"From the same mad planet": a grounded theory of service users' accounts of the relationship within professional peer support

Purpose: Peer support (PS)_workers are being employed despite uncertain evidence for clinical and cost-effectiveness. Psychological theories have been proposed to explain the mechanisms of PS but these lack empirical validation and specificity to professional PS. This was an exploratory study developing a substantive interpretive grounded theory of service-users' experience of professional PS work. Methodology: Constructivist grounded theory was used throughout. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten service-users who had engaged with a professional PS worker. Findings: Three overarching themes were constructed. 'The process of disclosure' describes how disclosure of mental health difficulties, experiences as a service-user and wider disclosure about life experiences, interests and values facilitate the development of a shared identity with the PS worker. 'The product of disclosure' highlights the sense of being understood as a result of the disclosure and marks a deepening of the relationship. 'Dual roles' describes the tenuous position of holding both a professional relationship and friendship. Research implications and limitations: Future research should seek to refine the theory developed and compare the effects of therapist self-disclosure with that found within PS. There were limitations within the study, including limited diversity within the sample as well as difficulties with recruitment. Originality/value: This study connects service users' accounts of receiving PS with existing psychological theory to move towards an understanding of the relationship between receivers and providers of professional PS

Supporting induction: relationships count

This article examines the structural changes to the induction of teachers in Scotland using the perceptions of a group of final year student teachers. This group would be the first probationer teachers to experience revised arrangements for new teacher induction in 37 years. Their preferences and concerns are highlighted, as the new procedures roll out in schools nationwide, in an attempt to stress the importance of relationships to the success of the induction scheme. The argument put forward in this article is based on the notion that personal intelligence is central to effective relationships and therefore crucially important in the context of this mentoring relationship. The views of our sample provide evidence to suggest that the quality of interactions between the mentor and the probationer teacher are paramount in providing a good induction experience. These views are substantiated by experiences in England and in induction literature elsewhere. A synthesis of this evidence is used to make recommendations for those involved in supporting induction in schools, local authorities or teacher education institutions

Towards the uniform distribution of null P values on Affymetrix microarrays

Estimating the P value from the overall distribution of scores on the microarray can produce P values that are much closer to a uniform distribution

Playing the computer game Tetris prior to viewing traumatic film material and subsequent intrusive memories: Examining proactive interference.

Visuospatial working memory (WM) tasks performed concurrently or after an experimental trauma (traumatic film viewing) have been shown to reduce subsequent intrusive memories (concurrent or retroactive interference, respectively). This effect is thought to arise because, during the time window of memory consolidation, the film memory is labile and vulnerable to interference by the WM task. However, it is not known whether tasks before an experimental trauma (i.e. proactive interference) would also be effective. Therefore, we tested if a visuospatial WM task given before a traumatic film reduced intrusions. Findings are relevant to the development of preventative strategies to reduce intrusive memories of trauma for groups who are routinely exposed to trauma (e.g. emergency services personnel) and for whom tasks prior to trauma exposure might be beneficial. Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 conditions. In the Tetris condition (n = 28), participants engaged in the computer game for 11 min immediately before viewing a 12-min traumatic film, whereas those in the Control condition (n = 28) had no task during this period. Intrusive memory frequency was assessed using an intrusion diary over 1-week and an Intrusion Provocation Task at 1-week follow-up. Recognition memory for the film was also assessed at 1-week. Compared to the Control condition, participants in the Tetris condition did not report statistically significant difference in intrusive memories of the trauma film on either measure. There was also no statistically significant difference in recognition memory scores between conditions. The study used an experimental trauma paradigm and findings may not be generalizable to a clinical population. Compared to control, playing Tetris before viewing a trauma film did not lead to a statistically significant reduction in the frequency of later intrusive memories of the film. It is unlikely that proactive interference, at least with this task, effectively influences intrusive memory development. WM tasks administered during or after trauma stimuli, rather than proactively, may be a better focus for intrusive memory amelioration

Bioremediation of aluminium from the waste water of a conventional water treatment plant using the freshwater macroalga Oedogonium

Conventional water treatment processes use aluminium sulphate (alum) as a coagulant in the production of potable water. While alum is an inexpensive and reliable means of treating water, the process generates waste water containing dissolved Al. This waste water is primarily dealt with via on-site retention. In this study we investigate the cultivation of the freshwater macroalga Oedogonium as a means to sequester dissolved Al from waste water from a conventional water treatment plant. Furthermore, we examine the use of CO2 to manipulate the pH of cultivation as a means of enhancing the sequestration of Al by either increasing the productivity of Oedogonium or increasing the bioavailability of Al in the waste water. The relative bioavailability of Al under conditions of CO2 and no-CO2 provision was contrasted by comparing Al uptake by Diffusive Gradients in Thin Films (DGTs). Oedogonium was able to grow rapidly in the waste water (12 g dry weight m−2 day−1) while consistently sequestering Al. The Oedogonium-treated waste water had a sufficiently low Al concentration that it could be used in unrestricted irrigation in the surrounding region. When CO2 was added to the waste water containing concentrations of Al up to 8 mg L−1, there was a slight increase (~10%) in the rate of sequestration of Al by Oedogonium relative to waste water not receiving CO2. This was due to two concurrent processes. The provision of CO2 increased the productivity of Oedogonium by 15% and the bioavailability of Al by up to 200%, as measured by the DGTs. Despite this strong effect of CO2 on Al bioavailability, the increase in Al sequestration by Oedogonium when CO2 was provided was modest (~10%). Al was sequestered by Oedogonium to concentrations below permissible limits for discharge without the need for the addition CO2. The cultivation of Oedogonium in waste water from conventional treatments plants can simultaneously treat waste water for re-use and provide a biomass source for value-added applications

Change readiness in individuals experiencing homelessness and multiple complex needs

Purpose: To understand how staff in homelessness services conceptualise readiness for change in the individuals they support and how this informs their decision making in practice. Design: A qualitative design was employed. Ten staff members participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were examined through inductive-deductive thematic analysis, utilizing a social constructivist epistemological lens. Findings: Five main themes were constructed: 'multiple complex needs mean multiple complex changes', 'talk versus behaviour', 'change is not a linear trajectory', 'the role of consistent boundaried relationships' and 'change is not solely within the individual's control'. Originality: To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to explore staff members’ conceptualisations of readiness to change in relation to individuals with multiple complex needs and how this might influence practice. Practical Implications: This research challenges existing notions of 'readiness for change' as located within individuals and a prerequisite for utilising support from services. It has implications for staff and services, particularly those which are time-limited and address only single problems; service users may not be ready for some changes but it should not be assumed they are not ready for change in other areas of their life. The offer of supportive relationships may precede and contribute to readiness for positive changes. Support should not be offered based solely on an individual's intra-psychic readiness for change, but also on how the system might actively work to promote hope that change can be achieved and maintained

Adhesion between cells, diffusion of growth factors, and elasticity of the AER produce the paddle shape of the chick limb

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