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Global work–life balance trailblazing: how to lead the world in work–life balance, with insights from Denmark
Get PDFPurposeThe article asks how to lead the world in work–life balance (WLB) societal rankings, identifies the major WLB challenges in contemporary societies and rethinks how we conceptualise and measure WLB. Design/methodology/approachThis study employed a case-study of Denmark, a world leader in global WLB-rankings. Expert-insider interviews were carried out with 12 experts who work in the field of WLB. The participants were engaged day-to-day in the field of interest, exerting real-world influence. FindingsWe affirm the importance for WLB of battling over-long hours in the workplace. We provide evidence too that having sufficient hours of work, and being financially secure, are as significant for WLB as is avoiding overwork. Originality/valueThe article interrogates international WLB-rankings and offers original insights into a global WLB-leader. It makes the case for improving how we conceptualise and measure WLB to also progress policies and practice. Rather than viewing WLB as largely about avoiding a time-squeeze, the article argues that it is fundamentally about the conditions under which people work
Optoacoustic lenses for lateral sub-optical resolution elasticity imaging
Get PDFIn this paper, we demonstrate for the first time the focusing of gigahertz coherent phonon pulses propagating in water using picosecond ultrasonics and Brillouin light scattering. We achieve this by using planar Fresnel zone plate and concave lenses with different focal lengths. Pump light illuminating the optoacoustic lens generates a focusing acoustic field, and Brillouin scattered probe light allows the acoustic field to be continuously monitored over time. Agreement of the experiment with a numerical model suggests that we can generate a focused acoustic beam down to ∼250 nm. A clear focusing effect is observed experimentally as a modulation of the envelope of the time-resolved Brillouin scattering (TRBS) signal. These findings are a crucial step toward their application in high-resolution acoustic microscopy. This work experimentally demonstrates a method to narrow the lateral size of picosecond laser-generated phonon fields in an aqueous environment, making it well-suited for 3D imaging applications in biological systems using TRBS
Christian Platonism, Transvalued: Rethinking Anselm's Formula
Get PDFAnselm's Proslogion developed its famous argument through meditation on a single formula: ‘Now we believe that You are something than which nothing greater can be thought’. This article aims to re-enact such a meditation under changed conditions, bringing out a different sense of metaphysical dependence. That which cannot be thought without existing can now be located in (a) what really matters, (b) what is truly sincere, and (c) what is ultimately trustworthy. Once conceived as metaphysical problems, these offer a fresh route into comprehending a metaphysical God who truly exists: a Christian Platonism, transvalued. The purpose of this article is introductory: to offer a route into this renewed way of thinking, rather than a comprehensive elaboration or a scholarly assessment of Anselm
Engaging Marginalized Stakeholders: Towards a Dialogical Theorization of Effective Corporate-Rightsholder Remedy
Get PDFIn the remediation of business-related human rights abuses, meaningful stakeholder engagement –one culminating in the effective access to remedy- begins with forms of communication that enable the voice and agency of marginalized stakeholders, and value their lived experiences. Here, we consider how the development of a dialogical theorization of stakeholder engagement is aligned with the practical and ethical goals of an effective access to human rights remedy. Drawing on dialogical theory, we discern four ethical criteria - power cognizant, polyphonic pluralism, generative agonism and discursive unfinalizability - that reveal three general approaches tostakeholder engagement – essentially monologic, seemingly dialogic, and authentically dialogic – based on the extent to which they exhibit the criteria. We propose and discuss an 'authentically dialogic' approach for organizations adopting morally expansive, victim-centric approaches to engagement in the design and implementationof company-led remedial mechanisms
Feasibility and parametric study of a groove-type thermoelectric generator under multiphysics field conditions
Get PDFIn this study, we propose a novel thermoelectric generator (TEG) configuration called the groove-type TEG, which introduces triangular brackets to increase the contact area between thermoelectric semiconductors and conductive strips. Through a thermal-electric-mechanical multiphysics numerical model, the performance of the groove-type TEG under various parameters is evaluated. Our findings reveal that the output power of the groove-type TEG can be effectively improved by increasing the length and height of the grooves, and the total height of the upper and lower grooves should be lower than the height of the thermoelectric semiconductor. Moreover, the groove height ratio and thermoelectric semiconductor height play crucial roles in determining the TEG's performance and mechanical stability. Considering the allowable thermal stress, the optimal height ratio is 0.125 (or 0.875) when the semiconductor height is less than 1.2 mm (or greater than 1.3 mm). The groove-type TEG reaches the output power and conversion efficiency of 0.84 W and 6.9%, respectively, at the temperature difference of 200 K and the semiconductor height of 1.3 mm, which are 24.8% and 0.2% higher than those of the traditional π-type TEG. This work provides a new approach to enhancing the performance of thermoelectric generators
Integration of building information modeling into building circularity assessment: a systematic review
Get PDFPurpose: Despite several attempts to integrate building information modeling (BIM) with building circularity assessment (BCA), no systematic review has yet been carried out on this topic to the best knowledge of the authors. The objective of this review is to fill this gap by reviewing the current attempts, identifying the tools and exploring the state-of-the-art in BIM and BCA. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review (SLR) methodology was employed. Atotal of 30 documents published between 2015 and 2023 were selected and analyzed across the concept, methodology and value dimensions. Findings: There has been an increase in the development of BIM-based BCA tools in recent years, with the Netherlands taking the lead. Most tools developed were based on the material circularity indicator (MCI) and by using Autodesk Revit as BIM software. Three integration approaches for BIM with BCA were identified: (1) using an external platform; (2) linking an external database to BIM and (3) within the BIM environment. Thereview has revealed that still there is no standard for BCA, and interoperability and lack of circularity databases are the major challenges. Research limitations/implications: Although the paper has made contributions, it is important to recognize certain limitations. One of these is the inability to explore all the tools in depth as some of them are not available or accessible. Another limitation is the relatively small number of studies that were reviewed, primarily because there is a lack of research in this area due to the BIM-based BCA is still in its infancy compared to the BIM-based LCA. Originality/value: This study contributes to providing a comprehensive up-to-date overview of recent advancements in BIM–BCA integration, as well as a framework for understanding its concept, methodology and value dimensions. It also highlights significant areas where practitioners and researchers can identify knowledge gaps and future research directions
Probation, Technical Compliance and the 'Drowning' of Hope
No full textHope and optimism are central to processes of reform. However, in the context of the dramatic restructuring and reorganisations which the probation service in England and Wales has undergone in the past decade, there are questions over the extent to which such hopes are realisable. We seek to explore the of hope in transforming individuals lives away from engagement in crime. Via an analysis of interviews that were co-produced with people with experience of probation and undertaken with practitioners, those who have been supervised and those on 'the edge' of the criminal justice system, we find that peoples' hopes can be categorised as deep or institutional hopes. We argue that many probationer's and staff members' 'deep' hopes were 'drowned' by bureaucratic, managerial and risk-focused cultures. There was evidence that probation staff wanted to instil a sense of hope in those that they supervise but that the current regime does not easily facilitate the creation and fulfilment of such hopes. We conclude by identifying ways in which probation could-given adequate resources and structures-become a more hopeful process for people under supervision
Enhanced phosphorus weathering contributed to Late Miocene cooling
Get PDFLate Miocene climate evolution provides an opportunity to assess Earth’s climate sensitivity to carbon cycle perturbation under warmer-than-modern conditions. Despite its relevance for understanding the climate system, the driving mechanisms underlying profound climate and carbon cycle changes – including the enigmatic Late Miocene cooling from 7 to 5.4 million years ago – remain unclear. Here, we present magnetic and geochemical paleoceanographic proxies from a hydrogenetic ferromanganese crust retrieved in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Our results indicate a striking 50% surge in deep ocean phosphorus concentrations occurred 7 – 4 million years ago, synchronous with enhanced deep ocean oxygen consumption. Employing a global biogeochemical model, we show that increased continental phosphorus weathering, without a concurrent rise in silicate weathering, contributed to the decline in atmospheric CO2 and associated cooling over the Late Miocene. This suggests a prominent decoupling of phosphorus and silicate weathering during a major carbon cycling event over the last 10 million years
Existing Knowledge Gaps in Risk Factors and Consequences of Lipohypertrophy in People Using Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion Therapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Get PDFBackground:Lipohypertrophy is a common skin complication in individuals with insulin-treated diabetes, but this condition in those using insulin pumps (continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion, CSII) remains poorly understood. This study aimed to identify and summarize scientific evidence regarding the risk factors and clinical consequences of lipohypertrophy in people using CSII.Methods:Medical databases (MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL) were searched to identify relevant studies published in English from 1990 to March 19, 2024. If possible, extracted data were cumulated in meta-analyses. This systematic review was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42024554127).Results:Nine studies reporting risk factors for lipohypertrophy or its consequences in people treated with CSII were identified. In the included studies, only individual risk factors were reported, which in most cases prevented the conduct of a meta-analysis. Meta-analyses could be performed for two factors, that is, improper cannula site rotation and male sex. The odds of developing lipohypertrophy were higher in individuals incorrectly rotating (prevalence odds ratio, pOR = 2.59 [95% Confidence interval, CI: 1.39-4.83]), whereas gender had no impact on the prevalence of lipohypertrophy (pOR = 1.13 [95% CI: 0.62-2.06]). Due to the limitations of the available data, it was not possible to draw conclusions about the clinical consequences of lipohypertrophy in people on CSII.Conclusions:This systematic review demonstrated that studies on the risk factors and clinical consequences of lipohypertrophy in CSII users are limited and that the currently published data are insufficient to draw definitive conclusions. There is a need for more comprehensive and well-designed clinical studies to better understand this issue in CSII users
Other '68s: Lineages and Legacies of May ’68
No full textMay ’68 has inspired cultural, social and political movements across the world but has been used also to criticise them. This book interrogates the consideration of the revolts in France as the pinnacle or even paradigm of a particular avatar in a revolutionary lineage that would include the liminal moments of 1789 and 1917. But it also engages in a mapping of the synchronous but not necessarily aligned rebellious events and purported legacies that orbited around that momentous year in the West and its internal periphery, on the other side of the Iron Curtain and in the strategic centre of the Global South constituted by Latin America in the 1960s. The collection combines fresher perspectives with more established scholarship in history, philosophy, critical theory, literary studies, psychoanalysis and visual culture through which the contributors deconstruct the rich and paradoxical conditions, development and vestiges, as creative as well as troubling, of an iconic moment of the twentieth century
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