Transcriptomic changes in the posterior pallium of male zebra finches associated with social niche conformance.

Animals plastically adjust their physiological and behavioural phenotypes to conform to their social environment-social niche conformance. The degree of sexual competition is a critical part of the social environment to which animals adjust their phenotypes, but the underlying genetic mechanisms are poorly understood. We conducted a study to investigate how differences in sperm competition risk affect the gene expression profiles of the testes and two brain areas (posterior pallium and optic tectum) in breeding male zebra finches (Taeniopygia castanotis). In this pre-registered study, we investigated a large sample of 59 individual transcriptomes. We compared two experimental groups: males held in single breeding pairs (low sexual competition) versus those held in two pairs (elevated sexual competition) per breeding cage. Using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), we observed significant effects of the social treatment in all three tissues. However, only the treatment effects found in the pallium were confirmed by an additional randomisation test for statistical robustness. Likewise, the differential gene expression analysis revealed treatment effects only in the posterior pallium (ten genes) and optic tectum (six genes). No treatment effects were found in the testis at the single gene level. Thus, our experiments do not provide strong evidence for transcriptomic adjustment specific to manipulated sperm competition risk. However, we did observe transcriptomic adjustments to the manipulated social environment in the posterior pallium. These effects were polygenic rather than based on few individual genes with strong effects. Our findings are discussed in relation to an accompanying paper using the same animals, which reports behavioural results consistent with the results presented here.

Digital education about delirium for health care professional students: a mixed methods systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Competence in delirium care begins with pre-registration education for health care professionals. Although a common complication for hospitalised patients, delirium is avoidable and reversible. Delirium requires early recognition in person-centred care. Students need to learn how to identify and effectively care for 'at risk' patients. AIM: To identify and examine literature on how pre-registration health care professional students are prepared to recognise, assess, and deliver interventions to prevent delirium in practice, using digital/web based educational interventions. METHOD: Mixed methods systematic review with narrative synthesis. A protocol was registered with PROSPERO. The review questions and search strategy were guided by the Population, Phenomena of Interest, Context (PICo) framework. The PRISMA framework guided the screening, data extraction and analysis. Database searches (MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PsycINFO & Scopus) were undertaken in April 2023 for publications from 2012 to 2023. Covidence software [30] was used to extract and manage the data. Quality appraisal was guided by the Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool (CCAT) [31]. FINDINGS: Ten papers were included: mixed methods (2), qualitative (1) and quantitative (7). Medical students were the most studied group (n = 5), followed by student nurses (n = 4) and mixed nursing and medical students (n = 1). Length of learning experience varied from 12 min virtual reality (VR) to a two-week 'geriatrics' elective. Learning was enhanced by player autonomy, engagement, safety, applicability, choices, multiple perspectives and moral reasoning opportunities. DISCUSSION: Digital programmes should be visually appealing, interactive with opportunities for practice and timely appropriate feedback.

Preregistration nursing students' motivation for speaking up for patient safety: An integrated literature review.

AIM: The aim of this review was to uncover what motivates preregistration nursing students to speak up for patient safety during work integrated learning (WIL) and to develop an evidence-based safety motivation framework for use by educators, clinicians, and preregistration nursing students. DESIGN: This study used an integrative literature review design guided by Whittemore and Knafl's methodological framework. DATA SOURCES: Five research databases, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, were searched for relevant peer reviewed research literature published in English between January 2011 and January 2024. The use of MeSH terms "undergraduate nursing student," or "preregistration nursing student" and "speaking up," "patient safety," and "motivation," resulted in 489 search returns. Following application of filters and inclusion criteria fifty-four (n = 54) studies were identified as being relevant to the research aim. REVIEW METHODS: The fifty-four (n = 54) research studies were reviewed using the JBI Critical Appraisal tool relevant to the study methodology. The JBI critical appraisal tools are checklists used to determine research quality, validity, results, and meaning. Following appraisal, 27 studies were included in the integrative literature review. RESULTS: Authentic learning, view of self as a nurse, and positive work integrated learning experiences were found to be the primary motivators for preregistration nursing students to speak up for patient safety during work integrated learning. These three motivators provided the foundation for an evidence-based framework, underpinned by self-determination theory, that can be used to enhance preregistration nursing students' motivation to speak up for patient safety. CONCLUSIONS: The integrative review design enabled the development of the evidence-based Safety Motivation Framework to support preregistration nursing students' during work integrated learning however missing from the literature was information about the lived experience of this group of students when speaking up for patient safety.

A qualitative evaluation of a student midwife placement teaching English to speakers of other languages (ESOL).

INTRODUCTION: A shortage of UK midwives has put pressure on clinical placements and supervision of student midwives. Alternative placement solutions are needed to provide students with meaningful learning experiences. One such learning experience was a placement undertaken by student midwives who attended a program teaching English to speakers of other languages (ESOL). This study evaluated the impact of the placement on student midwife learning and experiences of the ESOL participants. METHODS: The 2022 study employed a qualitative design using Kolb's model of experiential learning as a framework. Ten student midwives placed with the ESOL program and three women enrolled in the program participated. Data were collected via online focus groups with the student midwives and a face-to-face focus group with the women. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and Kolb's model of experiential learning. RESULTS: Four themes were constructed: 'Putting the scripts aside: expectations versus the reality of being an educator', 'Adapting and personalizing teaching', 'We are learning too: an environment for mutual learning', and 'Taking our learning forwards'. Students faced barriers during their placement and had to adapt their teaching accordingly. They gained crucial knowledge of the challenges faced by women who speak other languages. The women valued the students' input and together they forged a reciprocal learning environment. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates how placing student midwives in a unique non-maternity setting has benefits for student learning which are transferrable to future practice. Importantly, it confirms that quality of learning during a novel placement is not compromised for students or participants.

Strategies and interventions used to provide communication education for midwifery students. A scoping review.

AIM: To examine the current literature on educational strategies and interventions developed with the objective of teaching or enhancing communication skills of student midwives during their pre-registration education programmes. DESIGN: A scoping review based on the Joanna Briggs Institute framework was conducted using predefined criteria and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Checklist. METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted using various databases (Medline, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), EMBASE, PsycINFO, Maternity and Infant Care Database (MIDIRS), Web of Science and Education Resources Information Centre (ERIC)) in October 2023. RESULTS: A total of 120 titles and abstracts were screened. A final number of eight articles were subjected to quality appraisal and included in the scoping review. Five themes were identified which describe educational strategies and interventions including: simulation-based training, the use of role-play, pedagogical approaches, theory-based information workshops and debrief and reflection. CONCLUSIONS: This review highlights a gap in research focusing on the importance of communication skills training for student midwives throughout midwifery education. Despite the limited numbers of studies, different interventions and educational strategies have been recognized for enhancing these skills. To equip midwives with strong communication skills, a combination of interventions is recommended, including communication-focused workshops tailored for midwifery education and debriefing and student reflection sessions specifically designed to enhanced communication skills. REGISTRATION NUMBER: to be included in abstract after acceptance.

People Have Systematically Different Ownership Intuitions in Seemingly Simple Cases.

Our understanding of ownership influences how we interact with objects and with each other. Here, we studied people's intuitions about ownership transfer using a set of simple, parametrically varied events. We found that people (N = 120 U.S. adults) had similar intuitions about ownership for some events but sharply opposing intuitions for others (Experiment 1). People (N = 120 U.S. adults) were unaware of these conflicts and overestimated ownership consensus (Experiment 2). Moreover, differences in people's ownership intuitions predicted their intuitions about the acceptability of using, altering, controlling, and destroying the owned object (N = 130 U.S. adults; Experiment 3), even when ownership was not explicitly mentioned (N = 130 U.S. adults; Experiment 4). Subject-level analyses suggest that these disagreements reflect at least two underlying intuitive theories, one in which intentions are central to ownership and another in which physical possession is prioritized.

Preregistered Replication and Extension of "Moral Hypocrisy: Social Groups and the Flexibility of Virtue".

The tendency for people to consider themselves morally good while behaving selfishly is known as moral hypocrisy. Influential work by Valdesolo and DeSteno (2007) found evidence for intergroup moral hypocrisy such that people were more forgiving of transgressions when they were committed by an in-group member than an out-group member. We conducted two experiments to examine moral hypocrisy and group membership in an online paradigm with Prolific workers from the United States: a direct replication of the original work with minimal groups (N = 610; nationally representative) and a conceptual replication with political groups (N = 606; 50% Democrats and 50% Republicans). Although the results did not replicate the original findings, we observed evidence of in-group favoritism in minimal groups and out-group derogation in political groups. The current research finds mixed evidence of intergroup moral hypocrisy and has implications for understanding the contextual dependencies of intergroup bias and partisanship.

Campbell's Law Explains the Replication Crisis: Pre-Registration Badges Are History Repeating.

Campbell's Law explains the replication crisis. In brief, useful tools such as hypotheses, p-values, and multi-study designs came to be viewed as indicators of strong science, and thus goals in and of themselves. Consequently, their use became distorted in unanticipated ways (e.g., hypothesizing after results were known [HARKing], p-Hacking, misuses of researcher degrees of freedom), and fragile findings proliferated. Pre-registration mandates are positioned as an antidote. However, I argue that such efforts, perhaps best exemplified by pre-registration badges (PRBs), are history repeating: Another useful tool has been converted into an indicator of strong science and a goal in and of itself. This, too, will distort its use and harm psychological science in unanticipated ways. For example, there is already evidence that papers seeking PRBs routinely violate the rules and spirit of pre-registration. I suggest that pre-registration mandates will (a) discourage optimal scientific practice, (b) exacerbate the file drawer problem, (c) encourage pre-registering after results are known (PRARKing), and (d) create false trust in fragile findings. I conclude that multiple design features can help support replicability (e.g., adequate sample size, valid measurement, robustness checks, pre-registration), none should be canonized, replication is the only arbiter of replicability, and the most important solution is sociocultural: to foster a field that reveres and reinforces robust science-just as we once revered and reinforced flashy but fragile science.

Assessing the association between parents' math talk and children's math performance: A preregistered meta-analysis.

The home math environment has gained considerable attention as a potential cause of variation in children's math performance, and recent research has suggested positive associations between parents' math talk and children's mathematical performance. However, the extent to which associations reflect robust causal effects is difficult to test. In a preregistered meta-analysis, we assess the association between parents' math talk and children's math performance. Our initial search identified 24,291 potential articles. After screening, we identified 22 studies that were included in analyses (k = 280 effect sizes, n = 35,917 participants). A multilevel random effects meta-analysis was employed, finding that parents' math talk is significantly associated with children's math performance (b = 0.10, SE = 0.03, p = .002). We tested whether associations differ as a function of sample characteristics, observation context, observation length, type of math talk and math performance measured, and modeling approaches to math talk variable analysis. In addition, we tested whether associations are robust to the inclusion of strong baseline covariates and found that effects attenuated when children's domain-general and/or prior math abilities are included. We discuss plausible bounds of the effects of parents' math talk on children's mathematical performance to inform power analyses and experimental work on the impact of parents' math language on children's math learning.

Mobile applications in nursing science education: A scoping review with snowballing method.

OBJECTIVES: To review the available evidence on the use and effectiveness of mobile applications to assist nursing students in comprehending, utilising, and applying specialised language and knowledge terminologies when learning the language of biosciences. DESIGN: A scoping review. DATA SOURCES: The databases CINAHL Complete, ERIC, EMCare, MEDLINE, PubMed, the OVID scholarly interface and the web search engine Google Scholar were searched. REVIEW METHODS: Peer-reviewed literature published in English during the period 2010-2023 was reviewed. Snowballing methods saw the reference lists of all included articles searched, and a secondary search of the Scopus ranked top ten nursing journals. Articles were included if they reported on any app or digital resource used when teaching undergraduate nursing students biosciences/science language skills, concepts, or terminology. Studies were excluded if the participants were non-nursing student cohorts or content did not meet the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Mobile applications generally contribute positively to nursing students' education. These applications are deemed valuable tools, offering structured content in easily digestible formats. Some applications also foster teamwork and collaboration during clinical placements, promoting peer learning, and a sense of community. User internet access and preparation for learning were the only noted barriers. A range of science-based concepts were taught using applications, including diabetes mellitus, medical terminology, asthma, and cardiac conditions. Despite the promise shown by using mobile applications to teach nurse sciences, few are dedicated to bioscience language and scientific terminology. Recognising the challenging nature of teaching these concepts, developing specialised applications could substantially improve the educational experience for nursing students. CONCLUSION: Nurse educators are encouraged to teach with applications given their reported effectiveness in knowledge gains for students learning science concepts. Rigorous interventional study designs are warranted to extend suggestions that using applications enhances student understanding of challenging scientific concepts and support quality in clinical learning.

Registered reports and replications: An ongoing Journal of School Psychology initiative.

Recent psychological research suggests that many published studies cannot be replicated (e.g., Open Science Collaboration, 2015). The inability to replicate results suggests that there are influences and biases in the publication process that encourage publication of unusual-rather than representative-results, and that also discourage independent replication of published studies. A brief discussion of the ways in which publication bias and professional incentives may distort the research literature in school psychology is contrasted against the importance of replications and preregistration of research (i.e., registered reports) as self-correcting mechanisms for research in school psychology. The limitations of current practices, coupled with the importance of registered reports and replications as self-correcting mechanisms, provide the context for this ongoing initiative in the Journal of School Psychology. Processes for manuscript submission, review, and publication are presented to encourage researchers to preregister studies and submit replications for publication.

Adapting Open Science and Pre-registration to Longitudinal Research.

Open science practices, such as pre-registration and data sharing, increase transparency and may improve the replicability of developmental science. However, developmental science has lagged behind other fields in implementing open science practices. This lag may arise from unique challenges and considerations of longitudinal research. In this paper, preliminary guidelines are provided for adapting open science practices to longitudinal research to facilitate researchers' use of these practices. The guidelines propose a serial and modular approach to registration that includes an initial pre-registration of the methods and focal hypotheses of the longitudinal study, along with subsequent pre- or co-registered questions, hypotheses, and analysis plans associated with specific papers. Researchers are encouraged to share their research materials and relevant data with associated papers, and to report sufficient information for replicability. In addition, there should be careful consideration about requirements regarding the timing of data sharing, to avoid disincentivizing longitudinal research.

Embedding clinical research in pre-registration nursing and midwifery programmes.

Background: Within the UK, there is a goal that research is embedded into everyday healthcare practice. Currently education provided to students at pre-registration level is theoretical, with little focus on clinical research delivery. Aims: The paper's aim is to report on the development and evaluation of a pre-registration clinical research resource for nursing and midwifery students with direct application to clinical settings and patient care outcomes. Methods: An initial survey assessed whether the learning resource was useful for nursing pre-registration students. Based on the findings, alongside expert stakeholder input, adaptations were made to the learning resources and a second survey re-evaluated the learning resources. Survey findings were analysed using descriptive statistics. Free text responses were thematically grouped. Results: Ninety-seven pre-registration nursing students responded. Most students agreed that they had enjoyed using the resources, had improved understanding of clinical research, anticipated being actively involved in research and would consider a future clinical research role. Conclusions: The learning resources can help overcome barriers to research engagement by nurses and midwives. The results demonstrate that research can be incorporated into clinical, educational and academic roles, highlighting their worth in supporting the clinical research workforce.

A Practical Significance Bias in Laypeople's Evaluation of Scientific Findings.

People often rely on scientific findings to help them make decisions-however, failing to report effect magnitudes might lead to a potential bias in assuming findings are practically significant. Across two online studies (Prolific; N = 800), we measured U.S. adults' endorsements of expensive interventions described in media reports that led to effects that were small, large, or of unreported magnitude between groups. Participants who viewed interventions with unreported effect magnitudes were more likely to endorse interventions compared with those who viewed interventions with small effects and were just as likely to endorse interventions as those who viewed interventions with large effects, suggesting a practical significance bias. When effect magnitudes were reported, participants on average adjusted their evaluations accordingly. However, some individuals, such as those with low numeracy skills, were more likely than others to act on small effects, even when explicitly prompted to first consider the meaningfulness of the effect.

Practice tutors' readiness to support nursing students who require reasonable adjustments for clinical placement.

BACKGROUND: Preregistration nursing students (trainee nursing associates and student nurses) may have a disability or impairment that requires reasonable adjustments while they are on clinical placement. At The Open University, practice tutors support nursing students on clinical placement, which includes overseeing the facilitation of any such reasonable adjustments. However, they may not feel prepared to provide this support. METHOD: A qualitative approach with a broad interpretivist paradigm was adopted. Data were collected from three focus groups that included a total of 10 nursing practice tutors. Audio data were transcribed and analysed using complete coding followed by thematic analysis. FINDINGS: Three main themes were identified - it's complex; impact of engagement; and a cohesive approach - along with associated subthemes. CONCLUSION: Despite their clear interest in helping nursing students who require reasonable adjustments for practice-based learning, practice tutors can be hindered by barriers resulting from a lack of both training and guidelines. The complexity of the practice tutor role and student issues can compound this. Consistency in practice tutor training is recommended, as well as regular access to peer support to address these difficulties and develop the skills and knowledge.

Exploring open science practices in behavioural public policy research.

In their book 'Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness', Thaler & Sunstein (2009) argue that choice architectures are promising public policy interventions. This research programme motivated the creation of 'nudge units', government agencies which aim to apply insights from behavioural science to improve public policy. We closely examine a meta-analysis of the evidence gathered by two of the largest and most influential nudge units (DellaVigna & Linos (2022 Econometrica 90, 81-116 (doi:10.3982/ECTA18709))) and use statistical techniques to detect reporting biases. Our analysis shows evidence suggestive of selective reporting. We additionally evaluate the public pre-analysis plans from one of the two nudge units (Office of Evaluation Sciences). We identify several instances of excellent practice; however, we also find that the analysis plans and reporting often lack sufficient detail to evaluate (unintentional) reporting biases. We highlight several improvements that would enhance the effectiveness of the pre-analysis plans and reports as a means to combat reporting biases. Our findings and suggestions can further improve the evidence base for policy decisions.

Evaluating the NMC proficiencies framework: perspectives of students and educators 5 years on.

It is now half a decade since the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) launched Future Nurse: Standards of Proficiency for Registered Nurses. Applicable nationally, this proficiencies framework dictates specific elements of nursing praxis that all pre-registrants must achieve in order to qualify as registered nurses, before going on to gain employment in either the NHS or adjacent healthcare providers. The NMC proficiencies framework is subdivided into seven proficiencies and two annexes, each of which contains multiple specific criteria detailing the skillset pre-registrants must demonstrate, in order to be signed off by a qualified educator. Subsequently, in the last 5 years the standards have brought about significant alterations to the delivery of nursing programmes at UK higher education institutions. This article reports the results of a pair of service evaluations, which gathered feedback from both pre-registrant students and educators in relation to their direct experiences of the NMC's proficiencies framework. The authors compare the contemporary perspectives collated here against earlier academic appraisals of the guidance framework, in order to outline its past and present reception at the level of delivery.

Dementia: A call for a paradigm shift in pre-registration nurse education.

Dementia is a progressive brain disorder that affects memory, thinking and behaviour. It is a major global public health concern, with an estimated 55 million people worldwide living with the condition. In the UK, there is an estimated 944,000 people with dementia. This number is expected to double by 2050. Dementia is a major cause of disability and dependency, and it places a significant burden on families and carers. The current level of dementia education in pre-registration nursing programmes in the UK is inadequate. There are no pre-registration nursing educational programmes that offer dementia as a speciality. This is a major concern, as nurses are the primary providers of care to people with dementia. This article argues that dementia should be established as a branch of pre-registration nursing education that leads to a Registered Nurse (RN) - Dementia. This could help to address the shortage of specialist dementia nurses in the country. This article provides an important suggestion for countries with a shortage of specialist dementia nurses to consider establishing a stand-alone pre-registration branch of dementia nurse education. This would result in a more specialised workforce with the skills and knowledge to provide high-quality care to people with dementia.

Identity Concealment May Discourage Health-Seeking Behaviors: Evidence From Sexual-Minority Men During the 2022 Global Mpox Outbreak.

People who conceal their stigmatized identities often experience worse physical health. One possibility for why is that concealment may render certain health-seeking behaviors more difficult. We tested this possibility during the 2022 global mpox outbreak, a public-health emergency that disproportionately affected sexual-minority men. We recruited adult sexual-minority men from Prolific at two time points near the outbreak's peak and attenuation (n = 864 and n = 685, respectively). We found that men who concealed their minority sexual orientations were less likely to (a) receive a vaccine to protect against mpox, (b) receive an mpox test, and (c) report having received an mpox vaccine. The relationship between concealment and vaccine receipt was serially mediated by reduced community connectedness and reduced knowledge of mpox resources. We call for thoughtful consideration of how to reach stigmatized groups with public-health resources, inclusive of those who conceal.