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BU Book up for National Award

NHS

Professor Tim Darvill, Kerry Barrass, Yvette Staelens from the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology (BU) together with Dr Vanessa Heaslip from the Department of Nursing  Science (BU) worked with Laura Drysdale of the Restoration Trust to edit a book exploring how historic landscapes could support mental health well-being.

 

Our book titled ‘Historic Landscapes and Mental Health Well-being’ has been nominated as a contender in the 2021 Current Archaeology Book of the Year competition. This is fantastic news and really shows the benefits of cross disciplinary research and working.

Voting is open now at www.archaeology.co.uk/vote so do please cast your votes for the book, and encourage anyone else you can think of to do the same. Please also feel free to share this excellent news in your social media sites as it would be really excellent to win this award. The results will be announced at the Archaeology in Britain conference in February.

Please keep your fingers crossed for us and thank you for your votes

PGR Virtual Poster Exhibition | Natalie Stewart

conferences, PG research, student research

Poster Exhibition | The 12th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference 

Natalie Stewart, PhD student in the BU Business School with this poster entitled:

Promoting a positive and cohesive research culture for postgraduate researchers.

 

Click the poster below to enlarge.

Research culture is thought to be a substantive influencer in the overall student experience for postgraduate researchers (PGRs) in the UK Higher Education sector. In consecutive AdvanceHE Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES), findings highlight over a third of responding PGRs are expressing dissatisfaction with their experience of the research culture at their own university (AdvanceHE 2019). Research culture is reported to be less positively experienced in seven core areas measured which includes, supervision, resources, progress and assessment, responsibilities, research skills and professional development. The aim of this research is to explore ways in which higher education institutions can actively create and influence more positive research cultures for their PGRs, who are working across a wide range of potential discipline areas. This poster outlines the rationale for this research and anticipated approach.

 

 

You can view the full poster exhibition on the conference webpage.

 

If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact our dedicated admissions team.

 

 

PGR Virtual Poster Exhibition | Sulochanan Dhakal-Rai

conferences, PG research, student research

Poster Exhibition | The 12th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference 

Sulochanan Dhakal-Rai, PhD student in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences with this poster entitled:

Factors contributing to rising caesarean section rates in South Asian Countries: a systematic review.

 

Click the poster below to enlarge.

Background: Caesarean Sections (CS) can save a mother’s life in childbirth but can also be an unnecessary medical intervention in a natural process. This systematic review investigates factors/indicators affecting increasing Caesarean Section rates in South Asia. Methods: Quantitative studies published from 2010 to 2018 were found on electronic databases. Critical Appraisal Skill Programme checklists were used for assessing the quality. Narrative synthesis of the indications/factors associated with CS was divided into distinct categories using content analysis. Results: Sixty-eight studies were included and both CS indications and significant associated factors were explored. The most common medical indications of CS were foetal distress and previous CS. Higher maternal age was the most common associated factor followed by higher education and urban residency. Maternal request was the most common non-medical indication of CS. Conclusion: Modifiable indicators/factors reflect global trends, suggesting we need a global strategy to stem the rise of unnecessary CS.

 

You can view the full poster exhibition on the conference webpage.

 

If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact our dedicated admissions team.

 

 

PGR Virtual Poster Exhibition | Greg Tansill

conferences, PG research, student research

Poster Exhibition | The 12th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference 

Greg Tansil, MRes student in the Faculty of Science & Technology with this poster entitled:

Study to identify risk factors that predict which children will repeatedly go missing.

Click the poster below to enlarge.

Missing children face significant risks and those who frequently go missing are particularly vulnerable to dangers such as abuse and sexual exploitation. Using data from one UK police force from June 2018 to July 2019 (N = 909), the research found; (1) over 80% of all missing child reports are repeat disappearances; (2) a small proportion of children who go missing repeatedly (8.3%) account for over half of all missing person episodes; (3) the likelihood of a child going missing on multiple occasions is associated with being criminally exploited, being a perpetrator of violence, adverse childhood experiences, being arrested and being in care; and (4) by combining these factors it is possible to predict the probability of a child going missing repeatedly. Understanding of the correlates of repeat disappearances allows the police and partner agencies to target preventative resources to those individuals most at risk of going missing again.

 

 

You can view the full poster exhibition on the conference webpage.

 

If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact our dedicated admissions team.

 

 

PGR Virtual Poster Exhibition | Raysa El Zein

conferences, PG research, student research

Poster Exhibition | The 12th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference 

 

Raysa El Zein, PhD student in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences with this poster entitled:

Feasibility study: effect of vegetable oil on memory in older-adults and those with MCI.

 

Click the poster below to enlarge.

Associations between diet and cognitive impairments in older-adults have been demonstrated in some studies. Inducing ketosis to provide an alternative energy source (ketones) by modifying the amount and type of dietary fat could reduce neuro-degeneration in older-adults. The aim of this feasibility study was to use a dietary intervention to investigate the effect of coconut oil intake (compared with sunflower oil) on cognition and quality of life in older-adults and those with Mild Cognitive Impairment. The study followed a randomized clinical trial design and participants were allocated either coconut oil or sunflower oil for 6 months. To date, data has been collected from 18 participants using questionnaires, interviews, food records, cognitive tests and blood ketone tests. Preliminary results from this study demonstrate the ability of participants to adhere to the dietary intervention and the potential effect of coconut oil intake in improving verbal memory in older-adults and those with MCI.

 

 

You can view the full poster exhibition on the conference webpage.

 

If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact our dedicated admissions team.

 

 

Today! The 12th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference

conferences, PG research, student research

Today is the day, the 12th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference hosted by the Doctoral College. 

You can still register to attend any of the oral presentation session and of course view the virtual poster exhibition on the website.

View the full conference brochure.

I look forward to sharing this showcase of postgraduate research with many of you.

Invitation: Developing Interdisciplinary Research Projects

Training

logo - science, health, and data communications research groupThe Science, Health, and Data Communications Research Group will be conducting a series of workshops to start off the new year, designed to help Bournemouth researchers form new networks and collaborative projects around educating and communicating research to the public.

This series will take place from Monday 18 January 2021 to Friday 22 January 2021, each day from 1-3pm, online, and open to any and all researchers across the university. See full details and register on EventBrite.

This “crucible” programme, based on NESTA’s highly successful Crucible-in-a-Box, will include interactive sessions on communicating your research to the media, collecting data for impact studies, working in interdisciplinary teams, and communications strategies. It will also include activities designed to connect researchers based on mutual interests, and develop those interests into new directions for collaborative research.

If you are unable to participate in these sessions, we will likely be running them again. Full details are available on the EventBrite link; questions and requests to be notified of future events can be directed to Lyle Skains (lskains@bournemouth.ac.uk).

Training in Developing a Search Strategy

PG research, student research, Training

Wednesday 2nd December 10:00 – 12:00

Finding literature about your research project is a fundamental step to understand where your project sits and what societal contributions it can make.

Attendees will learn

  • about accessing and using library resources
  • developing systematic search strategies
  • setting up citation alerts and using citations smartly
  • using analytical tools to aid publication and research

This is suitable for Early Career Researchers and anyone starting work on a new research project.

For more information and to book, please see here.

PGR Virtual Poster Exhibition | Debora Almeida

conferences, PG research, student research

Poster Exhibition | The 12th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference 

Debora Almedia, PhD student in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences with this poster entitled:

Is there a difference between dominant and non-dominant hand performance during simulated infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation (iCPR)?

Click the poster below to enlarge.

Randomised study to compare two-finger technique (TFT) using dominant (DH) and non-dominant hand (NH) during simulated iCPR. Materials/methods: 24 participants performed 3-minute iCPR using the TFT with DH or NH followed by 3-minute iCPR with their other hand. Perceived fatigue rated using visual analogue scale (VAS). Results: No significant difference between DH and NH. However, perception of fatigue for NH (76.8 ±13.4) was significantly higher (p <.001) compared to DH (62.8 ±12.5). No significant difference between first and last 30 seconds of iCPR for DH and NH. No significant correlations between iCPR and perception of fatigue for DH. However, significant correlation for CR (r=0.43; p=0.040) and RL (r=-0.48; p=0.021) for the NH. Conclusion: No difference in performance of iCPR with DH versus NH. However, perception of fatigue is higher in NH for CR and RL. Guidelines could recommend rescuers to change hands every 2 min to reduce effects of fatigue on
performance.

 

 

You can view the full poster exhibition on the conference webpage.

 

If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact our dedicated admissions team.

 

 

PGR Virtual Poster Exhibition | Rachel Clarke

conferences, PG research, student research

Poster Exhibition | The 12th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference 

Rachel Clarke, MRes student in the BU Business School with this poster entitled:

Leadership as a means of cultivating innovation: analogue people in a digital future.

Click the poster below to enlarge.

 

This research study considers how innovation is successfully nurtured within the UK small and medium sized business (SME) environment, and if leadership styles have a role to play when successfully cultivating an innovative culture within such SMEs. Furthermore, the research is investigating the tools that UK SMEs need to adopt to be able to successfully innovate. The research is a two-stage qualitative interview-based study in which data is collected from professional employees of identified SMEs within specific sectors. The participants are interviewed on their own, and then as part of a larger focus group, to enable the expansion of ideas and concepts presented. This research forms part of an emerging field of leadership within a practical context and contributes to the emerging knowledge of leadership, leadership styles, and innovation.

 

 

You can view the full poster exhibition on the conference webpage.

 

If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact our dedicated admissions team.

 

 

Cross-disciplinary approaches to prehistoric demography | Themed issue edited by BU staff

Publishing

We are pleased to announce the release of Cross-Disciplinary Approaches to Prehistoric Demography, a themed issue of The Royal Society Philosophical Transactions B series, compiled and edited by Philip Riris and Fabio Silva from the Department of Archaeology & Anthropology at BU, in collaboration with colleagues Jennifer C. French (University of Liverpool), Javier Fernandéz-López de Pablo (University of Alicante, Spain) and Sergi Lozano (University of Barcelona, Spain).

Demography impacts a wide range of aspects of human culture past and present: from our capacity to transmit genes and knowledge across generations, to the reach of our social networks and long-term impacts on the environment. Recent cross-disciplinary advances in the reconstruction and interpretation of prehistoric population histories (palaeodemography) have been transforming our understanding of past societies. This theme issue integrates the efforts of researchers working across archaeology, anthropology, genomics, palaeoecology, and evolutionary demography, combining original research alongside critical reviews, to provide a benchmark for the state-of-the-art in prehistoric demography and a statement of the future of this rapidly growing cross-disciplinary endeavour.

The themed issue, which includes an open-access manifesto for palaeodemography in the 21st century and several other open-access articles, can be found here.

A view across Caral, one of the earliest urban centres in the world and a key study site for research on prehistoric population history, such as reported in this theme issue. This site, 200km north of Lima in Peru, was inhabited roughly between the 29th and 19th centuries BC by the Norte Chico civilization. The mound seen in the centre is the “Edificio Piramidal la Cantera” (the Quarry Pyramidal Building) and the building in the left background is the “Edificio del Altar Circular” or Building of the Circular Altar. Image credit: Daniel Sandweiss.

A view across Caral, one of the earliest urban centres in the world and a key study site for research on prehistoric population history, such as reported in this theme issue. This site, 200km north of Lima in Peru, was inhabited roughly between the 29th and 19th centuries BC by the Norte Chico civilization. The mound seen in the centre is the “Edificio Piramidal la Cantera” (the Quarry Pyramidal Building) and the building in the left background is the “Edificio del Altar Circular” or Building of the Circular Altar. Image credit: Daniel Sandweiss.

Sixteen Days of Activism: end violence against women

The start of 16 days of activism against Gender-based Violence commenced on 25th November 2020 on the day known as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. A report: UK Femicides 2009-2018 published on the 25/11/20 has revealed that the number of women killed each year by men has stayed the same at between 124 and 168. From 2009 to 2018 at least 1,425 women were killed by men in the UK. What do these figures mean? Sadly it translates as :

  • a man killed a woman every three days and
  • a woman was killed by a male partner or ex-partner every four days.

In addition, the methods used, the contexts in which women are killed and their relationship with the men who kill them have changed little over the ten-year period. Women are killed by their husbands, partners and ex-partners; by sons, grandsons and other male relatives; by acquaintances, colleagues, neighbours and strangers. The rate at which men kill women shows no sign of reducing. The report is dedicated to all those women with each one named. Every single woman and girl in this report mattered. The Femicide Census is a call to action for change. femicidecensus.org     

During these 16 days of activism what can we do? What is in no doubt is that ending violence against women is mine and your business, it’s everybody’s business. UN Women have ten suggestions in which we can make a difference:

  • Listen to and believe survivors
  • Teach the next generation and learn from them                                           
  • Call for responses and services fit for purpose
  • Understand consent
  • Learn the signs of abuse and how you can help
  • Start a conversation
  • Stand against rape culture
  • Fund women’s organizations
  • Know the data and demand more of it

https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2020/11/compilation-take-action-to-help-end-violence-against-women

Maternity Action Report

I attended a zoom meeting on the 25/11/20 hosted by Maternity Action (MA), which is the UK’s leading charity committed to ending inequality and improving the health and wellbeing of pregnant women, partners and young children – from conception through to the child’s early years. Part of their remit is the delivery of free, specialist advice through their telephone helplines, on employment rights, maternity pay and benefits. Maternity Action responds to 2,000 calls to their Maternity Rights Advice Line each year from women facing pregnancy discrimination at work or needing help understanding their employment rights. Shockingly, pregnant women or new mums experience high levels of discrimination and harassment, with circa 54,000 women losing their jobs each year as a direct result of pregnancy discrimination. One in 20 new mothers are made redundant during pregnancy, maternity leave or on their return to work.

The purpose of zoom meeting was to launch their latest report: Insecure Labour: the realities of insecure work for pregnant women and new mothers. The charity worked closely with University and College Union (UCU) and UNISON in the production of the report. For both these unions the recent growth in insecure work has been a major issue for their members. They and MA have defined insecure work to include zero hours contracts, short term/fixed term contracts, short hours contracts, agency, casual and seasonal workers and low paid ‘self-employed contracts. From a higher education sector perspective, the use of fixed term contracts has increased in recent years and described by them as ‘endemic’.

Insecure contracts are prevalent in many female dominated sectors such as social care work, education and retail. Men are not exempt from insecure work, however, overwhelmingly, women workers are hugely impacted, due to the effect that pregnancy and maternity leave have on women’s job security and incomes and the unequal sharing of care and domestic labour in the home. The gender pay gap continues because of the impact on women of insecure work and associated low pay

This research report therefore explores the impact of insecure work on the rights of pregnant women and new mothers at work. Qualitative interviews were undertaken with ten pregnant and or new mothers who were in insecure work and their occupations ranged from a postgraduate research fellow, a teaching associate at a HEI, an advertising agency and another working for the NHS. Their lived experience of seeking to negotiate a safe working environment, a secure income and fair treatment is explored and reported on. The full report is available below:  https://maternityaction.org.uk/research-insecure-labour/

One of the attendees on the MA zoom session was from the TUC and she brought our attention to a report they published in June this year: Pregnant and precarious: new and expectant mums’ experiences of work during Covid-19. In this report the TUC surveyed over 3,400 pregnant women and mums on maternity leave exploring their experiences of work during the pandemic.

In brief the survey highlighted the following points:

  • One in four pregnant women and new mums experienced unfair treatment or discrimination at work including being singled out for redundancy or furlough.
  • Pregnant women’s health and safety rights are being routinely disregarded, leaving women feeling unsafe at work or without pay when they are unable to attend their workplaces.
  • Low-paid pregnant women are almost twice as likely as women on median to high incomes to have lost pay and or been forced to stop work (either by being required to take sick leave when they were not sick or to take unpaid leave, start their maternity leave early or leave the workplace altogether) because of unaddressed health and safety concerns. 
  • 71 per cent of new mums planning to return to work in the next three months are currently unable to find childcare to enable them to do so.

For the full report please click on the link: https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-06/PregMatCovid-19.pdf

 

 

PGR Virtual Poster Exhibition | Carrie Tbaily

conferences, PG research, student research

Poster Exhibition | The 12th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference 

Carrie Tbaily, MRes student in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences with this poster entitled:

Exploring caregiver perspectives of adults with Severe or Profound and multiple Learning Disabilities Accessing Sedentary Hydrotherapy (SPLASH study)

Click the poster below to enlarge.

The term Learning Disability (LD) defines people with significant impairment in cognition and social functioning. Physical disability in LD is largely neurological. Previous neuro-hydrotherapy studies have adopted a medical model of disability. Taking a singular medical/social approach to LD research omits significant elements of impairment that these adults experience. The biopsychosocial model is therefore the most appropriate approach in regards to LD research. Through asking how caregivers perceive hydrotherapy to impact on the needs of adults with severe/profound LD, this mixed-methods pragmatist study seeks to explore caregiver experience, and identify any health/social care impacts. Using component design, caregiver experiences will be explored through thematic analysis of data gathered from in-depth semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. The themes explored through this study may help to better inform caregiver decision making in relation to hydrotherapy care-plans, and any biopsychosocial impacts highlighted could form the foundation for future studies to further explore/quantitatively measure.

 

You can view the full poster exhibition on the conference webpage.

 

If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact our dedicated admissions team.

PGR Virtual Poster Exhibition | Karim Khaled

conferences, PG research, student research

Poster Exhibition | The 12th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference 

Karim Khaled, PhD student in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences with this poster entitled:

Validation of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC) Food Frequency Questionnaire for use among Adults in Lebanon

Click the poster below to enlarge.

The aim of this study was to validate the EPIC food frequency questionnaire in Lebanon. The validation was done by comparing data collected from the EPIC FFQ with that collected from three 24-hour recalls. Unadjusted and energy adjusted correlations, Bland Altman plots, and weighed kappa statistics were used to assess the agreement between the two methods. Unadjusted and energy-adjusted correlation coefficients ranged from -0.002 (vitamin A) to 0.337 (carbohydrates) and were all statistically significant except for vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin A, selenium, and niacin. The weighed kappa estimates for unadjusted data ranged from -0.05 (vitamin C) to 0.248 (magnesium). Weighed kappa for energy-adjusted data ranged from -0.034 (vitamin A) to 0.203 (phosphorus). The visual inspection of the Bland-Altman plots revealed over-estimation of energy, carbohydrates, protein, and fat intakes by the FFQ method. This validation study demonstrated an overall acceptable agreement compared to the 24-h recall method.

 

 

You can view the full poster exhibition on the conference webpage.

 

If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact our dedicated admissions team.

 

 

PGR Virtual Poster Exhibition

conferences, PG research, student research

PGR Virtual Poster Exhibition

Tomorrow kicks off the PGR Virtual Poster Exhibition. Over the next two weeks we will be highlighting the PGR posters submitted as part of the 12th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference across the research and faculty blogs.

You can also view the full poster exhibition on the conference webpage.

There is still time to register to attend the conference oral presentations and keynote talk, taking place on Wednesday 2 December. All BU students & staff are welcome.

If any of this research inspires you to undertake your own research degree, please do get in touch with our dedicated admissions team.

Writing a Data Management Plan – Steps for a successful application

Funding opportunities

This is an image that displays an infographic of connected aspects of the research life cycle. The text that is part of the image reads as: Plan to make data work for you; Data Management Plans that meet institutional funder requirements. DMPonline helps you to create, review, and share data management plans that meet institutional and funder requirements. It is provided by the Digital Curation Centre (DCC).

Image captured from the official website of DMP Online (Accessed 27 November 2020).

What is a Data Management Plan? 

Data Management Plans (DMPs) document how data generated during a research project will be managed and preserved for reuse. Funders are taking this increasingly seriously and are evaluating the strength of DMPs when assessing bids for research funding. 

Who does it apply to? 

Staff undertaking research and PGRs. 

What is DMP Online? 

DMP Online is a data management planning tool. Created by the Digital Curation Centre (DCC), it enables researchers to write DMPs using funder templates. It also benefits from: 

  • Integrated guidance 
  • Tools to enable collaboration with colleagues/supervisors/library support 

DMP Online is highly recommended, helping researchers to meet funder expectations. There is also a BU template for all other projects. 

Where to go for more information and support 

The Library has developed an extensive Research Data Management (RDM) guide, which includes guidance for DMPs. 

Email bordar@bournemouth.ac.uk for additional support. 

 

Image credit:

Digital Curation Centre, 2020. DMPonline [online]. Available at: https://dmponline.dcc.ac.uk/ [Accessed 27 November 2020].

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Experts needed for Scientific Advisory positions

Food Standards Agency – Invitation to join the Independent Scientific Advisory Council.

  • The Food Standards Agency is looking for committed, highly capable and motivated individuals to become members of their Scientific Advisory Committees and Science Council. Members will help ensure food produced or sold in the UK is safe, providing independent expert assessment of risks arising in food and from new food and feed products, additives, processes and packaging.
  • The agency is looking for 17 new experts to further strengthen the expertise in the Scientific Advisory Committees and Science Council, ensuring that the UK’s regulation for food and feed safety continues to be informed by the best independent scientific advice.
  • Colleagues should visit the recruitment page for more information on the roles and how to apply. Please let us know if you do intend to apply.

If you need support with your application please contact Sarah – policy@bournemouth.ac.uk.