337 results match your criteria: "University of Cumbria.[Affiliation]"

Shedding light on the increased carbon uptake by a boreal forest under diffuse solar radiation across multiple scales.

Glob Chang Biol

April 2024

Faculty of Biological and Environmental Science, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology (OEB), Viikki Plant Science Centre (ViPS), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

Solar radiation is scattered by cloud cover, aerosols and other particles in the atmosphere, all of which are affected by global changes. Furthermore, the diffuse fraction of solar radiation is increased by more frequent forest fires and likewise would be if climate interventions such as stratospheric aerosol injection were adopted. Forest ecosystem studies predict that an increase in diffuse radiation would result in higher productivity, but ecophysiological data are required to identify the processes responsible within the forest canopy.

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Environmental plastics in the context of UV radiation, climate change, and the Montreal Protocol.

Glob Chang Biol

April 2024

State Key Lab for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, China.

There are close links between solar UV radiation, climate change, and plastic pollution. UV-driven weathering is a key process leading to the degradation of plastics in the environment but also the formation of potentially harmful plastic fragments such as micro- and nanoplastic particles. Estimates of the environmental persistence of plastic pollution, and the formation of fragments, will need to take in account plastic dispersal around the globe, as well as projected UV radiation levels and climate change factors.

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Utilisation and experience of emergency medical services by patients with back pain: A scoping review.

Musculoskelet Sci Pract

June 2024

Centre for Rehabilitation, School of Health and Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, Tees Valley, TS1 3BX, UK. Electronic address:

Background: Back pain is recognised as a common reason for people to access emergency medical services (EMS). EMS focus on identifying and treating serious and life-threatening conditions. Back pain frequently has a non-specific cause, however back pain is also a symptom for potentially serious pathology best suited for management by EMS.

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Plastics in the environment in the context of UV radiation, climate change and the Montreal Protocol: UNEP Environmental Effects Assessment Panel, Update 2023.

Photochem Photobiol Sci

April 2024

State Key Lab for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, China.

This Assessment Update by the Environmental Effects Assessment Panel (EEAP) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) considers the interactive effects of solar UV radiation, global warming, and other weathering factors on plastics. The Assessment illustrates the significance of solar UV radiation in decreasing the durability of plastic materials, degradation of plastic debris, formation of micro- and nanoplastic particles and accompanying leaching of potential toxic compounds. Micro- and nanoplastics have been found in all ecosystems, the atmosphere, and in humans.

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What are the Correlates of Hearing Aid Use for People Living With Dementia?

J Aging Health

March 2024

Manchester Centre for Health Psychology, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.

Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to identify factors that influence the use of hearing aids among individuals with dementia and age-related hearing loss.
  • Multivariate analysis revealed that greater self-perceived hearing difficulties, lower hearing acuity, higher cognitive ability, and the participants' country of residence were significantly associated with hearing aid usage.
  • The findings suggest that tailoring interventions based on these factors could enhance hearing aid adoption for people with dementia.
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Background: Student veterinary nurses (SVNs) complete significant time in clinical placements and this training can have a positive or negative impact on the development of professional skills and identity.

Methods: A cross-sectional design, using semi-structured interviews, explored 12 SVNs' experiences of clinical placements. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to explore each individual participant's experience, prior to the identification of themes across participants' experiences.

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Article Synopsis
  • Amazonia's floodplain system is the largest and most biodiverse, but our understanding of its forest species and their unique roles is still limited, especially as changing flood patterns impact these communities.
  • About one-sixth of the tree diversity in Amazonia is specifically adapted to live in floodplain environments, indicating a significant ecological specialization within these forests.
  • The study emphasizes that the unique composition of floodplain forests is influenced by regional flooding patterns, highlighting the necessity of maintaining overall hydrological health to ensure the survival of Amazon's tree diversity and its essential ecosystem functions.
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Purpose: Assess the efficacy, and potential impact of patient positioning for 10 minutes immediately post-procedure, of greater occipital nerve (GON) block for treatment of migraine.

Methods: Prospective multicentre non-blinded randomised controlled trial, randomisation and treatment of 60 neurology clinic patients with poorly controlled migraine. Outcomes measured with Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6), modified MIgraine Disability Assessment Scale (M-MIDAS), and RELIEF scores.

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Unilateral dynamic balance assessment: The test-retest reliability of the OptoJump next drift protocol.

J Bodyw Mov Ther

January 2024

Institute of Health, University of Cumbria, Bowerham Road, Lancaster, UK. Electronic address:

Background: The OptoJump Next Drift Protocol is a test designed to assess unilateral dynamic balance. Participants are required to perform a series of unilateral jumps from which left/right and forward/back displacement (Drift) is calculated.

Objectives: This investigation set out to establish the test-retest reliability of the OptoJump Next Drift Protocol.

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Background: The number of people living with dementia (PLWD) continues to increase, particularly those with severe symptomatology. Severe symptoms and greater ill-health result in more acute care need. Early healthcare interventions can prove beneficial.

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Repatterning is a term that can be used in different fields, including genetics, molecular biology, neurology, psychology, or rehabilitation. Our aim is to identify the key concept of neuromuscular repatterning in somatic training programmes for dancers. A systematic search of eight databases was conducted using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis) guidelines.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study combines the Deese-Roediger and McDermott (DRM) paradigm with visually guided saccade tasks to create a new DRM-Saccade method for investigating recognition decisions.
  • In Experiment 1, participants used a pro/anti saccade task and showed slower saccadic latencies for correctly rejecting critical lures, but similar latencies for recognizing studied items and incorrectly recognizing lures.
  • Experiment 2 involved a two-target saccade task and found that participants corrected their initial decisions to improve recognition accuracy, suggesting that quick saccadic movements reflect cognitive processing before slower, more detailed source-monitoring occurs.
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Article Synopsis
  • - Hearing loss is common in people with dementia, but they use hearing aids less frequently than those without cognitive issues.
  • - This study surveyed 11 pairs of individuals with mild to moderate dementia and their caregivers to understand what influences hearing aid use, using a structured interview approach.
  • - Key factors influencing hearing aid usage were identified within specific domains, indicating that tailored and varied interventions could improve hearing aid adoption for those with dementia.
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Increasing the public awareness of justification.

J Radiol Prot

January 2024

Visiting Research Fellow, Institute of Health, University of Cumbria, Lancaster, United Kingdom.

One of the requirements of the UK Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2017 is that all medical exposures must be justified before the exposure can proceed. One of the main elements of justification is a determination that the medical benefits from the exposure will exceed the associated radiation detriment. The field of medical exposure to ionising radiation is in the rare position of having this explicit legal requirement for net benefit.

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Background: The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing inequalities and increased adversity and challenges for vulnerable and marginalised communities worldwide. In the UK, the Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector play a vital role in supporting the health and wellbeing of people who are marginalised or experiencing multiple complex needs. However, only a small number of studies have focused on the impact that Covid-19 had on the VCSE sector.

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Radiation and temperature drive diurnal variation of aerobic methane emissions from Scots pine canopy.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

December 2023

Department of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00790, Finland.

Methane emissions from plant foliage may play an important role in the global methane cycle, but their size and the underlying source processes remain poorly understood. Here, we quantify methane fluxes from the shoots of Scots pine trees, a dominant tree species in boreal forests, to identify source processes and environmental drivers, and we evaluate whether these fluxes can be constrained at the ecosystem-level by eddy covariance flux measurements. We show that shoot-level measurements conducted in forest, garden, or greenhouse settings; on mature trees and saplings; manually and with an automated CO-, temperature-, and water-controlled chamber system; and with multiple methane analyzers all resulted in comparable daytime fluxes (0.

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Justification of medical radiation exposure is one of the main elements of radiation protection for patients. For a medical exposure to proceed, the benefit from the procedure must have been determined to be greater than the detriment. It is rare, however, that justification can be stated quantitatively as a ratio of benefit to detriment, or as a net benefit, and this is particularly true for medical diagnostic exposures associated with non-fatal diseases where survival statistics do not apply.

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Leadership skills for the multi-tiered nursing team.

Nurs Stand

December 2023

assistant practitioner programme, Institute of Health, University of Cumbria, Lancaster, England.

In a challenging global healthcare climate, new workforce models are required to address the ongoing shortfall in the number of nurses. One way of addressing the workforce crisis in the NHS has been to introduce the roles of nursing associate and assistant practitioner, which are designed to support registered healthcare professionals in their work and 'bridge the gap' between registered professionals and support workers. This article examines the leadership skills required of nurses when seeking to embed these roles in practice, and the leadership skills assistant practitioners and nursing associates themselves need to take their place in the team.

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The recent development of the Red Colobus Conservation Action Plan has spurred momentum to promote site-based conservation of red colobus while forging partnerships among researchers and building local capacity. Communities for Red Colobus (C4RC) is a community-centered conservation organization in The Gambia, West Africa, that aims to protect Temminck's red colobus (Piliocolobus badius temminckii) while advancing opportunities for local people. We highlight the inception and initial development of C4RC with its educational and ranger teams and describe how local and international collaborations have positively impacted the organization through training and mentoring programs.

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Using 2.046 botanically-inventoried tree plots across the largest tropical forest on Earth, we mapped tree species-diversity and tree species-richness at 0.1-degree resolution, and investigated drivers for diversity and richness.

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How leadership is taught and applied must take into account the complexities of socio-ecological systems, the opportunities found in diverse viewpoints, the ability to parse conflict and power differences, and the ability to resource expert knowledge for more sustainable futures. We discuss and chart resources linked to leadership concepts critical to constructively harness business engagement with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), identifying eight that are primary to active learning and application: systems resilience, strength through interdependence, scaling adaption, innovation for transformation, context and collectiveness, diversity of learning, negotiating power, and elevating the normative nature of the Global Goals.

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Habitat structure shapes temperate reef assemblages across regional environmental gradients.

Sci Total Environ

January 2024

University of Rhode Island, Department of Biological Sciences, 120 Flagg Road, Kingston, RI 02881, USA; University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography, Narragansett, RI 02882, USA.

Intertidal artificial habitats are proliferating, but are generally simpler in structure and host lower biodiversity than natural rocky reefs. Eco-engineering aims to enhance the biodiversity of coastal infrastructure, often through physical structural modifications that mimic topographic properties of natural shores. Relationships between biotic assemblages and structural properties of natural and artificial reefs have been extensively studied at sampling scales of up to 1 m.

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Take a break: should breaks be enforced during digital breast tomosynthesis reading sessions?

Eur Radiol

February 2024

Translational Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Clinical Sciences Building, City Hospital Campus, Hucknall Road, Nottingham, NG5 1PB, UK.

Objectives: Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) can improve diagnostic accuracy compared to 2D mammography, but DBT reporting is time-consuming and potentially more fatiguing. Changes in diagnostic accuracy and subjective and objective fatigue were evaluated over a DBT reporting session, and the impact of taking a reporting break was assessed.

Materials And Methods: Forty-five National Health Service (NHS) mammography readers from 6 hospitals read a cancer-enriched set of 40 DBT cases whilst eye tracked in this prospective cohort study, from December 2020 to April 2022.

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Children continue to experience harm when undergoing clinical procedures despite increased evidence of the need to improve the provision of child-centred care. The international ISupport collaboration aimed to develop standards to outline and explain good procedural practice and the rights of children within the context of a clinical procedure. The rights-based standards for children undergoing tests, treatments, investigations, examinations and interventions were developed using an iterative, multi-phased, multi-method and multi-stakeholder consensus building approach.

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