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Imperfect Index - A Graphic Design Reference Book
No full textImperfect index is a reference document, a non-linear, imperfect guide to a more expansive understanding of graphic design.In this book, we are looking back at the disciplines discriminatory past, and directly at its discriminatory present, it contains a collection of voices, ideas and projects, that look forward to more diverse and inclusive future. Featuring Nina Paim (Futuress and Bikini Books), Kaleena Sales (Extra Bold and Centered) and Alison Place (Feminist Designer)
School art: Where is it? (Re)exploring visual arts in secondary schools
Get PDFIn this innovative research study, Joanna Fursman, Will Grant, and Carol Wild begin by revisiting the work undertaken by Dick Downing and Ruth Watson in their Tate-sponsored 2004 School Art: What Is It? report. Twenty years later, they replicate the processes employed by Downing and Watson – asking secondary school art teachers across England about the curriculum they deliver: its contents, structure, and impact. Candid interviews with 36 participants provide illustrative insight into the state of art education in England’s secondary schools in 2024. Through comparison, contextualisation, and critical reflection, Fursman, Grant, and Wild construct a new set of questions for today’s policymakers and practitioners
Against the canon: The unresolved dispute between Carla Lonzi and Giulio Carlo Argan
Get PDFThe article offers information on the intellectual conflict between Italian art critic Carla Lonzi and Italian art historian & critic Giulio Carlo Argan, particularly regarding their differing views on art criticism and history. Topics discussed include Lonzi's critique of Argan's materialist approach to art history; her rejection of traditional art criticism; and the influence of feminist politics on her break from the art world
Healthcare providers’ experiences of maternity care service delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom: A follow-up systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis
Get PDFProblem and background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was substantial reconfiguration of maternity care services, affecting both users and healthcare providers (HCPs), in the United Kingdom (UK) and globally. Aim: To further our understanding of the impact of maternity service reconfigurations in the UK, from the perspective of maternity HCPs. Methods: Scopus, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO and the Cochrane COVID Study Register were searched for relevant studies reporting qualitative data from the UK, published in English between 01 June 2021 and 30 September 2023. Qualitative data on HCPs’ experiences of maternity care reconfiguration during the pandemic were extracted from 15 studies. Data were subjected to thematic synthesis according to key service reconfigurations. Results: Nine themes were identified: Care-seeking and Care Experience: Changes to existing care, Limitations placed on the partner, Mental health and lack of support networks, and Barriers to successful implementation of reconfiguration strategies; Virtual Care: Impact on quality of care, Increased convenience and flexibility, and Digital exclusion; and Ethical Future of Maternity Care Services: Optimising patient care, and Service users and staff as the driving force for change. No studies reported on the concepts of Self-monitoring or COVID-19 vaccination. Discussion and conclusion: The review findings highlight HCPs’ views of the need for greater inclusion of partners, choice of virtual or in-person care for women and birthing people; and a need for co-designed services for future policy-making
Evaluating the effectiveness and acceptability of two positive body image media micro-interventions among children aged 4–6 years old – a study protocol
Get PDFBackground: Children’s online media perpetuates appearance idealised images and can negatively impact the way children feel about their own and other people’s bodies (e.g., weight bias) at a young age. The development and evaluation of body image interventions for young children to counteract this, are scarce. There is a need for prevention efforts to nurture the development of positive body image among this group to help mitigate potential body image concerns in later childhood. Media-based approaches promoting positive body image messages have shown preliminary efficacy. In collaboration with industry partners, we have developed two positive body image media micro-interventions (a 15-minute episode and a music video) to be evaluated in a fully powered RCT. Methods: We aim to recruit 440 children between the ages of 4 and 6 years to be randomised into one of four conditions: (i) 15-minute episode intervention, (ii) 15-minute episode control, (iii) 3-minute music video intervention, or (iv) 3-minute music video control. This study will be conducted face-to-face, whereby children and a parent attend a media screening session and children complete pre-and post-intervention measures of positive body image and weight bias. Both the child and parent will watch their assigned media, together on a tablet device. Due to their age, children will complete outcome measures with a trained moderator in a play-based interview pre-intervention (T1), immediately post-intervention (T2) and one-week follow up (T3). A corresponding parent will complete a questionnaire on intervention acceptability at T2, and re-watch of their assigned media at T3. The primary outcome will be the change in body appreciation, and secondary outcomes include change in functionality appreciation and weight bias. Exploratory analyses will determine any effect of gender (girls vs. boys), year group (reception vs. year 1) dosage or delayed effects. Moderator fidelity will be also assessed. Discussion: This study will evaluate two positive body image micro-interventions among children 4–6 years old. These interventions have the potential to bolster children’s positive body image and reduce weight bias. A dissemination plan is in place with project stakeholders such that the interventions can reach millions of children worldwide. Trial registration: The trial is registered with Clinical Trial.gov, Ref number: NCT06146647
A review of the healthcare and social care needs of the older prisoner population in England and Wales
Get PDFIn recent years, research on older prisoners in England and Wales has expanded significantly, and the term “older prisoner” is now well entrenched in the prison-based literature. Those prisoners who are over the age of 50 are now the fastest growing demographic in the prison system and they present with a wide range of specific health and social care needs. This paper provides an overview of the main challenges facing older prisoners in the context of their health and social care needs, including the development of mental health problems such as Alzheimer’s and dementia, as well as challenges related to mobility and engaging in structured activities in prison. This paper also considers the issue of dying in prison for older prisoners as well as the challenges of resettlement and reintegration post-release
The pedestrian pound (3rd edition)
No full textMaking our outdoor public spaces more accessible, attractive, comfortable and safe for people walking or wheeling can help to increase pedestrian footfall and revitalise high streets, district, town and city centres. This report updates the evidence from the previous Pedestrian Pound report (Living Streets, 2018) on the benefits of investing in the public realm and the positive impacts that more people walking and wheeling can have on their local high streets. The Pedestrian Pound 3rd edition outlines the challenges facing our high streets, including the rise of online shopping, the cost of living crisis and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. British high streets and town centre shops have suffered, with a record number of retail failures in 2022 and a vacancy rate of nearly one in seven by the end of 2023. Against this backdrop, Living Streets’ report centres on three key themes that highlight the transformative power of walkable environments: economy, community and health
Reactive astrocytes generated from human iPSC are pro-inflammatory and display altered metabolism
No full textAstrocytes are the most abundant type of glial cell in the central nervous system and they play pivotal roles in both normal health and disease. Their dysfunction is detrimental to many brain related pathologies. Under pathological conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease, astrocytes adopt an activated reactive phenotype which can contribute to disease progression. A prominent risk factor for many neurodegenerative diseases is neuroinflammation which is the purview of glial cells, such as astrocytes and microglia. Human in vitro models have the potential to reveal relevant disease specific mechanisms, through the study of individual cell types such as astrocytes or the addition of specific factors, such as those secreted by microglia. The aim of this study was to generate human cortical astrocytes, in order to assess their protein and gene expression, examine their reactivity profile in response to exposure to the microglial secreted factors IL-1α, TNFα and C1q and assess their functionality in terms of calcium signalling and metabolism. The successfully differentiated and stimulated reactive astrocytes display increased IL-6, RANTES and GM-CSF secretion, and increased expression of genes associated with reactivity including, IL-6, ICAM1, LCN2, C3 and SERPINA3. Functional assessment of these reactive astrocytes showed a delayed and sustained calcium response to ATP and a concomitant decrease in the expression of connexin-43. Furthermore, it was demonstrated these astrocytes had an increased glycolytic capacity with no effect on oxidative phosphorylation. These findings not only increase our understanding of astrocyte reactivity but also provides a functional platform for drug discovery
Insights from social and behavioural research at DfT during the COVID-19 pandemic
Get PDFThis report summarises insights from a project carried out at the Department for Transport (DfT) immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic.The project aimed to:- embed institutional knowledge within DfT of the role of social and behavioural research during the COVID-19 pandemic- explore how insights gained in the pandemic might inform future transport resilience strategiesIt explored areas including:- attitudes towards social distancing and face coverings- compliance with rules- the return to public transport following lockdowns- understanding of the role of ventilation on public transportThe research was undertaken as part of an Economic and Social Research Council Policy Fellowship in 2022 to 2023. The project was designed by the Policy Fellow, Dr Caroline Bartle, together with members of the DfT Social Research and Behavioural Science teams
Reviewing the evidence on sibling sexual behaviour: Impact on research, policy and practice
No full textThis paper reviews recent research into sibling sexual behaviour (SSB). This is an emerging professional and community issue that binds together a limited evidence base across research, practice and policy in psychology, criminology, politics, social work and policy studies. The review will demonstrate that a multi-disciplinary, life course, family systems approach is the most effective way of starting to develop interventions to prevent and respond to this issue