University of the West of Scotland
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What is the process? Defining and enacting inclusive practice within community sport in Scotland
Get PDFResearch AimThis article explore perspectives and understanding of inclusion within Scottish community sport and analyses the different ways in which sport organisations, voluntary sports clubs, and the individuals within them define inclusion. The aim is to determine the complexities in defining inclusion and the subsequent challenges of creating an inclusive sporting system.Research MethodsThe aim is explored through a comparative case study. The comparative study incorporated two stages: Stage one employed a comparative textual analysis to determine differences and similarities in relation to representations of inclusion across a variety of Scottish sporting organisations. Stage two included two distinct phases: a document analysis and an analysis of qualitative responses from local sports clubs to specific questions within a survey. Findings Findings highlights several significant challenges including conceptual disparities, funding, training and the disconnect between inclusive intentions and the reality of practice. The concept of policy enactment was employed as a theoretical concept and framework to develop this understanding, placing a focus on how policies are interpreted and translated by individuals in the context of Scottish sport.Implications We argue that inclusion must be seen as an ongoing, organic and fluid process and that to enhance inclusion within Scottish sport requires specific and collaborative direction, support and guidance from organisations across the Scottish sporting landscape.<br/
Network slicing and edge-driven UAV surveillance in 5G private networks for industrial digital transformation in the aerospace sector
Get PDFThis paper presents a 5G-enabled private network solution designed to support industrial digital transformation within the aerospace sector. Building upon prior research that identified 5G adoption challenges in the Ayrshire region of Scotland, this work introduces a practical use case demonstrating an integrated 5G and edge computing system for autonomous aerial surveillance. The proposed system employs a 5G private network with network slicing to guarantee ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) even under network congestion. A fleet of 5G-enabled Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) form a resilient mesh network using the Better Approach To Mobile Adhoc Networking (BATMAN) protocol to maintain continuous connectivity. At the network edge, a Human Detector AI module performs real-time intruder detection using a custom deep learning model, UWS-YOLO. Experimental evaluations demonstrate that network slicing ensures service continuity for mission-critical applications, highlighting the potential of 5G MPNs as a key enabler of digital transformation for the aerospace sector and the wider industrial landscape
Impact of wearable resistance training on knee and ankle joint biomechanics:enhancing change of direction ability in football athletes
Get PDFThis study aimed to examine the effects of wearable resistance (WR) training on change of direction ability (CODA), muscle activation patterns, and knee joint stress in athletes. Fifteen healthy male football players participated in a pre- and post-training intervention designed to target the quadriceps, hamstrings, and calf muscles to improve neuromuscular control and joint stability. Surface electromyography (EMG) was used to assess muscle activation, and finite element analysis (FEA) was applied to evaluate stress distribution in the knee joint. Following the WR training program, there was a significant reduction in knee abduction angle during the stance phase (p = 0.001), indicating enhanced joint stability. Strength in the calf muscles increased significantly, while muscle activation levels in the quadriceps (p < 0.001) and hamstrings (p = 0.007) were also elevated. Enhanced co-activation between quadriceps and hamstrings was observed, and FEA demonstrated a significant decrease in the maximal von Mises stress in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus. These findings suggest that WR training improves CODA and lower limb muscle coordination while reducing internal knee joint stress, potentially lowering the risk of ACL injuries and enhancing athletic performance
A scalable swarm intelligence algorithm for autonomous UAV search and rescue operations
Get PDFThis paper presents the design and implementation of an autonomous UAV-based search and rescue system developed within the Horizon Europe project P2CODE. The proposed system leverages a modular and scalable architecture integrating edge-based real-time video processing, AI-based human detection, asynchronous message communication, and persistent state logging, all orchestrated through a web-based operator interface. Central to the system is a swarm intelligence algorithm that partitions the search area among multiple UAVs, taking into account factors such as battery levels and initial positions to generate balanced and coherent flight paths. By combining a Divide Areas based on Robots’ initial Positions (DARP) method with a Spanning Tree Coverage (STC) algorithm, the system ensures efficient and complete coverage of large outdoor regions. The operational workflow supports both fully autonomous exploration and reactive human-in-the-loop intervention in response to real-time detections. This work contributes a practical blueprint for large-scale, multi-agent coordination in dynamic and unstructured environments, advancing the state of the art in autonomous search and rescue missions
Negotiating centralization:how local networks reshaped Scotland's National Care Service reform
Get PDFCentralizing reforms frequently diverge from their original designs, yet the processes through which this divergence occurs remain insufficiently understood. This article examines Scotland's National Care Service reform (2021–2025), a major recentralization that underwent significant modification following sustained engagement from local governance networks. Drawing on 21 elite interviews conducted during the early stages of the reform and documentary analysis spanning 2021–2025, the study traces how councils, Integration Joint Boards, NHS bodies, and third-sector organizations shaped the trajectory of the proposals. Network responses followed four patterns: reframing technical reforms as issues of democratic accountability; conditioning cooperation on fiscal and workforce constraints; acknowledging their own organizational limitations while emphasizing collaborative strengths; and asserting a protective role over local innovation capacity. Although multiple factors influenced the reform's trajectory, network action appears to have contributed to significant modifications, including the retention of Integration Joint Boards and the adoption of phased implementation. The analysis shows that centralization in complex service systems emerges through negotiation rather than directive authority. For policymakers, the findings highlight that durable reform requires recognizing the interdependencies and relationships on which implementation ultimately relies
Emergence of PHMB resistance in <i>Acanthamoeba castellanii</i> and observations on cross-resistance to other frontline therapeutics
Get PDFPurpose Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) is a sight threatening infection of the cornea caused by opportunistic pathogens belonging to the genus Acanthamoeba. AK is commonly associated with contact lens use, and treatments are currently limited and ineffective. As such, the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in Acanthamoeba poses a significant challenge to the management of AK. This study investigates the development of polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) resistance, a frontline therapeutic, in Acanthamoeba trophozoites and explores potential cross-resistance to hexamidine and voriconazole. Methods Acanthamoeba castellanii trophozoites were exposed and maintained in PHMB starting at 2 µg/mL and increasing upon reaching confluence. Cells were subsequently exposed to incrementally higher doses of PHMB in a stepwise manner (2, 4, 5.5, and 7 µg/mL). When sustained growth under PHMB exposure was observed, morphology was assessed by imaging flow cytometry and susceptibility assays were performed by incubating resistant strains with PHMB, hexamidine, and voriconazole for 24 h, and viability determined using alamarBlue. Results Trophozoites surviving exposure at 2 µg/mL reached confluence within 11 days. Stepwise increases to 4 µg/mL, 5.5 µg/mL, and 7 µg/mL were achieved within 6–7 days at each stage. PHMB-resistant Acanthamoeba strains exhibited a 9-fold increase in resistance to PHMB relative to naïve cells, alongside significant cross-resistance to voriconazole (159-fold) and hexamidine (8.4-fold). No significant change in trophozoite or cyst morphology was observed relative to the naïve cell line. Conclusions These findings represent the first known laboratory-induced PHMB-resistant Acanthamoeba strains, raising concerns regarding the longevity of current therapeutic options and the potential for cross-resistance to alternative treatments. This highlights the need for clinical vigilance and further investigation into the molecular mechanisms of resistance to better inform treatment strategies
Managing the academic mind:hierarchy and control as a contemporary issue in nursing academia
Get PDFThis article examines the persistence of hierarchy within nursing education and argues that its replication in universities represents a serious contemporary issue for the discipline. Drawing on recent scholarship, sociological theory and critical reflection, it explores how managerialism and audit culture in nursing schools reproduce the hierarchical structures historically embedded in nursing. These structures, inherited from colonial, patriarchal and classed traditions, are sustained through institutional cultures that privilege visibility, control and compliance over intellectual freedom, reflection and care. The argument developed here is not that nurses welcome control, but that the profession has been socialised into systems of authority that constrain both clinical and academic practice. Within nursing faculties, this manifests in the surveillance of work, performance metrics and the erosion of academic autonomy. Such conditions, it is argued, damage not only individual wellbeing but also the legitimacy of nursing as a field of knowledge. Using the lens of Bourdieu's concept of habitus and Skeggs's analysis of value and respectability, this article highlights how hierarchy reproduces classed and gendered inequalities in nursing academia. It calls for a reimagining of leadership that prioritises relational ethics, trust and intellectual freedom. The issue is international in scope: the corporatisation of higher education and the managerial governance of academic labour affect nursing educators across diverse national contexts. Reclaiming autonomy, therefore, is not only a local struggle but a collective, global imperative. The future of nursing education depends on our ability to teach and lead without permission, to create academic spaces grounded in care, critical inquiry and the courage to dissent
Managing the academic mind:hierarchy and control as a contemporary issue in nursing academia
Get PDFThis article examines the persistence of hierarchy within nursing education and argues that its replication in universities represents a serious contemporary issue for the discipline. Drawing on recent scholarship, sociological theory and critical reflection, it explores how managerialism and audit culture in nursing schools reproduce the hierarchical structures historically embedded in nursing. These structures, inherited from colonial, patriarchal and classed traditions, are sustained through institutional cultures that privilege visibility, control and compliance over intellectual freedom, reflection and care. The argument developed here is not that nurses welcome control, but that the profession has been socialised into systems of authority that constrain both clinical and academic practice. Within nursing faculties, this manifests in the surveillance of work, performance metrics and the erosion of academic autonomy. Such conditions, it is argued, damage not only individual wellbeing but also the legitimacy of nursing as a field of knowledge. Using the lens of Bourdieu's concept of habitus and Skeggs's analysis of value and respectability, this article highlights how hierarchy reproduces classed and gendered inequalities in nursing academia. It calls for a reimagining of leadership that prioritises relational ethics, trust and intellectual freedom. The issue is international in scope: the corporatisation of higher education and the managerial governance of academic labour affect nursing educators across diverse national contexts. Reclaiming autonomy, therefore, is not only a local struggle but a collective, global imperative. The future of nursing education depends on our ability to teach and lead without permission, to create academic spaces grounded in care, critical inquiry and the courage to dissent
Toxicity and biodistribution of lanthanum and gadolinium in <i>Daphnia magna</i> following chronic dietary and waterborne exposure
Get PDFDaphnia magna has frequently been used to assess the toxicity of lanthanides (Ln) such as lanthanum (La) and gadolinium (Gd). However, most studies have focused on acute toxicity. Knowledge of chronic toxicity and the potential effects of dietary exposure on aquatic organisms is still scarce. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of chronic waterborne and dietary route exposures of 0.5 mg L− 1 of La and Gd on the mortality, growth, and reproduction of D. magna. Four different exposure conditions were used: (i) control, (ii) dietary exposure, (iii) waterborne exposure, and (iv) a combination of dietary and waterborne exposure. The results showed that none of the Ln exposures affected the mortality or the growth of the organisms. Reproduction was identified as a more sensitive endpoint. For La, combined waterborne and dietary exposure delayed the release of the first brood by an average of approximately 1.1 days compared to the control group For Gd, dietary and combined exposures significantly decreased the total offspring of the organism by approximately 20 offspring per adult in 21 days. The biodistribution patterns differed for each metal, with La being uniformly localized in the intestine and Gd bioaccumulating differently depending on the exposure route. Dietary and combined Gd exposure led to an accumulation in the intestinal tract. However, waterborne exposure resulted in a more heterogeneous biodistribution within the individual D. magna. For both metals, dietary exposure led to the highest Ln body burden in the organisms, in contrast to the waterborne exposures. The effects observed confirm the importance of considering dietary exposure in long-term bioassays. A better understanding of the mode of action of Ln on D. magna is needed and could be achieved by exploring the effects of Ln accumulation in the gut and energy limitations for D. magna
Strategic interventions for enhancing destination competitiveness in island- based adventure tourism:insights from a small island destination
Get PDFThis study investigates the factors influencing the competitiveness of small island adventure tourism, with a focus on Qeshm Island, Iran. Drawing on the Resource-Based View (RBV) and the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) framework, this research examines how natural resources, sustainability, and infrastructure contribute to destination competitiveness. Using semi-structured interviews with 16 key stakeholders, the study identifies critical factors that shape tourism development, emphasizing the roles of sustainability, accessibility, and government support. By mapping the interrelationships among these factors, the findings provide a structured framework for enhancing tourism management strategies. The study underscores the necessity of strategic interventions that balance economic growth, environmental conservation, and community engagement, offering valuable insights for policymakers, tourism planners, and industry stakeholders seeking to strengthen the long-term resilience and sustainability of adventure tourism in small island destinations