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Drag Force Regime in Dry and Immersed Granular Media
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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon 321 reasonable requestThe drag force acting on an intruder colliding with granular media is typically influenced by the impact velocity and the penetrating depth. In this paper, the investigation was extended to the dry and immersed scenarios through coupled simulations at different penetrating velocities. The drag force regime was clarified to exhibit velocity dependence in the initial contact stage, followed by the inertial transit stage with a ∼ 2 (force-depth) relationship. Subsequently, it transitioned into the depth-dependent regime in both dry and immersed cases. The underlying rheological mechanism was explored, revealing that, in both dry and immersed scenarios, the granular bulk underwent a state relaxation process, as indicated by the granular inertial number. Additionally, the presence of the ambient fluid restricted the flow dynamics of the perturbed granular material, exhibiting a similar rheology as observed in the dry case.This research was supported, in whole or in part, by the Major Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51890911), the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) New Investigator Award (Grant No. EP/V028723/1), Hainan Province Science and Technology Special Fund (Grant No. ZDYF2021SHFZ264), and the State Key Laboratory of Disaster Reduction in Civil Engineering (Grant No. SLDRCE19-A-06)
The identification and evaluation of novel biomarkers for epithelial ovarian cancer
No full textThis thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonOvarian cancer (OvCa) is the 6th most common cancer in the UK and is the leading cause of death for patients with gynaecological cancers, accounting for 184,779 deaths worldwide. Unfortunately, lack of effective screening and vague symptoms account for 70% of patients being diagnosed at the later stages, resulting in poorer prognoses. As well as this, there is a lack of consensus for the occurrence of relapse and for determining treatment response, leading to delayed treatment and, again, a poorer prognosis. The main culprit for this delay is the current clinical marker, CA-125, which has poor sensitivity and specificity. Approximately 20% of patients are non-secretors of the CA-125 marker, and it is elevated in other diseases and malignancies. Due to all of this, it is clear that more efficacious markers need to be discovered.
In this thesis, we have used online databases, RNA sequencing and Immunohistochemistry to determine the potential use of CIP2A and RAD51AP1 as biomarkers for OvCa prognosis and treatment response. We find that both of these biomarkers have increased expression in OvCa and that this increased expression is correlated to decreased PFS and OS. We also determine CIP2A expression in different ages, stages, grades and types of OvCa patients, as well as mutation frequency, altered pathways, and protein structure. Following this, utilising in vitro models, we inhibited both RAD51AP1 and CIP2A through different means (siRNA and inhibitor, respectively) and determined the changes through RNA sequencing in differentially expressed genes and molecular landscape. We further determine any connection with diseases and malignancies and investigated their potential clinical utility as biomarkers.
Liquid biopsies offer an alternative to conventional invasive tissue biopsies and are advantageous due to their ease of availability and less invasive nature. Unlike traditional biopsies, liquid biopsies offer the opportunity for serial monitoring of patients undergoing treatment, possibly providing early warning of treatment resistance and relapse. To further our data above we decided to use a type of liquid biopsy, this being patient blood, to evaluate the efficacy of six different biomarkers for use in predicting treatment response, resistance, and relapse. Out of these, ccfDNA, CIP2A, RAD51AP1, and telomere length appear to have a promising use as prognostic biomarkers, as they outperform or mirror CA-125, especially in the case of the non-secretors.
Collectively, the data shows promise in using ccfDNA, CIP2A, RAD51AP1, and telomere length as clinical biomarkers for OvCa. Future work would include the expansion of the datasets and investigation of the use of these markers to diagnose OvCa
Characterizing Longitudinal Alterations in Postural Control Following Lower Limb Injury in Professional Rugby Union Players
No full textAssessment of player’s postural control following a lower limb injury is of interest to sports medicine practitioners due to its fundamental role in daily tasks and sporting activities. The aim was to longitudinally monitor professional rugby union players’ postural control during each phase of the rehabilitation program (acute, middle, and late) following a lower limb injury. Seven male rugby union players (height 1.80 [0.02] m; mass 100.3 [11.4] kg; age 24 [4] y) sustained a time loss, noncontact lower limb injury. Static postural control was assessed via sway path (in meters), and dynamic postural control was assessed via vertical postural stability index. Group differences (P < .05) were reported across the acute, middle, and late phase. Smaller magnitudes of sway path were observed for eyes-open sway path, and for the middle and late phase smaller magnitudes of vertical postural stability index (P < .05) at the end session compared with first session. Whereas larger magnitudes of vertical postural stability index were found between baseline and the last session (P < .05). Large interindividual and intraindividual variation was apparent across the 3 phases of rehabilitation. Postural control improvements were identified during rehabilitation. However, postural control did not return to baseline, with altered kinetics throughout each rehabilitation phase.Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarship (KESS 2) PhD Award: An interdisciplinary investigation into return to play following a lower limb injury
Seeing is believing: The colour of silver alloys and the global silver circulation in the Chinese Ming and Qing dynasties
Get PDFData Availability Statement: The data that supports the findings of this study are available in the supplementary material of this article.Supporting Information is available online at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/arcm.12990#support-information-section .This research investigates the correlation between colour perception and the circulation of silver in China during the Ming (1368–1644 CE) and Qing (1644–1911 CE) dynasties. The primary aim is to deepen our understanding of how silver alloys were perceived and experienced in this historical context while also situating our study within the broader context of the global silver trade. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, silver possessed immense historical significance as a precious commodity. We argue that copper had a more substantial influence on the final colour of silver alloys compared to lead. Furthermore, employing a colourimetric model, our Monte-Carlo simulation demonstrates that over 70% of silver from Mesoamerica to China could be discerned by nonexperts using only their unaided vision, largely due to the elevated copper content. Crucially, our simulation experiment reveals differing effects of copper and lead on the colour of silver alloys. The latter demonstrates minimal change until reaching a threshold of 15%, signifying that lead is a suitable and cost-effective substitute for silver. These findings suggest that the detection of silver purity was less demanding than previously assumed, opening up opportunities for arbitrage.Junior Faculty Development Fund School of History Beijing Normal University; Junior Faculty Fund Beijing Normal University; National Social Science Fund of China, Grant/Award Number: 20CSS019; Digital Protection of Unearthed Cultural Relics, Grant/Award Number: 22-5-14-6100-295
Racially Determined Case Characteristics: Exploring Disparities in the Use of Sentencing Factors in England and Wales
Get PDFSupplementary material is available at British Journal of Criminology online at: https://academic.oup.com/bjc/advance-article/doi/10.1093/bjc/azae039/7708313?login=true#469596802 . The data underpinning this article has also been deposited in Brunel University London's data repository, Brunelfigshare (DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.17633/rd.brunel.26057374).There is little understanding of how documented ethnic disparities in sentencing outcomes in England and Wales come to be and, consequently, how to address them. We argue that disparities in sentence outcomes could stem from how cases are constructed. We hypothesize that case characteristics determined through a high degree of judicial discretion and an assessment of the offender have a high risk of being racially determined, and therefore, operate as precursors of ethnic disparities in sentencing. We test this using Crown Court Sentencing Survey and Court Proceedings data. We identify three sentencing factors (remorse, good character and ability to rehabilitate) clearly favouring White offenders. We contextualize their operation and argue that all three should be classified as racially determined and sources of ethnic disparity. We conclude by setting out targeted policy solutions.Secondary Data Analysis Initiative of the Economic and Social Research Council (Grant Ref: ES/W00738X/1)
Unveiling the inherent properties and impact of ultrafine nanobubbles in polar and alcoholic media through unsupervised machine learning and atomic insight
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the data of this paper can be accessed from the Brunel University London data archive, figshare at [https://doi.org/10.17633/rd.brunel.26139844.v1] https://brunel.figshare.com .The presence of dissolved gas in the host medium in various industrial processes, such as the presence of oxygen and hydrogen during water splitting or carbon dioxide in fuel cells, or the dissolution of nitrogen for industrial applications, increases the probability of the formation of bubbles at nano-scale. Nanobubbles (NBs), spanning tens to hundreds of nanometres, display exceptional attributes, including remarkable stability, enduring longevity, and an impressive surface-to-volume ratio. These qualities firmly position NBs as pivotal entities with applications that extend across diverse industries, encompassing fields such as energy and chemistry. Therefore, it is crucial to have a comprehensive understanding of their inherent properties and behaviour right from the nucleation stage to grasp their distinctive traits fully. This paper focuses on the combination of data-driven and molecular dynamics simulation to provide a clear understanding of the mechanisms behind NBs nucleation and behaviour in liquids and identify their characteristics. The nucleation process of four gases in two potential liquids for hosting NBs, namely water and methanol, was investigated through scattering nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen in host liquids using molecular dynamics simulations. Then, high-throughput screening based on the DBSCA (density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise) algorithm was used to screen the formed NB clusters through dissolved gases in the host liquids to determine the size of formed NBs, their density, and motion over time. The findings offer unique insights, indicating that the density of the surrounding liquids is altered and decreased by formed nanobubbles, influenced by the establishment of a nanolayer. The lowest density was recorded for hydrogen and nitrogen nanobubbled methanol samples at 0.61673 and 0.68918 g/ml, respectively, and for hydrogen and nitrogen nanobubbled water samples at 0.93797 and 0.93722 g/ml, respectively. Additionally, the highest density among the scattered gases was observed in non-nanobubbled carbon dioxide methanol and water samples at 0.77724 and 0.99588 g/ml, respectively. Furthermore, the viscosity of the host liquids is influenced, particularly in the presence of high-density nanobubbles, as the highest viscosity was observed for nitrogen nanobubbled water samples at 0.00103 Pa.s.This work was supported by a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (MR/T042915/1) and EPSRC DTP (EP/T518116/1-2688449). MD simulations were run on ARCHER2 and MMM Hub Young, the UK's National Supercomputing Service
Elevating B2B branding in a global context: Integrating existing literature and proposing a forward-thinking conceptual framework
Get PDFThis study aims to evaluate B2B branding in a global context by constructing a framework for future research, practitioners, and brand managers operating in international B2B markets. Employing co-citation and text-mining techniques to investigate 281 articles, we identified five knowledge fields that map the intellectual structure of this domain: brand equity, industrial branding, brand value, global brand leadership, and relationship marketing. We also gained a deeper understanding of the important topics in global B2B branding literature. This framework not only highlights gaps and challenges in conceptual and methodological approaches but also challenges and extends existing academic discourse. It offers a systematic approach to strategic decision-making and the overhaul of marketing practices, guiding practitioners to navigate the complexities of global B2B branding. Our critical analysis sets a new agenda for future research, calling for a more rigorous and holistic advancement in the field of global B2B branding
Political tie diversity and inclusion at work in Asia: a critical view and a roadmap
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As our study did not involve the use of data, we have not included a data availability statement.Diversity and inclusion scholarship addresses inequality at work across categories of difference marked with historical disadvantages such as gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, and class or categories meaningful for the industrial, organisational or local settings. This scholarship has not considered political ties to be a diversity strand. However, political ties are a considerable source of uneven power relations, unearned privileges, and unjust discrimination in many contexts. Similarly, political ties could be sources of disadvantage, exclusion and discrimination for individuals with weak, absent or oppositional political affiliations. Our paper focuses on the Asian context, where political ties are often a legitimate human and institutional resource that can shape individual choices and chances at work. By defining political ties as a diversity and inclusion strand, we critique the legitimacy of political ties as a dominant and desirable resource and present political tie discrimination as a wicked social problem that entrenches uneven relations of power and authority in workplaces. Highlighting how political affiliation manifests across different national contexts in Asia, we explore the utility of adding political ties to the Asian vernacular to regulate workplace diversity and inclusion. Asia provides an interesting context in which the interplay between political affiliation and workplace relations is often culturally endorsed, remains unregulated and unscrutinised through ethical and anti-discrimination regulations. Thus, Asia provides an ideal setting to explore the emergence of political tie diversity and inclusion at work. We illustrate this through country-specific examples, illustrating the cross-national varieties of political tie diversity in the Asian business context. We also suggest a roadmap to manage political tie diversity and inclusion for this context
Preregistration of Study into Disparities in Remand Decisions in England and Wales
Get PDFThis is a preregistration of a study that will investigate the degree of (in)consistency in remand decisions between police forces and between courts in England and Wales. It will do so using new criminal court datasets made available by the Data First project from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in collaboration with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Her Majesty Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS). The study will also use these linked datasets to assess how disparities in remand rates evolve throughout the trajectory of cases from the police remand decision up to the final Crown Court decision, when cases makes it that far.Economic and Social Research Council grant ref: ES/W00738X/1, Exploring the Nature of Ethnic Disparities in Sentencing through Causal Inference
Perspectives of Minority Ethnic Caregivers of People with Dementia Interviewed as Part of the IDEAL Programme
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The data used to support the 8ndings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.Postwar migrants from the Caribbean and Indian subcontinent (Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan) to the UK are now experiencing the onset of age‐related diseases such as dementia. Our evidence base, both quantitative and qualitative, documenting the experiences of family caregivers of people with dementia is largely drawn from studies undertaken with white European, North American, and Australasian populations. Consequently, there is a need for research in the field of dementia caregiving to reflect the increasing diversity in ethnic identities of the older adult population of the UK. Using semistructured interviews, we investigated the experiences of 18 caregivers of people with dementia in Black Caribbean, Black African, and South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi) communities in England. Participants were recruited from the Join Dementia Research platform and were predominantly female intergenerational carers. We identified the following three themes: motivation to care (spending time with the care recipient and reciprocity), positive and negative consequences of caregiving (rewards and consequences), and the cultural context of caregiving (cultural norms and values supporting caregiving and negative attitudes towards dementia). Our findings develop existing literature by identifying (a) the importance of spending time with the person they care for, (b) the absence of faith as a caregiving driver, and (c) the challenge of watching the declining health of a parent. We highlight how the different motivations to care are intertwined and dynamic. This is illustrated by the linking of obligation and reciprocity in our dataset and positive and negative experiences of caregiving.Alzheimer's Society. Grant Numbers: 348, AS-PR2-16-001;
National Institute for Health Researc
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