The development of doctoral degree curriculum in England: Perspectives from professional doctoral degree graduates

The paper investigates two issues surrounding the field of higher education leadership, particularly in doctoral education, namely the reasons why potential doctoral students decided to enroll in a professional doctorate instead of a traditional Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and how did professional doctorate status enhance its graduates’ professional development and career promotion.  Guided by the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), 20 professional doctorate graduates who are members of a professional association in London were invited as participants. The paper discovers that in the view of professional doctorate graduates, the program offers the flexibility for professionals to enjoy the rigorous education at doctoral level.  Second, the curriculum of the professional doctorate allows graduates to apply both theories and practical applications into their current workplace directly.  Third, the rich supports from lecturers enhancing the prosperity of professional doctorate graduates’ life experience.  This study provides solid evidence and recommendation for university administrators, policy makers, organizational employers, and potential doctoral students in the United Kingdom and other Anglophone countries to understand the learning outcomes and gained skills of professional doctorates. Keywords: career counseling; doctoral student experience; professional doctorate; qualitativ

From Traditional-Aged Students to Teenage Fathers: A Qualitative Study of Social Challenges and Experiences of East Asian Second-Generation Teenage Fathers

This study aims to investigate East Asian second-generation teenage fathers’ stress and problems resulting from internal factors and external influences in the United States. The relationships between the changes in the teenage fathers’ family structures, social expectations, and experiences of educational and financial challenges during the pregnancy (of their partner) and into the period of their early fatherhood were examined. Based on the Interpretative phenomenological method, ten participants who had experienced stress and problems due to their characteristics as teenage fathers, particularly second-generation East Asian Americans, participated in this study. Three semi-structured interviews, one focus group activity, and one member-checking interview were used to collect in-depth lived stories. Three themes emerged: (1) Cultural characteristics: Detrimental perspectives from family members and the public, (2) Age: The hindrance of youth as a characteristic of teenage fathers, and (3) Career development: The challenges of earning a minimum salary and having an unforeseen career. The findings indicated that counseling services based on patients’ sociocultural backgrounds and practices should be considered to offer effective treatments to ethnic minorities, in this case, East Asian Americans. The results of this study can provide a map for public health researchers to use in refining sex education and sexual health promotion, and the approach can offer a blueprint for capturing the voices of other teenage parents

Islanders Come Back to the Mainland: Social Identity in the People of Jeju in Mainland Korea

This study investigates the social identity and self-efficacy of a group of people from Jeju who have come to the mainland Korean peninsula for their university education. Two research questions guided this study: (a) how do the people of Jeju describe their social identity in the mainland Korean peninsula, particularly as university students in South Korean university environments, and (b) how do the people of Jeju describe their challenges and problems due to their unique Jeju dialects and sociocultural practices, particularly as university students in South Korean university environments. Based on a general inductive approach, 16 participants were invited. The findings indicated (a) I am a South Korean citizen, (b) my spoken language and living style, and (c) social stigma and discrimination as the primary themes. The participants indicated that due to the islandness of Jeju, they had developed their self-identity as people of Jeju and South Korean citizens, but not mainland Korean from the Korean peninsula. Although not all participants spoke fluent Jeju dialect and followed the traditional local religion in Jeju, their sociocultural development and customs played significant roles in their self-identity, self-efficacy, and sense-making processes, as people of Jeju

Study of behavior of plastic modified bitumen by incorporating carbon black

In recent years, the performance of polymer modified bitumen has been widely studied. This study reports a research carried out to investigate the properties of polymer modified bitumen (PMB) by using polypropylene as modifier, carbon black as additives, to examine the optimum ratio of polypropylene to carbon black. With this objective, sample preparation using wet mixing method combining high shear mix was firstly performed. Subsequently, 18 samples were developed for the study, of which the polypropylene (PP) contents 10%, 12%, 14%, 16%, 18% and 20% with 2%, 3%, 4% of carbon black content. Afterwards, samples were characterized by standard tests (Dynamic Shear Rheometer and Viscosity), and all the test results showed improved performance. Finally, the results concluded that the optimum binder-PP ratio PMB for applying is 14% PP with 3% carbon black

Association of Genetic Variants Related to Combined Exposure to Higher Body Mass Index and Waist-to-Hip Ratio on Lifelong Cardiovascular Risk in UK Biobank

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the individual and combined association of body mass index (BMI) and 7 waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) risk using genetic scores of the 8 obesity measurements as proxies. DESIGN: A 2×2 factorial analysis approach was applied, with participants divided into four groups of lifetime exposure to low BMI and WHR, high BMI, high WHR, and high BMI and WHR based on weighted genetic risk scores. The difference in CVD risk across groups was evaluated using multivariable logistic regression. SETTING: Cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 408,003 participants were included from the prospective observational UK Biobank study. RESULTS: A total of 58,429 of CVD events were recorded. Compared to the low BMI and WHR genetic scores group, higher BMI or higher WHR genetic scores were associated with an increase in CVD risk (high BMI: odds ratio (OR), 1.07; 95%CI, 1.04-1.10; high WHR: OR, 1.12; 95%CI, 1.09-1.16). A weak additive effect on CVD risk was found between BMI and WHR (high BMI and WHR: OR, 1.16; 95%CI, 1.12-1.19). Subgroup analysis showed similar patterns between different sex, age (<65, ≥65 years old), smoking status, Townsend deprivation index, fasting glucose level and medication uses, but lower systolic blood pressure was associated with higher CVD risk in obese participants. CONCLUSIONS: High BMI or WHR were associated with increased CVD risk, and their effects are weakly additive. Even though there were overlapping of effect, both BMI and WHR are important in assessing the CVD risk in the general population

A Brief Mindfulness-Based Family Psychoeducation Intervention for Chinese Young Adults With First Episode Psychosis: A Study Protocol

Family psychoeducation (FPE) has been recommended as a major component in the treatment of psychosis. Many previous studies have implemented an intensive program design that often only emphasized improvements in patients’ illness outcomes but the benefits for caregivers were limited. There have been calls for a time-limited but cost-effective FPE program to mitigate the looming reality of the suffering of people with psychosis and their families. A Brief Mindfulness-Based Family Psychoeducation for psychosis program is developed to reduce caregivers’ burden and promote young adult’s recovery. A randomized controlled trial will be conducted to compare this intervention with an ordinary FPE intervention. Both arms will involve six sessions, with a total contact time of 12 h. 300 caregivers of young adults who have experienced first episode psychosis within last 3 years will be recruited. Program effectiveness will be assessed by comparing outcomes measuring the caregivers’ burden, mental health symptoms, positive well-being, and the young adult’s mental health symptoms during the study and at 9-month post-randomization. The role of expressed emotions, interpersonal mindfulness, and non-attachment in mediating these outcomes will be explored. An additional qualitative approach Photovoice is selected to explore the complex family experiences and the benefits of mindfulness from the caregivers’ personal perspectives.Trial Registration: The trial is registered with the United States Clinical Trials Registry (ClinicalTrials.gov): NCT03688009

Retrospective cohort study to investigate the 10-year trajectories of disease patterns in patients with hypertension and/or diabetes mellitus on subsequent cardiovascular outcomes and health service utilisation: a study protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Hypertension (HT) and diabetes mellitus (DM) and are major disease burdens in all healthcare systems. Given their high impact on morbidity, premature death and direct medical costs, we need to optimise effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of primary care for patients with HT/DM. This study aims to find out the association of trajectories in disease patterns and treatment of patients with HT/DM including multimorbidity and continuity of care with disease outcomes and service utilisation over 10 years in order to identify better approaches to delivering primary care services. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A 10-year retrospective cohort study on a population-based primary care cohort of Chinese patients with documented doctor-diagnosed HT and/or DM, managed in the Hong Kong Hospital Authority (HA) public primary care clinics from 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2019. Data will be extracted from the HA Clinical Management System to identify trajectory patterns of patients with HT/DM. Complications defined by ICPC-2/International Classification of Diseases-Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis codes, all-cause mortality rates and public service utilisation rates are included as independent variables. Changes in clinical parameters will be investigated using a growth mixture modelling analysis with standard quadratic trajectories. Dependent variables including effects of multimorbidity, measured by (1) disease count and (2) Charlson's Comorbidity Index, and continuity of care, measured by the Usual Provide Continuity Index, on patient outcomes and health service utilisation will be investigated. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression will be conducted to estimate the effect of multimorbidity and continuity of care after stratification of patients into groups according to respective definitions. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study was approved by the institutional review board of the University of Hong Kong-the HA Hong Kong West Cluster, reference no: UW 19-329. The study findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and international conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04302974

Reactivation of Epstein–Barr virus by a dual-responsive fluorescent EBNA1-targeting agent with Zn2+-chelating function

EBNA1 is the only Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) latent protein responsible for viral genome maintenance and is expressed in all EBV-infected cells. Zn2+ is essential for oligomerization of the functional EBNA1. We constructed an EBNA1 binding peptide with a Zn2+ chelator to create an EBNA1-specific inhibitor (ZRL5P4). ZRL5P4 by itself is sufficient to reactivate EBV from its latent infection. ZRL5P4 is able to emit unique responsive fluorescent signals once it binds with EBNA1 and a Zn2+ ion. ZRL5P4 can selectively disrupt the EBNA1 oligomerization and cause nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tumor shrinkage, possibly due to EBV lytic induction. Dicer1 seems essential for this lytic reactivation. As can been seen, EBNA1 is likely to maintain NPC cell survival by suppressing viral reactivation