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The impact of entrepreneur’s insomnia on psychological capital
Get PDFWe investigate the impact of entrepreneur’s insomnia on psychological capital and the moderating role of gender in two countries. In a cross-sectional study, we found the expected negative relationship between insomnia and psychological capital suggesting a psychological cost. Conversely, our diary study revealed a counterintuitive positive relationship. We resolve this paradox by showing that this positive result is driven by active and short-term psychological management required in a high-performance hustle culture. Advanced dynamic modeling reveals insomnia stickiness and behavioral compensation and shows that an entrepreneur learns to maintain psychological capital despite insomnia. We also find that, in high insomnia conditions, a woman entrepreneur has lower psychological capital. This work highlights the important role of context and adaptive behavior in shaping entrepreneur’s insomnia
How Menopause Affects Teachers: Workplace Experiences, Outcomes, and Influences - An Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods Study
Get PDFAn increasing number of women are experiencing menopause while working, and growing body of evidence highlights its impact not only on individual work outcomes but also as a gendered workplace issue. Bodily ageing is experienced differently for women, as aged, gendered and ableist dynamics intersect at work. Despite, the increase in menopause attention in the media, research, policy and society, there is limited work-place context specific literature and guidance. Although teaching is a female dominated profession, there is little research which explores the impact of menopause on teachers in England. The secondary school teaching profession is suffering from recruitment and retention issues, with teachers reporting high levels of burnout and stress. This doctoral study explores the impact of menopause on teacher work outcomes, and the role of the work environment in teacher work-related menopause experiences; contextualising menopause as a mid-life challenge influenced not only by work and symptoms, but wider social norms. A mixed-method explanatory approach was used to fully explore an understudied area and provide a broad and deep understanding of menopause in secondary teaching. An initial cross-sectional quantitative survey collected findings which outlined the association between menopause symptoms and work outcomes, with Likert Scales then used to identify teachers’ experiences on menopause in teaching. Semi-structured interviews, conducted over MS Teams were conducted after the quantitative data analysis, to explain further and dig deeper into the findings from the survey. This doctoral thesis further builds on literature which identifies a bi-directional relationship between menopause and the workplace, with the Job-Demands Resource model used to illustrate how menopause symptoms can exacerbate the imbalance between high demands and limited support in teaching. Through an ecological analytical lens, this thesis also considers the influence of the medical and home settings in teachers work-related menopause experiences; and highlights how wider societal silence and stigma reinforce workplace inequalities for teachers. Finally, recommendations are put forward for menopause accommodations in teaching, and the need for cultural changes across the profession
Developing health and welfare assessment tools for harbour (Phoca vitulina) and grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) in rehabilitation centres
Get PDFHarbour (Phoca vitulina) and grey (Halichoerus grypus) seals face numerous anthropogenic and environmental threats around the UK and Ireland. These commonly lead to seal pups becoming stranded and in need of rescue and rehabilitation. Although rehabilitation supports the recovery and welfare of stranded seals, our understanding of their species-specific responses to the rehabilitation process, and effective methods for assessing their health and welfare remain limited. This thesis will develop health and welfare assessment tools for harbour and grey seals in rehabilitation centres. It will identify admission reasons and physiological and behavioural indicators of stress, as well as developing parasite detection methods, in order to identify vulnerable individuals, monitor and reduce their allostatic load, and optimise their welfare throughout the rehabilitation process. In particular, this thesis will: i) determine the causes of seal admittance to rehabilitation centres, ii) investigate the predictors of survival, iii) develop an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for faecal cortisol metabolites (FCMs), iv) identify factors associated with changes in FCM levels and behaviour, and v) develop a lab-on-a-chip device for parasite detection. Chapter 2 explores factors affecting seal survival and stranding trends using rehabilitation records from centres across the UK and Ireland. The findings provide valuable insights into the most common pup stranding conditions and demonstrate that the survival likelihood is significantly influenced by species and individual weight at admission. Chapter 3 then focuses on the development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for measuring FCMs as a potential non-invasive biomarker of stress. In Chapter 4, this ELISA is used to monitor FCM levels throughout rehabilitation, alongside behavioural time budgets. While results show that FCM levels were not associated with factors such as sex, time in care, feeding method, time of day, water access, or age-weight residuals, their behavioural time budgets were significantly affected by feeding method, water access, age-weight residuals, and time of day, highlighting the importance of behavioural monitoring in welfare assessments. Finally, Chapter 5 presents the development of a lab-on-a-chip device for the rapid detection of lungworm DNA in seals and demonstrates that it can facilitate accurate diagnosis of parasitic infections in non-laboratory settings. Based on findings from these experimental chapters, specific recommendations are made to enhance rehabilitation protocols, including: i) the use of weight monitoring for survival likelihood estimation; ii) prioritising behavioural monitoring for welfare assessments, given the limited utility of FCM analysis in reflecting individual stress; iii) incorporation of enrichment to optimise welfare; and iv) the use of on-site molecular diagnostic tools for parasite detection and identification. Overall, the implementation of these recommendations is intended to maximise the effectiveness of rehabilitation and improve the welfare and survival of stranded harbour and grey seal pups
Why Be Afraid of Fear? Zero Zone Praxis as a Cultivation Practice for the Actor and the Director
Get PDFEvidence shows that fear, as the detrimental cause of stage fright, restricts expression and diminishes artistic quality. Actors often face it in isolation, unaware of the opportunity of alleviating this harmful mental condition, as it is normalised within the profession, while directors’ fears are seldom addressed. Fear lowers creative potential and strains the actor–director relationship. Despite professional contextual differences, its roots are shared, and research confirms that stage fright suppresses creativity in all settings. This research examines stage fright in performance and within the actor–director dyad, proposing practical strategies to reduce its impact. It considers how ego-based conflicts in rehearsal can be addressed to protect the actor’s flow and the resulting artistic outcome. The study employs ethnography and autoethnography as research methods, combined with action research and practice-as-research, as practical components of field investigation. Two qualitative case studies were revitalised through my cultivation practice, Zero Zone praxis (henceforth ZZ), which integrates Stanislavskian training with yogic techniques, Vedic philosophy, and executive leadership coaching methods. Recognising stage fright in the performing arts, and sharing this awareness between actor and director, transforms it from a personal obstacle into a shared challenge. Through daily practice in which the director assumes a coaching role, mutual training fosters trust and enables collaboration within the intimacy of the task. This framework highlights how theatre practitioners can avert harmful internal and interpersonal conflict. Acknowledging the director as a creative leader with coaching skills enables more horizontal collaboration, where everyone’s contributions are equally valued. ZZ complements directing craft (which remained unarticulated into the system by Stanislavsky) and moves beyond closed conservatoire teaching. While actors gain support in refining their performance flow, ZZ enables directors to develop leadership and self-management. This mutual growth enhances collaboration, fosters independence from external mentorship, and contributes to more effective management of stage fright. Beyond the performing arts, ZZ offers new goal-oriented approaches that redefine cooperation and leadership, fostering positive change and horizontal rather than hierarchical relationships
Risking it all: Consumer vulnerability and the credit rating panopticon
Get PDFWith access to consumer credit normalised in contemporary financial life, lenders use credit ratings to assess the risk of lending to potential borrowers and to determine appropriate rates of interest. Informed by the related themes of financial literacy, financial vulnerability, and financial resilience, this paper explores the dynamics of consumer engagement with opaque credit rating systems. To access affordable credit, consumers need to be disciplined in managing their finances so that they can build a good credit rating. However, the opaqueness of credit rating algorithms and the surveillant aspects of the credit system can lead to panopticism, with consumers required to navigate between controlling their credit ratings, while sometimes lacking the information to do so effectively. Using a Foucauldian lens, ideas from folk theory and drawing on data from 79 in-depth interviews, the implications of this panoptic tension and of governmentality for consumers’ financial wellbeing are revealed. A theoretical contribution is made to understanding how consumers develop the practical knowledge needed to manage their credit rating, leading to implications for policy and practice regarding the need for transparency in the credit rating system and credit decision-making
Employability in the business curriculum: An embedded approach
No full textThis case study explores an initiative undertaken at a large metropolitan university in the Northwest of England, detailing the motivations behind its inception, the steps taken to implement it, and the findings from research conducted with participating students
Energy-Aware Dynamic Programming Scheduler for TinyML Workloads on Energy-Harvesting CubeSat-IoT Platforms: A Comprehensive System Modelling and Performance Analysis
No full textThe exponential expansion of CubeSat-enabled Internet of Things (IoT) architectures, combined with the rapid advancement of Tiny Machine Learning (TinyML) methodologies, has established a transformative paradigm for energy-constrained autonomous sensing and decision-making in extra-terrestrial and remote Earth-observing systems. Nevertheless, the maintenance of computational integrity and inference continuity within the severe power constraints inherent to nanosatellite platforms remains a fundamental systems engineering challenge. This research introduces a hybridized green energy harvesting (EH) and adaptive computation framework that enables sustainable onboard execution of TinyML algorithms for CubeSat-IoT payloads. The proposed architecture integrates photovoltaic (PV), thermoelectric (TEG), and radio-frequency (RF) energy transduction mechanisms through an intelligent energy management subsystem incorporating predictive power allocation and dynamic workload modulation. The energy-aware inference engine utilizes model compression techniques, including quantization and structured pruning, to optimize neural inference efficiency while maintaining operational fidelity under stochastic orbital illumination profiles. Simulation outcomes reveal that the integrated multi-source EH configuration enhances the net harvested power by approximately 38% relative to conventional single-source PV implementations under Low Earth Orbit (LEO) conditions. The embedded TinyML processing pipeline, comprising quantized convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and decision-tree-based anomaly detectors, achieves an average inference latency below 50 ms with a peak active power consumption not exceeding 85 mW. Furthermore, the incorporation of an adaptive energy scheduling algorithm augments computational duty-cycle continuity by 22%, effectively mitigating power starvation events during eclipse phases. Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) verification corroborates the simulation findings, demonstrating the system’s resilience to irradiance variability, thermal gradients, and transient orbital power fluctuations. The results substantiate the viability of the proposed CubeSat-IoT architecture as a sustainable, self-regulating, and energetically autonomous computational platform. This framework establishes a foundational pathway toward the realization of next-generation intelligent nanosatellite constellations, enabling persistent onboard inference, situational awareness, and mission adaptability within the constraints of green energy paradigms
The Glint of Light on Broken Glass, Or, Murder in Three Acts: The Contract of Fiction in Action
No full textThis thesis looks at the contract of fiction in the novel - how it is created, how the terms of the contract can be identified, and at what happens when the contract of fiction is broken. This PhD by Practice in Creative Writing explores the contract of fiction directly with the reader through the novel, The Glint of Light on Broken Glass, or Murder in Three Acts. The novel makes the terms of the contract explicit, demonstrates how it is created, and explores the consequences of breaking the contract of fiction.
I used a ‘strange loop’ methodology, which focusses on experimentation, reflection, and refinement, in writing a novel which explored my research question after identifying a gap in the literature around the concept of the contract of fiction. There has been a lot of work on reader-response theory, as well as schools which favour close examination of the text, or even the author, but relatively little on the individual contract of fiction generated between the author and the reader through the text. I discuss this further in the Methodology chapter.
I developed a tool for identifying, measuring and weighing ‘causal chains’ which make up the individual clauses to a contract of fiction, which I discuss in my critical commentary. I also identified ‘presumptive clauses’ to the contract which are generated by the conventions of genre fiction. I examine both my own novel and a small number of other novels written within the narrow confines of the whodunnit genre in the Analysis chapter.
This thesis has gone some way to showing how the contract of fiction, between a single author and a single reader over an individual text, is created. The tool that I developed for identifying the causal chains that make up the contract of fiction is a crude one. I have tested it only on novels within a single genre. Further refinements would almost certainly need to be made to make it useful for examining literary fiction where there are no presumptive clauses.
Despite its shortcomings, this tool shows that the contract of fiction can be found within a text. It also shows that each contract is a necessarily bespoke one because causal chains are raised by the reader as they read, and the more experienced the reader is, the more likely they are to recognise them.
I explore the contract of fiction directly with the reader through the novel. I show how the reader raises expectations from the text.
And I also show how the author can use them to manipulate the reader and subvert those expectations
Health-Seeking Behaviour in Adults with Musculoskeletal Conditions: A Scoping Review
Get PDFBackground
Musculoskeletal conditions, such as osteoarthritis and low back pain, are among the leading causes of disability worldwide. Individuals often delay or avoid seeking healthcare due to personal, social, and systemic factors. Existing research on health-seeking behaviour is fragmented and lacks synthesis across diverse contexts and populations.
Objective
This scoping review systematically maps the literature on health-seeking behaviour in adults with musculoskeletal conditions, highlighting knowledge gaps and generating insights for future research, clinical practice, and policy.
Methods
A scoping review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. Six electronic databases and relevant grey literature sources were systematically searched. Eligible studies focusing on adults with musculoskeletal conditions were screened and analysed using narrative synthesis. Findings were organised into thematic tables and illustrated through a conceptual framework.
Results
Twenty-three studies published between 2004 and 2025 were included, representing a diverse range of geographic and socioeconomic contexts. Five key themes were identified: Clinical and Functional Need; Socioeconomic and Environmental Context; Cultural and Social Context; Healthcare System and Provider Experiences; and Use of Alternative and Digital Care Options.
Conclusion
This review identifies five key themes connecting clinical, socioeconomic, cultural, and systemic factors in adults with musculoskeletal conditions. Highlighting patient agency, it informs research, policy, and practice aimed at delivering more equitable and responsive musculoskeletal care
Climate-proofing cities: a focus on vulnerability indices
No full textEffective urban planning is vital for mitigating vulnerability and bolstering resilience. This paper conducts a systematic literature review examining indices for urban vulnerability assessment developed between 2015 and 2025. From an initial 7,809 Scopus records, a rigorous screening process, including full-text assessment against criteria emphasizing applicability to urban planning, multi-dimensional assessment, quantitative data linkage, and explicit climate event focus, yielded 109 core studies. Bibliometric analysis (using VOSviewer and Bibliometrix) was performed on 342 articles identified after initial screening to delineate the research landscape. The 109 core studies were then analyzed in-depth. The review synthesizes the component variables of these indices into eight thematic groupings: Demographic Dynamics, Infrastructure, Ecosystem Services, Urban Living Environment, Hazard Intensity/Frequency, Governance, Resource Management, and Geomorphology. This categorization highlights current assessment practices, reveals areas of underrepresentation, and directly contributes to structuring a more holistic and integrated framework for urban vulnerability assessment, aiming to enhance urban planning practices