62880 research outputs found
Sort by
Financial remedies on divorce and dissolution: a scoping report
No full textThis Scoping Report examines the laws governing finances on divorce and the ending of a civil partnership. It concludes that the law needs to be reformed and presents Government with four models that reform could take. These range from codifying the current case law to introducing default rules to determine the division of assets
Variation in milk iodine concentration around the world: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the difference between season and dairy-production system
Get PDFIodine is essential for thyroid hormone production. Milk and dairy products are important sources of iodine in many countries. We aimed to review systematically the variation in milk-iodine concentration between countries, seasons and farming practice. We searched online food composition tables and published literature for data since 2006. Milk-iodine concentration was available for 34 countries (from 66 sources) and ranged from 5.5 to 49.9 μg/100g (median 17.3 μg/100g). Meta-analyses identified that iodine concentration is significantly higher in: (i) winter than summer milk (mean difference 5.97 μg/100g; p = 0.001), and (ii) in conventional than in organic milk (mean difference 6.00 μg/100g; p < 0.0001). Sub-group analysis showed that the difference between organic and conventional milk was only significant in summer (p = 0.0003). The seasonal variation in milk-iodine concentration may affect iodine intake and status so should be considered in dietary surveys, and when assessing population iodine status
Local knowledges in international peacebuilding: acquisition, filtering, and systematic bias
Get PDFThere is widespread consensus among peacebuilding practitioners and scholars on the importance of integrating local knowledge into the design, planning, and implementation of international peace interventions. However, the concept of local knowledge remains undertheorized and the dynamics of local knowledge integration in international activities have not yet been fully explored. This paper reconceptualizes “local knowledge” in peacebuilding as local knowledges in the plural, highlighting seven categories of relevant local knowledge and the contestation within each. We then draw on organizational theory to identify the processes by which particular types of local knowledge become more or less likely to be incorporated into internationally-led peacebuilding activities. Specifically, we argue that knowledge incorporation consists of two stages: acquisition and filtering. In both, international actors control who is able to contribute knowledges and which knowledges are recognized. Systematic biases result: knowledges that confirm previously held beliefs or that simplify complexity are incorporated more regularly. We illustrate our argument by focusing on the UN, but suggest that our findings apply to other international actors, including non-governmental organizations, and extend beyond peacebuilding
Could an extreme cold Central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?
Get PDFCentral European winters have warmed markedly since the mid-20th century. Yet cold winters are still associated
with severe societal impacts on energy systems, infrastructure and public health. It is therefore crucial to anticipate storylines of worst-case cold winter conditions, and to understand whether an extremely cold winter, such as the coldest winter in the historical record of Germany in 1963 (−6.3◦C or −3.4σ seasonal DJF temperature anomaly relative to 1981-2010), is still possible in a warming climate. Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal cold anomaly of about −4.9 to −4.7◦C (best estimates across methods) under present-day climate. This would rank as the second-coldest winter in the last 75 years. Second, we conceive storylines of worst-case cold winter conditions based on two independent rare event sampling methods (climate model boosting and empirical importance sampling): a winter as cold as 1963 is still physically possible in Central Europe today, albeit very unlikely. While cold winter hazards become less frequent and less intense in a warming climate overall, it remains crucial to anticipate the possibility of an extreme cold winter to avoid potential maladaptation and increased vulnerability
Masking up for the benefit of others: exploring the link between individualistic/collectivistic cultural values and police officer propensity to obey COVID- 19 rules off-duty
No full textCareer progression through the lens of Black female leaders
No full textWe are lacking in-depth knowledge about Black female leaders’ unique experience
within leadership and career progression, as the experience of this group has remained largely
underexplored and mainly from the lens of others. Black women are particularly scarce if not
totally absent within the senior ranks of leadership and we are yet to gain insights into
specific accounts by Black female leaders of how individuals make sense of and experience
the supportive and/or hindering involvement of key others in their career progression. To gain
rich and contextual insights, through the eyes of Black female leaders in the UK, I conducted
in-depth interviews with 25 Black female leaders in mid- and senior management levels. Key
insights from the study show that Black female leaders experience the hindering perceptions
and involvement by key others, tied to stereotyping and bias, to reinforce a ‘Fragile trust’ in
whether they can ever truly belong or have a chance to progress in their career with their
intersecting racial and gender identity. In addition, I found that throughout the study
individuals expressed underlying ‘Identity tensions’ between their individual, professional
and shared Black female identity, which were tied to the ’Fragile trust’ experience. The study
also sheds light on the agency Black female leaders display in changing their experience in
career progression and how sponsorship and mentorship relationships, behaviours and actions
can further ‘Strengthen the empowerment’ of individuals towards reaching their career goals.
I develop a theoretical model, based on these key findings and literature, to demonstrate how
Black female leaders’ experience of ‘Fragile trust’, ‘Identity tensions’ and ‘Strengthening
empowerment’ interact to contribute toward their experience in leadership and progression
Persistent global greening over the last four decades using novel long-term vegetation index data with enhanced temporal consistency.
Get PDFAdvanced Very High-Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) satellite observations have provided the longest global daily records from 1980s, but the remaining temporal inconsistency in vegetation index datasets has hindered reliable assessment of vegetation greenness trends. To tackle this, we generated novel global long-term Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Near-Infrared Reflectance of vegetation (NIRv) datasets derived from AVHRR and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). We addressed residual temporal inconsistency through three-step post processing including cross-sensor calibration among AVHRR sensors, orbital drifting correction for AVHRR sensors, and machine learning-based harmonization between AVHRR and MODIS. After applying each processing step, we confirmed the enhanced temporal consistency in terms of detrended anomaly, trend and interannual variability of NDVI and NIRv at calibration sites. Our refined NDVI and NIRv datasets showed a persistent global greening trend over the last four decades (NDVI: 0.0008 yr−1; NIRv: 0.0003 yr−1), contrasting with those without the three processing steps that showed rapid greening trends before 2000 (NDVI: 0.0017 yr−1; NIRv: 0.0008 yr−1) and weakened greening trends after 2000 (NDVI: 0.0004 yr−1; NIRv: 0.0001 yr−1). These findings highlight the importance of minimizing temporal inconsistency in long-term vegetation index datasets, which can support more reliable trend analysis in global vegetation response to climate changes
Transferability of a Bayesian Belief Network across diverse agricultural catchments using high-frequency hydrochemistry and land management data
Get PDFBiogeochemical catchment models are often developed for a single catchment and, as a result, often generalize poorly beyond this. Evaluating their transferability is an important step in improving their predictive power and application range. We assess the transferability of a recently developed Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) that simulated monthly stream phosphorus (P) concentrations in a poorly-drained grassland catchment through application to three further catchments with different hydrological regimes and agricultural land uses. In all catchments, flow and turbidity were measured sub-hourly from 2009 to 2016 and supplemented with 400 – 500 soil P test measurements. In addition to a previously parameterized BBN, five further model structures were implemented to incorporate in a stepwise way: in-stream P removal using expert elicitation, additional groundwater P stores and delivery, and the presence or absence of septic tank treatment, and, in one case, Sewage Treatment Works. Model performance was tested through comparison of predicted and observed total reactive P (TRP) concentrations and percentage bias (PBIAS). The original BBN accurately simulated the absolute values of observed flow and TRP concentrations in the poorly and moderately drained catchments (albeit with poor apparent percentage bias scores; 76%≤PBIAS≤94%) irrespective of the dominant land use, but performed less well in the groundwater-dominated catchments. However, including groundwater total dissolved P (TDP) and Sewage Treatment Works (STWs) inputs, and in-stream P uptake improved model performance (-5%≤PBIAS≤18%). A sensitivity analysis identified redundant variables further helping to streamline the model applications. An enhanced BBN model capable for wider application and generalisation resulted
Not really a Jogee case (but then neither was Jogee...) - R v Smith (James Alexander) [2023] NICA 31
No full textThis is a case commentary on R v Smith [2023] NICA 31. The case resulted from the first CCRC referral of a historic joint enterprise conviction from Northern Ireland since the law was held to have taken a ‘wrong turn’ in Jogee. The case note argues that there is still much confusion about the kind of cases to which Jogee applies. It also argues that the continued usage of joint enterprise language is unhelpful and possibly positively detrimental in that it helps perpetuating the impression that Jogee has a wider scope of application than it has
“May all be well”: the links between compassion, psychological distress, and mindfulness in teaching in early years
Get PDFThis study investigated the relationship between compassion and mindfulness in teaching among early years practitioners, with low levels of psychological distress as a mediator. A total of 81 early years practitioners were recruited from the United Kingdom via mass emails and announcements on social media platforms. Findings based on path analysis indicated that lower psychological distress mediated the positive relation between compassion and intrapersonal mindfulness in teaching, after controlling for level of education, years of practice, and role of practitioner. More specifically, compassion was related to psychological distress, intrapersonal mindfulness, and interpersonal mindfulness in teaching, whereas psychological distress was related to intrapersonal mindfulness, but not interpersonal mindfulness in teaching. The present findings inform early years practitioners and researchers of a differential chain of processes between compassion, psychological distress, and mindfulness in teaching