9095 research outputs found
Sort by
Informal caregiver motivations, values, challenges and gains: A photovoice and interpretative phenomenological analysis of interrelationships
Get PDFThe adoption of a caregiving role in the context of illness and disability is often taken for granted. This study explores caregivers’ motivations to provide care and how these relate to values, and to the challenges and gains of caregiving. Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with caregivers and photographs were taken by caregivers to exemplify their caregiving experiences. This photo-elicitation method complemented the use of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis when applied to verbatim transcripts. Superordinate themes included: caregiver’s life story; significance of family; caregiving obligations; caring relationship; challenges and gains associated with caregiver motivations. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations were less distinct in caregivers’ lived experiences than previously suggested, and were influenced by family values and specific challenges and gains of caregiving. The coexistence of different motivations and the nature of single complex motivations is discussed. The importance of caregiver assessment and support planning, and regular breaks from caregiving are highlighted
Adapting deep learning models between regional markets
Get PDFThis paper extends a series of deep learning models developed on US equity data to the Australian market. The model architectures are retrained, without structural modification, and tested on Australian data comparable with the original US data. Relative to the original US-based results, the retrained models are statistically less accurate at predicting next day returns. The models were also modified in the standard train/validate manner on the Australian data, and these modelsyielded significantly better predictive results on the holdout data. It was determined that the best-performing models were a CNN and LSTM, attaining highly significant Z-scores of 6.154 and 8.789, respectively. Due to the relative structural similarity across all models, the improvement is ascribed to regional influences within the respective training data sets.Such unique regional differences are consistent with views in the literature stating that deep learning models in computational finance that are developed and trained on a single market will always contain market-specific bias. Given this finding, future research into the development of deep learning models trained on global markets is recommended
Using arts-based research in applied health care: An example from an evaluation of NHS dental contract reform in Wales
Get PDFObjectiveArts-based research (ABR) refers to the use of art in the research process to help generate, interpret and/or communicate knowledge. We used ABR principles to adapt a centre-staging method to complement a more traditional qualitative approach to evaluate participants’ views on dental service reform.MethodsWe asked five individuals in the dental health sector in the National Health Service in Wales to select objects to depict their views on the current reform process and their ideal reform process. This process took place alongside traditional semi-structured interviews with the participants.ResultsThere were three marked differences in the centre-staging process as compared to the interviews: (1) there was a greater use of symbolism by the participants, (2) the participants put a greater focus on the process of change and (3) the participants were more likely to reveal the emotions underlying their assessments of the reform process.ConclusionsThe arts-based approach adopted appeared to be highly accessible and has the potential to be used in a wide range of applications
Evaluating the accuracy and usefulness of commercially-available proximal soil mapping services for grassland nutrient management planning and soil health monitoring
Get PDFInternet trade of a previously unknown wildlife product from a critically endangered marine fish
Get PDFOnline research methods are increasingly used in conservation science to monitor and collect data on online wildlife trade. Shark-like rays (Rhinopristiformes) are among the most threatened vertebrates, prized for their high-value fins while other uses for their derivatives are largely unrecognized in the literature. The bowmouth guitarfish (Rhina ancylostomus) is characterized by ridges of enlarged thorns, sometimes sold as amulets. Listed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix II, the thorn-market has been ignored and undocumented. Using systematic, retrospective online searches, we recorded 977 bowmouth-derivatives for sale. In our global and multi-lingual scope, 97% of products were offered from Thailand, despite prohibited trade. 98% of all products were thorns (USD3-300) and sold alongside high-profile CITES-listed taxa (e.g., tiger claws). Consistent advertisements from 2012 revealed a previously unquantified trade of an often-neglected marketplace in elasmobranch research. Our findings offer insight into the drivers of the thorn trade, potentially rooted in cultural beliefs. Our accessible research methods can be applied internationally and across species, providing quantitative and qualitative insights on aspects of the wildlife trade of a critically endangered fish. Continued monitoring of online markets, like this study, is necessary to fill critical gaps for informed policy and species-specific management
Characterising the wave energy resource of Lanzarote, Canary Islands
Get PDFWaves of varying magnitude and frequency, characteristic of all coastal locations throughout the world, could be converted into electricity via wave energy converters. However, one challenge with wave energy conversion is lack of knowledge of the regional distribution of wave properties (e.g. to optimise site selection), and how the wave power varies at inter- and intra-annual timescales. Here, we apply physics- and non-physics-based approaches to accurately simulate the wave climate of the Canary Islands—a region in the eastern North Atlantic that relies heavily on the import of diesel to generate much of its electricity. Over the 11-year time period of the physics-based wave hindcast, the annual mean wave power of Lanzarote, one of the largest of the Canary Islands was approximately 25 kW/m along the exposed north-western coast of the island. We find that intra-annual variability was relatively low (compared with high latitude regions such as the west coast of Scotland), with the coefficient of variation for wave energy resource = 1.1. To reduce levelized cost, it could be advantageous to co-locate wave energy arrays with mature offshore wind energy, and we find that the dominance of swell waves in Lanzarote reduces the coefficient of variation for a 55% wind, 45% wave combination to 0.8. Finally, we demonstrate a simple non-physics based process for extending the output timeseries beyond the hindcast duration, by correlating with parameters from global models
Choice matters: an investigation of students' experiences selecting dissertation projects
Get PDFThe final year dissertation is an important part of an undergraduate degree which delivers a wide range of subject-specific and transferable skills. It plays a significant part in students’ learning development and overall experience of university. Finding the right project is emotionally important to students and may underpin their subsequent motivation and engagement. Little is known, however, about how students make this important choice. This study aimed to learn more about students’ experiences of choosing a dissertation, how their choice processes varied and whether their choices worked out well for them. It surveyed 150 undergraduates in natural sciences at a UK university, asking a mix of qualitative and quantitative questions. Findings indicate that students value a range of factors when choosing their dissertation, most prominently interest in the subject and approach but also their existing familiarity with the area, the perceived benefits and demands of the work and staff support. Multivariate analysis suggests a variety of choice processes are in operation, with some students valuing content factors and others trading these off against relational ones. With hindsight, 91 respondents (60.7%) felt their choice process had worked well and 87 (58%) would choose the same way again. A subset, however, had felt unprepared to choose, and some of these were particularly unhappy with the outcome. The implication for learning development is that helping students learn to make conscious and informed choices and making dissertation modules student-centric is likely to significantly improve engagement and learning, especially for the less confident
Cynyddu'r Defnydd o'r Gymraeg yn y Gweithle Dwyieithog: Mewnwelediadau o'r Gwyddorau Ymddygiad
Get PDFAntibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes in agricultural soils: A systematic analysis
Get PDFMisuse and overuse of antibiotics have contributed to the rise of antimicrobial resistance as one of the top public health threats. Antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are prevalent in agricultural soils due to the widespread application of livestock and organic wastes. However, information about the occurrence, distribution, and risk of antibiotics and ARGs in agricultural soils is lacking for many scenarios. In this study, based on 2225 observations from 135 independent studies, we summarized the concentration or abundance of antibiotics or ARGs under different fertilizer sources and land-use patterns, analyzed the contributions of key environmental factors to the occurrence of antibiotics and ARGs in agricultural soils, and highlighted the potential ecological risk of typical antibiotics and the relationship between ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs). Our results showed that cattle manure, chicken manure, swine manure, and sewage sludge were the primary pollution sources of antibiotics and ARGs in agricultural soils, and sulfonamides, tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, and their corresponding ARGs were the main pollution types. Land-use type, soil, and climatic factors affected antibiotics concentration and ARG abundances. MGEs play a vital role in promoting the dissemination of ARGs, especially the sul1 gene is closely related to intI1. In conclusion, our findings and future research exploring these topics will contribute to better management of antibiotic and ARG contamination in agricultural soils and their risk to human health
Photonic Millimeter Wave Generation and Stabilization in Optically Injected Discrete-mode Semiconductor Lasers subject to Photonic Filter Feedback
Get PDFPhotonic millimeter wave signal generation and stabilization based on nonlinear dynamics of optically injected discrete-mode semiconductor lasers with photonic filter feedback are experimentally and numerically studied. The photonic filter is constructed by jointing two ports of a 2×2 optical coupler to form a ring cavity recirculation and is modelled as an infinite impulse response filter. The results show that >30GHz photonic millimeter wave signals can be obtained after optical to electrical conversion of the period-one oscillation output of the optically injected discrete-mode semiconductor laser. More importantly, the linewidth, side peak suppression ratio, as well as the stability of the generated millimeter wave, can be optimized using the photonic filter feedback. A fair comparison of the photonic filter feedback scheme and the single/double optical feedback schemes in terms of optimization performance has been made. The corresponding results demonstrate that the photonic filter feedback scheme has obvious superiority in millimeter wave side peak suppression and stability. The effect of the coupling coefficient as well as the phase variables in the ring cavity has also been discussed in the simulation work and the results qualitatively agree with the experimental observations