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Intermediating policy affordances in creative clusters: The boost initiative
Get PDFSince 2012 UK policy surrounding regional development has increasingly prioritised the development of creative clusters to support and bolster the country's creative economy. The Creative Industries Clusters Programme (CICP) is one such example of the current models of support being enacted through this policy and is mainly delivered by universities who act as intermediaries between the creative sector and government. The primary mechanism of support involves micro-funding initiatives aimed at supporting creative small, micro and medium-sized enterprises (SMME) within a given, usually medium to short, timeframe. However, as the sector is largely composed of micro-enterprises and freelancers, ongoing instability due to these types of funding cycles often leave organisations vulnerable once support ends resulting in a need to either ameliorate the impacts of these types of policies or holistically rethink these types of policy models. This paper examines the BSU Boost initiative (formerly Counting House), developed at Bath Spa University (BSU), as a case study of a ‘policy instrument affordance’ within the UK's creative cluster policy environment. Drawing on Hellström and Jacob's (2017) theoretical framework of policy instrument affordances, this paper argues that Boost operates as an intermediary mechanism that bridges critical gaps in public funding cycles. It offers new possibilities—or affordances—for creative micro-enterprises by enabling them to access grants that would otherwise be out of reach due to pre-financing requirements. Through a reflexive case study methodology, the paper details how these affordances do not emerge from the policy instrument alone but rely on active intermediation by the university. Acting as an intermediary, BSU translates complex policy into practical support through Boost, but faces challenges like administrative friction and sustainability concerns. This case highlights the importance—and limitations—of university-led intermediation in making policy affordances real for creative clusters. Accordingly, this initiative serves as an illustrative case of alternative mechanisms for addressing the limitations inherent in short-to medium-term policy frameworks designed to support creative clusters
Transitioning to smart circular construction: A conceptual framework for circular economy implementation through construction 4.0 technologies
No full textThe integration of Construction 4.0 technologies, such as digital technologies, with circular economy (CE) concepts, offers significant potential to advance smart circular construction (SCC). Yet, the literature lacks a cohesive understanding of the measurable, value-driven outcomes, termed smart circular values, that can guide SCC’s systemic adoption. This study addresses this gap by developing a conceptual framework for strategically deploying Construction 4.0 technologies to enhance material circularity in the construction sector, grounded in the human-centric, resilient, and sustainable principles of Industry 5.0. A systematic literature review of 96 peer-reviewed articles was conducted to map interdependencies between Construction 4.0 technologies and CE concepts. Using a novel operationalisation technique, the direct clustering algorithm, technologies were grouped according to their support for CE concepts, revealing five distinct smart circular values: smart energy management, smart construction methods, smart resource optimisation, smart tracking and tracing, and smart waste management. These values form the foundation for defining SCC and reveal distinct, technology-enabled pathways for its realisation. Potential adverse impacts of adopting Construction 4.0 technologies were also identified to guide implementation strategies and inform assessments of the net benefits of SCC adoption. Overall, the framework outlines key adoption priorities, highlights pressing challenges, and emphasises the importance of organisation-level assessments to accelerate progress toward a more circular built environment
Navigating the system: The experiences of young black men in prison
No full textThis article questions whether the UK can address the unjust treatment of young Black males, give the lack of clear analysis and data
Militant animal rights activity: Terrorism, extremism or something else?
Get PDFSince the early 1970s, the United Kingdom (U.K.) has experienced political violence undertaken by militant animal rights actors. This violence has included the use of car bombs and incendiary devices, which are more akin to the tactics of a terrorist campaign. Similar acts in the United States have been described as “eco-terrorism” yet this label has not gained traction in the U.K. This article is concerned with the labeling of militant animal rights actions in the U.K. and explores the labels that have been applied by the print media, notably The Guardian to the actions of those animal rights actors who have utilized or espoused illegal and violent tactics in the pursuit of their cause. Moreover, the article takes a more in-depth look at the labeling of the group Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) in its campaign against Huntingdon Life Sciences and its business partners. How actions are labeled can have repercussions in shaping the public debate and policy implications
Learning to care in the food system: Education for sustainable development resources, food education and the farming of animals for food
Get PDFDespite calls for curricula to be repurposed around environmental concerns, and the related significance of food-related emissions to global climate change, consideration of the wider impacts of the global food system (positive and negative) are frequently not well-integrated into education of 5–11-year-olds. This paper makes an important contribution to nascent research around the nature and role of learning resources for education for sustainable development, providing the first review of the place of animals in learning resources for food education. The 117 resources we drew on focused on those that were freely-available, directed at ages 5–11, and available to support those implementing the Curriculum for Wales. We reflect on the implications of these findings for the design of future learning resources, focusing specifically on how they could incorporate ideas from literature on more-than-human ethics of care and, through this, how they might prompt not only critical reflection but meaningful actions and engagement amongst learners
“My body is in the way”: A phenomenological exploration of nonbinary people’s experiences of their bodies
No full textThere is an emerging literature on nonbinary people’s experiences of and feelings about their bodies and bodily adornment; this literature is part of an important move to address the erasure of nonbinary people’s lived experiences from psychological research on gender/sex through the dominance of a binary lens. The current study contributes to this emerging literature by providing a phenomenological exploration of 112 nonbinary people’s everyday relationships with and feelings about their bodies. Participants were recruited through trans and nonbinary social media forums. A multi-method qualitative design provided both breadth and depth: 105 participants responded to an online qualitative survey; a smaller group completed solicited diaries (n=11) and 9 of these asynchronous email interviews. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we constructed three themes: “Betrayed by the story it tells others about who I am”; “It’s not the kind of ship I want to pilot”; and “My body is my canvas for self-expression”. Overall, these themes highlight the way in which embodying a nonbinary gendered identity can be both a fraught experience of betrayal, alienation, compromise and ambivalence and an uplifting one of individualised self-expression, pride and resistance to an oppressive binary norm. The implications of these findings are discussed
Fungal biohybrid substrates for resilient sensing and embodied anomaly detection
Get PDFModern infrastructure and environmental systems increasingly operate under disruption, uncertainty, and partial failure. This manuscript explores the living fungal mycelium as a biohybrid substrate for resilient sensing and embodied anomaly detection. Rather than framing fungi as conventional security devices, we position them as distributed adaptive materials that integrate sensing, signalling, structural response, and persistence within a single living network. We synthesise electrophysiological, materials-science, and unconventional computation perspectives to articulate how fungal systems support graceful degradation, baseline formation, and long-duration monitoring. We propose explicit, falsifiable hypotheses regarding disturbance detection, persistence under damage, and embodied memory, and outline a lean experimental roadmap for laboratory validation. Fungal biohybrid substrates do not replace digital systems; they complement them by failing differently, operating with minimal energy, and embedding sensing directly within material structure
Racial discrimination and body appreciation: Testing direct, and, via coping strategies, indirect links in racialised minority adults from the United Kingdom
No full textRacial discrimination is associated with adverse health outcomes, including negative body image, but less is known about the extent to which racial discrimination is associated with positive body image. The aim of this preregistered study was to test the association between racial discrimination and body appreciation (i.e., a facet of positive body image) and to explore whether different coping strategies mediated any direct relationship. An online sample of racialised minority adults living in the United Kingdom (N = 576) were asked to complete the Everyday Discrimination Scale, Body Appreciation Scale-2, and the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced inventory. Preliminary linear modelling showed that seeking emotional social support, positive reinterpretation and growth, turning to religion, and focusing on and venting of emotions were significantly associated with body appreciation. However, findings from subsequent path analysis indicated that racial discrimination was not directly associated with body appreciation. In men only, the direct relationship between racial discrimination and body appreciation was mediated by focus on and venting of emotions. These findings suggest that experiences of racial discrimination may not be associated with positive body image outcomes, at least in racialised minority adults from the United Kingdom. We discuss possible reasons for this, as well as the generally null mediating effects
Co-developing a culturally responsive, theory-informed dyadic mind-body intervention to improve sleep and wellbeing in people with dementia and their caregivers in the UK
No full textHighlights What are the main findings? • A culturally grounded, theory-informed dyadic mind-body intervention was successfully co-developed with people with dementia, caregivers, and diverse community stakeholders, demonstrating high cultural resonance, acceptability, and feasibility. • Behavioural analysis identified key determinants of engagement-such as cogni-tive load, cultural meaning, dyadic support, and practical barriers-which guided the selection of effective behaviour change techniques integrated into the final 8-week programme. What are the implications of the main findings? • The development work provides a strong foundation for conducting a feasibility trial to evaluate implementation, acceptability, and preliminary effects on sleep, caregiver wellbeing, and dyadic coping across diverse communities. • The structured, culturally responsive co-design process offers a replicable model for developing future non-pharmacological interventions in dementia care, particularly where cultural adaptation and dyadic approaches are essential. Abstract Background: Sleep disturbances are common in dementia and adversely affect both the person with dementia and their caregiver. Non-pharmacological options exist but are seldom dyadic or culturally tailored, limiting their reach and relevance across diverse communities. Objective: We aimed to co-develop DREAM (Dyadic Resilience, Engagement , Awareness & Mind-body intervention)-an 8-week dyadic mind-body programme (mindfulness + gentle Tai Chi) for improving sleep and wellbeing in people with demen-tia and their caregivers. Methods: The process was informed by Intervention Mapping (Stages 1-4) and underpinned by established behaviour change frameworks, including the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW), the COMB model (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation → Behaviour), and the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF), to systematically identify determinants of engagement. Co-design involved dementia-caregiver dyads, Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) contributors, clinicians, mind-body practitioners, and community stakeholders. Results: The intervention was co-developed and culturally grounded through engagement with White British, Caribbean, Chinese, and South Asian Healthcare 2026, 14, 383 https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14030383 Healthcare 2026, 14, 383 2 of 20 communities. Participants reported high cultural resonance, endorsing DREAM's concise practices, caregiver-supported home routines, and delivery in trusted community venues. Behavioural insights highlighted the importance of motivational framing (perceived dyadic benefits, cultural meaning), practical enablement (simplified guidance, prompts/cues, environmental restructuring), and caregiver facilitation to support adherence. Conclusions: DREAM demonstrates the practicability of using Intervention Mapping to co-develop a culturally responsive, theory-informed dyadic mind-body intervention for people with dementia and their caregivers. This groundwork supports progression to a feasibility trial focused on implementation processes and preliminary sleep and wellbeing outcomes
Hybrid process-based and deep learning for river nutrient prediction under limited monitoring data
No full textAccurate simulation of riverine nutrient dynamics remains challenging in catchments with limited monitoring data, where both process-based models (PBMs) and data-driven approaches face constraints. This study investigates hybrid modelling strategies that combine PBM simulations with long short-term memory (LSTM) networks to predict nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations at the outlet of Salmons Brook catchment, London, UK. We designed two scenario sets to evaluate (i) the role of extreme weather indices as input features and (ii) the value of integrating different outputs from the Water Systems Integrated Modelling framework (WSIMOD) into LSTM architectures. Results show that the selected hybrid PBM-LSTM models outperformed both empirical LSTM and standalone WSIMOD simulations. For phosphorus, incorporating extreme weather indices improved performance, reflecting its sensitivity to high air temperatures and intense precipitation, while nitrogen predictions degraded, suggesting that memory from past water quality observations carries more predictive value. Comparisons between hybrid designs further indicate that simulated pre-river nutrient loads provide stronger constraints for LSTM models than in-river nutrient processes. These findings emphasize the need for nutrient-specific observational inputs in LSTM frameworks and demonstrate that PBM-LSTM hybridization offers a promising pathway for improving predictions relative to standalone LSTM or PBM simulations. Moreover, the comparative performance of different modelling configurations offers insights into the types of signals LSTM networks retain or discard, thereby contributing to the interpretability of DL applications in river water quality prediction