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Sarcophagid abdominal pattern data [dataset]
No full textAlthough well observed in the literature, the colour pattern and inversion thereof on the abdomens of Sarcophaga spp. have not been studied in detail. These features were described through the use of light photography and scanning electron microscopy in this study. The structural colour mechanism responsible for this colour pattern and inversion was identified to be due to diffraction gratings, where dense, specifically-oriented microtrichosity resulted in ordered, repeated nanostructures that produce the colouration. Three microsetae morphs were described. It is theorised that the colour pattern and inversion thereof may serve a functional value as a form of crypsis and/or disruptive colouration. It may also serve a thermoregulatory function. These theories require further study. The observed abdominal colour pattern and inversion have also been recorded in other species and genera of flies, which should be prioritised for future research to expand upon this study.National Research Foundation, Rhodes Universit
The evolution and implementation of Norway’s ultimate penalty: An exceptional approach to life imprisonment?
Get PDF© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of American Bar FoundationThough formal life sentences have been abolished in Norway, forvaring (post-conviction indefinite preventive detention) – a type of informal life sentence – can be imposed on individuals convicted of certain offenses who are considered to be at high risk of future offending. While great attention has been paid to Norway as an “exceptional” penal outlier globally, there is a notable lack of comprehensive knowledge about its indefinite penal sanction. Drawing on extensive historical research and legal and policy documentary analysis as well as leveraging a unique national dataset on the total forvaring population, this article provides the first international in-depth assessment of the evolution and implementation of Norway’s ultimate penalty. In so doing, it highlights significant disparities between policy ambitions and current practice and questions the extent to which the sanction of forvaring can be considered an “exceptional” approach to life imprisonment. It is argued that the development and growth of this type of informal life sentence can be seen as the epicenter of the impact of a more punitive ideology in Norway, emphasizing the need to move away from the concept of penal exceptionalism to better understand the full spectrum and practice of Norwegian and Nordic penality.Unfunde
Everyone’s watching.’ Examining the reluctance shown by some children to participate in primary physical education and sports day
Get PDF© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis GroupThis study, based on the views of 29 primary children (aged 10–11 years) and five school practitioners, explores why some children are reluctant to engage with physical education and sports day. Drawing upon a children’s rights and meaningful physical education framework, the findings suggest that some children are disinclined to participate due to concerns about getting injured, failing, and anxiety about being watched. Children with special educational needs are most likely to feel uncomfortable, but even those who excel at physical education can have aspects that they would like to adjust. This study asserts that practitioners who respond to children’s voices and adopt ‘meaningful physical education’ pedagogy are more likely to ‘bring in’ reluctant children. Not only do such approaches amplify the voices of underrepresented pupils, but they are also more likely to result in ‘PE reluctant’ children developing positive dispositions about movement experiences, which will hopefully continue in adulthood.Unfunde
An exploration of the experiences of women and non-binary counsellors in relation to Gendered Power Dynamics in the therapeutic relationship: A constructivist grounded theory
No full textThe purpose of this research was to explore the experiences of women and non-binary counsellors in relation to gendered power dynamics (GPD) in the therapeutic relationship. This research aimed to understand counsellors’ experiences to establish a theoretical model for GPD in the therapeutic relationship from the perspective of women and non-binary counsellors. This research took a multi-disciplinary approach, exploring sociological and feminist literature on gender and power, alongside counselling literature on the therapeutic relationship. A co-operative inquiry group was established to research this area. Further theoretical sampling, in line with the principles of constructivist grounded theory (Charmaz, 2014), was done using one-to-one interviews and a group interview. Ethical approval for this study was granted by the University of Chester.
A theoretical model was constructed made up of five core categories moving beyond a descriptive account. These core categories are: making sense of gender; experiencing gendered power and its influences; identifying factors which impact the therapist’s response; being impacted by the work; exploring the difference identity can make. The creation of the model, rooted in feminist epistemology, was developed through collective knowledge building, considered to be the heart of feminism (Ahmed, 2017). It transforms the issue of GPD from an individual problem to a structural issue, enabling the field to explore it through this lens. The model can be used by counsellors, trainers, and supervisors to bring to the surface something that may otherwise be left hidden.
This research found that the experience of GPD begins before the client and counsellor meet and has the potential to continue after the relationship has ended. A great deal of training and research is focused on the power dynamics between the counsellor and client, encouraging an intersectional perspective based on reducing client harm. However, research exploring the counsellor’s experience, including potential counsellor harm due to the power held by the client, appears to be limited, although negative impacts in relation to practice have been noted (Ali et al., 2005; Porter et al., 2015; Wright & Murphy, 2024)
Reclaiming work design in the age of automation: A call to human-centric strategy
Get PDFThis author accepted manuscript is deposited under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC) licence. This means that anyone may distribute, adapt, and build upon the work for non-commercial purposes, subject to full attribution. If you wish to use this manuscript for commercial purposes, please contact [email protected]: This paper revisits work design theory in light of rapid advancements in workplace automation, arguing that traditional models are no longer sufficient for addressing the complexities introduced by digital automation technologies (DAT). It aims to reposition work design as a central strategic concern for organisations navigating technological change. Design/methodology/approach: The paper adopts a narrative review, drawing from contemporary academic literature and recent empirical studies, to offer reflective commentary grounded in current research. Findings: Despite increasing attention to automation’s impact on job displacement, there remains a limited focus on how work design can respond to negative outcomes and promote employee engagement, innovation, and retention. Originality/value: This paper offers a timely call to action for HR leaders and work design researchers. It urges a shift away from purely technical implementations of automation toward more human-centred, strategically designed work environments. The piece contributes original value by framing work design as both a challenge and an opportunity in the digital economy.Unfunde
Side preferences in human dyads when walking: the influence of country, threat, handedness, and sex
Get PDF© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.In several species, lateral position preferences have been observed in pair mates, mother–infant dyads, and during agonistic interactions. This research examined side preferences in human dyads in an observational study and survey. We observed 1236 male–female pairs walking in the UK and found a bias for males to walk on the right side of the pair, which did not depend on hand-holding, or walking during daylight or darkness. The survey measured side preferences in 798 participants (398 left-handed, 411 right-handed), from the UK (402) and USA (396). Participants chose a side to walk when walking with their partner, or alone, in various threatening/non-threatening scenes. Threat did not influence preference in walking couples, but males, when passing a threatening stranger, preferred the best combat side for their handedness. Country and handedness also influenced preferences. Left-handers preferred the left side and right-handers preferred the right side, and USA participants exhibited a more rightward preference than UK participants. The pattern of preference for each country was equivalent, showing independent influences of handedness and cultural learning. Overall, the results suggest that males and females prefer the side that allows their dominant hand to be on the outside of the dyad.The authors gratefully acknowledge the funding for Study 2, which was provided by an internal University of Chester grant with the grant code QR737
‘We’re not daft, we’re not stupid, we can still learn’ – the impact of informal science learning on wellbeing in acquired brain injury
Get PDF© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.Science engagement centres offer interactive, hands-on experiences that foster curiosity and public engagement with science. This pilot study explores the integration of a UK science engagement centre, Oriel Science, into social prescribing for individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI). A ten-week structured intervention was delivered through science-based workshops. Quantitative wellbeing outcome measures were combined with qualitative reflections from participants, caregivers and academic presenters. Findings showed consistent improvements in wellbeing, with participants reporting enhanced cognitive engagement, motivation and social connection. The sessions provided a stimulating environment that helped participants reconnect with cognitive skills they felt had been lost after injury. Academic presenters also found the experience unexpectedly rewarding themselves, noting strong participant engagement and a renewed sense of purpose. This is the first study to link a science engagement centre with healthcare delivery, offering science-based social prescribing as part of ABI rehabilitation. Results highlight the potential of curiosity driven learning to support recovery, promote wellbeing and strengthen scientific literacy. The study underscores the role of universities in public engagement, particularly in an age where science communication and critical thinking are vital for societal resilience.This work was supported by Swansea University
Developing sensor technology and algorithm for enhancing accuracy of monitoring anomaly sleep at home
No full textSleep apnoea represents one of the most prevalent respiratory disorders worldwide, affecting approximately 49.7% of men and 23.4% of women. While polysomnography (PSG) remains the gold standard for diagnosis, its complexity, high cost, and limited accessibility have motivated the development of alternative diagnostic approaches. As respiration and blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) serve as key indicators in sleep apnoea assessment, photoplethysmography (PPG) has emerged as a promising technology for non-invasive monitoring.
This dissertation presents a comprehensive investigation of PPG-based sleep monitoring systems, encompassing hardware development, signal processing algorithms, and advanced machine learning techniques for abnormal sleep detection. The research establishes a systematic framework for wearable sleep monitoring through three key phases of development and validation.
First, a non-invasive continuous monitoring system was developed to assess sleep apnoea via SpO2 and heart rate (HR) measurements. Various breathing experiments were performed to investigate the relationship between breathing patterns, SpO2 fluctuations, and HR variations during apnoea events. Motion artifact (MA) analysis revealed directional and frequency dependencies, various adaptive filters were implemented to compare their effectiveness in MA removal.
Next, an integrated framework combining variational mode decomposition (VMD) denoising with deep learning autoencoders was developed for automated abnormal SpO2 detection. The study investigated both the relationship between architectural complexity and performance gains, as well as the trade-offs between model complexity and computational requirements. The performance of deep learning autoencoders was evaluated across datasets with different characteristics. The VMD algorithm achieved an SpO2 root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 0.862% against clinical references. Among four autoencoder architectures, the long short-term memory (LSTM) autoencoder performed best (accuracy: 0.86) by capturing temporal SpO2 dynamics during apnoea events, though with higher computational costs.
Finally, the feasibility of direct raw PPG signal analysis was investigated, bypassing error-prone SpO2 calculations. A wireless multi-sensor system integrating PPG and accelerometer data with Bluetooth connectivity was developed and evaluated. Comparative analysis of nine machine learning and deep learning models revealed that neural network architectures consistently outperformed traditional methods, with the novel 1D-Branch CNN achieving optimal balance between accuracy (0.92) and computational efficiency (~25% faster than CNN-LSTM). This system demonstrates the feasibility of using raw PPG signals for reliable abnormal sleep detection in clinical applications, emerges as particularly promising, offering an effective compromise between the computational efficiency, high performance and the need for generalization in variable environments
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No full text© 2025 Oxbow BooksHistories of the so-called ‘Second English Civil War’, fought during 1648, have concentrated on the main areas of military operations – the north-west and south-east of England, and south Wales. While these, ultimately, were the decisive theatres of war, the region encompassing the westerly midland shires of England – including Shropshire – and also northerly Wales has received much less historiographical consideration. However, from the outbreak of the first war in 1642 partisan support for King Charles I was widespread across this territory, and historians have categorised Shropshire as a strongly royalist county. In 1648 militant royalism re-emerged in Shropshire and elsewhere in opposition to the parliamentarian regime victorious by 1646. Parliament’s failure during the interwar period to achieve a constitutional settlement with the king, coupled to unpopular fiscal and governmental policies involving the maintenance of powerful armed forces, emboldened opponents to engage in armed revolt in 1648. However, royalist uprisings attempted across Shropshire’s region failed to achieve serious military momentum – all were either aborted or nipped in the bud by defeat in skirmishing by parliamentary action. This chapter re-evaluates this territorial conflict. Shropshire is central to the analysis, but given the association of events coverage extends to adjacent counties. While historians have tended to dismiss royalist insurgency as being uniformly ineffective, a more nuanced view is taken here. Shropshire is also considered as a case study of popular discontents with the parliamentary regime considered to have inflamed renewed national civil conflict in 1648.Unfunde
The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Interest Groups, Lobbying and Public Affairs
No full text© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.Encyclopedia entryUnfunde
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