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Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) can affect social interaction and communication as well as motor and cognitive processes. Speech is affected in PD, as is the control of voluntary eye movements which are thought to play an important role in 'turn taking' in conversation. Aims: This study aimed to measure eye movements during spoken conversation in PD to assess whether differences in patterns of eye gaze are linked to disrupted turn taking and impaired communication efficiency. Methods & Procedure: Eleven participants with mild PD and 14 controls completed a two‐player guessing game. During each 3 min game turn, one of the players had to guess the names of as many objects as possible based only on the other player's description. Eye movements were recorded simultaneously in both participants using mobile eye trackers along with speech onset and offset times. Outcomes & Results: When people with PD played the role of describer, the other player guessed fewer objects compared to when controls described objects. When guessing objects, people with PD performed just as well as controls. Analysis of eye fixations showed that people with PD made longer periods of fixation on the other player's face relative to controls and a lower number of such 'gaze on face' periods. Conclusions & Implications: A combination of oculomotor, cognitive and speech abnormalities may disrupt communication in PD. Better public awareness of oculomotor, speech and other deficits in the condition could improve social connectedness in people with Parkinson's. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on this subject?: Parkinson's disease is known to affect the control of voluntary eye movements. Direction of eye gaze is important in spoken conversation as a cue to turn‐taking, but no studies have examined whether eye movements are different during communication in people with Parkinson's. What this paper adds to existing knowledge?: People with Parkinson's showed longer periods of eye fixation during conversations compared to controls. Delays and overlaps between speech turns were also affected in patients. What are the clinical implications of this work?: Better knowledge of the effect of the disease on eye gaze control amongst clinicians may help improve communication and social connectedness for patients in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the backdrop of the COVID‐19 pandemic, workplace wellbeing is a key priority for employers. Severe market and health conditions continue to bring inevitable problems that could be reduced with the application of psychological interventions to prevent mental and physical health issues, making this study a highly pertinent and valuable contribution to the field. This paper reports the effects of a rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) programme on the irrational beliefs and emotional reactivity of 56 office‐based sales professionals located in the northwest region of the UK. A pre‐test, post‐test experimental design was utilised, and a mixed model ANOVA (repeated measures) was adopted to assess changes in mean differences concerning irrational beliefs and emotional reactivity at pre and post‐test stages for the intervention group, in comparison to a control group. Results indicate that those in the REBT group reported significant reductions in irrational beliefs and emotional reactivity, whilst those in the control group reported no such changes. It is recommended that future research studies consider utilizing a mixed methods design and focus on a strategic collaboration of organisational and individual level interventions for improving the psychological wellbeing and performance of sales personnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has found that music brings back more vivid and emotional autobiographical memories than various other retrieval cues. However, such studies have often been low in ecological validity and constrained by relatively limited cue selection and predominantly young adult samples. Here, we compared music to food as cues for autobiographical memories in everyday life in young and older adults. In two separate four‐day periods, 39 younger (ages 18–34) and 39 older (ages 60–77) adults recorded their music‐ and food‐evoked autobiographical memories in paper diaries. Across both age groups, music triggered more frequent autobiographical memories, a greater proportion of involuntary memories, and memories rated as more personally important in comparison to food cues. Age differences impacted music‐ and food‐evoked memories similarly, with older adults consistently recalling older and less specific memories, which they rated as more positive, vivid, and rehearsed. However, young and older adults did not differ in the number or involuntary nature of their recorded memories. This work represents an important step in understanding the phenomenology of naturally occurring music‐evoked autobiographical memories across adulthood and provides new insights into how and why music may be a more effective trigger for personally valued memories than certain other everyday cues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oilfield production is controlled by a wide range of geological and engineering parameters, many of which are at least partially interrelated. This paper uses multivariate statistical methods (principal component analysis, regression analysis and analysis of variance) to determine how these parameters are related, and which of them are most significant in controlling and predicting oilfield performance. The analysis is based on a database of publicly available oilfield data from the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS), from which a series of geological, engineering and fluid‐related control variables from 136 fields were pre‐processed and analyzed. This dataset is a subset of a much wider project database for UKCS oil, gas and condensate fields. For this study, the project database was divided into two datasets: a first dataset with 10 parameters from 136 fields, and a second, more detailed dataset with 27 parameters from 38 fields. Both datasets were analysed using principal component analysis in order to investigate possible correlations between numerically/statistically interrogable predictor variables such as porosity, permeability, number of production wells, gas‐oil ratio and reservoir temperature. A regression analysis was then carried out on the predictor variables in order to obtain a ranking of predictability (i.e. how indicative a predictor is of a particular outcome) and sensitivity (how sensitive an outcome is to slight changes in a predictor) in relation to recovery factor based on R‐squared and regression coefficient values. The results showed that key variables from the principal component analysis included field size, number of production wells, PVT, gross depositional environment and reservoir quality. High‐ranking parameters of predictability and sensitivity from the regression analysis were found to include API, net‐to‐gross, porosity and reservoir depth. These results are consistent with previous studies and suggest that it should be possible to forecast oilfield recovery based on only a few selected input variables. As a preliminary test of forecasting ability of the variable permutations put forward, a best‐subsets multiple regression was carried out using a statistical software package and yielded results which corroborated the main findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Very young children from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds often show poorer language development. Whilst there have been attempts to provide early intervention programmes, these sometimes miss the most disadvantaged groups. Aims: This report presents preliminary feasibility and effectiveness data for a novel language intervention designed for parents of toddlers in the United Kingdom. Methods and Procedures: In total, 43 UK families of 2–4‐year‐olds were recruited to the study, half of whom completed an 8‐week course (Tots Talking) focussed on parent interaction, and half of whom acted as wait‐list controls. Results and Outcomes: Results suggest that such programmes are feasible for families with 86% staying in the intervention. In addition, greater changes in underlying communication skills such as joint attention and gesture were evident compared to wait‐list controls. Conclusions and Implications: We conclude that pre‐verbal skills may be more important to measure as initial outcomes than language or vocabulary change in this population. What This Paper Adds: What is already known on the subject: Children from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds are at higher risk of communication difficulties and there is a need for community intervention programmes for very young children. What this study adds: This study suggests that such programmes can be feasible and effective, but that very early/basic communicative skills (such as joint attention) may be boosted first rather than language or vocabulary. What are the clinical implications of this work?: Children's centres and other community services could feasibly run short parent facing courses emphasising contingent communication in low SES families and other diverse groups. These may be more successful run with younger preschoolers. Joint attention may be a better focus of intervention before expecting vocabulary or language change. Community health professionals may find this information useful in referring and supporting families in need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper documents the statistical properties of contemporary business fluctuations in the United Kingdom. We study the period 1956-90 using quarterly, detrended data on key aggregate variables. We compute selected moments of the data, compare our results with those for the United States, and rigorously test for dynamic instabilities. Our findings confirm the existence of substantive cyclical regularities, both across countries and across time. Some notable cross-country differences are also identified. Conclusions about stability are shown to be potentially sensitive to the method of testing. In general, cross-correlations are appreciably more stable than standard deviations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Comparative optimism, the belief that negative events are more likely to happen to others rather than to oneself, is well established in health risk research. It is unknown, however, whether comparative optimism also permeates people's health expectations and potentially behaviour during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Objectives: Data were collected through an international survey (N = 6485) exploring people's thoughts and psychosocial behaviours relating to COVID‐19. This paper reports UK data on comparative optimism. In particular, we examine the belief that negative events surrounding risk and recovery from COVID‐19 are perceived as more likely to happen to others rather than to oneself. Methods: Using online snowball sampling through social media, anonymous UK survey data were collected from N = 645 adults during weeks 5‐8 of the UK COVID‐19 lockdown. The sample was normally distributed in terms of age and reflected the UK ethnic and disability profile. Findings: Respondents demonstrated comparative optimism where they believed that as compared to others of the same age and gender, they were unlikely to experience a range of controllable (eg accidentally infect/ be infected) and uncontrollable (eg need hospitalization/ intensive care treatment if infected) COVID‐19‐related risks in the short term (P <.001). They were comparatively pessimistic (ie thinking they were more at risk than others for developing COVID‐19‐related infection or symptoms) when thinking about the next year. Discussion: This is one of the first ever studies to report compelling comparative biases in UK adults' thinking about COVID‐19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the performance benefits of using conditioning information in mean-variance strategies in UK and US stock returns. The paper finds that after adjusting for trading costs, there are no significant performance benefits in using conditioning information in mean-variance strategies. This result stems from the high turnover that is required to implement dynamic trading strategies. The paper does find that after adjusting for costs, that the unconditional approach of significantly outperforms alternative approaches of using conditioning information in mean-variance strategies in UK stock returns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses differences in persistence in aggregated and disaggregated stock returns in Great Britain. The author defines persistence in the returns on financial assets as a tendency for a slow (rather than instantaneous) diffusion of the impact of news on financial prices. Persistence can be detected by examining the autocorrelation structure in a financial returns series, providing a measure of the degree of association between consecutive returns. Although many techniques exist to gauge the extent of persistence in the returns of financial assets, this paper focuses on the variance ratio technique in the particular market of Great Britain.

This paper examines the dynamic relationship between interest rates, inflation and economic growth using a long dataset for the UK. The approach adopted enables us to identify structural breaks in the dynamic system (vector autoregression (VAR)). We find interest rates respond much more strongly to growth and inflation over recent decades, and forecast error variance decomposition analysis indicates there is increasing interconnectedness between the variables in recent years. Economic policymakers need to carefully monitor the linkages between these variables and be prepared to adjust their monetary policy tools when faced with structural changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Background Health care associated infections are a major contributor to avoidable harm experienced by patients in modern health care settings. Recent reports suggest that electronic checklists for the documentation of a central line bundle may significantly enhance documented process compliance and help to reduce catheter-related bloodstream infection rates. Aims This paper describes the use of our electronic tool to monitor and feedback process compliance in conjunction of introducing bespoke central line insertion packs to tackle catheter-related bloodstream infections in our intensive care unit in a medium-sized district general hospital. Design and methods Continuous quality improvement programme with 'Plan-Do-Study-Act' cycles was implemented. The central venous catheter insertion and maintenance bundle was rolled out in 2007. To monitor compliance with the bundle elements, an electronic tool was designed as part of our bedside Clinical Information System. From 2009, regular quarterly feedback was provided on the number of central venous catheter lines inserted, compliance with the insertion and maintenance bundle and catheter-related bloodstream infection rate using the data collected through the Clinical Information System. We have also introduced dedicated line insertion trolleys and factory-prepared insertion packs. We used segmented regression analysis to assess the changes in the catheter-related bloodstream infection rate before and after implementation of the central venous catheter bundle. Results Bundle compliance increased during the implementation period and reached over 95% within 6 months. We observed a significant reduction in the catheter-related bloodstream infection rate from 15·6/1000 days to 0·4/1000 days. Regression analysis showed that only the compliance had significant effect on the number and prevalence of catheter-related bloodstream infections. Conclusion/Implications Implementation of evidence-based care bundles reinforced by real-time feedback on the performance of caregivers can significantly reduce the rate of catheter-related bloodstream infection in the intensive care unit. Ensuring that change processes are seamlessly integrated in the workflow with minimal administrative burden is crucial to the quality improvement process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pain-measurement tools are often criticized for not addressing the influence of culture and ethnicity on pain. This study examined how children who speak English as a primary or additional language discuss pain. Two methods were used in six focus group interviews with 34 children aged 4-7 years: (i) use of drawings from the Pediatric Pain Inventory to capture the language used by children to describe pain; and (ii) observation of the children's placing of pain drawings on red/amber/green paper to denote perceived severity of pain. The findings demonstrated that children with English as an additional language used less elaborate language when talking about pain, but tended to talk about the pictures prior to deciding where they should be placed. For these children, there was a positive significant relationship between language, age, and length of stay in the UK. The children's placement of pain drawings varied according to language background, sex, and age. The findings emphasize the need for sufficient time to assess pain adequately in children who do not speak English as a first language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical Education 2011:: 741-747 Good examinations have a number of characteristics, including validity, reliable scores, educational impact, practicability and acceptability. Scores from the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) are more reliable than the single long case examination, but concerns about its validity have led to modifications and the development of other models, such as the mini-clinical evaluation exercise (mini-CEX) and the objective structured long examination record (OSLER). These retain some of the characteristics of the long case, but feature repeated encounters and more structure. Nevertheless, the practical considerations and costs associated with mounting large-scale examinations remain significant. The lack of metrics handicaps progress. This paper reports a system whereby a sequential design concentrates limited resources where they are most needed in order to maintain the reliability of scores and practicability at the pass/fail interface. We analysed data pertaining to the final examination administered in 2009. In the complete final examination, candidates see eight real patients (the OSLER) and encounter 12 OSCE stations. Candidates whose performance is judged as entirely satisfactory after the first four patients and six OSCE stations are not examined further. The others - about a third of candidates - see the remaining patients and stations and are judged on the complete examination. Reliability was calculated from the scores of all candidates on the first part of the examination using generalisability theory and practicability in terms of financial resources. The functioning of the sequential system was assessed by the ability of the first part of the examination to predict the final result for the cohort. Generalisability for the OSLER was 0.63 after four patients and 0.77 after eight patients. The OSCE was less reliable (0.38 after six stations and 0.55 after 12). There was only a weak correlation between the OSLER and the OSCE. The first stage was highly predictive of the results of the second stage. Savings facilitated by the sequential design amounted to approximately GBP30 000. The overall utility of examinations involves compromise. The system described provides good perceived validity with reasonably reliable scores; a sequential design can concentrate resources where they are most needed and still allow wide sampling of tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined the effects of transition employment support to two cohorts of young people who were in their last year in school or college in 2005/2006 and 2006/ 2007. This paper reports the views of carers, teachers and support workers of the impact this additional support made to the young people. Analysis of the data reveals a difference between the views of carers and those of professionals. The paper argues that these differences may reflect different understandings of the aim and purpose of transition support and which may make it difficult to achieve a smooth transition for all stakeholders when not taken into account. This may have implications for how to structure and deliver transition support, some of which are being outlined in the discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formula fed infants experience gastrointestinal infections at higher rates than breastfed infants, due in part to bacteria in powdered infant formula (PIF) and bacterial contamination of infant feeding equipment. The United Kingdom National Health Service (UK NHS) has adopted the World Health Organization recommendation that water used to reconstitute PIF is ≥70°C to eliminate bacteria. We used community science methods to co‐design an at home experiment and online questionnaire ('research diary') to explore the safety of PIF preparation compared to UK NHS guidelines. 200 UK‐based parents of infants aged ≤12 months were recruited; 151 provided data on PIF preparation, and 143 were included in the analysis of water temperatures used to reconstitute PIF. Only 14.9% (n = 11) of 74 PIF preparation machines produced a water temperature of ≥70°C compared with 78.3% (n = 54) of 69 kettle users (p < 0.001). The mean temperature of water dispensed by PIF preparation machines was 9°C lower than kettles (Machine M = 65.78°C, Kettle M = 75.29°C). Many parents did not always fully follow NHS safer PIF preparation guidance, and parents did not appear to understand the potential risks of PIF bacterial contamination. Parents should be advised that the water dispensed by PIF preparation machines may be below 70°C, and could result in bacteria remaining in infant formula, potentially leading to gastrointestinal infections. PIF labelling should advise that water used to prepare PIF should be ≥70°C and highight the risks of not using sufficiently hot water, per WHO Europe advice. There is an urgent need for stronger consumer protections regarding PIF preparation devices. Key points: Only 14.9% (n = 11) of 74 PIF preparation machines produced a water temperature of ≥70°C compared with 78.3% (n = 54) of 69 kettle users (p < 0.001).The mean temperature of water dispensed by PIF preparation machines was 9°C lower than kettles (Machine M = 65.78°C, Kettle M = 75.29°C).Most parents routinely washed and sterilised bottles and teats.Many parents did not always fully follow NHS safer PIF preparation guidance, including 21.8% washing their hands half the time or less, and 14.6% regularly pre‐preparing bottles.Most parents did not appear to understand the risks of PIF bacterial contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conceptual understanding that children display when predicting physical events has been shown to be inferior to the understanding they display when recognizing whether events proceed naturally. This has often been attributed to differences between the explicit engagement with conceptual knowledge required for prediction and the tacit engagement that suffices for recognition, and contrasting theories have been formulated to characterize the differences. Focusing on a theory that emphasizes omission at the explicit level of conceptual elements that are tacitly understood, the paper reports two studies that attempt clarification. The studies are concerned with 6- to 10-year-old children's understanding of, respectively, the direction (141 children) and speed (132 children) of motion in a horizontal direction. Using computer-presented billiards scenarios, the children predicted how balls would move (prediction task) and judged whether or not simulated motion was correct (recognition task). Results indicate that the conceptions underpinning prediction are sometimes interpretable as partial versions of the conceptions underpinning recognition, as the omission hypothesis would imply. However, there are also qualitative differences, which suggest partial dissociation between explicit and tacit understanding. It is suggested that a theoretical perspective that acknowledges this dissociation would provide the optimal framework for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Parenting programmes are widely used in the UK, promoted in policy documents as a cost-effective way for children's services to address behaviour problems and thereby the longer-term costs associated with conduct disorders, particularly antisocial behaviour and criminality. To explore whether these programmes are a cost-effective component of family intervention, this paper examines evidence from cost-effectiveness studies based on randomized controlled trials, modelling studies estimating longer-term costs and outcomes, and studies estimating costs of UK parenting programmes, including evidence from routine practice. Findings indicate that parenting programmes have the potential to be cost-saving in the long term; however, gaps in the evidence include: lack of follow-up of families who drop out of programmes, absence of control groups in longer-term follow-ups, and little information about costs and effects of programmes in routine practice. The size of savings resulting from implementation of effective parenting programmes will depend on the extent to which families likely to be most costly to society attend and experience lasting benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does money buy happiness? Or is happiness derived from looking outwards towards our social networks? Many researchers have answered these questions by exploring whether the best predictor of well-being is either economic or social (or some fixed combination of the two). This paper argues for a dynamic perspective on the capacity for economic and social factors to predict well-being. In two studies, we show that both money (individual income) and community (social capital) can be the basis for individual happiness. However, the relative influence of each factor depends on the context within which happiness is considered, and how this shapes the way people define the self. Study 1 primes either money or community in the laboratory and demonstrates that such priming shifts individual values (so that they are economic vs. communal) and determines the extent to which income is more (vs. less) predictive of life satisfaction than social relations. Study 2 looks at these same priming processes in the external world (with people travelling to vs. from work). Both studies show that while money can become the basis of happiness when the self is defined in economic terms, the role of community relations in predicting happiness is more stable across contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to provide developmental data on two connected naïve inheritance concepts and to explore the coherence of children's naïve biology knowledge. Two tasks examined children and adolescents' (4, 7, 10, and 14 years) conceptions of phenotypic resemblance across kin (in physical characteristics, disabilities, and personality traits). The first task required participants to predict and explain feature outcomes in both an offspring and a sibling, in a modified version of the phenotypic similarity task. In the second task, participants offered explanations for instances of parent-offspring dissimilarity and grandparent-offspring resemblance (phenotypic difference task). The inclusion of two tasks and a broad age range revealed significant age trends between 4 and 10 years in naïve inheritance concepts. However, there was little consistency in children's inheritance explanations within or across tasks. The findings are discussed with reference to debates concerning the development and structure of naïve biology concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines age-related differences in work motivation in two samples of 9,388 and 2,512 individuals who completed a comprehensive motivation questionnaire for selection or development purposes. In the first sample, age differences were examined by controlling for gender and investigating whether relationships between age and motivation were non-linear. Statistically significant relationships between motivation and age were found for most motivation scales, explaining up to 12% of the variance in specific scales. The second sample was used to confirm these results and to determine whether differences on these motivation scales could be explained by additional demographic variables, which were not available in the first sample. When controlling for demographic variables, such as gender, managerial experience, and university education, the pattern of results was similar in the second data set although effects were smaller. Results generally support propositions from the literature, which suggest a shift in people's motives rather than a general decline in motivation with age: older employees were less motivated by extrinsically but more by intrinsically rewarding job features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the relative merits of looking time and pupil diameter measures in the study of early cognitive abilities of infants. Ten-month-old infants took part in a modified version of the classic drawbridge experiment used to study object permanence (Baillargeon, Spelke, & Wasserman, 1985). The study involved a factorial design where angle of rotation and presence or absence of an object were crossed. Looking time results are consistent with previous work and could suggest object permanence if one ignored data from all cells of the factorial design. When all cells are considered, the data rather suggest a perceptual interpretation. Dynamic changes in pupil diameter uniquely support this interpretation, illustrating which aspects of events (and when) infants primarily respond to. Overall, the results fail to support object permanence in 10-month-olds, and pupil dilation provides a much finer-grained interpretation of infants' information processing, relative to looking time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose. Primary central nervous system (1° CNS) tumours represent 2% of cancers. They record the third highest mortality from cancer in the 18-35 age group in the UK today. Despite improving medical treatments, prognosis remains poor, with more patients experiencing residual complex functional deficits. Rehabilitation for these patients is scantily researched. Observational studies demonstrate improved function following inpatient and some outpatient multi-professional rehabilitation. Comparative recovery and functional improvement between patients with 1° CNS tumours and differing oncological and other neurological diagnoses is shown. Qualitative papers explore patient's values of medical treatment, demonstrating themes of hope and improved quality of life (QOL). No studies explore the significance of rehabilitation for these patients. The aim of this study was to discover the meaning of rehabilitation for people with this life-limiting illness through ethnographic enquiry. Methods. Fieldwork data, primarily written narratives, field notes and interviews, were collected from 10 patients with 1° CNS tumours receiving physiotherapy at a UK specialist cancer hospital. They were asked what they thought the purpose of rehabilitation was in the context of their disease. Thematic analysis explored this data. Results. Patient experience provided insightful perception of the beneficial role of rehabilitation in the context of their incurable disease. Main emergent themes included independence, confidence, 'professional talk' (the broader sense of communication through talk, touch and therapeutic handling) and hope. An analogy presents an analytical model of the themes. Incidental findings identified difficulty accessing services. Conclusion. Rehabilitation intervention offers positive contributions to patients with 1° CNS tumours improving QOL irrespective of the stage of their disease. With equal access to cancer services, a key aim advocated in national directives in health-care today, it is essential that patients receiving treatment for this life-limiting disease have timely access to rehabilitation services in conjunction with holistic medical management. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Ethics The Royal Marsden Hospital Committee for Clinical Research (CCR) The Royal Marsden Hospital Research Ethics Committee (LREC) Central Office of Research Ethics Committee (COREC) COREC 05/Q0801/130 superseded by The National Research Ethics Service University of Surrey Ethics Committee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Aims To re-examine various aspects of the benzodiazepines (BZDs), widely prescribed for 50 years, mainly to treat anxiety and insomnia. It is a descriptive review based on the Okey Lecture delivered at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, in November 2010. Methods A search of the literature was carried out in the Medline, Embase and Cochrane Collaboration databases, using the codeword 'benzodiazepine(s)', alone and in conjunction with various terms such as 'dependence', 'abuse', etc. Further hand-searches were made based on the reference lists of key papers. As 60 000 references were found, this review is not exhaustive. It concentrates on the adverse effects, dependence and abuse. Results Almost from their introduction the BZDs have been controversial, with polarized opinions, advocates pointing out their efficacy, tolerability and patient acceptability, opponents deprecating their adverse effects, dependence and abuse liability. More recently, the advent of alternative and usually safer medications has opened up the debate. The review noted a series of adverse effects that continued to cause concern, such as cognitive and psychomotor impairment. In addition, dependence and abuse remain as serious problems. Despite warnings and guidelines, usage of these drugs remains at a high level. The limitations in their use both as choice of therapy and with respect to conservative dosage and duration of use are highlighted. The distinction between low-dose 'iatrogenic' dependence and high-dose abuse/misuse is emphasized. Conclusions The practical problems with the benzodiazepines have persisted for 50 years, but have been ignored by many practitioners and almost all official bodies. The risk-benefit ratio of the benzodiazepines remains positive in most patients in the short term (2-4 weeks) but is unestablished beyond that time, due mainly to the difficulty in preventing short-term use from extending indefinitely with the risk of dependence. Other research issues include the possibility of long-term brain changes and evaluating the role of the benzodiazepine antagonist, flumazenil, in aiding withdrawal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compared higher education dental undergraduate student performance in online assessments with performance in traditional paper-based tests and investigated students' perceptions of the fairness and acceptability of online tests, and showed performance to be comparable. The project design involved two parallel cross-over trials, one in Year 3 ( n = 132) of the dental curriculum, one in Year 5 ( n = 134). A total of 266 students undertook related tests of the same knowledge base in both online and traditional paper formats. Order of presentation of the test form was randomized. One hundred and thirty-two students in Year 3 additionally completed questions concerning their perceptions of the acceptability and fairness of the online examination process. Focus group discussions were held with groups of students ( n = 30) from both Year 3 and 5 to explore their perceptions of the online format. The online tests were created using the commercial software package MaxExam (Bristol, UK). The results were analysed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with the order of presentation being entered as a variable in the analysis. The results of the study showed that for both Years 3 and 5 students there was a high degree of consistency in performance between the two versions of the tests, although a minority of students performed better in the online version of the test. Over 70% of students rated the online test as acceptable, and 90% felt that the online format did not disadvantage them even in a 'high-stakes' situation. From these results, we conclude that online assessment does not confer any disadvantage to students. Students perceive such assessment to be both fair and acceptable, and to have some advantages over the traditional paper-based methods of assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article seeks to identify key components of good practice in social care services for safeguarding refugee and asylum-seeking children. It is based on a wider research study, conducted in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, which aimed to identify indicators and examples of good practice in social care for asylum seekers and refugees (both adults and children). Methods included a systematic literature review, focus groups with asylum seekers and refugees, and a survey of voluntary and statutory agencies. This paper reflects on the findings as they relate to children, including both unaccompanied children and those in families, with particular attention to safeguarding issues, and identifies key components of good practice from a synthesis of the findings. The primary component identified is a clear commitment to seeing the wellbeing of children and young people as the primary focus of practice, rather than the demands of immigration policy. Others include provision of safe and appropriate accommodation, support for engagement in appropriate education and leisure pursuits, attention to emotional well-being, good support and information for families, and inclusion of families and communities in the safeguarding agenda. The research showed that the needs of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people tend to be more visible than those living with their families, and that more research is needed, particularly in relation to the latter group. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-grade glioma profoundly affects patients and their families. The best ongoing care for patients completing radical treatment is uncertain. To address this issue a UK-wide audit surveying the follow-up practices of multidisciplinary cancer teams was conducted. An online survey package was used with a paper version available. Of 102 clinicians approached 86 replied, a response rate of 84%. Three-monthly outpatient department appointments led by an oncologist and a specialist nurse were the norm, but more controversially, some centres conduct joint clinics with the whole neurosurgical/oncology team present or available. Nurse-led telephone follow-up in place of hospital visits is uncommon. Regular scanning is conducted despite the clinical benefits being contentious. Access to a range of allied services providing supportive care is considered, but the actual levels of need and the efficiency with which they are delivered require further investigation. The picture of UK follow-up practices revealed by this survey demonstrates that research is now needed to determine what preferences patients and families have for follow-up and their satisfaction with these. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the perceptions of direct care staff of their reciprocal relationships at work and levels of burnout may help us improve not only their psychological health but also the service they provide. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken with direct care staff who worked with children, older people and people with intellectual disabilities in residential settings. Staffs were asked to report their levels of burnout and perceived reciprocity in the relationship they had with service users, other staff and the organisation they worked for. Significant relationships were found between some burnout and reciprocity measures. 'Under benefit' in relationships with service users, colleagues and the organization was related to emotional exhaustion. 'Under benefit' in organizational and staff relationships was related to increased depersonalization. Reciprocity is a potentially useful concept for understanding differences in relationships across a broad range of staff and use of the reciprocity questionnaire in this study allows for comparison between diverse groups. The importance of relationships with the employing organization is highlighted in this sample and suggests that burnout is not solely linked with lack of reciprocity in the caregiving relationship per se. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. • Direct care staff are important intermediaries for the work of many clinical psychologists and research suggests that their well-being can influence the quality of care they provide. • There are similarities between care staff who work across different client groups. • This paper describes the development of a methodology that examines reciprocity in relationships with service users, staff and organization. • This framework is shown to be useful in exploring staff relationships and concerns that may facilitate clinical work with staff and stimulate research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new model of consumer impulsivity, using type of good, a person's endorsement of materialistic values, and identity deficits as predictors. Traditional decision making and psychological accounts see impulsive behaviour as a general overweighing of short-term gratification (I want that dress now) relative to longer-term concerns, irrespective of consumer good. Our proposal is that consumers' impulsivity (a) differs according to type of good and (b) is linked systematically to a combination of materialistic values and high identity deficits. Beginning with Study 1, three experiments, using a temporal discounting paradigm, show consistently that discount rates are higher for goods that are seen as highly expressive of identity (e.g., clothes) than goods not expressive of identity (e.g., basic body care products). For materialistic consumers, identity deficits predict discount rates for identity-expressive goods (Study 2), and discount rates change for materialistic individuals when their identity deficits are made salient (Study 3). These findings support a conceptualization of consumer impulsivity as identity-seeking behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims. There is uncertainty about the extent or even existence of sex differences in the mean and variability of reasoning test scores ( Jensen, 1998; Lynn, 1994, 1998; Mackintosh, 1996). This paper analyses the Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT) scores of a large and representative sample of UK pupils to determine the extent of any sex differences. Sample. A nationally representative UK sample of over 320,000 school pupils aged 11-12 years was assessed on the CAT (third edition) between September 2001 and August 2003. The CAT includes separate nationally standardized tests for verbal, quantitative, and non-verbal reasoning. The size and recency of the sample is unprecedented in research on this issue. Methods. The sheer size of the sample ensures that any sex difference will achieve statistical significance. Therefore, effect sizes (d) and variance ratios (VR) are employed to evaluate the magnitude of sex differences in mean scores and in score variability, respectively. Results. The mean verbal reasoning score for girls was 2.2 standard score points higher than the mean for boys, but only 0.3 standard points in favour of girls for nonverbal reasoning (NVR), and 0.7 points in favour of boys for quantitative reasoning (QR). However, for all three tests there were substantial sex differences in the standard deviation of scores, with greater variance among boys. Boys were over represented relative to girls at both the top and the bottom extremes for all tests, with the exception of the top 10% in verbal reasoning. Conclusions. Given the small differences in means, explanations for sex differences in wider domains such examination attainment at age 16 need to look beyond conceptions of ‘ability’. Boys tend to be both the lowest and the highest performers in terms of their reasoning abilities, which warns against the danger of stereotyping boys as low achievers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whole university approaches to student mental health and well‐being increasingly involve university counselling and mental health services (UCMHSs) as key stakeholders in higher education and the fulfilment of good academic outcomes. However, previous research using routine outcome measures has focussed on psychological distress only. Research is needed to demonstrate the value of university counselling on academic outcomes. This study aimed at profiling the psychological distress of a student sample according to the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation—Outcome Measure (CORE‐OM); measuring the change in perceived impact of problems on academic outcomes, and measuring the perceived impact of counselling on academic outcomes. Students from two UK university counselling services completed the CORE‐OM and the Counselling Impact on Academic Outcomes (CIAO) questionnaire as part of routine practice. After counselling, 67.4% (n = 323) of students with planned endings to counselling showed at least reliable improvement on the CORE‐OM. Significant reductions in the perceived impact of problems on all academic outcomes were also found. On average, 83% (n = 398) of students found counselling helpful for academic outcomes to at least a limited extent. University counselling was found to reduce psychological distress and the impact of problems on academic outcomes. Psychometric examination of the CIAO tool is warranted to strengthen its use. The need for robust data across UCMHSs is demonstrated by both the strengths and limitations of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social class differences in height have been recognised for many centuries. However, few studies have examined the extent to which these differences are made up of differences in leg length or trunk length. This paper reanalyses cross-sectional information on children examined in Britain in the 1930s. We assess associations between socio-economic status and diet and the components of childhood stature. The analyses were based on the records of 2990 children aged 2 years to 14 years 9 months who were examined in the Carnegie (Boyd Orr) survey of diet and health (1937-39). z-Scores for the measures of childhood stature were calculated using polynomial regression techniques with the study population as the standard. Univariable and multivariable statistical techniques were used to assess the relationships between childhood height, leg length and trunk length, and dietary and socio-economic factors measured at the level of the household. Leg length was the component of stature most strongly associated with measures of childhood diet and socio-economic status. A greater part of the difference in stature between socio-economic groups was caused by differences in leg length rather than trunk length. In multiple regression analyses, district of residence and family food expenditure were generally the two factors most strongly related to stature. In a subsample of the surveyed children, for whom birthweight information was available, trunk length and leg length were equally strongly related to birthweight. Leg length appears to be a particularly sensitive indicator of childhood socio-economic circumstances. Although contemporary studies highlight the importance of biological factors in determining childhood height, the data analysed in this study suggest that socio-economic circumstances were also important in explaining height differentials in prewar Britain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the theoretical and empirical bases of the election law in Great Britain. The law itself appears to have been suggested for the first time by the Retired Honorable James Parker Smith in evidence before the Royal Commission on Systems of Elections of 1909. Smith emphasized the disparity between the strength of the representation of a party in the House of Commons and its share of the votes in the whole country. Since Edgeworth and P. A. McMahon considered the relation of seats to votes, the rise of a third majority voting in Britain, but in the 1935, 1945 and 1950 general elections the two-party system effectively returned and, despite some hopes to the contrary, seems likely to remain in force in the foreseeable future. The proportion calculated for each constituency is of the votes cast for the party winning a majority in the House of Commons to the combined votes of the major parties in that constituency. Voters cannot be regarded as scattered at random over the various constituencies. Since the observed distribution of proportion is very close to the normal form and the normal form itself is closely represented by the law of the cubic proportion, it follows that the observed distribution of proportion may be represented by the cube-law provided that it has the correct variance. At any election, therefore, in which the distribution of proportion is normal, variation in the standard deviation of proportion from 0.136788 will produce the effect that a higher or lower power than the third will be required to raise the votes ratio to the seats ratio.

Previous studies show that the effects of (non‐transparent) nudges can spill over to later similar decisions without nudges. In the current study, we aimed to determine whether such nudge temporal spillover effects are affected by making nudges transparent. The latter is recommended to (partly) mitigate ethical concerns surrounding the use of nudges. In two experiments, we nudged participants to complete a longer version of a survey. Participants were randomly assigned to either a control, a non‐disclosed nudge (using a default to promote taking the longer survey) condition or a disclosed nudge (in which the use of the default nudge was explained) condition. In both Study 1 (N = 1270) and Study 2 (N = 1258) we observed a temporal spillover effect of the disclosed nudge, suggesting that transparency does not negatively affect the temporal spillover effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nutritional composition of breast milk, coupled with the health advantages of breastfeeding, are reasons that advisory bodies recommend this form of infant feeding as best practice. Evidence investigating the association between breastfeeding and the prevalence of allergies has, however, been highly inconclusive. Research has shown that breastfeeding has a protective effect on the early development of allergic asthma (Kull, 2002), whilst other evidence showed there to be no significant association (Fergusson, 1983). Paradoxically, other research has even shown breastfeeding increases the risk of children developing allergic asthma (Sears, 2000). This systematic review aimed to examine the evidence relating breastfeeding and allergic asthma among children up to 7 years of age. A systematic review process was utilised. Different terminologies for breastfeeding and allergic asthma were nested; breastfeeding and breast-feeding were combined with either asthma, allergic, atopic or extrinsic asthma and used in four databases; Google Scholar; PubMed; Web of Knowledge and CAB abstracts. The papers identified were compared against pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The paper must have: an abstract available; been written in English; used objective and valid diagnostic methodology for defining asthma and atopy in children up to 7 years of age and studied comparable groups of children given breast milk or alternative milks. References acknowledged by the selected papers were sourced and subjected to the same inclusion and exclusion criteria. The quality of the research selected was assessed using a scale adapted from the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (Wells, 2001). An overall judgement of the quality of the research was made by the researcher. The same terminology and the database Cochrane Reviews were used to identify any relevant reviews that had previously been published. One thousand seven hundred and eighty-three papers were identified. Of these, 562 were excluded because of their publication date, their apparent irrelevance based on their title ( n = 717) or by use of the defined inclusion criteria ( n = 497). This gave a final sample selection of seven papers. Breastfeeding had a protective effect for the risk of developing asthma. Children who had been breastfed for any period were less likely to have developed asthma by 7 years of age than those who had only been given formula milk. This risk reduction was more common among children who had been breastfed for longer periods of time compared with children who had been breastfed for only a short period. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of allergic sensitisation among children who had been breastfed compared with those given artificial milks. Breastfeeding helps to protect children up to 7 years of age from developing asthma. Despite advisory bodies promoting breastfeeding for its protective effect on the development of allergies, evidence showed the benefits were not significant in reducing the risk of atopy. Collectively, breastfeeding does not protect against allergic asthma in children up to 7 years of age. It is unfortunate that mothers are being encouraged to breastfeed their infants for its protective effect on the development of allergies when evidence is not significant. There are many benefits of breastfeeding but current evidence does not support its effect on reducing the risk of children up to 7 years of age developing allergic asthma. Kull, I., Wickman, M., Lilja, G., Nordvall, S. & Pershagen, G. (2002) Breast feeding and allergic diseases in infants - a prospective birth cohort study. Arch. Dis. Child., 478-481 Fergusson, D. Horwood, L. & Shannon, F. (1983) Asthma and Infant Diet. Arch. Dis. Child., 48-51. Sears, M., Greene, J., Taylor, D., Flannery, E., Cowan, J., Herbison, G. & Poulton, R. (2000) Long-term Relation Between Breastfeeding and Development of Atopy and Asthma in Children and Young Adults: A Longitudinal Study . Lancet, 901-907. Wells, G., O'Connell, D., Peterson, J., Welch, V., Losos, M. & Tugwell, P. (2001) Ottawa Health Research Institute; The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for Assessing the Quality of Nonrandomised Studies in Meta-analyses; available at . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multidisciplinary teams are increasingly advocated for in healthcare policy consequent to their capacity to develop innovative solutions to seemingly intractable service and care challenges. Recent arguments that inspirational leadership styles may foster innovation in multidisciplinary teams point to their potential value in this effort. However, inconsistency in the capacity of such leaders to engender innovation highlights the need to understand the mechanisms and boundary conditions that determine when such leadership generates positive effects. We argue that follower positive mood acts to mediate the path between inspirational leadership and innovation and may account for its variable effects. By increasing positive team mood, inspirational leaders can potentially bring about more flexible thinking and enhance innovation but can also increase reliance on less effortful information processing, undermining innovative potential. In an effort to address the dilemma posed by these contrasting effects, we propose that professional salience acts as an important boundary condition of this relationship such that only when profession is salient do inspirational leaders enhance multidisciplinary team innovation through positive mood. An analysis of survey data from 60 UK‐based multidisciplinary healthcare teams, investigating the inspirational leadership of practice‐based innovation, supports our moderated mediation model. Finally, the implications for HRM are considered, specifically for leader development and work team design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals at increased cardio-metabolic (CM) risk have a greater chance of developing diabetes mellitus and suffering premature cardiovascular events. The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a constellation of risk factors which confer increased CM risk. MetS was originally proposed by Reaven (1998) and the currently accepted definition was agreed by AHA/NHLBI,WH,IASIASO (Alberti et al., 2009). More recently, increased liver fat has been proposed as a marker of CM risk. The aims of this study were to evaluate the inter-relationships between percentage liver fat and established CM risk factors and identify those with MetS. This paper presents a secondary analysis of baseline data from a sample ( n = 37) (56 ± 5.32 years), of overweight men who were at increased CM risk but otherwise healthy,, and recruited into a randomised dietary intervention crossover study to investigate how dietary carbohydrate influences the metabolism of plasma lipoproteins in overweight volunteers with moderately high (>10% <20%) and low (<2%) levels of liver fat. Anthropometric and biochemistry measurements were obtained, and from a sub-sample, the percentage of liver fat by magnetic resonance imaging. The participants were also assigned a metabolic score based on the number of indicators of the MetS according to the AHA/NHLBI, WH, IASIASO definition (Alberti, 2009). Non-parametric statistical analyses was used, as not all variables were normally distributed, there were a number of outliers and a small sample size. Pearson Correlation Co-efficients were used to investigate relationships between continuous and categorical variables. The variables were not adjusted for age or BMI because of a small sample size. Statistical significance was set at P ≤ 0.05 and all analyses were carried out using SPSS 16.0. Fifty nine per cent of the participants had MetS ( n = 21). There was evidence of significant, positive associations between the metabolic score for MetS and total cholesterol:HDL-C ratio ( P = 0.030), and between percentage liver fat and plasma glucose and insulin ( P = 0.010 and P = 0.003 respectively). The percentage of liver fat was also notably higher than that reported in other studies (Yamada et al., 2010; Kotronen et al., 2007) and there was positive correlation between the liver enzyme alanine transaminase (ALT) and plasma insulin ( P = 0.012). The strong associations between established risk factors and liver fat suggest that the latter may be clinically useful as a marker for CM risk in MetS. Alberti, K., Eckel, R., Grundy, S. et al. (2009) Harmonizing the metabolic syndrome: a joint interim statement of the International Diabetes Federation Task Force on Epidemiology and Prevention; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; American Heart Association; World Heart Federation; International Atherosclerosis Society; and International Association for the Study of Obesity. Circulation, 1640-1645. Kotronen, A., Westerbacka, A., Bergholm, R., Pietilainen, K.H. & Yki-Jarvinen, H. (2007) Liver fat in the metabolic syndrome. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. , 3490-3497. Reaven, G. (1998) Insulin resistance and human disease: a short history. J. Basic Clin. Physiol. Pharmacol., 387-406. Yamada, T., Fukatsu, M., Suzuki, S. et al. (2010) Fatty liver predicts impaired fasting glucose and type 2 diabetes mellitus in Japanese undergoing a health checkup. J. Gastroenterol. Hepatol., 352-356. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work identity is important in the attraction and retention of staff, yet how the facets of such identity relate remains convoluted and unclear despite this being of interest to both scholars and practitioners. We use structural equation modeling to analyze empirical data from 144 employees in the United Kingdom's oil and gas industry, analyzing the nature and interrelationship of identification as individual‐level (career advancement) and social‐level (work group and organization) foci, as well as considering the two psychological self‐presentation factors (value expression and social adjustment) that direct and drive identification processes. A dichotomy between individual and social components of work identity is found, revealing a strong association between both social‐level foci of identification. Moreover, both components of work identity are found to be premised on different psychological factors, furthering our knowledge of the enmeshed nature of identity at work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnic and gender differences in perceptions of graduate job acquisition difficulty among U.K. post-higher education job seekers were investigated. Two main hypotheses were compared: the double jeopardy hypothesis (DJH), suggesting an additive or interactive increase in perceived difficulty associated with membership of different disadvantaged demographic categories; and the ethnic prominence hypothesis, arguing for the salience of ethnicity over gender in perceptions. Graduates and final year students ( N= 800) from Black, Indian, Pakistani/Bangladeshi, and White ethnic backgrounds rated the level of difficulty that a suitably qualified man and woman from their own ethnic background would encounter in attaining 10 graduate jobs. Interactions between participant ethnic background and gender of job seeker rated were examined in the context of the competing hypotheses. The perceptions of men, and Indian and Pakistani/Bangladeshi women, were consistent with the additive DJH, whereas Black women's perceptions were not. It is concluded that: (1) the perceptions of the latter group may reflect knowledge of Black male disadvantage, or negative stereotyping with respect to employment in the U.K. graduate labour market; and (2) perceptions of double jeopardy by some female graduates may have negative effects on their job seeking endeavours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical Education 2011: 45: 886-893 CONTEXT Multi-source feedback (MSF) and patient feedback (PF) are used increasingly around the world to assess and quality-assure clinical practice. However, concerns about the evidence for their utility pertain to their ability to identify poor performance, the impact of allowing assessees to select their own assessors and the many confounders that may undermine validity. METHODS This study was conducted in conjunction with the National Clinical Assessment Service (NCAS) in the UK and used established MSF and PF instruments to assess doctors in potential difficulty. Multi-source feedback assessors were nominated by both the practitioner (Pnom) and the referring body (RBnom). Demographics were collected to elucidate any differences found. Ratings generated by MSF and PF were compared with one another and with findings of a previous study that provided a normative cohort. RESULTS Using MSF, NCAS-assessed doctors scored significantly lower than the reference cohort. Nineteen (28%) NCAS-assessed doctors achieved scores that were less than satisfactory. This rose to 50% when only RBnom assessors were used. Overall, ratings awarded by RBnom assessors were significantly lower than those awarded by Pnom assessors. Collected demographics did not help to explain the difference. Only one NCAS-assessed doctor scored below average according to PF. Doctors in the NCAS-assessed group did not score significantly lower than the reference cohort in PF. Doctor assessment scores awarded by patients were significantly higher than those awarded by colleagues. CONCLUSIONS Although colleagues appear to report poor performance using MSF, patients fail to report concurrent findings. This challenges the validity of PF as it is currently constructed. Scores in MSF differ significantly depending on whether they are practitioner- or third party-nominated. Previously recognised confounding factors do not help to explain this difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical Education 2011: : 289-297 This study aimed to examine candidate reactions to selection practices in postgraduate medical training using organisational justice theory. We carried out three independent cross-sectional studies using samples from three consecutive annual recruitment rounds. Data were gathered from candidates applying for entry into UK general practice (GP) training during 2007, 2008 and 2009. Participants completed an evaluation questionnaire immediately after the short-listing stage and after the selection centre (interview) stage. Participants were doctors applying for GP training in the UK. Main outcome measures were participants' evaluations of the selection methods and perceptions of the overall fairness of each selection stage (short-listing and selection centre). A total of 23 855 evaluation questionnaires were completed (6893 in 2007, 10 497 in 2008 and 6465 in 2009). Absolute levels of perceptions of fairness of all the selection methods at both the short-listing and selection centre stages were consistently high over the 3 years. Similarly, all selection methods were considered to be job-related by candidates. However, in general, candidates considered the selection centre stage to be significantly fairer than the short-listing stage. Of all the selection methods, the simulated patient consultation completed at the selection centre stage was rated as the most job-relevant. This is the first study to use a model of organisational justice theory to evaluate candidate reactions during selection into postgraduate specialty training. The high-fidelity selection methods are consistently viewed as more job-relevant and fairer by candidates. This has important implications for the design of recruitment systems for all specialties and, potentially, for medical school admissions. Using this approach, recruiters can systematically compare perceptions of the fairness and job relevance of various selection methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The student mental health landscape in higher education requires preventative strategies that maintain daily functioning as well as early intervention to respond to episodes of mental ill‐health. As a community, this requires capturing the needs of students in the general university population as well as those using counselling and psychological wellbeing services. Aims: This cross‐sectional study aimed to characterise the mental health profile of students in the general university population and identify barriers to help seeking. Methods: A total of 1,956 students from five UK universities completed an online questionnaire comprising the CCAPS‐34 and open‐ended questions about their mental health concerns and intentions to seek help. Mental health profiles were explored using mixed factorial ANOVAs and post hoc simple effect analyses. Help‐seeking behaviours and intentions were identified using conceptual content analysis. Results: Distinctive mental health profiles emerged across faculties and help‐seeking behaviours. Content analysis identified students' help‐seeking experiences, intentions, preferences and barriers. Conclusions: Characterising the mental health profile of students outside of support services, as well as their barriers to seeking help, provides a rich understanding for shaping preventative policies and service provision. Doing so will respond to student mental health needs before they require clinical intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the variance of factor intensity on the International Standard Industrial Classifications (ISIC) branches. The 1968 ISIC provides for the sub-division of manufacturing industry into 28 major groups. All the manufacturing industries in the 1968 Census of Great Britain were regroup according to the ISIC classification. The article discusses the relative importance of within-branch variance of factor intensity being the indicator of the degree of homogeneity.

Abstract The relationship between relative price variability and aggregate inflation in the UK is used to illustrate a number of issues in econometric modelling methodology. The rigorous evaluation of models, especially testing for congruence and encompassing, is emphasized. The valuable role of recursive estimation methods in assessing model adequacy is demonstrated. Attention. is drawn to the potential limitations of single equation and univariate analysis of time series data, and a recently proposed modelling strategy for analyzing nonstationary variables with cointegrating relationships, based on sequential reductions of a congruent VAR, is applied to a small system involving inflation and relative price variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four sources of variance are examined in the construction of ecological models of electoral behaviour: aggregation bias, contextual effects, temporal and spatial diffusion. The proper specification of both micro- and macro-models of political behaviour requires these four sources of variance to be taken into account. Ecological analysis may make valid inferences to individual behaviour once the models are properly specified. Electoral data for Britain between 1955 and October 1974 are used to test a series of structural equation models specifying developmental relationships between class and electoral behaviour and taking into account the four potential sources of bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Foresight report (Butland et al., 2007) has identified that risk perception is an area where additional evidence is needed to improve the understanding of obesity. The Department of Health (2009) reports university students as a group vulnerable to weight gain and therefore future programs for obesity could be informed by the knowledge of the target group. The aim of this project was to investigate the knowledge of Coventry University students regarding the health risks associated with obesity. Non-probability convenience sampling was used to recruit 40 participants from Coventry University. Data was collected using a 'pen-and-paper' questionnaire format and the validated Obesity Risk Knowledge-10 scale (ORK-10 scale) was used to assess level of knowledge (Swift 2006). The ORK-10 Scale consists of 10 brief questions covering obesity related co-morbidities such as diabetes, cancer, life expectancy and high blood pressure, with the option of answering true, false or don't know. Each correct answer scored 1 point, therefore a higher score indicated greater knowledge. Socio-demographic data including gender, age, ethnicity, course and faculty were also collected. Because of the small sample size of the study, these independent variables were dichotomised; gender into male and female, age groups into <20 and >20 years, ethnicity into Caucasian and non-Caucasian, course into undergraduate and postgraduate and faculty into health and life sciences compared with other faculties. A Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to assess the normality of the distribution of ORK-10 scale scores. The results indicated normal distribution of ORK-10 score for gender, ethnicity, course and faculty groups, supporting the use of a t-test. For comparing scores between age groups, the data was not normally distributed, supporting the use of a nonparametric Mann-Whitney U-test. The study received approval from the Coventry University Ethics Committee. The participant population consisted of 16 males and 24 females, 13 < 20 and 27 > 20 years of age, 25 Caucasians and 15 non-Caucasians, 36 undergraduates and four postgraduates, and 20 in the health and life sciences faculty and 20 in other faculties including engineering and computing, art and design, business, environment and society, and lifelong learning. No significant differences were found in ORK-10 scores between gender ( P = 0.276), ethnicity ( P = 0.179), course ( P = 0.310), or faculty ( P = 0.168). However, a statistically significant difference was found in ORK-10 scores between age groups, participants >20 years of age had a greater level of knowledge (median = 6, interquartile range = 4), compared to those <20 years of age (median = 4, interquartile range = 2), P = 0.031. Significant differences were observed in ORK-10 scores according to age with older students scoring higher. This agrees with the finding of Swift (2006) and may be explained by the increased exposure of this age group to health messages. In contrast to previous findings (Swift 2006), studying health and life sciences was not associated with increased knowledge of health risks. This may be explained by the limited sample size of the study, the students may have been in the early stages of their course, sampling bias may have meant that only students interested in health took part, and the sampling technique may not have been representative of the population. This study found a statistically significant relationship between knowledge of health risk associated with obesity and age of the students. There is a need for further research in this area, and future studies of larger randomly selected students would help to confirm the need for targeted obesity education programs. The results conclude that students <20 years of age should be considered as a target population for future obesity education programs, in order to make a positive impact on heath behaviour and dietary choices. Butland, B., Jebb, S., Kopelman, P., McPherson, K., Thomas, S., Mardell, J., & Parry, V. (2007) Foresight Tackling Obesities: Future Choices - Project Report. 2nd edn.Government Office for Science, Department of Innovation Universities and Skills. Department of Health (2009) Obesity [online] Available at: [Accessed on 13 September 2009]. Swift, J.A., Glazebrook, C. & Macdonald, I. (2006) Validation of a brief, reliable scale to measure knowledge about the health risks associated with obesity. Int. J. Obesity, 661-668. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We theorized that absence from work is a resource-based process that is related to perceived meaningfulness of work, well-being, and engagement. Broaden-and-build theory (Fredrickson, 1998, 2001) and engagement theory (Bakker, Schaufeli, Leiter, & Taris, 2008; Kahn, 1990) were used to develop a framework for explaining absence. Results of a study of 625 employees and human resource records of subsequent absenteeism data for a three-month period supported our hypotheses that meaningful work increases engagement with work, and that engagement is associated with low levels of absenteeism. Furthermore, data showed that engagement fully mediated the relationship between meaningfulness and absence, and that well-being strengthened the relationship between meaningfulness and engagement. The results have implications for understanding the role of individual-level resources in the workplace, and how meaningfulness, well-being, and engagement influence absence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Communication impairments are common and pervasive for people a long time following acquired brain injury (ABI). These impairments have a significant impact on a person's quality of life (QOL) post‐injury. Project‐based treatment is a treatment approach that could have an impact on communication skills and QOL for people with ABI a long‐term post‐injury. This treatment is embedded in a context of meaningful activities chosen by people with ABI, whereby, as a group, they work collaboratively to achieve a tangible end product. Aims: To evaluate the feasibility and initial efficacy of project‐based treatment on improving the communication skills and QOL for people with ABI. Methods & Procedures: An exploratory controlled trial with alternate allocation of groups, and follow‐up at 6–8 weeks, was completed. Twenty‐one people with chronic ABI were recruited in groups of two to three from community settings, allocated to either a TREATMENT (n = 11) or WAITLIST group (n = 10). Participants attended a 20‐h group‐based treatment over 6 weeks where they worked towards achieving a project that helped others. To determine feasibility, four criteria were used: demand, implementation, practicality and acceptability. A range of communication and QOL outcomes was used to determine a fifth feasibility criterion, initial efficacy. Some of these criteria were additionally used to evaluate the feasibility of the outcomes. Outcomes & Results: All participants received the treatment as allocated with high attendance and no dropouts. The treatment was feasible to deliver as intended and was highly acceptable to participants. Medium and large effect sizes were found from pre‐ to post‐treatment, and from pre‐treatment to follow‐up for measures of conversation, perceived communicative ability and QOL. Conclusions & Implications: Project‐based treatment is feasible with indications of initial efficacy for both communication skills and QOL. The treatment provides a promising new approach for improving communication skills and QOL in people with chronic acquired brain injuries in the community setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Survivors of clerical institutional childhood abuse (ICA) experience poor mental health outcomes in adulthood. Resilience research with this group has focused on psychological adjustment and we know less about the factors across the social ecology that support positive adaptation, including the impact of migration. This study explores the influence of resilience‐enhancing factors across the social ecology on the mental wellbeing (MWB) of Irish emigrant survivors of ICA and how this compares with non‐migrant survivors. Fifty‐six survivors based in the UK and 46 based in Ireland completed a quantitative survey that assessed resilience‐potentiating resources and associations with MWB. A further nine participants, resident in the UK, engaged in a structured interview which aimed to further explain these quantitative data. Results indicate more resilience‐enhancing resources across the ecology of emigrant survivors of ICA. Personal skills and competencies, such as problem‐focused coping, altruism and defiance, and social inclusion were associated with MWB regardless of country of residence. For the migrant group, social identity not defined by institutional care facilitated social inclusion. Migration to the UK and informal instrumental support in the aftermath of institutional care were identified as key turning points towards resilience. Key Practitioner Messages: Multiple factors across the ecology influence the resilience of survivors of institutional childhood abuse (ICA).Resilience strategies for survivors of ICA are contextual and may appear maladaptive to practitioners unfamiliar with the cultural context of this abuse.For Irish emigrant survivors of ICA, problem‐focused coping, defiance, altruism, social inclusion, instrumental support and a social identity not defined by childhood abuse enhanced resilience.Resilience is dynamic and emerges over time for adult survivors of chronic childhood abuse. 'Explores the influence of resilience‐enhancing factors across the social ecology on the mental wellbeing... of Irish emigrant survivors of institutional childhood abuse' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Maternal eating behaviours such as cognitive restraint, uncontrolled, and emotional eating styles can have important implications for both maternal own weight, and the weight and eating behaviour of her children. Maternal eating style can affect her feeding interactions with her child, which in turn can influence their weight and eating behaviour. However, despite a body of research examining these relationships, research examining differences in maternal eating behaviour between ethnic groups is sparse with much of the research, particularly in the UK, conducted with White British samples. The aim of the current research was therefore to explore how maternal eating behaviour may differ between ethnic groups in the UK; 659 UK mothers with a child aged 5–11 years completed a self‐report questionnaire. Items included ethnicity, demographic data, and the 3‐factor eating questionnaire to measure maternal cognitive restraint, uncontrolled, and emotional eating. Mothers from Chinese backgrounds were significantly higher in cognitive restraint and lower in emotional and uncontrolled eating compared with all groups. Conversely, mothers from South Asian backgrounds were the highest in emotional and uncontrolled eating and lower in cognitive restraint than all other groups. Black mothers were also higher in uncontrolled eating compared with White British and Chinese mothers. Variations in maternal eating behaviours vary between ethnic groups. Understanding how cultural factors may influence these variations is important, as maternal eating behaviours can influence her own and her child's weight. Maternal eating behaviour may therefore be a contributor to higher levels of overweight among South Asian and Black children living in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background There is some evidence that vocabulary intervention is effective for children, although further research is needed to confirm the impact of intervention within contexts of social disadvantage. Very little is known about the effectiveness of interventions to increase adolescent knowledge of cross-curriculum words. Aims To evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention programme designed to develop adolescents' knowledge of cross-curriculum words. Methods & Procedures Participants were 35 adolescents aged between 12 and 14 years who were at risk of educational underachievement with low scores on a range of assessments. Participants received a 10-week intervention programme in small groups, targeting 10 cross-curriculum words (e.g., 'summarize'). This was evaluated using a bespoke outcome measure (the Word Knowledge Profile). The study involved an AABA design, with a repeated baseline, delayed intervention cohort and blind assessment. Intervention included both semantic and phonological information about the target words and involved the adolescents using the words in multiple contexts. Outcomes & Results Results were promising and participants' knowledge of the targeted words significantly increased following intervention. Progress was demonstrated on the Word Knowledge Profile on the item requiring participants to define the word (for the summer intervention group only). This increase in depth of knowledge was seen on taught words but not on matched non-taught words. Conclusions & Implications Cross-curriculum words are not consistently understood by adolescents at risk of low educational attainment within a low socio-economic context. A 10-week intervention programme resulted in some increases to the depth of knowledge of targeted cross-curriculum words. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]