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Monitoring marine vertebrate biodiversity in Sussex: a multi-method assessment of ecological change and survey efficacy
No full textMarine ecosystems face mounting pressures from pollution, climate change, habitat loss, and overfishing, with bottom trawling among the most damaging activities. Increasingly, trawling bans are being used as passive restoration tools to reverse biodiversity loss and allow degraded ecosystems to recover. Assessing the effectiveness of such interventions requires long-term ecological data and robust, cost-effective monitoring methods. This thesis addresses these challenges through a multifaceted assessment of the Sussex IFCA Nearshore Trawling Byelaw (NTB), integrating historical data, complementary biomonitoring tools, and trait-based ecological analysis.Long-term trawl data spanning 35 years were first analysed to establish ecological baselines prior to the trawling ban. While species richness and functional evenness increased over time, functional redundancy decreased, indicating a loss of ecological buffering capacity and making the ecosystem more vulnerable to species loss. At the species-level, it was found that commercially important fish have increased in abundance but decreased in size, while the size and abundance of mesopredators have increased. Building on this foundation, a baseline of the biodiversity present upon the introduction of the NTB was evaluated using two non-destructive survey methods: environmental DNA metabarcoding (eDNA) and Baited Remote Underwater Videos (BRUV). These methods were compared in terms of efficacy, cost, and effort. eDNA detected three times more species than BRUV, while BRUV provided complementary ecological information, highlighting the value of combining methods for holistic assessments. The potential of eDNA to capture abundance patterns was further tested by comparing eDNA indices with BRUV-derived MaxN counts. Correlations between methods were weak, likely due to the influence of tidal dynamics and methodological differences, highlighting limitations in using eDNA alone for abundance estimation in tidal coastal environments. Finally, ecological trajectories over the first four years of the NTB were evaluated. BRUV surveys revealed increases in fish abundance, specifically of black seabream (Spondyliosoma cantharus), eDNA highlighted fluctuations in species richness, and both approaches detected shifts in community composition. Habitat type and macroalgal cover emerged as key drivers of biodiversity, and the detection of threatened species further demonstrated the sensitivity of combined methods.Together, these findings offer a comprehensive assessment of passive marine restoration and contribute new insights into the use of trait-based and molecular monitoring approaches. The findings emphasise the importance of combining historical baselines with emerging technologies to track ecological change, challenge shifting baseline perceptions, and inform the long-term management of recovering marine ecosystems.</p
Heroes of the Medal of Honor: Paris Davis
No full textThis pioneering member of the United States Army Special Forces received long-overdue recognition for his heroism rescuing comrades during the Vietnam War</p
Nonlinear diffusion, and geometric and functional inequalities on smooth metric measure spaces
No full textThis extended abstract is based on a talk given at the workshop and summer school ``Direct and Inverse Problems with Applications" in Ghent Analysis and PDE Centre in August 2024. It focuses on nonlinear diffusion equations of slow and
fast types and their links with some geometric and functional inequalities in the framework of smooth metric measure
spaces. The article presents some introduction in a summer school style as well as several new results.</p
Ecclesiastical Easements
No full textThis collection is based on papers presented at the well-established Modern Studies in Property Law biennial conference.It contains cutting-edge research relating to property law broadly conceived, covering land law, equity and trusts, and the interaction between property law and the environment.Part 1 of Volume 13 in the Modern Studies in Property Law series examines a diverse range of topics in property law and uses a wide range of methodological approaches to reflect on a variety of current and emerging issues that have been overlooked, offering new analysis and insights that will be valuable for property lawyers, academics, and students.The contributors are leading academics and practitioners from several common law jurisdictions, which expands the book's focus and enhances its value to the reader.</p
Impact of E-Services on student satisfaction and academic outcomes in Saudi Universities: a quantitative analysis
No full textDriven by Vision 2030, higher education in Saudi Arabia has witnessed a rapid digital transformation, with electronic services such as learning management systems, digital libraries and remote academic support services becoming integral to the student educational experience. However, a research gap remains in understanding how the quality of these services influences student’s satisfaction and academic outcomes. This study validates a conceptual model developed in earlier work using advanced statistical tools and explores the impact of e-services on student satisfaction and academic outcomes in Saudi universities. Data were collected from 277 students across eight institutions. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) were employed to analyse relationships among e-service quality, accessibility, flexibility, student engagement and academic outcomes. Then this model which is combines technology-adoption (TAM/UTAUT) and service-quality (SERVQUAL) perspectives was tested. The results confirmed significant positive relationships between e-service quality and accessibility, accessibility and student satisfaction and engagement and academic outcomes. The findings highlight the importance of digital transformation in enhancing educational experiences and provide actionable insights for policymakers and educators. This research contributes to the development of evaluation models for digital higher education and opens pathways for future work in educational service design, digital governance and improved learning outcomes.</p
What’s in a diet? Conceptual and methodological challenges in classifying dietary groups
No full textDespite longstanding calls for scientific consensus on the definitions and categorisation of animal-restrictive dietary groups (Ruby, 2012; Rosenfeld, 2018), significant discrepancies remain. Urgency to address this issue is only growing, as dietary diversity increases. Without a shared conceptual and methodological framework, the field risks hindering theoretical integration and meta-analytic work. In this commentary, we highlight two key considerations in dietary group categorisation, calling for greater clarity, consistency and collaboration to strengthen cumulative progress in the field.</p
From Disarmament to Abolition: Learning to Maintain the CWC Model
No full textThe Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) has been successful in overseeing the destruction of declared chemical weapon stockpiles, but its role as a model for the permanent abolition of all chemical weapons requires careful consideration. Drawing on the speaking notes for the author’s presentation to the Conference that this volume records, this paper reflects on thoughts and dynamics that may aid efforts to maintain and develop the CWC as a sustainable model of chemical weapons abolition. It briefly unpacks the expectations and assumptions surrounding the CWC’s potential as a model for WMD abolition, suggesting that approaches to reviewing relevant science and technology, outreach and engagement, and efforts to leverage expertise and networks can be informed by the experiences of other international regimes in pursuit of maintaining a permanent abolition of chemical weapons beyond and including those classed as WMD. The paper suggests that learning from other regimes and adapting to new realities can strengthen the CWC’s role as a living, evolving model for abolition. However, realising this potential will require a shared vision and commitment from all stakeholders, including states parties and civil society, as well as a willingness to invest in the necessary capabilities and partnerships.</p
The role of color, contrast, and spatial complexity in infants’ visual engagement with board and picture book images
No full textShared book reading in infancy has multiple benefits for child development. However, there has been little empirical investigation of what visual properties of books are visually engaging for infants given their immature vision and perception. This study investigates the role of color, contrast, and spatial features in the extent to which book designs visually engage infants. Across two experiments, 2–12-month-old-infants were shown 100 pages from board and picture books, and eye-movements were recorded. Principal Components Analysis of Standardized Dwell Time, Number of Fixations, and Saccade Latency provided a ‘visual engagement’ component for further analysis. Chromatic and spatial image analyses were conducted which identified how the book pages varied in color, contrast, and spatial properties that relate to visual complexity. Partial least squares regressions identified the image statistics that predicted infants’ visual engagement. Findings suggest that infants are visually engaged by book designs with colorful and contrasting color palettes, certain hues, and simpler shapes over images with achromatic, de-saturated or homogenous color palettes and high visual complexity. Experiment 1 found similar predictors for infants younger or older than the median age. Experiment 2 additionally measured how much adults like the book pages and found that infants visually engaged more with book pages that were less liked by adults. Implications for theories of infant vision and perception, as well as practical implications for the design and selection of books for infants, are discussed.</p
From emotion to action: the relationship between affect regulation and help seeking for dementia
No full textEnsuring that individuals with dementia have timely access to support is widely recognised as a key healthcare goal. However, engagement with support is often considerably delayed. This thesis aimed to explore the relationship between support seeking for dementia and individuals’ affect regulation (emotion regulation, mood regulation, coping), primarily focussing on the perspectives of individuals living with the condition. In chapter two, a scoping review collates existing research into the relationship between individuals’ affect regulation and their formal support seeking for dementia. A prominent focus on coping is highlighted, along with mixed evidence for associations with service use and a need for further research. In chapter three, coping styles and their relation to diagnostic timing were statistically examined. Principal component analysis was used to generate dispositional coping styles for individuals with dementia and their carers, while hierarchical regression evidenced associations between these coping styles and individuals’ diagnostic timing, controlling for sociodemographic factors. Greater delays were predicted by individuals with dementia using more avoidant coping and less approach coping or support seeking. For carers, using less avoidant coping predicted greater delays. In chapter four, coping and support seeking were examined qualitatively in nine recently diagnosed individuals with dementia. Semi-structured interviews and Interpretative phenomenological analysis were employed to explore individuals’ subjective lived experiences. While experiences varied, participants expressed a conscious preference for living and coping in the moment, preferring to ‘just get on with it’ and confront problems as they arose rather than risk emotional distress by dwelling on dementia. Support was highly valued and utilised as necessary, with social and familial support greatly preferred over formal alternatives. In chapter five, results are discussed in further detail, along with clinical implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research.</p
“Why I wouldn't own an electric vehicle yet”: An emerging market perspective
No full textWhile electric vehicles (EVs) are transforming global transportation, adoption rates in developing economies lag significantly. Addressing this research gap, this study investigates consumer resistance to purchasing EVs in Turkiye, as it illustrates the issues of both innovation adoption in emerging markets and specifically, why EVs are not being adopted in emerging markets. It employs an extended Innovation Resistance Theory (IRT) framework that incorporates multiple barrier types—usage (charging infrastructure), value (perceived cost, environmental value), risk (perceived risk, rapid technological change), traditional (hedonic motivation), image (unfavorable perceptions), and ideological (scepticism)—which are further organized into functional, psychological, and ideological dimensions. A dual-method approach, combining PLS-SEM and fsQCA, was applied to data from 411 consumers. The PLS-SEM results show that scepticism, unfavorable image perceptions, hedonic motivation, lack of charging infrastructure, perceived cost, and rapid technological change all significantly influence consumer resistance, whereas environmental value was not significant. Complementing this, the fsQCA analysis revealed complex causal configurations—or "recipes"—of these barriers that together create strong resistance. By integrating complementary analytical lenses, this dual-method approach offers a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of consumer hesitation, while advancing theoretical perspectives and providing practical direction for promoting EV adoption in emerging markets.</p