Credit Bearing Undergraduate Placements – Should We or Shouldn’t We? Staff and Student Perspectives

A credit bearing placement, in lieu of a dissertation, has been offered as an option on the environmental undergraduate programme at the School of Interdisciplinary Studies (University of Glasgow) since 2001. All students are offered this opportunity with approximately 75% of each cohort choosing the placement. Students are encouraged to identify and secure placements themselves, as part of developing their graduate attributes (e.g. effective communicators, confidence, adaptability, resourcefulness and responsibility), although staff support is offered - particularly in the latter stages to ensure project suitability, and satisfy insurance, and health and safety requirements. Initially placements tended to be localised within Dumfries and Galloway, then Scotland-wide, and now placements internationally are encouraged. Students have been placed with organisations such as: RSPB, WWT, Natural Power, Xodus Consulting, SRUC, Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, Australian Koala Foundation, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Pöyry, Edinburgh Zoo, and the Scottish Wildlife Trust to name a few. To enable a student to make a valid contribution to a placement organisation, they have to have acquired a certain degree of knowledge and understanding of their subject – as a result the second semester of their third year of their degree was identified as the most suitable i.e. just before their honours year. Since the placement is worth 60 credits (half the credits required at level 3) a robust system of assessment has to be employed. Students therefore submit an initial review of the organisation and their personal learning goals before commencing the placement. While on placement the students keep a work-based journal detailing information that will benefit them in the future (e.g. methodology, contact details, literature reviews), and the organisation is asked to provide an interim and final progress report. On return to the university, the student writes a short dissertation based on a number of themes. These themes encourage students to make links between theoretical learning on their courses and the reality in the workplace (e.g. conservation theory and conservation in practice), and to critically evaluate the future and sustainability of the organisation or project. Should we or shouldn’t we? The administrative burden of organising and finalising placements shouldn’t be under-estimated - this can start when the student is in their second year. In addition placement providers can withdraw support at the later stages due to changed priorities, or the students themselves can change their mind! However, the benefits to the student, the placement provider and the University easily outweigh any difficulties. Keywords Employability, employers, placements, students, work-related learnin

A hierarchy of models for simulating experimental results from a 3D heterogeneous porous medium

In this work we examine the dispersion of conservative tracers (bromide and fluorescein) in an experimentally-constructed three-dimensional dual-porosity porous medium. The medium is highly heterogeneous ($\sigma_Y^2=5.7$), and consists of spherical, low-hydraulic-conductivity inclusions embedded in a high-hydraulic-conductivity matrix. The bi-modal medium was saturated with tracers, and then flushed with tracer-free fluid while the effluent breakthrough curves were measured. The focus for this work is to examine a hierarchy of four models (in the absence of adjustable parameters) with decreasing complexity to assess their ability to accurately represent the measured breakthrough curves. The most information-rich model was (1) a direct numerical simulation of the system in which the geometry, boundary and initial conditions, and medium properties were fully independently characterized experimentally with high fidelity. The reduced models included; (2) a simplified numerical model identical to the fully-resolved direct numerical simulation (DNS) model, but using a domain that was one-tenth the size; (3) an upscaled mobile-immobile model that allowed for a time-dependent mass-transfer coefficient; and, (4) an upscaled mobile-immobile model that assumed a space-time constant mass-transfer coefficient. The results illustrated that all four models provided accurate representations of the experimental breakthrough curves as measured by global RMS error. The primary component of error induced in the upscaled models appeared to arise from the neglect of convection within the inclusions. Interestingly, these results suggested that the conventional convection-dispersion equation, when applied in a way that resolves the heterogeneities, yields models with high fidelity without requiring the imposition of a more complex non-Fickian model.Comment: 27 pages, 9 Figure

Cloning And Biochemical Characterization Of The RecQ Helicase And Topoisomerase III In Schizosaccharomyces Pombe

RecQ and Topoisomerase III proteins are both essential for proper chromosomal maintenance in species ranging from bacteria to humans. Due to their highly conserved nature throughout evolution, understanding their basic biochemical properties as well as their interactions together is important for understanding human health, disease, and even to provide potential evolutionary insight. S. pombe has been chosen as a model organism because little research has been done on the biochemical analysis of its RecQ homolog, Rqhl. This study shows developments in the biochemical characterization of a truncation protein of Rqh1 including AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy) Imaging, DNA binding, and ATP hydrolysis activity. New insight of the biochemical properties of Rqh1 will advance the development of a molecular model for Bloom\u27s syndrome and provide a better understanding of the molecular aspects of other diseases associated with mutations m RecQ homologs

Development of Gender Differences in Risk Perception

Women have, in many studies, rated environmental and health hazards as more risky and less acceptable than men rate the same risks. Biologically-based sex differences fail to provide an adequate explanation, however, as gender differences do not hold true in non-white populations. Ratings by minority males and females, in fact, both correspond roughly to those of white females. Other possible explanations, such as differences in familiarity, are also refuted, as gender differences are found when there are no differences in familiarity. Some explanations cite different socialization patterns for men and women, but this would probably be expected among minority populations as well. Differences may be best explained by a combination of socialization and sociopolitical factors such as power, control and vulnerability. A pilot study was conducted, with a sample of mostly white participants, which replicated parts of the study by Flynn, Slovic, and Mertz (1994). Results showed a gender difference in risk ratings (p * .06). A strong negative correlation (r = -.3155 with p = .0001) was found between risk ratings and scores on a measure of trust in government and industry. This supports the sociopolitical difference explanation. This explanation is further supported by a similar study of high school students which found no gender differences and risk scores significantly higher than those of the first sample (p » .001). Further research is suggested

Urinary incontinence in older women: exploring lived experiences and examining co-production

Rationale: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common condition in women that leads to involuntary passing of urine. UI can impact social and mental wellbeing due to the associated stigma, which underlines the importance of inclusive research. Co-production research emphasises shared decision-making and collective knowledge; there is a lack of research into the realities of this approach, especially focused on physical illnesses. The Leeds Older women Urinary Incontinence Self-mAnagement (LOUISA) study is the wider project within which the current study is situated, bringing together these components through co-production of a self-management intervention for UI. The current study focuses on the individual perspectives in these areas, in terms of living with UI and stakeholder experiences of co-producing UI research. Aims: 1) To explore older women’s perceptions of living with UI (phase 1); 2) to examine the principles of co-production within the context of the LOUISA project (phase 2). Method: Phase 1 utilised an interpretative phenomenological approach (IPA). A qualitative meta-synthesis was conducted to explore gaps in existing literature, supplemented by interviews with 3 women. For phase 2 a scoping review was conducted to map co-production literature and interviews with LOUISA stakeholders (academic, healthcare provider, service user, funder) and one meeting observation was conducted. Results: The key themes from phase 1 are embarrassment and normalisation. Embarrassment characterised the lived experience of UI, permeating across several themes e.g. childhood experiences and coping strategies. The normalisation of UI as it relates to perceptions of age was another key finding, as UI was often believed to be an ordinary part of ageing. Key themes from phase 2 relate to concepts of co-production and power differentials. Barriers and facilitators to co-production were identified and tensions between theoretical and practical aspects were considered. Power differentials in the context of co-production were also identified as an important consideration. Conclusion: This study provides insight into the lived experience of UI from the perspective of older women living in the UK who have either never sought professional help or have previously engaged with medical services but have since disengaged. Understanding the lived experience of UI is integral to providing appropriate support. This study also provides recommendations for co-producing research for stigmatised long-term conditions (LTCs) similar to UI, based on the experiences of stakeholders involved in an ongoing project