Exporting a Brand: A Comparative Analysis of the French Model Brand Elle Decoration with the American Edition Elle Decor

This thesis explores the history and editorial design of the French and American publications within the ELLE Déco brand network. The ELLE Déco network of interior design magazines is the only truly global brand of the shelter category with 25 editions published in 28 countries. By studying corresponding issues of the original French edition, ELLE Decoration, and American, ELLE DECOR, I have determined the different personalities of each publication, as well as what elements are used in the cover and editorial design of each. In doing so, I uncovered what consistencies of both content and design have led to success for each publication to both survive and thrive in each of their markets. In studying and uncovering the patterns within the design and layout, I found how each magazine produces successful content that is both cohesive enough to fit under the same brand name, but tailored for the different audiences served

Making the Match: Finding Funding for After School Education and Safety Programs

Outlines strategies for California school and community leaders to secure cash and in-kind resources -- including public- and private-sector funding -- for ASES programs

‘Not like rose-tinted glasses… like taking a pair of dirty glasses off’: A pilot intervention using positive emotions in expressive writing.

Studies conducted in various contexts and with varied populations have found expressive writing enhances physical and psychological wellbeing. This pilot intervention study countered the predominantly quantitative evidence by adopting a qualitative methodology, exploring the experience of using positive emotions in expressive writing. Participants (n = 10), who all had previous experience in expressive writing, were asked to select one of ten positive emotion cards (PECs) each day for three days. Participants were then asked to write expressively through the ‘lens’ of their chosen emotion. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and experiences were evaluated using Thematic Analysis. The results identified two main themes that compared the experience of expressive writing both with and without the PECs. The first theme, Processing (without the PECs) contained three sub-themes: sense of relief, habitual perspective and reactive to experience. The second main theme, Progressing (with the PECs) contained three different sub-themes: sense of direction, changed perspective and interactive with experience. This study found that, for expressive writers, positive emotions may function in three ways: to relate to others or self-expand, to move past challenges cognitively or change unconstructive perspectives, and finally as a way to interactively link or ‘bridge’ from the written subject matter to constructive action, thus breaking cycles of reactive writing and rumination. Implications of the study on the practice of expressive writing and its potential as a positive psychology intervention (PPI) are discussed

The role of sign in students' modeling of scalar equations

We describe students revising the mathematical form of physics equations to match the physical situation they are describing, even though their revision violates physical laws. In an unfamiliar air resistance problem, a majority of students in a sophomore level mechanics class at some point wrote Newton's Second Law as F = -ma; they were using this form to ensure that the sign of the force pointed in a direction consistent with the chosen coordinate system while assuming that some variables have only positive value. We use one student's detailed explanation to suggest that students' issues with variables are context-dependent, and that much of their reasoning is useful for productive instruction.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, to be published in The Physics Teache

Characterisation of Plant Cysteine Dioxygenase

Many organisms possess a non-heme, mononuclear iron enzyme termed cysteine dioxygenase (CDO) that aids in homeostasis. This enzyme irreversibly adds molecular oxygen to the thiol group of the N-terminal cysteine residue of proteins in plants, acting as an oxygen sensor. Plant CDO targets are transcription factors which permit transcription of enzymes required for anaerobic metabolism. Under hypoxic conditions, the molecular oxygen co-substrate is not present at a high concentration therefore these transcription factors cannot be dioxidised and remain able to elicit an anoxic response. In normoxia, plant CDO dioxidises the N-terminal cysteine of these transcription factors, tagging them for degradation. This study evaluated recombinant expression and purification of CDO from a three plant species. CDO from Arabidopsis thaliana and Zea mays were then characterised both structurally and kinetically. Plant CDO’s were expressed in Escherichia coli cells and purified using Strep¬-tag® affinity chromatography. Plant cysteine oxidase 1 (PCO1) and plant cysteine oxidase 2 (PCO2) isoforms from Arabidopsis thaliana co-purified with chaperones, and DNA. Two shortened variants of PCO1 were designed to abolish these interactions and improve homogeneity. A variant, ΔN, had residues 2-51 removed and produced contaminant-free product. When residues 2-52 and 247-293 were removed in the variant termed ΔNΔC, more co-purifying contaminants were present than with full-length PCO1. Plant CDO from Zea mays was expressed and purified both as a full length construct and a variant missing the first 32 residues. The full length Z. mays construct co-purified with a range of contaminants, and removal of the N-terminal did not improve protein homogeneity. A PCO2 isoform from Orzya sativa was attempted to be produced, resulting in no expression. Homology models of PCO1 were produced to assess structural characteristics. Surface charge distribution, disulfide bonding and accessibility of the active site was explored in these models. Mass spectrometry (MS) showed that disulfide bonding was present in PCO1. PCO1, PCO2, ΔN, ΔNΔC and both maize constructs were subjected to a range of high-throughput crystallography screens. Promising conditions were optimised, but no diffracting crystals were produced. Metal ion binding to plant CDO was assessed using intact MS, and showed that the protein may also bind zinc in vitro. Nuclear magnetic resonance showed that plant CDO is not able to dioxidise free cysteine. Other colorimetric kinetic assays were performed to show that plant CDO is able to act on N-terminal cysteine as part of a di-, tri- or penta-peptide having the N-terminal of target molecules. Plant CDO has greater affinity for longer peptides. DNA binding is predicted to be via an electrostatic interaction with N-terminal, which also appears to also contain a nuclear localisation signal. Nuclear localisation, followed by DNA binding could permit localisation to targets in vivo. This would allow plant CDO to quickly bind transcription factor targets as they are also DNA binding proteins. Disulfide bonding may also play a role in modulating protein activity. As disulfide bonding relates to cell oxidation state, this could permit conformational changes that allow the protein activity to be increased or decrease accordingly

Prescribing of antipsychotics among people with recorded personality disorder in primary care: a retrospective nationwide cohort study using The Health Improvement Network primary care database.

Objectives: To investigate the extent of antipsychotic prescribing to people with recorded personality disorder (PD) in UK primary care and factors associated with such prescribing. // Design: Retrospective cohort study. // Setting: General practices contributing to The Health Improvement Network UK-wide primary care database, 1 January 2000–31 December 2016. // Participants: 46 210 people registered with participating general practices who had a record of PD in their general practice notes. 1358 (2.9%) people with missing deprivation information were excluded from regression analyses; no other missing data. // Main outcome measures: Prescriptions for antipsychotics in general practice records and length of time in receipt of antipsychotic prescriptions. // Results: Of 46 210 people with recorded PD, 15 562 (34%) were ever prescribed antipsychotics. Among the subgroup of 36 875 people with recorded PD, but no recorded severe mental illness (SMI), 9208 (25%) were prescribed antipsychotics; prescribing was lower in less deprived areas (adjusted rate ratio (aRR) comparing least to most deprived quintile: 0.56, 95% CI 0.48 to 0.66, p<0.001), was higher in females (aRR:1.25, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.34, p<0.001) and with a history of adverse childhood experiences (aRR:1.44, 95% CI 1.28 to 1.56, p<0.001). Median time prescribed antipsychotics was 605 days (IQR 197–1639 days). Prescribing frequency has increased over time. // Conclusions: Contrary to current UK guidelines, antipsychotics are frequently and increasingly prescribed for extended periods to people with recorded PD, but with no history of SMI. An urgent review of clinical practice is warranted, including the effectiveness of such prescribing and the need to monitor for adverse effects, including metabolic complications

Polypharmacy and Antidepressant Acceptability in Comorbid Depression and Type 2 Diabetes

BACKGROUND: Polypharmacy may increase the risk of drug interactions, side-effects and poor adherence. However, the impact of polypharmacy on antidepressant acceptability in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is unknown. AIM: In adults with T2DM, to investigate the association between the number of prescribed medications and: i) early antidepressant discontinuation (&lt;32 weeks); ii) switching antidepressant agents. DESIGN: Cohort study using UK primary care data from the years 2000-2018. METHODS: We used cox regression with penalised B-splines to describe the association between the number of concurrently prescribed medications at the time of starting antidepressant treatment, and each of our outcomes. RESULTS: We identified 73,808 individuals with comorbid depression and T2DM starting antidepressant treatment for the first time. The median number of concurrent medications prescribed was 7. Within 32 weeks, 44.26% of participants discontinued antidepressant treatment altogether, and 11.75% of participants switched antidepressant agents. We found an inverse relationship between the number of concurrent medications and discontinuing antidepressant treatment altogether. The median number of 7 concurrent medications was associated with a 65.06% decrease early antidepressant discontinuation HR 0.45, 95% CIs 0.37-0.55). We found no evidence of an association, in our main analysis, between the number of concurrent medications and switching antidepressant agents. CONCLUSIONS: Early discontinuation of antidepressants is common in adults with T2DM. However, individuals with higher levels of concurrent polypharmacy may be more adherent to treatment. These are likely to represent individuals with worse physical/mental health. Individuals with lower levels of concurrent polypharmacy may benefit from adherence support

Uptake of hepatitis C specialist services and treatment following diagnosis by dried blood spot in Scotland

Background: Dried blood spot (DBS) testing for hepatitis C (HCV) was introduced to Scotland in 2009. This minimally invasive specimen provides an alternative to venipuncture and can overcome barriers to testing in people who inject drugs (PWID). Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine rates and predictors of: exposure to HCV, attendance at specialist clinics and anti-viral treatment initiation among the DBS tested population in Scotland. Study design: DBS testing records were deterministically linked to the Scottish HCV Clinical database prior to logistic regression analysis. Results: In the first two years of usage in Scotland, 1322 individuals were tested by DBS of which 476 were found to have an active HCV infection. Linkage analysis showed that 32% had attended a specialist clinic within 12 months of their specimen collection date and 18% had begun anti-viral therapy within 18 months of their specimen collection date. A significantly reduced likelihood of attendance at a specialist clinic was evident amongst younger individuals (&#60;35 years), those of unknown ethnic origin and those not reporting injecting drug use as a risk factor. Conclusion: We conclude that DBS testing in non-clinical settings has the potential to increase diagnosis and, with sufficient support, treatment of HCV infection among PWID

Association between polypharmacy and depression relapse in individuals with comorbid depression and type 2 diabetes: a UK electronic health record study

BACKGROUND: Individuals with physical comorbidities and polypharmacy may be at higher risk of depression relapse, however, they are not included in the 'high risk of relapse' group for whom longer antidepressant treatment durations are recommended. AIMS: In individuals with comorbid depression and type 2 diabetes (T2DM), we aimed to investigate the association and interaction between depression relapse and (a) polypharmacy, (b) previous duration of antidepressant treatment. METHOD: This was a cohort study using primary care data from the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) from years 2000 to 2018. We used Cox regression models with penalised B-splines to describe the association between restarting antidepressants and our two exposures. RESULTS: We identified 48 001 individuals with comorbid depression and T2DM, who started and discontinued antidepressant treatment during follow-up. Within 1 year of antidepressant discontinuation, 35% of participants restarted treatment indicating depression relapse. As polypharmacy increased, the rate of restarting antidepressants increased until a maximum of 18 concurrent medications, where individuals were more than twice as likely to restart antidepressants (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.15, 95% CI 1.32-3.51). As the duration of previous antidepressant treatment increased, the rate of restarting antidepressants increased - individuals with a previous duration of ≥25 months were more than twice as likely to restart antidepressants than those who previously discontinued in <7 months (HR = 2.36, 95% CI 2.25-2.48). We found no interaction between polypharmacy and previous antidepressant duration. CONCLUSIONS: Polypharmacy and longer durations of previous antidepressant treatment may be associated with depression relapse following the discontinuation of antidepressant treatment

The impact of comorbid severe mental illness and common chronic physical health conditions on hospitalisation: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: People with severe mental illness (SMI) are at higher risk of physical health conditions compared to the general population, however, the impact of specific underlying health conditions on the use of secondary care by people with SMI is unknown. We investigated hospital use in people managed in the community with SMI and five common physical long-term conditions: cardiovascular diseases, COPD, cancers, diabetes and liver disease. METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis (Prospero: CRD42020176251) using terms for SMI, physical health conditions and hospitalisation. We included observational studies in adults under the age of 75 with a diagnosis of SMI who were managed in the community and had one of the physical conditions of interest. The primary outcomes were hospital use for all causes, physical health causes and related to the physical condition under study. We performed random-effects meta-analyses, stratified by physical condition. RESULTS: We identified 5,129 studies, of which 50 were included: focusing on diabetes (n = 21), cardiovascular disease (n = 19), COPD (n = 4), cancer (n = 3), liver disease (n = 1), and multiple physical health conditions (n = 2). The pooled odds ratio (pOR) of any hospital use in patients with diabetes and SMI was 1.28 (95%CI:1.15-1.44) compared to patients with diabetes alone and pooled hazard ratio was 1.19 (95%CI:1.08-1.31). The risk of 30-day readmissions was raised in patients with SMI and diabetes (pOR: 1.18, 95%CI:1.08-1.29), SMI and cardiovascular disease (pOR: 1.27, 95%CI:1.06-1.53) and SMI and COPD (pOR:1.18, 95%CI: 1.14-1.22) compared to patients with those conditions but no SMI. CONCLUSION: People with SMI and five physical conditions are at higher risk of hospitalisation compared to people with that physical condition alone. Further research is warranted into the combined effects of SMI and physical conditions on longer-term hospital use to better target interventions aimed at reducing inappropriate hospital use and improving disease management and outcomes