Research on the Effectiveness of the Local Compliance Regime Within Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

Executive Summary: There has been a perceived downturn in environmental compliance nationally and this downturn is also observed at the local level, in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (IoS). This reduction in environmental compliance sits against a backdrop of a growing biodiversity and climate crisis globally. To investigate this perceived local downturn in compliance and propose recommendations to address this issue, the Local Nature Partnership in Cornwall and the IoS commissioned this research project, through Cornwall Council. This report analyses the roles and responsibilities of eight primary local public authorities: • The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) • Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (Cornwall IFCA) • Isles of Scilly Inshore and Conservation Authority (IoS IFCA) • Environment Agency (EA) • Natural England (NE) • Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) • Cornwall Council (CC) • Devon and Cornwall Police [...]Cornwall CouncilResearch Englan

Decoding uncertainty for clinical decision-making

This is the final version. Available on open access from the Royal Society via the DOI in this recordData accessibility: This article has no additional data.In this opinion piece, we examine the pivotal role that uncertainty quantification (UQ) plays in informing clinical decision-making processes. We explore challenges associated with healthcare data and the potential barriers to the widespread adoption of UQ methodologies. In doing so, we highlight how these techniques can improve the precision and reliability of medical evaluations. We delve into the crucial role of understanding and managing the uncertainties present in clinical data (such as measurement error), diagnostic tools and treatment outcomes. We discuss how such uncertainties can impact decision-making in healthcare and emphasize the importance of systematically analysing them. Our goal is to demonstrate how effectively addressing and decoding uncertainties can significantly enhance the accuracy and robustness of clinical decisions, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes and more informed healthcare practices.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)Digital Program of the European Commissio

A systematic review of the role of quantitative CT in the prognostication and disease monitoring of interstitial lung disease

This is the final version. Available from European Respiratory Society via the DOI in this record. Background: The unpredictable trajectory and heterogeneity of interstitial lung disease (ILDs) make prognostication challenging. Current prognostic indices and outcome measures have several limitations. Quantitative computed tomography (qCT) provides automated numerical assessment of CT imaging and has shown promise when applied to the prognostication and disease monitoring of ILD. This systematic review aims to highlight the current evidence underpinning the prognostic value of qCT in predicting outcomes in ILD. Methods: A comprehensive search of four databases (Medline, EMCare, Embase and CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature)) was conducted for studies published up to and including 22 November 2024. A modified CHARMS (CHecklist for critical Appraisal and data extraction for systematic Reviews of prediction Modelling Studies) checklist was used for data extraction. The risk of bias was assessed using a Quality in Prognostic Studies template. Results: The search identified 1134 unique studies, of which 185 studies met inclusion and exclusion criteria. Commonly studied ILD subtypes included idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (41%, n=75), mixed subtypes (26%, n=48) and systemic sclerosis ILD (16%, n=30). Numerous studies showed significant prognostic signals, even when adjusted for common covariates and/or significant correlation between serial qCT biomarkers and conventional outcome measures. Heterogenous and nonstandardised reporting methods meant that direct comparison or meta-analysis of studies was not possible. Studies were limited by the use of retrospective methodology without prospective validation and significant study attrition. Discussion: qCT has shown efficacy in the prognostication and disease monitoring of a range of ILDs. Hurdles exist to widespread adoption including governance concerns, appropriate algorithm anchoring and standardisation of image acquisition. International collaboration is underway to address these hurdles, paving the way for regulatory approval and ultimately patient benefit.The Wellcome TrustRoyal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation TrustEngineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR

Robustness of Question Answering Systems in the Biomedical Domain: a study of the BioASQ dataset

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from IEEE via the DOI in this recordRobustness is a critical consideration when integrating artificial intelligence (AI) systems into decision-making processes. This concern is particularly relevant for generative AI systems, which are designed to consistently produce convincing outputs but can be prone to hallucinations, risking overconfidence in their outputs. This paper investigates the performance of fine-tuning and retrieval augmented generation (RAG) under external data quality perturbations, including typographical errors and factual inaccuracies. Results from experiments using the BioASQ Task 12b question answering dataset and PubMed articles showed nuanced trade-offs, with either RAG or fine-tuning performing better for different scenarios. Furthermore, an analysis of LLMs’ self-reported confidence scores indicated a tendency toward overconfidence, particularly in the presence of inconsistent or erroneous context data. A novel mitigation strategy, leveraging an LLM for data quality error correction was evaluated, but the results demonstrated limited effectiveness, highlighting the need for more advanced correction techniques.British TelecomInvest Northern Irelan

Fully personalized modelling of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy ambulation

This is the final version. Available from The Royal Society via the DOI in this record. Data accessibility: The code is available via [31]. Supplementary material is available online [32].Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a progressive neuromuscular disorder characterized by the gradual weakening and deterioration of muscles, leading to loss of ambulation in affected individuals. This decline in mobility can be effectively assessed using the North Star Ambulatory Assessment (NSAA) scores, along with measures such as the 10-m walk time and the time taken to rise from the floor. We propose a dynamic linear model to predict the trajectories of these clinical outcomes, with a primary focus on NSAA scores. Our model aims to assist clinicians in forecasting the progression of the disease, thereby enabling more informed and personalized treatment plans for their patients. We also evaluate the effectiveness of our models in generating synthetic NSAA score datasets. We assess the performance of our modelling approach and compare the results with those of a previous study. We show that the most robust model demonstrates narrower prediction intervals and improved quantile coverage, indicating superior predictive accuracy and reliability. This article is part of the theme issue 'Uncertainty quantification for healthcare and biological systems (Part 2)'.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)Biomedical Research CentreGreat Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation TrustUniversity College LondonMuscular Dystrophy U

Rethinking Hydrodynamic Assessments for River Infrastructures: Are Simplified Methods Leaving Bridges Exposed? (dataset)

Dataset in support of the manuscript published in Journal of Flood Risk Management. The dataset contains three files: - DataCS469.csv, which contains the hydraulic calculations of the bridges within the paper according to CS469 - DataHydraulics.csv, which contains the hydraulic data for all simulations at all bridges - DataScour_rev.csv, which contains the calculations of scour depth values for CS469 and HEC-RAS simulations The headers reflect the different variables as per the manuscript

Fluorescence Suppression in Raman Spectroscopy using Low Wavenumber Anti-Stokes Scattering

Raman spectroscopy is a highly effective and important technique, able to provide specific molecular information for sample identification in a variety of fields. One of the key limitations of the method, particularly in biological samples, is interference from fluorescence. Fluorescence emission can be in the same wavelength region as the Raman signals and can be much stronger. Therefore, it can drown out the Raman signals in photon shot noise and other fluorescence-induced spectral artefacts or cause issues due to CCD saturation. This can severely limit the effectiveness of Raman spectroscopy. Many methods, from simple fluorescence background fitting to complex techniques such as SERDS, have been developed to suppress fluorescence and improve Raman signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). These methods of fluorescence suppression all vary in their effectiveness and limitations. This thesis explores low wavenumber anti-Stokes Raman scattering (LWARS) as a new method for fluorescence suppression in Raman spectroscopy. Fluorescence emission is generally significantly weaker in the anti-Stokes region than in the Stokes region. While Raman signals are also weaker in the anti-Stokes region this effect is less significant at lower wavenumbers. Anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy also has the advantage of being able to use longer excitation wavelengths without the Raman peaks of interest exceeding the spectral sensitivity limit of CCDs. Using longer excitation wavelengths typically results in less fluorescence being induced as the lower energy photons are less likely to have the required energy to do so. This means, that in the presence of strong fluorescence, LWARS may provide higher SNR when compared to other methods of fluorescence suppression. LWARS was first compared to Stokes Raman scattering of the same molecular vibration within the same wavelength region, by using different laser excitation wavelengths (830 nn for anti-Stokes and 785 nm for Stokes). This was done at 350 mW laser power and a 3 s acquisition time. In the presence of the fluorescent dye Patent Blue V, LWARS SNR was found to be 0.75 (± 0.07) times that of its Stokes equivalent. This inefficiency was believed to be due to the Patent Blue V absorption peak being at much shorter wavelengths than the near-infrared (NIR) excitation wavelengths. The experiment was repeated with HITCI, a fluorescent dye with high absorption in the NIR region. This was done at 100 mW laser power and a 6 s acquisition time. LWARS was found to have 1.52 (± 0.10) times higher SNR than its Stokes equivalent. The rapid photobleaching of HITCI in water also allowed for a comparison of LWARS and photobleaching. LWARS was found to provide fluorescence suppression equivalent to 12.5 minutes of 100 mW 785 nm laser illumination. This was achieved instantaneously and without the risk of sample degradation. The experiment was again repeated with HITCI dissolved in ethanol using a 75 mW laser power and an acquisition time of 3.75 s. The relative SNR was found to be 1.45 (± a0.13) which was a negligible change, within the experimental error of the HITCI in water relative SNR. Adding a gelatin phantom between the laser and the fluorescent sample and increasing the acquisition time to 10 s resulted in a relative SNR of 1.49 (± 0.18), i.e. functionally unchanged from the non-gelatin version of the experiment. LWARS was also compared to the spatially-offset Raman difference spectroscopy (SERDS) method with 100 mW laser power and a 4 s acquisition time. The two methods were found to give roughly identical SNR despite SERDS being more experimentally and computationally complex. LWARS also has the advantage of reducing the fluorescence intensity in the raw measured spectra mitigating CCD saturation issues. This experiment also explored the fluorescence suppression potential of anti-Stokes SERDS. However, it was found to provide worse SNR than LWARS and Stokes SERDS, while maintaining the increased complexity of Stokes SERDS

Mechanising Mediums: Spiritualism and Media Imaginaries in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries

This is the final version. Available from Taylor and Francis via the DOI in this record. This paper engages with studies by media historians and media archaeologists of the significant role of the imagination in the development of communication technologies. It explores the trajectory of devices built by nineteenth and twentieth century spiritualists to facilitate direct communication with professed spirits of the dead, and whose design was attributed to inspiration from technically-minded denizens of the spirit world. Typically, these devices were built to limit or eliminate problems associated with spiritualist mediums, notably their possible fraudulence and the distorting effect of their minds on the quality of spirit communication. My analysis supports three arguments: first, that we need to take seriously both embodied and disembodied minds as the locations given by historical actors for imagined and realised communication technologies; second, the chequered histories of these devices highlight spiritualists’ doubts about the possibility and desirability of entirely replacing mediums by machines, and their faith in mediums’ ‘imaginations’ to act as superior ‘receivers’ of potentially problematic other-worldly intelligence; third, the devices offer new challenges to rigid distinctions between technological and religious experiences still adopted in the humanities

A new method of retrieving atmospheric refractivity structure

This is the final version. Available on open access from Taylor & Francis via the DOI in this recordData availability statement: The radiosonde data that support the findings of this study are available in ‘Met Office (2006): Met Office high resolution radiosonde data from the UK, Gibraltar, St Helena and the Falkland Islands’, CEDA Archive at http://catalogue.ceda.ac.uk/uuid/c1e2240c353f8edeb98087e90e6d832e. (Accessed 10 May 2022).It is proposed to obtain information on atmospheric refractivity structure by measuring the angle of arrival (AoA) of radio signals routinely broadcast by commercial aircraft. The angle of arrival would be measured at hill-top sites using a simple two-element interferometer. Knowledge of the aircraft’s location (information conveniently contained within the broadcasts) and the AoA will enable the bending angle of the signals to be calculated. As measurable bending will only occur at grazing incidence, sources of signals either very close to the radio horizon, or at a similar height to the interferometer, are essential. The routine navigational data broadcasts from civil aircraft represent the ideal source. In areas of high air traffic density such as the UK, ~105-106bending angle measurements may be possible each day. Numerical weather prediction models routinely assimilate bending angles retrieved from GNSS radio occultation data, so it is anticipated that assimilation methods could be developed that are able to make good use of this new source of bending angle data. Sensitivity tests were performed to estimate the resolution of humidity retrievals assuming a target AoA accuracy of 0.01°. Simulated annealing was used to demonstrate the ability to retrieve relative humidity and mixing ratio vertical profiles using AoA measurements. It is shown that for observed AoA measurements with an accuracy of 0.01° it should be possible to retrieve relative humidity and mixing ratio vertical profiles with an accuracy of ~5% and ~0.5 g/kg respectively. An AoA accuracy of 0.01° should be achievable using hardware costing ~€10k, however further hardware development is still required.University of Exeter (College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences)Met Offic

Dynamic analysis of a soft capsule robot self-propelling in the small intestine via finite element method

This is the final version. Available on open access from Springer via the DOI in this recordData availability. The datasets generated and analysed during the current study are not publicly available due to their massive size for editing and uploading but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.To reduce potential trauma to the intestine caused by the rigid shell while optimising its progression efficiency, an elastomer coating was applied to a self-propelled capsule robot for small-bowel endoscopy. The robot is self-propelled by its periodically excited inner mass interacting with the main body of the capsule in the presence of intestinal resistance. This work explored the dynamic responses of the capsule with different elastomer coatings (with different elastic moduli and thicknesses) in the lumen of the small intestine through a three-dimensional finite element analysis. The driving parameters of the robot, including the amplitude, frequency and duty cycle of the square-wave excitation, were further tested to reveal the dynamics of this soft robot. By analysing the numerical results, the proposed finite element model can provide quantitative predictions on the contact pressure, resistance force and robot-intestine dynamics under different elastomer coatings. It was found that the softer the elastomer coating is, the less contact pressure between the robot and the intestine is, so leading to less traumas. The findings of this work can provide design guidelines and an evaluation means for the robotic engineers who are developing soft medical robots for bowel examinations as well as the clinical practitioners working on capsule endoscopy.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)China Scholarship Counci