How has the art education that I have received impacted on my practice as an art maker?

This thesis is a written account of my analysis of the art education that I received during my undergraduate Interdisciplinary Art and Design BA(hon)s degree and University Campus Barnsley. The investigation and written thesis were undertaken as part of a Practice led research degree at Huddersfield University. The aim of the research was twofold. First to develop an understanding of the History of Art Education in the area of South Yorkshire and secondly to return to analyse the art work I made as part of my undergraduate degree. This study then became the focus of the series of practical Paintings and drawings which were the main focal point of the Master degree. The thesis is an account of my analysis of how my art practice developed in response to the practical type of education that I received. It identifies specific art makers and art movements that have had a direct impact on how my painting process matured and changed. The thesis goes on to identify the specific genre of literature that influenced my practical development and the use of metaphor in paintings and drawings . It then goes on to give a written account of the specific examples of visual metaphors in my practical Masters work and analyses their origins, continued development and what they represent. The issue of class and social equality is identified and the metaphor clearly dissected and explained. The thesis then outlines the development of the class metaphor into an education metaphor which represents my belief that a university education can aid the act of social mobility. This theory is justified by my experience of having returned to full time higher education as a working class mature woman and having achieved a level of social mobility which was aided by my gaining a first class BA(hon)s degree which enabled me to apply for and complete a Masters Degree

In-person research during COVID-19: Considerations and a call to action

High-quality research is a core input for policies and programs that seek to improve public health and social development. In the context of a pandemic, however, in-person data collection could spread coronavirus. Researchers across disciplines must safely and effectively balance the need for primary data while protecting participants, staff, and the communities in which they work. As the world learns how to mitigate the spread of coronavirus, research institutions across the globe are creating their own guidelines and approaches to resuming in-person activities as global governing bodies and governments lag behind in providing guidance. As the COVID-19 pandemic shapeshifts, the question of whether, where, and how to resume in-person data collection has generated collective action among public health experts and social scientists. The authors propose key principles and practical steps that researchers should consider when weighing the prospect of returning to in-person data collection. The recommendations arise from the Population Council-convened webinar, Resuming In-Person Data Collection during COVID-19, that brought together scientists, ethicists, and research implementers who are pioneering adaptations across disciplines to in-person research activities during the pandemic

COVID-19-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices among decisionmakers of indigenous municipalities in Guatemala: Study description

Indigenous communities are often socially and economically marginalized which makes them particularly vulnerable to the impact of COVID-19. The Population Council has a longstanding partnership with indigenous communities in Guatemala through the Abriendo Oportunidades program. To understand the knowledge, perspectives, and needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will conduct key informant interviews with indigenous community leaders and frontline workers. Phone-based surveys will be carried out with approximately 130 key informants in the municipalities of Chisec, Patzún, San Andrés Semetabaj, San Juan Ostuncalco, San Juan Sacatepéquez, San Pedro Carchá, Santa María Chiquimula, Totonicapán, Uspantán and Sololá in April 2020. These individual profiles will include heads of household, former girl-program mentors, community health workers and providers, education officers, traditional birth attendants, and municipal officers. We anticipate this effort will provide initial baseline information and subsequent interviews may be conducted throughout 2020. Results from this study will help inform national and municipal prevention and mitigation strategies for indigenous communities and identify government resources that may be prioritized to meet the needs of these communities. Findings will also help decisionmakers understand the effects that COVID-19 is having on girls, girls’ education, and sexual and reproductive health under these rapidly changing conditions

COVID-19-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices among adolescents and young people in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, India: Study description

To control the spread of COVID-19 in India and to aid the efforts of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), the Population Council and other non-governmental organizations are conducting research to assess residents’ ability to follow sanitation and social distancing precautions under a countrywide lockdown. The Population Council COVID-19 study team is implementing rapid phone-based surveys to collect information on knowledge, attitudes and practices, as well as needs, among 2,041 young people (ages 19-23 years) and/or an adult household member, sampled from an existing prospective cohort study with a total sample size of 20,574 in Bihar (n=10,433) and Uttar Pradesh (n=10,141). Baseline was conducted from April 3-22; subsequent iterations of the survey are planned to be conducted on a monthly basis. Baseline findings on awareness of COVID-19 symptoms, perceived risk, awareness of and ability to carry out preventive behaviors, misconceptions, and fears will inform the development of government and other stakeholders’ interventions and/or strategies. We are committed to openly sharing the latest versions of the study description, questionnaires, deidentified or aggregated datasets, and preliminary results. Data and findings can also be shared with partners working in COVID-19 response

Gendering Human Rights Violations: The case of interpersonal violence: Final Report 2004-2007

Three years of project work are hardly enough to declare that a radical change has taken place in the overall understanding of violence in interpersonal relationships. However, it is fair to say that a new basis for conceptualising and using knowledge on violence has been laid by this Coordination Action on Human Rights Violations (CAHRV). The final report of CAHRV details on the objectives, methodology and scope of the project. But what is the value of this type of project for the European Union? How does this project contribute to the overall policy objectives of the EU

Loss of slc39a14 causes simultaneous manganese hypersensitivity and deficiency in zebrafish

Manganese neurotoxicity is a hallmark of Hypermanganesemia with Dystonia 2, an inherited manganese transporter defect caused by mutations in SLC39A14. To identify novel potential targets of manganese neurotoxicity we performed transcriptome analysis of slc39a14-/- mutant zebrafish unexposed and exposed to MnCl2. Differentially expressed genes mapped to the central nervous system and eye, and pathway analysis suggested that calcium dyshomeostasis and activation of the unfolded protein response are key features of manganese neurotoxicity. Consistent with this interpretation, MnCl2 exposure led to decreased whole animal calcium levels, locomotor defects and changes in neuronal activity within the telencephalon and optic tectum. In accordance with reduced tectal activity, slc39a14-/- zebrafish showed changes in visual phototransduction gene expression, absence of visual background adaptation and a diminished optokinetic reflex. Finally, numerous differentially expressed genes in mutant larvae normalised upon MnCl2 treatment indicating that, in addition to neurotoxicity, manganese deficiency is present either subcellularly or in specific cells or tissues. Overall, we assembled a comprehensive set of genes that mediate manganese-systemic responses and found a highly correlated and modulated network associated with calcium dyshomeostasis and cellular stress

Experiences among adults and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic from four locations across Kenya—Study description

To control the spread of coronavirus, the COVID-19 National Emergency Response Committee (NERC) in Kenya, chaired by the Ministry of Health (MOH), has implemented prevention and mitigation measures. To inform the Government of Kenya’s shorter- and longer-term response strategies, the Population Council COVID-19 study team utilizes rapid phone-based surveys to collect information on knowledge, attitudes, practices and needs among a longitudinal cohort of heads of household sampled from existing prospective cohort studies. The first was carried out across five Nairobi urban informal settlements; the baseline survey (n=2,009) was conducted March 30–31 with subsequent follow-up surveys conducted April 13–14 (n=1,764), May 10-11 (n=1,750), and June 13-16 (n=1,529) (to be carried out one per subsequent quarter dependent on funding). Adolescents in the Nairobi cohort (n=1,022) were also interviewed in the June round of data collection. The survey was expanded to communities with existing prospective cohort studies in Wajir County (adults n=1,322 and adolescents n=1,234), Kilifi County (adults n=1,288 and adolescents n=1,178), and Kisumu County (adults n=858 and adolescents n=973), adapted for rural settings with the first round conducted between July–August 2020, the second between February–March 2021, and the third between June–August 2021

Effect of Alirocumab on Lipoprotein(a) and Cardiovascular Risk After Acute Coronary Syndrome

Background: Lipoprotein(a) concentration is associated with cardiovascular events. Alirocumab, a proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitor, lowers lipoprotein(a) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Objectives: A pre-specified analysis of the placebo-controlled ODYSSEY Outcomes trial in patients with recent acute coronary syndrome (ACS) determined whether alirocumab-induced changes in lipoprotein(a) and LDL-C independently predicted major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Methods: One to 12 months after ACS, 18,924 patients on high-intensity statin therapy were randomized to alirocumab or placebo and followed for 2.8 years (median). Lipoprotein(a) was measured at randomization and 4 and 12 months thereafter. The primary MACE outcome was coronary heart disease death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, or hospitalization for unstable angina. Results: Baseline lipoprotein(a) levels (median: 21.2 mg/dl; interquartile range [IQR]: 6.7 to 59.6 mg/dl) and LDL-C [corrected for cholesterol content in lipoprotein(a)] predicted MACE. Alirocumab reduced lipoprotein(a) by 5.0 mg/dl (IQR: 0 to 13.5 mg/dl), corrected LDL-C by 51.1 mg/dl (IQR: 33.7 to 67.2 mg/dl), and reduced the risk of MACE (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.85; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.78 to 0.93). Alirocumab-induced reductions of lipoprotein(a) and corrected LDL-C independently predicted lower risk of MACE, after adjustment for baseline concentrations of both lipoproteins and demographic and clinical characteristics. A 1-mg/dl reduction in lipoprotein(a) with alirocumab was associated with a HR of 0.994 (95% CI: 0.990 to 0.999; p = 0.0081). Conclusions: Baseline lipoprotein(a) and corrected LDL-C levels and their reductions by alirocumab predicted the risk of MACE after recent ACS. Lipoprotein(a) lowering by alirocumab is an independent contributor to MACE reduction, which suggests that lipoprotein(a) should be an independent treatment target after ACS. (ODYSSEY Outcomes: Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcomes After an Acute Coronary Syndrome During Treatment With Alirocumab; NCT01663402)