18918 research outputs found
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Evaluating the economic co-benefits of soil carbon sequestration: The test case of the UK
No full textThere are no known valuations for ecosystem service flows from soil carbon for any country or region in the world. In this paper we make a first attempt to generate such data. The study aims were: develop a framework for acquiring international data for application to a specific region (UK); determine whether data limitations render it insufficient to inform the design of policies to encourage more C sequestration. Total ESS flows from existing soil carbon stock were estimated at £ 1140/ha, excluding food and feed. Accounting for different soil types and land uses, total ecosystem service value delivered by soil carbon in England and Wales, adjusted for C stock, was £ 50.8 billion (0–30 cm) and £ 59.7 billion (0–100 cm). The limited international data lacks both depth and coverage, with some ESS very under-represented. A further significant data weakness is that valuations represent ESS flows from the total stock of carbon in soils, rather than the more policy-useful metric of ESS flows from additions to carbon in soils. Further studies are needed to create a more varied range of experimental sites, using a mix of valuation methods, but particularly those that capture the preferences of a variety of stakeholders. In spite of these data limitations, this study has successfully demonstrated that there are significant ESS benefits of C sequestration beyond climate regulation, both for the farmer and wider society. We contend that this evidence is sufficient for use by policy makers in the design of policies to stimulate farming for greater ESS provision
Self-guided functional imagery training to reduce anxiety
No full textObjectives: Many university students experience high anxiety but have limited access to effective interventions. We evaluated a novel digital intervention for anxiety based on functional imagery training (FIT), designed to help individuals identify the impacts of anxiety, set engagement goals, and strengthen motivation for change. Functional Imagery for Keeping Anxiety low (FIKA) uses speak-aloud tasks, journalling, empathic questions, and personalised guided imagery for a person-centred approach. It builds motivation for engagement goals over safety goals through development and practice of vivid and emotionally laden multisensory imagery. Design: Study 1 used semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis to explore user experiences of FIKA. Study 2 compared anxiety pre- and post-FIKA and waitlist using frequentist and Bayesian approaches, with content analysis of FIKA experiences. Methods: Both studies recruited university students who self-identified as experiencing anxiety, assessed using GAD-7 at baseline and follow-up. In Study 1, participants (N = 12) completed FIKA over a two-week period before returning for interview in Week 3. Study 2 participants (N = 60) were assigned to either FIKA or waitlist, then completed Week 2 assessments and, for waitlist, were offered FIKA. Results: Quantitative and qualitative analyses supported a reduction in anxiety following FIKA, with qualitative responses supporting the hypothesised role of mental imagery and the empathic, person-centred approach. Conclusions: FIKA seems a promising digital intervention for anxiety that users found acceptable and helpful. The focus on gently building skills in self-motivation for engagement may encourage students experiencing anxiety to use it early to prevent anxiety becoming a chronic problem
Mobile apps for psychotic disorders: a systematic review protocol
No full textBackgroundEarly intervention for psychotic spectrum disorders can improve long-term outcomes, but service availability and quality can vary globally. Mobile apps have the potential to provide personalised and accessible support for people with psychotic disorders via features such as symptom monitoring, medication reminders, and self-management interventions. Existing reviews have provided an overview of such apps and their feasibility but lack a synthesis of their efficacy, safety, and acceptability. Addressing this gap would guide future app designs and facilitate their implementation by informing clinical and policy decisions. The purpose of this systematic review will be to synthesise the evidence about existing mobile apps for psychotic disorders, including their types and features, feasibility of implementation, usability, clinical impact, and safety.MethodsThis protocol has been structured using the PRISMA-P checklist, and the PICOS framework will guide the search strategy. Six electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycInfo) will be searched. Evaluations of mobile apps for psychotic disorders published in English will be included. Reviews will be excluded but their bibliographies will be searched for relevant articles. Two independent reviewers will conduct the title and abstract screening, full-text review, data extraction into a predetermined form, and risk of bias analysis; with any disagreements discussed until consensus at each stage. The risk of bias analysis will be conducted using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias 2 and Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Meta-analyses will summarise data on feasibility, impact, and safety (where applicable), and app characteristics and user experience will be descriptively analysed.DiscussionWhile current reviews synthesise information about apps for psychotic disorders, most of them have a narrow focus on specific app types (e.g., monitoring), outcomes (e.g., engagement), or study types. This systematic review will update previous reviews and add a comprehensive synthesis of app features, their safety, and their overall impact. This review will inform future app development and evaluations and facilitate their implementation in clinical services. It will also address the potential negative impacts associated with these apps and propose ways to mitigate them.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42024615781
Rapid electrochemical biosensor with enhanced accuracy and repeatability using Pyrene NHS ester modified 3D graphene electrodes
No full textA consistent and reproducible chemical modification of the transducer interface is essential to ensure effectiveimmobilization of bioreceptors, thereby improving the sensitivity and reproducibility of biosensors. Althoughnotable progress has been made in fabricating graphene-based biosensors, the effects of surface biofunctionalization on sensing performance remain not fully understood. This study shows that combining threedimensional (3D) graphene foam electrodes with a straightforward, single-step surface biofunctionalizationmethod is key to enhancing the performance of graphene-based biosensors. Specifically, it presents a single-stepapproach to functionalize the 3D graphene foam (Gii-Sens) with 1-pyrenebutyric acid N-hydroxysuccinimideester (Pyrene-NHS ester). Electrochemical techniques, including cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulsevoltammetry (DPV), confirmed the successful attachment of Pyrene-NHS ester to the graphene foam surface, atlevels sufficient to serve as a covalent linker for antibody attachment. The graphene structure was maintainedthrough non-covalent functionalization, and the linker\u27s functionality was verified using the functionalized GiiSens electrochemical sensor for detecting Tau-217 peptides. Measurements with the developed electrochemicalsensor showed a linear response to Tau-217 peptides within the 1 fM to 1 nM concentration range, with a limit ofdetection (LoD) of 0.41 fM in both phosphate-buffered saline PBS and serum. The sensor\u27s reproducibility andrepeatability were tested using the standard addition method, resulting in a relative standard deviation (RSD) ofless than 5%. Specificity was evaluated against Tau-181, Tau-441, amyloid proteins (Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42), andbovine serum albumin (BSA)
High-capacity nations can unlock momentum for quality marine protection
No full textSummary.Highly and fully protected marine protected areas (HF-MPAs) deliver the strongest ecological outcomes, yet they cover just 3.8% of the ocean, and annual gains have stalled. We combine ProtectedSeas regulatory classifications with coastal habitat maps for corals, mangroves, seagrasses, and saltmarshes to track HF-MPAs and minimally/lightly protected MPAs (ML-MPAs) from 2000 to 2025 and overlay results with governance-based enabling conditions. HF-MPAs remain rare even in high-capacity countries that host most mapped coastal habitats and 39% of the global upgrade gap. Upgrading ML-MPAs in this small cohort—especially in overseas territories—offers immediate habitat protection gains and a visible pathway toward 30 × 30, while parallel efforts expand high-quality protection in open-ocean and deep-sea ecosystems and build enabling conditions elsewhere
Lung epithelial and alveolar macrophage-like cell interactions significantly modify innate responses to bacterial endotoxin with the involvement of direct cellular contacts, TNF-α, ICAM1 and MCP-1
No full textIntroduction: Lung alveolar macrophages (AMs) and epithelial cells form the first line of defense against inhaled pathogens. Their interactions strongly influence innate immune responses in the lung, yet the mechanisms underlying this cross-talk remain incompletely understood. Methods: In this study, we established a co-culture system using a primary model of AMs (MPI alveolar macrophage-like cells) and MLE-12 alveolar epithelial cells to investigate innate responses and cellular interactions during bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced TLR4 activation. Results: Cytokine and chemokine profiling revealed that co-cultures exhibited significantly enhanced proinflammatory responses to both LPS and TLR2 ligands—including IL-6, TNF-a, and MCP-1 secretion—compared with mono-cultures. Strikingly, we identified MLE-12 epithelial cells as a source of lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP), which is essential for LPS recognition in AMs and MPI alveolar macrophage-like cells. LBP secretion by epithelial cells explained cytokine responses to LPS under serum-free conditions; however, additional mechanisms—apparent in the presence of serum/LBP—also contributed to the amplified co-culture responses. These mechanisms included direct cell–cell contacts, as conditioned media from unstimulated cells failed to reproduce similar effects in mono-cultures. Moreover, co-cultures of naïve MPI cells and inflamed epithelial cells (MLE-12 cells pretreated with media from activated MPI macrophages) were found to release a nonnegligible amount of chemokines, even in the absence of LPS. This demonstrated an inflammatory amplification loop mediated by both contact dependent and soluble factors. Phospho-flow cytometry further revealed coculture- specific signaling, with enhanced MAPK pathway activation in macrophages and NF-kB activation in epithelial cells. Finally, LPS-activated MPI alveolar macrophage-like cells induced TNF-a–dependent ICAM-1 expression and apoptosis in MLE-12 cells. Increased ICAM-1 expression, in turn, promoted MCP-1 production in epithelial cells in an ICAM-1–dependent and cell contact mediated manner. Discussion: Together, these findings identify cellular contacts and a TNF-a–ICAM-1–MCP-1 axis—supported by epithelial-derived LBP—as key drivers of innate immune synergy between lung alveolar macrophages and epithelial cells. Our results establish the MPI–MLE-12 co-culture as a tractable model for dissecting pulmonary innate immune mechanisms
Does My Job Love Me? - A Story of Transforming While Investigating Newly Qualified Teachers’ Knowledge of and Practices in Early Reading.
No full textFor nearly 50 years, a vast amount of evidence shows that a Phonological Awareness (PA) deficit is a primary risk factor for reading difficulties (Wagner and Torgesen, 1978 and Kilpatrick, 2012, 2016, 2019). The initial aim of my research in early 2019 was to investigate, over a period of a year, Newly Qualified Teachers’ (NQTs’) knowledge of and practices in early reading, with a specific focus on NQTs\u27 knowledge and understanding of PA. Policy for Education in England requires all teachers to show effective early reading education (Rose, 2009 and Department for Education and Employment, 1998a). According to the Teachers’ Standards (2012), NQTs are expected to demonstrate effective teaching of early reading, including a clear understanding of Systematic Synthetic Phonics, which includes children having PA as a prerequisite for successful early reading development, as defined by Rose (2009) and the Department for Education and Employment (1998a).By using the methodological concepts and analytical framework originating from Activity Theory (AT) (Engeström 1987, 2001, 2011), I took the approach of combining a longitudinal collective case study design. The study included four NQT participants whose data was analysed in a diachronic sequence (Tochon and Munby, 1993) with the data being compared at three points of data collection over the NQTs’ Induction Year (IY). The validity of my research is enhanced by considering individual cases alongside comparisons across multiple cases, allowing for a more interesting understanding of effective practices and areas for improvement.During 2024, my Doctoral Supervision Meetings began to give rise to very different ways of thinking and writing and I started linking my academic contribution to my deeply intertwined personal history of trauma and neglect. I also began to introduce auto-ethnographic methods, and the use of imagery linked to my personal narrative. Using these methods began to unearth deeper feelings of neglect as a child, an adult and an educator. I revisited the data analysis at this point with a different approach and uncovered feelings of neglect, as well as traumatic experiences, amongst the NQTs during their IY. The findings indicate that NQTs’ feelings were controlled or shaped by important elements of the Activity System (AS). There were systemic issues with mentoring, highlighting how NQTs often feel unsupported and molded by mentors, leading to feelings of neglect and burnout. This study makes an original contribution to knowledge by offering new information about the NQTs’ experiences during their IY and the impact of the AS on NQTs.Findings from this study will contribute to the development of Education Policy by generating appropriate recommendations to address issues identified in this study. All these interesting elements of my life and my research are now woven together to form my contribution to research. I hope that the exposure of my extraordinary life experiences shared within this auto-ethnographic Thesis illustrates how I connected my personal narrative with my research, to help theorise my own educational perspective and my PhD enquiry
Not forgetting the fathers: A qualitative narrative review exploring the involvement and psychological well-being of fathers in the neonatal intensive care unit.
No full textBackgroundDespite policy commitments to family-centred care, neonatal services often remain implicitly structured around maternal presence. Fathers, although increasingly acknowledged as vital to early child development, frequently experience feelings of exclusion throughout the neonatal journey, from antenatal care through to the neonatal intensive care unit.AimThis review explores how fathers experience involvement and psychological wellbeing during their infant’s admission to a neonatal intensive care unit.MethodsA narrative review of qualitative studies was conducted using the SPIDER framework to guide the search strategy. The nine included studies, which met the inclusion criteria were identified via searching the databases CINAHL, PubMed, and PsycINFO. Studies were appraised using the CASP (2018) checklist, and findings were synthesised thematically.ResultsThematic synthesis identified four key themes: ‘Exclusion from the NICU Environment’; ‘Emotional Suppression and Psychological Strain’; ‘Reclaiming Fatherhood Through Caregiving’ and ‘Coping and Support Mechanisms’. Findings highlight how fathers navigate a system not designed with their needs in mind, often suppressing their own emotions whilst seeking meaningful ways to engage.ConclusionFathers often remain peripheral within neonatal care, shaped not only by entrenched gender norms but also by structural barriers that limit their involvement and emotional expression Without deliberate shifts in practice and policy, fathers risk continued exclusion, with implications for their wellbeing and the wider family dynamic. There is a pressing need for more inclusive and emotionally responsive care practices that recognise fathers as equal partners in neonatal care.Keywords: NICU, fathers, involvement, wellbeing, qualitativ
Light is not always right: peri-iridial lightness reduces attractiveness via perceived sex-typicality across human populations
No full textAbstract: Evolutionary psychology views the human eye as special. In particular, it claims that the light peri-iridial tissues surrounding a relatively darker iris form a combination that sets us apart from other primates. From this perspective, much less attention has been paid to how eye colouration varies between humans, although evidence indicates that variations in peri-iridial and iridial colouration influence both perceived facial attractiveness and sex-typicality. To determine what aspects of eye colouration influence the perception of faces, we have measured the colour of peri-iridial eye tissues (‘the white of the eye’) and the iris in nine samples from seven distant cultures (N = 1033) across three continents. The faces were rated on facial attractiveness and sex-typicality by raters from the corresponding populations. Accounting for the effects of skin lightness, age, and facial shape, we ran a Bayesian multilevel model to estimate global and sample-specific effects of colouration of the iris and peri-iridial tissues on perceived sex-typicality and facial attractiveness. This exploratory, cross-sectional study revealed an overall preference for slightly darker peri-iridial tissues in women, whereby this association was mediated by perceived sex-typicality. Our findings challenge the notion that the light-eyed phenotype is universally preferred by human raters. Instead, they suggest a preference for a moderate phenotype, perhaps because very light peri-iridial tissues are typical of faces which are generally perceived as less feminine. Women with bluer irises were generally perceived as more attractive but findings related to other colour channels and iris features were inconsistent and varied across samples. Significance statement: The morphological variation of human eyes is an understudied phenomenon. While attention has been paid to the alleged uniqueness of human eyes (compared to other primates), little is known about how variations in eye colouration influence human perception of faces. Our study included over 1000 individuals from seven culturally distinct regions, mapped human eye variation, and tested how eye colouration influences perceived attractiveness and sex-typicality. In humans, variation in eye colouration is relatively large and differs across populations. Our findings suggest that it affects the perception of faces. Paradoxically, darker peri-iridial regions (scleras) slightly enhance the perception of femininity and female attractiveness, which challenges the idea that lighter eyes are universally preferred. Moreover, blue/light irises were in some contexts linked to a higher attractiveness. These results further refine our understanding of the role of eye colouration in perceived attractiveness
Boarding the Ark (Long Gallery, Lanhydrock)
No full text3D digital model of the \u27Boarding the Ark\u27 plaster relief in the Long Gallery at Lanhydrock House (c. 1638/39-1643), based on LiDAR surveys in 2025