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Work absence due to back pain is best predicted by beliefs and attitudes. Lots of money is spent on training in the NHS trying to prevent back pain; this study explores the effect of that training ...

While families have a central role supporting relatives with alcohol and other drug (AOD) misuse, this can undermine their own well-being and hopefulness. The aims of this study were to assess the effect of supporting a relative with AOD misuse on affected family members' (AFMs) psychological and physical well-being and hope for the future about their relative, and to identify factors associated with AFMs' well-being and hope. A cross-sectional survey design with 90 AFMs. Over three-quarters of AFMs had not received any assistance from AOD services recently, nearly 80% experienced adverse effects on their physical health and ability to socialise with relatives and friends, and just over 50% reported detrimental effects on their paid employment. AFMs living with their relative with AOD misuse experienced more harmful stress than those who were not residing with their relative. Intimate partner AFMs experienced more mild-to-moderate physical and psychological ill health than non-partner AFMs. No socio-demographic factors were significantly associated with AFMs' levels of hopefulness-hopelessness. Measures are needed to increase AFMs' access to mental health nurses and other AOD clinicians for their own needs. Services and AOD clinicians should target, but not be restricted to, reducing stress and strengthening their physical and mental well-being and hopefulness.

Physical activities that involve muscle strengthening, balance and coordination skills such as ballroom dancing are encouraged for older adults to assist with the maintenance of functional autonomy and prevention of falls. Twenty-three community-dwelling older adults engaged in regular ballroom dancing completed a 12-month study assessing well-being, falls risk and balance using a set of clinical outcome measures. Those attending ballroom dancing classes were more likely to be active older adults, with lower levels of BMI and obesity compared to the general population. Participants scored lower in the falls risk tests than normative values. Some of the results suggest a possible substantive finding for clinical practice and indicate ballroom dancing is an activity with good attrition and adherence rates among community-dwelling older adults that can improve well-being, balance and reduce falls risk as part of an active lifestyle.

© 2019, © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. A common barrier to exercise is “lack of time”. Accordingly, interest in low-volume, high-intensity training has grown exponentially since this activity is considered time-efficient. However, the high-intensity nature of this exercise may frequently result in feelings of displeasure creating another barrier for many people. The purpose of this study was to compare affective (pleasure-displeasure) responses to three low-volume, high-intensity exercise conditions, including a novel shortened-sprint protocol. Using a within-subjects, randomised crossover experiment, healthy participants (N = 36) undertook a single bout of: 1) traditional reduced-exertion, high-intensity interval training (TREHIT), 2) a novel, shortened-sprint REHIT (SSREHIT) protocol, and 3) sprint continuous training (SCT). Affect and perceived efforts were recorded throughout exercise using the Feeling Scale (FS) and the 15-point Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale, respectively. Enjoyment was recorded 5 min post-exercise using the Exercise Enjoyment Scale (EES). Differences were found for FS (condition by time interaction: P = 0.01GG, η2 = 0.26), RPE (P = 0.01GG, η2 = 0.23), and enjoyment (P < 0.01) with all outcomes favouring SSREHIT. Shortened-sprint protocols may diminish feelings of displeasure and might be a time-efficient yet tolerable exercise choice to help motivate some people to increase their physical activity and fitness.

In cold climates, special consideration needs to be given to the design and construction of segmental post-tensioned concrete girder bridges. This article presents the special considerations that e...

Measuring movement performance in people with neurological damage requires a tool that reflects physiotherapy assessment and clinical reasoning. The Leeds Movement Performance Index (LMPI) was previously developed by a group of neurological physiotherapists to fulfill these requirements.To assess the reliability of the LMPI for use in neurological physiotherapy practice.Twelve senior neurological physiotherapists were trained to use the LMPI and then asked to measure the movement performance of five patients whose movement had been previously video-recorded for this purpose. A retest session was completed after two weeks. Data were analysed to establish internal and external reliability.Internal reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, applied to the entire scale (0.862) and to each item (range 0.795-0.892). External (inter-rater) reliability was assessed by a calculation of the intraclass correlation coefficient for scores awarded by multiple raters (0.959), with individual item reliability ranging from 0.874 to 0.968. External (test-retest) reliability was assessed by calculating the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient between scores obtained on two testing occasions (0.792) with values of individual items ranging from 0.397 to 0.674. A variance components analysis partitioned variance into components arising from between-patient variability (55.2%) between-therapist variability (7.8%) and between-testing variability (2.8%).RESULTS indicate that the LMPI is a reliable measurement tool when used by senior neurological physiotherapists.

This article contributes to current debates about professional doctorates from a lifelong learning perspective, focusing on those who choose to undertake a doctoral programme in mid- or late career and their responses to the challenge of demonstrating their ‘doctorateness’ as evidenced in their previous and continuing professional work. It is based on the first 10 case histories of an extensive grounded theory study of the 150 candidates who have so far presented themselves for the professional doctorate of Middlesex University (UK) and reveals some insights into the pedagogical processes that come into play when people are given centre stage in the design and completion of doctoral programmes based on their own professional work. Central to those processes is the extent to which, in response to that responsibility, candidates successfully demonstrate their professionalism at the highest level within critical academic and professional environments. In accordance with grounded theory we conclude with some ...

The concept of Return on Investment (ROI) in training has hitherto been largely associated with the corporate world where Kirkpatrick's model of training evaluation is widely used. Interest in Kirkpatrick is growing in the public sector. This article examines how the Kirkpatrick model is actually used in a range of commercial organisations and reports that, despite the continuing respect for the model as a whole, there are few examples of organisations moving beyond Kirkpatrick's first level evaluation. Using a grounded theory analysis of interviews with over 40 key decision-makers in a variety of businesses, the article explores what practitioners believe to be important when judging the overall effectiveness of training, and presents a five-stage holistic model for evaluating ROI based on their views and experience. The article concludes with some thoughts on the possible applicability of the five-stage model to the evaluation of public sector education and training initiatives.

This article is concerned primarily with university‐related work‐based learning in the UK. The authors trace the development of work‐based learning from its early days to the wide variety of styles and scale currently being practised. In the wake of the Dearing Report, they review the experience of work experience and sandwich courses; the move from work experience to work‐based learning; work‐based learning for those in work; and work‐based learning through technological transfer. The authors identify key variables which appear to determine the nature of different styles of work‐based learning including the tension between the twin purposes of international competitiveness and student personal development, and the willingness of the universities to move from their traditional control of the curriculum to allow a greater variety of learning experiences. The authors focus on the emergence of learner‐managed three‐way partnerships between the learner, the university, and the employer based on real‐...

A class of soft-core equations of state is constructed by introducing a temperature dependent molecular volume parameter into hard-core equations of state. Characteristic curves are calculated numerically for a soft-core version of the Frisch model, parameterized by a “softening temperature” Ts , and a repulsive potential exponent n. The entire range of behaviour from the extreme hard-core (Ts = ∞) to soft-core (Ts = 0) limit is investigated.

While there is considerable debate concerning curriculum and qualifications in education for the professions, more account needs to be taken of evidence that professional competence may be related more to modes of study than to syllabus content. Though there may be pressures of innovation within disciplines which seem to legitimise heavier content loadings, the commitment to content-based courses can also be viewed, in Kuhnian terms, as covert instruction in the dominant paradigm of a discipline. Whatever the merits of this as a socialisation process into the profession, or as a means of protecting professional monopolies, it may entail passive modes of learning rather than development of competence to deal with change; to achieve, for example, the techne quality in engineering advocated by CNAA in the wake of Finniston. The strongest empirical evidence that course content is a poor indicator of professional competence comes from McLelland and his associates, through studies relating to over 50 c...

A general proof is given that the classical second virial coefficient satisfies the requirement for the non-existence of a termination point of any locus of Cv extrema. This validity criterion is applied to some proposed forms for the second virial coefficient. The order of the termination temperatures is verified for a fairly general intermolecular potential. In particular a proof is given that TF lies between TC and TA. Also the hard-core limit of the ratio TD/TA(∼2) is examined briefly.

Explicit formulae are presented for those characteristic curves which can be constructed for a hard-core equation of state. Excellent agreement is obtained with experimental curves for argon up to fairly high pressures (20 P c) and temperatures (10 T c). It is shown that only three termination temperatures are obtainable from a hard-core type second virial coefficient. The limitations of the hard-core equation of state are discussed briefly.

Characteristic curves and loci of Cp extrema are constructed for the Lennard-Jones 6–12 equation of state, using fitted and approximate equations of state, and the exact virial expansion at low densities. The shape of the Cp locus near its termination temperature is analyzed via the third and fourth ‘pressure’ virial coefficients for hard-core and Lennard-Jones systems.

A study is made of the internal energy of a simple fluid, and its derivative with respect to particle number at constant temperature and volume. This derivative occurs in a formula linking energy and particle number fluctuations to the specific heat, and may be calculated exactly for the Ising and certain other models along the critical isochore. Experimental results for fluid Argon are compared with the description provided by van der Waals' equation, which is able to predict within 5% the slope of the loci in the density-temperture plane along which the internal energy and its particle number derivative vanish

A detailed discussion is given of the geometrical properties and the physical significance of the characteristic curves of a simple fluid, with specific reference to experimental results for argon.

The six termination temperatures associated with the ten characteristic curves of a simple fluid are calculated for the Lennard-Jones m, n potential second virial coefficient with n ≥ m > 3. The extreme values in both the hard-core Sutherland potential limit n → x, and in the opposite limit n → m are obtained. The termination temperature ratios Tc/Tb, TF/TC and TD/TA lie within a narrow finite range, with TD/TA → 2 in the hard-core limit, independent of m. The high temperature form of the second virial coefficient is derived, and used to estimate thesoftening temperature Ts. Also, some results for the square-well potential are presented.

An elementary theory of termination temperatures of characteristic curves is developed with the aid of two simple mathematical models. The first model contains two important constant ratios involving all six termination temperatures. The second model interpolates between the first model and the hard-core limit with the aid of a parametric softening temperature, Ts The properties of the temperature ratios and the underlying models are discussed in detail, especially in the hard-core limit.

Loci of Cp extrema along isotherms are constructed for model soft-core equations of state, parameterized by an exponent N(= 3/n, where n is the repulsive potential exponent) and a softening temperature Ts . Generally the loci exhibit two branches whose geometry depends on Ts and N. In soft-core type behaviour, a locus of Cp maxima commences at the critical point and terminates on the temperature axis at a temperature Tn where the second virial coefficient has a point of inflexion, and the second branch is located at higher pressures and temperatures. In hard-core type behaviour, a locus of Cp maxima commences at the critical point and turns into a locus of minima before crossing the fusion curve, whereas the second branch, which terminates at TD , is generally a locus of minima lying at high pressures and temperatures. The values of Ts and N at which the geometry of the loci changes is studied in detail.

The six termination temperatures associated with the ten characteristic curves of a simple fluid are calculated for the Kihara potential second virial coefficient, constructed from a Lennard-Jones m, n potential augmented by a spherical hard-core. Extreme values of the termination temperatures in both the hard-core Sutherland-type potential limit n → ∞, and in the opposite limit n → m are obtained. Over the useful range of values, 0 to 1, of the ratio a∗ of the hard-core diameter to the molecular diameter in the absence of a hard-core, the termination temperature ratios TC/TF/TC and TD/TA vary only slightly, for a given value of n, with TD/TA → 2 in the hard-core limit n → ∞, independent of m and a∗.

A model soft-core equation of state is used to account qualitatively for the behaviour of the Joule-Kelvin coefficient μ and its (initial) partial derivatives at high temperatures. The two sign changes which occur in (∂μ/∂P) T 0 are present in a hard-core model, but the minimum in (∂μ/∂T) P 0 , at TD , is a soft-core effect. A hard-core model is adequate in the low temperature and density region around the inversion curve, but contours of μ at high temperatures and pressures are modified qualitatively when a soft-core is introduced.

The role of the exponent inequality β + γ > I in the continuity of (∂P/∂T), with the slope of the vaporization curve at the critical point is discussed. A connection between the divergence in the curvature of the vaporization curve and asymmetries in certain thermodynamic functions is established. It is shown, in the context of the scaling law equation of state, that the homogeneous phase specific heat C(1) V on the liquid branch of the coexistence curve is slightly lower than on the gas branch, at the same temperature.

Calculation of CP from a model soft-core equation of state reveals a line in the phase diagram on which CP is equal to its zero pressure value C P 0 . This line commences on the temperature axis where the second virial coefficient has a point of inflexion. At higher temperatures (and pressures) CP falls below C P 0 . The detailed behaviour of CP is presented via contour maps, illustrating the effects of changing the exponent N(= 3/n, where n is the repulsive potential exponent) which parameterizes the model. For soft-core fluids at high temperatures CP deviates only slightly from the ideal gas value over a wide range of temperature and density, in marked contrast to the behaviour of hard-core models.