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Meeting the needs of patients with dementia to reduce hospital stays: a qualitative exploration of patient pathways and services
Get PDFBackground
This study formed part of a project investigating the impact of providing care to patients living with dementia on acute services across England.
Aim
It aimed to gain a better understanding of how to meet the needs of patients and identify areas of good practice across England.
Methods
Qualitative interviews were undertaken with 42 professionals within five areas of England, and a focus group with 7 carers.
Findings
Working practices to support patients living with dementia and their carers vary significantly by geographical area. The study identified many examples of good practice in preventing hospital admission, admission to hospital, hospital stays, discharge from hospital and post-discharge provision.
Conclusion
Different working practices have resulted in a lack of consistency in the provision of and access to services for patients with dementia as well as gaps in provision. However, a range of good practice examples were identified
‘Spaceport of Call’: Developing a Geopolitical-Criminological Perspective on Spaceport Crime and Policing
No full textEarth-bound spaceports, like NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston, are crucial for spacefaring and space habitation. Just think of the famous “Houston, we have a problem” quotation from the radio communications between Apollo 13 astronauts and Mission Control in 1970. Without spaceports, there would be no rockets launched into space, no communications with astronauts in distress and no contact with cosmic pioneers setting off to the Moon and beyond. As vital nodes in the transport of people and goods, like maritime ports have been throughout history and still are, spaceports are subject to policing in accordance with rules set at different levels, from the interpersonal relations among dock workers, to international law and norms to geopolitical contestation over trade and legal orders. Criminological research on these topics is virtually non-existent, and the policing of ports, let alone spaceports, is hardly represented in geopolitics literature despite the interlinkage of the spatial dimension of power and its enforcement. Therefore, this chapter provides geopolitical-criminological insights to set a critical research agenda on spaceport crime (control) and policing. To that end, the chapter will explore what a spaceport comprises, followed by important considerations for understanding spaceport crime and policing. Afterward, we situate the conceptual understanding of spaceport policing into the broader context of geopolitics, to conclude on how to move toward a geopolitical-criminology of spaceport crime and policing
On the world-picture: a cross-disciplinary analysis of astronoetics and astro-green criminology
Get PDFIn 1968, humanity marked the beginning of the Earthrise era, capturing – for the first time – the pictorial sight of our planet in its cosmic position. The result enabled a newfound immense depth to the discourse of globalisation, and, more centrally, the practical and extraordinary power of the world-image. The concept of the world-picture, which is the equivalent of the German phrase Weltbild as developed by Hans Blumenberg, Martin Heidegger, Wilhelm Dilthey, and Martin Buber, is concerned with the world as a system of representation that is infused with the practical power of pictorial realities and the connection to a complex nexus of existential significance. This article illustrates an extension to this concept by utilising Blumenberg’s field of Astronoetics, which examines the theoretical intricate balance between centrifugal curiosity and centripetral care and its implications for terrestrial human welfare and extraterrestrial voyages. This article also examines how astronoetics can inform and enrich the recently formed subdiscipline of Astro-Green Criminology, which investigates the criminal and harmfulness of human agency towards outer space. The article concludes by arguing the value of reigniting the astronoetic tradition as a catalyst for change and a conceptual tool to confront illegal and harmful outer-space activities. The article finalises by inviting green criminologists to embrace astronoetics as an innovative, creative, and insightful approach that disentangles the complexities of our phenomenological meaning of outer-space – the fundamental source from which the multitude of cosmic transgressions originate
Investigating the Relationship Between Authentic Leadership and Employee Well-being and Engagement: Leadership and Leadership Development Developmental Paper Session
No full textThe purpose of this research is to examine the connection between authentic leadership and engagement and the well-being of the employees. The research attempts to identify how authentic leadership practices contribute to outstanding employee outcomes by investigating how these behaviours affect employee perceptions and experiences. The study uses a mixed-methods approach that includes surveys and interviews to investigate authentic leadership qualities and their influence on employee well-being, such as psychological health, work-life balance, and job satisfaction. Furthermore, the significance of genuine leadership in cultivating staff involvement, dedication, and inspiration is scrutinized. The research's conclusions will be beneficial to organizational leaders who want to improve worker engagement and well-being by using real leadership techniques
Consciousness education: Why an enquiry into consciousness is an educational and spiritual imperative
Get PDFIn this paper, we present a case for including consciousness studies within the educational curriculum from early years through to postcompulsory education. We contend that its current exclusion is due to the deep embeddedness in society of the materialist assumption that the brain produces consciousness. Hence, as a subject of study, consciousness is considered only of relevance to neuroscientists. Informed by this same assumption, notions of spirituality are also seen to be the product of neuronal interactions, and are ultimately illusory, rather than indicating the existence of a different kind of reality. However, there is no incontrovertible evidence to support this assumption, which is increasingly being questioned by leading-edge scientists, spiritual thinkers, and philosophers. Supported by findings from quantum physics, and from the wisdom of indigenous knowledges, there is a growing interest in alternative theories, such as the idea that consciousness may be primary, and matter may be an emergent property of consciousness. We examine arguments for these radically different perspectives, and how they inform, and are informed by, different worldviews. We argue that young people need to be made aware of those alternative worldviews so that they can make informed choices about who they are as spiritual beings
Being Virtual Together: Creating Connection in "dist[Sense]"
No full textThis co-authored paper is a reflection on our collective and individual experiences creating and performing in dist[Sense], a virtual performance experience for one audience-participant and one performer-participant to be present together in a single Zoom box. dist[Sense] was created as a reaction to global stay-at-home orders and a widely-shared sense of isolation and need for human connection during the summer of 2020. Using Zoom Telematics, dist[Sense] created a shared virtual space in which the performer-participant and audience-participant could be co-present. Through writing this performance reflection, we (the creative team) have wrestled with our own definitions of presence. What does it mean to be both materially alone and virtually together? Can we really achieve shared meaning with another? Or is the experience of mutual understanding a projection of our thoughts and desires? Although these questions exist in Face-to-Face interactions, the virtual shared space of dist[Sense] brought their urgency to the forefront. In dist[Sense], the medium became the message: the medium of Zoom became the meaning we learned about — how to connect in virtual space. Through the creation and performance of dist[Sense], we each found our own way to be present and find connection in a time of mass isolation
Phytochemical assessment, elemental composition, and biological kinetics of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. stalks
Get PDFIntroduction
The essential oil of Foeniculum vulgare (Fennel) has been extensively studied for phytochemical and elemental compositions, biochemical significance, and biological activities. However, the literature has a dearth of information on the Fennel stalk as a potential source of antioxidant and antibacterial agents. This study aimed to evaluate the phytochemical and elemental composition of Fennel stalks and also, to investigate the kinetic DPPH scavenging property and antibacterial activity of Fennel stalk extracts.
Methods
Fennel aqueous extract (FVAE) was prepared by mixing of powdered fennel stalks with sterile distilled water, followed by heating and filtration. Methanol (FVME) and ethanol (FVEE) extracts of F. vulgare were prepared by macerating the stalk with respective solvents, followed by filtration. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), determination of total phenols, and X-ray fluorescence were conducted to analyze the chemical composition of the extracts. Biological activities, including DPPH scavenging and antimicrobial activity against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Escherichia coli, were evaluated through spectrophotometric methods and well diffusion assay, respectively.
Results
The GCMS analysis revealed 15 compounds including anozol, myristyl iodine, flexiricin, dutadrupine, cycloheptaciloxane, neophytadiene, phthalic acid, and ribitol. Some of these compounds have not been reported from this plant before. FTIR analysis suggested hydroxyl (OH), alkane (CH), carbonyl (C=O), aromatic (C=C), and ether (CO) functional groups in the Fennel extracts. X-ray fluorescence identified elements including titanium, chromium, manganese, iron, nickel, copper, zinc, rubidium, and strontium. The ethanol extract had higher total phenolic content (72.45±0.01 mg GAE/g) than the aqueous (54.3±0.01 mg GAE/g) and methanol (51.3±0.01 mg GAE/g) extracts. In addition, a high % DPPH scavenging activity was observed in the ethanol extract (85.1%) compared to that of ascorbic acid (96.2%). Fennel's stalks methanol extract showed significant inhibition against the growth of Escherichia coli 0157 and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus B-4420, having zones of inhibition diameters of 16 mm and 13 mm, respectively. This is similar to what was observed for chloramphenicol and azithromycin.
Conclusion
The current study has demonstrated that Fennel stalks contain potentially useful antioxidant and antibacterial properties, in addition to the well-studied essential oil of its fruits and seeds
Strategic Decision-Making in Startups: The Role of Data-Driven Insights in Enhancing Business Innovation
Get PDFThis study examines the impact of data-driven decision-making on innovation within startups. By utilizing a mixed-methods research design, the study integrates quantitative data from surveys and innovation performance metrics with qualitative insights from interviews and focus groups. The findings reveal that startups employing data-driven strategies demonstrate higher innovation outcomes, including the development of new products and revenue growth. The research highlights the importance of data literacy and a data-centric culture as key factors in maximizing the benefits of data-driven decision-making. Additionally, leadership commitment is identified as crucial for successful adoption and implementation of data-driven strategies. The study underscores the potential of data-driven decision-making to foster innovation within startups and provides recommendations for enhancing data-driven practices
Small-Sided-Game-Induced Mechanical Load in Adolescent Soccer: The Need for Care and Consideration for Athlete Preservation
Get PDFContext: The logistical efficiency and flexibility of small-sided games (SSG) to develop various soccer-specific attributes simultaneously mean they are a staple component of contemporary training programmes in youth soccer. Their high ecological validity and consequential high utilisation mean that if not considerately prescribed, players may be exposed to frequent repetitive mechanical stress that may induce maladaptation in skeletally and/or load naïve or sensitive athletes. Therefore, the purpose of this clinical review is to summarise the mechanical load adaptations associated with the manipulation of area per player in small-sided games to outline the mechanistic pathway of load-related injuries in skeletally maturing athletes and to offer practical guidelines for coaches for the preservation of athlete health.
Evidence Acquisition: A non-systematic search of computerised databases of peer-reviewed articles in English between 2010 and the present was used, and subsequently a critical appraisal of existing literature was conducted.
Study Design: Clinical Review
Level of Evidence: Level 4
Results: The temporary relative strength deficit and inefficiency of the musculotendinous system associated with accelerated growth increase the mechanical cost of activity. As a result, the load tolerance (i.e., tolerant, naïve, or sensitive) of athletes is transiently reduced as the musculoskeletal system struggles to attenuate force absorption adequately. Repeated exposure to sub-maximal mechanical loads that stimulate the accumulation of ‘micro-damage’ in structural tissue, may lead to aggravation and/or tissue failure at connective sites in skeletally fragile athletes.
Conclusions: Coaches and practitioners need to individualise the exposure to mechanical load for load-tolerant, naïve, and sensitive athletes during adolescence. Subtle changes to small-sided game prescription including modifying the area per player, inclusion of goalkeepers, constrained floaters, and management of work: rest ratios can offer practical and efficient methods to mitigate risk without derailing the development process. This, in turn, should contribute to reducing injury burden in this population and enhance developmental opportunities for young players