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The role of virtual field trips in Geography higher education: A perspective paper
Get PDFIn this perspective paper, we explore the role virtual field trips (VFTs) may play in creating a more resilient, sustainable and equitable field education for Geography students in higher education as we move away from the pandemic but into a financially precarious higher education environment. While in-person field trips are a fundamental part of Geography (and allied subjects) education, there is growing recognition of the equality, diversity, and inclusivity (EDI) barriers presented by fieldwork, the environmental and financial costs of trips, and the vulnerability of field education to disruptions. During the pandemic, there was a shift to online remote learning, which saw innovation and growth in the development of VFTs. Written from a staff perspective, this paper aims to review the opportunities and challenges VFTs present in education and consider future directions for this pedagogical practice. We argue VFTs should not replace in-person trips, but they can enhance field education and may help to address EDI and sustainability challenges. We identify that the resourcing and development of VFTs is a particular challenge and suggest that developing communities of practice and cross-institutional global collaboration could be one effective way to avoid duplication of time and effort as well as sharing valuable knowledge and expertise. Cross-institutional sharing of VFTs would also support the development, implementation and evaluation of VFTs as a teaching tool and would support continued innovation in this teaching practice
Addressing Underachievement in Nursing Students: The Role of Assessors and Supervisors
Get PDFThe role of nursing practice assessors and supervisors is pivotal in guiding students through clinical practice, ensuring they attain the necessary competencies and professionalism to deliver safe and effective patient care. However, underachievement among nursing students, whether related to conduct or proficiency, poses challenges that require timely and structured interventions. This article explores the responsibilities of assessors and supervisors in identifying, supporting, and, when necessary, failing underperforming students. It examines key factors contributing to underachievement, including personal, environmental, and institutional influences, and highlights effective intervention strategies such as early identification, structured feedback, and personalised development plans. Additionally, the paper addresses the "failure to fail" phenomenon, wherein assessors hesitate to fail students despite concerns about their competence, ultimately compromising patient safety and the integrity of the nursing profession. The discussion highlights the importance of robust training, emotional support, and institutional backing for assessors to make objective, fair decisions while upholding professional standards. By fostering a supportive yet accountable educational environment, nursing educators can ensure that graduates are well-prepared to meet the demands of their profession
A step change in education: Generative AI, Ethics and Transformation for Higher Education
No full textGenerative AI systems such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Llama, are transforming higher education by introducing opportunities for enhanced learning and personalised education. These systems are disrupting traditional pedagogical approaches while presenting ethical dilemmas around academic integrity, equity, and intellectual property. This paper examines the impact of generative AI on higher education, addressing its disruptive potential, ethical challenges, and pathways for responsible integration into teaching and assessment. The focus of this paper is on the impact in Higher Education, though most of the issues are relevant to earlier stages of education and reflect wider issues for society
Achieving Quality and Effectiveness in Dementia Using Crisis Teams (AQUEDUCT): a randomised controlled trial evaluating the impact of a best practice Resource Kit used by teams managing crisis in dementia
Get PDFPeople with dementia frequently experience mental health crisis requiring psychiatric hospital admission. In the UK, Teams Managing Crisis in Dementia (TMCDs) vary in structure and practice due to the absence of a standardized model. A pragmatic, randomised controlled trial (RCT) was designed to evaluate the AQUEDUCT Best Practice Tool and online Resource Kit (RK). Twenty-three TMCDs across England were randomised 1:1 To receive the RK plus usual care (intervention) or usual care alone (control) (www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN42855694). The primary outcome was the number of psychiatric hospital admissions for people with dementia at the primary endpoint of six months. Secondary outcomes included TMCD staff mental health (GHQ-12), psychological flexibility (WAAQ), and work engagement (UWES); and for people with dementia and carers, service satisfaction (CSQ-8) and mental wellbeing (GHQ-12). There was no significant difference in number of psychiatric admissions between groups (incident rate ratio: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.37-1.48; p = 0.397) and the primary endpoint was met. No significant differences were found for the secondary outcomes across staff or service user groups. Fidelity to the intervention varied; five TMCDs met or exceeded implementation criteria, while others reported structural barriers. Limited engagement was attributed to the absence of a learning collaborative and pandemic-related service pressures. Although the RK was valued by staff for guiding quality improvement, it did not significantly reduce hospital admissions or improve secondary outcomes. Future studies should prioritise implementation support and explore systemic barriers to service improvement in dementia crisis care
Boosting sustainable hydrogen production through the gasification of biorefinery sludges
Get PDFDecarbonisation of energy production is vital to prevent further climatological disasters; sustainable hydrogen production from unique underutilised feedstocks will presents a viable pathway to overcome further energy crises and transition away from fossil reserves. By tapping into severely underutilised lignin-rich biorefinery waste streams such as sludges, produced post hydrolysis (sugar extraction, pre-fermentation), a wealth of hydrogen was unlocked via gasification at 950 °C in 1 % O2/N2, producing a gas-rich product mixture (>70 wt%) in a batch downdraft reactor. Subject to an optimised pre/post-treatment regime, low nitrogen and ash (2 yields without energy-intensive steam/catalysts. The formed sludges were found to be superior to both raw and leached parent feedstocks without NaOH hydrolysis, in terms of hydrogen production and solid fuel calorific values
An Analysis of Middle Eastern Female Athletes’ Visual Self-Presentation Strategies on Instagram During the Tokyo 2020 Olympics
Get PDFThe presentation of athletes through social media platforms is an essential consideration in constructing an athlete’s overall media presence. Traditional media channels provide an unfair advantage to male athletes and sporting events. Female athletes, therefore, are increasingly recognizing the value of social media channels in creating their brands and developing opportunities to obtain sponsorships and endorsements. This challenge intensifies in diverse cultural contexts. This study explores how female athletes from the MENA region use Instagram as a visual self-presentation platform to construct their personal brand during a major sporting event—the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. An analysis is performed on a purposeful collection of photographs from sixteen athletes, enabling a better understanding of how athletes can develop their personal image to attract fans and sports stakeholders. Research into personal branding generally lacks representation of athletes from the MENA region, and this study contributes to the limited range of outcomes related to MENA athletes. Goffman’s self-presentation theory is used as a framework to guide the analysis of Instagram images. The results show that, during a major sporting event in the MENA region, female athletes tend to share more photographs of their athletic performance and their countries, resulting in increased traffic to their Instagram accounts. The high frequency of photograph-posting occurred during the competition itself, not before or after. Many athletes do not post photographs about their personal or social lives, nor do they pay adequate attention to potential sponsors or businesses
Sediment transport in turbidity currents: internal structure and flow energetics
Get PDFThis project investigates the material-transport dynamics of natural-scale turbidity currents. The sediment-laden gravity-driven flows are a dominant control on the sediment transport between continents and deep marine systems. The resulting sediment architectures are expected to record the previous millennia of environmental events such as tectonic events or relative sea-level changes. In spite of their importance as paleo-environmental record, and a key geohazad, their dynamics are still poorly constrained due to the limitations of observation, computational costs, and the destructive nature of turbidity currents. Indeed, key knowledge gaps include the internal structures and flow energetics of turbidity currents, which dictate the dynamics and thus sediment transport mechanics and deposits of such flows.Data compilation and laboratory-scale experiments of turbidity currents, on which this work is based, have been conducted. The velocity and density profiles of pseudo-steady flows were gathered from laboratory experiments and natural-scale events to investigate the key factors that control the vertical flow structure. Laboratory experiments were designed to fill the gaps between the compiled data from the past literature and provide high-resolution observations.The statistical analysis of pseudo-steady turbidity currents’ compiled velocity and concentration profiles provides valuable insights into the material-transport dynamics. The empirical models for predicting flow velocity and concentration profile of turbidity currents are developed using machine learning techniques. Implications of the analysis and the developed models are that the internal structures of turbidity currents enhance their material-transport efficiency as the flow is decelerated.The theoretical analysis of the energetics of turbidity currents revealed that the previous fluvial-based energetics theory significantly underestimated the sediment-load capacity of turbidity currents. The direct implication is that the traditional micro-scale turbulent energy production cannot explain the energetics of gravity currents.To conclude, the findings of this thesis contribute to a better understanding of the material-transport dynamics of turbidity currents, identifying useful research areas for future works
Oocyte Exposure to Low Levels of Triclosan Has a Significant Impact on Subsequent Embryo Physiology
Get PDFTriclosan (TCS) is an antimicrobial agent in a wide range of health care products. It has been found in various human bodily fluids and is a potential reproductive toxicant. However, the effect of TCS on early embryo development in mammalian species is limited. We therefore asked whether exposure to TCS affects mammalian cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs), and if so, whether the effects persist into the early embryo. COCs, isolated from abattoir-derived bovine ovaries, were exposed to two environmentally relevant doses of TCS (1 and 10 nM) during in vitro maturation. When exposed to 1 nM TCS during in vitro maturation, progesterone release from bovine oocytes was elevated. Furthermore, altered pyruvate metabolism and mitochondrial dysfunction were also observed; specifically, O 2 consumption coupled to ATP production was significantly decreased in COCs after acute exposure to TCS prior to maturation, whereas proton leak from the respiratory chain was increased. Subsequently, TCS-exposed COCs were fertilised. Fewer oocytes were able to develop to blastocyst when exposed to 1 nM TCS during maturation compared to the Control group, and those that did reach the blastocyst displayed impaired glycolytic and amino acid metabolic activity. These findings indicate for the first time that oocytes exposed to TCS during the final stages of maturation give rise to embryos with impaired mitochondrial function, altered steroidogenesis, and disrupted metabolic activity
Co-Creating Heritage Safeguarding and Marketing Strategies with Communities in West Bengal, India: Experiences from the HIPAMS Project’
No full textThis chapter discusses insights from a project in India that speak to the challenges and benefits of co-creation and collaboration in situations where communities work with academics and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in heritage safeguarding projects, communicating across language, cultural and disciplinary differences and managing diverse interests.Purulia Chau (or Chhau) dance is a dynamic acrobatic dance with elaborate masks performed in India for ritual purposes as well as to paying audiences for entertainment. The dance practice was inscribed, alongside two other Chau styles, on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010. In the heritage-sensitive intellectual property and marketing strategies (HIPAMS) India project, funded by a three-year British Academy grant (2018–2021), a group of Chau dancers and mask makers collaborated with a team of researchers from Europe specialising in heritage, marketing and intellectual property law, and a local NGO in West Bengal. The project co-created and implemented heritage-sensitive intellectual property and marketing strategies, or HIPAMS, to maximise sustainable development and heritage-safeguarding benefits for artists.The HIPAMS specifically sought to address problems identified by the artists, such as lack of proper attribution in films, and the need to expand their markets. Strategies implemented as part of the project included developing artists’ digital storytelling skills and creating a common online promotional platform for dancers and mask makers, drafting a code of ethics based on intellectual property rights and designing new packaging and labels. The project helped artists to develop their online markets in a time of COVID-19, assert their rights and interests more effectively with customers and communicate better to customers about the heritage attributes that the community valued
No evidence for kin selection as an explanation for social group formation in clown anemonefish
Get PDFSocial groups in which some individuals forgo reproduction and others reproduce, are one of the most remarkable products of evolution. To fully understand these social groups, we must understand both why non-breeders tolerate their situation and why breeders tolerate non-breeders. In general, breeders tolerate non-breeders because they help provision the breeders’ offspring or the breeders themselves, but in some vertebrate societies the benefits that breeders accrue from non-breeders are surprisingly hard to detect. This raises the question: why do breeders tolerate non-breeders in such societies? Here, we test the hypothesis that breeders of the clown anemonefish (Amphiprion percula) will tolerate non-breeders because they are distant relatives who go on to inherit the territory. We use 40 polymorphic microsatellite loci to assess the pairwise relatedness of 683 individuals from 203 groups. We show that the mean pairwise relatedness among individuals from the same group is effectively zero, and no different from that found among individuals from the same reef or that found among individuals from the population at large. Further, we show that the mean pairwise relatedness found among breeder/breeder dyads is no different from that found among breeder/non-breeder dyads or that found among non-breeder/non-breeder dyads. We conclude that kin selection does not explain why breeders tolerate non-breeders in the clown anemonefish, and suggest that the explanation must lie with other, as yet untested, hypotheses: within-generation bet-hedging or mutualist-mediated benefits