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From Protocol to Practice: The Implementation of Investment Facilitation Commitments under the AfCFTA
Get PDFThis paper examines the implementation of investment facilitation commitments under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Investment Protocol. It explores the emergence of investment facilitation as a crucial approach for attracting foreign direct investment across Africa, particularly in the context of the recently adopted AfCFTA Protocol on Investment. Using a doctrinal analysis, the paper investigates the relationship between the AfCFTA investment facilitation provisions and parallel developments in the WTO Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement. The paper identifies critical implementation challenges facing African states and evaluates potential solutions, including technical assistance mechanisms and capacity building frameworks. The paper argues that effective implementation of investment facilitation commitments requires coordinated action between landlocked and transit countries, streamlined administrative procedures, and enhanced cross-border cooperation. It concludes that investment facilitation represents a vital component of Africa's economic integration strategy, with significant potential to increase intra-African trade and attract investment for sustainable development
Shared and divergent acute cardiovascular risk protein responses to lipid infusion in women with and without PCOS
No full textAims: Elevated circulating lipids are linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD), especially in insulin-resistant states like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), but their effects on cardiovascular risk proteins (CVRPs) remain unclear. This study used a two-step approach to examine acute cardiovascular proteomic responses to lipid-induced metabolic stress. We first identified proteins altered by lipids and insulin in healthy control (HC) women, then assessed whether these responses were similar or divergent in women with PCOS. Methods: In a randomised cross-over study, 10 healthy controls and 12 women with PCOS underwent 5-h saline (control) or intralipid infusions. After 3 h, a 2-h hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp was initiated. Plasma CVRP expression was assessed at baseline, post-lipid (180 min) and post-clamp (300 min) using SOMAscan proteomics. STRING and pathway enrichment analyses were performed to explore functional associations. Results: In the HC group, lipid infusion altered the expression of 11 out of 54 CVRPs including increases in RANK, IL2RA, TACI, SLAF5 and DCN (p <0.05) and decreases in THPO, BOC, SOD2, FGF23, and AgRP (p <0.05). Most changes reversed with insulin, but BOC, SOD2, MMP12, FGF23, and DCN remained dysregulated. In PCOS, responses mirrored the HC group except for lower AgRP following lipid infusion (p <0.01), and persistent elevation of SLAF5 and DCN following insulin (p <0.05). Enrichment analysis linked altered proteins to immune activation, cell proliferation, and cytokine-receptor signalling. Conclusion: Acute lipid infusion revealed shared and phenotype-specific proteomic responses linked to early vascular stress. In PCOS, persistent dysregulation suggests reduced metabolic adaptability, with exploratory signals that may complement established biomarkers of early cardiovascular risk
Robust adaptive control with lumped model uncertainty and wind disturbance estimation for airship trajectory tracking
Get PDFThe robotic airship can be used as an aerostatic platform for many potential applications, for example, communication, hovering payload deliveries, data-gathering for research studies, etc. These applications require a fully autonomous perspective of an airship. One of the important aspects of airship autonomy is trajectory tracking control. An airship has complex and uncertain nonlinear dynamics which pose a major challenge for designing a precise trajectory tracking control. This paper addresses the airship trajectory tracking control problem under model uncertainties and wind disturbance. We propose a lumped model uncertainties and wind disturbance estimation approach based on an unscented Kalman filter. The estimated lumped uncertainty is used by the Sliding Mode Controller (SMC) for ultimate control of airship trajectory tracking. This comprehensive algorithm, Unscented Kalman filter-based Sliding Mode Controller (USMC), is used as a robust adaptive control solution to track the desired trajectory. The stability and convergence of the proposed method are investigated using the Lyapunov stability analysis. Simulation results show that the proposed method efficiently tracks the desired trajectory. The method solves the stability, convergence, and chattering problem of SMC without the bound constraint of model uncertainties and wind disturbance
Examining the Mental Health and Well-Being of NHS Professionals: A Longitudinal View of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Get PDFThis thesis portfolio comprises three parts. Part one is a systematic literature review, part two is an empirical paper, and part three is the appendices. This thesis aimed to explore the mental health and well-being of NHS staff at various points during the pandemic (before, during, or after).Part One: A systematic literature review on the mental health and well-being of NHS nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The review included 11 papers. Data from quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies were synthesised using a convergent integrated approach. Four integrated findings were created. The findings highlighted that the pandemic appeared to contribute to adverse outcomes for NHS nurses' mental health and well-being, with several influencing factors (both positive and negative) being identified. When supporting NHS nurses with any future difficulties, support should not be solely psychological therapy and should be more holistic.Part Two: An empirical paper investigating clinical psychologists' mental health and well-being before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Ten fully qualified clinical psychologists completed semi-structured interviews, and a reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings illustrated that clinical psychologists experienced mental health difficulties at various points, especially during the pandemic, with multiple factors influencing mental health and well-being (both positively and negatively). The findings highlighted the importance of clinical psychologists being able to access support, and NHS staff reflecting upon pandemic experiences.Part Three: Appendices for parts one and two, plus a reflective and epistemological statement
A search for HI absorption at intermediate redshifts in star-forming galaxies with ASKAP-FLASH
Get PDFThere is a marked decline in the global star formation rate from its peak at z = 2 to present day (z = 0), of around a magnitude. This phenomenon, ‘cosmic downsizing’, has been studied for around two decades, but the underlying cause is not understood, although the evolution of neutral hydrogen (H i) over time is suspected to be involved. H i forms the reservoir of material for star formation in galaxies, and can be studied at z 0.4 this line is intrinsically too faint to be observed. Using 21 cm absorption, which is instead limited by radio continuum source strength, we search for H i absorption in star-forming (SF) galaxies with ASKAP-FLASH at 0.4 < z < 1.0.For the first time, we show that stacked 21 cm signals can be detected, and find that the detection of the signal is based on optical depth and the strength of the radio sources that are co-added into the stacks. We detect two new 21 cm absorption signals - one confirmed in J214954550-00465630, and one tentative towards J144546661-01304141 - and investigate their optical depth and column densities, along with setting optical depth and column density limits for 36 other galaxies. From our samples of 25 SF and 23 radio galaxies, we find no significant difference in H i detection rates for bright SF galaxies (4.0+0.9 −1.6 per cent) compared to the general population of radio galaxies (4.3+1.9−1.4 per cent) at the same redshifts.The work presented here progresses the understanding of H i at 0.4 < z < 1.0, and develops a technique for future statistical 21 cm searches with next generation radio telescopes such as SKA, which will help further our understanding of the link between H i content evolution and cosmic downsizing
Analysing ocean wave data for improved planning of future offshore renewable energy
Get PDFClimate change is impacting people, industries and economies to ever greater degrees. One of the rapidly growing industries impacted by climate change is offshore wind energy. Numerous studies have shown a wide range of climate change impacts on the offshore wind resource. However, other potential impacts of climate change are less understood. This thesis investigated climate change impacts on installation and maintenance of offshore wind farms. Installation and maintenance each account for 20-25% of offshore wind farm lifecycle costs, and these activities significantly depend on ocean wave conditions. Wave reanalysis datasets, like ERA5, are often used to assess long-term wave climate. This thesis assessed the accuracy of the ERA5 wave dataset as a source of global ground-truth significant wave height data. The author showed that ERA5 tends to underestimate significant wave height above 5 m. The ERA5 accuracy increases with the increasing distance to shore, and is higher in more recent years. These findings informed the use of the ERA5 wave data in combination with atmospheric data from eight CMIP6 climate models to train a neural network to produce wave climate projections. The large size of the dataset, which included global 3-hour data for five variables (including significant wave height), hindered learning of the feed-forward neural network. Since the neural network failed to produce acceptable wave climate projections, an ensemble of existing numerical projections was used to quantify impacts of climate change on accessibility - the fraction of time when the weather does not impede installation and maintenance of offshore structures. This ensemble consisted of 11 wave simulations from the COWCLIP project, where wave models were forced with atmospheric data from seven CMIP5 climate models. This study found that accessibility is projected to increase in the North Atlantic and Asia, but decrease in Central America and in some cases in Australia and on the western North American coast. Most of the accessibility increase in the North Atlantic comes in the winter months, suggesting lengthening of the traditional maintenance season
The Elgar Companion to Margaret Thatcher
No full textThis Companion provides a comprehensive overview of the life, work and legacy of Britain’s first female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. Expert contributors examine the major impact she had on British and global politics as the longest-serving Prime Minister in modern British history
Briefing: The rain to drain approach of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) design and monitoring
Get PDFThe ‘rain to drain’ experimental approach is part of the Doncaster, Immingham and Grimsby (DIG) Surface Water Resilience Project. The DIG project is examining the effectiveness of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) through comprehensive monitoring of the entire urban water cycle, from rainfall to drainage within the respective geographical areas. It is funded by Defra’s Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme and uses real-time monitoring through weather stations, soil moisture sensors and flow meters to gather data on the performance of SuDS in the urban environment. The project is evaluating various SuDS installations, including rain gardens, detention ponds and downpipe interventions, assessing their ability to reduce flood risks, improve water quality and enhance urban biodiversity. By using a ‘living lab’ experimental design, the project is trialling different SuDS configurations to optimise cost-effectiveness and environmental benefits. Preliminary results show significant improvements in water retention (the holding of water) and attenuation (flow reduction of water), with further data helping refine SuDS designs for future urban planning. The project emphasises collaboration across local authorities, water companies and academia, using data-driven insights to develop more resilient and sustainable drainage solutions
Internet images reveal bumblebee-mimicking hoverflies follow models in preferring blue flowers, but retain the typical hoverfly attraction to yellow
No full textBatesian mimics, such as hoverflies, resemble noxious species that predators avoid, such as bees. Such resemblance can be behavioural as well as morphological. Unlike other hymenopterans, eusocial bees commonly prefer blue flowers. In contrast, flies generally prefer yellow and white. We predicted that hoverflies mimicking eusocial bees would prefer blue rather than yellow flowers, following their models. We gathered internet photographs of flower-visiting bees and wasps, their hoverfly mimics, and non-mimetic hoverflies, and compared the colours of the visited flowers. Flowers visited by bumblebees were 'bluer' than those visited by other hymenopterans (honeybees, social wasps and solitary bees). Correspondingly, flowers visited by bumblebee-mimicking hoverflies were bluer than those visited by non-mimics, and as blue as those visited by bumblebees. There was no such pattern in flower 'yellowness', where all flies and most hymenopterans preferred similar yellowness, and only bumblebees chose flowers that were less yellow than others. Our study demonstrates changes in microhabitat choice associated with Batesian mimicry across a diverse clade of flies. Our findings suggest selection for behavioural mimicry, or that common microhabitats select for morphological mimicry. Mildly noxious models such as bumblebees are thought to exert particularly strong selection for mimetic accuracy, suggesting that habitat-choice mimicry may be selected to enhance morphological mimicry
Dermoscopy vs standard marking practices for the completeness of excision of non-melanoma skin cancers: a single-centre randomized controlled trial—protocol for the ClearMark trial
Get PDFNon-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most prevalent cancer globally, with rising incidence. Complete excision is essential to prevent recurrence and additional treatment. Standard marking with loupes and theatre lights has an incomplete excision rate of ~11%. Dermoscopy may improve accuracy, but its clinical advantage remains unproven due to a lack of direct comparisons. To assess whether dermoscopy-guided preoperative marking improves peripheral margin clearance compared to standard methods. Secondary outcomes include 5-year recurrence, further treatment, patient satisfaction, adverse events and marking efficiency. This is a single-centre, superiority randomized controlled trial. Patients will be randomized (1:1) via computer software, stratified by lesion location, to dermoscopy or conventional marking. Dermoscopy training will ensure protocol adherence. An internal pilot will evaluate feasibility and inform full-scale implementation. A total of 1376 patients will be recruited to yield 688 histologically confirmed NMSCs for analysis. This trial addresses a key evidence gap in NMSC management by evaluating dermoscopy’s potential to improve surgical accuracy. While limited by its single-centre design, it may inform a larger multi-centre study. Aligned with the James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership priorities, it could influence surgical practice by improving outcomes, reducing recurrence and enhancing patient care