Global status of chiropractic education research and scholarly publications: a scoping review

Objective: This scoping review aimed to map the volume (number of studies) and nature (topics and designs) of chiropractic education research and scholarly publications on chiropractic learners and programs worldwide. Introduction: Despite the expansion of the chiropractic profession and its recognition by entities such as the World Health Organization, a gap exists in comprehending the international landscape of chiropractic education. No prior studies have systematically mapped the volume and nature of chiropractic education research and scholarly publications. A scoping review of chiropractic education research and scholarly publications is needed to guide future policy development, research agendas, and educational initiatives within the chiropractic profession.Inclusion criteria: Publications in the indexed literature on chiropractic students, graduates, academics, and programs in any chiropractic education setting were included. Studies focused on chiropractic programs and education for chiropractic students or chiropractors worldwide were considered for inclusion. All research designs, literature reviews, descriptive studies, and commentaries were included. Methods: This scoping review was conducted according to JBI methodology for scoping reviews and was reported in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). The databases PubMed (NLM), Scopus, CINAHL via EBSCOhost, Index to Chiropractic Literature, Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde, and Educational Resources Information Center were searched from their inception to November 5 and 6, 2023, with no language limits. Data were extracted for primary topics, study designs, and regions of the included documents and entered in Covidence by paired independent reviewers. The findings were organized into figures and tables with a narrative description. Results: The search identified 7494 documents. After deduplication, 5041 were screened for relevance, of which 667 were selected for full-text review. From these, 598 were selected for data extraction. The chiropractic education topics included values/ethical competence (n=3), personal/behavioral competence (n=34), knowledge and cognitive competence (n=49), functional and clinical competence (n=93), and program-relevant research (n=419). Most designs were quantitative (n=391), followed by descriptive reports (n=91), qualitative (n=43), mixed methods (n=40), commentaries (n=22), and literature reviews (n=11). Chiropractic education was most studied in the United States (n=359), Australia (n=116), and Canada (n=106). Conclusions: This scoping review reports the volume and nature of indexed publications relating to chiropractic learners and programs worldwide. This body of literature contains learner competencies in knowledge, skills, and attitudes, as well as studies about chiropractic programs. The increasing number of publications and proportion of study designs over time show that chiropractic scholars and programs are engaged in collecting, analyzing, and distributing data relevant to education and training. The map of professional competencies in the chiropractic education literature shows that the profession possesses the fundamental traits needed to contribute to the global health care workforce.</p

Media Cymru Freelance Focus: Innovation

Executive SummaryThere are a multitude of interpretations of the concept of ‘innovation’ amongst screen sector freelancers. The concept is not always fully understood, but it is largely interpreted as both a product and a process.Screen sector freelancers have limited capacity to engage in the development of innovative products and Research and Development (R&amp;D) activity and often have little autonomy to instigate innovative processes working within a project-based working environment.The introduction of innovative products often facilitates adjustments in workflows, allowing for small-scale, day-to-day innovations in the form of problem solving but freelancers are seldom the innovators themselves, rather the beneficiaries of innovations originating in the tech sector. The introduction of innovative products and processes can have both intended and unintended consequences, and these consequences are not always positive. Concerns include the lowering of production quality, a shift in the desirable skillsets in the advent of generative AI, issues related to Intellectual Property and the automation of existing roles.These findings have implications for skills and training for freelancers within the sector, and the need to better equip the region’s freelancers with the absorptive capacity to manage the introduction of such innovations.A recognition is needed of the possible contribution of the freelance proportion of the TV and Film workforce, both in the Cardiff Capital Region and more widely, as a skilled workforce able to effectively apply innovative products, rather than the source of substantive R&amp;D activity

Utilization of a PFA-GGBS-Based Precursor in Geopolymer Concrete Production as a Sustainable Substitute for Conventional Concrete

Awareness of environmental sustainability is driving the shift from conventional Portland cement, a major contributor to carbon dioxide emissions, to more sustainable alternatives. This study focuses on developing a geopolymer concrete by optimizing geopolymer concrete mixtures with various ratios of Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) and pulverized fly ash (PFA) as precursors, aiming to find a mix that maximizes strength while minimizing environmental impacts. The precursor was activated using a laboratory-synthesized silica fume (SF)-derived sodium silicate solution in combination with NaOH at a molarity of 10M. This study aims to find the optimal geopolymer concrete mix with a 0.55 water-to-binder ratio, a 0.40 alkali-to-precursor ratio, and a 1:1 sodium silicate to sodium hydroxide ratio. Ordinary Portland cement was used as the control mix binder (C), while the geopolymer mixes included varying GGBS-PFA compositions [CL0 (50% GGBS—50% PFA), CL1 (60% GGBS—40% PFA), CL2 (70% GGBS—30% PFA), CL3 (80% GGBS—20% PFA), and CL4 (90% GGBS—10% PFA)]. The engineering performance of the mixtures was assessed using slump, unconfined compressive strength, split tensile, and flexural strength tests in accordance with their relevant standards. Observations showed that GPC specimens exhibited similar or slightly higher strength values than conventional concrete using PC. In addition to strength, geopolymers have a smaller environmental footprint, consuming less energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These qualities make geopolymer concrete a sustainable construction option that aligns with global efforts to reduce carbon emissions and conserve resources

An Efficient and Robust Framework for IoT Security using Machine Learning Techniques

Spotting and approximation of malicious node(s) in sensor based network is an open challenge. The proposed research work presented here primarily focuses on identification and estimation of malicious nodes within IoT networks following a machine learning-based models. The SensorNetGuard dataset was employed for the development and testing of the machine learning models such as Decision Tree (DT), Support Vector Machines (SVM), K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), and Random Forest (RF) etc. The presented model here has been developed and evaluated using Python libraries like Scikit-learn, Seaborn, Matplotlib, and Pandas. In this work, Random Forest model has been emerged as a most effective model in detecting malicious nodes and shows an accuracy, recall, ROC AUC, precision, and F1-score of 99.99% and Cohen’s Kappa of 0.99. This depicts the capability of machine learning performance toward real-time IoT security. The SensorNetGuard dataset will be publicly available on platforms like IEEE DataPort and Kaggle to enable further research

Transformative or Transactional? Student Behaviour in STEM subjects

Student engagement in STEM disciplines has garnered considerable attention due to its critical role in driving academic success, innovation, and retention. However, the complexity of engagement in STEM subjects, characterised by rigorous curricula and performance-oriented environments, necessitates a deeper understanding of student behaviour. Transformative and transactional models, whilst extensively studied in leadership contexts, offer valuable frameworks for analysing these behaviours in educational settings

Promoting Inclusivity in Research: Lessons from four Group Concept Mapping Studies

Many key groups of people (e.g., older people, disabled people and minoritised people) are at risk of being excluded from research, which will affect the generalisability, quality, relevance, and integrity of the research findings and conclusions. However, ways of making research more inclusive have not been adequately explored. Appropriate strategies to maximise the participation of marginalised populations with diverse viewpoints, expertise, and experience are needed to enable them to make meaningful contributions. In this article, we draw lessons from four case studies that used Group Concept Mapping (a type of participatory, consensus research to generate agreement around a topic of interest within a group, community or society). We reflect on how our research was adapted to engage people with diverse needs (e.g., older/frail people, disabled people, people with language barriers, bilingual participants, and people lacking digital skills) in research. This paper highlights the importance of participatory, time and resources, ethical, and intersectionality considerations to enable marginalised populations to be heard and make significant contributions to research

The role of professional football clubs in enhancing young people’s mental health: A mixed-method survey of interventions delivered by English Football League Trusts

Aims: Football Club Community Trusts (FCCTs) that are attached to professional football clubs in the UK use the sport brand to engage marginalised populations in various initiatives designed to address public health agendas. Studies highlight the impact that FCCTs can have on adults' mental health, yet less is known about programmes for young people under 18 years. This study is the first to identify the mental health-focussed interventions for young people that are delivered by the FCCTs in the English Football League (EFL), including the key programme features and challenges to implementation. Methods: A 60-item mixed-method survey was sent to all 70 FCCTs in the EFL during the 2018-2019 season in September 2018. In total, 54 (77.1%) FCCTs responded. Results: In total, 21 FCCTs were delivering mental health-focused interventions to young people and 23 different initiatives were identified. Reported aims included promoting resilience ( = 19/21, 90.5%) and self-esteem ( = 19/21, 90.5%), as well as identifying young people at risk of developing a mental health problem ( = 9/21, 42.9%). However, features of individual programmes varied. Some used football to increase social inclusion and overall wellbeing, whereas others included education sessions to improve mental health literacy (e.g. anti-stigma, strategies to promote mental health). FCCTs also reported challenges with evaluating their own interventions, sustaining funding, and keeping up to date with mental health training. Conclusions: This study contributes to the limited literature on professional sport club community trust interventions, highlighting the value of programmes targeting children and young people's mental health. FCCT programmes align with mental health promotion and prevention policy, by providing opportunities to participate in physical activity (PA), develop mental health literacy, and identify young people at risk of developing mental health problems. Collaboration with organisations with expertise in service evaluation, audit, and research is essential to support FCCTs in evaluating their impact and demonstrating the significance of their work