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Storying the immobilities of gender violence in the UK and Mexico
No full textStorying the immobilities of gender violence in the UK and Mexico is an English/Spanish book of visual and textual narratives of gender-based violence (GBV) in the UK and Mexico. The book is based on an Arts and Humanities funded project, which sought to engage new audiences with the im/mobilities of GBV through art. Im/mobilities here refers to the intermittent constraining and forcing of movements by individuals or institutions and as argued here, produces GBV. Visual and textual stories convey the 'felt' experience of GBV, engaging readers and audiences in the apparently 'mundane' as well as the ‘shocking'. Such stories help contest the prominence of crime statistics in evidencing GBV, statistics which often distort experience and reflect and maintain exclusionary policies and practices, particularly for minoritised communities. Our trans-national project invited artists and creative writers from diverse backgrounds in the UK and Mexico to respond to lived accounts of GBV in comic stories, short stories, poems, 3D installations, fine art photography and painting and film. These were exhibited in consecutive exhibitions in Mexico City and Brighton, which invited a range of audiences to engage in Roundtable and panel discussions as well as arts-based workshops. This book brings together these visual and textual stories and sets out a series of readings and analyses that seek to further knowledge on GBV in different cultural contexts
Prolegomena to the Study of (the) Digital Being:Jacques Derrida and (the) UnBeing
No full textThis paper theorises what I call (the) digital Being by mobilising Jacques Derrida’s work on writing, mourning, and the spectre. Locating my inquiry in the material and the ideal, and/or the historical and the transcendental, I argue that (the) digital Being is in fact UnBeing, a novel theoretical concept which provides me with what James Bridle calls a ‘metaphor’, a ‘metalanguage’ or a new ‘shorthand … that simultaneously acknowledges … the reality of a world in which people, politics, culture and technology are utterly enmeshed ( Bridle 2019 , 5). Although scholars have produced meticulous research in the wider field of digital ontology, to my knowledge no one has raised the question ‘what is (the) digital Being?’ Responding to this question, this essay tries to carve a new path toward further cementing Derrida’s work not only in digital media but in the wider field of media theory
A diminished large carnivore guild with contrasting species-habitat associations persists outside national parks in Namibia's central-eastern landscape
No full textUnderstanding species distributions is key for effective biodiversity conservation. We conducted a large-scale camera trapping survey in five systematic grids across central-eastern Namibia to identify drivers of large carnivore occupancy and to predict occurrence across a broader mixed-use landscape spanning 161,629 km2. Through targeted searches for intensive-use areas and pooling detections across camera trap stations, we reliably detected the most elusive carnivores. We identified a diminished large carnivore guild with the two top predators (lion (Panthera leo) and spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta)) functionally absent, although present historically. While brown hyenas (Parahyaena brunnea) were omnipresent, we found local variations in guild composition. African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) were more common near their resident population eastwards and in areas of greater vegetation productivity. The distribution of cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) was determined by the proportional cover of grass, consequently woody encroachment of grasslands may pose a threat. Leopard (Panthera pardus) occurrence was low in areas with a high human footprint, and high in areas with rugged terrain and greater vegetation productivity. The diminished large carnivore guild with contrasting species-habitat associations may enable persistence of subordinate carnivores, such as the cheetah and African wild dog, across this mixed-use landscape. However, we underscore the importance of multi-species conservation approaches to maintain ecological interactions. The large proportion (80 %) of suitable habitat identified, i.e. where probability of occupancy exceeded 0.5, is an encouraging outcome for the region's potential to hold value for carnivore persistence and potentially recolonization. Considering the limited space for protected area expansion, holistic conservation approaches are warranted to ensure viable large carnivore guilds and functional ecosystems
Growing community-based composting programs in China:Implementation and policy lessons from eight cases
No full textLocalised processing of waste into resources is a prime target towards circular economy, yet community-led composting programs have reported significant implementation challenges. There are no implementation process models or guidelines for programs spanning community, waste, governance, legislation domains: each community learns anew. Here we report a multi-case study of community-led composting program implementations in eight urban sites in China. In-depth key-informant interview information was analysed as cycles of activity towards increasingly-complex needs/targets (like simple recycling; complex composting). Cross-community comparisons suggest transferable implementation lessons: delegation of certain roles is more effective than simply involving stakeholders; enthusiasts can significantly mobilize stakeholders but cannot replace them; paperwork burden could negate funding availability benefits; access to specific expertise (technical, legal, operational) at crucial moments was key; stakeholder learning was most effective via personal meetings and introductions. City policies incorporating these implementation lessons could facilitate scaling-up in China. Future studies can investigate generalizability
Ageing, Metabolomics and Palaeoanthropology:What can the fields learn from each other?
No full textGrowing old is the major risk factor for hundreds of distinct conditions. Thus, ageing of the global population will pose major social, medical, and economic challenges unless this ill health can be ameliorated or reversed. Accordingly, it is increasingly clear that cross-disciplinary approaches to understanding ageing, although not essential, allow collaborative teams to develop new methodologies which can accelerate translation of research into interventions. Co-creation of new concepts and technologies also brings reciprocal benefits to the individual disciplines involved.The evolution of human ageing is a case in point. Whilst there is broad consensus concerning the process and factors shaping the evolution of ageing in general their relative contributions to the evolution of human ageing remain less clear. This is due to three distinct factors. The extended genetic bottlenecks to which H. sapiens was exposed until the termination of the last ice age which sharply distinguishes our species from almost all current ageing models. Sociality, which humans share with many, but not all, living primate species; and finally, an extended post reproductive menopausal period which is extremely rare in the biosphere and uniquely long in humans.Accordingly, a symposium on the physiology and demography of early human evolution was organised by the authors at which palaeodemographers, archaeologists, population biologists and geroscientists discussed human ageing. This has generated important interdisciplinary research priorities which could accelerate the development of treatments for older people in the present and transform key aspects of our understanding of the ageing process in the past.<br/
Exploratory factor analysis of bibliometric indicators for the Sustainable Development Goals
No full textSustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to create an inclusive world for everyone. The United Nations has urged all member states to work towards achieving 17 goals by 2030, including 169 targets. The UN emphasises that achieving these SDGs will not be possible without the support and effort of academic and scientific research worldwide. Various bibliometric databases have developed search strings to capture publications related to the SDGs to assist the academic community in measuring their contributions to these goals. After reviewing these databases, it became evident that Clarivate InCites Benchmarking & Analytics provides the most extensive number of indicators for analysing SDG-related research. To identify a small number of factors that explain most of the variance observed in a much larger number of manifest bibliometric indicators, this study employs exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to reduce the information associated with each SDG. This method will help reveal associations among indicators of the impact of academic contributions on achieving the SDGs worldwide. The publication data ranges from 2014 to 2023 and is organised by SDG using data Web of Science. SPSS software has been used to perform the EFA. The results from the factor analysis indicate that the first three components explain a substantial 79.24% of the variance of all indicators, highlighting their importance in the context of the SDG analysis
A human rights consideration of public involvement and phenomenological research
No full textThe aim of this article is to encourage phenomenological research that involves members of the public to inform the design of research to ensure outputs are relevant whilst maintaining methodological integrity. This article explores the relevance of public involvement in research design and application. In particular, consideration of human rights is examined in relation to phenomenological research with some reflection on a study which explored the lived experience of transition from adolescence to adulthood for young people living with cerebral palsy. Methodological issues relating to public involvement, human rights, and the potential challenges this may present for phenomenological researchers are explored. Consideration is provided as to what public involvement might mean in terms of generating and analysing data and how phenomenological researchers understand core principles such as phenomenological reduction, the epoché, and , with examples provided as to what might be possible to promote public involvement. With well-designed public involvement, phenomenological research might be regarded with greater credibility by rehabilitation professionals
Pathways to refugee well-being:the effect of positive and negative contact among refugees in Italy
No full textThis study involved 99 refugees in Italy to explore how positive and negative contact with Italians are associated with perceived discrimination, cultural adoption and well-being. Positive contact was associated with higher psychological and physical well-being and lower perceived discrimination, while negative contact was only associated with higher perceived discrimination. The positive x negative contact interaction effect showed that negative contact can diminish the benefits of positive contact, and the effects of negative contact are increased when positive contact is high. These findings emphasize the importance of fostering positive intergroup relations while addressing negative contact to support refugee integration
Ion Adsorption Mineralisation in Regolith-Hosted REE Deposits
No full textSupergene deposits are an attractive source of rare earth elements (REE) because of the potential for reduced energy impact of mining relative to hard-rock deposits, for grade enrichment during the breakdown of rock-forming minerals, and for the potential separation of REE from deleterious radionuclides in the weathering environment. Ion adsorption deposits are a subclass of regolith-hosted REE deposits with the lowest cut-off grade of any currently producing REE deposit type (ca. 0.1 wt. % total rare earth oxides). They are formed via the breakdown of REE-bearing igneous, metamorphic and, less commonly, sedimentary rocks during supergene weathering, which releases the REE from rock-forming and accessory mineral phases. REEs are then carried within soil water, with the depth of maximum REE deposition commonly being localised by a sharp vertical gradient in soil water pH or redox, for example, where acidic surface-derived water interacts with higher pH groundwater. Here, REEs are adsorbed onto the surface of clay minerals, most commonly kaolinite and halloysite. A major advantage of ion adsorption deposits is the ease of REE extraction, with all currently active operations making use of relatively simple ammonium sulfate leach solutions. In situ, and heap or tank leaching approaches have been used. Today, extraction from ion adsorption deposits has a similar energy use and carbon emission potential per mass REE to operations at the hard-rock carbonatite REE deposits Mountain Pass and Bayan Obo. However, the 2D nature of IADs and low cut-off grade can result in greater risks of negative environmental impacts, such as slope instability, vegetation loss and groundwater contamination. Extraction from higher-grade IADs formed on REE-rich protoliths and the use of novel bioleaching cultures have the potential to increase recovery and significantly reduce environmental risk. Several prospects outside of China have now progressed to a detailed characterisation stage. It is, therefore, anticipated that ion adsorption deposits will continue to make important contributions to global REE production over the coming decade
