The effects of social distancing and self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic on adults diagnosed with asthma: A qualitative study

This study aimed to explore how social distancing and self-isolation measures, aimed at protecting vulnerable groups from COVID-19, affected the wellbeing and physical activity levels among adults diagnosed with asthma. Twenty-seven participants took part across four online focus groups. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Participants reported becoming more health conscious due to being labelled as vulnerable. Their relationship with the severity of their asthma was altered and they reported making positive changes to increase their physical activity levels. Findings suggest there is a window of opportunity to engage with people diagnosed with asthma to promote beneficial lifestyle changes and self-management

A systematic review of the characteristics of interventions that promote physical activity in adults with asthma

Physical activity is promoted in the asthma population through pulmonary rehabilitation, but limited funding and facilities are available. This review aimed to examine the effectiveness of interventions that promote physical activity and identify the behaviour change techniques (BCTs) and other intervention components used. Five databases were searched, and 25 studies met the inclusion criteria. Interventions had a significant positive effect on physical activity, sedentary behaviour, quality of life and asthma symptoms. BCTs used across intervention and control groups were similar in studies that showed effects and those that did not. Future interventions should employ techniques that help to maintain behaviour change

Tackling discrimination in medicine head on: the impact of Bystander Intervention Training

Purpose: A mixed-methods study to evaluate Bystander Intervention Training (BiT), a simulation-based small-group training programme designed to teach skills to tackle discrimination.   Materials and methods: Norwich Medical School delivered the intervention online between January 2020 and June 2023 to medical students, physician associate trainees, and qualified doctors. A sample of 569 participants was used in the main analysis. Participants completed pre- and post-training and follow-up evaluations.   Results: Paired post-training scores were significantly different (all p < 0.001) from the pre-training scores for all 12 questions, in favour of the post-training scores. Of the 159 participants who completed follow-up questionnaires, 27 (17.9%) reported having the opportunity to be an active bystander; of those, 23 (85%) intervened. Scores in the follow-up questionnaire were significantly higher than those in the pre-training survey and significantly lower than those in the post-training questionnaire (p < 0.001). Participants had an increased sense of responsibility to be an active bystander and were empowered to challenge discrimination. Participants from marginalised groups expressed positive views about the training.   Conclusions: Interventions that allow open discussion and carefully supported personal disclosure in safe spaces, where difficult and uncomfortable discussions can occur, with an opportunity to change behaviour, must be developed to tackle discrimination

LSST: from Science Drivers to Reference Design and Anticipated Data Products

(Abridged) We describe here the most ambitious survey currently planned in the optical, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). A vast array of science will be enabled by a single wide-deep-fast sky survey, and LSST will have unique survey capability in the faint time domain. The LSST design is driven by four main science themes: probing dark energy and dark matter, taking an inventory of the Solar System, exploring the transient optical sky, and mapping the Milky Way. LSST will be a wide-field ground-based system sited at Cerro Pach\'{o}n in northern Chile. The telescope will have an 8.4 m (6.5 m effective) primary mirror, a 9.6 deg$^2$ field of view, and a 3.2 Gigapixel camera. The standard observing sequence will consist of pairs of 15-second exposures in a given field, with two such visits in each pointing in a given night. With these repeats, the LSST system is capable of imaging about 10,000 square degrees of sky in a single filter in three nights. The typical 5$\sigma$ point-source depth in a single visit in $r$ will be $\sim 24.5$ (AB). The project is in the construction phase and will begin regular survey operations by 2022. The survey area will be contained within 30,000 deg$^2$ with $\delta<+34.5^\circ$, and will be imaged multiple times in six bands, $ugrizy$, covering the wavelength range 320--1050 nm. About 90\% of the observing time will be devoted to a deep-wide-fast survey mode which will uniformly observe a 18,000 deg$^2$ region about 800 times (summed over all six bands) during the anticipated 10 years of operations, and yield a coadded map to $r\sim27.5$. The remaining 10\% of the observing time will be allocated to projects such as a Very Deep and Fast time domain survey. The goal is to make LSST data products, including a relational database of about 32 trillion observations of 40 billion objects, available to the public and scientists around the world.Comment: 57 pages, 32 color figures, version with high-resolution figures available from https://www.lsst.org/overvie

Waveform Modelling for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna

LISA, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, will usher in a new era in gravitational-wave astronomy. As the first anticipated space-based gravitational-wave detector, it will expand our view to the millihertz gravitational-wave sky, where a spectacular variety of interesting new sources abound: from millions of ultra-compact binaries in our Galaxy, to mergers of massive black holes at cosmological distances; from the beginnings of inspirals that will venture into the ground-based detectors' view to the death spiral of compact objects into massive black holes, and many sources in between. Central to realising LISA's discovery potential are waveform models, the theoretical and phenomenological predictions of the pattern of gravitational waves that these sources emit. This white paper is presented on behalf of the Waveform Working Group for the LISA Consortium. It provides a review of the current state of waveform models for LISA sources, and describes the significant challenges that must yet be overcome.Comment: 239 pages, 11 figures, white paper from the LISA Consortium Waveform Working Group, invited for submission to Living Reviews in Relativity, updated with comments from communit

The Development of an Intervention to Promote Physical Activity Among Adults Diagnosed with Asthma

Asthma is a major non-communicable disease, affecting more than 300 million people worldwide. Despite the availability of effective medication, asthma remains poorly controlled in numerous patients. Physical activity could be an important non-pharmacological approach to optimising asthma management. There is a need to develop interventions that promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour in adults diagnosed with asthma. Mobile health (mHealth) technology has been highlighted as a way of increasing the number of patients who can receive help and support. Therefore, the overall aim of this project was to develop an mHealth intervention, specifically a smartphone app, to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour in adults diagnosed with asthma. The development process was conducted via a series of studies. Firstly, a systematic review of existing interventions, which were found to increase physical activity, reduce sedentary behaviour, and improve quality of life and asthma symptoms. Secondly, qualitative research explored the perceived barriers and facilitators to physical activity. Beliefs about consequences, limited physical capabilities and reluctance to engage in group-based activities were identified as barriers. Social support and the desire to be healthy were identified as facilitators. Thirdly, further qualitative research identified the ideas and preferences of the target end-users for the intervention. Participants found smartphone apps acceptable and identified several important components for inclusion. Lastly, using a systematic approach, the findings were drawn together using the Behaviour Change Wheel to develop a fully specified intervention on paper. This thesis follows the first step in the NIHR-MRC guidance for the development of complex interventions. Further qualitative research with stakeholders will be needed to refine the intervention and understand how it could be implemented in healthcare services. Once a prototype of the smartphone app has been developed, the next stage would be to conduct some early-user testing before a feasibility study

Teaching Assistant in Residence: A Novel Peer Mentorship Program for Less Experienced Teaching Assistants

Each semester approximately 80 graduate teaching assistants (TAs) support the delivery of the undergraduate computer science program at The University of Calgary. While these teaching assistants provide an essential service to the undergraduate program, in past years the department has invested little effort in ensuring that teaching assistants have the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to tackle these duties effectively. During the 2012-2013 academic year, a novel TA mentorship program was initiated. An experienced teaching assistant with a demonstrated record of excellence in teaching was hired to serve as the TA in Residence. This graduate student provided training and advice to new teaching assistants, including classroom visits where the TA in Residence observed TAs in action. TAs that participated in the program generally reported that the advice provided by the TA in Residence was helpful, and all of the TAs that responded to the survey question believed that it would be worthwhile to continue the mentorship program in the future. As a result, we continued the TA in Residence program in subsequent years. This poster provides an overview of the TA in Residence program, its benefits, and the challenges that the TAs in residence have faced and overcome. The revisions that we have made to the program since its inception are also described, which will allow other departments interested in developing a TA in Residence program to avoid some of the pitfalls that we initially encountered.N

Tackling discrimination in medicine head on: The impact of bystander intervention training

A mixed-methods study to evaluate Bystander Intervention Training (BiT), a simulation-based small-group training programme designed to teach skills to tackle discrimination. Norwich Medical School delivered the intervention online between January 2020 and June 2023 to medical students, physician associate trainees, and qualified doctors. A sample of 569 participants was used in the main analysis. Participants completed pre- and post-training and follow-up evaluations. Paired post-training scores were significantly different (all p p  Interventions that allow open discussion and carefully supported personal disclosure in safe spaces, where difficult and uncomfortable discussions can occur, with an opportunity to change behaviour, must be developed to tackle discrimination.</p