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Dietary vitamin D supplementation improves haematological status following consumption of an iron-fortified cereal: an 8-week randomised controlled trial
Get PDFThis article has been accepted for publication and will appear in a revised form, subsequent to peer review and/or editorial input by Cambridge University Press, in Proceedings of the Nutrition Society published by Cambridge University Press. Copyright The Authors 2020.Vitamin D, a secosteroid, has recently been implicated in the stimulation of erythroid precursors and ultimately the rate of erythropoiesis. However, there are a paucity of randomised controlled trials (RCT), investigating the effect of vitamin D supplementation iron status, especially in populations at risk of iron deficiency. An eight-week, double-blind RCT was carried out in 50 female (mean age (± SD): 27 ± 9 years), iron-deficient (plasma ferritin concentration < 20 μg/L) participants, randomised to consume an iron-fortified cereal containing 9 mg of iron, with either a vitamin D supplement (1,500 international units (IU)/day, 38 μg/day) or placebo. The effect of dietary vitamin D supplementation on haematological indicators was investigated. Blood samples were collected at baseline, 4-weeks and 8-week timepoints for measurement of iron and vitamin D status biomarkers. The effect of intervention was analysed with a mixed-model repeated measures ANOVA using IBM SPSS statistical software (Version 21, IBM Corporation, New York, USA). Significant increases were observed in two haematological parameters: haemoglobin concentration and haematocrit level from baseline to post-intervention in the vitamin D group, but not in the placebo group. The increase from baseline to post-intervention in haemoglobin concentration in the vitamin D group (135 ± 11 to 138 ± 10 g/L) was significantly higher than in the placebo group (131 ± 15 to 128 ± 13 g/L) (P ≤ 0.05). The increase in haematocrit level from baseline to post-intervention was also significantly higher in the vitamin D group (42.0 ± 3.0 to 43.8 49 ± 3.4%) compared to the placebo group (41.2 ± 4.3 to 40.7 ± 3.6%) (P ≤ 0.05). Despite non-significant changes in plasma ferritin concentration, this study demonstrates that dietary supplementation with 1,500IU vitamin D, consumed daily with an iron-fortified cereal led to improvement in haemoglobin concentration and haematocrit levels in women with low iron stores. Further long-term studies are required, however, these findings suggest a potential role for improvement of vitamin D status as an adjunct therapy for recovery of iron status in iron-deficient populations
‘He was struck out. Deleted’: We Need to Talk about Wesley in Nicola Barker’s Behindlings
Get PDFThis is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction on 18/02/2021, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/00111619.2021.1884037This article provides a poststructural reading of the character of Wesley in Nicola Barker’s 2002 novel Behindlings, which is broadly informed by Jean-Luc Nancy’s thoughts on being and community and Jacques Derrida’s thinking on khōra, as well as other established poststructural paradigms. It contends that the novel simultaneously engages with these ideas and exceeds them. Wesley is the void-at-the-heart of his own ‘philosophy’: ‘He was hollow. He was empty […] He was a vacuum. He was struck-out. Deleted. He was nothing’. And he is everything as well at one and the same time. It is the classic poststructural paradox – receiving everything while possessing nothing – that makes meaning possible. And that is the argument: the signifier, the empty sign for some, the palimpsest for others, here is simply Wesley. However, my argument is that the characterisation of Wesley challenges and complicates such readings, deliberately. This article will demonstrate how the novel repeatedly sullies the theories it implicates by introducing a persistent taint to the main vehicle used to articulate the theory, the protagonist himself, that ‘puerile […] shithead’, Wesley
Working from home in 2020 - Lessons learned to leverage these learnings going forward as emerging leaders and a remote office workforce
Get PDFThis paper summarises some of the data that has been collected and presented in various contemporary articles on the challenges organisations and office workers have faced while working from home (WFH). What Bernstein, Blunden, Brodsky, Sohn and Waber call the largest experiment in history has already produced initial sets of data about how productive the workforce was in their home offices, and how happy or unhappy employees were while working from home. Productivity and employee happiness have always been focal points in the discussion about working from home. Before the pandemic hit, one of the biggest fears in many organisations was that WFH would negatively impact employee productivity, and employees were likewise sceptical about how one could separate private and working life in a healthy manner while working from home. The scope of this paper is about how working from home or anywhere has impacted employees and organizations. The data collected to-date indicates a decline in wellbeing and engagement and highlights a need for leaders and office workers to become more adept in managing their needs to continue to thrive in the workplace. Coaching can be one means to support and enhance this learning and development process and help ease the transition into the workplace of the future
The status of cetaceans in Trinidad and Tobago
Get PDFMarine ecosystems provide vital resources for humans and habitat for a vast number of other species. However, these ecosystems are being extensively degraded by human activities, and without effective management, will be unable to provide for humans or other species. In Trinidad and Tobago, as in other countries, one of the major obstacles to effective environmental management is a lack of appropriate information. This thesis aims to enhance the management of cetaceans in Trinidad and Tobago by providing much needed information on cetacean species within the country’s EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone). Cetacean species diversity and distribution in Trinidad and Tobago is examined through the collation and verification of records from multiple data sources including systematic surveys, reports, skeletal remains, strandings and social media posts. This research provides the first comprehensive overview of the knowledge of cetacean species around Trinidad and Tobago through a verified cetacean species list, estimation of species diversity from local data and maps of species occurrence records. Species Distribution Models were developed for four species (Humpback Whales, Bottlenose Dolphins, Atlantic Spotted Dolphins and Rough-toothed Dolphins) which provide the first estimates of cetacean species distribution across the Trinidad and Tobago EEZ and identify possible cetacean species richness hotspots around the country. Fisher interviews were used to examine the threat posed by artisanal fisheries within the Trinidad and Tobago EEZ and provide the first comprehensive information on cetacean-fisheries interactions for the country. Hunting, depredation (a behaviour in which foraging cetaceans damage or remove catch or bait from fishing gear) and bycatch were all reported in the area. Bycatch was identified as the greatest threat posed by artisanal fisheries locally and analysis indicated that fishing with gillnets or fishing on the south coast of Trinidad with any gear increased the risk of bycatch. The findings of this study were used to recommend actions to improve cetacean management in Trinidad and Tobago, including the creation of a cetacean data management system, the development of a cetacean research programme to guide future research and mitigation of anthropogenic threats on the continental shelf, including cetacean bycatch in artisanal fisheries
The use of photo elicitation to explore the impact of social work student’s perceptions of placements on social work tutors and consider their role in practice learning
Get PDFThis is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Practice on 22 December 2020, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/09503153.2020.1859105The importance of learning in practice is acknowledged across health and social care professions. Social work students’ experiences in practice settings has attracted some attention in academic literature, and the role and impact of the Practice Educator (PE) on student learning is increasingly recognised. However, there is a paucity of research examining the role of the social work tutor generally and particularly within practice learning settings. This paper presents a small-scale qualitative study exploring the impact of visual images produced by social work students reflecting their practice experiences on six social work tutors. Photo elicitation prompted discussion in a focus group setting which was subsequently thematically analysed, with four themes emerging. These were dichotomous relationships, difference and diversity, tutor brokerage skills, and student support. The images encouraged tutors to reflect upon the complexity of their relationship with social work students and question whether they were professionally equipped to support students in complex placement situations. In addition, the effectiveness of the curriculum in preparing social work students for practice was considered, particularly space afforded to students to reflect on practice learning in a safe environment. Opportunities to support SW tutors in their role and SW students in practice are deliberated
Leading brand products and their supermarket economy line equivalents, is there a difference in nutritional content?
Get PDFThis article has been accepted for publication and will appear in a revised form, subsequent to peer review and/or editorial input by Cambridge University Press, in Proceedings of the Nutrition Society published by Cambridge University Press. Copyright The Authors 2018.Since the introduction of supermarket economy lines (SELs) in the early 1990s, their popularity has been established nationwide(1).However, these economical alternatives are commonly perceived to be of lower nutritional quality than their leading brand (LB)equivalents(2,3,4). The present study aimed to determine if there is a significant difference in nutritional content between the UKtop-selling LBs and their SEL equivalents. Additionally, the study aimed to investigate if on average, LBs or SELs provide better‘value for money’.The LBs of 38 most popular food categories were identified from UK market research, and equivalent SEL products were identifiedfrom each of the retailers with the top-five majority UK market share: Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons and Aldi. In each foodcategory, differences between LBs and SELs in: energy, fat, saturated fatty acid, carbohydrate, sugar,fibre, protein and salt content,per 100 g of food product were determined using a one-sample T-test. The nutritional quality of each product was also determined bya nutrient profiling system. Cost was analysed in relation to shopping baskets containing 33 equivalent products. Six shopping basketswere analysed, one containing LB products and one from each SEL retailer. The cost of each shopping basket was calculated usingpack price and price per 100 g or 100mL of food product.Data was collected for 219 products; 38 LBs and 181 SELs. 86 significant differences were identified in specific nutrients across thefood categories, but the direction of the differences was inconsistent. Based on pack price, the total LB shopping basket cost was£61·91 whereas average SEL basket cost £28·62, a difference of £33·29 or 54 % (P = 0·001). However, there was no difference betweenthe nutrient profile of LBs and SELs.Although significant differences were identified between nutrients in some food categories, overall, there appeared to be no differ-ence in nutritional content between LBs and SEL equivalents. This association is consistent with previous studies and is contrary tothe common perception that SELs are of lower nutritional quality than LBs(2,3,4,5,6). Pertinent to public health, the present studyfound that SEL breakfast cereals contained a significantly higher amount of salt than the LB (P = 0·035)(4,6). Additionally, althoughthe majority of food categories did not show a significant difference in energy content per 100 g of food product (29 of 38) LB pastahad significantly higher energy content per 100 g of food product than SEL equivalents (P = 0·017)(6).In conclusion, there appears to be no difference in nutritional content between the LB and SEL equivalents in 38 popular foodcategories, however, there appears to be twofold difference in price The cost analysis demonstrates that consumers can purchasethe same quantity of foodstuff for significantly less when opting for SEL products. Low income households may therefore be encour-aged to purchase SEL products to reduce weekly household expenditure and enable a greater proportion of the budget to be availablefor the purchase fresh produce such as fruit, vegetables and mea
Numerical approximation of the Stochastic Cahn-Hilliard Equation near the Sharp Interface Limit
Get PDFAbstract. We consider the stochastic Cahn-Hilliard equation with additive noise term
that scales with the interfacial width parameter ε. We verify strong error
estimates for a gradient flow structure-inheriting time-implicit discretization, where ε
only enters polynomially; the proof is based on higher-moment estimates for iterates, and
a (discrete) spectral estimate for its deterministic counterpart. For γ sufficiently large,
convergence in probability of iterates towards the deterministic Hele-Shaw/Mullins-Sekerka
problem in the sharp-interface limit ε → 0 is shown. These convergence results are partly
generalized to a fully discrete finite element based discretization.
We complement the theoretical results by computational studies to provide practical evidence concerning the effect of noise (depending on its ’strength’ γ) on the geometric evolution
in the sharp-interface limit. For this purpose we compare the simulations with those from a
fully discrete finite element numerical scheme for the (stochastic) Mullins-Sekerka problem.
The computational results indicate that the limit for γ ≥ 1 is the deterministic problem,
and for γ = 0 we obtain agreement with a (new) stochastic version of the Mullins-Sekerka
problem
Resilience through flood memory– a comparison of the role of insurance and experience in flood resilience for households and businesses in England
No full textResilience to flooding is influenced by adaptations or behavior that address risk reduction at all stages of the disaster cycle. This includes: physical adaptation of buildings to limit damage; individual preparedness and business continuity planning; and provision of resources for reinstatement through insurance or recovery grants. In the UK implementation of such strategies lie mainly with private property owner and their private insurer while government policy promotes greater uptake by these actors as part of an integrated strategy. In the context of increased flood events the provision of affordable insurance has been increasingly challenging and in 2016 a new insurance arrangement (Flood Re) was put in place to support transition to affordable market based insurance. However, Flood Re is specific to residential property and excludes many categories of property previously guaranteed coverage including small businesses. The research used a survey of frequently flooded locations in England to explore the different experiences and behaviors of households and businesses at risk from flooding with respect to insurance and recovery in this evolving scenario. The results show distinct differences between households and businesses that could point to greater opportunities for enhancing resilience if policy and practice recognized those differences
Evidence of a hemophilia employment gap: Comparing data from CHESS US+ and the 2019 current population survey
No full textIntroduction: Severe hemophilia A (&lt;1% normal FVIII activity) and B (&lt;1% normal FIX activity) are congenital bleeding disorders characterized by uncontrolled bleeding, either spontaneously or in response to trauma or surgery. Recent commentary has identified a number of patient-important and patient-relevant outcomes that have been understudied, namely the challenges faced by people living with hemophilia to participate in the labor force. The socio-economic impact of hemophilia is comparatively less well understood than clinical outcomes and therapy-related costs. Under-employment and under-utilization have long-term consequences to individuals' job prospects and psychosocial health, as well as an economic cost to the society. The objective of the analysis is to compare labor market participation, among people with severe hemophilia from the US and the general population. This analysis draws on household data derived from the 2019 Current Population Survey (CPS), and on patient-reported data from a patient-centric study conducted in 2019 of people with severe hemophilia, in the US: the 'Cost of Severe Hemophilia Across the US: A Socioeconomic Survey' (CHESS US+). Methods: A patient-centric framework informed the design of CHESS US+ a retrospective (12 months prior to study enrollment), cross-sectional dataset of adults with severe hemophilia in the US. Conducted in 2019, the study used a patient-completed questionnaire to collect data on patient-relevant clinical, economic, and humanistic outcomes. This analysis examines labor market participation (full-time, part-time, unemployed), and corresponding general population data derived from the 2019 Current Population Survey (CPS). Data on the general population were sourced from the 2019 CPS 'Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population'. Persons 'not in the labor force' in the 2019 CPS and retired persons in CHESS US+ were not included in the analysis. We present data on the civilian labor force, in CHESS US+ and in the 2019 CPS. Results are presented as mean (standard deviation) or N (%). Results: Of 356 patients profiled in the CHESS US+ study, 97 (27%) had severe hemophilia B and 257 (73%) had severe hemophilia A. Mean age and weight (kg) of the cohort was 34.99 (12.15) and 85.71 (22.81), respectively. The labor force participation rates of non-retired people with severe hemophilia in CHESS US+ (N = 340) and the general population (161,458) are described in Table 1. Examining aggregate data on employment status observed a higher proportion of people with severe hemophilia in part-time employment (24.4% vs. 15.7%). Differences in the labor force participation of people living with severe hemophilia compared to the general population were most pronounced in the full-time employment rate and the unemployment rate. Compared to 80.7% of the general population (Table 1), only 53.5% of people with severe hemophilia in CHESS US+ had a full-time job. Moreover, the unemployment rate (Table 1) in the 2019 CPS compared with the rate observed in CHESS US+ (3.7% vs. 22.1%) provides a stark contrast in the employment experiences of people living with severe hemophilia relative to the general population. Conclusions: This analysis of CHESS US+ illustrates the impact of severe hemophilia on labor force participation. People with severe hemophilia were more likely than the general population to be unemployed, or in part-time employment. A notable contrast was observed in the rate of full-time employment and unemployment, among the general population compared to people living with severe hemophilia. These data illustrate the need to quantify the impact of hemophilia using a holistic approach that considers the cost of involuntary illness-related part-time and unemployment. Disclosures Asghar: HCD Economics: Current Employment. Burke:HCD Economics: Current Employment; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Consultancy; University of Chester: Current Employment. Misciattelli:Freeline: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Kar:Freeline: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Morgan:HCD Economics: Current Employment; uniQure: Consultancy. O'Hara:F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Consultancy; HCD Economics: Current Employment, Current equity holder in private company
Tom Wood - The DPA Work (A Reprise - Revoiced): Photographs of Rainhill Hospital & Cammell Laird Shipyard
Get PDFThe research encompasses debates related to mental health, ageing and institutional structures at the end of the 1980s, set against the backdrop of the deindustrialisation of Britain, and specifically, the dismantling of these structures in the North West of England as well as elsewhere. The research is based in part in a loss of place and identity, on a physical as well as psychological level, in an exploration of the post industrial city and landscape as a cinematic space of encounter and dialogue.
The project also engaged in what could be described as a form of ‘ventriloquism’ where conceptually the images and documentation reconstitutes a polyphony of voices, practices and ways of being, which reanimate those, whom have lost their voice or ‘place’ in society, or are either disenfranchised and dispossessed politically, socially and psychologically. At the same time the reprise of this work can be construed as a celebration of life and resilience in the face of societal pressures and change but also one tinged with nostalgia and melancholy.
Quayle also commissioned new writing from DPA founder Audrey Linkman, and Clare Shaw is a leading performance poet, who in her writing, has drawn on her own experience of psychiatric care in Liverpool. Quayle invited Shaw to write new poetry in response to the Rainhill work, which were integrated as part of the edit, layout and design for which Wood and I also collaborated. A three volume collection of books is due to be published by Steidl.In 2013, in collaboration with Tom Wood, Quayle curated an exhibition entitled The DPA Work – Photographs of Rainhill Hospital and Cammell Laird Shipyard at CASC (Contemporary Art Space Chester), University of Chester. The exhibitions featured Wood’s photographs of both institutions prior to their closure. Wood was originally supported by the Documentary Photography Archive and the Open Eye Gallery in conjunction with the mental health charity MIND. The DPA was founded by Audrey Linkman and established in Manchester in 1985. Linkman commissioned photographers with whom she collaborated in negotiating and gaining access into different walks of life across the North West.
The exhibitions at CASC ran concurrently and formed part of the Parallel Programme for Look 13 Liverpool International Photography Festival. The project, for which I was lead researcher also involved students undertaking an Experiential Learning module. This involved their engagement with former shipyard workers and research into established as well as community based groups in recovering narratives and objects in order to reactivate lost dialogues. The students also made visual responses to the the exhibition’s context which were also formed part of the exhibition. This project has also been embedded as part of a teaching methodology in BA Photography at the University of Chester, which encourages and fosters ‘socially engaged practices’ across a range of contexts which will also be explored as well as visually evidenced as part of this paper
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