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Parents' preparation and support in the early postnatal period during the first COVID-19 lockdown
No full textBackground/Aims
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no evidence to guide parenting or postnatal care. This article reports on one of three themes from a study that aimed to explore the new parents' experiences and their access to information and support during this period.
Methods
A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in July–August 2020 across three rural English counties, in partnership with two maternity and neonatal voices partnership groups. Participants (n=371) were parents of newborns recently discharged from hospital or born at home. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, as well as thematic and content analysis.
Results
The main theme was a lack of information and support. The subthemes highlighted a lack of information both antenatally and postnatally, a lack of professional and social support, and a lack of breastfeeding support.
Conclusions
Reduced postnatal services and disrupted support networks left many parents relying on informal online sources, revealing critical gaps in pandemic-specific maternity care.
Implications for practice
Recovery plans must address the long-term physical and mental health implications of the pandemic. Evidence-based guidance is required before future pandemics, including implications of disease transmission for newborn babies and how to support breastfeeding. Healthcare professionals should support parents to make decisions based on the best evidence available, including where to access appropriate online support and information
Return of the Living Slave: Jordan Peele’s Get Out as Zombie Film
No full textJordan Peele’s 2017 film, Get Out, seems far removed from the gut-munching excesses of the zombie movies of George A. Romero or the exotic Haitian “voodoo” ceremonies wherein this folklore originated. However, the connection between the film and the original folk belief traditions is quite pronounced. Firstly, by looking at the Haitian Revolution (1791–1804), and then to the folk beliefs within vodou, specifically those beliefs about zombification, a pattern of denunciation and fearmongering about Haitians and their beliefs spread throughout the (white) Western Euro-American worlds. The “first black republic” threatened the assumptions of the right of white rule across the eighteenth to the twenty-first centuries. Peele picks up on those white fears and satirically explodes their inherent absurdity with his variation on Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (Stanley Kramer, 1968), wherein a young black man finds, at first, a warm liberal welcome at his white girlfriend’s family’s home. But this warm welcome turns sinister as Chris uncovers the Armitages’ plot to re-enslave healthy young African-American men
Pea‐Saving Partners: Bacillus and Pseudomonas Combat Downy Mildew in Pea Crops
Get PDFDowny mildew (DM) is a destructive disease that significantly reduces the yield and quality of important pulses (legumes) and horticultural crops, particularly during humid and cool seasons. This disease is caused by obligate and host‐specific oomycete pathogens. Controlling the pathogen is challenging due to its long‐term spore survival and rapid mutation. Although chemical pesticides have been the most effective method to control DM pathogens, their environmental hazards remain a global concern. Current research is focused on exploring the potential of microbial biological control agents (MBCA), particularly rhizobacteria strains of the genera Bacillus and Pseudomonas , which have shown suppression of plant pathogens. However, to date, no MBCA has been reported to be effective against DM pathogens in pulses. We investigated the effectiveness of Bacillus and Pseudomonas strains as potential biopesticides against the pea downy mildew pathogen Peronospora viciae f. sp. pisi (Pvp). In vitro bioassays showed 100% inhibition of Pvp spore germination compared to the control. In planta antagonism assays further demonstrated significant suppression (> 80%) of Pvp sporulation in pea plants sprayed with strains of Bacillus velezensis or Pseudomonas fluorescens or their filtrates. The drench application also showed significant effects where either a Pseudomonas or cold‐adapted Bacillus strain was used. We observed a synergistic effect for the dual foliar application of the microbes compared to individual application (40%–78% suppression). Molecular biomass analysis supported these findings. Based on these results, we conclude that Bacillus and Pseudomonas MBCAs could be highly effective in combating Pvp infections in the field
Learning experiences from an Interprofessional, University-Based, Student-Led Healthcare Clinic in the UK
Get PDFStudent-led clinics (SLCs) are increasingly being adopted in physiotherapy and occupational therapy degree programs. SLCs are an innovative practice-based learning model that offers unique learning opportunities while solving the challenges of sourcing appropriate placements. However, there is little recent evidence of their use in healthcare education in the UK. To address this literature gap, a synchronous online focus group with seven participants was conducted to explore the learning experiences of undergraduate occupational therapy and physiotherapy students who attended an inter-professional, non-elective, university-based SLC in the UK. A thematic analysis approach was used to identify three main themes: (1) Learning With, From and About Others; (2) Personal and Professional Development; and (3) Learning Environment. The effectiveness of the clinic in developing competencies, skills, and professional standards of practice in the students was evident. Participants in the evaluation discussed the learning opportunities that arose during interactions with their peers, patients, and supervisors. They also reported having the freedom and autonomy to try new things, which created a safe place to learn and empowered them. Finally, as a learning environment, the SLC encouraged the participants to identify their own specific learning needs and accommodated their learning styles. SLCs should be considered a valuable means of practice-based learning in healthcare education, but greater preparedness before placement within the SLC, including acknowledgment of both student and supervisor expectations, along with a scaffolding approach to supervision, should be considered to enable greater learning and inter-professional education opportunities
Podcast: AURORA PODCAST Episode 7 - Unpacking Control and Trauma within Domestic Violence
No full textAURORA — Awakening Understanding, Reclaiming our Resilience and Autonomy
Dr Beverley Gilbert and Shakira Fenech, Head of SOAR Malta, explore the character terrorism and the continuous re-traumatisation experienced by domestic violence survivors. They emphasise the importance of understanding trauma, dismantling controlling behaviours beyond gendered stereotypes and recognising that seeking support is a critical step towards restoring self-dignity. Dr Gilbert discusses her work in developing women's peer mentoring in the UK and how this can act as a bridge between women and agencies tasked with supporting her or her children.
AURORA is a 12-episode podcast series led by the St Jeanne Antide Foundation’s services SOAR and IVY broadcast in Malta and on social media, and funded through the 'Together We Empower' programme.
The AURORA project brings together survivors, professionals, policymakers, and academics in a powerful multi-sectoral collaboration. Through open dialogue and shared expertise, AURORA seeks to strengthen Malta’s capacity to implement the holistic framework of the Istanbul Convention. Each episode explores critical themes such as staying safe in relationships, transforming the domestic violence narrative, and preventing gender-based violence.
More than a conversation, AURORA is a movement for change, resilience, and empowerment — amplifying voices, fostering understanding, and inspiring collective action toward a society free from violence
CHROMOMETHYLASE3 governs male fertility to affect seed production in tomato
Get PDFTo produce mature seed, flowering plants must undergo successful male and female gametogenesis and pollination followed by fruit set, growth, and ripening. This sequential process involves complex genetic programming and less understood epigenetic reprogramming. Here we report a previously unidentified CHROMOMETHYLASE3-directed epi-control in pollen mother cell (PMC)-to-microspore transition that determines male fertility to affect seed formation. We generated and characterized hairpin RNA-mediated RNAi and CRISPR/Cas9 transgenic tomato lines in which CHROMOMETHYLASE3 (CMT3) was either knockdown (KD) or knockout (KO). CHROMOMETHYLASE3 has pleiotropic effects on vegetative and reproductive growth, including leaf, flower, and seed development, besides its influence on tomato ripening and fruit size. However, CMT3 KD plants exhibited stronger effects than KO plants in terms of these vegetative and reproductive processes. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis suggested that genetic compensation might contribute to the less impact of KO plants on pollen and seed development. Integrated RNA-seq and whole-genome bisulfite sequencing reveal that CMT3 functions as an epi-switch via a self-feedback mechanism to modulate gene expression and governs early development of microspores from PMCs prior to the tetrad stage during microsporogenesis to microgametogenesis, possibly through the pectin catabolic process, to establish pollen fertility that affects seed production in tomato
Beyond belief: Advancing death education through children’s experiences of non-corporeal continuation
Get PDFProponents of death education in schools acknowledge that children understand the biological aspects of death, and many hold co-existing beliefs in non-corporeal continuation. This paper offers originality by highlighting a gap in the death education literature, arguing that to increase curriculum relevance, we need to move beyond considering children’s “beliefs about” life after death/before life to also acknowledge their “experiences of” it. Using thanatological principles, it draws from different disciplines to document children and young people’s encounters with other lives, including: communicating with the deceased in waking and dream life; having near death experiences (NDEs); and remembering past lives. The implications of including non-corporeal continuation in the curriculum are explored. While challenges are acknowledged, the paper argues that the topic contributes to a meaningful curriculum by foregrounding a child-centered approach which privileges their voice(s) and agency. Simultaneously, it can potentially alleviate some of the fears about discussing death in schools
An exploration of stakeholder perceptions of physiotherapists undertaking community advanced clinical practice roles
No full textBackground:
Advanced clinical practitioners (ACPs) with a physiotherapy background undertake a range of activities in the community setting. Since this is a novel role for physiotherapists, there is a paucity of literature related to physiotherapists working as ACPs in the community.
Aim:
This study explored stakeholders' perceptions of physiotherapists undertaking such roles in the community.
Methods:
A qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews, was conducted involving a total of eight participants, including ACPs, GPs and advanced clinical practice managers. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.
Findings:
Both benefits and challenges of physiotherapists undertaking advanced clinical practice roles were identified. The benefits included improving the patient journey and an opportunity for career progression. However, prescribing was identified as a challenge and a barrier to the physiotherapist's role as an ACP.
Conclusions:
Further research is needed into physiotherapists and other allied health professionals undertaking advanced clinical practice roles. There is an opportunity for NHS organisations and academic institutions to address uncertainties that may deter future physiotherapists considering this role.
Implications for practice:
This study provides an insight into the novel role a physiotherapist ACP can undertake in a community setting and offers understanding around the benefits and challenges that individuals and organisations face when physiotherapists undertake these roles
The Digital Dance of HRM: New Skills, Professional Debates, and Shifting Dynamics?
No full textThe increasing datafication and digitalization of organizational life are profoundly reshaping HRM as a professional field. This symposium explores how these technological transformations affect HRM practitioners' roles, expertise, and relationships with stakeholders. While data analytics presents opportunities for HRM to demonstrate business value, it also creates tensions with traditional aspects of HR work, particularly in areas requiring tacit people skills such as conflict management and cultural sensitivity. Through four complementary presentations, we examine these dynamics across various levels of social complexity. Our symposium combines multiple methodological approaches, including mixed-methods analysis of changing skill profiles, expert forecasting through a Delphi study, reviewing algorithmic HRM in frontline service work, and a conceptual paper including case studies of skill-based job matching systems. Together, these presentations reveal how HRM practitioners and professional communities negotiate technological change. The symposium contributes to broader discussions about the adaptation of managerial professions to data-driven technologies in contemporary organizations. Our findings suggest that while technological impact on HRM may be less dramatic than often portrayed, it nevertheless requires careful consideration of how to implement new tools while preserving decent working conditions and effective stakeholder relationships. From Gut Feelings to Data Dealings? The Transformation of HRM Expertise in the Age of Digitalization Author: Felix Diefenhardt; Vienna University of Economics and Business Author: Julius Ernst Lechner; Vienna University of Economics and Business Author: Marco Leander Rapp; University of Amsterdam Author: Verena Bader; The future role of HRM and leadership in the context of digital transformation ? A Delphi study Author: Liehr Jennifer; Author: Sven Hauff; Helmut Schmidt University - University of the Federal Armed Forces of Hamburg Author: Tobias Schloemer; Helmut Schmidt University - University of the Federal Armed Forces of Hamburg Author: Karen Schwien; Helmut Schmidt University - University of the Federal Armed Forces of Hamburg Algorithmic HRM in Service Work: A Multi-Stakeholder Perspective and Future Research Agenda Author: James Duggan; Author: Stefan Jooss; The University of Queensland Digitization for Innovative Future HRM: A Skill-Based Approach Author: Alessandro MARGHERITA; University of SalentoThe increasing datafication and digitalization of organizational life are profoundly reshaping HRM as a professional field. This symposium explores how these technological transformations affect HRM practitioners' roles, expertise, and relationships with stakeholders. While data analytics presents opportunities for HRM to demonstrate business value, it also creates tensions with traditional aspects of HR work, particularly in areas requiring tacit people skills such as conflict management and cultural sensitivity. Through four complementary presentations, we examine these dynamics across various levels of social complexity. Our symposium combines multiple methodological approaches, including mixed-methods analysis of changing skill profiles, expert forecasting through a Delphi study, reviewing algorithmic HRM in frontline service work, and a conceptual paper including case studies of skill-based job matching systems. Together, these presentations reveal how HRM practitioners and professional communities negotiate technological change. The symposium contributes to broader discussions about the adaptation of managerial professions to data-driven technologies in contemporary organizations. Our findings suggest that while technological impact on HRM may be less dramatic than often portrayed, it nevertheless requires careful consideration of how to implement new tools while preserving decent working conditions and effective stakeholder relationships. From Gut Feelings to Data Dealings? The Transformation of HRM Expertise in the Age of Digitalization Author: Felix Diefenhardt; Vienna University of Economics and Business Author: Julius Ernst Lechner; Vienna University of Economics and Business Author: Marco Leander Rapp; University of Amsterdam Author: Verena Bader; The future role of HRM and leadership in the context of digital transformation ? A Delphi study Author: Liehr Jennifer; Author: Sven Hauff; Helmut Schmidt University - University of the Federal Armed Forces of Hamburg Author: Tobias Schloemer; Helmut Schmidt University - University of the Federal Armed Forces of Hamburg Author: Karen Schwien; Helmut Schmidt University - University of the Federal Armed Forces of Hamburg Algorithmic HRM in Service Work: A Multi-Stakeholder Perspective and Future Research Agenda Author: James Duggan; Author: Stefan Jooss; The University of Queensland Digitization for Innovative Future HRM: A Skill-Based Approach Author: Alessandro MARGHERITA; University of Salent
