DataCat: The Research Data Catalogue (University of Liverpool)
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Housing Indicators: Local Authority Homelessness Statistics - Number of households accepted as being Homeless (HS_15_01)
No full textSummary
The dataset provides information about the number of decisions being made annually by every Lower Tier Local Authority in England regarding households being accepted as being Homeless. It includes figures about being a) Homeless and in Priority Need (PN), broken down by ethnic background, b) Eligible, homeless and in PN, but intentionally, c) Eligible, homeless but not in PN and d) Eligible, but not homeless. Figures are presented as the total amount as well as the ratio per 1000 households since 2004/2005.
Technical description
The Local Authority (LA) Homeless Statistics indicators were compiled based on data released by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCL), and includes the number of Homeless Households broken down by type of priority need and ethnicity. Data are presented on the basis of financial years, i.e. from April 1st to March 31st. Some LAs did not report data for some individual years and these values are denoted as NAs. Source figures are reported by LAs quarterly and some values were imputed before published. Values regarding homeless households are expressed as amounts as well as ratios per 1000 households. The table includes the total number of households (in thousands), which are derived by interim projections. Figures from historic LA geography have been referenced to the 2018 LA geography. This includes changes in name/codes, merges, or splits of old LAs to new LAs. NAs were not taken into account into aggregations and as such the sum of sub-categories may not be equal to totals
Local Authority Finance: Gross Current Expenditure - Total Services (FIN_07_18)
No full textSummary
This indicator describes the annual gross service expenditure for all services provided by every Local Authority in England since 2007-08. The gross expenditure describes the total spending by Local Authorities associated with delivering every individual service.
Technical description
The indicator was compiled from annual revenue outturn estimates of Local Authority (LA) revenue expenditure and financing. The Total Gross Service expenditure includes employee costs and running expenses for all services. Expenditure values are given on the basis of financial years, i.e. from April 1st to March 31st. Values are expressed in thousands (£). Since some services are provided in Upper Tier and others in Lower Tier LAs, individual spending figures from Upper Tier LAs were distributed to Lower Tier LAs based on annual population ratios (indicator FIN_07_18L), and Lower Tier LA spending was distributed to Upper Tier LAs by aggregating (indicator FIN_07_18U). Expenditure values from historic LA geography have been referenced to the 2018 LA geography. This includes changes in name/codes, merges, or splits of old LAs to new LAs based on population ratios for that year. The service expenditure is expressed as the total amount as well as per capita, for direct comparisons. However, expenditure figures were not adjusted for inflation
Local Authority Finance: Gross Current Expenditure - Police services (FIN_07_31)
No full textSummary
This indicator describes the annual gross service expenditure for Police services provided by every Local Authority in England since 2007. The gross expenditure describes the total spending by Local Authorities associated with delivering these services.
Technical description
The indicator was compiled from annual revenue outturn estimates of Local Authority (LA) revenue expenditure and financing. The Police services expenditure includes employee costs and running expenses for these services. Expenditure values are given on the basis of financial years, i.e. from April 1st to March 31st. Values are expressed in thousands (£). Since some services are provided in Upper Tier and others in Lower Tier LAs, individual spending figures from Upper Tier LAs were distributed to Lower Tier LAs based on annual population ratios (indicator FIN_07_31L), and Lower Tier LA spending was distributed to Upper Tier LAs by aggregating (indicator FIN_07_31U). Expenditure values from historic LA geography have been referenced to the 2018 LA geography. This includes changes in name/codes, merges, or splits of old LAs to new LAs based on population ratios for that year. The service expenditure is expressed as the total amount as well as per capita, for direct comparisons. However, expenditure figures were not adjusted for inflation
Quality and Outcomes Framework Indicators: Asthma prevalence (QOF_4_03)
No full textSummary
This indicator measures the percentage of patients with a diagnosis of asthma. Patients are of all ages, and numbers are given since 2005, across areas of England.
Technical description
The percentage of patients with a diagnosis of asthma, excluding patients with asthma who were prescribed no asthma-related drugs in the preceding 12 months. GP practices reporting >30% asthma prevalence are excluded from the calculation. QOF data by GP practice and year were provided by the data owners. These data were used to calculate weighted averages of the indicator by Lower Super Output Area (LSOA)
Local Authority Finance: Income - Children Social Care services (FIN_07_38)
No full textSummary
This indicator describes the income generated from the provision of Children Social Care services by every Local Authority in England since 2011. Children Social Care services income is calculated from any sales, fees and charges, as well as other types of income that are associated with delivering such services.
Technical description
The indicator was compiled from annual revenue outturn estimates of Local Authority (LA) revenue expenditure and financing. The Children Social Care services income is calculated from the sum of a) sales, fees and charges and b) other types of income generated by these services, and thus does not include central government funding, capital gains or council tax. Income values are expressed in thousands (£) and presented on the basis of financial years, i.e. from April 1st to March 31st. Since some services are provided in Upper Tier and others in Lower Tier LAs, individual income figures from Upper Tier LAs were distributed to Lower Tier LAs based on annual population ratios (indicator FIN_07_38L), and Lower Tier LA income was distributed to Upper Tier LAs by aggregating (indicator FIN_07_38U). Income values from historic LA geography have been referenced to the 2018 LA geography. This includes changes in name/codes, merges, or splits of old LAs to new LAs based on population ratios for that year. The services income generated is expressed as the total amount as well as per child, for direct comparisons. However, annual figures were not adjusted for inflation
Prescribing indicators - Anti-psychotics (P_1_10)
No full textSummary
This indicator measures the number of Anti-psychotics that are prescribed on a quarterly basis by all practices in England, including GP practices. Numbers are given for the total number of items prescribed/dispensed and the total net ingredient cost (NIC) across areas of England.
Technical description
The data covers NHS prescriptions of Anti-psychotics (BNF codes with prefix "040201") written in England and dispensed in the community in the UK. Prescriptions written in England but dispensed outside England are included. The data includes prescriptions written by GPs and other non-medical prescribers (such as nurses and pharmacists) who are attached to GP practices.
To allocate the prescribed items to each LSOA area, the Patients registered at a GP practice at Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) level was used. Patients Registered at a GP Practice dataset is a quarterly publication by NHS Digital and provides the count of patients by gender.
Additional information about the GP Practice Prescribing Chemical-level Data and Patients Registered at a GP Practice can be found at:
GP Practice Prescribing Chemical-level Data: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/practice-level-prescribing-data
Patients Registered at a GP Practice: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/patients-registered-at-a-gp-practic
Comparison of growth in neutered Domestic Shorthair kittens with growth in sexually-intact cats - SUPPORTING DATA
No full textRecently, evidence-based growth standards have been developed for sexually-intact cats, but the impact of neutering on such patterns is not known. Therefore, the first aim of this study was to compare the growth patterns of healthy kittens neutered during growth with those of these growth standards. A second aim was to clarify the impact of neutering in kittens on body composition and body shape.
Two analytic studies were performed. Study 1 was a retrospective observational study to compare median growth trajectories of healthy, neutered, client-owned domestic shorthair (DSH) kittens in optimal body condition with previously-created growth standards based on a similar, but sexually-intact, population. Growth trajectories of kittens neutered at different ages (using groups based on the quartiles of observed age at all such procedures performed over a 20+ year period) were compared. For all neuter groups in both sexes, the median growth trajectory inclined upwards after the procedure, with this being more marked in female than in male. The upwards inclination was less marked for kittens neutered later during growth in both sexes, with the effect being least in kittens neutered after 28-29 wks.
Study 2 was an analysis of new data from a previously-published randomised study, comparing growth-related measures at four time points between pairs of sexually-intact and neutered female siblings from litters of DSH cats in a research population. Neutering was carried out at 19wks of age, and themeasurements compared included body composition and zoometric data. Before neutering, the growth pattern in neutered kittens was similar to that in sexually-intact kittens. However, by 52wks of age, neutered kittens were heavier compared with kittens that remained sexually-intact (mean difference in fold change vs. 10 wks 1.34, 95-CI: 1.07-1.72), had a greater fat mass (mean difference in fold change vs. 10 wks 1.91, 95-CI 1.09-3.21) and greater lean mass (mean difference in fold change vs. 10 wks 1.23, 95-CI: 1.03-1.48). Abdominal girth (mean difference in fold change vs. 10wks 1.20, 95-CI: 1.04-1.39) and rib cage length (mean difference in fold change vs. 10wks 1.18, 95-CI: 1.02-1.36) were also greater, but there were no differences in other zoometric measurements including height, chest depth, elbow width, forelimb length (olecranon to carpus) and hindlimb length (patella to tarsus).
Our results suggest that veterinarians should be mindful of the potential impact that neutering has on gain of adipose tissue, and that early-life neutering has the most profound effect, especially in female kittens. Therefore, bodyweight should be monitored closely during growth and especially after neutering to prevent inappropriate weight gain
Species interactions drive the spread of ampicillin resistance in human-associated gut microbiota
No full textBackground and objectives
Slowing the spread of antimicrobial resistance is urgent if we are to continue treating infectious diseases successfully. There is increasing evidence microbial interactions between and within species are significant drivers of resistance. On one hand, cross-protection by resistant genotypes can shelter susceptible microbes from the adverse effects of antibiotics, reducing the advantage of resistance. On the other hand, antibiotic-mediated killing of susceptible genotypes can alleviate competition and allow resistant strains to thrive (competitive release). Here, by observing interactions both within and between species in microbial communities sampled from humans, we investigate the potential role for cross-protection and competitive release in driving the spread of ampicillin resistance in the ubiquitous gut commensal and opportunistic pathogen Escherichia coli.
Methodology
Using anaerobic gut microcosms comprising E. coli embedded within gut microbiota sampled from humans, we tested for cross-protection and competitive release both within and between species in response to the clinically important beta-lactam antibiotic ampicillin.
Results
While cross-protection gave an advantage to antibiotic-susceptible E. coli in standard laboratory conditions (well-mixed LB medium), competitive release instead drove the spread of antibiotic-resistant E. coli in gut microcosms (ampicillin boosted growth of resistant bacteria in the presence of susceptible strains).
Conclusions and implications
Competition between resistant strains and other members of the gut microbiota can restrict the spread of ampicillin resistance. If antibiotic therapy alleviates competition with resident microbes by killing susceptible strains, as here, microbiota-based interventions that restore competition could be key for slowing the spread of resistance
Spatiotemporal variation in drivers of parasitism in a wild wood mouse population
No full textHost-parasite interactions in nature are driven by a range of factors across several ecological scales, so observed relationships are often context-dependent. Importantly, if these factors vary across space and time, practical sampling limitations can limit or bias inferences, and the relative importance of different drivers can be hard to discern.
Here we ask to what degree environmental, host, and within-host influences on parasitism are shaped by spatiotemporal variation. We use a replicated, longitudinal dataset of nearly 1000 individual wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) encompassing 6 years of sampling across 5 different woodland sites and investigate drivers of infection intensity with a highly prevalent gastrointestinal nematode, Heligmosomoides polygyrus.
We used a Bayesian modelling approach to further quantify if and how each factor varied in space and time. Finally, we examined the extent to which a lack of spatially or temporally replication (i.e., within single years or single sites) would affect which drivers were found to predict H. polygyrus infection.
Season, host body condition, and sex were the three most important determinants of infection intensity; however, the strength and even direction of these effects varied in time, but not in space. Models fit to single year and site replicates in many cases showed sparse and variable detection of effects of factors investigated, highlighting the benefits of long-term sampling for separating meaningful ecological variation from sampling variation.
These results highlight the importance of accounting for spatiotemporal variation in determining what drives disease dynamics and the need to incorporate replication in both time and space when designing sampling regimes. Furthermore, we suggest that embracing, rather than simply controlling for, spatiotemporal variation can reveal meaningful variation for understanding the factors impacting parasitism (e.g. season and host factors) which can improve predictions of how wildlife health will respond to change
Evolutionary biomechanics: hard tissues and soft evidence?
No full textBiomechanical modelling is a powerful tool for quantifying the evolution of functional performance in extinct animals to understand key anatomical innovations and selective pressures driving major evolutionary radiations. However, the fossil record is composed predominantly of hard parts, forcing palaeontologists to reconstruct soft tissue properties in such models. Rarely are these reconstruction approaches validated on extant animals, despite soft tissue properties being highly determinant of functional performance. The extent to which soft tissue reconstructions and biomechanical models accurately predict quantitative or even qualitative patterns in macroevolutionary studies is therefore unknown. Here, we modelled the masticatory system in extant rodents to objectively test the ability of current muscle reconstruction methods to correctly identify quantitative and qualitative differences between macroevolutionary morphotypes. Baseline models generated using measured soft tissue properties yielded differences in muscle proportions, bite force and bone stress expected between extant sciuromorph, myomorph and hystricomorph rodents. However, predictions from models generated using reconstruction methods typically used in fossil studies varied widely from high levels of quantitative accuracy to a failure to correctly capture even relative differences between macroevolutionary morphotypes. Our novel experiment emphasises that correctly reconstructing even qualitative differences between taxa in a macroevolutionary radiation is challenging using current methods. Future studies of fossil taxa should incorporate systematic assessments of reconstruction error into their hypothesis testing and, moreover, seek to expand primary data sets on muscle properties in extant taxa to better inform soft tissue reconstructions in macroevolutionary studies
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