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Optimisation Of The Rearing Diets For Early Life Stages Of The European Lobster, Homarus Gammarus, To Enhance Growth, Survival And Health Using Biotic Dietary Supplements., Carly Daniels Jan 2011

Optimisation Of The Rearing Diets For Early Life Stages Of The European Lobster, Homarus Gammarus, To Enhance Growth, Survival And Health Using Biotic Dietary Supplements., Carly Daniels

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

The series of experiments that comprises this thesis consider the use of prebiotics and probiotics to improve success in European lobster Homarus gammarus culture. Research was conducted at the National Lobster Hatchery and The University of Plymouth, UK between April 2007 and March 2010. Great potential was revealed for the application of biotics as dietary supplements in the culture of larval and juvenile H. gammarus. Specific biotics, namely; prebiotic mannon oligosaccharide (MOS) and probiotic Sanolife® (Bacillus spp.) were revealed to increase growth and survival during the culture of early lobster life stages. Lobsters that showed enhanced development and/or survival were …

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Modeling The Development Of Goal-Specificity In Mirror Neurons, S Thill, H Svensson, T Ziemke Jan 2011

Modeling The Development Of Goal-Specificity In Mirror Neurons, S Thill, H Svensson, T Ziemke

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Neurophysiological studies have shown that parietal mirror neurons encode not only actions but also the goal of these actions. Although some mirror neurons will fire whenever a certain action is perceived (goal-independently), most will only fire if the motion is perceived as part of an action with a specific goal. This result is important for the action-understanding hypothesis as it provides a potential neurological basis for such a cognitive ability. It is also relevant for the design of artificial cognitive systems, in particular robotic systems that rely on computational models of the mirror system in their interaction with other agents. …

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Computing K And D Meson Masses With Twisted Mass Lattice Qcd, Remi Baron, Philippe Boucaud, Jaume Carbonell, Vincent Drach, Federico Farchioni, Gregorio Herdoiza, Karl Jansen, Chris Michael, Istvan Montvay, Elisabetta Pallante, Olivier Pène, Siebren Reker, Carsten Urbach, Marc Wagner, Urs Wenger Jan 2011

Computing K And D Meson Masses With Twisted Mass Lattice Qcd, Remi Baron, Philippe Boucaud, Jaume Carbonell, Vincent Drach, Federico Farchioni, Gregorio Herdoiza, Karl Jansen, Chris Michael, Istvan Montvay, Elisabetta Pallante, Olivier Pène, Siebren Reker, Carsten Urbach, Marc Wagner, Urs Wenger

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.

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The Mechanics Of Embodiment: A Dialogue On Embodiment And Computational Modeling, G Pezzulo, Lw Barsalou, A Cangelosi, Et Al Jan 2011

The Mechanics Of Embodiment: A Dialogue On Embodiment And Computational Modeling, G Pezzulo, Lw Barsalou, A Cangelosi, Et Al

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Embodied theories are increasingly challenging traditional views of cognition by arguing that conceptual representations that constitute our knowledge are grounded in sensory and motor experiences, and processed at this sensorimotor level, rather than being represented and processed abstractly in an amodal conceptual system. Given the established empirical foundation, and the relatively underspecified theories to date, many researchers are extremely interested in embodied cognition but are clamouring for more mechanistic implementations. What is needed at this stage is a push toward explicit computational models that implement sensory-motor grounding as intrinsic to cognitive processes. In this article, six authors from varying backgrounds …

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Solutions And Open Challenges For The Symbol Grounding Problem, A Cangelosi Jan 2011

Solutions And Open Challenges For The Symbol Grounding Problem, A Cangelosi

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

This article discusses the current progress and solutions to the symbol grounding problem and specifically identifies which aspects of the problem have been addressed and issues and scientific challenges that still require investigation. In particular, the paper suggests that of the various aspects of the symbol grounding problem, the transition from indexical representations to symbol-symbol relationships requires the most research. This analysis initiated a debate and solicited commentaries from experts in the field to gather consensus on progress and achievements and identify the challenges still open in the symbol grounding problem.

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Enhancing Project-Based Learning In Sustainable Building By Incorporating Learning Technology, Wei Pan, H. Garmston Jan 2011

Enhancing Project-Based Learning In Sustainable Building By Incorporating Learning Technology, Wei Pan, H. Garmston

School of Art, Design and Architecture

This project aimed to enhance the learning experience of undergraduates in sustainable building by incorporating learning technology. Four objectives guided the research: Identify the most appropriate areas for improvement in student project-based learning (PBL) in sustainable building through the use of learning technologies; Determine the most suitable learning technologies to address the previously identified areas for improvement and how such technologies can add value and how these can be most effectively incorporated into the PBL in sustainable building; Develop a sub-site of the University’s SharePoint, incorporating the use of the identified learning technologies, for enhancing student PBL; Evaluate the effectiveness …

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The Psychology Of Stroke In Young Adults: The Roles Of Service Provision And Return To Work, Reg Morris Jan 2011

The Psychology Of Stroke In Young Adults: The Roles Of Service Provision And Return To Work, Reg Morris

School of Psychology

Literature about the psychological consequences of stroke in those under 65 is reviewed focussing on services and work. Despite similarities, young and old survivors have different experiences and needs. These are attributable to the effects of stroke on age-normative roles and activities, self-image, and the young person's stage in the life-cycle, especially family and work. “Hidden” cognitive impairments, a disrupted sense of self, and the incongruity of suffering an “older person's” disease are salient. Young survivors benefit from services, but experience lack of congruence between their needs and service philosophy, methods, and aims, and consequently have unmet needs. Employment is …

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Modeling The Development Of Pronunciation In Infant Speech Acquisition., Is Howard, P Messum Jan 2011

Modeling The Development Of Pronunciation In Infant Speech Acquisition., Is Howard, P Messum

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Pronunciation is an important part of speech acquisition, but little attention has been given to the mechanism or mechanisms by which it develops. Speech sound qualities, for example, have just been assumed to develop by simple imitation. In most accounts this is then assumed to be by acoustic matching, with the infant comparing his output to that of his caregiver. There are theoretical and empirical problems with both of these assumptions, and we present a computational model- Elija-that does not learn to pronounce speech sounds this way. Elija starts by exploring the sound making capabilities of his vocal apparatus. Then …

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How Smartphones Are Changing The Face Of Mobile And Participatory Healthcare: An Overview, With Example From Ecaalyx, M Boulos, S Wheeler, C Tavares, R Jones Jan 2011

How Smartphones Are Changing The Face Of Mobile And Participatory Healthcare: An Overview, With Example From Ecaalyx, M Boulos, S Wheeler, C Tavares, R Jones

School of Nursing and Midwifery

The latest generation of smartphones are increasingly viewed as handheld computers rather than as phones, due to their powerful on-board computing capability, capacious memories, large screens and open operating systems that encourage application development. This paper provides a brief state-of-the-art overview of health and healthcare smartphone apps (applications) on the market today, including emerging trends and market uptake. Platforms available today include Android, Apple iOS, RIM BlackBerry, Symbian, and Windows (Windows Mobile 6.x and the emerging Windows Phone 7 platform). The paper covers apps targeting both laypersons/patients and healthcare professionals in various scenarios, e.g., health, fitness and lifestyle education and …

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An Empirical Analysis Of Automotive Manufacturers Supply Chain Performance In China, Wan Ling Jan 2011

An Empirical Analysis Of Automotive Manufacturers Supply Chain Performance In China, Wan Ling

Plymouth Business School Theses

The research develops a framework for the evaluation of automotive supply chain performance in China. In addition, the research presents indications from a study of Chinese automotive companies with regards to their evaluation and attempts to propose some alternatives for future improvement.

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Evaluating The Use Of Enterprise To Create Synergies Between Graduate Skills Development, Career Management And Successful Induction, Ross Pomeroy, Rebecca Turner, Claire Gray, Marc Lintern, J Goering, Julie Swain Jan 2011

Evaluating The Use Of Enterprise To Create Synergies Between Graduate Skills Development, Career Management And Successful Induction, Ross Pomeroy, Rebecca Turner, Claire Gray, Marc Lintern, J Goering, Julie Swain

Plymouth Business School

We planned an evaluative study into the use of the entrepreneurial visual planning tool ‘XING’ in the ‘FLUX’ competition format (Working Knowledge, 2011) during induction week at a University of Plymouth Colleges (UPC) Partner. This college is one of 18 working in partnership with the University to provide Higher Education (HE), primarily in the form of Foundation Degrees (FDs), in a Further Education (FE) environment. Foundations degrees were designed to bring together academic and vocational experiences by building on the principles of employer engagement and work-based learning. Entry to HE has been acknowledged as a stressful time for undergraduates as …

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Computer Assisted Assessment In Oman: Factors Affecting Student Performance, Amina Obaid Al-Hajri Jan 2011

Computer Assisted Assessment In Oman: Factors Affecting Student Performance, Amina Obaid Al-Hajri

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

This thesis investigates the social and psychological factors that might affect Omani higher education students if computerised assessment was to be implemented. A review of the literature and the historical and cultural development in Oman suggested that a number of different variables might affect students‘ performance when taking computerised assessment. These factors which include gender, college of study and geographical region of residence may cause unwanted and selective differences in student performance which are not related to the content of the assessment. In addition, the potential effects of such variables as computer experience and computer self-efficacy on student performance were …

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Transnational Spaces Within The European Union: The Geographies Of British Migrants In France, Fiona Ferbrache Jan 2011

Transnational Spaces Within The European Union: The Geographies Of British Migrants In France, Fiona Ferbrache

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Tensions exist in the way that the European Union is conceptualised. How do we reconcile the persistence of a Europe of fragmented nation-states and the European integration project based on the principle of free movement? This duality is indicative of different geographical visions: between space defined as places and space defined as unifying flows. While places tend to be associated with fixed territories and borders, it is argued that complex global flows and connections may disrupt such notions. Addressing these theoretical tensions, this thesis examines transnational frameworks for discussing the reconfiguration of borders and spaces within the European Union. The …

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Production And Preservation Of The Arctic Sea Ice Diatom Biomarker Ip25, Thomas Brown Jan 2011

Production And Preservation Of The Arctic Sea Ice Diatom Biomarker Ip25, Thomas Brown

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The presence of the sea ice biomarker IP25 in Arctic marine sediments has previously been used as a proxy measure of past sea ice conditions in the Arctic. Although the sea ice diatom origin of IP25 was established previously, the nature of its production within sea ice, along with its transport through the water column to underlying sediments and its short-term preservation therein, had not been investigated in any significant detail. Variations in the concentration of the sea ice diatom biomarker IP25, were measured in sea ice collected from the eastern Beaufort Sea and Amundsen Gulf from January to June …

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An Investigation Into Use Of The Freshwater Gastropod Viviparus As A Recorder Of Past Climatic Change, Melanie Jane Bugler Jan 2011

An Investigation Into Use Of The Freshwater Gastropod Viviparus As A Recorder Of Past Climatic Change, Melanie Jane Bugler

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Through isotopic analysis of Viviparus lentus (V. lentus) a high resolution record of stepwise changes in 8 180 and 8 13C across the Eocene I Oligocene transition and Oi-l glacial maximum has been produced for the continental Solent Group strata, Isle of Wight (UK). Comparison of this V. lentus δ18 Ocarb. record with high resolution marine δ18 Ocarb. records shows that similar isotopic shifts exist in the near coastal continental and marine realms. In order to calculate palaeotemperatures from this new continental record an investigation into the biology of modern Viviparus and its effect on the isotopic composition of its …

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Diffuse Minewater Pollution: Quantification And Risk Assessment In The Tamar Catchment, Alison Turner Jan 2011

Diffuse Minewater Pollution: Quantification And Risk Assessment In The Tamar Catchment, Alison Turner

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Abandoned metal mines in the Tamar catchment, south west England, represent a significant threat to surface water quality via generation of acid mine waters. Currently the River Tamar fails environmental quality standards (EQS) established under the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) for dissolved Cu (x ̅ = 0.19 ± 0.05 μmol L-1) and Zn (x ̅ = 0.19 ± 0.06 μmol L-1, both 1997-2007) downstream of historic mining area of Gunnislake. The aim of this study was to quantify the risk to surface water quality by diffuse drainage generated by mine waste tips. For the first time, a GIS model was …

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Peter Lanyon: A Life Geographic, Marion Parish Jan 2011

Peter Lanyon: A Life Geographic, Marion Parish

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

This research is a biography. It follows the creative and working life of Peter Lanyon, an artist born in 1918 in St Ives, as he painted landscapes of his home county, Cornwall, and his travels abroad. Here I open up a dialogue between the biographical and geographical, exploring a path between past and present, using material objects alongside memories and narratives affected by those objects. I explore material, embodied and sensuous relationships between landscape, history and biography and look towards how land, sea and air are animated and animating, forging other forms of geographical knowledge. Lanyon’s work is conceived as …

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Bills Of Lading And Electronic Equivalent, Stavros Psarros Jan 2011

Bills Of Lading And Electronic Equivalent, Stavros Psarros

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis will examine bills of lading and their electronic equivalent offered currently to the commercial world. Accepting that electronic equivalent of bills of lading are a commercial reality, the aim of this study is to examine how these systems successfully operate on the current legal framework designed for their paper counterparts. Therefore the first part of this study is dedicated to paper bills of lading and the functions they acquired over the years, whilst the second part of this study is devoted to the examination of their electronic equivalent currently offered. Specifically, it will be examined whether and how …

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Beset By Secrecy And Beleaguered By Rivals: The Special Operations Executive And Military Operations In Western Europe 1940-1942 With Special Reference To Operation Frankton, N/A Keene Thomas Edward Jan 2011

Beset By Secrecy And Beleaguered By Rivals: The Special Operations Executive And Military Operations In Western Europe 1940-1942 With Special Reference To Operation Frankton, N/A Keene Thomas Edward

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

The intention of this thesis is to investigate the circumstances and background surrounding the early development and deployment of the Special Operations Executive (SOE), Britain's clandestine secret service created by Winston Churchill in 1940 to 'set Europe ablaze.' It will examine the climate in which SOE was created, the feasibility of the tasks it was expected to perform and the relationships it established with Churchill, the Cabinet Office, the Chiefs of Staff, the Foreign Office, the Admiralty and Army, the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) and Combined Operations. It will examine how these organisations succeeded or failed to work towards a …

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Victorian Children's Book Illustrations, Melinda Muscato Jan 2011

Victorian Children's Book Illustrations, Melinda Muscato

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

In the nineteenth century, as society in Victorian Britain adjusted to the effects of urbanization and industrialization, social roles began to shift, changes that were reflected in the children’s book illustrations of Randolph Caldecott, Henry J. Ford, and Beatrix Potter. This time period was considered the golden age of children’s book illustrations due to a large boom in both number and quality available. These children’s books illustrators had a lasting impact on culture and aesthetics and reinforced the social constructions of the new urban middle class. Randolph Caldecott’s illustrations of nursery rhymes gave new interpretations to familiar texts, some of …

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Building An Integrated Transport System In Northeast Asia: A Delphi Study, Tianlan Zhou Jan 2011

Building An Integrated Transport System In Northeast Asia: A Delphi Study, Tianlan Zhou

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

In the current international environment characterized by globalization and regionalization, the importance of the transport and logistics system integration which is the basis of regional economic cooperation has been highlighted. Northeast Asian Region which covers 5.7% of the total world’s area and has around 25.8% of the total world’s population has been one of the most active regions of economic and social development in recent two decades largely due to the emergence of China and Russia in the world market. However, different from the EU which provides an excellent example of economic and transport integration, the transport and logistics system …

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The Exploration Of Neurophysiological Spike Train Data Using Visual Analytics, Jared Somerville Jan 2011

The Exploration Of Neurophysiological Spike Train Data Using Visual Analytics, Jared Somerville

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Neuroscientists are increasingly overwhelmed by new recordings of the nervous system. These recordings are significantly increasing in size due to new electrophysiological techniques, such as multi-electrode arrays. These techniques can simultaneously record the electrical activity (or spike trains) from thousands of neurons. These new datasets are larger than the traditional datasets recorded from single electrodes where fewer than ten spike trains are usually recorded. Consequently, new tools are now required to effectively analyse these new datasets. This thesis describes how techniques from the field of Visual Analytics can be applied to detect specific patterns in spike train data. These techniques …

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Engineering Mathematics And Virtual Learning Environments: A Case Study Of Student Perceptions, Annette Louise Taylor Jan 2011

Engineering Mathematics And Virtual Learning Environments: A Case Study Of Student Perceptions, Annette Louise Taylor

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The study involved BTec National (level 3) engineering students studying at a large Further Education College in the South West region. The disciplines of Electrical/Electronic, Mechanical, Operations and Maintenance, Manufacturing, Telecommunications and Fabrication where all included in the study. Several students were sent by their employers on day release programmes and apprenticeships, and these formed the majority of the part time students. There were also other employed students who attended full time for terms 1 and 3 as part of a block release programme. The remaining students were full time, and mainly 16-18 years old. The study focused upon the …

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Improving Intrusion Prevention, Detection And Response, Tarik Mohamed Abdel-Kader Ibrahim Jan 2011

Improving Intrusion Prevention, Detection And Response, Tarik Mohamed Abdel-Kader Ibrahim

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

In the face of a wide range of attacks. Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) and other Internet security tools represent potentially valuable safeguards to identify and combat the problems facing online systems. However, despite the fact that a variety o f commercial and open source solutions are available across a range of operating systems and network platforms, it is notable that the deployment of IDS is often markedly less than other well-known network security countermeasures and other tools may often be used in an ineffective manner. This thesis considers the challenges that users may face while using IDS, by conducting a …

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Multidimensional Epidemiological Transformations: Addressing Location-Privacy In Public Health Practice, Philip Abdelmalik Jan 2011

Multidimensional Epidemiological Transformations: Addressing Location-Privacy In Public Health Practice, Philip Abdelmalik

Other Faculty of Health Theses

The ability to control one’s own personally identifiable information is a worthwhile human right that is becoming increasingly vulnerable. However just as significant, if not more so, is the right to health. With increasing globalisation and threats of natural disasters and acts of terrorism, this right is also becoming increasingly vulnerable. Public health practice – which is charged with the protection, promotion and mitigation of the health of society and its individuals – has been at odds with the right to privacy. This is particularly significant when location privacy is under consideration. Spatial information is an important aspect of public …

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Population Growth In A High Amenity Area: Migration And Socio-Economic Change In Cornwall, Katarzyna Kowalczuk Jan 2011

Population Growth In A High Amenity Area: Migration And Socio-Economic Change In Cornwall, Katarzyna Kowalczuk

Other Faculty of Health Theses

The thesis provides a deeper understanding of migration flows to high amenity areas using the example of migration to and from Cornwall. Cornwall is a remote, non-metropolitan county which has been experiencing very strong population growth since the 1970s almost solely due to in-migration. There are several aspects of the project that should contribute to an understanding of internal migration in England and Wales. First, a cohort analysis of migrants brings insights into the migration strategies of in-migrants and out-migrants throughout the period. Using the case of Cornwall allows the examination of migration patterns in a peripheral location where commuting …

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Wild Country Hall: Children’S Learning At A Residential Outdoor Education Centre., Anthony Thomas Rea Jan 2011

Wild Country Hall: Children’S Learning At A Residential Outdoor Education Centre., Anthony Thomas Rea

Plymouth Institute of Education Theses

This thesis is about learning at a residential outdoor education centre [pseudonym:- Wild County Hall]. It poses and answers three questions: • How useful might discursive positioning be as a perspective on learning? • What are the discourses at Wild Country Hall and how are they different to schooling discourses? • How might neo-Liberal discursive practices, including performativity and current schooling orthodoxies have affected the pedagogic practices at this centre? The review of literature provides an overview of the key literature on outdoor, adventure and experiential learning, considering these through the lenses of learning as acquisition, participation and transformation, before …

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Stratigraphy And Palaeoenvironment Of The Paleocene/Eocene Boundary Interval In The Indus Basin, Pakistan, Muhammad Hanif Jan 2011

Stratigraphy And Palaeoenvironment Of The Paleocene/Eocene Boundary Interval In The Indus Basin, Pakistan, Muhammad Hanif

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Marine sedimentary sections across the Paleocene/Eocene (P/E) boundary interval are preserved in the Patala Formation (Upper Indus Basin) and Dungan Formation (Lower Indus Basin), Pakistan. The P/E interval of the Patala Formation is composed of limestone and shale inter-beds indicating deposition on a carbonate platform. The analysis of larger foraminifera across the P/E interval from the Patala Formation (Kala Chitta Ranges), allows the recognition of the Larger Foraminiferal Turnover (LFT). The Larger Foraminiferal Turnover (LFT) observed in the Patala Formation is associated with the PETM (Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum) global climatic event and allows the recognition of the P/E boundary …

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The Effect Of Psychosocial Information Resources On The Psychological Impact Of Genetic Testing For Patients, Celine Lewis Jan 2011

The Effect Of Psychosocial Information Resources On The Psychological Impact Of Genetic Testing For Patients, Celine Lewis

School of Nursing and Midwifery Theses

The effect of psychosocial information resources on the psychological impact of genetic testing for patients Background: The genetic testing process has been shown to have a profound psychosocial impact on patients and families, yet research suggests that there is a lack of practical and helpful psychosocial information written to support decision-making. Ideally, this should be available for use both before and after genetic testing and should be easily accessed through genetic clinics. The development of pre-written leaflets or on-line resources which draw on the experiences and advice of families who have been through similar experiences, and are readily available through …

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Informed Consent For Pharmacogenomic Testing In People With A Learning Disability, Lesley Goldsmith Jan 2011

Informed Consent For Pharmacogenomic Testing In People With A Learning Disability, Lesley Goldsmith

School of Nursing and Midwifery Theses

Informed consent for pharmacogenomic testing in people with a learning disability Background Advances in genomic healthcare will enable medication to be tailored to each individual’s needs, based on subtle genetic variations. This will result in individuals being asked to consent to genetic testing for this purpose. The recent political agenda for social change has emphasised the right of people with learning disabilities to have more autonomy and make their own decisions. There have also been significant changes in the way healthcare practitioners relate to their patients, with a shift away from paternalism towards shared decision-making. Research Aim The aims of …

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