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Encyclopedia of Diversity contributions
No full textOverall Editor: Mitja Sardoč Neil Hopkins' contributions: Citizenship education and diversity Democracy and diversit
The entrepreneurial academic: leveraging finite resources
No full textThis presentation was delivered at the Business and Management Research Institute Seminar series on the 6th of February 2024. Academics adopting an entrepreneurial mindset can leverage more resources to further their research and scholarly objectives. The theories and philosophies of entrepreneurship to the role of an academic using an author-ethnographic method to narrate the research journey of the presenter
Factors influencing urban greenspace use among a multiethnic community in the UK: the Chalkscapes Study
Get PDFIn the UK, there are disparities in the use of urban greenspaces, particularly among low-income, ethnically diverse communities. Determining how populations interact with greenspaces and the barriers and facilitators that influence use remains pertinent to improve access. This study aimed to examine how people who reside in an ethnically diverse community use and engage with urban greenspaces and, drawing on the COM-B model (capability, opportunity, motivation, and behaviour), aimed to assess the potential barriers and facilitators that influence use. A cross-sectional survey, conducted across two ethnically diverse towns in southeast England investigated greenspace usage, including activities and reasons for using greenspaces and included the Brief Measure of Behavior Change (COM-B). The survey was shared online via Qualtrics and widely disseminated in the local community via bilingual fieldworkers and community networks. The sample comprised 906 participants (60.7 % female; mean age 38 ± 16.37 years). The findings revealed that the use of greenspaces was low with around 33 % visiting greenspaces frequently (at least once a week). Older people, those with higher levels of deprivation and/or those from a minority ethnic background were all shown to be the lowest users of greenspaces. The findings also confirmed that the types of activities and reasons for visiting greenspaces were shown to vary by a range of socio-demographic characteristics. The COM-B model was shown to be a useful explanatory framework with physical capability and motivation identified as significant predictors of frequency of greenspace use. We now encourage future research to consider what factors underpin motivation and the opportunities to use greenspaces, and how these vary across the wider population.</p
Preparation of a novel metallothionein-AuNP composite material by genetic modification and Au–S covalent combination.
Get PDFMetallothionein (MTs) can be used in the prevention and treatment of tumors and diabetes due to its antioxidant properties. However, it is necessary to solve its non-transmembrane properties and further improve its antioxidant activity, increase its fluorescence visualization and enhance its stability to meet practical applications in the biomedical field. Here, we report the preparation of a novel metallothionein-AuNP composite material with high transmembrane ability, fluorescence visualization, antioxidant activity, and stability by genetic modification (introducing transduction peptide TAT, fluorescence tag GFP and increasing sulfydryl groups) and immobilization technology (covalently bonding with AuNPs). The transmembrane activity of modified proteins was verified by immunofluorescence. Increasing the sulfhydryl content within a certain range can enhance the antioxidant activity of the protein. In addition, GFP were used to further simplify the imaging of the metallothionein-AuNP composite in cells. XPS results indicated that AuNPs can immobilize metallothionein through Au–S covalent bonds. TGA characterization and degradation experiments showed that thermal and degradation stability of the immobilized material was significantly improved. This work provides new ideas to construct metallothionein composites with high transmembrane ability, antioxidant activity, fluorescence visualization and stability to meet novel applications in the biomedical field
What does the mid-1990s soybean liberalization tell us about the role of foreign investment in China's rural industrialization?
Get PDFThis article reassesses the role of foreign investments in China’s rural industrialization in the 1980s and the early 1990s. It draws upon the power disputes between agribusiness transnational corporations (TNCs) and central domestic players in the country’s soybean complex. I follow Chris Bramall’s argument that food processing infrastructure grew progressively since the Maoist era in the 1960s and 1970s, instead of springing from foreign investments or pro-business local state officials during the reform and opening up. However, I go beyond this assumption by suggesting that foreign investments often had a detrimental role in rural industrialization, depending on their political action. I show through in-depth empirical analyses that due to the Maoist industrial legacy, soybean processors from Northeast China consolidated an endogenous form of accumulation based on local circuits of production and consumption under state protectionism. This specific industrialization trajectory has put them on opposite sides from agribusiness TNCs. The liberalization agenda pushed by the TNCs through bilateral and multilateral levels of influence culminated in the opening of China’s soybean imports in the late 1990s, allowing the consolidation of their global trade monopoly to the detriment of domestic players
Malaria vaccine efficacy, safety, and community perception in Africa: a scoping review of recent empirical studies
Get PDFAim: The review summarizes the recent empirical evidence on the efficacy, safety, and community perception of malaria vaccines in Africa. Methods: Academic Search Complete, African Journals Online, CINAHL, Medline, PsychInfo, and two gray literature sources were searched in January 2023, and updated in June 2023. Relevant studies published from 2012 were included. Studies were screened, appraised, and synthesized in line with the review aim. Statistical results are presented as 95% Confidence Intervals and proportions/percentages. Results: Sixty-six (N = 66) studies met the inclusion criteria. Of the vaccines identified, overall efficacy at 12 months was highest for the R21 vaccine (N = 3) at 77.0%, compared to the RTS,S vaccine (N = 15) at 55%. The efficacy of other vaccines was BK-SE36 (11.0–50.0%, N = 1), ChAd63/MVA ME-TRAP (− 4.7–19.4%, N = 2), FMP2.1/AS02A (7.6–9.9%, N = 1), GMZ2 (0.6–60.0%, N = 5), PfPZ (20.0–100.0%, N = 5), and PfSPZ-CVac (24.8–33.6%, N = 1). Injection site pain and fever were the most common adverse events (N = 26), while febrile convulsion (N = 8) was the most reported, vaccine-related Serious Adverse Event. Mixed perceptions of malaria vaccines were found in African communities (N = 17); awareness was generally low, ranging from 11% in Tanzania to 60% in Nigeria (N = 9), compared to willingness to accept the vaccines, which varied from 32.3% in Ethiopia to 96% in Sierra Leone (N = 15). Other issues include availability, logistics, and misconceptions. Conclusion: Malaria vaccines protect against malaria infection in varying degrees, with severe side effects rarely occurring. Further research is required to improve vaccine efficacy and community involvement is needed to ensure successful widespread use in African communities.</p
Realising participation and protection rights when working with groups of young survivors of childhood sexual violence:a decade of learning
Get PDFChildhood sexual violence is a global problem that has far-reaching impacts on children, families and communities. Whilst there has been significant commitment and action to tackle this issue, research with young people consistently draws attention to gaps and limitations. Emerging research, and practice-based evidence, tells us that young survivors of childhood sexual violence hold essential knowledge and expertise about the impacts of, and solutions for addressing, this form of violence. Yet, despite widespread recognition that children and young people have a right to ‘be heard’, in practice there are limited examples where young survivors come together collectively to collaborate with professionals to inform and influence research, policy or practice interventions in this field. This discussion paper begins by reflecting on barriers to, and opportunities for, participatory engagement with young survivors. The article draws on a decade long international programme of work and shares three key elements that have helped ‘scaffold’ our participatory work with young survivors: forming the right partnerships; weighing up the potential risks and benefits of engagement; and putting in place support for all involved. In conclusion, we present potential ways forward, underscoring the importance of addressing structural barriers, the need for creativity, and the significance of support and training for those accompanying young people and facilitating their engagement in the future
Social justice in practice in education: understanding tensions and challenges through lived experiences
No full textExploring Social Justice in Practice in Education focuses on the tensions and challenges to issues of fairness and social and cognitive justice in the sphere of education. The terms 'fairness' and 'social and cognitive justice' are often used to justify particular policies and practices in the sphere of education. In providing a clear definition of what they should mean in practice, this book includes a discussion of, and, in some cases, potential resolutions to, tensions and challenges in relation to notions of fairness, and social and cognitive justice that are implicit within individuals' lived experiences across all phases of education. Through their personal narratives, the authors illustrate how such tensions and challenges have played out in their own lives. They go on to explore differences in interpretations and consequent challenges in putting concepts of social justice into practice. Chapters consider important implications across different sectors and phases of education, including special educational needs, leadership and higher education. This insightful volume will enable educators, at all levels, to hear from students, family members, significant adults/carers and professionals, their experiences of fairness and social justice in education, and about what could be done in the future to redress injustices. It will appeal to readers at all levels in education including those studying for or teaching Education-related degrees at bachelors', masters' and doctoral levels
Heterogeneous energy harvesting techniques for smart home IoT acceleration
Get PDFEnergy harvesting and Internet of Things (IoT) technology is being integrated with home appliances. IoT devices could harvest energy from alternative energy sources to convert the available energy from home appliances into electrical energy. Smart home energy management systems face isolated scheduling horizons and unreliable inputs. In this research, an IoT Heterogeneous Energy Harvesting (IHEH) technique has been proposed for residential home energy management to operate the smart home appliances which consists of four layers, namely, the Energy Harvesting Layer (EHL), the Control and Sensing Layer (CSL), the Application Layer (AL), and the Information Processing Layer (IPL). The proposed technique keeps track of the distribution of several types of energy, including thermal, piezoelectric, and light energy. The overall efficiency of the proposed method is 90% per day. The proposed IHEH technique yields more power and increases the lifetime of batteries
Retrieval practice "in the wild": teachers' reported use of retrieval practice in the classroom
Get PDFRetrieval practice has been shown to be an effective and efficient way to enhance learning and which has led researchers to call for retrieval practice to be part of teachers' regular repertoire of activities within a classroom. Recent policy changes in England have seen retrieval practice being encouraged and emphasized as a strategy that teachers should use in their practice. However, much of the research to support this has been conducted under controlled studies both in laboratory and classroom settings. Therefore, in the present study, we report on how teachers in England are implementing retrieval practice “in the wild”—in their classrooms outside of a controlled study. Findings indicate that teachers are using retrieval practice regularly in the classroom, even if it is not part of a mandatory school policy, with quizzes and short answer questions being the most reported format used. Additionally, teachers are motivated to use retrieval practice beyond the direct benefit of the testing effect
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