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Soft Power and International Political Marketing
No full textJoseph Nye defines soft power as the ability of “getting others to want the outcomes that you want” through persuasion and attraction of one’s ideas or the ability to set the political agenda to shape the preferences of others. Nye further argues that in the international arena, besides the military and economic power, there is a third dimension which is characterized as indirect power, cooptive power, and intangible power in contrary to direct power, coercive power, and tangible power. Nye states, “The ability to establish references tends to be associated with intangible power resources such as culture, ideology and institutions. This dimension can be thought of as soft power, in contrast to the hard command power usually associated with tangible resources like military and economic strength.”
Henry Sun defines international political marketing as following:
International Political Marketing seeks to establish, maintain and enhance long-term relations among nation-states, political actors and organizations, so that the objectives of stakeholders involved are met. This is done by mutual exchange and fulfillment of promises through cross-border and cross-culture marketing strategy and managemen
A multi-dimensional approach to principalship
Get PDFIn the last two decades, principalship within further education has moved from being the chief academic officer to one which has bought about the combination of the chief executive element with the academic role, imposing greater demands and levels of accountability on the postholder. In light of these changes, it is appropriate to ask what is known about the nature of the role and how individuals can be encouraged to aspire to principalship. This paper considers what principals themselves perceive the role to involve and looks at existing literature on the way in which the principalship can be categorised. Relatively little has been written on the role of principals within further education colleges, yet at a time when Frearson (2005), Hargreave and Fink (2006) and Davies and Davies (2011) are debating the 'timebomb' within educational leadership more needs to be understood about the nature of the role if individuals are to develop into the next generation of college leaders
An Endoscope Interface for Immersive Virtual Reality
Get PDFThis is the accepted version of the following article: John, N.W., Day, T.W., & Wardle, T. (2020). An Endoscope Interface for Immersive Virtual Reality. Eurographics Workshop on Visualization for Biology and Medicine, Eurographics Association, which has been published in final form at
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with
the Wiley Self-Archiving PolicyThis is a work in progress paper that describes a novel endoscope interface designed for use in an immersive virtual reality surgical simulator. We use an affordable off the shelf head mounted display to recreate the operating theatre environment. A hand held controller has been adapted so that it feels like the trainee is holding an endoscope controller with the same functionality. The simulator allows the endoscope shaft to be inserted into a virtual patient and pushed forward to a target position. The paper describes how we have built this surgical simulator with the intention of carrying out a full clinical study in the near future
Simultaneous determination of dopamine, uric acid and estriol in maternal urine samples based on the synergetic effect of reduced graphene oxide, silver nanowires and silver nanoparticles in their ternary 3D nanocomposite
Get PDFA facile and efficient electrochemical biosensing platform based on screen printed carbon electrode (SPCE) modified with three-dimensional (3D) nanocomposite consists of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) with the insertion of silver nanowires (AgNWs) followed by the anchoring of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is constructed as RGO/AgNWs/AgNPs/SPCE for the simultaneous determination of dopamine (DA), uric acid (UA) and estriol (EST). The morphology characteristic and surface elemental composition of RGO/AgNWs/AgNPs nanocomposite are investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and X-ray photoelectron spectroscope. Cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, linear sweep voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry are utilized to explore the electrochemical performances of the constructed electrodes. Due to abundant active sites and excellent electrocatalytic activity of the nanocomposite, the RGO/AgNWs/AgNPs/SPCE sensor exhibits well-resolved oxidation peaks and enhanced oxidation peak currents in the ternary mixture of DA, UA and EST with respective linear response ranges of 0.6 to 50 μM, 1 to 100 μM and 1 to 90 μM and detection limits (S/N = 3) of 0.16 μM, 0.58 μM and 0.58 μM, respectively. Moreover, the constructed biosensor exhibits good selectivity, reproducibility and stability, and excellent performance in determining DA, UA and EST in synthetic urine samples with excellent recovery. The results reveal that the RGO/AgNWs/AgNPs nanocomposite is a promising candidate for advanced electrode material in electrochemical sensing field and possesses great application prospects in further sensing researches
How and why are hourly paid employees motivated to work in a family owned food manufacturing sector SME within the United Kingdom?
Get PDFThe purpose of this study is to establish how and why hourly paid employees are motivated to work in a family owned food manufacturing sector SME within the United Kingdom. The study also seeks to identify and understand how these motivational factors are contingent on hierarchical level and life stage within hourly paid employees in UK food manufacturing SMEs, in order to develop an understanding of work-based motivation among hourly paid employees from a manager’s perspective.
The research uses a case study approach within a third generation family-owned cheesemaker. The results of this study suggest, within the particular work environment and sample of respondents under review, that motivation originates from a combination of intrinsic factors, extrinsic factors and social influences.
Using survey questionnaires and semi-structured interview techniques, the research established the main a priori themes driving work motivation within the organisation under review, namely; (1) job security, (2) financial motivation, (3) the work itself, and (3) changes in motivation over time. The results also identified a number of a posteriori themes which were of particular importance to the participating respondents, namely: (1) camaraderie and teamwork, (2) that the organisation was a progressive company with an enviable reputation, and (3) overtime. The study indicates that social influences can have a profound effect on motivation at work and can also be a source of increased productivity within an organisation. For example, camaraderie is proven to be a motivating factor among employees and contributes to workforce stability within the context of this case study.
The research findings suggest that workforce stability breeds success and provide a framework for performance improvement based on developing human resource practices that focus on cultivating employee motivation. Identifying the key motivators in today’s society may provide organisations with opportunities to improve productivity through the motivation of their staff. Furthermore, staff retention could increase if workers become more motivated, which may lead to improved efficiency and effectiveness within an organisation. Motivated and committed employees could subsequently increase the competitive advantage of the organisation
An in vitro comparison of the neurotrophic and angiogenic activity of human and canine adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs): translating MSC-based therapies for spinal cord injury.
Get PDFThe majority of research into the effects of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplants on spinal cord injury (SCI) is performed in rodent models, which may help inform on mechanisms of action, but does not represent the scale and wound heterogeneity seen in human SCI. In contrast, SCI in dogs occurs naturally, is more akin to human SCI, and can be used to help address important aspects of the development of human MSC-based therapies. To enable translation to the clinic and a comparison across species, we have examined the paracrine, regenerative capacity of human and canine adipose-derived MSCs in vitro. MSCs were initially phenotyped according to tissue culture plastic adherence, CD immunoprofiling and tri-lineage differentiation potential. Conditioned medium (CM) from MSC cultures was then assessed for its neurotrophic and angiogenic activity using established cell-based assays. MSC CM significantly increased neuronal cell proliferation, neurite outgrowth, and βIII tubulin immunopositivity. In addition, MSC CM significantly increased endothelial cell migration, cell proliferation and the formation of tubule-like structures in Matrigel assays. There were no marked or significant differences in the capacity of human or canine MSC CM to stimulate neuronal cell or endothelial cell activity. Hence, this study supports the use of MSC transplants for canine SCI, furthermore it increases understanding of how this may subsequently provide useful information and translate to MSC transplants for human SCI
Perceptions and experiences of occupational sedentary behaviour and cardiometabolic responses to reducing sitting time at work
Get PDFSedentary behaviour is linked to cardiometabolic health, independent of physical activity (PA), in a majority of the UK population. The workplace accounts for around 70% of daily sitting time, thus making it a popular domain for intervention. This thesis included a critical review and four studies which evaluated the use of sit-stand desks in relation to; perceptions and experiences; acute blood glucose responses; longerterm cardiometabolic health changes and self-reported use and finally the vascular health changes. Within this thesis a review of the literature was carried out, and examined evidence relating to occupational sedentary behaviour and its impact on health amongst adults, as well as the effectiveness of interventions to reduce occupational sitting time. The review highlighted that whilst many sit-stand desk interventions effectively reduced occupational sitting time, findings regarding both acute and chronic cardiometabolic responses to such interventions were equivocal.
The review also highlighted that perceptions of sit-stand desk use are underinvestigated, particularly in the UK context. Study one used focus groups to examine the perceptions and experiences of sit-stand desk work amongst UK based officeworkers. Expected health beliefs and personal health history were important drivers of behaviour change whilst experienced benefits, organisational culture and peers were important in maintaining behaviour change. Study two examined the acute bloodglucose responses to sit-stand desk work using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and assessed changes to workplace sitting, standing and stepping time. Objectively measured workplace sitting time decreased by ~50% and total daily sitting percentage reduced from 70% to 45%. However there were no significant differences in postprandial blood glucose excursion between conditions. Occupational sitting time of this sample was much lower than that previously reported within the literature and may explain differences in findings. Study three examined a longer-term (6 and 12 month) intervention, assessing self-reported sitting time, self-reported physical activity and cardiometabolic health markers including anthropometric measurements, predicted aerobic capacity, blood pressure and blood profiles. Self-reported sitting time significantly decreased over 6 and 12 month interventions. A decrease was also seen in the control group prior to the intervention period suggesting a possible trial effect.
Despite this change to self-reported sitting, there was no significant impact on cardiometabolic health markers. Study four explored the impact of an 8-week sit-stand desk intervention on flow-mediated dilation (FMD), blood pressure and blood profile whilst measuring fidelity to the intervention using both self-report and objective measures of PA and sitting time. There was a significant decrease in self-report total daily sitting time however, objectively measured sitting time and cardiometabolic health markers did not significantly differ over the intervention period. Moreover, a significant difference was observed between self-report and objectively measured sitting time at midpoint, in the intervention group only. To conclude, whilst sit-stand desks are an attractive means to work, which participants perceive to be of benefit physically, mentally and in their work performance, the installation of sit-stand desks in isolation does not appear to be a sufficient means by which to impact on longerterm occupational sitting time. Additionally, self-report methods may not be a suitable means to measure changes to sitting time during an intervention. Future research should aim to explore the behaviour change techniques effective in reducing occupational sitting time, whether interventions which successfully decrease occupational sitting time bring about cardiometabolic benefits and disparities between perceived and measured outcomes of sit-stand desk interventions on activity levels, health markers, and performance markers
Subjective versus objective knowledge of online safety/dangers as predictors of children’s perceived online safety and attitudes towards e-safety education in the United Kingdom
No full textThis article is not available on ChesterRepChildren are spending increasing amounts of time online prompting practitioners and parents to raise concerns about their online safety. However, the impact of children’s subjective versus objective knowledge on their perceived online safety and attitudes towards e-safety education remain unclear. Questionnaires were used to assess children’s (N = 329, aged 8–11 years) perceived online safety, subjective and objective knowledge of online safety/dangers, and attitudes to e-safety education. While participants generally reported feeling safe online and perceived that they had a good awareness of online dangers and how to avoid them (subjective knowledge), they tended to be poor at articulating for themselves exactly what those dangers were and how they personally could elude them (objective knowledge). This was especially true of boys and younger children. Moreover, only subjective knowledge of online safety/dangers significantly predicted perceived online safety. Together, these findings suggest that some children may think that they know how to stay safe online but lack – or at least be unable to articulate – objective knowledge that could actually keep them safe. Consequently, there is a need to assess children’s objective knowledge of online safety/dangers and to provide appropriate education for children who currently lack it
Cholesterol Homeostasis: An In Silico Investigation into How Aging Disrupts Its Key Hepatic Regulatory Mechanisms
Get PDFCardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. High blood cholesterol levels are associated with an increased risk of this condition. How high levels of blood cholesterol result in cardiovascular disease during aging is a difficult question to answer. Computational models have been used over the years to help understand this problem, as they are capable of representing complex systems such as this. The aim of this work was to use a computational model of cholesterol metabolism to better understand why, in certain studies involving the oldest old (persons ≥ 85 years), high blood cholesterol levels have been associated with a decreased risk of death. Using our computational model, we found that key age-associated changes to how cholesterol is processed in the liver could be responsible for this observation. The findings from our work contribute to our understanding of cholesterol metabolism in older people and how treatments could be developed in the future to promote healthy aging.The dysregulation of intracellular cholesterol homeostasis is associated with several age-related diseases, most notably cardiovascular disease (CVD). Research in this area has benefitted from using computational modelling to study the inherent complexity associated with the regulation of this system. In addition to facilitating hypothesis exploration, the utility of modelling lies in its ability to represent an array of rate limiting enzymatic reactions, together with multiple feedback loops, which collectively define the dynamics of cholesterol homeostasis. However, to date no model has specifically investigated the effects aging has on this system. This work addresses this shortcoming by explicitly focusing on the impact of aging on hepatic intracellular cholesterol homeostasis. The model was used to investigate the experimental findings that reactive oxygen species induce the total activation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase (HMGCR). Moreover, the model explored the impact of an age-related decrease in hepatic acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase 2 (ACAT2). The model suggested that an increase in the activity of HMGCR does not have as significant an impact on cholesterol homeostasis as a decrease in hepatic ACAT2 activity. According to the model, a decrease in the activity of hepatic ACAT2 raises free cholesterol (FC) and decreases low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. Increased acetyl CoA synthesis resulted in a reduction in the number of hepatic low-density lipoprotein receptors, and increased LDL-C, FC, and cholesterol esters. The rise in LDL-C was restricted by elevated hepatic FC accumulation. Taken together these findings have important implications for healthspan. This is because emerging clinical data suggest hepatic FC accumulation is relevant to the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is associated with an increased risk of CVD. These pathophysiological changes could, in part, help to explain the phenomenon of increased mortality associated with low levels of LDL-C which have been observed in certain studies involving the oldest old (≥ 85 years)
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