BU Research Blog

4 August 2017

BU’s Centre for Conflict,Rule of Law and Society’s Sascha Dov Bachmann visited the Centre for Military Studies – Faculty of Military Science at Stellenbosch University, South Africa

international, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer, Public engagement sbachmann

Dr Sascha Dov Bachmann, Associate Professor in International Law (BU) and War Studies (Swedish Defence University – FHS) and Director of BU’s Centre for Conflict,Rule of Law and Society just returned from a research visit as Visiting Researcher to the Centre for Military Studies – Faculty of Military Science at Stellenbosch University .

The Centre for Military Studies (CEMIS) was established in 1990 under the aegis of Stellenbosch University and the SANDF as an integral part of the contractual agreement between Stellenbosch University and the South African National Defence (SANDF) as approved by the US Senate and Board since 1996. CEMIS is housed within the Faculty of Military Science at Saldanha.

Sascha was invited to share the findings of his ongoing work (see BU Research News) on Hybrid Warfare (see Interview in Remote Control Project by Oxford Research Group: Sascha Dov Bachmann) and to work on a Southern African approach to Hybrid Threats/Warfare (such as human trafficking, poaching and terrorism).

The relevance of his work has been recognised in South Africa and was highlighted by his invitation to address the military audience at the The 1st International Conference on Military Law in South Africa, hosted by the South African National Defence Force and the Defence Legal Services Division over the period 31 October to 4 November 2016 in Pretoria.

The overall aim is to strenghten the existing collaborative ties between BU and Stellenbosch University in conjunction with the Swedish Defence University with the further goal of joint research bids, publications and exchange of personnel.

Dr Beukes (CEMIS, US), Dr S Bachmann (BU) and Prof Liebenberg (CEMIS, US)

3 August 2017

BU Researcher publishes chapter in forthcoming book, “Role of the Mediterranean Diet in the Brain and Neurodegenerative Diseases”

Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement, Publishing, Research themes, staff profile pages, writing sdyall

The chapter is called, “Interplay between lipid mediators and the immune system in the promotion of brain repair”, and looks at the interactions of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids with endocannabinoids in neuroinflammation, neurogenesis and brain aging.

The brain is highly enriched in docosahexaenoic (DHA) and arachidonic (ARA) acids, omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), respectively. DHA and other long-chain omega-3 PUFAs are precursors of anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving mediators, whereas ARA is precursor of inflammatory eicosanoids, but also pro-resolving mediators. The endocannabinoid system comprises a group of bioactive lipids, receptors and enzymes involved in their synthesis and degradation. 2-archidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and anandamide (AEA) are the primary agonists of cannabinoid receptors in the brain, substrate for enzymes such as cyclooxygenases, lipoxygenases and cytochrome P450 mixed function oxygenases, which release ARA upon hydrolysis. The aging brain has impaired ability to balance protective and detrimental effects of the immune system and chronic low-grade neuroinflammation is a contributor to cognitive impairment and development of neurodegenerative diseases. There is a complex interplay between omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs, the endocannabinoid system and the immune system. This chapter summarises current evidence of this interplay and discusses the therapeutic potential in the promotion of brain self-repair.

Dr Simon Dyall’s Bioactive Lipids Research Lab conducts research investigating the role of bioactive lipid mediators in brain protection and repair across the lifespan and following neurotrauma.

The book, Role of the Mediterranean Diet in the Brain and Neurodegenerative Disease” is edited by Farooqui T. and Farooqui A., and is due for publication 1^st November 2017 by Academic Press. Paperback ISBN: 9780128119594

https://www.elsevier.com/books/role-of-the-mediterranean-diet-in-the-brain-and-neurodegenerative-diseases/farooqui/978-0-12-811959-4

28 July 2017

U3A Public Lectures – Public Engagement Opportunity

Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement Joanna Pawlik

Public engagement team is currently looking for speakers for U3A Public Lectures day taking place on Monday 11th September at EBC.

The University of the Third Age are a community of retired/ semi retired people who enjoy the reward of learning and take part in regular groups and sessions to expand their skills and life experiences.

They are very enthusiastic audience so be prepared for lots of questions and interesting discussion about your research.

We are looking for talks that fit into the history theme as we’re inviting Boldre Parish Historical Society to join us, but if your research is not directly related we’d still love for you to be involved!

This is a half day event, however we only ask for you to be there for duration of your talk (30-40 minute talk followed by Q&A session)

If this sounds like something you would like to do or know someone who may be interested, please drop us an email – fol@bournemouth.ac.uk

We’re looking forward to hearing from you!

27 July 2017

Final call for Bournemouth Air Show Science Tent participants: Sign up!

Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement, Student Engagement Natt Day

August is almost upon us and that means before you know it the Bournemouth Air Festival will be upon us.

We are still looking for hands-on activities to come join us at the Air Festival as we run their first ever Science Tent with support from the British Science Association and Siemens UK.

We’re looking for interactive and engaging activities or exhibits that:

Have a strong emphasis on science and technology
Highlights some of the exciting research happening at BU
Can join us for at least two consecutive days
And are suitable for the diverse audiences that are going to visit the Air Festival

If you have an activity that fits this criteria– or even an idea for an activity that would fit this criteria and would like advice and support to design and deliver it– then contact Natt (nday@bournemouth.ac.uk) to express your interest.

We are also still recruiting individuals to try their hand at Science Busking for the Air Festival. No previous experience is required as we will be providing full training and busking activities for you. You just have to be a friendly, approachable individual who wants to engage with the public at the Festival. If this sounds like you– again, contact Natt (nday@bournemouth.ac.uk)

25 July 2017

Nuffield Research Placements: “My experience at the Orthopaedic Research Institute”

Coffee Morning, innovation, Knowledge Exchange, PG research, Public engagement, Student Engagement, student research Francesco Ferraro

Hi, my name is Holly Coombs.

I am currently doing a research placement at Bournemouth University as part of the Nuffield programme, which gives people at the end of their first year of A-levels a chance to work with professionals in science based professions.

Alongside PGR Francesco Ferraro, I have been predominantly working on his study on inspiratory muscle training and how by using a device called POWERbreathe is possible to improve inspiratory muscles strength.

I will be at Bournemouth University for four weeks where at the end I am going to write a report that will hopefully be published by the Young Scientist Journal.

My report is going to be on the Timed Up and Go test (TUG). It is going to include information about what the TUG test is, as well as how it can help us to predict falls and measure stability.

My whole aim of this placement is to gain research skills that will help me later in life as I intend to pursue a medical career.

On the 20th July, I got the chance to use two surgical simulators:

The Orthopaedic Research Institute (ORI) contains the Ossim SimK total knee replacement simulator, and the VirtaMed knee arthroscopy. This is the only lab in Europe where the two simulators are together.

Indeed, the ORI produces high-quality research which helps doctors and students to understand and learn more about many fields, including orthopaedic surgery, knee and hip replacements. With the aid of Shayan Bahadori (Orthopaedic Research project manager), I progressed from drilling holes into a piece of woods to trying a full knee replacement. Next, I got to try my hand at a knee arthroscopy which I found very challenging.

From trying these surgical simulators, I have learned that perseverance and resilience are essential. At first, I found that even just drilling holes into a piece of wood using the simulator was incredibly hard. However, as I used and practiced the simulators more, I could feel myself improving and progressing in the fundamental skills required.

This is a valuable experience to have gained as it is essential for all careers, not just medical ones.

In conclusion, continuing my placement, I hope to assist in the carrying out of respiratory muscles tests and I hope that by the end of my internship I will have a greater understanding of what it takes to conduct a research study and also how the data collected can be used and analysed.

24 July 2017

Modern Creative Technologies and Their Applications in VR Based Laparoscopic Surgery Simulation

BRIAN, Festival of Learning, Fusion, innovation, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer, open access, PG research, Public engagement, Publishing, Student Engagement, student research xyang

Kun Qian is a PhD candidate in the National Centre for Computer Animation, Faculty of Media and Communication. He has been working on computer graphics, game, vfx and virtual reality technologies for more than 10 years. He will deliver a talk on his research of surgery simulation at 7pm, 25th July at K103, as part of the BCS Animation and Game Development SG event. The detail can be found at http://www.bcs.org/content/ConWebDoc/58181 . It is free for all the attendees, everybody is welcome. Please register at the link above, because we will bring some refreshment based on the number of registrations.

Abstract: With the development of computer graphic and haptic devices, training surgeons with virtual reality technology has proven to be very effective in surgery simulation. Due to the various unsolved technical issues, the laparoscopic surgery simulation has not been widely used. Such issues include modelling of complex anatomy structure, large soft tissue deformation, frequent surgical tools interactions, and the rendering of complex material under the illumination. A successful laparoscopic surgery simulator should integrate all these required components in a balanced and efficient manner to achieve both visual/haptic quality and a satisfactory refreshing rate. In this talk, we propose an efficient framework integrating a set of specially tailored and designed techniques, ranging from deformation simulation, collision detection, soft tissue dissection and rendering. This framework can be used as a low level engine for surgery simulation by integrating and optimizing modern creative technologies.

Dr. Xiaosong Yang, MBCS

Associate Professor of Computer Animation
National Centre for Computer Animation
Faculty of Media and Communication
Bournemouth University
http://staffprofiles.bournemouth.ac.uk/display/xyang

24 July 2017

Collaborative BU research highlighted in Clin Serv J

international, open access, Public engagement, Publishing, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Clinical Services Journal highlighted our recent research report on Community Hospitals, see article here!. The NIHR research has been conducted by RAND Europe, the European Observatory on Health Systems & Policies, and Bournemouth University [1].

Our report concluded that community hospitals could play a more active role in meeting the challenges facing the NHS, in particular in larger hospitals. The notion of a Community Hospital in the UK is evolving from the traditional model of a local hospital staffed by general practitioners and nurses and serving mainly rural populations. Along with the diversification of models, there is a renewed policy interest in Community Hospitals and their potential to improve integrated care. However, there is a need to better understand the role of different models of Community Hospitals within the wider health economy and an opportunity to learn from experiences of other countries to inform this potential.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMMPH

Reference:

Pitchforth, E., Nolte, E., Corbett, J., Miani., C, Winpenny., E, van Teijlingen, E., Elmore, N,, King, S,, Ball, S,, Miler, J,, Ling, T. (2017) Community hospitals and their services in the NHS: identifying transferable learning from international developments – scoping review, systematic review, country reports and case studies Health Services & Delivery Research 5(19): 1-248.

12 July 2017

Join us for our PPI network meeting

Public engagement mhughes

BU PIER partnership (Public Involvement in Education and Research) have established a network for people across the University and in practice who are involved in coordinating or who are interested in public and patient involvement (PPI) in resesarch. Our next (and 4th) meeting is on Thursday 20th July 10.00 – 11.30 at the Executive Business Centre (EB304). We will be joined by Clare Ballinger (strategic lead for the Wessex Public Involvement Network) and Anya de Longh (service user who has been involved in developnig PPI initiatives) who will be presenting on their work and shring ideas for best practice. If you would like to join us, please send Mel Hughes mhughes@bournemouth.ac.uk a quick email so we know numbers.

9 July 2017

Successful Breastfeeding Debate in 2017 Festival of Learning

Festival of Learning, Public engagement Edwin van Teijlingen

Yesterday, on the first day of BU’s Festival of Learning, we organised a debate on breastfeeding in society. The debate was structured around the motion “This house believes that: Breastfeeding is over-rated and unpopular.”

In favour of the motion argued Dr. Ann Luce from the Faculty of Media and Communication (FMC) and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen from the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH) in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences (FHSS).

Against the motion argued Dr. Catherine Angell (CMMPH) and Ms. Sue Hurst midwife and lactation advisor at St Mary’s Maternity Hospital which is part of Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Before the debate started Prof. Vanora Hundley (CMMPH) asked the audience to vote on the motion. At this first vote the audience overwhelmingly voted against the motion (86%). After the presentations of the four debaters the audience was asked to vote again and this time the against vote had dropped to 71%. Prof. Hundley then opened up the debate to the wider audience and, after an occasionally heated debate, the audience were asked for their final vote. On this final occasion 85% voted against.

There was a general agreement that breastfeeding beneficial for both mother and baby and hence that it was not over-rated. There appeared to be sympathy for the view that breastfeeding was not popular, or at least not as popular as it should be, considering how good it is!

6 July 2017

Why Yawning is Important in Studying Multiple Sclerosis by Dr Simon Thompson

BRIAN, conferences, Fusion, innovation, international, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer, Public engagement, Research themes, staff profile pages Simon Thompson

What is MS?

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic debilitating and progressive condition that affects the fatty tissue sheath surrounding nerves. Loss of the myelin sheath is largely responsible for uncoordinated movements because the nerves cannot transmit signals smoothly across the complex neural circuitry. A common symptom of MS is excessive yawning together with fatigue.

Research study

Following recent completion of a study at the Osborne Centre, West Parley, we found that people with MS had higher cortisol levels when yawning compared with healthy participants.

Previous research at Bournemouth University

This research follows several years of research by the author at Bournemouth University with the first report on the “yawning envelope”, identifying the electrical trace during yawning (Refs. 1-2), and the first report on the association between yawning and cortisol levels following provoked yawning (Refs. 3-6).

Yawning “envelope”

“Contagious” yawning is seen in animals as well humans; it may involve empathy to perceived social cues in humans.

Yawning: (clockwise) Fox, Pig, Human, Hippopotamus

A series of 3 Q and A events with talks about findings was held at the MS Society local branch which facilitated an interesting and lively debate among participants, researchers and staff at the Centre.

Further research planned

We believe that threshold levels of cortisol trigger the yawn response which lowers brain temperature, particularly important in MS where brain temperatures can be elevated considerably following fatigue. A funding bid is in preparation to examine early detection of MS using these findings.

About the author

Simon B N Thompson is Associate Professor, Bournemouth University; and Visiting Professor, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense, France. He has presented to His Excellency Bernard Emié, the French Ambassador at the French Embassy, signalling formation of the Anglo-French International Scientific Council for Research into Multiple Sclerosis.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to all volunteers; Alister Coleman and Nicola Williams for assisting in data collection and analysis; Rod Slip, Group Co-ordinator and Kay Bundy, Fundraising Co-ordinator of the MS Society Osborne Centre for providing free facilities.

References

1. Thompson, S.B.N., 2013. How to catch a yawn: initial observations of a randomised controlled trial. WMC Neurology, 4(8), doi: 10.9754/journal.wmc.2013.004371.
2. Thompson, S.B.N., Frankham, C., & Bishop, P., 2014. The art of capturing a yawn using the science of nerve impulses and cortisol levels in a randomized controlled trial. Thompson Cortisol Hypothesis as a potential predictor of neurological impairment. International Journal of Arts & Sciences, 7(3), 529-543.
3. Thompson, S.B.N., 2011. Born to yawn? Cortisol linked to yawning: a new hypothesis. Medical Hypotheses, 77, 861-862.
4. 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(2), e4, 1-9, doi: 10.2196/ijmr.2241.
5. Thompson, S. B. N., Daly, S., Le Blanche, A., Adibi, M., Belkhiria, C., Driss, T., de Marco, G., 2016. fMRI randomized study of mental and motor task performance and cortisol levels to potentiate cortisol as a new diagnostic biomarker. Journal of Neurology & Neuroscience, 7(2); 92: 1-8.
6. Thompson, S.B.N., 2017. Hypothesis to explain yawning, cortisol rise, brain cooling and motor cortex involvement of involuntary arm movement in neurologically impaired patients. Journal of Neurology & Neuroscience, 8(1); 167: 1-5.

5 July 2017

ADRC at Quality Matters Conference, Poole Lighthouse, 29th June 2017

conferences, Public engagement mobrien

Joanne Holmes from the Ageing and Dementia Research Centre ( ADRC) was invited to present a workshop entitled ‘The Mealtime Experience – what is the impact on an individual’s health and wellbeing?’ at the Partners in Care Quality Matters Conference at Poole Lighthouse. Those attending the workshop represented a range of social care providers and commissioners from across the region. During the workshop participants engaged in lively discussion about the barriers and enablers to good nutritional care for those receiving social care in both the residential setting and home care. Various activities were undertaken including tasting and smelling foods to highlight these barriers. Suggestions were made on how to improve the meal time experience informed by research on nutrition and dementia care, funded by the Burdett Trust for Nursing ( PI Prof Jane Murphy and Co-PI Joanne Holmes) and Joanne’s own PhD studies: An exploration of the factors that affect the extensive meal experience for cognitively active elderly living in residential care.

Both Joanne and Jane were on hand to answer any questions about good nutritional care for the older person throughout the conference and represent the ADRC at this key regional showcase event.

30 June 2017

‘Working Across Boundaries’: National MUPI Match Event

conferences, Funding opportunities, Fusion, Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement, Student Engagement Natt Day

Are you interested in getting involved in a museum and university partnership? Do you want to meet and develop potential collaborators in museums, or other institutions and organisations across the UK? Then why not look at signing up for the final Museum-University Partnership Initiative (MUPI) Match Event in London.

There are many benefits to museums and universities working together, from improving audience understanding to developing more effective collections knowledge or interpretation; from inspiring museum audiences with cutting edge research to developing new exhibits and exhibitions; the opportunities are endless.

However, finding a partner and having the resources to explore how you might work together can be challenging. This final MUPI match event draws upon a tried and tested methodology to bring people together to develop new partnerships. Each session involves museum staff, volunteers, and academics working together to find mutually beneficial ideas that they would like to develop together.

This event focuses specifically on some of the most popular themes from our regional Matches that explore the idea of ‘Working Across Boundaries’ in different ways:

Using new technologies in cultural heritage settings e.g. mapping, 3D modelling, big data, innovative ways to animate and rethink collections
Engaging new audiences – from student placements to non-traditional specialist audiences
Migration, politics, activism

Details:

The Cinema Museum, London

26 July 2017, 11am-4.30pm

Registration link: https://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/national-mupi-sandpit-working-across-boundaries-london-26-july-2017

Open to: postgraduate students, postdoctoral and established researchers from any discipline; all museums which are Accredited, Provisionally Accredited, or Working Towards Accreditation; across England.

Funding:

MUPI Match events provide an opportunity for teams formed at the event to bid for funding (of between £500-£1500) from the MUPI Match fund. A pot of £6000 is available for this event. This ‘thinking funding’ will enable people to do desk research; have conversations; travel and attend site visits/meetings; test ideas; and work together to plan their potential project. This thinking funding provides a critical part of the process, helping people to work out if and how to work together and refine their ideas. Teams will be supported to develop their partnership, and find effective ways to fund their project in the future.

How to get involved:

If you work or volunteer in an ACE Accredited museum, or if you are an academic who is keen to develop new partnerships with museums then a MUPI Match event is just what you are looking for! The event is focused on bringing together museums and academics from across England; it is free to participate in; and interactive. Bring your ideas, your energy, and your expertise and prepare to be challenged and inspired. Who knows this could be the beginning of something very special!

MUPI Match events are delivered through the Museum University Partnership Initiative, funded by Arts Council England’s Museum Resilience Fund and developed in partnership with the Share Academy project and Paddy McNulty Associates.

29 June 2017

Public Engagement Opportunity at Bournemouth Air Festival: get involved!

Knowledge Exchange, Public engagement Natt Day

Do you have exciting research or expertise that you’d like to take out in to the world and share with other people? Or are you keen to get involved with public engagement but have no idea how to get started?

If you answered yes to either of these questions, then we have an opportunity coming up that you cannot miss at Bournemouth Air Festival 2017 as we run our very own Science Tent on the promenade in association with the British Science Association and Siemens UK.

We’re looking for a number of hands-on activities and exhibits to join us on the seafront between the 31st August and 3rd September. We are primarily looking for activities that:

Have a strong emphasis on science and technology
Can join us for a of minimum of 2 consecutive days
Are suitable for the diverse audiences that are going to visit Bournemouth

If you think you have an activity—or even an idea—that fits this criteria please drop an email to nday@bournemouth.ac.uk to express your interest and we will be able to discuss it further. If your activity doesn’t necessarily meet these criteria, then we’d still love to hear from you to see if it could be suitable for this event, or get you involved with another of our forthcoming public engagement activities.

In addition to looking for activities, we are also looking for passionate individuals from all academic disciplines who would like to try a bit of Science Busking! No previous experience is required as we will be providing full training and be supplying you with the busking materials—all we ask is that you’re a friendly, approachable individual who wants to engage with the public at the Festival. If this sounds like you, again drop an email to nday@bournemouth.ac.uk to register your interest.

28 June 2017

Glastonbury 2017. Well, that was pretty awesome!!!

Public engagement elanng

So a few days ago I returned, tired, dirty and covered in glitter, from possibly one of the most awesome experiences of my professional life. With my previous incarnation as a tourism and events research assistant, I thought I was done with the whole working events part of my role and with the few dodgy years of Air Festival weather previously. I wasn’t that sad to see it go when I moved to HSS. What was different this time was that I was not collecting data (well, we did a bit) but we were disseminating our research to an unbelievably wide audience, who not only engaged with our materials but wanted to know more about what we did here at BU.

Let me give you a little context as to how we made our way to the Science Tent in the Green Futures field at Glastonbury Festival 2017. A call was put out just a few months ago asking for ideas to represent Bournemouth University in the Southampton University Science tent. Dr Sally Lee, a research fellow here at the National Centre for Post-Qualifying Social Work and Professional Practice put in an idea to present our Financial Scamming work and was successful. We design most of our materials in house at the centre, producing a wide range of publications, workbooks, and posters, so Sarah Wincewicz and I got to it.

Designing a board game, a card game and Sally worked on an interactive activity using UV lights, we really had something to suit everyone and of different levels of difficulty. I am sure Sally will blog next week about the impact of the experience in relation to financial scamming. What I would like to focus on is the sheer scale of the impact we made by going to an event like Glastonbury.

Over the period of 5 days we must have engaged with over a thousand people of all ages and demographics. What particularly struck me was how much the people we spoke to cared, I mean really cared, about other people.We were in the science tent, which was great, but we were the only team representing the social sciences and I would have loved to be part of a bigger team working in this area because these are the people who will really change the future. I talked with students and young people sure, and was more than a little concerned about how little they knew about protecting themselves, particularly on-line, but I also talked to a host of professional groups, from nurses to police, social workers (of course), carers of all ages, and computer programmers to directors and commissioners.

I would love to be involved in something like this again, although next time I would definitely take Sarah with me as she is by far a more experienced camper and way more social-able than I am, and not quite so high-maintenance! I would also love to get the brilliant work that we do here at BU out there with different groups, people really do care about health and social care, they care about their parents and grandparents and each other, and the future of our country. It is not only a great opportunity to get word out about BU and our research but also address the recruitment and retention issues seen across the health and social care sectors! So if anyone is thinking of engaging in events like this, let us know! We would love to be part of this brave new world!

27 June 2017

Multiple Sclerosis Research in Bournemouth – Dr Simon B N Thompson

BRIAN, BU Challenges, conferences, Fusion, Grants Academy, innovation, international, Public engagement, Research assessment, Research Integritiy, Research themes, staff profile pages Simon Thompson

MS is a chronic debilitating and progressive condition that affects the fatty tissue sheath surrounding nerves. Incomplete innervation due to loss of the myelin sheath is largely responsible for uncoordinated movements. Brain temperature fluctuations are also often seen in people with MS together with fatigue when carrying out mentally or physically demanding tasks. These are commonly associated with excessive yawning yet the cause of fatigue in MS is not well understood.

A recently completed study asked participants to produce saliva into a small tube so that their cortisol levels could be analysed. They were also asked to look at presentations that provoked a yawning response. Results revealed that all of the participants had elevated cortisol levels after yawning and that there was a marked difference in cortisol levels between the healthy participants and those with MS.

Yawning: Pynq Thompson aged 28 days

Thompson Cortisol Hypothesis (Ref.1) proposes threshold levels of cortisol trigger the yawn response which lowers brain temperature. Correlation between brain temperature and cortisol is to be further examined together with comparison between UK and Norwegian participants with MS since the incidence of MS is greater in Scandinavian countries (and Canada and Scotland) possibly due to vitamin D and K reduction with reduced sunlight.

Previous studies have examined electromyograph (EMG) activity during yawning and manipulation of conditions to provoke yawning (Refs. 2,3). Brain regions and cortisol activity has been identified in MS in an international study (Ref. 4); and a new understanding proposed of communication between the motor cortex and brain-stem (Ref.5).

Yawning EMG “envelope” of activity

We have recently completed a trial in Bournemouth that recruited over 80 healthy participants and over 30 people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

A funding bid is being prepared to examine the feasibility of producing the early detection of MS and cortisol-insufficiency syndromes using observed yawning frequency and cortisol levels.

Simon B N Thompson is Associate Professor, Bournemouth University; Visiting Professor, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense, France. Member of International Scientific Council for Research into Multiple Sclerosis following presentation to French Ambassador, His Excellency Bernard Emié, French Embassy.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to all volunteers; Alister Coleman and Nicola Williams for assisting in data collection and analysis; Rod Slip, Group Co-ordinator and Kay Bundy, Fundraising Co-ordinator of the MS Society Osborne Centre for providing free facilities.

Note

The author would welcome interest in collaborating in writing bids for funding international work.

References

1. Thompson, S.B.N., 2011. Born to yawn? Cortisol linked to yawning: a new hypothesis. Medical Hypotheses, 77, 861-862.
2. 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(2), e4, 1-9, doi: 10.2196/ijmr.2241.
3. Thompson, S.B.N., Frankham, C., & Bishop, P., 2014. The art of capturing a yawn using the science of nerve impulses and cortisol levels in a randomized controlled trial. Thompson Cortisol Hypothesis as a potential predictor of neurological impairment. International Journal of Arts & Sciences, 7(3), 529-543.
4. Thompson, S. B. N., Daly, S., Le Blanche, A., Adibi, M., Belkhiria, C., Driss, T., de Marco, G., 2016. fMRI randomized study of mental and motor task performance and cortisol levels to potentiate cortisol as a new diagnostic biomarker. Journal of Neurology & Neuroscience, 7(2); 92: 1-8.
5. Thompson, S.B.N., 2017. Hypothesis to explain yawning, cortisol rise, brain cooling and motor cortex involvement of involuntary arm movement in neurologically impaired patients. Journal of Neurology & Neuroscience, 8(1); 167: 1-5.

21 June 2017

Retreating from coastal areas is not what comes to mind in the hottest week since 1976…

international, Public engagement lesteves

…unless you are Allan Young, who currently is at Bournemouth, after six weeks of travelling across the USA (Hawaii, California, North Carolina and Florida) and Barbados, as part of his Churchill Fellowship on coastal management.

Allan is an urban planner, from Sydney (Australia), currently in the role of Planning Service Leader at EMM Consulting after a long spell as senior manager (Coastal and Natural Resources Policy) for the New South Wales government. The focus of his fellowship research is to identify ways in which implementation of retreat from coastal areas at high risk of erosion or flooding can be more successful. Allan explains that “There is an understandable preference for [coastal] protection in most cases due to the significant behavioural, political and systemic biases at play. Yet we also recognise that, for economic or geo-technical reasons, protection cannot occur everywhere.” He points out that while there are many alternatives (‘products’) on offer for coastal protection, a wide range of retreat options could potentially be effective risk management options, but have not yet been tested – he is trying to understand the reasons.

Allan has learned about my work on managed realignment and coastal management and decided to include BU as one of his destinations to find out more about the approach the UK is taking on coastal retreat. Managed realignment usually involves breaching of embankments or seawalls to create multiple benefits, usually more sustainable flood risk management and creation of intertidal habitats to compensate for habitat loss. I compiled a database of about 145 of such projects in Europe, nearly 60 are in the UK. On 20th June, Allan, Marin Cvitanovic and I visited Medmerry managed realignment site in West Sussex, the largest open coast project in the UK.

The land was purchased by the Environment Agency and is managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. On site, we were greeted by Tim Callaway (RSPB Area Manager) and Stephen Webster (RSPB Site Manager) and Adam Hammerton (Flood and Coastal Risk Management Officer at the Environment Agency). They showed us a 3D printing of the site before and after the breaching and passed on great insights about how the project evolved, stakeholders engagement, changes in perception of local people and the management of the site. Besides the guided field visit, I was also able to collect samples for a pilot study I’m undertaking with colleagues from the Department of Life & Environmental Sciences.

Allan is writing blogs about his visits in LinkedIn – later this week he will post one about his visit to the UK/BU. In the meantime, you can read what he learned in Barbados or the other places.

Interested in finding out more about the Churchill Travel Fellowship? The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust funds UK citizens to investigate inspiring practice in other countries, and return with innovative ideas for the benefit of people across the UK. Deadline for applications this year: 5pm on 19th September 2017.

21 June 2017

Maternal mental health in Nepal ICM presentation

international, PG research, Public engagement, Publishing, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

As promised to our audience at the 31st International Confederation of Midwifery Triennial Congress in Toronto today: the slides used on our session ‘Mental health training for community maternity workers in Nepal. The slides in PDF format can be accessed here: Nepal THET ICM 2017. Our project brought together academics, midwives, nurses, and other health workers in Nepal and the UK to help in the training of Auxiliary Nurse Midwives in Nawalparasi on key aspects of mental health and mental health promotion. The project led by Bournemouth University was funded under the Health Partnership Scheme (HPS) which is managed by a London-based organisation called THET (Tropical Health & Education Trust).

Can I also take the opportunity to list all our collaborators in Nepal and UK:

Padam Simkhada, Bhimsen Devkota, Shyam K. Maharjan, Lokendra Sherchan, Ram Chandra Silwal, Krishna Acharya, Bishnu G.C., Ram K. Maharjan, Bibha Simkhada, Jillian Ireland, Jane Stephens, Colette Fanning, Edwin van Teijlingen, Geeta Sharma, Samridhi Pradhan, Seam MacKay, Ish Fawcett, Andrea Lawrie, Dave Havelock, Liz Murphy, Rose Pringle, Sapana Bista, Chrissy Reeves & Flora Douglas.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health

15 June 2017

BU to present to Members of Qatar Armed Forces and Qatar Embassy

Fusion, Public engagement sbachmann

Dr Sascha Dov Bachmann, Associate Professor in International Law and Extraordinary Associate Professor in War Studies (Swedish Defence University) will speak to Members of Qatar Armed Forces and Qatar Embassy in London about Hybrid Warfare within the GCC context. He will be joined by Brig (rtd) Anthony Paphiti (UK) and Prof Hakan Gunneriusson from the Swedish Defence University. The event will touch upon various fields of interest associated with Hybrid Warfare such as Lawfare, Information Operations and how particular vulnerabilities can be exploited. This activity is taking place as part of the wider project on Hybrid Warfare by Sascha Dov Bachmann in collaboration with colleagues from the UK, NATO, Sweden, South Africa and Qatar.

Category / Public engagement