Shaping the criminal justice system: the role of those supported by Criminal Justice Service

In Scotland, the development and delivery ofpersonalised social work services has been part of a wider public service reform agenda, building on Changing lives: report of the 21st century review of social work (Scottish Executive, 2006). This agenda has focused on harnessing the strengths, predilections, networks and capacities of those supported by services, to inform the design and delivery of services. To date, the place of criminal justice in this reform agenda has received comparatively limited attention (Weaver, 2011). This Insight focuses on the issue of involving those who have offended in shaping the criminal justice system, exploring the different models of involvement, the effectiveness of different approaches and the implications for Criminal Justice Social Work services

Improving Use of Research in the Third Sector: A Journey with Apex Scotland

This case study describes a project to improve research use in Apex Scotland, and to share the learning with others. It includes details about the problem addressed through the project, what we did, what we found, the challenges faced and what was learnt about supporting the use of research in third sector organisations

How and why people stop offending: discovering desistance

This is an evidence summary published by the Institute for Research and Innovation in Social services in Scotland (IRISS). It summarises evidence about desistance from crime and provides a series of recommendations for criminal justice policy, systems and practice

Mulberry extract to modULate Blood glucosE Responses in noRmoglYcaemic adults (MULBERRY): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: worldwide sugar consumption has tripled during the last fifty years. High sugar intake is associated with weight gain and increased incidence of diabetes and has been linked with increased cardiovascular mortality. Reducing the health impact of dietary sugar and poor quality carbohydrate intake is a public health priority. IminoNorm®, a proprietary mulberry leaf extract (ME), may reduce blood glucose responses following dietary sugar and carbohydrate intake by reducing absorption of glucose from the gut. Previous research has shown that ME can reduce blood glucose and improve insulin responses in healthy subjects and also in subjects with raised fasting blood glucose levels. Mulberry leaf has an excellent safety profile. This pilot study will test a novel, safe, water soluble product in normoglycaemic adults in the UK to determine if it can reduce glucose absorption without increasing plasma insulin concentration.Methods/design: the trial will be a double-blind, individually randomised, four-arm single-dose crossover design to test the effect of three doses of ME in order to determine efficacy, dose response relationship and gastrointestinal side effects with respect to placebo. A total of 40 subjects will participate in this study and attend for four visits receiving each of the four interventions in random order.Discussion: we aim to test the evidence that mulberry leaf extract can reduce blood glucose without a disproportionate increase in blood insulin responses in healthy individuals in a high-quality research study based in the UK. It is hoped that this will lead to further randomised controlled trials and an effective dietary supplement to lower blood glucose concentration

Early Clinical and Subclinical Visual Evoked Potential and Humphrey's Visual Field Defects in Cryptococcal Meningitis.

Cryptococcal induced visual loss is a devastating complication in survivors of cryptococcal meningitis (CM). Early detection is paramount in prevention and treatment. Subclinical optic nerve dysfunction in CM has not hitherto been investigated by electrophysiological means. We undertook a prospective study on 90 HIV sero-positive patients with culture confirmed CM. Seventy-four patients underwent visual evoked potential (VEP) testing and 47 patients underwent Humphrey's visual field (HVF) testing. Decreased best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was detected in 46.5% of patients. VEP was abnormal in 51/74 (68.9%) right eyes and 50/74 (67.6%) left eyes. VEP P100 latency was the main abnormality with mean latency values of 118.9 (±16.5) ms and 119.8 (±15.7) ms for the right and left eyes respectively, mildly prolonged when compared to our laboratory references of 104 (±10) ms (p<0.001). Subclinical VEP abnormality was detected in 56.5% of normal eyes and constituted mostly latency abnormality. VEP amplitude was also significantly reduced in this cohort but minimally so in the visually unimpaired. HVF was abnormal in 36/47 (76.6%) right eyes and 32/45 (71.1%) left eyes. The predominant field defect was peripheral constriction with an enlarged blind spot suggesting the greater impact by raised intracranial pressure over that of optic neuritis. Whether this was due to papilloedema or a compartment syndrome is open to further investigation. Subclinical HVF abnormalities were minimal and therefore a poor screening test for early optic nerve dysfunction. However, early optic nerve dysfunction can be detected by testing of VEP P100 latency, which may precede the onset of visual loss in CM

Sustaining knowledge exchange and research impact in the social sciences and humanities:Investing in knowledge broker roles in UK universities

Over the last decade, higher education policy in the United Kingdom (UK) has increasingly focused on the impact of academic research. This has resulted in the emergence of specialist knowledge brokers within UK universities in the social sciences and humanities. Our empirical research identified a tension between the research impact agenda and the value placed on knowledge brokerage. Based on interviews with knowledge brokers at the University of Edinburgh, we argue that funding models, short-term contracts, and posts combining knowledge brokerage with other functions result in a transient population and a squeeze on knowledge brokerage, which may limit its effectiveness in achieving research impact. © Policy Press 2013

Intra-individual variation in RMR in older people

In the factorial estimation of total energy expenditure it is assumed that the intra-individual variation in RMR is small. Little is known about the intra-individual variation of RMR in older subjects. The present study investigated the intra-individual variation in RMR in older people. Measurements of RMR were made in twenty-seven older subjects, mean age 71.6 (SD 6.1) years, on two separate occasions (T1 and T2) and on a third occasion (T3) in nineteen of the subjects. Measurements of height and weight were taken in all subjects. RMR measurements were made in the laboratory using a Deltatrac TM (ventilated-hood indirect calorimeter, Datex, Helsinki, Finland). All subjects had fasted overnight for 12 h and refrained from strenuous exercise before measurements. The intra-individual CV in RMR (kJ/d) after T1 and T2 was 2.5% in women and 3.6% in men and was 2.6% in women and 3.4% in men after all three sets of measurements. Although mean RMR did not vary across T1, T2 and T3, there was significant 'crossing tracks' across the three measurements occasions in some individuals, reflecting a high degree of within-subject variability. The methods used had a significant measurement error associated with them (high R value; significant F ratio in three-way ANOVA). In conclusion, the results from the present study indicate that intra-individual variation in RMR was low in older people. The intra-individual variation in the elderly is similar to that seen in younger age groups

The echocardiography diagnosis of cor pulmonale in a horse

The authors describe the two-dimensional and Doppler signs that characterize the pulmonary hypertension caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a horse

Vegan diets : practical advice for athletes and exercisers.

With the growth of social media as a platform to share information, veganism is becoming more visible, and could be becoming more accepted in sports and in the health and fitness industry. However, to date, there appears to be a lack of literature that discusses how to manage vegan diets for athletic purposes. This article attempted to review literature in order to provide recommendations for how to construct a vegan diet for athletes and exercisers. While little data could be found in the sports nutrition literature specifically, it was revealed elsewhere that veganism creates challenges that need to be accounted for when designing a nutritious diet. This included the sufficiency of energy and protein; the adequacy of vitamin B12, iron, zinc, calcium, iodine and vitamin D; and the lack of the long-chain n-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA in most plant-based sources. However, via the strategic management of food and appropriate supplementation, it is the contention of this article that a nutritive vegan diet can be designed to achieve the dietary needs of most athletes satisfactorily. Further, it was suggested here that creatine and β-alanine supplementation might be of particular use to vegan athletes, owing to vegetarian diets promoting lower muscle creatine and lower muscle carnosine levels in consumers. Empirical research is needed to examine the effects of vegan diets in athletic populations however, especially if this movement grows in popularity, to ensure that the health and performance of athletic vegans is optimised in accordance with developments in sports nutrition knowledge

Predicción de fenómenos arrítmicos a través de la variabilidad de la frecuencia cardíaca en caninos

El estudio de la variabilidad de la frecuencia cardíaca (VFC) es una de las técnicas que permiten conocer el balance y efecto de ambas divisiones del sistema nervioso autónomo sobre el corazón del ser humano. El predominio simpático predispone a las arritmias cardíacas. El estudio consiste en realizar una exploración electrocardiográfica ambulatoria (Holter) y compilar las variaciones que se producen en el intervalo RR entre cada latido cardíaco. De acuerdo a los datos obtenidos tras el correspondiente procesamiento estadístico se desprende que en el perro portador de enfermedades cardíacas la VFC dis­minuye tal como acontece en el ser humano y, por lo tanto, cumpliría la misma función como predictor de sucesos arrítmicos