Male reproductive health : reasons why men may choose to participate in trials

This portfolio thesis comprises of three parts: a systematic literature review, an empirical report and a reflective statement.Part one is a systematic review in which literature relating to the empirical paper is reviewed. Due to a paucity of literature about reasons to participate in male reproductive health trials (RHTs), the broader area of reasons to participate in clinical trials, from a non-clinical sample, was reviewed. The review attempts to determine reasons why ‘healthy’ people participate in clinical trials and compares the findings with literature on reasons why patients participate. Recommendations are then made for future clinical trial recruitment strategies.Part two is an empirical paper encompassing two studies. Study one aimed to test hypotheses about factors that influence male participation in RHTs, specifically masculinity and altruism. Comments from participants about their own idiosyncratic reasons were then used to triangulate findings. Study two aimed to complement study one by exploring experiences of men participating in a RHT. Thematic constructions of stigma, altruism and masculinity were considered within a decision-making framework.Part three comprises of ppendices, including a reflective summary drawing on all aspects of the research process

Modelling Local Deep Convolutional Neural Network Features to Improve Fine-Grained Image Classification

We propose a local modelling approach using deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for fine-grained image classification. Recently, deep CNNs trained from large datasets have considerably improved the performance of object recognition. However, to date there has been limited work using these deep CNNs as local feature extractors. This partly stems from CNNs having internal representations which are high dimensional, thereby making such representations difficult to model using stochastic models. To overcome this issue, we propose to reduce the dimensionality of one of the internal fully connected layers, in conjunction with layer-restricted retraining to avoid retraining the entire network. The distribution of low-dimensional features obtained from the modified layer is then modelled using a Gaussian mixture model. Comparative experiments show that considerable performance improvements can be achieved on the challenging Fish and UEC FOOD-100 datasets.Comment: 5 pages, three figure

Multi-Action Recognition via Stochastic Modelling of Optical Flow and Gradients

In this paper we propose a novel approach to multi-action recognition that performs joint segmentation and classification. This approach models each action using a Gaussian mixture using robust low-dimensional action features. Segmentation is achieved by performing classification on overlapping temporal windows, which are then merged to produce the final result. This approach is considerably less complicated than previous methods which use dynamic programming or computationally expensive hidden Markov models (HMMs). Initial experiments on a stitched version of the KTH dataset show that the proposed approach achieves an accuracy of 78.3%, outperforming a recent HMM-based approach which obtained 71.2%

Bags of Affine Subspaces for Robust Object Tracking

We propose an adaptive tracking algorithm where the object is modelled as a continuously updated bag of affine subspaces, with each subspace constructed from the object's appearance over several consecutive frames. In contrast to linear subspaces, affine subspaces explicitly model the origin of subspaces. Furthermore, instead of using a brittle point-to-subspace distance during the search for the object in a new frame, we propose to use a subspace-to-subspace distance by representing candidate image areas also as affine subspaces. Distances between subspaces are then obtained by exploiting the non-Euclidean geometry of Grassmann manifolds. Experiments on challenging videos (containing object occlusions, deformations, as well as variations in pose and illumination) indicate that the proposed method achieves higher tracking accuracy than several recent discriminative trackers.Comment: in International Conference on Digital Image Computing: Techniques and Applications, 201

Service user perspectives of an early intervention in psychosis service: a service evaluation

This evaluation aimed to gather the perspectives of individuals accessing an early intervention in psychosis service (EIPS), in order to inform service development.Individual interviews (n=9) and one focus group (n=7) were conducted. Discussions focused on open questions pertaining to Service Users’ (SUs) experiences of accessing the EIPS. The results were analysed using inductive thematic analysis.Inductive thematic analysis was used and three main themes were generated; Consistency and Communication, facilitating therapeutic relationships between EIP service staff and SU’s. Pushing Boundaries, relating to the importance of services taking a graded approach to developing therapeutic relationships and (re)engaging in activities; and Normalising and Validating experiences of psychosis. Participants emphasised the importance of relationships with EIP service staff and fellow SUs and highlighted how SUs can feel fearful and vulnerable when staff are not accessible or they view their care as inconsistent. Participants further emphasised the need for practitioners to balance an approach that de-stigmatises psychotic experiences whilst validating distress.Consistency of support from EIP services can be as important as flexibility. Clinicians should carefully consider the balance between validating and normalising distressing experiences associated with Psychosis. Offering social activities with other SUs can facilitate therapeutic relationships and recovery but the results suggest that this should be facilitated in a graded way

Knowing the price of everything? Exploring the impact of increased procurement professional involvement on management consultancy purchasing

Much of the estimated $554 billion annual expenditure on management consultancy services is accounted for by projects with a direct link to client profitability. As such, it is critical for clients (and arguably the wider economy) that the purchase process for such services is managed effectively. For many within the management consultancy literature, this requires close, bilateral buy-side service end-user / supplier engagement. In recent years, however, this bilateral engagement has been modified by a significant increase in procurement professional involvement. This has caused concern within the management consultancy literature as it is believed it will inevitably lead to a cost-focused approach that disrupts close end-user / supplier engagement and causes sub-standard service outcomes. In this paper, we explore, via qualitative research, whether this concern is justified. In the event, the analysis suggested partial justification. However, examples of positive procurement involvement were also reported, suggesting that existing models and assumptions within the management consultancy literature regarding the impact of increased procurement involvement require modification

Infrasonic backpulsed membrane cleaning micro-and ultrafiltration membranes fouled with alumina and yeast

Membrane fouling is universally considered to be one of the most critical problems in the wider application of membrane filtration. In this research microfiltration membranes were fouled during a cross-flow filtration process, using yeast and alumina suspensions in a flat cell. Infrasonic backpulsing directly into the permeate space was then used to clean the membrane, using both permeate water and soap solutions. Ultrasonic time domain reflectometry (UTDR) was used to detect and measure the growth of fouling on membrane surfaces, during the filtration and cleaning processes. The objective of this work was to examine the efficiency of back-pulse cleaning, using different combinations of membrane materials and foulants, in flat cells. The results show that a flux value of between 60% and 95% of the clean water value can be recovered after cleaning, by using a sequence of three 6.7 Hz backpulses, each pulse being 35 s long with a peak amplitude of about 140 kPa

A weird but interesting journey: Personal traumatic growth for individuals with hallucinations

Objectives: Hallucinations can be traumatic. However, research into 'post-traumatic growth' in relation to hallucinations is scarce. This study aims to further our understanding of personal growth in the context of hallucinations. Design: A phenomenological qualitative approach was used to explore experiences of personal growth with hallucinations, adopting Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) methodology. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven people who experience hallucinations. Participants were asked about experiences of personal growth, their expectations of individual transformation, and facilitating and hindering factors in the attainment of personal growth. Transcripts were analysed ensuring suitable saturation and representation of the data was achieved. Results: One overall theme (A journey towards personal growth) and five subthemes were identified: A difficult journey taken day by day, Stigma, Acceptance, Finding the right support, and Personal growth. Conclusions: Findings supported personal growth in the context of hallucinations and highlighted facilitators and barriers. Practitioner points • There is scarce literature supporting the development of personal growth with hallucinatory experiences and it is empirically limited. The present research provides greater information into the phenomenon to inform service provision. • The importance of acceptance and maintaining hope for change was highlighted. • Services and the use of coping strategies were both identified as facilitative and hindering of personal growth. • This research provides a necessary alternative to the often negative literature; challenging societal perceptions and helping promote much needed hope in clinicians, the public and individuals experiencing hallucinations

Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes in Type II Supernova Diamonds

We construct a model for the origin of the abundant nanometer diamonds found in meteorites. We interpret them as interstellar particles that were grown during the expansions of supernova interiors. The physical setting and the chemical-vapor-deposition process that we describe present clear reasons both for the small sizes (nm) of the diamonds and for their mean isotopic composition being not greatly different from solar. To delineate the isotopic requirements for collections of diamonds (which are too small for analysis individually) we present measurements of carbon and nitrogen isotopes obtained by stepped combustion of diamond collections. Our model for the growth of supernova diamonds is motivated by a series of postulates, unremarkable as single postulates, that together produce a successful calculation. The computed growth occurs in the continuously mixing envelopes of expanding Type II supernova remnants. It provides a good characterization of these facts: (1) the C isotopic composition is not far from solar; (2) both carbon and nitrogen become isotopically lighter as the diamonds are combusted; (3) the C/N ratio changes during combustion; (4) the diamonds are individually tiny; (5) collections of diamonds are carriers of Xe-HL. We show that the isotopic gradient during combustion may be interpreted in this model as either an isotopic gradient within each diamond or as a correlation between isotopic composition and size of individual diamonds contained in the bulk collections