Exploring practice and participation in transition to postgraduate social science study

This project aims to understand the processes of inclusion and transition into postgraduate education. Whilst there has been a research focus on transitions in schools and transitions to undergraduate study, postgraduate study has largely been ignored. This project includes the voices of both staff and students in generating data that has enabled the formulation of practical recommendations to HEIs surrounding the design of postgraduate learning environments and, importantly, recommendations for students and staff for managing learning and ensuring inclusion

Exploring the biophysical evidence that mammalian two pore channels are NAADP-activated calcium-permeable channels

Nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) potently releases Ca2+ from acidic intracellular endo-lysosomal Ca2+-stores. It is widely accepted that two types of two pore channels, termed TPC1 and TPC2, are responsible for the NAADP-mediated Ca2+-release but the underlying mechanisms regulating their gating appear to be different. For example, although both TPC1 and TPC2 are activated by NAADP, TPC1 appears to be additionally regulated by cytosolic Ca2+. Ion conduction and permeability also differ markedly. TPC1 and TPC2 are permeable to a range of cations although biophysical experiments suggest that TPC2 is slightly more selective for Ca2+ over K+ than TPC1 and hence capable of releasing greater quantities of Ca2+ from acidic stores. TPC1 is also permeable to H+ and therefore may play a role in regulating lysosomal and cytosolic pH, possibly creating localised acidic domains. The significantly different gating and ion conducting properties of TPC1 and TPC2 suggest that these two ion channels may play complementary physiological roles as Ca2+ release channels of the endo-lysosomal system.PostprintPeer reviewe

The Journal of Comorbidity affiliates with the Society for Academic Primary Care

No abstract available

The Environmental Context and Function of Burnt-Mounds : New Studies of Irish Fulachtaí Fiadh

The authors acknowledge funding from The Leverhulme Trust (F/00144/AI) and assistance from a large number of individuals including; Margaret Gowen (access to sites and assistance throughout),A. Ames, H, Essex (pollen processing), S. Rouillard & R. Smith (illustrations), C. McDermott, S. Bergerbrandt, all the staff of Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd, TVAS Ireland and CRDS. Excavation works and some post-excavation analysis was paid for my Bord Gáis and the National Roads Authority (now Transport Infrastructure Ireland). Thanks also to David Smith for access to the Maureen Girling collection and assistance with identifications.Peer reviewedPostprintPostprin

Bostonia: v. 64, no. 1

Founded in 1900, Bostonia magazine is Boston University's main alumni publication, which covers alumni and student life, as well as university activities, events, and programs

Promising Practices in Revenue Generation for Community Organizing: an Exploration of Current and Emerging Fundraising and Grantmaking Practices in Community Organizing

This summary report includes four sections: "How Organizing Is Funded" by Sandy O'Donnell; "How Organizing Raises Funds--How Common Methods Are Perceived, How High Performance is Achieved" by Jane Beckett; "Enhancing Grantmaking for Organizing" by Jean Rudd; and "Longer Term Challenges To Increase Community Organizing Revenue." The full report is also available online

The environmental context and function of Burnt-Mounds: new studies of Irish Fulachtaí Fiadh

Burnt mounds, or fulachtaí fiadh as they are known in Ireland, are probably the most common prehistoric site type in Ireland and Britain. Typically Middle–Late Bronze Age in age (although both earlier and later examples are known), they are artefact-poor and rarely associated with settlements. The function of these sites has been much debated with the most commonly cited uses being for cooking, as steam baths or saunas, for brewing, tanning, or textile processing. A number of major infrastructural development schemes in Ireland in the years 2002–2007 revealed remarkable numbers of these mounds often associated with wood-lined troughs, many of which were extremely well-preserved. This afforded an opportunity to investigate them as landscape features using environmental techniques – specifically plant macrofossils and charcoal, pollen, beetles, and multi-element analyses. This paper summarises the results from eight sites from Ireland and compares them with burnt mound sites in Great Britain. The fulachtaí fiadh which are generally in clusters, are all groundwater-fed by springs, along floodplains and at the bases of slopes. The sites are associated with the clearance of wet woodland for fuel; most had evidence of nearby agriculture and all revealed low levels of grazing. Multi-element analysis at two sites revealed elevated heavy metal concentrations suggesting that off-site soil, ash or urine had been used in the trough. Overall the evidence suggests that the most likely function for these sites is textile production involving both cleaning and/or dyeing of wool and/or natural plant fibres and as a functionally related activity to hide cleaning and tanning. Whilst further research is clearly needed to confirm if fulachtaí fiadh are part of the ‘textile revolution’ we should also recognise their important role in the rapid deforestation of the wetter parts of primary woodland and the expansion of agriculture into marginal areas during the Irish and British Bronze Ages

A mixed-methods investigation of the extent to which routinely collected information can help evaluate the implementaion of screening and brief alcohol interventions in primary health care

PhD ThesisBackground: UK health policy has sought to encourage alcohol screening and brief intervention (ASBI) delivery in primary care, including via pay-for-performance (P4P) schemes. To measure the impact of such policies, a range of data exist, including General Practitioner (GP) Read codes, which record all clinical activity. However, previous studies have highlighted the difficulties of using Read code data for evaluation purposes, with concerns around the distorting effect of P4P on healthcare recording. Against this background, this research investigated whether Read code data can be used to provide a meaningful measure of ASBI implementation in primary care. Methods: Sequential mixed methods design, comprising: (1) systematic literature review to identify what factors influence the recording of routine clinical data by UK primary care physicians; (2) analysis of ASBI Read code data from 16 GP practices in North East England; (3) 14 GP interviews to explore the barriers and facilitators affecting their ASBI recording. Results: (1) Multiple factors shape primary care physicians’ recording of routine data, including structural influencers (such as the design and resourcing of the coding system), and psychosocial factors (including patient characteristics and physicians’ perspectives on their role as care-givers). (2) 287 Read codes exist to record alcohol- related activity however only a small minority are used regularly, generally relating to the identification of alcohol use disorders. Whilst many unused Read codes are associated with relatively rare alcohol conditions, a significant number relate to duplicate or outmoded terminology. Overall, practices associated with higher recorded rates of key ASBI service indicators were signed up to P4P schemes. (3) GP interviews suggested that across all practices, nurse-administered ASBI components were most likely to be provided and coded consistently, with GP-delivery and recording activity far more ad hoc. Conclusion: Whilst routine data may be a valid indicator of more successfully embedded ASBI activity in UK primary healthcare following the introduction of P4P schemes, measuring the impact on delivery at GP level remains challenging due to the deficiency of the available Read code data across a number of quality dimensions.ESRC UKCR