bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the effectiveness of service user and carer involvement in post qualifying mental health social work education in Scotland: challenges and opportunities
Authors: McCusker Pearse , MacIntyre Gillian , Stewart Ailsa , Jackson Jackie 
Published: September 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of user and carer involvement in a new one‐year postgraduate certificate course for Mental Health Officers (MHOs) in Scotland, covering the first year of its delivery (2009‐2010).Design/methodology/approachThis was explored in two ways: first, by assessing the level of user and carer involvement against a modified framework; and second, by measuring students' confidence in working with people with mental health issues over the duration of the course, and through interviews with students and service users and documentary analysis.FindingsThe findings indicate user and carer “influence” and “partnership” over the design and delivery of the learning, teaching and assessment strategy, but no degree of “control” over any aspect of the course. Teaching provided by users and carers was associated with marked improvement in students' confidence in engaging with and upholding the rights of users and carers in the context of the MHO role. Students reported increased awareness of the lived reality of compulsory treatment. Users reported benefits from feeling they had helped facilitate future good practice.Research limitations/implicationsThe research design does not allow for causal links to be made between increases in student confidence and user and carer involvement.Practical implicationsThe study identified substantial barriers to effective user and carer involvement but confirmed its potential as a positive change agent for post‐qualifying social work education.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the evidence base by demonstrating the value of service user and carer involvement in post qualifying social work education.
Student engagement, practice architectures and phronesis in the student transitions and experiences project
Authors: Taylor Carol 
Published: September 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the Student Transitions and Experiences (STEP) project, in which visual and creative research methodologies were used to enhance student engagement.Design/methodology/approachThe article provides an overview of three main strands within the field of student engagement practice, and explores the STEP project as an instance of the “critical‐transformative” strand. The article draws on recent theorizations by Kemmis et al. of practice architectures and ecologies of practice to propose an understanding of the STEP project as a practice “niche”.FindingsIn thinking through some implications of student engagement as a practice architecture, the article sheds analytical light on student engagement as a specific and complex form of contemporary education practice. The later part of the article focuses on a consideration of phronesis and praxis in specific instances from the STEP project. Working with concepts from Barad, the article develops a conceptualization of the STEP project as an intra‐active, entangled situated and particularistic practice of phronesis‐praxis.Originality/valueThis article aims to contribute to the development of theoretical and empirical understandings of the field of student engagement. It does so by providing insights into a recent empirical study; by developing some new theorisations of student engagement; and by a detailed exploration of specific instances of student engagement practice.
Exploring student understandings of belonging on campus
Authors: Lefever Ruth 
Published: September 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to build upon existing literature regarding student engagement by exploring belonging on campus as an aspect of this. It examines how students understand, experience and articulate belonging at the university wide level and aims to incorporate the student perspective and voice into discussions on engagement.Design/methodology/approachThe exploratory research employed a mixed method, but largely qualitative approach, to examine the understandings, experiences and perspectives that people hold and make use of. An online questionnaire (using open and closed questions), several snap‐shot interviews and seven in‐depth semi‐structured interviews were used to establish the central issues via thematic analysis.FindingsA number of key themes are presented in relation to how and why students felt they belonged, and indeed why some students felt that they did not belong, were not included or even excluded. The findings revealed that the campus is a factor worthy of attention when considering student engagement, that students do have a sense of belonging that is related to this and that there could be implications for engagement and even retention for those whose sense of belonging or inclusion is questioned or compromised.Practical implicationsIt also raises practical implications for institutions in terms of how to organise and develop campus space and activity to help foster belonging and community. Suggesting that it would be beneficial to consider access to participation and involvement through campus spaces and opportunities in order to enhance engagement and feelings of inclusion and belonging.Originality/valueThis paper offers further insight into student engagement by considering belonging beyond classroom interactions, via the wider campus and at university level.
Student engagement as transformation
Authors: Wright Alison , Angelini Marco 
Published: September 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of student engagement in UCL’s Transition Mentoring scheme upon the individuals who take the role of mentor.Design/methodology/approachThe study used data gathered from questionnaire responses from four cohorts of mentors from 2008‐2011.FindingsThe findings suggest that by assuming the role of mentor, students experience a development in their ability to critically reflect on their skills, knowledge and approaches to learning. From this increased awareness of their learning conceptions, and critical evaluation of their strengths and weaknesses, mentors actively develop new methods to accelerate their academic and personal development. In this way, the act of mentoring other students seems to enable the mentors to develop a more critical learner self‐concept. Through this process, many mentors experience a transformation from the learner they were before they took the mentoring role.Originality/valueThis paper explores the role peer learning plays in the development of students’ learning conceptions and is of value to researchers and practitioners with an interest in student engagement and the development of learner identities.
Afro‐Caribbean Societies
Authors: Adams Nessa 
Published: September 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the suggestion that students from disadvantaged backgrounds become segregated from the wider university environment, cutting off their ability of engagement and having a voice within this arena. The limitations of university Student Unions is discussed, in terms of how they are disengaged themselves with understanding and relating to these independently run cultural groups.Design/methodology/approachThe study has been carried out by a series of interviews within three university Afro‐Caribbean Societies (ACS's). The purpose of this is to create an internal view of the experiences of these groups and examine how being cut off from the wider university experience adds to their losses in equal student participation and engagement.FindingsAlthough these societies embrace positive images within their cultures, the findings of this study suggests ways these societies can begin to integrate with their wider university societies and encourage engagement, in order to give their voices a platform in both academic and social arenas.Originality/valueThe study becomes an original contribution to existing literature by taking into account cultural groups which have not been acknowledged as already being segregated from the university experience.
How do high‐performing organizations define their mission in Ghana?
Authors: Phanuel Kofi Darbi William 
Published: September 2012

PurposeHigh performing firms have been associated with “quality” mission statements defined by the choice of components. In an attempt to extend our knowledge in order to give more legitimacy to these claims and also provide more local and relevant reference for Ghana‐based firms, the purpose of this paper is to investigate, through a component analysis, how high‐performing Ghana‐based firms define their mission.Design/methodology/approachMission statements of 50 of the Ghana Club 100 firms, primarily extracted from the official web sites, Initial Public Offer prospectuses and annual reports of the firms, were subjected to content analysis which evaluated and scored the mission statements based on the occurrence of 20 specific components.FindingsThe paper found that high‐performing Ghana‐based firms define missions to include components that the literature uses to measure quality; and these are similar to those of the UK, Canada and Ireland. Based on the ranking of the components, three categories were identified: the imperatives, the highlights, and the adjuncts.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper lumped together all firms irrespective of industry or sector. There is, therefore, the need to conduct further research to identify possible industry or sectoral differences, for better insight and relevance.Practical implicationsIdeas generated in this paper provide a guide to practitioners and firms regarding how they can develop mission statements, drawing on experiences of high‐performing Ghana‐based firms.Originality/valueThis is the first attempt to study how high‐performing Ghana‐based firms define their mission and hence is a major contribution to the scarce if not non‐existent Africa‐specific studies. It also provides a more prescriptive approach to crafting mission statements by proposing hierarchies of the components of mission statements.
Short‐ and long‐term effects of exposure to natural and synthetic glucocorticoids during development
Authors: Singh Reetu R , Cuffe James SM , Moritz Karen M 
Published: September 2012

Summary

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are necessary for fetal development, but clinical and experimental studies suggest that excess exposure may be detrimental to health in both the short and longer term.
Exposure of the fetus to synthetic GCs can occur if the mother has a medical condition requiring GC therapy (e.g. asthma) or if she threatens to deliver her baby prematurely. Synthetic GCs can readily cross the placenta and treatment is beneficial, at least in the short term, for maternal health and fetal survival.
Maternal stress during pregnancy can raise endogenous levels of the natural GC cortisol. A significant proportion of the cortisol is inactivated by the placental ‘GC barrier’. However, exposure to severe stress during pregnancy can result in increased risk of miscarriage, low birth weight and behavioural deficits in children.
Animal studies have shown that excess exposure to both synthetic and natural GCs can alter normal organ development, including that of the heart, brain and kidney. The nature and severity of the organ impairment is dependent upon the timing of exposure and, in some cases, the type of GC used and the sex of the fetus.
In animal models, exposure to elevated GCs during pregnancy has been associated with adult‐onset diseases, including elevated blood pressure, impaired cardiac and vascular function and altered metabolic function.
bgc: Software for Bayesian estimation of genomic clines
Authors: Gompert Z. , Buerkle C. A. 
Published: September 2012

AbstractIntrogression in admixed populations can be used to identify candidate loci that might underlie adaptation or reproductive isolation. The Bayesian genomic cline model provides a framework for quantifying variable introgression in admixed populations and identifying regions of the genome with extreme introgression that are potentially associated with variation in fitness. Here we describe the bgc software, which uses Markov chain Monte Carlo to estimate the joint posterior probability distribution of the parameters in the Bayesian genomic cline model and designate outlier loci. This software can be used with next‐generation sequence data, accounts for uncertainty in genotypic state, and can incorporate information from linked loci on a genetic map. Output from the analysis is written to an HDF5 file for efficient storage and manipulation. This software is written in C++. The source code, software manual, compilation instructions and example data sets are available under the GNU Public License at http://sites.google.com/site/bgcsoftware/.
Rapid Transition from Inhaled Iloprost to Inhaled Treprostinil in Patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Authors: Bourge Robert C. , Tapson Victor F. , Safdar Zeenat , Benza Raymond L. , Channick Richard N. , Rosenzweig Erika B. , Shapiro Shelley , White R. James , McSwain Christopher Shane , Gotzkowsky Stephen Karl , Nelsen Andrew C. , Rubin Lewis J. 
Published: September 2012

SummaryBackgroundInhaled treprostinil is a prostacyclin analog approved for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) that may provide a more convenient treatment option for patients receiving inhaled iloprost while maintaining the clinical benefit of inhaled prostacyclin therapy.AimsIn this open‐label safety study, 73 PAH patients were enrolled with primarily World Health Organization Class II (56%) or III (42%) symptoms. At baseline, most patients (93%) were receiving 5 μg of iloprost per dose but 38% of patients reported a dosing frequency below the labeled rate of 6–9 times daily. Patients initiated inhaled treprostinil at 3 breaths four times daily (qid) at the immediate next scheduled iloprost dose. The primary objective was to assess the safety of rapid transition from iloprost to inhaled treprostinil; clinical status and quality of life were also assessed.ResultsMost patients (84%) achieved the target treprostinil dose of 9 breaths qid and remained on study until transition to commercial therapy (89%). The most frequent adverse events (AEs) were cough (74%), headache (44%), and nausea (30%), and five patients prematurely discontinued study drug due to AE (n = 3), disease progression (n = 1), or death (n = 1). At week 12, the time spent on daily treatment activities was reduced compared to baseline, with a mean total savings of 1.4 h per day. Improvements were also observed at week 12 for 6‐min walk distance (+16.0; P < 0.001), N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide (−74 pg/mL; P = 0.001), and the Cambridge Pulmonary Hypertension Outcome Review (all domains P < 0.001).ConclusionsPulmonary arterial hypertension patients can be safely transitioned from inhaled iloprost to inhaled treprostinil while maintaining clinical status.
Prolonging the female reproductive lifespan and improving egg quality with dietary omega‐3 fatty acids
Authors: Nehra Deepika , Le Hau D. , Fallon Erica M. , Carlson Sarah J. , Woods Dori , White Yvonne A. , Pan Amy H. , Guo Lankai , Rodig Scott J. , Tilly Jonathan L. , Rueda Bo R. , Puder Mark 
Published: September 2012

SummaryWomen approaching advanced maternal age have extremely poor outcomes with both natural and assisted fertility. Moreover, the incidence of chromosomal abnormalities and birth defects increases with age. As of yet, there is no effective and practical strategy for delaying ovarian aging or improving oocyte quality. We demonstrate that the lifelong consumption of a diet rich in omega‐3 fatty acids prolongs murine reproductive function into advanced maternal age, while a diet rich in omega‐6 fatty acids is associated with very poor reproductive success at advanced maternal age. Furthermore, even short‐term dietary treatment with a diet rich in omega‐3 fatty acids initiated at the time of the normal age‐related rapid decline in murine reproductive function is associated with improved oocyte quality, while short‐term dietary treatment with omega‐6 fatty acids results in very poor oocyte quality. Thus, omega‐3 fatty acids may provide an effective and practical avenue for delaying ovarian aging and improving oocyte quality at advanced maternal age.
Stress‐associated H3K4 methylation accumulates during postnatal development and aging of rhesus macaque brain
Authors: Han Yixing , Han Dali , Yan Zheng , Boyd‐Kirkup Jerome D. , Green Christopher D. , Khaitovich Philipp , Han Jing‐Dong J. 
Published: September 2012

SummaryEpigenetic modifications are critical determinants of cellular and developmental states. Epigenetic changes, such as decreased H3K27me3 histone methylation on insulin/IGF1 genes, have been previously shown to modulate lifespan through gene expression regulation. However, global epigenetic changes during aging and their biological functions, if any, remain elusive. Here, we examined the histone modification H3K4 dimethylation (H3K4me2) in the prefrontal cortex of individual rhesus macaques at different ages by chromatin immunoprecipitation, followed by deep sequencing (ChIP‐seq) at the whole genome level. Through integrative analysis of the ChIP‐seq profiles with gene expression data, we found that H3K4me2 increased at promoters and enhancers globally during postnatal development and aging, and those that correspond to gene expression changes in cis are enriched for stress responses, such as the DNA damage response. This suggests that metabolic and environmental stresses experienced by an organism are associated with the progressive opening of chromatin. In support of this, we also observed increased expression of two H3K4 methyltransferases, SETD7 and DPY30, in aged macaque brain.
Morphometric Changes in the Dog Trochlear Nerve with Growth
Authors: Vivo J. , Galisteo A. M. , Miró F. , Agüera E. , Plaza C. , Díz A. 
Published: September 2012

SummaryThe objective of this work was to analyse changes in morphometric characteristics related to growth in the trochlear nerve in dogs. Twenty beagles, split into four dog age groups (A, 7 days; B, 21 days; C, 35 days; D, 49 days and E, 4 years), were used. The right intracranial portion of the nerve was analysed by light and electron microscopy. The nerve cross‐sectional area was calculated. Number, diameter and cross‐sectional area of unmyelinated and myelinated fibres were also calculated. In myelinated fibres, the corresponding axon area and diameter and myelin sheath thickness were also calculated. The number of myelinated and unmyelinated fibres was 1070.25 ± 112.07 and 592.25 ± 467.53 in group A, 1367 ± 57.98 and 143.67 ± 54.37 in group B, 1574.20 ± 299.50 and 151.67 ± 51.73 in group C, 1340.33 ± 151 and 127 ± 48.75 in group D and 1476 ± 260.71 and 284 ± 101.82 in group E. The mean diameter for myelinated and unmyelinated fibres was 4.37 ± 0.17 μm and 0.41 ± 0.08 μm for group A; 6.21 ± 0.12 μm and 0.30 ± 0.03 μm for B; 6.90 ± 0.91 μm and 0.32 ± 0.03 μm for C; 7.86 ± 1.19 μm and 0.32 ± 0.02 μm for D; 10.63 ± 0.50 μm and 0.30 ± 0.01 μm for E, respectively. This nerve possesses similar structural and ultrastructural features to the same nerve in other species and modifies its morphometry with growth. Results could enhance the understanding of pathological disorders.
Ovarian Structure and Oogenesis of Catfish Pimelodella vittata (Lütken, 1874) (Siluriformes, Heptapteridae)
Authors: Sales N. G. , dos Santos S. A. , Arantes F. P. , Hojo R. E. S. , dos Santos J. E. 
Published: September 2012

SummaryThe morphology of the ovaries and oogenesis of Pimelodella vittata were studied using anatomical and histological techniques to provide information of its reproductive biology. Eighty adult females were captured trimonthly during the period November 2005 to October 2006. The ovaries are paired, saculiform organs, which are coated with tunica albuginea and contain ovigerous lamellae, where the oocytes develop before being released into the ovarian lumen and following the ovarian duct until reaching the genital papilla. Oogenesis was divided into stages based on the alterations to the nucleus, ooplasm and surrounding follicular layers. Oogonia form groups from the germinal epithelium have asynchronous development and differentiate into initial perinucleolar oocytes. The formation of the zona pellucida is initiated in the advanced perinucleolar oocytes reaching a thickness of 1.46 ± 0.58 μm in the vitellogenic oocytes. The follicular cells are squamous in perinucleolar oocytes, become cubical in the pre‐vitellogenic oocytes and prismatic in the vitellogenic oocytes with a height of 11.20 ± 4.74 μm. The histochemical reactions indicate that zona pellucida, cortical alveoli and yolk globules contain neutral glycoproteins and the follicular cells contain neutral glycoproteins in association with carboxylated and sulphated glycoconjugates. Statistical analyses showed significant differences in the diameter of the oocytes and follicular cells height as oocytes matured. This study represents the first data about the ovarian structure and oogenesis of this species.
How not to miss autoinflammatory diseases masquerading as urticaria
Authors: Krause K. , Grattan C. E. , Bindslev‐Jensen C. , Gattorno M. , Kallinich T. , de Koning H. D. , Lachmann H. J. , Lipsker D. , Navarini A. A. , Simon A. , Traidl‐Hoffmann C. , Maurer M. 
Published: September 2012

AbstractUrticarial skin reactions are one of the most frequent problems seen by allergists and clinical immunologists in daily practice. The most common reason for recurrent wheals is spontaneous urticaria. There are, however, several less common diseases that present with urticarial rash, such as urticarial vasculitis and autoinflammatory disorders. The latter include cryopyrin‐associated periodic syndrome and Schnitzler's syndrome, both rare and disabling conditions mediated by increased interleukin‐1 secretion. Apart from the urticarial rash, patients are suffering from a variety of systemic symptoms including recurrent fever attacks, arthralgia or arthritis and fatigue. Autoinflammatory diseases are often associated with a diagnostic delay of many years and do not respond to antihistamines and other treatments of urticaria. Also, the chronic inflammation may lead to long‐term complications such as amyloidosis. It is therefore important not to miss these diseases when diagnosing and treating patients with chronic recurrent urticarial rash. Here, we present clinical clues and tips that can help to identify autoinflammatory disorders in patients presenting with chronic urticarial rash and discuss their clinical picture and management.