36750 research outputs found
Sort by
“Well, I Am Now Looking after This Bloody Rabbit!”: Re-Storying Care in the Lives of People with Learning Disabilities
Get PDFThis paper seeks to explore how care has been theorised in ways that have served to exclude people with learning disabilities from being recognised as care-givers, and positioned them, instead, almost exclusively, as passive recipients of care. Working with people with learning disabilities, our aim is to explore, recognise and record caring relationships in their lives, paying attention to the care given as well as the care received by people so labelled. We follow Nishida (2022) to argue that we need to be always attentive to spaces of care as potential sites of (in)justice for people with learning disabilities who engage in caring relationships in messy dependency with others
What about the girls? Sexism in schooling, policy reforms creating structural issues, and leaning into the feminisation of education and its transformative potential
No full textThis chapter adopts a critical stance, asking the question ‘what about the girls’? Taking the complex positionality of women in society as a standpoint, the chapter delves into the experiences of girls at school, their socialization and expectations of girlhood. Adopting both a historical and contemporary lens, the author explores books as agents of social control, and demonstrates the ways this has been extended to social media use today in ways which are exclusionary to girls. The author also examines policies addressing gender inequalities such as GIST and WISE, to consider the extent to which such policies can influence established gender norms. Feminist theory is woven into the debate, as the authors consider the intersectional lived realities of girls and young women today in relation to education and schooling. Lastly the chapter turns to what can be done to combat the sexism and misogyny that girls face in schools, turning once again to stories, but examining how engaging girls in the development of stories can provide feminist practice in schools for social transformation
FibreCastML: an open web platform for predicting electrospun nanofibre diameter distributions for biomedical applications
No full textIntroduction: Electrospinning is a scalable technique for generating fibrous scaffolds with tunable micro- and nanoscale architectures for tissue engineering, drug delivery, and wound care. Machine learning (ML) has emerged as a powerful tool to accelerate process optimisation; however, existing models typically predict only mean fibre diameters, overlooking the entire diameter distribution that governs scaffold functionality and biomimicry. This study introduces FibreCastML, the first open-access, distribution-aware ML framework that predicts full fibre diameter spectra from routinely reported processing parameters and provides interpretable insights into parameter influence.Methods: A comprehensive meta-dataset of 68,538 fibre-diameter measurements from 1,778 studies across 16 biomedical polymers was curated. Six standard input parameters (solution concentration, voltage, flow rate, tip-to-collector distance, needle diameter, and rotation speed) were used to train 7 ML learners (linear model, elastic net, decision tree, multivariate adaptive regression splines, k-Nearest Neighbours, random forest, and radial-basis Support Vector Machine) under nested cross-validation with leave-one-study-out external folds to ensure generalisable performance. Model interpretability combined variable importance, SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP), correlation matrices, and 3D parameter maps. The FibreCastML web app integrates these capabilities with out-of-range detection, solvent suggestions, and automated Excel reports.Results: Non-linear and local learners consistently outperformed linear baselines, achieving R2 > 0.91 for polymers such as cellulose acetate, Nylon-6, Polyacrylonitrile, polyD,L-lactide, Polymethyl methacrylate, Polystyrene, Polyurethane, Polyvinyl alcohol and Polyvinylidene fluoride. Concentration emerged as the most influential variable globally. The FibreCastML app returns polymer-specific distribution plots, predicted-vs-observed diagnostics, feature importance and correlations, and transparent metrics (R2, RMSE, mean absolute error) for user-defined settings. In an experimental validation case using different electrospinners and microscopies, predicted diameter distributions closely matched experimental measurements (Kolmogorov–Smirnov p > 0.13 and overlap coefficient of 84%).Discussion: By shifting from mean-centric to distribution-aware modelling, this work establishes a new paradigm for electrospinning design. FibreCastML enables reproducible, sustainable, and data-driven optimisation of scaffold architecture, bridging experimental and computational domains. Openly available, it empowers laboratories worldwide to perform faster, greener, and more reproducible electrospinning research, advancing sustainable nanomanufacturing and biomedical innovation
Clumped Isotope Temperature Reconstruction Using Stalagmite Drip Cups
Get PDFRationale Application of clumped isotope palaeothermometry to speleothems (carbonate cave deposits, e.g., stalagmites and flowstones) has been restricted largely to subaqueous samples because of kinetic fractionation processes that occur during subaerial speleothem formation, which lead to erroneously high inferred temperatures. Speleothems are spatially near‐ubiquitous terrestrial archives that can be dated accurately over million‐year timescales. Thus, wider application of the clumped isotope technique in speleothems could dramatically increase our understanding of terrestrial thermal history. In this study, we assessed the potential of speleothem drip cups (concave depressions at a stalagmite apex in which dripwater accumulates to create a subaqueous environment) to yield reliable palaeotemperature inferences. Methods We sampled along two isochronous layers that extend across both sides of a pronounced drip cup in stalagmite MAYA 22‐7 from Cenote Ch'en Mul, Yucatán, Mexico, which was dated to 1650 ce ± 23 years. We measured bulk stable (δ 18 O and δ 13 C) and clumped (Δ 47 ) isotope values at increasing distances from the drip cup centre to test for kinetic fractionation effects. Results Lower δ 18 O, δ 13 C, and higher Δ 47 values were obtained from the drip cup's central subaqueous zone compared with the subaerial flanks, demonstrating reduced isotope fractionation in the subaqueous zone. Average clumped isotope temperatures ( T Δ47 ) inferred from subaqueous drip cup samples are 1°C–2°C higher than modern cave temperatures and 3°C–7°C warmer than estimated formation paleotemperatures derived from nearby regional reconstructions and TEX 86 analysis of our sample. This suggests a persistent degree of clumped isotope kinetic effects. Conclusions Despite persistent kinetic effects, lower inferred temperatures from subaqueous drip cup samples suggest closer to equilibrium precipitation compared with subaerial samples. We propose that drip cup carbonates have the potential to yield reliable palaeotemperatures and describe a widely applicable test for clumped isotope kinetic effects in speleothem drip cups by sampling across isochronous layers
Queering Counterpublics and Intimate Citizenship: On the Queer Legacy of Ken Plummer’s Scholarship
No full textKen Plummer, a pioneer of LGBTIA+ studies in the UK and Europe, died on 4 November
2022. His work has been influential and inspiring and making possible a critical engagement
with non-heterosexual ways of life in a climate shaped by social and institutional
homophobia, lesbophobia, and biphobia. This paper evaluates the legacy of Ken’s work for
critical scholarship in gender and sexuality studies, and specifically for queer studies. Ken’s
relationship to queer studies was highly ambivalent, evidenced in his consistent criticism of
queer theory, originating from his firm commitment to symbolic interactionism and his
primary interest in material, fleshy embodiment, rather than the theoretical abstraction he
associated with queer theory. The chapter argues that this ambivalence notwithstanding,
Ken’s work carries much potential for a critically engaged queer scholarship. Through a
queer reading of Ken’s concepts of counter-publics and intimate citizenship, I show that his
radical emphasis on the body sparks a truly ‘queer’ potential for considering sexualities in the
public sphere. Comparing Michael Warner’s and Ken Plummer’s theorisation of counterpublicity, I argue that despite his distrust in queer poststructuralist abstraction and because of
his assertive endorsement of fleshy embodiment at the heart of social theorising, his work
paradoxically invites a stimulus for queering citizenship and public sphere theories (including
his own). Rather than simply claiming Ken as a ‘queer theorist’, the chapter engages in
theoretical boundary work (following a method proposed by Clare Hemmings) in exploring
2
the epistemological effects of reading Ken through a queer lens, demonstrating the queer
legacy of his way of theorising
Perceptions of help-seeking for sexual violence and harassment by minoritised UK Higher Education students: a qualitative study using vignettes
No full textSexual violence affecting university students is a significant problem worldwide. Though recent legislation introduced into UK universities aims to tackle the problem, it remains to be seen how effective this will be. Furthermore, within much existing research and legislation, the voices of minoritised students in relation to the issue are absent. This research utilised qualitative focus groups and interviews with 38 minoritised students from two universities in England. Most are female (n=23) and ages range from 18 years – 44 years. Using vignettes, interviews explored help-seeking behaviours in relation to sexual violence and considered intersections with minoritised identities. Thematic analysis suggests that sexual violence is normalised within universities and underpinned by ‘community knowledges’. Structural vulnerabilities and minoritisation impact perceptions of ‘who’ and ‘what’ counts in relation to sexual violence. Students also display a lack of knowledge about support provision at their universities, a finding which highlights universities’ difficulties with informing students about what support is available. Furthermore, we found that students rely heavily on their informal networks in relation to decision-making about help-seeking. Overall, structural vulnerabilities experienced by minoritised students hindered their willingness to report. Intersectional recommendations for university action and policy are offered
Growing Bigger and Becoming Visible-Exploring how Venture Boards influence Funding Performance in Digital Startups
Get PDFThis study investigates how venture board characteristics influence the funding performance of digital startups, focusing on board size and external visibility. Drawing on resource dependence theory, we argue that boards serve as critical resource providers in a highly dynamic competitive landscape for digital startups. Using a unique Crunchbase dataset of 1,047 startups digitally enabled with artificial intelligence, the findings show that both board size and external visibility positively affect funding performance, with market attention, a critical intangible resource, acting as a mediator of this influence. These findings highlight that larger and more visible boards enhance legitimacy, attract stakeholder interest, and channel intangible resources into financial outcomes. By introducing external visibility as a novel board attribute and uncovering market attention as a key mechanism, this study advances venture board research in digital contexts. It offers actionable insights for founders and investors seeking to optimize board composition for growth
Rethinking Violence: Justice-Involved Young People, Psychological Trauma and New Pathways for Intervention
Get PDFResearch has highlighted the widespread occurrence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among justice-involved young people who commit violent offences. This article explores the complex relationship between ACEs and serious youth violence. It examines the prevalence of ACEs among a cohort of justice-involved young people who had perpetrated violent offences. This is followed by a discussion of the neurological and psychological impact of ACEs, and how they can contribute to violence in adolescence. The article then critically evaluates the implementation of trauma-informed practice within the youth justice sector. Whilst awareness of the need to be trauma-informed has grown in recent years, there remains limited empirical research into the challenges of implementing trauma-informed approaches within a youth justice context. Finally, the value that a forensic psychotherapeutic approach might add to existing ways of working with young people who perpetrate violent offences is discussed
Red Blood Cell-Encapsulated Nanoparticles for Long-Circulating, Improved Specificity Functional MRI
Get PDFNanoparticle-based MRI contrast agents have shown promise for advancing noninvasive imaging, but their clinical utility is limited by rapid clearance, poor biocompatibility, and lack of sustained signal. Here, we present a red blood cell (RBC)-based nanocarrier platform that encapsulates superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) following hypotonic dialysis and resealing of the cell membranes. This biomimetic “Trojan horse” strategy exploits the inherent circulation time, deformability, and biocompatibility of RBCs to prolong the nanoparticle lifetime and enhance the translational potential. In vivo rodent studies demonstrated that SPION-loaded human RBCs provide robust, long-lasting cerebral blood volume (CBV)-weighted functional (f) MRI signal with >5-fold magnitude stronger responses over conventional/established blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) contrast. In addition, functional brain mapping using cell encapsulated SPIONs show improved laminar specificity, with activity localized to cortical layer IV. Compared with free SPIONs, loaded cells achieved >30 min of stable T2* contrast at one-quarter of the iron dose, while maintaining physiologically plausible CBV maps. These findings confirm efficacy and establish RBC encapsulation as a versatile and biocompatible nanomedicine platform for extending nanoparticle circulation and enabling high-resolution functional imaging with broad implications for translational applications in neurology, oncology, and theragnostics
Longitudinal Educational Achievements: Reducing Inequalities (LEARN) Project
Get PDFLongitudinal Educational Achievements: Reducing Inequalities (LEARN) Project Paula Sergeant from Manchester Metropolitan University and Doris Hanappi from University of Zurich present the Longitudinal Educational Achievements: Reducing Inequalities (LEARN) Project. Europe is home to some of the most highly educated societies in the world. However, deep inequalities in education remain both within and between countries in Europe. In 2018, the World Bank released a report which showed that socio-economic inequalities in learning outcomes, access to education and final educational attainment in Europe have been worsening since 2000. A 2018 report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) noted wide disparities in maths and reading within many European countries, between the highest and lowest levels of students’ socio-economic background