Automatic detection of indris songs using convolutional neural networks

This conference contribution is not available on ChesterRe

Designing defect enriched Bi2Ti2O7/C3N4 micro-photo-electrolysis reactor for photo-Fenton like catalytic reaction

Among various advanced oxidation processes, photo-Fenton like catalysis, which couples solar energy with Fenton-like catalysis to generate highly reactive species for wastewater decontamination, has attracted broad interests. However, photo-Fenton catalysts usually suffer from poor pH adaptability, metal leaching and photogenerated charge recombination. Herein, a novel defect-enriched Bi2Ti2O7/C3N4 (BTO/CN) heterojunction is prepared via ball milling-thermal treatment method and used as a durable photo-Fenton like catalyst to degrade phenol in water. The BTO/CN heterojunction shows an excellent optical absorption capacity, and a superior e--h+ separation efficiency. With the addition of PMS, a micro-photo-electrolysis reactor can be formed in the BTO/CN, rendering it high photocatalytic activity, excellent tolerance to environmental condition and exceptional stability. The BTO/CN micro-photo-electrolysis reactor exhibits superior performance in phenol removal and excellent tolerance towards salt ions. Non-radical pathway and radical dotOH oxidation are demonstrated to contribute to phenol degradation in the BTO/CN heterojunction photo-Fenton-like system. The PMS can simultaneously boost the interfacial charge transmission from BTO to CN forming internal BTO photoanode and CN photocathode, leading to sustainable photocatalytic performance without secondary pollution. This work successfully demonstrates a feasible strategy to develop solar energy assisted Fenton-like catalyst for efficient water decontamination, which holds a great promise towards practical photo-Fenton water decontamination

Student-Parents' experiences of academic and non-academic support in UK Higher Education

Following publication, this report was cited by the Office for Students as an evidence base informing their decision to include student-parents in the Equality of Opportunity Risk Register (see here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/promoting-equal-opportunities/equality-of-opportunity-risk-register/student-characteristics/students-with-parental-responsibility/)This report analyses the findings of a nationwide study of students who are also parents (student-parents). Carried out between May and August 2023, the study builds on previous small-scale research projects into the needs of student-parents1 and was undertaken in the context of: • the introduction of a new UCAS question inviting student-parents to self-identify when applying to university; and • the introduction of the Office for Students’ (OfS) Equality of Opportunity Register (EORR). This report explores participants’ experiences of pastoral and academic support at university. It exposes systemic failures in such support for student-parents across the sector which pose a significant risk to their retention, progression and success. Parental responsibility is not currently identified by OfS as a standalone characteristic likely to place students ‘at risk’ at university. However, the findings of this study reveal that student-parents are in fact vulnerable to five of the six ‘on course’ risks identified in the EORR. This three-part clickable report provides a compelling evidence base to support the inclusion of parental responsibility in the EORR list of student characteristics

Discourses of Psychological Trauma

This item is not available on ChesterRep.Offers a critical perspective of the dominant discourses within the field of psychological trauma Provides a challenge to normative western constructs Unsettles assumptions about accepted notions of universality and the nature of traum

Methadone as an adjuvant analgesic

This article is not available on ChesterRepMethadone as an 'adjuvant' has proven to be effective and safe to be used in conjunction with opioids. Generally, only a low dose is required to improve pain control. [Abstract copyright: © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.

Diseñar una conferencia accesible y equitativa y la evaluación de las barreras a la inclusión de la investigación para las comunidades de enfermedades raras

© 2024 The AuthorsIntroduction: The United Kingdom Rare Diseases Framework, published in 2021, addresses the lack of diversity in rare disease research, particularly in clinical trials, due to intersecting issues related to rare disease symptoms and health inequalities. The framework outlines the government's commitment to improving the lives of the 3.5 million people living with rare conditions in the United Kingdom. Objective: The primary objective is to advance equality, diversity, and inclusion in research by developing innovative methods to engage with communities, establish trust, and enhance the participation and voices of underrepresented and underserved communities. Methods: The conference was held in May 2023, bringing together voices with lived experiences from rare and diverse communities to meet and discuss with established researchers, policy influencers and advocates. The evaluation design was developed using the Program Logic Model and utilised a conference evaluation form on barriers to inclusion. Results: The Rare Disease Community identifies disability as the primary obstacle to inclusion. Social Care and Public Health Communities and Clinical Research Communities identified a need for more cultural competency. The Diverse Community selected psychosocial issues, and the Academic Community identified funding as the most significant barrier. Conclusions: The Community of Practice workshops showed the variety of lived experiences and potential barriers people confront for inclusion in research. Listening to individual viewpoints was crucial to creating or repairing community trust. The Academic Community felt that research funders and ethics review boards must adapt their institutional practices to include financial resources for outreach and participation in research design

Ape recognition of familiar human faces changed by time and COVID-19 face masks

Reports of primates being able to recognise familiar humans are rare in the literature and tend to be regarded as anecdotal. The COVID-19 pandemic created two unique conditions facilitating the observation of spontaneous face recognition in zoo apes: i) lengthy gaps in contact with human visitors due to lockdowns and zoo closures, and ii) the wearing of face masks obscuring at least half the face of familiar individuals. Here, I report on the historical context of the familiarity between a primatologist and individual apes of two species, how those apes consistently showed recognition of this particular human over a time span of up to thirty years, how facial recognition was extended to family members, and how recognition persisted even when a significant portion of the face was obscured by a mask. This constitutes, to my knowledge, the first documented cases of recognition of familiar human faces changed by time and COVID-19 face masks in two great ape species. Although based on just two individuals, the documentation of this ability is important because it arose in a more naturalistic and spontaneous context compared to typical face processing research in which primates are tested with experimental stimuli in a laboratory setting. Implications for face processing theory and applications for the therapeutic utility of faces are discussed. These observations provide insight into the evolutionary origins of face recognition and, sitting at the interface of science and society, are of interest to a wide audience

‘One Is Too Many’ preventing self-harm and suicide in military veterans: a quantitative evaluation

Introduction: In 2021, the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust allocated over £2 million to programmes designed to have a clear and demonstrable impact on suicide prevention. Four grant holders delivered a combination of psychotherapeutic interventions, group activities, social prescribing, peer support mentoring, life skills coaching, educational courses and practical help with housing and employment. The evaluation was completed between August 2021 and July 2023. Methods: A survey was completed by 503 participants at entry and 423 at exit. It captured data regarding demographic and military-specific details, health status, situational stressors, predisposing symptoms, help-seeking behaviour, social engagement, housing, living arrangements and employment status. The questionnaire included a number of validated psychometric questionnaires. Results: This evaluation revealed reductions in situational stressors, symptoms and mental health illnesses. Seventy-six per cent of participants had completed an Operational Tour, and 77% were exposed to a traumatic event during service. It was the negative impact of unresolved traumatic effects that influenced service-users to require support. Forty-nine per cent delayed seeking help, and 36% self-referred to the One Is Too Many programme which demonstrates the importance of this option. There were improvements in the participants’ social networking, social activities, club membership and having people to rely on. Only 4% of participants were women which reinforces the requirement to explore initiatives to engage with female veterans. Conclusions: Timely therapeutic and social prescribing interventions in a safe environment lowered depression, anxiety and the associated situational stressors leading to self-harming and may have reduced suicide. It presented another option to veterans and their families regarding where they can obtain support, care and therapeutic interventions. The programme provided a strong foundation for delivery organisations to forge lasting collaborative partnerships that can be extended to working with other authorities and institutes. The results highlight pathways for prevention and intervention strategies to inform policymakers, healthcare professionals and third-sector organisations.Funder: Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust; Grant(s): 2018-108214 / Change Request 2 dated 14 April 2021Acknowledgements: Lauren West & Annie Ellerton, Westminster Centre for Research in Veterans, University of Chester; Natasha Green, Defence Medical Welfare Services; Sonia Howe and Steven Inman, Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust

‘It’s both a blessing and a curse’: law firm attitudes to Qualifying Work Experience in England & Wales

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a published work that appeared in final form in [Asian Journal of Legal Education]. To access the final edited and published work see http://dx.doi.org/[doi journal link].With the advent of the Solicitors’ Qualifying Exam (SQE), Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) allows for flexibility in the journey to qualification as a solicitor in England & Wales that was not previously permitted by the Period of Recognised Training. This development was heralded as a lever to widening access to the profession, with the potential to assist those who may not have been recruited onto traditional graduate-level training programmes in securing a qualified legal role. This paper discusses the findings of empirical research conducted by the authors with a view to understanding the perceptions of, and attitudes towards, QWE of those responsible for recruitment in UK law firms. It reveals a friction between the perceived, and actual, value of QWE obtained via non-traditional routes and exposes the threat that law firm stances on QWE pose to the regulator’s aim of widening access to the profession

The Hummingbird Project year 2: decreasing distress and fostering flourishing in a pragmatic pre-post study.

From Europe PMC via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: ppub 2024-01-01, epub 2024-03-25Publication status: PublishedMulti-component Positive Psychology Interventions (mPPIs) in secondary schools have been shown to improve mental health outcomes for young people. The Hummingbird Project mPPI is a six-week program of workshops designed to introduce a variety of positive psychology (PP) concepts to secondary school-aged children in schools to improve well-being, resilience, and hope. The effects on mental distress, however, were not explored. The current study, therefore, was designed to replicate the effects of the Hummingbird Project mPPI on positive mental health and to also explore the effects on symptoms of mental distress. Secondary school-aged children (N = 614; mean age = 11.46 years) from a sample of secondary schools located across the North West of England (N = 7) participated in the study; the majority of children were in Year 7 (94%). The PP concepts explored included happiness, hope, resilience, mindfulness, character strengths, growth mindset, and gratitude. The results showed significant improvements associated with the mPPI in well-being (as measured by the World Health Organization Well-Being Index; WHO-5), hope (as measured by the Children's Hope Scale; CHS), and symptoms of mental distress (as measured by the Young Person's Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation; YP-CORE) from pre- to post-intervention. While acknowledging the limits due to pragmatic concerns regarding the implementation of a control group, the effectiveness of the Hummingbird Project mPPI on well-being was replicated alongside reducing the symptoms of mental distress. Future evaluation, however, will need to implement more robust designs and consider follow-up duration to assess the longer-term effects of the Hummingbird Project mPPI