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A Collaborative Rapid Response to Abuse in UK Gymnastics Using a Group Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (FACT)-based Programme
No full textWhilst abuse is commonplace within sport, the abuse scandal in gymnastics has left many current and ex-gymnasts traumatised by their experiences. In order to work with survivors of abuse within British Gymnastics a FACT-based intervention programme was designed and delivered. This paper details how the intervention was delivered to four different groups: parents/guardians, older ex-gymnasts, adolescent gymnasts (13yrs – 18yrs) and younger gymnasts (9yrs -12yrs). In total 90 individuals attended the group sessions across a period of seven months. The intervention was found to be successful in helping the group members to overcome current and historical traumas resultant from their experiences in gymnastics. The group programme was efficacious in establishing psychological safety, imparting ACT-based skills, improving family relationships, and providing a healing group experience.
Keywords: Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, gymnastics, group therapy, abuse in spor
Reading Ann Rule: Landmarks in True Crime
No full textThis book studies the works of Ann Rule, aiming to shed light on her literary career as a largely uncelebrated True Crime writer, in addition to works by other lesser-known female True Crime writers including Alia Trabucco Zerán, Katherine Ellison and Caitlin Rother. Barnes argues that Rule’s works should be regarded as landmarks in True Crime fiction. In so doing, she critically considers how Rules blended non-fiction and fiction to produce character- and plot-driven works through reliance on figurative language and varied but impactful narrative methodologies. Barnes also draws parallels between the success of iconic female writers, such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, in the Golden Age of detective and crime fiction and considers the similarities, differences and connections between these genres
A Chitinase Gene Belonging to Serratia marcescens GBS19 Reveals Horizontal Gene Transfer within Bacterial Strains Besides its Biocontrol Potential Against Myzus persicae
No full textMicroorganisms produce diverse enzymes with applications in biological control and pest management. Chitinase enzymes degrade chitin, a structural component of insect exoskeletons and fungal cell walls, offering sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions for agricultural pest and pathogen management. This study focused on the chiA gene from our original strain belonging to Serratia marcescens identified using multi locus sequencing and ribosomal DNA analysis, amplified via PCR, cloned into expression vectors, and expressed as a recombinant protein. The chiA enzyme was purified using His-tag affinity chromatography and showed optimal activity at 40 °C and pH 5. The purified chiA enzyme exhibited strong insecticidal activity against Myzus persicae, with an lethal dose50 of 15.8 ppm. The comparative genomic analysis using MUMMER4 and MAUVE, identified horizontal gene transfer (HGT) events and genomic rearrangements within reference strain and our strain GBS19. The recombinant chiA enzyme exhibited 98.4% similarity with reference chiA sequences, highlighting its evolutionary conservation. Molecular docking studies confirmed a binding affinity of − 5.74 kcal/mol between the enzyme and chitin monomers, supported by interaction studies with modeled chitin layer. In addition, we have also predicted the most variable mutations required for enzyme stability and enzymatic activity enhancement in cloned amino acid sequence using protein AI tool, which will also guide us further studies linked to site-directed mutagenesis. This study demonstrates the potential of S. marcescens chitinase as an effective biocontrol agent against Myzus persicae. It underscores the importance of recombinant DNA technology in sustainable agriculture and sheds light on the evolutionary adaptation of chitinase genes through HGT and mutational events
The challenges of teaching complexity sciences to novice learners in public administration
Get PDFThere is a rich history of examining the functions and activities of public administration through the lens of complexity theory. Arguments for training and educating public administrators in this discipline are both longstanding and highly relevant in the modern-day context. This paper seeks to add to the existing literature which explores educational methods for teaching complexity sciences to public administrators through a novel analysis that integrates two different psychological domains - applied cognitive psychology and adult developmental psychology. Introducing the notion of thought architecture, this analysis will first acknowledge that public administrators are likely novices in complexity, due to their limited exposure to necessary declarative and conceptual knowledge and their stage of adult development. Second, this analysis will show that features of a complex system exist in tension with instructional methods typically associated with helping novices acquire knowledge or advance in their stage of adult development. In light of this finding, appropriate and useful instructional strategies drawn from these two psychological domains that help to reconcile this tension will be discussed
Preparing Business Graduates for a Multicultural Workforce
No full textThis research examines how higher education institutions can enhance the employability of business graduates by exploring the supply and demand for intercultural competencies, as perceived by both students and employers across Europe. It addresses two key research gaps: first, whether recent graduates in Europe meet employer expectations regarding intercultural competencies, and second, how higher education institutions in Europe—particularly business schools—can improve graduates’ employability by designing curricula that align with employer needs. Drawing on a cross-national study that includes 102 student and employer interviews conducted in the UK, Belgium, Sweden, and Turkey, the research seeks to gain insights into the demand and supply of intercultural competencies from both employer and student perspectives. The study identifies seven key intercultural competencies: cultural empathy, cognitive flexibility, conscientiousness, social initiative, emotional stability, open-mindedness, and willingness to tolerate ambiguity. It also proposes an eighth critical dimension—digital competencies for intercultural collaboration. These eight dimensions are conceptualised in an ‘Intercultural Competencies Framework,’ which includes three categories of learning activities based on the findings. This framework can assist educators and employers in designing training programmes that enhance intercultural communication and collaboration skills
RNAi Strategies Against Downy Mildews: Insights Into dsRNA Uptake and Silencing
Get PDFDowny mildew (DM) diseases are caused by destructive obligate pathogens with limited control options, posing a significant threat to global agriculture. RNA interference (RNAi) has emerged as a promising, environmentally sustainable strategy for disease management. We evaluated the efficacy of dsRNA‐mediated RNAi in suppressing key biological functions in DM pathogens of Arabidopsis thaliana , pea and lettuce: Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis ( Hpa ), Peronospora viciae f. sp. pisi ( Pvp ) and Bremia lactucae ( Bl ), respectively. Conserved genes, cellulose synthase 3 ( CesA3 ) and beta‐tubulin ( BTUB ), were targeted. Silencing these genes significantly impaired spore germination and infection across species and reduced gene expression correlated with suppressed sporulation, confirming silencing efficacy. We tested dsRNAs from chemical synthesis, in vitro transcription, and Escherichia coli expression. Uptake and silencing efficiency varied with dsRNA length and concentration. In Hpa , short dsRNAs (21–25 bp) produced a variable spore germination rate, with 25 bp dsRNA causing a 247.10% increase, whereas longer dsRNAs (≥ 30 bp) completely inhibited germination. Similarly, in Pvp , dsRNAs of 21–25 bp resulted in a 73.05%–77.46% germination rate, while 30–75 bp dsRNAs abolished germination. Confocal microscopy using Cy‐5‐labelled short‐synthesised dsRNA (SS‐dsRNA) confirmed uptake by spores. Sequence specificity influenced efficacy, highlighting the need for precise target design. Multiplexed RNAi impacted silencing synergistically, further reducing germination and sporulation in Hpa . Importantly, SS‐dsRNA‐mediated silencing was durable, with reduced gene expression sustained at 4, 7, 10 and 11 days post‐inoculation. Taken together, our findings demonstrate the potential of dsRNA‐mediated gene silencing as a precise, sustainable tool for managing DM pathogens in multiple crop species
Supporting Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing: Therapeutic Approaches for Working with Children and Families
No full textThis key text recognises the importance of upskilling students and practitioners to understand children’s holistic needs and to develop new ways of working therapeutically that support their wellbeing and resilience.
The book outlines why therapeutic approaches are necessary, considers the range of approaches that are available and the evidence behind them and shows how these can be used to support children and families in an increasingly challenging practice landscape. Placing an emphasis on self-care, it celebrates the role of the practitioner as an inspirer of hope and architect of resilience and self-efficacy. Each chapter in the book:
Provides an overview of adversity, trauma and holistic wellbeing
Includes helpful case studies and practical examples, alongside reflective questions that can be used as discussion points in seminars
Takes a multi-disciplinary approach with contributions from specialists working directly with children and families across a range of settings
Equips students and practitioners with a wide range of models, tools and approaches to achieve their best outcomes
Offers advice for developing a therapeutic relationship, and the skills and dispositions needed for practice.
This informative and practical book will be essential reading for students in a range of disciplines, including early years professional practice and early childhood degrees, as well as education, health, social care and community services. It will also be a valuable resource for early years and primary practitioners, trauma-informed schools and organisations supporting children and families
Sustainability and Climate Change Education in Teacher Education: a survey report
No full textThis research set out to provide a picture of current sustainability and climate change education (SCCE) provision within teacher education in the UK against which future priorities could be determined. Our principal research instrument was an online survey, which attracted 79 Responses from 47 institutions. We also gathered 19 case studies from specific institutions; these are presented in a special issue of the NAEE-UK Journal, Environmental Education (published January 2026).
Key findings of the survey are:
• Knowledge of the Department for Education’s SCCE Strategy is widespread but by no means comprehensive
• The vast majority of responding institutions implement some form of SCCE
• This provision is driven, above all, by committed staff and in many cases by institutional commitment
• SCCE is taught mostly through the Science and Geography curriculum although there are many cases of inter-disciplinary approaches
• The key challenge faced by many is a lack of time which can be translated as a lack of priority assigned to SCCE
• There is also a perceived lack of confidence or know-how in relation to SCCE within some institutions
• Professionals draw on a wide range of resources and frameworks with DfE SCCE Strategy being the most widely cited
• The lack of any clear direction on SCCE either in the ITEECF or the National Curriculum obstructs progress in this area at local, institutional and national leve
The structure of executive functions in athletes: A latent variable approach
Get PDFThe role of executive function (EF) in expert sport performance has become a popular topic in sport and exercise psychology research. Research in this area often adopts the unity/diversity framework of EF (i.e., inhibition, shifting, and updating). However, recent investigations into the suitability of this unity/diversity model, and other competing models (e.g., the nested model of EF), has questioned whether this model is suitable for across all populations (e.g., athletes). The aim of the present study was to use confirmatory factor analysis to outline the most suitable EF model in a sample of athletes. In total, 131 participants with varying levels of athletic expertise completed two inhibition, shifting, and updating tasks. All analyses were performed in RStudio. The results revealed the nested model of EF provided the best fit to the data indicating its suitability for athletes. Acceptable fit was also found for the unity/diversity mode of EF. Overall, the results suggest that, despite recent criticism of the nested model and unity/diversity framework of EF, such structures appear to be suitable for use with athletic populations