Practice makes perfect, especially when doing what we like

Previous research has found that aesthetic appeal can facilitate visual search performance. One avenue of enquiry is that appealing icons are processed better than unappealing icons. If appealing stimuli are better processed, then it may be expected that they will benefit from practice more than their unappealing counterparts. In the current study (N = 100) we examined the effect of stimulus appeal on visual search performance. Half of the participants searched for appealing icons first, followed by unappealing icons, and the order was reversed for the other half. First, visual search performance benefited from stimulus appeal, and specifically the interaction of stimulus appeal and complexity – visual stimulus appeal led to better search performance but only for stimuli that were visually complex, with no effect of appeal for visually simple stimuli. Second, task experience benefited appealing icons more than unappealing icons. These results extend current knowledge of the status of visual aesthetic appeal on performance. They provide new evidence that appealing stimuli benefit from practice and are easier to learn compared to their unappealing counterparts

The role of primary and tertiary creep in defining the form of the Monkman-Grant relation using the 4-θ methodology: An application to a 1CrMoV rotor steel

It is important to be able to predict the life of materials at high temperatures and the Monkman-Grant relation offers potential for reducing the development cycle for new materials. This paper uses the 4-θ methodology to i. identify and explain the form of this relation in terms of creep mechanisms and ii. to discover whether this form was compatible with development cycle reduction. The Monkman-Grant proportionality constant (M2) was found to fall into three groupings depending on the amount of damage and the rate at which this occurred. Only once this was considered did the exponent on the secondary creep rate equal -1 - as predicted by 4-θ methodology. Only once such a grouping is undertaken does the relation accurately predicted lives close to operating conditions

Cultivating Empathy and Compassion Through Sim-Tech: A Reflective Action Research Study Enhancing Community-Based Interventions for Marginalised Groups

Preparing occupational therapy students to engage meaningfully with human rights and inclusion requires more than cognitive instruction. Traditional methods often fall short in fostering the emotional and relational skills essential to community-based practice. This educational action research explores how immersive and activity-based learning, grounded in critical reflection, can cultivate compassion and deepen students’ understanding of marginalisation. Guided by the Action Research Cycle, the Sim-Tech Workshop was delivered at the university’s Immersive and Simulation Centre. Students engaged with 360-degree video scenarios portraying the lived experiences of marginalised individuals, followed by hands-on simulations such as gardening and activity planning. These experiences were supported by structured opportunities for reflection, enabling students to explore their emotional responses and develop practical ideas for inclusive interventions. Through reflective dialogue and journalling, students reported increased emotional awareness and a deeper appreciation of the challenges faced by marginalised communities. Perspective-taking and experiential learning emerged as powerful tools for fostering empathy and compassion. Rather than focusing solely on outcomes, the workshop encouraged students to reflect on how their values and assumptions shape their professional identity. This study highlights the value of reflective, immersive learning in occupational therapy education and its potential to support socially responsive, compassionate practice

KTP Associates: Facilitators and Hindrances of Knowledge Transfer for University and Industry Collaboration Projects?

In University-industry collaborations, boundary spanners play a key role in knowledge transfer between different individuals. Management Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (mKTPs) are significant university-industry collaborations in the UK, however, limited scholarly attention has been given to their boundary spanners. This paper aims to explore this role in knowledge transfer in university-industry collaborations. Thirty respondents from four groups of KTP actors involved in mKTPs were interviewed: eleven academics, nine business supervisors, seven KTP associates and three KTP advisors. Using Gouldner’s framework of Locals and Cosmopolitans, this study identifies four distinct boundary spanner roles that KTP associates play in knowledge transfer: the dedicated facilitator, true bureaucrat (change controller), empire (career) builder and outsider. The dedicated KTP associates recognise the knowledge and individuals within the host organisations, perceiving themselves as essential boundary spanners in knowledge transfer between universities and businesses. In contrast, some KTP associates describe themselves as outsider, isolated from host companies, thereby disengaging in knowledge transfer. The true bureaucrat (change controller) and empire builder present contingent boundary-spanning roles, with their engagement in knowledge transfer being context-dependent. When provided with sufficient support from academic and business supervisors, such as leadership and opportunities for individual career growth, KTP associates are committed to the current boundary-spanning roles of mKTPs, thereby engaging in knowledge transfer, similar to the dedicated facilitator (a positive dynamic). Conversely, in the absence of such support, they will disengage or selectively transfer knowledge, gradually becoming outsiders of mKTPs, obstructing knowledge transfer (a negative dynamic). The identified four roles and their dynamics have demonstrated different influences on knowledge transfer: facilitation, hindrance or contingent context-dependency. Based on these findings, this paper develops a conceptual framework that offers novel insights into boundary spanners by revealing a multifaceted, dynamic, context-dependent nature in knowledge transfer. The paper offers important implications for research on boundary spanners and university-industry collaborations

Resolving challenges in the development of a protocol for <i>δ</i>¹⁸O determinations on tree-ring cellulose

Tree rings can provide annual records of environmental and climatic conditions. These records can be obtained through the physical characteristics of tree rings or the isotopic composition of their structural elements. Oxygen isotope chronologies are created by objectively combining data from trees. The diachronic patterns observed in the δ18O of the tree-ring cellulose represent tree-environment interactions. The abundance of 18O in tree-ring cellulose is closely linked to hydroclimate, and is influenced by source water δ18O and atmospheric humidity. Long sequences of annually resolved tree-ring δ18O values have been used, to good effect, in the dating of archaeological timbers and as proxies in the reconstruction of climatic variables. In this research we have established a working methodology for producing and measuring δ18O in tree-ring α-cellulose at the University of Groningen. We have demonstrated an average precision of approximately 0.2 ‰ under a variety of conditions, which exceeds the expected performance of continuous flow IRMS techniques. Difficulties were encountered during the calibration of tree-ring cellulose δ18O determinations using non-cellulose, organic reference materials. A difference in pyrolysis behaviour or one, or more compromised materials, resulted in poor agreement between measured and expected δ18O values on cellulose standards. This opens the possibility for further study. Analysis of cellulose standards alongside water reference materials and an independent quality control standard proved successful, resulting in a number of cellulose standards being accurately placed on the VSMOW-SLAP scale, including the intercomparison and de facto reference material IAEA-C3 holocellulose

Understanding the access to and use of digital technology by people in the criminal legal system: empirical findings from Wales

There is growing recognition of digital technology's role in supporting desistance and improving the well-being and social inclusion of people in the criminal legal system (CLS). However, it remains significantly under-researched within England and Wales despite its implications for prison and probation policy and practice. This article provides empirical insights into the access to and use of digital technology and the digital competency of 41 people with offending histories in Wales, UK. The study utilises and supports Reisdorf and Rikard’s (American Behavioural Scientist 62:1273-1290, 2018) digital rehabilitation model, which highlights the interconnectedness of the digital and social world and the need for CLS support to integrate digital competency skills and access to digital technology to help people desist from crime.ResultsThe study revealed that people experience varying levels of digital exclusion, from not owning any digital hardware (smartphones, laptops, computers, and tablets) to being unable to afford data for their devices and lacking the digital competency to use digital technology effectively. We highlight the implications for people accessing support that can facilitate desistance and the need for training to improve digital skills.ConclusionOur findings further support Reisdorf and Rikard’s (American Behavioural Scientist 62:1273-1290, 2018) digital rehabilitation model. We argue that online and offline spaces are intertwined, and understanding and addressing the digital needs of people in the CLS is essential to prevent further marginalisation and support desistance and other positive outcomes

Crisis de la representación y acontecimiento: hacia una teoría de la ficción 15M/ Crisis of representation and event: towards a theory of 15M Fiction

La crisis de la representación política a la que el movimiento de los ‘indignados’, o 15M, dio altavoz ha resignificado la vida política española con consecuencias rastreables hasta la actualidad. En el ámbito de la cultura, se ha hablado asimismo de una crisis de la representación, aunque la expresión se ha usado en un sentido más laxo para referirse a un cambio de paradigma antes que a una crisis de la representación propiamente dicha. El presente trabajo pretende ser un primer paso en la subsanación de esa carencia explicando, a través de una armonización de la teoría del ‘acontecimiento’ de Badiou con la semiótica de la cultura, el vínculo existente entre ambas crisis -política y artística-, que proponemos entender como crisis de algunos procesos de mediación simbólica que suponen reformular ligazones entre lenguaje y realidad. Esta crisis de la mediación simbólica tiene, por su parte, efectos en el arte perceptibles de manera evidente en manifestaciones artístico-literarias. A través de un análisis de las relaciones entre las condiciones del arte y la política, este texto propone que, aun cuando no podamos hablar de un acontecimiento artístico stricto sensu, en el albor del acontecimiento político 15M se consolidan una serie de manifestaciones literarias que deben entenderse como (un) sujeto de dicho acontecimiento, y al que denominamos ficción 15M