Potential influences on suicide prevalence in comparisons of UK post-industrial cities

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Destination image in travel magazines: A textual and pictorial analysis of Hong Kong and Macau

Based on the analyses of texts and pictures in the top six outbound travel magazines in Mainland China, this article presents an evaluation of the destination images of Hong Kong and Macau as portrayed in 88 travel articles over a three-year period. The results showed that the projected destination images of Hong Kong and Macau were dominated by attributes related to culture, history, and art and leisure and recreation. Hong Kong was often described by image attributes such as places and attractions, shopping, cuisine and food, hotels, and the creative industries. For Macau, history and heritage, places and attractions, gambling, cuisine and food, and hotels were the most often reported. During the study period, Hong Kong and Macau witnessed several significant changes in the image attributes featured in both texts and pictures. These changes were partly influenced by news and events over the period. In this article, implications for destination marketing organizations and directions for future research were suggested

Mortality differences and inequalities within and between 'protected characteristics' groups, in a Scottish Cohort 1991-2009

Background: Little is known about the interaction between socio-economic status and 'protected characteristics' in Scotland. This study aimed to examine whether differences in mortality were moderated by interactions with social class or deprivation. The practical value was to pinpoint population groups for priority action on health inequality reduction and health improvement rather than a sole focus on the most deprived socioeconomic groups. Methods: We used data from the Scottish Longitudinal Study which captures a 5.3 % sample of Scotland and links the censuses of 1991, 2001 and 2011. Hazard ratios for mortality were estimated for those protected characteristics with sufficient deaths using Cox proportional hazards models and through the calculation of European age-standardised mortality rates. Inequality was measured by calculating the Relative Index of Inequality (RII). Results: The Asian population had a polarised distribution across deprivation deciles and was more likely to be in social class I and II. Those reporting disablement were more likely to live in deprived areas, as were those raised Roman Catholic, whilst those raised as Church of Scotland or as 'other Christian' were less likely to. Those aged 35-54 years were the least likely to live in deprived areas and were most likely to be in social class I and II. Males had higher mortality than females, and disabled people had higher mortality than non-disabled people, across all deprivation deciles and social classes. Asian males and females had generally lower mortality hazards than majority ethnic ('White') males and females although the estimates for Asian males and females were imprecise in some social classes and deprivation deciles. Males and females who reported their raised religion as Roman Catholic or reported 'No religion' had generally higher mortality than other groups, although the estimates for 'Other religion' and 'Other Christian' were less precise. Using both the area deprivation and social class distributions for the whole population, relative mortality inequalities were usually greater amongst those who did not report being disabled, Asians and females aged 35-44 years, males by age, and people aged <75 years. The RIIs for the raised religious groups were generally similar or too imprecise to comment on differences. Conclusions: Mortality in Scotland is higher in the majority population, disabled people, males, those reporting being raised as Roman Catholics or with 'no religion' and lower in Asians, females and other religious groups. Relative inequalities in mortality were lower in disabled than nondisabled people, the majority population, females, and greatest in young adults. From the perspective of intersectionality theory, our results clearly demonstrate the importance of representing multiple identities in research on health inequalities.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Explaining trends in alcohol-related harms in Scotland 1991–2011 (II): policy, social norms, the alcohol market, clinical changes and a synthesis

Objective: To provide a basis for evaluating post-2007 alcohol policy in Scotland, this paper tests the extent to which pre-2007 policy, the alcohol market, culture or clinical changes might explain differences in the magnitude and trends in alcohol-related mortality outcomes in Scotland compared to England &#38; Wales (E&#38;W). Study design: Rapid literature reviews, descriptive analysis of routine data and narrative synthesis. Methods: We assessed the impact of pre-2007 Scottish policy and policy in the comparison areas in relation to the literature on effective alcohol policy. Rapid literature reviews were conducted to assess cultural changes and the potential role of substitution effects between alcohol and illicit drugs. The availability of alcohol was assessed by examining the trends in the number of alcohol outlets over time. The impact of clinical changes was assessed in consultation with key informants. The impact of all the identified factors were then summarised and synthesised narratively. Results: The companion paper showed that part of the rise and fall in alcohol-related mortality in Scotland, and part of the differing trend to E&#38;W, were predicted by a model linking income trends and alcohol-related mortality. Lagged effects from historical deindustrialisation and socio-economic changes exposures also remain plausible from the available data. This paper shows that policy differences or changes prior to 2007 are unlikely to have been important in explaining the trends. There is some evidence that aspects of alcohol culture in Scotland may be different (more concentrated and home drinking) but it seems unlikely that this has been an important driver of the trends or the differences with E&#38;W other than through interaction with changing incomes and lagged socio-economic effects. Substitution effects with illicit drugs and clinical changes are unlikely to have substantially changed alcohol-related harms: however, the increase in alcohol availability across the UK is likely to partly explain the rise in alcohol-related mortality during the 1990s. Conclusions: Future policy should ensure that alcohol affordability and availability, as well as socio-economic inequality, are reduced, in order to maintain downward trends in alcohol-related mortality in Scotland

How well do area-based deprivation indices identify income- and employment-deprived individuals across Great Britain today?

Background Area-based deprivation indices are used in many countries to target interventions and policies to populations with the greatest needs. Analyses of the Carstairs deprivation index applied to postcode sectors in 2001 identified that less than half of all deprived individuals lived in the most deprived areas. Objective This article examines the specificity and sensitivity of deprivation indices across Great Britain in identifying individuals claiming income- and employment-related social security benefits. Study design: This was a descriptive analysis of cross-sectional administrative data. Methods: The data sets for the 2020 Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, Scottish Income and Employment Index, the 2019 English Index of Multiple Deprivation and the 2019 Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation were obtained. For each data set, small areas were ranked by increasing overall deprivation, and the cumulative proportions of individuals who were income and employment deprived were calculated. Receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted to show the sensitivity and specificity of each index, and the percentages of income- and employment-deprived individuals captured at different overall deprivation thresholds were calculated. Results: Across all indices, the sensitivity and specificity for detecting income- and employment-deprived individuals were low, with less than half living in the most deprived 20% of areas. Between 55% and 62% of income-deprived people and between 56% and 63% of employment-deprived people were missed across the indices at the 20% deprivation threshold. The sensitivity and specificity were slightly higher for income deprivation than employment deprivation across indices and slightly higher for the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation and Scottish Income and Employment Index than for the English Index of Multiple Deprivation and Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation. Conclusion: Area-based deprivation measures in Great Britain have limited sensitivity and specificity for identifying individuals who are income or employment deprived. Place-based policies and interventions are unlikely to be effective at reducing inequalities as a result. Creation of individually linked data sets and interventions that recognise the social and economic relationships between social groups are likely to be more effective

Winter Grazing and Feeding Systems in Western Canada

Beef cow calf producers in Western Canada are looking for methods of extending the grazing season into the winter in order to lower winter feed costs. Dry beef cows were early or late weaned and grazed during the early months of winter on late seeded barley swaths (Hardlum vulgare L.) and compared to cows fed barley silage and free choice barley straw in a feeding yard. The swath grazed barley was late seeded in June and swathed in the silage stage in mid September. Cows successfully swath grazed for three winters from mid November until mid to late February with no major differences in animal performance The swath grazing system has less labour, less stored feeding and handling costs and less manure hauling costs than cows wintered on stored feeds in a feeding yard

Investigating nano-precipitation in a V-containing HSLA steel using small angle neutron scattering

Interphase precipitation (IPP) of nanoscale carbides in a vanadium-containing high-strength low-alloy steel has been investigated. Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to characterize the precipitates and their size distributions in Fe-0.047C-0.2V-1.6Mn (in wt.%) alloy samples which had been austenitized, isothermally transformed at 700 °C for between 3 and 600 min and water quenched. TEM confirms that, following heat treatment, rows of vanadium-containing nanoscale interphase precipitates were present. Model-independent analysis of the nuclear SANS signal and model fitting calculations, using oblate spheroid and disc-shapes, were performed. The major axis diameter increased from 18 nm after 3 min to 35 nm after 600 min. Precipitate volume percent increased from 0.09 to 0.22 vol% over the same period and number density fell from 2 × 1021 to 5 × 1020 m−3. A limited number of measurements of precipitate maximum diameters from TEM images showed the mean value increased from 8 nm after 5 min to 28 nm after 600 min which is in reasonable agreement with the SANS data

Coupled Numerical Analysis of Variations in the Capacity of Driven Energy Piles in Clay

Energy piles are an emerging alternative for the reduction of energy consumption to heat and cool buildings. Most of the research to date has focused on thermodynamic properties or axial and radial stress and strain of piles. This paper focuses on the effects of temperature fluctuation on the capacity of driven energy piles in clayey soils. Consolidation of clay surrounding driven piles affects the pile capacity (i.e., set up in clay). The heating and cooling periods of energy piles can create the excess pore-water pressure (EPWP, ue) or relax the existing one (e.g., due to pile driving or previous thermal loads) in clayey soils (due to the contraction and expansion of water) affecting the pile capacity. In the meantime, the thermal expansion and contraction of the pile also generate or relax the EPWP in the soil, which can be computed using the cavity-expansion theory. This paper studies the resulting changes in the pile capacity due to the daily and seasonal thermal cycles. The results show that thermal cycles in an energy pile can cause a decrease in the pile capacity leading to a delay in reaching the capacity after a complete clay set up

A systematic review of studies reporting on neuropsychological and functional domains used for assessment of recovery from delirium in acute hospital patients

Objectives: Assessing for recovery in delirium is essential in guiding ongoing investigation and treatment. Yet, there is little scrutiny and no research or clinical consensus on how recovery should be measured. We reviewed studies which used tests of neuropsychological domains and functional ability to track recovery of delirium longitudinally in acute hospital settings. / Methods/Design: We systematically searched databases (MEDLINE, PsycInfo, CINAHL, Embase, ClinicalTrials.gov, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials), from inception to October 14th, 2022. Inclusion criteria were: adult acute hospital patients (≥18 years) diagnosed with delirium by a validated tool; 1+ repeat assessment using an assessment tool measuring domains of delirium/functional recovery ≤7 days from baseline. Two reviewers independently screened articles, performed data extraction, and assessed risk of bias. A narrative data synthesis was completed. / Results: From 6533 screened citations, we included 39 papers (reporting 32 studies), with 2370 participants with delirium. Studies reported 21 tools with an average of four repeat assessments including baseline (range 2–10 assessments within ≤7 days), measuring 15 specific domains. General cognition, functional ability, arousal, attention and psychotic features were most commonly assessed for longitudinal change. Risk of bias was moderate to high for most studies. / Conclusions: There was no standard approach for tracking change in specific domains of delirium. The methodological heterogeneity of studies was too high to draw firm conclusions on the effectiveness of assessment tools to measure delirium recovery. This highlights the need for standardised methods for assessing recovery from delirium