8383 research outputs found
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Participatory Approaches at West Cheshire Foodbank - Learning Report
Get PDFThis report provides an overview of how West Cheshire Foodbank have developed and adopted participatory approaches to service delivery.West Cheshire Foodbank; SPS23/0
Exploring suicide potential and the actualising tendency: A qualitative study of suicide notes
No full textThis submission is a PowerPoint presentation that was delivered at a conference and is not a published conference proceeding.Aim or purpose: The aim of the research was to establish if, within person-centred theory (PCT), suicide could potentially be considered an expression of the actualising tendency (AT). Within the theoretical boundaries of the person-centred approach (PCA) the research raised questions which included the clarity of Rogers’ (1959) meaning in relation to ‘perverse and unusual conditions’ for those that may ‘…actualise their potentiality for pain or self-destruction’.
Design or methodology: This research was conducted from a qualitative perspective using forms of analysis requiring interpretation by the researcher. A sample of 31 suicide notes were analysed: firstly using stanza analysis; and secondly narrative analysis.
Ethical approval: This was granted by University of Chester.Unfunde
Who are we and how do we fit in? – Fostering international students’ positive identity and sense of belonging in British society.
Get PDFThis is an extended conference abstract for the Netnocon 2024 Conference.N/
Computational and Experimental Study on the Resistance Welding Process of a Glass Fibre-Reinforced Epoxy-Based Composite with Thermoplastic Interlayer Adherent
Get PDFIn this work, resistance welding of a glass fibre-reinforced epoxy composite (GFRC) was studied with numerical optimisation and experimental validation. A steel mesh and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) films were used as the heating element and adherent interlayers, respectively. A transient heat transfer module was implemented to conduct the parametric optimisation study, with variables of electricity power, clamping distance and weld time. The optimal welding condition was then confirmed as 20 W, 0.4 mm and 30 s, with the melting degree of 95.2 %. A thermal meter and a thermal camera validated the simulated temperature results. Welding quality was experimentally characterized by single lap shear tests and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The highest lap shear strength of 3.8 ± 0.3 MPa was captured on the specimen welded with the optimised condition. This was 76 % that of the benchmark made with adhesive bonding method but it was over 200 times faster
Social media: helpful or harmful?
No full text© This article was published in Healthcare Counselling and Psychotherapy Journal, a journal of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. https://www.bacp.co.uk/bacp-journals/healthcare-counselling-and-psychotherapy-journal/In our digital age, many people spend a significant portion of their day online. In particular, social media has become a potent force in shaping our daily lives. Online platforms can offer positive opportunities for sharing thoughts, ideas and experiences, helping many to feel connected to one another. This article considers how mental health is navigated and understood through the lens of social media and explores the helpful and harmful aspects that can be encountered.unfunde
A 12-week double-blind randomised controlled trial investigating the effect of dietary supplementation with 125 µg/day vitamin D in adults with asthma
Get PDF© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Nutrition SocietyVitamin D deficiency has previously been linked to higher rates of exacerbation and reduced lung function in asthmatics. Previous randomised controlled trials (RCT) investigating the effect of vitamin D supplementation have mainly focussed on children with asthma. Trials involving adults have typically used bolus dosing regimes and the main outcomes have been patient focussed without investigating underlying inflammation. The present study aimed to conduct a 12-week placebo-controlled RCT administering a daily 5000 IU (125 µg) vitamin D3 supplement to adults with mild to moderate asthma. A total of 32 participants were randomised to receive either the 5000 IU vitamin D3 supplement or an identical matching placebo. The primary outcome of the study was lung function measured by ratio of FEV1:FVC (effect size 2.5) with secondary outcomes including asthma symptoms and inflammatory biomarkers. There was a small but statistically significant higher increase in the mean (± SD) ratio of FEV1: FVC from baseline to post-intervention in the vitamin D group (+ 0.05 ± 0.06) compared to the placebo group (+ 0.006 ± 0.04, p = 0.04). There was no effect of the intervention on asthma control test scores, or the inflammatory biomarkers measured. There was a moderate, significant association between baseline plasma 25(OH)D concentration and baseline plasma IL-10 (r = 0.527, p = 0.005) and TNF-α (r = -0.498. p = 0.008) concentrations. A daily vitamin D3 supplement led to slightly improved lung function in adult asthmatics and may be a useful adjunct to existing asthma control strategies, particularly for individuals with suboptimal vitamin D status.Unfunde
Retention of secondary school teachers: what motivates them to stay? A narrative ethnographic study of five teachers' lived experiences of ongoing commitment to their profession
Get PDFThis thesis uses narrative methodology to explore the ongoing career journeys of five secondary schoolteachers in England, presented from my perspective as a former schoolteacher. I aimed to understand how and why they remained committed to their profession by gaining insight into their professional motivation and their means of reconciling known demotivators associated with teacher attrition. I developed flexible mixed methods to capture a snapshot of their individual professional experiences. During the Covid pandemic of 2020, the year self-isolation and social distancing entered our lexicon, I conducted semi-structured interviews which were used to create thematic networks, and transposed the hand-transcribed accounts to third person narratives which participants had the opportunity to comment on. The methodology aimed to construct a three-dimensional research space (Clandinin, 2006), incorporating participants’ interaction with others, the continuity of their experience, and the situation(s) they inhabited. I draw on the work of Stronach et al. (2002) to show that the three components of motivation collectively referred to as Self-Determination Theory (SDT) (Ryan & Deci, 2000b) occur within divided, pluralistic, conflicted professional identities. The findings show how the first component of SDT, competence, becomes interwoven with the principles and language of performativity; how the second, relatedness, is complicated by competing allegiances which undermine teacher security; and that the third, autonomy, is always limited. I elicit a sense of fulfilment as an additional feature of motivation and identify acceptance as a further contributor to teachers’ ongoing commitment. I conclude that whilst teacher motivation is shifting and individualised, as are the conflicted professional identities underpinning reasons to teach, both motivation and identity are always a response to the circumstances and system of which they are products. The study shows that motivated teachers are generally able to maintain a positive outlook despite the tensions they must navigate, as long as they perceive an omnipresent possibility to alter their path
Elasmobranchs and the Inshore Reefs of Southern Mozambique
No full textThe coastal waters off southern Mozambique host a diverse community of elasmobranchs. The complexity of studying sharks and rays in remote locations means that limited research attention focusses on its marine environment. As the region is famed for its coastal reefs and the diversity of its elasmobranch species, a novel opportunity was presented to study elasmobranch species that have become rare in most other regions. This thesis aims to investigate the relationship between elasmobranch species and coastal reef habitat in southern Mozambique. This aim is addressed by investigating the frequency with which elasmobranch species visit reef systems and by comparing this with the environmental and biological conditions on the reefs. A reef camera trap was deployed 60 times on four reefs to record elasmobranch visits and to estimate the relative abundance of each reef’s fish and coral communities. SCUBA-based transects (n = 738) were conducted on 18 reefs in the same region to count elasmobranchs and measure environmental parameters that influence the presence of elasmobranchs on the reefs. Two large Carcharhinus sharks were observed in low numbers during video and SCUBA observations. To monitor their interactions with regional reefs, 18 acoustic tags were fitted to Carcharhinus limbatus and Carcharhinus leucas individuals. The sharks were tracked on 13 omnidirectional acoustic receivers positioned on reefs throughout the Inhambane province of southern Mozambique. The community composition of reef fishes appeared to influence the species of elasmobranch that frequented each survey area. Sharks visited reefs with the most abundant piscivorous fish life, which we determined to be linked to foraging opportunities. Small-bodied stingrays were only observed visiting shallow reefs near intertidal sand flats. Pelagic rays (e.g. Mobula spp.) were most often observed while cleaning on reefs that were proximate to their foraging grounds.Elasmobranch abundance on reefs was found to vary across several spatiotemporal and environmental parameters, resulting in patterns of reef use across various temporal scales. Most elasmobranch species became abundant on reefs during the summer, and tide, water temperature, and moon illumination were found to be strong predictors of their presence and abundance. Closely related species were similar in their responses to the measured environmental and spatiotemporal parameters and these species visited the same reefs with specific biological characteristics. Reducing pressures on the reefs that elasmobranch species rely on, and eliminating the extraction of elasmobranchs around these reefs, could benefit the populations of vulnerable elasmobranchs off the coast of southern Mozambique
Pandora's Box (2008)
No full textPublishing information and table of contents for issue 6 (2008)Founded 2003, Pandora’s Box is an annual literary periodical publishing a selection of the year’s best creative writing by students and staff at the University of Chester.N/
Pandora's Box (2023)
No full textPublishing information and table of contents for issue 21 (2023)Founded 2003, Pandora’s Box is an annual literary periodical publishing a selection of the year’s best creative writing by students and staff at the University of Chester.N/
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