Retirement, social support and mental well-being: a couple-level analysis.

Social support is increasingly acknowledged as an important resource for promoting well-being. We test whether social support changes around retirement. We also examine whether social support moderates dynamics in mental well-being around retirement and consider both own and spouse's retirement drawing on a unique longitudinal, couple-level data set from Australia. We observe descriptively no effect of own or spouse's retirement on social support. However, those with high social support do experience a small but statistically significant improvement in mental well-being post retirement. Using pension eligibility as an instrument, we find that own retirement causally improves mental well-being for women and by a similar degree for those with low/high social support. We also estimate responses to life satisfaction and find evidence that spill-over benefits from spousal retirement are larger for individuals with low social support

Radiotelemetry systems for measuring body temperature

End of Project ReportThe objective of this study was to compare three methods of measuring body temperature in the bovine and examine their relationship with ambient temperature. The three methods used were (a) rumen bolus (b) tympanic logger and (c) rectal

Describing return to work after stroke : a feasibility trial of 12-month outcomes

Objective: Stroke is the greatest cause of disability in adults. A quarter of strokes in the UK affect people of working age, yet under half of them return to work after stroke. There has been little investigation into what constitutes “return to work” following stroke. The aim of this study is to describe the work metrics of stroke survivor participants in a feasibility randomized controlled trial of an early stroke specific vocational rehabilitation intervention. Methods: Retrospective analysis of trial data. Metrics on work status, working hours, workplace accommodations and costs were extracted from trial out - comes gathered by postal questionnaire at 3, 6, and 12 months’ post-randomization for 46 stroke participants in a feasibility randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomized to receive vocational rehabilitation (intervention) or usual care (control). Results: Two-thirds ( n = 29; 63%) of participants re - turned to work at some point in the 12 months following stroke. Participants took a mean of 90 days to return to work. Most returned to the same role with an existing employer. Only one-third of participants who were employed full-time at stroke onset were working full-time at 12 months post-stroke. Most participants experienced a reduction in pre-stroke earnings. Workplace accommodations were more common among intervention group participants. More intervention participants than control participants reported satisfaction with work at both 6 and 12 months post-randomization. Conclusion: This study illustrates the heterogeneous nature of return to work and the dramatic impact of stroke on work status, working hours and income. Longitudinal research should explore the socioeconomic legacy of stroke and include clear definitions of work and accurate measures of working hours and income from all sources

Potential for Forecasting UK Summer Grass Growth from the North Atlantic Oscillation

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is a large-scale atmospheric circulation pattern which is well-known to influence the UK winter climate (Wilby et al., 1997). Recently, it has been shown that the winter NAO also affects summer rainfall in the UK (Kettlewell et al., 2003). Since water supply is an important limitation to summer grass growth in many parts of the UK, the winter NAO may influence summer growth. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that there is a relationship between the winter NAO and summer grass growth using data from reference plots at North Wyke in Devon

Exercise training reverses myocardial dysfunction induced by CaMKIIδC overexpression by restoring Ca2+-homeostasis

Several conditions of heart disease, including heart failure and diabetic cardiomyopathy, are associated with upregulation of cytosolic Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKIIδC) activity. In the heart, CaMKIIδC isoform targets several proteins involved in intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis. We hypothesized that high-intensity endurance training activates mechanisms that enable a rescue of dysfunctional cardiomyocyte Ca2+ handling and thereby ameliorate cardiac dysfunction despite continuous and chronic elevated levels of CaMKIIδC. CaMKIIδC transgenic (TG) and wild-type (WT) mice performed aerobic interval exercise training over 6 wk. Cardiac function was measured by echocardiography in vivo, and cardiomyocyte shortening and intracellular Ca2+ handling were measured in vitro. TG mice had reduced global cardiac function, cardiomyocyte shortening (47% reduced compared with WT, P < 0.01), and impaired Ca2+ homeostasis. Despite no change in the chronic elevated levels of CaMKIIδC, exercise improved global cardiac function, restored cardiomyocyte shortening, and reestablished Ca2+ homeostasis to values not different from WT. The key features to explain restored Ca2+ homeostasis after exercise training were increased L-type Ca2+ current density and flux by 79 and 85%, respectively (P < 0.01), increased sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA2a) function by 50% (P < 0.01), and reduced diastolic SR Ca2+ leak by 73% (P < 0.01), compared with sedentary TG mice. In conclusion, exercise training improves global cardiac function as well as cardiomyocyte function in the presence of a maintained high CaMKII activity. The main mechanisms of exercise-induced improvements in TG CaMKIIδC mice are mediated via increased L-type Ca2+ channel currents and improved SR Ca2+ handling by restoration of SERCA2a function in addition to reduced diastolic SR Ca2+ leak

Soil development of two wetland creation areas at the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park in Columbus, Ohio

The University Archives has determined that this item is of continuing value to OSU's history

Increasing the concentration of film antitranspirant increases yields of rapeseed under terminal drought by improving plant water status

Film antitranspirant (AT) can effectively reduce yield losses of rapeseed crops under drought by blocking stomata if applied at the critical stage. However, the physiological mechanism by which film AT mitigates drought damage remains unclear. To investigate the effect of different concentrations of AT from 1% to 3% on rapeseed yields and its components of rapeseed under terminal drought, we carried out two field experiments at two locations in the year 2021, using rain shelters to simulate terminal drought at Bird’s Nest (BN) and Flat Nook (FN). The study was conducted in a randomised complete block design with different concentrations of film AT (Vapor Gard, a.i., di-1-p-menthene) from 0% to 3% applied at the flowering stage of water-stressed rapeseed. Soil and plant water status, leaf gas exchange, seed yield and yield components, etc., were examined. Drought depressed leaf gas exchange and resulted in large yield losses. Aboveground biomass, seed yield, pod number and oil yield showed linear increases with AT concentrations consistently from both sites. With every 1% increase in concentration, seed yield was predicted to increase by 0.61 and 0.23 t ha−1 at BN and FN, respectively. The improvement in seed yield was strongly associated with pod number (R2 = 0.97 and 0.76, respectively; p < 0.001). Further, pod number and leaf relative water content were positively correlated, albeit with differences between the two sites. It was concluded that increasing concentrations can enhance yield benefits of film AT on rapeseed subjected to drought, and the greater yield from film AT appeared to be mediated through the improvement in leaf water status. As high concentrations of film AT are less cost-effective and conventional spraying methods only cover the adaxial surface, improving leaf coverage considering both sides of the leaf surface would help lower the cost and extend the commercial use of film AT

A study of mapping usual care and unmet need for vocational rehabilitation and psychological support following major trauma in five health districts in the UK

Objective: Traumatic injuries are common in working age adults. Survivors may experience physical and psychological problems that affect their ability to work. Rehabilitation pathways are complex, and it is unclear whether adequate vocational/psychological support exists post-injury. Aim: To understand where and how trauma survivors' rehabilitation needs are met post-trauma, and map rehabilitation across five UK major trauma networks. Design: Qualitative study (interviews, focus groups, workshops) using soft-systems methodology to map usual care across trauma networks and explore service gaps. Publicly available documents were consulted. CATWOE (Customers, Actors, Transformation, Worldview, Owners, Environment) was used as an analytic thematic framework to explore the relationship between stakeholders in the pathway. Setting: Five major trauma networks across the UK. Subjects: 106 key rehabilitation stakeholders (service providers, trauma survivors) were recruited to interviews (n=46), focus groups (n=4 groups, 17 participants) and workshops (n=5 workshops, 43 participants). Interventions: None. Results: Mapping of rehabilitation pathways identified several issues: 1) lack of vocational/psychological support particularly for musculoskeletal injuries; 2) inconsistent service provision in areas located further from major trauma centres; 3) lack of communication between acute and community care; 4) long waiting lists (up to 12 months) for community rehabilitation; 5) most well-established pathways were neurologically focused. Conclusions: The trauma rehabilitation pathway is complex and varies across the UK with few, if any patients following an 'ideal' pathway. Services have developed piecemeal to address specific issues, but rarely meet the needs of individuals with multiple impairments post-trauma, with a lack of vocational rehabilitation and psychological support for this population

Chronic myocardial infarction promotes atrial action potential alternans, afterdepolarisations and fibrillation

Aims: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is increased in patients with heart failure resulting from myocardial infarction (MI). We aimed to determine the effects of chronic ventricular MI in rabbits on the susceptibility to AF, and underlying atrial electrophysiological and Ca2+-handling mechanisms. Methods and results: In Langendorff-perfused rabbit hearts, under beta-adrenergic-stimulation with isoproterenol (1 µM; ISO), 8 weeks MI decreased AF threshold, indicating increased AF-susceptibility. This was associated with increased atrial action potential duration-alternans at 90% repolarisation, by 147%, and no significant change in mean APD or atrial global conduction velocity (n=6-13 non-MI hearts, 5-12 MI). In atrial isolated myocytes, also under beta-stimulation, L-type Ca2+ current (ICaL) density and intracellular Ca2+-transient amplitude were decreased by MI, by 35% and 41%, respectively, and the frequency of spontaneous depolarisations (SDs) was substantially increased. MI increased atrial myocyte size and capacity, and markedly decreased transverse-tubule density. In non-MI hearts perfused with ISO, the ICaL-blocker nifedipine, at a concentration (0.02 µM) causing an equivalent ICaL-reduction (35%) to that from the MI, did not affect AF-susceptibility, and decreased APD. Conclusion: chronic MI in rabbits remodels atrial structure, electrophysiology and intracellular Ca2+-handling. Increased susceptibility to AF by MI, under beta-adrenergic-stimulation, may result from associated production of atrial APD-alternans and SDs, since steady-state APD and global conduction velocity were unchanged under these conditions, and may be unrelated to the associated reduction in whole-cell ICaL. Future studies may clarify potential contributions of local conduction changes, and cellular and sub-cellular mechanisms of alternans, to the increased AF-susceptibility