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Psychological safety mediates attendance and recovery-related outcomes within the Phoenix:a sober active community
No full textBackground: People in recovery from a substance use disorder often have difficulties forming pro-social relationships or accessing supportive communities. Providing psychological safety within recovery communities may be uniquely beneficial, yet psychological safety has mostly been studied among professional organizations and not among vulnerable populations. This program evaluation study examined associations between attendance, psychological safety, and retrospective recovery-related changes. Methods: Participants included 204 members of The Phoenix (13% response rate) who completed a survey that addressed recovery status and current perceptions of psychological safety, with hope, connection, empowerment, motivation to stay sober, mental health and physical health at 3-months and thinking back to baseline (i.e., “thentest”). Demographic information and attendance data were also collected. Results: Structural equation modeling found a good fit for the model (χ2 = 187.40, p = 0.23; RMSEA =0.049, GFI = 0.90, CFI = 0.98, SRMSR = 0.05.) and all path coefficients were statistically significant (p <0.05). Participants’ perceived psychological safety fully mediated the relationship between attendance and recovery-related outcomes. Attendance was also directly and positively associated with physical health. Conclusions: Due to positive improvements in health and recovery-related outcomes mediated by psychological safety, results show benefits of attending events hosted by The Phoenix for those in recovery from substance use. Additional research should further validate the importance of psychological safety as a key mediator of the recovery process
Using the 3 ‘C’s to unlock student success:a closer look at a coaching approach to personal tutoring
No full textAn environment of high-quality personalised and successful personal tutoring supported through effective staff development, reflection, and evaluation can help universities to meet their regulatory requirements, such as the Office for Students’ B Conditions, specifically B1, 2 and 3. These conditions stipulate providers must establish practices which ensure “high quality, reliable and positive outcomes for all students” (Office for Students, 2022).The reflective process of coaching can help support students to address issues in their personal, academic, or professional life (ICL, 2023). Effective coaching can provide a forum for student stories to be turned into strategies, which will enhance the student experience, leading to success. The training of staff and delivery of this approach to personal tutoring across HE is varied and inconsistent. Through a synthesis of coaching theory and models, this paper takes a practical look at ‘how’ coaching practices can be applied within a personal tutoring session. It provides a practical framework and methodology for those wanting to adopt a coaching approach for the first time, based around the three ‘C’s – ‘Connecting’, ‘Contracting’ and ‘Conversations’. This framework has been adopted in what has become mandatory training for all personal tutors based at one UK HE institution and is used as a structure for interactions with and development of students
What is Evidence Based Practice, and (how) does it work in education?
No full textWe often think of research as a highly technical activity, perhaps based on statistical evidence of the impact of specific interventions – such as techniques, medicines, or other things. We will examine the promotion of ‘Evidence Based Education’ (EBE) policy makers, and some teachers and school leaders in recent years, using the practice of medicine as an example of a profession that has dramatically improved because of better use of research. After considering the advantages and disadvantages, for education and teaching, of looking at research in this way, we will argue for a broader approach. The argument will outline different ways of using research, and the way that different interests might influence it. We will close by proposing that thinking of the study of “education” as an ongoing conversation between parents, teachers, pupils, policy makers and wider society, as well as researchers, might increasingly be necessary to help us understand and improve education in the context of living in a democracy
Predicting emotional disturbance in breast cancer patients:the role of self-empowerment skills, interpersonal relationships, and demographic factors
No full textIntroductionBreast cancer represents a significant health concern among Iranian women, notably impacting their mental health. This has spurred considerable interest within health psychology, given breast cancer’s profound effects on both physical and psychological well-being.ObjectivesThis study aimed to explore the predictability of emotional disturbances through psychological, socio-cognitive variables, and to quantify their relative impacts among breast cancer patients.MethodsEmploying a descriptive and exploratory approach, this research involved 736 breast cancer patients aged 19 to 80 from Shahada Tajrish Hospital, Tehran during the first eight months of 2017. Participants were selected and screened based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Measures included the Self-Empowerment Skills Scale, the Quality of Interpersonal Interactions Scale, and the Emotional Disturbance Scale. An emotion management therapy program was offered to motivate patient participation.ResultsAnalysis revealed significant associations between emotional disturbance and factors such as self-empowerment skills, quality of interpersonal interactions, and various demographic variables including age, education level, employment status, household headship, and gender. Notably, interpersonal quality and self-empowerment skills emerged as the most influential predictors.ConclusionsThe findings underscore the critical roles of interpersonal relationships, self-empowerment skills, and demographic characteristics in influencing the emotional well-being of breast cancer patients. It is recommended that psychologists emphasize these factors when assessing and promoting the mental health of this population
Injury Epidemiology in Brazilian Rugby Union: Implications for Strength and Conditioning Practice
No full textRugby Union is a high-impact sport with considerable injury risk, especially in emerging rugby settings where structured physical preparation may be limited. This study aimed to assess the epidemiological profile and injury incidence among Rugby Union players in Brazil, providing insights to inform strength and conditioning strategies. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted between October 2023 and February 2024 using a digital questionnaire that captured demographic data, sports participation history, and detailed information about injuries sustained in 2022 and 2023. A total of 236 players participated (58.9% male; mean age = 29.4 ± 7.5 years), with males averaging 29.6 ± 7.7 years and females 29.1 ± 7.5 years. Overall, 183 injuries were reported. Most injuries occurred during matches (73.3%) and were contact-related (82.1%), with the shoulder/clavicle and knee being the most affected regions. Ligament injuries (27.3%), dislocations (15.3%), and fractures (16.4%) were the most prevalent types. Female players had a distinct injury pattern, with a greater proportion of non-contact mechanisms. Significant associations were found between injury occurrence and sex (p = 0.012), playing modality (p < 0.001), injury type (p = 0.013), and recovery time (p = 0.006). These findings highlight the urgent need for tailored strength and conditioning interventions focused on injury prevention and athletic preparedness. Such programs should address sport-specific demands, promote neuromuscular resilience, and be accessible across competitive levels to improve performance and minimize injury-related setbacks
Diagnosing hydraulic directional valve spool stick faults enabled by hybridized intelligent algorithms
No full textThe hydraulic directional valve represents a fundamental component of a hydraulic system. The severe operating environment could cause undesirable faults, with the spool stick being the particular concern. It will lead to a reduction in the overall performance of the operating system, even with the potential for failure. To address this issue, this study presents a hybrid intelligent algorithm-based diagnostic approach for the hydraulic directional valve spool stick fault to facilitate timely industrial inspection and maintenance. Firstly, the monitoring signals on hydraulic directional valves are denoised using wavelet packet denoising (WPD). Then, the denoised signals are decomposed via sparrow search algorithm (SSA) optimized for variational mode decomposition (VMD) in order to obtain a typical fault feature vector. Finally, a combined model of the convolutional neural network (CNN) and the long short-term memory (LSTM) is employed to diagnose the valve spool stick fault. The results of this study indicate that the proposed approach can reduce the signal processing time by 56.60%. The diagnostic accuracy of the approach is 97.01% and 96.24% for sensors located at different positions, and the accuracy of the fusion sensor group is 99.55%. These fault diagnostic performances provide a basis for further research into hydraulic directional valve spool stick fault and are appliable to other hydraulic equipment fault diagnosis applications.</p
Addressing housing affordability in Nigeria through incremental housing:an evaluation of the Millard Fuller Foundation (MFF) model
No full textAccess to affordable housing remains one of Nigeria’s most pressing urban challenges, especially for low-income earners, who are excluded from formal housing markets due to limited financial capacity. This study evaluates the incremental housing model developed by the Millard Fuller Foundation (MFF), the only known example of a formally structured private sector-led initiative in Nigeria. Using a qualitative case study approach, the research draws on in-depth interviews conducted with a senior MFF representative and 16 resident households to examine the model’s design strategies, affordability mechanisms, implementation challenges, and user experiences. The findings reveal that the MFF’s approach, which focuses on shell-and-core construction, cooperative-based financing, and flexible payment structures, offers a viable pathway to homeownership for low- to middle-income earners. However, it fails to reach the poorest segments due to persistent affordability barriers. This study contributes novel insights into the institutionalisation of incremental housing in Nigeria and highlights the importance of policy support to scale such a model for broader impact. The MFF model offers valuable lessons for policymakers, developers, and housing advocates seeking innovative solutions to Nigeria’s affordable housing crisis
Recognising the risks and harms for repeat missing children from different residential environments through a child and practitioner lens
No full textIt is insufficient to believe that just because repeatedly missing children (RMC) did not experience harm in one episode, they will remain safe and unharmed in the following occurrences. Each episode must be explored to understand the child’s unique circumstances and needs. However, the priority in policy, practice, and research has been looked-after children. This means that the needs of non-looked-after children, i.e. those who live with parents, other relatives or in foster care, are overlooked and minimised. This can result in faulty interventions by services, incorrect understandings of the child’s needs, and omitting relevant partners. This research aimed to investigate how risks and harms vary by the child’s home type (e.g., with parents, in residential or foster care, or with other relatives) and how practitioners utilise this information to prevent harm and reduce missing occurrences. Practitioners from different public bodies provided their experiences and perspectives on RMC and relevant interventions
The case for taxing organisations that displace workers with AI
No full textThe advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not inherently problematic. Indeed, Generative AI (AI that can creatively generate outputs, like images, poems, and music) and Large Language Models (AI-powered systems trained on vast amounts of data and capable of performing natural language tasks) promise valuable boons. However, such kinds of AI pose medium to long-term challenges for the UK welfare system. The main challenge is that numerous work-related tasks are exposed to AI automation, and as AI advances and becomes cheaper over the decades, exposure will widen, and the financial incentive to replace workers will increase. Such workforce displacement could lead to a rapid uptake in, and dependence on, an already unfit welfare system (Gwilym et al. 2025). I argue that the sheer scale of social change AI will cause, especially through workforce displacement, requires us to seriously consider imposing a targeted taxation on companies that replace workers with AI. This taxation could fund large-scale reskilling programmes for displaced workers to re-equip and re-enter an AI-driven workplace
Tech-driven environmental accounting for sustainable financial reporting:insights from emerging markets through an institutional theoretical lens
No full textThis chapter explores the critical role of technology in enhancing environmental accounting practices within emerging markets. Also, it examines the influence of institutional forces; regulatory mandates, normative pressures, and mimetic processes on the adoption of environmental accounting, highlighting the interplay between compliance, innovation, and organisational behaviour within this region. Despite the potential of advanced technologies such as big data analytics, Blockchain, Internet of Things, and cloud computing to improve environmental data accuracy, transparency, and efficiency, this chapter finds that formidable challenges persist. These hurdles encompass resource limitations, regulatory uncertainty, and the heterogeneous cultural perspectives on sustainability. Thus, by employing institutional theory as a theoretical lens, this chapter offers invaluable insights into how stakeholders can adeptly navigate these challenges to promote sustainable business practices, sustainable financial reporting, and improve environmental accountability. The chapter also highlights areas that require further research, particularly areas that scholars and practitioners can advance environmental accounting and sustainability financial reporting in emerging markets, and contribute to greater transparency, accountability, and sustainable development in this context