Mapping social capital across Wales (UK) using secondary data and spatial analysis.

Social capital, a powerful community resource based on trust, relationships, norms, culture, values, networks and belonging, could shape the acceptance, cooperation, and involvement of citizens towards new policies or interventions. In past, connections of social capital have been studied in relation to human health, wellbeing, social and economic development. More recently, social capital has been studied with respect to human resilience and adaptation to climate change. We argue that social capital could also play a vital role in our efforts to reduce carbon footprint through behaviour change, a shift on shared local renewable energy resources, and adoption of low carbon technologies. In Wales (UK) there is no national scale dataset, reflecting its social capital landscape, that could be used for designing the right policies/interventions in this context, based on an expected level of trust, cooperation, and support within the communities. This paper is an effort to fill this data gap using secondary datasets. Firstly, a literature review is carried out to identify the indicators of social capital (cognitive and participatory). Secondary datasets have then been identified and acquired. Geospatial analysis has been carried out to produce the criterion maps for various indicators of social capital. Finally, Analytical Hierarchy Process is applied to generate a social capital map of Wales combining these indicators together. For validation of the produced data, social capital's known correlations were tested with crime rates, income level and multiple deprivations. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43545-023-00639-1.

Effect of Physical Nature (Intact and Powder) of Coal on CO2 Adsorption at the Subcritical Pressure Range (up to 6.4 MPa at 298.15 K).

This study examines the influence of subcritical pressure and the physical nature (intact and powder) of coal samples on CO2 adsorption capacity and kinetics in the context of CO2 sequestration in shallow level coal seams. Manometric adsorption experiments were carried out on two anthracite and one bituminous coal samples. Isothermal adsorption experiments were carried out at 298.15 K in two pressure ranges: less than 6.1 MPa and up to 6.4 MPa relevant to gas/liquid adsorption. The adsorption isotherms of intact anthracite and bituminous samples were compared to that of the powdered samples. The powdered samples of the anthracitic samples had a higher adsorption than that of intact samples due to the exposed adsorption sites. The intact and powdered samples of bituminous coal, on the other hand, exhibited comparable adsorption capacities. The comparable adsorption capacity is attributed to the intact samples' channel-like pores and microfractures, where high density CO2 adsorption occurs. The adsorption-desorption hysteresis patterns and the residual amount of CO2 trapped in the pores reinforce the influence of the physical nature of the sample and pressure range on the CO2 adsorption-desorption behavior. The intact 18 ft AB samples showed significantly different adsorption isotherm pattern to that of powdered samples for experiments conducted up to 6.4 MPa equilibrium pressure due to the high-density CO2 adsorbed phase in the intact samples. The adsorption experimental data fit into the theoretical models showed that the BET model fit better than the Langmuir model. The experimental data fit into the pseudo first order, second order, and Bangham pore diffusion kinetic models showed that the rate-determining steps are bulk pore diffusion and surface interaction. Generally, the results obtained from the study demonstrated the significance of conducting experiments with large, intact core samples pertinent to CO2 sequestration in shallow coal seams.

Low Subcritical CO2 Adsorption-Desorption Behavior of Intact Bituminous Coal Cores Extracted from a Shallow Coal Seam.

This study focuses on improving fundamental understanding of low, subcritical CO2 adsorption-desorption behavior of bituminous coals with the aim to evaluate the utility of shallow-depth coal seams for safe and effective CO2 storage. Comprehensive data and a detailed description of coal-CO2 interactions, e.g., adsorption, desorption, and hysteresis behavior of intact bituminous coals at CO2 pressures <0.5 MPa, are limited. Manometric sorption experiments were performed on coal cores (50 mm dia. and 30- or 60-mm length) obtained from a 30 m deep coal seam located at the Upper Silesian Basin in Poland. Experimental results revealed that the adsorption capacities were correlated to void volume and equilibrium time under low-pressure injection (0.5 MPa). The positive deviation, observed in the hysteresis of adsorption-desorption isotherm patterns, and the increased sample mass at the end of the tests suggested CO2 pore diffusion and condensation. This behavior is vital for assessing low-pressure CO2 injection and storage capabilities of shallow coal seams where confining pressure is much lower than that of the deeper seams. Overall, CO2 adsorption depicts a type II adsorption isotherm and a type H3 hysteresis pattern of the IUPAC classification. Experimental results fitted better to the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller model than the Langmuir isotherm model. CO2 adsorption behavior of intact cores was also evaluated by characteristic curves. It was found that Curve I favored physical forces, i.e., the presence of van der Waals/London dispersion forces to describe the coal-CO2 interactions. However, analysis of Curve II indicated that the changing pressure-volume behavior of CO2 in the adsorbed phase, under low equilibrium pressures, cannot be ignored.

Adsorption characteristics of rocks and soils, and their potential for mitigating the environmental impact of underground coal gasification technology: A review.

This work presents the state-of-the-art review of investigations related to the adsorption process, adsorption models, experimental adsorption results, and influencing factors, considering the main contaminants produced by underground coal gasification (UCG) technology as adsorbates and the various rocks and soils surrounding the UCG cavity as adsorbents. Based on the literature reviewed, it is found that claystone, coal, coal char, shale, and clay materials present a good prospect for effective phenol adsorption; coal, coal char, shale, and clay materials can also remove benzene and some heavy metals from aqueous solutions. However, their performance varies under the effect of the influencing factors, such as the initial concentration of adsorbates in solution, the pH of the solution, the temperature and contact time controlled in the adsorption process, and the adsorbent dosage. A preliminary assessment of the potential of rocks and soils to act as natural buffers in UCG application is provided. The impact of UCG process on the adsorption of contaminants on the surrounding strata together with the major challenges and future perspectives are highlighted and outlined, to identify knowledge deficiencies regarding the retardation of UCG contaminants using the natural buffers. The prospect of surrounding strata as natural buffers can benefit the site selection, design, and commercialization of UCG.

Characterisation of inorganic constitutions of condensate and solid residue generated from small-scale ex situ experiments in the context of underground coal gasification.

This paper deals with the characterisation of inorganic constitutions generated at various operating conditions in the context of underground coal gasification (UCG). The ex situ small-scale experiments were conducted with coal specimens of different rank, from the South Wales Coalfield, Wales, UK, and Upper Silesian Coal Basin, Poland. The experiments were conducted at various gaseous oxidant ratios (water: oxygen = 1:1 and 2:1), pressures (20 bar and 36 bar) and temperatures (650°C, 750°C and 850°C). Increasing the amount of water in the oxidants proportionately decreased the cationic elements but increased the concentrations of anionic species. The temperature played minor impact, while the high-pressure experiments at temperature optimum to produce methane-rich syngas (750°C) showed significant reduction in cationic element generation. However, both coal specimens produced high amount of anionic species (F, Cl, SO4 and NO3). The "Hard" bituminous coal from Poland produced less gasification residues and condensates than the South Wales anthracitic coal due to its higher reactivity. The inorganic composition found in the solid residue was used in the theoretical calculation to predict the dissolved product concentrations when the solid residue interacts with deep coal seam water in the event of UCG cavity flooding. It was evident from the solubility products of the Cr, Ni and Zn that changes in the groundwater geochemistry occur; hence, their transportation in the subsurface must be studied further.

Superior activity of iron-manganese supported on kaolin for NO abatement at low temperature.

A series of Fe-Mn catalysts was prepared using different supports (kaolin, diatomite, and alumina) and used for NO abatement via low-temperature NH3-selective catalytic reduction (SCR). The results showed that 12Fe-10Mn/Kaolin (with the concentration of Fe and Mn 12 and 10wt.%, respectively) exhibited the highest activity, and more than 95.8% NO conversion could be obtained within the wide temperature range of 120-300°C. The properties of the catalysts were characterized by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), thermogravimetry (TG), Brunner-Emmet-Teller (BET) measurements, X-ray diffraction (XRD), H2-temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR), NH3-temperature programmed desorption (NH3-TPD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microprobe (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) techniques. The support effects resulted in significant differences in the components and structures of catalysts. The 12Fe-10Mn/Kaolin catalyst exhibited better dispersion of active species, optimum low-temperature reduction behavior, the largest amount of normalized Brønsted acid sites, and the highest Mn4+/Mn and Fe3+/(Fe3++Fe2+), all of which may be major reasons for its superior catalytic activity.

Effect of CaCO3 on catalytic activity of Fe-Ce/Ti catalysts for NH3-SCR reaction.

In the present work, fresh and Ca poisoned Fe-Ce/Ti catalysts were prepared and used for the NH3-SCR reaction to investigate the effect of Ca doping on the catalytic activity of catalysts. And these catalysts were characterized by BET, XRD, Raman, UV-vis DRS, XPS, H2-TPR, and NH3-TPD techniques. The obtained results demonstrate that Ca doping could lead to an obvious decrease in the catalytic activity of catalysts. The reasons for this may be due to the smaller specific surface area and pore volume, the decreased ratio of Fe3+/Fe2+ and Ce3+/Ce4+, as well as the reduced redox ability and surface acidity.

Social Network Analysis of Dementia Wards in Psychiatric Hospitals to Explore the Advancement of Personhood in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Little is known on investigating how healthcare teams in dementia wards act for promoting personhood in persons with Alzheimer's disease (PWA). OBJECTIVE: The current research aimed to identify the social networks of dementia health carers promoting the personhood of PWA in acute or long-term dementia wards in public and private psychiatric hospitals. METHODS: We used a mixed-method research approach. Ethnographic observations and two-mode Social Network Analysis (SNA) captured the role and social networks of healthcare professionals promoting PWA personhood, using SocNetv version 2.4. The social network graphs illustrated how professionals participated in PWA care by computing the degree of centrality (%DC) for each professional; higher values indicated more statistical significance of a professional role compared to others in the provision of personhood care. The categories of personhood were biological, individual, and sociologic. Nurses, doctors, ward managers, hospital managers, clinical psychologists, occupational therapists, care coordinators, physiotherapists, healthcare assistants, and family members were observed if they were promoting PWA personhood. RESULTS: The highest %DC in SNA in biological personhood was held by the ward nurses (36%), followed by the ward doctors (20%) and ward managers (20%). All professional roles were involved in 16% of cases in the promotion of individual personhood, while the hospital managers had the highest %DC (33%) followed by the ward managers and nurses (27%) in the sociologic personhood. CONCLUSION: All professional roles were deemed to promote PWA personhood in dementia wards, although some limitation exists according to the context of the assessment.

Promoted dispersion and uniformity of active species on Fe-Ce-Al catalysts for efficient NO abatement.

Fe-Ce-Al catalysts were synthesized by the co-precipitation method (labeled as Fe-Ce-Al-P), co-impregnation method (Fe-Ce-Al-I), and direct mixing method (Fe-Ce-Al-M), respectively, and used for effective removal of NO. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by many methods including N2 physisorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), NH3-temperature programmed desorption (NH3-TPD), H2-temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) mapping. The results show that the synthesis methods greatly influence the catalytic performance of catalysts. The Fe-Ce-Al-P catalyst prepared by the co-precipitation method yields the highest catalytic performance, while the Fe-Ce-Al-I and Fe-Ce-Al-M catalysts exhibit relatively low catalytic activity. The co-precipitation method can promote the accumulation and dispersion of more surface active species on the catalyst surface, and provide smaller particle size of active species and generate more uniform particle size distribution, while these characteristics can't be obtained by the co-impregnation method and direct mixing method. Moreover, the co-precipitation method could produce the highest surface area and enhanced redox ability and surface acidity of the catalyst, which resulted from the high dispersion and uniform distribution of surface active species. These may be the key factors to the superior catalytic performance of the Fe-Ce-Al-P catalyst.

How do specialist trainee doctors acquire skills to practice patient-centred care? A qualitative exploration.

OBJECTIVES: The importance of patient-centred care (PCC) has been increasingly recognised. However, there is limited work exploring what doctors actually understand by PCC, and how they perceive they acquire PCC skills in the workplace. The objectives of our study were to explore (1) what UK doctors, in specialist training, perceive to be the essential components of PCC, (2) if/how they acquire these skills, (3) any facilitators/barriers for engaging in PCC and (4) views on their PCC training. DESIGN: Qualitative study using in-depth individual semi-structured interviews with UK specialist trainees. Interview transcripts were thematically analysed. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-one specialist trainee doctors, with at least 4 years postgraduate experience, were interviewed. Participants worked in various medical specialities within the Medical Directorate of an acute hospital in the East Midlands of England. RESULTS: Interview data were transcribed verbatim and categorised into three main themes. The first theme was 'Understanding PCC' where the doctors gave varied perspectives on what they understood by PCC. Although many were able to highlight key components of PCC, there were also some accounts which demonstrated a lack of understanding. The second theme was 'Learning PCC skills: A work in progress'. Learning to be patient-centred was perceived to be an ongoing process. Within this, trainee doctors reported 'on-the-job' learning as the main means of acquiring PCC skills, but they also saw a place for formal training (eg, educational sessions focussing on PCC, role play). 'Delivering PCC: Beyond the physician' referred to the many influences the doctors reported in learning and delivering PCC including patients, the organisation and colleagues. Observing consultants taking a patient-centred approach was cited as an important learning tool. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings may assist clinical educators in understanding how trainee doctors perceive PCC, and the factors that influence their learning, thereby helping them shape PCC skills training.

Modeling fully coupled hydraulic-mechanical-chemical processes in a natural clay liner under mechanical and chemico-osmotic consolidation.

Clayey material that possesses semipermeable membrane property may experience osmotic consolidation in presence of an osmotic gradient. In this paper, a fully coupled H-M-C model has been presented to study solute transport under the combined influence of mechanical and osmotic consolidations and vice versa. The model has been tested against the results of relevant importance and good agreements have been achieved. The model has been applied to investigate long-term solute transport behavior and consequent deformations/settlements in a natural clay liner. The results suggest, at early stages, solute transport is dominated by mechanical consolidation; however, physicochemical interaction associated with osmotic processes and osmotic consolidation dominates in the long term. Osmotic settlement shows decreasing trend past the maximum deformation of the clay liner indicating reduction of osmotic gradient across the semipermeable membrane. It is also evident that overall soil consolidation and transport of solute are affected by the concentration of the solute at the source or the injection boundary.

Virtue in Medical Practice: An Exploratory Study.

Virtue ethics has long provided fruitful resources for the study of issues in medical ethics. In particular, study of the moral virtues of the good doctor-like kindness, fairness and good judgement-have provided insights into the nature of medical professionalism and the ethical demands on the medical practitioner as a moral person. Today, a substantial literature exists exploring the virtues in medical practice and many commentators advocate an emphasis on the inculcation of the virtues of good medical practice in medical education and throughout the medical career. However, until very recently, no empirical studies have attempted to investigate which virtues, in particular, medical doctors and medical students tend to have or not to have, nor how these virtues influence how they think about or practise medicine. The question of what virtuous medical practice is, is vast and, as we have written elsewhere, the question of how to study doctors' moral character is fraught with difficulty. In this paper, we report the results of a first-of-a-kind study that attempted to explore these issues at three medical schools (and associated practice regions) in the United Kingdom. We identify which character traits are important in the good doctor in the opinion of medical students and doctors and identify which virtues they say of themselves they possess and do not possess. Moreover, we identify how thinking about the virtues contributes to doctors' and medical students' thinking about common moral dilemmas in medicine. In ending, we remark on the implications for medical education.

Contaminant transport in the sub-surface soil of an uncontrolled landfill site in China: site investigation and two-dimensional numerical analysis.

A field investigation of contaminant transport beneath and around an uncontrolled landfill site in Huainan in China is presented in this paper. The research aimed at studying the migration of some chemicals present in the landfill leachate into the surrounding clayey soils after 17 years of landfill operation. The concentrations of chloride and sodium ions in the pore water of soil samples collected at depths up to 15 m were obtained through an extensive site investigation. The contents of organic matter in the soil samples were also determined. A two-dimensional numerical study of the reactive transport of sodium and chloride ion in the soil strata beneath and outside the landfill is also presented. The numerical modelling approach adopted is based on finite element/finite difference techniques. The domain size of approximately 300 × 30 m has been analysed and major chemical transport parameters/mechanisms are established via a series of calibration exercises. Numerical simulations were then performed to predict the long-term behaviour of the landfill in relation to the chemicals studied. The lateral migration distance of the chloride ions was more than 40 m which indicates that the advection and mechanical dispersion are the dominant mechanism controlling the contaminant transport at this site. The results obtained from the analysis of chloride and sodium migration also indicated a non-uniform advective flow regime of ions with depth, which were localised in the first few metres of the soil beneath the disposal site. The results of long-term simulations of contaminant transport indicated that the concentrations of ions can be 10 to 30 times larger than that related to the allowable limit of concentration values. The results of this study may be of application and interest in the assessment of potential groundwater and soil contamination at this site with a late Pleistocene clayey soil. The obtained transport properties of the soils and the contaminant transport mechanisms can also be used for the design of engineered barriers for the control of the long-term pollution of the site.

Examination of the musculoskeletal system: junior doctors' perceptions of the usefulness of the Gait, Arms, Legs and Spine (GALS) technique.

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions affect millions of people around the world. Gait, Arms, Legs and Spine (GALS) is a simple and useful screening tool for routine MSK examination in hospitals and general practice and has been integrated into the undergraduate medical curriculum. Despite this, there is evidence that doctors lack competency in MSK examination and that GALS are underperformed routinely. OBJECTIVES: The study explored the views of junior doctors (JDs) on how they were taught MSK examination as undergraduates; the usefulness of GALS as a technique for excluding significant MSK problems; why MSK examination was often poorly carried out and how this could be improved. METHODS: A qualitative study was performed with data gathered through focus group interviews from 32 JDs working in two acute NHS hospitals. Six interviews were conducted over a 6-week period from mid-June to the end of July in consecutive years 2013 and 2014. RESULTS: Ninety JDs were invited to participate in the focus group interviews; 32 (36%) agreed to participate, 28 (88%) of whom had graduated in the UK. The perception of JDs was that undergraduate training for GALS and regional MSK examination was adequate, but reasons for lack of MSK competency in the workplace are multifactorial and complex. CONCLUSIONS: Proposing more practical and interactive sessions to reinforce MSK skills during postgraduate training may not resolve issues of MSK competency among JDs. Recognition of the complexity of workplace learning and the influence of tacit learning is required if MSK competency is to be enhanced.

Assessing and managing depression in older people.

Depression is the most common mental health condition in people aged 65 and over. It can have a detrimental effect on quality of life and reduce patients' ability to manage their health. Nurses caring for older people with physical health problems are in an ideal position to identify depression; this article outlines how general receive the appropriate mental health care. nurses can do so and ensure their patientsepression can occur as a result of major life changes. It affects an estimated two million people over the age of 65 in the UK and is the most common mental illness

Assessment and management of depression in primary care settings.

This article focuses on the assessment and management of depression in older people in primary care. Depression in older people is a common mental health problem. There are diagnostic challenges for professionals assessing older people with depression, which can be overcome by thorough assessment and use of an appropriate rating scale. The well-established biopsychosocial model of depression for older people includes evidence-based interventions for its management such as antidepressant therapy, psychological interventions and awareness of social factors.

Attitudes of primary care team to diagnosing dementia.

Healthcare professionals in primary care are gatekeepers to specialist services and are important in terms of ensuring access to community support and appropriate referral for the sizable number of older people with mental health problems. This literature review explores the role of primary care professionals, particularly GPs and practice nurses, in diagnosing and managing patients with dementia. It recommends that education and training are required to raise awareness of the importance of accurate diagnosis and management in primary care.

Monitoring referrals to mental health services.

The referral of patients with dementia from primary care professionals to specialist mental health services can fluctuate markedly. This article examines referrals to a mental health service for older people and the role of an education facilitator in primary care. Evaluation and analysis of the data collected from a single point of referral highlight possible delays in referrals by primary care professionals, failure to recognise mental health needs in older people or a tendency to refer initially to medical services instead of specialist mental health services. The education facilitator provides information about specialist services, identifies delays in referral and improves diagnostic accuracy.

Mediated, moderated and direct effects of country of residence, age, and gender on the cognitive and social determinants of adolescent smoking in Spain and the UK: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: European trans-national adolescent smoking prevention interventions based on social influences approaches have had limited success. The attitudes-social influences-efficacy (ASE) model is a social cognition model that states smoking behaviour is determined by smoking intention which, in turn, is predicted by seven ASE determinants; disadvantages, advantages, social acceptance, social norms, modelling, perceived pressure, self-efficacy. Distal factors such as country of residence, age and gender are external to the model. The ASE model is, thus, closely related to the Theory of Planned Behaviour. This study assessed the utility of the ASE model using cross-sectional data from Spanish and UK adolescents. METHODS: In 1997, questionnaires were simultaneously administered to Spanish (n = 3716) and UK adolescents (n = 3715) who were considered at high risk of smoking. Participants' age, gender, smoking intentions and ASE determinant scores were identified and linear regression analysis was used to examine the mediated, moderated and direct effects of country of residence, age and gender on participants' smoking intentions. RESULTS: All UK participants were aged 12 or 13 and most Spanish participants were aged between 12 and 14 (range 12-16 years). Amongst 12 and 13 year olds, regular smoking was more common in Spain. Almost half the participants were female (47.2% in Spain; 49.9% in the UK). Gender did not vary significantly according to age. The distribution of ASE determinant scores varied by country and predicted intention. The influence of each ASE determinant on intention was moderated by country. Country had a large direct influence on intention (1.72 points on a 7 point scale) but the effects of age and gender were mediated by the ASE determinants. The findings suggest resisting peer pressure interventions could potentially influence smoking amongst UK adolescents but not Spanish adolescents. Interventions that promote self-efficacy, on the other hand, would possibly have a greater influence on smoking amongst Spanish adolescents. CONCLUSION: The ASE model may not capture important cultural factors related to adolescent smoking and the relative contribution of particular ASE determinants to adolescent smoking intentions may differ between countries. Future European trans-national adolescent smoking prevention programmes may benefit from greater understanding of country-level cultural norms.