Portfolio of orchestra compositions

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University on 3/7/2007Thesis based on the submission of orchestral compositions relating the music pieces to visual works. The compositions are also discussed in terms of where they fit within a contemporary, orchestral context. (Published in Jul 2007

Structural inequalities and dying at home during COVID-19

No abstract available

Report by the RECOVEU Consortium (December 2016). RECOVEU: A participative approach to curriculum development for adults in addiction recovery across the European Union. Report for Deliverable 7.1: Pilot Delivery Review (Final). EU Lifelong Learning Project. Project No. 538955-LLP-1-2013-UK-GRUNDTVIG-GMP.

The RECOVEU project is aimed at developing a coherent EU approach to adult learning in addiction recovery. Social reintegration is a key factor in addiction recovery. Alongside housing and employment, adult education is a critical measure in supporting social reintegration. However, while there are many programmes focusing on the target group across Europe, many national social inclusion plans do not specifically address the educational needs of drug users (EMCDDA, 2012). The RECOVEU project is aimed at producing a set of ‘Access to Learning’ resources for people in recovery from addiction, together with a Draft Facilitation Pack to be used to support piloting of the materials. This Review presents qualitative feedback from trainers on the Pilot Phase process. It forms a part of a series of three reviews (the two others being Del. 7.2: Qualitative Feedback Review and Del 7.3: Evaluation Toolkit Feedback Review) which together give an overview of the effectiveness and impact of the pilot. The findings from these reviews will be used to revise the course materials, Evaluation Tools and Facilitation Pack

Report by the RECOVEU Consortium (December 2016). RECOVEU: A participative approach to curriculum development for adults in addiction recovery across the European Union. Report for Deliverable 7.2: Qualitative Feedback Review (Final). EU Lifelong Learning Project. Project No. 538955-LLP-1-2013-UK-GRUNDTVIG-GMP.

The RECOVEU project is aimed at developing a coherent EU approach to adult learning in addiction recovery. Social reintegration is a key factor in addiction recovery. Alongside housing and employment, adult education is a critical measure in supporting social reintegration. However, while there are many programmes focusing on the target group across Europe, many national social inclusion plans do not specifically address the educational needs of drug users (EMCDDA , 2012). The RECOVEU project was aimed at producing a set of ‘Access to Learning’ resources for people in recovery from addiction, together with a Draft Facilitation Pack to be used to support piloting of the materials: This Review presents qualitative feedback from service users on the Pilot Phase process. It forms a part of a series of three reviews (the two others being Del. 7.1: Pilot Delivery Review and Del 7.3: Evaluation Toolkit Feedback Review) which together give an overview of the effectiveness and impact of the pilot. The findings from these reviews will be used to revise the course materials, Evaluation Tools and Facilitation Pack

Report by the RECOVEU Consortium (December 2016). RECOVEU: A participative approach to curriculum development for adults in addiction recovery across the European Union. Report for Deliverable 7.3: Evaluation Toolkit Feedback Review (Final). EU Lifelong Learning Project. Project No. 538955-LLP-1-2013-UK-GRUNDTVIG-GMP.

RECOVEU is aimed at producing a set of 'Access to Learning' materials for people in addiction recovery. A key factor in the project is the development of an Evaluation Toolkit, designed to support educators to assess the effectiveness of the ‘Access to Learning’ course materials and their impact. The Evaluation Tools were designed in a way to aid on-going evaluation of learning activities and are presented in the form of questionnaires to be completed by service users. The Evaluation Toolkit includes two different types of tools: 1. Four Psychological Evaluation Tools used to assess whether there are meaningful outcomes for participants: for example, an increase in self-efficacy for education and/or the contribution of learning activities to sustained participation in learning. a) Learning Self-Efficacy Questionnaire. b) Employability Self-Efficacy Questionnaire. c) Self-Esteem Questionnaire (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale; Rosenberg, 1965). d) Recovery Capital Questionnaire (Assessment of Recovery Capital: ARC; Groshkova, Best and White, 2013). 2. A Module Feedback Form designed to provide a generic assessment of the usefulness of the modules. These evaluation and feedback tools were completed by service users undertaking a pilot of the course materials. This review provides an analysis of the data provided by these participants. Also provided is an overview of service users’ qualitative feedback on use of the Evaluation Tools. The review forms part of a series of three reviews (the two others being Del. 7.1: Pilot Delivery Review and Del 7.2: Qualitative Feedback Review) which together give an overview of the effectiveness and impact of the pilot. The findings from these reviews were used to revise the course materials, Evaluation Tools and Facilitation Pack

Report by the RECOVEU Consortium. RECOVEU: A participative approach to curriculum development for adults in addiction recovery across the European Union. Report for Deliverable 3.4: Final Policy and Practice Review. EU Lifelong Learning Project. Project No. 538955-LLP-1-2013-UK-GRUNDTVIG-GMP.

The RECOVEU project brings together partners from the United Kingdom, Cyprus, Romania, Italy and Ireland with the aim of developing access to learning resources for people in recovery from addiction . This policy and practice review seeks to support project partners to develop a more nuanced understanding of the impact of drug policy and EU strategy in each of the partner countries, with a particular emphasis on how this influences practice in drug treatment. The aim was not to replicate the existing evidence base but use it as a foundation to develop a thematic approach to the overall project. With this in mind, RECOVEU partners have completed individual reviews of current drug policy and reflected on practice in their own country. In order to reflect on similar issues a structured questionnaire was developed which drew on the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) Structured Questionnaire 28 on Social Reintegration and Reduction of Social Exclusion of Drug Users (EMCDDA, 2012). The review draws, therefore, on both existing data (for example, National Focal Point data ) and the experiential knowledge of the partners working in the field of addiction. This process has facilitated the development of a thematic framework to inform future work and, most importantly, gain a shared understanding of some of the contextual and structural issues affecting each partner. As we complete this review (October 2014) the EU Commission on Narcotic Drugs (EUCND) met in Vienna to discuss their input into the United Nations General Assembly special session. The consensus was to support an increased focus on the international drug control framework . In the RECOVEU project the partner countries do not have forced labour in place of drug treatment or the death penalty but this is not the case around the world. As such, we are fortunate to be developing resources with people in recovery that aid their access to adult education and an opportunity to make positive changes in their lives

Stoke-on-Trent Opportunity Area Programme Improving Outcomes for Early Years ‘Understanding the World – Area of Learning’

This is a Stoke-on-Trent Opportunity Area funded project. The Opportunity Area Programme seeks to improve social mobility for children and young people, to break the link between social background and destination. Stoke-on-Trent is one of 12 areas selected for additional support from the DfE, working through a partnership of local leaders. The project relates to improving outcomes in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) to give children the best possible start in life and learning. Data shows that only 71% of pupils achieve or exceed the expected standard against the Understanding the World Area of Learning which incorporates three Early Learning Goals (ELGs). Children in the most deprived wards are least likely to achieve the standard

Organizational justice in Chinese banks: understanding the variable influence of guanxi on perceptions of fairness in performance appraisal

Drawing on survey (n = 308) and interview (n = 22) data from three different types of banks in China, we found significant differences in perceptions of organizational justice in performance appraisal processes. The state-owned bank was perceived as significantly less fair in its appraisal procedures than both its city-commercial and foreign owned counterparts. These differences could be explained, in part, by variations in the influence of guanxi on supervisor decision-making. This, in turn, was linked to differences between the banks in their organizational objectives, as well as to intra-organizational differences at the departmental level. These findings question the common assumption that national culture variables, such as guanxi, are extremely stable and have universal explanatory value in all organizational contexts

The impact of poverty and deprivation at the end of life: a critical review

This critical review interrogates what we know about how poverty and deprivation impact people at the end of life and what more we need to uncover. While we know that people in economically resource-rich countries who experience poverty and deprivation over the life course are likely to die younger, with increased co-morbidities, palliative care researchers are beginning to establish a full picture of the disproportionate impact of poverty on how, when and where we die. This is something the Covid-19 pandemic has further illustrated. Our article uses a critical social science lens to investigate an eclectic range of literature addressing health inequities and is focused on poverty and deprivation at the end of life. Our aim was to see if we could shed new light on the myriad ways in which experiences of poverty shape the end of people’s lives. We start by exploring the definitions and language of poverty while acknowledging the multiple intersecting identities that produce privilege. We then discuss poverty and deprivation as a context for the nature of palliative care need and overall end-of-life circumstances. In particular, we explore: total pain; choice at the end of life; access to palliative care; and family caregiving. Overall, we argue that in addressing the effects of poverty and deprivation on end-of-life experiences, there is a need to recognise not just socio-economic injustice but also cultural and symbolic injustice. Too often, a deficit-based approach is adopted which both ‘Others’ those living with poverty and renders invisible the strategies and resilience they develop to support themselves, their families and communities. We conclude with some recommendations for future research, highlighting in particular the need to amplify the voices of people with lived experience of poverty regarding palliative and end-of-life care

Trends and Predictors of Syphilis Prevalence in the General Population: Global Pooled Analyses of 1103 Prevalence Measures Including 136 Million Syphilis Tests.

Background: This study assessed levels, trends, and associations of observed syphilis prevalence in the general adult population using global pooled analyses. Methods: A standardized database of syphilis prevalence was compiled by pooling systematically gathered data. Random-effects meta-analyses and meta-regressions were conducted using data from the period 1990-2016 to estimate pooled measures and assess predictors and trends. Countries were classified by World Health Organization region. Sensitivity analyses were conducted. Results: The database included 1103 prevalence measures from 136 million syphilis tests across 154 countries (85% from women in antenatal care). Global pooled mean prevalence (weighted by region population size) was 1.11% (95% confidence interval [CI], .99-1.22). Prevalence predictors were region, diagnostic assay, sample size, and calendar year interacting with region. Compared to the African Region, the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) was 0.42 (95% CI, .33-.54) for the Region of the Americas, 0.13 (95% CI, .09-.19) for the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 0.05 (95% CI, .03-.07) for the European Region, 0.21 (95% CI, .16-.28) for the South-East Asia Region, and 0.41 (95% CI, .32-.53) for the Western Pacific Region. Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay (TPHA) only or rapid plasma reagin (RPR) only, compared with dual RPR/TPHA diagnosis, produced higher prevalence (AOR >1.26), as did smaller sample-size studies (2.16). Prevalence declined in all regions; the annual AORs ranged from 0.84 (95% CI, .79-.90) in the Eastern Mediterranean to 0.97 (95% CI, .97-1.01) in the Western Pacific. The pooled mean male-to-female prevalence ratio was 1.00 (95% CI, .89-1.13). Sensitivity analyses confirmed robustness of results. Conclusions: Syphilis prevalence has declined globally over the past 3 decades. Large differences in prevalence persist among regions, with the African Region consistently the most affected