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Teachers of Arabic in Britain, 1870–1939
No full textHistories of Arabic studies in Europe have focussed to date on formal educational institutions such as universities, in part because of the close connections between academic Orientalism and European politics and imperialism, but also because of the availability of primary sources. This article instead examines what we can discover about private teachers of Arabic in Britain from the Victorian period to the Second World War. As well as shedding light on a hitherto under-investigated group of Arabic teachers and learners, this allows us to look at the teaching of spoken, dialectal Arabic in contrast to the written, Classical language more commonly taught in universities. It uses Census documents and newspapers from the period to identify individual teachers and learners of Arabic, and attempts to reconstruct their wider lives and career trajectories
“Like the bleating of a goat": teaching foreigners to pronounce the 'difficult' Arabic consonants (1798-1945)
No full textInteractions between soil texture and cover crop diversity shape carbon dynamics and aggregate stability
Get PDFIncreasing attention is being paid to the use of cover crops as a means of improving soil quality, particularly in relation to soil organic matter (SOM) accumulation and aggregate stability. This study evaluated the effects of soil texture, soil depth, and cover crop type on soil organic carbon (Corg), labile carbon (CL), and soil structure under field conditions in western Slovakia. A field experiment compared two texturally distinct Phaeozem soils—silty clay loam and sandy loam —and two cover cropping strategies: pea (Pisum sativum L.) monoculture and a four-species mixture of flax (Linum usitatissimum L.), camelina (Camelina sativa L.), white mustard (Sinapis alba L.), and Italian millet (Setaria italica L.). Fine-textured soil accumulated up to 50% more Corg and 1.5 times more CL than sandy soil, while aggregate stability was up to 90% higher. The surface layer (0–10 cm) contained more SOM, but the deeper layer (10–20 cm) showed greater aggregate stability. Pea cultivation increased total organic carbon, whereas the diverse mixture enhanced labile carbon content and promoted the formation of smaller yet more stable aggregates. Strong correlations between CL and aggregate stability confirmed the key role of labile organic matter fractions in soil structural stabilisation. Overall, the results demonstrate that the interaction between soil texture and cover crop diversity critically shapes SOM dynamics and soil structure. Combining diverse cover crops with fine-textured soils provides an effective strategy to enhance soil quality, carbon sequestration, and long-term agricultural sustainability
Assembling the plant-based meat proposition: towards food systems transitions in Australia
Get PDFThe mounting social, ecological and animal welfare issues associated with animal agriculture have inspired research and development on novel protein technologies that promise pathways towards less harmful futures. Protein transitions advocates envision significant changes to food production, including the potential removal of millions of animals from food production systems. This future is not at all guaranteed and dependent upon the complex and uncertain processes through which alternatives emerge and come to negotiate place-based socio-technical regimes. In this paper we extend the multi-level perspective used within the sustainability transitions literature by integrating it with Bruno Latour’s concept of propositions as a way of analysing how places shape and are shaped by emerging niche industries, in this case the plant-based meat industry in Australia. Through interviews, workshops and desk-based analysis we focus on six key elements shaping the plant-based meat proposition: matters of concern, networks, practices, ontologies, recalcitrance, and omissions. The analysis reveals a plant-based meat infrastructure emerging in the shadow of the animal meat industry and a realm of innovative strategies oriented at boosting acceptance, such as hosting conferences, writing reports, and infiltrating animal meat aisles in supermarkets. We identify the many challenges the industry is experiencing, including ontological differences over how it represents itself, the difficulty of enlisting new actors, such as governments and consumers, and the ever-present self-censoring shadow of animal agriculture industries. We also discuss omissions, such as the silences around the impacts on animal farmers, that may ultimately weaken what is being proposed. The paper concludes by reflecting on the worlds actually coming into being in the Australian context, as opposed to worlds being promised, and the need to broaden and diversify engagement with the proposition if it is to move beyond product substitution and engage with the immense challenges of food systems transition
Designing for dementia; insights from experiential learning in undergraduate education
Get PDFDementia-friendly design is an increasingly urgent concern as populations age and care needs become more complex. This study explored how architectural engineering education can support inclusive and sustainable responses to dementia through experiential learning. It examines the work of undergraduate students enrolled in a core design module (ArcD) within a BEng/MEng Architectural Engineering program at a UK university. Students were tasked with designing dementia-friendly bungalows that address cognitive, sensory, and physical needs, while integrating sustainability and assistive technologies. A qualitative thematic analysis of 35 anonymous student submissions collected over three academic years (2022–2025) identified six key design strategies: user-centred planning, sensory and cognitive support, inclusive outdoor spaces, community-oriented layouts, sustainability, and technological integration. The findings confirm alignment with the established dementia-care design literature, such as prioritizing accessibility, reducing agitation, and promoting social engagement. However, the study also revealed how students extended the design brief by incorporating emerging technologies (e.g., smart sensors and adaptive lighting) and culturally specific features that foster psychological safety and identity. These socially and environmentally responsive innovations reflect how future practitioners can interpret and evolve inclusive designs in response to shifting global concerns. This analysis further highlights the pedagogical value of project-based and design-thinking approaches in fostering critical, empathetic, and technically competent graduates. Despite variations in cultural awareness and real-world feasibility, student work demonstrates how inclusive design principles can be embedded meaningfully within technically rigorous curricula. This study contributes to emerging conversations about inclusive design pedagogy by showing how dementia care principles can be taught using studio-based methods. It also offers recommendations for enhancing cultural sensitivity, industry collaboration, and scalability of future curricula. Architectural engineering education, when designed with intention, can play a transformative role in preparing students to meet the social and environmental challenges in contemporary care environments
A game of tariffs: is there demand for tariffs in Europe?
Get PDFIn April 2025, the United States introduced sweeping tariffs on imports from the European Union and the United Kingdom, raising transatlantic tensions and prompting debate over Europe’s response. This study examines whether Europeans support domestic tariffs, either as protectionist or retaliatory measures. While polls suggest strong backing for retaliatory tariffs against the US, such attitudes may reflect patriotic or emotional reactions. To test preferences for tariff policies in a more realistic setting, we conducted two pre-registered conjoint experiments: a government-preference experiment in Germany and a candidate-choice experiment in the United Kingdom. In these experiments, tariff proposals appeared alongside other policies, mirroring multidimensional political landscapes. Contrary to expectations, Europeans consistently rejected tariffs in favor of alternative economic policies regardless of whether framed as protectionist, funding green initiatives, or responding to US actions. This absence of support is observed across social groups and cannot be explained by pre-existing attitudes toward the United States or President Trump. Our findings suggest that demand for protectionism is weaker than direct polling implies, and that public appetite for tariff measures is lower than early surveys suggested. As global trade tensions escalate, understanding public demand is essential for designing trade policies that are both effective and democratically grounded
Cognate picture naming in bilingual aphasia
Get PDFCognate vs. non-cognate words have been utilised to understand the impact of shared structures in bilinguals’ lexical organisation and processing. Despite clinical and theoretical importance of understanding the influence of shared structures, there remains limited research in bilingual aphasia. We investigated cognate effects in bilingual aphasia; determined if these effects are modulated by bilingualism profiles and executive control abilities. Picture naming data for cognates vs. non-cognate words were collected from seven Bengali-English bilinguals with aphasia (BWA) and matched controls in both languages, along with executive control measures. At the group level, BWA showed significant cognate facilitation in the non-dominant language. Individual level analyses revealed cognate facilitation in only two of the seven BWA. Specifically, BWA with relatively preserved executive control abilities did not show cognate facilitation. The findings highlight that cognate facilitation is not universal and can be influenced by individual differences in language dominance and executive control abilities
Constraining extreme storm surges along the European coasts from a large ensemble of climate models
Get PDFThe storm surge contribution to extreme sea levels along the European coastlines is investigated using hydrodynamic numerical simulations forced by atmospheric pressure and surface winds from a large ensemble of initialized climate models from the Decadal Climate Prediction Project experiment. The outputs, representative of the climate since 1960, amount for a total of 8,000 years of data, thus increasing significantly the sampling size of extreme simulated events compared to typical decadal-long hydrodynamic hindcasts. The extended DCPP-forced storm surge data set, once bias-corrected, provides information on the probability of storm surges that are plausible in Europe in the current climate but for which there is no observational evidence. Our results show that these unprecedented extreme events are on average 20% larger than the observed maxima, with values reaching up to 1 m. The new data set also enables the uncertainties in the probabilities to be constrained significantly (e.g., up to two orders of magnitude for 500-year return periods). This permits a more robust quantification of coastal hazards and risks, particularly for the most extreme events with return periods that are substantially longer that the observational records