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

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

Automatic detection of indris songs using convolutional neural networks

This conference contribution is not available on ChesterRe

FireNet-Micro: Compact Fire Detection Model with High Recall

Fire occurrences and threats in everyday life incur substantial costs on ecological, economic, and even social levels. It is crucial to equip establishments with fire prevention systems due to the notable increase in fire incidents. Numerous studies have been conducted to develop efficient and optimal fire detection models in order to prevent such mishaps. Initially, thermal/chemical methods were used, but later, image processing techniques were also employed to identify fire occurrences. Recent approaches have capitalized on the advancements in deep learning models for computer vision. However, most deep learning models face a trade-off between detection speed and performance (accuracy/recall/precision) to maintain a reasonable inference time (for real-time applications) and parameter count. In this paper, we present a bespoke and highly lightweight convolutional neural network specifically designed for fire detection. This model can be integrated into real-time fire monitoring equipment and potentially applied in future methods suhc as CCTV surveillance cameras, traffic lights, and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) for fire monitoring in futuristic smart city scenarios. Despite having significantly fewer trainable parameters, our customized model, FireNet-Micro, outperforms existing low-parameter-count models in fire detection. When evaluated on the FireNet dataset, FireNet-Micro, with only 171,234 parameters, achieved an impressive overall accuracy of 96.78%. In comparison, FireNet-v2 attained 94.95% accuracy with 318,460 parameters (which is almost double the parameter count of the proposed FireNet-Micro)

Mechanism of anodic activation of chloride to generate singlet oxygen for fast organic removal using an innovative anode

From Elsevier via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: accepted 2024-01-07, issued 2024-01-09Article version: AMPublication status: AcceptedFunder: National Natural Science Foundation of China; Grant(s): 52170089Funder: Sichuan University; Grant(s): SCU10102Funder: Chengdu Science and Technology Bureau; Grant(s): 2019-GH02-00053-HZFunder: Analytical & Testing center of Sichuan UniversityElectrochemical persulfate activation (E-PS) has recently emerged as a highly effective advanced oxidation process in water decontamination. However, the presence of chloride ions (Cl−) in waters can accelerate anodic corrosion as well as lead to the formation of toxic chlorinated byproducts (i.e., ClO4 −), limiting its practical application. In this study, we introduce a novel Nd/Bi@SnO2 anode to construct E-PS, which exhibit highly stability in chloride-containing water with a long-expected service lifetime of 13.7 years. The Nd/Bi@SnO2 electrode can effectively convert Cl− to reactive chlorine with the assistance of PMS, triggering singlet oxygen (1O2) generation for superior organic removal while avoiding toxic chlorinated byproducts (i.e., ClO4 −) generation as well as greatly reduce the energy consumption. Comprehensive structural and electrochemical characterization results demonstrate Nd/Bi co-doping introduce oxygen vacancy on Nd/Bi@SnO2, enabling the anode with high oxygen evolution potential, excellent conductivity and superior stability. Scavenging experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance illustrate the generation of various reactive species in the system, among which 1O2 predominantly contributes to organic removal and results in harmless intermediates. This innovative approach transforms Cl− into ROSs for eco-friendly, energy-efficient water decontamination

Coumarin‐Based Light‐Responsive Composite Nanochannel Membranes for Precise Controlled Release of Pesticides

This article is not available on ChesterRepThe precise, controllable, and safe application of pesticides can effectively reduce pesticide consumption and minimize chemical pollution at the source. Here, a light‐responsive controlled‐release system with flexible control, precise release, easy recovery, and suitability for future pesticide application in aquatic environments is proposed. The system precisely controls the release of pesticides through a light‐responsive composite nanochannel membrane (CTC@SNM/PET) with reactive coumarin derivatives (CTC) as gating molecules. The prepared nanochannel membrane has an ultrathin thickness of 67.5 nm and well‐ordered vertical nanochannels with a uniform size of 1.9 nm, providing a prerequisite for precise molecular gating and high permeability for mass transport. CTC monomers can realize cycloaddition/cyclocracking and nanochannel closing/opening to control the release of pesticides by controlling 365/254 nm ultraviolet light irradiation. As a proof of concept, the light‐responsive controlled‐release system based on CTC@MSF/PET against Saprolegnia parasitica achieves an inhibition rate of more than 95% and reduces pesticide residues by 56.5% compared to the control group. The proposed membrane system has great application potential to easily enable remote, quantitative, timed, and positioned pesticide application, thereby reducing pesticide residues and providing a prospective approach to reducing environmental and human risks

Evaluating the NMC proficiencies framework: perspectives of students and educators 5 years on.

From PubMed via Jisc Publications RouterPublication status: ppublishIt is now half a decade since the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) launched . Applicable nationally, this proficiencies framework dictates specific elements of nursing praxis that all pre-registrants must achieve in order to qualify as registered nurses, before going on to gain employment in either the NHS or adjacent healthcare providers. The NMC proficiencies framework is subdivided into seven proficiencies and two annexes, each of which contains multiple specific criteria detailing the skillset pre-registrants must demonstrate, in order to be signed off by a qualified educator. Subsequently, in the last 5 years the standards have brought about significant alterations to the delivery of nursing programmes at UK higher education institutions. This article reports the results of a pair of service evaluations, which gathered feedback from both pre-registrant students and educators in relation to their direct experiences of the NMC's proficiencies framework. The authors compare the contemporary perspectives collated here against earlier academic appraisals of the guidance framework, in order to outline its past and present reception at the level of delivery

CPR Quality Officer role to improve CPR quality: A multi-centred international simulation randomised control trial

Background: An out-of-hospital cardiac arrest requires early recognition, prompt and quality clinical interventions, and coordination between different clinicians to improve outcomes. Clinical team leaders and clinical teams have high levels of cognitive burden. We aimed to investigate the effect of a dedicated Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Quality Officer role on team performance. Methods: This multi-centre randomised control trial used simulation in universities from the UK, Poland, and Norway. Student Paramedics participated in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest scenarios before randomisation to either traditional roles or assigning one member as the CPR Quality Officer. The quality of CPR was measured using QCPR® and Advanced Life Support (ALS) elements were evaluated. Results: In total, 36 teams (108 individuals) participated. CPR quality from the first attempt (72.45%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 64.94 to 79.97) significantly increased after addition of the CPR Quality role (81.14%, 95% CI 74.20 to 88.07, p = 0.045). Improvement was not seen in the control group. The time to first defibrillation had no significant difference in the intervention group between the first attempt (53.77, 95% CI 36.57–70.98) and the second attempt (48.68, 95% CI 31.31–66.05, p = 0.84). The time to manage an obstructive airway in the intervention group showed significant difference (p = 0.006) in the first attempt (168.95, 95% CI 110.54–227.37) compared with the second attempt (136.95, 95% CI 87.03–186.88, p = 0.1). Conclusion: A dedicated CPR Quality Officer in simulated scenarios improved the quality of CPR compressions without a negative impact on time to first defibrillation, managing the airway, or adherence to local ALS protocols

Perspectives of Time

A poem in repsonse to the All Our Relations project funded by Malmö Theatre Academy and Lund University. The work was undertaken in Eastern Sweden over the course of several days working on eco-pedagogical approaches