“It’s like having BBC and YLE in your head”. Cultural identity of Finnish-English bilinguals

Due to migration and immigration, bilingual families are growing at a record rate. Even though there is already large amounts of research on bilinguals and their identity, this research aims to examine and understand the cultural identity of Finnish-English bilinguals, raised in Finland, with one English and one Finnish speaking parent. The study aims to recognise what role language plays in the identity construction of bilinguals. The theoretical section of this work discusses research on bilingualism and identity construction, with a focus on language, identity, and biculturalism. A qualitative research approach is used, and the eight semi-structured interviews are analysed using categorical-content analysis. In addition to the interviews, a language self-assessment form was employed in this study, in order to be able to cross analyse the interviews against the participants’ language self-assessment forms. The analyses uncovers the participants’ diverse language skills and different understandings of their identity. The majority of the participants identify themselves as primarily Finnish, whilst the degree of how much the participants identify themselves as English varied dramatically depending on their cultural experiences, time spent in the United Kingdom and language skills. While some participants identify themselves as bicultural and transcultural, others identify less so, and one neglected any identification towards the English culture at all.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format

Report on the 2019 International Association of University Libraries Pre-Conference Seminar: Library Strategies for Research Support Excellence

The Library Strategies for Research Support Excellence half-day seminar was held on the 23 June 2019 at the Reid Library, University of Western Australia (UWA). The event was organised by International Association of University Libraries (IATUL), UWA and Curtin University, and was sponsored by CNKI. The seminar provided an opportunity for senior university library leaders from around the world, including China, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and Africa to discuss the current initiatives and challenges associated with research support in their respective regions

Fidelity of the delivery of NHS Health Checks in General Practice

Aim To assess the fidelity of delivery of NHS Health Checks in general practice. Design and Setting Fidelity assessment of video/audio recordings of NHS Health Check consultations conducted in four GP practices across the East of England. Method A secondary analysis of 38 NHS Health Check consultations video or audio recorded as part of a pilot study of introducing discussions surrounding cancer risk into NHS Health Checks. Using a checklist based on the NHS Health Check Best Practice Guidance, fidelity of delivery was assessed as the proportion of key elements completed during the consultations. Results The mean number of elements of the NHS Health Check completed across all consultations was 14.5/18 (80.3%), with a range of 10-17 (55.6-94.4%). The mean fidelity for risk assessment, risk communication and risk management sections was 8.7/10 (86.8%), 4.1/5 (81.6%) and 1.7/3 (56.1%) respectively. Elements with the lowest fidelity were ethnicity assessment (31.6%), family history of cardiovascular disease assessment (65.8%), AUDIT-C communication (34.2%) and dementia risk management (15.8%). Conclusion Although fidelity of delivery was high overall, important elements of the NHS Health Check were being regularly omitted. Opportunities for behaviour change, particularly relating to alcohol consumption and dementia risk management, may be being missed.This study was funded by a Cancer Research UK Prevention Fellowship (C55650/A21464)

Symbiotic unicellular cyanobacteria fix nitrogen in the Arctic Ocean.

Biological dinitrogen (N2) fixation is an important source of nitrogen (N) in low-latitude open oceans. The unusual N2-fixing unicellular cyanobacteria (UCYN-A)/haptophyte symbiosis has been found in an increasing number of unexpected environments, including northern waters of the Danish Straight and Bering and Chukchi Seas. We used nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (nanoSIMS) to measure 15N2 uptake into UCYN-A/haptophyte symbiosis and found that UCYN-A strains identical to low-latitude strains are fixing N2 in the Bering and Chukchi Seas, at rates comparable to subtropical waters. These results show definitively that cyanobacterial N2 fixation is not constrained to subtropical waters, challenging paradigms and models of global N2 fixation. The Arctic is particularly sensitive to climate change, and N2 fixation may increase in Arctic waters under future climate scenarios

SEE Performance Report

Student Enterprise and Employability (SEE) aims to support our students and graduates to realise their career ambitions. In this, our first Performance Report, we outline the key values underpinning everything we do

Effect of dietary salt intake on epithelial Na\u3csup\u3e+\u3c/sup\u3e channels (ENaCs) in the hypothalamus of Dahl salt-sensitive rats

© 2018 The Authors. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Physiological Society and the American Physiological Society. All three epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) subunits (α, β, and γ) and the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), a known regulator of ENaC, are located in vasopressin (VP) synthesizing magnocellular neurons in the hypothalamic supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular (PVN) nuclei. Our previous study showed that ENaC mediates a Na+ leak current that affects the steady-state membrane potential of VP neurons. This study was conducted in Dahl salt-sensitive (Dahl-SS) rats to determine if any abnormal responses in the expression of ENaC subunits and MR occur in the hypothalamus and kidney in response to a high dietary salt intake. After 21 days of high salt consumption, Dahl-SS rat resulted in a significant increase in γENaC expression and exhibited proteolytic cleavage of this subunit compared to Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats. Additionally, Dahl-SS rats had dense somato-dendritic γENaC immunoreactivity in VP neurons, which was absent in SD rats. In contrast, SD rats fed a high salt diet had significantly decreased αENaC subunit expression in the kidney and MR expression in the hypothalamus. Plasma osmolality measured daily for 22 days demonstrated that Dahl-SS rats fed a high salt diet had a steady increase in plasma osmolality, whereas SD rats had an initial increase that decreased to baseline levels. Findings from this study demonstrate that Dahl-SS rats lack a compensatory mechanism to down regulate ENaC during high dietary salt consumption, which may contribute to the development of hypertension

Development and usability testing of a very brief intervention for personalised cancer risk assessment to promote behaviour change in primary care using normalisation process theory.

BACKGROUND: Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Lifestyle choices play an important role in the aetiology of cancer with up to 4 in 10 cases potentially preventable. Interventions delivered by healthcare professionals (HCPs) that incorporate risk information have the potential to promote behaviour change. Our aim was to develop a very brief intervention incorporating cancer risk, which could be implemented within primary care. METHODS: Guided by normalisation process theory (NPT), we developed a prototype intervention using literature reviews, consultation with patient and public representatives and pilot work with patients and HCPs. We conducted focus groups and interviews with 65 HCPs involved in delivering prevention activities. Findings were used to refine the intervention before 22 HCPs completed an online usability test and provided further feedback via a questionnaire incorporating a modified version of the NoMAD checklist. RESULTS: The intervention included a website where individuals could provide information on lifestyle risk factors view their estimated 10-year risk of developing one or more of the five most common preventable cancers and access lifestyle advice incorporating behaviour change techniques. Changes incorporated from feedback from the focus groups and interviews included signposting to local services and websites, simplified wording and labelling of risk information. In the usability testing, all participants felt it would be easy to collect the risk information. Ninety-one percent felt the intervention would enable discussion about cancer risk and believed it had potential to be easily integrated into National Health Service (NHS) Health Checks. However, only 36% agreed it could be delivered within 5 min. CONCLUSIONS: With the use of NPT, we developed a very brief intervention that is acceptable to HCPs in primary care and could be potentially integrated into NHS Health Checks. However, further work is needed to assess its feasibility and potential effectiveness

Understanding implementation and usefulness of electronic clinical decision support (eCDS) for melanoma in English primary care: a qualitative investigation.

BACKGROUND: Timely diagnosis of the serious skin cancer melanoma can improve patient outcomes. Clinical guidelines suggest that GPs use checklists, such as the 7-point checklist (7PCL), to assess pigmented lesions. In 2016, the 7PCL was disseminated by EMIS as an electronic clinical decision support (eCDS) tool. AIM: To understand GP and patient perspectives on the implementation and usefulness of the eCDS. DESIGN & SETTING: Semi-structured interviews with GPs and patients were undertaken. The interviews took place in four general practices in the south east of England following consultations using the eCDS for suspicious pigmented lesions. METHOD: Data were collected from semi-structured face-to-face interviews with GPs and from telephone interviews with patients. They were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) underpinned the analysis using thematic approaches. RESULTS: A total of 14 interviews with GPs and 14 interviews with patients were undertaken. Most GPs reported that, as the eCDS was embedded in the medical record, it was useful, easy to use, time-efficient, and could facilitate patient-GP communication. They were less clear that it could meet policy or patient needs to improve early diagnosis, and some felt that it could lead to unnecessary referrals. Few felt that it had been sufficiently implemented at practice level. More felt confident with their own management of moles, and that the eCDS could be most useful for borderline decision-making. No patients were aware that the eCDS had been used during their consultation. CONCLUSION: Successful implementation of a new tool, such as eCDS for melanoma, requires GPs to perceive its value and understand how it can best be integrated into clinical practice. Disseminating a tool without such explanations is unlikely to promote its adoption into routine practice.NIH

Salivary Cortisol Mediates Effects of Poverty and Parenting on Executive Functions in Early Childhood

In a predominantly low-income population-based longitudinal sample of 1,292 children followed from birth, higher level of salivary cortisol assessed at ages 7, 15, and 24 months was uniquely associated with lower executive function ability and to a lesser extent IQ at age 3 years. Measures of positive and negative aspects of parenting and household risk were also uniquely related to both executive functions and IQ. The effect of positive parenting on executive functions was partially mediated through cortisol. Typical or resting level of cortisol was increased in African American relative to White participants. In combination with positive and negative parenting and household risk, cortisol mediated effects of African American ethnicity, income-to-need, and maternal education on child cognitive ability.