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Background: Evidence suggests that risk factors for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) are at least partially modifiable, and that lifestyle risk accumulates as we age. However, the prevalence and impact of lifestyle-related risk factors in young adulthood (i.e., 18–39 years) remain poorly understood, with some risk factors that are developed in early adulthood being difficult to remove and reverse at midlife. The Next Generation (NextGen) Brain Health Survey is the first of its kind to be designed specifically for young adults, with the aim of exploring attitudes, understanding and exposure to ADRD risk and protective factors in this life stage. Methods: The NextGen survey is an international, cross-sectional survey of young adults aged 18–39 years. The survey was developed in three phases with ongoing input from public advisors (i.e., young adults from Europe, North America, and Africa). First, we adapted items from existing literature for the target population. Second, we conducted focus groups with young adults to review the items and explore new themes. Third, we piloted the survey in an international network, including brain health researchers, clinicians, and advocacy groups. Feedback was integrated to create the finalized survey. Discussion: The NextGen survey is conducted online and made available to individuals aged 18–39 years internationally. Results will contribute new knowledge about young adults and ADRD risk exposure before mid-life, including much-needed evidence in populations that are traditionally under-represented in research. Findings will help identify mediators and modifiers of associations between knowledge, attitudes, and risk exposure, and provide the basis for comparison with middle-aged and older populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although highway runoff has historically been extensively studied, the increasing complexity of stormwater management means that there are still significant gaps regarding the reduction of soluble metals. The work reported in this paper addresses these challenges by analysing the presence and behaviour of iron, copper and zinc in runoff from junction 24 of the M1 motorway in the UK (peak traffic flow: 30,000 vehicles per hour) and comparing it with other urban sources of metals found in the same catchment (a local brook and sewage treatment works). The sampling site included an interceptor and a treatment lagoon and the event monitoring indicated a trend by which the metals did not change their concentration or particulate soluble proportion immediately, hence showing that pre- and post-storm conditions are important factors when analysing the solubility of metals and their behaviour. The data provided further evidence of the important influence of storm characteristics on metal concentrations in highway runoff, in particular the effects of an antecedent dry weather period (ADWP). In addition, this study also helped us to better understand how the release of sodium the application of de-icer for road maintenance in winter affects the availability of zinc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Too many ex-offenders are condemned to a life of unemployment, under-employment and benefit-dependency with significant ongoing costs to themselves, the economy and to wider society. To address this growing and intransigent problem, recent public policy innovations have led to the re-emergence of collaborative instruments such as social procurement which require companies tendering for construction and infrastructure contracts to train and employ ex-offenders on their projects. To comply, construction firms need to form new collaborate arrangements with organizations from the social and government sectors, yet little is known about how these new cross-sector collaborations work, what barriers to collaboration exist and how to overcome them. Mobilising theories of cross-sector collaboration, this exploratory case study research draws on findings from interviews, observations and documentary analysis of eleven collaborative pilot projects in the UK designed to explore new employment pathways for ex-offenders into construction. The findings reveal numerous barriers to cross-sector collaboration including little experience of cross-sector working; challenges working across different organizational logics; transaction costs associated with new organizational practices; and misaligned incentives. It is concluded that new forms of social project management, intrapreneurship and relational competencies need to be developed to enable these new collaborative arrangements to work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adapting to climate change in the water sector requires abandoning two crucial assumptions. First, that the climate represented in the instrumental record is representative of the future. Instead, future water resource planning cannot be based on old measurements (or sequences derived from attaching change factors to instrumental data) and it should be recognized that stationarity is no longer viable, and, second, that climate modelling can be expected to give precise and certain predictions of the future. Instead, probabilistic projections of the future that take into account the full range of uncertainty should form the basis of robust climate change adaptation plans. As a response to the first assumption, it is suggested that stochastic weather generators represent a particularly useful approach to understanding the impacts of future climate change on water resources at a catchment scale, particularly given the recent release of 'science-hidden' tools such as the UKCP09 weather generator. With regards to the second assumption, it is suggested that modelling activity should identify the range of plausible futures to develop probabilities of risk, using those robust decision-making techniques which can gauge the performance of potential adaptation strategies. The best practice for delivering a replicable and practical hydroclimatological impact assessment for UK water resources at a catchment scale is identified, and an hypothetical example is outlined. It is suggested that although augmenting the resilience of water resources to climate change on a catchment scale is dependent on using the correct modelling tools, the robustness of the method with which that information is used to make adaptation decisions is equally as important. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this article is upon compassionate killings, that is, criminal cases where a parent/spouse has killed or assisted to die a child/spouse who was suffering from severe disabilities, debilitating injury, chronic or terminal illness. We argue that the partial defence of diminished responsibility, while appropriate for some cases, fails to acknowledge the compassionate and relational nature of these acts and thus fails to identify the quality of the harm committed. We also argue that the general defences of duress of circumstances and necessity, even if they were to be become available, are inappropriate. Developing the concept of 'compassion', which is a consideration in relation to prosecution for assisted suicide, we argue for the introduction of a partial defence of 'compassionate killing' which would reduce the offence from murder to manslaughter in recognition of the killing as a responsive, relational act of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimization of organic matter (OM) removal is of key importance for effective water treatment, as its presence affects treatment processes. In particular, OM increases the operational cost of treatment caused by increased coagulant and disinfectant demands. In the work reported here, fluorescence spectroscopy is used to assess the effect of changing coagulation pH on OM removal, character, and composition. The results of a 3-month trial of low pH coagulation operation at a major surface water treatment works in the Midlands region of the UK are discussed, together with the effect upon total organic carbon (TOC) removal. OM removal was assessed on the basis of both measured removal and fluorescence-inferred removal (through intensity-reduction measurements). Fluorescence spectroscopy demonstrated that optimized coagulation affects the quantitative and qualitative OM properties. Fluorescence analyses were shown to complement other OM measurements, with reductions of peak intensities correlating well with removal of TOC in a range of different treatment conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring the fitness for purpose of the UK's utility networks is vital to both the country and the network owners. Replacing these networks would cost many hundreds if not thousands of billions of pounds. As these assets age, high levels of investment are now required to maintain a satisfactory performance level. For example, the annual investment needed for the UK's electricity distribution network is over £1 billion. Hence, efficiently managing these assets is extremely important and 'asset management' is the core of the infrastructure companies' businesses. This paper reviews what is meant by the term 'asset management' and why it has risen in importance over the last few decades. The current position of asset management modelling is then described before the likely key future developments are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a court case involving Sue Axon, a mother who sought declaration that the new guidance of the British Department of Health on the provision of advice and treatment to young people on sexual health issues was unlawful. According to Axon, mothers were better placed than healthcare professionals to provide young people with guidance and support on matters of sexual health. According to the author, the youth can seek advice, information and support from healthcare professionals without the knowledge of their parents.

Mental health services are under pressure to embrace evidence-based practice and ensure that staff deliver treatments in line with government policies. But, argue Alec Grant and colleagues, such initiatives will founder without a deeper understanding of what makes organisations tick. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the quality of pediatric cardiac service at the Bristol Royal Infirmary in Great Britain. Allegatiosn of serious professional misconduct; Case filed against James Wisheart, Janardan Dhasmana and John Roylance.

Adoptive T-cell therapy is delivering objective clinical responses across a number of cancer indications in the early phase clinical setting. Much of this clinical activity is taking place at major clinical academic centers across the United States. This review focuses upon cancer-focused cell therapy activity within the United Kingdom as a contribution to the 2015 British Society of Gene and Cell Therapy annual general meeting. This overview reflects the diversity and expansion of clinical and preclinical studies within the United Kingdom while considering the background context of this work against new infrastructural developments and the requirements of nationalized healthcare delivery within the UK National Health Service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]