Library requirements of Masters of Art (Creative Writing) students : is the class library of the International Institute of Modern Letters meeting their information needs?

To investigate whether the Class Library of the International Institute of Modern Letters was meeting the information needs of the students in the Master of Arts (Creative Writing) an exploratory research approach was used. A sequential mixed methodology study comprised of a questionnaire, with both quantitative and qualitative content, to canvass student responses as well as interviews with the Institute's students, its teaching staff, and the Collection Development Librarian of the Victoria University of Wellington Central Library. The findings showed that students made significant use of the Class Library, often in preference to the University Library. This usage was based on factors such as collection quality, proximity to the Institute, accessibility of the collection and the availability of reading material. Library anxiety experienced when using the Central Library is another probable factor. Based on these findings, it was recommended that the Institute retain the Class Library as an autonomous collection and not integrate it into the collection of the Victoria University of Wellington Central Library

Digitisation and Matauranga Maori

In 2007 the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre undertook the digitisation of H. G. Robley's 'Moko; or Maori Tattooing' along with associated contextual material. This project prompted much thought and debate within the Centre about the propriety of making such material freely available online and highlighted a number of issues which are likely common to most cultural and heritage organisations looking to undertake the digitisation of Maori-based material. Throughout periods of colonisation indigenous knowledge has been collected by ethnographers, anthropologists, and others, and much of this has found its way into the collections of libraries and archives. This is true in New Zealand as it is overseas. However, despite the existence of this material and a national digital strategy that promotes the benefits of online access to cultural and heritage material, the numbers of organisations who have digitised representations of Matauranga Maori are few. Within the contexts of both international discourse on indigenous knowledge and the NZETC project this paper addresses these issues which fall into the categories of ownership, control, access, and consultation which we also attempt to frame using the corresponding Te Ao Marama concepts of rangatiratanga and kaitiakitanga, mana and putanga, and korerorero whanui. Questions arise in terms of ownership of not just the physical objects themselves but also the knowledge encoded within them, issues of who has the right to control that knowledge and determine who may access it and who may not, as well as discovering who it is appropriate to consult with and how institutions may respond to the results of consultation. We ask whether these issues act as barriers to digitisation of Matauranga Maori material and consequently whether they provide an explanation for the relative scarcity of these types of projects. Finally we identify opportunities that organisations can gain from undertaking such projects

Digitisation and Matauranga Maori

In 2007 the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre undertook the digitisation of H. G. Robley's 'Moko; or Maori Tattooing' along with associated contextual material. This project prompted much thought and debate within the Centre about the propriety of making such material freely available online and highlighted a number of issues which are likely common to most cultural and heritage organisations looking to undertake the digitisation of Maori-based material. Throughout periods of colonisation indigenous knowledge has been collected by ethnographers, anthropologists, and others, and much of this has found its way into the collections of libraries and archives. This is true in New Zealand as it is overseas. However, despite the existence of this material and a national digital strategy that promotes the benefits of online access to cultural and heritage material, the numbers of organisations who have digitised representations of Matauranga Maori are few. Within the contexts of both international discourse on indigenous knowledge and the NZETC project this paper addresses these issues which fall into the categories of ownership, control, access, and consultation which we also attempt to frame using the corresponding Te Ao Marama concepts of rangatiratanga and kaitiakitanga, mana and putanga, and korerorero whanui. Questions arise in terms of ownership of not just the physical objects themselves but also the knowledge encoded within them, issues of who has the right to control that knowledge and determine who may access it and who may not, as well as discovering who it is appropriate to consult with and how institutions may respond to the results of consultation. We ask whether these issues act as barriers to digitisation of Matauranga Maori material and consequently whether they provide an explanation for the relative scarcity of these types of projects. Finally we identify opportunities that organisations can gain from undertaking such projects

An investigation of the mechanics and sticking region of a one-repetition maximum close-grip bench press versus the traditional bench press

The close-grip bench press (CGBP) is a variation of the traditional bench press (TBP) that uses a narrower grip (~95% of biacromial distance (BAD)) and has potential application for athletes performing explosive arm actions from positions where the hands are held close to the torso. Limited research has investigated CGBP mechanics compared to the TBP. Twenty-seven resistance-trained individuals completed a one-repetition maximum TBP and CGBP. The TBP was performed with the preferred grip; the CGBP with a grip width of 95% BAD. A linear position transducer measured lift distance and duration; peak and mean power, velocity, and force; distance and time when peak power occurred; and work. Pre-sticking region (PrSR), sticking region, and post-sticking region distance and duration for each lift was measured. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to derive differences between TBP and CGBP mechanics (p \u3c 0.01); effect sizes (d) were also calculated. A greater load was lifted in the TBP, thus mean force was greater (d = 0.16–0.17). Peak power and velocity were higher in the CGBP, which had a longer PrSR distance (d = 0.49–1.32). The CGBP could emphasize power for athletes that initiate explosive upper-body actions with the hands positioned close to the torso

Impact of changing climate on bryophyte contributions to terrestrial water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles

Bryophytes, including the lineages of mosses, liverworts, and hornworts, are the second-largest photoautotroph group on Earth. Recent work across terrestrial ecosystems has highlighted how bryophytes retain and control water, fix substantial amounts of carbon (C), and contribute to nitrogen (N) cycles in forests (boreal, temperate, and tropical), tundra, peatlands, grasslands, and deserts. Understanding how changing climate affects bryophyte contributions to global cycles in different ecosystems is of primary importance. However, because of their small physical size, bryophytes have been largely ignored in research on water, C, and N cycles at global scales. Here, we review the literature on how bryophytes influence global biogeochemical cycles, and we highlight that while some aspects of global change represent critical tipping points for survival, bryophytes may also buffer many ecosystems from change due to their capacity for water, C, and N uptake and storage. However, as the thresholds of resistance of bryophytes to temperature and precipitation regime changes are mostly unknown, it is challenging to predict how long this buffering capacity will remain functional. Furthermore, as ecosystems shift their global distribution in response to changing climate, the size of different bryophyte-influenced biomes will change, resulting in shifts in the magnitude of bryophyte impacts on global ecosystem functions

Individual Health Trainers to support health and wellbeing for people under community supervision in the criminal justice system: the STRENGTHEN pilot RCT

No embargo require

The impact of immediate breast reconstruction on the time to delivery of adjuvant therapy: the iBRA-2 study

Background: Immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) is routinely offered to improve quality-of-life for women requiring mastectomy, but there are concerns that more complex surgery may delay adjuvant oncological treatments and compromise long-term outcomes. High-quality evidence is lacking. The iBRA-2 study aimed to investigate the impact of IBR on time to adjuvant therapy. Methods: Consecutive women undergoing mastectomy ± IBR for breast cancer July–December, 2016 were included. Patient demographics, operative, oncological and complication data were collected. Time from last definitive cancer surgery to first adjuvant treatment for patients undergoing mastectomy ± IBR were compared and risk factors associated with delays explored. Results: A total of 2540 patients were recruited from 76 centres; 1008 (39.7%) underwent IBR (implant-only [n = 675, 26.6%]; pedicled flaps [n = 105,4.1%] and free-flaps [n = 228, 8.9%]). Complications requiring re-admission or re-operation were significantly more common in patients undergoing IBR than those receiving mastectomy. Adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy was required by 1235 (48.6%) patients. No clinically significant differences were seen in time to adjuvant therapy between patient groups but major complications irrespective of surgery received were significantly associated with treatment delays. Conclusions: IBR does not result in clinically significant delays to adjuvant therapy, but post-operative complications are associated with treatment delays. Strategies to minimise complications, including careful patient selection, are required to improve outcomes for patients

Breast cancer management pathways during the COVID-19 pandemic: outcomes from the UK ‘Alert Level 4’ phase of the B-MaP-C study

Abstract: Background: The B-MaP-C study aimed to determine alterations to breast cancer (BC) management during the peak transmission period of the UK COVID-19 pandemic and the potential impact of these treatment decisions. Methods: This was a national cohort study of patients with early BC undergoing multidisciplinary team (MDT)-guided treatment recommendations during the pandemic, designated ‘standard’ or ‘COVID-altered’, in the preoperative, operative and post-operative setting. Findings: Of 3776 patients (from 64 UK units) in the study, 2246 (59%) had ‘COVID-altered’ management. ‘Bridging’ endocrine therapy was used (n = 951) where theatre capacity was reduced. There was increasing access to COVID-19 low-risk theatres during the study period (59%). In line with national guidance, immediate breast reconstruction was avoided (n = 299). Where adjuvant chemotherapy was omitted (n = 81), the median benefit was only 3% (IQR 2–9%) using ‘NHS Predict’. There was the rapid adoption of new evidence-based hypofractionated radiotherapy (n = 781, from 46 units). Only 14 patients (1%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during their treatment journey. Conclusions: The majority of ‘COVID-altered’ management decisions were largely in line with pre-COVID evidence-based guidelines, implying that breast cancer survival outcomes are unlikely to be negatively impacted by the pandemic. However, in this study, the potential impact of delays to BC presentation or diagnosis remains unknown