Administering LAAIs: an education and training workshop

This is the second of two articles that focus on the inter-collaborative work, between education and practice, to enhance theoretical and practical delivery for mental health nurses when administrating long-acting antipsychotic injections (LAAIs). By designing two questionnaires, we were able to evaluate knowledge gain and the satisfaction level of the course delivery by the mental health nurses. These appear initially to identify that such educational strategies can make a positive impact in clinical practice

Investigation into the effect of LRRK2-Rab10 protein interactions on the Proboscis Extension Response of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a debilitating disease which affects 1% of the population worldwide and is characterised by stiffness, tremor and bradykinesia. PD is a complex disease with many suspected genetic and environmental causes, and it is critical to understand all the pathways involved in disease progression to develop effective therapies for PD, which currently has no cure. A kinasecoding gene, LRRK2 has emerged as a focal point for much PD research, particularly PD-associated SNP LRRK2-G2019S, which leads to LRRK2 overactivity. Rab proteins, a series of small GTPases, have been identified among the proteins phosphorylated by LRRK2. These interactions may be modelled in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Using optogenetics in the fly, this project investigates the relationship between the LRRK2-G2019S and Rab10 interaction, and the speed and degree of tremor of Proboscis Extension Response (PER) by triggering a PER in fly lines of different genotypes. Significant bradykinesia in Rab10 null flies which was not recreated in flies with dopaminergic neuron Rab10RNAi suggests that the bradykinesia PER phenotype is caused by off-target effect of Rab10-KO in another tissue of the fly than the dopaminergic neurons. Over-expression of Rab10 in dopaminergic neurons of flies also expressing LRRK2-G2019S produced resting tremor and inability to fully extend the proboscis

Greenpeace, Earth First! and The Earth Liberation Front: The Progression of the Radical Environmental Movement in America

Causes of worldwide environmental destruction created a form of activism, Ecotage with an incredible success rate. Ecotage uses direct action, or monkey wrenching, to prevent environmental destruction. Mainstream conservation efforts were viewed by many environmentalists as having failed from compromise inspiring the birth of radicalized groups. This eventually transformed conservationists into radicalists. Green Peace inspired radical environmentalism by civil disobedience, media campaigns and direct action tactics, but remained mainstream. Earth First’s! philosophy is based on a no compromise approach. They took direct action tactics further than Green Peace was willing too. Earth First’s! direct action campaigns epitomize modern environmental radicalism. Tree spiking, sabotage, arson and other forms of property destruction inspired even more violent radical groups decades later. The Earth Liberation Front (ELF) is the top domestic terror threat in the United States today. It is the collective name for anonymous and autonomous individuals and groups that use unconventional methods of economic sabotage and guerrilla warfare to halt environmental destruction. They have been compared to terrorists and criticized for lacking true commitment to environmental preservation resulting from their destructive direct action methods. My research shows that the ideology and actions of the modern radical environmental movement can only be understood by taking into account the lasting political, social and radical precedents created by the groups that inspired it. The movement today displays ideology, tactics, and enthusiasm for direct action that can only be understood from early influences in the movement. Examining individual radical groups apart from the movement provide sufficient insight and explanation for how today’s movement functions

On the exposure of hands to vibration in road cycling: an assessment of the effect of gloves and handlebar tape

The objective of this work was to assess the effectiveness of cycling gloves and handlebar tape in reducing the vibration transmitted to the cyclist’s hands in the classic “hoods” position for shock-type excitation at the front wheel on a bicycle treadmill. Three pairs of conditions were tested on a single participant: (1) With gloves vs. no gloves, no bar tape; (2) With bar tape vs. no bar tape, no gloves; (3) With gloves and bar tape vs. no gloves and no bar tape. We have shown that a rider can expect a small but significant drop in the level of transmitted power and energy through the handlebars when wearing a standard pair of road cycling gloves. If bar tape is used however (both with and without gloves), there is a significantly larger drop in the level of transmitted power and energy through the handlebars

An assessment of bicycle frame behaviour under various load conditions using numerical simulations

This paper outlines the use of a finite element model to simulate the behaviour for a standard steel bicycle frames under a range of measured load cases. These load cases include those measured both in the laboratory setting and also in the field, and include loads transmitted at key areas such as the dropouts and hub, the bottom bracket and drive, the headset and handlebars, and the seat post and saddle. The load cases analysed include static representations of dynamic bump situations which occur sporadically and also those which occur constantly or regularly such as those generated at the drive and handlebars during climbing or cruising. The resulting stresses within the bicycle are analysed in the context of frame performance relating to static and fatigue strengths and are also compared to similar load cases presented in the literature. Further research is required to understand the influence of tube profiles on frame strength, and to analyse the modes of failure for various bicycle designs and materials used under typical and extreme usage in order to understand the implications of design on safety