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Sexual misconduct and evaluation of candidate appropriateness for employment within a nonpublic-facing role
No full textEmployment is a barrier for individuals with a prior sexual offence. This study examined employability for a non-public-facing, low-skilled job, before and after a disclosure and barring service (DBS) check. The DBS check revealed either (i) rape, (ii) sexual activity with a child, (iii) possession of indecent photographs of children, or (iv) no criminal conviction. We measured ratings of trustworthiness, company value, and suitability for the role before and after the disclosure. Participants were then invited to keep or reject the candidate. As predicted, those with a prior sexual offence were perceived as less trustworthy, valuable, or suitable for employment. Contact offences received higher rejections (sexual activity with a child 49%, rape, 38%) than possession of photographs of children (32%). This data indicates discrimination still occurs when a DBS check is provided after an initial hiring decision. Directions for future research for enhancing employment opportunities are discussed
“It's having conversations that I like with people I like": Exploring the motivations ofAustralian science podcasters
Get PDFScience podcasts have become an increasingly popular channel for science communication. Although podcasting has risen in popularity, little is known about why science podcasters choose to pursue this pathway for communication and how they set about achieving theirgoals for their podcast. Drawing on qualitative data from interviews with 20 science podcasters in Australia, our results reveal that the podcasters are mainly driven by personal factors such as their interest in, enjoyment of, and curiosity about science and that while they employ various tactics to achieve their goals, they do not consciously consider these tactics to be a form of strategic science communication
Prevent-PE (pre-eclampsia prevention by timed birth at term): Protocol for a randomised trial
No full textTo evaluate whether term pre-eclampsia (PE) is reduced by screening for PE risk at 35 + 0-36 + 6 weeks' gestation and offering risk-based, planned early term birth. 'PREVENT-PE' is a multicentre, randomised trial (ISRCTN41632964). Singleton pregnancy, presentation for routine fetal ultrasound at 35 + 0-36 + 6 weeks', and can give informed consent. PE, major fetal abnormality, or participation in a conflicting study. Randomisation (central, 1:1 ratio, minimised for study site, in random permuted blocks) to intervention (screening for term PE risk, and planned early term birth for PE risk ≥ 1 in 50) or control (usual care at term) arms. Primary: Birth with PE (ISSHP 2021 criteria). Emergency caesarean and neonatal unit admission ≥ 48 h. Others include within-trial and intermediate-term economic evaluations, and mixed-methods surveys and interviews. 3,201 participants/arm would be required to detect a relative risk (intervention/control) of 0.5, based on 2.0% PE incidence, 90% power, and two-tailed 2.5% significance level; an adaptive design will determine the final sample size (4000-8000) at interim analysis of the first 3,000 participants. Intention-to-treat. Economic evaluation will measure and value resources and health outcomes for mothers at risk of term PE and newborns (health service perspective). In within-trial cost-effectiveness analysis, the main outcome will be incremental cost per PE case averted, with costs and health outcomes calculated using patient-level data. A decision model will assess cost-utility of the intervention for one year postpartum. PREVENT-PE will provide data to inform birth choices and maternity services planning. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2025. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Unpacking the university-creative economy assemblage: The discourses, dynamics and possibilities of creative R&D programmes
Get PDFThe UK government's Creative Industries Sector Vision identifies the creative industries as a growth engine, supporting the state's ambition for the UK to be a global innovation hub and foregrounding the role of universities ‘to champion spin-outs’ and ‘enrich local SMEs with their applied research’ (June 2023). Attempts to mobilise universities as agents in regional creative economies via University-Industry R&D programmes have intensified in recent decades, with over £276 million invested since 2012 in programmes such as the AHRC's Creative Industries Clusters Programme, CoSTAR, XRtists and UKRI's Strength in Places Fund. This paper unpacks the imaginaries and mechanics of such projects to show how universities have become complicit in a political shift that positions innovation, knowledge exchange and technological capability as the most valuable forms of ‘creativity’, rather than other artistic, social, or cultural practices. We examine the often-inflexible structures of partnership, resourcing and knowledge hierarchies within higher education institutions (HEIs) that delimit the potential of universities as agents in regional creative economies. We explore how creative sector-facing practices performed by universities, such as knowledge exchange, performance measurement and administrative procedures, can reproduce an exclusionary and extractive vision of creative economies. Lastly, we consider what alternative practices of intermediation may exist to support a more progressive role for HEIs in the creative economy
Point-of-care troponin tests to rule out acute myocardial infarction in the prehospital environment: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis
Get PDFBackground Chest pain is a major cause of emergency ambulance calls, often linked to acute myocardial infarction (AMI), a critical condition requiring immediate hospitalisation. Current diagnostic methods, such as history taking and ECG, have limitations, especially for non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction. High-sensitivity cardiac troponin (cTn) assays are more diagnostically sensitive, but the downside is that it needs hospital-based testing, which can delay diagnosis and the necessary treatment protocol. Point-of-care cTn testing, on the other hand, is much faster and done nearer to the patient; hence, it may fundamentally change the prehospital care pathway in terms of diagnostic accuracy, clinical utility and related safety.Objective To present a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis that will assess the diagnostic accuracy, clinical utility and safety of point of care (POC) troponin tests, with or without clinical decision aids, for ruling out AMI in adults presenting with cardiac chest pain to emergency ambulance services in prehospital settings.Methods This protocol follows BMJ guidelines and adheres to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols 2015 reporting standards. It is registered with PROSPERO (ID: CRD42024533117). A comprehensive search strategy will identify relevant studies in MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL, focusing on literature from 2000 onwards. Eligibility criteria include adults with chest pain suspected of AMI, excluding those with ST-elevation myocardial infarction. The primary target is type 1 AMI, with secondary outcomes including major adverse cardiac events at 30 days. Risk of bias assessment will be performed using tools such as Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies version 2, Risk of Bias 2, and Risk of Bias in Non-randomised Studies of Interventions, while the quality of the economic evaluations will be appraised using the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) checklist. Data items extracted will include patient demographics, test characteristics and outcomes. Where possible, meta-analyses will be conducted by fitting hierarchical models for diagnostic accuracy and random effects models for clinical and cost-effectiveness estimates. Subgroup analyses are proposed to quantify the effect of variables such as gender, ethnicity and type of troponin assay on the estimated parameters
A high resolution spatial modelling framework for landscape-level, strategic conservation planning
Get PDFDevelopment is needed to improve living standards globally but poses a threat to many species through habitat loss and fragmentation. There is often a legal requirement to ensure new development does not negatively impact protected species and the habitats they depend on, however planners are unable to make informed decisions without a detailed understanding of how species use the landscape. The aim of this study was to develop a spatial modelling framework for protecting biodiversity in the planning process. Using habitat suitability and landscape connectivity modelling we aimed to produce high resolution mapping outputs that can inform development decisions. We illustrate our approach with a detailed case study of a species of conservation concern, the greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum), in Somerset, UK. We gathered fine scale data on R. ferrumequinum habitat use with GPS telemetry, mapped habitat using a high resolution, satellite derived land classification, and built a detailed vegetation map with LIDAR. With these data we built models of habitat suitability and landscape connectivity, validated model predictions with an independent dataset, and generated a number of high resolution maps. We present a detailed case study to explore how different mapping outputs can guide development decisions. We propose that robust tools such as integrated spatial modelling should be central to the planning process; our framework can act as a template for implementing this
The 15-minute campus: Exploring the potential impacts on biodiversity, health and wellbeing of co-creating 15-minute city design principles on University campuses
Get PDFImagine picking up an e-scooter or e-bike from a charging dock on campus that combines solar panels with a filtered rainwater refill fountain, a mobile phone charging point, climbing plants, and insect habitats. What if the space also offered composting for food waste, shelter from the rain, and a space to meet friends—open to all to support the university’s civic role in the wider city? This paper explores the ideas affecting biodiversity, health, and wellbeing of co-created design explorations of 15-minute city principles on university campuses. Originating from urban planning, the 15-minute city proposes that essential needs like education, healthcare, work, and leisure are accessible by active travel. Applied to a university campus, it means students and staff can access classrooms, housing, food, and recreation in just 15 minutes. Beyond convenience, this approach is argued to foster inclusive, mixed-use, and potentially ecologically regenerative spaces. Drawing on regenerative design thinking—which aims to restore and co-evolve human and natural systems—this participatory design research critically responds to top-down models by involving students and university stakeholders in co-creating visions for a 15-minute campus. The results show that through this participatory design process, cocreators contributed to shaping ideas that foster belonging, emotional attachment, and co-responsibility for place. The research concludes by proposing an innovative reorientation of the 15-minute-city—from a model concerned primarily with needs and efficiency, to one grounded in ecological consciousness, autonomy, and human–nature co-evolution
Ethics and the Environmental Health Profession: The Importance of Being Ethical
No full textProviding an exploration of the discussion on how a stronger ethical basis for the work of environmental health practitioners (EHPs) can contribute to improved public health, because EHPs/environmental health officers (EHOs) come into daily contact with members of the public to address threats to their health and wellbeing. This book examines what is meant by professional ethics and the role of professional bodies in ensuring members of the profession act ethically. They should be expected to act as guardians of the public interest, without fear or favour. Ethics is an integral part of public health decision-making and needs to be incorporated into public and environmental health policy development and decision-making. This work, while seeking to stimulate debate within the environmental health profession, will examine what this means for EHPs.Ethics and the Environmental Health Profession: The Importance of Being Ethical explores the process of ethical decision-making in the environmental health profession and asks the question of whom EHPs have an ethical duty towards in their work. It looks at a variety of ethical issues which arise for EHPs working in local government, as consultants or for commercial companies.This book is useful for EHPs globally, other local government officers, educational establishments where environmental and public health courses are run globally, elected members of local authorities, and policymakers at national and local government levels
Defining paediatric abusive head trauma using routinely collected patient datasets: Scoping review and testing in a UK cohort
No full textBackground: Suboptimal coding and underreporting of abusive head trauma (AHT) makes cases difficult to identify from routinely collected patient data, particularly if not admitted to hospital.Objective: To identify existing AHT definitions for routine patient data and compare their impact on AHT incidence estimates when applied to a UK primary care cohort.Participants and setting: Cohort participants were all infants in a large primary care database, who were under 1 year old between January 2013 and June 2021, registered at a General Practice, with linkages to secondary care and Accident and Emergency data.Method: A scoping review to identify studies that used diagnostic codes or routinely collected data to define AHT in children under 5 years from electronic health records. We used the definitionsidentified to calculate incidence per 100,000 person-years in a UK primary care cohort to explore variability of incidence estimates.Results: We identified 40 eligible studies (29 definitions), with most definitions based on hospital data using ICD-9-CM and ICD-10 codes. None applied to a UK population or primary care data sources. Incidence of AHT in our cohort ranged from 9 to 15 per 100,000 person-years using “probable” or “presumptive” definitions, and up to 49 per 100,000 person-years using broader definitions including “possible” AHT.Conclusion: The wide range of hospital AHT incidence calculated in our cohort using the definitions identified in the scoping review indicates a need for a standardised definition suited to UK datasets including primary care
Clinician perspectives concerning the treatment of adolescents with co-occurring chronic pain and mental health symptoms
Get PDFPain and mental health symptoms frequently co-occur in adolescents, often posing physical, social, and emotional challenges. While previous research has focused on clinician perspectives on chronic pain in isolation, limited knowledge exists on the potential unique challenges these co-occurring symptoms’ present to clinicians in providing appropriate support to adolescents. This study examined clinician perspectives on the challenges and barriers to treating adolescents who experience co-occurring pain and mental health symptoms. Using a cross-sectional qualitative online vignette survey, responses were collected from 40 clinicians, including psychologists, physiotherapists, and doctors involved in treating adolescents (11-19 years) who experience co-occurring chronic pain and mental health symptoms. Participants, recruited from several countries, were asked about their perceived challenges to treating adolescents with co-occurring chronic pain and mental health symptoms. Vignettes were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The analysis generated two themes. The first, ‘tangled threads’, describes how clinicians perceive mistrust from the adolescents based on previous negative clinician encounters and a perceived need to ‘undo’ this anticipated harm. The second theme ‘the difficult-to-pursue integrated approach’ depicts how fragmentation and siloed services for pain and mental health hinder effective treatment for adolescents who experience both symptoms. Co-occurring pain and mental health symptoms in adolescents are often initially mismanaged because they do not fit the mould of the services available to treat them, resulting in a more complex presentation to clinicians. The development of a more integrated clinical approach to treating adolescents with co-occurring pain and mental health symptoms is needed