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What are the experiences and practices of educational psychologists when working with and supporting autistic, gender-diverse children and young people?
No full textAims: Research into the nature of educational psychologist (EP) practice when supporting autistic, gender-diverse children and young people (CYP) is within its infancy. This study explores the experiences and practices of five EPs with applied knowledge of work in this emerging area. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted and a reflexive thematic analysis carried out to develop themes. Findings: Findings highlight distinct areas of practice and challenges faced by participants. In particular, this study highlights the uncertainty and complexity of work in this area with a specific focus upon the intersectionality of autism and gender diversity. The nature of direct work with CYP and support for inclusive schooling practices are also explored alongside current gaps in educational psychology practice in this area. Limitations: Given the aim of this study to provide an exploratory entry point into the practices of EPs working with this population of young people, the researchers did not aim for representativeness. Therefore, subjective participant experiences cannot be assumed to reflect those of all EPs with applied knowledge in this area.Conclusions: Implications for research and practice are discussed including the development of resources and guidance within educational psychology services to support practitioners in their work in this area. A discussion of the need for EPs to utilise their knowledge of intersectionality when working with the uncertainty of dual identity casework is provided alongside reflections about the nature of EP work in supporting schools to further develop their inclusive practices
Corrosion Behaviour of 2A97-T8 Al-Cu-Li Alloy Extrusion
No full textIn the present study, correlative corrosion testing and electron microscopy, including quasi-in-situ electron microscopy, are employed to investigate the corrosion behaviour of 2A97-T8 Al-Cu-Li alloy extrusion in 3.5 wt. % NaCl solution. It is found that the corrosion behaviour of the alloy is influenced by synergetic effect of the plastic deformation introduced by the thermomechanical processing during alloy fabrication and the precipitation of T1 phase during T8 treatment. Localized corrosion initiates and propagates preferentially within non-recrystallized regions of the partially recrystallized alloy. Corrosion initiated at coarse constituent intermetallic particles is confined to its periphery, which doesn’t develop further when the particles are disconnected from alloy matrix
A century of increasing lung function and its implications for the diagnosis of lung disease: Results from 243,465 European adults across ten population-based studies
No full textBackground: During the last century, socioeconomic and scientific advances changed the health and physique of European populations. Accompanying improvements in lung function, if unrecognised, could lead us to misclassify lung function measurements, and hence diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). We investigated how population lung function changed with birth year across the last century and how such change may influence lung function interpretation.Methods: We included 243,465 Europeans from ten population-based studies, aged 20-95 years, born between 1884 and 1996. Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC), were measured between 1965 and 2016. We used meta-regression to investigate how FEV1, FVC and the FEV1/FVC ratio changed with birth year. To substantiate our findings, we used linear regression to investigate how the FEV1 and FVC values, predicted by 32 reference equations, published between 1961 and 2015, changed with estimated birth year.Findings: Average European FEV1 and FVC values increased substantially with birth year across the last century. After accounting for height, smoking behaviour, and other co-factors, FEV1 increased by 4.8 mL/birth year (95% confidence interval [CI]:2.6-7.0; P<0.0001) and FVC by 8.8 mL/birth year (95% CI:5.7-12.0; P<0.0001). We found corroboratory birth year-related increases in the FEV1 and FVC values predicted by published reference equations. Whereas FEV1 and FVC increased with advancing birth year, the FEV1/FVC ratio decreased by 0.11 per 100 birth years (95% CI:0.09-0.14; P<0.0001).Interpretation: Average height adjusted European FEV1 and FVC increased with birth year across the last century, causing population values to progressively exceed previously predicted values. Concurrently, the FEV1/FVC ratio decreased. If current diagnostic parameters remain unchanged, the identified shifts in European values will allow the easier fulfilment of diagnostic criteria for COPD, but the systematic underestimation of lung disease severity
Romantic Attachment and Support Adequacy in New Mothers
No full textIn the present research, we examined whether attachment anxiety and avoidance in support recipients were related to the extent to which social support received from a romantic partner matched the actual needs of the recipient. In addition, we examined whether receiving too much support from one’s partner (i.e., over-provision of support) was perceived as less helpful than not receiving enough support. Two-hundred and forty-five first-time mothers, currently involved in romantic relationships, participated in study 1, in which perceptions of support were appraised over the previous month using self-reports. In study 2, we sought to replicate these findings using an experience sampling method to examine the association between attachment and momentary support perceptions in the daily life of mothers with babies (N = 40). Results indicated that high levels of attachment avoidance or anxiety in mothers were associated with negative appraisals of support matching and with perceptions of being under-supported
Optimisation of heat recovery from low-enthalpy aquifers with geological uncertainty using surrogate response surfaces and simple search algorithms
No full textOptimisation of doublet well spacing in low-enthalpy geothermal systems is ad dressed by defining a novel objective function that is based on the Coefficient of Performance (CoP) and energy sweep efficiency. The definition of objec tive function that separates performance–based criteria from economic factors, allows us to better observe the effects of heterogeneity on optimisation. A checkerboard pattern of two doublets (two injection wells diagonally placed and two production wells diagonally placed over corners of a rectangle) is considered for a range of homogeneous to heterogeneous (spatially correlated and fluvial) synthetic low enthalpy reservoirs. Optimal length and width of this rectangle are sought in order to (a) maximise heat recovery from a conventionally-chosen licence area around the rectangular domain, (b) minimise heat recovery from outside this licence area, and (c) maximise CoP. We define fixed (15 years and 30 years) and varying life times of operation (between 15 and 30 years). For optimisation, in addition to a simple-search procedure of optimisation across a mesh of simulation nodes, we also utilise a surrogate response surface model to computationally solve the optimisation problem. Our results consistently show that for a fixed life time of 15 years and a discharge rate of 250 m3/hr, 400 m is the optimal well/doublet spacing. Increasing the life time and the discharge rate will increase the optimal well/doublet spacing. The results show while CoP is sensitive to the heterogeneity, adding energy sweep to the objective function makes the distances found for the homogeneous cases also consistent solutions for the heterogeneous cases.Keywords: Doublets, Well spacing, Low-enthalpy geothermal systems,Optimisation, Coefficient of Performanc
Offset Learning based Channel Estimation for Intelligent Reflecting Surface-Assisted Indoor Communication
No full textThe emerging intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) can significantly improve the system capacity, and it has been regarded as a promising technology for the beyond fifth-generation (B5G) communications. For IRS-assisted multiple input multiple output (MIMO) systems, accurate channel estimation is a critical challenge. This severely restricts practical applications, particularly for resource-limited indoor scenario as it contains numerous scatterers and parameters to be estimated, while the number of pilots is limited. Prior art tackles these issues and associated optimization using mathematical-based statistical approaches, but are difficult to solve as the number of scatterers increase. To estimate the indoor channels with an affordable piloting overhead, we propose an offset learning (OL)-based neural network for channel estimation. The proposed OL-based estimator can dynamically trace the channel state information (CSI) without any prior knowledge of the IRS-assisted channel structure as well as indoor statistics. In addition, inspired by the powerful learning capability of convolutional neural network (CNN), CNN-based inversion blocks are developed in the offset estimation module to build the offset estimation operator. Numerical results show that the proposed OL-based estimator can achieve more accurate indoor CSI with a lower complexity as compared to the benchmark schemes
Enhancement-Mode Ga<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> FET With High Mobility Using p-Type SnO Heterojunction
No full textMechanically exfoliated gallium oxide (Ga2O3) nano sheets based filed-effect-transistors (FETs) with Al2O3/Ga2O3, indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO)/Ga2O3 n-n, and SnO/Ga2O3 p-n heterojunctions in the back-channel were fabricated. In contrast to that Al2O3/Ga2O3 heterojunction induces negative threshold voltage (VTH) shift, both IGZO/Ga2O3 n-n and SnO/Ga2O3 p-n heterojunctions shift VTH positively. The Ga2O3 FET with 12 nm p-type SnO realizes enhanced-mode operation with VTH of 5.3 V by significantly shifting VTH of 40.3 V, high on current density of 14.1 mA/mm, and high electron mobility of 191 cm2V-1s-1, which is, to the best of our knowledge, the highest among the reported Ga2O3 FETs measured at room temperature.Index Terms—gallium oxide (Ga2O3), filed-effect-transistors (FETs), heterojunction, threshold voltage (VTH), p-type SnO,mobility (μ
Loneliness in young people: A multilevel exploration of social ecological influences and geographic variation.
No full textBackground: Loneliness is a growing public health concern, yet little is known about loneliness in young people. The current study aimed to identify social ecological factors related to loneliness and examine the extent to which geographic region may account for differences in loneliness.Methods: The data come from a cross-sectional sample of 6503 young people living in the United Kingdom. Loneliness was measured using the UCLA 3-item scale. Bivariate analyses were used to test associations between each predictor and loneliness. Multilevel models were used to identify key social ecological factors related to loneliness, and the extent to which loneliness may vary across geographic regions (Local Authority districts). Results: Socio-demographic, social, health and wellbeing, and community factors were found to be associated with loneliness. Geographic region was associated with 5-8% of the variation in loneliness. The effect of gender, sexual orientation, and minority ethnic background on loneliness differed across regions.Conclusions: This is the first study to highlight modifiable social and community factors related to youth loneliness, and individual vulnerabilities, such as poor mental wellbeing.Results related to geographic differences suggest that local-level initiatives may be most appropriate in tackling loneliness, rather than wider, less contextualized national efforts
Romantic Attachment and Support Preferences in New Mothers: The Moderating Role of Stress
No full textIn the present research, we examined whether attachment anxiety and avoidance in support recipients were related to preferences for specific types of support. In addition, we examined whether stress moderated the relationship between attachment and support needs. Two-hundred and forty-five first-time mothers, currently involved in romantic relationships, participated in study 1, in which support needs and stress were appraised over the previous month using self-reports. High levels of attachment avoidance were related to needing less support, but attachment anxiety was not associated with support needs. There was no hyperactivation or deactivation of the attachment system in response to stress. It is possible that recall bias, associated with cross-sectional methods, may have confounded the results. In study 2, we sought to replicate these hypotheses using an ambulatory method to examine the association between attachment and momentary support needs in the daily life of mothers with babies (N = 40). Results revealed that attachment anxiety was associated with a preference for high levels of momentary support, but attachment avoidance was not related to any support needs. Stress experienced in the moment was found to moderate the relationships between attachment and support needs, with mothers high in anxiety and avoidance needing more support
An Evaluation of Goal Setting in the NHS England Diabetes Prevention Programme
No full textObjective: We know little about how goal setting is actually delivered in routine practice. The National Health Service Diabetes Prevention Programme (NHS-DPP) is a behavioural intervention aiming to prevent progression to Type 2 diabetes in those at risk. It has been delivered across England by four commercial providers. This study aimed to establish whether goal setting in the NHS-DPP was delivered in line with the current evidence base. Design: Observational study and document review. One-hundred-and-eighteen NHS-DPP sessions with 419 people were observed at eight sites (two sites per provider). Main outcome measures: Multiple characteristics of goal setting were reliably coded from each providers’ programme plans (intended goal setting) and from audio-recorded NHS-DPP sessions (actual goal setting). Results: Providers intended to deliver goal setting in 88.3% of sessions, though goal setting was delivered in only 52.5% of sessions. During delivery, the observed goals set across providers were generally specific (62.5%), set privately (53.1%), with goal difficulty rarely mentioned (3.1%). Conclusions: Goal setting in the NHS-DPP is being under-delivered, and not in line with the evidence base for promoting behavioural change. Goal setting in national behaviour change programmes should be optimised and training provided specifically for goal setting