Latest research and knowledge exchange news at Bournemouth University
Dorset Global Health Network invites you to its next meeting focusing on Africa on Wednesday 7 November 2018 in Bournemouth University’s Executive Business Centre. The meeting organised by Primary Care Workforce Centre starts with a dinner at 6.30 PM with the event running between 19.00 and 21.00. You can register here!
We would like to invite you to the first research seminar of the new academic year for the Centre for Games and Music Technology Research.
Title: 10 years of graphics and serious games research
Speaker: Dr Vedad Hulusic
Bournemouth University
Time: 2:00PM-3:00PM
Date: Wednesday 17 October 2018
Room: F112 (Fusion Building)
Abstract:
As a new member of the Games team, CT, SciTech, in this talk I will give an overview of my work over the past 10 years. I will start with my early research career, as a PhD student at the University of Warwick, where I worked on auditory-visual cross-modal interaction for computer graphics. I will then present some work on virtual reconstruction of cultural heritage I have done in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where I worked as an Assistant Professor. In 2015 I moved to France (Télécom ParisTech) where I worked on high dynamic range imaging (HDRi), and image and video quality assessment. Finally, I will talk about serious games for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the area I work in for the past 6 years and the current main area of interest. Here, I will cover some basic aspects of the theoretical framework we used for creation of our games, as well as main findings and plans for future.
We hope to see you there!
This week 8-12 October is both Mental Health Week and Library Week, and both are celebrated widely at Bournemouth University. On Thursday Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen will present on research on mental health and maternity care in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal and Perinatal Health (CMMPH) as part of in the BU Library Week celebrations. 
The presentation includes some of the findings from out recently completed THET-funded study on a maternal mental health intervention in southern Nepal as well as some reflections on working and researching in the country. The slides for tomorrow’s presentation can be found at LinkedIn, click here!
Mr. Georgios Digkas, a PhD candidate of University of Groningen, the Netherlands, visited Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, UK. He shared his research on the area of Technical Debt with BU partners and colleagues on 27 September 2018. He is also working on EU FIRST project .
If you want to listen to his talk, please visit our EU FIRST project YouTube Channel .
The Festival runs from 3-10 November 2018 and includes over 300 events across the UK. With everything from film screenings, exhibitions, workshops and walks to debates and hands-on experiences, there are events suitable for all ages and all walks of life. For further details about the national programme and to find out more about how social science affects your everyday life please go to https://esrc.ukri.org/public-engagement/festival-of-social-science/.
The research team at the National Centre of Post-Qualifying Social Work and Professional Practice are organising two separate events this year. These ESRC Festival of Social Science events will showcase recent research and best practice responses to supporting people with issues around sexual well-being and dealing with ageing and loneliness. Alongside key presentations there will be opportunities to think creatively about how both agencies can work together to build creative responses to tackle these issues.
The first event takes place on 5th November and will explore how good health and social care practices can support people with their sexual well-being. Speakers will consider the potential impact of a range of disabilities on sexual well-being and the types of support needed. In addition the law in relation to sexual expression will be discussed as well as thinking about achieving sexual well-being following sexual trauma. Time will be available to discuss the issues raised by speakers and participants. Click here to view the event page
The second event is on 7th November and builds on the very popular day held during last year’s Festival of Social Science on exploring creative ways to combat loneliness. Caring Canines will be returning this year by popular demand and the day will highlight activities to share with others including origami and a meditation and relaxation session. Speakers will explore current research about loneliness and financial scams and will include showing digital stories made as part of research investigating financial abuse from scams as well as digital games currently being developed. The event will also explore the role of social prescribing to combat social isolation and loneliness. This event is aimed at members of the public and professionals working in the area of ageing and loneliness. Click here to view the event page
For further information about the events please contact:
Event 1: Dr Sally Lee, Lecturer Social Work lees@bournemouth.ac.uk
Event 2: Professor Lee-Ann Fenge, Director of the Centre for Seldom Heard Voices lfenge@bournemouth.ac.uk
Location of both events: Citygate Centre, 138A Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth BH8 8AS
Lunch and refreshments during each day are provided.
To book a place at Partnerships to Promote Sexual Well-being on 5th November please go to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/partnerships-to-promote-sexual-well-being-tickets-51240799611
Partnerships-to-promote-sexual-well-being-poster.pdf
To book a place at Creative Responses to Ageing and Loneliness on 7th November please go to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/creative-responses-to-ageing-and-loneliness-tickets-51241170721
I was invited to present at Imperial’s PPI network this week to talk on the theme of inclusivity in PPI (public and patient involvement in research). In the PIER partnership and the newly formed Research Centre for Seldom Heard Voices, we are exploring challenges and opportunities for engaging seldom heard voices in PPI. The basis of our work is that those most affected by health inequalities often have the least opportunity to inform and shape health research. Beresford (2007:310) highlights that if diversity and the barriers that can be in the way of increasing diversity are not addressed, ‘participation is likely to be partial, and reflect broader social divisions and exclusions’ i.e. it will further reinforce health inequalities. This led to some great discussions within the PPI network. The main focus was whether we need to approach PPI differently to engage a more diverse range of voices. From our work at BU, we are finding that we need to think differently about who we involve and how we involve. Only a certain demographic of people will feel comfortable and confident engaging in focus groups, providing feedback on plain English summaries or voicing their opinions in formal settings. These methods and voices are valid but in our experience, are not particularly diverse. Our current work seeks to engage marginalised groups such as rough sleepers in PPI activities by creating outreach opportunities for researchers to ‘go to them’. As a starting point, we challenge the notion of ‘hard to reach’ groups. In our experience, marginalised groups are easier to locate and engage when collaborating with community organisations such as night shelters. The challenge is to change a culture of PPI which relies on the public ‘entering our world’ rather than us seeking a wider range of voices out in the community. It would be good to hear your thoughts and examples. Dr Mel Hughes, mhughes@bournemouth.ac.uk
Two days ago Bournemouth University Visiting Professor Padam Simkhada presented our paper ‘Problems faced by Nepalese female migrants workers in the Gulf Countries: A quantitative survey’ at the International Conference on Migration Health in Rome, Italy [1]. The study reports on the health and other problems experienced by Nepali women migrants at their work place during foreign employment in Gulf Countries. The paper is building on earlier research with the charity Pourakhi in Kathmandu which helps women who return from working abroad in trouble. The first paper was publish earlier this year in the journal BMC International Health & Human Rights [2]. 
The conference presentation was co-authored with BU’s Dr. Pramod Regmi and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen, Ms. Manju Gurung from Pourakhi, Ms. Samjhana Bhujel from Green Tara Nepal, and Padam Simkhada, who is professor in the Public Health Institute at Liverpool John Moores University.
References:
I recently presented my multichannel electroacoustic composition ‘Traces of Play’ in two international concerts. The first was at the esteemed music computing conference SMC 2018 (Sound and Music Computing) in Limassol, Cyprus. The programme featured a range of music encompassing fixed media, instruments + electronics, improvised, and mixed media works. Held in Limassol’s Rialto Theatre, this was the first ever multichannel loudspeaker concert to be staged in Cyprus. It was an honour to be involved.
The second concert was at the NYCEMF 2018 (New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival). The festival programme, scheduled over a number of days at the Abrons Arts Centre, New York, featured many established names alongside emerging artists, and this was a great opportunity to share and promote BU practice-based research. As well as diffusing (spatialising) my own work, I presented music on behalf of two composers: Antonino Chiaramonte, a doctoral researcher in the Faculty of Media and Communication here at BU; and David Berezan, Professor of Composition at the University of Manchester.
If you would like to experience surround-sound electroacoustic music in concert, we have four experimental music concerts running this year as part of the University Music programme. The first takes place on Wednesday 17th October at 7pm in the Allsebrook Lecture Theatre, Talbot Campus, and features Owen Green from the University of Huddersfield. Owen’s research focuses on improvising and composing with computers.
Thomas Thurnell-Read, Loughborough University; Lorraine Brown, Bournemouth University, and Philip Long, Bournemouth University
Of the 2.3m students starting courses at UK universities each autumn, well over 400,000 are international students from non-UK countries.
The scale and importance of international students to the UK higher education sector is now well established. Yet we know very little about how students from non-UK countries experience and interact with the heavy drinking culture that predominates on and near many universities.
Many international students often come from cultures marked by moderation or abstinence around alcohol. And concerns have been raised that activities centred on alcohol may exclude international students.
We’ve conducted new research to reveal the perceptions of British drinking cultures held by international students studying on postgraduate courses at a UK university. In focus groups and interviews, students from countries including Nigeria, the US, China, Turkey, Poland, Germany and Greece told us of their experiences of drinking culture at university.
The British Council, and many city and university marketing teams, often promote the British pub as a safe and friendly leisure space in their bid to market studying in the UK to international students. The students we spoke to were aware of the iconic image of the British pub. They spoke of their desire to participate in what they saw as being an important part of British culture. Others spoke with excitement of being able to try British real ale and craft beer as a part of their experience of living and studying in Britain.
Having seen depictions of British pubs in television, film and, increasingly, social media, most international students were aware of alcohol consumption being important to British culture before they came to the UK. This prior perception was confirmed by their initial experiences on arrival. Our interviewees felt that getting drunk was an important part of British cultural life and reported being initially surprised that drinking to excess was an expected part of university life.
Despite these concerns, drinking alcohol was an important part of the social lives of many international students. Many had enjoyed their experiences of socialising in bars and pubs. For others, whose degree programme cohorts were predominantly fellow international students, the pub was a space in which they could view and interact with British culture and British people – such as non-student locals.
International students made ready comparisons with the drinking habits and attitudes of their own cultures. Many told us about how people drink alcohol and get drunk in their own cultures. But they contrasted this with the tendency of “going too far” and of “not knowing when to stop” that was perceived to be a major characteristic of British drinking culture.
That said, many interviewees had enjoyed learning about the practice of buying “rounds” of drinks, using “cheers” before drinking and the lack of table service in Britain. They saw this as a fun and a pleasurable part of getting to know local culture.
As identified in other research, gender is an important feature of how students view drinking and drunkenness. Concern was expressed in our study about a perceived lack of control among some British women when drinking alcohol. Words such as embarrassment and shame were used by both male and female interviewees to define the boundary between fun, sociable drinking and excessive drunkenness.
Interviewees expressed surprise that public vomiting and urination or collapsing in the street were so widely tolerated and even in some cases expected and celebrated by British students.
Most students felt capable of negotiating their involvement with student drinking culture by choosing times, spaces and styles of drinking that suited their own tastes. This involved a clear preference for drinking as part of other events such as eating a meal out with friends or watching televised sport in pubs. At social events where heavy drinking was the main activity, some would try to enjoy “one or two” drinks but leave once other people became noticeably drunk.
But while many students spoke of the pub as a welcoming and relaxed space for socialising with friends, bars and nightclubs were said to be intimidating places where they felt at risk of violence or harassment. Many students witnessed fights.
Female international students had particular concerns – several spoke of their strategies to stay safe when out at night. The avoidance of the streets at night due to a fear of potential violence or aggression was also highlighted in a previous study that looked at levels of racism experienced by international students.
That said, UK drinking culture is changing. More than a quarter of young adults in the UK do not drink alcohol.
“Sober campuses” during fresher’s week are becoming more prevalent, as are teetotal university halls. And many students are eager for advice on avoiding or moderating the pressure to drink heavily while at university. But only time will tell whether this is a trend that is set to remain.
Thomas Thurnell-Read, Lecturer in Cultural Sociology, Loughborough University; Lorraine Brown, Associate Professor, Department of Tourism and Hospitality, Bournemouth University, and Philip Long, Honorary Visiting Research Associate, Bournemouth University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Sharing ideas and contextualising the historical and contemporary represents one of the ways in which we can broaden our understanding of international democratic ideals. We can recognise our place-in-environment as agents and the wider place of structures in forming, moulding and continuing policies that work for good or ill and choose to resist, adapt, or not, accordingly – not historicism but an agentic appreciation of the intertwining of the historical and biographical in shaping society and cultures. In this context, it was with great pleasure that we were able to welcome esteemed friend and colleague Professor Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria to speak to staff and students about the changing democratic face of Malaysia.
Prof Denison is principal researcher in the Institute of Ethnic Studies at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and Co-Chair of the Malaysian CSO-SDG Alliance. He has undertaken a great deal of work with SUHAKAM, the Malaysian Commission on Human Rights, and with the United Nations in Malaysia in establishing a trajectory towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.
Prof Denison rehearsed the formation of Malaysia and its history in colonial times, considering the ethnic composition mixed to provide jobs, administration and infrastructure in Malaya and the constitution promoted at independence that privileged one group to be ‘more equal than others’. He provided a post-colonial analysis of the contemporary issues facing modern-day Malaysia.
A fascinating insight into future possibilities, democratic change and development, with respect set firmly as the bedrock for such discussions, was articulated through four-arm model of the next few years. This model examined the various power structures in relation to Malaysia’s constitution and the various interpretations made of it:
Each model was seen to have some claim, whilst there is a need for inclusion, participation and human rights focus as Malaysia moves forward. The constitution formed the basis for discussion of the different types of Malaysia envisaged and indicates an area that is ripe for further study and analysis.
It was good to see staff and students from a range of social science disciplines, from the pure to the applied, who engaged vigorously with the ideas promoted. As the UK stumbles into an uncertain and dangerous future and its democratic claims become increasingly under attack, it is good to be reminded of the need for resistance to marginalisation, discrimination and exclusion but also respect for or engagement with the ‘other person’s view’. Prof Denison showed how by engaging with a range of different perspectives new ways of thinking about and doing politics can emerge. Of course, the human rights bedrock must be there for this to work, and Prof Denison clearly highlighted this need.
Our very own Professor Roger Baker is facilitating a one day workshop on Emotional Processing Therapy for PTSD in Leeds on 26th October 2018.
The workshop will explore what an emotional processing style is and how this is relevant to the development and presentation of PTSD, there will be a range of teaching, skills training, role play, discussion and exploring case studies.
Please see flyer here for more information or book online here.
Don’t forget, BUCRU can provide FREE methodological advice and support in designing your research project. We’re based on the 5th floor of Royal London House so feel free to pop in and see us, call us on 61939 or send us an email.
We were pleased to announce earlier in the year that the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has awarded us a further five years of funding to continue our work as the RDS South West. Today marks the beginning of our third five-year contract.
This NIHR funding allows RDS advisers in the South West to continue offering free and confidential advice, drawing on a unique breadth of experience and established track record in improving funding applications.
Please see our latest BUCRU/CoPMRE newsletter or find out more about how we could help you by visiting RDS SW website or contacting the RDS South West Bournemouth Office hosted within BUCRU (Bournemouth University Clinical Research Unit):
Bournemouth University
Room R505, Royal London House
Christchurch Road
Bournemouth
Dorset, BH1 3LT
Tel: 01202 961939
Email: wardl@bournemouth.ac.uk
A Bournemouth University team from the Faculty of Science and Technology visited University of Groningen for FIRST mid-term review. It was a very productive meeting with a lot of effective outcomes for research and knowledge exchange. Dr. Lai Xu and Dr. Paul de Vrieze are FIRST coordinators representing Bournemouth University and the team is pleased to announce that FIRST will continue to move towards a factory of the future for European Union.
If you want to know more about the project and get involved, please contact Dr. Lai Xu or Dr. Paul de Vrieze. You can also follow our social medial links on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube Channel.
During the mid-term review meeting, the FIRST EU project advisor Irina Elena Tiron giving a talk on RISE projects. A useful instrument for researchers in EU (and beyond).
One of the first rules of drafting a scientific paper is that one cites the key literature in the respective field. So as someone who teaches people how to write and publish in this week’s experience of getting a paper rejected was not great, if not disheartening! Earlier this week we submitted a research paper to the Journal of Travel Medicine on a study of the health and well-being of female migrant workers in Nepal. This is high quality journal in which we have published before, including one paper on migrants’ health [1-3].
Two days later the journal editor emailed us to say: “”We feel that the scope of your paper would not justify a full original article in the Journal of Travel Medicine”, which is, in our opinion, a fair judgement. My co-authors and I between us have over 300 papers published and most have been rejected or at least we have been asked for a resubmission, so nothing new here. What was more upsetting than the rejection itself was the additional comment. The editor added:
“The authors should ideally include the two following references:
……(first reference omitted) …. +
Identifying the gaps in Nepalese migrant workers’ health and well-being: a review of the literature.
Simkhada PP, Regmi PR, van Teijlingen E, Aryal N. J Travel Med. 2017 Jul 1;24(4). doi: 10.1093/jtm/tax021. Review.
We agree with the editor that we should have included the two listed key papers. Crucially, it is more than a little mistake to have missed the second paper since we wrote it ourselves. There are many lessons to be learnt from this: (a) check you have covered the key literature in your paper, either in the Background section and/or the Discussion; (b) don’t underestimate the importance of your own work; (c) you’re never too old to make mistakes (and to learn from them); (d) be thankful for good editors and reviewers; (e) do what you advise others to do; (f) etc. ………………
In shame,
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
CMMPH
References:
Earlier this month the Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences published a paper co-authored by Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH) staff. The paper ‘Health consequences of sex trafficking: A systematic review’ [1]. The Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences is part of the Open Access publishing of Nepal Journals OnLine (NepJOL) supported by INASP.
The review reminds us that sex trafficking is one of the most common forms of human trafficking globally. It is associated with health, emotional, social, moral and legal problems. The victims of sex trafficking when returned home are often ignored. This review explored the health consequences of sex trafficking among women and children. A total of 15 articles were included covering health risks and well-being related to sex trafficking. Sexual and physical violence among victims such as rape and repetitive stress and physical injuries were common. The prevalence of STI (sexually transmitted infections) and HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) was also reported as high. Being trafficked at a young age, having been in brothels for a longer period and sexual violence and forced prostitution were linked with a higher risk for HIV infection. Physical health problems reported included headaches, fatigue, dizziness, back pain, memory problem, stomach pain, pelvic pain, gynaecological infections, weight loss, lesions or warts, unwanted pregnancies and abortions. The studies on mental health reported that depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were commonly reported health consequences among sex trafficking victims.
The authors of the review concluded that there is a compelling need for interventions raising awareness about sex trafficking among young girls and women most at risk of being trafficked. Most studies in this review have focussed on the physical health problems of the trafficked victims although there is also remarkable mental burden amongst those victims. Key policy makers, government officials, public health officials, health care providers, legal authorities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) should be made aware about the health risks and consequences of trafficking. Trafficking consequences should be recognised as a health issue and all the sectors involved including regulating bodies should collaborate to fight against sex trafficking
Related research in this field at Bournemouth University include the Sexual Spaces Project by Prof. Mike Silk and Dr. Amanda De Lisio on ‘Rio’s sex workers after the Olympics’ and the The Gay and Grey Project, funded through a Big Lottery Grant and led by Prof. Lee Ann Fenge.
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH)
Reference:
With the forthcoming REF 2021 in mind we would like to encourage both staff and postgraduate students to consider writing up their literature reviews as journal articles. Systematic and scoping reviews are a great way of publishing quality publications. They are highly valued as REF submissions, especially, but not only, in the health field.
There is plenty of support at Bournemouth University: from academic colleagues, with vast experience in writing reviews, to the library team, who can advise on, for example, developing your systematic search strategy and which databases to search.
You can start with publishing your review question and research strategy on PROSPERO, international prospective register of systematic reviews. We would like to highlight just one BU example in the field of the social sciences. FHSS PhD student Orlanda Harvey published her proposed review ‘Support for people who use anabolic androgenic steroids: an investigation into what they want and what they currently access’ late last year on PROSPERO [1].
You might like to have a look at reviews published by Bournemouth University staff, which can be found by searching BURO, our institutional repository of research outputs. Moreover, BU academics have published several methods papers on the doing and writing systematic reviews [2-4].
Information about searching the literature for systematic reviews is available on this guide by the library team.
Other pages with useful information include:
Hopefully we have encouraged you to think about publishing your literature reviews as separate articles, and to seek help early in that process!
José López Blanco & Edwin van Teijlingen
For further information, please contact:
José López Blanco, Faculty Librarian (Health and Social Sciences), Library & Learning Support, Academic Services at tel 67350 or email: hsslibteam@bournemouth.ac.uk
References:
The Ball Assisted Latent Labour (BALL) trial has just recruited their 200th participant. The pragmatic randomised controlled trial is the highest recruiting trial in the Wessex Clinical Research Network for reproductive health. Clinical Doctorate midwife Dominique Mylod is researching whether using a birth ball at home in latent labour reduces pain perception. Dominique recently welcomed BU final year student midwife Alice Lovell to the island for a week’s research elective. The photo shows them sampling island life!
Congratulations to both on achieving such fantastic recruitment!
Congratulations to FHSS academics Dr. Pramod Regmi and Dr. Nirmal Ayral who published an editorial yesterday in a scientific journal in Nepal. The paper ‘Experts warn Nepal Government not to reduce local Public Health spending’ [1] was co-authored by Dr. Bibha Simkhada who has just been offered a post as Lecturer in Nursing in the Department of Nursing & Clinical Sciences, she shall be starting with us on November 1st. Further co-authors include FHSS Visiting Professor Padam Simkhada and Dr . Sujan Marahatta, the journal’s editor. He is based at Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences (MMIHS) in Kathmandu, Nepal. Bournemouth University has a long-standing research collaboration with MMIHS.
The editorial warns about the risks of losing the focus on public health and its wider national and global perspective in the recently changed political arena of Nepal. Since 2015 Nepal has moved from a central state to a federal republic, whereby the seven new Provinces have gained much more power and control in the decentralisation process. Moreover the first local elections for two decades in 2017 meant a lot of new and inexperienced local politicians were voted in. Many of these local people had little prior experience of political processes, governing health systems, the notion of priority setting, running sub-committees of elected representatives, political decision-making at local level, etc. The paper argues that Public Health can easily disappear of the radar. The untrained newly elected representatives with no political experience are most likely to be drawn into proposing and supporting popular measures including developing new buildings, black-top roads, hospitals, etc., rather than measures that increase the local or regional budget for teachers, Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for community health workers, and preventative public health measures in general. Buildings and roads are immediate demonstration to voters that politicians have done something useful, reducing maternal mortality by 2.6% or employing two additional health workers doesn’t give politicians neither the same publicity, nor do such policies have immediate signs of success, and hence are unlikely to be vote winners.
The Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences is part of the Open Access publishing of Nepal Journals OnLine (NepJOL) supported by INASP. The editorial also illustrates the kind of work conducted in Bournemouth University’s Integrative Wellbeing Research Centre (iWell).
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH)
Reference:
Simkhada, P., Teijlingen van, E., Simkhada, B., Regmi, P., Aryal, N., Marahatta, S.B. (2018) Experts warn Nepal Government not to reduce local Public Health spending, Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences, 4(1): 1-3.
BU staff can login below:
Federalisation & health research presented in Nepal
New BU midwifery publication by Joanne Rack
MSCA Staff Exchanges 2024 Call – internal deadline
BU Professor has been invited to a series of plenary and invited lectures.
An Interview of BU-lead EU H2020 FIRST project published in “Horizon”, the EU Research & Innovation Magazine
Update on Horizon Europe Guarantee Horizon Europe Update – January 2023
Research Information Network