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Foreword to Cormac McCarthy's Neoliberalism
No full textIn Cormac McCarthy’s Neoliberalism: Breakdown in Mercantile Ethics, editor Brian James Schill gathers insightful essays that probe how McCarthy’s works have commented on and caricatured the economic, political, and cultural forces of neoliberalism. Spanning McCarthy’s career from Suttree to his final novels The Passenger and Stella Maris, this volume positions McCarthy as both a chronicler of and a participant in the neoliberal era. The contributors explore how McCarthy’s fictions—often set against vast, barren landscapes—reflect the predatory logic of neoliberal capitalism, marked by economic inequality, environmental degradation, and social upheaval.
The nine essays presented here argue that McCarthy’s critiques go beyond the superficial and delve deeply into the material and cultural conditions shaped by neoliberal governance. By examining the commodification and accumulation of wealth, both in the settings of his novels and the lives of his characters, McCarthy is revealed as both a sharp observer of the social consequences of unchecked capitalist expansion and a participant in that expansion. Ultimately, Cormac McCarthy’s Neoliberalism demonstrates how the master’s works grapple with the ways in which neoliberalism has reshaped human relationships, from the intimate to the institutional, while casting a spotlight on those left behind by global economic forces
International Investment Law Reform: Contemporary Issues and Solutions
No full textThis book offers contemporary assessment of the challenges facing international investment law and proposes innovative solutions for reform.
The most controversial issue in international investment law is on the settlement of investor-state disputes and its implications on national regulatory autonomy. This book recognises that current literature in international investment law fails to adequately incorporate diverse perspectives. Therefore, it interrogates the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and their relationship with international investment policies of developing countries, particular in Africa where there has been a marked increase in investor-state disputes. Despite existing reform proposals by the UNCITRAL Working Group III, and emerging progressive treaty drafting practices around the world, there remains a need for further clarity on how the world should proceed in reforming and restructuring international investment law and policy. This book contributes to existing body of research knowledge by presenting new evidence and proposing practical solutions to enhancing the regulation of international investments and promotion of sustainable development.
It will inform a range of stakeholders including investors, Civil Society Organisations, States, students, and international organisations such as the World Bank
The Open Book Environment (OBE) Dashboard: A Tool for Increasing Publisher Transparency for Authors, Librarians, and the Scholarly Community
Full text linkIntroduction: The Open Book Environment (OBE) Dashboard is introduced as a pioneering tool aimed at fostering transparency and clarity in the realm of open access book publishing. In response to the growing need for accessible information for authors, librarians, and stakeholders, this dashboard aggregates data from a multitude of publishers into a centralized platform.
Description of Program/Service: Employing a comprehensive set of criteria, including pricing for book processing charges (BPCs), licensing options, editorial quality statements, and self-archiving policies, the Dashboard evaluates publisher transparency. Through a color-coded system, it visually represents the degree of openness exhibited by each publisher, empowering authors to make informed decisions about where to publish their work.
Next Steps: Looking ahead, the Dashboard’s dynamic nature allows for continuous updates, facilitating its role as an agent for positive change within the scholarly publishing community. As a versatile resource, the OBE Dashboard holds promise in enhancing efficiency, transparency, and accountability in open access book publishing
French translation and validation the Ontological Addiction Scale (OAS)
Full text linkAccording to ontological addiction theory, the root cause of mental suffering is a dysfunctional conceptualisation of the self. Typically, an individual with such a flawed self-concept deems themselves to be intrinsically separate from their surroundings, with their beliefs, choices and behaviours structured in order to reinforce their sense of an independently existing self. The Ontological Addiction Scale (OAS) was developed to measure ontological addiction and demonstrates good psychometric properties for the original version validated in English. The present study aimed to validate a French language version of the OAS. The 24-item OAS was administered to 492 French adults with emotional and/or mood disorders. The French OAS demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.89) and strong test–retest reliability. We suggest a single-factor structure, aligning with the original English version. The 12-item OAS also showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.81). Construct validity was confirmed by medium to large correlations with self-esteem, shame, perfectionism and mindfulness. These results support the use of the French OAS in research and clinical practice, offering a robust measure for assessing ontological addiction as well as a dimensional assessment of psychiatric symptoms
Optimized machine learning-based enhanced modeling of pile bearing capacity in layered soils using random and grid search techniques
Full text linkThe bearing capacity of a pile is a critical factor in geotechnical design, necessitating extensive testing procedures that often increase both the time and cost of earthwork. Consequently, there is a growing demand for efficient and reliable methods to determine pile bearing capacity. This study aims to propose optimized machine learning based models through the application of Random Search (RS) and Grid Search (GS) optimization techniques for the prediction of pile-bearing capacity in layered soils. For this purpose, an extensive dataset is sourced from literature, and various machine learning algorithms including Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and XGBoost are investigated. Through a systematic modeling approach, multiple models are generated, and the performance of machine learning algorithms is refined using RS and GS cross validation (CV) using a customized code in Python. Optimized models are further assessed based on comprehensive evaluation criteria using key statistical performance indices. The results demonstrate that both RS and GS-tuned machine learning models achieve high accuracy, with R2 values exceeding 0.9 and a low error index score across testing and training datasets. Notably, GS exhibits slightly superior statistical performance compared to RS. Furthermore, the tuned models with RS and GS showcase high performance on the validation dataset, with GS consistently outperforming RS. XGBoost emerges as the top performer among the machine learning models, followed by RF and SVM, highlighting the efficacy of tree-based algorithms in capturing the geotechnical variability inherent within pile bearing data. The proposed models offer valuable insights for predicting the preliminary evaluation of pile bearing capacity, facilitating swift and cost-effective geotechnical characterization within an acceptable error margin. This study introduces advancements in predictive modeling for geotechnical engineering, highlighting the transformative potential of optimization methodologies to enhance the machine learning models used for decision-making processes in civil engineering applications
Comparative analysis of solar photovoltaic/thermal assisted heat pump systems coupled with PCM storage and EV charging with reference to the UK’s national carbon intensity
Full text linkEmerging trends in heat pump (HP) and electric vehicle (EV) adoption within communities aim to reduce carbon emissions in the heating and transportation sectors. However, these technologies rely on grid electricity, whose carbon intensity varies over time. This study explores how the carbon-saving potential of these technologies can be further enhanced through demand-shifting operations and renewable energy integration. The research compares photovoltaic–thermal (PV/T) and hybrid solar heat pump systems that integrate EV charging and PCM-enhanced heat storage to improve space heating efficiency under low solar irradiance in the UK while reducing CO2 emissions. The study simulates solar collector configurations and sizes, combining PV modules and heat pumps to enhance system performance. Control systems synchronize operations with periods of low grid CO2 intensity, minimizing the environmental impact. The analysis evaluates PV/T systems, separate PV and thermal collectors, highlighting their energy efficiency and CO2 reduction potential. Control systems further optimize HP operation and EV charging during periods of high renewable energy availability, preventing uncontrolled use that could result in elevated emissions. Using real weather data and a detailed building model, the findings show that a solar-assisted HP with 100% thermal collectors achieves a daily COP of 3.49. Reducing thermal collectors to 60% lowers the COP to 2.57, but PV output compensates, maintaining similar emission levels. The system achieves the lowest emission with high-efficiency evacuated flat plate PV/T collectors
Pilot study to reduce chewing and eating rates using haptic feedback from the OCOsense glasses
Full text linkObesity is a global concern and chewing manipulation has shown promising results for weight management. This preliminary pilot study explored the use of the OCOsense glasses to deliver personalised haptic feedback to encourage slower chewing. It was hypothesised that feedback would reduce chewing rate. A repeated-measures experimental design was used. At T1, participants consumed pasta to collect baseline chewing rates. At T2 (one week later), participants ate pasta but received haptic feedback when chewing exceeded 80 % of their T1 rate. Additional measures included eating rate, food intake, hunger, fullness, feasibility, and acceptability. Twenty-two participants (BMI 18.5–29.9) were recruited. Chewing rate data were collected using the OCOsense glasses. Eating rate was calculated as grams/min by weighing food pre/post-meal, and hunger/fullness levels were self-reported. T-tests compared T1 and T2 data, while feasibility and acceptability were evaluated descriptively. Results showed significant reductions in chewing rate (t(21) = 7.3, p < 0.001) and eating rate (T(N = 22) = 11, p < 0.001) at T2. Despite higher hunger levels at T2 (t(21) = −3.095, p = 0.005), food intake remained unchanged (t(21) = 0.093, p = 0.927). The system ran smoothly and was deemed acceptable. In conclusion, this preliminary study suggests that haptic feedback may reduce chewing rate, highlighting potential for modifying eating behaviour. However, methodological limitations—such as lack of randomisation and control for confounders—warrant cautious interpretation. Future research should explore effects in individuals with obesity. The OCOsense glasses represent a promising tool for addressing eating habits and obesity through innovative technology
Mobilising materiality for strategy work: the role of organisational spaces
Full text linkMuch of the strategy-as-practice research addressing spatial aspects of strategy work focuses on analysing physical, transient, and transitional dimensions of organisational spaces. Building on these extant studies, this paper focuses on the lived-experience dimension of organisational spaces. Based on a rich case study of collaborations involving both informal sector and formal sector strategic actors, we demonstrate that strategic actors respond to and navigate distinct but tightly coupled organisational spaces in their mobilisation of materiality for accomplishing strategy work. Our findings show that a set of individual and group-level frames of reference and meaning-making mechanisms underlie mobilisation practices that may be motivated by both personal and business objectives. We offer a conceptual framework for explaining how strategic actors, embedded within disparate organisational spaces, accomplish strategy work by mobilising everyday organisational space-conditioned material artefacts. Our study therefore highlights the value of connecting micro-level materiality praxis and practices to macro-level organisational space structures in theorising strategy practice
Clinical vision: new scenarios between artificial intelligence and the need for an "embodied first" clinical approach
Full text linkThis work examines the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in the healthcare field, highlighting the need for an "embodied first" clinical approach. In this sense, a hybrid human-machine model is proposed that leverages the computational power of AI while preserving the irreplaceable aspects of human judgment. Consistent with the aforementioned, the English healthcare model is analyzed, exploring the benefits derived from this integration, which can be attributed to greater efficiency while preserving privacy. Furthermore, the new frontiers of clinical training are being explored, emphasizing the need to prepare future doctors to collaborate with AI systems, prioritizing critical thinking and the ability to manage any potential hallucinations of these systems. It concludes by highlighting how the future of healthcare lies in the development of integrated approaches that combine technological and human capabilities to foster a post-pharmaceutical revolution
The inclusion and consideration of cultural differences and health inequalities in physical activity behaviour in the UK - the impact of guidelines and initiatives
Full text linkDespite widespread attempts from governments and leading health organisations worldwide to promote equity in healthy living medicine, the evidence suggests that attempts to curb worsening public health have been almost entirely ineffective. Despite significant advancements in knowledge, medicine, and technology, as well as the promotion of guidelines and the implementation of numerous global initiatives aimed at addressing health disparities and mitigating the progression of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) worldwide, substantial work remains to be undertaken particularly in addressing inequalities in physical activity. Achieving equitable access to health resources and parity in health outcomes remains a critical and unresolved challenge. Whilst it is recognized that the public health paradigm is broad and complex, with many intersecting and interacting parts, the actions and considerations required to address the urgent and escalating scale of the problem appear at a crossroads of now or never. Throughout this narrative review, we describe the effectiveness of landmark physical activity-related guidelines, policies and national interventions that have been implemented since the turn of the century to address physical activity behaviour in the context of health inequalities