1,177 research outputs found
Modular space station phase B extension preliminary system design. Volume 2: Operations and crew analyses
All analyses and tradeoffs conducted to establish the MSS operations and crew activities are discussed. The missions and subsystem integrated analyses that were completed to assure compatibility of program elements and consistency with program objectives are presented
Canine intrahepatic portosystemic shunt insertion into the systemic circulation is commonly through primary hepatic veins as assessed with CT angiography
Congenital intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (IHPSS) in dogs are traditionally classified as right, left, or central divisional. There are few descriptive studies regarding the variation of IHPSS within these categories. This multicenter, analytical, cross‐sectional study aimed to describe a large series of dogs with CT angiography (CTA) of IHPSS, hypothesizing that there would be variation to the existing classification. Ninety CTA studies were assessed for IHPSS type, insertion, and the relationship of the insertion to the primary hepatic veins. Ninety‐two percent of IHPSS inserted into a primary hepatic vein (HV) or phrenic vein, 8% inserted directly into the ventral aspect of the intrahepatic caudal vena cava. The most common IHPSS type was a single right divisional (44%), including those inserting via the right lateral HV or the caudate HV. Left divisional IHPSS (33%) inserted into the left HV or left phrenic vein. Central divisional IHPSS (13%) inserted into the quadrate HV, central HV, dorsal right medial HV, or directly into the ventral aspect of the intrahepatic caudal vena cava. Multiple sites of insertion were seen in 9% of dogs. Within left, central, and right divisional types, further subclassifications can therefore commonly be defined based on the hepatic veins with which the shunting vessel communicates. Relating IHPSS morphology to the receiving primary HV could make IHPSS categorization more consistent and may influence the type and method of IHPSS attenuation recommended
Technological Devices in the Archives: A Policy Analysis
Doing research in the archive is the cornerstone of humanities scholarship.
Various archives institute policies regarding the use of technological
devices, such as mobile phones, laptops, and cameras in their reading rooms.
Such policies directly affect the scholars as the devices mediate the nature of
their interaction with the source materials in terms of capturing, organizing,
note taking, and record keeping for future use of found materials. In this paper,
we present our analysis of the policies of thirty archives regarding the use of
technology in their reading rooms. This policy analysis, along with data from
interviews of scholars and archivists, is intended to serve as a basis for developing
mobile applications for assisting scholars in their research activities. In this
paper we introduce an early prototype of such a mobile application—
AMTracker.Informatio
A cluster randomised controlled trial of the Wellbeing in Secondary Education (WISE) Project – an intervention to improve the mental health support and training available to secondary school teachers: protocol for an integrated process evaluation
This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from BioMed Central via the DOI in this record.Background
Secondary school teachers have low levels of wellbeing and high levels of depression compared with the general population. Teachers are in a key position to support students, but poor mental health may be a barrier to doing so effectively. The Wellbeing in Secondary Education (WISE) project is a cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT) of an intervention to improve the mental health support and training available to secondary school teachers through delivery of the training package Mental Health First Aid and a staff peer support service. We will conduct a process evaluation as part of the WISE trial to support the interpretation of trial outcomes and refine intervention theory. The domains assessed will be: the extent to which the hypothesised mechanisms of change are activated; system level influences on these mechanisms; programme differentiation and usual practice; intervention implementation, including any adaptations; intervention acceptability; and intervention sustainability.
Methods
Research questions will be addressed via quantitative and qualitative methods. All study schools (n = 25) will provide process evaluation data, with more detailed focus group, interview and observation data being collected from a subsample of case study schools (4 intervention and 4 control). Mechanisms of change, as outlined in a logic model, will be measured via teacher and student surveys and focus groups. School context will be explored via audits of school practice that relate to mental health and wellbeing, combined with stakeholder interviews and focus groups. Implementation of the training and peer support service will be assessed via training observations, training participant evaluation forms, focus groups with participants, interviews with trainers and peer support service users, and peer supporter logs recording help provided. Acceptability and sustainability will be examined via interviews with funders, head teachers, trainers and peer support services users, and focus groups with training participants.
Discussion
The process evaluation embedded within the WISE cluster RCT will illuminate how and why the intervention was effective, ineffective or conferred iatrogenic effects. It will contribute to the refinement of the theory underpinning the intervention, and will help to inform any future implementation.
Trial registration
International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number: ISRCTN95909211 registered on 24 March 2016.The work was undertaken with the support of The Centre for the Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer), a UKCRC Public Health Research Centre of Excellence. Joint funding (MR/KO232331/1) from the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research Council, the Welsh Government and the Wellcome Trust, under the auspices of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration, is gratefully acknowledged. The authors acknowledge the contribution of the WISE Study research administrators Amy Bond and Odell Harris
PHOTOCHEMICAL RING-OPENING IN meso-CHLORINATED CHLOROPHYLLS
Irradiation of 20-chloro-chlorophylls of the a-type with visible light produces long-wavelength shifted photoproducts, which transform in the dark to linear tetrapyrroles (bile pigments). The possible significance for chlorophyll degradation is discussed
Protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial of an intervention to improve the mental health support and training available to secondary school teachers – the WISE (Wellbeing in Secondary Education) study
This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.BACKGROUND: Teachers are reported to be at increased risk of common mental health disorders compared to other occupations. Failure to support teachers adequately may lead to serious long-term mental disorders, poor performance at work (presenteeism), sickness absence and health-related exit from the profession. It also jeopardises student mental health, as distressed staff struggle to develop supportive relationships with students, and such relationships are protective against student depression. A number of school-based trials have attempted to improve student mental health, but these have mostly focused on classroom based approaches and have failed to establish effectiveness. Only a few studies have introduced training for teachers in supporting students, and none to date have included a focus on improving teacher mental health. This paper sets out the protocol (version 4.4 20/07/16) for a study aiming to address this gap.
METHODS:
Cluster randomised controlled trial with secondary schools as the unit of randomisation. Intervention schools will receive: i) Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training for a group of staff nominated by their colleagues, after which they will set up a confidential peer support service for colleagues ii) training in MHFA for schools and colleges for a further group of teachers, which will equip them to more effectively support student mental health iii) a short mental health awareness raising session and promotion of the peer support service for all teachers. Comparison schools will continue with usual practice. The primary outcome is teacher wellbeing measured using the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS). Secondary outcomes are teacher depression, absence and presenteeism, and student wellbeing, mental health difficulties, attendance and attainment. Measures will be taken at baseline, one year follow up (teachers only) and two year follow up. Economic and process evaluations will be embedded within the study.
DISCUSSION:
This study will establish the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an intervention that supports secondary school teachers’ wellbeing and mental health, and improves their skills in supporting students. It will also provide information regarding intervention implementation and sustainability.This research study is funded by the National Institute for Health Research Public Health Research (NIHR PHR) Programme (project number 13/164/06). The views and opinions expressed in the paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the NIHR PHR Programme or the Department of Health. The intervention is jointly funded by Public Health Wales, Public Health England and Bristol City Council. The pilot study that led to this RCT was funded by the National Institute for Health Research’s School for Public Health Research (NIHR SPHR)
The Nuclear Sigma Term in the Skyrme Model: Pion-Nucleus Interaction
The nuclear sigma term is calculated including the nuclear matrix element of
the derivative of the NN interaction with respect to the quark mass,
. The NN potential is evaluated in the
skyrmion-skyrmion picture within the quantized product ansatz. The contribution
of the NN potential to the nuclear sigma term provides repulsion to the
pion-nucleus interaction. The strength of the s-wave pion-nucleus optical
potential is estimated including such contribution. The results are consistent
with the analysis of the experimental data.Comment: 16 pages (latex), 3 figures (eps), e-mail: [email protected] and
[email protected]
Designing a physical activity parenting course : parental views on recruitment, content and delivery
Background
Many children do not engage in sufficient levels of physical activity (PA) and spend too much time screen-viewing (SV). High levels of SV (e.g. watching TV, playing video games and surfing the internet) and low levels of PA have been associated with adverse health outcomes. Parenting courses may hold promise as an intervention medium to change children’s PA and SV. The current study was formative work conducted to design a new parenting programme to increase children’s PA and reduce their SV. Specifically, we focussed on interest in a course, desired content and delivery style, barriers and facilitators to participation and opinions on control group provision.
Methods
In-depth telephone interviews were conducted with thirty two parents (29 female) of 6–8 year olds. Data were analysed thematically. An anonymous online survey was also completed by 750 parents of 6–8 year old children and descriptive statistics calculated.
Results
Interview participants were interested in a parenting course because they wanted general parenting advice and ideas to help their children be physically active. Parents indicated that they would benefit from knowing how to quantify their child’s PA and SV levels. Parents wanted practical ideas of alternatives to SV. Most parents would be unable to attend unless childcare was provided. Schools were perceived to be a trusted source of information about parenting courses and the optimal recruitment location. In terms of delivery style, the majority of parents stated they would prefer a group-based approach that provided opportunities for peer learning and support with professional input. Survey participants reported the timing of classes and the provision of childcare were essential factors that would affect participation. In terms of designing an intervention, the most preferred control group option was the opportunity to attend the same course at a later date.
Conclusions
Parents are interested in PA/SV parenting courses but the provision of child care is essential for attendance. Recruitment is likely to be facilitated via trusted sources. Parents want practical advice on how to overcome barriers and suggest advice is provided in a mutually supportive group experience with expert input
Possible new Arkansas endemic plant revealed by DNA sequence analysis, A
Cardamine angustata var. ouachitana, a wildflower in the mustard family (Brassicaceae), was described by Smith in 1982 to include a form of Cardamine found only in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas. This variety is morphologically very similar to typical Cardamine angustata. The major difference noted by Smith for the two varieties was the complete lack of leaf hairs (trichomes) in the new variety, whereas typical Cardamine angustata normally possesses trichomes. However, Al-Shehbaz rejected the variety ouachitana and reduced it to synonymy with the typical C. angustata. The recommendation of Al-Shehbaz has been followed and the taxon Cardamine angustata var. ouachitana is currently not accepted by most plant taxonomists. We performed a preliminary evaluation of the status of Cardamine angustata var. ouachitana by comparing ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region DNA sequences from specimens of Cardamine angustata var. ouachitana with sequences of Cardamine angustata from the main range of the species and other related species of Cardamine. Phylogenetic analyses of these data produced an unexpected result; specimens of C. angustata var. ouachitana were actually closely related to C. concatenata, rather than the expected close relationship with C. angustata. However, C. angustata var. ouachitana is morphologically distinct from C. concatenata. These results suggest that Cardamine angustata var. ouachitana is actually a new species found only in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas
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