Patients as researchers - innovative experiences in UK National Health Service research

Consumer involvement is an established priority in UK health and social care service development and research. To date, little has been published describing the process of consumer involvement and assessing ‘consumers’ contributions to research. This paper provides a practical account of the effective incorporation of consumers into a research team, and outlines the extent to which they can enhance the research cycle; from project development and conduct, through data analysis and interpretation, to dissemination. Salient points are illustrated using the example of their collaboration in a research project. Of particular note were consumers’ contributions to the development of an ethically enhanced, more robust project design, and enriched data interpretation, which may not have resulted had consumers not been an integral part of the research team

Overview and status of the 0.5NA EUV microfield exposure tool at Berkeley Lab

A 0.5-NA extreme ultraviolet micro-field exposure tool has been installed and commissioned at beamline 12.0.1.4 of the Advanced Light Source synchrotron facility at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Commissioning has demonstrated a patterning resolution of 13 nm half-pitch with annular 0.35-0.55 illumination; a patterning resolution of 8 nm half-pitch with annular 0.1-0.2 illumination; critical dimension (CD) uniformity of 0.7 nm 1σ on 16 nm nominal CD across 80% of the 200 um x 30 um aberration corrected field of view; aerial image vibration relative to the wafer of 0.75 nn RMS and focus control and focus stepping better than 15 nm

Comparison of different trap designs for capture of noctuid moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) with pheromone and floral odor attractants

Six trap designs were assessed for capturing noctuid moths in field trials in the UK and Argentina. The traps were baited with either a sex pheromone for Autographa gamma in the UK trials and Helicoverpa gelotopoeon in Argentina, or a floral odor blend. In the UK trials the Universal Trap and a funnel sleeve trap were compared; in Argentina the funnel sleeve trap, a homemade bucket trap, and three sticky traps: LepTrap, wing trap, and delta trap were compared. Comparisons were made between the traps and attractants and captures of noctuid moths and non-target insects. Traps baited with the floral attractant caught a lower number but a wider range of noctuid species including Helicoverpa, Spodoptera, Rachiplusia, Dargida, Mythimna, Chrysodeixis, Agrotis, and Autographa spp, and non-target insects. In the UK trials, the funnel sleeve trap caught significantly more A. gamma than the Universal Trap. The addition of an insecticide to the Universal Trap marginally increased trap catches. In the Argentinian trials, the homemade bucket and the sleeve traps outperformed all sticky traps in most situations regardless of crop environment and attractant type. The homemade bucket and the funnel sleeve traps are also considerably cheaper than the other trap designs. Of the sticky traps the LepTrap caught more noctuids than the wing and delta traps. The results suggest that the bucket trap and the sleeve trap have a much greater maximum capacity and possibly a greater retention efficiency for noctuid moths compared to the sticky traps

Achieving diffraction-limited performance on the Berkeley MET5

The Berkeley MET5, funded by EUREKA, is a 0.5-NA EUV projection lithography tool located at the Advanced Light Source at Berkeley National Lab. Wavefront measurements of the MET5 optic have been performed using a custom in-situ lateral shearing interferometer suitable for high-NA interferometry. In this paper, we report on the most recent characterization of the MET5 optic demonstrating an RMS wavefront 0.31 nm, and discuss the specialized mask patterns, gratings, and illumination geometries that were employed to accommodate the many challenges associated with high-NA EUV interferometry

Sub-clinical assessment of atopic dermatitis severity using angiographic optical coherence tomography

Measurement of sub-clinical atopic dermatitis (AD) is important for determining how long therapies should be continued after clinical clearance of visible AD lesions. An important biomarker of sub-clinical AD is epidermal hypertrophy, the structural measures of which often make optical coherence tomography (OCT) challenging due to the lack of a clearly delineated dermal-epidermal junction in AD patients. Alternatively, angiographic OCT measurements of vascular depth and morphology may represent a robust biomarker for quantifying the severity of clinical and sub-clinical AD. To investigate this, angiographic data sets were acquired from 32 patients with a range of AD severities. Deeper vascular layers within skin were found to correlate with increasing clinical severity. Furthermore, for AD patients exhibiting no clinical symptoms, the superficial plexus depth was found to be significantly deeper than healthy patients at both the elbow (p = 0.04) and knee (p < 0.001), suggesting that sub-clinical changes in severity can be detected. Furthermore, the morphology of vessels appeared altered in patients with severe AD, with significantly different vessel diameter, length, density and fractal dimension. These metrics provide valuable insight into the sub-clinical severity of the condition, allowing the effects of treatments to be monitored past the point of clinical remission

Theorizing healthy settings: a critical discussion with reference to Healthy Universities

The settings approach appreciates that health determinants operate in settings of everyday life. Whilst subject to conceptual development, we argue that the approach lacks a clear and coherent theoretical framework to steer policy, practice and research. Aims: To identify what theories and conceptual models have been used in relation to the implementation and evaluation of Healthy Universities. Methods: A scoping literature review was undertaken between 2010-2013, identifying 26 papers that met inclusion criteria. Findings: Seven theoretical perspectives or conceptual frameworks were identified: the Ottawa Charter; a socio-ecological approach (which implicitly drew on sociological theories concerning structure and agency); salutogenesis; systems thinking; whole system change; organisational development; and a framework proposed by Dooris. These were used to address interrelated questions on the nature of a setting, how health is created in a setting, why the settings approach is a useful means of promoting health, and how health promotion can be introduced into and embedded within a setting. Conclusion: Although distinctive, the example of Healthy Universities drew on common theoretical perspectives that have infused the settings discourse more generally. This engagement with theory was at times well-developed and at other times a passing reference. The paper concludes by pointing to other theories that offer value to healthy settings practice and research and by arguing that theorisation has a key role to play in understanding the complexity of settings and guiding the planning, implementation and evaluation of programmes