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Exploring Social Inequalities in Dog Bites and Strikes Using Administrative Data Sources
No full textHospital admissions due to dog bites and strikes (DBS) are rising across the UK. In Scotland, this has been dubbed a ‘national crisis’. DBS can lead to serious and long-lasting physical and mental injury, with the most vulnerable populations often at greatest risk. In England and Wales, hospital admissions for DBS are highest in the most deprived areas, while in Scotland, the existence or extent of these disparities remains unknown – a gap in knowledge that this thesis aims to address.
NHS 24 calls, A&E attendances and SMR01 hospital admissions involving DBS across Scotland for up to 12 years (2007-2019) were explored at record and area levels and then linked to 2011 Scottish Census microdata. A control group of individuals without a health record for a DBS was extracted from the Census, and their characteristics were compared to individuals with a DBS health record. Measures of socioeconomic circumstance were considered at area and individual/household levels, along with an exploration of novel measures, including local greenspace, average garden size and dog populations.
The analysis revealed significant social inequalities in medically attended DBS across Scotland. For instance, the rate of DBS health records was at least 2-3 times higher in the most deprived areas than in the least deprived areas. At the individual/household level, social disadvantage was consistently associated with a higher likelihood of having a DBS health record. This pattern held across multiple measures of socioeconomic circumstance. These inequalities were particularly pronounced among children and for injuries resulting in hospital admission.
The conclusions argue that these inequities are unjust and avoidable and must be addressed directly. This thesis advocates for a shift from criminalising and blaming irresponsible dog ownership toward strategies that support families and consider the role of broader systemic factors
Government procurement contracts,external audit certification, and financing of small and medium-sized enterprises
Get PDFEntrepreneurs worldwide often face obstacles in financing their businesses, hindering their ability to sustain and grow them over time. Government procurement offers these entrepreneurs an opportunity to access lucrative contracts and benefit from the procurement auditing process that could enhance access to finance. Likewise, since many small businesses lack dependable financial statements, seeking the services of an external auditor to authenticate them can enhance their credibility while lessening financing hurdles. We examine whether government procurement contracts and external audit certifications jointly influence financing access and whether ownership, size, and firm age matter. Using 102,031 firm-year observations from 151 countries for the period 2007-2021, we find that SMEs without government procurement contracts are less likely to face obstacles in accessing financing than those with such contracts, regardless of whether they seek external audit certification. Additionally, the effect of external audit certification on the likelihood of not facing financing obstacles increases sharply with foreign ownership, size, and age among SMEs not involved in government procurement. We also find that the impact of government procurement contracts reverses for SMEs in low and lower-middle-income countries. Our findings have policy implications, especially with the growing implementation of affirmative action programs to promote the involvement of SMEs and other marginalized groups in government procurement.Decent Work and Economic Growt
Task-dependent contribution to edge-based versus region-based texture perception
Get PDFTexture segregation studies indicate that some types of textures are processed by edge-based and others by region-based mechanisms. However, studies employing nominally edge-based textures have found evidence for region-based processing mechanisms when the task was to detect rather than segregate the textures. Here we investigate directly whether the nature of the task determines if region-based or edge-based mechanisms are involved in texture perception. Stimuli consisted of randomly positioned Gabor micropattern texture arrays with five types of modulation: orientation modulation (OM), orientation variance modulation (OVM), luminance modulation (LM), contrast modulation (CM) and contrast variance modulation (CVM). There were four modulation frequencies: 0.1, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 cpd. Each modulation type was defined by three types of waveforms: sinewave (SN) with its smooth variations, square-wave (SQ) and cusp-wave (CS) with its sharp texture edges. The CS waveform was constructed by removing a sinewave from an equal amplitude square-wave. Participants performed two tasks: detection in which participants selected which of two stimuli contained the modulation and discrimination in which participants indicated which of two textures had a different modulation orientation. Our results indicate that threshold amplitudes in the detection task followed the ordering SQ < SN < CS across all spatial frequencies, consistent with detection being mediated by the overall energy in the stimulus and hence region based. With the discrimination task at low texture spatial frequencies and with CVM textures at all spatial frequencies the order was CS ≤ SQ with both < SN, consistent with being edge-based. We modeled the data by estimating the spatial frequency of a Difference of Gaussian filter that gave the largest peak amplitude response to the data. We found that the peak amplitude was lower for detection than discrimination across all texture types except for the CVM texture. We conclude that task requirements are critical to whether edges or regions underpin texture processing
Monitoring marine plastic pollution using radar: from source to sea
Get PDFMarine plastic pollution poses a significant threat to ocean ecosystems
worldwide, necessitating effective monitoring and management strategies. The use of
remote sensing plays a vital role in providing large-scale, frequently-timed data for
monitoring this issue. A multi-modal system has been deemed the most appropriate
for tackling the monitoring of marine debris and pollution. Synthetic Aperture Radar
(SAR) can provide a wealth of data by taking advantage of the systems ability to
acquire in near all-weather conditions, night and daytime. However, research in radar
and SARs capability in monitoring marine plastic pollution is lacking.
This thesis aims to provide an insight into these capabilities. This is through a
series of experiments and investigations into the responses of SAR / Radar to marine
plastic litter.
Chapter two presents a real-world scenario of plastic accumulation within a river
environment. The use of SAR imagery is employed to identify plastic accumulations
in two separate study locations. A hypothesis of SAR backscattering interactions with
plastic debris is presented. A suite of detectors are subsequently implemented to
understand how to best utilise the SAR signal for marine debris detection in these test
cases, with the best detector used to create heatmaps of debris accumulation within our
test sites.
The following chapter provides the results of two rigorous measurement
campaigns, where C- and X-band radar data are exploited in a lab experiment.
Backscatter and statistical analysis are undertaken across multiple tests involving
differing plastic items, concentrations, and wave conditions. From this, interactions
between plastic size, shape, and wave conditions are explored. A new interaction for
backscatter interactions with plastic debris is also presented.
The final data chapter investigates the potential use of a proxy for plastic
pollution. Two measurement campaigns are conducted which utilise plastisphere
based surfactants, and their interactions for wave dampening, to understand if this is
detectable in radar data. For the first time, detailed analysis of backscatter values from differing plastic
items and concentrations are presented, as well as the utilisation of real-world test
cases. The results obtained in this thesis provide novel insights and additions to recent
literature that contributes to our understanding of the capabilities of radar for marine
plastic pollution monitoring, as well as new information that can be used in the
planning for future missions and studies on the remote sensing of marine plastic
pollution
Chasing a buzz: developments in the nicotine pouch market in the UK
Get PDFFirst paragraph: Nicotine pouches are preportioned bags composed of nicotine derived from tobacco plants or produced synthetically that is applied to a carrier material, such as food-grade filler, and placed under the lip.1 Although a niche product, global sales are increasing, reaching over 20 billion units in 2023.2 Concomitant with this growth, there has been a proliferation of nicotine pouch brands.Output Status: Forthcoming/Available Onlin
The importance of the informal food economy to food access and security: An examination of the Western Isles of Scotland
Get PDFIn many countries the informal food economy (IFE) plays an essential role in ensuring food access and security. In addition, IFEs can improve choice, have a positive impact upon diet as well as generate household income and employment. While studies have primarily focused upon the role of IFEs in developing economies, their importance within more developed rural markets warrants further attention. This paper draws upon key learnings from the existing literature and examines how IFEs operate within a developed, rural economy. Framed within a social economy framework, it examines the role and function of IFEs across the Western Isles of Scotland. Despite being part of an advanced market economy, food access and security in this region has previously been identified as problematic for particular consumer groups and communities. The research identifies that due to the continued expansion of the formal retail sector and the growth of on-line delivery, food access has become less of an issue for many island residents. This is not to suggest that IFEs are inconsequential. Apart from their role in strengthening social and community linkages, for certain segments of the island population they continue to play a key role in providing food access. The research also identified an increasing reliance upon a small number of national retail chains. This suggests, that in future, food security in remote and rural communities could become increasingly vulnerable to market externalities
Dose-dependency of a combined EPA:DHA mixture on incorporation, washout, and protein synthesis in C2C12 myotubes
Get PDFWe demonstrate divergent incorporation and washout patterns for EPA and DHA following high and low-dose EPA+DHA incubation in C2C12 myotubes, with higher concentrations favoring n-3 PUFA incorporation. Lower n-3 PUFA concentrations increased MPS without further upregulating the mTORC1 signaling pathway. Our study provides novel insights into the temporal incorporation and washout dynamics of EPA and DHA and, specifically, their combined effect on MPS, thereby advancing knowledge regarding dietary n-3 PUFA prescription to promote skeletal muscle health in humans.Output Status: Forthcoming/Available Onlin
The double invisibility of Long Covid in children
Get PDFThe Covid-19 pandemic has been dominated by discussions of mild and short-lasting cases or acutely serious or lethal forms of the disease; less attention has been paid to long-term Covid-19 symptoms (‘Long Covid’), particularly in children. This analysis of the experiences of children and adolescents with Long Covid, and those of their parents/caregivers, argues that children with Long Covid encounter a ‘double invisibility’ due to the condition's limited social currency and their status as the youngest members of society. We draw on 39 narrative interviews about children's and adolescents' experiences, conducted in 2021–2022 in the United Kingdom. The occurrence of Long Covid in children challenges key aspects of a dominant pandemic narrative, some of which have persisted from the early stages of the pandemic into 2023. Analysis of our qualitative interviews demonstrates that participant experiences were shaped and undermined by the convergence of three elements of the dominant pandemic narrative: that Covid-19 is mild, and everyone recovers; that children are not badly affected by Covid-19; and that worst of the pandemic was essentially ‘over’ as early as 2021/2022. In the face of these characterisations of Covid-19 experience, young people and their families reported significant additional challenges in making the illness experiences of children and adolescents visible, and thus in gaining appropriate support from medical and educational professionals. We interpret this in relation to ‘social currency’ - the extent to which an illness elicits understanding and acceptance by wider society. Children and adolescents with Long Covid struggled to signal the severity of their condition and elicit care in the manner expected for other debilitating illnesses. This was exacerbated by assumptions and stereotypes about unwell children and adolescents, and their parents, and questioning of their candidacy as reliable, trustworthy patients
An Exploration of the Eligibility Conditions for the 2024 Olympic Games: Russians Out, Belarussians In
Get PDFIn 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The attack was facilitated by Belarus, the territory that was used as a launchpad for Russia’s assault from the North on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. In response to the invasion, some international sports federations decided to exclude athletes from these two countries, while others continued to regard them eligible. In early 2023, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach spoke out in favor of including Russian and Belarussian athletes in the Olympic Games under a neutral flag. He later explained his position as a defense of the Olympic principles as formulated in the Olympic charter. In this article, we examine if Bach’s position is justifiable, based on the Olympic charter. Our analysis leads us to the conclusion that it is not. Although we concede that individual athletes should not be held responsible for the unlawful acts of their country, we find that because of the way Russia conducts the war and exploits their athletes in its war propaganda, the principles outlined in the Olympic charter nevertheless justifies the exclusion of Russian athletes from the Paris Olympics. However, the exclusion of Belarusian athletes cannot be justified by the same principles as Belarus was not responsible for the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, does not actively take part in the war, and has not been at war with anyone since it reclaimed sovereignty after the breakup of the Soviet Union
Learning about design for dementia: lessons from a Japan–UK network
Get PDFA multidisciplinary Japan–UK Network identified cross-cultural and cross-national lessons for research aimed at improving the design of homes for people living with dementia. Previous research has suggested that improved, multidimensionally sustainable design may improve quality of life for people living with dementia and meet societal challenges of increasing populations of people with the condition. Adopting a social citizenship perspective, the paper argues that people living with dementia are considered equal citizens with rights to enjoy the life they choose. On this basis, research on home design must be underpinned by understanding the concept of home. The definition of good outcomes should be led by people living with dementia. Conceptualisation of costs of design innovations is complex and will involve judgements from a societal perspective. Methodologically, an ethnographic approach is desirable, underpinned by co-production. These points are suggested to inform further research. In conclusion, the paper confirms the value of cross-cultural insights.Additional authors: Ryoju Noritake; Atsushi Omato; Mitsuhiro Sad
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