Multiple victimisation in Northern Ireland

Multiple victimisation in Northern Irelan

Making a difference in the real world. User-centred impact evaluation of an eight-country, community-based early childhood programme

This paper presents a unique approach to the Impact Evaluation of a project that focused on low-threshold intergenerational play-based interactions in order to support young children from marginalised communities in eight European countries. The approach builds upon the work of Fetterman’s Empowerment Evaluation and Patton’s Utilization Focused Evaluation and brings them together to form an adapted model of evaluation. We outline in this paper how these two well developed methods of evaluation have been applied to a real world context, that is, the impact evaluation of a complex international project. Our approach highlights the complexities of differing contexts and allows for surprising and unintended consequences to emerge. It results, through double loop learning, a type of feedback loop with the internal stakeholders and implementers that is useful to the project coordination team, with a view to further upscaling of the initiative. Recommendations for policy at local, national and European Union levels were provided to the project and potential external users. However, the predominant feedback was provided at two crucial points along the way; during a stakeholder mapping exercise and during the further development of monitoring data tools

Physical and technical demands and preparatory strategies in female field collision sports: a scoping review

Women’s participation in field collision sports is growing world- wide. Scoping reviews provide an overview of scientific litera- ture in a developing area to support practitioners, policy, and research priorities. Our aim is to explore published research and synthesise information on the physical and technical de- mands and preparation strategies of female field collision sports. We searched four databases and identified relevant published studies. Data were extracted to form (1) a numerical analysis and (2) thematic summary. Of 2318 records identified, 43 studies met the inclusion criteria. Physical demands were the most highly investigated (n = 24), followed by technical demands (n = 18), tactical considerations (n = 8) and preparatory strategies (n = 1). The key themes embody a holistic model contributing to both performance and injury prevention outcomes in the context of female field collision sports. Find- ings suggest a gender data gap across all themes and a low evidence base to inform those preparing female athletes for match demands. Given the physical and technical differences in match-demands the review findings do not support the generalisation of male-derived training data to female athletes. To support key stakeholders working within female field collision sports there is a need to increase the visibility of female athletes in the literature.<br/

Cardiovascular risk and systemic inflammation in male professional rugby: a cross-sectional study

Objective: To investigate cardiovascular risk factors’ prevalence and association with systemic inflammation in professional male rugby players (RP). Methods: A cross-sectional investigation of 46 professional male RP (26.1±4.1 years) cardiovascular risk factors were compared by position. Inflammatory markers were compared with healthy controls (n=13) and patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (n=10). Results: Twenty-six per cent of RP had no risk factors, 49% had 1–2 cardiovascular risk factors and 25% had 3–4 risk factors. Forwards had greater body fat (p<0.001), visceral fat (p<0.001), glucose (p=0.025), and C reactive protein (CRP) (p=0.023) compared with backs. RP demonstrated more favourable lipid and glucose profiles than reference values for the general population. Most RP (n=28, 61%) had elevated blood pressure (≥140/90 mm Hg). RP had higher vascular adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) (p=0.004) and intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) (p=0.002) than healthy controls. RP had lower CRP than patients with RA (p=0.009), while one-third (n=15) displayed equivalent ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 levels. Multivariate clustering and principal component analysis biplots revealed higher triglycerides, inflammatory markers, and worse body composition were associated with forwards. Conclusions: Despite athletic status, most of this rugby cohort had at least one cardiovascular risk factor. Concomitantly, these RP demonstrated increased levels of inflammation, with one-third, primarily forwards, displaying equivalent levels to patients with inflammatory disease. Further studies are needed to unravel the prognostic implications of increased inflammation in RP because unchecked, chronic inflammation may lead to increased cardiovascular disease risk

Editorial: There's an AI for that

In recent months, the educators and higher education institutions have responded with concern, critique, and hope, to the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI)’s unregulated and mounting influence. Following the period of emergency remote teaching, and the great ‘snapback’ (Jandrić et al., 2022), yet another new concern has emerged, promising to revolutionise education, or threaten its existence. The gravity of the situation has reverberated across the system, as wizardry of predictive pattern recognition fundamentally threatens the validity of long-held practices of summative assessments including essays, and online quizzes. This latest quandary/crisis shows no sign of abating, as venture capitalist funding and language modelling datasets grow. The technology becomes more deeply integrated into word processing, and cloud-based applications through which much of our academic labour is conducted. Understanding and conceptualising new technology within education has long been a necessity, as we wrestle with wrangling tools into our human interactions. Higher education’s relationship with edtech has always been characterised by a cyclical response to disruptive external influences of evolving technology, whose recent developments are often underpinned by neoliberal values of competition, efficiency, market-based solutions, and the privatisation of software platforms. Recent large language model developments are proving no different, with deregulation and the free market serving as the impetus to design and create such tools. Across higher education, educators scramble to decode the GenAI black box, deciphering hallucinations, confabulations, and smooth outputs indistinguishable from original student work. Policy responses range along a continuum of ban or embrace. New AI literacies are being woven into curricula, as change continues apace. 2023 marks a year of existential crisis precipitated by a global pandemic, followed by geopolitical events and a fatigue from the continual adaptation to a new normal. Even within, we are constantly shaping our educational systems. That pull is in many different directions – to accredit, to certify, to help learners become, to socialise, to emancipate, to measure - to meet very diverse purposes and aims. The politics and power structures inherent in our system further affect our response (Kuhn et al., 2023).  While the potential of AI chatbots based on natural language processing models is undeniable, it is crucial to discern the reality from the hype and to better understand how our actions and responses are shaping our educational systems in this evolving domain. This editorial examines this dilemma further, to consider the impact on our scholarship of teaching and learning and how we as a community of researchers and educators respond

Productivity framework

Researchers look at skills shortages and careers pathways in the agrifood industry. Sustaining the agriculture, food and drink industries requires human capital. Current estimates calculate that the agrifood supply chain employs approaching 4m people of whom over 10% are within the food and drink sector. The 2017 Nesta report, The Future of Skills: Employment in 2030 has indicated that the food preparation and hospitality occupations are likely to show the largest growth of any industry in the UK. The food and drink industry has identified that it will need over 140,000 new recruits by 2024, along with another 595,000 in agriculture to replace those retiring or leaving the sector for other reasons. There is a particular shortage of experience in food engineering, food science, crop technology, engineering and automation, and management, with higher-level skills shortages across the sector

Minimal clinically important difference of the EORTC QLQ-CIPN20 for worsening peripheral neuropathy in patients receiving neurotoxic chemotherapy.

Context/objectivesThis is the first study to determine the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) of the European Organisation of Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-CIPN twenty-item scale (EORTC QLQ-CIPN20), a validated instrument designed to elicit cancer patients' experience of symptoms and functional limitations related to chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.MethodsCancer patients receiving neurotoxic chemotherapy completed EORTC QLQ-CIPN20 and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy/Gynecologic Oncology Group-Neurotoxicity [FACT/GOG-NTX] at baseline, second cycle of chemotherapy (T2, n = 287), and 12&nbsp;months after chemotherapy (T3, n = 191). Anchor-based approach used the validated FACT/GOG-NTX neurotoxicity (Ntx) subscale to identify optimal MCID cutoff for deterioration. Distribution-based approach used one-third standard deviation (SD), half SD, and one standard error of measurement of the total EORTC QLQ-CIPN20 score.ResultsThere was a moderate correlation between the change scores of the Ntx subscale and sensory and motor subscales of QLQ-CIPN20 (T2: r = - 0.722, p &lt; 0.001 and r = - 0.518, p &lt; 0.001, respectively; T3: r = - 0.699; p &lt; 0.001 and r = - 0.523, p &lt; 0.001, respectively). The correlation between the change scores of the Ntx subscale and the QLQ-CIPN20 autonomic subscale was poor (T2: r = - 0.354, p &lt; 0.001; T3: r = 0.286, p &lt; 0.001). Based on the MCID derived using distribution-based method, the MCID for the QLQ-CIPN20 sensory subscale was 2.5-5.9 (6.9% to 16.4% of the subdomain score) and for motor subscale was 2.6-5.0 (8.1%-15.6% of the subdomain score).ConclusionThe MCID for the EORTC QLQ-CIPN20 established using distribution-based approaches was 2.5-5.9 for the sensory subscale and 2.6-5.0 for the motor subscale. When noted in assessments even with small change in scores, clinicians can be alerted for appropriate intervention

Framework for productivity

The author's look at skills shortages and careers pathways in the agrifood industry

The impact of third-party authorization requirements on abortion-related outcomes: a synthesis of legal and health evidence.

Objectives This review synthesizes legal and health evidence to demonstrate the health and human rights impacts of third-party authorization requirements (TPAs) on abortion seekers. Results The synthesized evidence substantiates the pre-existing position in international human rights law that requirements that abortion be authorized by third parties like parents, spouses, committees, and courts create barriers to abortion, should not be introduced at all, or should be repealed where they exist. Conclusions The review establishes that rights-based regulation of abortion should not impose TPAs in any circumstances. Instead, the provision and management of abortion should be treated in a manner cognizant with the general principles of informed consent in international human rights law, presuming capacity in all adults regardless of marital status and treatment sought, and recognizing the evolving capacity of young people in line with their internationally-protected rights

Effect of cannabis use in people with chronic non-cancer pain prescribed opioids: findings from a 4-year prospective cohort study

Background Interest in the use of cannabis and cannabinoids to treat chronic non-cancer pain is increasing, because of their potential to reduce opioid dose requirements. We aimed to investigate cannabis use in people living with chronic non-cancer pain who had been prescribed opioids, including their reasons for use and perceived effectiveness of cannabis; associations between amount of cannabis use and pain, mental health, and opioid use; the effect of cannabis use on pain severity and interference over time; and potential opioid-sparing effects of cannabis. Methods The Pain and Opioids IN Treatment study is a prospective, national, observational cohort of people with chronic non-cancer pain prescribed opioids. Participants were recruited through community pharmacies across Australia, completed baseline interviews, and were followed up with phone interviews or self-complete questionnaires yearly for 4 years. Recruitment took place from August 13, 2012, to April 8, 2014. Participants were asked about lifetime and past year chronic pain conditions, duration of chronic non-cancer pain, pain self-efficacy, whether pain was neuropathic, lifetime and past 12-month cannabis use, number of days cannabis was used in the past month, and current depression and generalised anxiety disorder. We also estimated daily oral morphine equivalent doses of opioids. We used logistic regression to investigate cross-sectional associations with frequency of cannabis use, and lagged mixed-effects models to examine temporal associations between cannabis use and outcomes. Findings 1514 participants completed the baseline interview and were included in the study from Aug 20, 2012, to April 14, 2014. Cannabis use was common, and by 4-year follow-up, 295 (24%) participants had used cannabis for pain. Interest in using cannabis for pain increased from 364 (33%) participants (at baseline) to 723 (60%) participants (at 4 years). At 4-year follow-up, compared with people with no cannabis use, we found that participants who used cannabis had a greater pain severity score (risk ratio 1·14, 95% CI 1·01-1·29, for less frequent cannabis use; and 1·17, 1·03-1·32, for daily or near-daily cannabis use), greater pain interference score (1·21, 1·09-1·35; and 1·14, 1·03-1·26), lower pain self-efficacy scores (0·97, 0·96-1·00; and 0·98, 0·96-1·00), and greater generalised anxiety disorder severity scores (1·07, 1·03-1·12; and 1·10, 1·06-1·15). We found no evidence of a temporal relationship between cannabis use and pain severity or pain interference, and no evidence that cannabis use reduced prescribed opioid use or increased rates of opioid discontinuation. Interpretation Cannabis use was common in people with chronic non-cancer pain who had been prescribed opioids, but we found no evidence that cannabis use improved patient outcomes. People who used cannabis had greater pain and lower self-efficacy in managing pain, and there was no evidence that cannabis use reduced pain severity or interference or exerted an opioid-sparing effect. As cannabis use for medicinal purposes increases globally, it is important that large well designed clinical trials, which include people with complex comorbidities, are conducted to determine the efficacy of cannabis for chronic non-cancer pain