43 research outputs found
Carers Create: carer perspectives of a creative programme for people with dementia and their carers on the relationship within the (carer and cared for) dyad
Introduction
Relationships between people with dementia and their carers can prove challenging over the trajectory of the disease. Interventions with a potential to address this include arts and music-based activities. This research project aimed to evaluate a community engagement programme (Carers Create) where both people with dementia and their carers participate together in singing and other activities. A specific focus was on the impact of the sessions on the dyadic relationship.
Methods
A grounded theory approach involved conducting three focus group interviews with carers of people with dementia (n=16) facilitated by members of a local U3A (University of the Third Age) who were trained and supported by university researchers. Recorded conversations were transcribed and analysed using a three-stage coding and thematic development technique.
Results
Four overarching themes were identified from the discourse: remembering the positive qualities of the cared-for; the physical and emotional demands of caring; Carers Create as a shared, beneficial activity; the enduring value of Carers Create.
Conclusion
Carers found the sessions to positively influence the relationship with the person they cared for through offering some relief from the day-to-day pressures of caring and in some cases restoring elements of a previously strong relationship. Crucial to the experience was the fact that the sessions included both carer and cared-for, offering activities to do together, and that they took place within a group, thereby offering a degree of mutual support. In addition, some carers were able to build on learning which had taken place and use certain techniques, such as singing, to help manage care, thus extending the improved relationship.
Interactions of solitons with a Gaussian barrier: splitting and recombination in quasi-one-dimensional and three-dimensional settings
The interaction of matter–wave solitons with a potential barrier
is a fundamentally important problem, and the splitting and subsequent
recombination of the soliton by the barrier is the essence of soliton matter–wave
interferometry. We demonstrate the three-dimensional (3D) character of the
interactions in the case relevant to ongoing experiments, where the number of
atoms in the soliton is relatively close to the collapse threshold. We examine
the soliton dynamics in the framework of the effectively one-dimensional (1D)
nonpolynomial Schr¨odinger equation (NPSE), which admits the collapse in a
modified form, and in parallel we use the full 3D Gross–Pitaevskii equation
(GPE). Both approaches produce similar results, which are, however, quite different from those produced in recent work that used the 1D cubic GPE. Basic
features, produced by the NPSE and the 3D GPE alike, include (a) an increase
in the first reflection coefficient for increasing barrier height and decreasing
atom number; (b) large variation of the secondary reflection/recombination
probability versus barrier height; (c) pronounced asymmetry in the oscillation
amplitudes of the transmitted and reflected fragments; and (d) enhancement of
the transverse excitations as the number of atoms is increased. We also explore
effects produced by variations of the barrier width and outcomes of the secondary
collision upon phase imprinting on the fragment in one arm of the interferometer
Orbital Josephson effect and interactions in driven atom condensates on a ring
In a system of ac-driven condensed bosons we study a new type of Josephson
effect occurring between states sharing the same region of space and the same
internal atom structure. We first develop a technique to calculate the long
time dynamics of a driven interacting many-body system. For resonant
frequencies, this dynamics can be shown to derive from an effective
time-independent Hamiltonian which is expressed in terms of standard creation
and annihilation operators. Within the subspace of resonant states, and if the
undriven states are plane waves, a locally repulsive interaction between bosons
translates into an effective attraction. We apply the method to study the
effect of interactions on the coherent ratchet current of an asymmetrically
driven boson system. We find a wealth of dynamical regimes which includes Rabi
oscillations, self-trapping, and chaotic behavior. In the latter case, a full
many-body calculation deviates from the mean-field results by predicting large
quantum fluctuations of the relative particle number.Comment: Published versio
Short-term safety evaluation of processed calcium montmorillonite clay (NovaSil) in humans
Abstract NovaSil clay (NS) provides significant protection from the adverse effects of aflatoxins (AFs) in multiple animal species by decreasing bioavailability from the gastrointestinal tract. It is postulated that NS clay can be safely added to human diets to diminish exposure and health risks from AF contaminated food. To determine the safety and tolerance of NS in humans and establish dosimetry protocols for long-term efficacy studies, a randomized and double-blinded phase I clinical trial was conducted. Volunteers (20-45 yr in age), were clinically screened for confirmation of their health status. Fifty subjects (23 males and 27 females) were randomly divided into two groups: The low-dose group received nine capsules containing 1.5 g/day, and the high-dose group received nine capsules containing 3.0 g/day for a period of 2 wk. NS capsules were manufactured in the same color and size and were distributed to each participant three times a day at designated sites where follow-up was taken to record any side effects and complaints. Blood and urine samples were collected before and after the study for laboratory analysis. All participants completed the trial and compliance was 99.1%. Mild GI effects were reported in some participants. Symptoms included abdominal pain (6%, 3/50), bloating (4%, 2/50), constipation (2%, 1/50), diarrhea (2%, 1/50), and flatulence (8%, 4/50). No statistical significance was found between the two groups for these adverse effects ( p > 0.25). No significant differences were shown in hematology, liver and kidney function, electrolytes, vitamins A and E, and minerals in either group. These results demonstrate the relative safety of NS clay in human subjects and will serve as a basis for long-term human trials in populations at high risk for aflatoxicosis
Neonatal CD8 T-cell Hierarchy Is Distinct from Adults and Is Influenced by Intrinsic T cell Properties in Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infected Mice
Following respiratory syncytial virus infection of adult CB6F1 hybrid mice, a predictable CD8+ T cell epitope hierarchy is established with a strongly dominant response to a Kd-restricted peptide (SYIGSINNI) from the M2 protein. The response to KdM282-90 is ∼5-fold higher than the response to a subdominant epitope from the M protein (NAITNAKII, DbM187-195). After infection of neonatal mice, a distinctly different epitope hierarchy emerges with codominant responses to KdM282-90 and DbM187-195. Adoptive transfer of naïve CD8+ T cells from adults into congenic neonates prior to infection indicates that intrinsic CD8+ T cell factors contribute to age-related differences in hierarchy. Epitope-specific precursor frequency differs between adults and neonates and influences, but does not predict the hierarchy following infection. Additionally, dominance of KdM282-90 –specific cells does not correlate with TdT activity. Epitope-specific Vβ repertoire usage is more restricted and functional avidity is lower in neonatal mice. The neonatal pattern of codominance changes after infection at 10 days of age, and rapidly shifts to the adult pattern of extreme KdM282- 90 -dominance. Thus, the functional properties of T cells are selectively modified by developmental factors in an epitope-specific and age-dependent manner