Search

Summary 1. We investigate long-term (>200 years) changes to the composition and spatial structure of macrophyte communities in a shallow, eutrophic lake (Barton Broad, eastern England) and consider the implications for lake restoration. 2. Historical macrophyte data were assembled from a variety of sources: existing plant databases, museum herbaria, journal articles, old photographs and eyewitness accounts. Additionally, two types of sediment core sample were analysed for plant macro-remains and pollen; bulk basal samples from multiple core sites analysed to provide information on 'pre-disturbance' macrophyte communities and two whole cores analysed to determine historical change. 3. Prior to the late 1800s, macrophyte communities were diverse and included a multilayered mosaic of short-stature submerged taxa and taller submerged and floating-leaved species. With the progression of eutrophication after around 1900, the former community was displaced by the latter. Diversity was maintained, however, since an encroaching Schoenoplectus-nymphaeid swamp generated extensive patches of low-energy habitat affording refugia for several macrophytes otherwise unable to withstand the hydraulic forces associated with open water conditions. When this swamp vegetation disappeared in the 1950s, many of the 'dependent' aquatic macrophytes also declined leaving behind a sparse, species-poor community (as today) resilient to both eutrophication and turbulent open waters. 4. The combination of historical and palaeolimnological data sources offers considerable benefits for reconstructing past changes to the aquatic vegetation of lakes and for setting restoration goals. In this respect, our study suggests that successful restoration might often be better judged by reinstatement of the characteristic structure of plant communities than the fine detail of species lists; when nutrients are low and the structure is right, the right species will follow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of 41 standardised dexamethasone suppression tests (DST) with the Newcastle Scale diagnostic weighting for endogenous depression correlated significantly (P less than .001). Specificity of the DST was found to be 89 per cent, sensitivity 82 per cent and the diagnostic confidence for endogenous depression 94 per cent. This strongly supports the validity of the Newcastle Scale diagnostic weighting for endogenous depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presenter was one of the researchers and co-authors for the 'I'm Still me' report (Redding et al: 2014). This research involved interviews with older people as to what was important to them in their care and support. One of the interesting findings from this work was that almost all respondents expressed their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their care in terms of personal relationships rather than the actual care that was being delivered. It was evident that they valued how professionals and carers treated them and made them feel, almost more than the actual care or services that they were providing. With this in mind, we set up a website and blog (www. littlethingstlc.com) with two main aims. Firstly, to encourage health and social care professionals to think about the 'little things' that often make up the bigger picture of someone's experience of the care and services that we provide. And secondly, to provide a forum for sharing the many positive stories we hear about where staff have gone the extra mile to make sure that the little things really did matter, and for discussion and debate about truly person centred care. Whilst the ever growing demands and workloads for those working within health and social care can make truly person centred care challenging to achieve, it is encouraging that the response to 'LittleThingsTLC' has been overwhelmingly positive with a growing presence online - with the website and on Twitter and Facebook. This poster will describe some of the blogs and debate that it has prompted to date with the aim of encouraging delegates to reflect on their own practice and think about how they could increase their ability to make the little things matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concentrations are reported of hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) and tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBP-A) in water (n = 27), sediment (n = 9), and fish samples (n = 30) from nine English lakes. Seasonal variation in concentrations in water is minimal. Concentrations of TBBP-A range from 148 to 3200 pg L-1 (water), 330 to 3800 pg g-1 dry weight (sediment), and <0.29 to 1.7 ng g-1 lipid weight (fish). Those of ΣHBCDs range between 80 and 270 pg L-1 (water), 880 and 4800 pg g-1 dry weight (sediment), and 14 and 290 ng g-1 lipid weight (fish). Aqueous concentrations of ΣHBCDs and TBBP-A are significantly positively correlated, indicating a common source. Average ±σn "freely-dissolved" phase proportions are 47 ± 4.7% (ΣHBCDs) and 61 ± 2.9% (TBBP-A). Average field-derived bioaccumulation factors are 5900, 1300, 810, and 2100 for α-, β-, γ-, and ΣHBCDs, respectively. Tetrabromocyclododecadienes are detected in all sediments, with pentabromocyclododecenes present in some. This suggests HBCD degrades via sequential loss of HBr. The δ-HBCD meso form was quantified in 43% of fish samples (1.0-11% ΣHBCDs). Its absence from temporally and spatially consistent water and sediment samples suggests it is formed via bioisomerization. While HBCD chiral signatures are racemic in water and sediment, our data reveal enantiomeric enrichment of (-)α-HBCD and (+)γ-HBCD in fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coping plays a key role in psychological adjustment. However, whereas coping in adulthood has been extensively studied, coping in childhood remains relatively sparsely researched. This might be in part due to the fact that measures of coping have yet to be developed that are suitable for use with young children. This article describes the development and preliminary validation of the Profile of Coping Dimensions in Children (PCDC), a new, theory-driven measure of coping suitable for use in middle childhood, designed to assess coping as a multidimensional construct across 11 dimensions linked with well-being. Patterns of coping across age and gender were also examined. Participants were 2,566 children between 7 and 11 years old, attending 15 primary (elementary) schools in the southeast of England. The measure was administered along with other questionnaires designed to measure anxiety, somatization, and perceived stress and happiness. The measure was found to be easy to use, and suitable for use in this age group. Coping response styles assessed using the measure were found to vary by age and gender, and were differentially associated with measures of anxiety, somatization, and perceived stress and happiness. Results provide preliminary support for the utility of the measure as a multidimensional assessment of coping in middle childhood.

Objective: This study sought to ascertain the degree to which psychiatric inpatients and staff approved of various coercive measures commonly used in acute inpatient care., Methods: A cross-sectional design was adopted. The Attitudes to Containment Measures Questionnaire (ACMQ) was completed by 1,361 service users and 1,226 staff (68% nurses) in acute care mental health services from three regions of England. This provided evaluation of 11 coercive measures (for example, seclusion) on six dimensions of approval (for example, whether the coercive measure is seen as being acceptable or safe to use) in a large national sample. Comparisons between groups were tested with independent-samples t tests, chi square analysis, or Spearman correlations., Results: Service users and staff strongly disapproved of net beds and mechanical restraint. The three methods that received the most approval by the service user group were intermittent observation, time out, and PRN (as needed) medication; for the staff group, the three methods that were most approved of were transfer to a psychiatric intensive care unit, PRN medication, and observation. Male staff, older service users, and staff who had been involved in implementing coercion expressed greater approval of coercive measures., Conclusions: There are clear gender differences in how coercive measures that are used in inpatient settings are viewed. Personal involvement in deploying coercive interventions was linked to greater acceptance, suggesting a link between experience and attitudinal changes.