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An Event-Based Simulation Modelling for Evaluating the Operating Practice of the West Midlands Metro
Get PDFThe rapid expansion of metro network, driven by urbanization and a heightened focus on environmental sustainability, underscores the need for efficient and sustainable public transportation systems. This study utilizes the West Midlands Metro system as a case study to investigate operational efficiency and utilization challenges that are common across metro networks globally. Employing advanced simulation modelling with SIMUL8, this research evaluates the existing timetables and utilization rates of the West Midlands Metro to uncover inefficiencies and untapped potential. Various scenarios, including increased service frequencies and disruptions at high-traffic stations, were simulated to provide actionable insights for optimizing metro operations. Findings revealed that increasing service frequency from every 10 minutes to every 5 minutes enhanced utilization levels and boosted the total number of completed services. Meanwhile, disruptions at major stops resulted in reduction in utilization in a negligible range. These results demonstrate that improved service frequency significantly bolsters operational efficiency and showcases resilience to disruptions with minimal impact on overall performance. As to future research, the study suggests that implementing adaptive scheduling through AI-driven maintenance and infrastructure improvements can well further elevate the efficiency and passenger experience of metro operations
Impossible visibilities of Black and Global Majority staff at an ethnically diverse English university
Get PDFThis qualitative study explores how Black and Global Majority faculty at an English university with an ethnically diverse student population perceive race and racism on campus. Informed by a theoretical framework drawing on Critical Race theory (CRT), CRT methodology and critical whiteness studies, we adopt counter-narrative story telling as a method of analysis. This research foregrounds BGM faculty’s everyday experiences of racism in their professional lives and the “normalization” of racism in this setting. Through the construction of composite counter-stories (CCS) the experiences convey how BGM staff are simultaneously “othered” and “unseen”. This complex duality of hypervisibility and invisibility reveals subtle and insidious undercurrents of racism that frame the participants’ lived realities and ways everyday racism is enacted at institutional and individual levels. Although instances of “overt” racism are rare, these counter-narratives highlight ways institutional racism is perpetuated through white supremacist social and bureaucratic norms
Digital eye strain and clinical correlates in older adults
Get PDFPurpose: To evaluate the screen time habits, associated symptoms and clinical characteristics of an older population (60 years and older) drawn from primary care optometry. Methods: Consecutive patients aged 60 years and older, who used a digital device for at least 1 hour per day, attending for an eye examination at a primary care optometric practice in Dublin, Ireland, were invited to participate. The study gathered information regarding the participant’s use of digital devices, the types of devices used and duration of use. Best corrected distance acuity and near vision adequacy for reading and device use was recorded. Results: 401 responses were included in the analysis. Based on a Computer Vision Syndrome Questionnaire (CVS-Q) score ≥6, the occurrence of DES in this population was high at 51.6 % with females having a higher median score than males. The mean number of hours devices were used for was 4 hours. 71 % of participants reported symptoms of digital eye strain (DES) when using digital devices. Smart phones were the device type used most by participants but tablets were the device type used for the longest duration. Single vision spectacles were the most commonly used method of visual correction when using digital devices. Participants with better levels of acuity used devices for longer periods than those with poorer acuity. Conclusion: This study provides a valuable insight into the screen habits and likelihood of symptoms of DES in an older population and, is to date, the first of its kind. It shows that the prevalence of DES in older age adult device users is high, at 51.6 %, with a clear link between dry eye and symptoms of DES. Its results will enable optometrists to provide specific advice to this age group on how best to reduce symptoms of DES
The effect of oxidative stress on the adenosine A2A receptor activity and signalling
Get PDFThe adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) is a G-protein coupled receptor that has important anti-inflammatory effects in response to some agonists and consequently is considered a therapeutic target. Its activity is affected by local membrane lipid environment and presence of certain phospholipid classes, so studies should be conducted using extraction methods such as styrene maleic acid co-polymers (SMA) that retain the local lipids. Currently, little is known about the effect of oxidative stress, which may arise from inflammation, on the A2AR. Therefore, it was over-expressed in Pichia pastoris, SMA was used to extract the A2AR from cell membranes and its response to ligands was tested in the presence or absence of the radical initiator AAPH or reactive aldehyde acrolein. SMA-extracted A2AR was able to undergo conformational changes, measured by tryptophan fluorescence, in response to its ligands but oxidative treatments had no effect on the structural changes. Similarly, the treatments did not affect temperature-dependent protein unfolding. In contrast, in HEK293 cells expressing the A2AR, oxidative treatments increased cAMP levels in response to the agonist NECA but had no effect on direct activation of adenylate cyclase. Thus, oxidative stress may be a homeostatic mechanism that abrogates inflammation via the A2AR signalling pathway
Explained deep learning framework for COVID-19 detection in volumetric CT images aligned with the British Society of Thoracic Imaging reporting guidance: A pilot study
Get PDFIn March 2020, the British Society of Thoracic Imaging (BSTI) introduced a reporting guidance for COVID-19 detection to streamline standardised reporting and enhance agreement between radiologists. However, most current DL methods do not conform to this guidance. This study introduces a multi-class deep learning (DL) model to identify BSTI COVID-19 categories within CT volumes, classified as ‘Classic’, ‘Probable’, ‘Indeterminate’, or ‘Non-COVID’. A total of 56 CT pseudoanonymised images were collected from patients with suspected COVID-19 and annotated by an experienced chest subspecialty radiologist following the BSTI guidance. We evaluated the performance of multiple DL-based models, including three-dimensional (3D) ResNet architectures, pre-trained on the Kinetics-700 video dataset. For better interpretability of the results, our approach incorporates a post-hoc visual explainability feature to highlight the areas of the image most indicative of the COVID-19 category. Our four-class classification DL framework achieves an overall accuracy of 75%. However, the model struggled to detect the ‘Indeterminate’ COVID-19 group, whose removal significantly improved the model’s accuracy to 90%. The proposed explainable multi-classification DL model yields accurate detection of ‘Classic’, ‘Probable’, and ‘Non-COVID’ categories with poor detection ability for ‘Indeterminate’ COVID-19 cases. These findings are consistent with clinical studies that aimed at validating the BSTI reporting manually amongst consultant radiologists
Evaluation of Financial Support Workshops for Patients Under State Pension Age With Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: Survey Study
Get PDFBACKGROUND: Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM), a form of slow-motion and progressive spinal cord injury caused by spinal cord compression secondary to degenerative pathology, leads to high levels of disability and dependence, and may reduce quality of life. Myelopathy.org is the first global scientific and clinical charity for DCM, providing an accessible platform freely disseminating information relevant to the DCM diagnosis and its treatment. Significant transient and long-term change to earnings do occur and can thrust individuals into poverty. People with DCM face many challenges accessing state financial assistance. This can have a cumulative negative financial effect due to the association between DCM and low socioeconomic index. Financial support available to patients under pension age include Universal Credit (UC), a payment that helps with living costs, and Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which helps with extra living costs if someone has both a long-term health condition or disability and difficulty doing certain everyday tasks. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess if delivering workshops centered around access to financial support could assist people with DCM living in the United Kingdom. METHODS: A series of 2 internet-based workshops was targeted at accessing financial support for English patients under the state pension age, with an anonymized survey delivered to participants after each session. The first session was on UC and the second on PIP. The survey consisted of a mixture of Likert scales, free text and yes or no answers. Survey responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and free text answers underwent inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: The average rating on the use of UC was 9.00/10. Presession self-rated confidence levels were 5.11/10 rising to 8.00/10. The mean score of wanting further similar sessions was 8.67/10 with 56% (5/9) of participants wanting one-to-one sessions. For PIP, the average session use rating was 10/10. Presession self-rated confidence levels were 4.43/10 rising to 9.57/10. The mean score of wanting further similar sessions was 8.71/10, with 43% (3/7) of participants wanting one-to-one sessions . Following inductive thematic analysis, themes regarding the usefulness of such sessions and the challenges to accessing financial support emerged. One participant gave negative feedback, which included the length of the session and perceived problems around confidentiality and data protection. CONCLUSIONS: The pilot series was largely perceived as a success, with participants finding them useful and increasing their self-rated confidence in navigating the UK financial support system. Given the small sample size, it is hard to predict the success of future sessions. Finally, given that the hurdles in accessing financial support extend beyond DCM, such workshops may be relevant to other organizations
Inhibition of emotional faces in clinical and subclinical depression
Get PDFImpaired inhibition of emotional material is an important cognitive component of depression. The current aim was to determine if participants with major depression (MDD) and/or subclinical depression (dysphoria) exhibit impaired inhibition of sad faces on a face-word variant of the Stroop task. Study 1: patients with MDD (n=28) and healthy controls (n=32) were presented with positive and negative words superimposed across happy, sad, and neutral faces. Study 2: dysphoric (n=23) and non-dysphoric (n=35) participants were presented with positive and negative words superimposed across happy and sad faces (shown upright and inverted). Participants were told to ignore the faces and categorise the words. Patients with MDD experienced greater interference from sad faces than did the controls. Healthy controls experienced greater interference from happy than sad faces, whereas interference levels from happy and sad faces did not differ in patients with MDD. Dysphoric participants experienced greater interference from sad faces than did non-dysphoric participants, and from sad faces than happy. The amount of interference from happy and sad faces did not differ in the non-dysphoric participants. Clinical and subclinical depression are linked to impaired inhibition of sad faces, which might represent a risk factor for depression and a potential target for intervention
Agreement between the Amsterdam Neuropsychological Tasks and the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery in the assessment of PKU patients and healthy controls
Get PDFBackground: Several neuropsychological testing batteries have been used to assess and monitor neurocognitive functioning in healthy individuals and patients. Two of these test batteries, the Amsterdam Neuropsychological Tasks (ANT) and the Cambridge Neuropsychological Automated Test Battery (CANTAB), have indicated impairments in early- and continuously treated phenylketonuria (PKU) patients. However, the tasks of these batteries have never been cross-validated. This study aims to establish the comparability of the two test batteries in the assessment and monitoring of PKU patients and healthy controls. Methods: 22 PKU patients and 19 controls of various ages (7–67 years old) were tested twice, once using tasks from the ANT and once using tasks from the CANTAB. Tasks of the two batteries were matched based on the neurocognitive functions they (were deemed to) assess, including motor skills, emotion recognition, sustained attention and executive functions (working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility). Correlation matrices were used to assess the specificity of the correlations between tasks assigned to similar skills, versus non-related tasks. Results: Correlations between matched tasks from the ANT and CANTAB ranged from moderate to strong (range ρ: 0.50–0.84, P 0.70) for emotion recognition, cognitive flexibility and sustained attention. These correlations remained significant after correcting for age. The strongest correlations were generally found between tasks assigned to require similar skills a-priori, validating the matching between tasks. Conclusion: Overall, there was a good level of agreement between ANT and CANTAB tasks, especially in emotion recognition, sustained attention and the broad construct of executive functioning. These results suggest that a number of ANT and CANTAB tasks assessing the same functions may be used and interpreted interchangeably, which would support a better integration of neuropsychological research in PKU
Moving Ghana Beyond Plastics: A Policy Blueprint for a Thriving Plastic Substitutes and Alternatives Industry
Get PDFThis report presents a comprehensive, co-created roadmap for transitioning Ghana’s economy and environment away from conventional single-use plastics. Grounded in an inclusive stakeholder workshop held in Accra in October 2024, the report assesses current waste-management challenges—highlighting limited recycling infrastructure, growing urban pollution, and health risks from microplastics—and showcases innovation through case studies such as Coco360’s coconut-coir mulch production. Building on this foundation, it proposes a six-pillar policy framework covering stakeholder networks, economic incentives, regulatory standards and phased bans, public awareness, research and development, and compliance mechanisms. Each pillar articulates clear goals and actionable strategies—ranging from tariff reforms and educational campaigns to R&D funding and enforcement bodies—to establish Ghana as a regional leader in sustainable plastic alternatives and drive long-term environmental, social, and economic benefits
How do people recover from persecutory delusions? An interpretative phenomenological analysis
Get PDFBackground Patient perspectives on recovery from psychosis have been studied. However, there are few studies on recovery from particular psychotic experiences. Persecutory delusions are common, often distressing, and can disrupt day-to-day life and relationships. We explored how patients report recovering from persecutory delusions. Methods Semi-structured interviews were completed with 15 patients who had recovered from persecutory delusions. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used. Results Three superordinate themes were identified. The first was “Foundational background features set the context for recovery”. A range of features, including support and respect from others, routine, calm environments, and medication, provided the basis for recovery. The second superordinate theme was “Activity as a route for positivity and re-engagement with the world”. Engagement in activity was important to re-orient attention away from paranoid fears, and to improve mood. The third superordinate theme was “The effortful discovery of safety”. Generating, considering, and testing alternative explanations was a key route to learning safety. Discussion Recovery from persecutory delusions can take many routes, which vary between individuals. Supporting individuals to reengage with activity and generate acceptable and sufficiently-evidenced alternatives to paranoid fears are potentially valuable treatment targets in the processes of recovery from paranoia
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