Scoping studies: towards a methodological framework

This paper focuses on scoping studies, an approach to reviewing the literature which to date has received little attention in the research methods literature. We distinguish between different types of scoping studies and indicate where these stand in relation to full systematic reviews. We outline a framework for conducting a scoping study based on our recent experiences of reviewing the literature on services for carers for people with mental health problems. Where appropriate, our approach to scoping the field is contrasted with the procedures followed in systematic reviews. We emphasize how including a consultation exercise in this sort of study may enhance the results, making them more useful to policy makers, practitioners and service users. Finally, we consider the advantages and limitations of the approach and suggest that a wider debate is called for about the role of the scoping study in relation to other types of literature reviews

Patient experiences of receiving arthroscopic surgery or personalised hip therapy for femoroacetabular impingement in the context of the UK fashion study:a qualitative study

UK FASHIoN was a multicentre randomised controlled trial comparing hip arthroscopic surgery (HA) with personalised hip therapy (PHT, physiotherapist-led conservative care), for patients with hip pain attributed to femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) syndrome. Our aim was to describe the treatment and trial participation experiences of patients, to contextualise the trial results and offer further information to assist treatment decision-making in FAI. We conducted in-depth semi-structured telephone interviews with a purposive sample of trial participants from each of the trial arms. They were interviewed after they received treatment and completed their first year of trial participation. Thematic analysis and constant comparison analytical approaches were used to identify themes of patient treatment experiences during the trial. Forty trial participants were interviewed in this qualitative study. Their baseline characteristics were similar to those in the main trial sample. On average, their hip-related quality of life (iHOT-33 scores) at 12 months follow-up were lower than average for all trial participants, indicating poorer hip-related quality of life as a consequence of theoretical sampling. Patient experiences occurred in five patient groups: those who felt their symptoms improved with hip arthroscopy, or with personal hip therapy, patients who felt their hip symptoms did not change with PHT but did not want HA, patients who decided to change from PHT to HA and a group who experienced serious complications after HA. Interviewees mostly described a trouble-free, enriching and altruistic trial participation experience, although most participants expected more clinical follow-up at the end of the trial. Both HA and PHT were experienced as beneficial by participants in the trial. Treatment success appeared to depend partly on patients' prior own expectations as well as their outcomes, and future research is needed to explore this further. Findings from this study can be combined with the primary results to inform future FAI patients

Unilateral Ovarian Abscess Caused by Salmonella

Background: Patients with unilateral ovarian abscesses due to Salmonella are rare. Case report: A 48-year-old woman with a left ovarian abscess caused by Salmonella group O7 is reported. Conclusion: In our patient, the ovary may have been seeded hematogenously by salmonellae and may have evolved into a local infection

Core reconstruction in pseudopotential calculations

A new method is presented for obtaining all-electron results from a pseudopotential calculation. This is achieved by carrying out a localised calculation in the region of an atomic nucleus using the embedding potential method of Inglesfield [J.Phys. C {\bf 14}, 3795 (1981)]. In this method the core region is \emph{reconstructed}, and none of the simplifying approximations (such as spherical symmetry of the charge density/potential or frozen core electrons) that previous solutions to this problem have required are made. The embedding method requires an accurate real space Green function, and an analysis of the errors introduced in constructing this from a set of numerical eigenstates is given. Results are presented for an all-electron reconstruction of bulk aluminium, for both the charge density and the density of states.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure

PCB pollution continues to impact populations of orcas and other dolphins in European waters

Organochlorine (OC) pesticides and the more persistent polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have well-established dose-dependent toxicities to birds, fish and mammals in experimental studies, but the actual impact of OC pollutants on European marine top predators remains unknown. Here we show that several cetacean species have very high mean blubber PCB concentrations likely to cause population declines and suppress population recovery. In a large pan-European meta-analysis of stranded (n = 929) or biopsied (n = 152) cetaceans, three out of four species:- striped dolphins (SDs), bottlenose dolphins (BNDs) and killer whales (KWs) had mean PCB levels that markedly exceeded all known marine mammal PCB toxicity thresholds. Some locations (e.g. western Mediterranean Sea, south-west Iberian Peninsula) are global PCB "hotspots" for marine mammals. Blubber PCB concentrations initially declined following a mid-1980s EU ban, but have since stabilised in UK harbour porpoises and SDs in the western Mediterranean Sea. Some small or declining populations of BNDs and KWs in the NE Atlantic were associated with low recruitment, consistent with PCB-induced reproductive toxicity. Despite regulations and mitigation measures to reduce PCB pollution, their biomagnification in marine food webs continues to cause severe impacts among cetacean top predators in European seas

Vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus in a home health-care patient.

In June 2000, vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) was isolated from a 27-year-old home health-care patient following a complicated cholecystectomy. Two VISA strains were identified with identical MICs to all antimicrobials tested except oxacillin and with closely related pulsed-field gel electrophoresis types. The patient was treated successfully with antimicrobial therapy, biliary drainage, and reconstruction. Standard precautions in the home health setting appear successful in preventing transmission

High flavonoid accompanied with high starch accumulation triggered by nutrient starvation in bioenergy crop duckweed (Landoltia punctata)

Background: As the fastest growing plant, duckweed can thrive on anthropogenic wastewater. The purple-backed duckweed, Landoltia punctata, is rich in starch and flavonoids. However, the molecular biological basis of high flavonoid and low lignin content remains largely unknown, as does the best method to combine nutrients removed from sewage and the utilization value improvement of duckweed biomass. Results: A combined omics study was performed to investigate the biosynthesis of flavonoid and the metabolic flux changes in L. punctata grown in different culture medium. Phenylalanine metabolism related transcripts were identified and carefully analyzed. Expression quantification results showed that most of the flavonoid biosynthetic transcripts were relatively highly expressed, while most lignin-related transcripts were poorly expressed or failed to be detected by iTRAQ based proteomic analyses. This explains why duckweed has a much lower lignin percentage and higher flavonoid content than most other plants. Growing in distilled water, expression of most flavonoid-related transcripts were increased, while most were decreased in uniconazole treated L. punctata (1/6 x Hoagland + 800 mg center dot L-1 uniconazole). When L. punctata was cultivated in full nutrient medium (1/6 x Hoagland), more than half of these transcripts were increased, however others were suppressed. Metabolome results showed that a total of 20 flavonoid compounds were separated by HPLC in L. punctata grown in uniconazole and full nutrient medium. The quantities of all 20 compounds were decreased by uniconazole, while 11 were increased and 6 decreased when grown in full nutrient medium. Nutrient starvation resulted in an obvious purple accumulation on the underside of each frond. Conclusions: The high flavonoid and low lignin content of L. punctata appears to be predominantly caused by the flavonoid-directed metabolic flux. Nutrient starvation is the best option to obtain high starch and flavonoid accumulation simultaneously in a short time for biofuels fermentation and natural products isolation

ARK: Autonomous mobile robot in an industrial environment

This paper describes research on the ARK (Autonomous Mobile Robot in a Known Environment) project. The technical objective of the project is to build a robot that can navigate in a complex industrial environment using maps with permanent structures. The environment is not altered in any way by adding easily identifiable beacons and the robot relies on naturally occurring objects to use as visual landmarks for navigation. The robot is equipped with various sensors that can detect unmapped obstacles, landmarks and objects. In this paper we describe the robot's industrial environment, it's architecture, a novel combined range and vision sensor and our recent results in controlling the robot in the real-time detection of objects using their color and in the processing of the robot's range and vision sensor data for navigation

More than sense of place? Exploring the emotional dimension of rural tourism experiences

It is widely suggested that participation in rural tourism is underpinned by a sense of rural place or “rurality”. However, although nature and the countryside have long been recognised as a source of spiritual or emotional fulfilment, few have explored the extent to which tourism, itself often claimed to be a sacred experience, offers an emotional/spiritual dimension in the rural context. This paper addresses that literature gap. Using in-depth interviews with rural tourists in the English Lake District, it explores the extent to which, within respondents’ individual understanding of spirituality, a relationship exists between sense of place and deeper, emotional experiences and, especially, whether participation in rural tourism may induce spiritual or emotional responses. The research revealed that all respondents felt a strong attachment to the Lake District; similarly, and irrespective of their openness to spirituality, engaging in rural tourism activities resulted in highly emotive experiences for all respondents, the description/interpretation of such experiences being determined by individual “beliefs”. However, sense of place was not a prerequisite to emotional or spiritual experiences. Being in and engaging with the landscape � effectively becoming part of it � especially through physical activity is fundamental to emotional responses