Interpreting RCT, process evaluation and case study evidence in evaluating the Integrated Group Reading (IGR) programme: a teacher-led, classroom-based intervention for Year 2 and 3 pupils struggling to read

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Taylor & Francis (Routledge) via the DOI in this record.Almost 20% of English pupils still experience difficulties in reading despite a predominantly phonics approach that works well for most children, but not for all; so other approaches need to be explored. The IGR programme involves an inclusive approach to targeted teaching led by class teachers using a group-based class organisation and the integration of diverse research-based approaches (language and phonics-based). IGR has been evaluated in thirty-four English schools in five varied local authority areas using a cluster randomised design and a process evaluation. IGR was found to support enjoyment of reading with as much reading gains as the more phonics-oriented programmes used in control classes. Following its use, there were gains in teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching reading, and no negative effects on the class pupils’ reading. This study shows what a more inclusive approach to targeted reading intervention can achieve with a well-resourced programme. Questions can be about the interpretation of RCT findings when it comes to classroom-based educational interventions, and about teacher choice in opting for alternate teaching approaches.Nuffield Foundatio

An innovative classroom reading intervention for Year 2 and 3 pupils who are struggling to learn to read: Evaluating the Integrated Group Reading Programme

Executive summary and project report - May 2018Nuffield Foundatio

3-D Registration on Carotid Artery imaging data: MRI for different timesteps

A common problem which is faced by the researchers when dealing with arterial carotid imaging data is the registration of the geometrical structures between different imaging modalities or different timesteps. The use of the "Patient Position" DICOM field is not adequate to achieve accurate results due to the fact that the carotid artery is a relatively small structure and even imperceptible changes in patient position and/or direction make it difficult. While there is a wide range of simple/advanced registration techniques in the literature, there is a considerable number of studies which address the geometrical structure of the carotid artery without using any registration technique. On the other hand the existence of various registration techniques prohibits an objective comparison of the results using different registration techniques. In this paper we present a method for estimating the statistical significance that the choice of the registration technique has on the carotid geometry. One-Way Analysis of Variance(ANOVA) showed that the p-values were <0.0001 for the distances of the lumen from the centerline for both right and left carotids of the patient case that was studied.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, preprint submitted to IEEE-EMBC 201

Using digital watermarking to enhance security in wireless medical image transmission

This is the published version of the article. Copyright 2010 Mary Ann Liebert Inc.During the last few years, wireless networks have been increasingly used both inside hospitals and in patients’ homes to transmit medical information. In general, wireless networks suffer from decreased security. However, digital watermarking can be used to secure medical information. In this study, we focused on combining wireless transmission and digital watermarking technologies to better secure the transmission of medical images within and outside the hospital. Methods: We utilized an integrated system comprising the wireless network and the digital watermarking module to conduct a series of tests. Results: The test results were evaluated by medical consultants. They concluded that the images suffered no visible quality degradation and maintained their diagnostic integrity. Discussion: The proposed integrated system presented reasonable stability, and its performance was comparable to that of a fixed network. This system can enhance security during the transmission of medical images through a wireless channel.The General Secretariat for Research and Technology of the Hellenic Ministry of Development and the British Council

Biologically Inspired Near Extinct System Reconstruction

Recovery software system operations from a state of extensive damage without human intervention is a challenging problem as it may need to be based on a different infrastructure from the one that the system was originally designed for and deployed on (i.e., computational and communication devices) and significant reorganization of system functionalities. In this paper, we introduce a bio-inspired approach for reconstructing nearly extinct complex software systems. Our approach is based on encoding a computational DNA (co-DNA) of a system and computational analogues of biological processes to enable the transmission of co-DNA over computational devices and, through it, the transformation of these devices into system cells that can realise chunks of the system functionality, and spread further its reconstruction process

Public health policy for management of hearing impairments based on big data analytics: EVOTION at Genesis

The holistic management of hearing loss (HL) requires appropriate public health policies for HL prevention, early diagnosis, long-term treatment and rehabilitation; detection and prevention of cognitive decline; protection from noise; and socioeconomic inclusion of HL patients. However, currently the evidential basis for forming such policies is limited. Holistic HL management policies require the analysis of heterogeneous data, including Hearing Aid (HA) usage, noise episodes, audiological, physiological, cognitive, clinical and medication, personal, behavioural, life style, occupational and environmental data. To utilise these data in forming holistic HL management policies, EVOTION, a new European research and innovation project, aims to develop an integrated platform supporting: (a) the analysis of related datasets to enable the identification of causal and other effects amongst them using various forms of big data analytics, (b) policy decision making focusing on the selection of effective interventions related to the holistic management of HL, based on the outcomes of (a) and the formulation of related public health policies, and (c) the specification and monitoring of such policies in a sustainable manner. In this paper, we describe the EVOTION approach

Girls, mental health and academic achievement: A qualitative systematic review

This is the final version. Available on open access from Routledge via the DOI in this recordOver the past two decades, there has been increasing international concern over the prevalence of mental health difficulties amongst children and young people. In the English context, particular concerns have been raised about the ‘state’ of girls’ and young women’s psychological health. Figuring highly in both academic and media debate is the impact of school pressures and the performance demands placed on girls in relation to academic achievement. In this systematic review, we map the reported achievement-related factors affecting girls’ mental health emerging from the peer-reviewed qualitative literature. Five databases were searched for literature published from 1990-2021. Additional search strategies included forwards and backwards citation chasing and hand searching. Eleven texts met our inclusion criteria. The themes of fears for the future, parent/family-related pressures, competitive school cultures, and gendered expectations of girls’ academic achievement emerged from the located texts. It was when pressures were ‘imbalanced’ and felt in the extreme that mental ill-health/anxiety was more likely to be experienced. We go on to introduce the theoretical model of the ‘mental health/achievement see-saw’ and argue for its use as a conceptual tool to engage with deep-rooted complexities around the relationship between gender, mental health and academic achievement. We contend that the ‘see-saw’ model has potential utility to academics, educational practitioners, and policy-makers, and might be usefully translated into practice in the form of biopsychosocial interpositions in schools that move beyond more surface level attempts at mental health promotion and that seek to empower, de-pathologise and challenge entrenched structural inequalities.British Academ

The ‘ideal’ higher education student: understanding the hidden curriculum to enable institutional change

This is the final version. Available on open access from Routledge via the DOI in this recordIn England, more students from a wider range of backgrounds participate in higher education than in previous generations. This has led to a focus on how students from diverse backgrounds can fit better with existing higher education institutions. This is often framed in terms of ‘deficits’ that these students have to overcome to more closely resemble the ‘implied’ or ‘ideal’ students around which institutions are, often unconsciously, modelled. We flip this focus by thinking about how educational institutions can evolve in response to diverse students. We use the theoretical lens of the hidden curriculum to explore student perceptions of ‘ideal’ students. Findings are based on research with eight students as co-researchers and 24 further student participants in an academically selective English higher education institution. We find that there are many aspects of hidden or assumed practices within universities students encounter when first coming to higher education. Focusing specifically on learning environments and curricula, we found that there was an implied student at the institution, that this mattered for the experience of learning – and that consciousness of hidden processes helps. We conclude by suggesting that instead of focusing on how to change students to fit institutions, institutions need to be open and adaptable to all students

Associations Between Hearing Performance and Physiological Measures - An Overview and Outlook

The current paper summarises the research investigating associations between physiological data and hearing performance. An overview of state-of-the-art research and literature is given as well as promising directions for associations between physiological data and data regarding hearing loss and hearing performance. The physiological parameters included in this paper are: electrodermal activity, heart rate variability, blood pressure, blood oxygenation and respiratory rate. Furthermore, the environmental and behavioural measurements of physical activity and body mass index, alcohol consumption and smoking have been included. So far, only electrodermal activity and heart rate variability are physiological signals simultaneously associated with hearing loss or hearing performance. Initial findings suggest blood pressure and respiratory rate to be the most promising physiological measures that relate to hearing loss and hearing performance

The use of HL7 as an interoperability framework in a regional healthcare system in Greece, Journal of Telecommunications and Information Technology, 2005, nr 4

The integration of information systems represents one of the most urgent priorities of a regional healthcare authority in order to meet its clinical, organizational and managerial needs. Current practice shows that the most promising approach to achieve a regional healthcare information system is to use a health level 7 (HL7) messagebased communication system implemented by an asynchronous common communication infrastructure between healthcare sites. The system is a complete and integrated information system at a regional level that comprises all types of healthcare levels, that includes interoperability issues, that covers most of the needed components, and that is able to work efficiently in a secure wide area network to ensure data privacy and confidentiality. Another important feature of the proposed solution is that it creates an interoperability framework that can be replicated from one healthcare institution to another. In that sense, common interoperability messages can be used to interconnect heterogeneous information systems. In response to this strategy, more than 10 different consortiums have submitted proposals to the Greek government and the proposed interoperability framework seems to be widely accepted as a solution to enhance information and communication technologies developments in the healthcare sector in Greece