A qualitative study to investigate service user experience of participating in research

Service user and carer involvement in research and health services is mandated by policy and has been taken up with different degrees of success in the NHS. This study employs a phenomenological approach to consider the service user and carer experience of participating in a service evaluation of a health centre in the North West of England. This was a small-scale study nested within a larger knowledge transfer project. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with members of the review team, comprising a service user and carer assuming research roles, as well as an academic, an NHS manager and a project coordinator. Data was subject to qualitative, phenomenological analysis. The service user and carer perspectives take centre stage in this thesis, but are framed by the perspectives of the other participants in the study. Findings account for the features and experiences of involvement as described by the participants and exemplify how they made sense of involvement practices. They are structured in three broad themes: Work/Occupation, Personal Identity/sense of self, and Purpose. Several subthemes reflect wider discussion around the key concepts. Work/Occupation comprises the sub-themes: Motivation/background, Professionalism, Experience transfer and Relations with staff. Personal identity/Sense has subthemes: Yearning for a different status, Duality of role and Fulfilment or reward. Finally, the Purpose theme was constituted by four subthemes including: For self/for others dichotomy, Opportunity, Gaining transferrable skills and Social relations/democratic. Notions of Professionalism were prominent in the participants’ narratives, both as perceived requirement and personal development opportunity. This contrasts with existing literature in the field of service user and care involvement on professionalism. Competition within a work context is seen as positive and motivating and is not seen as antithetical to cooperative ideals. Reflexivity is found to be an important added dimension for the participating service user and carer

Developing clinical academic researchers: insights from practitioners and managers in nursing, midwifery and allied health

Background: Developing a clinical academic role in Nursing, Midwifery and the Allied Health Professions (NMAHP) is challenging due to lack of a national career pathway, recognition and understanding of the role. Aims: This evaluation explored perspectives of aspiring or active clinical academics and health care managers in NMAHP about the benefits, barriers and enablers of engagement in these career pathways. Methods: Eight workshops were facilitated across England (four each for managers and prospective clinical academics); 162 participants shared their experiences and perceptions of clinical academic research activities. Findings: Three major themes were identified related to the perceived benefits, barriers and enablers of engagement in these career pathways: Building health research capacity; Building individuals’ health research capability; and Improving patient care. Conclusion: This report demonstrates factors that are valued and perceived to be working well by practitioners and their clinical service managers, and highlights key priorities for further strategic support

Estimating seabed pressure from demersal trawls, seines, and dredges based on gear design and dimensions

This study assesses the seabed pressure of towed fishing gears and models the physical impact (area and depth of seabed penetration) from trip-based information of vessel size, gear type, and catch. Traditionally fishing pressures are calculated top-down by making use of large-scale statistics such as logbook data. Here, we take a different approach starting from the gear itself (design and dimensions) to estimate the physical interactions with the seabed at the level of the individual fishing operation. We defined 14 distinct towed gear groups in European waters (eight otter trawl groups, three beam trawl groups, two demersal seine groups, and one dredge group), for which we established gear “footprints”. The footprint of a gear is defined as the relative contribution from individual larger gear components, such as trawl doors, sweeps, and groundgear, to the total area and severity of the gear's impact. An industry-based survey covering 13 countries provided the basis for estimating the relative impact-area contributions from individual gear components, whereas sediment penetration was estimated based on a literature review. For each gear group, a vessel size–gear size relationship was estimated to enable the prediction of gear footprint area and sediment penetration from vessel size. Application of these relationships with average vessel sizes and towing speeds provided hourly swept-area estimates by métier. Scottish seining has the largest overall gear footprint of ∼1.6 km2 h−1 of which 0.08 km2 has an impact at the subsurface level (sediment penetration ≥ 2 cm). Beam trawling for flatfish ranks low when comparing overall footprint size/hour but ranks substantially higher when comparing only impact at the subsurface level (0.19 km2h−1). These results have substantial implications for the definition, estimation, and monitoring of fishing pressure indicators, which are discussed in the context of an ecosystem approach to fisheries managemen

Populasjonsovervåkning av brunbjørn 2005-2008: Rapport for Sør-Trøndelag, Nord-Trøndelag, Nordland, Troms og Finnmark 2006

Populasjonsovervåkning av brunbjørn (Ursus arctos) i Norges fem nordligste fylker ble gjennomført med hjelp av DNA-analyse av ekskrementer og hårprøver. Totalt ble det analysert 750 ulike prøver i undersøkelsen. Av disse prøvene ble 720 prøver samlet inn i 2006, mens resten var fra tidligere år. Statens naturoppsyn samlet inn prøver hele sesongen, mens i Trøndelagsfylkene ble det i tillegg samlet inn prøver om høsten av elgjegere. Resultatet fra DNA ekstraksjonen gav 34% fungerende prøver, med stor variasjon for ulike fylker (10-50%). Prøvene som gav DNA utbytte ble analysert to ganger med seks ulike mikrosatellitt markører (G1D, G10B, UarMU05, UarMu09, UarMU15 og UarMU26) og en kjønnstest. For 2006, gav DNA identifisering 71 ulike individer, med en overvekt av hannbjørner (62 %). Rapporten inneholder også analyse av hårprøver fra Sør-Varanger i 2005, samt noen andre 2005 prøver fra andre områder. En gjentatt analyse av 166 faesprøver fra Øst-Finnmark i 2005 ble også utført. Videre er innsamlingen av prøver i ”Midt-Norge” (Trøndelagsfylkene og Nordland-sør) analysert, og et bestandsestimat for regionen gav et estimat på 35 individer. Resultatene i rapporten blir vurdert opp mot feltobservasjoner og feilkilder, og videre arbeid blir diskutert.publishedVersio

Large-Eddy Simulations of Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence in Heliophysics and Astrophysics

We live in an age in which high-performance computing is transforming the way we do science. Previously intractable problems are now becoming accessible by means of increasingly realistic numerical simulations. One of the most enduring and most challenging of these problems is turbulence. Yet, despite these advances, the extreme parameter regimes encountered in space physics and astrophysics (as in atmospheric and oceanic physics) still preclude direct numerical simulation. Numerical models must take a Large Eddy Simulation (LES) approach, explicitly computing only a fraction of the active dynamical scales. The success of such an approach hinges on how well the model can represent the subgrid-scales (SGS) that are not explicitly resolved. In addition to the parameter regime, heliophysical and astrophysical applications must also face an equally daunting challenge: magnetism. The presence of magnetic fields in a turbulent, electrically conducting fluid flow can dramatically alter the coupling between large and small scales, with potentially profound implications for LES/SGS modeling. In this review article, we summarize the state of the art in LES modeling of turbulent magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) ows. After discussing the nature of MHD turbulence and the small-scale processes that give rise to energy dissipation, plasma heating, and magnetic reconnection, we consider how these processes may best be captured within an LES/SGS framework. We then consider several special applications in heliophysics and astrophysics, assessing triumphs, challenges,and future directions

Physical Processes in Star Formation

© 2020 Springer-Verlag. The final publication is available at Springer via https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-020-00693-8.Star formation is a complex multi-scale phenomenon that is of significant importance for astrophysics in general. Stars and star formation are key pillars in observational astronomy from local star forming regions in the Milky Way up to high-redshift galaxies. From a theoretical perspective, star formation and feedback processes (radiation, winds, and supernovae) play a pivotal role in advancing our understanding of the physical processes at work, both individually and of their interactions. In this review we will give an overview of the main processes that are important for the understanding of star formation. We start with an observationally motivated view on star formation from a global perspective and outline the general paradigm of the life-cycle of molecular clouds, in which star formation is the key process to close the cycle. After that we focus on the thermal and chemical aspects in star forming regions, discuss turbulence and magnetic fields as well as gravitational forces. Finally, we review the most important stellar feedback mechanisms.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

DNA analyse av sporprøver fra brunbjørn, Øst-Finnmark 2007

I 2007 ble det samlet inn 331 sporprøver fra brunbjørn i Øst-Finnmark, og denne rapporten beskriver de 31 ulike individene som ble påvist ved den påfølgende DNA analysen. I 2007 ble det anvendt to ulike innsamlingsmetoder for sporprøver fra brunbjørn. Gjennom hele sesongen ble det på vanlig måte ved innsamling i felt (av SNO og andre) samlet inn 207 sporprøver fra bjørn (133 ekskrementer og 74 hårprøver) i Øst-Finnmark. I tillegg ble det i et eget prosjekt satt ut hårfeller med luktestoff i et 441 km2 stort område sør i Pasvikdalen (11 % av Sør-Varangers totale areal). Hårfelleprosjektets studieområde ble delt i 5 x 5 km ruter, med en felle i hver rute. Det ble satt ut 23 hårfeller i Sør- Varanger, og hver felle ble flyttet innen 5x5 km ruten etter en måned (total innsamlingstid 2 måneder, periode: 14. juni til 15. august). Det ble samlet inn 124 hårprøver fra hårfelleprosjektet i Sør- Varanger. Til sammen i disse to innsamlingene (331 sporprøver) ble det identifisert 31 ulike individer av brunbjørn i Øst-Finnmark, der 13 individer (42 %) ikke var registrert tidligere i Norge. Hoveddelen av bjørnene, 29 individer, ble påvist i Sør-Varanger kommune. Av de 29 individene var der 19 hannbjørn, 9 hunnbjørn, og 1 ikke kjønnsbestemt (dvs. 69 % hannbjørner). I tillegg ble det identifisert 2 individer i Porsanger kommune (1 hunnbjørn og 1 hannbjørn). I perioden 2004 til 2007 er det registrert 53 ulike individer av brunbjørn i Sør-Varanger kommune (58 % hannbjørner). Av disse 53 individene er 22 individer påvist i Sør-Varanger mer enn et av de fire årene som DNA analyser har vært foretatt ved Bioforsk Svanhovd. Åtte av de 53 individene er bekreftet døde i samme periode.publishedVersio