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Why do people become foster parents and how to recruit new families? A multi-informant study
Get PDFThe shortage of foster families in child protection systems worldwide is a critical issue that requires a deeper understanding of culturally situated approaches to recruit new families. This study aimed to explore public awareness of foster care, examine barriers and enablers to becoming a foster family, and draw on behavioural theory to inform the development of outreach and recruitment strategies. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews with 29 participants (14 foster parents, 15 staff; Portugal) and subjected to a thematic analysis. The results suggested that there was limited public knowledge about foster care. Becoming a foster parent was linked both with reflective motivational processes (e.g., child-centred motivations) and the availability of multidimensional resources (e.g., social support), but multi-level constraints were identified as barriers to becoming a foster parent (e.g., worries related to the foster child). Integrated outreach strategies (e.g., combining tailored and mass media approaches) with a range of communication channels and vehicles may raise awareness and enable the recruitment of more foster families. Participants indicated that message content should involve system-related information and evidence about the positive impact of fostering, among other aspects. Overall, this multi-informant study provides conceptually grounded and practice-relevant insights to support the recruitment of prospective foster families
Principles and strategies of interviewing people with advanced dementia
Get PDFPeople with cognitive impairment such as those with dementia, particularly in the moderate or advanced stages, can be excluded from qualitative interview research. However, the value of people with dementia’s participation in research is increasingly acknowledged. Adaptations to qualitative interview techniques for use with people with advanced dementia are underexplored. We draw on 13 semi-structured interviews undertaken with people with advanced dementia in family and care-home settings. We examine researcher intuitive adaptations to contextualise and clarify including the importance of member checking in the moment with direct, closed questions if need be; people with dementia ‘coasting’ and leading; as well as carers as conversation partners. We draw out learning points around creating safe interview interactions, and strategies to enhance meaning making. We present methodological learnings and considerations when interviewing people with advanced dementia likely to be instructive for other researchers. We suggest that the research topic needs to be relatable and multiple methods of meaning making should be considered. Our analysis contributes to the growing evidence base considering how to improve meaningful engagement with people with dementia in interviewing. We encourage other researchers to reflect on their interview interactions with people with dementia to further delineate successful components and inform future research practices
Subtree distances, tight spans and diversities
No full textWe characterize when a set of distances d(x, y) between elements in a set X have a subtree representation, a real tree T and a collection {Sx}x∈X of subtrees of T such that d(x, y) equals the length of the shortest path in T from a point in Sx to a point in Sy for all x, y ∈ X. The characterization was first established for finite X by Hirai (2006) using a tight span construction defined for distance spaces, metric spaces without the triangle inequality. To extend Hirai’s result beyond finite X we establish fundamental results of tight span theory for general distance spaces, including the surprising observation that the tight span of a distance space is hyperconvex. We apply the results to obtain the first characterization of when a diversity – a generalization of a metric space which assigns values to all finite subsets of X, not just to pairs – has a tight span which is tree-lik
Abrupt ending of the Madden–Julian Oscillation by convectively coupled Kelvin wave precipitation leaves a swath of flooding across Indonesia
Get PDFConvectively coupled Kelvin waves (CCKWs) are eastward-propagating weather systems that organise convection locally and are linked to precipitation extremes across the Maritime Continent (MC). They are often embedded in active Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) phases. The MJO also propagates eastwards, but influences convection in the MC over longer time-scales and larger areas. This article examines a case study during July 2021 of multiple CCKWs and westward-propagating inertio-gravity waves (WIGs) embedded within an active MJO. The final CCKW traversed the western MC, causing precipitation extremes across equatorial Indonesia and East Malaysia that led to numerous reports of flooding and landslides, with western Borneo the worst-affected region. The MJO event was terminated abruptly following the passage of this CCKW. Analysis of the total column water budget reveals that the precipitation rate exceeded the vertically integrated moisture-flux convergence provided by the CCKW, drying out the atmosphere and suppressing further convection. The performance of the UK Met Office prediction model was evaluated for this case study; parameterised convection configurations generally performed as well as or better than explicit convection models. This is possibly because they represented better the location and timing of the convective systems that developed because of interactions between CCKWs and WIGs. This research highlights how CCKWs should be viewed, not simply as convective systems that affect weather locally but, as having the potential to deliver larger-scale impacts over the entire equatorial MC, as part of a complex multiscale interaction. Such interactions can involve the MJO influencing CCKWs downscale by providing enhanced convection. Conversely, the suppressed phase of CCKWs can dampen the MJO convective signal and terminate MJO propagation. Whilst weather prediction models may forecast rainfall associated with individual equatorial modes accurately, capturing their combined effect remains a challenge
Genomic insights into the beneficial potential of Bifidobacterium and Enterococcus strains isolated from Cameroonian infants
Get PDFA healthy early-life gut microbiota plays an important role in maintaining immediate and long-term health. Perturbations, particularly in low-to middle-income communities, are associated with increased infection risk. Thus, a promising avenue for restoring a healthy infant microbiota is to select key beneficial bacterial candidates from underexplored microbiomes for developing new probiotic-based therapies. This study aimed to recover bifidobacteria and lactic acid bacteria from the faeces of healthy Cameroonian infants and unravel the genetic basis of their beneficial properties. Faecal samples were collected from 26 infants aged 0–5 months recruited in Dschang (Cameroon). Recovered bacterial isolates were subjected to whole-genome sequencing and in silico analysis to assess their potential for carbohydrate utilization, their antimicrobial capacities, host-adaptation capabilities and their safety. From the range of infant-associated Bifidobacterium and Enterococcus strains identified, Bifidobacterium species were found to harbour putative gene clusters implicated in human milk oligosaccharide metabolism. Genes linked to the production of antimicrobial peptides such as class IV lanthipeptides were found in Bifidobacterium pseu-docatenulatum, while those implicated in biosynthesis of cytolysins, enterolysins, enterocins and propeptins, among others, were identified in enterococci. Bifidobacterial isolates did not contain genes associated with virulence; however, we detected the presence of putative tetracycline resistance genes in several strains belonging to Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis and Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum. Among the enterococci, Enterococcus mundtii PM10 did not carry any genes associated with antimicrobial resistance or virulence. The latter, together with all the Bifidobacterium strains, also encoded several putative adaptive and stress-response-related genes, suggesting robust gastroinstestinal tract colonization potential. This work provides the first genomic characterization of Bifidobacterium and Enterococcus isolates from Cameroonian infants. Several strains showed the genomic potential to confer beneficial properties. Further phenotypic and clinical investigations are needed to confirm their suitability as customized probiotics
The vices of values: Matthew Goodwin and the politics of motivation
Get PDFThis article summarises and critically analyses some of the key arguments made in Matthew Goodwin's Values, Voice and Virtue. In particular, it examines Goodwin's explanations for the rise of the radical right in British politics, observing the disappearance of sociological factors from Goodwin's explanatory framework as he ‘develops’ his argument, in favour of a moral/psychological framework that posits differences in ‘values’ between distinct groups of voters as a key explanatory factor that is not itself in need of explanation. The article argues that this move is necessary for Goodwin to draw the conservative conclusions that he does. The article then compares this approach with that taken by influential centre-left commentators, observing a highly similar set of logical operations in play. Ultimately, the article argues for the necessary priority of political sociology over moral psychology for any form of analysis informed by progressive commitments
Validation of invasive area for predicting sentinel node status and survival in primary cutaneous melanoma
Get PDFBackground: Two-dimensional histologic features have demonstrated independent prognostic value for survival in primary cutaneous melanoma, but their predictive value for sentinel node (SN) status has yet to be validated. We aimed to demonstrate the predictive value of the previously described calculated tumor area (CTA), and the novel Simplified Breslow Area (SBA), for SN metastasis and survival. Materials and Methods: A total of 177 primary melanomas were assessed for standard histological characteristics, maximum invasive width (IW) of the primary tumor and CTA. We simplified CTA measurement by transforming IW with Breslow thickness (BT) [ln(IW) + ln (BT)], yielding SBA. Multivariate analysis was undertaken to assess the performance of CTA and SBA, respectively, as independent predictors of both SN status and survival outcomes. Results: The SN + rate was 18.1% (32/177). The median CTA for SN−patients was 3.2 mm2 (IQR 1.2–10.9) compared with 6.7 mm2 (IQR 4.2–26.9) for SN + patients (p < 0.01). Maximum threshold analysis identified an optimal CTA cutoff point of 6.3 mm2 for disease-specific (DSS) [HR 1.01 (1.00–1.02); p = 0.008], distant metastasis-free [HR 1.01 (1.00–1.02); p = 0.005], and disease-free survival [HR 1.01 (1.00–1.02); p = 0.005]. The 5-year DSS for low-risk CTA tumors was 91.2% versus 61.3% for high-risk tumors. Cox regression showed CTA [HR 3.5 (1.21–10.81); p = 0.021] and ulceration status (US) were independent predictors of DSS. Similar results were obtained for SBA, which, on multivariate analysis, was the single most important predictor of SN status outperforming lymphovascular invasion, US, and BT. Conclusions: The two-dimensional histologic features CTA and SBA are independently prognostic for survival in primary cutaneous melanoma, and SBA may be a better predictor of SN status than BT
Development of a statistical tool for comparative analysis of gene expression dynamics and its application using Brassica and Arabidopsis transcriptomic data
Get PDFComparing gene expression patterns can help identify correspondences of developmental stages within and between species, highlight differences in the timing of key developmental events, and elucidate transcriptional responses to treatments. However, such comparisons are often complicated by variations in timing and the differing timescales of these events. To overcome this challenge, we developed a method based on curve registration, which optimally aligns gene expression dynamics by inferring temporal shifts and stretches. Statistical evaluation of these parameters allows us to compare the fit of a non-registered model (in which expression profiles are considered different) against a registered model (in which differences are resolved through alignment). To make this approach widely accessible, we implemented it as an R package, greatR. This tool has been validated using various datasets, both simulated datasets and real biological data. greatR has been successfully applied to multiple comparisons, including the floral transition in Arabidopsis, B. rapa, and B. oleracea, as well as across these species. Additionally, we employed greatR to compare expression profiles of two Arabidopsis genotypes during bract formation, offering new insights into the genetic and transcriptional mechanisms underlying this trait. Beyond plant systems, greatR can be extended to compare expression responses in other organisms, making it a valuable tool for cross-species analysis. greatR has proven to be able to detect pairs of genes with expression profiles which can be superimposed and, therefore, have similar dynamics. This approach enables the exploration of dynamic differences in gene expression within and across species, providing an important foundation for understanding the regulatory networks that govern various biological processes. By comparing these dynamics, it can help uncover both conserved and species-specific regulatory mechanisms. This approach facilitates the transfer of knowledge from well-studied model organisms to less-explored species, the identification of co-regulated gene modules, and the discovery of temporally differentially expressed genes linked to specific conditions or traits
Educational case: a 46-year-old woman with palpitations and shortness of breath
Get PDFIn this educational case report, the journey of a woman with atrial fibrillation is discussed, to highlight contemporary management issues in atrial fibrillation. Issues discussed include decisions on anticoagulation, rate and rhythm control, the management of refractory high rates, and the genetic basis of atrial fibrillation
Inflammatory potential of the diet and risk of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
Get PDFBackground: Association between dietary factors and the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been studied extensively. However, identification of deleterious dietary patterns merits further study. Aim: To investigate the risk of developing Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) according to the inflammatory score of the diet (ISD) in the multinational European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort. Methods: We used validated food frequency questionnaires collected at baseline to compute ISD scores. We estimated the association between ISD score and risks of CD and UC risks using Cox models stratified by centre, sex and age. We adjusted for smoking status, BMI, physical activity, energy intake, educational level and alcohol intake. Results: We included 394,255 individuals including 184 incident cases of CD and 459 of UC after median follow-up of 13.6 years (4,889,910 person-years). High ISD scores were associated with a higher risk of CD (fourth vs. first quartile-adjusted HR: 1.88, 95% CI: 1.14–3.10; p-trend < 0.01) but not of UC (adjusted HR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.63–1.15; p-trend 0.21). For CD, this association was mainly observed for women (adjusted HR: 2.14, 95% CI: 1.17–3.91; p-trend < 0.01). On subgroup analyses, those differences were mainly driven by low intakes of fibre, mono-unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin C, magnesium, onion and alcohol. Conclusions: A high ISD score is associated with a higher risk of developing CD but not UC. These results should be taken into account in high-risk populations