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Do recessions accelerate routine-biased technological change in Western Europe?
Get PDFThe decline of routine employment is a well-documented feature of labour markets in high-income economies, commonly attributed to routine-biased technological change (RBTC). This study examines the impact of the Great Recession on RBTC in Western Europe. Leveraging industry-level variations in the severity of the Great Recession in a difference-in-difference analysis, we reveal that employment in routine jobs has increased in industries that were severely affected by the recession, compared to those less affected. Additionally, severely affected industries show a decline in investment and a decrease in routine task content. These findings suggest that the Great Recession led to a slowdown in RBTC - contrasting sharply with evidence from the US, where recessions have accelerated RBTC. We demonstrate that variation in labour market regulation can help explain these differences: routine employment declines more sharply in less regulated labour markets compared to those with stricter regulation, likely because hiring and firing costs decrease more substantially in unregulated labour markets during recessions
Investigating the expanded use of modelling and simulation for evacuation certifications using the airEXODUS Aircraft Evacuation Simulation Software
No full textBefore an airplane can be licensed to carry passengers on commercial flights, the manufacturer must demonstrate that their airplane design can meet the evacuation requirements, commonly referred to as the 90-second certification test. Since the certification requirements use a single test, parameters that could significantly affect evacuation time are not fully understood or fully captured. One proposed method of addressing these limitations is to include simulated evacuation data in the certification process. This report examines the impact different parameters have on simulated evacuation data, such as exit availability, crew assertiveness, and passenger exit-selection behaviour. Five separate evacuations were simulated looking at these parameters (or a combination of two) and compared to a baseline design. Several of these parameters had a significant impact on simulated evacuation performance. The results of these simulations were used to make recommendations for how modelling and simulation data can be incorporated into aviation evacuation certification. This paper also recommends best practices for creating and evaluating modelling and simulation data for industry and regulators
Guest Editorial: Special Issue on “Bridging Futures: The Convergence of Technology Enhanced Learning and Generative AI”
No full textNot applicable
Digital transformation and sustainable supply chain performance for sustainable development: the mediating role of supply chain capabilities
Get PDFIn the era of digital transformation (DT), achieving sustainable supply chain performance (SSCP) has become a strategic imperative for manufacturing firms. While DT is widely recognized as a key enabler of sustainability, its specific influence on SSCP, particularly through the mediating roles of supply chain agility (SCA), supply chain resilience (SCR), and supply chain collaboration (SCC), remains underexplored. Drawing on the dynamic capabilities view (DCV), this study examines how DT impacts SSCP by conceptualizing SCA, SCR, and SCC as mediating capabilities. A quantitative research approach was employed, utilizing survey data collected from 214 managers in Saudi Arabia's manufacturing sector. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that DT positively affects SCA, SCC, and SCR, and also exerts a direct positive effect on SSCP. Furthermore, these three capabilities partially mediate the relationship between DT and SSCP, suggesting that digital technologies enhance sustainability outcomes by strengthening internal supply chain capabilities. This study extends the DCV framework by validating the mediating roles of SCA, SCR, and SCC in the relationship between DT and SSCP. From a practical standpoint, the findings offer actionable insights for manufacturing firms aiming to improve sustainability performance by leveraging digital tools, fostering collaboration, and enhancing agility and resilience
Defying gravity in ‘wicked’ workplaces
No full textSeveral months ago, I went to see Wicked, the Broadway musical recently adapted for film. While I initially expected a form of escapist entertainment, I instead found myself engaged with a narrative that resonated on personal and professional levels. Ostensibly, although Wicked is presented as the story of Elphaba, a young woman with green skin, it operates as a broader allegory for systemic oppression, prejudice, discrimination and racism. Indeed, in many ways, the themes explored in the production reflected my own experiences as a racially minoritised Black British female educator, and also aligned closely with the accounts shared by participants in my research (see for example Miller, 2021)
Role of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in cutaneous infections: current treatments and therapeutic approaches for future advancement
No full textAntibiotics are often prescribed as a first-line treatment for bacterial skin infections, particularly in severe and persistent cases. However, the ability of the pathogen to develop antibiotic resistance complicates the treatment of these diseases. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the primary microorganisms implicated in skin and soft tissue infections, such as cellulitis, impetigo, and infections secondary to atopic dermatitis (AD) and has exerted significant pressure on the healthcare industry due to its resistance to conventional antibiotics, including beta-lactams. Skin infections caused by this Gram-positive superbug can occur in individuals even without commonly known risk factors, and thus, there is an urgent need to develop novel therapeutic strategies that function beyond traditional antibiotics. Research on alternative treatments, including plant-derived compounds, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), bacteriophages, and antibiotic sensitisers, is garnering attention as a promising and innovative approach. Numerous studies have demonstrated the capacity of these compounds to inhibit pathogenic bacteria such as MRSA. These novel compounds target bacteria through diverse mechanisms, inhibit biofilm formation, and mitigate resistance development. Topically administered treatments are preferred for MRSA-related skin infections; however, cytotoxicity, skin penetration, and in vivo efficacy testing remain significant challenges. This review provides an overview of the mechanisms contributing to the pathogenesis of MRSA skin infections and investigates alternative therapeutic options to the common antibiotics. An indirect antibacterial approach that uses conventional antibiotics combined with non-antibiotics aims to enhance therapeutic efficacy and overcome resistance by disrupting bacterial defences and biofilm formation, thereby reducing the required antibiotic dosage and minimising adverse effects
Reimagining Corporate Social Responsibility: navigating the formality-informality nexus
No full textCorporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has traditionally been explored through Western-centric frameworks, often overlooking the unique socio-cultural and institutional contexts of developing countries. Using Kazakhstan as a case analysis, this study draws on insights from semi-structured interviews with decision makers of SMEs to examine how businesses in Kazakhstan navigate the intersection of formal and informal institutions to implement CSR practices. Our findings reveal that businesses do not reject formal rules but reinterpret them through informal norms to align with local societal expectations. We term this process Resistance Adaptation, where formal mandates are contextually reshaped to reflect societal, relational, and cultural norms rather than outright opposition. We introduce a conceptual framework for CSR in non-Western contexts and highlight the need for a dynamic, context-sensitive perspective on the interplay and relative strength of formality and informality. Our study offers practical insights for policymakers and practitioners seeking to align CSR strategies with local lived realities, and further contributes to a deeper understanding of how local businesses engage with social responsibilities
A knapsack modelling approach to financial resource allocation problem using a dual search pattern firefly algorithm
Get PDFThe knapsack problem, a paradigm for constrained optimisation, underpins decision-making under scarcity in finance, logistics, and cognitive science. While classical methods (e.g., dynamic programming) handle small instances, real-world complexity demands metaheuristics like the firefly algorithm (FA), which balances exploration-exploitation trade-offs in dynamic, multi-objective scenarios (e.g., ethical resource allocation). Hybrid FA approaches integrating machine learning improve adaptability in noisy environments. Financial applications, however, lack frameworks addressing real-time responsiveness, ethical-risk synergies, and transparency. This study proposes a dual search pattern firefly algorithm based on Gaussian distribution and Lévy flights (DSPFA) for financial resource allocation, dynamically adapting to macroeconomic shifts, harmonising risk-return objectives with ethical imperatives (e.g., ESG criteria), and ensuring auditable decision pathways. Simulations demonstrate efficient optimisation of heterogeneous constraints (liquidity, compliance) with sublinear time complexity. By embedding fairness metrics and leveraging FA's global-local equilibrium, the framework advances ethical finance and portfolio management. Results highlight FA's scalability in evolving financial ecosystems and the knapsack model's versatility in modelling multidimensional trade-offs. This work bridges theoretical optimisation with practical challenges, offering stakeholders a tool for transparent, adaptive allocation under uncertainty
Anand model parameter estimation for the aluminium wirebond in power electronic module and lifetime prediction by combining the finite element analysis and machine learning
No full textThis report focuses on the estimation of Anand viscoplastic model parameters for aluminium wirebonds, a critical component in Power Electronic Modules (PEMs). These complex PEM inhomogeneous structures are prone to thermo-mechanical failure due to heat generation and material Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) mismatches. The wirebond failures account for approximately 70 % of total PEM failures. The study addresses a gap in existing literature by deriving Anand model parameters for aluminium wirebonds from experimental tensile data. This involved of conducting isothermal uniaxial tensile tests on pure aluminium wire at various temperatures and strain rates and measuring the stress strain profile of each sample specimens. The nine Anand model parameters were then determined through a four-step non-linear fitting process. The accuracy of these estimated parameters was validated by comparing stress-strain curves from Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulations with experimental data, showing a good fit across various conditions. The research proceeded to predict the fatigue lifetime of wirebond structures under various thermal cyclic loading scenarios, adhering to JEDEC standards. Accumulated plastic strain at the wirebond heel was identified as a key lifetime prediction parameter, utilizing the Coffin-Manson relationship. The analysis revealed an exponential decrease in wirebond lifetime with increasing temperature difference (ΔT) and upper thermal cycle temperature. Finally, the study explored using tree-based machine learning (ML) regressors (Random Forest, Decision Tree, and XGBoost) to predict accumulated plastic strain, aiming to mitigate the need for computationally expensive FEA simulations. Trained on a small dataset from 11 FEA simulations, the Decision Tree model exhibited a reasonable prediction error of 2.4 %, suggesting the potential for ML to provide efficient and reasonably accurate lifetime predictions in power electronics
‘Community people are the most powerful resources’: qualitative critical realist analysis and framework to support co-produced responses to zoonotic disease threats with(in) Nepali communities
Get PDFBackground
Co-production between researchers, service providers, and members of affected communities is an old concept renewed by current efforts to decolonise global health, reduce exploitative practices, and develop more sustainable, context-relevant interventions to address global health issues. Working with communities– how ever defined– is central to healthcare improvement but engaging with communities and identifying priorities remains challenging for disease control professionals. Co-production aims to help ensure community members have some control over the design and implementation of any intervention, and greater ownership of processes and outcomes. We aimed to identify what would encourage co-production of activities to prevent potential transmission of zoonoses.
Methods
In this qualitative study, we (British and Nepali researchers) interviewed 73 participants from six communities across Nepal, with 10 participating in photovoice. We also interviewed 20 healthcare professionals and policymakers, 14 representing human and six representing animal health. We interpreted data using reflexive thematic analysis.
Results
Thirty-nine people in six communities participated in interviews, with another 34 in 5 focus groups. We generated three overarching themes: (i) constrained healthcare-seeking behaviours, (ii) experience of community programmes, and (iii) community priorities and co-production. Community participants, despite strong opinions and desire to participate in disease control interventions, had experienced little or no attempt by intervention organisers to engage them in design, implementation, evaluation, or accountability. Most had no experience of programmes at all. Participants highlighted the significance of working in ‘local’ languages, respecting religious and cultural realities, relating initiatives to lived experience, and ensuring that local leaders are involved.
Conclusions
Meaningful co-production requires recognising communities– through legitimate leadership/representation– as expert and equal partners who can ‘work alongside’ at all stages of any initiative. Implications from this research include the importance of promoting trust in communities through inclusion of influential community members (community health volunteers, traditional medicine practitioners, women’s group leaders); the use of indigenous languages; the acceptability of different media for interventions (theatre, drama); and the need to be pragmatic about available resources, to manage the expectations of community members
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