Closing the ‘security gap': Young people, ‘street life’ and knife crime

This thesis explores the social meanings applied to the carrying and use of knives as a weapon, by young people living in areas with high rates of knife crime and violence. The thesis situates data, generated through interviews and focus groups, within a theoretical framework based around the concept of ‘street life’, as a place in which young people, often in groups, draw on street codes as a response to the extant violence and a ‘security gap’ in their neighbourhoods. This ‘gap’ was experienced to a greater or lesser extent by most of the young people who took part in the research, and was bound up in ongoing ‘integrational difficulties’ experienced in adolescence, and exacerbated by experiences of deprivation and marginality. Some participants responded to violence by adhering to a street code that exposed them to violence, and, reproduced the violence they sought to confront. Non-offending young people were able to draw on a ‘civic code’ as a means of sustaining collective resilience. Social integration is shown to provide a crucial form of resilience for participants. In the absence of sources of collective resilience, the knife represented for many participants a proxy form of resilience. Participants were sometimes able to cultivate more effective forms of integration and social resilience as they disengaged with ‘street life’ and, as a consequence, the knife as a source of protection became increasingly redundant. In this sense, the thesis is about how young people create and sustain identities, integration and resilience in difficult circumstances, and the sometimes-misguided ways in which they seek to do this. Thus, the thesis adds novel empirical and conceptual findings to normative and subcultural understandings, not just of knife carrying but of gangs, and other collective responses to violence

Mobile Search and Advertising

Mobile advertising is a rapidly growing sector providing brands and marketing agencies the opportunity to connect with consumers beyond traditional and digital media and instead communicate directly on their mobile phones. Mobile advertising will be intrinsically linked with mobile search, which has transported from the internet to the mobile and is identified as an area of potential growth. The result of mobile searching show that as a general rule such search result exceed 160 characters; the dialog is required to deliver the relevant portion of a response to the mobile user. In this paper we focus initially on mobile search and mobile advert creation, and later the mechanism of interaction between the user’s request, the result of searching, advertising and dialog

Defined exposure of honey bee colonies to simulated radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF): Negative effects on the homing ability, but not on brood development or longevity

Urbanization and the increasing use of wireless technologies lead to higher emission rates of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) in populated areas. This anthropogenic electromagnetic radiation is a form of environmental pollution and a potential stressor on bees or other flying insects. Cities often have a high density of wireless devices operating on microwave frequencies, which generate electromagnetic frequencies e.g. in the 2.4 and 5.8 GHz bands commonly used by the wireless technologies. To date the effects of nonionizing electromagnetic radiation on the vitality and behavior of insects are poorly understood. In our experiment we used honey bees as model organisms and analyzed the effects of defined exposures to 2.4 and 5.8 GHz on brood development, longevity and homing ability under field conditions. To generate this radiation, we used a high-quality radiation source which generates a consistent, definable and realistic electromagnetic radiation, engineered for this experiment by the Communications Engineering Lab (CEL) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Our results show significant effects of long-term exposures on the homing ability of foraging honey bees, but no effects on brood development and adult worker longevity. Using this novel and high-quality technical set-up, this interdisciplinary work provides new data on the effects of these widely used frequencies on important fitness parameters of free-flying honey bees

Analysing the operative experience of basic surgical trainees in Ireland using a web-based logbook

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is concern about the adequacy of operative exposure in surgical training programmes, in the context of changing work practices. We aimed to quantify the operative exposure of all trainees on the National Basic Surgical Training (BST) programme in Ireland and compare the results with arbitrary training targets.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Retrospective analysis of data obtained from a web-based logbook (<url>http://www.elogbook.org</url>) for all general surgery and orthopaedic training posts between July 2007 and June 2009.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>104 trainees recorded 23,918 operations between two 6-month general surgery posts. The most common general surgery operation performed was simple skin excision with trainees performing an average of 19.7 (± 9.9) over the 2-year training programme. Trainees most frequently assisted with cholecystectomy with an average of 16.0 (± 11.0) per trainee. Comparison of trainee operative experience to arbitrary training targets found that 2-38% of trainees achieved the targets for 9 emergency index operations and 24-90% of trainees achieved the targets for 8 index elective operations. 72 trainees also completed a 6-month post in orthopaedics and recorded 7,551 operations. The most common orthopaedic operation that trainees performed was removal of metal, with an average of 2.90 (± 3.27) per trainee. The most common orthopaedic operation that trainees assisted with was total hip replacement, with an average of 10.46 (± 6.21) per trainee.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A centralised web-based logbook provides valuable data to analyse training programme performance. Analysis of logbooks raises concerns about operative experience at junior trainee level. The provision of adequate operative exposure for trainees should be a key performance indicator for training programmes.</p

Functional Skills in Prison (Randomised Controlled Trial) - A Pilot Study

his programme of work aims to improve understanding of ‘best’ practice in functional skills education in England and Wales. As part of this, we are also seeking to develop our understanding of how to deliver a randomised controlled trial that will test the efficacy of different modes of delivering functional skills. This report outlines the process of setting up and testing a protocol for a (pilot) randomised controlled trial in an English prison. Overall, the research team successfully developed and put into practice a rigorous protocol that could be transferred to a full-efficacy trial. However, the trial encountered problems with recruitment that were related to disruption in the prison and changes in the wider prison estate. As such, it is difficult to draw conclusions about whether an RCT works in prisons

A national study of autogenous arteriovenous access use and patency in a contemporary hemodialysis population

Objective: The predicted outcomes of autogenous arteriovenous (AV) hemodialysis access creation are predominantly based on historical data; however, both the hemodialysis population and clinical practices have changed significantly during the last decade. This study examined contemporary AV access clinical use and patencies. Methods: A multicenter observational cohort study was performed of all new AV accesses created in Scotland in 2015. The primary end point was efficacy assessed by successful AV access use for a minimum of 30 days and primary, primary assisted, and secondary patency at 1 year. Data obtained included all interventions to maintain or to restore patency. Predictors of patency loss including demographics, comorbid conditions, dialysis status, AV access location, duplex ultrasound surveillance, procedures, prior access, and antiplatelets were assessed. Kaplan-Meier and competing risks analyses were performed to estimate the probability of AV access failure. All patients were followed up for at least 1 year or had a censoring event. Results: A total of 582 AV accesses were created in 537 patients (mean age, 60 [standard deviation, 14] years; 60% men; 42% with diabetes) in nine adult renal centers. Mean follow-up was 11.8 (standard deviation, 7.6) months. By the end of the follow-up, 322 (55.3%) AV accesses were successfully used for dialysis. At 1 year, 48% (95% confidence interval [CI], 44-52) of AV accesses had primary patency, (95% CI, 63-71) had primary assisted patency, and 69% (95% CI, 65-73) had secondary patency. The leading cause of primary patency loss was primary failure (30%). An average of 0.48 intervention per patient-year was required to maintain patency. On multivariable analysis, patency was better for an upper arm than for a forearm AV access (1-year secondary patency of upper arm vs forearm AV accesses, 74% vs 58%). The cumulative hazard and incident functions for AV access failure were 31% (95% CI, 27-35) and 23% (95% CI, 20-27) at 1 year, respectively. Conclusions: Despite advances in recent years with preoperative vessel assessment and surveillance, patency rates have not improved, with primary failure remaining the major obstacle. Competing events should be taken into consideration; otherwise, biases may occur with overestimation of the probability of AV access failure

Evaluation of harassment of migrating double-crested cormorants to limit depredation on selected sport fisheries in Michigan

Diverse management techniques have been used to mitigate conflicts between humans and double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) including harassment methods supplemented by lethal take. In this study we evaluated impacts or programs to harass spring migrating cormorants on the walleye (Sander vitreus) fishery in Brevoort Lake and the yellow perch (Perca flavescens ) and walleye fisheries at Drummond Island. Cormorant foraging declined significantly (p \u3c 0.05) at both locations subsequent to initiation of harassment programs. Overall harassment deteired 90% of cormorant foraging attempts while taking less than 6% lethally on average at each site. Yellow perch were a predominate prey item in number and biomass at both locations. Walleye made up a small proportion of the diet at both locations. However, both walleye and yellow perch abundance increased significantly (p\u3c0.05) at Drummond Island. Walleye abundance at age 3 increased to record levels in 2008 following 3 years of cormorant management at Brevoort Lake. The estimated cormorant consumption of age 1 walleye in the absence of management at Brevoort Lake during 2005 would account for 55% of the record 2006 age 1 walleye population. These results support the hypothesis, that cormorant predation on spawning aggregations of sportfish was a significant mortality factor and cormorant management reduced sportfish mortality and increased abundance at both locations. Continuation of harassment programs and .fishery assessments will determine whether improvement of targeted sport fisheries through control of spring migrating cormorants is sustainable

A national appraisal of haemodialysis vascular access provision in Scotland

Purpose: Published registry data demonstrate longstanding variation in the utilisation of different vascular access (VA) modalities between Scottish renal units; this may reflect different clinical processes between centres. A comprehensive appraisal was undertaken to understand the processes underpinning VA creation and maintenance across Scotland. Methods: A mixed methods approach was utilised. Fifty-two semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients and clinicians in all ten, adult and paediatric, Scottish renal units. Interview transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis. Clinical activity data were prospectively collected for six weeks, and correlated with registry data. Results: VA accounts for a large clinical workload. There was significant inter-centre variation in the utilisation of different VA modalities, and patients described frustrating, dissatisfying experiences. VA creation and maintenance pathways functioned best when nephrologists, surgeons and radiologists were co-located on the same campus with close multi-disciplinary working, protected clinical time, and proactive VA maintenance. No unit routinely measured or discussed procedure outcomes or strategic aspects of their service. Conclusions: Varied clinical outcomes reflected varied clinical processes. Optimised clinical pathways, staff education and measurement of clinical outcomes may improve VA service quality and facilitate safer, more effective, patient-centred care

An analysis of minoritisation in domestic homicide reviews in England and Wales

This article considers how minoritisation features in Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) in England and Wales and identifies critical learning in relation to addressing minoritisation. Five themes were identified: i) the invisibility of race, culture and ethnicity; ii) perceptions and experiences of services; iii) use of stereotypes and the culturalisation of domestic violence and abuse (DVA); iv) lack of interpreters; and v) DHR recommendations. Our analysis illustrates that statutory sector services should strengthen their responses to Black and minoritised victims by ensuring proper recording of cultural background is used to inform practice; engage professionally trained interpreters with an awareness of DVA; resist framing DVA as endemic to minoritised cultures; and enhance trust and confidence in public services within minoritised communities. The best examples of DHRs challenged service narratives and usually sought expertise from a specialist Black/minoritised DVA service or community organisation (frequently minoritised women's rights organisations)