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Background: Stuttering and word-finding difficulty (WFD) are two types of communication difficulty that occur frequently in children who learn English as an additional language (EAL), as well as those who only speak English. The two disorders require different, specific forms of intervention. Prior research has described the symptoms of each type of difficulty. This paper describes the development of a non-word repetition test (UNWR), applicable across languages, that was validated by comparing groups of children identified by their speech and language symptoms as having either stuttering or WFD. Aims: To evaluate whether non-word repetition scores using the UNWR test distinguished between children who stutter and those who have a WFD, irrespective of the children's first language. Methods & Procedures: UNWR was administered to ninety-six 4-5-year-old children attending UK schools (20.83% of whom had EAL). The children's speech samples in English were assessed for symptoms of stuttering and WFD. UNWR scores were calculated. Outcomes & Results: Regression models were fitted to establish whether language group (English only/EAL) and symptoms of (1) stuttering and (2) WFD predicted UNWR scores. Stuttering symptoms predicted UNWR, whereas WFD did not. These two findings suggest that UNWR scores dissociate stuttering from WFD. There were no differences between monolingual English-speakers and children who had EAL. Conclusions & Implications: UNWR scores distinguish between stuttering and WFD irrespective of language(s) spoken, allowing future evaluation of a range of languages in clinics or schools.

Secondary analysis of data from a study of skill needs in the British independent retail sector suggests there is justification for focusing on higher-level training in three areas: building and sustaining competitive advantage, e-commerce, and retail operations. These areas are the core modules in a distance learning initiative that resulted from the study. (Contains 39 references.) (SK)

The article discusses narratives of national identity in Great Britain, referred to as Britishness, during the 2012 Olympic Games held in London, England, as expressed in the "Western Mail," which is the national newspaper of Wales. Topics include the performance of Welsh athletes and Team Great Britain (GB) in the Olympics, British identity, and the cultural impact of large-scale international sporting events. Welsh soccer and the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales are also mentioned.

Procedures were designed to test for the effects of working-memory training on children at risk of fluency difficulty that apply to English and to many of the languages spoken by children with English as an Additional Language (EAL) in UK schools. Working-memory training should: (1) improve speech fluency in high-risk children; (2) enhance non-word repetition (NWR) (phonological) skills for all children; (3) not affect word-finding abilities. Children starting general education (N = 232) were screened to identify those at risk of fluency difficulty. Children were selected who were at high-risk (12), or low-risk (27) of fluency difficulty. For the low-risk children 10 received, and 17 did not receive, the working-memory training. All children in the treatment groups received working-memory training over a 2-week period. For the high-risk group, fluency improved and lasted for at least a week after the end of the study. Phonological skills improved in this group and in the low-risk group who received the training and the improvements continued for at least a week. The low-risk group who did not receive working-memory training showed no improvements, and no group improved word-finding ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents Unit Nine Change and Chance of the Nuffield Advanced Physics, dealing with energy conservation, and a novel statistical approach to diffusion, thermal equilibrium and thermodynamics. Information about energy resources, alternative sources of energy, and energy-cost of materials are also presented. (HM)

Background: Norovirus is the commonest cause of infectious intestinal disease (IID) worldwide. In the UK community incidence of norovirus has been estimated at 59/1000 population, equating to four million cases a year. Whilst norovirus infects people of all ages, a substantial burden occurs in infants and young children. The population of viruses found in sporadic cases among infants has been observed to be more diverse than that associated with outbreaks. In this study, we analysed norovirus-positive specimens collected during the second study of infectious intestinal diseases (IID2 Study) a national community cohort study conducted between April 2008 and August 2009 We examined the data for differences in circulating norovirus strains between two arms of a community cohort, and differences between genotypes and disease outcomes such as illness duration and symptom profiles.Methods: Analysis was conducted to assess genetic diversity of noroviruses in the community. We also assessed differences in the cycle threshold (Ct) value, as a proxy for viral load, between norovirus genogroups and genotypes, and differences in reported symptoms or length of illness in relation to genogroup and genotype.Results: There were 477 samples where norovirus was detected. Whilst 85% of people recovered within two days for vomiting; diarrhoea symptoms were reported to day 4 for 83% of the cases, and 10% of people reported symptoms of diarrhoea lasting between five and six days. Both diarrhoea and vomiting symptoms lasted longer in children aged < 5 years compared to adults. There was a significantly higher proportion of GII.4 in samples obtained from the GP arm of the study (chi-square = 17.8, p < 0.001) compared to samples received via post in the self-reporting arm. In the latter group, the prevalence of GII.6 was significantly higher (chi-square = 7.5, p < 0.001).Conclusions: We found that there is a difference in disease severity by age group. Children aged < 5 years had longer duration of illness, with 10% still having diarrhoea at seven days, and vomiting of between four and five days. The duration of illness reported is higher overall than one might expect for cases in the community in otherwise healthy individuals which has implications for infection control. No differences were observed in relation to duration of vomiting and or diarrhoea by genotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Previous studies have found a strong correlation between internet search and public health surveillance data. Less is known about how search data respond to public health interventions, such as vaccination, and the consistency of responses in different countries. In this study, we aimed to study the correlation between internet searches for "rotavirus" and rotavirus disease activity in the United States, United Kingdom, and Mexico before and after introduction of rotavirus vaccine. Methods. We compared time series of internet searches for "rotavirus" from Google Trends with rotavirus laboratory reports from the United States and United Kingdom and with hospitalizations for acute gastroenteritis in the United States and Mexico. Using time and location parameters, Google quantifies an internet query share (IQS) to measure the relative search volume for specific terms. We analyzed the correlation between IQS and laboratory and hospitalization data before and after national vaccine introductions. Results. There was a strong positive correlation between the rotavirus IQS and laboratory reports in the United States (R2 = 0.79) and United Kingdom (R2 = 0.60) and between the rotavirus IQS and acute gastroenteritis hospitalizations in the United States (R2 = 0.87) and Mexico (R2 = 0.69) (P < .0001 for all correlations). The correlations were stronger in the prevaccine period than in the postvaccine period. After vaccine introduction, the mean rotavirus IQS decreased by 40% (95% confidence interval [CI], 25%-55%) in the United States and by 70% (95% CI, 55%-86%) in Mexico. In the United Kingdom, there was a loss of seasonal variation after vaccine introduction. Conclusions. Rotavirus internet search data trends mirrored national rotavirus laboratory trends in the United States and United Kingdom and gastroenteritis-hospitalization data in the United States and Mexico; lower correlations were found after rotavirus vaccine introduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives While haemodialysis is an effective treatment for end-stage renal disease, the requirements and restrictions it imposes on patients can be onerous. The aim of this study was to obtain UK National Health Service patients' perspectives on the challenges arising from haemodialysis with the intention of identifying potential improvements. Background Depression rates are particularly high in those with end-stage renal disease; however, there is limited insight into the range of stressors associated with haemodialysis treatment within the National Health Service contributing to such high rates, particularly those of a cognitive or psychological nature. Design A qualitative approach was used to obtain rich, patient-focused data; one-to-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty end-stage renal disease at a UK National Health Service centre. Methods Patients were interviewed during a typical haemodialysis session. Thematic analysis was used to systematically interpret the data. Codes were created in an inductive and cyclical process using a constant comparative approach. Results Three themes emerged from the data: (i) fluctuations in cognitive/physical well-being across the haemodialysis cycle, (ii) restrictions arising from the haemodialysis treatment schedule, (iii) emotional impact of haemodialysis on the self and others. The findings are limited to predominantly white, older patients (median = 74 years) within a National Health Service setting. Conclusions Several of the experiences reported by patients as challenging and distressing have so far been overlooked in the literature. A holistic-based approach to treatment, acknowledging all aspects of a patient's well-being, is essential if optimal quality of life is to be achieved by healthcare providers. Relevance to clinical practice The findings can be used to inform future interventions and guidelines aimed at improving patients' treatment adherence and outcomes, for example, improved reliable access to mental health specialists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When rugby union became an openly professional sport in the mid-1990s it appeared that one of the institutions most under threat was the British Lions. Now more usually referred to as the British and Irish Lions, this touring team comes together every four years to take on one of the three leading southern hemisphere rugby nations in a three-match Test series. The first tour of the openly professional era in 1997 was celebrated for the ways in which important professional concepts were introduced, yet the touring party retained valued elements of the amateur ethos. The next two tours were not as successful, and led to questions about the very role of the Lions in the professional game. The 2009 tour saw a return to some of the values shaped during the age of amateurism and four years later the Lions achieved their first Test series win since 1997. Drawing upon the written (auto)biographies of those involved in elite-level rugby, this offers us an interesting case to unpack aspects of the fuzzy frontiers between amateurism and professionalism and some of the wider issues relating to sporting identities with specific reference to the topic of working-class amateurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated clinical Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 infections in England and Wales during 1983-2012 to describe changes in microbiological and surveillance methods. A strain replacement event was captured; phage type (PT) 2 decreased to account for just 3% of cases by 2012, whereas PT8 and PT21/28 strains concurrently emerged, constituting almost two thirds of cases by 2012. Despite interventions to control and reduce transmission, incidence remained constant. However, sources of infection changed over time; outbreaks caused by contaminated meat and milk declined, suggesting that interventions aimed at reducing meat cross-contamination were effective. Petting farm and school and nursery outbreaks increased, suggesting the emergence of other modes of transmission and potentially contributing to the sustained incidence over time. Studies assessing interventions and consideration of policies and guidance should be undertaken to reduce Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157 infections in England and Wales in line with the latest epidemiologic findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two genetic technologies capable of making heritable changes to the human genome have revived interest in, and in some quarters a very familiar panic concerning, so-called germline interventions. These technologies are: most recently the use of CRISPR/Cas9 to edit genes in non-viable IVF zygotes and Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy (MRT) the use of which was approved in principle in a landmark vote earlier this year by the United Kingdom Parliament. The possibility of using either of these techniques in humans has encountered the most violent hostility and suspicion. However it is important to be aware that much of this hostility dates back to the fears associated with In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and other reproductive technologies and by cloning; fears which were baseless at the time concerning both IVF and cloning the use of both of which have proved to be highly beneficial to humanity and which have been effectively regulated and controlled. This paper argues that CRISPR should by pursued through researh until it is safe enough for use in humans but there is no reason to suppose at this stage that such use will be unsafe or unethical (Collins 2015). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social work is often seen as a straightforward response to self-evident human needs and problems or as the outcome of 'professional projects' pursued by social workers. However, consideration of social work's history suggests that it is a contingent activity, conditioned by and dependent upon the context from which it emerges and in which it engages. The contingent nature of social work is considered by locating it in the contexts of five historical 'moments' that have had significant implications for social work's profile and practice: the nineteenth century origins of social work; social work in the post-war period; the Seebohm Report; the New Right; and New Labour. The review of these historical moments shows that welfare regimes are key in shaping the manner in which social work is constituted and enacted. Furthermore, aspects from each historical moment have been carried forward into present day social work; the construction of the present always owes something to moments from the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New Labour has promoted the use of information and communication technology. Call centres are a key development in this strategy and are now in use for accessing social services. In official policy, the use of call centres is presented as an aspect of attempts to change the relationship between service users and the purchasers and providers of services. In contrast, we suggest that the use of call centres in social care does little to shift the balance of power. Call centres bring together four dimensions of New Labour discourse: learning from the private sector, cutting costs, technology and consumerism. Three issues emerge from their development: the undermining of social work's sense of place; the circumscribing of service user participation; the rationalization of social workers. The call centre serves as a signifier of what, it is claimed, the combination of New Labour's consumerism and technology can achieve. This signification disguises call centres' properties of efficiency, calculability, predictability and control. Contrary to the rhetoric that accompanies them, call centres may be curtailing service user participation, as well as delimiting the social work role. Accordingly, their use has important, but as yet largely unresearched, implications for service users and social workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the issues concerning middle class insecurity and social democracy in the U.S. and Great Britain. It also focuses ion the spread of popular affluence and the complaints of the British about globalization. It discusses the New Labour's view of the Anxious Affluent as well as the consequences of a huge growth in insecurity that has gripped the societies of the U.S. and Great Britain.

Welfare regimes in many countries are being transformed through New Public Management. In the UK, a range of NPM processes - marketisation, managerial control, auditing performance - has been directed at social services at the municipal level. These processes have changed the nature of social work and reshaped the professional identity of social workers. The `good municipality' is, in effect, a franchisee, responsive to requirements and specified targets from central government's corporate headquarters. `Best practice' in front-line social work is defined as following rules and procedures competently. These developments could be depicted as the `McDonaldisation' of social work, involving the application of the four guiding principles that Ritzer derived from the running of the fast food restaurant: efficiency, predictability, calculability and control through non-human technology. Those interested in the future of social work under NPM can learn a great deal from the UK experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The notion that social work is an international profession, operating with generally similar goals, methodologies, and common values is considered critically. Examining the political and social contexts of three countries with liberal democratic governments--Australia, Britain and the United States--the role of social work within the welfare processes of each country is compared. While social work as an identifiable professional activity shares some features, it is argued that the idea of its having a core essence needs to be tempered with a realistic assessment of the importance of contextually created difference. Recent and rapid developments in the institutional context, such as those experienced in these three countries, further underscore the limited utility of the notion of a common professional project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the role of consent in decision making generally and its role in end of life decisions in particular. It outlines a conception of autonomy which explains and justifies the role of consent in decision making and criticises some misapplications of the idea of consent, particular the role of fictitious or "proxy" consents. Where the inevitable outcome of a decision must be that a human individual will die and where that individual is a person who can consent, then that decision is ethical if and only if the individual consents. In very rare and extreme cases such a decision will be ethical in the absence of consent where it would be massively cruel not to end life in order to prevent suffering which is in no other way preventable. Where, however, the human individual is not a person, as is the case with abortion, the death of infants like Mary (one of the conjoined twins in a case discussed in the paper), or in the very rare and extreme cases of those who have ceased to be persons like Tony Bland, such decisions are governed by the ethics of ending the lives of non-persons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study that investigated the occurrence of a paradigm shift in the political positioning of caring in Great Britain. Reason behind the need for effective management in caring by social workers; Significance of the shift in the formulation of community care reforms; Measures which promoted further formalization of the carer's role in Great Britain.

The independent retail sector is a sector defined as "at risk" at both the European and national (UK) level. A number of recent initiatives, from benefactors such as the European Social Fund (ESF) and the University for Industry (UFI) have identified training and development of this sector as a priority objective in terms of improving economic prosperity, competitiveness and employability. Seeks to review the training needs and the types of training and development currently available to this sector in terms of materials and learning delivery systems. The purpose of this review is to audit current provision and disseminate the findings for the benefit of educational institutions and training providers who are currently involved, or wish to be involved, in sustaining the independent retail sector through training and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compares the welfare state system and personal social services in Great Britain and Australia. Degree of convergence between welfare states as a result of global economic forces; Framework to describe changes in the countries' social welfare since the 1970s.

Marshall's formulation of 'social citizenship' embodied a depoliticized understanding of what was seen as a given, progressive and irreversible stage of societal development, which encompassed the provision of state social work. A consequence of this approach was the failure to situate social citizenship in a specific political and policy context; in Marshall's case, the post-war British social democratic welfare state. Within this, a more central position was secured for state social work, through its unification and incorporation into bureau-professional regimes which were made responsible for responding to citizens' social needs as clients of the state. The New Right's attack on the institutionalization of social citizenship in bureau-professional regimes included the accusation that state social work had infringed service users' rights and produced a passive, dependent clientele. The New Right's alternative formulation of the 'consumer-citizen' led to the development of a new political consensus on social citizenship. Beginning from an acceptance of this consensus, procedural rights are seen as one way of extending social citizenship in state social work and as a precursor to the possibility of wider participation by service users in its provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on public health in Great Britain. It states that the government of the country introduced some regulations related to health policies in order to stop spreading of infectious diseases among residents. It further states that rapid growth of air travel and immigration have resulted in worldwide emergence of infections so it is required that government should be aware of the epidemiology of infection in other countries.

Points out the right of each British citizen to an equal chance of having his individual health needs respected by the publicly funded health care system. Ethical issues arising from the subordination of individual health needs to the improved health status of the whole community.

Presents an analysis of Employment Protection Act's Schedule 11 awards issued during 1977. Goal of removing remaining areas of low pay in Great Britain; Relationship between recognized level and general level; Workers in comparable employment; Limits on jurisdiction of British Central Arbitration Committee.

This article focuses on the administration of local police services in Great Britain. Many and varied have been the administrative devices employed by central governments in the exercise of direction, supervision, and control over the activities of local authorities. In Britain the characteristic bond between the central and local governments has been the principle of inspectibility. Initially employed by the Poor Law Commissioners in 1834, the inspection process has been the central government's most effective means of control in the fields of public assistance, education, public health, police, fire services, and road construction. Inspection in England and Wales is conducted by a staff of full-time paid officials who, after familiarizing themselves with the work of local governments, observe the manner and efficiency with which these governments discharge the duties and responsibilities entrusted them by Parliament. They are often characterized as the "eyes and ears" of the central departments. Although they regularly report to their superiors in the central departments concerning the activities and problems of local authorities whom they have visited, the Inspectors additionally fulfill a larger and more important function than that of mere reporting. They constantly seek to advise and assist the local authorities and to make available to them expert knowledge gained through years of observation and study.

The article discusses the complex nature of the position of Permanent Under Secretary as a key figure in British administration. Secretaries existed on an informal basis in a few departments in the eighteenth century, but it was during the nineteenth century that chief officers, their powers and responsibilities formally set forth, were designated for each department. Thus, in the U.S. Dept. of the Treasury an Assistant Secretary to the Treasury Board, appointed in 1805 as a permanent official to assist the two Ministerial Secretaries and to head up the administrative staff, became known as a Permanent Secretary in 1867. Schools and universities attended by Permanent Secretaries played an important role in shaping their economic, political and social viewpoints and reflect to a considerable degree their class orientation. Complete data on the types of secondary schools attended by Permanent Secretaries are set forth in a table presented in the article. Personal records reveal that the tenure of Permanent Secretaries was longer in the earlier periods than in the modern period.

Medical Ethics has many unsung heros and heroines. Here we celebrate one of these and on telling part of her story hope to place modern medical ethics and bioethics in the UK more centrally within its historical and human contex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors argue that only a policy of presumed consent will significantly increase the number of organs available for transplantation in Great Britain. They cite the limitations of a study conducted by an Organ Donor Taskforce in 2008, including its failure to consider all relevant evidence, such as the refusal rates of relatives. They also comment on the current government policy on organ donation and mention the benefits of a policy of presumed consent.

Comments on the proposal of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to ban the distribution of drugs for the treatment of dementia to National Health Service patients in Great Britain. Reason behind their proposal; Possible effects of the proposal on thousands of Alzheimer's patients; Decision of NICE to launch a public consultation document on its guidelines on social value judgments.

Comments on the reaction of Tom Baldwin, Deputy Chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) in Great Britain, on sex selection. Complaints of Baldwin against the comments of author John Harris on HFEA inquiry; Effects of sex selection on children; Reasons for using sex selection in the discussion of genetic determination.

In this article, the authors focus on several facts related to the journal and its special publication "Medical Humanities" and discuss the contribution of the London Medical Group (LMG) in England in the development of the journal. They inform that the journal has been first published in 1975 and Alastair Campbell has been selected as editor-in-chief for the journal. They mention that conferences organised by the LMG provided research papers, which were then published in the journal.

Comments on the market for organs and whether financial incentives would increase the pool of organ donors from cadavers. Ethical aspects of a market for organ donors; Need for regulation of the market; Outlook for prevention of the exploitation of the poor in such a system; Belief that the National Health Service in Great Britain is suited to regulating such a market.

Editorial. Focuses on the general view that presumed consent legislation increases the yield of cadaver organs for transplantation. First point to note about the presumed consent; Views on the meaning of presumed consent.