Symbolic gesturing: creating opportunities for emotional connections between practitioners and infants in day care

This article reports on how symbolic gesturing was applied in a nursery setting. Forms of signing systems have been well documented as contributing to communication, predominately used alongside speech when there is a different mother tongue or a physical impairment [Goodwyn, S. W., &amp; Acredolo, L. P. (1993). Symbolic gesture versus word: Is there a modality advantage for onset of symbol use? Child Development, 6, 688–701]. Symbolic Gesturing (SG) is an emerging area to support pre-verbal infants in communicating more effectively. In this article, SG was evaluated as way of reflecting and developing practitioner’s emotional responses and initiations with the infants in their care. The narratives of three practitioners using SG were gathered over several months and revealed how SG created further opportunities for reflection regarding the emotional relationships with infants they cared for. SG was considered a valuable approach to enhancing the emotional interactional connections with infants, resulting in closer, more attuned relationships.</p

Exploring perspectives of people with type-1 diabetes on goalsetting strategies within self-management education and care

Background. Collaborative goal-setting strategies are widely recommended for diabetes self-management support within healthcare systems. Creating self-management plans that fit with peoples’ own goals and priorities has been linked with better diabetic control. Consequently, goal-setting has become a core component of many diabetes selfmanagement programmes such as the ‘Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating (DAFNE) programme’. Within DAFNE, people with Type-1 Diabetes (T1D) develop their own goals along with action-plans to stimulate goal-achievement. While widely implemented, limited research has explored how goal-setting strategies are experienced by people with diabetes.Therefore, this study aims to explore the perspectives of people with T1D on theimplementation and value of goal-setting strategies within DAFNE and follow-up diabetes care. Furthermore, views on barriers and facilitators to goal-attainment are explored.Methods. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 people with T1D who attended a DAFNE-programme. Following a longitudinal qualitative research design, interviews took place 1 week, and 6-8 months after completion of DAFNE. A recurrent cross-sectional approach is applied in which themes will be identified at each time-point using thematic analyses.Expected results. Preliminary identified themes surround the difference in value that participants place on goal-setting strategies, and the lack of support for goal-achievement within diabetes care.Current stage. Data collection complete; data-analysis ongoing.Discussion. Goal-setting strategies are increasingly included in guidelines for diabetes support and have become essential parts of many primary care improvement schemes. Therefore, exploring the perspectives of people with T1D on the value and implementation of goal-setting strategies is vital for their optimal application

Models of micro-organisms: children's knowledge and understanding of micro-organisms from 7 to 14 years-old.

International audienceThis paper describes the expressed models of children aged 7, 11 and 14 years have about micro-organisms and microbial activity. These were elicited using a variety of data collection techniques that complemented each other resulting in a rich data set, and provided information about the level of knowledge and progression of ideas across the age range studied. Subsequent analysis of the data enabled generalised mental models of micro-organisms to be derived that indicate a hierarchy in the sophistication and accuracy of the concepts explored. The resulting mental models were categorised as extended, transitional and emergent and characterise the ideas held by some children in each of the age groups studied. The implications for curriculum development and consequences for learning and teaching microbiology are discussed

Parents with psychosis : a pilot study examining self-report measures related to family functioning

The aims of this study were to examine the utility of various self-report instruments related to family functioning in families where a parent has a psychotic disorder, and to explore associations between these instruments and symptoms in the parent. Twenty-one parents with a psychotic disorders participated in the study. All participants were able to complete the questionnaires and the majority of parents reported levels of parental competence in the average range. Most parents (90%) perceived themselves to be effective parents, however 30% reported low levels of satisfaction with the parenting role. There were significant associations between objective measures of negative symptoms and self-report scores related to problems in ways of coping, and problems with parent-child interactions. Many individuals with psychosis were able to report areas of perceived need related to their role as parents and to the functioning of their families, however there are several limitations in the use of these instruments in this setting.<br /

Guidance note on the application of coastal modelling for small island developing states

This report is part of the NOC-led project “Climate Change Impact Assessment: Ocean Modelling and Monitoring for the Caribbean CME states”, 2017-2020, under the Commonwealth Marine Economies (CME) Programme in the Caribbean. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are very diverse, but have something in common: they are all vulnerable to human-induced climate change, but have contributed very little to causing the problem, due to their small size and limited development. Much time has been spent in debating climate change and adaptation strategies for such countries, but little has been done in developing practical tools to assist them in managing the coastal zone. In this report we aim to address that. In April 2017, some senior staff members from the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) visited St Vincent and the Grenadines, as part of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office-funded Neptune programme. At that time, some of the issues around coastal erosion on the east coast of St Vincent were identified, as well as some extreme events from which St Vincent and the Grenadines had suffered substantial losses of GDP. This was followed up by a workshop in January 2018 on ‘Implementing and Monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals in the Caribbean: The Role of the Ocean’, which was co-sponsored by the UK Government-funded Commonwealth Marine Economies Programme (CMEP) via the NOC (CMEP being the successor to Neptune). During the period September 2017 to March 2020, the National Oceanography Centre, funded by the CMEP, has been working with St Vincent and the Grenadines to provide knowledge, data and training about data analysis application and software for the use of coastal managers, particularly in order to address the problem of coastal erosion. We held a stakeholder workshop in Kingstown, St Vincent, in March 2018 and a hands-on technical training workshop in January 2019. A final workshop is being held in March 2020. Here we present an overview of coastal modelling methodology for use by Small Island Developing States (SIDS), including references to previous model review studies and guidance on how to access and apply model outputs, which will be presented at the workshop, entitled ‘Applying Knowledge of Coastal Processes for Coastal Zone Management into the Future’. This report seeks to collate the information on Coastal Modelling, which may be relevant to all SIDS, in order to support evidence-based decision-making. The case study is built around work done for St Vincent and the Grenadines. It is not the intention to explain in detail the technical working and development of models, as it is envisaged that SIDS will not want or need to run complex models themselves, but if this is desired, information on further reading and training is provided. Some of the simpler and more accessible models, with particularly useful applications in the coastal zone, which do not require computer resources beyond a laptop computer, are described in more detail for in-house application and their use in decision-making is explained. The way forward in regional collaboration and capacity-building is discussed

Soil crusts in the Molopo Basin, southern Africa

Biological soil crusts are a common feature of many dryland soils. The cyanobacteria and algae that make up the crusts can fix atmospheric nitrogen and sequester carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere. Crusts, therefore, have an important role in nutrient cycling as well as erosion control. This paper provides the first evidence of widespread biological soil crusts in the Molopo Basin on the southern margins of the Kalahari. The crusts appear to be more resistant to disturbance than those reported elsewhere and are able to thrive despite a relatively high vascular plant cover

Students (ages 6, 10, and 15 years) in six countries knowledge of animals

This article considers the knowledge students (ages 6, 10, and 15 years) have of animals from a cross-cultural perspective. Students from six countries (Brazil, England, Finland, Iceland, Portugal, and the United States of America) were asked to free-list as many animals as possible and state where they had seen or learned about the animals. The results were analyzed and they indicate that 1) Students are aware of animals. 2) Students are more aware of mammals as examples of animals. 3) There is a globally shared folk biological knowledge of animals. 4) Students learn about animals during socio-cultural interactions. The educational implications are discussed.CIEC – Research Centre on Child Studies, UM (FCT R&D 317

Does digital, multimedia information increase recruitment and retention in a children’s wrist fracture treatment trial, and what do people think of it? A randomised controlled Study Within A Trial (SWAT)

Objectives To evaluate digital, multimedia information (MMI) for its effects on trial recruitment, retention, decisions about participation and acceptability by patients, compared with printed information. Design Study Within A Trial using random cluster allocation within the Forearm Fracture Recovery in Children Evaluation (FORCE) study. Setting Emergency departments in 23 UK hospitals. Participants 1409 children aged 4–16 years attending with a torus (buckle) fracture, and their parents/guardian. Children’s mean age was 9.2 years, 41.0% were female, 77.4% were ethnically White and 90.0% spoke English as a first language. Interventions Participants and their parents/guardian received trial information either via multimedia, including animated videos, talking head videos and text (revised for readability and age appropriateness when needed) on tablet computer (MMI group; n=681), or printed participant information sheet (PIS group; n=728). Outcome measures Primary outcome was recruitment rate to FORCE. Secondary outcomes were Decision Making Questionnaire (nine Likert items, analysed summatively and individually), three ‘free text’ questions (deriving subjective evaluations) and trial retention. Results MMI produced a small, not statistically significant increase in recruitment: 475 (69.8%) participants were recruited from the MMI group; 484 (66.5%) from the PIS group (OR=1.35; 95% CI 0.76 to 2.40, p=0.31). A total of 324 (23.0%) questionnaires were returned and analysed. There was no difference in total Decision-Making Questionnaire scores: adjusted mean difference 0.05 (95% CI −1.23 to 1.32, p=0.94). The MMI group was more likely to report the information ‘very easy’ to understand (89; 57.8% vs 67; 39.4%; Z=2.60, p=0.01) and identify information that was explained well (96; 62.3% vs 71; 41.8%). Almost all FORCE recruits were retained at the 6 weeks’ timepoint and there was no difference in retention rate between the information groups: MMI (473; 99.6%); PIS (481; 99.4%)

Identifying behavior change techniques for inclusion in a complex intervention targeting antipsychotic prescribing to nursing home residents with dementia

Nursing home residents with dementia are commonly prescribed antipsychotics despite the associated increased risk of harms. Interventions to optimize prescribing practice have been found to be effective in the short term, but there is a lack of evidence to support sustainability of effects, along with a lack of theory, public involvement, and transparency in the intervention development process. Using theory has been advocated as a means of improving intervention sustainability. The aim of this study was, therefore, to identify behavior change techniques (BCTs) for inclusion in a complex intervention targeting antipsychotic prescribing to nursing home residents with dementia. A comprehensive approach to identifying a long list of all potential BCTs from three different sources was undertaken. The most appropriate BCTs were then selected through a two-round Delphi consensus survey with a broad range of experts (n = 18 panelists). Advisory groups of people with dementia, family carers, and professional stakeholders provided feedback on the final BCTs included. After two Delphi survey rounds, agreement was reached on 22 BCTs. Further refinement of the selected BCTs based on advisory group and panelists' feedback, along with use of the APEASE criteria (Affordability, Practicability, Effectiveness, Acceptability, Side effects/safety, and Equity) resulted in a final list of 16 BCTs. The next step in intervention development will be to identify the most appropriate mode of delivery of the 16 BCTs identified for inclusion. The study provides a case example of a systematic approach to incorporating evidence with stakeholder views in the identification of appropriate BCTs