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How I Met Your Monomer: Oligomer counting for FLImP using RJMCMC
No full textDetermining the distribution of protein oligomers in a sample is crucial to understanding a wide range of biological processes. Fluorescence Localisation Imaging with Photobleaching (FLImP) is a super-resolution imaging technique used for high-precision molecular localisation in protein oligomers, however it does not currently extract oligomer state distributions. FLImP traces are repurposed here for oligomer counting with Reversible Jump MCMC (RJMCMC), providing a richer characterisation of their distributions
Educational interventions promoting modifiable lifestyle behaviours for cardiovascular disease in pre-registration nursing students: a scoping review
No full textAimsModifiable lifestyle behaviours, such as smoking and high alcohol consumption are more prevalent among pre-registration nursing students, than the general population. Embedding education on the impact of these risk factors for cardiovascular disease and motivating behaviour change is essential. This scoping review aims to investigate educational interventions promoting healthier lifestyle behaviours for cardiovascular disease prevention within the curriculum for pre-registration nursing students.Methods and resultsThe methodological framework for scoping reviews was used to identify literature on educational interventions for pre-registration nursing students, focusing on smoking, nutrition, physical activity, and alcohol consumption as key modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Following the PRISMA-ScR Checklist, 1631 records were screened using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, resulting in 29 records for data extraction and analysis. Interventions varied by region: North America (N = 7), Europe (N = 11), Asia (N = 8), and the Middle East (N = 3). Most studies targeted smoking cessation (N = 11), followed by nutrition (N = 6), alcohol (N = 3), or a combination of these (N = 9). Findings indicate that educational interventions improved knowledge, self-efficacy, and led to behaviour changes, particularly in smoking cessation.ConclusionThere are numerous educational interventions that aim to educate pre-registration nursing students about knowledge of modifiable lifestyle behaviours or supporting detrimental behaviour change in the clinical setting however, most interventions individually address a single behaviour such as smoking. This scoping review identifies that there is a paucity of educational interventions directly focused on cardiovascular disease prevention that encompass all four of the modifiable lifestyle behaviours of smoking, nutrition, physical activity and alcohol consumption in combination for pre-registration nursing students.<br/
UKRI Draft Research Data Policy: Queen's University Belfast response
No full textBetween April and July 2025, the UKRI welcomed stakeholder feedback on a draft version of the UKRI research data policy. This draft included proposed common principles and requirements for research data and metadata. UKRI will collect the survey data and use it to inform the development of UKRI's research data policy.Queen’s University Belfast has responded to the UKRI Draft Research Data Policy. Academic and professional support staff across the institution collaborated on this response.This record contains the institutional response to the draft policy, submitted 0n 22 July 2025. Thanks to all who participated in this exercise
A decade of electrical injuries: an epidemiological analysis of emergency department data
No full textObjective: Electrical injuries present a diagnostic and management challenge due to their diverse clinical manifestations and potential complications. Although the current guidelines recommend cardiac monitoring in selected cases, the criteria for risk stratification remain limited. This study aimed to evaluate the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with electrical injuries admitted to the emergency department over a 10-year period.Methods: This retrospective study reviewed medical records of patients admitted to the Pamukkale University Hospital between 2014 and 2024 due to electrical injuries. Data collected included age, sex, time of injury, voltage level, current type and source, contact site, transthoracic current pathway, ECG findings, laboratory results (troponin T, CK-MB, and potassium), work-related status, and mortality. The primary outcomes were epidemiological characteristics, ECG abnormalities, and laboratory evidence of myocardial injury.Results: A total of 112 patients were identified; 91 (81%) patients were male, with a mean age of 31.8 years. High-voltage injuries (> 1000 V) occurred in 10 patients, while low-voltage injuries (< 1000 V) were seen in 80 (60.6%) patients. Work-related injuries accounted for 14.3% of cases. One patient died due to trauma following high-voltage exposure. Troponin T was elevated in 57 of 92 tested patients (62.0%), CK-MB in 25 (22.3%), and hyperkalemia in six (5.3%). ECG abnormalities were detected in 16 patients (14.3%).Conclusion: Biochemical evidence of myocardial injury was observed even in low-voltage exposures, raising concerns about the safety of early discharge based solely on clinical presentation and ECG findings. Prospective studies are needed to refine risk assessment strategies in electrical injury cases.<br/
The politics of language of education in Ethiopia
No full textThis article examines the politics of language of education in a multinational federal system, highlighting its role as a persistent site of political contestation. Drawing on legal texts, interviews, and secondary sources, it explores why the language of instruction remains a contentious issue despite constitutional guarantees of mother-tongue education in Ethiopia. While Ethiopia has made notable progress, shifting from exclusive use of Amharic to incorporating over 50 local languages in primary education, implementation remains uneven, particularly in multilingual regions. These regions face the dual challenge of fulfilling linguistic rights for diverse ethnic groups while navigating institutional constraints, resource shortages, interethnic tensions, and political resistance. Federal initiatives to promote national unity, particularly the introduction of Amharic as a subject from grade one, have often provoked regional backlash, revealing deep tensions between centralization and regional autonomy. The article argues that the politicization of language policy is rooted in historical hierarchies, the symbolic power of language, and the ongoing struggle within Ethiopia’s federal structure to balance unity and diversity. These dynamics offer broader insights into the challenges of managing linguistic pluralism in multiethnic federations.<br/
Randomised sketching of parametric linear systems
No full textWith current limitations in technology scaling and increasing processor power consumption, approximate computing techniques are being explored to meet the stringent time and memory constraints. One such approach is to explore randomised 'data sketching' to subsample the algebraic operations and considerably reduce compute complexity. Focusing on the paradigm of large-scale parametric linear systems we develop a direct solver based on subspace projection and randomisation suitable to the multi-query setting. Our algorithm incorporates efficient, parameter oblivious sampling and a subsequent control variates-based correction to reduce the variance of the sketched system. We validate the performance of the scheme using numerical experiments, based on a system arising from application of the finite element method.</p
Temporal trends of key preconception indicators among women in Northern Ireland, UK: an analysis of maternity healthcare data 2011–2021
No full textOptimizing preconception health offers an opportunity to reverse unfavourable trends in modifiable risk factors and improve reproductive outcomes. This study aims to report the yearly prevalence of key biopsychosocial preconception indicators for over a decade, as reported at antenatal booking appointments in Northern Ireland (UK). The indicators include area-level deprivation, planned pregnancies, and body mass index (BMI) between 2011 and 2021, as well as pre- and early-pregnancy folic acid supplement use between 2015 and 2020. This population-based study was conducted using annual routinely collected maternity data from the Northern Ireland Maternity System (NIMATS). R, accessed via the UK Secure eResearch Platform, was used to calculate yearly proportions. Multinomial regression models explored the relationship between each preconception indicator and year of booking appointment. Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement were integrated throughout the study. Of the 255 117 pregnancies included between 2011 and 2021, 21.4% were from women living in the most deprived quintile and 70.6% from women who reported a planned pregnancy. Obesity rates increased over the study period (e.g. obesity class I: 12.0%–16.1%), and preconception folic acid supplement use remained inadequate, though the use of supplements containing 5 mg of folic acid increased between 2015 and 2020 (400 µg: 34.4%–30.03%; 5 mg: 3.6%–5.0%). Efforts are needed to reverse negative public health consequences of sub-optimal preconception health indicators. Notably, folic acid supplement use was predominantly initiated after conception, suggesting that a renewed focus is needed, particularly supporting women with the greatest need, such as those in the most deprived areas.<br/
Bots versus bodies: building better communication skills in dental students
No full textBackground: Communication skills in undergraduate dental education are assessed with Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) which require students to interact with an actor/simulated patient (SP). This teaching modality can be limited by cost and availability. The development of a ‘virtual patient’ (VP) through Artificial Intelligence (AI) can overcome thesechallenges and provide alternative method of teaching, practising and assessing these skills.Context: Using Large Language Model AI, a ChatBot designed to imitate a patient was developed alongside an animated avatar.Students engage with the avatar onscreen to practice history taking and clinical reasoning skills. The utility of the ChatBot was piloted with six dental students from Queen’s University, Belfast and will now be implemented into undergraduate curriculum.Aims: This project aims to:• Assess if VPs can be used to develop communication/clinical reasoning skills• Compare VP with traditional SP methods• Evaluate the student experience of VPs• Explore the gamification of VPsStudy Design: Phase one involves 1st-3rd year students, split into two groups. Group one will complete a session with a human simulated patient while group two use the VP. Both groups complete a qualitative feedback questionnaire, and theircommunication skills will be assessed and compared through an OSCE-type station. Groups will then swap to experience the other session and give further feedback. Phase two explores VP ‘gamification’ involving 4th and 5th year students. In pairs, one student will input a case for the second to interact with the AI and work out the diagnosis. The first student can then critique their partner, and staff can review the transcript to provide further feedback.Results: Preliminary qualitative pilot results support the use of VPs for teaching and practising communication skills. Feedback showed students felt the VP cases need more information and complexity. They also found that the VP gave too muchinformation away with little prompting. The ChatBot has been modified based on these findings and will be retested with more students in December 2024. Definitive results will be offered at the conference.Discussion: VPs are recognised as valuable teaching and learning adjuncts in other healthcare disciplines, but their potential in dentistry has not yet been fully realised. Through the ‘Bots versus Bodies’ study, we seek to address this gap and delivera teaching experience that embraces technology and offers flexibility in learning with unlimited, offsite communication skills practice
Inclusion is not enough: a qualitative study of leadership, ethos, and policy in racially heterogeneous schools in NI
No full textIn Northern Ireland (NI), where the education system has historically been shaped by religious and cultural divisions, recent demographic shifts due to inward migration present both challenges and opportunities for educational leaders. While research reveals the crucial role of leaders in promoting inclusivity [Miller, P. 2019. “Race and Ethnicity in Educational Leadership.” In Principles of Educational Leadership and Management, edited by T. Bush, L. Bell, and D. Middlewood, 223–238. SAGE Publications.], little is known about how leaders in different school types, particularly those with limited prior exposure to racial heterogeneity, interpret these changes. Drawing on debates in multicultural education (MCE), we examine how leaders in a Catholic and a State-Controlled post-primary school, alongside policy workers, respond to racial diversity. Findings from 12 qualitative interviews show that while leaders are supportive of minority ethnic students (MES), responses are often intuitive rather than evidence-based, reflecting gaps in professional development and systemic constraints. The paper highlights the role of school ethos in shaping leadership responses. An ethos that makes a rhetorical commitment to inclusion without meaningful implementation embeds systemic inequities. By situating leadership of schools with MES within a complex web of ethos and policy, this study moves beyond prescriptive leadership models, advocating for a nuanced, critically engaged, and contextually responsive approach to educational leadership in NI.<br/
High dynamic range tone mapping for confocal microscopy images
No full textHigh Dynamic Range (HDR) can capture a much wider range of luminance levels and, therefore, more scene details than Standard Dynamic Range (SDR), making it an important technology in microscopy. However, HDR is not compatible with SDR displays, which remain the most widely used. To bridge this gap, tone mapping operators (TMOs) are employed to convert HDR images into an SDR format. This study evaluates the performance of eight TMOs on HDR confocal microscopy images. The results indicate that existing TMOs frequently introduce artefacts due to the low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the sparse, or out-of-focus, structures typically found in confocal microscopy images. Although some TMOs improve local contrast, sharpness, or noise characteristics, none consistently outperform the linearly compressed HDR images used as a baseline. Based on these findings, key requirements for a confocal microscopy-specific TMO are identified, specifically the need for TMOs that are compatible with grayscale data, robust to a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and have the ability to preserve the high contrast between background and microscopic structures inherent to confocal imaging