A Saxon Fish Weir and undated fish trap frames near Ashlett Creek, Hampshire, UK: static structures on a dynamic foreshore

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Springer Verlag via the DOI in this record.The remains of a wooden V-shaped fish weir and associated structures have been discovered near Ashlett Creek on the tidal mudflats of Southampton Water in Hampshire, southern Britain. Radiocarbon dating of oak roundwood stakes taken from the main weir structure date it to the middle Saxon period. Clusters of as-yet undated roundwood posts within the catchment area of the weir are interpreted as the frames for fish traps that are assumed to pre- or post-date the operational period of the weir itself. The weir is contemporary with wooden V-shaped fish weirs found elsewhere in southern and central Britain, and also Ireland, but its circular catchment ‘pound’ remains restricted, in these islands, to the Solent and Severn estuaries: it has a close parallel with another Saxon-era weir on the nearby Isle of Wight. It also shows striking structural similarities with examples in use today in Basse Normandy, on the southern shore of the English Channel. The paper discusses the function and operation of the weir, and places it in its social and historical context. Regressive cartography demonstrates that the structures have become exposed as a result of saltmarsh retreat in this area of Southampton Water since the 19th century. The radiocarbon dates returned for the posts demonstrate that this transgression of the marsh must have been preceded by a prolonged period of progradation, which covered and preserved the site; its subsequent re-exposure has negative implications for its survival.The fieldwork underpinning this research was carried out using equipment and facilities provided by the Centre for Maritime Archaeology of the University of Southampton. The authors themselves met incidental costs. Radiocarbon dating was financed from an internal University of Exeter research allowance

Outcome measurement of cognitive impairment and dementia in serious digital games: a scoping review

Purpose: Dementia prevalence is increasing worldwide. With the emergence of digital rehabilitation, serious digital games are a potential tool to maintain and monitor function in people living with dementia. It is unclear however whether games can measure changes in cognition. We conducted a scoping review to identify the types of outcomes measured in studies of serious digital games for people with dementia and cognitive impairment. Methods: We included primary research of any design including adults with cognitive impairment arising from dementia or another health condition; reported data about use of serious digital games; and included any cognitive outcome. We searched Medline (via EBSCO), PsycInfo, CINAHL, Web of Science, from inception to 4th March 2024 and extracted study characteristics. Results: We reviewed 5899 titles, including 25 full text studies. We found heterogeneity in domains and measures used: global cognition (n = 15), specific cognitive processes (n = 13), motor function (n = 5), mood (n = 6), activities of daily living (n = 5), physiological processes (n = 4) and quality of life (n = 2). Use of outcome measurement tools was inconsistent; the most frequently used measures were the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (n = 8), the Mini-Mental State Examination (n = 7), and the Trail Making Test (n = 7). Nine studies used in-game measures, most of which were related to game performance. Conclusion: We found very few studies with assessment of cognition within the game. Studies of serious games for people with dementia and cognitive impairment should develop digital outcome tools based on recommendations in Core Outcome Sets, to increase consistency between studies

El redescubrimiento de la filosofía personalista de Jacques Maritain

The author argues that searching for new models for business functioning and economic policy invites us to rediscover the personalist philosophy of Jacques Maritain. At the core of Maritain’s Humanisme Intégral (1936) is the idea that man is a person who is "spiritual in nature, endowed with free will, and thus autonomous in relation to the world". The paper studies temporal common good’s inner nature, that according to Maritain concerns the good life of the entire community —the common good or bonum commune— both in the material and moral sense. This bonum commune is not the ultimate goal of the temporal order, but it is subordinate to what transcends temporal welfare of the human person—the attainment of freedom and spiritual perfection. In the end, this temporal order is never completed. The definitive balance or telos is never obtained because man is always on the path.El autor sostiene que la búsqueda de nuevos modelos empresariales y de política económica nos invita a redescubrir la filosofía personalista de Maritain. En el núcleo de la obra Humanismo integral (1936) del filósofo francés aparece la idea de que el hombre es una persona "de naturaleza espiritual, dotada de libre albedrío, y por lo tanto autónoma en relación con el mundo". El artículo estudia la naturaleza del bien común temporal, que para Maritain se relaciona con la vida buena de la toda la comunidad –el bien común o bonum commune– tanto en el sentido material como moral.Este bonum commune no es el objetivo final del orden temporal, sino que estásubordinado a lo que trasciende el bienestar temporal de la persona humana –larealización de la libertad y la perfección espiritual. En última instancia, el orden nuncase completa. El balance definitivo o telos nunca se obtiene ya que el hombre está siempreen camino

Extracellular Nucleotides Regulate Arterial Calcification by Activating Both Independent and Dependent Purinergic Receptor Signaling Pathways

Arterial calcification, the deposition of calcium-phosphate crystals in the extracellular matrix, resembles physiological bone mineralization. It is well-known that extracellular nucleotides regulate bone homeostasis raising an emerging interest in the role of these molecules on arterial calcification. The purinergic independent pathway involves the enzymes ecto-nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterases (NPPs), ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolases (NTPDases), 5′-nucleotidase and alkaline phosphatase. These regulate the production and breakdown of the calcification inhibitor—pyrophosphate and the calcification stimulator—inorganic phosphate, from extracellular nucleotides. Maintaining ecto-nucleotidase activities in a well-defined range is indispensable as enzymatic hyper- and hypo-expression has been linked to arterial calcification. The purinergic signaling dependent pathway focusses on the activation of purinergic receptors (P1, P2X and P2Y) by extracellular nucleotides. These receptors influence arterial calcification by interfering with the key molecular mechanisms underlying this pathology, including the osteogenic switch and apoptosis of vascular cells and possibly, by favoring the phenotypic switch of vascular cells towards an adipogenic phenotype, a recent, novel hypothesis explaining the systemic prevention of arterial calcification. Selective compounds influencing the activity of ecto-nucleotidases and purinergic receptors, have recently been developed to treat arterial calcification. However, adverse side-effects on bone mineralization are possible as these compounds reasonably could interfere with physiological bone mineralization

Coxsackie-adenovirus receptor expression is enhanced in pancreas from patients with type 1 diabetes

Objectives: One of the theories connecting enterovirus (EV) infection of human islets with type 1 diabetes (T1D) is the development of a fertile field in the islets. This implies induction of appropriate proteins for the viral replication such as the coxsackie–adenovirus receptor (CAR). The aim of this study was to investigate to what extent CAR is expressed in human islets of Langerhans, and what conditions that would change the expression. Design: Immunohistochemistry for CAR was performed on paraffin-embedded pancreatic tissue from patients with T1D (n=9 recent onset T1D, n=4 long-standing T1D), islet autoantibody-positive individuals (n=14) and non-diabetic controls (n=24) individuals. The expression of CAR was also examined by reverse transcription PCR on microdissected islets (n=5), exocrine tissue (n=5) and on explanted islets infected with EV or exposed to chemokines produced by EV-infected islet cells. Results: An increased frequency of patients with T1D and autoantibody-positive individuals expressed CAR in the pancreas (p<0.039). CAR staining was detected more frequently in pancreatic islets from patients with T1D and autoantibody-positive subjects (15/27) compared with (6/24) non-diabetic controls (p<0.033). Also in explanted islets cultured in UV-treated culture medium from coxsackievirus B (CBV)-1-infected islets, the expression of the CAR gene was increased compared with controls. Laser microdissection of pancreatic tissue revealed that CAR expression was 10-fold higher in endocrine compared with exocrine cells of the pancreas. CAR was also expressed in explanted islets and the expression level decreased with time in culture. CBV-1 infection of explanted islets clearly decreased the expression of CAR (p<0.05). In contrast, infection with echovirus 6 did not affect the expression of CAR. Conclusions: CAR is expressed in pancreatic islets of patients with T1D and the expression level of CAR is increased in explanted islets exposed to proinflammatory cytokines/chemokines produced by infected islets. T1D is associated with increased levels of certain chemokines/cytokines in the islets and this might be the mechanism behind the increased expression of CAR in TID islets

Proefputtenonderzoek Janseniusproject Leuven (prov. Vlaams-Brabant). Basisrapport - November 2008

Dit rapport werd ingediend bij het agentschap samen met een aantal afzonderlijke digitale bijlagen. Een aantal van deze bijlagen zijn niet inbegrepen in dit pdf document en zijn niet online beschikbaar. Sommige bijlagen (grondplannen, fotos, spoorbeschrijvingen, enz.) kunnen van belang zijn voor een betere lezing en interpretatie van dit rapport. Indien u deze bijlagen wenst te raadplegen kan u daarvoor contact opnemen met: [email protected]

Provision of Outdoor Nature-Based Activity for Older People with Cognitive Impairment: A Scoping Review from the ENLIVEN Project

© 2023 Rachel Collins et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.The health and well-being benefits of outdoor nature-based activity are increasingly recognised, but older people with cognitive impairment face significant barriers to access. The ENLIVEN project aims to promote access by gathering evidence and coproducing guidance for activity providers. As part of this project, we conducted a scoping review to characterise the types of outdoor nature-based activity for older people with dementia and other forms of cognitive impairment for which research evidence is available and the range of outcomes is examined. The protocol is available online. We systematically searched relevant databases from 1st January, 2009, to 20th October, 2022, and screened articles against the following criteria: participants were older people aged 65 and above with cognitive impairment arising from dementia or another health condition. The study described the formal provision of outdoor nature-based activity away from the person’s usual place of residence, and at least one outcome of participation in the activity was evaluated. Twenty-eight articles met inclusion criteria, all focused on people living with dementia. In most cases, participants were attending day care or living in residential care, and sample sizes ranged from 4 to 136. Activities fell into three groups: green day care (fifteen articles), equine-assisted interventions (seven articles), and community nature-based activities (six articles). Outcome domains explored were connection with nature, activity engagement, impacts on clinical symptoms, functional ability, physical, psychological, and social health, and quality of life. Outdoor nature-based activity can be offered as an opportunity for meaningful occupation to enrich daily life, as a framework for day care provision, or as an intervention to address clinical needs. The evidence base for green day care is relatively established, but the potential for addressing specific clinical needs remains to be explored. The paucity of evidence regarding community provision, especially for those not attending formal care settings, suggests the need for effective knowledge exchange to stimulate initiatives in this area.Peer reviewe

Cognitive reserve and its impact on cognitive and functional abilities, physical activity and quality of life following a diagnosis of dementia: longitudinal findings from the Improving the experience of Dementia and Enhancing Active Life (IDEAL) study

\ua9 The Author(s) 2025. Background: The concept of cognitive reserve may explain inter-individual differences in susceptibility to neuropathological changes. Studies suggest that experiences over a lifetime impact on cognitive reserve, and it is hypothesised that following a dementia diagnosis, greater reserve levels are linked to accelerated disease progression. Objective: To investigate the longitudinal impact of cognitive reserve on cognitive and functional abilities, physical activity and quality of life in people with dementia. Design: Longitudinal cohort design. Setting and participants: Participants were 1537 people with mild-to-moderate dementia at baseline, 1183 at 12 months follow-up and 851 at 24 months follow-up, from the IDEAL study. Methods: A comprehensive latent measure of cognitive reserve incorporated domains from all stages of life: education, occupational attainment and later-life engagement in leisure activities. The impact of cognitive reserve on cognition, functional abilities, physical activity and quality of life at baseline and over time was investigated using latent growth curve modelling. Results: Higher cognitive reserve was associated with better cognition, fewer functional difficulties, more physical activity and better quality of life at baseline but was associated with accelerated cognitive decline and greater dependence over time. After 2 years, those with higher initial reserve were estimated to still have better cognition than those with low reserve. Conclusions: Cognitive reserve may be important in initially delaying dementia progression but is linked with accelerated deterioration once dementia becomes clinically evident, likely because of the more advanced neuropathological stage of the condition. Engagement in leisure activities is a potentially modifiable domain of cognitive reserve warranting further investigation