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"I was told when I could hold, talk with or kiss our daughter": exploring fathers' experiences of parental alienation within the context of intimate partner violence
Get PDFPrevious research has highlighted that when men describe their experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV), they frequently talk about the use of children by their abusive partners. The behaviours they describe align with descriptions of so-called ‘Parental Alienation’ (PA) where children are coercively controlled to reject one (alienated) parent in favour of the other. The situation of alienating behaviours within intimate partner and family violence structures is one that has been proposed but rarely explicitly studied. The present study analysed qualitative responses to an online survey by 171 fathers who have experienced alienating behaviours within the context of IPV. Four themes were found: Direct manipulation of contact (including relocation and control of contact), manipulation through systems (including false allegations, and court and school settings), manipulation of children (including lying directly to children about fathers and involving children in abuse), and the wider context of violence (including physical, psychological, and controlling behaviours). The experiences described by men are discussed in relation to the theoretical and practical relationship between IPV and PA, and implications for current debate around the use of PA within family court cases
Experiencing religious shunning: insights into the journey from being a member to leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses community
Get PDFThis research explores qualitatively the experiences of individuals shunned by the Jehovah’s Witnesses community. Four key themes emerge from the 21 semistructured videoconferencing interviews which form the research data analysed using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun et al., 2019). These themes, namely Reasons for Being Shunned, the Judicial Committee, and Consequences of Religious Shunning and Reinstatement, shed light on the events and behaviour which led to the public announcement of the participants’ formal shunning and on the controlling environment the religious community has created by endorsing a culture based on fear, guilt, and shame. Although research conducted to explore the experiences of religious shunning is not abundant, the findings of the current study are in line with previous research, highlighting that the individual’s journey from being a member to leaving the community is a multifaceted experience, influenced by several factors, which has a detrimental impact on their well-being
Dossier: screen advertising introduction
Get PDFThe purpose of this dossier is to ask, “What is screen advertising and what relevance, if any, does it have for film and television studies?” Both are large and complex questions, but the second is perhaps the bolder and, therefore, a question that will remain unanswered. It invokes a larger conversation about the nature of film studies in the academy since it emerged within the paradigm of literary studies in Britain and the USA in the 1970s. To answer these questions, the dossier presents interviews with three influential figures from screen advertising production, two reports about advertising archives and an article about the industry in Britain since 1955
Low-energy residential building optimisation for energy and comfort enhancement in semi-arid climate conditions
Get PDFThe application of energy-efficient strategies in buildings, such as the Green Building Concept, can significantly impact human comfort and resource consumption. However, due to the complexity of decision-making factors and the variety of available materials, computational models are necessary to identify the most effective solutions and optimise building energy performance. This study presents an integrated framework that uses machine learning algorithms and a Petri Net control system to optimise the thermal, comfort, and energy efficiency of both vertical and horizontal building envelopes in semi-arid climate zones. The framework incorporates several passive techniques for building energy parameters, including material thickness and melting point, window types, wall insulation thickness and thermal emissivity, wall solar absorbance, window wall ratio, fenestration position, air tightness, roof solar reflectance, roof insulation thickness and conductivity (W/(m·°C)), and floor insulation thickness. An experiment design was developed using Box-Behnken Design-Response Surface Methodology (BBD-RSM) for statistical optimisation, which was coupled with Design Builder simulation model. The methodology was demonstrated by applying it to a residential building in Mexico. Meta Additive Regression was used to analyse the output factors, which showed higher confidence compared to REP Tree and M5P Tree algorithms in green buildings. The results demonstrate that an annual energy reduction of 50 kW/m2 per household can be achieved by using an optimised building envelope
Optimizing PV and Battery Energy Storage Systems for Peak Demand Reduction and Cost Savings in Malaysian Commercial Buildings
No full textThis study proposes a technique to optimize the sizing capacities of solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage (BES) systems in Malaysian commercial buildings to reduce peak demand and energy costs. Real-time hourly data on solar irradiance, air temperature, and load patterns are utilized, along with Malaysian energy rates (net energy metering and retail price) and the limitation of maximum export power to the grid. The proposed system configuration uses energy management real-time rules with a control strategy of peak shaving, and the optimal capacity of the PV-BES system is derived based on scenarios with limited rooftop space and net energy metering tariffs. The case study shows that the optimal systems reduced the cost of electricity by 26.03% for the commercial building case of the C1 tariff, with annual energy consumption and peak demand reductions of 20.47% and 16.41%, respectively. The proposed system also allowed for the sale to the grid of 10232.83 kWh of electricity. The foundation of the optimization process over a 20-year period, the lowest life cycle cost which is consisted of the PV-BES system costs and electricity costs. Overall, this study provides a practical approach for customers to determine the optimal sizing capacity of PV-BES systems in commercial buildings to reduce energy costs and peak demand
Exploration of Campus Environmental Health Issues and Individual Disparities in Environmental Perceptions Based on Daily Activity Path
Get PDFIndividual surveillance methods help identify subtle health risks that may be overlooked in room surveillance. This study aims to investigate campus environmental health issues by tracking university students’ daily exposure processes in their living environment. A field survey was con-ducted among 58 students at a university in northern China. They were equipped with a “compan-ion data collection device” to record exposure experiences and activity pathways related to light, heat, and air environments. A questionnaire was also administered. Morning exposure to adequate light (Circadian Stimulus ≥ 0.3) increased alertness, but only 57% of undergraduates met this stand-ard, and 67% of those waking up after 8 AM experienced this. People with different preferences chose diverse dining spots, and those favoring “roasted,” “stir-fried,” and “deep-fried” foods en-countered higher PM2.5 pollution concentrations during meals. During periods of central heating, there is a trade-off between ventilation and heating efficiency. “Slightly open window” for bedroom ventilation at night resulted in a slight temperature decrease of about 1.2 °C but effectively con-trolled the increase in CO2 concentrations (about 180 ppm). Companion-type data collection shifts focus from buildings to individuals, providing the means and basis for identifying potential health risks in daily campus life
Screening older age
Get PDFThe representation of older adults in British cinema between 2010 and 2022
A Review of Cultural and Ethnic Bias in Investigative Decision-making: Selected Cases
Get PDFWhen making decisions, police, like all people, fall prey to negative stereotypes. Police must regularly make decisions about threats, so the stakes are higher than the typical decision-making process. This review looked at the threat and violence risk assessment processes through a new lens, exploring the relationship between (un)reasonable suspicion based on behaviors with an overreliance on perceived prejudicial stereotypes. The paper outlines seven cases exemplifying inaccurate assessment of threats based on two UK criminal justice policies, (i) stop and search; (ii) and the CONTEST strategy. The case analysis review suggests that assessments are based on unstructured judgments and profiling grounded in cultural, religious and racial stereotypes