EPQ

The intentions for this project were to investigate whether a child’s psychological well-being was more negatively affected by authoritarian parenting or permissive parenting. Research suggests that whilst neither parenting style has a good influence on psychological well-being - because both parents take responsiveness and demandingness to the extreme - the authoritarian parenting style can be seen to have more negative consequences. Parenting should be a composite activity where children work alongside their parents to achieve the healthiest outcomes (Baumrind 1978), rather than one party dominating the relationship. Despite the extensive research around this topic, there is limited research that takes into consideration all factors affecting psychological well-being, therefore this project aims to do that in order to provide well-rounded advice on the best method of parenting. To obtain an exhaustive interpretation, secondary data has been used from a range of sources, such as academic papers and books. In conclusion, it can be argued that authoritarian parenting has a more negative effect on the psychological well-being of a child as these parents are forceful and exert their power over children, never considering the child’s thoughts and feelings. The implications of this research affect many people, especially those with authoritarian or permissive parents, as it shows how maximal or minimal influence can negatively affect psychological well-being.

In this project, I aim to determine whether the scientific benefits outweigh the drawbacks of human embryonic genetic modification with the current CRISPR-Cas9 technology. My objective is to evaluate each argument and come to a conclusion as to whether they are significant in light of other research. Past research has suggested genetic modification to be revolutionary, even to the extent it has won Nobel prizes. In 2020, Doudna and Charpentier won the chemistry Nobel prize for CRISPR (Ledford, H and Callaway, E. 2020). Alternatively, research has also shown the application of CRISPR-Cas9 to be problematic and cause genetic mosaics and off-target mutations which could affect contemporary and future generations (Schleidgen, S et al, 2020). I will briefly outline the procedure of genetic modification in the application of disease prevention and then delve into arguments of possible procedural errors and future implications of this technology. In contrast, my research provides evidence that the benefits of disease prevention do not outweigh the drawbacks. For this complex procedure to be clinically applied it needs adjustment where genetic mosaics and off-target effects are considered.

This paper looks at whether authors use mental illness as a way to control their female characters, and how this reflects on societal views of how women should behave at the time. There is a focus on how men control women, and how this feeds into a patriarchal society. Research was conducted by analysing representations of women in literature using the original literature from the relevant time periods, such as The Bell Jar (Plath, 1963), Hamlet (Shakespeare, 1603), and Jane Eyre (Brontë, 1847). As well as this, academic works written by experts in the field were used to try and create a more objective view on the presentation of mental illness and how the authors used it to control their characters.

It was found that the usage of mental illness as a method of controlling women did decrease since the 17th Century, however it is unclear whether this was due to a reduced stigma around mental illness, more research created, authors realising their harmful depictions, or a combination of all three. Overall, this dissertation found that the way that mental illness is represented in novels has changed. While in the future, we may regard these representations as inaccurate, compared to previous depictions they have improved greatly to become more realistic. Furthermore, this paper indirectly highlights the sexism in diagnosis and treatment of mad characters, which is something future authors should consider when writing.

This report investigates whether antibiotics or bacteriophage therapy (the use of bacteria-killing viruses) are the more practical and effective antimicrobial, given renewed interest in phages, and the potentially catastrophic emergence of antibiotic resistance. Research suggests that phage therapy is certainly effective at killing bacteria, and has several advantages over antibiotics, such as fewer side effects and the ability to kill bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. However, research surrounding the practicalities of using phage therapy in modern healthcare suggests it is a less practical option; current technology does not allow for phage therapy to be undertaken quickly, inexpensively, and extensively. This report utilises secondary data from a wide range of sources to ascertain this, analysing academic papers, books, news articles and web pages. In conclusion, phage therapy could be used in select cases privately (such as when antibiotics have failed) but without extensive research and investment in it (which is currently unavailable), phage therapy is unlikely to have any widespread meaningful impact on modern medicine. Mankind's reliance on antibiotics means they are effectively irreplaceable, further reinforcing the danger that antibiotic resistance poses, and the urgent need for new antimicrobials.

The implications of this report affect how research should be directed; whilst phage therapy is unlikely to replace antibiotics, they could still be used to enhance the effect of antibiotics, and delay antibiotic resistance, something important for scientists, doctors, government, and the general public. Additionally, this research illustrates that the problem of antibiotic resistance is not one only contained within healthcare, or labs, the core of the issue lies within governments and investors.

Over the last 30 years, Schizophrenia has had a major impact on society. Genetics and cannabis usage throughout adolescence are two major causes that have been identified. Previous research and longitudinal investigations have revealed that cannabis in adolescence and prominent genes can lead to the positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms that a schizophrenic experiences. However, there hasn't been much investigation into how the two factors interact and how each factor leads to Schizophrenia. Contrary to popular belief, my secondary research indicates that each aspect is interdependent. Although both cannabis in adolescence and prone genetics can lead to the illness, it is much more likely that cannabis in adolescence and genetics contribute to irregular glutamate signalling, which leads to Schizophrenia. This suggests that cannabis in adolescence mostly functions as a trigger for predisposed genetics in sensitive people.

This dissertation aims to evaluate both the environmental and biological influences on psychopathy and review and analyse pre-existing research on the subject matter to conclude whether environmental or biological factors have a more significant effect. There was an abundance of secondary research on the subject for both sides. After reviewing both nature and nurture factors, including childhood trauma, socioeconomic status, brain structure, and genetics, a conclusion was reached that biological influences such as brain structure and genetics had the most significant effect on the development of psychopathic behaviours. This is because there tends to be a pre-existing biological risk factor in an individual for psychopathy, which then is built upon by environmental influences such as childhood abuse and socioeconomic status, eventually manifesting in psychopathic characteristics. Previous research draws links between psychopathy and various risk factors and theories for potential causes of the condition. However, this report aims to collate all the information into two sides, environmental influences and biological influences and evaluate each to come to a judgement of which has a more significant influence over the forming of psychopathic characteristics. This research is helpful in the broader society as individuals with psychopathic tendencies are 'twenty to twenty-five times more likely to commit criminal activities than non-psychopathic individuals. (Kiehl and Hoffman 2011). By evaluating and concluding which factors influence the development of the condition to a greater extent, measures to prevent crime and psychopathy can be better suited to the stem of the problem, helping prevent crime by helping potential future cases of psychopathy before they commit criminal acts.

Diseases presenting distinguishable symptoms within the oral cavity are frequently assumed to be confined within the mouth and have no systemic link to the body as a whole. However, this congruence of both the dental & medical fields-the oral cavity, has been presented within a substantial number of studies as the “window into the general health of the patient”, challenging the assumptions abundant within the general public (Kane SF, 2017). Such relations may induce improvements in the prevalence of debilitating systemic conditions like diabetes, which may be present within one in ten adults by 2030 (Diabetes UK, 2021). Consequently, the following study aims to explore whether optimal oral health can reduce the prevalence of systemic conditions through the aid of a range of studies, including academic papers, online articles and a book.

The overall analysis of current literature supports the hypothesis that optimal oral health can prevent the development of systemic conditions and subsequently decrease their prevalence. Criticism of this theory may only be present as a result of potential risk factor overlap (e.g obesity) between the development of certain oral and systemic health conditions. The systemic disease of diabetes mellitus has been indicated to contain a bi-directional relationship with the oral health disease of periodontitis (Kane SF, 2017). Also, research showed that the development of cardiovascular disease may be predisposed in the presence of inflammation within the mouth due to bacteria (Nischwitz D, 2020).

Potential implications of this oral-systemic health relationship may be the premature death of many and the economic damage which could be prompted by people missing work and school. Steps required to reduce implications include: 1) the broadening of dentists’ role in terms of their involvement with recognising patients in high risk of systemic conditions, and 2) modifications of published content from international health organisations.