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Re-inventing the resettlement of prison leavers in the UK: housing first, rehabilitation last
No full textPerceptions and reality in fisher coexistence with aquatic predators in the Peruvian Amazon
Get PDFHumans and large aquatic predators compete for fish and negative interactions are widely reported as ‘human-wildlife conflicts’. When aquatic predators are perceived to damage fisheries or fishing equipment, lethal control can occur. The perceptions and reality of damage are infrequently compared, but this relationship is key to determining how negative outcomes can be mitigated. We examine coexistence between people and six large aquatic piscivores (two caiman, two dolphins, two otters) in Amazonian Peru. We determine the extent of damage to fishing equipment caused by each species and compare this to the amount of damage perceived by fishers. Giant otter populations have recently recovered in some areas, so we expected different perceptions relating to experiences with otters. We trained fishers to complete fishing registers (n=278, 1173 hours of fishing) to record damage to nets by wildlife. We interviewed 302 people from three sites to determine perceptions of damage by predators, and attitudes towards giant otters. Rates of damage to nets reflected the presence and populations of different aquatic predators at each site, but when present, dolphins and caimans damaged nets more than otters, which rarely damaged nets. People living where giant otters had recently recovered perceived higher relative levels of damage to nets by them and had more negative attitudes about them, compared to people from areas where giant otters had been present for longer, aquatic predators were more abundant, and community resource management was longer-established. Better knowledge and more experience with a species may lead to more accurate perceptions of damage, and increased tolerance. Where humans and animals compete for natural resources, conflict mitigation rarely includes better resource management. If tolerance of predators is greater where predators are common, and resources have not been overexploited, resource management may yield greater gains for stakeholders than other commonly prescribed forms of mitigation
Student and faculty perceptions of summative assessment methods in a Block and Blend mode of delivery
Get PDFThe recent increase in the number of higher education institutions adopting block teaching has prompted questions about the appropriateness of assessment methods that were commonly used in a semesterised delivery model. This paper explores student and faculty perceptions of summative assessment methods in a block and blend mode of delivery at a higher education institution in the United Kingdom. In this study, we used a convergent mixed methods approach to explore student and faculty perceptions of different assessment methods as accurate evaluations of learning using surveys, combining Likert-type and open-ended questions. The findings highlight how traditional, single assessment methods occurring at the end of a block were perceived as less accurate in evaluating learning when compared to multiple smaller assessments that occur throughout a block. The thematic analysis revealed the latter was perceived as allowing for a broader range of skills to be evaluated while simultaneously facilitating effective workload management and timely feedback. These outcomes indicate the need for assessment redesign that considers the characteristics of a block and blend mode of delivery and illuminates the shared perception of students and faculty that multiple smaller assessments are more accurate evaluations of learning. Further research with larger, more diverse samples, accommodating for different fields of study, could further our understanding of effective assessment methods and inform our practice in a block and blend mode of delivery
The role of big five personality traits, basic psychological need satisfaction, and need frustration in predicting athletes’ organic self-talk
Get PDFGood health and the promotion of well-being for all is the third of the 17 Global Goals included in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Contributing to this goal, the current study aimed to examine the relationships between one kind of athlete well-being, namely state organic self-talk, and personality traits and the basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration within their sport. Athletes (n = 691; mean age 21.65) from a variety of individual (n = 270) and team sports (n = 421) completed a multi-section questionnaire capturing the targeted variables. Three-step hierarchical regression analyses revealed the following: In step 1, all personality traits were to some extent a significant predictor of athletes’ organic, spontaneous self-talk dimensions and goal-directed self-talk functions. In step 2, need satisfaction significantly contributed to all spontaneous self-talk dimensions and goal-directed self-talk functions (except for creating functional deactivated states) over and above personality. Finally, in step 3, need frustration significantly contributed to negative spontaneous self-talk dimensions and to all goal-directed self-talk functions (except for instruction) over and above personality and need satisfaction. Overall, our results indicate the importance of personality traits as personal antecedents, and perceptions of basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration as social–environmental antecedents in shaping athletes’ state organic self-talk
From "inclusion in what" to "equity in what": (Re)thinking the question of in/equity in precision medicine and health.
Get PDFNucleosome reorganisation in breast cancer tissues
Get PDFBackground: Nucleosome repositioning in cancer is believed to cause many changes in genome organisation and gene expression. Understanding these changes is important to elucidate fundamental aspects of cancer. It is also important for medical diagnostics based on cell-free DNA (cfDNA), which originates from genomic DNA regions protected from digestion by nucleosomes. Results: We have generated high-resolution nucleosome maps in paired tumour and normal tissues from the same breast cancer patients using MNase-assisted histone H3 ChIP-seq and compared them with the corresponding cfDNA from blood plasma. This analysis has detected single-nucleosome repositioning at key regulatory regions in a patient-specific manner and common cancer-specific patterns across patients. The nucleosomes gained in tumour versus normal tissue were particularly informative of cancer pathways, with ~ 20-fold enrichment at CpG islands, a large fraction of which marked promoters of genes encoding DNA-binding proteins. The tumour tissues were characterised by a 5–10 bp decrease in the average distance between nucleosomes (nucleosome repeat length, NRL), which is qualitatively similar to the differences between pluripotent and differentiated cells. This effect was correlated with gene activity, differential DNA methylation and changes in local occupancy of linker histone variants H1.4 and H1X. Conclusions: Our study offers a novel resource of high-resolution nucleosome maps in breast cancer patients and reports for the first time the effect of systematic decrease of NRL in paired tumour versus normal breast tissues from the same patient. Our findings provide a new mechanistic understanding of nucleosome repositioning in tumour tissues that can be valuable for patient diagnostics, stratification and monitoring
Report on the third meeting of high-level working group for privacy and safety
Get PDFThe ‘High-Level Working Group for Privacy & Safety’ aims to advocate for a holistic, person centred approach to online safeguarding that respects people’s rights to online participation and to their privacy.
Convened by Prof Andy Phippen and Prof Emma Bond, the Working Group intends to drive discussions where central concepts such as harm, risk, vulnerability, well-being, and the best interest of the child are addressed in a nuanced and contextual manner to move conversations on from the traditional prohibitive narratives that beset the online harms work. In convening this group, Andy Phippen and Emma Bond, who collectively have 40 years’ experience working in this area, are hoping to develop a more inclusive and progressive narrative that moves from “someone needs to stop this” to “what can we all do to make online experiences more inclusive while understanding and reducing harm”.
Current political narratives generally centre around how platforms can reduce or eliminate harms, with little consideratio
Medical image sharing: what do the public see when reviewing radiographs? a pilot study
Get PDFMethod
A pilot study in the UK using a survey was distributed to adult participants via the online research platform Prolific. All subjects were without prior professional healthcare experience. Participants reviewed ten radiographs (single projection only) and were asked a two-stage question. Firstly, if the radiograph was ‘normal’ or ‘abnormal’ and secondly, if they had answered ‘abnormal’, to identify the abnormality from a pre-determined list featuring generic terms for pathologies.
Results
Fifty participants completed the survey. A mean of 65.8 % of participants were able to correctly identify if radiographs were normal or abnormal. Results in relation to the identification of a pathology were not as positive, but still notable with a mean of 46.4 % correctly identifying abnormalities. Qualitative data demonstrated that members of the public are enthralled with reviewing radiographs and intrigued to understand their performance in identifying abnormalities.
Conclusion
In the pilot, members of the public could identify if a radiograph is normal or abnormal to a reasonable standard. Further detailed interpretation of images requires supportive intervention. This pilot study suggests that patients can participate in image sharing as part of their care. Image sharing may be beneficial to the therapeutic relationship, aiding patient understanding and enhancing consultations between healthcare professional and patient. Further research is indicated
The impact of a massive open online course on levels of awareness of patient centred care in UK-based diagnostic radiographers
No full textAbstract: Introduction The new Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Standards of Proficiency for Radiographers have significantly increased the focus on patient care by centralising the role of the service user (HCPC, 2023).
However, recent research has found that many barriers exist to patient centred care (PCC) within imaging departments (Hayre et al, 2016; Hyde & Hardy, 2021a; Hyde & Hardy, 2021b; Hyde & Hardy, 2021c), including continued high demand for imaging examinations, departmental pressures for greater efficiency, and budget constraints. To support diagnostic radiographers to take a more PCC approach, a massive open online course (MOOC) was developed in 2021. The MOOC was designed to support clinical radiographers, and other members of the imaging department team, to increase their awareness, and use, of PCC approaches. To assess the impact of the MOOC an evaluation was carried out in the 2022/23 academic year to measure levels of awareness of PCC in a group of diagnostic radiographers in the UK, before and after completing the MOOC. Methods Ethical approval was obtained from University of Derby (ETH2223-0177) and University of Suffolk (RETH(S)22/034) for the evaluation.
Participants were diagnostic radiographers working in clinical practice in the United Kingdom (UK). Participants were invited to take part in the evaluation and complete the MOOC via email and social media promoted by academic colleagues from four UK Universities who deliver diagnostic radiography education. Survey data were collected using a Microsoft Forms survey tool as advocated by Braun et al. (2020). Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis methods as advocated by Braun and Clarke (2006, 2019).
Once the themes were identified, basic descriptions were developed and repeated phrases that best described the themes were agreed. Results The evaluation was advertised and open for participation for radiographers for eight weeks between February 2023 and April 2023. Twenty-nine diagnostic radiographers completed survey 1 (the pre-MOOC survey) and went on to complete the MOOC. Only six radiographers completed the MOOC and both surveys.
Anecdotal feedback from potential participants who did not complete all elements of the evaluation suggested was that this was due to workload pressures, and low morale. Despite the low completion rate, it was felt that the data would be valuable to understand attitudes towards and engagement with PCC. Discussion The response rate to the evaluation was disappointing. Anecdotal feedback from potential participants, and those that started but did not complete the MOOC, suggests that workload pressures and low morale were contributory factors to both the low response and poor completion rate. However, it is important to remember that there was considerable interest in completing the first survey, and that the MOOC has been completed by 2,088 learners to date (figure correct as of 27th March 2024). This shows that there is an interest in PCC within the UK diagnostic radiography community. The evaluation team are committed to finding ways to reach radiographers who are interested in PCC and supporting them to complete the MOOC. Conclusion Whilst the rate of participation in this evaluation was disappointing, it is heartening to see the number of learners completing the MOOC steadily increasing. The evaluation team will continue to promote the MOOC as a valuable continuing professional development activity for staff working in an imaging department
A meta‑analysis exploring the efficacy of neuropathic pain medication for low back pain or spine‑related leg pain: is efficacy dependent on the presence of neuropathic pain?
No full textBackground and Objective
Highly variable pain mechanisms in people with low back pain or spine-related leg pain might contribute to inefficacy of neuropathic pain medication. This meta-analysis aimed to determine how neuropathic pain is identified in clinical trials for people taking neuropathic pain medication for low back pain or spine-related leg pain and whether subgrouping based on the presence of neuropathic pain influences efficacy.
Methods
EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane Central, CINAHL [EBSCO], APA PsycINFO, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry were searched from inception to 14 May, 2024. Randomized and crossover trials comparing first-line neuropathic pain medication for people with low back pain or spine-related leg pain to placebo or usual care were included. Two independent authors extracted data. Random-effects meta-analyses of all studies combined, and pre-planned subgroup meta analyses based on the certainty of neuropathic pain (according to the neuropathic pain Special Interest Group [NeuPSIG] neuropathic pain grading criteria) were completed. Certainty of evidence was judged using the grading of recommendations assessment development and evaluation [GRADE] framework.
Results
Twenty-seven included studies reported on 3619 participants. Overall, 33% of studies were judged unlikely to include people with neuropathic pain, 26% remained unclear. Only 41% identified people with possible, probable, or definite neuropathic pain. For pain, general analyses revealed only small effects at short term (mean difference [MD] − 9.30 [95% confidence interval [CI] − 13.71, − 4.88], I2 = 87%) and medium term (MD − 5.49 [95% CI − 7.24, − 3.74], I2 = 0%). Subgrouping at short term revealed studies including people with definite or probable neuropathic pain showed larger effects on pain (definite; MD − 16.65 [95% CI − 35.95, 2.65], I2 = 84%; probable; MD − 10.45 [95% CI − 14.79, − 6.12], I2 =20%) than studies including people with possible (MD − 5.50 [95% CI − 20.52, 9.52], I2 = 78%), unlikely (MD − 6.67 [95% CI − 10.58, 2.76], I2 = 0%), or unclear neuropathic pain (MD − 8.93 [95% CI − 20.57, 2.71], I2 = 96%). Similarly, general analyses revealed negligible effects on disability at short term (MD − 3.35 [95% CI − 9.00, 2.29], I2 = 93%) and medium term (MD − 4.06 [95% CI − 5.63, − 2.48], I2 = 0%). Sub-grouping at short term revealed larger effects in studies including people with definite/probable neuropathic pain (MD − 9.25 [95% CI − 12.59, − 5.90], I2 = 2%) compared with those with possible/unclear/unlikely neuropathic pain (MD −1.57 [95% CI − 8.96, 5.82] I2 = 95%). Medium-term outcomes showed a similar trend, but were limited by low numbers of studies. Certainty of evidence was low to very low for all outcomes.
Conclusions
Most studies using neuropathic pain medication for low back pain or spine-related leg pain fail to adequately consider the presence of neuropathic pain. Meta-analyses suggest neuropathic pain medication may be most effective in people with low back pain or spine-related leg pain with a definite/probable neuropathic pain component. However, the low to very low certainty of evidence and poor identification of neuropathic pain in most studies prevent firm recommendations