The Gender Agenda in an Age of Austerity

This article reports on a research project undertaken to assess the implications and consequences of the Comprehensive Spending Review and associated Force Change Programmes upon the female police workforce in England and Wales, alongside wider policing reforms across the UK. The research examines the views of female and male police officers and staff with a view to updating and reviewing evidence of progress in relation to the continued development and achievement of the gender agenda aims (BAWP, 2006, The Gender Agenda 2. London) and the Home Office 2010 report ‘Assessment of Women in the Police Service’. Focus groups, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were undertaken between November 2012 and June 2013, across 14 force areas, in addition to national policing bodies, local and national representative staff support associations, and diversity and equality practitioners. The findings underpin the recommendations Gender Agenda 3 launched in October 2014 by the British Association for Women in Policing

Depth alone is an inappropriate proxy for physiological change in the mesophotic coral Agaricia lamarcki

The physiology of mesophotic Scleractinia varies with depth in response to environmental change. Previous research has documented trends in heterotrophy and photosynthesis with depth, but has not addressed between-site variation for a single species. Environmental differences between sites at a local scale and heterogeneous microhabitats, because of irradiance and food availability, are likely important factors when explaining the occurrence and physiology of Scleractinia. Here, 108 colonies of Agaricia lamarcki were sampled from two locations off the coast of Utila, Honduras, distributed evenly down the observed 50 m depth range of the species. We found that depth alone was not sufficient to fully explain physiological variation. Pulse Amplitude-Modulation fluorometry and stable isotope analyses revealed that trends in photochemical and heterotrophic activity with depth varied markedly between sites. Our isotope analyses do not support an obligate link between photosynthetic activity and heterotrophic subsidy with increasing depth. We found that A. lamarcki colonies at the bottom of the species depth range can be physiologically similar to those nearer the surface. As a potential explanation, we hypothesize sites with high topographical complexity, and therefore varied microhabitats, may provide more physiological niches distributed across a larger depth range. Varied microhabitats with depth may reduce the dominance of depth as a physiological determinant. Thus, A. lamarcki may ‘avoid’ changes in environment with depth, by instead existing in a subset of favourable niches. Our observations correlate with site-specific depth ranges, advocating for linking physiology and abiotic profiles when defining the distribution of mesophotic taxa

The EBV-encoded oncoprotein, LMP1, induces an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) via Its CTAR1 domain through integrin-mediated ERK-MAPK signalling

The Epstein⁻Barr virus (EBV)-encoded latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) oncogene can induce profound effects on epithelial growth and differentiation including many of the features of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). To better characterise these effects, we used the well-defined Madin Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) epithelial cell model and found that LMP1 expression in these cells induces EMT as defined by characteristic morphological changes accompanied by loss of E-cadherin, desmosomal cadherin and tight junction protein expression. The induction of the EMT phenotype required a functional CTAR1 domain of LMP1 and studies using pharmacological inhibitors revealed contributions from signalling pathways commonly induced by integrin⁻ligand interactions: extracellular signal-regulated kinases/mitogen-activated protein kinases (ERK-MAPK), PI3-Kinase and tyrosine kinases, but not transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ). More detailed analysis implicated the CTAR1-mediated induction of Slug and Twist in LMP1-induced EMT. A key role for β1 integrin signalling in LMP1-mediated ERK-MAPK and focal adhesion kianse (FAK) phosphorylation was observed, and β1 integrin activation was found to enhance LMP1-induced cell viability and survival. These findings support an important role for LMP1 in disease pathogenesis through transcriptional reprogramming that enhances tumour cell survival and leads to a more invasive, metastatic phenotype

The menopause and the female police workforce

© 2019 Manchester Metropolitan University. Drawing upon previously unpublished findings from a wider study that addressed the impact of austerity and force change programmes upon the older female police workforce, this paper presents secondary analysis of focus group data to address the equality impact of such developments. The paper directs particular attention to additional challenges faced by women experiencing the menopause and menopause transition. Focus groups were undertaken between November 2012 and June 2013, across 14 force areas within England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. The findings raise questions regarding the service’s compliance with the legal obligations set out within the public sector general equality duty, which requires organisations to consider how they could positively contribute to the advancement of equality and remove or minimise disadvantages suffered by people due to their protected characteristics. The paper concludes by arguing that it is necessary to consider the intersectionality of age and gender, and to further disaggregate (and make publicly available) workforce data to take into account various subcategories of women and men that make up the police workforce. Finally, the paper highlights the need to take into account wider national and international gender equality policy when entering into ‘the future of policing’ policy discussions, and within future policing equality and diversity strategy

The efficacy of a task model approach to ADL rehabilitation in stroke apraxia and action disorganisation syndrome:A randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Apraxia and action disorganization syndrome (AADS) after stroke can disrupt activities of daily living (ADL). Occupational therapy has been effective in improving ADL performance, however, inclusion of multiple tasks means it is unclear which therapy elements contribute to improvement. We evaluated the efficacy of a task model approach to ADL rehabilitation, comparing training in making a cup of tea with a stepping training control condition. METHODS: Of the 29 stroke survivors with AADS who participated in this cross-over randomized controlled feasibility trial, 25 were included in analysis [44% females; mean(SD) age = 71.1(7.8) years; years post-stroke = 4.6(3.3)]. Participants attended five 1-hour weekly tea making training sessions in which progress was monitored and feedback given using a computer-based system which implemented a Markov Decision Process (MDP) task model. In a control condition, participants received five 1-hour weekly stepping sessions. RESULTS: Compared to stepping training, tea making training reduced errors across 4 different tea types. The time taken to make a cup of tea was reduced so the improvement in accuracy was not due to a speed-accuracy trade-off. No improvement linked to tea making training was evident in a complex tea preparation task (making two different cups of tea simultaneously), indicating a lack of generalisation in the training. CONCLUSIONS: The clearly specified but flexible training protocol, together with information on the distribution of errors, provide pointers for further refinement of task model approaches to ADL rehabilitation. It is recommended that the approach be tested under errorless learning conditions with more impaired patients in future research. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Retrospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov on 5(th) August 2019 [NCT04044911] https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04044911?term=Cogwatch&rank=

Self-reported difficulties with everyday function, cognitive symptoms, and cognitive function in people with HIV

BACKGROUND: We determined factors associated with self-reported decline in activities of daily living (ADLs) and symptoms of cognitive impairment in HIV positive (HIV+) adults in five European clinics. METHODS: HIV+ adults underwent computerized and pen-and-paper neuropsychological tests and questionnaires of cognitive symptoms and ADLs. We considered cognitive function in five domains, psychosocial factors and clinical parameters as potentially associated with symptoms. Separate regression analyses were used to determine factors associated with decline in ADL (defined as self-reported decline affecting ≥2 ADLs and attributed to cognitive difficulties) and self-reported frequency of symptoms of cognitive impairment. We also estimated the diagnostic accuracy of both questionnaires as tests for cognitive impairment. RESULTS: 448 patients completed the assessments (mean age 45.8 years, 84% male, 87% white, median CD4 count 550 cells/mm, median time since HIV diagnosis 9.9 years, 81% virologically suppressed [HIV-1 plasma RNA <50 copies/mL]). Ninety-six (21.4%) reported decline in ADLs and attributed this to cognitive difficulties. Self-reported decline in ADLs and increased symptoms of cognitive impairment were both associated with worse performance on some cognitive tests. There were also strong associations with financial difficulties, depressive and anxiety symptoms, unemployment, and longer time since HIV diagnosis. Both questionnaires performed poorly as diagnostic tests for cognitive impairment. CONCLUSION: Patients' own assessments of everyday function and symptoms were associated with objectively-measured cognitive function. However, there were strong associations with other psychosocial issues including mood and anxiety disorders and socioeconomic hardship. This should be considered when assessing HIV-associated cognitive impairment in clinical care or research studies

The EDIBLES survey:VI. Searching for time variations of interstellar absorption features

Context. Interstellar absorption observed toward stellar targets changes slowly over long timescales, mainly due to the proper motion of the background target relative to the intervening clouds, such that over time, different parts of the intervening cloud are probed. On longer timescales, the slowly changing physical and chemical conditions in the cloud can also cause variation. Detecting such time variations thus provides an opportunity to study cloud structure.Aims. We searched for systematic variations in the absorption profiles of the diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) and interstellar atomic and molecular lines by comparing the high-quality data set from the recent ESO diffuse interstellar bands large exploration survey (EDIBLES) to older archival observations, bridging typical timescales of ~10 yr with a maximum timescale of 22 yr.Methods. For 64 EDIBLES targets, we found adequate archival observations. We selected 31 strong DIBs, seven atomic lines, and five molecular lines to focus our search on. We carefully considered various systematic effects and used a robust Bayesian quantitative test to establish which of these absorption features could display significant variations.Results. While systematic effects greatly complicate our search, we find evidence for variations in the profiles of the λλ4727 and 5780 DIBs in a few sightlines. Toward HD 167264, we find a new Ca I cloud component that appears and becomes stronger after 2008. The same sightline furthermore displays marginal, but systematic changes in the column densities of the atomic lines originating from the main cloud component in the sightline. Similar variations are seen toward HD 147933.Conclusions. Our high-quality spectroscopic observations in combination with archival data show that it is possible to probe interstellar time variations on time scales of typically a decade. Despite the fact that systematic uncertainties as well as the generally somewhat lower quality of older data complicate matters, we can conclude that time variations can be made visible, both in atomic lines and DIB profiles for a few targets, but that generally, these features are stable along many lines of sight. We present this study as an archival baseline for future comparisons, bridging longer periods.<br/

A rehabilitation intervention to improve recovery after an episode of delirium in adults over 65 years (RecoverED): study protocol for a multi-centre, single-arm feasibility study

Background: Delirium affects over 20% of all hospitalised older adults. Delirium is associated with a number of adverse outcomes following hospital admission including cognitive decline, anxiety and depression, increased mortality and care needs. Previous research has addressed prevention of delirium in hospitals and care homes, and there are guidelines on short-term treatment of delirium during admission. However, no studies have addressed the problem of longer-term recovery after delirium and it is currently unknown whether interventions to improve recovery after delirium are effective and cost-effective. The primary objective of this feasibility study is to test a new, theory-informed rehabilitation intervention (RecoverED) in older adults delivered following a hospital admission complicated by delirium to determine whether (a) the intervention is acceptable to individuals with delirium and (b) a definitive trial and parallel economic evaluation of the intervention are feasible. Methods: The study is a multi-centre, single-arm feasibility study of a rehabilitation intervention with an embedded process evaluation. Sixty participants with delirium (aged > 65 years old) and carer pairs will be recruited from six NHS acute hospitals across the UK. All pairs will be offered the intervention, with follow-up assessments conducted at 3 months and 6 months post-discharge home. The intervention will be delivered in participants’ own homes by therapists and rehabilitation support workers for up to 10 intervention sessions over 12 weeks. The intervention will be tailored to individual needs, and the chosen intervention plan and goals will be discussed and agreed with participants and carers. Quantitative data on reach, retention, fidelity and dose will be collected and summarised using descriptive statistics. The feasibility outcomes that will be used to determine whether the study meets the criteria for progression to a definitive randomised controlled trial (RCT) include recruitment, delivery of the intervention, retention, data collection and acceptability of outcome measures. Acceptability of the intervention will be assessed using in-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews with participants and healthcare professionals. Discussion: Findings will inform the design of a pragmatic multi-centre RCT of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the RecoverED intervention for helping the longer-term recovery of people with delirium compared to usual care. Trial registration: The feasibility study was registered: ISRCTN1567657

Multiple sclerosis risk variants regulate gene expression in innate and adaptive immune cells

At least 200 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) risk. A key function that could mediate SNP-encoded MS risk is their regulatory effects on gene expression. We performed microarrays using RNA extracted from purified immune cell types from 73 untreated MS cases and 97 healthy controls and then performed Cis expression quantitative trait loci mapping studies using additive linear models. We describe MS risk expression quantitative trait loci associations for 129 distinct genes. By extending these models to include an interaction term between genotype and phenotype, we identify MS risk SNPs with opposing effects on gene expression in cases compared with controls, namely, rs2256814 MYT1 in CD4 cells (q = 0.05) and rs12087340 RF00136 in monocyte cells (q = 0.04). The rs703842 SNP was also associated with a differential effect size on the expression of the METTL21B gene in CD8 cells of MS cases relative to controls (q = 0.03). Our study provides a detailed map of MS risk loci that function by regulating gene expression in cell types relevant to MS