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Illustrating non-fiction: a practice-based exploration of visual and material strategies in non-fiction children's books
No full textThis practice-based investigation explores visual and material strategies used by illustrators to present and structure the information, organise the book’s content, and influence the perceived reliability of the depictions in non-fiction picturebooks. The study was motivated by a shift in the genre that resulted in the proliferation of visually-conceptualised books, and in an increased presence of the illustrator in their ideation and development.The methodological bricolage employed in the study enabled a combination of methods, at the core of which was creative practice. A review of primary literature led to the identification of visual strategies used in the genre, which were analysed in view of the degree of reliability they are perceived to convey by using the social semiotic concept of visual modality. Finding potential in introducing features from informational spaces into the book, four projects were developed through creative practice, exploring connections between non-fiction picturebooks and cabinets of curiosities, museums, and collections. Reflective processes were holistically applied through the research to reveal insights during making, and to extract conclusions from the findings.Through this study, I found that modality can be expressed through pictorial, design and material means in non-fiction picturebooks. While certain strategies risk conveying authoritarian implications, they can be reframed, resignified or contested through conceptual, visual and material approaches. This investigation thus highlighted the illustrator’s role in shaping the content of non-fiction picturebooks through their subjective voice, creative choices, and modality conveyed by the strategies employed.The investigation concluded that, given the convergence of the creative and the informational in non-fiction picturebooks, illustrators have the possibility of using visual and material means to communicate information, influence the perceived reliability of the depictions, reinforce the narrative, enhance the content, and generate alternative reading experiences. The picturebook can thereby offer great expressive potential for the illustrator to construct informational experiences by making use of the multimodal nature of this form.</p
Futures Inaugural Conference
No full textThis project presents the development of an IoT-based health monitoring system designed to continuously track two critical health parameters: temperature and heart rate. The system makes use of temperature and pulse sensors, with data being processed by an ADC Analog to Digital Converter before being analyzed on an FPGA coded in Verilog language. The FPGA processes raw sensor data to extract meaningful health insights, with condition assessment verified through Vivado simulations. Additionally, an Arduino-based circuitry displays real-time results on an LCD. As an IoT-enabled system, a Wi-Fi module uploads patient data to the cloud, enabling remote monitoring by healthcare professionals via mobile or web platforms. This system enhances patient health management, offers potential applications in critical care and contributes to life-saving interventions, particularly in pandemic scenarios like COVID-19.</p
It's not me, it's you: a creative inquiry into disruptive second-person narratives
No full textAcross a series of original stories, my writing explores the British class system and uses the mode of second-person in ways that are explored in the accompanying critical commentary. I seek to demonstrate that the second-person point-of-view offers writers of narrative short fiction an opportunity to disrupt conventional reading expectations.The twenty-four stories that make up the collection, It’s Not Me, It’s You, are all written in the second-person. My creative aim was to explore the possibilities of a second-person narrator over a series of short stories to ascertain how the address can be used to obtain effects that are not so readily available or possible in first- and third-person narratives. The stories include literary fiction, folk horror and ghost stories, as well as poetic prose. I sought to write stories that use the second-person mode of address to either ‘pull in’ the reader, or to ‘reach out’ to the reader by implicating them in the story through the double-address that ‘you’ performs as a speech act in text.Furthermore, I wanted to explore how contemporary writing can use the address to talk about class and erasure by implicating the reader in the narrative. What power do narrators possess, and how does this precisely manifest in second-person narration? The stories in this thesis experiment with how both the protagonist and reader are addressed and consider how class and identity are consistently challenged or erased.In the critical paper, I discuss my methodology and through a series of close readings of five contemporary short stories published between 2009 and 2020, I demonstrate how the mode is being adopted by what Brian Richardson (1994) calls ‘oppositional writers’ to explore the effects of dominant ideologies on those that are marginalized. The first two stories are by contemporary black writers who adopt the second-person pronoun to implicate the reader in events caused by globalization and the capitalist system. Next, I look at contemporary British short stories all published within the last five years that use a similar approach with the second-person address to focus on the class system within a global world.Finally, using Sandrine Sorlin’s six points of reference from her 2022 book, The Stylistics of You, I explore how these references work, and how they apply to my own collection. Sorlin’s schema will then be placed in wider critical contexts to examine class, using Louis Althusser’s conceptual framing of ideology via Repressive State Apparatus (RSA) and Ideological State Apparatus (ISA), how subjects are hailed by what he terms ‘appellation’. This critical approach will examine narrative power and its relationship to class. The thesis will conclude by demonstrating how the position and power of the reader is disrupted by the second-person and how that disruption manifests.</p
Wearable Electronic Monitoring of Vital Signs in Hospitalised Adults: A Nursing Focused Scoping Review of Clinical, Economic and Implementation Outcomes
No full textAim:
To map and synthesise evidence on wearable devices for continuous vital signs monitoring in adult hospital inpatients, focusing on clinical effectiveness, nursing perspectives, workflow impact, patient acceptance and experience and resource implications
Design: Scoping review
Review Methods: Joanna Briggs Institute methodology reported using PRISMA-ScR guidelines.
Data Sources: Six databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane), Scite.ai, and hand searching for studies published between January 2015 and November 2025. Data were synthesised using reflexive thematic analysis.
Results: Sixty-seven studies from 19 countries were included. Four integrative themes were identified. 1. Enhancing clinical safety through continuous monitoring: wearable devices consistently enable earlier recognition of physiological deterioration; however, downstream outcomes such as length of stay and transfers to intensive care units were mixed and context dependent. 2. Transforming nursing practice and workflow integration highlighted improved situational awareness and potential efficiency gains, alongside challenges related to alarm overload, parallel documentation and implementation workload. 3. Patient experience of wearable monitoring: most patients reported reassurance and perceived safety, though experiences reflected a tension between monitoring as care and monitoring as surveillance; discomfort, anxiety, and privacy considerations were infrequently examined. 4. Economic and organisational consequences: potential system value was suggested through workforce efficiencies, but economic benefits were largely inferred, with infrastructure and training costs often underreported.
Conclusion: Wearable continuous monitoring technologies show clear potential to support nursing observations enabling improved early detection of deterioration. Realising these benefits depends on effective integration into workflows, robust governance, and sustained nursing leadership rather than technological capability alone. Significant evidence gaps remain regarding long-term outcomes, economic evaluation, and large-scale implementation.
Impact: Wearable monitoring can enhance patient safety and nursing practice but introduces new challenges related to alert management, data interpretation, equity, and system integration. Transformational nursing leadership is central to ensuring safe, ethical, and sustainable adoption.</p
Machine learning driven inverse design of devices and components for optical communication and sensing systems: a comprehensive review
No full textWe discuss recent progress in using machine-learning (ML)-enabled inverse design techniques applied to photonic devices and components. Specifically, we highlight the design of optical sources, including fiber and semiconductor lasers, as well as Raman and semiconductor optical amplifiers. Although inverse design approaches for optical detectors remain relatively underexplored, we examine optical layers, particularly metamaterial absorbers, as promising candidates for high-performance optical detection. In addition, we underscore advancements in inverse designing passive optical components, including beam splitters, gratings, and optical fibers. These optical blocks are fundamental in developing next-generation standalone optical communication systems and optical sensing networks, including integrated sensing and communication technologies. While categorizing various reported deep learning architectures across five paradigms, we offer a paradigm-based perspective that reveals how different ML techniques function within modern inverse design methods and enable fast, data-driven solutions that significantly reduce design time and computational demands compared with traditional optimization methods.</p
Metaphysical and Legal Implications of the Earliest Instance of Āyāt al-Aḥkām: The Prophet Muḥammad’s Spiritual Journey in Light of the Obligatory Nature of the Night Prayer Vigil (Ṣalāt al-Layl) in Sūrat al-Muzzammil
No full textThis study aims to explore critically the relationship between verses of law in the Qur'an to ritual acts - specifically, the night prayer vigil, circumstances of their revelation and transformative journey of Prophet Muhammad. By delving into jurisprudence, exegesis and law, we can better appreciate the depth of Islamic jurisprudence and exegesis for classical and contemporary challenges.</p
Exploring the impact of tinnitus on work productivity
No full textBackground/Objectives: Tinnitus affects various aspects of health, yet its impact on occupational functioning remains less well explored. This study investigated the impact of tinnitus on work productivity, the role of comorbidities of anxiety, depression, and quality of life, and explored whether an evidence-based intervention may potentially influence workplace functioning. Methods: The study used cross-sectional and longitudinal data and employed mixed methods design to enable comparing work productivity before and after undertaking ICBT for tinnitus. Data were collected from 449 participants (64% employed; mean age of 54.4 years) who were seeking to enroll in an internet-based psychological intervention. Of these, 200 also completed an internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy intervention (ICBT). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, qualitative content analysis and comparisons made between those whose work was unaffected due to tinnitus and those who worked less. Results: Pre-intervention, 81% reported no change in work patterns. Because of tinnitus 11% worked fewer hours, 7% had stopped working, and 1% received disability allowance. Participants were significantly less effective in their work capacity prior to undertaking the intervention compared to post-intervention and at follow-up; for the overall sample and post-intervention improvements were observed in tinnitus distress, anxiety, depression, and insomnia. There was significant time difference between group interactions for tinnitus, anxiety and insomnia but not for depression and quality of life when comparing those working and not working. Qualitative findings highlighted challenges related to attention, fatigue, and communication, as well as coping strategies and role modifications. Conclusions: Further studies are required to build on this exploratory research. The present findings underscore the need for workplace policies recognizing tinnitus as a potential disability and providing reasonable accommodation and options to access tinnitus interventions. Clinical interventions should also consider how to improve workplace functioning in individuals with bothersome tinnitus. Future research should explore ways to address cognitive load and enhance productivity.</p
Implications of ischaemic preconditioning at the ankle in people with diabetes
No full textIntroduction: In the UK, 4.6 million people are living with diabetes, resulting in serious health complications, including ~184 lower-limb amputations per week. Amputations typically stem from diabetic foot, associated with a 25% lifetime risk of ulceration, placing a long-term burden on healthcare services. The thesis aims to use ischaemic preconditioning (IPC), which involves alternating occlusion-reperfusion cycles, to improve foot health in people with diabetes. By applying IPC, there will be potential improvements in the microcirculation and endothelial function.Methods: Firstly, a systematic review investigated the existing evidence base for IPC and the associated physiological responses. Following ethical approval, four experimental studies were conducted using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) as a proxy indicator of foot health. The first investigated the reliability of NIRS during three intra-session occlusions. The following two studies applied a four-week IPC intervention in a healthy population and people with diabetes. The final study explored the longitudinal monitoring of the foot over six months.Results: The systematic review highlighted few studies investigating reliability during lower limb IPC, with no relevant publications investigating the ankle. The reliability study successfully applied IPC at the ankle, showing good to excellent reliability in the NIRS variables. The four-week intervention demonstrated no changes in foot health in a healthy population. However, four weeks of IPC in people with diabetes significantly increased the maximum oxygen saturation, indicating improved foot oxygenation. Finally, the longitudinal study observed no changes over six months during the long-term monitoring of the foot.Conclusion: IPC combined with NIRS can both monitor and improve foot health in people with diabetes. This thesis explored a novel repeated ankle IPC intervention, offering an alternative approach for people with foot complications who are unable to exercise. Long-term, this has important clinical implications to potentially reduce complications and develop measures for detecting any deterioration in foot health.</p
A sustainable maritime supply chain framework: an overview for academics and practitioners
No full textMaritime transportation accounts for over 80% of global trade by volume, primarily due to its cost efficiency. As global supply chains evolve, sustainability has become a critical concern for the maritime sector. This study reviews the most relevant papers on maritime transportation, sustainable supply chains, and maritime supply chains (MSC), aiming to advance the field through the development of an integrated classification framework. The proposed framework systematically categorizes existing academic studies based on supply chain planning features, key maritime stakeholders, and sustainability dimensions. We begin by analyzing the MSC network, focusing on its structural components and interconnections, including ports, shipping companies, and maritime logistics providers. We then examine MSC planning problems, emphasizing decision-making and optimization challenges across three core dimensions: time horizon, product/service type, and geography. Subsequently, we explore the interactions among stakeholders, highlighting how their collaborative and competitive dynamics influence sustainability outcomes. The proposed framework enables a structured evaluation of maritime logistics sustainability, bridging the gap between regulatory requirements and practical industry applications. By addressing two key aspects: (1) a micro-level analysis of sustainability challenges, stakeholder interactions, and solution approaches, and (2) a critical discussion of key trends, research gaps, and future directions, this paper offers a practical roadmap for integrating sustainability into the maritime transportation sector. The insights provided are valuable for both academic research and industry practice.</p
An app-based behavioural support intervention promoting physical activity (APPROACH) in patients diagnosed with breast, prostate or colorectal cancer: protocol for a randomised controlled trial
No full textBackground: Strong evidence highlights that sufficient physical activity (PA) has multiple benefits for people living with and beyond cancer. However, many are not meeting PA recommendations. APPROACH is a trial of a theory-driven, app-based behavioral support intervention to promote brisk walking after breast, prostate, or colorectal cancer.Objective: The aim of this trial is to evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of the intervention.Methods: APPROACH is a multicenter, phase III, 2-armed, individually randomized controlled trial (N=472). We will recruit patients with localized breast, prostate, or colorectal cancer from hospitals in Yorkshire and surrounding areas in the North of England, United Kingdom, and randomize them 1:1 between the intervention and control arm (usual care). The intervention consists of an app designed for the general population to encourage brisk walking (NHS Active 10), supplemented with habit-based behavioral support, including 2 brief telephone or video calls, a leaflet, website, and walking planners. The primary endpoint is the difference between trial arms in the changes from baseline in activPAL-assessed average minutes of brisk walking (≥100 steps per minute) after 3 months.Demographic and medical characteristics will be collected through self-report and hospital records. Secondary outcomes (assessed at 0, 3, and 6 months) will be the other activPAL-assessed outcomes (brisk walking at 6 months, total steps, light PA, standing time, and sitting times, weekly metabolic equivalent of task), self-reported PA, and self-reported BMI and waist circumference. Patient-reported outcome measures of quality of life, fatigue, sleep, anxiety, depression, self-efficacy, habit strength for walking, and social support will also be collected. Interviews will explore experiences of receiving the intervention. We will use health economic modeling to estimate the cost-effectiveness of the intervention over a lifetime horizon.Results: The study was funded in June 2019. Trial recruitment commenced in November 2023 and is planned to be completed in 2025. As of December 2025, a total of 473 participants have been randomized. The publication of the main results is expected in autumn 2027 after all follow-up data collection and analysis are complete.Conclusions: Overall findings will determine the clinical and cost-effectiveness of the intervention for patients diagnosed with breast, prostate, or colorectal cancer. If successful, APPROACH provides a potential model of supportive care to increase PA among people living with and beyond cancer.Trial Registration: ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN14149329; https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN14149329International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID):DERR1-10.2196/77096</p
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