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Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated vasculitis (AAV) is a chronic, relapsing-remitting condition associated with increased morbidity. Previous research has shown patients with AAV report high levels of fatigue, pain, depression and anxiety. Over recent years successful work has been carried out to improve clinical outcomes, resulting in reduced mortality and end stage kidney disease (ESKD). Despite this, little work has been done to better understand the role of the patient within this condition. The prevalence of AAV is increasing and to date, there is a shortage of specific tools that assess and measure key features relating to patient reported outcomes (PROs). This protocol details how we can better understand the lived experiences of those with AAV through the development of a disease specific, patient reported outcome measure (PROM), to be used in clinic practice. This will allow us to recognise and validate PROs and the impact the disease and its treatment has on patients' health related quality of life (HRQoL). In addition, we aim to identify potential differences in PRO's between demographics, organ involvement and treatment subgroups in AAV as well as outcomes relating to the patient experience. Patients from a single centre in the UK will be recruited to take part in the exploratory qualitative study which will include focus groups and semi-structured interviews. The inclusion criteria comprise anyone with a diagnosis of AAV and willing to participate, including those who have active or relapsing disease, those are economically active, unemployed, retired and patients receiving renal replacement therapy. The aim of the project is to identify key issues patients experience in relation to their disease and its management and how these can be better assessed in a new PROM developed for use in the clinic setting. This will enable better delivery of individualised care and inform shared decision making, while also serving as a platform for future research looking at PROs in other glomerulonephritides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers how undocumented youth in the UK survive and construct their everyday lives in precarious circumstances. Drawing on multiple in-depth narrative interviews with (n = 7) undocumented youth, I illustrate how these young people focus on the future and engage in purposeful activities as a way of enduring the everyday challenges of living with no papers. I reflect on the relationships, which young people draw on to enable them to endure adversity and rebuild their everyday lives. I conclude that the presence of love and community is critical for young people's survival, safety and wellbeing, and I suggest how practitioners and researchers might make use of these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Most football clubs were founded by members of the local community within which they are based. The success of a club is built on the time, effort and resources given by these locals, which is offered due to the benefits that football promises to the community in return. However, the game has increasingly been dominated by a focus on financial (monetary) value, at the expense of such benefits being delivered to the clubs' local communities. This article examines a need for deliberation over what accountability is owed by football clubs to their local communities in the context of questioning what and for whom football is for. Design/methodology/approach: This exploration is undertaken within the context of the English game, where a series of issues has resulted in the UK Government undertaking a "fan led review of football governance". The report produced by this review is analysed to understand whether the contents and recommendations enters the debate over what accountability is owed to local communities. Findings: While the UK Government's fan led review recognises the pivotal role of local communities in the formation of the English game, its focus and resulting recommendations are mostly on the financial sustainability of the clubs. The analysis demonstrates that, due to their focus on financial value, the implementation of the report's recommendations is more likely to exacerbate the underlying issues rather than resolving them. Originality/value: The call for deliberation over whether and what accountability is owed to local communities has been repeated over time. The UK Government's fan led review provided an important opportunity to engage in that deliberation. However, the dominance of financial value within football has all but silenced any call for and action regarding this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the new Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) Aurum database, we estimated 'correctness' (ie accuracy, validity) and 'completeness' (ie presence, missingness) of malignant breast cancer diagnoses recorded in CPRD Aurum compared to external linked data sources: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) Admitted Patient Care (APC), HES Outpatient (OP), and Cancer Registry (CR), and to the previously validated CPRD GOLD.Methods: Linkage-eligible, female patients with incident malignant breast cancer diagnosis recorded in at least one study data source were selected. Correctness was the proportion of malignant breast cancer cases recorded in CPRD Aurum or GOLD who also had a diagnosis recorded in HES APC/OP (2004– 2019) or CR (2004– 2016). Completeness was estimated by identifying all malignant breast cancer diagnoses in HES APC/OP or CR and calculating the proportion with a concordant diagnosis in CPRD Aurum or GOLD.Results: Compared to HES APC/OP, there were 85,659 and 31,452 eligible patients in CPRD Aurum and GOLD, respectively. Correctness estimates were high (CPRD Aurum 83.5%, GOLD 81.7%). Compared to CR, there were 70,190 and 29,597 eligible patients in CPRD Aurum and GOLD, respectively: correctness was 89.1% for CPRD Aurum and 88.2% for GOLD. Completeness estimates for CPRD Aurum and GOLD were high (> 90%). Diagnoses were recorded in CPRD Aurum within − 7 to 74 days of those in the linked sources. Reasons for discordant diagnostic coding included presence of treatment or other clinical codes only, diagnosis coded after end of follow-up, non-malignant breast cancer in linked data, and administrative codes in lieu of diagnostic codes.Conclusion: These results indicate that correctness and completeness of malignant breast cancer diagnoses in CPRD Aurum were high and similar to CPRD GOLD. This provides confidence in use of CPRD Aurum for research purposes. Where complete case capture is important, researchers should consider linkage to HES APC or CR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the presence of data elements related to diagnosis and treatment of malignant breast cancer in CPRD Aurum compared to those in the previously validated CPRD GOLD.Methods: Females in CPRD Aurum or GOLD with a first-time code for malignant breast cancer, mastectomy, or ≥ 1 prescription for tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors (2004– 2019) were selected. We compared the presence of the codes for breast cancer diagnosis, surgeries (mastectomy, lumpectomy), tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitor prescriptions, radiation, chemotherapy, and supporting clinical codes (suspected breast cancer, lump symptoms, biopsy, lumpectomy, cancer care, referral/visit to specialist, palliative care). Age standardized incidence rates of breast cancer diagnosis in CPRD Aurum and GOLD were calculated.Results: There were 131,936 eligible patients in CPRD Aurum and 69,102 patients in GOLD. A similar proportion of patients in CPRD Aurum and GOLD had codes for breast cancer diagnosis, mastectomy, drug prescriptions, lump, biopsy, lumpectomy, chemotherapy, and cancer and palliative care coded in their electronic record during follow-up. However, suspected breast cancer, radiation, and referral/visits to specialists were coded more frequently in patients in CPRD Aurum compared to GOLD. Age-standardized incidence rates were similar for CPRD Aurum and GOLD.Conclusion: Overall, there was consistency between data elements related to malignant breast cancer recorded in CPRD Aurum and GOLD, particularly for the most informative clinical details. These findings provide reassurance that breast cancer information recorded in CPRD Aurum is generally comparable to that recorded in the previously validated CPRD GOLD and support the use of CPRD Aurum for breast cancer research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Loneliness can have a negative impact on people's physical and psychological well‐being; building social capital is a potential means of addressing this connection. Community initiatives (e.g. groups, clubs, neighbourhood activities) may be a route that enables people to build social capital to tackle loneliness. Understanding what is known, and where gaps in knowledge exist, is important for advancing research on this topic. Methods: A scoping review was undertaken to explore the question – What community initiatives, with a focus on well‐being, have been evaluated in the United Kingdom that include information about social capital and loneliness? Four databases (Medline, CINAHL, ASSIA and Embase) were searched for relevant research papers. References were screened by two researchers to identify if they met the review's inclusion criteria. Data were summarised as a narrative and in tables. Results: Five papers met the review's inclusion criteria. They all used qualitative methods. Findings suggested that social capital could be developed through creating a sense of trust, group cohesion and reciprocity among participants in the community initiatives. This connection enabled people to experience a sense of belonging and to feel they had a meaningful relationship with others, which appeared to alleviate feelings of loneliness. Conclusion: More research is warranted on the review topic, including studies that have employed quantitative or mixed methods. Clarity around definitions of social capital and loneliness in future research is required. Engagement with community initiatives can provide a formalised route to help people develop connections and counteract limitations in their social networks. However, individuals may be wary about attending community initiatives, needing support and encouragement to do so. Social prescribing link workers are one means of motivating people to access groups, events or organisations that could improve their well‐being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the storage and transport of clinical specimens for the diagnosis of Neisseria meningitidis (Nm) infections in resource-limited settings, we have evaluated the performance of dried blood spot (DBS) and dried cerebrospinal fluid spot (DCS) assays. DBS and DCS were prepared on filter paper from liquid specimens previously tested for Nm in the United Kingdom. Nm was detected and genogrouped by real-time PCR performed on crude genomic DNA extracted from the DBS (n = 226) and DCS (n = 226) specimens. Targeted whole-genome sequencing was performed on a subset of specimens, DBS (n = 4) and DCS (n = 6). The overall agreement between the analysis of liquid and dried specimens was (94.2%; 95% CI 90.8–96.7) for blood and (96.4%; 95% CI 93.5–98.0) for cerebrospinal fluid. Relative to liquid specimens as the reference, the DBS and DCS assays had sensitivities of (89.1%; 95% CI 82.7–93.8) and (94.2%; 95% CI 88.9–97.5), respectively, and both assays had specificities above 98%. A genogroup was identified by dried specimen analysis for 81.9% of the confirmed meningococcal infections. Near full-length Nm genome sequences (>86%) were obtained for all ten specimens tested which allowed determination of the sequence type, clonal complex, presence of antimicrobial resistance and other meningococcal genotyping. Dried blood and CSF filter spot assays offer a practical alternative to liquid specimens for the molecular and genomic characterisation of invasive meningococcal diseases in low-resource settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Novel survey methods are needed to tackle declining response rates. The 2020 National Maternity Survey included a randomised controlled trial (RCT) and social media survey to compare different combinations of sampling and data collection methods with respect to: response rate, respondent representativeness, prevalence estimates of maternity indicators and cost. Methods: A two-armed parallel RCT and concurrent social media survey were conducted. Women in the RCT were sampled from ONS birth registrations and randomised to either a paper or push-to-web survey. Women in the social media survey self-selected through online adverts. The primary outcome was response rate in the paper and push-to-web surveys. In all surveys, respondent representativeness was assessed by comparing distributions of sociodemographic characteristics in respondents with those of the target population. External validity of prevalence estimates of maternity indicators was assessed by comparing weighted survey estimates with estimates from national routine data. Cost was also compared across surveys. Results: The response rate was higher in the paper survey (n = 2,446) compared to the push-to-web survey (n = 2,165)(30.6% versus 27.1%, difference = 3.5%, 95%CI = 2.1–4.9, p < 0.0001). Compared to the target population, respondents in all surveys were less likely to be aged < 25 years, of Black or Minority ethnicity, born outside the UK, living in disadvantaged areas, living without a partner and primiparous. Women in the social media survey (n = 1,316) were less representative of the target population compared to women in the paper and push-to-web surveys. For some maternity indicators, weighted survey estimates were close to estimates from routine data, for other indicators there were discrepancies; no survey demonstrated consistently higher external validity than the other two surveys. Compared to the paper survey, the cost saving per respondent was £5.45 for the push-to-web survey and £22.42 for the social media survey. Conclusions: Push-to-web surveys may cost less than paper surveys but do not necessarily result in higher response rates. Social media surveys cost significantly less than paper and push-to-web surveys, but sample size may be limited by eligibility criteria and recruitment window and respondents may be less representative of the target population. However, reduced representativeness does not necessarily introduce more bias in weighted survey estimates. [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]

The land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector, as a source and a sink of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, is critical for achieving carbon neutrality. Many academic journals have published papers on land use carbon emission or sink (LUCES), but LUCES reviews are relatively rare, which poses great challenges in accurately understanding the research progress and future prospects. This work analyzes the research characteristics, hotspots and future perspectives of LUCES research by using a bibliometric analysis (such as DDA, VOSviewer, CiteSpace software) and a review based on the data (6115 scientific papers) during 1991–2023 from the Web of Science (WoS) platform. We found that (1) over the past 33 years, it first presented a steady growth, then fluctuating growth, and finally a rapid growth trend in the yearly number of publications in LUCES research. The USA (17.31%), China (14.96%), and the UK (7.37%) occupy a dominant position in this research field. (2) The related LUCES research is interdisciplinary, which mainly cover science and technology, meteorology and atmospheric sciences, geology, and environmental sciences and ecology disciplines. (3) The research hotspot analysis on LUCES shows that these articles mostly covered the follow three aspects: ecosystem services, climate change, and carbon neutrality. (4) A review of the past LUCES literature suggests that it is mainly focused on exploring the forefront issues in terms of the definition and boundaries, evaluation method and influencing factors, etc. This work suggests that further research could explore the main scientific problems on quantification of land-based carbon neutrality, quantitative analysis of the impact mechanisms, as well as interdisciplinary research and collaborative governance needed for carbon neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To explore and summarise published literature with regards to secondments to clinical research and to identify the gaps in research to inform further work. Design: Systematic scoping review. Method: A scoping review was undertaken in accordance with the Patterns, Advances, Gaps, Evidence and Research framework. Databases searched included CINAHL, PubMed, Medline and Embase. Inclusion/exclusion criteria were applied by two independent reviewers. Two reviewers independently retrieved full‐text studies for inclusion and applied the framework as a tool for synthesising Patterns, Advances, Gaps, Evidence and Research recommendations. Results: Six papers and one abstract published between 2003 and 2018 were included. All secondees (n = 34) were released from NHS posts, with secondments (where specified) ranging in duration from 0.25 to 2 years and for 40%–100% of their working hours. All seven papers reported benefits for personal and professional development, predominantly in the form of personal reflections. Few described involvement with research delivery teams. Conclusion: Published initiatives vary in nature and lack standardised reporting and measurement of impact. Further research is required to identify benefits at a departmental or organisational level, the facilitators for setting up secondments and the application of knowledge gained from secondment opportunities. Implications for the Profession: Undertaking a research secondment is reported to offer professional and personal benefit for clinical staff. Research secondments are one way in which a research culture can practically be embedded within clinical settings. Impact: This scoping review identified a lack of published empirical research seeking to understand research secondments as a tool to enhance research and evidence engagement. Although there is a suggestion that secondments could positively impact staff retention, there is limited evidence about the benefit for the organisation or for patient care. These findings have implications for staff, managers and their organisations. Reporting Method: The PRISMA‐ScR guidelines were used to guide reporting. No Patient or Public Contribution: This was not relevant to the research design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Maternal smoking in pregnancy is associated with several adverse maternal and infant health outcomes including increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, low birth weight, preterm birth, and asthma. Progress to reduce rates of smoking at time of delivery in England have been slow and over the last decade, less than half of pregnant women who accessed services went onto report having quit. This realist review was undertaken to improve the understanding of how smoking cessation services in pregnancy work and to understand the heterogeneity of outcomes observed. Methods: The initial programme theory was developed using the National Centre for Smoking Cession and Training Standard Treatment Programme for Pregnant Women and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on treating tobacco dependency. A search strategy and inclusion criteria were developed. Four databases were searched to identify published papers and four websites were hand searched to identify any unpublished literature that could contribute to theory building. Realist logic was applied to the analysis of papers to identify the contexts in which the intended behaviour change mechanism(s) were triggered, or not, and towards what outcomes to develop context mechanism outcome configurations. Results: The review included 33 papers. The analysis produced 19 context mechanism outcome configurations structured under five closely interconnected domains (i) articulating harm, (ii) promoting support, (iii) managing cravings, (iv) maintaining commitment and (v) building self-efficacy. This review identifies two key processes involved in how services achieve their effects: how material resources are implemented and relationships. Of the two key processes identified, more existing literature was available evidencing how material resources are implemented. However, the review provides some evidence that non-judgemental and supportive relationships with healthcare workers where regular contact is provided can play an important role in interrupting the social cues and social practice of smoking, even where those around women continue to smoke. Conclusions: This review clarifies the range of interconnected and bi-directional relationships between services and the personal and social factors in women's lives. It underscores the importance of aligning efforts across the models five domains to strengthen services' ability to achieve smoking cessation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the paper "Bibliometric Analysis of ChatGPT's Applications in Medicine: A Comprehensive Assessment of its Impact and Potential" is to conduct a systematic evaluation of how ChatGPT, an AI language model, has been applied in the field of medicine. The study aims to assess the impact of ChatGPT's applications in medicine and explore its potential contributions to the healthcare domain. Materials and Methods: The Scopus database was selected and the search query (All (ChatGPT AND Medicine) was developed on 11, July 2023 to retrieve all the bibliographic records on the domine of interest. From each record, we retrieved data on the title, author, organizations, journals, publications type, source, country, collaboration, etc. They were exported to MS-Excel for bibliometric analysis and VOSviewer software was used for analyzing Co-Occurrence networks and the data and descriptive analysis were classified, collected one by one, and loaded into the Bibliometric R-package program to create science maps and statistical graphs. Results: ChatGPT - related Medicine papers in the Scopus database constitute 532 papers. these publications received 1046 citations, these authored by 1771 authors published 203 article type and etc. Average citations per document 1966 received and 111 (20.86%) received extremal funding support from 62+ research agencies supporting research in this area. selected 65 significant keywords appearing in ChatGPT and Medicine. USA and UK were contributed the highest papers. Medicine is the broad subject of the study were published highest number of papers (312). Conclusion: The findings from this study can help researchers, practitioners, and policymakers better understand the impact and potential of ChatGPT in advancing medical knowledge, patient care, and healthcare practices. Additionally, the paper may contribute to identifying knowledge gaps and guide further research in this rapidly evolving field at the intersection of AI and medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: ALL_EARS@UoS is a patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) group for people with lived experience of hearing loss. The purpose of the group is to share experiences of hearing loss and hearing healthcare, inform research and improve services for patients at University of Southampton Auditory Implant Service. A year after inception, we wanted to critically reflect on the value and challenges of the group. Four members of ALL_EARS@UoS were recruited to an evaluation steering group. This paper reports the evaluation of the group using the UK Standards for Public Involvement. Methods: An anonymous, mixed-methods questionnaire was co-designed and shared with members of ALL_EARS@UoS using an online platform. The questionnaire was designed to capture satisfaction, individual feedback through free-text answers, and demographic information. Descriptive statistics have been used to express the satisfaction and demographic data. Reflexive thematic analysis has been used to analyse the free-text responses. Group engagement and activity data over time were monitored and collected. Results: The questionnaire response rate was 61% (11/18). Areas identified as strengths were 'Communication' and 'Working together'. Five themes were developed from the thematic analysis; (1) Increased knowledge and awareness around the topic of hearing health for group members and wider society, (2) supporting research, (3) inclusivity within the group, (4) opportunity to make a difference for people in the future and (5) running of the group/group organisation. The data highlighted the value and challenges of PPIE. Members described feeling listened to and appreciation of being able to share experiences. Time of day and meeting format were identified as challenges as they affected who could attend the meetings. The ability to secure and maintain sufficient funding and time to support inclusive and diverse PPIE activities is a challenge for researchers. Conclusions: We have identified how PPIE added value to both group members and researchers, emphasising the true benefit of PPIE. We have highlighted challenges we are facing and our plan to tackle these. We aim to continue to develop and sustain a group that reflects the diversity of the Deaf/deaf or hard of hearing community and of our local community. Plain English Summary: Patient and public involvement and engagement enables members of the public to influence what research happens. We have established a group called ALL_EARS@UoS for people with lived experience of hearing loss. This is so we can work together and learn from our group members' experiences, to inform our research into hearing loss. The members of ALL_EARS have helped to decide the aims, objectives, and principles of the group. This paper is a report of the value and challenges of the first year of the group. We recruited members of the group to work with us to design a survey. This paper describes the findings from the survey. Our members described benefits, ranging from supporting research to being able to share their experience with others. A challenge for members is the difficulty in being involved alongside their other commitments. A challenge for researchers is the funding and time needed to maintain the group. Other challenges include ensuring the group is diverse and that we understand and meet the needs of our members. We report on how we will address these challenges, so we can continue to work in partnership as a group. [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]

Background: Women's pelvic health is a globally important subject, included in international and United Kingdom health policies, emphasising the importance of improving information and access to pelvic health services. Consequences of pelvic symptoms are intimate, personal, and varied, often causing embarrassment and shame, affecting women's quality of life and wellbeing. AIM: To understand the experience of seeking healthcare for stigmatised pelvic health symptoms by synthesising all types of published primary research and mapping the results to behavioural theory, to identify potential targets for intervention. Methods: Systematic search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, SocINDEX, PubMED databases, CDSR and CENTRAL registers, from inception to May 2023 for all types of research capturing women's views and experiences of seeking help with stigmatised urogenital and bowel symptoms. Studies only reporting prevalence, predictors of help-seeking, non-health related help-seeking, or written in languages other than English, German, French, Spanish and Swedish were excluded. Reference checking and forward citation searching for all included studies was performed. A results-based synthesis approach was used to integrate quantitative and qualitative data. Themes were mapped to the Common-Sense model and Candidacy framework. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool was used for critical appraisal. Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation - Confidence in Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research for assessing certainty of review findings. Results: 86 studies representing over 20,000 women from 24 high income countries were included. Confidence was high that barriers to help-seeking were similar across all study types and pelvic symptoms: stigma, lack of knowledge, women's perception that clinicians dismissed their symptoms, and associated normalising and deprioritising of low bother symptoms. Supportive clinicians and increased knowledge were key facilitators. Conclusions: Using the Common-Sense Model to explore women's help-seeking behaviour with stigmatised pelvic symptoms reveals problems with cognitive representation of symptom identity, emotional representations of embarrassment and shame, and a subjective norm that women believe their symptoms will be trivialised by clinicians. Together these barriers frustrate women's identification of their candidacy for healthcare. Addressing these issues through behavioural change interventions for women and clinicians, will help to achieve universal access to pelvic healthcare services (United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.7). Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO CRD42021256956. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This perspective paper begins with discussing how COVID-19 magnified the prepandemic 'bare life' conditions which exposed older people's lives to risks and indignities in the health and social care system. Then, by using the concept of Necropolitics, the life and death decisions, based on age as a proxy measure for population health during the pandemic, are discussed. This discussion includes examples of 'exceptional' practices that were implemented in the UK during the first wave, including 'Do Not Resuscitate' orders, unsafe hospital discharges, not transferring to hospitals, and denying access to treatment for older people. It then goes on to renew the call for a feminist care ethic to be central to the ways in which our future health and social care systems are configured. Arguing for the need to politically reframe ageing, health and social care provision towards a radical alternative system that rethinks care relations and addresses inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A unifying setup for opinion models originating in statistical physics and stochastic opinion dynamics are developed and used to analyze election data. The results are interpreted in the light of political theory. We investigate the connection between Potts (Curie–Weiss) models and stochastic opinion models in the view of the Boltzmann distribution and stochastic Glauber dynamics. We particularly find that the q-voter model can be considered as a natural extension of the Zealot model, which is adapted by Lagrangian parameters. We also discuss weak and strong effects (also called extensive and nonextensive) continuum limits for the models. The results are used to compare the Curie–Weiss model, two q-voter models (weak and strong effects), and a reinforcement model (weak effects) in explaining electoral outcomes in four western democracies (United States, Great Britain, France, and Germany). We find that particularly the weak effects models are able to fit the data (Kolmogorov–Smirnov test) where the weak effects reinforcement model performs best (AIC). Additionally, we show how the institutional structure shapes the process of opinion formation. By focusing on the dynamics of opinion formation preceding the act of voting, the models discussed in this paper give insights both into the empirical explanation of elections as such, as well as important aspects of the theory of democracy. Therefore, this paper shows the usefulness of an interdisciplinary approach in studying real world political outcomes by using mathematical models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article announces the submission of papers about systems thinking and operational research in commemoration of the contribution of Emeritus Professor Mike Jackson.

Background: The ethnicity data gap pertains to 3 major challenges to address ethnic health inequality: 1) Under-representation of ethnic minorities in research; 2) Poor data quality on ethnicity; 3) Ethnicity data not being meaningfully analysed. These challenges are especially relevant for research involving under-served migrant populations in the UK. We aimed to review how ethnicity is captured, reported, analysed and theorised within policy-relevant research on ethnic health inequities. Methods: We reviewed a selection of the 1% most highly cited population health papers that reported UK data on ethnicity, and extracted how ethnicity was recorded and analysed in relation to health outcomes. We focused on how ethnicity was obtained (i.e. self reported or not), how ethnic groups were categorised, whether justification was provided for any categorisation, and how ethnicity was theorised to be related to health. We held three 1-h-long guided focus groups with 10 young people from Nigeria, Turkistan, Syria, Yemen and Iran. This engagement helped us shape and interpret our findings, and reflect on. 1) How should ethnicity be asked inclusively, and better recorded? 2) Does self-defined ethnicity change over time or context? If so, why? Results: Of the 44 included papers, most (19; 43%) used self-reported ethnicity, categorised in a variety of ways. Of the 27 papers that aggregated ethnicity, 13 (48%) provided justification. Only 8 of 33 papers explicitly theorised how ethnicity related to health. The focus groups agreed that 1) Ethnicity should not be prescribed by others; individuals could be asked to describe their ethnicity in free-text which researchers could synthesise to extract relevant dimensions of ethnicity for their research; 2) Ethnicity changes over time and context according to personal experience, social pressure, and nationality change; 3) Migrants and non-migrants' lived experience of ethnicity is not fully inter-changeable, even if they share the same ethnic category. Conclusions: Ethnicity is a multi-dimensional construct, but this is not currently reflected in UK health research studies, where ethnicity is often aggregated and analysed without justification. Researchers should communicate clearly how ethnicity is operationalised for their study, with appropriate justification for clustering and analysis that is meaningfully theorised. We can only start to tackle ethnic health inequity by treating ethnicity as rigorously as any other variables in our research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of integrated community-based maternal neonatal and child health (MNCH) programmes is essential to address the gap in coverage of universal health care in sub-Saharan Africa, which bears the highest burden for poor MNCH outcomes globally. However, to assess their impact in practice requires the design and implementation of increasingly complex evaluation approaches in 'real-world' settings frequently characterised by underserved health and civil registration systems. This commentary introduces the series titled "Lessons Learned from Operationalising Impact Evaluations of MNCH Interventions". Based on a 20-year collaboration between the Kintampo Health Research Centre in Ghana (KHRC) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom (LSHTM), the series brings together an international group of authors responsible for the design and conduct of seminal MNCH trials of community health worker-led interventions, including policy-relevant trials of vitamin A supplementation conducted since 1995. Underpinning the research was a long running surveillance system following up 120,000 women and infants each month—the largest research surveillance system on the continent at the time. The papers in this series provide honest and practical accounts of lessons learned in the design of quantitative and qualitative systems to track key MNCH outcomes, supported by sustainable strategies to maximise engagement with study communities. This commentary offers a retrospective overview of the collaboration and its many achievements, and highlights key messages from the series relevant for future research in MNCH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Liver disease is a growing health concern and a major cause of death. It causes multiple symptoms, including financial, psychological and social issues. To address these challenges, palliative care can support people alongside active treatment, and towards the end of life, but little is known about the care experiences of individuals with liver disease in the United Kingdom. This review aimed to explore the palliative and end‐of‐life care experiences of people with liver disease in the United Kingdom. Method: A systematic review was conducted using a five‐stage process and following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses guidelines. Searches were across Web of Science, Scopus, EBSCO and grey literature until 10 May 2023. The review was registered through International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO). NVivo 12.5 was used to facilitate data analysis (systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42022382649). Results: Of 6035 papers (excluding duplicates) found from searches, five met the inclusion criteria of primary research related to adults with liver disease receiving palliative and/or end‐of‐life care in the United Kingdom, published in English. Reflexive thematic analysis of the data was conducted. The themes identified were the experiences of people with liver disease of relating to healthcare professionals, using services, receiving support, and experiences of information and communication. These were connected by an overarching concept of disempowerment versus empowerment, with the notion of person‐centred care as an important feature. Conclusion: This review has found variations in the care experiences of people with advanced liver disease towards the end of life and an overall lack of access to specialist palliative care services. Where services are designed to be person‐centred, experiences are more empowering. Further research is needed but with recognition that it is often unclear when care for people with liver disease is palliative or end‐of‐life. Patient and Public Contribution: An online public involvement workshop was held on 18 April 2023 through Voice (2023). This included four people with liver disease and four carers to discuss the review findings and to design a qualitative research study to further explore the topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A continuing need to improve health, safety and wellbeing in construction has led to multiple research projects and technological innovations. One such innovation is the Safety Risk Library: a repository of data that functions in BIM environments to assist designers and contractors in identifying health and safety risk scenarios and offer suitable validated treatments to mitigate their effects. This paper reports on the deployment of this library in several construction projects across the United Kingdom and reviews expert and practitioner opinions of such digital solutions for improving health and safety in the future. This paper makes several contributions. The description of an effective process for knowledge base creation, including the data extraction workflow, the anonymization of data and the definition of communication channels aligned to project working practices, is instructive for innovation developers, providing informative guidance through lessons learned. The discussion of expert and practitioner opinions of the functional knowledge base to improve health and safety performance could inform further technological developments in the field and provide empirical insights for developers. Additionally, the alignment of the Safety Risk Library to existing industry standards (PAS1192:6) for better sharing and use of structured health and safety information illustrates how digital solutions can connect directly with industry standards to facilitate improvements to working practices whilst also changing perceptions of how risks may be visualised, understood and actioned by duty holders engaged in construction projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Seldinger Chest Tube Insertion (CTI) is a high acuity low occurrence procedure and remains a core capability for UK physician higher speciality trainee's (HST). A multitude of factors have emerged which may affect the opportunity of generalists to perform CTI. In view of which, this paper sought to establish the current experiences, attitudes, training, and knowledge of medical HST performing Seldinger CTI in acute care hospitals in the Peninsula deanery. Methods: A Scoping review was performed to establish the UK medical HST experience of adult seldinger CTI. Synonymous terms for CTI training were searched across Cochrane, ERIC, Pubmed and British education index databases. Following which, a regional survey was constructed and completed by HST and pleural consultants from five hospitals within the Peninsula deanery between April–July 2022. Data collected included participants demographics, attitudes, training, experience, and clinical knowledge. Outcomes were collated and comparisons made across groups using SPSS. A p-value of < 0.05 was defined as significant. Results: The scoping review returned six papers. Salient findings included low self-reported procedural confidence levels, poor interventional selection for patient cases, inadequate site selection for CTI and 1 paper reported only 25% of respondents able to achieve 5–10 CTI annually. However, all papers were limited by including grades other than HST in their responses. The regional survey was completed by 87 HST (12 respiratory, 63 non-respiratory medical HST and 12 intensivists/anaesthetists HST). An additional seven questionnaires were completed by pleural consultants. Respiratory HSTs performed significantly more Seldinger CTI than general and ICM/anaesthetic registrars (p < 0.05). The percentage of HST able to achieve a self-imposed annual CTI number were 81.8, 12.9 and 41.7% respectively. Self-reported transthoracic ultrasound competence was 100, 8 and 58% respectively (p < 0.001). The approach to clinical management significantly differed with national guidance with pleural consultants showing an agreement of 89%, respiratory HST 75%, general HST 52% and ICM/anaesthetic HST 54% (p = 0.002). Conclusion: Compared to respiratory trainees, non-respiratory trainees perform lower numbers of Seldinger CTI, with lower confidence levels, limited knowledge, and a reduced perceived relevance of the skill set. This represents a significant training and service challenge, with notable patient safety implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of steadily declining Natural Capital and universal recognition of the imperative to reverse this trend before we get to the point that nature is not able to restore itself, cities have a crucial role to play. The UK Government commissioned a comprehensive study into the value of biodiversity, and by extension nature, reinforcing “why we should change our ways”—yet what is missing is the “how?”. This paper uniquely describes both the “how?” and a conclusive demonstration of the remarkable benefits of implementing it in a city. Critical to this process, it took a UK Parliamentary Inquiry to reveal that nature has become invisible within the economy, yet the ecological ecosystem services nature provides have enormous benefits to both people and the economy. Therefore integration—or seamless weaving—of urban greenspace and nature into people's lives and the places where they live, work, and spend their leisure time is vital. Moreover, what nature does not provide must be provided by engineered systems, and these have an economic cost; put another way, there are enormous cost savings to be made by taking advantage of what nature provides. In addressing these issues, this paper is the definitive paper from a 20-year portfolio of research on how to bring about transformative change in the complex system-of-systems that make up our cities, providing as it does the crucial in-depth research into the many diverse strands of governance—the last link in a chain of the creation, testing and proof of efficacy of methodologies underpinning a theory and practice of change for infrastructure and cities. The impact of this portfolio of research on Birmingham is two-fold: the Star Framework that placed natural environment considerations at the heart of all decision-making in the city, and the successful bid for the largest of the UK Future Parks Accelerator awards. While both are transformative in their different ways, yet mutually supportive, the latter enabled the design of a suite of system interventions from which the value of Birmingham's greenspaces is estimated to rise from £11.0 billion to £14.4 billion—a remarkable return on investment from the research's conceptualization of Birmingham's urban greenspace as a “business” (with its associated business models). In achieving this, the necessary enablers of thinking and practicing systemically, seamlessly working across disciplinary boundaries, an unusually strong focus on both the aspirations of all stakeholders and the context in question to define “the problem,” and the testing of proposed system intervention(s) both now and in the future have been iteratively combined. However, it is the critical enabling steps of identifying the complete range of value-generating opportunities that the interventions offer, formulating them into alternative business models to underpin the case for change and ensuring that they are synergistic with all the dimensions of governance that yielded the profound outcomes sought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a multifaceted yet prevalent male-related sexual dysfunction that manifests as a change in any of the erectile response components, including relational, psychological, and biological. We aimed to use bibliometric analyses to determine how ED research has progressed and define the future trends necessary to contribute to scholarly literature.Methods: Two tools, VOSviewer and MS Excel, were used, and the study was conducted in May 2022. A total of 16,114 records were selected for in-depth analyses. We examined the most eminent authors, highly cited papers within journals, and the institutions that have provided the greatest number of articles regarding ED, and demonstrated that ED research has increased over the last two decades.Results: The total number of research documents published between 1971 and 2021 was 16,114, with a growth rate of 5%. Montorsi, Maggi, and Mulhall shared the top spot in the number of publications (n = 164). The Journal of Sexual Medicine has the most papers (N = 1839), followed by the International Journal of Impotence Research (N = 780), the Journal of Urology (N = 557), and Urology (N = 489).Conclusion: The study revealed increased ED research in the past two decades, with notable authors and sources identified. The top three countries contributing to ED are the UK, Italy, and the USA. Recommendations include interdisciplinary collaboration, novel therapeutic approaches, addressing psychological and relational factors, conducting longitudinal studies, and publishing in reputable journals. Implementing these can advance understanding, improve treatment options, and enhance ED management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted all surgical specialties significantly and exerted additional pressures on the overburdened United Kingdom (UK) National Health Service. Healthcare professionals in the UK have had to adapt their practice. In particular, surgeons have faced organisational and technical challenges treating patients who carried higher risks, were more urgent and could not wait for prehabilitation or optimisation before their intervention. Furthermore, there were implications for blood transfusion with uncertain patterns of demand, reductions in donations and loss of crucial staff because of sickness and public health restrictions. Previous guidelines have attempted to address the control of bleeding and its consequences after cardiothoracic surgery, but there have been no targeted recommendations in light of the recent COVID-19 challenges. In this context, and with a focus on the perioperative period, an expert multidisciplinary Task Force reviewed the impact of bleeding in cardiothoracic surgery, explored different aspects of patient blood management with a focus on the use of haemostats as adjuncts to conventional surgical techniques and proposed best practice recommendations in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Electroencephalogram-based evidence was accepted in a UK law court for the first time in 1939. This paper gives an account of that case, not previously clinically reported, and the individuals involved. Why it was not published in the literature at the time is explored and parallels with more recent technologies are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The paper examines the approach of United Kingdom (UK) Trade Unions to the use of institutional power resources (IPR) in the second half of the twentieth century. Design/methodology/approach: Using secondary material, it examines the unions' approach to IPR in three cases; collective bargaining; worker representation and trade union structure. Findings: The paper concludes that unions did not appreciate the importance of, and lacked a strategic approach to, IPR. Although employer and government action were largely responsible for the decline of industrial relations institutions, the failure of the unions to engage with IPR contributed to this process. It explains the failure of the unions to engage with IPR by reference to their lack of strategic capabilities and skills in relation to power resources (PRs) in general and IPR in particular. Research limitations/implications: It would have been interesting to collect primary data via interviews with union actors from the period examined to test the interpretation of secondary data contained in the article. Practical implications: The paper has identified the kind of strategic decision-making which is necessary for unions to engage effectively with IPR. It is has also indicated the key skills which unions need to develop to be able to manage their engagement with IPR. Social implications: The paper has implications for the role of trade unions in society, showing the need for them to develop narratives to convince society of the importance of their role and action and to develop the skills which enable them to connect with other social groups, e.g. intermediation, engagement with coalitional resources. Originality/value: Analysis of the decline of industrial relations institutions in this period has emphasized the role of employers and the state. This paper contributes to a more balanced perspective on this decline by drawing attention to the lack of a union strategy towards IPR and the importance of the detail of the management and employment of power resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on mental health are increasingly complementing those on safety and physical health within the construction research community, with suicide numbers being an indicative measure of mental health. In the UK, deaths by suicide are approximately 470 per year, which dwarfs fatal accident numbers. The aim of this paper is to review the evidence base about suicide and construction workers. The methods consisted of two approaches: combining secondary data from UK statistical databases to create a suicide rate per 100,000 for construction occupations; and a systematic literature review to help explain the suicide rates observed. Trend analysis of suicide rates, from 2015 to 2021 shows construction occupations to be approximately three times that of the combined non-construction occupations, and steadily rising, whereas non-construction rates have remained relatively steady. Unskilled workers have the highest rate, around seven times managers and professional occupations. Potential reasons for this, found in the literature, included managers/professionals’ greater propensity to shift beliefs about suicide stigmas, and skilled workers being more likely to report substance abuse; - rather than hide it, thereby increasing opportunities to discuss and resolve such issues to reduce suicide risk. However, the socio-economic risk associated with unskilled workers means being poor is certainly not good for their mental health. The analysis presented in this paper informs industry policy and practice by uncovering a previously unknown upward trend in suicide rates among UK construction workers, along with a focused list of evidence-based factors to inform further research on why this phenomenon is occurring [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To establish if Black adults and adult ethnic minorities, defined as any group except White British, were represented in UK-based COVID-19 vaccination randomised controlled trials (RCTs) when compared to corresponding UK population proportions, based on 2011 census data. Design: Systematic review of COVID-19 Randomised Controlled Vaccine Trials Setting: United Kingdom Participants: Randomised Controlled Trials of COVID-19 vaccines conducted in the UK were systematically reviewed following PRISMA guidelines. MeSH terms included "Covid-19 vaccine", "Ad26COVS1", and "BNT162 Vaccine" with keywords such as [covishield OR coronavac OR Vaxzevria OR NVX-CoV2373] also used. Studies that provided (A) participant demographics and (B) full eligibility criteria were included. The following key data was extracted for analysis: number of participants analysed, number of Black adults and number of adult minority ethnicity participants. Primary and Secondary Outcome Measures: The primary outcome is the mean percentage of Black adults randomised to COVID-19 vaccine trials deemed eligible within this review. The secondary outcome is the mean percentage of adult ethnic minorities randomised. Results: The final review included 7 papers and a total of 87 sets of data collated from trial sites across the UK. The standard mean percentage of Black adults included in the trials (0.59%, 95% CI: 0.13% - 1.05%) was significantly lower compared to the recorded Black adult population (2.67%) indicating that they were under-served in UK based COVID-19 vaccine RCTs (p < 0.001). Adult ethnic minority presence (8.94%, 95% CI: 2.07% - 15.80%) was also lower than census data (16.30%), indicating they were also under-served (p = 0.039). Conclusion: The findings show that COVID-19 vaccine trials failed to adequately randomise proportionate numbers of Black adults and adult minority ethnicities. More inclusive practices must be developed and implemented in the recruitment of underserved groups to understand the true impact of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many research institutions and funders have recently stated their commitment to actively support and promote 'Equality, Diversity and Inclusion' (EDI) in various aspects of health research including Patient and Public Involvement (PPI). However, translating this commitment into specific research projects presents significant challenges that existing approaches, practical guidelines and initiatives have not adequately addressed. In this paper, we explore how the lack of clear justifications for the EDI commitment in existing guidelines inadvertently complicates the work of those involved with PPI and we stress the need for conceptual clarity for any EDI effort to yield meaningful results. Our focus centres on the first principle of the EDI discourse, 'equality', particularly in the form of 'equality of opportunity' as outlined in current guidance provided by the National Institute of Health Research in the United Kingdom. We examine challenges related to justifying and implementing a general, unspecified commitment to equality of opportunity and explain that this reflects a lack of consensus regarding the moral value of PPI in research – a profound problem that remains unaddressed. We then discuss how the presence of several opposing moral perspectives on PPI, makes determining the most appropriate way of addressing barriers to involvement complex and controversial, raising ethical implications for the work of health researchers, PPI specialists and coordinators. Finally we make suggestions on how future research can enrich the concept of 'equality of opportunity' in PPI and improve practice. While our primary focus is on the NIHR, a strong advocate of PPI in research, this analysis will point to normative and ethical considerations that may be relevant to other research institutions and funding organisations aiming to promote equality of opportunity in their public and patient involvement strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer patients undergoing major interventions face numerous challenges, including the adverse effects of cancer and the side effects of treatment. Cancer rehabilitation is vital in ensuring cancer patients have the support they need to maximise treatment outcomes and minimise treatment-related side effects and symptoms. The Active Together service is a multi-modal rehabilitation service designed to address critical support gaps for cancer patients. The service is located and provided in Sheffield, UK, an area with higher cancer incidence and mortality rates than the national average. The service aligns with local and regional cancer care objectives and aims to improve the clinical and quality-of-life outcomes of cancer patients by using lifestyle behaviour-change techniques to address their physical, nutritional, and psychological needs. This paper describes the design and initial implementation of the Active Together service, highlighting its potential to support and benefit cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The security, privacy, and safety issues around Female-oriented technologies (FemTech) and data can lead to differential harms. These complex risks and harms are enabled by many factors including inadequate regulations, the noncompliant practices of the industry, and the lack of research and guidelines for cyber-secure, privacy-preserving, and safe products. In this paper, we review the existing regulations related to FemTech in the United Kingdom, EU, and Switzerland and identify the gaps. We run experiments on a range of FemTech devices and apps and identify several exploitative practices. We advocate for the policymakers to explicitly acknowledge and accommodate the risks of these technologies in the relevant regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information on both wages and job quality is needed in order to understand the occupational dispersion of wellbeing. We analyse subjective wellbeing in a large UK sample to construct a measure of 'overall reward', the sum of wages and the value of job quality, in 90 different occupations. If only wages are included, then labour market inequality is underestimated: the dispersion of overall rewards is one‐third larger than the dispersion of wages. Our findings are similar, and stronger, in data on US workers. We find a positive correlation between job quality and wages in all specifications, both between individuals in the cross‐section and within individuals in panel data. The gender and ethnic gaps in the labour market are larger than those in wages alone, and the overall rewards to education on the labour market are underestimated by earnings differentials alone. This paper is part of the Economica 100 Series. Economica, the LSE "house journal" is now 100 years old. To commemorate this achievement, we are publishing 100 papers by former students, as well as current and former faculty. Maria Cotofan is a research Associate at the CEP. Andrew E. Clark obtained his mSc and PhD from the LSE and is a research Associate at the CEP. Richard layard is the Founder‐Director at the CEP and is the co‐Director of the Centre's programme on Community Wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the role of firm‐to‐firm relationships in export market dynamics, documenting the following stylized facts for French exporters. First, exporters grow in a foreign market by expanding their customer base; the average French exporter doubles its number of buyers after 8 years. Second, sales to existing customers remain the predominant source of growth in a foreign market, with long‐lasting relationships contributing to most export values. Third, as a mechanism driving firms' growth in a relationship, prices fall as a relationship ages. Fourth, I exploit the Brexit referendum as a quasi‐natural experiment to examine how firm‐to‐firm relationships adjust in response to changes in market access. I find that French exporters with long‐lasting relationships in the UK are less affected by the referendum shock and exhibit higher exchange rate pass‐through. Overall, these findings indicate that long‐lasting relationships represent a crucial margin for export market growth and in shielding exporters from changing market conditions. This paper is part of the Economica 100 Series. Economica, the LSE "house journal" is now 100 years old. To commemorate this achievement, we are publishing 100 papers by former students, as well as current and former faculty. Davide Rigo is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at the LSE. [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 ongoing electrification of road transportation sector, which is expected to continue to strongly increase over the next years, will result in the connection of a significant number of electric vehicle (EV) chargers in LV and MV distribution networks, particularly in residential applications with on‐board ("slow") EV chargers. In order to evaluate loading limits of existing distribution networks for the maximum number of EV chargers that can be safely connected (commonly denoted as a network EV "hosting capacity", HC), this paper introduces a general approach to determine one commonly used network design parameter (after‐diversity maximum demand, ADMD) and one new parameter (maximum daily energy demand, MDED), which are both obtained from the load profiles of maximum per‐hour demands for uncontrolled residential EV charging. The presented approach uses actual EV charging data from the UK as the inputs in Monte Carlo simulations to generate daily EV charging profiles for arbitrary numbers of EVs, enabling to identify related ADMD, MDED and per‐hour maximum demand values, as well as their seasonal variations. The assessed ADMD, MDED and hourly maximum EV charging demands for uncontrolled EV charging are then combined with available UK residential daily load profiles before the EVs are connected ("pre‐EV demands"), where their combined coincidental and noncoincidental maximum demands are evaluated against the static thermal rating (STR) and dynamic thermal rating (DTR) loading limits of network components (transformers and overhead lines), taking into account relevant weather/ambient conditions. This is denoted as a network HC for uncontrolled EV charging. Finally, evaluating the resulting per‐hour maximum demand values against the STR and DTR loading limits and MDED values allows to select one particular scheduling method for controlled EV charging, which gives the absolute maximum number of EVs that can be safely connected in the considered network, that is, maximum network HC for fully controlled EV charging. The presented approach is illustrated on the example of the IEEE 33‐bus test network (modelled using typical UK network components), for the pre‐EV residential demands taken from the recordings at a UK MV substation, and for ambient data taken from a UK Met Office weather station. Obtained results allow to evaluate the range of network EV HC values for uncontrolled and controlled EV charging, that is, lower and upper HC limits, which can be correlated with the commonly used allocations of the firm and non‐firm network HC, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tidal flats are some of the most dynamic coastal environments in the world, where traditional coastal mapping and monitoring provide insufficient temporal resolution to reliably map channels and sand flats. Satellite-based Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) enables regular cloud-penetrating detection of water flowing through channels within the tidal flats, referred to as tidal channels. This paper presents a method for detecting a path through tidal channels, using satellite imagery, that supports our understanding and safe exploitation of this valuable coastal environment. This approach is the first proposed to identify navigable paths in all conditions, with SAR images susceptible to variation due to weather and tidal conditions. Tidal channels are known to vary in SAR presentation, and we find that tidal flat presentation is also influenced by conditions. The most influential factor is the wind, with high winds causing an inversion in how both tidal flats and tidal channels present in SAR images. The presented method for the automatic detection of tidal channels accounts for this variability by using previous channel paths as a reference to reliably correct imagery and detect the latest path. The final algorithm produces paths with minor errors in 17.6% of images; the error rate increases to 71.7%, with an almost tenfold increase in errors, when the SAR image and paths are not adjusted to account for conditions. This capability has been used to support the Nith Inshore Rescue in attending call-outs from their base in Glencaple, UK, while the insights from monitoring tidal channels for a year demonstrate how periods of high river flow preceded major changes in the channel path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The unprecedented rapid re-deployment of healthcare workers from different care pathways into newly created and fluid COVID-19 teams provides a unique opportunity to examine the interaction of many of the established non-technical factors for successful delivery of clinical care and teamwork in healthcare settings. This research paper therefore aims to address these gaps by qualitatively exploring the impact of COVID work throughout the pandemic on permanent and deployed personnel's experiences, their ability to effectively work together, and the effect of social dynamics (e.g., cohesion, social support) on teamwork and mental health. Methods: Seventy-five interviews were conducted across the UK between March and December 2021 during wave 2 and 3 of COVID-19 with 75 healthcare workers who were either permanent staff on Intensive Care/High Dependency Units used as COVID wards, had been rapidly deployed to such a ward, or had managed such wards. Work Life Balance was measured using the WLB Scale. Interview transcripts were qualitatively coded and thematic codes were compared using network graph modeling. Results: Using thematic network analysis, four overarching thematic clusters were found, (1) teamwork, (2) organizational support and management, (3) cohesion and social support, and (4) psychological strain. The study has three main findings. First, the importance of social factors for teamwork and mental health, whereby team identity may influence perceptions of preparedness, collaboration and communication, and impact on the collective appraisal of stressful events and work stressors. Secondly, it demonstrates the positive and negative impact of professional roles and skills on the development of teamwork and team identity. Lastly the study identifies the more pronounced negative impact of COVID work on deployed personnel's workload, mental health, and career intentions, exacerbated by reduced levels of social support during, and after, their deployment. Conclusion: The thematic network analysis was able to highlight that many of the traditional factors associated with the successful delivery of patient care were impeded by pandemic constraints, markedly influencing personnel's ability to work together and cope with pandemic work stressors. In this environment teamwork, delivery of care and staff well-being appear to depend on relational and organizational context, social group membership, and psycho-social skills related to managing team identity. While results hold lessons for personnel selection, training, co-location, and organizational support during and after a pandemic, further research is needed into the differential impact of pandemic deployment on HCWs mental health and teamwork. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Price markups and firms' Tobin's Q ratios are widely believed to have been increasing in the past several decades. Various models for the calculation of price markups have been developed, each relying on the historically held definition of the ratio of price to marginal cost; however, all of these have methodological drawbacks, and some of the results they have produced have been poorly reflective of the near past wider macroeconomic experience. This paper defines a new approach for the definition and measurement of markup pricing, and it also avoids some of the issues surrounding the marginal cost approaches by using the measure of economic rent and the capital asset pricing model. The results show limited markup pricing for the UK's FTSE 100 companies (2018–2023), but that certain real estate, technology/media and financial services/equity investment firms have enjoyed higher price markup levels. An analysis of the business models of these firms is used to qualitatively propose explanations for such markups. This work offers formal proof that that the expected price markup is equal to Tobin's Q and finds that the empiric market level of markup is near equivalent to the market Tobin's Q; the differences between the markup and Tobin's Q at the level of the firm are equally assessed. This work challenges the general consensus that price markups are above one and have been increasing; it may also aid policy makers with respect to taxation policy and regulatory measures, as well as the financial management of firms in decisions concerning capital deployment and portfolio management. The method merits expansion to wider data sets, as well as to those from outside of the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we explore the relationship between the culture of the country where a multinational corporation (MNC) is headquartered and the MNC's stock market reaction to tax avoidance regulations. Specifically, we examine the different responses of MNCs following the implementation of the 2010 UK reform that restricted profit shifting for a specific group of firms. We find that, in countries with short-term-oriented cultures, MNCs affected by this reform experienced positive stock market responses relative to their unaffected counterparts. This is not found in long-term-oriented cultures. This difference in response can partly be explained by the differing perceptions of the role tax havens play in tax minimization practices between more long-term-oriented cultures and those oriented towards the short term. We provide evidence that investors from more future-oriented cultures may recognize the short-lived effectiveness of a regulation ex ante, and thus price the quasi-exogenous market shock differently than their more short-term-oriented counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A plethora of studies on the prevalence of poor mental health have been undertaken in the general population. Nevertheless, an understanding of the prevalence of poor mental health in the context of high-risk settings, such as construction, is missing. This is noteworthy as poor mental health is widespread in this context. Given that over 100 million people work in construction on a global scale, a better understanding of the burden of poor mental health in construction is needed. To this end, a review on the prevalence of key mental health-related conditions in construction was undertaken. Through this review, over 1000 papers were identified through PubMed and Google Scholar. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, a final set of 19 documents were included. Results showed that anxiety and depressive disorders, as well as psychological distress, have a high burden in construction. Vulnerable population subgroups (e.g., women, minority ethnic groups) were identified. Construction is a high-risk setting and despite this, the burden of poor mental health in this context is not given the importance it deserves. This review sheds light on the prevalence of key conditions, which are linked to high humanistic and economic burden. This review provides a foundation and useful starting point for further investigations, and results from this review may be used to inform future research, workplace interventions, and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the planning of virtual ward (VW) capacity including the remote monitoring of frail and elderly patients. The main objective is to optimize VW hub locations across a region in the United Kingdom. Furthermore, assigning the optimal number of clinicians to different regions needs to be considered. We develop a mathematical model that minimizes the setup and travel costs of VW hubs and staff. Our experimental analysis evaluates different levels of demand considering postcode areas within different Trusts, also known as Health Boards, in the National Health Service (NHS). Furthermore, our experiments provide insights into how many hub locations should be deployed and staffed. This can be used to individually find the number of remote monitors and clinicians for each facility as well as the system overall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pregnancy weight management interventions can improve maternal diet, physical activity, gestational weight gain, and postnatal weight retention. UK guidelines were published in 2010 but health professionals report multiple complex barriers to practice. GLOWING used social cognitive theory to address evidence-based barriers to midwives' implementation of weight management guidelines into routine practice. This paper reports the pilot trial outcomes relating to feasibility and acceptability of intervention delivery and trial procedures. Methods: GLOWING was a multi-centre parallel-group pilot cluster RCT comparing the delivery of a behaviour change intervention for midwives (delivered as training workshops) with usual practice. The clusters were four NHS Trusts in Northeast England, randomised to intervention or control arms. Blinding of allocation was not possible due to the nature of the intervention. We aimed to deliver the intervention to all eligible midwives in the intervention arm, in groups of 6 midwives per workshop, and to pilot questionnaire data collection for a future definitive trial. Intervention arm midwives' acceptability of GLOWING content and delivery was assessed using a mixed methods questionnaire, and pregnant women's acceptability of trial procedures by interviews. Quantitative data were analysed descriptively and qualitative data thematically. Results: In intervention arm Trusts, 100% of eligible midwives (n = 67) were recruited to, and received, the intervention; however, not all workshops had the planned number of attendees (range 3–8). The consent rate amongst midwives randomised (n = 100) to complete questionnaires was 74% (n = 74) (95% CI 65%, 83%), and overall completion rate 89% (n = 66) (95% CI 82%, 96%). Follow-up response rate was 66% (n = 49) (95% CI 55%, 77%), with a marked difference between intervention (39%, n = 15) and control (94%, n = 34) groups potentially due to the volume of research activities. Overall, 64% (n = 47) (95% CI 53%, 75%) completed both baseline and follow-up questionnaires. Midwives viewed the intervention as acceptable and directly relevant to routine practice. The least popular components related to scripted role-plays. Pregnant women viewed the recruitment and trial processes to be acceptable. Conclusions: This rigorously conducted pilot study demonstrated feasibility intervention delivery and a high level of acceptability amongst participants. It has provided information required to refine the intervention and trial protocol, enhancing confidence that a definitive trial could be carried out. Trial registration: ISRCTN46869894; retrospectively registered 25th May 2016, www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN46869894. [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]

This paper proposes a methodology to estimate the probability of basic causes of allision accidents between vessels and offshore platforms that overcomes the problem of data scarcity required for causal analysis. The approach uses information derived from incidental data and expert elicitation, processed by a multiple attribute utility method and hierarchical Bayesian analysis. First, the methodology is detailed, briefly describing the adopted approaches. A dataset of allision incidents provided mainly by the UK Health and Safety Executive and other agencies is prepared. The features of the incidents' causation in terms of the causal factors and basic causes are presented and discussed. A novel scheme is proposed to evaluate the annual occurrence rates of basic causes of accidents from the relative importance of each basic cause derived by the Deck of Cards method. Then, a hierarchical Bayesian analysis is conducted to predict the posterior distribution of the occurrence rate of each basic cause in the time frame under analysis. The proposed holistic methodology provides transparent estimates of allision causation probabilities from limited and heterogeneous datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to handle the trajectory tracking control for a class of three-wheel mobile robot by using a novel adaptive robust control. The mobile robot consists of nonholonomic constraints and uncertainties. The uncertainties include initial condition offset, mass, and moment of inertia of the system, which are time-varying and bounded (unknown). The control force in analytical form is obtained by UK theory, and the adaptive robust control is formulated to handle the uncertainties. For estimating the unknown bounds of uncertainties, the leakage-type adaptive law is designed, which can automatically adjust its own value according to the trajectory tracking errors. Then we verify the uniform boundedness and uniform ultimate boundedness of the proposed control by Lyapunov method. Finally, numerical simulations are conducted to show the trajectory tracking effectiveness of the designed control method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SYNOPSIS: While accounting firms are facing recruitment and retention problems, regulatory bodies are calling for efforts to improve diversity to be more effective, especially at senior levels. In this paper, we discuss "merit" and assumptions about "meritocracy" in processes of performance evaluation and career progression. Based on interviews in medium and large professional services firms in the United Kingdom, we explore how the language/practices of merit can inhibit moves to improving diversity. Merit has two aspects: "technical" notions of core competencies associated with merit and cultural notions of social fit, which have the effect of favoring the progression of the elite groups embedded within firms. The latter creates a loop in understanding merit, enacted within firm culture over time, that is difficult to disrupt. As such, efforts to improve diversity are unlikely to bring about change without considering how organizational beliefs about merit have unintended consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused untold damage to the socio-economic lives of people all over the world. Research has also demonstrated great inequality in the pandemic experience. In the UK as in many other countries, people from ethnic minority backgrounds and in workingclass positions have suffered disproportionately more than the majority group and those in salariat positions in terms of income loss, financial difficulty, and vulnerability to infection. Yet little is known about how people coped in the daily lives and tried to maintain their well-being during the most difficult days of the pandemic through social capital. Methods: In this paper, we draw data from the COVID-19 Survey in Five National Longitudinal Studies to address these questions. The survey covered the period from May 2020 to February 2021, the height of the pandemic in the UK. It contains numerous questions on contact, help and support among family, friends, community members, socio-political trust, and physical and mental health. We conceptualise three types of social capital and one type of overall well-being and we construct latent variables from categorical indicator variables. We analyse the ethnic and socio-economic determinants of the three types of social capital and their impacts on well-being. Results: Our analysis shows that social capital plays very important roles on wellbeing, and that ethnic minority groups, particularly those of Pakistani/Bangladeshi and Black heritages, faced multiple disadvantages: their poorer socio-economic positions prevented them from gaining similar levels of social capital to those of the white group. However, for people with the same levels of social capital, the effects on well-being are generally similar. Discussion: Socio-economic (class) inequality is the root cause for ethnic differences in social capital which in turn affects people's well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]