Stress-induced nuclear accumulation is dispensable for Hog1-dependent gene expression and virulence in a fungal pathogen

The authors thank E. Veal for intellectual input. This work was funded by the UK Biotechnology and Biological Research Council [J.Q. BB/K016393/1; A.J.P.B. BB/K017365/1], the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) [D.M.M. NC/N002482/1] and the Wellcome Trust Strategic Award in Medical Mycology and Fungal Immunology [097377]). D.M.M. and A.J.P.B. are also supported by the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology at the University of Aberdeen (MR/N006364/1).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Planning for chaos : developing the concept of emergency preparedness through the experience of the paramedic

This thesis aimed to develop an understanding of the concept of emergency preparedness through the lived experiences of paramedics, utilising an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) methodology. Emergency preparedness is a developing speciality, with a limited evidence base. Current research is mainly atheoretical, with the majority of literature comprising of anecdotal reports, government guidance, clinical protocols, audit and clinical policy. The published literature offers little more than opinion and a retrospective view of experience, with few studies examining and understanding the individual lived experience within this area. To address the identified gaps in the literature and in line with the idiographic focus of IPA, thirteen paramedics were recruited and face-to-face interviews explored their individual experiences of emergency preparedness. Through data analysis, the following superordinate themes were identified for further discussion:- self determination, control and experience-based practice. Participants appeared to value their role and the unpredictable environment that they worked in. Personal resilience, an area that they suggested is not covered effectively within individual preparation, was viewed as important. The participants articulated that risk, threat, uncertainty, safety, trust and control were important concepts within individual preparedness. These paramedics valued practice-based knowledge and education as credible and transferrable to their clinical work. Additionally, storytelling appeared as a preferred method of conveying knowledge in an area with minimal real-life experience. Dimensions of individual preparedness are presented, with the paramedic central to the experience within a conceptual model (the DiEP model), creating a new form of emergency preparedness that reflects the individual paramedic’s experience

"How does Estee Lauder GWP impact the long-term health of the brand?"

In recent years, sales promotions have grown in importance, becoming one of the most popular tools in the marketers kit (Jones 1990) and there is evidence that the trend in promotional activity is upwards. Additionally, due to increasing high street competition, retailers are compensating with extra promotions, more discounts and larger price reductions (British Retail Consortium, 2006). Whilst it is generally recognised that promotions do increase sales in the short-term (Blattberg & Neslin 1995), researchers and practitioners have questioned the other effects that promotions may have in the long-term for the companies that use them. In 2005, the premium cosmetics market was estimated to be a $20 billion US dollar worldwide industry (Datamonitor, 2006). In certain geographic markets, particularly the US and UK, promotional activity (Gift With Purchase (GWP)) plays an important role in competition. This promotional activity creates significant sales volume for some premium cosmetics brands, and as sales volume determines market share - a key short-term performance indicator on which management are measured, this promotional activity is heavily relied upon in the short-term to deliver results. This research investigates the promotion of premium cosmetics through free gift promotions, and the impact that these have on the long-term health of brands. The research focuses on a behavioural perspective, specifically looking at how GWP influences consumers opinions and attitudes in such a way that their future behaviour towards the brand would be affected (for example likelihood of re-purchase). The research focuses specifically on the Estee Lauder brand within the UK market. There is extensive existing research into promotions generally. This existing research focuses heavily on mass-market low-involvement goods, predominantly grocery products in supermarket environments, where the promotional vehicle consists of money off coupons or vouchers, or straight price reductions. Little research exists into free gift promotions or promotion of high-involvement goods. This research takes a qualitative interpretivist approach, using in-depth interviews. As there is little existing research into consumer attitudes towards free gift promotions in high-involvement goods, there is little upon which to base quantitative analysis. By interviewing Estee Lauder customers in a qualitative way, the aim is to elicit the customers perceptions rather than searching for external causes to explain their behaviour. In order to ensure that the purpose and findings of this research are communicated in a methodical fashion, this dissertation is structured as follows: Section 1: Introduction. This section sets out the background to the research area, and introduces the research question in more detail. Section 2: Literature review. This section analyses the existing literature relevant to the research question. Section 3: Research methodology. This gives some background to the general theory of research, and focuses on the research method selected in-depth interviews. The justification for the choice of methodology for this research is addressed, and details of how the research was carried out explained. Section 4: Findings and discussion. This section highlights the results arising from conducting the in-depth interviews, and then discusses the implications in terms of addressing the research question. The findings are also discussed in terms of the existing literature. Section 5: Conclusions, reflections and limitations. This section summarises the outcomes of the research, highlights managerial implications arising, and areas for future research. Finally, some potential limitations of this research that should be considered in interpreting the results are highlighted. To summarise, this research investigates how Estee Lauder GWP promotions impact the long-term health of the brand from a behavioural perspective, using in-depth interviews of Estee Lauder customers as the research method. The dissertation is broken down into five sections to aid clarity and presentation of the research and its findings

Research into the Impact of School Leadership on Pupil Outcomes: Policy and Research Contexts

This paper extends the introduction to the authors’ study of successful school leadership and how it influences pupil outcomes begun in the Editorial introduction. Critical to an appreciation especially of the external validity of their results is an understanding of the policy context in which the English leaders in their study found themselves; this is a policy context dominated by concerns for external accountability and increases in the academic performance of pupils. In addition to describing this context, the paper summarises the conceptual and methodological framework that guided the early stage of their research and outlines their mixed-methods research design

"How does Estee Lauder GWP impact the long-term health of the brand?"

In recent years, sales promotions have grown in importance, becoming one of the most popular tools in the marketers kit (Jones 1990) and there is evidence that the trend in promotional activity is upwards. Additionally, due to increasing high street competition, retailers are compensating with extra promotions, more discounts and larger price reductions (British Retail Consortium, 2006). Whilst it is generally recognised that promotions do increase sales in the short-term (Blattberg & Neslin 1995), researchers and practitioners have questioned the other effects that promotions may have in the long-term for the companies that use them. In 2005, the premium cosmetics market was estimated to be a $20 billion US dollar worldwide industry (Datamonitor, 2006). In certain geographic markets, particularly the US and UK, promotional activity (Gift With Purchase (GWP)) plays an important role in competition. This promotional activity creates significant sales volume for some premium cosmetics brands, and as sales volume determines market share - a key short-term performance indicator on which management are measured, this promotional activity is heavily relied upon in the short-term to deliver results. This research investigates the promotion of premium cosmetics through free gift promotions, and the impact that these have on the long-term health of brands. The research focuses on a behavioural perspective, specifically looking at how GWP influences consumers opinions and attitudes in such a way that their future behaviour towards the brand would be affected (for example likelihood of re-purchase). The research focuses specifically on the Estee Lauder brand within the UK market. There is extensive existing research into promotions generally. This existing research focuses heavily on mass-market low-involvement goods, predominantly grocery products in supermarket environments, where the promotional vehicle consists of money off coupons or vouchers, or straight price reductions. Little research exists into free gift promotions or promotion of high-involvement goods. This research takes a qualitative interpretivist approach, using in-depth interviews. As there is little existing research into consumer attitudes towards free gift promotions in high-involvement goods, there is little upon which to base quantitative analysis. By interviewing Estee Lauder customers in a qualitative way, the aim is to elicit the customers perceptions rather than searching for external causes to explain their behaviour. In order to ensure that the purpose and findings of this research are communicated in a methodical fashion, this dissertation is structured as follows: Section 1: Introduction. This section sets out the background to the research area, and introduces the research question in more detail. Section 2: Literature review. This section analyses the existing literature relevant to the research question. Section 3: Research methodology. This gives some background to the general theory of research, and focuses on the research method selected in-depth interviews. The justification for the choice of methodology for this research is addressed, and details of how the research was carried out explained. Section 4: Findings and discussion. This section highlights the results arising from conducting the in-depth interviews, and then discusses the implications in terms of addressing the research question. The findings are also discussed in terms of the existing literature. Section 5: Conclusions, reflections and limitations. This section summarises the outcomes of the research, highlights managerial implications arising, and areas for future research. Finally, some potential limitations of this research that should be considered in interpreting the results are highlighted. To summarise, this research investigates how Estee Lauder GWP promotions impact the long-term health of the brand from a behavioural perspective, using in-depth interviews of Estee Lauder customers as the research method. The dissertation is broken down into five sections to aid clarity and presentation of the research and its findings

Redox Regulation, Rather than Stress-Induced Phosphorylation, of a Hog1 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Modulates Its Nitrosative-Stress-Specific Outputs

Data availability. The RNA sequencing dataset is available at EBI (www.ebi.ac.uk/arrayexpress/) under accession number E-MTAB-5990. Other data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank Debbie Smith for constructing the strains JC41 and JC310, Arnab Pradhan for help with DHE control experiments, and our colleagues in the Aberdeen Fungal Group and Newcastle Yeast Group for insightful discussions. We are also grateful to Mike Gustin for his advice. We are grateful to the Centre for Genome Enabled Biology and Medicine, Aberdeen Proteomics, the Iain Fraser Cytometry Centre, the Microscopy and Histology Facility, and the qPCR facility at the University of Aberdeen for their help, advice, and support. This work was funded by the UK Biotechnology and Biological Research Council (http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk) (grants BB/K017365/1 and BB/F00513X/1 to A.J.P.B. and grant BB/K016393/1 to J.Q.). This work was also supported by the European Research Council (http://erc.europa.eu/) (STRIFE advanced grant C-2009-AdG-249793 to A.J.P.B.), the UK Medical Research Council (http://www.mrc.ac.uk) (grant MR/M026663/1 to A.J.P.B. and grant MR/M000923/1 to P.S.S.), the Wellcome Trust (https://wellcome.ac.uk) (grant 097377 to A.J.P.B. and J.Q.), the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology and the University of Aberdeen (grant MR/M026663/1 to A.J.P.B.). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The effect of force direction on hypoalgesia locally, segmentally and non-segmentally: an investigation into AP & PA mobilisation at C4/5

Title: The effect of force direction on hypoalgesia locally, segmentally and non-segmentally: an investigation into AP and PA mobilisation at C4/5. Author(s): Day A and Coales P Background: Mechanisms of hypoalgesia following spinal mobilisation are not fully understood. Various treatment dose parameters are considered by Physiotherapists with little empirical evidence guiding decisions. Researchers have investigated some treatment parameters yet none have investigated the effect of force direction on resultant hypoalgesia with regards size of effect and distribution (locally, segmentally and non-segmentally). The hypoalgesic effect of an intervention can be determined in healthy subjects through pre and post measures of pressure pain threshold (PPT) algometry. Purpose: To determine whether cervical mobilisations applied in different directions (AP and PA) significantly change the PPT in the upper limb. Stability of the baseline PPT measurements was established through intra and intersession reliability analysis. Methods: A double blind, within-subject, repeated measures design was employed. A convenience sample (n=25) of asymptomatic, manual therapy naïve subjects was recruited. Subjects attended three, randomly allocated experimental conditions: i) unilateral PA Gr III C4/5 ii) unilateral AP Gr III C4/5 iii) control. A blinded assessor measured mean PPT pre and post condition over three sites in the right upper quadrant (local right C4/5, ipsilateral segmental C5 dermatome, ipsilateral non-segmental C8 dermatome). Data were analysed for differences between the magnitude and the extent of hypoalgesia induced by the three conditions using Two-Way ANOVA with post-hoc analysis. Stability of baseline PPT measurements (intra and intersession reliability) was calculated using ANOVA and Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC). Results: Baseline PPT readings were found to be highly reliable at each site (ICC local 0.936, segmental 0.955 and non-segmental 0.932) with no significant difference intersession (p= 0.946, 0.745, 0.722 for each site respectively). AP mobilisations demonstrated a statistically significant difference against control (p=0.007) and clinically valuable changes (reduction of ≥15%) in PPT of the right upper quadrant locally (15.7%) and segmentally (16.6%), but not non-segmentally (4.56%). AP mobilisations resulted in an overall moderate effect size (f=0.26). PA mobilisations demonstrated no statistically significant difference against control (p=0.061) and clinically valuable changes only within the segment (17.4%). PA mobilisations resulted in a small effect size (f=0.18). No significant difference occurred at any site under the control condition. The results demonstrated a statistically significant local (p=0.023) and segmental (p<0.001) effect with either an AP or PA mobilisation, but failed to identify a non-segmental effect. Conclusion: The direction of force appears to be important in the overall hypoalgesic effect with statistically significant results only after the AP mobilisation. Within each site, no difference between the two mobilisations was demonstrated, with both producing a significant effect locally and segmentally, but not non-segmentally. Further research into the possible reasons for this difference such as extent of movement generated, proximity of mechanoreceptors/access to joint capsule and depth of overlying tissues would be beneficial. Investigations with a larger and/or symptomatic sample would add clinical value. Implications: Enhanced understanding of treatment parameters and mechanisms of hypoalgesia will allow more informed treatment selection, by current and future Physiotherapists, for improved patient outcome. This study creates a platform from which future investigations into the mechanisms of hypoalgesia and treatment parameters can be developed. Keywords: 1. spinal mobilisation 2. hypoalgesic effect 3. cervical spin

Identifying the priorities for supervision by lived experience researchers: a Q sort study

Background: Lived experience researchers draw on their lived and living experiences to either lead on or inform research. Their personal experiences are relevant to the research topic and so they must manage the interplay of their health and healthcare experiences with the research, population, and data they work with, as well as the more general challenges of being a researcher. Lived experience researchers must navigate these dilemmas in addition to queries over their competency, due to issues relating to intersectionality and epistemic injustice. This justifies a motivation to better understand the experiences of lived experience researchers and develop appropriate and personalised supervision based on their preferences and needs. Methods: Q methodology was used to identify a collection of identity-related issues that impact lived experience researchers during PhD research in the context of the UK. These issues were presented in the form of 54 statements to 18 lived experience researchers to prioritise as topics to explore in supervision. Result: It was found that lived experiences researchers could be grouped into three distinct factors following an inverted factor analysis: Factor 1: Strengthening my identity, skills, growth, and empowerment; Factor 2: Exploring the emotional and relational link I have with the research and Factor 3: Navigating my lived and professional experiences practically and emotionally. The findings suggest that there may be three types of lived experience researchers, each with different needs from supervision, suggesting the population is heterogeneous. Conclusion: The research identified a deeper understanding of the needs of lived experience researchers and highlights the importance of personalised supervision according to the individual needs of the researcher and their preferences for supervision. The findings reinforce the importance of integrating a clinical dimension into supervision to support the needs of all lived experience researchers