RSS 1.0Welcome to ChesterRep - the University of Chester's Online Research Repository
ChesterRep is the University of Chester's institutional repository and an online platform designed to collate, store, and aid discoverability of the University’s research.
All University of Chester staff are expected to use the Current Research Information System, Symplectic Elements, to submit material to ChesterRep. Guidance on how to deposit and manage publications using Elements can be found here. You can also discover more about our editorial and open access policies here. Please note that you must be a member of the University to view these pages.
If you are a student at the University of Chester and want to submit work to ChesterRep, please contact researchsupport.lis@chester.ac.uk.
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Bringing services to communities: Identifying service users at risk of developing cardiovascular disease through mobile opportunistic screening in deprived or underserved communitiesObjective: Individuals in areas of high deprivation face significant health inequalities with a higher prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Whilst some factors are non-modifiable, early identification of modifiable factors and appropriate intervention can improve health outcomes. We assessed modifiable risk factors, particularly in persons with no medical history. Study design: A retrospective cross-sectional study using data of persons attending a mobile opportunistic screening clinic. Method: Data was extracted from the records of 2973 attendees (≥18 years) in Cheshire & Merseyside, January-June 2023 using a standard approach. We classed CVD risk factors as either modifiable or non-modifiable. We grouped the data into those with no risk factors, one or two, and three or more, in relation to their self-reported medical history or clinical findings. Results: Within the total study population of 2973, 79% had at least one modifiable risk factor for CVD. Our logistic regression model highlighted that non-modifiable factors age and sex were significant predictors of CVD, while males had higher odds than females to report CVD. Of our modifiable factors, only hypertension and mental health diagnosis were significant predictors. BMI was excluded from the multivariable analysis due to missing data. Conclusion: Mobile screening provides improved equitable access to services and engages with underserved communities to deliver targeted health care. It identifies CVD risk in an asymptomatic population, and patients with poorly controlled conditions. This model is highly acceptable to service users and is flexible and targeted in its activities and placement.
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Acceptability and suitability of some Poaceae plants for fall armyworm feeding and ovipositionBackground: The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), has invaded new geographical regions, now spanning Africa, Asia, Oceania and Europe, from its native distribution in the last decade. Little is known about FAW host plants in recently invaded habitats; although more than 300 hosts have been reported in the Americas, its native habitat. In our study, we evaluated the acceptability and suitability of 12 cultivated varieties of plants from Africa, in the family Poaceae, for FAW herbivory and oviposition. Methods: Experiments investigating larval development, no-choice oviposition, and no-choice larval arrestment-feeding were conducted to evaluate the insect´s ability to utilize these plants for survival. Results: We found that Pennisetum ex. Sengerema, Brachiaria brizantha , Brachiaria ex. Mwanza, Panicum maximum ex. Machakos, Melinis minutiflora and S . bicolor cv. Ochuti were unsuitable plants for FAW larvae. In contrast, Zea mays HB WH505, Panicum glaucum Nutrifeed, S . bicolor cv. Serena and P . purpureum were suitable plants and S . bicolor cv. Ochuti was well accepted for egg-laying. However, M . minutiflora was not accepted for egg-laying but retained early instar larvae. S . bicolor cv. Andiwo was not well accepted for egg-laying and S . bicolor cv. Gadam yielded lighter pupae. Conclusions: Our findings provide insights into the performance of FAW larvae on different Poaceae plants and how well they are accepted by FAW female moths for oviposition. We recommend to study further selected plants ( M . minutiflora , S . bicolor cv. Andiwo and S . bicolor cv. Ochuti), as potential trap or repellent plants for different FAW life stages, in choice tests. This knowledge will help to design ecologically based management strategies for FAW in its new habitats in Kenya and beyond.
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Assessing the impact of stratification of admission need and intensive support on inpatient admissions for people with intellectual disabilitiesPurpose: This study aims to understand the impact on number of admissions to inpatient services for people with intellectual disability, following the implementation of the Dynamic Support Database-Clinical Support Tool (DSD-CST) and formation of intensive support functions (ISFs). Type of mental health admission was reviewed, and number of admissions avoided ascertained. Design/methodology/approach: A cohort retrospective study was conducted, using secondary data from three community learning disability teams in Northwest England. Routine secondary data from 2013 to 2023 was used. Findings: The DSD-CST and ISF model was successful in reducing admissions. Following implementation of the model in 2018, there was a decrease in the number of admissions for all ward types and the length of admission decreased. The DSD-CST data showed the number of people identified as being at risk of admission increased between 2019 and 2023; however, the number of admissions decreased. Originality/value: As far as authors are aware, this is the only paper offering an evaluation of the combination of ISFs and risk of admission stratification, and the impact this has on admissions to inpatient services for people with an intellectual disability. It evidences a successful model to support the NHS agenda of supporting people in the community where possible.
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Third-order time stepping methods for superdiffusion using weighted and shifted Grünwald–Letnikov formulae with nonsmooth dataIn this paper, we study a numerical method for the Caputo time fractional wave equation with nonsmooth data. We first introduce a class of third-order approximations, known as weighted and shifted Grünwald-Letnikov approximations, to approximate the Caputo fractional derivative. Based on this, we develop a new time stepping method for solving the time fractional wave equation. After applying corrections to several initial steps, the proposed time stepping method achieves a convergence order of O(k3)$$O(k^3)$$ for nonsmooth data, where k denotes the time step size. We also analyze the stability regions of the proposed time stepping method, which show that the scheme is unconditionally stable for α∈(1,1.94)$$ \alpha \in (1, 1.94) $$, and conditionally stable for α∈[1.94,2)$$ \alpha \in [1.94, 2) $$. Numerical experiments are presented to validate the theoretical findings.
