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PhD Interventions - supplementary files to : - The role of positive psychology in the treatment of overweight and obesity, and its effects on molecular genetic pathways involved.
No full textBackground: Obesity represents a world-wide health problem. As yet, there is no gold standard treatment. Positive psychology (PP) has been successfully applied to psychological disorders and disturbances related to obesity. Research applying PP to address overweight and obesity is lacking.Aims: This research aimed to develop a positive psychological intervention (PPI) for individuals with weight problems and assess its effectiveness on well-being and weight loss in non-clinical populations. Further aims were to identify potential molecular genetic pathways through which the PPI functions, and validate the intervention using OXTR gene expression as a model system.Method: A 6-week PPI for weight management was delivered in two pilot studies (n=38) and a randomised controlled trial (RCT; n=20) to students and staff at an English University. Saliva samples were collected in weekly basis during the intervention sessions and qRT-PCR was used to analyse relative OXTR expression in the samples.Results: Quantitative analyses of the pilot studies revealed significant increases in well-being and decreases in depression and anxiety. RCT findings revealed significant increases in well-being and decreases in anxiety in the intervention group. Differential gene expression analysis using a real time RT-PCR approach revealed significant increases in the OXTR gene expression levels in response to the intervention. Bioinformatic approaches revealed a number of genexgene interactions, elucidating potential novel molecular genetic pathways that may affect psychological wellbeing.Conclusions: The current PPI made an effective contribution to mental health and overall well-being of participants in all three studies. The PPI may be able to modulate expression of genes related to positive psychological functioning, leading to increased well-being. Finally, it is proposed that the OXTR expression levels could be used as an experimental assay in validation of PPIs, promoting the practical legacy of PP
Taxi and private hire vehicle licensing: recommendations for a safer and more robust system
No full textThis report presents the views and recommendations of the Task and Finish Group’s Chair on taxi and private hire vehicle licensing
Investigating the determinants of brain drain of healthcare professionals in developing countries: the case of registered nurses in Malawi health sector
No full textBrain drain is one of the most serious challenges that health systems face in many developing countries. Malawi is not an exception. The determinants of brain drain phenomenon vary across regions and the brain drain of nurses is assuming an increasingly important role in the developing world. This issue has received great attention in recent years. Brain drain studies mostly in developing countries have fallen short of investigating determinants of brain drain from a source country perspective because the focus is mainly on the nurses who have already migrated. In this regard, this research fills the gap by adding to the understanding of major determinants of brain drain among registered nurses in the Malawi health sector. The problem with the knowledge gap is that it makes various stakeholders and experts fail to come up with strategies and measures in an informed, well-focused and systematic manner.The study employed a qualitative approach and implemented in six public hospitals in rural and urban settings in Malawi to determine the factors of brain drain of registered nurses. The qualitative data were elicited from registered nurses and key informants using semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. 18 nurses, 9 key informants and 3 focus group discussions of nurses were targeted to provide empirical evidence of determinants of brain drain in the Malawi health sector. The data were analysed using content analysis. Content analysis involved transcribing and reading thoroughly all interviews before identifying themes that were more recurring than others. This allowed compressing many words of text into fewer categories.The findings of the study reveal the determinants of brain drain among nurses in the Malawi health sector. These factors are low salaries, delays in paying salaries, delays in adjustment salaries, high tax, regionalism, nepotism and tribalism, diseases, heavy workload, long working hours, non-provision of nurse uniform, non-provision of meals and non-provision of medical cover. Furthermore, the findings show that the lack of equipment, lack of medication, small and congested wards, the lack of training opportunities, the lack of scholarships, favouritism and non-reinforcement of bonding contracts are factors that contribute to brain drain of nurses in the Malawi health sector.This research contributes to the enrichment of the theoretical knowledge pool of determinants of brain drain of registered nurses in the Malawi Health Sector and offers guidance to policy makers and hospital managers most appropriate strategies and measures to put in place to prevent the further loss of these much-needed professionals to keep the Malawi health sector system functional
Expand your professional horizons: Rethink your limits
No full textStaff working in higher education have the opportunity to improve their skills and broaden their horizons by taking part in Erasmus+. Having made two trips abroad, we share our experience and viewpoint on the benefits of Erasmus+ activities for staff, their school/services and students
Efficiency and durability of wearable smart materials and structures
No full textPiezoelectric polymer materials have been under investigation since the 1970’s starting with the discovery of the piezoelectric effect in PVDF films by Kawai.Since then the piezoelectric effect has been detected among other polymers in polyureas, polyamides, and polypropylene and their copolymers. While the investigation of the piezoelectric effect was largely carried out on the film form of the polymers since 2010 interest has developed into the production methods, properties and applicability of melt spun piezoelectric textile fibres made of these polymers. The application of piezoelectric fibres could have a significant impact in wearable textiles as sensors, actuators, or energy harvesting modules. Current research is mostly centred onto production methods and fibre crystallinity characterization.The research carried out in this PhD by publication project is concerned with piezoelectric textile fibres as electrically active elements. As such the research focused on the electrical behaviour of the fibres. The work carried out was threefold.Specifically, wearable textile materials undergo cleaning/ care treatments that are intrinsic to their function as wearables. These treatments may include washing, dry cleaning or sponging. Washing (cleaning treatment in a solution mainly containing water and an appropriate detergent at an elevated temperature or room temperature) is a common cleaning method. The effects of washing cycles on melt spun piezoelectric fibres remain under-investigated. For the first part of the research, piezoelectric melt spun fibres (PVDF, PP and PA-11) with two different cross sections (circular and rectangular), were mechanically stimulated by a rotating fin that impacted the fibres periodically. The resulting Vp-p (peek to peek voltage), was measured on the original fibres and on the fibres following one wash cycle (adapted BS EN ISO 105-C06), using an oscilloscope. Based on the results of this part of the research it was shown that the washing cycle effected the voltage response of the fibres depending on the fibre cross section and the fibre composition. The results of the research were presented in a paper titled “Investigation of the durability and stability of piezoelectric textile fibres” published in the Journal of Intelligent Materials Systems and Structures.For the second part of the research, it was noted that according to the existing literature the research approach for the determination of the electrical response of the fibres utilized exclusively the measurement of the voltage produced by mechanical excitation of the fibres, in open circuit conditions. This approach is not sufficient to satisfactorily characterise the electrical behaviour of the fibres as power generating elements. By contrast, a sufficient measurement is the power production of the fibres as this also includes a measurement of the current produced. In order to supply these measurements a testing apparatus/ methodology was developed. The apparatus consists of a measuring station where the voltage and current produced are measured, and a means for periodic mechanical stimulation of the specimens. The equipment was used to determine the power generated by piezoelectric melt spun fibres (PVDF, PP and PA-11) with two different cross sections (circular and rectangular). The results of the research were presented in a paper titled “On the Measurement of the Electrical Power Produced by Melt Spun Piezoelectric Textile Fibres” published in the Journal of Electronic Materials.Finally, considering the underlying premise of integration of fully textile based electronic components into textile substrates (e.g. wearable applications), 3D knitted fabrics that incorporated piezoelectric melt spun fibres were investigated with regards to their capacitive behaviour. Four different fabric structures were examined (different composition of the outside layers and different thickness). The capacitive behaviour of the samples was modelled based on the specific structural characteristics of the fabrics and the actual properties were determined using an Impedance Analyzer. Based on the results it was found that the theoretical model for the calculation of the capacitance of the samples appeared to be an acceptable approximation for the behaviour of the fabrics. Also, the ability to customise the required capacitance to suit the applications by specifying the dimensions of the 3D fabric and/or the density, the thickness or even the material of the interlaced fibres has also been shown to be possible.Moreover, reviewing the results of a resonance test for a purely textile based parallel LC circuit, it was shown that it is possible to implement resonant circuits that are convenient for basic electronic applications (i.e. oscillators, filters, etc.).The results of the research were presented in a paper titled “Three-dimensional weft-knitted textile fabrics-based capacitors” published in the Journal of the Textile Institute.This research project touched on some of the less thoroughly investigated research areas connected to the efficiency and durability of piezoelectric melt spun fibres and structures, with innovative results such as the development/ construction of the equipment that can be used for the measurement of the power produced by piezoelectric textile fibres as well as the investigation of the capacitive behaviour of the 3D knitted fabrics incorporating piezoelectric textile fibres and the conclusion that resonance is possible to achieve in a purely textile LC parallel circuit
Unraveling the hidden agenda between female students and extra-curricular physical activity in Higher Education
No full textFlexible surface acoustic wave strain sensor based on single crystalline LiNbO3 thin film
No full textA flexible surface acoustic wave (SAW) strain sensor in the frequency range of 162–325 MHz was developed based on a single crystalline LiNbO3 thin film with dual resonance modes, namely, the Rayleigh mode and the thickness shear mode (TSM). This SAW sensor could handle a wide strain range up to ±3500 με owing to its excellent flexibility, which is nearly six times the detecting range of bulk piezoelectric substrate based SAW strain sensors. The sensor exhibited a high sensitivity of 193 Hz/με with a maximum hysteresis less than 1.5%. The temperature coefficients of frequency, for Rayleigh and TSM modes, were −85 and −59 ppm/°C, respectively. No visible deterioration was observed after cyclic bending for hundreds of times, showing its desirable stability and reliability. By utilizing the dual modes, the strain sensor with a self-temperature calibrated capability can be achieved. The results demonstrate that the sensor is an excellent candidate for strain sensing
Three in one: β-cyclodextrin, nanohydroxyapatite, and a nitrogen-rich polymer integrated into a new flame retardant for poly (lactic acid)
No full textA new halogen-free flame retardant was developed by integrating β-cyclodextrin, triazin ring, and nanohydroxyapatite (BSDH) into a hybrid system. A β-cyclodextrin was grafted to a commercially available SABO®STAB UV94 via an aromatic deanhydrate. The BSDH was prepared in situ in the presence of β-cyclodextrin-grafted nitrogen-rich precursor. The resulting hybrid was applied as a flame retardant for poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and compared for performance with ammonium polyphosphate (APP). PLA composites containing BSDH and APP, individually or simultaneously, were examined for thermal degradation and flammability by TGA, cone calorimeter, and pyrolysis-combustion flow calorimetry. TGA results confirmed enhancement of thermal stability of PLA with assistance of BSDH compared to APP. The gases evolved during thermal degradation were assessed by a thermogravimetric analysis and Fourier infrared spectroscopy device. APP revealed catalytic effect to initiate PLA degradation, while BSDH continued to release some gases at elevated temperatures. The flame retardancy of PLA/APP/BSDH blend containing only 10 wt.% of additives was significantly improved. In cone calorimetric tests, a significant fall in peak of heat release rate was observed for this sample, 49% more than that of neat PLA, which was indicative of more gas and condensed phase reflected in more char residue. The corresponding PLA/APP sample, however, showed 17% improvement, as compared to neat PLA. Also, total heat release rate of PLA/APP/BSDH was 45 MJ.m−2, whereas those of PLA and PLA/APP were 89 and 65 MJ.m−2, respectively. BSDH and APP showed a synergistic effect on improving the flame retardancy of PLA composites
Hierarchical 3D TiO2 nanotube arrays sensitized by graphene oxide and Znx Cdy S for high performance photoelectrochemical applications
No full textPhotocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis are highly promising for applications in the energy and environment sectors. Several photocatalytic devices based on TiO2 nanotubes grown on two-dimensional (2D) substrate (such as titanium foil) have been developed, but there has been little research on three-dimensional (3D) TiO2 nanotubes which are expected to offer significantly enlarged surface area and much improved photocatalytic efficiency. Here, a method of building 3D TiO2 nanotube arrays (3D-TNTAs) on titanium mesh by anodization via controlling the reaction time and electrolyte is reported. It is found that the electrochemically active area of such a titanium mesh is almost 4 times larger than that of the traditional titanium foil. Moreover, through making composites of graphene oxide and ZnxCdyS onto 3D TiO2 nanotubes, hierarchical nanotube arrays (ZnxCdyS/GO/3D-TNTAs) are made by calcination-deposition of graphene oxide followed by a facile successive ionic layer adsorption reaction (SILAR) treatment with ZnxCdyS. Characterization of the ZnxCdyS/GO/3D-TNTAs indicates that this hierarchical multi-layered nanostructure has a much improved photoelectrochemical property due to the enlarged surface area and improved electron–hole separation capability, demonstrating the great potential for applications in photoelectrocatalytic devices for environmental technologies
Significant Effects of Electrode Metal Work Function on Resistive Memory Devices with Gelatin Biodielectric Layer
No full textBiomaterials gelatin is used as the dielectric layer in this work to develop metal/gelatin/Tungsten (W) RRAM devices, with silver (Ag), copper (Cu), W, and gold (Au) as the top electrode (TE) to study the effects of electrode metals on device characteristics. All types of the RRAM devices exhibit bipolar resistive switching characteristics with diverse performances. The work function difference between the TE and bottom electrode (BE) metals is found to play a profound role in determining the characteristics of the devices and even reversing the set and reset processes. The devices with larger work function difference between the TE and BE metals have higher and more stable on/off resistance ratio. The Ag/gelatin/W devices exhibit a relatively stable switching behavior with an on/off resistance ratio of >10(2), while that with Au TE exhibits a reversed set and reset processes with a high on/off resistance ratio of >10(5) owing to the large positive work function difference between Au and W. Metallic conductive filaments are confirmed to be responsible for the switching behaviors of the devices experimentally, and what metal element in the conductive filaments is determined by the work function difference of the metals used for the top and bottom electrodes. (C) 2018 The Electrochemical Society