Young People’s Conceptualization of Their Wellbeing: Culturally Situated Understandings in the Context of Kazakhstan

Little is known about the wellbeing of young people living in post-Soviet nation contexts such as Kazakhstan. The qualitative data reported represents the views of 309 Kazakhstani young people on their conceptualisations of wellbeing that fell broadly into three major thematic categories: external factors from one’s surroundings; relationships with others, and internal aspects of the self. The direct consequence of inadequate physical environment on health and the environment’s impact on psychological wellbeing through leisure, lifestyle, education, and employment opportunities were emphasised. Affirmative connections with others were associated with increased levels of emotional wellbeing. The importance of making independent choices as well as being actively involved in leisure, volunteering and extracurricular school activities for achieving optimal levels of wellbeing was highlighted.Newton – Al-Farabi Partnership Programme” (Reference number 172734464

Valorisation of macroalgae via the integration of hydrothermal carbonisation and anaerobic digestion

This study investigates the integration of hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) with anaerobic digestion (AD) as a valorisation route for two macroalgae species; S. latissima (SL) and F. serratus (FS). HTC reactions were conducted at temperatures of 150°C, 200°C and 250°C, with resulting hydrochars, process waters and hydrothermal slurries assessed for biomethane potential yields. Un-treated SL generated similar biomethane levels compared to all SL slurries. Whereas all FS slurries improved biomethane yields compared to un-treated FS. Hydrochars represent a greater energy carrier if used as a solid fuel, rather than a feedstock for anaerobic digestion. Integrating HTC and AD, through hydrochar combustion and process water digestion has a greater energetic output than anaerobic digestion of the un-treated macroalgae. Treatment at 150°C, with separate utilisation of products, can improve the energetic output of S. latissima and F. serratus by 47 % and 172 % respectively, compared to digestion of the un-treated macroalgae

Ten of the best books of 2019 recommended by LSE blog editors

Many of the LSE blogs regularly feature book reviews of the latest publications emerging across the social sciences. But which books have LSE blog editors been enjoying in 2019? In this list, five LSE blog editors recommend their favourite reads of the year

A contextually adapted model of school engagement in Kazakhstan

This study introduces a culturally adapted 17-item scale of school engagement. It seeks to measure school engagement in young people in a society undergoing a rapid transition from a collectivist to individualist mind-set, and an education system focused on improving performance in international assessments such as PISA, PIRLS and TIMSS. The school engagement scale is validated by testing the empirical fit of a second-order multidimensional factor model of school engagement taken from the Western literature to large-scale data in Kazakhstan. Culturally relevant features are added, such as the strong influence of ‘important others. The model tested was formed from 1) an individual’s cognitions and behaviours associated with school and 2) the social influences of parents, peers, and teachers. 1744 secondary education students in Kazakhstan participated in the study. Confirmatory analyses supported the hypothesized additional contributory factors to school engagement. Differences in means across gender, grade, school-type, and geographic location showed: (1) higher cognitive engagement for young women; (2) rural students with higher levels of behavioural engagement; and (3) substantial differences in social support by grade and rurality.Funding for this project covered the period 1st April 2015 to 30th May 2017 and was provided jointly by The British Council and Al-Farabi Foundation through the Newton Fund, Institutional Links Programme (Reference: 172734464)

Nocardia kroppenstedtii sp. nov., a novel actinomycete isolated from a lung transplant patient with a pulmonary infection

An actinomycete, strain N1286T, isolated from a lung transplant patient with a pulmonary infection, was provisionally assigned to the genus Nocardia. The strain had chemotaxonomic and morphological properties typical of members of the genus Nocardia and formed a distinct phyletic line in the Nocardia 16S rRNA gene tree. It was most closely related to Nocardia farcinica DSM 43665T (99.8% gene similarity) but was distinguished from the latter by a low level of DNA:DNA relatedness. These strains were also distinguished by a broad range of phenotypic properties. On the basis of these data, it is proposed that isolate N1286T (=DSM 45810T = NCTC 13617T) should be classified as the type strain of a new Nocardia species for which the name Nocardia kroppenstedtii is proposed

Antenatal peer support workers and initiation of breast feeding: cluster randomised controlled trial

Objective To assess the effectiveness of an antenatal service using community based breastfeeding peer support workers on initiation of breast feeding

Treatment of Branch Retinal Artery Occlusion With Transluminal Nd:YAG Laser Embolysis

The purpose of this paper was to report a successful treatment of transluminal Nd:YAG laser embolysis (NYE) for branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO) with visible emboli. Two patients with acute, severe vision loss secondary to a branch retinal artery occlusion with visible emboli in one eye underwent NYE. A complete ocular examination was performed which included biomicroscopy of the posterior pole of the retina, intraocular pressure measurement, fundus color photographs, and fluorescein angiography (FA). After the NYE, the two patients showed dramatic improvements in best-corrected visual acuity, as well as, immediate and dramatic restorations in flow past the obstructed arteriole in FA. NYE is a treatment modality to be considered in patients with BRAO who present acutely with severe vision loss and a visible embolus