Dieter Declercq, Eshika Kafle, Jade Peters, Sam Raby, Dave Chawner, James Blease and Una Foye
Eating disorders (EDs) remain a major health concern, and their incidence has further increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the equally increasing demands on treatments and…
Abstract
Purpose
Eating disorders (EDs) remain a major health concern, and their incidence has further increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the equally increasing demands on treatments and service provision and the high levels of relapse post-treatment, it is important that research explore novel and innovative interventions that can further support recovery for individuals with EDs. There is growing evidence that arts interventions are beneficial for recovery from EDs. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of conducting a stand-up comedy course to support ED recovery.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used a qualitative interview study design to evaluate the recovery benefits of participating in stand-up comedy workshops for a pilot group of people in recovery from EDs (n = 10).
Findings
The comedy intervention was well-attended and had high acceptability and feasibility. For most individuals, participating in the course had a positive impact, including promoting personal recovery (PR) outcomes across all five elements of the CHIME framework. Unique assets of the course included providing participants with an opportunity to distance themselves from everyday worries of living with an ED; the opportunity to cognitively reframe situations by making them the object of humour; and providing a safe space to (re-)build a positive sense of self.
Originality/value
This is the first study, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, that evaluates stand-up comedy workshops for ED recovery and further demonstrates the potential of arts interventions and the relevance of PR frameworks in this field.
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Sandi Kawecka Nenga and Lauren A. Apgar
Purpose – To examine how youth appropriate and resist elements of the developmental discourse as they construct and enforce dating norms.Methodology – In 2007, we conducted…
Abstract
Purpose – To examine how youth appropriate and resist elements of the developmental discourse as they construct and enforce dating norms.
Methodology – In 2007, we conducted participant observation at a middle school summer camp for youth in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. Youth ranged in age from 11 to 17 years old.
Findings – Youth borrowed the idea of a normative sequence of behaviors arranged by age from the developmental discourse to establish a set of age-appropriate dating norms for all campers, regardless of chronological age. Youth enforced these norms by treating other dating actions as too young or too old. By tying this linear trajectory to social age instead of chronological age, youth creatively altered the apparently rigid developmental discourse and established dating norms which addressed their own values and concerns. Youth established dating norms and maximized opportunities for pleasurable, collective discussions about dating and romantic relationships. Although the developmental discourse influenced the norms in this peer culture, we argue that the small, heterogeneous composition of the camp facilitated youths' ability to appropriate, refashion, and resist the developmental discourse.
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Varun Sabu Sam, N. Anand, Rakesh Kumar and Diana Andrushia
Cold-formed steel (CFS) sections are a popular choice for constructing medium and low-rise structures that are engineered to support relatively light loads. An important…
Abstract
Purpose
Cold-formed steel (CFS) sections are a popular choice for constructing medium and low-rise structures that are engineered to support relatively light loads. An important characteristic of CFS sections is that they are produced without the use of heat during manufacturing. Consequently, it becomes essential to gain a comprehensive understanding in the behavior of CFS sections when exposed to fire or elevated temperatures.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, sections of 1.5 m length and 2 mm thickness were taken and analyzed to find its flexural behavior after heating them for 60 and 90 min. There were two modes of cooling phase which was considered to reach ambient temperature, i.e. air or water respectively. Performance of each sections (C, C with inclined flanges, sigma and Zed) were examined and evaluated at different conditions. Effects of different profiles and lips in the profiles on flexural behavior of CFS sections were investigated fully analytically.
Findings
The variation in stiffness among the sections with different lipped profiles was noted between 20.36 and 33.26%, for 60 min water cooling case. For the sections with unlipped profiles, it was between 23.56 and 28.60%. Influence of lip and section profile on reduction in stiffness is marginal. The average reduction in load capacity of sections for 60 min specimens cooled by water was found to be 43.42%. An increase in deflection is observed for the sections in the range of 25–37.23% for 60 min case. This is the critical temperature responsible for reduction in yield strength of material as it substantially increases the material safety margin to be considered for the design. Sections with Zed profile have shown better performance among other types, in terms of its load carrying capacity.
Originality/value
This paper deals with the flexural behavior of Galvanized (GI) based CFS unsymmetric sections at elevated temperature and cooled down to ambient temperature with air or water.
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Yaw A. Debrah and Ian G. Smith
Presents over sixty abstracts summarising the 1999 Employment Research Unit annual conference held at the University of Cardiff. Explores the multiple impacts of globalization on…
Abstract
Presents over sixty abstracts summarising the 1999 Employment Research Unit annual conference held at the University of Cardiff. Explores the multiple impacts of globalization on work and employment in contemporary organizations. Covers the human resource management implications of organizational responses to globalization. Examines the theoretical, methodological, empirical and comparative issues pertaining to competitiveness and the management of human resources, the impact of organisational strategies and international production on the workplace, the organization of labour markets, human resource development, cultural change in organisations, trade union responses, and trans‐national corporations. Cites many case studies showing how globalization has brought a lot of opportunities together with much change both to the employee and the employer. Considers the threats to existing cultures, structures and systems.
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Advocacy for child participation has been enhanced by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (1989). The UNCRC as a legislative mechanism for countries…
Abstract
Advocacy for child participation has been enhanced by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (1989). The UNCRC as a legislative mechanism for countries to implement children's rights to participation is not without problems as argued by many. Children's agency is crucial in enhancing their participation but agency itself cannot guarantee participation as child participation is relational and intersects with the institutional, social, cultural, economic and political landscapes. This is greatly reflected during the coronavirus pandemic when children have played a big part in tackling the national and global crises by showing their resilience, sympathy and willingness in fitting into the unprecedented ways of life and schooling.
This chapter uses a reflective case study to explore the intersection between agency of children and factors that facilitate and also challenge children's participation in homeschooling practices during the COVID-19 pandemic in England. The reflective case study reveals that agency of young children's participation in homeschooling was constrained by the pandemic, which also triggered off possibilities for children alongside family members to interpret learning differently and translate homeschooling practices via creative engagement with learning resources and pedagogical approaches. The reflective case study also tells a family narrative about children's participation in homeschooling during the COVID-19 pandemic as a journey with a prime focus on holistic learning and well-being by addressing the key role of play, friendship and connection with nature.
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That the health of the body is very closely connected with the nature and quantity of the food we take is a statement in the nature of a self‐evident proposition. When we desist…
Abstract
That the health of the body is very closely connected with the nature and quantity of the food we take is a statement in the nature of a self‐evident proposition. When we desist from eating food, starvation sets in after a longer or shorter period, according to the individual; when we eat too much or drink too much, distressing symptoms as inevitably supervene. Moreover, the quantity of food or drink consumed is not the only factor. The quality also is a matter of supreme importance, as in cases of malnutrition, while the various forms of blood disease, more or less loosely classed together as anæmia, appear to be associated to some extent with the question of nourishment. Without going so far as extreme partisans do who would seek to prove that all diseases are ultimately due to the consumption of unsuitable food, as witness, for instance, the views of the more advanced vegetarians and fruitarians, who attribute cancer and other maladies to the eating of meat, it is obvious that a very close connection exists between the health of the body and the nature of our food supply.
Air pollution poses a significant global threat to both human health and environmental stability, acknowledged by the World Health Organization as a leading cause of…
Abstract
Air pollution poses a significant global threat to both human health and environmental stability, acknowledged by the World Health Organization as a leading cause of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and a notable contributor to climate change. This chapter offers a comprehensive review of the impacts of air pollution on health, highlighting the complex interactions with genetic predispositions and epigenetic mechanisms. The consequences of air pollution to health are extensive, spanning respiratory diseases, cardiovascular disorders, adverse pregnancy outcomes, neurodevelopmental disorders, and heightened mortality rates. Genetic factors play a pivotal role in shaping individual responses to air pollution, influencing susceptibility to respiratory illnesses and the severity of symptoms. Additionally, epigenetic changes triggered by exposure to pollutants have been linked to respiratory health issues, cancer development and progression, and even transgenerational effects spanning multiple generations. As countries, including the UK, pursue ambitious targets for reducing emissions, ongoing research into the complex interplay of air pollution, genetics, and epigenetics is essential. By unravelling the underlying mechanisms and advancing preventive and therapeutic strategies, we can protect public health and promote sustainable environmental practices in the face of this pervasive global challenge.
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Daniella Bendo, Christine Goodwin-De Faria and Stefania Maggi
In 2020, UNICEF Canada released Report Card 16 revealing that Canada ranks in the bottom tier compared to other wealthy countries in terms of child and youth well-being. The…
Abstract
In 2020, UNICEF Canada released Report Card 16 revealing that Canada ranks in the bottom tier compared to other wealthy countries in terms of child and youth well-being. The Report Card highlights that promoting participation is required to improve this ranking. Recognising the connection between child well-being and participation, this chapter explores youth-serving institutions in Canada to understand how participation materialises in these settings. Through interviews with provincial and territorial Canadian child and youth advocates, this chapter first explores advocate offices that serve young people facing challenges. These are the only group of child and youth advocates in Canada that have formal legal mandates to implement children's rights at the provincial and territorial level. Comparatively, through interviews with justice-involved youth we analyse the youth justice system. By adjusting the setup of the court space and attempting to minimise power imbalances, we discuss how Canada's first and only Aboriginal Youth Court (AYC), promotes participation and engagement. Through a comparative case analysis, this chapter explores where barriers exist in terms of conceptualising and implementing participation rights, and where opportunities and best practices may be leveraged across child and youth serving institutions in Canada.