23343 research outputs found
Sort by
Work Identity and Gendered Liminal Spaces in Inclusive Leadership Development: A Higher Education Case Study.
Get PDFWe take an organisation-wide approach to exploring the complexities of gender and leadership at work, with a focus on action. Within the context of a university, with an Anglican Foundation, the paper provides a specific workplace lens. The research is central to a wider project, designed to further the organisation’s understanding of leadership and gender, to be better placed to promote inclusion, facilitate change, enable shared learning and support knowledge transfer. As part of a participatory, qualitative design, semi structured interviews were conducted. Interviews involved 17 participants, aged over 18 years, gender identities consisted of 14 females and 3 males, from within professional and academic services within the University. Framework Analysis was employed as it lends itself to a team approach and further enabled a collaborative exploration of findings. The main findings were centred around liminal spaces in leadership development and the gendered nature of leadership. These findings have informed the development of recommendations to ensure organisational engagement in the development, and therefore the sustainability, of action taken
“Reclaiming my younger self”: Youth Experiences of Gender Dysphoria, Identity Exploration and Accessing Support
Get PDFThis thesis portfolio comprises of three parts: a systematic literature review; an empirical paper and the appendices. Collectively, these parts intend to explore experiences of gender diverse youth and adolescents seeking support. Whether that be through the sharing of global majority narratives or through exploring the role of social media in accessing support.Part One: A Systematic Literature ReviewThe systematic literature review explored gender diverse youths’ experiences of using social media for social support. A systematic search identified twelve suitable papers, in which quality was evaluated using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) assessment tool. Thematic synthesis identified 7 themes of social support: (1) emotional support, (2) stigma and discrimination, (3) acceptance, affirmations, and appraisal, (4) feeling connected to other queer communities, (5) informational and educational support, (6) ability to explore identity, and (7) giving back. The review adopts a social constructionist view on transgender and gender diverse experiences and the importance of power in defining, researching, and analysing these experiences.Part Two: An Empirical StudyThe empirical study explored global majority adults’ experiences of accessing support for gender dysphoria throughout adolescence. A story completion method was used to collect data, while a reflexive thematic analysis and narrative analysis was used to interpret the content and form of stories provided by participants. These stories showed complex interactions with support and how adolescents faced many barriers and facilitators such as discrimination, culture, and family when wanting to reach out for support. The research primarily showed how crucial it is to provide an in depth understanding of global majority experiences and how a holistic approach is required when working with adolescents experiencing gender dysphoria.Part Three: AppendicesThe appendices comprise information and documentation concerning the systematic literature review and empirical paper, including a reflective and epistemological stance
Improving Student Midwives' Preparedness for Practice ALL4MATERNITY
No full textThe perceived level of unpreparedness reported by first-year student midwives before their first clinical placement can negatively impact their experiences, subsequent placements and student attrition. Research examining influencing factors identified themes including students feeling unprepared for clinical practice, lacking confidence, and not feeling supported by the university during clinical placements. Subsequently, local changes implemented during the University of Hull's Midwifery programmes' revalidation included restructuring of content and modules. Additionally, a monthly SSTAKES visit within local Trusts was introduced. During the revalidation of the midwifery programme, this addition was recognised as a positive innovation to improve students' experience during clinical practice
Exploring readiness for advance care planning in Japan: A qualitative interview study with older adults with frailty, family caregivers, and health and social care practitioners in the homecare setting
Get PDFBackground: Older adults with frailty are at risk of rapid health decline and poor outcomes, including end of life. While advance care planning (ACP) can support person-centred care, how to assess and support older adults’ ACP readiness remains unclear. Health and social care practitioners, and family caregivers, are often main providers of care, but their role in ACP is poorly understood. Objectives: To understand the readiness of older adults with frailty to engage in ACP from the perspectives of older adults, family caregivers, and health and social care practitioners. Design: An exploratory qualitative interview study informed by the COM-B system (individual-level behaviour change) and the Ecological Systems Theory (system-level influences). Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews with older adults (mild to moderate frailty), unpaid family caregivers, and health and social care practitioners in Japan. The topic guide was informed by the theoretical frameworks, exploring individual- and system-level factors influencing readiness. Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted to generate themes within and across the participant data sets. Results: Twenty-nine interviews were conducted with 32 participants: older adults (n = 10), caregivers (n = 6), and health (n = 6) and social care practitioners (n = 10). Three themes were generated: (1) ‘Leave decision-making to family’ and Bridging family dynamics – older adults delegate decisions, practitioners navigate complex family relationships; (2) ‘ACP is not part of our role’: Diverging role expectations among practitioners, and hesitation to engage in ACP – differing perceived practitioners responsibilities limit willingness to initiate ACP; (3) Transitional period: Social norms around death and dying, family structures, and health and social care systems – shifts in systemic and social aspects shape ACP readiness. Discussion: ACP readiness among this population is not solely an individual decision but is shaped by relationships, systemic, and societal factors. Enhancing ACP readiness requires a system-wide approach that incorporates family involvement and interdisciplinary collaboration and is adapted to the local context. Trial registration: Not applicable
Narrow-Band Emission of Asymmetric 1,3-Substituted Pyrene-Based Deep-Blue Emitters and Application in OLEDs
Get PDFHigh-efficiency organic blue light-emitting materials with narrow-band emission are fundamental components for constructing high color purity and high resolution in high-performance organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices. Herein, new pyrene-based blue emitters (8–10) with narrow-band emission are synthesized by asymmetrically introducing biphenyl and triphenylamine units at the 1- and 3-positions of pyrene, respectively. Due to the steric effect and through-space conjugation, the synergistic effects of both groups not only boost these emitters 8–10 (CIEy 0.68), but also endow narrow full width at half maxima (FWHM) emission (≤36 nm) in the crystallized state (FWHM ≤ 55 nm in the film state). The EL spectra of pyrene-based 8–10 in nondoped OLEDs exhibit blue emission with a maximum emission (λmax em) in the range of 448–453 nm (CIEy ≤ 0.12). The compounds 8–10 in doped-OLEDs show a blue emission with a λmax em in the range of 443–445 nm and CIEy ≤ 0.08, with FWHM emission of 57–61 nm. The compound 10-based doped OLED displays an impressive EL performance with a maximum brightness of 9756 cd m−2 and a maximum external quantum efficiency of 2.58%
Hyperactivity and Pro-inflammatory Functions of Platelets in Diabetes
Get PDFCardiovascular complications claim the lives of up to 70% of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). The mechanisms increasing cardiovascular risk in DM remain to be fully understood and successfully addressed. Nonetheless, there is increasing evidence in the scientific literature of the participation of platelets in the cardiovascular complications of DM. Multiple reports describe the hyperactivity of platelets in DM and their participation in inflammatory responses. The understanding of the mechanisms underlying the contribution of platelets to cardiovascular pathologies in DM will help the development of targeted therapeutic strategies able to reduce cardiovascular risk in these patients. In this literature review, we summarise our current understanding of the molecular mechanisms leading to the contribution of platelets to cardiovascular risk in DM. Both platelet haemostatic activity leading to thrombus formation and their participation to inflammatory processes are stimulated by the biochemical conditions associated with DM. We also present evidence on how DM affect the efficacy of existing therapeutic treatments for thrombosis and, by converse, how antidiabetic drugs may affect platelet function and the haemostasis/thrombosis balance. Taken together, the growing evidence of the different and unexpected roles of platelets in the progression of DM provides a strong rationale for the design of cardiovascular drugs targeting specifically platelets, their pro-inflammatory activity and their activation mechanisms in this disease. Overall, this article provides an important up-to-date overview of the pathophysiological alterations of platelets in DM, which need to be taken into account for the effective management of cardiovascular health in this disease