Collecting multiple data linkage consents in a mixed mode survey: evidence and lessons learnt from next steps

Linking survey responses with administrative data is a promising practice to increase the range of research questions to be explored, at a limited interview burden, both for respondents and interviewers. This paper describes the protocol for asking consent to data linkage on nine different sources in a large-scale nationally representative survey of young adults in England: the Next Steps Age 25 Survey. Evidence from preparatory qualitative research, piloting and from the main stage of the study is presented. This research constitutes a novel contribution to the literature, discussing the practicalities of implementing a data linkage protocol asking consent both retrospectively and prospectively, on multiple domains, and in the context of a mixed-mode survey

Collecting Multiple Data Linkage Consents in a Mixed-mode Survey: Evidence from a large-scale longitudinal study in the UK

Linking survey responses with administrative data is a promising practice to increase the range of research questions to be explored, at a limited interview burden, both for respondents and interviewers. We describe the protocol for asking consent to data linkage on nine different sources in a large-scale nationally representative longitudinal survey of young adults in England: the Next Steps Age 25 Survey. We present empirical evidence on consent to data linkage from qualitative interviews, a pilot study, and the mainstage survey. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that discusses the practicalities of implementing a data linkage protocol asking consent both retrospectively and prospectively, on multiple domains, and in the context of a mixed-mode survey

Is it all about storytelling? Living and learning hereditary cancer on Twitter

Storytelling has long been used as a theoretical framework for understanding how we share information and learn about health – and illness – online. But is it all about storytelling on social media platforms? To explore how and to what extent personal stories shape health content on these platforms, the article presents an analysis of tweets discussing the BRCA gene mutation – a hereditary cancer condition. Theoretically, the study advances a new conceptual framework to explore social media practices within issue–based and long–lived social media threads. Methodologically, it develops a qualitative, platform–oriented discourse analytic approach. Findings show that non narrative content is actually more common than storytelling in Twitter conversations about BRCA, with a number of patient advocates acting as gatekeepers of scientific information. Most BRCA storytelling is mediated and shared in third person, with those at the heart of these stories becoming exemplars within the BRCA ‘subculture’

Place preference induced by nucleus accumbens amphetamine is impaired by local blockade of Group II metabotropic glutamate receptors in rats

BACKGROUND: The nucleus accumbens (NAc) plays a critical role in amphetamine-produced conditioned place preference (CPP). In previous studies, NAc basal and amphetamine-produced DA transmission was altered by Group II mGluR agents. We tested whether NAc amphetamine CPP depends on Group II mGluR transmission. RESULTS: NAc injections (0.5 μl/side) of the Group II mGluR antagonist (2 S)- a-ethylglutamic acid (EGLU: 0.01–0.8 μg but not 0.001 μg) impaired CPP. The drug did not block the acute locomotor effect of amphetamine. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that Group II mGluRs may be necessary for the establishment of NAc amphetamine-produced CPP. These receptors may also mediate other forms of reward-related learning dependent on this structure

Two Steps Forward - One Step Back? Evaluating Contradicting Child Care Policies in Germany

We apply a structural model of mothers' labor supply and child care choices to evaluate the effects of two childcare reforms in Germany that were introduced simultaneously in August 2013. First, a legal claim to subsidized child care became effective for all children aged one year or older. Second, a new benefit called 'Betreuungsgeld' came into effect that is granted to families who do not use public or publicly subsidized child care. Both reforms target children of the same age group and are unconditional on the parents' income or employment status, yet affect mothers' incentives for labor supply and child care choices in opposite directions. Our model facilitates estimating the joint reform impact as well as disentangling the individual effects of both policies. A comprehensive data set with information on labor supply, the use of and potential access restrictions to various child care arrangements provides the basis for the empirical analysis. We find the overall effect of both reforms to be small but positive as far as mother's labor supply and the use of formal care is concerned. The legal claim's positive impact on mothers' labor supply and the use of formal child care is largely offset by the negative effect on both outcomes resulting from the introduction of the 'Betreuungsgeld'

Longitudinal study of child and family social workers (wave 2)

In 2018, the Department for Education (DfE) commissioned a consortium led by IFF Research, working with social work academics at Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Salford, to conduct a longitudinal study tracking the careers of local authority child and family social workers in England over five years. The landmark new study aimed to collect robust evidence on recruitment, retention and progression in child and family social work by tracking individuals over a five-year period. In Wave 1, 5,621 local authority child and family social workers took part in the survey, comprising almost one in six of the population. 1 This report covers the second year of the research

Incentive motivation in first-episode psychosis: A behavioural study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background:</p> <p>It has been proposed that there are abnormalities in incentive motivational processing in psychosis, possibly secondary to subcortical dopamine abnormalities, but few empirical studies have addressed this issue.</p> <p>Methods:</p> <p>We studied incentive motivation in 18 first-episode psychosis patients from the Cambridge early psychosis service CAMEO and 19 control participants using the Cued Reinforcement Reaction Time Task, which measures motivationally driven behaviour. We also gathered information on participants' attentional, executive and spatial working memory function in order to determine whether any incentive motivation deficits were secondary to generalised cognitive impairment.</p> <p>Results:</p> <p>We demonstrated the anticipated "reinforcement-related speeding" effect in controls (17 out of 19 control participants responded faster during an "odd-one-out" task in response to a cue that indicated a high likelihood of a large points reward). Only 4 out of 18 patients showed this effect and there was a significant interaction effect between reinforcement probability and diagnosis on reaction time (F_1,35= 14.2, p = 0.001). This deficit was present in spite of preserved executive and attentional function in patients, and persisted even in antipsychotic medication free patients.</p> <p>Conclusion:</p> <p>There are incentive motivation processing abnormalities in first-episode psychosis; these may be secondary to dopamine dysfunction and are not attributable to generalised cognitive impairment.</p

Seedling emergence and establishment of Pinus sylvestris in the Mongolian forest-steppe ecotone

Syftet med studien är att undersöka och beskriva pedagogers uppfattningar av hur de skapar delaktighet och inflytande, i en kommuns förskoleverksamhet och organisation.Mina frågeställningar är hur pedagogerna beskriver sina möjligheter och hinder för att få och skapa delaktighet och inflytande, samt vilka inre och yttre faktorer som finns som påverkar möjligheten för delaktighet och inflytande.För att undersöka detta har jag valt en kvalitativ forskningsansats. Jag har genomfört semistrukturerade intervjuer med sju pedagoger. Det empiriska materialet har bearbetats kvalitativt i en empirinära ansats.I resultatet såg jag att ett större fokus på processkvaliteten behöver läggas och medvetenheten behöver ökas, kring den pedagogiska dokumentationens betydelse.Sammanfattningsvis behöver den undersökta kommunens förskolor en gemensam samsyn i hela systemet i ett förståelsebaserat och tolkande perspektiv som gynnar en långsiktig och hållbar utveckling.Participation and influence in the preschool, a study with teachers in one municipality.The purpose of this study is to explore and describe teacher’s perceptions of how they create participation and influence, in a municipality´s preschool and organization.My questions are how teachers describe their opportunities and barriers to get and create participation and influence, and what internal and external factors that affecting the ability of participation and influence.To examine this, I have chosen a qualitative research approach. I have conducted semi structured interviews, with seven teachers. The empirical data have been processed in a qualitative empirical closely approach.In the result, I found that a greater focus on process quality needs to be added and awareness needs to be increased, on the pedagogic documentations significances.In conclusion, needs the municipal preschools, which have been examined, get a common consensus of the entire system in a understanding based and interpretive perspective, that support a long term and sustainable development