"Making a house a home: the lived experience of older adults residing in sheltered housing in Ireland"

Introduction: The home is a locus point in older adults’ lives and having a sense of home is essential to older adults’ identity, occupational engagement, social interaction and wellbeing. As Ireland’s population continues to grey, there is an increasing number of older adults moving to sheltered housing. Therefore, it is essential that sheltered housing supports older adults in creating a sense of home and belonging following the transition to sheltered housing. Method: This qualitative phenomenological study explored Irish older adults’ lived experience of creating a sense of home following the transition to sheltered housing. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with seven residents, aged 66-88, living in sheltered housing. Purposive sampling was used to recruit people with diverse characteristics in terms of dwelling, age, gender and sheltered housing complex location. Findings: Three themes that captured the lived experience of older adults creating a sense of home following the transition to sheltered housing were; a) personal values, b) environmental aspects and c) occupational engagement. These findings confirmed that developing a sense of home following the transition to sheltered housing is influenced by numerous factors. Discussion: In adherence with the literature, factors which impacted the development of the participants’ sense of home included, having autonomy and choice, and engaging in meaningful occupations. Novel factors included the influence of a sense of permanency and generativity, and reciprocal relationships on the sense of home. Conclusion: This study provides an insight into the essential elements which older adults require to create a sense of home when moving to sheltered housing. In order to promote the wellbeing of older adults living in sheltered housing, it is essential that occupational therapists and sheltered housing organisations understand the factors which contribute to the development of a sense of home

Using lipid nanodiscs for the in vitro glycosylation of membrane proteins

Membrane proteins are involved in a number of human diseases are important to study. Due to the fact that these proteins are, by nature, insoluble in aqueous solutions, they require detergent or lipid environments that resemble cell membranes to remain soluble. Nanodiscs can be used to prevent these proteins from precipitating. Nanodiscs are patches of phospholipid bilayer that is encircled by membrane scaffold protein and mimic the thickness of the human cell membrane. This allows for membrane proteins to be studied in a native-like environment. In our lab we study a specific group of proteins that are post-translationally modified.These proteins are glycoproteins which have sugar groups attached to their sidechains. It is also important to understand how proteins change when a sugar is attached to them. This will be examined by first inserting the membrane protein into nanodiscs and then attempting to glycosylate them using in vitro glycosylation with the enzyme N-Glycosyltransferase (NGT). We will show that membrane proteins that are inserted into nanodiscs can be glycosylated using these methods

Using lipid nanodiscs for the in vitro glycosylation of membrane proteins

Membrane proteins are involved in a number of human diseases are important to study. Due to the fact that these proteins are, by nature, insoluble in aqueous solutions, they require detergent or lipid environments that resemble cell membranes to remain soluble. Nanodiscs can be used to prevent these proteins from precipitating. Nanodiscs are patches of phospholipid bilayer that is encircled by membrane scaffold protein and mimic the thickness of the human cell membrane. This allows for membrane proteins to be studied in a native-like environment. In our lab we study a specific group of proteins that are post-translationally modified. These proteins are glycoproteins which have sugar groups attached to their sidechains. It is also important to understand how proteins change when a sugar is attached to them. This will be examined by first inserting the membrane protein into nanodiscs and then attempting to glycosylate them using in vitro glycosylation with the enzyme N-Glycosyltransferase (NGT). We will show that membrane proteins that are inserted into nanodiscs can be glycosylated using these methods.Oklahoma State University. Freshman Research Scholars ProgramChemistr

Being engaged: The multiple interactions between job demands and job resources and its impact on nurses engagement

This study has been inspired by  the job-demands resource model. It evaluates the role that job resources play in moderating the impact that job demands have on work engagement in a community of nurses. A total of 481 nurses in 109 health care centers participated in this study. Three job demands: work overload, emotional demands, and home-work imbalance; and three specific job resources: social support, autonomy, and self-development opportunities were used to test the interaction hypotheses of this research. Results show that 33 out of 36 of the possible interaction effects were significant, thus showing that job resources create a buffer between job demands and work engagement and its three dimensions in nurses. By and large,   hypotheses were confirmed. Research and practical implications are discussed.Â

The flows of nature to people, and of people to nature: applying movement concepts to ecosystem services

To date, the provision of ecosystem services has largely been estimated based on spatial patterns of land cover alone, using benefit transfer analysis. Although it is increasingly being recognised that the distribution of the human population affects whether a potential service translates into a realised service, this misses key steps in the process and assumes that everyone accesses ecosystem services in the same way. Here we describe a conceptual approach to ecosystem services in terms of movement and flows. We highlight that ecosystem service flows can be broken down into ‘nature to people’ (the movement of nature towards beneficiaries) and ‘people to nature’ (the movement of beneficiaries towards nature). The former has been relatively well described. Here, we explore the latter by reviewing research on human migration, animal foraging and landscape connectivity. We assess if and how existing theories might be useful in describing how people seek out ecosystem services. We consider some of the ways in which flows of people to nature can be measured. Such measurements may reveal which movement theories best represent how people seek out and access ecosystem services. Overall, our review aims to improve the future modelling of ecosystem services by more explicitly considering how people access potential services and therefore realise them

An Inquiry into Model Validity When Addressing Complex Sustainability Challenges

Scientific modelling is a prime means to generate understanding and provide much-needed information to support public decision-making in the fluid area of sustainability. A growing, diverse sustainability modelling literature, however, does not readily lend itself to standard validation procedures, which are typically rooted in the positivist principles of empirical verification and predictive success. Yet, to be useful to decision-makers, models, including their outputs and the processes through which they are established must be, and must be seen to be “valid.” This study explores what model validity means in a problem space with increasingly interlinked and fast-moving challenges. We examine validation perspectives through ontological, epistemic, and methodological lenses, for a range of modelling approaches that can be considered as “complexity-compatible.” The worldview taken in complexity-compatible modelling departs from the more standard modelling assumptions of complete objectivity and full predictability. Drawing on different insights from complexity science, systems thinking, economics, and mathematics, we suggest a ten-dimensional framework for progressing on model validity when investigating sustainability concerns. As such, we develop a widened view of the meaning of model validity for sustainability. It includes (i) acknowledging that several facets of validation are critical for the successful modelling of the sustainability of complex systems; (ii) tackling the thorny issues of uncertainty, subjectivity, and unpredictability; (iii) exploring the realism of model assumptions and mechanisms; (iv) embracing the role of stakeholder engagement and scrutiny throughout the modelling process; and (v) considering model purpose when assessing model validity. We wish to widen the debate on the meaning of model validity in a constructive way. We conclude that consideration of all these elements is necessary to enable sustainability models to support, more effectively, decision-making for complex interdependent systems

The Role of Loneliness as a Mediator Between Autism Features and Mental Health Among Autistic Young Adults

Autistic adults commonly experience anxiety and depression. These mental health concerns are often tied to social experiences, such that mental well-being can be supported by social connection and deteriorated by loneliness. The mediating role of social and emotional loneliness (i.e. social isolation and lack of emotional attachment, respectively) between autism features and mental health has yet to be empirically tested among autistic adults. Here, 69 autistic young adults completed self-report questionnaires assessing social contact (Friendship Questionnaire), autism features (Autism Quotient), mental health (Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Social Phobia Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory), and loneliness (Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults). Positive associations emerged between autism features, social loneliness, family loneliness, social anxiety, and depression. In addition, more social contact was related to less social and family loneliness and less social anxiety but was not related to depression. Mediation analyses indicated significant indirect effects of social contact and autism features on mental health through social loneliness. Indirect effects partially held substituting family loneliness for social loneliness and did not hold using romantic loneliness. In light of these results, the scientific and clinical implications of the role of loneliness for autistic young adults are discussed and recommendations provided. Lay abstract Autistic adults commonly experience mental health concerns including social anxiety and depression, which can have negative effects on their quality of life. It is not completely clear, however, why rates of mental health concerns are so high. Some evidence suggests that social connectedness might play a key role. The goal of this study was to explore links between loneliness, mental health concerns, autism features, and social contact among autistic adults and test whether the links between mental health with autism features and social contact can be explained by loneliness. Researchers in this study collected data using questionnaires completed by 69 autistic young adults. Autistic adults who reported more autism features also reported more social and family loneliness, higher levels of social anxiety and depression, and fewer initiated social contacts. In addition, adults with more social contact initiations were likely to report lower levels of social and family loneliness and social anxiety but not depression. Results showed that the link from social engagement and autism features to social anxiety and depression symptoms could be mostly explained by loneliness. The results of this study expand previous findings by illustrating one factor (loneliness) that might be responsible for the high rates of mental health concerns among adults on the autism spectrum. These findings highlight the importance of studying factors related to mental health concerns among autistic adults and ways to best support social connectedness for the mental well-being of autistic young adults

Phase Transitions of Charged Scalars at Finite Temperature and Chemical Potential

We calculate the grand canonical partition function at the one-loop level for scalar quantum electrodynamics at finite temperature and chemical potential. A classical background charge density with a charge opposite that of the scalars ensures the neutrality of the system. For low density systems we find evidence of a first order phase transition. We find upper and lower bounds on the transition temperature below which the charged scalars form a condensate. A first order phase transition may have consequences for helium-core white dwarf stars in which it has been argued that such a condensate of charged helium-4 nuclei could exist.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures. Version accepted for publication in JHE