134 research outputs found
The idea of lapidary medicine: its circulation and practical applications in medieval and early modern England: 1000-1750
No full textThis dissertation explores the transmission and circulation of ideas related to a rarely studied aspect of medieval and early modern medicine: the therapeutic application of gemstones. It traces the dissemination of ideas about the healing virtues of "stones" beginning with their Western origins in classical Greek and Roman texts to the manuscript culture of medieval Europe. Then the study continues with a close look at the development of lapidary theory in the print culture of early modern England, especially popular advice manuals. Finally, the dissertation examines the practice of lapidary medicine as it is recorded in a range of archival sources, such as wills and apothecary inventories, as well as in iconographic and archeological evidence found in portraits, woodcuts, and surviving examples of jewelry. The study demonstrates that lapidary theory was part of the orthodox medical tradition of early modern England and that ideas about lapidary healing circulated widely through the use of popular medical advice manuals. Furthermore, it presents evidence that lapidary materials were commonly sold by seventeenth-century jewelers and apothecary shops and were therefore widely available to early modern consumers.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical references (p. 209-250)by Nichola Erin Harri
Constructing Measures of Family Socioeconomic Position: Testing Commonplace Assumptions and Alternative Approaches
No full textSocioeconomic position (SEP) has a marked effect on people’s wellbeing and is a key concept for understanding health and social outcomes. Because individuals are embedded within families, the SEP of other family members likely plays a considerable role in determining individual outcomes. However, there has been little research examining the best approaches to measuring family level SEP to model individual outcomes, particularly for diverse families and in Aotearoa New Zealand.
This thesis examines the relative performance of different approaches to combining SEP from family members to model individual outcomes. SEP was measured at the 2013 Census using education, occupation and income. For adults living in cohabitating couples, the risk of having diagnoses of diabetes, acute myocardial infarction, stroke and traumatic brain injury were modelled. For children, the risk of low birth weight and preterm birth (perinatal period), dental caries and obesity (preschoolers) and educational achievement (teenagers) were modelled for children with different family types. Relative performance was assessed by comparing the fit of models employing different specifications of family SEP.
For adults, incorporating partner SEP in addition to own SEP improved models of individual outcomes. This pattern emerged across ethnic groups, genders, and for older adults, but was inconsistent for same-gender couples. For children, the socioeconomic resources of resident biological parents, step-parents, and non-resident biological parents all appeared to influence child outcomes, although there was not consistent evidence that the SEP of both biological parents independently influenced birth outcomes. The SEP of male partners/parents is typically a better indication of risk than the SEP of female partners/parents. There was inconsistent evidence that the higher SEP value is a better measure of family SEP than the lower SEP value, except when measured with income. Overall, there was compelling evidence that single partner/parent measures were generally inadequate.
A subset of analyses were repeated with the 2018 Census data to test whether these data replicated patterns observed with the 2013 Census data despite the low response to the 2018 Census and resulting data quality concerns. Results indicated that these data appear to be suitable for using parental SEP to model child outcomes
Pre-pregnancy body mass index and breastfeeding initiation, early cessation and longevity: evidence from the first wave of the UK Millennium Cohort Study
No full textBackground International evidence indicates relationships between pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and breastfeeding behaviours. This study aims to assess associations between key points in the breastfeeding trajectory (initiation, early cessation and longevity) and pre-pregnancy BMI in a recent, nationally representative British cohort. It also aims to explore in the British context potential moderation by mothers’ ethnic group. Methods The sample comprises 17 113 mothers from the UK Millennium Cohort Study who have information on pre-pregnancy BMI. Associations between pre-pregnancy BMI categories and breastfeeding initiation, early cessation and longevity are tested using logistic regression. Directed acyclic graphics identify appropriate minimal adjustment to block biasing pathways and classify total and direct effects. Results After adjusting for confounders, there are large differences in breastfeeding early cessation and longevity by pre-pregnancy BMI group. Differences in propensity to initiation are negligible. Having begun breastfeeding, overweight and obese mothers are more likely to cease in the first week and less likely to continue past 4 months. Observed potential mediators within pregnancy and delivery provide little explanation for relationships. Evidence for moderation by ethnicity is scant. Conclusions The causal mechanisms underlying relationships between pre-pregnancy overweight, obesity, and breastfeeding behaviours require further research. However, this study suggests pre-pregnancy BMI as one predictive measure for targeting support to women less likely to establish breastfeeding in the early days, and to continue beyond 4 months. The nature of support should carefully be considered and developed, with mind to both intended and potential unintended consequences of intervention given the need for additional investigation into the causes of associations
Key elements of the research process during secondary analysis of the millennium cohort study: researching relationships between mothers’ pre-pregnancy body mass index and breastfeeding behaviors
No full textIn this case study, we describe some of the key analytical stages and decision-making processes during a research project comprising secondary analyses of the U.K. Millennium Cohort Study. Our work examined relationships between maternal body mass index (BMI) and breastfeeding behaviors. We discuss the development of our research: from familiarization with and appraisal of the proposed dataset; to choosing and recoding variables; to honing our conceptual framework and fitting the data to the research questions; to analysis, reporting, and discussing findings. While describing key stages, we also emphasize the iterative, messy, and nonlinear realities of conducting a research project using secondary data. We discuss crucial points to be aware of in this type of work and lessons learned: such as the need to update and revise coding, analyses, and interpretations in light of discussion, reflection, and external feedback
Socioeconomic inequalities in young children’s weight status in the UK
No full textThe high prevalence rates of child overweight and obesity within the UK is a serious problem, and one that has received a lot of attention from policy makers, researchers and the media. There is some evidence for socioeconomic inequalities in child overweight and obesity, with children in less advantaged socioeconomic groups at an increased risk of being overweight or obese. The nature of these inequalities is not well understood. Within this thesis I consider different aspects of socioeconomic status and their relationship with child overweight and obesity. There are three distinct strands of the investigation. Firstly, I consider whether socioeconomic inequalities in child overweight and obesity have changed over time. This is followed by two separate analyses of the relationship between obesity and overweight with parental income and education.
I find evidence that socioeconomic inequalities in child overweight and obesity have widened over time, but only because of the relatively low increases in child overweight and obesity amongst children from the most advantaged families. I investigate whether there is an association between income and child overweight, and find that other parental characteristics, namely parental education, can explain correlations between familial income and child overweight and obesity. I find that father’s education has a stronger association with child overweight and obesity than does mother’s education, and that this is not solely because father’s education is a better predictor of the family’s financial and economic resources
Proof and proving in current classroom materials
No full textResearch across many countries reports that teaching the key ideas of proof and proving to all students is not an easy task. This paper reports on the session of the BSRLM Geometry Working Group which examined current classroom material from the UK with the intention of uncovering the ‘opportunities for proof’ in geometry that are provided by such material. To carry out such an analysis three analytical frameworks are compared. Two of the analytical frameworks, while placing proof and proving in a wider context of learners’ mathematics, may not fully uncover the detail of proof and proving. The third analytical framework, while permitting a detailed analysis of explicit proof and proving, may not fully account for textbooks that devote most space to discussions of proof and proving and/or contain problems that implicitly provoke proof. This comparison reveals some of the complexity of textbook analysis and suggests that further work is needed on a suitable analytical framework
How to treat: faecal incontinence
No full textThe following aspects of faecal incontinence are discussed: causes of incontinence; history and examination; investigations; management - a multidisciplinary approach. (non-author abstract)Rieger, Nichola
Risk-based school inspections: impact of targeted inspection approaches on Dutch secondary schools
No full textIn most countries, publicly funded schools are held accountable to one inspectorate and are judged against agreed national standards. Many inspectorates of education have recently moved towards more proportional risk-based inspection models, targeting high-risk schools for visits, while schools with satisfactory student attainment levels are excluded from inspections. This paper looks into these newer inspection models and aims to enhance our understanding of the potential effectiveness of such targeted models on student attainment and other performance indicators. Random effects models, analyzing changes in schools over time, indicate that targeted inspections particularly have an effect on student attainment in literacy in weak schools, while also impacting on student satisfaction, student numbers and student-staff ratios
Setting expectations for good education : How Dutch school inspections drive improvement
No full textWith decentralisation becoming increasingly widespread across Europe, evaluation and accountability are becoming key issues in ensuring quality provision for all (Altrichter & Maag Merki, 2010; Eurydice, 2004). In Europe, the dominant arrangement for educational accountability is school inspections. The purpose of this research is to identify and analyse the ways in which school inspections in The Netherlands impact on the work of schools. The results of 2 years of survey data of principals and teachers in primary and secondary schools show that inspection primarily drives change indirectly, through encouraging certain developmental processes, rather than through more direct and coercive methods, such as schools reacting to inspection feedback. Specifically, results indicate that school inspections which set clear expectations on what constitutes “good education” for schools and their stakeholders are strong determinants of improvement actions; principals and schools feel pressure to respond to these prompts and improve their education
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