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Article
Publication date: 1 October 2024

Patricia Gooding, Rebecca Crook, Melissa Westwood and Sarah Peters

Understanding ways to foster wellbeing in postgraduate-research students (PGRs) requires focus especially with respect to positive relationship formation with supervisory teams…

Abstract

Purpose

Understanding ways to foster wellbeing in postgraduate-research students (PGRs) requires focus especially with respect to positive relationship formation with supervisory teams. Hence, the purpose of this study was to explore six different ways of nurturing wellbeing; perceptions of positive relationships with supervisory teams; and interactions between these factors.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 155 PGRs completed questionnaires at baseline and six months. The predictor variables were six ways of nurturing wellbeing; the outcome variable was psychological wellbeing appraisals overall; and the moderator variables were positive perceptions of relationships with key staff.

Findings

The most effective ways of nurturing wellbeing were Noticing and Being Aware; Discovering and Learning; Connecting with Others; and Being Healthy and Safe. Over time, Noticing and Being Aware predicted psychological wellbeing appraisals overall. Positive relationships with supervisors, co-supervisors and work peers were associated with wellbeing appraisals. Furthermore, positive relationships with co-supervisors most convincingly strengthened the relationships between wellbeing appraisals and Noticing and Being Healthy cross-sectionally, and Giving longitudinally.

Research limitations/implications

It is concerning that PGRs are often overlooked when developing policies and strategies to combat mental health problems. Rather than simply focusing on diminishing mental health problems, the current work evidences ways of optimizing positive aspects of PGR experiences by actively nurturing wellbeing in tandem with enhancing relationships with supervisory team members. However, such initiatives have to be an investment at institutional, as well as individual levels.

Originality/value

Examining the interactions between nurturing positive wellbeing in PGRs and positive relationships with supervisory team members is under-researched.

Details

Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-4686

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 October 2024

Michele Jacobsen, Nicole Neutzling, Liza Lorenzetti, Elizabeth Oddone Paolucci, Lorelli Nowell, Tracey Clancy, Georgina Freeman and Diane L. Lorenzetti

The purpose of the study was to examine graduate student perspectives on the common and unique roles peer mentors and supervisors play in supporting student success and wellbeing…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to examine graduate student perspectives on the common and unique roles peer mentors and supervisors play in supporting student success and wellbeing during their program.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative research design involving semistructured interviews with 62 thesis-based masters and doctoral students from four professional faculties, Education, Medicine, Nursing and Social Work, at a large public research-intensive university in Canada.

Findings

Findings transcend the four disciplines of study. Communities of support are described that involve both supervisors and peers in combination, clusters of meaning by supervisory paradigm are identified and original findings presented that expand upon the learning alliance framework by explicitly considering the role of peer mentors in graduate student success.

Research limitations/implications

While supervisors bear primary responsibility for fostering effective research-based relationships, this study’s findings strengthen the argument that mentoring and advising of graduate students is most effective when conducted within a collaborative community of support that involves learning alliances among faculty, peers, program staff and academic leaders across the institution.

Practical implications

A four-pronged approach to graduate education that emphasizes the collective responsibility of institutions, programs, supervisors and students in creating a supportive ecosystem for holistic graduate student academic success and wellbeing is recommended.

Social implications

Key argument that it is essential to embrace a collaborative and community of support mindset, where multiple stakeholders actively contribute to the wellbeing and academic development of graduate students throughout their programs.

Originality/value

A cross-disciplinary perspective is offered on the importance of both supervisors and peers in assisting thesis-based graduate students to successfully navigate academic, social and personal journeys through graduate school.

Details

Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-4686

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 September 2024

M. Teresa Armijos and Viviana Ramirez Loaiza

In this paper we ask: “What are the opportunities and challenges that creative methods pose in terms of conducting research processes with indigenous peoples impacted by…

Abstract

Purpose

In this paper we ask: “What are the opportunities and challenges that creative methods pose in terms of conducting research processes with indigenous peoples impacted by emergencies and disasters?” To do that, we critically examine the creative and collaborative methodological approaches applied in the research project, Moving with Risk: Forced Displacement and Vulnerability in Colombia. This project sought to understand the trajectories of risk of families who were forcibly displaced as a result of the armed conflict in Colombia and resettled in areas at risk of disaster.

Design/methodology/approach

This article is intentionally written from the perspective of the researchers’ positionality. In doing so, we embrace writing that is situated and embodied in the researcher’s experiences and positionalities. This reflexive writing allows us to question the methodological experience of the research project we are analysing and, at the same time, ourselves, “the researchers” be questioned by it.

Findings

In this paper, we show how creative methods and participatory research can foster awareness and become the basis for inclusive and reciprocal research processes with indigenous communities in disaster studies. Specifically, we show that the use of creative methods helped us recognise that agency needs to be framed in collective spaces with the indigenous women we were working with and in relation to their livelihoods needs. We argue that finding spaces to conduct collaborative research and recognize agency is inextricably related to how the researchers reflect on their positionality.

Originality/value

This article contributes to critical perspectives in Disaster Studies and to an overall understanding of the role that creative methodologies play in research processes with people affected by disasters. It provides a novel perspective on the opportunities and challenges of applying arts-based methods in disaster risk studies with indigenous communities in Latin America.

Details

Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-3562

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 September 2024

Nour Mani, Nhiem Tran, Alan Jones, Azadeh Mirabedini, Shadi Houshyar and Kate Fox

The purpose of this study is therefore to detail an additive manufacturing process for printing TiD parts for implant applications. Titanium–diamond (TiD) is a new composite that…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is therefore to detail an additive manufacturing process for printing TiD parts for implant applications. Titanium–diamond (TiD) is a new composite that provides biocompatible three-dimensional multimaterial structures. Thus, the authors report a powder-deposition and print optimization strategy to overcome the dual-functionality gap by printing bulk TiD parts. However, despite favorable customization outcomes, relatively few additive manufacturing (AM) feedstock powders offer the biocompatibility required for medical implant and device technologies.

Design/methodology/approach

AM offers a platform to fabricate customized patient-specific parts. Developing feedstock that can be 3D printed into specific 3D structures while providing a favorable interface with the human tissue remains a challenge. Using laser metal deposition, feedstock powder comprising diamond and titanium was co-printed into TiD parts for mechanical testing to determine optimal manufacturing parameters.

Findings

TiD parts were fabricated comprising 30% and 50% diamond. The composite powder had a Hausner ratio of 1.13 and 1.21 for 30% and 50% TiD, respectively. The flow analysis (Carney flow) for TiD 30% and 50% was 7.53 and 5.15 g/s. The authors report that the printing-specific conditions significantly affect the integrity of the printed part and thus provide the optimal manufacturing parameters for structural integrity as determined by micro-computed tomography, nanoindentation and biocompatibility of TiD parts. The hardness, ultimate tensile strength and yield strength for TiD are 4–6 GPa (depending on build position), 426 MPa and 375 MPa, respectively. Furthermore, the authors show that increasing diamond composition to 30% results in higher osteoblast viability and lower bacteria count than titanium.

Originality/value

In this study, the authors provide a clear strategy to manufacture TiD parts with high integrity, performance and biocompatibility, expanding the material feedstock library and paving the way to customized diamond implants. Diamond is showing strong potential as a biomedical material; however, upscale is limited by conventional techniques. By optimizing AM as the avenue to make complex shapes, the authors open up the possibility of patient-specific diamond implant solutions.

Graphical abstarct

Details

Rapid Prototyping Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2546

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 October 2024

Raheleh Khosravi, Maryam Mogheiseh and Reza Hasanzadeh Ghasemi

The present study aims to design and simulate various types of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) origami-based nanopores and explore their stability under different temperatures and…

Abstract

Purpose

The present study aims to design and simulate various types of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) origami-based nanopores and explore their stability under different temperatures and constraints. To create DNA origami nanopores, both one-layer and two-layer structures can be utilized.

Design/methodology/approach

One of the key applications of DNA origami structures involves the creation of nanopores, which have garnered significant interest for their diverse applications across multiple scientific disciplines. DNA origami nanopores can be studied individually and in combination with other structures. The structural stability of these nanopores across various temperature conditions is crucial for enabling the passage of diverse payloads.

Findings

Comparing these DNA origami structures can provide valuable insights into the performance of these nanopores under different conditions. The results indicate that two-layer nanopores exhibit better structural stability under various temperatures compared to one-layer nanopores. Additionally, small structural changes in two-layer nanopores enable them to maintain stability even at high temperatures.

Originality/value

In this paper, various DNA origami-based nanopores were designed and simulated, focusing specifically on one-layer and two-layer configurations. The two-layer nanopore consistently exhibited superior stability across both free and restrained scenarios, undergoing fewer structural changes compared to the one-layer nanopore. As temperatures increased, the two-layer nanopore remained less susceptible to deformation, maintaining closer to its original shape. Moreover, in the free scenario, the geometric shape of the two-layer nanopore demonstrated fewer variations than the one-layer nanopore.

Details

Multidiscipline Modeling in Materials and Structures, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1573-6105

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 18 June 2024

Kristin Samantha Williams

The aim of this study is two-fold: (1) to promote a model of youth participatory research and offer a window of understanding into how it can be enacted and (2) to understand…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study is two-fold: (1) to promote a model of youth participatory research and offer a window of understanding into how it can be enacted and (2) to understand youth perspectives on youth empowerment. This study asks: “how can youth help us understand youth empowerment?”

Design/methodology/approach

The study applies youth participatory action research (YPAR) and interpretative phenomenological analysis. The study illustrates how to enact a model of YPAR by engaging youth in the process of research in a youth-serving community non-profit organization.

Findings

This study sets out to make two important contributions, one methodological and one theoretical: First, the study contributes to our understanding of the opportunities and benefits of youth-engaged, peer-to-peer research. Specifically, this study promotes a model of youth participatory action research and knowledge making processes, and the associated social and formal benefits for youth. By extension, this study illustrates an approach to engage youth in formal contexts which has implications for both management and organizational studies and education. Finally, the study extends our understanding and conceptualization of the phenomenon of youth empowerment (as informed by youth perspectives).

Originality/value

The study offers insight into how to conduct youth participatory action research and specifically how to address two limitations cited in the literature: (1) how to authentically engage youth including how to share power, and (2) how to perform youth participatory action research, often critiqued as a black box methodology.

Details

Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: An International Journal, vol. 19 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5648

Keywords

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