18918 research outputs found
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Attitudes toward patients\u27 safety among healthcare professionals in the United Arab Emirates: A cross-sectional study
No full textThis research aims to investigate healthcare professionals’ (HCPs) attitudes towards patient safety and to explore the role ofvarious work-related factors that could be the barriers to safety-events reporting to modify these attitudes. A cross-sectionalsurvey was conducted, involving 629 HCPs who are working across health care sectors in the United Arab Emirates. HCPs in theUnited Arab Emirates, comprising 71.5% women and 27.8% men, displayed a generally positive attitude towards patient safety(mean score = 3.91). Sub-comparisons indicated high scores for team functioning (4.58 ± 0.62) and low scores for professionalincompetence as an error cause (2.86 ± 0.50). Common barriers to reporting safety events included uncertainty about proceduresand fear of retribution. Confidence in reporting correlated with higher scores, while fear of reprisal yielded lower scores. Variedperceptions of medical errors’ implications were noted. Clear reporting procedures and event definitions impacted safety attitudessignificantly. The study’s findings indicate an overall positive attitude towards patient safety among healthcare professionals.Promoting clear reporting protocols, addressing fear of reprisal, and providing ongoing education can improve patient safetyattitudes. Longitudinal research should further explore these dynamics for sustained improvements in healthcare safety culture.These results emphasize the importance of integrating patient safety education into medical training programs
Plasterwork Ceiling (Long Gallery, Lanhydrock)
No full text3D digital reconstruction of the Old Testament scenes and decorative scheme of the plasterwork ceiling in the Long Gallery at Lanhydrock House (c. 1638/39-1643), based on LiDAR surveys in 2025
Control-By-Interconnection Beyond Casimirs and Connections to IDA-PBC
No full textControl by Interconnection (CbI) and Interconnection and Damping Assignment Passivity-Based Control (IDA-PBC) are two nonlinear design methodologies that exploit passivity to construct stabilising controllers. While CbI is known to be a subset of IDA-PBC, the converse link has remained open. This paper revisits CbI by utilising dynamic invariants beyond Casimirs and a more general control structure. Using this more general structure we show a one-to-one correspondence between IDA-PBC and CbI controllers for the class of mechanical systems without friction
Optimization of a group-based intervention for people living with severe obesity (PROGROUP): Understanding fidelity to delivery and the patient experience
No full textObjectives: Understanding the fidelity of delivery of complex health behaviour interventions is crucial in determining their effectiveness and identifying aspects needing refinement. PROGROUP is a group-based intervention for people with severe obesity. It aims to promote a shared social identity to support behaviour change. Data from a feasibility randomized controlled trial (fRCT) were used to assess fidelity of intervention delivery and the impact on patient experiences, to optimize the intervention for a main trial. Methods: Data from 18 patient and five facilitator interviews, audio and video data of group sessions, two fidelity checklists, support calls and a group processes questionnaire were used to assess fidelity of delivery to intervention principles, patients\u27 experience of the intervention and areas for optimization. Results: The number of activities delivered and facilitator confidence and rapport with the group affected fidelity to intervention principles. The facilitators\u27 delivery style, group composition and attendance affected the groups\u27 sense of social identity. Accordingly, the intervention content was revised to ensure better balance between educational material and group activities, to increase facilitator confidence and enable flexible delivery. Conclusions: The success of group-based interventions relies on the facilitator addressing the group\u27s needs and creating conditions for a shared social identity to develop. Assessment of fidelity to the manual content and core function of PROGROUP enabled identification of components needing refinement, incorporating both facilitator and patient perspectives. The assessment and optimization process offer a blueprint for evaluating other group-based interventions
Groundwater spatial variability within an atoll island: Assessing shallow aquifer heterogeneity with geophysical and physicochemical measurements
No full textThis study examines the spatial variability of shallow groundwater on Dhigelaabadhoo Island using electromagnetic induction surveys, groundwater monitoring, and sediment analyses. The research reveals how variations in island morphology—such as differences in elevation, reef flat width, and sediment composition—affect the spatial distribution of groundwater lenses and the overall aquifer dynamics. Saltwater intrusion is especially pronounced in low elevated areas, with narrow reef flat plate and areas where higher hydraulic conductivity—driven by the presence of coarser sediments—is observed, whereas regions characterized by finer sediments, higher elevation, and wider reef flat plates tend to support more symmetric and less saline groundwater lenses. The geophysical investigations reveal that tidal oscillations alter groundwater movement by markedly changing water levels and conductivity, thereby underscoring the critical need to account for temporal dynamics in atoll coastal aquifer systems and the importance of integrating tidal dynamics into the aquifer zone. The findings highlight the significant role of intrinsic morphological and external hydrodynamic factors in shaping groundwater distribution on atoll islands, offering critical insights for sustainable freshwater resource management
Digitalisation in the voluntary sector: An empirical study on the determinants of IT acceptance
No full textDigitalisation represents a major societal trend that drives economic and social trans-formation by increasingly embedding digital information and communication techno-logies (ICT) into processes, interactions, and everyday activities across all domains of life. However, the voluntary sector has yet to fully embrace ICT. The extent to which volunteers integrate digital tools depends on factors such as technical infrastructure and willingness to adopt IT. Research in this area remains limited, and findings are often difficult to transfer across different national contexts. This PhD research addresses the gap in understanding IT acceptance in volunteering, using Germany as a case study. A comprehensive literature review synthesizes multiple research per-spectives, forming a robust theoretical foundation. Employing a mixed-methods ap-proach, the study draws on conceptual frameworks and established models such as the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Insights from an exploratory study help identify key influencing factors, which are integrated into a novel model and hypothesis framework. To validate the structural model and measurement instruments, a survey methodology was used, incorporating both web-based and paper-based formats. A total of 331 complete datasets were collected and analyzed to ensure the reliability and applicability of the findings. The quantitative study identifies several critical fac-tors influencing IT adoption in volunteering, including performance expectancy, re-source availability, privacy concerns, and personal innovativeness in IT. These empiri-cal findings contribute significantly to IS research and provide valuable practical in-sights for the voluntary sector. Based on the results, four key action areas have been identified, offering a foundation for implementing targeted measures to increase IT acceptance among volunteers. These measures aim to facilitate and support volunteers in their activities, ultimately enhancing the efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainabili-ty of volunteering efforts in the digital age
Social prescribing within five European countries: a protocol of a cross-country qualitative analysis
No full textIntroduction Social prescribing is an approach to addressing non-medical issues affecting people’s health and well-being (eg, loneliness, housing or financial problems). It has gained international traction over recent years as complementary to medical care. A larger research project, comparing social prescribing across European countries, is considering how to tailor provision for the following groups: (a) LGBTIQ+persons, (b) refugees and first-generation immigrants and (c) older adults living alone. As part of this research, a qualitative study will address the question: What are the enabling and limiting factors associated with implementing social prescribing, across different European countries, from the perspective of key stakeholders?Methods and analysis Five European countries (Austria, England, Germany, Poland, Portugal) will be involved. Researchers from each country will conduct approximately 20 semi-structured interviews (total number will be 100). Interviewees will be people receiving, delivering, managing and funding/commissioning social prescribing. Interviews will be audio-recorded and transcribed. A cross-country analysis will be undertaken; framework analysis will support this process, with a chart developed in Excel in which data from across the five countries is summarised by the researchers involved. Summaries will be based on a thematic framework that researchers from the five countries develop together after initially analysing their own data.Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval was initially secured through the University of Oxford’s Medical Sciences Interdivisional Research Ethics Committee (IDREC 1806086) for data collection in England. This approved application was then used to secure ethics approval in Austria (through Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft), Germany (through Bergische Universität Wuppertal), Poland (through Wroclaw Medical University) and Portugal (through NOVA University of Lisbon). Dissemination will include an academic journal article and presentation at relevant conferences. It will also include short videos, written summaries/policy briefs and an infographic.This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No 101155873. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them
Sustainable Technology Evolution in Innovation Ecosystems: A Regulatory Framework for (Non)-Convergent Technologies
No full textTechnological convergence is a critical driver of technological evolution and industrial transformation, yet, convergence also generates complex ethical, sustainability, and regulatory challenges that remain poorly understood and insufficiently theorized. This study advances a conceptual framework that explains the regulatory mechanisms shaping convergence and non-convergence dynamics across three ecosystem layers: components, products and applications, and support and infrastructure. By distinguishing these layers, the framework reveals how interdependent evolution can raise ethical, sustainability, and regulatory concerns at different levels. The study advances theory by (1) reconceptualizing convergence as a multi-layered phenomenon, (2) expanding analysis beyond appropriability indicators such as patents to includedevelopment-based mechanisms like licensing, (3) proposing a dual regulatory role in balancing innovation development and appropriation, and (4) showing how regulation conditions the effects of convergence and non-convergence on technological sustainability
Influence of exercise training on nitric oxide pathways and their physiological effects
No full textNitric oxide (NO) is a critical signalling molecule in cardiovascular, metabolic, and muscular function. Endogenous NO production occurs via two primary metabolic pathways: 1) the classical nitric oxide synthases (NOS) pathway, and 2) the alternative (nitrate-nitrite-NO) pathway, in which inorganic nitrate (NO 3 -) is sequentially reduced to nitrite (NO 2 -) and other NO intermediates (e.g., S-nitrosothiol). The latter pathway relies heavily on the oral microbiota, which catalyze the two-electron partial reduction of NO 3 - to NO 2 -, which is influenced by oral physiology, microbial composition and salivary flow. While the role of exercise training in enhancing NOS-derived NO is well established, emerging evidence suggests that it may also augment NO bioavailability through the NO 3 --NO 2 --NO pathway. Furthermore, exercise training may influence the composition and functionality of oral microbiota, thereby indirectly modulating NO metabolism and oral health. However, the synergistic effects of exercise and oral microbiota on NO production remain underexplored. This review synthesises current evidence on how physical exercise may modulate both NO pathways and discusses the broader physiological implications
How a Holistic Approach to People of Reproductive Age Can Support Access to Preconception Care for People Living with Health Conditions: Findings from a Realist Evaluation
No full textThis realist evaluation explored how access to preconception care works for people with pre-existing health conditions, for whom, and in what contexts. Thirty one participants (women of reproductive age, partners, and healthcare professionals) were interviewed using qualitative realist methods. Iterative analysis refined 35 initial programme theories into 13 middle range theories. The theory reported here identifies healthcare professionals’ knowledge of sexual and reproductive health, understanding of pregnancy planning, and enquiry regarding pregnancy intention as key mechanisms. In the context of diagnosis or review, these resources support holistic and individualized preconception care, enabling improved preconception health and reduced adverse maternal and offspring outcome