STORREThe STORRE digital repository system captures, stores, indexes, preserves, and distributes digital research material.http://dspace.stir.ac.uk:802024-03-26T11:28:33Z2024-03-26T11:28:33ZApplications of behavioural economics to health: three studies in health decision making and behaviourMurphy, Robert Phttp://hdl.handle.net/1893/358632024-03-20T09:31:24Z2023-06-27T00:00:00ZTitle: Applications of behavioural economics to health: three studies in health decision making and behaviour
Author(s): Murphy, Robert P
Abstract: To maximise the health of society within a limited budget, decision makers in public health systems need to decide which health treatments to fund and how best to support engagement by patients with treatments. Current practice is heavily influenced by rational choice theory. In this thesis we apply an alternative behavioural economics perspective to inform decisions on which treatments to fund and how to support engagement with services.
Decisions on which treatments to fund are often informed by the expected gains in patients’ quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). QALYs are derived from objective mortality data weighted by appraisals made by members of the general population of the likely impact on well-being associated with health states (the Q in QALYs). Concerns have been raised about the way in which the quality component of QALYs is calculated, leading to calls for ways to obtain experience informed general population appraisals.
In Chapter 2 we test the effect on general population preferences (N = 155) of being informed of patients’ mean ratings of their health state and whether the direction of an effect depends on people’s prior beliefs of patients’ mean rating of the health states. We find that when the mean ratings given by patients are higher (lower) than expected, participants in the intervention group provide significantly higher (lower) valuations than participants in the control group. In Chapter 3 we examine whether people (N = 1259) selectively underestimate the well-being consequences of moderate anxiety / depression as compared to other dimensions of health, and we test if being informed of actual changes in well-being associated with health states changes appraisals of their relative undesirability. We find that people provided with information on the consequences of health states for life satisfaction or for day affect report a higher preference for avoiding living with moderate anxiety / depression. Both Chapters show that informing people of these summary measures before they appraise health states is a feasible way to obtain experience informed preferences and that experience informed preferences differ to those obtained using the current method.
Non-attendance for hospital appointments is a problem. One way to increase attendance is to improve the accuracy of waiting lists by writing to patients to check if a procedure is still required. However, the did not return (DNR) rate to such letters is substantial. In Chapter 4 we test (N = 2855) whether the DNR rate is reduced by introducing nudges to validation letters. We find that the redesigned validation letter reduced DNRs, by 4.73 percentage points or 19.73%.
Taken together these studies show the importance of applying a behavioural economics perspective to inform decisions on how to maximise the health of society.2023-06-27T00:00:00ZMapping the cellular landscape of Atlantic salmon head kidney by single cell and single nucleus transcriptomicsAndresen, Adriana M.S.Taylor, Richard S.Grimholt, UnniDaniels, Rose RuizSun, JianxuanDobie, RossHenderson, Neil C.Martin, Samuel A.M.Macqueen, Daniel J.Fosse, Johanna H.http://hdl.handle.net/1893/358622024-03-20T01:01:04Z2024-03-01T00:00:00ZTitle: Mapping the cellular landscape of Atlantic salmon head kidney by single cell and single nucleus transcriptomics
Author(s): Andresen, Adriana M.S.; Taylor, Richard S.; Grimholt, Unni; Daniels, Rose Ruiz; Sun, Jianxuan; Dobie, Ross; Henderson, Neil C.; Martin, Samuel A.M.; Macqueen, Daniel J.; Fosse, Johanna H.
Abstract: Single-cell transcriptomics is the current gold standard for global gene expression profiling, not only in mammals and model species, but also in non-model fish species. This is a rapidly expanding field, creating a deeper understanding of tissue heterogeneity and the distinct functions of individual cells, making it possible to explore the complexities of immunology and gene expression on a highly resolved level. In this study, we compared two single cell transcriptomic approaches to investigate cellular heterogeneity within the head kidney of healthy farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). We compared 14,149 cell transcriptomes assayed by single cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) with 18,067 nuclei transcriptomes captured by single nucleus RNA-Seq (snRNA-seq). Both approaches detected eight major cell populations in common: granulocytes, heamatopoietic stem cells, erythrocytes, mononuclear phagocytes, thrombocytes, B cells, NK-like cells, and T cells. Four additional cell types, endothelial, epithelial, interrenal, and mesenchymal cells, were detected in the snRNA-seq dataset, but appeared to be lost during preparation of the single cell suspension submitted for scRNA-seq library generation. We identified additional heterogeneity and subpopulations within the B cells, T cells, and endothelial cells, and revealed developmental trajectories of heamatopoietic stem cells into differentiated granulocyte and mononuclear phagocyte populations. Gene expression profiles of B cell subtypes revealed distinct IgM and IgT-skewed resting B cell lineages and provided insights into the regulation of B cell lymphopoiesis. The analysis revealed eleven T cell sub-populations, displaying a level of T cell heterogeneity in salmon head kidney comparable to that observed in mammals, including distinct subsets of cd4/cd8-negative T cells, such as tcrγ positive, progenitor-like, and cytotoxic cells. Although snRNA-seq and scRNA-seq were both useful to resolve cell type-specific expression in the Atlantic salmon head kidney, the snRNA-seq pipeline was overall more robust in identifying several cell types and subpopulations. While scRNA-seq displayed higher levels of ribosomal and mitochondrial genes, snRNA-seq captured more transcription factor genes. However, only scRNA-seq-generated data was useful for cell trajectory inference within the myeloid lineage. In conclusion, this study systematically outlines the relative merits of scRNA-seq and snRNA-seq in Atlantic salmon, enhances understanding of teleost immune cell lineages, and provides a comprehensive list of markers for identifying major cell populations in the head kidney with significant immune relevance.2024-03-01T00:00:00ZScience Denial, Cognitive Command and the Theory-Ladenness of Observation: A Postscript for a Time of ‘Post-Truth’Wright, Crispinhttp://hdl.handle.net/1893/358612024-03-20T01:00:20Z2024-01-22T00:00:00ZTitle: Science Denial, Cognitive Command and the Theory-Ladenness of Observation: A Postscript for a Time of ‘Post-Truth’
Author(s): Wright, Crispin
Abstract: One worrying aspect of contemporary Western Society is the increasing prevalence of instances of ‘Science Denial’ in popular culture. Examples include both cases where well-attested scientific hypotheses are rejected and conversely, where scientifically discredited ideas are stubbornly retained. The paper raises the question whether the kind of argument for an anti-realist conception of empirical scientific theory considered in my contribution to the inaugural issue of this journal could in principle provide intellectual succour for these trends. The discussion proceeds through an examination of the role of ‘takings for granted’ in all reflective enquiry to the conclusion that a trusting acceptance of the general credibility of informants is a precondition for the exercise of individual epistemic responsibility, and that in that context an acceptance of at least the empirical adequacy, if not the truth, realistically understood, of the teachings of scientists in general is rationally non-optional.2024-01-22T00:00:00ZTranscriptomic landscape of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) skinSveen, Lene RRobinson, NicholasKrasnov, AlekseiDaniels, Rose RuizVaadal, MarianneKarlsen, ChristianYtteborg, ElisabethRobledo, DiegoSalisbury, SarahDagnachew, BinyamLazado, Carlo CTengs, Torsteinhttp://hdl.handle.net/1893/358602024-03-18T01:02:07Z2023-11-01T00:00:00ZTitle: Transcriptomic landscape of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) skin
Author(s): Sveen, Lene R; Robinson, Nicholas; Krasnov, Aleksei; Daniels, Rose Ruiz; Vaadal, Marianne; Karlsen, Christian; Ytteborg, Elisabeth; Robledo, Diego; Salisbury, Sarah; Dagnachew, Binyam; Lazado, Carlo C; Tengs, Torstein
Abstract: In this study, we present the first spatial transcriptomic atlas of Atlantic salmon skin using the Visium Spatial Gene Expression protocol. We utilized frozen skin tissue from 4 distinct sites, namely the operculum, pectoral and caudal fins, and scaly skin at the flank of the fish close to the lateral line, obtained from 2 Atlantic salmon (150 g). High-quality frozen tissue sections were obtained by embedding tissue in optimal cutting temperature media prior to freezing and sectioning. Further, we generated libraries and spatial transcriptomic maps, achieving a minimum of 80 million reads per sample with mapping efficiencies ranging from 79.3 to 89.4%. Our analysis revealed the detection of over 80,000 transcripts and nearly 30,000 genes in each sample. Among the tissue types observed in the skin, the epithelial tissues exhibited the highest number of transcripts (unique molecular identifier counts), followed by muscle tissue, loose and fibrous connective tissue, and bone. Notably, the widest nodes in the transcriptome network were shared among the epithelial clusters, while dermal tissues showed less consistency, which is likely attributable to the presence of multiple cell types at different body locations. Additionally, we identified collagen type 1 as the most prominent gene family in the skin, while keratins were found to be abundant in the epithelial tissue. Furthermore, we successfully identified gene markers specific to epithelial tissue, bone, and mesenchyme. To validate their expression patterns, we conducted a meta-analysis of the microarray database, which confirmed high expression levels of these markers in mucosal organs, skin, gills, and the olfactory rosette.2023-11-01T00:00:00Z