'HeART of Stroke (HoS)', a community-based Arts for Health group intervention to support self-confidence and psychological well-being following a stroke: protocol for a randomised controlled feasibility study

Introduction Over 152 000 people in the UK have strokes annually and a third experience residual disability. Low mood also affects a third of stroke survivors; yet psychological support is poor. While Arts for Health interventions have been shown to improve well-being in people with mild-to-moderate depression post-stroke, their role in helping people regain sense of self, well-being and confidence has yet to be evaluated. The main aim of this study is to explore the feasibility of conducting a pragmatic multicentre randomised controlled trial to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an Arts for Health group intervention (‘HeART of Stroke’ (HoS)) for stroke survivors. HoS is a 10-session artist-facilitated group intervention held in the community over 14 weeks. It offers a non-judgemental, supportive environment for people to explore sense of self, potentially enhancing well-being and confidence. Methods and analysis Sixty-four people, up to 2 years post-stroke, recruited via secondary care research staff or community stroke/rehabilitation teams in two UK centres will be randomised to either HoS plus usual care or usual care only. Self-reported outcomes, measured at baseline and approximately 5 months postrandomisation, will include stroke-related, well-being, mood, self-esteem, quality of life and process measures. Analyses will focus on estimating key feasibility parameters (eg, rates of recruitment, retention, intervention attendance). We will develop outcome and resource use data collection methods to inform an effectiveness and cost-effectiveness analysis in the future trial. Interviews, with a sample of participants, will explore the acceptability of the intervention and study processes, as well as experiences of the HoS group. Ethics and dissemination National Health Service (NHS), Research and Development and University ethical approvals have been obtained. Two peer-reviewed journal publications are planned plus one service user led publication. Findings will be disseminated at key national conferences, local stakeholder events and via institutional websites.This paper presents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) under its Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) Programme (Grant Reference Number PB-PG-0212-27054)

Cooperation and quality of life among Bering Sea fishermen and their families

Bering Sea pollock fishing is characterized by high levels of physical risk, uncertainties in wages and schedule, close and extensive interdependence on other workers, and long absences from home. This occupation leads to a way of life which is full of extremes and has unusually strong effects on the family. This study examines the effects of the occupation on the quality of family life and working life through a teamwork perspective. It is a study of the slow breakdown in cooperation among families and the enhancement of cooperation in the work setting. The breakdown in family cooperation reduces the family’s ability to respond to its members’ needs for love, inclusion, and intimacy, and has important consequences for the quality of family life. The enhancement of cooperation in the work setting contributes to the creation of important social benefits such as trust, agreement, and a sense of inclusion. These social outcomes, and improved task performance, positively influence the quality of working life. Major themes include anthropology at home and among peers, family adaptations to occupational influences, the role of story-telling in building cooperation and commitment in teams, generosity and relaxed social accounting strategies in adult socialization, and the importance of extremes in evaluating the quality of working life

Liver fat in adults with GH deficiency: comparison to matched controls and the effect of GH replacement

CONTEXT: Existing data regarding the association between growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and liver fat content are conflicting. OBJECTIVE: We aimed i) to assess intrahepatocellular lipid (IHCL) content in hypopituitary adults with GHD compared to matched controls and ii) to evaluate the effect of growth hormone (GH) replacement on IHCL content. DESIGN: Cross-sectional comparison and controlled intervention study. PATIENTS, PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional comparison: 22 hypopituitary adults with GHD and 44 healthy controls matched for age, BMI, gender and ethnicity. Intervention study: 9 GHD patients starting GH replacement (GH Rx group), 9 GHD patients not starting replacement therapy (non-GH Rx group). INTERVENTION: Intervention study:GH replacement for 6 months in the GH Rx group, dosage was titrated to achieve normal IGF-1 levels. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: IHCL content determined by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1 H MRS). RESULTS: Cross-sectional comparison: There was no difference in IHCL content between GHD patients and healthy controls (1.89% (0.30, 4.03) vs. 1.14% (0.22, 2.32); p=0.2), the prevalence of patients with hepatic steatosis (IHCL of ≥ 5.56%) was similar in the two groups (22.7% vs. 15.9%; chi square probability = 0.4). Intervention study: The change in IHCL content over 6 months did not differ between the GH Rx group and the non-GH Rx group (-0.63 ± 4.53% vs. +0.11 ± 1.46%; p=0.6). CONCLUSIONS: In our study liver fat content and the prevalence of hepatic steatosis did not differ between hypopituitary adults with GHD and matched controls. In GHD patients GH replacement had no effect on liver fat content

A Mock Data Challenge for the Einstein Gravitational-Wave Telescope

Einstein Telescope (ET) is conceived to be a third generation gravitational-wave observatory. Its amplitude sensitivity would be a factor ten better than advanced LIGO and Virgo and it could also extend the low-frequency sensitivity down to 1--3 Hz, compared to the 10--20 Hz of advanced detectors. Such an observatory will have the potential to observe a variety of different GW sources, including compact binary systems at cosmological distances. ET's expected reach for binary neutron star (BNS) coalescences is out to redshift $z\simeq 2$ and the rate of detectable BNS coalescences could be as high as one every few tens or hundreds of seconds, each lasting up to several days. %in the sensitive frequency band of ET. With such a signal-rich environment, a key question in data analysis is whether overlapping signals can be discriminated. In this paper we simulate the GW signals from a cosmological population of BNS and ask the following questions: Does this population create a confusion background that limits ET's ability to detect foreground sources? How efficient are current algorithms in discriminating overlapping BNS signals? Is it possible to discern the presence of a population of signals in the data by cross-correlating data from different detectors in the ET observatory? We find that algorithms currently used to analyze LIGO and Virgo data are already powerful enough to detect the sources expected in ET, but new algorithms are required to fully exploit ET data.Comment: accepted for publication in Physical Review D -- 18 pages, 8 figure

Structure and Function of Connective Tissue in Cardiac Muscle: Collagen Types I and III in Endomysial Struts and Pericellular Fibers

Heart myocytes and capillaries are enmeshed in a complex array of connective tissue structures arranged in several levels of organization: epimysium, the sheath of connective tissue that surrounds muscles; perimysium, which is associated with groups of cells; and endomysium, which surrounds and interconnects individual cells. The present paper is a review of work in this field with an emphasis on new, unpublished findings, including composition of endomysial fibers and disposition of newly described perimysial fibers. The role of scanning electron microscopy in the development of current understanding is also outlined. Biaxially arranged epimysial fibers form a sheath around papillary muscles and trabeculae that becomes increasingly well-oriented with the muscle axis during stretch. Perimysial structures are associated with groups of cells, and include weaves and septa of collagen, tendon-like fibers between weaves, ribbon-like fibers perpendicular to myocytes, and the newly described coiled perimysial fibers, which form an array in parallel with the myocytes and the epimysial net. The endomysium includes struts that bridge cells and pericellular fibers; both contain collagen types I and III. The evidence for the latter is presented in this paper and depends upon the use of antibody localization with fluorescent markers in light microscopy and colloidal gold for scanning electron microscopy. The implications of the composition of collagen fibers for myocardial function are discussed in relation to intra-cellular and other extra-cellular structures

Optical Spectroscopy of the Surface Population of the rho Ophiuchi Molecular Cloud: The First Wave of Star Formation

We present the results of optical spectroscopy of 139 stars obtained with the Hydra multi-object spectrograph. The objects extend over a 1.3 square degree area surrounding the main cloud of the rho Oph complex. The objects were selected from narrowband images to have H alpha in emission. Using the presence of strong H alpha emission, lithium absorption, location in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, or previously reported x-ray emission, we were able to identify 88 objects as young stars associated with the cloud. Strong H alpha emission was confirmed in 39 objects with line widths consistent with their origin in magnetospheric accretion columns. Two of the strongest emission-line objects are young, x-ray emitting brown dwarf candidates with M8 spectral types. Comparisons of the bolometric luminosities and effective temperatures with theoretical models suggest a medianage for this population of 2.1 Myr which is signifcantly older than the ages derived for objects in the cloud core. It appears that these stars formed contemporaneously with low mass stars in the Upper Scorpius subgroup, likely triggered by massive stars in the Upper-Centaurus subgroup.Comment: 35 pages of postscript which includes seven figures (some of which are multi-panel) and four postscript tables. Astronomical Journal (in press

An experimental test of green management information system effects on carrier selection: weigh station and tollbooth bypass technology adoption

In a highly competitive price-driven industry, carriers are continuously searching for opportunities to differentiate their offerings, minimize operational costs, and appeal to shippers. At the same time, environmental sustainability has evolved from being trendy jargon into a requirement for competitive supply chain management. It is at the intersection of these two modern topics that the current study identifies a new carrier selection attribute based on a specialized type of green management information system. We apply social exchange theory to hypothesize carrier price and green technology adoption effects on shipper purchase intent. The hypothesized direct and interaction effects are tested by way of a vignette-based experiment, with a sample of full-time working professionals. The supported hypotheses collectively suggest that the adoption of weigh station and tollbooth bypass technology, as a type of environmentally sustainable information system, positively affects transportation carrier selection and attenuates the negative effect of a carrier’s price on shippers’ purchase intentions. These research findings offer unique theoretical, practical, and policy implications surrounding the trucking carrier selection decision

Lessons on Collecting Data from Autistic Children Using Wrist-Worn Sensors

Autism is a diverse neurodevelopmental condition that has a hugely varying impact of the lives of autistic people. It is only in the last decades that a greater understanding and public awareness of the autism spectrum has come about, in-part thanks to a growing body of research into the condition. Wearable technology offers great promise in furthering autism research by providing an ability to do detailed behavioral analysis in real-life settings, such as in schools, with minimal intrusion. Such work is particularly crucial in exploring behaviours of those with complex needs and intellectual disabilities, a group who traditionally have been under-served. To achieve this there is a need for wearables that are both practical and acceptable to the individuals being studied. This paper presents our findings from a human-centred design approach to developing and deploying wrist-worn sensors among a diverse population of 16 autistic and 12 neurotypical children over a period of several months. Findings and recommendations from this work highlight the need to take both sensory factors and emotional dysregulation into account when designing wearables for autism. Individual aesthetic and social considerations are particularly important for older children. Equally, a period of sensor desensitisation is necessary when working among those with more complex needs