How Many Slides? Documented Cytotechnologist Workload

(First paragraph) This paper relays workload information obtained as part of an ergonomics survey.1 Data were obtained on the number of slides evaluated daily, workplace setting, hours worked, and demographic information

A Methodological Synthesis of Self-Paced Reading in Second Language Research : Methodological synthesis of SPR tests

Self-paced reading tests (SPRs) are being increasingly adopted by second language (L2) researchers. Using SPR with L2 populations presents specific challenges, and its use is still evolving in L2 research (as well as in first language research, in many respects). Although the topic of several narrative overviews (Keating & Jegerski, 2015; Roberts, 2016), we do not have a comprehensive picture of its usage in L2 research. Building on the growing body of systematic reviews of research practices in applied linguistics (e.g., Liu & Brown, 2015; Plonsky, 2013), we report a methodological synthesis of the rationales, study contexts, and methodological decision making in L2 SPR research. Our comprehensive search yielded 74 SPRs used in L2 research. Each instrument was coded along 121 parameters, including: reported rationales and study characteristics, indicating the scope and nature of L2 SPR research agendas; design and analysis features and reporting practices, determining instrument validity and reliability; and materials transparency, affecting reproducibility and systematicity of agendas. Our findings indicate an urgent need to standardize the use and reporting of this technique, requiring empirical investigation to inform methodological decision making. We also identify several areas (e.g., study design, sample demographics, instrument construction, data analysis, and transparency) where SPR research could be improved to enrich our understanding of L2 processing, reading, and learning

Positive aspects of voice-hearing:a qualitative metasynthesis

Voice-hearing occurs in clinical and non-clinical samples, and the role of spiritual and cultural frameworks of understanding for percipients has received increased attention. This review aimed to identify and synthesise the existing qualitative literature relating to positive aspects of voice-hearing experiences, and to make recommendations based on these findings for clinical practice and future research. Qualitative papers that included positive aspects of voice-hearing were identified by undertaking a systematic search of six electronic databases, resulting in 22 papers. The quality of each paper was assessed and the meta-ethnographic approach was used to extract and synthesise the data. Six themes were identified relating to voices providing safety and protection, guidance, creating psychological and emotional well-being, providing companionship, facilitating personal growth and development, and connecting hearers to religious or spiritual belief systems. The findings suggest positive aspects of voice-hearing that may have clinical and research implications

Replication in second language research : Narrative and systematic reviews, and recommendations for the field.

Despite its critical role for the development of the field, little is known about replication in second language (L2) research. To better understand replication practice, we first provide a narrative review of challenges related to replication, drawing on recent developments in psychology. This discussion frames and motivates a systematic review, building on syntheses of replication in psychology, education, and L2 research. We coded 67 self-labeled L2 replication studies found across 26 journals for 136 characteristics. We estimated a mean rate of 1 published replication study for every 400 articles, with a mean of 6.64 years between initial and replication studies and a mean of 117 citations of the initial study before a replication was published. Replication studies had an annual mean of 7.3 citations, much higher than averages in linguistics and education. Overlap in authorship between initial and replication studies and the availability of the initial materials both increased the likelihood of a replication supporting the initial findings. Our sample contained no direct (exact) replication attempts, and changes made to initial studies were numerous and wide ranging, which likely obscured, if not undermined, the interpretability of replication studies. To improve the amount and quality of L2 replication research, we propose 16 recommendations relating to rationale, nomenclature, design, infrastructure, and incentivization for collaboration and publication

An evaluation of a violence reduction partnership network:mixed methods network analysis

Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to report on the evaluation of the network and resources for violence prevention and reduction in the chosen area of focus. This area had experiences deprivation, significant implications due to Covid-19 restrictions and a lack of outdoor recreation space. Design/methodology/approach: Network analysis methodologies are increasingly being used in criminological research and evaluations to assess the structures of social and economic networks. This study explored, using a mixed-methods network analysis methodology, the nature of the established violence reduction network in a specific geographical location in West Midlands. Findings: A breadth of network activity is taking place across the community; however, the network analysis highlighted gaps in terms of specialist provision for early years and support from those with lived experience. It was perceived that a lack of continuity, in terms of changes in key roles, has affected the network. Funding mechanisms were perceived ineffective, and not encouraging of development of localisation services. Relationships between network members were predominantly positive with organisations having good communication and accessing support from one another; however, identifying shared goals and better collective working would benefit the network. Originality/value: This study pioneers using an innovative, mixed methods network analysis to explore a public health approach to violence prevention and reduction. Quantitative data collection and analysis allowed for assessment of the networks capacity and density, whereas qualitative data provided insights and detailed accounts of how the network functions.</p

Synoptic Mesoscale to Basin Scale Variability in Biological Productivity and Chlorophyll in the Kuroshio Extension Region

The Kuroshio current separates from the Japanese coast to become the eastward flowing Kuroshio Extension (KE) characterized by a strong latitudinal density front, high levels of mesoscale (eddy) energy, and high chlorophyll a (Chl). While satellite measurements of Chl show evidence of the impact of mesoscale eddies on the standing stock of phytoplankton, there have been very limited synoptic, spatially resolved in situ estimates of productivity in this region. Here, we present underway measurements of oxygen/argon supersaturation (ΔO2/Ar), a tracer of net biological productivity, for the KE made in spring, summer, and early autumn. We find large seasonal differences in the relationships between ΔO2/Ar, Chl, and sea level anomaly (SLA), a proxy for local thermocline depth deviations driven by mesoscale eddies derived from satellite observations. We show that the KE is a pronounced hotspot of high ΔO2/Ar in spring, but corresponding surface Chl values are low and have no correlation with ΔO2/Ar. In summer, there is a hotspot of productivity associated with the Oyashio front, where ΔO2/Ar and Chl are strongly positively correlated. In autumn, ΔO2/Ar and Chl are consistently low throughout the region and also positively correlated. By combining our analysis of the in situ ΔO2/Ar data with complementary Argo, BGC-Argo, repeat hydrography, and SLA observations, we infer the combination of physical and biological controls that drive the observed distributions of ΔO2/Ar and Chl. We find that the KE and Oyashio currents both act to supply nutrients laterally, fueling regions of high productivity in spring and summer, respectively

Use of state-space modelling to identify ecological covariates associated with trends in pinniped demography

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank all those who shared data with us: Bob Swan for the kittiwake data, Eileen Bresnan for the biotoxin data and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Center for Atmospheric Research for SST and NAO data respectively. We thank Dave Thompson, Callan Duck and Chris Morris for their help in understanding and organizing survey data, and Marine Scotland for funding this work. Funding Information Marine Scotland. Grant Number: MMSS/001/11Peer reviewedPostprintPostprin

Decoding of EEG signals reveals non-uniformities in the neural geometry of colour

The idea of colour opponency maintains that colour vision arises through the comparison of two chromatic mechanisms, red versus green and yellow versus blue. The four unique hues, red, green, blue, and yellow, are assumed to appear at the null points of these the two chromatic systems. Here we hypothesise that, if unique hues represent a tractable cortical state, they should elicit more robust activity compared to other, non-unique hues. We use a spatiotemporal decoding approach to report that electroencephalographic (EEG) responses carry robust information about the tested isoluminant unique hues within a 100-350 ms window from stimulus onset. Decoding is possible in both passive and active viewing tasks, but is compromised when concurrent high luminance contrast is added to the colour signals. For large hue-differences, the efficiency of hue decoding can be predicted by mutual distance in a nominally uniform perceptual colour space. However, for small perceptual neighbourhoods around unique hues, the encoding space shows pivotal non-uniformities which suggest that anisotropies in neurometric hue-spaces may reflect perceptual unique hues