Comparing Antonovsky's sense of coherence scale across three UK post-industrial cities

Objectives: High levels of ‘excess’ mortality (ie, that seemingly not explained by deprivation) have been shown for Scotland compared to England and Wales and, especially, for its largest city, Glasgow, compared to the similarly deprived English cities of Liverpool and Manchester. It has been suggested that this excess may be related to differences in ‘Sense of Coherence’ (SoC) between the populations. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether levels of SoC differed between these cities and whether, therefore, this could be a plausible explanation for the ‘excess’. Setting: Three post-industrial UK cities: Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. Participants: A representative sample of more than 3700 adults (over 1200 in each city). Primary and secondary outcome measures: SoC was measured using Antonovsky's 13-item scale (SOC-13). Multivariate linear regression was used to compare SoC between the cities while controlling for characteristics (age, gender, SES etc) of the samples. Additional modelling explored whether differences in SoC moderated city differences in levels of self-assessed health (SAH). Results: SoC was higher, not lower, among the Glasgow sample. Fully adjusted mean SoC scores for residents of Liverpool and Manchester were, respectively, 5.1 (−5.1 (95% CI −6.0 to −4.1)) and 8.1 (−8.1 (−9.1 to −7.2)) lower than those in Glasgow. The additional modelling confirmed the relationship between SoC and SAH: a 1 unit increase in SoC predicted approximately 3% lower likelihood of reporting bad/very bad health (OR=0.97 (95% CI 0.96 to 0.98)): given the slightly worse SAH in Glasgow, this resulted in slightly lower odds of reporting bad/very bad health for the Liverpool and Manchester samples compared to Glasgow. Conclusions: The reasons for the high levels of ‘excess’ mortality seen in Scotland and particularly Glasgow remain unclear. However, on the basis of these analyses, it appears unlikely that a low SoC provides any explanation

Infrared interferometry to spatially and spectrally resolve jets in X-ray binaries

Infrared interferometry is a new frontier for precision ground based observing, with new instrumentation achieving milliarcsecond (mas) spatial resolutions for faint sources, along with astrometry on the order of 10 microarcseconds. This technique has already led to breakthroughs in the observations of the supermassive black hole at the Galactic centre and its orbiting stars, AGN, and exo-planets, and can be employed for studying X-ray binaries (XRBs), microquasars in particular. Beyond constraining the orbital parameters of the system using the centroid wobble and spatially resolving jet discrete ejections on mas scales, we also propose a novel method to discern between the various components contributing to the infrared bands: accretion disk, jets and companion star. We demonstrate that the GRAVITY instrument on the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) should be able to detect a centroid shift in a number of sources, opening a new avenue of exploration for the myriad of transients expected to be discovered in the coming decade of radio all-sky surveys. We also present the first proof-of-concept GRAVITY observation of a low-mass X-ray binary transient, MAXI J1820+070, to search for extended jets on mas scales. We place the tightest constraints yet via direct imaging on the size of the infrared emitting region of the compact jet in a hard state XRB.Comment: 12 Pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Sustainability, corporate community engagement and enterprise development: lessons from a case study in Emu-Ebendo Niger-Delta, Nigeria.

Corporate community engagement remains an under researched area in sustainability debates. Presenting a case study, based on in-depth interviews and site visits, of how one indigenous company Energia Ltd has formed a strong partnership or bond with the Emu-Ebendo community in the oil rich Niger Delta, the dynamics of corporate community engagement are critically discussed. Evidence of how both the company and community has benefited from this relationship is presented. The case analysis concludes that the company has effectively utilised a clearer understanding of the culture of the host community, leading to a transformational relationship. The approach adopted by Energia Ltd in the Emu-Ebendo community is unique in context. The key conclusion reached is that community benefit funds and community enterprise development, as a derivative of corporate engagement, can play a transformational role in societal and economic development

Placing the Foundational Economy: An emerging discourse for post-neoliberal economic development

Emerging in the mid-2010s, the Foundational Economy has been heralded as ‘a compelling counter-project against neoliberalism’ and ‘an alternative pathway … [for] progressive political renewal’. Grounded in a review of cross-disciplinary debates, this paper introduces the concept of the Foundational Economy and places it in relation to heterodox geographic theories of socio-economic development such as the ‘social economy’ and ‘diverse economies’ literature. Whilst there are clear overlaps, the concept of the Foundational Economy can be distinguished through its commitment to (a) a zonal perspective; (b) a focus on maximalist social innovations; and (c) the reconstitution of citizenship. In radical combination, it is argued that the lens of the Foundational Economy facilitates ‘a trenchant critique and denaturalization of current conditions, in tandem with creative explorations of the political economy of alternatives’. The paper concludes by reflecting on current oversights and future research trajectories for Foundational Economy research

Placing the Foundational Economy: An emerging discourse for post-neoliberal economic development

Emerging in the mid-2010s, the Foundational Economy has been heralded as ‘a compelling counter-project against neoliberalism’ and ‘an alternative pathway … [for] progressive political renewal’. Grounded in a review of cross-disciplinary debates, this paper introduces the concept of the Foundational Economy and places it in relation to heterodox geographic theories of socio-economic development such as the ‘social economy’ and ‘diverse economies’ literature. Whilst there are clear overlaps, the concept of the Foundational Economy can be distinguished through its commitment to (a) a zonal perspective; (b) a focus on maximalist social innovations; and (c) the reconstitution of citizenship. In radical combination, it is argued that the lens of the Foundational Economy facilitates ‘a trenchant critique and denaturalization of current conditions, in tandem with creative explorations of the political economy of alternatives’. The paper concludes by reflecting on current oversights and future research trajectories for Foundational Economy research

Transport, survival and modification of xenoliths and xenocrysts from source to surface

A wide variety of magmas entrain, transport and erupt mantle material in the form of xenoliths and xenocrysts. The host magmas are often low viscosity in nature and range from basalt to more esoteric compositions such as kimberlite, nephelinite and basanite. Here we focus on kimberlite magmas which are particularly successful at transporting deep mantle cargo to the surface, including economically important quantities of diamond. Collections of mantle-derived xenoliths and xenocrysts are critical to our understanding of the structure, stability, composition, thermal state, age, and origin of the lithosphere. However, they also inform on magma transport conditions. Through a series of scaled analogue experiments, we document the relative mechanical stability of olivine, garnet, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and diamond xenocrysts during magma ascent. Our experiments fluidized these mantle minerals at a constant gas flux for variable amounts of time approximating transport in a high velocity, turbulent, fluid-rich (supercritical fluid or gas, depending on depth) magma. The evolution of mineral surface features, morphology and grain size distributions is analyzed as a function of residence time. We show that on timescales consistent with magma ascent, each mantle mineral is subject to mechanical modification resulting in mass loss and reshaping (rounding) by grain size reduction and surface pitting. We further discuss the chemical consequences of producing fine particle chips that are highly susceptible to dissolution. Lastly, we utilize an empirical model that relates textural observations (e.g. impact pit size) on xenocrysts to differential particle velocities. Our approach applied to natural kimberlitic olivine and garnet xenocrysts indicates differential velocities of ∼4ms −1 – the first direct estimate for velocity in an ascending kimberlite magma

Research Report: North Wales Growth Deal

This report was produced in November 2022 as part of research undertaken by the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research and Data (WISERD) as part of its ESRC Centre research programme. Fifteen remote interviews were conducted in English or Welsh (depending on the participant’s choice) by three researchers (Dr Beel, Prof IR Jones, Dr Russell). A range of potential participants were identified in dialogue with Alwen Williams the Programme Director of the North Wales Growth Deal (NWGD), from which we sampled a cross-section of interviewees, supplemented by interviews with a small number of political leaders. Whilst the interviewees will remain anonymous, they included: lead officers for economy, regeneration and development, local authority chief executives, NWGD team members, chief executives/managing director of NWGD partners, and local authority leaders. The interviews were supplemented with a limited review of reports and minutes associated with the NWGD. The interview schedule had been co-developed with members of the NWGD team and were conducted with a semi-structured approach. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using qualitative data processing software (NVivo). Interview transcripts can be made available on request by interviewees. These interviews were conducted as part of a wider research project focused on the role of regional economic development policy in supporting the strengthening of the Foundational Economy. The research was given ethical approval by the Cardiff University School of Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee (Reference Number: SREC/4077

A tale of two cities: The impact of airline mergers and consolidation at London and New York

This paper considers the changes to airline networks, service patterns, and competition that have taken place as a result of recent airline mergers on both sides of the North Atlantic as well as through transatlantic alliances. Capacity, frequency and the competitive position are studied at London and New York with the use of schedule data within different markets in which measures of market concentration are evaluated. International Civil Aviation Organization data is employed to examine load factors on international routes, and UK Civil Aviation Authority data to consider the distribution of traffic between airports in London. It is shown that the effectiveness of the hubs has increased, with enhanced efficiency for surviving airlines, through fewer competitors, an enlarged network and greater control of capacity. Potential concerns are identified however, regarding passenger choice,pricing, and service options that suggest the industry is moving toward an oligopoly. Smaller cities are also seen to be the losers from consolidation with slot divestments favoring increased service in the dense markets, with many regional links being axed altogether. The paper supplements the literature on airline consolidation, with a particular focus on the two biggest markets in the world—London and New York—which demonstrate some similar but also some different issues. Both airline network impacts and choice, and service for local consumers are considered

Fecal Enterobacteriales enrichment is associated with increased in vivo intestinal permeability in humans

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has been linked with increased intestinal permeability, but the clinical significance of this phenomenon remains unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential link between glucose control, intestinal permeability, diet and intestinal microbiota in patients with T2D. Thirty‐two males with well‐controlled T2D and 30 age‐matched male controls without diabetes were enrolled in a case–control study. Metabolic parameters, inflammatory markers, endotoxemia, and intestinal microbiota in individuals subdivided into high (HP) and normal (LP) colonic permeability groups, were the main outcomes. In T2D, the HP group had significantly higher fasting glucose (P = 0.034) and plasma nonesterified fatty acid levels (P = 0.049) compared with the LP group. Increased colonic permeability was also linked with altered abundances of selected microbial taxa. The microbiota of both T2D and control HP groups was enriched with Enterobacteriales. In conclusion, high intestinal permeability was associated with poorer fasting glucose control in T2D patients and changes in some microbial taxa in both T2D patients and nondiabetic controls. Therefore, enrichment in the gram‐negative order Enterobacteriales may characterize impaired colonic permeability prior to/independently from a disruption in glucose tolerance