University of Wales Trinity Saint David

This paper explores key factors affecting the usability of Health & Social Care Systems in Wales and the Netherlands. Focusing on interoperability, security, privacy, usability, data quality, and personalisations. The findings emphasise the need for user-centered design, comprehensive training, and seamless integration to enhance system adoption and effectiveness.

The rise of digital health technologies offers innovative solutions to address the growing demands in healthcare. Within long-term care settings, the shortage of trained staff in essential areas such as swallowing, nutrition, and medication management has been exacerbated by the increasing complexity of care needs. Virtual Reality (VR) is an emerging technology that provides immersive, interactive environments that can enhance training in remote telehealth assessments, reducing gaps in care delivery while meeting the requirements of health professionals. Objectives: This study investigates the requirements for implementing a Virtual Reality training program tailored for care home staff. The focus is on using VR to improve competencies in remote telehealth assessments in key areas such as swallowing, nutrition, and medication management. Methods: A mixed-methods approach was used, combining surveys and focus groups with care home staff, Generic Therapy Associate Practitioners (GTAPs), and Allied Health Professionals (AHPs). The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) framework was employed to understand factors influencing the adoption of VR in telehealth training, focusing on perceived usefulness, ease of use, and the integration of digital technologies into clinical workflows. Results: The findings revealed three key areas: (1) the need for realistic and clinically relevant content in VR training simulations, (2) the importance of ease of use and accessibility to ensure broader adoption of VR, and (3) the role of organizational support, including technological infrastructure and funding, in successful deployment. Participants indicated that VR could bridge training gaps by providing scalable, risk-free simulations that enhance staff confidence in delivering remote telehealth assessments. Conclusion: Virtual Reality presents a transformative opportunity in digital health education, particularly in equipping care home staff to conduct remote telehealth assessments. By leveraging VR’s immersive capabilities, integrated health and social care can advance towards more efficient, scalable, and effective training solutions. The successful integration of this digital tool will depend on addressing both technological and organizational barriers, paving the way for broader implementation across healthcare systems.

Digital training using context responsive platforms is feasible in resource-limited settings and may be used to close critical knowledge gaps among health workers in Africa. We highlight examples of health workforce capacity building in Nigeria using digital health strategies. These studies show the potential for digital health to boost both health system performance and efficiency.

This study explores barriers and facilitators to Heath Care Professionals (HCP) adopting digital tools for Supported Self-Management and Remote Monitoring in long-term conditions. It used a mixed-methods approach to compare experiences across two locations in South Wales with one location in the Netherlands using systems with varying levels of integration. Analysis of the survey and interviews using, a novel Modified Extended FITT Framework, found that whilst the level of system integration emerged as a significant factor influencing clinical adoption, organisational and wider contextual human factors were equally important. The findings illustrate a trend that whilst system integration is critical, organisational support and user digital adaption are essential human factor considerations for successful adoption.

Contemporary philosophical debate in the philosophy of time draws on two, fairly distinct, sources: physics and philosophical logic. This paper focuses on the latter, and, in particular, on representatives of the dominant views: ‘tenseless’ (Frege) and ‘tensed’ (Prior). Their rival accounts of the sense of differently tensed talk are compared. It is argued that while they share preconceptions that might be questioned, Prior's appeal to relief that a pain is over may, properly understood, contribute to a philosophical understanding of time in a way that is largely precluded by widespread, and challengeable, ideas about the character of language and logic: ideas that fail properly to acknowledge the sense in which talk is in time.

This study explores the identity tensions and emotion regulation strategies of Chinese novice EFL teachers as they navigate these challenges. Using purposeful sampling, six novice EFL teachers were recruited based on their years of teaching experience, grade levels taught, and Banzhuren (homeroom teacher) experience. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of the data reveals that identity tensions arise at the micro, meso, and macro levels, with emotion regulation playing a vital role in addressing these tensions. Participants’ imagined identity as key teachers in main subjects, collaborators with parents, and focused English teachers often conflict with the practiced identities as marginalised teachers, sole educators and constrained subordinate workers. Additionally, by applying Gross’s (2015) framework of emotion regulation, the research identifies four interrelated strategies that teachers employ to resolve identity tensions: cognitive reappraisal, situation modification, response modulation and attentional deployment. These strategies enable Chinese novice EFL teachers to either uphold their imagined identities, conform to their practiced identities, or, more frequently, inhabit a dynamic, transitional space between the two. The study broadens the understanding of EFL teachers’ professional identity development, highlighting the dynamic relationship between identity formation and emotion regulation.

The study aims to explore the direct and indirect effects of artificial intelligence on resilience and performance in a modern supply chain evolution environment. The email survey reached 208 companies from Jordan registered with the Jordanian Industry and Commerce, and results were collected using structural equation modeling analysis. The results show the impact of artificial intelligence on overall supply chain performance. However, similar output is only achievable using its equipage capability to return data to promote the resilience of supply and performance. This paper provides additional standpoints on how to use artificial intelligence to ensure supply chain performance; however, longitudinal research offers deeper insights. Furthermore, this analysis addresses the existing gap in the literature regarding synthetic intelligence. While this study has taken critical measures throughout the research process to ensure safety, it is necessary to note that it is still susceptible to some common boundaries found in survey designs. A longitudinal study might expand the research to examine further aspects of the phenomenon.

Music performance anxiety is a prevalent issue among musicians, including both instrumentalists and singers, impacting their ability to perform. Research suggests music coaches are a preferred source of help in ameliorating music performance anxiety, but vocal coaches largely lack the training to provide this. This paper seeks to explore sung improvisation as a strategy to alleviate music performance anxiety among singers within the vocal coaching studio. Previous research suggests music improvisation can reduce music performance anxiety in instrumentalists. However, its application with singers remains underexplored. Three participants of different ages and gender identities sang in front of an audience and then underwent six 30-min vocal coaching sessions involving sung improvisation over 2 months. Post the intervention they performed again under similar conditions. Self-report measures, including the Kenny Music Performance Anxiety Inventory (K-MPAI) and the Music Performance Anxiety Inventory for Adolescents (MPAI-A), were used to assess levels of music performance anxiety prior to and post the intervention. Participant feedback and observations provided additional insights into the benefits and challenges of using sung improvisation for music performance anxiety management in singers. All participants presented with reduced music performance anxiety symptoms post the intervention of vocal improvisation. Only one participant presented reliable change with a reliable change score of 2.67. However, the data suggested social validity, indicating the potential value of improvisation as a strategy to ameliorate music performance anxiety within the vocal coaching studio. This study provides insights for vocal coaches and singers on the efficacy of sung improvisation for reducing music performance anxiety, contributing to a better understanding of the coach’s role in addressing this issue.

Forest tourism is a vital avenue for promoting green consumption and constitutes a significant part of ecotourism in China. Its development offers substantial economic, social, and ecological benefits. Balancing regional economic growth and ecological conservation requires analyzing its spatiotemporal evolutionary patterns and driving factors. This study established a comprehensive and dynamic index system to evaluate the forest tourism development level (FTDL) in 18 prefecture-level cities in Henan Province from 2018 to 2021. Exploratory spatial data analysis and the geographical detector model were employed to examine spatiotemporal evolution patterns and identify the underlying driving mechanisms. The key findings are as follows: (1) the temporal evolution of FTDL in Henan Province exhibited “stratified heterogeneity and small fluctuations”, while its spatial distribution followed a “high in the southwest and low in the east” pattern; (2) over time, the spatial autocorrelation of FTDL in Henan Province shifted from positive to negative, with a gradual decline in correlation strength; and (3) eight dominant drivers categorized into four groups were identified, revealing a shift in the driving forces of forest tourism in Henan Province from environmental to economic factors. This study supports the formulation of political strategies to harmonize ecological conservation and economic development.

Accountability in education takes many forms. One of the most prominent in the Welsh context is school inspection, which is considered an important measure of school performance and a way of holding schools accountable for the public money they receive. However, inspections are not accepted as adding value to the system without exception, and much has been written internationally about the negative impact of inspection on teachers and leaders. This small-scale study was interested in better understanding the perception of school leaders, as those with ultimate responsibility for the direction and performance of schools, based on their experience of the inspection process in Wales. It used a series of in-depth, semi-structured interviews to explore school leaders’ feelings about and responses to inspection, using Foucauldian insights on power and discourse as a frame. Findings from the study suggest that the conduct of inspectors was more of a concern to participants than the judgements they awarded. While school leaders accepted inspection was a necessary process linked to the need to build and maintain public confidence, they were in broad agreement that the inspectors themselves did not communicate appropriately with school staff, were too authoritarian, and were at times disrespectful.

Background and Objective Previous studies examining the effects of cluster sets (CS) compared to traditional sets (TS) protocols on muscle hypertrophy have primarily equated to volume load. This inevitably has resulted in a lower number of repetitions performed in TS compared to CS, thereby leading to a suboptimal hypertrophic stimulus. The present study aimed to compare the impact of CS and TS protocols, both performed with the same number of sets and repetitions, but with loads adjusted to the same range of repetitions in reserve (RIR) on muscle hypertrophy. Methods Ten resistance-trained volunteers (7 men and 3 women, 21.0 ± 1.5 years, 64.3 ± 6.9 kg, and 169.3 ± 6.2 cm) participated in this study. Participants performed two training protocols over an 8-week period, with two weekly sessions consisting of 5 sets of 12 repetitions of the leg press and leg extension exercises. The study employed a within-participant, unilateral design where one limb performed a TS protocol and the contralateral limb performed 3 clusters of 4 repetitions with a 20-s intra-set rest period of the same exercises (CS). Muscle thickness was assessed via ultrasound and thigh lean tissue mass was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry pre- and post-study. Results Results showed similar increases in muscle thickness (p < 0.001, ES = 0.56, and p = 0.012, ES = 0.42, respectively) and lean tissue mass (p = 0.002, ES = 0.11, and p < 0.001, ES = 0.13, respectively) in both CS and TS conditions. Conclusion In conclusion, when sets, repetitions, and load adjustments were equalized based on RIR, a CS protocol elicits similar increases in muscle thickness and lean mass compared to a TS protocol.

The dynamic nature of healthcare organisations requires their workforce to keep abreast of advances in knowledge and practice. However, healthcare professionals can experience unique challenges when undertaking part-time higher education study. They often encounter difficulties such as time constraints, burnout, and limited access to study resources. This chapter explores part-time, professional MSc student learners’ experiences of learning while working, identifying the barriers and facilitators that impact their studies. The chapter draws on published literature and a survey we conducted in Wales to provide insights into the experiences of part-time healthcare students. We offer practical recommendations for improving the educational experience such as providing protected study leave, fostering strong educator–student relationships, and utilising blended learning techniques to enhance accessibility and relevance. The chapter advocates for an inclusive approach to adult education, which values practical, experience-based learning and promotes flexibility to accommodate professional and personal commitments.

This research examines the factors influencing the intention to use artificial intelligence (AI) technology in the recruitment process in UN agencies in Yemen, considering the influence of AI on the responsibilities of recruiters and human resources (HR) experts. Although AI technologies have made significant progress and can automate the recruitment process, limited research exists on recruiters’ comprehension of AI systems and the factors driving AI adoption. This study aims to fill this gap in knowledge by examining the factors that influence the intention to use AI in the context of the recruitment process, integrating the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and the Perceived Risk (PR) model as the underlying theories, providing an understanding of the factors affecting AI adoption in recruitment. Through a quantitative approach, data was collected from 93 HR and recruiting professionals in United Nations (UN) agencies in Yemen and analyzed using correlation and regression analyses. Results showed significant positive relationships between performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), and the intention to use AI in recruitment, highlighting their roles in productivity and task completion. Social influence (SI) also positively impacts AI adoption. Conversely, time risk (TR) negatively affects the intention to use AI, underscoring the need to address and mitigate TR. No relationship was found between performance risk (PER) and behavioral intention (BI). These findings assist in mitigating time and performance concerns and implementing AI in recruitment with transparency.

The quest to boost student employability remains a critical focus in higher education. Accordingly, employability is a fundamental yardstick for the performance of universities, which reflects the capability of the institutions to support students in getting and keeping roles suitable to their education while adding value to themselves and society. Although the literature underscores the importance of graduate employability, the significance of guest lectures in meeting this goal – and strategies for convening it – has received limited attention. This study draws on the Self-determination theory (SDT) and pedagogical considerations to propose a framework for setting up impactful guest lectures that bolster student employability. Therefore, we employ the framework to provide guest lectures for a diverse group of 495 postgraduate students in the UK and collect qualitative data for analysis. Through a qualitative deductive approach, we uncovered how using diverse presentation styles while linking theory and practice supports the autonomy needs of students, exposure to the future role supports their need for competence, and linking guest speaker sessions to assignment tasks and co-creative environment supports their relatedness need. Our study offers novelty through an SDT-based framework for implementing guest lecture sessions that engender high levels of participation and engagement.

GA²LEN and EFA propose minimum specifications for all industrialised countries/regions to work towards to support students with food allergies in educational settings. We reviewed research and legislation and gained feedback from over 100 patient and professional groups. We built shared expectations around: 1. training all school staff about what food allergy is, the symptoms of allergic reactions, what to do in an emergency, and when and how to use and store devices that laypeople can use to administer adrenaline (epinephrine). 2. preventing allergic reactions by using clear labelling on school menus and prepacked and non‐prepacked foods and regular cleaning where students eat. 3. preparing for serious allergic reactions, with written emergency action plans for every student with food allergies, legislation allowing schools to store adrenaline for anyone who needs it in an emergency (not just those prescribed it), and training and legal safeguards for staff administering adrenaline. 4. including affected students by discussing food allergy in the curriculum, raising awareness among all students and caregivers and reviewing school processes regularly. It is time for national and international action at the policy level. Patient groups, education networks and professional societies all play a role in campaigning for shared next steps.