Osteoarthritis as an organ disease : from the cradle to the grave

We thank all the members, past and present, of the Orthopaedics Research Group whose work forms our contribution to the quest for a solution to this most disabling disease. We also wish to thank all our surgical colleagues in NHS Grampian who have kindly allowed us to use tissue donated by their patients and provided many stimulating clinical insights. We are grateful to the Medical Research Council, the Arthritis Research Campaign, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the Sir Halley Stewart Trust and The Health Foundation for funding research related to this work. We acknowledge grant funding from TMRI Ltd. for some of the SSM studies.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Exploring experiences, barriers, and enablers to home- and class-based exercise in rotator cuff tendinopathy: A qualitative study

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of the following article: Fiona M. Sandford, Thomas A. B. Sanders, R. Nutr, and Jeremy S. Lewis, ‘Exploring experiences, barriers, and enablers to home- and class-based exercise in rotator cuff tendinopathy: A qualitative study’, Journal of Hand Therapy, Vol. 30 (2): 193-199, June 2017. The final, definitive version is available online at doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jht.2017.05.001Abstract Study Design Qualitative study. Introduction Adherence is paramount to the successful outcome of exercise-based treatment. Purpose of Study The barriers and enablers to adherence to a home- and class-based exercise program were explored in this qualitative study. Methods Semi-structured interviews were carried out to establish common themes relating to the participants' experiences during a year-long randomized controlled trial. Results/Discussion Twelve participants were interviewed. The main enablers to exercise were highlighted as equipment, perceived benefit from the exercises, and longer and more intensive monitoring. Barriers included the lack of motivation, lack of equipment, and pain. Conclusions Implications for practice are incorporating enablers and addressing barriers including self-discharge from classes; the importance of longer term follow-up and the benefits of adopting exercise into a well-established routine may provide potential benefits. Level of Evidence N/A.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Sex difference in OA : Should we blame estrogen?

Funding: The authors declared that this study has received no financial support.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Mating tactics of male feral goats ( Capra hircus ): risks and benefits

Intense competition between males for reproduction has led to the evolution of alternative mating tactics (AMTs). Feral goat males usually use a tactic called tending, in which they defend oestrous females from other males. Males may also use a second mating tactic called coursing, in which they gain access to oestrous females by disturbing a tending pair. Herein, we examine estimated mating success (EMS) and risks of using these tactics. Tending was only used by mature (≥4 years old), higher-ranking males and accounted for 75% of EMS. Coursing was used by males of all ages and dominance ranks, and accounted for 25% of EMS. Using coursing, male kids achieved 8% of EMS. Mature males achieved 92% of EMS. Both age and dominance rank were related to EMS, but age was not important after its relationship with dominance was controlled. Tending bouts were, on average, ca. 30min long, while coursing bouts only averaged ca. 2min. Males were more likely to suffer a butt while coursing than while tending, and formerly tending males were responsible for most butts. Kids that coursed had the highest risk of being butted. In most AMTs, there are reductions in the risks in relation to low fitness benefits. However, we found that the risks of butts during coursing were high, while our evidence suggests that the EMS was probably low. Nevertheless, the existence of an effective AMT in male feral goats may have an important influence on the intensity of sexual selection and the effective population siz

Designing a sensibility for sustainable clothing

Our submission to the committee is drawn from research that we are conducting as part of our AHRC-funded grant entitled ‘Designing a Sensibility for Sustainable Clothing’ (S4S). In this project, we conduct a series of workshops in Cornwall and Wolverhampton, engaging participants in making fabric, and making mending and modifying clothes. We use multiple social scientific methodologies to understand the effect these workshops have on participants’ attitudes and behaviour in relation to clothing and fast fashion.Arts & Humanities Research Counci

The Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust Neighbourhood Nursing Team Test and Learn project of an adapted Buurtzorg model : An early view

This report provides the early view evaluation of a Test and Learn pilot of an adapted Buurtzorg model undertaken in Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT) adult community services in Inner London

Stitching a Sensibility 4 Sustainable Clothing: quiet activism, affect and community agency

Abstract Fast fashion has become notorious for its environmental, social and psychological implications. This article reports on some of the work undertaken as part of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)-funded S4S: Designing a Sensibility for Sustainable Clothing project, which sought to combine social science and participatory arts-based research methods to explore how processes of ‘making together’ in community textiles groups might generate a new ethic, or sensibility, among consumers to equip them to make more sustainable clothing choices. The study develops a novel methodology that responds to the complex demands of participatory working. It required careful management of the combinations of methods, which included various different making workshops; wardrobe audits; interviews; films and journal keeping. The project also raises the question of using multi-modal formats, which generate rich data, but also add to the complexity, highlighting a need for multi-disciplinary teams. The article focuses on participant responses from two series of 5-day workshops that explored: 1) Hand-making fabrics by spinning, dyeing and weaving thread; and 2) Deconstructing and reconstructing knitted garments. The embodied encounters offered in the workshops encouraged participants to reflect on the fluidity of garments, by which we mean coming to view clothing not as fixed objects but rather as open and full of potentiality for change. For example, a jumper might be unravelled and the wool used for a different piece of clothing, or a dress unpicked and the fabric used for some entirely different garment. The resultant affective responses ranged from a deeper engagement with the materialities of the clothing industry to an awareness of the amount of time incorporated in the process of making clothes as participants started to re-imagine clothing through the embodied act of re-making

Exploring staff attitudes to distance learning – what are the opportunities, challenges and impacts on engineering academics and instructional designers.

Higher Education Institutions often see distance learning as a means of expanding student numbers and increasing global reach and reputation. Much of the academic literature, however, remains focused on the impact of distance learning on students and the technologies that support it, rather than considering the impact on those staff that are tasked with designing and delivering it. We describe a qualitative study across two engineering departments in a research-intensive UK university, which examines staff perceptions of the impact of converting programmes from successful on-campus ones to distance learning. The findings provide a rich picture of the practical concerns that individual academics have over the impact of distance learning on pedagogy, on technology, on their institution, on students and on themselves. This is an important contribution to the literature that should benefit other engineering departments around the globe who are also grappling with the opportunities and challenges of distance learning