An investigation into the effects of gender, prior academic achievement, place of residence, age and attendance on first year undergraduate attainment

The number of people engaging in higher education (HE) has increased considerably over the past decade. However, there is a need to achieve a balance between increasing access and bearing down on rates of non-completion. It has been argued that poor attainment and failure within the first year are significant contributors to the overall statistics for non-progression and that, although research has concentrated on factors causative of student withdrawal, less attention has focused on students who fail academically. This study investigated the effects of a number of a number of factors on the academic attainment of first-year undergraduates within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Glamorgan. Results showed that gender and age had only minor impacts upon educational achievement, while place of residence, prior educational attainment and attendance emerged as significant predictors of attainment. Further analysis showed these three factors to be interrelated , with attendance correlating strongly with both entry points and place or residence. In turn, prior attainment was strongly linked to place of residence. Findings may be used to identify and proactively target students at risk of poor academic performance and dropout in order in order to improve rates of performance and progression

Improving blood pressure control in patients with diabetes mellitus and high cardiovascular risk

Patients with diabetes mellitus and symptomatic coronary artery disease are also likely to be hypertensive and, overall, are at very high cardiovascular (CV) risk. This paper reports the findings of a posthoc analysis of the 1113 patients with diabetes mellitus in the ACTION trial: ACTION itself showed that outcomes in patients with stable angina and hypertension were significantly improved when a long-acting calcium channel blocking drug (nifedipine GITS) was added to their treatment regimens. This further analysis of the ACTION database in those patients with diabetes has identified a number of practical therapeutic issues which are still relevant because of potential outcome benefits, particularly in relation to BP control. For example, despite background CV treatment and, specifically, despite the widespread use of ACE Inhibitor drugs, the addition of nifedipine GITS was associated with significant benefits: improvement in BP control by an average of 6/3 mmHg and significant improvements in outcome. In summary, this retrospective analysis has identified that the addition of nifedipine GITS resulted in improved BP control and significant outcome benefits in patients with diabetes who were at high CV risk. There is evidence to suggest that these findings are of direct relevance to current therapeutic practice

Molecular genetic variation in the African wild rice Oryza longistaminata A. Chev. et Roehr. and its association with environmental variables

Molecular markers, complemented by appropriate Geographical Information System (GIS) software packages are powerful tools in mapping the geographical distribution of genetic variation andassessing its relationship with environmental variables. The objective of the study was therefore to investigate the relationship between genetic diversity and eco-geographic variables using Oryzalongistaminata as a case study. The methodology used was a novel technique that combined hierarchical cluster analysis of both molecular diversity generated using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) and climate data available in a GIS software. The study clearly established that there is a close relationship between genetic diversity and eco-geographic variables. The study also revealed that genetic diversity is a function of annual rainfall, and peak diversity occurs in intermediate rainfall areas reflecting the ‘curvilinear theory’ of clinal relationship between the level of genetic diversity and rainfall. The clear association of genetic diversity with rainfall allows the extrapolation ofthe potential impacts of global warming on diversity when empirical data on predicted climate models, particularly rainfall, are available. This knowledge would therefore be useful in the development ofconservation measures to mitigate the effects of genetic erosion through climate change

Contrasting genetic diversity among Oryza longistaminata (A. Chev et Roehr) populations from different geographic origins using AFLP

Molecular markers have been used extensively in studying genetic diversity, genetic relationships and germplasm management. However, the understanding of between and within population genetic variation and how it is partitioned on the basis of geographic origin is crucial as this helps to improve sampling efficiency. The objective of this study was therefore to assess the intra-specific diversity in Oryza longistaminata and how the variation is partitioned within and between different geographic locations, using molecular markers. AFLP analysis generated 176 bands that revealed high levels of polymorphism (95.6%) and diversity within and between populations. The mean Nei's genetic diversity for all the 176 loci in the 48 populations was 0.302 and diversity for populations within countries ranged from 0.1161 to 0.2126. Partitioning of between and within population diversity revealed that the mean allelic diversity at each polymorphic locus was HT = 0.3445. The within population diversity was (HS = 0.1755) and the between population diversity was (DST = 0.1688). Results of AMOVA revealed significant differences (

Discharge β-Blocker Use and Race after Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Introduction: The use of discharge β-blockers after cardiac surgery is associated with a long-term mortality benefit. β-Blockers have been suggested to be less effective in black cardiovascular patients compared with whites. To date, racial differences in the long-term survival of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) patients who receive β-blockers at discharge have not been examined. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients undergoing CABG between 2002 and 2011. Long-term survival was compared in patients who were and who were not discharged with β-blockers. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed using a Cox regression model. P-for-interaction between race and discharge β-blocker use was computed using a likelihood ratio test. Results: A total of 853 (88%) black (n = 970) and 3,038 (88%) white (n = 3,460) patients had a history of β-blocker use at discharge (N = 4,430). Black patients who received β-blockers survived longer than those not receiving β-blockers and the survival advantage was comparable with white patients (black, adjusted HR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.23–0.46; white, adjusted HR = 0.48, 95% CI = 0.39–0.58; p-for-interaction = 0.74). Among patients discharged on β-blockers, we did not observe a long-term survival advantage for white compared with black patients (HR = 1.2, 95% CI = 0.95–1.5). Conclusion: β-Blocker use at discharge was associated with a survival advantage among black patients after CABG and a similar association was observed in white patients

CWRML: representing crop wild relative conservation and use data in XML

Background Crop wild relatives are wild species that are closely related to crops. They are valuable as potential gene donors for crop improvement and may help to ensure food security for the future. However, they are becoming increasingly threatened in the wild and are inadequately conserved, both in situ and ex situ. Information about the conservation status and utilisation potential of crop wild relatives is diverse and dispersed, and no single agreed standard exists for representing such information; yet, this information is vital to ensure these species are effectively conserved and utilised. The European Community-funded project, European Crop Wild Relative Diversity Assessment and Conservation Forum, determined the minimum information requirements for the conservation and utilisation of crop wild relatives and created the Crop Wild Relative Information System, incorporating an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) schema to aid data sharing and exchange. Results Crop Wild Relative Markup Language (CWRML) was developed to represent the data necessary for crop wild relative conservation and ensure that they can be effectively utilised for crop improvement. The schema partitions data into taxon-, site-, and population-specific elements, to allow for integration with other more general conservation biology schemata which may emerge as accepted standards in the future. These elements are composed of sub-elements, which are structured in order to facilitate the use of the schema in a variety of crop wild relative conservation and use contexts. Pre-existing standards for data representation in conservation biology were reviewed and incorporated into the schema as restrictions on element data contents, where appropriate. Conclusion CWRML provides a flexible data communication format for representing in situ and ex situ conservation status of individual taxa as well as their utilisation potential. The development of the schema highlights a number of instances where additional standards-development may be valuable, particularly with regard to the representation of population-specific data and utilisation potential. As crop wild relatives are intrinsically no different to other wild plant species there is potential for the inclusion of CWRML data elements in the emerging standards for representation of biodiversity data

Extremely hard GRB spectra prune down the forest of emission models

We consider the evidence for very hard low energy spectra during the prompt phase of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRB). In particular we examine the spectral evolution of GRB 980306 together with the detailed analysis of some other bursts already presented in the literature (GRB 911118, GRB 910807, GRB 910927 and GRB 970111), and check for the significance of their hardness (i.e. extremely steep spectral slopes below the $EF_{E}$ peak) by applying different tests. These bursts, detected by the Burst And Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) in the $\sim 30$ keV -- 2 MeV energy range, are sufficiently bright to allow time resolved spectral studies on time intervals of the order of tenths of a second. We discuss the hard spectra of these bursts and their evolution in the context of several non--thermal emission models, which all appear inadequate to account for these cases. The extremely hard spectra, which are detected in the early part of the BATSE light curve, are also compared with a black body spectral model: the resulting fits are remarkably good, except for an excess at high energies (in several cases) which could be simply accounted for by the presence of a supra--thermal component. The findings on the possible thermal character of the evolving spectrum and the implications on the GRB physical scenario are considered in the frameworks of photospheric models for a fireball which is becoming optically thin, and of Compton drag models, in which the fireball boosts "ambient" seed photons by its own bulk motion. Both models, according to simple estimates, appear to be qualitatively and quantitatively consistent with the found spectral characteristics, although their possible caveats are discussed.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, 2 tables - Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Seven steps to mapping health service provision: Lessons learned from mapping services for adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the UK

This is the final version. Available on open access from BMC via the DOI in this recordAvailability of data and materials: The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are not publicly available because they are part of ongoing research that is not yet published, but they are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.Background: ADHD affects some individuals throughout their lifespan, yet service provision for adults in the United Kingdom (UK) is patchy. Current methods for mapping health service provision are resource intensive, do not map specialist ADHD teams separately from generic mental health services, and often fail to triangulate government data with accounts from service users and clinicians. Without a national audit that maps adult ADHD provision, it is difficult to quantify current gaps in provision and make the case for change. This paper describes the development of a seven step approach to map adult ADHD service provision in the UK. Methods: A mapping method was piloted in 2016 and run definitively in 2018. A seven step method was developed: 1. Defining the target service 2. Identifying key informants 3. Designing the survey 4. Data collection 5. Data analysis 6. Communicating findings 7. Hosting/updating the service map. Patients and members of the public (including clinicians and commissioners) were involved with design, data collection and dissemination of findings. Results: Using a broad definition of adult ADHD services resulted in an inclusive list of identified services, and allowed the definition to be narrowed to National Health Service (NHS) funded specialist ADHD services at data analysis, with confidence that few relevant services would be missed. Key informants included patients, carers, a range of health workers, and commissioners. A brief online survey, written using lay terms, appeared acceptable to informants. Emails sent using national organisations' mailing lists were the most effective way to access informants on a large scale. Adaptations to the methodology in 2018 were associated with 64% more responses (2371 vs 1446) collected in 83% less time (5 vs 30 weeks) than the pilot. The 2016 map of adult ADHD services was viewed 13,688 times in 17 weeks, indicating effective communication of findings. Conclusion: This seven step pragmatic method was effective for collating and communicating national service data about UK adult ADHD service provision. Patient and public involvement and engagement from partner organisations was crucial throughout. Lessons learned may be transferable to mapping service provision for other health conditions and in other locations.National Institute for Health Research (NIHR