The Pathfinder Journey - Embedding ePortfolio at level 1

Higher Education Academ

Best practice guide for the retreat model of staff development to design ePDP tasks

Higher Education Academ

Best practice guide for the design of ePDP tasks

Higher Education Academ

Listeriolysin S, a Novel Peptide Haemolysin Associated with a Subset of Lineage I Listeria monocytogenes

peer-reviewedStreptolysin S (SLS) is a bacteriocin-like haemolytic and cytotoxic virulence factor that plays a key role in the virulence of Group A Streptococcus (GAS), the causative agent of pharyngitis, impetigo, necrotizing fasciitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. Although it has long been thought that SLS and related peptides are produced by GAS and related streptococci only, there is evidence to suggest that a number of the most notorious Gram-positive pathogenic bacteria, including Listeria monocytogenes, Clostridium botulinum and Staphylococcus aureus, produce related peptides. The distribution of the L. monocytogenes cluster is particularly noteworthy in that it is found exclusively among a subset of lineage I strains; i.e., those responsible for the majority of outbreaks of listeriosis. Expression of these genes results in the production of a haemolytic and cytotoxic factor, designated Listeriolysin S, which contributes to virulence of the pathogen as assessed by murine- and human polymorphonuclear neutrophil–based studies. Thus, in the process of establishing the existence of an extended family of SLS-like modified virulence peptides (MVPs), the genetic basis for the enhanced virulence of a proportion of lineage I L. monocytogenes may have been revealed.Work is funded by the Irish Government under the National Development Plan, through a Science Foundation Ireland Investigator award to CH, PR and PC (06/IN.1/B98)

Therapeutic alliances in stroke rehabilitation: a meta-ethnography

OBJECTIVE: To synthesize qualitative studies exploring patients' and professionals' perspectives and experiences of developing and maintaining therapeutic alliances in stroke rehabilitation. DATA SOURCES: A systematic literature search was conducted using the following electronic databases: PsycINFO, CINAHL, Embase, MEDLINE, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, and ComDisDome from inception to May 2014. This was supplemented by hand searching, reference tracking, generic web searching, and e-mail contact with experts. STUDY SELECTION: Qualitative peer reviewed articles reporting experiences or perceptions of the patient or professional in relation to therapeutic alliance construction and maintenance in stroke rehabilitation were selected for inclusion. After a process of exclusion, 17 publications were included in the synthesis. DATA EXTRACTION: All text identified in the results and discussion sections of the selected studies were extracted verbatim for analysis in a qualitative software program. Studies were critically appraised independently by 2 reviewers. DATA SYNTHESIS: Articles were synthesized using a technique of meta-ethnography. Four overarching themes emerged from the process of reciprocal translation: (1) the professional-patient relationship: degree of connectedness; (2) asymmetrical contributions; (3) the process of collaboration: finding the middle ground; and (4) system drivers. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from the meta-ethnography suggest that the balance of power between the patient and professional is asymmetrically distributed in the construction of the alliance. However, given that none of the studies included in the review addressed therapeutic alliance as a primary research area, further research is required to develop a conceptual framework relevant to stroke rehabilitation, in order to determine how this construct contributes to treatment efficacy

Marina y Cleopatra en el escenario teatral

Cleopatra and Doña Marina come from distinct time periods in world history— respectively, the declining Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt and the age of the Spanish conquest. Literature has been inspired by these historical figures, creating various interpretations of this Egyptian queen and Aztec translator. Fundamentally, these two personalities share similarities: both women fall in love with foreign invaders and harness influence in the political arena of their times. For this, they must rectify their romantic desires with loyalty for their home countries. The plays Todos los gatos son pardos by Carlos Fuentes and Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare reveal this concept. The dialogue between the two plays creates two distinct worlds, or “stages,” (of the invader and the invaded) that Cleopatra and Marina embody. This essay investigates how both women navigate the cultural clash between the invader and the invaded in order to harmonize the tension between romantic and patriotic desires. Comparatively, the Aztec and Egyptian stages can be defined as settings of novelty, fluidity, and excess, while the Roman and Spanish stages emphasize rigidity, logic, and dogmatism. Considering how these individuals embody and defy these characteristics of the stages they come from, this literary and analytical comparison demonstrates that romantic and patriotic loyalty cannot be synchronized. The discrete relationship between these concepts, as examined in both dramas, destabilizes the cultural identity of both figures in such a way that they become defeated and fatalistic

People with aphasia’s perception of the therapeutic alliance in aphasia rehabilitation post stroke: a thematic analysis

Background: The therapeutic alliance has been found to be a critical component of treatment delivery in mental health interventions. This construct may have the potential to inform both treatment efficacy and adherence in aphasia rehabilitation. However, little is known about how people with aphasia perceive therapeutic alliance construction in the context of aphasia rehabilitation. Aims: This study aimed to investigate people with aphasias’ subjective experiences and reflections of constructing and maintaining therapeutic alliances in aphasia rehabilitation. Methods & procedures: In-depth interviews were conducted with eighteen people with aphasia who had received aphasia rehabilitation following a stroke. Interviews were subject to thematic analysis. Outcomes & results: Data analysis revealed five core themes: (1) readiness to contribute to the alliance; (2) proximity with the therapist; (3) perceived attunement with the therapist; (4) receiving information; and (5) collaborative engagement. The therapist’s perceived ability to read and respond effectively to individuals’ relational and situational needs contributed to the success of the alliance. Conclusions: These findings offer novel insights into current practice, highlighting considerable variation in alliance formation across the profession, with ineffectual alliances obstructing engagement and eroding hope and effective alliances promoting adherence and instilling hope. Further research is recommended to understand which aspects of the therapeutic alliance are essential for optimising therapeutic efficacy

Biochemical evolution in response to intensive harvesting in algae: evolution of quality and quantity

Evolutionary responses to indirect selection pressures imposed by intensive harvesting are increasingly common. While artificial selection has shown that biochemical components can show rapid and dramatic evolution, it remains unclear as to whether intensive harvesting can inadvertently induce changes in the biochemistry of harvested populations. For applications such as algal culture, many of the desirable bioproducts could evolve in response to harvesting, reducing cost-effectiveness, but experimental tests are lacking. We used an experimental evolution approach where we imposed heavy and light harvesting regimes on multiple lines of an alga of commercial interest for twelve cycles of harvesting and then placed all lines in a common garden regime for four cycles. We have previously shown that lines in a heavy harvesting regime evolve a live fast phenotype with higher growth rates relative to light harvesting regimes. Here, we show that algal biochemistry also shows evolutionary responses, although they were temporarily masked by differences in density under the different harvesting regimes. Heavy harvesting regimes, relative to light harvesting regimes, had reduced productivity of desirable bioproducts, particularly fatty acids. We suggest that commercial operators wishing to maximize productivity of desirable bioproducts should maintain mother cultures, kept at higher densities (which tend to select for desirable phenotypes), and periodically restart their intensively harvested cultures to minimize the negative consequences of biochemical evolution. Our study shows that the burgeoning algal culture industry should pay careful attention to the role of evolution in intensively harvested crops as these effects are nontrivial if subtle