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Ingleborough National Nature Reserve trials different methods to protect against sheep and deer grazing
No full textRead how Ingleborough National Nature Reserve (NNR) trialled different tree protection methods to minimise impacts from sheep and deer grazing to support woodland regeneration.Key factssite: Ingleborough Nature Reserve, Yorkshiresize: 1,186 hectaresestablishment method: planting and natural regenerationtype: ancient upland broadleaved woodland; natural regenerationfunding: trees supplied through a partnership with the Woodland Trust as part of the Wild Ingleborough projectkey objective: nature conservationTree protectionmain mammals causing damage or risk to trees: sheep and deermain tree protection method: overstocking of trees, stocking rate, stocking density, timing and pattern of grazingduration of main tree protection methods: 5 year
Elucidating reaction dynamics in a model of human brain energy metabolism
Get PDFEnergy metabolism is essential to brain function and Bioinformatics, but its study is experimentally challenging. Similarly, biologically accurate computational models are too complex for simple investigations. Here, we analyse an experimentally-calibrated multiscale model of human brain energy metabolism using Computational Singular Perturbation. This approach leads to the novel identification of functional periods during and after synaptic activation, and highlights the central reactions and metabolites controlling the system’s behaviour within those periods. We identify a key role for both oxidative and glycolytic astrocytic metabolism in driving the brain’s metabolic circuitry. We also identify phosphocreatine as the main endogenous energy supply to brain cells, and propose revising our view of brain energy metabolism accordingly. Our approach highlights the importance of glial cells in brain metabolism, and introduces a systematic and unbiased methodology to study the dynamics of complex biochemical networks that can be scaled, in principle, to metabolic networks of any size and complexity
Deaths at home during COVID-19 in Scotland: Demographics, multimorbidity, and palliative care needs in population data
Get PDFIntroductionDeaths at home increased by a third in Scotland during the pandemic period, yet little is known about the population who died at home. Policy towards supporting this increased number will benefit from understanding differences in the socio-demographic composition and clinical needs of those dying at home following the pandemic. ObjectivesTo describe the population who died at home in Scotland during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic and compare them to the population of decedents five years prior, in terms of demographic and clinical characteristics and estimated palliative care needs. Demographic characteristics included age, sex assigned at birth, marital status, the area-based Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) and the Scottish urban-rural indicator.MethodsRetrospective cohort study of death registrations for Scottish decedents between March 2015 and March 2021, with the 12-month period from 2020-03-23 defined as the pandemic period. Death registrations were linked to 10 years of inpatient admissions to identify comorbid conditions and compute the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (EI). Palliative care needs were estimated from underlying and contributory causes of death using ICD-10 codes. Number of distinct medications dispensed in the final 12 months of life was computed from prescribing records. A binary logistic regression model was used to estimate the association between individual characteristics, the pandemic period, and death at home, and their average marginal effects (AME).ResultsDuring the pandemic, home decedents were on average 1.03 years older, more likely to be male and married, their Elixhauser Morbidity increased by 0.39, and they received 0.25 more medication types. The EI of home decedents increased past that of care home decedents. The adjusted effect of the pandemic on probability of death at home was AME=5.9% (95%CI 5.5%,6.3%). ConclusionsIn addition to increasing by a third, home decedents were as ill as before the pandemic or more, and were somewhat more similar to hospital and care home decedents than before the pandemic. Policy support is needed for enabling care at home for complex needs and increased support for carers
Cognitive Load Driven Audio-Visual Speech Enhancement Using a Neuro-Fuzzy Inference Model and OpenMHA Platform
Get PDFTraditional hearing aids primarily amplify sound but often overlook factors critical for effective speech comprehension, such as listening effort and visual cues like lip movements. This article introduces an innovative, context and cognition-aware audio-visual speech enhancement (AVSE) framework for hearing aids, integrating adaptive and efficient edge implementation to improve user experience. Our approach includes adaptive speech enhancement model selection using neuro-fuzzy inference based on listening effort, audio signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and visual cues. This work comprises four key components: integrating AVSE models with openMHA; using custom Radio Frequency (RF) sensors to estimate cognitive load; applying neuro-fuzzy inference for efficient speech enhancement selection; and developing hardware-accelerated Deep Neural Network (DNN)-based AVSE implementations. The framework includes a lightweight, customizable AVSE model optimized for real-time, power-efficient edge performance. The performance is comprehensively evaluated using metrics like STOI, PESQ, HASPI, MOS, latency, and power consumption, providing an in-depth analysis of trade-offs between speech intelligibility, perceptual quality, auditory perception, processing speed, and energy efficiency, with hardware-accelerated inference ensuring optimal performance. This research signifies a significant advance in AVSE technology, offering enhanced communication and a better quality of life for individuals with hearing impairments
NASA leadership: utilizing awe-narratives to enhance wellbeing
Get PDFThe wellbeing of astronauts on long-duration space missions is critical to current and future mission success. It is equally important that those who support astronauts, pre-mission, during the mission, and post-mission, are thriving as well. Therefore, this interpretative phenomenological analysis study examines how a selection of NASA leaders perceive a phenomenon, awe, along with related resilience practices, as supporting their wellbeing in both their professional work and personal lives. The results reveal that awe-narrative interviews can support them professionally while also enhancing their overall wellbeing. Awe narratives have the ability to serve as a gateway to other resilience practices, including cognitive reappraisal, finding meaning and purpose in life, gratitude, hope and optimism, and social connectedness. These results suggest the awe narrative-based interventions can offer both an evidence-based and practical way to benefit NASA personnel, as well as other professionals working in high-pressure and stressful environments
44th International society of Travel & Tourism educators (ISTTE) annual conference, “tailored experiences: The future of hospitality and tourism industry and education,” United Kingdom, October 22–24, 2025
No full textInvestigating green practices and their effects on pricing strategies in the mega events industry: A case study of Sziget Festival
Get PDFThis study aims to investigate green practices and their effects on pricing strategies in the mega events industry. The results of this study imply that the implementation of green practices sets an example, as they attract not only more attendees but also savings can be made through them, and educating the visitors is key to ensuring long-term achievement. These findings demonstrate the reason why pricing strategies are key to linking the value creation of the green practices, which is to create an experience that allows maximizing the event revenue and at the same time adds value for the attendees of an event. Moreover, it presents a better understanding of how competitiveness and economic improvements can influence a festival`s added value. Implications of the study are crucial for the future of planning and promoting various festivals that are favorable to incorporate green practices
Basal activation of astrocytic Nrf2 in neuronal culture media: Challenges and implications for neuron-astrocyte modelling
Get PDFAs a gatekeeper of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory cell protection, the transcription factor Nrf2 is a promising therapeutic target for several neurodegenerative diseases, leading to the development of Nrf2 activators targeting Keap1-dependent and independent regulatory mechanisms. Astrocytes play a crucial role in regulating neuronal physiology in health and disease, including Nrf2 neuroprotective responses. As neurons require specific conditions for their differentiation and maintenance, most 2D and 3D co-culture systems use medias that are compatible with neuronal differentiation and function, but also ensure astrocyte survival. Few studies, however, assess the molecular adaptations of astrocytes to changes from astrocyte maintenance medias alone, and their subsequent effects on neurons which may represent technical rather than physiological responses. Our findings show that while Nrf2 can be effectively activated by the Keap1-Nrf2 protein-protein interaction disruptor 18e, and classical Nrf2 activators dimethylfumarate and CDDO-Me, in human primary cortical astrocyte monocultures, their efficacy is lost in LUHMES neuron-astrocyte co-cultures. Further investigation revealed that the Advanced DMEM/F12-based LUHMES differentiation media maximally induced basal Nrf2 activity in astrocytes alone, compared to astrocyte maintenance media, thus preventing pharmacological activation. Although Neurobasal slightly activated basal Nrf2, this was not significant and did not prevent further activation by dimethylfumarate, suggesting that this media has less impact on astrocytic Nrf2 activity relative to Advanced DMEM/F12. As Nrf2 is a key regulator of oxidative damage and neuroinflammation, modelling these common features of neurodegenerative diseases may be confounded by environments that maximally activate basal Nrf2. Our findings thus suggest caution in media selection for neuron-astrocyte co-culture in disease modelling and therapeutic Nrf2 activator discovery, and suggest use of Neurobasal over Advanced DMEM/F12 medias for this purpose
Student experiences of academic transition: Undergraduate STEM to postgraduate social science
Get PDFThis research contributes to developing a deeper understanding of student lived experience of navigating the transition from undergraduate to taught postgraduate study. As reported in the literature, this is generally an under-studied phenomenon. In this research we specifically focused on exploring the experience for students who are making an interconnected disciplinary change as part of their shift from undergraduate to Master's level study. This research explores the lived experience of a group of pre-service physics teachers in Scotland as they transition from their previous undergraduate academic studies in the field of STEM to postgraduate academic study in the field of social science. To be successful in their current academic studies they need to acculturate to a discipline with noticeably different assumptions and underlying ways of thinking and knowing. To explore the students' lived experience of this interconnected transition we adopted a phenomenological methodology, gathering data through semi-structured interviews which we then thematically analysed. Areas for reflection for educators teaching students undergoing similar transitions are identified in the paper. These include the need to recognise the complexities of moving between academic disciplines at the same time as moving from undergraduate to taught postgraduate study. The students in this study articulated holding prior conceptualisations, expectations of, and responses to what makes for knowledge, theory, testing theory and using theory. They further articulated having to reconcile those conceptualisations with new ways of thinking and knowing as they undertook a disciplinary transition as part of their undergraduate to taught postgraduate transition. Students implicitly, rather than explicitly, identified challenges in acculturating to epistemological differences through the articulation of developing strategies
Developing a tourism region through tourism and culture: bordering, branding, placemaking and governance processes
Get PDFChina’s pre-pandemic national-level planning advocated a combination of culture and tourism to advance growth in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) mega-region. Culture is seen as increasing regional cohesion, with multi-destination travel products connecting subregions and cities. This paper examines perceptions of progress towards a coherent GBA cultural identity and its implications for tourism. We examine tourism stakeholder perceptions of the GBA, assess the prospects for the development of collective identities in the region and assess the prospects for implementation of the GBA brand. Surveys and interviews with stakeholders indicate that the prevalent top-down planning approach has so far generated limited regional coherence and may also be limiting bottom-up placemaking initiatives. Debordering between Hong Kong, Macao and the mainland cities offers opportunities for tourism development, but these have so far been limited, also because of intensifying competition between mainland GBA cities in international markets, challenging the implementation of an umbrella brand. Regional stakeholders so far show little buy-in to the overarching ‘quality living circle’ concept for the GBA. New governance structures may be to support the development of a coherent regional identity and generate place leadership to successfully combine top-down and bottom-up placemaking initiatives
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