Category / Research themes

Prof. Hundley Associate Editor BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth

Publishing

Congratulations to BU Prof. Vanora Hundley who has been invited to become Associate Editor for BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth.  BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth is an international journal with Open Access and it has a good Impact Factor (currently 2.83) in its field.    More details of BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth can be found at http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpregnancychildbirth/

 

Prof. Hundley joins Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen as Associate Editor, giving Bournemouth University a very good representation on the editorial team.

More about Prof. Hundley: http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/vanora-hundley/16/b40/39b

Value of conference attendance?

October is the month of the annual Alzheimer Europe (www.alzheimer-europe.org) meeting. This year three BUDI team members attended the rather nice setting in Vienna a draw for everyone, although we all had very different agendas and expectations. Alzheimer Europe is one of my personal favourite conferences as I’ve been going for years and it creates the opportunity to meet with new and catch up with a range of international colleagues, and is actually the main reason I go to these kind of events; yes it is good to present the work, and as a team we had two posters and three oral presentations this year, which is not bad for an Institute only in existence for 6 months, but it is the networking aspect that provides inspiration and creates new ideas and new collaborations that motivates me to go to these kind of events.

Patricia McParland is BUDI’s project manager, she has presented at a few dementia conferences in the last 3 years but for this conference her main concern was to ensure her cutting edge work doctoral work, that she is in the final throes of writing up, on public awareness of dementia is getting out there as this is an area of increasing policy concern both in the UK and internationally and many are starting to work in this particular area. As well as presenting a poster on her doctoral work that received positive attention, she presented a paper reporting on one of BUDI’s project about Dementia Friendly Tourism. The concept of Dementia Friendly Tourism has caught the imagination of many we speak to about our dementia work and this proved to be the case again in Vienna. Colleagues from France, Spain and Jersey were particularly interested in this project and keen to explore how these ideas could be applied to their regions; we will see what transpires over the coming months in the way of collaboration but this is a nice example of the added value of going to a conference.

Clare Cutler is a research assistant in BUDI and has just started her PhD exploring experiences of war and dementia, as an Early Career Researcher Clare was thrilled to be attending her first interational conference, and her excitement was contagious! but she was also rather anxious about giving her first presentation on one of BUDI’s projects, GRIID, Gateway to Rural International Innovations in Dementia, on behalf of an international team. She needn’t have worried as she went down a storm; mainly because she said at the beginning that she was nervous, this was her first presentation and then let out a big sigh as she finished. This created a huge amount of goodwill to her personally as well as her giving a presentation on an innovative interational partnership project. We had received the support of Alzheimer Disease International (www.alz.co.uk) to conduct part of this study and the opportunity for further discussion about working together to target rural areas and developing countries is another of the added value benefits that being in Vienna brought for me this year.

I presented a paper on a recently completed evaluation of a telehealth project to diagnose and follow up people with dementia living on the Shetland Isles and Grampian, rural areas of Scotland. The added value of this work relates to the INTERDEM (www.interdem.org) meeting that was held the day before the conference. (This is another example of added value by the way, going to other meetings around a conference.) Interdem is an application/invite only pan European network of highly active psychosocial researchers in the dementia field; as a member I was also able to take my BUDI colleagues in their student roles, a new doctoral and just about to complete doctoral student, to this full day meeting and they found this an amazing experience as many of the ‘names’ of long established dementia academics are part of this group which is always a buzz to meet people you’ve quoted for the first time, who offered real warmth, enthusiasm and support for their work. The Interdem meeting this time round was a mix of presentations (including one from the task force on technology and dementia that I co-lead)  and working groups developing bid ideas, collaborative papers and general brain storming about how to take forward new work in the field. The technology task force has been working on a bid around exergaming and dementia and we used the lunchtime slot to meet to work up our ideas further  (more added value) as well as updating Interdem members about our progress with this bid during the meeting itself. But we also discussed new bid ideas and telehealth, the focus of my Alzheimer Europe paper, was one of the favoured topics; one of our jobs now is to see the details of a long-awaited funding call  (JPND) due out December 2012 and get writing another EU bid.  We also agreed to write a collaborative paper on technology and dementia, but a successful meeting is one that generates new work from my point of view!

My other bit of dissemination work was a poster about ongoing research evaluating dementia care in Maltese hopsital wards. The added value about this relates to the conference venue being in Malta next year and I am sure this has partly influenced the invitation, of the Maltese Dementia Society member who is a long standing collaborator of mine as well as being the local organisor for the 2013 meeting, for me to give a plenary there next year!

So in all, the value of going to conferences for new researchers, is undoubtedly to present their work, to meet esteemed colleagues and the resultant ‘buzz’ this brings, to learn about other research in the field and to start their own networks (a good example of this is Patricia joining a writing team for a methods related paper, more added value!). For me it is a chance to catch up with people and to discuss potential new collaborations. In previous years it has also been about keeping a profile of the work of my team, this year it was about starting to create a profile for a new BU team to an international audience. I am pleased to report that all boxes were ticked this time round!

Are we born to yawn?

Fusion, R & KE Operations, REF Subjects, Research assessment, Research Integritiy, Research themes

Yawning consistently poses a conundrum to neurologists and neuroscientists. Increasingly, evidence is found to link neurological disorders through the commonality of yawning episodes and contagious yawning. Despite discrete incidences (such as parakinesia brachialis oscitans) in brain stem ischaemic stroke patients, there is considerable debate over the reasons for yawning, with the mechanism of yawning still not fully understood. Cortisol is implicated in the stress response and fatigue; repetitive yawning may be the link between neurological disorders and with a strong correlation between yawning and a rise in cortisol levels. Evidence has now been found in support of the Thompson Cortisol Hypothesis that proposes cortisol levels are elevated during yawning [1]. Additional data is in press, and further research is planned with longitudinal consideration to neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis and stroke. Funding for such initiatives is currently being sought.

[1] Thompson, S.B.N., & Bishop, P., 2012. Born to yawn? Understanding yawning as a warning of the rise in cortisol levels: randomized trial. Interactive Journal of Medical Research, 1(5), e4:1-9. Doi: i-www.jmr.org/2012/e4/

Carbon Reduction Event 2012 – Get Involved!

BU has accepted an invitation to be the specialist educational sponsor at a Govtoday-hosted Carbon Reduction event in November. Adrian Newton (ApSci) is the lead academic on this and we have been working closely with Govtoday to gather as much information about the event as possible (i.e. more about the event, who will be attending, how will BU benefit, etc.).  The attached document provides an overview of all the information gathered. You can also visit the event’s website for more detail: http://www.carbon-reduction.co.uk.

We want to ensure we capture all available expertise/research in the field of carbon reduction, so we’re casting a wide net. Could you please get in touch if you would like to get involved? There are several ways you can get involved, to include:

  • Would you like to attend the event on 27 November? This will provide an opportunity to present your research to public sector decision makers. We can send up to four delegates. Please let me know if you’d like to attend.
  • If you do not wish to attend, but would like to see your work featured in the presentation to be given on behalf of BU, then please send relevant PowerPoint slides to me for inclusion.
  • Would you like to provide materials for the exhibition space? If so, please provide details of your research that you would like to feature.

This is a fantastic opportunity for BU to show off our strengths and experience in research and knowledge exchange, particularly CPD and training!

LAST CHANCE – sign up here for the Dementia luncheon!

Research themes

Prof. Anthea Innes, the director of the Bournemouth University Dementia Institute (BUDI), is planning a dementia lunch as part of the BU Research Theme development. The BU Research Themes were launched almost a year ago at the first of the BU-wide Fusion events. The Themes are society-led, encourage cross-School working and collaboration, and will be the main vehicle through which BU research is presented externally in future.

At BU, we are proud of the way in which we demonstrate the fusion of research, education and professional practice, and Bournemouth University Dementia Institute (BUDI) demonstrates the benefits that this collaborative way of thinking can bring to our dementia work in three ways:

  1. By working across schools, it is possible to draw on the strengths of academics with a wide variety of disciplines.
  2. By working with local service providers and engaging with local people, we can strengthen, develop and consolidate links with these key stakeholders.
  3. BUDI will promote the fusion of research, education and practice. Our locally relevant evaluation and research will be combined with international research evidence so that we can develop training courses and other educational activities to inform and shape professional dementia care in the region.

Would you like to get involved in this exciting cross-school initiative? If so, please fill in the form below and we’ll sign you up. The lunch is planned for Wednesday, 28 November at La Piccolo in Lansdowne (http://www.lapiccolaitalia.co.uk/) from 1200-1400. Act fast – this is on a first-come-first-served basis and there are only a few spots left!

    Your Name (required)

    Your Email (required)

    Your School / Professional Service (required)

    Popcorn, ice-cream and a film

    Dear all,

     We would like to invite you to a joint meeting of the Phenomenology Interest Group and the Leisure and Recreation theme for popcorn, ice-cream and a film.

     Date: Wed 31st October, Time: 2.00pm, Place: PG10

    Subject: What it means to live in the world as exemplified by Tao Rospoli’s film Being in the World.  Some challenging ideas presented in a different way.  The film is 77 minutes.  Then there will then be an opportunity for discussion.

    Refreshments: Popcorn/ice-cream will be supplied. Please contact Sean Beer (sbeer@bournemouth.ac.uk ) to book a place.

     What is the film about:   We quickly move beyond the Greeks and then beyond Descartes’ mentalist notion (‘I think therefore I am’) of reality to Martin Heidegger’s conception: reality and meaning exist where minds interact with the world. We see humans at work and at play: juggling, doing high-precision Japanese carpentry, flamenco, and cooking gumbo. While we watch them work and struggle to introspect and talk about their art and their craft, we also hear Hubert Dreyfus and his students reflect on Heidegger and his philosophy. Our artisans confess that they cannot explain in rational terms how they do what they do. The being is in the doing. Interviews and action intertwine to make a challenging philosophy clear to the lay viewer.

     

     

     

     

    How Web 2.0 might revolutionise our research

    Many of you will be familiar with the revolution that the internet is undergoing, with its growth of social networking, web applications, blogs and wikis. What I had not appreciated, until very recently, is what the full implications are for how we go about our research. I am sure that colleagues in DEC and the MediaSchoolare well ahead of the curve on this, but for the rest of us, the penny is perhaps only just beginning to drop. I recently attended a fascinating conference hosted by the European Social Simulation Association in Salzburg. This is a group of researchers united by a common interest in using computer programs to simulate human behaviour, and its implications for human society. This was very much a new arena for me; I was really attending to learn something about the agent-based modelling approaches that are the flavour of the month in these circles. But what most impressed me was the way researchers are now using web technologies to access data to explore in their models. For example, although I’d heard of “crowdsourcing” before, I’d never really seen it in practice, and what it can deliver. I was most impressed by groups using tools such as Twitter, together with mapping applications such as Google maps, to produce highly informative maps showing the movements and wellbeing of large numbers of people. A great example is what the LSE is doing to map happiness – yes, really – http://www.mappiness.org.uk/. Another example, from the University of Leeds, has been using Twitter to map the movements of commuters in and out of the city. What is perhaps most astonishing is that large numbers of people seem keen to participate in these research projects. Potentially useful tools being used by this research community include open source mapping initiatives such as Open Street Map http://www.openstreetmap.org/ and Maptube http://www.maptube.org/, as well as Survey mapper http://www.surveymapper.com/current.aspx. You might find this reference useful if you’re interested in learning more – http://ssc.sagepub.com/content/27/4/524

    Interested in increasing the quality of dementia care and support? Get involved in this exciting cross-school initiative!

    Research themes

    Prof. Anthea Innes, the director of the Bournemouth University Dementia Institute (BUDI), is planning a dementia lunch as part of the BU Research Theme development. The BU Research Themes were launched almost a year ago at the first of the BU-wide Fusion events. The Themes are society-led, encourage cross-School working and collaboration, and will be the main vehicle through which BU research is presented externally in future.

    At BU, we are proud of the way in which we demonstrate the fusion of research, education and professional practice, and Bournemouth University Dementia Institute (BUDI) demonstrates the benefits that this collaborative way of thinking can bring to our dementia work in three ways:

    1. By working across schools, it is possible to draw on the strengths of academics with a wide variety of disciplines.
    2. By working with local service providers and engaging with local people, we can strengthen, develop and consolidate links with these key stakeholders.
    3. BUDI will promote the fusion of research, education and practice. Our locally relevant evaluation and research will be combined with international research evidence so that we can develop training courses and other educational activities to inform and shape professional dementia care in the region.

    Would you like to get involved in this exciting cross-school initiative? If so, please fill in the form below and we’ll sign you up. The lunch is planned for Wednesday, 28 November at La Piccolo in Lansdowne (http://www.lapiccolaitalia.co.uk/) from 1200-1400. Act fast – this is on a first-come-first-served basis and there are only a few spots left!

      Your Name (required)

      Your Email (required)

      Your School / Professional Service (required)

      LEPs given core Government funding

      Local Enterprise Partnerships are to be given core funding by the Government following complaints that the new regional growth bodies are being run “on a shoestring”.  The Business Department and the Department for Communities and Local Government will provide combined funds of up to £24m to allow LEPs “to drive forward their growth priorities”, the Government said.  The announcement follows an inquiry by an all-party group which found that the independence of LEPs, which replaced Regional Development Agencies, was being compromised by a lack of funds.  The organisations are supposed to be voluntary, self-funded partnerships between businesses and local authorities but participants have warned that they have been over-reliant on a small number of core donors, putting their impartiality at risk.

      An interim £5m will be made available immediately for all LEPs to use for the remainder of this financial year, the Government said.  This will be followed by up to £250,000 per LEP per year for the next two years – provided they can source matched funding of equal value.  Business minister Michael Fallon said: “This funding will help LEPs plan for the long term and ensure they can remain locally-led instead of dependent on central government support. We need to ensure LEPs remain voluntary business and civic partnerships so they are in the best possible position to deliver sustainable growth and job creation in their areas.”  John Walker, national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, welcomed the move. “Funding for the LEP is vital if it is to give the local support that small firms need. We have been pushing for basic dedicated funding at this level from the outset.”

      Challenge: Collaborate with fellow researchers across BU…Solution: Join one or more of BU’s Research Themes

      Fusion, Research themes

      The BU Research Themes were launched in December at the first of the BU-wide Fusion events. The Themes are society-led, encourage cross-School working and collaboration, and will be the main vehicle through which BU research is presented externally in future.

      We’re now encouraging staff and postgraduate research students to sign up to one or more of the Themes! This is a great way to get involved in the BU research environment and to meet other academics and students from across the University. Many of the themes are now starting to hold meetings to determine how to move the themes forward and this is your chance to get involved.

      There are eight BU Research Themes:

      • Creative & Digital Economies
      • Culture & Society
      • Entrepreneurship & Economic Growth
      • Environmental Change & Biodiversity
      • Green Economy & Sustainability
      • Health, Wellbeing & Aging
      • Leisure & Recreation
      • Technology & Design

      If you would like to join one or more of the Themes, then complete the form below and I will add you to the list.

        Your Name (required)

        Your Email (required)

        Your School / Professional Service (required)

        Staff or PGR student? (required)

        StaffPGR

        Please select the themes that you are interested in (required)

        New voucher scheme to stimulate SME innovation

        Small UK businesses, from the 24th September 2012 will be able to obtain Government funding to help them develop and grow with the launch of the Innovation Voucher scheme to be managed by the UK’s innovation agency, the Technology Strategy Board (www.innovateuk.org).  The scheme will enable start-up, micro, small and medium-sized businesses to access up to £5,000 worth of advice and expertise from universities, research organisations or other private sector knowledge suppliers.

        What are Innovation Vouchers?

        Innovation Vouchers are designed to encourage businesses to look outside their current network for new knowledge that can help them to grow and develop. Start-ups, small and medium-sized businesses from across the UK can apply for an Innovation Voucher. A grant of up to £5,000 is available to businesses to work with a supplier for the first time and is used to pay for knowledge or technology transfer from that supplier. The voucher has three key criteria:

        • The idea that you want help with should be a challenge for the business which requires specialist help
        • It should be the first time that the firm has worked with the knowledge supplier
        • The idea should be applicable to one of the three priority sectors – agrifood, built environment or space

        Benefits to business

        An Innovation Voucher should stimulate a company to explore bringing new knowledge into the business, enhancing its ability to develop innovative products, processes and services and explore new markets.

        Examples identified include:

        • Ideas for new or improved products, processes and services;
        • Using design to improve ideas;
        • Managing intellectual property

        Innovation Voucher schemes are an ideal way of bringing the University and SMEs together to support activity that can evidence positive impact, provide case material for curricula, and in some circumstances research opportunities. The voucher could also be the forerunner to future bids to the Technology Strategy Board or European competition or grant leading to further shared resource.  The Technology Strategy Board will monitor the scheme’s progress and have indicated that they will consider extending it to other sectors in future.

        Radio coverage of dementia research in Dorset

        Dementia has received a good bit of local coverage on BBC Solent over the last three days. This kicked off with a panel discussion featuring people with dementia talking about their experiences of living with dementia on Saturday ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/p00xrth3 Feature starts 1hr 4minutes into the show)

        On Sunday morning dementia continued as a topic for discussion with the issue of how to make churches dementia friendly (available to listen to at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/p00xrtlx (Feature starts 1hr 44 minutes into the show)).

        Then on Monday morning Bournemouth University Dementia Institute were given the opportunity to talk on the News Hour about the low rate of diagnosis of dementia in Dorset and to highlight key findings from a project focusing on Dementia Friendly Tourism that Anthea Innes and Stephen Page have been leading that is currently being written up for publication. (feature starts 42 minutes into the show
        http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/p00xrtsw).

        The whole notion of ‘Dementia Friendliness’ is one that is catching on in the UK and beyond with Dementia Friendly Communities being supported by the Prime Minister’s Dementia Challenge. The dementia work at BU embraces this concept and is actively applying it not only to the tourism and leisure research mentioned above but in our overall approach to our research and education work.

        BU Centre for Face Processing Disorders featured in the Independent

        Fusion

        Bournemouth University’s new Centre for Face Processing Disorders (supported by HEIF and Fusion funds) was recently featured in an article in the Independent newspaper,  together with quotes from BU’s Dr Sarah Bate.

        Sarah’s work to date has explored the cognitive presentation and treatment of face processing deficits in adults and children with a range of neuropsychological conditions, such as developmental or acquired prosopagnosia (face blindness), autistic spectrum disorder, and Moebius syndrome.  The Face Centre was launched in response to the large amount of media attention generated by Sarah’s research.  After Sarah’s work was featured in The Guardian newspaper and in a BBC1 documentary last year, she has been contacted by over 700 people who believe they have prosopagnosia and would like to participate in her research.  Given that most investigations into prosopagnosia to date have examined relatively small numbers of cases, Sarah now has the unique opportunity to develop large-scale academic and societal impact by having the resources to test this large patient group.

        You can read the full article in the Independent here.

        Follow the events in the Centre on their webpage or via Twitter (@BUfacecentre).

        De Hogeweyk: unique lifestyle housing for people with dementia

        I (Marilyn Cash, HSC) recently had the opportunity to visit De Hogeweyk a nursing home in the Netherlands that provides care to 152 people in the later stages of dementia. Unlike traditional nursing homes, De Hogeweyk is designed as a small self contained village with 23 individual homes, a supermarket, a hair and beauty salon, restaurant, theatre and traditional Dutch ‘brown cafe’. The homes are designed to reflect seven different typical Dutch ‘lifestyles’, identified by Motivaction a social research agency:-
        1. Traditional for residents whose identity came from carrying out a traditional profession
        2. City for “urbanized” residents whose life had been spent in the centre of the city
        3. “Het Gooi” for residents who attach importance to manners, etiquette, and external appearance
        4. Cultural: for residents who appreciate art and fine culture
        5. Christian: for residents for whom practicing their Christian religion is an important part of daily life
        6. Indonesian: a lifestyle for residents with an Indonesian background
        7. Homey: for residents who believe that caring for the family and household is important.

        De Hogeweyk allows residents to experience life as if they were living in the community but from within a safe and secure environment. Residents are able to take part in everyday activities in their homes supported by a team of staff and volunteers. They are able to walk freely through the streets and gardens which are designed to reflect normal life with street signs, streetlights, benches and squares where people can congregate. Being able to move freely around not only contributes to their health but also gives a feeling of ‘being at home’. The feeling of normality is further supported by the fact that none of the staff wear uniforms. The scheme has been designed to integrate with the local community and the facilities are open to anyone, not just to residents and their families.
        A total of 240 staff (equivalent to 170 full-time jobs) work at De Hogeweyk; this includes, nurses, nursing assistants, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, a full-time doctor and a Psychiatrist. They are supported by 120 volunteers, who are mostly retired people living in the local community. Many of the volunteers live alone and appreciate the social interaction that volunteering gives them. Residents are funded through the Dutch national insurance scheme for long-term care
        De Hogeweyk has been criticised for being a deception; but I think that most people reading this would prefer this ‘lifestyle’ to that offered by a traditional nursing home.