Time for "justice" : Research to inform the development of a human rights framework for the design and implementation of an "acknowledgement and accountability forum" on historic abuse of children in Scotland

In 2002, Chris Daly raised a petition to the Scottish Executive (PE535) calling for an independent inquiry into the historic abuse of children in Scotland. This led to the setting up of a reference group in 2003, in order to explore the role of a truth and reconciliation process that was identified as an important step in dealing with historic abuse. In 2004, there was an apology for such abuse by the then First Minister, Jack McConnell. In 2005, Tom Shaw led the Historic Abuse Systemic Review. This covered the period 1950 – 1995 and was completed in 2007. In 2006, a sub-group of the reference group that was set up in 2003 identified the need for a service for survivors. This led to the funding of ‘In Care Survivor Scotland’ in 2008, under the umbrella of ‘Open Secret’. It is important to see this current report in this context. Eight years on from the initial petition, it is clear that this process has been seen by many as a long road to acknowledging the need to address outstanding human rights issues in relation to the historic abuse of children in care in Scotland

The Impact of Dual Credit on Student Success: A Mixed Methods Study at a Texas University

In 2015, the number of students enrolled in dual credit coursework in United States (U.S.) schools had reached over 1.4 million, a 68% increase over the previous few years (Field, 2021). By this year, 88% of U.S. high schools offered dual credit programs, and 34% of students enrolled in dual credit coursework, indicating a steady growth in dual credit programming (Rhine, 2022). Furthermore, 27% of public high school students in Texas earned credit for dual credit coursework (Villarreal, 2017). Despite significant growth in dual credit coursework offerings, limited knowledge of the effectiveness of these programs in preparing students for post-secondary success remains limited (Struhl & Vargas, 2012). This mixed methods study explored the relationships between various components of dual credit programs and the experiences of first-time undergraduate students. Specifically, the study explored the relationships between the setting and modality of dual credit coursework, student demographic factors, and the number of dual credit transfer hours and first-year undergraduate grade point average (GPA). A qualitative follow-up explored student perceptions regarding the influence of dual credit coursework on their choice of institution and major, as well as their adaptability to the college experience. The results of a multiple regression indicated that there were no statistically significant relationships between the number of transfer hours, the modality of dual credit coursework, or the setting of dual credit coursework and students’ first-year undergraduate GPAs. Furthermore, these results did not indicate statistically significant differences in the mean GPAs of students based on student demographic factors, including gender, race, and first-generation college student status. A thematic analysis of a virtual focus group interview transcript using inductive coding revealed several themes related to students’ perspectives on the influence of dual credit course enrollment on their college experience. Among these themes were academic preparation, academic support and guidance, burnout, non-academic support and guidance, access, affordability, academic and career choices, and college transition

Pedestrian Observation and Data Collection Curriculum Guide

This is a final report, NITC-ED-999, from the NITC program of TREC at Portland State University, and can be found online at: https://nitc.trec.pdx.edu/research/project/999 The project brief associated with this research can be found at: https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/25833This guidebook provides a comprehensive set of class exercises suitable for students in courses related to travel behavior, traffic safety, urban planning and design, community health, or civil engineering. Exercises include activities developed through this project as well as an extensive set of educational materials drawn from online resources. The exercises developed as part of this project focus on pedestrians. They include elements of both traditional traffic counts and behavioral components, the latter of which are often lacking from current data collections efforts. By encouraging students to consider behavioral interactions of roadway users, these exercises can provide students with field experience that collects data that underlie behavioral traffic theory and agent-based traffic models. The materials are organized to provide helpful guidance to instructors and provide insights gathered through the pilot testing of classroom materials. Activities drawn from existing resources provide a comprehensive set of educational materials that address different facets of pedestrian and bicycle planning. The educational curricula and resources outlined in this guide allow instructors with little or no experience to integrate pedestrian-related curriculum into their teaching. The guide may also prove useful for organizations interested in pedestrian and bicycle planning and provide additional resources for experienced instructors. Included curricula are aimed at undergraduate or graduate university students, but can be easily adaptable to high school students or community college classes interested in exploring these issues. Specific outcomes include the following: • Readings, curriculum, data collections tools, and general research design that instructors can adapt to their needs, while standardizing the data collection method. This can enrich classroom learning and facilitate fieldwork experience. • The data collected from the exercise may provide a benefit to local agencies. Local jurisdictions are often interested in partnering with local university classes on data collection, but time constraints, particularly in the quarter system, can make planning and execution of projects time-prohibitive.This project was funded by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC) under grant number 999. Additional resources in the guide are public documents courtesy of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Pedestrian & Bicycle Information Center (PBIC), the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), Ryan Snyder at the UCLA Department of Urban Planning, and Krista Nordback of the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center (UNC-HSRC)

Pedestrian Observation and Data Collection Curriculum Guide

This guidebook provides a comprehensive set of class exercises suitable for students in courses related to travel behavior, traffic safety, urban planning and design, community health, or civil engineering. Exercises include activities developed through this project as well as an extensive set of educational materials drawn from online resources. The exercises developed as part of this project focus on pedestrians. They include elements of both traditional traffic counts and behavioral components, the latter of which are often lacking from current data collections efforts. By encouraging students to consider behavioral interactions of roadway users, these exercises can provide students with field experience that collects data that underlie behavioral traffic theory and agent-based traffic models. The materials are organized to provide helpful guidance to instructors and provide insights gathered through the pilot testing of classroom materials. Activities drawn from existing resources provide a comprehensive set of educational materials that address different facets of pedestrian and bicycle planning. The educational curricula and resources outlined in this guide allow instructors with little or no experience to integrate pedestrian-related curriculum into their teaching. The guide may also prove useful for organizations interested in pedestrian and bicycle planning and provide additional resources for experienced instructors. Included curricula are aimed at undergraduate or graduate university students, but can be easily adaptable to high school students or community college classes interested in exploring these issues. Specific outcomes include the following: • Readings, curriculum, data collections tools, and general research design that instructors can adapt to their needs, while standardizing the data collection method. This can enrich classroom learning and facilitate fieldwork experience. • The data collected from the exercise may provide a benefit to local agencies. Local jurisdictions are often interested in partnering with local university classes on data collection, but time constraints, particularly in the quarter system, can make planning and execution of projects time-prohibitive

Immune cell census in murine atherosclerosis: cytometry by time of flight illuminates vascular myeloid cell diversity

Aims: Atherosclerosis is characterised by the abundant infiltration of myeloid cells starting at early stages of disease. Myeloid cells are key players in vascular immunity during atherogenesis. However, the subsets of vascular myeloid cells have eluded resolution due to shared marker expression and atypical heterogeneity in vascular tissues. We applied the high-dimensionality of mass cytometry to the study of myeloid cell subsets in atherosclerosis. Methods and Results: Apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice were fed a chow or a high fat (western) diet for 12 weeks. Single cell aortic preparations were probed with a panel of 35 metal-conjugated antibodies using Cytometry by time of flight (CyTOF). Clustering of marker expression on live CD45+ cells from the aortas of ApoE-/- mice identified 13 broad populations of leucocytes. Monocyte, macrophage, type 1 and type 2 conventional dendritic cell (cDC1 and cDC2), plasmacytoid dendritic cell (pDC), neutrophil, eosinophil, B cell, CD4+ and CD8+ T cell, γδ T cell, natural killer (NK) cell and innate lymphoid (ILC) cell populations accounted for approximately 95% of the live CD45+ aortic cells. Automated clustering algorithms applied to the Lin-CD11blo-hi cells revealed 20 clusters of myeloid cells. Comparison between chow and high fat fed animals revealed increases in monocytes (both Ly6C+ and Ly6C-), pDC and a CD11c+ macrophage subset with high fat feeding. Concomitantly, the proportions of CD206+ CD169+ subsets of macrophages were significantly reduced as were cDC2. Conclusions: A CyTOF-based comprehensive mapping of the immune cell subsets within atherosclerotic aortas from ApoE-/- mice offers tools for myeloid cell discrimination within the vascular compartment and it reveals that high fat feeding skews the myeloid cell repertoire towards inflammatory monocyte-macrophage populations rather than resident macrophage phenotypes and cDC2 during atherogenesis

Clinical guidelines for the management of weight during pregnancy: a qualitative evidence synthesis of practice recommendations across NHS Trusts in England

Background Women who enter pregnancy with a Body Mass Index above 30 kg/m2 face an increased risk of complications during pregnancy and birth. National and local practice recommendations in the UK exist to guide healthcare professionals in supporting women to manage their weight. Despite this, women report inconsistent and confusing advice and healthcare professionals report a lack of confidence and skill in providing evidence-based guidance. A qualitative evidence synthesis was conducted to examine how local clinical guidelines interpret national recommendations to deliver weight management care to people who are pregnant or in the postnatal period. Methods A qualitative evidence synthesis of local NHS clinical practice guidelines in England was conducted. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists guidelines for weight management during pregnancy constructed the framework used for thematic synthesis. Data was interpreted within the embedded discourse of risk and the synthesis was informed by the Birth Territory Theory of Fahy and Parrat. Results A representative sample of twenty-eight NHS Trusts provided guidelines that included weight management care recommendations. Local recommendations were largely reflective of national guidance. Consistent recommendations included obtaining a weight at booking and informing women of the risks associated with being obese during pregnancy. There was variation in the adoption of routine weighing practices and referral pathways were ambiguous. Three interpretive themes were constructed, exposing a disconnect between the risk dominated discourse evident in the local guidelines and the individualised, partnership approach emphasised in national level maternity policy. Conclusions Local NHS weight management guidelines are rooted in a medical model rather than the model advocated in national maternity policy that promotes a partnership approach to care. This synthesis exposes the challenges faced by healthcare professionals and the experiences of pregnant women who are in receipt of weight management care. Future research should target the tools utilised by maternity care providers to achieve weight management care that harnesses a partnership approach empowering pregnant and postnatal people in their journey through motherhood