19200 research outputs found
Sort by
Barriers to African parental involvement within the UK education system
No full textEven though students from African backgrounds have above-average education achievements in the UK, some students still struggle to integrate into the school systems. Parental involvement has been reported to have a significant influence on pupil achievement. Thus, this research aimed to identify parental involvement barriers experienced by African parents. The researcher conducted five focus group interviews with 32 black African parents living in the UK. The focus groups were both on Zoom and face-to-face. The participants immigrated to the UK from different parts of Africa as adults or in their late teenage years. The Africa ethos of collaboration and dialogue were utilised to help participants freely discuss their experiences. The approach was formed from an empowerment perspective, aiming to break the top-down barriers that hinder African parental involvement. Thematic analysis was used to reveal emerging themes. This study findings indicated cultural and structural factors that need addressing, such as prejudice from teachers, poor communication systems between schools and parents about the curriculum, and expectations for parents’ involvement. In addition, many parents voiced a lack of understanding of the school system, hindering their involvement. The issues identified in the study need to be acknowledged and addressed collaboratively by key players to enhance the best outcomes for children from black African families
Toward Safer Biotherapeutics: Expression and Characterization of a Humanized Chimeric L-Asparaginase in E. coli
No full textAcute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer affecting children, making up about 80% of all acute leukemia cases in the pediatric population. While treatment with L-asparaginase (ASNase) has greatly improved survival rates, its bacterial origin often causes immune reactions in some patients, which can reduce how well the therapy works. To overcome this challenge, previous in silico studies designed a humanized chimeric ASNase by swapping out the predicted immunogenic parts of the bacterial enzyme with similar, less immunogenic segments from the human version—while keeping the enzyme’s active site intact. In this study, the chimeric L-asparaginase designed was successfully cloned, expressed, and purified using the Escherichia coli Rosetta strain. The production conditions (37 °C, 0.01 mM IPTG, 2–4 h) were optimized, and we purified the enzyme in a single step with nickel-affinity chromatography. The enzyme’s activity was confirmed in vitro, showing that it is possible to produce a functional humanized variant in a bacterial system. These results lay important groundwork for future research to assess the immune response and therapeutic potential of this novel chimeric enzyme
A study on the marine propulsion plant system by simulating the numerical modelling on Simulink/Matlab: a case study of passenger ship
No full textThe improvement of ship performance and propulsive efficiency has been addressed in this article. In this research, the comparative study has been investigated for a certain passenger vessel with the research results of Stapersma and Woud in their research “Matching Propulsion Engine with Propulsor” that has been published on Journal of Marine Engineering & Technology. After that, the marine propulsion plant system will be researched to enlarge the operational ranges between marine propeller-shaft system- marine diesel engines. A case study of passenger ship has been applied from this research namely Sea life Legend 02 in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam. The marine propulsion plant system of passenger ship will be designed in the Simulink/Matlab platform. Each functional block will be presented for the devices of the marine propulsion plant system, including the diesel engine, generator, shaft system, and marine propeller. The improvement of marine propulsion plant will be conducted on this proposed numerical model. The collected results have been shown the priority features of the marine propulsion plant system and they are fundamental to enlarge the propulsion performance of ship. The research results would be analyzed and validated with the actual marine propulsion plant system. This article is significant for ship-operators and ship-owners in the management of marine propulsion plant system for ships nowadays
Wild chimpanzees share fermented fruits
No full textThe use of fermented foods and drinks by humans is so widespread as to be considered ubiquitous, with their use largely linked to dietary benefits and social bonding . The discovery of a molecular adaptation in an alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme that greatly increased ethanol metabolism in the common ancestor of African apes suggests that the incorporation of fermented fruit in the human diet has ancient origins . However, little is known about the inclusion of ethanolic foods in the diet of nonhuman great apes. Here, we document for the first time the repeated ingestion and sharing of naturally fermented African breadfruit (Treculia africana) with confirmed ethanol (alcohol), by wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau. Widespread plant food sharing in great apes and the recent confirmation of ethanol presence in diverse fruit species suggest the sharing, and dietary incorporation, of ethanol-containing foods is extensive and may have played a long-standing role in hominoid societies. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
"The Disparities and Risk of COVID-19 in Black and Brown Nurses in the United Kingdom- a Public Health Issue in England"
No full textCOVID-19 does not discriminate, but people do, and evidence clearly identifies that in society, Black and Brown (B&B) communities are disproportionally negatively affected in education, work, housing, criminal justice system, and health.B&B healthcare workers in the National health service (NHS), the public service that provides free health care at the point of access to all in the UK, were affected in unprecedented numbers by COVID-19 deaths compared to their White counterparts. The way that the British government used the NHS and through public health initiatives when responding to the pandemic has shed light on the racially based inequalities and social determinants of health that exist in society and for female B&B nurses.Using postcolonial feminist theory, the reasons for these higher numbers of deaths is based on the colonial history of B&B women’s gender being constructed in a way that is racialised and disadvantaged. B&B women have been made invisible, powerless, and used only when necessary to provide a service to White colonial masters both male and female and that these power relations are still in place today. British colonial power laid the foundations for the institutional racism that today is perpetuated and sustained within public health at the height of the pandemic and persistently influences public health decision making.<br/
Racism and Clinical Decision Making- a Sociological Perspective in a Nursing Curriculum.
No full textMaking clinical decisions is vital in assuring safe and competent delivery of care. It has no place for racism. Nurse education spend a lot of time teaching nursing students the importance of clinical decision and how to make clinical decision, which is to be expected. Implicit and other forms of biases are understood as the central reason for decision making that clearly have an impact on all nurses thinking in relation to clinical decisions. However, racisms work in a very specific way and is imbedded in society so effectively that the transmission of racisms is regularly not acknowledged by these systems and institutions and those that work within them in positions of power. Nurse education and the NHS are systems and institutions that perpetuate racism even when explicitly wanting to do the opposite.The evidence clearly identifies that Black and Brown patients have inferior healthcare outcomes than White patients. There are multiple factors for this but one of them is inappropriate clinical decision making based on racisms. An exploration of the evidence and the need for nurse education to acknowledge this and make real changes will be presented. How racisms both individual and institutionally functions in a way that impact on the lived experiences of Black and Brown patients in the NHS. Nurse’s clinical decisions can ultimately lead to inadequate care delivery. The complexities and theories of clinical decision-making and how clinical decisions are made will be considered, and how Whiteness as a social construct plays a significant role in British nursing education, evidence base and the function of racisms. Finally, what can nurse education actually do to make changes that will transform this current reality.<br/