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The long-term impact of infant rearing background on the behavioural and physiological stress response of adult common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)
No full textAlthough triplet litters are increasing in captive colonies of common marmosets, parents can rarely rear more than two infants without human intervention. There is however much evidence that early life experience, including separation from the family, can influence both vulnerability and resilience to stress. The current study investigated the behavioural and hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis response to the routine stressor of capture and weighing in adult common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus), reared as infants under 3 different conditions: family-reared twins (n = 6 individuals), family-reared animals from triplet litters where only 2 remain (2stays: n = 8) and triplets receiving supplementary feeding from humans (n = 7). In the supplementary feeding condition, infants remained in contact with each other when they were removed from the family. There were no significant differences (P > 0.5) in cortisol level or behaviour between the rearing conditions. In all conditions, salivary cortisol decreased from baseline to post-capture, which was accompanied by increases in agitated locomotion. Family reared 2stays demonstrated significant cortisol decreases from baseline to post capture (post 5 min.: P = 0.005; post 30 min.: P = 0.018), compared to the other conditions. Family reared twins displayed significantly more behavioural changes following the stressor than the other conditions, including significant increases in scent marking (post 5 min. and post 30 min.: P = 0.028) and significant decreases in inactive alert (post 5 min.: P = 0005; post 30 min.: P = 0.018), calm locomotion (post 5 min.: P = 0.028; post 30 min.: P = 0.046) and proximity to partner (post 5 min.: P = 0.046). There were increases in behaviour suggesting reduced anxiety, including significantly more exploration post-capture in supplementary fed triplets (post 5 min.: P = 0.041), and significantly more foraging post capture in family reared 2stays (post 5 min. and post 30 min.: P = 0.039). However, as differences between rearing conditions were minimal, supplementary feeding of large litters of marmosets at this facility did not have a major effect on stress vulnerability, suggesting that this rearing practice may be the preferred option if human intervention is necessary to improve survival of large litters
Student authored atlas tours (story maps) as geography assignments
Get PDFThis is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Geography in Higher Education on 21st October 2020, available online: DOI: 10.1080/03098265.2020.1827375Atlas Tours consist of collections of animated maps and other elements woven together to make a narrative, they are a commonly used format on the web. Recent developments in software platforms such as Esri Story Maps have made producing them possible by Geography students. The study uses student written feedback and focuses groups about a module where stu- dents produce an Atlas Tour as an assignment. This is used to advocate the use of student-produced Atlas Tours in Geography teaching, the main argument proposed is that Atlas Tours are an excellent format to enable students to learn and practise graphical literacy (graphicacy). Despite this educational opportunity, Atlas Tours can cause practical problems for students and suggestions are made to mitigate this issue. Two other pedagogical strands are also advocated: Students being empowered to exercise creativity in creating Atlas Tours and how Atlas Tours are particularly well suited to fieldwork assignments
Ratings of perceived exertion at the ventilatory anaerobic threshold in people with coronary heart disease: A CARE CR study.
Get PDFExercise prescription guidelines for individuals undergoing cardiovascular rehabilitation (CR) are based on heart rate training zones and rating of perceived exertion (RPE). United Kingdom guidelines indicate that patients should exercise at an intensity of RPE 11 to 14. We aimed to determine the accuracy of this approach by comparing this RPE range with an objectively measured marker of exercise intensity, the ventilatory anaerobic threshold (VAT), and examine whether baseline directly determined cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) affects the association between VAT and RPE. Participants underwent a maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test before an 8-week community-based CR programme. Peak oxygen uptake (V̇O2peak) and VAT were recorded, and RPE at the workload at which VAT was identified was recorded. Data were then split into tertiles, based on V̇O2peak, to determine whether RPE at the VAT differed in participants with low, moderate or higher CRF. We included 70 individuals [mean (SD) age 63.1 (10.0) years; body mass index 29.4 (4.0) kg/m2; 86% male]. At baseline, the mean RPE at the VAT (RPE@VAT) was 11.8 (95% confidence interval 11-12.6) and significantly differed between low and high CRF groups (P<0.001). The mean RPE@VAT was 10.1 (8.7-11.5), 11.8 (10.5-13.0), and 13.7 (12.5-14.9) for low, moderate and high CRF groups, respectively. When using RPE to guide exercise intensity in CR populations, one must consider the effect of baseline CRF. Mean RPEs of ∼10, 12 and 14 correspond to the VAT in low, moderate and higher-fit patients, respectively. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Flexible shared parental leave: Shaping infant-feeding decisions in the UK - A longitudinal explanatory sequential internet-mediated mixed methods study
Get PDFInfant feeding is an enduring public health issue. The changes made to parental leave entitlement which came into effect in April 2015 in the United Kingdom (UK) have the potential to impact infant-feeding decisions. The introduction of flexible shared parental leave (SPL) remodelled maternity and paternity (or adoption) entitlement, enabling parents to share up to 50 weeks’
leave. The discourse has not yet considered this policy shift fully, nor has research comprehensively examined whether it will influence parental feeding decisions.
The research design was informed by a narrative literature review followed and a systematic review of the literature, which indicated that few studies consider both infant feeding and parental leave. The systematic review found that focus of the discourses tended towards breastfeeding and maternity leave. In light of the interdisciplinary nature of the topic, a
longitudinal explanatory sequential mixed methods design was selected to comprehensively address all strands of the research questions. The research was framed by a theoretical framework meta-model derived from Belsky's (1984) process model of the determinants of parenting, set within Bronfenbrenner's (1977, 1979) ecology of human development (later termed
the bioecological systems model (2005)) and informed by a pragmatist lens.
A sample of parents of infants born in April 2015 (the first eligible for shared parental leave) were surveyed via online questionnaire. At three points over the course of 12 months, the parents were asked to detail how their infants were fed and about leave decisions. Following on from this, a subset of parents were interviewed to illuminate the decision-making process further. The study aimed to baseline behaviour at the point of policy implementation and record attitudes towards shared leave.
The outcome of the research is an initial evidence base documenting infant feeding patterns in the UK in 2015, in the context of a potential future shift stemming from the introduction of shared parental leave. In line with expected projections (BIS, 2013), take-up of shared parental leave was low within the sample of parents who took part. Of interest, the small number that did opt for shared parental leave reflected the wider sample tendency towards breastfeeding at 24-hours, yet mixed feeding to 6 months. Nevertheless, the parents that took part did not shy away from revisiting feeding decisions made in light of day-to-day practicalities, any issues they faced and the development of their infant.
The study provides insight into the approach of parents opting for mixed feeding i.e., selecting the feeding mode(s) and/or substance(s) or mode(s)/substance(s) seen as most appropriate at the time. It is atypical (contrasted with conventional definitions applied within the research discourse) in disaggregating breastfeeding and breast milk feeding. Finally, the research further evidences the complexity of the narrative in parental decision-making.
In view of the findings, further research is needed to document shared parental leave take-up and how parents are choosing to apportion it. A reconsideration of infant feeding definitions by the relevant agencies, to further the granularity of research data in relation to breastfeeding, breast milk feeding and mixed feeding (mixed mode, mixed substance or mixed
method - mode and substance - feeding) would be welcome to improve research outcomes. Moreover, as a result of the discontinuation of the quinquennial Infant Feeding Survey series, there is a need for systematic, low cost research at regular intervals to supplement the modest infant feeding data collected via the Personal Child Health Record programme. Without this research, the significance of the impact of the parental leave policy reform in the UK on infant-feeding decisions may be overlooked
Shipping and the Paris climate agreement: a focus on committed emissions
Get PDFFrom Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2019-12-31, accepted 2020-05-11, registration 2020-05-12, pub-electronic 2020-06-12, online 2020-06-12, collection 2020-12Publication status: PublishedFunder: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (GB); Grant(s): EP/L016141/1Funder: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000266; Grant(s): EPSRC Doctoral Training PartnershipAbstract: The concept of “committed emissions” allows us to understand what proportion of the Paris-constrained and rapidly diminishing global carbon dioxide (CO2) budget is potentially taken up by existing infrastructure. Here, this concept is applied to international shipping, where long-lived assets increase the likelihood for high levels of committed emissions. To date, committed emissions studies have focussed predominantly on the power sector, or on global analyses in which shipping is a small element, with assumptions of asset lifetimes extrapolated from other transport modes. This study analyses new CO2, ship age and scrappage datasets covering the 11,000 ships included in the European Union’s new emissions monitoring scheme (EU MRV), to deliver original insights on the speed at which new and existing shipping infrastructure must be decarbonised. These results, using ship-specific assumptions on asset lifetimes, show higher committed emissions for shipping than previous estimates based on asset lifetimes similar to the road transport sector. The estimated baseline committed emissions value is equivalent to 85–212% of the carbon budget for 1.5 °C that is available for these EU MRV ships, with the central case exceeding the available carbon budget. The sector does, however, have significant potential to reduce this committed emissions figure without premature scrappage through a combination of slow speeds, operational and technical efficiency measures, and the timely retrofitting of ships to use zero-carbon fuels. Here, it is shown that if mitigation measures are applied comprehensively through strong and rapid policy implementation in the 2020s, and if zero-carbon ships are deployed rapidly from 2030, it is still possible for the ships in the EU MRV system to stay within 1.5 °C carbon budgets. Alongside this, as there are wide variations between and within ship types, this new analysis sheds light on opportunities for decision-makers to tailor policy interventions to deliver more effective CO2 mitigation. Delays to appropriately stringent policy implementation would mean additional measures, such as premature scrappage or curbing the growth in shipping tonne-km, become necessary to meet the Paris climate goals
Type 2 inflammation in eosinophilic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Get PDFFrom Wiley via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2020-10-12, rev-recd 2020-10-28, accepted 2020-11-11, pub-electronic 2020-12-05, pub-print 2021-06Article version: VoRPublication status: PublishedFunder: NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/10001465
Psychiatric face of COVID-19
Get PDFFrom Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2020-06-02, rev-recd 2020-07-07, accepted 2020-07-14, registration 2020-07-22, pub-electronic 2020-07-30, online 2020-07-30, collection 2020-12Publication status: PublishedAbstract: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) represents a severe multiorgan pathology which, besides cardio-respiratory manifestations, affects the function of the central nervous system (CNS). The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), similarly to other coronaviruses demonstrate neurotropism; the viral infection of the brain stem may complicate the course of the disease through damaging central cardio-respiratory control. The systemic inflammation as well as neuroinflammatory changes are associated with massive increase of the brain pro-inflammatory molecules, neuroglial reactivity, altered neurochemical landscape and pathological remodelling of neuronal networks. These organic changes, emerging in concert with environmental stress caused by experiences of intensive therapy wards, pandemic fears and social restrictions, promote neuropsychiatric pathologies including major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder (BD), various psychoses, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. The neuropsychiatric sequelae of COVID-19 represent serious clinical challenge that has to be considered for future complex therapies
The effect of terminal globular domains on the response of recombinant mini-spidroins to fiber spinning triggers
Get PDFFrom Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2020-02-04, accepted 2020-06-11, registration 2020-06-15, pub-electronic 2020-06-30, online 2020-06-30, collection 2020-12Publication status: PublishedFunder: Defence Science and Technology Laboratory; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100010418; Grant(s): DSTLX1000101893, DSTLX1000101893, DSTLX1000101893, DSTLX1000101893, DSTLX1000101893Funder: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000266; Grant(s): EP/L014904/1Funder: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000268; Grant(s): BB/M017702/1, BB/M017702/1, BB/M017702/1Abstract: Spider silk spidroins consist of long repetitive protein strands, flanked by globular terminal domains. The globular domains are often omitted in recombinant spidroins, but are thought to be essential for the spiders’ natural spinning process. Mimicking this spinning process could be an essential step towards producing strong synthetic spider silk. Here we describe the production of a range of mini-spidroins with both terminal domains, and characterize their response to a number of biomimetic spinning triggers. Our results suggest that mini-spidroins which are able to form protein micelles due to the addition of both terminal domains exhibit shear-thinning, a property which native spidroins also show. Furthermore, our data also suggest that a pH drop alone is insufficient to trigger assembly in a wet-spinning process, and must be combined with salting-out for effective fiber formation. With these insights, we applied these assembly triggers for relatively biomimetic wet spinning. This work adds to the foundation of literature for developing improved biomimetic spinning techniques, which ought to result in synthetic silk that more closely approximates the unique properties of native spider silk
Will South Asia Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030? Learning from the MDGs Experience
Get PDFFrom Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: accepted 2020-06-27, registration 2020-06-27, online 2020-07-04, pub-electronic 2020-07-04, pub-print 2020-11Publication status: PublishedAbstract: This paper contributes to the debate on the Sustainable Development Goals progress by evaluating the MDGs achievements in South Asia and the policy and institutional challenges deriving from such experience. Using cross-country regressions and aggregate indicators of poverty, health, education and gender parity outcomes, we offer three sets of findings. First, comparative evidence shows that, while South Asia has converged with richer regions, there is still significant variation in gender equality, universal primary education, and income poverty achievements across countries. Second, projections based on past trends on where SDGs are expected to be by 2030 reveal that there is a long way to go, where emblematic targets as income poverty eradication may not be met in the populous South Asian countries. Finally, considering the expanded set of development targets in the SDGs and the growth slowdown in South Asia, we argue that further progress would simultaneously require increased public spending on health and education and reforms improving state capacity. A simulation exercise confirms that such a combination of interventions would deliver significant benefits in the region, particularly in areas that are critical to progress on the goals of ‘No Poverty’, ‘Quality Education’, ‘Gender Equality’, and ‘Inclusive Growth’
Analysis of chromatin organization and gene expression in T cells identifies functional genes for rheumatoid arthritis
Get PDFFrom Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2019-10-22, accepted 2020-08-06, registration 2020-08-11, pub-electronic 2020-09-02, online 2020-09-02, collection 2020-12Publication status: PublishedFunder: RCUK | MRC | Medical Research Foundation; doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100009187; Grant(s): MR/N00017X/1Funder: Arthritis Research UK; doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000341; Grant(s): 21754Abstract: Genome-wide association studies have identified genetic variation contributing to complex disease risk. However, assigning causal genes and mechanisms has been more challenging because disease-associated variants are often found in distal regulatory regions with cell-type specific behaviours. Here, we collect ATAC-seq, Hi-C, Capture Hi-C and nuclear RNA-seq data in stimulated CD4+ T cells over 24 h, to identify functional enhancers regulating gene expression. We characterise changes in DNA interaction and activity dynamics that correlate with changes in gene expression, and find that the strongest correlations are observed within 200 kb of promoters. Using rheumatoid arthritis as an example of T cell mediated disease, we demonstrate interactions of expression quantitative trait loci with target genes, and confirm assigned genes or show complex interactions for 20% of disease associated loci, including FOXO1, which we confirm using CRISPR/Cas9
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