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While much is written about reading aloud to children, and as a teaching tool, far less is known about the oral reading that adults do at home, at work or in the community. This article presents the results of a national survey into whether, what, how and why adults across Britain may read aloud rather than in silence. Analysing data from 529 questionnaire responses, the article examines the frequency with which different text types are read aloud, the formations in which this is done – alone, with one other person or in a group – and the purposes of reading aloud and being read to, with attention to differences according to gender and age. Findings suggest that reading aloud happens in a number of different ways and for different purposes, across contexts and life domains, and that it has a significant relationship with aspects of the lifecourse and with identity formation and performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We examined the blood conserving effect of tranexamic acid in total hip arthroplasty using the direct anterior approach with enoxaparin as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) chemoprophylaxis, and whether this translates to an effect on functional outcomes in the perioperative period. We also compare the effect of aspirin and enoxaparin as DVT chemoprophylactic agents. Methods: We conducted a single-centre randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. 105 patients were randomised to receive either tranexamic acid or an equivalent volume of normal saline with enoxaparin used as DVT chemoprophylaxis. The primary outcome measure was thigh swelling. Blood loss and the incidence of blood transfusions was also recorded. Secondary outcome measures including postoperative functional scores and mobility, pain scores and length of stay. We also compared and pooled the results of a previous study with the same study intervention methodology which used aspirin as DVT chemoprophylaxis instead of enoxaparin. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the primary outcome of thigh swelling. There was significantly less intraoperative blood loss observed in the tranexamic acid (TXA) group (0.510 L, SD 0.210) compared with the control group (0.698, SD 0.301) (p < 0.001). The estimated blood loss was also significantly less in the TXA group (1.130 L, SD 0.311) compared with the control group (1.48 L, SD 0.510) (p < 0.001). Pooled data of both consecutive trials showed there was a statistically significant reduction in length of stay for those that received TXA (3.72 days, SD 0.83 versus 4.24 days, SD 0.97, p < 0.001). There was also a statistically significant increased risk of a transfusion in the control group as compared those that received TXA (OR 5.5, 1.188 to 25.449, p = 0.029). There was no difference in blood loss between DVT chemoprophylactic agents. Interpretation: TXA is an effective agent in reducing blood loss in THR using the anterior approach and was not affected by choice of DVT chemoprophylaxis. Patients who received TXA had fewer transfusions and a reduction in their length of stay. The blood conserving effect of TXA was not associated with improved postoperative recovery across the measures of pain and mobility. Clinical trials registration: ANZCTR number: ACTRN12616000606482. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reading aloud receives a great deal of attention as something done with children and as a potential teaching tool, but less is known about the oral reading that we, as adults, may do for various purposes across our everyday lives. This article explores one element of a two-year project recording and analysing contemporary adult reading aloud practices. It reports on an analysis of all 160 Mass Observation Project responses, examining the ‘atypical typicality’ of correspondents’ reactions to the topic and their own practices; their analytical acts as researchers classifying practices and investigating artistry; and the stories they tell about how we both express and create relationships with individuals and larger groups through our oral reading practices. Contemporary adult reading aloud practices, as presented, analysed and narrated by the Mass Observers, are ubiquitous, often invisible, hugely varied, and matter to us as individuals and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the enactment of government policy during the Covid pandemic in primary schools in England. Based on interviews with school leaders and teachers across the period 2020–21 (n = 66), drawn from two major studies of primary schools' priorities during the crisis, we argue that school leaders' responses can be understood as a distinct form of policy enactment particular to an unprecedented crisis. Policy arrived in schools differently, and was enacted differently. Our findings suggest that enacting policy during the Covid crisis was a process dominated by the need to act at speed, informed by the prioritisation of children's basic needs and based on a knowledge of the local circumstances. Thus dimensions of context which affect policy enactment were altered during the crisis, with the material circumstances of the school and the values of the headteacher becoming highly significant. The approach we term crisis policy enactment is response to policy which is focused first on coping but is also agentic, demonstrating a commitment to children's welfare and a belief in the power of schools to make a difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses initial findings of a qualitative pilot study of the reading-aloud practices of 17 adults in the London Borough of Lewisham. Although the dominant contemporary image of reading is that of a silent activity and within literacy provision it is frequently assumed that reading aloud is not a 'natural' 'real life' adult practice, anecdote suggests that adults do indeed read aloud, but these practices are overwhelmingly undocumented. This study is the first stage in developing a better understanding of contemporary adult reading-aloud practices. Semi-structured interviews were used to ask adults whether, what, where, how and why they read aloud. Initial findings reveal the ubiquitous nature of reading aloud in adult life, across a range of life domains (spiritual life, family life, work and learning) and for different self-selected purposes (to memorise, to understand, to write and for fellowship). Initial findings reinforce the importance of expanding our definitions and conceptualisations of reading to recognise the diversity and changing nature of real life practices, and suggest implications for our understanding of the role of reading in adult life, for literacy education and for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an initial inductive analysis of eight semi-structured interviews with English adult learners conducted as part of the European Union (EU) BeLL project. It uses the theoretical lens of biographical learning (with its key concepts of agency and narrative) to explore what these interviews can tell us about the ways adults express the benefits of liberal adult education and its relationship to informal learning. Initial findings suggest that benefits are experienced as 'bundles' and that adults talk about their participation in adult education as a form of 'taking control' of their lives, including 'choosing how to be old' and glimpsing 'fulfillment'. It also suggests that the ways adults talk about these benefits -- and their wider biographical learning -- can be used to identify a) foci for further national and pan-European analysis of the BeLL data; b) avenues for future research; and c) potentially fruitful theoretical lenses through which we can develop our understanding of the value of this and other interview data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kant proclaimed that all theodicies must fail in ‘On the Miscarriage of All Philosophical Trials in Theodicy’, but it is mysterious why he did so since he had developed a theodicy of his own during the critical period. In this paper, I offer an explanation of why Kant thought theodicies necessarily fail. In his theodicy, as well as in some of his works in ethics, Kant explained moral evil as resulting from unavoidable limitations in human beings. God could not create finite beings without such limitations and so could not have created humans that were not prone to committing immoral acts. However, the work of Carl Christian Eberhard Schmid showed Kant that given his own beliefs about freedom and the nature of responsibility one could not account for moral evil in this way without tacitly denying that human beings were responsible for their actions. This result is significant not only because it explains an otherwise puzzling shift in Kant's philosophy of religion, but also because it shows that the theodicy essay provides powerful evidence that Kant's thinking about moral evil and freedom underwent fundamental shifts between early works such as the Groundwork and later works like the Religion within the Limits of Mere Reason. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article presents the results of a qualitative study into how adult literacy learners perceive reading. Individual interviews and focus groups were used to ask 37 adult literacy learners at a London further education college what reading is. It follows a grounded theory approach to build a model, or narrative, of reading in the form of six interrelating aspects and seven findings for discussion. These findings include insights on metalanguage and phonic decoding, the distinction between how we read and how we learn to read, motivation and learning to read, the place of reading aloud, the manifold relationship between reading and time, reading as a social practice and reading as a distinctly asocial practice. Implications for the learning and teaching of adult emergent reading are presented for each finding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the author argues that range limitation is inconsistent with an argument by political philosopher Jeremy Waldron for the necessity of the political state. The author contends that Waldron offers no argument that institutions that administer justice should be range limited, and the idea does not sit well with his own reasoning behind the moral necessity of the political state. Further, Waldron's somewhat sketchy argument for the necessity of the political state can be strengthened against certain objections by drawing on the more developed Kantian lines of thought, but the price is that these arguments cast greater doubt on the principle of range limitation. In the end, the author concludes that range limitation is inconsistent with a Kantian theory of natural duty.

Libraries have been rethinking their collections and services in order to remain relevant for new generations. In Chile, adults between 20 and 36 are one-third of the population, yet they are underrepresented in the research on reading preferences and practices. Through a survey of 346 library users, librarian interviews and focus groups, this study sought to learn about library habits and preferences as well as literacy and cultural practices among 18 to 29 year-old library users in Santiago, Chile. Findings reveal a diversity of reading preferences, with an accent on genre fiction and nonfiction; an appreciation of the librarian as mediator and authority, a view of the library as a symbolic and material space; and a migration to the Internet for recommendations, access to books and spaces for new literacy practices. These initial findings underscore the importance of adapting libraries' collections and services as literacy practices evolve among young users in the twenty-first century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the application and advantages of remote sensing, machine learning, and mid-infrared spectroscopy (MIR) as a popular proximal sensing spectroscopy tool in the estimation of soil organic carbon (SOC). It underscores the practical implications and benefits of the integrated approach combining machine learning, remote sensing, and proximal sensing for SOC estimation and prediction across a range of applications, including comprehensive soil health mapping and carbon credit assessment. These advanced technologies offer a promising pathway, reducing costs and resource utilization while improving the precision of SOC estimation. We conducted a comparative analysis between MIR-predicted SOC values and laboratory-measured SOC values using 36 soil samples. The results demonstrate a strong fit (R² = 0.83), underscoring the potential of this integrated approach. While acknowledging that our analysis is based on a limited sample size, these initial findings offer promise and serve as a foundation for future research. We will be providing updates when we obtain more data. Furthermore, this paper explores the potential for commercialising these technologies in Australia, with the aim of helping farmers harness the advantages of carbon markets. Based on our study's findings, coupled with insights from the existing literature, we suggest that adopting this integrated SOC measurement approach could significantly benefit local economies, enhance farmers' ability to monitor changes in soil health, and promote sustainable agricultural practices. These outcomes align with global climate change mitigation efforts. Furthermore, our study's approach, supported by other research, offers a potential template for regions worldwide seeking similar solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. The authors assessed the use of nonvitamin, nonmineral (NVNM) dietary supplements in a college population. They found that the use of NVNM dietary supplements among college students might be higher than that of other population groups and that the types of NVNM products they use differ from those used by an older population. Of the 272 students who completed the questionnaire, 48.5% reported they took an NVNM supplement during the past 12 months. The most frequently used NVNM products were echinacea, ginseng, and St John's wort. Of the 27 students who took NVNM products to promote weight loss, 81.5% had body mass index (BMI) values in the acceptable range. Eleven of the 19 participants who reported an adverse reaction to an NVNM supplement continued to take the products despite negative effects. Users and nonusers of NVNM supplements did not differ significantly by age, ethnicity, gender, perceived dietary adequacy, or by exercise patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]