Search

This report provides the main results and findings of the 15th annual underwater television survey on the ‘Irish sea west Nephrops grounds’ ICES assessment area, Functional Unit 15. The survey was multi-disciplinary in nature collecting UWTV and other ecosystem data. The 2017 design consisted of a randomised isometric grid of 100 stations at 4.5 nautical mile intervals out over the full known extent the stock. The resulting krigged burrow abundance estimate was 5.3 billion burrows. This was a similar result of that obtained in 2006, and 4% higher than the abundance in 2016. In contrast to 2016 the spatial distribution of burrows appears more homogenous across the survey area. Overall densities are high and abundance remains stable, well above MSY Btrigger. Reducing the number of stations compared to 2011 has not affected the accuracy of the survey estimate to date. The CV (or relative standard error) of 3% is in line with previous estimates and well below the upper limit of 20% recommended by SGNEPS 2012. Total catches and landings options at various different fishing mortalities were calculated and fishing at Fmsy in 2017 implies a total catch option at Fmsy (=Fmax) of 11,807 tonnes which results in landings of no more than 9,630 tonnes. The only sea-pen species observed in 2017 was Virgularia mirabilis and this was found at 16% of stations ranging from occasional to common, with high densities observed in the south-west of the ground. Trawl marks were noted at 36% of the UWTV stations.

This report provides the results of the fourth underwater television on the ‘Porcupine Bank Nephrops grounds’ ICES assessment area; Functional Unit 16. The survey was multi-disciplinary in nature collecting UWTV, CTD and other ecosystem data. In total 65 UWTV stations were successfully completed in a randomised 6 nautical mile isometric grid covering the full spatial extent of the stock. The mean burrow density observed in 2016, adjusted for edge effect, was 0.13 burrows/m². The final krigged abundance estimate was 958 million burrows with a relative standard error of 4% and an estimated stock area of 7,108km2. The 2016 abundance estimate was 32% higher than in 2014. There was no UWTV survey in 2015 due to vessel breakdown prior to survey. Using the 2016 estimate of abundance and updated stock data implies catch of 3,100 tonnes and landings of 3,100 tonnes in 2017 when MSY approach is applied (assuming that all catch is landed). The three species of sea-pen; Virgularia mirabilis, Funiculina quadrangularis and Pennatula phosphorea, were all observed during the survey. The deepwater sea-pen Kophobelemnon stelliferum was also observed and its presence/absence mapped from the available time-series. Trawl marks were also observed on 30% of the stations surveyed

This report provides the main results and findings of the 13th annual underwater television survey on the ‘Irish sea west Nephrops grounds’ ICES assessment area, Functional Unit 15.

The balanced action of both pre- and postsynaptic organizers regulates the formation of neuromuscular junctions (NMJ). The precise mechanisms that control the regional specialization of acetylcholine receptor (AChR) aggregation, guide ingrowing axons and contribute to correct synaptic patterning are unknown. Synaptic activity is of central importance and to understand synaptogenesis, it is necessary to distinguish between activity-dependent and activity-independent processes. By engineering a mutated fetal AChR subunit, we used homologous recombination to develop a mouse line that expresses AChR with massively reduced open probability during embryonic development. Through histological and immunochemical methods as well as electrophysiological techniques, we observed that endplate anatomy and distribution are severely aberrant and innervation patterns are completely disrupted. Nonetheless, in the absence of activity AChRs form postsynaptic specializations attracting motor axons and permitting generation of multiple nerve/muscle contacts on individual fibers. This process is not restricted to a specialized central zone of the diaphragm and proceeds throughout embryonic development. Phenotypes can be attributed to separate activity-dependent and -independent pathways. The correct patterning of synaptic connections, prevention of multiple contacts and control of nerve growth require AChR-mediated activity. In contrast, myotube survival and acetylcholine-mediated dispersal of AChRs are maintained even in the absence of AChR-mediated activity. Because mouse models in which acetylcholine is entirely absent do not display similar effects, we conclude that acetylcholine binding to the AChR initiates activity-dependent and activity-independent pathways whereby the AChR modulates formation of the NMJ.

OBJECTIVES���To describe the changes in process of care before and after an evidence-based fall reduction quality improvement collaborative in nursing facilities. DESIGN���Natural experiment with non-participating facilities serving as controls. SETTING���Community nursing homes. PARTICIPANTS���Thirty-six participating and 353 non-participating nursing facilities in North Carolina. INTERVENTION���Two in-person learning sessions, monthly teleconferences, and an e-mail discussion list over 9 months. The change package emphasized screening, labeling, and risk-factor reduction. MEASUREMENTS���Compliance was measured using facility self-report and chart abstraction (n = 832) before and after the intervention. Fall rates as measured using the Minimum Data Set (MDS) were compared with those of non-participating facilities as an exploratory outcome. RESULTS���Self-reported compliance with screening, labeling, and risk-factor reduction approached 100%. Chart abstraction revealed only modest improvements in screening (51% to 68%, P

Neonatal mice resist the lethal effect of Waglerin-1. Because Waglerin-1 blocks the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor of mature end-plates, the appearance of lethality may result from the epsilon - for gamma -subunit substitution. In support of this hypothesis, adult knockout (KO) mice lacking the gene coding for the epsilon -subunit resist the lethal effect of Waglerin-1. In contrast, heterozygous litter mates respond to Waglerin-1 like adult wild-type mice. In vitro application of 1 ?M Waglerin-1 inhibited spontaneous miniature end-plate potentials and evoked end-plate potentials of adult wild-type and heterozygous KO mice. Both miniature end-plate potentials and end-plate potentials of neonatal wild-type and adult homozygous KO mice resisted Waglerin-1. Waglerin-1 decreased the end-plate response of adult wild-type mice to iontophoretically applied acetylcholine (ACh) with an IC50 value of 50 nM; 1 ?M Waglerin-1 decreased the ACh response to 4 ? 1% of control for adult heterozygous KO mice. In contrast, 1 ?M Waglerin-1 decreased the ACh response to 73 ? 2% of control for wild-type mice less than 11 days old and had no effect on the ACh response of adult homozygous KO mice. Between 11 and 12 days after birth, the suppressant effect of Waglerin-1 on wild-type end-plate responses to ACh dramatically increased. Waglerin-1 reduced binding of alpha -bungarotoxin to end-plates of adult but not neonatal wild-type mice. These data demonstrate that Waglerin-1 selectively blocks the mouse muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor containing the epsilon -subunit

Peer-reviewed., During July 1992, an acute clinical outbreak of proliferative kidney disease (PKD) was experienced in two strains (‘Irish’ and ‘Norwegian’) of juvenile (age 0+) Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) held at two adjacent freshwater sites on the River Lee in southern Ireland. Various management strategies (including reduced stocking densities, handling, feeding rates and increased oxygenation), and treatment regimes (involving malachite green and fumagillin DCH) were used to control the disease. A total of 1·3 million juveniles died during the PKD outbreak, representing 61·6% and 54·6% of the Norwegian stock at the two farms respectively. The Irish stock appeared to be more resistant to the disease and only 15·6% died. The weekly prevalence of PKD fluctuated throughout the summer but seemed to disappear by mid-August. Although PKD was detected again during 1993, no clinical outbreak occurred. In conjunction with the management strategies adopted in 1992, seven consecutive weekly prophylactic bath treatments with malachite green (1·6 ppm for 40 minutes) administered prior to mid-July appeared to control the disease. During August 1993, a ten day course of fumagillin (6 mg/kg bodyweight per day) reduced the prevalence of the PKD parasite in a trial batch of juveniles from 24% to zero. The results of this study demonstrated the effectiveness of various management strategies and treatment regimes in controlling PKD.

OBJECTIVE--To evaluate the effect of support from a nurse specialising in breast care and a voluntary support organisation on prevalence of psychological morbidity after surgery for breast cancer. DESIGN-- Prospective randomised study. SETTING--Three teaching hospitals in Glasgow with established breast clinics. SUBJECTS--272 women aged less than 70 years undergoing surgery for breast cancer. INTERVENTIONS-- Patients were randomly allocated to receive routine care from ward staff, routine care plus support from breast care nurse, routine care plus support from voluntary organisation, or routine care plus support from nurse and organisation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Prevalence of psychological morbidity as assessed by self rating scales: 28 item general health questionnaire and its subscales, and hospital anxiety and depression scale. Measurements were made at first postoperative clinic visit and at three, six, and 12 months after surgery. RESULTS-- On each self rating scale, psychological morbidity tended to fall over the 12 month period. For each scale, scores were consistently lower in patients offered support from breast care nurse alone compared with the other groups, which were similar to each other. Differences were significant or nearly so: P values were 0.015 (28 item general health questionnaire), 0.027 (anxiety and insomnia), 0.072 (severe depression), 0.053 (somatic symptoms), 0.031 (social dysfunction), 0.093 (hospital anxiety), and 0.003 (hospital depression). CONCLUSION-- Support from breast care nurse can significantly reduce psychological morbidity, as measured by self rating scales, in women undergoing breast cancer surgery.

Copyright © 1986 J.F. McArdle et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Peer-reviewed.

Copyright © 1984 J.F. McArdle. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Peer-reviewed.

Copyright © 1985 J.F. McArdle and C. Dooley-Martyn. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Peer-reviewed.

Background: For people receiving haemodialysis (HD) via a central venous catheter (CVC), a secure dressing is essential to protect the exit site from infection and to stabilise the catheter. A literature review identified the lack of evidence to support the use of any one dressing type in a tropical setting. Renal nurses rely on clinical experience to select the dressing most suitable for the humid conditions in which renal out-patients often live and work. Aim: To determine the percentage of opaque dressings currently used for CVC exit sites that remained intact between dialysis episodes, and to explore whether altered dressing integrity is associated with specific demographic or clinical characteristics. Method: A prospective, observational design was used to audit the CVC exit sites of 34 patients at each dialysis presentation over a four-week period. Information about intactness of dressings in relationship to position and type of catheter and assessment of exit sites was collected. Demographics included age, home town and ethnicity. Results: Of 273 presentations, 107 (39.2%) did not have a fully intact dressing. Non-intact dressings were associated with: position of catheter; presence of sutures; having a wet dressing; and permanent residence greater than 150 kilometres from the dialysis centre. During the four-week audit, five patients developed significant new exit site infections. Conclusion: The high number of non-intact dressings indicates that further review of clinical practices and dressings used in the tropics is warranted. These findings have informed the design for a randomised controlled trial to compare dressing types.

Football is one of the most complex and competitive sports in which to reach elite levels (Haugaasen, Toering, & Jordet, 2014). Differences in sport systems, societal norms, cultural traditions, sociological and organisational issues may influence an athlete’s complex career development journey (Stambulova, 2009; Henriksen et al., 2010; Richardson, Relvas, & Littlewood, 2013). An ecological approach to development views child development within the context of a system of relationships that form his or her environment; therefore, to foster future positive behaviours and change developmental trajectories one must identify and understand direct and indirect influences on development (Bronfenbrenner, 1977; Gabbard & Krebs, 2012). The aim of this thesis was to examine the football governance landscape in the Republic of Ireland in relation to its ability to develop youth footballers, whilst exploring the contextual and lived experiences of these youth players as they developed within their respective talent development environments. This study employed a mixed method approach which involved quantitative and qualitative research data in a collection of studies. Study One, analysed and presented the demographics of those involved in the Football Association of Ireland’s primary talent development mechanism (n=1936), the Emerging Talent Programme (ETP). This study found a significant Relative Age Effect (RAE) and inequity of access to the ETP in relation to place of birth within the cohort. It also identified clear patterns of internal migration, with footballers moving towards the ‘core’ footballing development centre of Ireland (Dublin District Schoolboy League, DDSL). Study Two assessed the talent development practices of all authoritative bodies within Irish youth football with respect to organisational, governance, athletic, psycho-social, cultural and environmental issues. This study identified tensions and incongruence between strategic apex organisations resulting from Governing Body leadership, board composition, political dominance and perceptions of a lack of organisational justice. Structural and resource inequalities were identified in relation to finance, scouting networks, quality of coaching, facilities and player volume. Such incongruence combined with inequalities, led to concerns regarding youth development. Study Three provided a lived experience insight into the talent development pathway encountered by Irish footballers. This study followed five footballers who were on the Republic of Ireland under 15 international team, for a period of four years. This journey provided an insight into the impact that macro factors (identified in Study One and Study Two) had on the experiences of a developing footballer. Overall the thesis has provided an original contribution to the study of talent development in Irish football, providing a holistic analysis of the development pathway, its governance structures and the resulting lived experience of the pathway, utilising a bio-ecological approach.