CHANGING LAND USE ON THE PERIPHERY; a case study of urban agriculture and food gardening in Orange Farm

This study was undertaken after funding was received under a call for short-term consultancies to investigate a range of topics related to urban spatial transformation. the call was issued by the school of Architecture and Planning of the University of witwatersrand under the nRF sARcHi initiative. this study investigates peri-urban food gardens and the role that food gardening plays in orange Farm in addressing poverty and in improving food security. the study specifi cally looks at the effects of available open space on urban agriculture and food gardening in orange Farm. It was hypothesised at the outset of the study that, being located on the peri-urban periphery of the city, orange Farm is not yet densely populated or short of land for food gardening to be excluded as a livelihood option. this abundance of open land could, therefore, become an asset in an agriculturally-based strategy to target poverty in this priority region of the city.NRF SARCH

What makes self-help interventions effective in the management of depressive symptoms? Meta-analysis and meta-regression.

Reproduced with permission of the publisher. © 2007 Cambridge University Press.Background. Although self-help interventions are effective in treating depression, less is known about the factors that determine effectiveness (i.e. moderators of effect). This study sought to determine whether the content of self-help interventions, the study populations or aspects of study design were the most important moderators. Method. Randomized trials of the effectiveness of self-help interventions versus controls in the treatment of depressive symptoms were identified using previous reviews and electronic database searches. Data on moderators (i.e. patient populations, study design, intervention content) and outcomes were extracted and analysed using meta-regression. Results. Thirty-four studies were identified with 39 comparisons. Study design factors associated with greater effectiveness were unclear allocation concealment, observer-rated outcome measures and waiting-list control groups. Greater effectiveness was also associated with recruitment in non-clinical settings, patients with existing depression (rather than those ‘at risk ’), contact with a therapist (i.e. guided self-help) and the use of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques. However, only guided self-help remained significant in the multivariate analysis [regression coefficient 0.36, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.05–0.68, p=0.03]. In the subset of guided studies, there were no significant associations between outcomes and the session length, content, delivery mode or therapist background. Conclusions. The results provide some insights into moderators of self-help interventions, which might assist in the design of future interventions. However, the present study did not provide a comprehensive description, and other research methods might be required to identify factors associated with the effectiveness of self-help

Developing teaching for mathematical resilience in further education

The construct ‘Mathematical Resilience’ [1] has been developed to describe a positive stance towards mathematics; resilient learners develop approaches to mathematical learning which help them to overcome the affective barriers and setbacks that can be part of learning mathematics for many people. A resilient stance towards mathematics can be engineered by a strategic and explicit focus on the culture of learning mathematics within both formal and informal learning environments. As part of that engineering, we have developed the notion of ‘Teaching for Mathematical Resilience’. The work described here is focused on developing teachers who know how explicitly to develop resilient learners of mathematics. Teachers for Mathematical Resilience develop a group culture of ‘can do’ mathematics which works to counter the prevalent culture of mathematics helplessness and mathematics anxiety in the general population when faced with mathematical ideas. This paper discusses the changes in awareness brought about by a one-day course designed to develop ‘teaching for mathematical resilience’. The course presentations ran between November 2015 and July 2016 and recruited participants who work as teachers of numeracy or mathematics in Further Education (FE) institutions in England – predominantly in the Midlands. Many of these teachers were being required to teach beyond their own level of mathematical confidence. The data shows that it is possible within a one day course to increase teachers’ awareness of negative past experiences as a possible cause of difficulty with mathematics; teachers become aware of how patterns of behaviour such as avoidance and disruption may have developed as safe-preservation habits and how mathematics anxiety can be transmitted from teacher to student in a vicious cycle. Teachers are supported to work through personal anxieties towards mathematics in a safe and collaborative environment and to develop elements of personal mathematical resilience and awareness of the affective domain. Thus we have sought to break the cycle of mathematics anxiety by educating teacher awareness. However, we have also found that many UK FE teachers request and would likely benefit from further courses

The impact of therapy for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia on intelligence quotients; results of the risk-stratified randomized central nervous system treatment trial MRC UKALL XI

<p>Background: The MRC UKALLXI trial tested the efficacy of different central nervous system (CNS) directed therapies in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). To evaluate morbidity 555/1826 randomised children underwent prospective psychological evaluations. Full Scale, verbal and performance IQs were measured at 5 months, 3 years and 5 years. Scores were compared in; (1) all patients (n = 555) versus related controls (n = 311), (2) low-risk children (presenting white cell count (WCC) < 50 × 109/l) randomised to intrathecal methotrexate (n = 197) versus intrathecal and high-dose intravenous methotrexate (HDM) (n = 202), and (3) high-risk children (WCC ≥ 50 × 109/l, age ≥ 2 years) randomised to HDM (n = 79) versus cranial irradiation (n = 77).</p> <p>Results: There were no significant differences in IQ scores between the treatment arms in either low- or high-risk groups. Despite similar scores at baseline, results at 3 and 5 years showed a significant reduction of between 3.6 and 7.3 points in all three IQ scores in all patient groups compared to controls (P < 0.002) with a higher proportion of children with IQs < 80 in the patient groups (13% vs. 5% at 3 years p = 0.003).</p> <p>Conclusion: Children with ALL are at risk of CNS morbidity, regardless of the mode of CNS-directed therapy. Further work needs to identify individuals at high-risk of adverse CNS outcomes.</p&gt

Recruitment of childhood leukaemia patients to clinical trials in Great Britain during 1980-2007: variation by birth weight, congenital malformation, socioeconomic status and ethnicity.

OBJECTIVE: To assess recruitment of children to national clinical trials for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) in Great Britain during 1980-2007 and describe variation by some factors that might influence trial entry. DESIGN AND SETTING: Records of leukaemia patients aged 0-14 years at diagnosis were identified in the National Registry of Childhood Tumours and linked to birth registrations, Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group records, Hospital Episode Statistics and Medical Research Council clinical trial registers. Trial entry rates were compared between categories of birth weight, congenital malformation, socioeconomic status and ethnicity. RESULTS: 9147 ALL and 1466 AML patients were eligible for national clinical trials during 1980-2007. Overall recruitment rates were 81% and 60% respectively. For ALL, rates varied significantly with congenital malformation (Down syndrome 61%, other malformations 80%, none 82%; p4000 g 67%; p=0.001) and congenital malformation (Down syndrome 28%, other malformations 56%, none 63%; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Although recruitment rates to clinical trials for childhood leukaemia are high, future trials should monitor possible variation by birth weight, ethnicity and presence of congenital malformations

The decision-making process for senior cancer patients: treatment allocation of older women with operable breast cancer in the UK.

Objective: Up to 40% of women over 70 years with primary operable breast cancer in the UK are treated with primary endocrine therapy (PET) as an alternative to surgery. A variety of factors are important in determining treatment for older breast cancer patients. This study aimed to identify the patient and tumor factors associated with treatment allocation in this population. Methods: Prospectively collected data on treatment received (surgery vs. PET) were analysed with multivariable logistic regression using the variables age, modified Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), activities of daily living (ADL) score, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score, HER2 status, tumour size, grade and nodal status. Results: Data were available for 1,122 cancers in 1,098 patients recruited between February 2013 and June 2015 from 51 UK hospitals. About 78% of the population were treated surgically, with the remainder being treated with PET. Increasing patient age at diagnosis, increasing CCI score, large tumor size (5 cm or more) and dependence in one or more ADL categories were all strongly associated with non-surgical treatment (P<0.05). Conclusion: Increasing comorbidity, large tumor size and reduced functional ability are associated with reduced likelihood of surgical treatment of breast cancer in older patients. However, age itself remains a significant factor for non-surgical treatment; reinforcing the need for evidence-based guidelines

Distracting people from sources of discomfort in a simulated aircraft environment

BACKGROUND: Comfort is an important factor in the acceptance of transport systems. In 2010 and 2011, the European Commission (EC) put forward its vision for air travel in the year 2050 which envisaged the use of in-flight virtual reality. This paper addressed the EC vision by investigating the effect of virtual environments on comfort. Research has shown that virtual environments can provide entertaining experiences and can be effective distracters from painful experiences. OBJECTIVE: To determine the extent to which a virtual environment could distract people from sources of discomfort. METHODS: Experiments which involved inducing discomfort commonly experienced in-flight (e.g. limited space, noise) in order to determine the extent to which viewing a virtual environment could distract people from discomfort. RESULTS: Virtual environments can fully or partially distract people from sources of discomfort, becoming more effective when they are interesting. They are also more effective at distracting people from discomfort caused by restricted space than noise disturbances. CONCLUSIONS: Virtual environments have the potential to enhance passenger comfort by providing positive distractions from sources of discomfort. Further research is required to understand more fully the reasons why the effect was stronger for one source of discomfort than the other

Cystic fibrosis population carrier screening: 2004 revision of American College of Medical Genetics mutation panel

Group recommended a panel of mutations and variants that should be tested to determine carrier status within the CFTR gene as a part of population screening programs.1,2 This was initially done in response to the recommendations of an NIH CF Consensus Conference that CF carrier screening be consid-ered by all couples for use before conception or prenatally.3 At that time, the Working Group recognized limitations in our understanding of the population frequencies of several CF al-leles and proposed to review mutation distribution data after the first two years of the program. In 2002, as part of an ongo-ing effort to ensure that the cystic fibrosis carrier screening programs are current with respect to the scientific literature and other available data and practices, we initiated a second review of data on the distribution of mutations in different ethnic groups and we began to assess whether providers wer