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Development of mental healthcare in Cambodia: barriers and opportunities
Get PDFBackground: Despite the increasing recognition globally of the importance of mental health for sustainable development, significant barriers remain to developing mental health services in low- and middle-income countries. This study explored the particular barriers and opportunities for developing mental health services in Cambodia and how these compared with those described in other low- and middle-income countries. Methods: For this qualitative study, 18 experienced mental health professionals from different disciplines were selected using purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews were carried out in Phnom Penh and thematic analysis of the data was completed. Results: Five key themes were identified: (1) Prioritising mental health in Cambodia, (2) Strengthening collaborations between mental health stakeholders, (3) Developing a mental healthcare model appropriate for the Cambodian culture and context, (4) Increasing the quantity and (5) Improving the quality of mental healthcare. All five themes were referred to by all 18 participants and the two most repeated themes were (2) Strengthening collaborations and (5) Improving the quality of mental healthcare. Conclusions: The themes identified in this study both corroborate previous barriers identified to developing mental health services in low- and middle-income countries and shed new light on opportunities of particular importance in Cambodia. Strengthening collaborations between key stakeholders in mental health and prioritising the quality of mental health education, training and service provision were both cited as being significant opportunities for enhancing the development of mental health services in Cambodia. These have not been widely described before as being important factors.OMF International (Cambodia) provided funding for the application to the National Ethics Committee for Health Research Cambodia and for the payment of interpreters. OMF International (Cambodia) had no role in the design of the study and collection, analysis and interpretation of data or in writing of the manuscript
Peripheral nerve regeneration following injury is altered in mice lacking P2X7 receptor
Get PDFFrom Wiley via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2020-04-09, rev-recd 2020-08-27, accepted 2020-09-23, pub-electronic 2020-10-22, pub-print 2021-09Article version: VoRPublication status: PublishedFunder: The Rosetrees Trust and the Stoneygate Trust; Grant(s): M746Funder: Academy of Medical Sciences; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000691; Grant(s): AMS‐SGCL7Abstract: Peripheral nerve injuries are debilitating, and current clinical management is limited to surgical intervention, which often leads to poor functional outcomes. Development of pharmacological interventions aimed at enhancing regeneration may improve this. One potential pharmacological target is the P2X purinergic receptor 7 (P2X7R) expressed in Schwann cells, which is known to play a role during the development of the peripheral nerves. Herein, we analysed differences in regeneration between genetically engineered P2X7 knockout mice and wild‐type controls, using in vivo and ex vivo models of peripheral nerve regeneration. We have found that the speed of axonal regeneration is unaltered in P2X7 knockout mice, nevertheless regenerated P2X7 knockout nerves are morphologically different to wild‐type nerves following transection and immediate repair. Indeed, the detailed morphometric analysis at 4 and 8 weeks after injury showed evidence of delayed remyelination in P2X7 knockout mice, compared to the wild‐type controls. Furthermore, the Wallerian degeneration phase was unaltered between the two experimental groups. We also analysed gene expression changes in the dorsal root ganglia neurones as a result of the peripheral nerve injury, and found changes in pathways related to pain, inflammation and cell death. We conclude that P2X7 receptors in Schwann cells may be a putative pharmacological target to control cell fate following injury, thus enhancing nerve re‐myelination
Understanding regional value chains through the interaction of public and private governance: Insights from Southern Africa’s apparel sector
Get PDFFrom Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2019-08-31, rev-recd 2020-08-06, accepted 2020-08-21, registration 2020-08-25, pub-electronic 2020-09-23, online 2020-09-23, pub-print 2021-09Publication status: PublishedAbstract: Regional value chains (RVCs) and South–South trade are increasingly considered key features of 21st-century globalisation. This article investigates how RVCs are shaped by the interaction of private and public governance. It evaluates how this interaction unfolded in Southern Africa’s apparel RVCs, exploring trade, investment and labour regimes across three levels of analysis: national, regional, and global. The paper draws on trade data, secondary literature, and interviews with suppliers and institutions in Eswatini and Lesotho (the largest exporters to the region), and lead firms in South Africa (the largest regional importer). The findings underline the critical role of public governance in shaping retailers’ and suppliers’ participation in RVCs through: (i) regional ‘trade regimes’ protecting regional exporters from global competitors, and recent shifts in global trade regimes; (ii) national and regional ‘investment regimes’ facilitating investment flows from South Africa to Lesotho and Eswatini, and the more recent shift of US-oriented suppliers towards regional markets; and (iii) ‘labour regimes’, including lower wages, less comprehensive labour legislation and weaker trade unions in Lesotho and Eswatini compared to South Africa. The article concludes by considering the policy implications of the interaction of private and public governance for existing and future RVCs in Sub-Saharan Africa
Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Become Antiangiogenic When Chondrogenically or Osteogenically Differentiated: Implications for Bone and Cartilage Tissue Engineering
No full textOsteochondral tissue repair requires formation of vascularized bone and avascular cartilage. Mesenchymal stem
cells stimulate angiogenesis both in vitro and in vivo but it is not known if these proangiogenic properties change
as a result of chondrogenic or osteogenic differentiation. We investigated the angiogenic/antiangiogenic
properties of equine bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (eBMSCs) before and after differentiation
in vitro. Conditioned media from chondrogenic and osteogenic cell pellets and undifferentiated cells was applied
to endothelial tube formation assays using Matrigel. Additionally, the cell secretome was analysed using
LC-MS/MS mass spectrometry and screened for angiogenesis and neurogenesis-related factors using protein
arrays. Endothelial tube-like formation was supported by conditioned media from undifferentiated eBMSCs.
Conversely, chondrogenic and osteogenic conditioned media was antiangiogenic as shown by significantly
decreased length of endothelial tube-like structures and degree of branching compared to controls. Undifferentiated cells produced higher levels of angiogenesis-related proteins compared to chondrogenic and
osteogenic pellets. In summary, eBMSCs produce an array of angiogenesis-related proteins and support angiogenesis in vitro via a paracrine mechanism. However, when these cells are differentiated chondrogenically or
osteogenically, they produce a soluble factor(s) that inhibits angiogenesis. With respect to osteochondral tissue
engineering, this may be beneficial for avascular articular cartilage formation but unfavourable for bone formation where a vascularized tissue is desired
Stigma: The Representation of Anorexia Nervosa in UK Newspaper Twitter Feeds
Get PDFThis is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Mental Health on 15/07/2020, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2020.1793128Background: There is evidence that the representation of mental health in newspapers has an influence on readers’ attitudes, however, relatively little is known about how the industry presents accounts of anorexia nervosa. Further, the industry increasingly uses Twitter as a medium for reaching readers and this remains an under-examined area of research.
Aims: To explore the representation of anorexia nervosa in the UK national press’ Twitter feeds.
Method: Frame analysis was used to examine the manner in which anorexia nervosa was represented in the Twitter feeds of all national UK newspapers between 2009-2019 (n=332). This qualitative approach used Braun and Clarke’s stages of thematic analysis, while drawing on Van Gorp’s use of a frame matrix to support the definition of the news frames.
Results: The analysis identified four news frames: social model, illness model, stress-recovery model and clickbait model.
Conclusions: The newspapers drew on a range of perspectives in their representation of anorexia nervosa, which typically were not stigmatising in their accounts. However, there was a pattern of using sensationalistic images in some of the tweets, which may encourage readers to view people with anorexia nervosa as Other, and as a consequence contribute to stigmatisation
Social Care Workers’ Experiences of Assessing Parents with Learning Disabilities: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Study Based in the Northwest of England.
Get PDFAims: Qualitative research has identified a number of issues when working with parents with learning disabilities. Pre-conceived ideas, professional discrimination and a high percentage of children living away from the family home have featured heavily in the literature. However, less is known about the assessment process, and how practitioners adapt their skills to assess this parental group. The current study therefore aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of the assessment process, utilising a qualitative approach. The study focused upon the experiences of social care assessors from children’s and adult services, and sought to explore the following: the approach social care workers adopt when assessing parents with learning disabilities; if appropriate knowledge is embedded into practice to assess competently; experiences of the application of the PAMS 4.0; multi-disciplinary approach to assessment, and how this exhibits in practice.
Method: Semi-structured interviews were carried out with fourteen frontline social care practitioners from children’s and adult services who had direct experience of assessing parents with learning disabilities. The transcripts of the interviews were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).
Results: The analysis produced four master themes. These were; inadequate knowledge to understand complexities; hierarchy; reasonable adjustments; assessing parental ability. An analysis of these master themes and the related super-ordinate themes is presented.
Discussion: The results are considered in light of the experiences of the participants, and how this impacts on the assessment of parents with learning disabilities. The study finds that whilst there is evidence the participants hold pre-conceived ideas, a lack of relevant skills and knowledge as well as an unstructured implementation of the Parenting Assessment Manual 4.0, are both contributing factors. Furthermore, problematic multi-agency working and managerial influences impact on the overall outcomes for parents with learning disabilities and their families
Developing the next generation of leaders
No full textThis chapter discusses the importance of developing future leaders from deep within an organization. The collective benefit is that those seeking promotion into leadership roles will be better prepared for the challenges they face. For those recruiting into leadership vacancies, they potentially have a greater pool of talented individuals to select from, reducing the risk of simply appointing the best person on the day rather than the best person for the job. The chapter suggests that sustainable leadership as a conceptual framework might support organizations in developing leaders and why given the neoliberal policy context that western education systems operate within, this is becoming increasing important. While having a framework is important, there are practical steps that organizations can take which will support individuals. However, it is important to recognize that these activities, such as work-shadowing and mentoring cannot be done in a vacuum. Staff need time and space to be able to put into practice their new skills. In addition, they need to understand the theoretical elements that underpin their newly acquired skills if they are to be used effectively. The chapter draws together a number of issues associated with the current policy context for needing to develop future leaders alongside the aforementioned conceptual framework that might support leaders to realize the potential they have within their staff
‘What I’m not gonna buy’: Algorithmic culture jamming and anti-consumer politics on YouTube
Get PDFWood, R. (2020). ‘What I’m not gonna buy’: Algorithmic culture jamming and anti-consumer politics on YouTube. New Media & Society, 23(9), 2754-2772. Copyright © 2020 (Copyright Holder). Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications.This article is based on an analysis of ‘anti-haul’ videos on YouTube, where a vlogger
explains which beauty products they plan not to buy. Anti-haul vloggers have much in
common with ‘culture jamming’ movements, which use the communicative practices and
materials of promotional culture against itself to spread an anti-consumerist agenda. The
article argues that anti-hauls should be understood as the reinvention of ‘culture jamming’
techniques for a contemporary promotional culture that is platform based, algorithmically
governed, and mobilised through the affective, authentic performance of the ‘influencer’. I
refer to this manipulation of the platform’s visibility mechanisms to spread anti-consumer
messages as ‘algorithmic culture jamming’. The anti-consumer politics of anti-hauls
are contradictory and ambivalent. At the same time, I argue that anti-hauls also offer
important possibilities for political learning, personal and collective transformation, and
alternative creative pleasures outside of continual consumer accumulation
Social Experience of Captive Livingstone’s Fruit Bats (Pteropus livingstonii)
Get PDFSocial network analysis has been highlighted as a powerful tool to enhance the evidence-based management of captive-housed species through its ability to quantify the social experience of individuals. We apply this technique to explore the social structure and social roles of 50 Livingstone’s fruit bats (Pteropus livingstonii) housed at Jersey Zoo, Channel Islands, through the observation of associative, affiliative, and aggressive interactions over two data collection periods. We implement binomial mixture modelling and characteristic-based assortment quantification to describe the complexity and organisation of social networks, as well as a multiple regression quadratic assignment procedural (MRQAP) test to analyse the relationship between network types. We examine the effects of individual characteristics (i.e., sex, age, and dominance rank) on social role by fitting models to explain the magnitude of node metrics. Additionally, we utilize a quadratic assignment procedural (QAP) test to assess the temporal stability of social roles over two seasons. Our results indicate that P. livingstonii display a non-random network structure. Observed social networks are positively assorted by age, as well as dominance rank. The frequency of association between individuals correlates with a higher frequency of behavioural interactions, both affiliative and aggressive. Individual social roles remain consistent over ten months. We recommend that, to improve welfare and captive breeding success, relationships between individuals of similar ages and dominance levels should be allowed to persist in this group where possible, and separating individuals that interact frequently in an affiliative context should be avoided
The dark side of social capital: Lessons from the Madoff case
No full textBook chapter exploring the dark-side of the social capital concept
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