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Establishing room-temperature multiferroic behaviour in bismuth-based perovskites
Get PDFIn the search of single-phase multiferroic materials at room temperature, a ceramic system with composition 0.5(0.94Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-0.06BaTiO3)-0.5BiFe0.8Mn0.2O3 (BNT-6BT-5BFO2M) was fabricated via the solid-state reaction route, and its crystal structure, dielectric, ferroelectric, and magnetic properties were studied. The results indicate that the ceramic can be considered a single-phase perovskite system with ferroelectric and ferromagnetic characteristics at room temperature. The ferroelectricity is evidenced by the switching of ferroelectric domains, as imaged by piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). The presence of a weak ferromagnetism is manifested by a non-negligible remnant magnetization in the magnetization-magnetic field loops. The spontaneous net magnetization is mediated by the presence of Mn4+ ions, which may introduce ferromagnetic Fe3+-O-Mn4+ double-exchange interactions in the system. The PFM images taken during the application of a magnetic field of 2000 Oe revealed that the ferroelectric domain structure at room temperature can be significantly influenced by the magnetic field, reflecting the presence of a magnetoelectric effect that allows the occurrence of magnetic field-induced polarization reorientation.Science and Technology Major Project of Hunan Province (2021SK1020); College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University; National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2021YFB2012100); State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University; Grant Agency of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (grant no. VEGA 2/0034/23)
Being here: Impressions in Harmony (exhibition title at Gallery Mcube)
Get PDFA 300-word text that was used as an introduction to the work of the British artist Richard Crooks for the exhibition 'Being here: Impressions in Harmony' (25th - 30th November 2024) at Gallery Mcube in Kathmandu, Nepal. The text was on display in the exhibition as a wall panel. The text is also on the gallery's website in the section Air Mcube International Artists' Residency 2024.This exhibition text is part of a long-standing relationship between the artist Richard Crooks and writer Stephen Clarke. Clarke has written about Crooks' work in magazines (online and print) as well as texts for exhibition catalogues and introduction panels. A significant feature of Crooks' practice as an artist is the experience of undertaking an artist residency. During the residency, Crooks explores the landscape and the culture of the host residency. This direct experience informs the artwork Crooks produces for exhibition. In this introduction text, Clarke links Crooks’ practice to the physical act of exploration by drawing comparison to the British mountaineers George Herbert Leigh-Mallory and Andrew ‘Sandy’ Irvine.unfunde
An ethnographic study of Acquired Brain Injury survivors: Meaningful occupation and recovery in the acute setting
No full textEvidence suggests early activity-dependent experiences post brain injury can support neuroplastic regeneration and reorganisation of the brain for improved functional recovery. It is imperative that this early phase of recovery includes opportunities for meaningful occupation in a motivating environment. Hospitals embody a complex system of cultural symbols and actions yet this cultural influence on Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) recovery has been poorly researched in general acute UK hospitals. The aim of this study was to explore how hospital culture influenced the experience of meaningful occupation and recovery for ABI survivors.
As an interpretivist study, symbolic interactionism provided the theoretical framework for an ethnographic methodology. Methods of data collection included 144 hours of participant observation on the wards of a general hospital in Northwest England and twenty-three semi-structured interviews. Participants were purposively selected adults admitted following an ABI, and their significant others. Data were analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis.
Three themes were constructed from the data: Occupation disconnect ‘too much and too boring’; A way of ‘being’ in hospital; Acceptance ‘that’s how it is’. An overarching theme also captured an umbrella concept: Hospital is the wrong place for recovery. Hospital culture has encompassing tendencies, a characteristic of total institutions, stifling person-centred care and limiting opportunities for ABI survivors to experience meaningful occupations resulting in occupational injustice and adaptive coping strategies that are not beneficial for recovery. This is of great concern during a critical period of neuroplastic brain recovery.
Recommendations for policy and practice include expedited discharge from the acute hospital because current cultural processes do not facilitate recovery. Furthermore, this study recommends enhanced training for healthcare staff to optimise acute ABI recovery through embedding person-centred care and opportunities to engage in occupation for health and activity-dependent neuroplasticity. Practical changes on the wards are recommended such as providing clocks, televisions and changing intrusive call bell systems. Greater attention is needed to facilitate circadian rhythm to improve sleep as an occupation integral to brain injury recovery
Potential for behaviour change among Kenyan type 2 diabetes service users and to understand behaviour change from healthcare professionals’ perspectives
Get PDFIntroduction: The rising type two diabetes mellitus (T2DM) prevalence is largely due to unhealthy dietary practices, lack of physical activity, economic development, urbanisation, and an ageing population. Management of T2DM involves pharmacological treatment and or lifestyle behaviour changes focusing on diet and physical activity behaviour modifications. Diet and physical activity behaviour modifications are crucial in T2DM management. However, behaviour change is complex and challenging and more so in diet and physical activity behaviours as these are influenced by a myriad of behavioural, social, emotional and environmental, neuroendocrine and genetic factors. Behaviour change thus remains one of the most significant public health concerns. Underpinning this research study is the continued challenge with behaviour change among T2DM service users that leads to development of T2DM related complications and even death. The purpose of this study was therefore to examine the likelihood to change behaviour so as to avoid T2DM related complications and to explore whether being in receipt of the recommended care services had any influence on likelihood to change behaviour. This is particularly important because numerous interventions have been carried out but while change may be initially noted, the positive behaviour is in many cases not sustained over time. The main impact of this study to provide an understanding on the influences of behaviour change as influenced by the health belief model and to explore hinderances to access to the diabetes recommended care services. Methods: The study utilised a mixed-method approach to gain an in-depth comprehension of the topic. The target population for the study comprised of T2DM service users at the Thika Level 5 Hospital diabetes comprehensive clinic and healthcare professionals directly involved in T2DM management. Through power calculations, a sample size of 346 service users was determined. Forty three healthcare professionals were also included in the study as key informants. The inclusion criterion for the diabetes clinic service users was persons diagnosed with type two diabetes and aged 20-70. The inclusion criterion for the healthcare professionals was those who directly worked with service users with regards to behaviour change. Purposive sampling was used in selecting the participants for the study. The exclusion criterion for the service users was those who had type one diabetes or were aged below 20 or above 70 years. For the healthcare professionals, those not directly involved with type two diabetes service users behaviour change (diet and physical activity) were not included in the study. Questionnaires were used to collect quantitative data from the service users. Semi-structured individual interviews were used to collect data from the healthcare professionals. Quantitative data was coded and entered into the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, Version 28.0, for analysis. Qualitative data was entered into Nvivo 13 for thematic analysis.
Findings: Behaviour change among healthcare professionals and T2DM service users is based on four constructs of the health belief model: susceptibility to complications, intention to exercise, perceived benefits of exercise and health eating and healthy eating intentions (likened to cues to action). Different factors that affect T2DM management are categorised into predisposing factors, reinforcing factors and enabling factors. Management processes of T2DM should include primary targets to prevent T2DM, primary targets towards promoting behaviour change, actions engaged in the management of T2DM, multi-sectorial approaches and actions by other sectors.
Conclusion: According to the study, behaviour change is perceived differently among healthcare professionals and service users. The study therefore recommends that tailored messages should be delivered to different categories of patients so as to enhance behaviour change. The health belief model should be adopted in crafting the messages so as to so as to effectively address complications (perceived susceptibility and severity) associated with T2DM, perceived barriers, perceived benefits, and self-efficacy for behaviour change to be effective. A “one size fits all” approach is not recommended when coming up with interventions towards behaviour change. Further, the study also concludes that policy makers in the Kenyan health system should consider predisposing factors, reinforcing factors and enabling factors towards T2DM management policy making. Since T2DM management involves different targets, the Kenyan health system should engage different stakeholders. A “one size fits all” approach is therefore not appropriate towards T2DM management
The lived experience of inter-parental conflict and its developmental impacts on young adults
No full textThe purpose of this thesis was to investigate the developmental impacts of destructive inter-parental conflict (IPC) on young adults. This was a phenomenologically-based, qualitative study. Seven participants, between the ages of 18 and 27 years old, who had experienced IPC between their parents, were interviewed, utilising semi-structured interviews. During the interviews, participants were also invited to draw a representation of themselves during the conflict and then invited to talk about the drawings; the drawings were not analysed, but were there to help elicit content during the interviews. Data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.
The analysis resulted in five Group Experiential Themes (GETs): ‘Feelings About the Family Home’ (subthemes: home as unsafe and unpredictable environment, a lack of emotional support in the family, and conflict hidden from the outside world), ‘Memories of Conflict’ (subthemes: physical conflict between parents, regular arguing and threatening behaviour, and co-dependency between parents), ‘Position of Participant During the Conflict’ (subthemes: caught in-between the conflict, feeling confused, feeling fear, involved with siblings for support, and used various coping mechanisms), ‘Impacts of Parental Conflict’ (subthemes: conflict as a traumatic event, parentification, emotional awareness, friendships and relationships, mental health and longing for security, current conflict resolution, education and career, comparison to sibling(s), and changing relationship with parents), and ‘Current Thoughts and Feelings About Conflict’ (subthemes: feelings about discussing conflict, and changing perspective on parental conflict).
The findings from this research showcase that the developmental impacts of IPC can be long-lasting and wide-ranging, highlighting the need for further awareness to be given to the possible impacts of destructive IPC. It also highlights a connection between IPC and trauma, something which is greatly missing in the current literature in this field. This research has implications for those working in counselling and mental health, demonstrating the broad range of impacts that clients may face if they have been exposed to IPC during their childhoods and young adulthoods. The use of qualitative research methods has allowed for a child-centred understanding of the experiences of IPC, with the hope that their needs may be better understood and met by professionals
Understanding barriers and facilitators to palliative and end-of-life care research: a mixed method study of generalist and specialist health, social care, and research professionals
Get PDFBackground:
Palliative care provision should be driven by high quality research evidence. However, there are barriers to conducting research. Most research attention focuses on potential patient barriers; staff and organisational issues that affect research involvement are underexplored. The aim of this research is to understand professional and organisational facilitators and barriers to conducting palliative care research.
Methods:
A mixed methods study, using an open cross-sectional online survey, followed by working groups using nominal group techniques. Participants were professionals interested in palliative care research, working as generalist/specialist palliative care providers, or palliative care research staff across areas of North West England. Recruitment was via local health organisations, personal networks, and social media in 2022. Data were examined using descriptive statistics and content analysis.
Results:
Participants (survey n = 293, working groups n = 20) were mainly from clinical settings (71%) with 45% nurses and 45% working more than 10 years in palliative care. 75% were not active in research but 73% indicated a desire to increase research involvement. Key barriers included lack of organisational research culture and capacity (including prioritisation and available time); research knowledge (including skills/expertise and funding opportunities); research infrastructure (including collaborative opportunities across multiple organisations and governance challenges); and patient and public perceptions of research (including vulnerabilities and burdens). Key facilitators included dedicated research staff, and active research groups, collaborations, and networking opportunities.
Conclusions:
Professionals working in palliative care are keen to be research active, but lack time, skills, and support to build research capabilities and collaborations. A shift in organisational culture is needed to enhance palliative care research capacity and collaborative opportunities across clinical and research settings.NIH
On The Path of Pir Sultan? Engagement with Authority in the Modern Alevi Movement
Get PDFIn this paper, I explore some approaches in the contemporary Alevi Movement to semi-official discourses on religion, citizenship and belonging in Turkey. I study the revival activities of an Alevi group from Erzincan called the Derviş Cemal Ocak, which I find to be characterized by an emphasis on its Turkish ethno-cultural roots and Islamic religious identity. The group is following the national Cem Vakfı’s definition of Alevilik according to these terms, and reflects an openness to negotiation with both official institutions of state authority as well as semi-official public discourses that other Alevi groups do not. I analyze this conciliatory approach within the Alevi Movement in light of hegemonic majority discourses on national and religious identity. Specifically, I explore post-migration geographies, ethnicity and the Kurdish issue, as well as internal factors within the Alevi community regarding religious legitimization and the sanctity of its leaders (dede).Unfunde
The Edinburgh Companion to the Brontës and the Arts
No full textThis chapter explores the relationships between the work of the Brontë sisters and their illustrators, from the first illustrated edition in 1872 of Jane Eyre to the 2022 graphic reimagining Glass Town by Isabel Greenberg. The chapter also considers the sisters as illustrators of their own writings, contextualising Emily Brontë’s diary papers as unique visualisations of the Brontës at work, which point simultaneously to their lives in Haworth Parsonage and their creativity as writers and artists. This is accompanied by an outline of the complex history of book illustration involving commercial imperatives that emphasise the Brontës’ novels as popular romances, along with both serious and comic attempts to reconfigure or revise aspects of their narratives. The work of each illustrator, unsurprisingly, speaks to their own time rather than reflecting the period when the Brontës’ works were first published. The chapter maps the ways in which illustrators have subsequently elided the sisters’ biographies, works and the landscapes (real and imagined) in which they lived and in which their works were set, contributing to the creation of hybrid identities that remain current, popular and profitable today.Unfunde
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