MSc environmental consultancy research project summaries

MSc Environmental Consultancy Research Project Summaries Volume 1 and the related publication, MSc Environmental Consultancy Placement Case studies Volume 1, are intended to open a window on the interesting range of placements and research projects that students undertake. They are intended both as a record of what students have achieved and as a helpful insight for prospective students and potential placement providers

Understanding MSc student experience and graduate pathways: An alumni survey for MSc Environmental Consultancy at UWE

The first alumni of the MSc Environment Consultancy course at the University of the West of England (UWE) are now ten years into their careers. This was an opportune time to gather their mature assessment of the course. We undertook an online survey of alumni, followed up with semistructured interviews to explore key themes. The main finding is very positive, namely that the course is working well in achieving the designed intention of being a bridge to an environmental consultancy career. The MSc was perceived by alumni, to be of value in obtaining a first post and in undertaking key aspects of those posts and subsequent posts in their career paths. The module which has shown most relevance to work is the Environmental Assessment module. Despite achieving excellent job outcomes, it was concerning to discover that 18% of the respondents would not recommend the course as a route to the current role. Follow up interviews indicated that this was in quite a few cases due to concern about the management of the course and the placement process. The course team has been evolved and has focused on improving these areas over the past 18 months (to Nov. 2016) and they have been addressed through specific course enhancement measures. From the year 16/17 new assignment of responsibilities for the placement and programme management were made. Enhancements of networking with employers and potential placement providers as well as alumni,continue to be developed

Planets in Spin-Orbit Misalignment and the Search for Stellar Companions

The discovery of giant planets orbiting close to their host stars was one of the most unexpected results of early exoplanetary science. Astronomers have since found that a significant fraction of these 'Hot Jupiters' move on orbits substantially misaligned with the rotation axis of their host star. We recently reported the measurement of the spin-orbit misalignment for WASP-79b by using data from the 3.9 m Anglo-Australian Telescope. Contemporary models of planetary formation produce planets on nearly coplanar orbits with respect to their host star's equator. We discuss the mechanisms which could drive planets into spin-orbit misalignment. The most commonly proposed being the Kozai mechanism, which requires the presence of a distant, massive companion to the star-planet system. We therefore describe a volume-limited direct-imaging survey of Hot Jupiter systems with measured spin-orbit angles, to search for the presence of stellar companions and test the Kozai hypothesis.Comment: Accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed proceedings of the 13th annual Australian Space Science Conferenc

The Cost of Implementing and Sustaining the COMprehensive Post-Acute Stroke Services Model

Background:The COMprehensive Post-Acute Stroke Services (COMPASS) model, a transitional care intervention for stroke patients discharged home, was tested against status quo postacute stroke care in a cluster-randomized trial in 40 hospitals in North Carolina. This study examined the hospital-level costs associated with implementing and sustaining COMPASS.Methods:Using an activity-based costing survey, we estimated hospital-level resource costs spent on COMPASS-related activities during approximately 1 year. We identified hospitals that were actively engaged in COMPASS during the year before the survey and collected resource cost estimates from 22 hospitals. We used median wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and COMPASS enrollment data to estimate the hospital-level costs per COMPASS enrollee.Results:Between November 2017 and March 2019, 1582 patients received the COMPASS intervention across the 22 hospitals included in this analysis. Average annual hospital-level COMPASS costs were $2861 per patient (25th percentile:$735; 75th percentile: $3,475). Having 10% higher stroke patient volume was associated with 5.1% lower COMPASS costs per patient (P=0.016). About half (N=10) of hospitals reported postacute clinic visits as their highest-cost activity, while a third (N=7) reported case ascertainment (ie, identifying eligible patients) as their highest-cost activity.Conclusions:We found that the costs of implementing COMPASS varied across hospitals. On average, hospitals with higher stroke volume and higher enrollment reported lower costs per patient. Based on average costs of COMPASS and readmissions for stroke patients, COMPASS could lower net costs if the model is able to prevent about 6 readmissions per year

Development and psychometric evaluation of a new patient -reported outcome measure for stroke self -management: The Southampton Stroke Self - Management Questionnaire (SSSMQ).

BACKGROUND: Self-management is important to the recovery and quality of life of people following stroke. Many interventions to support self-management following stroke have been developed, however to date no reliable and valid outcome measure exists to support their evaluation. This study outlines the development and preliminary investigation of the psychometric performance of a newly developed patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) of self-management competency following stroke; the Southampton Stroke Self-Management Questionnaire (SSSMQ). METHODS: A convenience sample of 87 people who had had a stroke completed responses to the SSSMQ, the Stroke Self-Efficacy Questionnaire and the Stroke Impact Scale. Scaling properties were assessed using Mokken Scale Analysis. Reliability and construct validity were assessed using intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), Mokken and Cronbach's reliability coefficients and Spearman rank order correlations with relevant measures. RESULTS: Mokken scaling refined the SSSMQ to 28 scalable items. Internal consistency reliability (Mokken r = 0.89) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.928) were excellent. Hypotheses of expected correlations with additional measures held, demonstrating good evidence for construct validity. CONCLUSIONS: Early findings suggest the Southampton Stroke Self-Management Questionnaire is a reliable and valid scale of self-management competency. The SSSMQ represents a potentially valid PROM for the evaluation of self-management following stroke

Genome-wide association of functional traits linked with<i> Campylobacter jejuni </i>survival from farm to fork

Campylobacter jejuni is a major cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide, primarily associated with the consumption of contaminated poultry. C. jejuni lineages vary in host range and prevalence in human infection, suggesting differences in survival throughout the poultry processing chain. From 7,343 MLST-characterised isolates, we sequenced 600 C. jejuni and C. coli isolates from various stages of poultry processing and clinical cases. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) in C. jejuni ST-21 and ST-45 complexes identified genetic elements over-represented in clinical isolates that increased in frequency throughout the poultry processing chain. Disease-associated SNPs were distinct in these complexes, sometimes organised in haplotype blocks. The function of genes containing associated elements was investigated, demonstrating roles for cj1377c in formate metabolism, nuoK in aerobic survival and oxidative respiration, and cj1368-70 in nucleotide salvage. This work demonstrates the utility of GWAS for investigating transmission in natural zoonotic pathogen populations and provides evidence that major C. jejuni lineages have distinct genotypes associated with survival, within the host specific niche, from farm to fork. </p