The Dynamics of the UN Voluntary Local Review using Causal Mapping within and across the Sustainable Development Goals: a case study of Bath and North East Somerset

Since 2018 when New York City pioneered a “Voluntary Local Review” (VLR) of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), more than 60 localities worldwide have compiled a VLR to assess the progress of the SDGs locally. For local governments, it remains however difficult to see the points of leverage and priorities that would trigger positive change, within and across the SDGs. In effect, critiques of the SDGs have already pointed the potential problems of synergies and trade-offs within and across the SDGs, which makes it difficult to identify the links between local initiatives, local actors and SDG outcomes. To alleviate this problem, the report compiled here provides a Voluntary Local Review of the SDGs in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) in 2023 augmented with the causal maps of the SDGs, both within and across the SDGs. Such methodology allows us (1) to identify the leverage points for positive actions towards the SDGs, and (2) to identify the key stakeholders enabling that process. In the case of B&NES, successes have been in terms of community engagement with local priorities and values, B&NES Environmental Project with the Clean Air Zone, Waste treatment and CO2 reductions; and B&NES Housing Project with its commitment to affordable housing and environmentally friendly infrastructure. Many challenges remain notably in terms of addressing inequalities by, for example, improving access to all the SDG-related leverage points

Extending the Planetary Mass Function to Earth Mass by Microlensing at Moderately High Magnification

A measurement by microlensing of the planetary mass function of planets with masses ranging from 5M_E to 10M_J and orbital radii from 0.5 to 10 AU was reported recently. A strategy for extending the mass range down to (1-3)M_E is proposed here. This entails monitoring the peaks of a few tens of microlensing events with moderately high magnifications with 1-2m class telescopes. Planets of a few Earth masses are found to produce deviations of ~ 5% to the peaks of microlensing light curves with durations ~ (0.7-3)hr in events with magnification ~ 100 if the projected separation of the planet lies in the annular region (0.85-1.2)r_E. Similar deviations are produced by Earth mass planets in the annular region (0.95-1.05)r_E. It is possible that sub-Earths could be detected very close to the Einstein ring if they are sufficiently abundant, and also planetary systems with more than one low mass planet.Comment: 12 pages, 20 figures (in press) MNRAS (2013

The Lived Experiences of Racial Bias for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Students in Practice: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study

Aim This study explored the lived experiences of racial bias for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students undertaking an undergraduate or post-graduate degree in nursing, midwifery and allied health courses in the United Kingdom. Background Previous research indicates that students from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups have fewer opportunities to succeed at university and this has brought about a race awarding gap in their degree attainment. The reasons for this awarding gap are complex and multi-factorial and it is crucial that the lived experiences of racial bias are explored from the student perspective. Design A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was adopted to elicit individual and collective experiences in the practice environment, a mandatory component of the student’s degree. Methods: A focus group and individual semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data from sixteen participants and analysed using thematic analysis. Results Three encompassing themes were identified which included a sense of not belonging, trauma impact on mental health and understanding covert and overt racism. Participants reported incidences of racism and appeared to be traumatised by their experiences within practice and the university. They also reported poor mental health and well-being as shared experiences and a lack of confidence in the university and practice to mitigate racial issues. Conclusions Meaningful action must be taken by universities and practice partners to advance racial inequality initiatives by having robust anti-racism action plans and processes. These should be co-created with students and staff to reduce the race awarding gap

A mixed-methods evaluation of unconscious racial bias training for NHS senior practitioners to improve the experiences of racially minoritised students

Objective The degree awarding gap indicates that racially minoritised higher education students receive lower degree classifications relative to their white peers. While the reasons for this are complex, research suggests that educator and practitioner attitudes and behaviour towards racially minoritised students are a significant contributing factor. This preregistered study evaluates the effectiveness of unconscious racial bias training (URBT) to enhance National Health Service senior practitioner’s recognition of how racial inequalities negatively impact racially minoritised students.Design A mixed-methods study with a pretest and post-test design was conducted in the higher education and healthcare practice environment.Methods Forty-nine NHS senior practitioners completed a 4-hour URBT workshop with activities focusing on activating stereotypes, exploring differences between unconscious and implicit bias, discussing the development of bias, and reflecting on student experiences of prejudice, harassment and discrimination. They completed pre- and post- quantitative measures that assessed the effectiveness of URBT and changes in racial competency, awareness and perceptions of unconscious racial bias. Qualitative measures explored the usefulness and perceived applications of URBT, and a 1-month follow-up assessed further how it had been applied within practice.Results Participants reported positive evaluations of URBT, higher perceived racial competency, awareness and perceptions of racial bias (ps<0.001, dz>0.35). After 1 month, key themes from qualitative responses suggested that participants had increased self-awareness and were exploring how to set up mentoring and working groups, change recruitment and progression processes, and diversify the taught curriculum.Conclusions URBT may be one effective strategy to enhance awareness and encourage reflections of racial bias. We discuss how reducing racial inequalities requires a multifaceted approach that affords upfront conversations about systemic racism, implements effective initiatives, policies and procedures, and engages in continuous evaluation

A Mixed Methods Evaluation of Unconscious Racial Bias Training for NHS Senior Practitioners to Improve the Experiences of Racially Minoritised Students

The aim of the current project is to evaluate the effectiveness of unconscious racial bias training delivered to NHS Senior Practitioners as one strategy to enhance awareness of how racial inequalities negatively affect Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) students in higher education and healthcare practice. The unconscious bias training workshops aim to raise practitioner’s knowledge and recognition of unconscious racial bias on service delivery and the student journey. This includes the experiences of BAME Nursing and Midwifery students on placement and in the academic setting. This OSF project page hosts the preregistration protocol, materials, data, and supporting information files

Diagnostic value of plasma phosphorylated tau181 in Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

With the potential development of new disease-modifying Alzheimer's disease (AD) therapies, simple, widely available screening tests are needed to identify which individuals, who are experiencing symptoms of cognitive or behavioral decline, should be further evaluated for initiation of treatment. A blood-based test for AD would be a less invasive and less expensive screening tool than the currently approved cerebrospinal fluid or amyloid β positron emission tomography (PET) diagnostic tests. We examined whether plasma tau phosphorylated at residue 181 (pTau181) could differentiate between clinically diagnosed or autopsy-confirmed AD and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Plasma pTau181 concentrations were increased by 3.5-fold in AD compared to controls and differentiated AD from both clinically diagnosed (receiver operating characteristic area under the curve of 0.894) and autopsy-confirmed frontotemporal lobar degeneration (area under the curve of 0.878). Plasma pTau181 identified individuals who were amyloid β-PET-positive regardless of clinical diagnosis and correlated with cortical tau protein deposition measured by 18F-flortaucipir PET. Plasma pTau181 may be useful to screen for tau pathology associated with AD

Diagnostic value of plasma phosphorylated tau181 in Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

With the potential development of new disease-modifying Alzheimer's disease (AD) therapies, simple, widely available screening tests are needed to identify which individuals, who are experiencing symptoms of cognitive or behavioral decline, should be further evaluated for initiation of treatment. A blood-based test for AD would be a less invasive and less expensive screening tool than the currently approved cerebrospinal fluid or amyloid β positron emission tomography (PET) diagnostic tests. We examined whether plasma tau phosphorylated at residue 181 (pTau181) could differentiate between clinically diagnosed or autopsy-confirmed AD and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Plasma pTau181 concentrations were increased by 3.5-fold in AD compared to controls and differentiated AD from both clinically diagnosed (receiver operating characteristic area under the curve of 0.894) and autopsy-confirmed frontotemporal lobar degeneration (area under the curve of 0.878). Plasma pTau181 identified individuals who were amyloid β-PET-positive regardless of clinical diagnosis and correlated with cortical tau protein deposition measured by 18F-flortaucipir PET. Plasma pTau181 may be useful to screen for tau pathology associated with AD