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Research into land atmosphere interactions supports the sustainable development agenda
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- Garry Hayman, Benjamin Poulter, Sachin D. Ghude, Eleanor Blyth, Vinayak Sinha, Sally Archibald, Kirsti Ashworth, Victoria Barlow, Silvano Fares, Gregor Feig, Tetsuya Hiyama, Jiming Jin, Sirkku Juhola, Meehye Lee, Sebastian Leuzinger, Miguel D. Mahecha, Xianhong Meng, David Odee, Gemma Purser, Hisashi Sato, Pallavi Saxena, Valiyaveetil S. Semeena, Allison Steiner, Xuemei Wang, Stefan Wolff
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- Journal:
- Global Sustainability / Volume 7 / 2024
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 14 February 2024, e12
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Non-technical summary
Greenhouse gas emissions and land use change – from deforestation, forest degradation, and agricultural intensification – are contributing to climate change and biodiversity loss. Important land-based strategies such as planting trees or growing bioenergy crops (with carbon capture and storage) are needed to achieve the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and to enhance biodiversity.
The integrated Land Ecosystems Atmospheric Processes Study (iLEAPS) is an international knowledge-exchange and capacity-building network, specializing in ecosystems and their role in controlling the exchange of water, energy and chemical compounds between the land surface and the atmosphere. We outline priority directions for land–atmosphere interaction research and its contribution to the sustainable development agenda.
Technical summaryGreenhouse-gas emissions from human activities and land use change (from deforestation, forest degradation, and agricultural intensification) are contributing to climate change and biodiversity loss. Afforestation, reforestation, or growing bioenergy crops (with carbon capture and storage) are important land-based strategies to achieve the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and to enhance biodiversity. The effectiveness of these actions depends on terrestrial ecosystems and their role in controlling or moderating the exchange of water, heat, and chemical compounds between the land surface and the atmosphere.
The integrated Land Ecosystems Atmospheric Processes Study (iLEAPS), a global research network of Future Earth, enables the international community to communicate and remain up to date with developments and concepts about terrestrial ecosystems and their role in global water, energy, and biogeochemical cycles. Covering critically important topics such as fire, forestry, wetlands, methane emissions, urban areas, pollution, and climate change, the iLEAPS Global Research Programme sits center stage for some of the most important environmental questions facing humanity. In this paper, we outline the new challenges and opportunities for land–atmosphere interaction research and its role in supporting the broader sustainable development agenda.
Social Media SummaryFuture directions for research into land–atmosphere interactions that supports the sustainable development agenda
Cortical paired associative stimulation shows impaired plasticity of inhibition networks as a function of chronic alcohol use
- Samantha N. Sallie, Saurabh Sonkusare, Alekhya Mandali, Violeta Casero, Hailun Cui, Natalie V. Guzman, Michael Allison, Valerie Voon
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- Journal:
- Psychological Medicine / Volume 54 / Issue 4 / March 2024
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 15 September 2023, pp. 698-709
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Background
Response inhibition − or the ability to withhold a suboptimal response − relies on the efficacy of fronto-striatal networks, and is impaired in neuropsychiatric disorders including addiction. Cortical paired associative stimulation (cPAS) is a form of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) which can strengthen neuronal connections via spike-timing-dependent plasticity mechanisms. Here, we used cPAS targeting the fronto-striatal inhibitory network to modulate performance on a response inhibition measure in chronic alcohol use.
MethodsFifty-five participants (20 patients with a formal alcohol use disorder (AUD) diagnosis (26–74 years, 6[30%] females) and 20 matched healthy controls (HCs) (27–73 years, 6[30%] females) within a larger sample of 35 HCs (23–84 years, 11[31.4%] females) underwent two randomized sessions of cPAS 1-week apart: right inferior frontal cortex stimulation preceding right presupplementary motor area stimulation by either 4 ms (excitation condition) or 100 ms (control condition), and were subsequently administered the Stop Signal Task (SST) in both sessions.
ResultsHCs showed decreased stop signal reaction time in the excitation condition (t(19) = −3.01, p = 0.007, [CIs]:−35.6 to −6.42); this facilitatory effect was not observed for AUD (F(1,31) = 9.57, p = 0.004, CIs: −68.64 to −14.11). Individually, rates of SST improvement were substantially higher for healthy (72%) relative to AUD (13.6%) groups (OR: 2.33, p = 0.006, CIs:−3.34 to −0.55).
ConclusionIn line with previous findings, cPAS improved response inhibition in healthy adults by strengthening the fronto-striatal network through putative long-term potentiation-like plasticity mechanisms. Furthermore, we identified a possible marker of impaired cortical excitability, and, thus, diminished capacity for cPAS-induced neuroplasticity in AUD with direct implications to a disorder-relevant cognitive process.
Clinical diagnosis of Lewy body dementia
- Ajenthan Surendranathan, Joseph P. M. Kane, Allison Bentley, Sally A. H. Barker, John-Paul Taylor, Alan J. Thomas, Louise M. Allan, Richard J. McNally, Peter W. James, Ian G. McKeith, David J. Burn, John T. O'Brien
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- Journal:
- BJPsych Open / Volume 6 / Issue 4 / July 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 16 June 2020, e61
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Background
Lewy body dementia, consisting of both dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD), is considerably under-recognised clinically compared with its frequency in autopsy series.
AimsThis study investigated the clinical diagnostic pathways of patients with Lewy body dementia to assess if difficulties in diagnosis may be contributing to these differences.
MethodWe reviewed the medical notes of 74 people with DLB and 72 with non-DLB dementia matched for age, gender and cognitive performance, together with 38 people with PDD and 35 with Parkinson's disease, matched for age and gender, from two geographically distinct UK regions.
ResultsThe cases of individuals with DLB took longer to reach a final diagnosis (1.2 v. 0.6 years, P = 0.017), underwent more scans (1.7 v. 1.2, P = 0.002) and had more alternative prior diagnoses (0.8 v. 0.4, P = 0.002), than the cases of those with non-DLB dementia. Individuals diagnosed in one region of the UK had significantly more core features (2.1 v. 1.5, P = 0.007) than those in the other region, and were less likely to have dopamine transporter imaging (P < 0.001). For patients with PDD, more than 1.4 years prior to receiving a dementia diagnosis: 46% (12 of 26) had documented impaired activities of daily living because of cognitive impairment, 57% (16 of 28) had cognitive impairment in multiple domains, with 38% (6 of 16) having both, and 39% (9 of 23) already receiving anti-dementia drugs.
ConclusionsOur results show the pathway to diagnosis of DLB is longer and more complex than for non-DLB dementia. There were also marked differences between regions in the thresholds clinicians adopt for diagnosing DLB and also in the use of dopamine transporter imaging. For PDD, a diagnosis of dementia was delayed well beyond symptom onset and even treatment.
Dynamic interpersonal therapy for moderate to severe depression: a pilot randomized controlled and feasibility trial
- Peter Fonagy, Alessandra Lemma, Mary Target, Sally O'Keeffe, Matthew P. Constantinou, Tamara Ventura Wurman, Patrick Luyten, Elizabeth Allison, Anthony Roth, John Cape, Stephen Pilling
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- Journal:
- Psychological Medicine / Volume 50 / Issue 6 / April 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 14 May 2019, pp. 1010-1019
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Background
Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services treat most patients in England who present to primary care with major depression. Psychodynamic psychotherapy is one of the psychotherapies offered. Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT) is a psychodynamic and mentalization-based treatment for depression. 16 sessions are delivered over approximately 5 months. Neither DIT's effectiveness relative to low-intensity treatment (LIT), nor the feasibility of randomizing patients to psychodynamic or cognitive-behavioural treatments (CBT) in an IAPT setting has been demonstrated.
Methods147 patients were randomized in a 3:2:1 ratio to DIT (n = 73), LIT (control intervention; n = 54) or CBT (n = 20) in four IAPT treatment services in a combined superiority and feasibility design. Patients meeting criteria for major depressive disorder were assessed at baseline, mid-treatment (3 months) and post-treatment (6 months) using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD-17), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and other self-rated questionnaire measures. Patients receiving DIT were also followed up 6 months post-completion.
ResultsThe DIT arm showed significantly lower HRSD-17 scores at the 6-month primary end-point compared with LIT (d = 0.70). Significantly more DIT patients (51%) showed clinically significant change on the HRSD-17 compared with LIT (9%). The DIT and CBT arms showed equivalence on most outcomes. Results were similar with the BDI-II. DIT showed benefit across a range of secondary outcomes.
ConclusionsDIT delivered in a primary care setting is superior to LIT and can be appropriately compared with CBT in future RCTs.
Nine - Developing placement capacity in the third sector
- Edited by Avril Bellinger, University of Plymouth, Deirdre Ford
- Foreword by Mark Doel
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- Book:
- Practice Placement in Social Work
- Published by:
- Bristol University Press
- Published online:
- 01 September 2022
- Print publication:
- 13 January 2016, pp 133-148
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Summary
Introduction
This chapter explores the principles that underpin the development of agency capacity to provide high-quality practice learning in third-sector agencies even when there is no qualified social worker on site. It is a reasonable expectation that students of any profession will learn to practise alongside an experienced and skilled practitioner. Indeed, the most recent Practice Educator Professional Standards (PEPS) issued by the UK College of Social Work emphasise the importance of practice educators being qualified and registered social workers. Furthermore, while there is some flexibility for students in their first placements, these standards state that for final placements with an off-site practice educator, ‘the student will work alongside a social worker who must be in a post requiring registration’ (TCSW, 2013: 16). However, in an environment of austerity, the reduction of state functions and the commissioning of statutory services from private and voluntary agencies, this standard may prove aspirational. There is evidence of regional diversity in placement provision (GSCC, 2012), revealing that some programmes are unable to obtain sufficient statutory placements for their students. Increasingly, the mixed economy of care means that many social workers are in posts that do not require registration, even within the state sector. Despite these seismic changes, the illusion persists that statutory placements are the gold standard and always fully available. In contrast, this chapter offers an alternative perspective through the voices of students, supervisors and practice educators to illustrate the quality of third-sector placements.
Partnership working is a key concept in this area of work and can have significant benefits for service users, the course, the students’ developing professional practice and for agencies themselves. We will share our experiences of working with students who have become ambassadors for the programme and, indeed, co-constructors of social work within voluntary, independent and private agencies, which, together, comprise the third sector. We will explore the benefits of taking students for all placement providers, both in the third sector and local authorities, that offer placements and post-qualifying employment (McGregor, 2013). Agency and student perspectives are central to the narrative, providing examples of best practice. Before exploring the underlying principles and our own learning, we set the local context within the current provision of social work placements in the UK.