Gathering community perspectives to inform the design of autism-friendly music-making workshops for wellbeing

Many autistic people report experiencing social isolation, a recognized risk factor for poor psychological wellbeing. Promoting social inclusion is therefore a vital yet complex task. Community-based creative activities such as music groups can improve individuals’ sense of social connection and reduce the experience of social isolation. However, limited literature is available that describes autistic people’s perspectives about how to foster successful engagement in these creative and inclusive group opportunities. This project aims to gather perspectives from autistic individuals aged between 18 to 25 years to inform the design of autism-friendly music-making workshops for wellbeing. This co-design project involved a research team comprizing autistic and non-autistic academics, and an advisory group that included autistic young adults and autism advocates. Together, we designed an online survey and structured interview questions to gauge autistic people’s preferences for engagement in group-based music activities. There were 30 responses to the online survey questions which collected demographic information, opinions about group music-based activities, and views about ways to best support access and participation in the local community. In addition, five structured interviews were conducted with survey participants who volunteered to provide in-depth follow-up responses. Survey data are presented descriptively, and interview data underwent inductive thematic analysis. Participants described being motivated to join music-making workshops offered in the community and proposed various ways to improve accessibility. The qualitative themes from the survey free text and interviews suggest that both environmental and social factors work together to create a sense of safety and inclusion. In particular, a welcoming atmosphere and acceptance of diversity were expected from the workshop facilitator and group members. These findings have important implications for the co-production of future music-making workshops for the wellbeing of autistic people

Playing Three-Level Games in the Global Economy. Case Studies from the EU. College of Europe EU Diplomacy Paper 4/2008, May 2008

The case studies in this paper are a selection of essays that have been written in the framework of the compulsory first-semester course The EU in a Global Political Economy Context, taught by Professor Sieglinde Gstöhl, in the academic year 2007-2008 in the EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies programme at the College of Europe. They all address recent cases of two- or three-level games played by the European Union in different policy fields of the global economy (reflecting the state of affairs at the end of 2007)

Bioteknologisten sovellusten arvonluonti Suomen metsäklusterissa

biotechnology, competitive advantage, forest industry, value chain

Suicidal thoughts and behaviour among healthcare workers in England during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, concern has been raised about suicide risk among healthcare workers (HCWs). We investigated the incidence risk and prevalence of suicidal thoughts and behaviour (STB), and their relationship with occupational risk factors, among National Health Service HCWs in England between April 2020 and August 2021. METHODS: In this longitudinal study, we analysed online survey data completed by 22,501 HCWs from 17 NHS Trusts at baseline (Time 1) and six months (Time 2). The primary outcome measures were suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and non-suicidal self-injury. We used logistic regression to investigate the relationship between these outcomes and demographic characteristics and occupational factors. Results were stratified by occupational role (clinical/non-clinical). RESULTS: Time 1 and Time 2 surveys were completed by 12,514 and 7,160 HCWs, respectively. At baseline, 10.8% (95% CI = 10.1%, 11.6%) of participants reported having experienced suicidal thoughts in the previous two months, whilst 2.1% (95% CI = 1.8%, 2.5%) of participants reported having attempted suicide over the same period. Among HCWs who had not experienced suicidal thoughts at baseline (and who completed the Time 2 survey), 11.3% (95%CI = 10.4%, 12.3%) reported such thoughts six months later. Six months after baseline, 3.9% (95% CI = 3.4%, 4.4%) of HCWs reported attempting suicide for the first time. Exposure to potentially morally injurious events, lack of confidence about raising safety concerns and these concerns being addressed, feeling unsupported by managers, and providing a reduced standard of care were all associated with increased suicidal ideation among HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic. At six months, among clinicians, a lack of confidence about safety concerns being addressed, independently predicted suicidal ideation. CONCLUSION: Suicidal thoughts and behaviour among healthcare workers could be reduced by improving managerial support and enhancing the ability of staff to raise safety concerns

'You get looked at like you're failing': A reflexive thematic analysis of experiences of mental health and wellbeing support for NHS staff

Staff in the National Health Service (NHS) are under considerable strain, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic; whilst NHS Trusts provide a variety of health and wellbeing support services, there has been little research investigating staff perceptions of these services. We interviewed 48 healthcare workers from 18 NHS Trusts in England about their experiences of workplace health and wellbeing support during the pandemic. Reflexive thematic analysis identified that perceived stigma around help-seeking, and staffing shortages due to wider socio-political contexts such as austerity, were barriers to using support services. Visible, caring leadership at all levels (CEO to line managers), peer support, easily accessible services, and clear communication about support offers were enablers. Our evidence suggests Trusts should have active strategies to improve help-seeking, such as manager training and peer support facilitated by building in time for this during working hours, but this will require long-term strategic planning to address workforce shortages

Strategisuus ja transskalaarisuus liikennejärjestelmäsuunnittelun ja alueidenkäytön suunnittelun yhteensovittamisessa: Alueidenkäytön ja liikennejärjestelmän suunnittelun yhteensovittaminen ilmiölähtöisesti

Yhä useammat yhteiskunnalliset ilmiöt (esim. ilmastonmuutos) ja niistä johdetut poliittiset tavoitteet (esim. ilmastonmuutoksen hillitseminen) eivät rajaudu vain yhden hallinnon tason tai sektorin piiriin. Ne eivät myöskään rajaudu alueellisesti eivätkä ajallisesti, vaan ulottuvat usealle aikaperspektiiville ja vaikuttavat useilla aluetasoilla, aina paikallisesta globaaliin. Tällöin ilmiöihin vastaaminen edellyttää eri suunnittelutasojen, -sektoreiden ja toimijoiden toimenpiteiden yhteensovittamista niin alueellisesti kuin ajallisestikin. ”Strategisuus ja transskalaarisuus liikennejärjestelmäsuunnittelun ja alueidenkäytön suunnittelun yhteensovittamisessa” eli YHTÄJALKAA-tutkimushanke on rakentanut käsitteellistä lähestymistapaa, jossa nämä ilmiöt otetaan maankäytön ja liikennesuunnittelun yhteensovittamisen lähtökohdaksi. Tämän lähestymistavan pohjalta hanke on kehittänyt toimintatapoja maankäytön ja liikennesuunnittelun järjestelmien ja -prosessien yhteensovittamiseksi siten, että eri tasoilla ratkaistavia haasteita voidaan tunnistaa ajoissa ja reagoida niihin oikea-aikaisesti, oikeilla suunnitteluvälineillä. Yhteensovittamisen toimintatapojen pohtiminen on noussut ajankohtaiseksi alueidenkäytön suunnittelua, aluekehittämistä sekä liikennejärjestelmä- ja väyläsuunnittelua ohjaavien lakien uudistusten yhteydessä.Tämä julkaisu on toteutettu osana valtioneuvoston selvitys- ja tutkimussuunnitelman toimeenpanoa. (tietokayttoon.fi) Julkaisun sisällöstä vastaavat tiedon tuottajat, eikä tekstisisältö välttämättä edusta valtioneuvoston näkemystä

Data-Independent Acquisition Mass Spectrometry in Metaproteomics of Gut Microbiota—Implementation and Computational Analysis

Metagenomic approaches focus on taxonomy or gene annotation but lack power in defining functionality of gut microbiota. Therefore, metaproteomics approaches have been introduced to overcome this limitation. However, the common metaproteomics approach uses data-dependent acquisition mass spectrometry, which is known to have limited reproducibility when analyzing samples with complex microbial composition. In this work, we provide a proof-of-concept for data-independent acquisition (DIA) metaproteomics. To this end, we analyze metaproteomes using DIA mass spectrometry and introduce an open-source data analysis software package diatools, which enables accurate and consistent quantification of DIA metaproteomics data. We demonstrate the feasibility of our approach in gut microbiota metaproteomics using laboratory assembled microbial mixtures as well as human fecal samples. </p

A systematic review of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of peer education and peer support in prisons.

BACKGROUND: Prisoners experience significantly worse health than the general population. This review examines the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of peer interventions in prison settings. METHODS: A mixed methods systematic review of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness studies, including qualitative and quantitative synthesis was conducted. In addition to grey literature identified and searches of websites, nineteen electronic databases were searched from 1985 to 2012. Study selection criteria were: Population: Prisoners resident in adult prisons and children resident in Young Offender Institutions (YOIs). INTERVENTION: Peer-based interventions Comparators: Review questions 3 and 4 compared peer and professionally led approaches. OUTCOMES: Prisoner health or determinants of health; organisational/ process outcomes; views of prison populations. STUDY DESIGNS: Quantitative, qualitative and mixed method evaluations. RESULTS: Fifty-seven studies were included in the effectiveness review and one study in the cost-effectiveness review; most were of poor methodological quality. Evidence suggested that peer education interventions are effective at reducing risky behaviours, and that peer support services are acceptable within the prison environment and have a positive effect on recipients, practically or emotionally. Consistent evidence from many, predominantly qualitative, studies, suggested that being a peer deliverer was associated with positive effects. There was little evidence on cost-effectiveness of peer-based interventions. CONCLUSIONS: There is consistent evidence from a large number of studies that being a peer worker is associated with positive health; peer support services are also an acceptable source of help within the prison environment and can have a positive effect on recipients. Research into cost-effectiveness is sparse. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO ref: CRD42012002349