Exploring the role of mental imagery in the experience of self-injury:an interpretative phenomenological analysis

Background: Research has implicated causal, mediating and meaningful roles for mental imagery in the experience of psychological distress, including self-injury. Aims: The present study aimed to further the understanding of this relationship through exploring the lived experiences of mental imagery from the perspective of those who self-injure. Method: This study employed an inductive qualitative design using semi-structured interviews and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Ten participants were recruited from universities in North West England. Results: Three main themes were identified from the analysis: (i) The origins and precipitants of self-injurious imagery; (ii) What it is like toexperience self-injurious imagery; and (iii) The meaning and interpretation of self-injurious imagery. Conclusions: The study findings indicate that mental imagery is an important experience for those who self-injure. Clinical and research implications of the findings are discussed

Andrew Carnegie: a model for PFI?

The generosity of Carnegie is truly something to celebrate and where better than in the country of his birth. To celebrate that the 68th IFLA conference was to take place in Scotland and devoting part of its programe to the great benefactor the authors of this paper look back at his life and contributions to libraries all over the world

Calcium supplements and cancer risk : a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Effect of calcium supplements on risk of myocardial infarction and cardiovascular events : meta-analysis

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The use of photo elicitation to explore the role of the main street in Kirkwall in sustaining cultural identity, community, and a sense of place.

This paper explores the value of photo elicitation as a method for investigating the role played by small town main streets in Scottish island communities in sustaining cultural identity, community, and a sense of place. In particular, it critically evaluates the photo elicitation techniques used during a multidisciplinary pilot study, conducted in Kirkwall, Orkney, in 2010. A number of techniques were used, including a photographic exhibition, discussion groups, extended face-to-face interviews, and the creation of a special Facebook page. Throughout all approaches, participants were presented with old and current photographs of the main street, together with some novel merged images combining both historical and contemporary views. These elicitation techniques proved successful in obtaining rich, detailed, qualitative data from 164 informants, who each shared their personal memories and perceptions of the social and cultural role of the Kirkwall main street. Indeed, the very process of identifying familiar buildings, landmarks and faces from photographs (both past and present) appeared to reinforce the participants cultural identity

Guidelines for e-reference library services for distance learners and other remote users.

Until recently the provision of distance education was undertaken mainly by various professional associations and commercial agencies offering vocational training. Library provision to meet the needs of registered students was limited. Over the past 30 years, however, the delivery of higher and further education to students studying at a distance has become a core part of the activity of many academic institutions: a few specialist higher education institutions such as the Open Universities established in Britain and India, and some conventional universities that established teaching centres away from their main campuses

Occupational therapy delivered by specialists versus non-specialists for people with schizophrenia

Background: Schizophrenia is a severe mental health condition that is characterised by positive symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions; negative symptoms, such as flattened affect, thought disorder (disrupted speech), and lack of motivation; and cognitive symptoms, such as problems with memory and attention. Schizophrenia can occur as an isolated episode, or as a recurring cycle of remission and relapse, and is associated with impairment in psychosocial and occupational functioning. Although antipsychotic drugs are the main treatment for people with schizophrenia, in most countries mental health services usually provide a range of add-on interventions, including occupational therapy. This is a complex intervention designed to support and enable continued participation in daily life through engagement in activities and occupations meaningful to the individual. Occupational therapists are professionals trained to deliver therapy where the emphasis is on improving occupational function and participation rather than treating symptoms, and uses a wide range of methods based on the needs of individuals. However, similar interventions may also be delivered by staff not trained as occupational therapists. Objectives: To examine the effects of occupational therapy delivered by occupational therapists compared to occupational therapy delivered by any other person for people with schizophrenia. Search methods: We searched the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group’s Study-Based Register of Trials (including trial registers) on 4 November 2016 and 26 July 2018. Selection criteria: All randomised controlled trials evaluating the functional or clinical outcomes of occupational therapy, or both, for people with schizophrenia delivered by occupational therapists compared with occupational therapy for people with schizophrenia delivered by anyone other than occupational therapists. Data collection and analysis: Review authors independently inspected citations, selected studies, extracted data, and appraised study quality. Main results: The search yielded 1633 records. Of these, we retrieved 17 full-text reports (14 studies) for further scrutiny, which we subsequently excluded as they did not meet our inclusion criteria. Authors’ conclusions: Currently there are no randomised controlled trials comparing delivery of occupational therapy for people diagnosed with schizophrenia by occupational therapists with delivery of similar interventions by anyone other than occupational therapists. Research studies employing methodologically robust trial designs are needed to establish whether or not there are better outcomes for people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia with occupational therapy that is delivered by trained occupational therapists

Triaza-macrocyclic complexes of aluminium, gallium and indium halides: fast 18F and 19F incorporation via halide exchange under mild conditions in aqueous solution

Rapid and complete fluorination of the complexes [MCl3(L)] (L = Me3-tacn, BzMe2-tacn, M = Al, Ga, In) occurs at room temperature via reaction of a MeCN solution of the complex with 3 mol. equivs. of KF in water. The Ga and In complexes are also readily fluorinated using R4NF (R = Me or nBu) in MeCN solution, whereas no reaction occurs with the Al species under these conditions. The distorted octahedral fac-trifluoride coordination at M is confirmed in solution by multinuclear (19F, 27Al, 71Ga and 115In) NMR spectroscopic studies, leading to sharp resonances with 19F-71Ga and 19F-115In couplings evident. The [MF3(L)] are extremely stable in aqueous solution and at low pH; they crystallise as tetrahydrates, [MF3(Me3-tacn)]·4H2O, with extended H-bonding networks formed through both F···H-O and O···H-O contacts. [InF3(BzMe2-tacn)]·1.2H2O also shows intermolecular F···H-O hydrogen bonding contacts. The prospects for developing this coordination chemistry further to take advantage of the high metal-fluoride bond energies to enable rapid, late-stage fluorination of large macromolecules under mild conditions for PET imaging applications in nuclear medicine are discussed. This work also demonstrates that F-18 radiolabelling to form [F-18] [GaF3(BzMe2-tacn)] is effected readily at room temperature in aqueous MeCN over 30-60 mins on addition of 2.99 mol equivs. of [19F]-KFaq and 0.4 mL [18F]-KFaq (100 – 400 MBq) to [GaCl3(BzMe2-tacn)] with ca. 30% incorporation