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Background The Medical Certificate of Stillbirth (MCS) records data about a baby's death after 24 weeks of gestation but before birth. Major errors that could alter interpretation of the MCS were widespread in two UK-based regional studies. Methods A multicentre evaluation was conducted, examining MCS issued 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2018 in 76 UK obstetric units. A systematic case-note review of stillbirths was conducted by Obstetric and Gynaecology trainees, generating individual 'ideal MCSs' and comparing these to the actual MCS issued. Anonymized central data analysis described rates and types of error, agreement and factors associated with major errors. Results There were 1120 MCSs suitable for assessment, with 126 additional submitted data sets unsuitable for accuracy analysis (total 1246 cases). Gestational age demonstrated 'substantial' agreement [K = 0.73 (95% CI 0.70–0.76)]. Primary cause of death (COD) showed 'fair' agreement [K = 0.26 (95% CI 0.24–0.29)]. Major errors [696/1120; 62.1% (95% CI 59.3–64.9%)] included certificates issued for fetal demise at <24 weeks' gestation [23/696; 3.3% (95% CI 2.2–4.9%)] or neonatal death [2/696; 0.3% (95% CI 0.1–1.1%)] or incorrect primary COD [667/696; 95.8% (95% CI 94.1–97.1%)]. Of 540/1246 [43.3% (95% CI 40.6–46.1%)] 'unexplained' stillbirths, only 119/540 [22.0% (95% CI 18.8–25.7%)] remained unexplained; the majority were redesignated as either fetal growth restriction [FGR: 195/540; 36.1% (95% CI 32.2–40.3%)] or placental insufficiency [184/540; 34.1% (95% CI 30.2–38.2)]. Overall, FGR [306/1246; 24.6% (95% CI 22.3–27.0%)] was the leading primary COD after review, yet only 53/306 [17.3% (95% CI 13.5–22.1%)] FGR cases were originally attributed correctly. Conclusion This study demonstrates widespread major errors in MCS completion across the UK. MCS should only be completed following structured case-note review, with particular attention on the fetal growth trajectory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has become an impactful science superpower, but it is asserted that its influence provides it with disproportionate benefits that some national research policies have not thus far appreciated. To create context, Web of Science data are used to analyse research collaborations between the UK and China: trends in volume of output between 1981 and 2019; citation impact; and comparative performance across research fields. UK–China collaboration increased from fewer than 100 co-authored papers before 1990, to 750 per year in 2000, 3,324 in 2010, and 16,267 papers (10.9 per cent of UK output) in 2019. UK–China collaboration is concentrated in technology-based fields: in some (e.g. telecommunication), over 30 per cent of UK papers are in collaboration with Chinese-based researchers. The paper discusses the policy consequences to the UK of this indicative dependency, arguing that exiting from such collaborations is ill advised, provided the risks, perceived or real, are mapped, managed, and mitigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As people age they are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Understanding cardiovascular ageing is essential to preserving healthy ageing and preventing serious health outcomes. This collection of papers published in Age and Ageing since 2011 cover key themes in cardiovascular ageing, with a separate collection on stroke and atrial fibrillation planned. Treating high blood pressure remains important as people age and reduces strokes and heart attacks. That said, a more personalised approach to blood pressure may be even more important as people age to lower blood pressure to tight targets where appropriate but avoid overtreatment in vulnerable groups. As people age, more people experience blood pressure drops on standing (orthostatic hypotension), particularly as they become frail. This can predispose them to falls. The papers in this collection provide an insight into blood pressure and orthostatic hypotension. They highlight areas for further research to understand blood pressure changes and management in the ageing population. Inpatient clinical care of older people with heart attacks differs from younger people in UK national audit data. People aged over 80 had improved outcomes in survival after heart attack over time, but had lower rates of specialist input from cardiology compared with younger people. This may partly reflect different clinical presentations, with heart attacks occurring in the context of other health conditions, frailty and multimorbidity. The care and outcomes of acute and chronic cardiovascular disease are impacted by the frailty and health status of an individual at baseline. The research included in this collection reinforces the wide variations in the ageing population and the necessity to focus on the individual needs and priorities, and provide a person-centred multidisciplinary approach to care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Service user and carer involvement in social work education is well established in the UK and other countries. There has however been limited research on the outcomes of this for social work practice and its subsequent impact on service users and carers. This has been noted in a previous systematic review involving one of the current authors. The current review aimed to synthesise literature from the previous decade (2011–2020) and follows on from the earlier review. PRISMA scoping review guidelines were followed and twenty-eight papers met the inclusion criteria that were framed. Data were extracted and tabulated according to the framework for the evaluation of educational programmes used in the previous review and analysed using narrative synthesis. A ten-item critical appraisal checklist was used to assess the rigour of all papers. The findings were similar to the earlier review. Most studies were from the UK and few evaluated change in students' skills or subsequent practice; none evaluated subsequent outcomes for service users and carers. All stakeholders were positive about the perceived benefits of service user and care involvement. Future research needs to use more robust evaluation methodologies and evaluate skills development for students and outcomes for service users and carers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a set of papers analysing the likely economic impact of Brexit across key aspects of the UK economy as the country comes to the end of its first full year outside the European Union. The Brexit vote in 2016 was not just a vote on the UK's relations with the institutions of the European Union but was also a referendum on the fractured state of the UK as a nation. The resulting conflation of Brexit with domestic economic policy debates is reflected in this issue. A first cluster of papers focuses on the consequences of choosing to abandon the 'four freedoms' enshrined in the Treaty of Europe, the free movement of goods, services, capital, and labour across the EU, and a second is concerned with the indirect effects of Brexit in those areas of domestic policy that have been opened up by the Brexit decision. The economic consequences of Brexit are only just emerging, but these papers provide an informed perspective on the state of debate, and the likely implications of Brexit across a range of policy areas, both international and domestic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Surgical waiting lists have risen dramatically across the UK as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The effective use of operating theatres by optimal scheduling could help mitigate this, but this requires accurate case duration predictions. Current standards for predicting the duration of surgery are inaccurate. Artificial intelligence (AI) offers the potential for greater accuracy in predicting surgical case duration. This study aimed to investigate whether there is evidence to support that AI is more accurate than current industry standards at predicting surgical case duration, with a secondary aim of analysing whether the implementation of the models used produced efficiency savings. Method: PubMed, Embase, and MEDLINE libraries were searched through to July 2023 to identify appropriate articles. PRISMA extension for scoping reviews and the Arksey and O'Malley framework were followed. Study quality was assessed using a modified version of the reporting guidelines for surgical AI papers by Farrow et al. Algorithm performance was reported using evaluation metrics. Results: The search identified 2593 articles: 14 were suitable for inclusion and 13 reported on the accuracy of AI algorithms against industry standards, with seven demonstrating a statistically significant improvement in prediction accuracy (P < 0.05). The larger studies demonstrated the superiority of neural networks over other machine learning techniques. Efficiency savings were identified in a RCT. Significant methodological limitations were identified across most studies. Conclusion: The studies suggest that machine learning and deep learning models are more accurate at predicting the duration of surgery; however, further research is required to determine the best way to implement this technology. Waiting lists for elective surgeries are rising in the UK. We conducted a scoping review with the aim to understand if artificial intelligence has the potential to improve the utilization of operating theatre resources through improved scheduling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Students must be proficient in surgical skills according to General Medical Council and Royal College of Surgeons of England guidelines. If these skills are not appropriately taught, there is a risk of an incoming junior workforce with inadequate surgical skills. This paper aimed to review the literature relating to undergraduate teaching of surgical skills in the UK and summarize future suggested training methods. Methods: The databases MEDLINE, Embase and SCOPUS were searched, and the existing literature relating to methodology of undergraduate teaching of surgical skills in the UK over the past 10 years was summarized. The Medical Education Research Quality Instrument was used to assess research quality. Results: A total of 19 papers were included. Cross-sectional evaluations and survey-based studies highlight a clear deficit in surgical skills teaching in the UK. Medical students are currently unable to fulfil their own learning needs and meet requirements set out by the General Medical Council. This lack of surgical teaching appears to negatively affect student desire to pursue a surgical career. The three main themes for improvement are extracurricular surgical skills days, near-peer teaching and simulation. Each method appeared to improve learning, although no studies utilized medium- to long-term follow-up to demonstrate efficacy and there lacks a clear consensus as to the 'standard' of undergraduate surgical skill education. There was also potential for selection bias and response shift bias in many of the studies assessing pre- and postintervention confidence and opinions. Conclusion: There is a concerning lack of surgical skills teaching that has resulted in medical students and junior doctors not having the necessary surgical skills as per General Medical Council guidance and students feel that their own learning needs are not met. This failure to address the learning deficit may be responsible for the fall in surgical competition ratios. While surgical skills teaching must be improved urgently, more robust evidence is required to evaluate the optimal ways of approaching this issue. Undergraduate medical students must be proficient in certain surgical skills as set out by General Medical Council and Royal College regulations. There appears a deficit in such teaching which we have discussed and attempted to address in terms of alternative methodology reported in the literature that can be used to teach these basic surgical skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) between the EU and the UK. We focus on two specific features: rules of origin and non-tariff barriers. The putative purpose of the TCA was to promote free trade between the signatories, and both of the features identified have 'level-playing-field' objectives which are designed to promote that purpose. However, both can also be used for covert protectionism against the other party to the agreement. The paper recommends that rules of origin and non-tariff barriers should be recrafted where possible, and there is a description of how this might be done. The aim of such action would be to make transparent the role of these features in preserving a level playing field. Doing this would also make clear that any residual unadulterated rules of origin and non-tariff barriers existed for purely protectionist reasons and jeopardized open borders. Hopefully, the exposure of such protectionism would encourage its dismantlement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims The literature review aimed to identify the barriers the Punjabi and/or Sikh community have in accessing support for alcohol addiction. Method A systematic review of the literature was undertaken of four scholarly databases, Google Scholar and grey literature on UK-based research conducted after 1980 into alcohol addiction in the Punjabi and/or Sikh community. Fourteen papers met the inclusion criteria outlined in the paper and were included in the review. Results Ten main barriers to accessing support were found; stigma, religion, lack of understanding of addiction, over reliance on a medical model of treatment and disregard of therapy, cultural implications of being a member of the Punjabi and/or Sikh community and the addiction community, gender and generational differences and a lack of government commitment to alcohol support for BME communities with a lack of culturally specific services. Conclusion Despite the many barriers explored, the role of stigma remained a powerful theme throughout often underpinning other barriers. A key recommendation across many papers was the need for culturally sensitive support services. Several areas for future research were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) predict individuals' genetic risk of developing complex diseases. They summarize the effect of many variants discovered in genome-wide association studies (GWASs). However, to date, large GWASs exist primarily for the European population and the quality of PRS prediction declines when applied to other ethnicities. Genetic profiling of individuals in the discovery set (on which the GWAS was performed) and target set (on which the PRS is applied) is typically done by SNP arrays that genotype a fraction of common SNPs. Therefore, a key step in GWAS analysis and PRS calculation is imputing untyped SNPs using a panel of fully sequenced individuals. The imputation results depend on the ethnic composition of the imputation panel. Imputing genotypes with a panel of individuals of the same ethnicity as the genotyped individuals typically improves imputation accuracy. However, there has been no systematic investigation into the influence of the ethnic composition of imputation panels on the accuracy of PRS predictions when applied to ethnic groups that differ from the population used in the GWAS. Results We estimated the effect of imputation of the target set on prediction accuracy of PRS when the discovery and the target sets come from different ethnic groups. We analyzed binary phenotypes on ethnically distinct sets from the UK Biobank and other resources. We generated ethnically homogenous panels, imputed the target sets, and generated PRSs. Then, we assessed the prediction accuracy obtained from each imputation panel. Our analysis indicates that using an imputation panel matched to the ethnicity of the target population yields only a marginal improvement and only under specific conditions. Availability and implementation The source code used for executing the analyses is this paper is available at https://github.com/Shamir-Lab/PRS-imputation-panels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the co-evolution of product and industry architecture by drawing on a longitudinal study of the UK personal pensions industry between 2005 and 2020. It provides qualitative evidence for the way in which institutional structures, particularly regulation, entwine with firm strategic choices to shape the contours of an industry value chain (IVC). We draw upon modularity theory and the literature on industry architecture to consider how strategic bottlenecks emerged and how value shifted between layers of the IVC. Furthermore, we examine the interplay between the agendas of the regulator and firm strategic responses to unpack how firms (product providers) responded by pursuing integrative innovation and less specialization to mitigate the effects of value migration to strategic bottlenecks. Our findings extend recent work on product and industry architecture, highlighting how markets evolve toward less modular product configurations and less industry specialization in response to these dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We exploit a U.K. government-sponsored product and provide evidence on shared equity mortgages. The analysis shows how the interaction of house price growth and leverage regulation promotes product adoption. Following an increase in the equity limit, households use the additional financing to buy more expensive properties rather than reduce leverage. Equity used as a complement to debt is likely less beneficial for financial stability than when used as a substitute. Equity borrowers are less likely to change lenders when refinancing their senior debt. Finally, we measure the equity provider returns, which are affected by selection and undervaluation at repayment. Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix , which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Alcohol increases cancer risk, but less is known about public awareness of this link. This scoping review summarizes recent findings on the public awareness of alcohol as a cancer risk factor in European Union and UK. Methods Four databases (Web of Science, MEDLINE, PsycInfo, CINAHL) were searched for papers containing data on awareness of alcohol as cancer risk factor in EU or UK published between January 2017 and December 2022, and complemented with grey literature searches. Results In total, 45 studies were included covering 18 EU countries (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden) and UK, presenting data collected between 2009 and 2022. Studies covered general population (17 studied a nationally representative sample), women, health professionals, patients and young people. Awareness of alcohol causing cancer in general was higher and studied more often than awareness of alcohol's impact on specific cancers. Among the EU general population, awareness of the link between alcohol and breast cancer ranged between 10% and 20%, head and neck cancer 15–25%, colorectal and oesophagus cancer 15–45% and liver cancer 40%. Awareness was higher among young people and specialized health professions and lower among women (the latter specifically for the breast cancer). Conclusions While awareness rates varied depending on the exact question wording, many studies showed low awareness of the alcohol-cancer link, especially for specific types such as breast and colon cancer. Public should be better informed about alcohol consumption-related cancer risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK is, like its peers in the EU, just under 80% dependent on fossil fuels. This figure has come down just over 10% since the 1970s, a period when the UK had major energy-intensive industries, most of which are now gone. The government is committed to achieving net zero for the electricity sector by 2035 on the pathway to net zero for the whole economy by 2050.. The Labour opposition has set 2030 as its electricity target. Setting out the scale of this challenge, this paper demonstrates how implausible the 2035 target is. On present policies there is little prospect that the 2035 target will be met (and virtually none for the Labour 2030 target). This paper reviews the multiple current policies and the capacity objectives and explores what would have to happen to meet the target. It sets out some of the consequences of failure to deliver, and the expectation of that failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amid escalating apprehensions surrounding content regulation, the USA has discreetly integrated provisions reminiscent of its Communications Decency Act Section 230 (CDA 230) into trade agreements, offering broad immunity. This scholarly analysis critically assesses this manoeuvre by juxtaposing such CDA 230-like provisions against the UK's established legal framework governing online content and freedom of expression. Utilizing a comparative legal methodology, the paper underscores the pronounced differences between the USA and UK stances on intermediary liability for third-party content, moulded by their unique constitutional foundations and jurisprudential interpretations of free speech rights. The insertion of CDA 230-aligned clauses into trade agreements poses a potential threat to the UK's nuanced equilibrium between safeguarding free speech and upholding other paramount interests, such as privacy and reputation. An scrutiny of UK defamation statutes and content regulation protocols reveals inherent challenges in transplanting CDA 230 provisions into trade contexts. In summation, the paper ardently supports a diversified approach to online content governance and cautions against standardizing intermediary liability laws via trade agreements, especially between nations with divergent foundational beliefs. It fervently endorses a cross-disciplinary discourse involving both trade and legal specialists to ensure the preservation of free expression while concurrently recognizing the intricacies of crafting universally applicable standards for online platforms and content regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers whether pricing algorithms present novel issues that existing merger control frameworks and practices are inadequate to address, particularly in relation to pre-merger disclosure of pricing algorithms and the suitability of current tests and remedies for addressing coordinated effects. Through a comparative and critical analysis of the merger control regimes and practices of the European Union, United Kingdom, and Australia, this paper finds that whilst such regimes and practices are broadly adequate for dealing with algorithmic transactions, there are nonetheless potential areas for improvement. Disclosure of a pricing algorithm may contravene prohibitions on the sharing of competitively sensitive information. As such, merger parties may need to rethink aspects of their usual due diligence procedures. Pricing algorithms may also increase the potential for coordinated effects to arise in some markets that would ordinarily have been considered too complex, asymmetric, opaque, or insufficiently concentrated for tacit coordination to occur, or be used to retaliate more effectively against deviations from a coordinated equilibrium, or to raise the height of barriers to entry. Competition authorities may therefore need to amend their standard approach to investigating and assessing coordinated effects, as well as their traditional approach to remedies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although health education programmes have been implemented in higher music education (HME) and their evaluations published in peer-reviewed journals, guidelines as to what ought to be included in these programmes are still missing. This study aimed to document expert discussions on the content of an ideal health education curriculum for HME students in the UK, integrating critical thinking. Four interdisciplinary workshops were conducted, where 67 experts in relevant fields took part, and were asked to discuss four lists of topics and concepts created based on literature reviews (cognitive biases, logical fallacies, critical appraisal tools and health topics). Only the list on health topics is relevant here. Notes taken by the participants and ourselves were thematically analysed. Four themes were identified, two of which are reported in this paper: (i) The health education curriculum and (ii) A settings-based approach to health. Part I of this project (published elsewhere) is focussed on the critical thinking content of health education for conservatoire students. The present paper focusses on the ideal health education curriculum and its implications for the wider context of health promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper documents that a large-scale government subsidy aimed at encouraging people to eat out in restaurants in the wake of the first 2020 COVID-19 wave in the United Kingdom has had a significant causal impact on new cases, accelerating the subsequent second COVID-19 wave. The scheme subsidised 50% off the cost of food and non-alcoholic drinks for an unlimited number of visits in participating restaurants on Mondays–Wednesdays from 3–31 August 2020. Areas with higher take-up saw both a notable increase in new COVID-19 infection clusters within a week of the scheme starting and a deceleration in infections within two weeks of the program ending. Similarly, areas that exhibited notable rainfall during the prime lunch and dinner hours on the days the scheme was active record lower infection incidence—a pattern that is also measurable in mobility data—and non-detectable on days during which the discount was not available or for rainfall outside the core lunch and dinner hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK left the European single market in energy on 31 December 2020, having been a leading light in its promotion. It entered into a new energy relationship with the EU-27 as outlined in the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) on 1 January 2021. This paper discusses what has happened to the UK energy sector since the Brexit referendum of June 2016. Since our previous paper on this topic in 2017, there has been a significant clarification in the impact of Brexit on the energy sector in the UK. We outline what the TCA says about energy. We then discuss the current and potential future effects of Brexit on the UK electricity and gas systems in turn. We observe that the likely economic welfare impacts on electricity are larger than the impacts on gas, but the overall microeconomic impact appears likely to be modest (but negative). We offer a number of concluding observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been increasing interest in recent years in monopsony in the labour market. This paper discusses how we can measure monopsony power by combining insights from models based on both frictions and idiosyncrasies. It presents some evidence from the United Kingdom and the United States about how monopsony power varies across the wage distribution within markets, over the business cycle and over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explains the background to the notion of the 'geography of discontent' in the context of UK interregional inequalities and political shocks. The paper then examines how the geography of discontent has bound conflicting political and economic narratives together in ways, which makes the correcting for these regional imbalances all the more difficult, and results in ambiguity and a lack of clarity regarding the nature and form which Levelling Up processes should take. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While recent debates about the professions have noted the pervasive influence of organizations, less is known about how this plays out at the macro or occupational level. In this paper, we address this concern, focusing on corporate professionalism (CP) as an emergent form which appears to be shaped by organizational interests. Drawing on relational perspectives of professions, we focus on the strategies of two associations in the UK management consultancy field over a 50-year period. Our analysis of archival and interview data reveals how, over time, both associations substantially modified their strategies in response to shifting priorities of firms employing large numbers of consultants—abandoning early commitments to occupational professionalism in favor of a corporate form. A key contribution of the paper is to develop a process model for understanding how and why CP emerges. We also highlight the need to pay more attention to the often neglected role of employing organizations in accounts of professional formation in contemporary society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interpellation, the production and hailing of subjectivities, is key to poststructuralist international relations (IR) theory and yet with some notable exceptions interpellation/hailing as an analytical concept remains somewhat undertheorized. This paper presents a Lacanian–Žižekian psychoanalytical theorization of interpellation in IR, while engaging with the ontology and epistemology of belonging. More specifically, this paper develops four major psychoanalytical concepts: void/lack, fantasy, jouissance, and desire, as it argues that void/lack at the subjective and objective levels renders interpellation possible and destabilises it, thus accounting for the im/possibility of belonging. This paper illustrates the psychoanalytical framework of interpellation by analyzing national-populism as manifested in the Brexit discourse in the UK as well as the interpellation in homonationalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current paper is motivated by longitudinal progress tests given to medical students in the United Kingdom, which are used to assess students' applied medical knowledge during their learning programme. The main analytic interest is the maximum competency each student achieves on the assessment and the point in the programme at which each student attains this competency. Direct estimates of maximum competency and the time at which students realised this competency are useful for optimising allocation of classroom and hands‐on experiences, as well as to inform curriculum development. Models have been developed for estimating the timing of a threshold or cut‐off common across people or for estimating different rates of change that occur for different phases of time. However, less attention has been paid to models interested in the timing of a value that can change across people—such as maximum competency—and where growth is flat in some phases of time. In this paper, we build a model that borrows pieces from various existing methods such as reparameterisations of polynomial models, splines for ceiling effects, time‐to‐criterion models, dynamic measurement and non‐linear mixed‐effect models to allow the motivating questions to be addressed from these data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking the idea of refugee 'journeys to health' (Newbold and McKeary, 2018) as a point of departure this paper examines the case of Chilean exiles in the UK. Reflecting on interviews conducted with Chilean exiles the analysis highlights how the health-related challenges that many people have experienced change over time. For some the passing of time has enabled people to make sense of what happened to them following the military coup in Chile in 1979 and this has helped them to 'move on'. For others, on-going challenges remain, for example a number of people still experienced PTSD. The paper also reflects on the difficulties encountered by refugees when dealing with formal health providers. While all of the respondents had full entitlements to NHS services the paper reflects on the informal barriers that continue to shape refugees' engagement with health care providers and limit their ability to address health concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a renewed interest in professional and academic discourse in the reconceptualisation of social work with adults as a human rights-based approach. This is compatible with the social model of disability, which philosophically adult social workers make claims to align with. This was recently argued for when the Department of Health in England piloted a named social worker for adults with learning disabilities, whose behaviour challenged services. This paper discusses the conceptualisation of rights-based practice, its relevance and appropriateness for contemporary social work policy. Drawing on the recognition theory literature, it shall be shown that the meta-theory of rights-based practice may have relevance to contemporary social work practice with adults with learning disabilities. The paper shall also consider the renewed interest in normative reconstruction in social work practice and influencing factors such as drives towards individualism and marketisation. It will consider how these impacted on the adoption into UK policy of social work as a positive intervention to address structural inequalities, perhaps more accurately described as disablism, experienced by adults with learning disabilities, which ultimately is concluded to be a 'wicked problem'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reviews of official statistics for UK housing have noted that developments have not kept pace with real‐world change, particularly the rapid growth of private renting. This paper examines the potential value of big data in this context. We report on the construction of a dataset from the on‐line adverts of one national lettings agency, describing the content of the dataset and efforts to validate it against external sources. The paper specifically examines what these data might add to our understanding of changing volumes and rents in the private rented sector. Fluctuations in market share across advertising platforms make assessment of volume problematic, while rental prices appear more robust through comparison with other reference information. Focussing on one urban area, we illustrate how the dataset can shed new light on local changes. Lastly, we discuss the issues involved in making more routine use of this kind of data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to present the first Frequentist framework on signal region detection in high-resolution and high-order image regression problems. Image data and scalar-on-image regression are intensively studied in recent years. However, most existing studies on such topics focussed on outcome prediction, while the research on region detection is rather limited, even though the latter is often more important. In this paper, we develop a general framework named Sparse Kronecker Product Decomposition (SKPD) to tackle this issue. The SKPD framework is general in the sense that it works for both matrices and tensors represented image data. Our framework includes one-term, multi-term, and nonlinear SKPDs. We propose nonconvex optimization problems for one-term and multi-term SKPDs and develop path-following algorithms for the nonconvex optimization. Under a Restricted Isometric Property, the computed solutions of the path-following algorithm are guaranteed to converge to the truth with a particularly chosen initialization even though the optimization is nonconvex. Moreover, the region detection consistency could also be guaranteed. The nonlinear SKPD is highly connected to shallow convolutional neural networks (CNN), particularly to CNN with one convolutional layer and one fully-connected layer. Effectiveness of SKPD is validated by real brain imaging data in the UK Biobank database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern computed tomography (CT) databases are becoming an accepted resource for the practice and development of identification methods in forensic anthropology. However, the utility of 3D models created using free and open-source visualization software such as 3D Slicer has not yet been thoroughly assessed for morphoscopic biological profiling methods where virtual methods of analysis are becoming more common. This paper presents a study that builds on the initial findings from Robles et al. (2020) to determine the feasibility of estimating sex on stereolithic (STL) 3D cranial models produced from CT scans from a modern, living UK population (n  = 80) using equation 2 from the Walker's (2008) morphoscopic method. Kendall's coefficients of concordance (KCC) indicated substantial agreement using cranial features scores in an inter-observer test and a video-inter-observer test. Fleiss' Kappa scores showed moderate agreement (0.50) overall between inter-observer sex estimations, and for observer sex estimations in comparison to recorded sexes (0.56). It was found that novice users could virtually employ morphoscopic sex estimation methods effectively on STL 3D cranial models from modern individuals. This study also highlights the potential that digital databases of modern living populations can offer forensic anthropology. Key points First example of Walker's (2008) method applied to a living UK population. Open-source software is a valuable resource for crime reconstruction approaches. Male scoring bias was observed in method application. Forensic anthropologists would benefit from virtual anthropology training to use and interpret 3D models. Digital databases offer more ethical, diverse, modern populations for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 'As Low As Reasonably Achievable' (ALARA) principle is one of the three fundamental elements of radiation protection. Noting that ionising radiation is both encountered naturally in the environment as part of everyday life, and artificially as part of a range of practices, the ALARA principle aims to provide a means of optimising radiation exposures. Historically, the stakeholders involved in the application of the ALARA process have primarily been assumed to be internal to an organisation, except for regulatory 'buy in'. However, could there be instances when the public should be a key stakeholder? This paper explores the area of perceived risk with reference to a particular case study in which the dredging of non-hazardous sediment in the UK near a now decommissioned nuclear power station raised substantial public concern about radiological exposure. This turned what was a straightforward construction activity into a complex public engagement and reassurance task, at a significant cost disproportionate to the level of radiological risk. Learning from this case study is used to highlight the key lessons learnt and the importance of public engagement, and how perceived risk and the associated societal stress could be incorporated into the ALARA process. The paper also highlights the ongoing work and guidance produced by the Society for Radiological Protection in the UK on the development of Guidance for Practitioners to support the Communication of Radiation Risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Older people are often explicitly or implicitly excluded from research, in particular clinical trials. This means that study findings may not be applicable to them, or that older people may not be offered treatments due to an absence of evidence. Aims The aim of this work was to develop recommendations to guide all research relevant to older people. Methods A diverse stakeholder group identified barriers and solutions to including older people in research. In parallel, a rapid literature review of published papers was undertaken to identify existing papers on the inclusion of older people in research. The findings were synthesised and mapped onto a socio-ecological model. From the synthesis we identified themes that were developed into initial recommendations that were iteratively refined with the stakeholder group. Results A range of individual, interpersonal, organisational, community and policy factors impact on the inclusion of older people in research. A total of 14 recommendations were developed such as removing upper age limits and comorbidity exclusions, involving older people, advocates and health and social care professionals with expertise in ageing in designing the research, and considering flexible or alternative approaches to data collection to maximise opportunities for participation. We also developed four questions that may guide those developing, reviewing and funding research that is inclusive of older people. Conclusion Our recommendations provide up to date, practical advice on ways to improve the inclusion of older people in health and care research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reflective supervision (RS) is a crucial component of social work practice but little is known about how RS works within the UK context and what the outcomes of RS are for social workers and their service users. A rapid literature review comprised searching four databases for academic and grey literature on the topic of social work RS. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool and the University College London's literature assessment method were employed in an expedited quality appraisal for all included papers. Twenty-seven papers were included. Findings suggest that a supportive, available manager or a peer-group enables reflective practice. Regularity of supervisory sessions and acknowledgement of a social worker's autonomy are seen as enablers of reflexivity. In contrast, task-oriented approach that is overly focused on accountability and hindered by the sparsity of resources proves problematic for both social workers and service users. Whilst theoretical papers were available, RS was not defined in a uniform fashion and there was limited evidence pertaining to supervisory practice. More research focusing on what works and what improvements are needed in RS, including adopting a participatory approach would help to bridge this gap and further inform policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of research emphasizes the importance of institutions for megaproject performance. Extant studies focus on understanding the characteristics of favourable institutional environments and the governance structures that projects can adopt to navigate both favourable and unfavourable environments. This paper contributes to this research by foregrounding the link between megaprojects and changes in the institutional environments within which they are embedded. Building on a case study of the Thames Tideway Tunnel—the UK's largest water and sewerage infrastructure project since the privatization of the industry in 1989—the paper presents two distinct ways that projects can interact with formal institutions: institutional compliance and institutional change. A more holistic understanding of the latter is essential because megaprojects can reconfigure production and consumption patterns to the benefit of some and the detriment of others. By contributing to changes in the institutional environment, megaprojects can further entrench these reconfigured patterns into long-enduring formal rules and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intellectual property ('IP') is one of the key instruments for fostering innovation and promoting the growth of national economies. Given both the economic significance and the legal complexities associated with IP rights due to constant technological development, the benefits of having a specialised IP judiciary are being increasingly recognised across the globe. Many countries have either established or have been considering the introduction of various forms of such a specialised judiciary. This paper examines this trend and explores some key considerations in relation to the efficacy of an IP judiciary. It draws on some of the findings of a recently completed project funded by the UK government on the creation and functioning of a new IP court in Ukraine. While there is no 'one-size-fits-all' model when creating a specialised IP judiciary, the discussion in this article sheds light on a number of key factors that should be taken into account and carefully assessed when establishing or reforming such a judiciary. This includes specific considerations related to the structure of an IP judiciary, its location, the specialisation of IP judges, exclusive jurisdiction and other procedural issues. We believe that the guidance provided in this article will assist policymakers in their choices regarding the most suitable design of an IP judiciary for a particular jurisdiction, leading to the enhancement of its operation for the benefit of all the stakeholders in the IP enforcement system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Brexit vote in 2016 caused consternation in higher education circles. Financial and reputational questions were raised concerning: the number of students from EU countries coming to study in the UK; the ability of the sector to retain and recruit staff from the EU; the threats to research funding; and the ability of UK students to study abroad. This paper tracks developments since then. Much remains uncertain and the picture has been complicated by the impact of Covid-19. Though enrolments of EU citizens for the 2021–22 academic year have fallen dramatically, this has been more than offset by larger numbers of UK entrants and entrants from non-EU countries. The main immediate threat is to research funding, partly because of restricted access to EU programmes and partly because of constrained government spending. The longer-term threat is to the sector's relationship with European academia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reviews the implications of the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) for the control of subsidies. Controls will be less strict than under the EU state aid regime but tighter than with no deal and WTO rules. A subsidy control authority will be established by the UK which will oversee the application of broad principles set out in the TCA. A well-designed authority would help to prevent a repeat of the UK experience in the 1970s and 1980s, when subsidies were detrimental to economic performance. Regrettably, however, the government has decided to adopt a politicized approach to subsidy policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inter-war Britain witnessed rising tax avoidance and evasion, reflecting a combination of elite opposition to higher tax rates and the almost complete absence of any effective legal or reputational sanctions against tax evaders. Legal tax avoidance carried little social stigma and even illegal evasion rarely led to criminal prosecution or public censure, on account of the confidential, non-judicial procedure by which cases were resolved. This paper explores how a combination of elite opposition to higher tax rates, a growing judicial ideology (especially in the higher courts) based around protecting 'civil liberties' (essentially construed in terms of private property rights), and an ambiguous stance on tax avoidance among policy-makers, created the conditions for the rapid growth of tax avoidance. This in turn fostered a booming tax avoidance industry that became a persistent feature of the British tax environment. The paper also explores the wider political economy of tax avoidance and evasion and how a political philosophy shared by leading judges, right-wing 'anti-waste' movements, some Conservative politicians, and many wealthy taxpayers, formed a precursor of neo-liberal political philosophy. Finally, it charts the changed tax climate of the late 1930s, when the growing threat of total war aligned the interests of the wealthy with those of the rest of society and allowed policy-makers to present tax payment as a patriotic duty. In this context, collective liberty and an ideology of 'fair shares' eclipsed the rhetoric of the rights of the propertied individual, thereby undermining the legitimacy of tax avoidance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elites often use merit to explain, justify, and make sense of their advantaged positions. But what exactly do they mean by this? In this paper, we draw on 71 interviews with elites in Denmark and the UK to compare self-justifications of meritocratic legitimacy. Our results indicate that while elites in both countries are united by a common concern to frame their merits as spontaneously recognized by others (rather than strategically promoted by themselves), the package of attributes they foreground vary significantly. In the UK, elites tend to be "talent meritocrats" who foreground their unique capacity for ideational creativity or risk taking, innately good judgment, and "natural" aptitude, intelligence, or academic ability. In contrast, in Denmark, elites are more likely to be "hard work meritocrats" who emphasize their unusual work ethic, extensive experience (as a signal of accumulated hard work), and contributions outside of work, particularly in civil society. We tentatively argue that one explanation for this cross-national variation is the role that different channels of elite recruitment play in amplifying legitimate notions of merit. In the UK, for example, elite private schools act to nurture ideas of exceptionalism and natural talent, whereas in Denmark elite employers socialize the connection between hard work and success. These findings suggest that nationally specific understandings of merit can have quite different implications for the legitimation of inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homelessness and precarious living conditions are on the rise across much of the Western world. This paper exploits quasi-exogenous variation in the affordability of rents due to a cut in rent subsidies for low-income households in the United Kingdom in April 2011. Using comprehensive district-level administrative data, we show that the affordability shock caused a significant increase in financial distress, evictions, property crimes, insecure temporary housing arrangements, statutory homelessness, and actual rough sleeping. The most notable rise in statutory homelessness is driven by families with children, lone parents, individuals with existing health conditions, and as a result of having been evicted. We estimate that the fiscal savings were low and shifted toward the local administration: Savings by the central government were partially offset by an increase in council spending to meet statutory obligations for homelessness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the local impact of various forms of fiscal and monetary support for UK-based companies in the context of disruption caused by COVID-19 and associated public health restrictions, including support for household incomes (and therefore private consumption) via the 'furlough' scheme, the Covid Corporate Financing Facility and various national and local business support schemes. It shows that the economic crisis associated with the pandemic has been construed to justify interventions that preserve the spatially uneven status quo of the UK's model of economic development, protecting business from harms arising, apparently, from the public's reaction to the pandemic. To some extent, COVID-19 has been treated as a localised phenomenon that the national economy requires protection from. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuous development of hydrogen-electrolyser and fuel-cell technologies not only reduces their investment and operating costs but also improves their technical performance to meet fast-acting requirements of electrical grid balancing services such as frequency-response services. In order to project the feasibility of co-locating a hydrogen-storage system with a wind farm for the dynamic regulation frequency-response provision in Great Britain, this paper develops a modelling framework to coordinate the wind export and frequency responses to the main grid and manage the interaction of the electrolyser, compressor, storage tank and fuel cell within the hydrogen-storage system by respecting the market mechanisms and the balance and conversion of power and hydrogen flows. Then the revenue of frequency-response service provision and a variety of costs induced by the hydrogen-storage system are translated into the net profit of the co-location system, which is maximized by optimizing the capacities of hydrogen-storage-system components, hydrogen-storage levels that guide the hydrogen restoration via operational baselines and the power interchange between a wind-farm and hydrogen-storage system, as well as the capacities tendered for low- and high-frequency dynamic regulation services. The developed modelling framework is tested based on a particular 432-MW offshore wind farm in Great Britain combined with the techno-economics of electrolysers and fuel cells projected for 2030 and 2050 scenarios. The optimized system configuration and operation are compared between different operating scenarios and discussed alongside the prospect of applying hydrogen-storage systems for frequency-response provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following Greta Thunberg's school strike in Stockholm in August 2018 and the October 2018 'declaration of rebellion' by activists in the UK, 2019 saw several climate protest movements rise to public attention, including Fridays for Future (FFF), Extinction Rebellion (XR), and the US Sunrise Movement. What is striking about them is that they rather bluntly refer to science in their campaigns. In this paper, we present an in-depth and comparative study of how the new climate protest movements relate to scientific evidence. Employing a narrative analysis of different types of data (websites, press releases, and media coverage), we study the movements' understandings of 'the science' as well as of science's role in policy processes. We find that the movements in their initial phase predominantly rely on science for their legitimation and adopt a scientific worldview with very little 'green ambivalence'. Notably, FFF and XR hold a deficit model of existing climate communication and enact roles as science communicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we develop an inferential method based on conformal prediction, which can wrap around any survival prediction algorithm to produce calibrated, covariate-dependent lower predictive bounds on survival times. In the Type I right-censoring setting, when the censoring times are completely exogenous, the lower predictive bounds have guaranteed coverage in finite samples without any assumptions other than that of operating on independent and identically distributed data points. Under a more general conditionally independent censoring assumption, the bounds satisfy a doubly robust property which states the following: marginal coverage is approximately guaranteed if either the censoring mechanism or the conditional survival function is estimated well. The validity and efficiency of our procedure are demonstrated on synthetic data and real COVID-19 data from the UK Biobank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Matched sampling methodology (MSM) has been used in remittance studies to understand remittance transfers. However, a detailed examination of the role of trust as a central element in producing reliable and valid research conclusions when a matched sample methodology is used has been missing in the literature. This paper fills this lacuna by arguing that cultivating trust in matched sampling research on remittance transfers, a sensitive subject matter, between African immigrants and their relatives presents a more nuanced narrative of remittance transfers. This approach shows that not only do African immigrants in the 'Global North' send remittances back home, but immigrants also receive remittances (reverse remittances) from their relatives on the continent. Using remittance research conducted among Ghanaian immigrants in the UK and their relatives in Ghana, this article identifies three 'avenues of trust'—'public avenues of trust', 'intermediate avenues of trust', and 'private avenues of trust'—to highlight the processes and challenges that researchers encounter while establishing contact with research participants and the role that trust plays in gathering accurate information. Focusing on the role of trust in MSM is in line with recent theoretical paradigms of remittance research that call for soliciting information from both origin and destination countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe burn injury is a serious systemic insult that can lead to life-threatening secondary infections. Immunosuppression, inhalation injury, and prolonged length of hospital stay are factors that predispose patients to severe respiratory tract infections. Furthermore, evidence shows that burns can put one at risk of infection long after the original injury. Currently in the United Kingdom, the annual National Flu Immunisation programme outlines guidance for groups who are deemed high risk and, therefore, eligible for the influenza vaccine. At present, no guidance exists for the administration of the influenza vaccine in burn-injured patients, despite knowledge of immunosuppression. The aim of this literature review is to examine the evidence for associations between burn injury and influenza and, where available, evaluate efficacy of influenza vaccines in this cohort. In addition, literature was searched for the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine in patients 65 years and above and in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), two domains common to patients with severe burns. Three papers were found to suggest increased susceptibility to influenza following burn injury; however, no papers studying the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine in this group were found. Several studies demonstrated improved outcomes in patients over 65 years and patients admitted to ICU. Following the evaluation of the evidence, this review advocates for the consideration of hospitalized burn patients for the influenza vaccine. We suggest the avoidance of vaccine administration in the acute burn phase. Further prospective clinical trials would be required to validate these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a quantitative general equilibrium evaluation of the repeal of Britain's Corn Laws in 1846. Using a detailed input-output matrix of the British economy in 1841, we find the abolition of Britain's tariff on imported grain left overall welfare roughly unchanged as the static efficiency gains are offset by terms-of-trade losses. Labourers and capital owners gained a slight amount at the expense of landowners. Combining these changes in factor payments with the different consumption patterns across income groups, we find that the top 10% of income earners lost while the bottom 90% of income earners gained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today's technological frontrunners are tomorrow's economic champions. In order to triumph in the global innovation race, nations go to great lengths to boost domestic innovation. An increasingly popular instrument of such government support is known as the 'R&D tax incentive'. Scholars have particularly noted its greater incentive impact on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, correct use of this fiscal tool remains clouded by legal and economic complexities, often leading to misallocation of tax money. This study draws on the rich experience of the UK as a seasoned lawmaker in this field, to derive internationally transferrable policy lessons and principles that may be used in assessing and optimizing the potency of research and development tax incentives for SMEs. Following a theoretical analysis of the historical legal developments, annual government statistics, literature, and policy papers, this study argues that policymakers must take into account appropriateness, cost-efficiency, and accessibility in the design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of machine learning as an input into decision-making is on the rise, owing to its ability to uncover hidden patterns in large data and improve prediction accuracy. Questions have been raised, however, about the potential distributional impacts of these technologies, with one concern being that they may perpetuate or even amplify human biases from the past. Exploiting detailed credit file data for 800,000 UK borrowers, we simulate a switch from a traditional (logit) credit scoring model to ensemble machine-learning methods. We confirm that machine-learning models are more accurate overall. We also find that they do as well as the simpler traditional model on relevant fairness criteria, where these criteria pertain to overall accuracy and error rates for population subgroups defined along protected or sensitive lines (gender, race, health status, and deprivation). We do observe some differences in the way credit-scoring models perform for different subgroups, but these manifest under a traditional modelling approach and switching to machine learning neither exacerbates nor eliminates these issues. The paper discusses some of the mechanical and data factors that may contribute to statistical fairness issues in the context of credit scoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education has recently been identified as a sector of concern by the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). In 2021, the NCSC reported that universities and higher education institutions (HEI) had been exponentially targeted by cyber-criminals. Existing challenges were amplified or highlighted over the course of the global pandemic when universities struggled to continue to function through hybrid and remote teaching provision that relied heavily on their digital estate and services. Despite the value of the sector and the vulnerabilities within it, higher education has received relatively little attention from the cybersecurity research community. Over 2 years, we carried out numerous interventions and engagements with the UK higher education sector. Through interviews with cybersecurity practitioners working in the sector as well as roundtables, and questionnaires, we conducted a qualitative and quantitative analysis of threat intelligence sharing, which we use as a proxy for measuring and analysing collaboration. In a unique approach to studying collaboration in cybersecurity, we utilized social network analysis. This paper presents the study and our findings about the state of cybersecurity in UK universities. It also presents some recommendations for future steps that we argue will be necessary to equip the higher education sector to continue to support UK national interests going forward. Key findings include the positive inclination of those working in university cybersecurity to collaborate as well as the factors that impede that collaboration. These include management and insurance constraints, concerns about individual and institutional reputational damage, a lack of trusted relationships, and the lack of effective mechanisms or channels for sectoral collaboration. In terms of the network itself, we found that it is highly fragmented with a very small number of the possible connections active, none of the organizations we might expect to facilitate collaboration in the network are playing a significant role, and some universities are currently acting as key information bridges. For these reasons, any changes that might be led by sectoral bodies such as Jisc, UCISA or government bodies such as NCSC, would need to go through these information brokers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]