Incapacity Benefit Reforms Pilot: Findings from a longitudinal panel of clients

The Incapacity Benefit reforms were introduced in October 2003 and aim to increase the number of incapacity benefit recipients who move towards and into paid work. The package of measures that comprise the reforms is being Piloted in seven areas of England, Scotland and Wales. This report is based on research conducted by the Social Policy Research Unit, the National Centre for Social Research and the Policy Studies Institute in 2004/05 and presents findings from the first cohort of a longitudinal qualitative study of the views and experiences of incapacity benefit recipients who have taken part in the Pilots

High-density Skyrmion matter and Neutron Stars

We examine neutron star properties based on a model of dense matter composed of B=1 skyrmions immersed in a mesonic mean field background. The model realizes spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking non-linearly and incorporates scale-breaking of QCD through a dilaton VEV that also affects the mean fields. Quartic self-interactions among the vector mesons are introduced on grounds of naturalness in the corresponding effective field theory. Within a plausible range of the quartic couplings, the model generates neutron star masses and radii that are consistent with a preponderance of observational constraints, including recent ones that point to the existence of relatively massive neutron stars with mass M 1.7 Msun and radius R (12-14) km. If the existence of neutron stars with such dimensions is confirmed, matter at supra-nuclear density is stiffer than extrapolations of most microscopic models suggest.Comment: 27 pages, 5 figures, AASTeX style; to be published in The Astrophysical Journa

An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Service Users’ Experiences in a Psychosocial Addictions Intervention

© 2020 The Authors. This is the accepted version of the following article: Dawood, R. and Done, J. (2020), An interpretative phenomenological analysis of service users’ experiences in a psychosocial addictions intervention. Psychol Psychother Theory Res Pract. doi:10.1111/papt.12296, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/papt.12296.Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the subjective experiences of participants who; a. received a psychosocial intervention as part of an addiction recovery research trial, b. responded to treatment through drug reduction, with the intention of eliciting qualitative change processes of recovery. Design: Data were collected using semi-structured interviews designed to capture detailed descriptions of participants’ experiences of recovery within the intervention. Methods: Eleven participants who had achieved drug abstinence or significant drug reduction by successfully completing the psychosocial intervention took part in the study. The data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Results: Five superordinate themes were identified relating to 1. An active, individualised and skills based intervention that validates a new way of being, 2. Staff that foster good working relationships based on trust and safety within services that do not stigmatise, 3. To be understood individually, historically and psychologically and with regards to the pernicious relationship with drugs, 4. Motivation is personal, intrinsic, requires vigilance and is driven forward by periods of success through abstinence, 5. Interpersonal connectedness is essential to recovery; family is a key reason to abstain and friendships can either facilitate or hinder success. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the success of the psychosocial intervention may be due to a combination of modality specific factors and also broader holistic aspects that were provided through intervention. Future research is required to generalise these findings to wider addictions populations.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

The four or more medicines (FOMM) support service:results from an evaluation of a new community pharmacy service aimed at over-65s

Background: 57% of all prescriptions dispensed in the UK in 2003 were for people aged ≥60, where ≥20% of them were prescribed ≥ five medicines. Inappropriate prescribing and non-adherence have a significant impact on hospital admissions and patient quality of life. The English government has identified that community pharmacy could make a significant contribution to reducing non-adherence and improving the quality of prescribing, reducing both hospital admissions and medicines wastage. Objective: To evaluate a community pharmacy service aimed at patients over the age of 65 years prescribed four or more medicines. Method: Patients were invited to participate in the service by the community pharmacy team. The pharmacist held regular consultations with the patient and discussed risk of falls, pain management, adherence and general health. They also reviewed the patient’s medication using STOPP/START criteria. Data wereas analysed for the first six months of participation in the service. Key findings: 620 patients were recruited with 441 (71.1%) completing the six month study period. Pharmacists made 142 recommendations to prescribers in 110 patients largely centred on potentially inappropriate prescribing of NSAIDs, PPIs or duplication of therapy. At follow-up there was a significant decrease in the total number of falls (mean -0.116 (-0.217 - -0.014)) experienced and a significant increase in medicines adherence (mean difference in MMAS-8: 0.513 (0.337 – 0.689)) and quality of life. Cost per QALY estimates ranged from £11,885 to £32,466 depending on the assumptions made. Conclusion: By focussing on patients over the age of 65 years with four or more medicines, community pharmacists can improve medicines adherence and patient quality of life

Radio Pulses along the Galactic Plane

We have surveyed 68 deg^2 along the Galactic Plane for single, dispersed radio pulses. Each of 3027 independent pointings was observed for 68 s using the Arecibo telescope at 430 MHz. Spectra were collected at intervals of 0.5 ms and examined for pulses with duration 0.5 to 8 ms. Such single pulse analysis is the most sensitive method of detecting highly scattered or highly dispersed signals from pulsars with large pulse-to-pulse intensity variations. A total of 36 individual pulses from five previously known pulsars were detected, along with a single pulse not associated with a previously known source. Follow-up observations discovered a pulsar, PSR J1918+08, from which the pulse originated. This pulsar has period 2.130 s and dispersion measure 30 pc cm^-3, and has been seen to emit single pulses with strength up to 8 times the average.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, AASTeX, accepted by the Astrophysical Journa

An Ecological Perspective of Intergenerational Trauma: Clinical Implications

In this paper, the authors present information about both intergenerational trauma and an ecological case conceptualization model to assist counselors as they develop treatment plans and determine appropriate interventions. Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological model is introduced as a way to help professional counselors in a variety of settings explore a more holistic understanding of presenting problems. The authors use a case illustration to highlight how to implement an ecological framework with a client with Colombian heritage to better understand and address intergenerational trauma as an important aspect of treatment planning. The paper includes clinical examples, clinical resources, and implications for professional counselors, so they can intentionally consider intergenerational trauma while working with a variety of clients

The Probability Distribution of Binary Pulsar Coalescence Rate Estimates. II. Neutron Star-White Dwarf Binaries

We consider the statistics of pulsar binaries with white dwarf companions (NS-WD). Using the statistical analysis method developed by Kim et al. (2003) we calculate the Galactic coalescence rate of NS-WD binaries due to gravitational-wave emission. We find that the most likely values for the total Galactic coalescence rate (R_tot) of NS-WD binaries lie in the range 0.2--10 per Myr depending on different assumed pulsar population models. For our reference model, we obtain R_tot=4.11_(-2.56)^(+5.25) per Myr at a 68% statistical confidence level. These rate estimates are not corrected for pulsar beaming and as such they are found to be about a factor of 20 smaller than the Galactic coalescence rate estimates for double neutron star systems. Based on our rate estimates, we calculate the gravitational-wave background due to coalescing NS-WD binaries out to extragalactic distances within the frequency band of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna. We find the contribution from NS-WD binaries to the gravitational-wave background to be negligible.Comment: 20 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables, Accepted for publication in Ap

What is the contribution of physician associates in hospital care in England? A mixed methods, multiple case study.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the deployment of physician associates (PAs); the factors supporting and inhibiting their employment and their contribution and impact on patients' experience and outcomes and the organisation of services. DESIGN: Mixed methods within a case study design, using interviews, observations, work diaries and documentary analysis. SETTING: Six acute care hospitals in three regions of England in 2016-2017. PARTICIPANTS: 43 PAs, 77 other health professionals, 28 managers, 28 patients and relatives. RESULTS: A key influencing factor supporting the employment of PAs in all settings was a shortage of doctors. PAs were found to be acceptable, appropriate and safe members of the medical/surgical teams by the majority of doctors, managers and nurses. They were mainly deployed to undertake inpatient ward work in the medical/surgical team during core weekday hours. They were reported to positively contribute to: continuity within their medical/surgical team, patient experience and flow, inducting new junior doctors, supporting the medical/surgical teams' workload, which released doctors for more complex patients and their training. The lack of regulation and attendant lack of authority to prescribe was seen as a problem in many but not all specialties. The contribution of PAs to productivity and patient outcomes was not quantifiable separately from other members of the team and wider service organisation. Patients and relatives described PAs positively but most did not understand who and what a PA was, often mistaking them for doctors. CONCLUSIONS: This study offers new insights concerning the deployment and contribution of PAs in medical and surgical specialties in English hospitals. PAs provided a flexible addition to the secondary care workforce without drawing from existing professions. Their utility in the hospital setting is unlikely to be completely realised without the appropriate level of regulation and authority to prescribe medicines and order ionising radiation within their scope of practice

Quark Matter in Neutron Stars: An apercu

The existence of deconfined quark matter in the superdense interior of neutron stars is a key question that has drawn considerable attention over the past few decades. Quark matter can comprise an arbitrary fraction of the star, from 0 for a pure neutron star to 1 for a pure quark star, depending on the equation of state of matter at high density. From an astrophysical viewpoint, these two extreme cases are generally expected to manifest different observational signatures. An intermediate fraction implies a hybrid star, where the interior consists of mixed or homogeneous phases of quark and nuclear matter, depending on surface and Coulomb energy costs, as well as other finite size and screening effects. In this brief review article, we discuss what we can deduce about quark matter in neutron stars in light of recent exciting developments in neutron star observations. We state the theoretical ideas underlying the equation of state of dense quark matter, including color superconducting quark matter. We also highlight recent advances stemming from re-examination of an old paradigm for the surface structure of quark stars and discuss possible evolutionary scenarios from neutron stars to quark stars, with emphasis on astrophysical observations.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figure. Invited review for Modern Physics Letters

A precise mass measurement of the intermediate-mass binary pulsar PSR J1802-2124

PSR J1802-2124 is a 12.6-ms pulsar in a 16.8-hour binary orbit with a relatively massive white dwarf (WD) companion. These properties make it a member of the intermediate-mass class of binary pulsar (IMBP) systems. We have been timing this pulsar since its discovery in 2002. Concentrated observations at the Green Bank Telescope, augmented with data from the Parkes and Nancay observatories, have allowed us to determine the general relativistic Shapiro delay. This has yielded pulsar and white dwarf mass measurements of 1.24(11) and 0.78(4) solar masses (68% confidence), respectively. The low mass of the pulsar, the high mass of the WD companion, the short orbital period, and the pulsar spin period may be explained by the system having gone through a common-envelope phase in its evolution. We argue that selection effects may contribute to the relatively small number of known IMBPs.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa