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Assessing the value of bypassing agent therapy used prophylactic versus on-demand, during immune tolerance induction for treatment of inhibitors: a retrospective chart review
Get PDFHaemophilia A is a bleeding disorder caused by deficiency of coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) which leads to severe and repeated bleedings. There is a need to understand the optimal treatment pathway for FVIII inhibitors with the use of immune tolerance induction (ITI) and the role of haemostatic ‘bypassing’ agents (BPA) on-demand (OD) or prophylactically (Px). The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of the real-world use of BPA therapy administered prophylactically or on-demand concomitant with ITI, for the treatment of an inhibitor to FVIII replacement therapy in patients with severe haemophilia A. Methods: Retrospective observational data were used to capture disease management information for patients who were aged 16 or under and had received ITI and BPA treatment for their most recent inhibitor from Jan-2015 to Jan-2019, for 47 patients in the UK and Germany. Descriptive comparisons of the clinical effectiveness and resource utilisation of Px and OD BPA therapy during ITI were conducted. Results: During ITI and BPA treatment, for an inhibitor, bleeding events averaged 1.5 and 1.2 for Px and OD treatment respectively. Compared to only BPA therapy we see 3.4 and 1.4 bleeding events for Px and OD respectively during an inhibitor. Conclusion: Baseline disease characteristics differed between BPA therapy cohorts and this resulted in higher clinical effectiveness of ITI treatment alongside BPA Px than BPA OD during an inhibitor.Acknowledgements: The authors thank Abi Lishman (HCD Economics) and Sohaib Asghar (HCD Economics) for their time and effort with supporting the project and interpretation of the results.
Funder: IISR-2018-10427
I wear a Fitbit™ therefore I am a Bitfit: Exploring the impact of a Fitbit™ device on exercise and work-related wellbeing
Get PDFThe version of record of this article, first published in [Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science], is available online at Publisher’s website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s41347-023-00318-1Workplace wellbeing initiatives supporting mental health, often utilise wearable activity trackers to promote physical activity. However, evidence regarding their efficacy is limited. The current study explored the potential for a FitbitTM to increase engagement in exercise, and to moderate the effect of exercise on work-related wellbeing in full-time workers. Participants recorded their work-related wellbeing and physical activity for two consecutive weeks, one wearing a FitbitTM. Results indicated that participants engaged in fewer minutes of exercise when wearing a FitbitTM, and that exercise alone was not associated with better work-related wellbeing. Participants were more frustrated when they exercised but were not wearing a FitbitTM. Participants also reported greater temporal demand when wearing a FitbitTM, which was exacerbated when not engaging in exercise. However, FitbitTM wear was also associated with greater work-related satisfaction, regardless of whether they had engaged in exercise that day. Our findings imply that wearing a FitbitTM can moderate the impact of exercise on work-related wellbeing, suggesting that it is not the activity tracker or exercise alone, but the interaction between the two which is key. The potential for wearable trackers to be effective in improving health and wellbeing is more complex than previously anticipated and warrants further investigation
Transatlantic Drift: The Ebb and Flow of Dance Music
No full textTitled Transatlantic Drift: The Ebb and Flow of Dance Music, this book tracks the evolving story of electronic dance music from WWII to the Millennium, as the beat bounced between Europe and North America. It will be published by Reaktion, in 2024. Music is not formed in isolation; humans are social animals, keen to draw on influences, to come together collectively, to share music, whether in their hometowns or travelling the world to share melody, and to feel the beat, communally. From Detroit to Wigan; from Dusseldorf to Chicago; from New York to Ibiza, the story of dance music has been a conversation between many people, in many, many different areas, communicating through the beat. This book will interrogate those ideas
Establishing the pattern of the vertebrate limb
Get PDFThe vertebrate limb continues to serve as an influential model of growth, morphogenesis and pattern formation. With this Review, we aim to give an up-to-date picture of how a population of undifferentiated cells develops into the complex pattern of the limb. Focussing largely on mouse and chick studies, we concentrate on the positioning of the limbs, the formation of the limb bud, the establishment of the principal limb axes, the specification of pattern, the integration of pattern formation with growth and the determination of digit number. We also discuss the important, but little understood, topic of how gene expression is interpreted into morphology
Quality of electronic TB register data compared with paper-based records in the Kyrgyz Republic
Get PDFThis study evaluated the effectiveness of an electronic system for managing individuals with drug-sensitive pulmonary tuberculosis in the Kyrgyz Republic. This cohort study used programmatic data. The study included people registered on the paper-based system in 2019 and 302 people registered on both the electronic and the paper-based systems between June 2021 and May 2022. The data from the 302 individuals were used to assess the completeness of each form of record and the concordance of the electronic record with the paper-based system. This study showed that for most variables, the completeness and concordance were 85.3–93.0% and were lowest for nonmandatory fields such as medication side effects (26.8% vs. 13.6%). No significant difference was observed in the time taken from symptom onset to diagnosis and treatment initiation between the two systems. However, the electronic system had a significantly higher percentage of subjects who initiated treatment on the day of diagnosis (80.3% vs. 57.1%). The proportion with successful outcomes was similar in both groups, but the electronic system had a significantly lower proportion of individuals with outcomes that were not evaluated or recorded (4.8% vs. 14.3%, p < 0.001). This study highlights the potential advantages and gaps associated with implementing an electronic TB register system for improving records
The experiences of dietary acculturation of international students in an ethnically un-diverse city and its impact on dietary health
Get PDFBackground: Dietary acculturation occurs when people, including students, move to a new host country and their habitual diet changes. Several factors impact international students’ dietary acculturation, including the diversity of the area. Students’ eating habits are reported to be poorer in less ethnically diverse areas where access to their cultural foods may be limited. However, these settings provide a unique opportunity to study the processes (influencers, challenges, and enablers) for eating a culturally acceptable healthy diet in the host country.
This study explores the immediate and longitudinal experiences of dietary acculturation for international students in a university and city with low ethnic diversity.
Methods: Using an interpretivist design, data were collected longitudinally, at baseline (0-2 months), at six months and one year of sojournment from a purposive sample of international students studying at a university location in the northwest of England, United Kingdom. Focus groups, one-to-one interviews and diet diaries were utilised respectively across the year, progressively focussing the discussion on the lived experience of accessing a healthy and culturally acceptable diet and dietary acculturation. The data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using an inductive thematic approach with the guide of hermeneutic phenomenology. Analysis at baseline, six months, and one year was undertaken, followed by a trajectory analysis to understand the impact of studying and living in a city with little ethnic diversity on international students’ food and health experiences.
Results: The analysis shows that international students at the University struggled with adjusting to British cuisine and culture, leading to irregular eating habits that impacted mental health and well-being. The study found that inadequate assistance from the University with regard to diet played a significant role. Over the course of the three phases of the study, participants had limited opportunities to access a broad assortment of foods due to the constrained availability, accessibility, and affordability of familiar options in both the University cafeteria and the city of Chester.
Trajectory analysis findings highlight four central issues in accessing culturally acceptable healthy diets at a university located in a less ethnically diverse area: i) the capability and capacity to cook for one’s self; ii) orientation, catering menus, and lack of support from the institution; iii) accessing community support networks; iv) the need to improve cultural awareness, acceptance, and inclusion. The lack of social support, inclusion, and the feeling of no sense of belonging were critical determinants of the student’s experiences. Perceived discriminatory experiences contributed to poorer mental health among participants and performance in their studies.
This study suggests that it is imperative to fully grasp the importance of on-campus catering to the dietary requirements of international students for food offerings and menus in this setting. Such inclusion can go a long way towards creating a sense of belonging and promoting integration within universities that have low levels of ethnic diversity. Furthermore, the study sheds light on the development of segregation apparent in classroom settings and academic progress, which begins to perpetuate in higher education and may continue into everyday life.
Conclusion: The availability of familiar food is crucial for maintaining a healthy diet, directly affecting one’s well-being. Through promoting inclusivity and a sense of belonging, we can address the negative impact on mental health that comes with feeling disconnected. The lack of availability of culturally acceptable ethnic foods was key, and students reported feelings of exclusion linked to being unable to obtain what they would like to eat easily. Wider community support from friends, family, and local organisations was crucial in developing healthier dietary habits and, crucially, a sense of community and settling. By supporting students in this way, we help them have a positive journey of acculturation, leading to overall success. Therefore, the University in this study needs to create activities and programmes that could bring balance to the entire student population’s dietary experiences. This would promote belongingness within the student group, according to the findings of this study. In addition, this thesis emphasises the importance of university leaders acknowledging the presence of perceived discrimination and implementing an actionable plan with measurable objectives that fosters inclusivity.
This research has shown the importance of inclusivity, belonging, and integration for the dietary acculturation experiences of international students who live in a less diverse city. Whilst the research is undertaken in one such city, their findings are applicable to similar settings
Yellow Stickers: A mixed methods study exploring household food poverty experiences, in the UK
Get PDFBackground: As more and more British people struggle to make ends meet and turn to food banks to feed themselves, food poverty has become a serious and growing public health concern in the United Kingdom (UK). There is a clear need for effective policies and interventions to prevent and alleviate food poverty.
Aim: This thesis aimed to explore household food poverty experiences in order to develop an understanding of the current nature and vulnerability of food poverty in the UK. The research findings inform policy and practice in improving food and nutrition security for those most vulnerable.
Methods: A sequential exploratory mixed methods design was adopted for this thesis, where the qualitative phase of data collection and analysis informed the quantitative phase. The first qualitative phase of the study was conducted in Greater Manchester and comprised of two exploratory investigations, in which in-depth interviews were carried out. The first study explored food poverty experiences, and coping practices from forty-two food insecure householders visiting food banks, food pantries, and community centres. The second study explored the perspectives of twenty-six frontline service providers on the local nature and vulnerability of food poverty along with programme responses to alleviate food hardships. The interviews were examined using thematic analysis. The findings generated from these two studies informed the development of the quantitative follow-up study. This study examined the prevalence and risk factors of food insecurity among single mother households using secondary data from the Family Resources Survey (2019/20). Descriptive statistics and multi-logistic analyses were used to analyse the quantitative data.
Key findings: The findings from study 1, revealed that food insecure householders often employ multiple coping practices such as resourceful shopping and budgeting practices, cutting back on food quality and intake, and seeking support from food banks,
family or friends. Regardless, regular and extended disruptions in food access and eating were commonly reported because of limited money. In study 2, frontline service providers described cost-of-living gaps in working wages and welfare benefits,
exacerbated by rising living costs were driving local food poverty issues. Single mother families and single men, were found to be disproportionately accessing food banks compared to other households. Although, food banks have grown substantially in
response to rising need and they provide immediate relief from hunger for a few days, there was a deep sense of shame associated with accessing them. Moreover, food banks like other community food aid programmes have limited ability to reduce and prevent food poverty since they do not address the driving factors behind income poverty. In the third study, high levels of food insecurity were found among single mother households. Thirty percent of single mother households were classified as being food insecure, however, in households with three or more children this rose to 41 percent.
Conclusions: The findings in this thesis highlight serious food security concerns for welfare recipients and low waged workers. It is a particular salient problem among single mothers and their children who experience high levels of food insecurity. Given the
adverse health and social consequences of food poverty the government should prioritise and lead on this issue through policy initiatives and legislation that tackle income poverty alongside efforts that support and strengthen third sector responses in alleviating food poverty in the UK
Ferroelectric anomaly of perovskite layer structured Pb2+-doped Sr2Nb2O7 ceramics
Get PDFThis is the peer reviewed version of the following article: [Liu, L., Chen, T., Ouyang, D., Yue, Y., Yang, B., Yan, H., Abrahams, I., Fu, Z., Liang, R., & Zhou, Z. (2024). Ferroelectric anomaly of perovskite layer structured Pb2+-doped Sr2Nb2O7 ceramics. Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 107(6), 3989-3999], which has been published in final form at [https://doi.org/10.1111/jace.19669]. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.The spontaneous polarization of perovskite layer structured Sr2Nb2O7 ferroelectrics (FEs) is originated from mainly the oxygen octahedral rotations and partially the displacement of Sr2+ ions. However, there is FE anomaly of showing the typical characteristics of antiferroelectric (AFE)‐like behavior with double polarization–electric field hysteresis loops of Sr2Nb2O7 ceramics by Pb doping. Here, combinations of low frequency and sub‐terahertz band dielectric measurements under applied DC field reveal field‐induced transition from AFE to FE structure. Temperature dependence of dielectric constant suggested a second‐order phase transition near 215°C, which further supported by the lattice parameters and thermal expansion coefficient extracted from the variable temperature X‐ray diffraction in the heating and cooling processes. The selected area electron diffraction results show no new superlattice spots are observed along [1 0 0] zone axis related to c direction. We proposed a model based on octahedral tilting/rotation that accounted for the incommensurate lattice modulation in the c direction for Sr2Nb2O7 system by Pb doping. All the results show AFE‐like behavior be likely to origin from the electron structures of Pb2+ with a 6s2 lone pair. Our results gave us a new concept provide possibilities for the design of AFE‐like materials in layer structured compounds with super high FE Curie point.AAM added to record on 19/02/2024
The weight enumerators of singly-even self-dual [88,44,14] codes and new binary self-dual [68,34,12] and [88,44,14] codes
Get PDFIn this work, we focus on constructing binary self-dual [68, 34, 12] and [88, 44, 14] codes with new parameters in their weight enumerators. For this purpose, we present a new bordered matrix construction for self-dual codes which is derived as a modification of two known bordered matrix constructions. We provide the necessary conditions for the new construction to produce self-dual codes over finite commutative Frobenius rings of characteristic 2. We also construct the possible weight enumerators for singly-even self-dual [88, 44, 14] codes and their shadows as this has not been done in the literature yet. We employ the modified bordered matrix together with the well-known neighbour method to construct binary self-dual codes that could not be obtained from the other, known bordered matrix constructions. Many of the codes turn out to have parameters in their weight enumerators that were not known in the literature before.AAM added to record 28/08/2024
Social Sustainability in the Oil and Gas Industry in the Niger Delta Region
Get PDFSocial sustainability is a critical component of the Sustainable Development Goals and net zero targets. This research establishes the major principles and main elements of social sustainability, its theoretical and practical underpinnings, investigates its implementation and provides a framework for its implementation in the oil and gas industry in the Niger Delta region. Qualitative case study was employed for the study and thematic analysis was conducted on multiple sources of data. Using the oil and gas industry in the Niger Delta for empirical analysis, the research explored social sustainability through a synthesis of its major principles and elements alongside the socioeconomic characteristics of the region. The research established that social sustainability is a multidimensional concept and its major principle is the wellbeing of society within and across generations. Due to its multidimensional nature, the elements of social sustainability need to be derived on a case-by-case basis for effective implementation of the concept. In the oil and gas industry in the Niger Delta, equity and social justice, partnership, employment and human capacity development, and social services and infrastructure emerged as the major elements of social sustainability. Stakeholder theory was used to frame the research and consistent with stakeholder theory, the adoption of partnership with the host communities suggests a partnership with resources to gain legitimacy. Novel approaches to social sustainability implementation such as the GMoU pioneered by Chevron, and new models of partnership based on the concept of value creation in stakeholder theory, are recommended. The research contributes to an emerging body of knowledge by showing the application and manifestations of a global concept at the local level. The findings have practical and theoretical value for practitioners and researchers of social sustainability
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