CPD curriculum guide for social workers who are working with people on the autism spectrum

Tizard Centre, Centre for Child Protection (2015) “A report on autism for social workers” Commissioned by The College of Social Work (written and published by the Dept. of Health

Addressing Radicalisation into the Classroom - A New Approach to Teacher and Pupil Learning

This article examines one response to the UK Governments directive that radicalisation and extremism should be tackled in all UK secondary schools. The small scale study, which is set in the broader literature of teaching often difficult PHSE topics to young people in secondary school and also the use of simulations as tools for learning in the classroom, analyses the responses of teachers to being trained with and using ‘Zak’ a bespoke research based simulation on the radicalisation process. An analysis of the teacher’s’ responses indicated that it was recognised that the principales of adults manipulating children, whether for sexual gratification or radicalisation, are considered to be very important topics for staff working with young people in school settings to address. It was also recognised as to be a flexible learning tool which enabled various pathways to be explored with young people in lessons to explore and raise issues regarding many aspects of e- safety, not just radicalisation. Additionally, the teachers remarked that the social media ‘Facebook’ format of the simulation was appreciated by the young people and this appeal resulted in their immersion with it as a teaching aid. Also of significance was how the ‘Zak’ package was delivered into schools with the staff reporting that the inter-professional training delivered by specialist police trainers and the accompanying materials enhanced the learning and confidence of the teachers on this multi-faceted and complex topic

<i>'You've got to keep your head on'</i>: A study of the stories young male service users tell about the transition to fatherhood

Research on disadvantaged young fathers has been minimally addressed in the literature, particularly in the UK and especially with young men who are service users. This thesis, drawing on discourse theory, explores the descriptions of 16 white, socially excluded young men, aged 15-24, on the transition to fatherhood. The findings from the study, which uses a narrative methodological approach, indicate common themes from the stories of the young fathers, especially with regard to the high levels of disadvantage and social exclusion they had been exposed to, and the anti-social behaviour they described engaging in, prior to the birth of their child/ren. A significant proportion of young men, however, reported how important fatherhood had been in transforming their attitudes and behaviour and how they took their responsibilities as fathers seriously. In addition, the data details the social support systems which are described as being important to them (including some professional support) and the types of activities they describe engaging in as fathers. The study also argues for transparency in research processes with hard to reach young people and the importance of using a reflexive approach, particularly regarding the biographical and professional influences the researcher brings to the study

Membrane mechanics as a probe of ion-channel gating mechanisms

The details of conformational changes undergone by transmembrane ion channels in response to stimuli, such as electric fields and membrane tension, remain controversial. We approach this problem by considering how the conformational changes impose deformations in the lipid bilayer. We focus on the role of bilayer deformations in the context of voltage-gated channels because we hypothesize that such deformations are relevant in this case as well as for channels that are explicitly mechanosensitive. As a result of protein conformational changes, we predict that the lipid bilayer suffers deformations with a characteristic free-energy scale of 10kBT. This free energy is comparable to the voltage-dependent part of the total gating energy, and we argue that these deformations could play an important role in the overall free-energy budget of gating. As a result, channel activity will depend upon mechanical membrane parameters such as tension and leaflet thickness. We further argue that the membrane deformation around any channel can be divided into three generic classes of deformation that exhibit different mechanosensitive properties. Finally, we provide the theoretical framework that relates conformational changes during gating to tension and leaflet thickness dependence in the critical gating voltage. This line of investigation suggests experiments that could discern the dominant deformation imposed upon the membrane as a result of channel gating, thus providing clues as to the channel deformation induced by the stimulus

Maori prisoners in Dunedin, 1869-1872 and 1879-1881 : exiled for a cause

The exile of Maori prisoners to Dunedin in 1869 and again in 1879, was due to the Northern wars and the confiscation of land in Taranaki by the Government. Maori never accepted the 'justice' imposed on them and active resistance to the confiscations continued throughout the 1860's, 1870's and 1880's. The first group of prisoners to reach Dunedin were Pakakohe men who had been allied with Titokowaru and his armed resistance to the confiscations. The second group were from Parihaka, they also resisted the land alienation, but passively. This dissertation addresses the reasons for the Government's imprisonment of Taranaki Maori, and it examines the legislation passed in 1879-80. It also concentrates on the general experiences of the prisoners in Dunedin. These include the work they were involved in, living conditions and health, and finally the relationships that were formed between the prisoners and Otakou Maori. I have not explored the political and religious philosophies of Titokowaru or Te Whiti, nor have I delved into the experiences of Maori prisoners exiled in Wellington, Lyttleton, Hokitika or Ripapa Island. Therefore, this dissertation is an introduction to a larger subject, and one that deserves extensive research. Part of the research included oral history. However in exploring the use of such a resource I also discovered the special demands that it places onto the researcher, and the restrictions that a time limit imposes. To do justice to oral sources, several years’ research would be required. The scarcity of information on some aspects of the study also imposed limitations and has had some effect on the structure of the essay. Much of the available information is non-specific and does not differentiate Maori prisoners from Pakeha prisoners. The study has therefore included an element of conjecture

Body mass index and incident coronary heart disease in women: a population-based prospective study

BACKGROUND A high body mass index (BMI) is associated with an increased risk of mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD); however, a low BMI may also be associated with an increased mortality risk. There is limited information on the relation of incident CHD risk across a wide range of BMI, particularly in women. We examined the relation between BMI and incident CHD overall and across different risk factors of the disease in the Million Women Study. METHODS 1.2 million women (mean age=56 years) participants without heart disease, stroke, or cancer (except non-melanoma skin cancer) at baseline (1996 to 2001) were followed prospectively for 9 years on average. Adjusted relative risks and 20-year cumulative incidence from age 55 to 74 years were calculated for CHD using Cox regression. RESULTS After excluding the first 4 years of follow-up, we found that 32,465 women had a first coronary event (hospitalization or death) during follow-up. The adjusted relative risk for incident CHD per 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI was 1.23 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22 to 1.25). The cumulative incidence of CHD from age 55 to 74 years increased progressively with BMI, from 1 in 11 (95% CI 1 in 10 to 12) for BMI of 20 kg/m2, to 1 in 6(95% CI 1 in 5 to 7) for BMI of 34 kg/m2. A 10 kg/m2 increase in BMI conferred a similar risk to a 5-year increment in chronological age. The 20 year cumulative incidence increased with BMI in smokers and non-smokers, alcohol drinkers and non-drinkers, physically active and inactive, and in the upper and lower socioeconomic classes. In contrast to incident disease, the relation between BMI and CHD mortality (n=2,431) was J-shaped. For the less than 20 kg/m2 and ≥35 kg/m2 BMI categories, the respective relative risks were 1.27 (95% CI 1.06 to 1.53) and 2.84 (95% CI 2.51 to 3.21) for CHD deaths, and 0.89 (95% CI 0.83 to 0.94) and 1.85 (95% CI 1.78 to 1.92) for incident CHD. CONCLUSIONS CHD incidence in women increases progressively with BMI, an association consistently seen in different subgroups. The shape of the relation with BMI differs for incident and fatal disease.The Million Women Study is funded by Cancer Research UK, the Medical Research Council, and the NHS Breast Screening Programme. The funding organizations were not involved in the study design or conduct, data analysis or interpretation, manuscript preparation or review, final version approval, or decision to submit the manuscript

Discovery of Broad Soft X-ray Absorption Lines from the Quasar Wind in PDS 456

High resolution soft X-ray spectroscopy of the prototype accretion disk wind quasar, PDS 456, is presented. Here, the XMM-Newton RGS spectra are analyzed from the large 2013-2014 XMM-Newton campaign, consisting of 5 observations of approximately 100 ks in length. During the last observation (hereafter OBS. E), the quasar is at a minimum flux level and broad absorption line profiles are revealed in the soft X-ray band, with typical velocity widths of $\sigma_{\rm v}\sim 10,000$ km s$^{-1}$. During a period of higher flux in the 3rd and 4th observations (OBS. C and D, respectively), a very broad absorption trough is also present above 1 keV. From fitting the absorption lines with models of photoionized absorption spectra, the inferred outflow velocities lie in the range $\sim 0.1-0.2c$. The absorption lines likely originate from He and H-like neon and L-shell iron at these energies. Comparison with earlier archival data of PDS 456 also reveals similar absorption structure near 1 keV in a 40 ks observation in 2001, and generally the absorption lines appear most apparent when the spectrum is more absorbed overall. The presence of the soft X-ray broad absorption lines is also independently confirmed from an analysis of the XMM-Newton EPIC spectra below 2 keV. We suggest that the soft X-ray absorption profiles could be associated with a lower ionization and possibly clumpy phase of the accretion disk wind, where the latter is known to be present in this quasar from its well studied iron K absorption profile and where the wind velocity reaches a typical value of 0.3$c$.Comment: 44 pages, including 13 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

UNC Dry Eye Management Scale: Spanish Language Translation and Validation Study

BACKGROUND: Dry eye disease (DED) is a common, chronic ocular surface disease that diminishes the quality of life (QOL) of millions of Americans. DED is poorly managed because of the poor correlation of patient-reported symptom severity and clinician-observed disease severity. Our colleagues developed the UNC Dry Eye Management Scale (DEMS) in an effort to improve the management DED. The primary aim of this study was to translate the UNC DEMS to Spanish and to conduct a feasibility and comprehensibility study of a Spanish language version of the DEMS (Spanish DEMS) in a Spanish-speaking population. A secondary aim of our study was to perform initial validity and reliability testing of the Spanish DEMS, alone and as it compares to the original English instrument. This study helps meet the urgent need for valid, reliable patient reported outcomes measures in languages other than English. METHODS: We developed the Spanish DEMS by using a cross-cultural adaptation method similar to the universal translation methodology recommended by proponents of PROM translation. We recruited native bilingual speakers to perform forward, back, and forward translations. I then reconciled these different versions of the Spanish DEMS with the help of an expert translator, after which we put the Spanish DEMS through pre-testing and cognitive interviewing in a pilot sample population. After receiving approval from the UNC and Duke IRBs, I recruited 13 Spanish-speaking DED patients from a UNC ophthalmology cornea clinic in Chapel Hill, NC in May 2014 and June 2014 to participate in the first test of the Spanish DEMS. I administered the Spanish DEMS questionnaire to these patients, and then using cognitive interviewing techniques, I asked them several questions about the comprehensibility of the questionnaire and its utility to them as an indicator of the effect of their symptoms on their quality of life. I obtained clinical assessments of disease severity, (Schirmer's test, Tear Break-Up Time, Oxford Grade of corneoconjunctival fluorescein staining, and clinician-reported overall assessment of disease severity) to be used in statistical analysis of validity and reliability. RESULTS: Cognitive interviewing validated the accuracy and appropriateness of the translation. Patients generally understood, related to, and agreed with the wording of the questionnaire, including descriptions of symptom severity and effects on daily life. Analysis of validity and reliability is strictly illustrative, as sample size is too small for stable statistical data analysis (n=13). As a test of internal validity, I compared Spanish DEMS scores to these patients' measures of disease severity. Spearman's correlation coefficients showed non-significant weak degrees of correlation, as expected given the fact that DED symptom severity does not correlate well with disease severity, and the sample was extremely small. While the magnitude of these correlations was not strong, the direction of the correlations was appropriate, and is promising for the further validation of the instrument. As a test of external validity, I compared performance on the Spanish language DEMS to performance on the English language instrument for patients of similar disease severity using the Mann-Whitney test. While performance on the two language versions was not statistically comparable within the overall population or for the normal disease category, it was significantly similar in the mild-to-moderate and severe disease categories, which is promising for the equivalence of the two PROMs. This early validity and reliability testing, while statistically inconclusive, is promising for the future validation of the Spanish DEMS. CONCLUSIONS: The early stages of our research confirm that the Spanish UNC DEMS is an easy to use and easy to understand, one-item questionnaire that can improve the management and monitoring of Spanish-speaking DED patients.Master of Public Healt