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This article examines the concept of consent in the context of rape and sexual violence within the framework of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Lack of consent is not required to be proven in relation to charges of rape in the Rome Statute, an aspect praised by feminist legal scholar Catharine MacKinnon. A significant and contested feature of MacKinnon’s theorisation of rape is her argument that such a standard should also serve as a model for domestic laws. However, it is not clear that the ICC’s current framework regarding consent and the means to address sexual violence is as robust as MacKinnon suggests. Importantly, our analysis of the international experience takes place against a backdrop where in many domestic jurisdictions consent remains firmly entrenched in law reform efforts to address the ubiquity of sexual violence. Drawing primarily on recent law reform examples from Australia, where the trend has been toward affirmative models of consent, we consider how consent is positioned within them. We argue that consent still has a place in measures in both domestic and international jurisdictions aimed at addressing the structural inequalities and power dynamics underpinning sexual violence, MacKinnon’s privileging of the measures in the international jurisdiction notwithstanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whilst research has assessed the multidimensionality of organizational stressors, severity has been overlooked. This study aimed to develop and validate a severity response scale, before examining the relationship between organizational stressor severity, physical health, and well-being, and if severity mediated the relationship between stressor occurrence and outcomes. 403 sport performers (186 male; Mage = 21.43) completed a questionnaire assessing study variables and data were analysed using structural equation modelling. Organizational stressor severity had a significant, negative relationship with physical health (r = -.374, p <.001), but notwith hedonic or eudaimonic well-being (p =.624 and.203). Direct effects were found for neuroticism (β = -0.632, p <.001) and stressor frequency (β = -0.226, p =.016) on physical health; however, when adding severity as a mediator, stressor frequency positively predicted stressor severity (β = 1.025, p <.001); however, the indirect effect of stressor frequency on physical health via stressor severity (β = -0.018, p =.885) and the direct effect between stressor frequency and physical health (β = -0.191, p =.204) were non-significant. These novel findings highlight that higher stressor severity is associated with higher physical health complaints, and that repeated exposure to stressors may heighten an vulnerability to future stressors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although greater lifetime stressor exposure has been associated with physical and mental health issues in the general population, relatively little is known about how lifetime stressors impact the physical and mental health of elite athletes or the factors moderating this association. Given that many elite athletes show signs of perfectionism, and that this trait has been linked with ill-health, it is possible that perfectionism may moderate the lifetime stressor-health relationship. To test this possibility, we examined how cumulative lifetime stressor exposure was associated with general mental and physical health complaints in elite athletes, and the extent to which these associations were moderated by perfectionism. Participants were 110 elite athletes (64 female; Mage = 29.98 years, SD = 10.54) who completed assessments of lifetime stressor exposure, physical health, psychological distress, and perfectionism. As hypothesised, hierarchical regression analyses revealed that experiencing more severe lifetime stressors was related to poorer physical and mental health. Furthermore, self-oriented perfectionism moderated the association between lifetime stressor count and severity and physical health, but not mental health. Overall, these data demonstrate stressor-specific effects among elite athletes and highlight the potential importance of assessing lifetime stressor exposure and perfectionistic tendencies in order to improve athlete health and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractWe propose a model for estimating the time of release (TOR) for a hydrocarbon gas mixture (C1–C4: methane, ethane, propane, and butane). The model uses concentration data and performs a chemical kinetics analysis of the ratio of concentrations: methane to ethane (M/E) or iso-butane to n-butane (i/n). Six criteria are specified to choose the data used to develop the TOR estimate without introducing bias. A data set from the Napoleonville Salt Dome (NSD) gas release was available in which collection time and sample concentrations were known. The NSD release produced the Bayou Corne Sinkhole. That sinkhole appeared on 8/3/2012, establishing the TOR for NSD. Accordingly, the TOR model was calibrated, demonstrated, and tested with the NSD data set. The most immediately affected matrix was soil gas, and using the M/E ratio on the collected soil gas concentration data produced an estimated TOR of 22 April 2012 − 28 November 2012 (10 August 2012 ± 110 days). Using the i/n ratio produced an estimated TOR of 3 March 2012 − 20 November 2012 (12 July 2012 ± 131 days). The NSD sinkhole appeared on 3 August 2012, which is within the standard deviation of both estimates and showed no significant bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research has shown that lifetime stressor exposure can negatively impact sport performers. However, this work has predominantly relied on quantitative methods, which has provided limited information regarding how stressors occurring over the life course affect health, well-being, and performance. This study aimed to explore how relatively high levels of lifetime (non-sport and sport-specific) stressor exposure influenced sport performers' health, well-being, and performance. To identify participants who had experienced high lifetime (non-sport and sport-specific) stressors, we used criterion-based purposeful sampling from a prior study. Subsequently, semi-structured interviews, complemented by timelining, were conducted with 22 sport performers (17 female; Mage = 25.89, SD = 10.20). We used reflexive thematic analysis to develop three overarching themes that illustrate how high lifetime (non-sport and sport-specific) stressor exposure influences sport performers' health, well-being, and performance. These were: psychological (e.g., maladaptive coping strategies), social (e.g., difficulties in building relationships), and behavioral (e.g., risky behaviors) factors. These findings can help practitioners identify sport performers at risk of developing stress-related health, well-being, and performance problems, and may aid the development of effective interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper highlights the perspectives of defence workers regarding a Just Transition of their industry, one of the most environmentally harmful sectors in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, pollution and use of non-renewable resources. It is based on (i) interviews with defence sector workers in the United States and the United Kingdom (n58); and (ii) focus groups with key representatives of national and international labour unions, defence companies and relevant NGOs (n18). Some of these defence workers and their trade union representatives envisioned a transformational path towards sustainability, including converting the defence sector to more socially useful production. Drawing on Gramsci, we define these as 'counter-hegemonic views', since they challenge the hegemonic 'growth coalition' and 'treadmill of destruction' paradigms. Such views support and echo more radical interpretations of Just Transition, emphasising the necessity of a structural transformation of society to achieve a fair and effective transition to sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind-blown pollen (pollen rain) is a major contributor to element cycling in modern forests and aquatic ecosystems, particularly in high-latitude and acidic settings where nutrients are a limiting factor. The rich package of proteins, nitrogen and phosphorus residing within pollen is, nonetheless, inaccessible to most organisms, owing to the indigestible sporopollenin walls. Saprotrophic breakdown by fungi, and some non-fungal microorganisms, can make nutrients bioavailable, and represents a key trophic link in element cycling and the transfer of organic carbon. Little is known about when micro-saprotrophs first adapted to exploit pollen, thus establishing this crucial step in the evolution of modern terrestrial ecosystems. One approach is to examine the rich fossil record of palynomorphs. Here we describe translucent bodies referable either to fungi (Chytridiomycota) or water moulds (Oomycetes) within the pollen of glossopterid gymnosperms and cordaitaleans, and fern spores from silicified Permian (Guadalupian–Lopingian) peats of the Toploje Member, Bainmedart Coal Measures, Prince Charles Mountains, Antarctica. These probable holocarpic thalli or oospores exploited the nutrient-rich microgametophyte tissue of dispersed miospores in high-palaeolatitude wetlands. The exceptional preservation of fossil microorganisms in permineralised peats offers insights into the deep-time evolution of intimate ecological relationships, otherwise known only among extant biotas. Permineralisation has preserved sub-micron details of these delicate and cryptic saprotrophs that likely played key roles in cycling nutrients in the acidic forest mires of the Permian. Our study reveals that the extensive recapture of spore/pollen-derived nutrients via saprotrophic digestion was already at play in the high-latitude ecosystems of the late Palaeozoic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cooksonia bohemica Schweitzer (= Aberlemnia bohemica (Schweitzer) Sakala, Pšenička et Kraft) from Přídolí strata of the Barrandian area in the Czech Republic is revised, and its morphology is documented in detail. The holotype bears sporangia that, although reniform, do not possess a slit that would allow valvate opening as assumed in earlier studies. Its axes do not show consistent shortening of segments towards the distal portion of the plant as is typical for Aberlemnia Gonez et Gerrienne. The axes contain tubular structures interpreted here as cells of conducting tissues. Masses of subtriangular trilete spores with equatorial crassitudo and finely microgranulate sculpture are of the Ambitisporites type. Cooksonia bohemica is compared with all species of Cooksonia Lang described previously. Additionally, comparisons are made with the related genus Aberlemnia. Based on studies of the type material of both taxa, we suggest retaining the species in Cooksonia. Cooksonia bohemica is differentiated from other taxa based on a combination of branching pattern, sporangial shape, and spore morphology. The remains are interpreted to be the sporophyte of an early land plant referable to tracheophytes based on the presence of vascular strands in its axes. A general radiation of cooksonioids away from a core region around the Rheic Ocean is proposed for the Silurian–Devonian transition [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines teachers' experiences of transition at different points in time over a two-year period to encapsulate their journey to becoming a qualified teacher. Six novice teachers participated in a study in their final year of university through to their first year as a newly qualified teacher. Reflective journals, one-to-one interviews and qualitative surveys formed that database for reflexive thematic analysis and theme maps. Schlossberg's indicators for identifying transition were then related to the analysed data to establish the type of transition experienced by teachers. Findings from the study shed light on the overlapping nature of transitions experienced by novice teachers and highlight opportunities for professional learning to aid for the smoothening of these transitions for aspiring teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing upon cross-sectional research with pre- and in-service police officers in the U.K. (N = 571), this paper reports on the moral reasoning strategies favored by the respondents in dealing with bespoke work-related moral quandaries specific to the professional practice of policing. The dominant form of moral reasoning in dealing with those dilemmas was deontological (rule-based). The second most frequently selected reasoning strategy was virtue ethical. Further analysis of the police research data indicated that those with an undergraduate degree were significantly more likely to adopt virtue ethical and consequentialist-utilitarian reasoning strategies than those who did not have an undergraduate degree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Irish lower secondary science curriculum emphasises the development of scientific literacy through the use of inquiry teaching and learning approaches. The Science in Society Investigation assessment in this curriculum requires students to carry out inquiry into socioscientific issues (SSI). This research presents two case studies exploring how teachers used inquiry in the context of SSI for the development of students' skills and knowledge. There were differences in the pedagogical approach adopted by the two teachers, including the level and type of inquiry and the SSI context chosen. In Clover Field School, the teacher facilitated open, experimental and discussion-based inquiry. The students developed skills of experimentation, with little focus on scientific knowledge in SSI contexts. In Daisy Park School, the teacher facilitated guided, research and discussion-based inquiry, placing a central focus on authentic SSI contexts. Students developed skills relating to research and critical evaluation of scientific evidence and scientific knowledge was demonstrated while considering societal implications. The two different pedagogical approaches led to the development of a range of skills and knowledge. Open and guided inquiry pedagogical approaches, experimental, discussion and research-based inquiry, were shown to complement each other in achieving the outcomes of the Irish lower secondary science curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Psychological interventions for managing emotional distress in neurodegenerative diseases are needed, but progressive worsening of symptoms and increasing disability might pose difficulties with engagement. We aimed to synthesise the experiences of engaging with and using psychological interventions in neurodegenerative diseases and identify relevant barriers and facilitators. Methods: Systematic searches were conducted in six electronic databases and results were screened. We included qualitative and mixed methods studies reporting patient or caregivers' views or experiences of psychological interventions. Qualitative data were extracted and thematically synthesised. Results: 34 papers were included, covering a range of diseases and interventions. Engagement was facilitated by flexible intervention formats and tailoring to the specific needs of people with neurodegenerative diseases. Interventions were sometimes inaccessible or burdensome because of physical and cognitive symptoms, and the time and effort required for the intervention. Participants' levels of acceptance and readiness often differed and influenced engagement with the intervention. Across different interventions, participants experienced wide-ranging benefits including changes in insight, perspective, self-efficacy, emotions and relationships. Conclusion: Although people with neurodegenerative diseases and caregivers experience benefits from psychological interventions, burden-reducing adaptations and sensitive tailoring to the specific disease context is required to improve acceptability and engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ofsted requires UK schools to help students understand the working world and gain employability skills. However, the aims of education are much broader: Education should enable flourishing long after leaving school. Therefore, students' career decisions should be conducive to long-term flourishing beyond career readiness and educational attainment. In this mixed-methods study, we asked a representative sample of UK adults to reflect on their career decision-making processes at school and at university. We also measured current levels of self-reported objective (e.g., financial security) and subjective (e.g., subjective well-being) flourishing. The open-ended career decision reflections were coded for three moral reasoning strategies: virtue ethical, consequentialist, and deontological. Using correlations and structural equation modelling, we examined the association between the propensity for using each moral reasoning strategy in past career decisions and current flourishing. Virtue ethical moral reasoning in relation to career decision-making predicted aspects of flourishing most strongly and frequently. Consequentialist reasoning weakly and infrequently positively predicted aspects of flourishing. Deontological reasoning either did not predict flourishing at all, or negatively predicted flourishing. Our results suggest that the reasoning strategy behind career decisions people take in school or university is important to consider in UK careers provision, and current best practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lack of early warning by the United Nations Secretariat of the Rwandan genocide contributed, in part, to the failure of the international community to respond in a timely manner to this crisis. In the intervening decades, alongside the strengthening of the norm of civilian protection, the UN has enhanced its capacity for early warning through greater personnel numbers, as well as the refining of risk analysis through the development of frameworks of analysis for atrocity crimes. However, to date, there has been no systematic study of the evolution and practice of mass atrocity early warning within the United Nations Secretariat, and the impact this has had on UN-led responses to impending and unfolding cases of mass atrocity crimes. In this article, we analyse the evolution of early warning within the UN Secretariat and how the Secretariat responded (or failed to respond) to escalating violence in Rwanda, Darfur, Côte d'Ivoire and Ethiopia. This analysis finds that despite incremental improvements in mass atrocity early warning in the UN Secretariat (which contributed to more timely responses in Côte d'Ivoire), more recent cases demonstrate that failure is no longer due to lack of early warning, but a result of lack of political will. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pride and festivals have contributed significantly to social change by increased visibility and campaigning for gay rights, highlighting the importance of the events industry in enhancing the LGBTQIA+ movement's representation. This has not been reflected in research with a lack of convergence between queer, social-cognitive behaviour and communication theories. This study addresses this gap by investigating the UK?news media's representations of Pride and their impact on public perceptions of the LGBTQIA+ community. 'Sentiwordnet' opinion mining software was used to analyse media representations of pride in eight UK newspapers. Selected images and headlines were then embedded into a survey to understand image perception, headline correlation and exposure to different media types. The study found limited influence of traditional news media on participants' perceptions of pride, despite some negative framing. Fifth estate journalism emerges as positive and influential, revealing a shift in media representation influences. The paper proposes a revised framework incorporating the Fifth estate when measuring public perceptions of LGBTQIA+. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyberbullying is recognized as a problematic behavior that is often first identified during adolescence, a period which has increased susceptibility to developing mental health disorders. Due to the ever-growing nature of social media and technology, cyberbullying behaviors are becoming increasingly problematic for the adolescent demographic. Research has shown that impulsivity, social connectedness, and gender may influence cyberbullying behaviors. To our knowledge, the current study was the first to investigate the direct relationship between these variables and cyberbullying involvement in early adolescents. The sample consisted of participants of the same age and school grade, in order to ensure that data were comparable regarding stage of social development. The sample was 12-year-old participants in grade 7 (N = 69), recruited from the Sunshine Coast, Australia. It was hypothesized that higher impulsivity, lower social connectedness, and female gender would predict higher cyberbullying perpetration and victimization. The results did not support this hypothesis; however, a significant positive relationship between cyberbullying perpetration and victimization was revealed, as well as between impulsivity and social connectedness. Findings from this study help to inform preventative interventions to protect vulnerable individuals from serious mental health disorders, as well as support the need for further research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The under-representation of women in science disciplines is a persistent problem for workplaces and educational policy. Girls may start to disengage early from science subjects, partly due to cultural stereotypes around science and gender. Early language interventions which introduce science activities in terms of action (or process) versus identity (or fixed ability) suggest that language impacts girls' early engagement in science tasks. Research Findings: This study tested young children's (N = 116) persistence on a digital "sink-or-float" game in early childhood classrooms in primary schools in Ireland (elementary school, aged four to six years). Children found the task difficult with lower accuracy scores for girls. Controlling for accuracy, boys persisted on the task for longer than girls. Introducing the game in terms of action versus identity did not impact children's persistence on the activity. Practice or Policy: Gender differences in science play are discussed in terms of the generally low levels of accuracy on the task and the potential role of negative feedback on persistence among boys and girls. Future directions for research are highlighted, including a focus on early science engagement for young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to further advance the discussion regarding Local Authorities and approaches to facilitate sustainable planning for tourism. Building on previous research into tourism planning at local level in Ireland, this study employed qualitative semi-structured interviews with every senior planner in Ireland's 28 Local Authorities to identify the degree to which evidence-informed planning for tourism is encouraged. Findings point to a tendency from senior planners to rely on existing legislative procedures to measure tourism activity. Despite the legal responsibilities Local Authorities have to sustainably plan for tourism, together with substantial advancements in the development of procedures for facilitating evidence-informed planning for tourism. The absence of sufficient monitoring of several key tourism impacts at destination level by this study, questions the ability of senior planners in Ireland to plan sustainably for tourism and protect the tourism product going forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

R.F. Langley's I Complete Poems i which appeared after his death in 2011, include the author's personal reading lists with references to writers in philosophy, art criticism, and psychoanalysis, notably Wilfred Bion (2015). Langley's reading in psychodynamic theory is centred on Bion, as well as Melanie Klein, D.W. Winnicott and Marion Milner, and therefore underpins his concern with how we can know our own mind and the minds of others, and with intersubjectivity in a way that will be familiar to psychodynamic therapists. Langley sees this poem on "Saints Christopher, Jerome and Louis of Toulouse" ([1]) as involving 'a number of the best insights of Stokes and Wollhiem I applied i , as it were, rather than explained'. Widening the debate about whether it is an art or a science, in an essay admired by the poet R.F. Langley, Adam Phillips suggests that psychoanalysis can be positioned between poetry and a branch of philosophy. [Extracted from the article]

The purpose of this article is to describe the nature of the YAP assessment and the utility for enhancing instruction as well as for school-level monitoring and evaluation. Emphasis is on the results from a brief case study that employed the YAP as part of standardized school assessments to guide program planning and school activity promotion efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wyatt's approach is not simply to "reflect" on his experience, but for it to be "de-fracted" through the co-existence of therapy, stand-up and the gesture of writing. Therapy, stand-up, and the gesture of writing: towards creative-relational inquiry: edited by Jonathan Wyatt, Abingdon, Routledge, 2019, 226 pp., £120 (hardback), £38.99 (paperback), £35.09 (eBook), ISBN 978-1138897700 Both stand-up and therapy are about more that making us "feel better", whatever that might mean' (Wyatt, p. 184). [Extracted from the article]

Physical activity (PA) policies have the potential to ensure adequate opportunities for children to develop PA behaviors for a lifetime. Examples include mandating that schools provide recess and physical education for a specified amount of time per week; ensuring that physical education teachers are licensed; providing activity breaks in academic classrooms; and mandating the implementation of policies at federal, state, and local levels. Collectively, these policies help to promote and support Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs (CSPAP). However, there is little guidance on how PA policies can be implemented at the school and district level, limiting their impact on promoting student behaviors. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of research conducted on CSPAP policy development, adoption, and implementation and how best to support local implementation efforts in schools to increase PA and its impact on children's health. We provide pragmatic recommendations for how school and district leadership can use implementation science principles to assess current policy implementation and advocate for more comprehensive PA policies which support systems change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many children start school developmentally vulnerable and struggle to keep up with their peers. Children experiencing socioeconomic-disadvantage are at higher risk of poor developmental outcomes. A high-quality education and wrap-around community-service model, such as the Doveton Model, at Doveton College, Australia, may improve outcomes for families experiencing entrenched disadvantage. This study focussed on the effect of this model on early-learning (pre-formal schooling) for school entry readiness and academic achievement over the subsequent four years. Students who did/did not attend the Doveton Model Early-Learning-Centre were compared using standard reading, oral-language, writing and numeracy tests from school-entry to Year 3. There was a trend towards higher academic achievement for students who attended Doveton early-learning compared to students who had not. Many tests showed statistically significant differences, despite low sample sizes. This study provides preliminary evidence that attending early-learning within a high-quality, wrap-around service model may have significant academic benefits for disadvantaged children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Common Core State Standards Initiative has placed an increased focus on mathematics and English language arts. A relationship between physical activity and academic achievement is evident, but research on integration of academic subjects with physical education is still unclear. This literature review examined databases for the years 2004–2013, focusing on physical education or physical activity and core academic subjects for school-aged youth. 23 studies were found that focused on integration and physical education that met the inclusion criteria. These were from 16 different publication outlets, ranging in research methods, country, and population. This review provides information on the status of integration and physical education. Since classroom teachers are increasingly being encouraged to incorporate core subjects with physical activity into their classes, it would be appropriate for physical educators to understand the desired outcomes of integration of core subjects before attempting its implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: Little is known about the role of physical education (PE) in a school health promotion model, particularly where wellness is placed at the forefront. The purpose of this study was to understand how PE contributes to the overall amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) that children receive in a school recognized for health promotion. Methods: As part of an in-depth case study, participants in grades 4–8 (N = 105) wore ActiGraph wGT3X+ accelerometers over 7 days to assess activity levels. Data were scored using ActiLife software. Using SPSS statistics software, students were grouped into low, moderate, and high activity through calculating tertile splits of average daily MVPA. Two 2 × 2 ANCOVA (sex x activity level) tests were conducted to determine the ratio of MVPA in PE to school and daily MVPA, controlling for age. Results: Participants accrued 8 min MVPA on average during PE with differences among low (6.4 ± 2.5), moderate (8.3 ± 3.7), and highly active participants (10.1 ± 4.0). ANCOVA analyses revealed non-significant interactions between sex and activity level explaining variance in contribution of PE to school MVPA (F(2, 99) =.235, p =.791, partial ŋ2 =.005) and daily MVPA (F(2, 99) =.299, p =.742, partial ŋ2 =.006), but significant main effects between high and low activity for daily MVPA were observed F(2, 99) = 5.118 p =.008, partial ŋ2 =.094. Conclusions: PE remains a priority in supporting children's PA, particularly for those least active. Despite relatively low levels of MVPA, findings provide rationale for policy change supporting more frequent PE in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2-Hydroxyethyl mercapturic acid (2HEMA, N-acetyl-S-(2-hydroxyethyl)-L-cysteine) is a urinary metabolite of several volatile organic compounds including acrylonitrile and ethylene oxide, which are found in cigarette smoke. We measured 2HEMA concentrations in urine specimens collected during the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2011–2016) from eligible participants aged >12 years (N = 7,416). We developed two multiple linear regression models to characterize the association between cigarette smoking and 2HEMA concentrations wherein the dependent variable was 2HEMA concentrations among participants who exclusively smoked cigarettes at the time of specimen collection and the independent variables included sex, age, race/ethnicity, creatinine, diet, and either cigarettes smoked per day (CPD) or serum cotinine. We detected 2HEMA in 85% of samples tested among exclusive cigarette smokers, and only 40% of specimens from non-smokers. When compared to exclusive cigarette smokers who smoked 1–9 CPD, smoking 10–19 CPD was associated with 36% higher 2HEMA (p < 0.0001) and smoking >19 CPD was associated with 61% higher 2HEMA (p < 0.0001). Additionally, 2HEMA was positively associated with serum cotinine. This study demonstrates that cigarette smoking intensity is associated with higher urinary 2HEMA concentrations and is likely a major source of acrylonitrile and/or ethylene oxide exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nineteen ichnotaxa, together with algal and invertebrate remains, and various pseudo-traces and sedimentary structures are described from the Torneträsk Formation exposed near Lake Torneträsk, Lapland, Sweden, representing a marked increase in the diversity of biotic traces recorded from this unit. The "lower siltstone" interval of the Torneträsk Formation contains mostly simple pascichnia, fodinichnia and domichnia burrows and trails of low-energy shoreface to intertidal settings. The assemblage has very few forms characteristic of high-energy, soft-sediment, foreshore or upper shoreface environments (representative of the Skolithos ichnofacies). Uranium-lead (U-Pb) LA-ICPMS analysis of zircon from a thin claystone layer within the "lower siltstone" interval yielded a maximum depositional age of 584 ± 13 Ma, mid-Ediacaran. Most of the zircon is represented by rounded detrital grains that yield dates between 3.3 and 1.0 Ga. Although the age of the basal sandstone-dominated interval of the Torneträsk Formation remains elusive owing to the absence of fossils, the ichnofossil suite from the overlying "lower siltstone" interval lacks deep arthropod trackways, such as Rusophycus and Cruziana, and is suggestive of a very early (Terreneuvian, possibly Fortunian) Cambrian age. The ichnofauna is otherwise similar to early Cambrian trace fossil assemblages from other parts of Baltica, regions further south in modern Europe, and from Greenland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutron tomographic reconstructions, macrophotography, transmitted light microscopy and fluorescence microscopy are employed to assess the quality of organic preservation, determine organ associations, identify insect damage, and document fungal interactions with selected Santonian–lower Campanian plant fossils from the northern Kristianstad Basin, southern Sweden. Fricia nathorstii (Conwentz) comb. nov., is proposed for a composite fossil comprising an anatomically preserved (permineralized) cupressacean conifer cone and its subtending, concealed, leafy axis (preserved as a mould) in the Ryedal Sandstone. Several other impressions of conifer and angiosperm leaf-bearing axes and isolated leaves are described under open nomenclature. Three cuticle types are described from the non-marine plant-bearing beds in the basal part of the succession exposed at Åsen, but these are only assigned to informal morphotypes pending a comprehensive review of the extensive fossil cuticle flora. Two species of ascomycote epiphyllous fungi from Åsen are established: Stomiopeltites ivoeensis sp. nov. (Micropeltidales) and Meliolinites scanicus sp. nov. (Meliolales). The latter provides an important calibration point for dating the divergence of Meliolales, being the first pre-Cenozoic representative of the order. Various additional fungal remains, including thyriothecia, scolecospores, chlamydospores, putative germlings, and hyphae, are described from the cuticular surfaces of conifer and angiosperm leaves from Åsen. Insect herbivory is expressed in the form of both margin-feeding and piercing-and-sucking damage on angiosperm leaves. The Santonian–early Campanian vegetation is inferred to have grown in strongly humid, mid-latitude, coastal plain settings based on the depositional context of the assemblages, leaf morphology, and the pervasive distribution of epiphyllous fungi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In September 2020, Irish schools reopened following their emergency closure due to the COVID-19 crisis. Measures were put in place to minimise the risk of transmission of the virus within schools and communities. However, these measures were likely to impact on teachers' capacity to facilitate learning in science, particularly the practical and investigative aspects of the Irish curriculum. This research explores the impact of the measures in place to limit virus transmission on teaching and learning in science, particularly on practical activities. The period of focus is the three months (September to November 2020) following the school closures. The research aims to highlight the implications of the COVID-19 crisis on science teaching and learning in Irish schools. The research will also provide recommendations to lessen the impact on primary and second-level science education to improve student learning and engagement in science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explored the role of parental testimony in children's developing beliefs about the ontological status of typically unobservable phenomena. US parents and their 5- to 7-year-old children (N = 25 dyads) separately rated their confidence in the existence of scientific and religious unobservable entities (e.g., germs, angels), and were invited to engage in an unmoderated dyadic conversation about the entities. Both parents and children were more confident in the existence of the scientific entities compared to the religious entities. Parental religiosity predicted the strength of their belief in the religious entities, and these beliefs were positively associated with their children's judgments in the domain of religion. We coded parental testimony produced during the unmoderated conversation for a number of subtle linguistic cues that convey their confidence and prevailing beliefs in an entity's existence. The results revealed consistent cross-domain differences: parents expressed more uncertainty, were more likely to mention variation in people's beliefs and make explicit claims about the ontological status of the religious, as compared to the scientific entities. However, with increasing religiosity, parents produced fewer cues to uncertainty, mentioned belief variation less often, and were more likely to make claims of endorsement when talking about the religious unobservables. Importantly, the pattern of coded linguistic cues in parental testimony was significantly associated with children's ontological judgments. The present findings have implications for understanding the socio-cultural mechanisms by which confidence in the existence of invisible agents and processes develops in childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New fossil discoveries are reported from the Grammajukku Formation at Luobákte south of Lake Torneträsk in northern Swedish Lapland, including a fauna of Small Shelly Fossils (SSF) from a limestone bed in the uppermost part of the formation and new occurrences of brachiopods and trilobites in siltstones of the lower part of the formation. The moderately diverse SSF fauna is the first of its kind reported from the Swedish Caledonides and includes the first record of the tommotiid Lapworthella schodackensis and the bradoriid spine Mongolitubulus spinosus from Baltica, together with fragmentary specimens of Bradoria sp. and remains of one additional bradoriid arthropod, a protoconodont and a helcionelloid mollusc. In addition, the limestone bed yields abundant specimens of the brachiopods Botsfordia cf. caelata and Eoobolus cf. priscus and an unidentified ellipsocephalid trilobite. Lower down in the Grammajukku Formation, specimens of both brachiopod taxa, orthothecid hyoliths, the trilobite Ellipsocephalus cf. gripi and an unidentified holmiid trilobite were found at several levels in a siltstone, previously regarded as unfossiliferous. These discoveries markedly increase the known diversity of the palaeobiota from the Grammajukku Formation in northern Lapland and provide new insights into the biostratigraphy and palaeoenvironment of the lower Cambrian in Scandinavia and the palaeobiogeography of Cambrian faunas in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has long been an advocate of greater transparency. One of the tools promoted to achieve more transparency is to describe the underlying uncertainties within EFSA's scientific opinions. The key issue though is whether members of the European public actually want to know more about the details of the scientific uncertainties associated with a certain risk topic or a scientific opinion or would they prefer to know less about these uncertainties? In this short research note we attempt to address this question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we present a study of two new Assistive Technology (AT) accessible digital assessments which were developed to address the current paucity of (English) spoken language comprehension assessments accessible to individuals who are both non-verbal and have profound motor impairments. Such individuals may rely heavily upon AT for communication and control. However, many assessments require that responses are given either verbally, by physical pointing or manipulating physical objects. A further problem with many assessments is their reliance upon static images to represent language components involving temporal, spatial or movement concepts. These new assessments aim to address some of these issues. The assessments were used with 2 young people who are non-verbal and have profound motor impairments (GMFCS level IV/V) and who use eye gaze as their primary method of communication and access. One assessment uses static images and the other short video clips to represent concepts containing temporal, spatial or movement elements. The assessments were carried out with each participant, both before and after an intervention, as part of a larger study. The assessments were accessible using AT (eye gaze) for both participants, although assessment scores varied. The design of the assessments particularly suited one participant who scored near maximum, but they appeared less suitable for the other participant. Making assessments AT accessible removes a barrier to assessing aspects of the spoken language comprehension abilities of some. Video may be a better medium for representing certain concepts within assessments compared with static images. The new assessments provided a deeper understanding of two members of a group who are traditionally difficult to assess, using two alternative physically accessible methods of assessing the spoken language comprehension of the target group; Accessible assessments are important for assessing complex individuals in order to identify knowledge limitations and set therapy (and education) goals; The alternative access features of communication software can provide a "wrapper" for providing accessibility features to assessments; Video clips may be a better means of representing certain concepts in assessments compared to their static equivalents; Ensuring that assessments are physically accessible is sufficient for the assessment of some individuals, but for some "cognitive" accessibility also needs to be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cardiac rehabilitation model has potential as an approach to providing rehabilitation following stroke. This review aims to identify evidence for the participation of stroke patients in cardiac/cardiovascular rehabilitation programs internationally, whether or not such programs offer a cognitive intervention as part of treatment, and the impact of rehabilitation on post-stroke cognitive function. Five electronic databases were searched from inception to 1 May 2019, namely: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and the Web of Science. Eligible studies included both randomized and non-randomized studies of cardiac rehabilitation-type interventions which measured cognitive function in patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke. Of 14,153 records reviewed, nine studies which delivered cardiac rehabilitation-type interventions to stroke patients were finally included. Only three of these studies delivered cognitive rehabilitation as part of the intervention. Cardiac rehabilitation had no statistically significant effect on cognitive function in five randomized controlled trials (standardized mean difference= 0.28, 95% CI= −0.16 to 0.73) or in three one group pre-post studies (standardized mean difference= 0.15, 95% CI= −0.03 to 0.33). This review highlights that there are very few studies of delivery of cardiac rehabilitation to stroke patients and that the inclusion of cognitive interventions is even less common, despite the high prevalence of post-stroke cognitive impairment. The cardiac rehabilitation model has the potential to be expanded to include patients post-stroke given the commonality of secondary prevention needs, thereby becoming a cardiovascular rehabilitation model. Up to half of patients experience cognitive impairment after stroke; suggesting that a post-stroke cardiovascular rehabilitation model should incorporate specific cognitive strategies for patients. This systematic review identified three cardiovascular rehabilitation programmes which delivered cognitive rehabilitation as part of treatment; however, evidence for efficacy is weak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educational policies increasingly emphasise early childhood science engagement. As key influencers in children's early learning, parents (n = 85) attending a science workshop in three urban schools in Ireland were surveyed regarding their attitudes towards science. Seventy per cent of parents believed that science education should begin in the pre-school years, before the age of four. Despite high levels of education, at least half of the parents expressed some lack of confidence in talking about, and in doing science with, their young children. Parents who reported less confidence in doing science activities with their children also reported reduced frequency of activities for five out of the seven science learning opportunities listed. Mothers, compared to fathers, reported less confidence in doing science activities with their children. Findings indicate that parents' confidence in science may impact early science experiences and highlight parents as a key support for increasing early science engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An assemblage of permineralized conifer and angiosperm woods collected from Paleogene marine strata on Seymour Island during the Swedish Antarctic expedition of 1901–1903 includes many specimens with internal damage caused by an array of xylophagous organisms. Short, broad, clavate borings referable to Gastrochaenolites clavatus are attributed to pholadid bivalves. Elongate borings with carbonate linings referable to Apectoichnus longissimus were produced by teredinid bivalves. Slender, cylindrical tunnels cross-cutting growth rings and backfilled in meniscoid fashion by frass composed of angular tracheid fragments were probably produced by a terrestrial beetle borer. They are most similar to tunnels generated by modern cerambycid and ptinid coleopterans. Less regular, spindle-shaped cavities and degraded zones flanking growth rings are similar to fungi-generated modern white pocket rot. Larger chambers in the heartwood referable to the ichnotaxon Asthenopodichnium lignorum were produced by an alternative mode of fungal degradation. The biological interactions evident in the fossil woods illustrate additional terrestrial trophic levels enhancing the known complexity of ecosystems on and around the Antarctic Peninsula shortly before the initial pulse of mid-Cenozoic glaciation in Antarctica that caused extirpation of the majority of plants and animals in that region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although numerous studies have reported an association between sleep quality and mental health, few have focused on this association exclusively in early adolescence. Targeting this age group is vital as many mental illnesses first emerge during adolescence and remain a significant burden throughout life. Method: In the current study n = 60 participants aged 12 years completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Results: Consistent with previous findings, bivariate correlations revealed significant positive linear relationships between K10 total score and (i) PSQI total score; (ii) sleep quality; (iii) daytime dysfunction; and (iv) sleep disturbance. However, contrary to previous findings, there was no significant correlation between K10 scores and sleep duration. Conclusion: The association between sleep quality and psychological distress in early adolescents provides some important clues about the role that sleep may play in predicting the onset of anxiety and depressive disorders. Longitudinal studies should be undertaken to investigate age-related changes in sleep and psychological distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like other public organizations, hospitals face increasing calls to innovate in the way they deliver services. However, health care continues to grapple with bridging knowledge 'transfer gaps'. Failure to bridge these gaps prevents knowledge generated outside of health care that might inform such innovation from embedding and scaling. We explore how 'improvement facilitators' in one jurisdiction-wide intervention view the organizational factors that support their role as knowledge brokers. We conclude that 'bridging' new ideas and practices to the front line is a problem of legitimation, rather than just a matter of the relevance of the 'foreign' knowledge concerned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been growing public attention around the abuse of MPs online including criminal convictions for violent threats, regular coverage of racist and misogynistic language directed at representatives. Yet, the extent of the problem and patterns of abuse remain relatively under-researched. So far, much of coverage of the problem is anecdotal or based on self-reporting from MPs. This research sets out to provide a more rigorous benchmark measure of abuse. It also examines targets and triggers for social media abuse – how far is abuse connected to contentious debates such as Brexit or targeted at specific groups of MPs (e.g. female representatives)? Our results indicate that whilst the overall volume of abuse appears low, social media abuse has become ubiquitous and is highly public. Furthermore, whilst some abuse is undoubtedly targeted and gendered, the biggest proportion of abuse follows a reactive response to political discussions and public interventions of MPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In May 2016, Britain's signals intelligence agency the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) joined the social media platform Twitter to considerable press fanfare. But to date, no analysis has been undertaken regarding the use and outcomes of social media by the agency - once referred to as Britain's 'most secret'. This article posits that, while the use of social media has allowed the agency to reach out to a new tech-savvy generation, its presence on the platform can sometimes stoke and amplify conspiracy theories affecting issues such as brand identity as GCHQ adopts a new, media friendly approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: A paucity of literature examines how doctoral students are prepared for the transition into physical education teacher education faculty roles. Given the need to understand how doctoral programs impact such preparation, we sought to investigate this process using a longitudinal approach grounded in occupational socialization theory. Method: Fourteen participants (8 males, 6 female) were interviewed during final stages of doctoral programs and their first years in faculty positions; questions focused on key socializing agents and experiences that shaped their preparation for their academic careers. Data were analyzed using a constant comparison approach entailing open and axial coding. Results: Strong advisor-advisee relationships and finding a supportive department culture during one's first faculty position were key socializing mechanisms. Participants who independently sought research experiences transitioned more smoothly into faculty roles; however, many had heavy teaching loads which conflicted with ambitions to regularly conduct research. Further, some faculty members experienced tense sociopolitical environments which hindered their productivity and confidence in current job roles. Conclusions: Our results speak to the challenges and successes that faculty members experience as they transition into the academy. Findings have implications for further research and practice to enhance the quality of doctoral education and faculty induction programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of threshold concepts to define key points of curricula is a relatively recent development in educational research. Threshold concepts represent crucial stages of learning, the acquisition of which enables learners to progress from one level of achievement to another. In this context, the learner is described as passing through an unsettling liminal space in which they may encounter troublesome knowledge and experience uncertainty or anxiety. When applied to online pedagogy in higher education contexts, academic staff become the learners as they extend their on-campus teaching knowledge into the online realm. In this setting, the identification of threshold concepts has the potential to inform the content of professional development (PD) programmes for novice online teachers. Because little research has yet been reported on threshold concepts associated with online teaching, this study identified these threshold concepts and investigated their specific nature. Funded by an Office for Learning and Teaching Australia Grant, the project employed a mixed-methods research approach. A mixture of qualitative and quantitative data was gathered from responses to questionnaires and reflective journal entries provided by university educators who were teaching in online contexts. Also, experts in the fields of PD, online teaching and threshold concepts were consulted using a modified Delphi technique that incorporated two rounds of surveys. Results of this study are discussed in association with potential applications to PD design for novice online educators, informed by the most fundamental learning experiences encountered by their more experienced colleagues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International policy documents emphasize the need to develop interprofessional education (IPE) to support collaborative dementia care in the community. The aim of this short report is to describe the development and pilot evaluation of an interprofessional dementia education workshop for primary care healthcare professionals. A three-hour workshop was iteratively developed through consultation with an expert reference group and people with dementia. The workshop was piloted with three separate primary care teams. A total of fifty-four primary care based healthcare staff who represented fourteen different health care roles in primary care participated in the pilot evaluation. The pilot workshops were evaluated using a mixed method approach which included post-workshop questionnaires for participants (n= 54)and a post-workshop focus group (n=8) with the program design team and workshop facilitators. The results of the pilot phase indicated that the workshop was useful and feasible. The workshop improved participants' self-reported knowledge, understanding and confidence to support people with dementia and their families.Areas for improvement were identified and will be used to inform improvements to the workshop content and delivery in advance of a national roll-out. Future evaluations of the implementation of this interprofessional educational workshop will focus on its impact on healthcare professional behavior and outcomes for the person with dementia and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on an investigation of a workshop approach to probe and deepen Irish preservice teachers' (PSTs') initial professional pedagogical vision of inquiry-based science education (IBSE). In an effort to understand the experiential and historical foundation of their vision, we report on the current culture of science teaching and assessment within the Irish school system and contrast it with the aims set out at a policy level as a way of contextualizing teacher candidates' ideas about IBSE. We describe a workshop approach designed to engage PSTs in IBSE activities and an analysis framework that allows us to elicit the PSTs' professional pedagogical vision, specifically the key practices of coding and highlighting, from critiques of inquiry activities they carried out in the workshop. We offer the workshop approach as a viable complement to video analysis of exemplary teaching episodes and demonstrate the analytical power of the approach by reporting what practices the PSTs highlighted as constituting IBSE and how they coded the purpose of the practices they highlighted. We use these highlighted practices and coded purposes as indicators of their professional pedagogical vision of IBSE, and reveal the extent to which PSTs adapt the tenets of IBSE to fit in with their desire for students to remember science facts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much has been made of the potential for government and public agencies to address the challenges and problems they face through the more effective linkage, sharing and use of data. The authors review the opportunities and issues involved, with a particular focus on the social (including human) services sector, where some of the most challenging problems facing government exist and some of the most far-reaching and transformational changes might be achieved. Using recent developments in Australasia as illustration, the paper explores how different stakeholders see the opportunities and challenges involved and the issues and problems to be overcome. More effective use of data clearly holds promise but it also involves challenges. Data does not 'speak for itself' and public managers need to accept that they will have less monopoly over its interpretation. Instead, while remaining custodians of the public interest, they need to acknowledge a broader range of community views about how data might drive innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]