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Development and Validation of The Agonistic Continuum Scale (TACS)
Get PDFSexual violence includes a wide variety of behaviours, ranging from harassment, to coercion, to rape, to sexual homicide. Although the Criminal Justice system distinguishes these forms of sexual violence, several studies have suggested that they represent different degrees of severity of an underlying continuum, named the Agonistic Continuum. Such model proposes that sub-categories of sexual violence share a core, unifying construct. The aim of the present study was to develop and test the psychometric properties of a new Agonistic scale. Classical test theory, exploratory factor analyses, taxometric analyses, and two-parameter item response theory analyses were conducted on a combined sample of MTurk workers and university students. Analyses revealed that the new 30-item Agonistic scale is psychometrically sound. These results have several implications, ranging from moving away from the arbitrary categorization of sexual violence, to encompassing the last decade of research on harassment and coercion following the #MeToo movement. <br/
Rock coast geomodel: process-response dynamics, resilience and vulnerability
Get PDFGeology and geomorphology are linked starkly in coastal environments, exemplifying the importance of Fookes’ geomodel approach to understanding site dynamics. Cliffs, and the shore platforms that front them, are subject to both marine and subaerial processes. Throughout his work, Fookes emphasizes the role of climate as a weathering agent, influencing material properties and requiring consideration in engineering projects. Comparatively, more is known about the operation of rock weathering processes on shore platforms than on cliffs. Yet, with the changing climate, it is becoming apparent that winter salt and frost weathering, and summer salt and wetting–drying weathering, contribute to more frequent occurrences of coastal rockfalls. Increasing storm activity and rising sea-levels are enhancing marine and subaerial processes. Rock coasts are amongst the most rapidly eroding coastlines in Europe. New applications of technologies, including seismometers, LiDAR and InSAR, provide a fuller understanding of rock coast process–response geomodel behaviour and the resilience of rock coasts on engineering timescales. Communicating scientific understanding of rock coast dynamics to policy-makers, planners and the public remains a challenge. Assessments of the hazard, risk, resilience and vulnerability of rock coasts associated with climate change provide useful communication tools. Databases such as the British Geological Survey GeoCoast geohazard data product and EMODnet Geology (European Marine Observation and Data Network) coastal behaviour data products integrate and visualize available data and information to communicate situational awareness to a broad audience
Learning from the community:iterative co-production of a programme to support the development of attention, regulation and thinking skills in toddlers at elevated likelihood of autism or ADHD
Get PDFProgrammes designed to support children with known, or increased likelihood of, autism or ADHD often focus on reducing behaviours central to a clinical diagnosis. However, supporting children to pursue their own goals and cope with everyday life through fostering executive function (EF) development, without enforcing neuro-normative assumptions, may be more acceptable to neurodivergent people, and more beneficial. The co-production process for this neurodiversity-affirming programme involved: Review of research priorities identified during published public-and-clinician consultations; iterative programme development through two pilot rounds with a general community sample; and consultation with stakeholders (parents with a connection to autism or ADHD, alongside early years specialists, psychologists and therapists) to check acceptability of the proposal, and refine the logic model and materials. The logic model for the resultant programme—Supporting Toddlers with a connection to autism or ADHD to develop strong Attention, Regulation and Thinking skills (START)—involves three mechanisms of change: The child has appropriate play-based opportunities to practise EF skills; Parenting behaviours linked to strong EFs are encouraged; Parents are empowered to improve environmental-fit for their child so that EF stressors are reduced
Teachers’ experiences of school-based mental health literacy programmes: A qualitative study of Tackling the Blues
Get PDFConcern about school pupils' mental health has increased globally. Mental health programmes in state schools, including those provided by external partners, have also expanded. However, little research exists which explores the views and experiences of teachers and other school staff on the development of coproduced, contextually tailored, mental health literacy (MHL) programmes delivered with external partners (including academic researchers and community organisations) to support pupil mental health. This paper reports new interview data from 14 teachers and 1 teaching assistant based in 8 primary schools in north-west England who were involved with a sport- and art-based MHL programme (Tackling the Blues, TtB) during the school year 2022/23. Three themes were identifiable in the interviewees' comments: (i) Externality and navigating the constraints of the national curriculum; (ii) “It's opened my eyes”: developing and enhancing mental health literacy; and (iii) Supporting inclusive and proactive mentally healthy schools. Our findings suggest that TtB provided schools and teachers the opportunity to work with external organisations committed to working with, rather than on or for, them over the school year. This collaborative approach helped align TtB to the values, ethos, and strategic priorities of the school, including existing whole-school approaches to mental health within and beyond the curriculum. External partners' complementary expertise helped build capacity for delivering MHL work flexibly in schools, strengthened teachers' confidence, and expanded their understanding of pupils' diverse mental health needs. This further strengthened programme acceptability by fostering more pupil-to-pupil conversations which were perceived to positively contribute to stigma reduction and help-seeking efficacy
Student Psychotherapists' Experiences of Self‐Empathy: An Interpretative Poetic Inquiry
Get PDFBackground: Interpersonal empathy is a well‐researched concept in the counselling and psychotherapy literature, although less is known about how it is experienced at an intrapersonal level. What is known is that self‐empathy involves a change in perspective and a re‐evaluation of events, in kinder and less judgemental ways. Aim: The aim of this study was to understand and appreciate the meaning of self‐empathy to trainee creative psychotherapists. The research was in the context of the students' own self‐care and intrapersonal relating. Methodology and Methods: An interpretative poetic inquiry design was utilised. Interviews were conducted with 4 trainee creative psychotherapists at a university in the Northwest of England, UK. Results: Self‐empathy was experienced as a process, often involving several aspects of the self, to understand and accept feelings and events in the context of self‐care. Development of self‐empathy involved internal dialoguing through activities such as journaling, poetry writing, meditation, and being outdoors. The use of interpretative poetic inquiry enabled the emotional aspects of the data to be distilled and combined reflexively with the experiences of the researchers. Conclusions: This research provides contemporary insights into the experiences of self‐empathy from the perspective of a small number of trainee creative psychotherapists. It has implications for students in terms of self‐understanding and self‐care, and for educators, to inform future psychotherapist preparation and curriculum development. Finally, there are implications for future research using interpretative poetic inquiry as a reflexive approach, which embraces the presence of the researcher in the research
Development of a Machine Learning Algorithm to Identify Cauda Equina Compression on MRI Scans
Get PDFObjective: Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES) poses significant neurological risks if untreated. Diagnosis relies on clinical and radiological features. As the symptoms are often non specific and common, the diagnosis is usually made after a MRI scan. A huge number of MRI scans are done to exclude CES but nearly 80% of them will not have cauda equina syndrome. This study aimed to develop and validate a machine learning model for automated CES detection from MRI scans to enable faster triage of patients presenting with CES like clinical features.Methods: MRI scans from suspected CES patients (2017-2022) were collected and categorized into normal scans/disc protrusion (0%-50% canal stenosis (CS)) and cauda equina compression (CEC, >50% CS). A convolutional neural network was developed and tested on a total of 715 images (80:20 split) Gradient descent heatmaps were generated to highlight regions crucial for classification.Results: The model achieved an accuracy of 0.950 (0.921-0.971), a sensitivity of 0.969 (0.941-0.987), a specificity of 0.859 (0.742-0.937), a positive predictive value of 0.969 (0.944-0.984) and an area under the curve of 0.915 (0.865-0.958). Gradient descent heatmaps demonstrated accurate identification of any clinically relevant disc herniation into the spinal canal.Conclusions: This study pilots a deep learning approach for predicting CEC presence, promising improved healthcare quality and timely CES management. As referrals rise, this tool can act as a fast triage system which can lead to prompt management of CES in environments where resources for radiological interpretation of mri scans is limited
Introducing GSC, a Fair and Ethical Artificial Intelligence Coursework Aid to Students
Get PDFIn Autumn 2023, a simple Artificial Intelligence powered tool was developed for Master’s students to ensure that their writing was clear, well-structured and appropriate for their programme, without undermining the academic integrity of the essay. The tool was designed so that all students, no matter their nationality, English proficiency or educational background, could use it to improve their essays and coursework and ascertain that their arguments were put forward in a clear and cogent manner, without the risk of falling foul of the University’s academic malpractice regulations. Following the release of ChatGPT-3.5 in November 2020 (Marr, 2023), and its popularity and ease of use, concern was raised amongst the higher education community (Douglas Heaven, 2023). A new form of contract cheating, where a student seeks the help of others to complete their assignment, was enabled by AI as students could now simply ask the AI tool to complete their essays for them. Furthermore, these AI tools were either free of charge, or very low cost, and were very simple to use. Discussions with colleagues in various third level institutes revealed strategies such as limiting assessments which could be completed by AI to recent events,1 or to change the focus of written assessments to reflection pieces.2 However, as the AI models have evolved and become more robust, such strategies are no longer effective. Alternative assessment strategies, such as shifting to in-person exams or conducting viva voce examinations, have been discussed in faculty meetings across many universities. However, these alternative assessment strategies raise concerns regarding access and inclusion, as they may disadvantage students who have varying levels of comfort and ability with oral examinations. They may also not be the appropriate way in which to assess students on certain learning outcomes. This highlights the need for inclusive assessment approaches that accommodate diverse needs and ensure equitable opportunities for all students to demonstrate their knowledge
Surgical Approach of Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) With Transoral Robotic Surgery Versus Non-robotic Transoral Surgery and Laser: A Systematic Review
Get PDFOropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is among the most common head and neck cancers, with increasing use of surgical treatment for stage T1/T2 cases. This study compares the oncological outcomes of transoral robotic surgery (TORS) with non-robotic transoral surgery. A systematic review of the Ovid database was conducted using defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data extraction was performed independently by two authors, and publication quality was assessed using the Oxford Centre for Evidence Based Medicine criteria. Outcomes related to oncological margins, swallowing, and voice function were analyzed descriptively.Ten studies met the inclusion criteria, most of which were retrospective cohort studies. The comparative analysis demonstrated that TORS provides better overall oncological outcomes than non-TORS in patients with T1/T2 OPSCC. In addition, TORS was associated with a 30% higher rate of achieving clear surgical margins. While these findings suggest that TORS may be the superior modality for oncological and functional outcomes, the study is limited by the lack of randomized controlled trials and non-randomized treatment assignments. Further prospective randomized trials are necessary to confirm these results and establish clinical practice guideline
Validity and Reliability of the Physical Literacy in Children Questionnaire (PL-C Quest) for Primary School Children Aged 8 to 11 Years
No full textObjectives: The study aimed to provide evidence for validity and reliability of the Physical Literacy in Children Questionnaire (PL-C Quest).Design: Cross-sectionalMethods: Data were obtained from 664 primary school children (52.3% girls; aged 10.0 ± 0.9 years; 80.6% white British). Children completed the PL-C Quest: 30 pictorial dichotomous items relating to four Physical Literacy (PL) domains (physical, psychological, social, and cognitive). A convenience sub-sample (n = 66, 54.4% girls; aged 10.1 ± 0.9 years) completed the PL-C Quest again within 10-days. Construct validity (Confirmatory Factor Analysis) and internal consistency (Polychoric Ordinal Alphas) were assessed on the full sample and test-retest reliability (Intraclass Correlation) was assessed on the sub-sample. Results: Goodness of fit values for construct validity showed good model fit. All items (PL elements) significantly loaded on domains and all domains significantly loaded on to PL (higher order factor). Nearly all items (28 out of 30) loaded on close or above the standard of λ = 0.3. Removing these two items did not significantly improve model fit. The model was sex- and age-invariant showing evidence of validity for both sexes and school years 4, 5, and 6. The PL-C Quest also showed evidence of good test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.94) and internal consistency (Pα = 0.90). Conclusions: This evidence supports the use of the PL-C Quest to assess perceived PL in school children in England/UK
Feeling Old in Eighteenth-Century Britain
Get PDFThis article examines the lived experiences of the older body - the embodiment of old age - from the perspective of older people. It uses letters written from 1680 to 1820 by twenty-two women and men aged between sixty and eighty-nine, selected from a corpus of over 391 letter writers. We begin by exploring the embodied experiences discussed by older people, as well as their understanding of the relationship between these experiences and their later years. The article finds that old age was experienced as highly variable and was subject to an ongoing process of recalibration. Central to that process was the corporeality of the aging body as experienced in the context of a range of social factors. The corporeality of the body was a factor for all but was not always framed negatively or even situated in the context of aging. The article then turns to the responses of older people to the life-stage of old age. The article finds them self-directed and proactive in continuing to live well. This is significant evidence for a self-consciously active, engaged, and embodied old age in early modernity. These older letter writers tended not to disavow old age but to accommodate and even embrace it.</p