22282 research outputs found
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Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a novel, group self-management course for adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain: study protocol for a multicentre, randomised controlled trial (COPERS)
No full textIntroduction: Chronic musculoskeletal pain is a common condition that often responds poorly to treatment. Self-management courses have been advocated as a non-drug pain management technique, although evidence for their effectiveness is equivocal. We designed and piloted a self-management course based on evidence for effectiveness for specific course components and characteristics. Methods/analysis: COPERS (coping with persistent pain, effectiveness research into self-management) is a pragmatic randomised controlled trial testing the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an intensive, group, cognitive behavioural-based, theoretically informed and manualised self-management course for chronic pain patients against a control of best usual care: a pain education booklet and a relaxation CD. The course lasts for 15 h, spread over 3 days, with a –2 h follow-up session 2 weeks later. We aim to recruit 685 participants with chronic musculoskeletal pain from primary, intermediate and secondary care services in two UK regions. The study is powered to show a standardised mean difference of 0.3 in the primary outcome, pain-related disability. Secondary outcomes include generic health-related quality of life, healthcare utilisation, pain self-efficacy, coping, depression, anxiety and social engagement. Outcomes are measured at 6 and 12 months postrandomisation. Pain self-efficacy is measured at 3 months to assess whether change mediates clinical effect. Ethics/dissemination: Ethics approval was given by Cambridgeshire Ethics 11/EE/046. This trial will provide robust data on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an evidence-based, group self-management programme for chronic musculoskeletal pain. The published outcomes will help to inform future policy and practice around such self-management courses, both nationally and internationally. Trial registration: ISRCTN24426731
Deficits in volitional oculomotor control align with language status in autism spectrum disorders
Full text link"Accountability and performance management systems within private and public sector organisational change processes".
No full textThis paper examines organisational change processes that occur when accountability demands from powerful external stakeholders change. It investigates, firstly, whether these external accountability demands impact on the performance management systems of two different types of organisations. Secondly, it considers whether the goals for improved performance contained within the external accountability demands are realised. The paper derives its primary insights from analysing in-depth interviews with managers working in a private sector company and in public sector organisations. The analyses reveal complex organisational responses. In the public sector case study, the organisations tended to reorient their performance management systems towards the external accountability demands; whilst in the private sector organisation, pressures from falling share prices forced managers to focus their decision making on the preferred performance measures contained in shareholders’ accountability demands. However, whilst there is some evidence of performance management system changes, the desires for improved performance subsumed by the external accountability demands are not necessarily realised through the performance management system changes
Monoidal Computer I: Basic Computability by String Diagrams
No full textWe present a new model of computation, described in terms of monoidal categories. It conforms the Church-Turing Thesis, and captures the same computable functions as the standard models. It provides a succinct categorical interface to most of them, free of their diverse implementation details, using the ideas and structures that in the meantime emerged from research in semantics of computation and programming. The salient feature of the language of monoidal categories is that it is supported by a sound and complete graphical formalism, string diagrams, which provide a concrete and intuitive interface for abstract reasoning about computation. The original motivation and the ultimate goal of this effort is to provide a convenient high level programming language for a theory of computational resources, such as one-way functions, and trapdoor functions, by adopting the methods for hiding the low level implementation details that emerged from practice. In the present paper, we make the initial step towards this ambitious goal, and sketch the ideas how to reach it. These ideas will be elaborated in the three sequel papers, that are in preparation
A model for dynamic reconfiguration in service-oriented architectures
No full textThe importance of modelling the dynamic characteristics of the architecture of software systems has long been recognised. However, the nature of the dynamics of service-oriented applications goes beyond what is currently addressed by architecture description languages (ADLs). At the heart of the service-oriented approach is the logical separation between the service need and the need-fulfillment mechanism, i.e., the provision of the service: the binding between the requester and the provider is deferred to run time and established at the instance level, i.e., each time the need for the service arises. As a consequence, computation in the context of service-oriented architectures transforms not only the states of the components that implement applications but also the configurations of those applications. In this paper, we present a model for dynamic reconfiguration that is general enough to support the definition of ADLs that are able to address the full dynamics of service-oriented applications. As an instance of the model, we present a simple service-oriented ADL derived from the modelling language srml that we developed in the Sensoria project. © 2012 Springer-Verlag
Identifying key knowledge needs for evidence-based conservation of wild insect pollinators: a collaborative cross-sectoral exercise
No full text1. In response to evidence of insect pollinator declines, organisations in many sectors, including the food and farming industry, are investing in pollinator conservation. They are keen to ensure that their efforts use the best available science. 2. We convened a group of 32 ‘conservation practitioners’ with an active interest in pollinators and 16 insect pollinator scientists. The conservation practitioners include representatives from UK industry (including retail), environmental non-government organisations and nature conservation agencies. 3. We collaboratively developed a long list of 246 knowledge needs relating to conservation of wild insect pollinators in the UK. We refined and selected the most important knowledge needs, through a three-stage process of voting and scoring, including discussions of each need at a workshop. 4. We present the top 35 knowledge needs as scored by conservation practitioners or scientists. We find general agreement in priorities identified by these two groups. The priority knowledge needs will structure ongoing work to make science accessible to practitioners, and help to guide future science policy and funding. 5. Understanding the economic benefits of crop pollination, basic pollinator ecology and impacts of pesticides on wild pollinators emerge strongly as priorities, as well as a need to monitor floral resources in the landscape
A model for dynamic reconfiguration in service-oriented architectures
No full textThe importance of modelling the dynamic characteristics of the architecture of software systems has long been recognised. However, the nature of the dynamics of service-oriented applications goes beyond what is currently addressed by architecture description languages (ADLs). At the heart of the service-oriented approach is the logical separation between the service need and the need-fulfillment mechanism, i.e., the provision of the service: the binding between the requester and the provider is deferred to run time and established at the instance level, i.e., each time the need for the service arises. As a consequence, computation in the context of service-oriented architectures transforms not only the states of the components that implement applications but also the configurations of those applications. In this paper, we present a model for dynamic reconfiguration that is general enough to support the definition of ADLs that are able to address the full dynamics of service-oriented applications. As an instance of the model, we present a simple service-oriented ADL derived from the modelling language srml that we developed in the Sensoria project. © 2012 Springer-Verlag
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