An evaluation of the Change Up programme

This report presents the findings of an evaluation of the Change Up programme

Influence de la litière foliaire de cinq espèces végétales tropicales sur la diversité floristique des herbacées dans la zone du Ferlo (Senegal)

L’objectif de cette étude a été d’évaluer l’effet de la présence de cinq plantes ligneuses: Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Del., Acacia tortilis subsp. raddiana (Savi) Brenan, Acacia senegal (L.) Willd, Boscia senegalensis (Pers.) Lam. ex Poir. et Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.) Hochst. sur la diversité spécifique de la végétation herbacée dans le Ferlo, au Nord-Sénégal. Il a été procédé à un inventaire des espèces herbacées sous couvert et hors couvert des plantes ligneuses. Ensuite, une analyse floristique qualitative (familles, genres et espèces) a été réalisée à partir de la liste floristique des différents inventaires. Cette analyse a été couplée à une approche quantitative en utilisant le coefficient de similitude de Sørensen qui a servi à définir l’indice de diversité beta. Les résultats de l’inventaire floristique ont permis de dénombrer 28 espèces herbacées réparties dans 25 genres et 15 familles. Les plantes ligneuses comme B. senegalensis, B. aegyptiaca et S. birrea possèdent la flore la plus riche avec 18 espèces chacune, alors que A. tortilis et A. senegal ont respectivement 12 et 9 espèces. Le témoin est le moins diversifié avec 6 espèces herbacées. Parmi les herbacées, Aristida mutabilis est la plus fréquente contrairement à Achyranthes aspera, Aristida adsentionis, Chloris barbata, Cleome  viscosa, Cyperus esculentus, Datura metel, Eragrostis pilosa et Indigofera hirsuta qui sont les espèces les moins fréquentes. Les résultats de l’AFC ont montré quatre groupements végétaux. Un premier groupement qui regroupe B. senegalensis, A. raddiana et le témoin, un groupement à B. aegyptiaca, un groupement à A. senegal et enfin un groupement à S. birrea. Cette étude a permis de mettre en évidence la valeur de la présence de l’arbre dans un système de production fortement dégradé.Mots clés: Sénégal, Ferlo, interaction arbre - herbe, AFC, diversité floristique

ARID3B: A novel regulator of the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus lytic cycle

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the causative agent of commonly fatal malignancies of immunocompromised individuals, including primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) and Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). A hallmark of all herpesviruses is their biphasic life cycle—viral latency and the productive lytic cycle—and it is well established that reactivation of the KSHV lytic cycle is associated with KS pathogenesis. Therefore, a thorough appreciation of the mechanisms that govern reactivation is required to better understand disease progression. The viral protein replication and transcription activator (RTA) is the KSHV lytic switch protein due to its ability to drive the expression of various lytic genes, leading to reactivation of the entire lytic cycle. While the mechanisms for activating lytic gene expression have received much attention, how RTA impacts cellular function is less well understood. To address this, we developed a cell line with doxycycline-inducible RTA expression and applied stable isotope labeling of amino acids in cell culture (SILAC)-based quantitative proteomics. Using this methodology, we have identified a novel cellular protein (AT-rich interacting domain containing 3B [ARID3B]) whose expression was enhanced by RTA and that relocalized to replication compartments upon lytic reactivation. We also show that small interfering RNA (siRNA) knockdown or overexpression of ARID3B led to an enhancement or inhibition of lytic reactivation, respectively. Furthermore, DNA affinity and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that ARID3B specifically interacts with A/T-rich elements in the KSHV origin of lytic replication (oriLyt), and this was dependent on lytic cycle reactivation. Therefore, we have identified a novel cellular protein whose expression is enhanced by KSHV RTA with the ability to inhibit KSHV reactivation

Nanozyme-amplified lateral flow immunoassay for molecular signature detection of cardiovascular diseases

Point-of-care (PoC) devices offer the opportunity to decentralize the analysis of biomarkers in biological fluids thus providing patients with more personalized medicine. The golden standard of PoC platforms are lateral flow assays since they are low cost, quick to perform and user-friendly [1]. Here we show the use of a nanozyme-mediated signal readout on a multiplexed PoC lateral flow immunoassay for the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. Our aim has been to expand the application of this ultrasensitive detection method towards the development of a multiplexed PoC assay for cardiovascular-related biomarkers to support triage of myocardial injury

The Resilience of the British and European Goods Industry: Challenge of Brexit

This is a study of the volume flexibility of the British and European goods industry, and its relative ability to cope with exogenous shocks, using the case of the Brexit process in a comparative context. It is located within the literature on comparative capitalism, and what it tells us in terms of how different institutional orders may be equipped to deal with such events. Using data for goods firms across 27 EU countries and the UK, we find that the UK goods industry has coped poorly with the shocks related to the Brexit process: its volume flexibility has declined. Brexit also has had an, albeit lesser, impact on the volume flexibility of their European firms counterparts. In particular, smaller firms in the EU coped better, a possible reflection of stronger institutional supports. However, firms that investing more in R&D, provide training to improve management efficiency, and apply innovation to improve asset efficiency, seem to be coping better. This study illustrates how the withdrawal of Britain from supra-national European institutions seems to have accentuated any negative effects of domestic institutions on firms, and, indeed, has had even worse consequences than the 2008 economic crisis for the British goods industry. The latter would suggest it is ill equipped to cope with further shocks, such as the 2020 pandemic. We draw out the implications for theorizing, policy and future research

Decreasing intensity of open-ocean convection in the Greenland and Iceland seas

The air–sea transfer of heat and fresh water plays a critical role in the global climate system. This is particularly true for the Greenland and Iceland seas, where these fluxes drive ocean convection that contributes to Denmark Strait overflow water, the densest component of the lower limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Here we show that the wintertime retreat of sea ice in the region, combined with different rates of warming for the atmosphere and sea surface of the Greenland and Iceland seas, has resulted in statistically significant reductions of approximately 20% in the magnitude of the winter air–sea heat fluxes since 1979. We also show that modes of climate variability other than the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) are required to fully characterize the regional air–sea interaction. Mixed-layer model simulations imply that further decreases in atmospheric forcing will exceed a threshold for the Greenland Sea whereby convection will become depth limited, reducing the ventilation of mid-depth waters in the Nordic seas. In the Iceland Sea, further reductions have the potential to decrease the supply of the densest overflow waters to the AMOC

Validation of the Thai version of the family reported outcome measure (FROM-16)© to assess the impact of disease on the partner or family members of patients with cancer

© The Author(s). 2019Background: Cancer not only impairs a patient's physical and psychosocial functional behaviour, but also contributes to negative impact on family members' health related quality of life. Currently, there is an absence of a relevant tool in Thai with which to measure such impact. The aim of this study was to translate and validate the Family Reported Outcome Measure (FROM-16) in Thai cancer patients' family members. Methods: Thai version of FROM-16 was generated by interactive forward-backward translation process following standard guidelines. This was tested for psychometric properties including reliability and validity, namely content validity, concurrent validity, known group validity, internal consistency, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Construct validity was examined by comparing the Thai FROM-16 version with the WHOQOL-BREF-THAI. Results: The internal consistency reliability was strong (Cronbach's alpha = 0.86). A Negative moderate correlation between the Thai FROM-16 and WHOQOL-BREF-THAI was observed (r = - 0.4545, p < 0.00), and known group validity was proved by a statistically significant higher score in family members with high burden of care and insufficient income. The factor analysis supported both 3-factor and 2-factor loading model with slight difference when compared with the original version. Conclusions: The Thai FROM-16 showed good reliability and validity in Thai family members of patients with cancer. A slight difference in factor analysis results compared to the original version could be due to cross-culture application.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Zinc intake, status and indices of cognitive function in adults and children: a systematic review and meta-analysis

In developing countries, deficiencies of micronutrients are thought to have a major impact on child development; however, a consensus on the specific relationship between dietary zinc intake and cognitive function remains elusive. The aim of this systematic review was to examine the relationship between zinc intake, status and indices of cognitive function in children and adults. A systematic literature search was conducted using EMBASE, MEDLINE and Cochrane Library databases from inception to March 2014. Included studies were those that supplied zinc as supplements or measured dietary zinc intake. A meta-analysis of the extracted data was performed where sufficient data were available. Of all of the potentially relevant papers, 18 studies met the inclusion criteria, 12 of which were randomised controlled trials (RCTs; 11 in children and 1 in adults) and 6 were observational studies (2 in children and 4 in adults). Nine of the 18 studies reported a positive association between zinc intake or status with one or more measure of cognitive function. Meta-analysis of data from the adult’s studies was not possible because of limited number of studies. A meta-analysis of data from the six RCTs conducted in children revealed that there was no significant overall effect of zinc intake on any indices of cognitive function: intelligence, standard mean difference of <0.001 (95% confidence interval (CI) –0.12, 0.13) P=0.95; executive function, standard mean difference of 0.08 (95% CI, –0.06, 022) P=0.26; and motor skills standard mean difference of 0.11 (95% CI –0.17, 0.39) P=0.43. Heterogeneity in the study designs was a major limitation, hence only a small number (n=6) of studies could be included in the meta-analyses. Meta-analysis failed to show a significant effect of zinc supplementation on cognitive functioning in children though, taken as a whole, there were some small indicators of improvement on aspects of executive function and motor development following supplementation but high-quality RCTs are necessary to investigate this further

An observational study of patient characteristics associated with the mode of admission to acute stroke services in North East, England

Objective Effective provision of urgent stroke care relies upon admission to hospital by emergency ambulance and may involve pre-hospital redirection. The proportion and characteristics of patients who do not arrive by emergency ambulance and their impact on service efficiency is unclear. To assist in the planning of regional stroke services we examined the volume, characteristics and prognosis of patients according to the mode of presentation to local services. Study design and setting A prospective regional database of consecutive acute stroke admissions was conducted in North East, England between 01/09/10-30/09/11. Case ascertainment and transport mode were checked against hospital coding and ambulance dispatch databases. Results Twelve acute stroke units contributed data for a mean of 10.7 months. 2792/3131 (89%) patients received a diagnosis of stroke within 24 hours of admission: 2002 arrivals by emergency ambulance; 538 by private transport or non-emergency ambulance; 252 unknown mode. Emergency ambulance patients were older (76 vs 69 years), more likely to be from institutional care (10% vs 1%) and experiencing total anterior circulation symptoms (27% vs 6%). Thrombolysis treatment was commoner following emergency admission (11% vs 4%). However patients attending without emergency ambulance had lower inpatient mortality (2% vs 18%), a lower rate of institutionalisation (1% vs 6%) and less need for daily carers (7% vs 16%). 149/155 (96%) of highly dependent patients were admitted by emergency ambulance, but none received thrombolysis. Conclusion Presentations of new stroke without emergency ambulance involvement were not unusual but were associated with a better outcome due to younger age, milder neurological impairment and lower levels of pre-stroke dependency. Most patients with a high level of pre-stroke dependency arrived by emergency ambulance but did not receive thrombolysis. It is important to be aware of easily identifiable demographic groups that differ in their potential to gain from different service configurations

Mathematics difficulties in extremely preterm children : evidence of a specific deficit in basic mathematics processing

Background: Extremely preterm (EP, <26 wk gestation) children have been observed to have poor academic achievement in comparison to their term-born peers, especially in mathematics. This study investigated potential underlying causes of this difficulty. Methods: A total of 219 EP participants were compared with 153 term-born control children at 11 y of age. All children were assessed by a psychologist on a battery of standardized cognitive tests and a number estimation test assessing children’s numerical representations. Results: EP children underperformed in all tests in comparison with the term controls (the majority of Ps < 0.001). Different underlying relationships between performance on the number estimation test and mathematical achievement were found in EP as compared with control children. That is, even after controlling for cognitive ability, a relationship between number representations and mathematical performance persisted for EP children only (EP: r = 0.346, n = 186, P < 0.001; control: r = 0.095, n = 146, P = 0.256). Conclusion: Interventions for EP children may target improving children’s numerical representations in order to subsequently remediate their mathematical skills