17390 research outputs found
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Rethinking the medieval pig in England: From woodland animal to bagpipe-playing sow
No full textExplores the cultural history of the medieval pig, as well as aspects of medieval pig farming
Navigating boundaries in mental health settings. A multicultural perspective
No full textSection A
Therapeutic boundaries are defined in the literature as the limits or rules that govern the therapeutic relationship. While mental health services strive to provide culturally sensitive practices, the diversity in how boundaries are understood and managed across different cultural contexts is often overlooked. This review aimed to explore the factors that are considered important regarding therapeutic boundaries when working with culturally diverse clients in mental health settings.
A systematic integrative review was conducted in April 2024 across five databases. A total of 663 articles were screened based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, resulting in the inclusion of fourteen papers in this review. The review comprised seven empirical articles, one theoretical paper, four practice-based papers, and two pieces of grey literature. The included articles were quality-appraised using relevant appraisal tools.
Data analysis and synthesis were performed using thematic analysis, revealing four main themes with seven subthemes. The main themes identified were Power Dynamics; Culture, which encompasses cultural differences and the influence of dominant cultures; Harm versus Benefits; and What Might Help when making a decision, including reflective practice, supervision, and adequate training.
Future research should focus on exploring both clinicians’ and clients’ perceptions of therapeutic boundaries within diverse populations.
Section B
Background: Understanding how culture shapes therapeutic boundaries is key to effective care, especially in settings like Early Intervention for Psychosis Services (EIPS), where mistrust and disengagement are common. In these settings, the care coordinator (CC) plays a vital role in building trust and fostering engagement. This study explored the experiences of EIPS clients in navigating therapeutic boundaries within their relationship with the CC, with a specific focus on the cultural aspects of these boundaries.
Methods: Ten EIPS clients were interviewed, and the data was transcribed and analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).
Results: Three Group Experiential Themes (GETs) were developed each with subthemes: Role Complexity, Blurred Lines, and Self-Disclosure. Respect emerged as an overarching theme, with all participants identifying it as key to navigating boundaries with the CC. Several noted its importance within their cultural values. Clients also highlighted the lack of boundary discussions and the absence of space to decline certain support, which contributes to power imbalances.
Discussion: Findings suggest professionals should create more space for open discussions about boundaries, especially for clients from marginalised groups who may face greater 3challenges asserting them due to power imbalances. A deeper understanding of cultural differences around boundaries would also support more equitable care
Smart nanomedicines for neurodegenerative diseases: Empowering new therapies with molecular imaging and artificial intelligence
No full textNeurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) remain among the most challenging disorders to treat, owing to their multifactorial pathology, limited drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier, and lack of effective disease-modifying therapies. Smart nanomedicines are emerging as powerful tools to overcome these challenges by enabling targeted delivery, controlled release, and enhanced bioavailability of therapeutics. In parallel, advances in molecular imaging, combined with machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), are transforming the design, validation, and optimization of nanomedicines. This article integrates the rapidly evolving fields of nanomedicine and AI/ML-driven imaging to evaluate their synergistic potential toward NDD therapy. The capabilities of AI-aided imaging for mapping nanomedicine biodistribution, predicting therapeutic outcomes, guiding nanoparticle design, and ensuring quality control at preclinical and clinical stages in NDDs are discussed. This synergistic approach opens new avenues for precision medicine, enabling personalized and adaptive treatment strategies for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other NDDs by linking smart nanocarriers with intelligent imaging analytics. Hence, this article presents a roadmap for translating AI-guided nanomedicine-integrated imaging platforms into clinically viable solutions, marking a paradigm shift in the diagnosis and treatment of NDDs. [Abstract copyright: © 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
Experiences of stigma and access to care among long COVID patients: a qualitative study in a multi-ethnic population in the Netherlands
No full textObjective
This study explored the experience of stigma and access to healthcare by persons with long COVID from the majority Dutch and two ethnic minority populations (Turkish and Moroccan) living in the Netherlands.
Design
This was a cross-sectional qualitative study that employed inductive and deductive thematic approaches to data analysis using MAXQDA.
Setting and participants
Between October 2022 and January 2023, 23 semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants of Dutch, Moroccan and Turkish ethnic origins with long COVID living in the Netherlands. Participants were men and women aged 30 years and above.
Results
Guided by the concepts of stigma and candidacy, the findings are structured according to the broader themes of stigma and access to care. The findings show that people with long COVID suffer self and public stigma resulting from the debilitating illness and symptoms. Especially among Turkish and Moroccan ethnic minority participants, strong filial obligations and gendered expectations of responsibility and support within their communities further worsen self-stigma. This experience of stigma persisted within healthcare where lack of information and appropriate care pathways led to feelings of frustration and abandonment, especially for participants with pre-existing health conditions which further complicate candidacy. Under the access to healthcare theme, the findings show multiple challenges in accessing healthcare for long COVID due to several multifaceted factors related to the various stages of candidacy which impacted access to care. Particularly for Turkish and Moroccan ethnic minority participants, additional challenges resulting from limited access to information, pre-existing structural challenges and experience of stereotyping based on ethnicity or assumed migrant identity by health professionals further complicate access to health information and long COVID care.
Conclusions
The findings call for urgent attention and research to identify and coordinate healthcare for long COVID. There is also a need for accessible, informative and tailored support systems to facilitate patients’ access to information and care pathways for long COVID. Providing tailored information and support, addressing the various barriers that hinder optimal operating conditions in healthcare and leveraging on social networks is crucial for addressing stigma and facilitating candidacy for persons with long COVID towards improving access to care
From Blackpool to Benidorm: Visual cultures of repair, authenticity, and demotic leisure
No full textPresentation at the 1st COSTA Observatory Conference // Tourism and Sustainable Cultur
Reshaping environmental peacebuilding: Lessons of the war against Ukraine
No full textThis paper discusses how the Russian war in Ukraine has highlighted the significant role of climate security in conflicts, which is often overlooked. The environmental consequences of this war, such as pollution, wildfires, and ecosystem destruction, have far-reaching implications beyond borders, impacting areas like energy and food security, social stability, and healthcare access. Ukraine’s efforts in environmental peacebuilding during the conflict emphasize democratic values, sustainability, climate protection, and justice as essential for negotiations and post-war reconstruction. President Zelensky’s focus on incorporating environmental security principles into the peace process is a unique and noteworthy approach, calling for a deeper understanding of these strategies in global conflicts for both the present and future recovery phases
Evaluating the effectiveness of domestic abuse and stalking perpetrator intervention programmes in Kent & Medway: A multi-agency approach
No full textCanterbury Christ Church University was commissioned by Kent Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) to conduct an independent evaluation on the impact of the newly established multi-agency perpetrator intervention programmes for tackling domestic violence and abuse (DVA) and stalking in Kent and Medway.
In collaboration with Kent police, the Kent OPCC commissioned Look Ahead (a victims/survivors service) to provide support to victims of domestic violence and abuse in 2021 and Interventions Alliance (a perpetrator support service) to deliver two behavioural change programmes to perpetrators of domestic abuse and/or of stalking as part of a multi-agency approach to tackling DVA and stalking behaviours.
Additionally, the multi-agency partnership sought to consider how domestic abuse and stalking offences are managed and how to enhance the safety of/and reduce the risk of harm towards victims/survivors.
The funding to deliver the programme(s) was awarded by the UK Home Office as part of strategic approaches to address domestic abuse.
The partnership centred around the delivery of two perpetrator intervention programmes delivered by Interventions Alliance:
1. Healthy Relationships: A behavioural change programme designed for perpetrators of domestic violence and abuse
2. Compulsive Obsessive Behaviour Intervention (COBI): A stalking intervention programme.
Both programmes were established to provide early intervention and aimed to address the repeat offending of perpetrators of abuse and stalking.
The aims of the multi-agency partnership were to:
1. Reduce the frequency, risk and gravity of abuse and stalking behaviours
2. Improve the safety and protection for victims (including children)
3. Help individuals gain a better understanding of what it means to be in a healthy and respectful relationship, and the means to achieve this.
The evaluation adopted a mixed-methods approach, combining both qualitative and quantitative data to assess the partnership’s impact.
Findings indicate that multi-agency collaboration contributes positively to both the safeguarding of victims/survivors and the behavioural change of perpetrators. However, the evaluation also identified areas where risk remained or was likely to re-emerge. These findings suggest that while initial behavioural change can be achieved, additional and sustained support for perpetrators is essential to ensure long-term impact and reduce the likelihood of reoffending
Artificial intelligence and open research: A "double-edged sword"
No full textThe rise of artificial intelligence (AI) presents a transformative, yet complex, landscape for open research and academic publishing. While offering significant opportunities to enhance efficiency, accessibility, and discoverability, AI also introduces a series of challenges concerning research integrity, economic models, and ethical considerations. The intricate relationship between AI and open research is a "double-edged sword" (Lo, 2025), necessitating careful navigation to harness AI's benefits while mitigating its risks
Enhancing the hydrothermal and economic efficiency of parabolic solar collectors with Innovative semi-corrugated absorber tubes, shell form cone turbulators, and nanofluid
No full textThis study proposes a performance-enhancing design for parabolic trough solar collectors by integrating a novel semi-corrugated absorber tube with an innovative shell-form cone turbulator, operating with CuO–water nanofluid. Numerical simulations were conducted across a Reynolds number range of 4,500–10,930 to evaluate the effects of corrugation radius (0.5–1.5 mm), nanofluid volume fraction (1–3%), and turbulator geometry. Three turbulator designs—full (FSFCT), semi (SSFCT), and hollow (HSFCT) shell-form cone turbulators—were analyzed to identify optimal configurations. Performance was assessed from both hydrothermal and economic perspectives using the performance evaluation criterion (PEC), levelized cost of energy (LCOE), and payback time. Results indicate that the configuration combining a semi-corrugated tube with a 1.5 mm radius, 3% CuO nanofluid, and the FSFCT achieved a 369% increase in Nusselt number, an LCOE of 0.546 $/kWh, and a payback time of 3.6 years, confirming its economic superiority. From a thermal-hydraulic perspective, the highest PEC value of 2.77 was obtained using the HSFCT under the same conditions
Motivating employees for sustainability: The role of HRM through the lenses of identity theory
No full textThe paper/research focuses on the ‘process’ of HRM contribution to environmental sustainability, and seeks to highlight the potential role of “organisational and employee identity” in motivating and facilitating environmental sustainability performance in organisations