by a clear policy that, in the event that any bank requires re-capitalization by the government, existing shareholder interests will be wiped out, and ownership will be transferred to the government
Digital image colorimetry smartphone-based determination of hydrogen peroxide using titanium oxysulfate and red, green, and blue analysis
No full textPrevious studies have shown the possibility of colorimetrically determining hydrogen peroxide by its reaction with titanium oxysulfate, to give an orange-coloured complex (absorbance maxima = 410 nm). In this present investigation, we show the possibility of using this approach to quantify hydrogen peroxide using the camera of a smartphone to record images of the orange colour developed. The Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) colour numerical components of this image were obtained by the use of a downloadable free App.The RGB values obtained directly showed poor R2 values and detection limits resulting from interferences from variations in ambient background light. Commonly such effects are corrected by the application of lightboxes to isolate the smartphone and sample. However, in this present approach we show the possibility of producing analytically useful and acceptable results using a simple mathematical correction of the RGB data. Using such an approach a linear response was obtained over the range of 3.0 mg/L to 25 mg/L (R2 = 0.986) with a limit of detection calculated to be 2.50 mg/L, 2.94 mg/L and 2.61 mg/L for the %R, %G and %B, respectively (3δ). A coefficient of variation of 0.83% was obtained for an 8.0 mg/L hydrogen peroxide standard solution. Using the %G values a mean percentage recovery of 98.5%, with a %CV of 4.3% (n = 5) was obtained for a commercial contact lens cleaning agent solution. This data indicates that the method holds promise for the determination of hydrogen peroxide in such samples