Background: Despite a clear need for and evidence-based therapy for some children who stutter aged 8–14, there is no high-level evidence of effectiveness, with Speech and Language Therapists rating knowledge and confidence low. One programme which might address these needs, increase availability of services and improve outcomes, is Palin Stammering Therapy for School aged Children (Palin STSC(8􀀀 14)). Aim: To investigate the feasibility of conducting a definitive randomised controlled trial comparing Palin STSC(8􀀀 14) with usual treatment. Objectives were to establish: recruitment and retention rates; appropriateness of the outcome measures; acceptability of the research and Palin STSC(8􀀀 14) therapy; treatment fidelity; and, appropriateness of the cost-effectiveness measures. Method: A two-arm, cluster-randomised trial, with randomisation of therapists, stratified by service. Children aged 8;0–14;11, and their parent(s), were allocated to therapist and completed questionnaires pre-therapy and six months later. Assessments were selected for their potential to measure or predict therapy outcome. Therapists completed measures at the start and end of the trial. A process analysis was conducted, incorporating semi-structured interviews and treatment fidelity examination. Results: Recruitment targets were exceeded (Children n = 67; SLTs n = 37). Research processes were largely acceptable, as was Palin STSC(8􀀀 14) therapy. Treatment fidelity was high, with SLT adherence at 85.7 % Mean number of sessions per child for Palin STSC(8􀀀 14) was 6.9 compared to 3.5 for usual treatment. Conclusions: The feasibility targets were met. Based on recruitment, retention and adherence rates and our outcome measures, a full-scale randomised controlled trial appears feasible and warranted to assess the effectiveness of Palin STSC(8􀀀 14).

In the dynamic landscape of the 21st century, writing remains an indispensable skill, serving as a powerful conduit for expression, communication, and documentation. With the exponential growth of digital communication platforms, the written word has transcended traditional boundaries. With the continuous evolution of writing, assessment of writing plays a more pivotal role than ever in ensuring that writing tests measure the new construct of writing with improved reliability and validity. This chapter begins with an introduction of the purposes of writing tests, followed by a brief history of assessment of L2 writing. Next follows a discussion of the major considerations of a writing test in relation to task features, the nature of writing processes and scoring. Finally, there is a discussion on the challenges and opportunities for the future of assessment of writing.

This chapter offers a reflective account of a collaborative writing project, and it therefore has a rather different purchase on both education and the educator than the collection’s other pieces. The project is the memoir of Eric Edwin, Bedfordshire’s first Black male police officer, who, after more than thirty years with the force, was diagnosed in late 2016/early 2017 with multiple myeloma. The chapter deals first with the nuts-and-bolts business of writing the memoir - an education in itself, as the project as a whole and our individual roles in it were new to each of us. Second, the chapter addresses the project’s ethical implications. We reflect not only on the writing team in the role of educator, but on the project as an educational process in which the politics of race and racialized experience are interlaced.

This paper introduces Optimal 5G Network Sub-Slicing Orchestration (ONSSO), a novel machine learning framework for dynamic and autonomous 5G network slice orchestration. The framework leverages the LazyPredict module to automatically select optimal supervised learning algorithms based on real-time network conditions and historical data. We propose Enhanced Sub-Slice (eSS), a machine learning pipeline that enables granular resource allocation through network sub-slicing, reducing service denial risks and enhancing user experience. This leads to the introduction of Company Network as a Service (CNaaS), a new enterprise service model for mobile network operators (MNOs). The framework was evaluated using Google Colab for machine learning implementation and MATLAB/Simulink for dynamic testing. The results demonstrate that ONSSO improves MNO collaboration through real-time resource information sharing, reducing orchestration delays and advancing adaptive 5G network management solutions.

Background In England, the national Government was responsible for balancing the risks of COVID-19 infection, transmission and illness against the known risks of school closures. The Department for Education (DfE) issued guidance to schools, however, there is limited empirical evidence on the experiences of staff and pupils affected by the guidance and accompanying COVID-19 mitigation measures. Methods This qualitative study explored secondary school staff and pupils’ views and experiences of COVID-19 guidance and mitigation measures. There were two main objectives: (i) to examine implementation effectiveness, and (ii) to explore their effectiveness at promoting safety. Participants were purposively sampled from English schools serving diverse communities participating in the CoMMinS (COVID-19 Mapping and Mitigation in Schools) study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted remotely, and data were analysed thematically. Results Interviews took place between January and August 2021 with participants from fiv

Cat fostering programs play a critical role in managing and supporting the health and wellbeing of stray abandoned or relinquished cats. Most cat fostering programs can only operate with the help of volunteer cat fosterers. Yet, there is comparatively little research on the experiences of cat fosterers. This study aimed to explore the motivations of volunteer cat fosterers, the challenges they experienced in their fostering practice, and what they perceived as the main benefits of cat fostering. We conducted focus group interviews with cat fosterers in Aotearoa New Zealand to answer our research questions. In total, 13 cat fosterers with a range of fostering experience participated in the focus groups. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The primary motivations to become cat fosterers included a general love for animals, wanting an alternative to cat ownership, and the desire to help and make a difference, which was underpinned by altruistic values. Cat fostering is an emotionally challenging role that requires significant time commitment and involves substantial responsibility, which makes it a form of high-stakes volunteerism. Despite the challenges, however, cat fosterers experienced social and emotional benefits along with the satisfaction of making a meaningful impact on their fosters’ lives. These benefits fulfil basic psychological needs of autonomy, relatedness, and competence. The findings have important implications for shelter organizations and for the recruitment, retention, and training of volunteer fosterers.

Adolescent girls often skip breakfast due to time constraints and reduced morning appetite. This study examined the acute impact of breakfast consumption timing versus breakfast omission (BO) on glycaemic and insulinaemic responses to lunch in infrequent breakfast-consuming girls. Fifteen girls (13.1±0.8 years) completed three conditions in a randomised crossover design: early-morning breakfast consumption (EM-BC; 8:30), mid-morning breakfast consumption (MM-BC; 10:30), and BO. A standardised lunch was provided at 12:30, followed by a 2-h post-lunch observation period. Blood and expired gas samples were collected periodically. Linear mixed models with Cohen's d effect sizes compared outcomes between conditions. Pre-lunch glucose and insulin incremental area under the curve (iAUC) were higher in the breakfast conditions versus BO (P≤0.009), with no differences between breakfast conditions. MM-BC reduced post-lunch glucose iAUC by 36% and 25% compared with BO and EM-BC, respectively (P<0.001, d=0.92-1.44). A moderate, non-significant 15% reduction in post-lunch glucose iAUC was seen with EM-BC versus BO (P=0.077, d=0.52). These reductions occurred without changes in post-lunch insulinemia (P≥0.323) and were accompanied by increased post-lunch carbohydrate oxidation compared with BO (P≤0.018, d=0.58-0.75); with no differences between EM-BC and MM-BC. MM-BC lowered glycaemic response over the experimental period compared with BO (P=0.033, d=0.98) and EM-BC (P=0.123, d=0.93), with no difference between EM-BC and BO. Compared with BO, both breakfast conditions lowered post-lunch glycaemic responses with mid-morning breakfast eliciting a greater second-meal effect than early-morning breakfast. These findings indicate the breakfast-to-lunch meal interval may be a crucial factor affecting postprandial glycaemia in infrequent breakfast-consuming girls.

There is an increasing interest in the use of 3D woven composites in applications that require improved strength-to-weight ratios. In addition, the use of these structures helps to reduce CO2 emissions. Woven composites offer many benefits including many possible architectures with high ratios of strain to failure. Woven composites are structures made by interlacing some continuous fibres (known as wefts) in one direction and other continuous fibres (known as warps) in a perpendicular direction. In the case of 3D woven composites, the third direction is reinforced by other continuous fibres known as binder. This study deals with the development of ultrasound inversion methods to characterize features in 3D woven composite materials. The study focuses on orthogonal weave-type only. Both theoretical (simulated) and measured data are analysed and used to calculate features such as the warps, wefts, and binder locations. The analytical-signal response, including the definition of three instantaneous parameters, is analysed and their capabilities to calculate the warp, weft and binder locations are demonstrated. These instantaneous parameters are the instantaneous amplitude, phase and frequency. The simulated data is obtained from a 3D time domain Finite Element model whereas the measured data is acquired from scanning a built specimen using an ultrasound immersion tank. The inversion techniques developed in this study can be extended to other 3D woven weave-types.

In 2014, we first noticed on high resolution seismic profiles acquired by a Teledyne high-resolution Chirp III subbottom profiler in the well-documented Stone Age settlement of Atlit-Yam, located off Israel’s Carmel coast irregular disturbances in the water column and we named it “haystacks”. We speculated if these disturbances could be related to the flint debitage (blades) documented at the flint workshop in the survey area. The ChirpIII instrument sweeps the frequency interval 2 kHz – 20 kHz and operate in two bands 2-8 and 8-20 KHz. Acoustic experiments in laboratory had previously shown that flint blades could exhibit resonance when exposed to certain frequencies (3–23 kHz, with the main area being 7–12 kHz). Acoustic modeling confirmed this and modelling showed that even flint debitage buried below 2 m of sand could resonance. In Demark practical ChirpIII (that sweep the frequency interval 2 kHz – 20 kHz) used on flint debitage and natural cracked flint placed at the seafloor showed that flint debitage produced “haystacks” on seismic profiles whereas the natural cracked flint did not. Test of buried debitage showed that it created resonance and produced “haystacks”. In the dredged part of the Svanemøllen Harbour, Copenhagen we by coincidence located “haystacks” while testing instrumentation setting. In the following three years, we recorded data on three days to outline the area where “haystacks” are present and to confirm that the “haystacks” were a permanent phenomenon. The interpretation of the seismic data reveal that the haystacks are related sub bottom areas characterized by shallow basins and rivers in a near coastal setting and that the “haystacks” are located at the rim of the basins or in the basins. In order to test if there was a correspondence between the “haystacks” and possible debitage 11 shallow vibrocores, with a max length of 1 m, were drilled below locations of “haystacks”. Based on the cores we found up to 36 cm of silt below the dredged seafloor before we reached a sandy cover of up to 80 cm representing part of the basin configuration. The sandy interval is underlain by till clay. Two cores centrally placed in the surveyed area confirmed the presence of man knapped flint at a depth of 80-90 cm below the sea floor. The Svanemøllen Harbour site is a hitherto unknown buried Stone Age settlement and this is the first time that such a site has been acoustically detected (Teledyne Chirp III) and verified by drilling. Acoustic modelling of the retrieved pieces of man knapped flint is carried out to confirm that the debitage can be brought to resonance. Due to the relative sea level rise a significant part of the submerged Stone Age sites must worldwide be expected to be buried in the seafloor sediments. This paper underlines the importance of the development of cost-effective methods for detecting such buried cultural deposits.

Elizabeth Bowen's letters, novels, and short stories all attest to her love of Italy, a country that she visited often and one where she experienced excitement, love, grief, sorrow, and occasionally boredom. In ‘Pictures and Conversations’, Bowen explores the importance of the location in her fiction: ‘the locale of the happening [which] always colours the happening, and often, to a degree, shapes it’ (PC 37). Italy provided the ‘locale’ for many significant events in her own life: the breaking off of an engagement or the shared experiences of a country providing solace when she and her lover, Charles Ritchie, were apart; when facing both the potential and actual loss of her family home, Bowen’s Court, or when mourning the deaths of Humphry House, her former lover, and her husband, Alan Cameron. This chappter draws on Bowen’s experiences in Italy, placing her writing – in letters, essays, selected early short stories, novels, and her ‘travelogue’, A Time in Rome – within their biographical, bibliographical, and geographical contexts.