Research England

BACKGROUND: Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories. METHODS: ). For school-aged children and adolescents, we report thinness (BMI <2 SD below the median of the WHO growth reference) and obesity (BMI >2 SD above the median). FINDINGS: From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in 11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 that the observed changes were true decreases. The combined prevalence increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and 140 countries (70%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. In 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity was highest in island nations in the Caribbean and Polynesia and Micronesia, and countries in the Middle East and north Africa. Obesity prevalence was higher than underweight with posterior probability of at least 0·80 in 177 countries (89%) for women and 145 (73%) for men in 2022, whereas the converse was true in 16 countries (8%) for women, and 39 (20%) for men. From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of thinness and obesity decreased among girls in five countries (3%) and among boys in 15 countries (8%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80, and increased among girls in 140 countries (70%) and boys in 137 countries (69%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. The countries with highest combined prevalence of thinness and obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were in Polynesia and Micronesia and the Caribbean for both sexes, and Chile and Qatar for boys. Combined prevalence was also high in some countries in south Asia, such as India and Pakistan, where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined. In 2022, obesity in school-aged children and adolescents was more prevalent than thinness with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 among girls in 133 countries (67%) and boys in 125 countries (63%), whereas the converse was true in 35 countries (18%) and 42 countries (21%), respectively. In almost all countries for both adults and school-aged children and adolescents, the increases in double burden were driven by increases in obesity, and decreases in double burden by declining underweight or thinness. INTERPRETATION: The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries, driven by an increase in obesity, while underweight and thinness remain prevalent in south Asia and parts of Africa. A healthy nutrition transition that enhances access to nutritious foods is needed to address the remaining burden of underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesity. FUNDING: UK Medical Research Council, UK Research and Innovation (Research England), UK Research and Innovation (Innovate UK), and European Union.

The Swedish criminalization of the purchase of sex aims to abolish prostitution through targeting the demand, while decriminalizing those selling sex in an ostensible effort to protect sex workers – constructed as passive victims of gendered violence – from criminalization. Drawing from authors’ research and that of others, this article discusses the sex purchase law ( sexköpslagen), exploring some of its impacts on the lives of sex workers and the dynamics of Swedish prostitution. We argue that the law has failed in its abolitionist ambition to decrease levels of prostitution, since there are no reliable data demonstrating any overall decline in people selling sex. Furthermore, we argue that the law has resulted in increased dangers in some forms of sex work. Dangers are exacerbated by a lack of harm reduction services, which are seen to conflict with Swedish abolitionism. Moreover, discourses and social constructions informing the sexköpslagen have informed the attitudes of service providers. In addition to specific outcomes of the law, we note evictions of sex workers, problems with immigration authorities, child custody and the police, and briefly discuss these themes. Where Sweden continues to attempt to export the sexköpslagen to other parts of the world, these elements should be carefully considered.

OBJECTIVES: (1) Methodological research has few well-defined tools and processes analogous to those available for reviews and data collection in substantive health technology assessment. (2) This project was set up to obtain researchers' and others' views on the innovative projects on research methodology under the NHS Health Technology Assessment Programme and the usefulness of the research. (3) The study was intended to span both epistemological and management issues. (4) The following issues were explored: (a) the degree to which researchers would feel constrained by the "Cochrane" approach to systematic reviews when undertaking reviews of a methodological nature; (b) whether methodological projects may require exceptional design and management arrangements, in view of their novelty, subjectivity and complexity; (c) whether researchers would seek out other methods, in addition to undertaking reviews of argument, as a means of extending their understanding of methodological issues (there may be three categories of research methods in methodology: reviews of methodological argument, studies that use the literature as a source of data, and research that collects new primary data); (d) whether the Methodology Programme overall can be considered a "success". METHODS: (1) Telephone interviews were carried out on researchers (one senior and one junior per project), resulting in 35 interviews from 19 of the 20 target projects. (2) A qualitative postal survey was sent to 12 people who had played a key role in the development of the Methodology Programme; replies were received from six of them. (3) Analysis was undertaken of the hit rates for 29 projects on the NCCHTA website by the end of February and the end of May 1999, comparing those concerned with methodology (n = 10) and those concerned with other issues (n = 19). RESULTS: UNDERTAKING METHODOLOGICAL RESEARCH: VIEWS OF RESEARCHERS: This section summarises the views of 35 researchers who were interviewed by telephone. RESULTS: UNDERTAKING METHODOLOGICAL RESEARCH: VIEWS OF RESEARCHERS: (THE NATURE OF METHODOLOGICAL REVIEWS): (1) There was a reluctance among researchers to use the term "systematic review" in the methodological context. (2) Practical problems in undertaking methodological reviews were found at every stage of the research process. (a) In the initial search stage, preplanned strategies were difficult to maintain, owing to the need to respond to the problems of too few or too many references. (b) At the analysis stage, most studies were not formally weighted, but there was implicit weighting in researchers' views of their merits or relevance. (c) It was often only at the synthesis stage that researchers could see clearly what their study was able to do; iteration was frequently necessary at this point. (d) It was difficult to form simple conclusions and recommendations beyond summaries of what was known in the field. (e) Dissemination activities were most often directed to other health service researchers, with some attention to NHS policy makers and research commissioners. RESULTS: UNDERTAKING METHODOLOGICAL RESEARCH: VIEWS OF RESEARCHERS (THE NEED FOR FLEXIBILITY): (1) Few researchers had amended their topic or methods once their research was under way, although some had made minor changes to their original plan, generally to refine the topic to fit the time or data available. (2) Changing a topic was seen as inappropriate unless checked with funders, but changes in research methods were viewed as reasonable because questions might be refined in the light of information gained or early thinking. RESULTS: UNDERTAKING METHODOLOGICAL RESEARCH: VIEWS OF RESEARCHERS (THE QUESTION OF BIAS): (1) Few researchers considered that this kind of research could be undertaken or presented in a wholly unbiased way because of the need to assess the research studied. (2) Objectivity was nonetheless seen as something that researchers should strive towards. Efforts to do so included presenting data clearly, separating findings from discussion, covering all points of view, setting out their own assumptions and values, and testing their ideas on others known to have differing views. (3) The formal peer-review process was not seen to have made a difference here, primarily because of the stage at which referees become involved. RESULTS: UNDERTAKING METHODOLOGICAL RESEARCH: VIEWS OF RESEARCHERS (PROJECT MANAGEMENT--TIMING AND TIME MANAGEMENT): (1) A majority of projects were completed within 3 months of their due date. Those studies completed roughly on time were considered to have efficient junior researchers and good project management, including clear deadlines for different stages of the research. (2) Some studies had severe problems of time management. Too much time tended to be spent on collecting and reading the literature and the writing stage was not always well planned. Referees' comments were also slow in coming. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)

In order to deal with an increasingly complex world, we need ever more sophisticated computational models that can help us make decisions wisely and understand the potential consequences of choices. But creating a model requires far more than just raw data and technical skills: it requires a close collaboration between model commissioners, developers, users and reviewers. Good modelling requires its users and commissioners to understand more about the whole process, including the different kinds of purpose a model can have and the different technical bases. This paper offers a guide to the process of commissioning, developing and deploying models across a wide range of domains from public policy to science and engineering. It provides two checklists to help potential modellers, commissioners and users ensure they have considered the most significant factors that will determine success. We conclude there is a need to reinforce modelling as a discipline, so that misconstruction is less likely; to increase understanding of modelling in all domains, so that the misuse of models is reduced; and to bring commissioners closer to modelling, so that the results are more useful.

Relationships between events in one period of the annual cycle and behaviour in subsequent seasons are key determinants of individual life histories and population dynamics. However, studying such associations is challenging, given the difficulties in following individuals across seasons, particularly in migratory species. Relationships between breeding performance and subsequent winter ecology are particularly poorly understood, yet are likely to be profoundly important because of the costs of reproduction. Using geolocation technology, we show that black-legged kittiwakes that experienced breeding failure left their colony in southeast Scotland earlier than successful breeders. Moreover, a greater proportion of unsuccessful breeders (94% versus 53% successful) travelled over 3000 km to the West Atlantic, whereas fewer visited the East Atlantic (31% versus 80% successful), less than 1000 km from the colony. The two groups did not differ in the timing of return to the colony the following spring. However, 58 per cent of males made a previously undescribed long-distance pre-breeding movement to the central Atlantic. Our results demonstrate important links between reproductive performance and winter distribution, with significant implications for population dynamics. Furthermore, macro-scale segregation associated with breeding outcome is relevant to defining important wintering areas, in particular among declining species experiencing increasingly regular breeding failure.

Buildings with load-bearing earth walls were once widespread throughout Britain and many thousands still survive, including some dating from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Earth is the ultimate form of ‘green’ building construction, creating no environmental pollutions and consuming virtually no energy. Subsoil can be dug from or near the site to construct buildings that will meet modern needs and conform to the latest building regulations. This book describes all aspects of earth building, explaining how earth performs as a building material and providing guidance on how best to repair and conserve existing earth buildings.

We show how an Ensemble Learning version of Independent Component Analysis (EL{ICA) can be derived by approximating the true posterior distribution over the model parameters by an approximate distribution. We further extend this algorithm to include sources which can only be positive. We show that the blind deconvolution problem is similar to the blind separation problem and derive an algorithm for blind deconvolution. 1.1 Ensemble Learning In many problems we aim to infer a set of model parameters, , from a set of data, D. In the Bayesian framework this can be done by considering the posterior probability of the parameters P ( jD; H ) = P (D j; H ) P ( jH ) P (D jH ) : (1.1) Commonly the parameters are inferred by maximising the likelihood, P (D j; H ), (ML methods) or the posterior probability (MAP methods) with respect to the model parameters. These methods can over{t. The model parameters that are obtained can be too specic. Instead of nding the MAP estimate of the p...

Cord-forming fungi form extensive networks that continuously adapt to maintain an efficient transport system. As osmotically driven water uptake is often distal from the tips, and aqueous fluids are incompressible, we propose that growth induces mass flows across the mycelium, whether or not there are intrahyphal concentration gradients. We imaged the temporal evolution of networks formed by Phanerochaete velutina, and at each stage calculated the unique set of currents that account for the observed changes in cord volume, while minimizing the work required to overcome viscous drag. Predicted speeds were in reasonable agreement with experimental data, and the pressure gradients needed to produce these flows are small. Furthermore, cords that were predicted to carry fast-moving or large currents were significantly more likely to increase in size than cords with slow-moving or small currents. The incompressibility of the fluids within fungi means there is a rapid global response to local fluid movements. Hence velocity of fluid flow is a local signal that conveys quasi-global information about the role of a cord within the mycelium. We suggest that fluid incompressibility and the coupling of growth and mass flow are critical physical features that enable the development of efficient, adaptive biological transport networks.

The interaction between bulk windfarm generation and conventional generation and its influence on network dynamic characteristics are investigated. A simple three-generator system having characteristics that may be considered representative of the major areas of the UK network is used for the dynamic studies. Time response simulation and eigenvalue analysis are used to establish basic transient and dynamic stability characteristics. The wind generation is provided either by windfarms based on Fixed Speed Induction Generators (FSIGs) or Doubly Fed Induction Generators (DFIGs). In addition, in order to provide a base-line, against which windfarm influence on network dynamics can be judged, the case where the power is provided only by conventional synchronous generation is also considered.

The partitioning of an image may be defined as the division of its image plane into image objects. This paper presents a new methodology for partitioning multispectral images. It combines the analysis of the spectral properties of the pixels with the analysis of their spatial properties. Spectral properties are studied in the multivariate histogram of the image, while spatial properties are analyzed in the multispectral gradient of the image. The histogram of the image is first segmented by a nonparametric algorithm. The segmented histogram allows the classification of all image pixels. Each resulting class is then separately filtered in order to remove all classified pixels having a high probability of being misclassified when considering spatial criteria. The filtered classes are used as seeds for boundary detection on the gradient of the original image. The class of the resulting regions is given by the class of the seeds that created those regions.

Religious rituals are universal human practices that play a seminal role in community bonding. In two experiments, we tested the role of mu-opioids as the active factor fostering social bonding. We used a mu-opioid blocker (naltrexone) in two double-blind studies of rituals from different religious traditions. We found the same effect across both studies, with naltrexone leading to significantly lower social bonding compared with placebo. These studies suggest that mu-opioids play a significant role in experiences of social bonding within ritual contexts.

This paper describes the experiences of Black and minority ethnic ( BME ) academics who consider moving overseas for career opportunities. It explores the barriers that BME academics report in UK higher education, which affects their decisions for overseas higher education migration. Our findings suggest that BME academics were significantly more likely than White academics to have ever considered moving overseas to work, although reasons such as family commitments led to many remaining in the UK . However, those BME academics who eventually move overseas report positive experiences. In contrast those who stay in the UK report various barriers to career progression. We suggest significant change is needed in the UK higher education sector in order to retain BME academics who consider moving overseas.

Potential competing interests: No potential competing interests to declare.

How sensitive should parents be to the demands of their young? Offspring are under selection to seek more investment than is optimal for parents to supply, which makes parents vulnerable to losing future fitness by responding to manipulative displays. Yet, parents cannot afford to ignore begging and risk allocating resources inefficiently. Here, we show that parents may solve this problem by adjusting their sensitivity to begging behaviour in relation to their own likelihood of breeding again, a factor largely neglected in previous analyses of parent-offspring interactions. In two carotenoid-supplementation experiments on a New Zealand passerine, the hihi Notiomystis cincta, we supplemented adults to enhance their propensity to breed again, and supplemented entire broods to increase their mouth colour, thus enhancing their solicitation display. We found that adults that attempted two breeding attempts a season were largely insensitive to the experimentally carotenoid-rich gapes of their brood, whereas those that bred just once responded by increasing their rate of provisioning at the nest. Our results show that parents can strategically vary their sensitivity to begging in relation to their future reproductive potential. By restricting opportunities for offspring to influence provisioning decisions, parents greatly limit the potential for offspring to win parent-offspring conflict.

This position piece starts to examine the ways in which AI-based autonomous technologies have begun to influence a range of human activities in the arts and creative industries.The rise of AI-generated art could potentially transform the act of creation and impact our understandings of creativity – from painting, writing, and music composition, to video animation. At the same time, there is increasing debate about the social, ethical, and legal implications of using these tools (eg copyright, biased data sets, devaluing artistic processes). Responsible Innovation (RI) could have a crucial role to play in understanding and responding to the complexity of debates.

Test writers sometimes complain they cannot perform to their true abilities because of time constraints. We therefore examined differences in terms of process and product between texts produced under test and non-test conditions. Ten L2 postgraduates wrote two argumentative essays, one under test conditions, with only forty minutes being allowed and without recourse to resources, and one under non-test conditions, with unlimited time as well as access to the Internet. Keystroke logging, screen capture software, and stimulated recall protocols were used, participants explaining and commenting on their writing processes. Sixteen writing process types were identified. Higher proportions of the processes of translation and surface revision were recorded in the test situation, while meaningful revision and evaluation were both higher in the non-test situation. There was a statistically significant difference between time allocation for different processes at different stages. Experienced teachers awarded the non-test texts a mean score of almost one point (0.8) higher. A correlational analysis examining the relationship between writing process and product quality showed that while the distribution of writing processes can have an impact on text quality in the test situation, it had no effect on the product in the non-test situation.

Seventy years of customer demand for improvement -- The international demand for improvement -- The three UK best practice standards and their six goals -- The virtual firm -- Motivating and leading radical improvement -- Becoming a best practice client -- Integrating the design and construction team -- Ensuring the delight of the end users -- Selecting the independent experts -- The benefits of best practice and the risk of ignoring change -- Further reading.

Cultural assumptions are often inadvertently exported or imported when performance appraisal is introduced in organisations in developing countries. Performance appraisal has been developed in “individualist” societies, and the systems, when applied in non‐individualistic cultures, can cause unintended offence, or are incorrectly, and therefore uselessly, employed. Guidelines for the design of more culturally appropriate approaches are suggested.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted the lives of billions across the world. Mathematical modelling has been a key tool deployed throughout the pandemic to explore the potential public health impact of an unmitigated epidemic. The results of such studies have informed governments' decisions to implement non-pharmaceutical interventions to control the spread of the virus. In this article, we explore the complex relationships between models, decision-making, the media and the public during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK). Doing so not only provides an important historical context of COVID-19 modelling and how it has shaped the UK response, but as the pandemic continues and looking towards future pandemic preparedness, understanding these relationships and how they might be improved is critical. As such, we have synthesized information gathered via three methods: a survey to publicly list attendees of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling and other comparable advisory bodies, interviews with science communication experts and former scientific advisors, and reviewing some of the key COVID-19 modelling literature from 2020. Our research highlights the desire for increased bidirectional communication between modellers, decision-makers and the public, as well as the need to convey uncertainty inherent in transmission models in a clear manner. These aspects should be considered carefully ahead of the next emergency response.

Integrated Sustainable Design of Buildings aims to provide a guide to members of design and masterplanning teams on how to deliver sustainable development and buildings cost effectively, meeting current and emerging UK and international statutory and planning requirements. Using a series of case histories and examples from the author's&nbsp;ten years of providing sustainability advisory services the book sets out a clear and understandable strategy that deals with all aspects of sustainable design and construction and the implications for delivery, costs, saleability and long term operation. The extensive scope includes all aspects of environmental, social and economic sustainability, including strategies to reduce carbon emissions and the impact of climate change. Integrated Sustainable Design of Buildings appeared in the Cambridge Top 40 Sustainability Books of 2010.