Land use factors in the bowland and the dales areas of the old west biding uplands

This thesis examines techniques used in land inventories at different scales of data collection and application. In the light of the inventories reviewed an inventory was set up using sampling on a 1 km grid for the Bowland and Dales area of the old West Riding County uplands. Using the inventory's data bank its use was illustrated and some analyses were carried out into distributions and interactions of land-use factors. Using a sample from the inventory certain possible correlations between soil and recorded land use factors were investigated

Health and cancer prevention: knowledge and beliefs of children and young people

Objective: To collect information from children and young people about their knowledge of and attitudes towards cancer and their understanding of health and health related behaviours to inform future health promotion work. Design: Questionnaire survey of 15-16 year olds, and interviews with play materials with 9-10 year old children. Setting: Six inner city, suburban, and rural schools. Subjects: 226 children aged 15-16 years and 100 aged 9-10 years. Main outcome measures: Knowledge about different types of cancer; beliefs about health; sources of information; quality of research data obtainable from young children about cancer and health. Results: Both samples knew most about lung cancer, but there was also some knowledge of breast and skin cancer and leukaemia. Smoking, together with pollution and other environmental factors, were seen as the dominant causes of cancer. Environmental factors were mentioned more often by the inner city samples. Television and the media were the most important sources of information. Young people were more worried about unemployment than about ill health. More than half the young people did not describe their health as good, and most said they did not have a healthy lifestyle. Children were able to provide detailed information about their knowledge and understanding by using drawings as well as interviews. Conclusions: Children and young people possess considerable knowledge about cancer, especially about lung cancer and smoking, and show considerable awareness of predominant health education messages. Despite this knowledge, many lead less than healthy lifestyles. Health is not seen as the most important goal in life by many young people; the circumstances in which many children and young people live are not experienced as health promoting

Inviting pain? Pain, dualism and embodiment in narratives of self-injury

The role of pain in the practice of self-injury is not straightforward. Existing accounts suggest that self-injury does not cause 'physical' pain, however self-injury is also said to alleviate 'emotional' pain by inflicting 'physical' pain. This article explores these tensions using sociological theories regarding the socio-cultural and subjective nature of pain. Analysis derives from in-depth, life-story interviews carried out in the UK with people who had self-injured. Findings contribute to on-going debates within social science regarding the nature of pain. Participants' narratives about pain and self-injury both drew on and challenged dualistic models of embodiment. I suggest that self-injury offers a unique case on which to extend existing theoretical work, which has tended to focus on pain as an unwanted and uninvited entity. In contrast, accounts of self-injury can feature pain as a central aspect of the practice, voluntarily invited into lived experience. © 2013 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness © 2013 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Gender differences in perceptions of pain : towards a phenomenological approach

This research explores the relationship between perceptions of pain and illness and the social characteristics of the individual, with a focus on the role of gender. It emphasizes the meaning and understanding of the phenomenon of pain, which as an area of research has been neglected by medical sociology. A survey of sociological, medical, psychological, anthropological and literary perspectives on pain reveals a consensus that pain is a 'subjective' phenomenon, and that there are therefore limitations in applying 'objective' measurements. Recent developments in the sociology of health and illness, particularly in the area of emotions, offer potential theoretical and methodological frameworks and these are explored. To try to broaden the definition of pain beyond the traditional biomedical approach a multi-method form of enquiry was adopted. A self-completion questionnaire examining health beliefs, and experiences of illness and pain during the life-cycle, was administered to a random sample of 107 men and women attending a GP practice in North West London. Significant gender differences were found with respect to the role of the emotions and social expectations of coping ability. These themes formed the basis of the second stage of fieldwork, in which a sub-sample of 21 men and women participated in a semi-structured in-depth interview, including the use of visual imagery. This explored definitions and experiences of pain. Responses were taperecorded and transcribed. Analysis of both the transcripts and the material relating to the use of visual imagery revealed complex and abstract conceptualisations of pain, related to the social context of the individual. Expenences of pain were found to incorporate feelings and vulnerabilities, and existential and religious beliefs as well nociceptive or sensory components. The attribution to women of superior capacities in coping with pain were phenomenologically linked to female biological and reproductive functioning, but also seen to be underpinned by gendered socialization and role-expectations

CARETS: A prototype regional environmental information system. Volume 13: Utility of CARETS products to local planners; an evaluation

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

Diagnosing vulnerability and “dangerousness”: police use of Section 136 in England and Wales

Purpose – Police in England and Wales are empowered, under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 (s136), to detain individuals thought to be a danger to themselves or to others. Use of this authority is widespread, but varies across districts and attracts controversy because of inconsistent application and the fact that it requires police to make judgements about mental health. The purpose of this paper is to examine police attitudes to and criteria for using s136. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted focus groups with 30 officers in urban and rural areas of three different regions across England and Wales. Group interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analysed using open and axial coding. Findings – Use of s136 authority has major implications for police work; liaison with mental health services is seen as desirable but often ineffective due to resource constraints and the latter's lack of availability. The decision to invoke s136 depends on social context and other particulars of individual cases. Research limitations/implications – Although the findings have limitations with respect to generalisability across the whole of the UK, there are patterns of responses which have major implications for policy recommendations. Practical implications – Police decisions to apply s136 reflect an implicit values-based classification of and response to emotionally disturbed behaviour, in light of available institutional and social supports. Social implications – Tasked primarily with protecting the public and keeping the peace, police “diagnoses” of risk often contrast with that of mental health professionals. Originality/value – A highly original piece of research which has attracted further funding from BA/Leverhulme. </jats:sec

S136 in Sussex: Final Report

Background: The research addresses the controversially high rates of Section 136 (s136) detentions across Sussex in collaboration with Sussex Police and the mental health trust (Sussex Partnership Trust), in order to understand the consistent patterning of a ratio of 2:1 detentions to police custody, rather than the 5 specialist NHS S136 suites. Methods: Multi method study i) secondary analysis of existing s136 statistics collected by Sussex police and Sussex Partnership Trust ii) in depth interviews and deliberative workshop with 37 members of the public who had been detained under s136 iii) interviews, focus groups, and observations with 79 police officers 160 NHS and allied staff and voluntary workers. Main outcome measures: social patterning and reasons for use of s136; differences in type of Place of Safety used and experience of users; impact of good practice and joint working strategies Results: S136 is mainly used by police in Sussex as the only means of supporting suicidal and highly vulnerable people who are reported to be in extreme distress in public places when there is no other service available as the majority of incidents happen ‘out of hours’. Innovative inter agency policy and practice working, in particular the national ‘Street Triage’ pilot which was rolled out across Sussex during the life of the study, has produced successful interventions to reduce the use of s136, but complex factors such as repeated detentions of vulnerable and socially marginalised reveal some of the underlying complexity. Conclusions: This study challenges some of the simplistic assumptions around the high rates of S136 detention, which can be reduced through effective joint agency interventions, but may always be needed as a life-saving ‘default mechanism’ in complex situations. Alongside the need for adequate resources to support sustain and increase effective alternatives to the use of s136, the study recommends that the voices of those with ‘lived experience’ must be included in developing effective interventions. Keywords: Mental health emergencies; emergency services; help seeking, joint working, suicide and suicide prevention, user experience, Street Triag

The effect of substrate on the production of infectious virus by cells in culture

Herpes simplex virus type I (HSV-1), infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus (IBR) and turkey herpesvirus were examined for growth in cells cultured on three different substrates. The substrates were glass, DEAE-dextran and collagen gel. With two of the viruses, HSV-1 and IBR, there were no apparent differences in production as a function of substrate. In contrast, the amount of the turkey herpesvirus which was recovered varied greatly with the substrate. Titers were highest on glass, followed by DEAE-dextran and then collagen gel. Our previous studies have indicated that the substrate on which anchorage-dependent cells are grown in vitro has an affect on a number of biological and biochemical properties. The present study indicates that the production of commercially important biologicals can be affected by the substrate.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/27538/1/0000582.pd

Designing 'Healthy' Prisons for Women: Incorporating Trauma-Informed Care and Practice (TICP) into Prison Planning and Design

There has been growing acknowledgment among scholars, prison staff and policy-makers that gender-informed thinking should feed into penal policy but must be implemented holistically if gains are to be made in reducing trauma, saving lives, ensuring emotional wellbeing and promoting desistance from crime. This means that not only healthcare services and psychology programmes must be sensitive to individuals' trauma histories, but that the architecture and design of prisons should also be sympathetic, facilitating and encouraging trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive practices within. This article problematises the Trauma-Informed Care & Practice (TICP) initiatives recently rolled out across the female prison estate, arguing that attempts to introduce trauma- sensitive services in establishments that are replete with hostile architecture, overt security paraphernalia, and dilapidated fixtures and fittings is futile. Using examples from healthcare and custodial settings, the article puts forward suggestions for prison commissioners, planners and architects which we believe will have novel implications for prison planning and penal practice in the UK and beyond