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Automated built-up infrastructure classification is a global need for planning. However, individual indices have weaknesses, including spectral confusion with bare ground, and computational requirements for deep learning are intensive. We present a computationally lightweight method to classify built-up infrastructure. We use an ensemble of spectral indices and a novel red-band texture layer with global thresholds determined from 12 diverse sites (two seasonally varied images per site). Multiple spectral indexes were evaluated using Sentinel-2 imagery. Our texture metric uses the red band to separate built-up infrastructure from spectrally similar bare ground. Our evaluation produced global thresholds by evaluating ground truth points against a range of site-specific optimal index thresholds across the 24 images. These were used to classify an ensemble, and then spectral indexes, texture, and stratified random sampling guided training data selection. The training data fit a random forest classifier to create final binary maps. Validation found an average overall accuracy of 79.95% (±4%) and an F1 score of 0.5304 (±0.07). The inclusion of the texture metric improved overall accuracy by 14–21%. A comparison to site-specific thresholds and a deep learning-derived layer is provided. This automated built-up infrastructure mapping framework requires only public imagery to support time-sensitive land management workflows.

This study presents an automated methodology to generate training data for surface water mapping from a single Sentinel-2 granule at 10 m (4 band, VIS/NIR) or 20 m (9 band, VIS/NIR/SWIR) resolution without the need for ancillary training data layers. The 20 m method incorporates an ensemble of three spectral indexes with optimal band thresholds, whereas the 10 m method achieves similar results using fewer bands and a single spectral index. A spectrally balanced and randomly generated set of training data based on the index values and optimal thresholds is used to fit machine learning classifiers. Statistical validation compares the 20 m ensemble-only method to the 20 m ensemble method with a random forest classifier. Results show the 20 m ensemble-only method had an overall accuracy of 89.5% (±1.7%), whereas the ensemble method combined with the random forest classifier performed better, with a ~4.8% higher overall accuracy: 20 m method (94.3% (±1.3%)) with optimal spectral index and SWIR thresholds of −0.03 and 800, respectively, and 10 m method (93.4% (±1.5%)) with optimal spectral index and NIR thresholds of −0.01 and 800, respectively. Comparison of other supervised classifiers trained automatically with the framework typically resulted in less than 1% accuracy improvement compared with the random forest, suggesting that training data quality is more important than classifier type. This straightforward framework enables accurate surface water classification across diverse geographies, making it ideal for development into a decision support tool for water resource managers.

To investigate whether partner bereavement is associated with adverse cardiovascular and kidney-related events in people with reduced kidney function. Two parallel matched cohort studies using linked routinely collected health data. England (general practices and hospitals using linked Clinical Practice Research Datalink, Hospital Episode Statistics, and Office of National Statistics) and Denmark (hospitals and community pharmacies using the Danish National Patient, Prescription and Education Registries and the Civil Registration System). Bereaved people with reduced kidney function (estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60mL/min/1.73m2 (England) or hospital-coded chronic kidney disease (Denmark)) and non-bereaved people with reduced kidney function similarly defined, matched on age, sex, general practice (England), and county of residence (Denmark) and followed-up from the bereavement date of the exposed person. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) or acute kidney injury (AKI) hospitalization, or death. In people with reduced kidney function, we identified 19,820 (England) and 5,408 (Denmark) bereaved individuals and matched them with 134,828 (England) and 35,741 (Denmark) non-bereaved individuals. Among the bereaved, the rates of hospitalizations (per 1000 person-years) with CVD were 31.7 (95%-CI: 30.5-32.9) in England and 78.8 (95%-CI: 74.9-82.9) in Denmark; the rates of hospitalizations with AKI were 13.2 (95%-CI: 12.5-14.0) in England and 11.2 (95%-CI: 9.9-12.7) in Denmark; and the rates of death were 70.2 (95%-CI: 68.5-72.0) in England and 126.4 (95%-CI: 121.8-131.1) in Denmark. After adjusting for confounders, we found increased rates of CVD (England, HR 1.06 [95%-CI: 1.01-1.12]; Denmark, HR 1.10 [95%-CI: 1.04-1.17]), of AKI (England, HR 1.20 [95%-CI: 1.10-1.31]; Denmark HR 1.36 [95%-CI: 1.17-1.58]), and of death (England, HR 1.10 [95%-CI: 1.05-1.14]; Denmark HR 1.20 [95%-CI: 1.15-1.25]) in bereaved compared with non-bereaved people. Partner bereavement is associated with an increased rate of CVD and AKI hospitalization, and death in people with reduced kidney function. Additional supportive care for this at-risk population may help prevent serious adverse events.

ObjectiveTo characterise factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine uptake among people with kidney disease in England.DesignRetrospective cohort study using the OpenSAFELY-TPP platform, performed with the approval of NHS England.SettingIndividual-level routine clinical data from 24 million people across GPs in England using TPP software. Primary care data were linked directly with COVID-19 vaccine records up to 31 August 2022 and with renal replacement therapy (RRT) status via the UK Renal Registry (UKRR).ParticipantsA cohort of adults with stage 3–5 chronic kidney disease (CKD) or receiving RRT at the start of the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out was identified based on evidence of reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) or inclusion in the UKRR.Main outcome measuresDose-specific vaccine coverage over time was determined from 1 December 2020 to 31 August 2022. Individual-level factors associated with receipt of a 3-dose or 4-dose vaccine series were explored via Cox proportional hazards models.Results992 205 people with stage 3–5 CKD or receiving RRT were included. Cumulative vaccine coverage as of 31 August 2022 was 97.5%, 97.0% and 93.9% for doses 1, 2 and 3, respectively, and 81.9% for dose 4 among individuals with one or more indications for eligibility. Delayed 3-dose vaccine uptake was associated with younger age, minority ethnicity, social deprivation and severe mental illness—associations that were consistent across CKD severity subgroups, dialysis patients and kidney transplant recipients. Similar associations were observed for 4-dose uptake.ConclusionAlthough high primary vaccine and booster dose coverage has been achieved among people with kidney disease in England, key disparities in vaccine uptake remain across clinical and demographic groups and 4-dose coverage is suboptimal. Targeted interventions are needed to identify barriers to vaccine uptake among under-vaccinated subgroups identified in the present study.

Background Due to limited inclusion of patients on kidney replacement therapy (KRT) in clinical trials, the effectiveness of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) therapies in this population remains unclear. We sought to address this by comparing the effectiveness of sotrovimab against molnupiravir, two commonly used treatments for non-hospitalised KRT patients with COVID-19 in the UK. Methods With the approval of National Health Service England, we used routine clinical data from 24 million patients in England within the OpenSAFELY-TPP platform linked to the UK Renal Registry (UKRR) to identify patients on KRT. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) of sotrovimab versus molnupiravir with regards to COVID-19-related hospitalisations or deaths in the subsequent 28 days. We also conducted a complementary analysis using data from the Scottish Renal Registry (SRR). Results Among the 2367 kidney patients treated with sotrovimab (n = 1852) or molnupiravir (n = 515) between 16 December 2021 and 1 August 2022 in England, 38 cases (1.6%) of COVID-19-related hospitalisations/deaths were observed. Sotrovimab was associated with substantially lower outcome risk than molnupiravir {adjusted HR 0.35 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.17–0.71]; P = .004}, with results remaining robust in multiple sensitivity analyses. In the SRR cohort, sotrovimab showed a trend toward lower outcome risk than molnupiravir [HR 0.39 (95% CI 0.13–1.21); P = .106]. In both datasets, sotrovimab had no evidence of an association with other hospitalisation/death compared with molnupiravir (HRs ranged from 0.73 to 1.29; P > .05). Conclusions In routine care of non-hospitalised patients with COVID-19 on KRT, sotrovimab was associated with a lower risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes compared with molnupiravir during Omicron waves. Lay Summary Patients on kidney replacement therapy (KRT) have been consistently at the highest risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19. However, understanding the effectiveness of COVID-19 therapeutics among patients with kidney disease has been problematic due to limited inclusion of patients on KRT in clinical trials. In this real-world study, we used data from two national renal registries and multisourced electronic health records to compare the effectiveness of sotrovimab and molnupiravir for preventing severe COVID-19 outcomes in non-hospitalised patients on KRT during the Omicron era. We found that among non-hospitalised COVID-19 patients on KRT across England and Scotland, those treated with sotrovimab had a substantially lower risk of developing severe COVID-19 outcomes than molnupiravir.

As learning engagement manager at Richland Library, with 11 branches and 403 employees, Susan Lyon cultivates a culture of experimentation. Starting in April 2011, Lyon led weekly eReady takeovers at local restaurants and cafés, where she and other mobile librarians showed patrons how to access Richland Library's digital offerings, including ebooks, e-magazines, free music, and language-learning services. It paid off. In December 2011, the library checked out 11,585 ebooks, compared to 3,062 in December 2010--a 278 percent increase. \"It's about personalizing making connections starting conversations...meeting [people] where they are,\" explains Lyon.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand how women enrolled in undergraduate engineering programs perceive their undergraduate experience in relation to their anticipatory socialization into the engineering profession. The significance of this study rests in the fact that although over the past few decades millions of dollars have been invested to combat the shortage of women entering and persisting in engineering undergraduate programs, very little improvement has yet been achieved. More importantly, although many factors have been determined to perhaps influence the under representation of women in engineering, a clear understanding of why this phenomenon continues has not yet been established. The findings from this study are intended to provide insight into what women in engineering need to succeed and provide clear recommendations for practice and policy to address the issue.

Video Enhanced Reflective Practice (VERP), an application of Video Interaction Guidance, supports individuals or groups to reflect on and develop their professional communication, teaching or therapeutic skills with their clients through shared review of moments of attuned interaction in video clips of their day-to-day practice. This book brings together international researchers and practitioners from a range of professions to define VERP, present its theoretical basis and review the current research evidence. Increasing in popularity, VERP is used as a reflective professional development tool for a wide range of professionals and employees, supporting them to analyse and reflect on moments of their effective interaction on video, in situ in the professional environment. The VERP approach is optimistic and empowering, focusing on strength and potential rather than problems or weaknesses.This book provides examples of VERP's application in a wide range of sectors and will be of interest to trainers, CPD providers, managers, psychologists, social workers, higher education educators, health visitors, early years professionals, teachers, counsellors, therapists, and professionals in the private, voluntary, government and local authority sectors.

The current thesis explored children's understanding of the emotions experienced by individuals involved in victimization situations through three studies. The studies utilized a task in which children were presented with a story about one child victimizing another, and then asked how each of the characters felt and why they felt that way. The first study focused on developmental changes in moral-emotional understanding in a group of children seen longitudinally. As hypothesized, children showed a major shift with age in their attributions of and reasoning about the emotions of both victimizers and victims. Whereas at age six and a half most children attributed a positive emotion to the victimizer and justified their attributions with reference to the material outcome of the act, by age nine and a half most attributed negative emotions to the victimizer and focused on moral considerations. Over time the participants also showed an increased tendency to attribute anger rather than sadness to the victim, and to justify their attributions with reference to social considerations. The second study explored the effects of both the child's sex and of story content involving different types of aggression on nine- to ten-year-old children's attributions to story characters. Sex differences were found in children's attributions to both victimizers and victims. Girls attributed negative emotions to victimizers and focused on moral considerations more often than boys, who were more likely to focus on hedonistic concerns. Girls also attributed more sadness to victims than boys who were more likely to attribute anger. Story content affected children's attributions to victims. Victims of relational aggression were expected to feel sad and focus on social considerations more often than victims of physical aggression and theft. The third study investigated the relationship between children's behavioral tendencies and their moral-emotional understanding. Fourth grade children rated by their teachers as highly aggressive were more likely to expect victimizers to feel happy because of hedonistic concerns. Fourth grade children exhibiting more depressive symptoms in school were more likely to have attributed anger to story victims when they were in kindergarten.

Clients frequently ask me variations on the question of whether a privacy policy should be treated as a contract. Sometimes the question is framed as, \"Should we have users agree to our privacy policy?\" Others frame the question as, \"Should we incorporate our entire privacy policy into our agreed upon end-user license agreement (\"EULA\") or terms of use (\"TOU\")?\" for those who take a global approach to privacy compliance, \"I agree\" language may cause legal issues abroad. Some European Union (\"EU\") countries, such as Germany, explicitly prohibit forcing end users to agree broadly to data collection and use practices. Other EU data protection laws and rules prohibit conditioning use of products or services on user acceptance of data collection and use practices. In these countries, the privacy policy takes the form of a notice to users. It is meant to fully inform users and provide transparency about what data you collect, how you use it, with whom you share the data, how you protect it, the choices users have with respect to use and sharing of the data, and the like. Likewise, for the few U.S. laws requiring privacy policies, the objective for doing so is notice and transparency rather than contract formation. Most significantly, given recent judicial lawmaking, your entity may benefit from treating some aspects of your privacy policy as part of your privacy litigation strategy. With careful phrasing and placement of language in a TOU to which users must affirmatively agree, an entity can potentially compel arbitration and avoid costly class action litigation.2 That TOU would include the user's agreement to collection and use of information by your entity for the purposes disclosed in the privacy policy and to a binding arbitration provision with a class action waiver. To help ensure that the terms are binding, however, it is important that acceptance of the terms involve some affirmative action of the user.