University of Portsmouth

Sport psychology practitioners are increasingly operating in the esport domain. Yet it remains unclear how practitioners who have exclusively been trained in traditional sport develop a contextually grounded understanding of their practice in esport. This study, framed from an ontological relativism and epistemological interpretivism approach, involved semistructured interviews with 10 qualified practitioners (three female, seven male) who transitioned from traditional sport to esport. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis and presented via three composite vignettes: (a) My wish was to feel a part of the team, but there’s no team; (b) To be honest, did I have assumptions going into esport? Absolutely!; and (c) Esport is the wild, wild west. Our findings offer insights on the hurdles associated with transitioning from traditional sport to esport, thus highlighting the important role that esport organizations, training routes, and educational institutions have in supporting practitioners to ethically and effectively work in this domain.

Coastal scientists are increasingly advocating for nature-based coastal solutions (NBCS) to ensure long-term coastal sustainability. Implementing NBCS will change coastal landscapes, necessitating consultation with the wider public as such changes directly affect the socio-cultural values of coastal zone residents and users. We, therefore, investigate public willingness to support, preferences for, and perceived effectiveness of coastal management solutions, nature-based and otherwise, focusing on the UK as a case study. We do this through an online survey of >500 UK residents, capturing their demographics, place of residence, and coastal management perceptions. We apply inductive coding, statistical, and geospatial techniques to analyse our survey data. While we find consensus on the need for coastal management, there are divergent coastal management preferences and perceptions: NBCS are most preferred while hard defences are considered most effective. We find that people with coastal management and/or engineering experience are more convinced by NBCS effectiveness, while coastal residents believe in hard defences. Although NBCS may have several environmental benefits (e.g., coastal protection, carbon sequestration, greater biodiversity), we find that public knowledge on their likely effectiveness is limited. Therefore, if NBCS is deemed to be the way forward for coastal sustainability, more local stakeholder engagement on NBCS will be needed, potentially through systems mapping, in order to facilitate more robust and inclusive coastal management policies.

The immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a pivotal role in the response to various anticancer therapies, such as immune and chemotherapeutic agents. In this study, the synergistic effects of gene-targeting HIF-1α siRNA combined with Toll-Like Receptor 7 agonist on TME remodeling were investigated in a mouse model of colorectal cancer (CRC). A HIF-1α-specific siRNA duplex was formulated based on the ionic gelation of tripolyphosphate (TPP) with cationic chitosan (CH) as a nanoplex and evaluated in terms of size, charge, polydispersity index and gel retardation assay. MTT assay was conducted to assess the cytotoxicity of the specific siRNA duplex against CT26 cells. Hypoxic condition was generated to evaluate the gene and protein expression levels of HIF-1α, respectively. CT26 mouse model was established to assess the synergistic effect of silencing HIF-1α combined with oxaliplatin (OXA) and imiquimod (IMQ) on tumor growth. The mean diameter of the CH/siRNA nanoparticles was 243 ± 6 nm, as confirmed with Micrograph scanning electron microscope. There were no significant differences observed between the CT26 cells treated with nanoparticles alone and the untreated cells, indicating that these nanoparticles are safe and physiologically biocompatible (p ≥ 0.05). Triple combination therapy involving HIF-1α siRNA, OXA, and IMQ significantly retarded tumor growth and led to elevated levels of cytokines linked to cellular immunity (INF-γ and IL-12) compared with those in the other groups (P < 0.05). The positive correlation coefficient (r = 0.68) between tumor size and HIF-1α expression levels was statistically significant (P = 0.003). Compared with those in the control group, the expression levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and IL-4 significantly decreased (P < 0.05). In conclusion, our findings suggest that inhibiting HIF-1α could serve as a rational strategy to enhance the antitumor response in the TME.

Following financial technologies’ rapid growth, innovations and R&D are entering the insurance industry. The development of technologies such as smart sensors, artificial intelligence, and mobile technologies offers potential for disruptive innovations to revolutionise the industry. This paper identifies the key technological adoptions and R&D in the field of InsurTech considering the sources of innovations and actors through patentometrics. It analyses the main areas of granted patents and patent applications in this field. The present literature provides both quantitative and qualitative information about key areas, investments, and further financial data in the field, but a thorough patent analysis is not yet available. This study also contributes to the adoption and innovation theories. It outlines a new angle by examining the sources of innovations and technological adoptions through both academic and professional lenses. Patentometrics helps to identify the technological clusters and main actors globally. Patent applications can reveal potential future focus points. Hence, the analysis of patents can provide a more specific outlook than an extrapolation of historical financial data. In addition, interviews with experts are conducted to justify the results of the patentometrics and to collect further information. The results show how, in a low-tech environment, innovations occur with the support of third parties and industry-specific R&D and organisations. Interestingly, most adopters and innovators are within the insurance industry. Analysing InsurTech patent applications leads to the identification of R&D activities in the vehicle, health, and property insurance areas. These areas can represent the future trends of innovations in the InsurTech industry.

Background With Nigeria accounting for 31% of the estimated 608,000 deaths due to malaria globally, good knowledge of malaria prevention is essential for effective malaria control. The objective of this study was to examine the knowledge of malaria prevention and its associated factors among Nigerian women. Methods This study analysed secondary data from the 2021 Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey. The sample included 14,476 women of reproductive age (15–49 years). A multilevel multivariable logistic regression was used to examine individual, household, and community-level factors associated with having good knowledge of malaria prevention. Results The weighted prevalence of having good knowledge of malaria prevention was 43.5% (95%CI: 41.7–45.2%). Women with secondary/higher education had 2.35 higher odds of good knowledge of malaria prevention, when compared with those with no formal/primary education (aOR = 2.35; 95% CI: 2.00–2.75). Those exposed to malaria messages had 2.62 higher odds of good knowledge of malaria prevention, when compared with no exposure to malaria messages (aOR = 2.62; 95% CI: 2.31–2.97). Women from non-poor households had 1.42 higher odds of good knowledge of malaria prevention, when compared with those from poor households (aOR = 1.42; 95% CI: 1.17–1.71). Rural dwellers had 39.0% reduction in the odds of good knowledge of malaria prevention, when compared with their urban counterparts (aOR = 0.61; 95% CI: 0.46–0.80). In addition, women from communities with high level of education (aOR = 2.24; 95%CI: 1.38–3.64), moderately exposed to malaria messages (aOR = 1.43; 95%CI: 1.08–1.88) and highly exposed to malaria messages (aOR = 1.71; 95%CI: 1.27–2.30), had higher odds of good knowledge of malaria prevention, when compared with women from communities with low education and low exposure to malaria messages, respectively. Conclusion The knowledge of malaria prevention was found to be low. The study identified education, religion, exposure to malaria messages, wealth, region, place of residence, community-level poverty, education and exposure to malaria messages as factors associated with the knowledge of malaria prevention. Addressing these factors through targeted interventions, such as improving educational opportunities for women and enhancing media-driven public health campaigns are essential to enhancing malaria knowledge among this critical demographic group.

Children’s agential behaviours in the archaeological record have often been overlooked. Despite efforts to centre children in the past through ‘an archaeology of childhood’, there remains a fundamental challenge of rigorously distinguishing children’s behaviours from those of adults. In Upper Palaeolithic art, this has been addressed through the analysis of anatomical measurements of traces produced by hands and figures, demonstrating that children were often engaging in artistic behaviours. However, the dependency on anatomical measurements limits the cases for Upper Palaeolithic children’s art. We here integrate developmental psychological research on children’s drawings into a framework within which children’s art in the Upper Palaeolithic record can be identified, without needing to rely on anatomical measurements. This work emphasises the intangible dimensions of narrative and play inherent within modern children’s art making behaviours as a starting point for understanding children as artists in the Upper Palaeolithic. Focusing on a case study of the Panel of the Masks from Las Monedas cave (Cantabria, Spain), this approach is demonstrated to have significant potential in both detecting children’s art and appreciating the playful nature of its making. We further propose ways that this approach can be employed to identify additional cases of children’s art in the Upper Palaeolithic record through specific methods that facilitate in-depth analysis of the properties of possible cases of children’s art.

The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), HAR1A is emerging as a putative tumour suppressor. In non-neoplastic brain cells, REST suppresses HAR1A expression. In gliomas REST acts as an oncogene and is a potential therapeutic target. It is therefore conceivable that REST promotes glioma progression by down-regulating HAR1A. To test this hypothesis, glioma clinical databases were analysed to study: (I) HAR1A/REST correlation; (II) HAR1A and REST prognostic role; (III) molecular pathways associated with these genes. HAR1A expression and subcellular localization were studied in glioblastoma and paediatric glioma cells. REST function was also studied in these cells, by observing the effects of gene silencing on: (I) HAR1A expression; (II) cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration; (III) expression of neural differentiation genes. The same phenotypes (and cell morphology) were studied in HAR1A overexpressing cells. Our results show that REST and HAR1A are negatively correlated in gliomas. Higher REST expression predicts worse prognosis in low-grade gliomas (the opposite is true for HAR1A). REST-silencing induces HAR1A upregulation. HAR1A is primarily detected in the nucleus. REST-silencing dramatically reduces cell proliferation and induces apoptosis, but HAR1A overexpression has no major effect on investigated cell phenotypes. We also show that REST regulates the expression of neural differentiation genes and that its oncogenic function is primarily HAR1A-independent.

Scientific advances are historically linked to colonial actions of past empires resulting in knowledge production biased towards the West with minimal representation of scholars of other ethnicities than White in science curricula in Higher Education (HE). Calls to decolonise science curricula seek to diversify content by acknowledging the role of racism and privilege in the history of science, aiming at creating a HE that is less isolating for minoritised ethnicities and feels welcoming to students of all identities. This case study explored science teaching staff’s familiarity with and misconceptions of decolonisation at a UK HE institution using an online questionnaire. We further assessed participants’ perceptions of barriers, benefits and risks, training needs, and preparedness to take actions in their teaching. We found that a majority of participants had a positive disposition towards decolonising their teaching, but that critical misconceptions, e.g. linking decolonisation to ‘cancel culture’ and ‘colour-blind’ behaviour were common, while important barriers, e.g. a lack of training and constraints on time, halt progress. We provide specific recommendations for staff training and a brief historical background relevant to life sciences. By supporting teachers, that train future generations of scientists, to decolonise the curriculum we can improve equity in HE, academia, and society.

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) has experienced accelerated warming in recent decades, especially in winter. However, a comprehensive quantitative study of its long-term warming processes during daytime and nighttime is lacking. This study quantifies the different processes driving the acceleration of winter daytime and nighttime warming over the TP during 1961–2022 using surface energy budget analysis. The results show that the surface warming over the TP is mainly controlled by two processes: (a) a decrease in snow cover leading to a decrease in albedo and an increase in net downward shortwave radiation (snow-albedo feedback), and (b) a warming in tropospheric temperature (850 − 200 hPa) leading to an increase in downward longwave radiation (air warming-longwave radiation effect). The latter has a greater impact on the spatial distribution of warming than the former, and both factors jointly influence the elevation dependent warming pattern. Snow-albedo feedback is the primary factor in daytime warming over the monsoon region, contributing to about 59% of the simulated warming trend. In contrast, nighttime warming over the monsoon region and daytime/nighttime warming in the westerly region are primarily caused by the air warming-longwave radiation effect, contributing up to 67% of the simulated warming trend. The trend in the near-surface temperature mirrors that of the surface temperature, and the same process can explain changes in both. However, there are some differences: an increase in sensible heat flux is driven by a rise in the ground-atmosphere temperature difference. The increase in latent heat flux is associated with enhanced evaporation due to increased soil temperature and is also controlled by soil moisture. Both of these processes regulate the temperature difference between ground and near-surface atmosphere.

Investigative interviewers are often required to accurately remember information that has been provided by different people. This can be at the scene of an event or during follow‐up investigations in interview rooms. Interviewers must accurately monitor the source of information to differentiate between witnesses' accounts and to assess what information is novel and what has been corroborated by others or by physical evidence. The current research examined the effects of cognitive load on memory and source monitoring accuracy for information provided by multiple witnesses. Participants, under conditions of high cognitive load (HCL) where load was induced via interviewer‐relevant tasks (e.g., formulating questions) or no cognitive load (NCL), watched five mock‐witnesses' accounts of the same crime. Each witness provided several details of the crime that were unique to their individual account. When asked about account details, and which witness had provided each detail, mock‐interviewers' memory accuracy was lower in the HCL condition than the NCL condition. There was no difference between cognitive load conditions for source monitoring accuracy, which was poor regardless of condition.

Transformation is idealised as a solution to multiple ocean crises, and the blue economy has emerged as a paradigm to facilitate transformation towards a sustainable ocean future. Conceptualisations of transformation differ and processes of change to achieve transformation remain under-explored in literature, representing a significant gap in understanding how transformation is achieved. By exploring the process of blue economy governance transformations in Seychelles and Bangladesh, key attributes of transformation as a process are identified and contextualised. Connectivity of events and actions that addressed a range of different depths and parts of the governance system were identified as enablers of progress towards the blue economy. Strong, centralised leadership was identified as important at an early stage of change, but this must evolve to a distributed form of leadership to continue direction and flexibility. The role and importance of external agencies in creating and catalysing change is complex, presenting challenges to sovereignty but also acts as an independent driver of movement. From a national government perspective, the need to be ‘constantly seen as doing something’ hinders deeper changes and interventions, and instead promotes more superficial outcomes. These results demonstrate the challenges in creating transformative change, and suggest a need to explore evolutionary processes of change over time.

In the 25 years since the first issue of the International Journal of Police Science & Management was published, policing has undergone significant change as a result of economic, political and social change. Yet this period has unfortunately been bookended by the Macpherson Report in 1999 and the Casey Review in 2023, both highly critical of the occupational cultures within policing. This article takes the issue of policing cultures and examines the extent to which early ethnographic writings on the everyday realities of policing reflect the cultures of today and examines the potential and the desire for both continued research in this area and for cultural change itself. An understanding of cultural characteristics as individual layers contributing to the overall sedimentation of policing practices enables us to see how change, albeit slowly, can potentially happen. The article also suggests, however, that the tendency towards conformity within policing – in terms of both conforming to organisational working practices and norms and conforming to informal occupational cultures – puts pressure on everyone within the policing organisation to ‘fit in’, restricting difference, challenge and ultimately, significant change. A better understanding of the deep roots of occupational cultures within policing and an appreciation of both its benefits and appeal is necessary for a whole organisation approach to reform.

An updated Additive Manufacture (AM) technology to produce Bioimitated Medical Composite Trauma Plates (BMCTP) is introduced in this paper. It aims to produce bioimitated multi-layered and continuous fibre reinforced medical composites with enhanced damage resilience and biomechanics compatibility for promptly recovering fractured bones. The BMCTP samples are produced by a 3D composite printer and validated using mechanical bending test and modelling analysis. The overall mechanical and fracture properties of the BMCTP samples are conducted based on the bending test outcomes. Research results have shown that the investigated BMCTP sample reaches the loading capacity of 1 kN under three-point bending. This is approximately 2 times higher than the required load that occurs when using this medical trauma plate in surgery. The biomechanics compatibility of the trauma construct has been reflected in the design and AM process. It allows the fractured bone to undertake healing required compressive strains (1%–10%) for mechanically stimulating the healing of the fractured bone. Compared to the BMCTP sample without surface treatment, the damage resistance of the surface-treated one increases by 19%. This technology provides a highly cost-effective approach to produce future medical composite trauma plates for possible applications in treatment and prosthetics in orthopedics and traumatology.