Environmental Cross Compliance - Panacea or Placebo?

Environmental Cross Compliance is one policy by means by which government can seek to influence farmers so that they give greater weight to environmental goods in their decisions. The policy is evaluated from both a theoretical and pragmatic viewpoint and its strengths and weaknesses are discussed. The necessary conditions for the success of environmental cross compliance policies are identified and problems with its implementation are highlighted.Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management,

Melatonin as a potential therapy for sepsis : a phase I dose escalation study and an ex vivo whole blood model under conditions of sepsis

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This study was funded by the Chief Scientist Office, NHS Scotland. We would like to thank all the volunteers who gave up their time and blood to take part in the study and the data monitoring committee and staff of the intensive care unit for their support. In addition, thanks to Dr Malachy Columb for performing Page's trend test for us and to Annette Fearnley at Nu-Pharm Ltd for her advice.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Delirium screening in the intensive care unit using emerging QEEG techniques : A pilot study

This work was supported by an Alzheimer’s Society grant (project grant number AS-PG-14-039 to BP) and a British Journal of Anaesthesia / Royal College of Anaesthetists funded John Snow Anaesthesia iBSc Award (to AH).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Young people with diabetes and their peers

Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is amongst the most common form of chronic illness affecting young people in the UK. Self- management is crucial, but managing their T1D is often difficult for young people

Differential Effects of MitoVitE, α-Tocopherol and Trolox on Oxidative Stress, Mitochondrial Function and Inflammatory Signalling Pathways in Endothelial Cells Cultured under Conditions Mimicking Sepsis

Funding: This research was funded by The British Journal of Anaesthesia/Royal College of Anaesthetists (PhD studentship to Beverley Minter). Acknowledgments: We are very grateful to Professor M.P. Murphy, MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit, Wellcome Trust/MRC Building, Hills Road, Cambridge, UK for the generous gift of MitoVitE used in all the experiments, without which this work would not have been possible.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Melatonin is a feasible, safe and acceptable intervention in doctors and nurses working nightshifts : the MIDNIGHT trial

Funding: The study was funded by the British Journal of Anaesthesia and the Royal College of Anaesthetists, funding partners of the National Institute of Academic Anaesthesia (grant number WKR0-2015-0027). Acknowledgments: We are extremely grateful to Flynn Pharma for the gift of Circadin and placebo tablets for this trial, to Gary Cameron for the assay of melatonin, and to Sally Galt for helping with recruitment. We also thank Drs Lorna Aucott and David McClernon of the medical statistics team for help with randomization. We acknowledge the members of the Trial Steering Group and the Data and Safety Monitoring Committee. Finally we thank all the doctors and nurses who took part in this trial.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Liverpool Telecare Pilot: case studies

Telecare services use information and communications technology (ICT) to support the provision of care to people in their own homes. This paper describes a pilot telecare service employed by Liverpool (UK) City Council to support a sample of their frail and elderly social services users. The pilot has been running for over two years and has been deployed for 21 individuals in Liverpool. In this paper we present the pilot system and provide real example cases which help to illustrate the benefits of such a system

Measuring the impact and costs of a universal group based parenting programme : protocol and implementation of a trial

Background Sub-optimal parenting is a common risk factor for a wide range of negative health, social and educational outcomes. Most parenting programmes have been developed in the USA in the context of delinquency prevention for targeted or indicated groups and the main theoretical underpinning for these programmes is behaviour management. The Family Links Nurturing Programme (FLNP) focuses on family relationships as well as behaviour management and is offered on a universal basis. As a result it may be better placed to improve health and educational outcomes. Developed in the UK voluntary sector, FLNP is popular with practitioners, has impressed policy makers throughout the UK, has been found to be effective in before/after and qualitative studies, but lacks a randomised controlled trial (RCT) evidence base. Methods/Design A multi-centre, investigator blind, randomised controlled trial of the FLNP with a target sample of 288 south Wales families who have a child aged 2-4 yrs living in or near to Flying Start/Sure Start areas. Changes in parenting, parent child relations and parent and child wellbeing are assessed with validated measures immediately and at 6 months post intervention. Economic components include cost consequences and cost utility analyses based on parental ranking of states of quality of life. Attendance and completion rates and fidelity to the FLNP course delivery are assessed. A nested qualitative study will assess reasons for participation and non-participation and the perceived value of the programme to families. By the end of May 2010, 287 families have been recruited into the trial across four areas of south Wales. Recruitment has not met the planned timescales with barriers including professional anxiety about families entering the control arm of the trial, family concern about video and audio recording, programme facilitator concern about the recording of FLNP sessions for fidelity purposes and delays due to the new UK research governance procedures. Discussion Whilst there are strong theoretical arguments to support universal provision of parenting programmes, few universal programmes have been subjected to randomised controlled trials. In this paper we describe a RCT protocol with quantitative and qualitative outcome measures and an economic evaluation designed to provide clear evidence with regard to effectiveness and costs. We describe challenges implementing the protocol and how we are addressing these

Characterization of 14 polymorphic microsatellite loci developed for an Afrotherian species endemic to southern Africa, Elephantulus myurus (Macroscelidea : Macroscelididae)

Fourteen microsatellite loci were developed for the eastern rock sengi, Elephantulus myurus Thomas & Schwann, 1906 by incorporating genetic diversity from across its range in South Africa. Sengis are small mammals belonging to the order Macroscelidea, which comprises 19 species, all of which are endemic to Africa. The loci were amplified in 66 individuals from six localities. An average of 10.5 alleles per locus were identified, with observed and expected heterozygosity values ranging from 0.081 – 0.909 and 0.484 – 0.885, respectively. We also investigated cross-species amplification within the family and found variation in amplification success for five different species. The preliminary results from these amplification efforts could aid further studies into aspects of species diversity and biology. The markers described here represent the first set of variable nuclear markers for the genus Elephantulus, and, together with a set of 8 recently developed markers for Rhynchocyon petersi, Bocage 1880, the first markers for the Order Macroscelidea.National Research Foundation of South Africa (BvV), the University of Johannesburg and the DST-NRF SARChi Chair of Behavioural Ecology and Physiology (NCB). Electrophoresis of microsatellite markers was done at the Analytical Facility based at Stellenbosch University.http://link.springer.com/journal/133552018-02-27hb2016Zoology and Entomolog

Delivering distribution system flexibility through micro-resilience

This study introduces the specific grid challenges faced at each of four micro-resilence sites and provides an overview of the innovative technical solutions deployed to improve grid flexibility, resilience and improve the distribution system operator customer experience. The sites were chosen due to their remote locations and reliance on a reliable electrical service due to dependent customers or lifesaving functions. Therefore, in addition to providing flexible grid services, when grid connected, there is also the opportunity to provide a reliable electrical supply to islanded pockets when there are high-voltage grid outages. The solution architecture and functions of technology such as the two-terminal power electronic devices (PEDs) and microgrid controller (MGC) are described. The combination of an energy storage system, distributed energy resources and PEDs will provide essential grid support functionality with co-ordination of devices, islanded status and data logging handled by a dedicated MGC. Also presented is the application of the Open Field Message Bus, open-standards communications framework for a field message bus, and a description of the specific interoperability use cases demonstrated within the project. This study provides valuable insights into a leading innovation project, delivered on operational networks to address practical customer issues through flexibility