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Taking an international comparative perspective, the paper seeks to identify conditions that favour or impede participation in continuing higher education (CHE), and to answer the question what lessons can be learned from other countries. To this end we present selected findings of a secondary analysis of data from seven countries and systematically relate them to the country-specific institutional context. Our analysis suggests that the present situation and the future development of CHE are strongly path-dependent and context-bound. This systemic character of CHE restricts the transferability of particular features of a country's CHE system. Nonetheless, there remain several lessons to be learned from other countries.

Research has generally amalgamated minority ethnic (all called "Asian" or "black") disabled young people's experiences and failed to acknowledge the multiple aspects of Asian and black disabled identities, for example how the combined attributes of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, culture, class and disability shape their perspectives and experiences. In an attempt to address this issue my doctoral research explored the experiences and perspectives of 13 young Pakistani and Bangladeshi disabled people. By drawing on the substantive and theoretical findings which emerged from my analysis in this paper I shall consider how multiple aspects of identity, such as ethnicity, disability and gender, affect this population's identity and self-image and how this makes their experiences different from white disabled young people and other minority groups' experiences. (Contains 1 note.)

This article reflects on key methodological issues emerging from children and young people's involvement in data analysis processes. We outline a pragmatic framework illustrating different approaches to engaging children, using two case studies of children's experiences of participating in data analysis. The article highlights methods of engagement and important issues such as the balance of power between adults and children, training, support, ethical considerations, time and resources. We argue that involving children in data analysis processes can have several benefits, including enabling a greater understanding of children's perspectives and helping to prioritise children's agendas in policy and practice.

In this paper we present a field-based practical exercise that allows students in forestry, ecology and natural resources to develop their understanding of forest stand dynamics. The exercise involves measurement of key tree growth parameters in four even-aged, single-species plantation stands of different age but occupying sites with similar soil and environmental characteristics. The selected stands represent key stages in stand development, from establishment to rotation age for maximum fibre production. In the field, students work in small teams to gather data from an equal number of plots within each stand. Tree parameters include top height, crown diameter, live crown ratio and diameter at breast height. In addition, information on stand density and understorey vegetation is collected. Plot size and number can be varied to suit the constraints of class size and available time, though circular plots of 100m[superscript 2] are recommended. In the classroom, data are pooled and analysis focuses on presenting tree and vegetation changes through time. The simplest way of interpreting the data is to prepare graphs and charts for each of the parameters, though more advanced statistical interpretations are possible. The project as outlined here can be modified to meet the needs of different groups, and has been successfully used in undergraduate teaching of silviculture and forest ecology, as well as in postgraduate courses in natural resources management. (Contains 4 figures and 4 tables.)

E-learning is increasingly being used in higher education settings, yet research examining how students use e-resources is frequently limited. Some previous studies have used the think-aloud method (an approach with origins in cognitive psychology) as an alternative to the more usual questionnaire or focus groups, but there is little discussion in the educational literature about the advantages and disadvantages of this approach. In this paper, we discuss our experience of using the think-aloud method in a recent study, and we reflect on its potential contribution as a research method. A number of concerns about the method arose during our study, including the level of guidance given to participants, observer influence, and the complexity of data analysis. We conclude, however, that the richness of the data collected outweighs these constraints, and that the think-aloud method has the potential to enhance research in this field.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to stimulate changes to the way performance data is used to improve performance taking the government's use of project data as an example. Design/methodology/approach: This paper uses systems theory to review the way the government's major projects portfolio should be analysed. Findings: This paper concludes that broader engagement in the analytics process should be considered as a way of improving insights and learning from reviews. The paper suggests that report alone has limited value. Research limitations/implications: By taking a systems approach, this study raises questions about the methods used to manage data analysis and system improvements. Systems thinking is a useful tool to consider applications such as the performance of the government's project portfolio, but there are many other approaches that can be applied. Practical implications: This study makes very specific recommendations around the roles and responsibilities of people and teams at different levels in the system. Roles and activities are described together with recommendations about interfering in and overreaching these roles and activities. Originality/value: This paper synthesises a number of systems approaches together with a view of why "we measure" to create a framework for analysing approaches to performance improvement. The practical application provided here gives insights into how these approaches can be used in real-life contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the practice of benchmarking universities using a "league table" approach. Taking the example of the "Sunday Times University League Table", the author reanalyses the descriptive data on UK universities. Using a linear programming technique, data envelope analysis (DEA), the author uses the re-analysis to demonstrate the major shortcomings of current league tables. Those shortcomings include the arbitrary allocation of weightings to performance indicators, the failure to differentiate between inputs and outputs, and the comparison of institutions with dissimilar comparators. DEA is used to exemplify how these three shortcomings could be overcome, and how a better approach to benchmarking could be developed. In particular, it is argued that a DEA approach to benchmarking allows for the recognition of diverse missions, which is more appropriate to universities.

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the association of COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths with mental health, unemployment and financial markets-related search terms for the USA, the UK, India and worldwide using Google Trends. Design/methodology/approach: The authors use Spearman's rank correlation coefficients to assess the relationship between relative search volumes (RSVs) and mental health, unemployment and financial markets-related search terms, with the total confirmed COVID-19 cases as well as deaths in the USA, UK, India and worldwide. The sample period starts from the day 100 cases were reported for the first time, which is 7 March 2020, 13 March 2020, 23 March 2020 and 28 January 2020 for the US, the UK, India and worldwide, respectively, and ends on 25 June 2020. Findings: The results indicate a significant increase in anxiety, depression and stress leading to sleeping disorders or insomnia, further deteriorating mental health. The RSVs of employment are negatively significant, implying that people are hesitant to search for new jobs due to being susceptible to exposure, imposed lockdown and social distancing measures and changing employment patterns. The RSVs for financial terms exhibit the varying associations of COVID-19 cases and deaths with the stock market, loans, rent, etc. Research limitations/implications: This study has implications for the policymakers, health experts and the government. The state governments must provide proper medical facilities and holistic care to the affected population. It may be noted that the findings of this study only lead us to conclude about the relationship between COVID-19 cases and deaths and Google Trends searches, and do not as such indicate the effect on actual behaviour. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first attempt to investigate the relationship between the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the USA, UK and India and at the global level and RSVs for mental health-related, job-related and financial keywords. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to effectively model the potential impacts of future climate change, there is a requirement for climate data inputs which (a) are of high spatial and temporal resolution, (b) explore a range of future climate change scenarios, (c) are consistent with historical observations in the historical period, and (d) provide an exploration of climate model uncertainty. This paper presents a suite of climate projections for the United Kingdom that conform to these requirements: CHESS-SCAPE. CHESS-SCAPE is a 1 km resolution dataset containing 11 near-surface meteorological variables that can be used to as input to many different impact models. The variables are available at several time resolutions, from daily to decadal means, for the years 1980–2080. It was derived from the state-of-the art regional climate projections in the United Kingdom Climate Projections 2018 (UKCP18) regional climate model (RCM) 12 km ensemble, downscaled to 1 km using a combination of physical and empirical methods to account for local topographic effects. CHESS-SCAPE has four ensemble members, which were chosen to span the range of temperature and precipitation change in the UKCP18 ensemble, representing the ensemble climate model uncertainty. CHESS-SCAPE consists of projections for four emissions scenarios, given by the Representative Concentration Pathways 2.6, 4.5, 6.0 and 8.5, which were derived from the UKCP18 RCM RCP8.5 scenarios using time shifting and pattern scaling. These correspond to UK annual warming projections of between 0.9–1.9 K for RCP2.6 up to 2.8–4.3 K for RCP8.5 between 1980–2000 and 2060–2080. Little change in annual precipitation is projected, but larger changes in seasonal precipitation are seen with some scenarios projecting large increases in precipitation in the winter (up to 22 %) and large decreases in the summer (up to - 39 %). All four RCP scenarios and ensemble members are also provided with bias correction, using the CHESS-met historical gridded dataset as a baseline. With high spatial and temporal resolution, an extensive range of warming scenarios and multiple ensemble members, CHESS-SCAPE provides a comprehensive data resource for modellers of climate change impacts in the UK. The CHESS-SCAPE data are available for download from the NERC EDS Centre for Environmental Data Analysis: 10.5285/8194b416cbee482b89e0dfbe17c5786c. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secondary analysis of datasets can extend previous work in the field, provide a greater quantity of material, and has the advantages of speed and lower cost. More use of secondary data could improve the low esteem of educational research. (Contains 15 references.) (SK)

Purpose: This paper aims to describe the use of an innovative resilience-building training programme delivered to NHS Safeguarding Leads and other participating professionals over a five-month period concluding in March 2019. The developers used knowledge and expertise in both the fields of psychology and drama-based learning to promote comprehension, retention and a capacity for using and conveying these strategies to other health-care workers. Design/methodology/approach: Attendees were given pre- and post-questionnaires to examine the effectiveness of the training in terms of understanding the stages of burnout, developing an awareness of personal risk factors that may be associated with potential burnout and their perceptions of the confidence they have in both evaluating their personal resilience and using acquired skills and coping techniques that they may apply to their personal and professional lives. A Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test was administered, to assess the significance of the difference between pre- and post-training scores. Findings: Following the training, participants reported statistically significant improvements relating to their understanding of terms, including "burnout". They also reported an increased awareness of their personal risk factors associated with burnout and felt more resilient having completed the training. Statistically significant changes were reported in all of these areas, with the drama element of the training being commended on about one third of all feedback forms where, with the post-test results, a narrative (unscored) opportunity for feedback was sought. Research limitations/implications: The authors note that a long-term follow-up of retention and use of this training was not undertaken, though they consider that, post-pandemic, this necessary training can be reinitiated and that, as with other professional initiatives, video-engagement technology may be, through innovative efforts, merged with these effective training techniques as an option for future training applications. Practical implications: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this training programme was the first of its kind to use a psychologically underpinned drama-based didactic approach to build resilience and protect against burnout. The results of this paper show that this training used an effective and efficient medium for successfully meeting these primary objectives. Social implications: It is considered that using a similar training approach would be effective in building resilience and preventing burnout in health-care professionals. Originality/value: This paper evaluates the effectiveness of an innovative resilience-building training programme drawing upon the field of psychology and drama-based learning to support safeguarding professionals within the NHS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Developmental language disorder (DLD) has clear functional ramifications in the areas of social competency, emotion recognition, emotional well‐being and literacy skill, which have been found to persist from childhood to adolescence. These domains are important factors during the transition from primary to secondary school in typical development (TD). Nevertheless, there is a paucity of research on the transition from primary to secondary school for adolescents with DLD and low language (LL) ability. Aims: To investigate the association between psychosocial domains, literacy skill and concerns about school during the transition to secondary school for adolescents with DLD, LL and their TD peers. The first research question examined whether levels of social competency, emotion recognition, emotional well‐being and literacy skill predicted school concern for the three groups. The second research question explored the longitudinal relationship between school concern and psychosocial and literacy indicators over the transition. Methods & Procedures: Participants (aged 10–11 years) with DLD (n = 30), LL ((n = 29) and TD (n = 42) were recruited for this longitudinal study from eight UK primary schools. Standardized language and psychosocial assessments were administered in the spring and summer terms of the final year of primary school, and the autumn and summer terms of the first year in secondary school. Outcomes & Results: Regression analyses showed pre‐transition school concern to be predicted by emotion recognition for the DLD group, by social competence and emotional well‐being for the LL group, and by social competence for the TD group. Post‐transition concern was predicted by emotional well‐being for the LL group; with no significant predictors for the DLD/TD groups. Path analyses revealed an association between literacy skill and emotion recognition for the DLD group. A developmental cascade illustrated a relationship between social competence and emotional well‐being for the TD group. Conclusions & Implications: This study concludes that transition interventions must be differentiated according to language ability; support for DLD adolescents should focus on emotion recognition skill, provision for LL adolescents should centre on emotional well‐being, and TD participants should be particularly supported in the domain of social competence in advance of the move to secondary school. Additionally, this study emphasizes the importance of the inclusion of a LL group, as their outcomes cannot be predicted using DLD/TD research. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject: There is limited research exploring the transition from primary school to secondary for adolescents with DLD or LL ability. Research on TD has highlighted vulnerable domains at this time. As these key areas are evidenced spheres of difficulty in DLD and LL, there was a strong impetus for this study. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: This study reveals differences between language ability groups in the predictors of school concern both pre‐ and post‐transition. Concerns of adolescents with DLD were predicted by emotion recognition, those of adolescents with LL were predicted by emotional well‐being, and a longitudinal link between social competence and emotional well‐being was evidenced for TD adolescents. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: This study has implications for researchers and clinicians, as a need has been identified for a new clinical group. It also has practical implications for transition support planning for educational practitioners, families and adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of Registered Nurses working in residential aged care facilities pertaining to pain management for residents living with dementia. Background: Sub-optimal pain management continues for people living with dementia in residential aged care. Registered Nurses are the pivotal staff responsible for complex assessment and management of people residing in residential aged care facilities. Design and methods: :This integrative literature review was informed by Whittemore (2005). Searching and screening followed the PRISMA guidelines. Results: Thirteen papers were identified, the major themes identified were gaps in knowledge and skills, uncertainty of assessment, and delays in treatment. Conclusion: Registered Nurses require education on pain management for people living with dementia in residential aged care. Broader issues in residential aged care contribute to the problem and require examination. Research pertaining to Registered Nurses' roles pain management for residents living with dementia is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The top 100 most cited papers in social work journals in 2000–09 were recently listed in a British Journal of Social Work paper by Hodge, Lacasse and Benson. The citations of these 100 papers in a two-year period (2007–09) were identified and a further manual web-based search was conducted to identify some key features of the citing sources. Descriptive statistics are presented on language of publication and national location of citing authors, as well as type of citing source. Bivariate analysis was conducted of the national location of cited journal by national location of citing first author. This analysis shows a strong tendency towards within-country citation in both the UK and USA, providing some evidence of intellectual chauvinism amongst social work academics and, more specifically, evidence of a Great Atlantic Divide. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Transfers from hospital or 'hospice palliative care units' to care homes for end-of-life care are an increasingly common part of clinical practice but are a source of anxiety and distress for patients, relatives and healthcare professionals. Aim: To understand the experiences of patients discharged to care homes for end-of-life care. Design: Systematic review and narrative synthesis of the UK literature concerning inpatient transfer from a hospital or hospice palliative care unit to a care home for end-of-life care. Results: The published literature is very limited: only three papers and one conference abstract were identified, all of low quality using Gough's weight of evidence assessment. No papers examined transfer from hospital: all were of transfers from hospices and were retrospective case note reviews. Many patients were reported to have been negative or ambivalent about moving and experienced feelings of anxiety or abandonment when transferred. Relatives were often either vehemently opposed or ambivalent. Although some came to accept transfer, others reported the transfer to have seriously affected their loved one's quality of life and that the process of finding a care home had been traumatic. No studies investigated patients' views prospectively, the views of staff or the processes of decision-making. Conclusion: The UK literature is very limited, despite such transfers being an increasingly common part of clinical practice and a source of concern to patients, relatives and staff alike. Further research is urgently needed in this area, especially studies of patients themselves, in order to understand their experiences and views. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Permaculture is a growing but little researched phenomenon emphasising care for the environment, equity, fair treatment of people and working with—and not against—nature. It thus represents a potential alternative to business as usual, capable of addressing fundamental challenges posed by human‐made climate change. The paper examines a previously ignored site of entrepreneurship by taking a practice perspective, exploring connections between the practice and growth of permaculture and institutional entrepreneurship. It assesses practice‐related and institutional factors affecting the start‐up and operation of permaculture enterprises in the United Kingdom. The study maps and surveys UK Permaculture Association members who have started up their own business and reports on qualitative data from personal interviews with twenty of them. Data analysis employs NVivo software and involves thematic analysis pertaining to the practice, institutional biographies and institutional portfolios of permaculture entrepreneurs. The findings show the importance of permaculture activists' institutional biographies and institutional portfolios to the start‐up and operation of permaculture enterprises and for shaping permaculture‐related practice. The contribution of the paper lies in how it balances attention to individual agency with subfield‐specific, organisational field and macrosocial factors in understanding 'beyond profit' entrepreneurship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a workforce shortage in the children's hospice sector, but there has been little research on the specific challenges of working in this setting and on how these challenges might be alleviated. To identify appropriate interventions to improve staff wellbeing, the drivers of wellbeing in children's hospices need to be known and measured. This paper reports on the development of two measures, one for work-related rewards and one for work-related stressors, for use in children's hospice care teams. Methods: A mixed-methods, four-stage study; the first three phases focused on the development of the scales, and the last stage focused on the validation of the scales. Participants of all stages were children's hospice care team staff members in the UK. Stage 1: survey assessing the relevance and comprehensiveness of the original scale items (N = 60); Stages 2 (focus groups; N = 16) and 3 (cognitive interviews; N = 14) to assess content validity; Stage 4: UK-wide survey (N = 414) to validate the final version of the new, children's hospice-specific scales using Rasch Analysis (RA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Results: Due to poor fitting indices shown in the results from the RA, five items (out of 36) were removed from the new rewards scale used in the UK-wide survey and 20 (out of 62) were removed from the new stressors scale. CFA also supported the removal of the items and showed a one-factor structure for the rewards scale and a three-factor structure for the stressors scale were adequate—the sub-scales for the stressors scale related to caring for an ill or dying child ("Child" sub-scale), working with parents and families ("Parent" sub-scale), and stressors related to organisational factors, such as team conflict and workload ("Organisation" sub-scale). Conclusions: Both of the new scales showed good psychometric properties and can be useful in clinical settings and research to assess the perceived intensity of the work-related rewards and stressors for children's hospice staff. [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]

Whilst urban areas are thriving in trialling new mobility services (NMS), rural environments, often perceived as areas of low demand for travel, struggle to attract investments for creating more mobility solutions alongside traditional public transport (PT) services, making residents more reliant on private cars. This paper describes how policy interventions for introducing NMS in rural areas should be guided by big data to capture real and accurate travel behaviours, therefore avoiding perceived biases and potentially underestimating demand. In the UK, the provision of transport in rural areas is solely linked to population density and does not consider differences between places and residents' travel habits. The proposed data‐driven decision‐making process used trip‐chains from mobile network data (MND) to derive recent and accurate travel patterns from residents and provide the right mix of on‐demand mobility services alongside existing fixed scheduled public transport (PT). The manuscript describes the steps carried out to study three rural areas at low, medium and high population density in the UK: a data landscape to select study areas; the development of an activity‐based model, which uses anonymised mobile network data (MND) aggregated at trip‐chains level to derive travel patterns; and the development of an on‐line questionnaire and focus groups with rural communities to co‐designing solutions based on attitudes towards NMS. Results demonstrated that a data‐driven decision making process to introduce NMS is a viable solution for updating demand for travel in rural areas, offering a broad understanding of mobility needs and the relationship of interdependency with nearby areas, therefore allowing policy makers to create users‐centric transport solutions. The study concludes by drawing recommendations for NMS for passengers and goods for the NMS proposed for a rural areas [Demand Responsive Transport (DRT), Micro‐mobility and delivery drones]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most biological scientists conduct experiments to look for effects, and test the results statistically. One of the commonly used test is Student's t test. However, this test concentrates on a very limited question. The authors assume that there is no effect in the experiment, and then estimate the possibility that they could have obtained these results. The logic of the Student's t test procedure, which is a null hypothesis significance test, is not very clear when applied to biological experiments, which are usually done to show effects. The Student's t test proposes that one is "not" going to find an effect. The authors suggest that an alternative approach which often suits biological data from experiments very well is to construct a model, for example using a linear or logistic regression to explain the data, and see how well the model fits. A simple example would be a dose-response curve. For scientists who are investigating mechanisms, this process is very satisfactory. The authors conclude that statistical tests are tools to be used carefully and with some prior thought. (Contains 3 figures.)

In recent years, there has been a proliferation of sophisticated, user-friendly and accessible instruments of video data collection (e.g. mobile/cell phones and tablets) which facilitate video-based research and analysis. This paper reports on the opportunities and challenges of undertaking video analysis by reporting on the qualitative video analysis of a subset of 30 purposively selected videos from #notanurse_but, a parent-driven video campaign initiated by WellChild, a UK charity. This paper provides insight into one way of conducting video analysis, appreciating that a variety of approaches exist and that methodological reflections on analytical work with video recordings are limited. The authors critically consider researcher subjectivity; the everydayness of video data; making assumptions; and the incomplete picture provided by video data. Despite notable limitations to the approach of video analysis as a standalone method, the authors conclude that video analysis is capable of eliciting data that may not otherwise be obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning analytics (LA) has demonstrated great potential in improving teaching quality, learning experience and administrative efficiency. However, the adoption of LA in higher education is often beset by challenges in areas such as resources, stakeholder buy‐in, ethics and privacy. Addressing these challenges in a complex system requires agile leadership that is responsive to pressures in the environment and capable of managing conflicts. This paper examines LA adoption processes among 21 UK higher education institutions using complexity leadership theory as a framework. The data were collected from 23 interviews with institutional leaders and subsequently analysed using a thematic coding scheme. The results showed a number of prominent challenges associated with LA deployment, which lie in the inherent tensions between innovation and operation. These challenges require a new form of leadership to create and nurture an adaptive space in which innovations are supported and ultimately transformed into the mainstream operation of an institution. This paper argues that a complexity leadership model enables higher education to shift towards more fluid and dynamic approaches for LA adoption, thus ensuring its scalability and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is increasing interest in modelling longitudinal dietary data and classifying individuals into subgroups (latent classes) who follow similar trajectories over time. These trajectories could identify population groups and time points amenable to dietary interventions. This paper aimed to provide a comparison and overview of two latent class methods: group-based trajectory modelling (GBTM) and growth mixture modelling (GMM). Data from 2963 mother–child dyads from the longitudinal Southampton Women's Survey were analysed. Continuous diet quality indices (DQI) were derived using principal component analysis from interviewer-administered FFQ collected in mothers pre-pregnancy, at 11- and 34-week gestation, and in offspring at 6 and 12 months and 3, 6–7 and 8–9 years. A forward modelling approach from 1 to 6 classes was used to identify the optimal number of DQI latent classes. Models were assessed using the Akaike and Bayesian information criteria, probability of class assignment, ratio of the odds of correct classification, group membership and entropy. Both methods suggested that five classes were optimal, with a strong correlation (Spearman's = 0·98) between class assignment for the two methods. The dietary trajectories were categorised as stable with horizontal lines and were defined as poor (GMM = 4 % and GBTM = 5 %), poor-medium (23 %, 23 %), medium (39 %, 39 %), medium-better (27 %, 28 %) and best (7 %, 6 %). Both GBTM and GMM are suitable for identifying dietary trajectories. GBTM is recommended as it is computationally less intensive, but results could be confirmed using GMM. The stability of the diet quality trajectories from pre-pregnancy underlines the importance of promotion of dietary improvements from preconception onwards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patient and public involvement (PPI) is increasingly seen as essential to health service research. There are strong moral and ethical arguments for good quality PPI. Despite the development of guidance aimed at addressing the inconsistent reporting of PPI activities within research, little progress has been made in documenting the steps taken to undertake PPI and how it influences the direction of a study. Without this information, there are minimal opportunities to share learnings across projects and strengthen future PPI practices. The aim of this paper is to present details on the processes and activities planned to integrate PPI into the qualitative research component of a mixed-methods, multi-site study evaluating the implementation of a smart template to promote personalised primary care for patients with multiple long-term conditions. Methods: This proposal describes the processes and activities planned to integrate PPI into the development and piloting of qualitative data collection tools (topic guides for both practice staff and patients) and a tailored data analysis package developed for PPI members incorporating broad concepts and specific methods of qualitative data analysis. Discussion: Outputs relating to PPI activity may include clear, concise and suitably worded topic guides for qualitative interviews. Piloting of the topic guides via mock interviews will further develop researchers' skills including sensitisation to the experiences of participants being interviewed. Working with PPI members when analysing the qualitative data aims to provide reciprocal learning opportunities and may contribute to improving the overall rigour of the data analysis. The intent of publishing proposed PPI activities within this project is to inform the future delivery of high quality PPI. Plain English summary: Patient and public involvement (PPI) improves healthcare research, however, there is little published evidence of proposed PPI activities within a research study. The aim of this article is to describe the proposed PPI activities which are to be integrated into a study implementing a smart template to promote personalised care for people with multiple long-term conditions within primary care in the United Kingdom. The proposal describes the ways in which PPI members will be included within the data collection and analysis phases of a research study which includes interviews with primary care staff and patients. PPI members will be asked to develop questions for these interviews and to take part in a mock interview whereby a researcher interviews a PPI member. The proposal also provides details on qualitative data analysis workshops which will be specifically developed for PPI members. The impact of PPI activities could include clear, concise and suitably worded questions used within the interviews. Piloting of these questions via mock interviews may enable researchers to further develop their interviewing skills. It is anticipated that involving PPI members when analysing qualitative data will provide opportunities for reciprocal learning and lead to rich interpretations of the data, inclusive of the PPI members' perspectives. Publishing a record of planned PPI activities and potential impacts demonstrates the rationale and considerations made by the team to ensure that involvement in this study is meaningful and has potential benefits for all involved. The team hopes this proposal will support others with the planning and delivery of PPI activities. In future publications, we will reflect on the learnings, challenges, and outcomes from the PPI activities detailed in this proposal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: As individuals adjust to new 'norms' and ways of living during the COVID-19 lockdown, there is a continuing need for up-to-date information and guidance. Evidence suggests that frequent media exposure is related to a higher prevalence of mental health problems, especially anxiety and depression. The aim of this study was to determine whether COVID-19 related media consumption is associated with changes in mental health outcomes. Methods: This paper presents baseline data from the COVID-19 Psychological Wellbeing Study. The cross-sectional study data was collected using an online survey following the Generalised Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), with some other basic information collected. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the influence of socio-demographic and media specific factors on anxiety and depression. Results: The study suggested that media usage is statistically significantly associated with anxiety and depression on the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scales with excessive media exposure related to higher anxiety and depression scores. Conclusion: This study indicated that higher media consumption was associated with higher levels of anxiety and depression. Worldwide it should be acknowledged that excessive media consumption, particularly social media relating to COVID-19, can have an effect on mental health. However, as this was a cross-sectional study we cannot infer any directionality as we cannot infer cause and effect; therefore, future research involving longitudinal data collection and analyses of variables over time is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to critically examine the quality of professional doctorates (PDs) from the perspective of programme supervisors in terms of how quality assurance provisions have to meet their expectations. Design/methodology/approach: The study employed an interpretative approach, using semi-structured interviews and online semi-structured questionnaire to generate data from 25 programme supervisors across universities in the UK. Data analysis and interpretation were carried out using the interactive data analysis approach (Miles and Huberman, 1994), the "bottom–up" approach to data analysis (Creswell, 2012) and the interpretative strategy recommended by Mason (2002). Four themes emerged from the data that encapsulated programme advisors' perspectives: characteristics of supervisors; opportunities in institutional quality assurance provision; challenges in quality assurance process for PDs; and supervisors' views on how quality assurance in PD can be enhanced. Findings: Quality assurance provisions have not adequately provided for the unique characteristics of PDs owing to a number of issues including lack of clarity on the philosophy and focus of PDs and conflicting perspectives among PD supervisors relating to what should ideally constitute a quality assurance process for PDs. This paper argues that to develop a relevant and robust quality assurance provision for PDs, it would be essential to ensure that the PD fundamental philosophy and focus are coherently explained. In addition, it is crucial to ensure that quality assurance provisions cover not only the academic rigor of higher level learning but also the value and potential impact of outcomes on practice and the professions. The paper also highlights a list of useful suggestions from supervisors on how to enhance quality assurance. Research limitations/implications: The research identifies a number of issues confronting quality assurance in PDs and the need for academics and policymakers to work together to deal with these to achieve the full value in PDs. As the research was based on a sample of 25 supervisors in a conference, it would be difficult and unsustainable to generalise. Hence, further research using large sample sizes of supervisors and other stakeholders based on whole programmes would be useful to achieve a sustained understanding of how quality assurance provisions of PDs have to meet expectations of the professions and professional contexts. Practical implications: To get the practical value and benefits of PDs, all stakeholders (academics, policymakers and professionals) would need to work together to ensure that appropriate quality assurance processes are developed to reflect the unique nature of the programmes. Originality/value: The paper provides a critical perspective to the current debate on quality assuring PDs from the perspective of PD supervisors who have generally been left out. It highlights issues related to quality assuring PDs, the misalignment between quality assurance provisions and the philosophy and expectations of PDs, and suggests ways through which these can be appropriately addressed to enhance quality assurance in PDs. The main contribution from this research is that it brings to the fore what supervisors, who are a part of the major players in the PD process, think about the current state of quality assurance and what can be done to make it more effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hope is considered crucial to mental health recovery. However, the manner in which social inequalities shape individuals' meaning of hope has received little attention. Based on a close analysis of the recovery journeys of six Chinese service users in the UK, this paper explores the diverse meanings of hope among service users from non-dominant cultures. Illustrative stories are selected from in-depth life history interviews conducted with twenty-two participants. Based on the capabilities approach and intersectionality analysis, the findings reveal a paradox of hope and show how hope can be embraced, cautiously pursued or held at bay by individuals. Whilst hope is one expression of human agency, service users with reservations about hope maintain agency in other ways, despite their diminished life chances. This paper argues for an increased focus on individuals' agency development to support recovery and advocates for the challenging of inequalities to achieve this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A paper of interest to both marketing practitioners and marketing educators, it reports some of the findings of a recent survey undertaken for the Institute of Marketing on the background and training of marketing executives in the UK. Selected findings and their implications are discussed, specifically the respondents' educational qualifications, level and marketing content; participation in training courses, their attitudes towards future training and career development. The final section of the paper looks at the respondents' expressed needs for further marketing training to better equip them for both their current jobs and their future career. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Pilot studies are more commonly associated with quantitative research, and their use is under-reported in qualitative approaches. This paper discusses the value of undertaking a pilot study in a doctoral research project to examine nursing students' understanding of recovery in mental health by adopting what is called a phenomenographic approach, which in research is concerned with the variation in how particular phenomena are experienced. Aim To explore the usefulness of three different methods of collecting data - interviewing, completed exam papers and a written response to a scenario - and the Dahlgren and Fallsberg (1991)framework for phenomenographic data analysis. Discussion Methodological issues experienced during the collection and analysis of data in the project are discussed. Conclusion The pilot study provided an opportunity for valuable insights to be gained into the methodological issues related to phenomenography and to revise the research plan for the larger study. Implications for practice While it may not be generalised to other qualitative studies, this paper may help others undertaking studies that adopt this approach and points to the general value of pilot studies in qualitative research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AI-tools such as ChatGPT can assist researchers to improve the performance of the research process. This paper examines whether researchers could apply ChatGPT to develop and empirically validate new research scales. The study describes a process how to prompt ChatGPT to assist the scale development of a new construct, using the example of the construct of perceived value of ChatGPT-supported consumer behavior. The paper reports four main empirical studies (US: N = 148; Australia: N = 317; UK: N = 108; Germany: N = 51) that have been employed to validate the newly developed scale. The first study purifies the scale. The following studies confirm the adjusted factorial validity of the reduced scale. Although the empirical data imply a simplification of the initial multi-dimensional scale, the final three-dimensional operationalization is highly reliable and valid. The paper outlines the shortcomings and several critical notes to stimulate more research and discussion in this area. • This paper examines whether researchers could apply ChatGPT to develop and empirically validate new research scales. • The study describes a process how to prompt ChatGPT to assist the scale development of a new construct. • Four empirical studies establish the prognostic validity and the construct validity of the newly developed scale. • The paper outlines the shortcomings and several critical notes to stimulate more research and discussion in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Panel data analysis is an important topic in statistics and econometrics. Traditionally, in panel data analysis, all individuals are assumed to share the same unknown parameters, e.g. the same coefficients of covariates when the linear models are used, and the differences between the individuals are accounted for by cluster effects. This kind of modelling only makes sense if our main interest is on the global trend, this is because it would not be able to tell us anything about the individual attributes which are sometimes very important. In this paper, we propose a modelling based on the single index models embedded with homogeneity for panel data analysis, which builds the individual attributes in the model and is parsimonious at the same time. We develop a data driven approach to identify the structure of homogeneity, and estimate the unknown parameters and functions based on the identified structure. Asymptotic properties of the resulting estimators are established. Intensive simulation studies conducted in this paper also show the resulting estimators work very well when sample size is finite. Finally, the proposed modelling is applied to a public financial dataset and a UK climate dataset, the results reveal some interesting findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary: What is known on the subject?: Mental healthcare requires acceptance of suicide and flexible attitudes especially in relation to caring for people who have suicidal thoughts or who have attempted suicide. Nurse education programmes for student nurses can shape positively the attitudes of individual participants, yet limited research exists on what nursing students' attitudes currently are towards people who are suicidal. What this paper adds to existing knowledge?: This paper adds to the developing international comparative work that is providing a greater understanding of cultural perceptions of suicide amongst students. This paper along with existing literature highlights a potential relationship between certain religious belief systems and their potential to be protective against suicide. At the same time, such religious belief is more likely to be associated with more judgmental attitude towards suicidal behaviour. This paper using a validated research tool, devised by a research psychologist, scored for the first time, individual student attitudes towards caring for people that are suicidal, whilst establishing the overall differences between the two countries from which the data are collected. What are the implications for practice?: This paper offers potential explanations for differences in nursing students' attitudes between the UK and Turkey. Disparities under discussion include gender, type of education, culture and religion. This is an important discussion in the consideration of nurse education worldwide. It is recognized that students may come from a variety of different backgrounds, with varying personal and social attitudes to begin with; yet, there exists the potential to positively influence overall attitudes towards service users whilst learners are still within a training programme, consisting of education and practice experiences. The merits of a specialist mental health nurse training programme and its potential to impact more favourably on students attitudes deserve more attention and research. Abstract: Introduction: Suicide is a major public health issue internationally, and the impact of positive or negative attitudes amongst the mental health professional workforce warrants scrutiny. The study aimed to examine English and Turkish nursing students' attitudes towards people with suicidal behaviour. Method: This cross‐cultural study reports on attitudes of 240 nursing students towards suicide in Turkey and 82 nursing students in the UK. A reliable and valid 24 item “Attitudes towards Suicide Scale” and “Social Reactions to Suicidal Persons Scale” were used to measure attitudes. Results: The UK nursing students were found to display more accepting attitudes to suicide, and scored higher on acceptability of suicide, seeing suicide as a solution and open reporting and discussion of suicide subscales than their Turkish counterparts. Turkish nursing students scored higher on punishment after death and hiding suicidal behaviour subscales than the UK students. Turkish nursing students scored significantly higher on deterring subscale of reactions to a suicidal peer scale than the UK nursing students. Implications for practice: It is vital for nurse students to develop positive acceptance of suicide through education, reflection and clinical supervision to be more therapeutic towards suicidal patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a truism that whole energy system models underpin the development of policies for energy system decarbonisation. However, recent reviews have thrown doubt on the appropriateness of such models for addressing the multiple goals for future energy systems, in the face of emergent real-world complexity and the evolution of stakeholder's priorities. Without an understanding of the changing priorities of policy makers and expectations of stakeholders for future systems, system objectives and constraints are likely to be ill-defined, and there is a risk that models may be inadvertently instrumentalised. Adopting a system architecture perspective, the authors have undertaken a three-year programme of research to explore strategies for decarbonising heat in the UK, with interaction with and elicitation of needs from stakeholders at its heart. This paper presents the procedure, methods, and results of an exercise in which experts from stakeholder organisations across the energy system were interviewed. Analysis of interview data reveals two broad approaches to heat decarbonisation which can be defined as either adaptive or transformative. Specific insights gained from these interviews enabled our modelling teams to refocus their work for exploration with a wider circle of stakeholders. Results suggests that this iterative approach to formalising model-policy interaction could improve the transparency and legitimacy of modelling and enhance its impact on policy making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Ego Resiliency Scale-Revised (ER89-R). Though support exists for a multidimensional conceptualisation using classical test theory approaches (i.e., a higher-order model comprising Openness to Life Experiences and Optimal Regulation factors), this measure has not been subjected to Rasch analysis. Accordingly, this paper evaluated the higher-order model via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) before assessing Openness to Life Experiences and Optimal Regulation components using Rasch analysis. CFA, using a general population sample (N = 2009), supported the higher-order factor structure. Openness to Life Experiences and Optimal Regulation scales met Rasch model assumptions. Specifically, good item/person fit and item/person reliability, and evidence of unidimensionality. Moreover, most items displayed gender invariance. Overall, findings supported the higher-order conceptualisation of the ER89-R, and indicated that the Openness to Life Experiences and Optimal Regulation scales are relatively useful measures of ego resiliency components in a general population sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sound of our speech is influenced by the places we come from. Great Britain contains a wide variety of distinctive accents which are of interest to linguistics. In particular, the 'a' vowel in words like 'class' is pronounced differently in the North and the South. Speech recordings of this vowel can be represented as formant curves or as mel‐frequency cepstral coefficient curves. Functional data analysis and generalised additive models offer techniques to model the variation in these curves. Our first aim was to model the difference between typical Northern and Southern vowels /æ/ and /ɑ/, by training two classifiers on the North‐South Class Vowels dataset collected for this paper. Our second aim is to visualise geographical variation of accents in Great Britain. For this we use speech recordings from a second dataset, the British National Corpus (BNC) audio edition. The trained models are used to predict the accent of speakers in the BNC, and then we model the geographical patterns in these predictions using a soap film smoother. This work demonstrates a flexible and interpretable approach to modelling phonetic accent variation in speech recordings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2009, St George’s University of London (SGUL) replaced their paper-based problem-based learning (PBL) cases with virtual patients for intermediate-level undergraduate students. This involved the development of Decision-Problem-Based Learning (D-PBL), a variation on progressive-release PBL that uses virtual patients instead of paper cases, and focuses on patient management decisions and their consequences. Methods: Using a case study method, this paper describes four years of developing and running D-PBL at SGUL from individual activities up to the ways in which D-PBL functioned as an educational system. Results: A number of broad issues were identified: the importance of debates and decision-making in making D-PBL activities engaging and rewarding; the complexities of managing small group dynamics; the time taken to complete D-PBL activities; the changing role of the facilitator; and the erosion of the D-PBL process over time. Conclusions: A key point in understanding this work is the construction and execution of the D-PBL activity, as much of the value of this approach arises from the actions and interactions of students, their facilitators and the virtual patients rather than from the design of the virtual patients alone. At a systems level D-PBL needs to be periodically refreshed to retain its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Retail traffic is one of the main drivers for the growth of intermodal transport services in the UK. This paper examines the key factors underpinning this modal shift in order to learn lessons for other market and geographical contexts. Since successful retail intermodal logistics involves many actors, this paper is based on semi-structured interviews with major UK retailers, third-party logistics providers (3PLs) and rail operators, supplemented by document analysis. The qualitative data are analysed via a conceptual framework derived from the literature. Despite past successes and the presence of drivers for future growth, the paper identifies many operational issues without current solutions and the presence of ongoing public subsidy. The major conclusion is that the importance of 3PLs, aggregation and multi-user platforms must be recognised by transport planners in supporting the use of intermodal transport by retailers and other large shippers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: The E-Freeze trial is a multi-centre randomised controlled trial of fresh versus frozen embryo transfer for women undergoing in vitro fertilisation. This paper describes the statistical analysis plan for the E-Freeze trial.Methods and Design: E-Freeze is a two-arm parallel-group, multi-centre, individually randomised controlled trial to determine if a policy of freezing embryos, followed by thawed frozen embryo transfer, results in a higher healthy baby rate when compared with the current policy of transferring fresh embryos. Couples undergoing their first, second or third cycle of in vitro fertilisation at fertility centres in the UK were randomised to either fresh or frozen embryo transfer. The primary outcome is a healthy baby, defined as a live singleton baby born at term with an appropriate weight for gestation. This paper describes the statistical analysis plan for the trial, including the analysis principles, definitions of outcomes, methods for primary analysis, pre-specified subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis. This plan was finalised prior to completion of recruitment to the trial.Trial Registration: ISRCTN registry: ISRCTN61225414 . Registered on 29 December 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a thorough empirical investigation of the potential link between corporate innovations and corporate competitiveness in the context of the UK IT industry. Design/methodology/approach: This research uses a panel of 216 UK IT firms for the period from 2000 to 2016. The sample data for this study were extracted from the Worldscope, extracted from the Datastream database from Thomson Reuters. For the analysis of the data, the generalised method of moments model is applied. Findings: The results of this study provide empirical evidence that there exists a strong, positive link between corporate innovations and corporate competitiveness. Such evidence further reinforces the common view in the current literature of strategic management that because of the nature of their business, firms in the IT industry need to enhance their innovative capacities on a continual basis because of their critical role on these firms' success and survival. Also, it is found that when the proxies for corporate innovations are lagged by two periods, their impact on corporate competitiveness becomes relatively more significant. However, when they are further lagged, i.e. by three periods, such an impact turns out to be relatively less pronounced. Research limitations/implications: The data gathered for this paper was restricted to IT-oriented firms in the UK. Using a secondary database (Datastream), the paper considered the period of 2000-2016. Originality/value: The research makes a significant contribution to the current debate on the relationship between information technology, innovation and performance, referred to in the literature as the productivity paradox, by studying the problem in the IT industry. It supports organisations from the sector in their efforts to deal with the dynamic nature of technological innovations and of the context where they operate. Methodologically, the way the study has measured the concepts of innovation and performance and the lessons learned from their analysis has also brought value to the research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Treatment fidelity refers to the degree to which an intervention is implemented as intended. Promoting treatment fidelity is important to achieve a valid comparison in intervention research. However, it is often underreported: few studies detail the use and development of fidelity measures. This study aims to promote the treatment fidelity of a modified version of the Derbyshire Language Scheme (M‐DLS), a manualised intervention for children with language difficulties, by exploring participants' opinions on training and intervention delivery. Results inform development of a checklist and scoring system to monitor and promote treatment fidelity in a comparison trial. Method: Ten student speech and language therapists (SLTs) and two research assistants (RAs) participated in the study. All received training on the M‐DLS, and 10 were video‐recorded completing role‐plays of an M‐DLS session in small groups. Feedback was gathered after training and role‐plays in focus groups and interviews. Feedback was interpreted using the constructs of the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). A treatment fidelity checklist was then developed using the feedback. The first author and two RAs rated role‐play videos using the checklist to trial it to inform amendments and to promote interrater reliability. Interrater agreement was calculated using Spearman's test of correlation. Results: Participants discussed the importance of having clear materials and time to practise sessions. They suggested amendments to the materials and training to promote treatment fidelity. The checklist and scoring system accounted for participants' suggestions, with amendments detailed in a log. Spearman's correlation results suggested agreement between the raters was strong. Conclusions: Results emphasise the importance of training quality, practice and reflective opportunities and clear materials to promote treatment fidelity. The construction of the checklist and scoring system was described in detail, informing the development of future checklists. After further trialling, the checklist can be used to ensure the M‐DLS is delivered with high treatment fidelity in the comparison trial. What this paper adds: What is already known on this subject: Treatment fidelity is an essential component of intervention effectiveness and efficacy studies, ensuring the intervention is delivered as intended. It is also an essential component of evidence-based clinical practice. However, few research studies report the treatment fidelity process or publish the checklists used, depriving clinicians of useful information for implementation. What this study adds: This study describes in detail the iterative process of treatment fidelity checklist development, engaging those implementing the intervention in development. This ensured clarity and interrater reliability of the checklist. Furthermore, a novel scoring system was developed so that accuracy of implementation can be easily compared across users and across practice attempts. What are the clinical implications of this work?: The importance of treatment fidelity when implementing effective and efficacious interventions cannot be overstated. The treatment fidelity checklist developed for research can be easily adopted to support accurate implementation in clinical practice through an audit process. [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]

The scholarly literature on US–UK relations has been marked by recurrent debate over the health and utility of the special relationship, recently enlivened by the policy tensions and political turbulence of the Trump presidency. The literature has also seen a social and cultural 'turn', with a growing focus on the broader linkages between the two countries' societies and cultures. However, there has been limited analysis of public opinion in Britain in recent scholarly research. This article examines the 'image of America' in British public opinion in the twenty-first century, across recent Republican and Democratic presidencies. It uses data from the annual Pew Global Attitudes survey series and Transatlantic Trends survey series to undertake systematic analysis of these quantitative data sources. It examines the following areas: the performance and policies of presidents from Bush to Biden, the US and its people, the state of bilateral relations, and NATO. It examines aggregate-level opinion and also pays close attention to views across different societal groups, based on demographic characteristics, party support and left–right ideology. The paper makes a significant and distinctive contribution to scholarly research into US–UK relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Health of the Nation Outcomes Scales for people with Learning Disabilities (HoNOS-LD) is an 18-item measure which provides a structured and standardized approach to rating various clinical and psychosocial outcomes and has been in use nationally since 2002. Aims: To revise and improve the HoNOS-LD's utility in contemporary intellectual disability (ID) services whilst retaining its original objectives and five-point severity ratings. Method: ID clinicians were invited to complete an online survey, rating each item on the existing measure for being fit for purpose, identifying issues and suggesting improvements based on their experience of using the HoNOS-LD in practice. Scales were then assessed and revised sequentially; survey responses were used to inform discussion and revisions to the HoNOS-LD by the Advisory Board. Results: A total of 75 individuals replied. Respondents had used HoNOS-LD for an average of 8.0 years (S.D. 5.28 years) and 88% found the scale to be useful in their practice. On average, respondents used HoNOS-LD ratings to inform care 42.4% of the time (S.D. 33.5%). For each scale there was a significant negative correlation between the percentage of positive/very positive respondent ratings and the number of changes proposed. Common changes included simplifying terms, reducing ambiguity and replacing anachronistic language. Conclusion: The changes outlined in this paper are based on the advisory group's expert consensus. These changes are intended to improve reliability and validity but now need empirical testing as well as review by service users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the aviation industry, the issuance of airside passes often encounters significant delays, posing logistical challenges and hindering crucial operations. This study delves into the potential of implementing blockchain technology, particularly smart contracts, to streamline and expedite airport security processes. Our analysis of data from leading UK airports reveals notable inefficiencies in the current airside pass issuance procedures, necessitating a transformative solution. We advocate for the integration of blockchain smart contracts as a pioneering approach to substantially reduce processing times. By automating execution based on predefined conditions, smart contracts have the potential to revolutionize airport security operations. This research signifies a groundbreaking advancement in the use of smart contracts within the airline industry, underscoring the substantial efficiency improvements that can be achieved. As we conclude this study, we foresee further research and practical implementations to unlock the full transformative impact of blockchain technology on aviation security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Teenagers represent a small proportion of patients on paediatric intensive care units (PICU) in the United Kingdom. During a time when their development is rapidly changing, an admission to PICU causes additional disruption. The impact of critical illness on psychological health after discharge has not been widely reported within this population. Aim and objectives: To measure anxiety that teenagers report 48‐96 hours and 4 weeks after discharge from PICU. To explore teenagers' experiences of being admitted onto PICU. Design: Two‐phase mixed methods, explanatory sequential design. Methods: This single‐site study was conducted between February and July 2018. An NHS Ethics committee approved the study. Teenagers were screened if they were aged 13‐18 years old and had an elective or emergency admission to PICU for longer than 24 hours. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Anxiety subscale (HADS‐A) was administered on paper and completed with the researcher present. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted in‐person and over the telephone, audio‐recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results: Nine of eighteen participants (50%) obtained scores indicating levels of anxiety which were mild (n = 3; 17%), moderate (n = 2; 11%), or severe (n = 4; 22%) 48‐96 hours after PICU discharge. Four weeks later, all participants scored below the clinically significant cut‐off level for the HADS‐A‐1 Teenagers described their experiences on PICU within three themes:Memories of treatments, side effects, and the PICU environmentLosing a sense of selfFeeling cared for Conclusions: Measured levels of anxiety had resolved in this small sample, 4 weeks after PICU discharge. This finding was not consistent with qualitative data that indicated that many experiences shared by participants were anxiety provoking. Relevance to clinical practice: Support for teenagers after PICU discharge should be available to meet individual needs; screening teenagers to identify support needs would be beneficial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) produce quarterly rolling year House Price Statistics for Small Areas (HPSSAs) for England and Wales. The statistics are produced using administrative data that is obtained without charge from the Land Registry, the government agency responsible for maintaining a record of land ownership in England and Wales. This paper will explain the source data and how it is processed to create the HPSSAs, which are produced for a range of geographies and broken down by house type and whether the property is newly built or existing stock. The method used is flexible and can be adapted to give new cuts of data and applied to new geographies. The paper will then consider how this has allowed ONS to use HPSSAs to support policy and provide new insights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of Earth observation (EO) data in addressing societal problems from environmental through to humanitarian should not be understated. Recent innovation in EO means provision of analysis ready data and data cubes, which allows for rapid use of EO data. This in combination with processing technologies, such as Google Earth Engine and open source algorithms/software for EO data integration and analyses, has afforded an explosion of information to answer research questions and/or inform policy making. However, there is still a need for both training and validation data within EO projects – often this can be challenging to obtain. It has been suggested that citizen science can help here to provide these data, yet there is some perceived hesitancy in using citizen science within EO projects. This paper reports on the Citizen Science 4 EO (Citizens4EO) project that aimed to obtain an in-depth understanding of researchers' and practitioners' experiences with citizen science data in EO within the UK. Through a mixed methods approach (online and in-depth surveys and a spotlight case study) it was found that although the benefits of using citizen science data in EO projects were many (and highlighted in the spotlighted "Slavery from Space" case study), there were a number of common concerns around using citizen science. These were around the mechanics of deploying citizen science and the unreliability of a potentially misinformed or undertrained citizen base. As such, comparing the results of this study with those of a similar survey undertaken in 2016, it is apparent that progress towards optimizing citizen science use in EO has been incremental but positive with evidence of the realization of the benefits of citizen science for EO (Citizens4EO). As such, we conclude by offering priority action areas to support further use of citizen science by the EO community within the UK, which ultimately should be adopted further afield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the continuous growth of online interaction, social media is becoming increasingly useful in understanding trends in human behavior both locally and globally. On average there are approximately 6,000 tweets posted on Twitter every second, equating to approximately 500 million tweets per day. This wealth of information shared publicly can be hugely beneficial in gaining insights into reactions and implications caused by social, environmental, or financial events. The information has the potential to be particularly useful to retailers in terms of market research and sales forecasting when used along with some of the latest data analysis and Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools. The goal of this study is to utilize data from the Twitter platform, shared by the public, to extract what benefits and insights can be gained by analyzing the correlation between external KPIs, extracted from non-UK based geographical social media data, and sales recorded in a UK based luxury retailer at the corresponding time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible Summary: What is already known about this topic?: Individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) have elevated risks for physical health problems and low screening rates.No previous studies have compared the physical health promotion needs of people with SMI using the same screening tool across different international settings. What this paper adds to existing knowledge?: It appears feasible to use the HIP to profile and compare physical health‐related risks in people with SMI across different international settings.The HIP tool identified significant differences in areas of risk across the four countries. What are the implications for practice?: The HIP could be used to identify unique clusters of health promotion needs in different countries.Use of HIP health checks may support implementation of individualized interventions. Introduction: To date, no studies have contrasted physical health profiles of people with severe mental illness (SMI) in different countries. Aim: To evaluate feasibility of using the Health Improvement Profile (HIP) to compare and contrast physical health and health behaviours of people with SMI from four countries. Method: An observational feasibility study using secondary analysis of pooled health state and lifestyle data. Physical health checks using modified versions of HIP were administered in four countries. Results: Findings suggest feasibility of HIP screening to profile and compare physical health and health behaviours of people with SMI across international settings. High overall numbers of risk items (red flags) were identified in all but the Thailand sample. Despite some commonalities, there were important differences in health profiles across countries. Discussion: This is the first study to demonstrate feasibility of the HIP to compare health risks in individuals with SMI across countries. Future multi‐national HIP studies should recruit a fully powered stratified random sample of people with SMI that is representative of each setting. Implications for practice: It appears feasible to utilize the HIP to identify specific areas of health risk in different countries, which may help to better focus nursing interventions and use of resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]