The role of illness representations in the process of coping and psychosocial adjustment among adults with epilepsy

The self-regulation model (Leventhal, Nerenz and Steele, 1984) emphasises the role of cognitive representations of illness and coping efforts on patients responses to health threats. In this thesis the relationships between illness representations, coping and psychosocial adjustment were investigated among 94 epilepsy patients. The sample comprised three groups; recently diagnosed, chronic (clinic) and chronic (GP) patients. An instrument was developed to assess patients cognitive representations of epilepsy. The protocol used yielded both qualitative and quantitative data. Both chronic (clinic) and recently diagnosed patients exhibited significant adjustment problems. In contrast, among chronic (GP) patients psychosocial adjustment was good. Differences in coping and illness representations were found between groups. Chronic (clinic) patients were distinguished by greater reliance on wishful thinking and avoidance coping. Avoidance coping strategies were least prevalent among chronic (GP) patients. In terms of illness representations, recent onset patients were characterised by, weaker illness identity, acute timeline and perceptions of less severe consequences. Chronic (clinic) patients were characterised by; a strong illness identity, chronic timeline, perception of serious consequences and high contamination beliefs. Chronic (GP) patients also possessed a strong illness identity and chronic time perception, but on the consequences and self-illness components more closely resembled recent onset patients. A series of multiple regression analyses indicated that illness representations explained a greater proportion of variance in; mental health, psychological distress, self-esteem and social anxiety than did the coping strategies after controlling for neuroepileptic factors. The illness representation component self-illness relationship had the strongest overall association with adjustment. Additional components making a significant contribution were; illness identity, timeline and control. There were several distinct relationships between illness representations and coping. Illness identity, blaming others, perception of serious consequences and negative self-illness appraisals were positively related to wishful thinking and avoidance coping. Among the four coping strategies assessed; avoidance,problem-focused and wishful thinking were related to adjustment. Seeking social support did not emerge as a significant predictor of adjustment. Patients with a strong illness identity, who perceived themselves as unable to contain the effects of epilepsy, utilised wishful thinking and avoidance coping emerged as having the poorest mental health and self-esteem. This thesis demonstrates the value of the self-regulation paradigm in understanding psychosocial adjustment to epilepsy. Results are discussed with respect to operationalizing the model to investigate epilepsy, the presence of both direct effects of illness representations on adjustment and indirect effects via coping. The implications for clinical intervention work are considered

Lake sedimentological and ecological response to hyperthermals : Boltysh impact crater, Ukraine

Acknowledgements Initial drilling of the Boltysh meteorite crater was funded by Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) grant NE/D005043/1. The authors are extremely grateful to the valuable scientific contributions of S. Kelley and I. Gilmour. The constructive and critical reviews by M. Schuster and an anonymous reviewer greatly helped to improve this manuscript.Peer reviewedPostprin

The Liberal Professor? An Analysis of the Beliefs of Teacher Educators

There is much discussion in public discourse about the liberal leanings of faculty in higher education. The researchers in this study investigated the validity of this assumption. Using data collected from faculty from colleges of education throughout the country, the belief systems of this group were analyzed. What was discovered was that faculty in colleges of education are not liberal. In fact, the opposite is true. Discussion about the implications of these finding leads to an analysis of current policies and practices

A Cross-Sectional Survey of the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Antimicrobial Users and Providers in an Area of High-Density Livestock-Human Population in Western Kenya.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most important global health crises in recent times and is driven primarily by antimicrobial consumption. In East Africa, there is a paucity of data regarding the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to antimicrobial use (AMU). We investigate the ways in which antimicrobial users in the veterinary sector accessed veterinary antimicrobials, and common behaviors of veterinary antimicrobial users and prescribers associated with AMU and AMR. Methods: In total, 70 farmers, staff at 49 agricultural-veterinary antimicrobial shops (agrovet staff) and 28 veterinary animal healthcare workers or veterinary surgeons (veterinary professionals) were interviewed in Busia county, western Kenya in 2016 using a standard questionnaire as a framework for structured interviews. Data recorded included participant demographics, level of education, access to and sources of veterinary antimicrobials, prescribing patterns, and knowledge of AMR and antimicrobial withdrawal periods. Results: The majority of antimicrobials were accessed through informal means, purchased from agroveterinary shops; more than half of staff did not hold nationally mandated qualifications to advise on or sell veterinary antimicrobials. Approximately 40% of veterinary antimicrobials were sold without a prescription and it was noted that both price and customer preference were important factors when selling antimicrobials in almost all agrovet shops. Knowledge of the dangers associated with AMR and AMU were mostly superficial. Treatment failure occurred often, and there was a lack of differentiation between AMR and simply treatment failure. Conclusion: In this study area in East Africa with high-density human and livestock populations, AMU was primarily for maintenance of livestock health. These findings have highlighted several aspects surrounding inappropriate access to antimicrobials, and as such require attention from policy makers concerned with AMR in both livestock and human medicine sectors. Improving prescribing practices and ensuring a minimum level of general education and awareness of prescribers, as well as expanding the role of agrovet staff in antimicrobial stewardship programmes, may help begin to mitigate the maintenance and transmission of AMR, particularly amongst livestock

Evidence from Detrital Zircon Ages for Middle Pennsylvanian Uplift and Drainage in the Source Area of the Chariton Conglomerate and Marmaton Group Sandstones, Southern Iowa and Northern Missouri

The Chariton Conglomerate is a quartz/limestone conglomerate of Middle Pennsylvanian age sparsely exposed in southern Iowa and northern Missouri. In Iowa it is characterized by quartz granules and rounded crinoid columnals. The objective of this study was to use detrital zircon ages to determine the provenance of the Chariton Conglomerate and possibly associated Marmaton Group sandstone beds. Detrital zircon ages were obtained for five conglomerate and two sandstone beds of the Chariton Conglomerate in Iowa, three conglomerate beds of the Chariton Conglomerate in Missouri, and two sandstone beds of the Marmaton Group in Iowa. According to the Kolmogorov-Smirnoff Test, the 12 detrital zircon age spectra were statistically indistinguishable, consistent with a common provenance for all beds. The combined age spectrum (879 zircons) showed both a young cluster (1.1 % of zircons) in the range 320-364 Ma (Late Devonian Period - Late Mississippian Subperiod) and a much older cluster (0.3% of zircons) in the range 3198-3269 Ma (Paleoarchean - Mesoarchean Eras). The Devonian Period - Mississippian Subperiod (318--416 Ma) and the Paleoarchean-Mesoarchean Eras (2800-3600 Ma) accounted for 2.8% and 3.6% of zircon ages, respectively. A model consistent with the above ages and the paleocurrent directions in the Chariton Conglomerate is an Early - Middle Pennsylvanian river originating in the Devonian - Mississippian crystalline rocks of New England and entering Minnesota - Wisconsin from the northeast to collect sediments from crystalline rocks of Paleoarchean - Mesoarchean age. However, a Middle Pennsylvanian uplift in the Minnesota - Wisconsin region is also required to produce the headwaters necessary for the production of quartz granules, which is consistent with the model of hotspot epeirogen

The digital harms of smart home devices:a systematic literature review

The connection of home electronic devices to the internet allows remote control of physical devices and involves the collection of large volumes of data. With the increase in the uptake of Internet-of-Things home devices, it becomes critical to understand the digital harms of smart homes. We present a systematic literature review on the security and privacy harms of smart homes. PRISMA methodology is used to systematically review 63 studies published between January 2011 and October 2021; and a review of known cases is undertaken to illustrate the literature review findings with real-world scenarios. Published literature identifies that smart homes may pose threats to confidentiality (unwanted release of information), authentication (sensing information being falsified) and unauthorised access to system controls. Most existing studies focus on privacy intrusions as a prevalent form of harm against smart homes. Other types of harms that are less common in the literature include hacking, malware and DoS attacks. Digital harms, and data associated with these harms, may vary extensively across smart devices. Most studies propose technical measures to mitigate digital harms, while fewer consider social prevention mechanisms. We also identify salient gaps in research, and argue that these should be addressed in future crossdisciplinary research initiatives

Offline crime bounces back to pre-COVID levels, cyber stays high: interrupted time-series analysis in Northern Ireland

From Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2021-08-06, registration 2021-11-02, accepted 2021-11-02, pub-electronic 2021-11-10, online 2021-11-10, collection 2021-12Publication status: PublishedFunder: University of Manchester; Grant(s): Research Collaboration Fund for Research Staff 2021Abstract: Much research has shown that the first lockdowns imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with changes in routine activities and, therefore, changes in crime. While several types of violent and property crime decreased immediately after the first lockdown, online crime rates increased. Nevertheless, little research has explored the relationship between multiple lockdowns and crime in the mid-term. Furthermore, few studies have analysed potentially contrasting trends in offline and online crimes using the same dataset. To fill these gaps in research, the present article employs interrupted time-series analysis to examine the effects on offline and online crime of the three lockdown orders implemented in Northern Ireland. We analyse crime data recorded by the police between April 2015 and May 2021. Results show that many types of traditional offline crime decreased after the lockdowns but that they subsequently bounced back to pre-pandemic levels. In contrast, results appear to indicate that cyber-enabled fraud and cyber-dependent crime rose alongside lockdown-induced changes in online habits and remained higher than before COVID-19. It is likely that the pandemic accelerated the long-term upward trend in online crime. We also find that lockdowns with stay-at-home orders had a clearer impact on crime than those without. Our results contribute to understanding how responses to pandemics can influence crime trends in the mid-term as well as helping identify the potential long-term effects of the pandemic on crime, which can strengthen the evidence base for policy and practice