A systematic review of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender health in the West Midlands region of the UK compared to published UK research

It is estimated that approximately 3-8% of the UK population identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans (LGBT). Until now, most health research on gay and bisexual men has been around HIV, AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases and for trans people has been on the transitioning process only. However, it has been apparent to the LGBT community that that there are a wide variety of other physical and mental health issues that are also important and that the proportion of gay and bisexual men who have HIV/AIDS is relatively small. Very little general LGBT health research has been published so far and there are very few health services that specifically address the general health concerns of the LGBT community. This systematic review presents all available research conducted in the West Midlands on LGBT health since 2000. Local health research is compared to UK national, peer reviewed and published LGBT health research in order to determine whether the local results are unusual compared to national LGBT data, and to routinely collected data on the UK population, where appropriate, in order to determine whether and where the LGBT population differ from the general population. Only UK research has been included because there was no previous UK specific systematic review so it was unclear how generalisable foreign research would be to the UK

Rotorcraft digital advanced avionics system (RODAAS) functional description

A functional design of a rotorcraft digital advanced avionics system (RODAAS) to transfer the technology developed for general aviation in the Demonstration Advanced Avionics System (DAAS) program to rotorcraft operation was undertaken. The objective was to develop an integrated avionics system design that enhances rotorcraft single pilot IFR operations without increasing the required pilot training/experience by exploiting advanced technology in computers, busing, displays and integrated systems design. A key element of the avionics system is the functionally distributed architecture that has the potential for high reliability with low weight, power and cost. A functional description of the RODAAS hardware and software functions is presented

A model balancing cooperation and competition explains our right-handed world and the dominance of left-handed athletes

An overwhelming majority of humans are right-handed. Numerous explanations for individual handedness have been proposed, but this population-level handedness remains puzzling. Here we use a minimal mathematical model to explain this population-level hand preference as an evolved balance between cooperative and competitive pressures in human evolutionary history. We use selection of elite athletes as a test-bed for our evolutionary model and account for the surprising distribution of handedness in many professional sports. Our model predicts strong lateralization in social species with limited combative interaction, and elucidates the rarity of compelling evidence for "pawedness" in the animal world.Comment: 5 pages of text and 3 figures in manuscript, 8 pages of text and two figures in supplementary materia

Cross-comparison of MRCGP & MRCP(UK) in a database linkage study of 2,284 candidates taking both examinations: assessment of validity and differential performance by ethnicity.

MRCGP and MRCP(UK) are the main entry qualifications for UK doctors entering general [family] practice or hospital [internal] medicine. The performance of MRCP(UK) candidates who subsequently take MRCGP allows validation of each assessment. In the UK, underperformance of ethnic minority doctors taking MRCGP has had a high political profile, with a Judicial Review in the High Court in April 2014 for alleged racial discrimination. Although the legal challenge was dismissed, substantial performance differences between white and BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) doctors undoubtedly exist. Understanding ethnic differences can be helped by comparing the performance of doctors who take both MRCGP and MRCP(UK)

Multilocus genetic models of handedness closely resemble single-locus models in explaining family data and are compatible with genome-wide association studies.

Right- and left-handedness run in families, show greater concordance in monozygotic than dizygotic twins, and are well described by single-locus Mendelian models. Here we summarize a large genome-wide association study (GWAS) that finds no significant associations with handedness and is consistent with a meta-analysis of GWASs. The GWAS had 99% power to detect a single locus using the conventional criterion of P < 5 × 10(-8) for the single locus models of McManus and Annett. The strong conclusion is that handedness is not controlled by a single genetic locus. A consideration of the genetic architecture of height, primary ciliary dyskinesia, and intelligence suggests that handedness inheritance can be explained by a multilocus variant of the McManus DC model, classical effects on family and twins being barely distinguishable from the single locus model. Based on the ENGAGE meta-analysis of GWASs, we estimate at least 40 loci are involved in determining handedness

Evaluation of an alternative transport initiative in Perth, Western Australia 2000-2004

Issue addressed: Perth Western Australia, has the highest proportion of per capita car ownership in Australia. Despite the various health, environmental and traffic-related benefits, the uptake of alternative forms of transportation such as walking, cycling and public transport are low.Methods: In response to a growing reliance on motorised transport, the Department for Planning and Infrastructure's (DPI's) Cycling Unit conducts an annual Bike to Work Breakfast to promote cycling as a viable form of transport to work. During this event a short cross sectional survey is distributed to assess the usual cycling behaviours of attendees. Topical issues relating to cycling are also investigated.Results: Results from the 2004 survey indicated that the majority of respondents cycled at least 2-3 times per week (85%) to improve fitness (88%), for enjoyment (70%) and because it was a cost effective means of transport (45%). Most of the respondents (92%) supported the need for more cycle friendly infrastructure such as advanced stop lines at intersections and safety measures such as wearing cycle helmets (85%). These findings were consistent with results from similar surveys conducted between 2000 and 2003.Conclusions: The DPI's Bike to Work Breakfast is a popular event within the cycling calendar that provides the opportunity to gain a snapshot of cycling behaviours and attitudes of cyclists. Prior consultation with the evaluators in the developed of the survey instrument has the potential to investigate barriers and enablers to cycling on a regular basis. Age and gender differences could also be explored

Shear-free, Irrotational, Geodesic, Anisotropic Fluid Cosmologies

General relativistic anisotropic fluid models whose fluid flow lines form a shear-free, irrotational, geodesic timelike congruence are examined. These models are of Petrov type D, and are assumed to have zero heat flux and an anisotropic stress tensor that possesses two distinct non-zero eigenvalues. Some general results concerning the form of the metric and the stress-tensor for these models are established. Furthermore, if the energy density and the isotropic pressure, as measured by a comoving observer, satisfy an equation of state of the form $p = p(\mu)$, with $\frac{dp}{d\mu} \neq -\frac{1}{3}$, then these spacetimes admit a foliation by spacelike hypersurfaces of constant Ricci scalar. In addition, models for which both the energy density and the anisotropic pressures only depend on time are investigated; both spatially homogeneous and spatially inhomogeneous models are found. A classification of these models is undertaken. Also, a particular class of anisotropic fluid models which are simple generalizations of the homogeneous isotropic cosmological models is studied.Comment: 13 pages LaTe

Mentoring Faculty and Bolstering Students’ Emotional and Cognitive Interest: The Impact of Perceived Homophily in the College Classroom

For this study, expectancy violations theory was used to explore the associations among instructors’ inappropriate conversations, perceived homophily (similarity), and college students’ emotional and cognitive interest. Results found that students’ perceptions of instructor perceived homophily moderated the relationships between students’ reports of instructors’ enactment of inappropriate conversations and students’ emotional and cognitive interest. These results offer further understanding of the ways in which inappropriate conversations and perceived homophily affect perceptual outcomes in the college classroom, which can inform college faculty, administrators, and mentors. Limitations and future research directions are discussed