159370 research outputs found
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Investigating safety aspects of using insect farming to reduce pig and chicken wastes at semi-commercial and lab-scale
No full textIncreasing global demand for food is driving the need to reduce wastes produced by agriculture to minimise environmental impacts. Black Soldier Fly, Hermetia illucens, can reduce livestock wastes, but research into the safety and scalability of the system is required. Insect bioconversion concerns include potential bioaccumulation of pathogens, antimicrobial resistance genes and heavy metals in larvae and substrates. Here, a semi-commercial-sized insect rearing facility was used to rear larvae on pig slurry, alongside a lab-based experiment using chicken manure. Larval microbiome composition was impacted by substrate, with increased Clostridia in larvae reared on slurry and manure. Pathogens largely decreased in the larvae from starting levels. Both slurry and manure substrates showed time-related changes regardless of insect presence or absence except for E. coli in chicken manure which was reduced in substrates with larvae added (−2.840 LFC vs −1.168 LFC; p<0.05), suggesting that time-associated alterations in the substrate could be more significant than larval presence. Antimicrobial resistance gene changes were dependent on the substrate and gene, with increases found for tetM in chicken manure after larval bioconversion (9.000 vs 10.370 LFC; p<0.001), and for sul2 in larvae reared on chicken manure (3.509 vs −0.985 LFC; p=0.001). In pig slurry-reared larvae, tetM decreased (−1.578 LFC; p<0.001) but there was no difference in sul2. Heavy metal contents generally met permissible standards for animal feed and organic fertilizers. However, there was some non-significant evidence for bioaccumulation of cadmium in slurry-reared larvae 0.18 to 0.70 mg/kg) compared to starter larvae (0.25mg/kg) requiring further study
Book review: Building a new economy: Japan’s digital and green transformation. by D. Hugh Whittaker. Oxford University Press, 2024.
No full textQuantitative sensory testing reveals evidence of altered pain processing in Paget’s disease of bone
Full text linkPain is the most common symptom of Paget’s disease of bone (PDB), but its underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Notably, bone pain does not correlate well with metabolic activity or treatment response. This study aimed to assess whether sensory processing is altered in skin overlying Pagetic bone using quantitative sensory testing (QST). We conducted a cross-sectional study of 156 people with PDB attending secondary care referral centres in the UK. We conducted quantitative sensory testing of the skin overlying affected sites and compared the data with unaffected sites as a control. The modalities used were hot and cold rollers, pinprick, vibration and von-Frey filaments to test both spinothalamic and lemniscal pathways. There was a consistent trend for sensory perception to be increased over affected sites versus control sites in the study population. The differences were significant for vibration detection threshold (p = 0.009), pain threshold (p = 0.010) and both single and multiple pinprick testing methods (both p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed similar trends when analysis was restricted to those with pain thought to be due to bone deformity or increased metabolic activity and those with and without musculoskeletal pain. Sensory processing is altered in skin overlying Pagetic bone, independent of current pain symptoms. We speculate that this may be due to abnormalities of bone shape, bone structure or metabolic abnormalities in the affected bone. The mechanisms are unclear but deserve further study
Responding proportionately to the COVID-19 pandemic in UK long-stay inpatient pediatric wards
Full text linkThe COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on how healthcare and social care were delivered in the United Kingdom. Infection prevention and control measures were introduced in all settings to prevent transmission within, to, and from them. A case study of an inner-city pediatric surgical ward in late autumn 2020 was created for this chapter to explore the ethical and legal dimensions of the impact of these measures on patients, their families, and healthcare staff. Material for the case study and the impacts discussed were informed by research carried out during the pandemic. As part of a project entitled When Pandemic and Everyday Ethics Collide: Supporting Ethical Decision-Making in Maternity Care and Pediatrics During the COVID-19 Pandemic, a National Health Service (NHS) Reset Ethics Project. Data was collected from NHS staff and service users between July 2020 and September 2021. The chapter discussion reflects research findings related to the loss of community on hospital wards and the effect this had on staff and parents. The chapter also addresses how parental visiting restrictions may have eroded parents’ rights to family life and the loss of their right to parent. Finally, the chapter explores the negative effects on all concerned of staff being responsible for policing restrictions on the ward. The measures were, on balance, proportionate, given the staff’s duty of care, but the costs were probably more significant than originally envisaged. This should be reflected in future planning measures and in greater stakeholder involvement
Measuring individual differences in the speed of attention using the distractor intrusion task
No full textHow quickly we attend to objects plays an important role in navigating the world, especially in dynamic and rapidly changing environments. Measuring individual differences in attention speed is therefore an important, yet challenging, task. Although reaction times in visual search tasks have often been used as an intuitive proxy of such individual differences, these measures are limited by inconsistent levels of reliability and contamination by non-attentional factors. This study introduces the rate of post-target distractor intrusions (DI) in the rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) paradigm as an alternative method of studying individual differences in the speed of attention. In RSVP, a target is presented for a brief duration and embedded among multiple distractors. DIs are reports of a subsequent distractor rather than the target and have previously been shown to be associated with the speed of attention. The present study explored the reliability and validity of DI rates as a measure of individual differences. In three studies, DI rates showed high internal consistency and test–retest reliability over a year (>.90), even with a short task administration of only about 5 minutes. Moreover, DI rates were associated with measures related to attention speed, but not with unrelated measures of attentional control, reading speed, and attentional blink effects. Taken together, DI rates can serve as a useful tool for research into individual differences in the speed of attention. Links to a downloadable and easily executable DI experiment, as well as a brief discussion of methodological considerations, are provided to facilitate such future research
Written input and the encoding of L2 phonological contrasts:L1 Arabic learners of L2 English
Full text linkMany adults learn languages with written forms that differ from their first language(s). Empirical research has demonstrated the influential role of written input on developing L2 phonology. However, existing studies are limited by (1) focusing on learning languages that share the same orthographic script, predominantly the Latin alphabet, (2) small sample sizes, and (3) limited consideration of L2 proficiency. This study investigated the influence of Arabic and English written input when lexically -encoding the difficult /f-v/ phonological contrast for L1 Arabic-speaking learners of L2 English. A word learning study was completed by 114 L1 Arabic-speakers, with varying English proficiency, and 117 L1 English-speaking controls. Mixed-effects modelling of L1 Arabic accuracy revealed an inhibitory effect of any written input when learning words differing by the difficult contrast. Performance improved with increasing L2 proficiency; however, the inhibitory effect of written input for words differing by /f-v/ persisted into high levels of L2 proficiency
What factors shape the effectiveness of a leader-focused mental health training?
No full textIn light of the high prevalence of mental health (MH) problems and the important role that has been ascribed to MH-focused leadership training in addressing MH concerns in organizations, this study examines the conditions necessary for such training to be effective. Drawing on resource allocation theory, we explore the factors that influence training-induced changes in leaders’ MH-related knowledge and self-efficacy following participation in the 3-
hour long Mental Health Awareness Training (MHAT; Dimoff et al., 2016). Using multisource, multi-wave data from 83 leaders and their followers (n = 383) from 13 organizations, we confirmed that leaders were more knowledgeable of and felt more confident to promote mental health in the workplace following MHAT. Furthermore, leaders’ learning goal orientation (LGO) predicted this increase in MH-related self-efficacy, but not in MH-related knowledge. The relationship between LGO and self-efficacy changes was not moderated by leaders’ pre-training MH-supportive behaviors but was positively moderated by organizational climate of MH openness. Neither moderator had an effect on the
relationship between leader LGO and changes in MH-related knowledge. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings in relation to reaping the benefits of MH-focused leadership training
Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of battery systems, including sodium materials
No full textAn overview is given of the literature on current approaches to the measurement, analysis and interpretation of broadband impedance data and examples of its application to Na materials, cells and batteries. Standard 2-terminal measurements on full cells are often complemented by both 2- and 3-terminal measurements on a range of materials and cell configurations; this should enable identification of the different impedance contributions that control full cell operation. Data analysis usually revolves around equivalent circuit modelling; strategies to identify the most appropriate circuits are reviewed, including the increasing use of the distribution of relaxation times methodology. Interfacial phenomena are fundamental components of solid electrolyte interfaces and composite electrodes in operational batteries; these are reviewed for Na-based materials and systems
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