Personal Social Health & Economic (PSHE) Education under the coalition government

The place of (Personal Social Health and Economic) PSHE in schools has been debated widely and central government policy has shifted from the subject almost becoming statutory in 2010, towards being almost entirely devolved in the school led system under the coalition government. PSHE is currently non-compulsory, however schools are expected to teach the subject despite the lack of available training for teachers or teaching materials. This research conducted by Ben Willis and Claire Wolstenholme in the Centre for Education and Inclusion research at Sheffield Hallam University builds on the 2011 mapping study across England conducted by CEIR. This is a small scale study which attempts to investigate how schools in one local authority area in the north of England are dealing with the new policy landscape of PSHE. The specific aim was to explore the extent to which the status and provision of PSHE in schools has altered under the coalition government of 2010 to 2015

National Indigenous Palliative Care Needs Study

This study involved extensive consultation with the community to identify the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in palliative care

Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education: A mapping study of the prevalent models of delivery and their effectiveness

In October 2008, then Schools Minister Ji, Knight announced that Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education would become compulsory (for Key Stages 1-4). Following this, In November 2009, Sheffield Hallam University was contracted by DCSF (now DfE) to conduct a mapping exercise of PSHE education in primary and secondary schools in England. This resulted from a recommendation in the Macdonald Review, whcih identified the need for research to establish and report on the prevalent models of delivery for PSHE education and their effectiveness in improving outcomes for children and young people (Macdonald, 2009:8)

Deep explosive volcanism on the Gakkel Ridge and seismological constraints on Shallow Recharge at TAG Active Mound

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Biology; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2013.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references.Seafloor digital imagery and bathymetric data are used to evaluate the volcanic characteristics of the 85°E segment of the ultraslow spreading Gakkel Ridge (9 mm yr-¹). Imagery reveals that ridges and volcanic cones in the axial valley are covered by numerous, small-volume lava flows, including a few flows fresh enough to have potentially erupted during the 1999 seismic swarm at the site. The morphology and distribution of volcaniclastic deposits observed on the seafloor at depths of ~3800 m, greater than the critical point for steam generation, are consistent with having formed by explosive discharge of magma and CO² from source vents. Microearthquakes recorded on a 200 m aperture seismometer network deployed on the Trans-Atlantic Geotraverse active mound, a seafloor massive sulfide on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at 26°N, are used to image subsurface processes at the hydrothermal system. Over nine-months, 32,078 local microearthquakes (ML = -1) with single-phase arrivals cluster on the southwest flank of the deposit at depths <125 m. Microearthquakes characteristics are consistent with reaction-driven cracking driven by anhydrite deposition in the shallow secondary circulation system. Exit fluid temperatures recorded at diffuse vents on the mound during the microearthquake study are used to explore linkages between seismicity and venting.by Claire Willis Pontbriand.Ph.D

Mortality in pediatric oncology and stem cell transplant patients with bloodstream infections

BACKGROUND: Bloodstream infections (BSI) continue to represent a significant source of morbidity for pediatric oncology patients, however less is known regarding this population\u27s risk of death. We sought to evaluate the risk of BSI and death at a large pediatric cancer center. METHODS: We retrospectively collected inpatient data from pediatric oncology and hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients over a 9-year period. We performed univariate and multivariable modeling to assess risk of BSI and mortality examining the following variables: demographics, underlying malignancy, history of HSCT, central line type, and febrile neutropenia (FN). RESULTS: During the study period, 6763 admissions from 952 patients met inclusion criteria. BSI occurred in 367 admissions (5.4%) from 231 unique individuals. Risk factors for BSI include younger age, diagnoses of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis or acute myeloid leukemia, ethnicity, and history of HSCT. Mortality for those with BSI was 6.5%, compared to 0.7% without (OR 7.2, CI 4.1 - 12.7, p\u3c0.0001). In patients with BSI, admissions with FN were associated with reduced mortality compared to admissions without FN (OR 0.21, CI 0.05 - 0.94, p=0.04). In both univariate and multivariable analysis, no other risk factor was significantly associated with mortality in patients with BSI. CONCLUSION: BSI is a significant source of mortality in pediatric oncology and HSCT patients. While demographic variables contribute to the risk of BSI, they did not influence mortality. These findings highlight the importance of BSI prevention to reduce the risk of death in pediatric oncology patients. Future studies should focus on comprehensive BSI prevention

The phenology and clutch size of UK Blue Tits does not differ with woodland composition

The deciduous tree-herbivorous caterpillar-insectivorous bird food chain is a well-studied system for investigating the impacts of climate change across trophic levels. To date, across Europe, most attention has focused on the impacts of increasing spring temperature on changes to phenology in Oak-dominated (Quercus spp.) woodlands. Paridae species and Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca are the most studied secondary consumers, all of which demonstrate an advancement in reproductive phenology with increases in spring temperature. Shifts in climate and phenology may also impact on reproductive investment in clutch size, and the effects of climate on phenology and clutch size may vary depending on woodland composition. To date, the effects of among-habitat variation in phenology and reproductive investment have received little attention. Insectivorous birds inhabiting woodlands that differ in tree composition may differ in the timing of breeding, due to local tree leafing phenology acting as a cue for egg-laying date and/or clutch size. Moreover, for most insectivorous birds, woodland composition within a territory is likely to be the main determinant of food availability for both adults and chicks. Consequently, if warming springs affect the temporal patterns of food availability differently across different woodland compositions, this may affect the optimal average local phenology for nesting birds. Here, using data from 34 long-term (mean 15 years) nest monitoring sites across the UK, we investigate the effect of woodland tree composition and temperature on Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus first egg date (FED) and clutch size. We supplemented the nest monitoring data by quantifying woodland composition, at a site level, through modified point counts. We predict that birds breeding in woodlands with greater proportions of late-leafing species, such as Oak and Ash Fraxinus excelsior, will breed later than those breeding in woodlands with greater proportions of early-leafing species, such as Birch Betula spp. and Beech Fagus sylvatica. We found no evidence for differences in Blue Tit FED or clutch size in relation to the proportion of any of the tree species investigated, after controlling for temperature and latitude (FED: −3.4 and 2.2, clutch size: −0.4 and − 0.2 eggs for one-unit increase in temperature and latitude, respectively). In recent decades and across all sites, clutch size has decreased as spring temperatures have increased, a strategy which could allow birds flexibly to adjust their breeding phenology such that nestling demand coincides with peak food availability. The lack of an effect of woodland composition on Blue Tit phenology suggests Blue Tits do not fine-tune their reproductive phenology to the local tree composition. Whether this lack of evidence for phenological divergence is due to an absence of divergent selection on breeding phenology and clutch size or to gene flow is not clear

Evidence and patterns of tuna spawning inside a large no-take marine protected area

© The Author(s), 2019. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Hernandez, C. M., Witting, J., Willis, C., Thorrold, S. R., Llopiz, J. K., & Rotjan, R. D. Evidence and patterns of tuna spawning inside a large no-take marine protected area. Scientific Reports, 9(1), (2019): 10772, doi:10.1038/s41598-019-47161-0.The Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA), one of the world’s largest marine protected areas, represents 11% of the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Kiribati, which earns much of its GDP by selling tuna fishing licenses to foreign nations. We have determined that PIPA is a spawning area for skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis), bigeye (Thunnus obesus), and yellowfin (Thunnus albacares) tunas. Our approach included sampling larvae on cruises in 2015–2017 and using a biological-physical model to estimate spawning locations for collected larvae. Temperature and chlorophyll conditions varied markedly due to observed ENSO states: El Niño (2015) and neutral (2016–2017). However, larval tuna distributions were similar amongst years. Generally, skipjack larvae were patchy and more abundant near PIPA’s northeast corner, while Thunnus larvae exhibited lower and more even abundances. Genetic barcoding confirmed the presence of bigeye (Thunnus obesus) and yellowfin (Thunnus albacares) tuna larvae. Model simulations indicated that most of the larvae collected inside PIPA in 2015 were spawned inside, while stronger currents in 2016 moved more larvae across PIPA’s boundaries. Larval distributions and relative spawning output simulations indicated that both focal taxa spawned inside PIPA in all 3 study years, demonstrating that PIPA is protecting viable tuna spawning habitat.Funding and support was provided by the PIPA Trust, Waitt and Oceans5 Foundations, Sea Education Association, the Prince Albert of Monaco Foundation II, New England Aquarium, and Boston University to R.R. and J.W. C.H. was additionally supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. J.L. was additionally supported by NOAA through the Cooperative Institute for the North Atlantic Region (CINAR) under Cooperative Agreement NA14OAR4320158 in the form a CINAR Fellow Award, as well as by the WHOI Academic Programs Office. We thank A. Breef-Pilz for onboard sampling assistance, as well as S. Glancy, J. Pringle, E. Martin, J. Fisher, H. Goss, J. Jaskiel, S. Sheehan, and C. Moller for lab assistance. We thank the PIPA Trust and the PIPA Implementation Office for their support, as well as on-ship Kiribati Observers for their support and assistance: Tekeua Auatabu, Iannang Teaioro, Toaea Beiateuea, Taremon Korere, Kareati Waysang, and Moamoa Kabuati. We thank Q. Hanich for reading sections of this paper in advance. This research was conducted under Kiribati and PIPA permits PRP #s 3/17, 1/16, and 2/15 to JW