Opportunities to co-create and deliver short breaks: integrating research and practice

There are exciting opportunities to co-create and deliver short breaks for carers underpinned by a robust research evidence base. This poster presentation describes a UK-wide Research and Practice Development Group recently established to take forward research and practice on meaningful short breaks for carers, i.e. short breaks that promote interdependent caring relationships and benefit both carers and people with complex support needs. Its development follows discussions at the International Short Breaks Association Conference in Edinburgh 2016, which identified the need to establish an effective UK-wide approach to developing and coordinating research and sharing knowledge. Our presentation explores how the Group shall support the development of national and international research collaborations and opportunities for knowledge exchange. Working across a range of academic disciplines and practice settings, the Group shall: 1. Build research capacity and support a culture of research excellence to address gaps in the evidence base relating to meaningful short breaks. 2. Facilitate knowledge exchange between academia, policy and practice in ways that encourage innovations in policy and practice development. A strong evidence base is required to understand the role of meaningful short breaks in supporting inter-dependent caring relationships and carer resilience

Making personalised short breaks meaningful: a future research agenda to connect academia, policy and practice

Purpose: There is a growing policy impetus to promote carer well-being through the provision of personalised short breaks. However, understanding of what makes for a successful personalised short break is limited. This paper aims to identify key evidence gaps and considers how these could be addressed. Design/methodology/approach: A scoping review mapping the evidence base relevant to respite and short breaks for carers for older people, including those living with dementia, was completed. National and international literature published from 2000 onwards was reviewed. The scoping review focused on well-being outcomes, identified by previous research, as being important to carers. Findings: Most studies investigating the outcomes of short breaks for carers supporting older people focus on traditional day and residential respite care. Although there have been developments in more personalised break options for carers, research exploring their impact is scarce. There is limited knowledge about how these personalised breaks might support carers to realise important outcomes, including carer health and well-being; a life alongside caring; positive caregiving relationships; choices in caring; and satisfaction in caring. Three priority lines of inquiry to shape a future research agenda are identified: understanding what matters – evidencing personalised short break needs and intended outcomes; capturing what matters – outcomes from personalised short breaks; and commissioning, delivering and scaling up personalised short breaks provision to reflect what matters. Originality/value: This paper contributes to the development of an outcome-focused research agenda on personalised short breaks

Assessing the Impact of a CSforALL Research-Practice Partnership Using the PROSPER Framework: A Case Study of the Chicago Alliance for Equity in Computer Science (CAFÉCS)

The Chicago Alliance for Equity in Computer Science (CAFÉCS) Research Practice Partnership (RPP) has been working for more than a decade towards their mission to engage in research and development that enables Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to ensure that all students in Chicago participate in engaging, relevant, and rigorous computing experiences, increase opportunities for all students to pursue computing pathways and prepare all students for the future of work. The partnership engaged in an iterative design process to develop a framework for understanding the areas of RPP impact on a district. This paper applies the PROSPER framework to the CAFÉCS case study by deductively coding 26 RPP-led publications and 10 grant awards. The results of this analysis suggest that the RPP was able to make significant impact in the areas of Programs, Research, Organizational Structure, and Policy, leading to Equitable Results for students. We present the PROSPER Framework as a practical framework that other education RPPs can use to assess their own impact on their partner districts. We discuss further questions and areas of interest as means to better understand the interconnected nature of these different areas of impact

To choose or not to choose: exploring Australians` views about internet banking

This paper explores Australian domestic customers\u27 choices with regard to Internet banking, examining why it is taken up by some Australians and not others. The constructivist conceptual framework and the grounded nature of the method enabled in-depth exploration of key issues not undertaken before by the mainly positivist studies. The purposeful sample of 32 participants was selected to represent the major categories of people relevant to the research. Everett Rogers\u27 famous analysis of \u27diffusion of innovations\u27 was one theoretical framework used to illuminate the findings; the other was digital divide factors in relation to banking choices. The findings include 1) that the major motivation for people to adopt Internet banking is convenience, closely linked to time savings and ease of accessibility, as well as confidence and skill in Internet use; and 2) that, at the time of the study, digital divide factors were playing an important part in banking choices.<br /

The effects of ion implantation on the tribology of perfluoropolyether-lubricated 440C stainless steel couples

The lubricating lifetime of thin films of a perfluoropolyether (PFPE) based on hexafluoropropene oxide in the presence of ion implanted 440C stainless steel is presented. Stainless steel discs, either unimplanted or implanted with N2, C, Ti, Ti + N2, or Ti + C had a thin film of PFPE (60-400 A) applied to them reproducibly (+/- 20 percent) and uniformly (+/- 15 percent) using a device developed for this study. The lifetimes of these films were quantified by measuring the number of sliding-wear cycles required to induce an increase in the friction coefficient from an initial value characteristic of the lubricated wear couple to a final, or failure value, characteristic of an unlubricated, unimplanted couple. The tests were performed in a dry nitrogen atmosphere (less than 1 percent RH) at room temperature using a 3 N normal load with a relative sliding speed of 0.05 m/s. The lubricated lifetime of the 440C couple was increased by an order of magnitude by implanting the disc with Ti. Ranked from most to least effective, the implanted species were: Ti; Ti+C; unimplanted; N2; C approximately equals Ti+N2. The mechanism postulated to explain these results involves the formation of a passivating or reactive layer which inhibits or facilitates the production of active sites. The corresponding surface microstructures induced by ion implantation, obtained using x-ray diffraction and conversion electron Mossbauer spectroscopy, ranked from most to least effective in enhancing lubricant lifetime were: amorphous Fe-Cr-Ti; amorphous Fe-Cr-Ti-C + TiC; unimplanted; epsilon-(Fe,Cr)(sub x)N, x = 2 or 3; amorphous Fe-Cr-C approximately equals amorphous Fe-Cr-Ti-N

Concert recording 2019-04-05

[Track 1]. Concerto for bass trombone and band. I. Allegro con energico [Track 2]. II. Adagio molto [Track 3]. III. Allegro molto vivace / Derek Bourgeois -- [Track 4]. Piano prelude no. 2 Blue lullaby / George Gershwin -- [Track 5]. New Orleans / Eugene Bozza -- [Tracks 6-9]. 1+5 / Frigyes Hidas -- [Track 10]. There will never be another you / Harry Warren -- [Track 11]. Devil\u27s waltz / Steven Verhelst

A Novel Fabrication Method for Compliant Silicone Phantoms of Arterial Geometry for Use in Particle Image Velocimetry of Haemodynamics

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are one of the leading causes of death globally. In-vitro measurement of blood flow in compliant arterial phantoms can provide better insight into haemodynamic states and therapeutic procedures. However, current fabrication techniques are not capable of producing thin-walled compliant phantoms of complex shapes. This study presents a new approach for the fabrication of compliant phantoms suitable for optical measurement. Two 1.5× scaled models of the ascending aorta, including the brachiocephalic artery (BCA), were fabricated from silicone elastomer Sylgard-184. The initial phantom used the existing state of the art lost core manufacturing technique with simple end supports, an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) additive manufactured male mould and Ebalta-milled female mould. The second phantom was produced with the same method but used more rigid end supports and ABS male and female moulds. The wall thickness consistency and quality of resulting stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (SPIV) were used to verify the fidelity of the phantom for optical measurement and investigation of physiological flow fields. However, the initial phantom had a rough surface that obscured SPIV analysis and had a variable wall thickness (range = 0.815 mm). The second phantom provided clear particle images and had a less variable wall thickness (range = 0.317 mm). The manufacturing method developed is suitable for fast and cost-effective fabrication of different compliant arterial phantom geometries

Ocean Futures for the World’s Largest Yellowfin Tuna Population Under the Combined Effects of Ocean Warming and Acidification

The impacts of climate change are expected to have profound effects on the fisheries of the Pacific Ocean, including its tuna fisheries, the largest globally. This study examined the combined effects of climate change on the yellowfin tuna population using the ecosystem model SEAPODYM. Yellowfin tuna fisheries in the Pacific contribute significantly to the economies and food security of Pacific Island Countries and Territories and Oceania. We use an ensemble of earth climate models to project yellowfin populations under a high greenhouse gas emissions (IPCC RCP8.5) scenario, which includes, the combined effects of a warming ocean, increasing acidification and changing ocean chemistry. Our results suggest that the acidification impact will be smaller in comparison to the ocean warming impact, even in the most extreme ensemble member scenario explored, but will have additional influences on yellowfin tuna population dynamics. An eastward shift in the distribution of yellowfin tuna was observed in the projections in the model ensemble in the absence of explicitly accounting for changes in acidification. The extent of this shift did not substantially differ when the three-acidification induced larval mortality scenarios were included in the ensemble; however, acidification was projected to weaken the magnitude of the increase in abundance in the eastern Pacific. Together with intensive fishing, these potential changes are likely to challenge the global fishing industry as well as the economies and food systems of many small Pacific Island Countries and Territories. The modelling framework applied in this study provides a tool for evaluating such effects and informing policy development

Draft genome sequences of Geobacillus sp. Strains CAMR5420 and CAMR12739

Thermophilic Geobacillus spp. can efficiently hydrolyse hemicellulose polymers and are therefore of interest in biotechnological applications. Here we report the genomes of two hemicellulotyic strains, Geobacillus sp. CAMR12739 and CAMR5420.Genomics Research Institute, University of Pretoriahttp://genomea.asm.orghb201