Supporting induction: relationships count

This article examines the structural changes to the induction of teachers in Scotland using the perceptions of a group of final year student teachers. This group would be the first probationer teachers to experience revised arrangements for new teacher induction in 37 years. Their preferences and concerns are highlighted, as the new procedures roll out in schools nationwide, in an attempt to stress the importance of relationships to the success of the induction scheme. The argument put forward in this article is based on the notion that personal intelligence is central to effective relationships and therefore crucially important in the context of this mentoring relationship. The views of our sample provide evidence to suggest that the quality of interactions between the mentor and the probationer teacher are paramount in providing a good induction experience. These views are substantiated by experiences in England and in induction literature elsewhere. A synthesis of this evidence is used to make recommendations for those involved in supporting induction in schools, local authorities or teacher education institutions

"From the same mad planet": a grounded theory of service users' accounts of the relationship within professional peer support

Purpose: Peer support (PS)_workers are being employed despite uncertain evidence for clinical and cost-effectiveness. Psychological theories have been proposed to explain the mechanisms of PS but these lack empirical validation and specificity to professional PS. This was an exploratory study developing a substantive interpretive grounded theory of service-users' experience of professional PS work. Methodology: Constructivist grounded theory was used throughout. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten service-users who had engaged with a professional PS worker. Findings: Three overarching themes were constructed. 'The process of disclosure' describes how disclosure of mental health difficulties, experiences as a service-user and wider disclosure about life experiences, interests and values facilitate the development of a shared identity with the PS worker. 'The product of disclosure' highlights the sense of being understood as a result of the disclosure and marks a deepening of the relationship. 'Dual roles' describes the tenuous position of holding both a professional relationship and friendship. Research implications and limitations: Future research should seek to refine the theory developed and compare the effects of therapist self-disclosure with that found within PS. There were limitations within the study, including limited diversity within the sample as well as difficulties with recruitment. Originality/value: This study connects service users' accounts of receiving PS with existing psychological theory to move towards an understanding of the relationship between receivers and providers of professional PS

Playing the computer game Tetris prior to viewing traumatic film material and subsequent intrusive memories: Examining proactive interference.

Visuospatial working memory (WM) tasks performed concurrently or after an experimental trauma (traumatic film viewing) have been shown to reduce subsequent intrusive memories (concurrent or retroactive interference, respectively). This effect is thought to arise because, during the time window of memory consolidation, the film memory is labile and vulnerable to interference by the WM task. However, it is not known whether tasks before an experimental trauma (i.e. proactive interference) would also be effective. Therefore, we tested if a visuospatial WM task given before a traumatic film reduced intrusions. Findings are relevant to the development of preventative strategies to reduce intrusive memories of trauma for groups who are routinely exposed to trauma (e.g. emergency services personnel) and for whom tasks prior to trauma exposure might be beneficial. Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 conditions. In the Tetris condition (n = 28), participants engaged in the computer game for 11 min immediately before viewing a 12-min traumatic film, whereas those in the Control condition (n = 28) had no task during this period. Intrusive memory frequency was assessed using an intrusion diary over 1-week and an Intrusion Provocation Task at 1-week follow-up. Recognition memory for the film was also assessed at 1-week. Compared to the Control condition, participants in the Tetris condition did not report statistically significant difference in intrusive memories of the trauma film on either measure. There was also no statistically significant difference in recognition memory scores between conditions. The study used an experimental trauma paradigm and findings may not be generalizable to a clinical population. Compared to control, playing Tetris before viewing a trauma film did not lead to a statistically significant reduction in the frequency of later intrusive memories of the film. It is unlikely that proactive interference, at least with this task, effectively influences intrusive memory development. WM tasks administered during or after trauma stimuli, rather than proactively, may be a better focus for intrusive memory amelioration

First-principles study of lattice instabilities in the ferromagnetic martensite Ni2_2MnGa

The phonon dispersion relations and elastic constants for ferromagnetic Ni$_2$MnGa in the cubic and tetragonally distorted Heusler structures are computed using density-functional and density-functional perturbation theory within the spin-polarized generalized-gradient approximation. For $0.9<c/a<1.06$, the TA$_2$ tranverse acoustic branch along $[110]$ and symmetry-related directions displays a dynamical instability at a wavevector that depends on $c/a$. Through examination of the Fermi-surface nesting and electron-phonon coupling, this is identified as a Kohn anomaly. In the parent cubic phase the computed tetragonal shear elastic constant, C$^\prime$=(C$_{11}-$C$_{12}$)/2, is close to zero, indicating a marginal elastic instability towards a uniform tetragonal distortion. We conclude that the cubic Heusler structure is unstable against a family of energy-lowering distortions produced by the coupling between a uniform tetragonal distortion and the corresponding $[110]$ modulation. The computed relation between the $c/a$ ratio and the modulation wavevector is in excellent agreement with structural data on the premartensitic ($c/a$ = 1) and martensitic ($c/a$ = 0.94) phases of Ni$_2$MnGa.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev.

Homogenization in magnetic-shape-memory polymer composites

Magnetic-shape-memory materials (e.g. specific NiMnGa alloys) react with a large change of shape to the presence of an external magnetic field. As an alternative for the difficult to manifacture single crystal of these alloys we study composite materials in which small magnetic-shape-memory particles are embedded in a polymer matrix. The macroscopic properties of the composite depend strongly on the geometry of the microstructure and on the characteristics of the particles and the polymer. We present a variational model based on micromagnetism and elasticity, and derive via homogenization an effective macroscopic model under the assumption that the microstructure is periodic. We then study numerically the resulting cell problem, and discuss the effect of the microstructure on the macroscopic material behavior. Our results may be used to optimize the shape of the particles and the microstructure.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figure

Adhesion between cells, diffusion of growth factors, and elasticity of the AER produce the paddle shape of the chick limb

This paper has been withdrawnComment: This paper has been withdraw

Developing and testing accelerated partner therapy for partner notification for people with genital Chlamydia trachomatis diagnosed in primary care: a pilot randomised controlled trial

Background Accelerated partner therapy (APT) is a promising partner notification (PN) intervention in specialist sexual health clinic attenders. To address its applicability in primary care, we undertook a pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) of two APT models in community settings. Methods Three-arm pilot RCT of two adjunct APT interventions: APTHotline (telephone assessment of partner(s) plus standard PN) and APTPharmacy (community pharmacist assessment of partner(s) plus routine PN), versus standard PN alone (patient referral). Index patients were women diagnosed with genital chlamydia in 12 general practices and three community contraception and sexual health (CASH) services in London and south coast of England, randomised between 1 September 2011 and 31 July 2013. Results 199 women described 339 male partners, of whom 313 were reported by the index as contactable. The proportions of contactable partners considered treated within 6 weeks of index diagnosis were APTHotline 39/111 (35%), APTPharmacy 46/100 (46%), standard patient referral 46/102 (45%). Among treated partners, 8/39 (21%) in APTHotline arm were treated via hotline and 14/46 (30%) in APTPharmacy arm were treated via pharmacy. Conclusions The two novel primary care APT models were acceptable, feasible, compliant with regulations and capable of achieving acceptable outcomes within a pilot RCT but intervention uptake was low. Although addition of these interventions to standard PN did not result in a difference between arms, overall PN uptake was higher than previously reported in similar settings, probably as a result of introducing a formal evaluation. Recruitment to an individually randomised trial proved challenging and full evaluation will likely require service-level randomisation

A Model for the Analysis of Caries Occurrence in Primary Molar Tooth Surfaces

Recently methods of caries quantification in the primary dentition have moved away from summary ‘whole mouth’ measures at the individual level to methods based on generalised linear modelling (GLM) approaches or survival analysis approaches. However, GLM approaches based on logistic transformation fail to take into account the time-dependent process of tooth/surface survival to caries. There may also be practical difficulties associated with casting parametric survival-based approaches in a complex multilevel hierarchy and the selection of an optimal survival distribution, while non-parametric survival methods are not generally suitable for the assessment of supplementary information recorded on study participants. In the current investigation, a hybrid semi-parametric approach comprising elements of survival-based and GLM methodologies suitable for modelling of caries occurrence within fixed time periods is assessed, using an illustrative multilevel data set of caries occurrence in primary molars from a cohort study, with clustering of data assumed to occur at surface and tooth levels. Inferences of parameter significance were found to be consistent with previous parametric survival-based analyses of the same data set, with gender, socio-economic status, fluoridation status, tooth location, surface type and fluoridation status-surface type interaction significantly associated with caries occurrence. The appropriateness of the hierarchical structure facilitated by the hybrid approach was also confirmed. Hence the hybrid approach is proposed as a more appropriate alternative to primary caries modelling than non-parametric survival methods or other GLM-based models, and as a practical alternative to more rigorous survival-based methods unlikely to be fully accessible to most researchers