Troublesome youth groups, gangs and knife carrying in Scotland

"... the research reported here set out to: Provide an overview of what is known about the nature and extent of youth gang activity and knife carrying in a set of case study locations; Provide an in-depth account of the structures and activities of youth gangs in these settings; Provide an in-depth account of the knife carrying in these settings; Offer a series of recommendations for interventions in these behaviours based on this evidence." - exec. summary

U-Th dating, taphonomy, and taxonomy of shell middens at Klasies River main site indicate stable and systematic coastal exploitation by MIS 5c-d

The archaeological record, particularly of shellfish, from the Klasies River main site (KRM) is important in understanding the fluctuating nature of coastal occupational patterns and changing coastal ecologies. In this paper, we provide new uranium–thorium (U-Th) dates for one of the earlier phases of coastal exploitation at KRM, and the microstratigraphic analyses generate novel information about the taphonomy of shell-bearing deposits from the Later Stone Age (LSA) to the MSA I period that, in turn, provide a broader context for middening at the site. A wide range of syndepositional taphonomic processes related to human activities and post-depositional effects include burning, fragmentation and compaction, chemical alteration, and cementation. Despite such issues influencing recovery, shellfish data are informative and are presented from three layers of the Witness Baulk: Shell Midden One (SMONE), Black Occupational Soils (BOS), and Silty Black Soils (SBLS). These coarse shell midden deposits exhibit visible decalcification coupled with cementation with secondary carbonate formation in association with conditions of high moisture and soft sedimentation deformation of the underlying sediments of SBLS. This stratigraphy section is chronologically anchored for the first time using U-Th dating of speleothems associated with a hiatus after the deposition of BOS. The three ages, 110,060 ± 1,100, 109,800 ± 970, and 106,000 ± 2,100 years, place the BOS layer as the base of the SASL sub-member at over 110 ka, making the underlying middens from the LBS member even older. The zooarchaeological analyses of the three layers indicate coastal ecological changes from more sheltered conditions prior to the hiatus, with the exploitation of alikreukel and brown mussels predominating. Before 110 ka, in BOS and SBLS, more exposed coastal conditions occurred, and the diversity of exploited shellfish increased. SMONE and BOS are associated with MSA II/Mossel Bay lower lithic technology and SBLS with MSA I technology, indicating asynchronous coastal ecological and technological changes. The MIS 5c-d evidence for early coastal occupation at KRM provides details on the period during which coastal occupation became stable and systematic on the South African coast and puts the KRM amongst the handful of sites with shell-bearing deposits, occurring prior to 110 ka in South Africa.publishedVersio

An exploration of paediatric physiotherapists’ views on how the activity of children with cerebral palsy affects their participation

Objective To explore paediatric physiotherapists views about participation by children with cerebral palsy. Background to Study The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health defines participation as “involvement in life situations”1. Participation is important for children because it fosters friendships, enhances skill competencies and develops personal interests2, but studies show that children with cerebral palsy (CP) participate less frequently in many areas of everyday life than children in general3,4. Participation, especially in leisure activities, is regarded by children with CP as a key outcome5, but increased participation rarely features as a physiotherapy outcome measure2. Methodology A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with three paediatric physiotherapists. Results The physiotherapists selected interventions to match the wishes of the child or parent, but their own preference also influenced selection, mainly targeting body functions and structure, and activity. Limited attention was given directly to participation; enhancing movement and activity was expected to translate into increased participation. There is evidence of a link between increased activity and participation2,6,7,8, but the factors that influence a child to participate are complex9. Physiotherapists can also foster participation indirectly through supporting the child, their family and carers, providing education to overcome physical limitations and barriers to participation. Clinical implications The data suggest there is a gap between current physiotherapist practice and improved participation. Increasing the support by physiotherapists to children and carers may increase participation opportunities. Further research could supply guidance on how best to foster greater participation indirectly through this increased support, and appropriate outcome measure

Variation in thermally induced taste response across thermal tasters

Thermal tasters (TTs) perceive thermally induced taste (thermal taste) sensations when the tongue is stimulated with temperature in the absence of gustatory stimuli, while thermal non tasters (TnTs) only perceive temperature. This is the first study to explore detailed differences in thermal taste responses across TTs. Using thermal taster status phenotyping, 37 TTs were recruited, and the temporal characteristics of thermal taste responses collected during repeat exposure to temperature stimulation. Phenotyping found sweet most frequently reported during warming stimulation, and bitter and sour when cooling, but a range of other sensations were stated. The taste quality, intensity, and number of tastes reported greatly varied. Furthermore, the temperature range when thermal taste was perceived differed across TTs and taste qualities, with some TTs perceiving a taste for a small temperature range, and others the whole trial. The onset of thermal sweet taste ranged between 22 and 38°C during temperature increase. This supports the hypothesis that TRPM5 may be involved in thermal sweet taste perception as TRPM5 is temperature activated between 15-35°C, and involved in sweet taste transduction. These findings also raised questions concerning the phenotyping protocol and classification currently used, thus indicating the need to review practices for future testing. This study has highlighted the hitherto unknown variation that exists in thermal taste response across TTs, provides some insights into possible mechanisms, and importantly emphasises the need for more research into this sensory phenomenon

HIRA contributes to zygote formation in mice and is implicated in human 1PN zygote phenotype

Elucidating the mechanisms underpinning fertilisation is essential to optimising IVF procedures. One of the critical steps involves paternal chromatin reprogramming, in which compacted sperm chromatin packed by protamines is removed by oocyte factors and new histones, including histone H3.3, are incorporated. HIRA is the main H3.3 chaperone governing this protamine-to-histone exchange. Failure of this step results in abnormally fertilised zygotes containing only one pronucleus (1PN), in contrast to normal two-pronuclei (2PN) zygotes. 1PN zygotes are frequently observed in IVF treatments, but the genotype-phenotype correlation remains elusive. We investigated the maternal functions of two other molecules of the HIRA complex, Cabin1 and Ubn1, in mouse. Loss-of-function Cabin1 and Ubn1 mouse models were developed: their zygotes displayed an abnormal 1PN zygote phenotype. We then studied human 1PN zygotes and found that the HIRA complex was absent in 1PN zygotes that lacked the male pronucleus. This shows that the role of the HIRA complex in male pronucleus formation potentially has coherence from mice to humans. Furthermore, rescue experiments in mouse showed that the abnormal 1PN phenotype derived from Hira mutants could be resolved by overexpression of HIRA. We have demonstrated that HIRA complex regulates male pronucleus formation in mice and is implicated in humans, that both CABIN1 and UBN1 components of the HIRA complex are equally essential for male pronucleus formation, and that rescue is feasible

Cycling participation for children and young people with cerebral palsy

Introduction: Children and Young People (C&YP) with Cerebral Palsy(CP) have limited opportunities for movement. Physiotherapists can adapt cycling and this may reduce the muscle weakness present in C&YP with CP. This mixed methods study explored cycling participation in C&YP with CP. Participants and Methods: Cardiff University School of Healthcare Studies Ethics Committee provided ethical approval. Thirty five C&YP (2–17y) participated: non-cycling control group (n=18) and cycling group (n=17). The cycle group participated in six outdoor cycling sessions, using individually adapted trikes. Families and C&YP were interviewed and cycling diaries kept and thematically analysed with NVivo. Bilateral quadriceps and hamstrings strength measures were taken before and after the intervention period for both groups using the Hand-Held Dynamometer. Results were analysed using analysis of covariance. Results: Thematic analysis revealed perceived improvements in participation, pedalling skills, cycling speed and steering. Strength analysis revealed no statistically significant difference between groups, although increased strength trends were observed for the cycling group: (Quadriceps increased by: Right: 12.14 Newton(N)± 6.5; Left:15.56_ 13.87N; Hamstrings by: Right:5.19_3.5N; Left:4.23_5.94N). Trends of decreased strength were observed in the control group. Conclusion: Adapted cycling has potential social and physical health benefits. Observed improvements in cycling skills and strength trends deserve further investigation with larger sample sizes over longer terms. C&YP without freedom to move lack access to outdoor activities. Physiotherapists can advocate cycling transition, as it reduces dependency on physiotherapy provision and is perceived to improve quality of life