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Bridging practice gaps - exploring the transferability of a simulated practice learning framework from nursing to paramedic education
No full textParamedic education faces challenges in preparing students for the complex and nuanced realities of clinical practice. This article explores how simulated practice learning, an innovative andragogical approach used in nursing education, can be adapted to meet these needs. It discusses the gaps in curricula being addressed in undergraduate nursing programmes and their parallel to paramedic education. These include the application of theory to practice, exposure to and involvement in high- stakes incidents, development of clinical management and professionalism and the emotional preparedness for clinical practice.The article forwards a four-step framework that supports the integration of simulated practice learning into curricula. Using an evidence-base, the framework addresses student needs, feasibility and sustainability for institutions, and also incorporates practice partner expectations. Following the successful implementation of simulated practice learning into nursing education, this article promotes the adoption of this framework in paramedic programmes
Potentiation of antibacterial activity of cefixime in synergy with <i>Cirsium arvense</i> (L.) Scop. against resistant bacterial isolates
Get PDFAntibiotic resistance is a major health priority, with the concern over antibiotic resistance growing. The rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria coupled with the limited new therapeutics puts pressure on community and hospital healthcare systems and leads to excessive morbidity and mortality. Given this, there has been significant interest into potential new and/or combination antibacterial treatments including certain plant extracts. When combined with resistance medicines, these extracts can re-sensitize their potency. One such plant is Cirsium arvense which has been traditionally used for its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. Preliminary findings suggest that its extracts may enhance the activity of conventional antibiotics against resistant strains like MRSA. The current study assessed cefixime’s and Cirsium arvense extracts’ synergistic antibacterial efficacy against Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The antibacterial activity of extracts and the susceptibility profile of antibiotics were assessed using the disc diffusion and microbroth dilution assays. Chequerboard, time-kill kinetics, and protein content tests were performed to verify synergistic antibacterial effect. Our results demonstrated that when these extracts were applied to clinical strains of bacteria along with the cefixime, there was complete or partial synergy was displayed. Time-kill kinetics demonstrated that synergism was dependent on both concentration and time, and bacterial isolates treated with these exhibited significantly reduced bacterial growth and protein content. Taken together, these results show that Cirsium arvense extracts enhance the efficacy of conventional antibiotics against antibiotic-resistant strains of Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, and MRSA and clearly suggest that these plant extracts could be used as additives to current resistant antibiotics for the future management or treatment of resistant bacterial infections
The power of naming: co-constructing knowledge about violence in the family
No full textA pilot project was conducted in the English Midlands to better understand how violence in family settings is described and defined. We present qualitative data from focus groups with mothers who have experienced violence in their families and practitioners working to address such experiences. Drawing upon this evidence, we show the importance of developing a shared, contextualized understanding of family violence to clearly identify what survivors of violence need and to facilitate appropriate service referrals. Participants’ naming of violent behaviors is an intersectional project marked by gender, race, disability, and class, best understood within the context of life stages. The process of practitioners and survivors co-constructing meaningful, intersectional definitions of violence helps clarify the extent to which daily experiences align with social policies, and is essential to improving criminal justice, health and social care praxis. This paper contributes new knowledge about how “violence in the family” is constructed and enacted within patriarchal social structures in ways injurious to family lif
Intelligent planning of UAV flocks via transfer learning and multi-objective optimization
Get PDFMultiple UAVs have been extensively deployed recently to reduce human workload, resulting in increased automation and efficiency. Path planning of numerous UAVs is a challenging optimization problem and a key component in various applications. Traditional strategies cannot provide accurate, optimal solutions rapidly in complex mission settings. In this context, flocks of birds exhibit intricate patterns of group escape when faced with predators. Local group interactions may lead to the autonomy of these patterns. However, most nature-inspired intelligent planning techniques have slow search speeds and easily fall into local areas. An intelligent planning method emulating the behavior of pigeons to achieve intelligence, safety, and consistency in UAV flocks in a complicated environment is designed. The combinatorial approach of pigeon-inspired optimization and transfer learning (TL-PIO) is the focus of the multi-objective optimization task. On the one hand, path planning and formation control of individual clusters with a dynamic agent are dealt with combinatorial efforts of multi-agent systems (MAS) and flocking model. On the other hand, swapping and synchronization of individual clusters construct flocks in a dynamic environment. Specifically, interaction and swapping positions of the best members among all clusters are involved to plan optimized paths and configure agents in one flock. Experimental results have been validated through a detailed numerical analysis of proposed algorithm over other combinatorial approaches, namely social learning pigeon-inspired optimization (SL-PIO), social learning particle swarm optimization (SL-PSO), and social learning ant colony optimization (SL-ACO). TL-PIO achieves an improvement of 25% over SL-PIO and 18% over SL-ACO in seven test functions and 15% over SL-PSO but only in five test functions. Outcomes reveal the developed approach has the fastest convergence rate and high local optimal avoidance and exploration ability, significantly reducing costs and illustrating supremacy over other methods. The presented work practically implies researchers and practitioners adopt it for distinct benefits in real-world applications
Easy applied AI & data science for everyone
No full textThis book is specifically designed for learners who are new to the domain, including students from non-technical and non-STEM educational backgrounds. No prior knowledge of computer science, programming, or advanced mathematics is assumed. At the same time, the text is equally valuable for readers with existing programming experience who wish to develop an integrated understanding of how computational methods, statistics, mathematics, and domain knowledge can be combined to produce effective AI, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning systems
Interventions supporting professionals’ retention and transition from health and social care practice into higher education: a systematic review
No full textThis systematic review aimed to identify interventions that support and facilitate professionals? transition from health and social care practice to higher education. It was prospectively registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023404825). AMED, CINAHL, MEDLINE, and Research Education Complete were searched from inception up until 26/02/2025. Included studies described interventions that support health and social care practitioners transitioning into higher education teaching jobs and involved 2-3 years retainment. Transitions of doctoral students were excluded as well as literature reviews and theses. Quality appraisal was conducted using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). A narrative synthesis of the included studies was conducted. Nine papers were included in the review. Studies were predominantly conducted in the USA and involved surveys of nursing staff. Mentoring and onboarding were identified as interventions supporting the transition from health and social care to higher education. A structured, formalised mentoring programme with clearly defined boundaries and guidelines, strengthened staff acclimatisation to the new role. Onboarding programmes should be formalised as well, commencing prior to an individual starting in their new role, and individualised to the professionals? skills and development requirements. Onboarding programmes contributed to feelings of satisfaction and retention. Mentoring and onboarding need to be individualised, formal, and facilitated by expert academics to enable novice healthcare academics to bridge the gap from practice to academia. There is a need for more research within this field globally, presenting methodologically sound findings regarding interventions supporting the transition from health and social care to higher education and their impact
Empowering women leaders through online strategic leadership education
No full textThe Design-Based Research methodology, integrated with Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, was employed across two iterative cycles. Data collection included semi-structured interviews, participant journals, focus groups, and validated leadership assessments. A Strategic Leadership and Management for Women course was developed, implemented, and refined across two iterations with 75 participants total (45 in Iteration 1, 30 in Iteration 2). Iteration 1 demonstrated statistically significant improvements across all leadership dimensions (p&lt;0.001, Cohen’s d=0.89-1.45). Iteration 2 showed enhanced engagement with a 319% increase in content views and 50% increase in active users compared to Iteration 1. Cross-iteration analysis revealed improved peer interaction, sustained motivation, and stronger development of leadership identity through refined pedagogical approaches. Findings inform iterative leadership development programme design in higher education institutions, evidence-based approaches to course refinement, organisational diversity and inclusion initiatives, and policy development for gender equity in leadership through systematic intervention improvement and peer-supported learning environments. This research provides the first systematic two-iteration integration of Design-Based Research with Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis for women’s leadership development, demonstrating how iterative refinement enhances educational interventions and offering both theoretical insights into leadership identity formation and practical intervention models for educational institutions
A human-centred design of a novel user interface that combines submarine systems and integrates augmented reality
No full textModern submarine control rooms are the outcome of an iterative design process, that incorporates advancing technology, increasing automation, and evolving ways of working. Novel user interfaces that address existing limitations in contemporary submarine systems is one way which future iterations can be optimised. Current systems present optronics information and Radar Electronic Support Measures (RESM) information separately. However, an interface that integrates multiple data sources (combining optronics and RESM) could enhance an operator’s task accuracy, situation awareness, and overall performance. Furthermore, exploring alternative ways of presenting such information, by utilising emerging technologies, may also improve operator performance. An interface of this application requires effective design using a human-centred design approach, which will provide utility to submariners in future submarine control rooms. In total, eleven subject-matter experts participated in two workshops (six in the first and five in the second), aimed at assessing various submarine systems and examining the potential integration of augmented reality (AR) into such systems. The workshops highlighted usability concerns with existing systems and generated recommendations regarding the optimal presentation of integrated sensor data as well as the implementation of AR. The feedback received was then funnelled into a proof-of-concept design, that focused on illustrating keyways in which a system of this nature could be implemented. The workshops demonstrated the efficacy of an iterative design process using a human-centred approach
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