Twin Engines of Growth

We develop an endogenous growth model in which new technology and new skills are bounded complements they complement each other up to a point, but beyond this the impact of each factor is constrained by the level of the other. As a result, both technological progress and human capital accumulation are necessary for sustained productivity growth, but neither alone is sufficient. Rapid technological progress generates increased returns to education and encourages each generation to spend more time in school. Rapid human capital accumulation increases the feasibility and profitability of innovation and encourages the private business sector to allocate more resources towards R&D. Our model has important implications for the effectiveness of alternative growth promoting policies, for the interpretation of the empirical relationship between growth and schooling, and for the relationship between growth and intergenerational wage dispersion. Keywords: Endogenous technological change, endogenous human capital accumulation, minimum skill requirements, bounded complementarity.Endogenous technological change, endogenous human capital accumulation, minimum skill requirements, bounded complementarity.

Twin Engines of Growth

We develop an endogenous growth model in which new technology and new skills are bounded complements -- they complement each other to a point, but beyond this the impact of each factor is constrained by the level of the other. As a result, both technological progress and human capital accumulation are necessary for sustained productivity growth, but neither alone is sufficient. Rapid technological progress generates increased returns to education and encourages each generation to spend more time at school. Rapid human capital accumulation increases the feasability and profitability of innovation and encourages the private business sector to allocate more resources towards R&D. Our model has important implications for the effectiveness of alternative growth-promoting policies, for the interpretation of the empirical relationship between growth and schooling, and for the relationship between growth and intergenerational wage dispersion. Nous développons un modèle de croissance endogène dans lequel la nouvelle technologie et les nouvelles compétences sont des compléments limités -- elles se complémentent jusqu'à un certain point, au delà duquel l'impact de chaque facteur est contraint par le niveau de l'autre. Alors, le progrès technologique et l'accumulation de capital humain sont nécessaires les deux pour une croissance soutenue de la productivité, mais aucun n'est suffisant seul. Un progrès technologique rapide génère des rendements croissants de l'éducation et encourage chaque génération à consacrer plus de temps à l'école. Une accumulation rapide de capital humain accroît la faisabilité et la profitabilité de l'innovation et encourage le secteur privé à allouer plus de ressources en recherche et développement. Notre modèle a des implications importantes pour la relation empirique entre croissance et éducation, et pour la relation entre croissance et dispersion intergénérationnelle des salaires.Endogenous technological change, endogenous human capital accumulation, minimum skill requirements, bounded complementarity

Online qualitative methods – challenges and opportunities

This is a prepublication version of the following article; Online qualitative methods – challenges and opportunities 2018, 26 Qualitative Methods in Psychology Bulletin A growing proportion of the population are spending an increasing amount of time online (Poushter, 2016) and engaging in a wide variety of online activities (Blank & Groselj, 2014). Communication is one of the most common, with email, for example, being used by over 90% of UK adults (Blank & Groselj, 2014), and other forms of ‘computer mediated discourse’ (Herring & Androutsopoulos, 2015) including private, ‘direct messages’ sent between individuals through applications such as Whatsapp or Facebook messenger, also being widely used (Oghuma, Libaque-Saenz, Wong & Chang, 2016). Thus, there are many efficient and convenient avenues of online communication via which primary qualitative data can be collected; such as online interviews through text-based or video-based chat, or online qualitative surveys

Insights into the impact of clinical encounters gained from personal accounts of living with advanced cancer.

Aim To describe the impact of interactions with health care professionals revealed by people’s accounts of living and dying with cancer; to explore reasons for the observed effects; and thus, to consider the implications for practice. Background The importance of practitioner–patient interactions is enshrined within professional values. However, our understanding of how and why the consultation impacts on outcomes remains underdeveloped. Stories recounted by people living and dying with cancer offer important insights into illness experience, including the impact of contact with health services, framed within the context of the wider social setting in which people live their lives. From our recent study of distress in primary palliative care patients, we describe how people’s accounts revealed both therapeutic and noxious effects of such encounters, and discuss reasons for the observed effects. Method A qualitative study with a purposive sample of 19 primary palliative care patients: (8 men, 11 at high risk of depression). In-depth interviews were analysed using the iterative thematic analysis described by Lieblich. Findings Living with cancer can be an exhausting process. Maintaining continuity of everyday life was the norm, and dependent on a dynamic process of balancing threats and supports to people’s emotional well-being. Interactions with health care professionals were therapeutic when they provided emotional, or narrative, support. Threats arose when the patient’s perception of the professional’s account of their illness experience was at odds with the person’s own sense of their core self and what was important to them. Our findings highlight the need for a framework in which clinicians may legitimately utilize different illness models to deliver a personalized, patient-centred assessment of need and care. The work provides testable hypotheses supporting development of understanding of therapeutic impact of the consultation

Identifying functional impairment and rehabilitation needs in patients newly diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer: a structured literature review.

PurposePatients newly diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer experience a symptom distress burden that may impact upon functional performance in daily activities. This structured review examines empirical evidence to see how functional limitation and rehabilitation needs are represented in the supportive care literature in this population. Early access to rehabilitation services may ameliorate the impact, but evidence of need following diagnosis is required.MethodElectronic databases Medline, Web-of-Science, Cinahl, AMED and PsychINFO were searched in April 2014. Hawker's criteria were used to assess methodological quality. The World Health Organization International Classification for Functioning Disability and Health (WHO-ICF) guided framework analysis and narrative synthesis.ResultsThirty-two articles selected for further analysis included heterogeneous studies exploring the following conceptually diverse dimensions: quality of life, symptoms, functional performance and unmet supportive care needs at diagnosis and first treatment phase. Studies, mostly utilising patient self-report measures, reveal functional impairments, limitations and restrictions influenced by personal and environmental factors across all WHO-ICF domains. Two studies included objective evaluations of function. Six studies explored functional performance as a primary aim. Five studies suggested specific or general rehabilitation interventions to address identified needs.ConclusionsNeeds associated with a diagnosis of inoperable lung cancer impact on daily life in the peri and early post-diagnostic period across all WHO-ICF domains. Specific functional impairments, limitations and restrictions and the potential role of rehabilitation services are rarely explored objectively or discussed in the supportive care literature for this population. Research is needed to guide the development of effective rehabilitation interventions acceptable to patients, health care commissioners and providers that address the impact of a new lung cancer diagnosis on functional performance

Treatment outcomes in schizophrenia: qualitative study of the views of family carers

Abstract Background Schizophrenia is a complex, heterogeneous disorder, with highly variable treatment outcomes, and relatively little is known about what is important to patients. The aim of the study was to understand treatment outcomes informal carers perceive to be important to people with schizophrenia. Method Qualitative interview study with 34 individuals and 8 couples who care for a person with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed by a thematic framework based approach. Results Carers described well-recognised outcomes of importance, alongside more novel outcomes relating to: Safety (of the patient/others); insight (e.g. into non-reality of psychotic phenomena); respite from fear, distress or pain; socially acceptable behaviour; getting out of the house; attainment of life milestones; changes in personality and/or temperament; reduction of vulnerability to stress; and several aspects of physical health. Conclusions These findings have the potential to inform the development of patient- or carer- focused outcome measures that take into account the full range of domains that carers feel are important for patients. Keywords Schizophrenia Treatment Patient Carer Outcom

Clinical psychology in haemoglobinopathies: cost effective pathways to funding

This article describes a service evaluation which was used as evidence in a bidfor clinical psychology funding in haemoglobinopathies. We present the approach as a promising framework for securing funding in this difficult financial climate. SICKLE CELL DISEASE (SCD) and thalassaemia are inherited blood disorders that vary significantly in their presentation and treatment but are known collectively as `haemoglobinopathies'. SCD is characterised by an abnormality in the synthesis of normal haemoglobin (De, 2005). In SCD, abnormally shaped haemoglobin are responsible for small vessel blockages which account for several symptoms and complications including acute episodes of pain ('crises'), organ failure and stroke. UK incidence of SCD is estimated to exceed 10,000, making it the most common genetic condition in the UK. It is most commonly diagnosed in African and Caribbean populations. Tha-lassaemia is a chronically recessive inherited blood disorder most commonly diagnosed in Eastern Mediterranean, Asian, and Middle Eastern populations. There are several different types of thalas-saemia, which vary in terms of illness severity and treatment intensity. The main types, alpha thalassaemia and beta thalas-saemia, differ depending on which haemoglobin chain is affected. Beta thalassaemia major is a severe form causing life threatening anaemia which, without medical intervention by regular blood transfusions, is fatal. Psychosocial difficulties are common in haemoglobinopathy populations (Molock & Belgrave, 1994; Vardarki et al., 2004) and neuropsychological difficulties have been widely documented in SCD (Berkelhammer et al., 2007). The importance of clinical psychology input into services for people with SCD and thalassaemia has been recognised (Sickle Cell Society, 2008; 2010; UK Thalassaemia Society, 2008). Indeed, specialist clinical and health psychology services have been developed in other centres including London, Birmingham and Manchester. At the start of this project there was no clinical psychology provision for people with SCD and thalassaemia in the Nottingham area despite a haemoglobinopathy population of approximately 140. To secure local funding in an uncertain climate, a needs assessment was completed, where we provided evidence for a service need and produced a toolkit of materials to facilitate the future post-holder's prompt integration into the service

Clinical psychology in haemoglobinopathies: cost effective pathways to funding

This article describes a service evaluation which was used as evidence in a bidfor clinical psychology funding in haemoglobinopathies. We present the approach as a promising framework for securing funding in this difficult financial climate. SICKLE CELL DISEASE (SCD) and thalassaemia are inherited blood disorders that vary significantly in their presentation and treatment but are known collectively as `haemoglobinopathies'. SCD is characterised by an abnormality in the synthesis of normal haemoglobin (De, 2005). In SCD, abnormally shaped haemoglobin are responsible for small vessel blockages which account for several symptoms and complications including acute episodes of pain ('crises'), organ failure and stroke. UK incidence of SCD is estimated to exceed 10,000, making it the most common genetic condition in the UK. It is most commonly diagnosed in African and Caribbean populations. Tha-lassaemia is a chronically recessive inherited blood disorder most commonly diagnosed in Eastern Mediterranean, Asian, and Middle Eastern populations. There are several different types of thalas-saemia, which vary in terms of illness severity and treatment intensity. The main types, alpha thalassaemia and beta thalas-saemia, differ depending on which haemoglobin chain is affected. Beta thalassaemia major is a severe form causing life threatening anaemia which, without medical intervention by regular blood transfusions, is fatal. Psychosocial difficulties are common in haemoglobinopathy populations (Molock & Belgrave, 1994; Vardarki et al., 2004) and neuropsychological difficulties have been widely documented in SCD (Berkelhammer et al., 2007). The importance of clinical psychology input into services for people with SCD and thalassaemia has been recognised (Sickle Cell Society, 2008; 2010; UK Thalassaemia Society, 2008). Indeed, specialist clinical and health psychology services have been developed in other centres including London, Birmingham and Manchester. At the start of this project there was no clinical psychology provision for people with SCD and thalassaemia in the Nottingham area despite a haemoglobinopathy population of approximately 140. To secure local funding in an uncertain climate, a needs assessment was completed, where we provided evidence for a service need and produced a toolkit of materials to facilitate the future post-holder's prompt integration into the service

An investigation into route learning strategies for people with acquired brain injury

Individuals with acquired brain injury-related memory impairment learned routes around a complex virtual reality town under various conditions. Errorless learning, a technique used with considerable success in verbal learning tasks after brain injury (e.g. Baddeley & Wilson, 1994), resulted in significantly fewer route errors than trial-and-error (or 'errorful') learning, demonstrating the technique's potential for training practical daily living skills. The combining of explicit, naturalistic route learning strategies of cognitive map creation and landmark memorization with errorless learning did not, within the sample as a whole, further improve its efficacy. However, closer analysis of performance by participants with impaired verbal ability or deficits in executive function indicates that people with such cognitive profiles may derive particular benefit from these additional strategies. Applications and suggestions for further research are discussed

ULTRAX2020 : Ultrasound Technology for Optimising the Treatment of Speech Disorders : Clinicians' Resource Manual

Ultrasound Visual Biofeedback (U-VBF) uses medical ultrasound to image the tongue in real-time during speech. Clinicians can use this information to both assess speech disorders and as a biofeedback tool to guide children in producing correct speech. Ultrasound images of the tongue are thought to be relatively intuitive to interpret, however, there is no easy way of using the ultrasound to diagnose speech disorders, despite it having the potential to identify imperceptible errors which are diagnostically important. This manual describes how to use ultrasound for the assessment and treatment of speech sound disorders in children. It is designed to be used in combination with Articulate Instruments Ltd. Sonospeech software by clinical partners of the Ultrax2020 project. However, the basic principles and resources contained within this document will be of use to anyone interested in using ultrasound in the speech therapy clinic