Designing healthier neighbourhoods: A systematic review of the impact of the neighbourhood design on health and wellbeing

Several studies have investigated the impact of neighbourhood design on health and wellbeing, yet there are limited reviews investigating the quality of the evidence and the most effective interventions at a population level. This systematic review aims to clarify the impact of the neighbourhood design on health and wellbeing and evaluate the quality of the evidence underpinning such associations. Eight electronic databases were searched for studies conducted between 2000 and 2016. Additional searches were conducted on Google to identify potentially eligible grey literature. A total of 7694 studies were returned from the literature search, and a final selection of 39 studies were deemed eligible for inclusion. Quality appraisal was conducted using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies. Findings from the studies showed important associations between neighbourhood design principles such as walkability, access to green space and amenities on health and wellbeing. Findings from this review also highlight areas with inconsistent findings and gaps in the evidence for future research

Can functional magnetic resonance imaging studies help with the optimization of health messaging for lifestyle behavior change? A systematic review

Unhealthy behaviours, including smoking, poor nutrition, excessive alcohol consumption, physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyles, are global risk factors for non-communicable diseases and premature death. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) offers a unique approach to optimize health messages by examining how the brain responds to information relating to health. Our aim was to systematically review fMRI studies that have investigated variations in brain activation in response to health messages relating to (i) smoking; (ii) alcohol consumption; (iii) physical activity; (iv) diet; and (v) sedentary behaviour. The electronic databases used were Medline/PubMed, Web of Science (Core Collection), PsychINFO, SPORTDiscuss, Cochrane Library and Open Grey. Studies were included if they investigated subjects aged ≥10 years and were published before January 2017. Of the 13,836 studies identified in the database search, 18 studies (smoking k=15; diet k=2; physical activity/sedentary behavior k=1) were included in the review. The prefrontal cortex was activated in seven (47%) of the smoking-related studies and the physical activity study. Results suggest that activation of the ventromedial, dorsolateral and medial prefrontal cortex regions were predictive of subsequent behavior change following exposure to aversive anti-smoking stimuli. Studies investigating the neurological responses to anti-smoking material were most abundant. Of note, the prefrontal cortex and amygdala were most commonly activated in response to health messages across lifestyle behaviors. The review highlights an important disparity between research focusing on different lifestyle behaviors. Insights from smoking literature suggests fMRI may help to optimize health messaging in relation to other lifestyle behaviors

Development and Testing of a High Stability Engine Control (HISTEC) System

Flight tests were recently completed to demonstrate an inlet-distortion-tolerant engine control system. These flight tests were part of NASA's High Stability Engine Control (HISTEC) program. The objective of the HISTEC program was to design, develop, and flight demonstrate an advanced integrated engine control system that uses measurement-based, real-time estimates of inlet airflow distortion to enhance engine stability. With improved stability and tolerance of inlet airflow distortion, future engine designs may benefit from a reduction in design stall-margin requirements and enhanced reliability, with a corresponding increase in performance and decrease in fuel consumption. This paper describes the HISTEC methodology, presents an aircraft test bed description (including HISTEC-specific modifications) and verification and validation ground tests. Additionally, flight test safety considerations, test plan and technique design and approach, and flight operations are addressed. Some illustrative results are presented to demonstrate the type of analysis and results produced from the flight test program

Recruitment, employability and career development for international students undertaking the UWE MSc Public Health: Final report

Executive SummaryBackgroundOver the last decade, the MSc Public Health at UWE has successfully recruited many international students. An issue for the university in promoting the benefits of the programme internationally is that there is a good career structure in UK public health for those from backgrounds other than medicine, but this is not necessarily the case for international students.Aims and objectivesThe aims were (1) to inform the career guidance we give our international MSc PH students to better enable them to pursue their individual careers and (2) to contribute to developing the Public Health and Wellbeing Research Group’s research on international public health workforce capacity development. To achieve these aims we had two more specific objectives: (1) to map the public health career development of UWE international MSc PH alumni and (2) to map the public health career structures, professional bodies and registration requirements of countries from which students are recruited.MethodsThis was a mixed methods research project based on an online survey, telephone and face-to-face semi-structured interviews and web-searching. Element 1 focused on the public health career experiences of our MSc international students over the last ten years. A purposive sample of 97 international alumni was emailed with a request to participate in the online survey. The survey included an option to consent for a further follow up interview. Element 2 involved mapping public health career structures, professional bodies and registration in countries from which international students attended over the last ten years. For each country, an internal search was conducted for national public health bodies, associations and registers, and key informants were contacted.4ResultsForty-seven alumni responded and answered at least one question in the online survey. The majority of participants were employed by international organisations, academic institutions, and state agencies or were at different stages of PhD studies. Participants reported increased public health career experiences in public health research roles, public health leadership, and policy analysis and in planning, implementing and evaluating public health programmes. Participants had confidence in applying public health skills, especially research, critical thinking, academic writing as well as demonstrating public health leadership skills and the application of multidisciplinary approaches to address public health issues. Recommendations included provision of longer public health placements, optional courses on project management and advanced statistics, and continued internationalisation of the curriculum. Overall, alumni satisfaction was high in relation to the relevance and impact of the skills and knowledge they acquired during their MSc Public Health at UWE.Discussion and conclusionsThe results of this study were consistent with other studies of alumni of MSc Public Health programmes. The study has provided useful feedback on the UWE MSc Public Health programme and a number of helpful recommendations were made by alumni which will be addressed by the programme team. Implications for further research include studies of international employers’ perspectives on the value and limitations of the MSc Public Health and on public health registratio

We must look further upstream to enable planetary health-literate urban development

The gap between academic research and real-world practice in urban planning and development is a major barrier to planetary health.1 By exploring uncertainty and complexity further upstream, we might be able to narrow that gap, and make progress in tackling the urban health crisis

Whole blood gene expression profiling of neonates with confirmed bacterial sepsis

peer-reviewedNeonatal infection remains a primary cause of infant morbidity and mortality worldwide and yet our understanding of how human neonates respond to infection remains incomplete. Changes in host gene expression in response to infection may occur in any part of the body, with the continuous interaction between blood and tissues allowing blood cells to act as biosensors for the changes. In this study we have used whole blood transcriptome profiling to systematically identify signatures and the pathway biology underlying the pathogenesis of neonatal infection. Blood samples were collected from neonates at the first clinical signs of suspected sepsis alongside age matched healthy control subjects. Here we report a detailed description of the study design, including clinical data collected, experimental methods used and data analysis workflows and which correspond with data in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) data sets (GSE25504). Our data set has allowed identification of a patient invariant 52-gene classifier that predicts bacterial infection with high accuracy and lays the foundation for advancing diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic strategies for neonatal sepsis

The effects of 12 weeks’ resistance training on psychological parameters and quality of life in adults with Facioscapulohumeral, Becker, and Limb–girdle dystrophies

Purpose Investigate the impact of 12-weeks’ moderate-intensity resistance training on psychological parameters in ambulatory adults with Facioscapulohumeral, Becker, and Limb–girdle muscular dystrophy. Methods Seventeen adults with Facioscapulohumeral (n = 6), Limb–girdle (n = 6; types 2A, 2B, 2L, and 2I), or Becker (n = 5) muscular dystrophy took part. Participants were tested at baseline (PRE), after a 12-week control period (PRE2), and after a 12-week supervised resistance training programme (POST). Training included multi-joint and single-joint resistance exercises. Outcomes from self-report questionnaires were health-related quality of life, depressive symptoms, trait anxiety, self-esteem, and physical self-worth. Results No difference in outcome measures, except depressive symptoms, was found in the control period (PRE to PRE2). Symptoms of depression were reduced by 9% from PRE to PRE2 (p < 0.05) and by a further 19% from PRE2 to POST (p < 0.05). Other changes from PRE2 to POST were that trait anxiety reduced by 10%, self-esteem increased by 10%, physical self-worth increased by 20%, and quality of life improved in 8 domains (p < 0.05). Conclusion These findings demonstrate the positive impact of moderate-intensity resistance training on psychological health and quality of life in adults with Facioscapulohumeral, Becker, and Limb–girdle muscular dystrophies. Implications for rehabilitation Resistance training can have a positive impact on psychological health and quality of life in adults with Facioscapulohumeral, Becker, and Limb–girdle muscular dystrophy. Healthcare professionals should consider including moderate-intensity resistance training within the management and treatment programmes of adults with Facioscapulohumeral, Becker, and Limb–girdle muscular dystrophy

Rapid Mass Movement of Chloroplasts during Segment Formation of the Calcifying Siphonalean Green Alga, Halimeda macroloba

is abundant on coral reefs and is important in the production of calcium carbonate sediments. The process by which new green segments are formed over-night is revealed here for the first time. indicated that the movement process is dependent on both microtubules and microfilaments.This unusual process involves the mass movement of chloroplasts at a high rate into new segments during the night and rapid calcification on the following day and may be an adaptation to minimise the impact of herbivorous activity

Growth modification of seeded calcite using carboxylic acids: Atomistic simulations

Molecular dynamics simulations were used to investigate possible explanations for experimentallyobserved differences in the growth modification of calcite particles by two organic additives, polyacrylicacid (PAA) and polyaspartic acid (p-ASP). The more rigid backbone of p-ASP was found to inhibit the formationof stable complexes with counter-ions in solution, resulting in a higher availability of p-ASP comparedto PAA for surface adsorption. Furthermore the presence of nitrogen on the p-ASP backbone yieldsfavorable electrostatic interactions with the surface, resulting in negative adsorption energies, in anupright (brush conformation). This leads to a more rapid binding and longer residence times at calcitesurfaces compared to PAA, which adsorbed in a flat (pancake) configuration with positive adsorptionenergies. The PAA adsorption occurring despite this positive energy difference can be attributed to thedisruption of the ordered water layer seen in the simulations and hence a significant entropic contribution to the adsorption free energy. These findings help explain the stronger inhibiting effect on calcite growth observed by p-ASP compared to PAA and can be used as guidelines in the design of additives leading to even more marked growth modifying effects