Dundee City Research Articles

Spatial-temporal load forecasting of electric vehicle charging stations based on graph neural network

Accurate forecasting of the load of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations is critical for EV users to choose the optimal charging stations and ensure the safe and efficient operation of the power grid. The charging load of different charging stations in the same area is interrelated. However, forecasting the charging load of individual charging station using traditional time series methods is insufficient. To fully consider the spatial-temporal correlation between charging stations, this paper proposes a new charging load forecasting framework based on the Adaptive Spatial-temporal Graph Neural Network with Transformer (ASTNet-T). First, an adaptive graph is constructed based on the spatial relationship and historical information between charging stations, and the local spatial-temporal dependencies hidden therein are captured by the spatio-temporal convolutional network. Then, a Transformer network is introduced to capture the global spatial-temporal dependencies of charging loads and predict the future multilevel charging loads of charging stations. Finally, extensive experiments are conducted on two real-world charging load datasets. The effectiveness and robustness of the proposed algorithm are verified by experiments. In the Dundee City dataset, the MAE, MAPE, and RMSE values of the proposed model are improved by approximately 71%, 90%, and 67%, respectively, compared to the suboptimal baseline model, demonstrating that the proposed algorithm significantly improves the accuracy of load forecasting.

AST-GIN: Attribute-Augmented Spatiotemporal Graph Informer Network for Electric Vehicle Charging Station Availability Forecasting.

Electric Vehicle (EV) charging demand and charging station availability forecasting is one of the challenges in the intelligent transportation system. With accurate EV station availability prediction, suitable charging behaviors can be scheduled in advance to relieve range anxiety. Many existing deep learning methods have been proposed to address this issue; however, due to the complex road network structure and complex external factors, such as points of interest (POIs) and weather effects, many commonly used algorithms can only extract the historical usage information and do not consider the comprehensive influence of external factors. To enhance the prediction accuracy and interpretability, the Attribute-Augmented Spatiotemporal Graph Informer (AST-GIN) structure is proposed in this study by combining the Graph Convolutional Network (GCN) layer and the Informer layer to extract both the external and internal spatiotemporal dependence of relevant transportation data. The external factors are modeled as dynamic attributes by the attributeaugmented encoder for training. The AST-GIN model was tested on the data collected in Dundee City, and the experimental results showed the effectiveness of our model considering external factors' influence on various horizon settings compared with other baselines.

Optimally Clocking the Low Carbon Energy Mile to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals: Evidence from Dundee’s Electric Vehicle Strategy

Dundee City has been successful in installing green infrastructure for charging electric vehicles (EVs). This intervention matches the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of affordable clean energy (SDG 7), sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11) and climate action (SDG 13) of the United Nations General Assembly Agenda 2030 (Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development). Local authorities can align interventions with SDGs according to needs. The purpose of this paper is to consider whether Dundee’s EV strategy represents the most viable and equitable intervention that could be adopted given the city’s context. We adopt a positive review and value argumentation approach to determine the extent to which the strategy satisfies the criteria of “level of urgency”, “systemic impact” and “policy gaps”, which have been employed in the extant literature as the basis for a multi-criteria analysis (MCA). We eclectically review elements of the strategy against the city’s peculiar physical and socio-economic environment, as well as argue their fit against these criteria. We interpret these criteria based on the complementarity and benefits of the strategy from the lenses of SDG 7, SDG 11 and SDG 13. Additionally, we consider the alignment of the EV strategy with the other SDGs. The criteria also allow us to evaluate the strategy based on the localisation principles of equity, acceptability and affordability of the intervention. Our review shows that the EV strategy represents a sustainable and community life-enhancing intervention that aligns with some key SDGs. However, the outcome raises concerns about the equitability of the strategy. Smaller, similar or bigger cities could utilise this approach. However, we recommend the evaluation of local priorities to improve alignment with the SDGs and the provision of clear justifications for selecting an intervention from a range of responses.

Using action learning to tackle food insecurity in Scotland

ABSTRACTIn the context of a dramatic rise in food bank use in Scotland, the A Menu for Change project, delivered by Oxfam Scotland, Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, Nourish Scotland and The Poverty Alliance, aimed to reduce the need for emergency food aid by improving local responses to food insecurity. Between 2017 and 2019, project officers worked with key stakeholders in Dundee City, East Ayrshire and Fife to identify and address challenges that people experiencing acute food insecurity face in accessing all the financial support and advice to which they are entitled. The project employed a cross-sectoral and multi-level approach in these three local authority areas. This account reviews the way action learning was used by the A Menu for Change project in Scotland, including an example of how one presentation led to practical changes in local referral patterns. The project demonstrated that action learning can be a useful approach for creating, supporting and developing relationships across complex systems and a mechanism for establishing the groundwork for social change. Facilitators learned that there is a need to work closely with stakeholders inside and outside the set to ensure the benefits of reflective learning influence policy and practice change.

An exploration of the use of ABLe by educational psychologists to promote universal inclusive practice in primary school classrooms in one local authority in Scotland

In Scotland, an increasing amount of emphasis is being placed on creating inclusive learning environments to meet the needs of all learners. An inclusion pedagogy requires a focus on all children in a classroom and a rejection of deterministic beliefs of ability. The current study examined the use of Addressing Barriers to Learning (ABLe), an inclusive practice resource developed and promoted by Dundee City Council Educational Psychology Service (DEPS). 11 educational psychologists (EPs) took part in a survey exploring their views surrounding the impact and process of using ABLe. Qualitative thematic analysis identified three key themes (Staff engagement, role of the EP, future needs) and six sub-themes (staff resistance, within-child conceptualisations, professional dialogue, evidencing impact, accessibility and format, and staged approach to implementation). The findings suggest that successful implementation of ABLe is facilitated by the collaborative coaching of inclusive pedagogy and functional links to the National Practice Model.

A quasi-experimental evaluation of dried blood spot testing through community pharmacies in the Tayside region of Scotland

ObjectiveComparison of uptake of dried blood spot testing (DBST) for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection between community pharmacies and established services.DesignQuantitative evaluation of a service development with qualitative process evaluation...

PTU-095 Dried blood spot testing for hepatitis C in community pharmacy – interim reporting of a quasi-experimental study of effectiveness

<h3>Introduction</h3> Low diagnosis rates for Hepatitis C (HCV) mean untreated progressive disease and ongoing infection. Up to 40% of service users on opioid replacement therapy (ORT) from pharmacies are infected. Audit demonstrates that only 2.5% of this estimated population is treated per annum. Stigma, travelling distance, confidentiality concerns and a lack of awareness of how to access testing, have been identified as barriers. For the ORT patients pharmacies offering dried blood spot testing (DBST) may overcome these barriers. This study compares uptake of testing in pharmacies offering DBST with testing from established routes, in a population receiving ORT. Established routes included general practice testing, testing in secondary care, testing in specialist drug services and testing in 3rd sector organisations. <h3>Method</h3> A quasi-experimental study design was used to compare non-randomly chosen intervention and control groups for access and uptake of DBST. Staff from 6 community pharmacies were trained to provide DBST and provided with a list of untested patients who could be invited to be tested. The list was constructed through a data linkage exercise joining the prescribing database for Tayside with the laboratory testing database using the community health index number (CHI). The pharmacies tested consenting patients during the last quarter of 2014. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of ORT service users accessing testing. Uptake was compared for patients accessing DBST in the 6 community pharmacies during the last quarter of 2014, compared to service users accessing HCV testing from any other service, for the 12 months of 2014. <h3>Results</h3> A total population of 1,339 patients were identified as being prescribed ORT in Dundee City of which 561 had no record of testing for HCV. During the 3 month period, 43 patients from the 6 community pharmacies accepted a DBST from a total of 143 eligible patients attending those pharmacies. Within the 561 eligible patients taking ORT across the whole of Dundee City, 75 patients were tested for HCV (30% Vs 13%). The OR for increased uptake of testing within the 6 pharmacies was 2.25 (95% CI 1.48 to 3.42, Z statistic = 3.81 p = 0.0001). The results from the DBST taken by the pharmacies showed 12 patients HCV+, 23 HCV negative, 7 DBSTs were not processed because of a missing ID number and 1 sample was a duplicate. <h3>Conclusion</h3> This initial evaluation of DBST in community pharmacies found that a greater proportion of ORT service users took up the offer of a test, compared to the offer of a test from a wider range of providers, over a longer time period. This study shows that DBST in community pharmacies is both a feasible and effective method. <h3>Disclosure of interest</h3> None Declared.

A woman's industry? The role of women in the workforce of the Dundee jute industry c. 1945-1979

This paper will explore the reduced role of women in the jute industry in Dundee in the post-war years. This industry experienced high levels of female participation in the years before 1945, as was the case in many of Britain's textile industries. This was instrumental in the city's characterisation as a 'women's work town'. Following the war however the dominance of the jute industry in Dundee was under threat. Competition from Indian producers as well as from substitutes for jute was intensifying, but perhaps more problematic was increased pessimism concerning the future of the industry within the city itself. Dundee City Council, supported by the Board of Trade and the government more generally, actively campaigned for subsidies to attract new industries to the area and therefore diversify Dundee's industrial base. The success of this policy ensured that the jute industry faced increased competition in terms of retaining its female labour force. As a consequence of this labour shortage, and the jute employers response to it in the 1960s and 1970s, Dundee's jute industry was no longer characterised by high female participation.

A survey on public knowledge and perceptions of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

The aim of the study was to establish knowledge and understanding of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among patients, visitors and members of the general public accessing health services and to identify public education needs in relation to MRSA. Survey participants were recruited through 15 general practice surgeries across Tayside and through a young people's health and information project in Dundee city centre and at a health information facility at Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee. There were 1000 responses. The majority (86%) had heard of MRSA, 59% knew that it is a bacterium and 47% were aware that a healthy person can have MRSA without feeling ill. Those who knew someone who had had MRSA (32%) showed greater knowledge but greater worry about getting MRSA if admitted to hospital. Knowledge of possible treatments was variable, with 7% of respondents thinking of MRSA as untreatable. Across all groups, most estimates of MRSA prevalence were much higher than actual prevalence. Public awareness of MRSA and its treatment was higher than expected, mainly gained through the media, but with considerable gaps in knowledge. Knowing someone with MRSA makes the individual more likely to be knowledgeable about MRSA in general, but more likely to think it is untreatable and almost twice as likely to be worried about contracting MRSA if admitted to hospital. The findings of this survey will inform the development of educational packages for the general public, as well as patients entering hospital and their visitors.

Helping the public 'Discover Health' in their local library. Providing health information in public libraries: a partnership approach in Scotland.

A partnership between the Specialist Health Promotion Service of NHS Tayside and Dundee City Council developed a project, 'Discover Health', to bring health information to the public. The two main formats used were traditional leaflets and Internet access via the People's Network, both available in public libraries. The steering group for the project was made up of staff from both organisations. The NHS side secured the funding; the Council side provided the accommodation and information and communication technologies. The partnership worked well, and the project is continuing, with expansion in the pipeline for other areas within Tayside. The various aspects of the functioning of the partnership are discussed. A literature review of similar initiatives is included.

The Reality of Visions: Contemporary Theories of Spirituality in Social Work

Journal Article The Reality of Visions: Contemporary Theories of Spirituality in Social Work Get access Neil Henery Neil Henery Neil Henery is a part time Ph.D. student at the Department of Social Work at Dundee University and a Staff Development Officer with Dundee City Council Social Work Department. He qualified as a social worker in 1991. His main professional experience is in Children's Services. This article is part of his Ph.D. thesis on social work and sprituality, originally prompted by his work in palliative care Correspondence to Neil Henery, 62 Dundee Street, Carnoustie, Angus DD7 7PF, UK Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The British Journal of Social Work, Volume 33, Issue 8, December 2003, Pages 1105–1113, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/33.8.1105 Published: 01 December 2003

The Visual Research Centre at Dundee Contemporary Arts

Dundee Contemporary Arts was created through a partnership between Dundee City Council, Dundee Contemporary Arts Ltd and the University of Dundee. Its unique building gives the University of Dundee’s Visual Research Centre scope for multi-disciplinary research, events and exhibitions, an archive and an artist books collection. But Gaelic culture, environmental issues and a library – just what, exactly, is the VRC all about?

Practical application of RCM to local authority housing: a pilot study

This paper presents part of an EPSRC research project carried out by the Construction Management Research Unit at Dundee University. The objective of the research was to apply integrated logistics support, to the development of cost‐effective maintenance strategies for existing building stock. Techniques such as failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) and reliability centred maintenance (RCM) were tailored for application to construction projects and a pilot study was carried out on a sample of 18 houses drawn from Dundee City Council housing stock. A comparative analysis of condition survey, FMEA and RCM is provided. The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the benefits of applying RCM to existing building stock. The pilot study shows that the use of RCM can lead to a reduction of 18.5 per cent in maintenance costs.

New social care regulators for Scotland

Jacquie Roberts, currently director of social work for Dundee city council, is to become the chief executive of the new Scottish commission for the regulation of care, which will regulate and inspect all care services in Scotland from April next year. Ms Roberts, a social worker by background, has been appointed as regulator of social work and will lead one of two new bodies which will oversee social care in Scotland.

Beyond residential care: Evaluating an outreach project

According to Scottish Executive statistics approximately 1000–2000 young people over the age of 16 cease to be looked after by local authorities in Scotland; research over the last 20 years has indicated that the majority of those ceasing to be looked after can face poverty, loneliness and isolation (Scottish Executive, 1999a). Further evidence of the potential fate of young people leaving care is revealed in a press release on rough sleeping reporting that 26% of those sleeping rough in Scotland had been in care (Scottish Executive 1999b). The Children (Scotland) Act of 1995 requires local authorities to provide aftercare for young people previously in their care, but the forms of aftercare available can vary (HMSO, 1995). This article focuses upon one such provision arrangement made between Dundee City Council and the Carolina House Trust.

The impacts of road traffic management on urban air quality

The effects of road traffic emissions on urban air quality are investigated, using long-term nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) data. The effectiveness of the several traffic management measures that have been made in Dundee city centre, UK, within the last 5 years in relation to urban air quality is discussed. The information assessed during this study indicates that the annual mean NO 2 levels at all the study sites are, at present, below the current EC and WHO (long-term) air quality standards for NO 2 concentration in the ambient air. Traffic restrictions appear to be effective in protecting urban air quality. The annual mean NO 2 concentration at two of the study sites is currently close to 40 μg/m 3, a value published in the Air Quality Regulations 1997 for the air quality objective to be achieved by the year 2005. Proactive traffic management mitigation measures are proposed for these sites and a methodology for the consideration of traffic management alternatives, based upon traffic flow modal split, is described. Some measures proposed are based upon a survey of vehicle occupancy rates, carried out at the busiest of the four study sites. The methodology and assessment procedures presented should be invaluable to assessors of traffic management and local air quality management in a small city, both at the planning and at the auditing stage.

A comparison of the prevalence of HIV infection and injecting risk behaviour in urban and rural samples in Scotland.

To compare the prevalence of HIV infection and injecting risk behaviour among injecting drug users from urban and rural areas. Two samples of injecting drug users were recruited using a multi-site sampling strategy. Respondents were first interviewed by trained interviewers then specimens of saliva were collected for anonymous testing for antibodies to HIV. Respondents were recruited from drug treatment services and street sites. Respondents were eligible for inclusion in the study if they had "ever" injected a drug and were currently using drugs. Measurements taken included self-reported patterns of drug use and injecting risk behaviour. Specimens of saliva were tested for the presence of HIV infection using GACELISA with reactive specimens confirmed by Western blot analysis. Our data indicate that there are two separate populations which are geographically discrete but broadly similar in profile and current injecting risk behaviour. The prevalence of HIV infection among IDUs from Dundee city was found to be 26.8% (95% CI, 20.2%-33.0%) compared with 3.7% (95% CI, 0.13%-15.8%) for IDUs from rural Tayside. This marked difference in prevalence of HIV infection we attribute to a high level of injecting risk among urban IDUs between 1980 and 1984, limited migration from the urban epicentre of infection and a reluctance among rural IDUs to share with IDUs outside their immediate social and kinship networks. Although current levels of injecting risk behaviour are similar in our urban and rural samples, rural IDUs may be less likely to contract HIV from their fellow injectors because of the lower prevalence of HIV infection and more closed sharing networks within the rural population. The implications of this for the development and expansion of drug services are considered.

Geology of the Devonian Dundee Reservoir, West Branch Field, Michigan (1)

West Branch field, located near the center of the Michigan basin, is a low-relief, asymmetric, northwest-southeast-trending anticline. Since 1934, the (Middle Devonian Dundee and Rogers City limestones) has produced more than 12 million bbl (2 million m{3}) of oil from this field. Dundee sediments were deposited on a carbonate ramp that dipped gently to the northwest. Core studies and log correlations show that the reservoir is dominated by normal-marine, somewhat lenticular beds of skeletal-peloidal grainstones and packstones. Crinoids are very abundant, comprising nearly 100% of the grains in some intervals. The uppermost Dundee consists of micritic carbonates with a restricted faunal assemblage. The Dundee-Rogers City contact is a disconformity that ppears to be a pyritized, extensively bioeroded hardground. The overlying Rogers City Limestone is a dark nodular wackestone with rare packstone interbeds. Trace amounts of dolomite are common throughout the field. However, pervasive dolomite is common only in the top 10-15 ft (3-4.5 m) of the Dundee. This dolomite generally has high porosity (5-15%) but very low permeability (0-1.0 md). Primary interparticle porosity in limestones accounts for most of the reservoir porosity. Although previous workers have concluded that fracture-controlled dolomites are responsible for porosity and permeability in this field, we conclude that such dolomites are not important. We also conclude that at West Branch field there is no evidence for reefal growth over a pre-existing fold, as has been reported in other Dundee-Rogers City reservoirs.

DRUG USE IN THE NEWBORN

Summary Over a 2-year period in Dundee City hospitals, 16.5% of babies in the specical care baby unit (SCBU) received drugs, being given a mean number of 2.2 drugs each, compared with 2.3% of maternity ward babies who received a mean of 1.2 drugs each. In the SCBU, 26.5% of ‘low birth weight’ (< 2,500 g) babies and 32.1% of pre-term (< 37 weeks) babies received drugs, as compared with 11.9% of ‘normal weight’ ( 2,500 g) babies, and 11.0% of term ( 37 weeks) babies. There was no apparent relationship between the mean number of drugs received by babies and their birth weight or gestational age. Antimicrobials were the most frequently prescribed drugs, and of the others, calcium gluconate was used most commonly.

Middle Devonian Bentonite in Michigan Basin

The name is proposed for a thin subsurface bentonitic ash-fall bed in the Michigan basin Lucas Formation (upper Detroit River Group, Middle Devonian). Post-Detroit River emergence and erosion of the flanks of the basin resulted in truncation of the ash bed to its present limits. The Kawkawlin Bentonite may be equivalent to the Tioga Bentonite Bed of the Appalachian and Illinois basins. The Tioga Bentonite Bed has been reported on the Appalachian basin flank of the Algonquin arch in Norfolk and Oxford counties, southwestern Ontario. That this bentonite is in strata equivalent with the Dundee Formation of the Michigan basin is questioned. Because of dissimilarities there is some doubt whether the Ontario bentonite is properly related to the Tioga Bentonite. A bentonite reported as Tioga Bentonite in northern Indiana on the southern flank of the Michigan basin is probably stratigraphically older than the Tioga and the Kawkawlin bentonites. The Kawkawlin Bentonite has proved invaluable in analyzing upper Detroit River, Dundee, and Rogers City stratigraphy and correlations in the Michigan basin.