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Jurors and the use of extraneous material during deliberations: comparing the issues raised by two recent cases from England and Wales and New South Wales
No full textThis article explores the problem of jurors conducting their own research and using extraneous material during deliberations. While such cases are rarely reported, they do arise. This is despite efforts in many jurisdictions to deter jury misconduct through the use of jury notices, judicial warnings to jurors, and the creation of specific criminal offences of jury misconduct. This article explores the approaches taken by the courts in cases involving jurors conducting research. It then considers the themes raised in two recent cases in England and Wales and New South Wales, namely R v Smith (Jason) [2023] EWCA Crim 1256 and R v Tembeleski (No 2) [2024] NSWDC 504. These two cases demonstrate the contemporary relevance and cross-jurisdictional nature of this type of jury misconduct. Finally, this article proposes the creation of a new offence in England and Wales of failing to report jury misconduct and calls for further research into why jurors carry out their own research despite being warned not to
Championing a Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights Programme through PE and Sport
No full textPurpose of a physical education, school sport and physical activity curriculum
Describing the ‘Championing Physical Activity for people affected by dementia’ education intervention
No full textThe benefits of physical activity for people with dementia are well researched, however this population experiences high levels of physical inactivity. An evidence-based online education intervention was developed to address professional knowledge and confidence to facilitate and deliver physical activity opportunities for people with dementia and their unpaid carers. This paper aims to systematically describe the ‘Championing Physical Activity for people affected by dementia’ (CPA) intervention.
The Template for Intervention Description and Replication checklist (TIDieR) was used as a best practice guideline for intervention description by reporting key intervention components to support replication and future research.
TIDieR provided a standardised and systematic way to describe CPA. Key components of CPA were a structured approach to online learning, live sessions with a lecturer in dementia studies, and asynchronous resources/activities to scaffold learning. Content included key concepts (e.g. citizenship and leisure), implementation determinants (e.g. barriers and facilitators), and processes/strategies (e.g. planning and adapting) to design and deliver physical activity sessions with people affected by dementia. Delivered online over a 6-week period, CPA was acceptable for diverse practitioners that may engage people in physical activity.
This study provides a full description of the CPA intervention, which may be a feasible and effective way to address the knowledge gap in dementia education around physical activity
Establishing the safety of waterbirth for mothers and their babies: the POOL cohort study with nested qualitative component
Get PDFBackground
Intrapartum water immersion analgesia has been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence since 2007, but high-quality evidence relating to the safety of waterbirth for mothers and their babies was lacking.
Primary study objective
To establish whether, in the case of ‘low-risk’ women who use water immersion during labour, waterbirth, compared to birth out of water, is as safe for mothers and their babies.
Methods
A cohort study with non-inferiority design.
Setting
Twenty-six National Health Service organisations in England and Wales.
Participants
The primary analysis included 60,402 births between January 2015 and June 2022. Primary analysis was restricted to births where the woman: (1) was without complicating medical conditions at the time of pool entry, (2) used water immersion during labour and (3) did not receive obstetric or anaesthetic interventions prior to birth. Comparisons were undertaken between women who gave birth in water and women who gave birth out of water.
Main outcome measures
Maternal primary outcome: obstetric anal sphincter injury (with planned subgroup analysis by parity); neonatal composite primary outcome: fetal or neonatal death (after the commencement of intrapartum care and prior to discharge home), neonatal unit admission with respiratory support or the administration of intravenous antibiotics within 48 hours of birth. Separate a priori sample size calculations were undertaken for the maternal and neonatal primary outcomes.
Results
After adjusting for differences in the characteristics of women who used intrapartum water immersion and gave birth in or out of water: (1) among nulliparous women, rates of recorded obstetric anal sphincter injury were no higher among women who gave birth in water than among women who left the pool before birth [730 of 15,176 women (4.8%) vs. 641 of 12,210 women (5.3%); adjusted odds ratio 0.97; one-sided 95% confidence interval, −∞ to 1.08]; (2) among parous women, rates of recorded obstetric anal sphincter injury were no higher among women who gave birth in water than among women who left the pool before birth [269 of 24,451 women (1.1%) vs. 144 of 8565 women (1.7%); adjusted odds ratio 0.64; −∞ to 0.78].
Among babies, rates of the primary outcome were no higher among babies born in water than among babies born out of water [263 of 9868 infants (2.7%) vs. 224 of 5078 infants (4.4%); adjusted odds ratio, 0.65; −∞ to 0.79].
All upper confidence intervals of the primary outcomes were lower than the prespecified margins of non-inferiority; therefore, we conclude that the rate of the primary outcomes for mothers and their babies were no higher among waterbirths than among births out of water.
Rates of the individual components of the neonatal primary outcome were: Intrapartum or neonatal death, which occurred in three babies born in water (0.3. per 1000 births) and zero in babies born out of water. Respiratory support on a neonatal unit was provided to 91 (0.9%) of babies born in water and to 104 (2.0%) of babies born out of water; (adjusted odds ratio 0.44, one-sided 95% confidence interval −∞ to 0.60). Antibiotics were administered within 48 hours of birth to 263 (2.7%) babies born in water and to 224 (4.4%) babies born out of water (adjusted odds ratio 0.65, −∞ to 0.79).
The online survey and interviews identified various factors influencing the use of birth pools in the United Kingdom and emphasised the need to address issues related to resource availability (including midwives with experience of waterbirth), unit culture and guidelines and staff endorsement. The site case studies found obstetric units less facilitating of waterbirth compared to midwifery units in relation to equipment and resources, staff attitudes and confidence, senior staff support and women’s awareness of water immersion.
Limitations
Limitations of the study included the inability to reliably identify women with medical or obstetric complications recorded in their medical records and the possibility of confounding between groups that were not known or could not be adjusted for – including reason for getting out of pool.
Conclusion
For women without pregnancy and labour complexities who use water immersion during labour, birth in water was as safe for mothers and their babies as birth out of water. This study supports policy and practice to enable women with an uncomplicated pregnancy and labour, who use intrapartum water immersion, to have the choice of remaining in, or leaving, the water to give birth.
Future work
Having established the safety of waterbirth for women and their babies, future work should concentrate on methods to reduce rates of severe perineal trauma during spontaneous vaginal births; support women to access water immersion during labour; improve understanding of the psychosocial impact of birth environments, including birth pools; increase understanding of the physiological impact of labour and birth in water; and measurement of blood loss in water
Living with palindromic rheumatism: a qualitative interview study
Get PDFObjectives
Palindromic rheumatism (PR) is an unpredictable and under-researched inflammatory condition, and patients with PR are at risk of developing inflammatory arthritis (IA). This study aimed to explore patients’ perceptions and experiences of living with PR, including symptoms, impact, treatment outcomes and potential progression to IA.
Methods
Patients were recruited from ongoing cohort studies identifying individuals at risk of developing IA. Semi-structured interviews were conducted at two UK sites. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Patient research partners co-produced the interview schedule and contributed to coding decisions.
Results
Eight patients were interviewed. Three themes (seven subthemes) were identified: experiencing symptoms (symptoms, perceptions of triggers, referral experiences); impact of symptoms (activity limitations, psychological impact); treatment expectations and knowledge seeking (treatment outcomes and progression, information and support needs). Symptom severity was likened to that associated with severe physical injury, and PR impacted on daily activities and caused psychological distress, but referral delays were frequently reported. Patients expressed concerns about taking medication for PR, primarily due to side effects. Most highlighted a lack of information about PR (e.g. medication options and self-management advice) but varied in how much they wanted to understand about PR progression and treatment options.
Conclusion
This study captured valuable insights into the perceptions and experiences of PR, from the perspective of patients. Findings highlight the severity of symptoms and impact of the condition. Further work to standardize classification criteria and outcome measurement in PR is critical to facilitate meaningful clinical trials in this area
Sustainability Practices by the Banking Sector to Support Small Organizations Toward SDG 9
Get PDFThe banking sector plays a critical role in fostering sustainability by directing capital toward environmentally and socially responsible projects. Yet, there is a perceived need for studies that shed some light on their activities in this field. This Communication sheds some light on the contribution of the banking sector to support the development of small organizations toward SDG 9
Is This a Psychopath’s Sport? Examining the Prevalence of Dark Personality Traits and Sportspersonship Among Combat Sports Athletes
Get PDFDue to the inherently aggressive nature of many combat sports (CS), it is sometimes assumed that athletes who participate in these disciplines possess malevolent, or ‘dark’ personality traits associated with a propensity to harm others (e.g., psychopathy). The present study compared the prevalence of Dark Triad personality traits (psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism) and sportspersonship attitudes between CS athletes and non-aggressive sport participants (Ultimate Frisbee [UF] players). Survey responses from 194 CS athletes and 194 UF players indicated that CS participants exhibited higher levels of psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism than UF participants. Moreover, CS athletes placed a greater emphasis on winning compared with UF players. The findings further suggest that psychopathy is negatively associated with respect towards opponents, while narcissism is positively associated with the prioritisation of winning over other factors
“I wanna live in a world where change is possible”: co-designing guidance for inclusive eating, exercise, and body image psychopathology outreach resources for men
Get PDFBackground: Men are underserved in research on eating, exercise and body image psychopathology (EEBIP), and remain underrepresented within healthcare settings despite growing clinical need. One barrier to men's help-seeking for EEBIP-related concerns is that public-facing healthcare information/resources often appear unwelcoming to them, suggesting the need for more inclusive, gender-sensitive resources that engage men and address their specific needs. This study aimed to explore men’s perspectives on the design of inclusive EEBIP resources, to inform the iterative co-design of guidance for future resource development
Methods: This study employed a lived experience-led approach, integrating a modified nominal group technique with participatory research methods, as part of an iterative co-design of a guidance document. Six men with lived experience of EEBIP ranked their preferred features of male-inclusive resources from a broader list of content and format ideas generated through a survey of 42 men. Interview and focus group discussions followed, exploring the underlying reasons why the men with EEBIP experience believed these content and format ideas would support men’s help-seeking for EEBIP. Finally, a draft guidance document, underpinned by the results of the discussions, was designed and iteratively edited, following feedback from healthcare organisation representatives, academics, and men with lived experience.
Results: Thematic analysis of the discussions identified five themes to inform the development of future resources. The five themes are titled: 1) Designing accessible resources that navigate men’s readiness; 2) Authentic voices: inclusive, conversation-led outreach; 3) Self-realisation: refraining from labelling men as ‘unhealthy’ or ‘disordered’; 4) Purpose and progress driven resources; 5) Images: the line between helpful and harmful isn’t always clear. These themes are discussed alongside EEBIP and men’s mental health help-seeking literature.
Conclusions: This is the first study to centre men’s experiential knowledge to explore how healthcare organisations can facilitate men’s help-seeking for EEBIP-related concerns via public-facing resources. The themes generated in this study reflect findings of studies exploring the facilitation of men’s general mental health help-seeking, whilst contributing novel EEBIP-specific findings. The results of this study can support EEBIP healthcare organisations to develop public-facing resources that are more inclusive of men
Disrupting the set piece: Patterns in defensive lineout strategies in the 2022/23 English championship
Get PDFThis study aimed to examine defensive lineout strategies during the 2022/23 English Championship rugby union competition, accounting for contextual and tactical factors associated with successful lineout disruption and variation across teams. All regular-season fixtures involving the top six teams were analysed (n = 1876 defended lineouts across 97 matches). Performance indicators were derived from literature and expert consultation, operationally defined, and coded using Hudl SportsCode. Lineout outcomes were examined for associations against pre-, during and post-line phase variables using Chi-square tests and Cramer's V (p < .05). Defensive teams disrupted 18.4% of lineouts, with Coventry Rugby achieving the highest disruption rate (22.4%). Associations were observed for pitch zone (V = .186), formation (V = .091), contesting status (V = 0.164), contesting zone (V = 0.348), intended target (V = 0.164) and lifting/pod structure (V = 0.299). Disruption tended to be greatest when contests occurred in front of the attacking jumper and when two lifters supported the defensive jumper. Defensive effectiveness appeared to be associated with contextual factors and resource allocation. Aggressive contesting positions and optimal lifting support were associated with disruption potential. Findings provide provisional, evidence-informed insights that may assist coaches in refining defensive systems and improving turnover opportunities
Citizens in the making: exploring social psychological perspectives on youth citizenship
No full textYoung people’s citizenship is routinely problematised by a range of social and political actors, driven by a series of ‘crisis narratives’ centred on young people’s perceived disengagement from formal politics. As a result, there has been a several decades-long focus on the ways that young people can be ‘made’ into responsible citizens, through citizen education programmes based in formal and informal educational contexts. In this chapter, we draw on our own social psychological research with young people to understand what kinds of youth citizenship(s) are routinely offered to young people, as well as how these are negotiated, reclaimed and/or resisted by young people themselves. We argue for the need for a social psychological model of youth citizenship that foregrounds the temporal and spatial processes that are central to young people’s experiences of citizenship in the mundane routines of everyday life. In addition, we look at what this tells us about the pedagogical project of making young citizens and how this can be developed in ways that can nurture young people’s sense of political efficacy and their capacities to act as citizens