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Peer communication in online mental health forums for young people:directional and nondirectional support
No full textBackground: The Internet has the potential to help young people by reducing the stigma associated with mental health and enabling young people to access services and professionals which they may not otherwise access. Online support can empower young people, help them develop new online friendships, share personal experiences, communicate with others who understand, provide information and emotional support, and most importantly help them feel less alone and normalize their experiences in the world.Objective: The aim of the research was to gain an understanding of how young people use an online forum for emotional and mental health issues. Specifically, the project examined what young people discuss and how they seek support on the forum (objective 1). Furthermore, it looked at how the young service users responded to posts to gain an understanding of how young people provided each other with peer-to-peer support (objective 2).Methods: Kooth is an online counseling service for young people aged 11-25 years and experiencing emotional and mental health problems. It is based in the United Kingdom and provides support that is anonymous, confidential, and free at the point of delivery. Kooth provided the researchers with all the online forum posts between a 2-year period, which resulted in a dataset of 622 initial posts and 3657 initial posts with responses. Thematic analysis was employed to elicit key themes from the dataset.Results: The findings support the literature that online forums provide young people with both informational and emotional support around a wide array of topics. The findings from this large dataset also reveal that this informational or emotional support can be viewed as directive or nondirective. The nondirective approach refers to when young people provide others with support by sharing their own experiences. These posts do not include explicit advice to act in a particular way, but the sharing process is hoped to be of use to the poster. The directive approach, in contrast, involves individuals making an explicit suggestion of what they believe the poster should do.Conclusions: This study adds to the research exploring what young people discuss within online forums and provides insights into how these communications take place. Furthermore, it highlights the challenge that organizations may encounter in mediating support that is multidimensional in nature (informational-emotional, directive-nondirective)
International education in the United Kingdom: the challenges of the golden opportunity for Black-African students
No full textFor the last 40 years, the number of international students aspiring to obtain a qualification in U.K. universities has been exponentially growing. However, such growth has been contested. What seemed to be a “golden” opportunity for Black- African students to pursue their education in the United Kingdom is met with challenges that impact the whole process of adjustment. This article examines these challenges using a qualitative empirical study of Black-African postgraduate students, carried out in three U.K. universities. The methods utilized were observations, focus groups, one-to-one interviews, and a case study to help identify and analyze the issues. The participants reported significant financial pressures and difficulties in understanding and integrating into the culture of U.K. universities. In some cases, these challenges left the students feeling disillusioned and cynical about the value of an international education. Universities must endeavor to tailor their recruitment, orientation, and support programs to the needs of Black-African international students or face damaging their reputations as world-class education providers
Development of a flexible and stretchable tactile sensor array with two different structures for robotic hand application
No full textFlexible and stretchable tactile sensors can fit complex surfaces nicely, and can be applied to robotic fingers or surgery gloves for a touch/grasp feeling to distinguish objects or organs, and thus they have widespread applications. This paper reports two types of stretchable capacitive tactile sensors with vertical and parallel serpentine electrode structures and their application in grasping/distinguishing objects. Results show that the proposed tactile sensors could measure small pressures with good linearity which can withstand deformations up to 90% and 55% respectively, with a near-zero or small linear temperature coefficient. A tactile sensor array, consisting of 3 3 parallel plate structure sensor units, is attached at the robotic finger to distinguish objects with different morphology and stiffness, and achieve a high accuracy over 90%
Would you like ICE with that? using the ICE model to develop trust and manage expectation
No full textChanges in non-diabetic comorbid disease status following Laparoscopic Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (LVSG) versus Laparoscopic Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass (LRYGB) procedures: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials
No full textPurpose:Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) and laparoscopic vertical sleeve gastrectomy (LVSG) have been proposed as cost-effective strategies to manage obesity-related chronic disease. The aim of this systematic review was to study the peer review literature regarding postoperative nondiabetic comorbid disease resolution or improvement reported from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing LVSG and LRYGB procedures.Material and Methods:RCTs comparing postoperative comorbid disease resolution such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, obstructive sleep apnea, joint and musculoskeletal conditions, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and menstrual irregularities following LVSG and LRYGB were included for analysis. The studies were selected from PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, Science Citation Index, Current Contents, and the Cochrane database and reported on at least one comorbidity resolution or improvement. The present work was undertaken according to the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The Jadad method for assessment of methodological quality was applied to the included studies.Results:Six RCTs performed between 2005 and 2015 involving a total of 695 patients (LVSG n = 347, LRYGB n = 348) reported on the resolution or improvement of comorbid disease following LVSG and LRYGB procedures. Both bariatric procedures provide effective and almost comparable results in improving or resolving these comorbidities.Conclusions:This systematic review of RCTs suggests that both LVSG and LRYGB are effective in resolving or improving preoperative nondiabetic comorbid diseases in obese patients. While results are not conclusive at this time, LRYGB may provide superior results compared to LVSG in mediating the remission and/or improvement in some conditions such as dyslipidemia and arthritis
A preliminary examination of the pre match agreement between analyst and coach of the definitions behind the KPI’s in soccer.
No full textThe Bolton Review: Issue 5: Commas and Cocktails
No full textThe Bolton review is a creative writing magazine, set up by members of the creative writing team of the University of Bolton to allow its students and staff to submit creative works of all types
Best practice project management for the sustainable regeneration of Holy Karbala Province in Iraq
No full textMany Regional Development Projects (Reconstruction Program in the Provinces) in Iraq, especially in Holy Karbala Province, suffer from mismanagement despite being 11 years since the launch of the program, the ready availability of funds from Iraq's oil revenues and the urgent need for infrastructure and essential public services. Reconstruction projects experience a high failure rate due to immature and unprofessional development plans, a lack of properly qualified people and ongoing training, and problematic routine procedures.In recent decades, there has been a boom in management science in developed countries, specifically regarding the application of project management. Sadly, this is not the case in Iraq where project management practices remained unchanged and therefore outdated. A lack of implementation of standard project management methods in the construction industry in Holy Karbala Province has resulted in reconstruction projects that suffer from poor performance, delays, cost overrun, quality failures, disputes and claims. In order to improve this situation, there is the need for in-depth research of the project management environment to establish a foundation for the design of a new framework for the development of best practice in this area.In consequence, this study aimed to examine current organizational structures and processes and to carry out an analysis of the key issues and causal relationships in Regional Development Project Management in Holy Karbala Province. The factors affecting the outcomes of projects were identified and assessed from the point of view of the key stakeholders group: residents, clients, consultants and contractors. This research adopted a mixed-method (qualitative and quantitative) approach, making use of questionnaires and interviews designed to examine the main aims of this study. The research started with qualitative interviews whereby thirty managers were interviewed to evaluate organisational structure and process, key problems and obstacles that they faced. This was followed by the distribution of quantitative questionnaires to a representative sample of 541 citizens, 126 employees (consultants and clients) and 78 contractors, to identify the main issues affecting project management practice and project outcome in Holy Karbala Province. Finally, focus-group interviews (qualitative approach) were carried out with 50 experts to assess the negative impact of 61 key factors affecting the timing, cost and quality of projects in Karbala. Several types of internal and external secondary data were also collected and included. Statistical analysis was conducted using Microsoft Excel and Social Science Software Package (SPSS). Descriptions are used for frequencies, means, relative importance and other statistical calculations, presented in tables and graphs.The results have revealed that political change, unqualified project leaders, financial and administrative corruption, regulatory changes, inappropriate organisational structure, lack of government legislation, lack of motivation and encouragement, and slow decision-making make the greatest negative impact on projects in Karbala. There is no significant difference in any of the participant groups’ perceptions of these factors and their consequent negative impact on the work carried out. Following on from this, a conceptual framework for best practice project management for the sustainable regeneration of Holy Karbala Province in Iraq was proposed. It has adopted several strategies, based on the results from the research, which address the roots of problems identified including a lack of legislation, the limited capabilities of leaders, project teams and contractors, and organizational weaknesses
Enterprise Placements: factors which support learning and prolonged attainment in students.
No full textThis article investigates the learning and academic attainment of undergraduate education students on enterprise placement projects in a longitudinal mixed methods study. By observing the placement learning and analysing previous and subsequent attainment of a second and third year group it adds to the ontology of purpose for enterprise in education and concurs with the growing body of work identifying placements with sustained academic improvement. The qualitative investigation identifies five key learning factors from the placements which support improved academic attainment. These are: pressure to learn; critical personal learning events; seeing the setting as a learning environment; professional attachments, and having space to learn. These factors support the transfer of learning from one context or situation to another and using concepts of transformative learning (Mezirow 2000; Jones, Matlay, and Harris 2012) or transitional learning (Illeris 2007) contributes to a cycle of increasing self-esteem and motivation and a sustained improvement in academic attainment. It concludes that a praxis curriculum, using self-assessments, continuous short (micro) reflections and taught awareness of the placement as a place to look for and recognise learning, would underpin these five factors and contribute to the academic processes underpinning attainment
Remarkable Lives: Chanell Cumber in conversation with Jerome Carson
No full textPurpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a profile of Chanell Cumber.Design/methodology/approach – Chanell starts by giving a short account of her life. She is then interviewed by Jerome.Findings – Chanell witnessed years of domestic abuse from her father towards her mother.This led her to develop mental health problems at a young age. Her account reveals her struggles to recover.Research limitations/implications – While single case studies are just that, they offer us insights that are missing from many professional narratives. These can often allow us a unique window into peoples’ lives.Practical implications – Chanell points out the need for mental health services to have a more prolonged engagement with people who use services and outlines why this is important.Social implications – As a society we do not always reach out to quieter individuals who may go under “the radar.” Sometimes being more forward and offering people a chance to open up, may provide them with the opportunity to reveal the pressures they are under.Originality/value – Each person’s story is unique and gives us differing understandings of the struggles that people battle with and how they have overcome these