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Nursing students' evaluation of Primary Health Care clinical placements - A cross-sectional study
Get PDFAimEvaluate quality and satisfaction of nursing students' Primary Health Care clinical placements.BackgroundThere is growing recognition of the need to expand the Primary Health Care nursing workforce, with positive clinical placement experiences considered essential for preparing and inspiring future careers in these settings; however, few graduate nurses choose this career path.DesignA cross-sectional study design using purposive sampling.ParticipantsData were sourced from National Placement Evaluation Centre's 2023/2024 dataset using the validated PET–Nursing survey. The tool includes 20 items across two subscales - Clinical Environment and Learning Support, with the final item assessing overall placement satisfaction. Surveys were distributed across 37 educational institutions, and 2223 Primary Health Care placements were extracted for analysis from an overall dataset of 37,111.MethodDescriptive statistics summarised student ratings of Primary Health Care placements. Inferential analyses, including Kruskal–Wallis tests and Bonferroni-adjusted pairwise comparisons, measured differences across clinical settings and demographics. The study is reported using STROBE checklist for cross-sectional research.ResultsStudents rated Primary Health Care placements more favourably when compared to other placements. Within Primary Health Care placements, community nursing, community mental health, hospital in the home, and correctional centres outperformed general practice placements. Lower student ratings for skill and knowledge development during Primary Health Care placements may reflect gaps in pre-placement preparation and in supervisors' capability. Demographic analyses revealed higher satisfaction among placements in medium-sized rural towns, longer-duration placements, and male respondents.ConclusionPrimary Health Care placements were rated favourably, often higher than tertiary hospital settings. Variations within Primary Health Care settings, especially in general practice, highlight opportunities to improve quality and education. Findings identified specific areas of satisfaction and placement quality concerns, while highlighting further research recommendations to encourage early career nurses into the Primary Health Care workforce
Researchers and Social Networking Sites usage: the application of UTAUT theory
Get PDFPurpose (limit 100 words) This study aims to investigate the use of SNS by researchers and their behaviours when conducting research-related activities by applying the UTAUT theory Design/methodology/approach (limit 100 words) An online survey was distributed. This study's design is derived from the UTAUT framework's questionnaire items. The sample of this study comprised 216 respondents from 40 universities in the United Kingdom. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. Findings (limit 100 words) Respondents revealed a positive relationship between the four constructs of the UTAUT framework (performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating condition) associated with their intention to use SNS. Research limitations/implications (limit 100 words) Most of the respondents were from the University of Strathclyde, so we cannot generalize the findings to other universities. Practical implications (limit 100 words) The findings will offer an extensive understanding of the value of social networking sites, which will aid researchers to increase their visibility, and research activities online. Originality/value (limit 100 words) The results will provide an in-depth knowledge of the importance of social networking sites, helping scholars to become more visible and engage in online research. A number of factors impacted how researchers behaved on social networking sites and what they intended to use for research-related activity. School administrators, experts, and other sponsors could take action to promote the use of social networking sites (SNSs) in educational settings based on the findings. The study's findings offer insightful knowledge to those who create SNS websites. By using this information, they will be able to improve these sites for research and study and gain a better understanding of the demands of SNS users
Integrating ethnographic futures research with critical realism and grounded theory
Get PDFThis paper presents Critical Realist Grounded Ethnographic Futures Research (CRG-EFR) as a development of the Ethnographic Futures Research (EFR) method. EFR is a long-established but under documented and developed scenario building method, that directly engages with images of the future held by a defined social group. Responding to the challenge that scenario methods lack theoretical depth compared to established social research methods, CRG-EFR is systematically built to combine the qualities of both, to enhance the scenario building process. Critical realism is established as a basis for understanding present reality and future possibilities, in which predictions are possible as conjectural knowledge of the future and can be systematically developed. EFR is set out as a method for building scenarios from conjectural knowledge of the future. Grounded Theory (GT) is then introduced as a rigorous research methodology that closely resembles the overall procedure of EFR, providing an established basis for the analysis of qualitative data that maintains the emic perspective of the futures of those social groups being researched. The application of the CRG-EFR method is illustrated in a discussion of its use in an ongoing research project, demonstrating how it achieves the methodological rigour necessary to meet quality criteria for grounded theory. The paper concludes by considering the limitations of the CRG-EFR method compared to classical EFR, identifying CRG-EFR as ideal suited for transformative futures research in which culturally embedded insights are foundational to images of the future
Advancements in Polymeric Piezoelectric Nanofiber for Energy Harvesting Applications: A Scoping Review
Get PDFThis scoping review systematically explores recent advancements in polymeric piezoelectric nanofiber membranes for energy harvesting applications, with particular focus on the potential of multilayered piezoelectric structures to enhance energy efficiency. Following the PRISMA-ScR and Arksey & O’Malley frameworks, a structured search of Web of Science and ScienceDirect from 2018 to the present was conducted using predefined keywords, and eligible studies were screened and analyzed. After applying eligibility criteria, 35 studies with high piezoelectric output and effective designs were included in the review, of which only nine investigated multilayered piezoelectric structures. These studies demonstrated that stacked configurations, functional dopants, and innovative amplification designs significantly improved voltage and current outputs compared with single-layer systems. Among the multilayered approaches, six studies employed PVDF-based electrospun nanofibers, while three investigated hybrid designs incorporating piezoelectric ceramics. Although these multilayered designs showed considerable potential, challenges remain in terms of design complexity, scalability, long-term stability, and translation to real-world applications. Overall, this review highlights multilayered polymeric piezoelectric membranes as a promising strategy for sustainable energy harvesting, but also identifies critical gaps in the literature, particularly the limited number of studies on multilayered structures (six) and energy harvesting tower configurations (three), underscoring the need for further research to enable practical implementation
You'll never walk alone: Troubling the "auto" in autoethnography
No full textThis autoethnographic paper examines the paradoxical co-production of “aloneness” in nature spaces charged with a politics of memory. The settings are Highland Clearances ruins and bothies in Scotland. Bothies are rustic shelters in remote areas at which everyone is free to stay. The Highland Clearances (1750s—1860s) were a tumultuous period during which subsistence farmers were forcibly evicted from rural land as part of Enlightenment-era “development”.Walking “alone” —in every practical sense— to clearances ruins and bothies, I show how it is impossible to extract myself from wider assemblages. There are human others: the people whose houses the bothies once were and the people who make hiking mobilities possible. There are non-human others: deer ticks, Highland midges, and peat bogs. And there is the materiality of affect, in which ruined buildings and their broken heart(h)s are steeped in pain and meaning. Thus, even as I go “alone”, I am necessarily part of wider assemblages. For this reason, I question the fact of walking “alone” at all. Of course, this matters to autoethnography, because if we cannot walk alone, how can we write a solitary “auto” that putatively walks its own path? While the subject matter of this paper is hiking and Scotland and history, its contribution is a questioning of the autonomy of the “auto” in autoethnography more broadly. All of us walk within complex assemblages, such that solo-hiking subjectivity —like the solo writing of autoethnographies— is a paradoxical co-production. We are all embedded. You never really can walk alone
Channel Estimation for Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface-aided 6G NOMA Systems: A Quantum Machine Learning Approach
No full textThe integration of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) and non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) is considered a promising technique to enhance spectral efficiency and connectivity in future 6G networks. Accurate channel estimation remains a critical challenge in RIS-NOMA systems due to the increased complexity introduced by the combination of RIS and NOMA technologies. While quantum machine learning (QML) has demonstrated potential in wireless communications, its application in channel estimation remains underexplored. This paper investigates the effectiveness of a hybrid quantum-classical machine learning (ML) model for channel estimation in RIS-NOMA systems. We propose a hybrid architecture that integrates convolutional neural networks (CNNs) with quantum long short-term memory (QLSTM) networks, where CNNs perform spatial feature extraction while QLSTMs capture temporal dependencies in the time-varying channel. Extensive simulations are conducted to evaluate the performance of the model under various network configurations, considering different power allocation factors, the number of RIS elements, and signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). The performance of the proposed model is benchmarked against both pure quantum and classical ML models, including a quantum neural network (QNN), a CNN, a long short-term memory (LSTM) model, a bidirectional LSTM (BiLSTM) model, and a CNN-LSTM model. The results demonstrate that the proposed CNN-QLSTM model outperforms all baseline methods in terms of root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). These findings highlight the potential of quantum-enhanced ML for channel estimation in next-generation communication networks
Operating under pressure: A scoping review on stress, anxiety, and coping in sport officials
Get PDFOfficials experience a range of external (e.g., abuse, peer conflict, competition pressures) and internal stressors (e.g., fear of making mistakes). Despite the importance of officials, and their pressurized work environment leaving them susceptible to stress, a thorough review of stress, anxiety, and coping in this population has yet to be conducted. As such, the aim of this review is to map existing research on stress, anxiety, and coping in officials and thereby identify gaps in the literature. Following the framework by Arksey and O'Malley (2005), four databases were searched for articles that met inclusion criteria. Fifty-three articles were included in this scoping review which were conducted across 19 countries and included diverse samples in terms of officiating level and age. However, of the total 10,341 participants, only 8.8% were women. Synthesized article findings highlight that officials experience multiple stressors which were situational, relational, and/or organizational in nature. Officials attempted to combat stress and anxiety through various coping strategies, but approach-coping was deemed to be the most useful. The consequences of stress, anxiety, and an inability to cope included poor decision making and performance, burnout, and intentions to quit. Although findings present valuable insights into stress and coping in officials, 32% of research was conducted pre-2000, meaning the current body of literature may not reflect how stress is experienced by officials in modern sporting environments. Future researchers should broaden study scope, employ more qualitative study designs, and diversify participant sampling
Bone-mimicking TPMS gyroid design for osteoporotic fracture fixation: analysis of structural efficiency with simulation study on 316L stainless steel
No full textFracture fixation devices for load-bearing bones are typically made from stainless steel, titanium, or cobalt-chromium alloys, but their high stiffness can cause stress shielding with detrimental effect on bone density, reducing implant anchorage, leading to implant loosening, particularly in osteoporotic bones. Low-elastic materials reduce stress shielding, but issues with implant anchorage in fixation of brittle bone cause persistent implant failures. Effective management of porous designs that promote bone ingrowth while maintaining structural efficiency is crucial in these cases. This study addresses the issue by proposing gyroid-based lattice designs that mimic cortical bone porosity (5–15%) for fracture fixation plates, aiming to reduce stress shielding and enhance bone ingrowth for improved anchorage. A three-stage Implicit Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was performed using Ansys. Static four-point bending simulations confirmed the design’s suitability for 316L stainless steel in femur, tibia, and humerus fixation in accordance with United States Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA) criteria. Tensile simulations showed a reduction in Young’s modulus from 193 to 178 GPa, indicating an 8% reduction in elasticity. This shift moves closer to the elasticity of bone, representing progress in minimizing stress shielding effect while balancing strength. Biomechanical simulation with plate and bone interaction also demonstrated six-time increased stress flow to the bone with porous gyroid structured implant. In comparison, simple cubic lattice designs failed to meet US-FDA criteria, while the gyroid designs exhibited 25% higher mechanical properties. The gyroid design shows promise in improving bone stability, reducing stress shielding, and meeting US-FDA performance criteria in load-bearing fractures
Biomarkers of insulin resistance and their performance as predictors of treatment response in overweight adults
Get PDFContext: Insulin resistance (IR) contributes to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus and is a risk factor for cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Amino acid and lipid metabolomic biomarkers associate with future type 2 diabetes mellitus risk in several epidemiological cohorts. Whether these biomarkers can accurately monitor changes in IR status following treatment is unclear. Objective: Herein we evaluated the performance of clinical and metabolomic biomarker models to forecast altered IR, following lifestyle-based interventions. Design: We contrasted the performance of two distinct insulin assay types (high-sensitivity ELISA and immunoassay) and built IR diagnostic models using cross-sectional clinical and metabolomic data. These models were used to stratify IR status in preintervention fasting samples, from 3 independent cohorts (META-PREDICT (n = 179), STRRIDE-AT/RT (n = 116), and STRRIDE-PD (n = 149)). Linear and Bayesian projective prediction strategies were used to evaluate models for fasting insulin and homeostatic model assessment 2 for insulin resistance and change in fasting insulin with treatment. Results: Both insulin assays accurately quantified international standard insulin (R2 > 0.99), yet agreement between fasting insulins was less congruent (R2 = 0.65). A mean treatment effect on fasting insulin was only detectable using the ELISA. Clinical-metabolomic models were statistically related to fasting insulin (R2 0.33–0.39) but with modest capacity to classify IR at a clinically relevant homeostatic model assessment 2 for insulin resistance threshold. Furthermore, no model predicted treatment responses in any cohort. Conclusion: We demonstrate that the choice of insulin assay is critical when quantifying the influence of treatment on fasting insulin, whereas none of the clinical-metabolomic biomarkers, identified in cross-sectional studies, are suitable for monitoring longitudinally changes in IR status
Advances in Visitor Attraction Research: A Critical and Thematic Review
No full textThis study provides a critical and thematic review of the visitor attraction literature over the period 2015-2024, a decade which reflects significant changes in tourism demand, technological innovation, societal trends and global crises. The study identifies and critiques the dominant themes and emerging issues in visitor attraction research in this period, outlines how research methodology has evolved during this period, and what implications such changes have for management practice and theory. The study delivers a multi-dimensional review of visitor attraction scholarship that enables both synthesis of ideas and critical reflection and informs both academic scholarship and practitioner strategy. For the future, the study advances the need to continue to engage critically with the evolving challenges and opportunities facing the sector, and to deepen reflection on the role of attractions within broader tourism systems and their potential to contribute positively to cultural, social, and ecological wellbeing
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