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The provision of sustainable housing should factor energy efficiency, the use of sustainable building methods and materials and address the current associated barriers. This consideration triggered an ongoing study in UK which has so far conducted a bibliometric analysis of 275 papers using the VOSviewer software. More papers have been published in the last 5 years compared to the previous 15, and the UK is less engaged in successful collaborations in comparison to other economically developed nations. The lesser use of innovation in the UK has been identified. Also, the uses of sustainable methods and materials in residential housing are not fully exploited for achieving energy efficiency. A future research direction emerging is the potential to study the combined impact of using innovative materials and methods to achieve greater energy efficiency in UK housing provision. Through technological innovations and the need to move from fossil fuels (for example, through the use of heat pumps) a new approach can move the UK closer to achieving net-zero in housing provision and operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent demographic changes in Western countries have resulted in higher rates of partnership dissolution and serial partnering, and an increase in childbearing across multiple partnerships. This has given rise to more complex family dynamics including multi-partner fertility (MPF), defined as having biological children with two or more partners. Yet estimates of MPF in the UK have not previously been available. This paper describes an 'indirect approach' to estimate the prevalence of MPF in the UK, for men and women, given different assumptions. The paper additionally explores differences in MPF according to own and parental educational attainment. Amongst those born in Britain in 1970, 12–14% of men and 15–18% of women experienced MPF by age 42, depending on the assumptions made. For most of the cohort, MPF occurred with two different coresidential partners. We have established that MPF is a common family formation in the UK, but there are large educational disparities in MPF prevalence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The move away from transmission-based lecturing toward a more student-centred active learning approach is well evidenced in STEM higher education. However, the examination of active learning has generally remained confined to formal timetabled contexts, with assumptions made that students independently manage the transition between timetabled and non-timetabled learning. This paper introduces research findings from a mixed methods study that used an ecological approach when investigating student transitions between a formal lecture theatre and adjacent informal breakout space in a UK STEM university. Using quantitative occupancy monitoring data to analyse usage patterns of both spaces, in combination with qualitative ethnographic observations and field interviews, permitted a purposeful exploration of student engagement with transitions within and between the two learning spaces. The ecological approach aided the discovery of spatial, pedagogic and agentic transitions and tensions, which subsequently informed strategic modification of space across the institution to facilitate the adoption of active learning pedagogy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper employs the scientific econometric analysis approach to review 705 academic publications related to Fintech from 2006 to 2021. The historical evolution, latest status and development trend of FinTech research are identified by co-authorship networks, co-citation networks and timeline evolution. CiteSpace software is applied to conduct the literature analysis. The results show that the scientometric analysis based on CiteSpace is a practical approach to review the development of financial technology. The rapidly increasing number of publications confirms the vitality of the FinTech field. China, the USA, the UK, Australia and South Korea are the most productive countries in the FinTech field. In contrast, the UK is the country with the highest degree of inter-country cooperation. The analysis results of citation bursts and timeline evolution on FinTech research provide the trends of FinTech research in discipline categories and keywords. Finally, four frontier research streams of FinTech are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensed and soil sample data are used in two approaches for mapping soil properties in precision agriculture: management zone (MZs) and contour maps. This is the second paper in a two-part series that focuses on contour maps. Detailed and accurate contour maps of soil properties for precision agriculture are often costly to produce because of the large sampling effort required. Such maps or those of sensed ancillary data are often simplified to represent MZs. This research investigated the accuracy of detailed maps of soil properties produced inexpensively from sensed data by transforming them to z-scores. The z-scores of ancillary values are then transformed to values of soil variables using the mean and standard deviation of a small soil data set. The errors from this mapping approach are examined with historic soil data from three field sites with different scales of spatial variation in the United Kingdom. Errors from the conversion of z-scores of sensed data to soil variable ranges are compared with those from MZ averages (Paper I in this series). For soil properties with a moderate relation to ancillary data, the errors related to the z-score conversion were small irrespective of sample size. The root mean squared errors associated with the MZ mean rather than values from the digital map were generally smaller except when sample size was very small. The results suggest that when the scale of variation is small and more samples are required to define MZs, calibrating z-scores of sensed ancillary data may provide better MZ averages than sampling on a grid; it also provides a detailed map of spatial variation within the field. The z-score conversion approach is less sensitive to sample size and captures small features of the variation compared to the standard 100 m grid sampling to determine MZ averages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensed and soil sample data are used in two main approaches for mapping soil properties in precision agriculture: management zones (MZs) and contour maps. This is the first of two papers that explores maps of MZs. Management zones based on variation in sensed data that are related to the more permanent soil properties assume that the zones are multi-purpose. Soil properties are then often sampled on a grid to provide the average values of each property per zone. This paper examines the plausibility of this approach by examining how the number of samples taken on a grid and the application of kriging affect mean soil property values for MZs. The suitability of MZs based on ancillary data for managing several agronomically important properties simultaneously is also considered. These concepts are examined with historic soil data from four field sites in southern UK with different scales of spatial variation. Results showed that when the grid sampling interval is large, there is less difference in the means of properties between MZs, but kriging the soil data increased the differences between zones when the sampling interval was large and sample small. Sensed data are used increasingly to aid the identification of MZs, but these could not be considered multi-purpose at all sites. The MZs produced were most useful for phosphorus (P), pH and volumetric water content (VWC) at the Wallingford site and useful for most properties at the Clays and Y215 sites. For the latter site this was true only when the most dense data were used to calculate MZ averages. The results show that sampling interval for MZ averages should relate to the scale of variation or the size of the MZs at a site. The sampling density could be based on the variogram range of ancillary data. This research suggests that there should be 6–8 samples per zone to obtain accurate averages of soil properties. Nutrient data for more than one year were examined at two sites and showed that patterns remained consistent in the short term unless variable-rate management was used, but also the range of values changed in the short term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large proportion of hospital inpatients are affected by cognitive impairment, posing challenges in the provision of their care in busy, fast-paced acute wards. Signs and symbols, known as visual identifiers, are employed in many U.K. hospitals with the intention of helping healthcare professionals identify and respond to the needs of these patients. Although widely considered useful, these tools are used inconsistently, have not been subject to full evaluation, and attract criticism for acting as a shorthand for a routinized response. In order for visual identifiers to be used effectively in acute care settings, thorough consideration must be given to the ethical and legal issues that are engaged in this context, and their potential benefits and harms must be weighed and balanced. This paper proposes a set of legal and ethical principles that can be used to guide the implementation of visual identifiers. Together, these principles provide a framework applicable in the design and implementation phases to systematically identify relevant considerations arising from the use of these tools. We outline some tensions that arise between principles and conclude that selecting a preferred moral framework could help to guide decision-making, as does clarity around the purpose and objectives of the identifier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An effective and just industrial transition is necessary both to mitigate climate change and protect jobs, and as a precursor to enable other sectors to decarbonise. Activity is at an early stage and examples of successful sector-wide interventions to decarbonise industry do not yet exist. Governments of industrialised countries are beginning to develop policy and provide funding to support deployment of carbon capture and low-carbon hydrogen infrastructures into high-emitting industrial clusters, but options for sites outside of clusters, denoted here as 'dispersed sites', are also required. This paper takes a mixed methods approach to provide the first analysis of the issues facing dispersed industrial sites on their route to decarbonisation and to suggest solutions to the challenges they face. Using the UK as a case study, it first characterises dispersed sites in terms of location, emissions released, sectors involved, and size of companies affected. It then shows how these features mean that simply expanding the geographical scope of the present UK decarbonisation strategy, which focuses on the provision of carbon capture and low-carbon hydrogen, would face a number of challenges and so will need to be broadened to include a wider range of abatement options and other considerations to meet the needs of dispersed sites. While the solutions for each place will be different, these are likely to include some combination of the expansion of shared infrastructure, the development of local zero-carbon hubs, research into a wider range of novel abatement technologies and facilitating local participation in energy planning. The paper concludes with a discussion of remaining knowledge gaps before outlining how its findings might apply to industrial decarbonisation strategies in other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat pumps are a solution for decarbonising home heating in the UK. However, the readiness of UK homes for heat pumps is an area of concern regarding the policies aimed at increasing heat pump adoption. This work combines multiple perspectives in evaluating the technical readiness of homes with the market readiness of installers and homeowners to proceed with installing heat pumps. The effectiveness of past heating and energy efficiency policies in the UK are reviewed, along with building regulations, incentives to promote energy efficiency and the effectiveness of heat pump technology in heating homes. Current policies support the cost of a heat pump but home improvements to make homes 'heat pump-ready' can be necessary to achieve optimal heat pump system performance. This paper suggests the UK will face three major challenges. First, analysis highlights an 'eligibility-readiness gap' describing the difference between homes 'eligible' (50%) for the Government's Boiler Upgrade Scheme—a subsidy for heat pump installations—and the likely level of homes that are heat pump-ready (11%) for successful heat pump installations. Second, semi-structured interviews with heat pump installers identified gaps in capacity to deliver the necessary works to make homes heat pump-ready. As small or medium enterprises, the majority of installers do not currently see adding home improvement services to their existing business model as beneficial. All installers highlighted the need for Government to address the cost of electricity relative to gas. Third, a national survey of homeowners in England with gas boilers (n = 1,021) revealed low awareness of the necessary work to make homes heat pump-ready and low willingness to spend money on them unless supported by Government. This paper shows that the processes and costs involved in making homes heat pump-ready before successful design and installation are underappreciated by homeowners, inadequately served by industry, and insufficiently supported by Government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building upon the concept of mainstreaming social sciences within conservation, we consider their mainstreaming, and so integration, within UK environment policy and practice (EPP) organisations. The paper responds to increasing calls to recognise the essential role of social sciences in addressing global environmental crises across policy, practice and research. An actor-oriented approach was deployed, producing empirical information from a multi-stage, co-designed, collaborative study involving 19 social scientists from a range of EPP organisations, to understand how they experience the mainstreaming of social sciences. The findings contribute to debates about the politics of knowledge in organisational domains other than those focused on research, specifically EPP organisations. Evidence was found of recent positive changes in how social sciences are perceived, resourced and utilised within EPP, as well as examples of positive impact. However, although EPP organisations are recognising the opportunities that social sciences expertise brings, in practice social sciences still face barriers to effective integration. Many of the challenges faced by the social sciences within academic multi-discipline research (e.g., late, narrow, or selective enrolment) were also experienced in EPP organisations, along with some unique challenges. Informed by the findings, the paper proposes a set of integration indicators designed to assess organisational progress toward addressing the observed challenges. It is recommended that these indicators are employed at a strategic level by EPP organisations seeking to better integrate social sciences expertise into their work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper asks whether the separation of mental health from its wider social context during the UK benefits assessment processes is a contributing factor to widely recognised systemic difficulties, including intrinsically damaging effects and relatively ineffective welfare-to-work outcomes. Methods: Drawing on multiple sources of evidence, we ask whether placing mental health—specifically a biomedical conceptualisation of mental illness or condition as a discrete agent—at the core of the benefits eligibility assessment process presents obstacles to (i) accurately understanding a claimant's lived experience of distress (ii) meaningfully establishing the specific ways it affects their capacity for work, and (iii) identifying the multifaceted range of barriers (and related support needs) that a person may have in relation to moving into employment. Results: We suggest that a more holistic assessment of work capacity, a different kind of conversation that considers not only the (fluctuating) effects of psychological distress but also the range of personal, social and economic circumstances that affect a person's capacity to gain and sustain employment, would offer a less distressing and ultimately more productive approach to understanding work capability. Conclusion: Such a shift would reduce the need to focus on a state of medicalised incapacity and open up space in encounters for more a more empowering focus on capacity, capabilities, aspirations, and what types of work are (or might be) possible, given the right kinds of contextualised and personalised support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As countries decarbonise, the competition for land between energy generation, nature conservation and food production will likely increase. To counter this, modelling, and sometimes energy policies, use exclusion zones to restrict energy deployment from land deemed as important to society. This paper applies the spatially-explicit ADVENT-NEV model to Great Britain to determine the cost imposed on the energy system when either environmental or food production exclusion zones are applied. Results show that exclusion zones impose a cost of up to £0.63 billion (B), £19.17 B and £1.33 B for the solar, wind, and bioenergy pathways. These costs give an indication of the value being placed on protecting these areas of land. When multiple exclusions are imposed on bioenergy, the high pathway is infeasible indicating a more flexible approach may be needed to meet net zero ambitions. The model also shows how the value of ecosystem services changes when exclusion zones are applied, highlighting how some exclusions increase non-market costs whereas others decrease them. In several cases exclusion zones are shown to increase social costs, the opposite of their intended use. For these exclusions to be justifiable, the unobserved values missing from the model must be as large as these increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with an insidious onset. The widespread application of omics techniques in AD has attracted considerable attention. We aimed to make a comprehensive analysis of published omics articles on AD in order to determine the research profile and application trends of omics techniques in AD. Methods: This study utilizes bibliometric and visual methods including a map collaboration map, co-citations, and keywords to identify knowledge structures, hot topics, and research trends based on 6,828 publications from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database. Results: The results of this study showed that 5654 institutions from 91 countries published articles in this field. The USA, China, and the UK played a leading role in publishing numerous articles in relevant journals as well as prolific institutions and authors, respectively. This paper collects a large number of literatures on the application of AD omics technology from the WoSCC database and found the omics technology applied to AD is mainly based on genomics technology. The application of transcriptomics technology has shown an increasing trend in recent years, and the application of multi-omics technology will be the general trend in the future. Conclusion: The development status, frontier hotspots, and general trends of omics application technologies are reviewed. This article will provide intelligence support to researchers and institutions in the field of Alzheimer's omics research and applications from a practical perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2016, a design for detecting harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in the Belgian part of the North Sea (BPNS) was developed in the framework of the LifeWatch project using Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) loggers. In 2018, the network of deployments fully matured, and eight locations across the BPNS are presently housed with a C-POD (Chelonia Ltd., UK), a PAM logger moored on the seafloor using a multi-use platform. The PAM logger continuously listens for harbor porpoise click trains, but only stores the click parameters. This paper presents the generated data series of harbor porpoise click trains at a minute-resolution and the details on the individual click trains. The field recordings, methodology and processing are described, along with its data curation, integration and quality control. The data are annually published online in a standardized format, accompanied with the metadata description, and labelled with a digital object identifier for traceability. Data are published under a CC-BY license, allowing the use of data under the condition of providing reference to the original source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Challenging others who post misinformation is a type of social correction that complements algorithm-based approaches. However, participation rates in such social acts remain limited. In this paper, we study design techniques that leverage principles of persuasive system design and communication theories to foster such prosocial behaviour across two distinct cultural contexts: the British and the Arab. A total of 462 participants completed an online survey (250 UK, 212 Arabs). The study compared the two cultural contexts regarding willingness to challenge misinformation and the persuasiveness of seven design techniques to increase that willingness, namely predefined question stickers, thinking face reaction, sentence openers, fact checker badge, social norm messages, tone detector, and private commenting. Moreover, it explores the impact of individuals' characteristics on their perception of the techniques as being more or less persuasive than a standard comment box. The study found that the willingness to challenge misinformation was significantly higher in the Arab context than in the UK context. Moreover, except for the private commenting, all techniques were more impactful in the Arab context than in the UK context. Some techniques, such as predefined question stickers, were more effective in both cultures compared to the standard comment box, while others, like the fact checker badge, were more effective only in the Arab context. However, in the UK, sentence openers had a lower impact. Furthermore, personality traits, age, and perspective-taking showed the potential but also the varying impacts on the persuasiveness of the techniques on users' correction of misinformation across both cultural contexts while pointing to the need for considering both personal and cultural factors in designing social-correction-based solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research shows that, in mental healthcare, empathy and active listening skills play a fundamental role in the therapeutic relationship. Despite this, clinicians receive little training in cultivating these qualities, and there is a dearth of training in therapeutic relationships and relational care in this field more generally. In response to this paucity of training, a new intensive three-day training programme has been developed called Compassionate and Relational Enquiry (CARE). The CARE training programme has recently been delivered to a number of mental health teams in different boroughs of an NHS Trust and has undergone several rounds of redevelopment. This paper outlines the CARE training programme's objectives and mode of delivery, and subsequently presents questionnaire results from recent CARE trainees regarding their experience of the nature and utility of the training. Four main themes emerged from responses to the question of the utility of the training, these were 'A shift towards more person-centred care', 'Strengthens the therapeutic relationship', 'Facilitates more collaborative care with patients and their families' and 'Development of new skills and therapeutic techniques'. The paper concludes by discussing the potential of this training to help forge a substantial shift in the culture of mental health services in a systemic way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK has a long history of providing and managing urban parks. The formal park and garden, developed as a morally improving 'place apart' in the city, can inform people's idea of what a park is. This paper aims to explore the legacy of this conceptualisation of the park through an extensive review of literature and policy documents. This paper examines prevailing discourses by locating them more accurately within its political, economic and social context of the times. The paper also examines why, despite being described as 'treasured assets' by national government today, UK urban parks continue to be undervalued and taken for granted? Why does the lamenting of the fate of UK urban parks sector persist in the twenty-first century? To answer this question, the paper will focus on the formal urban park by applying the analytical framework of place-keeping as a conceptualisation of long-term green space management and stewardship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Brundtland report has significantly influenced and guided sustainable development since its publication. There is abundant literature on how and to what degree the report and its incarnations (e.g. Agenda 21, Millennium Development Goals, Sustainable Development Goals) have been implemented at all spatial and governance scales. However, there is lesser literature on a quantitative determination and evaluation of the sustainability outcomes of implementing the report at a specified spatial–temporal scale. Therefore, this paper seeks to contribute towards remedying this, by determining and evaluating the indicated levels, nature, and dynamics of sustainability of the UK, for the period 2000–2018 from a Brundtland perspective. This is achieved by the application of the Sustainability Dynamics Framework to the results of the Sustainable Society Index. The results indicate that the sustainability of the UK improved from very weak to weak sustainability over the period. This was due to improvements in energy-related indicators which had a significant positive influence and impact upon sustainability outcomes. However, both the indicators of Population Growth and Public Debt were indicated as having a significant negative influence and impact upon the obtained levels and nature of sustainability. Furthermore, the Consumption indicator levels also had a significant detrimental influence upon the other indicators and sustainability over the period. The dynamics of sustainability occurring in the UK indicates the development of a more disturbed cycle of impacts upon the nature of the environment–human system and relationship. Therefore, unless corrective measures are taken through a fundamental transformational shift, then there is the realistic possibility of a systemic crisis occurring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovation intermediaries (IIs) have gained more attention in both industry and academia since they are recognized as crucial actors that can facilitate the innovation process. This paper presents a systemic review of the academic research on IIs and suggests future research directions. We conducted a bibliometric analysis of 556 documents from the Web of Science with Bibliometrix. The results show that IIs have experienced a surge of publications over the past three decades, with the UK and the US leading in productivity and influence. Although research on IIs occurs globally, cross-national collaboration is lacking, especially between authors of developed and developing countries. Our keyword co-occurrence analysis identified three major research clusters represented by innovation performance, knowledge networks, and technology transfer, which are also reflected in different stages of thematic evolution. Furthermore, we conducted a content analysis of the most influential articles across multiple disciplines and different time slices to identify the key discipline interests and provide a comprehensive picture of research themes over the years. We conclude by suggesting four potential avenues for future research. Our work provides an essential overview for understanding this critical field and serves as a valuable resource for policymakers and practitioners interested in IIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become one of the defining challenges of the twenty-first century. Food production and farming are a key if troubling component of that challenge. Livestock production accounts for well over half of annual global consumption of antimicrobials, though the contribution of the sector to drug resistance is less clear. As a result, there is an injunction to act in advance of incontrovertible evidence for change. In this paper we engage with the role of market actors in the precautionary regulation of farming practices and AMR threats. The paper takes the UK poultry sector as exemplary of an audit-led process that has, in recent years, achieved impressive reductions in antimicrobial use. Using qualitative interview data with farmers and veterinarians we chart the changing practices that have accompanied this reduction in treatments. We use this analysis to raise some cautions around audit-led systems of regulation. Audits can lock farms and animals into particular versions of farming and animal health; they can elevate harmful compensatory practices (including disinfectant uses); and they can reproduce an actuarial approach to an issue that does not fit the conventions of risk management. The paper presents the considerable successes that have been achieved over a short period of time in a livestock sector, while generating notes of caution concerning the audit-led management of livestock-related AMR threats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gender wage gap and the gender work gap are sizable, persistent and well documented for many countries. The result of the gender wage and gender work gap combined is an income gap between men and women. A small literature has begun to examine how the tax-benefit system contributes to closing gender income gaps by redistributing between men and women. In this paper, we study the effect of tax-benefit policy on gender differences in income in the EU27 countries and the UK. We use microsimulation models linked to survey data to estimate gender gaps in market income (before taxes and transfers) and disposable income (after taxes and transfers) for each country. We then decompose the difference between the gender gap in market income and the gender gap in disposable income into the relative contribution of taxes and benefits in each country. We also isolate the relative contributions of the gender wage gap and the gender work gap to the overall gap in income between men and women in two of these countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seafood fraud is commonly reported on food fraud databases and deceptive practices are highlighted by numerous studies, with impacts on the economy, health and marine conservation. Food fraud assessments are a widely accepted fraud mitigation and prevention activity undertaken to identify possible points of deception within a supply chain. This study aims to understand the food fraud vulnerability of post-harvest seafood supply chains in the UK and determine if there are differences according to commodity, supply chain node, business size and certification status. The SSAFE food fraud vulnerability assessment tool was used to assess 48 fraud factors relating to opportunities, motivations and controls. The analysis found seafood supply chains to have a medium vulnerability to food fraud, with the highest perceived vulnerability in technical opportunities. Certification status was a stronger determinant of vulnerability than any other factor, particularly in the level of controls, a factor that also indicated a higher perceived level of vulnerability in smaller companies and the food service industry. This paper also reviews historic food fraud trends in the sector to provide additional insights and the analysis indicates that certain areas of the supply chain, including uncertified prawn supply chains, salmon supply chains and food service companies, may be at higher risk of food fraud. This study conducts an in-depth examination of food fraud vulnerability relating to the UK and for seafood supply chains and contributes to a growing body of literature identifying areas of vulnerability and resilience to food related criminality within the global food system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical agency (CA) refers to an individual's feeling of power in relation to social inequalities. Research has demonstrated that high CA is associated with positive adolescent outcomes, however, less is known about what supports are important for its development. Moreover, a large majority of the literature is based on studies from the US and various countries in Africa; although the UK is saturated with inequalities there is little research within a UK context. In this paper we examine (a) the validity of using an existing measure of CA with a sample of UK adolescents and (b) the extent to which resilience supports account for variance in CA. Our analysis identified two distinct factors of CA: justice-oriented and community-oriented. High CA in both factors was explained by resilience supports associated with peer relationships (p < 0.01). Our findings push us towards new relational, ecological ways of understanding adolescent CA. We close by instantiating a translational framework for those devising policies in support of youth resilience and CA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first microbial culture collection was established in 1890, and subsequently, over the course of the twentieth century, the number of culture collections grew substantially. One such collection was the CABI-IMI Genetic Resources Collection, informally initiated at the origins of the Commonwealth Mycological Institute in 1920 and established as a UK National Collection in 1947. Its holdings reflect the activities of CABI in agriculture and the environment. Like many collections, it was originally established as a taxonomic reference resource. Over the years, deposits have included strains isolated from disease outbreaks in major crops from all parts of the world. Recent developments in genome sequencing technology and bioinformatic analysis have opened up the potential to characterise historic strains to shed more insights on their biology and evolution. In this paper we describe how the resources held within the CABI-IMI culture collection have helped track the emergence and divergence of Fusarium xylarioides, the coffee wilt pathogen, with a specific focus on the evolution of pathogenicity. Such studies illustrate the value held within the world's culture collections—their importance in underpinning science and developing our understanding and evolution of plant diseases as well as how the impact of disease can be mitigated in response to climate change, in order to increase yields and feed the world's burgeoning population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficiently allocating scarce healthcare resources requires nuanced understanding of individual and collective interests as well as relative concerns, which may overlap or conflict. This paper is the first to empirically investigate whether and to what extent self-interest (SI), positional concerns (PC) and distributional considerations (DC) simultaneously explain individual decision making related to access to healthcare services. Our investigation is based on a stated choice experiment conducted in two countries with different healthcare systems, the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK). The choice experiment is on allocation of medical treatment waiting times for a hypothetical disease. We carry out the investigation under two different perspectives: (i) in a socially inclusive personal perspective decision makers were asked to choose between waiting time distributions for themselves and (ii) in a social perspective decision makers were asked to make similar choices for a close relative or friend of opposite gender. The results obtained by estimating a variety of advanced choice models indicate that DC, SI and PC, in this order of importance, are significant drivers of choice behaviour in our empirical context. These findings are consistent regardless of the choice perspective and the country where decision makers live. Comparing the results from different choice perspectives, we find that US respondents who chose for their close relative or friend attach significantly larger weight to their close relative's or friend's waiting times as well as to the overall distribution of waiting times than US respondents who chose for themselves. Looking at differences between countries, our results show that UK respondents who made choices for themselves placed significantly larger weight on SI and DC than US respondents, while US respondents, in turn, displayed relatively stronger but not significantly different positional concerns than UK respondents. In addition, we observe that UK respondents who chose for their close relative or friend put a larger weight on DC than their US counterparts. We conclude that the methodological (data collection and analysis) approach allows for disentangling the relative importance of the three motivations and discusses the potential implications of these findings for healthcare decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental illnesses are the leading cause of disease burden among children and young people (CYP) globally. Low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are disproportionately affected. Enhancing mental health literacy (MHL) is one way to combat low levels of help-seeking and effective treatment receipt. We aimed to synthesis evidence about knowledge, beliefs and attitudes of CYP in LMICs about mental illnesses, their treatments and outcomes, evaluating factors that can enhance or impede help-seeking to inform context-specific and developmentally appropriate understandings of MHL. Eight bibliographic databases were searched from inception to July 2020: PsycInfo, EMBASE, Medline (OVID), Scopus, ASSIA (ProQuest), SSCI, SCI (Web of Science) CINAHL PLUS, Social Sciences full text (EBSCO). 58 papers (41 quantitative, 13 qualitative, 4 mixed methods) representing 52 separate studies comprising 36,429 participants with a mean age of 15.3 [10.4–17.4], were appraised and synthesized using narrative synthesis methods. Low levels of recognition and knowledge about mental health problems and illnesses, pervasive levels of stigma and low confidence in professional healthcare services, even when considered a valid treatment option were dominant themes. CYP cited the value of traditional healers and social networks for seeking help. Several important areas were under-researched including the link between specific stigma types and active help-seeking and research is needed to understand more fully the interplay between knowledge, beliefs and attitudes across varied cultural settings. Greater exploration of social networks and the value of collaboration with traditional healers is consistent with promising, yet understudied, areas of community-based MHL interventions combining education and social contact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many surveys ask participants to retrospectively record their location of birth. This paper examines the accuracy of such data in the UK Biobank using a sample of full siblings. Comparison of reported birth locations for siblings with different age gaps allows us to estimate the probabilities of household moves and of misreported birth locations. Our first contribution is to show that there are inaccuracies in retrospective birth location data, showing a sizeable probability of misreporting, with 28% of birth coordinates, 16% of local districts and 6% of counties of birth being incorrectly reported. Our second contribution is to show that such error can lead to substantial attenuation bias when investigating the impacts of location-based exposures, especially when there is little spatial correlation and limited time variation in the exposure variable. Sibling fixed effect models are shown to be particularly vulnerable to the attenuation bias. Our third contribution is to highlight possible solutions to the attenuation bias and sensitivity analyses to the reporting error. Many surveys ask participants to retrospectively record their location of birth. Here, the authors find misreporting in retrospective birth location data in UK Biobank using data from siblings, which can lead to bias in estimates of the impact of location-based exposures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary aim of this paper was to understand expressed emotion (EE) and its relationship to wellbeing in South Asians (SAs) living in the UK. A total of 529 participants of South Asian heritage were recruited from the UK and completed an online survey consisting of the family questionnaire, the level of expressed emotion scale (LEE), warmth measure, the hospital anxiety and depression scale. Components of EE and wellbeing were investigated using network analysis. Overall, the participants were classified as low EE for criticism, but high for emotional overinvolvement. They scored relatively high on the warmth scale. LEE scores were in the middle range. The network analysis revealed unique associations between EE subscales and symptoms of depression and anxiety, and highlighted positive aspects of EE. The network analysis also highlighted differences in EE between parents and partner. The findings provide an overview of the interactions and influence of EE variables within this population. Future research should focus on the differences between SA ethnicities and religions; differentiating between intrusive and non-intrusive involvement may help further explain part of the variance between variables; exploring first and second-generation immigrants would help discover the impact of acculturation and intergenerational trauma on EE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across the globe, governments are developing policies and strategies to reduce carbon emissions to address climate change. Monitoring the impact of governments' carbon reduction policies can significantly enhance our ability to combat climate change and meet emissions reduction targets. One promising area in this regard is the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in carbon reduction policy and strategy monitoring. While researchers have explored applications of AI on data from various sources, including sensors, satellites, and social media, to identify areas for carbon emissions reduction, AI applications in tracking the effect of governments' carbon reduction plans have been limited. This study presents an AI framework based on long short-term memory (LSTM) and statistical process control (SPC) for the monitoring of variations in carbon emissions, using UK annual CO2 emission (per capita) data, covering a period between 1750 and 2021. This paper used LSTM to develop a surrogate model for the UK's carbon emissions characteristics and behaviours. As observed in our experiments, LSTM has better predictive abilities than ARIMA, Exponential Smoothing and feedforward artificial neural networks (ANN) in predicting CO2 emissions on a yearly prediction horizon. Using the deviation of the recorded emission data from the surrogate process, the variations and trends in these behaviours are then analysed using SPC, specifically Shewhart individual/moving range control charts. The result shows several assignable variations between the mid-1990s and 2021, which correlate with some notable UK government commitments to lower carbon emissions within this period. The framework presented in this paper can help identify periods of significant deviations from a country's normal CO2 emissions, which can potentially result from the government's carbon reduction policies or activities that can alter the amount of CO2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thinking about organised crime as an ecosystem is not only novel but also offers much potential to add to the theoretical and policy-based literature in this area. While organised crime is often analysed as relationships between criminal groups and consumers of illicit goods/services, little work has analysed specific forms of organised crime activities as ecosystems where different constituent parts are dependent upon each other for the crime activity to occur. This paper analyses the organisation of sexual exploitation by entrepreneurial organised crime groups selling sex in the United Kingdom. Based upon 30 interviews with 23 law enforcement forces in England and Wales and five interviews with Adult Service Website Operators; it identifies how an ecosystem is built that ensures (a) profit generation and (b) avoidance of legal prosecution. Our analysis not only illustrates how a market 'supply' and 'demand' ecosystem is generated through mutually convenient 'organiser', 'marketer' and 'buyer' relationships, but also how the roles of these actors ensure sexual exploitation continues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective is to provide a nonparametric bootstrap method for functional data that consists of independent realizations of a continuous one-dimensional process. The process is assumed to be nonstationary, with a functional mean and a functional variance, and dependent. The resampling method is based on nonparametric estimates of the model components. Numerical studies were conducted to check the performance of the proposed procedure, by approximating the bias and the standard error of two estimators. A practical application of the proposed approach to pollution data has also been included. Specifically, it is employed to make inference about the annual trend of ground-level ozone concentration at Yarner Wood monitoring station in the United Kingdom. Supplementary material to this paper is provided online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatially misaligned data problem occurs when data at different spatial scales need to be combined. Bayesian hierarchical models such as melding and downscaler approaches are suitable to solve this problem but their application is limited when MCMC is used for inference due to the high computational cost. The use of INLA and SPDE represents an alternative to MCMC for Bayesian inference that enables faster inference for latent Gaussian models. In this paper, we describe how INLA and SPDE can be adapted to fit Bayesian melding and downscaler models to combine spatially misaligned data. We assess the performance of the models using simulated and real data in a range of scenarios and sampling strategies and compare the suitability of the models in each situation. We also show how to obtain fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) predictions in the UK at a continuous surface and at policy-relevant spatial scales by combining spatially misaligned monitoring station data, satellite-derived indicators, road information, and environmental factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evaluation of research to allocate government funding to universities is now common across the globe. The Research Excellence Framework, introduced in the UK in 2014, marked a major change by extending assessment beyond the 'quality' of published research to include its real-world 'impact'. Impact submissions were a key determinant of the £4 billion allocated to universities following the exercise. The case studies supporting claims for impact are therefore a high stakes genre, with writers keen to make the most persuasive argument for their work. In this paper we examine 800 of these 'impact case studies' from disciplines across the academic spectrum to explore the rhetorical presentation of impact. We do this by analysing authors' use of hyperbolic and promotional language to embroider their presentations, discovering substantial hyping with a strong preference for boosting the novelty and certainty of the claims made. Chemistry and physics, the most abstract and theoretical disciplines of our selection, contained the most hyping items with fewer as we move along the hard/pure – soft/applied continuum as the real-world value of work becomes more apparent. We also show that hyping varies with the type of impact, with items targeting technological, economic and cultural areas the most prolific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education institutions are increasingly moving from traditional education approaches to incorporate online and distance learning (ODL) models, and this represents a substantial educational challenge for many educators. One way to support this challenge is by providing appropriate professional development (PD) for the design of ODL. Based on models from the Open University, UK this paper contends that PD for the design of ODL should align learning design frameworks with constructivist and student-focused pedagogies to manage the change to the professional teaching identities of participants that designing ODL represents. Robust professional identities are important for mitigating anxiety, embedding lasting change and leveraging the benefits of ODL for institutions and students. In this study, the rationale, model, and strategies of the Learning Design and Course Creation Workshop, based on current literature and participant feedback gathered immediately after instances of the PD was completed in China, are described. Evidence and examples of impact gathered from a second instrument, gathered after implementation, is also provided, and discussed in this context. The findings and conclusions will be of interest to those tasked with providing PD to support educators faced with rapid educational change, particularly as a response to the global demand for the design of ODL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates whether fidelity was achieved in the self-translation of Friday sermons by imam Mohammed Ewes. Ewes is an Egyptian Muslim imam who immigrated to the United Kingdom in 1996. When writing this paper, he had been preaching at Al-Birr Mosque in London for 25 years. To the best of the authors' knowledge, he is one of the few Muslim imams in the Islamic world to have self-translated and compiled his religious sermons into a single book. This study adopts the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) approach to analyze the data. We extracted the data from Ewes's book Pulpit Sermons in Arabic and English, written in Arabic and self-translated into English by Ewes himself. Specifically, we selected eight sermons randomly from the book. We analyzed the data using Ajunwa's (2015) approach to assessing fidelity in translation. The findings show that fidelity was not achieved in the self-translation because the self-translator did not produce a faithful and accurate translation. Therefore, the self-translation of Ewes's Friday sermons cannot be regarded as a true translation but as a rewritten translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Telework and work from home practices have clear implications for workers' daily behaviors and well-being. This paper explores the differences between workers from home (WFH) and workers away from home (WAFH) time allocations during their workdays, and the instant enjoyment experienced while doing such activities, with a focus on gender differences. We use detailed information from the UK Time Use Survey for the years 2014–2015, which provides us with detailed records of time use along with measures of instantaneous enjoyment. The results show a statistically significant reduction in female and male paid work time associated with WFH, who spend more time than WAFH in unpaid work and leisure activities, but these factors vary between weekdays and weekends. The results also reveal a reduction in men's experienced enjoyment among WFH while doing paid work, and all WFH enjoy their leisure activities less than do WAFH. These results may improve our understanding of how the practice of WFH relates to worker time allocations during the day, to experienced well-being, and to gender differences in time allocation and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For efficient operation, solar power operators often require generation forecasts for multiple sites with varying data availability. Many proposed methods for forecasting solar irradiance / solar power production formulate the problem as a time-series, using current observations to generate forecasts. This necessitates a real-time data stream and enough historical observations at every location for these methods to be deployed. In this paper, we propose the use of Global methods to train generalised models. Using data from 20 locations distributed throughout the UK, we show that it is possible to learn models without access to data for all locations, enabling them to generate forecasts for unseen locations. We show a single Global model trained on multiple locations can produce more consistent and accurate results across locations. Furthermore, by leveraging weather observations and measurements from other locations we show it is possible to create models capable of accurately forecasting irradiance at locations without any real-time data. We apply our approaches to both classical and state-of-the-art Machine Learning methods, including a Transformer architecture. We compare models using satellite imagery or point observations (temperature, pressure, etc.) as weather data. These methods could facilitate planning and optimisation for both newly deployed solar farms and domestic installations from the moment they come online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital technologies have the potential to transform all aspects of firms' operations. The emergence of advanced digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning raises questions about whether and when micro-businesses should adopt these technologies. In this paper we focus on how firms' adoption decisions on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning influence their innovation capabilities. Using survey data for over 6,000 micro-businesses in the UK, we identify two groups of adopters based on the timing of their adoption of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. 'first movers' – early adopters of the new technologies - and 'second movers'- later adopters of the new technology. Probit models are used to investigate the innovation benefits of first and second mover adoption strategies. Our results suggest strong and positive impacts of adopting Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning on micro-businesses' innovation outcomes and innovation processes. We highlight the differential benefits of first mover and second mover strategies and highlight the role of technology characteristics as the differentiating factor. Our results emphasize both the innovation enabling role of digital technologies and the importance of an appropriate strategic approach to adopting advanced digital technologies. Plain English Summary: Despite the powerful functions offered by advanced digital technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, it is unclear whether micro-businesses should adopt these technologies. In addition, micro-businesses are faced with two adoption strategy options: a first mover strategy by becoming an early adopter, or a second mover strategy by becoming a later adopter of the new technologies. Our study suggests that adopting Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning enhances micro-businesses' innovation outcomes and innovation processes, highlighting the benefits of technology adoption on micro-businesses with limited financial and human resources. Interestingly, our study suggests the differential benefits of first mover and second mover strategies based on technology characteristics. The principal implication of this study is that micro-businesses should be encouraged to adopt Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to compensate for their resources and capabilities in the innovation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Designing financial incentives for health behaviour change requires choices across several domains, including value (the size of the incentive), frequency of incentives, and direction (gain or loss). However, the rationale underlying complex incentive design is infrequently reported. Transparent reporting is important if we want to understand and improve the incentive development process. This paper describes a mixed methods approach for designing financial incentives for health behaviour change which involves stakeholders throughout the design process. Subject and methods: The mixed methods approach focuses on incentives for weight loss for men with obesity living in areas with high levels of disadvantage. The approach involves: (a) using an existing framework to identify all domains of a financial incentive scheme for which choices need to be made, deciding what criteria are relevant (such as effectiveness, acceptability and uptake) and making choices on each domain on the basis of the criteria; (b) conducting a survey of target population preferences to inform choices for domains and to design the incentive scheme; and (c) making final decisions at a stakeholder consensus workshop. Results: The approach was implemented and an incentive scheme for weight loss for men living with obesity was developed. Qualitative interview data from men receiving the incentives in a feasibility trial endorses our approach. Conclusion: This paper demonstrates that a mixed methods approach with stakeholder involvement can be used to design financial incentives for health behaviour change such as weight loss. Trial registration number: NCT03040518. Date: 2 February 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite global efforts to improve paediatric clinical trials, significant delays continue in paediatric drug approvals. Collaboration between research networks is needed to address these delays. This paper is a first step to promote interoperability between paediatric networks from different jurisdictions by comparing drivers for, and content of, metrics about clinical trial conduct. Methods: Three paediatric networks, Institute for Advanced Clinical Trials for Children, the Maternal Infant Child and Youth Research Network and conect4children, have each developed metrics to address delays and create efficiencies. We identified the methodology by which each network identified metrics, described the metrics of each network, and mapped consistency to come to consensus about core metrics that networks could share. Results: Metric selection was driven by site quality improvement in one network (11 metrics), by network performance in one network (13 metrics), and by both in one network (five metrics). The domains of metrics were research capacity/capability, site identification/feasibility, trial start-up, and recruitment/enrolment. The network driven by site quality improvement did not have indicators for capacity/capability or identification/feasibility. Fifteen metrics for trial start up and conduct were identified. Metrics related to site approvals were found in all three networks. The themes for metrics can inform the development of 'shared' metrics. Conclusion: We found disparity in drivers, methodology and metrics. Tackling this disparity will result in a unified approach to addressing delays in paediatric drug approvals. Collaborative work to define inter-operable metrics globally is outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused fluctuations in electricity demand, altering people's lifestyles and electricity usage patterns, thereby affecting the accuracy of demand predictions. However, existing studies on electricity forecasting have not adequately considered the incorporation of COVID-19-related features and the analysis of electricity usage characteristics across different regions of the UK. Therefore, this paper, based on data of the UK's national electricity demand, conducts an analysis around the scenario of a large-scale health emergency in society. We explore the changing patterns and regional characteristics of electricity consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic, comparing the forecast results before and during the pandemic to illustrate its impact on the UK's electricity demand. By introducing COVID-19-related features into the models, we compare the forecast results before and after their inclusion. The results indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a certain impact on the electricity prediction in the UK, leading to a 22.8% decrease in prediction accuracy. However, the models' correlation improved with the inclusion of COVID-19-related features, resulting in a 13.2% enhancement in prediction accuracy compared to the previous models. Additionally, the study summarizes other factors influencing electricity demand, such as power imports/exports and clean energy usage, as considerations for electricity distribution planning. This contributes to improving the accuracy of predicting the UK's electricity demand during COVID-19 pandemic, enabling the government to adjust power dispatching plans reasonably based on relevant factors, achieving rational distribution and efficient scheduling of power resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The Posterior Fossa Society, an international multidisciplinary group, hosted its first global meeting designed to share the current state of the evidence across the multidisciplinary elements of pediatric post-operative cerebellar mutism syndrome (pCMS). The agenda included keynote talks from world-leading speakers, compelling abstract presentations and engaging discussions led by members of the PFS special interest groups. Methods: This paper is a synopsis of the first global meeting, a 3-day program held in Liverpool, England, UK, in September 2022. Results: Topics included nosology, patient and family experience, cerebellar modulation of cognition, and cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome. In addition, updates from large-scale studies were shared as well as abstracts across neuroradiology, neurosurgery, diagnosis/scoring, ataxia, and rehabilitation. Conclusions: Based on data-driven evidence and discussions, each special interest group created research priorities to target before the second global meeting, in the spring of 2024. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional Neurological Disorders (FNDs) are characterized by the symptoms experienced by the individuals but also by how they express personal experiences and concerns related to the clinical condition. Access to care programs for functional neurological symptoms appears challenging and may entail circular, self-perpetuating healthcare pathways. Given the challenging and misleading interpretations around FND, in advocating for care pathways beyond medical therapies, we designed a scoping review to map recently suggested practices and interventions. We identified 31 relevant papers published between January 2018 and December 2022. Most of the literature was gathered from the US and UK healthcare experiences, with documented interventions provided by multi-professional teams or stand-alone psychotherapists. We found different care pathways addressing either motor or non-motor manifestations. Persons with Functional Motor Disorder are more likely to be referred to physical therapy first, while Persons suffering from Non-Epileptic Seizures are to mental health services. A narrow focus was given to minor components of multimodal approaches (e.g. social workers, and occupational therapists). High heterogeneity was found between assessment instruments as well, reflecting different perspectives in selecting treatment outcomes (e.g., reduction of non-epileptic events, psychological functioning, motor symptoms). Among healthcare professionals, neurologists and (neuro)psychiatrists are typically engaged in formulating and delivering diagnoses, while treatment is often administered by physiotherapists and/or psychologists. In the context of FNDs, the complex etiopathological nature of the condition, including comorbidities, suggests the recommendation of multidisciplinary treatments adopting a stepped care model progressing from standard to higher level individualized modules may better suit individual complexities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the role of teledermatology (TD) in Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) at various stages of patient care. The study aims to assess the benefits, limitations, and patient experiences surrounding TD integration into MMS practices. We conducted a PubMed search using keywords related to TD and MMS, categorizing selected articles into pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative stages of MMS. TD reduced waiting times (26.10 days for TD compared to 60.57 days for face-to-face [FTF]) and consultation failure rates (6% for TD vs. 17% for FTF) for MMS preoperative consultations. It also shortened time to treatment by two weeks and led to notable travel savings (162.7 min, 144.5 miles, and $60.00 per person). Telepathology facilitated communication and decision-making during MMS, improving accuracy and efficiency, especially in challenging cases requiring collaboration where physical presence of another surgeon or pathologist is not feasible. Telepathology definitively diagnosed benign lesions and malignant tumors in 81.8% of cases (18/22). Additionally, there was a 95% agreement between conventional light microscopy diagnosis and telepathology in tumors (19/20), and 100% agreement for all 20 Mohs frozen section consultations. For post-operative follow-up, telephone follow-up (TFU) and text messaging proved effective, cost-efficient alternatives with high patient satisfaction (94% in New Zealand and 96% in the U.K.) and early complication identification. This study underscores TD's multifaceted benefits in MMS: enhanced patient experience preoperatively, improved communication during surgery, and cost-effective postoperative follow-up. Limitations include the financial expense and technical issues that can arise with TD (connectivity problems, delays in video/audio transmission, etc.). Further studies are needed to explore emerging TD modalities in post-operative patient management. The integration of TD into MMS signifies a progressive step in dermatological care, offering convenient, cost-effective, and better solutions with the potential to enhance patient experiences and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to social protection in old age is crucial and yet contingent upon negotiations between the social structures of the welfare states and the personal networks within which individuals are embedded. International migration, changing family dynamics, and the transformation of care and other welfare policies in the global North make it challenging for older migrants to negotiate social protection. Drawing on 45 semi-structured interviews with first-generation older Turkish migrants in London and 13 semi-structured interviews with professional service providers for the community, the paper aims to investigate the assemblages of formal and informal social protection in the lives of older migrants. Findings indicate the complexity in accessing informal social protection and the navigation of formal care support in the UK for first generation older Turkish migrants and the contingency of access to formal care services on informal support networks for participants. It has been demonstrated that built infrastructure and policies aimed at older adults have great influence on assemblages of care, highlighting the need for more age-friendly and integrated policies to facilitate access to social protection for diverse groups of older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spurred by the rapid modernisation of the sector and the advent of Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), audiovisual (AV) piracy is at epidemic levels, with interventions having limited effect. To date, the dominant themes in interventions have been around personal deterrence (i.e. the threat of legal action) and have not considered other factors that may influence an individual's decision to consume infringing content. In this paper, we consider psychological factors, including perceptions around risk-taking, security behaviours, problematic internet use and personality traits, to gain a comprehensive understanding of factors influencing engagement with IPTV and the potential implications for cyber security. For this purpose, a survey was conducted with 283 participants living in the UK (age range 18–74, male 104), and an integrated structural equation model was constructed. Our findings showed a positive relationship between security behaviours and the perceived risk of viewing IPTV and a negative relationship between the dark personality triad and the perceived risk of viewing IPTV. They suggest that security behaviours fully mediate the relationship between problematic internet use and IPTV risk-taking, indicating a potential new path for anti-piracy interventions with greater efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the relationship between neighbourhood level density of civil society organisations (CSOs), diversity, and deprivation. We compare the UK and Sweden, two countries with different civil society traditions and welfare state regimes. We use data on formal civil society organisations to examine whether diverse neighbourhoods have lower levels of civil society infrastructure. In the UK, contrary to what could be expected from Putnam's assertion that diversity has a negative effect on trust, thus limiting civil society activities at the neighbourhood level, we observe a positive relationship between the density of CSOs and diversity. In Sweden, we find different patterns. First, we observe a negative correlation between CSO density and diversity. Second, we find lower density of formal CSOs in areas with high diversity and high economic disadvantage and higher density in areas characterised by low diversity and high disadvantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has indicated that healthcare support for sexuality after spinal cord injury appears to be neglected or inadequately provided. The perspectives of people living with spinal cord injuries regarding what is lacking and what support they would like to be provided, and why, has yet to be explored. This paper uses critical theory to explore how societal constructs of sexuality and disability shape how sexuality is supported after a spinal cord injury. To do this, we conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 11 people with a spinal cord injury from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. We drew from the works of various critical disability theorists to analyze what discourses underpinned the experiences people with spinal cord injuries had when receiving sexuality support. Analysis suggested that the following discourses were apparent: (1) broken bodies require repair, (2) sex is penetration, ejaculation then reproduction, and (3) sexual autonomy is required. Findings indicated healthcare professionals need to recognize people with spinal cord injuries as sexual beings with a diverse range of desires, lives, relations, and bodies. Provision of individualized comprehensive high-quality sexuality support is therefore warranted. To achieve this, healthcare professionals should aim to be aware of, and mitigate, ableist and normative assumptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire testing enables an individual or an organisation to make a claim about how a material, product, or system will perform in operational use. This paper describes and analyses the various reaction-to-fire tests that have used over the last 100 years in the UK. By analysing the commonalities and differences between these tests we propose a 'taxonomy of testing'. We suggest that tests may be classified by the degree to which users may unthinkingly apply the results—without leading to negative fire safety outcomes. We propose three categories: unrepresentative tests; model tests; and technological proof tests. Unrepresentative tests are those which do not mimic building fire scenarios, but have thresholds so conservative that users need not consider whether the test was applicable to their intended application. Model tests are those based on 'models' of expected fire scenarios—users must therefore be confident that the model is sufficiently similar to their application. Technological proof tests are those which provide a more realistic test of a real building system—users must carefully analyse the similarities between their test and the real building before applying the results. From this we conclude that where user competence is low, policymakers should cite only unrepresentative (and conservative tests) within their guidance. Conversely where user competence is high, policy makers may more safety cite model or technological proof tests. The kinds of tests that may be safely cited in guidance are therefore indelibly linked to the expertise of the user. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a sample of United Kingdom (UK) non-financial firms from 2009 to 2021, this paper examines the operating performance effect of aggressive and moderate use of trade payables and bank credit. The results demonstrate a hierarchical effect of the use of short-term credit on firms operating performance. In particular, the results show that aggressive use of bank credit achieves higher operating performance, followed by moderate use of trade payables and bank credit and then aggressive use of trade payables. We further document that operating performance of firms dealing in differentiated products, lower firm size, firms with higher market power and financially stable firms' increases with aggressive and moderate use of trade payables and bank credit. Overall, the results indicate that firm operating performance is an increasing function of bank credit use and demonstrate the importance of short-term credit policies on firms' operating performance. The results are robust after using a novel approach in addressing the issue of endogeneity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]