Guinea Pig Model for Cutaneous Herpes Simplex Virus Infection

Previous animal models for cutaneous herpes simplex infections have been unsatisfactory because of atypical zosteriform progression of lesions and high animal mortality rates. By using a vaccination technique we have been able to produce lesions in guinea pigs which closely mimic human herpes simplex infection

Developing a sense of place toolkit: Identifying destination uniqueness

It has long been recognised that the tangible and intangible characteristics that make a location distinctive and memorable, contribute significantly to destination image. How this destination feel is communicated, has largely been the domain of place branding and destination marketing, which have the potential to miss stakeholder voices. Recently though, practitioners are starting to carefully consider ‘sense of place’; that is an emotional attachment to place, which is defined more carefully in the literature review of this article, and which corresponds with long-running academic discussions. This paper attempts to identify some of these and bridge the gap between academic theory on sense of place and practice. In the UK, many rural areas are now seeking to operationalise sense of place through toolkit documents that might inform landscape interpretation and destination branding. A scenario echoed internationally, where local distinctiveness features in both rural and urban planning. However, sense of place in a tourism context, and more specifically the development of these toolkits, has received limited academic attention. Hence, this paper presents the case of Morecambe Bay, and the development of a dedicated sense of place toolkit. The subsequent case emerges from a collaboration between academics and practitioners and draws on participant observation, semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Specifically, the paper outlines a series of workshop activities developed with destination stakeholders and identifies how these inform subsequent toolkit design. It offers a critical analysis of the benefits and potential pitfalls of employing this approach. This case is of value to academics and destination stakeholders interested in identifying and communicating the uniqueness and emotional tone of the destination. Key lessons and recommendations are identified for those engaging in similar toolkit development initiatives

Distinct alterations in probabilistic reversal learning across at-risk mental state, first episode psychosis and persistent schizophrenia

We used a probabilistic reversal learning task to examine prediction error-driven belief updating in three clinical groups with psychosis or psychosis-like symptoms. Study 1 compared people with at-risk mental state and first episode psychosis (FEP) to matched controls. Study 2 compared people diagnosed with treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) to matched controls. The design replicated our previous work showing ketamine-related perturbations in how meta-level confidence maintained behavioural policy. We applied the same computational modelling analysis here, in order to compare the pharmacological model to three groups at different stages of psychosis. Accuracy was reduced in FEP, reflecting increased tendencies to shift strategy following probabilistic errors. The TRS group also showed a greater tendency to shift choice strategies though accuracy levels were not significantly reduced. Applying the previously-used computational modelling approach, we observed that only the TRS group showed altered confidence-based modulation of responding, previously observed under ketamine administration. Overall, our behavioural findings demonstrated resemblance between clinical groups (FEP and TRS) and ketamine in terms of a reduction in stabilisation of responding in a noisy environment. The computational analysis suggested that TRS, but not FEP, replicates ketamine effects but we consider the computational findings preliminary given limitations in performance of the model

Management and leadership in UK universities: exploring the possibilities of change

This paper considers the case for reform of management struc- tures in UK universities and offers proposals for change. The model of top-down, performance-led management that characterises many institutions is both outmoded and ill-suited to the chal- lenges of an increasingly turbulent higher education sector. Drawing on the experiences of a university that introduced a new scheme of performance management, I explore alternative approaches to leadership and management, collaborative or part- nership working designed to improve employee voice and the need to re-evaluate approaches to Human Resource Management. I conclude with a five-point model for change

Beside the Seaside. The archaeology of the twentieth-century English seaside holiday experience: a phenomenological context.

A recent survey commissioned by English Heritage highlights the rich cultural history of the traditional English seaside resort (Brodie and Winter 2007). Emerging in the eighteenth century, these towns grew in significance before the advent of cheaper continental holidays in the 1960s signalled their demise. Nevertheless they retain an affectionate place within English social memory, and are in their own right distinctive maritime communities. Using an archaeological case study and a broadly phenomenological approach this contribution analyses the experience of the resort holiday through reference to place, space and materiality. Further, it seeks to situate the English seaside resort, as a functionally distinctive post-medieval urban and maritime phenomenon, within a global context of the archaeology of tourism