Developing the literacy skills of children from areas of economic disadvantage

PhDThis piece of work consists of three papers. The first paper is a systematic review of literature investigating the effectiveness of preschool, classroom-based literacy interventions used with children living in economic disadvantage. The review consists of nine studies, the majority of which found significant short term effects of intervention. Two of the studies reported long term outcomes which were found to be non-significant. Consequently, recommendations for further research included exploration of a wider range of factors in raising the literacy levels of children from economic disadvantage. The second paper is a bridging document which explains how the various decisions in this piece of work were made, including the research focus, methodology, method and analysis. Through the bridging document, ontology, epistemology and reflexivity are explored and ethical and quality issues are discussed. The third paper describes and discusses a piece of empirical research. Following on from recommendations in the systematic review, a wide range of factors which may be useful in enhancing the literacy levels of children from economic disadvantage were explored. A participatory model of research was used which involved training six pupils from a school situated in a deprived area to carry out research with their peers. The group produced a collaborative mind map and interviewed five of their peers. Six themes emerged from these methods: resources, strategies, skills, people, enjoyment and practice. The benefits and limitations of using a participatory research model are discussed. The data gathered was deemed to be useful but not necessarily better than that gathered using more traditional non-participatory methods. Implications and suggestions for further research are explored

Hospital Menu Assessment of Nutrient Composition and Patient Satisfaction

Patient satisfaction with menu items enhances intake, and adequate intake of nutrients contained within hospital menus is required for recovery. A survey of foodservice leaders in Ontario hospitals determined the frequency and methods used to assess patient satisfaction with, and the nutritional composition of, menus. From this cross sectional study emerged themes, complemented by quantitative data that demonstrated gaps in practice. Findings suggest that over half of hospitals surveyed assessed regular menus for nutritional adequacy; 53 percent assessed therapeutic menus and 44 percent assessed texture modified menus. This differs from hospitals governing long term care facilities in which 75 percent of regular menus were assessed. The nutrient content of the menu must balance patient preferences. Most departments obtain patient feedback at the departmental and corporate levels. Results suggest external evidence based standards are required to obligate foodservice leaders to assess nutritional adequacy with patient preferences, when creating or modifying menus

Aspects of the breeding biology of Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Larus argentatus and L. fuscus) on Rockcliffe Marah, Cumbria

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Literacy Text Selections in Secondary School Classrooms: Exploring the Practices of English Teachers as Agents of Change

The purpose of this paper is to examine how Ontario secondary school English teachers make choices about which literature to teach in their courses. This will be done in order to more deeply understand why many secondary school teachers may or may not encourage students to read contemporary, social issue texts. This paper uses a critical sociology of schooling theoretical perspective to critique the study\u27s findings. We examine the relation between policies and practice, the issue of resources and structural barriers, and how decisions are made around literary text choices. Some themes that emerged out of the interviews focus on a range of views expressed about personal agency, literary canons, gender, sexual orientation, and racism as central issues that shape text selection. We conclude by arguing for the need for policy to support individual teachers to take risks in their professional ability to select and teach contemporary social issues texts to high school students in all disciplines

Blended Learning Essentials Project reports

Blended Learning Essentials is a free suite of online courses for the Vocational Education and Training sector to promote effective practice and pedagogy in blended learning. The courses were run and supported from 2016 onwards by a consortium of partners funded by Ufi Charitable Trust. The lead partners were the University of Leeds, the UCL Institute of Education, the Association for Learning Technology (ALT), and FutureLearn. The Blended Learning Essentials (BLE) courses are for anyone working in further education, skills training, vocational education, workplace learning, lifelong learning or adult education, who wants to learn about and implement blended learning. The project reports cover engagement and marketing work undertaken during this project phase to reach the courses’ key audiences and work undertaken during this project phase to develop and promote the pathways to accreditation available to course participants. These reports are shared by ALT as a project partner on behalf of the BLE Project under a CC-BY-NC-ND licence.

Requirement for sphingosine kinase 1 in mediating phase 1 of the hypotensive response to anandamide in the anaesthetised mouse

In the isolated rat carotid artery, the endocannabinoid anandamide induces endothelium-dependent relaxation via activation of the enzyme sphingosine kinase (SK). This generates sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) which can be released from the cell and activates S1P receptors on the endothelium. In anaesthetised mice, anandamide has a well-characterised triphasic effect on blood pressure but the contribution of SK and S1P receptors in mediating changes in blood pressure has never been studied. Therefore, we assessed this in the current study. The peak hypotensive response to 1 and 10 mg/kg anandamide was measured in control C57BL/6 mice and in mice pretreated with selective inhibitors of SK1 (BML-258, also known as SK1-I) or SK2 ((R)-FTY720 methylether (ROMe), a dual SK1/2 inhibitor (SKi) or an S1P1 receptor antagonist (W146). Vasodilator responses to S1P were also studied in isolated mouse aortic rings. The hypotensive response to anandamide was significantly attenuated by BML-258 but not by ROMe. Antagonising S1P1 receptors with W146 completely blocked the fall in systolic but not diastolic blood pressure in response to anandamide. S1P induced vasodilation in denuded aortic rings was blocked by W146 but caused no vasodilation in endothelium-intact rings. This study provides evidence that the SK1/S1P regulatory-axis is necessary for the rapid hypotension induced by anandamide. Generation of S1P in response to anandamide likely activates S1P1 to reduce total peripheral resistance and lower mean arterial pressure. These findings have important implications in our understanding of the hypotensive and cardiovascular actions of cannabinoids

Quantitative data analysis of perceived barriers and motivators to physical activity in stroke survivors

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The effect of different body positions on anthropometric measurements and derived estimates of body composition

Ms Gail Carin-Levy was funded by the Stroke Association, UK (TSA 03/02). We are grateful to the staff of the Clinical Research Facility, Royal Infirmary Edinburgh, where this work was performed.Purpose: Measurement of cross-sectional lean limb area using physical anthropometry is usually performed in the standing position, but sometimes this may be impractical. Our aim was to determine the effect of different positions on cross-sectional lean area of the upper arm, calf and thigh derived from girth and skin-fold measurements. Methods: Twenty healthy volunteers participated. Girth and skin-fold thickness of the upper arm, calf and thigh were measured in the standing, sitting and supine positions. We derived lean cross-sectional area (cm2), and calculated the mean difference, its 95% confidence intervals (CI), and the 95% limits of agreement (LOA) between standing and the other two positions. Results: For the upper arm, mean differences in lean cross-sectional area for the supine-standing and sitting-standing positions were 0.7cm2, (95% CI -0.6 to 2.0) and -0.6cm2, (95% CI -1.4 to 0.3) respectively. Mean differences for thigh were 3.9cm2 (95% CI -2.3 to 10.1) and -4.3cm2 (95% CI -8.6 to 0.0) for supine-standing and sitting-standing respectively. For the calf, mean difference for supine-standing was -3.1cm2 (95% CI -5.3 to -0.9), while for sitting-standing it was 0.3cm2 (95% CI -1.8 to 2.4). The range of values expected to cover agreement for 95% of subjects (LOA) was widest for the thigh and narrowest for the upper arm. Conclusion: In young healthy subjects, lean cross-sectional area differs according to measurement position, particularly for the lower limb. The same measurement method should be used in any one individual when monitoring change.sch_occ1. Matiega J, The testing of physical efficiency. Am J Phys Anthropol 1921; 4: 223-230. 2. Behnke AR, Feen GB, Welham WC. The specific gravity of healthy men. JAMA 1942; 118: 495-501. 3. Durnin JVGA, Womersley J. Body fat assessed from total body density and its estimation from skinfold thickness: measurements on 481 men and women aged from 16 to 72 years. Br J Nutr 1974; 32: 77-97. 4. Jackson AS, Pollock ML. Generalized equations for predicting body density of men. Br J Nutr 1978; 40: 497-504. 5. Lohman TG, Roche AF, Martorell R (Eds). Anthropometric standardization reference manual. Champaign IL: Human Kinetics, 1988: 1-90. 6. ISAK International Standards for Anthropometric Assessment. The International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry, Potchefstroom, South Africa, 2001: 57-72, 73-88. 7. Brynningsen PK, Damsgaard EMS, Husted SE Improved nutritional status in elderly patients 6 months after stroke The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging 2007;11:75-79 8. Bland MJ, Altman DG. Statistical Methods for Assessing Agreement Between Two Methods of Clinical Measurement. Lancet I; 1986: 307-10. 9. Martin AD, Spenst LF, Drinkwater DT, Clarys JP. Anthropometric estimation of muscle mass in men. Med Sci Sports Exerc; 1990: 22, 729-733. 10. Tothill P, Stewart AD. Estimation of Thigh Muscle and Adipose Tissue Volume using Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Anthropometry. J Sports Sci 2002; 20: 563-576. 11. Altman DG. Practical Statistics for Medical Research. London: Chapman and Hall, London, 1995: 396-400. 12. Carin-Levy G, Greig C, Lewis S, Hannan J, Young A, Mead G. Longitudinal changes in muscle strength and mass after stroke. Cerebrovasc Dis 2006; 21:201-207.6pub605pub