Impact of a professional doctorate on candidates’ practice and professional development

The professional doctorate has been part of the doctoral landscape for the last two decades but it is only recently that debates as to its ‘newness’ in terms of rigour and validity started to subside, to be replaced with the more mature debate as to the variations in design, their impact and their role as advanced professional development for senior practitioners. Indeed, Research Excellence Framework (2014) placed a much stronger emphasis on the impact of research and assessed not just the academic impact but also the broader social, environmental, and economic benefits of research. If this trend is to continue professional doctorates should be placed in the heart of the next REF 2020 submission given the impact ‘professional research’ has been found to have on the wider community and business environment. But how does the professional doctorate impact on individual careers and professional development and thus on candidates’ own practice

What drives customer propensity to recommend a brand?

This paper investigates the drivers of customer propensity to recommend a brand. DFS, a leading UK retailer, has provided Staffordshire University with access to its large data set of responses to customer satisfaction surveys. We use the Net Promoter Score methodology to differentiate between different levels of customer loyalty (i.e. “detractors”, “passive” and “promoters”). We then use a logistic regression model to determine what influences the likelihood of a customer becoming a “promoter”. We use factor analysis to reduce the large number of survey questions to a manageable number of explanatory variables. The most important factors identified are (i) satisfaction with product quality, (ii) satisfaction with the sales experience and (iii) the ability of the company to exceed customers’ expectations. We find that the law of diminishing returns applies; i.e., when average satisfaction is already high, management should expect lower returns on investment in additional improvements. In addition, we find that satisfaction is a better predictor of true loyalty than previous purchase

No fundraising tradition? How to address this challenge

The presentation focuses on addressing the lack of a fundraising tradition in European higher education institutions (HEIs). It highlights strategies to build effective fundraising initiatives. The primary goal of HE fundraising is to diversify income sources and support both short- and long-term academic activities through philanthropic donations. This presentation emphasizes the need to understand an institution\u27s unique values and alumni community, build long-term relationships with donors, and ensure institutional buy-in for successful fundraising. It also discusses the challenges European universities face, such as cultural skepticism and lack of structure, while showcasing the benefits of adopting innovative approaches and leveraging technology

Enhanced immunogenicity of an HIV-1 DNA vaccine delivered with electroporation via combined intramuscular and intradermal routes

It is accepted that an effective prophylactic HIV-1 vaccine is likely to have the greatest impact on viral transmission rates. As previous reports have implicated DNA-priming, protein boost regimens to be efficient activators of humoral responses, we sought to optimize this regimen to further augment vaccine immunogenicity. Here we evaluated single versus concurrent intradermal (i.d.) and intramuscular (i.m.) vaccinations as a DNA-priming strategy for their abilities to elicit humoral and cellular responses against a model HIV-1 vaccine antigen, CN54-gp140. To further augment vaccine-elicited T and B cell responses, we enhanced cellular transfection with electroporation and then boosted the DNA-primed responses with homologous protein delivered subcutaneously (s.c.), intranasally (i.n.), i.m., or transcutaneously (t.c.). In mice, the concurrent priming regimen resulted in significantly elevated gamma interferon T cell responses and high-avidity antigen-specific IgG B cell responses, a hallmark of B cell maturation. Protein boosting of the concurrent DNA strategy further enhanced IgG concentrations but had little impact on T cell reactivity. Interestingly protein boosting by the subcutaneous route increased antibody avidity to a greater extent than protein boosting by either the i.m., i.n., or t.c. route, suggesting that this route may be preferential for driving B cell maturation. Using an alternative and larger animal model, the rabbit, we found the concurrent DNA-priming strategy followed by s.c. protein boosting to again be capable of eliciting high-avidity humoral responses and to also be able to neutralize HIV-1 pseudoviruses from diverse clades (clades A, B, and C). Taken together, we show that concurrent multiple-route DNA vaccinations induce strong cellular immunity, in addition to potent and high-avidity humoral immune responses. IMPORTANCE The route of vaccination has profound effects on prevailing immune responses. Due to the insufficient immunogenicity and protection of current DNA delivery strategies, we evaluated concurrent DNA delivery via simultaneous administration of plasmid DNA by the i.m. and i.d. routes. The rationale behind this study was to provide clear evidence of the utility of concurrent vaccinations for an upcoming human clinical trial. Furthermore, this work will guide future preclinical studies by evaluating the use of model antigens and plasmids for prime-boost strategies. This paper will be of interest not only to virologists and vaccinologists working in the HIV field but also to researchers working in other viral vaccine settings and, critically, to the wider field of vaccine delivery

Diffusion of Macromolecules across the Nuclear Pore Complex

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are very selective filters that monitor the transport between the cytoplasm and the nucleoplasm. Two models have been suggested for the plug of the NPC. They are (i) it is a reversible hydrogel or (ii) it is a polymer brush. We propose a mesoscopic model for the transport of a protein through the plug, that is general enough to cover both. The protein stretches the plug and creates a local deformation. The bubble so created (prtoein+deformation) executes random walk in the plug. We find that for faster relaxation of the gel, the diffusion of the bubble is greater. Further, on using parameters appropriate for the brush, we find that the diffusion coefficient is much lower. Hence the gel model seems to be more likely explanation for the workings of the plug

Pragmatical Paradox of Signature

The paper proposes to grasp handwritten signature as a metaphysical invention of the so-called “Western” civilization, where the signature is supposed to make possible juridical identification of the person who wrote it. However, despite this expectation of reliability, the Western handwritten signature is an aporetic sign, which is considered to be authentic (unrepeatable) and conventional (repeatable) at the same time. Because the signature is a sign of juridical identification and its authenticity can always be forged, Jacques Derrida tries to deconstruct the contradictory functioning of Western metaphysics, which leads to confusion in our expectations of authenticity and identity in our uses of signatures. By proposing a new reading of Derridean texts concerning writing, the paper focuses on the pragmatical paradox that grounds our contradictory legal politics of signing: because the exact manual reproduction of a line is impossible, no one can satisfy the legislative obligation to sign conformably to the model signature. That’s the aporia of trace’s recognition, which establishes the signature as a sign: on the one hand, the signature is supposed to represent the juridical identity of the person who traced it; on the other hand, the signature, which constantly changes its graphical form, makes every certain identification impossible. In order to question the juridical identity traditionally guaranteed by the signature, this paper invites to grasp the legal practice of signing as a subversive performativity, which is produced during the passage between recognition of juridical identity requested by the law and its simultaneous and inevitable transgression. Finally, the paper proposes a new approach to the signature as a visual performance of the self, based on a reevaluation of the altercation between Jacques Derrida and John Searle concerning the iterative character of traces and performatives

La photographie et le politique Slovaquie : 1968 – 1989

La diffusion de la photographie slovaque a été profondément marquée par la « révolution de velours » de 1989. Avant cela l’art était soumis aux diktats esthétiques imposés par le régime de la « normalisation » d’inspiration soviétique. Une quinzaine d’années après la démocratisation de la Slovaquie, quels nouveaux regards portons-nous sur l’œuvre de photographes muselés par une des pages les plus sombres de l’histoire slovaque ?The distribution of Slovak photography was profoundly marked by the “velvet underground” of 1989. Before, art was submitted of an aesthetic dictum imposed by the soviet-inspired “normalisation” regime. Some fifteen years after the democratisation of Slovakia, how can we see the works of photographers that were muzzled during one of the darkest pages of Slovak history

Combined intervention with pioglitazone and n-3 fatty acids in metformin-treated type 2 diabetic patients: improvement of lipid metabolism

Background: The marine n-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) exert numerous beneficial effects on health, but their potency to improve treatment of type 2 diabetic (T2D) patients remains poorly characterized. We aimed to evaluate the effect of a combination intervention using EPA?+?DHA and the insulin-sensitizing drug pioglitazone in overweight/obese T2D patients already treated with metformin.Methods: In a parallel-group, four-arm, randomized trial, 69 patients (66 % men) were assigned to 24-week-intervention using: (i) corn oil (5 g/day; Placebo), (ii) pioglitazone (15 mg/day; Pio), (iii) EPA?+?DHA concentrate (5 g/day, containing ~2.8 g EPA?+?DHA; Omega-3), or (iv) pioglitazone and EPA?+?DHA concentrate (Pio&amp; Omega-3). Data from 60 patients were used for the final evaluation. At baseline and after intervention, various metabolic markers, adiponectin and cytokines were evaluated in serum using standard procedures, EPA?+?DHA content in serum phospholipids was evaluated using shotgun lipidomics and mass spectrometry, and hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp and meal test were also performed. Indirect calorimetry was conducted after the intervention. Primary endpoints were changes from baseline in insulin sensitivity evaluated using hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp and in serum triacylglycerol concentrations in fasting state. Secondary endpoints included changes in fasting glycemia and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), changes in postprandial glucose, free fatty acid and triacylglycerol concentrations, metabolic flexibility assessed by indirect calorimetry, and inflammatory markers.Results: Omega-3 and Pio&amp; Omega-3 increased EPA?+?DHA content in serum phospholipids. Pio and Pio&amp; Omega-3 increased body weight and adiponectin levels. Both fasting glycemia and HbA1c were increased by Omega-3, but were unchanged by Pio&amp; Omega-3. Insulin sensitivity was not affected by Omega-3, while it was improved by Pio&amp; Omega-3. Fasting triacylglycerol concentrations and inflammatory markers were not significantly affected by any of the interventions. Lipid metabolism in the meal test and metabolic flexibility were additively improved by Pio&amp; Omega-3.Conclusion: Besides preventing a modest negative effect of n-3 fatty acids on glycemic control, the combination of pioglitazone and EPA?+?DHA can be used to improve lipid metabolism in T2D patients on stable metformin therapy.Trial registration: EudraCT number 2009-011106-42.<br/

The Effect of The Net Promoter Score on Sales: A Study of a Retail Firm Using Customer and Store-Level Data

Existing industry-level evidence does not inform practitioners about when and by how much sales will grow as a result of an increase in NPS. We investigate the relationship between sales and NPS for a leading retail firm by combining individual stores’ monthly sales data with data from customer satisfaction surveys from which we calculate NPS for every UK store in every month over a four-year period. We find nonlinear sales effects of (i) stores’ own NPS and (ii) the average NPS of the other stores of the same company in the same region. Both NPS effects on stores’ sales at first increase and then decrease over the five to 10 months after the product purchases to which the NPS refers. If every store could achieve a sustained increase in its NPS of one percentage point, then across all UK stores the additional annual sales would be around £3 million