Smart wireless headphone for cardiovascular and stress monitoring

Wearable technology has become ubiquitous in recent years due to the miniaturization of circuit electronics and advances in smart materials that can conform to the requirements posed by the human body, behaviour and experience. Sensors of this type are found attached almost to every body segment, capable of delivering signals even in harsh activity scenarios. The reliability and relevance of the physiological data retrieved by wearables have yet to surpass the conventional technologies in the healthcare system today. In this paper we present a small device incorporated inside an headphone set that continuously monitors the ECG, impedance and acceleration of the head. As opposed to most biometric sensors, ECG measurement relies on non-optical methods by capturing the electrical potential around the ear in both sides of the head, whereas impedance monitoring involves AC stimulation instead of DC, the latter commonly involved in skin galvanic response estimation. Signal processing of impedance parameters is performed in situ using a fast variant of the Discrete Fourier Transform in order to save computational resources and power expenditure from a microcontroller equipped with Bluetooth Low Energy. Applications that can benefit from this device include cardiovascular and stress level assessment of individuals for whom an hearable is a requirement for work or leisure

Labour supply and skills demands in fashion retailing

If, as Adam Smith once famously suggested, Britain was a nation of shopkeepers then it is now a nation of shopworkers. Retail is now a significant part of the UK economy, accounting for £256 billion in sales and one-third of all consumer spending (Skillsmart, 2007). It is the largest private sector employer in the UK, employing 3m workers, or 1 in 10 of the working population. For future job creation in the UK economy retail is also similarly prominent and the sector is expected to create a further 250,000 jobs to 2014 (Skillsmart, 2007). The centrality of retail to economic success and job creation is apparent in other advanced economies. For example, within the US, retail sales is the occupation with the largest projected job growth in the period 2004-2014 (Gatta et al., 2009) and in Australia retail accounts for 1 in 6 workers (Buchanan et al., 2003). Within the UK these workers are employed in approximately 290,000 businesses, encompassing large and small organizations and also a number of sub-sectors. This variance suggests that retail should not be regarded as homogenous in its labour demands. Hart et al. (2007) note how skill requirements and the types of workers employed may differ across the sector. This chapter further opens up this point, providing an analysis of the labour supply and skills demands for the sub-sectors of clothing, footwear and leather goods, which are described by Skillsmart (2007: 48) as being 'significant categories in UK retailing'

Assessment of the online business support offer : growth and improvement service, my new business and helpline

This study provides the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) with an early understanding of whether online business support services provided by Business Link have performed effectively against the strategic objective of ‘digital transformation’. That is to successfully assist businesses through a website rather than through higher cost services (for example face to face contact). The study also makes an early assessment of the value of the services provided to new users, with a focus on cost effectiveness and effective referral to other appropriate business support services in the public, private and third sectors. The support services include the comprehensive start-up service provided by My New Business, and online tools provided by the Growth Improvement Service, enabling businesses to identify and solve problems

Furanone loaded aerogels are effective antibiofilm therapeutics in a model of chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa wound infection

Almost 80% of chronic wounds have a bacterial biofilm present. These wound biofilms are caused by a range of organisms and are often polymicrobial. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most common causative organisms in wound infections and readily forms biofilms in wounds. To coordinate this, P. aeruginosa uses a process known as quorum sensing. Structural homologues of the quorum sensing signalling molecules have been used to disrupt this communication and prevent biofilm formation by Pseudomonas. However, these compounds have not yet reached clinical use. Here, we report the production and characterisation of a lyophilised PVA aerogel for use in delivering furanones to wound biofilms. PVA aerogels successfully release a model antimicrobial and two naturally occurring furanones in an aqueous environment. Furanone loaded aerogels inhibited biofilm formation in P. aeruginosa by up to 98.80%. Further, furanone loaded aerogels successfully reduced total biomass of preformed biofilms. Treatment with a sotolon loaded aerogel yielded a 5.16 log reduction in viable biofilm bound cells in a novel model of chronic wound biofilm, equivalent to the current wound therapy Aquacel AG. These results highlight the potential utility of aerogels in drug delivery to infected wounds and supports the use of biofilm inhibitory compounds as wound therapeutics.Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council New Investigator Award BB/V007823/1. RRMC and CP are supported by the Academy of Medical Sciences/the Wellcome Trust/the Government Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy/the British Heart Foundation/Diabetes UK Springboard Award [SBF006\1040]

Preparing sport graduates for employment: satisfying employers expectations

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore from an employer’s perspective the skills, attributes, and capabilities required of a sports graduate, whilst also discovering how a student is expected to demonstrate these skills in the context of a sports organisation. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a qualitative interpretive case study approach through the use of face to face interviews with six employers from sports organisations involved in the delivery of sport. Interviews lasted between 30-42 minutes and were recorded. This was followed by a thematic review to allow for common themes to be selected and represented. The results were then reviewed and evaluated by a further 15 industry professionals and sports educators. Findings The results suggest employers seek skills that are characteristically enterprise/ entrepreneurship skills, together with an articulation of a ‘sports graduate’ mind-set. This mind-set is described by the employers as being something which is demonstrated through a combination of behaviours and attributes. The paper concluded that in the classroom the use of case studies and challenges where students have to respond to and solve problems by the very nature of the activity is optimal. Originality/Value The originality of this paper lies in both the context of study and the integration of enterprise and entrepreneurship skills that are needed for the changing world of work in sport. The value of the papers is in both the employer’s description of the graduate mind-set and also examples of how the skills can be applied in the context of sport

Transport emissions in Beijing: A scenario planning approach

This paper explores and analyses how to reduce smog-related air pollutants and carbon dioxide emissions generated by passenger transport systems in Beijing. In-depth surveys with experts and practitioners in China are used to examine the current business-as-usual projection for emissions in Beijing, the drivers and trends affecting current projections, and to develop alternative scenarios that might help reduce projected emissions significantly. These are based around different variants of population and migration growth and environmental stewardship. Current levels of smog caused by transport emissions are much higher in Beijing than internationally accepted safety standards, partly because of high levels of motorised traffic. Carbon dioxide emissions always tend to be overlooked because economic growth is prioritised. The sustainable model represents one of the best models for Beijing to follow; however, Beijing faces major challenges in becoming more environmentally sustainable over the next few years, mainly due to population growth and increased migration, even if there is powerful top-down government environmental stewardship. The aspiration to reduce smog-related air pollutants and carbon dioxide emissions in Beijing by implementing sustainable transport mitigation measures seems very ambitious; however, it is perhaps in this context that the real innovations in transport planning will emerge

‘More willing to carry on in the face of adversity’: how beginner teachers facing challenging circumstances experience positive psychology coaching. An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Positive psychology coaching (PPC) is defined as activating positive psychology (PP) in an applied and systematic way through coaching (Passmore, J., & Oades, P. (2014). Positive psychology coaching – A model for coaching practice. The Coaching Psychologist, 10(2), 68–70). Currently studies looking at how PPC is experienced by coachees are limited. While there has been some early success cited in using a PPC approach in professional development in education with adults (Zwart, R. C., Korthagen, F. A. J., & Attema-Noordewier, S. (2014). A strength-based approach to teacher professional development. Professional Development in Education, 41(3), 579–596. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2014.919341) it is not yet known how teachers experience PPC. The purpose of this paper was to gain an understanding of how PPC is experienced by beginner teachers undergoing challenging circumstances. This initial explorative study adopted a qualitative approach using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) (Smith, J., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2009). Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory, method and research. Sage). Four superordinate themes emerged: ‘perfectly normal to feel this way’; making sense and ‘joining the dots’; increased positive emotion; and, time to think ‘in an easy-going environment’. Further studies of the application of PPC in educational settings are needed