The Critical Reading of the Images Associated with Science-Related News Reports: Establishing a knowledge, skills, and attitudes framework

For the majority of adults, the media constitute their main source of information about science and science-related matters impacting on society. To help prepare young people to engage with science in the media, teachers are being exhorted to equip their students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to respond critically to science-related news reports. Typically, such reports comprise not only text, but also visual elements. These images are not simply adjuncts to the written word; they are integral to meaning-making. Though science teachers make considerable use of newspaper images, they tend to view these representations unproblematically, underestimating their potential ambiguity, complexity, and role in framing media messages. They rarely aim to develop students’ ability to ‘read’, critically, such graphics. Moreover, research into how this might be achieved is limited and, consequently, research-informed guidance which could support this instruction is lacking. This paper describes a study designed to formulate a framework for such teaching. Science communication scholars, science journalists and media educators with acknowledged relevant expertise were surveyed to ascertain what knowledge, skills, and attitudes they deemed useful to engagement with science related news images. Their proposals were recast as learning intentions (instructional objectives), and science and English teachers collaborated to suggest which could be addressed with secondary school students and the age group best suited to their introduction. The outcome is an inventory of learning intentions on which teachers could draw to support their planning of instructional sequences aimed at developing students’ criticality in respect of the totality of science news reports.

Skills, Conflict and Spatial Planning in Northern Ireland

The skills to manage sustainable and cohesive communities have placed a particular emphasis on collaborative and consensual methods of working. This paper suggests that in ethnically divided places, the notion of collaboration is largely conceptual and that more agonistic strategies provide a sounder basis for marginal communities to advance their claims and rights. Specifically, it draws on research conducted in Northern Ireland to suggest that situated approaches to territorial competition can place learning, the sharing of knowledge, and the transformation of conflict at the heart of the skills debate.

Why is housing tenure associated with a lower risk of admission to a nursing or residential home? Wealth, health and the incentive to keep 'my home'

Background Previous research has shown that home ownership is associated with a reduced risk of admission to institutional care. The extent to which this reflects associations between wealth and health, between wealth and ability to buy in care or increased motivation to avoid admission related to policies on charging is unclear. Taking account of the value of the home, as well as housing tenure, may provide some clarification as to the relative importance of these factors.
Aims To analyse the probability of admission to residential and nursing home care according to housing tenure and house value.
Methods Cox regression was used to examine the association between home ownership, house value and risk of care home admissions over 6 years of follow-up among a cohort of 51 619 people aged 65 years or older drawn from the Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study, a representative sample of approximate to 28% of the population of Northern Ireland.
Results 4% of the cohort (2138) was admitted during follow-up. Homeowners were less likely than those who rented to be admitted to care homes (HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.70 to 0.85, after adjusting for age, sex, health, living arrangement and urban/rural differences). There was a strong association between house value/tenure and health with those in the highest valued houses having the lowest odds of less than good health or limiting long-term illness. However, there was no difference in probability of admission according to house value; HRs of 0.78 (95% CI 0.67 to 0.90) and 0.81 (95% CI 0.70 to 0.95), respectively, for the lowest and highest value houses compared with renters.
Conclusions The requirement for people in the UK with capital resources to contribute to their care is a significant disincentive to institutional admission. This may place an additional burden on carers.

Motor Skills in Children Aged 7–10 Years, Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This study used the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC2) to assess the level of motor skill in children aged 7-10 years with autism (n=18) and compared their performance to two groups of age-matched typically developing children; a receptive vocabulary matched group (n=19) and a nonverbal IQ matched group (n=22). Although the results support previous work, as indicated by a significant general motor impairment in the group with autism, a sub-analysis of the M-ABC2 revealed that there were only 2 out of 8 subcomponent skills which showed universally significant specific deficits for the autism group; namely catching a ball and static balance. These results suggest that motor skill deficits associated with autism may not be pervasive but more apparent in activities demanding complex, interceptive actions or core balance ability.

Infection-control strategies for preventing the transmission of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in nursing homes for older people (Review)

Background: Nursing homes for older people provide an environment likely to promote the acquisition and spread of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), putting residents at increased risk of colonisation and infection. It is recognised that infection control strategies are important in preventing and controlling MRSA transmission.

Objectives: The objective of this review was to determine the effects of infection control strategies for preventing the transmission of MRSA in nursing homes for older people.

Search strategy: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library 2009, Issue 2), the Cochrane Wounds Group Specialised Register (searched May 29th, 2009). We also searched MEDLINE (from 1950 to May Week 4 2009), Ovid EMBASE (1980 to 2009 Week 21), EBSCO CINAHL (1982 to May Week 4 2009), British Nursing Index (1985 to May 2009), DARE (1992 to May 2009), Web of Science (1981 to May 2009), and the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) website (1988 to May 2009). Research in progress was sought through Current Clinical Trials (www.controlled-trials.com), Medical Research Council Research portfolio, and HSRPRoj (current USA projects). SIGLE was also searched in order to identify atypical material which was not accessible through more conventional sources.

Selection criteria: All randomised and controlled clinical trials, controlled before and after studies and interrupted time series studies of infection control interventions in nursing homes for older people were eligible for inclusion.

Data collection and analysis: Two authors independently reviewed the results of the searches.

Main results: Since no studies met the selection criteria, neither a meta-analysis nor a narrative description of studies was possible.

Authors' conclusions: The lack of studies in this field is surprising. Nursing homes for older people provide an environment likely to promote the acquisition and spread of infection, with observational studies repeatedly reporting that being a resident of a nursing home increases the risk of MRSA colonisation. Much of the evidence for recently-issued United Kingdom guidelines for the control and prevention of MRSA in health care facilities was generated in the acute care setting. It may not be possible to transfer such strategies directly to the nursing home environment, which serves as both a healthcare setting and a resident's home. Rigorous studies should be conducted in nursing homes, to test interventions that have been specifically designed for this unique environment.