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PFAS contamination: regulatory landscape and future perspectives for India
No full textThis article highlights the escalating concern of PFAS (Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances) contamination, which poses significant global concern and potentially serve implications for India. It offers a comprehensive overview of the types of PFAS, including sources, pathways, and regulatory challenges they present. Additionally, the article examines the regulatory limits proposed and followed by United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), European Union (EU) and guidelines followed in United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Furthermore, it provides an update on the present status of PFAS research and contamination in India and outlines the necessary steps to mitigate this contaminant in the long-term following the non-sum zero approach derived from game theory
Integrating social narratives of flood events into a text network analysis-based decision support framework to reduce vulnerability to climate change in Africa
Get PDFIn many African countries, the response to climate change is obstructed by a lack of accessible and usable information, such as localised flood maps. Compounding this, current disaster risk management systems often fail to account for context-specific drivers of social vulnerability and environmental risks, crucial for enhancing social resilience to flood impacts. This paper captures the community-based narratives of flood risk in Lusaka, Zambia. Using a well-established network from the Future Resilience for African Cities And Lands (FRACTAL) group, a cross-disciplinary approach of natural and social sciences to support decision-making for flood resilience is presented as the Participatory Climate Information Distillation for Urban Flood Resilience in Lusaka (FRACTAL-PLUS) project. Local flood inundation maps were created using global rainfall and GIS datasets and then analysed across two interactive “Learning Labs” with local stakeholders. Historical observations and lived experiences were distilled from the learning labs into three community-based social narratives of flood risk. These narratives were used to calibrate the flood maps with insights from Lusaka’s stakeholders using Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Text Network Analysis (TNA). The narrative-informed flood maps provide a dynamic entry point for enhancing stakeholder engagement by discussing social vulnerability to floods and climate change, highlighting future challenges and opportunities for resilience planning. The outputs demonstrate the value of convening stakeholders to discuss these topics in a sustainable setting for addressing the interdisciplinary challenges of climate resilience, offering a benchmark for better use of available resources and enabling a swift evaluation of needs and measures for resilience building
Winogradsky Column Experiment: Setup presentation and methods
No full textIntroducing microbial ecosystems to university students can be a difficult topic without visual aids. Winogradsky columns have been used extensively to demonstrate microbial diversity in soil environments. The soil provides a wide variety of nutrients for the microorganisms to flourish, creating microsites of specific microorganisms depending on energy requirements, carbon sources and environmental factors. This creates visible layers in the soil that can be observed to show anaerobic and aerobic changesInstructionsThe bottle will be used as a vessel for your microbes over the next 4 – 8 weeks, so ensure the bottle is leak proof before adding anythingFirstly, you will need to collect soil, this could be from a garden or lake but please ask permission before digging up somebody’s prized rosesWhilst out and about see if you can collect some water too, this could be as simple as leaving a cup outside to fill with rain waterDraw a line on your bottle at about ¼ from the top and then another line at about ¼ from the bottom.Cut the newspaper into small pieces.In a small mixing bowl, add the egg yolk (raw or hard-boiled) and newspaper and a small amount of mud, at least as much to fill the bottle ¼ of the way. If you are including additional ingredients, add them to this mixture.Fill the bottle ¼ way with the mud, egg yolk, newspaper mixture.Add mud to the top line.Add water almost to the top. Leave a small amount of space.Cover the column with plastic wrap and a rubber band (do not put a tight lid on because it may explode due to gases released by the microbes).Set it in the sunlight or under a lamp.Let your column grow and watch for changes over the next 4 to 8 weeks. Take pictures of the change
Menopause and the prison: A Systematic review exploring the experiences and support needs of women in prison in relation to the menopause
Get PDFBackground: The convergence of an ageing prison population and increasing numbers of women in custody globally has resulted in a growing sub-population of females of menopausal age experiencing imprisonment; however, this specific area is rarely studied. Objectives: To investigate the experiences and support needs of women in prison transitioning to the menopause. Design: A systematic review performed to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Data Sources and Methods: A thorough search of multiple databases, including Web of Science, ProQuest, JSTR, Ovid Medline and Google Scholar was conducted to identify studies that explored menopause and the prison. The search was not restricted by publication date, geographical origin or methodology. Results: The review includes 19 studies in total from a range of geographical locations. Through a process of thematic analysis, four unique themes were identified: (un)awareness of menopausal symptoms and treatment options; experiencing menopausal symptoms in the context of imprisonment; barriers to managing symptoms in the prison environment and positive support and responses to the menopause. This review makes recommendations for policy and practice and highlights significant gaps in knowledge, indicating further research is required. Conclusion: The systematic review has highlighted that the menopause in the context of imprisonment remains poorly understood, and there is a significant need for advances in research, policy and practice. The lack of awareness of the menopause, symptoms and treatment options for women in prison, accompanied with a lack of perceived understanding from professionals, highlights the distinct and urgent need for education and knowledge exchange
Proceedings of the 14th UK Conference on Boundary Integral Methods UKBIM14
Get PDFOver the past 50 or so years, boundary integral methods have become established for solving awide variety of problems in science and engineering. UK based researchers have been active andmade substantial contributions in the theory and development of boundary integral formulations,as well as their analysis, discretisation and numerical solution. The UKBIM conference seriesaims to provide a forum where recent developments in boundary integral methods can bediscussed in an informal atmosphere. The first UK conference on boundary integral methods(UKBIM) was held at the University of Leeds in 1997. Subsequent UKBIM conferences havetaken place in Brunel (1999), Brighton (2001), Salford (2003), Liverpool (2005), Durham (2007),Nottingham (2009), Leeds (2011), Aberdeen (2013), Brighton (2015), Nottingham (2017), Oxford(2019) and Aberdeen (2023). The success of these events has made the conference a regular eventfor researchers based in the UK, and elsewhere, who are working on all aspects of boundaryintegral methods
Identity Limbo: An Exploration Into The Lived Remand Experience In Trinidad And Tobago.
Get PDFRemand continues to pose challenges in Trinidad and Tobago (Wallace, 2020), drawing attention from both the Government and citizens of the nation. However, despite its significance, remand remains a relatively understudied area of study within the field of criminology, particularly within the Caribbean context and more specifically in Trinidad and Tobago. This thesis aims to contribute to the literature by exploring the lived experiences of remandees in Trinidad and Tobago. It will also incorporate the perspectives of decision-makers on remand, providing valuable insights to further contextualise the data obtained from those directly involved. By doing so, the study seeks to shed light on the intricate dynamics of the remand system in Trinidad and Tobago and contribute to a deeper understanding of its complexities, and by extension the criminal justice system.Specifically, this research aims to investigate how individuals experiencing remand perceive and navigate the process, both from their own perspective and from the viewpoint of those involved in its administration. Through an in-depth examination of these experiences and viewpoints, the study seeks to provide valuable insights into the remand system and its impact on individuals within the Trinidadian and Tobagonian context.Utilizing a qualitative, phenomenological methodology, this thesis focuses on the perspectives and first-hand encounters of individuals held in remand. It aims to examine their personal interpretations and day-to-day realities within the remand system. This method enables a thorough investigation into the intricate details and challenges embedded in their experiences, offering valuable insights into the remand system in Trinidad and Tobago. By prioritizing the narratives of remandees, the research seeks to reveal perceptions and implications of their encounters, thereby enriching our understanding of the remand processes, the system and its effects on individuals.Throughout the data analysis process, the researcher utilized three primary strategies to systematically examine and interpret the collected information. Initially, an initial coding framework was established using NVIVO analysis software, categorizing data based on emerging issues from the literature review findings and research questions. The second strategy involved a detailed line-by-line analysis of interviews with various groups, organizing thematic patterns and codes into a tabular format to refine and identify gaps in the data. Lastly, the researcher delved deeper into how these themes conceptualize remand experiences in Trinidad and Tobago by scrutinizing lived experiences and constructing a comprehensive remand model, integrating insights from the initial coding framework and line-by-line analysis. This strategy aimed to provide a more nuanced understanding of remand experiences within the specific context of Trinidad and Tobago, contributing to an understanding of the topic. These broad three primary strategies allowed for a thematic analysis of this study.From the narratives, the study identifies that remandees experience what can be termed "identity limbo." This is a complex state where remandees find themselves caught between their past experiences and identities, their present circumstances, and their envisioned future, all while in a state of legal suspension. The study highlights that the dehumanization and depersonalization experienced by remandees strip away their previous identities, contributing to this identity limbo. In response to this identity limbo, remandees adopt or reinforce various identities to cope with the uncertainties they face while on remand. These ‘coping identities’ include roles such as "Christian," "intellectual," "non-criminal/innocent," "MVP football player," "father," "family man," "mature wise man," along with practical professions like "electrician" or "mason, “.. The study concludes by highlighting the implications for policy, practice, and future research concerning remand within the criminological field. The study underscores the importance of ongoing dialogue, collaboration, and action to bring about meaningful improvements in remand practices and policies, ultimately contributing to a more just and humane criminal justice system
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND ESG PRACTICES IN EMERGING ECONOMIES: EVIDENCE FROM ENERGY INDUSTRY
Get PDFABSTRACTThis study examines the impact of corporate governance variables on the ESG practices of energy firms from emerging economies. The study employs a sample of energy listed companies from Brasil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) to examine the relationship between corporate governance and the extent of ESG disclosure, ESG assurance and ESG assurance quality. All data for the study relating to corporate board characteristics, audit committee charachteristics, ownership structure, ESG disclosure, ESG assurance and ESG assurance quality were extracted from the Bloomberg database, annual reports and companies website over a period of fourteen years from (2010 to 2023). The first chapter investigate the impact of a set of CG variables that comprises board attirbutes, ownership structure and audit committee characteristics on the level of ESG disclosure while controlling for firm level charachteristics. The study utilised a sample of 1750 firm-year observations across five emerging BRICS economies over a period of fourteen years. The study finds positive and statistically significant relationship between board size, board independence, board gender diversity, foreign ownership, audit committee accounting and finance expertise, managerial ownership, audit committee meetings and frequency of board meetings with the level of ESG disclosure. Similarly, the finding indicates negative but insignificant relationship between audit committee size, institutional ownership, block holder ownership and the extent of ESG disclosure. The second empirical study examines the impact of corporate governance variables on ESG assurance, a topic that has attract attention in both literature and practice in recent years due to unregulated and voluntary nature of sustainability practice. The empirical findings from understudied and overlooked context characterised by paucity of empirical studies document that board independence, board gender diversity, foreign ownership, managerial ownership, block holder ownership, audit committee independence, audit committee accounting and finance expertise and frequency of board meetings have positive and significant relationship with the decision to obtain third-party ESG assurance. However, the study finds insignificant relationship between institutional ownership, audit committee size and audit committee meetings with the decision to obtain third-party ESG assurance.Due to the symbolic use of assurance practices, the final chapter empirically examine the impact of corporate governance variables on the ESG assurance quality. The quality of sustainability assurance reports has been a nascent but topical area in accounting and sustainability literature. The results show there is room for improvement regarding ESG assurance quality and provide empirical evidence of positive and statistically significant effect of board independence, board gender diversity, audit committee size, board meetings, managerial ownership, and audit committee accounting and finance expertise on the ESG assurance quality. However, the results indicate board size, foreign ownership and block holder ownership significantly impact ESGAQ negatively. The results of the study are robust to alternative measures, estimation methods, potential endogeneity problems such as sample selection bias, reverse causality/simultaneity, and unobserved heterogeneity. The findings of the thesis have important implications for the management, board of directors, investors and other stakeholders, standard setters, regulators, analysts, assurance providers and policy makers
Fulwood Barracks and the Garrison Town of Preston: Regional Identity, Local Regiments and Social Change, 1848-1948
Get PDFBritish Army regimental histories have attracted a good deal of criticism among historians due to their partisan nature and their tendency to gloss over human error, poor command, or the actual nature of a campaign in which a regiment participated. In comparison to the high number of regimental histories, there are far fewer studies which consider the relationship between regiments and the towns in which they were based. This longitudinal study considers Fulwood Barracks in the industrial town of Preston in the North West of England and the interactions that occurred with the citizens between 1848-1948. At the barracks the Loyals (North Lancs.), the East Lancashire and the South Lancashire regiments, in particular, were based. The purpose of this study is to chart the nature of social and attitudinal changes vis-à-vis civil-military relations in Britain from the completion of the barracks in 1848, through the wars of Empire in Victorian and Edwardian Britain; the Crimean War, the South African War, the First World War and the Second World War. This study is a social history, which seeks to identify trends over a one-hundred year period. It sheds new light on a range of subjects including class relations, the appeal of Empire and the social impact of successive military reforms, especially the Cardwell Reforms, the Childers Reforms, the Haldane Reforms and the effects of demobilisation after 1918 and 1945. This thesis ultimately argues that the construction of Fulwood Barracks contributed to a change in civilian attitudes towards soldiers in Preston, moving from ambivalence to acceptance and eventually adoption
The ‘team’ in child and family social work: exploratory findings from a longitudinal study on factors influencing the retention of child and family social workers in England
No full textThis paper draws upon qualitative data from a Department for Education (DfE) funded longitudinal study of child and family social workers in England, carried out between 2018 and 2022 exploring factors affecting recruitment and retention, involving annual surveys and follow-up interviews in each year of the project. The changing practice environment during the study – pre, during and post Covid – provided a unique opportunity to consider practitioners’ experiences of teams in the workplace during a challenging context. This paper reports the inductive discovery of the importance of teams for retention of staff. Findings include perspectives on team composition; ways of working; leadership, and the relationship between team experiences and worker satisfaction. Key messages include the importance of team support; of loyalty and commitment to the team; and the value of including non-social workers as team members. The paper concludes with messages about the contributions of supportive teams to practice improvement and staff retention and suggestions for further research
Advancing prosthetic prescriptions: developing a sensor-based system for objective activity assessment
Get PDFThe prosthesis components a lower limb amputee receives are determined by their assigned K level. K levels range from K0 to K4 and are defined by the user’s ability to traverse environmental barriers, change cadence and ambulation skill. K levels are assessed during a single clinic visit which varies between clinics but mostly utilizes conversation and basic mobility assessments. There are known issues with the reliability of K level assignment, especially when deciding between a K2 and K3. It has been shown that if a lower limb prosthetic user is not given an adequate prosthetic that meets their activity needs it could lead to the patient becoming less active and/or not using their prothesis. This PhD aims to create a sensor-based system to assess a patient’s activity levels in the real-world to reduce the issues with reliability during K level assignment.As a first step, to fully understand the requirements of the system, a study was carried out where interviews were conducted with clinical experts. The ability of the patient to vary their cadence, traverse different terrain, walk without a walking aid and also the distance they can walk were emphasised by clinicians as the main differences between a K2 and K3 patient, and would constitute the data that would be required from the proposed sensor-based system (presently these are only be assessed via self-report).Of these measures only cadence is specifically stated in the current K level definitions, which suggests that the current K levels definitions do not meet the clinical needs. A review was then conducted to identify the specification of the system in terms of algorithms and sensors that can be used to provide the required data. The review found that cadence has previously been measured with a shank mounted IMU. Moreover, body-worn IMUs have been used to accurately identify between flat ground, stairs, and ramps. However, walking on uneven terrain has not previously been classified for amputee gait. Furthermore, no studies could be found that identified walking aid use using appropriate body or prostheses mounted sensors. The review also looked at what method would be best to process and analyse the data. It was found that K-nearest neighbour, support vector machines, random forest and long short term memory neural networks are classifiers that have previously shown success with similar problems. Using a low pass filter and breaking the data into windows has also shown to be beneficial. As a second step, a study was conducted to inform further system development, split into two parts. The first part was concerned with collection of data from lower limb prosthesis users in supervised real-world conditions. For this the participants had sensors attached and then were asked to traverse a range of set terrains, with and without a walking aid, outdoors. These data were then been used to train the classifiers. It was found that the terrain a lower limb prosthetic user is traversing can be classified using a single IMU mounted on the prosthetic shank, but walking aid use cannot be classified to clinically acceptable accuracies using a single IMU. A random forest model produced the highest terrain classification accuracies.The second part of the study was conducted in a gait lab. For this part the participants were asked to traverse similar terrains, with and without a walking aid, but with sensor and full motion capture data being collected. These data have been used to create virtual sensors that were then used to estimate the ideal IMU location to increase classification accuracy. Feature importance was used to identify the most important aspects of the accelerations and then variations in these parts of the acceleration data were examined for different locations on the prosthetic shank. It was discovered that a consistent location is critical for high classification accuracies, and that for terrain classification accelerations captured at the ankle produce higher accuracies.A final study was conducted to explore clinical experts’ views on the developed system and the output data. Real-world data was collected from 3 lower limb prosthetic users over two weeks using a prosthesis shank-worn IMU. These data were processed and classified using the previously created algorithms, to estimate terrain and walking aid use. Each participant also had their K level clinically assessed using current standard clinical procedures. A report was compiled for each participant that summarised the clinical assessments and the classification data. These reports were shown to 4 clinical experts and semi-structured interviews were conducted to assess their thoughts on the data, if the system would be clinically useful and if the data would change their K level assessments. All the interviewees thought the data would help with clinical assessments and had positive views about the data that were produced. They also all commented on how the data would change how they would conduct a K level assessment and two said that for two of the participants the sensor data would change the K level they would assign compared to just the clinical assessment. Active time and load through the prosthetic were the only measures that were identified that could further improve the system for clinical use
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