7103 research outputs found
Sort by
Design of ophthalmic equipment for low-income countries : a workflow perspective
No full textGlobal proliferation of mobile technology presents huge opportunities for healthcare, specifically regards improving operational efficiency, lowering costs, extending health systems' reach and improving adherence and acceptance. Foremost of reasons cited as prohibiting advancement of mHealth technologies from pilot to widespread adoption is paucity of data concerning the full impact on the health system's workflow.;The aim of this thesis is to investigate whether workflow modelling techniques, established in other fields, might be applied to the field of mHealth to address the lack of knowledge concerning its full health-system impact. Thus, it seeks to provide information that will help reduce the number of mHealth designs that fail to produce results in clinical pilots that lead to adoption at scale.;Data on the operation of proposed mHealth designs for use in community eye screening and retinopathy of prematurity screening were sourced from the scientific literature, technical datasheets and lab-based testing in the first instance and then pilot studies embedded in a community eye health study in Nakuru, Kenya. This included the design and prototyping of a novel smartphone-based ophthalmoscope appropriate for community settings in low-income countries.;The data acquired were analysed using standard statistical techniques. These analyses were then used to build stochastic timed coloured Petri-nets.;Classical statistical simulations based on these models generated data concerning the optimal design, workflow placement and usage of the mHealth devices. The data relating to retinopathy of prematurity screening specifically was used to design a tablet-computer operated, portable fundus camera for screening of preterm infants.;The results suggest that several mHealth design parameters have optimal values at odds with many of the piloted technologies that have failed to achieve adoption within the respective scenarios. It is recommended that further research, extending the techniques discussed and validating their effectiveness at producing designs appropriate for scale, be undertaken.Global proliferation of mobile technology presents huge opportunities for healthcare, specifically regards improving operational efficiency, lowering costs, extending health systems' reach and improving adherence and acceptance. Foremost of reasons cited as prohibiting advancement of mHealth technologies from pilot to widespread adoption is paucity of data concerning the full impact on the health system's workflow.;The aim of this thesis is to investigate whether workflow modelling techniques, established in other fields, might be applied to the field of mHealth to address the lack of knowledge concerning its full health-system impact. Thus, it seeks to provide information that will help reduce the number of mHealth designs that fail to produce results in clinical pilots that lead to adoption at scale.;Data on the operation of proposed mHealth designs for use in community eye screening and retinopathy of prematurity screening were sourced from the scientific literature, technical datasheets and lab-based testing in the first instance and then pilot studies embedded in a community eye health study in Nakuru, Kenya. This included the design and prototyping of a novel smartphone-based ophthalmoscope appropriate for community settings in low-income countries.;The data acquired were analysed using standard statistical techniques. These analyses were then used to build stochastic timed coloured Petri-nets.;Classical statistical simulations based on these models generated data concerning the optimal design, workflow placement and usage of the mHealth devices. The data relating to retinopathy of prematurity screening specifically was used to design a tablet-computer operated, portable fundus camera for screening of preterm infants.;The results suggest that several mHealth design parameters have optimal values at odds with many of the piloted technologies that have failed to achieve adoption within the respective scenarios. It is recommended that further research, extending the techniques discussed and validating their effectiveness at producing designs appropriate for scale, be undertaken
Generating and interrogating crystallographic data to predict solid-state properties
Get PDFA bespoke database of crystalline structures of salt forms of active pharmaceutical ingredients has been expanded to 300 structures, by the addition of 75 new crystal structures of salt forms of four bases that were all derivatives of phenylethylamine. These structures, with the addition of salt forms obtained from the CCDC database were analysed in detail according to features of the crystal structure such as cation conformation, presence of multiple crystallographically independent cations in the asymmetric unit and crystal packing similarity. General trends of hydrate formation were observed for these bases. Halides, aliphatic sulfonates, benzoates and monocarboxylate counterions can be classified as predominantly anhydrous while dicarboxylates, inorganic salts with tetrahedral anions and aryl-sulfonates are likely to be hydrates, depending on synthesis and crystallisation conditions. This work also studied the physicochemical properties of these salt forms, such as hardness, solubility and melting point. A new method for analysis of nanoindentation data was presented and used in this work showing a linear relationship between hardness and Young's Modulus. This linearity is characterised by the gradient of the trendline, the elasticity index. It was observed that salt forms of racemic methylephedrine will have higher elasticity index compared to the other salts. There is also a relationship between the hardness / Young's Modulus of the compounds and the size of the anion, clearly observed for halides but also observed in benzoates with different substitutions on the aromatic ring. There is a linear relationship between solubility and melting point when comparing salt forms according to the type of active pharmaceutical ingredient used. Five counterions had interesting results when plotting solubility versus melting point, and these counterion groups can behave in three different ways according to the analysis of the trendlines: (1) when solubility tends to zero the value of x axis tends to the molecular weight of the free acid; (2) when solubility tends to zero the x axis, when corrected by the density of the free acid, also tends to the molecular weight of the free acids; and (3) the samples have solubility increasing with melting point - the inverse behaviour to normal expectation.A bespoke database of crystalline structures of salt forms of active pharmaceutical ingredients has been expanded to 300 structures, by the addition of 75 new crystal structures of salt forms of four bases that were all derivatives of phenylethylamine. These structures, with the addition of salt forms obtained from the CCDC database were analysed in detail according to features of the crystal structure such as cation conformation, presence of multiple crystallographically independent cations in the asymmetric unit and crystal packing similarity. General trends of hydrate formation were observed for these bases. Halides, aliphatic sulfonates, benzoates and monocarboxylate counterions can be classified as predominantly anhydrous while dicarboxylates, inorganic salts with tetrahedral anions and aryl-sulfonates are likely to be hydrates, depending on synthesis and crystallisation conditions. This work also studied the physicochemical properties of these salt forms, such as hardness, solubility and melting point. A new method for analysis of nanoindentation data was presented and used in this work showing a linear relationship between hardness and Young's Modulus. This linearity is characterised by the gradient of the trendline, the elasticity index. It was observed that salt forms of racemic methylephedrine will have higher elasticity index compared to the other salts. There is also a relationship between the hardness / Young's Modulus of the compounds and the size of the anion, clearly observed for halides but also observed in benzoates with different substitutions on the aromatic ring. There is a linear relationship between solubility and melting point when comparing salt forms according to the type of active pharmaceutical ingredient used. Five counterions had interesting results when plotting solubility versus melting point, and these counterion groups can behave in three different ways according to the analysis of the trendlines: (1) when solubility tends to zero the value of x axis tends to the molecular weight of the free acid; (2) when solubility tends to zero the x axis, when corrected by the density of the free acid, also tends to the molecular weight of the free acids; and (3) the samples have solubility increasing with melting point - the inverse behaviour to normal expectation
Investigation of neuroanatomical subdivisions of the thalmic reticular nucleus upon brain states
Get PDFThe thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN), a part of the corticothalamic loop, plays a key role in selective attention and sleep spindle generation. Furthermore, sleep spindles are reduced in amplitude and duration in schizophrenia patients, implying clinical relevance of TRN functions. However, while the TRN is topographically organized, it remains unclear whether and how the TRN consists of functionally distinct sub-regions. Combining optogenetic and electrophysiological approaches in mice, we investigated changes in sleeping behavior and EEG oscillations caused by optogenetic stimulations in different parts of the TRN. Two inhibitory opsins Halorhodopsin (Halo) and Archaerhodopsin (Arch) were expressed specifically in either an anterior or posterior part of the TRN in parvalbumin (PV)-Cre mice using adeno-associated viral vectors. Effects of optical stimulation on cortical EEGs were assessed by delivering green light through chronically implanted optic fibers over 30 second periods in freely behaving animals. Tonic stimulations during awake states did not produce any significant change in EEG, whereas the stimulations during sleep significantly affected several frequency bands associated with TRN functions. The delta oscillation was decreased significantly during optogenetic inhibition in the rostral and caudal TRN. The sleep spindles, alpha waves, were significantly diminished only during the caudal TRN inhibition. The rostrally inhibited animals had a tendency for longer sleep and had a reduced proportion of the short sleep episodes relatively to the mice with caudally inhibited TRN. Lastly, we demonstrated that the caudal and rostral TRN are taking part in the brain state transition. The caudal part of the nucleus appears important for the wake - NREM sleep transition and the rostral TRN activation is associated with the sleep-wake transition. Although, it was a basic way to test the hypothesis, we concluded that rostral and caudal TRN consist of distinct subnetworks which have different activity levels during sleep. This is the first known description of TRN heterogeneity based on the location principles.The thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN), a part of the corticothalamic loop, plays a key role in selective attention and sleep spindle generation. Furthermore, sleep spindles are reduced in amplitude and duration in schizophrenia patients, implying clinical relevance of TRN functions. However, while the TRN is topographically organized, it remains unclear whether and how the TRN consists of functionally distinct sub-regions. Combining optogenetic and electrophysiological approaches in mice, we investigated changes in sleeping behavior and EEG oscillations caused by optogenetic stimulations in different parts of the TRN. Two inhibitory opsins Halorhodopsin (Halo) and Archaerhodopsin (Arch) were expressed specifically in either an anterior or posterior part of the TRN in parvalbumin (PV)-Cre mice using adeno-associated viral vectors. Effects of optical stimulation on cortical EEGs were assessed by delivering green light through chronically implanted optic fibers over 30 second periods in freely behaving animals. Tonic stimulations during awake states did not produce any significant change in EEG, whereas the stimulations during sleep significantly affected several frequency bands associated with TRN functions. The delta oscillation was decreased significantly during optogenetic inhibition in the rostral and caudal TRN. The sleep spindles, alpha waves, were significantly diminished only during the caudal TRN inhibition. The rostrally inhibited animals had a tendency for longer sleep and had a reduced proportion of the short sleep episodes relatively to the mice with caudally inhibited TRN. Lastly, we demonstrated that the caudal and rostral TRN are taking part in the brain state transition. The caudal part of the nucleus appears important for the wake - NREM sleep transition and the rostral TRN activation is associated with the sleep-wake transition. Although, it was a basic way to test the hypothesis, we concluded that rostral and caudal TRN consist of distinct subnetworks which have different activity levels during sleep. This is the first known description of TRN heterogeneity based on the location principles
Numerical investigation of a new micro-patterned surface inspired by shark skin
Get PDFConcerning the environmental challenge caused by the shipping industry, particularly diesel exhaust and toxic biocide-based anti-fouling system, the author proposed a new micro-patterned surface as a promising ship coating system, which is inspired by the shark skin surface. The new surface pattern combines the core working pattern of two existing surface technologies: Riblet and Sharklet AF™, and is expected to possess both drag-reduction and anti-fouling performance.;Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is employed as the main approach in this work to examine the drag-reduction performance of the new surface pattern. The RANS engineering turbulence model, Realizable K-Epsilon Two-Layer (RKE 2L), is used by the author to simulate the new design surface in the turbulent channel flow. The specific RKE 2L turbulence model is firstly used for the drag-reduction investigation of the riblet surface and is validated by a case study of symmetric v-groove riblet surface.;The drag-reduction performance of the new surface pattern is directly justified by comparing the skin friction of new surface and reference smooth surface, and indirectly justified by observing the upwards velocity shift in the log layer. Finally, a parametric study is conducted for the new surface pattern to explore the drag-reduction mechanism and the optimization direction.;To understand the riblet coating's practical impact on the full-scale ship, the similarity law scaling method is adjusted and written into the in-house code to extend the drag-reduction results from channel flow scale to full ship length scale. Moreover, a three-step procedure is proposed by the author to provide naval architects a guidance to derive the suitable riblet coating size where maximum riblet drag-reduction performance can be achieved in the most of voyage time. Finally, five real-world case ship types and relevant speed distribution are considered to predict the riblet coating's impact, which is quantified by the drag-reduction percentage and fuel savings.;The author believes that the shark skin inspired micro-patterned surface would pave a basement for the road to new innovative energy efficient approaches for the shipping industry.Concerning the environmental challenge caused by the shipping industry, particularly diesel exhaust and toxic biocide-based anti-fouling system, the author proposed a new micro-patterned surface as a promising ship coating system, which is inspired by the shark skin surface. The new surface pattern combines the core working pattern of two existing surface technologies: Riblet and Sharklet AF™, and is expected to possess both drag-reduction and anti-fouling performance.;Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is employed as the main approach in this work to examine the drag-reduction performance of the new surface pattern. The RANS engineering turbulence model, Realizable K-Epsilon Two-Layer (RKE 2L), is used by the author to simulate the new design surface in the turbulent channel flow. The specific RKE 2L turbulence model is firstly used for the drag-reduction investigation of the riblet surface and is validated by a case study of symmetric v-groove riblet surface.;The drag-reduction performance of the new surface pattern is directly justified by comparing the skin friction of new surface and reference smooth surface, and indirectly justified by observing the upwards velocity shift in the log layer. Finally, a parametric study is conducted for the new surface pattern to explore the drag-reduction mechanism and the optimization direction.;To understand the riblet coating's practical impact on the full-scale ship, the similarity law scaling method is adjusted and written into the in-house code to extend the drag-reduction results from channel flow scale to full ship length scale. Moreover, a three-step procedure is proposed by the author to provide naval architects a guidance to derive the suitable riblet coating size where maximum riblet drag-reduction performance can be achieved in the most of voyage time. Finally, five real-world case ship types and relevant speed distribution are considered to predict the riblet coating's impact, which is quantified by the drag-reduction percentage and fuel savings.;The author believes that the shark skin inspired micro-patterned surface would pave a basement for the road to new innovative energy efficient approaches for the shipping industry
Examining consumers' continued use of retailers' branded mobile applications
Get PDFThe aim of this research is to expand our understanding of consumers’ continuous usage of traditional retail smartphone branded mobile applications (apps). Previous research in technology acceptance and continuous usage of technological innovations mainly focuses on functional and hedonic variables specifically related to the technology under research. Also, past research typically focuses on the continuous use of e-services reflecting the loyalty of consumers toward a specific e-service (e.g. loyalty toward a website or m-commerce). While this research examines utilitarian and hedonic variables that influence consumers to be satisfied and motivate them to continue to use smartphone branded apps, it finds that variables related to the brand motivate consumers to continue to use traditional retail smartphone branded apps. Therefore, this research shows that while utilitarian and hedonic variables that are related to the technical characteristics of the technology in use are essential to motivate consumers to continue to use a technological innovation, brand-related variables related to the traditional retailer (e.g. long-term brand reputation and loyalty) are important in motivating consumers to continue to use branded mobile apps. Considering the limited knowledge available on what motivates consumers to continue using traditional retail smartphone branded mobile apps in a multi-channel retail environment, this research adopted a mixed methods approach. The research utilised an exploratory qualitative method in the form of 21 semi-structured individual in-depth interviews conducted in the UK to explore the drivers that motivate consumers to continue to use traditional retail smartphone branded apps and to refine the theoretical model that is tested in the quantitative phase of this research. The quantitative phase utilised an online questionnaire with 1009 consumers who retain and have continued to use traditional retail branded smartphone apps for a period of more than six months from John Lewis, M&S, Next and H&M. This research highlights several findings on what motivates consumers’ satisfaction with the smartphone branded app user experience and the continuous intention to use the app. The findings highlight that the utilitarian variables (perceived ease of use, usefulness, and personalisation), and the hedonic variable (enjoyment) increases consumers’ satisfaction with the branded app user experience leading to an increase in consumers’ continuous intention to use traditional retail smartphone branded apps. Furthermore, this research finds that utilitarian variables of perceived usefulness, compatibility and the hedonic variable of enjoyment, are capable of influencing consumers to continue using traditional retail smartphone branded apps even when they are not satisfied with the app user experience. Furthermore, this research finds that satisfaction with the app user experience mediates escapism negatively, while escapism also has a significant negative relationship with the continuous intention to use the smartphone branded app. Also, the escapism finding in this study contradicts the previous literature on the usual role of escapism in e-services generally. Furthermore, the subjective norm (e.g. social influence) does not influence the continuous intention to use the smartphone branded app directly or indirectly through satisfaction with the app user experience. Also, this research highlights that consumers’ satisfaction with app user experience significantly increases consumers’ continuous intention to use the smartphone branded app. The findings of this research also highlight that the retailer’s long-term brand reputation and loyalty intention toward the traditional retailer’s brand, which are variables that are not related to the technical characteristics of smartphone branded apps, play an important role in influencing consumers’ intention to continue using traditional retail smartphone branded apps. Furthermore, this research finds that loyalty intention toward the traditional retailer mediates the relationship of satisfaction with the branded app user experience to consumers’ continuous intention to use traditional retail smartphone branded apps. Also, loyalty intention toward the traditional retailer influences the consumers’ continuous intention to use the branded app directly. Interestingly, consumers’ perceptions of long-term reputation of the traditional retail brand do not influence the continuous intention directly as hypothesised. However, long-term brand reputation influences consumers’ continuous intention to use the branded app through the mediated relationship of loyalty intention toward the traditional retailer brand. This research contributes by enhancing our understanding of the variables that influence consumers’ intentions to continue to use traditional retail smartphone branded applications. Furthermore, this research presents a theoretical model that provides theoretical implications and offers managerial implications for understanding the continuous usage of smartphone branded apps in a multi-channel retail context.The aim of this research is to expand our understanding of consumers’ continuous usage of traditional retail smartphone branded mobile applications (apps). Previous research in technology acceptance and continuous usage of technological innovations mainly focuses on functional and hedonic variables specifically related to the technology under research. Also, past research typically focuses on the continuous use of e-services reflecting the loyalty of consumers toward a specific e-service (e.g. loyalty toward a website or m-commerce). While this research examines utilitarian and hedonic variables that influence consumers to be satisfied and motivate them to continue to use smartphone branded apps, it finds that variables related to the brand motivate consumers to continue to use traditional retail smartphone branded apps. Therefore, this research shows that while utilitarian and hedonic variables that are related to the technical characteristics of the technology in use are essential to motivate consumers to continue to use a technological innovation, brand-related variables related to the traditional retailer (e.g. long-term brand reputation and loyalty) are important in motivating consumers to continue to use branded mobile apps. Considering the limited knowledge available on what motivates consumers to continue using traditional retail smartphone branded mobile apps in a multi-channel retail environment, this research adopted a mixed methods approach. The research utilised an exploratory qualitative method in the form of 21 semi-structured individual in-depth interviews conducted in the UK to explore the drivers that motivate consumers to continue to use traditional retail smartphone branded apps and to refine the theoretical model that is tested in the quantitative phase of this research. The quantitative phase utilised an online questionnaire with 1009 consumers who retain and have continued to use traditional retail branded smartphone apps for a period of more than six months from John Lewis, M&S, Next and H&M. This research highlights several findings on what motivates consumers’ satisfaction with the smartphone branded app user experience and the continuous intention to use the app. The findings highlight that the utilitarian variables (perceived ease of use, usefulness, and personalisation), and the hedonic variable (enjoyment) increases consumers’ satisfaction with the branded app user experience leading to an increase in consumers’ continuous intention to use traditional retail smartphone branded apps. Furthermore, this research finds that utilitarian variables of perceived usefulness, compatibility and the hedonic variable of enjoyment, are capable of influencing consumers to continue using traditional retail smartphone branded apps even when they are not satisfied with the app user experience. Furthermore, this research finds that satisfaction with the app user experience mediates escapism negatively, while escapism also has a significant negative relationship with the continuous intention to use the smartphone branded app. Also, the escapism finding in this study contradicts the previous literature on the usual role of escapism in e-services generally. Furthermore, the subjective norm (e.g. social influence) does not influence the continuous intention to use the smartphone branded app directly or indirectly through satisfaction with the app user experience. Also, this research highlights that consumers’ satisfaction with app user experience significantly increases consumers’ continuous intention to use the smartphone branded app. The findings of this research also highlight that the retailer’s long-term brand reputation and loyalty intention toward the traditional retailer’s brand, which are variables that are not related to the technical characteristics of smartphone branded apps, play an important role in influencing consumers’ intention to continue using traditional retail smartphone branded apps. Furthermore, this research finds that loyalty intention toward the traditional retailer mediates the relationship of satisfaction with the branded app user experience to consumers’ continuous intention to use traditional retail smartphone branded apps. Also, loyalty intention toward the traditional retailer influences the consumers’ continuous intention to use the branded app directly. Interestingly, consumers’ perceptions of long-term reputation of the traditional retail brand do not influence the continuous intention directly as hypothesised. However, long-term brand reputation influences consumers’ continuous intention to use the branded app through the mediated relationship of loyalty intention toward the traditional retailer brand. This research contributes by enhancing our understanding of the variables that influence consumers’ intentions to continue to use traditional retail smartphone branded applications. Furthermore, this research presents a theoretical model that provides theoretical implications and offers managerial implications for understanding the continuous usage of smartphone branded apps in a multi-channel retail context
Writing in flow : the autoethnography of self-actualisation in the creative process
No full textThis thesis was previously held under moratorium from 26/11/19 to 26/11/21Please note the final, examined version of the thesis is the electronic version and the title is different : Writing anomaly : person-centred metamodernism and the creative process.I wanted to write in my own voice, about topics that mattered to me. I wanted to explore my own story, the stories of others, and how they intersect. I wanted time and space to grow as a writer. I ended up stuck down dead-ends, trying to speak with a voice that wasn’t mine. Through collaboration, I unstuck myself, explored my story in a relational way, and finally was able to put together a creative collection that was deeply personal. A story of trauma, water, sin, dirt, sensuality, and redemption. In this thesis, I explore that creative process: my own process of letting go of the dichotomy between a received philosophy of writing and my own. In doing so, I document my letting go of any notion of needing to ‘belong’ in a received narrative, and of finding my place within it.I wanted to write in my own voice, about topics that mattered to me. I wanted to explore my own story, the stories of others, and how they intersect. I wanted time and space to grow as a writer. I ended up stuck down dead-ends, trying to speak with a voice that wasn’t mine. Through collaboration, I unstuck myself, explored my story in a relational way, and finally was able to put together a creative collection that was deeply personal. A story of trauma, water, sin, dirt, sensuality, and redemption. In this thesis, I explore that creative process: my own process of letting go of the dichotomy between a received philosophy of writing and my own. In doing so, I document my letting go of any notion of needing to ‘belong’ in a received narrative, and of finding my place within it
Development of a mobile technology system to measure shoulder range of motion
Get PDFIn patients with shoulder movement impairment, assessing and monitoring shoulder range of motion is important for determining the severity of impairments due to disease or injury and evaluating the effects of interventions. Current clinical methods of goniometry and visual estimation require an experienced user and suffer from low inter-rater reliability. More sophisticated techniques such as optical or electromagnetic motion capture exist but are expensive and restricted to a specialised laboratory environment.;Inertial measurement units (IMU), such as those within smartphones and smartwatches, show promise as tools bridge the gap between laboratory and clinical techniques and accurately measure shoulder range of motion during both clinic assessments and in daily life.;This study aims to develop an Android mobile application for both a smartphone and a smartwatch to assess shoulder range of motion. Initial performance characterisation of the inertial sensing capabilities of both a smartwatch and smartphone running the application was conducted against an industrial inclinometer, free-swinging pendulum and custom-built servo-powered gimbal.;An initial validation study comparing the smartwatch application with a universal goniometer for shoulder ROM assessment was conducted with twenty healthy participants. An impaired condition was simulated by applying kinesiology tape across the participants shoulder girdle. Agreement, intra and inter-day reliability were assessed in both the healthy and impaired states.;Both the phone and watch performed with acceptable accuracy and repeatability during static (within ±1.1°) and dynamic conditions where it was strongly correlated to the pendulum and gimbal data (ICC > 0.9). Both devices could perform accurately within optimal responsiveness range of angular velocities compliant with humerus movement during activities of daily living (frequency response of 377°/s and 358°/s for the phone and watch respectively).;The concurrent agreement between the watch and the goniometer was high in both healthy and impaired states (ICC > 0.8) and between measurement days (ICC > 0.8). The mean absolute difference between the watch and the goniometer were within the accepted minimal clinically important difference for shoulder movement (5.11° to 10.58°).;The results show promise for the use of the developed Android application to be used as a goniometry tool for assessment of shoulder ROM. However, the limits of agreement across all the tests fell out with the acceptable margin and further investigation is required to determine validity. Evaluation of validity in clinical impairment patients is also required to assess the feasibility of the use of the application in clinical practice.In patients with shoulder movement impairment, assessing and monitoring shoulder range of motion is important for determining the severity of impairments due to disease or injury and evaluating the effects of interventions. Current clinical methods of goniometry and visual estimation require an experienced user and suffer from low inter-rater reliability. More sophisticated techniques such as optical or electromagnetic motion capture exist but are expensive and restricted to a specialised laboratory environment.;Inertial measurement units (IMU), such as those within smartphones and smartwatches, show promise as tools bridge the gap between laboratory and clinical techniques and accurately measure shoulder range of motion during both clinic assessments and in daily life.;This study aims to develop an Android mobile application for both a smartphone and a smartwatch to assess shoulder range of motion. Initial performance characterisation of the inertial sensing capabilities of both a smartwatch and smartphone running the application was conducted against an industrial inclinometer, free-swinging pendulum and custom-built servo-powered gimbal.;An initial validation study comparing the smartwatch application with a universal goniometer for shoulder ROM assessment was conducted with twenty healthy participants. An impaired condition was simulated by applying kinesiology tape across the participants shoulder girdle. Agreement, intra and inter-day reliability were assessed in both the healthy and impaired states.;Both the phone and watch performed with acceptable accuracy and repeatability during static (within ±1.1°) and dynamic conditions where it was strongly correlated to the pendulum and gimbal data (ICC > 0.9). Both devices could perform accurately within optimal responsiveness range of angular velocities compliant with humerus movement during activities of daily living (frequency response of 377°/s and 358°/s for the phone and watch respectively).;The concurrent agreement between the watch and the goniometer was high in both healthy and impaired states (ICC > 0.8) and between measurement days (ICC > 0.8). The mean absolute difference between the watch and the goniometer were within the accepted minimal clinically important difference for shoulder movement (5.11° to 10.58°).;The results show promise for the use of the developed Android application to be used as a goniometry tool for assessment of shoulder ROM. However, the limits of agreement across all the tests fell out with the acceptable margin and further investigation is required to determine validity. Evaluation of validity in clinical impairment patients is also required to assess the feasibility of the use of the application in clinical practice
A study of performance measurement & management system design in collaborative innovation
Get PDFThe research presented in this thesis investigates how organisations enable innovation through collaborative partnerships to maintain competitive advantages when resources such as manpower and finance are limited. Previous studies confirm that improving performance effectiveness of a Collaborative Innovation (CI) relationship needs to effectively manage multiple complex factors from various aspects. As the performance outcome of the CI relationships does not always satisfy expectations with financial and other consequences, research asserts itself as an imperative for promoting knowledge on identifying gaps that need to be filled in the field of Performance Measurement and Management (PMM) and CI. To improve efficiency and effectiveness of CI, PMM can be applied to support CI. The function of PMM is to improve the quality of CI and reduce the risk of possible failure. The aim of this research is to investigate how collaborative partners design PM systems for improving effectiveness of CI. The result of the research contributes to gaining a better understanding of designing and managing an effective PMM framework to achieve effective CI. Qualitative research design with case studies as research method was adopted in this research. Seven case studies were chosen based on their potential for providing theoretical and practical perspectives. In the case studies, semi-structured interviews were conducted based on the reference model of designing a Collaborative Innovation Performance Measurement (CIPM) system. The requirements, characteristics and dimensions of the CIPM reference model are then compared and analysed, which leads to an enhanced reference model. Based on the reference model, a step-based construct for designing CIPM systems is presented. The key findings of this research are: 1) a comprehensive list of the factors influencing the effectiveness of collaborative innovation was identified; 2) an improved understanding of performance measurement in collaborative innovation projects was provided; 3) a CIPM reference model was proposed; 4) a step-based construct for designing collaborative innovation performance measurement systems was developed. The research contributes to the understanding, designing and managing of effective performance measurement systems for improving effectiveness of CI. Also, it can contribute to the analysis of factors which enable and constrain designing effective PMM systems in a collaborative innovation system in the context of academia-industry collaboration. Academic researchers in operations management can benefit from the results of the present research. Practically, project managers can use the conclusion of the present research, as a reference model when designing their own effective performance measurement systems for achieving the objective of CI.The research presented in this thesis investigates how organisations enable innovation through collaborative partnerships to maintain competitive advantages when resources such as manpower and finance are limited. Previous studies confirm that improving performance effectiveness of a Collaborative Innovation (CI) relationship needs to effectively manage multiple complex factors from various aspects. As the performance outcome of the CI relationships does not always satisfy expectations with financial and other consequences, research asserts itself as an imperative for promoting knowledge on identifying gaps that need to be filled in the field of Performance Measurement and Management (PMM) and CI. To improve efficiency and effectiveness of CI, PMM can be applied to support CI. The function of PMM is to improve the quality of CI and reduce the risk of possible failure. The aim of this research is to investigate how collaborative partners design PM systems for improving effectiveness of CI. The result of the research contributes to gaining a better understanding of designing and managing an effective PMM framework to achieve effective CI. Qualitative research design with case studies as research method was adopted in this research. Seven case studies were chosen based on their potential for providing theoretical and practical perspectives. In the case studies, semi-structured interviews were conducted based on the reference model of designing a Collaborative Innovation Performance Measurement (CIPM) system. The requirements, characteristics and dimensions of the CIPM reference model are then compared and analysed, which leads to an enhanced reference model. Based on the reference model, a step-based construct for designing CIPM systems is presented. The key findings of this research are: 1) a comprehensive list of the factors influencing the effectiveness of collaborative innovation was identified; 2) an improved understanding of performance measurement in collaborative innovation projects was provided; 3) a CIPM reference model was proposed; 4) a step-based construct for designing collaborative innovation performance measurement systems was developed. The research contributes to the understanding, designing and managing of effective performance measurement systems for improving effectiveness of CI. Also, it can contribute to the analysis of factors which enable and constrain designing effective PMM systems in a collaborative innovation system in the context of academia-industry collaboration. Academic researchers in operations management can benefit from the results of the present research. Practically, project managers can use the conclusion of the present research, as a reference model when designing their own effective performance measurement systems for achieving the objective of CI
Fluorophore studies & instrumentation development for tumour margin estimation
Get PDF"PhD with Integrated Study. Optical Medical Imaging with Healthcare Innovation & Entrepreneurship" -- t.p.Surgery remains a key treatment option for tumour removal, where surgeons primarily rely on eye and touch to assess the boundary between healthy and cancerous tissue with no cellular information as guidance. There is therefore a need for a device or instrument that can be used by the surgeon in real-time during the surgical procedure that will ensure as many of the cancerous cells have been removed as possible. Fluorescence-based techniques have great potential for such an application, wherein this thesis explores various aspects related to the use of fluorescence techniques for estimating tumour margins.The intrinsic fluorophore NAD(P)H has been studied due to the significant interest it has gained for its use in tumour margin estimation, where the influence of environmental factors on the properties of NAD(P)H in various solvents were initially investigated. An increase in the fluorescence lifetime of NADH was observed in water and ethylene glycol upon oxygen removal, where the average lifetimes increased from 0.40 ns to 0.45 ns and 0.76 ns to 0.94 ns respectively. In addition to this, fluorescence anisotropy measurements revealed two rotational correlation times of 0.43 ± 0.24 ns and 5.49 ± 0.04 ns for NADH in ethylene glycol. These times correspond to particle sizes of ~ 0.6 nm and 1.4 nm which have been attributed to the folded and unfolded conformations of NADH free in solution respectively, where such methods have not previously been reported for resolving the folded and unfolded conformations of NADH.NAD(P)H was also studied in the cellular environment, where a decrease in every lifetime component of NAD(P)H in cancerous prostate cells incubated in high glucose media compared to those in low glucose media has been observed, where decreases of 0.52 ns, 2.1 ns and 0.10 ns were found for τ1, τ2, (bound NAD(P)H) and τ3 (unbound NAD(P)H) respectively. In contrast to this, no change in lifetime was observed in healthy prostate cells incubated in both high and low glucose media. It is believed that the observed decrease in lifetime components in the cancer cells is due to the preferential use of the glycolysis pathway in these cells, which has been previously linked to a decrease in fluorescence lifetime of certain cancerous cell lines.;Additionally, a low-cost liquid light guide-based fluorescence lifetime system incorporating a translational stage has been designed for phantom margin assessments, where the margins were created using silica sol-gels. Measurements of phantom margins with Rhodamine 6G and NADH in the doped sol-gel region demonstrated that the sol-gel only region could be clearly identified 1 mm after the margin position based on the fluorescence decays obtained. Measurements were also performed using FDA-approved Indocyanine Green in the doped sol-gel region of the phantom margin, however only scatter from the sol-gel could be detected 7 mm before the margin. A comparison between light guide and single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) array fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) measurements demonstrated improved spatial resolution provided by the FLIM system for assessing the margin position with short-lived fluorophores such as ICG, where the sol-gel only region of the ICG-doped sample could be clearly identified 1 mm after the margin using this system.Surgery remains a key treatment option for tumour removal, where surgeons primarily rely on eye and touch to assess the boundary between healthy and cancerous tissue with no cellular information as guidance. There is therefore a need for a device or instrument that can be used by the surgeon in real-time during the surgical procedure that will ensure as many of the cancerous cells have been removed as possible. Fluorescence-based techniques have great potential for such an application, wherein this thesis explores various aspects related to the use of fluorescence techniques for estimating tumour margins.The intrinsic fluorophore NAD(P)H has been studied due to the significant interest it has gained for its use in tumour margin estimation, where the influence of environmental factors on the properties of NAD(P)H in various solvents were initially investigated. An increase in the fluorescence lifetime of NADH was observed in water and ethylene glycol upon oxygen removal, where the average lifetimes increased from 0.40 ns to 0.45 ns and 0.76 ns to 0.94 ns respectively. In addition to this, fluorescence anisotropy measurements revealed two rotational correlation times of 0.43 ± 0.24 ns and 5.49 ± 0.04 ns for NADH in ethylene glycol. These times correspond to particle sizes of ~ 0.6 nm and 1.4 nm which have been attributed to the folded and unfolded conformations of NADH free in solution respectively, where such methods have not previously been reported for resolving the folded and unfolded conformations of NADH.NAD(P)H was also studied in the cellular environment, where a decrease in every lifetime component of NAD(P)H in cancerous prostate cells incubated in high glucose media compared to those in low glucose media has been observed, where decreases of 0.52 ns, 2.1 ns and 0.10 ns were found for τ1, τ2, (bound NAD(P)H) and τ3 (unbound NAD(P)H) respectively. In contrast to this, no change in lifetime was observed in healthy prostate cells incubated in both high and low glucose media. It is believed that the observed decrease in lifetime components in the cancer cells is due to the preferential use of the glycolysis pathway in these cells, which has been previously linked to a decrease in fluorescence lifetime of certain cancerous cell lines.;Additionally, a low-cost liquid light guide-based fluorescence lifetime system incorporating a translational stage has been designed for phantom margin assessments, where the margins were created using silica sol-gels. Measurements of phantom margins with Rhodamine 6G and NADH in the doped sol-gel region demonstrated that the sol-gel only region could be clearly identified 1 mm after the margin position based on the fluorescence decays obtained. Measurements were also performed using FDA-approved Indocyanine Green in the doped sol-gel region of the phantom margin, however only scatter from the sol-gel could be detected 7 mm before the margin. A comparison between light guide and single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) array fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) measurements demonstrated improved spatial resolution provided by the FLIM system for assessing the margin position with short-lived fluorophores such as ICG, where the sol-gel only region of the ICG-doped sample could be clearly identified 1 mm after the margin using this system
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage STAX (Strathclyde Repository)? Access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard!