Selection of Marine Conservation Zones

Marine Conservation Zones may contribute to the protection and recovery of the marine environment. This POSTnote examines the process and approach used to select and designate zones, and difficulties in identifying and managing suitable areas

Carstairs Scores for Scottish Postcode Sectors, Datazones and Output Areas from the 2011 Census

Carstairs deprivation scores, originally created in 1981, provide a measure of material deprivation. Four census variables (male unemployment, no car ownership, overcrowding and low social class) were used in the creation of the score. As near as possible the same four variables have been used to update Carstairs scores decennially, despite changes to the definition of some of the variables over time. Researchers at the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow have now updated Carstairs scores for 2011 for Scottish postcode sectors and for the first time datazones and output areas

Pricing and Time on the Market for Residential Properties in a Major U.K. City

The pricing and length of time to sell single-family residential properties is a function of the interaction between buyer and seller behavior. This study estimates value effects in relation to the time on the market for residential properties within the Belfast (U.K).metropolitan area. Three distinctive characteristics of market are highlighted. First, the majority of sales are at a premium to the list price. Second, different factors influence time on the market for premium and discount sales. Third, the marketing period is examined for three events: listing to sales agreement, sales agreement to completion, and listing to completion.

Metabolic rate and growth in the temperate bivalve Mercenaria mercenaria at a biogeographic limit, from the English Channel

Metabolism and growth rate of the hard clam, Mercenaria mercenaria, were investigated in a population invasive to Southampton Water, southern England. An individual metabolic model expressed as a function of soft tissue dry mass was fitted to data of 18 individuals (log (VO2) = −1.952 + 0.543 • log (DM); F1,16 = 201.18, P < 0.001, r2 = 0.926). A von Bertalanffy growth function was fitted to 227 size-at-age data pairs of 18 individuals (Ht = 80.13 • (1 − e−0.149 • (t−0.542)); r2 = 0.927). Individual age-specific somatic production was calculated, demonstrating increase with age to a maximum of 3.88 kJ y−1 at ten years old followed by decrease, and individual age-specific annual respiration was calculated, demonstrating asymptotic increase with age to 231.37 kJ y−1 at 30 years old. Results found here lie within the physiological tolerances reported across the biogeographical range, suggesting that the species' biogeographical limitation in the UK to Southampton Water results from ecological rather than physiological factors

Architecture Schools Should Be Dissolved!*

Architecture school shsould be dissolved unless they

Differences in ill health and in socioeconomic inequalities in health by ethnic groups: a cross-sectional study using 2011 Scottish Census

Objectives: We compare rates of ill health and socioeconomic inequalities in health by ethnic groups in Scotland by age. We focus on ethnic differences in socioeconomic inequalities in health. There is little evidence of how socioeconomic inequalities in health vary by ethnicity, especially in Scotland, where health inequalities are high compared to other European countries. Design: A cross-sectional study using the 2011 Scottish Census (population 5.3 million) was conducted. Directly standardized rates were calculated for two self-rated health outcomes (poor general health and limiting long-term illness) separately by ethnicity, age and small-area deprivation. Slope and relative indices of inequality were calculated to measure socioeconomic inequalities in health. Results: The results show that the White Scottish population tend to have worse health and higher socioeconomic inequalities in health than many other ethnic groups, while White Polish and Chinese people tend to have better health and low socioeconomic inequalities in health. These results are more salient for ages 30–44. The Pakistani population has high rates of poor health similar to the White Scottish for ages 15–44, but at ages 45 and above Pakistani people have the highest rates of poor self-rated health. Compared to other ethnicities, Pakistani people are also more likely to experience poor health in the least deprived areas, particularly at ages 45 and above. Conclusions: There are statistically significant and substantial differences in poor self-rated health and in socioeconomic inequalities in health between ethnicities. Rates of ill health vary between ethnic groups at any age. The better health of the younger minority population should not be taken as evidence of better health outcomes in later life. Since socioeconomic gradients in health vary by ethnicity, policy interventions for health improvement in Scotland that focus only on deprived areas may inadvertently exclude minority populations

Prediction of powder flow of pharmaceutical materials from physical particle properties using machine learning

Understanding powder flow and how it affects pharmaceutical manufacturing process performance remains a significant challenge for industry. This work aims to improve decision making for manufacturing route selection, achieving the key goal of digital design within Industry 4.0 of being able to better predict properties whilst minimizing the amount of material required and time to inform process selection during early-stage development. A Machine Learning model approach is proposed to predict the flow properties of new materials from their physical properties. The model’s implementation will enhance manufacturing quality by taking advantage of the data generated throughout the manufacturing process

Establishment of a continuous sonocrystallization process for lactose in an oscillatory baffled crystallizer

Crystallization at production scale (>10 kg) is typically a poorly understood unit operation with limited application of first-principles understanding of crystallization to routine design, optimization, and control. In this study, a systematic approach has been established to transfer an existing batch process enabling the implementation of a continuous process in an oscillatory baffled crystallizer (OBC) using ultrasound. Process analytical technology (PAT) was used to understand and monitor the process. Kinetic and thermodynamic parameters have been investigated for lactose sonocrystallization using focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM) (Mettler Toledo) and mid-infrared spectroscopy (mid-IR) (ABB) in a multiorifice batch oscillatory baffled crystallizer (Batch-OBC). This platform provides an ideal mimic of the mixing, hydrodynamics and operating conditions of the continuous oscillatory flow crystallizer (COBC) while requiring only limited material. Full characterization of the hydrodynamics of the COBC was carried out to identify conditions that deliver plug-flow behavior with residence times of 1–5 h. The results show that continuous crystallization offers significant advantages in terms of process outcomes and operability, including particle size distribution (mean particle size <1500 μm) of alpha lactose monohydrate (ALM), as well as reduced cycle time (4 h compared to the 13–20 h in a batch process). Continuous sonocrystallization was performed for the first time at a throughput of 356 g·h–1 for 12–16 h. During the run at near plug flow, with supersaturation and controlled nucleation using sonication, no issues with fouling or agglomeration were observed. This approach has demonstrated the capability to provide close control of particle attributes at an industrially relevant scale