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Learn to program more effectively, faster, with better results… and enjoy both the learning experience and the benefits it ultimately brings. This undergraduate-level textbook is motivated by Formal Methods, encouraging habits that lead to correct and concise computer programs; but its informal approach sidesteps reliance on Formal Logic that programmers are sometimes led to believe is required. Instead, a straightforward and intuitive use of simple 'What's true here' comments encourages precision of thought without prescription of notation. Drawing on decades of the author's experience in teaching/industry, the text's careful presentation concentrates on key principles of structuring and reasoning about programs, applying them first to small, understandable algorithms. Then students can concentrate on turning those reliably into their corresponding –and correct– program source-codes. The text includes over 200 exercises, with full solutions available online for instructors' use, plus mini-projects and automated quizzes to support instructors in building their own courses.
What does it mean to live a good life? Philosophers through the ages such as Aristotle, Plato, Immanuel Kant and Friedrich Nietzsche have wrestled with what it means to be a good citizen and live a good life. More recently, Howard Gardner applied his thinking to the skills that future generations need to synthesise and communicate complex ideas, respect human differences and fulfil the responsibilities of work, life and citizenship. He identified ‘five minds for the future’, one of which is the ethical mind. To be ethically minded calls upon citizens to know their rights and responsibilities, actively contribute to the good of society and foster citizenship within and between communities. Communities encompass the family, educational setting, workplace, nation and global community. It is through contributing to others as active and informed citizens that meaning is acquired.
It is difficult to think of anything more widespread and enduring than the lure of a good story. It is the warp and weft that weaves old, young, rich and poor of different cultures together and enables the opening of new worlds, concepts and understandings of past, present and future. We can empathise, imagine and live vicariously through stories that are an inseparable part of who we are as human beings. History documents these stories based on evidence interpreted through different lenses over time; Geography lends its knowledge to significance of place, space, time and perspective, providing context and reason; and Civics and Citizenship stories help us to understand our roles and responsibilities, as we seek models of the heroes and heroines found in a good story. For this chapter, a broad view of literacy has been adopted, one that defines it as a social practice which involves teaching learners how to participate in, understand and gain control of the literacy practices embedded within society. This chapter will examine the integrated nature of literacy in HASS through the inclusion of picture books to open and explore issues relating to HASS.
When leveraged together, variable-centered and person-centered statistical methods have the potential to illuminate the factors predicting mental health recovery. However, because extant studies have largely relied on only one of these methods, we do not yet understand why some youth demonstrate recovery while others experience chronic symptoms. This omission limits our understanding of trajectories of physical aggression (AGG) in particular, which are frequently characterized by desistance. The present study examined the development of AGG across childhood and adolescence via variable-centered and person-centered modeling, with neighborhood and family characteristics considered as predictors. Variable-centered results indicated a mean-level decline in AGG with age but were more useful for illuminating predictors of AGG at baseline than predictors of declining engagement. Person-centered analyses, by contrast, identified low parent-child conflict and high household income as predictors of desistance. Although variable-centered analyses were integral to modeling the average AGG trajectory and identifying predictors of engagement at baseline, person-centered techniques proved more useful for understanding predictors of desistance.
In the effort to deliver the American press from a “death spiral,” advocates often fall back on describing the press function. It is generally explained as a matter of legal doctrine (what the Supreme Court says the press does) and political theory (that a free press is central to democracy). But advocates should also conceptualize the function as a matter of rhetoric. How advocates describe the press’s work can change the degree to which the public cares about that work. In this era of crisis and distraction, that caring is key to preserving and even reimagining the press. This essay describes how press advocates can use rhetoric as a framework to rename press functions and imagine new ones in service of a dynamic and invigorated press.
Bipolar disorder (BD) affects over 1% of the population and is characterized by deficits in response inhibition. Response inhibition, a crucial component of executive functions, involves the ability to suppress or withhold a planned or ongoing response that is no longer required or appropriate in a given context. Response inhibition may be dissociated into three subcomponents: interference inhibition, action withholding, and action cancellation. These subcomponents are assessed using the hybrid response inhibition (HRI) task. Previous research has shown that inhibitory control is strongly lateralized to the right hemisphere. Specifically, the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) is a key node underpinning response inhibition and might be amenable to neuromodulation using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). This proof-of-concept study aimed to investigate the effects of rTMS targeting the rIFG on response inhibition in individuals with BD and controls.
Methods
We investigated HRI performance scores in individuals with BD (n = 12) and sex-/age-matched controls (n = 12) immediately before and after intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) and continuous TBS to modulate cortical excitability of the rIFG.
Results
The response inhibition subcomponent “action withholding” was significantly improved in the HRI task following iTBS in the BD group. No other significant effects were observed in the results.
Conclusions
Our study is the first to show that iTBS to the rIFG neuromodulated a specific subcomponent of response inhibition in BD. Further research investigating the potential therapeutic effect of neuromodulation of the rIFG in BD is warranted.
Aims: The aim of this audit was to assess adherence to antipsychotic prescribing guidelines in one of the Older Adults Female wards at Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT). Specifically, the audit focused on the documentation of key parameters for patients prescribed antipsychotics, including metabolic and cardiovascular risks, baseline assessments, and monitoring, in accordance with NICE guidelines. A re-audit was conducted in June–July 2024 to evaluate improvements following initial interventions. The original audit was published in BJPsych and presented at RCPsych 2024.
Methods: The initial audit in 2023 identified areas for improvement in documentation and monitoring of antipsychotic prescribing. Key parameters were assessed based on NICE guidelines. An action plan was developed and implemented, including refinements to the existing ward round process and the introduction of a physical health monitoring poster for junior doctors. A re-audit was conducted in 2024, analysing compliance with these parameters for two months of patient records. Compliance rates from 2023 and 2024 were compared to evaluate the effectiveness of the implemented changes.
Results: The re-audit showed significant improvements in several areas. In 2024, compliance for documenting patient age, diagnoses, and MHA status remained at 100%. The documentation of antipsychotic indication improved from 80% in 2023 to 100%. Consent to treatment and the MCA tab improved from 66.66% and 53.33% to 100%. Baseline ECG compliance rose from 86.66% to 100% and repeat ECGs within the recommended time frame increased from 53.33% to 79.17%. Blood tests showed significant improvements: fasting glucose/HbA1c (73.33% to 88%), lipid profile (73.33% to 92%), and liver function (73.33% to 100%). Repeat blood tests, such as fasting glucose, HbA1c, and lipid profile, also showed notable increases. Monitoring for side effects improved to 100%, compared with 46.66% in 2023. GP follow-up recommendations for physical health monitoring were fully documented in 2024, compared with 50% in 2023.
Conclusion: The re-audit demonstrated significant improvements in adherence to antipsychotic prescribing guidelines in one of the Older Adults Female wards at KMPT, particularly in areas related to baseline assessments, monitoring, and follow-up care, all in line with NICE guidelines. The changes made in response to the original audit, including refinements to the existing ward round process and the introduction of a physical health monitoring poster, while accommodating the rotation of junior doctors, were effective in enhancing documentation and compliance. Continued monitoring and future audits will be essential to sustain these improvements and further refine practice and documentation.
This chapter focuses on “imaginary space” – literary spaces without a real-world referent. The question of how detached fantasy worlds like C. S. Lewis’ Narnia came to be thinkable in the twentieth century frames the chapter, which argues for fantasy space as a strategic response to the alienations produced by twentieth-century capitalism. Weaving together a history of exploration with a history of different types of imaginary space, the chapter traces the emergence of works like Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia out of earlier forms of imaginary space. Types of space reviewed include the settings of the traveler’s tale (e.g., Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels and Wu Cheng’en’s Journey to the West), Thomas More’s Utopia, and the Romantic atopias of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and William Wordsworth’s Prelude. The chapter draws on the theories of Yi-Fu Tuan, Fredric Jameson, Henri LeFebvre, and Michel Foucault to explain the distinctions between different formations of imaginary space. It concludes with a reading of Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi as a text reflecting the changing value of fantasy space in the twenty-first century.
Individuals with long-term physical health conditions (LTCs) experience higher rates of depression and anxiety. Conventional self-report measures do not distinguish distress related to LTCs from primary mental health disorders. This difference is important as treatment protocols differ. We developed a transdiagnostic self-report measure of illness-related distress, applicable across LTCs.
Methods
The new Illness-Related Distress (IRD) scale was developed through thematic coding of interviews, systematic literature search, think-aloud interviews with patients and healthcare providers, and expert-consensus meetings. An internet sample (n = 1,398) of UK-based individuals with LTCs completed the IRD scale for psychometric analysis. We randomly split the sample (1:1) to conduct: (1) an exploratory factor analysis (EFA; n = 698) for item reduction, and (2) iterative confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; n = 700) and exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM). Here, further item reduction took place to generate a final version. Measurement invariance, internal consistency, convergent, test–retest reliability, and clinical cut-points were assessed.
Results
EFA suggested a 2-factor structure for the IRD scale, subsequently confirmed by iteratively comparing unidimensional, lower order, and bifactor CFAs and ESEMs. A lower-order correlated 2-factor CFA model (two 7-item subscales: intrapersonal distress and interpersonal distress) was favored and was structurally invariant for gender. Subscales demonstrated excellent internal consistency, very good test–retest reliability, and good convergent validity. Clinical cut points were identified (intrapersonal = 15, interpersonal = 12).
Conclusion
The IRD scale is the first measure that captures transdiagnostic distress. It may aid assessment within clinical practice and research related to psychological adjustment and distress in LTCs.
Objectives/Goals: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reports are stored as unstructured text in the electronic health record (EHR), rendering the data inaccessible. Large language models (LLM) are a new tool for analyzing and generating unstructured text. We aimed to evaluate how well an LLM extracts data from MRI reports compared to manually abstracted data. Methods/Study Population: The University of California, San Francisco has deployed a HIPAA-compliant internal LLM tool utilizing GPT-4 technology and approved for PHI use. We developed a detailed prompt instructing the LLM to extract data elements from prostate MRI reports and to output the results in a structured, computer-readable format. A data pipeline was built using the OpenAI Application Programming Interface (API) to automatically extract distinct data elements from the MRI report that are important in prostate cancer care. Each prompt was executed five times and data were compared with the modal responses to determine variability of responses. Accuracy was also assessed. Results/Anticipated Results: Across 424 prostate MRI reports, GPT-4 response accuracy was consistently above 95% for most parameters. Individual field accuracies were 98.3% (96.3–99.3%) for PSA density, 97.4% (95.4–98.7%) for extracapsular extension, 98.1% (96.3–99.2%) for TNM Stage, had an overall median of 98.1% (96.3–99.2%), a mean of 97.2% (95.2–98.3%), and a range of 99.8% (98.7–100.0%) to 87.7% (84.2–90.7%). Response variability over five repeated runs ranged from 0.14% to 3.61%, differed based on the data element extracted (p Discussion/Significance of Impact: GPT-4 was highly accurate in extracting data points from prostate cancer MRI reports with low upfront programming requirements. This represents an effective tool to expedite medical data extraction for clinical and research use cases.
Many Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agencies modified their protocols during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly those involving procedures that lead to an increased risk of airborne exposure, such as intubation. In 2020, local Advanced Life Support (ALS) providers’ first-line airway management device was the supraglottic airway (SGA), and tracheal intubations (TIs) were rarely performed.
Objective:
This study’s aim was to investigate the potential clinical effect of this pandemic-related protocol change on first-pass TI success rates and on overall initial advanced airway placement success.
Methods:
This study was a retrospective prehospital chart review for all ALS encounters from a single urban EMS agency that resulted in the out-of-hospital placement of at least one advanced airway per encounter from January 1, 2019 through June 30, 2021 (n = 452). Descriptive statistics and chi square tests were used to evaluate data. Statistical significance was defined at P < .05.
Results:
Significantly fewer TIs were attempted in 2020 (n = 16) compared to 2019 (n = 80; P < .001), and first-pass TI success rates significantly decreased in 2021 (n = 22; 61.1%) compared to 2019 (n = 63; 78.8%; P = .047). Also, SGA placement constituted 91.2% of all initial airway management attempts in 2020 (n = 165), more than both 2019 (n = 114; 58.8%; P < .001) and 2021 (n = 87; 70.7%; P < .001). Overall first-attempt advanced airway placement success, encompassing both supraglottic and TI, increased from 2019 (n = 169; 87.1%) to 2020 (n = 170; 93.9%; P = .025). Conversely, overall first attempt advanced airway placement success decreased from 2020 to 2021 (n = 104; 84.6%; P = .0072).
Conclusions:
Lack of exposure to TI during the COVID-19 pandemic likely contributed to this local agency’s decreased first-pass TI success in 2021. Moving forward, agencies should utilize simulation labs and other continuing education efforts to help maintain prehospital providers’ proficiency in performing this critical procedure, particularly when protocol changes temporarily hinder or prohibit field-based psychomotor skill development.
Since 2021, 18 states in the USA have restricted education on race and structural inequality. Conservative coalitions frame these restrictions as a war on “woke” ideologies. Through interviews with youth and educators in locales (Florida; Georgia; and York, Pennsylvania) that restrict education on race and structural inequality, I investigate the following: What discourses do students and educators use to describe bills that restrict race-related studies? What, if anything, do their discourses suggest about the perceived political implications of these restrictions?
In this study, I argue that gleaning students’ and educators’ views on “anti-woke” legislation sheds light on the perceived political consequences of these bills for American democracy. I find that students and educators perceive restrictions on race-related studies as epistemic injustices that divest society of the knowledge to identify, problematize, and redress the structural conditions that (re)produce racial subordination. For participants, the health of democracy is contingent on addressing racial disempowerment. Hence, they suggest that restrictions on race-related studies encumber democracy precisely because these policies impose epistemologies of racial ignorance that impede racial redress and allow systems of racial inequality to fester.
Hume’s ‘Of Eloquence’ – in which Hume implores English orators to imitate the sublime style of Demosthenes – has long puzzled readers, for two reasons. First, it is rare for Hume to present ancient examples as suitable for moderns to imitate, particularly where politics is concerned. Second, in the essay’s conclusion, Hume seems to backtrack by encouraging English speakers to give up on sublimity and introduce more order and method into their speeches instead, inviting the accusation of incoherence. In this chapter, I show how reading Hume’s essay through the lens of ancients and moderns is limiting and that a comparison between the political cultures of England and France was central to his analysis. For Hume, the lack of sublimity in Parliament was a specifically English problem with roots in the English national character. If the revival of classical eloquence that Hume desired looked unlikely to him, I argue, this was due less to the unsuitability of sublime speech to a modern society than to the peculiar place of Parliament in Britain’s mixed constitutional order. I also demonstrate that Hume’s closing call for more order and method in English speechmaking was consistent with his earlier endorsement of the sublime.
A least squares method is presented for fitting a given matrix A to another given matrix B under choice of an unknown rotation, an unknown translation, and an unknown central dilation. The procedure may be useful to investigators who wish to compare results obtained with nonmetric scaling techniques across samples or who wish to compare such results with those obtained by conventional factor analytic techniques on the same sample.
Rapid computational routines are presented for calculating x2 from frequency data in the following cases: (1) test of goodness of fit between an observed and a theoretical distribution; (2) test of independence of distributions displayed in an r ✗ c table; (3) test of independence of distributions displayed in an r ✗ 2 table. A rapid method of computing the contingency coefficient also follows from the procedure used in the second of these cases.
Bootstrap and jackknife techniques are used to estimate ellipsoidal confidence regions of group stimulus points derived from INDSCAL. The validity of these estimates is assessed through Monte Carlo analysis. Asymptotic estimates of confidence regions based on a MULTISCALE solution are also evaluated. Our findings suggest that the bootstrap and jackknife techniques may be used to provide statements regarding the accuracy of the relative locations of points in space. Our findings also suggest that MULTISCALE asymptotic estimates of confidence regions based on small samples provide an optimistic view of the actual statistical reliability of the solution.