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Feminist Philosophy of Time
No full textIf philosophy of time could benefit from a feminist intervention, then this exploratory chapter serves to highlight two potential starting points. The first concerns the recent burgeoning of experimental philosophy on time and how we understand it. Here I highlight gender data gaps, and the benefits and challenges of experimental philosophy. The second turns to tropes in storytelling about time, and how we make use of them, focussing in particular on the philosophy of time travel. Central to both sections is how we access and gather data about folk intuitions in the philosophy of time
The context, mechanisms and outcomes of intergenerational programmes involving people living with dementia in scotland: A realist, qualitative study
Full text linkIntergenerational programmes, involving activity-based interventions designed to promote mutually beneficial interactions between participants, have been used in Scotland and further afield as a means of generating social inclusion between different age groups. There is growing interest in the potential outcomes of intergenerational programmes for people living with dementia in particular, with policy in Scotland recognising that people living with dementia and their carers may be at greater risk of loneliness and social isolation. Given this interest, there is a need to explore what ‘intergenerational best practice’ may look like for people living with dementia. Using data from semi-structured interviews with thirteen stakeholders involved in intergenerational practice and/or dementia policymaking, this study explored the contextual factors, mechanisms, and outcomes of intergenerational programmes in the Scottish context. Stakeholders perceived the concerns of carers, perceptions of risk, along with inaccessible venues and transportation to be important contextual factors. Mechanisms that helped ensure programmes offered full and appropriate participation opportunities included ongoing, flexible programme planning; the provision of purpose and roles; and the use of older participants’ preferences, lived experience, and personhood. Overall intergenerational programmes were perceived to have the potential to promote beneficial outcomes for older participants living with dementia in Scotland
Changes in behaviour and serotonergic system of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fry related to different levels of black soldier fly larvae meal inclusion in the diet: Exploring the use of nutritional enrichment for its use as positive welfare in aquaculture.
Full text linknsects are gaining attention for its efficiency in converting low-value substrates into high-quality protein, aligning with principles of the circular economy. This study investigates black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens, BSFL) as a protein source. BSFL meal offers a balanced nutritional profile and functional compounds that may enhance fish welfare. However, limited research exists on its effects on fish behaviour and it´s use as an operational welfare indicator (OWI), a crucial aspect for ensuring high welfare standards and understanding the impact on salmon performance. This study evaluated the feeding behaviour of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fry conditioned from their first feeding stage with four isocaloric and isoproteic diets containing increasing levels of defatted BSFL meal (0, 8, 16, and 24 %), being continuously fed for 24 hours a day, over 21 days. Daily, four 30-minute video recordings (00, 06, 12, and 18 h) were analysed to observe fish activity using a group scan sampling method. The data were fitted to a sinusoidal model to identify circadian rhythm patterns. In addition, brain samples were collected at the end of the experiment for serotonergic activity analysis. Absolute real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to measure the gene expression of rate-limiting serotonin-synthesis enzymes (tryptophan hydroxylase 1a and tryptophan hydroxylase 2), while high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC-EC) quantified serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5HT) and its primary oxidative metabolite, 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5HIAA). The results show that black soldier fly larvae meal (BSM) diets significantly affect fish behaviour. Low inclusion levels (8 %) emerged as promising for salmon nutritional enrichment, promoting natural behaviour patterns that could be associated with positive welfare. However, higher inclusion levels (24 %) negatively impacted welfare, as evidenced by reduced feed intake and anxiety-like behaviours linked to lower serotonergic turnover. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating behavioural measures when designing feeding protocols. Further research is essential to assess the long-term effects of BSM inclusion on salmon welfare and key performance parameters
Transport governance system response during the COVID-19 pandemic: The allure of a ‘new normal’ and its implications for tackling the polycrisis
Full text linkThis paper examines how the UK transport governance system responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and what this reveals about its capacity for transformative change amid broader societal challenges, or the “polycrisis.” Drawing on a unique longitudinal dataset of interviews with senior transport decision-makers across four waves from 2020 to 2021, the study explores the tension between policy stability and change. While the pandemic disrupted travel behaviour—reducing commuting, increasing remote work, and shifting modal preferences—governance responses largely aimed to restore pre-pandemic norms and practices rather than seize the opportunity for systemic transformation. Despite recognition of significant behavioural shifts and the potential for substantial long-term behavioural adaptations, a combination of institutional inertia, rigid funding mechanisms, and entrenched professional norms constrained adaptive policymaking. Instead, a desire to “return to normal” dominated, driven by political, fiscal, and operational pressures, which has left the sector in a worse position than before in terms of its capacity to tackle longstanding policy challenges and achieve the non-incremental shifts required to address the critical problems it faces. The implications of the work are a need to move beyond the false “change versus stability” narrative and recognise that some societal trends are constantly in flux whilst others endure. Policy recognition of the change in the everyday is a pre-cursor to policy change in both more stable and turbulent times, rather than hoping that events will somehow conspire to unlock the more radical responses that are recognised to be necessary to respond to the polycrisis
Participatory visual methods and the mobilization of community knowledge: Working towards community-derived disaster risk management in the context of advancing climate change
Full text linkUnderstanding climate-related challenges and generating effective interventions against them often lacks the knowledge of those who directly experience those challenges as a lived reality. We use the 'Water and Fire' project as an example of a research process undertaken to mobilize community knowledge on environmental disaster risk management. We worked with site-specific groups of community-based co-researchers who live in three marginalized areas of Cape Town that are susceptible to fire outbreaks, flooding, and water scarcity. We took a layered participatory visual methods approach, including digital storytelling, community mapping and photovoice, to differentially demonstrate how these hazards are experienced at household, neighbourhood, and community levels from the perspective of community-based co-researchers. The ongoing inquiry enabled the co-researchers to illustrate and describe the biggest challenges they face and propose what they see as the most practical and promising solutions. We then facilitated a process of participatory analysis, triangulation of data and democratic decision-making amongst the co-researchers, through which they formulated a series of community-derived 'Best Bets' to better manage disaster risks. As part of the analysis, the co-researchers selected the stories, maps and photographs they wanted to present at stakeholder engagement events in making a case for the relevance and urgency of their Best Bets. We conclude that the participatory visual methods approach taken in the 'Water and Fire' project can be used as a model to strengthen the mobilization of local knowledge and further possibilities for community-derived disaster risk management in the context of advancing climate change
Exploring views and experiences of a unique alcohol assertive outreach model, the Primary Care Alcohol Nurse Outreach Service (PCANOS): a qualitative study
Full text linkBackground There are recognised barriers to engagement with mainstream alcohol services for certain groups within populations. Alcohol assertive outreach is an approach that uses repeated, persistent and flexible methods to engage with patients with alcohol problems from these groups. There are few qualitative studies that explore how alcohol assertive outreach services are experienced by stakeholders. This study focuses on a unique service, The Primary Care Alcohol Nurse Outreach Service (PCANOS), that operated in Glasgow, Scotland and which involved Alcohol Nurses working closely with general practices. Methods Twenty-three semi-structured qualitative interviews were used to explore staff and patient views and experiences of PCANOS. Interviews were conducted with 18 staff (nine general practice staff, five alcohol nurses, and four strategic staff ) and seven patients from across six Deep End general practices. Results Findings from this study suggest that PCANOS has the potential to engage patients who may have difficulties engaging with mainstream alcohol treatment services. Through PCANOS, the Alcohol Nurses, in collaboration with General Practitioners and other practice staff, were able to engage patients and deliver a flexible, person-centred care service that impacted positively on patients’ drinking behaviour and general health and wellbeing. Conclusions PCANOS was a unique alcohol assertive outreach service that had the potential to engage with people from the most deprived communities in Glasgow, who were not engaging with the mainstream services. Further research could examine the potential benefits of services like PCANOS, including patient outcomes, the economic impact on the wider healthcare system, and its transferability to other settings such as rural areas
Clean food consumerism: scale development and validation
Full text linkClean foods are perceived as natural, pure, simple, and nutrient-dense foods that support overall health and well-being, prioritizing nutritional quality, transparency in sourcing, and ethical farming practices. Clean food consumerism is an emerging and growing international phenomenon, albeit one that is often loosely defined and under-researched. To enable consistency and encourage research in the area, a scale to measure clean food consumerism (CFC) is proposed. The structured scale-development procedure involved four stages and four quantitative and qualitative studies: scale design, item generation and evaluation, item purification, initial validation, and final validation. The final version of the CFC scale contains 18 items in a 5-factor structure: health benefits (6 items), ease of use (3 items), product familiarity (3 items), product authenticity (3 items), and transparency of the manufacturing process (3 items). Two additional factors—consumer lifestyle and eating habits—were identified as having a direct impact on clean food consumption. All tests confirm that the proposed CFC scale is suitable for measuring clean food consumerism. The development and introduction of this scale advances the understanding and conceptualization of this phenomenon and hopefully stimulates further research.Good Health and Well-Bein
Chimpanzee drumming shows rhythmicity and subspecies variation
Full text linkSummary Rhythmic percussion is present across human cultures and has been proposed as one of the earliest evolved forms of musical expression.1 Key features of human rhythmic percussion include individual and regional variation, as well as structural features widespread across musical cultures, such as the use of non-random timing and isochrony (i.e., evenly spaced note onsets).2,3,4,5 Comparative studies of drumming in our ape relatives contribute to understanding the evolutionary origins of human rhythmic percussion. In this context, large, diverse datasets allow testing for species-level universals and regional variation. Chimpanzees and bonobos, like humans, drum on instrumental substrates.2,6,7,8,9 Wild chimpanzees drum on resonant tree buttresses, showing individual variation during traveling and resting contexts, and often integrate drumming into their long-distance pant-hoot vocalizations.6,7,8 But whether wild chimpanzee drumming shows structural musical features and regional variation in rhythm or in its integration within pant-hoots remains unknown. We show that wild chimpanzees drum with non-random timing and isochrony, providing evidence that rhythmic drumming on instrumental substrates may have been present in our last common ancestor.2 Furthermore, we found subspecies-level regional rhythmic variation, showing that western chimpanzees drum isochronously, while eastern chimpanzees drum by alternating shorter and longer inter-hit intervals. Western chimpanzees also produce more drumming hits, drum at a faster tempo, and integrate drumming earlier in the pant-hoot vocalization, typically during the rhythmic build-up phase. Chimpanzee buttress drumming shows both species-level structural features of human musicality and stable subspecies regional differences across diverse ecologies
Different coasts for different folks: Place-based community values and experience mediate social acceptability of low-trophic aquaculture
Full text linkThe expansion of low-trophic aquaculture (shellfish and sea plants) is limited in many regions by a fragmented regulatory process that is difficult for smallholder farmers to navigate. Small-scale Aquaculture Development Areas (ADAs) can remove some of this regulatory burden by establishing pre-approved zones for aquaculture development; however, an understanding of local support for low-trophic aquaculture is needed to understand the potential of ADAs. A survey was used to solicit information about community support for shellfish and sea plant aquaculture in Pictou County, a coastal area of Nova Scotia, Canada. Participants had a positive impression of low-trophic aquaculture, but residents in one coastal area reported greater perceived negative impacts on the recreational use and enjoyment of coastal areas and views, while residents in another coastal area reported a higher level of support for shellfish aquaculture. In general, participants also valued community involvement in aquaculture management, local ownership of farms, and community benefits from the presence of farms. Results suggest that top-down communication is unlikely to play a significant role in acceptability. Instead, experience of low trophic aquaculture and place-based values are important for understanding social acceptability. Community involvement in the development of ADAs and the distribution of benefits from farming could support trust in ADAs and social licence for low-trophic aquaculture
(Re) constructing Homelands between precarity and intentionality - Syrian Armenians in Armenia
Full text linkSyrian refugees from the war which has been waging since 2011 now number more than 6.4 million. Of these, an estimated 24,000 Syrians of ethnic Armenian origin have arrived in the Republic of Armenia since 2011. Government sources estimate the number of those who have stayed to number around 14,000. Some have moved to other destinations perceived to hold better prospects, whether temporarily or with a view to stay permanently; others have returned to rebuild their lives in Syria. In mapping these multidirectional movements, it is apparent that Syrian Armenians’ encounter with Armenia is a process of continuous negotiation—Armenia is alternately a site of refuge, a historic or potential homeland, and a temporary transit. While previous studies have acknowledged the economic, social, and political challenges of settling in Armenia, the 2020 war in Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh and its continuing reverberations at both the local and the wider geopolitical levels add a layer of critical precarity that is qualitatively different. This article argues that the 2020 war and its continuing violences have rendered Armenia a precarious homeland for Syrian Armenian refugees. Such precarity potentially jeopardizes the intentionality of many Syrian Armenians to stay in Armenia
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