T1 mapping for assessment of myocardial injury and microvascular obstruction at one week post myocardial infarction

Acknowledgements This study was supported by a Medical Research Council UK grant (grant number G0800901), as a sub-study of Nitrites in Acute Myocardial Infarction. Thanks are due to Roger Staff, for invaluable advice regarding receiver operator characteristic analysis.

Interactions between Paramoeba perurans, the causative agent of amoebic gill disease, and the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis

Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank staff at Marine Scotland Science Patricia White, Rebecca McIntosh, Julia Black and Mark Fordyce for their technical assistance and invaluable feedback on the project. Thanks also go to Alex Douglas at the University of Aberdeen for his advice on data analysis and statistics. For feedback on the manuscript thanks to Lesley McEvoy and Rhiannon Inkster at the NAFC Marine Centre. The study was supported by the Marine Collaborations Forum (MarCRF) which aims to develop cross-disciplinary research between the University of Aberdeen and Marine Scotland Science. Finally, thanks are also due to Scottish Fishermen's Trust for a student support bursary.

Sex offender risk assessment and management in Ireland

This research examined sex offender risk assessment and management in Ireland. It focused on the statutory agencies with primary responsibility (Garda Síochána and the Probation Service). The goal was to document the historical, contextual and current systems, in addition to identifying areas of concern/improvements. The research was a mixed-methods approach. Eight studies were conducted. This incorporated documentary reviews of four Commission to Inquire Reports, qualitative interviews/focus groups with Garda staff, Probation Service staff, statutory agencies, community stakeholders, various Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and sex offenders. Quantitative questionnaires were also administered to Garda staff. In all over 70 interviews were conducted and questionnaires were forwarded to 270 Garda members. The overall findings are: •Sex offender management in Ireland has become formal only since 2001. Knowledge, skills and expertise is in its infancy and is still evolving. •Mixed reviews and questions regarding fitness for purpose of currently used risk assessments tools were noted. •The Sex Offender Act 2001 requires additional elements to ensure safe sex offender monitoring and public protection. A judicial review of the Sex Offender Act 2001 was recommended by many respondents. •Interagency working under SORAM was hugely welcomed. The sharing of information has been welcomed by managing agencies as the key benefit to improving sex offender management. •Respondents reported that in practice, sex offender management in Ireland is fragmented and unevenly implemented. The research concluded that an independent National Sex Offender Authority should be established as an oversight and regulatory body for policy, strategy and direction in sex offender management. Further areas of research were also highlighted: ongoing evaluation and audits of the joint agency process and systems in place; recidivism studies tracking the risk assessment ratings and subsequent offending; and an evaluation of the current status of sex offender housing in Ireland.

IL-10-producing Regulatory B Cell Development in Human Autoimmune Disease

B cell abnormalities contribute to the development and progress of autoimmune disease. Traditionally, the role of B cells in autoimmune disease was thought to be predominantly limited to the production of autoantibodies. Nevertheless, in addition to autoantibody production, B cells have other functions potentially relevant to autoimmunity. Such functions include antigen presentation to and activation of T cells, expression of costimulatory molecules and cytokine production. Recently, the ability of B cells to negatively regulate cellular immune responses and inflammation has been described and the concept of “regulatory B cells” has emerged. A variety of cytokines produced by regulatory B cell subsets have been reported with interleukin-10 (IL-10) being the most studied. IL-10-producing regulatory B cells predominantly localize within a rare CD1dhiCD5+ B cell subset in mice and the CD24hiCD27+ B cell subset in adult humans. This specific IL-10-producing subset of regulatory B cells have been named “B10 cells” to highlight that the regulatory function of these rare B cells is primarily mediated by IL-10, and to distinguish them from other regulatory B cell subsets that regulate immune responses through different mechanisms. B10 cells have been studies in a variety of animal models with autoimmune disease and clinical settings of human autoimmunity. There are many unsolved questions related to B10 cells including their surface phenotype, their origin and development in vivo, and their role in autoimmunity.

In Chapter 3 of this dissertation, the role of the B cell receptor (BCR) in B10 cell development is highlighted. First, the BCR repertoire of mouse peritoneal cavity B10 cells is examined by single cell sequencing; peritoneal cavity B10 cells have clonally diverse germline BCRs that are predominantly unmutated. Second, mouse B10 cells are shown to have higher frequencies of λ+ BCRs compared to non-B10 cells which may indicate the involvement of BCR light chain editing early in the process of B10 cell development in vivo. Third, human peripheral blood B10 cells are examined and are also found to express higher frequencies of λ chains compared to non-b10 cells. Therefore, B10 cell BCRs are clonally diverse and enriched for unmutated germline sequences and λ light chains.

In Chapter 4 of this dissertation, B10 cells are examined in the healthy developing human across the entire age range of infancy, childhood and adolescence, and in a large cohort of children with autoimmunity. The study of B10 cells in the developing human documents a massive transient expansion during middle childhood when up to 30% of blood B cells were competent to produce IL-10. The surface phenotype of pediatric B10 cells was variable and reflective of overall B cell development. B10 cells down-regulated CD4+ T cell interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) production through IL-10-dependent pathways and IFN-γ inhibited whereas interleukin-21 (IL-21) promoted B cell IL-10 competency in vitro. Children with autoimmunity had a contracted B10 cell compartment, along with increased IFN-γ and decreased IL-21 serum levels compared to age-matched healthy controls. The decreased B10 cell frequencies and numbers in children with autoimmunity may be partially explained by the differential regulation of B10 cell development by IFN-γ and IL-21 and alterations in serum cytokine levels. The age-related changes of the B10 cell compartment during normal human development provide new insights into immune tolerance mechanisms involved in inflammation and autoimmunity.

These studies collectively demonstrate that BCR signals are the most important early determinant of B10 cell development in vivo, that human B10 cells are not a surface phenotype defined developmental B cell subset but a functionally defined regulatory B cell subset that regulates CD4+ T IFN-γ production through IL-10-dependent pathways and that human B10 cell development can be regulated by soluble factors in vivo such as the cytokine milieu. The findings of these studies provide new insights into immune tolerance mechanisms involved in human autoimmunity and the potent effects of IL-21 on human B cell IL-10 competence in vitro open new horizons in the development of autologous B10 cell-based therapies as an approach to treat human autoimmune disease in the future.

Correlation between anxiety and academic self-concept in interpreter trainees

This paper focuses on two basic issues: the anxiety-generating nature of the interpreting task and the relevance of interpreter trainees’ academic self-concept. The first has already been acknowledged, although not extensively researched, in several papers, and the second has only been mentioned briefly in interpreting literature. This study seeks to examine the relationship between the anxiety and academic self-concept constructs among interpreter trainees. An adapted version of the Foreign Language Anxiety Scale (Horwitz et al., 1986), the Academic Autoconcept Scale (Schmidt, Messoulam & Molina, 2008) and a background information questionnaire were used to collect data. Students’ t-Test analysis results indicated that female students reported experiencing significantly higher levels of anxiety than male students. No significant gender difference in self-concept levels was found. Correlation analysis results suggested, on the one hand, that younger would-be interpreters suffered from higher anxiety levels and students with higher marks tended to have lower anxiety levels; and, on the other hand, that younger students had lower self-concept levels and higher-ability students held higher self-concept levels. In addition, the results revealed that students with higher anxiety levels tended to have lower self-concept levels. Based on these findings, recommendations for interpreting pedagogy are discussed.

Music therapy for palliative care: A realist review

Music therapy has experienced a rising demand as an adjunct therapy for symptom management among palliative care patients. We conducted a realist review of the literature to develop a greater understanding of how music therapy might benefit palliative care patients and the contextual mechanisms that promote or inhibit its successful implementation.
We searched electronic databases (CINAHL, Embase, Medline, and PsychINFO) for literature containing information on music therapy for palliative care. In keeping with the realist approach, we examined all relevant literature to develop theories that could explain how music therapy works.
A total of 51 articles were included in the review. Music therapy was found to have a therapeutic effect on the physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual suffering of palliative care patients. We also identified program mechanisms that help explain music therapy's therapeutic effects, along with facilitating contexts for implementation.
Music therapy may be an effective nonpharmacological approach to managing distressing symptoms in palliative care patients. The findings also suggest that group music therapy may be a cost-efficient and effective way to support staff caring for palliative care patients. We encourage others to continue developing the evidence base in order to expand our understanding of how music therapy works, with the aim of informing and improving the provision of music therapy for palliative care patients.

”Ska jag jobba med en ny, gud vad jobbigt. Dom kan ju ingenting” : En undersökning om socialisationsprocesser för nyanställda

Denna studie grundar sig i att rekryteringsbehoven inom vård och omsorg i Sverige ökar enligt SKL (2015). Personalbristen leder till en konkurrens om arbetskraft bland organisationer. En lösning på detta problem är kunskap och förståelse för människors socialisation, med fokus i arbetslivet. För att på detta sätt kunna underlätta organisationens hantering för att behålla personal. Utgångspunkten för studien är att det tycks krävas mer forskning kring vilken betydelse chefers stöd och kollegors relationer har på nyanställdas socialisationsprocess. Syftet med denna studie är således att undersöka hur ett företag inom vård och omsorgssektorn arbetar med socialisationsprocessen av nyanställda med fokus på relationer och chefers stöd. Forskning som berör nyanställdas socialisationsprocesser belyser kollegor som ett verktyg för att få tillgång till viktiga resurser exempelvis tyst kunskap. Chefer behöver vara närvarande och ge feedback. Organisationskulturen påverkar som en del av organisationens personlighet. Studien bygger på en abduktiv ansats och kvalitativa intervjuer, då intresset låg på individens tolkning och upplevelse av deras socialisation till företaget. Elva intervjuer har genomförts, fyra ansvariga chefer och sju nyanställda har deltagit i studien. Resultatet från intervjuerna har analyserat utifrån den teoretiska referensramen. I denna studie har vi kommit fram till att chefernas medvetenhet om vad individen går igenom i sin socialisationsprocess påverkar processen och chefernas stöd till de nyanställda. Kollegor är inte bara ett verktyg för nyanställda till viktiga resurser, utan behöver även ta på sig ett stort ansvar för individens introducerade till den sociala miljön på arbetsplatsen. Dock behöver individen vara öppen och aktiv för att få stöd från kollegorna. För att personalen ska dela organisationskulturen behöver de få vara involverade i förändringar och gemensamma mål. Dessa genomsyrar hela verksamheten, vilket underlättar nyanställdas socialisationsprocess. Vid nyanställdas socialisation har HR funktionen en stor del om processen blir lyckad eller inte.

I Must Do the Post - Using Poetry for Raising Dementia Awareness

This paper reviews the use of a poem written by a care assistant as part of a dementia awareness course. the author of the poem went on to use the poem to help staff within the care home gain an insight and to promote reflection and discussion about caring for the person living with dementia as part of a training programme. an evaluation of its use was a also undertaken and staff reported that this poem was thought provoking, insightful and had helped them to reflect on how they work with people living with dementia.

Gaining by Giving? Peer Research into Service User and Carer Perceptions of Inclusivity in Higher Education

Service users and carers (SUAC) have made significant contributions to professional training in social work courses in Higher Education (HE) over the past decade in the UK. Such participation has been championed by government, academics and SUAC groups from a range of theoretical and political perspectives. Most research into the effectiveness of SUAC involvement at HE has come from the perspectives of academics and very little SUAC-led research exists. This qualitative peer research was led by two members of the University of Worcester’s SUAC group. Findings were that SUAC perceived their involvement brought benefits to students, staff, the University and the local community. Significant personal benefits such as finding a new support network, increased self-development and greater confidence to manage their own care were identified in ways that suggested that the benefits that can flow from SUAC involvement at HE are perhaps more far-reaching than previously recognised. Barriers to inclusion were less than previously reported in the literature and the humanising effects of SUAC involvement are presented as a partial antidote to an increasingly marketised HE culture.

Análise de cursos e treinamentos in company como intervenções educacionais estratégicas

O cenário empresarial brasileiro passa por dificuldades de caráter financeiro e político, conduzindo a ideia de que as organizações demandem ainda mais empenho, perseverança no negócio e dedicação para que os resultados obtidos sejam cada vez melhores. Uma estratégia que tem ganhado força no mercado é a de treinamentos e cursos in company, que ocorrem quando uma empresa promove capacitação e desenvolvimento profissional a partir de seus próprios colaboradores especialistas ou da contratação de empresas especializadas para fornecer conhecimento sobre assuntos específicos pontuais. Comumente, estas iniciativas têm curta duração e podem ter diversos objetivos, desde projetos momentâneos até a capacitação a longo prazo de competências individuais dos colaboradores que compõem as organizações. No contexto da Educação, a medida de estudo - a metodologia in company – se relaciona com o caráter pedagógico das organizações, que entendem este tipo de curso e treinamento como uma possibilidade educacional para seus colaboradores. O que se percebe é que a necessidade do mercado é de diferenciação, inovação e criatividade. Várias são as características do indivíduo que se relacionam com a criatividade (Wood Jr, 2002) logo, as empresas que estão se destacando no cenário atual são as que ousam mais, investem não só em ações e projetos, mas também em iniciativas criadas por e para seus próprios colaboradores, que se tornam os grandes co-autores do sucesso das organizações. O presente estudo teve como objetivo perceber os impactos e benefícios da aplicação destes cursos e treinamentos modelo in company não só para a organização que o implementa, mas também para cada colaborador individualmente. Para alcançar este objetivo da forma mais completa possível, desenvolveu-se uma pesquisa qualitativa aplicada a uma empresa fornecedora de cursos in company e outra formato focus group aplicada aos colaboradores que vivenciaram esta experiência, com recurso a consulta de legislação, observações livres, entrevistas presenciais a oito colaboradores da organização Som Livre, com idades entre 25 e 35 anos e, desta forma, responder às questões que estimularam o início desta investigação.

Culture in Transit: Digitizing and Democratizing NYC’s Cultural Heritage

Presentation from the MARAC conference in Pittsburgh, PA on April 14–16, 2016. S4 - Culture in Transit: Digitizing and Democratizing NYC’s Cultural Heritage.

Grant Cycles, Deadlines, and Labor Advocacy: The Changing Work of Project Archivists

Presentation from the MARAC conference in Pittsburgh, PA on April 14–16, 2016. S7 - Grant Cycles, Deadlines, and Labor Advocacy: The Changing Work of Project Archivists.

PA Photos & Documents: Exploring Pennsylvania’s digitized documents and photographs

Presentation from the MARAC conference in Pittsburgh, PA on April 14–16, 2016. S24; - Pittsburgh Pop-Up #2.

Towards reliable data - counting the Finnish Open Access publications

Presentation at the CRIS2016 conference in St Andrews, June 10, 2016

Estratégias de cuidado de enfermagem singular e multidimensional à criança e a família no processo de hospitalização

No período de 2008 a 2010, o número de internações pediátricas, no Brasil, foi de 2.985.527. As causas desencadeadoras da hospitalização infantil podem ser biológicas, hereditárias, sociais, econômicas e ambientais. É comum o adoecimento ocorrer pela associação de causas, havendo crianças com predisposição para apresentarem múltiplos fatores de risco. Seja qual for a etiologia, a hospitalização frequentemente gera desconforto à criança e à sua família, por vivenciarem um ambiente impessoal e contraditório às condições do cotidiano. Cabe à equipe de enfermagem prestar um cuidado humanizado, singular e ampliado. Os objetivos do estudo são: compreender o significado do cuidado de enfermagem à criança hospitalizada e identificar estratégias de cuidado de enfermagem singular e multidimensional que atendam às necessidades da criança e da família no processo de hospitalização. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, do tipo exploratório-descritivo. Os dados foram coletados por meio da técnica de Grupo Focal com a equipe de enfermagem que atuava em unidades pediátricas de duas instituições hospitalares do Rio Grande do Sul. Para tanto, foram realizados cinco encontros, no mês de setembro de 2013. Os dados foram analisados com base na Análise Focal Estratégica, a qual contemplou tanto as potencialidades e oportunidades, quanto as fragilidades e desafios no cuidado à criança hospitalizada, ampliando, assim, novas discussões para a busca de estratégias de cuidado de enfermagem singular e multidimensional. Os resultados foram sustentados por meio de duas produções científicas, quais sejam: “O cuidado à criança/família no processo de hospitalização na perspectiva de equipes de enfermagem”; “Ampliando estratégias de cuidado de enfermagem singular e multidimensional à criança/família em processo de hospitalização”. A primeira apresentou cinco categorias: Significando o cuidado de enfermagem à criança hospitalizada; Reconhecendo que o cuidado vai além do hospital; Relevância das figuras materna e paterna; Lidando com várias coisas; e Importância do cuidado multidimensional. A segunda produção resultou em três categorias: Encontrando estratégias criativas de cuidado de enfermagem à criança hospitalizada; Reconhecendo estratégias de cuidado à família no processo de hospitalização da criança; e Distinguindo estratégias de cuidado relacionadas à equipe de enfermagem no processo de hospitalização infantil. Foram garantidos todos os critérios que fundamentam a Resolução 466/12, que trata das pesquisas envolvendo seres humanos. Conclui-se que a equipe de enfermagem busca alternativas para minimizar os traumas relacionados à hospitalização, por meio do diálogo com a criança e sua família, a brinquedoteca e ludicidade para melhorar a aceitação da hospitalização, dentre outras.