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Artwork SetoMonogatari 9 - From Sunderand to Seto selected for The Graduates exhibition, National Glass Centre, University of Sunderland, 31 Jan-31 July 2026.
No full textThis piece is part of an ongoing series informed by art-archaeological research undertaken at abandoned manufacturing sites in Seto, Japan – once the centre of Japan’s post-war ceramic figurine industry. SetoMonogatari is a portmanteau formed from setomono, the historical term for pottery made in Seto, and monogatari, meaning story. Through a process of bricolage, this work explores material, memory and place, reflecting upon this fragile industrial heritage. It also embodies the artist’s own journey and development as a ceramicist over the last 15 years
The patient's perspective: A review of results from a radiotherapy patient experience survey (RPES) at the North West Cancer Centre, Northern Ireland, UK
Full text linkIntroduction Patient satisfaction is an important measure of radiotherapy quality and reflects the ethos of the Health and Care Professions Council. The Radiotherapy Patient Experience Survey (RPES), developed in 2012, captures patients’ experiences across the radiotherapy pathway and was redistributed by National Health Service trusts in 2023. This study reports on patient experiences at the North West Cancer Centre (NWCC), one of two cancer centres in Northern Ireland (NI), using the RPES. While specific to NI, the findings can be considered alongside evidence from other UK regions to inform understanding of radiotherapy experiences across different healthcare contexts. Methods From September 2023 to March 2024, the RPES was distributed to patients at the end of radiotherapy. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse quantitative data, and thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke's six-phase framework) guided qualitative analysis. Ethical approval was granted by the affiliated university and Trust Quality Improvement team. Results In total, 245 participants completed the survey, with 56.7 % (n = 139) identifying as female. Overall, participants reported high satisfaction with their radiotherapy experiences, with 93.5 % (n = 229) rating the quality of care received as excellent. Key areas for improvement included provision of information about acute and chronic side effects before and after radiotherapy, as well as underutilisation and perceived outdatedness of website resources. Conclusion Despite national increasing wait times for radiotherapy, results from this single centre survey indicate high patient satisfaction with radiotherapy care in NWCC in NI. This study highlights excellence in care and provides guidance for enhancement of the service. Implications for practice Key actions have been identified to further improve the radiotherapy service in NWCC. The department should conduct a follow-up clinical audit to ensure improvements are implemented effectively
Distinct Omicron longitudinal memory T cell profile and T cell receptor repertoire associated with COVID-19 hospitalisation
Full text linkSARS-CoV-2 has claimed more than 7 million lives worldwide and has been associated with prolonged inflammation, immune dysregulation and persistence of symptoms following severe infection. Understanding the T cell mediated immune response and factors impacting development and continuity of SARS-CoV-2 specific memory T cells is pivotal for developing better therapeutic and monitoring strategies for those most at risk from COVID-19. Here we present a comprehensive analysis of memory T cells in a convalescent cohort (n=20), three months post Omicron infection. Utilising flow cytometry to investigate CD4 +CD45RO + and CD8 +CD45RO + memory T cell IL-2 expression following Omicron (B.1.1.529/BA.1) peptide pool stimulation, alongside T cell receptor repertoire profiling and RNA-Seq analysis, we have identified several immunological features associated with hospitalised status. We observed that while there was no significant difference in median CD4 +CD45RO + IL-2 + and CD8 + CD45RO + IL-2 + memory T cell count between subgroups, the hospitalised subgroup expressed significantly more IL-2 per cell following Omicron peptide pool exposure in the CD8 +CD45RO + population (p <0.03) and trended towards significance in CD4 +CD45RO + cells (p <0.06). T cell receptor repertoire analysis found that the non-hospitalised subgroup had a much higher number of circulating clonotypes, targeting a wider range of predominantly MHC-I epitopes across the SARS-CoV-2 genome. Several immunodominant epitopes, conserved between both subgroups, were observed, however hospitalised individuals were less likely to express putative HLA alleles responsible for pMHC presentation which may impact TCR affinity. We observed a bias towards shorter CDR3 segments in TCRβ repertoire analysis within the hospitalised subgroup, alongside lower rates of repertoire overlap in CDR3 sequences compared to the non-hospitalised subgroup. We found a significant proportion of TCRs targeted epitopes along the SARS-CoV-2 genome including non-structural proteins, responsible for viral replication and immune evasion. These findings highlight how the continuity of T cell based protective immunity is impacted by both the viral replication cycle of SARS-CoV-2 upon intracellular and innate immune responses, and HLA-type upon TCR affinity and clonotype formation. Our novel Epitope Target Analysis Pipeline (Epi-TAP) could prove beneficial in development of new therapeutic strategies through rapid identification of shared immunodominant epitopes across non-hospitalised and hospitalised subgroups.</p
Novel radiographic stem version predictor from anterior-posterior radiographs
Full text linkBackground: Implant orientation has been linked to postoperative outcomes and is frequently assessed on radiographs. However, the projection of the three-dimensional joint and implant structure to a two-dimensional radiograph complicates its assessment. The main objective of this study was to demonstrate a novel method for evaluating radiographic stem version, in a manner robust to multiaxial rotations, particularly AP tilt and flexion. Methods: Radiographic features where synthesised using a computational stem geometry and radiographic simulation, building in clinical error sources. Features trained a Gaussian process regression predictor of radiographic stem version. The impact of AP tilt on the accuracy of the Weber technique was then evaluated and the feasibility of AP tilt assessment from the same radiograph investigated. Findings: Radiographic stem version prediction accuracy was evaluated on in vitro radiographs with R 2 rising from 0.85 (P < 0.01) using the Weber technique to 0.98 (P < 0.01) using the trained model. Similar results were observed in a larger in silico dataset with R 2 rising from 0.89 (P < 0.01) to 0.98 (P < 0.01). Tilt was shown to reduce the accuracy of the Weber technique. Projectional symmetry was then demonstrated about the femoral implant with AP tilt, elucidating ambiguity when assessing tilt on an AP radiograph. Interpretation: The novel feature-based method is a reliable measure of radiographic stem version that is robust to variation on multiaxial orientation, allowing assessment of changing rotation in series of postoperative radiographs. However, a controlled radiograph is required to ensure this mirrors implanted stem version.</p
An evaluation of the performance of a scroll machine in a reversible high-temperature heat pump - organic Rankine cycle system using R1233zd(E) as the working fluid
Full text linkA reversible high-temperature heat pump (HTHP) - Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) system can effectively recover industrial waste heat in the lower temperature band (<100 °C). This system can provide upgraded heat in HTHP mode or generate electrical power in ORC mode. For a compact reversible HTHP-ORC system, it is essential to utilise a volumetric machine that can function as both a compressor (HTHP mode) and an expander (ORC mode). This paper presents a performance analysis of an open-drive scroll machine operating in both modes, using R1233zd(E) as the working fluid. Steady-state models developed for this analysis were validated against data from previous experimental tests and subsequently used to evaluate the performance of the scroll compressor/expander under extended operating conditions. The model predictions indicated that the scroll compressor could achieve an overall isentropic efficiency of 73 % (T sf,ev,in = 90 °C, N cp = 2,000 RPM) and a volumetric efficiency of 92.3 % (T sf,ev,in = 90 °C, N cp = 2,500 RPM). In expander mode, the overall isentropic efficiencies were lower than in compressor mode, reaching a maximum value of 57.7 %. The results also demonstrated that the scroll machine could produce a gross power output of 1.01 kW (r p = 3.6, T sf,ev,in = 90 °C) at higher pressure ratios in expander mode.</p
Wellbeing of Family Carers of Adults With Intellectual Disabilities During the COVID‐19 Pandemic in the UK: Longitudinal Study
Full text linkBackground: Longitudinal studies of family carers of people with intellectual disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic have been very rare. This study investigated trajectories of family-carer wellbeing and the impact of the caring role on carers' health over four time points measured during the COVID-19 pandemic and after all public health restrictions had been lifted (between December 2020 and late 2022) across the United Kingdom. Methods: Family carers of adults with intellectual disabilities participated through a co-designed, online survey at four time points across the pandemic (2020–2022). Growth models were used to determine the change in family-carer wellbeing (n = 312) and the impact of the caring role on carers' health across the pandemic and what factors were associated with these outcomes. We explored associations between profound and multiple intellectual disabilities (PMID), the cared-for person's individual wellbeing, the cared-for person's age, whether the cared-for person lived with their family and family-carer wellbeing and impact of caring trajectories. Results: Overall, family-carer wellbeing improved, and the impact of the caring role on carers' health reduced across the time period. If the cared-for person had PMID was associated with greater degrees of depression and stress for caregivers and thus increased the impact of the caring role on carers' health, but it was not associated with carer wellbeing. Similarly, the reduction in individual wellbeing of the cared-for person and the caregiver's perception of this person's wellbeing was also significantly associated with increased impact of the caring role on carers' health and carer wellbeing. There was no evidence that age of cared-for person was predictive of either outcome, and there were mixed findings on whether living at home was an associated factor for either outcome. Conclusions: Overall, family-carer wellbeing improved, and the impact of the caring role on carers' health reduced across the time period, but the cared-for persons' poorer wellbeing and complex needs (indexed by the presence of PMID) were associated with negative impacts on family carers during the pandemic period.</p
The spread of antimicrobial resistance in the aquatic environment from faecal pollution: a scoping review of a multifaceted issue
Full text linkAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global health concern accelerated by the misuse and mismanagement of antibiotics in clinical and veterinary settings, leading to longer treatment times, increased costs and greater mortality rates. The environment can play a major role as a source and disseminator of AMR, with faecal pollution, from both anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic sources making a significant contribution. The review aimed to identify how faecal pollution contributes to AMR in surface water, focusing on current methods of source tracking faecal pollution. The databases used were Medline Ovid® and Scopus. From the search, 744 papers from January 2020 to November 2023 were identified, and after the screening, 33 papers were selected that reported on AMR, aquatic environments and faecal pollution and were published in English. The studies were from six different continents, most were from Europe and Asia indicating faecal pollution is influenced by spatiotemporal differences such as population and sanitation infrastructure. Multiple different methodologies were used with a lack of standardised methods making comparability challenging. All studies identified AMR strains of faecal indicator bacteria showing resistance to a wide variety of antibiotics, particularly beta-lactams and tetracyclines. Few studies investigated mobile gene elements with class 1 integrons being the most frequently studied. Wastewater treatment plants were significant contributors, releasing large amounts of AMR bacteria into the environment. Environmental factors such as seasonal differences, temperature, rainfall and UV exposure, along with local antibiotic usage influenced the local resistome. Animals, both wild and domestic, introduced antimicrobial resistance genes and potential pathogens into the aquatic environment. Overall, faecal pollution is a complicated issue with multiple factors contributing to and facilitating the spread of AMR. Standardisation of methods and surveillance, robust wastewater management and further research into AMR dissemination are needed to address the human health, animal health and environmental concerns.</p