First year student experience

The application was made on behalf of the undergraduate courses team who sought to enhance the first year experience by engaging students in the practice of business. The intention was to develop and signpost enterprising qualities and characteristics in first year learners and develop confidence as well as competence. The undergraduate review for FBL commenced in September 2009. This offered an opportunity to innovate and build good practice in enterprise learning as a pilot to inform the undergraduate review. The team sought to provide a coherent and relevant set of learning experiences that could be achieved outside structured curriculum that would enable learning through live projects

Cues: How power influences behaviour in project portfolio management

Project portfolio management (PPM) is a dynamic management activity that seeks to align an organisation’s strategy with its portfolio of projects by selecting and delivering a suitable combination of projects. Though PPM processes are often adopted, outcomes vary and poor decisions are common. While there are many reasons why this might occur, we focus on the influence of power on PPM decision making, in particular the effects of indirect power. We examine models of decision making and argue that power shapes context, and provides actors with cues that encourages behaviour in frame appropriate ways. Specific behavioural cues are identified, and the need for further research is made

Cyanobacteria from extreme deserts to space

The development of space technology makes possible the exposure of organisms and molecules to the space environ-ment by using the ESA Biopan and Expose facilities and NASA nanosatellites; the aim is to decipher the origin, evolu-tion and distribution of life on Earth and in the Universe. The study of microbial communities thriving in lithic habitats in cold and hot deserts is gathering appreciation when dealing with the limits of life as we know it, the identification of biosignatures for searching life beyond Earth and the validation of the (litho)-Panspermia theory. Cyanobacteria of the genus Chroococcidiopsis dominate rock-dwelling communities in extreme deserts that are considered terrestrial ana-logues of Mars, like the Dry Valleys in Antarctica, the Atacama Desert in Chile or the Mojave Desert in California. The extraordinary tolerance of these cyanobacteria towards desiccation, ionizing and UV radiation makes them suitable ex-perimental strains which have been already used in astrobiological experiments and already selected for future space missions. Evidence gained so far supports the use of desert cyanobacteria to develop life support systems and in-situ resource utilization for the human space exploration and settlement on the Moon or Mars

Triboelectric Effect Enabled Self-Powered, Point-of-Care Diagnostics: Opportunities for developing ASSURED and REASSURED devices

The use of rapid point-of-care (PoC) diagnostics in conjunction with physiological signal monitoring has seen tremendous progress in their availability and uptake, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, to truly overcome infrastructural and resource constraints, there is an urgent need for self-powered devices which can enable on-demand and/or continuous monitoring of patients. The past decade has seen the rapid rise of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) as the choice for high-efficiency energy harvesting for developing self-powered systems as well as for use as sensors. This review provides an overview of the current state of the art of such wearable sensors and end-to-end solutions for physiological and biomarker monitoring. We further discuss the current constraints and bottlenecks of these devices and systems and provide an outlook on the development of TENG-enabled PoC/monitoring devices that could eventually meet criteria formulated specifically for use in LMICs.Ulster Universityhttp://www.mdpi.com/journal/micromachineshj2021Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineerin

Frailty and acute coronary syndrome: A structured literature review

The health burden of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and frailty is high, but the impact of frailty on ACS treatment and outcomes is uncertain. In this structured literature review, we investigated the relationship between frailty, ACS treatment and outcomes. Between 2000 and 2016, we identified only a small number of primary research studies investigating frailty and ACS care (n = 10). Frailty was independently associated with increased mortality following ACS (adjusted all-cause mortality hazard ratios for patients with frailty ranged from 1.54 to 5.39). Older people with frailty were significantly less likely to receive guideline-indicated ACS care, including percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (rates ranged from 6.7% to 43.7% vs. from 30.4% to 69.5%). Available data for PCI indicated a gap between treatment recommended by international guidelines and clinical practice. Further research is warranted in order to investigate methods for identifying frailty in the acute setting and opportunities for improving care among older people with frailty presenting with ACS

Systemic amyloidosis in England: an epidemiological study.

Epidemiological studies of systemic amyloidosis are scarce and the burden of disease in England has not previously been estimated. In 1999, the National Health Service commissioned the National Amyloidosis Centre (NAC) to provide a national clinical service for all patients with amyloidosis. Data for all individuals referred to the NAC is held on a comprehensive central database, and these were compared with English death certificate data for amyloidosis from 2000 to 2008, obtained from the Office of National Statistics. Amyloidosis was stated on death certificates of 2543 individuals, representing 0·58/1000 recorded deaths. During the same period, 1143 amyloidosis patients followed at the NAC died, 903 (79%) of whom had amyloidosis recorded on their death certificates. The estimated minimum incidence of systemic amyloidosis in the English population in 2008, based on new referrals to the NAC, was 0·4/100 000 population. The incidence peaked at age 60-79 years. Systemic AL amyloidosis was the most common type with an estimated minimum incidence of 0·3/100 000 population. Although there are various limitations to this study, the available data suggest the incidence of systemic amyloidosis in England exceeds 0·8/100 000 of the population

International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: beta-alanine

Position statement: The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) provides an objective and critical review of the mechanisms and use of beta-alanine supplementation. Based on the current available literature, the conclusions of the ISSN are as follows: 1) Four weeks of beta-alanine supplementation (4–6 g daily) significantly augments muscle carnosine concentrations, thereby acting as an intracellular pH buffer; 2) Beta-alanine supplementation currently appears to be safe in healthy populations at recommended doses; 3) The only reported side effect is paraesthesia (tingling), but studies indicate this can be attenuated by using divided lower doses (1.6 g) or using a sustained-release formula; 4) Daily supplementation with 4 to 6 g of beta-alanine for at least 2 to 4 weeks has been shown to improve exercise performance, with more pronounced effects in open end-point tasks/time trials lasting 1 to 4 min in duration; 5) Beta-alanine attenuates neuromuscular fatigue, particularly in older subjects, and preliminary evidence indicates that beta-alanine may improve tactical performance; 6) Combining beta-alanine with other single or multi-ingredient supplements may be advantageous when supplementation of beta-alanine is high enough (4–6 g daily) and long enough (minimum 4 weeks); 7) More research is needed to determine the effects of beta-alanine on strength, endurance performance beyond 25 min in duration, and other health-related benefits associated with carnosine

Demonstration of multi-channel 80 Gbit/s integrated transmitter and receiver for wavelength-division multiplexing passive optical network and fronthauling applications

The performance evaluation of a multi-channel transmitter that employs an arrayed reflective electroabsorption modulator-based photonic integrated circuit and a low-power driver array in conjunction with a multi-channel receiver incorporating a pin photodiode array and integrated arrayed waveguide grating is reported. Due to their small footprint, low power consumption and potential low cost, these devices are attractive solutions for future mobile fronthaul and next generation optical access networks. A BER performance of <10(-9) at 10.3 Gbit/s per channel is achieved over 25 km of standard single mode fibre. The transmitter/receiver combination can achieve an aggregate bit rate of 82.4 Gbit/s when eight channels are active