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This paper is a systematic review of the UK Widening Participation (WP), Higher Education (HE) student demographic. It argues that the presence of traumatic emotional experiences in WP student populations connected to psychosocial and academic trust alienation theory contributes to engagement barriers in HE. Using PRISMA guidelines, 43 publications were screened based on inclusion/exclusion criteria. This paper identifies WP students' experiences of trauma and how this affects their HE educational engagement. Secondly, it encourages the HE community to consider commitment to the WP demographic. Thirdly it identifies support strategies for WP student success and improvements for HE Institutions (HEI's) commitment to meeting WP agendas. Additionally, educational and psychological links that have not previously been examined are presented acknowledging the complexities of the WP student demographics. Furthermore, reinforcement for HEI's commitment to social mobility from both a political and institutional standpoint aligning to the WP student demographic barriers to engagement is articulated.

Background Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS), commonly caused by focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), is associated with progression to stage 5 chronic kidney disease, requirement for kidney replacement therapy and a risk of disease recurrence post-kidney transplantation. Ofatumumab (OFA) is a fully humanised monoclonal antibody to CD20, with similar mechanisms of action to rituximab (RTX). Methods We report a case series of seven UK patients (five paediatric, two adult), all of whom developed FSGS recurrence after kidney transplantation and received OFA as part of their therapeutic intervention. All also received concomitant plasmapheresis. The 2-year outcome of these seven patients is reported, describing clinical course, kidney function and proteinuria. Results Four patients (all paediatric) achieved complete urinary remission with minimal proteinuria 12 months post-treatment. Three of those four also had normal graft function. Two patients showed partial remission-brief improvement to non-nephrotic proteinuria (197 mg/mmol) in one patient, maintained improvement in kidney function (estimated glomerular filtration rate 76 ml/min/1.73 m.sup.2) in the other. One patient did not demonstrate any response. Conclusions OFA may represent a useful addition to therapeutic options in the management of FSGS recurrence post-transplantation, including where RTX has shown no benefit. Concomitant plasmapheresis in all patients prevents any definitive conclusion that OFA was the beneficial intervention., Author(s): Ben C. Reynolds [sup.1] , Angela Lamb [sup.1] , Caroline A. Jones [sup.2] , Pallavi Yadav [sup.3] , Kay S. Tyerman [sup.3] , Colin C. Geddes [sup.4] Author Affiliations: [...]

AbstractAn increasing focus of recent research is on the role of technology in support of teaching, learning and renewal or revitalization of endangered languages. The potential roles of a given piece of technology logically depend, at least to some extent, on the features built into the technology at design stage. Since most language revitalization and renewal efforts are local, community-based initiatives, the preferences and insights of community members are critical to build into the design, to maximize the relevance and appeal of the technology to those who might use it to maintain and increase knowledge and skills in their language. Recognizing this, the project reported on here incorporated co-design into the development of a mobile app, Warrma Mangarrayi (“Listen to Mangarrayi”). The app design also drew on a model of language revitalization, which offers a conceptualization of how technology can be a resource for a language revitalization team whose goals include everyday phrase-based communication in the endangered language. In this article we discuss the iterative user-centered co-design process adopted for the research and the improvements resulting from community user feedback on different versions and how the resulting resource, Warrma Mangarrayi, responded to community needs and aspirations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the elevated risk of early maternal death among women whose children have been removed from their care, drawing on observational data from Pause, a UK-based charity. It highlights the critical health and social vulnerabilities faced by these mothers, including mental health issues, domestic abuse, and substance misuse, which are inadequately addressed by current child-focused services.

This literature review systematically analyses publications and articles up to mid-2023 related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the field of HE, specifically identifying pressures that students are experiencing. The aim of the review was to identify insights into the tensions faced by students in HE following their experiences of educational interruptions due to COVID-19. Additionally, this review explored the literature relating to the personal, professional, academic and societal pressures experienced by HE students. Student engagement, sense of belonging, alienation and resilience in a post-pandemic context was also examined. Results suggest that the effects of COVID-19 have increased pressure on HE students in multifaceted and interconnecting ways. Post-pandemic, students' mental health and wellbeing is significantly reducing resilience. Issues facing the cohort of students currently at school will filter on into HE if not actioned. Therefore, Government and HEIs need to address the macro, meso and micro after effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. To do this, further focussed research is needed into post-pandemic HEI support systems and practical pedagogical strategies. HEIs could examine the effects of stress and anxiety resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and could apply conceptual tools and educational theories to influence future strategies to increase students' resilience, engagement, sense of belonging and thus academic resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why you should read this article: • To better understand the detrimental effects of domestic violence and abuse on children and young people • To acknowledge the importance of having independent domestic violence advocates in children’s hospitals • To reflect on how you can enhance your practice with regard to domestic violence and abuse. Domestic violence and abuse (DVA) has detrimental effects on the health and well-being of children and young people exposed to it, whether they witness or experience it. The introduction of independent domestic violence advocates in UK hospitals has enhanced the safety of victims of DVA. In 2020-2021 an independent domestic violence advocate post was piloted at a children’s hospital for one year, the advocate’s role being to train hospital staff and support women who had experienced DVA. A service evaluation showed that the training and support provided by the independent domestic violence advocate had benefits for women, children and staff. It also confirmed that the commissioning of services for children exposed to DVA is often underfunded and overshadowed by the provision of support to adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research into higher education has shown that for those who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans* and/or Queer (LGBTQ), universities are places where both direct and indirect discrimination is experienced. This paper reports the findings from a systematic search and review on gender and sexual diversity in professional practice placements. This was part of a broader project exploring the way that students were supported and educated to provide appropriate support for LGBTQ people using their services and whether students who identified as LGBTQ experienced specific issues regarding the (non)disclosure of their gender or sexual diversity in placement settings. Three primary themes were identified. Environment: which relates to the way that homophobic and transphobic discrimination is experienced in professional practice. Influence: the importance of faculty on the environment as both a positive and negative force. Interventions: how students support LGBTQ people who use their services and how educators intervene with students who identify as LGBTQ. Our review showed how students in all included disciplines report feeling under-prepared for the realities of working with LGBTQ people in practice. However there are examples of positive practices which can support LGBTQ students through navigating disclosure of their own identities, as well as enabling all students to act as advocates and allies for the LGBTQ service users and peers/colleagues that they will inevitably work with and alongside, throughout their careers.

Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are affected by chronic middle ear infection or otitis media from infancy that has a negative impact on development of listening and communication skills. Deficits in these skills are often not detected until school-age when the opportunity for early intervention is lost. Primary health and early childhood workers need screening tools to assist them with detecting the problem early, but there is a scarcity of tools. This study reports the development and validation of a screening tool for detecting communication problems in young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The tool, called the Hearing and Talking Scale (HATS), relies on a systematic use of parent observations of communication behaviours of their children in everyday situations. Developed by using a co-design approach, the HATS is culturally and linguistically appropriate for use with parents/carers of young children by front-line workers not trained in speech-language pathology. We validated the HATS by comparing the HATS score of 68 children (46 Indigenous and 22 non-Indigenous children) with their performance in standardised assessments. The accuracy of the HATS was 80% and 81% when compared to the ASQ-TRAK and the Expressive Vocabulary Test respectively. The HATS takes 5 minutes to administer, and is easy to score and interpret. It can be used as part of a standard ear and hearing health check for young children to support early detection so that those with problems can be referred for specialist diagnosis and treatment at a young age.

This article surfaces issues about the often-used but widely under-reported practice of working with advisory fora. We critically reflect on our experiences working with an advisory network when co-designing a research study about a 'sensitive' subject. We discuss the following: (1) How the network evolved as a matter of ethical and pragmatic choices; (2) Potential issues when discussing sensitive issues 'outside' of the participatory or participant context; and (3) Practical and epistemic issues involved in (not) 'taking' advice. We suggest that although sensitive research is more conventionally aligned with more 'radical' forms of participatory practice, advisory networks can present a useful and sometimes more appropriate form of inclusion and engagement for some advisors and for some types of research study. The article should, therefore, be of interest to a wide range of academic and practice-based health and social care staff and, in particular, those who plan to use advisory fora in their work.

Children often substitute one object for another during play. They may substitute a stick for a sword or a box for a car, often favouring substitutes that are shaped like the needed object. The current study looked at the roles of shape and specificity, the degree to which a possible substitute resembles something else, in children's object substitutions. We asked whether children would favour generic, similarly shaped substitutes (those with low specificity) over specific ones and whether generic objects would elicit a great variety of potential substitutes than their specific counterparts. Three-, 4-, and 5-year-olds (N = 66) saw objects that varied by shape (round versus rectangular) and by specificity (generic versus specific) and were asked to help a story character find a series of objects. Children were also given an object and asked to generate a list of possible things for which the object could be substituted. Overall, children, especially 5-year-olds, strongly favoured the generic, same-shaped substitutes over other objects and regularly used them for multiple substitutions. Children did not generate a longer list of potential substitutes when given a generic object. Findings suggest that children may pass over specific objects in favour generic ones when making object substitutions during play.

The provision of instrumental lessons in certain areas of England can be hampered by the geographical position of some schools that are rural in nature, with teachers needing to travel long distances between schools. Internet-based technologies have been successfully used elsewhere to deliver instrumental lessons. A collaboration between the authors, North Yorkshire Music Action Zone and YouCanPlay allowed the delivery of instrumental lessons using Skype in combination with a Roland VR-3EX, an AV Mixer which offers 3 camera angles and good quality sound. Our aim was to repurpose existing technology to provide instrumental lessons in remote rural communities. The study was conducted in two-phases: a pilot study in North Yorkshire; and a further roll-out of the lessons in four additional areas (Cornwall; Cumbria; Durham/Darlington; and East Riding of Yorkshire). We wished to investigate the technical challenges and pedagogical aspects of the delivery, and also compare digitally-delivered and face-to-face instrumental lessons to explore the differences in behaviour. Data collected included pre- and post-project interviews with teachers, recordings of the teachers' first and last lessons, and post-project questionnaires from pupils and their parents. Results suggested that there were technical challenges relating to sound, video and connection quality, and the physical environment of the lessons, some of which were alleviated by the Roland VR-3EX. Some concerns expressed by teachers in the initial interviews failed to materialise; others were overcome to some extent. Pupils concentrated well, were motivated to practice, and made good progress. Further analysis of the video data has allowed the comparison of face-to-face and digitally-delivered lessons. All teachers found the digital teaching more challenging than their usual face-to-face teaching; however, all reported that they would undertake similar teaching again. This paper focuses upon the exploring the behaviour of participants observed in the lessons. Digital delivery has the potential to provide greater access to instrumental lessons for children in rural communities.

Literature reviews are an important and popular part of synthesising evidence across a range of disciplines. There are numerous approaches, each with their distinctive features and purposes. The aim of this article is to advance the science of literature reviewing by describing a new form of review: The 'Focused Mapping Review and Synthesis' (FMRS). We critique the approach and highlight its similarities and differences in relation to existing review methodologies. There are four key features of FMRS. It: 1) focuses on a defined field of knowledge rather than a body of evidence; 2) creates a descriptive map or topography of key features of research within the field rather than a synthesis of findings; 3) comments on the overall approach to knowledge production rather than the state of the evidence; 4) examines this within a broader epistemological context. The FMRS can be used to answer questions that might not be appropriate for other review types and potentially offers a useful addition to the methodological toolkit of social researchers from multiple disciplines.