Levels of noise pollution in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Integrated Care System (ICS) during nighttime and 24-hour periods based on data from strategic noise mapping. An interactive map application

ACCESS THE INTERACTIVE MAP VIA RELATED URLS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS RECORDLevels of Noise Pollution in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Integrated Care System (ICS) during Nighttime and 24-Hour Periods Based on Data from Strategic Noise Mapping. An Interactive Map Application Recommended Citation: Tsimpida, D., & Tsakiridi, A. (2025). Levels of noise pollution in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Integrated Care System (ICS) during nighttime and 24-hour periods based on data from strategic noise mapping: An interactive map application. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5258/SOTON/D3377. License: CC BY – This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. Information about Geographic Location of Data Collection: England Related Projects: Tsimpida, D., Environmental Health and Wellbeing Dynamics: Mapping High-Exposure Neighbourhoods and Assessing Transportation Noise Pollution's Impact on Population Health. This project is funded by the Sustainability & Resilience Institute (SRI), University of Southampton. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of SRI or the University of Southampton. Methodological Information: To quantify noise pollution, we used the new Noise Mapping Geographic Information Systems (GIS) datasets developed by Defra that calculate noise exposure levels and are openly available: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. Strategic noise mapping (2022) [Internet]. 2024. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/strategic-noise-mapping-2022 For our analyses, we used both the day-evening-night level (Lden) and the night level (Lnight). The Lden level is a noise metric used to assess overall annoyance, calculated as the annual average A-weighted sound level over a 24-hour period. This measure includes a 5-decibel (dB(A)) penalty for evening noise (7 pm to 11 pm) and a 10 dB(A) penalty for nighttime noise (11 pm to 7 am). The Lnight is a nighttime noise indicator that reflects the annual average A-weighted sound level during the night period (11 pm to 7 am), representing the total sound energy equivalent to the fluctuating noise levels experienced throughout that period. ________________________________________ Geospatial Analysis Information: All geospatial models in this study used Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) as the unit of analysis. In all analyses, we used the LSOA boundaries published by the Office for National Statistics as of March 21, 2021:...This version of the record, https://doi.org/10.5258/soton/d3377v2, was updated on 2015/02/17. The previous version is available at https://doi.org/10.5258/soton/d3377v

Modelling enzyme electrodes – what do we learn and how is it useful?

There has been an enormous increase in the computational power readily available since the first numerical treatments of electrochemical problems in the early 1960s. This development has been accompanied by the development of powerful, widely available, commercial software modelling tools. Despite this, approximate analytical treatments remain extremely useful in the modelling of coupled diffusion/reaction problems in electrochemistry because of the insights they provide into the different possible behaviours of the system. In this paper we discuss the modelling of amperometric enzyme electrodes, taking as our exemplar redox hydrogel-based enzyme electrodes in which the enzyme is immobilized in a redox active polymer which wires the enzyme to the electrode. In this system the measured current is related to many different experimental variables including substrate concentration and diffusion coefficient, reaction rate constants, and film properties and thickness. The interplay of these factors is described and the role of Case diagrams in understanding coupled diffusion/reaction problems of this type is discussed.</p

Facial attractiveness for enhanced face recognition: a novel soft biometric trait

This research introduces facial attractiveness as a significant new feature in soft biometrics, aimed at enhancing the accuracy of automated facial recognition systems. Despite its potential to improve recognition systems, facial attractiveness, unlike other standard features such as age, gender, and skin colour, has not received extensive research attention. This study addresses this gap by demonstrating that facial attractiveness can serve as an additional and valuable attribute for identifying individuals.This research employs a comparative analysis approach to measure facial attractiveness through a structured evaluation method that combines soft biometric data with machine learning techniques. The method involves collecting and ranking attractiveness attributes using the Elo rating system, which are then integrated into recognition models. Experiments indicate that facial attractiveness improves recognition performance, proving its usefulness in automated systems.Additionally, this research examines the psychological and social aspects of facial attractiveness and considers how they can influence the functionality of automated systems. It discusses the challenges of measuring attractiveness consistently across different datasets, providing a clear overview of the limitations.Notably, the findings demonstrate that models using soft-biometric attributes alone, including attractiveness, consistently outperformed systems that combined these attributes with Eigenface representations. This outcome underscores the discriminative strength of soft biometrics as standalone inputs rather than supplementary enhancements.Although this study does not use deep learning techniques, it establishes a foundation for future research by proposing an innovative approach to incorporating facial attractiveness into biometric systems. The author avers that this is the first study to thoroughly explore facial attractiveness as a soft biometric feature

Designing counter-choreographies: embodied choreographic approaches for critical examination of online tracking

This paper describes a workshop conducted as part of practice-based research that aims at critiquing online tracking algorithms commonly found in everyday web environments. The workshop introduced participants to online tracking algorithms using a series of choreographic exercises that informed a discussion on the topic and strategies to counteract data-driven extractivist technologies. We analysed the outcomes of our workshop and showed that it allowed individuals to become more aware of their lack of agency over data harvesting and its use by digital services, and enabled them to develop strategies for reclaiming agency over their personal data. We discuss how the choreographic approach used in the workshop contributes to engaging people in a critical examination of online tracking in their everyday lives and to inspire forms of countering extractive algorithmic systems. Our paper contributes empirical insights on how choreography can be used to raise awareness of data tracking online.</p

Fish infection and disease in a changing world: Implications for fish resilience and food security

Fish infection and disease in a changing world: Implications for fish resilience and food security

Thank you for listening: creative practices and cultural adaptation tensions among Hong Kong migrant artists in the UK

This essay explores how migrant artists from Hong Kong have used creative practices to adapt to life in the UK. Through personal narratives expressed in songwriting, theatre, and blogging, it highlights how these practices help artists navigate cultural displacement and marginalization. By maintaining ties to their heritage while fostering intercultural dialogue, they build a sense of community and belonging in a new environment. The essay also considers how legal frameworks, cultural protection policies, and arts funding impact their ability to sustain creative work. A key finding is the under-utilization of these artists’ skills, with many feeling their talents are not fully understood or appreciated by local communities. This points to a need for UK cultural institutions and local authorities to engage more directly with migrant artists, for example those from Hong Kong, recognizing their contributions and supporting their integration. Overall, the essay contributes to wider discussions on migration, identity, and the transformative role of creativity in diasporic experiences

Policy capacity matters differently over time: emergence and persistence of participatory budgeting in China

The persistence of participatory budgeting (PB) in select Chinese localities challenges the conventional wisdom that deliberative democratic practices can only take root in liberal political environments. Yet, existing literature has not sufficiently elucidated the factors underpinning the rise and sustained operation of PB in this seemingly incongruous environment. This study addresses this gap by analyzing the policy capacities critical to PB’s design and implementation, and how these capacities have evolved over time. Utilizing Wu, Ramesh, and Howlett (2015)’s framework and drawing on interviews conducted with local officials and key stakeholders, our analysis of the Wenling case in Zhejiang Province revealed that political capacity was crucial for the initial success of Wenling’s PB programs. Although this political capacity has waned over time, the steady build-up of analytical and operational capacities has been vital for sustaining Wenling’s PB practice amidst and notwithstanding the increasingly constrained political climate

Rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular disease associations in the UK Biobank.

Background: this study evaluated observational and causal relationships between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and cardiovascular disease and imaging phenotypes in the UK Biobank. Methods: RA was defined using linked hospital records, self-reported diagnostics, and medication data. Controls were participants without a record of RA. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) were defined using linked hospital records over an average of 14 years of prospective follow-up, including: ischaemic heart diseases (IHD), acute myocardial infarction (AMI), atrial fibrillation, any arrhythmia, non-ischaemic cardiomyopathies, pericardial disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, and venous thromboembolism. For participants with cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) available as part of the UK Biobank Imaging Study, we considered measures of cardiac structure and function extracted using automated pipelines. Associations of RA with prevalent and incident CVDs were calculated using logistic and Cox regression. Linear regression was used to examine associations with CMR metrics. Models were adjusted for demographic, lifestyle, and clinical confounders. Causal associations were assessed using two-sample Mendelian randomisation. Genetic instruments for RA (22,350 cases and 74,823 controls), nine CVDs (FinnGen, n = 224,737), and 11 CMR phenotypes (UK Biobank) were extracted and associations assessed using inverse-variance weighting with pleiotropy adjustments and multiple testing corrections. Results: the analysis included 1,436 RA cases (mean age 59.9 years; 70.6% female) and 476,975 controls (mean age 56.5 years; 54.3% female). Participants with RA lived in more socioeconomically deprived areas (as per the Townsend Deprivation Index), had lower physical activity levels, were more likely to smoke, and had a higher baseline prevalence of CVDs. In fully adjusted models, participants with RA had a significantly higher hazard of multiple incident CVDs, with the greatest risks related to pericardial disease (HR 2.63 (1.85, 3.74)), heart failure (HR 1.68 (1.42, 1.99)), and AMI (HR 1.53 (1.20, 1.96)). Mendelian Randomisation analyses supported causal links between RA and AMI (OR 1.07 (1.02, 1.09), p = 0.009), arrhythmias (OR 1.05 (1.02, 1.06), p = 0.0007), and IHD (OR 1.05 (1.01, 1.06), p = 0.036). No significant associations were identified between RA and CMR phenotypes. Conclusions: people with RA have a heightened risk of multiple prevalent and incident CVDs, independent of shared risk factors, with suggestions of causal links with IHD, AMI, and arrhythmias.</p

Human and biomechanical considerations in hand joint disease

While public involvement has become increasingly important in the development, delivery and improvement of healthcare research, there remains limited evidence of its integration in biomechanical engineering research, despite its interrelatedness with healthcare. This thesis adopted an experiential approach to explore the integration of long-term public involvement into a biomechanical engineering doctoral research project concerning the hand joints. Hands play a crucial role in human life, allowing people to grasp, touch and manipulate the world around them. These abilities are impacted by conditions such as osteoarthritis (OA) which can cause pain and limit mobility. This doctoral research project was conceptualised to leverage an existing dataset of finger kinematics and imaging of ten consenting participants (free from hand or wrist disease or injury), using computational methods. Early-stage public involvement consultations with three public contributors, living with hand OA, highlighted key research considerations and encouraged the expansion of the public involvement efforts throughout the project. As a result, the project’s efforts and the selected methodologies were informed by three contributor-recommended research priorities. These priorities included: (1) patient variability, (2) joint instability and (3) raising hand OA awareness.This thesis provided a first-hand account of involving members of the public in biomechanical engineering research. Their involvement guided the utilization and processing of the pre-existing datasets and inspired broader impacts beyond the computational modelling efforts. As a result, this research produced a combination of biomechanical findings and public-centred outcomes, including open-source statistical shape models of the fingers, correlation markers between finger joint kinematics and shape information, and educational and dissemination materials for both public and academic audiences. While there remains a need for an improved infrastructure for integrating public involvement in quantitative-based research fields, where it is currently limited, this thesis acts as an in-depth case study, highlighting the associated successes and challenges while encouraging further exploration and integration

Interface modes in inspiralling neutron stars: A gravitational-wave probe of first-order phase transitions

At the extreme densities in neutron stars, a phase transition to deconfined quark matter is anticipated. Yet masses, radii, and tidal deformabilities offer only indirect measures of a first-order phase transition, requiring many detections to resolve or being ineffective observables if the discontinuity exists at lower densities. We report on a smoking-gun gravitational-wave signature of a first-order transition: the resonant tidal excitation of an interface mode. Using relativistic perturbation theory with an equation-of-state family informed by chiral effective field theory, we show that such a resonance may be detectable with next-generation interferometers and possibly already with LIGO A+ for sufficiently loud events