Social value associated with marine and coastal protected area designations in England and Wales

There is a current environment of change and progress within marine protection, reflected internationally by examples such as the Convention of Biological Diversity and nationally by the Marine and Coastal Access Act, 2009. Despite the UK's government agenda in this area, and the draw of people to coastal areas generally, the larger UK public lacks understanding and awareness regarding the marine environment. Combined with these circumstances, the social value of Marine and Coastal Protected Areas (MCPAs) has been largely ignored relative to conservation and economics drivers, with the latter invariably taking precedence in environmental policy making. There is also a need for an appropriate framework or methodology with which to address the above in light of communicating, particularly the nontangible, social values of MCPAs to decision makers. This research investigates the social value of MCPAs in England and Wales through three data collection phases. These include a series of interviews to gain a perspective of social value from MCPA practitioners and the public. The emerging results are then examined in light of their operational value through in-depth case studies. The results led to the development of two assessment tools of social value which can accommodate both tangible and intangible values. The tools included a normative statement of examples demonstrating optimum social value, and a social value zoning tool that allows practitioners to 'map' the social value of their MCPA for evaluative purposes. The final research findings are represented by a conceptual model of social value within MCPAs. The assessment tools and model assist with the clarification of social value within MCPAs and can be used by decision makers to assess and communicate the social value of their site and influence management practice. This work demonstrates social value of MCPAs from several view pointsand develops tools which can be used by MCPA decision makers to evaluate, and further develop social value within these areas

Open Access Issues and Potential Solutions Workshop

This report provides a summary of the discussion and findings of the Open Access Issues and Potential Solutions workshop held as part of the End-to-End Project. The workshop was highly interactive and feedback received indicated it was extremely valuable, stimulating a useful exchange of ideas

Reframing urban and regional 'development' for 'left behind' places

The recent wave of populism has focused attention on ‘left behind’ places as hotspots of discontent. Seeking to remedy their neglect in urban and regional studies, the aim of this paper is to engage with the problems of ‘left behind’ places and to stimulate fresh thinking about alternative approaches. Reflecting the complex and inter-connected issues facing such places, it argues that a new conception is required to address issues of belonging and attachment. The paper outlines the basis of an expanded neo-endogenous development approach, identifying the foundational economy, income and livelihoods, social infrastructures and social innovation as key policy concerns

Assessing the mental health and wellbeing of the Emergency Responder community in the UK

Those working in emergency responder (ER) roles may be at an increased risk of adverse mental health and wellbeing outcomes. The ER group, sometimes referred to as ‘First Responders’, is a broad category that includes those in the traditional ‘blue light’ emergency services and in volunteer organisations, such as Search and Rescue and the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI). Regardless of the role type, the increased risk to mental health and wellbeing may be due to the nature of their work, which involves frequent exposure to potentially distressing situations, accident scenes, and threats to safety for themselves and others. These high stress activities may be compounded by intense workplace stressors, such as excessive workloads, staffing cuts, unpredictable work, inadequate support and increasing social accountability. Initial scoping work by Mind looked at wellbeing across ERs and reported a potential elevated risk of psychological issues compared to the general population, alongside a reluctance to seek support for their symptoms. However, there is a general dearth of research in this area. There is a lack of collated data concerning ERs mental health and wellbeing, and little is known about the nature and effectiveness of mental health and wellbeing support that is available to ERs and their families. This project addresses these concerns by identifying mental health and wellbeing research (completed and ongoing) across the emergency services, volunteer roles and their families, through a systematic review of UK, international and grey literature. In tandem, a comprehensive landscape review was conducted to assess the current mental health and wellbeing-related service provision and practice across the UK through stakeholder interviews and desktop-based research which investigated information available on the internet

Influence of Terminal Functionality on the Crystal Packing Behaviour and Cytotoxicity of Aromatic Oligoamides

YesThe synthesis and characterization of three aromatic oligoamides, constructed from the same pyridyl carboxamide core but incorporating distinct end groups of acetyl (Ac) 1, tert-butyloxycarbonyl (Boc) 2 and amine 3 is reported. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of 1-3 and a dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) solvate of 2 (2-DMSO), has identified the presence of a range of intra- and intermolecular interactions including N-H⋯N, N-H⋯O=C and N-H⋯O=S(CH3)2 hydrogen-bonding interactions, C-H⋯π interactions and off-set, face-to-face stacking π-π interactions that support the variety of slipped stack, herringbone and cofacial crystal packing arrangements observed in 1-3. Additionally, the cytotoxicity of this series of aromatic oligoamides was assessed against two human ovarian (A2780 and A2780cisR), two human breast (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) cancerous cell lines and one non-malignant human epithelial cell line (PNT-2), to investigate the influence of the terminal functionality of these aromatic oligoamides on their biological activity. The chemosensitivity results highlight that modification of the terminal group from Ac to Boc in 1 and 2 leads to a 3-fold increase in antiproliferative activity against the cisplatin-sensitive ovarian carcinoma cell line, A2780. The presence of the amine termini in 3 gave the only member of the series to display activity against the cisplatin-resistance ovarian carcinoma cell line, A2780cisR. Compound 2 is the lead candidate of this series, displaying high selectivity towards A2780 cancer cells when compared to non-malignant PNT-2 cells, with a selectivity index value >4.2. Importantly, this compound is more selective towards A2780 (cf. PNT-2) than the clinical platinum drugs oxaliplatin by > 2.6-fold and carboplatin by > 1.6-fold.University of Bradford Development Fund; University of Birmingham - Birmingham Fellowship; UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (MR/T041315/1); UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (MR/S035486/2

Accuracy of self-reported physical activity in patients with anorexia nervosa: links with clinical features

BackgroundHigh levels of physical activity (PA) have long been described in patients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN). Despite the importance of measuring PA in this population, there are two important factors that remain unknown. First, it is not clear how accurate self-report measures of PA are among patients. Second, little is known about how clinical characteristics are associated with the accuracy of self-reported PA. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the accuracy of self-reported PA compared to an objective measure of PA in patients with AN. It also investigated whether levels of accuracy/inaccuracy were associated with compulsive exercise, motivation to change, and psychological distress.MethodData were analysed from 34 adult outpatients with AN. Patients wore an accelerometer device (ActiGraph) for 4 days and completed a retrospective self-report measure of exercise (Exercise Participation Screening Questionnaire). They also completed measures of compulsive exercise (Compulsive Exercise Test), motivation to change (The Anorexia Nervosa Stages of Change Questionnaire), and psychological distress (Kessler-10).ResultsOn the self-report measure, patients accurately reported their time spent in moderate and vigorous intensity PA, however, they significantly under-reported their light physical activity (compared to the accelerometer data). Accurate reporting of total PA was positively associated with higher levels of compulsive exercise. There was evidence to suggest that clinical features, such as motivation to change and psychological distress, may be associated with inaccurate reporting at some levels of PA intensity and not others.ConclusionsResults indicate that patients with AN are likely to under-report their light intensity PA. We also found preliminary evidence for how compulsive exercise, motivation to change, and distress are associated with self-reported PA accuracy. Clinical implications and directions for future research are considered

The mental health and wellbeing of spouses, partners and children of emergency responders: A systematic review

Emergency responders (ERs), often termed First Responders, such as police, fire and paramedic roles are exposed to occupational stressors including high workload, and exposure to trauma from critical incidents, both of which can affect their mental health and wellbeing. Little is known about the impact of the ER occupation on the mental health and wellbeing of their families. The aim of the current study was to investigate what mental health and wellbeing outcomes and experiences have been researched internationally in ER families, and to examine the prevalence and associated risk and protective factors of these outcomes. We conducted a systematic review in accordance with an a priori PROSPERO approved protocol (PROSPERO 2019 CRD42019134974). Forty-three studies were identified for inclusion. The majority of studies used a quantitative, cross-sectional design and were conducted in the United States; just over half assessed police/law enforcement families. Themes of topics investigated included: 1) Spousal/partner mental health and wellbeing; 2) Couple relationships; 3) Child mental health and wellbeing; 4) Family support and coping strategies; and 5) Positive outcomes. The review identified limited evidence regarding the prevalence of mental health and wellbeing outcomes. Family experiences and risk factors described were ER work-stress spillover negatively impacting spousal/partner wellbeing, couple relationships, and domestic violence. Traumatic exposure risk factors included concerns family had for the safety of their ER partner, the negative impact of an ER partners’ mental health problem on the couples’ communication and on family mental health outcomes. Protective factors included social support; however, a lack of organisational support for families was reported in some studies. Study limitations and future research needs are discussed. Progressing this area of research is important to improve knowledge of baseline needs of ER families to be able to target interventions, improve public health, and support ER’s operational effectiveness