Open Research Exeter - University of Exeter
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Testing the effectiveness of England’s local environmental compliance regimes: The case of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
No full textThis article examines the effectiveness of local environmental compliance regimes in the United Kingdom, focusing on the case study of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Despite national and international commitments, the ecological emergency underscores the need for effective governance at the local level. Through a mixed-methods approach, including legal analysis, FOI requests, and stakeholder workshops, this research assesses the performance of key public authorities in a specific region. The findings reveal that while local authorities demonstrate a commitment to environmental protection, their effectiveness is hindered by inadequate funding, skills gaps, overlapping jurisdictions, and communication barriers. Offence data indicates mixed trends, underscoring the importance of specific mandates. The article proposes streamlining reporting, bridging jurisdictional divides through coordination committees, cultivating environmental stewardship through public engagement, and prioritising workforce development with fair compensation. The study advocates for accessible information platforms, collaborative case reviews, and community reporting workshops. These novel mechanisms aim to empower citizens, facilitate coordinated action, and foster a culture of environmental stewardship. Effective implementation requires securing diversified funding, building stakeholder consensus, and ensuring data protection. This article provides impactful insights for local environmental compliance regimes within the United Kingdom and internationally and calls for collective action to improve governance.</p
Biallelic variants in the non-protein-coding minor spliceosome components RNU6ATAC and RNU4ATAC cause syndromic monogenic autoimmune diabetes
No full textNon-protein coding genes are emerging as critical contributors to the aetiology of rare diseases, providing key insights into human biology and uncovering novel disease mechanisms. We identified 7 individuals from 4 families with early-onset diabetes (diagnosed <5 years) and immune dysregulatory features caused by biallelic variants in RNU6ATAC. RNU6ATAC encodes a small nuclear RNA (snRNA) acting as a catalytic component of the minor spliceosome, a protein-RNA complex mediating splicing of ~700 genes containing U12/minor-type introns. Variant screening of the other 64 minor spliceosome genes in 276 infants with diabetes identified 12 unrelated individuals with biallelic disease-causing variants in RNU4ATAC. Biallelic pathogenic RNU4ATAC variants are known to cause a variable spectrum of clinical features, which until now did not include diabetes. Clinically, 12/19 RNU6ATAC/RNU4ATAC affected individuals had additional immune dysregulatory features, and 50% of individuals tested were islet-autoantibody positive, strongly supporting an autoimmune aetiology for their diabetes. RNA-seq in 3 individuals with biallelic RNU6ATAC variants showed a pattern of intron retention in U12 intron-containing genes similar to that seen in RNU4ATAC-individuals (n=3), supporting a shared disease mechanism. Analysis of affected individuals’ transcriptomic, methylation and immune data revealed impaired B cell development and maturation. We conclude that biallelic RNU6ATAC variants cause a syndrome of early-onset autoimmune diabetes and immune dysregulation. We further show that infancy-onset diabetes is a feature of RNU4ATACopathy. Our work highlights the important role of two snRNAs critical to minor spliceosome function in immune system regulation, providing insights into the pathogenesis of autoimmune diabetes.</p
Resilient assessment in the age of AI: authentic design and the case for verbal examinations in business education
No full textGenerative AI tools such as ChatGPT challenge traditional assessment in higher education, raising concerns about academic integrity and the validity of learning outcomes. This conceptual paper examines how business schools, where written assignments are common, can redesign assessment to remain resilient as AI tools proliferate. Drawing on Wiggins’ theory of authentic assessment, it conceptualises ‘resilient assessment’ as tasks that mirror real-world challenges and require demonstrable understanding in forms less easily replicated by AI. Verbal and interactive assessments, including oral examinations and presentations, are proposed as examples that both deter AI-assisted misconduct and develop transferable professional skills. The paper outlines a framework for implementing these practices at scale in business education and discusses policy and pedagogical implications. It concludes that developing resilient assessment should be a priority across higher education, with business schools well positioned to lead assessment innovation.</p
Opportunities and challenges in using life cycle assessment for organisational-level biodiversity impacts: a case study on the National Trust, UK
No full textGlobal biodiversity loss is accelerating, threatening ecosystems and our society. Because biodiversity underpins all economic activities, organisations need robust methods to understand both their impacts and dependencies on nature. We applied a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) framework to conduct a screening-level analysis of biodiversity impacts associated with the operations of the National Trust, the largest conservation charity in Europe. The organisation's carbon account data were integrated into the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI), distinguishing between economic and non-economic components. Biodiversity impacts were quantified using ReCiPe2016 endpoint indicators, expressed as the 'potentially disappeared fraction of species'. Land use dominates the Trust's biodiversity footprint, accounting for 68-69% of total impacts across the 2020-2022. This was followed by global warming impacts on terrestrial ecosystems (15-16%) and terrestrial acidification (8-9%). Tenant agricultural activities were the principal driver, contributing approximately 84% of total biodiversity impacts in the reference year (2022), largely associated with livestock grazing and feed production. Construction-related activities within purchased goods and services also represent a substantial upstream contribution. Our findings demonstrate the value of applying LCA at organisation scale to identifying biodiversity hotspots and inform targeted mitigation strategies. We discuss methodological constrains, including data availability, spatial resolution, and the treatment of positive biodiversity outcomes. Despite these limitations, organisational LCA provides a transparent and practical starting point for organisations seeking to assess and reduce their nature-related impacts on their journey to becoming nature positive.</p
Is the emerging systemic reliance on brownfield expansion a mining “bubble”?
No full textGeopolitical concerns about the reliability of mineral resource supply chains require scrutiny of mining trends. In a recent One Earth article, Kemp and colleagues demonstrated that the mining sector is increasing its reliance on existing infrastructure. Here, I question whether this will lead to mid- and long-term supply-demand imbalance.</p
The front-end of circular innovation in incumbent firms
No full textThe Circular Economy (CE) introduces ambiguity and complexity in developing products and
services by using materials and resources differently; innovations and related business models
may deviate markedly from those witnessed in the “linear economy”. This reshapes the
landscape for front-end of innovation (FEI) activities, especially challenging for incumbent
firms that have long honed their innovation processes within a dominant linear paradigm.
Adopting a qualitative inquiry of eight multinational and well-established corporations, this
study explores how incumbent firms reconfigure their FEI processes when they start
developing circular products and services. We conceptualise our findings in a grounded model
of the circular FEI (CFEI), illustrating how a shift in the dominant logics of incumbent firms -
from linear to circular - influences activities in the FEI. We identify how these companies’ FEI
processes (opportunity identification and idea generation, concept design, and solution
development) differ accordingly, with a need to broaden the idea search scope, conceptualize
product-business model fit, and discover value from circularity. Our findings provide insights
into how CFEI processes are both constrained and enabled by considerations regarding
materials and resource circulation, as well as the anticipation of circular business models that
relate to these considerations.</p
Teachers’ Perspectives on the Impact of the Coronavirus Lockdown on Children’s Aggressive Behaviour in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
No full textThis study seeks to explore Saudi Arabian teachers’ perspectives on the behavioural impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on primary school students, with particular attention paid to the emergence and management of aggressive behaviour. Guided by social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986) and ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979), the research considers how pandemic-related disruptions may have influenced student aggression, emotional wellbeing, classroom engagement, and school culture. It also aims to examine whether teachers perceived changes in the frequency or nature of aggressive behaviour following school closures, how they interpreted these behavioural shifts, what consequences they observed for student learning and peer interaction, and what strategies they reported using to manage such behaviours in the post-lockdown context. This study responds to a recognised gap in the literature regarding how post-lockdown behavioural changes are perceived and addressed by educators in culturally specific, non-Western settings, such as Saudi Arabia. A sequential, explanatory, mixed-methods design was employed, beginning with a survey of 249 public and private school teachers across Saudi Arabia, followed by semi-structured interviews with 20 teachers to deepen and contextualise the quantitative findings. The survey data were analysed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations), while the interview transcripts were examined using thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns and capture teachers’ interpretations and experiences. While most participants did not report a marked increase in overt aggression, many described emotional and behavioural changes, particularly anxiety, social withdrawal, and classroom disengagement. These shifts were understood to result from a combination of factors, including prolonged isolation, inconsistent parental discipline, increased screen exposure, and socio-economic inequalities, and as emotionally driven responses to the return to structured routines and in-person learning. Teachers reported a continuum of responses to these changes in student behaviour, ranging from supportive strategies such as calm dialogue, praise, and structured engagement activities to more formal disciplinary actions, including suspension. However, many highlighted systemic barriers to consistent behavioural support, such as limited access to specialists and a lack of institutional coordination. Although some teachers described using emotionally responsive approaches, their application appeared to vary across school contexts, often shaped by available resources and school-level practices. This study offers a culturally grounded reinterpretation of post-lockdown behavioural change, challenging the assumption that pandemic-related school closures primarily intensified aggression. Instead, it draws attention to internalized emotional distress and reduced social functioning as critical educational concerns. Theoretically, the findings highlight the value of integrating SCT and EST in interpreting student behaviour during periods of disruption. In practical and policy terms, the study advocates for emotionally supportive strategies, as well as trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and systemically supported behavioural interventions in Saudi schools, aligned with Vision 2030’s emphasis on inclusive and emotionally attuned learning environments. Although grounded in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the implications of this study extend beyond its immediate temporal frame. The findings offer valuable insights into how large-scale disruptions, whether health-related, environmental, or socio-political, can shape student behaviour and wellbeing. By illustrating the dynamic interplay between social learning mechanisms and broader ecological systems, the study contributes to the development of more resilient, equitable, and emotionally attuned educational frameworks capable of supporting children’s long-term adaptation and wellbeing during future periods of societal disruption and crisis.</p
Psychiatry in the time of catastrophe: humanitarianism and the politics of psychiatric care during the war for Palestine, 1947-1949
No full textWho cares about psychiatric institutions, their staff, and patients when things fall apart? By foregrounding the politics of care, and moving beyond a focus on trauma that has to date characterised the scholarship on psychiatry in times of disaster, this article tells the story of two mental hospitals in Bethlehem between 1947-49, during the Palestinian nakba or catastrophe of displacement and dispossession. Doing so sheds light on the position and experiences of a highly vulnerable group at a time of crisis, and demonstrates that the history of humanitarian psychiatry long pre-dates the 1990s, when the ascent of PTSD made mental health and psychosocial support a routine feature of responses to disaster. Drawing on the long inaccessible archives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, this article foregrounds the efforts of Palestinian doctors to sustain psychiatric care at a time of catastrophe - a story, tragically, that resonates today.</p
Determination of the stably free cancellation property for orders
No full textAbstract unavailable</p
Predicting antifungal concentrations that select for resistance: an enhanced approach to establish environmental thresholds
No full textAntifungal resistance (AFR) is an emerging threat. Understanding the concentrations at which antifungals select for resistance is critical for guiding policy to minimise risks. This study aimed to determine predicted no effect concentrations for resistance (PNECRs) for antifungals in water and soil. PNECRs for water (PNECRswater) were derived from species sensitivity distributions fitted using a Maximum Likelihood Estimation approach to estimate the lower 5th percentile Hazard Concentrations (HC5s) from censored species/compound level MIC data and applying a 10-fold assessment factor. PNECRswater ranged from 5.67x10-4 (clotrimazole) to 7.94 µg/L (nystatin). PNECRs derived using standard methodologies that do not account for censoring are always higher, and therefore less conservative for environmental protection, than when considering censoring. PNECRs for soil (PNECRssoil) were derived by applying soil partitioning coefficients to PNECRswater for each antifungal, thereby providing an estimate for the bulk soil concentration needed to achieve the PNECRwater in soil pore water. These ranged from 2.26x10-6 (voriconazole) to 2.16 mg/kg (nystatin). Risk quotients were generated from measured environmental concentrations, and 6.54% for water (n = 200) and 12.5% for soil (n = 1) were over 1, suggesting selection for AFR could be occurring. This type of data generation and analyses will inform discussions about targeted mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of selection for AFR, however, PNECR estimations can be improved with increased data for certain compounds, particularly agricultural fungicides. Preventing an increase in resistance is critical for reducing the risk posed to human health from exposure to environmental AFR.</p