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Policing and Drug Market-Related Violence:Competitive, Internal and Enforcement-Related Violence in UK County Lines
No full textBackground: The link between drugs and violence has been widely studied across a range of academic disciplines, including criminology, sociology, psychology, and social policy. However, much of this scholarship has focused specifically on the United States, and the specific form of competitive violence between rival groups. Objectives: This paper adds to the literature by focusing on County Lines drug markets in the United Kingdom (UK), which have been linked to increases in violence and the exploitation of young people and vulnerable adults for selling, storing or transporting illicit drugs. We utilise this case, as well as recent literature on harm reduction policing, to expand frameworks for thinking about drug market-related violence. Methods: The analysis is based on the first national study of the policing of County Lines, which consisted of interviews with senior officers across 44 of the 45 territorial police forces in the UK, as well as additional interviews and observations in three case study areas with front-line officers, partner agencies and people with lived experiences (n=117). Results: Our findings illustrate how the exploitation of young people and vulnerable adults could be conceptualised as an internal form of violence in County Lines in the UK. Furthermore, we highlight the need to acknowledge enforcement-related violence associated with the policing of drug markets. Conclusions: Based on our empirical findings, we argue for a conceptual broadening of current understandings of drug market-related violence, as well as further developing harm reduction policing thinking and responses to effectively counteract all forms of violence associated with drug markets and their control
The transitional kinetics between open and closed Rep structures can be tuned by salt via two intermediate states
Get PDFDNA helicases undergo conformational changes; however, their structural dynamics are poorly understood. Here, we study single molecules of the superfamily 1A DNA helicase Rep, which undergoes conformational transitions during bacterial DNA replication, repair, and recombination. We use time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC), fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), rapid single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET), Anti-Brownian ELectrokinetic (ABEL) trapping, and molecular dynamics simulations (MDS) to provide unparalleled temporal and spatial resolution of Rep’s domain movements. We detect four states revealing two hitherto hidden intermediates (S2, S3), between the open (S1) and closed (S4) structures, whose stability is salt dependent. Rep’s open-to-closed switch involves multiple changes to all four subdomains 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B along the S1→S2→S3→S4 transitional pathway comprising an initial truncated swing of 2B, which then rolls across the 1B surface, followed by combined rotations of 1B, 2A, and 2B. High forward and reverse rates for S1→S2 suggest that 1B may act to frustrate 2B movement to prevent premature Rep closure in the absence of DNA. These observations support a more general binding model for accessory DNA helicases that utilises conformational plasticity to explore a multiplicity of structures whose landscape can be tuned by salt prior to locking in upon DNA binding
Book Review: We See Things They’ll Never See: Love, Hope and Neurodiversity By Chantelle Jessica Lewis and Jason Arday. Pp 264. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. 2025. £84.00 (hbk), £14.99 (pbk). ISBN 9780691262727 (hbk), ISBN 9780691262710 (pbk).
Get PDFPackaging Signal-mediated Assembly – How Viruses Outsmart Their Hosts
Get PDFThe importance of the genetic code in virology is universally acknowledged. However, it is less known that viral genomes can harbour a second code, embedded within the genetic code, that orchestrates the efficient assembly and genome packaging in many viral systems. Since its discovery in a bacterial virus, the molecular details and function of this mechanism have been characterised in a broad range of viral families, including major human pathogens. This Perspective article reports on the hallmarks of this “assembly/packaging code”, the journey of its discovery, and the enticing opportunities it brings both in antiviral therapy and in virus nanotechnology
Real-time railhead friction estimation using machine learning: development of an on-board-train data capture system
Get PDFLow adhesion between the wheel and rail interface remains a significant challenge for the railway industry, particularly during the autumn season, leading to delays and safety risks such as station overruns and signals passed at danger (SPADs). The impact of low adhesion is estimated to cost the UK railway industry approximately £355 million annually. Current methods for estimating railhead adhesion, lack real-time, high-resolution spatial and temporal capability, which is critical for improving safety and operational efficiency. This research introduces a novel real-time railhead friction estimation approach, utilizing an estimation model trained on a variety of environmental and rail-specific data, such as railhead images, friction measurements, air temperature, relative humidity and railhead temperature. To test this model in real-world conditions, a specialized data capture system (camera box) was developed and mounted on rolling stock, capturing relevant data while ensuring accuracy in location and railhead condition. Field tests conducted at the Wensleydale Heritage Railway in the UK demonstrated the feasibility of this system, with consistent and reliable friction estimations. The results indicate that the model can effectively estimate railhead friction levels and identify potential low adhesion hotspots in real time, thus providing valuable insights for mitigating risks, reducing delays, and improving overall safety
Widening access to penicillin allergy assessment in the United Kingdom—a proposed implementation plan for the National Health Service (NHS)
Get PDFGlobally, there is increasing evidence that incorrect penicillin allergy labels negatively affect patient outcomes, antibiotic prescribing and antimicrobial resistance, leading to growing concern about this patient safety issue and how to resolve it. While many millions of patients worldwide have incorrect penicillin allergy labels, there are too few specialist allergists and a lack of 'point-of-care' tests to address this problem. Numerous research studies now provide evidence of the feasibility and importance of widening access to penicillin allergy assessment. Researchers from two UK-based studies (SPACE and ALABAMA), in collaboration with key stakeholders including patient representatives, gave their views to shape a high-level implementation plan to facilitate widening access to penicillin allergy assessment in the UK. This Viewpoint describes the basis of the implementation plan and summarizes the key actions required for successful delivery. While the plan is intended for the UK, we hope to promote international shared learning and collaboration to address this global problem informed by the UK context
Greenspace and air pollution disparities in urban Northern England
No full textUrban environmental inequalities remain a critical public health concern in the UK, particularly in regions with legacies of industrial development. This study examines the spatial distribution of air pollution (NO2) and greenspace exposure across ten cities in Northern England, focusing on urban neighborhoods. Using Lower-layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs) and data from the Access to Healthy Assets & Hazards and Index of Multiple Deprivation, we compare environmental burdens across two city types: large, industrial-era conurbations (Major cities) and smaller cities more influence by rural-to-urban transition (Regional cities).
Our results show that in urban areas of Major cities, deprived and ethnically diverse communities face significantly higher NO2 concentrations and lower NDVI, a measure of greenspace density and health, despite physical proximity to green areas. In the most deprived LSOAs, NO2 levels are 33 % higher than in the least deprived, more than twice the national average disparity. While greenspace accessibility is often greater in deprived areas, these spaces are frequently located near major roads or pollution hotspots, limiting their health benefits. About 83 % of the most vegetated urban areas in Major cities still exceed WHO NO2 guidelines, highlighting the limited capacity of greenspace alone to mitigate pollution in dense, traffic-dominated environments. In contrast, urban areas in Regional cities show lower pollution and more consistent greenspace provision, with fewer social disparities.
These findings highlight the need for targeted, locally informed strategies that combine green infrastructure with robust emissions reduction, particularly in cities with dense industrial legacies. As the UK seeks to deliver on the goals of its Clean Air Strategy and 25-Year Environment Plan, understanding how environmental burdens are associated with social inequality and urban form at the local level will be essential for designing fairer, healthier cities and meeting broader Agenda 2030 commitments
Automated bond valence sum analysis for crystallographic database quality assessment: a systematic study of rock salt oxides, halides, and chalcogenides
Get PDFCrystallographic databases are vital for research and increasingly serve as training data for machine learning in materials discovery, yet systematic quality assessment at database scale remains absent. Bond valence sum (BVS) analysis – testing whether calculated bond valences match expected oxidation states – provides one automated quality metric, but has not been systematically applied to quantify validation rates, characterise failure modes, or identify parameter inadequacies. Eir is an automated Python tool for high-throughput BVS analysis, applied here to 840 rock salt structures from the Inorganic Crystal Structure Database. Of 613 assessable structures, 50.8% validated under ambient data collection conditions, with systematic examination leaving no unexplained outliers. ‘Failed’ structures stratify into six categories (Types 1–6): Type 1, systematic parameter inadequacy (107 structures, 21.3%); Type 2, missing BVS parameters (154 structures, excluded from validation); Types 3–5, methodological limitations from diffraction-averaged geometries (65 structures, 12.9%); and Type 6, database quality issues (12 structures, 2.4%). Three main findings emerged: (1) alkaline earth oxides exhibit systematic parameter inadequacy (CaO, SrO, BaO: 100% failure, <1.5% variance); (2) oxide–chalcogenide validation inversion demonstrates anion-specific parameter quality; (3) multi-phase refinement contamination shows structures passing peer review may prove inappropriate as computational references. The open-source tool provides validated infrastructure for maintaining database integrity as crystallographic repositories serve AI-driven materials discovery at unprecedented scale
The impact on image formation of inevitable tip bending with modern high resolution atomic force microscopy probes
Get PDFThe impact on image formation of inevitable tip bending with modern high resolution atomic force microscopy probe
Unveiling the white dwarf in the eclipsing polar HU Aquarii
Get PDFWe present an analysis of high-speed u- and r-band photometry of the eclipsing polar HU Aqr that was obtained with ULTRACAM mounted on the VLT. The observations were performed during a low state, permitting us for the first time to determine the contact points of the white dwarf. Using LCURVE we could determine its size, and hence mass, with a direct method and with unprecedented accuracy. We determined the mass of the white dwarf as 0.78 ± 0.02 M⊙, the mass ratio Q = MWD/Msec = 4.59, and the orbital inclination i = 87.° 4 ± 0.° 9. An extended warm region with a central temperature of ∼33 000 K was observed in the u-band at the location of the previous high-state accretion spot. Weak accretion was ongoing in the low state that led to cyclotron emission that could best be studied with the r-band data. It has a diameter of only 3° to 4° and is located much closer to the binary meridian than the accretion-heated region studied in the u-band. The longitudinal shift of the two accretion regions is of order 30°, due to early and late coupling of accreted matter onto the magnetic field lines in low and high accretion states, respectively. The low-state cyclotron-emitting region has a vertical extent of 0.005 − 0.016 RWD, a value that seems to be correlated to the instantaneous accretion rate
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