SHERPA-LEAP: a consortial model for the creation and support of academic institutional repositories

Purpose: To introduce SHERPA-LEAP, a model for the consortial development, population and support of eprints repositories. Design/methodology/approach: The organisational and technical structures of the consortium are described, including a brief summary of central and local resource responsibilities. Some positive and negative aspects of a consortial approach to institutional repository development, and of the SHERPA-LEAP model in particular, are identified. Outstanding issues and future plans for the consortium are outlined. Findings: SHERPA-LEAP is found to be succeeding in its aims of developing and supporting eprints repositories within the federal University of London. Some lessons learned from the SHERPA-LEAP approach are identified, but the SHERPA-LEAP consortial model is found to have been mostly beneficial to the participating institutions. In particular, the networking and experience-sharing opportunities which any consortial solution will facilitate are highly valued by the SHERPA-LEAP partners. Value: The case study is intended to help to inform the decision-making of institutions and consortia which are considering consortial solutions to the establishment and maintenance of institutional repositories

Obituary − Emeritus Professor Dr John Davidson McCraw (1925−2014) MBE, MSc NZ, DSc Well, CRSNZ, FNZSSS.

John McCraw was an Earth scientist who began working as a pedologist with Soil Bureau, DSIR, then became the Foundation Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, inspiring a new generation to study and work in Earth sciences . In retirement, John McCraw was an author and historian with a special emphasis on Central Otago as well as the Waikato region. Throughout his career, marked especially by exemplary leadership, accomplished administration, and commitment to his staff and students at the University of Waikato, John McCraw also contributed to the communities in which he lived through public service organizations and as a public speaker. He received a number of awards including an MBE, fellowship, and companionship, and, uniquely, is commemorated also with a glacier, a fossil, and a museum-based research room named for him. Emeritus Professor John McCraw passed away on the 14th of December, 2014. An obituary, entitled “Dedicated to earth science and his students”, was published in the Waikato Times on the 10th of January, 2015

HPE Teachers\u27 Collection of Information on Student Physical Activity Levels

This exploratory study sought to identify whether Health and Physical Education (HPE) Heads of Department (HODs) used a process of reflection to identify students\u27 physical activity levels in compulsory general HPE (years 8-1 0) at secondary schools in the northern metropolitan suburbs of Perth. This study used a questionnaire, administered by research assistants, to learn what teachers believe students should be taught about physical activity. It utilised the Pollard & Tann (1993) reflective teaching process to determine if teachers collected written information on students\u27 physical activity levels. It asked whether they analysed, evaluated, reflected, planed, made provision and acted on any information gathered. The study used comparative and descriptive statistics as well as conceptual categorisation to determine whether the behaviour of HPE HODs aligned with their stated goals. The study showed the teachers in the study did not have a valid or reliable method of data collection. It also highlighted teachers\u27 confusion about the terms \u27physical activity\u27 and \u27fitness\u27. Ideological and contextual barriers to the successful use of written data collection were also identified. Issues of accountability and subject marginality were also raised due to the low number of administrative requests for program evaluation. These findings have identified several areas for further research

Quandaries of contract cheating in South African higher education institutions: The way forward

This research aimed to examine the quandaries of contract cheating faced by higher education institutions (HEIs) in South Africa. Based on a desktop study utilizing unobtrusive research methods such as documentary analysis and conceptual analysis of authoritative sources to conceptualise and provide context to contract cheating, the data drew secondary data from published journal articles. Findings demonstrated that the key quandaries of contract cheating are attributed to limited awareness of the concept, the undetectable nature of the action, the lack of law (lacuna) from the national point of view, gaps in existing institutional policies on misconduct, ambiguity in the conceptualisation, and expansion in the availability of this practice as evident in the increase use of custom essay websites, essay mills and file-sharing sites across the globe. To address these challenges, South African HEIs need to acknowledge that contract cheating is a problem which exists in institutions. Therefore, South African HEIs must revisit institutional policies on intellectual integrity and include a delineation of contract cheating, making a clear distinction between plagiarism and collusion. Additionally, South African HEIs must raise awareness of contract cheating amongst their students, invest in software that detects authenticity, such as Authorship Investigate, AI-Emma or Ouriginal, and design student-support-intervention marketing strategies to deter students from turning to contract cheating websites

Investigating the mechanism of impact of the quality premium initiative on antibiotic prescribing in primary care practices in England: a study protocol

Introduction The persistent development and spread of resistance to antibiotics remains an important public health concern in the UK and globally. About 74% of antibiotics prescribed in England in 2016 was in primary care. The Quality Premium (QP) initiative that rewards Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) financially based on the quality of specific health services commissioned is one of the National Health Service (NHS) England interventions to reduce antimicrobial resistance through reduced prescribing. Emerging evidence suggests a reduction in antibiotic prescribing in primary care practices in the UK following QP initiative. This study aims to investigate the mechanism of impact of this high-cost health-system level intervention on antibiotic prescribing in primary care practices in England. Methods and analysis The study will constitute secondary analyses of antibiotic prescribing data for almost all primary care practices in England from the NHS England Antibiotic Quality Premium Monitoring Dashboard and OpenPrescribing covering the period 2013 to 2018. The primary outcome is the number of antibiotic items per Specific Therapeutic group Age-sex Related Prescribing Unit (STAR-PU) prescribed monthly in each practice or CCG. We will first conduct an interrupted time series using Ordinary Least Square regression method to examine whether antibiotic prescribing rate in England has changed over time, and how such changes, if any, are associated with QP implementation. Single and sequential multiple-mediator models using a unified approach for the natural direct and indirect effects will be conducted to investigate the relationship between QP initiative, the potential mediators and antibiotic prescribing rate with adjustment for practice and CCG characteristics. Ethics and dissemination This study will use secondary data that are anonymised and obtained from studies that have either undergone ethical review or generated data from routine collection systems. Multiple channels will be used in disseminating the findings from this study to academic and non-academic audiences. Strengths and Limitations of this study • This study will be the first to evaluate the mechanism of the impact of a financial incentive initiative involving Clinical Commissioning Groups to improve antibiotic prescribing in primary care practices in England. • The investigation of multiple mediators in this study will help to identify the contributions of multiple strategies in translating the effects of QP while unpacking the extent of the effect of specific mediators. • Due to the limited data on practice-level interventions or strategies that might potentially mediate the effect of the QP on antibiotic prescribing, we will not be able to extensively investigate the mechanism of QP impact at the practice level. • Nevertheless, extensive investigations will be conducted at CCG level where the Quality Premium initiative is implemented, and rewards paid out

Is penicillin allergy de-labelling about to find its place in UK antimicrobial stewardship strategy?

Penicillin allergy records are common, often incorrect, limit antibiotic treatment options and associated with patient and health system harm. The large numbers of patients with penicillin allergy records and the paucity of allergists have led researchers to explore non-allergist delivered assessment of penicillin allergy records and removal of those inconsistent with allergy (called de-labelling). A recent systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature concludes non-allergist delivery of penicillin allergy de-labelling to be safe and effective. Several countries outside Europe have endorsed non-allergist de-labelling and produced national guidelines and toolkits for de-labelling, but until recently the UK lacked such guidance. In September 2022 the British Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI) produced their guidelines endorsing non-allergist delivered penicillin allergy de-labelling. These BSACI guidelines, coupled with the ongoing NIHR funded penicillin allergy de-labelling studies, will enable this important patient safety and antimicrobial stewardship intervention to become standard of care for NHS patients

‘Walking in Their Shoes’: The effects of an immersive digital story intervention on empathy in nursing students:The effects of an immersive digital story intervention on empathy in nursing students

Abstract Aim To evaluate the effects of a novel, immersive digital story intervention on empathy. Design A randomized trial with three phases. Results A total of 238 2nd year nursing students were recruited between May 2018 and December 2019. At baseline, no significant differences in empathy between the groups were found (p = .760). However, at post‐test, empathy was significantly higher in the intervention group (M: 118.76, SD: 10.65) than it was in the control group (M: 114.60, SD: 15.40) (p = .012). At follow‐up, there were no significant differences in empathy between the groups (p = .364). Conclusion The intervention resulted in an immediate increase in empathy in nursing students. However, further development of effective intervention delivery modes and fundamental redesign of the intervention itself would be needed to sustain this improvement over the long term

Cardiac-restricted IGF-1Ea overexpression reduces the early accumulation of inflammatory myeloid cells and mediates expression of extracellular matrix remodelling genes after myocardial infarction

Strategies to limit damage and improve repair after myocardial infarct remain a major therapeutic goal in cardiology. Our previous studies have shown that constitutive expression of a locally acting insulin-like growth factor-1 Ea (IGF-1Ea) propeptide promotes functional restoration after cardiac injury associated with decreased scar formation. In the current study, we investigated the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms behind the enhanced functional recovery. We observed improved cardiac function in mice overexpressing cardiac-specific IGF-1Ea as early as day 7 after myocardial infarction. Analysis of gene transcription revealed that supplemental IGF-1Ea regulated expression of key metalloproteinases (MMP-2 and MMP-9), their inhibitors (TIMP-1 and TIMP-2), and collagen types (Col 1α1 and Col 1α3) in the first week after injury. Infiltration of inflammatory cells, which direct the remodelling process, was also altered; in particular there was a notable reduction in inflammatory Ly6C+ monocytes at day 3 and an increase in anti-inflammatory CD206+ macrophages at day 7. Taken together, these results indicate that the IGF-1Ea transgene shifts the balance of innate immune cell populations early after infarction, favouring a reduction in inflammatory myeloid cells. This correlates with reduced extracellular matrix remodelling and changes in collagen composition that may confer enhanced scar elasticity and improved cardiac function