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Dr Hanieh Yaghootkar, School of Chemistry, Prof Louise Thomas, University of Westminster and Prof Alex Blakemore, Brunel University People store fat in different places in the body, and where you put fat matters to what disease you may suffer. We will explore links between body fat and type 2 diabetes. Our approach involves using precise measures of fat in differing body parts to identify genes that lead to such differing patterns. We will use these genes to help us understand who puts fat where and whether this helps us predict risks. We can also use genetics to determine whether the different fat distribution patterns cause type 2 diabetes and its complications or occur alongside them. Our goal is to gain new insights into the biology of obesity and its connection to type 2 diabetes and its complications. Finally, we will ask whether genetic insights into where fat goes helps us better determine response to weight loss interventions. If so, this will help better prevent and treat individuals with obesity and type 2 diabetes. The ultimate goal of this research is to advance towards better medicine in obesity care, where each individual's unique fat patterns can guide personalised weight management interventions and improve health outcomes....

This project focuses on developing an online psychological prehabilitation programme for patients preparing for major cancer surgery. It addresses the gap in current prehabilitation programs, which mainly emphasise exercise, by providing expert psychological guidance to reduce acute distress and improve recovery outcomes. The project will follow the MRC Complex Intervention Framework, involving codesign, refinement through think-aloud interviews, and usability testing for online delivery. The aim is to produce a low-fidelity prototype that can be expanded for wider access after further evaluation of usability, theoretical relevance, and resolving uncertainties for larger-scale implementation. Dr Michael Baliousis, Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, University of Lincoln, School of Psychology; Mike Rennoldson & Chris Meek, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust; Dave Dawson & Nima Moghaddam, University of Lincoln, School of Psychology; Lauren Heathcote, King’s College London; Lynn Calman, University of Southampton...

Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disabilities, with increasing prevalence worldwide. Low socioeconomic status is associated with an increased incidence of stroke, and socioeconomic factors can also contribute towards stroke recovery. The Lincolnshire coastline is in the most deprived 10% of neighbourhoods in the country. Sedentary behaviour (SB) defined as any waking behaviour characterised by an energy expenditure ≤1.5 metabolic equivalent while in a sitting, reclining, or lying posture, is a unique predictor of metabolic risk alternative to physical activity (PA). Recently, there have been a significant increase in research studies developing interventions to break up sitting time, thus reducing SB across the lifespan. This project aims to be an initial exploration of 1) older adult stroke survivors’ overall perceptions and awareness of what SB is and how it can affect their health in deprived UK communities, 2) health professionals’ perceptions and awareness of SB and the provision of SB education and interventions. Findings will offer greater understanding of how survivors from deprived UK communities gain information, guidance, and support from relevant professionals regarding SB. Furthermore, findings will underpin and implement interventions targeted at breaking up sedentary time in stroke survivors....

Dr Edmond Nurellari, Associate Professor in the School of Engineering, has collaborated with colleagues based at the Ibn Zohr University, Hassan II University of Casablanca, and Moulay Ismail University of Meknes in Morocco on a project that has recently been published in Future Generation Computer Systems. Title A reinforcement learning based routing protocol for software-defined networking enabled wireless sensor network forest fire detection...

Jessica Perry, Dr Tasnim Munshi, and Dr Sasitaran Iyavoo of the School of Chemistry have collaborated with colleagues at IDna Genetics Limited in Norfolk on a project that has recently been published in Forensic Science International: Reports. Title English and Irish population comparison using STR markers: Insights into genetic disparities and historical influences...

Lecanicillium fungicola is a pathogen of the commercial white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) and is the causal agent of dry bubble disease, which can cause severe economic losses to mushroom growers. Volatile compounds were measured by GC/MS techniques over pure cultures of mycelia on agars, over microcosms of growing mushrooms, and over harvested mushrooms to identify compounds that might give an early warning of the disease. The mushroom strain tested was Agaricus bisporus, strain Sylvan A15; either deliberately infected with L. fungicola or water as a control. Over microcosms, the appearance of β-copaene, β-cubebene, and α-cedrene coincided with, but did not precede, the earliest visual signs of the disease. Mushrooms with dry bubble symptoms also had high levels of β-barbatene and an unknown diterpene (UK 1821). Over some harvested mushroom sets, high levels of cis-α-bisabolene developed as a defence reaction to infection....

The Royal College of General Practitioners has awarded a grant to a team at the Community and Health Research Unit (CaHRU) within the School of Health and Social Care. The team will work in collaboration with the MRCGP licensing examination to conduct a qualitative interview study of doctors undertaking speciality training for general practice on their experiences, perceived challenges and strategies for overcoming these, in all components of the Workplace-Based Assessment (WPBA) as part of the requirements for general practice licensing. More details can be found at https://www.cahru.org.uk/research/qoph/reliability-validity-and-fairness-in-the-mrcgp-licensing-examination/.

Dr Samson Oyeyinka, Senior Lecturer in Food Chemistry and Nutrition at the National Centre for Food Manufacturing, has collaborated with colleagues at Stellenbosch University, the University of Rome, and Purdue University on a project that has been published in Spectrochimica Acta, Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy: Title Effect of wheat roasting conditions and wheat type on short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectral data of whole and milled wheat by ANOVA-simultaneous component analysis...

The project funded by the NIHR Policy Research Programme aims to ascertain the feasibility of introducing gambling screening in mental health and drug and alcohol services and what the facilitators and barriers are in both screening and referral. It will also test if screening will identify substantial proportions of individuals who are experiencing harmful gambling. The 2-year project starting in January 2024 will run in full partnership with individuals from GamLEARN. The Gambling Lived Experience and Recovery Network (GamLEARN) supports and empowers those who have experienced gambling related harm.  ...

The project funded by the NIHR Policy Research Programme aims to ascertain the feasibility of introducing gambling screening in mental health and drug and alcohol services and what the facilitators and barriers are in both screening and referral. It will also test if screening will identify substantial proportions of individuals who are experiencing harmful gambling. The 2-year project starting in January 2024 will run in full partnership with individuals from GamLEARN. The Gambling Lived Experience and Recovery Network (GamLEARN) supports and empowers those who have experienced gambling related harm.  ...

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has awarded £8.5 million to an East Midlands partnership, including CaHRU and LinCTU, to deliver one of eight hubs of the new NIHR Research Support Service (RSS). The partnership will work with research teams across England to develop and deliver ground-breaking health and social care research. Prof Niro Siriwardena, Professor Graham Law, Dr Zahid Asghar, Dr Shihua Zhu, School of Health and Social Care https://www.cahru.org.uk/2023/07/24/cahru-and-lincoln-clinical-trials-unit-partners-in-new-nihr-research-support-service-rss-east-midlands/...

Using a psychological autopsy method, this 2-year project funded by Greo will fully examine the events and circumstances leading to gambling-related suicide including an in-depth exploration of significant risk factors, environmental factors, contextual factors and behaviours to provide a detailed socioecological understanding. A psychological autopsy study investigates suicide through a fully comprehensive review of a deceased person's history leading up to the suicide by interviewing people who knew them and fully assessing contextual information.  Partners on the project include six other Universities, as well as GamLEARN, Gambling with Lives, and GamFam. The charities will be instrumental in facilitating and fully supporting the active participation of the wider Lived Experience community at all stages of the project. https://www.greo.ca/en/index.aspx, https://www.gamlearn.org.uk/, www.gamblingwithlives.org, https://gamfam.org.uk/...

Dr Mark Schuerch, Associate Professor of Physical Geography in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences, has collaborated with colleagues based in universities in Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States on a project that has recently been published in Nature. Title Widespread retreat of coastal habitat is likely at warming levels above 1.5 °C...

Michael Baliousis, Dave Dawson, along with the NUH clinical psychology team have just published a paper describing the results of their feasibility study in group psychological preparation for haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The study highlights what clinicians and researchers should pay attention to when designing RCTs and group interventions to support patients' psychological readiness. The paper is available here: Group psychological intervention for emotional distress in haematopoietic stem cell transplantation: A feasibility randomised clinical trial - European Journal of Oncology Nursing (ejoncologynursing.com)...

Dr Umair Akram, Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology, has collaborated with colleagues at the University of Freiburg, Ulm University, and the University of Strathclyde in a project that has recently been published in the Journal of Sleep Research. Title Adherence to sleep restriction therapy – An evaluation of existing measures...

Flotation tailings from South Africa’s platinum group minerals (PGM) represent complex polymetallic orebodies comprising a low-grade platinum group elements (PGE) content and complex mineralogical composition. Nevertheless, given the valuable mineral potential in the tailings, it is understandable that the substantial historic tailings deposits and sizeable annual production volume from primary processes represent a potential secondary resource. For several decades, valorising the PGM tailing materials received very little interest due to limitations associated with extractive metallurgical technology to achieve economically viable PGE extraction. The early 21st century saw the coming online of technologies, including but not limited to ultrafine grinding, suitable to meet challenges in primary metallurgical treatment processes to recover valuable minerals from ultrafine particle fractions, which could not otherwise be recovered. More so, such processes were critical in improving the liberation of partially liberated particles without compromising additional ultrafine generation. These technologies led to the development of re-treatment pilot tests and subsequent industrial re-treatment recovery processes. The current industrial re-treatment approach – via tertiary scavenging flotation circuits – renders profit in small increments up to 1 ∼ 2% additional recovery relative to the primary plant head grade. These small increments relate to about ∼12–30% PGE recovery of the feed grade to the re-treatment circuit, thereby enhancing the primary plant's overall economics as well as aiding the supply of critical metals to meet global demands. With a focus on South Africa, this review provides an overview of (a) the current and future drivers of the precious metals global demand; (b) proffers discussion on the PGM characteristic mineralogy and the metallurgical value chain; (c) relates the parent orebodies (“reefs”) mineral characteristics to the inherent processed tailings; (d) estimates the economic potential these massive processed waste materials contain, (e) provides an overview of existing technologies that are industrially used in tailing re-treatment plants; and (f) outlines a comprehensive understanding of the nature of value minerals rejection to tailings....

Nima Moghaddam, Dave Dawson, along with two of their previous Trainees (Katrina Bayliss and Lucy Morris) have just published a paper describing the development and psychometric validation of a new short-form version of their psychological flexibility measure (the CompACT-10). Psychological flexibility is a central component of psychological health and wellbeing, and this new measure should be useful to both clinicians and researchers working with this key process. The paper is available here: The CompACT-10: Development and validation of a Comprehensive assessment of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy processes short-form in representative UK samples - ScienceDirect

Illusory body resizing typically uses multisensory integration to change the perceived size of a body part. Previous studies associate these multisensory body illusions with frontal theta oscillations and parietal gamma oscillations for dis-integration and integration of multisensory signals, respectively. However, recent studies also support illusory changes of embodiment from unimodal visual stimuli. This preregistered study (N = 48) investigated differences between multisensory visuo-tactile and unimodal visual resizing illusions using EEG, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the neural underpinnings of resizing illusions in a healthy population. We hypothesised (1) stronger illusion in multisensory compared to unimodal, and unimodal compared to incongruent (dis-integration) conditions, (2) greater parietal gamma during multisensory compared to unimodal, and (3) greater frontal theta during incongruent compared to baseline conditions. Subjective Illusory results partially support Hypothesis 1, showing a stronger illusion in multisensory compared to unimodal conditions, but finding no significant difference comparing unimodal to incongruent conditions. Results partially supported EEG hypotheses, finding increased parietal gamma activity comparing multisensory to unimodal visual conditions, happening at a later stage of the illusion when compared to previous rubber hand illusion EEG findings, whilst also finding increased parietal theta activity when comparing incongruent to non-illusion conditions. While results demonstrated that only 27% of participants experienced the stretching illusion with unimodal visual stimuli compared to 73% of participants experiencing the stretching illusion in the multisensory condition, further analysis suggested that those who experience visual-only illusions exhibit a different neural signature to those who do not, with activity focussed around frontal and parietal regions early on in the illusory manipulation, compared to activity focussed more over parietal regions and at a later point in the illusory manipulation for the full sample of participants. Our results replicate previous subjective experience findings and support the importance of multisensory integration for illusory changes in perceived body size, whilst adding to our understanding of the temporal onset of multisensory integration within resizing illusions, differing from that of rubber hand illusions....

This study investigated the metabolite signatures and distribution in cooked whole wheat pasta enriched with Bambara groundnut using gas chromatography high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-HRTOF-MS). Before pasta production, whole wheat grains were fractionated using mechanical sieves of different aperture sizes (112, 300, 350, and 500 µm) and each fraction was enriched with Bambara flour. A total of 45 volatile metabolites were found in the cooked pasta and classified into different metabolite groups of esters (18%), miscellaneous compounds (13%), fatty acids (9%), amides and amines (7%), aromatic compounds (7%), and pharmaceuticals (7%). Other metabolites found included ketones (4%), furans (4%), methyl ester (4%), phthalates and plasticizers (4%), phenolic compounds (4%), terpenes and triterpene (4%), alcohols (4%), benzene-related compounds (2%), monoacylglycerols (2%), phthalic acids (2%), surfactants (2%), and vitamins (2%). Similar (8) metabolites were observed across the four pasta samples using the Venn diagram to show the relationship between the samples, while pasta from sieve of particle size 350 and 300 µm showed higher numbers of unique metabolites, 8 and 7, respectively compared to pasta from sieve of particle size 112 µm (4) and 500 µm (3). The information from this study can be used as biomarkers for pasta enriched with pulses....

Jenny Hamilton has a new paper in the Counselling and Psychotherapy Research Journal, published this week:  Hamilton, J. (2023). Movies on the couch: The MOVIE model of film therapy. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 00, 1– 5. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12658 ...

Strengthening Mental Abilities with Relational Training in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI): A feasibility trial Funded by NIHR Research for Patient Benefit. Key contact: Dr Moghaddam....

Over the last few decades, research has largely focused on the processes and practices that act against women in male-dominated industries and the effect this has on their career progression. However, men’s careers are under analysed. This paper flips the gaze, applying a feminist institutionalist lens to examine the practices and rules that shape and enable men’s career progression. This is critical if we are to understand how men’s power in organizations is maintained and perpetuated, arguably at the expense of women’s careers. It draws on data from a rapid ethnographic study of the Australian construction industry, specifically of construction professionals working in two multinational Australian construction companies. The paper finds that men’s career progression routinely operates through homosociality, instrumentally and expressively, via a “sponsor-mobility” principle whereby selected individuals receive higher levels of guidance, access to opportunities and advocacy from their managers....