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Background: Medicine is one of the most inaccessible professions in the United Kingdom (UK). The Plant a Seed (PAS) series was created to address this; it is an online pre-recorded three-part video series to "Inspire", "Educate" and "Motivate" pupils from widening participation backgrounds on Medicine. We explored the impact of PAS on pupils' knowledge, skills and attitude to Medicine. Methods: We conducted a national pretest-posttest study of Years 7–9 pupils in the UK. 503 schools were invited to PAS, following ethics approval. Consented pupils viewed all three episodes asynchronously and completed a pre-and post-series Likert scale confidence questionnaire, which evaluated their knowledge, skills and attitudes to a medical career. A Shapiro-Wilk test showed the lack of a normal distribution (p < 0.05); therefore, a Wilcoxon signed-rank test statistically compared pretest-posttest results of each pupil. Results: 70 pupils in Years 7–9 from 2 schools participated in this study. PAS was shown to significantly increase pupils' knowledge of the role and life of a doctor, medicine as a degree, admissions requirements, and careers in medicine (p < 0.05). There was a significant increase in pupils believing they could study medicine. The intervention did not significantly increase the desire for pupils to study medicine (p = 0.187). Conclusion: PAS significantly improved pupils' knowledge, skills and confidence demonstrating the need and benefit to enrolment of the programme at scale. It did not significantly increase the number of pupils wishing to study medicine. Analysis at scale is required to evaluate the effectiveness of PAS as a key intervention to break down barriers to medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant-based (PB) food products have surged in popularity over the past decade. Available PB products in the UK market were extracted from NielsenIQ Brandbank and compared with animal-based (AB) counterparts in their nutrient contents and calculated Nutri-Scores. The amino acid contents of four beef products and their PB alternatives were analysed by LC-MS/MS. PB products consistently exhibited significantly higher fibre content across all food groups. Protein was significantly higher in AB products from all food groups except beef and ready meals. PB products were more likely to have higher Nutri-Scores compared to AB counterparts, albeit with greater score variability within each food group. Nutrient fortifications were primarily focused on dairy and ready meals; the most supplemented nutrient was vitamin B12 (found in 15% of all products). A higher proportion of EAAs in relation to total protein content was observed in all beef products., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Since late 2019, COVID-19 has significantly impacted the world. Understanding the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 is crucial for protecting against future infectious pathogens. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive chronological analysis of SARS-CoV-2 evolution by examining mutation prevalence from the source countries of VOCs: United Kingdom, India, Brazil, South Africa, plus two countries: United States, Russia, utilizing genomic sequences from GISAID. Our methodological approach involved large-scale genomic sequence alignment using MAFFT, Python-based data processing on a high-performance computing platform, and advanced statistical methods the Maximal Information Coefficient (MIC), and also Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) models for correlation analysis. Our findings elucidate the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 evolution, highlighting the virus's changing behaviour over various pandemic stages. Key results include the discovery of three temporal mutation patterns-lineage distinct, long-span, and competitive mutations-with varying levels of impact on the virus. Notably, we observed a convergence of advantageous mutations in the spike protein, especially in the later stages of the pandemic, indicating a substantial evolutionary pressure on the virus. One of the most significant revelations is the predominant role of natural immunity over vaccination-induced immunity in driving these evolutionary changes. This emphasizes the critical need for regular vaccine updates to maintain efficacy against evolving strains. In conclusion, our study not only sheds light on the evolutionary trajectory of SARS-CoV-2 but also underscores the urgency for robust, continuous global data collection and sharing. It highlights the necessity for rapid adaptations in medical countermeasures, including vaccine development, to stay ahead of pathogen evolution. This research provides valuable insights for future pandemic preparedness and response strategies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objective: To explore the causal association between sarcopenia-related traits and Parkinson's disease by Mendelian randomization (MR) approach., Methods: A genome-wide association study (GWAS) of sarcopenia-related traits was done at the UK Biobank (UKB). The traits were appendicular lean mass, low hand grip strength (including the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) and the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) criteria and usual walking pace. The International Parkinson's Disease Genomics Consortium (IPDGC) gave us GWAS data for Parkinson's disease (PD). We used three different types of MR analyses: including Inverse-variance weighted (IVW), Mendelian randomized Egger regression (MR-Egger), and weighted median methods (both weighted and simple modes)., Results: The MR analysis showed that low hand grip strength was negatively associated with the risk of developing Parkinson's disease, including EWGSOP criterion (odds ratio (OR) = 0.734; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.575-0.937, P = 0.013) and FNIH criterion (OR = 0.619; 95% CI = 0.419-0.914, P = 0.016), and usual walking pace was also a risk factor for Parkinson's disease (OR = 3.307, 95% CI = 1.277-8.565, P = 0.014)., Conclusions: In European population, low hand grip strength is negatively associated with the risk of developing Parkinson's disease, and usual walking pace is also a risk factor for Parkinson's disease. Further exploration of the potential genetic mechanisms underlying hand grip strength and Parkinson's disease and the potential relationship between walking pace, balance, and falls in Parkinson's patients may help to reduce the burden of sarcopenia and Parkinson's disease., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

This paper explores the role of teledermatology (TD) in Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) at various stages of patient care. The study aims to assess the benefits, limitations, and patient experiences surrounding TD integration into MMS practices. We conducted a PubMed search using keywords related to TD and MMS, categorizing selected articles into pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative stages of MMS. TD reduced waiting times (26.10 days for TD compared to 60.57 days for face-to-face [FTF]) and consultation failure rates (6% for TD vs. 17% for FTF) for MMS preoperative consultations. It also shortened time to treatment by two weeks and led to notable travel savings (162.7 min, 144.5 miles, and $60.00 per person). Telepathology facilitated communication and decision-making during MMS, improving accuracy and efficiency, especially in challenging cases requiring collaboration where physical presence of another surgeon or pathologist is not feasible. Telepathology definitively diagnosed benign lesions and malignant tumors in 81.8% of cases (18/22). Additionally, there was a 95% agreement between conventional light microscopy diagnosis and telepathology in tumors (19/20), and 100% agreement for all 20 Mohs frozen section consultations. For post-operative follow-up, telephone follow-up (TFU) and text messaging proved effective, cost-efficient alternatives with high patient satisfaction (94% in New Zealand and 96% in the U.K.) and early complication identification. This study underscores TD's multifaceted benefits in MMS: enhanced patient experience preoperatively, improved communication during surgery, and cost-effective postoperative follow-up. Limitations include the financial expense and technical issues that can arise with TD (connectivity problems, delays in video/audio transmission, etc.). Further studies are needed to explore emerging TD modalities in post-operative patient management. The integration of TD into MMS signifies a progressive step in dermatological care, offering convenient, cost-effective, and better solutions with the potential to enhance patient experiences and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to introduce an artificial intelligence approach to enhance short-term daily streamflow forecasts through the integration of machine learning (ML) techniques with meta -heuristic (MH) algorithms. To maximize performance, a comprehensive analysis involving the autocorrelation and partial autocorrelation functions of the observed streamflow was conducted to derive ten distinct input combinations, from which the most suitable set was selected for investigation. Subsequently, six distinct ML methods, namely, decision trees, support vector regression, long short-term memory, gated recurrent unit, multi-layer perceptron, and radial basis function (as the optimal input combination), were leveraged to predict one-day-ahead streamflow. The most promising outcomes from these six explored methods were synergistically amalgamated to enhance predictive precision. This amalgamation was then optimized by utilizing parameter values hyper-tuned by four different MH algorithms. The algorithms included the shuffled frog leaping algorithm, particle swarm optimization, ant colony optimization (ACO), and gray wolf optimization (GWO). In culmination, a case study centered around the "Wick" river in the UK was conducted to rigorously evaluate the performance of the proposed method, utilizing a range of statistical evaluation indices. The results underscored the efficacy of the proposed combined method in substantially refining streamflow predictions, exhibiting an impressive level of accuracy. Additionally, the outcomes emphasized that ACO and GWO stand out as the optimal algorithms for calibrating the parameters of the amalgamated model. For instance, the R2 values attained by the combined models optimized through the ACO and GWO algorithms were 0.69422 and 0.69444, respectively. These values notably surpass those observed in the initial models, substantiating the superiority of the applied optimization approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the environmental audit of Jaguar Automotive in the United Kingdom, analyzing internal and external factors like political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal (PESTEL) aspects. It discusses PESTEL analysis for macro-environmental assessment, evaluates market dynamics via Porter's Five Forces, and identifies strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) factors.

Purpose: This paper aims to trace the contours of Islamic political economy (IPE) for last four decades with the help of bibliometric analysis. This method does not focus on in-depth literature. However, it reviews more material content of the published papers in the field, generally including the number of publications, authors, title, H-Index and authors' affiliation. Design/methodology/approach: The authors use biblioshiny by R in conducting bibliometric analysis. Based on the results of analysis, the authors only found 39 relevant documents to the topic with the help of keyword of "Islamic political economy". The authors analyse the data and visualize it into bibliometric images for the convenience of the readers. Findings: There are 39 documents on IPE in the annual scientific production. The year 1980 had the lowest productivity at 3% while the year 2007 showed an increase in scientific productivity by 13%. The most significant increase in production occurred between 2014 and 2015 by 8%, while the most significant decline occurred between 2007 and 2008 by 10%. The most significant contributors are Akan, T., Choudhury, M.A. and Asutay, M. According to the Corresponding Author's Country, the UK has eight articles on IPE. Humanomics is the most influential Journal, with six documents. Research limitations/implications: This research only examines documents sourced from Web of Science and Scopus under the title "Islamic political economy" and does not include articles from other sources. This research has implications for future researchers and suggests a shift in recent research on IPE towards exploring current realities and expanding beyond traditional economic and political aspects. The goal is to gain a comprehensive understanding of Islam's role in shaping economic and political systems, promoting inclusive sustainable development and social justice, and exploring its relationship with broader political and economic systems. Originality/value: IPE has become a trendy topic in the early days, the second half of the 20th century, during the revival of the Islamic mode of finance and development. However, with time, the discussion on this topic appeared less in scientific and academic publications; this issue needs an overview of how far this discipline has evolved. This work aims to identify future research trends in this area. Scholars should investigate articles by author, institution, country, databases, data sources with high-impact factors and objective metrics to get new perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"French Music in Britain, 1830–1914" by Paul Rodmell is a book that challenges the dominant narrative that German music had the most influence on British music during the Victorian era. Instead, Rodmell argues that French music played a significant role in British culture and practice during this time period. The book focuses on the role of French identity in British criticism of French music and analyzes press commentary on early performances of French composers. Rodmell divides the discussion into four chronological chapters, covering operatic genres and concert music, and provides a comprehensive appendix documenting over 320 individual works. This book offers a fresh perspective on the influence of French music in Britain and provides a valuable resource for future research. [Extracted from the article]

"The Crimean War and its Afterlife: Making Modern Britain" by Lara Kriegel is a comprehensive study that explores the impact of the Crimean War on British society. The book challenges the notion that the First World War was solely responsible for shaping modern Britain, arguing that the Crimean War played a significant role as well. Kriegel examines various themes and case studies, including the experiences of participants, chroniclers, and descendants, as well as the legacies of figures like Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole. The book offers a nuanced understanding of the war's influence on British identity, gender norms, and the country's relationship with Europe. [Extracted from the article]

"The Emergence of Bicycling and Automobility in Britain" by Craig Horner explores the history of cycling and motoring in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Britain. Horner examines the pioneers who transitioned from cycling to becoming motorists and motor industry entrepreneurs, and documents how motorized vehicles began to gain popularity by 1905. The book highlights the challenges faced by these entrepreneurs, such as legal restrictions, inadequate road infrastructure, and societal hostility towards motorists. It also discusses the shift in the motoring industry from enthusiast pioneers to a new class of upper- and middle-class consumers. The book offers valuable insights for historians of business, technology, and Victorian Britain, and emphasizes the historical connection between cyclists and motorists. [Extracted from the article]

Brexit constitutes a puzzle for integration theory. Functionalist analyses have not only failed to predict the UK's exit but have also underestimated the disintegrative dynamics of the withdrawal negotiations. By contrast, postfunctionalism accounts for the disintegrative Brexit process but struggles to explain the unity and defence of supranational integration among the EU-27. This article tries to make sense of the Brexit puzzle. First, it argues that Brexit constitutes an attack on the EU polity rather than a policy failure – the type of crisis that functionalist theories explain best. Second, it complements the postfunctionalist account of domestic politicisation with an analysis of the reactions and strategies of the defenders of supranational integration. According to this expanded postfunctionalist analysis, the interaction of polity attack and polity defence has produced 'external rebordering': extreme disintegration of the UK from the EU, on the one hand, and strengthened integration of the EU-27, on the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brexit was perceived as a Pandora's box moment by both Eurosceptic and pro-integration parties in the EU, as they expected it would embolden Euroscepticism by providing a paradigm to be followed. This article explores the initial reactions of nine Populist Radical Right parties to Brexit and how they evolved in tandem with the unfolding of negotiations. It also discusses possible reasons for the differentiation in the responses of those parties, from triumphant to moderated reactions. The empirical basis is a dataset that contains the public communications of these parties on Twitter between 2015 and 2020. The results show that although there was initial differentiation with some parties calling for referenda in their own countries, by 2017 every party's communication on Brexit drastically decreased, and by the time the UK left the EU (January 2020), calls for secession had disappeared from their discourses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The willingness of voters on the losing side to accept electoral outcomes – losers' consent – is essential to democratic legitimacy. This article examines the role of emotions in shaping people's perceptions of electoral fairness, arguing that voters on the losing side who feel angry are less willing to accept democratic outcomes. This is examined in the context of the 2016 Brexit referendum, as well as the 2019 UK general election, using original survey data and an experiment in which specific emotional responses (anger and happiness) are induced to test the causal effect of emotions. The results show that losers who felt angry about an electoral outcome are less likely to accept the legitimacy of the democratic process and that anger has a causal effect in reducing losers' consent. These findings suggest that politicians may be able to influence voters' faith in democracy by mobilising emotional responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insect declines are being reported worldwide and private, residential gardens could provide refugia for these species under increasing land use change. Interest in wildlife-friendly gardening has increased, but many management recommendations lack a scientific evidence-base. We used a large citizen science scheme, the Garden Butterfly Survey (GBS), with data from over 600 gardens across Great Britain (2016-2021) to determine how the surrounding landscape influences the abundance and species richness of butterflies in gardens and whether wildlife-friendly gardening practices, such as having long grass and providing nectar plants, benefit butterflies. First, we show that GBS provides reliable estimates of species abundances by comparing with results from standardised, long-term monitoring data. Garden size and surrounding land use had significant effects on butterfly abundance and richness in gardens, including positive relationships with garden size, woodland and arable farmland and negative relationships with urbanisation. Both the presence and area of long grass in gardens were positively related to higher butterfly richness and abundance, with the latter being driven by butterflies that use grasses as larval host plants. These effects differed depending on the surrounding landscape, such that long grass resulted in higher garden butterfly abundance in landscapes dominated by arable farming, and higher abundance and richness in highly urbanised areas. The presence of flowering ivy (Hedera spp.) in gardens resulted in higher abundance of Celastrina argiolus holly blue which uses ivy as a larval host, and of Vanessa atalanta red admiral and Polygonia c-album comma, which favour it as a nectar source. Our work provides evidence that undertaking simple wildlife-friendly garden practices can be beneficial for attracting butterflies, particularly in heavily modified areas. With over 728,000 ha of gardens in Great Britain, the cumulative effect of leaving areas of lawn uncut and providing nectar and larval host plants could be key for helping biodiversity., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Chicken fillets, predominantly encased in disposable plastic packaging, represent a common perishable commodity frequently found in the shopping baskets of British consumers, with an annual slaughter exceeding 1.1 billion chickens. The associated environmental implications are of considerable significance. However, a noticeable gap exists concerning the household-level ramifications of chicken meat consumption, which remains a prominent driver (165 kg CO 2e yr -1 per capita) of environmental impacts in the United Kingdom (UK). This study's primary objective is to integrate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology with insights derived from a spectrum of interventions simulated within the Household Simulation Model (HHSM). The interventions that are simulated are influenced by various consumer behaviours related to the purchase, consumption, storage and disposal of chicken fillets. The overarching aim is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the environmental consequences associated with each intervention. The research encompasses eight distinct household archetypes and the UK average, with a focus on discerning differences in their environmental influence. The introduction of shelf-life extension measures leads to a reduction in the overall environmental impacts (in μPt), with reductions ranging from 1 % to 18 %. Concurrently, waste treatment's environmental burdens can be curtailed by 9 % to 69 % for the UK average. Of the 12 interventions tested, the intervention that combines a one-day extension in the shelf life of open packs and a three-day extension for unopened packs leads to the greatest reduction in environmental impacts, at 18 % for the entire process and 69 % for the waste treatment. This intervention is estimated to yield annual reductions of 130,722 t of CO2 emissions across the entire process and 34,720 t of CO2 emissions from waste treatment, as compared to the default scenario. These findings demonstrate the importance of integrating consumer behaviour, food waste, and packaging considerations within the domain of food LCA research., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Every year an estimated two million tonnes of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) are discarded by householders and companies in the United Kingdom (UK). While the UK has left the European Union (EU), its waste-related policies still mirror those of the EU, including the WEEE-related policies. Motivated by the recent introduction the so-called 'Right to Repair' policy for electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) across the EU and UK, this paper aims to demonstrate that, depending on the commitment and behavioural changes by the consumers and the government, the future of the WEEE management of the UK will vary. To this end, focusing on landfilled WEEE reduction we develop a generic system dynamics model and apply it to eleven WEEE categories. They depict the flow of EEE and WEEE representing the interaction among the stakeholders (e.g., consumers and producers of EEE) and relevant government regulations of the UK. Our four scenario analyses find that longer use of EEE and better WEEE collection seem to be effective in reducing landfilled WEEE, while more reuse and more recycling and recovery have negligible impacts, despite excluding the additional generation of landfilled WEEE as a result of recycling and recovery. Comparing with the business-as-usual scenario, one year longer EEE use and 10% more of WEEE collection could at maximum reduce landfilled WEEE by 14.05% of monitoring and control instruments and 93.93% of display equipment respectively. Backcasting scenario analyses reveal that significant efforts are required to reduce the targeted amounts., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Long-term application of biosolids to agricultural soil results in the slow accumulation of potentially toxic elements (PTEs), which are regulated by maximum permitted limit values to protect human health and the environment. Two programmes of UK government-funded (MAFF/DoE) research were commissioned in the 1990s to investigate the safety of the controls on PTEs in relation to the potential transfer to the food chain via the animal ingestion route by sheep grazing biosolids-amended soil. Here, we re-examine this evidence in the light of other recent research and revised food quality standards, to determine the significance of lead (Pb) accumulation in soil from the agricultural use of biosolids. Direct ingestion of biosolids-amended soil is the main transfer pathway of Pb to grazing livestock. The concentrations of Pb in muscle tissue of animals grazing biosolids-amended soil observed in the MAFF/DoE trials, and reported in the scientific literature, were generally small and similar to background, control values. Lambs and ewes ingesting biosolids-amended soil with a total Pb concentration > 200 mg kg -1 dry soil at a rate of 10 % in the diet exceeded the current maximum permitted concentration of Pb in offal (0.5 mg kg -1 fresh weight). However, the decline in PTE concentrations found in biosolids, due to improved industrial practices and stricter controls on the emissions of contaminants to the environment in general and wastewater in particular, has mitigated the risk of Pb accumulation above the food quality standard for this element in offal. Given the significant improvements in biosolids quality, and particularly in the Pb content, regulatory soil and sludge limits for Pb are no longer likely to have a practical or significant impact on the amount of Pb entering the food chain through the animal ingestion route from biosolids-amended agricultural soil., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Stephen Smith reports financial support was provided by the Food Standards Agency. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Sheep scab is endemic in Great Britain with an estimated national herd-level prevalence of 10.9% from a surveyed population of sheep farms. Previous studies have investigated how sheep farmers manage sheep scab on their farms in Great Britain, but there have not been any qualitative studies investigating sheep farmers perceptions on the roles different stakeholders have in the management of sheep scab. This qualitative study aims to explore how sheep farmers perceive their role and the different stakeholders' roles in the management of sheep scab, and how they would like sheep scab to be managed going forward. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 43 sheep farmers from England, Scotland, and Wales. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, through the theoretical lens of Foucault's notion of 'biopower'. Two themes were generated: 'The feeling of powerlessness leads to a need of rules and regulations', with sub-themes: 'The need for governmental rules and regulations' and 'The need for rules and regulation at livestock markets', and 'An apparent lack of sheep scab surveillance', with sub-themes: 'The farmers perceive that the veterinarians have control over surveillance' and 'The farmers have control over surveillance on their farms'. In the first theme, the respondents suggested that more rules and regulations to control the management of sheep scab was required. This included reinstating of sheep scab as a notifiable disease in England and Wales, as well as more regulations at livestock markets to prevent the trading of infested sheep; both of which would subject the farmers to regulatory power mechanisms. The second theme centred around who has the control of surveillance on the farms. Most of the respondents perceived that the veterinarians had knowledge and expertise of the local area on sheep scab, which they were able to relay to the farmers. Thus, veterinarians exerted disciplinary power by creating 'docile' bodies. However, it also appeared that veterinarians were not regularly called onto farms. Although disciplinary power flows through the interactions between the farmer and veterinarian, the techniques currently used are not always having their desired effect. The study demonstrated that how sheep farmers want sheep scab to be managed is, at times, conflicting and contradictory, which highlights the complexity of sheep scab as a disease to manage., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Food prices and affordability play an important role in influencing dietary choices, which in turn have implications for public health. With inflationary increases in the cost-of-living in the UK since 2021, understanding the dynamics of food prices becomes increasingly important. In this longitudinal study, we aimed to examine changes in food prices from 2013 to 2023 by food group and by food healthiness. We established a dataset spanning the years 2013-2023 by combining price data from the UK Consumer Price Index for food and beverage items with nutrient and food data from the UK nutrient databank and UK Department of Health & Social Care's National Diet and Nutrition Survey data. We calculated the price (£/100 kcal) for each food item by year as well as before and during the period of inflationary pressure, and classified items into food groups according to the UK Eatwell Guide and as either "more healthy" or "less healthy" using the UK nutrient profiling score model. In 2023, bread, rice, potatoes and pasta was cheapest (£0.12/100 kcal) and fruit and vegetables most expensive (£1.01/100 kcal). Less healthy food was cheaper than more healthy food (£0.33/100 kcal versus £0.81/100 kcal). Before the inflationary pressure period (from 2013 to late 2021), the price of foods decreased by 3%. After this period, the price of food increased by 22%: relative increases were highest in the food group milk and dairy food (31%) and less healthy category (26%). While healthier foods saw smaller relative price increases since 2021, they remain more expensive, potentially exacerbating dietary inequalities. Policy responses should ensure food affordability and mitigate price disparities via, for example, healthy food subsidies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Medical Imaging and radiotherapy (MIRT) are at the forefront of artificial intelligence applications. The exponential increase of these applications has made governance frameworks necessary to uphold safe and effective clinical adoption. There is little information about how healthcare practitioners in MIRT in the UK use AI tools, their governance and associated challenges, opportunities and priorities for the future., Methods: This cross-sectional survey was open from November to December 2022 to MIRT professionals who had knowledge or made use of AI tools, as an attempt to map out current policy and practice and to identify future needs. The survey was electronically distributed to the participants. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics and inferential statistics on the SPSS statistical software. Content analysis was employed for the open-ended questions., Results: Among the 245 responses, the following were emphasised as central to AI adoption: governance frameworks, practitioner training, leadership, and teamwork within the AI ecosystem. Prior training was strongly correlated with increased knowledge about AI tools and frameworks. However, knowledge of related frameworks remained low, with different professionals showing different affinity to certain frameworks related to their respective roles. Common challenges and opportunities of AI adoption were also highlighted, with recommendations for future practice., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To determine the feasibility of completing a definitive randomised controlled trial (RCT), evaluating the clinical and cost-effectiveness of Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT) in comparison to usual physiotherapy care (UPC), for people with persistent low back pain (LBP)., Design and Setting: A two-arm parallel feasibility RCT completed in a United Kingdom (UK) Secondary Care National Health Service (NHS) physiotherapy service., Participants: Sixty adult participants who reported LBP lasting for more than three months, that was not attributable to a serious (e.g. cancer) or specific (e.g. radiculopathy) underlying cause, were invited to participate. Participants were allocated at random to receive CFT or UPC., Interventions: Cognitive Functional Therapy and Usual Physiotherapy Care for persistent LBP., Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcome was the feasibility of completing a definitive RCT, defined by recruitment of at least 5 participants per month, delivery of CFT per protocol and securing relevant and acceptable outcome measures. Data concerning study processes, resources, management and participant reported outcome measures were collected at baseline, 3, 6 and 12-month follow-up., Results: Sixty participants (n = 30 CFT and n = 30 UPC) were recruited with 80% (n = 48), 72% (n = 43) and 53% (n = 32) retained at 3, 6 and 12-month follow-up respectively. NHS physiotherapists were trained to competence and delivered CFT with fidelity. CFT was tolerated by participants with no adverse events. Relevant and clinically important outcome data were collected at all time points (0.4%, 3%, 1% and 0.8% of data was missing from the returned outcome measure booklets at baseline and 3, 6 and 12-month follow-up respectively). The Roland-Morris disability questionnaire was considered the most suitable primary outcome measure with a proposed sample size of 540 participants for a definitive cluster RCT., Conclusion: It is feasible to conduct a randomised study of CFT in comparison to UPC for NHS patients. A future study should incorporate an internal pilot to address aspects of feasibility further, including participant retention strategies., Clinical Trial Registration Number: ISRCTN12965286 CONTRIBUTION OF THE PAPER., (Copyright © 2024 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Cognitive remediation (CR) improves cognition and aids recovery in people with psychosis. An active therapist provides increased benefit, but CR training for therapists is not routinely available, so CR has limited scalability. This study describes the development and evaluation of the first online CR therapist training programme., Methods: An online CR training, based on expert and novice therapist consultations, was developed, and then pilot tested with novice trainees and changes made to produce the evaluation version. Feasibility, acceptability, and training benefits were assessed in a group of naïve UK NHS mental health professionals. Training engagement with a group of clinicians who accessed the programme for professional development was compared to those who paid fees., Results: Most mental health professionals finished training and passed the knowledge test, indicating that training enhanced clinicians' knowledge. Fee-paying trainees had significantly faster completion times and a higher proportion finished in the recommended time. Those who were successful at passing the knowledge questionnaire had significantly fewer years in practice. The majority were satisfied with the programme, felt they had made considerable progress and that training would allow them to begin practicing CR, and would recommend the training to colleagues., Conclusions: This online CR training programme was feasible, acceptable to participants and showed benefits for clinicians. It improved knowledge even in the most junior of staff who have had less time to develop clinical know-how., (© 2023 The Authors. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The British Psychological Society.)

Background: Students' initial experiences at university often shape their attendance and attainment. For some students, university is a positive experience, whereas others seemingly struggle and have more negative emotions. Unearthing distinctions in first-year students' emotionality may be valuable in understanding their academic engagement and performance., Aims: The study's aim was to identify distinct profiles of students based on their achievement emotions and explore whether these profiles differed in university attendance and attainment. At least three emotional profiles were hypothesized (positive; moderate; negative) with a positive profile expected to display the highest attendance and attainment., Sample: Participants were 294 first-year undergraduate students from a university in the United Kingdom (M age  = 19.33 years; 127 men; 162 women)., Methods: Students completed self-report measures of eight achievement emotions for general learning. Attendance and attainment data were collected from official records. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed to profile students on their achievement emotions. Analysis of covariance explored profile differences in attendance and attainment., Results: Four emotional profiles emerged: positive; moderate; negative; mixed-valence (both positive and negative activating emotions). The positive and mixed-valence groups displayed equally high attendance compared to the moderate and negative groups. The positive group obtained higher academic attainment than the mixed-valence and negative emotion groups, but not the moderate group., Conclusions: The findings highlight the diverse emotional experiences of first-year university students and the existence of co-occurring positive and negative activation emotions. This evidence may be of practical worth to educators in understanding variability in students' emotions, attendance and attainment., (© 2024 The Authors. British Journal of Educational Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.)

Objective: Psychological formulation is a key competency for clinical psychologists. However, there is a lack of consensus regarding the key components and processes of formulation that are hypothesized to contribute to poor reliability of formulations. The aim of this study was to develop consensus on the essential components of a formulation to inform training for clinical psychologists and best practice guidelines., Methods: A Delphi methodology was used. Items were generated from the literature and discussed and refined with a panel of experts (n = 10). In round one, 110 clinical psychologists in the United Kingdom rated the importance of components of formulation via an online questionnaire. Criteria for consensus were applied and statements were rerated in round two if consensus was not achieved., Results: Consensus was achieved on 30 items, with 18 statements regarding components of a formulation and 12 statements regarding formulation process. Items that clinicians agreed upon emphasized the importance of integrating sociocultural, biological, strengths and personal meaning alongside well-established theoretical frameworks. Consensus was not reached on 20 items, including whether a formulation should be parsimonious or adhere to a model., Conclusion: Our findings provide mixed evidence regarding consensus on the key components of formulation. There was an agreement that formulation should be client-led and incorporate strengths and sociocultural factors. Further research should explore client perspectives on the key components of formulation and how these compare to the clinicians' perspectives., (© 2024 The Authors. British Journal of Clinical Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.)

Aim: The risk of Type 2 Diabetes is 10 times higher after a pregnancy with Gestational Diabetes. Physical activity can independently reduce this risk, yet engagement with physical activity remains low after Gestational Diabetes. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the barriers and facilitators to the uptake of physical activity after Gestational Diabetes in the United Kingdom, using a socio-ecological approach., Methods: The paper was written following the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research. Patient and Public Involvement contributed to the study's conceptualisation and design. Participants were recruited through an audit of Gestational Diabetes cases at a local Teaching Hospital in 2020. Twelve participants took part in semi-structured one-to-one interviews. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to generate themes in iterative rounds of refinement. The final themes were then organised using the socio-ecological model., Results: Participants were all over 31 years old, predominantly self-identified as White British and were all in employment but were evenly spread across UK-based deprivation deciles. Ten themes were generated and organised according to the four levels of the socio-ecological model: intrapersonal (beliefs about activity, recovering from birth), social (health care professionals, family and partner, role as a mother), organisational (access and cost, environment, childcare and work) and community (connecting women with recent Gestational Diabetes)., Conclusions: Many of the amenable barriers and facilitators to physical activity were beyond the intrapersonal level, based on higher levels of the socio-ecological model (social, organisational and community). Multi-level interventions are needed to effectively address all barriers., (© 2024 The Authors. Diabetic Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Diabetes UK.)

Children who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) are multimodal communicators. However, in classroom interactions involving children and staff, achieving mutual understanding and accomplishing task-oriented goals by attending to the child's unaided AAC can be challenging. This study draws on excerpts of video recordings of interactions in a classroom for 6–9-year-old children who used AAC to explore how three child participants used the range of multimodal resources available to them – vocal, movement-based, and gestural, technological, temporal – to shape (and to some degree, co-control) classroom interactions. Our research was concerned with examining achievements and problems in establishing a sense of common ground and the realization of child agency. Through detailed multimodal analysis, this paper renders visible different types of practices rejecting a request for clarification, drawing new parties into a conversation, disrupting whole-class teacher talk-through which the children in the study voiced themselves in persuasive ways. It concludes by suggesting that multimodal accounts paint a more nuanced picture of children's resourcefulness and conversational asymmetry that highlights children's agency amidst material, semiotic, and institutional constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the creation of a data resource for charting the adoption of fixed line telephony in Great Britain over the period 1880–1984, of which the period 1880–1951 is available for wide research use. We first evaluate the use of various open-source software and then develop the novel teldiR open-source package to capture digitally encoded scans of all available telephone directories at ten-yearly intervals throughout this period and document the quality control checks used to establish the provenance of the resulting digital records. Our research demonstrates the feasibility of digitally encoding scans of historical telephone directories, and suggests potential analytical extensions to this work, including georeferencing of subscriber records. This research is seen not only as facilitating geographical analysis of the adoption of fixed line telephony, but also as creating a bridge between historical analysis of residential mobility, migration, and changing geodemographic structure in the years between (now digitized) historical censuses and present day digital sources. The digital resource arising from this research is available for bona fide research use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• AP1000-like reactor studied with MELCOR2.1. • Steady-state and Design Basis Accident studied. • Nominal and 10% blocked steam generator tubes steady-states predicted accurately. • Double ended DVI-LOCA accident predicted comparable to the US DCD and UK PCSR. • Twelve cases studied with various models for ADS-4, steam generator and hot-leg. The paper presents the outcomes of the deterministic safety studies for a Pressurized Water Reactor based on the AP1000 design. The model was developed with MELCOR computer code using public references and qualified using data for nominal steady-state and double-ended Direct Vessel Injection line break accident. Emphasis was placed on thermal–hydraulic phenomena and modeling of the passive safety features. Different plant model variants were studied, including two models for the Automatic Depressurization System, two models for steam generators, and three models for hot-legs. Safety injections were investigated with a focus on the passive core cooling system, which is crucial during a Loss of Coolant Accident. Simulation results agree very well with available steady-state data. The model predicts expected plant behavior during a design basis accident, and results are not substantially different from predictions with system codes presented in the public reports. It shows that the developed model can be used in severe accident studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Routine outcome monitoring (ROM), including the use of feedback, has become a much vaunted method in psychological therapies but is little used in university/college counselling and mental health services, perhaps because its adoption raises questions for many practitioners and service leaders. There is a need for both clinical‐ and research‐based statements to clarify the reasoning and rationale for ROM. This paper aims to present and respond to common challenges of and reservations about using ROM in student counselling and/or mental health services. Method: The article poses 15 questions and issues about the adoption of ROM drawn from the literature on this topic and further refined by practitioner‐ and researcher‐members of a consortium comprising service leads, practitioners, and researchers working in the field of student counselling in the UK. The questions address nine themes: (1) the purpose and yield of ROM; (2) the burden of measurement; (3) the impact on clients and process of therapy; (4) consistency with therapeutic theory; (5) client groups and settings; (6) concern from practitioners; (7) equality, diversity, and inclusion; (8) implementation; and (9) relationship with the paradigm of practice‐based evidence. Findings: Responses to each of the 15 questions are provided from a methodological, evidence‐based, and clinical perspective. Conclusions: The responses provide practitioners with the necessary information to enable them to make informed decisions as to the value, or otherwise, of adopting ROM, including feedback, in the delivery of counselling interventions, and generating evidence created from clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this research was to understand counsellors' and therapists' perceptions and experiences of working online during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Method: Five hundred and ninety clinicians, mostly UK‐based, responded to an online qualitative survey, which allowed data to be gathered from a broader range of participants than is typical for qualitative interviews or focus group studies, and provided a wide‐angle lens. The survey generated over 130,000 words, on which a five‐staged framework analysis was conducted. Seven superordinate themes were identified. Results: In this paper, three of these superordinate themes specifically addressing online therapeutic practice with individual adult clients are presented. Therapists' accounts addressed the diverse ways in which the online space changed how they thought about the therapy relationship and their interactions with clients. Respondents described instances where online therapy had been beneficial for facilitating and cultivating the therapeutic process and relationship as well as how online therapy could have a potentially disruptive impact on therapeutic practice. Implications: For practitioners who continue to deliver therapy solely online and/or offer hybrid services, this study identifies the specific knowledge and skills required for effective and safe online therapeutic work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elite schools in the UK are bound to the history of British colonialism. This paper examines the material ties between these schools and the transatlantic slave trade. We combine multiple sources to examine which schools and their alumni accrued substantial economic capital derived from the enslavement of Black people. We find two principal connections: first, in donations and foundations of schools from those who made their fortune in the slave trade; and second, through income of boys attending these schools. Drawing on the Legacies of British Slavery dataset, we show that schools with alumni benefitting from the slave trade include the most prestigious British private schools. Moreover, this paper traces the histories of several secondary schools founded by, or in receipt of, substantial donations from slave-owning families. We argue that extractive, violent forms of colonial capital accumulation have been central to, the formation and maintenance of these elite educational institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education-UK and British private schools more specifically are often framed as a global brand of 'world-class' quality. However, the increased competition within the international education market has meant British private schools cannot rest on their laurels but instead must continue to project their 'world-classness' in a way that does not diminish their brand image. Drawing on interviews of parents and key gatekeepers, this paper examines how British private schools in Nigeria (BPS-NIG) and British private boarding schools in the UK (BPBS-UK) evoked and projected their supposed world-classness through the strategic use of white symbolism and the expensive admission process. The paper contends that the latter are types of soft-sell marketing techniques utilised by BPS-NIG and BPBS-UK to sell British schools without imperilling their brand image. The paper concludes by drawing attention to the racial implication of framing whiteness and white British specifically as synonymous with high-quality, 'world-class' education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern economies rely on economic growth for stability and prosperity. Further, periods of stagnation and recession are currently associated with poor health and wellbeing outcomes for citizens. However, 50 years of research indicates that this state of dependency is ecologically unsustainable. It is therefore critical that we better understand the growth dependency of our economies and welfare systems, and how to overcome it. In this paper we first offer a working definition of growth dependency, clarifying its core dimensions. Next, taking the UK's adult social care sector as a case study, we argue that growth dependencies emerge in the welfare state as a result of three distinct dynamics: 1) growth in manifest needs; 2) labour productivity growth; 3) the pursuit of economic rents. Lastly, we propose a novel, sector-led framework for identifying, analysing and transforming growth dependencies. We make the case that the growth dependency of the welfare state is not inevitable, but is instead the product of specific social, economic and structural factors that can be disrupted and transformed, if we can find the political will to do so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Do 'green' environmental concerns – such as about biodiversity, climate change, pollution – deter citizens from having children? This paper reports the first longitudinal evidence consistent with that increasingly discussed hypothesis. It follows through time a random sample of thousands of initially childless men and women in the UK. The paper shows that those individuals who are committed to a green lifestyle are found to be substantially less likely to go on later to have offspring. Probit and Weibull survival models are estimated. The results are robust to controlling for people's age, education, income, marital status, mental health, life satisfaction, optimism, and physical health. The paper's key estimated effect-size is substantial. A person entirely unconcerned about environmental behaviour is estimated to be just over 50% more likely to go on to have a child than a deeply committed environmentalist. • Will fertility decline because humans become so concerned about environmental damage? • Using UK data on thousands of randomly selected young adults, we provide the first longitudinal evidence that those who have environmental concerns and act in a 'green' way go on to have fewer children. • The estimated effect-size is large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition to school is a critical period for children and families. Successful transition predicts later school achievement and socio-emotional outcomes with sustained long-term benefits. Educational disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic meant that support for the transition of children from nursery to school was limited. The study aimed to investigate the impact of the pandemic on early years transitions in the U.K., with a focus on children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Using a sequential mixed-methods research design, data was gathered from a survey before children started school, and semi-structured interviews after starting school. Results revealed that support for the transition of young children from nursery to school was inevitably affected. Key challenges and facilitating factors in planning for transition are reported as well as the impact of the pandemic on children, families and early years practitioners. The paper concludes with recommendations for policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to investigate the potential for issue-based civic education. Applying the concept of critical pedagogy to civic education, this article presents the findings of a study conducted in a primary school class in a socio-economically deprived area of the United Kingdom. The analysis of interview and focus group, participant observation and class discussion data suggests that critical, issue-based models of civic education can engage young people in conceptualising their own roles in both politics and civic life more generally. By moving away from a fact-based institutional model of civics such as set out in the National Curriculum, students' interest was also facilitated by the ability to make their own decisions about which issues they most wanted to engage with. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationally, research comparing education systems across countries and jurisdictions is valuable and can elicit nuanced insights into how particular systems operate. This paper's interest lies in considering the scope and content of research comparing education systems across the four UK nations (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales). This study sought to determine the coverage of UK cross-national comparative education research ('home international' research) between 2000 and 2022. We chose this time period as 1999 marks the devolution of education policy to each UK nation. We aimed to investigate what educational issues had been discussed in the literature and identify any gaps in the content covered by the research. An exploratory, high-level review of 'home international' education research was conducted, based on the review of abstracts. We searched several research databases using a variety of keyword combinations to identify relevant literature published since 2000. Our search identified 53 studies that met our selection criteria. Using a meta-synthesis approach, we coded the content of each abstract to build a picture of the range and thematic coverage of research involving comparisons between at least two of the four UK nations. The analysis of abstracts identified that, over the last two decades, UK 'home international' research has tended to include comparisons of all four nations, coverage of multiple educational phases and a focus on national education policy reviews. Furthermore, we pinpointed a number of gaps in coverage that might not have been anticipated (e.g. relatively little cross-national research focusing on assessment). This high-level review uncovers the landscape of recent 'home international' research, allowing us to view issues that are driving the cross-national research agenda in the UK and recognise implications relevant to education systems that may resonate with jurisdictions beyond these four UK nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing cladding crisis within the United Kingdom has elevated the need for designers and risk assessors to have the knowledge and tools to evaluate the fire safety of proposed and existing cladding systems. This paper documents efforts to develop a test that could be used to evaluate the fire safety hazards of cladding products that were either proposed for use in design or that were found on existing buildings. Specifically, the products of interest were composite products (i.e., those comprised of multiple layers). The conceptual approach of the European harmonised system was used as a basis for investigating whether a small‐scale test could be used to evaluate product fire hazards. A relevant fire scenario was identified, this was linked to candidate large‐scale reference tests, and this was linked to performance in a candidate small‐scale test. The candidate test showed remarkable agreement with the reference large‐scale test, however, many issues were also identified. It was found that, even when specifically intended to accommodate composite products, the small‐scale test was unable to always evaluate hazards. Thus the authors were left with the conclusion—regardless of the testing system, there are always products that will not fit the testing system, however hard one tries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the complex relationship between pace and place, offering a novel lens for understanding mobility within the context of canal boating. Drawing on fieldwork on the canals in north‐west England, the paper focuses on mobile placemaking practices. Canal boats act as physical and material but also ideological pacemakers, guiding the boaters towards subscribing to the idea of slow living, where certain canal‐based pace‐myths play an important role. Pacemaking on the canals is therefore a form of placemaking, realised through the mobility of the vessel, materialities of the infrastructure, tempos and temporalities, representations and stories about canal life as well as the bodies on board and on towpaths as canal boaters modulate and manage their experience and performance of pace. The investigation of the interplay between the slow pace, rhythms, embodied practices, canal infrastructure, and the prevalent pace‐myths offers valuable insights into the ways places are shaped by the pace of mobility, thus expanding the concept of placemaking. By foregrounding pace as a key concept in mobility studies, the paper demonstrates the need for a more nuanced understanding of the temporalities associated with different modes of movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nation‐wide cuts to bus subsidies have led to reduced service in rural communities in the UK, leaving those who do not have access to a car – most of whom are older, have a disability, or have a low income – with few other options to meet their travel needs. This has resulted in greater demand on community transport, small‐scale, local, and community‐based transport schemes that are run by the not‐for‐profit sector and are primarily volunteer‐run. Drawing on 28 interviews conducted with volunteers and staff from community transport schemes across Oxfordshire, this paper describes the provision of community transport schemes at the intersection of informal transport and an ethics of care. This sector is posited as informal, however; unlike many informal transport schemes, community transport is non‐entrepreneurial. Instead, these schemes emerge from the community and are care‐driven. Volunteers who run these schemes all provide skilled labour that is a practice of caring about, caring for, or care giving. This framing highlights the undervaluing of community transport. Indeed, the labour and schemes are underfunded and lack recognition. This study therefore emphasises the socio‐political nature of community transport and shows the importance of supporting caring transport services. It concludes by discussing how this undervalued sector might be re‐valorised so that it can continue to support those with few other transport options. Community transport refers to small‐scale, local, and community‐based transport schemes that are run by the not‐for‐profit sector and are primarily volunteer‐run. Drawing on 28 interviews conducted with scheme providers, this paper describes the provision of community transport schemes at the intersection of informal transport and an ethics of care. This care‐driven informality framing highlights the undervaluing of community transport, a trend that might be applied to other sectors in need of revalorisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixed sediment beaches are globally commonplace, yet little is understood of the extent and behaviour of their nearshore zones, potentially underestimating total cross-shore change. This paper is the first study to investigate the lateral and vertical extent of the active zone of the gravel-rich mixed beach in Pevensey Bay, a study site on the South East UK coastline. Morphodynamic change in the nearshore zone was studied at a range of timescales (days, months, years) suggesting that the width of the active nearshore zone correlated with the magnitude of the peak morphological change, whilst the depth of closure was influenced by bed slope, grain size and local variation in wave conditions. A conceptual model detailing the physical parameters responsible for local variations in the depth of closure was used to help understand differences between the observed and predicted depths of closure. Finally, ongoing chronic loss of sediment from below Mean Sea Level (MSL) was examined, which was shown to be independent of the depth of closure, but closely linked to the wider geomorphic setting of the bay. • Comparison of observational and predicted depth of closure for a mixed sediment beach • Local variations in the observed depth of closure examined using a conceptual model • Magnitude of subtidal bed elevation change may be controlled by sediment availability. • Loss of nearshore sediments over time reflects the trend in upper beach steepening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key epidemiological parameters, including the effective reproduction number, RðtÞ, and the instantaneous growth rate, rðtÞ, generated from an ensemble of models, have been informing public health policy throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in the four nations of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK). However, estimation of these quantities became challenging with the scaling down of surveillance systems as part of the transition from the "emergency" to "endemic" phase of the pandemic. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) COVID-19 Infection Survey (CIS) provided an opportunity to continue estimating these parameters in the absence of other data streams. We used a penalised spline model fitted to the publicly-available ONS CIS test positivity estimates to produce a smoothed estimate of the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 positivity over time. The resulting fitted curve was used to estimate the "ONS-based" RðtÞ and rðtÞ across the four nations of the UK. Estimates produced under this model are compared to government-published estimates with particular consideration given to the contribution that this single data stream can offer in the estimation of these parameters. Depending on the nation and parameter, we found that up to 77% of the variance in the government-published estimates can be explained by the ONS-based estimates, demonstrating the value of this singular data stream to track the epidemic in each of the four nations. We additionally find that the ONS-based estimates uncover epidemic trends earlier than the corresponding government-published estimates. Our work shows that the ONS CIS can be used to generate key COVID-19 epidemiological parameters across the four UK nations, further underlining the enormous value of such population-level studies of infection. This is not intended as an alternative to ensemble modelling, rather it is intended as a potential solution to the aforementioned challenge faced by public health officials in the UK in early 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modern electricity network is seeing a trend in the replacement of fossil fuel power plants with converter interfaced generation as worldwide efforts are made to combat climate change. New converter control structures such as grid-forming are seen as a key building block for maintaining the stability of the future power system. Moreover, wind power is the fastest growing renewable technology in the UK with ambitious targets set for installed capacity in the coming decade. While the benefits and drawbacks of the technology have been explored, little attention has been given to how many grid-forming converters will be needed to stabilise the modern network. Is there such a thing as too much grid-forming? This paper utilises an impedance-based windfarm model with the capability to include unique control systems on each turbine to present a small-signal based methodology for determining the penetration limits of grid-forming technology. Key stability and screening metrics are applied to identify the penetration that provides the strongest and most stable system. Three key points are specified: the critical, optimal and maximum penetrations. Moreover, findings suggest providing enhanced system strength via converters is only applicable to a certain extent where further interactions cause increased stability issues. • The balance between grid-following and forming is of key concern. • Grid-forming is useful but too much can cause poor system behaviour. • A novel technique utilising small-signal impedances is suggested for analysis. • Three key penetrations have been specified minimum, optimal and maximum. • System strength must be considered as a function of frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Load-related and non-load related planning is integrated into a single methodology. • The concept of probabilistic asset health indices (HIs) is developed. • Averages and pdfs of asset virtual ages and HIs are calculated along system indices. • Asset in-service time is modelled via proportional hazard and Kijima 2 models. • Proposed methodology gives lower investments that the UK deterministic approach. In the last price control review, the UK regulator has specified a common set of "network output measures" that includes both system-wide and individual asset metrics. This paper introduces a two-stage framework for the replacement planning and develops the second – simulation stage. It consists of two Monte Carlo procedures, where the latter is based on the proposed probabilistic health index (HI) methodology and application of several types of asset interventions, such as minimal, minor and major repairs and replacement. The probabilistic HI model makes use of proportional hazard models and Kijima II virtual – age model. The outputs are system-wide and nodal reliability indices, as well as asset interventions and asset profiles. IEEE test network is used to test the probabilistic HI methodology, which is then compared to the deterministic HI method applied in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A variant of membrane computing models called Spiking Neural P systems (SNP systems) closely mimics the structure and behavior of biological neurons. As third-generation neural networks, SNP systems have flexible architectures allowing the design of bio-inspired machine learning algorithms. This paper proposes Modular Spiking Neural P (MSNP) systems to solve image classification problems, a novel SNP system to be applied in scenarios where hundreds or even thousands of different classes are considered. A main issue to face in such situations is related to the structural complexity of the network. MSNP systems devised in this work allow to approach the general classification problem by dividing it in smaller parts, that are then faced by single entities of the network. As a benchmark dataset, the Oxford Flowers 102 dataset is considered, consisting of more than 8000 pictures of flowers belonging to the 102 species commonly found in the UK. These classes sometimes present large variations within them, may be also very similar to one another, and different images of the same subject may differ a lot. The work describes the architecture of the MSNP system, based on modules focusing on a specific class, their training phase, and the evaluation of the model both concerning result accuracy as well as energy consumption. Experimental results on image classification problems show that the model achieves good results, but is strongly connected to image quality, mainly depending on the frequency of images, remarkable changes of pose, images not centered, and subject mostly not shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research involving young people is a challenging process that requires managing relationships with diverse individuals and groups, including the young participants and their various gatekeepers. While it is normally assumed that the researcher is in overall control of their research, by using a Foucauldian conception of 'power as effects' that operate in the form of relations and through discourse as the articulation of norms, this paper discusses how, in practice, the researcher can lose control over their research and so be forced into making substantial compromises concerning the nature and extent of the data they can collect. I do this by reflecting on my experience of conducting research involving UK secondary school students using online data collection methods during the Covid-19 pandemic. I identify several factors that generated power effects which influenced the conduct of the research, including: an ethics review that relied on a simplistic discourse concerning young participants' (in)competence; my own self-regulation of my conduct in respect of 'ethical' research; my 'positionality' in the field; and a researcher's general dependence on participants and gatekeepers to complete their research. I conclude by reflecting on how these factors may impact upon the conditions for viable social research involving young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Home-school partnership has often been lauded as a key contributor in raising educational attainment. However, the level of partnership experienced by parents who use English as an Additional Language (EAL) can be limited by poor English-language proficiency and other unique challenges. This paper is concerned with a systematic review and analysis of the evidence of home-school partnership for learners with EAL in primary schools. It identifies international research trends, and gaps in research in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The analysis demonstrates that there is a dearth of literature pertaining to home-school partnership interventions in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It also identifies a global necessity for interventions aimed at instigating attitudinal change among teachers and systemic institutional change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Focusing on the quality of teaching and learning, this study aims to explore the perceptions of accountancy students in two emerging UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) of the quality of their learning experiences and the impact of these experiences on generic skills development. Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire survey was used to collect the data. OLS regression was used to test the hypothesis regarding the impact of student learning experiences (lecturer ability, assessment and curriculum) on generic skills development. Findings: Students value the lecturer as the most important determinant of the quality of their experience. They rated their assessment programme very positively, and the curriculum suggests that students tend to experience a deep blended approach to learning. They also felt that they acquired a wide range of soft competency skills such as those associated with research, critical thinking and time management. Multivariate findings indicate that lecturer ability and curriculum contribute significantly and positively to generic skills development. Practical implications: The study provides a benchmark for international accounting and business educators in any efforts to assess the efficacy of HE delivery since the pandemic. By implication, it enables the identification of enhancements to the previous character of delivery and hence offers the means to direct improvements to the student experience. Such improvements can then be seen in the National Student Survey (NSS) scores, thereby positively contributing to the next Teaching Excellence Framework. Additionally, such tangible enhancements in NSS scores may be advantageous to HEIs, in the UK and other Western countries, in their efforts to recruit international students on whom they place great reliance for increased revenue, to their international business education programmes. Originality/value: This study addresses the research gap surrounding the link between teaching and learning approaches in accounting and the development of generic skills. Furthermore, acknowledging that the COVID-19 pandemic with its imposed structural change in the HE teaching and learning environment ushered in a new model of curriculum delivery, this study reflects on the pre-COVID-19 scenario and gathers student perceptions of their teaching and learning experiences before the changes necessitated by lockdowns. It therefore brings the opportunity to anchor future research exploring the post-COVID-19 environment and secure comparative analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]