Target monitoring and evaluation: measuring the impact of educational psychology interventions

The aim of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of a recently developed tool for\ud measuring perceptions of the effectiveness of Educational Psychology (EP) interventions.\ud The research project was derived following an adaptation of Goal Attainment Scaling into a\ud revised format known as Target Monitoring and Evaluation (TME). Evidence was sought\ud as to its utility within an EP service by investigating the reliability and validity of TME and\ud whether or not this system could be used as a means to evaluate the efficacy of EP-led\ud interventions in schools. Effective service delivery issues were considered by investigating\ud the usability of TME, and evidence was sought from EP and school based colleagues with\ud experience of using TME in order to investigate the practical, operational and commitment\ud issues.\ud Within a mixed methods design the research aim was to compare the quantitative\ud objective utility of TME (in which outcomes for children derived from TME were set against\ud measurements of change from more "conventional" assessment tools) with the qualitative\ud perceived utility of TME (including EP and teacher opinions of the efficacy of TME). The\ud intention was to investigate the reliability and validity — and therefore credibility — of the\ud TME approach by using an external point of reference and comparing perceptions of\ud change measured by TME, compared to a more conventional quantitative measure of\ud change.\ud The research focused specifically on clearly defined and related interventions, in order that\ud TME measures of change could be compared with existing conventional measurement\ud tools. These focused on a total of 24 TME cases completed for children within Key Stage 2\ud in mainstream primary schools. Quantitative "objective" data relating to both baseline and outcome measures were collected using either a standardised literacy assessment or\ud observation schedule. These were contrasted with teacher-based perceptions of baseline\ud and change at outcome as measured by the TME process. The quantitative outcomes\ud were investigated against the qualitative perceptions of the utility of TME via individual\ud interviews with 10 EPs and 8 Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) from\ud schools who had experience of using TME. Each interview was transcribed and analysed\ud using thematic analysis.\ud In the analysis, where positive progress was noted using TME, this was also usually\ud observed using the more conventional forms of evaluation. However, there were\ud inconsistencies in relation to the level of change in each case. The outcomes suggest TME\ud was well regarded as a tool for assisting the process of setting up interventions and as a\ud framework for the discussion at review. TME appeared less well regarded as an evaluative\ud tool to measure outcomes for the EP service, and there were implications for increased\ud support and training. From an evidence-based perspective, it may seem logical that the\ud key element of EP evaluation ought to be based upon successful outcomes for children.\ud However, according to the qualitative analysis, there were many bigger questions about\ud such evaluations, for example, defining the nature of the EP's role, the difficulty in\ud separating elements of influence, and the delivery of services through others

GEOWEALTH-US: spatial wealth inequality data for the United States, 1960–2020

Wealth inequality has been sharply rising in the United States and across many other high-income countries. Due to a lack of data, we know little about how this trend has unfolded across locations within countries. Examining the subnational geography of wealth is crucial because, from one generation to the next, it shapes the distribution of opportunity, disadvantage, and power across individuals and communities. By employing machine-learning-based imputation to link national historical surveys conducted by the U.S. Federal Reserve to population survey microdata, the data presented in this article addresses this gap. The Geographic Wealth Inequality Database (“GEOWEALTH-US”) provides the first estimates of the level and distribution of wealth at various geographical scales within the United States from 1960 to 2020. The GEOWEALTH-US database enables new lines of investigation into the contribution of spatial wealth disparities to major societal challenges including wealth concentration, income inequality, social mobility, housing unaffordability, and political polarization

Consolidation mechanisms and interfacial phenomena in thermoplastic powder impregnated composites

Thermoplastic powder impregnation of continuous reinforcement filaments is studied in this work, focusing on impregnation mechanisms and interfacial phenomena. Various existing techniques to mingle powdered resins to continuous filaments are reviewed; a powder impregnation line designed at the Laboratoire de Technologie des Composites et Polymères (LTC) is presented. Two important types of powder coated towpregs are addressed: FIT bundles (Fibres Imprégnées de Thermoplastique) of powder loaded fibres enclosed in a thin resin sheath, and molten powder towpregs in which the particles are fixed to the fibres in an oven by melting the resin. The impregnation mechanisms of powder coated towpregs are examined. The formation of resin bridges between adjacent fibres is first investigated using a hot stage placed on a microscope. In the absence of externally applied pressure, impregnation is driven by surface energy effects. The driving forces leading to the spreading of the bridge along the fibres are analysed at two levels: at a macroscopic scale, characterising the capillary pressure governing the flow of a liquid into a porous solid, and at a micro-mechanical level analysing the capillary forces in a system defined by a liquid drop in contact with two solid particles. To achieve impregnation at a satisfactory rate, however, it is essential to apply external pressure to most thermoplastic systems during consolidation. An analytical model for the consolidation stage of unidirectional-powder coated towpregs is presented, placing in context effects due to surface energy, viscous flow, externally applied pressure and fibre bed elasticity. The initial conditions for the computation depend on the impregnation technique used. FIT bundles, and molten powder towpregs are examined. The model is compared at each stage to experimental data obtained by compression moulding powder impregnated towpregs in an instrumented hydraulic press using a closed matched-die mould. This model optimises the processing conditions of a given fibre-resin system to achieve a void free laminate with improved mechanical properties. Mechanical properties can further be improved by optimising interfacial adhesion between resin and fibres. Surface energy effects on composite mechanical properties are studied, relating thermodynamic quantities to adhesive strength. A criterion for optimum adhesion is proposed. The influence of the thermodynamic adhesion between fibres and matrix on the mechanical properties of a continuous fibre reinforced composite is studied for two systems: carbon fibre reinforced poly(ether-ether-ketone) and glass fibre reinforced poly(ether-imide). The fibre surface is modified chemically and characterised by optical contact angle measurements of molten resin droplets on the fibres. Unidirectional fibre reinforced laminates are manufactured. Transverse flexural strength is reported as a function of thermodynamic wetting parameters. Adhesion at the fibre-resin interface is found to correlate with both composite strength and void morphology within the laminate after consolidation. Full potential of powder coated towpregs as a precursor for compression moulded composite parts can be reached by the fabrication of drapeable textile preforms. Corrugated sheets are processed usign FIT woven fabrics. Mechanical property measurements show that complex high quality parts can be processed at high rates using powder coated towpregs

Demystifying emotion-processing: autism, alexithymia, and the underlying psychological mechanisms

Despite extensive research, the mechanisms underpinning successful emotion recognition remain unclear. Constructionist, template-matching, and signal detection theories illuminate several emotion-related psychological processes that may be involved – namely the conceptualisation, experience, visual representation, and production of emotion – however, this requires empirical verification. Therefore, across the six empirical chapters described here, I developed and applied several novel experimental paradigms to assess the way in which individuals conceptualise, experience, visualise, produce and recognise emotion, and created new mathematically plausible, mechanistic models that shed light on the processes involved in emotion recognition. In doing so, I identified several candidate mechanisms that may underpin the emotion recognition difficulties seen in a range of clinical conditions, including autism spectrum disorder, and I (1) determined whether there are differences between autistic and non- autistic individuals in these emotion-related psychological processes, and (2) ascertained whether differences therein underpin emotion recognition challenges for autistic people. Ten years ago, it was theorised that the emotion-related difficulties of autistic individuals do not stem from autism per se, but rather alexithymia – a subclinical condition highly prevalent in the autistic population characterised by difficulties identifying and describing emotions. Since its inception, this theory has gained empirical support, with multiple studies documenting that alexithymia, and not autism, is associated with emotion- processing differences. However, to date, this evidence has largely been confined to the domain of emotion recognition. As such, it is unclear whether there are differences between autistic and non-autistic individuals in the conceptualisation, experience, visual representation, and production of emotion, after controlling for alexithymia. Here, I resolved this ambiguity, discerning the explanatory scope of the “alexithymia hypothesis”: there were no differences between autistic and non-autistic individuals in the understanding or differentiation of emotion concepts (Chapter 6), the precision or differentiation of emotional experiences (Chapter 6), and the speed (Chapter 3) or differentiation of visual emotion representations (Chapter 5), after controlling for alexithymia. Nevertheless, there were differences between groups with respect to the precision of visual representations (Chapter 5), the production of emotional facial expressions (Chapter 7), and recognition of specific emotions (Chapter 2), even after accounting for this confound. Despite suggestions that autistic individuals adopt alternative strategies to recognise the emotions of others, very few studies have examined mechanistic differences in emotion recognition between autistic and non-autistic people. Therefore, here I aimed to compare the processes involved in emotion recognition for these groups. Across multiple empirical chapters, I identified that there are similarities and differences in the processes implicated in emotion recognition for autistic and non-autistic people (Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 7), with autistic individuals relying on fewer emotion-related psychological processes. By elucidating several candidate mechanisms underpinning superior emotion recognition, my doctoral work paves the way for future supportive interventions to help both autistic and non-autistic individuals to accurately interpret other people’s emotions, thus ultimately fostering more successful and fluid social interactions

A seasonal variation of the three Leading diagnoses over fifty months at the Duk Lost Boys Clinic, South Sudan

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A Clinical Guideline Driven Automated Linear Feature Extraction for Vestibular Schwannoma

Vestibular Schwannoma is a benign brain tumour that grows from one of the balance nerves. Patients may be treated by surgery, radiosurgery or with a conservative "wait-and-scan" strategy. Clinicians typically use manually extracted linear measurements to aid clinical decision making. This work aims to automate and improve this process by using deep learning based segmentation to extract relevant clinical features through computational algorithms. To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first to propose an automated approach to replicate local clinical guidelines. Our deep learning based segmentation provided Dice-scores of 0.8124 +- 0.2343 and 0.8969 +- 0.0521 for extrameatal and whole tumour regions respectively for T2 weighted MRI, whereas 0.8222 +- 0.2108 and 0.9049 +- 0.0646 were obtained for T1 weighted MRI. We propose a novel algorithm to choose and extract the most appropriate maximum linear measurement from the segmented regions based on the size of the extrameatal portion of the tumour. Using this tool, clinicians will be provided with a visual guide and related metrics relating to tumour progression that will function as a clinical decision aid. In this study, we utilize 187 scans obtained from 50 patients referred to a tertiary specialist neurosurgical service in the United Kingdom. The measurements extracted manually by an expert neuroradiologist indicated a significant correlation with the automated measurements (p < 0.0001).Comment: SPIE Medical Imagin

Scenarios for the development of smart grids in the UK: synthesis report

‘Smart grid’ is a catch-all term for the smart options that could transform the ways society produces, delivers and consumes energy, and potentially the way we conceive of these services. Delivering energy more intelligently will be fundamental to decarbonising the UK electricity system at least possible cost, while maintaining security and reliability of supply. Smarter energy delivery is expected to allow the integration of more low carbon technologies and to be much more cost effective than traditional methods, as well as contributing to economic growth by opening up new business and innovation opportunities. Innovating new options for energy system management could lead to cost savings of up to £10bn, even if low carbon technologies do not emerge. This saving will be much higher if UK renewable energy targets are achieved. Building on extensive expert feedback and input, this report describes four smart grid scenarios which consider how the UK’s electricity system might develop to 2050. The scenarios outline how political decisions, as well as those made in regulation, finance, technology, consumer and social behaviour, market design or response, might affect the decisions of other actors and limit or allow the availability of future options. The project aims to explore the degree of uncertainty around the current direction of the electricity system and the complex interactions of a whole host of factors that may lead to any one of a wide range of outcomes. Our addition to this discussion will help decision makers to understand the implications of possible actions and better plan for the future, whilst recognising that it may take any one of a number of forms

Development and psychometric evaluation of the patient knowledge of, and attitudes and behaviours towards pressure ulcer prevention instrument (KPUP)

The Patient Knowledge of, and Attitude and Behaviour towards Pressure Ulcer Prevention Instrument (KPUP) was developed and validated using a two-stage prospective psychometric instrument validation study design. In Stage 1, the instrument was designed, and it is psychometrically evaluated in Stage 2. To establish content validity, two expert panels independently reviewed each item for appropriateness and relevance. Psychometric evaluation included construct validity and stability testing of the instrument. The questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of 200 people aged more than 65 years, living independently in the community; reliability and stability were assessed by test/retest procedures, with a 1-week interval. Mean knowledge scores at 'test' were 11.54/20 (95% CI = 11.10-11.99, SD: 3.07), and 'retest' was 12.24 (95% CI = 11.81-12.66, SD: 2.93). For knowledge, correlation between the test/retest score was positive (r=. 60), attitude section-inter-item correlations ranged from r = -.31 to r = .57 (mean intraclass correlation coefficient of r = .42), and internal consistency for the retest was the same as the test (alpha = .41 for the eight items). For health behaviours, individual inter-item correlations for test items ranged from r = -.21 to r = .41 for the 13 standardised items. Psychometric testing of the KPUP in a sample of older persons in the community provided moderate internal consistency and general high test-retest stability

How Peer Support Specialists Uniquely Initiate and Build Connection with Young People Experiencing Homelessness

Young people experiencing homelessness are often apprehensive to engage in conventional service systems due to prior mistreatment by providers and others in their lives, as well as stigma associated with accessing services. Even when relationships between service providers and young people are initiated, they often end prematurely. Mutual aid, or peer-to-peer support, has a long and promising history within the mental health field, yet has received little empirical attention in work with young people experiencing homelessness. The present study used participatory qualitative methods to understand how peers uniquely initiate and build connection with young people experiencing homelessness. Through interviews and journaling with peer support specialists and program staff, this study found that peers initiate relationships with young people by becoming familiar faces in youth spaces, identifying themselves as peers, then formalizing relationships with young people. Peers build connection by showing they are on the “same side of the glass” as young people, establishing autonomy and availability over a preset agenda, and creating containers acceptable for failure. Peers, their supervisors, and organizations building mutual aid programs may consider these findings when working to build programs which flexibly and authentically engage young people experiencing homelessness in meaningful relationships