Welcome to WIRE

(Wolverhampton Intellectual Repository and E-Theses)

WIRE is an open access repository for the research publications and other outputs from postgraduate students and staff at the University of Wolverhampton.

Wolverhampton staff: to deposit your publication to WIRE, go to: https://www.wlv.ac.uk/lib/research/wire/

Use the search box above or the browse function on the left to discover publications from the research community at the University of Wolverhampton.

University students and staff can also search WIRE using LibrarySearch

For further information or help, contact the Scholarly Communications Team at wire@wlv.ac.uk

 

  • Improving energy efficiency in heritage buildings – a case of “Palazzo Farnese”, Italy

    Yenneti, Komali; Manapragada, Naga Venkata Sai Kumar; Nariman, Shervindokht; Shabanzade, Shiva (CITC, 2024-12-31)
    Historic or heritage buildings are an important component of the building stock that necessitates energy efficiency interventions. About 14% of EU27 building stock dates before 1919 and 12% dates between 1919 and 1945 (with considerable national differences). With a significant proportion of the total building stock, and high potential for energy savings or at least high enough to warrant scrutiny from an energy efficiency perspective, heritage (listed and non-listed) buildings have become a focus of special attention in Europe. The main objective of this study is to examine the potential for energy efficiency in historic buildings in Italy through the case study of ‘Palazzo Farnese’ (a 16th Century palace converted into a musuem). The key retrofit interventions considered in this study are external wall insulation, gypsum board for external walls and triple glazing. The results show that combining wall, window, and roof retrofitting resulted in a significant reduction in energy consumption. The total energy use intensity (EUI) decreased from 175.0 kWh/m2 in the Business As Usual (BAU) scenario to 151.5 kWh/m2 in the simulataneous retrofit scenario. In addition, the results reveal that wall retrofitting is the most effective individual intervention for lowering total EUI. This research demonstrated how optimal energy efficiency measures could be successfully implemented in museums while taking both conservation requirements and people's thermal comfort into account. The most influential intervention in decreasing the total EUI is wall retrofitting. The findings of this study can be useful not only for conservation architects but also for city governments and historical buildings used as museums.
  • The complex relationship between iron status and anemia in pregnant and postpartum women in India: Analysis of two Indian study cohorts of uncomplicated pregnancies

    Nair, Manisha; Choudhury, Saswati S.; Rani, Anjali; Solomi, Carolin; Kakoty, Swapna D.; Medhi, Robin; Rao, Sereesha; Mahanta, Pranabika; Zahir, Farzana; Roy, Indrani; et al. (Wiley, 2023-08-31)
    Low hemoglobin is widely used as an indicator of iron deficiency anemia in India and other low-and-middle income counties, but anemia need not accurately reflect iron deficiency. We examined the relationship between hemoglobin and biomarkers of iron status in antenatal and postnatal period. Secondary analysis of uncomplicated singleton pregnancies in two Indian study cohorts: 1132 antenatal women in third trimester and 837 postnatal women 12–72 h after childbirth. Associations of hemoglobin with ferritin in both data sets, and with sTfR, TSAT, and hepcidin in the postnatal cohort were examined using multivariable linear regression. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the association between severity of anemia and iron status. Regression models were adjusted for potential confounders. Over 55% of the women were anemic; 34% of antenatal and 40% of postnatal women had low ferritin, but 4% antenatal and 6% postnatal women had high ferritin. No evidence of association between hemoglobin and ferritin was observed (antenatal: adjusted coefficient [aCoef] −0.0004, 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.001, 0.001; postnatal: aCoef −0.0001, 95% CI −0.001, 0.001). We found a significant linear association of hemoglobin with sTfR (aCoef −0.04, 95% CI −0.07, −0.01), TSAT (aCoef −0.005, 95% CI −0.008, −0.002), and hepcidin (aCoef 0.02, 95% CI 0.02, 0.03) in postnatal women. Likelihood of low ferritin was more common in anemic than non-anemic women, but high ferritin was also more common in women with severe anemia in both cohorts. Causes of anemia in pregnant and postpartum women in India are multifactorial; low hemoglobin alone is not be a useful marker of iron deficiency.
  • The impact of different doses of oral iron supplementation during pregnancy: a pilot randomized trial

    Stanworth, Simon J.; Churchill, David; Sweity, Samaher; Holmes, Tom; Hudson, Cara; Brown, Rosemary; Lax, Stephanie; Murray, Joanne; Spiby, Helen; Roy, Noemi; et al. (American Society of Hematology, 2024-08-29)
    The burden of iron-deficiency anemia remains significant during pregnancy. Oral iron is first-line medication, but there is uncertainty about a range of factors including adherence and side-effects of different doses. We conducted a pilot randomized trial to investigate the impact of different doses of oral iron supplementation started early in pregnancy, in non-anemic women, for four main outcomes; recruitment and protocol compliance, adherence, maintenance of maternal hemoglobin and side-effects. Participants at antenatal clinic visits were allocated to one of three trial arms, in a 1:1:1 ratio, as 200mg ferrous sulphate daily, alternate days or three-times per week, with follow-up to delivery. Baseline characteristics of 300 recruited participants were well matched between trial arms. The mean proportion of tablets taken as expected per participant was 82.5% overall (72.3%, 89.6% and 84.5% for the daily, alternate days and three-times a week arm, respectively). There was a lower overall adherence rate in the daily arm (47%) compared with alternate days (62%) and three times per week (61%). Reduction in hemoglobin between randomization and 28 weeks appeared smaller for the daily arm. A range of side-effects were commonly reported at baseline before starting interventions, and by later antenatal visits. Many side effects of iron overlapped with normal pregnancy symptoms. A daily iron dosing schedule might give the best opportunity for delivering an adequate iron load during pregnancy in non-anemic women. Further randomized trials powered on clinical outcomes are needed to establish the clinical effectiveness of oral iron supplementation to prevent iron deficiency anemia. (ISRCTN12911644).
  • Language, politics, and identity: challenges to the Panjabi language in India

    Baath, Kiranpreet Kaur; Takhar, Opinderjit (Taylor & Francis, 2024-09-27)
    This paper provides an evidence-based study that evaluates the attitudes of Panjabi speakers in the Panjab region towards the Panjabi language, exploring the underlying reasons shaping those attitudes. Panjabi language activists have expressed concerns about the challenges confronting the language and its vitality. However, due to a noticeable absence of any empirical data these concerns often become entangled in a discourse, questioning the authenticity and reliability of these concerns. This paper, therefore, aims to measure the realistic standing and situation of the language, by undertaking the first, empirical study across nine districts in Panjab, India.

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