Search

Food, not nutrients, is the fundamental unit in nutrition. Nutrient requirement values and recommended daily intakes have long been determined and organized in tables by several regulators. These figures, however, overlook the complexity of mixing different foods in a diet and the mediation by human gut microbiota on digestion, metabolism, and health. The microbiome molecular mechanisms and its potential influence on nutrient requirements are far from clear. Guidelines should depend on the sort of intake, along with the dietary habits, rather than focusing on single nutrients. Despite many decades of attempts to investigate the proximate nutrient composition of foods consumed by different world populations, there are still neither standardization of food composition databases nor harmonized dietary intake methods of assessment of nutrients. No all‐inclusive attempt was yet made to emphasize the requirements of the various micronutrients, phytonutrients, and non‐nutrients on gut microbiota and vice versa, and thereafter reflected into dietary guidelines. New multifaceted methods have been advanced to reevaluate the way nutrients and nutrient requirements are assessed within the intricate biological systems. Our main goal here was to enhance the fact that existing food guidelines hold inherent strengths and limitations but fail, in many aspects, namely, in not taking into account essential geographical, ethnic and cultural differences, and the different stages of life, infant nutrition, and the microbiota impact on several micronutrient requirements. Vitamin D is given as an illustration on present inaccuracy of its requirements. Defining dietary reference intakes is therefore an ongoing process specific for each population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Appropriate adaptation planning is contingent upon information about the potential future impacts of climate change, and hydrological impact assessments are of particular importance. The UKSCAPE-G2G datasets were produced, as part of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) UK-SCAPE (UK Status, Change and Projections of the Environment) programme, to contribute to this information requirement. They use the Grid-to-Grid (G2G) national-scale hydrological model configured for both Great Britain and Northern Ireland (and the parts of the Republic of Ireland that drain to rivers in NI). Six separate datasets are provided, for two sets of driving data – one observation-based (1980–2011) and one climate-projection-based (1980–2080) – for both river flows and soil moisture on 1 km × 1 km grids across Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The river flow datasets include grids of monthly mean flow, annual maxima of daily mean flow, and annual minima of 7 d mean flow (m 3 s -1). The soil moisture datasets are grids of monthly mean soil moisture content (m water / m soil), which should be interpreted as depth-integrated values for the whole soil column. The climate-projection-based datasets are produced using data from the 12-member 12 km regional climate model ensemble of the latest UK climate projections (UKCP18), which uses RCP8.5 emissions. The production of the datasets is described, along with details of the file format and how the data should be used. Example maps are provided, as well as simple UK-wide analyses of the various outputs. These suggest potential future decreases in summer flows, annual minimum 7 d flows, and summer/autumn soil moisture, along with possible future increases in winter flows and annual maximum flows. References are given for published papers providing more detailed spatial analyses, and some further potential uses of the data are suggested. The datasets are listed in Table 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Appropriate adaptation planning is contingent upon information about the potential future impacts of climate change, and hydrological impact assessments are of particular importance. The UKSCAPE-G2G datasets were produced, as part of the NERC UK-SCAPE programme, to contribute to this information requirement. They use the Grid-to-Grid (G2G) national-scale hydrological model configured for both Great Britain and Northern Ireland (and the parts of the Republic of Ireland that drain to rivers in NI). Six separate datasets are provided, for two sets of driving data -- one observation-based (1980-2011) and one climate projection-based (1980-2080) -- for both river flows and soil moisture on 1 km x 1 km grids across GB and NI. The river flow datasets include grids of monthly mean flow, annual maxima of daily mean flow, and annual minima of 7-day mean flow (m³s-1). The soil moisture datasets are grids of monthly mean soil moisture content (m water/m soil), which should be interpreted as depth-integrated values for the whole soil column. The climate projection-based datasets are produced using data from the 12-member 12km regional climate model ensemble of the latest UK climate projections (UKCP18), which uses RCP8.5 emissions. The production of the datasets is described, along with details of the file format, and how the data should be used. Example maps are provided, as well as simple UK-wide analyses of the various outputs. These suggest potential future decreases in summer flows, annual minimum 7-day flows, and summer/autumn soil moisture, along with possible future increases in winter flows and annual maximum flows. References are given for published papers providing more detailed spatial analyses, and some further potential uses of the data are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

West Africa and its semi-arid Sahelian region are one of the world’s most vulnerable regions to climate change with a history of extreme climate variability. There is still considerable uncertainty as to how projected climate change will affect precipitation at local and regional scales and the consequent impact on river flows and water resources across West Africa. Here, we aim to address this uncertainty by configuring a regional-scale hydrological model to West Africa. The model (hydrological modelling framework for West Africa—HMF-WA) simulates spatially consistent river flows on a 0.1° × 0.1° grid (approximately 10 km × 10 km) continuously across the whole domain and includes estimates of anthropogenic water use, wetland inundation, and local hydrological features such as endorheic regions. Regional-scale hydrological simulations driven by observed weather data are assessed against observed flows before undertaking an analysis of the impact of projected future climate scenarios from the CMIP5 on river flows up to the end of the twenty-first century. The results indicate that projected future changes in river flows are highly spatially variable across West Africa, particularly across the Sahelian region where the predicted changes are more pronounced. The study shows that median peak flows are projected to decrease by 23% in the west (e.g. Senegal) and increase by 80% in the eastern region (e.g. Chad) by the 2050s. The projected reductions in river flows in western Sahel lead to future droughts and water shortages more likely, while in the eastern Sahel, projected increases lead to future frequent floods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Individuals with schizophrenia have difficulty in extracting salient information from faces. Eye-tracking studies have reported that these individuals demonstrate reduced exploratory viewing behaviour (i.e. reduced number of fixations and shorter scan paths) compared to healthy controls. Oxytocin has previously been demonstrated to exert pro-social effects and modulate eye gaze during face exploration. In this study, we tested whether oxytocin has an effect on visual attention in patients with schizophrenia.Methods: Nineteen male participants with schizophrenia received intranasal oxytocin 40UI or placebo in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover fashion during two visits separated by seven days. They engaged in a free-viewing eye-tracking task, exploring images of Caucasian men displaying angry, happy, and neutral emotional expressions; and control images of animate and inanimate stimuli. Eye-tracking parameters included: total number of fixations, mean duration of fixations, dispersion, and saccade amplitudes.Results: We found a main effect of treatment, whereby oxytocin increased the total number of fixations, dispersion, and saccade amplitudes, while decreasing the duration of fixations compared to placebo. This effect, however, was non-specific to facial stimuli. When restricting the analysis to facial images only, we found the same effect. In addition, oxytocin modulated fixation rates in the eye and nasion regions.Discussion: This is the first study to explore the effects of oxytocin on eye gaze in schizophrenia. Oxytocin had enhanced exploratory viewing behaviour in response to both facial and inanimate control stimuli. We suggest that the acute administration of intranasal oxytocin may have the potential to enhance visual attention in schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty-five states across the country have enacted some form of "Stand Your Ground" (SYG) laws, undercutting the traditional notion of a duty to retreat when faced with a perceived threat. Proponents of SYG argue that these laws derive from a fundamental right of self-defense and are intended to safeguard all citizens from imminent threats of bodily harm. However, the application and enforcement of SYG laws do not offer the same protections to black shooters as they do white shooters. of these twenty-five SYG jurisdictions, six provide immunity from arrest for those who stand their ground in "reasonable " self-defense. While there are various factors that contribute to the unequal enforcement of SYG law, this Note examines the statutory responsibility placed on law enforcement to make the initial determination of what is "reasonable. " Because immunity determinations are largely formed on the basis of police discretion, human nature and implicit biases inform the reality that this discretion is being exercised in a biased way. A s a result, immunity determinations reinforce a presumption that black shooters are inherently unreasonable, leading to a disparate impact of increased arrest and prosecution for black shooters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Trauma due to deliberate harm by others is known to increase the likelihood of developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This is the first study investigating basic and dynamic trust in 'interpersonal' PTSD. Methods: Thirty-two participants with PTSD and 22 healthy controls played a novel multi-round version of a monetary investment protocol, the so-called 'Trust Game', a task from the behavioural economics literature, which is considered to involve trust and reciprocity. We used two 'Trust Games' including cooperative and unfair partners. Results: Findings showed an effect for lower basic investment in PTSD compared to healthy controls, that trended towards significance (p = 0.09). All participants showed behavioural flexibility and modified their trust based on behavioural cues from their cooperative and unfair game partners. However, participants with PTSD made significantly lower investments towards the cooperative partner than controls. Investments towards the unfair partner did not differ between groups. Higher trauma scores were associated with lower levels of trust-related investments towards the cooperative but not the unfair game partner. Conclusion: The association between reduced trust towards cooperative others in individuals who experienced interpersonal trauma could indicate acquired insensitivity to social rewards or inflexible negative beliefs about others as a sequel of the traumatic experience, which increases in a dose response relationship with the severity of the trauma. A specific focus on cooperation and trusting behaviour could provide a treatment target for future cognitive and pharmacological interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The MaRIUS‐G2G datasets were produced for the MaRIUS (Managing the Risks, Impacts and Uncertainties of drought and water Scarcity) project, using the Grid‐to‐Grid (G2G) national‐scale hydrological model for Great Britain. There are six separate datasets, with each of three combinations of meteorological driving data (two observation‐based and one from climate model ensembles) used to produce two types of outputs (daily time‐series of natural river flow for 260 sites, and monthly 1 × 1 km grids of natural flow and soil moisture in the unsaturated zone). The driving data required by G2G are rainfall and potential evaporation (PE). Two of the datasets from observation‐based driving data use rainfall from CEH‐GEAR (CEH‐Gridded Estimates of Areal Rainfall) with PE from MORECS (Met Office Rainfall and Evaporation Calculation System), and cover the period 1960–2015, while the other two use CEH‐GEAR rainfall with PE derived from 5 km temperature data using the Oudin method, and cover 1891–2015. The two datasets based on driving data (rainfall and PE) from the climate model ensembles cover three periods: Historical Baseline (1900–2006), Near‐Future (2020–2049), and Far‐Future (2070–2099). Data for a 30‐year Baseline period (1975–2004), against which the Near‐Future and Far‐Future periods should be compared, are also available directly. There are 100 members in each ensemble, and the future periods use the RCP8.5 emissions scenario. This paper provides details of the G2G model and the different sets of meteorological driving data, as well as the availability and formatting of the output datasets. It also describes some recent and potential applications of the datasets, which have already been used to support historical and future analyses of low flow and drought characteristics across Britain, and provides some guidance on how the climate model‐driven datasets should (and should not) be used. Open Practices: This article has earned an Open Data badge for making publicly available the digitally‐shareable data necessary to reproduce the reported results. The data is available at DOI 10.5285/5f3c1a02-d5c4-4faa-9353-e8b68ce2ace2. Learn more about the Open Practices badges from the Center for Open Science: https://osf.io/tvyxz/wiki. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Droughts are phenomena that affect people and ecosystems in a variety of ways. One way to help with resilience to future droughts is to understand the characteristics of historic droughts and how these have changed over the recent past. Although, on average, Great Britain experiences a relatively wet climate it is also prone to periods of low rainfall which can lead to droughts. Until recently research into droughts of Great Britain has been neglected compared to other natural hazards such as storms and floods. This study is the first to use a national-scale gridded hydrological model to characterise droughts across Great Britain over the last century. Firstly, the model performance at low flows is assessed and it is found that the model can simulate low flows well in many catchments across Great Britain. Next, the threshold level method is applied to time series of monthly mean river flow and soil moisture to identify historic droughts (1891–2015). It is shown that the national-scale gridded output can be used to identify historic drought periods. A quantitative assessment of drought characteristics shows that groundwater-dependent areas typically experience more severe droughts, which have longer durations rather than higher intensities. There is substantial spatial and temporal variability in the drought characteristics, but there are no consistent changes through time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nutrient emissions in human waste and wastewater effluent fluxes from domestic sources are quantified for the UK over the period 1800–2010 based on population data from UK Census returns. The most important drivers of change have been the introduction of the water closet (flush toilet) along with population growth, urbanization, connection to sewer, improvements in wastewater treatment and use of phosphorus in detergents. In 1800, the population of the UK was about 12 million and estimated emissions in human waste were 37 kt N, 6.2 kt P and 205 kt organic C/year. This would have been recycled to land with little or no sewage going directly to rivers or coastal waters. By 1900, population had increased to 35.6 million and some 145 kt N were emitted in human waste but, with only the major urban areas connected to sewers, only about 19 kt N were discharged in sewage effluent. With the use of phosphorus in detergents, estimated phosphorus emissions peaked at around 63.5 kt P/year in the 1980s, with about 28 kt P/year being discharged in sewage effluent. By 2010, population had increased to 63 million with estimated emissions of 263 kt N, 43.6 kt P and 1460 kt organic C/year, and an estimated effluent flux of 104 kt N, 14.8 kt P and 63 kt organic C. Despite improvements in wastewater treatment, current levels of nutrient fluxes in sewage effluent are substantially higher than those in the early 20th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical river characteristics datasets described here provide spatially consistent information to support hydrological and inundation modelling at a 1 km × 1 km resolution across the United Kingdom, on the British National Grid. The datasets of physical river characteristics provide gridded datasets (outflow drainage directions, catchment areas, widths of bankfull rivers and depths of bankfull rivers) and a comma‐separated table of NRFA (National River Flow Archive) gauging station locations. These datasets are derived from a range of sources: outflow drainage directions, catchment area and bankfull river widths are derived from existing higher resolution datasets, whereas bankfull river depths were harder to source and instead are derived from sparse historical measurements. The new gridded datasets provide a derived value for each UK land cell on the British National Grid (BNG). The comma‐separated NRFA gauging station locations table provides the most appropriate locations of 1,499 river flow gauging stations on the 1 km resolution grids, together with the approximate error in the 1 km × 1 km gridded delineation of the upstream catchment area. This article explains how UK‐wide 1‐km grids of these variables were estimated, their format and how to use them. The data are available from the Environmental Information Data Centre (EIDC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Advances in understanding delusions may be used to improve clinical interventions. Interpersonal sensitivity - feeling vulnerable in the presence of others due to the expectation of criticism or rejection - has been identified as a potential causal factor in the occurrence of persecutory delusions. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential impact on persecutory delusions of a (newly devised) cognitive behavioural intervention targeting interpersonal sensitivity (CBT-IPS). Methods CBT-IPS was tested in an uncontrolled pilot study with eleven patients with persistent persecutory delusions in the context of a psychotic disorder. Patients had two baseline assessments over a fortnight period to establish the stability of the delusions, which was followed by six sessions of CBT-IPS, a post-therapy assessment, and a further follow-up assessment one month later. Results Interpersonal sensitivity and the persecutory delusions were stable during the baseline period. At the post-therapy assessment there were significant reductions of large effect size for both interpersonal sensitivity and the persecutory delusions. These gains were maintained at follow-up. Limitations The main limitation is that in this initial test there was no control group. The intervention may not have caused the reduction in delusions. Further, bias may have been introduced by the outcome data being collected by the therapist. Conclusions The findings from this evaluation are consistent with the hypothesised causal role for interpersonal sensitivity in the occurrence of persecutory delusions. CBT-IPS shows promise as a therapeutic intervention but requires a rigorous test of its efficacy. Research has shown an association of paranoid thinking with interpersonal sensitivity (IPS). Eleven patients with persistent persecutory delusions completed a six session CBT intervention targeting IPS. Following the intervention there were large effect size reductions in both IPS and persecutory delusions. The study provides further evidence that IPS may be a causal factor in the occurrence of persecutory delusions. The evaluation was not a randomised controlled test and assessment data were collected by the therapist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managing sites that cover large areas or have multiple designations within their boundary can be challenging, particularly if several organisations are responsible for managing different aspects of the site. Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site (WHS) was designated for its archaeological importance which is of universal significance. The management of Hadrian’s Wall is formalised in the WHS Management Plan (2008–2014), which aims to cover different objectives, with archaeology at the core of management. This article draws on management documents of the WHS, established visitor planning frameworks and qualitative interviews with managers along Hadrian’s Wall to discuss the evolution of a values-based management approach. It is evident that managers have to balance different values, priorities and interests, and make trade-offs when they work in partnership on a multiple-use site so that conflicts can be resolved – and whilst this may look straightforward on paper, in practice, it can be much more difficult for institutions and individuals to compromise their own professional or personal values. Despite its challenges, this article advocates a values-based, or pluralistic, management approach as the most effective means of managing multiple-use sites, resolving management conflicts and working in partnership to agreed outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

River basin managers concerned with maintaining water supplies and mitigating flood risk in the face of climate change are taking outputs from climate models and using them in hydrological models for assessment purposes. While precipitation is the main output used, evaporation is attracting increasing attention because of its significance to the water balance of river basins. Climate models provide estimates of actual evaporation that are consistent with their simplified land surface schemes but do not naturally provide the estimates of potential evaporation (PE) commonly required as input to hydrological models. There are clear advantages in using PE estimates controlled by atmospheric forcings when using stand-alone hydrological models with integral soil-moisture accounting schemes. The atmosphere-land decoupling approximation that PE provides can prove to be of further benefit if it is possible to account for the effect of different, or changing, land cover on PE outside of the climate model. The methods explored here estimate Penman-Monteith PE from vegetated surfaces using outputs from climate models that have an embedded land surface scheme. The land surface scheme enables an examination of the dependence of canopy stomatal resistance on atmospheric composition, and the sensitivity of PE estimates to the choice of canopy resistance values under current and changing climates is demonstrated. The conclusions have practical value for climate change impact studies relating to flood, drought, and water management applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. The long-term suitability of Bassenthwaite Lake as a habitat for vendace ( Coregonus albula) was assessed using two models. The first was the phytoplankton model (PROTECH) that provided temperature and phytoplankton biomass outputs that were used to drive a second model of lake oxygen (LOX). 2. Both temperature and oxygen concentrations were used to define the available habitat for the adult vendace, using 18 °C as an upper and 2 mg L as a lower threshold, respectively. The outputs of both models were compared with 4 years of observed data for the purposes of validation and produced good simulations of water temperature, total chlorophyll a and oxygen concentrations in the epilimnion, hypolimnion and at the lake bottom. 3. Using the outputs of a regional climate model (RCM) simulating 20 years of both present and future climate conditions for this part of the United Kingdom, both models were re-run. These data suggest the future climate will cause a mean increase of >2 °C in water temperature, little change in overall phytoplankton biomass and a 10% decline in oxygen concentration. 4. Using the thresholds defined above, the habitat volume will decline greatly under the future climate scenarios, with all of the 20 years simulated having periods of zero habitat volume for >7 consecutive days, primarily caused by high temperature. These results suggest that the long-term viability of the lake as a habitat for this rare fish is extremely low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Advances in flood forecasting have been constrained by the difficulty of estimating rainfall continuously over space, for catchment-, national- and continental-scale areas. This has had a concomitant impact on the choice of appropriate model formulations for given flood-forecasting applications. Whilst weather radar used in combination with raingauges – and extended to utilise satellite remote-sensing and numerical weather prediction models – have offered the prospect of progress, there have been significant problems to be overcome. These problems have curtailed the development and adoption of more complete distributed model formulations that aim to increase forecast accuracy. Advanced systems for weather radar display and processing, and for flood forecast construction, are now available to ease the task of implementation. Applications requiring complex networks of models to make forecasts at many locations can be undertaken without new code development and be readily revised to take account of changing requirements. These systems make use of forecast-updating procedures that assimilate data from telemetry networks to improve flood forecast performance, at the same time coping with the possibility of data loss. Flood forecasting systems that integrate rainfall monitoring and forecasting with flood forecasting and warning are now operational in many areas. Present practice in flood modelling and forecast updating is outlined from a UK perspective. Challenges for improvement are identified, particularly against a background of greater access to spatial datasets on terrain, soils, geology, land-cover, and weather variables. Representing the effective runoff production and translation processes operating at a given grid or catchment scale may prove key to improved flood simulation, and robust application to ungauged basins through physics-based linkages with these spatial datasets. The need to embrace uncertainty in flood-warning decision-making is seen as a major challenge for the future. To cite this article: R.J. Moore et al., C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Calls to support co-designed and usable science to inform management of natural resources are growing. Making the shift will require diverse collaborations between those who hold, share, and use knowledge. Calls to support co-designed and usable science to inform management of natural resources is growing. This Perspective argues that there is a role for everyone within the usable science community and that, together, we can catalyze positive change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the work and initiatives at the National Psychosis Unit (NPU), an in-patient unit for people diagnosed with treatment-resistant schizophrenia in Great Britain, to promote compassionate care among the team. The crucial role of clinical psychologists to assess, formulate and help manage potential professional and personal challenges in compassionate care is discussed. The responses suggest that the long handovers are an effective way of increasing compassion towards patients.

Presents information on a study of a theory of modal reasoning. Predictions of the theory which are corroborated experimentally; Description on the mental model theory of modal reasoning; Key interaction in modal reasoning.

Biological therapies have transformed high-burden treatments. As the patent and exclusivity period for biological medicines draws to a close, there is a possibility for the development and authorization of biosimilars. These products boast comparable levels of safety, quality, and effectiveness to their precursor reference products. Biosimilars, although similar to reference products, are not identical copies and should not be considered generic substitutes for the original. Their development and evaluation involve a rigorous step-by-step process that includes analytical, functional, and nonclinical evaluations and clinical trials. Clinical studies conducted for biosimilars aim to establish similar efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity, rather than demonstrating a clinical benefit, as with the reference product. However, although the current knowledge regarding biosimilars has significantly increased, several controversies and misconceptions still exist regarding their immunogenicity, extrapolation, interchangeability, substitution, and nomenclature. The development of biosimilars stimulates market competition, contributes toward healthcare sustainability, and allows for greater patient access. However, maximizing the benefits of biosimilars requires cooperation between regulators and developers to ensure that patients can benefit quickly from access to these new therapeutic alternatives while maintaining high standards of quality, safety, and efficacy. Recognizing the inherent complexities of comprehending biosimilars fully, it is essential to focus on realistic approaches, such as fostering open communication between healthcare providers and patients, encouraging informed decision-making, and minimizing risks. This review addresses the regulatory and manufacturing requirements for biosimilars and provides clinicians with relevant insights for informed prescribing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The persistence or memory of soil moisture (θ) after rainfall has substantial environmental implications. Much work has been done to study soil moisture drydown for in situ and satellite data separately. In this work, we present a comparison of drydown characteristics across multiple U.K. soil moisture products, including satellite-merged (i.e., TCM), in situ (i.e., COSMOS-UK), hydrological model [i.e., Grid-to-Grid (G2G)], statistical model [i.e., Soil Moisture U.K. (SMUK)], and land surface model (LSM) [i.e., Climate Hydrology and Ecology research Support System (CHESS)] data. The drydown decay time scale (τ) for all gridded products is computed at an unprecedented resolution of 1–2 km, a scale relevant to weather and climate models. While their range of τ differs (except SMUK and CHESS are similar) due to differences such as sensing depths, their spatial patterns are correlated to land cover and soil types. We further analyze the occurrence of drydown events at COSMOS-UK sites. We show that soil moisture drydown regimes exhibit strong seasonal dependencies, whereby the soil dries out quicker in summer than winter. These seasonal dependencies are important to consider during model benchmarking and evaluation. We show that fitted τ based on COSMOS and LSM are well correlated, with a bias of lower τ for COSMOS. Our findings contribute to a growing body of literature to characterize τ, with the aim of developing a method to systematically validate model soil moisture products at a range of scales. Significance Statement: While important for many aspects of the environment, the evaluation of modeled soil moisture has remained incredibly challenging. Sensors work at different space and time scales to the models, the definitions of soil moisture vary between applications, and the soil moisture itself is subject to the soil properties while the impact of the soil moisture on evaporation or river flow is more dependent on its variation in time and space than its absolute value. What we need is a method that allows us to compare the important features of soil moisture rather than its value. In this study, we choose to study drydown as a way to capture and compare the behavior of different soil moisture data products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present two new potential evaporation datasets for the United Kingdom: a historical dataset, Hydro-PE HadUK-Grid, which is derived from the HadUK-Grid gridded observed meteorology (1969–2021), and a future dataset, Hydro-PE UKCP18 RCM, which is derived from UKCP18 regional climate projections (1980–2080). Both datasets are suitable for hydrological modelling and provide Penman–Monteith potential evapotranspiration parameterised for short grass, with and without a correction for interception on days with rainfall. The potential evapotranspiration calculations have been formulated to closely follow the methodology of the existing Meteorological Office Rainfall and Evaporation Calculation System (MORECS) potential evapotranspiration, which has historically been widely used by hydrological modellers in the United Kingdom. The two datasets have been created using the same methodology to allow seamless modelling from past to future. Hydro-PE HadUK-Grid shows good agreement with MORECS in much of the United Kingdom, although Hydro-PE HadUK-Grid is higher in the mountainous regions of Scotland and Wales. This is due to differences in the underlying meteorology, in particular the wind speed, which are themselves due to the different spatial scales of the data. Hydro-PE HadUK-Grid can be downloaded from 10.5285/9275ab7e-6e93-42bc-8e72-59c98d409deb and Hydro-PE UKCP18 RCM can be downloaded from 10.5285/eb5d9dc4-13bb-44c7-9bf8-c5980fcf52a4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper details the development and evaluation of the enhanced future FLows and Groundwater (eFLaG) dataset of nationally consistent hydrological projections for the UK, based on the latest UK Climate Projections (UKCP18). The projections are derived from a range of hydrological models. For river flows, multiple models (Grid-to-Grid, PDM (Probability Distributed Model) and GR (Génie Rural; both four- and six-parameter versions, GR4J and GR6J)) are used to provide an indication of hydrological model uncertainty. For groundwater, two models are used, a groundwater level model (AquiMod) and a groundwater recharge model (ZOODRM: zooming object-oriented distributed-recharge model). A 12-member ensemble of transient projections of present and future (up to 2080) daily river flows, groundwater levels and groundwater recharge was produced using bias-corrected data from the UKCP18 regional (12 km) climate ensemble. Projections are provided for 200 river catchments, 54 groundwater level boreholes and 558 groundwater bodies, all sampling across the diverse hydrological and geological conditions of the UK. An evaluation was carried out to appraise the quality of hydrological model simulations against observations and also to appraise the reliability of hydrological models driven by the regional climate model (RCM) ensemble in terms of their capacity to reproduce hydrological regimes in the current period. The dataset was originally conceived as a prototype climate service for drought planning for the UK water sector and so has been developed with drought, low river flow and low groundwater level applications as the primary objectives. The evaluation metrics show that river flows and groundwater levels are, for the majority of catchments and boreholes, well simulated across the flow and level regime, meaning that the eFLaG dataset could be applied to a wider range of water resources research and management contexts, pending a full evaluation for the designated purpose. Only a single climate model and one emissions scenario are used, so any applications should ideally contextualise the outcomes with other climate model–scenario combinations. The dataset can be accessed in Hannaford et al. (2022): 10.5285/1bb90673-ad37-4679-90b9-0126109639a9. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complex mental health needs of refugee and asylum seeker (RAS) communities, often resulting from past trauma, are not met by overburdened and inadequate service provision. Pre-displacement, in-transit, and post-settlement traumas create a specific set of mental health needs which underfunded mental health services often cannot meet, despite the illusion of access to a range of services. This paper aims to explore how a range of stakeholders responded to inadequate provision at the local level. Interviews and focus groups with regional stakeholders, charities and RAS community groups, which were conducted as part of wider mixed-methods project on international migration in Northern England, revealed several gaps in provision. Findings indicate that charities and community groups are often left to fill the gap and provide signposting and liaison with local authorities. However, these groups are often ill-equipped to provide sufficient support but the absence of commissioned services leaves limited options. We conclude by suggesting that further research is necessary on trauma, RAS communities, and the pathways to mental health support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic wounds are one of the most common health problems worldwide, enhancing the demand for new management strategies. Nanotechnology, as a developing subject in diabetic wound healing, is proving to be a promising and effective tool in treatment and care. It is, therefore, necessary to ascertain the available and distinct nanosystems and evaluate their performance when topically applied to the injury site, especially in diabetic wound healing. Several active ingredients, including bioactive ingredients, growth factors, mesenchymal stem cells, nucleic acids, and drugs, benefit from improved properties when loaded into nanosystems. Given the risk of problems associated with systemic administration, the topical application should be considered, provided stability and efficacy are assured. After nanoencapsulation, active ingredients-loaded nanosystems have been showing remarkable features of biocompatibility, healing process hastening, angiogenesis, and extracellular matrix compounds synthesis stimulation, contributing to a decrease in wound inflammation. Despite limitations, nanotechnology has attracted widespread attention in the scientific community and seems to be a valuable technological ally in the treatment and dressing of diabetic wounds. The use of nanotechnology in topical applications enables efficient delivery of the active ingredients to the specific skin site, increasing their bioavailability, stability, and half-life time, without compromising their safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present two new potential evaporation datasets for the United Kingdom: a historical dataset, Hydro-PE HadUKGrid, which is derived from the HadUK-Grid gridded observed meteorology (1969-2021); and a future dataset, Hydro-PE UKCP18 RCM, which is derived from UKCP18 regional climate projections (1980-2080). Both datasets are suitable for hydrological modelling, and provide Penman-Monteith potential evapotranspiration parameterised for short grass, with and without a correction for interception on days with rainfall. The potential evapotranspiration calculations have been formulated to closely follow the methodology of the existing Meteorological Office Rainfall and Evaporation Calculation System (MORECS) potential evapotranspiration, which has historically been widely used by hydrological modellers in the United Kingdom. The two datasets have been created using the same methodology, to allow seamless modelling from past to future. Hydro-PE HadUK-Grid shows good agreement with MORECS in much of the United Kingdom, although Hydro-PE HadUK Grid is higher in the mountainous regions of Scotland and Wales. This is due to differences in the underlying meteorology, in particular the wind speed, which are themselves due to the different spatial scales of the data. Hydro-PE HadUK-Grid can be downloaded from https://doi.org/10.5285/9275ab7e-6e93-42bc-8e72-59c98d409deb (Brown et al., 2022) and Hydro-PE UKCP18 RCM can be downloaded from https://doi.org/10.5285/eb5d9dc4-13bb-44c7-9bf8-c5980fcf52a4 (Robinson et al., 2021). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To describe a body of Māori translational research responses that challenge colonialised systems. To delineate and link ongoing Kaupapa Māori and Māori-led translational research. He Tapu Te Whare Tangata explores human papilloma virus (HPV) screening. Te Hā o Whānau presents a culturally responsive framework of maternity care. E Hine describes young Māori mothers' experiences of Hapū Ora. Severe Acute Maternal Morbidity (SAMM) and SAMM Kids identify opportunities to improve avoidable morbidity. He Tamariki Kokoti Tau – Babies born prematurely, is a qualitative study of Māori experiences of preterm birth. He Tamariki Kokoti Tau – Tackling Preterm, is a quantitative analysis. He Korowai Manaaki is a wraparound maternity pathway. Whānau Manaaki – Methamphetamine aims to reduce the impact of methamphetamine. Calls for action reflect shared desires for system transformation. We lay the wero (challenge) down to all to transform our current systems. Action is needed! Abbreviations: HPV: human papilloma virus, SAMM: severe acute maternal morbidity, ICU: intensive care unit, HDU: high dependency unit, RCT: randomised controlled trial, HQSC: Health Quality and Safety Commission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an 'enhanced future FLows and Groundwater' (eFLaG) dataset of nationally consistent hydrological projections for the UK, based on the latest UK Climate Projections (UKCP18). The hydrological projections are derived from a range of river flow models (Grid-to-Grid, PDM, GR4J and GR6J), to provide an indication of hydrological model uncertainty, as well as groundwater level (Aquimod) and groundwater recharge (ZOODRM) models. A 12-member ensemble of transient projections of present and future (up to 2080) daily river flows, groundwater levels and groundwater recharge were produced using bias corrected data from the UKCP18 Regional (12 km) climate ensemble. Projections are provided for 200 river catchments, 54 groundwater level boreholes and 558 groundwater bodies, all sampling across the diverse hydrological and geological conditions of the UK. An evaluation was carried out, to appraise the quality of hydrological model simulations against observations and also to appraise the reliability of hydrological models driven by the RCM ensemble, in terms of their capacity to reproduce hydrological regimes in the current period. The dataset was originally conceived as a prototype climate service for drought planning for the UK water sector, so has been developed with drought, low river flow and low groundwater level applications as the primary focus. The evaluation metrics show that river flows and groundwater levels are, for the majority of catchments and boreholes, well simulated across the flow and level regime, meaning that the eFLaG dataset could be applied to a wider range of water resources research and management contexts, pending a full evaluation for the designated purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deindustrialization wrought socio-economic and cultural change throughout the UK, Western Europe and the USA. Within some deindustrialized zones, multiple indices of deprivation rise significantly which presents complex and interrelated social problems including poverty, unemployment, poor quality private rented housing, complex physical and mental health problems, and crime. The austerity agenda further exacerbates these problems, cuts local support services, and further entrenches the myriad issues embedded in post-industrial communities. This paper draws on a funded research project in a deindustrialized town in the North East of England designed to measure the impact of migration on the settled community. The project found advantages to inward migration alongside increased community tension where poor neighbourhoods yet to recover from long-term deindustrialization saw a rapid increase of international migrants. These tensions represent competition for scarce resources amongst the fragmented multi-ethnic working class trying to get by in areas of "permanent recession". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International migration has a consistently high profile within national and international politics with increased focus on measurement and quantification of migrant numbers, impact on services and contribution to local, regional and national economies. However, the absence of consistency within definitions, categorisations and measurement of international migration and migrant populations create challenges and barriers to both understanding the needs of migrant communities but also the provision of adequate services within specific geographical areas. This paper will present findings from a project designed to map the impact of migration on a settled community within a Local Authority (LA) in the North East of England. As the project encountered routine inconsistencies around definitions, categorisations and measurement of migration within the LA area, this paper demonstrates the complexity of trying to 'measure' migration on the ground and while consistency in measurement is key to accurate data, we conclude with an ethical question about the rationale for collecting data on migrant populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on two studies which investigated the relationship between children's texting behaviour, their knowledge of text abbreviations and their school attainment in written language skills. In Study One, 11–12-year-old children provided information on their texting behaviour. They were also asked to translate a standard English sentence into a text message and vice versa. The children's standardised verbal and non-verbal reasoning scores were also obtained. Children who used their mobiles to send three or more text messages a day had significantly lower scores than children who sent none. However, the children who, when asked to write a text message, showed greater use of text abbreviations (‘textisms’) tended to have better performance on a measure of verbal reasoning ability, which is highly associated with Key Stage 2 (KS2) and 3 English scores. In Study Two, children's performance on writing measures was examined more specifically. Ten to eleven-year-old children were asked to complete another English to text message translation exercise. Spelling proficiency was also assessed, and KS2 Writing scores were obtained. Positive correlations between spelling ability and performance on the translation exercise were found, and group-based comparisons based on the children's writing scores also showed that good writing attainment was associated with greater use of textisms, although the direction of this association is nor clear. Overall, these findings suggest that children's knowledge of textisms is not associated with poor written language outcomes for children in this age range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes an agricultural model (Roth-CNP) that estimates carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) pools, pool changes, their balance and the nutrient fluxes exported from arable and grassland systems in the UK during 1800–2010. The Roth-CNP model was developed as part of an Integrated Model (IM) to simulate C, N and P cycling for the whole of UK, by loosely coupling terrestrial, hydrological and hydro-chemical models. The model was calibrated and tested using long term experiment (LTE) data from Broadbalk (1843) and Park Grass (1856) at Rothamsted. We estimated C, N and P balance and their fluxes exported from arable and grassland systems on a 5 km × 5 km grid across the whole of UK by using the area of arable of crops and livestock numbers in each grid and their management. The model estimated crop and grass yields, soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and nutrient fluxes in the form of NH 4 -N, NO 3 -N and PO 4 -P. The simulated crop yields were compared to that reported by national agricultural statistics for the historical to the current period. Overall, arable land in the UK have lost SOC by −0.18, −0.25 and −0.08 Mg C ha −1 y −1 whereas land under improved grassland SOC stock has increased by 0.20, 0.47 and 0.24 Mg C ha −1 y −1 during 1800–1950, 1950–1970 and 1970–2010 simulated in this study. Simulated N loss (by leaching, runoff, soil erosion and denitrification) increased both under arable (−15, −18 and −53 kg N ha −1 y −1 ) and grass (−18, −22 and −36 kg N ha −1 y −1 ) during different time periods. Simulated P surplus increased from 2.6, 10.8 and 18.1 kg P ha −1 y −1 under arable and 2.8, 11.3 and 3.6 kg P ha −1 y −1 under grass lands 1800–1950, 1950–1970 and 1970–2010. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimating peak river discharge, a critical issue in engineering hydrology, is essential for designing and managing hydraulic infrastructure such as dams and bridges. In the UK, practitioners typically apply the Flood Estimation Handbook (FEH) statistical method which estimates the design flood as the product of a relatively frequent flow estimate (the index flood, IF) and a regional growth factor. For gauged catchments the IF is estimated from observations. For ungauged catchments it is computed through a multiple regression model. While the FEH IF method provides peak flow estimates that are statistically robust, it does not readily take into account catchment heterogeneity or effect of environmental change on river flows. This study presents a new methodology to estimate the IF at national scale using continuous simulation from a physically based hydrological model (Gridto- Grid). The methodology is tested across Great Britain and compares well with IF estimates at 550 gauging stations (R2 = 0.91). The promising results for Great Britain support the aspiration that continuous simulation from large-scale hydrological models coupled with increasing availability of global weather and climate products, could be used to estimate design floods in regions with limited gauge data or affected by environmental change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is hypothesized that more accurate prediction and warning of natural hazards, such as of the impacts of severe weather mediated through various components of the environment, require a more integrated Earth System approach to forecasting. This hypothesis can be explored using regional coupled prediction systems, in which the known interactions and feedbacks between different physical and biogeochemical components of the environment across sky, sea and land can be simulated. Such systems are becoming increasingly common research tools. This paper describes the development of the UKC2 regional coupled research system, which has been delivered under the UK Environmental Prediction Prototype project. This provides the first implementation of an atmosphere--land--ocean--wave modelling system focussed on the United Kingdom and surrounding seas at km-scale resolution. The UKC2 coupled system incorporates models of the atmosphere (Met Office Unified Model), land surface with river routing (JULES), shelf-sea ocean (NEMO) and ocean waves (WAVEWATCH III). These components are coupled, via OASIS3-MCT libraries, at unprecedentedly high resolution across the UK within a north-western European regional domain. A research framework has been established to explore the representation of feedback processes in coupled and uncoupled modes, providing a new research tool for UK environmental science. This paper documents the technical design and implementation of UKC2, along with the associated evaluation framework. An analysis of new results comparing the output of the coupled UKC2 system with relevant forced control simulations for six contrasting case studies of 5-day duration is presented. Results demonstrate that performance can be achieved with the UKC2 system that is at least comparable to its component control simulations. For some cases, improvements in air temperature, sea surface temperature, wind speed, significant wave height and mean wave period highlight the potential benefits of coupling between environmental model components. Results also illustrate that the coupling itself is not sufficient to address all known model issues. Priorities for future development of the UK Environmental Prediction framework and component systems are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the development of the first operational seasonal hydrological forecasting service for the UK, the Hydrological Outlook UK (HOUK). Since June 2013, this service has delivered monthly forecasts of streamflow and groundwater levels, with an emphasis on forecasting hydrological conditions over the next three months, accompanied by outlooks over longer time horizons. This system is based on three complementary approaches combined to produce the outlooks: (i) national-scale modelling of streamflow and groundwater levels based on dynamic seasonal rainfall forecasts, (ii) catchment-scale modelling where streamflow and groundwater level models are driven by historical meteorological forcings (i.e. the Ensemble Streamflow Prediction, ESP, approach), and (iii) a catchment-scale statistical method based on persistence and historical analogues. This paper provides the background to the Hydrological Outlook, describes the various component methods in detail and then considers the impact and usefulness of the product. As an example of a multi-method, operational seasonal hydrological forecasting system, it is hoped that this overview provides useful information and context for other forecasting initiatives around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the Back Boot Project in 2007 in Dunedin, New Zealand. The project was first conceived as "Little Politic," an exhibition that refers to material-specific, small objects with emphasis on the intimacy of the small object. It has a moving exhibition space at the back of a 1986 Toyota Corolla and the space was operated as a vehicle for artists to locate their work outside the usual gallery sphere and to take into public spaces. Photographs of the project are also presented.