Digital Commons Network^™

An Updated Synthesis Of The Impacts Of Ocean Acidification On Marine Biodiversity, Tracy Aze, J Barry, R G J Bellerby, L Brander, M Byrne, S Dupont, J-P Gattuso, S Gibbs, L Hansson, C Hattam, Others

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

Information Provision And Retrieval In The Farming Industry In Western Australia, Hasham Al Musawi

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Agricultural information dissemination to farmers has been studied extensively. However, farmers preferred methods of delivery has not been investigated thoroughly within a Western Australia (WA) context.

Availability of different information delivery channels have led to the overwhelming and overlapping of information available to farmers. As a consequence, the type of information required by WA farmers should be considered as knowing information needs could allow farmers to access relevant, concise and timely agricultural information.

To answer the research questions, a survey was designed, using Likert-scale, close ended and open ended questions techniques, enabling qualitative and quantitative data analysis. The study‘s findings …

Carbon Monoxide Screening In Pregnancy: An Evaluation Study Of A Plymouth Pilot Intervention, Ea Stenhouse, G Letherby, O Corrigan, L Adams, A Bendall

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Investigating Women's Experiences Of Asthma Care In Pregnancy: A Qualitative Study., Chervonne Chamberlain, Graham R. Williamson, Beatrice Knight, Mark Daly, David M.G. Halpin

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Background : Most asthmatic women have normal pregnancies and complications are infrequent when their asthma is well-controlled. Symptom control and medical treatment are concerning to pregnant asthma suffers, as is the impact that their illness and treatment might have on their unborn baby. The aim was to investigate in a qualitative study the thoughts and feelings of women's experiences of asthma in pregnancy. Twenty-two women with asthma who had a pregnancy within two years were asked to participate. Seven women were interviewed when data saturation was achieved. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using the 'Framework' Method, independently analysed by two …

Development Of Australian Clinical Practice Outcome Standards For Graduates Of Critical Care Nurse Education, F Gill, G Leslie, G Grech, D Boldy, J Latour

School of Nursing and Midwifery

No abstract provided.

What’S New In Icu Visiting Policies: Can We Continue To Keep The Doors Closed?, Alberto Giannini, Maité Garrouste-Orgeas, Jos M. Latour

School of Nursing and Midwifery

No abstract provided.

South African Critical Care Nurses' Views On End‐Of‐Life Decision‐Making And Practices, Gayle Langley, Shelley Schmollgruber, Paul Fulbrook, John W. Albarran, Jos M. Latour

School of Nursing and Midwifery

ABSTRACTBackgroundCare of patients at the end‐of‐life (EOL) may be influenced by the experiences, attitudes and beliefs of nurses involved in their direct care.AimTo investigate South African critical care nurses' experiences and perceptions of EOL care.DesignCross‐sectional survey.MethodsSouth African critical care nurses completed a modified version of the ‘VENICE’ survey tool. Data were collected concerning: attitudes towards EOL care; involvement in EOL decision‐making; and beliefs about EOL practices.ResultsOf 149 surveys distributed, 100 were returned (response rate 67%). Seventy‐six percent stated that they had had direct involvement in EOL care of patients, but a minority (29%) had participated in EOL decision‐making processes. Whilst …

Developing And Testing The Standard Of Practice And Evaluation Of Critical-Care-Nursing Tool (Spect) For Critical Care Nursing Practice, Fenella J. Gill, Gavin D. Leslie, Carol Grech, Duncan Boldy, Jos M. Latour

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Background: Nurses working in critical care often undertake specialty education. There are no uniform practice outcomes for critical care programs, and consumer input to practice standards has been lacking. Methods: A structured multiphase project was undertaken to develop practice standards and an assessment tool informed by critical care nursing stakeholders as well as patients and families—the Standards of Practice and Evaluation of Critical-Care-Nursing Tool (SPECT). Results: Testing of the SPECT revealed adequate content validity index (CVI), domain CVI (range, 0.772 to 0.887), and statement CVI (range, 0.66 to 1.00). Reliability was adequate in terms of internal consistency (Cronbach’s α > 0.864) …

Using ‘Mesh Guides’ As Translational Research And Knowledge Mobilisation For Continuing Professional Development In Schools’. Cice-2014 Proceedings: Canada International Conference On Education, Pp 497-498. Pub: Infonomics Society, Isbn 978-1-908320-24-7, Lm La Velle, T Ovenden-Hope, M. Leask

Plymouth Institute of Education

In this paper we propose the use of translational research, more often associated with medicine, but here to refer to evidence-based resources for educational practitioners enabling knowledge mobilisation. Smith and Helfenbein identified that translational research ‘creates a space for collaborative, co-constructed inquiry that values and utilizes the expertise of all stakeholders involved’ [1]. We present the development of a founding model, MESH (Mapping Education Specialist knowHow, www.meshguides.org), for translational research and knowledge mobilisation in schools to support improved student attainment. MESH provides the ‘space’ for cocreated, peer reviewed, evidence-based educational resources.

Patiëntveiligheid Vanuit De Patiënt, J. M. Latour, Dijk M Van

School of Nursing and Midwifery

No abstract provided.

Heat-Killed Probiotic Bacteria Differentially Regulate Colonic Epithelial Cell Production Of Human Β-Defensin-2: Dependence On Inflammatory Cytokines., N. Habil, W. Abate, J. Beal, A. D. Foey

School of Biomedical Sciences

The inducible antimicrobial peptide human β-defensin-2 (hBD-2) stimulated by pro-inflammatory cytokines and bacterial products is essential to antipathogen responses of gut epithelial cells. Commensal and probiotic bacteria can augment such mucosal defences. Probiotic use in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, however, may have adverse effects, boosting inflammatory responses. The aim of this investigation was to determine the effect of selected probiotic strains on hBD-2 production by epithelial cells induced by pathologically relevant pro-inflammatory cytokines and the role of cytokine modulators in controlling hBD-2. Caco-2 colonic intestinal epithelial cells were pre-incubated with heat-killed probiotics, i.e. Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS) …

Cadmium Contamination Of Agricultural Soils And Crops Resulting From Sphalerite Weathering., T. C. Robson, C. B. Braungardt, J. Rieuwerts, P. Worsfold

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The biogeochemistry and bioavailability of cadmium, released during sphalerite weathering in soils, were investigated under contrasting agricultural scenarios to assess health risks associated with sphalerite dust transport to productive soils from mining. Laboratory experiments (365 d) on temperate and sub-tropical soils amended with sphalerite (<63 μm, 0.92 wt.% Cd) showed continuous, slow dissolution (0.6-1.2% y(-1)). Wheat grown in spiked temperate soil accumulated ≈38% (29 μmol kg(-1)) of the liberated Cd, exceeding food safety limits. In contrast, rice grown in flooded sub-tropical soil accumulated far less Cd (0.60 μmol kg(-1)) due to neutral soil pH and Cd bioavailability was possibly also controlled by secondary sulfide formation. The results demonstrate long-term release of Cd to soil porewaters during sphalerite weathering. Under oxic conditions, Cd may be sufficiently bioavailable to contaminate crops destined for human consumption; however flooded rice production limits the impact of sphalerite contamination.

The Bacterial Skin Microbiome In Psoriatic Arthritis, An Unexplored Link In Pathogenesis: Challenges And Opportunities Offered By Recent Technological Advances., Madhura Castelino, Stephen Eyre, Mathew Upton, Pauline Ho, Anne Barton

School of Biomedical Sciences

The resident microbial community, harboured by humans in sites such as the skin and gastrointestinal tract, is enormous, representing a candidate environmental factor affecting susceptibility to complex diseases, where both genetic and environmental risk factors are important. The potential of microorganisms to influence the human immune system is considerable, given their ubiquity. The impact of the host-gene-microbe interaction on the maintenance of health and the development of disease has not yet been assessed robustly in chronic inflammatory conditions. PsA represents a model inflammatory disease to explore the role of the microbiome because skin involvement and overlap with IBD implicates both …

Galleria Mellonella Infection Model Demonstrates High Lethality Of St69 And St127 Uropathogenic E. Coli., Majed F. Alghoribi, Tarek M. Gibreel, Andrew R. Dodgson, Scott A. Beatson, Mathew Upton

School of Biomedical Sciences

Galleria mellonella larvae are an alternative in vivo model for investigating bacterial pathogenicity. Here, we examined the pathogenicity of 71 isolates from five leading uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) lineages using G. mellonella larvae. Larvae were challenged with a range of inoculum doses to determine the 50% lethal dose (LD50) and for analysis of survival outcome using Kaplan-Meier plots. Virulence was correlated with carriage of a panel of 29 virulence factors (VF). Larvae inoculated with ST69 and ST127 isolates (10(4) colony-forming units/larvae) showed significantly higher mortality rates than those infected with ST73, ST95 and ST131 isolates, killing 50% of the larvae …

The Complete Genome Sequence Of Escherichia Coli Ec958: A High Quality Reference Sequence For The Globally Disseminated Multidrug Resistant E. Coli O25b:H4-St131 Clone., Brian M. Forde, Zakour Nl Ben, Mitchell Stanton-Cook, Minh Duy Phan, Makrina Totsika, Kate M. Peters, Kok Gan Chan, Mark A. Schembri, Mathew Upton, Scott A. Beatson

School of Biomedical Sciences

Escherichia coli ST131 is now recognised as a leading contributor to urinary tract and bloodstream infections in both community and clinical settings. Here we present the complete, annotated genome of E. coli EC958, which was isolated from the urine of a patient presenting with a urinary tract infection in the Northwest region of England and represents the most well characterised ST131 strain. Sequencing was carried out using the Pacific Biosciences platform, which provided sufficient depth and read-length to produce a complete genome without the need for other technologies. The discovery of spurious contigs within the assembly that correspond to site-specific …

Unihi 7: An Enhanced Database For Retrieval And Interactive Analysis Of Human Molecular Interaction Networks, Ravi Kiran Reddy Kalathur, José Pedro Pinto, Miguel A. Hernández-Prieto, Rui S.R. Machado, Dulce Almeida, Gautam Chaurasia, Matthias E. Futschik

School of Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Parameterization Of Pharmaceutical Emissions And Removal Rates For Use In Uk Predictive Exposure Models: Steroid Estrogens As A Case Study, Jd Heffley, Sdw Comber, Bw Wheeler, Ch Redshaw

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Using local population characteristics and prescription data to predict pharmaceutical concentrations in sewage influent and effluent.

Parameterization Of Pharmaceutical Emissions And Removal Rates For Use In Uk Predictive Exposure Models: Steroid Estrogens As A Case Study., J. D. Heffley, S. D.W. Comber, B. W. Wheeler, C. H. Redshaw

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Newly available prescription data has been used along with census data to develop a localised method for predicting pharmaceutical concentrations in sewage influent and effluent for England, and applied to a case study: the steroid estrogens estrone, 17β-estradiol, and 17α-ethinylestradiol in a selected catchment. The prescription data allows calculation of the mass consumed of synthetic estrogens, while use of highly localised census data improves predictions of naturally excreted estrogens by accounting for regional variations in population demographics. This serves two key purposes; to increase the accuracy of predictions in general, and to call attention to the need for more accurate …

Chapter 21 Controls On Variations In Cristobalite Abundance In Ash Generated By The Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat In The Period 1997 To 2010, Cj Horwell, Se Hillman, Pd Cole, Sc Loughlin, Ew Llewellin, De Damby, Te Christopher

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Cultural Responses To Pain In Uk Children Of Primary School Age: A Mixed-Methods Study., Pary M. Azize, Ruth Endacott, Allegra Cattani, Ann Humphreys

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Pain-measurement tools are often criticized for not addressing the influence of culture and ethnicity on pain. This study examined how children who speak English as a primary or additional language discuss pain. Two methods were used in six focus group interviews with 34 children aged 4-7 years: (i) use of drawings from the Pediatric Pain Inventory to capture the language used by children to describe pain; and (ii) observation of the children's placing of pain drawings on red/amber/green paper to denote perceived severity of pain. The findings demonstrated that children with English as an additional language used less elaborate language …

Development Of A Management Algorithm For Post-Operative Pain (Mapp) After Total Knee And Total Hip Replacement: Study Rationale And Design, Mari Botti, Bridie Kent, Tracey Bucknall, Maxine Duke, Megan Jane Johnstone, Julie Considine, Bernice Redley, Susan Hunter, Steiger R De, Marlene Holcombe, Emma Cohen

School of Nursing and Midwifery

No abstract provided.

Enhancing The Impact Of Online Simulations Through Blended Learning: A Critical Incident Approach, Jonathan Lean, Jonathan Moizer, R Newberry

Plymouth Business School

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe an approach for utilising a critical incident method within the context of an online business simulation game in order to provide an effective framework for reflective learning. Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a review of pertinent literature to place the critical incident technique within the novel context of simulation gaming. Through presenting a case study of practice, it goes on to describe a blended learning approach that combines online simulation with post-simulation reflection based on the critical incident method. An action research approach is adopted as a framework for reflection …

Repositioning For Pressure Ulcer Prevention In Adults, Brigid M. Gillespie, Wendy P. Chaboyer, Elizabeth Mcinnes, Bridie Kent, Jennifer A. Whitty, Lukman Thalib

School of Nursing and Midwifery

No abstract provided.

Introduction: The No-Man’S-Land Of Displacement, Ak Smith, S Barkhof

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Nuclear Her4 Mediates Acquired Resistance To Trastuzumab And Is Associated With Poor Outcome In Her2 Positive Breast Cancer, Snm Nafi, D Generali, G Kramer-Marek, M Gijsen, Et Al

School of Biomedical Sciences

The role of HER4 in breast cancer is controversial and its role in relation to trastuzumab resistance remains unclear. We showed that trastuzumab treatment and its acquired resistance induced HER4 upregulation, cleavage and nuclear translocation. However, knockdown of HER4 by specific siRNAs increased trastuzumab sensitivity and reversed its resistance in HER2 positive breast cancer cells. Preventing HER4 cleavage by a γ-secretase inhibitor and inhibiting HER4 tyrosine kinase activity by neratinib decreased trastuzumab-induced HER4 nuclear translocation and enhanced trastuzumab response. There was also increased nuclear HER4 staining in the tumours from BT474 xenograft mice and human patients treated with trastuzumab. Furthermore, …

Evidence That Duplications Of 22q11.2 Protect Against Schizophrenia, E Rees, G Kirov, Mc O'Donovan, Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium, Et Al

School of Biomedical Sciences

A number of large, rare copy number variants (CNVs) are deleterious for neurodevelopmental disorders, but large, rare, protective CNVs have not been reported for such phenotypes. Here we show in a CNV analysis of 47 005 individuals, the largest CNV analysis of schizophrenia to date, that large duplications (1.5-3.0 Mb) at 22q11.2--the reciprocal of the well-known, risk-inducing deletion of this locus--are substantially less common in schizophrenia cases than in the general population (0.014% vs 0.085%, OR=0.17, P=0.00086). 22q11.2 duplications represent the first putative protective mutation for schizophrenia.

Determinants Of State Level Support For The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act, David Brockington

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

What accounts for variance in public opinion support for the PPACA? The political science (and social science in general) literature is relatively sparse on this question. This paper suggests that state level support for the PPACA has a largely political, rather than economic, motivation. Multivariate models are estimated, with support measured at the state level using 2010 data from Gallup; explanatory variables (per capita where necessary) include uninsured percentage, change in uninsured, unemployment, Medicaid recipients, state GDP, poverty rate, percents African- American and Latino, and the state PVI. A bivariate relationship is counter-intuitive; as the rate of uninsured in a …

From Services To Civilian: The Geographies Of Veterans' Post-Military Lives, Agatha Herman, Richard Yarwood

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Key Attitudinal Competences For Early Childhood Practitioners: Exploring European Approaches To Teaching And Learning, Verity Campbell Barr, Jan Georgeson

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

The European Key Competences for Lifelong Learning provide a European-level reference tool for education providers, including Higher Education institutions, to focus national- and European-level efforts to support students towards personal fulfillment, social inclusion, active citizenship and employability in a knowledge-based society. The European Lifelong Learning Programme defines competences as:“a combination of knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the context” (European Commission, 2007: 3).Whilst not wishing to undermine the importance of knowledge and skills, we are interested in how to develop attitudes for the particular context of early childhood practice. Within Europe there is a complex array of terminology for those …

Greater Professional Empathy Leads To Higher Agreement About Decisions Made In The Consultation, Tracey Parkin, Looy A De, Paul Farrand

School of Health Professions

No abstract provided.