Publisher rights © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync-nd/4.0/ which permits distribution and reproduction for non-commercial purposes, provided the author and source are cited. General rightsCopyright for the publications made accessible via the Queen's University Belfast Research Portal is retained by the author(s) and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. Highlights• Pregnancy planning and pre-pregnancy care uptake is poor among women with diabetes• Poor preconception counselling is linked to poor pre-pregnancy care uptake• Implementation of a preconception counselling resource improved pregnancy planning• Women who engaged with the resource were better prepared for pregnancy• Women with type 2 diabetes, typically cared for in primary care, are hard to reach 4

Investigates the role of the entrepreneurial personality in the global economy, based on consulting work carried out on one fast‐growing small business, Distant Learning Ltd. Shows how the “dark side” of a personality can affect others. Concludes that self‐awareness is the answer to problems in this area.

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Introduction: Stress has been linked to numerous health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, and mental health issues. By monitoring changes in physiological signals, such as heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV), wearable biosensing technology allows acute stress to be non-invasively tracked over long periods, providing valuable insights for preventative healthcare. Methods: This two-phase study comprised several protocols designed to induce varying levels of psychological stress in participants (N=39). HR and HRV metrics, derived from electrocardiogram (ECG) data collected throughout the protocol on the single lead HeartKey ® Chest Module, were used by the HeartKey Stress algorithm to generate a relative stress score (0-100), which was validated against two clinically recognized methodologies for assessing patient stress: i) state-trait anxiety index (STAI), a questionnaire that subjectively measured the individual’s perceptual stress after each stage of the protocol, and ii) electrodermal activity (EDA), which continuously monitored conductive changes at the skin’s surface with an Empatica ® E4 wrist wearable. Results: Over both phases, participant STAI scores increased significantly during stress protocols (49.9 ± 23.3) relative to the baseline (30.0 ± 10.0). Mean HR showed a similar significant increase ( p < 0.001), and HRV gradually decreased throughout the testing protocol. HeartKey Stress scores derived from HR and HRV data showed a strong correlation to STAI scores. Furthermore, the HeartKey Stress trend closely replicated that of the EDA data. Conclusions: HeartKey Stress algorithm consistently generated accurate and reliable stress scores in response to events of induced, acute psychological stress. The results suggest that the algorithm has potential utility for continuous clinical monitoring of patients with stress-related illnesses.