Memo from Peter Smith regarding the cost of the 1973 prize ceremony: Part 2

Papers relating to arrangements for the award ceremony, including caterin

Entry form for the 1973 prize

Correspondence and entry forms from publishers regarding Booker Prize submission

Draft letter from the Booker Prize Committee to The Times

Draft letter to The Times from Booker Prize Committee responding to an article by Ion Trewin criticising the Booker Priz

NUTR7002 Global Nutrition and Public Health: Examination Paper

Examination pape

The implementation of Lean Six Sigma for the optimization of robotic process automation systems in financial service operations

Purpose. Many organizations currently transition towards digitalized process design, execution, control, assurance and improvement, and the purpose of this research is to empirically demonstrate how data-based operational excellence techniques are useful in digitalized environments by means of the optimization of a robotic process automation deployment. Design/methodology/approach. An interpretive mixed-method case study approach comprising both secondary Lean Six Sigma (LSS) project data together with participant-as-observer archival observations is applied. A case report, comprising per DMAIC phase (1) the objectives, (2) the main deliverables, (3) the results and (4) the key actions leading to achieving the presented results is presented. Findings. Key findings comprise (1) the importance of understanding how to acquire and prepare large system generated data and (2) the need for better large system-generated database validation mechanisms. Finally (3) the importance of process contextual understanding of the LSS project lead is emphasized, together with (4) the need for LSS foundational curriculum developments in order to be effective in digitalized environments. Originality/value. This study provides a rich prescriptive demonstration of LSS methodology implementation for RPA deployment improvement, and is one of the few empirical demonstrations of LSS based problem solving methodology in industry 4.0 contexts

The effect of niacin on inflammatory markers and adipokines : a systematic review and meta-analysis of interventional studies

Purpose. Niacin (nicotinic acid), known for its lipid-modifying effects, has been explored for its potential anti-inflammatory properties and potential to affect adipokines secretion from adipose tissue. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the effects of niacin on inflammatory markers and adipokines. Methods. A comprehensive search was conducted across five databases: PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Embase, and ISI Web of Science. Randomized controlled trials exploring the effects of niacin on inflammatory markers (CRP, IL-6, TNF-α) and adipokines (Adiponectin, Leptin) were included. Pooled effect sizes were analysed using a random-effects model, and additional procedures including subgroup analyses, sensitivity analysis and dose-response analysis were also performed. Results. From an initial 1279 articles, fifteen randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included. Niacin administration demonstrated a notable reduction in CRP levels (SMD: -0.88, 95% CI: -1.46 to -0.30, p = 0.003). Subgroup analyses confirmed CRP reductions in trials with intervention durations ≤ 24 weeks, doses ≤ 1000 mg/day, and elevated baseline CRP levels (> 3 mg/l). The meta-analysis of IL-6 and TNF-α revealed significant TNF-α reductions, while IL-6 reduction did not reach statistical significance. Niacin administration also substantially elevated Adiponectin (SMD: 3.52, 95% CI: 0.95 to 6.1, p = 0.007) and Leptin (SMD: 1.90, 95% CI: 0.03 to 3.77, p = 0.04) levels. Conclusion. Niacin treatment is associated with significant reductions in CRP and TNF-α levels, suggesting potential anti-inflammatory effects. Additionally, niacin positively influences adipokines, increasing Adiponectin and Leptin levels. These findings provide insights for future research and clinical applications targeting inflammation and metabolic dysregulation

The UK’s new plan for immigration : normativity, crisis, and a 'bespoke' rationale for humanitarian/refugee protection

Refugee Law in the United Kingdom is undergoing a moment of profound change. This change is clearly visible with both the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 and the Illegal Migration Act 2023 enacted within the last two years. As such, it is argued that we are currently witnessing a fundamental shift in the underlying conception of international protection in the UK. Through an engagement with contemporary legislative enactments, political statements, and judicial decisions, this paper critically considers an emerging new logic of refugee status determination in the UK. Specifically, I chart the UK's shift from the highly individualist conception of the refugee deployed within the Refugee Convention to a series of bespoke arrangements targeting those experiencing particular forms of crisis as the proper recipients of international protection. In examining this shift, the paper identifies particular minority groups, such as sexual and gender minorities, who are increasingly left outside the scope of international protection recognised by the United Kingdom

Attentional guidance from unique faster/slower discrete and smooth feature changes in visual search

Two studies examine the circumstances in which singletons, defined by unique feature-change rate, guide attention in visual search. Participants searched for a static vertical/horizontal white target bar amidst tilted distractors. Bars were contained inside surround shapes with periodically oscillating features. In Experiment 1, displays consisted of surrounds with abrupt (discrete) or continuous (smooth) changes between two values (red–blue, square–diamond). For discrete displays, target surrounds did not guide attention when uniquely faster-oscillating than distractor surrounds, but did in smooth displays. For unique-slow oscillating target surrounds, the opposite guidance pattern was found across discrete and smooth displays. In Experiment 2, displays had a mixture of discrete and smooth surrounds. Here, only unique slow-oscillating discrete surrounds guided attention. No guidance was found for smooth surrounds. Findings suggest that faster oscillations are masked by higher-frequency harmonic signals from slower changing discrete items, and there is attentional prioritization of discrete over smooth changes

Swansea Commissioning C3 May 2024

Module 4 material

BIOL3003 Foundation Mathematics: Examination Paper

Examination pape