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""Why Can't We Go Backwards, for Once?" Nostalgia, Utopia, and Science Fiction in Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One"
No full textA randomized, placebo-controlled trial investigating the acute and chronic benefits of American Ginseng (Cereboost®) on mood and cognition in healthy young adults, including in vitro investigation of gut microbiota changes as a possible mechanism of action
No full textPurpose: Cereboost®, an American ginseng extract, has shown improved short-term memory and attention/alertness in healthy young and middle-aged individuals, potentially via modulation of the gut microbiome and upregulation of neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine. Here, we explored the effects of Cereboost® on cognition and mood in the first 6 h post intervention (acute), after 2 weeks daily supplementation (chronic), and whether 2 weeks daily supplementation altered the response to a single acute dose (acute-on-chronic). A concurrent in vitro study evaluated effects of repeated Cereboost® administration on human gut microbiota. Methods: Cognitive effects of Cereboost® were assessed using a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, with 61 healthy young adults. Modulation of the gut microbiome was concurrently modelled using the Simulator of the Human Microbial Ecosystem (SHIME®), using a young adult donor. Results: Consistent with previous findings, Cereboost® improved working memory and attention during the immediate postprandial period; effects that were amplified following two weeks’ treatment (acute-on-chronic) compared to acute testing alone. Chronic supplementation improved cognition on an acetylcholine-sensitive attention task and improved mental fatigue and self-assurance aspects of mood. The parallel in vitro study revealed significantly increased acetate, propionate, and butyrate levels in simulated proximal and distal colon regions, linked with observed increases in Akkermansia muciniphila and Lactobacillus. Conclusion: This study confirmed the promising effects of Cereboost® on cognitive function and mood, while suggesting a possible link to alterations of the gut microbiome and modulation of acetylcholine. Further studies will be required to unravel the underlying mechanisms that are involved. Registration: The study was pre-registered at ClinicalTrials.gov on 6th July 2018 (Identifier: NCT03579095).</p
Closures, Clusters and Deprivation: The Geographies of High Street Betting Shops in the Early Twenty-First Century
Get PDFBetting shops have been a familiar, if not always universally loved, feature on the High Street in all towns and cities throughout the UK for some 60 years, but in recent years concerns have been expressed about the undesirability of their presence in the urban retail environment. This paper analyses the geographies of betting shops in six urban areas in the UK. It explores the basic geographies of betting shops in these towns and cities and specifically the charges that they show a tendency to form clusters and that they are disproportionately found in areas of high deprivation. It finds some evidence to support these claims but recognises some important qualifications. This analysis is set within the recent sharp decline of betting shop numbers in the UK. The policy implications of these findings are drawn out
Conducting Behavioural Research in the Zoo: A Guide to Ten Important Methods, Concepts and Theories
No full textBehavioural research in zoos is commonplace and is used in the diagnosis and treatment of potential husbandry and management challenges. Robust methods that allow valid data collection and analysis constitute an evidence-based approach to animal care. Understanding behaviour is essential to improving animal management, and behavioural research is therefore popular, with a wide choice of behavioural methodologies and theories available. This review outlines ten methodological approaches, concepts or theories essential to zoo science that are based around behavioural observation. This list is not exhaustive but aims to define and describe key areas of consideration when planning and implementing a zoo-based behavioural project. We discuss the application of well-established methods (the construction of ethograms, use of time–activity patterns and measurement of space/enclosure use) as well as evaluating newer or less-widely applied analytical techniques, such as behavioural diversity indices, social networks analysis and Qualitative Behavioural Assessment. We also consider the importance of fundamental research methods, the application of pure science to understand and interpret zoo animal behaviour (with a review of a Tinbergian approach) and consideration of meta-analyses. The integration of observational techniques into experiments that aim to identify the cause and effect of behavioural performance is then explored, and we examine the assimilation of behavioural methods used in studies of environmental enrichment. By systematically studying animal behaviour, we can attempt to understand the welfare of individual animals in captivity, and here we present an example of our reviewed approaches to this area of zoo science. Combining multiple methodologies can lead to a greater understanding of behaviour and welfare, creating robust research, progressing husbandry and advancing conservation strategies. Collaborations between zoological collections and academic researchers (e.g., in Higher Education Institutions) can further refine and enhance the validity of research and husbandry practice alike
Implementing and Evaluating the Practice Environment Model Using Action Research
No full textThe psychological factors that influence performance in the practice environment, where competitive athletes engage in deliberate practice, have recently been given specific research attention. The current study employed an action research approach to implement the practice environment model as an education strategy to increase the practice performance of players in a U.K.basketball academy team over a 20-week period. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of the education strategy on practice performance. The team competed nationally and consisted of the head coach, the assistant coach, and 18 male players aged 16–19 years. Data were collected through focus groups, joint semistructured interviews, field observations, and a practiceenvironment model web-based questionnaire. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic narrative analysis and the Friedman test analysed quantitative data. Quantitative results suggested that the education strategy decreased perceptions of stress and increased effort, preparation activities, and teammate support. Qualitative results provided an in-depth narrative of theenvironmental changes undertaken to improve practice performance. Discussion focuses on the key strategies of effort and control, performance expectations, team drive, positive communication, and preparation. This study is the first to apply the practice environment model to a real-world sporting domain
Beyond Intimate Partner Relationships: Utilising Domestic Homicide Reviews to Prevent Adult Family Domestic Homicide
Get PDFIncreasing evidence documents domestic violence and abuse (DVA) and domestic homicide (DH) of adults killed by a relative in non-intimate partner relationships. Most literature focuses on intimate partner violence and homicide, yet non-intimate partner DH form a substantial but neglected minority of DHs. This article addresses this gap by presenting an analysis from 66 domestic homicide reviews (DHRs) in England and Wales where the victim and perpetrator were related, such as parent and adult child. Intimate partner homicides are excluded. These 66 DHRs were a sub-sample drawn from a larger study examining 317 DHRs in England and Wales. The paper contributes towards greater understanding of the prevalence, context and characteristics of adult family homicide (AFH). Analysis revealed five interlinked precursors to AFH: mental health and substance/alcohol misuse, criminal history, childhood trauma, financial factors and care dynamics. Findings indicate that, given their contact with both victims and perpetrators, criminal justice agencies, adult social care and health agencies, particularly mental health services, are ideally placed to identify important risk and contextual factors. Understanding of DVA needs to extend to include adult family violence. Risk assessments need to be cognisant of the complex dynamics of AFH and must consider social-structural and relational-contextual factors
Social Jetlag and Cardiometabolic Risk in Preadolescent Children.
Get PDFObjective: Childhood cardiometabolic disease risk (CMD) has been associated with short sleep duration. Its relationship with other aspects of sleep should also be considered, including social jetlag (SJL) which represents the difference between a person's social rhythms and circadian clock. This study investigated whether childhood CMD risk is associated with sleep duration, sleep disturbances, and SJL.Study Design: The observational study included 332 children aged 8–10 years (48.5% female). The three independent variables were sleep duration, sleep disturbances, and SJL. SJL was calculated as the variation in hours between the midpoint of sleep during free (weekend) days and work/school days. Eleven cardiometabolic biomarkers were measured, including central blood pressure, lipids, glycated hemoglobin, arterial wave reflection, and glucose. Underlying CMD risk factors were identified using factor analysis.Results: Four underlying CMD risk factors were identified using factor analysis: blood pressure, cholesterol, vascular health, and carbohydrate metabolism. Neither sleep disturbances nor sleep duration were significantly associated with any of the four CMD factors following adjustments to potential confounders. However, SJL was significantly linked to vascular health (p = 0.027) and cholesterol (p = 0.025).Conclusion: These findings suggest that SJL may be a significant and measurable public health target for offsetting negative CMD trajectories in children. Further studies are required to determine biological plausibility
Embedding Sustainability in Complex Projects: A Pedagogic Practice Simulation Approach, Advanced Project Management
No full textSustainability is focussed on avoiding the long-term depletion of natural resources. Under the terms of a government plan to tackle climate change, a driver for improved sustainability is the cut of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK to almost zero by 2050. With this type of change, new themes are continuously being developed which drive complex projects, such as the development of new power generation methods, which encompass challenging lead times and demanding requirements. Consideration of the implementation of strategies and key concepts, which may engender sustainability within complex projects therefore presents an opportunity for further critical debate, review, and application through a project management lens. Sustainability incorporation in project management has been documented in academic literature, with this emerging field providing new challenges. For example, project management education can provide a holistic base for the inculcation of sustainability factors to a range of industries, including complex projects. Likewise, practitioner interest and approaches to sustainability in project management are being driven by the recently Chartered Association for Project Management (APM). Whilst this body makes a significant contribution to the UK economy across many sectors, it also addresses ongoing sustainability challenges. Therefore, by drawing on research and practitioner developments, the authors argue that by connecting with the next generation through practice simulation approaches, and embedding sustainability issues within project management tools and methods, improved focus on sustainability in complex project management may be achieved