4101 research outputs found
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Medicines optimisation for young people with juvenile arthritis and other long-term conditions: system-level barriers to engagement
No full textTo explore the views of pharmacy and rheumatology stakeholders about system-related barriers to medicines optimisation activities with young people with long-term conditions. A three-phase consensus-building study comprising (1) focus groups with community and hospital pharmacists; (2) semi-structured telephone interviews with lay and professional adolescent rheumatology stakeholders and pharmacy policymakers, and (3) multidisciplinary discussion groups with community and hospital pharmacists and rheumatology staff. Qualitative verbatim transcripts from phases 1 and 2 were subjected to framework analysis. Themes from phase 1 underpinned a briefing for phase 2 interviewees. Themes from phases 1 and 2 generated elements of good pharmacy practice and current/future pharmacy roles for ranking in phase 3. Results from phase 3 prioritisation and ranking exercises were captured on self-completion data collection forms, entered into an Excel spreadsheet and subjected to descriptive statistical analysis. Institutional ethical approval was given by Aston University Health and Life Sciences Research Ethics Committee. Four focus groups were conducted with 18 pharmacists across England, Scotland and Wales (7 hospital, 10 community and 1 community/public health). Fifteen stakeholders took part in telephone interviews (3 pharmacist commissioners; 2 pharmacist policymakers; 2 pharmacy staff members (1 community and 1 hospital); 4 rheumatologists; 1 specialist nurse, and 3 lay juvenile arthritis advocates). Twenty-five participants took part in three discussion groups in adolescent rheumatology centres across England and Scotland (9 community pharmacists; 4 hospital pharmacists; 6 rheumatologists; 5 specialist nurses, and 1 physiotherapist). In all phases of the study, system-level issues were acknowledged as barriers to more engagement with young people and families. Community pharmacists in the focus groups reported that opportunities for engaging with young people were low if parents collected prescriptions alone, which was agreed by other stakeholders. Moreover, institutional/company prescription collection policies – an activity largely disallowed for a young person under 16 without an accompanying parent - were identified by hospital and community pharmacists as barriers to open discussion and engagement. Few community pharmacists reported using Medicines Use Review (England/Wales) or Chronic Medication Service (Scotland) as a medicines optimisation activity with young people; many were unsure about consent procedures. Despite these limitations, rheumatology stakeholders ranked highly the potential of pharmacists empowering young people with general health care skills, such as repeat prescription ordering. The pharmacy profession lacks vision for its role in the care of young people with long-term conditions. Pharmacists and rheumatology stakeholders identified system-level barriers to more engagement with young people who take medicines regularly. We acknowledge that the modest number of participants may have had a specific interest and thus bias for the topic, but this underscores their frank admission of the challenges. Professional guidance and policy, practice frameworks and institutional/company policies must promote flexibility for pharmacy staff to recognise and empower young people who are able to give consent and take responsibility for medicines activities. This will increase mutual confidence and trust, and foster pharmacy’s role in teaching general health care skills. In this way, pharmacists will be able to build long-term relationships with young people and families
Working without a script? rethinking how academics can work collaboratively in changing contexts
No full textThis chapter argues that the scope of the academic role in art, design and media has shifted in recent years from predominantly teaching, practice and research to one that places significantly greater emphasis on administration and other tasks, as a consequence of the wide range of policy, legislative and audit pressures to which institutions have had to respond. This has resulted in an experience of role fragmentation for academics, and is particularly accentuated in the context of art, design and media higher education, where logistical and identity tensions already exist between the roles of practitioner and academic. The impact of such increased pressures on the academic role is apparent through the stress levels documented for employees in the sector.It is proposed that it is necessary to re-establish congruence between institutional mission and individual identity through a re-framing of the employment context of higher education by individuals and institutions. Potential models for such new working practices include 'co-creation'
Institution-based model of entrepreneurial intentions using the theory of planned behaviour. Institutional voids, entrepreneurship and small business development
No full textThe continued political and academic interest in small firms is allied to the belief that new independent small firm lay the foundation for innovation and growth in the private sector and wider socioeconomic developments (Alsos et al., 2006; Davidsson, 1995; van Gelderen at al., 2008). This interest is particularly relevant in today’s business landscape plagued with diminishing opportunities for sustained formal sector employment and individual work preferences which increasingly favour self-reliance, self-direction and entrepreneurship (Hall, 2002; van Gelderen at al., 2008). All of which compel us to increase our understanding of these individuals and the factors that contribute to their entrepreneurial decisions. The entrepreneurship literature has mainly focused on intentions as the best predictors of individual entrepreneurial behaviours (Bird, 1988; Krueger at al., 2000). Entrepreneurial intention is defined as the cognitive representation or disposition for individuals to establish new independent small firms (Fini et al., 2009; Guerrero et al., 2008; Nabi, et al., 2006; Remeikiene et al., 2013), where the cognitive dimension is described as the complex and intricate mental processes of perceptions that underline action (Linan, 2008). It adopts the universal condition of intentionality for all human activity and helps us understand why and how individuals respond to situational factors and the incentives that motivate them to actively seek-out and exploit entrepreneurial opportunities
Global change synergies and trade-offs between renewable energy and biodiversity
No full textReliance on fossil fuels is causing unprecedented climate change and is accelerating environmental degradation and global biodiversity loss. Together, climate change and biodiversity loss, if not averted urgently, may inflict severe damage on ecosystem processes, functions and services that support the welfare of modern societies.Increasing renewable energy deployment and expanding the current protected area network represent key solutions to these challenges, but conflicts may arise over the use of limited land for energy production as opposed to biodiversity conservation. Here, we compare recently identified core areas for the expansion of the global protected area network with the renewable energy potential available from land-based solar photovoltaic, wind energy and bioenergy (in the form of Miscanthus 9 giganteus). We show that these energy sources have very different biodiversity impacts and net energy contributions. The extent of risks and opportunities deriving from renewable energy development is highly dependent on the type of renewable source harvested, the restrictions imposed on energy harvest and the region considered, with Central America appearing at particularly high potential risk from renewable energy expansion. Without restrictions on power generation due to factors such as production and transport costs, we show that bioenergy production is a major potential threat to biodiversity, while the potential impact of wind and solar appears smaller than that of bioenergy. However, these differences become reduced when energy potential is restricted by external factors including local energy demand. Overall, we found that areas of opportunity for developing solar and wind energy with little harm to biodiversity could exist in several regions of the world, with the magnitude of potential impact being particularly dependent on restrictions imposed by local energy demand. The evidence provided here helps guide sustainable development of renewable energy and contributes to the targeting of global efforts in climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation
Investigating the victim pseudomaturity effect: How a victim’s chronological age and dress style influences attributions in a depicted case of child sexual assault
No full textThree hundred and seven members of the UK public read a hypothetical child sexual abuse (CSA) case in which the victim’s chronological age (12 vs. 15 years) and dress style (sexualised vs. non-sexualised) were experimentally manipulated. They completed 22 items relating to attributions of victim, perpetrator and non-offending third party blame, victim attire and perceived assault severity. It was predicted that the older and the sexually dressed victim would be assigned more blame for her own CSA with most blame attributed to 15 year old wearing sexualised attire. Additionally, males were expected to be more blaming generally, but especially of the older and/or sexually dressed victim. Results were generally in line with predictions and highlight the role seemingly controllable victim characteristics play in blaming CSA victims. Findings are discussed in relation to the defensive attributions, gender stereotyping and the newly suggested victim pseudomaturity effect (VPE). Criminal justice, victim welfare and rape myth implications, together with methodological issues and ideas for future research work, are also considered
Gendered occupational differences in science, engineering, and technology careers
No full textGender segregation is an issue that still exists in today’s society. With the dominance of men in the science, engineering, and technology sectors, there is still a question of the underrepresentation of women. It is even apparent that in the positions that are predominately female, such as nursing, men still hold more senior managerial positions than women.Gendered Occupational Differences in Science, Engineering, and Technology Careers provides an overview of women in male dominated fields, specifically in science, engineering, and technology, and examines the contributing factors in this concern. This collection of research is relevant to academics and students in social and behavioral sciences in addition to gender and organizational researchers and scholars
The Bolton Review: Issue 4: Photographs and Falcons
No full textThe Bolton review is a creative writing magazine, set up by members of the creative writing team of the University of Bolton to allow its students and staff to submit creative works of all types
Formulating a linear scheduling development index
No full textConstruction projects are criticised for overrunning time and cost. Previous studies have identified ineffective planning and scheduling as the most frequently cited cause of delay. Moreover, earlier research debated that network-based planning methods are not suitable for projects with repeating activities. Linear scheduling was argued to be a better tool for simulating projects with repeating activities, such as railways, tunnels, roads and infrastructure. Research efforts on schedule quality and development measurement were devoted to network-based scheduling methods. This study critically reviews current programme quality evaluation models in the literature; the review outcomes are used in interviews with four industry experts to identify suitable criteria for assessing linear schedules. There were 23 criteria confirmed that were then arranged into six groups. Based on the interviews, a questionnaire was distributed, and responses were obtained from 125 participants. Results indicated a high level of agreement on the importance of the defined criteria. They are subsequently ranked according to relative importance. The results show that contractual measures are ranked highest and duration estimation second. In addition, a relationship between level of knowledge and importance of using linear schedules was identified. The study proposes a framework for assessing development level and quality of linear schedules
