Enhancing the Employability of Humanities Postgraduates: a Students as Academic Partners Project Report

In an increasingly competitive employment market, postgraduates need to demonstrate more than the ‘skills, knowledge, attitudes and experiences that are closely associated with the research process’ (Golovushkina & Milligan, 2013: 199). Yet results indicate that Worcester postgraduate students remain unaware of the full range of opportunities that exist alongside postgraduate study, and how this affects their subsequent employability. This research, undertaken with humanities post-graduate students at University of Worcester, aims to contribute to discussions about how to enhance the employability of humanities postgraduates through extra-curricular activities. The project was implemented as a Students -As-Partners-in-Learning-Project, using action research; the issue was identified, base-line data collected and this resulted in the creation of a postgraduate blog incorporating suggestions of possible opportunitie s and links to relevant websites for further information. Informed by this research, the student partners then took active roles in the organization of the Women’s History Network National Conference, ‘Home Fronts: Gender, War and Conflict’, hosted at the University of Worcester in September 2014, to broaden their existing skills base and then to connect this involvement to their professional development through a group CV review. The participants’ own experiences of wider engagement can therefore illuminat e new ways for understanding employability in relation to humanities postgraduate students

Reflexivity and whole brain thinking : An exploration.

This thesis details research exploring the synergistic combination of reflexivity and whole brain thinking. The two theories are not competing theories but nor, at this time, are they seen as mutually synergistic theories. In the thesis these two theories that have been used before by others as separate entities are combined and the synergistic output is built into a Route Map Programme. The thesis explores the events and patterns and themes identified by the participants and the infrastructure supporting those patterns and themes. Multiple longitudinal case studies in two different category businesses are used as the research vehicle. The findings support that the synergistic combination is warranted.The research focusses on a concern that in many organisations thinking is not encouraged or valued. The hierarchical model of organisation means that many individuals feel unable to contribute their ideas. The time poverty syndrome appears in abundance with individuals so very, very busy they have little time to think deeply. Thinking that is reactive and uses only an individual's preferred filters will not produce robust personal strategic thinking. It is clear from the findings that time spent being reflexive using the whole brain improves the depth and breadth of personal strategic thinking. Improving the depth and breadth of that thinking creates more robust thinking. By being whole brain reflexive individuals begin to take back control and build a robust personal career plan. The findings indicate that the participants, all well-educated, high powered, high commitment individuals do know how to learn and they can be good at it providing that: Sufficient reflexive time is dedicated to the learning, A toolbox of process models is made available to them, That the outcome is set by the individual. It is also clear from the findings that when the individual learns and grows both the individual and the business benefits. The findings support the meta proposition that when individuals dedicate time to reflexive whole brain thinking the following patterns and themes emerge: Resistance to strategy is reduc. Thinking increases in robustness. Personal Strategy is more robust. The thesis findings justify the supposition

Third sector internships Scotland: final report

Third Sector Internships Scotland helped students gain paid work experience in the Third Sector. This five-year programme, part of the Scottish Funding Council’s Learning to Work 2 initiative, was open to students from all Scottish universities

The Regulated Child

This chapter explores the concept of participation as a right for children. Given that child participation has various definitions and is applied to a variety of attitudes, values and behaviours, it will adopt a case-study approach. Firstly, it will draw upon an LA-funded project that investigated the participation of vulnerable children and young people (CYP) in the integrated frontline service provision they received. Secondly, it will to examine core principles underpinning the United Nations Convention (1989: Article 12), in order to examine statutory views of participation rights. By these means, the chapter will seek to investigate CYPs’ exercise of participation rights as well as attempt to identify factors that might influence the exercise of participation. In so doing, the chapter will consider whether or not the statutory view provides the conditions for exercised rights

Third sector internships Scotland: final report

Third Sector Internships Scotland helped students gain paid work experience in the Third Sector. This five-year programme, part of the Scottish Funding Council’s Learning to Work 2 initiative, was open to students from all Scottish universities

Metabolic improvements following Roux-en-Y surgery assessed by solid meal test in subjects with short duration type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND: Glucose homeostasis improves within days following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery. The dynamic metabolic response to caloric intake following RYGB has been assessed using liquid mixed meal tolerance tests (MMTT). Few studies have evaluated the glycemic and hormonal response to a solid mixed meal in subjects with diabetes prior to, and within the first month following RYGB. METHODS: Seventeen women with type 2 diabetes of less than 5 years duration participated. Fasting measures of glucose homeostasis, lipids and gut hormones were obtained pre- and post-surgery. MMTT utilizing a solid 4 oz chocolate pudding performed pre-, 2 and 4 weeks post-surgery. Metabolic response to 4 and 2 oz MMTT assessed in five diabetic subjects not undergoing surgery. RESULTS: Significant reductions in fasting glucose and insulin at 3 days, and in fasting betatrophin, triglycerides and total cholesterol at 2 weeks post-surgery. Hepatic insulin clearance was greater at 3 days post-surgery. Subjects exhibited less hunger and greater feelings of fullness and satisfaction during the MMTT while consuming 52.9 ± 6.5% and 51.0 ± 6.5% of the meal at 2 and 4 weeks post-surgery respectively. At 2 weeks post-surgery, glucose and insulin response to MMTT were improved, with greater GLP-1 and PYY secretion. Improved response to solid MMTT not replicated by consumption of smaller pudding volume in diabetic non-surgical subjects. CONCLUSIONS: With a test meal of size and composition representative of the routine diet of post-RYGB subjects, improved glycemic and gut hormone responses occur which cannot be replicated by reducing the size of the MMTT in diabetic subjects not undergoing surgery

Natural killer cell responses during SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination in people living with HIV-1

Natural killer (NK) cell subsets with adaptive properties are emerging as regulators of vaccine-induced T and B cell responses and are specialized towards antibody-dependent functions contributing to SARS-CoV-2 control. Although HIV-1 infection is known to affect the NK cell pool, the additional impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or vaccination on NK cell responses in people living with HIV (PLWH) has remained unexplored. Our data show that SARS-CoV-2 infection skews NK cells towards a more differentiated/adaptive CD57+FcεRIγ- phenotype in PLWH. A similar subset was induced following vaccination in SARS-CoV-2 naïve PLWH in addition to a CD56bright population with cytotoxic potential. Antibody-dependent NK cell function showed robust and durable responses to Spike up to 148 days post-infection, with responses enriched in adaptive NK cells. NK cell responses were further boosted by the first vaccine dose in SARS-CoV-2 exposed individuals and peaked after the second dose in SARS-CoV-2 naïve PLWH. The presence of adaptive NK cells associated with the magnitude of cellular and humoral responses. These data suggest that features of adaptive NK cells can be effectively engaged to complement and boost vaccine-induced adaptive immunity in potentially more vulnerable groups such as PLWH

Clinical decision-making: midwifery students' recognition of, and response to, post partum haemorrhage in the simulation environment

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This paper reports the findings of a study of how midwifery students responded to a simulated post partum haemorrhage (PPH). Internationally, 25% of maternal deaths are attributed to severe haemorrhage. Although this figure is far higher in developing countries, the risk to maternal wellbeing and child health problem means that all midwives need to remain vigilant and respond appropriately to early signs of maternal deterioration.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Simulation using a patient actress enabled the research team to investigate the way in which 35 midwifery students made decisions in a dynamic high fidelity PPH scenario. The actress wore a birthing suit that simulated blood loss and a flaccid uterus on palpation. The scenario provided low levels of uncertainty and high levels of relevant information. The student's response to the scenario was videoed. Immediately after, they were invited to review the video, reflect on their performance and give a commentary as to what affected their decisions. The data were analysed using Dimensional Analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The students' clinical management of the situation varied considerably. Students struggled to prioritise their actions where more than one response was required to a clinical cue and did not necessarily use mnemonics as heuristic devices to guide their actions. Driven by a response to single cues they also showed a reluctance to formulate a diagnosis based on inductive and deductive reasoning cycles. This meant they did not necessarily introduce new hypothetical ideas against which they might refute or confirm a diagnosis and thereby eliminate fixation error.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The students response demonstrated that a number of clinical skills require updating on a regular basis including: fundal massage technique, the use of emergency standing order drugs, communication and delegation of tasks to others in an emergency and working independently until help arrives. Heuristic devices helped the students to evaluate their interventions to illuminate what else could be done whilst they awaited the emergency team. They did not necessarily serve to prompt the students' or help them plan care prospectively. The limitations of the study are critically explored along with the pedagogic implications for initial training and continuing professional development.</p