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Big Data HE communities: could Twitter support UK universities amid the COVID-19 transition?
No full textThis chapter intends to explore the use of the Twitter social media platform as a microblog to share COVID-19 prescribed knowledge through observing the Twitter accounts of the five most student-populated UK universities. The chapter provides valuable practical insight to UK universities practitioners, students, and concerned stakeholders on the use of Twitter microblogs to share or retrieve knowledge required to cope with the current COVID-19 transition. The chapter sheds light on the unique characteristics of knowledge shared by UK universities through Twitter in relation to the current COVID-19 pandemic. The chapter also highlights the unconventional use of Twitter by UK universities to share COVID-19 prescribed knowledge with their stakeholders
Light at the end of the bottle: flourishing in people recovering from alcohol problems
Get PDFBackground: The field of positive psychology is fast growing and ultimately aims to increase flourishing.
As yet, these concepts have had very limited impact in the field of alcohol dependence. The aim of this
study is to compare flourishing levels in people recovering from alcohol problems with two comparison
groups.
Methods: An online survey was conducted with people recovering from alcohol problems (n = 107), a
community sample of gym attenders (n = 185) and people with mental health problems (n = 130). They
completed the PERMA Scale, as well as answering questions about their drinking.
Results: People recovering from alcohol problems scored significantly better than the mentally ill sample
on every aspect of the PERMA Scale. In contrast, they scored significantly worse on every subscale in
comparison with the community gym attenders’ group. Responses to open-ended questions highlighted
the costs of alcohol problems, especially in terms of losses experienced through drinking, along with an
unhealthy tendency to focus on the past.
Conclusions: The abstinence model may reinforce a sense of hopelessness and powerlessness in those
battling alcohol problems and may inhibit flourishing. There is a need to develop positive psychology
interventions that may help individuals recovering from alcohol problems to flourish
Graphene oxide incorporating carbon fibre-reinforced composites submitted to simultaneous impact and fire: physicochemical characterisation and toxicology of the by-products
Get PDFThe toxicological profile of particulates released from carbon fibre-reinforced composites
(CFC) incorporating nanoadditives, under impact and fire conditions (e.g. aircraft crash), is
unknown to date. Our aim was to investigate the effects of simultaneous impact and fire on the
physicochemical features of the particles released from CFCs produced from a graphene oxide
(GO)-reinforced epoxy resin and the consequences on its toxicological profile. CFC samples
with (CFC+GO) or without GO (CFC) were subjected to simultaneous impact and fire through
a specific setup. Soot and residues were characterised and their toxicity was compared to that
of virgin GO. Virgin GO was not cytotoxic but induced pro-inflammatory and oxidative stress
responses. The toxicity profile of CFC was similar for soot and residue: globally not cytotoxic,
inducing a pro-inflammatory response and no oxidative stress. However, an increased
cytotoxicity at the highest concentration was potentially caused by fibres of reduced diameters
or fibril bundles, which were observed only in this condition. While the presence of GO in CFC
did not alter the cytotoxicity profile, it seemed to drive the pro-inflammatory and oxidative
stress response in soot. On the contrary, in CFC+GO residue the biological activity was
decreased due to the physicochemical alterations of the materials
Introduction: contemporaneity, the digital, and the experimental in the writing of Jennifer Egan
Get PDFEpidemiology of match injury in Rugby League Football, a five-year prospective investigation of the European Super League (2013-2017).
Get PDFThe data presented in this study covers five years of successive European Super League seasons, 2013 to 2017. Match injury incidence of 57/1000 h in the European Super League was established. The average number of days missed per match injury in the ESL from 2013 to 2017 was 34 days. With an annual salary cap per club of 2.1 million (RFL Operational Rules, 2020), a loss of 15% of a 28-man squad due to injury per round renders circa £315,000 of a clubs aggregated salary cap spend unavailable for selection. The welfare and financial implications of the current findings have a wide reaching social and economic impact both to further the game’s safety policies, inform player preparation but also advise injury prevention strategies. Whilst it’s acknowledged some injury mechanisms are inevitably unavoidable the potential implications of these findings lend themselves to addressing preparative aspects of the RL player from a conditioning perspective to reduce the risk of injury as much as feasible.
Observation of injury severity in ESL showed that minor injuries accounted for 24.2%, moderate injuries accounted for 40.2% and 35.6% accounted for major injuries. In real terms, April is a seasonal hotspot that holds the greatest number of injuries in respect of the greatest match time played, although when standardised /1000 match hours, February appears as the highest risk month for injuries. Hamstring injuries and calf strains were the most common injuries sustained during ESL rugby league training including preseason, with the majority of hamstring stains during matches occurring in the first half of the competitive season.
Once accounting for standardisation of hours played forwards incurred a significantly higher injury incidence rate at 50% than adjustables, 27% and backs 23%; bearing in mind the difference in playing characteristics in that forwards naturally perform more tackle activities than other positions. It also appears that the main contributor to the increase in reporting incidence of concussion from 2016 onwards originates largely from hit-up forwards.
The severity of injuries in the ESL has remained the same over the 2013 to 2017 five year period however the increased incidence of concussion injuries would have led to more training days lost potentially affecting the ability of the player to perform and potentially increasing the risk of sustaining an injury playing with sub optimal fitness. Players are also renowned for missing training sessions but still manage to play a full game, particularly those in the 30 to 35 age category who have the highest incidence of injury per age group.
A pattern was observed that suggests as match time increases the rate of injury follows suit. There is an observed increase injury occurrence in the second quarter of each match half compared to the first quarter. The final 20-min of the match was evidently higher than any other period for sustaining injury. Player fatigue may influence this incidence of injuries suggesting that changes in training and playing intensity may influence the incidence of injury. There is a need for further investigation into player specific recovery strategies in order to reduce injury in the fourth quarter and decrease levels of injury in the second quarter of each half. This is out of the scope of the present study but warrants further research.
Recurrent match-injuries occurred at an average rate of 7.7 injuries/1000 h, in comparison to the severity of new injuries recurrent match injuries have the potential to cause greater time loss; on average two weeks more. Further, ‘Late-recurrence’ injuries (2-12-months following return from the initial injury) were revealed to be the most prevalent time frame for recurrent injuries, with on average 3.6/1000 h. The severity of injury between the recurrence categories showed little variation. Injuries most likely to become recurrent are those of concussion and hamstring strain. The average time loss from concussion diagnosis to return to full training and match availability was 13-days. Following comparison of average time loss from first concussion and recurrent concussion there is an increase in severity of approximately 5-days, no recurrence 11.6-days, recurrence 16.2-days.
The current consensus suggests that in rugby league, specifically the ESL and Championship, concussions managed correctly, that are fully resolved, don’t have detrimental effects on future concussions the present result would question this. The majority of professional players may have played ten or more years of academy, scholar, and junior rugby league, and may play in other leagues such as national squads. This means the actual number of repeated concussions sustained by individual players during their lifetime may be much higher than the figure reported in this study.
It is important to note that even when polices are implemented it can take time to have an effect following the implementation of concussion reporting laws, it took both the 2014 and 2015 seasons before the new requirements were being more fully adhered to. Further despite the high incidence of hamstring injuries reported in 2013, in 2015 this remained unchanged questioning what effect reporting of research findings has on injury prevention. There remains a gap of translating research into practise from governing bodies to other stakeholders such as clinicians, coaches, athletes and strength and conditioners.
Despite their importance variations of injury definition and methods of calculating incidence mean that often it can be difficult to make valid interpretations, comparisons and standardisation within professional rugby league and to other sports. Agreement is urgently needed to address serious clinical questions such as the rise in concussion and repeated concussion injury incidence and the increased severity following further concussion injury.
Further studies are needed investigating risk factors for injuries in elite rugby league, particularly concussion and hamstring injury and the recurrence rates specific to playing positions and in relation to individual physiological characteristics. Future research should consider both player exposure time and number of collisions, any measurement of time regarding match and training exposure must be recorded specifically for each player. Data capture on all training exposure for each individual player should audit specific individual training activities not just training load. It is also recommended that ‘time loss’ from training time as result of injuries sustained from match play be identified separately from ‘time loss’ as a result of injuries that occur whilst participating in training activity. Recording all injuries that occur as a result of exposure to the training environment may assist in clarifying more severe injury events in subsequent training and or match environments.
With the advent of Covid-19 aspects of the game changed during the 2020 season, all these changes should be investigated with comparisons made to the current study this it may provide insightful information into aspects of performance and injury that were previously unavailable.
The welfare and financial implications of the current findings are wide reaching both to further the game’s safety policies, inform player preparation but also advise injury prevention strategies
An autoethnographic study of a research and teaching for transformative Education Journey in Foundation law teaching – preparing diverse students for law school
Get PDFThis article presents the findings of an auto ethnographic study of adopted changes in teaching practice within a preparatory foundation module in law at a small to medium sized university in England and Wales. The emphasis of this study is placed on the development or redevelopment of effective learning environments and effective and inclusive teaching, learning, assessment and feedback practices. In particular, the focus on inclusion has formed the main theme in the objective of solving the disparities in terms of literacy and learning skills amongst a cohort of learners with diverse skills bases to build upon. This study has found that most notably, linguistic ability presents a divide within the experienced classroom. The study has revealed best practice in relation to closing the linguistic gaps for EU and International students. This category of student has benefitted most the adopted approaches and methods, Nevertheless, the approaches taken do not compromise the quality or the content of lectures, whereby the initial learning plan based on the SOLO taxonomy is still able to render the desired learning outcomes. This contributes to enhancing inclusivity within the curriculum. The study also finds that motivation is a vital factor in the successful implementation of inclusive learning environments from which all students, regardless of their ethnic and linguistic backgrounds can benefit equally
A theory of change for web-based therapy and support services for children and young people: collaborative qualitative exploration
Get PDFBackground: Web-based counselling and support has become increasingly commonplace for children and young people (CYP).
Currently, there is limited research that focuses on the mechanisms of change within complex telepsychology platforms, a factor
that makes designing and implementing outcome measures challenging.
Objective: This project aims to articulate a theory of change (ToC) for Kooth, a web-based therapy and support platform for
CYP.
Methods: A collaborative qualitative research design involving professional staff, academic partners, and young people was
used to develop the ToC. The following three major reflective phases were engaged: a scoping workshop involving professional
staff and academic partners, a series of explorative projects were completed to inform the development of the ToC, and the draft
ToC was reviewed for coherence by key stakeholders (young people, online professionals, and service managers).
Results: A collaboratively developed ToC was presented. This was divided into the conditions that lead to individuals wanting
to access web-based therapy and support (eg, individuals wanting support there and then or quickly), the mode of service delivery
(eg, skilled and experienced professionals able to build empathetic relationships with CYP), and the observed and reported changes
that occur as a consequence of using the service (eg, individuals being better able to manage current and future situations).
Conclusions: Developing the ToC helps to shed light on how web-based therapy and support services aid the mental health and
well-being of CYP. Furthermore, it helps to understand the development of positive virtual ecosystems and can be used to devise
evaluative tools for CYP telepsychology provider
Examining the internationalisation strategies of United Kingdom Higher Education Institutions: an investigation of market entry mode choices in Nigeria
Get PDFWhile international expansion due to increased globalisation has become a strategic imperative for
many HEIs especially in the West, few research works have been dedicated to explaining how UK HEIs
internationalise and make entry decisions. The importance of choosing the appropriate mode of entry
in a market is increasingly significant today in light of decreasing funding and intense competition.
While many developing country markets like Nigeria, with peculiarities such as limited capacity, poor
quality education and students’ preference for western education, present significant opportunities
for these institutions, they often come with insurmountable challenges forcing HEIs to adapt their
strategies in each market. This research as a result seeks to investigate the internationalisation
strategy and entry mode choices of UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Nigeria.
This is part of an initiative to address the deficit of research on higher education internationalisation
strategies especially within the Sub-Saharan African region. The literature review chapter provided an
overview of the conception of internationalisation and the analysis of some of the key
internationalisation theories to understand the strategy behind market entry mode decisions. An
interpretivist philosophy is adopted for the study and qualitative data is collected from international
development heads and regional advisers at 10 North West of England Universities; heads of agencies
and senior advisers within organisations involved in HEI internationalisation. These participants were
selected due to their direct involvement with the research focus. The data was collected using semi-structured interview method and the analysis was done using thematic analysis.
Some of the significant findings from the study showed that firstly, HEI internationalisation is
conceived of and practiced from two broad perspectives – ‘unified’ and ‘un-unified’ perspectives, or
how integrated or unintegrated their international operations are formulated and managed. These
perspectives align with particular combinations of economic, pedagogic, and prestige-oriented
motivations for internationalisation and help to determine strategic choices. While the HEIs that take
an integrated approach to internationalisation tend to be motivated more by prestige-oriented and
pedagogic rationales, the motivations of those with an unintegrated approach tend to align more with
the economic considerations. Secondly, the result also showed that overall, there are five distinct
entry mode options used by UK HEIs in international markets including – export, distance learning,
articulation, franchise, dual degree, and joint venture/offshore campus. Despite the preference and
commitment to a particular combinations of entry modes in the many international contexts these
HEIs operate in, both groups however seem to limit their entry options in the Nigerian market,
choosing to focus primarily on the export mode option. This suggests a preference for low risk and
low commitment strategy which seems at odds with the significant customer demand for UK branded
higher education provision in this context. Thirdly, the study analysing the entry mode decision of UK
HEIs in Nigeria through the lens of the institutional theory, the resource-based theory, and the
transaction cost theory a proxy for the OLI framework, found that some institution specific
characteristics/factors, location-specific characteristics/factors and transaction characteristics/factors
affected the entry mode choice of the HEIs the market. These specific influences in fine grained
manner determined the degree of risk, resource commitment and control and in doing so help to
narrow the choice of feasible entry strategies available to the institutions.
The findings hold an important implication for HEI managers and other practitioners as it offers
valuable help in the understanding of internationalisation and entry mode decisions. It is important
that HEIs decision-makers understand the importance of various rationales for internationalisation
and how these various ways of thinking about internationalisation inform various aspect of their
activities. It is expected also that in expanding into international markets especially those in developing markets, the HEIs must consider the resources availability, their strategic focus, and the
overall cost of operating in the international market. From the findings of this study, the host
operating cost is an important consideration in choosing the appropriate mode choice for a market
Teaching undergraduate psychology students about mental health through student-led case studies: a case example of the celebrity Spike Milligan
No full textPurpose
The purpose of this paper is to suggest that student-led case studies are an important way to learn about mental health problems and to highlight this by presenting a case study of the comedic genius Spike Milligan.
Design/methodology/approach
Celebrities live their lives in the public eye. In recent years, many have talked about their struggles with mental health. This paper is based on a student-led case study of the celebrity Spike Milligan.
Findings
This case study suggests one previously under-emphasised issue and argues that Spike Milligan’s wartime experiences may have led to post-traumatic stress disorder. Second, that he may have developed neuro-inflammation, through contracting sandfly fever during the war. This could have been an additional trigger for bipolar disorder.
Research limitations/implications
While this is a single case study, it draws on a wide variety of research sources to back up the arguments advanced.
Practical implications
Student-led case studies provide a way of engaging students more actively with mental health problems.
Social implications
Mental illness is complex, if not more complex, than physical health problems. Case studies of celebrities like Spike Milligan can help develop a public understanding of mental illness, as they already have a working knowledge about the person.
Originality/value
The case study illustrates how Bipolar 1 disorder is a complex and unique condition and that every individual’s illness has different predisposing characteristics. It suggests that student-led case studies are a helpful learning tool
Therapeutic gaming for adolescent anxiety: development and evaluation of a mobile intervention
No full textAnxiety disorders (AD) are the most prevalent of the mental health conditions and are associated with significant and long-lasting burden of disease both for affected individuals and healthcare systems designed to support them. Despite this, barriers to traditional interventions mean less than half of adolescents experiencing ADs seek-treatment, with less than 20% of treatment-seekers ultimately receiving a scientifically validated intervention. Therapeutic games show significant potential to help reduce AD in adolescents, with some concerns remaining over their abilities to engage users, particularly over time. The chapter presents two studies relating to the development of a new mobile gamified intervention for adolescents with AD. This includes a user-feedback study on currently available games for anxiety and depression, followed by a user-feedback, acceptability, and intention-to-use study of a development version of the new intervention