Preliminary report on the Quaternary geology and palaeo-iceflow in the Bridge of Orchy : Glen Lyon area, SW Scottish Highlands : June 2003

This report describes the Quaternary deposits and geomorphology of an area of the south-west Scottish Highlands. Both the deposits and the landforms can be broadly divided into glacial, periglacial and recent in origin. As far as possible the nature of the deposits and landforms are described as seen in the field, and subsequent interpretations are made concerning their mode of genesis and their significance in the spatial context. The area has been repeatedly affected by glaciation throughout the Devensian, although most of the evidence remaining reflects only the last stage, the Loch Lomond Stadial glaciation. During this c. 1200 year period, an ice cap is thought to have developed on the mountains to the west of Rannoch Moor and at its maximum extent to have overwhelmed the valleys and many of the mountains of the field area. The extent of the former ice cap has been debated over the last 30 years, and an attempt is made here to assess the various models against the field evidence. A new model is consequently proposed, drawing on many of the findings of earlier workers as well as the new data. An ice cap with a maximum surface altitude of at least 850 m O.D. is suggested to have overwhelmed the area, with a generally east and south-east surface gradient. The ice cap most probably grew from rejuvenated ice that survived throughout the preceding Windermere Interstadial in the high corries and valleys. The ice cap became increasingly influenced by topography as deglaciation ensued, and eventually the valleys of the field area were probably occupied by ice that was being maintained by local accumulation areas

Aesthetic scanning: Refining critical thinking through oral language activities

This study examines the use of aesthetics in the art education curriculum as a strategy for building oral language skills and critical thinking skills. In this study reproduced artworks were used to stimulate discussion; students learned to scan paintings using a technique called aesthetic scanning during which they learn how to look at a painting orally through guided questioning by the classroom teacher. It was concluded that providing oral language opportunities through the implementation of the aesthetic scanning program was an effective way to promote oral language skills and critical thinking skills in the kindergarten classroom. Arts, as a core subject can be taught through Disciplined Based Art Education (DBAE). With DBAE all students are given the oppportunity to actively engage in oral language activites as they aesthetically view works of art

What does it mean to teach history well? Exploring the practice architectures of exemplary history teaching.

The work of teachers is under increasing scrutiny. Regimes of teacher professional registration and accreditation have had the effect of dramatically increasing the regulation around teachers’ classroom practices as they seek to codify and articulate the meaning of 'good' classroom teaching. Similarly, public and political discourse has been captivated by various discussions and concerns around the meaning and importance of ‘quality teaching’ in our schools. For secondary teachers of history, this scrutiny is coupled with an already acute public anxiety about the way their subject discipline is taught to school students. Partly in response to this anxiety, there has been a growing interest in researching and explaining the nature of good history teaching through describing the ways in which students engage in deep disciplinary learning in the history classroom. The development of various (but interrelated) frameworks of ‘historical thinking’ have sought to make explicit the concepts and questions that work to scaffold students’ growing understanding of history not merely as a knowledge set, but as a suite of skills and procedures that can encourage a particular way of thinking about the past (Lévesque, 2005, 2008; Seixas, 2006a; Seixas, Morton, Colyer, & Fornazzari, 2013). In a short period of time the ‘historical thinking’ movement in history education has become synonymous with good history teaching – to teach history well has been seen as engaging students in this deeper disciplinary thinking. But despite this increased interest around quality teaching and research around the nature of historical thinking, we know very little about the nature of history teaching as classroom practice. Research around historical thinking has been largely driven by the field of cognitive science and has been primarily concerned with student learning and assessment, without a similarly detailed focus on the nature of pedagogical practices that encourage deep engagement in history and historical ways of thinking. Similarly, the promotion of ‘models’ or ‘frameworks’ of historical thinking often present deep disciplinary engagement in history as a neat matrix of questions and related skills without due acknowledgement of the way in which different learning communities in different contexts may engage in the process of learning about history. This thesis provides insight into the nature of good history teaching as a social practice, exploring how it is constructed and encountered in the classroom by teachers and students. The research was conducted using a multiple case study methodology examining the classroom teaching practice of four history teachers, identified by their peers as exemplary practitioners. Findings were drawn from interviews with the teachers and multiple observations of their classroom teaching, as well as focus group interviews with their students. The research represents a rich portrayal of what good history teaching looks like in a practical, pedagogical sense and adds to our existing understanding of what it means to teach history well through research that is grounded in the reality of teachers’ everyday work. Using the theory of practice architectures as a framework for analysing and interpreting classroom interactions, as well as both teacher and student beliefs about history education, the research reveals the importance not only of teachers’ subject expertise in defining their success as history teachers, but also their knowledge of their students and the communities in which they work. Whilst the four teachers in the study all face varying constraints on their teaching by virtue of the sites within which they practice, the relational dimension of their practice emerges as particularly significant in determining the ways in which different teachers navigate these constraints in their pursuit of praxis. The research contributes new knowledge to the existing discourses around history teaching by highlighting the varied and complex ways in which historical thinking is enacted in different teaching contexts. Similarly, at a time when teachers are increasingly being asked to account for and describe their practice against generic criteria and descriptions of ‘quality’, this research represents a rich and contextualised understanding of what successful pedagogy looks like in different school communities

Role of adipokines and perivascular adipose tissue in abdominal aortic aneurysm: a systematic review and meta-analysis of animal and human observational studies

Improved understanding of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) pathogenesis is required to identify treatment targets. This systematic review summarized evidence from animal studies and clinical research examining the role of adipokines and perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) in AAA pathogenesis. Meta-analyses suggested that leptin (Standardized mean difference [SMD]: 0.50 [95% confidence interval (CI): −1.62, 2.61]) and adiponectin (SMD: −3.16 [95% CI: −7.59, 1.28]) upregulation did not significantly affect AAA severity within animal models. There were inconsistent findings and limited studies investigating the effect of resistin-like molecule-beta (RELMβ) and PVAT in animal models of AAA. Clinical studies suggested that circulating leptin (SMD: 0.32 [95% CI: 0.19, 0.45]) and resistin (SMD: 0.63 [95% CI 0.50, 0.76]) concentrations and PVAT to abdominal adipose tissue ratio (SMD: 0.56 [95% CI 0.33, 0.79]) were significantly greater in people diagnosed with AAA compared to controls. Serum adiponectin levels were not associated with AAA diagnosis (SMD: −0.62 [95% CI −1.76, 0.52]). One, eight, and one animal studies and two, two, and four human studies had low, moderate, and high risk-of-bias respectively. These findings suggest that AAA is associated with higher circulating concentrations of leptin and resistin and greater amounts of PVAT than controls but whether this plays a role in aneurysm pathogenesis is unclear

Evidence-based recommendations for medical management of Peripheral Artery Disease

Patients with lower limb artery stenosis or occlusion (peripheral artery disease; PAD) have been determined to be at very high risk of both major adverse cardiovascular events, such as myocardial infarction and stroke, and major adverse limb events, such as amputation and requirement for artery surgery. Effective medical management has been identified as key in reducing this risk; however, this is often poorly implemented in clinical practice. Thus, the aim of this narrative review was to summarize the current evidence on the medical management of PAD in order to inform clinicians and highlight recommendations for clinical practice. International guidelines, randomized controlled trials, and relevant systematic reviews and metaanalyses have been included in this study. The focus was the management of the key modifiable risk factors to mitigate possible adverse events through prescription of anti-platelet and anticoagulation drugs and medications to control low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood pressure, and diabetes and aid smoking cessation. The available evidence from randomized clinical trials provide a strong rationale for the need for holistic medical management programs that are effective in achieving uptake of these medical therapies in patients with PAD. In conclusion, people with PAD have some of the highest adverse event rates among those with cardiovascular diseases. Secondary preventive measures have been proven effective in reducing these adverse events; however, they remain to be adequately implemented. Thus, the need for an effective implementation program has emerged to reduce adverse events in this patient group

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of pentagalloyl glucose administration on aortic expansion in animal models

Background: The aim of this systematic review was to pool evidence from studies testing if pentagalloyl glucose (PGG) limited aortic expansion in animal models of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Methods: The review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines and registered with PROSPERO. The primary outcome was aortic expansion assessed by direct measurement. Secondary outcomes included aortic expansion measured by ultrasound and aortic diameter at study completion. Sub analyses examined the effect of PGG delivery in specific forms (nanoparticles, periadventitial or intraluminal), and at different times (from the start of AAA induction or when AAA was established), and tested in different animals (pigs, rats and mice) and AAA models (calcium chloride, periadventitial, intraluminal elastase or angiotensin II). Meta-analyses were performed using Mantel-Haenszel’s methods with random effect models and reported as mean difference (MD) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Risk of bias was assessed with a customized tool. Results: Eleven studies reported in eight publications involving 214 animals were included. PGG significantly reduced aortic expansion measured by direct observation (MD: −66.35%; 95% CI: −108.44, −24.27; p = 0.002) but not ultrasound (MD: −32.91%; 95% CI: −75.16, 9.33; p = 0.127). PGG delivered intravenously within nanoparticles significantly reduced aortic expansion, measured by both direct observation (MD: −116.41%; 95% CI: −132.20, −100.62; p < 0.001) and ultrasound (MD: −98.40%; 95% CI: −113.99, −82.81; p < 0.001). In studies measuring aortic expansion by direct observation, PGG administered topically to the adventitia of the aorta (MD: −28.41%; 95% CI −46.57, −10.25; p = 0.002), studied in rats (MD: −56.61%; 95% CI: −101.76, −11.46; p = 0.014), within the calcium chloride model (MD: −56.61%; 95% CI: −101.76, −11.46; p = 0.014) and tested in established AAAs (MD: −90.36; 95% CI: −135.82, −44.89; p < 0.001), significantly reduced aortic expansion. The findings of other analyses were not significant. The risk of bias of all studies was high. Conclusion: There is inconsistent low-quality evidence that PGG inhibits aortic expansion in animal models