Assessing the potential for the stomatal characters of extant and fossil Ginkgo leaves to signal atmospheric CO2 change

The stomatal density and index of fossil Ginkgo leaves (Early Jurassic to Early Cretaceous) have been investigated to test whether these plant fossils provide evidence for CO2-rich atmosphere in the Mesozoic. We first assessed five sources of natural variation in the stomatal density and index of extant Gingko biloba leaves: (1) timing of leaf maturation, (2) young vs. fully developed leaves, (3) short shoots vs. long shoots, (4) position in the canopy, and (5) male vs. female trees. Our analysis indicated that some significant differences in leaf stomatal density and index were evident arising from these considerations. However, this variability was considerably less than the difference in leaf stomatal density and index between modern and fossil samples, with the stomatal index of four species of Mesozoic Ginkgo (G. coriacea, G. huttoni, G. yimaensis, and G. obrutschewii) 60–40% lower than the modern values recorded in this study for extant G. biloba. Calculated as stomatal ratios (the stomatal index of the fossil leaves relative to the modern value), the values generally tracked the CO2 variations predicted by a long-term carbon cycle model confirming the utility of this plant group to provide a reasonable measure of ancient atmospheric CO2 change

Use Of Core Stabilization Exercise And Medical Exercise Therapy In The Treatment Of A Patient With Chronic Post Partum Low Back Pain: A Case Report

Background and Purpose: Low back pain and lumbar hyper-mobility are common during and after pregnancy. Postpartum low back laxity can contribute to LBP and can become chronic if not addressed. Core stabilization exercises (CSE) have been shown to improve function and reduce pain in patients with nonspecific chronic low back pain due to lumbar instability. Additionally, Medical Exercise Therapy (MET) has shown good outcomes in reducing pain in patients with LBP but has not been thoroughly investigated in the treatment of chronic post partum LBP. There is limited research reporting the use of a combined treatment protocol utilizing CSE and MET in the treatment of chronic low back pain in post-partum women. Case Description: The patient was a 28-year-old female with bilateral hip and lumbosacral pain 2 years post partum. Intervention consisted of core stabilization exercise (CSE) using medical exercise therapy (MET) and manual lumbar traction. Outcome measures included the Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS), Patient Specific Functional Scale (PSFS), and Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS). Outcomes: Results from initial evaluation to discharge (Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) – 48/80 to 62/80; Patient Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) – 4/10 to 7/10; Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) – 7/10 to 4/10) demonstrated decreased pain, increased ability to return to prior level of function, and improved ability to take care of her two-year-old daughter. Discussion: Low back pain after pregnancy can be difficult to manage. This case report demonstrated a combined intervention of CSE and MET decreased pain and increased function in a 28-year-old female presenting with post-partum LBP. Future studies should investigate the combined effects of CSE and MET in a larger population of patient with LBP

Allocating healthcare resources on the basis of personal responsibility for ill-health: what role (if any) should public opinion play? A socio-ethical analysis

The suggestion that individual responsibility for ill-health, and consequent healthcare need, should be a factor in healthcare priority-setting is increasingly debated. The adoption of such a principle within UK healthcare distribution policy would be both socially and ethically contentious. This study examines the concept of a 'responsibility principle' within healthcare priority-setting and explores the contribution of the views, values and preferences of the public to the ongoing discussions. The ethical justification for seeking public participation in this type of debate is explored. Within this thesis, a range of issues are critically evaluated, including healthcare distribution via the 'QALY' approach, the incorporation of distributional weighting of health benefits and the influence of social values on healthcare provision. It is concluded that an enhanced public contribution could be attained by systematically investigating how members of the public reason and construct ethical arguments regarding 'responsibility' as a priority-setting principle and that such an investigation would demand a clear, empirically-based and ethically-sound methodological approach. The means by which this may be accomplished is investigated, and a conceptual and practical basis for eliciting and examining the ethical reasoning and arguments of members of the public is presented in a detailed proposal that represents an innovative approach to research in this area. A range of socio-ethical issues inform this study, including social value judgements, placing limits on what may be perceived to be socially justified entitlements, and questions of the citizen's role in contributing to ethically important social policy. The study employs a conceptual approach to these issues and identifies, evaluates and applies ethical arguments to the relevant topics. This study contributes to both methodological and empirical knowledge regarding public participation in healthcare debates and assists the interpretation of existing evidence of the public's views in this area

Out of Time? The Experience of First-time Fatherhood After 40: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

This thesis reports on a study of the lived experience of men who became fathers for the first time in their 40s and 50s. It is therefore study of 'older fatherhood'. As interest in fatherhood has grown over the last 40-plus years there has been little attention paid to the increasing trend towards men becoming fathers at more advanced ages (in their 40s, 50s' and beyond) . There is limited evidence of what it is like to be an 'older father'. This contrasts with comparable parental experiences such as younger fatherhood and older motherhood, both of which have been extensively explored. Employing interpretative phenomenological analysis, the experiences of ten men who became fathers for the first time in their 40s or 50s are examined. Semi-structured interviews with these older fathers generated a body of data which, when subjected to analysis, produced rich and evocative findings. The process of analysis focused on the meanings the men ascribed to the experience of older fatherhood. Close, interpretative engagement with the data ensured that participants' voices remained at the heart of both the analytic process and subsequent findings. The men who participated in this study portrayed a positive, optimistic experience of fatherhood; each demonstrating that being an older father contributed to his individual paternal identity. However, they also showed that ambiguity and uncertainty lay at the heart of that experience. Participants encountered uncertain social attitudes towards older fatherhood and were concerned for its impact on their children's lives. The findings and conclusions presented in this thesis complement, enhance and assist the interpretation of existing evidence concerning the lives of fathers, families and children and thus contribute to the broader field of fatherhood research

Sexing The Fairy Tale: Borrowed Monsters And Postmodern Fantasies

This thesis examines the ambiguous function of folk and fairy tale motifs in the postmodern fantasies of Angela Carter, Jenny Diski, and Jeanette Winterson. Whereas the most popular and widely-read versions of the classic tales tended to focus on woman as passive victim, these texts present woman as powerful monster: she is a witch, a giant, a step- or adoptive parent, or is only half human. But these postmodern incarnations are often problematic because they are largely borrowed from earlier stories which are sexist, misogynistic, and narrow in their outlooks. While woman\u27s construction as monstrous is neither constant nor unqualified, these new heroines still wield a strong and often subversive power through their connection to frightening fairy tale images.;Over the course of this thesis, I draw on Julia Kristeva\u27s theory of abjection as outlined in Powers of Horror to explore and analyze the representation of woman as threatening other in a selection of works by Carter, Diski, and Winterson. I propose that when woman is represented as monstrous in these texts, it is almost always in relation to her mothering, reproductive, or sexual functions, and that the depictions of the monstrous are taken from popular versions of folk and fairy tales.;In the Introduction, I examine the notion of the monstrous-feminine and use Kristeva\u27s theories to explore how woman terrifies man through her sexuality. I define the postmodern, the fantastic, and folk and fairy tales to demonstrate how their characteristics are manifested in the works of Carter, Diski, and Winterson. In the second chapter, I investigate the relationship between mothers and children and suggest that the true alternative nature of a mother\u27s power lies in her connection to both the semiotic and the narratives of folk and fairy. Since Carter, Diski and Winterson also wrote or re-wrote several popular fairy tales, the third chapter discusses these new versions and details how and why they differ from their predecessors. In the final chapter, I propose that the new fairy tale heroine is heroic because unlike her earlier counterpart, it is she who is in control of her own story

Use Of Core Stabilization Exercise And Medical Exercise Therapy In The Treatment Of A Patient With Chronic Post Partum Low Back Pain: A Case Report

Low back pain and lumbar hyper-mobility are common during and after pregnancy. Chronic postpartum low back pain (LBP) can be difficult to manage. Core stabilization exercises (CSE) have been shown to improve function and reduce pain in patients with chronic LBP due to lumbar instability. Medical Exercise Therapy (MET) has shown good outcomes in reducing pain in patients with LBP but has not been thoroughly investigated in the treatment of chronic post partum LBP. There is limited research reporting the use of a combined treatment protocol utilizing CSE and MET in the treatment of chronic LBP in postpartum women. The purpose of this case report was to investigate a combined physical therapy treatment protocol of CSE and MET on a patient with chronic low back pain 2 years post-partum.https://dune.une.edu/pt_studcrposter/1079/thumbnail.jp

Evolution of leaf-form in land plants linked to atmospheric CO2 decline in the Late Palaeozoic era

The widespread appearance of megaphyll leaves, with their branched veins and planate form, did not occur until the close of the Devonian period at about 360 Myr ago. This happened about 40 Myr after simple leafless vascular plants first colonized the land in the Late Silurian/Early Devonian, but the reason for the slow emergence of this common feature of present-day plants is presently unresolved. Here we show, in a series of quantitative analyses using fossil leaf characters and biophysical principles, that the delay was causally linked with a 90% drop in atmospheric pCO2 during the Late Palaeozoic era. In contrast to simulations for a typical Early Devonian land plant, possessing few stomata on leafless stems, those for a planate leaf with the same stomatal characteristics indicate that it would have suffered lethal overheating, because of greater interception of solar energy and low transpiration. When planate leaves first appeared in the Late Devonian and subsequently diversified in the Carboniferous period, they possessed substantially higher stomatal densities. This observation is consistent with the effects of the pCO2 on stomatal development and suggests that the evolution of planate leaves could only have occurred after an increase in stomatal density, allowing higher transpiration rates that were sufficient to maintain cool and viable leaf temperatures

Next Generation Asthma Care Position Paper

The Next Generation Asthma Care position paper sets out a collaborative research project led by the Digital Health and Care Institute (DHI) with input from Asthma UK