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Enriching a sustainable future with AI: why carbon literacy is crucial for academia and business
Get PDFContemporary research in business, and sustainability consistently highlights the critical role of informed decision-making and integrated sustainability practices (Dong, et al., 2024). My own research, focusing on social cost of carbon and sustainability education, underscores how robust business practices can enable businesses to be more sustainable. This academic lens provides a powerful argument for Carbon Literacy. Without a foundational understanding of carbon impacts, businesses struggle to accurately measure, report, and ultimately reduce their emissions effectively (European Commission, 2023). Academic research increasingly emphasizes the need for transparency and accountability in environmental performance, and Carbon Literacy equips professionals with the analytical skills to engage meaningfully with carbon accounting and reporting frameworks (Pindyck, 2019). It fosters a culture where sustainability is not a trendy initiative but an integral part of strategic planning and operational execution, supported by data-driven insights (Larrinaga & Bebbington, 2021)
Integrating the university library into teaching and learning: why and how
No full textWhere is the library positioned within your institutional structure? Steve Briggs makes the case for integrating it into the teaching and learning unit
How to develop your own university library excellence standard
No full textInstead of depending on a customer service assessment by an external agency to improve your library, why not develop your own? Find out 10 things to include in your bespoke standard.<br/
Pre-registration mental health nursing students who witness self-harm amongst service users during placement: a cross-sectional study
Get PDFMental health nursing (MHN) students may witness self-harm on placements; however, little is known regarding the experience of MHN students who do witness this. This study aimed to understand the personal impact of witnessing self-harm events upon MHN students who are on placement, with three objectives: 1. To identify the types of self-harm witnessed by MHN students; 2. To evaluate MHN students’ perceived self-competence in working with service users who have self-harmed; and 3. To assess the potential psychological trauma upon MHN students after witnessing self-harm. A cross-sectional questionnaire comprising researcher generated Likert-style items, and open-ended response questions was utilised. Descriptive analysis was completed of 84 responses from MHN students. The types of self-harm witnessed included cutting (65 participants; 77.4%); head-banging / punching (62 participants; 73.8%) and ligation (36 participants; 42.9%). Additionally, we identified factors that either hindered or aided the MHN students in developing resilience post witnessing self-harm. These findings are presented as three qualitative themes, and are: resilience; sources of stress and sources of support. Key findings were: (i) current MHN students can experience a range of negative outcomes after witnessing a self-harm incident which can include wanting to withdraw from studies. (ii) Student experience of witnessing self-harm needs to be better understood and responded to. Finally, (iii) Universities and placement providers should deliver relevant training, with trauma informed care (TIC) pedagogy potentially being an effective intervention. Ultimately, we recommend a joined-up approach from Universities and practice partners to address these issues
An exploratory study on virtual reality technology for fall prevention in older adults with mild cognitive impairment
Get PDFINTRODUCTION: Virtual Reality (VR) training has potential evidence for reducing the risks of falls of older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). There are indications of a positive training effect of a cognitive-motor intervention method to improve the postural balance and cognition for safer walking. This study aimed to evaluate the training effects of VR training for reducing the risks of falls among older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).METHODS: An experimental design was employed to evaluate how the participants attended a full-immersive VR Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE) training program. Fifty-five participants were randomly assigned to the VR group or the control group. The VR group received 16 training sessions over 8-10 weeks, while the control group received a non-VR falls prevention program. The primary outcome assessed any falls after the study, and the secondary outcomes assessed changes in cognition and executive function, walk speed and balance performances, and the psychological factor such as fear of falling relating to the risk factors of fall.RESULTS: The VR group showed significantly greater improvement than the control group in terms of measures of cognitive-motor performance across group and time interaction. However, there were inconsistent results in functional mobility and fall efficacy between the two groups.CONCLUSION: This study provides promising evidence on the VR CAVE training for reducing the risks of falls among older adults with MCI from Hong Kong. VR technology-based applications are an emerging area in current aged care and rehabilitation services.</p
Enhancing Kendall's W using genetic algorithm:a computational approach to inter-rater reliability optimization
No full textThis paper presents a computational approach to enhancing Kendall's coefficient of concordance (Kendall's W) using genetic algorithm (GA). Kendall's W is a non-parametric statistic used to measure the degree of agreement among raters. Traditional methods of calculating Kendall's W may not adequately address issues such as outliers and tied rankings. This study proposes the use of GA to optimize the inclusion of raters and improve the robustness of Kendall's W. A custom web-based tool was developed to implement the GA-based optimization model, allowing users to select parameters such as alpha (α), crossover, mutation, and the number of replications. The results demonstrate significant improvements in agreement among raters, highlighting the effectiveness of GA in enhancing inter-rater reliability (IRR) measures. Future research should aim to further refine the parameters of GA and explore additional optimization techniques to improve IRR measures.</p
Trajectory to professorship for third space practitioners: a learning developer perspective
Get PDFA higher education (HE) professional with a role that spans across the traditional academic and non-academic dichotomy is described as working within the ‘third space’ (Whitchurch, 2013). Whitchurch (2023) conceptualises the third space as, ‘likely to be plural and to be comprised of multiple spaces, which may continually reconfigure’. Therefore, some staff may work permanently or periodically in the third space. I have worked in the third space as a Learning Developer for almost 20 years. During this time, I have been fortunate to progress in my career from an Academic Skills Tutor to Director of Learning and Teaching Excellence. I have co-chaired the Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE) and am humbled to have received a National Teaching Fellowship in 2020. However, up until around 12 months ago, I had never thought that I could realistically pursue a professorship.In this opinion piece, I explore the reasons for my preconceptions around professorship and the emergence of new professorship pathways. I consider broad criterion related to a Teaching and Learning (T&L) professorship pathway and how evidence might be obtained by a third space practitioner. Through these reflections, I hope to demystify potential sources of professorship evidence for other third space practitioners. In turn, I hope this will support aspiring third space professors in their career planning. In addition to aspiring professors, I anticipate that the practical suggestions included in this paper will help to support the career planning of third space practitioners who wish to pursue higher education leadership roles
Big data analytics in travel and hospitality
No full textBig data finds use in decision-making and constantly rises in popularity in the sphere of travel and hospitality industry. Large datasets collected throughout the travel process can present certain information to companies about consumers and their preferences. It makes it possible to enhance organisational effectiveness, customer adaptation and most importantly, enhance sales. Big data analysis aids in client segmentation, pricing, and service improvement. However, it raises ethical concerns like data privacy and skilled personnel. It can enhance sustainable practices and innovative product solutions. Legal challenges and strict data protection pose challenges, but future growth in the sector is expected to improve customer experience, operations, and returns.</p
60 Vs. 80% fluid replacement with personalised sodium ingestion:impact on thermoregulation and cycling performance
No full textResistance exercise intervention restores functional capacity and improves frailty biomarkers in centenarians
Get PDFBACKGROUND: Centenarians comprise an age group characterized by exceptional longevity and low age-associated pathologies. However, they still experience physiological decline, and different studies have linked frailty to this population. Exercise interventions reverse frailty and improve functional capacity, but no studies have addressed the effect of an intervention in centenarians. In this study, we assessed the impact of a 12-week resistance exercise intervention in a group of centenarians and characterized their functional capacity as well as the expression of several molecular biomarkers associated with frailty.METHODS: A total of 19 centenarians were enrolled, but 7 of them did not complete the study. The remaining 12 centenarians were randomly assigned to the control or intervention group, which was a 12-week resistance exercise intervention. Molecular biomarkers were measured by qRT-PCR and ELISA.RESULTS: The intervention group improved their functional capacity measured by Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) (post 5.0 vs 2.3 in pre) and Physical Performance and Mobility Examination (PPME) (6.5 vs 3.8), as well as in frailty status studied by Fried Frailty Phenotype (3.0 vs 3.8) and Frailty Trait Scale 5 (FTS5) (post 30.7 vs 34.0 in pre) scales. ANCOVA revealed that the resistance training led to significant improvements in functional capacity scales SPPB (p = 0.01) and PPME (p < 0.001), as well as Fried Frailty Phenotype (p = 0.001) and FTS5 (p = 0.05). Biomarkers related to frailty (EGR1, miR194-5p, miR125b-5p and miR454-3p) and inflammation (IL-6 and IL-1β) showed different expression patterns in centenarians (n = 19) compared to both old (n = 44, average of 79 years old) and young adults (n = 34, average of 29 years old) groups. Notably, the intervention was associated with improvements in frailty and inflammation biomarkers expression. Finally, correlation analyses showed significant associations between all functional and frailty variables, with SPPB correlating with miR454-3p (ρ = 0.73) and FTS5 correlating with miR454-3p (ρ = -0.83), IL-6 (ρ = 0.60) and miR125b-5p (ρ = -0.55).CONCLUSIONS: Our results revealed that resistance exercise intervention enhances functional status and reduces frailty in centenarians, and this is associated with improvements in frailty and inflammation biomarkers.</p
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