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"Hazel Smith"
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The child
The child was playing in a garden full of pink camelias and then disappeared...
Journal Article
Practice-led Research, Research-led Practice in the Creative Arts
This book addresses one of the most exciting and innovative developments within higher education: the rise in prominence of the creative arts and the accelerating recognition that creative practice is a form of research.
eBook
The genetic basis of water‐use efficiency and yield in lettuce
Background
Water supply limits agricultural productivity of many crops including lettuce. Identifying cultivars within crop species that can maintain productivity with reduced water supply is a significant challenge, but central to developing resilient crops for future water-limited climates. We investigated traits known to be related to water-use efficiency (WUE) and yield in lettuce, a globally important leafy salad crop, in a recombinant inbred line (RIL) lettuce mapping population, produced from a cross between the cultivated
Lactuca sativa
L. cv. Salinas and its wild progenitor
L. serriola
L.
Results
Wild and cultivated lettuce differed in their WUE and we observed transgressive segregation in yield and water-use traits in the RILs. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis identified genomic regions controlling these traits under well-watered and droughted conditions. QTL were detected for carbon isotope discrimination, transpiration, stomatal conductance, leaf temperature and yield, controlling 4–23 % of the phenotypic variation. A QTL hotspot was identified on chromosome 8 that controlled carbon isotope discrimination, stomatal conductance and yield under drought. Several promising candidate genes in this region were associated with WUE, including aquaporins, late embryogenesis abundant proteins, an abscisic acid-responsive element binding protein and glutathione S-transferases involved in redox homeostasis following drought stress were also identified.
Conclusions
For the first time, we have characterised the genetic basis of WUE of lettuce, a commercially important and water demanding crop. We have identified promising candidate genomic regions determining WUE and yield under well-watered and water-limiting conditions, providing important pre-breeding data for future lettuce selection and breeding where water productivity will be a key target.
Journal Article
Automatic Detection of Regions in Spinach Canopies Responding to Soil Moisture Deficit Using Combined Visible and Thermal Imagery
Thermal imaging has been used in the past for remote detection of regions of canopy showing symptoms of stress, including water deficit stress. Stress indices derived from thermal images have been used as an indicator of canopy water status, but these depend on the choice of reference surfaces and environmental conditions and can be confounded by variations in complex canopy structure. Therefore, in this work, instead of using stress indices, information from thermal and visible light imagery was combined along with machine learning techniques to identify regions of canopy showing a response to soil water deficit. Thermal and visible light images of a spinach canopy with different levels of soil moisture were captured. Statistical measurements from these images were extracted and used to classify between canopies growing in well-watered soil or under soil moisture deficit using Support Vector Machines (SVM) and Gaussian Processes Classifier (GPC) and a combination of both the classifiers. The classification results show a high correlation with soil moisture. We demonstrate that regions of a spinach crop responding to soil water deficit can be identified by using machine learning techniques with a high accuracy of 97%. This method could, in principle, be applied to any crop at a range of scales.
Journal Article
Making watercress (Nasturtium officinale) cropping sustainable: genomic insights into enhanced phosphorus use efficiency in an aquatic crop
Watercress ( Nasturtium officinale ) is a nutrient-dense salad crop with high antioxidant capacity and glucosinolate concentration and with the potential to contribute to nutrient security as a locally grown outdoor aquatic crop in northern temperate climates. However, phosphate-based fertilizers used to support plant growth contribute to the eutrophication of aquatic habitats, often pristine chalk streams, downstream of farms, increasing pressure to minimize fertilizer use and develop a more phosphorus-use efficient (PUE) crop. Here, we grew genetically distinct watercress lines selected from a bi-parental mapping population on a commercial watercress farm either without additional phosphorus (P−) or under a commercial phosphate-based fertilizer regime (P+), to decipher effects on morphology, nutritional profile, and the transcriptome. Watercress plants sustained shoot yield in P− conditions, through enhanced root biomass, but with shorter stems and smaller leaves. Glucosinolate concentration was not affected by P− conditions, but both antioxidant capacity and the concentration of sugars and starch in shoot tissue were enhanced. We identified two watercress breeding lines, with contrasting strategies for enhanced PUE: line 60, with highly plastic root systems and increased root growth in P−, and line 102, maintaining high yield irrespective of P supply, but less plastic. RNA-seq analysis revealed a suite of genes involved in cell membrane remodeling, root development, suberization, and phosphate transport as potential future breeding targets for enhanced PUE. We identified watercress gene targets for enhanced PUE for future biotechnological and breeding approaches enabling less fertilizer inputs and reduced environmental damage from watercress cultivation.
Journal Article
Quasi-experimental study on the effectiveness and impact of implementing nurse-led ‘therapeutic optimisation’ (THEO) intervention in two older persons wards: a mixed methods study protocol
IntroductionHigher staffing levels, particularly with experienced registered nurses, are associated with improved patient safety and fewer adverse events, as skilled nurses can quickly identify potential risks and implement strategies to mitigate them, creating a safer environment for patients. This study will investigate the effectiveness and impact of implementing therapeutic optimisation (THEO) intervention, a complex intervention aimed at enhancing nursing care by increasing experienced registered nurse staffing and facilitating practice development (PD) activities for all staff.Methods and analysisA multicentre quasi-experimental (before and after) study with an embedded convergent mixed methods process evaluation in older persons’ wards across two National Health Service (NHS) Trusts in England. Four work packages are proposed. Work Package 1 will use participatory action research to implement the THEO intervention, including an enhanced staffing model and PD activities, involving seven iterative participatory data collection exercises with staff, patients and their personal consultees, as appropriate. Work Package 2 will extract and aggregate anonymised administrative data (patient and staff related) from 1 January 2015 to 30 days after the 12-month intervention period. Work Package 3 will use qualitative interviews to explore the experiences of patients with and without mental capacity (with their personal consultees) and staff regarding the THEO intervention. Work Package 4 is a mixed methods process evaluation to assess implementation and contextual factors impacting the effectiveness of the THEO intervention, collecting both quantitative (survey) and qualitative (guided discussions and workshops) data.Ethics and disseminationThe UK Health Research Authority provided governance and ethical approval (Integrated Research Application System, IRAS ID: 334473). Dissemination will be with key stakeholders (including patient and public representatives), conference presentations and publications in peer-reviewed high-impact journals.
Journal Article
The prevalence and the most significant sources of occupational burnout syndrome amongst anesthetic technicians in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional survey
Aims:
To detect the prevalence and the most significant sources of occupational burnout syndrome among anesthetic technicians in Saudi Arabia and draw recommendations that can reduce the level of this syndrome.
Settings and Design:
A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted in a central hospital in Saudi Arabia.
Methods:
Maslach Burnout Inventory and a self-created questionnaire was utilized to survey seventeen anesthesia technicians in order to capture the prevalence and most significant sources of burnout.
Statistical Analysis Used:
Descriptive statistics were utilized to conduct the statistical analysis.
Results:
Occupational burnout syndrome has been found in 29%. A level of emotional exhaustion was critically high in 41.2%. Likewise, a level of depersonalization was extremely high in 58.8%, while 76.5% of anesthetic technicians lacked personal accomplishments. There are several sources perceived by anesthetic technicians as the most significant sources of their occupational burnout syndrome. These sources include staff shortage, high workload, occupational hazards, and poor teamwork. However, the limited career pathway of anesthesia technicians seems to be the main predictor.
Conclusions:
A critically high prevalence of occupational burnout syndrome was found among anesthetic technicians, which is the highest among all studies reviewed worldwide. Several recommendations have been made which require urgent implementation into practice in order to protected practitioners' wellbeing and decrease their rate of turnover. These recommendations include implementing physician-led team-based care, provision of training and resources, fostering equity in a workplace and provision of hazard pay.
Journal Article
Cohort study to determine the risk of pressure ulcers and developing a care bundle within a paediatric intensive care unit setting
Determine the incidence and risk factors for pressure ulcers in a paediatric intensive care unit. Use the information gathered to develop preventive pressure ulcer care bundles.
Prospective cohort study using Braden Q Scale for Predicting Pressure Sore Risk and European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel Pressure Ulcer Staging tool.
General paediatric intensive care unit in a tertiary level hospital between May and October 2017.
Seventy-seven children were recruited. Most children were male (n = 42, 54.5%) and all nine children (11.7%) that developed a pressure ulcer were male. The main risk factor for developing a pressure ulcer was lack of physical activity. None of the children assessed as high or severe risk developed a pressure ulcer. Eight (89%) pressure ulcers were assessed as grade one. Seven pressure ulcers (77.8%) were on the facial and scalp area and all seven children were receiving airway support at the time the pressure ulcers developed.
Incidence of pressure ulcers was 11.7%, with the facial and scalp area the most common anatomical areas affected. Medical devices appeared to be the prime causative factor. Based on our data we have modified and launched the SSKIN care bundle for the paediatric intensive care unit setting.
Journal Article
Evaluating the impact of a ward environment with 20 single occupancy rooms and two four-bedded bays on patient and staff experiences and outcomes in an acute NHS Trust: a mixed-methods study protocol
IntroductionTraditionally, wards in acute care hospitals consist predominately of multioccupancy bays with some single rooms. There is an increasing global trend towards a higher proportion of single rooms in hospitals, with the UK National Health Service (NHS) advocating for single-room provision in all new hospital builds. There is limited evidence on the impact of a ward environment incorporating mostly single and some multioccupancy bays on patient care and organisational outcomes.Methods and analysesThis study will assess the impact of a newly designed 28-bedded ward environment, with 20 single rooms and two four-bedded bays, on patient and staff experiences and outcomes in an acute NHS Trust in East England. The study is divided into two work packages (WP)—WP1 is a quantitative data extraction of routinely collected patient and staff data while WP2 is a mixed-methods process evaluation consisting of one-to-one, in-depth, semistructured interviews with staff, qualitative observations of work processes on the ward and a quantitative data evaluation of routinely collected process evaluation data from patients and staff.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval was obtained from the UK Health Research Authority (IRAS ID: 334395). Study findings will be shared with key stakeholders, published in peer-reviewed high-impact journals and presented at relevant conferences.
Journal Article