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Evaluating Brief Behavioural Activation for depression in adolescents with acquired brain injury using a single‐case experimental design
Get PDFBackground Adolescents who have had an acquired brain injury (ABI) commonly experience depression. Brief Behavioural Activation (Brief BA) is a successful, values‐based intervention for managing depression in neurotypical adolescents. This study investigated the effectiveness of Brief BA, using a single‐case experimental design, with adolescents experiencing depression following ABI. Methods Five adolescents, one male and four female, aged 14–17 years and with ABI, completed a 6‐week course of Brief BA. The primary outcome measures were mean daily activity scores out of 10 for ‘achievement’, 'closeness' and ‘enjoyment’ (mean achievement, closeness and enjoyment scores; MACES). MACES were collected daily for 9 weeks, comprising at least 2 weeks at baseline and at least 6 weeks during the intervention. Secondary outcome measures of depression, quality of life (QoL), and participation were collected once at baseline, immediately post‐treatment, and at a 4‐week follow‐up. Results Two participants showed a significant increase in enjoyment scores and one participant showed a significant increase in closeness scores. No other significant differences were noted for MACES. All participants reported significant reliable improvement in depression scores at their follow‐up sessions, with three showing clinically significant improvement. Three participants reported reliable improvement in QoL. All parents reported reliable improvement in participants' depression and QoL scores. No significant changes were noted for participation scores. Conclusion The significant changes in closeness and enjoyment scores following intervention suggest Brief BA may encourage positive behavioural change for adolescents with depression following ABI. Discussions explore the potential role of insight through linking valued activities with mood and positive reinforcement, leading to an improvement on depression and QoL outcomes. Charities and services providing low‐intensity interventions might want to consider trialling Brief BA for this population. Future research suggestions, such as investigating Brief BA for depression linked with more diverse neurological conditions, are discussed
The African clean energy-deforestation paradox: examining the sustainability trade-offs of rural solar energy expansion in Zambia
Get PDFClean energy programmes increasingly promote solar in rural Africa to expand electricity access and reduce emissions. However, little is known about how off-grid households finance these systems or whether their financing pathways create new environmental challenges. This article examines the clean energy deforestation paradox in Zambia, where the adoption of solar photovoltaic technologies is partly financed through forest-based income. Over a 28-months period, a multi-sited qualitative study was conducted in four rural districts involving 80 interviews and several focus group discussions. Findings were analysed thematically and complemented by geospatial analysis of forest loss from 2001 to 2023 to estimate associated carbon stock reductions and foregone sequestration. Interviewees identified key drivers of forest loss such as charcoal production, timber extraction, firewood collection and agricultural expansion, alongside more subtle activities including firewood for funerals, hunting access, bark and medicinal harvests, honey collection and mopani worm gathering. Many households reported using income from these activities to purchase solar-lighting kits and phone-charging systems in the absence of affordable credit or subsidies. The policy review revealed fragmented governance, where solar programmes seldom consider financing mechanisms while forest initiatives overlook rural energy needs. The study makes two main contributions. First, it provides empirical evidence that clean energy adoption can be linked to environmentally damaging financing strategies. Second, it offers a combined social and biophysical assessment that connects household behaviour to carbon outcomes. The study concludes by proposing integrated policies, forest-sensitive solar subsidies, sustainable livelihood options, stronger local enforcement and targeted education to align energy access with environmental conservation
Group level and individual differences in second language sentence processing
Get PDFVariability at the group and individual level can inform understanding in second language research. For example, examining by-group and individual differences can play an important role in teasing apart competing theoretical accounts of first and second language processing. In this paper, I review existing research examining variability in second language sentence processing. Focusing on relative clause attachment, filler-gap dependency resolution and subject-verb agreement, I examine these three phenomena as case studies for how examining variability can inform key debates in second language processing research. I review variability at the group and individual level in both cognitive and linguistic abilities, language experience and proficiency, and in the linguistic environment. I also discuss methodological issues in generalizing findings across studies and in using psycholinguistic tasks to examine individual variation in language processing, which pose important challenges that need to be addressed if the field is to move towards an individual differences perspective of second language processing. Although the review focuses on three linguistic phenomena in second language sentence processing, the issues discussed are relevant to the examination of variability in bi-/multilingual language acquisition and processing more broadly
Gamification in C2C secondary marketplace apps: from motivating sustainable behavior to unintended overconsumption
Get PDFPurpose - This study integrates affordance theory and self-determination theory to examine how gamification affordances on consumer-to-consumer (C2C) secondary marketplace apps influence users’ pro-environmental behaviors. Drawing on the concepts of warm glow and moral licensing, it investigates how pro-environmental actions via apps may unintentionally lead to overconsumption.
Design/methodology/approach - We recruited 613 respondents who had recently used Xianyu, a leading C2C secondary marketplace app in China, to sell their unwanted possessions. Data were analyzed using SmartPLS 4.0 to test the proposed path relationships.
Findings - The findings showed that instrumental and hedonic affordances, but not social affordances, are crucial for enhancing pro-environmental motivations. Users’ engagement in pro-environmental actions is driven by autonomous (intrinsic) and controlled (extrinsic) motives. Engaging in pro-environmental actions via apps can increase the warm glow effect, which, in turn, may unintentionally contribute to overconsumption behaviors, including over-purchase, hedonic consumption, and impulse purchase. Moral licensing strengthened the impact of warm glow on hedonic consumption and impulse purchase.
Originality - This research offers a novel perspective by demonstrating how gamification affordances promote pro-environmental behaviors yet may indirectly drive overconsumption through the emotional benefits of these actions. By highlighting both positive motivations and potential unintended consequences, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of gamification’s impact in C2C secondary marketplaces.
Practical implications - This study suggests C2C secondary marketplace apps can design gamified elements to sustain pro-environmental motivations while reducing overconsumption by leveraging instrumental and hedonic affordances, emphasizing long-term environmental impact, and mitigating moral licensing through ongoing commitment
Double-layer potentials, configuration constants, and applications to numerical ranges
Get PDFGiven a compact convex planar domain Ω with non-empty interior, the classical Neu-
mann’s configuration constant cR(Ω) is the norm of the Neumann-Poincar´e operator KΩ acting
on the space of continuous real-valued functions on the boundary ∂Ω, modulo constants. We in-
vestigate the related operator norm cC(Ω) of KΩ on the corresponding space of complex-valued
functions, and the norm a(Ω) on the subspace of analytic functions. This change requires intro-
duction of techniques much different from the ones used in the classical setting. We prove the
equality cR(Ω) = cC(Ω), the analytic Neumann-type inequality a(Ω) < 1, and provide various
estimates for these quantities expressed in terms of the geometry of Ω. We apply our results
to estimates for the holomorphic functional calculus of operators on Hilbert space of the type
∥p(T )∥ ≤ K supz∈Ω |p(z)|, where p is a polynomial and Ω is a domain containing the numerical
range of the operator T . Among other results, we show that the well-known Crouzeix-Palencia
bound K ≤ 1 + √2 can be improved to K ≤ 1 + p1 + a(Ω). In the case that Ω is an ellipse, this
leads to an estimate of K in terms of the eccentricity of the ellipse
The effect of CO2 concentration and temperature on the germination of F1 everbearing strawberry seeds
No full textIncreased atmospheric CO2 concentration and global warming widely affect agricultural production. Understanding the effects of elevated CO2 levels and temperature variations on crop production has become increasingly crucial. Strawberries, being C3 plants, are particularly sensitive to variation in atmospheric CO2 concentration and temperature. This experiment was designed to investigate how different CO2 concentrations and temperatures affect the germination rate of strawberry seeds. F1 strawberry seeds of two everbearer cultivars, ‘Estavana’ and ‘Soraya’, were exposed to 4 different CO2 concentrations (400, 800, 1200, and 1600 ppm) and three temperatures (17, 21, and 25°C) established in controlled environment growth cabinets. Results revealed that an increase in temperature from 17 to 25°C shortened the germination time by approximately 3.4 days. However, CO2 concentration did not have a significant impact on the germination time in either cultivar
A comparative exploration of perceived community and police adherence to COVID-19 regulations
No full textBased on an early 2020s survey of 3,500 police officers from nine countries, this paper explores perceived community and police adherence to the COVID-19 regulations. We propose that both public and police perceived adherence with the COVID-19 rules are related not only to individual-level factors (e.g., gender, concern for own health) but also to country-level factors (e.g., quality of governance, protection of citizens’ rights). Our findings reveal that individual-level factors, such as the concerns for personal and family health, were strong and consistent predictors of perceived community and police adherence. While misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with the perceived community adherence, it was not related to the perceived police adherence. Moreover, country-level factors, such as the stringency of COVID-19 rules and regulations and the protection of citizens’ rights, were also significantly related to both perceived community and police adherence
Math through stories: examining the role of student-created story picture books in developing conceptual understanding of fraction
No full textThis four-week mixed-methods study examined the impact of student-created fraction story
picture books on children’s conceptual understanding of fraction. A total of 181 Year 5 children
(ages 9–10) and 10 mathematics teachers from two private international schools in Jeddah, Saudi
Arabia, were randomly assigned to an intervention cohort, which used a storytelling-based
approach to learning fractions, or a comparison cohort, which followed traditional instruction.
Both cohorts worked in mixed-ability pairs twice weekly, with the intervention cohort creating
fraction story picture books and the comparison cohort completing fraction-related tasks. Their
interactions were audio-recorded.
Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) found no statistically significant differences between the
cohorts’ post- and delayed post-test scores across the tests’ Procedural Fluency (PF), Contextual
Representation (CR), Visual Representation (VR), Symbolic Representation (SR) and Overall
Representation (OR) scales. Paired-samples t-tests showed significant improvement in
conceptual understanding over time. Qualitative analysis of children’s stories highlighted their
potential to enhance both mathematical understanding and linguistic abilities.
Children’s Weeks 1 and 4 audio-recording transcripts were coded using Trakulphadetkrai’s
(2024) ‘Student-to-Student Mathematical Talk’ (SSMT) Coding Framework. Qualitative analysis
revealed that the intervention cohort engaged in exploratory discussions, with non-explicitly
mathematical talk supporting formal mathematical discussions. ANCOVA revealed that while
the intervention cohort focused on open-ended discussions and collaborative problem-solving
using more non-explicitly mathematical talk, the comparison cohort focused on individual
problem-solving and precision, using more explicitly mathematical talk.
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Qualitative analysis of teachers’ interview data identified key perceived enablers for
implementing the approach, including pedagogical benefits, improved assessment, and
curriculum adaptability, while barriers included inhibiting social norms, children’s language
limitations, time constraints, and lack of teachers’ training. Qualitative analysis of the children’s
interview data revealed overall positive attitudes towards the approach.
This study makes an original contribution by providing the first systematic empirical evidence on
the educational potential of student-created mathematical story picture books in the context of
fractions. It advances understanding of how an open-ended narrative-based, student-led task can
promote conceptual understanding, foster dialogic mathematical talk, and position children as
epistemic agents in mathematics classrooms. The study also offers new insights into the value of
non-explicitly mathematical talk as a bridge to formal reasoning and demonstrates the utility of
Trakulphadetkrai’s (2024) SSMT Coding Framework for analysing student-to-student
mathematical discourse. The findings highlight actionable strategies for practitioners and school
leaders, such as integrating student-created story picture books into mathematics instruction,
addressing barriers such as time constraints and language limitations, and fostering mathematical
discussions. These contributions provide a foundation for enhancing mathematics education
through a creative, student-centered approach, with implications for practice, theory and policy
Exploring the professional identities and gendered career paths of Academic Middle Managers in UK higher education
No full textWhile interest in the role and experiences of Academic Middle Managers (AMMs) in
education has grown in recent years, research has tended to view the sector homogenously,
and most of the literature is gender-neutral. Specifically, little attention has been given to
middle managers working at Higher Education (HE) provider Institutions. These institutions
are often seen as the poor relation of mainstream HEIs, particularly Russell Group
Universities, yet the sector has expanded exponentially in response to marketisation and
widening participation government policy agendas over the past three decades. HE providers
are part of the larger HE ecosystem, typically working with diverse student populations, often
from non-traditional backgrounds and this is often reflected in staff profiles, raising the
possibility of gender inclusive leadership as middle managers represent a pipeline of potential
future senior leaders of the HE provider sector.
Addressing important research gaps, this qualitative study gives attention to the lesser-heard
experiences of male and female academic middle managers (AMMs) in UK HE provider
institutions, examining how they construct their professional identities as middle managers
and academics, their gender-related experiences, and their aspirations for future career
advancement. Data were collected using visual drawing techniques and semi-structured
interviews and analysed thematically. The thesis provides recommendations for policy and
practice to support Middle Management, gender equity and inclusive leadership
“My story, our rights”—navigating the system when living with young onset dementia in Finland
Get PDFThis paper discusses the rights of people with young onset dementia in their everyday lives. It does this by collaborating with co-author Petri, who was diagnosed with dementia whilst of working age. Petri shares his story of navigating the system to find resources for living a good and valuable life with dementia, starting with the challenges he faced in getting a diagnosis and accessing services, through to advocating for people living with dementia to defend their rights. The narrative form of Petri’s overall story is progressive; it reveals a range of challenges yet portrays a person living as well as possible with dementia. Key themes in Petri’s story are accompanied by a dialogue of Finnish laws and regulations, as well as literature on dementia. Besides increasing awareness and fostering change, Petri sees opportunities such as advocacy work as a rehabilitative activity for himself and as a way to show that it is possible to live an active life with dementia. From a practical and ethical point of view, it is crucial that academic researchers carefully consider how to remain sensitive to the lived experience of realizing one’s rights and maintain a regular dialogue and transparency during the co-authoring process