A study into the design of a pre-laboratory software resource in effectively assisting in the chemistry proficiency of students of chinese origin undertaking post 16 chemistry in the UK

This qualitative study indicates that Chinese origin students completing their pre-university education in a British school have particular difficulties related to sociocultural change, pedagogical differences, affective aspects, cognitive demand and language learning. These are discussed. The use of a pre-laboratory software resource to support pre-university practical work in chemistry offers considerable benefits a number of the challenges faced by these students in studying in an English setting, most notably in building confidence and cognition through the use of videos of techniques, simulations and glossaries

The Dynamics of death: determining the relationship between within-host pathogen dynamics and host mortality

Infectious diseases remain a major cause of global mortality, yet basic questions concerning the relationship between within-host pathogen processes and epidemiological patterns of mortality remain obscure. Following an introductory chapter one, we lay out the conceptual challenge in chapter two – how do within-host pathogen dynamics (pathogen burden p(t) as a function of time since infection t) link to changes in epidemiological risk of death, m(t)? We perform a structured literature review of the existing biomedical literature on controlled animal infections, and find consistent support across 28 experiments for an exponentially increasing risk of death m(t) with time since infection. We then illustrate that survival data alone is insufficient to infer pathogen dynamics p(t), with multiple models of pathogen growth and host-pathogen interactions consistent with observed survival data. In chapter three we develop an experimental C. elegans / Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection model platform to allow non-invasive tracking of p(t), via fluorescence-tagged pathogen imaging. Our calibration results show that quantitative inference to pathogen density from fluorescence intensity is not reliable. As a result of this roadblock, in chapter four we turn to a destructive sampling approach, coupled to non-invasive imaging to identify live and dead worms. Estimating pathogen burden in both live and dead worms indicates that pathogen growth is approximately exponential across the transition from host life to death. Our control experiments indicate substantial background mortality in our experimental design, limiting our ability to map mortality onto pathogen dynamics. In chapter five we discuss methodological improvements to our platform, plus potential avenues for future research building on the results presented in this thesis.Ph.D

Morphology of Vaccine RD&D translation

Translation as a concept coordinates participation in innovation but remains a qualitative construct. We provide multivariate accounting of linkages between market entries of vaccines, clinical trials, patents, publications, funders, and grants to quantify biomedical translation. We found that the most prevalent types of biomedical translation are those between basic and applied research (52 percent) followed by those between research and product development (36 percent). Although many biomedical stakeholders assume knowledge flows one way from upstream research to downstream application, knowledge feedbacks that mediate translation are prevalent. We also cluster biomedical funders based on the types of translations they fund. Large-scale funding agencies such as NIH are similarly involved in early-stage translation, whereas pharmaceuticals and mission-oriented agencies such as DARPA involve diverse translation types, and each leaves different translation footprints

Eco‐evolutionary dynamics in response to selection on life‐history

Understanding the consequences of environmental change on ecological and evolutionary dynamics is inherently problematic because of the complex interplay between them. Using invertebrates in microcosms, we characterise phenotypic, population and evolutionary dynamics before, during and after exposure to a novel environment and harvesting over 20 generations. We demonstrate an evolved change in life-history traits (the age- and size-at-maturity, and survival to maturity) in response to selection caused by environmental change (wild to laboratory) and to harvesting (juvenile or adult). Life-history evolution, which drives changes in population growth rate and thus population dynamics, includes an increase in age-to-maturity of 76% (from 12.5 to 22 days) in the unharvested populations as they adapt to the new environment. Evolutionary responses to harvesting are outweighed by the response to environmental change (~ 1.4 vs. 4% change in age-at-maturity per generation). The adaptive response to environmental change converts a negative population growth trajectory into a positive one: an example of evolutionary rescue. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS

Modelling circumstellar discs with 3D radiation hydrodynamics

We present results from combining a grid-based radiative transfer code with a Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics code to produce a flexible system for modelling radiation hydrodynamics. We use a benchmark model of a circumstellar disc to determine a robust method for constructing a gridded density distribution from SPH particles. The benchmark disc is then used to determine the accuracy of the radiative transfer results. We find that the SED and the temperature distribution within the disc are sensitive to the representation of the disc inner edge, which depends critically on both the grid and SPH resolution. The code is then used to model a circumstellar disc around a T-Tauri star. As the disc adjusts towards equilibrium vertical motions in the disc are induced resulting in scale height enhancements which intercept radiation from the central star. Vertical transport of radiation enables these perturbations to influence the mid-plane temperature of the disc. The vertical motions decay over time and the disc ultimately reaches a state of simultaneous hydrostatic and radiative equilibrium.Comment: MNRAS accepted; 15 pages; 17 figures, 4 in colou

The preparedness of medical students from the Middle East for the modern curriculum: a cross-sectional study

[EN] Aim This study aims to examine whether there were any differences in self-directed learning readiness (SDLR) between students who entered medicine with a local Bahraini schools certificate and those students who entered with an international schools certificate. Results We analysed how self-management, desire for learning, self-control and total SDLR scores varied in relation to the student’s previous exit award: ‘A’ levels (or equivalent) or Bahrain Secondary School (BSS) certificate. BSS certificate students had a significantly lower mean standardised desire for learning score (63.5) compared to those ‘A’ levels or equivalent (73.6; p=0.003). BSS certificate students also had a significantly lower mean total self-directed learning readiness score (192.3) compared to those with the ‘A’ levels and equivalent (214.5; p=0.015). When we controlled for all the other factors, secondary school award certificate was the only independent predictor of self-control (standardised beta 0.4; p=0.02) and SDLR (standardised beta 0.36; p=0.043). Conclusion Self-directed learning is a key skill in the modern curriculum. Students who exit with a local Middle Eastern secondary school certificate are finding it difficult to prepare themselves for independent learning in medical school. This poses a challenge for institutions bringing a more active-learning type of curriculum to the Middle East.Rashid-Doubell, F.; Doubell, T.; O'sullivan, R.; Elmusharaf, K. (2015). The preparedness of medical students from the Middle East for the modern curriculum: a cross-sectional study. En 1ST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON HIGHER EDUCATION ADVANCES (HEAD' 15). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 258-266. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd15.2015.29925826

A wristwatch-based wireless sensor platform for IoT health monitoring applications

A wristwatch-based wireless sensor platform for IoT wearable health monitoring applications is presented. The paper describes the platform in detail, with a particular focus given to the design of a novel and compact wireless sub-system for 868 MHz wristwatch applications. An example application using the developed platform is discussed for arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) and heart rate measurement using optical photoplethysmography (PPG). A comparison of the wireless performance in the 868 MHz and the 2.45 GHz bands is performed. Another contribution of this work is the development of a highly integrated 868 MHz antenna. The antenna structure is printed on the surface of a wristwatch enclosure using laser direct structuring (LDS) technology. At 868 MHz, a low specific absorption rate (SAR) of less than 0.1% of the maximum permissible limit in the simulation is demonstrated. The measured on-body prototype antenna exhibits a −10 dB impedance bandwidth of 36 MHz, a peak realized gain of −4.86 dBi and a radiation efficiency of 14.53% at 868 MHz. To evaluate the performance of the developed 868 MHz sensor platform, the wireless communication range measurements are performed in an indoor environment and compared with a commercial Bluetooth wristwatch device