Hexham General Hospital

Nowadays, public opinion is determined by economic and environmental considerations, so when selecting beef cattle for breeding, the aim is to achieve the largest possible body size while reducing feed costs and methane emissions. Computer-controlled automatic feeding systems can measure the exact amount of feed consumed by animals, enabling the RFI value to be determined. This value expresses the difference between the amount of feed actually consumed by the animal and the amount expected based on its live weight and body weight gain.In 2024, we studied 29 Blonde d'Aquitaine breeding bulls that were fed using the Vytille system and housed in two pens in Taliándörögd. The animals were divided into four groups based on their RFI values and average daily weight gain, and their production data were analysed using a multivariate generalised linear model (GLM) method.Based on our results, it was not necessary to take pen effect into account, as the husbandry technology was perfectly suited to the purpose. The four groups were sufficient for selection based on feed conversion and daily weight gain. Taking all the measured values into account, the young bulls in the group with favourable RFI and above-average daily weight gain are the most promising.

IntroductionPeople experiencing homelessness have high rates of emergency care attendance compared with the general population. This study explores the factors underlying the need for emergency care services among people experiencing homelessness in rural and coastal areas of North East England.MethodsThe study was conducted in Northumberland and North Tyneside (North East England). One-to-one semistructured interviews were conducted with people experiencing homelessness. Interviews and focus groups were undertaken with frontline staff from housing associations, police, ambulance services, emergency care, primary healthcare, mental health services and alcohol and drug recovery services. Discussions centred on emergency care experiences, reasons for access and underlying health and social needs.ResultsParticipants included 20 people experiencing homelessness (aged 18–56, 70% male) and 18 service professionals (aged 20–56, 56% female). Emergency care was often viewed by participants as an accessible safe place. Four key themes were found in this rural and coastal context: accessibility challenges due to limited public transport and geographic isolation; fragmented support exacerbated by widely dispersed services; service restrictions and limited alternatives having particular impact where options are few and prioritisation of immediate needs influenced by limited local resources.ConclusionChallenges in accessing primary healthcare and social care, alongside varying levels of timely support and understanding of individual contexts, can contribute to the increased use of emergency care for people experiencing homelessness in rural and coastal areas. Integrating services with a focus on flexibility could be crucial for addressing the needs of these populations. This involves adapting to the unique circumstances of multiple deprived groups who lack access to community support.

Wetlands make a disproportionately large contribution to global biodiversity and provide critical ecosystem services for humanity. Yet, our understanding of the cultural ecosystem services (CES) provided by wetlands remains limited, with benefits often only recognised at local scales. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a global systematic review of wetland CES. Our synthesis addressed key questions related to the provision of CES by different types of wetlands, their economic value, their co-occurrence and associations with other ecosystem services, threats to the provision of CES by wetlands, as well as the availability and use of CES information. Based on 861 published papers (1968–2022) in 17 languages, we found evidence of CES provided by wetlands in 175 countries and territories, highlighting that wetlands are globally important for the provision of CES. Recreation/tourism was the most frequently reported CES (40 %), with cultural identity/heritage (16 %) and education/learning/knowledge (13 %) also well-represented. In contrast, examples of sense of place (4 %) and bequest (4 %) were least frequent. Our synthesis of published estimates yielded a mean of £57262 ha−1 yr−1 for the cultural benefits of wetlands; however, this mean should be interpreted with caution given that we documented a very wide range of estimates for each CES type of <£1–£1065205 ha−1 yr−1. Threats to wetland CES were documented in 45 % of papers, and included wetland destruction, pollution, and climate change. The probability that a CES paper would be available open access, and the probability that a published paper featured at least one author affiliated with the country where the study was conducted, both varied significantly among continents and publication years. Conservation outcomes related to CES featured in 13 % of papers, whilst 10 % made policy/management recommendations. Our study highlights the links between wetlands and human culture, emphasising their importance in motivating future wetland creation and restoration.

ABSTRACTBackgroundCovid-19 vaccines are urgently needed, especially against emerging variants. NVX-CoV2373 is a recombinant severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 rS) nanoparticle vaccine containing trimeric full-length SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein and Matrix-M adjuvant.MethodsA phase 3, randomized, observer-blinded, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in adults 18-84 years old who received two intramuscular 5-µg doses, 21 days apart, of NVX-CoV2373 or placebo (1:1) across 33 sites in the United Kingdom. The primary efficacy endpoint was virologically confirmed symptomatic Covid-19 with onset 7 days after second vaccination in serologically negative participants.ResultsA total of 15,187 participants were randomized, of whom 7569 received NVX-CoV2373 and 7570 received placebo; 27.2% were 65 years or older, 44.7% had comorbidities and 4.2% had baseline serological evidence of SARS-CoV-2. There were 10 cases of Covid-19 among NVX-CoV2373 recipients and 96 cases among placebo recipients, with symptom onset at least 7 days after second vaccination; NVX-CoV2373 was 89.7% (95% confidence interval, 80.2 to 94.6) effective in preventing Covid-19, with no hospitalizations or deaths reported. There were five cases of severe Covid-19, all in the placebo group. Post hoc analysis revealed efficacies of 96.4% (73.8 to 99.5) and 86.3% (71.3 to 93.5) against the prototype strain and B.1.1.7 variant, respectively. Vaccine efficacy was similar across subgroups, including participants with comorbidities and those ≥65 years old. Reactogenicity was generally mild and transient. The incidence of serious adverse events was low and similar in the two groups.ConclusionA two-dose regimen of NVX-CoV2373 conferred 89.7% protection against a blend of prototype and variant Covid-19, demonstrated high efficacy against the B.1.1.7 variant, and had a reassuring safety profile.(Funded by Novavax, Inc. EudraCT number, 2020-004123-16).

Fought in Afghanistan, Egypt, Sudan and South Africa, the ‘small wars’ of the 1870s and 1880s were the archetypal colonial conflicts of the nineteenth century. Each dominated the news cycle and popular consciousness, before flitting on to the next conflict. This chapter determines why, despite the popular fascination, so few civic memorials were created. It analyses the period’s heightened imperialism, assessing its impact on domestic society and how this influenced attitudes to imperialism and the wars it inevitably generated. Finally, the chapter assesses a weekend of public ceremonies held for General Graham, hero of the Suakin campaign, which both hark back to the socio-political environment of the 1850s and anticipate reactions to the Boer War.

This paper reports on the initial stage of an exploratory project based in six primary schools in Newcastle upon Tyne (UK) – and on plans for its extension. The potential value of the project as a curricular initiative is set out, from both practical and research perspectives. Its framing as a vehicle for the continuous professional development (CPD) of the teachers involved is also outlined. The first phase of the project itself is then described in some detail and its results discussed. Outcomes are also identified in order to provide pointers to the continuation stage. Finally, the value of the CPD model adopted is discussed, with particular regard to the choice of the present specific curricular focus.

The pattern of parent-child correlations in adoption studies has long been interpreted to suggest substantial additive genetic variance underlying variance in IQ. The studies have frequently been criticized on methodological grounds, but those criticisms have not reflected recent perspectives in genetics and developmental theory. Here we apply those perspectives to recent IQ adoption studies and show how they further question two sets of problems: first, the assumption of additive gene and environmental effects; second, the assumption that the adoption situation approximates a randomized-effects design. We show how a number of possible factors having systematic effects in breach of those assumptions can produce the received pattern of correlations without appealing to unusual amounts of additive gene variance.