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Fundamentals of global air transport geography
No full textThe commercial air transport industry can be broadly split into three component parts: airlines, airports and aircraft. Each of these components is shaped by geography, insofar as each is influenced by places, landscapes, environments, people and their various interactions. Conversely, air transport plays a large role in shaping the various themes of geography and the position of our physical, human and environmental world. It connects people, cultures and businesses across every continent and generates economic growth, allows international trade to occur and develops tourism. It can also be involved in creating negative outputs, such as emissions, noise and loss of biodiversity, which can have a large impact on the planet and quality of life. A lack of air transport links can also have a significantly negative impact on world regions in terms of economic and cultural development. In short, air transport and geography are inextricably linked. Fundamentals of Global Air Transport Geography details the geography of the global commercial air transport industry. The book aims to provide an understanding of these key areas at an introductory level, in order to be accessible to students and non-technical airport/airline management. A key theme throughout the book will not only be how geographical issues have influenced air transport, but also how air transport continues to influence geography. Each chapter boasts a range of features aimed at enhancing the reader’s understanding, including learning objectives, discussion questions and case studies, and lecturers can find supporting resources including PowerPoint slides and teaching notes online
Counterterrorism and freedom of information: what stands in the way of data access?
No full textData is difficult to access for researchers in the fields of terrorism and counterterrorism studies. This can be improved through using Freedom of Information Requests. However, these are under-utilised, and we know little about request success rates. This article investi- gates the use of FOI requests to get data on UK counterterrorism practice. We submitted requests to 55 local authorities asking them to release their information sharing policies for Prevent. We found that while FOI is a useful tool for gathering data, there are indications that requests are being improperly handled, and that centralization responses could increase the difficulty of accessing information
Teaching and learning for computing and engineering students at the University of West London during COVID-19
Full text linkThis paper presents a comprehensive examination of the University of West London’s (UWL) pedagogical response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular emphasis on practical subject areas within the Schools of Computing and Engineering. While the shift to online teaching has been extensively documented across higher education, its specific impact on technical disciplines — where hands-on learning and applied instruction are central — has remained comparatively underexplored. To address this critical gap, the study undertakes a robust quantitative analysis of student satisfaction, drawing on Module Evaluation Survey (MES) data collected over four consecutive academic years (2019–2022). A total of 6,923 anonymised responses from level 3 (foundation year) modules were analysed using descriptive statistics and inferential hypothesis testing. The findings indicate no statistically significant difference in student satisfaction between pre-pandemic and pandemic cohorts (p > 0.05), suggesting that the rapid transition to online learning at UWL did not compromise the quality of student experience in these technical fields. This outcome highlights the effectiveness of the university’s adaptive strategies, particularly the implementation of the UWLFlex model—a blended learning framework designed to ensure pedagogical continuity and flexibility during periods of disruption. The paper further examines the range of academic and pastoral support mechanisms implemented to address the challenges presented by remote learning. These included enhanced digital infrastructure, targeted staff training, and proactive student engagement initiatives. Collectively, these measures contributed to sustaining high levels of student satisfaction and academic performance, reinforcing the model’s relevance for future curriculum design in times of uncertainty. The study offers valuable insights into resilient educational practices and underscores the importance of agile, student-centered approaches in safeguarding learning outcomes during global crises
Introduction : leadership behaviours for effective policing.
No full textPolicing requires leadership from those working within it from the day they start to the day they leave. Police officers and staff at all levels are managing, supporting, challenging and role modelling every day, often in situations where the stakes are at their highest
Painting as a form of material thinking: promoting agency and expression for people living with dementia
Full text linkAwareness of the importance of understanding agency and selfhood for people living with dementia (PLWD) is growing. However, more needs to be done to incorporate such awareness into care practices. The importance of arts activities such as music, dance, and painting for enhancing quality of life for people living with dementia is widely recognised. However, research focuses on beneficial outcomes leaving us with scant knowledge relating to the creative processes that PLWD may experience. This paper explores the process of painting for PLWD and offers insight into how engagement with paint and painting materials can explain and embody agency. We argue that the process of painting itself exemplifies a form of embodied agency and cognition, a type of ‘Material Thinking’, hence helping to demonstrate the thinking skills that PLWD may retain even after a degree of decline of other capacities.
This study outlines how eight people living with dementia engaged with and experienced painting whilst working alongside an artist-researcher. Data was captured through semi-structured interviews, and observations captured by video recordings and field notes. Qualitative thematic analysis identified emergent themes, including Mark Making, Flexible Ideas, and Immersion, in relation to how painting engages the Material Thinking of people living with dementia. Our analysis demonstrates that the process of painting involves distinct forms of decision making, agency, and cognition, even in the absence of language. While having many other benefits, painting has great potential to be incorporated into care practices as a valid expression and recognition of cognition and agency
Music therapy embedded in the life of dementia inpatient care to help prevent and manage distress: a feasibility study to inform a future trial
No full textIntroduction: Mental health dementia wards in the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK provide specialist care for people with dementia experiencing acutelevels of distress. There is little research into these settings, but music therapy may reduce distress in the short term. This co-designed, complex intervention development study aimed to test the feasibility of delivering a standardised music therapy protocol (MELODIC: Music therapy Embedded in the Life Of Dementia Inpatient Care) on these wards and the suitability of the research methods.
Methods: The MELODIC intervention aims to support the personalised use of music to prevent and manage distress through: 1) embedding a music therapist in the multidisciplinary team, 2) delivering clinical music therapy sessions, 3) developing musical care plans for each patient, 4) and training and support for staff and families to implement care plans. Two NHS mental health dementia wards with differing experience of music therapy were recruited purposively. All patients, families and staff were eligible to participate subject to written consent. The intervention was delivered over four weeks. The interventionist kept a diary recording all interactions with patients, staff and families to measure treatment adherence. Questionnaires reporting patient, family and staff outcomes were collected twice before and twice after intervention delivery. Routinely collected data were gathered and interviews conducted post-intervention.
Results: The MELODIC intervention was acceptable with high levels of treatment adherence. The research methods were feasible with recruitment targets met(including 28 patients, 13 family members, 48 staff members) and all requested data collected with high levels of data completeness. Quantitative data showed no increase in distress symptoms or reported safety incidents during the intervention period. Interventionist diaries and qualitative data supported intervention refinement.
Conclusion: In a highly complex setting caring for some of the most vulnerable patients in the NHS it was possible to co-design and deliver a novel music therapy intervention. The research methods were feasible and acceptable. This protocolised intervention should be tested for clinical effectiveness in a controlled trial
‘You just wear a mask’: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis study to explore the impacts of bereavement by suicide among peer support group members.
Full text linkSuicide is widely acknowledged as a pervasive global public health issue. Support for those bereaved by suicide (postvention) is a neglected area of research. Suicide loss survivors (SLS) struggle with guilt, stigma, and a drive to comprehend. This study aimed to assess the ramifications of bereavement by suicide within a cohort of peer-support group members. Data were collected using in-depth face-to-face and online semi-structured interviews. Audio-recordings of the interviews were transcribed and analysed via Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Eight people, recruited from a UK Peer Support Group, participated. Five Group Experiential Themes emerged: decohesion of life; ‘You just wear a mask’; perpetual psychological conflicts; persistent underlying frustration with ‘the system’; the beacon of peer support. Findings provide insights into the mindset of a cross-section of those bereaved by suicide and the all-encompassing, pervasive, life-shattering consequences of becoming a SLS. These include the duality of their inner torment and public persona, perpetual possession of conflicting thoughts and perspectives, and alienation. A unique level of comprehension as to the power of peer-support groups is also outlined. Implications for practice include the signposting of postvention services requiring enhancement and the vital role played by peer-support groups in assisting those impacted
A Study of Work Ethics across Generations in Hong Kong – from Baby Boomers to Generation Z
No full textThe phenomenon of quiet quitting, or “tang ping”, has been observed in organizations in many societies, commonly amongst younger employees, which poses questions to employee’s work ethic. A study of 301 employees in Hong Kong across Baby boomers, Generations X, Y and Z found no statistically significant differences in the overall MWEP score and the seven core dimensions between these generations. Correlation analysis revealed significant positive association of age with “Centrality of work” and “Wasted time” dimensions, and the p-values for “Centrality of Work” and “Leisure” dimensions in Kruskal-Wallis test were approaching significance. These suggested that while there might be more continuity than differences in work ethics across generations, HR practitioners should remain vigilant of any potential differences in the work mentalities of employees from different generations and adopt appropriate measures to promote engagement and performance of their multigenerational workforce
Of Amphibolies and Amphibiologies
No full textFollowing the lead of Michèle Le Doeuff in generalising the figure of the amphiboly in her reading of Kant’s maritime digressions in the course of his Critical opus, my essay departs from this basis to look both to philosophy and literature (with minor digressions into photography and cinema) in order to examine images of the human species in acts of immersion, traversal and exit from the sea, as well as installation on land (and on the island in particular) in a range of texts. My own oscillation (largely albeit not exclusively) between literature and philosophy may be summarised in the term amphibiologies, within which lexical unit itself lie latent amphibolies of both philosophical and grammatical significance
Technological advancements for deep sea ecosystem conservation and exploration
No full textDeep sea mining is a potential industry in discovering enormous mineral resources, such as polymetallic nodules, hydrothermal vent deposits, and cobalt- rich crusts. These minerals are essential for high- tech companies and renewable energy applications. However, resource exploitation presents substantial obstacles and threats to deep marine ecosystem, are least studied. The geographical areas chosen for deepsea mining are frequently rich in biodiversity, that could be adversely damaged by mining operations. Deep sea mining has important legal and societal ramifications, with disputes centred on regulatory frameworks, ownership rights, and the possible socioeconomic benefits. Current legislation is evolving to address these issues, but comprehensive worldwide guidelines are urgently required to ensure environmentally and socially acceptable mining practices. Future directions in deep- sea mining will likely focus on increasing operational sustainability, improving environmental monitoring, and creating technologies that reduce ecological footprints