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Infrastructural extensions: Rethinking infrastructure in urban studies
Get PDFThis essay explores how contemporary urban infrastructure is being conceptually and operationally extended into new domains. Across five key arenas—elemental, care, more-than-human, cyber-physical and the neurotechnical—we trace how infrastructures are no longer confined to traditional networked systems but instead permeate and co-compose atmospheres, bodies, ecologies and cognition. These extensions reconfigure what infrastructure is and does, operating as agents of socio-technical modulation under conditions of planetary crisis. We argue that these emergent infrastructural forms constitute a significant shift, where the capacity to live, sense, feel and adapt is increasingly subject to infrastructural capture, stratification and control. The essay reflects on the risks of conceptual overreach while asserting that a more expansive understanding of infrastructure is necessary to grasp contemporary urban governance. We conclude by proposing a renewed research agenda for urban infrastructure studies that is interdisciplinary, ethically attuned and responsive to the operationalization of life itself under conditions of turbulence and inequality
Saying enough vs saying too much: lessons on optimizing project risk description for crowdfunding success in developing countries
Get PDFOnline crowdfunded technology projects offer opportunities for driving sustainable growth in developed and developing countries. However, entrepreneurs propose these projects within a context of information asymmetry and risk uncertainty which prospective backers must grapple with. Although Kickstarter has been requiring technology entrepreneurs to disclose project risk information since 2012, the value of this disclosure remains underexplored amidst controversies in the literature about whether project risk description enhances crowdfunding success. In addressing these issues, this research employs signaling theory and curvilinear analysis to examine what project risk description length and sentiment levels maximize crowdfunding success for technology projects, particularly those in developing countries. Statistical analyses of 1059 campaigns on Kickstarter partly support and challenge this study's theorizations. Risk description sentiment and length have U-shaped and inverted U-shaped effects on crowdfunding success respectively. Although these effects do not differ across projects in developed and developing countries, detailed risk descriptions generally yield better results for projects in developing countries. These insights advance and clarify the underdeveloped literature on the link between project risk description and crowdfunding outcomes and offer guidance on how developing country entrepreneurs can couch project risk statements to optimize crowdfunding success
Diffusion with Adversarial Fine-Tuning for Improving Rare Retinal Disease Diagnosis
Get PDFAs machine-aided disease diagnosis becomes more common, there is a rising need for high volumes of quality data, which might be unavailable for rare diseases. Generative methods offer a solution, allowing for synthesising realistic-looking data that can improve diagnosis accuracy. We investigate the applications of diffusion to a small, imbalanced dataset of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) images. We propose modifying the basic Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Model with attention mechanisms, a class-aware training strategy, and the addition of adversarial fine-tuning. We demonstrate that this model is capable of synthesising realistic-looking images with class-specific features even for diseases with as little as 22 samples. We achieve values of FID at 62.58, and CLIP Similarity at 0.96. We show that the addition of generated data in the training dataset improves the overall and class-specific performance of a ResNet18 classifier on the OCT data, offering an improvement for downstream tasks such as rare retinal disease diagnosis
Modulated Anti-Ferroelectric Smectic Phases with Orthogonal and Tilted Structures
Get PDFThe discovery of the ferroelectric nematic phase has brought with it a plethora of new polar liquid crystalline phases. One in particular is the anti-ferroelectric smectic A SmA\textsubscript{AF} phase. In this letter we show via observation and analysis of satellite peaks in the X-ray scattering pattern that the structure of the SmA\textsubscript{AF} phase involves a density modulation of 10-20 nm lateral to the smectic layer normal. Further, we demonstrate a previously undiscovered phase where the anti-ferroelectric order is maintained into a tilted smectic phase demonstrating the robustness of the underlying frustration that leads to the modulated structure. We suggest that the modulations are only in a single dimension and appear parallel to the tilt plane. This new phase also shows a significantly different and complex response to an electric field from other discovered polar LC phases due to the ability to modulate both tilt and polarisation direction
Efficient reconstruction of high-resolution tidal turbine blade deflection and strain maps through sensing location optimisation
No full textDuring fatigue tests of tidal turbine blades, digital image correlation (DIC) is used to collect vital information about the specimen. DIC provides high-resolution displacement and strain maps of selected blade sections; however, continuous operation is hindered by the need to acquire, transfer, and process large volumes of high-resolution images, precluding real-time use during long tests. We address this problem by optimising sparse sensing locations on the blade surface so that full-field maps can be accurately reconstructed from a small subset of pixel measurements. In contrast to most DIC improvements found in the literature, which focus on accelerating the processing stage, this approach circumvents the need to collect high-resolution data. We evaluate this approach in a case study at FastBlade, a dedicated testing facility for tidal turbine blades. With less than 1% of the original pixels measured, the mean relative error evaluated on the dataset is 0.4% and 16% for displacement and strain maps, respectively, with the larger strain error reflecting the higher spatial complexity of strain fields. The optimised layouts outperform random and grid-like arrangements. The framework enables real-time monitoring and, subject to relevant validation, might be applied to reconstruct high-resolution strain maps directly from strain-gauge readings, potentially extending to in-ocean blade monitoring. Given the high accuracy of deflection reconstructions, using them to derive strain fields is suggested as a direction for further study
Advancing the understanding of voluntary sustainability standard organizations’ geographic diffusion: the role of national institutions in global agrifood
Get PDFVoluntary sustainability standard organizations (VSSOs) are influential non-state actors shaping the governance of global value chains, especially in low- and middle-income economies (LMIEs) where transnational production is concentrated. They play a pivotal role in aligning international trade and investment flows with sustainability and development objectives. Yet, their diffusion across LMIEs remains uneven, and the institutional determinants of their geographical presence remain poorly understood. Focusing on the global agrifood sector—where VSSOs are particularly widespread—this study provides a systematic, cross-national analysis of how national institutional environments relate to VSSOs’ geographical presence. Using a novel dataset covering 131 agrifood VSSOs and country-level indicators of institutional development, we build a VSSO–country network and apply correlation analyses to examine which institutional dimensions co-vary with VSSO presence. Results show that VSSOs are significantly more active in countries with well-developed trade, technical assistance, financial, and social protection institutions—key enablers of private sustainability governance. Conversely, we find no association between the strength of environmental institutions and VSSO diffusion. We build on these findings to identify institutional development targets that LMIE policymakers should consider if seeking to promote VSSO diffusion as part of their policy goals and in response to value-capture opportunities in GVCs
No sustainability without accountability
No full textThis chapter provides an insightful exploration of the transformation of financial reporting and the parallel rise of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting. It traces the evolution of financial reporting, emphasising its genesis in response to the separation of ownership and managerial functions, thus necessitating mechanisms to instil accountability. It further elucidates how CSR reporting has become instrumental in augmenting traditional financial statements by extending its purview to encompass not just economic aspects, but also social and environmental dimensions. This, in turn, reflects the evolving expectations regarding corporate accountability and transparency. In summation, the chapter advocates for a comprehensive understanding of the evolving landscape of reporting, emphasising the indispensable role of CSR reporting in tandem with financial reporting and underscoring the pivotal importance of assurance in buttressing the authenticity and accountability of corporate social responsibility disclosures in the contemporary business environment
Introduction
No full textThe book’s Introduction begins by considering definitions of folk music, specifically that developed by the International Folk Music Council during the 1950s. I point out that Cecil Sharp’s work had a profound influence on this conception. The underlying logic behind such definitions is a habit of opposition in which folk music is situated as a paradigm of authenticity in contrast to something else tainted with commerce, frivolity, or bourgeois individualism. I show that folk music has most often been understood through a characteristic form of Marxist nostalgia surrounding older forms of culture opposed to modernity, capitalism, mass media, and the culture industry. The appeal of the folk, I suggest, has chiefly been as a vehicle of critique – a way of identifying alternative ways of being. As illustrations, I turn to Ananda Coomaraswamy’s anti-colonial vision of Indian nationalism as well as the recent ‘ShantyTok’ trend on TikTok. Ultimately, folk music and song are inextricable from the social communities they have brought to life
Worlebury Hillfort, Somerset:interdisciplinary reanalysis of an Iron age massacre
Get PDFExcavations at the Iron Age site of Worlebury hillfort during the mid-late 19th century revealed a large number of human skeletal remains, interpreted as victims of a ‘massacre’. Reanalysis of these remains, combining AMS dating, osteological, aDNA, histotaphonomy, and isotope analysis, has enabled a re-evaluation of this hypothesis. AMS dating lends support to the notion that many of these individuals may have died during a single episode, while osteological analysis has identified significant evidence for perimortem trauma, and the histology supports a short period between death and deposition. The genetic data suggest that the human remains represent a group with biological links through the maternal line and connections to another nearby site, while the isotope values are consistent with a local population, consuming animals raised in a salt-marsh environment like the Severn Estuary. Our results demonstrate the value of returning to often unpromising antiquarian collections using an integrated suite of modern analytical approaches
The role of embedded public health researchers in local government: Identifying markers of changes in relationships and how evidence is applied in policy and practice
Get PDFBackground Local government is central to addressing determinants of public health and must use evidence to make effective decisions. In England, local government typically does not have research infrastructure to enable this; an emerging strategy to overcome this challenge is embedding public health researchers. Expectations of embedded researchers (ERs) are often ambitious and long-term (i.e. changing culture towards evidence), with markers of change lacking, making it difficult to measure progress. This study aimed to: (i) better understand the rationale for ERs, and (ii) put forward a framework to track changes resulting from ER roles. Methods A qualitative, self-reflective study was carried out by the authors as five ERs. Data collection took place between April 2023-January 2024 in three stages: (1) initial discussion and written reflections, (2) reflective memo-writing, and (3) peer-to-peer interviews. Data was analysed using a hybrid approach, thematic analysis and the Framework Method, alongside an iterative process of interpretation through team discussion. Results A framework about how ERs can contribute towards changes in evidence application in local government was developed. Relationships were identified as key. Four common relational strategies by ERs were identified to enable change: (1) reflect on context and tailor communication approaches, (2) collaborate across boundaries, (3) be visible/accessible and (4) create space to reflect and learn. Short-term markers of changes in relationships (e.g. ER expertise is seen, valued, and trusted, and relational networks are built) and markers of subsequent changes in evidence use (e.g. mindsets that seek research and evidence, critical thinking) were identified. Conclusions A novel ER framework was developed (four relational strategies with markers of subsequent change), which can be used and tested in future research, evaluation, and practice: to develop clearer theories of change for ER initiatives, help ERs develop confidence in their roles and/or develop clearer ER job specifications and objectives
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