‘Behaviour that challenges’ in dementia care: an update of psychological approaches for home and care home settings

Over and above the personal and financial costs associated with dementia, those for ‘behaviour that challenges’ (BtC) are significant (Lowry & Warner, 2009; Hermann et al., 2006). This briefing paper outlines the importance of having a psychological understanding of both the causes and appropriate interventions required for BtC. It highlights the role of clinical psychologists, ideally working within multi-disciplinary teams, in producing biopsychosocial formulations to meet the health and psychosocial needs of a person living with dementia (PwD). The paper also draws on relevant evidence including findings from a recently completed NIHR programme of work on the Management of Challenging Behaviour at home and in care homes (Moniz-Cook et al., 2017) to provide recommendations for action

“Perversity, Futility, Jeopardy”: An Economic Analysis of the Attack on Gun Control

A relatively new way for utilizing the thermal performance of heat pipes is to use nanofluids as working fluids in the heat pipes. Heat pipes are effective heat transfer devices in which the nanofluid operates in the two phases, evaporation and condensation. The heat pipe transfers the heat supplied in e.g. a laptop, from the evaporator to condenser part. Nanofluids are mixtures consisting of nanoparticles (e.g. nano-sized silver particles) and a base fluid (e.g. water). The aim of this bachelor’s thesis has been to examine the effect of nanofluids on heat pipes on the subject of temperature parameters and thermal resistance in the heat pies, through findings in literature and an applied model. The study, based on literature and an applied model, found that higher particle conductivity and higher concentration of nanoparticles consequently decrease the thermal resistance in the heat pipes, resulting in an enhanced thermal performance of the heat pipes with nanofluids as working fluids. It is however concluded that difficulties in finding the optimal synthesis of nanofluids, the concentration level of nanoparticles and the filling ratio of nanofluids in heat pipes, set bounds to the commercial use of nanofluids in heat pipes. It is suggested that, in order to enhance the heat transfer performance of nanofluids in heat pipes, to conduct further research concerning e.g. synthesis of nanofluids and concentration level of nanoparticles in nanofluids

Contribution of integrated farm management (IFM) to Defra objectives

A farming system comprises a complex of interrelated and interacting factors. Any study of an isolated part of the system will not provide adequate understanding of the behaviour of the entire system and interactions may be equally or more important than individual components. There is therefore a requirement for the development of integrated approaches and practices to help farming systems adapt to, eliminate or reduce the negative impacts of production on the environment. This must be achieved whilst maintaining the economic viability of the farm enterprise. Our analysis has confirmed that IFM techniques generally have far more beneficial than adverse effects on current Defra policy objectives. However, there are some notable ‘conflicts’ where a technique that has a large beneficial effect in one policy area has a large negative effect in another. Carbon footprinting is used to quantify the impact of some integrated farming practices

Report on the Status of Payday Lending in California

Provides an overview of storefront and Internet payday lending in California, its effects, state and federal laws and regulations, and reform efforts. Includes recommendations for state and local policy, banking access, and consumer education

Kingdom Come: Deliverance and the aesthetics of authenticity

Warhorse Studios’ award-winning action role-playing game Kingdom Come: Deliverance (2018) has—perhaps somewhat unkindly—been described as a “peasant simulator.” Nonetheless, “simulation” is a good description of the way in which its gameplay is conceived and framed, with a stated focus on historical accuracy and realism. This verisimilitude has been cited as having a noticeable cost in terms of accessibility for new players, with something of a steep learning curve required to master the game, but has also frequently been cited in positive reviews. The level of realism is indeed impressive. It extends not only to the need to eat, drink, and sleep, but also to the need to learn how to read (vernacular and Latin separately) if the player wishes to glean any information from written texts. But a focus on realism always brings with it challenges. The highly effective musical score of this game, written by Jan Valta and Adam Sporka, features an interactive and adaptive score, making use of a new engine developed specifically for the game called the Sequence Music Engine. There is already a neat tension here between the stated aim of historical fidelity and the modern expectation of an adaptive score; no preexistent “authentic” music can be used in this manner. As with all games, and indeed all screen media, composers and studios must work hard to balance authenticity to the medium and the genre with authenticity to the period. We expect fairly ubiquitous non-diegetic music in screen media—and its absence carries very particular semantics—but fifteenth-century Bohemia was conspicuous in its absence of invisible, itinerant symphony orchestras roaming its landscape.This article focuses on the interplay between fantasy and “authenticity,” especially considering the ways in which the composers work creatively to give an immersive and coherent soundworld, within the limits of what I term an “aesthetic of authenticity.” It explores the creative interplay between the “real” historical environment and that which is understood to be real in the popular consciousness, as well as the interconnected web of demands set by the medium, the interactive and narrative genres, and the historical setting.<br/