Towards a more effective detective

The characteristics that detectives believe are required to be an 'effective detective' were explored in this study. A Repertory Grid Technique and Critical Incident Technique were used to explore in detail the views of experienced detectives (N = 30) from five different police services in Australia and New Zealand about what makes an effective detective. The findings suggest that detectives hold a complex and challenging role that requires 11 key skills. By far, the most important factor was communication skills, particularly how to communicate effectively with a variety of people varying from victims and suspects to colleagues and scientific experts. High levels of motivation and thoroughness closely followed communication as essential skills. The implications of these findings for the recruitment, training and management of detectives are discussed.Arts, Education & Law Group, School of Criminology and Criminal JusticeFull Tex

The prospective detective:developing the effective detective of the future

This study explored the challenges to ensuring that detectives are effective in the future. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 experienced detectives from five different police services in Australia and New Zealand. A content analysis of the interviews identified four main challenges for the future - the retention and recruitment of detectives; the rapid growth of technology; training and ongoing professional development; and accountability. The implications of these findings for having an effective and efficient detective workforce and developing practice-relevant research agenda are discussed.Arts, Education & Law Group, School of Criminology and Criminal JusticeFull Tex

Non-participants and reasons for non-participation in a pragmatic trial of energy healing as cancer rehabilitation

AbstractIntroductionThe problems associated with clinical trial participation have been highlighted in the literature, but few studies have examined why patients decline to participate.AimsTo describe non-participants’ and participants’ characteristics and examine reasons for non-participation in a pragmatic trial of energy healing for rehabilitation for colorectal cancer.MethodsThree to seven days after postal recruitment, all eligible participants (n=783) were contacted by telephone. Reasons given for non-participation were recorded in 5 categories. Data were analyzed using Chi2.ResultsMore men than women declined to participate (men=55.7%; women=44.3%; p=0.022). Non-participants were on average older than participants (non-participants: mean age 68.4; SD (9); participants: mean age 64; SD (8.8); p<0.001), and had only received surgery (non-participants=54.1%; participants=40.1%; p<0.001). The most frequent reasons for non-participation were (1) No need for rehabilitation (n=81; 28.6%), (2) participation too burdensome (n=67; 23.7%), and (3) no interest in energy healing (n=57; 20.1%). If the time span between study recruitment and surgery was 0–9 months, participation was frequently considered too burdensome (p=0.020), especially by women (n=45; 67.2%; p=0.001) and those aged ≥68 (n=54; 80.6%; p=0.013); rehabilitation was frequently considered not needed 10–17 months after surgery (p=0.035).ConclusionNon-participation in a trial of energy healing as rehabilitation for colorectal cancer revealed an interplay between non-participants’ demographic characteristics, health experiences, everyday life priorities and the offered rehabilitation intervention. To optimize recruitment to studies of cancer rehabilitation, consideration of disease trajectories and potential participants’ rehabilitation needs is suggested

Addition of Fish Oil to Cream Cheese Affects Lipid Oxidation, Sensory Stability and Microstructure

The objective of this study was to investigate the differences in the oxidative stability during storage of fish oil enriched cream cheeses when fish oil was added either as neat oil or pre-emulsified oil with sodium caseinate, whey protein isolate, or a combination of milk proteins and phospholipids as emulsifier. Results showed that the addition of fish oil decreased the oxidative stability of cream cheeses regardless of the addition method, especially when the cheese was stored longer than five weeks. The oxidative stability of fish oil enriched cream cheeses was highest when fish oil was added as neat oil or in a delivery emulsion prepared with a combination of milk proteins and phospholipids. Adding the fish oil in a delivery emulsion prepared with whey protein or caseinate resulted in a less oxidative stable product. It was furthermore shown that the microstructure of the cream cheeses was affected by fish oil addition, and it was suggested that the change in microstructure was partly responsible for the oxidative stability of the cream cheeses

Shifts of criteria or neural timing? The assumptions underlying timing perception studies

In timing perception studies, the timing of one event is usually manipulated relative to another, and participants are asked to judge if the two events were synchronous, or to judge which of the two events occurred first. Responses are analyzed to determine a measure of central tendency, which is taken as an estimate of the timing at which the two events are perceptually synchronous. When these estimates do not coincide with physical synchrony, it is often assumed that the sensory signals are asynchronous, as though the transfer of information concerning one input has been accelerated or decelerated relative to the other. Here we show that, while this is a viable interpretation, it is equally plausible that such effects are driven by shifts in the criteria used to differentiate simultaneous from asynchronous inputs. Our analyses expose important ambiguities concerning the interpretation of simultaneity judgement data, which have hitherto been underappreciated

A cluster randomised trial, cost-effectiveness analysis and psychosocial evaluation of insulin pump therapy compared with multiple injections during flexible intensive insulin therapy for type 1 diabetes: the REPOSE Trial

Background: Insulin is generally administered to people with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) using multiple daily injections (MDIs), but can also be delivered using infusion pumps. In the UK, pumps are recommended for patients with the greatest need and adult use is less than in comparable countries. Previous trials have been small, of short duration and have failed to control for training in insulin adjustment. Objective: To assess the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of pump therapy compared with MDI for adults with T1DM, with both groups receiving equivalent structured training in flexible insulin therapy. Design: Pragmatic, multicentre, open-label, parallel-group cluster randomised controlled trial, including economic and psychosocial evaluations. After participants were assigned a group training course, courses were randomly allocated in pairs to either pump or MDI. Setting: Eight secondary care diabetes centres in the UK. Participants: Adults with T1DM for &gt; 12 months, willing to undertake intensive insulin therapy, with no preference for pump or MDI, or a clinical indication for pumps. Interventions: Pump or MDI structured training in flexible insulin therapy, followed up for 2 years. MDI participants used insulin analogues. Pump participants used a Medtronic Paradigm® VeoTM (Medtronic, Watford, UK) with insulin aspart (NovoRapid, Novo Nordisk, Gatwick, UK). Main outcome measures: Primary outcome – change in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) at 2 years in participants whose baseline HbA1c was ≥ 7.5% (58 mmol/mol). Key secondary outcome – proportion of participants with HbA1c ≤ 7.5% at 2 years. Other outcomes at 6, 12 and 24 months – moderate and severe hypoglycaemia; insulin dose; body weight; proteinuria; diabetic ketoacidosis; quality of life (QoL); fear of hypoglycaemia; treatment satisfaction; emotional well-being; qualitative interviews with participants and staff (2 weeks), and participants (6 months); and ICERs in trial and modelled estimates of cost-effectiveness. Results: We randomised 46 courses comprising 317 participants: 267 attended a Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating course (132 pump; 135 MDI); 260 were included in the intention-to-treat analysis, of which 235 (119 pump; 116 MDI) had baseline HbA1c of ≥ 7.5%. HbA1c and severe hypoglycaemia improved in both groups. The drop in HbA1c% at 2 years was 0.85 on pump and 0.42 on MDI. The mean difference (MD) in HbA1c change at 2 years, at which the baseline HbA1c was ≥ 7.5%, was –0.24% [95% confidence interval (CI) –0.53% to 0.05%] in favour of the pump (p = 0.098). The per-protocol analysis showed a MD in change of –0.36% (95% CI –0.64% to –0.07%) favouring pumps (p = 0.015). Pumps were not cost-effective in the base case and all of the sensitivity analyses. The pump group had greater improvement in diabetes-specific QoL diet restrictions, daily hassle plus treatment satisfaction, statistically significant at 12 and 24 months and supported by qualitative interviews. Limitation: Blinding of pump therapy was not possible, although an objective primary outcome was used. Conclusion: Adding pump therapy to structured training in flexible insulin therapy did not significantly enhance glycaemic control or psychosocial outcomes in adults with T1DM. Research priority: To understand why few patients achieve a HbA1c of &lt; 7.5%, particularly as glycaemic control is worse in the UK than in other European countries. Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN61215213

Re-positioning SoTL toward the T-shaped Community

Amongst a range of changes that have taken place within tertiary education, perhaps the most revolutionary has been a shift to student-centred approaches focused on life-long learning. Accompanying this approach to holistic higher education (HE) has been a growing interest in, and understanding of, the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). SoTL has, at its core, a deep concern with student learning and is therefore well-aligned with higher education’s renewed focus on its students. In this conceptual paper, we examine the impact of the T-shaped person which many tertiary institutions are operationalizing to inform and connect the development of students’ deep disciplinary knowledge with non-academic and employment readiness skills (such as communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and critical thinking). Importantly, we argue for a re-positioning of SoTL to complement and support this model, with SoTL as both the fulcrum and the fluid, multiple threads of discourse that are intricately entwined around the structure of the T-shaped model. We encourage our colleagues to strive to be T-shaped practitioners and we cast a vision of a T-shaped community. Here, all stakeholders within HE connect both their academic knowledge and holistic skills in collaborative ways to produce learners who flourish in modern society. The SoTL community plays a pivotal role in achieving this vision and is well-positioned to expand the current notion of SoTL toward a more holistic, interconnected, central role in HE

Rapid, Low-Cost Detection of Zika Virus Using Programmable Biomolecular Components

The recent Zika virus outbreak highlights the need for low-cost diagnostics that can be rapidly developed for distribution and use in pandemic regions. Here, we report a pipeline for the rapid design, assembly, and validation of cell-free, paper-based sensors for the detection of the Zika virus RNA genome. By linking isothermal RNA amplification to toehold switch RNA sensors, we detect clinically relevant concentrations of Zika virus sequences and demonstrate specificity against closely related Dengue virus sequences. When coupled with a novel CRISPR/Cas9-based module, our sensors can discriminate between viral strains with single-base resolution. We successfully demonstrate a simple, field-ready sample-processing workflow and detect Zika virus from the plasma of a viremic macaque. Our freeze-dried biomolecular platform resolves important practical limitations to the deployment of molecular diagnostics in the field and demonstrates how synthetic biology can be used to develop diagnostic tools for confronting global health crises.Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) (HDTRA1-14-1-0006)United States. National Institutes of Health (NIH AI100190