“Welcoming Spaces”:Migration and New Communities in Marginalised Regions

The presence of migration in non-urban areas is mainly related to the paradoxical coexistence of both restrictive migration policies and a proliferation of welcoming initiatives. These initiatives are aimed at (co-)creating “welcoming spaces” and are often driven by older residents and migrant people but can equally be the outcome of initiatives by local governments, NGOs, and businesses. This contribution introduces the potentialities and limits of these initiatives to create hybrid forms of hospitality and prospects to enhance local development. It opens with a reflection on the political relevance of welcoming spaces and their governance from an international and national perspective. Second, it reflects upon the social and narrative significance of welcoming and hospitality. Considering the intersections between the political and the discursive dimension of welcoming spaces, it closes with a recommendation to recognise the collective dimension of hospitality and to create the basis for re-imagining spaces of conviviality in non-urban areas to sustain fairer and more inclusive societies.</p

Couplers for linking environmental models: scoping study and potential next steps

This report scopes out what couplers there are available in the hydrology and atmospheric modelling fields. The work reported here examines both dynamic runtime and one way file based coupling. Based on a review of the peer-reviewed literature and other open sources, there are a plethora of coupling technologies and standards relating to file formats. The available approaches have been evaluated against criteria developed as part of the DREAM project. Based on these investigations, the following recommendations are made: • The most promising dynamic coupling technologies for use within BGS are OpenMI 2.0 and CSDMS (either 1.0 or 2.0) • Investigate the use of workflow engines: Trident and Pyxis, the latter as part of the TSB/AHRC project “Confluence” • There is a need to include database standards CSW and GDAL and use data formats from the climate community NetCDF and CF standards. • Development of a “standard” composition which will consist of two process models and a 3D geological model all linked to data stored in the BGS corporate database and flat file format. Web Feature Services should be included in these compositions. There is also a need to investigate other approaches in different disciplines: The Loss Modelling Framework, OASIS-LMF is the best candidate

Reconstruction of multi-decadal groundwater level time-series using a lumped conceptual model

Multi-decadal groundwater level records, which provide information about long-term variability and trends, are relatively rare. Whilst a number of studies have sought to reconstruct river flow records, there have been few attempts to reconstruct groundwater level time-series over a number of decades. Using long rainfall and temperature records, we developed and applied a methodology to do this using a lumped conceptual model. We applied the model to six sites in the UK, in four different aquifers: Chalk, limestone, sandstone and Greensand. Acceptable models of observed monthly groundwater levels were generated at four of the sites, with maximum Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency scores of between 0.84 and 0.93 over the calibration and evaluation periods, respectively. These four models were then used to reconstruct the monthly groundwater level time-series over approximately 60 years back to 1910. Uncertainty in the simulated levels associated with model parameters was assessed using the Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation method. Known historical droughts and wet period in the UK are clearly identifiable in the reconstructed levels, which were compared using the Standardized Groundwater Level Index. Such reconstructed records provide additional information with which to improve estimates of the frequency, severity and duration of groundwater level extremes and their spatial coherence, which for example is important for the assessment of the yield of boreholes during drought period

User's manual for BGS GISGroundwater: a numerical model to simulate groundwater levels for ArcGIS 10.0

This is a user manual of BGS GISGroundwater that produces the depth to groundwater beneath the land surface. BGS GISGroundwater uses standard GIS datasets as inputs and implements data preparation, numerical modelling, post-processing and the visualisation of the modelled results all within the GIS environment. It allows non-modellers, such as scientists and students, to easily and efficiently build up groundwater flow models in ArcMap using GIS layers. For example, only few hours are needed to construct a numerical regional groundwater flow model using it with great flexibility. Therefore it is useful for carrying out preliminary groundwater flow modelling or evaluating hydrogeological conceptual models, before carrying out detailed costly groundwater modelling using one of traditional groundwater flow models. This manual firstly introduces BGS GISGroundwater, and then explains its installation process and interface. The step-by-step tutorial materials are also provided to guide users to learn quickly how to use this tool

Integrated surface and groundwater modelling in the Thames Basin, UK using the Open Modelling Interface

The River Thames catchment is situated in the south-east of England. It covers approximately 16,000 km2 and is the most heavily populated river basin in the UK. It is also one of the driest and has experienced severe drought events in the recent past. With the onset of climate change and human exploitation of our environment, there are now serious concerns over the sustainability of water resources in this basin with 6 million m3 consumed every day for public water supply alone. Groundwater in the Thames basin is extremely important, providing 40% of water for public supply. The principal aquifer is the Chalk, a dual permeability limestone, which has been extensively studied to understand its hydraulic properties. The fractured Jurassic limestone in the upper catchment also forms an important aquifer, supporting baseflow downstream during periods of drought. These aquifers are unconnected other than through the River Thames and its tributaries, which provide two-thirds of London’s drinking water. Therefore, to manage these water resources sustainably and to make robust projections into the future, surface and groundwater processes must be considered in combination. This necessitates the simulation of the feedbacks and complex interactions between different parts of the water cycle, and the development of integrated environmental models. The Open Modelling Interface (OpenMI) standard provides a method through which environmental models of varying complexity and structure can be linked, allowing them to run simultaneously and exchange data at each timestep. This architecture has allowed us to represent the surface and subsurface flow processes within the Thames basin at an appropriate level of complexity based on our understanding of particular hydrological processes and features. We have developed a hydrological model in OpenMI which integrates a process-driven, gridded finite difference groundwater model of the Chalk with a more simplistic, semi-distributed conceptual model of the Jurassic limestone. A distributed river routing model of the Thames has also been integrated to connect the surface and subsurface hydrological processes. This application demonstrates the potential benefits and issues associated with implementing this approach

The association between the insertion/deletion polymorphism of the angiotensin converting enzyme gene and hypertension, as well as environmental, biochemical and anthropometric factors

Background. Arterial hypertension is caused by environmental factors and genetic predisposition. Objective. The aim of this study was to assess the association between the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene variants and environmental factors, biochemical and anthropometric parameters and the incidence of hypertension. Material and methods. A total of 73 patients, aged 24 to 68, with Body Mass Index (BMI) above 25 kg/m2 took part in this study. Nutrient intake was assessed with a diet based on consumption records. The ACE gene insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism was determined by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Results. Normal pressure predominated in persons with genotype II (59.1%), whereas hypertension in persons with genotype ID (55.2%). The frequency of the D allele was 5% higher in the hypertensive group (53% vs. 48%), but this difference was not statistically significant. The percentage of patients who consumed alcohol and smoked cigarettes in the D allele group was higher than in the I allele group. People with the D allele had lower vitamin D intake and higher copper intake than carriers of the allele I. The highest vitamin D intake was found in people with genotype II, and the differences were significant compared to patients with ID genotype. People with the D allele consumed more carbohydrates and less protein than those with the I allele, but these differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions. Hypertensive subjects were more frequent DD and ID genotypes, whereas normotensive subjects - the II genotype. People with the D allele had lower vitamin D and protein intake, while the carbohydrate and copper intake was higher than those with the I allele. The group with the D allele had a higher percentage of smokers and alcohol drinkers. Our studies have shown a relationship between environmental and genetic factors and hypertension, but more research is needed.Wprowadzenie. Nadciśnienie tętnicze jest spowodowane przez czynniki środowiskowe i predyspozycje genetyczne. Cel. Celem badań była ocena związku pomiędzy wariantami genu ACE oraz czynnikami środowiskowymi, biochemicznymi i antropometrycznymi a występowaniem nadciśnienia. Materiał i metody. W badaniu wzięło udział 73 pacjentów, w wieku od 24 do 68 lat, z BMI >25kg/m2. Spożycie składników pokarmowych z dietą oceniano na podstawie zapisów spożycia. Polimorfizm I/D genu ACE określono metodą PCR. Wyniki. Prawidłowe ciśnienie dominowało u osób z genotypem II (59,1%), natomiast nadciśnienie u osób z genotypem ID (55,2%). Częstotliwość allelu D była większa o 5% w grupie z nadciśnieniem (53% vs. 48%), jednak różnica ta nie była statystycznie istotna. Odsetek pacjentów, którzy spożywali alkohol i palili papierosy w grupie z allelem D był wyższy niż w grupie z allelem I. Osoby z allelem D charakteryzowały się niższym spożyciem witaminy D i wyższym spożyciem miedzi niż nosiciele allelu I. Największe spożycie witaminy D stwierdzono u osób z genotypem II, a różnice były znaczące w stosunku do pacjentów z genotypem ID. Ludzie z allelem D spożywali więcej węglowodanów i mniej białka niż osoby z allelem I, ale różnice te nie były istotne statystycznie. Wnioski. U osób z nadciśnieniem tętniczym częściej występowały genotypy DD oraz ID, podczas gdy wśród osób z prawidłowym nadciśnieniem – genotyp II. U osób z allelem D było niższe spożycie witaminy D i białka, natomiast większe było spożycie węglowodanów i miedzi niż u osób z allelem I. W grupie z allelem D stwierdzono większy odsetek osób palących papierosy i pijących alkohol. Nasze badania wykazały związek pomiędzy czynnikami środowiskowymi i genetycznymi oraz nadciśnieniem, ale niezbędne są dalsze analizy w tym obszarze

CETP gene TaqIB polymorphism and plasma lipids in patients with overweight and obesity

Wprowadzenie. Obecnie prowadzone badania wskazują na wzrost zgonów u osób z niskim stężeniem cholesterolu w surowicy, które spowodowane jest zmniejszaniem frakcji lipoprotein o wysokiej gęstości (HDL-C) i lipoprotein o niskiej gęstości (LDL-C). Cel. Celem pracy była ocena związku pomiędzy polimorfizmem TaqIB genu CETP, a stężeniami wybranych parametrów gospodarki lipidowej u pacjentów z nadwagą i otyłością. Materiał i metoda. Badaniami objęto 73 osoby w wieku 24-68 lat. Otyłość androidalną stwierdzono u 90,4% kobiet, w tym u 66,7% ze stężeniem HDL-C powyżej 50 mg/dL. Wyniki. Najwięcej z otyłością brzuszną było heterozygot B1B2 (38,1%). Otyłość brzuszna występowała u 48,4% mężczyzn, w tym u 25,8% heterozygot B1B2 oraz u 67,7% z HDL>40mg/dl. Stwierdzono, większe nieistotne statystycznie stężenie TG, TC, LDL-C, procentowej zawartości masy tkanki tłuszczowej (%FM) u pacjentów z genotypem B2B2 w porównaniu do osób z genotypem B1B1 i B1B2. U kobiet wyższe stężenie TC, LDL-C oraz HDL-C stwierdzono w przypadku obecności genotypu B1B2, natomiast większe stężenie wszystkich badanych frakcji lipidowych wykazali mężczyźni z genotypem B2B2, u których stwierdzono także największą zawartość %FM. Wnioski. Uzyskane wyniki wskazują, że u otyłych mężczyzn polimorfizm TagIB może być niezależnym czynnikiem wpływającym na stężenie HDL-cholesterolu.Background. Ongoing research shows an increase in mortality in patients with low levels of serum cholesterol, which is caused by decreasing the fraction of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C). Objective. The aim of our study was to assess the relationship between the CETP gene TaqI polymorphism and concentrations of selected parameters of lipid metabolism in patients with overweight and obesity. Materials and method. The study involved 73 people aged 24-68 years. Android obesity was found in 90.4% of women, including 66.7% in the HDL-C levels above 50 mg / dL. Results. Most of abdominal obesity was the B1B2 heterozygotes (38.1%). Abdominal obesity was present in 48.4% of men, including 25.8% in B1B2 heterozygotes and in 67.7% of HDL> 40mg/dl. It was found statistically insignificant higher levels of TG, TC, LDL-C, the percentage of fat mass (% FM)in patients with genotype B2B2 compared to those with genotype B1B1 and B1B2. In women, higher levels of TC, LDL-C and HDL-C were found in the presence of B1B2 genotype, whereas a higher concentration of all lipid fractions studied showed the men with the B2B2 genotype, who also had the highest % FM. Conclusions. The results indicate that in obese men TagIB polymorphism may be an independent factor influencing HDLcholesterol