Evaluation of the Altogether Better Asset Mapping in Sharrow and Firth Park, Sheffield

‘I am My Community’ is an asset mapping exercise led by Altogether Better that has explored a model by which trained Community Health Champions (CHCs) are used to undertake an inventory of the physical and social assets linked to the health and well-being of their communities and neighbourhoods. The project, which started in 2011 and was completed in April 2012, was undertaken in two communities in Sheffield, Sharrow and Firth Park, by two delivery organisations, ShipShape and SOAR. A steering group including Altogether Better, the Department of Health, Sheffield Well-Being Consortium, Sheffield City Council, ShipShape staff and CHCs, SOAR staff and CHCs, and South Yorkshire Police has overseen the delivery and development of the project and work. This report presents findings from an evaluation of the ‘I am My Community’ asset mapping, conducted by the Centre for Health Promotion Research, Institute for Health and Wellbeing at Leeds Metropolitan University. It presents evidence about the engagement of CHCs in asset mapping and offers recommendations regarding their involvement in future projects

Influenza di diversi fattori abiotici sulla risposta al congelamento di Arabidopsis thaliana

La temperatura rappresenta uno dei più importanti fattori che condizionano la distribuzione geografica delle piante - organismi pecilotermi e sessili - e la produttività delle specie agrarie. Mentre la maggior parte delle specie vegetali di origine tropicale e subtropicale (ivi comprese piante coltivate di grande importanza economica come mais, riso, pomodoro, patata, fagiolo, soia, cotone e molte specie da frutto) incorre in danni da freddo a temperature inferiori ai 10°C, molte piante originarie di climi temperati hanno sviluppato meccanismi che permettono loro non soltanto di mantenere attivi i processi di crescita e di sviluppo in condizioni di gelo, ma altresì di sopportare successivi eventi di congelamento. La risposta della pianta agli stress da basse temperature è un carattere quantitativo (multigenico), influenzato tanto dalle caratteristiche dello stress ambientale (temperatura, durata dell'esposizione) quanto dalla capacità di acclimatazione dell'organismo (fenomeno complesso e inducibile, risultante nell'acquisizione di tolleranza al congelamento in seguito a un periodo di temperature basse ma superiori a quelle di congelamento). Un'intensa e prolungata attività di ricerca ha evidenziato che stress ambientali il cui effetto primario consista nella disidratazione cellulare, come gli stress idrici, la salinità, gli stress osmotici e il congelamento medesimo, conducono spesso a cambiamenti simili nel metabolismo della pianta e nell'espressione genica, indicando l'esistenza di estese interazioni nelle rispettive vie di percezione e risposta. L'obiettivo del presente lavoro è valutare, dunque, se fattori abiotici contraddistinti da una componente di disidratazione siano in grado di esercitare un effetto sulla risposta al congelamento di piante trattate e se, in caso affermativo, tale effetto abbia carattere protettivo oppure sia di detrimento; a questo scopo è stata scelta la specie modello Arabidopsis thaliana, in ragione della sua versatilità e dell'ampia disponibilità di risorse molecolari e bioinformatiche ad essa relative. Il comportamento di piante sottoposte a stress da salinità, da siccità e all'applicazione di ABA esogeno (che mima, a livello cellulare, gli stress osmotici e da disidratazione) è stato comparato con quello di piante mantenute in condizioni di controllo e di piante acclimatate, in termini sia di sopravvivenza al congelamento che di tolleranza al medesimo, per la quale sono stati impiegati come parametri la stabilità delle membrane, il contenuto in pigmenti fogliari e la concentrazione fogliare di zuccheri liberi. In seguito, l'esistenza di cross-talk fra il congelamento e i fattori abiotici e la loro ampiezza sono state valutate attraverso l'esame dei profili proteici, prodotti mediante elettroforesi bidimensionale. I risultati ottenuti hanno consentito di individuare differenze significative fra i controlli e alcuni dei trattamenti effettuati, nonché di identificare spot proteici differenzialmente espressi all'interno dei profili corrispondenti. Dall'attribuzione degli spot d'interesse, che può essere raggiunta mediante spettrometria di massa, sarebbe possibile ricavare ulteriori informazioni in merito al ruolo funzionale dei prodotti individuati nella difesa della pianta dallo stress da congelamento

Retrospective study in patients with HF ASD and Asperger syndrome: observations on clinical phenotypes

openIl disturbo dello spettro autistico è una condizione molto eterogenea, la cui eterogeneità è in parte determinata dalle differenze nel quoziente intellettivo (QI). Questo studio si concentra sulla parte di spettro senza deficit intellettivo (DI), che comprende l'autismo ad alto funzionamento (HFA o HF ASD) e la sindrome di Asperger (AS). Mentre “autismo ad alto funzionamento” è un'espressione non ufficiale usata per descrivere i pazienti autistici senza deficit intellettivo, il termine “sindrome di Asperger” ha avuto una breve esistenza all’interno della quarta edizione del Manuale diagnostico e statistico dei disturbi mentali (DSM-IV, 1995), prima di essere rimosso nella quinta edizione (DSM-5, 2013). Nonostante la sua breve durata, la sindrome di Asperger è riuscita a suscitare un enorme interesse e diverse controversie sulla sua validità diagnostica e sulla sua differenziazione dall’autismo ad alto funzionamento. Il presente studio si propone di esaminare AS e HFA e in particolare le loro differenze nei profili clinici. La popolazione dello studio è stata raccolta retrospettivamente tra i pazienti afferiti all'Unità di Neuropsichiatria del Dipartimento di Salute del Bambino e della Donna dell'Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria di Padova, tra gennaio 2018 e gennaio 2022. Sono stati selezionati 43 pazienti che hanno ricevuto una diagnosi di disturbo dello spettro autistico secondo i criteri del DMS-5 e che non presentavano disabilità intellettiva. I pazienti sono stati poi suddivisi in due gruppi in base all’appartenenza ai sottogruppi HFA e AS. Sono state riscontrate differenze significative tra i due soprattutto per quanto riguarda l’età dei pazienti alla diagnosi, molti aspetti del linguaggio e della comunicazione, e le comorbilità (disturbi ansiosi e/o depressivi). Non sono state riscontrate invece differenze in molti altri aspetti, come la motricità e il sistema sensoriale, a riprova della forte somiglianza tra i due sottotipi. Da un punto di vista meramente clinico, le somiglianze sono apparse maggiori delle differenze.Autism spectrum disorder is a very heterogeneous condition, whose heterogeneity is in part determined by differences in intelligence quotient (IQ). This study focuses on the part of the spectrum without Intellectual disability (ID), which includes High Functioning Autism (HFA or HF ASD) and Asperger syndrome (AS). While “high functioning autism” is an unofficial expression used to describe autistic patients without intellectual deficiency (ID), the term “Asperger syndrome” had a brief existence as a diagnostic entity in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV, 1995), before being removed in the fifth edition (DSM-5, 2013). Despite its short life span, Asperger syndrome still managed to arouse huge interest and controversy upon its diagnostic validity and its differentiation from HFA. The present study aims to examine AS and HFA and in particular their differences in clinical profiles. The population of the study was retrospectively collected among patients referred to the Neuropsychiatry Unit of Child and Woman Health Department, University Hospital of Padua, between January 2018 and January 2022. Forty-three patients, who received a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder according to the DMS-5 criteria and who had no intellectual deficits, were selected. The patients were then divided into two groups based on the subtype: HFA and AS. Significant differences were found between the two, especially in the age of the patients at diagnosis, in many aspects of language and communication, as well as in comorbid disorders (anxiety and/or depressive disorders). No differences were found in many other aspects, such as motor and sensory systems, proving the strong similarity between the two subtypes. From a merely clinical point of view, similitudes appeared greater than differences.

Understanding quality of life through Sen's capability framework : an application to people living with HIV/AIDS

It is nearly 30 years ago that the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) epidemic officially started. In 2008 an estimated total of 33.4 million people lived worldwide with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS. Despite the fact that there is still no cure or vaccine for the HIV virus, important progress has been achieved in treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) since the mid-1990s, when Highly-Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) was introduced. HAART has proved successful in reducing AIDS-related morbidity and mortality and, therefore, prolonging the life expectancy of PLWHA. In Western democracies such as Australia, HIV/AIDS is considered as a chronic disease that can be managed by most people with the help of regular medical monitoring, adherence to treatment, and access to medical care. The substantial clinical changes observed since the introduction of HAART open a series of important questions regarding the quality of life of PLWHA. The current quality of life research on PLWHA consist primarily of health related quality of life studies (HRQOL), which investigate the subjective perceptions of PLWHA regarding the impact of their health status, disease, impairment, disability, or treatment primarily on their physical, mental/cognitive, and social functioning. This type of study has received several criticisms, for example the fact of confusing quality of life with perceived health. Another important limit of HRQOL studies is that they focus on PLWHA as patients or clinical cases, rather than as social actors with individual, social and economic rights experiencing freedoms and constraints to fulfil valued social roles and achieve desired social statuses. Lack of research on the experiences of PLWHA as social actors is regrettable because it would offer social scientists and social policy makers relevant information to identify health and social inequalities among PLWHA and to generate a broader and more insightful understanding of their quality of life. This thesis sets out to address these latter questions by introducing a complementary approach to the investigation of the quality of life of PLWHA known as the 'capability framework', which was founded by the economist and philosopher, Amartya Sen. This framework suggests that quality of life should be measured by focusing on people's capabilities, namely their real opportunities to lead the life that have reason to value. The thesis introduces the capability framework by discussing it in the wider debate around the concept of quality of life. It addresses the operationalisation of its core concept, capabilities, founding it in Sen's epistemological perspective, 'positional objectivity', which is interpreted as a constructivist approach. This is expanded by placing it in a more inclusive and developed constructivist framework, the phenomenological sociology of Alfred Schutz, which requires exploring and making explicit the model of social actor that underpins the operationalisation and measurement of any social science concept. Consequently, the psychological and sociological literature that has investigated the phenomenon of opportunities is reviewed to identify the cognitive, emotional, and meaning-making processes that underpin people's perception of opportunities. These analyses led to the development ofa threefold model of the main components of people's perception of opportunities and a fourfold model of experiences of opportunities. Both models are empirically tested through a mixed method investigation based on a concurrent nested strategy. The quantitative analysis operationalised the models through a secondary data analysis of the HIV Futures V Survey, an Australian nationwide survey of various clinical and social aspects of the lives of PLWHA. The qualitative analysis explored the factors affecting the perception of opportunities in 29 PLWHA of different socio economic background. The relevance of the results of both analyses to understand the quality of life of PLWHA is discussed against alternative measures and conceptualisations of quality of life

Mental health, resilience and the recession in Bradford

Which coping strategies helped unemployed people in Bradford during times of recession? This research explores the mental health impacts of unemployment. Researchers spoke to 16 focus groups in Bradford that included 73 unemployed people to find out how job losses affected everyday well-being and which personal coping strategies and financial support opportunities were helpful. Participants revealed how financial losses could affect mental health and how aspects such as the loss of a previously valued social role and a lack of structure during the day also played a part. The study: - examines the impact of involuntary unemployment across different groups; - identifies the dangers to mental health associated with unemployment; and - presents the different coping strategies used by men and women and by different age groups. It identifies five main issues that require further policy attention to ensure that people who are unemployed do not also suffer from mental ill-health

Hybrid CPU/GPU implementation for the FE2 multi-scale method for composite problems

This thesis aims to develop a High-Performance Computing implementation to solve large composite materials problems through the use of the FE2 multi-scale method. Previous works have not been able to scale the FE2 strategy to real size problems with mesh resolutions of more than 10K elements at the macro-scale and 100^3 elements at the micro-scale. The latter is due to the computational requirements needed to carry out these calculations. This works identifies the most computationally intensive parts of the FE2 algorithm and ports several parts of the micro-scale computations to GPUs. The cases considered assume small deformations and steady-state equilibrium conditions. The work provides a feasible parallel strategy that can be used in real engineering cases to optimize the design of composite material structures. For this, it presents a coupling scheme between the MPI multi-physics code Alya (macro-scale) and the CPU/GPU-accelerated code Micropp (micro-scale). The coupled system is designed to work on multi-GPU architectures and to exploit the GPU overloading. Also, a Multi-Zone coupling methodology combined with weighted partitioning is proposed to reduce the computational cost and to solve the load balance problem. The thesis demonstrates that the method proposed scales notably well for the target problems, especially in hybrid architectures with distributed CPU nodes and communicated with multiple GPUs. Moreover, it clarifies the advantages achieved with the CPU/GPU accelerated version respect to the pure CPU approach.Esta tesis apunta a desarrollar una implementación de alta performance computacional para resolver problemas grandes de materiales compuestos a través del método de Multi-Escala FE2. Trabajos previos no han logrado escalar la técnica FE2 a problemas de dimensiones reales con mayas de resolucion de más de 10 K elementos en la macro-escala y 100^3 elementos en la micro-escala. Esto último se debe a los requerimientos computacionales para llevar a cabo estos cálculos. Este trabajo identifica las partes computacionales más costosas del algoritmo FE2 y porta varias partes del cálculo de micro-escala a GPUs. Los casos considerados asumen condiciones de pequeñas deformaciones y estado estacionario de equilibrio. El trabajo provee una estrategía factible que puede ser usada en problemas reales de ingeniería para optimizar el diseño de estructuras de materiales compuestos. Para esto se presenta un esquema de acople entre el codigo MPI de multi-física Alya (macro-escala) y la versión acelerada CPU/GPU de Micropp (micro-escala). El sistema acoplado está diseñado para trabajar con arquitecturas de multiples GPUs y explotar la sobrecarga de GPUs. También, un método de multiple zonas de acople combinado con particionado pesado es propuesto para reducir el costo computacional y resolver el problema de balanceo de carga. La tesis demuestra que el método propuesto escala notablemente bien para los problemas modelo, especialmente en arquitecturas híbridas con nodos CPU distribuidos y comunicados con multiples GPUs. Más aún, la tesis clarifica las ventajas logradas con la versión acelerada CPU/GPU respecto a usar unicamente CPUs

From Knowledge, Knowability and the Search for Objective Randomness to a New Vision of Complexity

Herein we consider various concepts of entropy as measures of the complexity of phenomena and in so doing encounter a fundamental problem in physics that affects how we understand the nature of reality. In essence the difficulty has to do with our understanding of randomness, irreversibility and unpredictability using physical theory, and these in turn undermine our certainty regarding what we can and what we cannot know about complex phenomena in general. The sources of complexity examined herein appear to be channels for the amplification of naturally occurring randomness in the physical world. Our analysis suggests that when the conditions for the renormalization group apply, this spontaneous randomness, which is not a reflection of our limited knowledge, but a genuine property of nature, does not realize the conventional thermodynamic state, and a new condition, intermediate between the dynamic and the thermodynamic state, emerges. We argue that with this vision of complexity, life, which with ordinary statistical mechanics seems to be foreign to physics, becomes a natural consequence of dynamical processes.Comment: Phylosophica

The Leeds Winter Warmth Campaign: Stakeholder Evaluation

The winter of 2012/13 was longer and colder than usual; whilst temperatures were average in December, it was colder than usual from January through to May. March was the coldest it has been for 50 years (Met Office, 2013). This evaluation focuses on the organisations funded by the Winter Warmth campaign to deliver services to Leeds residents. The overriding aim of the evaluation was to inform the operation of possible future schemes, with good practices and any issues identified. The views of organisations on the need for the funds and how the campaign was organised were ascertained. How they delivered the services, reached clients and worked with other stakeholders is explored and their suggestions for improvements described. This report should be read alongside the overall campaign report, by Leeds City Council, and the beneficiary report