Bradford Scholars
Bradford Scholars is the University of Bradford online research archive. Access is free to anyone interested in research being conducted at Bradford. In the repository you will find a range of materials from journal articles and conference papers to research reports and theses.
Contact the repository team via openaccess@bradford.ac.uk with any queries about Open Access or how to deposit your research papers.
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Publication Tailoring mechanical properties and microstructure of stainless steel wires-modified ultra-high performance concrete via direct electric curing(2025-06)This study investigates the influence of direct electric curing with various durations on thermal, mechanical properties and microstructure of stainless steel wires (SSWs) modified ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC), meanwhile, the energy consumption and carbon emission were compared to verify the supplementary effectiveness of SSWs for incomplete network of commonly used steel fibers (SFs). 0.2 vol% SSWs with micro diameter clearly stabilizes the electrical resistivity of UHPC and enables temperature ascending rate of UHPC reach 0.7-0.9 °C/min by Joule effect. 8 h/12 h-20 W direct current electric curing with surface temperature of 70 - 80 °C results in compressive strength of 120.3 MPa /130.7 MPa, and flexural strength of 18.7 MPa/18.2 MPa, respectively, for UHPC modified with 0.2 vol% SSWs and 1.6 vol% SFs (S02F16), accounting for 80.8%/87.8% and 78.6%/76.5% of compressive and flexural strength of composites achieved with 28 d-standard curing. The compressive strength of composites typically increases with prolonged electric curing. However, the flexural strength demonstrates decreasing trend when the duration exceeds 8 h. The flexural failure strain, absorbed energy before the occurrence of macrocracks, and multiple cracking failure characteristic of 8 h-electric curing S02F16 preserved to 28 d are significantly enhanced, resulting from the refined pore structure, coarsened SSWs’ interfaces, and enhanced SFs’ interfaces under the coupling effect of elevated temperature and direct electric current, confirming an innovative finding of reinforcing effect of SSWs-controlled conductive pathway on SFs’ interface and matrix’s microstructure. Energy consumption/carbon emission for per MPa/per-increasing MPa compressive strength of electric curing is 23.2%/36.5% and 14.6%/23.8% less than that of hot water curing for S02F16 and S04F16. Furthermore, taking advantage of SSWs’ micro diameter and superior conductivity, electric curing on UHPC has potential to be carried out with green and new energy sources to further reduce carbon footprint especially for low temperature environment construction.Publication Types and outcomes of health promotion interventions led by public health students: a scoping review(2025-04)Student-led interventions can be a sustainable and cost-effective approach to delivering health services. While these interventions are widely incorporated in healthcare programs in medicine and nursing, their use is scarcely reported in public health programs. A scoping review was conducted to assess the extent of the literature related to public health student-led health promotion interventions. The review followed the JBI guidelines. MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase and Google Scholar were consulted. A total of 191 studies were identified, and only five met the inclusion criteria. The five studies were from undergraduate and postgraduate programs in the United States of America. A narrative synthesis of the findings revealed four themes: preventing communicable and non-communicable diseases, targeting (mainly) vulnerable groups, flexible and innovative communication, and impacting through engagement, education, and vaccination. Incorporating public health student-led interventions to promote health can improve access to services and increase health knowledge among underserved groups while enhancing students’ learning. The review contributes to the professionalization of public health and evidences the impact of public health student-led interventions.Publication Availability and barriers to access post-stroke rehabilitation in Latin America(2024-10)Objectives To describe the availability and barriers to access post-stroke rehabilitation services in Latin America. Materials and methods We conducted a multi-national survey in Latin American countries. The survey consisted of three sections: (1) the national state of post-stroke rehabilitation; (2) the local state of post-stroke rehabilitation; and (3) the coverage and financing of post-stroke services. Stroke leaders from the surveyed countries were involved in developing and disseminating the survey. Results 261 responses were collected from 17 countries. The mean age of respondents was 42.4 ± 10.1 years, and 139 (54.5 %) of the respondents were male. National clinical guidelines for post-stroke rehabilitation were reported by 67 (25.7 %) of the respondents. However, there were discrepancies between respondents within the same country. Stroke units, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and neuropsychological therapy services were less common in public than private settings. The main barriers for inpatient and outpatient services included limited rehabilitation facilities, coverage, and rehabilitation personnel. The main source of financing for the inpatient and outpatient services was the national health insurance, followed by out-of-pocket payments. Private and out-of-pocket costs were more frequently reported in outpatient services. Conclusions Post-stroke rehabilitation services in Latin American countries are restricted due to a lack of coverage by the public health system and private insurers, human resources, and financial aid. Public settings offer fewer post-stroke rehabilitation services compared to private settings. Developing consensus guidelines, increasing coverage, and using innovative approaches to deliver post-stroke rehabilitation is paramount to increase access without posing a financial burden.Publication How can the potential of the duocarmycins be unlocked for cancer therapy?(2021-02)The duocarmycins belong to a class of agent that has fascinated scientists for over four decades. Their exquisite potency, unique mechanism of action, and efficacy in multidrug-resistant tumour models makes them attractive to medicinal chemists and drug hunters. However, despite great advances in fine-tuning biological activity through structure-activity relationship studies (SARS), no duocarmycin-based therapeutic has reached clinical approval. In this review, we provide an overview of the most promising strategies currently used and include both tumour-targeted prodrug approaches and antibody-directed technologies.