Assessment of Feminization of Male Fish in English Rivers by the Environment Agency of England and Wales

PubMed Central

Gross-Sorokin, Melanie Y.; Roast, Stephen D.; Brighty, Geoffrey C.

2006-01-01

In recent years there has been considerable concern over the ability of substances discharged into the environment to disrupt the normal endocrine function of wildlife. In particular, the apparent widespread feminization of male fish in rivers has received significant attention from regulators in the United Kingdom, the United States, Europe, and Japan. The U.K. and European epidemiological data sets have demonstrated that the occurrence of feminized fish is associated with effluent discharges and that the incidence and severity is positively correlated with the proportion of treated sewage effluent in receiving waters. Although weakly estrogenic substances may contribute to the overall effect, studies have concluded that steroid estrogens are the principal and most potent estrogenic components of domestic sewage. Extensive laboratory data sets confirm that steroid estrogens are capable of eliciting the effects observed in wild fish at concentrations that have been measured in effluents and in the environment. Based on evaluation of the available information, the Environment Agency (England and Wales) has concluded that the weight of evidence for endocrine disruption in fish is sufficient to develop a risk management strategy for estrogenically active effluents that discharge to the aquatic environment. PMID:16818261

Assessment of feminization of male fish in English rivers by the Environment Agency of England and Wales.

PubMed

Gross-Sorokin, Melanie Y; Roast, Stephen D; Brighty, Geoffrey C

2006-04-01

In recent years there has been considerable concern over the ability of substances discharged into the environment to disrupt the normal endocrine function of wildlife. In particular, the apparent widespread feminization of male fish in rivers has received significant attention from regulators in the United Kingdom, the United States, Europe, and Japan. The U.K. and European epidemiological data sets have demonstrated that the occurrence of feminized fish is associated with effluent discharges and that the incidence and severity is positively correlated with the proportion of treated sewage effluent in receiving waters. Although weakly estrogenic substances may contribute to the overall effect, studies have concluded that steroid estrogens are the principal and most potent estrogenic components of domestic sewage. Extensive laboratory data sets confirm that steroid estrogens are capable of eliciting the effects observed in wild fish at concentrations that have been measured in effluents and in the environment. Based on evaluation of the available information, the Environment Agency (England and Wales) has concluded that the weight of evidence for endocrine disruption in fish is sufficient to develop a risk management strategy for estrogenically active effluents that discharge to the aquatic environment.

Astro Academy: Principia--A Suite of Physical Science Demonstrations Conducted Aboard the ISS

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMurray, Andy

2016-01-01

Astro Academy: Principia is an education programme developed by the UK National Space Academy for the UK Space Agency (UKSA) and the European Space Agency (ESA). The Academy designed, constructed, flight-qualified and developed experimental procedures for a suite of physics and chemistry demonstration experiments that were conducted by ESA…

Using Space to Inspire and Engage Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clements, Allan

2015-01-01

The European Space Education Resources Office (ESERO-UK) is a project of the European Space Agency (ESA) and national partners including the Department for Education (DfE), The UK Space Agency (UKSA) and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). The key objective of the project is to promote space as an exciting inspirational context…

Space Technology Research Vehicle (STRV)-2 program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shoemaker, James; Brooks, Paul; Korevaar, Eric J.; Arnold, Graham S.; Das, Alok; Stubstad, John; Hay, R. G.

2000-11-01

The STRV-2 program is the second in a series of three collaborative flight test programs between the U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) and the United Kingdom (UK) Minstry of Defence (MoD). The STRV-2 Experiment Module contains five major experiments to provide proof-of-concept data on system design, data on the mid-earth orbit (MEO) space environment, and data on durability of materials and components operating in the MEO environment. The UK Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) has provided a mid- wavelength infrared (MWIF) imager to evaluate passive detection of aircraft from space. BMDO, in conjunction with the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), have provided experiments to evaluate use of adaptive structures for vibration suppression, to investigate the use of high bandwidth laser communications to transmit data from space to ground or airborne receivers, to study the durability of materials and components in the MEO space environment, and to measure radiation and micrometeoroid/debris fluence. These experiments are mounted on all- composite structure. This structure provides a significant reduction in weight and cost over comparable aluminum designs while maintaining the high stiffness required by optical payloads. In 1994, STRV-2 was manifested for launch by the DOD Space Test Program. STRV-2, the primary payload on the Tri-Service eXperiment (TSX)-5 spacecraft, was successfully launched on 7 June 2000 on a Pegasus XL from Vandenbery AFB, CA. The STRV-2 program, like the companion STRV-1 program, validates the viability of multi-national, multi-agency collaborations to provide cost effective acquisition of space test data. The experimental data to be obtained will reduce future satellite risk and provide guidelines for further system development.

Nutrition Health Promotion in Schools in the UK: Learning from Food Standards Agency Funded Schools Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woolfe, Jennifer; Stockley, Lynn

2005-01-01

Objective: To test the feasibility and effectiveness of dietary change interventions in UK school-based settings. This overview draws out the main lessons that were learnt from these studies, for both practitioners and researchers. Design: A review and analysis of the final reports from five studies commissioned by the Food Standards Agency.…

Strategic marketing in the UK tobacco industry.

PubMed

Anderson, Susan; Hastings, Gerard; MacFadyen, Lynn

2002-08-01

Tobacco-industry marketing has played a central part in the global spread of tobacco use and addiction. Although the absolute size of the tobacco market has dwindled, the industry is still immensely successful, largely due to sophisticated and manipulative marketing strategies. The UK tobacco industry identifies target groups and builds enduring relationships based on careful brand management. Potential customers are exposed to brands which are likely to appeal to them most. Tobacco companies tailor their products to target markets by altering the content of tar and nicotine, and by adding flavourings to produce a distinctive taste. Marketing strategies ensure that the products are promoted heavily at the point of sale, and directed advertising and sponsorship agreements are used to increase the visibility of the brand and strengthen its image. Tobacco companies also target non-consumer organisations such as retailers and policy makers with the aim of creating the best possible business environment for tobacco sales. We review published evidence, internal-advertising-agency documents, and observational data about tobacco promotion, and discuss the use of targeted marketing strategies in the UK.

The UK Ecosystem for Fostering Innovation in the Earth & Space Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, V. E.

2015-12-01

The UK national government supports an ecosystem of government-funded organisations that carry a specific remit for innovation. By specifically cultivating the commercialisation of research where appropriate, the UK demonstrates a forward-thinking and coordinated approach to deriving economic and societal impact from scientific research activities. This presentation provides an overview of innovation activities at government-backed organisations that support the Earth and space science communities. At the broadest and highest levels, the UK has a whole-of-government approach to fostering innovation. The government also has a designated innovation agency - Innovate UK - which works with people, companies, and partner organisations to find and drive the science & technology innovations that will grow the UK economy. A primary source of scientific funding to UK-based researchers comes from the Research Councils UK (RCUK), which has seven constituent Research Councils. Along with funding activities that support basic research, innovation is supported through a variety of activities. The National Environmental Research Council (NERC), the UK's leading public funder for Earth & environmental science, has brought to market a wide variety of ideas and innovations, including by helping to register patents, negotiating licensing deals, and setting up spin-out companies or joint ventures with commercial organisations. Case studies of NERC commercialization successes will be given, as well as an overview of mechanisms by which NERC supports innovation. These include 'Pathfinder' awards that help enable researchers to develop a greater understanding of the commercial aspects and possibilities of their research. Complementary 'Follow-on Fund' awards provide proof-of-concept funding to support the commercialisation of ideas arising from NERC-funded research. Early-career researchers are also eligible for NERC's Environment Young Entrepreneurs Scheme. Innovation activity, like basic research, can be enhanced through international collaboration and engagement. Approaches taken by UK organisations such as RCUK seek to bring together the correct teams, regardless of nationality, to develop innovations needed to address common challenges.

Searching for sustainability within public health policy: insights from an injury prevention perspective.

PubMed

Errington, Gail; Evans, Catrin; Watson, Michael C

2017-04-01

Sustaining public health programmes in the long-term is key to ensuring full manifestation of their intended benefits. Although an increasing interest in sustainability is apparent within the global literature, empirical studies from within the European setting are few. The factors that influence sustainability are generally conceptualized at three levels: programme level, the immediate context and the wider environment. To-date attention has focused primarily on the former two. Using a community-based child injury prevention programme in England as an exemplar, this paper explores the concept of sustainability within the wider policy environment, and considers the impact of this on local programmes. A content review of global and UK national public health policies (1981-2014) relevant to child safety was undertaken. Interviews were held with senior representatives of global and UK agencies involved in developing child safety policy. Forty-nine policies were reviewed. The term 'sustain', or its derivatives, featured in 36 (73%) of these. Its' use however, related primarily to conservation of resources rather than continued programme operation. Potential mechanisms for supporting programme sustainability featured within some documents; however, the approach to sustainability was inconsistent between policies and over time. Policy stakeholders identified programme sustainability as relevant to their core business, but its' conceptualization varied according to individual interpretation. Programme sustainability is poorly addressed within global and UK-based public health policy. Strengthening a national and international policy focus on sustainability and incorporating sustainability into public health planning frameworks may create a more supportive environment for local programmes. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

Developing Student Character through Disciplinary Curricula: An Analysis of UK QAA Subject Benchmark Statements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quinlan, Kathleen M.

2016-01-01

What aspects of student character are expected to be developed through disciplinary curricula? This paper examines the UK written curriculum through an analysis of the Quality Assurance Agency's subject benchmark statements for the most popular subjects studied in the UK. It explores the language, principles and intended outcomes that suggest…

Starting a European Space Agency Sample Analogue Collection for Robotic Exploration Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, C. L.; Mavris, C.; Michalski, J. R.; Rumsey, M. S.; Russell, S. S.; Jones, C.; Schroeven-Deceuninck, H.

2015-12-01

The Natural History Museum is working closely with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the UK Space Agency to develop a European collection of analogue materials with appropriate physical/mechanical and chemical (mineralogical) properties which can support the development and verification of both spacecraft and scientific systems for potential science and exploration missions to Phobos/Deimos, Mars, C-type asteroids and the Moon. As an ESA Collection it will be housed at the ESA Centre based at Harwell, UK. The "ESA Sample Analogues Collection" will be composed of both natural and artificial materials chosen to (as closely as possible) replicate the surfaces and near-surfaces of different Solar System target bodies of exploration interest. The analogue samples will be fully characterised in terms of both their physical/mechanical properties (compressive strength, bulk density, grain shape, grain size, cohesion and angle of internal friction) and their chemical/mineralogical properties (texture, modal mineralogy, bulk chemical composition - major, minor and trace elements and individual mineralogical compositions). The Collection will be fully curated to international standards including implementation of a user-friendly database and will be available for use by engineers and scientists across the UK and Europe. Enhancement of the initial Collection will be possible through collaborations with other ESA and UK Space Agency supported activities, such as the acquisition of new samples during field trials.

[Clinical drug trials in Germany--an assessment of current status from the viewpoint of industry].

PubMed

Baumbauer, E

1996-01-01

Drug development today is a highly professional and costly affair, whereby quality and speed are decisive competitive factors in a global setting. Germany is in the process of losing its attractiveness for clinical drug research as evidenced by a significant decrease in funding of clinical drug research which at the moment amounts to about 1.5 billion DM/year. This decrease is due to an adverse environment created by a certain anxiety in public opinion regarding technological advances, an overburden of regulations, lack of an infrastructure in hospitals to work according to GCP and a regulatory agency which has to compete with momentarily more effective agencies in Europe (UK, France). A joint effort between industry and the medical profession is called for to change this situation for the better.

Learning Outcomes in Higher Education: Assumptions, Positions and the Views of Early-Career Staff in the UK System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hadjianastasis, Marios

2017-01-01

According to the UK Quality Assurance Agency, the adoption and use of learning outcomes has been complete across UK higher education since 2007, when it declared that "most departments and institutions have fully adopted the principles of learning outcomes". And yet, the evidence from the ground to support this statement is currently…

Approaches to Post-Conflict Peacebuilding: The UK Post-Conflict Reconstruction Unit (PCRU) and US Office for the Coordinator of Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS)

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

POST-CONFLICT PEACEBUILDING: THE UK POST-CONFLICT RECONSTRUCTION UNIT (PCRU) AND US OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATOR OF RECONSTRUCTION AND STABILIZATION ( S ...CRS) 6. AUTHOR( S ) 2D LT KRIEGER MIRIAM A 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME( S ) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION KINGS COLLEGE REPORT NUMBER CI04...1874 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME( S ) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSORING/MONITORING THE DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE AGENCY REPORT NUMBER AFIT/CIA

The development of an ecological approach to manage the pollution risk from highway runoff.

PubMed

Crabtree, B; Dempsey, P; Johnson, I; Whitehead, M

2009-01-01

In the UK, the Highways Agency is responsible for operating, maintaining and improving the strategic road network in England. One focus of the Highways Agency's ongoing research into the nature and impact of highway runoff is aimed at ensuring that the Highways Agency will meet the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive. A research programme, undertaken in partnership with the Environment Agency, is in progress to develop a better understanding of pollutants in highway runoff and their ecological impact. The paper presents the outcome of a study to: (1) monitor pollutants in highway runoff under different climate and traffic conditions; (2) develop standards to assess potential ecological risks from soluble pollutants in highway runoff; and (3) develop a model to predict pollutant concentrations in highway runoff. The model has been embedded in a design tool incorporating risk assessment procedures and receiving water standards for soluble and insoluble pollutants--the latter has been developed elsewhere in another project within the research programme. The design tool will be used to support improved guidance on where, and to what level, treatment of runoff is required for highway designers to manage the risk of ecological impact from highway runoff.

Uncertainty in surface water flood risk modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butler, J. B.; Martin, D. N.; Roberts, E.; Domuah, R.

2009-04-01

Two thirds of the flooding that occurred in the UK during summer 2007 was as a result of surface water (otherwise known as ‘pluvial') rather than river or coastal flooding. In response, the Environment Agency and Interim Pitt Reviews have highlighted the need for surface water risk mapping and warning tools to identify, and prepare for, flooding induced by heavy rainfall events. This need is compounded by the likely increase in rainfall intensities due to climate change. The Association of British Insurers has called for the Environment Agency to commission nationwide flood risk maps showing the relative risk of flooding from all sources. At the wider European scale, the recently-published EC Directive on the assessment and management of flood risks will require Member States to evaluate, map and model flood risk from a variety of sources. As such, there is now a clear and immediate requirement for the development of techniques for assessing and managing surface water flood risk across large areas. This paper describes an approach for integrating rainfall, drainage network and high-resolution topographic data using Flowroute™, a high-resolution flood mapping and modelling platform, to produce deterministic surface water flood risk maps. Information is provided from UK case studies to enable assessment and validation of modelled results using historical flood information and insurance claims data. Flowroute was co-developed with flood scientists at Cambridge University specifically to simulate river dynamics and floodplain inundation in complex, congested urban areas in a highly computationally efficient manner. It utilises high-resolution topographic information to route flows around individual buildings so as to enable the prediction of flood depths, extents, durations and velocities. As such, the model forms an ideal platform for the development of surface water flood risk modelling and mapping capabilities. The 2-dimensional component of Flowroute employs uniform flow formulae (Manning's Equation) to direct flow over the model domain, sourcing water from the channel or sea so as to provide a detailed representation of river and coastal flood risk. The initial development step was to include spatially-distributed rainfall as a new source term within the model domain. This required optimisation to improve computational efficiency, given the ubiquity of ‘wet' cells early on in the simulation. Collaboration with UK water companies has provided detailed drainage information, and from this a simplified representation of the drainage system has been included in the model via the inclusion of sinks and sources of water from the drainage network. This approach has clear advantages relative to a fully coupled method both in terms of reduced input data requirements and computational overhead. Further, given the difficulties associated with obtaining drainage information over large areas, tests were conducted to evaluate uncertainties associated with excluding drainage information and the impact that this has upon flood model predictions. This information can be used, for example, to inform insurance underwriting strategies and loss estimation as well as for emergency response and planning purposes. The Flowroute surface-water flood risk platform enables efficient mapping of areas sensitive to flooding from high-intensity rainfall events due to topography and drainage infrastructure. As such, the technology has widespread potential for use as a risk mapping tool by the UK Environment Agency, European Member States, water authorities, local governments and the insurance industry. Keywords: Surface water flooding, Model Uncertainty, Insurance Underwriting, Flood inundation modelling, Risk mapping.

Food hygiene, deprivation, types of premises and rates of gastrointestinal illnesses in the UK.

PubMed

Collins, Brendan

2015-01-01

To understand more about the relationship between economic deprivation, types of premises, food hygiene scores and rates of gastrointestinal illness in the UK. Data were extracted from the UK Food Standards Agency for about 300 000 UK premises which had hygiene scores based on visits from local authority food safety officers. These scores were analysed by type of premises, deprivation and local authority. Local authority-level average scores were mapped and compared with rates of laboratory-detected gastrointestinal illness from the Health Protection Agency. UK. UK premises (n 311 458) from 341 local authority areas that sell or produce food. There was a modest but statistically significant relationship between average food hygiene score and deprivation, which was caused by deprived areas having more of the categories of premises with significantly lower hygiene scores; these were pub/club (n 40 525), restaurant/café/canteen (n 73 052), small retailer (n 42 932) and takeaway (n 36 708). No relationship was established between local authority average food hygiene scores and rates of laboratory-detected gastrointestinal illness; however, this result does not preclude a relationship between food hygiene and rates of gastrointestinal illnesses, as laboratory-detected illness rates make up only a small proportion of actual rates of illness in the community. Certain types of UK premises are more likely to have low hygiene scores, which means that they should be targeted more for enforcement. These types of premises are more prevalent in the most economically deprived areas.

Education Policy and the 'Inter'-Regnum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartley, David

2007-01-01

In the UK, the vocabulary of public services is becoming infused with the prefixes "inter"-, "multi-" and "co-". Public-sector agencies are being encouraged to adopt"'multi"- or "inter-agency" configurations; "workforce reform" seeks to dissolve once-impermeable professional boundaries;…

Effects of climate change on water abstraction restrictions for irrigation during droughts - The UK case

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rey Vicario, D.; Holman, I.

2016-12-01

The use of water for irrigation and on-farm reservoir filling is globally important for agricultural production. In humid climates, like the UK, supplemental irrigation can be critical to buffer the effects of rainfall variability and to achieve high quality crops. Given regulatory efforts to secure sufficient environmental river flows and meet rising water demands due to population growth and climate change, increasing water scarcity is likely to compound the drought challenges faced by irrigated agriculture in this region. Currently, water abstraction from surface waters for agricultural irrigation can be restricted by the Environment Agency during droughts under Section 57 of the Water Resources Act (1991), based on abnormally low river flow levels and rainfall forecast, causing significant economic impacts on irrigated agricultural production. The aim of this study is to assess the impact that climate change may have on agricultural abstraction in the UK within the context of the abstraction restriction triggers currently in place. These triggers have been applied to the `Future Flows hydrology' database to assess the likelihood of increasing restrictions on agricultural abstraction in the future by comparing the probability of voluntary and compulsory restrictions in the baseline (1961-1990) and future period (2071-2098) for 282 catchments throughout the whole of the UK. The results of this study show a general increase in the probability of future agricultural irrigation abstraction restrictions in the UK in the summer, particularly in the South West, although there is significant variability between the 11 ensemble members. The results also indicate that UK winters are likely to become wetter in the future, although in some catchments the probability of abstraction restriction in the reservoir refilling winter months (November-February) could increase slightly. An increasing frequency of drought events due to climate change is therefore likely to lead to more water abstraction restrictions, increasing the need for irrigators to adapt their businesses to increase drought resilience and hence food security.

Quality Assurance and the Use of Subject Level Reference Points in the UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bellingham, Laura

2008-01-01

The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) in the UK publishes subject benchmark statements that higher education institutions are expected to consult when designing, delivering and reviewing programmes. Within a context for higher education that is considered by some to be unacceptably bureaucratic, this paper reflects on the value…

75 FR 13556 - Biocompatibles UK Ltd.; Filing of Color Additive Petition

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-22

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2010-C-0077] Biocompatibles UK Ltd.; Filing of Color Additive Petition AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION... filed a petition proposing that the color additive regulations be amended to provide for the safe use of...

Exploring the Current Position of ESD in UK Higher Education Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fiselier, Evelien S.; Longhurst, James W. S.; Gough, Georgina K.

2018-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to consider the position of education for sustainable development in the UK Higher Education (HE) sector with respect to the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) and Higher Education Academy (HEA) Guidance for education for sustainable development (ESD). Design/methodology/approach: By means of a mixed-method…

Government Getting Closer: Higher Education and Devolution in the UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Court, Stephen

2004-01-01

Since 1997 there has been a series of far-reaching constitutional changes in the UK through the devolution of power from Westminster to new legislatures and executives in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In addition, an elected assembly in London and the English regional development agencies have been established. This paper examines policy…

A comparative analysis of drug safety withdrawals in the UK and the US (1971-1992): implications for current regulatory thinking and policy.

PubMed

Abraham, John; Davis, Courtney

2005-09-01

By going beyond individual case studies and solely quantitative surveys, this paper systematically examines why there were over twice as many new prescription drugs withdrawn from the market on grounds of safety in the UK as there were in the US between 1971 and 1992. Drawing on interviews with regulators, industry scientists and others involved, and on regulatory data never before accessed outside governments and companies, five key hypotheses which might explain this difference in drug safety withdrawals are analysed. These are: (1) simply because the UK approved more new drugs than the US; (2) because of an industrial corporate strategy to seek approval of 'less safe' drugs in the UK earlier; (3) because British regulators were more vigilant at spotting post-marketing safety problems than their US counterparts; (4) because the slowness of the US in approving new drugs enabled regulators there to learn from, and avoid, safety problems that had already emerged in the UK or European market; and (5) because more stringent regulation in the US meant that they approved fewer unsafe drugs on to the market in the first place. It is concluded that the main explanation for fewer drug safety withdrawals in the US is that the regulatory agency there applied more stringent pre-market review and/or standards, which took longer than UK regulatory checks, but prevented unsafe drugs marketed in the UK from entering the US market. Contrary to the claims frequently made by the pharmaceutical industry and regulatory agencies on both sides of the Atlantic, these results imply that it is likely that acceleration of regulatory review times in the US and the UK since the early 1990s is compromising drug safety.

The history of the early years of metamaterials in USA and UK defense agencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Derov, John S.; Hammond, Richard; Youngs, Ian J.

2017-08-01

This article discusses the historical events that occurred in the early years of metamaterials leading to the current development of metamaterials in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Department of Defense, and Ministry of Defence.

Restricted Creativity: Advertising Agency Work Practices in the U.S., Canada and the UK.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West, Douglas

1993-01-01

The extent to which relationships and work practices within advertising agencies differ in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom and degree of similarity to practices of artists were examined. Responses from Senior Creative Directors at 303 agencies suggested that work practices did not differ significantly but were limited in efforts…

Reducing the population's sodium intake: the UK Food Standards Agency's salt reduction programme.

PubMed

Wyness, Laura A; Butriss, Judith L; Stanner, Sara A

2012-02-01

To describe the UK Food Standards Agency's (FSA) salt reduction programme undertaken between 2003 and 2010 and to discuss its effectiveness. Relevant scientific papers, campaign materials and evaluations and consultation responses to the FSA's salt reduction programme were used. Adult salt intakes, monitored using urinary Na data collected from UK-wide surveys, indicate a statistically significant reduction in the population's average salt intake from 9·5 g/d in 2000-2001 to 8·6 g/d in 2008, which is likely to have health benefits. Reducing salt intake will have an impact on blood pressure; an estimated 6 % of deaths from CHD in the UK can be avoided if the number of people with high blood pressure is reduced by 50 %. Salt levels in food, monitored using commercial label data and information collected through an industry self-reporting framework, indicated that substantial reductions of up to 70 % in some foods had been achieved. The FSA's consumer campaign evaluation showed increased awareness of the benefits of reducing salt intake on health, with 43 % of adults in 2009 claiming to have made a special effort to reduce salt in their diet compared with 34 % of adults in 2004, before the campaign commenced. The UK's salt reduction programme successfully reduced the average salt intake of the population and increased consumers' awareness. Significant challenges remain in achieving the population average salt intake of 6 g/d recommended by the UK's Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition. However, the UK has demonstrated the success of its programme and this approach is now being implemented elsewhere in the world.

The Zones of Proximal and Distal Development in Chinese Language Studies with the Use of Wikis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chew, Esyin; Ding, Seong Lin

2014-01-01

Educational practitioners in the higher education institutions of the UK have increasingly promoted the use of wikis. The technology enhanced learning experience of the UK was transferred to a local higher educational agency in Malaysia through a collaborative research project called WiLearn. By examining a student cohort enrolled in Chinese…

Quality Management and Enhancement Processes in UK Business Schools: A Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodgkinson, Myra; Kelly, Mike

2007-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to provide insights into the processes that can be and have been adopted by UK business schools as they attempt to meet the Quality Assurance Agency's concern with the standard of quality management and enhancement. Design/methodology/approach: A review of the literature provides interpretations of quality,…

Trends in Participation and Attainment of Chinese Students in UK Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iannelli, Cristina; Huang, Jun

2014-01-01

The UK higher education system receives the second largest number of Chinese overseas students in the world. The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data used in this study show that the total number of Chinese graduates (at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels) increased from around 6000 at the beginning of the twenty-first century to…

Workshop Report UK Food Standards Agency Workshop Report: carbohydrate and cardiovascular risk

PubMed Central

Peacock, Emma; Stanley, John; Calder, Philip C.; Jebb, Susan A.; Thies, Frank; Seal, Chris J.; Woodside, Jayne V.; Sanders, Tom A. B.

2012-01-01

This report summarises a workshop convened by the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) on 14 October 2008 to discuss current FSA-funded research on carbohydrates and cardiovascular health. The objective of this workshop was to discuss the results of recent research and to identify any areas which could inform future FSA research calls. This workshop highlighted that the FSA is currently funding some of the largest, well-powered intervention trials investigating the type of fat and carbohydrate, whole grains and fruit and vegetables, on various CVD risk factors. Results of these trials will make a substantive contribution to the evidence on diet and cardiovascular risk. PMID:20236556

Going With the Flow: Participatory Action Research and River Catchment Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitman, G.; Pain, R.

2012-04-01

Public participation, now mainstreamed as a desirable goal in research and policy has a wide variety of different models, classifications, approaches, tools, mechanisms and processes that are utilized across science and social science utilise. Demands for public participation in environmental issues have found particular resonance within recent European water legislation, specifically the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC). In the UK River Basin Plans are under the jurisdiction of the Environment Agency (EA) and the practice of their management is currently being trialed through the EA's management of 10 trial catchments. In these trials, the Environment Agency has outlined its wish to explore improved ways of engaging with people so as to develop shared understandings of problems within catchments. In this work, we report on project outcomes funded under the Rural Economy and Land Use Program (Relu) in which we worked with the Lune Rivers Trust. The project was the first in the UK to use a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach to understanding and creating tools to address problems in river catchments. PAR is a distinct approach to participation because it is driven by participants (people who have a stake in the issue being researched) rather than an outside sponsor, funder or academic (although they may be invited to help); it offers a democratic model of who can produce, own and use knowledge; it is collaborative at every stage, involving discussion, pooling skills and working together; and it is intended to result in some action, change or improvement on the issue being researched, towards more socially and environmentally just outcomes. Both the project and the tools we coproduced resonate very strongly with current policy objects for river catchments as outlined above. We argue that PAR has particular resonance with the above focus of catchment management particularly in light of future uncertainties with climate change. As such, it offers a critical reflection on approaches to catchment management that characterize themselves as 'participatory'.

Understanding the structure of Exmoor's peatland ecosystems using laser-scanning technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luscombe, D. J.; Anderson, K.; Wetherelt, A.; Grand-Clement, E.; Le-Feuvre, N.; Smith, D.; Brazier, R. E.

2012-04-01

Upland blanket peatlands in the UK are of high conservation value and in an intact state, provide important landscape services, such as carbon sequestration and flood attenuation. The drainage of many such wetlands for agricultural reclamation has resulted in changes to upland blanket mire topography, ecology, hydrological processes and carbon fluxes. There is a need for spatially explicit monitoring approaches at peatland sites in the UK as although there has been a national effort to restore drained peat uplands, baseline and post restoration monitoring of changes to ecosystem structure and function is largely absent. Climate change policy and the emerging carbon markets also necessitate the need for enhanced system understanding to inform carbon targets and understand the impacts of restoration. Exmoor is the focus of this research because many areas of upland peat have, in the past, been extensively drained through government "moorland reclamation" programs. A large restoration project funded by South West Water is currently underway in association with Exmoor National Park, The Environment Agency and Natural England. Exmoor also provides an analogue for other westerly peatlands in the British Isles in terms of its climate, ecology and drainage characteristics. Our approach employed airborne LiDAR data gathered by the Environment Agency Geomatics Group coupled with Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) surveys. LiDAR data were processed to produce digital surface models (DSM) of the peatland surface at a 0.5m resolution. These data were further interrogated to separate vegetation structures and geomorphic features such as man-made drainage channels which have damaged the peatland. Over small extents the LiDAR derived DSM surface was then compared to a TLS derived DSM to examine the ability of these models to describe fine scale vegetation and geomorphic structure, which could then be extrapolated to larger spatial extents. Exploration of the data has shown that ecosystem structure can be described at a fine resolution (>10 million measurements, resolution

Managing the complexity of nurse shortages: a case study of bank and agency staffing in an acute care Trust in Wales, UK.

PubMed

Massey, Lynn; Esain, Ann; Wallis, Marianne

2009-07-01

Managing nurse shortages is a major challenge in Trusts today given the worldwide shortage of nurses. To fill the gap created by a lack of permanent staff UK government agencies have increasingly used bank and agency staff. Managing this type of staffing effectively and efficiently, in the context of shrinking healthcare funds, is a major challenge in providing safe and quality healthcare. To analyse bank and agency nursing staffing patterns and factors that impact on these patterns. Case study within the largest hospital in one Welsh Integrated Healthcare Trust. De-identified bank and agency staffing electronic and manual database records and focus group interview with bank and agency office staff. A predictable bank and agency staffing pattern was found, wherein bank and agency nursing staff were used with increasing frequency towards the end of the week. Demand for bank and agency nursing staff occurred because of: hospital practices that fund a fixed staff establishment for nursing units, while patient numbers and acuity are variable; poor forward planning; sickness, and absence due to professional development or staff training. There is a need for managers to reconsider management and recruitment policies, particularly in relation to using bank and agency staff. The complexity of staffing challenges managers to focus on predictability of workload needs and other factors that affect staffing requirements, such as: professional development, flexible working rosters to match the need and minimize sickness and turnover of staff.

Nurturing the H in HR: Using Action Learning to Build Organisation Development Capability in the UK Civil Service

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hale, Richard; Saville, Martin

2014-01-01

In the UK, the Civil Service Reform Plan is being implemented with urgency. This requires Civil Service departments and agencies to reform their structures and ways of working in order to deliver effective services in a climate of economic austerity and rapid social and technological change. Historically, Human Resource (HR) professionals have…

Investigating the Impact of the Tier 4 Policy on International Students at Private Colleges in the UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mughal, Abdul Waheed

2016-01-01

In 2009, the United Kingdom government introduced the Tier 4 (general) student visa policy for foreign students, out of European Economic Area and Switzerland, aged 16 or over. According to this policy, any institution recruiting international students must be a highly trusted sponsor--a status determined by the UK Border Agency. Further, right to…

Model of health? Distributed preparedness and multi-agency interventions surrounding UK regional airports.

PubMed

Warren, Adam; Bell, Morag; Budd, Lucy

2012-01-01

The liberalisation of the European aviation sector has multiplied paths of entry into the United Kingdom (UK) for the international traveller. These changing mobilities necessitate a reconceptualisation of the border as a series of potentially vulnerable nodes occurring within, and extending beyond, national boundaries. In this paper, we consider the border through the lens of port health, the collective term for various sanitary operations enacted at international transport terminals. In the UK, a critical player in the oversight of port health is the Health Protection Agency (HPA), which became a non-Departmental public body in 2005. A major part of port health is preparedness, a set of techniques aimed at managing, and responding to, emergencies of public health concern. More recently, certain jurisdictions have embarked on public health preparedness work across a number of different geographical scales. Using methods pioneered by the military, this form of 'distributed preparedness' is of increased interest to social science and medical scholars. With reference to case studies conducted in localities surrounding two UK regional airports following the 2009-10 H1N1 influenza pandemic, we consider the extent to which distributed preparedness as a concept and a set of practices can inform current debates - in the UK, and beyond - concerning interventions at the border 'within'. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing altimetry close to the coast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quartly, G. D.; Nencioli, F.; Conley, D.; Abdalla, S.

2017-10-01

Radar altimetry provides measurements of sea surface elevation, wind speed and wave height, which are used operationally by many agencies and businesses, as well as for scientific research to understand the changes in the oceanatmosphere interface. For the data to be trustworthy they need to be assessed for consistency, and for bias relative to various validation datasets. Sentinel-3A, launched in Feb. 2016, promises, through new technology, to be better able to retrieve useful measurements in the coastal zone; the purpose of this paper is develop ideas on how the performance of this instrument can be assessed in that specific environment. We investigate the magnitude of short-term variability in wave height and range, and explain how two validation facilities in the southwest UK may be used.

Looking to the future of organ-on-chip and toxicity assessment: a regulator's opinion.

PubMed

Jones, David R

2016-12-01

David R Jones talks to Francesca Lake, Managing Editor: David R Jones is an Expert Pharmaco-Toxicologist within the Licensing Division of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. We met him at the Organ-on-a-chip Europe 2016 conference in Cambridge (UK), where he presented 'A UK Regulatory View on the Acceptability of Organ on a Chip Data'.

A Teaching Elixir, Learning Chimera or Just Fool's Gold? Do Learning Styles Matter?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rayner, Steve

2007-01-01

The idea of a personal style in learning has grown during the past decade to dominate teacher discourse in the UK. The theory supporting this idea is work in understanding cognitive and learning style. A recent review of learning styles for the Learning and Skills Development Agency in the UK has been widely publicised and is deeply critical of…

Who or what has agency in the discussion of antimicrobial resistance in UK news media (2010-2015)? A transitivity analysis.

PubMed

Collins, Luke Curtis; Jaspal, Rusi; Nerlich, Brigitte

2017-06-01

The increase in infections resistant to the existing antimicrobial medicines has become a topic of concern for health professionals, policy makers and publics across the globe; however, among the public there is a sense that this is an issue beyond their control. Research has shown that the news media can have a significant role to play in the public's understanding of science and medicine. In this article, we respond to a call by research councils in the United Kingdom to study antibiotic or antimicrobial resistance as a social phenomenon by providing a linguistic analysis of reporting on this issue in the UK press. We combine transitivity analysis with a social representations framework to determine who and what the social actors are in discussions of antimicrobial resistance in the UK press (2010-2015), as well as which of those social actors are characterised as having agency in the processes around antimicrobial resistance. Findings show that antibiotics and the infections they are designed to treat are instilled with agency, that there is a tension between allocating responsibility to either doctors-as-prescribers or patients-as-users and collectivisation of the general public as an unspecified 'we': marginalising livestock farming and pharmaceutical industry responsibilities.

Twenty-first-century medical microbiology services in the UK.

PubMed

Duerden, Brian

2005-12-01

With infection once again a high priority for the UK National Health Service (NHS), the medical microbiology and infection-control services require increased technology resources and more multidisciplinary staff. Clinical care and health protection need a coordinated network of microbiology services working to consistent standards, provided locally by NHS Trusts and supported by the regional expertise and national reference laboratories of the new Health Protection Agency. Here, I outline my thoughts on the need for these new resources and the ways in which clinical microbiology services in the UK can best meet the demands of the twenty-first century.

Children, Families and Interagency Work: Experiences of Partnership Work in Primary Education Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milbourne, Linda

2005-01-01

Despite UK government initiatives intended to address social exclusion, those with poor access to social and economic resources continue to experience unresponsive services. In these circumstances, small inter-agency projects may offer accessible alternatives. This article explores the implementation of inter-agency work at a local level, focusing…

Working Vulnerability: Agency of Caring Children and Children's Rights

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wihstutz, Anne

2011-01-01

A growing number of empirical studies deal with children's participation in care relationships in the family. Based on a review of empirical findings in the UK and Germany, this article discusses care-giving children in terms of vulnerability and agency. The focus is set on understandings of family life as interdependent and reciprocal…

A Case Study into the Writing of Chinese Postgraduate Students in a UK Academic Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lan, Feng

2015-01-01

This case study explores the problematic issues in academic writing of three Chinese postgraduate students studying in UK academic environment. It aims to attempt to identify mismatches in lecturer and postgraduate student expectations and to understand the reasoning behind these mismatches from the students' perspective. This study was carried…

Changing Places: A Study of Chinese Students in the UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gu, Qing; Maley, Alan

2008-01-01

This article explores the way tertiary level Chinese students in the UK adapt, in varying degrees, to their new learning and living environment. A questionnaire and interview study that includes both Chinese students and their British teachers attempts to ascertain key issues with a view to helping sojourning students adapt to their environment,…

Looking to the future of organ-on-chip and toxicity assessment: a regulator's opinion

PubMed Central

Jones, David R

2016-01-01

David R Jones talks to Francesca Lake, Managing Editor: David R Jones is an Expert Pharmaco-Toxicologist within the Licensing Division of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. We met him at the Organ-on-a-chip Europe 2016 conference in Cambridge (UK), where he presented ‘A UK Regulatory View on the Acceptability of Organ on a Chip Data’. PMID:28116135

Participation in Lifelong Learning: Reality or Myth? Issues Arising from a United Kingdom Coalfield Closure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thursfield, Denise; Henderson, Roger

2004-01-01

In the spring of 2004, the Selby Coalfield, the largest of the remaining coal mines in the United Kingdom (UK) will close and 2071 employees will lose their jobs. The impact of the closure will be severe in the surrounding area, and will present a challenge to local employment services and training agencies. It will also test the UK government's…

Supporting Research: Environments, Administration and Libraries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacColl, John; Jubb, Michael

2011-01-01

Last year, OCLC Research and the UK's Research Information Network (RIN) undertook a pair of parallel studies in the US and the UK on the theme of research support services in universities (Kroll and Forsman 2010; CIBER 2010). In the US, the library and scholarly information consultancy Kroll Research Associates was commissioned, and in the UK the…

United Kingdom: Skills Development for the Twenty-First Century

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baines, John; Cohen, Judith; Martin, Stephen

2005-01-01

The Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA), together with the British Council, provides the leadership for the UNEVOC centre in the United Kingdom (UK). LSDA is a strategic national agency whose mission is to improve the quality of post-16 education and training in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It does this by conducting research to…

Salutogenesis: Contextualising place and space in the policies and politics of recovery from drug dependence.

PubMed

Parkin, Stephen

2016-07-01

This commentary seeks to make a contribution to applied and academic debates concerning recovery from drug dependence. This involves a discussion of various commonalities relating to the places and spaces of substance use/treatment; the identification of various tensions relating to 'structure and agency' in current service provision and the way in which environmentally disparate settings may be synthesised to establish enabling environments of recovery. At the centre of this discussion is Aaron Antonovsky's (1984) model of 'salutogenesis' (and 'salutogenic environments') and how this conceptual framework may be considered and/or applied in the field of recovery from dependent substance use. Whereas public health, clinical intervention and epidemiology each attempt to identify the underlying causation of illness and ill health, salutogenesis is an agency-led concept that seeks to identify the factors and mechanisms that foster good health and the principles of 'keeping well'. It is suggested that a salutogenic approach to recovery options would draw upon the guiding principles of the framework towards advancing, individual level, recovery capital. These principles being (i) the development of social/cultural capital within socially-constructed environments; in which (ii) individual action (or agency) seeks to (iii) manage ill health; recognise the challenges underlying illness and identify the resources that are available to improve health. The author suggests that opportunities for a more 'salutogenic approach' to recovery may be noted within a grassroots model burgeoning throughout parts of the UK (and known as Recovery Cafés). This design is in stark contrast to the State's more structurally-focused treatment options that may not fully appreciate the influence of agency (and the role of place) in attempts to garner recovery capital. In order to demonstrate the academic and applied value of the proposed salutogenic framework to the issue of recovery from dependence (including the centrality of space and place in debate surrounding substance use/treatment), the author draws upon empirical research as well as theoretical and hypothetical frameworks from the discipline of sociology to illustrate throughout. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Large-Scale Innovation and Change in UK Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Stephen

2013-01-01

This paper reflects on challenges universities face as they respond to change. It reviews current theories and models of change management, discusses why universities are particularly difficult environments in which to achieve large scale, lasting change and reports on a recent attempt by the UK JISC to enable a range of UK universities to employ…

UK Hazard Assessment for a Laki-type Volcanic Eruption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Witham, Claire; Felton, Chris; Daud, Sophie; Aspinall, Willy; Braban, Christine; Loughlin, Sue; Hort, Matthew; Schmidt, Anja; Vieno, Massimo

2014-05-01

Following the impacts of the Eyjafjallajokull eruption in 2010, two types of volcanic eruption have been added to the UK Government's National Risk Register for Civil Emergencies. One of these, a large gas-rich volcanic eruption, was identified as a high impact natural hazard, one of the three highest priority natural hazards faced by the UK. This eruption scenario is typified by the Laki eruption in Iceland in 1783-1784. The Civil Contingency Secretariat (CCS) of the UK's Cabinet Office, responsible for Civil Protection in the UK, has since been working on quantifying the risk and better understanding its potential impacts. This involves cross-cutting work across UK Government departments and the wider scientific community in order to identify the capabilities needed to respond to an effusive eruption, to exercise the response and develop increased resilience where possible. As part of its current work, CCS has been working closely with the UK Met Office and other UK agencies and academics (represented by the co-authors and others) to generate and assess the impacts of a 'reasonable worst case scenario', which can be used for decision making and preparation in advance of an eruption. Information from the literature and the findings of an expert elicitation have been synthesised to determine appropriate eruption source term parameters and associated uncertainties. This scenario is then being used to create a limited ensemble of model simulations of the dispersion and chemical conversion of the emissions of volcanic gases during such an eruption. The UK Met Office's NAME Lagrangian dispersion model and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology's EMEP4UK Eulerian model are both being used. Modelling outputs will address the likelihood of near-surface concentrations of sulphur and halogen species being above specified health thresholds. Concentrations at aviation relevant altitudes will also be evaluated, as well as the effects of acid deposition of volcanic species on ecosystems. Modelling results from a preliminary study have suggested a risk to both human health and the environment in the UK and across other parts of Europe from harmful levels of sulphate aerosol (as previously recognised from modelling of a Laki-type eruption by Schmidt et al (2011), amongst others), but also sulphur dioxide, which has not received as much attention. The presentation will discuss the UK's national assessment of risk and how the Government works to prepare for newly identified high impact hazards. We will show how this is benefitting from innovative approaches being taken in the research community and more detailed modelling findings will be presented. We will demonstrate that this work is a good example of practical hazard assessment through collaboration of scientists with decision makers. This work also has wider reaching links back to Supersite and observations initiatives such as the FUTUREVOLC project, as improved monitoring of source characteristics will enable the UK to refine its models (both numerical and procedural) for better risk management. "This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License together with an author copyright. This license does not conflict with the regulations of the Crown Copyright."

UK-5 Van Allen belt radiation exposure: A special study to determine the trapped particle intensities on the UK-5 satellite with spatial mapping of the ambient flux environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stassinopoulos, E. G.

1972-01-01

Vehicle encountered electron and proton fluxes were calculated for a set of nominal UK-5 trajectories with new computational methods and new electron environment models. Temporal variations in the electron data were considered and partially accounted for. Field strength calculations were performed with an extrapolated model on the basis of linear secular variation predictions. Tabular maps for selected electron and proton energies were constructed as functions of latitude and longitude for specified altitudes. Orbital flux integration results are presented in graphical and tabular form; they are analyzed, explained, and discussed.

The Involvement of External Agencies in Extra-Curricular Physical Education: Reinforcing or Challenging Gender and Ability Inequities?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkinson, Shaun D.; Penney, Dawn

2016-01-01

Within the UK and internationally, schools are increasingly being encouraged to call on external agencies and draw on the services of individuals, including sport coaches, to "help teach or lead sports within the school setting and out of school time". This trend arises from and has contributed to a changing policy landscape and…

Mild soaps and radiotherapy: a survey of the UK public to identify brands of soap considered mild and analysis of these to ascertain suitability for recommendation in radiotherapy departments.

PubMed

Robertson, K; Brown, P

2011-05-01

Cancer agencies recommend that patients use mild soap when undergoing external beam radiotherapy to minimise skin reactions. They define 'mild soap' as non-alkaline, lanolin free, unperfumed soap with a neutral pH. This study aimed to identify which soaps the UK public perceive as mild and ascertain if these were clinically mild and could potentially be recommended within radiotherapy departments. A survey of 237 participants identified eight top brands of mild soap, which were then tested for pH and analysed for potential irritants. All soaps were lanolin free and non-alkaline, with Simple and Johnson's the closest to pH 5.5. All contained fragrances except Simple and E45. Dove, Pears and Imperial Leather contained the highest concentration of fragrances. All soaps except E45 contained potential irritants. Only Simple and E45 fit the cancer agencies' definition of mild soap and could therefore be recommended for radiotherapy patients. Future research should identify current practices and recommendations in the UK as anecdotal evidence suggests large variations in skin care advice. Further scientific analysis could potentially identify cheaper brands that fit the definition of 'mild'. UK recommendations should be standardised and consistent with best practice to reduce skin reaction severity in radiotherapy patients. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Urban Water and Riverine Quality: Participatory Science in Singapore

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Higgitt, D. L.

2011-12-01

Singapore is a highly urbanised environment experiencing tropical monsoon hydrological regimes. A heavily engineered fluvial system has been developed over time to provide efficient drainage and reduce the area subject to flood risk. However, recent interest in ecosystem-based approaches to river management and the enhancement of the aesthetic and ecological 'quality' of riverine landscape, coupled with concerns about climate change, has challenged the prevailing engineering view. This is reflected in the Public Utility Board (PUB) ABC Waters Programme, which also seeks to develop community interest in riverine environments and engagement with water-related concerns. As part of a programme developing participatory GIS (PGIS) with school and university students, we have undertaken applications involving participant observation, reporting and analysis of water quality data and habitat quality based on a simplified version of the UK Environment Agency's River Habitat Survey. From an educational perspective, there is evidence that these PGIS initiatives raise environmental awareness and enhance geospatial thinking, particularly in relation to catchment management concepts. The extent to which participant-derived data can contribute to a citizen science of urban water quality and hence deliver some aspects of the community engagement sought after by the authorities, is a topic of debate.

Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in the United Kingdom environment: a preliminary source inventory and budget.

PubMed

Wild, S R; Jones, K C

1995-01-01

This paper presents the first attempt to quantify the production, cycling, storage and loss of PAHs in the UK environment. Over 53 000 tonnes of sigmaPAHs (sum of 12 individual compounds) are estimated to reside in the contemporary UK environment, with soil being the major repository. If soils at contaminated sites are included, this estimate increases dramatically. Emission of PAHs to the UK atmosphere from primary combustion sources are estimated to be greater than 1000 tonnes sigmaPAHs per annum, with over 95% coming from domestic coal combustion, unregulated fires and vehicle emissions. It is estimated that approximately 210 tonnes of sigmaPAH are delivered to terrestrial surfaces each year via atmospheric deposition. Therefore, inputs of PAHs to the UK atmosphere outweigh the outputs by a factor of over 4. This may be explained by enhanced particulate deposition near point sources, PAH degradation in the atmosphere and transport away from the UK with prevailing winds. Disposal of waste residues is estimated to contribute a further 1000 tonnes of sigmaPAH per year to the terrestrial environment. It is illustrated that the use of creosote has the potential to release considerable quantities of PAHs to the UK environment. Temporal trends in PAH cycling are then considered. There is good evidence to suggest that air concentrations and fluxes to the UK surface are now lower than at any time throughout this century. Nonetheless, the UK sigmaPAH burden is still increasing at the present time, principally through retention by soils. However, there are marked differences in the behaviour of individual compounds: there is evidence, for example, that phenanthrene concentrations in soils have declined since the 1960s, although soil concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene and other heavier PAHs have continued to increase through this century. Volatilisation of low molecular weight PAHs accumulated in soils over previous decades may be making an important contribution to the current atmospheric burden. The major uncertainties identified by data on this budget are: (1) the lack of PAH concentrations in some environmental matrices; (2) the possible importance of contaminated soils as a major repository and source of PAHs; (3) the lack of emission data (especially vapour phase releases) for some PAH sources; (4) the importance of biodegradation and volatilisation as loss mechanisms for low molecular weight PAHs in soils; and (5) the importance of creosote use in the PAH cycle.

News and Views: Very short GRBs may be Hawking radiation source; CubeSat for the UK: UKube1 seeks payloads; Galactic centre? It's just up there… There could be a lot of Earths out there

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2010-12-01

A particular group of gamma-ray bursts, those of very short duration, have characteristics that suggest they may be the signature of an evaporating primordial black hole - the Hawking radiation proposed by Stephen Hawking in 1974. The UK Space Agency is seeking small innovative payloads for the pilot UK CubeSat, UKube1. Planet-hunters have examined the distribution of exoplanets around stars like the Sun in our galaxy, and concluded that they can expect to find planets the size of Earth around a quarter of them - 46 billion or thereabouts.

Education for Sustainable Development in the UK: Making the Connections between the Environment and Development Agendas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bourn, Douglas

2008-01-01

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is an initiative that dates back to the early 1990s. Whilst policy statements at this time referred to ESD as a bringing together of environmental and development education, in the UK, as in most other industrialized countries, it has been the environmental agenda that has tended to dominate. In the UK,…

Paths towards Family-friendly Working Time Arrangements: Comparing Workplaces in Different Countries and Industries.

PubMed

Wiß, Tobias

2017-12-01

Although studies have examined the distribution and conditions of employer-provided work-family arrangements, we still lack a systematic investigation of how these vary for different countries and industries. Based on the European Working Conditions Survey 2010, this study examines the conditions under which firms provide family-friendly working time arrangements and what the differences are across four countries (Austria, Denmark, Italy and the UK) and four industries. The impact of employee representatives, employee involvement, manager support and female managers varies across countries and industries because of the institutional environment (prevailing family model, industrial relations) and workforce composition (gender). The impact of employee representatives depends on their co-determination rights, and the direction of their effect on the prevailing family model (e.g. negative in conservative countries such as Austria) and the gender composition of the workforce (negative in male-dominated production, but positive in services). Employee involvement in the work organization is significantly positive in Austria and Denmark (both with co-operative industrial relations), while manager support has the strongest effect in the UK (liberal regime). At the industry level, female supervisors are positively associated with family-friendly working time arrangements only in the male-dominated production industry. These findings suggest that the effects of agency variables and their direction vary depending on the institutional context.

An alternate approach to assessing climate risks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Casey; Wilby, Robert L.

2012-10-01

U.S. federal agencies are now required to review the potential impacts of climate change on their assets and missions. Similar arrangements are also in place in the United Kingdom under reporting powers for key infrastructure providers (http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climate/sectors/reporting-authorities/reporting-authorities-reports/). These requirements reflect growing concern about climate resilience and the management of long-lived assets. At one level, analyzing climate risks is a matter of due diligence, given mounting scientific evidence. However, there is no consensus about the means for doing so nor about whether climate models are even ft for the purpose; in addition, several important issues are often overlooked when incorporating climate information into adaptation decisions. An alternative to the scenarioled strategy, such as an approach based on a vulnerability analysis ("stress test"), may identify practical options for resource managers.

Quality-control of an hourly rainfall dataset and climatology of extremes for the UK.

PubMed

Blenkinsop, Stephen; Lewis, Elizabeth; Chan, Steven C; Fowler, Hayley J

2017-02-01

Sub-daily rainfall extremes may be associated with flash flooding, particularly in urban areas but, compared with extremes on daily timescales, have been relatively little studied in many regions. This paper describes a new, hourly rainfall dataset for the UK based on ∼1600 rain gauges from three different data sources. This includes tipping bucket rain gauge data from the UK Environment Agency (EA), which has been collected for operational purposes, principally flood forecasting. Significant problems in the use of such data for the analysis of extreme events include the recording of accumulated totals, high frequency bucket tips, rain gauge recording errors and the non-operation of gauges. Given the prospect of an intensification of short-duration rainfall in a warming climate, the identification of such errors is essential if sub-daily datasets are to be used to better understand extreme events. We therefore first describe a series of procedures developed to quality control this new dataset. We then analyse ∼380 gauges with near-complete hourly records for 1992-2011 and map the seasonal climatology of intense rainfall based on UK hourly extremes using annual maxima, n-largest events and fixed threshold approaches. We find that the highest frequencies and intensities of hourly extreme rainfall occur during summer when the usual orographically defined pattern of extreme rainfall is replaced by a weaker, north-south pattern. A strong diurnal cycle in hourly extremes, peaking in late afternoon to early evening, is also identified in summer and, for some areas, in spring. This likely reflects the different mechanisms that generate sub-daily rainfall, with convection dominating during summer. The resulting quality-controlled hourly rainfall dataset will provide considerable value in several contexts, including the development of standard, globally applicable quality-control procedures for sub-daily data, the validation of the new generation of very high-resolution climate models and improved understanding of the drivers of extreme rainfall.

Quality‐control of an hourly rainfall dataset and climatology of extremes for the UK

PubMed Central

Lewis, Elizabeth; Chan, Steven C.; Fowler, Hayley J.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Sub‐daily rainfall extremes may be associated with flash flooding, particularly in urban areas but, compared with extremes on daily timescales, have been relatively little studied in many regions. This paper describes a new, hourly rainfall dataset for the UK based on ∼1600 rain gauges from three different data sources. This includes tipping bucket rain gauge data from the UK Environment Agency (EA), which has been collected for operational purposes, principally flood forecasting. Significant problems in the use of such data for the analysis of extreme events include the recording of accumulated totals, high frequency bucket tips, rain gauge recording errors and the non‐operation of gauges. Given the prospect of an intensification of short‐duration rainfall in a warming climate, the identification of such errors is essential if sub‐daily datasets are to be used to better understand extreme events. We therefore first describe a series of procedures developed to quality control this new dataset. We then analyse ∼380 gauges with near‐complete hourly records for 1992–2011 and map the seasonal climatology of intense rainfall based on UK hourly extremes using annual maxima, n‐largest events and fixed threshold approaches. We find that the highest frequencies and intensities of hourly extreme rainfall occur during summer when the usual orographically defined pattern of extreme rainfall is replaced by a weaker, north–south pattern. A strong diurnal cycle in hourly extremes, peaking in late afternoon to early evening, is also identified in summer and, for some areas, in spring. This likely reflects the different mechanisms that generate sub‐daily rainfall, with convection dominating during summer. The resulting quality‐controlled hourly rainfall dataset will provide considerable value in several contexts, including the development of standard, globally applicable quality‐control procedures for sub‐daily data, the validation of the new generation of very high‐resolution climate models and improved understanding of the drivers of extreme rainfall. PMID:28239235

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and migrant "risk environments": the case of the Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrant community in the West Midlands of the UK.

PubMed

Barrett, Hazel R; Mulugeta, Betselot

2010-05-01

The flow of migrants from high human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence regions such as sub-Saharan Africa to western countries is changing the profile of HIV infection in host countries, with immigrants from these countries accounting for the majority of heterosexually acquired HIV infection. Few studies have been conducted on the sexual culture and practices of different migrant African communities living in western countries including the UK. Significant gaps therefore exist in our knowledge of the HIV/AIDS prevention needs of culturally diverse communities, particularly those from sub-Saharan Africa living in the UK. Based on empirical research undertaken in 2007, this article explores the knowledge and practices concerning HIV amongst the Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrant community living in the West Midlands of the UK. Using in-depth qualitative methods, the study investigated the HIV "risk environment" of this immigrant community. The research found that the group had little knowledge or understanding of the HIV epidemic in the UK and this resulted in serious misconceptions which led to risky sexual practice. Whilst the group had good knowledge and understanding of the disease and its transmission which had been acquired in their country of origin, this was not translated into practice. The perceived "low-risk environment" of HIV in the UK, as well as traditional male domination concerning sexual issues goes some way in explaining the low usage of the male condom amongst this group. Promoting the use of the female condom could empower women within this community to practice safe sex, which is acceptable to their male partners. The study identified a number of issues relevant to this immigrant group that could be easily tackled, empowering them to make informed decisions and take actions commensurate with the real, rather than perceived, HIV "risk environment" of their new home.

Contemporary women's secure psychiatric services in the United Kingdom: A qualitative analysis of staff views.

PubMed

Walker, T; Edge, D; Shaw, J; Wilson, H; McNair, L; Mitchell, H; Gutridge, K; Senior, J; Sutton, M; Meacock, R; Abel, K

2017-11-01

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Three pilot UK-only Women's Enhanced Medium Secure Services (WEMSS) was opened in 2007 to support women's movement from high secure care and provide a bespoke, women-only service. Evidence suggests that women's secure services are particularly challenging environments to work in and staffing issues (e.g., high turnover) can cause difficulties in establishing a therapeutic environment. Research in this area has focused on the experiences of service users. Studies which have examined staff views have focused on their feelings towards women in their care and the emotional burden of working in women's secure services. No papers have made a direct comparison between staff working in different services. WHAT DOES THIS STUDY ADD TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: This is the first study to explore the views and experiences of staff in the three UK WEMSS pilot services and contrast them with staff from women's medium secure services. Drawing upon data from eighteen semi-structured interviews (nine WEMSS, nine non-WEMSS), key themes cover staff perceptions of factors important for women's recovery and their views on operational aspects of services. This study extends our understanding of the experiences of staff working with women in secure care and bears relevance for staff working internationally, as well as in UK services. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: The study reveals the importance of induction and training for bank and agency staff working in women's secure services. Further, regular clinical supervision should be mandatory for all staff so they are adequately supported. Introduction Women's Enhanced Medium Secure Services (WEMSS) is bespoke, gender-sensitive services which opened in the UK in 2007 at three pilot sites. This study is the first of its kind to explore the experiences of WEMSS staff, directly comparing them to staff in a standard medium secure service for women. The literature to date has focused on the experiences of service users or staff views on working with women in secure care. Aim This qualitative study, embedded in a multimethod evaluation of WEMSS, aimed to explore the views and experiences of staff in WEMSS and comparator medium secure services. Methods Qualitative interviews took place with nine WEMSS staff and nine comparator medium secure staff. Interviews focused on factors important for recovery, barriers to facilitating recovery and operational aspects of the service. Discussion This study provides a rare insight into the perspectives of staff working in UK women's secure services, an under-researched area in the UK and internationally. Findings suggest that the success of services, including WEMSS, is compromised by operational factors such as the use of bank staff. Implications for practice Comprehensive training and supervision should be mandatory for all staff, so best practice is met and staff adequately supported. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

UK technical activities associated with the return to Earth of the MIR space station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crowther, Richard; Tremayne-Smith, Richard

2002-11-01

The British National Space Centre (BNSC) acts as the focus in the United Kingdom (UK) for space-related activities. With the anticipated return to Earth of the MIR space station, BNSC established a group of technical experts to consider the associated implications for the UK, and to address both national and international activities relating to the planned de-orbit. In particular, the risk to the UK of an uncontrolled re-entry was considered in contingency planning and the means for the provision of accurate information to the public and media were established to ensure balanced view of the potential hazards that MIR posed to persons and property on the ground. The MIR de-orbit was exemplary, both in terms of the technical activities of the Rosaviakosmos and the safe disposal of MIR in the Pacific, and in relation to the open and effective communication between agencies and the positive reporting by the media.

Review: UK medicines likely to be affected by the proposed European Medicines Agency's guidelines on phthalates.

PubMed

Jamieson, Lisa; McCully, William

2015-06-13

Phthalates are excipients in drug formulations. However, concerns have been raised about the effects of particular phthalates on reproduction and development. As a result the EMA has introduced guidelines for permitted daily exposure (PDE) limits for certain phthalates. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify UK licensed medicines that contain the relevant phthalates and determine if they fall within the recommended PDE. The eMC was used to identify which UK licensed medicines contain the phthalates in question. Companies were then contacted for information on the phthalate levels in their products, which was compared with the PDE recommended by the EMA. The eMC search revealed that 54 medicines contained at least one of the phthalates in question. However, only six medicines, namely Asacol 800 mg MR (Warner Chilcott UK), Epilim 200 Gastro-resistant tablets (Sanofi), Prednisolone 2.5 mg and 5 mg Gastro-resistant tablets (Actavis UK), Vivotif (Crucell Italy S.r.l), and Zentiva 200 mg Gastro-resistant tablets (Winthrop Pharmaceuticals UK), were identified as containing levels that exceeded the recommended PDE. These findings indicate that very few UK licensed medicines will be affected by the proposed EMA guidelines. For those medicines identified as exceeding recommendations, these findings highlight the need to instigate a risk-benefit review.

The psychosocial work environment and mental health of teachers: a comparative study between the United Kingdom and Hong Kong.

PubMed

Tang, Jessica Janice; Leka, Stavroula; MacLennan, Sara

2013-08-01

There is limited research on teachers' psychosocial work environment and mental health, and most has been conducted in predominantly Western countries that share a number of important common characteristics that distinguish them from countries in many other regions of the world. Within the framework of the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) theoretical model, the relationship between the psychosocial work environment and mental health of teachers in the United Kingdom (UK) and Hong Kong (HK) was investigated. Full-time qualified teachers from both the UK and HK (N = 259) participated in the research. They were asked to fill in a set of questionnaires that measured their perceived stress, mental health, psychosocial work environment and demographic information. Perceived stress was found to predict teachers' mental health. Overcommitment, the intrinsic component of the ERI model, predicted mental health among HK teachers. There were significant differences in the psychosocial variables between UK and HK teachers. The results showed support for the ERI model and in particular for the relationship between stress and mental health and demonstrated the role of overcommitment in the teaching profession. Some implications are discussed for combating cultural differences in managing the psychosocial work environment of teachers.

Information sharing between the National Health Service and criminal justice system in the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Lennox, Charlotte; Mason, Julie; McDonnell, Sharon; Shaw, Jenny; Senior, Jane

2012-09-01

Offenders with mental health problems often have complex and interrelated needs which separately challenge the criminal justice system (CJS) and National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom (U.K.). Consequently, interagency collaboration and timely information sharing are essential. This study focused on the sharing of information about people with mental health problems in contact with the CJS. Questionnaires were distributed to a range of health and criminal justice personnel. The results showed that there was a mismatch between what service user information criminal justice agencies felt they needed and what was routinely received. Prison Service staff received more information (between 15% and 37%) from health agencies than the police (between 6% and 22%). Health professionals received most of the information they needed from criminal justice agencies (between 55% and 85%). Sharing service user information was impeded by incompatible computer systems and restrictions due to data protection/confidentiality requirements. In the U.K., recent governmental publications have highlighted the importance of information sharing; however there remains a clear mismatch between what health related information about service users criminal justice agencies need, and what is actually received. Better guidance is required to encourage and empower people to share. © 2012 International Association of Forensic Nurses.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maitland, R.P.; Senior, D.

The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) is an independent safety, security and transport regulator of the UK nuclear industry. ONR regulates all civil nuclear reactor power stations, fuel manufacture, enrichment, spent fuel reprocessing, most defence sites and installations that store and process legacy spent fuel and radioactive waste. The responsibility for funding and strategic direction of decommissioning and radioactive waste management of state owned legacy sites has rested solely with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) since 2005. A key component of NDA's mandate was to encourage new strategic approaches and innovation to dealing with the UK's waste legacy and whichmore » deliver value-for-money to the UK taxpayer. ONR, as an agency of the Health and Safety Executive, is entirely independent of NDA and regulates all prescribed activities on NDA's sites. NDA's competition of site management and closure contracts has attracted significant international interest and the formation of consortia comprised of major British, US, French and Swedish organizations bidding for those contracts. The prominence of US organizations in each of those consortia reflects the scale and breadth of existing waste management and D and D projects in the US. This paper will articulate, in broad terms, the challenges faced by international organizations seeking to employ 'off-the-shelf' technology and D and D techniques, successfully employed elsewhere, into the UK regulatory context. The predominantly 'goal-setting' regulatory framework in the UK does not generally prescribe a minimum standard to which a licensee must adhere. The legal onus on licensees in the UK is to demonstrate, whatever technology is selected, that in its applications, risks are reduced 'So Far As Is Reasonably Practicable' or 'SFAIRP'. By the nature of its role, ONR adopts a conservative approach to regulation; however ONR also recognises that in the decommissioning (and ultimately the site closure) domain, it is often necessary to consider and support novel approaches to achieve the nationally desired end-state. Crucial to successful and compliant operation in this regulatory environment is early and sustained engagement of the contractor with the regulator. There must be a 'no-surprises' culture to engender regulatory confidence early in a project. The paper considers some of the challenges facing international prime and lower tier contractors when undertaking D and D contracts in the UK, and emphasizes the importance of constructive and transparent dialogue with all regulators to sustain confidence at all stages of a major decommissioning project. The paper will also articulate ONR's strategy to increase collaboration with the US Department of Energy in light of increasing UK-US synergy in the area of waste management and to benchmark respective regulatory approaches. (authors)« less

UK report on waste management

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ferguson, J.

1995-09-01

Arising jointly from the National and European Union requirements for more intensive attention to be paid to the environment, the United Kingdom (UK) has taken many strides forward in protecting the environment from pollution and preventing harm to human health arising from the handling, transport and disposal of wastes. Major adjustments are taking place in Europe following the opening up of the Eastern European countries. The consequences of the illegal movement of wastes and its mistreatment and disposal are now recognised within the European Union. The UK as a member State is well aware of the consequences which arise frommore » the lack of proper waste management. This paper discusses waste management and legislation pertaining to waste management in the United Kingdom.« less

UK Food Standards Agency Workshop Report: an investigation of the relative contributions of diet and sunlight to vitamin D status.

PubMed

Ashwell, Margaret; Stone, Elaine M; Stolte, Heiko; Cashman, Kevin D; Macdonald, Helen; Lanham-New, Susan; Hiom, Sara; Webb, Ann; Fraser, David

2010-08-01

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) convened an international group of scientific experts to review three Agency-funded projects commissioned to provide evidence for the relative contributions of two sources, dietary vitamin D intake and skin exposure to UVB rays from sunlight, to vitamin D status. This review and other emerging evidence are intended to inform any future risk assessment undertaken by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition. Evidence was presented from randomised controlled trials to quantify the amount of vitamin D required to maintain a serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25OHD) concentration >25 nmol/l, a threshold that is regarded internationally as defining the risk of rickets and osteomalacia. Longitudinal evidence was also provided on summer sunlight exposure required to maintain 25OHD levels above this threshold in people living in the British Isles (latitude 51 degrees-57 degrees N). Data obtained from multi-level modelling of these longitudinal datasets showed that UVB exposure (i.e. season) was the major contributor to changes in 25OHD levels; this was a consistent finding in two Caucasian groups in the north and south of the UK, but was less apparent in the one group of British women of South Asian origin living in the south of the UK. The FSA-funded research suggested that the typical daily intake of vitamin D from food contributed less than UVB exposure to average year-round 25OHD levels in both Caucasian and Asian women. The low vitamin D status of Asian women has been acknowledged for some time, but the limited seasonal variation in Asian women is a novel finding. The Workshop also considered the dilemma of balancing the risks of vitamin D deficiency (from lack of skin exposure to sunlight in summer) and skin cancer (from excessive exposure to sunlight with concomitant sunburn and erythema). Cancer Research UK advises that individuals should stay below their personal sunburn threshold to minimise their skin cancer risk. The evidence suggests that vitamin D can be produced in summer at the latitude of the UK, with minimal risk of erythema and cell damage, by exposing the skin to sunlight for a short period at midday, when the intensity of UVB is at its daily peak. The implications of the new data were discussed in the context of dietary reference values for vitamin D for the general population aged 4-64 years. Future research suggestions included further analysis of the three FSA-funded studies as well as new research.

Virtual Research Environments for Natural Hazard Modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Napier, Hazel; Aldridge, Tim

2017-04-01

The Natural Hazards Partnership (NHP) is a group of 17 collaborating public sector organisations providing a mechanism for co-ordinated advice to government and agencies responsible for civil contingency and emergency response during natural hazard events. The NHP has set up a Hazard Impact Model (HIM) group tasked with modelling the impact of a range of UK hazards with the aim of delivery of consistent hazard and impact information. The HIM group consists of 7 partners initially concentrating on modelling the socio-economic impact of 3 key hazards - surface water flooding, land instability and high winds. HIM group partners share scientific expertise and data within their specific areas of interest including hydrological modelling, meteorology, engineering geology, GIS, data delivery, and modelling of socio-economic impacts. Activity within the NHP relies on effective collaboration between partners distributed across the UK. The NHP are acting as a use case study for a new Virtual Research Environment (VRE) being developed by the EVER-EST project (European Virtual Environment for Research - Earth Science Themes: a solution). The VRE is allowing the NHP to explore novel ways of cooperation including improved capabilities for e-collaboration, e-research, automation of processes and e-learning. Collaboration tools are complemented by the adoption of Research Objects, semantically rich aggregations of resources enabling the creation of uniquely identified digital artefacts resulting in reusable science and research. Application of the Research Object concept to HIM development facilitates collaboration, by encapsulating scientific knowledge in a shareable format that can be easily shared and used by partners working on the same model but within their areas of expertise. This paper describes the application of the VRE to the NHP use case study. It outlines the challenges associated with distributed partnership working and how they are being addressed in the VRE. A case study is included focussing on the application of Research Objects to development work for the surface water flooding hazard impact model, a key achievement for the HIM group.

United Kingdom Deriving Emissions linked to Climate Change Network: greenhouse gas and ozone depleting substance measurements from a UK network of tall towers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanley, Kieran; O'Doherty, Simon; Young, Dickon; Grant, Aoife; Manning, Alistair; Simmonds, Peter; Oram, Dave; Sturges, Bill; Derwent, Richard

2016-04-01

Real-time, high-frequency measurement networks are essential for investigating the emissions of gases linked with climate change and stratospheric ozone depletion. These networks can be used to verify greenhouse gas (GHG) and ozone depleting substances (ODS) emission inventories for the Kyoto and Montreal Protocols. Providing accurate and reliable country- and region-specific emissions to the atmosphere are critical for reporting to the UN agencies. The United Kingdom Deriving Emissions linked to Climate Change (UK DECC) Network, operating since 2012, is distinguished by its capability to measure at high-frequency, the influence of all of the important species in the Kyoto and Montreal Protocols from the UK, Ireland and Continental Europe. Data obtained from the UK DECC network are also fed into the European Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS). This presentation will give an overview of the UK DECC Network, detailing the analytical techniques used to determine the suite of GHGs and ODSs, as well as the calibration strategy used within the network. Interannual results of key GHGs from the network will also be presented.

Belford proactive flood solutions: scientific evidence to influence local and national policy by multi-purpose runoff management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilkinson, M.; Quinn, P. F.; Jonczyk, J.

2010-12-01

The increased risk from flooding continues to be of concern to governments all around the world and flood protection is becoming more of a challenge. In the UK, climate change projections indicate more extremes within the weather systems. In addition, there is an increased demand for using land in urban areas beside channels. These developments both put pressure on our flood defences and there is a need for new solutions to managing flood risk. There is currently support within the England and Wales Environment Agency for sustainable flood management solutions such as storage ponds, wetlands, beaver dams and willow riparian features (referred to here as Runoff Attenuation Features, or RAFs). However the effectiveness of RAFs are not known at the catchment scale since they have only really been trailed at the plot scale. These types of mitigation measure can offer benefits to water quality and create ecological habitats. The village of Belford, situated in the Belford Burn catchment (6km2), northern England, has suffered from numerous flood events. In addition, the catchment suffers from water quality issues within the channel and high sediment loads are having an impact on the ecology of the nearby estuary. There was a desire by the Local Environment Agency Flood Levy team to deliver an alternative catchment-based solution to the problem. With funding from the Northumbria Regional Flood Defence Committee, the Environment Agency North East Local Levy team and Newcastle University have created a partnership to address the flood problem trailing soft engineered RAF’s at the catchment scale. The partnership project, “Belford proactive flood solutions” is testing novel techniques in reducing flood risk in small sub-catchments for the Environment Agency. The project provides the information needed to understand whether the multi-functional mitigation measures are working at the sub-catchment scale. Data suggest that the mitigation measures present have delayed the overall travel time of the flood peak in the catchment by 33%. The current maximum flood storage capacity of all the features stands at around 15,000 m3. The evidence also suggests that a dam like in-stream mitigation measure can significantly reduce sediment load. Other benefits of some mitigation features include large increase in the population of water voles over the past two years. The scheme also acts as a demonstration site for interested stakeholders where they can learn about this approach to flood risk management and see the multipurpose benefits. As the project has progressed and lessons have been learnt, it has been possible to develop a runoff management toolkit for implementing these mitigation measures in other catchments of similar size. Already, the local Environment Agency has utilised the tools and recently applied similar mitigation measures to other catchments. On-going modelling exercises in the project are using the data to explore the up-scaling of the features to larger catchments.

Piloting a real-time surface water flood nowcasting system for enhancing operational resilience of emergency responders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Dapeng; Guan, Mingfu; Wilby, Robert; Bruce, Wright; Szegner, Mark

2017-04-01

Emergency services (such as Fire & Rescue, and Ambulance) can face the challenging tasks of having to respond to or operate under extreme and fast changing weather conditions, including surface water flooding. UK-wide, return period based surface water flood risk mapping undertaken by the Environment Agency provides useful information about areas at risks. Although these maps are useful for planning purposes for emergency responders, their utility to operational response during flood emergencies can be limited. A street-level, high resolution, real-time, surface water flood nowcasting system, has been piloted in the City of Leicester, UK to assess emergency response resilience to surface water flooding. Precipitation nowcasting over 7- and 48-hour horizons are obtained from the UK Met Office and used as inputs to the system. A hydro-inundation model is used to simulate urban surface water flood depths/areas at both the city and basin scale, with a 20 m and 3 m spatial resolution respectively, and a 15-minute temporal resolution, 7-hour and 48-hour in advance. Based on this, we evaluate both the direct and indirect impacts of potential surface water flood events on emergency responses, including: (i) identifying vulnerable populations (e.g. care homes and schools) at risk; and (ii) generating novel metrics of accessibility (e.g. travel time from service stations to vulnerable sites; spatial coverage with certain legislative timeframes) in real-time. In doing so, real-time information on potential risks and impacts of emerging flood incidents arising from intense rainfall can be communicated via a dedicated web-based platform to emergency responders thereby improving response times and operational resilience.

Innovating Our Higher Education Models Based on Experience in UK and USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hong, Jun; Chen, Haifeng

2008-01-01

Our higher education need to innovate education models and actively connect every member in big social system, for example, enterprises, society and environment. This paper shows some new ideas on innovating educational development based on author's studying experience in UK and in USA.

Impact of the UK voluntary sodium reduction targets on the sodium content of processed foods from 2006 to 2011: analysis of household consumer panel data.

PubMed

Eyles, Helen; Webster, Jacqueline; Jebb, Susan; Capelin, Cathy; Neal, Bruce; Ni Mhurchu, Cliona

2013-11-01

In 2006 the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) introduced voluntary sodium reduction targets for more than 80 categories of processed food. Our aim was to determine the impact of these targets on the sodium content of processed foods in the UK between 2006 and 2011. Household consumer panel data (n>18,000 households) were used to calculate crude and sales-weighted mean sodium content for 47,337 products in 2006 and 49,714 products in 2011. Two sample t-tests were used to compare means. A secondary analysis was undertaken to explore reformulation efforts and included only products available for sale in both 2006 and 2011. Between 2006 and 2011 there was an overall mean reduction in crude sodium content of UK foods of -26 mg/100g (p ≤ 0.001), equivalent to a 7% fall (356 mg/100g to 330 mg/100g). The corresponding sales-weighted reduction was -21 mg/100g (-6%). For products available for sale in both years the corresponding reduction was -23 mg/100g (p<0.001) or -7%. The UK FSA voluntary targets delivered a moderate reduction in the mean sodium content of UK processed foods between 2006 and 2011. Whilst encouraging, regular monitoring and review of the UK sodium reduction strategy will be essential to ensure continued progress. © 2013.

Best practicable means (BPM) and as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP) in action at Sellafield.

PubMed

Morley, Bob

2004-03-01

Operators within the UK nuclear industry are required to employ 'best practicable means' (BPM) to control and minimise radioactive discharges. The requirement for the use of BPM is in order to ensure that doses from discharges are as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP). This facet is increasingly becoming the principal feature of discharge authorisations issued by the Environment Agencies under the Radioactive Substances Act, 1993 (RSA 93), which are enforceable by law. It is important to state at the outset, however, that scientific assessments to date indicate that there are no expectations of environmental harm from authorised discharges, even where those discharges have historically been up to two orders of magnitude higher than current levels. There is also no evidence to indicate that foreseeable future discharges from the Sellafield site will make any contribution to environmental harm.

New developments at the Flood Forecasting Centre: operational flood risk assessment and guidance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pilling, Charlie

2017-04-01

The Flood Forecasting Centre (FFC) is a partnership between the UK Met Office, the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales. The FFC was established in 2009 to provide an overview of flood risk across England and Wales and to provide flood guidance services primarily for the emergency response community. The FFC provides forecasts for all natural sources of flooding, these being fluvial, surface water, coastal and groundwater. This involves an assessment of possible hydrometeorological events and their impacts over the next five days. During times of heightened flood risk, the close communication between the FFC, the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales allows mobilization and deployment of staff and flood defences. Following a number of severe flood events during winters 2013-14 and 2015-16, coupled with a drive from the changing landscape in national incident response, there is a desire to identify flood events at even longer lead time. This earlier assessment and mobilization is becoming increasingly important and high profile within Government. For example, following the exceptional flooding across the north of England in December 2015 the Environment Agency have invested in 40 km of temporary barriers that will be moved around the country to help mitigate against the impacts of large flood events. Efficient and effective use of these barriers depends on identifying the broad regions at risk well in advance of the flood, as well as scaling the magnitude and duration of large events. Partly in response to this, the FFC now produce a flood risk assessment for a month ahead. In addition, since January 2017, the 'new generation' daily flood guidance statement includes an assessment of flood risk for the 6 to 10 day period. Examples of both these new products will be introduced, as will some of the new developments in science and technical capability that underpin these assessments. Examples include improvements to fluvial forecasting from 'fluvial decider', and downscaled hydrometeorological data that generates probabilistic river flows at 6 days lead time using the Delft-FEWS / Grid-to-Grid modelling system. Advances in coastal forecasting from surge and wave ensembles and also the longer range 'coastal decider' approach will also be presented.

Testing a model of research intention among U.K. clinical psychologists: a logistic regression analysis.

PubMed

Eke, Gemma; Holttum, Sue; Hayward, Mark

2012-03-01

Previous research highlights barriers to clinical psychologists conducting research, but has rarely examined U.K. clinical psychologists. The study investigated U.K. clinical psychologists' self-reported research output and tested part of a theoretical model of factors influencing their intention to conduct research. Questionnaires were mailed to 1,300 U.K. clinical psychologists. Three hundred and seventy-four questionnaires were returned (29% response-rate). This study replicated in a U.K. sample the finding that the modal number of publications was zero, highlighted in a number of U.K. and U.S. studies. Research intention was bimodally distributed, and logistic regression classified 78% of cases successfully. Outcome expectations, perceived behavioral control and normative beliefs mediated between research training environment and intention. Further research should explore how research is negotiated in clinical roles, and this issue should be incorporated into prequalification training. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Applications Where Snap is BPM for Radioactive Waste Assay

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miller, T.J.

2008-07-01

Historically, the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) at Aldermaston in the United Kingdom (UK), has used a variety of assay techniques to measure the radioactive content of a diverse range of waste packages from decommissioning, operational and legacy sources. The regulator, the Environment Agency in the UK, places conditions and limits on AWE through an authorisation within the Radioactive Substances Act (RSA93). The conditions and limits require Best Practical Means (BPM) measurements to be used to demonstrate compliance with the authorisation. Hence, the assay technique employed needs to achieve a balance between risk of exposure, environmental considerations, technological considerations, health andmore » safety considerations and cost effectiveness, without being grossly disproportionate in terms of money, time or trouble. Recently published work has concluded that the Spectral Non-destructive Assay Platform (SNAP) assay system is BPM for Depleted Uranium (DU) waste assay at AWE (1) and low level plutonium in soft drummed waste, HEPA filters and soils (2-4). The purpose of this paper is to highlight other applications where SNAP represents BPM for radioactive waste assay. This has been done by intercomparison studies of SNAP with other assay techniques, such as Segmented Gamma Scanner (SGS) and Passive Neutron Coincidence Counter (PNCC). It has been concluded that, for a large range of waste packages encountered at AWE, SNAP is BPM. (author)« less

Paths towards Family‐friendly Working Time Arrangements: Comparing Workplaces in Different Countries and Industries

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Abstract Although studies have examined the distribution and conditions of employer‐provided work–family arrangements, we still lack a systematic investigation of how these vary for different countries and industries. Based on the European Working Conditions Survey 2010, this study examines the conditions under which firms provide family‐friendly working time arrangements and what the differences are across four countries (Austria, Denmark, Italy and the UK) and four industries. The impact of employee representatives, employee involvement, manager support and female managers varies across countries and industries because of the institutional environment (prevailing family model, industrial relations) and workforce composition (gender). The impact of employee representatives depends on their co‐determination rights, and the direction of their effect on the prevailing family model (e.g. negative in conservative countries such as Austria) and the gender composition of the workforce (negative in male‐dominated production, but positive in services). Employee involvement in the work organization is significantly positive in Austria and Denmark (both with co‐operative industrial relations), while manager support has the strongest effect in the UK (liberal regime). At the industry level, female supervisors are positively associated with family‐friendly working time arrangements only in the male‐dominated production industry. These findings suggest that the effects of agency variables and their direction vary depending on the institutional context. PMID:29242672

Integrated Payload Data Handling Systems Using Software Partitioning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, Alun; Hann, Mark; Wishart, Alex

2015-09-01

An integrated Payload Data Handling System (I-PDHS) is one in which multiple instruments share a central payload processor for their on-board data processing tasks. This offers a number of advantages over the conventional decentralised architecture. Savings in payload mass and power can be realised because the total processing resource is matched to the requirements, as opposed to the decentralised architecture here the processing resource is in effect the sum of all the applications. Overall development cost can be reduced using a common processor. At individual instrument level the potential benefits include a standardised application development environment, and the opportunity to run the instrument data handling application on a fully redundant and more powerful processing platform [1]. This paper describes a joint program by SCISYS UK Limited, Airbus Defence and Space, Imperial College London and RAL Space to implement a realistic demonstration of an I-PDHS using engineering models of flight instruments (a magnetometer and camera) and a laboratory demonstrator of a central payload processor which is functionally representative of a flight design. The objective is to raise the Technology Readiness Level of the centralised data processing technique by address the key areas of task partitioning to prevent fault propagation and the use of a common development process for the instrument applications. The project is supported by a UK Space Agency grant awarded under the National Space Technology Program SpaceCITI scheme. [1].

Environmental health impacts: occurrence, exposure and significance, Lancaster University, UK, 9-10 September 2003.

PubMed

Martin, Francis L; Semple, Kirk T

2004-09-01

Speakers: John Ashby (Syngenta CTL, UK), Peter A. Behnisch (Eurofins GfA, Germany), Paul L. Carmichael (Unilever Colworth, UK), Curtis C.Harris (National Cancer Institute, USA), Kevin C. Jones (Lancaster University, UK), Andreas Kortenkamp (School of Pharmacy, London, UK), Caroline J. Langdon (Reading University, UK), Anthony M. Lynch (GlaxoSmithKline, UK), Francis L. Martin (Lancaster University, UK), Trevor J. McMillan (Lancaster University, UK), David H. Phillips (Institute of Cancer Research, UK), Huw J. Ricketts (University of Cardiff, UK), Michael N. Routledge (University of Leeds, UK), J. Thomas Sanderson (Utrecht University, The Netherlands) and Kirk T. Semple (Lancaster University, UK) The effects of many environmental exposures to either single contaminants or to mixtures still remain to be properly assessed in ecotoxicological and human toxicological settings. Such assessments need to be carried out using relevant biological assays. On a mechanistic basis, future studies need to be able to extrapolate exposure to disease risk. It is envisaged that such an approach would lead to the development of appropriate strategies to either reduce exposures or to initiate preventative measures in susceptible individuals or populations. To mark the opening of a new Institute, the Lancaster Environmental Centre, an environmental health workshop was held over 2 days (9-10 September 2003) at Lancaster University, UK. The fate, behaviour and movement of chemicals in the environment, together with environmental exposures and human health, biomarkers of such exposures, hormone-like compounds and appropriate genetic toxicology methodologies, were discussed.

Engaging Children: Research Issues around Participation and Environmental Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hacking, Elisabeth Barratt; Barratt, Robert; Scott, William

2007-01-01

In this article we explore a number of issues arising from the papers in this special issue of "Environmental Education Research." The papers focus on current examples of childhood environment research in the UK together with research reviews from the UK, the US and Australia. In order to provide a framework for considering and…

Creating Cultures of Integrity: Ethics Education in UK Business Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, Emma; Caulfield, Paul; Hibbert, Paul; Jennings, Paul

2014-01-01

Recent corporate scandals and responses by regulators have created an environment in which there is a heightened awareness of business ethics. This report presents a series of case studies exploring how the current curricula in UK business schools could be scoped differently to give new business leaders the tools required for strong ethical…

Day One Sustainability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orr, John; Ibell, Timothy; Evernden, Mark; Darby, Antony

2015-01-01

Emissions reductions targets for the UK set out in the Climate Change Act for the period to 2050 will only be achieved with significant changes to the built environment, which is currently estimated to account for 50% of the UK's carbon emissions. The socio-technological nature of Civil Engineering means that this field is uniquely placed to lead…

Creativity in Business/Business in Creativity: Transdisciplinary Curricula as an Enabling Strategy in Enterprise Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Penaluna, Andrew; Penaluna, Kathryn

2009-01-01

Recent guidance for UK government policy makers has warned that HEIs face an uncertain future and has advocated transdisciplinary curricula. Earlier, in 2005, two other UK government papers highlighted the advantages of integrating design-related strategies into business environments and addressed the impact creativity could have on business…

Prioritisation of veterinary medicines in the UK environment.

PubMed

Boxall, Alistair B A; Fogg, Lindsay A; Kay, Paul; Blackwel, Paul A; Pemberton, Emma J; Croxford, Andy

2003-05-15

A wide range of veterinary medicines is used to treat animals in the UK. Whilst the environmental impact of selected substances (particulary the sheep dip chemicals, anthelmintics and fish farm chemicals) has been well studied, limited information is available in the public domain on the other groups of substances (e.g. antifungals, coccidiostats, antiprotozoals, hormones and growth promoters). There is therefore a need to identify other substances that may impact the environment in order to design national monitoring programmes, target experimental work and develop pollution prevention methodologies. In this study, a simple two-stage prioritisation scheme was developed and applied to veterinary medicines in use in the UK. In the first stage, those substances that have high potential to enter the environment in significant amounts were identified on the basis of amounts used in the UK, treatment type and metabolism. In stage 2, the hazard of the identified substances to terrestrial and aquatic organisms was assessed. Using the approach, a total of 56 substances or groups were assigned to a 'high priority' category. For eleven of these substances, sufficient data were available to characterise their risk, these were: oxytetracycline, chlortetracycline, tetracycline, sulphadiazine, amoxicillin, diazinon, tylosin, dihydrostreptomycin, apramycin, cypermethrin and sarafloxicin. For the remaining 45 substances, full datasets were not available and it is recommended that in the first instance, attempts are made to fill these data gaps.

A disorder of anger and aggression: Children’s perspectives on attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the UK

PubMed Central

Singh, Ilina

2011-01-01

This article investigates the social and moral dimensions of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnosis, asking what ADHD means in UK children’s everyday lives, and what children do with this diagnosis. Drawing on interviews with over 150 children, the analysis examines the influence of a UK state school-based culture of aggression on the form and intensity of diagnosed children’s difficulties with behavioral self-control. Diagnosed children’s mobilization of ADHD behaviors and their exploitation of the diagnosis shows how children’s active moral agency can support and compromise cognitive, behavioral and social resilience. The findings support a proposal for a complex sociological model of ADHD diagnosis and demonstrate the relevance of this model for national policy initiatives related to mental health and wellbeing in children. PMID:21684645

A disorder of anger and aggression: children's perspectives on attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the UK.

PubMed

Singh, Ilina

2011-09-01

This article investigates the social and moral dimensions of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnosis, asking what ADHD means in UK children's everyday lives, and what children do with this diagnosis. Drawing on interviews with over 150 children, the analysis examines the influence of a UK state school-based culture of aggression on the form and intensity of diagnosed children's difficulties with behavioral self-control. Diagnosed children's mobilization of ADHD behaviors and their exploitation of the diagnosis shows how children's active moral agency can support and compromise cognitive, behavioral and social resilience. The findings support a proposal for a complex sociological model of ADHD diagnosis and demonstrate the relevance of this model for national policy initiatives related to mental health and wellbeing in children. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Home health agency work environments and hospitalizations.

PubMed

Jarrín, Olga; Flynn, Linda; Lake, Eileen T; Aiken, Linda H

2014-10-01

An important goal of home health care is to assist patients to remain in community living arrangements. Yet home care often fails to prevent hospitalizations and to facilitate discharges to community living, thus putting patients at risk of additional health challenges and increasing care costs. To determine the relationship between home health agency work environments and agency-level rates of acute hospitalization and discharges to community living. Analysis of linked Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Home Health Compare data and nurse survey data from 118 home health agencies. Robust regression models were used to estimate the effect of work environment ratings on between-agency variation in rates of acute hospitalization and community discharge. Home health agencies with good work environments had lower rates of acute hospitalizations and higher rates of patient discharges to community living arrangements compared with home health agencies with poor work environments. Improved work environments in home health agencies hold promise for optimizing patient outcomes and reducing use of expensive hospital and institutional care.

UK Announces Intention to Join ESO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2000-11-01

Summary The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) , the UK's strategic science investment agency, today announced that the government of the United Kingdom is making funds available that provide a baseline for this country to join the European Southern Observatory (ESO) . The ESO Director General, Dr. Catherine Cesarsky , and the ESO Community warmly welcome this move towards fuller integration in European astronomy. "With the UK as a potential member country of ESO, our joint opportunities for front-line research and technology will grow significantly", she said. "This announcement is a clear sign of confidence in ESO's abilities, most recently demonstrated with the construction and operation of the unique Very Large Telescope (VLT) on Paranal. Together we will look forward with confidence towards new, exciting projects in ground-based astronomy." It was decided earlier this year to place the 4-m UK Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope (VISTA) at Paranal, cf. ESO Press Release 03/00. Following negotiations between ESO and PPARC, a detailed proposal for the associated UK/ESO Agreement with the various entry modalities will now be presented to the ESO Council for approval. Before this Agreement can enter into force, the ESO Convention and associated protocols must also be ratified by the UK Parliament. Research and key technologies According to the PPARC press release, increased funding for science, announced by the UK government today, will enable UK astronomers to prepare for the next generation of telescopes and expand their current telescope portfolio through membership of the European Southern Observatory (ESO). The uplift to its baseline budget will enable PPARC to enter into final negotiations for UK membership of the ESO. This will ensure that UK astronomers, together with their colleagues in the ESO member states, are actively involved in global scale preparations for the next generation of astronomy facilities. among these are ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter Array) in Chile and the very large optical/infrared telescopes now undergoing conceptual studies. ESO membership will give UK astronomers access to the suite of four world-class 8.2-meter VLT Unit Telescopes at the Paranal Observatory (Chile), as well as other state-of-the-art facilities at ESO's other observatory at La Silla. Through PPARC the UK already participates in joint collaborative European science programmes such as CERN and the European Space Agency (ESA), which have already proved their value on the world scale. Joining ESO will consolidate this policy, strengthen ESO and enhance the future vigour of European astronomy. Statements Commenting on the funding announcement, Prof. Ian Halliday , PPARC's CEO, said that " this new funding will ensure our physicists and astronomers remain at the forefront of international research - leading in discoveries that push back the frontiers of knowledge - and the UK economy will also benefit through the provision of highly trained people and the resulting advances in IT and commercial spin-offs ". Prof. Mike Edmunds , UCW Cardiff, and Chairman of the UK Astronomy Review Panel which recently set out a programme of opportunities and priorities for the next 10 - 20 years added that " this is excellent news for UK science and lays the foundation for cutting edge research over the next ten years. British astronomers will be delighted by the Government's rapid and positive response to their case. " Speaking on behalf of the ESO Organisation and the community of more than 2500 astronomers in the ESO member states [2], the ESO Director General, Dr. Catherine Cesarsky , declared: "When ESO was created in 1962, the UK decided not to join, because of access to other facilities in the Southern Hemisphere. But now ESO has developed into one of the world's main astronomical organisations, with top technology and operating the VLT at Paranal, the largest and most efficient optical/infrared telescope facility in the world. We look forward to receiving our UK colleagues in our midst and work together on the realization of future cutting-edge projects." Joining ESO was considered a top priority for UK astronomy following a community report to the UK Long Term Science Review, which set out a programme of opportunities and priorities for PPARC science over the next 10 to 20 years. The report is available on the web at URL: www.pparc.ac.uk/ltsr.

Towards a catchment-scale macro-ecological model to support integrated catchment management in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lerner, R. N.; Lerner, D. N.; Surridge, B.; Paetzold, A.; Harris, B.; Anderson, C. W.

2005-12-01

In Europe, the Water Framework Directive (WFD) is providing a powerful regulatory driver to adopt integrated catchment management, and so pressurizing researchers to build suitable supporting tools. The WFD requires agencies to drive towards `good ecological quality' by 2015. After the initial step of characterising water bodies and the pressures on them, the next substantive step is the preparation of river basin management plans and proposed programmes of measures by 2009. Ecological quality is a complex concept and poorly defined, unless it is taken as a simple measure such as the abundance of a particular species of organism. There is clearly substantial work to do to build a practical but sound definition of ecological quality; practical in the sense of being easy to measure and explain to stakeholders, and sound in the sense that it reflects ecological complexity within catchments, the variability between catchments, and the conflicts demands for goods and services that human society places upon the ecological system. However ecological quality is defined, it will be driven by four interacting groups of factors. These represent the physical, chemical, ecological and socio-economic environments within and encompassing the catchment. Some of these groupings are better understood than others, for example hydrological processes and the transport of solutes are reasonably understood, even though they remain research areas in their own right. There are much larger gaps in our understanding at the interfaces, i.e. predicting how, for example, hydrological processes such as flow and river morphology influence ecological quality. Overall, it is clear we are not yet in a position to build deterministic models of the overall ecological behaviour of catchment. But we need predictive tools to support catchment management agencies in preparing robust plans. This poster describes our current exploration of soft modelling options to build a comprehensive macro-ecological model of UK catchments. This is taking place within the Catchment Science Centre, a joint venture between the University of Sheffield and the Environment Agency.

Framed by Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loke, Swee-Kin

2013-01-01

Academic developers in New Zealand, including many specialising in educational technology, have recently been asked to demonstrate their value to the Tertiary Education Commission in view of a new funding model (Prebble, 2011). Cost-cutting measures in other countries, including the 2010 closure of UK's agency for information and communication…

Understanding fine sediment and phosphorous delivery in upland catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perks, M. T.; Reaney, S. M.

2013-12-01

The uplands of UK are heavily impacted by land management including; farming and forestry operations, moorland burning, peat extraction, metal mining, artificial drainage and channelisation. It has been demonstrated that such land management activity may modify hillslope processes, resulting in enhanced runoff generation and changing the spatial distribution and magnitude of erosion. Resultantly, few upland river systems of the UK are operating in a natural state, with land management activity often resulting in increased fluxes of suspended sediment (< 2 mm) and associated pollutants (such as phosphorous). Most recent Environment Agency (EA) data reveals that 60% of monitored water bodies within upland areas of the UK are currently at risk of failing the Water Framework Directive (WFD) due to poor ecological status. In order to prevent the continual degradation of many upland catchments, riverine systems and their diverse ecosystems, a range of measures to control diffuse pollution will need to be implemented. Future mitigation options and measures in the UK may be tested and targeted through the EA's catchment pilot scheme; DEFRA's Demonstration Test Catchment (DTC) programmes and through the catchment restoration fund. However, restoring the physical and biological processes of past conditions in inherently sensitive upland environments is extremely challenging requiring the development of a solid evidence base to determine the effectiveness of resource allocation and to enable reliable and transparent decisions to be made about future catchment operations. Such evidence is rarely collected, with post-implementation assessments often neglected. This paper presents research conducted in the Morland sub-catchment of the River Eden within Cumbria; UK. 80% of this headwater catchment is in upland areas and is dominated by improved grassland and rough grazing. The catchment is heavily instrumented with a range of hydro-meteorological equipment. A high-tech monitoring station at the 12.5 km2 outlet provides flow, turbidity, total phosphorous (TP), total reactive phosphorous (TRP), conductivity, temperature and pH measurements at 15-minute intervals. Within this catchment, two additional monitoring stations along adjacent tributaries with catchment areas of 2.3 km2 and 3.8 km2 provide continuous flow and turbidity data with soluble reactive phosphorous and TP collected during storms. Collection and analysis of this data over two full hydrological years has proved effective in; a) producing load estimates; b) producing better assessments of the magnitude and duration of aquatic organisms exposure to detrimental levels of suspended sediment and phosphorous; c) exploring the processes responsible for the delivery and transfer of fine sediment and phosphorous to and from the channel and; d) enhancing our understanding and prediction of the fluvial sediment system. The process understanding achieved using this monitoring framework has facilitated the production of a mitigation plan for the Morland catchment. Following this plan, a range of measures are currently being implemented to reduce the movement of diffuse pollutants across the hillslopes and channels whilst in-stream monitoring continues. The adopted mitigation measures may act as a trial for other upland catchments facing similar pressures.

Satellite missions, global environment, and the concept of a global satellite observation information network. The role of the committee on Earth observation satellites (CEOS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, D. Brent; Williams, David F.; Fujita, Akihiro

The paper traces the development of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) since its November 1990 Plenary: its restructuring to include major intergovernmental user and international scientific organizational affiliates; its focus on data sharing issues and completion of a CEOS resolution guaranteeing global change researchers access to satellite data at the cost of filling a user request; unfolding of a CEOS-associated initiative of the UK Prime Minister reporting to UNCED delegations on the relevance of satellite missions to the study of the global environment; development of a "Dossier" providing detailed information on all CEOS agency satellite missions, including sensor specifications, ground systems, standard data products, and other information relevant to users; creation of a permanent CEOS Secretariat; and efforts currently underway to assess the feasibility of a global satellite observation information network. Of particular relevance to developing countries, the paper will discuss CEOS efforts to assure broad user access and to foster acceptance of applications in such important areas as disaster monitoring and mitigation, land cover change, weather forecasting, and long-term climate modeling.

Anthropogenic greenhouse gas contribution to UK autumn flood risk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pall, Pardeep; Aina, Tolu; Stone, Dáithí; Stott, Peter; Nozawa, Toru; Hilberts, Arno; Lohmann, Dag; Allen, Myles

2010-05-01

Interest in attributing the risk of damaging weather-related events to anthropogenic climate change is increasing[1]. Yet climate models typically used for studying the attribution problem do not resolve weather at scales causing damage[2]. Here we present the first multi-step study that attributes increasing risk of a damaging regional weather-related event to global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. The event was the UK flooding of October and November 2000, occurring during the wettest autumn in England & Wales since records began in 1766[3] and inundating several river catchments[4]. Nearly 10,000 properties were flooded and transport services and power supplies severely disrupted, with insured losses estimated at £1.3bn[5,6]. Though the floods were deemed a ‘wake up call' to the impacts of climate change[7], anthropogenic drivers cannot be blamed for this individual event: but they could be blamed for changing its risk[8,9]. Indeed, typically quoted thermodynamic arguments do suggest increased probability of precipitation extremes under anthropogenic warming[10]. But these arguments are too simple[11,12,13] to fully account for the complex weather[4,14] associated with the flooding. Instead we use a Probabilistic Event Attribution framework, to rigorously estimate the contribution of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions to England & Wales Autumn 2000 flood risk. This involves comparing an unprecedented number of daily river runoff realisations for the region, under Autumn 2000 scenarios both with and without the emissions. These realisations are produced using publicly volunteered distributed computing power to generate several thousand seasonal forecast resolution climate model simulations[15,16] that are then fed into a precipitation-runoff model[17,18]. Autumn 2000 flooding is characterised by realisations exceeding the highest daily river runoff for that period, derived from the observational-based ERA-40 re-anaylsis[19]. We find that our climate model adequately represents autumn synoptic conditions, and that our precipitation-runoff model adequately represents England & Wales runoff variability. Moreover, our model results indicate 20th century anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions significantly (at the 10% level) increased England & Wales flood risk in Autumn 2000 and most probably about trebled it. This pilot demonstration of the Probabilistic Event Attribution framework forms the foundation for an ongoing long-term project to provide operational attribution statements for extreme weather-related events worldwide. References: -------------- 1. Hegerl, G.C. et al. Understanding and attributing climate change. In Climate change 2007: The physical science basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [eds Solomon, S. et al.] (Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA) (2007). 2. Stott, P.A. et al. Detection and attribution of climate change: a regional perspective. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, submitted. 3. Alexander, L.V. & Jones, P.D. Updated precipitation series for the U.K. and discussion of recent extremes. Atmos. Sci. Lett. 1, 142-150 (2001). 4. Marsh, T.J. & Dale, M. The UK floods of 2000-2001 : A hydrometeorological appraisal. J. Chartered Inst. Water Environ. Manage. 16, 180-188 (2002). 5. Association of British Insurers. Flooding: A partnership approach to protecting people. http://www.abi.org.uk/Display/File/301/Flooding_-_A_Partnership_Approach_to_Protecting_People.doc (2001). 6. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. To what degree can the October/November 2000 flood events be attributed to climate change? DEFRA FD2304 Final Report, London, 36 pp. (2001). 7. Environment Agency. Lessons learned: Autumn 2000 floods. Environment Agency, Bristol, 56 pp. (2001). 8. Allen, M.R. Liability for climate change. Nature 421, 891-892 (2003). 9. Stone, D.A. & Allen, M.R. The end-to-end attribution problem: From emissions to impacts. Climatic Change 71, 303-318 (2005). 10. Allen, M.R. & Ingram, W.I. Constraints on future changes in climate and the hydrologic cycle. Nature 419, 224-232 (2002). 11. Pall, P., Allen, M.R. & Stone, D.A. Testing the Clausius-Clapeyron constraint on changes in extreme precipitation under CO2 warming. Clim. Dyn. 28, 351-363 (2007). 12. Lenderink, G. & Van Meijgaard, E. Increase in hourly precipitation extremes beyond expectations from temperature changes. Nature Geosci. 1, 511-514 (2008). 13. O'Gorman, P.A. & Schneider, T. The physical basis for increases in precipitation extremes in simulations of 21st-century climate change. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 106, 14773-14777 (2009). 14. Blackburn, M. & Hoskins, B.J. Atmospheric variability and extreme autumn rainfall in the UK. http://www.met.rdg.ac.uk/~mike/autumn2000.html (2001). 15. Allen, M.R. Do-it-yourself climate prediction. Nature 401, 642 (1999). 16. Massey, N. et al. Data access and analysis with distributed federated data servers in climateprediction.net. Adv. Geosci. 8, 49-56 (2006). 17. Lohmann, D., Raschke, E., Nijssen, B. & Lettenmaier, D.P. Regional scale hydrology: I. Formulation of the VIC-2L model coupled to a routing model. Hydrol. Sci. J. 43, 131-141 (1998). 18. Lohmann, D., Raschke, E., Nijssen, B. & Lettenmaier, D.P. Regional scale hydrology: II. Application of the VIC-2L model to the Weser river, Germany. Hydrol. Sci. J. 43, 143-158 (1998). 19. Uppala, S.M. et al. The ERA-40 re-analysis. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc. 131, 2961-3012 (2005).

Top Cyber: Developing the Top One Percent to Defeat the Advanced Persistent Threat

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-02-13

Critical Infrastructure.” V3-CO-UK, 7 May 2013. http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2266397/us- government-chinese- hackers -have-the-skills-to-take-down...it is a source of great risk; and, for hackers , it is the super-highway to a target-rich environment. For the U.S. Government (USG), cyberspace is...worldwide. Ultimately, for all its benefits, the Internet presents an “Achilles’ Heel” in the defense of the nation’s Critical Infrastructure and Key

Soundscape in the sustainable living environment: A cross-cultural comparison between the UK and Taiwan.

PubMed

Yu, Chia-Jen; Kang, Jian

2014-06-01

This study examines the effects of cultural factors on the evaluation of acoustic quality of residential areas, within the context of general environmental conditions. A comparative study was carried out between the UK and Taiwan, through questionnaire surveys at three stages, namely in selected residential areas, with respondents in their place of work/study, and using a web-based survey, respectively. This study reveals the importance of considering cultural factors, as well as their living experiences. This is reflected by the significant differences between the two cultures in a number of aspects, including choosing and evaluating living environment, noise noticeability, annoyance and sleep disturbance, activities, and sound preference. It is interesting to note the factor 'quiet' is an important consideration compared to other factors, in both the UK and Taiwan. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rethinking the "Third Mission": UK Universities and Regional Engagement in Challenging Times

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lebeau, Yann; Cochrane, Allan

2015-01-01

Drawing on the experiences and statements of two universities, this article sets out to relate current trends and discourses of engagement of UK higher education (HE) institutions with their regional environment in the context of major policy shifts in HE and in regional governance. The "third mission" is considered as an aspect of what…

"Strategic Repositioning of Institutional Frameworks": Balancing Competing Demands within the Modular UK Higher Education Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turnbull, Wayne; Burton, Diana; Mullins, Pat

2008-01-01

The UK higher education sector is grounded in an academic culture protective of its autonomy in the exercise of academic judgement within a flexible and internally validated tradition. However, the socio-political demands placed upon this sector articulate an outcomes-based, transparent and consistent model of higher education provision, as…

A Case Study of Japanese Language Teaching in a Multicultural Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winch, Junko

2016-01-01

An increasing number of international students, whose teaching and learning practices are very different from that of the UK, is studying in the U.K. This study poses the question of whether Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is the most optimum language teaching approach in today's multicultural society regardless of cultural differences. The…

Implications of Recent Legislation and Strategy Developments in UK - Impact on regulation of radioactive waste management at nuclear installations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Griffiths, J.S.; Rutherford, J.; Boydon, F.M.D.

2007-07-01

Recently a number of factors are having a significant impact on the environment within which the UK nuclear industry operates. This presents a challenge for regulators and how they ensure delivery of proportionate regulation. The traditional organisations that made up the nuclear operators/ licensees that Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has regulated for over 30 years have changed radically with new company structures still being developed leading to the increased nuclear industry fragmentation. HSE already has some regulatory experience in this area but the pace of change is increasing as a result of competition for contracts to operate UK sitesmore » or facilities. This has already resulted in HSE undertaking a significant programme of work to regulate the re-licensing of such sites to new organisations. In response to this more dynamic environment we are examining our approach to regulation plus the safety assessment standards that need to be adopted within this changing environment. This paper will outline recent examples of how HSE has adapted its regulatory approach to specific case studies, along with discussion of how it intends to apply standards at a national and international level to illustrate the challenges that are faced in a changing operating environment. (authors)« less

Developing Movement as Inclusive Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peter, Melanie; Walter, Ofra

2010-01-01

This article details the emergence of a training framework to support professional development in inclusive Movement teaching. This arose from a collaborative research project in spring 2008 (supported by the Training and Development Agency, UK), between two universities in England and Israel. Movement education is surprisingly underused globally,…

Home Health Agency Work Environments and Hospitalizations

PubMed Central

Flynn, Linda; Lake, Eileen T.; Aiken, Linda H.

2014-01-01

Background: An important goal of home health care is to assist patients to remain in community living arrangements. Yet home care often fails to prevent hospitalizations and to facilitate discharges to community living, thus putting patients at risk of additional health challenges and increasing care costs. Objectives: To determine the relationship between home health agency work environments and agency-level rates of acute hospitalization and discharges to community living. Methods and Design: Analysis of linked Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Home Health Compare data and nurse survey data from 118 home health agencies. Robust regression models were used to estimate the effect of work environment ratings on between-agency variation in rates of acute hospitalization and community discharge. Results: Home health agencies with good work environments had lower rates of acute hospitalizations and higher rates of patient discharges to community living arrangements compared with home health agencies with poor work environments. Conclusion: Improved work environments in home health agencies hold promise for optimizing patient outcomes and reducing use of expensive hospital and institutional care. PMID:25215647

76 FR 28801 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Automated Commercial Environment Trade Survey

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-18

... Activities: Automated Commercial Environment Trade Survey AGENCY: U.S. Customs and Border Protection... Environment Trade Survey. This document is published to obtain comments from the public and affected agencies... Environment Trade Survey. OMB Number: Will be assigned upon approval. Form Number: None. Abstract: CBP plans...

The STARLINK software collection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penny, A. J.; Wallace, P. T.; Sherman, J. C.; Terret, D. L.

1993-12-01

A demonstration will be given of some recent Starlink software. STARLINK is: a network of computers used by UK astronomers; a collection of programs for the calibration and analysis of astronomical data; a team of people giving hardware, software and administrative support. The Starlink Project has been in operation since 1980 to provide UK astronomers with interactive image processing and data reduction facilities. There are now Starlink computer systems at 25 UK locations, serving about 1500 registered users. The Starlink software collection now has about 25 major packages covering a wide range of astronomical data reduction and analysis techniques, as well as many smaller programs and utilities. At the core of most of the packages is a common `software environment', which provides many of the functions which applications need and offers standardized methods of structuring and accessing data. The software environment simplifies programming and support, and makes it easy to use different packages for different stages of the data reduction. Users see a consistent style, and can mix applications without hitting problems of differing data formats. The Project group coordinates the writing and distribution of this software collection, which is Unix based. Outside the UK, Starlink is used at a large number of places, which range from installations at major UK telescopes, which are Starlink-compatible and managed like Starlink sites, to individuals who run only small parts of the Starlink software collection.

Students' Perceptions of Computer-Based Learning Environments, Their Attitude towards Business Statistics, and Their Academic Achievement: Implications from a UK University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nguyen, ThuyUyen H.; Charity, Ian; Robson, Andrew

2016-01-01

This study investigates students' perceptions of computer-based learning environments, their attitude towards business statistics, and their academic achievement in higher education. Guided by learning environments concepts and attitudinal theory, a theoretical model was proposed with two instruments, one for measuring the learning environment and…

Regulatory accountability: Telecommunications and electricity agencies in the United Kingdom, France and Sweden

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rubinstein, Dorit

2007-12-01

This dissertation examines how administrative agencies deal with multiple and conflicting accountability pressures. Drawing on an empirical study of six agencies, the telecommunications and electricity regulators of the UK, France and Sweden, it describes how the agencies legitimized their behavior in relation to three major issues, network pricing, universal service and retail competition. I find that agencies use different forms of accountability in different circumstances, and suggest a classification of accountability strategies along two dimensions: internalizing v. externalizing authority, and the breadth of the target audience. What explains variations along these dimensions is the task characteristics of the issue an agency is dealing with, and specifically, its informational aspects and the degree of political controversy associated with it. The more an issue requires expertise, the more an agency will seek to rely on its professional judgment. The more an issue can be addressed only in terms of the values surrounding it, the more an agency will seek to externalize authority and defer to other actors. Also, the more politically controversial an issue, the broader the target audience before whom an agency will try to justify itself.

40 CFR 1508.16 - Lead agency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 34 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Lead agency. 1508.16 Section 1508.16 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY TERMINOLOGY AND INDEX § 1508.16 Lead agency. Lead agency means the agency or agencies preparing or having taken primary responsibility for preparing the...

40 CFR 1508.16 - Lead agency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 33 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Lead agency. 1508.16 Section 1508.16 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY TERMINOLOGY AND INDEX § 1508.16 Lead agency. Lead agency means the agency or agencies preparing or having taken primary responsibility for preparing the...

40 CFR 1508.16 - Lead agency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 33 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Lead agency. 1508.16 Section 1508.16 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY TERMINOLOGY AND INDEX § 1508.16 Lead agency. Lead agency means the agency or agencies preparing or having taken primary responsibility for preparing the...

40 CFR 1508.16 - Lead agency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 34 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Lead agency. 1508.16 Section 1508.16 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY TERMINOLOGY AND INDEX § 1508.16 Lead agency. Lead agency means the agency or agencies preparing or having taken primary responsibility for preparing the...

40 CFR 1508.16 - Lead agency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Lead agency. 1508.16 Section 1508.16 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY TERMINOLOGY AND INDEX § 1508.16 Lead agency. Lead agency means the agency or agencies preparing or having taken primary responsibility for preparing the...

"Have I Got Science News for You?": Science Coverage by UK National Newspapers--An Update

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Chris; Hyden, Fiona

2013-01-01

As part of the "scientific literacy" debate, a survey of the balance of science stories in the media was undertaken by reviewing UK newspapers late in 2011. The survey found a preponderance of health/medical stories (50%+) and many stories relating to environment/ecology. The percentage of other biology stories and of stories related to…

Adapting Business Models in a Changing Environment. Recession to Recovery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Universities UK, 2010

2010-01-01

This report presents an analysis of the diversity of income streams in UK higher education institutions (HEIs) at a time when the sector is facing considerable uncertainty. The research was conducted over a six-week period from March to April 2010 and, as such, it predated the establishment of the new Coalition Government in the UK. In the period…

The Impediments to the Change to UK University Accounting Education, a Comparison to the USA Pathways Commission

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellington, Peter

2017-01-01

There is much debate in the literature concerning the changes necessary for university accounting education to meet the needs of the business environment and broader society. In the USA the Pathways Commission has responded by implementing a programme of evaluation and improvement. In the UK there is no formal agenda for change. This paper…

The Recruitment Agent in Internationalized Higher Education: Commercial Broker and Cultural Mediator

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson-Pant, Anna; Magyar, Anna

2018-01-01

The internationalization and marketization of higher education has resulted in U.K. universities' increasing reliance on recruitment agents to boost international student numbers. This places agents and agencies in a position of considerable influence with regard to the educational choices that students make. These institutional and individual…

Advancing the Understanding of Environmental Transformations, Bioavailability and Effects of Nanomaterials; an International US Environmental Protection Agency-UK Environmental Nanoscience Initiative Joint Program

EPA Science Inventory

Nanotechnology has significant economic, health, and environmental benefits, including renewable energy and innovative environmental solutions. Manufactured nanoparticles have been incorporated into new materials and products because of their novel or enhanced properties. These v...

From Competence to Excellence: Developing Excellence in Vocational Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smeaton, Barry; Hughes, Maria; Hall, Graeme

The United Kingdom's Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA), UK SKILLS, and the Further Education Skills Competition Council conducted a collaborative action research project to improve students' vocational learning and skills through enhanced learning experiences. From February 2001 to April 2002, three further education colleges worked to…

Funding bombshell hits UK physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banks, Michael; Durrani, Matin

2008-01-01

Physicists and astronomers in the UK are coming to terms with a massive funding crisis that engulfed one of the country's main funding agencies last month. As a result of an £80m black hole in the budget of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), it has decided to stop funding research into the International Linear Collider (ILC), withdraw from the Gemini telescopes in Hawaii and Chile, and cease all support for high-energy gamma-ray astronomy and ground-based solar-terrestrial physics. Research grants in particle physics and astronomy could also be cut by up to 25%, which may lead to job losses at university departments.

Comparative benefit of malaria chemoprophylaxis modelled in United Kingdom travellers.

PubMed

Toovey, Stephen; Nieforth, Keith; Smith, Patrick; Schlagenhauf, Patricia; Adamcova, Miriam; Tatt, Iain; Tomianovic, Danitza; Schnetzler, Gabriel

2014-01-01

Chemoprophylaxis against falciparum malaria is recommended for travellers from non-endemic countries to malarious destinations, but debate continues on benefit, especially with regard to mefloquine. Quantification of benefit for travellers from the United Kingdom (UK) was modelled to assist clinical and public health decision making. The model was constructed utilising: World Tourism Organization data showing total number of arrivals from the UK in countries with moderate or high malaria risk; data from a retrospective UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) drug utilisation study; additional information on chemoprophylaxis, case fatality and tolerability were derived from the travel medicine literature. Chemoprophylaxis with the following agents was considered: atovaquone-proguanil (AP), chloroquine with and without proguanil (C ± P), doxycycline (Dx), mefloquine (Mq). The model was validated for the most recent year with temporally matched datasets for UK travel destinations and imported malaria (2007) against UK Health Protection Agency data on imported malaria. The median (mean) duration of chemoprophylaxis for each agent in weeks (CPRD) was: AP 3.3 (3.5), C ± P 9 (12.1), Dx 8 (10.3), Mq 9 (12.3): the maximum duration of use of all regimens was 52 weeks. The model correctly predicted falciparum malaria deaths and gave a robust estimate of total cases--model: 5 deaths from 1118 cases; UK Health Protection Agency: 5 deaths from 1153 cases. The number needed to take chemoprophylaxis (NNP) to prevent a case of malaria considered against the 'background' reported incidence in non-users of chemoprophylaxis deemed in need of chemoprophylaxis was: C ± P 272, Dx 269, Mq 260, AP 252; the NNP to prevent a UK traveller malaria death was: C ± P 62613, Dx 61923, Mq 59973, AP 58059; increasing the 'background' rate by 50% yielded NNPs of: C ± P 176, Dx 175, Mq 171, AP 168. The impact of substituting atovaquone-proguanil for all mefloquine usage resulted in a 2.3% decrease in estimated infections. The number of travellers experiencing moderate adverse events (AE) or those requiring medical attention or drug withdrawal per case prevented is as follows: C ± P 170, Mq 146, Dx 114, AP 103. The model correctly predicted the number of malaria deaths, providing a robust and reliable estimate of the number of imported malaria cases in the UK, and giving a measure of benefit derived from chemoprophylaxis use against the likely adverse events generated. Overall numbers needed to prevent a malaria infection are comparable among the four options and are sensitive to changes in the background infection rates. Only a limited impact on the number of infections can be expected if Mq is substituted by AP.

Exchanging environmental information and decision making: developing the local Pilot Environmental Virtual Observatory with stakeholder communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mackay, E.; Beven, K.; Brewer, P.; M, Haygarth, P.; Macklin, M.; Marshall, K.; Quinn, P.; Stutter, M.; Thomas, N.; Wilkinson, M.

2012-04-01

Public participation in the development of flood risk management and river basin management plans are explicit components of both the Water Framework and Floods Directives. At the local level, involving communities in land and water management has been found to (i) aid better environmental decision making, (ii) enhance social, economic and environmental benefits, and (iii) increase a sense of ownership. Facilitating the access and exchange of information on the local environment is an important part of this new approach to the land and water management process, which also includes local community stakeholders in decisions about the design and content of the information provided. As part of the Natural Environment Research Council's pilot Environment Virtual Observatory (EVO), the Local Level group are engaging with local community stakeholders in three different catchments in the UK (the rivers Eden, Tarland and Dyfi) to start the process of developing prototype visualisation tools to address the specific land and water management issues identified in each area. Through this local collaboration, we will provide novel visualisation tools through which to communicate complex catchment science outcomes and bring together different sources of environmental data in ways that better meet end-user needs as well as facilitate a far broader participatory approach in environmental decision making. The Local Landscape Visualisation Tools are being evolved iteratively during the project to reflect the needs, interests and capabilities of a wide range of stakeholders. The tools will use the latest concepts and technologies to communicate with and provide opportunities for the provision and exchange of information between the public, government agencies and scientists. This local toolkit will reside within a wider EVO platform that will include national datasets, models and state of the art cloud computer systems. As such, local stakeholder groups are assisting the EVO's development and participating in local decision making alongside policy makers, government agencies and scientists.

Design and implementation of a CORBA-based genome mapping system prototype.

PubMed

Hu, J; Mungall, C; Nicholson, D; Archibald, A L

1998-01-01

CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture), as an open standard, is considered to be a good solution for the development and deployment of applications in distributed heterogeneous environments. This technology can be applied in the bioinformatics area to enhance utilization, management and interoperation between biological resources. This paper investigates issues in developing CORBA applications for genome mapping information systems in the Internet environment with emphasis on database connectivity and graphical user interfaces. The design and implementation of a CORBA prototype for an animal genome mapping database are described. The prototype demonstration is available via: http://www.ri.bbsrc.ac.uk/ark_corba/. jian.hu@bbsrc.ac.uk

Bringing numerous methods for expression and promoter analysis to a public cloud computing service.

PubMed

Polanski, Krzysztof; Gao, Bo; Mason, Sam A; Brown, Paul; Ott, Sascha; Denby, Katherine J; Wild, David L

2018-03-01

Every year, a large number of novel algorithms are introduced to the scientific community for a myriad of applications, but using these across different research groups is often troublesome, due to suboptimal implementations and specific dependency requirements. This does not have to be the case, as public cloud computing services can easily house tractable implementations within self-contained dependency environments, making the methods easily accessible to a wider public. We have taken 14 popular methods, the majority related to expression data or promoter analysis, developed these up to a good implementation standard and housed the tools in isolated Docker containers which we integrated into the CyVerse Discovery Environment, making these easily usable for a wide community as part of the CyVerse UK project. The integrated apps can be found at http://www.cyverse.org/discovery-environment, while the raw code is available at https://github.com/cyversewarwick and the corresponding Docker images are housed at https://hub.docker.com/r/cyversewarwick/. info@cyverse.warwick.ac.uk or D.L.Wild@warwick.ac.uk. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

Hospital-acquired listeriosis associated with sandwiches in the UK: a cause for concern.

PubMed

Little, C L; Amar, C F L; Awofisayo, A; Grant, K A

2012-09-01

Hospital-acquired outbreaks of listeriosis are not commonly reported but remain a significant public health problem. To raise awareness of listeriosis outbreaks that have occurred in hospitals and describe actions that can be taken to minimize the risk of foodborne listeriosis to vulnerable patients. Foodborne outbreaks and incidents of Listeria monocytogenes reported to the Health Protection Agency national surveillance systems were investigated and those linked to hospitals were extracted. The data were analysed to identify the outbreak/incident setting, the food vehicle, outbreak contributory factors and origin of problem. Most (8/11, 73%) foodborne outbreaks of listeriosis that occurred in the UK between 1999 and 2011 were associated with sandwiches purchased from or provided in hospitals. Recurrently in the outbreaks the infecting subtype of L. monocytogenes was detected in supplied prepacked sandwiches and sandwich manufacturing environments. In five of the outbreaks breaches in cold chain controls of food also occurred at hospital level. The outbreaks highlight the potential for sandwiches contaminated with L. monocytogenes to cause severe infection in vulnerable people. Control of L. monocytogenes in sandwich manufacturing and within hospitals is essential to minimize the potential for consumption of this bacterium at levels hazardous to health. Manufacturers supplying sandwiches to hospitals should aim to ensure absence of L. monocytogenes in sandwiches at the point of production and hospital-documented food safety management systems should ensure the integrity of the food cold chain. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Doubtful Guest? A Virtual Research Environment for Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laterza, Vito; Carmichael, Patrick; Procter, Richard

2007-01-01

In this paper the authors describe a novel "Virtual Research Environment" (VRE) based on the Sakai Virtual Collaboration Environment and designed to support education research. This VRE has been used for the past two years by projects of the UK Economic and Social Research Council's Teaching and Learning Research Programme, 10 of which…

Environmental baselines: preparing for shale gas in the UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bloomfield, John; Manamsa, Katya; Bell, Rachel; Darling, George; Dochartaigh, Brighid O.; Stuart, Marianne; Ward, Rob

2014-05-01

Groundwater is a vital source of freshwater in the UK. It provides almost 30% of public water supply on average, but locally, for example in south-east England, it is constitutes nearly 90% of public supply. In addition to public supply, groundwater has a number of other uses including agriculture, industry, and food and drink production. It is also vital for maintaining river flows especially during dry periods and so is essential for maintaining ecosystem health. Recently, there have been concerns expressed about the potential impacts of shale gas development on groundwater. The UK has abundant shales and clays which are currently the focus of considerable interest and there is active research into their characterisation, resource evaluation and exploitation risks. The British Geological Survey (BGS) is undertaking research to provide information to address some of the environmental concerns related to the potential impacts of shale gas development on groundwater resources and quality. The aim of much of this initial work is to establish environmental baselines, such as a baseline survey of methane occurrence in groundwater (National methane baseline study) and the spatial relationships between potential sources and groundwater receptors (iHydrogeology project), prior to any shale gas exploration and development. The poster describes these two baseline studies and presents preliminary findings. BGS are currently undertaking a national survey of baseline methane concentrations in groundwater across the UK. This work will enable any potential future changes in methane in groundwater associated with shale gas development to be assessed. Measurements of methane in potable water from the Cretaceous, Jurassic and Triassic carbonate and sandstone aquifers are variable and reveal methane concentrations of up to 500 micrograms per litre, but the mean value is relatively low at < 10 micrograms per litre. These values compare with much higher levels of methane in aquicludes and thermal waters, for example from the Carboniferous and Triassic which have concentrations in excess of 1500 micrograms per litre. It is important to understand the spatial relationships between potential shale gas source rocks and overlying aquifers if shale gas is to be developed in a safe and sustainable manner. The BGS and the Environment Agency have undertaken a national-scale study of the UK to assess the vertical separation between potential shale gas source rocks and major aquifers (iHydrogeology project). Aquifer - shale separations have been documented in the range <200m to >2km. The geological modelling process will be presented and discussed along with maps combining the results of the methane baseline study, the distribution of Principal Aquifers and shale/clay units, and aquifer - shale separation maps for the UK.

Cloud hosting of the IPython Notebook to Provide Collaborative Research Environments for Big Data Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kershaw, Philip; Lawrence, Bryan; Gomez-Dans, Jose; Holt, John

2015-04-01

We explore how the popular IPython Notebook computing system can be hosted on a cloud platform to provide a flexible virtual research hosting environment for Earth Observation data processing and analysis and how this approach can be expanded more broadly into a generic SaaS (Software as a Service) offering for the environmental sciences. OPTIRAD (OPTImisation environment for joint retrieval of multi-sensor RADiances) is a project funded by the European Space Agency to develop a collaborative research environment for Data Assimilation of Earth Observation products for land surface applications. Data Assimilation provides a powerful means to combine multiple sources of data and derive new products for this application domain. To be most effective, it requires close collaboration between specialists in this field, land surface modellers and end users of data generated. A goal of OPTIRAD then is to develop a collaborative research environment to engender shared working. Another significant challenge is that of data volume and complexity. Study of land surface requires high spatial and temporal resolutions, a relatively large number of variables and the application of algorithms which are computationally expensive. These problems can be addressed with the application of parallel processing techniques on specialist compute clusters. However, scientific users are often deterred by the time investment required to port their codes to these environments. Even when successfully achieved, it may be difficult to readily change or update. This runs counter to the scientific process of continuous experimentation, analysis and validation. The IPython Notebook provides users with a web-based interface to multiple interactive shells for the Python programming language. Code, documentation and graphical content can be saved and shared making it directly applicable to OPTIRAD's requirements for a shared working environment. Given the web interface it can be readily made into a hosted service with Wakari and Microsoft Azure being notable examples. Cloud-hosting of the Notebook allows the same familiar Python interface to be retained but backed by Cloud Computing attributes of scalability, elasticity and resource pooling. This combination makes it a powerful solution to address the needs of long-tail science users of Big Data: an intuitive interactive interface with which to access powerful compute resources. IPython Notebook can be hosted as a single user desktop environment but the recent development by the IPython community of JupyterHub enables it to be run as a multi-user hosting environment. In addition, IPython.parallel allows the exposition of parallel compute infrastructure through a Python interface. Applying these technologies in combination, a collaborative research environment has been developed for OPTIRAD on the UK JASMIN/CEMS facility's private cloud (http://jasmin.ac.uk). Based on this experience, a generic virtualised solution is under development suitable for use by the wider environmental science community - on both JASMIN and portable to third party cloud platforms.

40 CFR 1501.5 - Lead agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 33 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Lead agencies. 1501.5 Section 1501.5 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY NEPA AND AGENCY PLANNING § 1501.5 Lead agencies. (a) A lead agency shall supervise the preparation of an environmental impact statement if more than...

40 CFR 1501.5 - Lead agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Lead agencies. 1501.5 Section 1501.5 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY NEPA AND AGENCY PLANNING § 1501.5 Lead agencies. (a) A lead agency shall supervise the preparation of an environmental impact statement if more than...

40 CFR 1501.5 - Lead agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 34 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Lead agencies. 1501.5 Section 1501.5 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY NEPA AND AGENCY PLANNING § 1501.5 Lead agencies. (a) A lead agency shall supervise the preparation of an environmental impact statement if more than...

40 CFR 1501.5 - Lead agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 34 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Lead agencies. 1501.5 Section 1501.5 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY NEPA AND AGENCY PLANNING § 1501.5 Lead agencies. (a) A lead agency shall supervise the preparation of an environmental impact statement if more than...

40 CFR 1501.5 - Lead agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 33 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Lead agencies. 1501.5 Section 1501.5 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY NEPA AND AGENCY PLANNING § 1501.5 Lead agencies. (a) A lead agency shall supervise the preparation of an environmental impact statement if more than...

A bottom up approach to implementing multi-purpose mitigation measures for reducing flood risk and improving water quality in agricultural catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilkinson, M. E.; Quinn, P. F.; Jonczyk, J.; Burke, S.; Nicholson, A.; Barber, N.; Owen, G.; Palmer, M.

2012-04-01

A number of studies have suggested that there is evidence that modern land-use management practices have increased surface runoff at the local scale. There is an urgent need for interventions to reduce the risk of flooding whilst also delivering multiple benefits (doing more for less). There are many settlements, which regularly suffer from flooding, which would benefit from upstream mitigation measures. Interventions at the source of runoff generation can have a positive impact on the flood hydrograph downstream. An integrated approach to managing runoff can also have multiple benefits on pollution and ecology, which could lead to beneficial impacts at the catchment scale. Belford, a small community in Northumberland, UK has suffered from an increased number of flood events over the past ten years. There is currently support within the English and Welsh Environment Agency for sustainable flood management solutions such as storage ponds, wetlands, beaver dams and willow riparian features which are being trialled at Belford. These runoff attenuation features (RAFs) also have benefits to water quality, capture sediment and create new ecological zones. Although the process by which numerous RAFs were deployed in Belford proved initially difficult to achieve within the existing regulatory framework, an efficient uptake process is now supported by local regulators including several branches of the Environment Agency. The Belford runoff management framework provides a step by step guide to implementing mitigation measures in the Belford burn catchment and could be easily applied to other catchments at a similar scale. The approach is based on implementing mitigation measures through engaging with catchment stakeholders and using solid field science and management protocols.

The Francis Crick Institute.

PubMed

Peters, Keith; Smith, Jim

2017-04-01

The Francis Crick Institute Laboratory, opened in 2016, is supported by the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, the Wellcome Trust, and University College London, King's College London and Imperial College London. The emphasis on research training and early independence of gifted scientists in a multidisciplinary environment provides unique opportunities for UK medical science, including clinical and translational research. © Royal College of Physicians 2017. All rights reserved.

Managing Heritage Language Development: Opportunities and Challenges for Chinese, Italian and Pakistani Urdu-Speaking Families in the UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curdt-Christiansen, Xiao Lan; La Morgia, Francesca

2018-01-01

Drawing on theories of family language policy and literacy environment, this inquiry explores and describes how family language policy is managed through literacy resources and literacy related activities in transnational families in the UK. A total of 66 families, each with at least one child between the age of 2 and 8, participated in this…

Physical activity patterns of ethnic children from low socio-economic environments within the UK.

PubMed

Eyre, Emma Lisa Jane; Duncan, Michael Joseph; Birch, Samantha Louise; Cox, Valerie; Blackett, Matthew

2015-01-01

Many children fail to meet physical activity (PA) guidelines for health benefits. PA behaviours are complex and depend on numerous interrelated factors. The study aims to develop current understanding of how children from low Socio-economic environments within the UK use their surrounding built environments for PA by using advanced technology. The environment was assessed in 96 school children (7-9 years) using global positioning system (GPS) monitoring (Garmin Forerunner, 305). In a subsample of 46 children, the environment and PA were assessed using an integrated GPS and heart rate monitor. The percentage of time spent indoor, outdoor, in green and non-green environments along with time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) in indoor and outdoor environments were assessed. A 2-by-2 repeated measures analysis of covariance, controlling for body mass index, BF%, assessed the environmental differences. The findings show that 42% of children from deprived wards of Coventry fail to meet PA guidelines, of which 43% was accumulated during school. Children engaged in more MVPA outdoor than indoor environments (P < 0.01) and a greater amount of time was spent in non-green environments (P < 0.01). Increased time outdoors was negatively associated with BF%. In conclusion, outdoor environments are important for health-enhancing PA and reducing fatness in deprived and ethnic children.

On-Farm Mitigation of Transmission of Tuberculosis from White-Tailed Deer to Cattle: Literature Review and Recommendations

PubMed Central

Walter, W. David; Anderson, Charles W.; Smith, Rick; Vanderklok, Mike; Averill, James J.; VerCauteren, Kurt C.

2012-01-01

The Animal Industry Division of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) has been challenged with assisting farmers with modifying farm practices to reduce potential for exposure to Mycobacterium bovis from wildlife to cattle. The MDARD recommendations for on-farm risk mitigation practices were developed from experiences in the US, UK and Ireland and a review of the scientific literature. The objectives of our study were to review the present state of knowledge on M. bovis excretion, transmission, and survival in the environment and the interactions of wildlife and cattle with the intention of determining if the current recommendations by MDARD on farm practices are adequate and to identify additional changes to farm practices that may help to mitigate the risk of transmission. This review will provide agencies with a comprehensive summary of the scientific literature on mitigation of disease transmission between wildlife and cattle and to identify lacunae in published research. PMID:22991687

The hospital microbiome project: meeting report for the UK science and innovation network UK-USA workshop ‘beating the superbugs: hospital microbiome studies for tackling antimicrobial resistance’, October 14th 2013

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

The UK Science and Innovation Network UK-USA workshop ‘Beating the Superbugs: Hospital Microbiome Studies for tackling Antimicrobial Resistance’ was held on October 14th 2013 at the UK Department of Health, London. The workshop was designed to promote US-UK collaboration on hospital microbiome studies to add a new facet to our collective understanding of antimicrobial resistance. The assembled researchers debated the importance of the hospital microbial community in transmission of disease and as a reservoir for antimicrobial resistance genes, and discussed methodologies, hypotheses, and priorities. A number of complementary approaches were explored, although the importance of the built environment microbiome in disease transmission was not universally accepted. Current whole genome epidemiological methods are being pioneered in the UK and the benefits of moving to community analysis are not necessarily obvious to the pioneers; however, rapid progress in other areas of microbiology suggest to some researchers that hospital microbiome studies will be exceptionally fruitful even in the short term. Collaborative studies will recombine different strengths to tackle the international problems of antimicrobial resistance and hospital and healthcare associated infections.

Ethnic differences in cognitive development in the first 7 years: does maternal generational status matter?

PubMed

Smith, Neil R; Kelly, Yvonne J; Nazroo, James Y

2016-05-01

Differences in cognitive development have been observed across a variety of ethnic minority groups but relatively little is known about the persistence of these developmental inequalities over time or generations. A repeat cross-sectional analysis assessed cognitive ability scores of children aged 3, 5 and 7 years from the longitudinal UK Millennium Cohort Study (white UK born n=7630; Indian n=248; Pakistani n=328; Bangladeshi n=87; black Caribbean n=172; and black African n=136). Linear regression estimated ethnic differences in age normed scores at each time point. Multivariable logistic regression estimated within-group generational differences in test scores at each age adjusting stepwise for sociodemographic factors, maternal health behaviours, indicators of the home learning environment and parenting styles. The majority of ethnic minority groups scored lower than the white UK born reference group at 3 years with these differences narrowing incrementally at ages 5 and 7 years. However, the black Caribbean group scored significantly lower than the white UK born reference group throughout early childhood. At 3 years, Pakistani, black Caribbean and black African children with UK born mothers had significantly higher test scores than those with foreign born mothers after baseline adjustment for maternal age and child gender. Controlling for social, behavioural and parenting factors attenuated this generational advantage. By 7 years there were no significant generational differences in baseline models. Ethnic differences in cognitive development diminish throughout childhood for the majority of groups. Cumulative exposure to the UK environment may be associated with higher cognitive development scores. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Who Is Missing from Higher Education?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gorard, Stephen

2008-01-01

This paper discusses the difficulties of establishing a clear count of UK higher education students in terms of the categories used for widening participation, such as occupational background or ethnicity. Using some of the best and most complete data available, such as the annual figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency, the paper then…

Agency and Social Capital in Chinese International Doctoral Students' Conversion to Christianity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ding, Qun; Devine, Nesta

2017-01-01

Chinese international students constitute the largest proportion of overseas students in several English-speaking countries such as the UK and New Zealand. Little research has been done concerning those undertaking doctoral study. This qualitative study explores how Chinese overseas doctoral students become involved in church communities and how…

Didactic or Dialogical? The Shifting Nature of INGO Development Education Programming in England and Canada

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weber, Nadya

2017-01-01

This paper looks at the changing nature of international development nongovernmental organizations' development education programming in England and Canada. A documentary analysis of the changes in Save the Children Canada and Save the Children UK's development education materials illuminates the shift in international development agencies'…

Extended Essay Marking on Screen: Is Examiner Marking Accuracy Influenced by Marking Mode?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Martin; Hopkin, Rebecca; Shiell, Hannah; Bell, John F.

2012-01-01

In the UK and elsewhere, large-scale educational assessment agencies are shifting the mode of school examination marking towards having examiners mark examination scripts on screen rather than on paper. This shift has prompted questions about whether the mode of marking might influence examiner marking accuracy, particularly in relation to…

Marginalised Behaviour: Digital Annotations, Spatial Encoding and the Implications for Reading Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Martin; Nadas, Rita

2009-01-01

Within large scale educational assessment agencies in the UK, there has been a shift towards assessors marking digitally scanned copies rather than the original paper scripts that were traditionally used. This project uses extended essay examination scripts to consider whether the mode in which an essay is read potentially influences the…

Internal Quality Assurance--Enhancing Quality Culture. ENQA Workshop Report 16

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education), 2010

2010-01-01

The European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), in cooperation with the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA, UK), organised a seminar on theme "Internal Quality Assurance--Enhancing quality culture" which was held on 8-9 June, 2010 in London, United Kingdom. The seminar marked the fourth annual meeting of the ENQA…

Exploring the Potential Routine Use of Electronic Healthcare Record Data to Strengthen Early Signal Assessment in UK Medicines Regulation: Proof-of-Concept Study.

PubMed

Donegan, Katherine; Owen, Rebecca; Bird, Helena; Burch, Brian; Smith, Alex; Tregunno, Phil

2018-05-03

Electronic healthcare record (EHR) databases are used within pharmacoepidemiology studies to confirm or refute safety signals arising from spontaneous adverse event reports. However, there has been limited routine use of such data earlier in the signal management process, to help rapidly contextualise signals and strengthen preliminary assessment or to inform decisions regarding action including the need for further studies. This study explores the value of EHR used in this way within a regulatory environment via an automated analysis platform. Safety signals raised at the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) between July 2014 and June 2015 were individually reviewed by a multi-disciplinary team. They assessed the feasibility of identifying the exposure and event of interest using primary care data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) within the Commonwealth Vigilance Workbench (CVW) Longitudinal Module platform, which was designed to facilitate routine descriptive analysis of signals using EHR. Three signals, where exposure and event could be well identified, were retrospectively analysed using the platform. Of 69 unique new signals, 20 were for drugs prescribed predominately in secondary care or available without prescription, which would not be identified in primary care. A further 17 were brand, formulation, or dose-specific issues, were related to mortality, were relevant only to a subgroup of patients, or were drug interactions, and hence could not be reviewed using the platform given its limitations. Analyses of exposure and incidence of the adverse event could be produced using CPRD within the CMV Longitudinal Module for 32 (46%) signals. The case studies demonstrated that the data provided supporting evidence for confirming initial assessment of the signal and deciding upon the need for further action. CPRD can routinely provide useful early insights into clinical context when assessing a large proportion of safety signals within a regulatory environment provided that a flexible approach is adopted within the analysis platform.

Evaluation of a learner-designed course for teaching health research skills in Ghana

PubMed Central

Bates, Imelda; Ansong, Daniel; Bedu-Addo, George; Agbenyega, Tsiri; Akoto, Alex Yaw Osei; Nsiah-Asare, Anthony; Karikari, Patrick

2007-01-01

Background In developing countries the ability to conduct locally-relevant health research and high quality education are key tools in the fight against poverty. The objective of our study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel UK accredited, learner-designed research skills course delivered in a teaching hospital in Ghana. Methods Study participants were 15 mixed speciality health professionals from Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana. Effectiveness measures included process, content and outcome indicators to evaluate changes in learners' confidence and competence in research, and assessment of the impact of the course on changing research-related thinking and behaviour. Results were verified using two independent methods. Results 14/15 learners gained research competence assessed against UK Quality Assurance Agency criteria. After the course there was a 36% increase in the groups' positive responses to statements concerning confidence in research-related attitudes, intentions and actions. The greatest improvement (45% increase) was in learners' actions, which focused on strengthening institutional research capacity. 79% of paired before/after responses indicated positive changes in individual learners' research-related attitudes (n = 53), 81% in intention (n = 52) and 85% in action (n = 52). The course had increased learners' confidence to start and manage research, and enhanced life-long skills such as reflective practice and self-confidence. Doing their own research within the work environment, reflecting on personal research experiences and utilising peer support and pooled knowledge were critical elements that promoted learning. Conclusion Learners in Ghana were able to design and undertake a novel course that developed individual and institutional research capacity and met international standards. Learning by doing and a supportive peer community at work were critical elements in promoting learning in this environment where tutors were scarce. Our study provides a model for delivering and evaluating innovative educational interventions in developing countries to assess whether they meet external quality criteria and achieve their objectives. PMID:17596260

The use of memoranda of understanding in fostering inter-agency collaboration: a qualitative study of health services agencies serving vulnerable populations in Baltimore, USA.

PubMed

Khosla, Nidhi; Marsteller, Jill A; Holtgrave, David R

2013-11-01

We examined whether mandated collaboration reflected in memoranda of understanding (MOUs) developed by health agencies to meet funder expectations is effective in fostering inter-agency collaboration. We conducted 22 semi-structured interviews from late 2010 to early 2012 in Baltimore, USA, with representatives of 17 HIV service agencies, three local health department units, and one agency that closed in 2008 (two interviews). While there was no consensus, most respondents perceived MOUs negatively, mainly because the process of obtaining signed MOUs was time consuming; frontline staff was mostly unaware of MOUs, agencies did not necessarily work with agencies they signed MOUs with and MOUs were rarely evaluated after being signed. A few agencies reported that MOUs could keep agencies focused and set mutual expectations. The local health department acknowledged shortcomings in MOUs but emphasized that MOUs could help agencies plan for referring clients when their own capacity was full. Although many agencies acknowledged the importance of collaboration, most respondents found that MOUs lacked practical utility. Grant-makers should consult sub-grantees to develop alternative means of fostering collaboration that would be perceived as relevant by both parties. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Multivariate Stable Isotope Analysis to Determine Linkages between Benzocaine Seizures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kemp, H. F.; Meier-Augenstein, W.; Collins, M.; Salouros, H.; Cunningham, A.; Harrison, M.

2012-04-01

In July 2010, a woman was jailed for nine years in the UK after the prosecution successfully argued that attempting to import a cutting agent was proof of involvement in a conspiracy to supply Cocaine. That landmark ruling provided law enforcement agencies with much greater scope to tackle those involved in this aspect of the drug trade, specifically targeting those importing the likes of benzocaine or lidocaine. Huge quantities of these compounds are imported into the UK and between May and August 2010, four shipments of Benzocaine amounting to more then 4 tons had been seized as part of Operation Kitley, a joint initiative between the UK Border Agency and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). By diluting cocaine, traffickers can make it go a lot further for very little cost, leading to huge profits. In recent years, dealers have moved away from inert substances, like sugar and baby milk powder, in favour of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), including anaesthetics like Benzocaine and Lidocaine. Both these mimic the numbing effect of cocaine, and resemble it closely in colour, texture and some chemical behaviours, making it easier to conceal the fact that the drug has been diluted. API cutting agents have helped traffickers to maintain steady supplies in the face of successful interdiction and even expand the market in the UK, particularly to young people aged from their mid teens to early twenties. From importation to street-level, the purity of the drug can be reduced up to a factor of 80 and street level cocaine can have a cocaine content as low as 1%. In view of the increasing use of Benzocaine as cutting agent for Cocaine, a study was carried out to investigate if 2H, 13C, 15N and 18O stable isotope signatures could be used in conjunction with multivariate chemometric data analysis to determine potential linkage between benzocaine exhibits seized from different locations or individuals to assist with investigation and prosecution of drug distribution network. More than 40 Benzocaine samples comprising both seized and control samples were analysed by two stable isotope forensic laboratories in two different countries (Australia and Scotland) to assess intra-lab reproducibility as well as inter-lab repeatability of measured stable isotope abundance values.

Regulatory experience of TOPS: an internet-based system to prevent healthy subjects from over-volunteering for UK clinical trials.

PubMed

Allen, C; Francis, G; Martin, J; Boyce, M

2017-12-01

The aim was to review the use of The Over-volunteering Prevention System (TOPS) since the HRA began hosting it in 2013, and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) experience of monitoring its use by UK clinical research units. The HRA searched the TOPS database for the number, type and location of units and the number of entries. The MHRA inspectors reviewed their findings from routine inspections. Twenty-two additional UK units registered to use TOPS during 2013-2016, making a total of 84 units since TOPS was established in 2002. Use of TOPS is now a condition of research ethics committee approval of a phase 1 study and fulfils MHRA accreditation requirements for preventing over-volunteering. The total number of entries by all active units during 2013-2016 was 89,335, of which 84% were UK citizens and 16% non-UK citizens. The total number of entries during 2002-2016 was 249,612. Only 15 of 24,531 subjects (1/1600) and 18 of 18,745 subjects (1/1040) entered in 2015 and 2016, respectively, were deemed potential over-volunteers. The findings continue to support the concept that TOPS not only helps to prevent over-volunteering, but also deters subjects from trying to do so. Regulation of TOPS by the HRA and MHRA has enhanced its effectiveness, benefited all users and helped to improve the safety of volunteers who participate in non-therapeutic trials in the UK. The UK is still the only country with a national database to prevent over-volunteering that has published data on its widespread use and effectiveness.

A review of UK space activity and historiography, 1957-2007

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millard, Douglas

2010-04-01

In over 50 years the United Kingdom has designed, built, launched, operated or otherwise contributed to hundreds of spacecraft and space missions. Its scientists, engineers and officials have carved centres of astronautical excellence around the country, participated in a great number of international space programmes and missions and played a leading role in the establishment of the world's main pan-national space agency (ESA) and its two precursors, the European Launcher Development Organisation (ELDO) and the European Space Research Organization (ESRO). With its Skylark sounding rocket launch of November 1957 the UK was one of the first nations to gather new scientific data as part of the International Geophysical Year. Fifty years on, the UK is an enthusiastic supporter of the Global Exploration Strategy with major commitments to future missions to the moon and to the Mars that exploit the nation's expertise in small satellite and planetary robot technology. And while such mission involvement takes UK space technologies out into the solar system as never before the nation continues to excel in Earth orbit with its development and manufacture of large, increasingly powerful telecommunications satellites. The UK's space heritage and its ongoing and directed activities are rich and productive. And yet—the representation of UK space endeavour is all too often skewed—misleading and unduly pejorative: '…British space…more romance than reality.' Why does such partisan commentary occur and why has such an attitude prevailed for so long? This paper seeks some answers by reviewing UK space activity and its historiography in the wider and global context of astronautics between 1957 and 2007. In Praise of…the British Space Programme, The Guardian Newspaper, March 4th, 2008.

Nutrition and bone health projects funded by the UK Food Standards Agency: have they helped to inform public health policy?

PubMed Central

Ashwell, Margaret; Stone, Elaine; Mathers, John; Barnes, Stephen; Compston, Juliet; Francis, Roger M.; Key, Tim; Cashman, Kevin D.; Cooper, Cyrus; Khaw, Kay Tee; Lanham-New, Susan; Macdonald, Helen; Prentice, Ann; Shearer, Martin; Stephen, Alison

2009-01-01

The UK Food Standards Agency convened an international group of expert scientists to review the Agency-funded projects on diet and bone health in the context of developments in the field as a whole. The potential benefits of fruit and vegetables, vitamin K, early-life nutrition and vitamin D on bone health were presented and reviewed. The workshop reached two conclusions which have public health implications. First, that promoting a diet rich in fruit and vegetable intakes might be beneficial to bone health and would be very unlikely to produce adverse consequences on bone health. The mechanism(s) for any effect of fruit and vegetables remains unknown, but the results from these projects did not support the postulated acid–base balance hypothesis. Secondly, increased dietary consumption of vitamin K may contribute to bone health, possibly through its ability to increase the γ-carboxylation status of bone proteins such as osteocalcin. A supplementation trial comparing vitamin K supplementation with Ca and vitamin D showed an additional effect of vitamin K against baseline levels of bone mineral density, but the benefit was only seen at one bone site. The major research gap identified was the need to investigate vitamin D status to define deficiency, insufficiency and depletion across age and ethnic groups in relation to bone health. PMID:18086331

The Impact of a First-Generation Immigrant Environment on the Heritage Language: Productive Vocabularies of Polish Toddlers Living in the UK and Ireland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miekisz, Aneta; Haman, Ewa; Luniewska, Magdalena; Kus, Katarzyna; O'Toole, Ciara; Katsos, Napoleon

2017-01-01

The expressive lexical skills of 53 Polish bilinguals aged 24-36 months living in the UK and Ireland were assessed using Polish and British English adaptations of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories. Polish vocabulary scores were compared to those of 53 Polish monolinguals matched for age, gender and parental education. The…

An overview of space medicine.

PubMed

Hodkinson, P D; Anderton, R A; Posselt, B N; Fong, K J

2017-12-01

Space medicine is fundamental to the human exploration of space. It supports survival, function and performance in this challenging and potentially lethal environment. It is international, intercultural and interdisciplinary, operating at the boundaries of exploration, science, technology and medicine. Space medicine is also the latest UK specialty to be recognized by the Royal College of Physicians in the UK and the General Medical Council. This review introduces the field of space medicine and describes the different types of spaceflight, environmental challenges, associated medical and physiological effects, and operational medical considerations. It will describe the varied roles of the space medicine doctor, including the conduct of surgery and anaesthesia, and concludes with a vision of the future for space medicine in the UK.Space medicine doctors have a responsibility to space workers and spaceflight participants. These 'flight surgeons' are key in developing mitigation strategies to ensure the safety, health and performance of space travellers in what is an extreme and hazardous environment. This includes all phases from selection, training and spaceflight itself to post-flight rehabilitation and long-term health. The recent recognition of the speciality provides a pathway to train in this fascinating field of medicine and is a key enabler for the UK Government's commercial spaceflight ambition. © Crown copyright 2017.

Ebola 2014: Setting up a port health screening programme at an international train station.

PubMed

Cleary, Vivien; Wynne-Evans, Edward; Freed, James; Fleet, Katie; Thorn, Simone; Turbitt, Deborah

2017-12-01

An outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) began in Guinea in December 2013 and was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization in August 2014. In October, the UK government tasked Public Health England (PHE) to set up EVD screening at key ports. The key aim of port-of-entry screening was to identify passengers coming from areas with high risk of EVD, and give them advice to raise their awareness of symptoms and what actions to take. Direct flights from Sierra Leone, Guinea or Liberia had all been cancelled, so intelligence on passenger numbers and routes was used to identify the most commonly used routes from the affected countries into the UK. One of these was St Pancras International train station. Screening had never previously been implemented at a UK train station so had to be set up from scratch. Key to the success of this was excellent multi-agency working between PHE, the UK Border Force, Eurostar, Network Rail and the Cabinet Office. This paper gives an overview of the activation of EVD screening at St Pancras International and the subsequent decommissioning.

Management of the marine environment: integrating ecosystem services and societal benefits with the DPSIR framework in a systems approach.

PubMed

Atkins, Jonathan P; Burdon, Daryl; Elliott, Mike; Gregory, Amanda J

2011-02-01

Ever increasing and diverse use of the marine environment is leading to human-induced changes in marine life, habitats and landscapes, making necessary the development of marine policy that considers all members of the user community and addresses current, multiple, interacting uses. Taking a systems approach incorporating an understanding of The Ecosystem Approach, we integrate the DPSIR framework with ecosystem services and societal benefits, and the focus this gives allows us to create a specific framework for supporting decision making in the marine environment. Based on a linking of these three concepts, we present a set of basic postulates for the management of the marine environment and emphasise that these postulates should hold for marine management to be achieved. We illustrate these concepts using two case studies: the management of marine aggregates extraction in UK waters and the management of marine biodiversity at Flamborough Head, UK. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

41 CFR 102-80.70 - Are Federal agencies responsible for informing their tenants of the condition and management of...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... environment? 102-80.70 Section 102-80.70 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Property Management... and environment? Yes, Federal agencies must inform their tenants of the condition and management of their facility safety and environment. Agencies operating GSA buildings must report any significant...

41 CFR 102-80.70 - Are Federal agencies responsible for informing their tenants of the condition and management of...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... environment? 102-80.70 Section 102-80.70 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Property Management... and environment? Yes, Federal agencies must inform their tenants of the condition and management of their facility safety and environment. Agencies operating GSA buildings must report any significant...

41 CFR 102-80.70 - Are Federal agencies responsible for informing their tenants of the condition and management of...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... environment? 102-80.70 Section 102-80.70 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Property Management... and environment? Yes, Federal agencies must inform their tenants of the condition and management of their facility safety and environment. Agencies operating GSA buildings must report any significant...

41 CFR 102-80.70 - Are Federal agencies responsible for informing their tenants of the condition and management of...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... environment? 102-80.70 Section 102-80.70 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Property Management... and environment? Yes, Federal agencies must inform their tenants of the condition and management of their facility safety and environment. Agencies operating GSA buildings must report any significant...

41 CFR 102-80.70 - Are Federal agencies responsible for informing their tenants of the condition and management of...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... environment? 102-80.70 Section 102-80.70 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Property Management... and environment? Yes, Federal agencies must inform their tenants of the condition and management of their facility safety and environment. Agencies operating GSA buildings must report any significant...

EUFEMED London Conference 2017: Exploratory Medicines Development: Innovation and Risk Management.

PubMed

Van Bortel, Luc; Sourgens, Hildegard; Breithaupt-Grögler, Kerstin; Caplain, Henri; Donazzolo, Yves; Klingmann, Ingrid; Hammond, Michael; Hardman, Timothy C; Stringer, Steffan; de Hoon, Jan

2017-01-01

The first formal conference of the EUropean Federation for Exploratory MEdicines Development (EUFEMED) held in London was the result of a collaborative effort of its founding associations: the Association for Applied Human Pharmacology (AGAH; Germany), the Association for Human Pharmacology in the Pharmaceutical Industry (AHPPI; UK), the Belgian Association of Phase-I Units (BAPU; Belgium), and Club Phase-I (France). The conference focused on innovation and risk management in early clinical drug development. Among other innovations, immunotherapy in oncology and inflammatory diseases were discussed as well as the importance of adaptive trial designs in early clinical drug development. Consideration was given to assessing and mitigating risk in early clinical drug development, and included a preconference workshop. Different measures to minimize risks in healthy volunteers and patients in first-in-human trials were discussed in addition to the importance of non-clinical data, the need for reliable biomarkers, improved communication on adverse events (AEs) and well-trained study sites with ready access to intensive care units and clinical specialists. The need for a European-wide system for prevention of over-volunteering was also discussed. The conference provided opportunity to discuss these developments and concerns and the changing regulatory environment with stakeholders from academia, industry, and regulatory agencies including the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Presentations given by invited speakers are published on http://www.eufemed.eu/london-conference-2017/.

Towards Cluster-Assembled Materials of True Monodispersity in Size and Chemical Environment: Synthesis, Dynamics and Activity

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-27

AFRL-AFOSR-UK-TR-2016-0037 Towards cluster-assembled materials of true monodispersity in size and chemical environment: Synthesis, Dynamics and...Towards cluster-assembled materials of true monodispersity in size and chemical environment: synthesis, dynamics and activity 5a.  CONTRACT NUMBER 5b...report Towards cluster-assembled materials of true monodispersity in size and chemical environment: Synthesis, Dynamics and Activity Ulrich Heiz

What is driving rates of social policy preliminary references to the CJEU? Evidence from the United Kingdom and France

PubMed Central

Sigafoos, Jennifer

2013-01-01

Preliminary references to the Court of Justice for the European Union are unevenly distributed across the EU, creating differing access to justice for European citizens. This study presents case studies of the UK and France, exploring factors affecting rates of social policy preliminary references from 1996–2009. The UK had a rate twice that of France. What accounts for this difference? Analysis of documentary evidence and 25 expert interviews help to explain the differing rates. Themes were related to policy, structural factors and the agency of actors. In the UK, policy themes are the free movement of persons and the ‘Right to Reside’ test. Legal aid and legal NGOs help individuals access the Court and drive test case strategies. In France, a high degree of dualisation in the welfare state creates an insider/outsider dynamic. Coupled with the resistance of courts and a lack of comparable actors to drive preliminary references, this contributes to a lower rate of references. PMID:23565042

Digital Technology and Creative Arts Career Patterns in the UK Creative Economy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Comunian, Roberta; Faggian, Alessandra; Jewell, Sarah

2015-01-01

In this article, we ask what role both digital and artistic human capital play in the creative economy by examining employment patterns of digital technology (DT) and creative arts and design (CAD) graduates. Using student micro-data collected by the Higher Education Statistical Agency (HESA) in the United Kingdom, we investigate the…

Service User Involvement in UK Social Service Agencies and Social Work Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goossen, Carolyn; Austin, Michael J.

2017-01-01

Forming partnerships with service users became a requirement for social work education programs in the United Kingdom as of 2003, leading to the development of innovative approaches to social work education that involve service users as experts who are helping to teach the future generation of social workers. This article examines the perceptions…

Exploring Identities and Cultures in Inter-Professional Education and Collaborative Professional Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Floyd, Alan; Morrison, Marlene

2014-01-01

Although the concept of multi-agency working has been pursued and adopted as the most appropriate way to improve childcare provision and health workforces in recent years, both in the UK and more globally, research suggests that participation in such work can be problematic. This article examines current developments in inter-professional…

GW-1000. GW Pharmaceuticals.

PubMed

Smith, Paul F

2004-07-01

GW Pharmaceuticals is developing GW-1000 (Sativex), a narrow ratio delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol:cannabidiol product for the potential treatment of multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, neurogenic pain and peripheral neuropathy. In March 2003, the company filed for approval for the treatment of MS with the UK Medicines Control Agency, and in May 2004, filed for new drug submission with Health Canada.

Marine and Maritime Sector Skills Shortages in the South West of England: Developing Regional Training Provision

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beer, Julian; Meethan, Kevin

2007-01-01

Clustering theory assumes that companies gravitate towards each other on the basis of locally and regionally specific resources and supply chain characteristics, which lead in turn to innovation and high-value economic development. In line with such thinking, UK government policy has devolved certain functions to regional development agencies such…

International Students in Australia: Read Ten Thousand Volumes of Books and Walk Ten Thousand Miles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arkoudis, Sophie; Tran, Ly Thi

2007-01-01

A number of international students, predominately from Asian countries, are present in universities in the UK, United States, and Australia. There is little research exploring their experiences as they negotiate the disciplinary requirements of their courses. This paper investigates students' agency as they write their first assignment for their…

Implementation of a Cooking Bus Intervention to Support Cooking in Schools in Wales, UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Segrott, Jeremy; Holliday, Jo; Murphy, Simon; Macdonald, Sarah; Roberts, Joan; Moore, Laurence; Phillips, Ceri

2017-01-01

Purpose: The teaching of cooking is an important aspect of school-based efforts to promote healthy diets among children, and is frequently done by external agencies. Within a limited evidence base relating to cooking interventions in schools, there are important questions about how interventions are integrated within school settings. The purpose…

Developing a Culture for Entrepreneurship in the East of England: The Value of Social and Human Capital

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abubakar, Yazid; Mitra, Jay

2007-01-01

Most UK Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) have committed themselves to developing an Enterprise Strategy for their region. This commitment is mainly in response to the current Labour government's keenness to see enterprise and entrepreneurship at the centre of any economic development agenda. Pro-entrepreneurship policies have been embraced as…

76 FR 13204 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Automated Commercial Environment Trade Survey

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-10

... Activities: Automated Commercial Environment Trade Survey AGENCY: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP... requirement concerning the: Automated Commercial Environment Trade Survey. [[Page 13205

Lipid and DNA biomarker analyses of Narragansett Bay Sediments: Evaluating the UK'37 proxy in an Estuarine Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

George, S. E.; Herbert, T.; Amaral-Zettler, L. A.; Richter, N.

2017-12-01

Long chain polyunsaturated alkenone (LCA) lipid biomarkers produced by haptophyte phytoplankton species within the Order Isochrysidales (Phylum Haptophyta) have proven exceptionally useful in paleotemperature studies by means of the Uk'37 and Uk37 indices. Two closely-related Group III haptophytes, Emiliania huxleyi and Gephyrocapsa oceanica are the primary alkenone synthesizers in the modern ocean, while freshwater systems host the distinct Group I phylotype, sometimes called the Greenland phylotype, in reference to the location of its original discovery. Group I haptophytes produce large quantities of the distinct C37:4 ketone, which acts as a chemical `fingerprint' in sediments. The utility of alkenones as a paleotemperature proxy in estuarine environments has remained largely untested, representing an under-utilized opportunity to construct high-resolution paleotemperature records from environments at the intersection of fluvial and marine systems. This uncertainty is due, in part, to the presence of multiple haptophyte groups in estuaries, resulting in a mixed alkenone signature. To determine the community composition of alkenone-producing haptophytes within Narragansett Bay, four geographically separated cores from within the Bay were analyzed for alkenones as well as haptophyte rRNA biomarker gene presence. Haptophyte rRNA genes (small and large subunit) were recovered from surface and near-subsurface samples, and in conjunction with alkenone profiles, reveal recent haptophyte community structure and alkenone production regimes throughout the Bay. A surprising result is the recovery of rRNA biomarker genes with a 100% match to the open-ocean alkenone producer E. huxleyi in locations away from large fresh water inputs to the Bay. Results of these analyses elucidate the effect of salinity and nutrient dynamics on alkenone-producing haptophyte communities and enhance applicability of long chain polyunsaturated alkenones as lipid biomarkers in estuarine environments. Future work will enhance Uk'37 analyses of Narragansett Bay sediments to better resolve historically and climatically significant events in the region, such as European settlement, the Industrial Revolution, and 20th century warming and eutrophication.

Collaborative agency to support integrated care for children, young people and families: an action research study.

PubMed

Stuart, Kaz

2014-04-01

Collaboration was legislated in the delivery of integrated care in the early 2000s in the UK. This research explored how the reality of practice met the rhetoric of collaboration. The paper is situated against a theoretical framework of structure, agency, identity and empowerment. Collectively and contextually these concepts inform the proposed model of 'collaborative agency' to sustain integrated care. The paper brings sociological theory on structure and agency to the dilemma of collaboration. Participative action research was carried out in collaborative teams that aspired to achieve integrated care for children, young people and families between 2009 and 2013. It was a part time, PhD study in collaborative practice. The research established that people needed to be able to be jointly aware of their context, to make joint decisions, and jointly act in order to deliver integrated services, and proposes a model of collaborative agency derived from practitioner's experiences and integrated action research and literature on agency. The model reflects the effects of a range of structures in shaping professional identity, empowerment, and agency in a dynamic. The author proposes that the collaborative agency model will support integrated care, although this is, as yet, an untested hypothesis.

News

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2002-09-01

11-14 Curriculum: Supporting Physics Teaching (11-14) Europe: Sci-tech couldn't be without it! Art-Science: Makrolab in Mountain Year Digital Curriculum: Should the BBC learn from the past? Scotland: Teachers get Rocket Science Malaysia: Controversy over the language medium for science teaching UK Science: Next stage of Science Year announced Special Educational Needs: Science for special needs students Folk Physics: Good vibrations Environment: IoM3 - a move towards sustainability? UK Primary Science: The threat of afternoon science

Impact of climate change on the domestic indoor environment and associated health risks in the UK.

PubMed

Vardoulakis, Sotiris; Dimitroulopoulou, Chrysanthi; Thornes, John; Lai, Ka-Man; Taylor, Jonathon; Myers, Isabella; Heaviside, Clare; Mavrogianni, Anna; Shrubsole, Clive; Chalabi, Zaid; Davies, Michael; Wilkinson, Paul

2015-12-01

There is growing evidence that projected climate change has the potential to significantly affect public health. In the UK, much of this impact is likely to arise by amplifying existing risks related to heat exposure, flooding, and chemical and biological contamination in buildings. Identifying the health effects of climate change on the indoor environment, and risks and opportunities related to climate change adaptation and mitigation, can help protect public health. We explored a range of health risks in the domestic indoor environment related to climate change, as well as the potential health benefits and unintended harmful effects of climate change mitigation and adaptation policies in the UK housing sector. We reviewed relevant scientific literature, focusing on housing-related health effects in the UK likely to arise through either direct or indirect mechanisms of climate change or mitigation and adaptation measures in the built environment. We considered the following categories of effect: (i) indoor temperatures, (ii) indoor air quality, (iii) indoor allergens and infections, and (iv) flood damage and water contamination. Climate change may exacerbate health risks and inequalities across these categories and in a variety of ways, if adequate adaptation measures are not taken. Certain changes to the indoor environment can affect indoor air quality or promote the growth and propagation of pathogenic organisms. Measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions have the potential for ancillary public health benefits including reductions in health burdens related heat and cold, indoor exposure to air pollution derived from outdoor sources, and mould growth. However, increasing airtightness of dwellings in pursuit of energy efficiency could also have negative effects by increasing concentrations of pollutants (such as PM2.5, CO and radon) derived from indoor or ground sources, and biological contamination. These effects can largely be ameliorated by mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) and air filtration, where such solution is feasible and when the system is properly installed, operated and maintained. Groups at high risk of these adverse health effects include the elderly (especially those living on their own), individuals with pre-existing illnesses, people living in overcrowded accommodation, and the socioeconomically deprived. A better understanding of how current and emerging building infrastructure design, construction, and materials may affect health in the context of climate change and mitigation and adaptation measures is needed in the UK and other high income countries. Long-term, energy efficient building design interventions, ensuring adequate ventilation, need to be promoted. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PREFACE: 11th IAEA Technical Meeting on H-mode Physics and Transport Barriers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takizuka, Tomonori

2008-07-01

This volume of Journal of Physics: Conference Series contains papers based on invited talks and contributed posters presented at the 11th IAEA Technical Meeting on H-mode Physics and Transport Barriers. This meeting was held at the Tsukuba International Congress Center in Tsukuba, Japan, on 26-28 September 2007, and was organized jointly by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency and the University of Tsukuba. The previous ten meetings in this series were held in San Diego (USA) 1987, Gut Ising (Germany) 1989, Abingdon (UK) 1991, Naka (Japan) 1993, Princeton (USA) 1995, Kloster Seeon (Germany) 1997, Oxford (UK) 1999, Toki (Japan) 2001, San Diego (USA) 2003, and St Petersburg (Russia) 2005. The purpose of the eleventh meeting was to present and discuss new results on H-mode (edge transport barrier, ETB) and internal transport barrier, ITB, experiments, theory and modeling in magnetic fusion research. It was expected that contributions give new and improved insights into the physics mechanisms behind high confinement modes of H-mode and ITBs. Ultimately, this research should lead to improved projections for ITER. As has been the tradition at the recent meetings of this series, the program was subdivided into six topics. The topics selected for the eleventh meeting were: H-mode transition and the pedestal-width Dynamics in ETB: ELM threshold, non-linear evolution and suppression, etc Transport relations of various quantities including turbulence in plasmas with ITB: rotation physics is especially highlighted Transport barriers in non-axisymmetric magnetic fields Theory and simulation on transport barriers Projections of transport barrier physics to ITER For each topic there was an invited talk presenting an overview of the topic, based on contributions to the meeting and on recently published external results. The six invited talks were: A Leonard (GA, USA): Progress in characterization of the H-mode pedestal and L-H transition N Oyama (JAEA, Japan): Progress and issues in physics understanding of dynamics, mitigation and control of ELMs J Rice (MIT, USA): Spontaneous rotation and momentum transport in tokamak plasmas K Ida (NIFS, Japan): Transport barriers in non-axisymmetric magnetic fields F Jenko (IPP, Germany): Transport barriers: Recent progress in theory and simulation T Hoang (CEA, France): Internal transport barriers: Projection to ITER Every talk satisfied the objective of the meeting. A discussion period followed each invited talk in order to expand physics understandings, projection capabilities, and the direction of research around the topic. Short talks were presented by contributing speakers in addition to questions, answers, comments and discussion among the participants. For each topic there was an associated poster session for contributed papers, and lively discussion took place in front of every poster. Through the meeting six invited papers and 77 contributed papers were presented in total. The final session of the meeting was devoted to summaries; R Groebner, T S Hahm and K Ida of the IAC summarized the fruits of topics 1 and 2, 3 and 5, and 4 and 6, respectively. I would like to thank Dr A Malaquias, the IAEA Scientific Secretary, for his continuous support and useful suggestions on the arrangements of the meeting. I am very grateful to the IAC members for their cooperation in selecting topics and invited speakers, and for their important advices on the meeting strategy and proceedings publication. I also wish to express my gratitude to LOC colleagues for their hard work organizing the meeting. Young students of the University of Tsukuba helped us during the meeting. Financial and personel support from JAEA and the University of Tsukuba were essential. Finally I would like to acknowledge the participants of the meeting and the referees for the present proceedings. All of the above contributions contributed to the success of the meeting. Tomonori Takizuka Editor Group photograph International Advisory Committee T Takizuka (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan: Chair) R J Groebner (General Atomics, USA) T S Hahm (Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, USA) A E Hubbard (MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, USA) K Ida (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) S V Lebedev (Ioffe Institute, Russia) G Saibene (EFDA CSU Garching, Germany) W Suttrop (Max-Plank-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Germany) Additional information about this meeting (H-mode-TM-11) is available in its homepage http://www-jt60.naka.jaea.go.jp/h-mode-tm-11/. List of Participants N Aiba (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) T Akiyama (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) N Asakura (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) L G Askinazi (Ioffe Institute, Russia) M N A Beurskens (EURATOM/UKAEA Fusion Association, UK) J D Callen (University of Wisconsin, USA) T Cho (University of Tsukuba, Japan) P C DeVries (EURATOM/UKAEA Fusion Association, UK) X T Ding (Southwestern Institute of Physics, China) E J Doyle (University of California, Los Angels, USA) A Fukuyama (Kyoto University, Japan) P Gohil (General Atomics, USA) R J Groebner (General Atomics, USA) T S Hahm (Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, USA) N Hayashi (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) Y Higashiyama (Nagoya University, Japan) Y Higashizono (University of Tsukuba, Japan) M Hirata (University of Tsukuba, Japan) G T Hoang (Association Euratom-CEA sur la Fusion Controle, France) G M D Hogeweij (FOM-Institute for Plasma Physics Rijnhuizen, The Netherlands) M Honda (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) L D Horton (Max-Plank-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Germany) W A Houlberg (ITER Organization) A E Hubbard (MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, USA) J W Hughes (MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, USA) M Ichimura (University of Tsukuba, Japan) K Ida (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) T Ido (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) T Imai (University of Tsukuba, Japan) F Imbeaux (Association Euratom-CEA sur la Fusion Controle, France) A Itakura (University of Tsukuba, Japan) K Itoh (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) S-I Itoh (Kyushu University, Japan) F Jenko (Max-Plank-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Germany) D Kalupin (Institut für Plasmaphysik, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Germany) Y Kamada (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) N Kasuya (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) I Katanuma (University of Tsukuba, Japan) M Kimura (Kyushu University, Japan) A Kirk (EURATOM/UKAEA Fusion Association, UK) S Kitajima (Tohoku University, Japan) S Kobayashi (Kyoto University, Japan) T Kobuchi (Tohoku University, Japan) J Kohagura (University of Tsukuba, Japan) P T Lang (Max-Plank-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Germany) S V Lebedev (Ioffe Institute, Russia) A W Leonard (General Atomics, USA) J Q Li (Kyoto University, Japan) A Malaquias (International Atomic Energy Agency) Y R Martin (Centre de Recherches en Physique des Plasmas, EPFL, Switzerland) C J McDevitt (University of California, San Diego, USA) D C McDonald (EURATOM/UKAEA Fusion Association, UK) H Meyer (EURATOM/UKAEA Fusion Association, UK) C A Michael (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) K Miki (Kyushu University, Japan) R Minami (University of Tsukuba, Japan) T Minami (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) Y Miyata (University of Tsukuba, Japan) N Miyato (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) Y Motegi (University of Tsukuba, Japan) V Mukhovatov (ITER Organization) S Murakami (Kyoto University, Japan) Y Nagashima (Kyushu University, Japan) Y Nakashima (University of Tsukuba, Japan) T Numakura (University of Tsukuba, Japan) S Ohshima (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) T Oishi (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) T Onjun (Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology, Thailand) T H Osborne (GENERAL Atomics, USA) N Oyama (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) T Ozeki (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) V Parail (EURATOM/UKAEA Fusion Association, UK) A Polevoi (ITER Organization, France) J E Rice (MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, USA) F Ryter (Max-Plank-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Germany) H Saimaru (University of Tsukuba, Japan) R Sakamoto (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) Y Sakamoto (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) M Sasaki (University of Tokyo, Japan) Y Shi (Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, China) A Shimizu (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) T Shimozuma (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) P B Snyder (General Atomics, USA) C Suzuki (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) H Takahashi (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) Y Takahashi (Nagoya University, Japan) Y Takeiri (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) H Takenaga (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) M Takeuchi (Nagoya University, Japan) T Takizuka (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) N Tamura (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) K Tanaka (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) S Tokuda (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) S Tokunaga (Kyushu University, Japan) G Turri (Centre de Recherches en Physique des Plasmas, EPFL, Switzerland) H Urano (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) H Utoh (Tohok University, Japan) K Uzawa (Kyoto University, Japan) M Valovic (EURATOM/UKAEA Fusion Association, UK) L Vermare (Max-Plank-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Germany) F Watanabe (Nagoya University, Japan) M Yagi (Kyushu University, Japan) Y Yamaguchi (University of Tsukuba, Japan) K Yamazaki (Nagoya University, Japan) M Yokoyama (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan) M Yoshida (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan) M Yoshinuma (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan)

The UKC2 regional coupled prediction system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castillo, Juan; Lewis, Huw; Graham, Jennifer; Saulter, Andrew; Arnold, Alex; Fallmann, Joachim; Martinez de la Torre, Alberto; Blyth, Eleanor; Bricheno, Lucy

2017-04-01

It is hypothesized that more accurate prediction and warning of natural hazards, such as of the impacts of severe weather through the environment, requires a more integrated approach to forecasting. This approach also delivers research benefits through providing tools with which to explore the known interactions and feedbacks between different physical and biogeochemical components of the environment across sky, sea and land. This hypothesis is being tested in a UK regional context at km-scale through the UK Environmental Prediction Project. This presentation will provide an introduction to the UKC2 UK Environmental Prediction research system. This incorporates models of the atmosphere (Met Office Unified Model), land surface (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 and the wider north-west European regional domain. A research framework has been established to explore the representation of feedback processes in coupled and uncoupled modes, providing a unique new research tool for UK environmental science. The presentation will highlight work undertaken to review and improve the computational cost of running these systems for efficient research application. Research will be presented highlighting case study evaluation on the sensitivity of the ocean and surface waves to the representation of feedbacks to the atmosphere, and on the sensitivity of weather systems and boundary layer cloud development to the exchange of heat and momentum at the ocean surface modified through sea surface temperature and wave-induced roughness. The presentation will discuss plans for future development through UKC3 and beyond.

Sol-Terra - AN Operational Space Weather Forecasting Model Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bisi, M. M.; Lawrence, G.; Pidgeon, A.; Reid, S.; Hapgood, M. A.; Bogdanova, Y.; Byrne, J.; Marsh, M. S.; Jackson, D.; Gibbs, M.

2015-12-01

The SOL-TERRA project is a collaboration between RHEA Tech, the Met Office, and RAL Space funded by the UK Space Agency. The goal of the SOL-TERRA project is to produce a Roadmap for a future coupled Sun-to-Earth operational space weather forecasting system covering domains from the Sun down to the magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere and neutral atmosphere. The first stage of SOL-TERRA is underway and involves reviewing current models that could potentially contribute to such a system. Within a given domain, the various space weather models will be assessed how they could contribute to such a coupled system. This will be done both by reviewing peer reviewed papers, and via direct input from the model developers to provide further insight. Once the models have been reviewed then the optimal set of models for use in support of forecast-based SWE modelling will be selected, and a Roadmap for the implementation of an operational forecast-based SWE modelling framework will be prepared. The Roadmap will address the current modelling capability, knowledge gaps and further work required, and also the implementation and maintenance of the overall architecture and environment that the models will operate within. The SOL-TERRA project will engage with external stakeholders in order to ensure independently that the project remains on track to meet its original objectives. A group of key external stakeholders have been invited to provide their domain-specific expertise in reviewing the SOL-TERRA project at critical stages of Roadmap preparation; namely at the Mid-Term Review, and prior to submission of the Final Report. This stakeholder input will ensure that the SOL-TERRA Roadmap will be enhanced directly through the input of modellers and end-users. The overall goal of the SOL-TERRA project is to develop a Roadmap for an operational forecast-based SWE modelling framework with can be implemented within a larger subsequent activity. The SOL-TERRA project is supported within the UK Space Agency's National Space Technology Programme under contract number RP10G0348A03.

Reducing Cultural Barriers via Internet Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xing, Minjie; Spencer, Ken

2008-01-01

A Web-based learning environment has been developed to support students from China who are studying in the UK and are confronted by many cultural barriers, which may impede their academic studies. The electronic environment incorporates a number of approaches to support learning, ranging from a simple text-based presentation to more active…

Data Mashups: Linking Human Health and Wellbeing with Weather, Climate and the Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fleming, L. E.; Sarran, C.; Golding, B.; Haines, A.; Kessel, A.; Djennad, M.; Hajat, S.; Nichols, G.; Gordon Brown, H.; Depledge, M.

2016-12-01

A large part of the global disease burden can be linked to environmental factors, underpinned by unhealthy behaviours. Research into these linkages suffers from lack of common tools and databases for investigations across many different scientific disciplines to explore these complex associations. The MEDMI (Medical and Environmental Data-a Mash-up Infrastructure) Partnership brings together leading organisations and researchers in climate, weather, environment, and human health. We have created a proof-of-concept central data and analysis system with the UK Met Office and Public Health England data as the internet-based MEDMI Platform (www.data-mashup.org.uk) to serve as a common resource for researchers to link and analyse complex meteorological, environmental and epidemiological data in the UK. The Platform is hosted on its own dedicated server, with secure internet and in-person access with appropriate safeguards for ethical, copyright, security, preservation, and data sharing issues. Via the Platform, there is a demonstration Browser Application with access to user-selected subsets of the data for: a) analyses using time series (e.g. mortality/environmental variables), and b) data visualizations (e.g. infectious diseases/environmental variables). One demonstration project is linking climate change, harmful algal blooms and oceanographic modelling building on the hydrodynamic-biogeochemical coupled models; in situ and satellite observations as well as UK HAB data and hospital episode statistics data are being used for model verification and future forecasting. The MEDMI Project provides a demonstration of the potential, barriers and challenges, of these "data mashups" of environment and health data. Although there remain many challenges to creating and sustaining such a shared resource, these activities and resources are essential to truly explore the complex interactions between climate and other environmental change and health at the local and global scale.

Low socio-economic environmental determinants of children's physical activity in Coventry, UK: A Qualitative study in parents.

PubMed

Eyre, E L J; Duncan, M J; Birch, S L; Cox, V M

2014-01-01

Children's physical activity (PA) is affected by socio-economic status (SES) and the environment. Children are not fully autonomous in their decision making; parental decisions thus affect how children utilise their surrounding environments for PA. The aim was to examine environmental influences on children's PA from a qualitative perspective in parents from low SES wards in Coventry, UK. 59 parents of children in year 4 (aged 8-9years) completed the ALPHA environmental questionnaire. 16 of these parents took part in focus group discussions examining environmental facilitators and barriers to their child's PA (March-April, 2013). Emerging themes related to physical (i.e. poor access, safety and quality of the neighbourhood) and social environment (i.e. 'rough' neighbourhood due to crime and anti-social behaviour) influences on the PA behaviour of children. The parents believed these environmental factors resulted in the children engaging in greater sedentary activity (watching TV) indoors. The school environment was perceived as a supportive physical environment for children's PA behaviour. Parent's perceptions of an unsupportive physical and social environment restrict children's opportunities to play outside and be physically active and may lead to increased body fat (BF). Schools provide a supportive environment for children from low SES to be physically active in.

Developing a model of midwifery mentorship for Uganda: The MOMENTUM project 2015-2017.

PubMed

Kemp, Joy; Shaw, Eleanor; Musoke, Mary Gorret

2018-04-01

MOMENTUM was a 20 month midwifery twinning project between the Royal College of Midwives UK and the Ugandan Private Midwives Association. It ran from 2015-2017 and was funded by UK-Aid through THET. MOMENTUM aimed to develop a model of mentorship for Ugandan midwifery students. The project achieved its objectives. 41 Ugandan midwives were trained as mentors following a work-based learning curriculum. 142 student midwives from 8 midwifery schools received mentorship in 7 participating clinical sites. All sites showed measured improvement in the clinical learning environment. 7 UK midwives were twinned with Ugandan counterparts and engaged in peer-exchange visits and virtual support via smart-phones. The model is context-specific and may not be replicable in other countries or professions. However it will inform midwifery education in the UK and elsewhere. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Overseas trained nurses' perception of UK nurses' caring attitudes: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Alexis, Obrey

2009-08-01

The aim of this study was to explore overseas nurses' perception of their nursing colleagues' caring attitudes in the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK. A qualitative phenomenological approach using semi-structured interviews was used to obtain data from 12 overseas nurses. The interview transcripts were transcribed verbatim and analysed using van Manen thematic approach. Although many themes emerged following thematic analysis, this study will report the findings of three themes such as empathy, understanding and caring perspectives, emotional impact and lack of teamwork. In conclusion, this study provides an insight and it increases our understanding of overseas nurses' perceptions of their nursing colleagues' caring attitudes in the NHS in the UK. This paper concludes by indicating that teamwork, being empathetic, understanding and reducing emotional labour for overseas nurses could lead to a more satisfied working environment for overseas nurses in the NHS in the UK.

A discourse and Foucauldian analysis of nurses health beliefs: implications for nurse education.

PubMed

Chambers, Derek; Narayanasamy, Aru

2008-02-01

The aim of this study was to investigate nurses' constructions of health in order to determine what influence these have on their health education practices and their implications for nurse education. Burgeoning literature on health promotion claim that health promotion is central to nursing practice. This is a role that has grown in the context of a rapidly ageing population, emergence of new diseases and variants of old diseases, ecological and environmental concerns and apparent social fragmentation. Within the United Kingdom this has led to nurses being identified by agencies, such as the UK government, as having a leading role to play in what has become the 'holy grail' of patient lifestyle change. But this role has been based on the seemingly uncritical assumption that the UK nurse education system engenders the necessary knowledge, attitude and skills required by nurses for them to effectively promote lifestyle choices. This study draws upon discourse and Foucauldian social analysis to uncover, through nurses' narratives, how they construct health and enact their health education practices. Twelve newly registered UK nurses were interviewed using hierarchical focused interviews. Data were analysed using discourse analysis. The process of discourse analysis unearthed two opposing value positions held without any feeling of contradiction by respondents: a holistic view--the role-based/public account, and a victim blaming view--personal agency/private account. This dual set of values raises important concerns over the teaching of health promotion. Nurse education may need to revise its approach to health promotion by taking into account the power of private accounts of health promotion that prevail among some nurses.

Characterising freeze in the UK: applications for the insurance industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raven, E. K.; Keef, C.; Busby, K.

2012-04-01

The UK winters of 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 were characterised by prolonged and widespread low temperatures. This was challenging for the UK insurance industry and organisations such as the emergency services, the Highways Agency and British Gas who had to manage the extra demands that resulted. In the 6-day period running to Christmas Eve 2010, British Gas reported 100,000 boiler repair call-outs, whilst those 190,000 homes and businesses left with frozen and subsequently burst pipes contributed to the ABI's estimated £ 900 million in insured losses for December 2010 alone; the highest payout by the industry for damages associated with cold weather. Unfortunately, the severity of these winters made the difference between profit and loss for some primary UK insurance companies. To enable better pricing of premiums in the future, insurance companies are looking to understand the potential risk from cold waves at a local, postcode-level, whilst reinsurance firms seek to determine the accumulated loss across the UK associated with spatially coherent events. Other industry sectors also strive to improve their understanding of weather extremes for planning and management. Underpinning this is the need to statistically characterise the physical hazard. Aimed primarily at the re/insurance industry, we have applied an established methodology for developing statistical event sets and applied this to generate a UK freeze event set. An event set provides a stochastic set of several thousand events over 10's of 1000's of years and is typically applied within probabilistic catastrophe models. Our method applies extreme value theory and dependence modelling to explain low-temperature relationships across the UK and over time using historical records. The resulting event set represents the spatial and temporal dependence of cold waves in the UK and is modelled against household factors that increase the vulnerability to freezing conditions, such as property type, age and condition. By presenting our methodology, we illustrate some of the complex spatial and temporal relationships in UK freeze events and place the past two winters into a statistical context. Furthermore, we demonstrate the application of event sets within catastrophe modelling and risk mapping services.

'Introducing Michael Gove to Loïc Wacquant': Why Social Work Needs Critical Sociology.

PubMed

Michael Garrett, Paul

2016-06-01

In 2013, Michael Gove, then Secretary of State for Education and Health in the UK coalition government, criticised social workers for laying insufficient emphasis on the 'agency' of individuals and for being too preoccupied with social and economic inequalities. Such a perspective, which is not unique to Gove, needs to be countered by reaffirming the significance of an expansively critical sociology for social work. In this context, the thematic concerns of the French theorist, Loïc Wacquant, illuminates key aspects of social work engagement with clients which Gove and his ideological associates appear intent on ignoring. The issues raised have significant political resonances given the pending UK General Election taking place in May 2015.

Defence Industrial Strategy

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-12-01

for early clarity, we needed to act quickly. There are three levels to this strategy :  promoting an overall business environment which is attractive...and that the level of influence and attractiveness of MOD business varies by sector and by type of company. But the UK provides a unique environment...defence business environment in a particular country, and at the specific level , to achieve defined outcomes in particular capability or technology

Evaluation of Glyphosate, Flumioxazin and Imazamox against Japanese Knotweed s. l.

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

DEFRA). 2003. Review of non-native species policy. Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, London, UK. http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-4010...Simmers and Lee 1997). The site consists of three distinct ecological zones (aquatic, wetland and upland) and is utilized by more than 200 species ...of resident and migratory birds (Andrle 1986, Simmers and Lee 1997). Approximately 46 acres of Times Beach has been designated as a state wetland by

Passive sampling: A cost-effective method for understanding antibiotic fate, behaviour and impact.

PubMed

Chen, Chang-Er; Zhang, Hao; Ying, Guang-Guo; Zhou, Li-Jun; Jones, Kevin C

2015-12-01

The occurrence of antibiotics in the environment has raised much concern in recent years. Understanding their release, fate and behaviour in the environment is vital to assess potential risks. In this study, a novel passive water sampler - diffusion gradients in thin-films for organics (o-DGT) - was employed to assess the occurrence and removal of antibiotics in two waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) - one in China and the other in the United Kingdom (UK). Of the targeted compounds, 11 of 19 were detected in the Chinese WWTP (ND-200ng/L) and 10 of 40 were found in the UK plant (ND-1380ng/L). Florfenicol, lincomycin, ofloxacin and roxithromycin were most abundant in the Chinese WWTP (influent), while anhydrous erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim, ofloxacin and sulfapyridine were the most abundant in the UK influent samples. Estimated Chinese and UK consumption data are used to interpret the results. Neither of the WWTPs was very effective at removing antibiotics: ~40-50% (overall) was removed by the two plants, with the rest being discharged into the receiving rivers. This is the first study using o-DGT to assess the occurrence and removal of antibiotics in WWTPs. o-DGT is a useful, cost-effective tool to assess WWTP performance and can highlight the effectiveness of treatment steps, which can be applied to wastewater based epidemiology studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Changing currents: a strategy for understanding and predicting the changing ocean circulation.

PubMed

Bryden, Harry L; Robinson, Carol; Griffiths, Gwyn

2012-12-13

Within the context of UK marine science, we project a strategy for ocean circulation research over the next 20 years. We recommend a focus on three types of research: (i) sustained observations of the varying and evolving ocean circulation, (ii) careful analysis and interpretation of the observed climate changes for comparison with climate model projections, and (iii) the design and execution of focused field experiments to understand ocean processes that are not resolved in coupled climate models so as to be able to embed these processes realistically in the models. Within UK-sustained observations, we emphasize smart, cost-effective design of the observational network to extract maximum information from limited field resources. We encourage the incorporation of new sensors and new energy sources within the operational environment of UK-sustained observational programmes to bridge the gap that normally separates laboratory prototype from operational instrument. For interpreting the climate-change records obtained through a variety of national and international sustained observational programmes, creative and dedicated UK scientists should lead efforts to extract the meaningful signals and patterns of climate change and to interpret them so as to project future changes. For the process studies, individual scientists will need to work together in team environments to combine observational and process modelling results into effective improvements in the coupled climate models that will lead to more accurate climate predictions.

40 CFR 35.134 - Eligible recipients.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Eligible recipients. 35.134 Section 35.134 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL ASSISTANCE... recipients. (a) Eligible agencies. All State agencies (including environmental, health, agriculture, and...

Vulnerability and Agency: Beyond an Irreconcilable Dichotomy for Social Service Providers Working with Young Refugees in the UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Higgins, Aoife

2012-01-01

Many young refugees face significant difficulties in securing support from social services providers. This study invited 21 young refugees aged 16 to 21 to take part in focus groups and follow-up interviews about their experiences of accessing this support. The findings reveal that young refugees may deliberately conform to expectations about…

Policy and Evidence: A Critical Analysis of the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check in England

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grundin, Hans U.

2018-01-01

This paper aims to present a critical analysis of the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check (PSC), with special focus on the relationship between the UK Department for Education's policy-making and the evidence considered in the process of developing and evaluating the PSC. The reports from the in-house Standards and Testing Agency and from commissioned…

A Global Education Challenge: Harnessing Corporate Philanthropy to Educate the World's Poor. Center for Universal Education Working Paper 4

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Fleet, Justin W.

2011-01-01

Major actors in the global education community are emerging with new education strategies, including the World Bank, U.S. Agency for International Development and U.K. Department for International Development. These strategies attempt to identify game-changing policies to make strides in global education in anticipation of the Millennium…

Responding to Self-Harm: A Documentary Analysis of Agency Policy and Procedure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paul, Sally; Hill, Malcolm

2013-01-01

This paper reports on the findings of a documentary analysis of policies and procedures relating to self-harm from a range of organisations working with young people in the UK. It identifies the extent to which policies and/or procedures relating to self-harm are available for service providers and offers a wider understanding of the concepts of…

Getting to Know You? Issues of Trust and Mistrust in Understanding Community, Developing Partnerships and Delivering Policy Change in Children's Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffin, Michaela

2010-01-01

This case study examined a joint assessment and allocation panel set up to inform local implementation of the UK Government's policy of integrating children's services, particularly the introduction of a Common Assessment Framework and the lead practitioner role. It brought together agencies serving one community. Professionals and parents agreed…

Processfolio: Uniting Academic Literacies and Critical Emancipatory Action Research for Practitioner-Led Inquiry into EAP Writing Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pearson, Jayne

2017-01-01

This article reports on the design and implementation of an alternative form of writing assessment in a UK English for Academic Purposes (EAP) pre-sessional course. The assessment, termed processfolio, was a response to research inquiry into how writing assessment in a local context negated student agency and inculcated disempowering models of…

Support Structures for Facilitators of Student Personal Development Planning: Lessons from Two Departmental Case Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hulme, Claire; Lisewski, Bernard

2010-01-01

In the UK, following guidelines set out by the Quality Assurance Agency, personal development planning (PDP) is now operational across all higher education (HE) awards. Like many policy initiatives, PDP requires change, and vital to its implementation are those who facilitate PDP at the grassroots level. Staff given the task of implementing PDP…

The proportion of unhealthy foodstuffs children are exposed to at the checkout of convenience supermarkets.

PubMed

Horsley, Jason A; Absalom, Katie Ar; Akiens, Evie M; Dunk, Robert J; Ferguson, Alice M

2014-11-01

To investigate the proportion of foods that are unhealthy to which children are exposed at the checkout of convenience supermarkets. We performed a cross-sectional survey of foodstuffs displayed at the checkout. Products displayed at or below children's eye-level were designated as healthy, unhealthy or unclassifiable using the Food Standards Agency's scoring criteria. Thirteen convenience supermarkets from the three leading UK supermarket chains were selected on the basis of proximity to the town hall in Sheffield, England. Convenience supermarkets were defined as branches of supermarket chains that were identified as being other than superstores on their company's store locator website. In almost all of the convenience supermarkets surveyed, the main healthy product on display was sugar-free chewing gum. On average, when chewing gum was not included as a foodstuff, 89% of the products on display at the checkouts of convenience supermarkets were unhealthy using the Food Standards Agency's criteria. One store was a notable outlier, providing only fruit and nuts at its checkout. The overwhelming majority of products to which children are exposed at the convenience supermarket checkout are unhealthy. This is despite all the supermarket chains surveyed having signed up to the UK Government's 'responsibility deal'.

An evaluation of the UK Food Standards Agency's salt campaign.

PubMed

Shankar, Bhavani; Brambila-Macias, Jose; Traill, Bruce; Mazzocchi, Mario; Capacci, Sara

2013-02-01

Excessive salt intake is linked to cardiovascular disease and several other health problems around the world. The UK Food Standards Agency initiated a campaign at the end of 2004 to reduce salt intake in the population. There is disagreement over whether the campaign was effective in curbing salt intake or not. We provide fresh evidence on the impact of the campaign, by using data on spot urinary sodium readings and socio-demographic variables from the Health Survey for England over 2003-2007 and combining it with food price information from the Expenditure and Food Survey. Aggregating the data into a pseudo-panel, we estimate fixed effects models to examine the trend in salt intake over the period and to deduce the heterogeneous effects of the policy on the intake of socio-demographic groups. Our results are consistent with a previous hypothesis that the campaign reduced salt intakes by approximately 10%. The impact is shown to be stronger among women than among men. Older cohorts of men show a larger response to the salt campaign compared to younger cohorts, while among women, younger cohorts respond more strongly than older cohorts. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Specialist services: the need for multi-agency partnership.

PubMed

Christian, J; Gilvarry, E

1999-07-01

In the UK the broad trend noted in prevalence surveys is towards increased availability, exposure, and use of illicit drugs across all social strata. There is a developing consensus regarding those groups of young people who are at particular risk. They may be homeless, pregnant, leaving local authority or foster care, engaged in prostitution or involved with the criminal justice system. These young people are likely to require intervention from a variety of agencies and professionals to respond to their multiple needs, yet they are faced with a dearth of specialist substance misuse services. Consequently there is a need to develop a range of partnership approaches amongst both providers and commissioners of services. The importance of partnership has been stressed in a succession of professional guidance documents, but there remain considerable bureaucratic, organisational, and historical barriers that must be overcome. Effective service models that exist in the UK and elsewhere are a source of ideas to stimulate appropriate, child-centred developments. Overall the need for a fresh impetus is emphasised, in which new partnerships are formed, and collaborative services are developed and evaluated. In this way future initiatives can be based upon evidence of clinical and cost effectiveness.

Lessons from local engagement in Latin American health systems.

PubMed

Meads, Geoffrey D; Griffiths, Frances E; Goode, Sarah D; Iwami, Michiyo

2007-12-01

To examine the management of recent policies for stronger patient and public involvement in Latin American health systems, identifying common features and describing local practice examples of relevance to the UK. Participation is a core principle of many contemporary policies for health system reform. In Latin America, as in the UK, it is frequently associated with innovations in primary care services and their organizational developments. This shared interest in alternative models of local engagement offers new opportunities for collaborative research and policy development. Commissioned by UK policy makers, a 4-year research programme was designed to promote exchanges with international counterparts focusing on how modern reform policies are being implemented. The selected countries possessed comparable principles and timeframes for their reforms. A series of individual country case studies were undertaken. Data were drawn from literature and documentary reviews; semi-structured interviews with national policy makers and expert advisers; and with management representatives at local exemplar sites. The aggregate data were subjected to thematic analysis applying a model for sustainable development. Six common factors were identified in Latin American policies for stronger patient and public involvement. From these the most significant transferable learning for the UK relates to the position and status of professions and non-governmental agencies. Illustrative case exemplars were located in each of the eight countries studied.

40 CFR 161.40 - Consultation with the Agency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Consultation with the Agency. 161.40 Section 161.40 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) PESTICIDE PROGRAMS DATA REQUIREMENTS FOR REGISTRATION OF ANTIMICROBIAL PESTICIDES General Provisions § 161.40 Consultation...

Socio-economic differences in exposure to television food advertisements in the UK: a cross-sectional study of advertisements broadcast in one television region.

PubMed

Adams, Jean; Tyrrell, Rachel; Adamson, Ashley J; White, Martin

2012-03-01

To document socio-economic differences in exposure to food advertising, including advertisements for foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) as defined by the UK Food Standards Agency's Nutrient Profiling Model. A cross-sectional survey. Information (including product advertised and viewing figures) on all advertisements broadcast in one UK region over one week (6-12 July 2009) was obtained. Food advertisements were identified and linked to nutritional information on the content of advertised foods. UK Tyne-Tees television region. Data were sourced from a UK-wide television viewing panel. Eleven per cent of advertising seen was for food and 63 % of food advertising seen was for HFSS foods. The proportion of all advertising seen that was for food was smaller among viewers in the least v. most affluent social grade (OR = 0·98, 99 % CI 0·95, 1·00). There was no difference in the proportion of food advertising seen that was for HFSS food between viewers in the most and least affluent social grades. Total exposure to both all food advertising and HFSS food advertising was 2·1 times greater among the least v. the most affluent viewers. While the least affluent viewers saw relatively fewer food advertisements, their absolute exposure to all food and HFSS food advertisements was higher than that of the most affluent viewers. Current UK restrictions prohibit advertisements for HFSS foods during programmes with a high proportion of child viewers. Extending these to all programming may reduce socio-economic inequalities in exposure to these advertisements and in diet and obesity.

"I'll Take Care of the Flowers!" Researching Agency through Initiatives across Different Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kangas, Marjaana; Kopisto, Kaisa; Löfman, Krista; Salo, Laura; Krokfors, Leena

2017-01-01

This case study examined how the agency of a fifth-grade pupil appeared across different learning environments in the primary school context. In this study, agency is defined as the initiatives taken by an individual in interactive situations. The research question is: how does a pupil's agency manifest and vary through taking initiatives across…

Students' Perceptions of the Introduction of a Blended Learning Environment: An Exploratory Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osgerby, Julia

2013-01-01

Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) provide the opportunity to deliver blended learning approaches that combine mixes of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) with various delivery methods and media. In 2008 and 2009, the University of Winchester in the UK redesigned a variety of accounting and financial management modules for…

Tropical Rainforests: A Case Study of UK, 13-Year-Olds' Knowledge and Understanding of These Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dove, Jane

2012-01-01

Tropical rainforests are biologically rich ecosystems, which are threatened by a variety of different human activities. This study focuses on students' knowledge and understanding of rainforest locations, their reasons for protecting these environments and their familiarity with selected concepts about rainforest vegetation and soil. These…

Creating the Strategic Learning Environment at City University London

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quinsee, Susannah; Bullimore, Anise

2011-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to describe the creation of a new approach to the implementation of educational technologies at a UK Higher Education Institution. Driven by changes in technology, an evaluation of the virtual learning environment (VLE) provided the opportunity to reassess the application of technology to the curriculum. However, such an…

New Ways of Delivering Marine Scientific Evidence for Policy Needs in the UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorrington, T.

2016-12-01

The UK Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) is responsible for safeguarding the natural environment, supporting a world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. This includes the marine environment which makes a significant contribution to the economy of the UK through fisheries, aquaculture, transport, leisure and recreation, energy (including renewable), coastal tourism, and naval defence. The overall vision for the Defra marine programme is to therefore achieve clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas. In order to attain this it is essential that the decisions that government makes can be justified and that these decisions use the best available evidence and allow for any uncertainty. However, reductions across the budgets of departments such as Defra means that new ways of delivering evidence for policy needs must be sought. To do this we must consider marine monitoring efficiencies including the use of novel technologies, more integrated monitoring programmes, and greater collaboration with the research councils, industry, and academia. We must also seek to leverage other sources of funding from the European Union and other international partners. This presentation will address the main policy drivers (e.g. EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive) and future needs of the marine programme, the Defra Evidence Action Plan (EAP), and how we plan to use new avenues of gaining high quality marine scientific evidence in an era of declining budgets.

New Ways of Delivering Marine Scientific Evidence for Policy Needs in the UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorrington, T.

2016-02-01

The UK Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) is responsible for safeguarding the natural environment, supporting a world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. This includes the marine environment which makes a significant contribution to the economy of the UK through fisheries, aquaculture, transport, leisure and recreation, energy (including renewable), coastal tourism, and naval defence. The overall vision for the Defra marine programme is to therefore achieve clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas. In order to attain this it is essential that the decisions that government makes can be justified and that these decisions use the best available evidence and allow for any uncertainty. However, reductions across the budgets of departments such as Defra means that new ways of delivering evidence for policy needs must be sought. To do this we must consider marine monitoring efficiencies including the use of novel technologies, more integrated monitoring programmes, and greater collaboration with the research councils, industry, and academia. We must also seek to leverage other sources of funding from the European Union and other international partners. This presentation will address the main policy drivers (e.g. EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive) and future needs of the marine programme, the Defra Evidence Action Plan (EAP), and how we plan to use new avenues of gaining high quality marine scientific evidence in an era of declining budgets.

Trends in evaporation loss over the UK: 1962 to 2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blyth, Eleanor; Robinson, Emma; Martinez de la Torre, Alberto

2017-04-01

Many models of hydrology assume that an increase in air temperature will result in an increase in evaporation. However, there are some processes involved in transpiration (evaporation through the vegetation) that make the relationship more complicated: in a bid to conserve water, vegetation will reduce their stomata in response to drier soils and warmer drier air which leads to lower transpiration rates despite higher evaporative demands. In addition, the vegetation responds to increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide by closing their stomata, and this further reduces the transpiration. The JULES (Joint UK Land Environment Simulator) model, used widely in the UK to study the impacts of climate change on the environment, includes many of the processes that are likely to affect changes in water loss and its impact on large scale hydrology. A new assessment of the UK wide water balance for the last 52 years (1961 to 2013) at a 1km grid-scale has been made using this model in a system called CHESS (Climate Hydrology and Ecology research Support System). Some data is available to check the overall water balance. For instance, river flow data can be used at an annual time scale to capture the water balance, while evaporation data from flux towers can be used at some locations around the UK for the few years that it is available to evaluate the seasonal variations of evaporation. Both of these methods provide imperfect but useful evidence. Here we present the results of the modelling exercise and the evaluation: long term increasing evaporation loss trends are clearly present in the model output and these are discussed with respect to the different drivers of change.

40 CFR 255.23 - Joint identification of agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Joint identification of agencies. 255.23 Section 255.23 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES... all general purpose local governments within the State, all units of regional governance, all existing...

Software Configuration Management Across Project Boundaries and In Distributed Development Environments.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-01-01

between projects and between host development systems, and between projects, using an integrated Programming Support Environment. The discussion assumes...the availability of some of the facilities that were proposed for inclusion in the UK CHAPSE (CHILL Ada Programming Support Environment). C’ Accession...life cycle of a product. In a programming support envirorment (PSE) with an underlying database, the software can be stored in the databave and

Seasonal variations of alkenones and UK37 in the Chesapeake Bay water column

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mercer, J.L.; Zhao, M.; Colman, Steven M.

2005-01-01

Alkenone unsaturation indices (UK37 and U K???37) have long been used as proxies for surface water temperature in the open ocean. Recent studies have suggested that in other marine environments, variables other than temperature may affect both the production of alkenones and the values of the indices. Here, we present the results of a reconnaissance field study in which alkenones were extracted from particulate matter filtered from the water column in Chesapeake Bay during 2000 and 2001. A multivariate analysis shows a strong positive correlation between UK37 (and UK???37) values and temperature, and a significant negative correlation between UK37 (and UK???37) values and nitrate concentrations. However, temperature and nitrate concentrations also co-vary significantly. The temperature vs. UK37 relationships (UK37=0.018 (T)-0.162, R2=0.84, UK???37=0.013 (T)-0.04, R2=0.80) have lower slopes than the open-ocean equations of Prahl et al. [1988. Further evaluation of long-chain alkenones as indicators of paleoceanographic conditions. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 52, 2303-2310] and Mu??ller et al. [1998. Calibration of the alkenone paleotemperature index UK???37 based on core-tops from the eastern South Atlantic and the global ocean (60??N-60??S). Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 62, 1757-1772], but are similar to the relationships found in controlled studies with elevated nutrient levels and higher nitrate:phosphate (N:P) ratios. This implies that high nutrient levels in Chesapeake Bay have either lowered the UK37 vs. temperature slope, or nutrient levels are the main controller of the U K37 index. In addition, particularly high abundances (>5% of total C37 alkenones) of the tetra-unsaturated ketone, C37:4, were found when water temperatures reached 25??C or higher, thus posing further questions about the controls on alkenone production as well as the biochemical roles of alkenones. ?? 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 10.10 - Limitation on Environmental Protection Agency's authority.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Limitation on Environmental Protection Agency's authority. 10.10 Section 10.10 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE CLAIMS UNDER FEDERAL TORT CLAIMS ACT Procedures § 10.10 Limitation on Environmental Protection...

78 FR 30733 - Modernizing Federal Infrastructure Review and Permitting Regulations, Policies, and Procedures

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-22

... Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies Reliable, safe, and resilient infrastructure is the backbone... and agencies (agencies) have achieved better outcomes for communities and the environment and realized... major infrastructure projects by half, while also improving outcomes for communities and the environment...

40 CFR 56.7 - State agency performance audits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... which grantees use Federal monies, to assure that an adequate evaluation of each State's performance in... 40 Protection of Environment 5 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false State agency performance audits. 56.7 Section 56.7 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED...

Variation in beliefs about ‘fracking’ between the UK and US

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evensen, Darrick; Stedman, Richard; O'Hara, Sarah; Humphrey, Mathew; Andersson-Hudson, Jessica

2017-12-01

In decision-making on the politically-contentious issue of unconventional gas development, the UK Government and European Commission are attempting to learn from the US experience. Although economic, environmental, and health impacts and regulatory contexts have been compared cross-nationally, public perceptions and their antecedents have not. We conducted similar online panel surveys of national samples of UK and US residents simultaneously in September 2014 to compare public perceptions and beliefs affecting such perceptions. The US sample was more likely to associate positive impacts with development (i.e. production of clean energy, cheap energy, and advancing national energy security). The UK sample was more likely to associate negative impacts (i.e. water contamination, higher carbon emissions, and earthquakes). Multivariate analyses reveal divergence cross-nationally in the relationship between beliefs about impacts and support/opposition—especially for beliefs about energy security. People who associated shale gas development with increased energy security in the UK were over three times more likely to support development than people in the US with this same belief. We conclude with implications for policy and communication, discussing communication approaches that could be successful cross-nationally and policy foci to which the UK might need to afford more attention in its continually evolving regulatory environment.

77 FR 14535 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Application To Use the Automated Commercial Environment...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-12

... Activities: Application To Use the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) AGENCY: U.S. Customs and Border... Commercial Environment (ACE). This request for comment is being made pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act... Number: None. Abstract: The Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) is a trade processing system that will...

General practitioners' psychosocial resources, distress, and sickness absence: a study comparing the UK and Finland.

PubMed

Heponiemi, Tarja; Elovainio, Marko; Presseau, Justin; Eccles, Martin P

2014-06-01

Many countries, including the UK and Finland, face difficulties in recruiting GPs and one reason for these difficulties may be due to negative psychosocial work environments. To compare psychosocial resources (job control and participative safety), distress and sickness absences between GPs from the UK and those from Finland. We also examined differences in how psychosocial resources are associated with distress and sickness absence and how distress is associated with sickness absence for both countries. Two independent cross-sectional surveys conducted in general practice in the UK and Finland. Analyses of covariance were used for continuous outcome variables and logistic regression for dichotomized variable (sickness absence) adjusted for gender, qualification year and response format. UK GPs reported more opportunities to control their work and had higher levels of participative safety but were more distressed than Finnish GPs. Finnish GPs were 2.3 (95% confidence interval = 1.8-3.1) times more likely to report sickness absence spells than UK GPs. Among Finnish GPs, job control opportunities and high participative safety were associated with lower levels of distress, but not among UK GPs. Among UK GPs, higher distress was associated with 2.1 (95% confidence interval = 1.3-3.6) times higher likelihood of sickness absence spells, but among Finnish GPs there were no such association. In Finland, primary health care organizations should try to improve participative safety and increase control opportunities of physicians to decrease GP distress, whereas in the UK, other work or private life factors may be more important. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Structuring policy problems for plastics, the environment and human health: reflections from the UK

PubMed Central

Shaxson, Louise

2009-01-01

How can we strengthen the science–policy interface for plastics, the environment and human health? In a complex policy area with multiple stakeholders, it is important to clarify the nature of the particular plastics-related issue before trying to understand how to reconcile the supply and demand for evidence in policy. This article proposes a simple problem typology to assess the fundamental characteristics of a policy issue and thus identify appropriate processes for science–policy interactions. This is illustrated with two case studies from one UK Government Department, showing how policy and science meet over the environmental problems of plastics waste in the marine environment and on land. A problem-structuring methodology helps us understand why some policy issues can be addressed through relatively linear flows of science from experts to policymakers but why others demand a more reflexive approach to brokering the knowledge between science and policy. Suggestions are given at the end of the article for practical actions that can be taken on both sides. PMID:19528061

Structuring policy problems for plastics, the environment and human health: reflections from the UK.

PubMed

Shaxson, Louise

2009-07-27

How can we strengthen the science-policy interface for plastics, the environment and human health? In a complex policy area with multiple stakeholders, it is important to clarify the nature of the particular plastics-related issue before trying to understand how to reconcile the supply and demand for evidence in policy. This article proposes a simple problem typology to assess the fundamental characteristics of a policy issue and thus identify appropriate processes for science-policy interactions. This is illustrated with two case studies from one UK Government Department, showing how policy and science meet over the environmental problems of plastics waste in the marine environment and on land. A problem-structuring methodology helps us understand why some policy issues can be addressed through relatively linear flows of science from experts to policymakers but why others demand a more reflexive approach to brokering the knowledge between science and policy. Suggestions are given at the end of the article for practical actions that can be taken on both sides.

40 CFR 141.210 - Notice by primacy agency on behalf of the public water system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Notice by primacy agency on behalf of the public water system. 141.210 Section 141.210 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS Public...

40 CFR 141.210 - Notice by primacy agency on behalf of the public water system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Notice by primacy agency on behalf of the public water system. 141.210 Section 141.210 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS Public...

40 CFR 35.912 - Delegation to State agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Delegation to State agencies. 35.912 Section 35.912 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL ASSISTANCE STATE AND LOCAL ASSISTANCE Grants for Construction of Treatment Works-Clean Water Act § 35.912...

40 CFR 35.912 - Delegation to State agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Delegation to State agencies. 35.912 Section 35.912 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL ASSISTANCE STATE AND LOCAL ASSISTANCE Grants for Construction of Treatment Works-Clean Water Act § 35.912...

40 CFR 35.912 - Delegation to State agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Delegation to State agencies. 35.912 Section 35.912 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL ASSISTANCE STATE AND LOCAL ASSISTANCE Grants for Construction of Treatment Works-Clean Water Act § 35.912...

40 CFR 35.912 - Delegation to State agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Delegation to State agencies. 35.912 Section 35.912 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL ASSISTANCE STATE AND LOCAL ASSISTANCE Grants for Construction of Treatment Works-Clean Water Act § 35.912...

40 CFR 68.215 - Permit content and air permitting authority or designated agency requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 15 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Permit content and air permitting authority or designated agency requirements. 68.215 Section 68.215 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) CHEMICAL ACCIDENT PREVENTION PROVISIONS Other...

40 CFR 35.912 - Delegation to State agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Delegation to State agencies. 35.912 Section 35.912 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL ASSISTANCE STATE AND LOCAL ASSISTANCE Grants for Construction of Treatment Works-Clean Water Act § 35.912...

Similar challenges but different responses: Media coverage of measles vaccination in the UK and China.

PubMed

Ren, Jie; Peters, Hans Peter; Allgaier, Joachim; Lo, Yin-Yueh

2014-05-01

For several decades scholars have studied media reporting on scientific issues that involve controversy. Most studies so far have focused on the western world. This article tries to broaden the perspective by considering China and comparing it to a western country. A content analysis of newspaper coverage of vaccination issues in the UK and China shows, first, that the government-supported 'mainstream position' dominates the Chinese coverage while the British media frequently refer to criticism and controversy. Second, scientific expertise in the British coverage is represented by experts from the health and science sector but by experts from health agencies in the Chinese coverage. These results are discussed with respect to implications for risk communication and scientists' involvement in public communication.

Online learning for professional development.

PubMed

Purkis, Nick; Gabb, Carol A

This article addresses how nurses in the UK can use online learning to meet the changing requirements of continuing professional development. Recent changes in post-registration nurse education are due to two main reasons: financial cutbacks and reduced use of agency staff make it difficult for nurse managers to release nurses for study time away from the ward; and healthcare becoming increasingly diverse and complex, so pre-registration education has changed. Since September 2013, only degree-level pre-registration nursing programmes have been available in the UK. Degree-level education is intended to sharpen critical thinking skills to improve future healthcare but it may also disadvantage nurses without degrees. One response to these challenges is to provide online learning, such as online personal learning programmes. portfolios (e-portfolios) or other onlinen

Recuperating from BSE: the shifting UK institutional basis for trust in food.

PubMed

Wales, Corinne; Harvey, Mark; Warde, Alan

2006-09-01

How did the UK, the villain of Europe as the source of the greatest recent crisis in trust in food, become the country with the highest reported levels of trust in the safety of food? The nature of the BSE crisis is explored, particularly how it rapidly became primarily a question of trust in government and science. The responses to the crisis by the different institutional actors is examined, especially the provisioning system and retailers, but also consumers themselves. A major reform of governmental institutional architecture resulted in the Food Standards Agency, a model for European development. But, we argue that this reform conformed with growing retailer power and control over the supply chain to provide a new institutional basis for trust in food.

Children's Agency and the Welfare State: Policy Priorities and Contradictions in Australia and the UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Redmond, Gerry

2010-01-01

Since the early 1990s, liberal welfare regimes have begun to treat lone parents as workers rather than as carers. This has happened in conjunction with an ongoing "moral panic" about the need to develop policies to invest in children, and to protect them from adult worlds. The purpose of this article is to analyse contradictions within…

Ecologies of Educational Reflexivity and Agency--A Different Way of Thinking about Equitable Educational Policies and Practices for England and Beyond?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raffo, Carlo; Forbes, Claire; Thomson, Steph

2015-01-01

By placing emphasis on equity and social mobility, the current UK education policy for England focuses on narrowing the educational attainment gap between more and less advantaged groups of young people--an approach that has strong parallels in many other Anglophone countries around the world. We argue that these policy and associated practice…

Mindful Application of Aviation Practices in Healthcare.

PubMed

Powell-Dunford, Nicole; Brennan, Peter A; Peerally, Mohammad Farhad; Kapur, Narinder; Hynes, Jonny M; Hodkinson, Peter D

2017-12-01

Evidence supports the efficacy of incorporating select recognized aviation practices and procedures into healthcare. Incident analysis, debrief, safety brief, and crew resource management (CRM) have all been assessed for implementation within the UK healthcare system, a world leader in aviation-based patient safety initiatives. Mindful application, in which aviation practices are specifically tailored to the unique healthcare setting, show promise in terms of acceptance and long-term sustainment. In order to establish British healthcare applications of aviation practices, a PubMed search of UK authored manuscripts published between 2005-2016 was undertaken using search terms 'aviation,' 'healthcare,' 'checklist,' and 'CRM.' A convenience sample of UK-authored aviation medical conference presentations and UK-authored patient safety manuscripts were also reviewed. A total of 11 of 94 papers with UK academic affiliations published between 2005-2016 and relevant to aviation modeled healthcare delivery were found. The debrief process, incident analysis, and CRM are the primary practices incorporated into UK healthcare, with success dependent on cultural acceptance and mindful application. CRM training has gained significant acceptance in UK healthcare environments. Aviation modeled incident analysis, debrief, safety brief, and CRM training are increasingly undertaken within the UK healthcare system. Nuanced application, in which the unique aspects of the healthcare setting are addressed as part of a comprehensive safety approach, shows promise for long-term success. The patient safety brief and aviation modeled incident analysis are in earlier phases of implementation, and warrant further analysis.Powell-Dunford N, Brennan PA, Peerally MF, Kapur N, Hynes JM, Hodkinson PD. Mindful application of aviation practices in healthcare. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2017; 88(12):1107-1116.

Operational monitoring and forecasting of bathing water quality through exploiting satellite Earth observation and models: The AlgaRisk demonstration service

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shutler, J. D.; Warren, M. A.; Miller, P. I.; Barciela, R.; Mahdon, R.; Land, P. E.; Edwards, K.; Wither, A.; Jonas, P.; Murdoch, N.; Roast, S. D.; Clements, O.; Kurekin, A.

2015-04-01

Coastal zones and shelf-seas are important for tourism, commercial fishing and aquaculture. As a result the importance of good water quality within these regions to support life is recognised worldwide and a number of international directives for monitoring them now exist. This paper describes the AlgaRisk water quality monitoring demonstration service that was developed and operated for the UK Environment Agency in response to the microbiological monitoring needs within the revised European Union Bathing Waters Directive. The AlgaRisk approach used satellite Earth observation to provide a near-real time monitoring of microbiological water quality and a series of nested operational models (atmospheric and hydrodynamic-ecosystem) provided a forecast capability. For the period of the demonstration service (2008-2013) all monitoring and forecast datasets were processed in near-real time on a daily basis and disseminated through a dedicated web portal, with extracted data automatically emailed to agency staff. Near-real time data processing was achieved using a series of supercomputers and an Open Grid approach. The novel web portal and java-based viewer enabled users to visualise and interrogate current and historical data. The system description, the algorithms employed and example results focussing on a case study of an incidence of the harmful algal bloom Karenia mikimotoi are presented. Recommendations and the potential exploitation of web services for future water quality monitoring services are discussed.

The Influence of the Outdoor Environment: Den-Making in Three Different Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canning, Natalie

2010-01-01

This small-scale research examined den-making in three different settings in the UK. The research consisted of non-participant, narrative observations of children aged between 3- and 5-years and early years practitioners involved in supporting them in their play. Content analysis revealed common themes: the impact of the environment on the way…

Children Researching Their Urban Environment: Developing a Methodology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hacking, Elisabeth Barratt; Barratt, Robert

2009-01-01

"Listening to children: environmental perspectives and the school curriculum" (L2C) was a UK research council project based in schools in a socially and economically deprived urban area in England. It focused on 10/12 year old children's experience of their local community and environment, and how they made sense of this in relation both…

Negotiating Networks of Communication in a Superdiverse Environment: Urban Multilingualism in the City of Southampton

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cadier, Linda; Mar-Molinero, Clare

2014-01-01

This article explores the impact of superdiversity on linguistic practices in Southampton, UK. Our focus seeks to identify what these practices are in an environment that we describe as superdiverse, and what is influencing, determining, shaping and contributing to these practices. Southampton is characterised by twenty-first century social…

Forest Schools and Environmental Attitudes: A Case Study of Children Aged 8-11 Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turtle, Christina; Convery, Ian; Convery, Katie

2015-01-01

There is growing evidence that children in the UK are suffering from a lack of engagement with nature and the outdoor environment. This paper investigates the attitudes of children towards the natural environment and focuses on Forest School programmes as a mechanism to promote a "pro-environmental" attitude. The study identified that…

Inequality and the Home Learning Environment: Predictions about Seven-Year-Olds' Language and Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartas, Dimitra

2012-01-01

Using a UK representative sample from the Millennium Cohort Study, the present study examined the unique and cumulative contribution of children's characteristics and attitudes to school, home learning environment and family's socio-economic background to children's language and literacy at the end of Key Stage 1 (age seven-years-old).…

Multimedia University: A Paperless Environment to Take the Challenges for the 21st Century

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reaz, Mamun Bin Ibne; Hussain, Sazzad; Khadem, Shajib

2007-01-01

Predictability of absolute data transaction for real time information and reduction of incalculable data delivery time are the major factors to lead the global education as well as economic system towards a paperless environment. Some universities such as the University of Phoenix, Western Governors University, UK Open University, University of…

Creating and Nurturing a Community of Practice for Language Teachers in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacKinnon, Teresa

2013-01-01

This case study investigates the implementation of a virtual learning environment designed for language teachers for an institution-wide language programme in a UK higher education institution. This development has taken place over a 3 year period and included a pilot virtual learning environment for 300, followed by a full implementation to more…

Facilitating the Development of Study Skills through a Blended Learning Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Julian; Groves, Mark; Bowd, Belinda; Barber, Alison

2012-01-01

This study examined the effectiveness of a Blended Learning (BL) environment designed to facilitate the learning of study skills with a large (over 200) and diverse undergraduate student cohort in a Higher Education (HE) institution in the UK. A BL environment was designed using the model provided by Kerres & De Witt (2003), and was also…

UK Business School Rankings over the Last 30 Years (1980-2010): Trends and Explanations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkins, Stephen; Huisman, Jeroen

2012-01-01

Business schools globally operate in a market-driven environment and rankings are very much part of that environment. Rankings have a significant impact on a school's ability to attract the top scholars, the most able students and research funding. Schools use rankings to support claims of excellence and "world class" status. The purpose…

On-road traffic emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their oxy- and nitro- derivative compounds measured in road tunnel environments.

PubMed

Keyte, Ian J; Albinet, Alexandre; Harrison, Roy M

2016-10-01

Vehicular emissions are a key source of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their oxygenated (OPAH) and nitrated (NPAH) derivatives, in the urban environment. Road tunnels are a useful environment for the characterisation of on-road vehicular emissions, providing a realistic traffic fleet and a lack of direct sunlight, chemical reactivity and non-traffic sources. In the present investigation the concentrations of selected PAHs, OPAHs and NPAHs have been measured in the Parc des Princes Tunnel in Paris (PdPT, France), and at the Queensway Road Tunnel and an urban background site in Birmingham (QT, U.K). A higher proportion of semi-volatile (3-4 ring) PAH, OPAH and NPAH compounds are associated with the particulate phase compared with samples from the ambient environment. A large (~85%) decline in total PAH concentrations is observed between 1992 and 2012 measurements in QT. This is attributed primarily to the introduction of catalytic converters in the U.K as well as increasingly stringent EU vehicle emissions legislation. In contrast, NPAH concentrations measured in 2012 are similar to those measured in 1996. This observation, in addition to an increased proportion of (Phe+Flt+Pyr) in the observed PAH burden in the tunnel, is attributed to the increased number of diesel passenger vehicles in the U.K during this period. Except for OPAHs, comparable PAH and NPAH concentrations are observed in both investigated tunnels (QT and PdP). Significant differences are shown for specific substances between PAC chemical profiles in relation with the national traffic fleet differences (33% diesel passenger cars in U.K. vs 69% in France and up to 80% taking into account all vehicle categories). The dominating and sole contribution of 1-Nitropyrene observed in the PdPT NPAH profile strengthens the promising use of this compound as a diesel exhaust marker for PM source apportionment studies. Copyright © 2016 British Geological Survey, NERC. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

45 CFR 1304.53 - Facilities, materials, and equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

.... (a) Head Start physical environment and facilities. (1) Grantee and delegate agencies must provide a physical environment and facilities conducive to learning and reflective of the different stages of... delegate agencies must provide a center-based environment free of toxins, such as cigarette smoke, lead...

Use of the ICRP system for the protection of marine ecosystems.

PubMed

Telleria, D; Cabianca, T; Proehl, G; Kliaus, V; Brown, J; Bossio, C; Van der Wolf, J; Bonchuk, I; Nilsen, M

2015-06-01

The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) recently reinforced the international system of radiological protection, initially focused on humans, by identifying principles of environmental protection and proposing a framework for assessing impacts of ionising radiation on non-human species, based on a reference flora and fauna approach. For this purpose, ICRP developed dosimetric models for a set of Reference Animals and Plants, which are representative of flora and fauna in different environments (terrestrial, freshwater, marine), and produced criteria based on information on radiation effects, with the aim of evaluating the level of potential or actual radiological impacts, and as an input for decision making. The approach developed by ICRP for flora and fauna is consistent with the approach used to protect humans. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) includes considerations on the protection of the environment in its safety standards, and is currently developing guidelines to assess radiological impacts based on the aforementioned ICRP approach. This paper presents the method developed by IAEA, in a series of meetings with international experts, to enable assessment of the radiological impact to the marine environment in connection with the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter 1972 (London Convention 1972). This method is based on IAEA's safety standards and ICRP's recommendations, and was presented in 2013 for consideration by representatives of the contracting parties of the London Convention 1972; it was approved for inclusion in its procedures, and is in the process of being incorporated into guidelines. © The International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Groundwater vulnerability to onshore unconventional and conventional hydrocarbon activities in England

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loveless, Sian; Bloomfield, John; Ward, Rob; Davey, Ian; Hart, Alwyn

2016-04-01

In the last five years there has been a renewed interest in onshore oil and gas in England as new extraction technologies and continued energy demand have allowed for the development of less accessible resources. Until now, shale gas has received most attention in England although exploration licences have also been granted for coal bed methane and mine gas in addition to more conventional hydrocarbon resources. While there is some interest in underground coal gasification there are currently no licences granted. Potential impacts on groundwater from shale gas operations have been well publicised. Hazards include contamination from spills or leaks of frack-fluids and returned water, at the surface, through leaky wells or via subsurface pathways from the source rock, and the availability of water resources. Groundwater is an important resource in England, providing an average of 31% of water resources in England and Wales, and up to 100% in some areas of south-east England. In its role as the environmental regulator the Environment Agency must manage the risks associated with these hazards, and those associated with other onshore oil and gas activities, so that they are minimised. Here we focus on the groundwater contamination risk from source rocks though subsurface pathways. Despite the abundant literature emerging from the North American continent there remain great uncertainties as to the risk. These uncertainties are amplified when translated to Europe due to significant policy and geological differences. Research from North America indicates that risk is influenced by the exploitation and well completion methods and the geological setting, including: pre-existing fracture and fault networks; stress regime; petrological and rheological properties of the rock between the source and groundwater receptor and the distance between the source and receptors. A joint British Geological Survey/ EA project - iHydrogeology (http://www.bgs.ac.uk/research/groundwater/shaleGas/iHydrogeology.html) - identified key shale units and Principal Aquifers (http://apps.environment-agency.gov.uk/wiyby/117020.aspx) in England and Wales. The BGS GB3D model (Mathers et al., 2014) was used to produce maps of these and the separation distance between aquifer-shale pairs. The latter maps show large variations across the country and even within basins for the aquifer-shale pairs. For example, the separation distance between the Bowland shale and Triassic sandstone aquifer varies between < 200 m to > 1,500 m. However it is not yet clear what constitutes a safe separation distance. Due to the geological variability across England a current project (3DGWV) will address the need to assess risk and uncertainties both conceptually and on a more site-specific scale. The method above will be extended to other onshore hydrocarbons. Conceptual models of these source releases and pathways will be compared in the context of English geology. Another important outcome of the ihydrogeology project was the recognition that the definition of groundwater bodies with respect to the Water Framework Directive might need to be redefined in a UK context, taking into account these new, 3D risks. In addition to this work the BGS and EA are also conducting one of the first comprehensive baseline monitoring studies in potential shale gas areas and a project looking at the impacts of abandoned wells. Reference: Mathers, et al. (2014). GB3D-a framework for the bedrock geology of Great Britain. Geoscience Data Journal, 1(1), 30-42.

Challenges in undertaking mosquito surveillance at UK seaports and airports to prevent the entry and establishment of invasive vector species.

PubMed

Murphy, Gai; Vaux, Alex; Medlock, Jolyon

2013-01-01

Port health authorities have played an important role in the control of infectious diseases worldwide. The International Health Regulations (2005) further clarifies this role and provides a legal statutory instrument that aims to assist the international community to prevent and respond to global public health risks. Eleven UK sea and airports participated in a pilot, investigating the challenges ports could face in attempting to monitor for mosquitoes. The study also examined the types of habitat that could support mosquitoes. There is a concern that exotic vector species, such as Aedes albopictus, could invade and become established in the UK. Environments in and around the ports differed, and this was reflected in the species of mosquitoes caught. Ports used different methods to collect mosquitoes and developed a range of techniques for surveying, which suited the conditions at their port. This paper discusses the implications of invasive mosquito surveillance to UK port health authorities.

The Rocks From Space outreach initiative and The Space Safari: the development of virtual learning environments for planetary science outreach in the UK.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pearson, V. K.; Greenwood, R. C.; Bridges, J.; Watson, J.; Brooks, V.

The Rocks From Space outreach initiative and The Space Safari: the development of virtual learning environments for planetary science outreach in the UK. V.K. Pearson (1), R.C. Greenwood (1), J. Bridges (1), J. Watson (2) and V. Brooks (2) (1) Plantetary and Space Sciences Research Institute (PSSRI), The Open University, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA. (2) Stockton-on-Tees City Learning Centre, Marsh House Avenue, Billingham, TS23 3QJ. (v.k.pearson@open.ac.uk Fax: +44 (0) 858022 Phone: +44 (0) 1908652814 The Rocks From Space (RFS) project is a PPARC and Open University supported planetary science outreach initiative. It capitalises on the successes of Open University involvement in recent space missions such as Genesis and Stardust which have brought planetary science to the forefront of public attention.Our traditional methods of planetary science outreach have focussed on activities such as informal school visits and public presentations. However, these traditional methods are often limited to a local area to fit within time and budget constraints and therefore RFS looks to new technologies to reach geographically dispersed audiences. In collaboration with Stockton-on-Tees City Learning Centre, we have conducted a pilot study into the use of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) for planetary science outreach. The pilot study was undertaken under the guise of a "Space Safari" in which pupils dispersed across the Teesside region of the UK could collaboratively explore the Solar System. Over 300 students took part in the pilot from 11 primary schools (ages 6-10). Resources for their exploration were provided by Open University scientists in Milton Keynes and hosted on the VLE. Students were encouraged to post their findings, ideas and questions via wikis and a VLE forum. This combination of contributions from students, teachers and scientists encouraged a collaborative learning environment. These asynchronous activities were complemented by synchronous virtual classroom activities using Elluminate Live! facilities where students could attend "drop-in" sessions with scientists to discuss their exploration. Following these activities, schools were asked to produce a collaborative piece of work about their exploration that could be hosted on the Rocks From Space website (www.rocksfromspace.open.ac.uk; designed by Milton Keynes HE college students) as a resource for future projects and wider public access. Submissions included powerpoint presentations, animations, poems and murals and illustrates the cross curriculum nature of this project. We present the outcomes and evaluation of this pilot study with recommendations for the future use of VLEs in planetary science outreach.

Place-focused physical activity research, human agency, and social justice in public health: taking agency seriously in studies of the built environment.

PubMed

Blacksher, Erika; Lovasi, Gina S

2012-03-01

Built environment characteristics have been linked to health outcomes and health disparities. However, the effects of an environment on behavior may depend on human perception, interpretation, motivation, and other forms of human agency. We draw on epidemiological and ethical concepts to articulate a critique of research on the built environment and physical activity. We identify problematic assumptions and enumerate both scientific and ethical reasons to incorporate subjective perspectives and public engagement strategies into built environment research and interventions. We maintain that taking agency seriously is essential to the pursuit of health equity and the broader demands of social justice in public health, an important consideration as studies of the built environment and physical activity increasingly focus on socially disadvantaged communities. Attention to how people understand their environment and navigate competing demands can improve the scientific value of ongoing efforts to promote active living and health, while also better fulfilling our ethical obligations to the individuals and communities whose health we strive to protect. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 63.13 - Addresses of State air pollution control agencies and EPA Regional Offices.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 9 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Addresses of State air pollution control agencies and EPA Regional Offices. 63.13 Section 63.13 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL... POLLUTANTS FOR SOURCE CATEGORIES General Provisions § 63.13 Addresses of State air pollution control agencies...

40 CFR 63.13 - Addresses of State air pollution control agencies and EPA Regional Offices.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 9 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Addresses of State air pollution control agencies and EPA Regional Offices. 63.13 Section 63.13 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL... POLLUTANTS FOR SOURCE CATEGORIES General Provisions § 63.13 Addresses of State air pollution control agencies...

Safe travels? HIV transmission among Britons travelling abroad.

PubMed

Rice, B; Gilbart, V L; Lawrence, J; Smith, R; Kall, M; Delpech, V

2012-05-01

The aim of the study was to identify and describe the characteristics of persons born in the UK who acquire HIV infection abroad. Analyses using case reports and follow-up data from the national HIV database held at the Health Protection Agency were performed. Fifteen per cent (2066 of 13 891) of UK-born adults diagnosed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland between 2002 and 2010 acquired HIV infection abroad. Thailand (534), the USA (117) and South Africa (108) were the countries most commonly reported. As compared with UK-born adults acquiring HIV infection in the UK, those acquiring HIV infection abroad were significantly (P < 0.01) more likely to have acquired it heterosexually (70% vs. 22%, respectively), to be of older age at diagnosis (median 42 years vs. 36 years, respectively), and to have reported sex with a commercial sex worker (5.6% vs. 1%, respectively). Among men infected in Thailand, 11% reported sex with a commercial sex worker. A substantial number of UK-born adults are acquiring HIV infection in countries with generalized HIV epidemics, and in common holiday destinations. Of particular concern is the high proportion of men infected reporting sex with a commercial sex worker. We recommend HIV prevention and testing efforts be extended to include travellers abroad, and that sexual health advice be provided routinely in travel health consultations and in occupational health travel advice packs, particularly to those travelling to high HIV prevalence areas and destinations for sex tourism. Safer sex messages should include an awareness of the potential detrimental health and social impacts of the sex industry. © 2012 British HIV Association.

Sharing the British National Health Service around the world: a self-interested perspective

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

As the UK reiterates its commitment to protecting and growing its development aid budget amidst an adverse economic environment for the UK and Europe, we discuss the potential to use the country’s National Health Service (NHS) model as a vehicle for promoting the country’s economic as well as global health diplomacy and development priorities, through a coordinated cross-government plan of action. With the country’s Prime Minister serving as a co-chair of the UN post-2015 development agenda panel,a this is a unique opportunity for the UK to put forward its health system architecture as a highly applicable and well-tested model for providing access to efficient and cost-effective care, with minimal financial hardship. Arguably, such a model tailored to the needs of specific countries could consequently lead to commercial opportunities for UK plc. in areas such as consulting, training, education and healthcare products. Finally, this approach would be consistent with the current thinking on the evolving role of UK aid, especially in the case of emerging powers such as India, where the focus has shifted from aid to investment in technical assistance and cooperation as a means of boosting bilateral business and trade. PMID:24160168

Sharing the British National Health Service around the world: a self-interested perspective.

PubMed

Chalkidou, Kalipso; Vega, Jeanette

2013-10-25

As the UK reiterates its commitment to protecting and growing its development aid budget amidst an adverse economic environment for the UK and Europe, we discuss the potential to use the country's National Health Service (NHS) model as a vehicle for promoting the country's economic as well as global health diplomacy and development priorities, through a coordinated cross-government plan of action. With the country's Prime Minister serving as a co-chair of the UN post-2015 development agenda panel,a this is a unique opportunity for the UK to put forward its health system architecture as a highly applicable and well-tested model for providing access to efficient and cost-effective care, with minimal financial hardship. Arguably, such a model tailored to the needs of specific countries could consequently lead to commercial opportunities for UK plc. in areas such as consulting, training, education and healthcare products. Finally, this approach would be consistent with the current thinking on the evolving role of UK aid, especially in the case of emerging powers such as India, where the focus has shifted from aid to investment in technical assistance and cooperation as a means of boosting bilateral business and trade.

Characterising food environment exposure at home, at work, and along commuting journeys using data on adults in the UK.

PubMed

Burgoine, Thomas; Monsivais, Pablo

2013-06-27

Socio-ecological models of behaviour suggest that dietary behaviours are potentially shaped by exposure to the food environment ('foodscape'). Research on associations between the foodscape and diet and health has largely focussed on foodscapes around the home, despite recognition that non-home environments are likely to be important in a more complete assessment of foodscape exposure. This paper characterises and describes foodscape exposure of different types, at home, at work, and along commuting routes for a sample of working adults in Cambridgeshire, UK. Home and work locations, and transport habits for 2,696 adults aged 29-60 were drawn from the Fenland Study, UK. Food outlet locations were obtained from local councils and classified by type - we focus on convenience stores, restaurants, supermarkets and takeaway food outlets. Density of and proximity to food outlets was characterised at home and work. Commuting routes were modelled based on the shortest street network distance between home and work, with exposure (counts of food outlets) that accounted for travel mode and frequency. We describe these three domains of food environment exposure using descriptive and inferential statistics. For all types of food outlet, we found very different foodscapes around homes and workplaces (with overall outlet exposure at work 125% higher), as well as a potentially substantial exposure contribution from commuting routes. On average, work and commuting environments each contributed to foodscape exposure at least equally to residential neighbourhoods, which only accounted for roughly 30% of total exposure. Furthermore, for participants with highest overall exposure to takeaway food outlets, workplaces accounted for most of the exposure. Levels of relative exposure between home, work and commuting environments were poorly correlated. Relying solely on residential neighbourhood characterisation greatly underestimated total foodscape exposure in this sample, with levels of home exposure unrelated to levels of away from home exposure. Such mis-estimation is likely to be expressed in analyses as attenuated parameter estimates, suggesting a minimal 'environmental' contribution to outcomes of interest. Future work should aim to assess exposure more completely through characterising environments beyond the residential neighbourhood, where behaviours related to food consumption are likely to occur.

A new automatic synthetic aperture radar-based flood mapping application hosted on the European Space Agency's Grid Processing of Demand Fast Access to Imagery environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matgen, Patrick; Giustarini, Laura; Hostache, Renaud

2012-10-01

This paper introduces an automatic flood mapping application that is hosted on the Grid Processing on Demand (GPOD) Fast Access to Imagery (Faire) environment of the European Space Agency. The main objective of the online application is to deliver operationally flooded areas using both recent and historical acquisitions of SAR data. Having as a short-term target the flooding-related exploitation of data generated by the upcoming ESA SENTINEL-1 SAR mission, the flood mapping application consists of two building blocks: i) a set of query tools for selecting the "crisis image" and the optimal corresponding "reference image" from the G-POD archive and ii) an algorithm for extracting flooded areas via change detection using the previously selected "crisis image" and "reference image". Stakeholders in flood management and service providers are able to log onto the flood mapping application to get support for the retrieval, from the rolling archive, of the most appropriate reference image. Potential users will also be able to apply the implemented flood delineation algorithm. The latter combines histogram thresholding, region growing and change detection as an approach enabling the automatic, objective and reliable flood extent extraction from SAR images. Both algorithms are computationally efficient and operate with minimum data requirements. The case study of the high magnitude flooding event that occurred in July 2007 on the Severn River, UK, and that was observed with a moderateresolution SAR sensor as well as airborne photography highlights the performance of the proposed online application. The flood mapping application on G-POD can be used sporadically, i.e. whenever a major flood event occurs and there is a demand for SAR-based flood extent maps. In the long term, a potential extension of the application could consist in systematically extracting flooded areas from all SAR images acquired on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.

Collaborative agency to support integrated care for children, young people and families: an action research study

PubMed Central

Stuart, Kaz

2014-01-01

Abstract Introduction Collaboration was legislated in the delivery of integrated care in the early 2000s in the UK. This research explored how the reality of practice met the rhetoric of collaboration. Theory The paper is situated against a theoretical framework of structure, agency, identity and empowerment. Collectively and contextually these concepts inform the proposed model of ‘collaborative agency’ to sustain integrated care. The paper brings sociological theory on structure and agency to the dilemma of collaboration. Methods Participative action research was carried out in collaborative teams that aspired to achieve integrated care for children, young people and families between 2009 and 2013. It was a part time, PhD study in collaborative practice. Results The research established that people needed to be able to be jointly aware of their context, to make joint decisions, and jointly act in order to deliver integrated services, and proposes a model of collaborative agency derived from practitioner’s experiences and integrated action research and literature on agency. The model reflects the effects of a range of structures in shaping professional identity, empowerment, and agency in a dynamic. The author proposes that the collaborative agency model will support integrated care, although this is, as yet, an untested hypothesis. PMID:24868192

The role of 'Big Society' in monitoring the state of the natural environment.

PubMed

Mackechnie, Colin; Maskell, Lindsay; Norton, Lisa; Roy, David

2011-10-01

Environmental monitoring is essential for assessing the current state of the environment, measuring impacts of environmental pressures and providing evidence to government. Recent UK government announcements have indicated an increased role for 'Big Society' in monitoring. In this paper, we review available literature concerning the use of citizen science for monitoring, present examples of successful volunteer monitoring work and highlight important issues surrounding the use of volunteers. We argue that in order to ensure that environmental monitoring continues to be effective it is important to learn from examples where volunteers are currently used, acknowledging constraints and identifying potential approaches which will help to maximise both their engagement and data quality. Effective partnerships between environmental monitoring organisations and volunteers may thus aid the UK in developing robust coordinated monitoring systems that will be less vulnerable to funding variances.

Area deprivation and the food environment over time: A repeated cross-sectional study on takeaway outlet density and supermarket presence in Norfolk, UK, 1990–2008

PubMed Central

Maguire, Eva R.; Burgoine, Thomas; Monsivais, Pablo

2015-01-01

Socioeconomic disparities in the food environment are known to exist but with little understanding of change over time. This study investigated the density of takeaway food outlets and presence of supermarkets in Norfolk, UK between 1990 and 2008. Data on food retail outlet locations were collected from telephone directories and aggregated within electoral wards. Supermarket presence was not associated with area deprivation over time. Takeaway food outlet density increased overall, and was significantly higher in more deprived areas at all time points; furthermore, socioeconomic disparities in takeaway food outlet density increased across the study period. These findings add to existing evidence and help assess the need for environmental interventions to reduce disparities in the prevalence of unhealthy food outlets. PMID:25841285

Drought causes step-changes in catchment-scale carbon export from peatland catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howden, Nicholas; Worrall, Fred; Burt, Tim

2015-04-01

Increases in fluvial DOC concentrations in world rivers, particularly those that drain areas of peatland, have been observed for some years, suggesting an increase in carbon loss from the terrestrial biosphere. But it has not been straightforward to identify what causes these increases due to a lack of long-term time series to characterise both observed DOC concentrations and potential drivers. The York Waterworks Company (York, UK) abstracted drinking water from the Yorkshire Ouse just upstream of the city from the late 1800s until 2002. During the period August 1945 to December 2002, records of monthly-average DOC concentrations were kept (using water colour as a surrogate). From January 2003 onwards, the Environment Agency of England and Wales (EA) continued the monitoring, thus providing a 68-year record of monthly-average DOC concentrations in the Yorkshire Ouse, which is the longest DOC time series ever reported for a catchment with significant peat cover. We use the Yorkshire Ouse DOC record to develop a new method that shows how changes in DOC concentration and river flow have influenced carbon fluxes in the Ouse for the latter half of the 20th century and show that the only major changes in DOC flux are caused by step-increases in concentration following severe drought. We then use this method to identify a similar effect in other DOC records for UK rivers. The results suggest that increases in DOC export are due more to discrete events than to the impact of continuous drivers (such as increasing temperatures or changing atmospheric deposition), and also show these increases not to be reversed for at least four decades.

Emergence of suspected type D botulism in ruminants in England and Wales (2001 to 2009), associated with exposure to broiler litter.

PubMed

Payne, J H; Hogg, R A; Otter, A; Roest, H I J; Livesey, C T

2011-06-18

Scanning surveillance by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency revealed the emergence of suspected botulism in ruminants in 2003, presented as flaccid paralysis. From 2003 to 2009, 168 cattle and 19 sheep incidents were recorded, with mortality between 5 and 80 per cent. All sheep incidents and 95 per cent of cattle incidents had proximity to broiler litter. From July 2006, the gut contents collected from 74 affected cattle and 10 affected sheep were tested for Clostridium botulinum toxins using mice bioassays and for organisms by culture. Type D toxin was identified in 32 per cent of cattle and 18 per cent of sheep samples. C botulinum type D organisms were identified in 40 per cent of cattle and 30 per cent of sheep samples, but broth from one sample reacted with C and D antisera. Type C botulism has previously been reported more commonly than type D in the UK and has been associated with the use of poultry litter as fertiliser, bedding or feed. The almost exclusive association with C botulinum type D toxins or organisms in the gut contents in this survey suggests a change in the source or epidemiology of botulism in the UK. The source of C botulinum type D was uncertain. Broilers may carry C botulinum type D in their gut flora subclinically. The emergence of a new type D strain, or changes in broiler husbandry and nutrition, medication and other enteric infections may have affected colonisation with C botulinum. Further investigation of poultry and farm environments for sources of type D awaits the development of tests for C botulinum toxins that do not require the use of mice.

Soil- and crop-dependent variation in correlation lag between precipitation and agricultural drought indices as predicted by the SWAP model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, Azin; Cloke, Hannah; Verhoef, Anne

2017-04-01

Droughts have a devastating impact on agriculture and economy. The risk of more frequent and more severe droughts is increasing due to global warming and certain anthropogenic activities. At the same time, the global population continues to rise and the need for sustainable food production is becoming more and more pressing. In light of this, drought prediction can be of great value; in the context of early warning, preparedness and mitigation of drought impacts. Prediction of meteorological drought is associated with uncertainties around precipitation variability. As meteorological drought propagates, it can transform into agricultural drought. Determination of the maximum correlation lag between precipitation and agricultural drought indices can be useful for prediction of agricultural drought. However, the influence of soil and crop type on the lag needs to be considered, which we explored using a 1-D Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere-Transfer model (SWAP (http://www.swap.alterra.nl/), with the following configurations, all forced with ERA-Interim weather data (1979 to 2014): i) different crop types in the UK; ii) three generic soil types (clay, loam and sand) were considered. A Sobol sensitivity analysis was carried out (perturbing the SWAP model van Genuchten soil hydraulic parameters) to study the effect of soil type uncertainty on the water balance variables. Based on the sensitivity analysis results, a few variations of each soil type were selected. Agricultural drought indices including Soil Moisture Deficit Index (SMDI) and Evapotranspiration Deficit Index (ETDI) were calculated. The maximum correlation lag between precipitation and these drought indices was calculated, and analysed in the context of crop and soil model parameters. The findings of this research can be useful to UK farming, by guiding government bodies such as the Environment Agency when issuing drought warnings and implementing drought measures.

A pilot study to assess the effectiveness and cost of routine universal use of peracetic acid sporicidal wipes in a real clinical environment.

PubMed

Saha, Avinandan; Botha, Stefan Louis; Weaving, Paul; Satta, Giovanni

2016-11-01

Peracetic acid sporicidal wipes have been shown to be an effective disinfectant, but in controlled test environments. Their high cost may restrict use. This pilot study investigated the efficacy and compared the costs of routine universal use of peracetic acid sporicidal wipes versus sporicidal quaternary ammonium compound and alcohol wipes in the disinfection of a hospital environment. The routine universal use of peracetic acid wipes (Clinell Sporicidal; GAMA Healthcare Ltd, London, UK) was allocated to a study ward, whereas the control ward continued with the use of quaternary ammonium compound wipes (Tuffie 5; Vernacare, Bolton, UK) and alcohol wipes (PDI Sani-Cloth 70; PDI, Flint, UK). Twenty high-touch areas in the 2 wards were sampled for the presence of indicator organisms. The weekly detection rates of indicator organisms and weekly healthcare associated infection (HCAI) rates in the 2 wards were compared and examined for decreasing trends over the trial period. The detection rates of indicator organisms and HCAI rates were not significantly different in the 2 wards, and did not decrease significantly over the trial period. However, the peracetic acid wipes seem to be more effective against gram-negative organisms but at a significantly higher cost. Further prospective studies are needed to assess the cost-effectiveness of peracetic acid wipes. Copyright © 2016 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Psychometric Properties of a 36-Item Version of the “Stress Management Competency Indicator Tool”

PubMed Central

Toderi, Stefano; Sarchielli, Guido

2016-01-01

The development of supervisors’ behaviours has been proposed as an innovative approach for the reduction of employees’ work stress. The UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) developed the “Stress Management Competency Indicator Tool” (SMCIT), designed to be used within a learning and development intervention. However, its psychometric properties have never been evaluated, and the length of the questionnaire (66 items) limits its practical applicability. We developed a brief 36-item version of the questionnaire, assessed its psychometric properties and studied the relationship with the employees’ psychosocial work environment. 353 employees filled in the brief SMCIT and the “Stress Management Indicator Tool”. The latter is a self-report questionnaire developed by the UK HSE, measuring workers’ perceptions of seven dimensions of the psychosocial work environment that if not properly managed can lead to harm. Data were analysed with structural equation modelling and multiple regressions. The results confirmed the factorial structure of the brief SMCIT questionnaire and mainly supported the convergent validity and internal consistency of the scales. Furthermore, with few exceptions, the relations hypothesized between supervisors’ competencies and the psychosocial work environment were confirmed, supporting the criterion validity of the revised questionnaire and the UK HSE framework. We conclude that the brief 36-item version of the SMCIT represents an important step toward the development of interventions directed at supervisors and we discuss the practical implications for work stress prevention. PMID:27827940

The Big Society in an age of austerity: threats and opportunities for Health Consumer and Patients' Organizations in England.

PubMed

Baggott, Rob; Jones, Kathryn

2015-12-01

Health consumer and patients' organizations (HCPOs) seek to influence policy. But how are they affected by developments in the policy context and political environment? The article draws on original research into HCPOs in the UK by the authors, including a major survey undertaken in 1999 and interviews with HCPOs and policymakers between 2000 and 2003 as well as a further survey in 2010. It also draws on a review of key government policies on health and the voluntary sector since 1997. Developments in the political environment and policy context have created both opportunities and threats for HCPOs as they seek to influence policy. These include policies to promote choice and competition in public services; support for a greater role for the voluntary sector and civil society in health and welfare (including the current government's 'Big Society' idea); NHS reorganization; changes to the system of patient and public involvement; and austerity measures. Devolution of powers within the UK with regard to health policy and the rising profile of the EU in health matters have also had implications for HCPOs. This analysis raises key issues for future research in the UK and elsewhere, such as how will HCPOs be able to maintain independence in an increasingly competitive environment? And how will they fare in an era of retrenchment? There are also challenges for HCPOs in relation to maintaining relationships in a new institutional setting characterized by multilevel governance. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

28 CFR 0.65a - Litigation involving Environmental Protection Agency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Environment and Natural Resources Division § 0.65a Litigation involving Environmental Protection Agency. With respect to any matter assigned to the Environment and Natural Resources Division in... Environment and Natural Resources Division, and such members of his staff as he may specifically designate in...

75 FR 78673 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request-Study To Assess...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-16

...) Environment AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In accordance with the... and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Environment. DATES: Written comments must be received on or before... and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Environment. OMB Number: [0584-NEW.] Expiration Date: [Not Yet Assigned...

Estimating the CO2 mitigation potential of horizontal Ground Source Heat Pumps in the UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia-Gonzalez, R.; Verhoef, A.; Vidale, P. L.; Gan, G.; Chong, A.; Clark, D.

2012-04-01

By 2020, the UK will need to generate 15% of its energy from renewables to meet our contribution to the EU renewable energy target. Heating and cooling systems of buildings account for 30%-50% of the global energy consumption; thus, alternative low-carbon technologies such as horizontal Ground Couple Heat Pumps (GCHPs) can contribute to the reduction of anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Horizontal GCHPs currently represent a small fraction of the total energy generation in the UK. However, the fact that semi-detached and detached dwellings represent approximately 40% of the total housing stocks in the UK could make the widespread implementation of this technology particularly attractive in the UK and so could significantly increase its renewable energy generation potential. Using a simulation model, we analysed the dynamic interactions between the environment, the horizontal GCHP heat exchanger and typical UK dwellings, as well as their combined effect on heat pump performance and CO2 mitigation potential. For this purpose, a land surface model (JULES, Joint UK Land Environment Simulator), which calculates coupled soil heat and water fluxes, was combined with a heat extraction model. The analyses took into account the spatio-temporal variability of soil properties (thermal and hydraulic) and meteorological variables, as well as different horizontal GCHP configurations and a variety of building loads and heat demands. Sensitivity tests were performed for four sites in the UK with different climate and soil properties. Our results show that an installation depth of 1.0m would give us higher heat extractions rates, however it would be preferable to install the pipes slightly deeper to avoid the seasonal influence of variable meteorological conditions. A value of 1.5m for the spacing between coils (S) for a slinky configuration type is recommended to avoid thermal disturbances between neighbouring coils. We also found that for larger values of the spacing between the coils (S > 2), a slinky coil diameter (D) of 0.8m might be a better choice in terms of heat extraction rate. The fluid temperature of the pipe had a direct effect on the heat extraction rates of the system. The coefficient of performance of a heat pump did not remain constant and depended on the operating conditions and outdoor temperatures. The outcomes of this study will allow us to give recommendations to installers and relevant government bodies concerning the optimal configuration of future installations of horizontal GCHPs at UK developments. Finally, long-term simulations with the coupled JULES-GCHP model, using high resolution (1 km) meteorological (historical and projected data), soil physical and land cover data over the entire UK-domain, will allow us to explore the effect that global warming will have on future surface and soil temperatures, as well as soil moisture contents, and therefore its impact on the energy demand of the buildings and the CO2 mitigation potential of this type of renewable energy.

Social Exclusion, Sure Start and Organizational Social Capital: Evaluating Inter-Disciplinary Multi-Agency Working in an Education and Health Work Programme. Documents and Debates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bagley, Carl; Ackerley, Clare; Rattray, Julie

2004-01-01

Social policy-making in the UK under the Labour government has galvanized around the issue of social exclusion, identifying young children (0-4 years) and their families living in areas of high social disadvantage to be particularly at risk. This paper attempts to recover the experiences and views of professionals concerned with the delivery and…

Easing the Transition from School to HE: Scaffolding the Development of Self-Regulated Learning through a Dialogic Approach to Feedback

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beaumont, Chris; Moscrop, Claire; Canning, Susan

2016-01-01

High quality feedback is known to be essential for learning, yet in higher education it has been highlighted as a problem area in the UK by both the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) and National Student Surveys. Furthermore, a recent study has shown that there is a fault-line between the highly structured guidance system that exists in…

40 CFR 33.406 - May a recipient designate a lead agency for fair share objective negotiation purposes?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false May a recipient designate a lead agency for fair share objective negotiation purposes? 33.406 Section 33.406 Protection of Environment... recipient designate a lead agency for fair share objective negotiation purposes? If an Indian Tribal, State...

40 CFR 33.406 - May a recipient designate a lead agency for fair share objective negotiation purposes?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false May a recipient designate a lead agency for fair share objective negotiation purposes? 33.406 Section 33.406 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL ASSISTANCE PARTICIPATION BY DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS ENTERPRISES IN UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL...

40 CFR 141.210 - Notice by primacy agency on behalf of the public water system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Notice by primacy agency on behalf of the public water system. 141.210 Section 141.210 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS Public Notification of Drinking Water Violations § 141.210...

40 CFR 35.925-2 - Water quality management plans and agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Water quality management plans and agencies. 35.925-2 Section 35.925-2 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL ASSISTANCE STATE AND LOCAL ASSISTANCE Grants for Construction of Treatment Works-Clean Water Act § 35.925-2 Water quality management...

Predicting Students' Attitudes towards Advertising on a University Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ogba, Ike-Elechi; Saul, Neil; Coates, Nigel F.

2012-01-01

Most if not all UK universities and many in other parts of the world support their student learning via a virtual learning environment (VLE). Online resources are going to be increasingly important to students as the internet is very much part of their lives. However, the VLE will require ongoing investment to keep pace with technological…

More than Activities: Using a "Sense of Place" to Enrich Student Experience in Adventure Sport

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leather, Mark; Nicholls, Fiona

2016-01-01

There has been increasing interest in recent years in the significance of a sense of place in the literature of outdoor adventure education. In the UK relationships between outdoor education and the environment still appear largely focused on the science of the natural environment and the activity in question. In this paper, we present empirical…

We have the technology, but can we use it? Building flood risk capacity amongst property owners in England.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, Iain; Connelly, Angela; O'Hare, Paul; Lawson, Nigel

2013-04-01

The UK's Meteorological Office has provisionally confirmed 2012 to be the second wettest recorded in the country (The Met Office, 2013). Volatile weather patterns resulted in much social and economic disruption and damage from floods. The UK's Flood and Water Management Act (2010) has placed responsibility for flood risk management primarily at local level. In reality, various agencies are responsible for managing flood risk resulting in a fragmented system that communities struggle to make sense of. Strengthening emergency response during a flood event is one strategy to build capacity. However, resilience has emerged as an operative policy, and points to a need for anticipatory approaches. These should extend beyond large-scale flood defenses or measures that reduce the vulnerability of infrastructures and buildings in order to incorporate social vulnerability through the establishment of warning systems and capacity building (White 2010). To this, small-scale, innovative technologies - from automatic door guards and 'smart' air bricks - hold the potential to manage the uncertainty around flood risk before an event occurs. However, innovative technologies are often resisted by institutions, technical systems, cultural preferences, and legislation, which require a multifaceted approach that addresses the social, cultural, economic and technical domains (De Graaf 2009). We present a case study that explores the barriers that inhibit the uptake of property level technologies in England by various actors: from property owners and manufacturers, to municipal authorities and built environment professionals. Through the case study, we demonstrate how these various stakeholders were involved in identifying the procedural principles to overcome these barriers and to integrate property level technologies more fully into an overall flood risk management system. Following this, best practice guidance was designed and we show the means by which such guidance can improve social capacity even where there is much uncertainty. The paper ends by describing the transferable lessons learned through the development of this tool and concludes on the potential of property level protection to manage flood risk across Europe. References de Graaf, R. E. (2009). Urban water innovations to reduce the vulnerability of cities. Feasibility and mainstreaming of technologies in society, Ph. D thesis, Delft University of Technology. Available at: www.deltasync.nl/reports/De_Graaf_thesis.pdf [Accessed 29 December 2012]. The Met Office. (2013) Statistics for December and 2012 - is the UK getting wetter? [Online resource]. Available at: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/news/releases/archive/2013/2012-weather-statistics [Accessed 6 January 2012]. White, I. (2010). Water and the city: Risk resilience and planning for a sustainable future. London: Routledge.

Not robots: children's perspectives on authenticity, moral agency and stimulant drug treatments

PubMed Central

Singh, Ilina

2013-01-01

In this article, I examine children's reported experiences with stimulant drug treatments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in light of bioethical arguments about the potential threats of psychotropic drugs to authenticity and moral agency. Drawing on a study that involved over 150 families in the USA and the UK, I show that children are able to report threats to authenticity, but that the majority of children are not concerned with such threats. On balance, children report that stimulants improve their capacity for moral agency, and they associate this capacity with an ability to meet normative expectations. I argue that although under certain conditions stimulant drug treatment may increase the risk of a threat to authenticity, there are ways to minimise this risk and to maximise the benefits of stimulant drug treatment. Medical professionals in particular should help children to flourish with stimulant drug treatments, in good and in bad conditions. PMID:22930677

Health effects of adopting low greenhouse gas emission diets in the UK

PubMed Central

Milner, James; Green, Rosemary; Dangour, Alan D; Haines, Andy; Chalabi, Zaid; Spadaro, Joseph; Markandya, Anil; Wilkinson, Paul

2015-01-01

Objective Dietary changes which improve health are also likely to be beneficial for the environment by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). However, previous analyses have not accounted for the potential acceptability of low GHG diets to the general public. This study attempted to quantify the health effects associated with adopting low GHG emission diets in the UK. Design Epidemiological modelling study. Setting UK. Participants UK population. Intervention Adoption of diets optimised to achieve the WHO nutritional recommendations and reduce GHG emissions while remaining as close as possible to existing dietary patterns. Main outcome Changes in years of life lost due to coronary heart disease, stroke, several cancers and type II diabetes, quantified using life tables. Results If the average UK dietary intake were optimised to comply with the WHO recommendations, we estimate an incidental reduction of 17% in GHG emissions. Such a dietary pattern would be broadly similar to the current UK average. Our model suggests that it would save almost 7 million years of life lost prematurely in the UK over the next 30 years and increase average life expectancy by over 8 months. Diets that result in additional GHG emission reductions could achieve further net health benefits. For emission reductions greater than 40%, improvements in some health outcomes may decrease and acceptability will diminish. Conclusions There are large potential benefits to health from adopting diets with lower associated GHG emissions in the UK. Most of these benefits can be achieved without drastic changes to existing dietary patterns. However, to reduce emissions by more than 40%, major dietary changes that limit both acceptability and the benefits to health are required. PMID:25929258

Source apportionment of speciated PM10 in the United Kingdom in 2008: Episodes and annual averages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Redington, A. L.; Witham, C. S.; Hort, M. C.

2016-11-01

The Lagrangian atmospheric dispersion model NAME (Numerical Atmospheric-dispersion Modelling Environment), has been used to simulate the formation and transport of PM10 over North-West Europe in 2008. The model has been evaluated against UK measurement data and been shown to adequately represent the observed PM10 at rural and urban sites on a daily basis. The Lagrangian nature of the model allows information on the origin of pollutants (and hence their secondary products) to be retained to allow attribution of pollutants at receptor sites back to their sources. This source apportionment technique has been employed to determine whether the different components of the modelled PM10 have originated from UK, shipping, European (excluding the UK) or background sources. For the first time this has been done to evaluate the composition during periods of elevated PM10 as well as the annual average composition. The episode data were determined by selecting the model data for each hour when the corresponding measurement data was >50 μg/m3. All the modelled sites show an increase in European pollution contribution and a decrease in the background contribution in the episode case compared to the annual average. The European contribution is greatest in southern and eastern parts of the UK and decreases moving northwards and westwards. Analysis of the speciated attribution data over the selected sites reveals that for 2008, as an annual average, the top three contributors to total PM10 are UK primary PM10 (17-25%), UK origin nitrate aerosol (18-21%) and background PM10 (11-16%). Under episode conditions the top three contributors to modelled PM10 are UK origin nitrate aerosol (12-33%), European origin nitrate aerosol (11-19%) and UK primary PM10 (12-18%).

Health effects of adopting low greenhouse gas emission diets in the UK.

PubMed

Milner, James; Green, Rosemary; Dangour, Alan D; Haines, Andy; Chalabi, Zaid; Spadaro, Joseph; Markandya, Anil; Wilkinson, Paul

2015-04-30

Dietary changes which improve health are also likely to be beneficial for the environment by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). However, previous analyses have not accounted for the potential acceptability of low GHG diets to the general public. This study attempted to quantify the health effects associated with adopting low GHG emission diets in the UK. Epidemiological modelling study. UK. UK population. Adoption of diets optimised to achieve the WHO nutritional recommendations and reduce GHG emissions while remaining as close as possible to existing dietary patterns. Changes in years of life lost due to coronary heart disease, stroke, several cancers and type II diabetes, quantified using life tables. If the average UK dietary intake were optimised to comply with the WHO recommendations, we estimate an incidental reduction of 17% in GHG emissions. Such a dietary pattern would be broadly similar to the current UK average. Our model suggests that it would save almost 7 million years of life lost prematurely in the UK over the next 30 years and increase average life expectancy by over 8 months. Diets that result in additional GHG emission reductions could achieve further net health benefits. For emission reductions greater than 40%, improvements in some health outcomes may decrease and acceptability will diminish. There are large potential benefits to health from adopting diets with lower associated GHG emissions in the UK. Most of these benefits can be achieved without drastic changes to existing dietary patterns. However, to reduce emissions by more than 40%, major dietary changes that limit both acceptability and the benefits to health are required. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

The Demonstration Test Catchment Approach to Land and Water Management in the river Eden Watershed, UK. (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonczyk, J.; Quinn, P. F.; Haygarth, P.; Reaney, S.; Wilkinson, M.; Burke, S.; McGonigle, D.; Harris, B.

2010-12-01

The Demonstration Test Catchment (DTC) initiative is a five year project to address pollution issues in catchments. The initiative will study the wider environmental problems suffered by catchments which are under intense farming pressures and potential climate change impacts. The UK Department for Food, Agriculture and Rural Affairs (Defra) in partnership with the Environment Agency for England and Wales (EA) have funded this initiative to answer key policy concerns in catchments. The first key step has been the establishment of a ‘research platform’ at three catchments in the UK (The Eden, Wensum and Hampshire Avon) whereby funding of 9.3 million dollars has gone into funding new equipment and pollution sampling regimes have been established. Within each catchment between three and four, 8-10km2 sub-catchments have been established. The experimental design and thinking for DTCs will be explained fully in this paper. The next phase of the project will install an extensive suite of land management and pollution mitigation interventions. In parallel to this monitoring work, a full knowledge exchange package will seek to engage with farmers, the rural community and understand the governance regime at the broader catchment scale. There is also a need for a modelling component to upscale the findings to the whole of the UK. Whilst this is an ambitious goal, there is a very basic commitment of working with rural communities to come up with real solutions that will help underpin effective policy making for the future. The research platform covers a multi-scale approach to the monitoring strategy that will allow local grouping of mitigation measures to be studied local in terms of impact and propagated to the catchment scale. Even with high level of funding, the DTC can only fully instrument a catchment of 8-10km2. Beyond this scale, the EA and the standard catchment monitoring will continue as normal. The focus here is to prove that mitigation can be achieved within smaller land units that have a clear catchment scale benefit. This will provide the evidence base for future policy which is of use to all location in the UK. Hence, the need to have suite of parameters that can be evaluated has given rise to specific experimental design. Fundamental to this is to use continuous telemetered sampling at as many location as possible, including field laboratories capable of measuring, Nitrate, Ammonia, Total Phosphorus, dissolved phosphorus, suspended sediment and chlorophyll a. Standard hydro-metrological equipment is also fully telemetered. The goal is to allow all the data to be freely available to all end users via an internet data portal. The long term goal is to invite experts from many environmental and social sciences to work at the established research platform and ultimately give a better understanding of what a healthy catchment should be like. Being able to communicate this point to both local and national audiences will also be made and will link closely to the UK Virtual Observatory project funded by the NERC.

The potential for spills and leaks of hydraulic fracturing related fluids on well sites and from road incidents.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clancy, Sarah; Worrall, Fred; Davies, Richard; Gluyas, Jon

2017-04-01

The potential growth of shale gas developments within Europe has raised concerns of the possibility of spills and leaks from shale gas sites and from liquid transportation via roads and pipelines. Data from a range of sources has been examined to estimate the likelihood of an incident. From the US, the Texas Railroad Commission and the Colorado Oil and Gas Commission have maintained records of the quantity; reasons for the spill; and reported impacts. For the UK, the Environment Agency pollution incident database and transport statistics from the UKs Department for Transport have also been analysed and used as an analogy to determine the likelihood of an incident or spill on the road. Data were used as an analogue to predict the potential number of spills and leaks that might occur at a well site, or in transport operation, under different shale gas development scenarios if fracking was to go forward in the UK. Since 2014 the Colorado Oil and Gas Commission has recorded 3874 spills in the State of Colorado, the majority of these (1941) consisted of produced water, whereas 835 recorded oil spills. Of all the spills recorded 1809 spilt more than 0.79 m3, with 1356 of these leaking outside the berm of the well site, and three sites requiring construction of an emergency pits to contain the spillage. During 2015, there were 53054 active wells; the percentage of produced oil spilt was 0.001%, whilst the percentage of produced water spilt was 0.009%. Data from the Texas Railroad Commission shows the number of reported spills over 0.16 m3 in Texas since 2009 has increased year on year, with 675 reported in 2009 and 1485 in 2015. The greatest loss each year was of crude oil, with 14176 m3 being spilt in 2015, which is equivalent to 0.0089% of the oil produced. Clean-up operations recover some of the lost fluid; however, much is left unrecovered, annually 60% of the crude oil spilt is recovered, 65% of production fluid is recovered, whereas just 30% of liquid gas is recovered. The most common cause of leakage each year is equipment failure; these results highlight the need for good regulation and maintenance onsite. The UK's Institute of Directors suggests several shale gas production scenarios for the UK and how this would influence truck movement. One of their scenarios suggests the development of well pads with 10-wells and 40 laterals (one well pad with 10 well each with 4 laterals). This type of well pad would be projected to use 544,000 m3 of water, which would generate between 11155-31288 truck movements over 20 years, or 6.1-17.1 per day if averaged over 5 years. Dairy farmers in the UK produce 11 million m3 of milk a year, which if the tanker has a capacity of 30 m3, equates to approximately 366667 milk tanker journeys a year. This study assesses the number of road incidents and milk tanker spills and predicts the likelihood of such events for fluids involved in hydraulic fracturing.

Birmingham Urban Climate Change with Neighbourhood Estimates of Environmental Risk (buccaneer)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bassett, R.; Thornes, J.; Cai, X.; Rees, R.

2011-12-01

The BUCCANEER project is a knowledge transfer partnership between the University of Birmingham and Birmingham City Council to help ensure that the city is prepared for the impacts of climate change. The project will equip service areas such as planners and health protection agencies with the necessary information and tools needed to adapt. UK climate projections indicate a 3.7oC temperature increase for Birmingham, UK by 2080 (medium emissions scenario). The 2003 heat-wave that caused over 2000 deaths in England and Wales will become an average summer by 2040. By the end of the century, the 2003 heat wave will be considered a cool summer. The dense urban fabric of Birmingham, the UK's second largest city, creates a warming effect when compared to surrounding rural areas. Past studies have found the nature of this urban heat island (UHI) to be related to city size, moisture availability, land-use, anthropogenic emissions, building materials and geometry. The UHI effect can lead to heat stress and air pollution problems which are a major health concern. Birmingham's UHI is not currently modelled. More specifically the UK climate projections treat Birmingham as a homogeneous slab of grassland. The inclusions of the urban areas in a climate model will show an intensification of the likely heat risk in future projections. In the present study, the JULES (Joint UK Land Environment Simulator) model has been setup and run for Birmingham and surrounding areas. The UHI was found to be greater than 3.5oC in Birmingham when modelled during heat waves. The model's performance is evaluated against data from two UK Met Office standard sites: Edgbaston (urban) and Winterbourne (rural). The temperatures predicted by the model over a 12 month (2010) simulation show a strong correlation with the observations. The model also reproduces the diurnal UHI intensity averaged over a year reasonably well. The model evaluation is also complemented by a data set of tiny-tag data logger temperature measurements around Birmingham and an on-going project (HiTemp) which aims to establish a high-density urban climate network in Birmingham. Once fully validated, UKCP09 weather generator data will be used to drive the model up to 2100 to assess future changes in Birmingham's climate and UHI. The findings of the research are transferred to Birmingham City Council so as to directly inform policy. In order for this to be achieved, a user-friendly web interface has been created - The BUCCANEER Planning Tool. The tool visually displays the combined impacts of the urban heat island, climate change and vulnerability on different temporal and spatial scales across the city. The vulnerability aspect uses layers developed from a risk mapping project at the University of Birmingham using social, economic and environmental data to create a spatial risk assessment with a particular focus on health and demographics. For example proportion of people with ill health in high density housing that will be exposed to excess heat. Additionally model parameters will be adjusted to allow for adaptation strategies to be assessed, for example the effectiveness of inserting green infrastructure in areas to combat excess heat in the city.

Semen Anxiety: Materiality, Agency and the Internet.

PubMed

Shand, Alex

2007-12-01

Semen is a potent cultural symbol of masculinity. The social life of semen is poorly understood because of the intensely personal nature of its being. But the Internet has opened up new avenues for people to explore sensitive issues without disclosing their identity. This paper examines a set of questions submitted anonymously for answering by a medical team over a three month period to a UK-based consumer health website. The questions are analysed for emergent themes and these are divided into three groups: those concerning the material quality of semen; semen relating to masturbation; and those that concern semen and potency. It argues that far from being a phenomenon isolated to non-western cultures, semen anxiety is present in the UK in the twenty-first century and is the expression of anxieties surrounding shifting gender roles and masculine identities.

Mitigation potential of horizontal ground coupled heat pumps for current and future climatic conditions: UK environmental modelling and monitoring studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García González, Raquel; Verhoef, Anne; Vidale, Pier Luigi; Gan, Guohui; Wu, Yupeng; Hughes, Andrew; Mansour, Majdi; Blyth, Eleanor; Finch, Jon; Main, Bruce

2010-05-01

An increased uptake of alternative low or non-CO2 emitting energy sources is one of the key priorities for policy makers to mitigate the effects of environmental change. Relatively little work has been undertaken on the mitigation potential of Ground Coupled Heat Pumps (GCHPs) despite the fact that a GCHP could significantly reduce CO2 emissions from heating systems. It is predicted that under climate change the most probable scenario is for UK temperatures to increase and for winter rainfall to become more abundant; the latter is likely to cause a general rise in groundwater levels. Summer rainfall may reduce considerably, while vegetation type and density may change. Furthermore, recent studies underline the likelihood of an increase in the number of heat waves. Under such a scenario, GCHPs will increasingly be used for cooling as well as heating. These factors will affect long-term performance of horizontal GCHP systems and hence their economic viability and mitigation potential during their life span ( 50 years). The seasonal temperature differences encountered in soil are harnessed by GCHPs to provide heating in the winter and cooling in the summer. The performance of a GCHP system will depend on technical factors (heat exchanger (HE) type, length, depth, and spacing of pipes), but also it will be determined to a large extent by interactions between the below-ground parts of the system and the environment (atmospheric conditions, vegetation and soil characteristics). Depending on the balance between extraction and rejection of heat from and to the ground, the soil temperature in the neighbourhood of the HE may fall or rise. The GROMIT project (GROund coupled heat pumps MITigation potential), funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (UK), is a multi-disciplinary research project, in collaboration with EarthEnergy Ltd., which aims to quantify the CO2 mitigation potential of horizontal GCHPs. It considers changing environmental conditions and combines model predictions of soil moisture content and soil temperature with measurements at different GCHP locations over the UK. The combined effect of environment dynamics and horizontal GCHP technical properties on long-term GCHP performance will be assessed using a detailed land surface model (JULES: Joint UK Land Environment Simulator, Meteorological Office, UK) with additional equations embedded describing the interaction between GCHP heat exchangers and the surrounding soil. However, a number of key soil physical processes are currently not incorporated in JULES, such as groundwater flow, which, especially in lowland areas, can have an important effect on the heat flow between soil and HE. Furthermore, the interaction between HE and soil may also cause soil vapour and moisture fluxes. These will affect soil thermal conductivity and hence heat flow between the HE and the surrounding soil, which will in turn influence system performance. The project will address these issues. We propose to drive an improved version of JULES (with equations to simulate GCHP exchange embedded), with long-term gridded (1 km) atmospheric, soil and vegetation data (reflecting current and future environmental conditions) to reliably assess the mitigation potential of GCHPs over the entire domain of the UK, where uptake of GCHPs has been low traditionally. In this way we can identify areas that are most suitable for the installation of GCHPs. Only then recommendations can be made to local and regional governments, for example, on how to improve the mitigation potential in less suitable areas by adjusting GCHP configurations or design.

78 FR 59670 - Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-27

... Health and the Environment Under TSCA Section 8(e) AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION...), ``Notification of Substantial Risk of Injury to Health and the Environment under TSCA Section 8(e)'' (EPA ICR No... health or the environment must immediately inform EPA of such information. EPA routinely disseminates...

Quantitative analysis of digital outcrop data obtained from stereo-imagery using an emulator for the PanCam camera system for the ExoMars 2020 rover

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnes, Robert; Gupta, Sanjeev; Gunn, Matt; Paar, Gerhard; Balme, Matt; Huber, Ben; Bauer, Arnold; Furya, Komyo; Caballo-Perucha, Maria del Pilar; Traxler, Chris; Hesina, Gerd; Ortner, Thomas; Banham, Steven; Harris, Jennifer; Muller, Jan-Peter; Tao, Yu

2017-04-01

A key focus of planetary rover missions is to use panoramic camera systems to image outcrops along rover traverses, in order to characterise their geology in search of ancient life. This data can be processed to create 3D point clouds of rock outcrops to be quantitatively analysed. The Mars Utah Rover Field Investigation (MURFI 2016) is a Mars Rover field analogue mission run by the UK Space Agency (UKSA) in collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). It took place between 22nd October and 13th November 2016 and consisted of a science team based in Harwell, UK, and a field team including an instrumented Rover platform at the field site near Hanksville (Utah, USA). The Aberystwyth University PanCam Emulator 3 (AUPE3) camera system was used to collect stereo panoramas of the terrain the rover encountered during the field trials. Stereo-imagery processed in PRoViP is rendered as Ordered Point Clouds (OPCs) in PRo3D, enabling the user to zoom, rotate and translate the 3D outcrop model. Interpretations can be digitised directly onto the 3D surface, and simple measurements can be taken of the dimensions of the outcrop and sedimentary features, including grain size. Dip and strike of bedding planes, stratigraphic and sedimentological boundaries and fractures is calculated within PRo3D from mapped bedding contacts and fracture traces. Merging of rover-derived imagery with UAV and orbital datasets, to build semi-regional multi-resolution 3D models of the area of operations for immersive analysis and contextual understanding. In-simulation, AUPE3 was mounted onto the rover mast, collecting 16 stereo panoramas over 9 'sols'. 5 out-of-simulation datasets were collected in the Hanksville-Burpee Quarry. Stereo panoramas were processed using an automated pipeline and data transfer through an ftp server. PRo3D has been used for visualisation and analysis of this stereo data. Features of interest in the area could be annotated, and their distances between to the rover position can be measured to aid prioritisation of science targeting. Where grains or rocks are present and visible, their dimensions can be measured. Interpretation of the sedimentological features of the outcrops has also been carried out. OPCs created from stereo imagery collected in the Hanskville-Burpee Quarry showed a general coarsening-up succession with a red, well-layered mudstone overlain by stacked layers of irregular thickness and medium-coarse to pebbly sandstone layers. Cross beds/laminations, and lenses of finer sandstone were common. These features provide valuable information on their depositional environment. Development of Pro3D in preparation for application to the ExoMars 2020 and NASA 2020 missions will be centred on validation of the data and measurements. Collection of in-situ field data by a human geologist allows for direct comparison of viewer-derived measurements with those taken in the field. The research leading to these results has received funding from the UK Space Agency Aurora programme and the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 312377 PRoViDE, ESA PRODEX Contracts 4000105568 "ExoMars PanCam 3D Vision" and 4000116566 "Mars 2020 Mastcam-Z 3D Vision".

40 CFR 124.204 - What must I do as the Director of the regulatory agency to prepare a draft standardized permit?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... regulatory agency to prepare a draft standardized permit? 124.204 Section 124.204 Protection of Environment... agency to prepare a draft standardized permit? (a) You must review the Notice of Intent and supporting... protection of human health and the environment. (c) You must prepare your draft permit decision within 120...

40 CFR 124.204 - What must I do as the Director of the regulatory agency to prepare a draft standardized permit?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... regulatory agency to prepare a draft standardized permit? 124.204 Section 124.204 Protection of Environment... agency to prepare a draft standardized permit? (a) You must review the Notice of Intent and supporting... protection of human health and the environment. (c) You must prepare your draft permit decision within 120...

40 CFR 124.204 - What must I do as the Director of the regulatory agency to prepare a draft standardized permit?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... regulatory agency to prepare a draft standardized permit? 124.204 Section 124.204 Protection of Environment... agency to prepare a draft standardized permit? (a) You must review the Notice of Intent and supporting... protection of human health and the environment. (c) You must prepare your draft permit decision within 120...

40 CFR 124.204 - What must I do as the Director of the regulatory agency to prepare a draft standardized permit?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... regulatory agency to prepare a draft standardized permit? 124.204 Section 124.204 Protection of Environment... agency to prepare a draft standardized permit? (a) You must review the Notice of Intent and supporting... protection of human health and the environment. (c) You must prepare your draft permit decision within 120...

40 CFR 124.204 - What must I do as the Director of the regulatory agency to prepare a draft standardized permit?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... regulatory agency to prepare a draft standardized permit? 124.204 Section 124.204 Protection of Environment... agency to prepare a draft standardized permit? (a) You must review the Notice of Intent and supporting... protection of human health and the environment. (c) You must prepare your draft permit decision within 120...

A Typology of Agency in New Generation Learning Environments: Emerging Relational, Ecological and New Material Considerations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Charteris, Jennifer; Smardon, Dianne

2018-01-01

The impetus to move to a new generation learning environments places a spotlight on the relational dynamics of classroom spaces. A key feature is the notion of learner agency. A complex notion, learner agency involves both compliance with and resistance to classroom norms and therefore is far more sophisticated than acting in acquiescence to…

Air quality management: evolution of policy and practice in the UK as exemplified by the experience of English local government

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beattie, C. I.; Longhurst, J. W. S.; Woodfield, N. K.

The air quality management (AQM) framework in the UK is designed to be an effects-based solution to air pollutants currently affecting human health. The AQM process has been legislated through The Environment Act 1995, which required the National Air Quality Strategy (NAQS) to be published. AQM practice and capability within local authorities has flourished since the publication of the NAQS in March 1997. This paper outlines the policy framework within which the UK operates, both at a domestic and European level, and reviews the air quality management process relating to current UK policy and EU policy. Data from questionnaire surveys are used to indicate the involvement of various sectors of local government in the air quality management process. These data indicate an increasing use of monitoring, and use of air dispersion modelling by English local authorities. Data relating to the management of air quality, for example, the existence and work of air quality groups, dissemination of information to the public and policy measures in place on a local scale to improve air quality, have also been reported. The UK NAQS has been reviewed in 1999 to reflect developments in European legislation, technological and scientific advances, improved air pollution modelling techniques and an increasingly better understanding of the socio-economic issues involved. The AQM process, as implemented by UK local authorities, provides an effective model for other European member states with regards to the implementation of the Air Quality Framework Directive. The future direction of air quality policy in the UK is also discussed.

An alternative approach to risk rank chemicals on the threat they pose to the aquatic environment.

PubMed

Johnson, Andrew C; Donnachie, Rachel L; Sumpter, John P; Jürgens, Monika D; Moeckel, Claudia; Pereira, M Gloria

2017-12-01

This work presents a new and unbiased method of risk ranking chemicals based on the threat they pose to the aquatic environment. The study ranked 12 metals, 23 pesticides, 11 other persistent organic pollutants (POPs), 13 pharmaceuticals, 10 surfactants and similar compounds and 2 nanoparticles (total of 71) of concern against one another by comparing their median UK river water and median ecotoxicity effect concentrations. To complement this, by giving an assessment on potential wildlife impacts, risk ranking was also carried out by comparing the lowest 10th percentile of the effects data with the highest 90th percentile of the exposure data. In other words, risk was pared down to just toxicity versus exposure. Further modifications included incorporating bioconcentration factors, using only recent water measurements and excluding either lethal or sub-lethal effects. The top ten chemicals, based on the medians, which emerged as having the highest risk to organisms in UK surface waters using all the ecotoxicity data were copper, aluminium, zinc, ethinylestradiol (EE2), linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS), triclosan, manganese, iron, methomyl and chlorpyrifos. By way of contrast, using current UK environmental quality standards as the comparator to median UK river water concentrations would have selected 6 different chemicals in the top ten. This approach revealed big differences in relative risk; for example, zinc presented a million times greater risk then metoprolol and LAS 550 times greater risk than nanosilver. With the exception of EE2, most pharmaceuticals were ranked as having a relatively low risk. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An early warning system for incursions of Bluetongue disease to the UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burgin, Laura; Sanders, Christopher; Carpenter, Simon; Mellor, Philip; Gloster, John

2010-05-01

Since 2006 northern Europe has been in the midst of an extensive epidemic of the animal disease, Bluetongue, which has cost the European economy hundreds of millions of euros due to death, sickness and movement restrictions of livestock. Bluetongue is spread by biting midges which can be carried for hundreds of kilometers on the wind. A scheme within the UK Met Office's dispersion model, the Numerical Atmospheric-dispersion Modelling Environment (NAME), has been developed to reflect the effects of meteorology on the long-distance transport of these midge vectors. The scheme is based on data from field and laboratory experiments carried out at the Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright. From these experiments, certain threshold values which define when midges do not become airborne have been obtained for several meteorological variables. Within NAME, particles representing midges are removed from the model atmosphere if these thresholds are exceeded. Following outbreaks of the disease in Belgium and the Netherlands in 2006, an early-warning website was developed based on the model, to provide the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) advance knowledge of potential disease incursions by infected midges carried on the wind across the English Channel. The service has been in daily operation since April 2007 and correctly warned of the high risk of an incursion of infected midges causing the first UK outbreak in Suffolk on 4 August 2007. The website has since been expanded to predict potential incursions of disease into the Channel Islands and Northern Ireland and was used to inform on vaccination policy decisions by Defra and the Scottish government.

Genetic environment of metallo-β-lactamase genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from the UK.

PubMed

Wright, Laura L; Turton, Jane F; Hopkins, Katie L; Livermore, David M; Woodford, Neil

2015-12-01

We sought to characterize the genetic environment of blaVIM and blaIMP genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from the UK; these included members of six previously described prevalent complexes, A-F, which correspond to international 'high-risk clones', along with diverse strains. Metallo-β-lactamase (MBL)-encoding class 1 integrons were amplified by PCR from 218 P. aeruginosa isolates producing VIM-type (n = 196) or IMP-type (n = 22) enzymes, referred from UK hospital laboratories between 2003 and 2012. The variable regions of selected integrons were sequenced using a primer walking method. One-hundred-and-nineteen isolates had an MBL-encoding integron with the 3' conserved sequence (3'CS), 65 had Tn5090-like 3' regions and 17 had the sul1 gene, but lacked the qacEΔ1 gene; the 3' region could not be amplified using any primer combinations for the remaining 17 isolates. Six integron profiles were each seen in more than five isolates. Predominant integron types were seen amongst isolates belonging to STs 111, 233, 654/964 and 773 (complexes A, C, D and F, respectively), whereas diverse integron profiles were seen in isolates belonging to ST235 (complex B) and ST357 (complex E). In UK P. aeruginosa isolates, MBL genes occur in diverse class 1 integron structures, though commonly with 3' regions containing the classical 3'CS or Tn5090-like regions. Four of the six main clonal complexes, referred from multiple laboratories, carried a predominant integron type, whereas the remaining two had more diverse types. © Crown copyright 2015.

Enhancing national Daily Landslide Hazard Assessments through inter-agency collaboration; lessons learned from storm Desmond (UK)/Synne (Norway), Dec 2015.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boje, Søren; Devoli, Graziella; Sund, Monica; Freeborough, Katy; Dijkstra, Tom; Reeves, Helen; Banks, Vanessa

2016-04-01

The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) and the British Geological Survey (BGS) compile daily landslide hazard assessments (DLHA) in their respective countries. NVE DLHA has been operational since 2013 and provides national daily assessments based on quantitative thresholds related to daily hydro-meteorological forecasts coupled with qualitative expert analysis of these forecasts. The BGS DLHA has been operational since 2012 and this is predominantly based on expert evaluation of antecedent hydro-meteorological conditions and triggering rainfall across Great Britain (GB). In both cases, the hydro-meteorological evaluation is coupled with observations derived from proprietary datasets on landslide events and landslide potential in order to specify, and limit, the spatial extent of the potentially impacted area. However, the DLHA are strongly driven by hydro-meteorological forecasts. In December 2015, a large extra-tropical cyclone developed over the Atlantic and delivered record-breaking precipitation over parts of the UK and Norway. The meteorological services started naming these events to enhance public uptake and awareness and the storms were named as Desmond (the 4th large storm in 2015/16 in the UK) and Synne (the 5th storm in 2015 in Norway). Desmond arrived in earnest on the 5th of December and brought intense precipitation and strong winds over a 48-hour period. In Cumbria (NW-England) record precipitation was measured (341.4 mm in 24-hour at Honister Pass which is more than twice the monthly average), with 48-hour accumulations exceeding 400 mm. Synne arrived shortly after in Norway and was also characterised by excessive rainfall of 140 mm in 24-hour, 236 mm in 48-hour and 299 mm in 72-hour at Maudal, SW-Norway. Both organisations managed to issue appropriate advance warnings, operating individually. In Norway, warnings were issued some 2 days in advance with a yellow level communicated on Friday 4th and an orange warning the 5th and 6th December. Synne triggered at least 23 landslides, 5 slush flows and 8 snow avalanches. The storm caused also significant floods in the southern sector of the west coast of Norway. In the UK, the DLHA warning level was elevated to yellow on Friday 4th and maintained the following days. Desmond resulted circa 25 landslides that were reported in the media. In both countries, many events were recorded close to transport infrastructure, but the actual number of events is much greater than reported during the storm. The severe consequences of extensive, simultaneous flooding provided a focus for most media reports. Following the events a picture emerged of the wider landscape response through anecdotal photographic evidence and social media. Data gathering therefore continues to date. Even though the issuing of landslide warnings has seen a high rate of success, there are important lessons to be learned regarding the magnitude of landscape response to particular events. This study shows how extreme events can strike several countries at approximately the same time raising landslide forecasting beyond the local environment. Significant gains can be made through inter-agency, international collaboration in order to improve the quality of daily landslide hazard assessments and risk mitigation strategies.

Protecting Human Health in a Changing Environment: 2018 Summer Enrichment Program

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Research Triangle Park, NC is offering a free 1-week Summer Enrichment Program to educate students about how the Agency protects human health and the environment.

40 CFR 136.3 - Identification of test procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Environment, Water, and Wastes. Environmental Monitoring and Support Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection... Water and Wastes,” Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory....3 Section 136.3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS...

40 CFR 136.3 - Identification of test procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Environment, Water, and Wastes. Environmental Monitoring and Support Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection... Water and Wastes,” Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory....3 Section 136.3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS...

Predictors of quality of life for autistic adults.

PubMed

Mason, David; McConachie, Helen; Garland, Deborah; Petrou, Alex; Rodgers, Jacqui; Parr, Jeremy R

2018-05-07

Research with adults on the autism spectrum is as yet limited in scope and quality. The present study describes quality of life (QoL) of a large sample of autistic adults in the UK and investigates characteristics that may be predictive of QoL. A total of 370 autistic adults from the Adult Autism Spectrum Cohort-UK (ASC-UK) completed the WHOQoL-BREF, and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS, autism symptom severity), along with the ASC-UK registration questionnaire giving information on mental health and their life situation. QoL for autistic adults was lower than for the general population for each WHOQoL domain. Younger participants reported higher QoL than older participants in psychological and environment domains. Males reported higher physical QoL than females, and females reported higher social QoL than males. Significant positive predictors of QoL were: being employed (physical QoL), receiving support (social and environment QoL), and being in a relationship (social QoL). Having a mental health condition and higher SRS total score were negative predictors of QoL across all four domains. Autistic adults require access to effective mental health interventions, and informal and formal support for their social difficulties, to improve their quality of life. Autism Res 2018. © 2018 The Authors Autism Research published by International Society for Autism Research and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. There has been limited research into the lived experience of autistic adults. Using the World Health Organization quality of life measure, we found that autistic people (370) in the UK reported their quality of life to be lower than that of the general population. Better quality of life was associated with being in a relationship; those with a mental health condition had poorer quality of life. This research suggests some ways in which autistic people can be helped to improve their quality of life. © 2018 The Authors Autism Research published by International Society for Autism Research and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Area deprivation and the food environment over time: A repeated cross-sectional study on takeaway outlet density and supermarket presence in Norfolk, UK, 1990-2008.

PubMed

Maguire, Eva R; Burgoine, Thomas; Monsivais, Pablo

2015-05-01

Socioeconomic disparities in the food environment are known to exist but with little understanding of change over time. This study investigated the density of takeaway food outlets and presence of supermarkets in Norfolk, UK between 1990 and 2008. Data on food retail outlet locations were collected from telephone directories and aggregated within electoral wards. Supermarket presence was not associated with area deprivation over time. Takeaway food outlet density increased overall, and was significantly higher in more deprived areas at all time points; furthermore, socioeconomic disparities in takeaway food outlet density increased across the study period. These findings add to existing evidence and help assess the need for environmental interventions to reduce disparities in the prevalence of unhealthy food outlets. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Work-Life and Well-Being in U.K. Therapeutic Prison Officers: A Thematic Analysis.

PubMed

Walker, Emma J; Egan, Helen H; Jackson, Craig A; Tonkin, Matthew

2018-06-01

Previous research has clearly demonstrated the positive impact of therapeutic interventions on offenders' well-being. Much less is known about the impact on prison staff facilitating and delivering such interventions. We employed qualitative methodology to capture a deeper understanding of the work of therapeutic prison officers. Seven prison officers working in a U.K. Category B therapeutic community prison were interviewed about their working lives, including their own participation in therapy. Following a thematic analysis approach, key findings indicated that the physical and cultural work environment was very important to staff; the therapeutic element of their job role, although demanding, was both satisfying and rewarding; and that working in a therapeutic prison environment provided the opportunity for personal as well as professional development. We conclude that further attention should be given to the unique nature of therapeutic prison work and the positive impact it can have on well-being at work.

Informal 'Sorter' Houses: A qualitative insight of the 'shooting gallery' phenomenon in a UK setting.

PubMed

Parkin, Stephen; Coomber, Ross

2009-12-01

This paper considers the 'shooting gallery' phenomenon and presents findings from a sample of injecting drug users with experience of attending such premises in the South-West of England (UK). Due to the reciprocal relationship within these settings, involving the provision of drugs for place, the term Informal Sorter House has been coined by the authors. The social organisation and associative health risks within Informal Sorter Houses were found to have resounding similarities with those previously identified within American settings. However, several differences were also noted. Namely, Informal Sorter Houses appear to be located within a continuum of control that contains regulated, unregulated, and restored injecting environments and accordingly, it is suggested that such environments are in constant flux. A further difference relates to drug-user activism identified within such settings. This involves the establishment of an informal, street-based harm reduction practice that provides potential for future service development.

Procuring interoperability at the expense of usability: a case study of UK National Programme for IT assurance process.

PubMed

Krause, Paul; de Lusignan, Simon

2010-01-01

The allure of interoperable systems is that they should improve patient safety and make health services more efficient. The UK's National Programme for IT has made great strides in achieving interoperability; through linkage to a national electronic spine. However, there has been criticism of the usability of the applications in the clinical environment. Analysis of the procurement and assurance process to explore whether they predetermine usability. Processes separate developers from users, and test products against theoretical assurance models of use rather than simulate or pilot in a clinical environment. The current process appears to be effective for back office systems and high risk applications, but too inflexible for developing applications for the clinical setting. For clinical applications agile techniques are more appropriate. Usability testing should become an integrated part of the contractual process and be introduced earlier in the development process.

Developing best practice for fungal specimen management: audit of UK microbiology laboratories.

PubMed

Lasseter, G; Palmer, M; Morgan, J; Watts, J; Yoxall, H; Kibbler, C; McNulty, C

2011-01-01

This study represents an audit of microbiology laboratories in the UK to ascertain whether they are aware of, or follow, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) National Standard Methods Standard Operating Procedure (NSM SOP) for the investigation of dermatological specimens for superficial mycoses, or use a locally adapted version. A questionnaire audit was distributed to 179 NHS microbiology laboratories throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The NSM SOP was followed by 92% of laboratories for the microscopy of dermatological samples; light microscopy/ KOH digestion was used by 63% and fluorescence microscopy/KOH digestion by 29% of laboratories. Preliminary reports post-microscopy were issued by 98% of laboratories, with 93% issuing reports within 48 hours. Adherence to the NSM SOP guidelines for culture was low; only 34% of laboratories incubated microscopy-negative specimens for the recommended 14 days, while approximately 60% incubated microscopy-positive specimens for 21 days. The culture medium recommended by the NSM SOP was used in 82% of laboratories. Comments were added to culture reports by 51% of laboratories; most were added manually and comments varied between laboratories. Nail samples were the most common sample received from primary care, followed by skin and hair. These results show no significant difference in the rate of microscopy positives versus culture positives. Microscopy and culture are the easiest and cheapest methods available to UK laboratories for the investigation of suspected superficial fungal infections. Although most laboratories included in this audit claimed to follow the NSM SOP for microscopy and culture, these results show that the techniques used vary throughout the UK. To maximise the service provided to primary care, UK laboratories should use standardise methods based on the NSM SOP.

Air quality assessment of benzo(a)pyrene from asphalt plant operation.

PubMed

Gibson, Nigel; Stewart, Robert; Rankin, Erika

2012-01-01

A study has been carried out to assess the contribution of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) from asphalt plant operation, utilising Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) as a marker for PAHs, to the background air concentration around asphalt plants in the UK. The purpose behind this assessment was to determine whether the use of published BaP emission factors based on the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) methodology is appropriate in the context of the UK, especially as the EPA methodology does not give BaP emission factors for all activities. The study also aimed to improve the overall understanding of BaP emissions from asphalt plants in the UK, and determine whether site location and operation is likely to influence the contribution of PAHs to ambient air quality. In order to establish whether the use of US EPA emissions factors is appropriate, the study has compared the BaP emissions measured and calculated emissions rates from two UK sites with those estimated using US EPA emission factors. A dispersion modelling exercise was carried out to show the BaP contribution to ambient air around each site. This study showed that, as the US EPA methodology does not provide factors for all emission sources on asphalt plants, their use may give rise to over- or under-estimations, particularly where sources of BaP are temperature dependent. However, the contribution of both the estimated and measured BaP concentrations to environmental concentration were low, averaging about 0.05 ng m(-3) at the boundary of the sites, which is well below the UK BaP assessment threshold of 0.25 ng m(-3). Therefore, BaP concentrations, and hence PAH concentrations, from similar asphalt plant operations are unlikely to contribute negatively to ambient air quality.

An analysis of UK waste minimization clubs: key requirements for future cost effective developments.

PubMed

Phillips, P S; Pratt, R M; Pike, K

2001-01-01

The UK waste strategy is based upon use of the best practicable environmental option (BPEO), by those making waste management decisions. BPEO is supported by the use of the waste hierarchy, with its range of preferable options for dealing with waste, and the proximity principle, where waste is treated/disposed of as close to its point of origin as possible. The national waste strategy emphasizes the key role of waste minimization and encourages industry, commerce and the public to move towards sustainable waste management practice for economic and environmental reasons. Waste minimization clubs have been used, since the early 1990s, to demonstrate to industry/commerce that reducing waste production can lead to significant financial savings. There have been around 75 such clubs in the UK and they receive support from a wide range of agencies, including the Environmental Technology Best Practice Program. The early Demonstration Clubs had significant savings to cost ratios, e.g. Aire and Calder at 8.4, but had very high costs, e.g. Aire and Calder at 400,000 pounds. It is acknowledged that the number of clubs will have to be approximately doubled in the next few years so as to have an adequate coverage of the UK. There are at present, marked regional variations in club development and cognizance needs to be taken, by facilitators, of the need for extensive coverage of the UK. Future clubs will probably have to operate in a financially constrained climate and they need to be designed to deliver significant savings and waste reduction at low cost. To aid future club design, final reports of all projects should report in a standard manner so that cost benefit analysis can be used to inform facilitators about the most effective club type. rights reserved.

UK research expenditure on dementia, heart disease, stroke and cancer: are levels of spending related to disease burden?

PubMed

Luengo-Fernandez, R; Leal, J; Gray, A M

2012-01-01

A UK government review recommended that the impact of disease on the population and economy should be assessed to inform health research priorities. This study aims to quantify UK governmental and charity research funding for dementia, cancer, coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke in 2007/08 and assess whether the levels of research expenditure are aligned with disease and economic burden. We identified UK governmental agencies and charities providing health research funding and determined their levels of funding for dementia, cancer, CHD and stroke. Research funding levels were compared to the number of cases, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and economic burden. Economic costs were estimated using data on morbidity, mortality, health and social care use, private costs and other related indicators. Research funding to the four diseases was £833 million, of which £590 million (71%) was devoted to cancer, £169 million (20%) to CHD, £50 million (6%) to dementia and £23 million (4%) to stroke. Cancer received £482 in research funding per 1000 DALYs lost, CHD received £266, dementia received £166, with stroke receiving £71. In terms of economic burden, for every £1 million of health and social care costs attributable to each disease, cancer received £129 269 in research funding, CHD received £73 153, stroke received £8745 and dementia received £4882. Most health research funding in the UK is currently directed towards cancer. When compared to their burden, our analysis suggests that research spending on dementia and stroke is severely underfunded in comparison with cancer and CHD. © 2011 The Author(s). European Journal of Neurology © 2011 EFNS.

Climbing down the steps from the ivory tower: how UK academics and criminal justice practitioners need to work together on alcohol studies.

PubMed

Newbury-Birch, Dorothy; McGeechan, Grant J; Holloway, Aisha

2016-09-12

Purpose Evidence in the UK tells us that risky drinking is high amongst those in contact with the criminal justice system. The purpose of this paper is to explore the reasons why carrying out research around risky drinking in this setting is so difficult. Design/methodology/approach A commentary on the issues of carrying out research in the criminal justice setting. Findings There are issues of carrying out research in the criminal justice setting. The authors argue, that as academics we can be more proactive in working with practitioners in the design and carrying out of studies. By examining what the primary outcome of interest is to those that work in the field rather than what funding agencies tell us academics must use, academics may engage in a more co-productive way that enables everyone to achieve what they need. Moreover more work is needed to show how this approach can be achieved both in the UK and internationally. Originality/value This editorial explores some of the difficulties of carrying out alcohol research in the criminal justice system and postulates ways that this could be made easier.

A Preliminary Study of Barriers to Engagement in CyberCIEGE

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-05-24

and also gives some guidance regarding factors that sustain players’ engagement (Michell and Savill Smith , 2004 : Dondlinger, 2007), it is not obvious...Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Mitchell , A. and Savill - Smith , C, “ The use of computer and video games for learning. A literature review...Learning and Skills Development Agency, UK, ISBN-1-85338-904-8, 2004 , pp 44-45. Tuzun, H, “Motivating learners in educational computer games”, Paper

Latest framework to improve vital signs.

PubMed

Baillie, Jonathan

2009-08-01

Greater consistency in NHS signage, coupled with the assurance of a high quality, competitively-priced range of signage and wayfinding products and services, are among the benefits promised to estates and facilities teams UK-wide following the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency's (NHS PASA) recent launch of a new pan-Government signage framework agreement. Jonathan Baillie reports, and talks to several signage suppliers appointed to the framework about their expertise, skills and recent experience.

"Upstream Thinking": the catchment management approach of a water provider

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grand-Clement, E.; Ross, M.; Smith, D.; Anderson, K.; Luscombe, D.; Le Feuvre, N.; Brazier, R. E.

2012-04-01

Human activities have large impacts on water quality and provision. Water companies throughout the UK are faced with the consequences of poor land management and need to find appropriate solutions to decreasing water quality. This is particularly true in the South West of England, where 93% of the drinking water is sourced from rivers and reservoirs: large areas of drained peatlands (i.e. Exmoor and Dartmoor National Parks) are responsible for a significant input of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) discolouring the water, whilst poorly managed farming activities can lead to diffuse pollution. Alongside the direct environmental implications, poor water quality is partly increasing water treatment costs and will drive significant future investment in additional water treatment, with further repercussions on customers. This highlights the need for water companies throughout the UK, and further afield, to be more involved in catchment management. "Upstream Thinking" is South West Water's (SWW) approach to catchment management, where working with stakeholders to improve water quality upstream aims to avoid increasingly costly solutions downstream. This approach has led the company to invest in two major areas of work: (1) The Farmland programme where problematic farm management practices and potential solutions are identified, typically 40% of the required investment is then offered in exchange for a legal undertaking to maintain the new farm assets in good condition for 25 years; (2) The Mires programme which involves heavy investment in peatland restoration through the blocking of open ditches in order to improve water storage and quality in the long term. From these two projects, it has been clear that stakeholder involvement of groups such as local farmers, the Westcountry Rivers Trust, the Exmoor National Park Authority, the Environment Agency, Natural England and the Exmoor Society is essential, first because it draws in catchment improvement expertise which is not directly held within the company, and second because it shows how local communities and groups are considered and valued by the company. Monitoring changes and providing a solid scientific base is also undertaken to prove the concept and justify any investment. The work carried out so far has highlighted that SWW's collaborative approach to catchment management is changing the relationship between private water suppliers in the UK and stakeholders or groups having an impact on water quality. This results in a progressive move from a situation where the polluter has to pay, to rewarding providers of clean water instead. The value of ecosystem payments of this kind is being discussed with the appropriate authorities (i.e. Natural England, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) so that it can form part of ensuring sustainable water supplies in future, with all the environmental and ecological benefits of clear raw waters in rivers, lakes and streams.

Metrics for Success in the Preservation of Scientific Data at the STFC Centre for Environmental Data Archival (CEDA).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawrence, B.; Pepler, S.

2009-04-01

CEDA (http://www.ceda.ac.uk) hosts three main data centres: the British Atmospheric Data Centre (http://badc.nerc.ac.uk), the NERC Earth Observation Data Centre (http://neodc.nerc.ac.uk), and the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change Dedicated Data Centre (http://ipcc-data.org) as well as components of many national and international projects. CEDA recieves both core funding (from the UK Natural Environment Research Council) and per project funding (from a variety of sources). However, all funders require metrics assessing success. In the case of preservation it is hard to measure success - usage alone is not enough, since next year someone may use currently unused data if it is well preserved, and so it is the act of preservation which in this case marks success. Even where data is accessed, it is not necessarily used. Hence at CEDA we have three key focii in our approach to metrics: measuring direct website access, benchmarking procedures against best practice, and hopefully soon, recording data citation. In this presentation we cover how we are addressing each of these three areas.

40 CFR 256.25 - Recommendation for inactive facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... notification of agencies responsible for public health and safety. ... 40 Protection of Environment 25 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Recommendation for inactive facilities. 256.25 Section 256.25 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID...

40 CFR 256.25 - Recommendation for inactive facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... notification of agencies responsible for public health and safety. ... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2012-07-01 2011-07-01 true Recommendation for inactive facilities. 256.25 Section 256.25 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID...

40 CFR 256.25 - Recommendation for inactive facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... notification of agencies responsible for public health and safety. ... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Recommendation for inactive facilities. 256.25 Section 256.25 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID...

40 CFR 11.5 - Procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Procedures. 11.5 Section 11.5 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GENERAL SECURITY CLASSIFICATION REGULATIONS...” shall be directed to: Director, Security and Inspection Division, Environmental Protection Agency...

Building HIA approaches into strategies for green space use: an example from Plymouth's (UK) Stepping Stones to Nature project.

PubMed

Richardson, J; Goss, Z; Pratt, A; Sharman, J; Tighe, M

2013-12-01

The health and well-being benefits of access to green space are well documented. Research suggests positive findings regardless of social group, however barriers exist that limit access to green space, including proximity, geography and differing social conditions. Current public health policy aims to broaden the range of environmental public health interventions through effective partnership working, providing opportunities to work across agencies to promote the use of green space. Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a combination of methods and procedures to assess the potential health and well-being impacts of policies, developments and projects. It provides a means by which negative impacts can be mitigated and positive impacts can be enhanced, and has potential application for assessing green space use. This paper describes the application of a HIA approach to a multi-agency project (Stepping Stones to Nature--SS2N) in the UK designed to improve local green spaces and facilitate green space use in areas classified as having high levels of deprivation. The findings suggest that the SS2N project had the potential to provide significant positive benefits in the areas of physical activity, mental and social well-being. Specific findings for one locality identified a range of actions that could be taken to enhance benefits, and mitigate negative factors such as anti-social behaviour. The HIA approach proved to be a valuable process through which impacts of a community development/public health project could be enhanced and negative impacts prevented at an early stage; it illustrates how a HIA approach could enhance multi-agency working to promote health and well-being in communities.

Breast is best: Positive mealtime interactions in breastfeeding mothers from Israel and the United Kingdom

PubMed Central

Rudolf, MCJ; Feltbower, RG; Mohebati, L; Hetherington, M

2015-01-01

We examined mealtime interactions to assess whether they varied according to maternal body mass index, country and mode of feeding in 41 Israeli and UK mother–infant dyads. Feeding behaviours were coded using the Simple Feeding Element Scale. Significantly, more UK mothers breastfed during the filmed meal compared to Israeli mothers. Mealtime interactions did not vary according to maternal body mass index or country. Women who breastfed (as opposed to those who bottle fed or fed solids) provided fewer distractions during the meal, a more ideal feeding environment and fed more responsively. PMID:28070352

Crossing borders for fertility treatment: motivations, destinations and outcomes of UK fertility travellers.

PubMed

Culley, L; Hudson, N; Rapport, F; Blyth, E; Norton, W; Pacey, A A

2011-09-01

There are few systematic studies of the incidence of cross-border fertility care and even fewer reports of qualitative research with those undertaking treatment outside their country of origin. This paper reports findings from a qualitative study of UK residents with experience of cross-border care: the socio-demographic characteristics of UK travellers; their reasons for seeking treatment abroad; the treatments they sought; the destinations they chose and the outcomes of their treatment. Data regarding cross-border fertility treatment were collected from a purposive sample of 51 people by means of in-depth, semi-structured interviews between May 2009 and June 2010. Data were analysed using a systematic thematic coding method and also subjected to quantitative translation. Patient motivations for travelling abroad are complex. A desire for timely and affordable treatment with donor gametes was evident in a high number of cases (71%). However, most people gave several reasons, including: the cost of UK treatment; higher success rates abroad; treatment in a less stressful environment and dissatisfaction with UK treatment. People travelled to 13 different countries, the most popular being Spain and the Czech Republic. Most organized their own treatment and travel. The mean age of women seeking treatment was 38.8 years (range 29-46 years) and the multiple pregnancy rate was 19%. UK residents have diverse reasons for, and approaches to, seeking overseas treatment and do not conform to media stereotypes. Further research is needed to explore implications of cross-border treatment for donors, offspring and healthcare systems.

Audit of radiology communication systems for critical, urgent, and unexpected significant findings.

PubMed

Duncan, K A; Drinkwater, K J; Dugar, N; Howlett, D C

2016-03-01

To determine the compliance of UK radiology departments and trusts/healthcare organisations with National Patient Safety Agency and Royal College of Radiologist's published guidance on the communication of critical, urgent, and unexpected significant radiological findings. A questionnaire was sent to all UK radiology department audit leads asking for details of their current departmental policy regarding the issuing of alerts; use of automated electronic alert systems; methods of notification of clinicians of critical, urgent, and unexpected significant radiological findings; monitoring of results receipt; and examples of the more common types of serious pathologies for which alerts were issued. One hundred and fifty-four of 229 departments (67%) responded. Eighty-eight percent indicated that they had a policy in place for the communication of critical, urgent, and unexpected significant radiological findings. Only 34% had an automated electronic alert system in place and only 17% had a facility for service-wide electronic tracking of radiology reports. In only 11 departments with an electronic acknowledgement system was someone regularly monitoring the read rate. There is wide variation in practice across the UK with regard to the communication and monitoring of reports with many departments/trusts not fully compliant with published UK guidance. Despite the widespread use of electronic systems, only a minority of departments/trusts have and use electronic tracking to ensure reports have been read and acted upon. Copyright © 2015 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Other Federal Agencies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Design and Environment, 1971

1971-01-01

Briefly reviews the man-environment research sponsored by these eight government agencies: Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Interior, Justice, the Office of Economic Opportunity, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science Foundation. The Man-Environment Research survey report was the source of…

40 CFR 11.2 - Background.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Background. 11.2 Section 11.2 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GENERAL SECURITY CLASSIFICATION REGULATIONS PURSUANT TO EXECUTIVE ORDER 11652 § 11.2 Background. While the Environmental Protection Agency does not...

40 CFR 131.43 - Florida.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Florida. 131.43 Section 131.43 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS WATER QUALITY STANDARDS... Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), or successor agencies. (12) Stream means a free-flowing...

40 CFR 55.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 5 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Definitions. 55.2 Section 55.2 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) OUTER.... Environmental Protection Agency. Corresponding Onshore Area (COA) means, with respect to any existing or...

40 CFR 63.71 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 10 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Definitions. 63.71 Section 63.71 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL... practicable due to technological or economic limitations. Permitting authority means either a State agency...

40 CFR 63.71 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 10 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Definitions. 63.71 Section 63.71 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL... practicable due to technological or economic limitations. Permitting authority means either a State agency...

40 CFR 63.71 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 10 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Definitions. 63.71 Section 63.71 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL... practicable due to technological or economic limitations. Permitting authority means either a State agency...

40 CFR 63.71 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 9 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Definitions. 63.71 Section 63.71 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL... practicable due to technological or economic limitations. Permitting authority means either a State agency...

40 CFR 63.71 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 9 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Definitions. 63.71 Section 63.71 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL... practicable due to technological or economic limitations. Permitting authority means either a State agency...

Workshop III: Improving the Workplace Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gledhill, Igle; Butcher, Gillian

2015-12-01

Research has shown that companies with more diversity and a better workplace perform better. So what makes a good workplace in physics, where women and men can work to their full potential? In the Improving the Workplace Environment workshop of the 5th IUPAP International Conference on Women in Physics, participants heard about initiatives taking place in Canada, the UK, Japan, and India to improve the workplace environment and shared good practices from around the world. Some of the less tangible aspects of the workplace environment, such as unconscious bias and accumulation of advantage and disadvantage, were explored.

The co-construction of medical humanitarianism: analysis of personal, organizationally condoned narratives from an agency website.

PubMed

Ager, Alastair; Iacovou, Melina

2014-11-01

Recent years have seen significant growth in both the size and profile of the humanitarian sector. However, little research has focused upon the constructions of humanitarian practice negotiated by agencies and their workers that serve to sustain engagement in the face personal challenges and critique of the humanitarian enterprise. This study used the public narrative of 129 website postings by humanitarian workers deployed with the health-focused international humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to identify recurrent themes in personal, organizationally-condoned, public discourse regarding humanitarian practice. Data represented all eligible postings from a feature on the agency's UK website from May 2002 to April 2012. The text of postings was analysed with respect to emergent themes on an iterative basis. Comprehensive coding of material was achieved through a thematic structure that reflected the core domains of project details, the working environment, characteristics of beneficiaries and recurrent motivational sub-texts. Features of the co-construction of narratives include language serving to neutralize complex political contexts; the specification of barriers as substantive but surmountable; the dominance of the construct of national-international in understanding the operation of teams; intense personal identification with organization values; and the use of resilience as a framing of beneficiary adaptation and perseverance in conditions that--from an external perspective--warrant despair and withdrawal. Recurrent motivational sub-texts include 'making a difference' and contrasts with 'past professional constraints' and 'ordinary life back home.' The prominence of these sub-texts not only highlights key personal agendas but also suggests--notwithstanding policy initiatives regarding stronger contextual rooting and professionalism--continuing organizational emphasis on externality and volunteerism. Overall, postings illustrate a complex co-construction of medical humanitarianism that reflects a negotiated script of personal and organizational understandings adapted to evolving demands of humanitarian engagement. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optical radiation emissions from compact fluorescent lamps.

PubMed

Khazova, M; O'Hagan, J B

2008-01-01

There is a drive to energy efficiency to mitigate climate change. To meet this challenge, the UK Government has proposed phasing out incandescent lamps by the end of 2011 and replacing them with energy efficient fluorescent lighting, including compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) with integrated ballasts. This paper presents a summary of an assessment conducted by the Health Protection Agency in March 2008 to evaluate the optical radiation emissions of CFLs currently available in the UK consumer market. The study concluded that the UV emissions from a significant percentage of the tested CFLs with single envelopes may result in foreseeable overexposure of the skin when these lamps are used in desk or task lighting applications. The optical output of all tested CFLs, in addition to high-frequency modulation, had a 100-Hz envelope with modulation in excess of 15%. This degree of modulation may be linked to a number of adverse effects.

Pastoral care of mental illness and the accommodation of African Christian beliefs and practices by UK clergy.

PubMed

Leavey, Gerard; Loewenthal, Kate; King, Michael

2017-02-01

Faith-based organisations, especially those related to specific ethnic or migrant groups, are increasingly viewed by secular Western government agencies as potential collaborators in community health and welfare programmes. Although clergy are often called upon to provide mental health pastoral care, their response to such problems remains relatively unexamined. This paper examines how clergy working in multiethnic settings do not always have the answers that people want, or perhaps need, to problems of misfortune and suffering. In the UK these barriers can be attributed, generally, to a lack of training on mental health problems and minimal collaboration with health services. The current paper attempts to highlight the dilemmas of the established churches' involvement in mental health care in the context of diversity. We explore the inability of established churches to accommodate African and other spiritual beliefs and practices related to the etiology and treatment of mental health problems.

PCR negative cerebral malaria in a traveller returning from Mumbai.

PubMed

Bhome, Rohan; Bhome, Rahul

2011-08-11

The incidence of imported malaria to the UK is significant. The authors report a case of a healthy young man diagnosed with PCR negative cerebral malaria, a week after returning from Mumbai. The patient presented with acute confusion and vomiting. His condition deteriorated quickly warranting intubation, ventilation and transfer to intensive therapy unit. Extensive investigation did not find an underlying cause. Antimalarial treatment was initiated based on clinical suspicion despite a negative malarial screen. A rapid response to treatment followed such that the patient was extubated within 24 h. This case highlights the need for the UK Health Protection Agency to review its risk classification of malaria for travellers to Mumbai. Additionally, clinicians should promptly initiate antimalarial treatment in an unwell traveller returning from an endemic area when there is a high clinical suspicion even in the absence of a positive initial malaria screen.

The U.K.'s "Dash for Gas".

PubMed

Watterson, Andrew; Dinan, William

2017-05-01

The evidence on public health regulation of the unconventional gas extraction (fracking) industry was examined using a rapid evidence assessment of fifteen case studies from multiple countries. They included scientific and academic papers, professional reports, government agency reports, industry and industry-funded reports, and a nongovernment organization report. Each case study review was structured to address strengths and weaknesses of the publication in relation to our research questions. Some case studies emphasized inherent industry short-, medium-, and long-term dangers to public health directly and through global climate change impacts. Other case studies argued that fracking could be conducted safely assuming industry best practice, "robust" regulation, and mitigation, but the evidence base for such statements proved generally sparse. U.K. regulators' own assessments on fracking regulation are also evaluated. The existing evidence points to the necessity of a precautionary approach to protect public health from unconventional gas extraction development.

Coupled carbon-nitrogen land surface modelling for UK agricultural landscapes using JULES and JULES-ECOSSE-FUN (JEF)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Comyn-Platt, Edward; Clark, Douglas; Blyth, Eleanor

2016-04-01

The UK is required to provide accurate estimates of the UK greenhouse gas (GHG; CO2, CH4 and N2O) emissions for the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). Process based land surface models (LSMs), such as the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES), attempt to provide such estimates based on environmental (e.g. land use and soil type) and meteorological conditions. The standard release of JULES focusses on the water and carbon cycles, however, it has long been suggested that a coupled carbon-nitrogen scheme could enhance simulations. This is of particular importance when estimating agricultural emission inventories where the carbon cycle is effectively managed via the human application of nitrogen based fertilizers. JULES-ECOSSE-FUN (JEF) links JULES with the Estimation of Carbon in Organic Soils - Sequestration and Emission (ECOSSE) model and the Fixation and Uptake of Nitrogen (FUN) model as a means of simulating C:N coupling. This work presents simulations from the standard release of JULES and the most recent incarnation of the JEF coupled system at the point and field scale. Various configurations of JULES and JEF were calibrated and fine-tuned based on comparisons with observations from three UK field campaigns (Crichton, Harwood Forest and Brattleby) specifically chosen to represent the managed vegetation types that cover the UK. The campaigns included flux tower and chamber measurements of CO2, CH4 and N2O amongst other meteorological parameters and records of land management such as application of fertilizer and harvest date at the agricultural sites. Based on the results of these comparisons, JULES and/or JEF will be used to provide simulations on the regional and national scales in order to provide improved estimates of the total UK emission inventory.

Erratum: Erratum to: The Quadrennial Ozone Symposium 2016

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godin-Beekmann, Sophie; Petropavlovskikh, Irina; Reis, Stefan; Newman, Paul; Steinbrecht, Wolfgang; Rex, Markus; Santee, Michelle L.; Eckman, Richard S.; Zheng, Xiangdong; Tully, Matthew B.; Stevenson, David S.; Young, Paul; Pyle, John; Weber, Mark; Tamminen, Johanna; Mills, Gina; Bais, Alkiviadis F.; Heaviside, Clare; Zerefos, Christos

2018-03-01

The Quadrennial Ozone Symposium 2016 Sophie GODIN-BEEKMANN*1, Irina PETROPAVLOVSKIKH2, Stefan REIS3,20, Paul NEWMAN4, Wolfgang STEINBRECHT5, Markus REX6, Michelle L. SANTEE7, Richard S. ECKMAN8, Xiangdong ZHENG9, Matthew B. TULLY10, David S. STEVENSON11, Paul YOUNG12, John PYLE13, Mark WEBER14, Johanna TAMMINEN15, Gina MILLS16, Alkiviadis F. BAIS17, Clare HEAVISIDE18, and Christos ZEREFOS19 1 Observatoire de Versailles Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, CNRS, 78280 Guyancourt, France 2 CIRES, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA 3 NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Edinburgh EH26 0QB, UK 4 Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA 5 Hohenpeissenberg Meteorological Observatory, Deutscher Wetterdienst, 82383 Hohenpeissenberg, Germany 6 Alfred Wegener Institute, 14401 Potsdam, Germany 7 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, CA 91109, USA 8 NASA Headquarters, Earth Science Division, Washington, DC, USA 9 Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China 10 Bureau of Meteorology, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia 11 University of Edinburgh, School of GeoSciences, Edinburgh EH9 3FE, UK 12 Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK 13 University of Cambridge, Department of Chemistry, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK 14 University of Bremen, Institute of Environmental Physics, 28359 Bremen, Germany 15 Finnish Meteorological Institute, Earth Observation, FI-00101 Helsinki, Finland 16 NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, Wales, UK 17 Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece 18 Public Health England, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, London, UK 19 Research Center for Atmospheric Physics & Climatology, Academy of Athens, Athens 10680, Greece 20 University of Exeter Medical School, Truro TR1 3HD, UK

Reported exposure to E-cigarette advertising and promotion in different regulatory environments: Findings from the International Tobacco Control Four Country (ITC-4C) Survey.

PubMed

Wadsworth, E; McNeill, A; Li, L; Hammond, D; Thrasher, J F; Yong, H-H; Cummings, K M; Fong, G T; Hitchman, S C

2018-07-01

Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) advertising regulations differ across countries. This study examines how differences in e-cigarette advertising regulations influence exposure to e-cigarette advertising, and perceptions about what participants had seen and read about e-cigarettes. Data come from the ITC Four Country Survey (Canada [CA], United States [US], Australia [AU] and United Kingdom [UK]) carried out between August 2013 and March 2015 (n = 3460). In 2014, AU and CA had laws prohibiting the retail sale of e-cigarettes containing nicotine while the US and UK had no restrictions, although a voluntary agreement restricting advertising in the UK was introduced during fieldwork. Smokers and ex-smokers were asked whether in the last six months they had noticed e-cigarettes advertisements and received free samples/special offers (promotion), and about their perceptions (positive or otherwise) of what they had seen or read about e-cigarettes. Data were analyzed in 2017. US and UK participants were more likely to report that they had noticed e-cigarette advertisements and received promotions compared to CA or AU participants. For TV and radio advertisements, reported exposure was higher in US compared to UK. For all types of advertisements, reported exposure was higher in CA than AU. Overall, nearly half of AU (44.0%) and UK (47.8%) participants perceived everything they had seen and read about e-cigarettes to be positive, with no significant differences between AU and UK. Participants in countries with permissive e-cigarette advertising restrictions and less restrictive e-cigarette regulations were more likely to notice advertisements than participants in countries with more restrictive e-cigarette regulations. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modelling abstraction licensing strategies ahead of the UK's water abstraction licensing reform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klaar, M. J.

2012-12-01

Within England and Wales, river water abstractions are licensed and regulated by the Environment Agency (EA), who uses compliance with the Environmental Flow Indicator (EFI) to ascertain where abstraction may cause undesirable effects on river habitats and species. The EFI is a percentage deviation from natural flow represented using a flow duration curve. The allowable percentage deviation changes with different flows, and also changes depending on an assessment of the sensitivity of the river to changes in flow (Table 1). Within UK abstraction licensing, resource availability is expressed as a surplus or deficit of water resources in relation to the EFI, and utilises the concept of 'hands-off-flows' (HOFs) at the specified flow statistics detailed in Table 1. Use of a HOF system enables abstraction to cease at set flows, but also enables abstraction to occur at periods of time when more water is available. Compliance at low flows (Q95) is used by the EA to determine the hydrological classification and compliance with the Water Framework Directive (WFD) for identifying waterbodies where flow may be causing or contributing to a failure in good ecological status (GES; Table 2). This compliance assessment shows where the scenario flows are below the EFI and by how much, to help target measures for further investigation and assessment. Currently, the EA is reviewing the EFI methodology in order to assess whether or not it can be used within the reformed water abstraction licensing system which is being planned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to ensure the licensing system is resilient to the challenges of climate change and population growth, while allowing abstractors to meet their water needs efficiently, and better protect the environment. In order to assess the robustness of the EFI, a simple model has been created which allows a number of abstraction, flow and licensing scenarios to be run to determine WFD compliance using the current EFI method, as well as allowing alternative licensing scenarios (e.g. using alternative flow statistics, flow periods and ASB bands) to be tested. Initial analysis suggests that the model is a useful tool in visualising licensing options ahead of the licensing reform.Table 1: Percentage allowable abstraction from natural flows at different abstraction sensitivity bands (ASB), as allowed under the EFI method; Table 2: Current framework used to determine flows which support GES as part of the EU WFD;

Spray drift reduction under Southern European conditions: a pilot study in the Ecopest Project in Greece.

PubMed

Kasiotis, Konstantinos M; Glass, C Richard; Tsakirakis, Angelos N; Machera, Kyriaki

2014-05-01

The objective of this work was to generate spray drift data from pesticide application in the field comparing spray drift from traditional equipment with emerging, anti-drift technologies. The applications were carried out in the Kopais area in central Greece. Currently few data exist as regards to pesticide spray drift in Southern European conditions. This work details the data for ground and airborne deposition of spray drift using the methodology developed in the UK by the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA). Three trials were performed in two days using sunset yellow dye which deposited on dosimeters placed at specific distances from the edge of the sprayer boom. The application was carried out with a tractor mounted boom sprayer, which was of local manufacture, as were the nozzles of Trial I, being flat fan brass nozzles. For Trials II and III anti-drift nozzles were used. The boom sprayers were used with the settings as employed by the farmers for the routine pesticide applications. The results of this work indicate that drift was significantly reduced when anti-drift nozzles were utilized. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Successful control of nosocomial transmission of the USA300 clone of community-acquired meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a UK paediatric burns centre.

PubMed

Patel, M; Thomas, H C; Room, J; Wilson, Y; Kearns, A; Gray, J

2013-08-01

An outbreak of the PVL-positive USA300 clone of community-acquired meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) occurred in a UK paediatric burns centre from January to February 2010. Four patients, two staff members and one family member of a patient were affected. The outbreak strain had similar antibiotic susceptibilities to other MRSA seen in the hospital, and was only identified when a patient and a staff member presented simultaneously with skin infections. Infection control measures included screening and decolonization of staff and patients, environmental sampling and enhanced cleaning. Isolation of the outbreak strain from an asymptomatic staff member and the environment demonstrates the potential for CA-MRSA to survive and become endemic in UK hospitals. Copyright © 2013 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 152.110 - Time for agency review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Time for agency review. 152.110... PESTICIDE REGISTRATION AND CLASSIFICATION PROCEDURES Agency Review of Applications § 152.110 Time for agency review. The Agency will complete its review of applications as expeditiously as possible. Applications...

40 CFR 149.104 - Submission of petitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Submission of petitions. 149.104 Section 149.104 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS...) Applicable action already taken by State and local agencies including establishment of regulations to prevent...

40 CFR 149.104 - Submission of petitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Submission of petitions. 149.104 Section 149.104 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS...) Applicable action already taken by State and local agencies including establishment of regulations to prevent...

40 CFR 255.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Definitions. 255.2 Section 255.2 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES IDENTIFICATION OF REGIONS AND AGENCIES FOR SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT General Provisions § 255.2 Definitions. The Act contains an...

0-6762 : maximizing mitigation benefits-making a difference with strategic inter-resource agency planning.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-08-01

Transportation agencies do their best to avoid : and minimize any impacts to the environment, : but some impacts are unavoidable. : Compensatory mitigation is used to offset these : unavoidable impacts to the environment. Over : $3.3 billion is spent...

40 CFR 117.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2014-07-01 2013-07-01 true Definitions. 117.1 Section 117.1 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS DETERMINATION OF... Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”). (c) Mobile source means any vehicle, rolling stock, or other means of...

40 CFR 117.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Definitions. 117.1 Section 117.1 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS DETERMINATION OF... Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”). (c) Mobile source means any vehicle, rolling stock, or other means of...

40 CFR 117.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Definitions. 117.1 Section 117.1 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS DETERMINATION OF... Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”). (c) Mobile source means any vehicle, rolling stock, or other means of...

40 CFR 117.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Definitions. 117.1 Section 117.1 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS DETERMINATION OF... Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”). (c) Mobile source means any vehicle, rolling stock, or other means of...

40 CFR 117.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Definitions. 117.1 Section 117.1 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS DETERMINATION OF... Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”). (c) Mobile source means any vehicle, rolling stock, or other means of...

40 CFR 31.34 - Copyrights.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Copyrights. 31.34 Section 31.34 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL ASSISTANCE UNIFORM... Requirements Changes, Property, and Subawards § 31.34 Copyrights. The Federal awarding agency reserves a...

40 CFR 152.117 - Notification to applicant.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Notification to applicant. 152.117 Section 152.117 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) PESTICIDE PROGRAMS PESTICIDE REGISTRATION AND CLASSIFICATION PROCEDURES Agency Review of Applications § 152.117 Notification to...

76 FR 63941 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Business Transformation-Automated Integrated Operating...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-14

... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency Information Collection Activities: Business Transformation--Automated Integrated Operating Environment (IOE), New Information... Environment (IOE). The comment period expired May 27, 2011. USCIS is reviewing all comments received and will...

ENVIRONMENTAL PUBLIC HEALTH INDICATORS AT UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has recently published two different indicators reports, America's Children and the Environment (ACE) and the Draft Report on the Environment (see: http://www.epa.gov/indicators/ and http://www.epa.gov/envirohealth/children/). ACE...

Activism, Agency and Archive: British Activists and the Representation of Educational Colonies in Spain during and after the Spanish Civil War

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Siân

2013-01-01

In the late 1930s the Spanish Civil War captured the international imagination to an extraordinary degree. As in other countries British men and women were moved to intervene directly and the memory of the war, and of British participation in it, has held an enduring appeal in the UK. The Civil War was also notable for its use of the visual as a…

Feed Forward Programming of Car Drivers’ Eye Movement Behavior. A System Theoretical Approach. Volume 1

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-02-01

Standardization February 1980 13. NUMBER OF PAGES Group ( UK ), Box 65, FPO New York 09510 216 14. MONITORING AGENCY NAME A ADDRESS(I differmt bar...with lateral information input, s they- xate on the road’s lines frequently. Beginners, as driving tiea - chers report, have great difficulties in...perceptual system. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Co., 1966. GIBSON, J.J.: Principles of perceptual learning and develop- ment. New Jersey , Prentice Hall Inc

Incidental findings found in “healthy” volunteers during imaging performed for research: current legal and ethical implications

PubMed Central

Booth, T C; Jackson, A; Wardlaw, J M; Taylor, S A; Waldman, A D

2010-01-01

Incidental findings found in “healthy” volunteers during research imaging are common and have important implications for study design and performance, particularly in the areas of informed consent, subjects' rights, clinical image analysis and disclosure. In this study, we aimed to determine current practice and regulations concerning information that should be given to research subjects when obtaining consent, reporting of research images, who should be informed about any incidental findings and the method of disclosure. We reviewed all UK, European and international humanitarian, legal and ethical agencies' guidance. We found that the guidance on what constitutes incidental pathology, how to recognise it and what to do about it is inconsistent between agencies, difficult to find and less complete in the UK than elsewhere. Where given, guidance states that volunteers should be informed during the consent process about how research images will be managed, whether a mechanism exists for identifying incidental findings, arrangements for their disclosure, the potential benefit or harm and therapeutic options. The effects of incidentally discovered pathology on the individual can be complex and far-reaching. Radiologist involvement in analysis of research images varies widely; many incidental findings might therefore go unrecognised. In conclusion, guidance on the management of research imaging is inconsistent, limited and does not address the interests of volunteers. Improved standards to guide management of research images and incidental findings are urgently required. PMID:20335427

Impact of a reduced red and processed meat dietary pattern on disease risks and greenhouse gas emissions in the UK: a modelling study.

PubMed

Aston, Louise M; Smith, James N; Powles, John W

2012-01-01

Consumption of red and processed meat (RPM) is a leading contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and high intakes of these foods increase the risks of several leading chronic diseases. The aim of this study was to use newly derived estimates of habitual meat intakes in UK adults to assess potential co-benefits to health and the environment from reduced RPM consumption. Modelling study using dietary intake data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey of British Adults. British general population. Respondents were divided into fifths by energy-adjusted RPM intakes, with vegetarians constituting a sixth stratum. GHG emitted in supplying the diets of each stratum was estimated using data from life-cycle analyses. A feasible counterfactual UK population was specified, in which the proportion of vegetarians measured in the survey population doubled, and the remainder adopted the dietary pattern of the lowest fifth of RPM consumers. Reductions in risks of coronary heart disease, diabetes and colorectal cancer, and GHG emissions, under the counterfactual. Habitual RPM intakes were 2.5 times higher in the top compared with the bottom fifth of consumers. Under the counterfactual, statistically significant reductions in population aggregate risks ranged from 3.2% (95% CI 1.9 to 4.7) for diabetes in women to 12.2% (6.4 to 18.0) for colorectal cancer in men, with those moving from the highest to lowest consumption levels gaining about twice these averages. The expected reduction in GHG emissions was 0.45 tonnes CO(2) equivalent/person/year, about 3% of the current total, giving a reduction across the UK population of 27.8 million tonnes/year. Reduced consumption of RPM would bring multiple benefits to health and environment.

The Benefits of Residential Fieldwork for School Science: Insights from a five-year initiative for inner-city students in the UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amos, Ruth; Reiss, Michael

2012-03-01

There is considerable international interest in the value of residential fieldwork for school students. In the UK, pressures on curriculum time, rising costs and heightened concern over students' safety are curtailing residential experiences. Collaboration between several key fieldwork providers across the UK created an extensive programme of residential courses for 11-14-year-olds in London schools from 2004 to 2008. Some 33,000 students from 849 schools took part. This paper draws on the evaluation of the programme that gathered questionnaire, interview and observational data from 2,706 participating students, 70 teachers and 869 parents/carers from 46 schools, mainly in deprived areas of the city. Our findings revealed that students' collaborative skills improved and interpersonal relationships were strengthened and taken back to school. Gains were strongest in social and affective domains, together with behavioural improvements for some students. Individual cognitive gains were revealed more convincingly during face-to-face interviews, rather than through survey items. Students from socially deprived backgrounds benefitted from exposure to learning environments which promoted authentic practical inquiry. Over the 5-year programme, combined physical adventure and real-world experiences proved to be popular with students and their teachers, and opened up opportunities for learning and doing science in ways not often accessible in urban school environments. Further programmes have been implemented in other parts of the UK as a result of the London experience, which build upon the provision of mixed curriculum-adventure course design. The popularity and apparent success of these combination courses suggest that providers need to consider the value of developing similar programmes in the future.

Can invasions occur without change? A comparison of G-matrices and selection in the peach-potato aphid, Myzus persicae

PubMed Central

Bacigalupe, Leonardo D; Barrientos, Karin; Beckerman, Andrew P; Carter, Mauricio J; Figueroa, Christian C; Foster, Stephen P; Moore, Allen J; Silva, Andrea X; Nespolo, Roberto F

2013-01-01

Most evolutionary research on biological invasions has focused on changes seen between the native and invaded range for a particular species. However, it is likely that species that live in human-modified habitats in their native range might have evolved specific adaptations to those environments, which increase the likelihood of establishment and spread in similar human-altered environments. From a quantitative genetic perspective, this hypothesis suggests that both native and introduced populations should reside at or near the same adaptive peak. Therefore, we should observe no overall changes in the G (genetic variance–covariance) matrices between native and introduced ranges, and stabilizing selection on fitness-related traits in all populations. We tested these predictions comparing three populations of the worldwide pest Myzus persicae from the Middle East (native range) and the UK and Chile (separately introduced ranges). In general, our results provide mixed support for this idea, but further comparisons of other species are needed. In particular, we found that there has been some limited evolution in the studied traits, with the Middle East population differing from the UK and Chilean populations. This was reflected in the structure of the G-matrices, in which Chile differed from both UK and Middle East populations. Furthermore, the amount of genetic variation was massively reduced in Chile in comparison with UK and Middle East populations. Finally, we found no detectable selection on any trait in the three populations, but clones from the introduced ranges started to reproduce later, were smaller, had smaller offspring, and had lower reproductive fitness than clones from the native range. PMID:24455140

40 CFR 255.40 - Notification of status.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Notification of status. 255.40 Section 255.40 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES... identification of regions and agencies as consensus is reached. (b) The appropriate level of detail and the...

40 CFR 13.34 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Purpose. 13.34 Section 13.34 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GENERAL CLAIMS COLLECTION STANDARDS Referral of Debts... Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to refer past-due debts to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for offset...

40 CFR 1507.1 - Compliance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Compliance. 1507.1 Section 1507.1 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AGENCY COMPLIANCE § 1507.1 Compliance. All agencies of the Federal Government shall comply with these regulations. It is the intent of these...

40 CFR 1507.1 - Compliance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 33 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Compliance. 1507.1 Section 1507.1 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AGENCY COMPLIANCE § 1507.1 Compliance. All agencies of the Federal Government shall comply with these regulations. It is the intent of these...

Interest in a Mobile App for Two-Way Risk Communication: A Survey Study Among European Healthcare Professionals and Patients.

PubMed

de Vries, Sieta T; Denig, Petra; Lasheras Ruiz, Carmen; Houÿez, François; Wong, Lisa; Sutcliffe, Alastair; Mol, Peter G M

2018-07-01

Previously, an app has been developed for healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients to report adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to national medicines agencies and to receive drug safety information. This study aimed to assess (1) European HCPs' and patients' interest in an app for this two-way risk communication; (2) their preferences and perceptions towards specific app characteristics; and (3) which HCPs and patients are particularly interested in the app. In addition, these aspects were studied specifically for the countries where such an app was already available, i.e. Croatia, The Netherlands, and The UK. European HCPs and patients were asked to complete a web-based survey developed in the context of the Web-Recognizing Adverse Drug Reactions (Web-RADR) project. Data on app interest and preferences and perceptions towards app characteristics were analysed descriptively. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the association of HCP characteristics and patient characteristics on the level of interest in the app (i.e. very interested vs. not/somewhat interested). In total, 399 HCPs and 656 patients completed the survey. About half of the patients (48%; ranging from 38% from The Netherlands to 54% from The UK), and 61% of the HCPs (ranging from 42% from The Netherlands to 54% from The UK) were very interested in the app. A faster means of reporting ADRs and easier access to the reporting form were the main perceived benefits. HCPs and patients who already use a health app were particularly interested in the app (HCPs: odds ratio [OR] 3.52; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.96-6.30, patients: OR 1.64; 95% CI 1.19-2.27). An app is positively perceived by HCPs and patients for reporting ADRs quickly and for receiving drug safety information from national medicines agencies. In particular, HCPs and patients who already use other health apps were interested in the app.

Drug evaluation and the permissive principle: continuities and contradictions between standards and practices in antidepressant regulation.

PubMed

Abraham, John; Davis, Courtney

2009-08-01

Pharmaceuticals are not permitted on to the market unless they are granted regulatory approval. The regulatory process is, therefore, crucial in whether or not a drug is widely prescribed. Regulatory agencies have developed standards of performance that pharmaceuticals are supposed to meet before entering the market. Regulation of technologies is often discussed by reference to the precautionary principle. In contrast, this paper develops the concept of the 'permissive principle' as a way of understanding the departure of regulators' practices from standards of drug efficacy to which regulatory agencies themselves subscribe. By taking a case study of antidepressant regulation in the UK and the USA, the mechanisms of permissive regulatory practices are examined. An STS methodology of both spatial (international) and temporal comparisons of regulatory practices with regulatory standards is employed to identify the nature and extent of the permissive regulation. It is found that the permissive principle was adopted by drug regulators in the UK and the USA, but more so by the former than the latter. Evidently, permissive regulation, which favours the commercial interests of the drug manufacturer, but is contrary to the interests of patients, may penetrate to the heart of regulatory science. On the other hand, permissive regulation of specific drugs should not be regarded as an inevitable result of marketing strategies and concomitant networks deployed by powerful pharmaceutical companies, because the extent of permissive regulation may vary according to the intra-institutional normative commitments of regulators to uphold their technical standards against the commercial interests of the manufacturer. Likely sociological factors that can account for such permissive regulatory practices are 'corporate bias', secrecy and excessive regulatory trust in the pharmaceutical industry in the UK, political expediency and ideological capture in the USA, combined in both countries with some regulatory deference to the clinical autonomy of the psychiatry profession.

Trading quality for relevance: non-health decision-makers’ use of evidence on the social determinants of health

PubMed Central

McGill, Elizabeth; Egan, Matt; Petticrew, Mark; Mountford, Lesley; Milton, Sarah; Whitehead, Margaret; Lock, Karen

2015-01-01

Objectives Local government services and policies affect health determinants across many sectors such as planning, transportation, housing and leisure. Researchers and policymakers have argued that decisions affecting wider determinants of health, well-being and inequalities should be informed by evidence. This study explores how information and evidence are defined, assessed and utilised by local professionals situated beyond the health sector, but whose decisions potentially affect health: in this case, practitioners working in design, planning and maintenance of the built environment. Design A qualitative study using three focus groups. A thematic analysis was undertaken. Setting The focus groups were held in UK localities and involved local practitioners working in two UK regions, as well as in Brazil, USA and Canada. Participants UK and international practitioners working in the design and management of the built environment at a local government level. Results Participants described a range of data and information that constitutes evidence, of which academic research is only one part. Built environment decision-makers value empirical evidence, but also emphasise the legitimacy and relevance of less empirical ways of thinking through narratives that associate their work to art and philosophy. Participants prioritised evidence on the acceptability, deliverability and sustainability of interventions over evidence of longer term outcomes (including many health outcomes). Participants generally privileged local information, including personal experiences and local data, but were less willing to accept evidence from contexts perceived to be different from their own. Conclusions Local-level built environment practitioners utilise evidence to make decisions, but their view of ‘best evidence’ appears to prioritise local relevance over academic rigour. Academics can facilitate evidence-informed local decisions affecting social determinants of health by working with relevant practitioners to improve the quality of local data and evaluations, and by advancing approaches to improve the external validity of academic research. PMID:25838508

The ESIS query environment pilot project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fuchs, Jens J.; Ciarlo, Alessandro; Benso, Stefano

1993-01-01

The European Space Information System (ESIS) was originally conceived to provide the European space science community with simple and efficient access to space data archives, facilities with which to examine and analyze the retrieved data, and general information services. To achieve that ESIS will provide the scientists with a discipline specific environment for querying in a uniform and transparent manner data stored in geographically dispersed archives. Furthermore it will provide discipline specific tools for displaying and analyzing the retrieved data. The central concept of ESIS is to achieve a more efficient and wider usage of space scientific data, while maintaining the physical archives at the institutions which created them, and has the best background for ensuring and maintaining the scientific validity and interest of the data. In addition to coping with the physical distribution of data, ESIS is to manage also the heterogenity of the individual archives' data models, formats and data base management systems. Thus the ESIS system shall appear to the user as a single database, while it does in fact consist of a collection of dispersed and locally managed databases and data archives. The work reported in this paper is one of the results of the ESIS Pilot Project which is to be completed in 1993. More specifically it presents the pilot ESIS Query Environment (ESIS QE) system which forms the data retrieval and data dissemination axis of the ESIS system. The others are formed by the ESIS Correlation Environment (ESIS CE) and the ESIS Information Services. The ESIS QE Pilot Project is carried out for the European Space Agency's Research and Information center, ESRIN, by a Consortium consisting of Computer Resources International, Denmark, CISET S.p.a, Italy, the University of Strasbourg, France and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratories in the U.K. Furthermore numerous scientists both within ESA and space science community in Europe have been involved in defining the core concepts of the ESIS system.

A partial solution: a local mental health authority for the UK.

PubMed

Hadley, Trevor R.; Goldman, Howard H.

1998-07-01

BACKGROUND: the structural problems of the mental health system in the UK have been analyzed by a number of authors over the past several years as the "reforms" of the health and social service systems have continued (Kavanagh and Knapp, 1995; Mechanic, 1995). In a recent article, Hadley and Goldman (1995) suggest that one possible solution to some of these issues may be the creation of a local mental health authority. Such an authority would consolidate the funding, authority and responsibility in a single entity. We believe this model, which is typical of many local public mental health systems in the US, is at least part of the solution to the current problem of financial and service fragmentation of the current system in the UK. The numerous "reforms" of the health and social service systems (which include the Community Care Act, the development of the Internal Market, GP fundholding and the purchaser-provider split) were not designed for the care of the mentally ill (Han, 1996). These policy changes in the design of health and social services have created a complicated and difficult context in which services must be delivered. Too many agencies play a significant role in the delivery and management of mental health services. Health authorities, social service agencies and GP fundholders are direct and indirect funders of the system while community care trusts, social service agencies and GPs are service providers (Hadley, 1996a). RESULTS AND A PROPOSAL: We believe that the development of local mental health authorities may be part of the solution to the structural and economic problems of the current system in the UK. It is not the answer to limited resources or limited skills, but can create a new structure, which will permit and encourage the cooperation and innovation that is now possible only with unusual effort. Local mental health authorities have a number of crucial characteristics, but, most importantly, they refocus the system on the provision of care to the seriously mentally ill. This is the expressed priority of government, advocates and providers, alike.These new entities could be created at either the purchaser or provider level or, as exists in a number of jurisdictions in the US, at both levels, where a single purchaser may be responsible for multiple consolidated providers. This combination is now the emerging model for innovative services in the US. In the UK, the development of a local mental health authority at the purchaser and/or provider level might be relatively simple. Although the creation of a statutory authority would require primary legislation and is therefore probably not a short-term solution, there appears to be a variety of administrative options that would have the same effect. IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH POLICY FORMULATION: The creation of a local mental health authority may be a necessary first step towards the development of a coordinated and comprehensive system of care. It seems likely that there is currently more "political" support for the development of a purchaser model but the development of a sophisticated purchsaer is also likely to take considerable time and effort. Although all the structural and policy problems of the mental health system in the UK will not all be solved by local mental health authorities, they may be beneficial if responsibility for mental illness care is to be centralized and fragmentation is to be reduced. Without making structural changes, the best efforts by clinicians, policymakers and managers are most likely to be in vain. Without a clear point of ultimate purchasing and service responsibility, the fragmentation and inefficiency of the current system will remain (Hadley et al., 1996).

40 CFR 1504.3 - Procedure for referrals and response.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 33 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Procedure for referrals and response. 1504.3 Section 1504.3 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY PREDECISION REFERRALS... available to the Environmental Protection Agency, commenting agencies, and the public. Except when an...

40 CFR 1504.3 - Procedure for referrals and response.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 34 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Procedure for referrals and response. 1504.3 Section 1504.3 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY PREDECISION REFERRALS... available to the Environmental Protection Agency, commenting agencies, and the public. Except when an...

40 CFR 1504.3 - Procedure for referrals and response.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 34 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Procedure for referrals and response. 1504.3 Section 1504.3 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY PREDECISION REFERRALS... available to the Environmental Protection Agency, commenting agencies, and the public. Except when an...

40 CFR 1504.3 - Procedure for referrals and response.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 33 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Procedure for referrals and response. 1504.3 Section 1504.3 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY PREDECISION REFERRALS... available to the Environmental Protection Agency, commenting agencies, and the public. Except when an...

40 CFR 35.160 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Purpose. 35.160 Section 35.160 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL ASSISTANCE STATE AND LOCAL... interstate agencies (as defined in section 502 of the Clean Water Act) authorized under section 106 of the...

40 CFR 35.160 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Purpose. 35.160 Section 35.160 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL ASSISTANCE STATE AND LOCAL... interstate agencies (as defined in section 502 of the Clean Water Act) authorized under section 106 of the...

40 CFR 16.10 - Penalties.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Penalties. 16.10 Section 16.10 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GENERAL IMPLEMENTATION OF PRIVACY ACT OF 1974 § 16... or obtains any record concerning an individual from an agency under false pretenses shall be guilty...

40 CFR 51.152 - Contingency plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Contingency plans. 51.152 Section 51.152 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS REQUIREMENTS... emergency agencies and news media. (c) Each plan for a Priority IA and II region must include a contingency...

40 CFR 51.152 - Contingency plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Contingency plans. 51.152 Section 51.152 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS REQUIREMENTS... emergency agencies and news media. (c) Each plan for a Priority IA and II region must include a contingency...

40 CFR 51.152 - Contingency plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Contingency plans. 51.152 Section 51.152 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS REQUIREMENTS... emergency agencies and news media. (c) Each plan for a Priority IA and II region must include a contingency...

40 CFR 51.152 - Contingency plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Contingency plans. 51.152 Section 51.152 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS REQUIREMENTS... emergency agencies and news media. (c) Each plan for a Priority IA and II region must include a contingency...

40 CFR 57.809 - Ex parte communications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 5 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Ex parte communications. 57.809 Section 57.809 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED... Technology § 57.809 Ex parte communications. (a) General. (1) No interested person outside the Agency or...

40 CFR 35.295 - Maximum federal share.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Maximum federal share. 35.295 Section 35.295 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL ASSISTANCE... Maximum federal share. The Regional Administrator may provide State agencies up to 50 percent of the...

40 CFR 161.35 - Flexibility of the data requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Flexibility of the data requirements. 161.35 Section 161.35 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) PESTICIDE... periodically to reflect new scientific knowledge, new trends in pesticide development, and new Agency policies...

Forecasting surface water flooding hazard and impact in real-time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cole, Steven J.; Moore, Robert J.; Wells, Steven C.

2016-04-01

Across the world, there is increasing demand for more robust and timely forecast and alert information on Surface Water Flooding (SWF). Within a UK context, the government Pitt Review into the Summer 2007 floods provided recommendations and impetus to improve the understanding of SWF risk for both off-line design and real-time forecasting and warning. Ongoing development and trial of an end-to-end real-time SWF system is being progressed through the recently formed Natural Hazards Partnership (NHP) with delivery to the Flood Forecasting Centre (FFC) providing coverage over England & Wales. The NHP is a unique forum that aims to deliver coordinated assessments, research and advice on natural hazards for governments and resilience communities across the UK. Within the NHP, a real-time Hazard Impact Model (HIM) framework has been developed that includes SWF as one of three hazards chosen for initial trialling. The trial SWF HIM system uses dynamic gridded surface-runoff estimates from the Grid-to-Grid (G2G) hydrological model to estimate the SWF hazard. National datasets on population, infrastructure, property and transport are available to assess impact severity for a given rarity of SWF hazard. Whilst the SWF hazard footprint is calculated in real-time using 1, 3 and 6 hour accumulations of G2G surface runoff on a 1 km grid, it has been possible to associate these with the effective rainfall design profiles (at 250m resolution) used as input to a detailed flood inundation model (JFlow+) run offline to produce hazard information resolved to 2m resolution. This information is contained in the updated Flood Map for Surface Water (uFMfSW) held by the Environment Agency. The national impact datasets can then be used with the uFMfSW SWF hazard dataset to assess impacts at this scale and severity levels of potential impact assigned at 1km and for aggregated county areas in real-time. The impact component is being led by the Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) within the NHP. Flood Guidance within the FFC employs the national Flood Risk Matrix, which categorises potential impacts into minimal, minor, significant and severe, and Likelihood, into very low, low, medium and high classes, and the matrix entries then define the Overall Flood Risk as very low, low, medium and high. Likelihood is quantified by running G2G with Met Office ensemble rainfall inputs that in turn allows a probability to be assigned to the SWF hazard and associated impact. This overall procedure is being trialled and refined off-line by CEH and HSL using case study data, and at the same time implemented as a pre-operational test system at the Met Office for evaluation by FFC (a joint Environment Agency and Met Office centre for flood forecasting) in 2016.

Sustainability Innovation in United Kingdom Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Head, Wayne; Buckingham, Richard

2009-01-01

This article recommends approaches to take in designing sustainable educational environments. The authors present recent examples of UK school buildings that reduce carbon emissions and capitalise on renewable energy sources, and predict how schools will respond to energy needs in the future. (Contains 1 footnote.)

Genetics, lifestyle and environment. UK Biobank is an open access resource following the lives of 500,000 participants to improve the health of future generations.

PubMed

Trehearne, Andrew

2016-03-01

UK Biobank is a long-term prospective epidemiology study having recruited and now following the lives of 500,000 people in England, Scotland and Wales, aged 40-69 years when they joined the study (Sudlow et al., PLoS Med 12(3):e1001779, 2015). Participants were recruited by letter and asked to attend one of 22 assessment centres in towns and cities across Britain, where they provided consent, answered detailed questions about their health and lifestyle, had body measures taken and donated blood, urine and saliva. Participants provided consent for the long-term follow-up of their health via medical records, such as general practice and hospital records, cancer and death records. Samples are being stored long term for a wide range of analyses, including genetic. The resource is open to all bona fide scientists from the UK and overseas, academic and industry who register via its access management system. Summary of UK Biobank data can be viewed via its Data Showcase and the resource will be strengthened over time as the results of new analyses and studies are returned, health links and participants provide additional information about themselves. Some will attend full repeat assessment visits. UK Biobank is open for business, and it hopes researchers will find it a valuable tool to improve the health of future generations.

Meeting Capability Goals through Effective Modelling and Experimentation of C4ISTAR Options

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-01

UNCLASSIFIED 9 Key Facts 12 industry partners drawn from the major defence providers ~80 associate members made up of small and medium sized...in the emergence of a number of effective monopolies. The UK Defence marketplace has become too small and the major equipment ‘replacement’ cycles too...ProcessThreat & Need Figure 3. Environment for Capability Trading The environment is aligned with the MOD’s strategy for Enterprise Architecture *10

Assessing the possible radiological impact of routine radiological discharges from proposed nuclear power stations in England and Wales.

PubMed

Jones, Alison; Jones, Kelly; Holmes, Sheila; Ewers, Leon; Cabianca, Tiberio

2013-03-01

The aim of this work is to assess the possible radiological impact on the population of the United Kingdom (UK) from new nuclear power stations proposed for up to eight sites in England and Wales. The radiological impact was measured in terms of collective dose to the UK, European and world populations from a single year's discharge integrated to 500 and 100 000 years and the annual dose to an average member of the UK population (known as the per-caput dose). The doses were calculated for two reactor types, UK EPR™ and AP1000™, using the annual expected discharges estimated by the designers of the reactors and assuming two reactors per site. In addition, typical individual doses to adults living close to the sites were calculated on the basis of continuous discharges for 60 years (the assumed lifetime of the reactors). The dose to a representative person (previously known as the critical group) was not calculated, as this has been done elsewhere. The assessments were carried out using the software program PC-CREAM 08(®) which implements the updated European Commission methodology for assessing the radiological impact of routine releases of radionuclides to the environment. The collective dose truncated to 500 years to the UK population was estimated to be 0.5 manSv assuming UK EPR reactors on all sites and 0.6 manSv assuming AP1000s on three sites with UK EPRs on the other sites. The most significant contribution to the collective dose to the UK population is due to the global circulation of carbon-14 released to the atmosphere. The annual dose to an average member of the UK population from all sites was calculated to be around 10 nSv y(-1) and would therefore contribute little to an individual's total radiation dose. All the calculated doses to a typical adult living near the sites assuming continuous discharges for 60 years were found to be below 1 μSv y(-1).

Present and future of the undergraduate ophthalmology curriculum: a survey of UK medical schools

PubMed Central

Hill, Sophie; Dennick, Reg

2017-01-01

Objectives To investigate the current undergraduate ophthalmology curricula provided by the UK medical schools, evaluate how they compare with the guidelines of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) and International Council for Ophthalmology (ICO), and determine the views of the UK ophthalmology teaching leads on the future direction of the curriculum. Methods A cross-sectional questionnaire was sent to teaching leads in 31 medical schools across the UK. The questionnaire evaluated eight themes of the curriculum: content and learning outcomes, communication of learning outcomes, organisation of the curriculum, assessment, educational resources, teaching methods used, and the educational environment. The ophthalmology teaching leads were also asked their opinion on the current and future management of the curriculum. These were compared with RCOphth and ICO guidelines and descriptive statistical analysis performed. Results A response rate of 93% (n=29/31) was achieved. The knowledge and clinical skills taught by the UK medical schools match the  RCOphth guidelines, but fail to meet the ICO recommendations. A diverse range of assessment methods are used by UK medical schools during ophthalmology rotations. Variation was also observed in the organisation and methods of ophthalmology teaching.  However, a significant consensus about the future direction of the curriculum was reported by teaching leads. Conclusions Comprehensive RCOphth guidance, and resource sharing between medical schools could help to ensure ophthalmology’s continuing presence in the medical curriculum and improve the effectiveness of undergraduate ophthalmology teaching, while reducing the workload of local teaching departments and medical schools.  PMID:29103017

Phylogenetic characterisation of naturally occurring feline immunodeficiency virus in the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Samman, A; McMonagle, E L; Logan, N; Willett, B J; Biek, R; Hosie, M J

2011-06-02

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a significant pathogen of domestic and non-domestic felids worldwide. In domestic cats, FIV is classified into five distinct subtypes (A-E) with subtypes A and B distributed most widely. However, little is known about the degree of intrasubtype viral diversity and this may prove critical in determining whether monovalent vaccines are likely to protect against FIV strains within a single subtype. Here, we characterise novel env sequences from 47 FIV strains recovered from infected cats in the United Kingdom and its environs. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that all bar one sequence belonged to subtype A, the predominant subtype in Western Europe. A single sequence was identified as a likely subtype A/C recombinant, intriguing given that subtype C does not appear to exist in either the UK or North Western Europe and suggestive of a recombination event predating its introduction into the UK. Subtype A strains from the UK were not significantly differentiated from representative subtype A isolates found elsewhere suggesting multiple introductions of FIV into the country. Divergence among isolates was comparable to that observed for subtype A isolates worldwide, indicating that FIV in the UK covers the full spectrum of subtype A diversity seen globally. This study demonstrates that while subtype A is predominant in the UK, novel introductions may result in the emergence of novel subtypes or intersubtype recombinants, potentially circumventing vaccine strategies. However, the dominance of subtype A suggests that the development of a regional or subtype-specific protective vaccine for the UK could be achievable. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Stakeholder perspectives on the use of positron emission tomography in phase III oncology trials in the UK.

PubMed

Rojas-Anaya, Hector; Skogen, Karoline; Miles, Kenneth Alan

2012-06-01

To identify factors that influence the use of PET in phase III oncology trials in the UK by evaluating stakeholder perspectives. A wide range of UK PET research stakeholders with a potential interest in the use of PET in phase III trials were identified and invited to participate. These UK PET research stakeholders were consulted using a semistructured questionnaire on their personal experience with and involvement in PET research, the role of PET in phase III oncology clinical trials and on the promotion of UK PET research and unmet clinical needs in oncology. Responses were analysed quantitatively and by qualitative content analysis of free-text responses. A total of 118 responses were received from a wide range of stakeholders representing several professional groups and working environments. Of these respondents, 49 (42%) were using PET in their research. There was the general perception that using PET in clinical research is beneficial in oncology. The two major barriers identified were poor availability of PET and perceived difficulties in funding of excess treatment costs (75% of respondents). Other factors included limited coverage of PET in training, uncertainty about developing imaging protocols or the status of tracers other than 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose, and low awareness of the role of PET in patient selection for therapeutic trials. Patient concerns about radiation were not perceived as a research barrier. Interventions that improve the availability and funding pathways for PET research scans and that increase researcher awareness could help promote the use of PET for phase III oncology trials in the UK.

Vegetarianism and colorectal cancer risk in a low-selenium environment: effect modification by selenium status? A possible factor contributing to the null results in British vegetarians.

PubMed

Sobiecki, Jakub G

2017-08-01

Despite the consistent findings of lower total cancer incidence in vegetarians than in meat-eaters in the UK, the results of studies of colorectal cancer (CRC) risk in British vegetarians have largely been null. This was in contrast to the hypothesis of a decreased risk of CRC in this population due to null intake of red and processed meats and increased intake of fibre. Although the data are inconsistent, it has been suggested that selenium (Se) status may influence CRC risk. A literature review was performed of studies on CRC risk in vegetarians, Se intakes and status in vegetarians, and changes of Se intakes and status in the UK throughout the follow-up periods of studies on CRC risk in British vegetarians. Vegetarians in the UK and other low-Se areas were found to have low Se intakes and status compared to non-vegetarians. There was some evidence of a reverse J-shaped curve of Se intakes and status in the UK throughout the last three decades. These presumed patterns were followed by the changes in CRC mortality or incidence in British vegetarians during this period. Available data on Se intake and status in British vegetarians, as well as the relationship between their secular changes in the UK and changes in CRC risk in this dietary group, are compatible with the hypothesis that low Se status may contribute to the largely null results of studies of CRC risk in vegetarians in the UK.

The health of UK civilians deployed to Iraq

PubMed Central

Fear, Nicola T.; Cawkill, Paul; Jones, Norman; Greenberg, Neil; Wessely, Simon

2017-01-01

Abstract Background: Modern military operations have incorporated deployed civilians in a variety of roles (e.g. diplomats, private security staff). Many of these roles expose individuals to potentially dangerous or traumatic events. Evidence has shown that such exposures can cause psychological health problems in military personnel. It is likely that the same would be seen among civilians working in such environments. There is however limited research into the health of civilians deployed to war zones. This study compared health outcomes and related behaviours among UK regular and reserve Army personnel with UK civilian personnel deployed in direct support of the UK military in Iraq. Methods: The study sample comprised of 159 Ministry of Defence civilians, 1542 Army regulars and 408 Army reservists, all of whom served in non-combat roles. Data were gathered by questionnaires which asked about deployment experiences, lifestyle factors and health outcomes [i.e. post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), general health, multiple physical symptoms and alcohol use]. Results: Fewer deployed UK civilians smoked than regular Army personnel (adjusted OR 0.83 95% CI 0.70–0.98). UK civilians had better overall health and were less likely to report multiple physical symptoms compared with reservists (adjusted ORs 0.64 95% CI 0.44–0.93 and 0.60 95% CI 0.39–0.93, respectively). Conclusions: Overall, the psychological health of deployed civilians appears to be better than that of Army personnel deployed in non-combat roles. Civilians are also less likely to engage in some risky behaviours. PMID:27452892

Evaluation of the educational climate for specialty trainees in dermatology.

PubMed

Goulding, J M R; Passi, V

2016-06-01

Dermatology specialty trainees (STs) in the United Kingdom (UK) are few in number and will join a thinly spread national consultant body. It is of paramount importance to deliver training programmes of the highest quality for these doctors, central to which is the establishment and maintenance of an educational climate conducive to learning. To conduct a pilot study to evaluate the educational climate for dermatology STs in one UK deanery (West Midlands). Secondary analysis of published data was performed, from the UK's General Medical Council (GMC) national training survey, and the Job Evaluation Survey Tool (JEST) administered by the West Midlands deanery. A modified online version of the Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measure (PHEEM) was circulated among dermatology STs. The GMC's survey data show that UK dermatology STs rated their training highly in comparison with undifferentiated UK postgraduate trainees. West Midlands dermatology STs (n = 22) scored very similarly to UK dermatology STs. The JEST gave broadly encouraging results, with 21/22 (95%) happy to recommend their posts to colleagues. The modified PHEEM yielded a global mean score of 96.5/152, attracting the descriptor 'more positive than negative but room for improvement'. Despite inherent methodological limitations, the GMC, JEST and modified PHEEM surveys have revealed useful comparative triangulated data which allows the conclusion that West Midlands dermatology STs seem to be training in a favourable educational climate. This represents an important facet of the quality assurance process for medical education, and allows insight into areas which may require improvement. © 2015 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

40 CFR 6.404 - Lead or cooperating agency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Lead or cooperating agency. 6.404... ACTIONS Assessing the Environmental Effects Abroad of EPA Actions § 6.404 Lead or cooperating agency. (a) Lead Agency. Section 3-3 of Executive Order 12114 requires the creation of a lead agency whenever an...

40 CFR 6.404 - Lead or cooperating agency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Lead or cooperating agency. 6.404... ACTIONS Assessing the Environmental Effects Abroad of EPA Actions § 6.404 Lead or cooperating agency. (a) Lead Agency. Section 3-3 of Executive Order 12114 requires the creation of a lead agency whenever an...

40 CFR 6.404 - Lead or cooperating agency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Lead or cooperating agency. 6.404... ACTIONS Assessing the Environmental Effects Abroad of EPA Actions § 6.404 Lead or cooperating agency. (a) Lead Agency. Section 3-3 of Executive Order 12114 requires the creation of a lead agency whenever an...

40 CFR 6.404 - Lead or cooperating agency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Lead or cooperating agency. 6.404... ACTIONS Assessing the Environmental Effects Abroad of EPA Actions § 6.404 Lead or cooperating agency. (a) Lead Agency. Section 3-3 of Executive Order 12114 requires the creation of a lead agency whenever an...

40 CFR 6.404 - Lead or cooperating agency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Lead or cooperating agency. 6.404... ACTIONS Assessing the Environmental Effects Abroad of EPA Actions § 6.404 Lead or cooperating agency. (a) Lead Agency. Section 3-3 of Executive Order 12114 requires the creation of a lead agency whenever an...

Decline of radionuclides in the nearshore environment following nuclear reactor closure: A U.K. case study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cundy, A.B.; Croudace, I.W.; Warwick, P.E.

1999-09-01

Radioactive discharges from nuclear facilities are frequently made into the marine environment and their fate during and after cessation of discharges is a matter of interest and concern. This study examines the decline of the radionuclides {sup 60} and {sup 65}Zn along the southern UK. coast, over the per 1988--1998, following the closure of the steam-generating heavy water (SGHW) reactor at AEA Winfrith, Dorset, UK. {sup 60}Co and {sup 65}Zn (and other activation products such as {sup 63}Ni and {sup 55}Fe) were widely dispersed in the marine environment off the central south coast of England, due to authorized releases frommore » AEA Winfrith. Significant interaction occurred with clay-rich sediments and biota. A general exponential decline in {sup 60}Co activities (and in {sup 65}Zn activity) is found in intertidal mudflat sediments, seaweed and marine fauna in different areas along the south coast following closure of the reactor in 1990. Effective half-lives are determined which vary from 1 to 4 years in surface sediments ({sup 60}Co only), 1--4 years in seaweed and 0.5--2.5 years in crustaceans, bivalves and molluscs. Physical mixing and bioturbation largely control the rate at which {sup 60}Co declines in surface sediments. Both {sup 60}Co and {sup 65}Zn show a relatively slow rate of decline in seaweed and in marine fauna, showing that even after the virtual cessation of discharge from nuclear facilities, contamination of these organisms may persist for a number of years, albeit at reduced activities. Reasons for this persistence are likely to include absorption of radionuclides from sediment, and release and recycling of radionuclides via breakdown of contaminated organic material.« less

Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with a novel mecA homologue in human and bovine populations in the UK and Denmark: a descriptive study

PubMed Central

García-Álvarez, Laura; Holden, Matthew TG; Lindsay, Heather; Webb, Cerian R; Brown, Derek FJ; Curran, Martin D; Walpole, Enid; Brooks, Karen; Pickard, Derek J; Teale, Christopher; Parkhill, Julian; Bentley, Stephen D; Edwards, Giles F; Girvan, E Kirsty; Kearns, Angela M; Pichon, Bruno; Hill, Robert LR; Larsen, Anders Rhod; Skov, Robert L; Peacock, Sharon J; Maskell, Duncan J; Holmes, Mark A

2011-01-01

Summary Background Animals can act as a reservoir and source for the emergence of novel meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clones in human beings. Here, we report the discovery of a strain of S aureus (LGA251) isolated from bulk milk that was phenotypically resistant to meticillin but tested negative for the mecA gene and a preliminary investigation of the extent to which such strains are present in bovine and human populations. Methods Isolates of bovine MRSA were obtained from the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in the UK, and isolates of human MRSA were obtained from diagnostic or reference laboratories (two in the UK and one in Denmark). From these collections, we searched for mecA PCR-negative bovine and human S aureus isolates showing phenotypic meticillin resistance. We used whole-genome sequencing to establish the genetic basis for the observed antibiotic resistance. Findings A divergent mecA homologue (mecALGA251) was discovered in the LGA251 genome located in a novel staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec element, designated type-XI SCCmec. The mecALGA251 was 70% identical to S aureus mecA homologues and was initially detected in 15 S aureus isolates from dairy cattle in England. These isolates were from three different multilocus sequence type lineages (CC130, CC705, and ST425); spa type t843 (associated with CC130) was identified in 60% of bovine isolates. When human mecA-negative MRSA isolates were tested, the mecALGA251 homologue was identified in 12 of 16 isolates from Scotland, 15 of 26 from England, and 24 of 32 from Denmark. As in cows, t843 was the most common spa type detected in human beings. Interpretation Although routine culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing will identify S aureus isolates with this novel mecA homologue as meticillin resistant, present confirmatory methods will not identify them as MRSA. New diagnostic guidelines for the detection of MRSA should consider the inclusion of tests for mecALGA251. Funding Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Higher Education Funding Council for England, Isaac Newton Trust (University of Cambridge), and the Wellcome Trust. PMID:21641281

The impact of hot food takeaways near schools in the UK on childhood obesity: a systematic review of the evidence.

PubMed

Turbutt, Claire; Richardson, Janet; Pettinger, Clare

2018-03-24

Obesity is the greatest health issue for this generation; schools have improved food offered within their grounds. The built environment surrounding schools and pupils' journeys home have not received the same level of attention. This review identified papers on impacts of hot food takeaways surrounding schools in the UK. Methods were informed by the PRISMA (QUORUM) guidelines for systematic reviews. Searches were completed in 12 databases. A total of 14 papers were included and quality assured before data extraction. Three descriptive themes were found; descriptions of hot food takeaway's geography and impacts concerning schools, strategic food policy and pupils reported food behaviour. Most included studies compared anthropometric measures with geographical location of hot food takeaways to find correlations between environment and childhood obesity. There was good evidence of more hot food takeaways in deprived areas and children who spend time in deprived neighbourhoods tend to eat more fast food and have higher BMIs. Few studies were able to quantify the correlation between school's environment and obesity amongst pupils. This lack of evidence is likely a factor of the studies' ability to identify the correlation rather than lack of a correlation between the two variables.

Shiftwork and environment as interactive predictors of work perceptions.

PubMed

Parkes, Katharine R

2003-10-01

Evidence suggests that the work environment may play a role in the elevated risk of adverse health outcomes among shiftworkers compared with dayworkers. Perceived work environment measures (physical stressors, job demand, job control, skill discretion, supervisor support, and safety perceptions) from UK oil industry personnel (N=1,867) were analyzed in relation to shiftwork (day/night rotation vs daywork) and objective work environment (onshore vs offshore). Age, education, job type, and negative affectivity were also included. The Environment * Shiftwork interaction was significant in multivariate tests and in 5 of the 6 univariate analyses. Onshore, shiftworkers perceived their environment significantly less favorably than dayworkers, but differences were less marked offshore. Results are discussed in relation to the demand-control-support model of work stress. 2003 APA

Learning from Somaliland? Transferability of learning from volunteering to national health service practice in the UK.

PubMed

Tillson, Esther; van Wees, Sibylle Herzig; McGowan, Charlotte; Franklin, Hannah; Jones, Helena; Bogue, Patrick; Aliabadi, Shirin; Baraitser, Paula

2016-03-22

Capacity building partnerships between healthcare institutions have the potential to benefit both partners particularly in staff development. Previous research suggests that volunteering can contribute to professional development but there is little evidence on how learning is acquired, the barriers and facilitators to learning in this context or the process of translation of learning to the home environment. Volunteers from a healthcare partnership between the UK and Somaliland reported learning in communication, interdisciplinary working, teaching, management, leadership and service development. This learning came from observing familiar practices in unfamiliar environments; alternative solutions to familiar problems; learning about Somali culture; opportunities to assume higher levels of responsibility and new professional relationships. There was variability in the extent of translation to NHS practice. Time and support available for reflection and mentoring were important facilitators of this process. The professional development outcomes documented in this study came directly from the experience of volunteering. Experiential learning theory suggests that this requires a complex process of critical reflection and new knowledge generation, testing and translation for use in new contexts. This process benefits from identification of learning as an important element of volunteering and support for reflection and the translation translation of learning to UK contexts. We suggest that missed opportunities for volunteer learning will remain until the volunteering process is overtly framed as part of continuing professional development.

Summer 2015 measurements of total OH reactivity at a UK coastal site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woodward-Massey, R.; Cryer, D. R.; Whalley, L. K.; Ingham, T.; Crilley, L.; Kramer, L. J.; Reeves, C.; Forster, G.; Oram, D.; Bandy, B.; Reed, C.; Lee, J. D.; Bloss, W.; Heard, D. E.

2015-12-01

The hydroxyl radical (OH) plays a central role in the day time oxidative removal of pollutants and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. It is essential that all production and loss pathways of OH are understood and included in computer models in order to accurately predict OH concentrations for a range of environments, and in turn the rate of production of secondary products, for example ozone and organic aerosol. Direct measurement of total OH reactivity, the pseudo first order rate coefficient for OH loss by reaction with its sinks, is a very useful tool to test how complete our knowledge is of OH loss pathways. Comparison with values of total OH reactivity calculated by computer models using concentrations of simultaneously measured OH 'sinks' and unmeasured intermediates enables environments to be identified where there are unidentified 'missing' OH sinks. Total OH reactivity was measured using the laser flash photolysis combined with time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence technique during the ICOZA (Integrated Chemistry of OZone in the Atmosphere) campaign in July 2015 at the Weybourne Atmospheric Observatory (WAO), Norfolk, UK. Air masses sampled ranged from polluted air from the UK or Europe containing processed urban emissions to very clean air of marine origin. Data for measured and calculated OH reactivity will be presented in addition to a discussion of the magnitude of the 'missing' OH sink determined for each type of air mass.

40 CFR 1508.5 - Cooperating agency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Cooperating agency. 1508.5 Section 1508.5 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY TERMINOLOGY AND INDEX § 1508.5... jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to any environmental impact involved in a proposal (or a...

40 CFR 1508.5 - Cooperating agency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 33 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Cooperating agency. 1508.5 Section 1508.5 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY TERMINOLOGY AND INDEX § 1508.5... jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to any environmental impact involved in a proposal (or a...

40 CFR 300.323 - Spills of national significance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 28 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Spills of national significance. 300.323 Section 300.323 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SUPERFUND... coastal zone. (b) For a SONS in the inland zone, the EPA Administrator may name a senior Agency official...

40 CFR 300.323 - Spills of national significance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 28 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Spills of national significance. 300.323 Section 300.323 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SUPERFUND... coastal zone. (b) For a SONS in the inland zone, the EPA Administrator may name a senior Agency official...

40 CFR 300.323 - Spills of national significance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 27 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Spills of national significance. 300.323 Section 300.323 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SUPERFUND... coastal zone. (b) For a SONS in the inland zone, the EPA Administrator may name a senior Agency official...

40 CFR 300.323 - Spills of national significance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 29 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Spills of national significance. 300.323 Section 300.323 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SUPERFUND... coastal zone. (b) For a SONS in the inland zone, the EPA Administrator may name a senior Agency official...

40 CFR 300.323 - Spills of national significance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 29 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Spills of national significance. 300.323 Section 300.323 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SUPERFUND... coastal zone. (b) For a SONS in the inland zone, the EPA Administrator may name a senior Agency official...

U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY'S COMPUTATIONAL TOXCIOLOGY PROGRAM - METABOLISM AND METABONOMICS

EPA Science Inventory

The mission of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is to safeguard public health and the environment from adverse effects that may be caused by exposure to pollutants in the air, water, soil and food. Protecting human health and the environment carries with it the ch...

40 CFR 27.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Definitions. 27.2 Section 27.2 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GENERAL PROGRAM FRAUD CIVIL REMEDIES § 27.2... assessment under § 27.3. Environmental Appeals Board means the Board within the Agency described in § 1.25 of...

77 FR 42306 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-18

... Requirements for Allegations of Significant Adverse Reactions to Human Health or the Environment AGENCY... Requirements for Allegations of Significant Adverse Reactions to Human Health or the Environment; EPA ICR No... and Reporting Requirements for Allegations of Significant Adverse Reactions to Human Health or the...

40 CFR 51.241 - Nonattainment areas for carbon monoxide and ozone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Intergovernmental Consultation Agency Designation § 51.241 Nonattainment areas for carbon monoxide and ozone. (a... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Nonattainment areas for carbon monoxide and ozone. 51.241 Section 51.241 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED...

40 CFR 51.241 - Nonattainment areas for carbon monoxide and ozone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Intergovernmental Consultation Agency Designation § 51.241 Nonattainment areas for carbon monoxide and ozone. (a... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Nonattainment areas for carbon monoxide and ozone. 51.241 Section 51.241 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED...

40 CFR 51.241 - Nonattainment areas for carbon monoxide and ozone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Intergovernmental Consultation Agency Designation § 51.241 Nonattainment areas for carbon monoxide and ozone. (a... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Nonattainment areas for carbon monoxide and ozone. 51.241 Section 51.241 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED...

40 CFR 51.241 - Nonattainment areas for carbon monoxide and ozone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Intergovernmental Consultation Agency Designation § 51.241 Nonattainment areas for carbon monoxide and ozone. (a... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Nonattainment areas for carbon monoxide and ozone. 51.241 Section 51.241 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED...

40 CFR 51.241 - Nonattainment areas for carbon monoxide and ozone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Intergovernmental Consultation Agency Designation § 51.241 Nonattainment areas for carbon monoxide and ozone. (a... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Nonattainment areas for carbon monoxide and ozone. 51.241 Section 51.241 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED...

Procurement of information systems effectively (POISE): using the new UK guidelines to purchase an integrated clinical laboratory system.

PubMed

Feltham, R K

1995-01-01

Open tendering for medical informatics systems in the UK has traditionally been lengthy and, therefore, expensive on resources for vendor and purchaser alike. Events in the United Kingdom (UK) and European Community (EC) have led to new Government guidance being published on procuring information systems for the public sector: Procurement of Information Systems Effectively (POISE). This innovative procurement process, launched in 1993, has the support of the Computing Services Association (CSA) and the Federation of the Electronics Industry (FEI). This paper gives an overview of these new UK guidelines on healthcare information system purchasing in the context of a recent procurement project with an NHS Trust Hospital. The aim of the project was to replace three aging, separate, and different laboratory computer systems with a new, integrated turnkey system offering all department modules, an Open modern computer environment, and on-line electronic links to key departmental systems, both within and external to the Trust by the end of 1994. The new system had to complement the Trust's strategy for providing a modern clinical laboratory service to the local population and meet a tight budget.

Industry perceptions of barriers to commercialization of regenerative medicine products in the UK.

PubMed

Plagnol, Anke C; Rowley, Emma; Martin, Paul; Livesey, Finbarr

2009-07-01

Regenerative medicine is an emerging field with the potential to provide widespread improvement in healthcare and patient wellbeing via the delivery of therapies that can restore, regenerate or repair damaged tissue. As an industry, it could significantly contribute to economic growth if products are successfully commercialized. However, to date, relatively few products have reached the market owing to a variety of barriers, including a lack of funding and regulatory hurdles. The present study analyzes industry perceptions of the barriers to commercialization that currently impede the success of the regenerative medicine industry in the UK. The analysis is based on 20 interviews with leading industrialists in the field. The study revealed that scientific research in regenerative medicine is thriving in the UK. Unfortunately, lack of access to capital, regulatory hurdles, lack of clinical evidence leading to problems with reimbursement, as well as the culture of the NHS do not provide a good environment for the commercialization of regenerative medicine products. Policy interventions, including increased translational government funding, a change in NHS and NICE organization and policies, and regulatory clarity, would likely improve the general outcomes for the regenerative medicine industry in the UK.

Day one sustainability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orr, John; Ibell, Timothy; Evernden, Mark; Darby, Antony

2015-05-01

Emissions reductions targets for the UK set out in the Climate Change Act for the period to 2050 will only be achieved with significant changes to the built environment, which is currently estimated to account for 50% of the UK's carbon emissions. The socio-technological nature of Civil Engineering means that this field is uniquely placed to lead the UK through such adaptations. This paper discusses the importance of interdisciplinary teaching to produce multi-faceted team approaches to sustainable design solutions. Methods for measuring success in education are often not fit for purpose, producing good students but poor engineers. Real-world failures to apply sustainable design present a serious, difficult to detect, and ultimately economically negative situation. Techniques to replace summative examinations are presented and discussed, with the aim of enhancing core technical skills alongside those required for sustainable design. Finally, the role of our future engineers in policy-making is discussed. In addition to carbon, the provision of water and food will heavily influence the work of civil engineers in the coming decades. Leadership from civil engineers with the technical knowledge and social awareness to tackle these issues will be required. This provides both opportunities and challenges for engineering education in the UK.

Practical use of a framework for network science experimentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toth, Andrew; Bergamaschi, Flavio

2014-06-01

In 2006, the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) established a collaborative research alliance with academia and industry, called the International Technology Alliance (ITA)1 In Network and Information Sciences, to address fundamental issues concerning Network and Information Sciences that will enhance decision making for coalition operations and enable rapid, secure formation of ad hoc teams in coalition environments and enhance US and UK capabilities to conduct coalition warfare. Research conducted under the ITA was extended through collaboration between ARL and IBM UK to characterize and dene a software stack and tooling that has become the reference framework for network science experimentation in support for validation of theoretical research. This paper discusses the composition of the reference framework for experimentation resulting from the ARL/IBM UK collaboration and its use, by the Network Science Collaborative Technology Alliance (NS CTA)2 , in a recent network science experiment conducted at ARL. It also discusses how the experiment was modeled using the reference framework, the integration of two new components, the Apollo Fact-Finder3 tool and the Medusa Crowd Sensing4 application, the limitations identified and how they shall be addressed in future work.

40 CFR 300.100 - Duties of President delegated to federal agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... SUBSTANCES POLLUTION CONTINGENCY PLAN Responsibility and Organization for Response § 300.100 Duties of President delegated to federal agencies. In Executive Orders 12580 and 12777, the President delegated... federal agencies. 300.100 Section 300.100 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY...

40 CFR 300.100 - Duties of President delegated to federal agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... SUBSTANCES POLLUTION CONTINGENCY PLAN Responsibility and Organization for Response § 300.100 Duties of President delegated to federal agencies. In Executive Orders 12580 and 12777, the President delegated... federal agencies. 300.100 Section 300.100 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY...

40 CFR 300.100 - Duties of President delegated to federal agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... SUBSTANCES POLLUTION CONTINGENCY PLAN Responsibility and Organization for Response § 300.100 Duties of President delegated to federal agencies. In Executive Orders 12580 and 12777, the President delegated... federal agencies. 300.100 Section 300.100 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY...

Earth observation archive activities at DRA Farnborough

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Palmer, M. D.; Williams, J. M.

1993-01-01

Space Sector, Defence Research Agency (DRA), Farnborough have been actively involved in the acquisition and processing of Earth Observation data for over 15 years. During that time an archive of over 20,000 items has been built up. This paper describes the major archive activities, including: operation and maintenance of the main DRA Archive, the development of a prototype Optical Disc Archive System (ODAS), the catalog systems in use at DRA, the UK Processing and Archive Facility for ERS-1 data, and future plans for archiving activities.

Minutes of the Explosives Safety Seminar (24th) Held in St. Louis, Missouri on 28-30 August 1990. Volume 2

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-08-30

else were not! 20 2017 6 Unlike the preparation and limits determination phases of the site planning process, QDS determination is neither math...Inst. of Mining & Tech, Socorro, NM i CONNELL, Malcolm Property Svcs Agency, Croydon, UK COOK, Johnnie, L. Red River Army Depot, Texarkana , TX 75507...Head, MD 20640 SCHNEIDER, Bruce A. New Mexico Engr Rsch Inst., Albq., NM 87131 SCHOOLER, James S. Red River Army Depot, Texarkana , TX 75507 SCHULTEN

Case study of the use of pulsed field gel electrophoresis in the detection of a food-borne outbreak.

PubMed

De Lappe, Niall; Cormican, Martin

2015-01-01

In early July 2008, a cluster of six Salmonella Agona was identified in the Republic of Ireland. A dispersed, common source outbreak was suspected. Later in July a further case was identified and the Health Protection Agency in the UK indicated that they had 32 cases of S. Agona since Feb 2008. This chapter discusses how pulsed field gel electrophoresis was used to help confirm an outbreak and to trace the source of the outbreak.

The Military’s Role in Counterterrorism: Examples and Implications for Liberal Democracies (The Letort Papers)

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-01

or any other UK government agency, the U.S. Department of the Army, the U.S. Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government . Authors of Strategic...the post-2001 “War on Terror” and the criticisms expressed by foreign governments , mem- bers of Congress, human rights activists, journalists, and...by Sussex Academic Press in 2012. xiii SUMMARY In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 (9/11) attacks, the U.S. Government was criticized for

From One Girl to 'Three Girls': The Importance of Separating Agency from Blame (and Harm from Wrongfulness) in Narratives of Childhood Sexual Abuse and Exploitation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woodiwiss, Jo

2018-01-01

In May 2012, nine men from Rochdale were convicted and jailed for grooming girls with alcohol, drugs and gifts before forcing them to have sex with multiple men. Following the case in Rochdale similar cases of grooming and sexual abuse/exploitation of young girls came to light in various towns and cities across the UK. In 2017, the BBC aired the…

Assessment of the microbiological safety of edible dried seeds from retail premises in the United Kingdom with a focus on Salmonella spp.

PubMed

Willis, Caroline; Little, Christine L; Sagoo, Satnam; de Pinna, Elizabeth; Threlfall, John

2009-12-01

Sesame seed products have recently been associated with a number of Salmonella outbreaks in the UK and elsewhere. Aside from sesame seeds, there is little published information on the prevalence of Salmonella spp. in edible seeds. A study of 3735 samples of retail edible dried seeds in the UK was therefore carried out between October 2007 and March 2008 to assess their microbiological safety in relation to Salmonella contamination and levels of Escherichia coli, an indicator of faecal contamination. Overall, Salmonella was detected in 23 samples (0.6%), of which over half (57%) were sesame seeds. Other seeds contaminated with Salmonella were linseed (1 sample), sunflower (1 sample), alfalfa (1 sample), melon (4 samples) and mixed seeds (3 samples). E. coli was detected in 9% of samples, with 1.5% containing unsatisfactory levels (> or = 10(2)/g). These included melon, pumpkin, sesame, hemp, poppy, linseed, sunflower and mixed seeds. The UK retailers affected by the detection of Salmonella in their products recalled the contaminated batches, and Food Standards Agency food alerts were issued to advise against the consumption of affected seed products. This study highlights the importance of good hygiene practices and effective decontamination procedures during the production of these products.

Evaluating the contribution of genetics and familial shared environment to common disease using the UK Biobank.

PubMed

Muñoz, María; Pong-Wong, Ricardo; Canela-Xandri, Oriol; Rawlik, Konrad; Haley, Chris S; Tenesa, Albert

2016-09-01

Genome-wide association studies have detected many loci underlying susceptibility to disease, but most of the genetic factors that contribute to disease susceptibility remain unknown. Here we provide evidence that part of the 'missing heritability' can be explained by an overestimation of heritability. We estimated the heritability of 12 complex human diseases using family history of disease in 1,555,906 individuals of white ancestry from the UK Biobank. Estimates using simple family-based statistical models were inflated on average by ∼47% when compared with those from structural equation modeling (SEM), which specifically accounted for shared familial environmental factors. In addition, heritabilities estimated using SNP data explained an average of 44.2% of the simple family-based estimates across diseases and an average of 57.3% of the SEM-estimated heritabilities, accounting for almost all of the SEM heritability for hypertension. Our results show that both genetics and familial environment make substantial contributions to familial clustering of disease.

Genetic influence on age at first birth of female twins born in the UK, 1919-68.

PubMed

Tropf, Felix C; Barban, Nicola; Mills, Melinda C; Snieder, Harold; Mandemakers, Jornt J

2015-01-01

Using a sample of monozygotic (945, 42 per cent) and dizygotic (1,329, 58 per cent) twin pairs born 1919-68 in the UK, we applied innovative tobit models to investigate genetic and environmental influences on age at first birth (AFB). We found that a substantial part (40 per cent) of the variation in AFB is caused by latent family characteristics. Genetic dispositions (26 per cent) play a more important role than the shared environment of siblings (14 per cent), with the non-shared environment/measurement error having the strongest influence (60 per cent). Like previous studies, this study reveals marked changes in estimates over time, and supports the idea that environmental constraints (war or economic crisis) suppress and normative freedom (sexual revolution) promotes the activation of genetic predispositions that affect fertility. We show that the exclusion of censored information (i.e., on the childless) by previous studies biased their results.

November campaign to increase pill awareness.

PubMed

1993-01-01

70% of respondents in a survey of women using oral contraceptives (OCs) reported that they have forgotten to take at least 1 OC pill. Insufficient information on taking OCs is responsible for such mistakes. Many women calling the hotline of the UK Family Planning Association (FPA) do not really understand how OCs work so they do not actually realize the risks of forgetting to take pills. The UK's Department of Health, FPA, the Royal Pharmaceutical Association, the Health Education Authority, and health agencies in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have joined together to reduce this ignorance about the significance of not taking pills among the 3 million women in the UK who use OCs. This OC initiative is part of the Pharmacy Healthcare Scheme. 70% of pharmacists in a recent survey claim that customers ask them about contraception, particularly OCs, at least once a month and as often as once a week. Since pharmacists work in the community and are highly trained health professionals, they are in a good position to distribute advice and information. FPA had developed an information pamphlet and poster for the Pharmacy Healthcare Scheme campaign. It plans on distributing more than 500,000 copies to the 13,000 community pharmacies in the UK in November 1993. A briefing sheet to assist pharmacists with doling out advice and information on OCs will accompany the copies. The Scheme also is targeting hospital pharmacies. This initiative hopes to increase awareness about the danger of missing pills, to respond to common questions about OCs, and to encourage women to seek more information about OCs form the pharmacist.

49 CFR 659.31 - Hazard management process.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., operational changes, or other changes within the rail transit environment. (b) The hazard management process must, at a minimum: (1) Define the rail transit agency's approach to hazard management and the... Agency § 659.31 Hazard management process. (a) The oversight agency must require the rail transit agency...

49 CFR 659.31 - Hazard management process.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

..., operational changes, or other changes within the rail transit environment. (b) The hazard management process must, at a minimum: (1) Define the rail transit agency's approach to hazard management and the... Agency § 659.31 Hazard management process. (a) The oversight agency must require the rail transit agency...

40 CFR 763.84 - General local education agency responsibilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false General local education agency... SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT ASBESTOS Asbestos-Containing Materials in Schools § 763.84 General local education agency responsibilities. Each local education agency shall: (a) Ensure that the activities of any persons...

40 CFR 51.162 - Identification of responsible agency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

.... 51.162 Section 51.162 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Sources and Modifications § 51.162 Identification of responsible agency. Each plan must identify the State or local agency which will be responsible for meeting the requirements of this subpart in each area...

40 CFR 51.162 - Identification of responsible agency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

.... 51.162 Section 51.162 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Sources and Modifications § 51.162 Identification of responsible agency. Each plan must identify the State or local agency which will be responsible for meeting the requirements of this subpart in each area...

40 CFR 51.162 - Identification of responsible agency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

.... 51.162 Section 51.162 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Sources and Modifications § 51.162 Identification of responsible agency. Each plan must identify the State or local agency which will be responsible for meeting the requirements of this subpart in each area...

40 CFR 51.162 - Identification of responsible agency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

.... 51.162 Section 51.162 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Sources and Modifications § 51.162 Identification of responsible agency. Each plan must identify the State or local agency which will be responsible for meeting the requirements of this subpart in each area...

40 CFR 51.162 - Identification of responsible agency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

.... 51.162 Section 51.162 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR... Sources and Modifications § 51.162 Identification of responsible agency. Each plan must identify the State or local agency which will be responsible for meeting the requirements of this subpart in each area...

Effect of pre-exposure prophylaxis and combination HIV prevention for men who have sex with men in the UK: a mathematical modelling study.

PubMed

Punyacharoensin, Narat; Edmunds, William John; De Angelis, Daniela; Delpech, Valerie; Hart, Graham; Elford, Jonathan; Brown, Alison; Gill, O Noel; White, Richard Guy

2016-02-01

HIV transmission in men who have sex with men (MSM) in the UK has shown no sign of decreasing in the past decade. Additional prevention measures are needed. We aimed to estimate the effect of various potential interventions implemented individually and in combination on prevention of HIV infection. We extended a deterministic partnership-based mathematical model for HIV transmission, informed by detailed behavioural and surveillance data, to assess the effect of seven different HIV interventions implemented in MSM (aged 15-64 years) in the UK during 2014-20, including increasing rates of HIV testing, test-and-treat programmes, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and sexual behavioural changes. We did sensitivity analyses on risk compensation. We predicted a baseline of 16 955 new infections (IQR 13 156-21 669) in MSM in the UK during 2014-20. At a coverage of ≤50%, testing twice a year outperformed all other interventions. Of all intervention combinations, only the combined effect of test and treat and annual HIV testing (61·8%, IQR 47·2-81·8, of total incidence) was greater than the sum of effects of the two interventions individually (32·6%, 23·7-46·0, and 23·9%, 16·5-33·3, respectively). Simultaneous PrEP, expansion of HIV testing, and initiation of test-and-treat programme in 25% of high-activity MSM could save 7399 (IQR 5587-9813) UK MSM from HIV infection (43·6%, IQR 32·9-57·9, of total incidence). An increase in unsafe sex or sexual partners to 50% or more could substantially reduce the effect of interventions, but is unlikely to negate the prevention benefit completely. PrEP could prevent a large number of new HIV infections if other key strategies including HIV testing and treatment are simultaneously expanded and improved. Without PrEP, HIV incidence in MSM in the UK is unlikely to decrease substantially by the end of this decade. Health Protection Agency (now Public Health England). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gene–obesogenic environment interactions in the UK Biobank study

PubMed Central

Tyrrell, Jessica; Wood, Andrew R; Ames, Ryan M; Yaghootkar, Hanieh; Beaumont, Robin N; Jones, Samuel E; Tuke, Marcus A; Ruth, Katherine S; Freathy, Rachel M; Davey Smith, George; Joost, Stéphane; Guessous, Idris; Murray, Anna; Strachan, David P; Kutalik, Zoltán; Weedon, Michael N; Frayling, Timothy M

2017-01-01

Abstract Background: Previous studies have suggested that modern obesogenic environments accentuate the genetic risk of obesity. However, these studies have proven controversial as to which, if any, measures of the environment accentuate genetic susceptibility to high body mass index (BMI). Methods: We used up to 120 000 adults from the UK Biobank study to test the hypothesis that high-risk obesogenic environments and behaviours accentuate genetic susceptibility to obesity. We used BMI as the outcome and a 69-variant genetic risk score (GRS) for obesity and 12 measures of the obesogenic environment as exposures. These measures included Townsend deprivation index (TDI) as a measure of socio-economic position, TV watching, a ‘Westernized’ diet and physical activity. We performed several negative control tests, including randomly selecting groups of different average BMIs, using a simulated environment and including sun-protection use as an environment. Results: We found gene–environment interactions with TDI (Pinteraction = 3 × 10–10), self-reported TV watching (Pinteraction = 7 × 10–5) and self-reported physical activity (Pinteraction = 5 × 10–6). Within the group of 50% living in the most relatively deprived situations, carrying 10 additional BMI-raising alleles was associated with approximately 3.8 kg extra weight in someone 1.73 m tall. In contrast, within the group of 50% living in the least deprivation, carrying 10 additional BMI-raising alleles was associated with approximately 2.9 kg extra weight. The interactions were weaker, but present, with the negative controls, including sun-protection use, indicating that residual confounding is likely. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the obesogenic environment accentuates the risk of obesity in genetically susceptible adults. Of the factors we tested, relative social deprivation best captures the aspects of the obesogenic environment responsible. PMID:28073954

Gene-obesogenic environment interactions in the UK Biobank study.

PubMed

Tyrrell, Jessica; Wood, Andrew R; Ames, Ryan M; Yaghootkar, Hanieh; Beaumont, Robin N; Jones, Samuel E; Tuke, Marcus A; Ruth, Katherine S; Freathy, Rachel M; Davey Smith, George; Joost, Stéphane; Guessous, Idris; Murray, Anna; Strachan, David P; Kutalik, Zoltán; Weedon, Michael N; Frayling, Timothy M

2017-04-01

Previous studies have suggested that modern obesogenic environments accentuate the genetic risk of obesity. However, these studies have proven controversial as to which, if any, measures of the environment accentuate genetic susceptibility to high body mass index (BMI). We used up to 120 000 adults from the UK Biobank study to test the hypothesis that high-risk obesogenic environments and behaviours accentuate genetic susceptibility to obesity. We used BMI as the outcome and a 69-variant genetic risk score (GRS) for obesity and 12 measures of the obesogenic environment as exposures. These measures included Townsend deprivation index (TDI) as a measure of socio-economic position, TV watching, a 'Westernized' diet and physical activity. We performed several negative control tests, including randomly selecting groups of different average BMIs, using a simulated environment and including sun-protection use as an environment. We found gene-environment interactions with TDI (Pinteraction = 3 × 10 -10 ), self-reported TV watching (Pinteraction = 7 × 10 -5 ) and self-reported physical activity (Pinteraction = 5 × 10 -6 ). Within the group of 50% living in the most relatively deprived situations, carrying 10 additional BMI-raising alleles was associated with approximately 3.8 kg extra weight in someone 1.73 m tall. In contrast, within the group of 50% living in the least deprivation, carrying 10 additional BMI-raising alleles was associated with approximately 2.9 kg extra weight. The interactions were weaker, but present, with the negative controls, including sun-protection use, indicating that residual confounding is likely. Our findings suggest that the obesogenic environment accentuates the risk of obesity in genetically susceptible adults. Of the factors we tested, relative social deprivation best captures the aspects of the obesogenic environment responsible. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association

Holding fast: the experience of collaboration in a competitive environment.

PubMed

Fear, Heather; Barnett, Pauline

2003-03-01

Collaboration is one of the cornerstones of health promotion, with the literature indicating a range of circumstances under which it can either succeed or be undermined. In New Zealand in the 1990s, a market structure for health made collaboration of all kinds exceptionally difficult. This paper traces the efforts of a group of nutrition agencies (Agencies for Nutrition Action) to defy the popular wisdom and persist with collaborative efforts. The agencies were unsuccessful in their attempts to develop joint campaigns, but were very successful in advocacy and intersectoral action that did not threaten the position of individual agencies in the competitive environment. It is possible that the collaboration could have been more effective if agencies had been willing to surrender some autonomy and commit themselves to supporting a more independent new organization. However, this would have compromised not only their individual integrity but also their commitment to a relationship of equals. In 'holding fast' to a belief in health promotion, the ANA resisted being coopted by a now discredited market system, and emerged with its integrity and that of its participating agencies intact. ANA is now well positioned to work within an emerging policy environment that is more supportive of health promotion.

40 CFR 7.80 - Applicants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GENERAL NONDISCRIMINATION IN PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL ASSISTANCE FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Requirements for Applicants and... information concerning the agency or organization performing the reviews. (Approved by the Office of...

Impact of Export Control and Technology Transfer Regimes: International Perspectives

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-07

major national security and public policy issue. Exploring the ITAR environment through a set of case studies was the central idea in a project...cover) was based on a survey of UK stakeholders. The results were unambiguous and striking. Our British partners conclude ITAR is a good idea gone...ITAR) regime is a major national security and public policy issue. Exploring the ITAR environment through a set of case studies was the central idea

Virtual Learning Environments as Sociomaterial Agents in the Network of Teaching Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johannesen, Monica; Erstad, Ola; Habib, Laurence

2012-01-01

This article presents findings related to the sociomaterial agency of educators and their practice in Norwegian education. Using actor-network theory, we ask how Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) negotiate the agency of educators and how they shape their teaching practice. Since the same kinds of VLE tools have been widely implemented…

The Road to Survival Revisited: Organizational Adaptation to the Managed Care Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mordock, John B.

1996-01-01

Claims that agencies serving children and families will need to use managed care concepts to reorganize and fund their activities, and that agencies will need an effectiveness-oriented administration to survive in this managed care environment. Claims that good managed care can result in consistent, yet flexible, long-term caring relationships…

40 CFR 1503.2 - Duty to comment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 34 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Duty to comment. 1503.2 Section 1503.2 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMENTING § 1503.2 Duty to comment. Federal agencies with jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to any environmental impact involved and agencies which are authorized to...

40 CFR 1503.2 - Duty to comment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 34 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Duty to comment. 1503.2 Section 1503.2 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMENTING § 1503.2 Duty to comment. Federal agencies with jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to any environmental impact involved and agencies which are authorized to...

40 CFR Appendix A to Part 112 - Memorandum of Understanding Between the Secretary of Transportation and the Administrator of the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Memorandum of Understanding Between the Secretary of Transportation and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency A Appendix A to Part 112 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS...

Integrating Omic Technologies into Aquatic Ecological Risk Assessment and Environmental Monitoring: Hurdles, Achievements and Future Outlook

EPA Science Inventory

In this commentary we present the findings from an international consortium on fish toxicogenomics sponsored by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) with an objective of moving omic technologies into chemical risk assessment and environmental monitoring. Objectiv...

Integrating Omic Technologies into Aquatic Ecological Risk Assessment and Environmental Monitoring: Hurdles, Achievements and Future Outlook

EPA Science Inventory

Background: In this commentary we present the findings from an international consortium on fish toxicogenomics sponsored by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) with a remit of moving omic technologies into chemical risk assessment and environmental monitoring. Obj...

Natural Capital - putting a value on geological sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunlop, Lesley

2017-04-01

Natural Capital is a mechanism through which a value can be placed on nature allowing it to be considered alongside other assets. When the Government of the United Kingdom produced a Natural Environment White Paper (The Natural Choice: securing the value of nature) in 2012 there was no direct mention of geosites, geoheritage or geodiversity. One ambition of the Natural Environment White Paper was to stop environmental degradation and to rebuild natural capital and to value it. Whilst landscapes are mentioned in the paper geodiversity is not directly and this has been problematic for funding and recognition within the UK. Natural Capital is being used as the basis for many of the environmental reviews therefore it is essential that geodiversity can be included within this. The Natural Capital Committee defines natural capital as 'those elements of the natural environment which provide valuable goods and services to people'. In the main, these goods and services are related to ecology/biodiversity rather than to the full range of natural capital. Specifically, the values associated with abiotic nature (geodiversity) are frequently undervalued or ignored. The English Geodiversity Forum have been producing case studies as to how this might be done for different locations and this paper will present the work of this and how a value can be attributed to geodiversity. For example links to tourism and recreation within areas such as the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site and the Black Country proposed Geopark are easy to place a value on but it is more difficult with educational, scientific sites. Using an ecosystems services and biodiversity analogies this paper presents a framework that can be adopted for evaluation of geological sites. Defra (2015) The state of natural capital: protecting and improving natural capital for prosperity and wellbeing. Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, 73 pages https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/516725/ncc-state-natural-capital-third-report.pdf English Nature (2006) The social and economic value of the UK's geodiversity, Research Report 709, English Nature. HMG (2011) The natural choice: securing the value of nature, Her Majesty's Stationary Office. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-natural-choice-securing-the-value-of-nature Lawton, J.H., Brotherton, P.N.M., Brown, V.K., Elphick, C., Fitter, A.H., Forshaw, J., Haddow, R.W., Hilborne, S., Leafe, R.N., Mace, G.M., Southgate, M.P., Sutherland, W.A., Tew, T.E., Varley, J., & Wynne, G.R. (2010) Making Space for Nature: a review of England's wildlife sites and ecological network. Report to Defra.

The Water Framework Directive: total environment or political compromise?

PubMed

Moss, Brian

2008-08-01

The European Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) is potentially ground-breaking legislation. It seeks to bring about improvement of aquatic habitats in Europe to 'good ecological status', defined as slightly different from 'high ecological status', with no or minimal human impact. The characteristics of pristine ecological status include nutrient parsimony, a defined characteristic structure of the system (including geomorphological structure and hydrology, biological and food web structure) and the connectivity and extent of the system that are essential for resilience to change. This modern ecological understanding is being ignored by government agencies charged with enacting the Directive. Schemes are being devised that measure secondary characteristics of habitats using approaches drawn from traditional water quality management. Typologies, indicated by the Directive to give a geographical basis within which to determine ecological status, are also being corrupted with different typologies used for different determinands. The ecological reality of reasonably distinctive, integrated systems (an erosive upland river versus a floodplain system, for example) is being avoided. Emphasis is being placed on precision of measurement of specific determinands rather than accuracy in what is being measured and proposed schemes are complex and expensive when accurate assessment could be carried out much more cheaply. Many are also likely to become redundant as effects of climate change take hold. The current approach will lead to some improvement in water quality but not to the fundamental change in ecological quality intended by the Directive and has partly been encouraged by lack of definition and contradictions within the Directive itself. Documented details currently available from the UK agencies are used to illustrate how the intentions of the Directive are being undermined for ostensibly political convenience through processes of redefinition and limitation of characteristics measured. There appears to be a parallel concern among official and non-governmental European bodies.

Trends in penicillin and macrolide resistance among pneumococci in the UK and the Republic of Ireland in relation to antibiotic sales to pharmacies and dispensing doctors.

PubMed

Livermore, David M; Reynolds, Rosy; Stephens, Peter; Duckworth, Georgia; Felmingham, David; Johnson, Alan P; Murchan, Stephen; Murphy, Olive; Gungabissoon, Usha; Waight, Pauline; Pebody, Richard; Shackcloth, Jemma; Warner, Marina; Williams, Laura; George, Robert C

2006-10-01

It is widely believed that reducing antimicrobial usage should reduce resistance, although observational evidence is mixed. Pneumococci make ideal subjects to test this belief as they are widely surveyed and lack an animal reservoir. Accordingly, susceptibility data for pneumococci in the UK and Ireland were retrieved from the Health Protection Agency's LabBase/CoSurv system and from the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (EARSS) and British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC) databases. The BSAC surveillance examines respiratory pneumococci; the other systems focus upon invasive organisms only, with the LabBase/CoSurv system being the most comprehensive, capturing data on most bacteraemias in England and Wales. National pharmacy sales data were obtained from the IMS Health MIDAS database and were modelled to the resistance data by logistic and linear regression analysis. All systems except for the BSAC respiratory surveillance data indicated that penicillin resistance has fallen significantly since 1999 in the UK, whereas macrolide resistance has been essentially stable, or has risen slightly. The data for Ireland were based on smaller sample sizes but suggested a fall in penicillin non-susceptibility from 1999 to 2004, with conflicting evidence for macrolide resistance. The recent decreasing trend in penicillin resistance is in contrast to a rising trend in England and Wales until (at least) 1997 and strongly rising macrolide resistance from 1989 to 1993. UK pharmacy sales of macrolides and oral beta-lactams fell by ca. 30% in the late 1990s following increased concern about resistance, before stabilising or rising weakly; sales in Ireland were stable or rose slightly in the study period. We conclude that falling penicillin resistance in pneumococci followed reduced sales of oral beta-lactams to pharmacies in the UK, but a similar fall in macrolide sales was not associated with any fall in resistance. Stabilisation or decline in penicillin resistance has occurred in Ireland despite stable or increasing oral beta-lactam sales.

UK and European Union public and charitable funding from 2008 to 2013 for bacteriology and antibiotic research in the UK: an observational study.

PubMed

Bragginton, Eilis C; Piddock, Laura J V

2014-09-01

Since the 1990s, the number of new antibacterial drugs has plummeted and the number of antibiotic-resistant infections has risen, which has decreased the effective treatment of many disorders, including sepsis. We aimed to assess whether funding for bacteriology and antibiotic research to UK researchers had increased in response to this global crisis. We systematically searched websites and databases of agencies that fund research in the UK to identify publicly and charitably funded projects from financial years 2008 to 2013 within the specialties of bacteriology and antibiotic research. We created a database to identify the projects funded. Grants awarded in euros were converted to pounds sterling (€1=£0·86). We identified 609 projects within the specialty of bacteriology, 196 (32·2%) of which were on antibiotics. Of £13 846·1 million of available research funding, £269·2 million (1·9%) was awarded to bacteriology projects and £95·0 million (0·7%) was awarded for research on antibiotics. Additionally, £181·4 million in European Union (EU) funding was awarded to antibiotic research consortia including researchers based within the UK, including two EU Innovative Medicines Initiative awards, totalling £85·2 million. To increase awareness of who funds antibiotic research and to facilitate priority setting and funding decisions, funding organisations need to be aware of the breadth and depth of present funding as a baseline by which funding from 2014 onwards can be measured and so that informed decisions about the future level of funding can be made. To resolve the crisis of antibiotic resistance, present levels of funding are inadequate and should be increased substantially. British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Heat protection behaviour in the UK: results of an online survey after the 2013 heatwave.

PubMed

Khare, Swarna; Hajat, Shakoor; Kovats, Sari; Lefevre, Carmen E; de Bruin, Wändi Bruine; Dessai, Suraje; Bone, Angie

2015-09-10

The Heatwave Plan for England provides guidance for personal and home protection measures during heatwaves. Although studies in the USA, Australia and Europe have surveyed heat-related behaviours during heatwaves, few have been conducted in the UK. This study assesses personal and housing (at-home) behaviour and housing characteristics of the UK population during the 2013 heatwave. This paper analyses data from 1497 respondents of an online survey on heat protection measures and behaviour. Participants were asked questions about their behaviour during the 2013 heatwave, the characteristics of their current housing as well as about any negative health outcomes experienced due to the hot weather. We used multinomial logit regression to analyse personal and home heat protection behaviour and logistic regression to analyse characteristics of participants' current home (installed air conditioner, curtains etc.). We stratified the outcomes by age, sex, ethnicity, income, education and regional location. In 2013, for all heat-related illness (except tiredness), a higher proportion of those in the younger age groups reported symptoms compared with those in the older age groups. Women, higher income groups and those with higher education levels were found to be more likely to report always/often taking personal heat protective measures. The elderly were less likely to take some personal and home protective measures but were more likely to live in insulated homes and open windows at night to keep their home cool. Our study has found a high level of awareness of the actions to take during heatwaves in the UK, and has identified important demographic indicators of sections of the UK population that might benefit from additional or more targeted information. The health agencies should attempt to provide better information about heatwaves to those vulnerable (elderly, those at risk living in London, low income earners) or identify any barriers that might be preventing them from undertaking protective behaviour.

Obesity Treatment in the UK Health System.

PubMed

Capehorn, Matthew S; Haslam, David W; Welbourn, Richard

2016-09-01

In the UK, as in most other countries in the world, levels of obesity are increasing. According to the Kinsey report, obesity has the second largest public health impact after smoking, and it is inextricably linked to physical inactivity. Since the UK Health and Social Care Act reforms of 2012, there has been a significant restructuring of the National Health Service (NHS). As a consequence, NHS England and the Department of Health have issued new policy guidelines regarding the commissioning of obesity treatment. A 4-tier model of care is now widely accepted and ranges from primary activity, through community weight management and specialist weight management for severe and complex obesity, to bariatric surgery. However, although there are clear care pathways and clinical guidelines for evidence-based practice, there remains no single stakeholder willing to take overall responsibility for obesity care. There is a lack of provision of adequate services characterised by a noticeable 'postcode lottery', and little political will to change the obesogenic environment.

Influence of childhood adversity on health among male UK military personnel.

PubMed

Iversen, Amy C; Fear, Nicola T; Simonoff, Emily; Hull, Lisa; Horn, Oded; Greenberg, Neil; Hotopf, Matthew; Rona, Roberto; Wessely, Simon

2007-12-01

Exposure to childhood adversity may explain why only a minority of combatants exposed to trauma develop psychological problems. To examine the association between self-reported childhood vulnerability and later health outcomes in a large randomly selected male military cohort. Data are derived from the first stage of a cohort study comparing Iraq veterans and non-deployed UK military personnel. We describe data collected by questionnaire from males in the regular UK armed forces (n=7937). Pre-enlistment vulnerability is associated with being single, of lower rank, having low educational attainment and serving in the Army. Pre-enlistment vulnerability is associated with a variety of negative health outcomes. Two main factors emerge as important predictors of ill health: a 'family relationships' factor reflecting the home environment and an 'externalising behaviour' factor reflecting behavioural disturbance. Pre-enlistment vulnerability is an important individual risk factor for ill health in military men. Awareness of such factors is important in understanding post-combat psychiatric disorder.