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

Objective: The Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) is an authoritative document that all people with epilepsy in the EU receive when prescribed antiseizure medication (ASM). We undertook the first independent, comprehensive assessment to determine how understandable they are. Regulators state that when patients are asked comprehension questions about them, ≥80% should answer correctly. Also, recommended is that PILs have a maximum reading requirement of US grade 8. Methods: Study 1: We obtained 140 current ASM PILs written in English. "Readability" was assessed using four tests, with and without adjustment for influence of familiar, polysyllabic words. A total of 179 online materials on epilepsy were also assessed. Study 2: Two PILs from Study 1 were randomly selected (Pregabalin Focus; Inovelon) and shown to 35 people from the UK epilepsy population. Their comprehension was assessed. Study 3: To understand whether the student population provides an accessible alternative population for future examination of ASM PILs, Study 3 was completed, using the same methods as Study 2, except that participants were 262 UK university students. Results: Study 1: No PIL had a reading level of grade 8. Median was grade 11. Adjusting for context, the PILs were still at grade 10.5. PILs for branded ASMs were most readable. PILs were no more readable than (unregulated) online materials. Study 2: Users struggled to comprehend the PILs' key messages. The eight questions asked about pregabalin were typically answered correctly by 54%. For Inovelon, it was 62%. Study 3: Most student participants comprehended the PILs' key messages. The questions about Inovelon were answered correctly by 90%; for pregabalin it was 86%. Significance: This is the first independent and comprehensive examination of ASM PILs. It found that PILs being used fail to meet recommendations and regulatory requirements and risk not being understandable to a substantial proportion of users. In finding that people from the epilepsy population differ markedly in comprehension of PILs compared to students, this study highlights the importance of completing user testing with the target population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Looks at a survey of articles citing the works of Peter Checkland and Michael Jackson on operational research and the systems community in Great Britain. Definition of emergence of systems thinking; Stages in the general development of the management sciences; Information on the research papers written by Checkland and Jackson.

The content of 'O' and 'A' level papers on modern British and European History set by two GCE Examination Boards was analysed to find out what particular aspects of the past were emphasised and thus to throw light on the experience of history as a subject which was gained by the candidates. These papers, which are taken by the great majority of the candidates, were found to be dominated by political history, up to 77% of the questions being devoted to the affairs of governments and political leaders. Foreign politics was especially important in papers on European history reaching as high as 44% of the questions set and domestic politics was central to papers on British history attaining means in different groups of papers between 40 and 50%. At the end of the article the wisdom of the approach to school history evident in these papers is questioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the sustainable raw materials that are used for gift wrapping during the Christmas seasons in Great Britain. It mentions that Professor Chris Carr reveals more possibilities that turkey and duck feathers or even sheep droppings may be used to develop Christmas wrapping paper. It also notes the British government's statistics which encourages recycling in the country.

The article examines issues relating to the wastepaper industry in Great Britain. IT has been suggested that of all the secondary materials presently discarded as waste, recovery of paper and board residuals can offer the greatest economic savings. Production has been concentrated in larger units and the industry as a whole has sought 10 specialise in a limited range of end-products, many of which are based on substantial inputs of recycled fibre. During 1980 some 16 mills and 44 machines were closed down. In total the industry lost some 20 percent of its production capacity, including 500,000 tonnes of recycled fibre using capacity. The fibre board containers market is the second largest sector in the packaging products industry and corrugated cases, which occupy 95 percent of this market, can contain up to 65 percent recycled fibre. The wastepaper supply enterprises have sought to meet the mills' requirements. Wastepaper is not an homogeneous product and there are a number of sub-markets in existence based on the quality or grade of the paper and board residuals concerned. On the supply side, while some of the merchant enterprises are large firms in their own right, and at least one has begun to diversify into aluminum can recovery, the enterprises are characteristically small scale and numerous. by recycling residuals from a range of generation sources.

Many English Examination Boards will make some use of the differentiated paper method of assessment in the new scheme of 16+ examining, but it is not clear whether problems of comparability have been adequately solved. This article presents an analysis based on well-defined assumptions incorporated into a measurement model and utilising regression. Marks on the paper not taken by a group are estimated from their joint marks on the common paper and the paper specific to their group. The marks are then weighted using the measurement model and combined to produce a rank order over both the groups. In an appendix, the weighting method used is related to the more usual method of weighting adopted when combining scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the use of non-recyclable paper fibers in compost for agricultural purposes. During paper recycling in Great Britain, half a million tons of small paper fibres are wasted. These waste papers can be reused as a superior quality plant compost by replacing current chemical products. It also helps in reducing wilt diseases and has the same disease suppressing-properties like green compost. New by-products can also be developed from the huge industrial waste created in raw pulp production. Paper mills sludge can be turned into levulinic acid by the Biofine process. However, very few commercial organizations take the initiative to make paper an environmental friendly product.

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

Extreme high temperatures are associated with increased incidences of rail buckles. Climate change is predicted to alter the temperature profile in the United Kingdom with extreme high temperatures becoming an increasingly frequent occurrence. The result is that the number of buckles, and therefore delays, expected peryear will increase if the track is maintained to the current standard. This paper uses a combination of analogue techniques and a weather generator to quantify the increase in the number of buckles and rail related delays in the southeast of the United Kingdom. The paper concludes by assigning a cost to the resultant rise in delays and damage before making recommendations on how these effects can be mitigated. Copyright © 2008 Royal Meteorological Society [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National censuses are expensive. They are conducted infrequently. They collect information that some feel infringes their human rights, and people are required by law to complete them. The outputs are not perfect, and in some situations may be misleading. Some suggest that censuses hark back to a period when regularly collected administrative data were not available. These are some of the views held about national censuses. Why, then, would others argue that they are an essential resource? In this paper, we consider some of the pros and cons of conducting national censuses, before introducing a series of papers that draw on early data available from the 2001 UK census. We argue that these papers, and the wealth of research that will be conducted in the future with 2001 census data, make a strong case for supporting the compulsory collection of personal information about the ‘entire’ population every ten years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the role and purpose ascribed to company law under the British government's White Paper 'Modernising Company Law.' British government's attitude towards corporate activity; Overview of the British Department of Trade and Industry Review, which provided for the White Paper's recommendations; Governments' perception of its role in regulating companies, their directors, shareholders and those affected by corporate activity.

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

The article presents a discursive analysis of Great Britain's Conservative Party 2011 Green Paper "One World Conservatism: A Conservative agenda for international development." It offers a comparison of the conception of development in that paper with the 1997 Labour Party White Paper which launched the development of the Department for International Development (DFID). The discourse used to describe Britain's role in promoting global development and reducing poverty is examined.

This paper involves an examination of skilled manual work in the modern paper industry. The data were collected at five mills in three countries -- the UK, Australia and the USA. The questions were formulated in order to probe four theories of skilled work. The results suggest that the distinction between skilled and nonskilled work is a fundamental feature of occupational differentiation in all five plants. They also reveal that there are intra-skilled conflicts over relative pay and demarcation lines and that these are affected by the wider socio-political environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to understand the process by which biodiversity performance indicators can be developed. In doing so, this paper examines how biodiversity performance measurements are inherently imperfect and reflects on the implications of that imperfectness. Using document analysis and semi‐structured interviews, this research outlines the case of the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and their work in developing biodiversity indicators. Based on the concept of imperfect measurements, this paper outlines the conditions under which imperfect biodiversity indicators can be productive measurements leading to fertile debate and constant improvements, rather than flawed measurements that actors 'make do' with. This paper concludes the biodiversity indicators construction process requires a collaboration between a broad set of diverse organisations, including NGOs and research centres. Lastly, this paper outlines the need for ongoing and rigorous review of adopted measurements to reduce the potentially harmful nature of imperfect biodiversity performance measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous geomagnetic records of the strength and direction of the Earth's field at the surface extend back to the 1840s. Over the past two centuries, eight observatories have existed in the United Kingdom, which measured the daily field variations using light-sensitive photographic paper to produce analogue magnetograms. Around 350,000 magnetograms have been digitally photographed at high resolution. However, converting the traces to digital values is difficult and time consuming as the magnetograms can have over-lapping lines, low quality recordings and obscure metadata for conversion to SI units. We discuss our approach to digitizing the traces from large geomagnetic storms and highlight some of the issues to be aware of when capturing magnetic information from analogue measurements. These include cross-checking the final digitized values with the recorded hourly mean values from observatory year books and comparing several observatory records for the same storm to catch errors such as sign inversions or incorrect 'wrap-around' of data on the paper records. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies the concept of urban politics and local governance in Great Britain. Representation of neoliberals and regulation theorists; Dominance of regulation theory-framed analyses of local governance; Extreme forms of policy design and intervention.

Aim: To capture and retain healthcare staff in postgraduate courses relevant to individual career aspirations, service requirements and continuous practice development (CPD) within an English UK university. Design: Two virtual career clinics for postgraduate practitioners to engage in CPD offers within the university. An online post‐enrolment online survey to explore their experiences of engagement with the university. Methods: Mixed: qualitative and quantitative methods. Engaging 10 participants attended the career clinics, and 42 participants with an online survey. Results: The career clinics were well received by participants who mapped CPD requirements and individual career aspirations. The surveys exposed challenges with marketing and enrolment; however, these were mitigated with support. Four recommendations are presented within this paper applicable to the international postgraduate education of all health practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Co‐production is gaining increasing recognition as a good way of facilitating collaboration among different stakeholders, including members of the public. However, it remains an ambiguous concept as there is no definitive or universal model of co‐production or clarity on what constitutes a good co‐production approach. This paper draws on the reflections of the academic researchers, practitioners and public advisors involved in co‐producing a priority‐setting exercise. The exercise was conducted by the Primary and Community Health Services (PCHS) Theme of the National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration for Kent, Surrey and Sussex (NIHR ARC KSS). Methods: We collected data through written and verbal reflections from seven collaborators involved in the PCHS priority‐setting exercise. We used Gibbs' model of reflection to guide the data collection. We then analysed the data through an inductive, reflexive thematic analysis. Results: A common thread through our reflections was the concept of 'sharing'. Although co‐production is inherently shared, we used the virtuous cycle to illustrate a sequence of sharing concepts during the research cycle, which provides the underpinnings of positive co‐production outcomes. We identified six themes to denote the iterative process of a shared approach within the virtuous cycle: shared values, shared understanding, shared power, shared responsibilities, shared ownership and positive outcomes. Conclusion: Our results present a virtuous cycle of co‐production, which furthers the conceptual underpinnings of co‐production. Through our reflections, we propose that positive co‐production outcomes require foundations of shared values and a shared understanding of co‐production as a concept. These foundations facilitate a process of shared power, shared responsibilities and shared ownership. We argue that when these elements are present in a co‐production exercise, there is a greater potential for implementable outcomes in the communities in which the research serves and the empowerment of collaborators involved in the co‐production process. Public Members' Contributions: Three members of the public who are public advisors in the NIHR ARC KSS were involved in the priority‐setting exercise that informed this paper. The public advisors were involved in the design of the priority‐setting exercise and supported participants' recruitment. They also co‐facilitated the focus groups during data collection and were involved in the data analysis, interpretation and preparation of the priority‐setting report. For this current manuscript, two of them are co‐authors. They provided reflections and contributed to the writing and reviewing of this manuscript. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a rich new data source, we explore the selection of economics lecturers into the last UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise. Only some one‐in‐two (54%) of these lecturers were submitted to REF2014; 57% of men and 46% of women. The decision making of institutions is found to be well approximated by a simplified selection approach; focusing on working papers and higher quality journal publications. Our results also reveal sizeable conditional differences in the probability of selection, especially so in departments with higher research rankings. More than half of the variance in selection probability remains unexplained, revealing considerable idiosyncrasies in the management of submissions and uncertainty across the discipline in this research assessment process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper traces the origins and development of the concept of ‘market transformation’, from its beginnings as a part of energy policy in the USA, to its subsequent development in the UK. It discusses whether it could become a strategic option for British business in pursuit of sustainable growth. Drawing together themes from the academic literature on marketing, consumer behaviour, business, and energy policy, together with data from national programmes, and British government sources, the paper argues that such an approach would be based on a twin false premise – that selling energy efficiency to consumers is in accordance with modern marketing thinking, and that it has much to do with achieving sustainable development. It concludes that while achieving sustainable development will certainly encompass the transformation of markets for many products, ‘market transformation’ itself cannot be seen as a key driver for change. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women's groups in unions are collective, spaces within which women seek to advance their concerns and access empowering positions. This paper examines their pursuit of gender equality in unions. The need to explore unions and women's groups is heightened by women's significance as a source of union membership, and the connection between union revitalization and responsiveness to women. The paper uses case studies of two unions, MSF and USDAW, and seven women's groups. The analysis is structured by a typology of two frameworks: (i) a typology of gendered equality ideas derived from various literatures, and (ii) the dynamic and linked dimensions of Hyman's (1994) union organization model. Implications for research and theory, and for union policy and practice, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective conservation decisions rely on accurate survey data, but methods can be resource‐intensive and risk false negative results. Presence of the threatened hazel dormouse (England, UK) is typically confirmed by looking for its nest in survey tubes, over a 6‐month period. As an alternative, environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys have proven benefits in efficiency and accuracy for other taxa, but generally rely on the extraction and amplification of DNA from water, soil or sediment, which are not yet dependable samples for rare terrestrial mammals like the hazel dormouse.At a known occupancy site, paper‐lined survey tubes were used to capture a DNA sample. Like other species of rodent, the hazel dormouse excretes urine freely, and this was highlighted by ultraviolet torch, swabbed from the paper, extracted and hazel dormouse eDNA amplified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR).Hazel dormouse presence was confirmed in this way in three out of 50 tubes within 8 days. Detection by conventional nest survey occurred on day 63 when a hazel dormouse nest was found in a single survey tube. We calculate that amplification of eDNA left behind in tubes increased survey efficiency here at least 12‐fold.Synthesis and applications. In this study we demonstrate that eDNA swabbed from a clean substrate placed in survey apparatus can significantly hasten the detection of a rare species. This method has the potential to broaden the application of eDNA to other terrestrial vertebrates, including surveys at large spatiotemporal scales. Beyond presence/absence, the non‐invasive DNA sample could also offer insights into sex ratio, abundance, behaviour and population genetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifying the market size for cannabis is important given vigorous policy debates about how to intervene in this market. We develop a new approach to measuring the size of the cannabis market using forensic economics. The key insight is that cannabis consumption often requires the use of complementary legal inputs: roll‐your‐own tobacco and rolling papers. The forensic approach specifies how legal and illegal inputs are combined in the production of hand‐rolled cigarettes and cannabis joints. These input relationships, along with market adding‐up conditions, can be used to infer the size of the cannabis market. We provide proof‐of‐concept that this approach can be readily calibrated using: (i) point‐of‐sale data on legal inputs of roll‐your‐own tobacco and rolling papers; (ii) input parameter estimates drawn from a wide‐ranging interdisciplinary evidence base. We implement the approach using data from 2008–9. For those years, the forensic estimates for the UK cannabis market are near double those derived from standard demand‐side approaches. We make precise what drives the measurement gap between methods by establishing the adjustments needed to match estimates from alternative approaches. Our analysis develops an agenda on measurement and data collection that allows for credible cost–benefit analysis of policy interventions in illicit drug markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Kidney dysfunction is a highly significant disease, both in the United Kingdom and globally. Many previous studies have reported associations between human leukocyte antigens (HLA) and renal function; this systematic review attempts to identify, summarize and appraise all published studies of these associations. Methods: A literature search was performed using Medline, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials to identify papers whose keywords included each of the following concepts: HLA, renal failure and genetic association. A total of 245 papers were identified and assessed for eligibility; 35 of these were included in the final study. Results: A total of 95 HLA types and 14 three‐locus haplotypes were reported to be associated with either increased or decreased renal function. A number of these findings were replicated by independent studies that reported 16 types were protective against renal dysfunction and 15 types were associated with reduced renal function. A total of 20 HLA types were associated with both increased risk of renal disease and decreased risk by independent studies. Discussion: There is very little consensus on which HLA types have a protective or deleterious effect on renal function. Ethnicity may play a role, with HLA types possibly having different effects among different populations, and it is possible that the different primary diseases that lead to ESRD may have different HLA associations. Some of the studies may contain type I and type II errors caused by insufficient sample sizes, cohort selection and statistical methods. Although we have compiled a comprehensive list of published associations between renal function and HLA, in many cases, it is unclear which associations are reliable. Further studies are required to confirm or refute these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The period when the British Educational Research Association (BERA) was founded was one in which there was an increasing recognition amongst the research community that a wind of change had stirred up the settled traditions of educational research. It was a time which celebrated the promise of alternative paradigms for research. Ten or so years on we are entering another era where the emphasis is not on the reconceptualisation of what research is but on how it is organised. I think one can discern at least two factors, not wholly separate from each other, that will increasingly influence how a substantial part of research will be organised. These two factors are the changes which have taken place in the composition of the research community and the direction of current Government policy concerning the school system. I aim to show how these are leading to a fruitful form of collaborative research at local level which should be encouraged and supported—not least by BERA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academics often judge themselves and are judged by others according to the status of the journals in which they publish. Little is known about whether individual scholars would choose to publish a paper in a high‐status journal if it would garner similar or lower levels of scholarly impact than a paper published in a lower‐status journal. Drawing upon status theory, we explore whether and how much business school academics are willing to 'pay', as captured by a hypothetical level of 'forfeited' citations, to publish in high‐status 4* journals rather than leading specialized 4‐rated journals. Using choice‐set design and survey data from UK business and management scholars, we suggest and empirically demonstrate that the willingness to forgo citations to publish in 4* journals is strongest among academics who have already published in 4* and/or 4‐rated journals. Contrary to our expectations, we find that an individual's existing scholarly impact, as captured by prior citations, has no effect on this preference. We also show that academics working in high‐ranked institutions would give up more citations for 4* journal publication than those working at lower‐ranked institutions. We explore the implications of these findings for theories of academic status, journal rankings and research assessment systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: To understand when knowledge objects in a computable biomedical knowledge library are likely to be subject to regulation as a medical device in the United Kingdom. Methods: A briefing paper was circulated to a multi‐disciplinary group of 25 including regulators, lawyers and others with insights into device regulation. A 1‐day workshop was convened to discuss questions relating to our aim. A discussion paper was drafted by lead authors and circulated to other authors for their comments and contributions. Results: This article reports on those deliberations and describes how UK device regulators are likely to treat the different kinds of knowledge objects that may be stored in computable biomedical knowledge libraries. While our focus is the likely approach of UK regulators, our analogies and analysis will also be relevant to the approaches taken by regulators elsewhere. We include a table examining the implications for each of the four knowledge levels described by Boxwala in 2011 and propose an additional level. Conclusions: If a knowledge object is described as directly executable for a medical purpose to provide decision support, it will generally be in scope of UK regulation as "software as a medical device." However, if the knowledge object consists of an algorithm, a ruleset, pseudocode or some other representation that is not directly executable and whose developers make no claim that it can be used for a medical purpose, it is not likely to be subject to regulation. We expect similar reasoning to be applied by regulators in other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over 60 million tons of E‐waste is expected to be generated in 2023, with associated significant impacts on health and the environment. To reduce the number of products sent to landfills, "Right to Repair" (RtR) movements are gaining momentum in many countries, including the UK, USA, and EU member states. While Universities are seen as important stakeholders to drive forward sustainable design practices, there is currently little work looking at training undergraduate design engineers in the principles of designing household products in support of RtR. In particular, the project‐based learning (PBL) pedagogy shows promise in engaging and training students with the skills and knowledge required to successfully design products for RtR. In this paper, a pilot‐study of teaching engineers is presented to design products compatible with RtR principles, alongside many technical skills, in a first‐year PBL course. The key outputs of this paper are the design of the module, which can be used to help inform first‐year engineering education, the high engagement of students, with 100% of respondents agreeing that they intend to try to implement sustainable design practices in future, and some of the innovative features that students implement in their projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pitt Review of the 2007 summer floods in the UK, published in 2008, commended the potential of natural flood management (NFM) for reducing flood risk. NFM is a nature‐based approach that has since gained substantial interest from both practitioners and academics. The review further highlighted the need for catchment‐based flood management (CBFM) to enhance resilience to flooding and climate change by incorporating NFM and wider nature‐based solutions into hard flood protection systems. Such integrated approaches are considered to be more sustainable and adaptable than the traditional hard‐engineered measures. More recently, the European Commission's European Green Deal also highlighted the need for greater use of nature‐based solutions including NFM for managing flood risk. Whilst there have been many attempts to quantify the effects of NFM through hydraulic and hydrological modelling, there is still no systematic review conducted for these modelling works. This review aims to summarise the current NFM modelling approaches, as well as discussing their key limitations related to data, model methods, and real‐world applications. This paper then goes further to highlight potential solutions to some of these challenges and provides guidance to assist modellers to improve future modelling and data collection process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

British data from the early 1700s through World War I reflect the results of numerous high‐quality natural experiments of government spending. Britain frequently participated in wars, increasing military spending massively. Wartime distortions were relatively limited because the government generally adopted tax smoothing policy and rarely implemented interventions. Government spending multiplier estimates are low or negative and significantly below unity. This paper finds no evidence that the multiplier was higher in the slack state than in the normal state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Those with severe and enduring mental ill health are at greater risk of long‐term physical health conditions and have a reduced life expectancy as a result. Multiple factors compound this health inequality, and the need for setting research priorities in this area is highlighted with physical and mental healthcare services being separate, and limited multimorbidity research. Methods: The aim of this exercise was to work in partnership with healthcare professionals and carers, family, friends and individuals with lived experience of both mental and physical health conditions, to set research priorities to help people with mental health conditions to look after their physical health. The exercise was guided by the James Lind Alliance approach. For this, a steering group was set up, two surveys were completed and a final priority workshop was conducted. Results: This priority setting exercise guided by people's needs and lived experience has produced a set of well‐defined research topics. Initially, 555 research questions were suggested in the first survey, which were refined to 54 questions for the second survey. A priority setting workshop was then conducted to get the final 10 priorities. Conclusions: Taking these topics forward to improve services and treatment for both mental and physical ill health may in turn improve physical health and lessen the reduced life expectancy of those living with mental ill health. Patient or Public Contribution: This work was completed in collaboration with people who have lived experience of mental ill health and physical health conditions, as well as carers, family and friends. Their contribution has been significant for this work from piloting surveys, amending language used and educating the researchers and contributing to this paper. The initial work was completed with a steering group and continued with surveys and workshops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Motor neuron disease (MND) (also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is a life‐limiting neurodegenerative condition. In up to 20% of people with MND, a pathogenic variant associated with autosomal dominant inheritance can be identified. Children of people carrying a pathogenic variant have a 50% chance of inheriting this and a higher, although harder to predict, chance of developing the disease compared to the general adult population. This paper explores the experience of living with the genetic risk of MND. Methods: We undertook a UK‐based interview study with 35 individuals, including: 7 people living with genetically‐mediated forms of MND; 24 asymptomatic relatives, the majority of whom had an increased risk of developing the disease; and 4 unrelated partners. Results: We explore how individuals make sense of genetic risk, unpacking the interplay between genetic knowledge, personal perception, experiences of the disease in the family, age and life stage and the implications that living with risk has for different aspects of their lives. We balance an emphasis on the emotional and psychological impact described by participants, with a recognition that the salience of risk fluctuates over time. Furthermore, we highlight the diverse strategies and approaches people employ to live well in the face of uncertainty and the complex ways they engage with the possibility of developing symptoms in the future. Finally, we outline the need for open‐ended, tailored support and information provision. Conclusions: Drawing on wider literature on genetic risk, we foreground how knowledge of MND risk can disrupt individuals' taken‐for‐granted assumptions on life and perceptions of the future, but also its contextuality, whereby its relevance becomes more prominent at critical junctures. This research has been used in the development of a public‐facing resource on the healthtalk.org website. Patient or Public Contribution: People with experience of living with genetic risk were involved throughout the design and conduct of the study and advised on aspects including the topic guide, sampling and recruitment and the developing analysis. Two patient and public involvement contributors joined a formal advisory panel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

This paper investigates the role of firm‐to‐firm relationships in export market dynamics, documenting the following stylized facts for French exporters. First, exporters grow in a foreign market by expanding their customer base; the average French exporter doubles its number of buyers after 8 years. Second, sales to existing customers remain the predominant source of growth in a foreign market, with long‐lasting relationships contributing to most export values. Third, as a mechanism driving firms' growth in a relationship, prices fall as a relationship ages. Fourth, I exploit the Brexit referendum as a quasi‐natural experiment to examine how firm‐to‐firm relationships adjust in response to changes in market access. I find that French exporters with long‐lasting relationships in the UK are less affected by the referendum shock and exhibit higher exchange rate pass‐through. Overall, these findings indicate that long‐lasting relationships represent a crucial margin for export market growth and in shielding exporters from changing market conditions. This paper is part of the Economica 100 Series. Economica, the LSE "house journal" is now 100 years old. To commemorate this achievement, we are publishing 100 papers by former students, as well as current and former faculty. Davide Rigo is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at the LSE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing electrification of road transportation sector, which is expected to continue to strongly increase over the next years, will result in the connection of a significant number of electric vehicle (EV) chargers in LV and MV distribution networks, particularly in residential applications with on‐board ("slow") EV chargers. In order to evaluate loading limits of existing distribution networks for the maximum number of EV chargers that can be safely connected (commonly denoted as a network EV "hosting capacity", HC), this paper introduces a general approach to determine one commonly used network design parameter (after‐diversity maximum demand, ADMD) and one new parameter (maximum daily energy demand, MDED), which are both obtained from the load profiles of maximum per‐hour demands for uncontrolled residential EV charging. The presented approach uses actual EV charging data from the UK as the inputs in Monte Carlo simulations to generate daily EV charging profiles for arbitrary numbers of EVs, enabling to identify related ADMD, MDED and per‐hour maximum demand values, as well as their seasonal variations. The assessed ADMD, MDED and hourly maximum EV charging demands for uncontrolled EV charging are then combined with available UK residential daily load profiles before the EVs are connected ("pre‐EV demands"), where their combined coincidental and noncoincidental maximum demands are evaluated against the static thermal rating (STR) and dynamic thermal rating (DTR) loading limits of network components (transformers and overhead lines), taking into account relevant weather/ambient conditions. This is denoted as a network HC for uncontrolled EV charging. Finally, evaluating the resulting per‐hour maximum demand values against the STR and DTR loading limits and MDED values allows to select one particular scheduling method for controlled EV charging, which gives the absolute maximum number of EVs that can be safely connected in the considered network, that is, maximum network HC for fully controlled EV charging. The presented approach is illustrated on the example of the IEEE 33‐bus test network (modelled using typical UK network components), for the pre‐EV residential demands taken from the recordings at a UK MV substation, and for ambient data taken from a UK Met Office weather station. Obtained results allow to evaluate the range of network EV HC values for uncontrolled and controlled EV charging, that is, lower and upper HC limits, which can be correlated with the commonly used allocations of the firm and non‐firm network HC, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Candidates with disabilities are eligible for reasonable adjustments (RA) while undertaking the national Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA). The PSA is a novel open‐book, time‐constrained, multiformat assessment that may pose challenges to candidates with dyslexia and other disabilities. Methods: Retrospective cohort analysis of 36 140 UK candidates undertaking first‐sitting of the PSA (2014–2018). Results: Of the 36 140 candidates, 9.1% (3284) were registered for RA. The RA group had lower pass rates (absolute difference 1.94%, 95% confidence interval 1.01–2.87%; P <.001) and assessment scores (1.16 percentage marks, 95% confidence interval 0.83–1.48; P <.001) compared with the non‐RA group. This absolute difference is small relative to overall variability. This difference persists after adjusting for confounding factors (medical school and paper), and was present for all 8 different question types. The attainment gap within each medical school is negatively correlated with the school's overall performance, both in terms of pass rate (P <.001) and scores (P =.01). The RA group were also less likely to perceive the PSA as an appropriate test, having easy to follow layout/presentation or clear/unambiguous questions, even after adjusting for candidate performance. Conclusion: This analysis identifies slight differences in academic performance of candidates requiring RA in a national undergraduate assessment. The study is limited by the unavailability of data on ethnicity, sex, age, diagnosis and time of diagnosis. While further research is required to determine the cause of the attainment gap, this study emphasises the need to maintain a careful review on the fairness and validity of all aspects of the assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the issue of the Lend-Lease declaration in Great Britain on September 10, 1941. There were two closely linked factors which caused the dramatic reduction in Britain's overseas trade. First, large sections of Britain's manufacturing industry had to be converted to war production, thus reducing the capacity for manufactured exports. By June 1944, 33 percent of Britain's labor force was engaged in war duties and a further 22 percent was in the armed forces. Secondly, America supplied Britain with food, raw materials, industrial and military equipment, without cash payments, under Lend-Lease. The responsibility for Lend-Lease in the early days was delegated to Harry Hopkins, the person in charge for Lend-Lease, though the official head of the agency in charge of Lend-Lease was nominally General J.H. Burns. Despite Hopkins's renowned energy and drive, Lend-Lease supplies to Britain during 1941 only played a marginal role in the war effort. There was an unavoidable time lag between the inception of Lend-Lease and the American economy's ability to produce the goods.

The paper investigates semiotics as an integrative, foundational framework for operational research (OR). To this end, the semiotics of the pragmatist C.S. Peirce is explained and its application in OR research, and consulting practice is explored. It is the fourth in a series of papers each seeking to ground OR in a different logic: philosophic/mathematical logic, pragmatic logic, economic logic and now semiotic logic. For Peirce, semiotics is a logic, and as such it is argued in the paper that it can embrace philosophical/mathematical, pragmatic and economic logics. The comprehensive nature of semiotics is such that it brings to a close the research programme aimed at establishing foundations for OR. However, the closure of one programme opens up another—the application of semiotics in OR practice and academic research. Possible avenues for further research include learning from, and collaboration with, neighbouring disciplines such as information systems and computer science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK net‐zero target requires the integration of significant renewable energy resources into the electrical grid. This, together with the projected growth in electricity demand imposes practical challenges on the power transfer capability of existing transmission feeders. For environmental and planning reasons, construction of new overhead lines is problematic, and where possible upgrading of existing substations and lines is preferred. This paper investigates the feasibility of transforming an existing three‐phase (3Φ) double‐circuit 400 kV line into a six‐phase (6Φ) feeder for a simulated future GB scenario. Results indicate a 6Φ feeder, operating at a 'phase‐adjacent phase' voltage of 400 kV can effectively solve the constraints of boundaries in transmission networks. When considering the various operating contingencies, associated with an important UK network boundary and its expected near‐future winter‐peak power transfer requirements, the thermal overload issues are mitigated by transforming a feeder from 3Φ to 6Φ. The paper demonstrates upgrading to 6Φ technology is a potential solution to certain future boundary constraints and in these cases avoids the need to build new underground or overhead AC/DC lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the analysis for the journal, role of authors in the publication of articles and the contribution of the journal in various areas worldwide such as Great Britain and North America.

Socio‐ecological research collaborations between artists, natural and social scientists, and with the humanities more broadly, have increased significantly in recent years. This has been aided by increased investment by funding bodies such as UK Research and Innovation and others internationally in projects designed to encourage cross‐disciplinary partnerships.Within socio‐ecological research and beyond it, despite some success stories, there is still a lack of awareness in 'the sciences' regarding how 'the arts' undertake their own forms of enquiry into the world. Further, different terminology and language used by different disciplines can cause confusion and misunderstanding, potentially leading to a reluctance to work collaboratively.In this paper, we discuss diversity within the arts as a discipline and seek to clarify various terminologies being used in both the arts and sciences to characterise joint working in research projects.Drawing on a series of semi‐structured interviews and a workshop with artists and natural and social scientists with experience of collaboration in socio‐ecological research, we compare understandings and expectations and reflect on the implications for funding bodies, institutions, artists and scientists which are widely applicable across different research contexts. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the load monitoring system is an important element in smart buildings to reduce energy consumption. Nonintrusive load monitoring (NILM) is utilized to determine the power consumption of each appliance in smart homes. The main problem of NILM is how to separate each appliance's power from the signal of aggregated consumption. In this regard, this paper presents a combination between particle swarm optimization (PSO) and artificial neural networks (ANNs) to identify electrical appliances for demand‐side management. ANN is applied in NILM as a load identification task, and PSO is used to train the ANN algorithm. This combination enhances the NILM technique's accuracy, which is further verified by experiments on different datasets like Reference Energy Disaggregation Dataset, UK Domestic Appliance‐Level ElectricityUK‐DALE, and Indian data for Ambient Water and electricity Sensing. The high accuracy of the proposed algorithm is verified by comparisons with state of the art methods. Compared with other approaches, the total mean absolute error has decreased from 39.3566 to 18.607. Also, the normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) method has been used to compare the measured and predicted results. The NRMSE is in the range of 1.719%–16.514%, which means perfect consistency. This demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed approach for home energy management. Furthermore, customer behavior has been studied, considering energy costs during day hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millions of sub‐daily sea‐level pressure observations taken between 1919 and 1960 over the British and Irish Isles were transcribed from paper records in the early 2000s but were not published and subsequently forgotten. A chance discussion led to the rediscovery of the transcribed data and 5.47 million observations from 160 locations are now made available, although the data have not been fully quality‐controlled. Much of the data are 3‐hourly, allowing for detailed examinations of synoptic weather variations for this region and time period, and will be invaluable for constraining future reanalyses. We illustrate the value of the data using a stormy period during October and November 1928 and discuss the remaining quality‐control issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Established in March 2020, the C19PRC Study monitors the psychological and socio‐economic impact of the pandemic in the UK and other countries. This paper describes the protocol for Wave 6 (August–September 2021). Methods: The survey assessed: COVID‐19 related experiences; experiences of common mental health disorders; psychological characteristics; and social and political attitudes. Adult participants from any previous wave (N = 3170) were re‐invited, and sample replenishment procedures helped manage attrition. Weights were calculated using a survey raking algorithm to ensure the on‐going original panel (from baseline) was nationally representative in terms of gender, age, and household income, amongst other factors. Results: 1643 adults were re‐interviewed at Wave 6 (51.8% retention rate). Non‐participation was higher younger adults, those born outside UK, and adults living in cities. Of the adults recruited at baseline, 54.3% (N = 1100) participated in Wave 6. New respondent (N = 415) entered the panel at this wave, resulting in cross‐sectional sample for Wave 6 of 2058 adults. The raking procedure re‐balanced the longitudinal panel to within 1.3% of population estimates for selected socio‐demographic characteristics. Conclusions: This paper outlines the growing strength of the publicly available C19PRC Study data for COVID‐19‐related interdisciplinary research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The proliferation of 'accessible information' for people with intellectual disabilities in UK health care has accelerated in recent years, underpinned by policy guidance alongside the recent introduction of mandatory standards. However, questions have been raised as to the impact of such resources as a means of enhancing involvement in health care and addressing health inequalities. Objective To review and synthesize the evidence from different approaches used to evaluate the impact of accessible information for people with intellectual disabilities using a meta-narrative approach. Search strategy Literature searches were iterative and incorporated formal databases, grey literature and hand searches alongside more intuitive and opportunistic methods. Inclusion criteria Included English language papers published before December 2015 described the design and evaluation of written information adapted for adults with intellectual disabilities. Data extraction and synthesis We organized the papers into five groups according to similarity in authors' writing styles and presentation, epistemology and theoretical foundations, aims and methodologies, professional and organizational identities. Main results The 42 included papers in the five groupings occupied diverse positions on (i) public communication vs individualized materials, (ii) literacy as decontextualized skills vs social practices and (iii) the expertise of patients vs professionals. There was limited evidence for the impact of accessible health information, notwithstanding the potential benefits associated with their creation. Conclusions Individually tailored information is more likely to meet personalized health information needs for people with intellectual disabilities. The emergence of different social formations in the creation of accessible information has potential for advancing engagement of diverse groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Newly graduated doctors write a large proportion of prescriptions in UK hospitals but recent studies have shown that they frequently make prescribing errors. The prescribing safety assessment (PSA) has been developed as an assessment of competence in relation to prescribing and supervising the use of medicines. This report describes the delivery of the PSA to all UK final-year medical students in 2016 (PSA2016). Methods The PSA is a 2-hour online assessment comprising eight sections which cover various aspects of prescribing defined within the outcomes of undergraduate education identified by the UK General Medical Council. Students sat one of four PSA 'papers', which had been standard-set using a modified Angoff process. Results A total of 7343 final-year medical students in all 31 UK medical schools sat the PSA. The overall pass rate was 95% with the pass rates for the individual papers ranging from 93 to 97%. The PSA was re-sat by 261 students who had failed and 80% of those candidates passed. The internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) of the four papers ranged from 0.74 to 0.77 (standard error of measurement 4.13-4.24%). There was a statistically significant variation in performance between medical school cohorts (F = 32.6, P < 0.001) and a strongly positive correlation in performance for individual schools between PSA2015 and PSA2016 ( r = 0.79, 95% CI 0.61-0.90; P < 0.01). Conclusions PSA2016 demonstrated the feasibility of delivering a standardized national prescribing assessment online. The vast majority of UK final-year medical students were able to meet a prespecified standard of prescribing competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the Conservative Green paper released by Conservative Party to improve the contribution of Great Britain to gross national income. It mentions that Green Paper was written at the time of recession. It mentions that Green Paper focuses on the role of corporate contributions to international aid.