Employment mobility in high-technology agglomerations: the cases of Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire

This paper examines labour market behaviour of the highly skilled in high-tech local economies, taking the UK examples of Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire as case studies. It reports on data from a survey of members of three scientific institutes to compare rates of employee mobility in the two locations and considers the likely explanations and implications of those patterns

Bonseyes AI Pipeline -- bringing AI to you. End-to-end integration of data, algorithms and deployment tools

Next generation of embedded Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems are collaborative systems able to perform autonomous tasks. The remarkable expansion of the embedded ICT market, together with the rise and breakthroughs of Artificial Intelligence (AI), have put the focus on the Edge as it stands as one of the keys for the next technological revolution: the seamless integration of AI in our daily life. However, training and deployment of custom AI solutions on embedded devices require a fine-grained integration of data, algorithms, and tools to achieve high accuracy. Such integration requires a high level of expertise that becomes a real bottleneck for small and medium enterprises wanting to deploy AI solutions on the Edge which, ultimately, slows down the adoption of AI on daily-life applications. In this work, we present a modular AI pipeline as an integrating framework to bring data, algorithms, and deployment tools together. By removing the integration barriers and lowering the required expertise, we can interconnect the different stages of tools and provide a modular end-to-end development of AI products for embedded devices. Our AI pipeline consists of four modular main steps: i) data ingestion, ii) model training, iii) deployment optimization and, iv) the IoT hub integration. To show the effectiveness of our pipeline, we provide examples of different AI applications during each of the steps. Besides, we integrate our deployment framework, LPDNN, into the AI pipeline and present its lightweight architecture and deployment capabilities for embedded devices. Finally, we demonstrate the results of the AI pipeline by showing the deployment of several AI applications such as keyword spotting, image classification and object detection on a set of well-known embedded platforms, where LPDNN consistently outperforms all other popular deployment frameworks

Accounting for Changes in Income Inequality: Decomposition Analyses for the UK, 1978-2008

We analyse income inequality in the UK from 1978 to 2009 in order to understand why income inequality rose very rapidly from 1978 to 1991 but then remained broadly unchanged. We find that inequality in earnings among employees has risen fairly steadily since 1978, but other factors that caused income inequality to rise before 1991 have since gone into reverse. Inequality in investment and pension income has fallen since 1991, as has inequality between those with and without employment. Furthermore, certain household types – notably the elderly and those with young children – which had relatively low incomes in the period to 1991 have seen their incomes converge with others

Teenage social behaviour and emotional well‐being : the role of gender and socio‐economic factors

his article draws on the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) to examine parent ratings of social, emotional and behavioural difficulties and prosocial behaviour in pre‐ and mid‐adolescents. A series of mixed‐design ANOVAs yielded interesting results. Parent ratings of emotional difficulties in girls increased as they moved from pre‐ to mid‐adolescence whereas for boys the reverse was found. Peer problems were found to be on the rise, whereas prosocial skills decreased for 14‐year‐olds. Most importantly, significant associations were found between socio‐economic measures (that is, family income and parent education) and ratings across the domains of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, highlighting the socio‐economic specificity of behaviour and well‐being in adolescents. These findings have significant implications for understanding trends in young people's social behaviour and emotional well‐being from pre‐ to mid‐adolescence within their socio‐economic context

The UK’s Levy Control Framework for renewable electricity support: effects and significance

There is a long-standing debate over price vs. quantity approaches to supporting the deployment of renewable electricity technologies. In the context of a a recent shift from quantity to price-based support, the UK has also introduced a new form of budgetary framework, the Levy Control Framework (LCF). The introduction of the LCF has been very important for investors but has received relatively little attention in the academic literature. The paper gives an overview of the LCF, explores its effects on renewables policy, on consumers and on investor confidence arguing that an unintended consequence of its introduction has been to increase uncertainty, through interactions with underlying support mechanisms. A number of problems with the current scope and design of the LCF are noted. It is argued that the LCF is best understood as aimed at avoiding a political backlash against renewable support policy in a context where the benefits of such policy are concentrated economically and socially. The paper concludes by placing the LCF within a wider context of a shift towards greater budgetary control over renewable energy support policy across European countries

The relationship of body mass index to diabetes mellitus, hypertension and dyslipidaemia: comparison of data from two national surveys

The objectives of this study were to explore the relation between body mass index (BMI) and prevalence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension and dyslipidaemia; examine BMI distributions among patients with these conditions; and compare results from two national surveys. The Study to Help Improve Early evaluation and management of risk factors Leading to Diabetes (SHIELD) 2004 screening questionnaire (mailed survey) and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) 1999–2002 (interview, clinical and laboratory data) were conducted in nationally representative samples ≥ 18 years old. Responses were received from 127,420 of 200,000 households (64%, representing 211,097 adults) for SHIELD, and 4257 participants for NHANES. Prevalence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension and dyslipidaemia was estimated within BMI categories, as was distribution of BMI levels among individuals with these diseases. Mean BMI was 27.8 kg/m2 for SHIELD and 27.9 kg/m2 for NHANES. Increased BMI was associated with increased prevalence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension and dyslipidaemia in both studies (p < 0.001). For each condition, more than 75% of patients had BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. Estimated prevalence of diabetes mellitus and hypertension was similar in both studies, while dyslipidaemia was substantially higher in NHANES than SHIELD. In both studies, prevalence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension and dyslipidaemia occurred across all ranges of BMI, but increased with higher BMI. However, not all overweight or obese patients had these metabolic diseases and not all with these conditions were overweight or obese. Except for dyslipidaemia prevalence, SHIELD was comparable with NHANES. Consumer panel surveys may be an alternative method to collect data on the relationship of BMI and metabolic diseases

Is the physical functioning of older adults with diabetes associated with the processes and outcomes of care? Evidence from Translating Research Into Action for Diabetes (TRIAD)

Aims  To examine the relationship between physical function limitations and diabetes self‐management, processes of care and intermediate outcomes in adults ≥ 65 years of age with Type 2 diabetes. Methods  We studied 1796 participants 65 years of age and older in managed care health plans enrolled in Translating Research into Action for Diabetes (TRIAD). Physical functioning was assessed at baseline with the Physical Component Summary of the Short Form‐12 Health Survey. Diabetes self‐management was assessed with follow‐up surveys, and processes of care (eye examinations, urine microalbumin testing, foot examinations, etc.) and intermediate health outcomes (HbA 1c , blood pressure, LDL cholesterol) were assessed with medical chart reviews. Multivariate regression models were constructed to examine the associations between physical function limitations and outcomes. Results  Frequency of eye examinations (odds ratio 0.69, 95% CI 0.49–0.99) was the only process of care that was worse for participants with physical function limitations ( n  = 573) compared with those without limitations ( n  = 618). Neither self‐management nor intermediate outcomes differed by whether patients had or did not have physical function limitations. Conclusion  Limitations in physical functioning as assessed by the Short Form‐12 were not associated with substantial difference in diabetes care in adults ≥ 65 years of age enrolled in managed care health plans.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/93563/1/j.1464-5491.2012.03584.x.pd

ADAPTATIONS OF INDIGENOUS BACTERIA TO FUEL CONTAMINATION IN KARST AQUIFERS IN SOUTH-CENTRAL KENTUCKY

Abstract: The karst aquifer systems in southern Kentucky can be dynamic and quick to change. Microorganisms that live in these unpredictable aquifers are constantly faced with environmental changes. Their survival depends upon adaptations to changes in water chemistry, taking advantage of positive stimuli and avoiding negative environmental conditions. The U.S. Geological Survey conducted a study in 2001 to determine the capability of bacteria to adapt in two distinct regions of water quality in a karst aquifer, an area of clean, oxygenated groundwater and an area where the groundwater was oxygen depleted and contaminated by jet fuel. Water samples containing bacteria were collected from one clean well and two jet fuel contaminated wells in a conduit-dominated karst aquifer. Bacterial concentrations, enumerated through direct count, ranged from 500,000 to 2.7 million bacteria per mL in the clean portion of the aquifer, and 200,000 to 3.2 million bacteria per mL in the contaminated portion of the aquifer over a twelve month period. Bacteria from the clean well ranged in size from 0.2 to 2.5 mm, whereas bacteria from one fuel-contaminated well were generally larger, ranging in size from 0.2 to 3.9 mm. Also, bacteria collected from the clean well had a higher density and, consequently, were more inclined to sink than bacteria collected from contaminated wells. Bacteria collected from the clean portion of the karst aquifer were predominantly (,95%) Gram-negative and more likely to have flagella present than bacteria collected from the contaminated wells, which included a substantial fraction (,30%) of Gram-positive varieties. The ability of the bacteria from the clean portion of the karst aquifer to biodegrade benzene and toluene was studied under aerobic and anaerobic conditions in laboratory microcosms. The rate of fuel biodegradation in laboratory studies was approximately 50 times faster under aerobic conditions as compared to anaerobic, sulfur-reducing conditions. The optimum pH for fuel biodegradation ranged from 6 to 7. These findings suggest that bacteria have adapted to water-saturated karst systems with a variety of active and passive transport mechanisms

Cohort profile: The Cohorts Consortium of Latin America and the Caribbean (CC-LAC)

Why was the cohort set up? Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are characterized by much diversity in terms of socio-economic status, ecology, environment, access to health care,1,2 as well as the frequency of risk factors for and prevalence or incidence of non-communicable diseases;3–7 importantly, these differences are observed both between and within countries in LAC.8,9 LAC countries share a large burden of non-communicable (e.g. diabetes and hypertension) and cardiovascular (e.g. ischaemic heart disease) diseases, with these conditions standing as the leading causes of morbidity, disability and mortality in most of LAC.10–12 These epidemiological estimates—e.g. morbidity—cannot inform about risk factors or risk prediction, which are relevant to identify prevention avenues. Cohort studies, on the other hand, could provide this evidence. Pooled analysis, using data from multiple cohort studies, have additional strengths such as increased statistical power and decreased statistical uncertainty.13 LAC cohort studies have been under-represented,14 or not included at all,15–17 in international efforts aimed at pooling data from multiple cohort studies. We therefore set out to pool data from LAC cohorts to address research questions that individual cohort studies would not be able to answer. Drawing from previous successful regional enterprises (e.g. Asia Pacific Cohort Studies Collaboration),18,19 we established the Cohorts Consortium of Latin America and the Caribbean (CC-LAC). The main aim of the CC-LAC is to start a collaborative cohort data pooling in LAC to examine the association between cardio-metabolic risk factors (e.g. blood pressure, glucose and lipids) and non-fatal and fatal cardiovascular outcomes (e.g. stroke or myocardial infarction). In so doing, we aim to provide regional risk estimates to inform disease burden metrics, as well as other ambitious projects including a cardiovascular risk score to strengthen cardiovascular prevention in LAC. Initial funding has been provided by a fellowship from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Global Health Research at Imperial College London (Strategic Award, Wellcome Trust–Imperial College Centre for Global Health Research, 100693/Z/12/Z). Additional funding is being provided by an International Training Fellowship from the Wellcome Trust (214185/Z/18/Z). At the time of writing, the daily operations and pooled database are hosted at Imperial College London, though a mid-term goal is to transfer this expertise and operations to LAC. The collaboration relies fundamentally on a strong regional network of health researchers and practitioner