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Comparing the conservative and labour party’s proposals for skills: what’s the problem represented to be?
Get PDFThis paper critically examines UK skills development policies as articulated in two key policy documents: the Conservative government’s White Paper Skills for Jobs: Lifelong Learning for Opportunity and Growth and the Labour Party’s Learning and Skills for Economic Recovery, Social Cohesion and a More Equal Britain. Employing Bacchi’s ‘What’s the Problem Represented to Be?’ approach, the analysis reveals a shared reliance on human capital theory and a technocratic view of education that prioritises economic outcomes
Integrated geochemical and attribute modelling of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation (KCF) in the UK North Sea: Implications for unconventional hydrocarbon exploration
Get PDFUnconventional resource plays (i.e., shale oil and gas) may play an important role in increasing the UK’s secure access to energy during the transition to net-zero carbon energy sources. For several decades, the UK North Sea has been a prolific oil and gas province, with numerous conventional discoveries sourced predominantly by the Kimmeridge Clay Formation (KCF). However, only a few studies have analysed the potential of the KCF for unconventional resources, which could also contribute significantly to maximising the production of known plays.
This study combines i) geochemical data analysis and 1D basin modelling to evaluate KCF hydrocarbon generation potential and oil saturation, with ii) 3D geostatistical modelling to predict the distribution of KCF reservoir properties, and iii) 3D basin modelling and mineralogical data interpretation to further investigate KCF thermal maturity, residual hydrocarbon saturation and frackability. Together, these give an indication of the potential for shale oil and gas exploitation in the Outer Moray Firth region, UK North Sea.
The compiled geochemical data from KCF samples in 18 wells within the study area were analysed using geochemical interpretation plots generated in p: IGI+ software. This was followed by 1D basin modelling of 20 selected well locations. Machine learning techniques and established rock property equations were used to generate total organic carbon, hydrocarbon yield, hydrogen index, total porosity and brittleness index logs for 16 of the wells. The generated well logs and KCF depth maps are utilised for 3D geostatistical property modelling across the study area. A 3D basin model was constructed using 10 depth maps, and KCF mineralogical composition was analysed in four wells using XRD.
Most of the well sites indicate excellent hydrocarbon generation potential and oil saturation for the KCF. An overall sweet spot map, created by integrating the modelled KCF reservoir properties and thermal maturity, shows key prospective areas for shale oil and gas exploitation within the central Witch Ground Graben, and to a lesser extent regions of the Piper Shelf and Claymore-Tartan Ridge. These areas indicate good potential in all investigated reservoir properties and thermal maturity, with respect to industry thresholds.
The results of basin modelling further show that free residual hydrocarbon saturation within KCF sweet spots reaches up to 95.6 mmbls/km2 of oil and 73.6 bcf/km2 of gas. The modelled P90 - P50 - P10 free in-place volumes are also significant, with 2.7 - 5.7 - 12.1 billion barrels of oil and 0.5 - 1.2 - 2.7 trillion cubic feet of gas in place. The calculated mineralogical brittleness indices for the KCF further indicate favourable conditions for hydraulic fracturing in the sweet spot area.
Whilst alternative forms of energy production are increasing, the onshore production of shale oil and gas has not significantly materialised in the UK for a number of socio-economic reasons. This study has therefore improved and simplified the identification of producible areas for shale oil and gas from the KCF in the offshore UK North Sea, a resource that may prove essential to UK energy security during the net-zero carbon transition
Just energy transition in africa: towards social inclusion and environmental rights-based imperatives
Get PDFThis article examines the concept of just energy transition in the context of Africa. It explores two key imperatives: (1) social inclusion and (2) an environmental rights-based approach to promote just energy transitions within African countries. The article looks at social inclusion from the perspective of local communities that host energy infrastructures, highlighting potential injustices and negative impacts that may arise from the energy transition. It further argues that social inclusion and environmental rights-based approaches can be useful tools for achieving just energy transitions in Africa. The article also analyses strategies that underpin social inclusion and environmental rights-based approaches within the governance and legal frameworks for energy transition projects in Africa, including empowering local communities to ensure the transition aligns with their socio-economic standing. The article suggests that adopting socially inclusive and environmental rights-based imperatives are significant steps towards overcoming and addressing injustices in energy transition projects in Africa
Barriers to low-carbon technology adoption: insights from the automotive manufacturing sector in emerging economies
No full textIn response to global efforts to promote sustainability and combat climate change, industries increasingly leverage digital technologies to enhance organizational capabilities and adopt low-carbon practices. This study focuses on the automotive manufacturing industry in Morocco, a critical sector in emerging economies, where low-carbon technologies offer significant potential to reduce environmental impacts while driving economic growth. Addressing a crucial gap in the literature, this research investigates barriers to adopting these technologies through an empirical analysis involving 170 respondents. Using Exploratory Factor Analysis, Analytic Hierarchy Process, and Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation-Laboratory, the study identifies and prioritizes barriers such as financial constraints, technological limitations, socio-cultural dynamics, regulatory challenges, and market competition. The findings emphasize enhancing organizational capabilities and fostering collaborative stakeholder efforts. Practical recommendations are provided for policymakers and industry leaders to create enabling environments that support sustainable practices and advance global sustainability objectives in developing countries and beyond
It's safe to say? The development, implementation and measurement of a multi-faceted intervention to improve safety voice behaviours amongst shop floor workers in aircraft manufacture
Get PDFOrganisational learning is vital for improving safety performance. In order to continually enhance their arrangements for safe working, organisations must capture, analyse and act upon information regarding the adequacy and effectiveness of their existing risk control measures. One vital source of information in this regard is employee safety voice, which has been defined as “as any individual communication directed at improving safety conditions.” However, research suggests that under-reporting of safety concerns is common.
This mixed methods study aimed to a) explore the factors which influenced safety voice behaviours amongst shop floor employees in a large aircraft manufacturing organisation; and b) to measure the impact of a multi-faceted intervention that was designed using the Behaviour Change Wheel to increase employees’ willingness to express their safety voice. The study involved pre-intervention interviews and a survey that informed the design of the intervention and post-intervention interviews to evaluate the learning and impact from it.
Taken together, the findings of this research suggest that safety voice is a complex behaviour shaped by a range of individual, group, organisational and hazard factors. In particular, the study identified the importance of supervisors in facilitating safety voice and the presence of perceived in-groups and out-groups which shaped employees’ safety voice behaviours and the strategies used to express it. The intervention found that providing physical opportunities to facilitate safety voice and supervisor feedback were important elements in improving safety voice. The implications for wider industry are discussed in the context of social theory. Recommendations for future research include taking a systems approach to understanding behaviours within complex social structures
Asclepias curassavica L. (Apocynaceae) a naturalized neophyte threatening the Hyrcanian biodiversity hotspot in North Iran
No full textThis study documents the naturalization of Asclepias curassavica (tropical milkweed) as a newly recorded alien species in the Flora of Iran. Native to the tropical Americas, A. curassavica has been widely introduced across Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe – in recent decades, primarily as an ornamental plant. The first established population in Iran was observed in 2002 within the understory of a relict Populus caspica forest reserve in the Hyrcanian ecoregion of northern Iran. A second population was identified in 2015 near the initial site, occupying a slightly different habitat. Due to the persistence of these populations, its high reproductive potential and strong ability to spread, tropical milkweed can be classified as a naturalised alien. Its occurrence in a habitat of conservation importance is alarming, as it could have severe negative impacts on the native biodiversity of relict forests. Consequently, we advocate for the prompt eradication of this species and the formulation of a comprehensive management plan to prevent further spread. Additionally, this study provides a detailed morphological and ecological overview of A. curassavica, highlighting key distinctions from its closely related congeners within the genus Asclepias
A pilot study on co-located EMG and FMG transient-phase signal fusion approach for hand motion characterization
No full textMultimodal sensor combinations can improve the potential of human-machine control systems. However, the majority of studies focus on a single modality, either Electromyography (EMG) or Force myography (FMG). In such studies, more effort is made towards utilizing the steady phase of the signal ignoring the transient-phase due to its non-stationarity. Thus, in this work, we attempt to leverage the combination of EMG and FMG in characterizing hand gestures by examining the potential of transient-phase signal. To effectively combine both signals, an attention mechanism was introduced to fuse time-domain features from EMG and FMG. The fused representations were subsequently classified using three classification algorithms. Experimental results of 8 gestures recorded from 6 subjects show that the EMG and FMG combination improved the performance compared to single modality. In addition, system redundancy analysis showed that reducing the number of channels by 25% has no significant influence on the performance of the system. This result could influence the optimization of human-machine control systems by reducing complexity and cost while maintaining robustness and performance
Navigating tension in transition: Exploring the transformative impact that the Safer Living Centre has in supporting individuals to reintegrate and desist from sexual crime
No full textIn 2019, the Safer Living Foundation (SLF) charity opened its first Safer Living Centre (SLC) in Nottingham, England, which operates in agreement with probation to support the desistance of sexual crime. Informed by the Good Lives Model, the SLC primarily supports individuals who have a sexual conviction and are living in the community, through to individuals who are concerned about harmful or offence-related sexual thoughts (but are not criminal justice involved). This paper discusses qualitative research findings from a longitudinal research project exploring the reintegration journeys of men leaving prison with a sexual conviction and having subsequent engagement with the Safer Living Centre (SLC). In particular, the paper unpacks the superordinate theme: ‘building resilience’ to highlight the transformative potential of the SLC for those transitioning back into the community following a period of imprisonment
Beatrix Potter and the 'timber question': Arboreal Stewardship in the English Lake District
Get PDFDuring Beatrix Potter’s residency in the English Lake District, trees were vital to her vision for and understanding of this landscape; much more than this, for this author, arboreal stewardship was bound up with being a good landowner and citizen in this region. This article explores Potter’s views regarding, and approaches to tree planting, felling, and the caretaking of timber on her land during the interwar period, and at a particular time when the cultivation and conservation of this region’s trees were of national importance. Building on this context, and through a close reading of Potter’s tale, The Fairy in the Oak (1911), this study will explore how similar arboricultural impulses can be identified in the environmental ethics of the author’s earlier, fictional writings, too
Geotechnical data-driven mapping for resilient infrastructure: an augmented spatial interpolation framework
Get PDFSpatial heterogeneity in soil deposition poses a significant challenge to accurate geotechnical characterization, which is essential for sustainable infrastructure development. This study presents an advanced geotechnical data-driven mapping framework, based on a monotonized and augmented formulation of Shepard’s inverse distance weighting (IDW) algorithm, implemented through the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. The approach is rigorously evaluated through a comparative analysis against the classical IDW and Kriging techniques using standard key performance indices (KPIs). Comprehensive field and laboratory data repositories were developed in accordance with international geotechnical standards (e.g., ASTM). Key geotechnical parameters, i.e., standard penetration test (SPT-N) values, shear wave velocity (Vs), soil classification, and plasticity index (PI), were used to generate high-resolution geospatial models for a previously unmapped region, thereby providing essential baseline data for building infrastructure design. The results indicate that the augmented IDW approach exhibits the best spatial gradient conservation and local anomaly detection performance, in alignment with Tobler’s First Law of Geography, and outperforms Kriging and classical IDW in terms of predictive accuracy and geologic plausibility. Compared to classical IDW and Kriging, the augmented IDW algorithm achieved up to a 44% average reduction in the RMSE and MAE, along with an approximately 30% improvement in NSE and PC. The difference in spatial areal coverage was found to be up to 20%, demonstrating an improved capacity to model spatial subsurface heterogeneity. Thematic design maps of the load intensity (LI), safe bearing capacity (SBC), and optimum foundation depth (OD) were constructed for ready application in practical design. This work not only establishes the inadequacy of conventional geostatistical methods in highly heterogeneous soil environments but also provides a scalable framework for geotechnical mapping with accuracy in data-poor environments