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Book Review: George Hunsinger - The Legacy of Hans W. Frei
Get PDFThis document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a published work that appeared in final form in [Modern Believing]. To access the final edited and published work see https://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/10.3828/mb.2025.12Hans W. Frei (1922-1988) was a widely influential historical and constructive theologian who was Professor of Religious Studies at Yale University. In this volume, George Hunsinger has gathered a range of pieces that make the case for different aspects of Frei’s theological achievements and clarify and interrogate his arguments. These are highly valuable expositions, assessments and it is helpful to highlight them in this volume. One wonders, however, what Frei’s legacy looks like to scholars from backgrounds further removed from his own kind of institutional and social setting.Unfunde
The Cambridge History of the Irish Novel
No full textThis material has been accepted for publication by Cambridge University Press, and a revised form will be published in [The Cambridge History of the Irish Novel] edited by [Christopher Morash] [http://doi.org/XXX, if available]. This version is free to view and download for private research and study only. Not for re-distribution or re-use. © copyright holder.This chapter considers the representation of the Irish peasant in nineteenth-century fiction: in the moral tales of Mary Leadbeater, national tales by Maria Edgeworth and Lady Morgan, the rise of Catholic novelists such as Gerald Griffin and the Banims, and those who emerge from the peasantry themselves, such as William Carleton; and the way representation is affected by social and political events such as agrarian outrages, the Famine, and the Land League.Unfunde
Suicide in prison: The potentials and pitfalls of film-research collaborations
Get PDF© The Author(s) 2025.Prisoner suicide rates are consistently higher than rates among communities outside prisons. Between 2012 and 2016, England and Wales’s prison suicide rates more than doubled, hitting record numbers in 2016. Often those most invested in prison safety are those personally impacted, and campaigns by prisoners’ families can have material effects on imprisonment. This article critically reflects on a collaboration between an academic research team (who authored this article), a bereaved mother and a theatre company, which aimed to raise awareness of prison suicide through verbatim film. Drawing upon interviews with the filmmakers and audience surveys, we examine the potentials and challenges of such collaborations. We conclude that film can engage audiences within and beyond social science, making complex subjects accessible, humanising marginalised people and potentially inspiring social change, but a sustained ethic of care is required to mitigate harms and manage expectations, which may involve difficult decisions for researchers.UKRI MR/T019085/1Funder: Economic and Social Research Council; FundRef: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000269; Grant(s): UKRI FLF MR/T019085/1AAM removed and archived and VoR uploaded to CR 30/06/202
External and residence-based Italian citizenship in the Brexit context
Get PDF© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.Brexit, which caused Britons to lose EU citizenship and EU citizens in the UK to lose EU legislation protection, represents a challenge for the citizenships of EU member states. In this context, I explore the experiences with respect to Italian citizenship of Italians in the UK, Britons in Italy, and Britons in the UK and elsewhere with claims to Italian citizenship. I show how Italian citizenship legislation, despite recent restrictions, still offers good protection to Italians abroad and relatives of Italian citizens. While naturalisation by residence in Italy is characterised by exclusionary requirements, I show how the British population in Italy also includes long-term residents who have not sought naturalisation despite meeting the requirements well before Brexit. Beyond the letter of the law, procedures of naturalisation and the functioning of the linked institutions – especially consulates – are key in the experience of citizenship. For some interviewees, it was less complex to meet the requirements in the letter of the law than to prove it through the procedures. More generally, the analysis shows the complexity of citizenship in its internal and external dimensions, in the stratification of the experiences for different profiles of citizens and applicants, and in the interaction between the letter of the law and its implementation.NF171438: British Academy FC22951: Fund for Scientific Research (FRS FNRS)AAM archived and swapped for VoR 07/05/202
In vitro erythropoiesis: The emerging potential of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)
Get PDFCopyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health Inc., on behalf of the Chinese Medical Association (CMA) and Institute of Hematology, Chinese Academy of Medical SciencesDue to global blood shortages and restricted donor blood storage, the focus has switched to the in vitro synthesis of red blood cells (RBCs) from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) as a potential solution. Many processes are required to synthesize RBCs from iPSCs, including the production of iPSCs from human or animal cells, differentiation of iPSCs into hematopoietic stem cells, culturing, and maturation of the hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) to make functional erythrocytes. Previous investigations on the in vitro production of erythrocytes have shown conflicting results. Some studies have demonstrated substantial yields of functional erythrocytes, whereas others have observed low yields of enucleated cells. Before large-scale in vitro RBC production can be achieved, several challenges which have limited its application in the clinic must be overcome. These issues include optimizing differentiation techniques to manufacture vast amounts of functional RBCs, upscaling the manufacturing process, cost-effectiveness, and assuring the production of RBCs with good manufacturing practices (GMP) before they can be used for therapeutic purposes.Unfunde
Validating the underpinnings of water corticosterone measurement for aquatic amphibians
Get PDFBACKGROUND: Good animal welfare is important ethically but also to ensure animals provide valid scientific models. Despite thousands of amphibians in research laboratories there is minimal quantitative evidence pertaining to their management and welfare. This study validated methods to non-invasively measure corticosterone, the amphibian ‘stress’ hormone, from tank water to provide a robust and reliable welfare assessment tool. METHODS: We report experiments (A) that evaluate parameters linked to the performance of our biochemical extraction methods for waterborne corticosterone and, importantly, associated sampling procedures. We evaluate appropriate sampling water type, sampling vessel, filtration methods, potential degradation of waterborne corticosterone over time and the impact of sampling procedures on animal corticosterone levels. We wanted to determine sampling parameters that yielded the least background corticosterone and had minimum negative impact on the animals. The second series of experiments (B) evaluated parameters linked to the biology of Xenopus, including the influence of circadian rhythm, sex and snout-vent length on waterborne corticosterone levels, since fundamental knowledge of a species’ biology is essential for designing robust experiments and in the interpretation of the results. RESULTS: We propose collecting corticosterone samples in deionised water in either plastic or glass containers. The filtering process does not impact the amount of corticosterone measured in the water sample. Levels of corticosterone collected in the water change over a 48-hr period so we advocate standardising time from hormone collection to storage at - 20 °C. Repeated transfer of frogs to sampling containers does not increase corticosterone, suggesting our methods are not cumulatively stressful. Corticosterone levels were not impacted by circadian phase, sex or snout-vent length. CONCLUSION: We have developed and validated robust methods to quantify waterborne corticosterone. We hope they provide a template for researchers wishing to develop methods to measure waterborne corticosterone in aquatic amphibians.National Centre for the Replacement Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Researc
The double-bind of competitive funding: Exploring the consequences of state-funded bidding processes in a locally managed cycling infrastructure project
Get PDFIn an era of sustained budget cuts, England’s local authorities are increasingly forced to ‘apply’ for infrastructure funding via competitive bidding processes. However, we currently know little about how this method of funding impacts implementation. Accordingly, we consider the consequences of competitive funding by exploring the constraints associated with implementing infrastructure under the state-funded Cycling Demonstration Towns programme. This was achieved via a case study in Chester, a city that was unable to deliver the ambitions of their bid. This study was informed by figurational sociology in order to focus on relational processes. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with personnel involved in the planning and implementation of the project. The key findings were: (1) participants considered the bidding process to be akin to a ‘beauty contest’ where authorities were consciously making fantasy-laden promises in order to ‘impress’ the awards panel; (2) those involved in the bid did not consult key delivery parties, many of whom held car-centric predispositions, until funding was secured, and this led to complications in the delivery process; (3) during project implementation as the chains of interdependency of those involved widened, several unintended outcomes emerged which contributed to the two ‘flagship’ infrastructure proposals being halted; (4) this led to an intervention package that was heavily weighted towards promotional, or ‘soft’, interventions. Theoretical insight from this study suggests that competitive funding is likely to encourage authorities to present bids that are largely detached from the realities of implementing infrastructure, thus leading to difficulties once funding has been awarded.UnfundedVoR submitted to CR by author on 10/02/2025 but article published Gold OA so FOA date was 28/10/202
LinkedIn as a research participant recruitment tool: reflections from the football industry
Get PDFThis author accepted manuscript is deposited under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC) licence. This means that anyone may distribute, adapt, and build upon the work for non-commercial purposes, subject to full attribution. If you wish to use this manuscript for commercial purposes, please contact [email protected]: The article explores the process of using LinkedIn to recruit hard-to-reach groups, reflecting on our experience of the football industry. We propose LinkedIn as a viable option to mitigate recruitment challenges, particularly in employment-focussed research.
DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: We examine how LinkedIn was used to recruit 43 football backroom staff for a sociological research study. It outlines the process of using LinkedIn to contact participants, the ethical considerations made throughout the research process and reflects on why LinkedIn was effective for a primarily employment-focussed study.
FINDINGS: We discuss the importance of insider knowledge for identifying LinkedIn as a potentially fruitful recruitment tool and how the functionality of the platform can be beneficial for a targeted recruitment method. We also explore the ethical and practical considerations of using social media for recruitment.
ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Previous research discusses social media as if they are indistinguishable and interchangeable with one another and we argue that this neglects the importance of a platform’s functionality. We discuss how the decision to use a particular social media platform to recruit should be grounded in the researcher’s familiarity with the site, the functionality the platform offers and the sample recruited. This article explicitly explores the considerations taken when using LinkedIn to help overcome recruitment challenges.Unfunde
Implementing Evidence‐Based Practice in Critical Care Nursing: An Ethnographic Case Study of Knowledge Use
Get PDFAim: To explore how critical care nurses access, negotiate and apply knowledge in high‐pressure clinical environments, focusing on organisational, cultural and leadership factors influencing evidence‐based practice implementation in acute hospital settings. Design: A focused ethnographic collective case study was conducted across two contrasting critical care units in England. Methods: Methods included non‐participant observation (56 sessions), semi‐structured interviews (36 participants) and document review. Spradley's Developmental Research Sequence guided data generation and analysis. Data were collected over an eight‐month period (February to September 2022). Findings: Five major themes were identified: sources of knowledge and acquisition strategies; institutional and hierarchical influences on knowledge use; role of experiential knowledge and clinical intuition; challenges to evidence‐based practice implementation; and strategies for integrating knowledge into practice. Organisational structures, leadership engagement, mentorship and access to updated digital resources were key enablers of evidence‐based practice. Barriers included workload pressures, inconsistent guideline dissemination and hierarchical cultures. Adaptive blending of formal evidence, clinical experience and intuition characterised effective knowledge negotiation at the bedside. Conclusion: Knowledge use in critical care nursing is a dynamic, relational process shaped by leadership, organisational culture and systemic pressures. The availability of evidence alone is insufficient; visible leadership, peer learning, protected educational time and valuing of experiential knowledge are critical to embedding evidence‐based practice into routine practice. Implications for Patient Care: Strengthening organisational systems, investing in nurse manager development, expanding simulation‐based learning and legitimising experiential knowledge are vital strategies to enhance evidence‐based critical care. Impact: This study provides actionable insights for healthcare leaders, educators and policymakers seeking to optimise evidence‐based practice adoption in high‐acuity clinical environments and improve patient outcomes. Reporting Method: The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research checklist guided reporting. No Patient or Public Involvement: Patients and the public were not involved in the design, conduct, reporting or dissemination of this research.N/
A unique ternary Ce(III)-quercetin-phenanthroline assembly with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties
Get PDFQuercetin is one of the most bioactive and common dietary flavonoids, with a significant repertoire of biological and pharmacological properties. The biological activity of quercetin, however, is influenced by its limited solubility and bioavailability. Driven by the need to enhance quercetin bioavailability and bioactivity through metal ion complexation, synthetic efforts led to a unique ternary Ce(III)-quercetin-(1,10-phenanthroline) ( 1 ) compound. Physicochemical characterization (elemental analysis, FT-IR, Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), UV-Visible, NMR, Electron Spray Ionization-Mass Spectrometry (ESI-MS), Fluorescence, X-rays) revealed its solid-state and solution properties, with significant information emanating from the coordination sphere composition of Ce(III). The experimental data justified further entry of 1 in biological studies involving toxicity, ROS-suppressing potential, cell metabolism inhibition in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) cultures, and plasmid DNA degradation. DFT calculations revealed its electronic structure profile, with in silico studies showing binding to DNA, DNA gyrase, and glutathione S-transferase, thus providing useful complementary insight into the elucidation of the mechanism of action of 1 at the molecular level and interpretation of its bio-activity. The collective work projects the importance of physicochemically supported bio-activity profile of well-defined Ce(III)-flavonoid compounds, thereby justifying focused pursuit of new hybrid metal-organic materials, effectively enhancing the role of naturally-occurring flavonoids in physiology and disease.S.M. would like to acknowledge support of this research by the State Scholarships Foundation (IΚΥ) for the doctoral scholarship co-financed by Greece and the European Union (European Social Fund - ESF) through the Operational Program “Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning” (NSRF 2014-2020), Act: “Strengthening the Human Research Resources through the Implementation of Doctoral Research” - MIS 5000432.
T.P. gratefully acknowledges use of Cirrus UK National Tier-2 HPC Service at EPCC, Edinburgh, under EPSRC grant EP/P020267/1
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