Procter & Gamble (United Kingdom)
Open Access Institutional Repository at Robert Gordon UniversityNot a member yet
9563 research outputs found
Sort by
Cooperation in construction law: easy as JCT?
No full textThis research sits in the context of prior and ongoing research at the London Centre of Commercial and Financial Law and elsewhere. It discusses the current legal doctrinal framework for collaboration in the construction industry and provides the foundation for further comparative studies in the issue across other jurisdictions. The focus in the current chapter is on the position in English law as informed by recent developments in practice and reflecting on the position in Scots law. Further work will place this in the context of collaboration duties in German law, with a particular spotlight on the relationships between architects, clients and contractors. Collaborative working is clearly linked to the idea of sustainability. While the conventional understanding of sustainability relates to environmental issues, there are requirements around health and wellbeing both explicitly in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 and more generally in the need to deliver the infrastructure developments required to meet other SDGs
What is the welfare state for?
No full textMost states in the world make some provision for the welfare of their citizens. Every state engages with health care provision, almost all provide education services, and, after an explosion of interest in recent years, a substantial majority now have national schemes in place for cash assistance. Welfare states matter for people's lives – but there is little agreement about what one is. What are these states trying to do, and why? The book discusses the institutions and methods that characterise welfare states around the world. It focuses on the aims, purposes and justifications for social welfare services in order to explain what the welfare state is for
They gave me an opportunity, and I took it: motivations and concerns of adult apprentices.
Get PDFIn the UK context of an ageing population, degree apprenticeships represent a new opportunity to study for a degree while working. Apprentices are full-time employees granted time to study for a degree with a significant workplace learning component. The aim of this study was to focus on whether degree apprenticeships are working for adult apprentices (aged 26 and up in this context). New apprentices (n = 162) in six universities in Scotland, UK were surveyed to gain a better understanding of background, prior work and study experience, motivations and expectations. Results show that adult apprentices join apprenticeship programmes with significant work experience and workplace metaskills, together with a consolidated sense of self as a professional. Adult apprentices aimed to gain a degree while remaining in work, thus increasing skills in situ. The main barrier identified was the challenge of achieving work-study-life balance. The findings can be used to more closely align apprenticeship provision with adult apprentices' skills needs while reducing barriers to accessing and succeeding in apprenticeships. We make recommendations for more flexibility in terms of advanced entry and Masters-level apprenticeships, with better recognition of prior experience, motivations and anticipated challenges
Short-term oral administration of the Porcupine inhibitor, Wnt-c59, improves the structural and functional features of experimental HFpEF.
Get PDFHeart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) accounts for approximately 50% of heart failure cases globally, and this incidence is increasing due to extended lifespans and accumulating comorbidities. Emerging evidence suggests that Wnt signaling plays a role in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and cardiac fibrosis, which are key features of HFpEF. Furthermore, Porcupine (PORCN) inhibitors, which negatively regulate Wnt signaling, have shown promising results in improving cardiac function and reducing cardiac hypertrophy and/or fibrosis. This study investigated whether acute oral administration of the PORCN inhibitor, Wnt-c59, alters the maladaptive structural and/or functional features in a mouse model of HFpEF. Male mice were given a high-fat diet and L-NAME (0.5 g L−1) in drinking water for 5 weeks, followed by a 2-week intervention of orally administered Wnt-c59 (5 mg kg−1 day−1). HFpEF mice were characterized by hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis, and diastolic dysfunction, although there was no evidence of activation of Wnt signaling in the heart. Despite this, short-term treatment of HFpEF mice with Wnt-c59 ameliorated adverse cardiac remodeling by increasing the ratio of the more compliant collagen type 3 to that of the more tensile collagen type 1 in the heart. Furthermore, Wnt-c59 also improved diastolic dysfunction, which was associated with the increased cardiac expression of brain natriuretic peptide, a known promoter of ventricular compliance. Our findings demonstrate that even short-term administration of a PORCN inhibitor improves both the structural and functional features of experimental HFpEF
Egg shell mediated Ni5P4/polypyrrole electrocatalyst for sustainable water splitting.
Get PDFA systematically crafted synthesis methodology of hydrothermal reaction followed by oxidative polymerization was implemented to fabricate nickel phosphide (Ni5P4) particles intricately deposited onto eggshell powder (ES). This process strived to prevent the agglomeration of Ni5P4 particles and was further reinforced with a polypyrrole (PPy) matrix, resulting in the formation of an integrated composite material known as Ni5P4@ES/PPy. The ES powder functions as a robust support system, facilitating the homogeneous growth of Ni5P4 particles; concurrently, the PPy matrix augments the stability and abundance of active sites within the electrocatalyst. This harmonious fusion of Ni5P4 particles with the ES and PPy matrix synergistically enhances the catalytic efficiency of the composite material, particularly in expediting the water-splitting process. The resultant Ni5P4@ES/PPy composite exhibits remarkable performance for both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in a 1 M KOH solution. Furthermore, the as prepared catalyst delivers exceptional performance, promoting overall water splitting at a low cell voltage of 1.52 V to achieve a current density of 10 mA/cm2. This achievement outperforms the benchmark system Pt–C/NF∥RuO2/NF, which typically demand a higher voltage of 1.60 V. Additionally, the Ni5P4@ES/PPy composite demonstrates excellent durability for up to 40 h, further emphasizing its superior functionality and promising potential for practical applications in efficient water-splitting processes
ICSF: integrating inter-modal and cross-modal learning framework for self-supervised heterogeneous change detection.
Get PDFHeterogeneous change detection (HCD) is a process to determine the change information by analyzing heterogeneous images of the same geographic location taken at different times, which plays an important role in remote sensing applications such as disaster response and environmental monitoring. However, the different imaging mechanisms result in different visual appearances in heterogeneous images, making it difficult to accurately detect changes through direct comparison. To address this problem, we propose a novel self-supervised dual-branch framework (ICSF) for HCD that incorporates inter-modal and cross-modal learning. First, in the inter-modal branch, we perform the contrastive learning on heterogeneous images within their respective modalities to learn the robust and discriminative features, rather than relying on the raw spectral or spatial information from these images. Second, in the cross-modal branch, we perform cross-modal reconstruction to ensure the obtained features exhibit consistent comparability, thereby facilitating the extraction of rich information of the real changes within the images. Next, the difference images (DIs) computed from both branches are further refined using a superpixel segmentation strategy to preserve the consistency of differences within the same ground object. Experimental results on five public datasets with different modality combinations and change events demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in comparison to ten state-of-the-art methods, achieving the best performance with an average overall accuracy of 95.88% and an average Kappa coefficient of 74.20%
An integrative review of specialised nursing career frameworks to develop a nursing career framework for registered nurses working in aged care.
Get PDFThe aim of this study is to synthesise literature on specialised nursing career frameworks to inform the development of an aged care nursing career framework. An integrative review was conducted. Method: The review followed Whittemore and Knafl's five‐step integrative review method. To appraise the quality of the studies, the Quality Appraisal for Diverse Studies tool for peer‐reviewed articles and the ACCODS (Authority, Accuracy, Coverage, Objectivity, Date, and Significance) checklist for grey literature were used. Data were extracted and synthesised using the constant comparison method. The electronic databases of CINAHL, Medline, PsycINFO and Google Scholar were searched to identify peer‐reviewed articles and grey literature reporting on specialised nursing career frameworks for registered nurses. Eight studies were reviewed, and the findings were presented corresponding to each of the three research questions of the review. First, the research methods adopted to develop specialised nursing career frameworks were described based on the research design, stakeholder involvement and data collection methods. Second, the key elements of specialised nursing career frameworks were identified as career pathways, nursing competencies and roles and progression between the career levels. Third, the findings suggested that the key purposes for developing specialised nursing career frameworks are to improve professional development, recruitment and retention and to promote consistency and quality in nursing practice. The study highlights a significant gap in the evidence base of career frameworks for registered nurses in aged care, emphasising the need for future research. This review answered three research questions: methods for developing specialised nursing career frameworks, their key components and main purposes, providing insights to guide healthcare organisations and researchers. The findings indicate that career frameworks are primarily intended to promote knowledge and skills development and may also to bolster recruitment and retention rates, and support nurses' career advancement, but there is limited evidence on implementation, evaluation and sustainability. Implications for the Profession: The findings will guide healthcare organisations and future researchers with methods and techniques to develop specialised nursing career frameworks. Implementing a specialised nursing career framework in aged care could enhance continuous professional development, recruitment, retention and career progression among nurses. Nursing career frameworks have been widely applied to address professional development and retention objectives. However, there is limited evidence available to formulate a career framework for registered nurses working in aged care. The review identified the research methods adopted to develop specialised nursing career frameworks along with the key elements of specialised nursing career frameworks. These findings will guide employers and future researchers in developing evidence‐based aged‐care nursing career frameworks. Additionally, the findings will guide registered nurses in using career frameworks as a tool to facilitate career advancement and competency development. Furthermore, the review recognised the key purposes for developing specialised nursing career frameworks, suggesting that the meaningful adoption of career frameworks could be utilised as a strategic approach for enhancing retention and workforce development of the aged care workforce. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guideline was used for reporting. Patient or Public Contribution: No patient or public contribution. The integrative review protocol was registered in the PROSPERO international prospective register of systematic reviews database (registration no: CRD42022354728)
I spoke to men who swallowed the red pill: what incel culture is really like.
Get PDFShort for involuntary celibates, incels are men who believe a combination of their bad genes and modern feminism have left them romantically/sexually destitute. In short, they consider themselves scientifically unloveable. As a psychologist, I find inceldom equally fascinating and scary. It's one of few subcultures built entirely around inferiority. In this article, I share my findings from interviews with eleven former incels as I tried to find out why they joined in the first place - and how we can help others leave
Design and optimal sizing of a hydrogen uninterruptable power supply (UPS) system for addressing residential power cutoffs.
Get PDFHydrogen (H2) offers a green medium for storing the excess from renewables production instead of dumping it, thus being crucial to decarbonisation efforts. Hydrogen also offers a storage medium for the grid's cheap electricity to be used during grid peak demand or grid power cutoffs. Funded by the Scottish Government's Emerging Energy Technologies, this paper presents the design and performance analysis of a hydrogen uninterruptible power supply (H2GEN) for Cygnas Solutions Ltd., which is intended to enable continuity of supply in the residential sector while eradicating the need for environmentally and health risky lead–acid batteries and diesel generator backup. This paper presents the design, optimal sizing and analysis of two H2Gen architectures, one powered by the grid alone and the other powered by both the grid and a renewable (PV) source. By developing a model of each architecture in the HOMER space and using residential location weather data, the home yearly load–demand profile, and the grid yearly power outages profile in the developed models, the optimal sizing of each H2Gen design was realised by minimising the costs while ensuring the H2Gen meets the home power demand during grid outages To enable HOMER to optimise its selection, the sizes, technical specifications and costs of all the market-available H2GEN components were added in the HOMER search space. Moreover, the developed models were also used in assessing the sensitivity of the simulation outputs to several changes in the modelled system design and settings. Using a residential home with frequent power outages in New Delhi, India as a case study, it was found that the optimal sizing of H2Gen Architecture 1 is comprised of a 2 kW electrolyser, a 0.2 kg type-I tank, and a 2 kW water-cooled fuel cell directly connected to the AC bus, offering an operational lifetime of 14.3 years. It was also found that the optimal sizing of Architecture 2 is comprised of a 1 kV PV utilised with the same 2 kW electrolyser, 0.2 kg type-I tank and 2 kW water-cooled fuel cell connected to the AC bus. While the second design was found to have a higher capital cost due to the added PV, it offered a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly architecture, which contributes to the ongoing energy transition. This paper further investigated the capacity expansion of each H2GEN architecture to meet higher load demands or increased grid power outages. From the analysis of the simulation results, it has been concluded that the most feasible and cost-effective H2GEN system expansion for meeting increased power demands or increased grid outages can be realised by using the developed models for optimally sizing the expanded H2Gen on a case-by-case basis because the increase in these profiles is highly time-dependent (for example, an increased load demand or increased grid outage in the morning can be met by the PV, while in the evening, it must be met by the H2GEN). Finally, this paper investigated the impact of other environmental variables, such as the temperature and relative humidity, on the H2GEN's performance and provided further insights into increasing the overall system efficiency and cost benefit through utilising the H2GEN's exhaust heat in the home space for heating/cooling and selling the electrolyser exhaust's O2 as a commodity
Progression of the faecal microbiome in preweaning dairy calves that develop cryptosporidiosis.
Get PDFCryptosporidiosis is a diarrheal disease that commonly affects calves under 6 weeks old. The causative agent, Cryptosporidium parvum, has been associated with the abundance of specific taxa in the faecal microbiome during active infection. However, the long-term impact of these microbiome shifts, and potential effects on calf growth and health have not yet been explored in depth. Three hundred and forty-six (346) calves from three dairy farms had one faecal swab collected during the first week of life (W1). Thereafter, sampled calves were monitored for diarrhoeal disease and those that suffered a diarrhoea event were tested for C. parvum by lateral flow testing (LFT). Calves that experienced diarrhoea and tested positive for C. parvum by LFT were assigned to the Cryptosporidium-positive (Cp+) group (n = 32). Matched healthy (H) controls with no history of diarrhoea were selected from the remaining cohort (n = 33). The selected subset of calves (n = 65) was observed until weaning, collecting a faecal swab, at approximately Week 5 (W5) and Week 10 (W10) after birth, resulting in a total of 191 samples (W1; n = 65, W5; n = 64, W10; n = 62). 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing was performed on all extracted samples. Analysis of the longitudinal microbiome showed significant changes in the microbial diversity and composition across all three time-points. Whilst Firmicutes were elevated in the Cp+ group at W5 compared to the H group, no other significant differences were detected between H and Cp+ groups. Whilst the core microbiota showed some taxa were exclusive to each group, the role of these taxa in health and disease has yet to be determined. Antibiotics were also found to have an impact on the relative abundance of some taxa. Though healthy calves received a significantly higher body condition score than Cp+ calves at W5, the difference did not reach significance at W10, suggesting that Cp+ calves may catch up to their healthy counterparts once the infection has resolved. The findings of this study illustrated the changes in the microbial diversity and composition during the preweaning period in dairy calves. The results also indicated that the faecal microbiome is not predictive of cryptosporidiosis and implied that cryptosporidiosis doesn’t cause long-term gut dysbiosis. This study furthered our understanding of the parasite-microbiome relationship and its impact on the bovine host
Data sources:
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage Open Access Institutional Repository at Robert Gordon University? Access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard!