University of Birmingham

Harnessing the Joys and Mitigating the Risks of Doing Co-Research: Reflections on a Study With Survivors of Sexual Violence

Background This article is by lived experience co-researchers and an academic research team. Co-research involves those with lived experience of a topic under investigation. It is an increasingly popular participatory, beneficial form of co-production that improves the integrity...

On-Surface Molecular Design and Synthesis of Discrete Metal–Fullerene Complexes on Graphite

Abstract On-surface synthesis enables the fabrication of molecular complexes, which cannot be obtained through traditional solution chemistry. Generally, metal substrates have been used due to their catalytic properties. Here, a tripod-like magnetic molecular complex, (C60)3–Co,...

Innovative composite tool use by human children: adapting the golf club task from Goffin's cockatoos

We adapted a composite tool innovation task that had been solved by Goffin's cockatoos to be suitable for human children. Participants had to use a stick to push a ball onto a collapsible platform to release a reward. We tested a total of 204 participants: 187 children aged 4 to...

Beyond neurodiversity and diagnostic capital: a biopsychosocial manifesto and ‘grammar’ for inclusion

This paper argues that inclusive education requires a coherent conceptual and operational framework capable of aligning identification, provision, and outcomes across sectors. Drawing on analysis of contemporary SEND theory and policy, it identifies persistent fragmentation arisi...

The economic burden of functional neurological disorder

We provide an analysis of the economic burden of functional neurological disorder (FND). For a condition that is complex to diagnose and treat, estimating its true prevalence and incidence can be challenging. This estimation challenge has economic implications in terms of directi...

Typifying tiny teeth: A standardized coding system to quantify morphological variation in fish teeth for comparative ecological, evolutionary, and functional morphological studies

Abstract Teeth play a crucial role in vertebrate ecology as one of the main interfaces between predators and their prey. As the most diverse vertebrates on the planet, and the dominant vertebrate consumers in nearly all aquatic ecosystems, fishes – and their teeth – thus play an...

The interplay of social capital, digital transformation and sustainability for designing international marketing strategies: a systematic literature review

Purpose This study systematically reviews the current literature on the role of social capital in adopting digital technologies and achieving sustainability. The current investigation identifies key insights across social capital, digital transformation and sustainability paradig...

Teachers’ confidence with race and religion dialogue: a critical quantitative study of the supporting factors

The question of teacher confidence and comfort with talking about race and religion in global northern schools is inextricably linked to debates about a profession that is much less diverse than its student population. Substantial qualitative and conceptual research exists on tea...

Treatment interventions for longstanding and severe eating disorders: an updated systematic review and narrative synthesis

To update the evidence on treatment outcomes for adults with longstanding and severe eating disorders (ED) by reviewing quantitative studies published since 2019 and identifying priorities for future research. Systematic searches were conducted in June 2024 and updated in April 2...

Uncovering the role of ionic doping in hydroxyapatite: the building blocks of tooth enamel and bones

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) is the primary mineral component of various mineralized tissues in the human body, including bone and teeth, where it performs critical roles of structural support and load transmission. In the context of dental health, the two most crucial properties of HAp...

Business families and rural social entrepreneurship: an institutional logics perspective

The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of social entrepreneurship in rural areas, with a focus on rural business families as integrated local actors. To this end, we employed an abductive multiple-case study design, conducting 68 in-depth interviews with sta...

Enhancing Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation of Railway Switches and Crossings Through 6D BIM

Climate change accelerates the degradation of railway switches and crossings (S&C), forcing network operators to deploy localized adaptation interventions. The secondary environmental and economic penalties of these proactive measures remain unquantified, creating a severe resili...

Living with nothingness: Consumer intentionality and meaning-making in the no-where place

Building on and extending Susie Scott’s theoretical lens of social nothingness, our paper examines how people in the English town of Wigan create meaning within a living condition of persistent “nothingness”. To facilitate our theorisation of social nothingness, we draw on ethnog...

Annual Research Review: Sex differences in conduct disorder – revisiting existing evidence and exploring future directions

Conduct disorder (CD) is a common psychiatric disorder in youth, characterized by severe and recurrent aggressive and antisocial behaviors and associated with substantial healthcare and societal costs. Rates of CD increase during adolescence in both sexes, with the male‐to‐female...

Deformable precipitates locally modify fault-mediated plasticity for strength-ductility synergy

Precipitates in structural alloys are conventionally understood as passive obstacles to dislocation motion. Here we show that semi-coherent hexagonal close-packed precipitates in a low-stacking-fault-energy Ni50Co30Ru20 multi-principal element alloy cooperate with planar-fault pl...

A Meta-Analytic Review of Gender Difference in Self-esteem in China

Gender difference in self-esteem has been widely studied in psychology. Previous meta-analyses, mostly based on Western samples, found males reported higher self-esteem than females. To examine if there is the same finding in China, we conducted a meta-analysis of 802 studies inv...

AI-augmented colorectal cancer MDT concordance modelling: a prospective evaluation of performance, interpretability, and provider-side budget impact

Abstract Purpose Colorectal multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) face increasing workload. We evaluated whether routinely collected colorectal MDT variables could support local MDT concordance modelling, interpretable feature attribution, and provider-side budget impact estimation. Met...

How to: Regional RSE Groups

In this 90-minute interactive speed-writing session, we will co-author a guide for: creating and sustaining a regional RSE group, engaging with the regional community and hosting a regional RSE event. We aim to bring together a wealth of siloed knowledge from across different reg...

How to: Regional RSE Groups

In this 90-minute interactive speed-writing session, we will co-author a guide for: creating and sustaining a regional RSE group, engaging with the regional community and hosting a regional RSE event. We aim to bring together a wealth of siloed knowledge from across different reg...

Building place-based capacity in an asymmetric system: supporting England’s devolution periphery or fuelling political spatial inequality?

In many national contexts, asymmetric decentralisation creates political spatial inequalities, as some places are given more power and resources than others. This can exacerbate underlying place-based disadvantages. Capacity-building programmes could offer an important counterwei...