Recent publications
Reflecting on the numerous abuses it has been embroiled in since its inception and the inherent conservativism of certain of its clinical practices, this chapter questions whether it is right to include psychoanalysis in a collection on critical social psychology. Returning to Freud’s original insight on the notion of the unconscious and its intrinsic connection to the sexual body, the author unpacks and highlights a fundamentally radical project in psychoanalysis, where conflict and uncertainty generate a theoretical frame and clinical practice that is ever restless and necessarily responsive to new patients and socio-political contexts. Alongside reactionary strands in thinking and associated institutions, therefore, Freud’s particular “discovery” and development of key psychoanalytic concepts means that their resistance to fixed meaning and the possibility of full articulation offers fertile grounds for critical social and psychological inquiry. Exploring continental strands of psychoanalysis in the works of Jean Laplanche, André Green, and others, this chapter poses questions for the construction of reflective and emancipatory clinical practice and ends with a consideration of radical psychoanalytic ideas in social psychological research.
In 2023 I was surprised and delighted to be contacted by Palgrave inviting me to consider ‘refreshing’ the original handbook published in 2017 by commissioning some extra chapters. Apparently, the handbook had generated a lot of interest and the publisher was keen to build on this success. Of course I said yes, but I was then faced with the challenge of deciding on potential new topics and authors. What was missing from the handbook? Which trends, issues and debates have since emerged in the broad field of Critical Social Psychology? Eventually I settled on four areas which I thought merited dedicated coverage.
Social psychologists have paid relatively little attention to class compared with scholars from other disciplines (e.g. sociology). This is a concern as class shapes nearly every aspect of human life and has a profoundly psychological dimension. This chapter critically reviews mainstream social psychological work on class, highlighting the general failure of this to problematise the class system of countries like Britain and the United States. It then moves on to discuss critical social psychological work on class and what this has offered those seeking to alleviate the problems caused by social and economic inequalities. Finally, the chapter reviews the current ‘state of play’ for critical scholarship in this area, considering future directions for this field of study.
This article proposes a rethinking of rape, with a model that can be applied to other sexual offences. It starts from the proposition that a sexual penetration is a prima facie legal wrong, which requires justification. This imposes an obligation on the person penetrating another to have sufficiently good reasons to justify the penetration. The justificatory reasons are only provided by a reasonable belief in consent, richly understood. Rape should, therefore, be redefined as a sexual penetration without a reasonable belief in the other’s consent. This means the focus in rape trials should not be on whether the victim consented, but rather on whether the defendant had good reasons to believe there was sufficiently rich consent.
This chapter examines the application of green supply chain management (GSCM) as a strategic tool for advancing sustainable green marketing agenda in Africa. A systematic literature guided by the PRISMA approach was employed as the research methodology. Data extraction and thematic analysis were used to group the roles of GSCM into coherent themes. Key findings reveal that green supply chain management is critical, imperative for achieving green marketing outcomes. Green supply chain management promotes the implementation of environmental management systems and sustainability practices such as recycling, reuse, transportation optimisation, reducing of unnecessary inventories, and shortening lead times. Reviewed studies also emphasised that organisations adopting comprehensive green supply chain management strategies benefit from enhanced brand image, increased customer loyalty, reduced operational costs, improved compliance with environmental regulations, positive social impacts, and stronger supplier relationships. The study concluded that GSCM is critical in advancing sustainable green marketing in Africa by adopting practices that can achieve significant environmental, economic, and social benefits. The insights from this chapter provoke future research, and work as reference point to policy makers, academia, and management interested in environmental sustainability in the Global South.
Objectives
To assess the feasibility of conducting a pragmatic, multicentre randomised controlled trial (RCT) to test the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a pain management training intervention to support people with persistent musculoskeletal pain and their informal carers.
Design
Two-arm, multicentre, pragmatic, open, feasibility RCT with embedded qualitative study.
Setting
National Health Service (NHS) providers in four English hospitals.
Participants
Adults receiving NHS care for persistent musculoskeletal pain and their informal carers.
Intervention
Control: usual NHS care. Experimental: usual NHS care plus a carer-patient pain management training intervention (JOINT SUPPORT), comprising five, 1-hour, group-based sessions for patients and carers, delivered by trained physiotherapists or occupational therapists. Content included understanding pain, pacing, graded activity, fear avoidance, goal-setting, understanding the benefits of physical activity and medication management. This was re-enforced with a workbook. After the group-based sessions, patients and carers were supported through three telephone sessions.
Randomisation
Central randomisation was computer-generated (2:1 Experimental:Control), stratified by hospital and patient-participant age (≤65 years). There was no blinding.
Main outcome measures
Data collected at baseline and 3 months post-randomisation included screening logs, intervention logs, fidelity checklists and clinical outcomes on quality of life, physical and emotional outcomes, adverse events and resource use. Interviews with 14 patient-carer participants and six health professionals who delivered the intervention.
Results
A total of 76 participants (38 patients; 38 carers) were enrolled. Sixty per cent (312/480) of patients screened were eligible with 12% consenting to be randomised (38/312). Fifty-four per cent (13/24) of the experimental group reached minimal compliance with the JOINT SUPPORT intervention. There was no evidence of treatment contamination. For patient-participant outcomes, within-group differences from baseline to 3 months favoured the control group when assessed by EQ-5D and Generalised Self-Efficacy total score, but favoured the intervention group when assessed by numerical rating scale pain, fatigue and Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scaletotal score. Qualitative data demonstrated the acceptability of the trial design and JOINT SUPPORT intervention with modifications to improve trial processes.
Conclusions
The JOINT SUPPORT intervention was acceptable to patient-carer dyads and health professionals. Modifications to trial design, particularly enhanced recruitment strategies, are required.
Trial registration number
ISRCTN78169443 .
Data availability statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author (TS) on reasonable request. This includes access to the full protocol, anonymised participant-level dataset and statistical code.
Background
Effective management of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries requires a comprehensive approach, from initial assessment, through treatment, rehabilitation, and discharge, however no gold standard care pathway exists to help guide clinicians. This case series provides an overview of current ACL injury management processes in six National Health Service (NHS) Trusts.
Methods
This study utilised a retrospective case series design within six NHS Trusts in the Yorkshire region of the United Kingdom. Using a standard operating procedure, each Trust selected ten consecutive ACL injured patients (≥ 16 years), managed either surgically or non-surgically. Data relating to the patient injury journey, patient and injury characteristics, key pathway events, rehabilitation management, outcome measures, and discharge, were collected. Data was anonymised and analysed using descriptive statistics.
Results
Reviews covered 55 patients, median age 25.5 years, (41 males, 14 females). Median time to specialist assessment from injury was 12 days (Interquartile Range [IQR] 6 to 20 days), with 43 patients managed operatively, and 12 non operatively. The median number of physiotherapy sessions was 21 (IQR 9 to 29.5), with outcome measures being variably used across Trusts. Trusts using patient reported outcome measures (PROMS) consistently with their patients provided more physiotherapy appointments (34.5 and 27) and achieved higher return to sport (RTS) rates. Time from injury to discharge varied with a median of 421 (IQR 249 to 546) days. Discharge criteria were applied inconsistently across Trusts, with 31% of cases not using specific criteria. However, Trusts using standardised discharge criteria showed better RTS outcomes, with 27 (61%) patients successfully returning to sport.
Conclusions
This case series review highlighted some good practice in initial ACL management across six NHS Trusts in the Yorkshire region. However, from time to MRI diagnosis to discharge, substantial variation in care is observed. Whether treated operatively or non-operatively, for patients aiming to RTS, this was achieved with greater consistency when more physiotherapy appointments were undertaken, outcome measures and PROMs were used, and specific discharge criteria was utilised. Future larger pathway investigation studies incorporating causative and predictive analysis studies on a national scale are required to determine whether similar trends are observed in a wider ACL injured population, which could help to improve national pathways for patients and clinicians working towards ensuring more positive and standardised patient-related ACL injury outcomes.
Damp in residential buildings poses risks to indoor air quality, occupant health, and structural integrity, and affects up to 27% of homes in the England. This study develops a predictive model for damp risk, using 2,073 inspection records from a housing association across 125 local authorities. Homes were labelled as damp (1,630) or non-damp (443), with data supplemented by national Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) records, incorporating building characteristics and energy efficiency indicators. To evaluate model performance, both a balanced dataset (869 homes, 426 damp, 443 non-damp) and a larger imbalanced dataset (2,073 homes) were used. Seven machine learning algorithms were deployed, with the best-performing model achieving 0.636 accuracy on balanced data and 0.793 on imbalanced data. SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) analysis identified heating cost, energy consumption, and wall energy efficiency as the strongest predictors of damp. Statistical tests and causal analysis were applied to interpret SHAP results, offering insights into potential damp risk and mitigations. The findings suggest that machine learning can support early identification of homes likely to develop damp, helping housing managers prioritise interventions before damp issues escalate.
This article explores the development of John Bright’s heroic status in America for his activities in helping to defuse Anglo-American tensions during the American Civil War and his promotion of the Union cause to British audiences. It argues that while revisionists have questioned the extent of Bright’s influence on British public opinion, they overlook his value to Lincoln’s administration as evidence of a putative ‘silent’ pro-northern majority in Britain, and the emotional impact of his oratory on ordinary Americans. Bright therefore acted as an unofficial ambassador from the people of Great Britain to the people of the USA, helping to moderate anti-British feeling. It concludes by considering how Bright’s post-bellum reputation was shaped by tensions between his wartime role and subsequent controversies over free trade.
Background
Sport-related concussions (SRC) are a concern for young athletes due to the potential for long-term health problems. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the literature exploring SRC incidence in youth sports to understand the associated risks.
Methods
Medline, Embase, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases were searched without language restrictions up to September 2024. Studies were included if they (i) reported data for calculation of SRC incidence, (ii) were a prospective cohort study, and (iii) included a sample aged ≤ 18 years. Studies that reported Athlete Exposure (AE) or Player Hours (PH) as SRC incidence data measures were included in a multi-level random-effects meta-analysis. Additional analysis explored SRC incidence based on age, sex, country, year of data collection, setting, and level of contact.
Results
Of the 6474 studies reviewed for eligibility, 116 studies were accepted for a systematic review and 99 in the meta-analysis. A total of 3,025,911 participants were included in the review (59% male, 41% female); however, 41% of studies did not report sample size. The pooled incidence rate of SRC per 1000 AE was found to be 1.41 across 21 sports, and 4.36 per 1000 PH across 7 sports. The highest incidence per 1000 AE were in taekwondo, rugby union, and ice hockey, and the highest incidence per 1000 PH were in rugby 7s, rugby league, and rugby union.
Conclusions
This systematic review and meta-analysis can serve as an updated baseline for risk of concussion among youth athletes across various sports. Trial registration: This systematic review was registered on OSF Registries (https://osf.io/v298s).
Background
Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is common among adults with disorders of gut–brain interaction (DGBI) presenting to gastroenterology settings. Symptoms overlap between ARFID and DGBI. How the severity of ARFID is defined can impact rates of diagnosis. Importantly, a diagnosis of ARFID can only be applied when the eating disturbance exceeds that expected from the DGBI condition. This leads to diagnostic challenges for the gastroenterology team. We aimed to explore how we could better identify “ARFID presentation” by reaching a clinically meaningful cut‐off and distinct categories for separating DGBI from ARFID and where DGBI and ARFID overlap.
Methods
A retrospective review of electronic health records (EHR) was conducted on 33 patients 88% female (29/33), with a median age of 44.3 ± 15.5 (range 18–73 years). All had a Rome IV diagnosed DGBI and were refractory to standard medical care, requiring both gastro‐psychology and dietitian input in a tertiary care Neurogastroenterology service during 2019. Severity criteria for meeting either strict or lenient ARFID criteria A were defined based on DSM‐5 and best practice recommendations.
Results
The majority (82%) met a form of ARFID criteria A. However, by applying severity levels, 33% met criteria for strict ARFID, while 49% met lenient criteria, and 18% did not meet any criteria.
Discussion
Adults with refractory DGBI who require both dietetic and psychological support can meet both lenient and strict ARFID severity criteria. Future research should explore if utilizing severity markers can help separate the heterogeneity of DGBI + ARFID and inform diagnostic and treatment approaches.
Most measurements of isokinetic hamstring:quadriceps (H:Q) strength ratios are conducted using concurrent repetitions, whereby active knee extension is immediately followed by active knee flexion. To reduce the influence of the stretch‐shortening cycle and limit axis misalignment, isolated repetitions have been recommended, whereby extension and flexion are completed separately. To inform screening protocols, this study examined the effect of concurrent and isolated trials on discrete and angle‐specific H:Q ratios. Fifteen males (age: 27 ± 4 years; height: 184 ± 9 cm; body mass: 80 ± 9 kg) performed isokinetic tests of the knee flexors and extensors (60°/s) using concurrent and isolated trials while sagittal kinematics were captured (100 Hz). Statistical parametric mapping enabled the effects of protocol type (concurrent vs. isolated) and axis misalignment (uncorrected vs. corrected) to be compared. Uncorrected data resulted in an underestimation of discrete conventional (−10.17%, p < 0.001) and functional (−9.21%, p < 0.05) ratios, with differences being observed for all angle‐specific ratios (p < 0.001). The use of concurrent repetitions resulted in a significant overestimation of the conventional H:Q ratio (+7.41%, p < 0.05) with the differences being most prevalent at more extended (24°–45° knee flexion, p < 0.05) knee joint positions. Dynamometer users should be aware that concurrent repetitions increase the likelihood of “false‐negative” injury risk categorization. Nevertheless, the common practice of using uncorrected data from concurrent repetitions does not lead to significant differences in discrete or angle‐specific H:Q ratios when compared with corrected data obtained from isolated repetitions.
This report provides guidance for users of linear accelerator (linac) Manufacturer Integrated Quality Control (MIQC) tools. MIQC tools have been developed and introduced by radiotherapy linac vendors, and have the potential to improve both the quality and efficiency of linac Quality Control (QC). They usually utilise the Electronic Portal Imaging Device (EPID), but may acquire data from other sources, and automatically perform and analyse tests of various treatment machine QC parameters. The currently available systems meeting this definition are Varian Machine Performance Check (MPC), CyberKnife Automated Quality Assurance (AQA)/End-to-End (E2E), TomoTherapy Quality Assurance (TQA), and Elekta Machine QA (EMQA) (also known as AQUA). This guidance report covers the commissioning and implementation of MIQC. The guidance has been developed by a radiotherapy special interest group (RTSIG) working party on behalf of the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM). Recommendations within the report are derived from the experience of the working party members, existing guidance, literature, and a United Kingdom survey conducted in 2022 (Pearson et al 2023). Topics covered include developing an understanding of the QC system, independence review of MIQC, commissioning, implementation, ongoing QC and calibration, software upgrades and periodic review. The commissioning section covers detector commissioning, repeatability and reproducibility, baseline and tolerance setting, concordance with existing QC, sensitivity testing, cost-benefits analysis, and risk assessment methods. In order to offer practical guidance, case studies covering each aspect of commissioning are included. They are real-world examples or experiences from early adopters, each applied to a different example MIQC system. The examples will be directly applicable to users of that specific MIQC system, but also provide practical guidance on clinical implementation to users of the other systems.
This study investigates the influence of social media activities on stock price informativeness. Using a panel of 49 countries with 231,462 balance‐panel firm‐year observations from 2010 to 2020, we find that social media activities increase stock price informativeness. Furthermore, social media engagement for political and civil activities reduces information asymmetries that are linked to greater stock price informativeness. We further evidence that the intensity of the impact of social media activities varies between economic development and sectors, which implies that while some of the social media activities proxies are more pronounced in developed countries, others are more pronounced in emerging economies. The same applies to the services and non‐services sectors. The result is more pronounced when varying offline political actions are most commonly mobilised on social media. For identification, we employ principal component analysis, difference‐in‐difference, and propensity score matching.
Global obesity rates have risen dramatically, now exceeding deaths from starvation. Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS), initially for severe obesity (BMI ≥35 kg/m 2), is performed globally over 500 000 times annually, offering significant metabolic benefits beyond weight loss. However, varying eligibility criteria globally impact patient care and healthcare resources. Updated in 2022, ASMBS and IFSO guidelines aim to standardise MBS indications, reflecting current understanding and emphasising comprehensive pre-operative assessments. Yet, clinical variability persists, necessitating consensus-based recommendations. This modified Delphi study engaged 45 global experts to establish consensus on perioperative management in MBS. Experts selected from bariatric societies possessed expertise in MBS and participated in a two-round Delphi protocol. Consensus was achieved on 90 of 169 statements (53.3%), encompassing multidisciplinary team composition, patient selection criteria, preoperative testing, and referral pathways. The agreement highlighted the critical role of comprehensive preoperative assessments and the integration of healthcare professionals in MBS. These findings offer essential insights to standardise perioperative practices and advocate for evidence-based guidelines in MBS globally. The study underscores the need for unified protocols to optimise outcomes and guide future research in MBS. For affiliations refer to page 7
Purpose : Investigate the concurrent agreement and test–retest reliability of 10-Hz global-positioning-system (GPS) device against a criterion measure (47-Hz radar device) to assess maximal horizontal deceleration ability (maximum deceleration [DEC Max ], average deceleration [DEC Ave ], time to stop, and distance to stop). Methods : Thirty-two male elite youth academy soccer players (age 18.1 [1.6] y, body mass 76.6 [7.9] kg) completed the acceleration–deceleration ability test with 16 completing a second test to assess test–retest reliability. Maximal horizontal deceleration ability was measured concurrently using GPS Raw (10-Hz data), GPS Export (STATSports software), and a radar device. Bland–Altman method and equivalence testing assessed concurrent agreement and intraclass correlations with coefficient of variation (%) was used to assess test–retest reliability. Results: Equivalence testing showed mean difference between the radar device and GPS-derived values of DEC Ave and DEC Max were within equivalence bounds. GPS Raw and GPS Export derived values of DEC Max showed good overall (intraclass correlations = .84–.86, coefficient of variation % = 4.50–5.48) test–retest reliability. Conclusion : Practitioners can consider using deceleration variables (DEC Ave and DEC Max ) obtained from GPS as a cost-effective, valid, and reliable alternative to radar technology to assess maximal horizontal deceleration ability in team-sport players.
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