234 research outputs found
Readers’ attitudes to self-archiving in the UK
No full textThe online self-archiving by authors of their scholarly articles has been proposed as an alternative to author-pays open access publication, but has the potential to undermine journal publisher income if the ready availability of self-archived articles leads to a drop in subscriptions. This study investigated the awareness of self-archiving and use of self-archived articles in a survey of a mainly academic population including both authors and non-authors, and looks at their attitudes to self-archived papers and whether they view them as an authoritative alternative to subscription access. In total, 70% of respondents had heard of self-archiving, though only 15% knew a lot about it, and 71% had used self-archived papers. These proportions are higher than in previous studies, suggesting that awareness has grown. Most self-archived papers used came from websites rather than repositories, particularly among those whose awareness of self-archiving was low. Use of self-archived articles was greater amongst those who had published more papers and also depended strongly on subject field – use and awareness were both particularly low in the field of medicine. People who were more aware of self-archiving were less likely to view the publisher’s official version as the only authoritative version and more likely not to care about the online location of articles. Moreover, authors who had self-archived tended to archive the publisher’s official version regardless of whether they were permitted to. These results suggest that the awareness of self-archiving is currently mostly limited to academic authors and is unlikely to grow beyond this in the short term. However, in the long term, the combination of high rates of self-archiving of the publisher’s official version, coupled with the devaluation of the journal as the authoritative source of material together with increased convenience of access to self-archived material, could result in fewer people accessing articles through subscription-based methods
Interview with Rhiannon Wallace : Children’s author, and librarian. World Literature SFU Alumni
No full textInterview with author Rhiannon Wallace
"But Not My Soul": Rhiannon Giddens on Resisting the Nightmare of American History
No full textAuthor: Kevin Farrell Radford University Download PDF version This study begins with Rhiannon Giddens’ 2018 show at the Harvester Performance Center in Rocky Mount, Virginia. A small venue—maximum capacity 460—specializing in Americana acts, nostalgia tours, and cover bands, the Harvester sits in the middle of Franklin County, an overwhelmingly white, politically conservative region of Southwest Virginia. Giddens, making her third appearance on the Harvester stage, having previously pl..
Risks of COVID-19 by occupation in NHS workers in England
No full textOBJECTIVE: To quantify occupational risks of COVID-19 among healthcare staff during the first wave (9 March 2020-31 July 2020) of the pandemic in England.METHODS: We used pseudonymised data on 902 813 individuals employed by 191 National Health Service trusts to explore demographic and occupational risk factors for sickness absence ascribed to COVID-19 (n=92 880). We estimated ORs by multivariable logistic regression.RESULTS: With adjustment for employing trust, demographic characteristics and previous frequency of sickness absence, risk relative to administrative/clerical occupations was highest in 'additional clinical services' (care assistants and other occupations directly supporting those in clinical roles) (OR 2.31 (2.25 to 2.37)), registered nursing and midwifery professionals (OR 2.28 (2.23 to 2.34)) and allied health professionals (OR 1.94 (1.88 to 2.01)) and intermediate in doctors and dentists (OR 1.55 (1.50 to 1.61)). Differences in risk were higher after the employing trust had started to care for documented patients with COVID-19, and were reduced, but not eliminated, following additional adjustment for exposure to infected patients or materials, assessed by a job-exposure matrix. For prolonged COVID-19 sickness absence (episodes lasting >14 days), the variation in risk by staff group was somewhat greater.CONCLUSIONS: After allowance for possible bias and confounding by non-occupational exposures, we estimated that relative risks for COVID-19 among most patient-facing occupations were between 1.5 and 2.5. The highest risks were in those working in additional clinical services, nursing and midwifery and in allied health professions. Better protective measures for these staff groups should be a priority. COVID-19 may meet criteria for compensation as an occupational disease in some healthcare occupations.TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN36352994
Are you a Civil Servant? Discover your colleague’s opinion on the LSE Executive Master of Public Policy
No full textAs part of the drive to professionalise policymaking, Civil Service Learning has partnered with the London School of Economics and Political Science to run a bespoke Executive Master of Public Policy programme. The programme is designed to equip civil servants with the cutting-edge analytical tools required to deliver effective policy in an increasingly complex and inter-dependent world. Here, Rhiannon Harries and Emily Bourne, two DECC participants in the first cohort, share their early insights on the programme, which started in December 2015
Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on sickness absence for mental ill health in National Health Service staff
No full textObjective To explore the patterns of sickness absence in National Health Service (NHS) staff attributable to mental ill health during the first wave of the COVID-19 epidemic in March-July 2020. Design Case-referent analysis of a secondary dataset. Setting NHS Trusts in England. Participants Pseudonymised data on 959 356 employees who were continuously employed by NHS trusts during 1 January 2019 to 31 July 2020. Main outcome measures Trends in the burden of sickness absence due to mental ill health from 2019 to 2020 according to demographic, regional and occupational characteristics. Results Over the study period, 164 202 new sickness absence episodes for mental ill health were recorded in 12.5% (119 525) of the study sample. There was a spike of sickness absence for mental ill health in March-April 2020 (899 730 days lost) compared with 519 807 days in March-April 2019; the surge was driven by an increase in new episodes of long-term absence and had diminished by May/June 2020. The increase was greatest in those aged >60 years (227%) and among employees of Asian and Black ethnic origin (109%-136%). Among doctors and dentists, the number of days absent declined by 12.7%. The biggest increase was in London (122%) and the smallest in the East Midlands (43.7%); the variation between regions reflected the rates of COVID-19 sickness absence during the same period. Conclusion Although the COVID-19 epidemic led to an increase in sickness absence attributed to mental ill health in NHS staff, this had substantially declined by May/June 2020, corresponding with the decrease in pressures at work as the first wave of the epidemic subsided
Determining the role of retreating glaciers in the biogeochemical cycling of iron and macronutrients at the West Antarctic Peninsula
No full textThe West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) shelf is a highly productive region of the Southern Ocean. Primary productivity in the Southern Ocean modulates climate over glacial-interglacial cycles, subject to iron and light limitation. Across the WAP the impact of accelerating glacial retreat upon water column and shelf sediment biogeochemical cycles is changing, through interaction of meltwater and terrestrial material with shelf seawater. The alleviation of iron limitation in the Southern Ocean by Antarctic shelf-derived sediment fluxes of iron is well documented. However, the role of the predominantly colloidal and nanoparticulate flux of iron from Antarctic glaciers in Southern Ocean productivity is not well characterised.Data presented here investigates the influence of rapidly retreating glaciers upon biogeochemical cycling of iron and macronutrients in three glaciated bays along the WAP. Utilising stable oxygen isotopes, salinity, and short-lived radium isotopes, I demonstrated that submarine melting at marine-terminating glaciers can drive intense mixing of sediment into the water column. Buoyant meltwater plumes can then entrain ambient seawater, rich in NO3-, PO43-, Si(OH4), and sedimentary material, upwards to the mixed layer. Where surface runoff is the dominant meltwater input, the coastal surface ocean is highly enriched in sediment, and up to 580 nM particulate iron. X-ray Absorption Near-Edge Spectroscopy revealed that glacially-derived particulate iron is mixed valence, with a mean of 40% iron(II) across the WAP. These particles were often found co-located with carbon aggregates, which can provide stabilisation of iron(II) minerals in oxic seawater. As particulate iron(II) is potentially more bioavailable, this may represent a bioavailable particulate iron supply to shelf surface waters. Observed transport of particulate iron in surface melt to the shelf edge suggests a high export potential of iron(II)-rich particles to commonly iron-limited regions.Finally, experimental work indicates a previously underappreciated reservoir of readily dissolvable iron from the solid phase during resuspension of glacially-influenced surface sediments. After adding glaciogenic sediments to overlying bottom water, an immediatedissolved iron release of ~65 – 175 nM and total dissolvable iron release of 30 – 100 μM was observed in three WAP bays, not accounted for by concurrent pore water iron inventories. Over 2 days, 4 – 12 nM of excess dissolved iron remained stable in solution, mostly accounted for by rapid exchange from solid phase to dissolved phase. Sediments from areas both proximal to glacier outflow downstream regions of Fe limitation, such as the northern WAP, should be the most important for the bioavailable supply of Fe to the Southern Ocean mixed layer. Overall, this thesis highlights key pathways for a significant and potentially bioavailable flux of iron from surface ocean meltwater to sediments, delivered by retreating glaciers
Understanding the importance of therapeutic alliance during physiotherapy treatment for musculoskeletal pain in children: a scoping review.
No full textIntroductionMusculoskeletal pain affecting children is common. Rehabilitation and treatment effectiveness can be influenced by multiple individual and contextual factors. The need for more rigorous evaluation of physiotherapy treatment for children’s pain, identification of the role of specific techniques, and exploration of the influence of the therapeutic alliance is needed. This scoping review of research aimed to examine: (1) What are the perceptions of children, parents, and physiotherapists about the importance of therapeutic alliance during musculoskeletal pain treatment? (2) What are the key characteristics of therapeutic alliance during a child’s musculoskeletal pain treatment from the perspectives of children, parents, and physiotherapists? and (3) What are the perceived impacts of therapeutic alliance (positive and negative) during a child’s physiotherapy treatment for musculoskeletal pain? MethodsThe scoping review, based on Arksey and O’Malley’s framework and reporting was guided by PRISMA-ScR. The search strategy was based on three concept blocks: (1) Study population: Children (<18 years); (2) Medical condition: Any musculoskeletal pain (acute, chronic primary, chronic secondary); (3) Intervention: Qualitative exploration of experience of physiotherapy treatment delivered by a physiotherapist from the perspective of a child, parent, or physiotherapist. The search (no date limit) was conducted in February 2024 across Medline, AMED and CINAHL. ResultsFollowing duplicate removal and assessment of eligibility of the initial 236 articles, nine articles were included; of these, only one specifically aimed to explore therapeutic alliance and it was the only paper to directly mention therapeutic alliance. All nine articles presented the child’s experience. One overarching theme ‘Finding resilience within me through therapeutic alliance’ and three main themes: ‘A trusted guide through the ups and the downs of rehabilitation’; ‘Having a route map’; and ‘Take me seriously but make it fun’ were identified. DiscussionTherapeutic alliance was considered important by children, parents and physiotherapist and it influenced child and parent perceptions of physiotherapy and overall treatment outcomes. Physiotherapists can foster the children’s resilience when experiencing musculoskeletal pain by providing disciplinary expertise, connecting and collaborating with the child by becoming their trusted guide, and co-creating a route map for rehabilitation by helping them to learn about their body, pain and recovery timeline.<br/
Retelling tales: The (missed?) representation of working class women’s stories of leisure
No full textReflecting on an undergraduate dissertation, Rhiannon Lord became increasingly dissatisfied with the limitations on understanding and communication imposed by the conventional form of presentation usually expected of undergraduate students. Here we seek to transgress the boundaries of the author-evacuated realist tale form and offer a re-presentation of original data in the form of creative fiction, drawing extensively upon the work of Sparkes (2002). Renewed insights are generated into the lives of young women via two short stories, presented in an effort to further communicate their leisure experiences. Consideration is given to new ways of constructing and presenting understanding at the undergraduate dissertation level and the research process in general
Ethnic differences in risk of severe Covid-19 : To what extent are they driven by exposure?
No full textBACKGROUND: This study quantifies the risk of Covid-19 among ethnic groups of healthcare staff during the first pandemic wave in England. METHODS: We analysed data on 959 356 employees employed by 191 National Health Service trusts during 1 January 2019 to 31 July 2020, comparing rates of Covid-19 sickness absence in different ethnic groups. RESULTS: In comparison with White ethnic groups, the risk of short-duration Covid-19 sickness absence was modestly elevated in South Asian but not Black groups. However, all Black and ethnic minority groups were at higher risk of prolonged Covid-19 sickness absence. Odds ratios (ORs) relative to White ethnicity were more than doubled in South Asian groups (Indian OR 2.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.36-2.63; Pakistani OR 2.38, 2.15-2.64; Bangladeshi OR 2.38, 1.98-2.86), while that for Black African ethnicity was 1.82 (1.71-1.93). In nursing/midwifery staff, the association of ethnicity with prolonged Covid-19 sickness absence was strong; the odds of South Asian nurses/midwives having a prolonged episode of Covid-19 sickness absence were increased 3-fold (OR 3.05, 2.82-3.30). CONCLUSIONS: Residual differences in risk of short term Covid-19 sickness absences among ethnic groups may reflect differences in non-occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Our results indicate ethnic differences in vulnerability to Covid-19, which may be only partly explained by medical comorbidities
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