Enhancing children's numeracy and executive functions via their explicit integration

Executive functions (EF) are crucial to regulating learning and are predictors of emerging mathematics. However, interventions that leverage EF to improve mathematics remain poorly understood. 193 four-year-olds (mean age = 3 years; 11 months pre-intervention; 111 female, 69% White) were assessed 5 months apart, with 103 children randomised to an integrated EF and mathematics intervention. Our pre-registered hypotheses proposed that the intervention would improve mathematics more than practice as usual. Multi-level modelling and network analyses were applied to the data. The intervention group improved more than the control group in overall numeracy, even when controlling for differences across settings in EF and mathematics-enhancing practices. EF and mathematics measures showed greater interconnectedness post-intervention. In addition, disadvantaged children in the intervention group made greater gains than in the control group. Our findings emphasise the need to consider EFs in their integration with co-developing functions, and in their educational and socio-economic context

Capturing or compensating? Comparing legitimacies, legitimations and rationales of added value capture instruments

The development of land leads to immense increases in land value. Across different planning systems, there are calls for this revenue to be used to enable planning gain for the general public budget. This can be achieved through the use of added value capture: a policy approach rooted in the notion that public action should generate public benefit. Planning literature hypothesises that the successful introduction and implementation of added value capture depends on the rationale during the process of legitimation. Acceptance of the added value capture instrument is higher if it is justified with pragmatic rationales; capturing it for the ‘greater good’, such as financing local social infrastructure. Conversely, if justice-based rationales are referred to (compensating the “unearned increment”), acceptance is lower, as the direct added value for the public is not as apparent. The existence and application of the instrument therefore depends on the rationale, making the analysis of legitimising arguments interesting, even to countries that have not (yet) introduced the instrument. However, studies on legitimacies, legitimations and rationales are rare, and are not adequately considered in existing literature reviews. This paper identifies rationale patterns across different legal traditions. Switzerland and the UK are selected as two countries with different planning systems, but both have experience with added value capture instruments. Discourse analysis is used to analyse key documents at the time of policy change, to determine how the instrument used in each country is officially legitimised and the extent of variation across the different legal traditions

Collecting Research Evidence to Inform Programming to Tackle Violence Against Young Women and Girls: The Importance of Diverse Data for Policy Making

In September 2024, the devolved Northern Ireland government published their Strategic Framework to end violence against women and girls. In this article, we report the key results of two studies that were undertaken to inform this Strategy: Young Life and Times (YLT)—an annual social attitude survey of 16-year olds, and the bespoke ‘It’s just what happens’ study which was commissioned to qualitatively explore the views and experiences of girls and young women in relation to gender-based violence (GBV). YLT survey data are presented on the prevalence of GBV experiences and perceived barriers to reporting violence. Qualitative data gathered through focus groups and interviews are drawn on to demonstrate how these methods surface additional information, context and nuance that could not be captured in large-scale surveys alone. Young women experience disproportionately high levels of GBV compared to young men, whilst, at the same time, more barriers to reporting. Qualitative data from the bespoke survey flesh out the prevalence data with young women’s lived experiences. This paper demonstrates the value of diverse data for providing a more holistic understanding of complex social issues which, we argue, can benefit the development and evaluation of targeted policy interventions

Using digital health to support home implemented speech and language therapy [dataset]

This data provides information on Context-Mechanism-Outcome configurations. CMOs are a way of depicting how contexts, mechanisms, and outcomes of an intervention react. CMOs show causal explanations about outcomes of an intervention, to explain what works, for who, how, in what contexts. This dataset uncovers what works, how and in which contexts when using digital health to support parents/carers to implement intensive speech and language therapy at home for children with speech sound disorder. The CMO data is presented within a table, saved as a PDF document. For each identified CMO, the table columns presents the Context, Mechanism resource, Mechanism response, Outcome, Supporting literature, and Example quotations from the literature

Rethinking Sexual Trauma Research: University Students Reactions to Participating in a Sexual Trauma Survey

The consistently high prevalence of unwanted sexual experiences (USEs) on university campuses has led to increasing calls for evidence-based solutions to inform policies, training, and intervention development. However, Research Ethics Committees are often hesitant to approve sexual trauma research due to beliefs that asking participants about traumatic experiences will cause extreme distress. Conversely, previous literature has found that many participants who have experienced sexual trauma report positive reactions following their participation in such research. Studies have found that while immediate negative emotional reactions are common, this distress is short-term (e.g., lasting only minutes or hours after participation). The present study assessed 469 Northern Irish university students' experiences of participating in research addressing USEs. The findings indicated that participating in USE research was a positive experience for participants, regardless of victimization status. Further, participants who reported a victimization experience did not report experiencing a negative emotional reaction to participating in the study. This article considers the ethics of conducting sexual trauma research among university students, with reference to common ethical concerns that can be addressed as part of the research process

Therapeutic Potential of Medicinal Plants and Their Phytoconstituents in Diabetes, Cancer, Infections, Cardiovascular Diseases, Inflammation and Gastrointestinal Disorders

Conditions like diabetes mellitus (DM), cancer, infections, inflammation, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), and gastrointestinal (GI) disorders continue to have a major global impact on mortality and morbidity. Medicinal plants have been used since ancient times in ethnomedicine (e.g., Ayurveda, Unani, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and European Traditional Medicine) for the treatment of a wide range of disorders. Plants are a rich source of diverse phytoconstituents with antidiabetic, anticancer, antimicrobial, antihypertensive, antioxidant, antihyperlipidemic, cardioprotective, immunomodulatory, and/or anti-inflammatory activities. This review focuses on the 35 plants most commonly reported for the treatment of these major disorders, with a particular emphasis on their traditional uses, phytoconstituent contents, pharmacological properties, and modes of action. Active phytomolecules with therapeutic potential include cucurbitane triterpenoids, diosgenin, and limonoids (azadiradione and gedunin), which exhibit antidiabetic properties, with cucurbitane triterpenoids specifically activating Glucose Transporter Type 4 (GLUT4) translocation. Capsaicin and curcumin demonstrate anticancer activity by deactivating NF-κB and arresting the cell cycle in the G2 phase. Antimicrobial activities have been observed for piperine, reserpine, berberine, dictamnine, chelerythrine, and allitridin, with the latter two triggering bacterial cell lysis. Quercetin, catechin, and genistein exhibit anti-inflammatory properties, with genistein specifically suppressing CD8+ cytotoxic T cell function. Ginsenoside Rg1 and ginsenoside Rg3 demonstrate potential for treating cardiovascular diseases, with ginsenoside Rg1 activating PPARα promoter, and the PI3K/Akt pathway. In contrast, ternatin, tannins, and quercitrin exhibit potential in gastrointestinal disorders, with quercitrin regulating arachidonic acid metabolism by suppressing cyclooxygenase (COX) and lipoxygenase activity. Further studies are warranted to fully investigate the clinical therapeutic benefits of these plants and their phytoconstituents, as well as to elucidate their underlying molecular mechanisms of action

From insight to action: a qualitative study of the postpartum return to recreational exercise and sport in Ireland and the UK

Individuals who were active before and during pregnancy face significant barriers to return postpartum, and participation in exercise and sport often decreases significantly during this period. Evidence is beginning to emerge regarding elite athletes' experiences with returning to sport postpartum. Understanding the experiences of recreational participants is essential to improve wider participation postpartum. This qualitative study aimed to describe the experiences of those returning to recreational exercise or sport postpartum, and to identify actions to support such a return. 14 mothers from the UK and Ireland, participated in one-to-one interviews. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using contemporary reflexive thematic analysis. Six themes were generated: (1) The challenging transition to motherhood, (2) Regaining, reclaiming and role modelling: motivators for returning, (3) Changed bodies and reframed minds: the experience and benefits of returning, (4) The mental load: adaptation, priorities, judgement and guilt, (5) Lack of appropriate knowledge and professional support and (6) Support, environment, culture and provision. Participants gave detailed accounts of the experience of returning to recreational exercise or sport postpartum. A list of actionable steps to support the return to recreational exercise and sport postpartum was generated from the data. These include the training of relevant professionals, the delivery of guidance during antenatal and postpartum care, the provision of opportunities to return postpartum and the embedding of policy to support such a return. The study provides actionable recommendations and future research directions to support postpartum mothers in resuming recreational exercise and sport

Dietary Choline Deprivation Exacerbates Kidney Injury in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes in Adult Rats

Background: Choline (Ch) deprivation causes kidney injury and dysfunction, and diabetic nephropathy is also known to be a complication of diabetes; thus, this interplay could potentially aggravate diabetic kidney disease. Aim: This study aims to examine the effect of Ch-deprivation on the severity of kidney injury in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Methods: Twenty-four adult male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: control (C), nondiabetic Ch-deprived (CD), diabetic (DM), and diabetic Ch-deprived (DM + CD). Diabetes was induced by the intraperitoneal administration of 50 mg/kg body weight STZ; Ch-deprivation was induced through a choline-deficient diet. Rats were euthanized at week 5 of the study. Biochemical tests, renal histopathology, immunohistochemistry of the kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), and vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) expression were assessed. Results: DM + CD and DM groups demonstrated significant increases in glucose levels and in the homeostasis model of insulin resistance (HOMA IR). Creatinine and blood urea nitrogen levels significantly increased in the DM + CD group compared to the control, and homocysteine levels were higher in the CD group. Kidney histopathology revealed that renal tubular necrosis, mesangial matrix expansion, and renal fibrosis substantially increased in the DM + CD group compared to all other groups, and KIM-1 and VEGF-A expressions were most pronounced in the DM + CD and DM groups, respectively. Conclusions: Ch deprivation affected kidney function and structure in STZ-induced diabetic rats. Choline deficiency and diabetes seem to have a synergistic effect, as evidenced by kidney biochemistry, histopathology, and immunohistochemistry. These findings could highlight the important role of choline in therapeutic strategies for the treatment and, potentially, prevention of chronic diabetic kidney disease