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Improved social functioning following social recovery therapy in first episode psychosis: Do social cognition and neurocognition change following therapy, and do they predict treatment response?
No full textThis article is not available on ChesterRepThere is a need to develop and refine psychosocial interventions to improve functioning in First Episode Psychosis (FEP). Social cognition and neurocognition are closely linked to functioning in psychosis; examinations of cognition pre- and post- psychosocial intervention may provide insights into the mechanisms of these interventions, and identify which individuals are most likely to benefit. Cognition was assessed within a multi-site trial of Social Recovery Therapy (SRT) for individuals with FEP experiencing poor functioning (<30 h weekly structured activity). Fifty-nine participants were randomly allocated to the therapy group (SRT + Early intervention), and 64 were allocated to treatment as usual group (TAU - early intervention care). Social cognition and neurocognition were assessed at baseline and 9 months; assessors were blind to group allocation. It was hypothesized that social cognition would improve following therapy, and those with better social cognition prior to therapy would benefit the most from SRT. There was no significant impact of SRT on individual neurocognitive or social cognitive variables, however, joint models addressing patterns of missingness demonstrate improvement across a number of cognitive outcomes following SRT. Further, regression analyses showed those who had better social cognition at baseline were most likely to benefit from the therapy (ß = 0.350; 95% CI = 0.830 to 8.891; p = .019). It is not clear if SRT impacts on social cognitive or neurocognitive function, however, SRT may be beneficial in those with better social cognition at baseline. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.
A new felt presence: Making and learning as part of a community of women feltmakers
Get PDFThe purpose of this qualitative art-based autoethnographic research study is to examine the lived experience of contemporary feltmaking from both collective and individual perspectives and the relationship between personal practice and the learning that takes place in a community of shared practice. The thesis exists as an exhibition of feltworks alongside a written piece, which presents qualitative and arts-based data comprising of my own experiences documenting both my journey through treatment for stage three breast cancer and the learning and teaching taking place as a member of this female community of feltmakers. It explores the principles of tacit knowledge in feltmaking alongside the concept of flow as a key marker of mastery, incorporating an analysis of the collaborative learning elements which facilitate the process of its members’ transformation from novice to expert, within a broad base of abilities, skills and experience. The thesis begins with an examination of the history of feltmaking, and the learned traditions passed through cultural generations. This is followed by an exploration of textile ‘pockets’ in women’s history, examining patriarchy, privacy and interiority through a narrative. Within this context, shared felting projects are presented. The feltmakers’ pockets are displayed as Tripartite Helix, examining international and local felting techniques alongside shared privacy within the physical pockets, the three sections denoting elements of felting as a collective sense. My own work Hushed Reverberations explores privacy, interiority and its exposure to the exterior. My practice and autoethnographic mesearch research are embedded throughout the study to illuminate the experience of learning and teaching of feltmaking in order to appreciate the process as much more than mere material transformation.
This art-based research establishes a connection between feltmaking, historical, patriarchal and cultural influences and an autoethnographic, mesearch research methodology. The thesis reveals the affiliation between personal narrative through feltmaking craft and biography as a relational connection between shared journeys, intertwining autoethnographic learning, feltmaking, narrative and cultural history. It also reveals that learning in a collective does not take place simply through increasing participation in an experience, but is also fuelled by pedagogical, social and historical factors. The research contributes to an understanding and an expression of how the process of feltmaking can be used as a way of communicating and conveying a personal journey which can provide the means for individuals to support themselves and each other. However, the basis of the women's experience in crafts cannot be explained in isolation from the environments in which they take place but must be connected through culture, history and gender. The thesis concludes that women can use feltmaking to make sense of life-changing events and adversities, and to begin the healing process, bringing comfort and sense of community during periods of turmoil
Category management and strategic sourcing processes in local government: A phenomenographic investigation of the lived experiences of procurement managers
Get PDFIncreasingly tight financial constraints have meant category management (CM) and strategic sourcing (SS) processes have been adopted and integrated into the public sectors including English local government authorities (LGAs). The extant literature,
however, argues that empirical research in these areas are underdeveloped especially in relation to competency and competencies. Therefore, this study aims to qualitatively investigate the different experiences of procurement managers in LGAs
in England in terms of competency for accomplishing effective job performance through the use of CM and SS processes.
The research methodology adopted is phenomenography, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews from a purposive sample of ten procurement managers. The data were analyzed following phenomenographic principles to identify the referential and structural aspects of experience. Ultimately, three main conceptions of competency for accomplishing effective job performance through the use of CM and SS processes are identified: Stakeholder Management; SocioTechnical Knowledge; and Achievement Orientation.
This study not only expands the research context of phenomenography, but also contributes to the understanding of procurement managers’ conceptions of competency for accomplishing effective job performance through the use of CM and SS processes. The implications for procurement professionals are discussed
Being healthy: A Grounded Theory study of help seeking behaviour among Chinese elders living in the UK
Get PDFAbstract
The health of older people is a priority in many countries as the world’s population ages. Attitudes towards help seeking
behaviours in older people remain a largely unexplored field of research. This is particularly true for older minority groups
where the place that they have migrated to presents both cultural and structural challenges. The UK, like other countries,
has an increasingly aging Chinese population about who relatively little is known. This study used a qualitative grounded
theory design following the approach of Glaser (1978). Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews
with 33 Chinese elders who were aged between 60 and 84, using purposive and theoretical sampling approaches. Data were
analysed using the constant comparative method until data saturation occurred and a substantive theory was generated.
‘‘Being healthy’’ (the core category) with four interrelated categories: self-management, normalizing/minimizing, access to
health services, and being cured form the theory. The theory was generated around the core explanations provided by
participants and Chinese elders’ concerns about health issues they face in their daily life. We also present data about how
they direct their health-related activities towards meeting their physical and psychological goals of being healthy. Their
differential understanding of diseases and a lack of information about health services were potent predictors of nonhelp
seeking and ‘‘self’’ rather than medical management of their illnesses. This study highlights the need for intervention and
health support for Chinese elders
Understanding regional value chains through the interaction of public and private governance: Insights from Southern Africa’s apparel sector
Get PDFFrom Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2019-08-31, rev-recd 2020-08-06, accepted 2020-08-21, registration 2020-08-25, pub-electronic 2020-09-23, online 2020-09-23, pub-print 2021-09Publication status: PublishedAbstract: Regional value chains (RVCs) and South–South trade are increasingly considered key features of 21st-century globalisation. This article investigates how RVCs are shaped by the interaction of private and public governance. It evaluates how this interaction unfolded in Southern Africa’s apparel RVCs, exploring trade, investment and labour regimes across three levels of analysis: national, regional, and global. The paper draws on trade data, secondary literature, and interviews with suppliers and institutions in Eswatini and Lesotho (the largest exporters to the region), and lead firms in South Africa (the largest regional importer). The findings underline the critical role of public governance in shaping retailers’ and suppliers’ participation in RVCs through: (i) regional ‘trade regimes’ protecting regional exporters from global competitors, and recent shifts in global trade regimes; (ii) national and regional ‘investment regimes’ facilitating investment flows from South Africa to Lesotho and Eswatini, and the more recent shift of US-oriented suppliers towards regional markets; and (iii) ‘labour regimes’, including lower wages, less comprehensive labour legislation and weaker trade unions in Lesotho and Eswatini compared to South Africa. The article concludes by considering the policy implications of the interaction of private and public governance for existing and future RVCs in Sub-Saharan Africa
Secret Hunger: The Case of Anorexia Nervosa
Get PDFFrom Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: registration 2020-09-06, accepted 2020-09-06, online 2020-09-28, pub-electronic 2020-09-28, pub-print 2021-07Publication status: PublishedAbstract: Anorexia nervosa is currently classed as a mental disorder. It is considered as a puzzling condition, scarcely understood and recalcitrant to treatment. This paper reviews the main hypotheses relating to the aetiology of anorexia nervosa. In particular, it focuses on family and sociological studies of anorexia. By reflecting on the hypotheses provided within these domains, and on the questions that these studies leave unanswered, this paper suggests that anorexic behaviour is understandable and rational, if seen in light of ordinary moral values
Lateral crushing and bending responses of CFRP square tube filled with aluminum honeycomb
No full textThis paper aims to investigate the lateral planar crushing and bending responses of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) square tube filled with aluminum honeycomb. The various failure modes and mechanical characteristics of filled tube were experimentally captured and numerically predicted by commercial finite element (FE) package LS-DYNA, comparing to the hollow tubes. The filled aluminum honeycomb effectively improved the stability of progressive collapse during crushing, leading to both hinges symmetrically occurred along the vertical side. The experimental results showed that energy absorbed (EA) and specific energy absorption (SEA) of the filled CFRP tubes could be significantly increased to 6.56 and 4 times, respectively, of those measured for the hollow tubes without fillings under lateral crushing. Although an improvement of 32% of EA and 0.9% of SEA were obtained for the lateral bending, still the design using aluminum honeycomb as filling was remarkably capable to improve the mechanical characteristics of CFRP tube structure. A good agreement was obtained between experimentally measured and numerically predicted load-displacement histories. The FE prediction was also helpful in understanding the initiation and propagation of cracks within the filled CFRP structure
Understanding subject knowledge for primary teaching
No full textHow can trainee teachers begin their careers with a clear understanding of all the curriculum subjects? This book addresses the nature of subject knowledge in all foundation curriculum subjects. It deconstructs the elements of each subject through an exploration of the nature of the subject, a coverage of the 'skills' a study of this subject develops and through detailed analysis of case studies from practice. At a time when concerns about the lack of breadth in the primary curriculum are being voiced, this book supports busy trainee teachers to truly understand and be ready to teach all curriculum areas
Translational Medicine: Challenges and new orthopaedic vision (Mediouni-Model)
Get PDFBackground: In North America and three European countries Translational Medicine (TM) funding has taken center stage as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for example, has come to recognize that delays are common place in completing clinical trials based upon benchside advancements. Recently, there are several illustrative examples whereby the translation of research had untoward outcomes requiring immediate action.
Methods: Focus more on three-dimensional (3D) simulation, biomarkers, and Artificial Intelligence may allow orthopaedic surgeons to predict the ideal practices before orthopaedic surgery. Using the best medical imaging techniques may improve the accuracy and precision of tumor resections.
Results: This article is directed at the young surgeon scientist and in particular orthopaedic residents and all other junior physicians in training to help them better understand TM and position themselves in career paths and hospital systems that strive for optimal TM. It serves to hasten the movement of knowledge garnered from the benchside and move it quickly to the bedside.
Conclusions: Communication is ongoing in a bidirectional format. It is anticipated that more and more medical Centers and institutions will adopt TM models of healthcare delivery
Mechanism between Material Microstructures and Terahertz Dielectric Properties
Get PDFSignificant progress has been made in developing reliable Terahertz (THz) measurement spectroscopy to extract materials’ dielectric properties, however, systematic research on exploring intrinsic mechanism between microstructure of ceramics and THz dielectric properties such as loss, permittivity and dispersive characters has barely started. The paper focuses on one dielectric ceramic system (TiO2), its addition with Zn2SiO4 dielectrics and one hexa-ferromagnetic system to expatiate the association
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