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Students’ views about alternates to traditional dissertation for Master in Public Health: results of a virtual focus group
No full textA traditional dissertation remains a component of most Master in Public Health programmes, but there is increasing interest and use of alternatives. A virtual focus group of six students studying an online distance Master in Public Health explored their perceptions about dissertations and preferences for alternatives. Students value the dissertation as a means of consolidating learning and focusing in-depth on chosen topics. Alternatives were viewed as attractive but not always practical. Participants felt that additional options need to be accompanied by guidance to ensure students make the most appropriate choice for their future. Three types of students with different needs emerged; students aspiring to progress to a PhD should do a traditional dissertation, students already employed in a relevant role may choose a work-based dissertation or replace the dissertation with taught units, and students doing the master to increase their employability could choose a placement-based dissertation or replace the dissertation with work experience reflection. Innovations that introduce alternatives to the traditional dissertation would be welcomed by MPH students studying online, but they would need to be accompanied by suitable career advice to ensure students choose the most appropriate route for their future aspirations
Structural insights into UbiD reversible decarboxylation
No full textThe ubiquitous UbiX-UbiD system is associated with a wide range of microbial (de)carboxylation reactions. Recent X-ray crystallographic studies have contributed to elucidating the enigmatic mechanism underpinning the conversion of α,β-unsaturated acids by this system. The UbiD component utilises a unique cofactor, prenylated flavin (prFMN), generated by the bespoke action of the associated UbiX flavin prenyltransferase. Structure determination of a range of UbiX/UbiD representatives has revealed a generic mode of action for both the flavin-to-prFMN metamorphosis and the (de)carboxylation. In contrast to the conserved UbiX, the UbiD superfamily is associated with a versatile substrate range. The latter is reflected in the considerable variety of UbiD quaternary structure, dynamic behaviour and active site architecture. Directed evolution of UbiD enzymes has taken advantage of this apparent malleability to generate new variants supporting in vivo hydrocarbon production. Other applications include coupling UbiD to carboxylic acid reductase to convert alkenes into α,β-unsaturated aldehydes via enzymatic CO2 fixation.<br/
Counter-Example Guided Neural Network Compression Refinement (CEG4N)
No full textNeural networks are essential components of learning-basedsoftware systems. However, their high compute, memory, and power requirements make using them in low resources domains challenging. For this reason, neural networks are often compressed before deployment. Existing compression techniques tend to degrade the network accuracy.We propose Counter-Example Guided Neural Network Compression Refinement (CEG4N). This technique combines search-based quantization and equivalence verification: the former minimizes the computational requirements, while the latter guarantees that the network’s output does not change after compression. We evaluate CEG4N on a diverse set of benchmarks that include large and small networks. Our technique was successful at compressing the networks in our evaluation while producing models with up to 72% better accuracy than state-of-the-art techniques
Selective laser melting of Er modified AlSi7Mg alloy: Effect of processing parameters on forming quality, microstructure and mechanical properties
No full textSelective Laser Melting (SLM) was used to fabricate Erbium-modified AlSi7Mg alloy. The work aims to investigate the effects of laser volumetric energy density and focus shift on surface quality, internal defects and microstructure during the SLM process. Based on the optimized process parameters, the effect of rare earth element Er to AlSi7Mg alloy on its microstructure and mechanical properties were studied. With a raise of volumetric energy density, the size of aluminum sub-cells increases, and the high energy density promotes the in-situ precipitation of supersaturated silicon elements in the form of dispersed silicon particles. It was thought that the laser focus shift could change the energy density and the molten pool size, which affected the internal defects and the size of sub-cells plus eutectic silicon particles. The alloy (A357 + 0.2Er wt.%) fabricated by SLM was operating with the optimized processing parameters, then a small amount of equiaxed grains were formed at the boundary of the molten pool, which would promote the refinement of columnar grains and improve the mechanical properties. Meanwhile, the yield strength was 297 MPa, the tensile strength was 441 MPa and the elongation was 8%
Biographical accounts of the impact of fatigue in young people with sickle cell disease
No full textChildren and young people (CYP) with sickle cell disease (SCD) are a 'missing voice' in the debate on biography and sociology of chronic illness, meaning we know little about the social consequences of the illness for CYP. This paper examines the meaning of fatigue (a common symptom) for adolescents with SCD. Analysing 24 in-depth interviews with adolescents aged 12-17 years in Ghana, we draw on the distinction proposed by Bury (1988) between 'meanings as significance' and 'meanings as consequence' to examine biographical aspects of fatigue. We argue that concepts of 'biographical disruption' and 'normal illness' do not easily accommodate the experience of CYP with congenital chronic illnesses like SCD, as their sense of (un)disruption and normality/continuity is contextualised relative to normative expectations about what it is to be a young person. At biographical transition points, illness/symptoms present from birth may evolve, shift and become experienced as 'new', 'different', or 'non-normal'. They may become restrictive rather than continuous or disruptive. These experiences are influenced primarily by normative biographical expectations and the pursuit of identity affirmations. We propose that biographical restriction, biographical enactment, biographical abandonment and biographical reframing are more relevant concepts for understanding the experiences of CYP living with SCD
Evaluating and Updating a Design Space for Augmented Reality Television
No full textAs Augmented Reality Television (ARTV) transitions out of the feasibility phase, it is crucial to understand the impact of designdecisions on the viewers’ ARTV experiences. In a previous study, six ARTV design dimensions were identified by relying on insightsfrom existing prototypes. However, the set of possible dimensions is likely to be broader. Building on top of previous work, wecreate an ARTV design space and present it in a textual cheat sheet. We subsequently evaluate the cheat sheet in a between-subjectstudy (𝑛 = 10), with participants with wide-ranging expertise. We identified six new dimensions (genre, broadcast mode, audiencedemographics, cartoonish vs. photoreal representation, modality, and privacy), and a new aspect (360◦) for the display dimension. Inlight of our observations, we provide an updated ARTV design space and observe that asking participants to write ARTV scenarioscan be an effective method for harvesting novel design dimensions
SWAT 86 evaluation: Randomised evaluation of pre-notification of trial participants before self-report outcome data collection to improve retention
No full textBackgroundRetention is considered the second highest trial methods priority in the UK after recruitment. There is limited evidence on whether notifying trial participants that a follow-up questionnaire will be sent soon (‘pre-notification’) affects retention. MethodsThis Study Within a Trial (SWAT) evaluated whether sending a pre-notification letter or email around 2 weeks before sending a self-report questionnaire increased retention, in terms of provision of the host trial primary outcome. The SWAT was a randomised, two-arm, parallel-design (1:1 allocation ratio) trial, controlled by ‘no pre-notification letter’. It was embedded within the WORKWELL host trial, which evaluated the impact of job retention vocational rehabilitation on work-related and health-related outcomes of employed people with inflammatory arthritis. The SWAT primary outcome was a valid response for the WORKWELL primary outcome.Results244 trial participants took part in the SWAT. All were included in the analysis. Among those sent a pre-reminder, 100/121 (83%) provided a valid response for the WORKWELL primary outcome, compared to 97/123 (79%) of those not sent a pre-reminder. The estimated adjusted odds ratio was 1.28 (95% confidence interval 0.67 to 2.42), with a risk difference of 3.8% (95%CI -6.1% to 13.6%), favouring the pre-reminder. The estimated intervention cost per additional participant retained was £53.42, and the total cost per additional participant retained was £46.52.ConclusionResearchers may have a small improvement in trial retention by using pre-notification. The cost per additional participant retained is relatively low. However, further evaluations are merited.<br/
Dry heterometallic resist processing based on thermal sublimation deposition and development
No full textA negative tone heterometallic ring resist (HRR) based on a supramolecular assembly [NH2(allyl)2][Cr7NiF8(piv)16] with previously demonstrated resolution down to sub-10nm lines is evaluated in terms of its flexibility to be processed either ‘wet’ (spin-cast, solvent-developed) or ‘dry’ (deposition and development by vacuum sublimation). The implemented sublimation hardware fits easily in the wafer load-lock chamber of EUV and electron beam exposure systems dedicated to R&D activities and allows for HRR films to be uniformly deposited or developed in the same vacuum environment. The HRR shows a sublimation rate dependence on temperature that obeys a Clausius-Clapeyron relation, with thermal stability up to 275°C. Flood exposures of the HRR show identical sensitivity between wet and dry deposited films, while contrast degradation is observed when dry development is initiated by increasing the temperature prior to system pump down. A modified sublimation setup allows for the dry development of exposed HRR samples inside the electron beam tool without breaking vacuum. In this case, nominally patterned 25nm L/S are identically resolved at 30 keV for wet- or dry-developed HRR
Assessing Immunogenicity of Biologic Drugs in Inflammatory Joint Diseases: Progress Towards Personalized Medicine
No full textBiologic drugs have greatly improved treatment outcomes of inflammatory joint diseases (IJDs), but a substantial proportion of patients either do not respond to treatment or lose response over time. Drug immunogenicity, manifested as formation of anti-drug antibodies (ADAb), constitute a significant clinical problem. ADAb influence the pharmacokinetics of the drug, are associated with reduced clinical efficacy, and increased risk of adverse events such as infusion reactions. The prevalence of ADAb differ among drugs and diseases, and detection of ADAb also depends on assay format. Most data exist for the tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitors infliximab and adalimumab, with a frequency of ADAb ranging from 10-60% across studies. Measurement of ADAb and serum drug levels, therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), has been suggested as a strategy to optimize therapy with biologic drugs. Although the recent randomized clinical Norwegian Drug Monitoring (NOR-DRUM) trials show promise towards a personalized medicine prescribing approach by TDM, several challenges remain. A plethora of assay formats, with widely differing properties, is currently used for measuring ADAb. Comparing results between different assays and laboratories is difficult, which complicates development of cut-offs necessary for guidelines and implementation of ADAb measurements in clinical practice. With the possible exception of infliximab, limited data on clinical relevance and cost-effectiveness exist to support TDM as a routine clinical strategy to monitor biologic drugs in IJDs. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the characteristics and prevalence of ADAb, predisposing factors to ADAb formation, commonly used assessment methods, clinical consequences of ADAb, and the potential implications of ADAb assessments for everyday treatment of IJDs
Improving the environmental sustainability of polyketides colorants production by Talaromyces strain through better hydrodynamic design in bioreactors
No full textOne important step towards the commercialization of microbial-derived colorants is the reproducibility of the cultivation stage in bench-scale bioreactors as well as improving the hydrodynamic design in bioreactors. Aiming to address these technical barriers, Talaromyces amestolkiae was cultivated in a 4-L stirred-tank bioreactor using two types of impellers (Rushton turbine (RT) and Elephant ear (EE) impellers) and aeration modes (cascading and constant airflow), to assess their effects on red colorant production. The results showed that EE under constant airflow (4.0 Lmin-1) promoted the maximum red colorant formation (28.7 UA500nm), thus improving the reproducibility of the process. The volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient of culture broth was correlated to cell morphology, which was a result of impeller geometry of EE through the shear conditions impacting the fungi cells. The hairy pellet morphology favored nutrient and oxygen uptake and allowed an improvement in the colorant’s synthesis. Life cycle assessment was also carried out to identify opportunities for improving the best process design from an environmental sustainability perspective. For example, the total climate change and primary energy demand were estimated at 31.11 kg CO2 eq./g red colorant and 830.7 MJ/g red colorant, respectively, with the cultivation stage contributing with 65% and 63% of these impacts. The electricity consumption was identified as the main hotspot in this stage, a trend that was observed across all other impact categories. This can be improved by optimizing cultivation lengths combined with the use of low carbon electricity sources. These findings ensure a step forward towards the scaling-up at industrial scale of the T. amestolkiae cultivation for the production of bio-based colorants in an environmentally sustainable way