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During the 2022 summer, Europe experienced heatwaves with record temperatures, and a study has argued that they caused about 62,000 deaths between 30 May and 4 September. The total number of excess deaths during the same period was about 137,000, indicating that the heatwaves were a substantial contributor. Not ruling out that explanation entirely, this paper argues that it was unlikely a strong cause. First, if the heatwaves were a strong cause of numerous deaths, one would assume that the older and deprived were relatively likely to die. However, during the 2022 summer heatwaves in England, which were claimed to have caused about 2900 deaths, the oldest age cohort did not have a higher excess death rate than the middle age cohort, and the excess death rate actually decreased with deprivation status. Moreover, Iceland had among Europe's highest excess death rates during the summer, which cannot be attributed to heatwaves. During June, July, and August 2022, comparable southern hemisphere countries furthermore had high excess death rates, which cannot be attributed to heatwaves either, as it was during their winter. Also, Europe's excess death rate was higher during the 2022–2023 winter than during the 2022 summer, and intuitively not attributed to heatwaves, but neither to cold weather, as that winter was abnormally mild. Finally, the paper discusses the puzzling issue that about 56% more women than men, relative to the population, presumably died from the heatwaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Granger causality provides a framework that uses predictability to identify causation between time series variables. This is important to policymakers for effective policy management and recommendations. Granger causality is recognized as the primary advance on the causation problem. The objective of this paper is to conduct a bibliometric analysis of Granger causality publications indexed in the Web of Science database. Harzing's Publish or Perish and VOSviewer were used for performance analysis and science mapping. The first paper indexed was published in 1981 and there has been an upward trend in the annual publication of Granger causality studies which are shifting towards the areas of environmental science, energy, and economics. Most of the publications are articles and proceeding papers under the areas of business economics, environmental science ecology, and neurosciences/neurology. China has the highest number of publications while the United States has the highest number of citations. England has the highest citation impact. This paper also constructed country co-authorship, co-analysis of cited references, cited sources, and cited authors, keyword co-occurrence, and keyword overlay visualization maps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the relationship between religion and football has gained considerable interest during the last twenty years, scant attention has been paid to the relationship between pilgrimage and football. This paper seeks to advance the study of this relationship through an exploration of collective memory about football disasters that throws fresh light on central themes within pilgrimage studies—pilgrimage as both a journey to a sacred place and the performance of diverse rituals at such places. The paper explores, in particular, the ways in which three different tragedies involving English football clubs have been commemorated through journeys to and ritual performance at places seen as sacred to those involved in commemoration—football stadiums and urban spaces, and cathedrals and pilgrimage shrines in England, Germany and Italy. Through this analysis, we seek to show how the commemoration of football disaster is linked to pilgrimage as a process where people seek healing and reconciliation through the public performance of rituals that link the local to the global. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the research on successful school principalship carried out in England over the last 20 years. Drawing on evidence synthesized from the International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP) and related English school leadership research conducted by ISSPP scholars, this review aims to answer a conceptual research question: How do the principalship's moral purposes and contextual understanding shape the time-sensitive, informed adoption of combinations and accumulations of strategies that lead to sustained school success? This paper identifies five research insights derived from case studies in England and elaborates on the complex, values-led layered web of interactions between the school principal and key stakeholders within and outside the school in the context of frequent social changes and policy interventions in England. Whilst the pace has been greater and more intense than in many other countries, the direction has been, and remains, similar. The body of scholarship here reviewed engages with national policies as filtered and then enacted by successful principals. While 'effective' principals lead to students' success as measured by performance on national tests and examinations, our focus is upon an empirically founded definition of 'successful' school leadership that is located in complexity theory and encompasses the enactment of the core purposes of education that include but go beyond the functional. In doing so, it avoids 'what to do' formulae and the limitations of certain theoretical 'leadership' models, finding that successful school leaders' work embodies a broader humanistic view of student learning and achievement, which implies the preordinance of the personal over the functional. Taken together, these research insights contribute to the ISSPP's continued effort to refine and advance the knowledge base of successful school leadership within and across different countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research is an attempt to examine the recent status and development of scientific studies on the use of machine learning algorithms to model air pollution challenges. This study uses the Web of Science database as a primary search engine and covers over 900 highly peer-reviewed articles in the period 1990–2022. Papers published on these topics were evaluated using the VOSViewer and biblioshiny software to identify and visualize significant authors, key trends, nations, research publications, and journals working on these issues. The findings show that research grew exponentially after 2012. Based on the survey, "particulate matter" is the highly occurring keyword, followed by "prediction". Papers published by Chinese researchers have garnered the most citations (2421), followed by papers published in the United States of America (2256), and England (722). This study assists scholars, professionals, and global policymakers in understanding the current status of the research contribution on "air pollution and machine learning" as well as identifying the relevant areas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the findings of a national survey of over 3400 teachers across all phases of education in England, 10 weeks into school closure. In this paper we report on the teachers' experiences and their testimonies of the effects of the lockdown on their wellbeing as they navigate the situation, trying to cope with teaching and adjusting to the use of new technology to deliver lessons in the confines of their home. We present their voices as they related their experiences and emotions in real time as the event unfolded. Teachers reported an increased workload with a proportionately large amount of time spent on administrative duties and planning, but less on actual teaching. On average, these teachers spent 15 h a week marking during the lockdown. Under half of the respondents said they felt happy and cheerful often, while only 17% said they did not feel this way often. Almost all teachers said they felt that what they were doing was important and worthwhile. The most common emotions expressed by teachers were fear, isolation, neglect, anxiety, and confusion. The inconsistency and lack of clarity of government guidelines added to teachers' anxiety. The negative media portrayal of teachers did not help. The majority of teachers reported little previous experience in online teaching and only a quarter were confident in using edtech to deliver remote teaching. Only a third of teachers said they were adequately supported for online teaching. This has implications for future teacher development and initial teacher training. However, there were equally numerous positive experiences reported by teachers. Active support from parents and consistent school-home communication were seen as important in ensuring students' continued engagement with learning. These lessons are beneficial in supporting the long-term sick and school refusers post-lockdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a fresh redemptive reading of Gen 3:16, viewed in light of a whole mosaic of canonical contexts and intertextual connections. These include, among others, the full equality without hierarchy of man and woman in Gen 1–2; the paradigmatic nature of egalitarian marriage with mutual submission between husband and wife in Gen 2:18–24; the rupture of husband–wife relationships in Gen 3:6–13; the covenant lawsuit of Gen 3:14–19; the meaning of mashal in Gen 1:16–18 and 4:7; the meaning of teshuqah and grammatical–syntactical parallels and contrasts in Gen 4:7 and Song 7:11 (Eng. v. 10); the redemptive aspects of the woman and her seed in Gen 3:15; and the intertextual connections with New Testament passages. Considering this mosaic of contexts and connections, it is suggested that Gen 3:16 must be viewed only in reference to marriage; it is never broadened to include man–woman gender relationships in general. In Gen 3:16, God provides a temporary, remedial measure to preserve harmony and unity in a ruptured marriage relationship, with an implicit call for husbands and wives to return as soon as possible from the mashal–teshuqah relationship to the paradigmatic egalitarian marriage set forth in Gen 2:24. This return to the divine creation ideal for marriage is empowered by the redemptive promises of Gen 3:15, confirmed in the reversal of the Gen 3:16 marital relationship articulated in the Song of Songs—the inspired commentary on Gen 1–3—particularly Song 7:11 [Eng. v. 10]), and reaffirmed in the consistent citations of Gen 2:24 (and not Gen 3:16) in the NT (Matt 19:5, 6; Eph 5:31). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we draw upon a study exploring how COVID-19 and social isolation impacted young people's (aged 13–18) experiences of online sexual and gendered risks and harms in England during nationwide lockdowns and upon their return to school. We explore the complexities, tensions and ambiguities in youth navigating algorithmised feeds on social media apps such as TikTok and content featuring idealised cis-gendered, heterosexualised feminine and masculine embodiment. Young people repeatedly witness hateful and abusive comments that are algorithmically boosted. We argue that this toxic content normalises online hate in the form of body shaming and sexual shaming, developing the concept of the postdigital to analyse the offline, affective, embodied and material dimensions of online harm, harassment and abuse. We also explore young people's direct experiences of receiving harmful comments, including girls' and gender and sexuality-diverse youth's experiences of body and sexual shaming, as well as boys' experiences of fat shaming; which, in many instances, we argue must be classified as forms of image-based abuse. Using our postdigital lens, we argue that the ways heteronormative, cis-gendered masculine and feminine embodiment are policed online shapes behaviour and norms in young people's everyday lives, including in and around school, and that better understanding and support around these issues is urgently needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) involves international online activities that allow the support of transversal competencies in diverse and multicultural environments without moving from home. This paper presents the learning experiences and satisfaction of undergraduate nursing students at the University of Girona (Spain) from a COIL activity involving clinical simulation in collaboration with the University of Coventry (United Kingdom). Methods: Qualitative study of content analysis. Twelve students from each of the two universities participated in the data collection process using reflective diaries. Results: The data analysis highlighted five topics related to the COIL activity involving clinical simulation: (a) initial attitudes towards the COIL activity; (b) main learning through the COIL activity; (c) positive aspects of the COIL activity; (d) weaknesses of the COIL activity and proposals for improvement; and (e) overall evaluation of the COIL activity. Conclusions: The main learning outcomes referred to by students were the relationships between transversal competencies and the skills for life, language skills, cultural skills, and more specific skills related to clinical standards. The students were most satisfied with the teaching activities and specified positive aspects and weaknesses that will add value to future versions of the activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to their status as non-professionals, the reputations of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) contributors have a very important impact on data quality. In the process of contributor reputation evaluation in OpenStreetMap (OSM), it is very difficult to calculate the semantic similarity between object versions contributed by volunteers. Aimed at this issue, this paper proposes a model of contributor's reputation based on semantic similarity of ontology concepts. Firstly, contributors are classified into three categories based on an improved WPCA and classification method. Then, an initial reputation is set for every OSM user in each class according to these categories and related research. Secondly, the related concept ontology is constructed for OSM entities; then, the semantic similarity of the object version is calculated according to the similarity of concept attributes and the semantic distance of concept. The contributor's evaluation reputation is computed by synthesizing the semantic similarity, geometric similarity, and topological similarity of object versions. Thirdly, the contributor's evaluation reputation and the initial reputation is aggregated to obtain the contributor's reputation; finally, the OSM data of Rutland, England, is used as an example to verify the validity of our model. The experimental results show that the proposed model can obtain a more comprehensive contributor's evaluation by fusing with the semantic similarity of ontology concept. The evaluation bias caused only by the semantic change between versions can be eliminated. Moreover, the obtained user's reputation is positively correlated with the data quality. The contributor's reputation evaluation method proposed in this paper is an effective method for evaluating the contributor's reputation in OSM-like systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of scholarship draws attention to prisons and environmental justice, pointing out the propensity for prisons to be located on contaminated sites and to be in close proximity to polluting industries, as well as for prisons themselves to contribute to local environmental degradation. Prisoners' immobility renders them unable to relocate away from harmful environments, and there are now numerous suggestions that their wellbeing suffers as a result of the poor quality of many local environments. However, since a relationship between environmental quality and prisoner wellbeing is yet to be robustly demonstrated, there is currently no firm evidence base from which to argue for positive change. This paper therefore examines the effect of the environmental quality of the locations of prisons, approximated as the presence of greenspace in the immediate vicinity of prisons, local species biodiversity and local levels of air and noise pollution, on wellbeing outcomes in a set of prisons in England and Wales. It finds that good environmental quality, in the form of high biodiversity and/or low air pollution, enhances the already-recognized positive effects of greenspace on the wellbeing of incarcerated populations. On the basis of these findings, this paper makes evidence-based policy recommendations intended to enhance the wellbeing of incarcerated populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing body of research suggests that bilingualism is possible and perhaps even advantageous for autistic individuals. However, several factors might influence parents' decisions about raising their autistic child bilingually, including national language policies, educational contexts, advice received from key professionals, and the child's individual strengths and needs. Accordingly, there is a clear imperative to understand how the views of different stakeholders converge and diverge when language decisions are made in the context of autism. This paper brings new insights by synthesising the findings of three qualitative studies that used interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore the perspectives and experiences of bilingual autistic children (n = 11), parents (n = 16), and educational practitioners (n = 13) of bilingualism in autism in England and Wales. Despite wide variation between and within groups, a striking tension emerged between individuals' beliefs about bilingualism in general, which were positive, and their experiences of bilingualism in autism specifically, which often foregrounded more monolingual approaches. This paper examines this tension, with a particular focus on stakeholders' attitudes towards the feasibility of bilingualism, families' language choices in the context of autism, and how notions of contextual linguistic diversity accentuated differences between England and Wales. We conclude by arguing that greater awareness of both bilingualism and neurodiversity in educational and clinical settings may improve the experiences of bilingual autistic children and, crucially, the language advice families receive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Connecting to and extending recent debates around more-than-human thinking, this paper explores how porous boundary treatments and plot layouts might encourage ecological exchanges within new urban and peri-urban developments. This study therefore responds to suggestions for innovative plot designs that facilitate positive trans-species interactions, especially considering wider anxieties surrounding biodiversity loss and recognition of the need for climate-resilient garden spaces. Focusing on a recent example of a large-scale residential development in the English midlands, this paper outlines the socio-economic, cultural and ecological significance of embedding different hedgerow designs into early planning considerations; revealing the need to move beyond current models. The discussion then turns to how such ambitions might encourage sustainable land use, particularly through creating potentially scalable urban agricultural systems that sustain healthy food choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Telerehabilitation (TR) shows promise as a method of remote service delivery, yet there is little guidance to inform implementation in the context of the National Health Service (NHS) in England. This paper presents the protocol for a realist synthesis study aiming to investigate how TR can be implemented to support the provision of high-quality, equitable community-based stroke rehabilitation, and under what conditions. Using a realist approach, we will synthesise information from (1) an evidence review, (2) qualitative interviews with clinicians (n ≤ 30), and patient–family carer dyads (n ≤ 60) from three purposively selected community stroke rehabilitation services in England. Working groups including rehabilitation professionals, service-users and policy-makers will co-develop actionable recommendations. Insights from the review and the interviews will be synthesised to test and refine programme theories that explain how TR works and for whom in clinical practice, and draw key messages for service implementation. This protocol highlights the need to improve our understanding of TR implementation in the context of multidisciplinary, community-based stroke service provision. We suggest the use of a realist methodology and co-production to inform evidence-based recommendations that consider the needs and priorities of clinicians and people affected by stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) has disproportionately affected certain demographics in England, exacerbating existing health disparities. Effective therapeutics are a critical line of defence against COVID-19, particularly for patients at elevated risk for severe disease. Surveillance systems were established to monitor the usage of COVID-19 therapeutics in hospital and community settings and to inform stewardship. Three antiviral therapies—nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir (Paxlovid®), remdesivir (Veklury®), and molnupiravir (Lagevrio®)—and two neutralising monoclonal antibody therapies (nMAbs)—sotrovimab (Xevudy®) and casirivimab with imdevimab (Ronapreve®)—were in use in England between July 2020 and April 2023. This paper aims to illuminate trends in the utilisation of COVID-19 therapeutics treatment in both hospital and community settings, stratified by the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) in England. Chapter 3 of the English Surveillance Programme for Antimicrobial Utilisation and Resistance (ESPAUR) Report 2022 to 2023 also discusses the epidemiological surveillance of these five directly acting antiviral COVID-19 therapeutics' use in England between 2022 and 2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wolf Rock Lighthouse is a Victorian era masonry structure located in an extreme environment facing the fiercest Atlantic storms off the southwest coast of England whose dynamic behaviour has been studied since 2016. Initially, a modal test was used to determine modal parameters; then, in 2017, a monitoring system was installed that has operated intermittently providing response data for a number of characteristic loading events. These events have included wave loads due to storms, a small UK earthquake, helicopters landing on the helideck, and the grounding of a ship on the reef. This is believed to be the most extensive experimental campaign on any structure of this type. This paper briefly describes a unique project involving the characterisation and measurement of dynamic behaviour due to different forms of dynamic loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimating loss reserves is a crucial activity for non-life insurance companies. It involves adjusting the expected evolution of claims over different periods of active policies and their fluctuations. The chain-ladder (CL) technique is recognized as one of the most effective methods for calculating claim reserves in this context. It has become a benchmark within the insurance sector for predicting loss reserves and has been adapted to estimate variability margins. This variability has been addressed through both stochastic and possibilistic analyses. This study adopts the latter approach, proposing the use of the CL framework combined with intuitionistic fuzzy numbers (IFNs). While modeling with fuzzy numbers (FNs) introduces only epistemic uncertainty, employing IFNs allows for the representation of bipolar data regarding the feasible and infeasible values of loss reserves. In short, this paper presents an extension of the chain-ladder technique that estimates the parameters governing claim development through intuitionistic fuzzy regression, such as symmetric triangular IFNs. Additionally, it compares the results obtained with this method with those derived from the stochastic chain ladder by England and Verrall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Equitable access to healthcare is a priority of many healthcare systems, aiming to ensure access is driven by need and not minority groups such as those defined by sexual orientation. However, there are healthcare areas where inequity in access across sexual orientation groups is found that are not justified based on need. Mandated LGBTQ+-specific training of the healthcare workforce may help address some barriers of access for these groups. The study aims to understand the potential economic implications for mandated LGBTQ+-specific healthcare training on the healthcare system in England, UK to inform commissioning of training provision. Methods: Cervical cancer screening was used as an exemplar case where there appears to be inequity in access for different sexual orientation groups. A decision model was developed and analysed that considered the impacts of greater uptake of screening for lesbian and bisexual women due to LGBTQ+ training. Costs took the perspective of the healthcare system and outcomes modelled were cancer cases averted in a timeframe of 5 years. Results: Based on cervical cancer screening alone, where training costs are fully attributed to this service, training would likely result in fewer cancer cases detected in the lesbian and bisexual populations, though this comes at a modest increase in healthcare sector costs, with this increase largely reflecting a greater volume of screens. Training costs do not appear to be a major component of the cost implications. Conclusions: In resource-constrained systems with increasing pressures for efficiency savings, the opportunity cost of delivering training is a realistic component of the commissioning decision. The findings in this paper provide a signal that mandated LGBTQ+ training in healthcare could lead to potentially greater outcomes and in breaking down barriers of access and could also enable the healthcare system to provide more equitable access to healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rising demands and competition for water resources within all sectors are placing increasing pressure on the environment. Almost all direct abstractions in England require a licence (permit) from the regulatory authority, the Environment Agency. Assessing and setting 'reasonable' peak quantities of water that can be legally abstracted in an environmentally sustainable manner is central to the whole licence determination process. To protect environmental flows and other abstractors within each catchment, the regulatory authority needs to be able to set sensible limits in the licence conditions, including total seasonal volumes and peak rates of water use, particularly for abstractions from hydrologically sensitive surface water sources. This paper describes the development of a methodology to assess the 'reasonable' peak rates of water use for agricultural irrigation in support of catchment water resources management and planning. A daily time step water balance model was used to simulate peak monthly and daily water requirements for irrigation using long-term historical weather records for agroclimatically contrasting sites. The model-simulated outputs were then compared against observed data from selected case study farms, and against data reported in a national water abstraction database. Guidelines were then developed for setting peak monthly, daily, hourly, and absolute abstraction rates for irrigation, taking into account the environmental sensitivity of different types of water source. The application of the procedure and its relevance in other countries where catchment water resources are under intense pressure from agriculture are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, due to climate change and increased rates of coastal erosion, along with the need to protect sensitive habitats, there is an increasing requirement for a sustainable approach which considers both the effect of the marine environment on critical infrastructure and the impact of that infrastructure on the local environment. This paper presents a methodology for assessing the impact of a marine structure on longshore dynamics and shoreline evolution by using an external coupling of the phase-resolving ARTEMIS wave model and the shoreline evolution model, UNIBEST. The methodology can be applied at any coastal location, but for this study, it was applied to Sizewell Bay on the east coast of England to assess the impact of a shore-normal jetty on a gently curving stretch of shoreline with relatively complex offshore geomorphology. Results from simulating 22 years of shoreline evolution have shown that, at the jetty location, the shoreline at Sizewell will migrate seaward up to 45 m compared with the no-jetty case. Immediately south of the jetty, the shoreline was predicted to retreat landward by about 15 m. This behaviour is similar to observed changes at other locations, and the predicted longshore transport rates are in agreement with findings from previous studies, validating the methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In England, there are proportionately more White British teachers than White British pupils, and so there is a mismatch between the proportion of teachers and pupils of each ethnic minority group. This mismatch may reduce the number of appropriate role models for some pupils and has been linked to differences in school processes and the behaviour and treatment of ethnic minority pupils. The evidence is weaker regarding any link between ethnic disproportionality and attainment. This paper uses school-level school workforce and pupil attainment data to assess this link. The results are presented as correlations between teacher/pupil characteristics and attainment scores at ages 11 and 16 and as regression models predicting attainment scores using teacher/pupil characteristics. There is no evidence here that ethnic (dis)proportionality is linked to discernible differences in pupil attainment once relative poverty is taken into account. However, as the data are linked at the school level rather than the individual level, we cannot separate the attainment of pupils of different ethnic origins, and the ethnic classification for teachers is simply binary. We are working to overcome these data limitations and hope to present future analyses based on individual data with more detailed ethnic groupings to provide a more definitive result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mawgridge's case in 1707 set the precedent where adultery was recognised as a justified trigger for the husband's killing of his wife's lover; this crystallised a partial defence for provocation. However, in an 1810 case, the killing of the unfaithful wife followed a manslaughter conviction rather than murder for the first time. This study aims to investigate the shaping of a legally permissible violence, that is, the mitigation of the husband's culpability in killing his adulterous wife. This provides the opportunity to question the (ir)rationality behind the judiciary's discourse in the case of R v Clinton 2012; here, despite infidelity being abolished in 2009 in England and Wales as a defence for murder, the judges still insisted on its relevance in our culture and hence on legal culpability. The theoretical framework in this paper draws upon the scholarship of masculinity, the family, and the law. This paper discusses the contribution of the hegemonic male identity in creating this legal violence and fortifying social-hierarchical structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since at least 2012, UK housing providers (and policy makers) have introduced policies aimed at developing autonomy and independence among service users, through an agenda sometimes referred to as 'responsibilisation'. This paper considers the role that technologies play in this agenda, through an analysis of how wellbeing and independence are facilitated amongst older social housing tenants. Based on case studies of four supported housing schemes in England, the research considers the capacity to exercise agency amongst older persons, through their willingness and ability to accept technological interventions, and the role of support networks to facilitate independent living. Using the concept of modalities of agency, the research examines the impact of implementing 'low-level' assistive technologies in the home, based on the perspectives of residents and staff. The interventions studied were designed to improve social relationships, promote self-sufficiency and support self-managed care (based on the principle that the most effective projects facilitate individual agency). The research findings identified that residents responded differentially to technology, based on their levels of capability, motivation, reluctance and resistance. Whilst the study demonstrated that small technological innovations could have disproportionately positive impacts in improving wellbeing, the research demonstrates the complex nature of agency and limits of responsibility. The paper argues that responsibilisation is part of a wider neoliberal project, where choice and agency are manufactured to create an idealised notion of the autonomous actor (in this case through technology-enabled care). The article argues that a collaborative approach to service provision in which responsibility is shared, via co-managed care, is a more effective means of enhancing agency, than one which advocates a withdrawal of support (in the guise of autonomy). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rising prevalence of paediatric type 2 diabetes (T2D) is concerning, particularly with limited medical intervention despite evidence of accelerated disease progression. This study of a Barts Health NHS Trust cohort from 2008 to 2022 aims to elucidate the incidence, clinical outcomes, and complications associated with paediatric T2D. A retrospective analysis utilising electronic and paper records identified 40 patients with T2D. The incidence doubled from 2.6/year in 2008–2013 to 5.4/year in 2014–2018. Sixty-eight percent exhibited co-morbidities, notably learning disabilities. At diagnosis, the mean BMI was 32.4 ± 6.71 kg/m2, with no gender-based disparity and no significant change over a two-year follow-up. The initial HbA1c was 75.2 ± 21.0 mmol/mol, decreasing to 55.0 ± 17.4 mmol/mol after three months (p = 0.001) and then rising to 63.0 ± 25.5 mmol/mol at one year (p = 0.07). While 22/37 patients achieved HbA1c < 48 mmol/mol, only 9 maintained this for a year. Several metabolic and cardiovascular complications were observed at diagnosis and follow-up, with no significant change in frequency. In 2022, 15 patients transitioned to adult services. HbA1c at transition was 74.7 ± 27.6 mmol/mol, showing no change one year post-transition (71.9 ± 26.9 mmol/mol, p = 0.34). This study highlights substantial therapeutic failure, with current management falling short in achieving a sustained reduction in BMI or HbA1c. Novel treatment approaches are needed to improve clinical outcomes and address the high burden of co-morbidities and complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The case of naturalization of the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771), in countries lying beyond its native Ponto–Caspian range is remarkable as one of the first instances when the scientific community as early as the mid-19th century was fully aware of the non-indigenous status of a particular species as well as of the need for the study and monitoring of this process. Based on a study of contemporary sources, I reconstruct the early response of European naturalists (including those who today would be called "citizen scientist") to the invasion of Dreissena and describe their attitudes to the problem, including the divergence in opinion about the origin and the means of dispersal of this bivalve species. An analysis of papers published in English, French, German, and Russian between 1774 and 1920 showed that the invasion of D. polymorpha was by no means "silent"; quite the opposite, it provoked an immediate reaction from naturalists. The scientific agenda for the study of the new invader was proposed in England as early as 1838. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human mortality has been improving faster than expected over the past few decades. This unprecedented improvement has caused significant financial stress to pension plan sponsors and annuity providers. The widely recognized Lee–Carter model often assumes linearity in its period effect as an integral part of the model. Nevertheless, deviation from linearity has been observed in historical mortality data. In this paper, we investigate the applicability of four nonlinear time-series models: threshold autoregressive model, Markov switching model, structural change model, and generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity model for mortality data. By analyzing the mortality data from England and Wales and Italy spanning the years 1900 to 2019, we compare the goodness of fit and forecasting performance of the four nonlinear models. We then demonstrate the implications of nonlinearity in mortality modeling on the pricing of longevity bonds as a practical illustration of our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of plastics in agriculture and in fisheries has been vital to increase food production and meet the demands of an increasingly growing global population. However, there are several drawbacks to the use of plastics in these industries. Most plastics used in agriculture are disposed of after one single use and are highly susceptible to weathering. Abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear cause considerable damage to marine life. Quantification of plastic waste generation in these industries is scarce or non-existent in the case of fisheries. In this paper, we estimate the amount of plastic waste generated by agriculture and fisheries at a regional scale, considering the South West of the UK as a case study. We followed a mass balance approach to quantify the potential plastic waste generated by these industries. We find a generation of 49 kt of plastic waste in agriculture, 47% of which has an unknown fate. We estimate 454 t/year of fishing gear waste, with unclear end-of-life pathways. A detailed quantitative understanding of plastic waste generation per sector at a regional scale is fundamental for tracking plastic waste flows, locating hotspots of pollution, and planning actions to reduce the amount of plastic waste along the chain of end-users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presenting the results from a mixed methods case-study, this paper draws together insight from the fields of 'BME attainment' and 'student transition' to explore how differential levels of degree attainment might be experienced within the context of a higher tariff university in England. Across a five-year period (2010/11–2014/2015) it compares the levels of degree attainment between UK-domiciled White and Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) students in relation to prior attainment, qualification type, and socioeconomic group (POLAR 3). A range of qualitative data then outlines a series of dynamic factors that can, when compounded, serve to constrain BME students' capability to negotiate their way through very particular university landscapes. These include: academic expectation and preparedness; the pedagogic terrain; pastoral engagement and sense of belonging finance; and, the lived experience of diversity and 'othering'. The paper argues that attainment gaps should not be viewed in terms of an individual deficit that needs to be 'fixed' or 'filled'. Instead, greater attention needs to be directed toward enhancing the capacity of higher tariff universities to respond positively to the needs of a changing demographic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers how the longstanding liberal principle of freedom of religion in education in England was recontextualised within a marketised system of school choice. First, the potential conflict between the right to freedom of belief and to education is outlined. The notion of neoliberal legalism is explored, first in identifying and defining neoliberalism as a model of regulation by market forces, then in outlining 'neoliberal legality', as the manifestation of this approach in law. Next, the paper presents a narrative account of the development in England of the principle of religious freedom in education up to the Education Act 1944. The neoliberal turn is considered, in the 1988 Education Reform Act and subsequent legislation, showing how while the provision remains, religion is effectively one marker of school choice and strategic school selection, rather than purely a fundamental personal freedom. This is discussed in relation to neoliberal recontexualisation of existing law, and the neoliberal governance of religions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses the transition regime concept in a case study of how the regime in England has been reconstructed since the 1980s. It explains how the former transition regime evolved gradually up to the 1970s. Thereafter the regime proved unable to cope with an acceleration of de-industrialisation and the government's switch to neo-liberal social and economic policies. These changes destroyed many working-class routes into employment. The resultant push onto academic routes, which had the attraction of continuing to lead to jobs, meant that the enlarged numbers exiting the routes could no longer rely on employment that offered secure middle-class futures. The paper explains how the next 30 years became a period of radical regime reconstruction. Government education, training and welfare policies and changes in the economy and occupational structure, were the context in which schools, colleges and higher education institutions, employers and other training providers, together with young people, 'negotiated' new routes from points to entry to exits into different classes of employment. At the beginning of the 2020s, the reconstructed regime was delivering the fastest education-to-work transitions in Europe, with lower than average rates of youth unemployment and NEET. Then came the challenges of COVID-19, lockdowns and Brexit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The broader determinants of health including a wide range of community assets are extremely important in relation to public health outcomes. Multiple health conditions, multimorbidity, is a growing problem in many populations worldwide. Methods: This paper quantified the effect of community assets on major health conditions for the population of England over six years, at a fine spatial scale using a data analytic approach. Community assets, which included indices of the health system, green space, pollution, poverty, urban environment, safety, and sport and leisure facilities, were quantified in relation to major health conditions. The health conditions examined included high blood pressure, obesity, dementia, diabetes, mental health, cardiovascular conditions, musculoskeletal conditions, respiratory conditions, kidney and liver disease, and cancer. Cluster analysis and dendrograms were calculated for the community assets and major health conditions. For each health condition, a statistical model with all community assets was fitted, and model selection was performed. The number of significant community assets for each health condition was recorded. The unique variance, explained by each significant community asset per health condition, was quantified using hierarchical variance partitioning within an analysis of variance model. Results: The resulting data indicate major health conditions are often clustered, as are community assets. The results suggest that diversity and richness of community assets are key to major health condition outcomes. Primary care service waiting times and distance to public parks were significant predictors of all health conditions examined. Primary care waiting times explained the vast majority of the variances across health conditions, with the exception of obesity, which was better explained by absolute poverty. Conclusions: The implications of the combined findings of the health condition clusters and explanatory power of community assets are discussed. The vast majority of determinants of health could be accounted for by healthcare system performance and distance to public green space, with important covariate socioeconomic factors. Emphases on community approaches, significant relationships, and asset strengths and deficits are needed alongside targeted interventions. Whilst the performance of the public health system remains of key importance, community assets and local infrastructure remain paramount to the broader determinants of health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Home education is a phenomenon that has been increasing globally over the past decade, particularly for families of children with special educational needs or disabilities. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this phenomenon with many families continuing to home educate even after their children can officially return to school. This paper reports on a small-scale design-based research project that explored the needs of families who are home educating children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Working in partnership with educational settings, practitioners, and families during the second year of the pandemic, academic researchers in Malaysia and England designed, implemented and evaluated a home learning pack for children with ASD aged 6–12 years old. The findings emphasised the role of economic, social and cultural capital for the families involved and how this impacted their ability to work and educate their children successfully. This raises crucial questions in relation to the place of home education within the wider international inclusive education debate and matters of social equality whilst also highlighting key questions for future research in this field on how policy and provision might develop to meet a growing diversity of need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hospitals in England experience extremely high levels of bed occupancy in the winter. In these circumstances, vaccine-preventable hospitalisations due to seasonal respiratory infections have a high cost because of the missed opportunity to treat other patients on the waiting list. This paper estimates the number of hospitalisations that current vaccines against influenza, pneumococcal disease (PD), COVID-19, and a hypothetical Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine, could prevent in the winter among older adults in England. Their costs were quantified using a conventional reference costing method and a novel opportunity costing approach considering the net monetary benefit (NMB) obtained from alternative uses of the hospital beds freed-up by vaccines. The influenza, PD and RSV vaccines could collectively prevent 72,813 bed days and save over £45 million in hospitalisation costs. The COVID-19 vaccine could prevent over 2 million bed days and save £1.3 billion. However, the value of hospital beds freed up by vaccination is likely to be 1.1–2 times larger (£48–93 million for flu, PD and RSV; £1.4–2.8 billion for COVID-19) when quantified in opportunity cost terms. Considering opportunity costs is key to ensuring maximum value is obtained from preventative budgets, as reference costing may significantly underestimate the true value of vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The current social construction of young mothers is generally negative, pointing to a lack of engagement with universal services and poor outcomes for their infants and children. However, qualitative studies offer an alternative, more positive construct of young motherhood. Understanding the context of young motherhood can improve the relevance and efficacy of health promotion directed to this group of high-risk mothers. Aim: To explore the lived experience of young women transitioning to motherhood to better understand their experiences and perspective; and what influences their engagement with health promotion aimed to support safer parenting practices and whether their behaviour changes over time with exposure to parenting health promotion. Method: Longitudinal Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used with five first-time mothers identified with characteristics known to influence poorer outcomes for infants and children such as low educational achievement and economic disadvantage. Participants aged 16 to 19 years were recruited antenatally. Serial in-depth interviews were conducted at three time points during the ante- and post-natal periods. Interviews were transcribed and data were analysed inductively following the prescribed method of double hermeneutic analysis for IPA. Finding: Three themes were identified from the full study: Transition, Information, and Fractured application; the focus of this paper is Transition. Transition revealed that becoming mothers impacted key adolescent developmental tasks; their identity and relationships were significantly affected, both positively and negatively and adolescent brain development influenced behaviour and decision making capability. Adolescence influenced how these young mothers engaged with and interpreted parenting health promotion messages. Conclusions: Young mothers in this study operate within the context of adolescence. Adolescence impacts participants' decision making activity and early parenting behaviours which informs the debate on why young mothers may fail to reduce risks for their infants. This insight can contribute to the development of more effective health promotion/educational strategies, and support professionals to better engage with this high-risk group to improve early parenting behaviour and subsequently improve outcomes for their infants and children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a qualitative documentary analysis of six restorative justice reporting templates used by the Offices of the Police and Crime Commissioner in England for collecting restorative justice service data. Findings identify differences in the following areas: general presentation and format of templates; types of data recorded; areas of interest; definitions and use of descriptive language; methods and timing for counting data; and interpretation of restorative justice processes and outcomes. Conclusions highlight the need to standardise definitions and methods, outlining potential pitfalls when using data to draw further conclusions when equivalency is problematic, and further research avenues that could illuminate the use of data to evidence effectiveness, efficiency, impact and success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenspaces are argued to be one of the important features in the urban environment that impact the health of the population. Previous research suggested either positive, negative, or no associations between greenspaces and health-related outcomes. This paper takes a step backward to, first, explore different quantitative spatial measures of evaluating greenspace exposure, before attempting to investigate the relationship between those measures and health-related outcomes. The study uses self-reported health data from an online cross-sectional survey conducted for residents in the West of England. This yielded data of greenspace use, physical activity, wellbeing (ICECAP-A score), and connectedness to nature for 617 participants, divided into two sets: health outcomes for the period before versus during the 2020 lockdown. The study uses the participants' postcodes (provided in the survey) to calculate eleven spatial measures of greenspace exposure using the software ArcGIS Pro 2.9.5. A total of 88 multivariate regression models were run while controlling for eleven confounders of the participants' characteristics. Results inferred 57 significant associations such that six spatial measures of greenspace exposure (NDVI R200m, NDVI R300m, NDVI R500m, Network Distance to nearest greenspace access, Euclidean Distance to nearest greenspace access, and Euclidean Distance to nearest 0.5 ha doorstep greenspace access) have significant association to at least one of the four health-related outcomes, suggesting a positive impact on population health when living in greener areas or being closer to greenspaces. Moreover, there are further significant associations between the frequency of use of greenspaces and increasing physical activity or feeling more connected to nature. Still, the residents' patterns of using greenspaces significantly changed during versus before lockdown and has impacted the relationships between health outcomes and the greenspace exposure measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2020, England's Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS) has incentivised increased antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) activities in community pharmacy. In 2020/21, this included the requirement for staff to complete an AMS e-Learning module, pledge to be an Antibiotic Guardian and develop an AMS Action plan. To build and embed these initiatives, in 2021/22, the PQS required the use of the TARGET Antibiotic Checklist (an AMS tool for use when patients present with a prescription for antibiotics to support conducting and recording of a series of safety and appropriateness checks against each prescribed antibiotic). This paper describes the implementation of the national PQS criteria from 2020 to 2022, and details community pharmacies' AMS activities and barriers to implementation of the 2021/22 criteria. A total of 8374 community pharmacies submitted data collected using the TARGET Antibiotic Checklist for 213,105 prescriptions; 44% surpassed the required number for the PQS. Pharmacy teams reported checking the following: duration, dose, and appropriateness of antibiotics; patient allergies and medicine interactions (94–95%); antibiotic prescribing guideline adherence (89%); and the patient's previous use of antibiotics (81%). The prescriber was contacted for 1.3% of TARGET Antibiotic Checklists (2741), and the most common reasons for such contacts were related to dose, duration, and possible patient allergy. A total of 105 pharmacy staff responded to a follow-up questionnaire, which suggested that some AMS principles had been embedded into daily practice; however, the necessary time commitment was a barrier. The PQS was able to incentivise mass AMS activities at pace over consecutive years for England's community pharmacies simultaneously. Future research should monitor the continuation of activities and the wider impacts on primary care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic caused fundamental shifts in schools' and teachers' practices. At the start of the pandemic, forty schools in England were in their second year of participation in a pilot initiative intended to understand what changes could be put in place by schools in order to implement an entitlement for teachers to high-quality, sustained professional development. This paper explores the impact of COVID-19 on the participating schools' approaches to professional development. Drawing on findings from the independent evaluation and school leaders' experiences of the initiative, it describes how, before the pandemic, school leaders constructed professional development plans in alignment with school improvement objectives and address individual teachers' professional learning needs. During the pandemic, after an initial de-prioritisation of professional development, plans were adapted to new professional development ecologies in schools. Professional learning activities moved to online, hybrid and blended environments and new activities were added in response to emerging teacher professional learning needs. This study demonstrates how schools' plans for teacher professional development can, even in the most extreme conditions, be reshaped and adapted to changing circumstances and adds to the growing body of knowledge of online and hybrid professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional route to achieving adequate structural performance in the event of fire is through ensuring that structural elements attain fire resistance ratings. The magnitude of these ratings typically varies in function of the building use, size, and height. In their genesis, fire resistance ratings were a proxy for the specification required of elements such that they had a reasonable likelihood of surviving the full duration of a fire, i.e., burn-out. As such, fire resistance periods were specified in the function of fire load, which, over time, progressively increased in consideration of the consequences of fire induced structural failure. This ratcheting of fire resistance periods was seemingly done so based on the collective experience of the profession, in response to observations from real fires and, where applicable, resulting disasters. That is, the safety levels associated with current fire resistance recommendations in most global codes and guidance documents are not determined. Therefore, this paper presents a review of reliability-based acceptance criteria for structures, ahead of their application, to determine fire resistance recommendations for buildings in England based on both codified reliability indices and the principle of relative (marginal) lifesaving costs. The study applies a novel form of probabilistic time equivalence, which is augmented by fire occurrence related statistics/parameters, to arrive at risk-informed fire resistance ratings that directly relate to the life safety consequences of fire induced structural failure (i.e., fatalities) to adequate fire resistance ratings. In determining these building fire resistance periods, it is observed that safety targets which implicitly include material damage and building reconstruction costs result in fire resistance recommendations that are well-aligned with National codes and standards. That is, to some extent, the ratcheting of fire resistance periods with time has resulted in some potential resilience to fire. Where safety targets are rationalised in consideration of life safety only, i.e., through the principle of relative (marginal) lifesaving costs, it is shown that fire resistance periods can be optimised, particularly in sprinkler protected buildings. However, this has the potential to introduce vulnerabilities to common mode failures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of religious signs in schools, as in other areas of the public sphere, is a current topic, given that legislative changes are constantly taking place. In countries as close as Germany, France, England and Spain, the legislation governing the wearing of the Islamic veil differs considerably due to their different historical, cultural, social, economic and idiosyncratic contexts. Leaving aside the ethnocentric perspective, in this paper a comparative study of the situation was carried out in these four countries. The main results include a negative attitude towards the wearing of the Islamic veil in France as opposed to a more tolerant position in England and Spain. In the case of Germany, there is a greater diversity of positions due to the characteristic autonomy of each federal state. Given the different types of veils, the reasons for wearing them, the traditions of each society and regional idiosyncrasies, it is considered that, a priori, there should not be a fight against its use, although it is recommended to adopt a belligerent stance against its imposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixture cure rate models have been developed to analyze failure time data where a proportion never fails. For such data, standard survival models are usually not appropriate because they do not account for the possibility of non-failure. In this context, mixture cure rate models assume that the studied population is a mixture of susceptible subjects who may experience the event of interest and non-susceptible subjects that will never experience it. More specifically, mixture cure rate models are a class of survival time models in which the probability of an eventual failure is less than one and both the probability of eventual failure and the timing of failure depend (separately) on certain individual characteristics. In this paper, we propose a Bayesian approach to estimate parametric mixture cure rate models with covariates. The probability of eventual failure is estimated using a binary regression model, and the timing of failure is determined using a Weibull distribution. Inference for these models is attained using Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods under the proposed Bayesian framework. Finally, we illustrate the method using data on the return-to-prison time for a sample of prison releases of men convicted of sexual crimes against women in England and Wales and we use mixture cure rate models to investigate the risk factors for long-term and short-term survival of recidivism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For hazard assessment purposes, the dispersion of gases in complex urban areas is often a scenario to be considered. However, predicting the dispersion of heavy gases is still a challenge. In Germany, the VDI Guideline 3783, Part 1 and 2 is widely used for gas dispersion modelling. Whilst Part 1 uses a gauss model for calculating the dispersion of light or neutrally buoyant gases, Part 2 uses wind tunnel experiments to evaluate the heavier-than-air gas dispersion in generic built up areas. In practice, with this guideline, it is often not possible to adequately represent the existing obstacle configuration. To overcome this limitation, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods could be used. Whilst CFD models can represent obstacles in the dispersion area correctly, actual publications show that there is still further research needed to simulate the atmospheric flow and the heavy gas dispersion. This paper presents a modified k-ε-turbulence model that was developed in OpenFOAM v5.0 (England, London, The OpenFOAM Foundation Ltd Incorporated) to enhance the simulation of the atmospheric wind field and the heavy gas dispersion in built-up areas. Wind tunnel measurements for the dispersion of neutrally buoyant and heavy gases in built-up environments were used to evaluate the model. As a result, requirements for the simulation of the gas dispersion under atmospheric conditions have been identified and the model showed an overall good performance in predicting the experimental values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding people's perceptions of teaching as an occupation, and their motivation or otherwise to teach, can help identify which initiatives/policies are most promising in improving teacher recruitment. Previous studies have often sought only the views of teachers/teacher trainees to understand why people choose teaching as a career. Recruitment strategies based on evidence from such research are therefore only appealing to those who are already interested in teaching. It is the views of those who might otherwise have gone into teaching that can provide better clues to what we can do to get more people into teaching. This paper compares the views of 4469 undergraduate students and 788 trainee teachers in England. Our analysis goes beyond the usual approach by comparing young people completely uninterested in teaching, those who considered teaching but rejected it, those intending to be teachers, and those already in training. Our study found little or no difference between prospective teachers and others in terms of generic career drivers and the attraction of financial incentives, although prospective teachers tended to have lower levels of qualifications and to come from less prestigious occupational backgrounds. However, those not planning to be teachers are much less concerned about teachers' workload, suggesting that this is probably not a great deterrent for those considering teaching. Compared to those who intend to be teachers, those who have considered but rejected teaching are less likely to view teaching as intellectually stimulating. They are least likely to see teaching as a high-status profession, offering good promotion prospects and job security. Policies to improve recruitment need to make teaching more attractive to the second group by addressing these issues. Additionally, these policies should be distinct from policies to retain existing teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops an intelligent real-time learning framework for the last-mile delivery of mobility as a service in city planning, based upon safe infrastructure use. Through a hybrid approach integrating statistics and supervised machine learning techniques, knowledge-driven solutions based on the specific user rather than generalized safe mobility practices are suggested. One of the most important aspects influencing transport mode and route selection, and safe infrastructure usage, i.e., the age of the user, is simulated. This is because this variable has been described in the literature as a significant variable. Nonetheless, few works deal with such modelling or the learning system. The learning system was applied in the Northumbria region of England's northeast as a case study. It comprised four building toolkits: (a) Input toolkit, (b) Safety Predictive toolkit, (c) Variable causation toolkit, and (d) Route choice toolkit. An accurate dynamic road safety model and understanding of the critical parameters influencing bicycle rider safety is created. The developed deep learning model's average distinguishing power to reliably predict the riskiest age group was 95%, with a standard deviation of 0.02, suggesting a good prediction accuracy across all age groups. According to the study's findings, different infrastructural networks represent varying risks to bicycle riders of different ages. The rider's age impacts how other road users engage with them. The regional diversity in trip intent and traffic flow conditions were significant elements influencing the safe use of infrastructure for a specific age group. The study's findings have the potential to considerably influence infrastructure route selection, modelling, and planning. The constructed model, which integrates the rider's fragility, sensitivity to externalities, and the varied safety impact dependent on its features, may even be used for the infrastructure still in the planning/design phase. It is envisaged that this research would aid in adopting sustainable (green) transportation options and the last-mile delivery of mobility as a service. Future work should aim to uncover the sensitivities of a rider from different countries and make a baseline comparison scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite increasing efforts to improve their access, students facing socio-economic disadvantages are still underrepresented in UK higher education. In this paper, we study whether behavioural nudging with information provision through text messages, embedded within a larger programme of widening participation activities, can be effective at increasing higher education application rates. We conducted two randomised control trials in which final year students in schools and further education colleges in areas with low higher education participation rates in the East of England region received a series of text messages that prompted thinking and/or action regarding the process of applying to higher education. We find null and statistically insignificant effects on application outcomes, suggesting that behavioural nudging in a setting where it is implemented as part of a more intensive widening participation programme is not effective at increasing higher education application rates. These results add to recent evidence regarding the potential impact of nudging in education by studying such interventions within a busy intervention space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychoanalysis can advance our understanding of responses from the hierarchy of mainstream religious denominations to disclosures of abuse by clergy. This paper takes analytic insights to discuss how and why the Anglican institutional church has responded so callously to disclosures of child sexual abuse within the church. Inhumane responses have led to feelings of institutional betrayal in survivor groups. The subject is explored firstly in the context of organizational and group dynamics, and, secondly, by analysing defences that underly the interaction between the person who has been abused and the member of the church hierarchy who is hearing the disclosure. Defences and deceptions have been consciously and unconsciously used within the organization that have obstructed contact with reality, and so hindered it both in fulfilling its task in responding appropriately to what has taken place, and in adapting to changing circumstances. Churches have been active agents in re-traumatising individuals. Examples to illustrate are taken from hearings on the Anglican Church by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in England, UK. The idea of organizational redemption is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bronchiolitis is a seasonal, global acute lower respiratory tract infection caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and is a leading cause of hospital admission in young children. A peer-led (parents to parents) intervention was implemented to empower parents of children at risk of bronchiolitis and reduce hospital admissions. This paper reported the evaluation that aimed to gain the perspectives and experiences of five key stakeholder groups. Methods: A qualitative remote interview-based design, informed by Appreciative Inquiry was used. Thematic analysis was used. Results: Sixty-five stakeholders participated: parents (n = 43; mothers, n = 42), Parent Champions (n = 9), Children's Centre Managers (n = 8), Children's Centre Group Leaders (n = 11), and Core Team (n = 4). An overarching theme 'Parents reaching out to parents' was supported by five sub-themes (Raising awareness and sharing knowledge; Creating connection, trust, and confidence; Flourishing in their role as a Parent Champion; Rising to the challenges; and Knowledge is power, prevention is key: the government needs to know this.) Conclusions: Parent-to-parent peer support via the Parent Champions was perceived positively by parents who wanted to learn and improve the lives and health of their children. Parent Champions were successful in delivering information. Considering the socioeconomic burden of bronchiolitis to services and families, the potential for an upstream, relatively low cost, high-reach innovative intervention, as evidenced in this project, seems a valuable opportunity for improving children's respiratory health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The large-scale quantitative evidence base to understand and improve health and healthcare outcomes for people who are trans and/or non-binary is still developing, although what research there is suggests that risk of poor health is high, and experiences of healthcare services are often poor. In 2021 the GP Patient Survey, which is carried out annually to measure patient experience in primary care in England, added inclusive questions about gender identity and trans status for the first time. Methods: This protocol paper pre-registers the methods that we will use for this work for a secondary analysis of these data, including both the statistical analysis protocol and early patient and public involvement work, to answer the following three research questions: (1) What are the (a) demographic characteristics, (b) health conditions, and (c) healthcare experiences of trans and/or non-binary adults in England? (2) Was there any difference in whether people who are trans and/or non-binary had been asked to shield during the COVID-19 pandemic or not compared with all other survey responders? (3) Does the relationship between being trans and/or non-binary, and self-reported long-term mental health problems, autism and autistic spectrum disorder and learning disability vary by age, gender, ethnicity, deprivation, sexual orientation or region? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The central aim of this paper is to provide a baseline framework for describing the evolution of an affordability indicator at a district level, before and after the financial crisis of 2008. From the mid-1990s to 2019 house price-earnings ratio for England and Wales appear to have ratcheted-up, with the growth rate more rapid just before and a temporary decline just after the crisis. This masks a significant variation in evolutionary profiles. Following Turok and Mykhnenko in 2007 who set about exploring population trends in European cities, districts are classified into groups. Matching each district against ten stylised profiles, rather than cycles, persistent trends and single turning point paths in ratios are the norm. An asset-price model projects that finance will favour those bright futures so that spatial-sorting of those with high human capital leads to some districts benefitting from lending criteria out of line with others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a global trend towards the use of market-driven approaches as a strategy for educational reform. However, this is creating new barriers to the promotion of equity in some countries. Focusing on England as an extreme example of this approach, this paper points to some possibilities for addressing this concern. It reports findings from a series of studies in high poverty contexts in England. These studies have typically involved local educational practitioners and university researchers working together in ways designed to support equitable developments. Lessons from these experiences are identified for market-driven systems internationally. They suggest that to create more equitable arrangements, schools need to work together, and with other organizations, both within and beyond their local areas. They also point to the value of surfacing and using the rich experiential and contextualized knowledge held by practitioners to inform these collaborative developments. Acting on these lessons would mark a significant shift for systems whose current emphasis is on schools working competitively and in isolation, often to the detriment of disadvantaged children and young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]