Twenty-First Century Immersion Technologies in Health Professions Pedagogy

This encyclopedia entry provides insight into the justification of pedagogy in the context of extended reality (XR), which itself encompasses virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed/hybrid reality (MR), and how all have evolved into an ongoing source of complex ambiguity over the last decade, which the COVID-19 pandemic only highlighted and radically exacerbated. Being able to understand and operationalize each in the context of health professions pedagogy and scholarship became a necessity, which few would now ever question but which still raises issues in relation to the practices of risk assessment and management in professional fields of practice such as medicine, nursing, midwifery, and allied health professions practice

Recognizing newly learned faces across changes in age

We examined how well faces can be recognised despite substantial age-related changes, using three behavioural experiments plus Mileva et al.'s (2020) PCA+LDA computational model of face recognition. Participants and the model were trained on a set of faces at one age (with each facial identity depicted in multiple images) and tested on their ability to recognise those individuals in images taken at a different age. The younger images were aged 20-30 years and the older images were either 20 or 40 years older. The computational model showed high accuracy, but it performed better if faces were learnt in their younger versions and testing was with the older images than vice versa. The humans did not show this age-direction effect. Although their recognition of faces across either a 20- or 40- year age gap was poor, it was significantly above chance, suggesting that we can extract identity diagnostic information despite substantial changes in outward appearance

The effect of facial ageing on forensic facial image comparison

Facial appearance changes over time as people age. This poses a challenge for individuals working in forensic settings whose role requires them to match the identity of face images. The present research aimed to determine how well an international sample of forensic facial examiners could match faces with a substantial age gap. We tested a sample of 60 facial examiners, 23 professional teams and 81 untrained control participants. Participants matched pairs of photographs with a 10–30-year age gap between the images. Participants also estimated the ages of the faces. On the matching task, individual professionals and teams outperformed controls and made fewer high confidence errors. On the age estimation task, there was no advantage for professionals relative to controls. Our results suggest that forensic facial examiners can tolerate substantial age differences between adult faces when performing comparisons, but this advantage does not extend to accurate age estimation

Sunderland Reflective Action in Education Conference (#SunRAE2024)

The third annual online Sunderland Reflective Action in Education Conference brings together students, staff and invited speakers with a passion for international education. Live online Thursday 13th June 2024

Adapting to survive or thrive? Civil society, the third sector and social movements in ‘post-Soviet’ spaces: an introduction to the themed section

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Ultrasonic welding of Cork Wood/PLA composites: effect of welding factors on lap shear strength performance

In this paper, the dissimilar joining of Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) with Cork Wood (CW) particles reinforced Poly Lactic Acid (CW/PLA) was made by using an Ultrasonic Welding (UW) process. The single lap joint was made to analyse the better joining with good adhesion between the neat polymer and Cork PLA polymer composite. The objective of this study is to formulate a good bonding of neat biodegradable polymeric material with Cork wood particles reinforced composite with concern to the UW factors like Ultrasonic Amplitude (UA), Welding Pressure (WP), and Welding Time (WT). The experimental trial was carried out by altering the levels of UW factors such as UA (25, 28 and 31 µm), WP (0.10, 0.15 and 0.20 MPa), and WT (1, 1.3 and 1.5 sec) with respect to attainment the higher lap shear strength. The statistical optimization methods, including Taguchi and Analysis of Variance, are employed to identify the optimum factors for the welding process and evaluate the proportional impact of the UW factors. The results revealed that the UA of 28 µm, WP of 0.15 MPa, and WT of 1.5 sec exhibits the higher lap shear strength of 24.16 MPa. For the optimized condition, the interface hardness was measured using the Shore D hardness method. The results imply that the maximum interface hardness of 75 was observed at the weld centre. Fractured samples clearly show that interfacial failure is absent, this dictates the weld regions are strong enough to hold the applied load. The developed regression model for the present UW process on the PLA and Cork wood PLA composite is significant and has an R2 value of 92.8%. So, the developed model is suitable for converting into large-scale industrial production and applications

The use of Intermediaries (communication specialists) at Parole Board oral hearings in England and Wales

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to find out what role intermediaries have in facilitating communication with victims and prisoners at Parole Board (PB) oral hearings. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was designed and administered to 39 PB members to find out their perceptions of, and experiences with, the use of intermediaries. Frequency tables and verbatim quotations are used to report the results. Findings – Overall, participants had not experienced any use of intermediaries with victims or family members presenting victim personal statements at an oral hearing. Further, there had been limited use of intermediaries for prisoners attending oral hearings. Nevertheless, there was a good recognition of a range of communication needs that a prisoner might present with at a hearing. There was also general support for the use of intermediaries with some caution about possible delays to procedural fairness. Practical implications – The early identification of communication support needs for prisoners and victims attending an oral hearing is essential. The PB should raise awareness with the PB Membership about the role of intermediaries. The PB should continue to develop guidance and policy surrounding intermediaries. Prison lawyers and HM Prison and Probation Service may require specialist training in identifying communication needs in vulnerable prisoners and identifying when a communication specialist might be required for an oral hearing. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first published paper examining the role of intermediaries at PB oral hearings. It builds on the evidence base of the use of intermediaries in other criminal justice contexts. Keywords Intermediaries, Communication support, Oral hearings, Parole Boar

Prospects of friction stir processed Mg alloys and composites-Reviews and suggestions

The pursuit of advanced materials with enhanced or tailored properties has indeed been a crucial focus in various industries. From aerospace to automotive, and from nuclear power to space exploration, the need for materials that can withstand extreme conditions, offer improved performance, and ensure safety is paramount. Safety standards are vital in industries where materials are subjected to extreme conditions or where failure could have catastrophic consequences. Therefore, research in advanced materials not only focuses on enhancing properties but also ensuring that these materials meet rigorous safety standards. Friction stir processing (FSP) emerges as a transformative methodology, facilitating the achievement of superplasticity, enhanced ductility, heightened strength, toughness, and hardness, all while preserving the structural integrity of the material. In recent years, notable advancements have been witnessed in preparing magnesium (Mg) alloys, Mg composites, and functional Mg materials. This comprehensive review encompasses the latest developments, global significance, adherence to standards, and innovative strides in Mg alloys from 2011 to 2023. It includes the FSP processing techniques, governing mechanism, advantageous properties, grain size, dislocations and their impacts, corrosion, wear behaviour, formability studies, cryogenic FSP, underwater FSP and friction stir additive manufacturing. Readers will gain critical insights, receive constructive suggestions, and discern future directions from this extensive review, as it encapsulates the trajectory of advancements in Mg alloys and delineates promising horizons with potentially transformative impacts in materials science research. Prospects and potential areas would deem help upcoming researchers to pursue with new advanced materials

Closing Remarks

MOMus-Thessaloniki Museum of Photography announces the Greek edition of Fast Forward: Women in Photography, which is organised in partnership with the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) and the University of Sunderland. The theme for the fifth conference, to be held in Thessaloniki, Greece, will focus on the hidden (hi)stories of women’s photographies seeking to reflect on current debates on gender justice. Writing about the recognition of ‘women’ as a political subject and questioning who has the power to define what ‘women’ means, Silvia Federici urged: “We must identify the world of antagonistic politics and power relations by which our bodies are constituted and rethink the struggles that have taken place in opposition to the ‘norm’ if we are to devise strategies for change” (2020: 10). And indeed, as Françoise Vergès argued, if we are to “re-humanise the world” and fight against the ways “femonationalism” and “femoimperialism” service neoliberalism (2021:17), we need to move beyond mainstream narratives and normative histories, beyond relational notions of centres and peripheries and bring to the fore the hidden stories of anonymous women, those identifying as women and non-binary people told by and through photography. The conference aims to explore the following questions and beyond: >> How can photography demystify the socio-culturally constructed notion of ‘women’ and advocate its expansion to include transgender, gender-fluid and non-binary/non-conforming identities? >> How can we understand women’s photographies considering the often oppositional diversities of prescriptive identities, socially constructed performances of gender and reproductive labour, racialisation, enslavement, and colonisation in different social contexts and historical periods? >> In what ways may photography become a weapon for equality, reproductive justice, deracialisation, and freedom for women, those identifying as women and non-binary people against the oppressive power of heteronormative patriarchy, the state, and capitalism? >> What are the (hi)stories of women in front and behind the camera that are silenced or disregarded from normative art histories and institutions? What are the fundamental barriers in such systems and how may women’s practices be included in multiple narratives rather than being confined to gendered interpretations? >> How has the “performative turn” affected the curatorial practices of exhibiting women’s photographies and how have their unknown (hi)stories been represented in museums? >> What would just and inclusive histories of women’s photography look like from a transnational, decolonial perspective

Neurodivergent Learners: Inclusive and Accessible Practices in Higher Education

An increasing number of students in Higher Education are neurodivergent, shaping and challenging the practices of how staff teach in Higher Education. This chapter seeks to outline why Higher Education staff should meet the needs of neurodivergent students, and how this can be done. This chapter begins by outlining the relationship between biodiversity and neurodiversity is outlined and definitions are provided for neurodiversity and related terms. Second, barriers neurodivergent students may face. Finally, Universal Design for Learning is presented as a vehicle for inclusive and accessible practice, with clear examples of how this relates to neurodivergent learners. The chapter thematically reports the needs of neurodivergent learners based on both the knowledge and experience of the authors, as well as from other neurodivergent students. The themes are: considered communication; technological assistance; be predictable and meet expectations; normalise everyone’s needs (or rather, normalise neurodivergence)