Effective teaching

This initiative focuses on providing an understanding of both students’ and teachers’ perceptions of effective teaching in a modern UK University. Through utilising a phenomenographical perspective, the research identifies that teacher effectiveness is a combination of providing a supportive environment and including students in the process of developing understanding. This research has been carried out in four schools within the University of Wolverhampton and five constituents of effective teaching have been identified.HEFC

The role of spatial measures in the management and conservation of marine fish and invertebrates

No abstract available

International Graduate Outcomes Survey 2018 Final Report

The 2018 International Graduates Outcomes Survey (IGOS) provides an insight into international graduates from Australian universities post-study employment, work readiness, and reflections on course experiences, study motivation and overall satisfaction. Over 10,000 international students who graduated from an Australian university in the last decade (international graduates) were asked a range of questions about their current employment status and their opinions on their Australian qualification. In brief the results indicate that: 90 per cent of graduates who are available for employment are currently employed - incorporating 93 per cent who returned home and 85 percent who were still in Australia; 77 per cent of respondents said that they would recommend Australia as a study destination; 67 per cent of respondents consider their qualification was worth the financial investment; 43 per cent of respondents were currently living in Australia, gaining work experience or undertaking further study, while 47 per cent have returned to their country of origin

Whole body precooling attenuates the extracellular HSP72, IL-6 and IL-10 responses after an acute bout of running in the heat

The impact of whole-body precooling on the extracellular heat shock protein 72 (eHSP72) and cytokine responses to running in the heat is undefined. The aim of this study was to determine whether precooling would attenuate post-exercise eHSP72 and cytokine responses.Eight male recreational runnerscompleted two90-minuteboutsofrunningat65% _VO2maxin32±0.9°Cand47±6%relativehumidity(RH)preceded by either 60-minutes of precooling in 20.3 ± 0.3°C water (COOL) or 60 min rest in an air-conditioned laboratory (20.2 ± 1.7°C, 60 ± 3% RH; CON). eHSP72, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10 IL-1ra were determined before and immediately after exercise. The elevation in post-exercise eHSP72 was attenuated after COOL (+0.04 ± 0.10 ng.mL−1) compared to CON (+ 0.29 ± 0.26 ng.mL−1;P < 0.001). No changes in TNF-α were observed at any stage. COOL reduced the absolute post-exercise change in IL-6 (P = 0.011) and IL-10 (P = 0.03) compared to CON. IL-1ra followed this trend (P = 0.063). A precooling-induced attenuation of eHSP72 and proinflammatory cytokines may aid recovery during multi-day sporting events, but could be counterproductive if a training response or adaptation to environmental stress is a desired outcome

Consequential impacts of a net-zero carbon design: life cycle assessment of an active building

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is becoming the predominant means for determining if a building design meets a carbon emission target. These target values are set to help building designers meet aspirational net-zero carbon targets. Within LCA, there are two modelling frameworks. Attributional LCA(ALCA) assigns a portion of global emissions to a specific product or process. Consequential LCA(CLCA) assesses the impacts from a market’s response to a change in demand for a product or process. A case study building, located in Swansea, UK, has been assessed to investigate the differences between ALCA and CLCA. The case study building employs: a modular off-site construction building fabric; on-site energy generation; and, on-site energy storage–all strategies that may be adopted at large scale to decarbonise the built environment. Based on global warming potential assessed over a 100-year time horizon (GWP100),the total upfront embodied impacts from CLCA are 19% higher than that from ALCA. Three differences exist within the rank order of building elements. The Frame presented the highest contribution to the GWP100within the CLCA results, whereas External Walls contributed the most within the ALCA results. The differences arise mostly from how electricity production is modelled within attributional and consequential datasets and whether substitution or cut-off are used within the background processes. CLCA can capture the environmental impacts of decisions taken to create a net-zero built environment. However, CLCA should not be directly compared to ALCA without appreciating and recognising how the methods and scopes differ

Chlorpromazine for schizophrenia: a Cochrane systematic review of 50 years of randomised controlled trials

BACKGROUND: Chlorpromazine (CPZ) remains one of the most common drugs used for people with schizophrenia worldwide, and a benchmark against which other treatments can be evaluated. Quantitative reviews are rare; this one evaluates the effects of chlorpromazine in the treatment of schizophrenia in comparison with placebo. METHODS: We sought all relevant randomised controlled trials (RCT) comparing chlorpromazine to placebo by electronic and reference searching, and by contacting trial authors and the pharmaceutical industry. Data were extracted from selected trials and, where possible, synthesised and random effects relative risk (RR), the number needed to treat (NNT) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) calculated. RESULTS: Fifty RCTs from 1955–2000 were included with 5276 people randomised to CPZ or placebo. They constitute 2008 person-years spent in trials. Meta-analysis of these trials showed that chlorpromazine promotes a global improvement (n = 1121, 13 RCTs, RR 0.76 CI 0.7 to 0.9, NNT 7 CI 5 to 10), although a considerable placebo response is also seen. People allocated to chlorpromazine tended not to leave trials early in both the short (n = 945, 16 RCTs, RR 0.74 CI 0.5 to 1.1) and medium term (n = 1861, 25 RCTs, RR 0.79 CI 0.6 to 1.1). There were, however, many adverse effects. Chlorpromazine is sedating (n = 1242, 18 RCTs, RR 2.3 CI 1.7 to 3.1, NNH 6 CI 5 to 8), increases a person's chances of experiencing acute movement disorders, Parkinsonism and causes low blood pressure with dizziness and dry mouth. CONCLUSION: It is understandable why the World Health Organization (WHO) have endorsed and included chlorpromazine in their list of essential drugs for use in schizophrenia. Low- and middle-income countries may have more complete evidence upon which to base their practice compared with richer nations using recent innovations

Understanding the independent dancer: roles, development and success

Little research has been published about the varied role of the independent dancer. The aim of this study was to provide insight into the work independent dancers undertake and how their careers change over time. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 independent dancers. Content analysis revealed that the dancers had multifaceted careers that relied on both formal and informal activities, and varied according to three distinct stages (early, middle, late). The experiences reported by the dancers indicated that the realities of the independent dancer's role are not sufficiently recognised or supported within the industry

Riding the Rapids: Living with autism or disability - An evaluation of a parenting support intervention for parents of disabled children

Evidence on the effectiveness of interventions to support parents of disabled children to manage their child's behaviour problems is limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate a group-delivered intervention (Riding the Rapids) which was specifically developed for parents of a child with a disability or autistic spectrum condition. This programme has been routinely delivered by a community-based mental health team across an urban, multi-ethnic locality for a number of years. A non-randomised controlled study design comprising an intervention group (n = 48) and comparator (no intervention) group (n = 28) was used to evaluate the effects of the intervention on child behaviour (Eyberg Child Behaviour Inventory; parent-set goals) and parenting efficacy and satisfaction (Parents Sense of Competence Scale) at post-intervention and six-month follow-up. Data on costs to the service provider of delivering the intervention were also collected. Receipt of the intervention was associated with significant reductions in parent-reported behaviour problems and significant improvements in parenting efficacy and satisfaction. At six-month follow-up, progress towards achieving parent-set child behaviour goals and parenting satisfaction had been maintained. Post hoc analysis suggests parents who do not have English as a first language may not benefit as much as other parents from this intervention. Findings suggest this is a promising intervention for parents of a child with a disability that is likely to be less resource intensive to service providers than individually delivered interventions. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed