Factors associated with poor self-reported health within the UK military and comparisons with the general population: a cohort study

Objective: To investigate the self-rated health of the UK military and explore factors associated with poor self-rated health. Compare self-rated health of the military to the general population. / Design: A cohort study. / Participants: A total of 7626 serving and ex-serving UK military personnel, aged between 25 and 49; 19,452,300 civilians from England and Wales. / Setting: United Kingdom (military), England and Wales (civilians). / Main outcome measures: Self rated health for both populations. Additional data for the military sample included measures of symptoms of common mental disorder (General Health Questionnaire-12), probable post-traumatic stress disorder (post-traumatic stress disorder checklist Civilian Version), alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test), smoking behaviour, history of self-harm and body mass index. / Results: In the military sample, poor self-rated health was significantly associated with: common mental disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder symptomology, a history of self-harm, being obese, older age (ages 35–49) and current smoking status. However, the majority of military personnel report good health, with levels of poor self-rated health (13%) not significantly different to those reported by the general population (12.1%). / Conclusions: Self-rated health appears to relate to aspects of both physical and psychological health. The link between poor self-rated health and psychological ill-health emphasises the need for military support services to continue addressing mental health problems

Utilizing Counseling Skills in the Classroom to Promote Student Well-Being and Success

The success of institutions of higher education is dependent upon student academic success. Current research with students in higher education links academic success with student well-being. Members of the faculty are in critical positions to ensure student success and thus, the institution, but may be unsure how to promote well-being in the classroom setting. This article examines challenges professors face and shares a professional performance review process. Strategies and skills used by professional counselors that university faculty can implement to foster a sense of student well-being and establish supportive relationships through an integration of Miller’s Relational Cultural Theory and Social Cognitive Theory from Bandura are provided. Some of these counseling skills include rapport building, validation, empathy, grounding techniques, and mindfulness

Measurement of the Muon Neutrino Charged Current Single Positive Pion Production Cross Section on Water in the ND280 Near Detector

T2K is a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment, situated in Japan, which measures the oscillation probability of muon neutrinos produced at the J-PARC accelerator complex and detected at the water Cherenkov far detector, Super-Kamiokande. Essential to measur- ing neutrino oscillation probabilities is the understanding of the underlying neutrino-nucleus interaction cross section, which is currently a leading systematic uncertainty in oscillation measurements. It is therefore crucial to reduce this uncertainty, particularly as neutrino physics moves towards next generation experiments, where measurements will no longer be statistically limited. This thesis presents a measurement of the muon neutrino charged current single positive pion cross section on both water and hydrocarbon targets, made using data taken by the T2K near detector ND280, with a simultaneous extraction using log-likelihood minimisation. Although such measurements exist, this is the first of its kind to be performed in the form of a double differential cross section as a function of the outgoing pion kinematics, which are sensitive to both the underlying nuclear ground state model and the neutrino interaction model. The initial unblinding to data shows a reasonable level of tension with the nominal Monte Carlo model used, with a χ2/Ndf value of 4.31. In addition to this measurement, an attempt is made to measure the 4-dimensional differential cross section, in terms of both muon and pion kinematics simultaneously. Whilst successful, this measurement is seen to be statistically limited. Both measurements also feature a novel method for reconstructing the kinematics of pions detected through their decay to muons and subsequently Michel electrons, providing access to a region of pion kinematics previously unmeasured by T2K

Comparing the Effectiveness of Alternative and Prescription Antibiotics Against Gram-Positive Bacteria

The rapid emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a global public health concern that threatens the efficacy of antibiotic drugs. We found that natural remedies, specifically coconut oil, honey and cinnamon essential oil, have the potential to be used as a clinical alternative to treat antibiotic-resistant infections. In this experiment, we performed a disk diffusion test and measured the area of inhibition of each treatment to compare the effectiveness of natural and prescription antibiotics. Cinnamon essential oil showed significantly greater antibiotic activity compared to a prescription treatment, amoxicillin. With bacterial resistance continuously expanding, more work needs to be done to determine how alternative antibiotics might be used in clinical settings

Support services for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse

Some of the content in this report may be distressing to readers.Aims The four broad research aims were to: ● understand more about victims and survivors’ reasons for not accessing support services and any barriers to access; ● learn about victims and survivors’ perceptions and experiences of support services; ● understand what support services victims and survivors think are available to them and how to access them; and ● explore whether there are unmet needs for support services which impact on whether victims and survivors access support. Methods The sample was drawn from 634 adults who self-identified as victims and survivors of child sexual abuse as part of the ‘Abuse during childhood’ module in the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) year ending March 2019 (Office for National Statistics, 2020).3 A mixed-methods approach was used to explore the above research aims: ● A quantitative online survey4 of 181 victims and survivors from the CSEW recontact sample, including both those who had and had not accessed support. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted. ● Twenty-four qualitative in-depth interviews with three groups: (A) eight who had not accessed support services; (B) eight who self-identified as having had positive experiences of support services; and (C) eight who had negative experiences of support services. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. These were supplemented with six pen portraits (two from each of the above groups), and a network map to aid understanding of the service landscape. The research participants The ages of the survey respondents ranged from 19 to 74 years, with an average of 47 years. Around four in five identified as female (82%), the majority identified as being of a White ethnic background (92%), and one in three reported having a disability (33%). All regions of England and Wales were represented, with one in four living in London or South East England (26%). Nearly nine in ten identified as heterosexual (89%) Respondents reported experiencing between one and eight types of child sexual abuse. The two most common forms were being kissed or groped on any part of the body in a sexual way (73%) and penetration (64%). The age at first victimisation spanned from infancy to 17 years old, with an average of 9 years old. Child sexual abuse was more likely to have occurred in a familial setting (41%) than an institutional one (11%). Two in five (43%) respondents identified a friend, acquaintance or neighbour as the perpetrator. Around one in four (27%) identified an immediate – typically male – family member as the perpetrator. A stranger was identified by one in five (20%) respondents. Just over one in five respondents had never previously disclosed their experiences of child sexual abuse (21%), while four in five had made a disclosure (79%). Respondents were more than twice as likely to report making a disclosure later in life (75%) than at the time of the abuse (28%). A quarter disclosed at both points (24%)

Adult Online Hate, Harassment and Abuse: A Rapid Evidence Assessment

The development of email and social media platforms has changed the way in which people interact with each other. The open sharing of personal data in public forums has resulted in online harassment in its many forms becoming increasingly problematic. The number of people having negative online experiences is increasing, with close to half of adult internet users reporting having seen hateful content online in the past year. This report presents findings from a collaborative study undertaken by the University of East London (UEL) and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). It describes the findings from a Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) of the evidence base in relation to adult online safety undertaken on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS). The research was undertaken on behalf of the UK Council for Internet Safety Evidence Group. This REA focuses on exploring internet safety issues amongst adults, given the expansion of the remit of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) to include adults in the context of the new Internet Safety Strategy (2018) and Online Harms White Paper (2019)

Our Space: Being a Responsible Citizen of the Digital World

Our Space is a set of curricular materials designed to encourage high school students to reflect on the ethical dimensions of their participation in new media environments. Through role-playing activities and reflective exercises, students are asked to consider the ethical responsibilities of other people, and whether and how they behave ethically themselves online. These issues are raised in relation to five core themes that are highly relevant online: identity, privacy, authorship and ownership, credibility, and participation.Our Space was co-developed by The Good Play Project and Project New Media Literacies (established at MIT and now housed at University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism). The Our Space collaboration grew out of a shared interest in fostering ethical thinking and conduct among young people when exercising new media skills