The profiling and imaging of sterol molecules in the human brain

For this project we had a unique opportunity to truly explore sterol molecules within the human brain of healthy and disease individuals. Cholesterol, and its derivative oxysterols, are quickly becoming an important topic within neurodegenerative diseases, with published literature suggesting altered sterol profiles from the peripheral fluid in individuals with these disorders. The main aims of this work were to analyse oxysterols and cholesterol in neurodegenerative disease human brain tissue and corresponding controls using homogenisation to look whether the sterol profiles differ in Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis and cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis. We also aimed to develop and optimise a method to image cholesterol across intact brain tissue sections and quantify the cholesterol in regions of interest using mass spectrometry imaging. We successfully achieved the quantification of oxysterols in all neurological disorders named above and identified some significant differences in specific sterol pathways and metabolites in Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis homogenate tissue samples. Notably, we optimised a method to quantify and visualise cholesterol across intact tissue sections using isotope-labelled standards and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ ionisation (MALDI) - mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) and found significant changes in cholesterol in several regions of interest, including the lesions of human multiple sclerosis brain tissue and the inflammatory edge of white matter lesions using this method. We also observed differences in white matter brain stem regions of Huntington’s disease mouse brain tissue. These results highlight the importance of our optimised MALDI-MSI cholesterol method, identifying important changes in tissue that cannot be seen with standard immunohistochemical staining techniques. These changes could be telling of pathologies and mechanisms at play in neurodegenerative diseases and could help target biomarkers for future treatments

Back to the floor Friday: evaluation of the impact on the patient experience.

Aim  The aim of the study was to evaluate the Back to the floor Friday (BtfF) initiative, whereby senior nurses returned to the floor, in particular its impact on patient experience and patient care. Background  Propositions were that improvements would result from strengthened visible clinical leadership through monitoring standards, supporting staff, resolving problems, acting as advocates and implementing change. Method  Participatory action research: BtfF population surveyed; five focus groups comprising 20 multi-professional staff; interviews with nine therapists, 45 nurses, one nurse specialist and four patients. Data analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results  Empowerment, learning together, professional networking, communication, championing change and ‘Matron Power’ were positive themes and perceived staff benefits arising from BtfF. Staff provided anecdotal examples of patient benefits but tangible evidence of improvements were more difficult to identify. Conclusions  Long-term evaluation of the impact of BtfF on patients is needed. Nurse specialists, matrons and clinical educators felt that the initiative did not impact significantly on day-to-day roles. Nurses across the workforce needed clarity around propositions behind the change. Implications for nursing management  Enablers to the initiative were supportive line management, senior leadership and peer support. Clarity of purpose is important to drive effective change

e-Support4U: an evaluation of academic writing skills support in practice

The Faculty of Society and Health at Buckinghamshire New University is committed to the widening participation agenda and to providing support that enables our students to achieve the requirements of the programme and registration. Literacy and numeracy skill development is an integral part of the academic modules of our current pre-registration curriculum. E-Support4U was launched in semester two of 2008 with the aim of extending academic writing support beyond the confines of the University and into the practice arena. Evaluation of the project tentatively suggests that the scaffold approach to academic writing, based on Salmon’s 5-stage framework, may have contributed to a 100% pass rate for the reflective practice-based assignment for this cohort of students. However, participants experienced issues around access; differing levels of IT skills, dispersed placements that contributed to a lack of active collaboration within the group. Recommendations include early introduction of blended learning and incorporation of web 2.0 technology into the curriculum

Supporting disabled students in practice: a tripartite approach, Nurse Education in Practice. Vol. 10 (3) pp. 132-137, 2010

Universities are required to make reasonable adjustments for disabled students. For providers of professional courses, in this case pre-registration nursing, this requirement is perceived to pose significant challenges. In part this is due to the nature of the course, where practice learning is a central component and therefore clinical hands-on experience of the care of patients/clients is an absolute requirement. Concerns around the ability of disabled students’ to meet the programme requirements have been expressed. This article describes the co-development of a six-phase tripartite model that provides a supportive framework for disabled student nurses in the practice environment. A brief overview of the literature will be given and a single case study will be used to demonstrate the model in action. The development of broad partnership working between the Practice Learning Team, The Disability Service and the Student Placement Facilitator, taking a student centric approach, is outlined. Finally, the process by which a critical knowledge base, on which decisions around reasonable adjustment can be made is discussed

Enriched functor categories for functor calculus

In this paper we present background results in enriched category theory and enriched model category theory necessary for developing model categories of enriched functors suitable for doing functor calculus.Comment: 31 pages. Comments welcom

Scoping the role and education needs of practice nurses in London

Aims: To identify education priorities for practice nursing across eight London Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs); to identify the education, training, development and support needs of practice nurses in undertaking current and future roles. Background: The education needs of practice nurses have long been recognised but their employment status means that accessing education requires the support of their GP employer. This study scopes the educational requirements of the practice nurse workforce and working with educational providers and commissioners describes a coherent educational pathway for practice nurses. Method: A survey of practice nurses to scope their educational attainment needs was undertaken. Focus groups were carried out which identified the education, training, development and support needs of practice nurses to fulfil current and future roles. Findings: 272 respondents completed the survey. Practice nurses took part in three focus groups (n=34) and one workshop (n=39). Findings from this research indicate a practice nurse workforce which lacked career progression, role autonomy or a coherent educational framework. Practice nurses recognised the strength of their role in building relationship-centred care with patients over an extended period of time. They valued this aspect of their role and would welcome opportunities to develop this to benefit patients. Conclusion: This paper demonstrates an appetite for more advanced education among practice nurses, a leadership role by the CCGs in working across the whole system to address the education needs of practice nurses, and a willingness on the part of NHS education commissioners to commission education which meets the education needs of the practice nurse workforce. Evidence is still required, however, to inform the scope of the practice nurse role within an integrated system of care and to identify the impact of practice nursing on improving health outcomes and care of local populations

Faster decline of pitch memory over time in congenital amusia

Congenital amusia (amusia, hereafter) is a developmental disorder that impacts negatively on the perception of music. Psychophysical testing suggests that individuals with amusia have above average thresholds for detection of pitch change and pitch direction discrimination; however, a low-level auditory perceptual problem cannot completely explain the disorder, since discrimination of melodies is also impaired when the constituent intervals are suprathreshold for perception. The aim of the present study was to test pitch memory as a function of (a) time and (b) tonal interference, in order to determine whether pitch traces are inherently weaker in amusic individuals. Memory for the pitch of single tones was compared using two versions of a paradigm developed by Deutsch (1970a). In both tasks, participants compared the pitch of a standard (S) versus a comparison (C) tone. In the time task, the S and C tones were presented, separated in time by 0, 1, 5, 10, and 15 s (blocked presentation). In the interference task, the S and C tones were presented with a fixed time interval (5 s) but with a variable number of irrelevant tones in between: 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 tones (blocked presentation). In the time task, control performance remained high for all time in tervals, but amusics showed a performance decrement over time. In the interference task, controls and amusics showed a similar performance decrement with increasing number of irrelevant tones. Overall, the results suggest that the pitch representations of amusic individuals are less stable and more prone to decay than those of matched non-amusic individuals

Feasibility Assessment of Special Management Areas to Enhance Recreational Fisheries and Habitat

Nearshore recreational fisheries provide tremendous value to the Florida economy. These fisheries are dependent on the availability of high-quality habitat, and sound fisheries management. Habitat can be degraded by several factors, including damage to seagrass flats by propellers of power boats operating in shallow waters (prop scarring). The current fisheries management framework employs regulations limiting harvest by season, fish length, and bag limit (number of fish harvestable per angler per day). Regulations often vary due to regional differences in fishery stocks and population dynamics. Our team’s overall goal in undertaking this work was to assess the feasibility of creating special fisheries and habitat management areas by completing a holistic review of the relevant biological, socioeconomic, and legal aspects of such areas, using Citrus County as a model. In this report, we will detail findings related to 1) status of propeller scarring in the St. Martins Keys area, 2) legal analysis of options for seagrass protection and special fisheries management areas, 3) possible effects of management actions on fisheries, including a comparative analysis of existing relevant spatial management

fMRI Evidence for a Cortical Hierarchy of Pitch Pattern Processing

Pitch patterns, such as melodies, consist of two levels of structure: a global level, comprising the pattern of ups and downs, or contour; and a local level, comprising the precise intervals that make up this contour. An influential neuropsychological model suggests that these two levels of processing are hierarchically linked, with processing of the global structure occurring within the right hemisphere in advance of local processing within the left. However, the predictions of this model and its anatomical basis have not been tested in neurologically normal individuals. The present study used fMRI and required participants to listen to consecutive pitch sequences while performing a same/different one-back task. Sequences, when different, either preserved (local) or violated (global) the contour of the sequence preceding them. When the activations for the local and global conditions were contrasted directly, additional activation was seen for local processing in right planum temporale and posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS). The presence of additional activation for local over global processing supports the hierarchical view that the global structure of a pitch sequence acts as a “framework” on which the local detail is subsequently hung. However, the lateralisation of activation seen in the present study, with global processing occurring in left pSTS and local processing occurring bilaterally, differed from that predicted by the neuroanatomical model. A re-examination of the individual lesion data on which the neuroanatomical model is based revealed that the lesion data equally well support the laterality scheme suggested by our data. While the present study supports the hierarchical view of local and global processing, there is an evident need for further research, both in patients and neurologically normal individuals, before an understanding of the functional lateralisation of local and global processing can be considered established

STEM for Everyone: A Mixed Methods Approach to the Conception and Implementation of an Evaluation Process for STEM Education Programs for Students With Disabilities

Some students with autism spectrum disorder and other learning differences may have superior visual acuity, increased attentional focus, and logical thinking abilities, lending to an affinity for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. At the same time, economists report that, the United States will experience a 28.2% increase in STEM-related jobs between 2014 and 2024. Although students with disabilities (SWD) can help to fill those positions, 85% of SWD graduates are either underemployed or unemployed as they enter young adulthood. Thus, there is a need to develop, evaluate, and report outcomes of STEM preparation programs specifically tailored to SWD. This mixed-methods study was designed to develop an evaluation procedure to measure a STEM school’s program for SWD and to analyze the first two years of data to help shape the evaluation process. A comprehensive evaluation model of STEM education for children with learning differences was developed and tested. Implications for practice and future research are discussed