Digital Commons Network^™

Designing, Implementing And Testing An Intervention Of Affective Intelligent Agents In Nursing Virtual Reality Teaching Simulations—A Qualitative Study, Michael Loizou, Sylvester Arnab, Petros Lameras, Thomas Hartley, Fernando Loizides, Praveen Kumar, Dana Sumilo

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Emotions play an important role in human-computer interaction, but there is limited research on affective and emotional virtual agent design in the area of teaching simulations for healthcare provision. The purpose of this work is twofold: firstly, to describe the process for designing affective intelligent agents that are engaged in automated communications such as person to computer conversations, and secondly to test a bespoke prototype digital intervention which implements such agents. The presented study tests two distinct virtual learning environments, one of which was enhanced with affective virtual patients, with nine 3rd year nursing students specialising in mental health, during …

Adult Brain Tumour Research In 2024: Status, Challenges And Recommendations, Karin Purshouse, Helen J. Bulbeck, Alasdair G. Rooney, Karen E. Noble, Ross D. Carruthers, Gerard Thompson, Petra Hamerlik, Christina Yap, Kathreena M. Kurian, Sarah J. Jefferies, Juanita S. Lopez, Michael D. Jenkinson, C. Oliver Hanemann, Lucy F. Stead

Peninsula Medical School

In 2015, a groundswell of brain tumour patient, carer and charity activism compelled the UK Minister for Life Sciences to form a brain tumour research task and finish group. This resulted, in 2018, with the UK government pledging £20m of funding, to be paralleled with £25m from Cancer Research UK, specifically for neuro-oncology research over the subsequent 5 years. Herein, we review if and how the adult brain tumour research landscape in the United Kingdom has changed over that time and what challenges and bottlenecks remain. We have identified seven universal brain tumour research priorities and three cross-cutting themes, which …

Stigma And Its Implications For Dementia In South Africa: A Multi-Stakeholder Exploratory Study, R Jacobs, M Schneider, N Farina, Toit P Du, S Evans-Lacko

Peninsula Medical School

Stigma and discrimination in relation to dementia has a range of implications for people living with dementia and their families worldwide, including help-seeking, quality of life, social rejection and isolation. Few studies consider the perceptions and stigma towards dementia from multiple perspectives, such as people living with dementia, carers, general public and health-care workers. South Africa has limited evidence on the stigmatisation of people living with dementia, with responses to people living with dementia being driven by poor understanding of the condition, cultural beliefs about causes and social interaction problems associated with memory and cognitive impairment. This study explored the …

The Winter Olympics, 1924–2026, Stephen Essex, J. R. Gold, M. M. Gold

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

This chapter documents and reviews the role of the Winter Olympics in changing and modernizing the built environment of its hosts, together with its long-term legacies. It identifies five sequential phases in the development of the event to offer a framework for organizing and understanding the experiences of the past twenty-four hosts of the Winter Olympic Games from 1924. With its focus on urban centres and regions as hosts, the Winter Olympics now emulates the Summer Olympics in its ability to stimulate regeneration. The concept of the Winter Olympics continues to evolve in its more challenging economic, social, and environmental …

Connecting With Underserved Communities In Bristol: Insights From The Health Research Ambassador Project, Mari-Rose Kennedy, Carmel Mcgrath, Roy Kareem, Olivia Sweeney, Asia Yousif, Holly Ayres, Shoba Dawson, Aaruni Suresh, Andy Gibson

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: DELIVERING A RESEARCH SKILLED WORKFORCE SPECIAL EDITION

Reflective Practitioner Or Unconsciously Incompetent?, Suzanne Woodman

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: DELIVERING A RESEARCH SKILLED WORKFORCE SPECIAL EDITION

Imagery Training For Athletes With Low Imagery Abilities, Jonathan Rhodes, Karol Nedza, Jon May, Lucie Clements

School of Psychology

Imagery training, specifically visual and kinesthetic imagery training, is a well-established method of increasing performance in sport. However, some athletes may have impoverished imagery abilities (e.g., aphantasia; low visual imagery) which may hinder performance increments that benefit others. We administered the Plymouth Sensory Imagery Questionnaire (Psi-Q) which tests multisensory imagery, to 329 participants from nine different sports across two levels: semiprofessional and professional. This formed the baseline test, finding no significant differences between sport or level for imagery ability. The Psi-Q located 27 low imagers (mean total scores <4.2/10), including seven non-visual imagers, three non-auditory, seven non-olfactory, and five non-gustatory imagers, and one across all senses. We split the sample randomly into two groups and immediately delivered the imagery intervention, Functional Imagery Training (FIT) to the first group (over two weeks), followed by delivering the same intervention to the wait group. A wait period was due to the lengthy delivery time of the personalized intervention. Both groups received the intervention for the same duration ending in a Psi-Q retest after the intervention. In both groups, FIT increased overall imagery scores which was maintained six months after intervention completion. This indicates that imagery can be trained and maintained in those with a low ability. Follow up interviews (n = 22) explored how imagery was being used beyond the intervention, revealing that the majority now use imagery to plan and manage thinking. Recommendations are given for ways to train imagery in an applied sport setting and future research in broader areas is detailed. Lay summary: We identified 27 individuals with low multi-sensory imagery scores, and used Functional Imagery Training (FIT) to produce enduring improvements in imagery ability, positioning FIT as a valuable tool for enhancing cognitive skills in sports.

Timing Along The Cardiac Cycle Modulates Neural Signals Of Reward-Based Learning, Elsa F. Fouragnan, Billy Hosking, Yin Cheung, Brooke Prakash, Matthew Rushworth, Alejandra Sel

School of Psychology

Natural fluctuations in cardiac activity modulate brain activity associated with sensory stimuli, as well as perceptual decisions about low magnitude, near-threshold stimuli. However, little is known about the relationship between fluctuations in heart activity and other internal representations. Here we investigate whether the cardiac cycle relates to learning-related internal representations – absolute and signed prediction errors. We combined machine learning techniques with electroencephalography with both simple, direct indices of task performance and computational model-derived indices of learning. Our results demonstrate that just as people are more sensitive to low magnitude, near-threshold sensory stimuli in certain cardiac phases, so are they …

The Achievement Of Sustainability And Legacies By The Host Cities Of The Summer Olympiads, 2012–2024, Stephen Essex, Renata Latuf De Oliveira Sanchez

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Since the emergence of the concept of sustainable development, the Olympic Games have become a vehicle to demonstrate and promote the principles and practices of sustainability. The aim of this paper is to explain and evaluate how the application of sustainable development in the context of the Summer Olympic Games has evolved. Two processes have been influential in this change: first, the institutional expectations of the International Olympic Committee have encouraged greater responsibility towards the creation of legacies by potential host cities through the IOC Charter, the Olympic Agenda 2020, and the Olympic Agenda 2020+5; and second, the context and …

Digital Leadership Within Large South Korean Firms, Jin Woong Yoo, Saeyeon Roh, Smita Tripathi, Hyunmi Jang

Plymouth Business School

Drawing upon Person-Environment fit (PE fit) theory, this paper attempts to explore the determinants of digital leadership and its interactions between personal and environmental dimensions, including organizational, interpersonal and external dimensions, in South Korea. As Remote Work (RW) and Digital Transformation (DT) have been discussed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, this research focuses upon the concept of digital leadership, which can effectively cope with both RW and DT. To help Human Resource (HR) practitioners support digital leadership, this paper employs the fuzzy-Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (f-DEMATEL) method. Through the convenience sampling method, we collected data sets …

Understanding How Volunteer Companionship Impacts Those During The End Of Life: A Realist Evaluation, John Downey, Susan Cooper, Lynn Bassett, Alejandra Dubeibe Fong, Margaret Doherty, Jon Cornwall

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Volunteers are a popular unpaid support role in end of life care yet how accompaniment influences the dying is underdeveloped. This study examined how companionship works, for whom, in what circumstances and why. Initial realist ideas were developed through participant observation (14 months), document analysis, and realist interviews with companionship trainers (n = 6). Theory testing involved volunteer interviews (n = 7), accounts from the dying, proxy accounts for the dying, and written reflections from companionship training. Companionship helps people live well until they die, prepare for death, and experience a good death. Four areas of volunteering explain these outcomes …

Mindfulness And Creative Process Engagement: The Mediating Role Of Workplace Relational Systems, Usama Awan, Muhammad Sufyan, Irfan Ameer, Saqib Shamim, Pervaiz Akhtar, Najam Ul Zia

Plymouth Business School

Purpose: Despite widespread recognition of the importance of mindfulness in organizational science literature, little is known about how mindfulness motivates individuals to configure information processing and team member exchange relationships to increase creative process engagement. Drawing on motivated information processing theory, this study conceptualizes and empirically examines whether and how mindfulness motivates individuals toward creative process engagement. Design/methodology/approach: The authors collected data through an online survey from 311 respondents working in the Research and Development (R&D) departments of organizations in multiple industries in Pakistan. For analytical purposes, the authors have applied the structural equation modeling technique. Findings: This study advances …

Towards A Uniform Approach To Occupational Therapy Initial Assessments Across Acute Mental Health Wards: A Service-Based Improvement Project Proposal, Naomi Stone

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: KNOWLEDGE + ACTION

A Service Improvement Project To Discover The Reasons Behind Outpatient Non-Attendance (Dna) In Endoscopy, Pietro Martucci

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: KNOWLEDGE + ACTION

Improving Electronic Health Charting By Nurses In The Intensive Care Unit: An Evidence Informed Change Project Proposal, Dayananda Bittenahalli Omkarappa

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: KNOWLEDGE + ACTION

Can We Go Wrong With Getting Strong?, Myles Whitbread-Jordan

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: KNOWLEDGE + ACTION

Research In Community Nursing: The Benefits And Barriers, Emma Clifford

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: KNOWLEDGE + ACTION

Publishing Your Work In The Context Of The New Multi-Professional Practice Based Research Capabilities Framework, Frazer Underwood

South West Clinical School Journal

EDITORIAL

Bringing Innovative Resources To Help Midwives Include Positions Which Support Physiology In Birth Encounters: The Birthwise Service Evaluation Project Proposal, Kate Olver

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: KNOWLEDGE + ACTION

Creating Respectful And Open Communication Within A Diverse Clinical Practice Setting: A Service Evaluation, Cecilia Cole

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: KNOWLEDGE + ACTION

Optimising Patient Outcomes Through An Evidence-Based Rehabilitation Programme In Older Patients Following A Conservatively Managed Ankle Fracture: A Service-Based Improvement Project Proposal, Daniella L. Griffiths

South West Clinical School Journal

#400WORDS: KNOWLEDGE + ACTION

A Mobile Health Transitional Care Intervention Delivered By Nurses Improves Postdischarge Outcomes Of Caregivers Of Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Amelia Ganefianty, Praneed Songwathana, Jintana Damkliang, Akhmad Imron, Jos M. Latour

School of Nursing and Midwifery

OBJECTIVE: Caring for patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) during the transition from hospital to home can be psychologically challenging to caregivers. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a novel mobile health (m-health) transitional care intervention to reduce stress and burden of caregivers of patients with TBI and to reduce readmissions.

METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 74 caregivers of adult patients with moderate or severe TBI admitted to a referral hospital in Indonesia. An m-health application for Android mobile phones was designed including education and information for caregivers. The application included an online chat feature …

An Investigation Of The Critical Factors That Influence Knowledge Mobilization Success In Agri-Food Supply Chains, Huilan Chen, Shaofeng Liu, Guoqing Zhao, Uchitha Jayawickrama, Xiaofang Wu

Plymouth Business School

Agri-food supply chains (AFSCs) are essential for addressing global food security and promoting the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal of reducing hunger. These chains stand out because they deal with perishable goods that have limited shelf life and are subjected to erratic agricultural situations, such as fluc-tuating weather. To preserve sustainability and competitiveness, innovative approaches such as cross-border knowledge mobilization are essential for effective AFSC management. To identify the elements essential to effective knowledge mobilization within AFSCs, this study explores the dynamics of this process. Eleven poten-tial critical success factors (CSFs) are identified and analyzed by using questionnaire surveys to …

Parent And Staff Experiences Of A Feasibility Trial Evaluating Neurally Adjusted Ventilatory Assist In Infants With Acute Viral Bronchiolitis: A Qualitative Study, Julia Harris, Shane M. Tibby, Jos M. Latour

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Background: There is limited literature regarding family and staff experiences of participating in clinical trials. A qualitative study was embedded in the NAVABronch feasibility trial evaluating the effectiveness of a novel mode of ventilation, neurally adjusted ventilatory assist (NAVA), in infants with acute viral bronchiolitis. Aims and Objectives: The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of parents and health care practitioners (HCPs) involved in the NAVABronch Trial. Study Design: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two parents and two focus groups were held with six HCPs. Findings: Four themes were identified from the focus groups: (1) Creating …

Critical Success Factors In Large-Scale Agile Software Development, Anabel Milagros Salazar, Muhammed Qasim Rana, Ana C González Leyba, Mandeep Saini, Olugbenga Oladinrin, Angela Lee

School of Art, Design and Architecture

This study delves into the burgeoning trend of deploying agile software development (ASD) on large-scalesoftware projects, aiming to establish critical success factors (CSFs) to tackle associated implementation challenges.Through a comprehensive review of existing literature and a comparative analysis of the two organisations'experiences, this research identifies challenges and mitigation strategies for large-scale ASD implementation. Thefindings elucidate typical implementation phases and challenges encountered, demonstrating correlations betweenchallenges and the implementation process. Ultimately, this study fills a gap in the academic literature by addressingchallenges in large-scale ASD implementation, offering real-world insights and comparisons with existing literatureto provide valuable recommendations.

Deploying The Hybrid Project Management Methodology Framework In Major Transportation Projects In The United Kingdom, Ana C González Leyba, Muhammad Qasim Rana, Anabel Milagros Salazar, Mandeep Saini, Olugbenga Oladinrin, Angela Lee

School of Art, Design and Architecture

This paper introduces a proposed Hybrid Project Management Methodology Framework, tailored for Project Managers engaged in overseeing large-scale road transport projects in the United Kingdom. Through a mixedmethod approach comprising of a comprehensive literature review, a structured quantitative questionnaire administered to industry professionals, and a case study examining the application of Lean and Agile methodologies in a complex megaproject, this study identifies the prevailing project management methodologies in use within the UK Mega Transport Projects (MTP) domain. The surveyed professionals, primarily experienced project managers in construction, provided insights into the challenges encountered in MTP, helping to rank the most common …

Blending Behavioural Theory And Narrative Analysis To Explore The Lived Experience Of Obesity And Assess Potential Engagement In A Uk Weight Management Service: Theory And Narrative Approaches In Weight Management, Jessica Gillespie, Hannah Wright, Jonathan Pinkney, Helen Lloyd

School of Psychology

Background: Current treatments for people with obesity emphasise the need for person-centred approaches that consider complex biopsychosocial factors and value the lived experience of people when attempting to lose weight. Methods: Narrative interviews (n = 20) were conducted with people living with obesity to explore the causes of their weight gain and their expectations and engagement with treatment at a Weight Management Clinic. A mixed inductive and deductive qualitative analysis identified utterances that represented psychological constructs used to understand self-appraisal and health behaviour. A narrative analysis was used to situate these findings in the context of a participant’s life story. …

‘In This Prison We Have Our Main Meal At 11:30 Am’. The Significance Of ‘Time’ For Food Among People Serving Custodial Sentences In England And Wales, Julie M. Parsons

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

In this article, I am thinking through the social life of time for food in prison from a practice theory perspective. I draw upon empirical data from in-depth qualitative interviews with people serving custodial sentences or recently released from prison in England and Wales who have been on placement at a prisoner resettlement charity (RC). These support findings from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate for Prisons report on Life Inside: Food from 2016, and I consider two aspects from the report, (i) an exploration of the standards and conditions in which food is consumed and (ii) the timings of mealtimes. For people …

Using Dematel, Clustering, And Fuzzy Logic For Supply Chain Evaluation Of Electric Vehicles: A Scor Model, Mehrbakhsh Nilashi, Rabab Ali Abumalloh, Hossein Ahmadi, Mesfer Alrizq, Hamad Abosaq, Abdullah Alghamdi, Murtaza Farooque, Syed Salman Mahmood

School of Nursing and Midwifery

The transportation sector is considered among the major sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Given advancements in transportation technology, customers’ willingness to reduce carbon footprints, as well as policy incentives, Electric Vehicles (EVs) are becoming an increasingly important part of the passenger vehicle industry. Evaluation of Supply Chain (SC) performance in the EV industry seems to contribute significantly to the enhancement of the operational consequences across the supply chain tiers. The SCOR (Supply Chain Operations Reference) model was designed to help businesses optimize their supply chain operations, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction. Although many performance measurement models have been developed …

Open Notes In Psychotherapy: An Exploratory Mixed Methods Survey Of Psychotherapy Students In Switzerland, Anna Kharko, Sarah Buergler, Annika Bärkås, Maria Hägglund, Jens Gaab, Asbjørn Johansen Fagerlund, Cosima Locher, Charlotte Blease

School of Psychology

Background: In a growing number of countries, patients are offered access to their full online clinical records, including the narrative reports written by clinicians (the latter, referred to as “open notes”). Even in countries with mature patient online record access, access to psychotherapy notes is not mandatory. To date, no research has explored the views of psychotherapy trainees about open notes. Objective: This study aimed to explore the opinions of psychotherapy trainees in Switzerland about patients’ access to psychotherapists’ free-text summaries. Methods: We administered a web-based mixed methods survey to 201 psychotherapy trainees to explore their familiarity with and opinions …