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Only a few recent studies report direct assessment or monitoring of light levels in the indoor learning environment, and no consensus exists on minimum exposures for children's health. For instance, myopia is a common progressive condition, with genetic and environmental risk factors. Reduced daylight exposure, electric lighting changes, increased near-work for school children, greater academic focus, and use of display screens and white boards may have important detrimental influences. Published assessment methods had varied limitations, such as incomplete compliance from participants wearing light loggers for extended periods. Climate-Based Daylight Modelling is encouraged in UK school design, but design approaches are impractical for post-occupancy assessments of pre-existing classrooms or ad hoc modifications. In this study, we investigated the potential for direct assessment and monitoring of classroom daylight and lighting measurements. Combined with objective assessments of outdoor exposures and class time use, the classroom data could inform design and light exposure interventions to reduce the various health impacts of inadequate daylight exposure. The relevant environmental measure for myopia depends on the hypothesized mechanism, so the illuminance, spectral distribution, and temporal light modulation from the electric lighting was also assessed.

The paper’s concern is the current difficulty, in journalism, the academy and politics, of discussing questions to do with race, ethnicity, difference and immigration because of the fear of being called a racist. It starts with an analysis of biographical interview data drawn from fifteen people who had variously acquired the label racist and who were part of a small-scale study into racism in the Midlands city of Stoke‐on‐Trent, UK conducted between 2003 and 2005. The interviews used the free association narrative interview method. This analysis revealed that most people do not consider themselves racist and that having a conviction for a racially aggravated offence or being a member of a far right organisation was not able to differentiate racists from non‐racists. It also revealed a spectrum of attitudes towards immigrants or particular ethnic groups: strong expressions of hatred at one end of the spectrum; strong prejudicial feelings in the middle; and a feeling that ‘outsider’ groups should not benefit at the expense of ‘insiders’ (called ‘othering’) at the other end. The turn to theory for assistance revealed that, although hatred, prejudice and ‘othering’ are not the same thing, and do not have the same origins, they have become elided. This is primarily because cognitive psychology’s hostility to psychoanalysis marginalised hatred whilst its exclusive preoccupation with prejudice came effectively to define racism at the individual level. Progress in thinking about racism might consist of abolishing the term and returning to thinking about hatred, prejudice and ‘othering’ separately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objectives: The aim of this study was to update the incidence data of beta thalassaemia mutations in various populations and compare it to the spectrum of mutations in the United Kingdom (UK) population in order to determine the impact of immigration. Design and methods: Published data for the β-thalassaemia mutation spectrum and allele frequencies for 60 other countries was updated and collated into regional tables. The β-thalassaemia mutations in the UK population have been characterised in 1712 unrelated carriers referred for antenatal screening. Similarly, the α-thalassaemia mutations in the UK population have been characterised in 2500 possible α-thalassaemia carriers. Results: A total of 68 different β-thalassaemia mutations were identified in couples requiring screening for antenatal diagnosis in the UK population. Of these mutations, 59 were found in immigrants to the UK, from all major ethnic groups with a high incidence of haemoglobinopathies. A total of 40 different α-thalassaemia mutations were characterised in the UK population. Ten deletion mutations were identified, including all the Southeast Asian and Mediterranean α0-thalassaemia mutations. In addition, 30 non-deletion α+-thalassaemia mutations were discovered, accounting for 46% of the worldwide known non-deletion mutations. Conclusions: The impact of immigration has resulted in the UK population having a higher number of β-thalassaemia mutations and α-thalassaemia mutations than any of the 60 other countries with a published spectrum of mutations, including both endemic countries and the non-endemic countries of Northern Europe. The racial heterogeneity of the immigrant population in a non-endemic country significantly increases the spectrum of haemoglobinopathy mutations and their combinations found in individuals, making the provision of a molecular diagnostic prenatal diagnosis service more challenging. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper will describe the problems encountered by the UK Museum Documentation Standard (UKMDS) project. It will explain how solutions were developed and will address specific issues raised for the field of fine and decorative arts. Having now published SPECTRUM: The UK Museum Documentation Standard, the paper will also explain how it is envisaged that people will use the SPECTRUM and describe the plans the MDA (Museum Documentation Association) and the UKMDS project have for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]