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Understanding the profile and needs of abused men: exploring call data from a male domestic violence charity in the United Kingdom
Get PDFCurrent understandings on service engagement by male victims of domestic violence and abuse (DVA) within the United Kingdom (UK) have generally been captured by qualitative research. As such, large-scale quantitative data detailing the profile, needs and outcomes of abused men, upon both presentation and use of services, is currently lacking. The present study analysed the client data of 719 callers to a domestic abuse helpline for men in the UK. Findings showed that the overwhelming majority of callers reported they were abused by female perpetrators, most of whom were still their current partner, and that many of the men were fathers. Vulnerable populations (GBTQ+ and disabled men) were under-represented in the sample. Most men were seeking emotional support, along with a range of practical advice and signposting to other services. The confidentiality of the helpline was crucial for many men, and almost half had struggled to access the service (suggesting a severe lack of resourcing). Findings are discussed in relation to the need for gender-inclusive services, which cater for the unique challenges and barriers experienced by abused men
Risk management
No full textRisk management is the process through which travel and tourism organisations proactively identify, evaluate and address factors, hazards and events that may potentially threaten the achievement of their strategic objectives or even their survival. Risk management is not crisis management, even if in some literature these terms are used interchangeably. Risk and crisis management are not two separate functions but rather two risk intelligence-based complementary parts of the same function which aims at developing the capacity of the organisation to face adversity and disruption with no or limited consequences and recover quickly from any crisis situation. This capacity is often referred to as ‘organisational resilience’. The distinction between risk and crisis management is that the one aims to proactively address threats while they are still risks (i.e. potential threats) whereas the other aims to reactively address actual threats that have become crises and which have adverse impacts on the organisation
A decision support system for coagulation and flocculation processes using the adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system
Get PDFDecision Support System (DSS) is an approach to have a smart and sustainable management of facilities for monitoring, predicting and controlling sections. The mentioned platform can be useful in operation of complex facilities like the Water Treatment Plant (WTP). This study proposes an Adaptive Neuro-fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) for prediction of energy consumption and outlet turbidity according to inlet turbidity and ferric chloride as coagulant in coagulation and flocculation unit process of WTP. The outcomes of ANFIS model are used in the Petri Net modelling as a smart conceptual control system. Therefore, the main purpose of this research is the development of a DSS model for coagulation and flocculation processes in WTP. The results of quantitative data analysis showed that the correlation coefficients of ANFIS model are more than 80% meaning that it can reliably predict the outlet turbidity and energy consumption’s variables. With regards to our findings, the first one is to provide a smart and sustainable control system to be implemented in operations of coagulation and flocculation process in WTPs. It goes without saying that, our DSS model confirms that the variation of 15±5% for turbidity values and the additive coagulant materials (ferric chloride) should be set, on 60-85 and 40-60 kg/day, respectively for controlling energy consumption and outlet turbidity. At last but not least, the main benefit from our DSS model is to manage the operation of WTP with a high efficiency and low 21 human-based errors
A deep learning approach for tree root detection using GPR spectrogram imagery
Get PDFMonitoring and conservation of natural resources such as trees have become necessary as the impact of new diseases attacking the integrity of trees has created major concerns for environmentalists and communities in recent years.
Within this context, tree roots are one of the plants' most important and vulnerable organs as well as one of the most challenging ones to inspect. Tree roots naturally are developed under the ground, hence difficult to be seen and access. To that effect, the non-destructive testing (NDT) methods have become one of the preferred methods of tree roots assessment and monitoring as opposed to other conventional and destructive techniques. The applications of the ground penetrating radar (GPR) have proven to be an accurate approach and methodology for the investigation and mapping of tree roots. However, a major challenge for GPR detection of tree roots architecture and pattern accurately is the soil inhomogeneity, including the presence of various natural and artificial features within the soil.
This study aims to mitigate the uncertainty in root detection by proposing a deep learning method based on the analysis of GPR spectrograms (i.e., a graphic representation of a signal's frequency spectrum with respect to time). In this study, the GPR signal is first processed in both the time and frequency domains to filter the existing noise-related information and hence, to produce spectrograms. Subsequently, an image-based deep learning framework is implemented, and the effectiveness in detecting tree roots is analysed in comparison with conventional feature-based machine learning classifiers. The preliminary results of this research demonstrate the potential of the proposed approach and pave the way for the implementation of new methodologies in assessing tree root systems
Le Grand Kallé and African jazz—“Indépendance Cha Cha” (1960)
Get PDFIn January 1960, during the negotiations to secure the independence from Belgium of what would become the Democratic Republic of Congo, a group of musicians who had accompanied the Congolese diplomatic team wrote and recorded a single called “Indépendance Cha Cha” which became a pan-African hit in a year in which 16 other former African colonies also gained their independence. This essay explores the extraordinary musical journey that began with the trans-Atlantic slave trade from the sixteenth century through to the nineteenth century and included the forced migration to Cuba of various West-African populations. After merging with various aspects of Spanish musical culture, the 1930s saw the export of Cuban son recordings by the Gramophone Company back to West Africa where they became popular in the Congo. The Gramophone Company erroneously labeled these records as “rhumba,” and Congolese musicians developed the style that became known as Congolese rhumba (or rumba) by adding guitar parts that drew on traditional thumb piano and lute patterns to the African-derived Cuban rhythms. Through the telling of this remarkable circular journey across the centuries, this essay will explore the musical sounds, the various technologies that made them possible, and the human and political journey that led from slavery to independence
Like a mass image: Federico Fellini’s Le Tentazioni del Dottor Antonio, advertising and mimicry
Get PDFThis article considers Federico Fellini’s Le tentazioni del Dottor Antonio (1962), a fifty-minute episode in the omnibus Boccaccio ’70. While sometimes praised for its aesthetic and stylistic significance, the film remains largely overlooked and is considered a ‘bagatelle’ or ‘break’ in Fellini’s career. This article explores its valence as a promotional break between La dolce vita (1960) and 8 ½ (1963) and its overt thematization of the mass image of advertising. Unpacking the film’s ostensible superficiality, the discussion is not so much focused on praising its originality, but on highlighting its conceptual, thematic, and aesthetic entanglement with mimicry and imitation. For the film not only addresses the mass image of advertising and the mimetic behaviour it relies on and encourages, but also itself enacts such mimetic behaviour in different ways. In so doing, it both taps into, and contributes to, contemporaneous concerns and debates about mass media and image culture
Implementing converged security risk management: drivers, barriers, and facilitators
Get PDFConverged security risk management is an approach that addresses interdependencies between security-related business functions that have traditionally been managed by separate departments within organizations. It is a more effective means of addressing organizational security risks and threats than tackling physical and information security challenges separately, given that the boundaries between the two are frequently blurred. However, fully converged security remains the exception rather than the rule, leaving organizations increasingly vulnerable as their adoption and reliance on digital technologies accelerates. Through interviews with eight senior security professionals, this research identified key factors critical to effective converged security risk management, expressed as ‘drivers,’ ‘barriers,’ and ‘facilitators.’ The practitioners’ accounts illuminated how the modern threat landscape continues to drive further the need for such an approach, while the traditional separation of corporate security departments from the information security function in organizations remains a barrier. A greater focus on training and education, as well as soft skills, were identified as key priorities in the drive for an effective converged approach
The impacts of climate change on aircraft noise near airports
Get PDFThis paper presents the impacts of climate change on aircraft noise at Chios Airport in Greece. Departure noise contours are generated using the IMPACT assessment tool for the A320 and B737-800 aircraft. Since 1974, observed climate data shows that the average minimum temperature has increased by 0.75oC per decade and the average windspeed has decreased by 2.26 knots per decade. Since 1997, the degraded take-off performance has expanded the 60dB Lden noise contour area by up to 4.8%, increasing the population exposure to aircraft noise. Further research about the local climate impact on aircraft noise at busier airports is recommended
DRONEaBILITY(TM): a licence to fill the (in)visible void
Get PDFThis paper aims to fill the gap of organised thinking about an effective way to motivate young adults (14-16 years) in secondary education to learn about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) topics while using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) in a responsible, informed and effective way. The growing record of close encounters between UAVs and other aircraft has prompted the author to think of a possible way to introduce drones' and their operations to the general public and social knowledge. Driven by the example of the Bikeability project in the UK and the recent growing accessibility to UAVs, this paper presents the premises, experiences and projections/ aspirations for an effective, initial, societally-accepted drone education. The idea is to present the background thinking and challenges that the introduction of UAVs in society creates. Using information from academic and professional resources and primary data collected while developing the Proof-of-Concept phase of the project DRONEaBILITY™ (DaB™), the author will set the stage for this project's introduction. Following this, ways in which the author can see DaB™ meeting various challenges are presented. The following section will present the work done using primary quantitative data from the project's Proof-of-Concept phase and secondary data from academic resources. The final section discusses the results and draws significant conclusions and possible implications. The paper is intended for relevant managers, school administrators and teachers, and drone practitioners to adopt an informed approach when including UAVs in the curriculum of secondary STEM education