Evaluation of edna: arts and dance for older people

Purpose To evaluate the impact on health and wellbeing of participation in dance and arts activities by older people living in the community. Design A small-scale, mixed methods research design comprising pretest-posttest evaluation of a three month dance and arts programme. Two groups of older people underwent physical measures and completed a self-report quality of life questionnaire. Written comments and interview data were also gathered. Findings Physical tests (n=14) demonstrated improvements in posture, shoulder mobility and balance in both groups following the intervention, with some measures reaching statistical significance. Quality of life evaluations (n=21) also showed improvement, with the mental health subscale reaching statistical significance. Qualitative data showed that participants enjoyed the programme and felt physical, psychological and social benefits. Research limitations The research involved only a small sample of volunteers and a limited programme length which limits its generalizability. The absence of a control group means that causality cannot be inferred. Future research should extend recruitment to a wider geographical area and a longer intervention which includes a control group. Practical and social implications Future arts interventions for older people should include consultation prior to, and throughout the project. Commissioners should consider supporting arts for health projects, building in additional funding for evaluative work. Originality This study has added to the evidence base through combining art forms within a mixed methods framework, illustrating the interplay between the art forms, the outcomes and the potential role of social context. Keywords: Dance, arts, older people, health, wellbeing. Paper type: Research paper

Water quality of the Great Barrier Reef : distributions, effects on reef biota and trigger values for the protection of ecosystem health

This Report to the GBMPA provides technical background information and statistical data analysis for defining improved water quality guideline trigger values for the GBR Water Quality Guidelines

Edna: energise dance nourish art

The vital need to maximise the health and wellbeing potential of the growing numbers within the older population is acknowledged at government level and among health professionals. A certain amount of research evidence exists to suggest that both visual arts and creative dance confer benefits to older people. In April 2013, North Kent Local Authorities Arts Partnership (NKLAAP) funded and produced edna – energise dance nourish art; a dance, arts, health and wellbeing project. The aim of the pilot project was to evaluate the benefits to health and wellbeing of dance and arts activities that were stimulating and developed for and with older people in Medway and Gravesend. Medway Older People’s Partnership (MOPP) and two professional artists were commissioned to support and deliver edna. Two groups of people over 50 years were formed in outreach community settings in the NKLAAP region (Local and Unitary Authority areas of Gravesham and Medway). NKLAAP also jointly commissioned The Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health (SDH) and the Dance Science department of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (TL) to undertake an empirical evaluation of edna. The research team included a Senior Researcher from SDH and a Graduate Intern from TL’s Dance Science Department. Specific physiological and psychosocial areas of health and wellbeing were chosen for assessment. The overall design involved a pretest-posttest descriptive study, incorporating validated research measures plus semi-structured interviews. Physiological assessments included postural assessment, range of shoulder mobility and balance. Psychosocial measures were collected using the World Health Organisation’s WHOQOL BREF, a quality of life (QoL) questionnaire1. A specially designed questionnaire was also used to capture general attitudes towards the project as a whole. Physiological research findings demonstrated statistically significant improvement of the left shoulder mobility within both groups and a trend towards improvement in the right shoulder mobility. Both groups saw a significant improvement in posture with the Medway group significantly improving in upper body and the Gravesend group in the lower body. For both groups there was a significant improvement in balance scores. Overall mean post-intervention QoL measures showed higher scores than at baseline, with a significant post-intervention difference in the psychological domain when compared to baseline. For participants in Medway the greatest change was in psychological and social domains. For Gravesend participants the greatest change was in the physical and psychological domains. Findings from this small scale pilot project suggest that dance and arts programmes have the potential to improve both physiological and psychosocial wellbeing of older people. It is recommended that commissioning agencies should consider including funding for such interventions in future plans and also support continuing evaluation to increase generalizability and to look at other variables in the physiological and psychological domains

Strength training perceptions amongst vocational circus and dance students

The aim of this study was to analyse perceptions of strength training in vocational circus and dance students. It was hypothesised that due to the higher relative strength demands and associated risks of working at height in some aerial and acrobatic disciplines that circus students would be more open to strength training than dancers. Eighty students completed the Training Information Survey (TIS) (Mean age = 20.74±2.71); 39 circus students and 41 dance students. Ninety-seven percent of circus students and 69% of dance participants reported that strength training was a required part of their training with students participating in strength training 4.24±0.98 days per week and 3.05±1.42 days per week respectively. Perceptions of strength training amongst vocational circus and dance students appear to be favourable, with both sets of students strongly agreeing with the statements “Strength training is essential to my overall development as a dancer/circus artist” (5.00 (IQR 1.00) and 5.00 (IQR 1.00) respectively). Following Bonferonni correction only one statement returned statistically significant results with dance students agreeing more strongly with the statement “Strength training increases muscle size”, U=473.00, p=0.001. Students also agreed that strength training helped them to feel better mentally and physically, that strength training is beneficial for both men and women and that it should not be designated as specific to either sex. Results support earlier studies that suggest a cultural shift in perceptions of strength training and ideal aesthetic in dance, particularly amongst students and that they are keen to incorporate strength training into their practice. Educational establishments should note students’ interest in participating in strength training, reviewing how to embed effective strength training education, more coaching and time allowance for these activities within their timetable. Further research with a greater sample size is recommended to further substantiate these indications of a shift in perceptions

Historical marine population estimates: triggers or targets for conservation? The dugong case study

Recent studies have estimated the historical abundance of large marine vertebrates to determine potential targets for conservation. We evaluated this approach using 1990s aerial survey estimates of dugong abundance and an estimate of the decline in dugong numbers since the 1960s based on changes in the catch per unit effort of dugong bycatch in a government shark control program on the east coast of Queensland, Australia. This analysis indicated that the catch rate of dugongs caught in shark nets, at six locations between latitudes 16.5° S and 28° S, declined at an average of 8.7% per year between 1962 and 1999. This represents a decline to 3.1% of initial catch rates over the sampling period. If the changes in the populations sampled by the shark nets and aerial surveys were equivalent, this result suggests that the region supported 72 000 dugongs in the early 1960s compared with an estimated 4220 dugongs in the mid-1990s. The seagrass habitat in the region is currently insufficient to support 72 000 dugongs, suggesting that our hindcast estimate may be an unrealistic target for recovery. Nonetheless, the evidence of serious dugong decline from the shark-net data and other sources has triggered significant conservation initiatives. This case study indicates that comparisons between historical and contemporary estimates of the abundance of large marine vertebrates can be powerful qualitative triggers for conservation action, but that quantitative targets for recovery require systematic testing of the assumptions underlying hindcast estimates, scientific evaluation of the current carrying capacity of the ecosystem for the target species, and consultation with a broad range of stakeholders. For some species, it may be more productive to set anthropogenic mortality targets that are designed to enable the population to recover to its optimum sustainable population than to set recovery targets per se

Phase change in 080M40 plain carbon steel subject to plate impact

The α − E polymorphic phase transition is known to occur in some steels. In this work 080M40 plain carbon steel bright round rolled bar, was machined and heat-treated to produce an annealed or a hard martensitic structure. These samples were shock loaded, by plate impact, and the material response recorded using in-situ manganin stress gauges and heterodyne velocimetry. The Hugoniot elastic limit for the annealed samples was determined to be (2:1 0:3)GPa. The Hugoniot elastic limit was not well de ned for the hardened samples. The phase transition pressure was determined to be (13:6 0:3)GPa and above 14:8GPa for the annealed and hardened samples respectively.Open Acces

A 24-week study to evaluate the effect of rilapladib on cognition and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease

AbstractBackgroundThe lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 inhibitor (Lp-PLA2), rilapladib (SB659032), is being evaluated as a potential treatment to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD).MethodsOne hundred twenty-four subjects with possible mild AD and with neuroimaging evidence of cerebrovascular disease were randomized to placebo or 250-mg rilapladib once daily, for 24 weeks, in addition to stable background acetylcholinesterase inhibitor and/or memantine. The study assessed the safety and tolerability of rilapladib and its effects on cognition, mechanistic, and disease-related biomarkers. Although the overall intent behind the study was to take a broad exploratory view of the data, two primary end points of interest (cerebrospinal fluid [CSF] amyloid beta peptide 1–42 [Aβ1–42] and CogState executive function/working memory [EF/WM] composite score at week 24) were prespecified in the analysis plan for inferential statistical analysis.ResultsRilapladib was well tolerated with no significant safety concerns. A significant difference from placebo was observed for rilapladib on change from baseline in EF/WM (effect size, 0.45; P = .026). There was no significant difference between groups on the change from baseline in CSF Aβ1–42 (P = .133). Preliminary evidence of effects was detected on other mechanistic (albumin quotient) and disease-related biomarkers (tau/P-tau and neurofilament light chain).ConclusionThese data provide initial evidence supporting Lp-PLA2 inhibition as a novel treatment for dementia.Clinical Trial RegistrationClinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01428453

A diver-operated hyperspectral imaging and topographic surveying system for automated mapping of benthic habitats

We developed a novel integrated technology for diver-operated surveying of shallow marine ecosystems. The HyperDiver system captures rich multifaceted data in each transect: hyperspectral and color imagery, topographic profiles, incident irradiance and water chemistry at a rate of 15-30 m(2) per minute. From surveys in a coral reef following standard diver protocols, we show how the rich optical detail can be leveraged to generate photopigment abundance and benthic composition maps. We applied machine learning techniques, with a minor annotation effort (<2% of pixels), to automatically generate cm-scale benthic habitat maps of high taxonomic resolution and accuracy (93-97%). The ability to efficiently map benthic composition, photopigment densities and rugosity at reef scales is a compelling contribution to modernize reef monitoring. Seafloor-level hyperspectral images can be used for automated mapping, avoiding operator bias in the analysis and deliver the degree of detail necessary for standardized environmental monitoring. The technique can deliver fast, objective and economic reef survey results, making it a valuable tool for coastal managers and reef ecologists. Underwater hyperspectral surveying shares the vantage point of the high spatial and taxonomic resolution restricted to field surveys, with analytical techniques of remote sensing and provides targeted validation for aerial monitoring

Classifying the biodiversity of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area for the classification phase of the representative areas program

This technical report outlines the methods that the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority used to classify the biodiversity of the marine environs of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area for the Representative Areas Program. Classification was the first step in the multiphase Representative Areas Program that eventuated in a new network of no-take areas, free from extractive activities, in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park