Queen Margaret University College Research Articles

Nursing by numbers

Workforce projections published by the RCN this week paint a frightening picture of how the NHS in England is likely to evolve over the next decade. An independent assessment by the UK’s leading nursing workforce expert, James Buchan of Queen Margaret University College in Edinburgh, suggests there could be a quarter fewer nurses by 2020 than there are today.

Comparison of three school-based intervention strategies to increase starch consumption in adolescent Scottish boys

The aim of the present study was to compare three 4-week school-based interventions to increase starch intake in adolescent Scottish boys. A randomised controlled intervention study was employed and seventy-six boys (aged 12‐13 years) from four local authority schools within North Lanarkshire were randomly recruited to one of four groups: A, control (received no specific advice); B, provided with an education package on starch that was designed to be fun and educate the subjects on the benefits of eating starchy foods; C, provided with starchy snacks (Rice Krispies, Cornflakes and Nutrigrain bars (Kellogg’s Manchester, UK) and Twiglets (United Biscuits, Aintree, Merseyside, UK); D, provided with both the education package and the snacks. Ethical approval for the study was granted by Queen Margaret University College Ethical Committee and The Research Ethics Committee of Lanarkshire Health Board. Dietary intakes were estimated using a 3 d diet diary at baseline and at 4 weeks post intervention. Full instructions for completion of the diary were given at the start of the dietary recording period by the researcher. Specific questions on starchy food consumption were included to ensure that all starchy foods consumed were recorded. Energy and nutrient intakes were assessed using CompeatPro version 5.0 (Nutrition Systems, Banbury, Oxon, UK). Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 11.5 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA). Paired-sample t tests were used to compare data at baseline and at 4 weeks post intervention. After 4 weeks group C showed an increased % energy from starch (from 29 to 34; P < 0.001) and a decreased % energy from total sugar (from 24 to 19.7; P < 0.05) with no significant change in total carbohydrate. Group D showed an increased % energy from starch (from 27 to 33; P < 0.005) and total carbohydrate (from 49.8 to 54.3; P < 0.01). Group D also showed a decreased % energy from fat (from 39 to 35; P < 0.005). It was concluded from the study that a simple intervention package, including dietary education and provision of snacks high in starch, resulted in beneficial dietary changes in adolescent boys. However, longer-term studies are required to assess the sustainability of these dietary changes.

Autism: an integrated view from neurocognitive, clinical, and intervention research

Preface. List of Contributors. 1. Introduction: Seeking Coherence in Autism: From fMRI to Intervention: Evelyn McGregor (University of St Andrews) , Maria Nunez (Glasgow Caledonian University), Katie Cebula (University of Edinburgh), and Juan Carlos Gomez (University of St Andrews). Part I: Neurocognitive Research. 2. New Insights From Neuroimaging Into the Emotional Brain in Autism: Bruno Wicker (Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives de la Mediterranee, Marseille). 3. Directedness, Egocentrism, and Autism: Justin H. G. Williams (University of Aberdeen Medical School). 4. Altered Salience in Autism: Developmental Insights, Consequences, and Questions: Warren Jones (Yale University) and Ami Klin (Yale University). 5. Abnormalities in Cultural in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Link Between Behavior and Cognition?: Eva Loth (Cambridge University). 6. Building the Whole Beyond Its Parts: A Critical Examination of Current Theories of Integration Ability in Autism: Beatriz Lopez (University of the West of England). 7. The Influence of Conceptual Knowledge on Perceptual Processing in Autism: Danielle Ropar (University of Nottingham), Peter Mitchell (University of Nottingham), and Elizabeth Sheppard (University of Nottingham). 8. Executive Functioning in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Where It Fits in the Causal Model: Elisabeth L. Hill (Goldsmiths, University of London). Part II Clinical and Intervention Research. 9. How Young Children With Autism Treat Objects and People: Some Insights into Autism in Infancy From Research on Home Movies: Sandra Maestro (University of Pisa) and Filippo Muratori (University of Pisa). 10. Screening for Autism Spectrum Disorders in Primary School Aged Children: Joanna G. Williams (Cambridge University). 11. The Prosody-Language Relationship in Children With High-Functioning Autism: Joanne McCann (Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh), Sue Peppe (Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh), Fiona Gibbon (Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh), Anne O'Hare (Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh), and Marion Rutherford (Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh). 12. Teaching Adults With Autism Spectrum Conditions to Recognize Emotions: Systematic Training for Empathizing Difficulties: Ofer Golan (Bar-Ilan University, Israel and Cambridge University) and Simon Baron-Cohen (Cambridge University). 13. Developing Social Interaction and Understanding in High-Functioning Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Aline-Wendy Dunlop (University of Strathclyde), Fiona Knott (University of Reading), and Tommy MacKay (University of Strathclyde). 14. Research Base for Intervention in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Glenys Jones (University of Birmingham) and Rita Jordan (University of Birmingham). 15. Stress in Parents of Children With Autism: Richard P. Hastings (University of Wales, Bangor). 16. Conclusion: Integrating Neurocognitive, Diagnostic, and Intervention Perspectives in Autism: Susan Leekam (University of Durham) and Evelyn McGregor (University of St Andrews). Index

The trauma of genocide

The trauma of genocide

(893): Change over time in a clinical method of quantitative sensory testing using sensory discrimination theory in healthy human volunteers

This study forms part of the development of a simple method of quantitative sensory testing (QST) using sensory discrimination theory (SDT). The protocol was approved by Queen Margaret University College Edinburgh ethics committee. The study aimed to investigate whether participants’ responses to two levels of thermal stimulation (46°C and 48°C) changed across three time points (incorporating a total of 14 days). The dependent variables were P(A) and B indicating respectively the ability to discriminate between two similar stimuli (‘sensitivity’) and the person’s propensity to report how strongly a stimulus is perceived (‘bias’).

Physiotherapy students’ assessment of psychosocial yellow flags in low back pain

Background: Low Back Pain (LBP) makes up a large proportion of referrals to physiotherapy worldwide. Thus training in its effective assessment and management is essential. With psychosocial yellow flags having been recognised as the strongest predictors of chronicity in LBP, guidelines on the management of LBP emphasise the importance of assessing and managing yellow flags. Aim: The aim of this research was to explore whether physiotherapy students were able to assess risk of chronicity based on the presence of yellow flags in descriptions of people with LBP.Method: A postal semi-structured questionnaire based on clinicalvignettes was sent to all the Level 3 physiotherapy students studying at Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh.Results: The survey was responded to by 15 of the students (35%). The respondents overestimated risk of chronic LBP from the vignettes. Evaluation of risk for chronicity was based on few yellow flags i.e. the strongest predictors of chronicity were not effectively interpreted resulting in incorrect determination of risk for chronic LBP. All respondents included at least one risk factor not supported by the evidence. Conclusions: Physiotherapy students in this study did not appear to respond appropriately to the presence ofyellow flags in the presented vignettes.

The national CLEFTNET project for individuals with speech disorders associated with cleft palate

Although previous studies have demonstrated the benefits of using electropalatography (EPG) for treating therapy-resistant articulation errors associated with cleft palate, until recently access to this form of treatment has been limited. For the past 10 years, however, the CLEFTNET Scotland project has provided individuals with cleft palate access to EPG therapy. CLEFTNET Scotland represented a novel form of EPG service delivery—it linked the cleft palate centres throughout Scotland to Queen Margaret University College (QMUC) in Edinburgh through an electronic network. EPG data collected in the centres were sent to QMUC, where experts conducted detailed analysis leading to a precise diagnosis of each individual's specific articulation difficulty and suggested therapy guidelines to the specialist speech-language therapists based on their analysis. This form of service delivery has recently extended to include England, Wales and Northern Ireland to form CLEFTNET UK. This paper describes the CLEFTNET projec...

Leadership development: A collaborative approach to curriculum development and delivery

The Leadership Programme in the National Health Service, Lanarkshire, Scotland began in 2002. The programme has been endorsed by the employer, accredited by a higher education institution and approved by the National Health Service Education Board in Scotland as a recognised continuing professional development programme. The success of the programme is due to the combined efforts of the teaching team from the Practice Development Centre, the different stakeholders within the health service in Lanarkshire and Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh. The focus of this article is the nature of the collaboration between the partners from the initial ideas to the initiation, validation and ongoing delivery of the programme. The article will provide an account of the criteria for partners and key features of the collaboration as well as quality assurance aspects. It will also draw upon the outcomes of the programme in terms of student views and achievement as well as the benefits to the partners.

Commentary on Hsieh P‐L, Cholowski K &amp; FitzGerald M (2005) Obesity: translation and testing of a survey instrument for use in Taiwan. Journal of Clinical Nursing 14, 830–844

The use of The school nurses and Healthy Weight Programmes: Capacity Questionnaire appears to be of great importance in public health as it enables school nurses to educate and increase awareness of the prevention of obesity in children. The findings from this questionnaire will trigger further the implementation of educational programmes for children, parents, educators and the public at large to minimize morbidity. Having gone through the experience of

Guest Editorial

Guest Editorial

Consumer Support Networks: assessment of need for consumer information and advice service

AbstractResearch evidence suggests that UK consumers are facing significant problems with goods and services and are in need of information and advice to avoid or redress such situations. Consumers are not always aware of their rights nor where they can access consumer advice services. In 2000, the Department of Trade and Industry launched the Consumer Support Network (CSN) programme in Great Britain to improve consumer access to expert, accurate and timely advice. One challenge faced by these Networks and many other agencies is to assess the needs of consumers for consumer information and advice services. A needs assessment is required as a key element in the effective planning and development of services in each Network at a local level. The focus of the needs assessment at the local level is to encourage Networks to consider suitable solutions to meet the needs of people in their communities. This paper provides a review of the development of Consumer Support Networks in Great Britain and discusses the importance of needs assessment to service providers such as CSNs and other agencies. It reveals the complexity associated with conducting effective needs assessments including the various aspects of needs, consumer segmentation and characteristics of consumer information and advice. Further research is being carried out at Queen Margaret University College, UK, with a view to the development of a scientific model for the assessment of need for consumer information and advice services.

Review: Environmental Justice in Scotland

It is rare enough that non governmental organisations (NGOs) manage to insert a new word into the policy discourse. It is even rarer that they convince the powers that be to implement these novel ideas. And it is hardly heard of that both these things happen without the concepts in question being like sustainable development so exceedingly vague that they can be adopted as mere rhetoric. Friends of the Earth Scotland has achieved all these things with the radical concept of 'environmental justice'. Kevin Dunion, as Chief Executive, played a crucial role in this campaigning success. He imported environmental justice from the United States. He adapted the concept to the Scottish context (focusing more on class divisions than the race divisions most prominent in the US debate). He convinced the First Minister, Jack McConnell, to adopt environmental justice as an official policy. He gained funding for a major project to train 'troublemakers' as agents for social change. Queen Margaret University College in Edinburgh is teaching the first ever university diploma course on environmental justice. There, community activists are, for example, trained to use the law to gain their rights in the planning process.

A comparison of a self-stretch incorporating proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation components and a therapist-applied PNF-technique on hamstring flexibility

Objectives To compare the effectiveness of a self-stretch incorporating proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation components (Group I) versus a PNF ‘Slow Reversal Hold Relax’(SRHR) technique applied by a physiotherapist (Group II) in comparison to a control group receiving no intervention. Design Subjects were randomly allocated to either one of the two experimental groups or a control group. Setting Treatment room at Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh, Scotland. Participants Forty-two subjects between the ages of 20 and 55. Main outcome measures Range of hip flexion assessed by a passive straight leg raise measured at baseline and again following the intervention. Results The mean change in range of right hip flexion was found to be 9.6° (95% confidence interval 6.6–12.6°) in Group I and 12.6° (95% confidence interval 9.6–15.5°) in Group II. Post hoc analysis demonstrated Groups I and II to be significantly different to the control group ( P<0.001). However, there were no significant differences when the stretching regimes were compared. Conclusions Both stretching regimes incorporating proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation components resulted in a significant increase in hamstring flexibility when applied once for 2 minutes. The clinical implications of the findings are discussed.

A profile of health psychology at Queen Margaret University College (QMUC)

A profile of health psychology at Queen Margaret University College (QMUC)

A literature review of the health of Gypsy/Traveller families in Scotland: the challenges for health promotion

In this paper, findings from a detailed literature review (which was commissioned in March 2002 by Queen Margaret University College, UK) on Gypsy/Travellers’ health are presented as well as suggestions on where “gaps” exist in related empirical research. The review found that much of the existing research is out of date and found few thorough empirical studies of the health of Gypsy/Traveller communities in Scotland. The authors found that a predominant focus within the literature concerns health beliefs and cultural practices, with far less discussion about the material problems of poverty and social exclusion which affect Traveller communities. Emphasis is given in this paper to problems of access, health inequalities and wider concerns with social inclusion/exclusion. The authors identify the main challenges for health promotion among Gypsy/Traveller families in Scotland and argue that a key route to tackling social exclusion may lie in adopting a community development approach.

Investigations in clinical phonetics and linguistics. Fay Windsor, M. Louise Kelly, and Nigel Hewitt (Eds.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 2002.

This volume consists of 38 papers presented at the summer 2000 meeting of the International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics Association, hosted by Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh. The scope of the collection is ambitious in many respects. All levels of linguistic analysis are covered, from pragmatics through to acoustics, although approximately two thirds of the papers deal with phonology and phonetics. The full range of ages is represented, from a paper by John Locke on the functions of infant babbling through to Jacqueline Guendozi and Nicole Muller's paper on repair strategies in the conversation of an elderly subject with Alzheimer disease. The majority of the papers consider developmental and acquired disorders, although a few consider normal and bilingual language development. Although English is the most frequently studied language, data from Arabic, Greek, Korean, Portugese, Putonghua, Swedish, and several other languages are also featured. The editors are justly proud of the international feel to the research, with contributors working on five continents.

The impact of breed type, sex, method of rearing, winter nutrition and subsequent grazing treatment on the rate of carcass cooling and eating quality of beef

Cattle from three cohorts were followed from rearing to slaughter in a lifetime study of the factors affecting the quantity and quality of saleable meat produced. The cattle were from either Hereford or Charolais sires, were either heifers or steers and were either bucket reared or suckled. Winter feeding treatments were imposed using different levels of concentrates in combination with ad lib grass silage. During the following summer the cattle grazed pastures with two different grass heights. A portion of the cattle were slaughtered at turnout (May), and during June/July, August, September, November and the following April. The present paper reports studies of carcass cooling characteristics and the eating quality of the meat. Immediately after slaughter, in commercial abattoirs, probes were attached to the carcasses and the temperature was monitored for approximately 36 hours. Although considerable variation was observed in cooling rates this could not be attributed to animal production factors. However, a weak relationship was observed with condition score (fat content) measured on the live animal immediately prior to slaughter. Carcasses from animals with higher condition scores cooled more slowly. The eating quality of the meat was assessed by a consumer panel consisting of staff and students from Queen Margaret University College. Although large differences in eating quality were recorded, these differences could not be attributed to animal production factors. Beef producers should therefore maximise production of saleable meat from each animal whilst minimising the cost of so doing.

From Welfare to Higher Education: A Study of Lone Parent Students at Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh

Promoting access to education and reducing the number of people claiming state benefits have been key government priorities in recent years. In 1999 the present Government, recognising the existence of the benefit trap, introduced the ‘New Deal’ programme to encourage benefit claimants into work. Under the scheme participants may receive financial support for courses of up to one year. The scheme, therefore, does not apply to courses in higher education. For lone parents on state benefits, given high childcare costs, work is only a viable option if it is well paid. For those lacking qualifications the only way that this can be achieved is through higher education. In analysing the experiences of seven lone parent students at Queen Margaret University College in Edinburgh, this article provides an insight into factors that contribute to the under-representation of this group in higher education. The financial position of the lone parent on benefits is compared with that of the lone parent student. What it reveals are anomalies in the funding system and contradictions in the Government's policy of assisting benefit claimants into work.

Scottish Archive of Print and Publishing History Records

ABSTRACT‘It's important that we remember the past is not just dry facts and statistics but also the detailed lives of real people. SAPPHIRE aims to give a voice to these lives.’The Scottish Archive of Print and Publishing History Records (SAPPHIRE), an initiative with Napier University as lead and Queen Margaret University College as main collaborative partner, is an oral history project which aims to record the social, economic and cultural heritage of the Scottish printing and publishing industry in the 20th century.Undertaken in partnership with a number of Scottish organizations, its results are providing a better understanding of an important and overlooked part of Scotland's heritage. Outcomes of the project include a permanent oral history archive stored at the Edward Clark Collection at Napier University, and exhibitions and publications on the history of the printing and publishing industry. The development and current activities of SAPPHIRE are described and reviewed.

Ostrovsky: Reality and Illusion by Kate Sealey s&gt; Rahman (review)

REVIEWS 727 Komissarzhevskii exerted on the development of English and American theatre. This exceptional book comes with an endorsement from Valerii Gergiev, the artistic director of the MarinskiiTheatre. It should become an essential referencesource for all studentsof Russian, or indeed Britishtheatre. RoseBruford College ofSpeech andDrama JEAN-NORMAN BENEDETTI Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh Rahman, Kate Sealey. Ostrovsky. RealityandIllusion. Birmingham Slavonic Monographs, 30. University of Birmingham, Birmingham, 1999. Viii + 251 pp. Notes. Appendices. Bibliography. Index. ?i8.oo (paperback). As a rule, the extensive repertoire of Alexander Ostrovsky (i823-I886) is generally considered to deal largely with Russian themes and national problems in a narrowly 'realist' manner. In challenging the view that his drama is 'too "real" and thus somehow too "Russian" to be of value to Western audiences' (p. I99), Kate Sealey Rahman ventures to chart the exploration of reality in a selection of plays, on different levels social, psychological, philosophical. With a classification of thirteen frequently appearing elements, her aim is to show that Ostrovsky is 'indeed far more universalin his outlook than he has generally been given credit for' (p. I99). Although Rahman's study is meticulous and contains much of interest, its overalltendency to proselytizeleads her into severalpitfalls. At the outset, the Introduction is blemished by long-windedness and circumvention. The readeris promised 'a detailed analysisof forty-oneplays' based on a Table of Elements, thirteen altogether realism/idealism, appearances, blindness to reality, dreams, fantasy role-play, drunkenness, linksto literatureand theatre,the supernatural,and so on (p. 8) but it turns out that only examples from selected plays are given, while much of the materialis relegated to six appendices (pp. 207-3 I). A more seriousweakness lies in the concept itself,as each element (also'examined in detail')may be too easily interchanged with 'link'or 'connection,' or for that matter, with motif, theme, or symbol. Curiously, the author seems to be aware of this methodological problem ('thedefinitionof each element as well as the examples used to illustratesufferfrom some degree of arbitrarinessor overlap', p. 9), which renders the analytical value of these categories rather uncertain. As a consequence, the extensive quotationsin PartOne and PartTwo of thisstudy are seldom exploited fully for their analytical worth, but function more as frequency proof in between lengthy discussions relying overly on re-telling and paraphrase. Even the sections where Rahman is at her best (notably, the discussionon mirrorsas symbols of illusion in It'sAll in theFamily(Svoiludi-sochemsia) and 7he PoorBride(Bednaianevesta)),the analyses amount to little more than cataloguing and repetitive documentation of what has already been stated. The final chapter on EasyMoney(Beshenye den'gi) is a case in point: obviously meant to incorporate all thirteen elements 'relatingto the theme of reality'in 728 SEER, 79, 4, 200I ordertoconsolidate thethesis,thisconclusion becomesaratherunconvincing attemptto compensatefor a somewhatfeebleargumentation (e.g. 'thefact thatthesame(andmore)themesandsymbolsoccurtimeandtime[. ..] must surelyindicatetheoverwhelming importance ofthissubject totheplaywright', p. I85)Bythesametoken,theconclusion, meanttoestablish theauthor's key theme as universalin world literature,is more of a postscript;here an 'intertextual' surveyof the similarities betweenthe explorationof realityin Ostrovsky andinGogol'isatbestunderdeveloped. (Also,thevalueofreferring to thequasi-philosophical NorwegianauthorJosteinGaarderin thiscontext maybedoubted.) It seemstothepresentreviewer thatalthoughRahmansucceedsintracing thepervasiveness oftheelements onwhichshefocuses,shefailstodemonstrate fully'thecentrality ofthethemeof realityto Ostrovsky's works'(p.9),which is heraim.To equatethelocationof specific'reality-related' elementsin the textwiththewriter's ownconcernwiththenatureofreality(p. 67)appears to be oversimplified, as doesthe generalassertionthat'ifyou takea stepback fromthe"thereandthen"andremovethesocialandhistorical context;you are again left with a much more universalreadingof Ostrovsky's work' (p. 104). Thusuniversality mightjustaseasilybe readintosuchwell-known chroniclers ofso-called Russianness asSaltykov, Leskov, Mel'nikov-Pecherskii andChekhov. Ultimately,however, the question remainswhetherthe treatmentof Ostrovsky's unrecognized universality in theWestoughtto be givensucha strongvindicatory slant.Perhaps,on the contrary,an actualrecognitionof Ostrovsky's inaccessible other-/foreigness mightofferamoreinstructive startingpointthanto reiterate'thelastinglegacy'(p. I99) of hisplays,whetherread, studiedor performed.Implicitly,Rahman'sworkraisesimportantissues relatedto the translatability of Russianliterature,cultureor indeed, any cultureassuch. Department ofComparative Literature KNUT ANDREAS GRIMSTAD Norwegian Universitsy ofScience andTechnology Livshits,Lev. Vopreki vremeni. Izbrannye raboty. Zakat,Jerusalem and Khar'kov, I999. Photographs.Notes. Appendix. 400 pp. $28.oo. (Ordersto Tatyana Livshits-Azaz,6 Arazim str., PO Box 864, Mevaseret90805, Israel.) LEV IAKOVLEVICHLIVSHITS was a talented and original scholar whose career was cut short by his early death (in I965 at the age...