Applying the key principles of nutrition to nursing practice

This article outlines the importance of good nutrition in adults and children. With reference to adult nursing, the article highlights the benefits of nutritional screening of patients, identifies alternative foods for undernourished patients, and discusses why feeding and planning meal times are vital aspects of patient care. In terms of paediatric nursing, the article discusses the implications of childhood obesity and the importance of eating the right balance of foods

The population dynamics of Plasmodium within the mosquito

Malaria remains one of the world’s most devastating vector-borne parasitic diseases and existing control tools may not be enough to meet the challenge of eliminating malaria in areas of high transmission. Understanding the population dynamics of Plasmodium within the mosquito vector is essential for developing, optimising, and evaluating novel control measures aimed at reducing transmission by targeting this important interface. Malaria research and mathematical models of transmission classically assume that the processes involved in the progression and development of the Plasmodium parasite within Anopheles mosquitoes are independent of parasite density. The research presented in this thesis challenges this assumption, investigating the impact of parasite density on population processes and regulation. A multidisciplinary approach has been taken, including statistical analyses, practical experimentation, and mathematical modelling. The results show that the progression of the rodent malaria Plasmodium berghei through Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes depends nonlinearly on parasite density, with the presence of both negative and positive density-dependent processes in operation. Analyses of other Plasmodium– Anopheles species combinations also indicate that the traditional assumption of density independence may be an oversimplification. Experimental investigation of mosquito mortality illustrates that the survival of a mosquito depends both on mosquito age and parasite density, again in contrast to the assumptions of malaria transmission modelling. A framework for a mathematical model tracking Plasmodium density within the mosquito has been developed as part of this thesis. Further investigation of sporogonic processes will allow this model to be further refined and extended for use in the future design and evaluation of interventions which target the mosquito or the parasite whilst within the vector

Examination of potential mediators and moderators of the relationship between social media use and depression symptoms

Rates of depressive episodes are highest among emerging adults (aged 18-25) and the incidence of a major depressive episode has increased by 46%, 122%, 59%, and 39% for individuals aged 18-19, 20-21, 22-23, and 24-25, respectively, from 2009 to 2017 (Twenge, 2019). Because the rates of depression have been increasing over the same period as increases in the use of social media, social media has been implicated as a potential contributor to depression among emerging adults. Prior research has demonstrated an association between social media (SM) use and depression, but fewer studies examine the relationships between specific SM platforms despite potential differences in how these platforms affect mental health. The current study collected usage data for two SM platforms - Instagram and Twitter - directly from participants' smartphones and collected self-reported depression symptoms. Self-report measures of potential mediators and moderators of the relationship between SM and depression symptoms (social comparison, pessimism, negative SM experiences, and negative mood following SM use) were also administered. Participants also engaged in a manipulation and were assigned to one of four groups, either using Twitter for 5 minutes or 30 minutes or using Instagram for 5 minutes or 30 minutes. Results revealed no direct associations between Instagram use or Twitter use and depressive symptoms. However, there was a significant indirect effect of Instagram use on depressive symptoms through social comparison as well as a significant indirect effect of Twitter use on depressive symptoms through pessimism. Unexpectedly, 5 minutes of in-lab Instagram use resulted in lower social comparison scores. There were no significant findings regarding state angry mood, state sad mood, and state pessimism before and after Twitter use. The current study was the first to compare Instagram and Twitter use with our unique methodology. Our results suggest that increased Twitter use may be associated with increased depressive symptoms through increased pessimism, whereas Instagram may be associated with increased depressive symptoms through increased social comparison. Results emphasize the importance of examining social media platforms separately and investigating potential mediators of social media use and mental health symptoms

HISSbot: Sidewinding with a Soft Snake Robot

Snake robots are characterized by their ability to navigate through small spaces and loose terrain by utilizing efficient cyclic forms of locomotion. Soft snake robots are a subset of these robots which utilize soft, compliant actuators to produce movement. Prior work on soft snake robots has primarily focused on planar gaits, such as undulation. More efficient spatial gaits, such as sidewinding, are unexplored gaits for soft snake robots. We propose a novel means of constructing a soft snake robot capable of sidewinding, and introduce the Helical Inflating Soft Snake Robot (HISSbot). We validate this actuation through the physical HISSbot, and demonstrate its ability to sidewind across various surfaces. Our tests show robustness in locomotion through low-friction and granular media.Comment: 7 pages, 9 figures, to be published in RoboSoft 202

Fit to Study: Reflections on designing and implementing a large-scale randomized controlled trial in secondary schools

Background. The randomised controlled trial (RCT) design is increasingly common among studies seeking good-quality evidence to advance educational neuroscience, but conducting RCTs in schools is challenging. Fit to Study, one of six such trials funded by the Education Endowment Foundation and Wellcome Trust, tested an intervention to increase vigorous physical activity during PE lessons on maths attainment among pupils aged 12–13. This review of designing and conducting an RCT in 104 schools is intended as a resource on which researchers might draw for future studies. Method. We consider intervention design and delivery; recruitment, retention, trial management, data collection and analysis including ethical considerations and working with evaluators. Results. Teacher training, intervention delivery and data collection during large-scale RCTs require a flexible approach appropriate to educational settings, which in turn entails planning and resources. Conclusion. Simple interventions, with few outcome measures and minimal missing data, are preferable to more complex designs

Unspoken playground rules discourage adolescent physical activity in school : a focus group study of constructs in the Prototype Willingness Model

The health benefits of exercise in school are recognised, yet physical activity continues to decline during early adolescence despite numerous interventions. In this study we investigated whether the Prototype Willingness Model, an account of adolescent decision-making that includes both reasoned behavioural choices and unplanned responses to social environments, might improve understanding of physical activity in school. We conducted focus groups with British pupils aged 12-13 and used deductive thematic analysis to search for themes relating to the model. Participants described reasoned decisions about physical activity outside school and unplanned choices to be inactive during break, in response to social contexts described as more ‘judgmental’ than in primary school. Social contexts appeared characterised by anxiety about competence, negative peer evaluation and inactive playground norms. The Prototype Willingness Model might more fully explain physical activity in school than reasoned behavioural models alone, indicating potential for interventions targeting anxieties about playground social environments

What are the correlates of hearing aid use for people living with dementia?

Objectives: To identify correlates of hearing aid use in people with dementia and age-related hearing loss. Methods: Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses of predictor variables from 239 participants with dementia and hearing loss in the European SENSE-Cog Randomized Controlled Trial (Cyprus, England, France, Greece, and Ireland). Results: In multivariate analysis, four variables were significantly associated with hearing aid use: greater self-perceived hearing difficulties (OR 2.61 [CI 1.04−6.55]), lower hearing acuity (OR .39 [CI .2−.56]), higher cognitive ability (OR 1.19 [CI 1.08−1.31]), and country of residence. Participants in England had significantly increased odds of use compared to Cyprus (OR .36 [CI .14−.96]), France (OR .12 [CI .04−.34]) or Ireland (OR .05 [CI .01−.56]) but not Greece (OR 1.13 [CI .42–3.00]). Conclusions: Adapting interventions to account for cognitive ability, country of residence, self-perceived hearing difficulties, and hearing acuity may support hearing aid use in people with dementia

Progression of Plasmodium berghei through Anopheles stephensi Is Density-Dependent

It is well documented that the density of Plasmodium in its vertebrate host modulates the physiological response induced; this in turn regulates parasite survival and transmission. It is less clear that parasite density in the mosquito regulates survival and transmission of this important pathogen. Numerous studies have described conversion rates of Plasmodium from one life stage to the next within the mosquito, yet few have considered that these rates might vary with parasite density. Here we establish infections with defined numbers of the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei to examine how parasite density at each stage of development (gametocytes; ookinetes; oocysts and sporozoites) influences development to the ensuing stage in Anopheles stephensi, and thus the delivery of infectious sporozoites to the vertebrate host. We show that every developmental transition exhibits strong density dependence, with numbers of the ensuing stages saturating at high density. We further show that when fed ookinetes at very low densities, oocyst development is facilitated by increasing ookinete number (i.e., the efficiency of ookinete–oocyst transformation follows a sigmoid relationship). We discuss how observations on this model system generate important hypotheses for the understanding of malaria biology, and how these might guide the rational analysis of interventions against the transmission of the malaria parasites of humans by their diverse vector species

The importance of prototype similarity for physical activity: cross-sectional and longitudinal associations in a large sample of young adolescents

Objectives. Physical activity declines during adolescence. The Theory of Planned Behaviour is a useful framework for investigating activity, but leaves variance unexplained. We explored the utility of a dual-process approach by using the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the Prototype Willingness Model to investigate correlates of physical activity, and of one-year change in physical activity, among a large sample of adolescents. Design. A cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of baseline and follow-up data from the Fit to Study cluster-randomised trial.  Methods. 9,699 secondary school pupils at baseline and 4,632 at follow-up (mean age=12.5 years) completed measures of past week physical activity and constructs from the two behaviour-change models, at time-points one year apart. Cross-sectional analyses used multilevel, stepwise models to measure strength of associations between model constructs and physical activity, and variance in behaviour explained by Prototype Willingness Model over and above Theory of Planned Behaviour. In longitudinal analyses, change scores were calculated by subtracting follow-up from baseline scores. Models controlling for trial treatment status measured strength of associations between change scores, and variance explained. Results. At baseline, after controlling for past behaviour, physically-active prototype similarity had the strongest relationship with activity after intention to be active.  Change in prototype similarity had the strongest relationship with change in activity after change in intention and attitudes. Prototype perceptions and willingness explained additional variance in behaviour. Conclusion. A dual-process model incorporating prototype perceptions could more usefully predict  physical activity than models based on rational expectations alone.  Behaviour-change interventions promoting an active self-image could be tested for effects on physical activity. Key words: Theory of Planned Behaviour, Prototype Willingness Model, physical activity, adolescent, behaviour-change