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Care work and status subjugation : An exploration of the relationship between care work organisation and training, and the recruitment crisis in adult long-term care
Full text linkUsing data from interviews, workshops and focus groups with 149 care workers across five European countries, we show how a combination of organisational structures and social constructs impact recruitment and retention in the adult social care sector. Our study focusses on the lived experience of residential and domiciliary care workers, identifying low status, role stigma and organisational structures as key barriers to personal and professional development leading to role dissatisfaction. Our research explores specific constraints faced by care workers and proposes processes, which could increase the status of care workers and improve recruitment and retention within the sector
A Cloudy View on Trust Relationships of CVMs : How Confidential Virtual Machines are Falling Short in Public Cloud
No full textConfidential computing in the public cloud intends to safeguard workload privacy while outsourcing infrastructure management to a cloud provider. This is achieved by executing customer workloads within so called Trusted Execution Environments, such as Confidential Virtual Machines (CVMs), which protect them from unauthorised access by cloud administrators and privileged system software. At the core of confidential computing lies remote attestation—a mechanism that enables workload owners to verify the initial state of their workload and authenticate the underlying hardware. This paper critically examines the confidential computing offerings of market-leading cloud providers to assess whether they genuinely adhere to its core principles. We develop a taxonomy based on carefully selected criteria to systematically evaluate these offerings, enabling us to analyse the components responsible for remote attestation, the evidence provided at each stage, the extent of cloud provider influence and whether this undermines the threat model of confidential computing. Specifically, we investigate how CVMs are deployed in public cloud infrastructures, the extent to which customers can request and verify attestation evidence, and their ability to define and enforce configuration and attestation requirements. This analysis provides insight into whether confidential computing guarantees—namely confidentiality and integrity—are genuinely upheld. Our findings reveal that major cloud providers retain control over critical parts of the trusted software stack and, in some cases, intervene in the standard remote attestation process. This directly contradicts their claims of delivering confidential computing, as the model fundamentally excludes the cloud provider from the set of trusted entities
Influence of anaerobic digestate and wood ash on phenanthrene bioaccessibility and mineralisation in soil
Full text linkThe environmental persistence and ecotoxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have stimulated considerable interest in understanding their bioaccessibility and biodegradation in soils. Factors such as contact time, organic amendments, and microbial inoculation can influence these processes. This study examined how contact time, bacterial inoculation, and amendments affect the chemical extractability and biodegradation of 9- 14C-phenanthrene in soil. Soils were amended with anaerobic digestate (AD), wood ash (WA), or their combination (AD + WA) and monitored over 90 days. Lower recoveries of 9- 14C-phenanthrene activity were observed in amended soils compared with the control, particularly in AD + WA treatments, with recoveries declining over time. Both dichloromethane (DCM) and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) extractability decreased with increasing soil - PAH contact time, with a greater reduction in HP-β-CD extractability observed in AD + WA. Inoculated systems exhibited shorter lag phases than uninoculated systems, although bacterial numbers, mineralisation rates, and extents were similar across both inoculation conditions. Lower mineralisation extents occurred in AD + WA under both inoculation conditions. This study provides new insights into how AD, WA, and AD + WA influence PAH bioaccessibility and mineralisation kinetics in soil. The findings indicate that AD and/or WA can stimulate 9- 14C-phenanthrene biodegradation under nutrient-limited conditions, primarily through biostimulation of indigenous microbial communities; however, bioaccessibility rather than nutrient availability or microbial abundance, ultimately constrained degradation endpoints. These results highlight the need for (bio)remediation strategies that enhance contaminant availability, rather than focusing solely on nutrient inputs or microbial abundance
Identities Podcast Episode 9: Researching Extremism and Risky Material
No full textIn this podcast episode, inspired by Dr Shereen Fernandez’s Identities article, ‘When counter-extremism ‘sticks’: the circulation of the Prevent Duty in the school space’ (2024), as well as in response to recent developments in and debates around extremism and terrorism, Islamophobia and free speech in the UK and more broadly, Identities co-editor Dr Aaron Winter, Dr Fernandez and Dr Rizwaan Sabir will discuss their experiences and the challenges of researching racism, counterextremism and counterterrorism. The discussion will cover a range of issues, including researcher identity and academic freedom, with a focus on the specific challenges and implications of handling primary documents associated with extremism and terrorism which may be seen as ‘hostile’ to the security state. The latter being something that all three have written about and was the focus of Dr Sabir’s The Suspect: Counterterrorism, Islam, and the Security State where he reflects on his experiences with this
Implications of heterogeneous embankment conditions for geoelectrical investigations on dams : A case study at Mactaquac Dam, Canada
Full text linkElectrical resistivity tomography (ERT) has been shown to be effective for surveying and monitoring dams, due to the method's sensitivity to moisture content and relevant physical properties (e.g., porosity). Automated ERT systems, capable of time‐lapse monitoring, can be used to detect variations in ground conditions. However, dam environments are often structurally heterogenous due to, for example, zoned embankments, supporting bedrock or concrete structures and adjoining headponds. If such factors are not accounted for, off‐grid effects may obscure and distort features of interest (e.g., leakage zones) in resulting ERT images. Synthetic modelling simulating conditions at Mactaquac Dam, Canada, was carried out to evaluate whether the abutting concrete structure and properties of the adjacent headpond (water resistivity and level variations) need to be accounted for in an inversion of ERT data. This was achieved through a synthetic numerical model of the dam, including headpond, concrete abutment, core and dry and wet rockfill components. The results show that internal features and dynamic changes through time (e.g., headpond level and resistivity variation) can induce 3D effects in the inversions, which have the potential to be misinterpreted. The modelling revealed that leakage zones could be resolved, showing that features of interest in dam monitoring can still be identified despite potential 3D effects. Overall, these results show that 3D effects from internal structure and a water body are likely to distort modelled resistivity distributions in dam settings. This research sheds light on how ERT can be impacted by structural complexity in dams, using synthetic modelling to understand and quantify the nature of expected artefacts resulting from heterogeneities outside the footprint of the survey area
Household flood vulnerability and temporary relocation in resource-scarce urban Accra
Full text linkExisting research on climate-related human mobility centres on population vulnerability, yet gaps remain in examining how sociodemographic factors shape household mobility outcomes. This research uses household survey data from two resource-poor urban communities prone to perineal flooding to explore the major components and indicators of flood vulnerability (adaptive capacity, sensitivity and exposure) that influence the temporary relocation of households. The results show besides water and sanitation, community vulnerability significantly varied by livelihood strategies, social capital, health status, food insecurity, and climate variability exposure. Further analysis reveals that while stronger social ties and better sociodemographic profiles (components of households’ adaptive capacity) are protective against temporary relocation, household food insecurity (a component of sensitivity) has the reverse effect. Additionally, migrants, compared with non-migrants, were more likely to relocate during floods. This study highlights the need for policy responses to be differentiated between the different components of vulnerability that affect the mobility of households experiencing floods
Essays on Strategic Dimensions of Corporate Disclosure : Design and Outcomes
Full text linkThis thesis investigates strategic dimensions of corporate disclosure design and their effects on information outcomes. Chapter 2 examines how the level of disaggregation in target firms' disclosure of assets held for sale affects acquiring shareholders' decision-making in partial-firm acquisitions. I find that higher disaggregation is associated with stronger market reactions, suggesting that detailed disclosure reduces information uncertainty. Furthermore, I show that this effect is more pronounced when deal materiality is higher, when gains or losses on disposal are larger, and when alternative information sources are limited. Overall, the results demonstrate that disclosure granularity matters for decision-usefulness in complex transaction settings. Chapter 3 investigates how General Counsel participation in top management affects the balance between strategic communication and legal risk management during earnings calls. I find that GCs play a dual role in shaping disclosure: their presence in top management is associated with higher net positive sentiment in scripted Management Discussion sections but increased hedging language and non-answer responses during unscripted Q&A sessions. Cross-sectional tests reveal that performance-based compensation and CEO alignment strengthen the optimistic messaging effect, while longer GC tenure and higher ex-ante litigation risk amplify cautious behavior. This study provides novel evidence on how legal professionals systematically influence corporate communication strategies. Chapter 4 examines whether narrative alignment between acquirer and target executives in M&A announcements predicts subsequent goodwill impairment. Using textual analysis of M&A press releases, I find that greater semantic similarity between executive statements is associated with lower likelihood of goodwill impairment within the first year after deal completion. Furthermore, I show that this relationship is stronger when goodwill represents a larger share of the purchase price and in cross-industry acquisitions. The effect disappears for acquirers with high analyst coverage, indicating that external monitoring substitutes for the informational role of narrative alignment. This paper identifies a novel early predictor of goodwill impairment through textual analysis of deal announcements
From Bricolage to Speculative Design : Creative Methodologies for Hospital and Healthcare Design Futures
Full text linkAbstract: This article explores the potential of speculative methodologies to help reimagine and reenergize elements of healthcare and hospital design. It examines the intellectual and clinical heritages of bricolage in French thought, before mobilizing dialogues between bricolage and speculative design methodologies, such as design fiction. A cross-fertilization of bricolage and speculative design, we propose, opens up creative, playful, and critical spaces for the reappropriation of the material assemblages of healthcare environments. Whereas bricolage is often conceived of as an emergency ‘make-do’ measure, we propose that bricolage, brought into contact with speculative design methods, can deliver pragmatic tools for reimagining healthcare futures
The Artificial Muse : Human-authored poetry from AI-generated text
Full text linkThis project seeks to answer one question: how might GenAI tools (such as ChatGPT) be utilised effectively by poets, without those poets sacrificing their integrity or authorship? Its answer is simple – by treating the GenAI tool as an artificial muse, a provider of inspiration, but never as a creator in its own right. The shortcomings of AI-generated poems arise from the GenAI’s inability to write intentionally, and subsequent inability to form authorship. All GenAI text is unoriginal, inauthentic, insincere, and otherwise lacking in panache. As this thesis and portfolio demonstrate, these inherent problems can be overcome by re-constructing AI-generated drafts to the extent that human intention is enacted upon them, and human authorship is wrought from them. The thesis consists of two parts – Part One outlines why AI-generated poems are “authorless”, why this makes them unoriginal and inauthentic, and how a lack of human authorship prevents readers from connecting to them. It also considers how authorless texts can be reclaimed by human authors, and made authentic, original, and engaging. Part One concludes by stating that, for poets to use GenAI tools effectively and ethically, without sacrificing their authorship, the relationship between the user and the GenAI must resemble that between a poet and their muse – the muse provides inspiration, kick-starting the process of a poem’s assembly, but the inspiration belongs to the poet, who transforms it into poetry according to their own intentions. The thesis considers what a muse is, how poets and muses interact, and how a GenAI muse might offer “inspiration without constraint”. Part Two recounts how the conclusions of Part One were enacted during the development of my portfolio, each poem of which was derived from a process of “musing” with AI-generated material. It explains how I developed a repeatable method of “pruning” and “regrowing” AI-generated drafts in order to extract inspiration from them, and how I made original assemblages of words from unoriginal materials. It also considers whether musing with GenAI made my poems more novel, whether this prevented my own intentions being enacted, and how the increased productivity facilitated by the GenAI muse impacted the quality of my work, and the enjoyability of the writing process. The thesis concludes that GenAIs can be effective tools to muse with – poets can take inspiration from GenAI without sacrificing their individuality, authorship, or integrity, as long as the GenAI is put away after inspiration has been achieved. However, the necessity of keeping the GenAI tool at arms-length, and of meticulously re-writing its outputs, means that musing with GenAI can require more work from human poets than more traditional methods of musing – something which curtails its usefulness as a shortcut to inspiration. Finally, the thesis warns that writers wishing to benefit from AI-given inspiration should do so sparingly: otherwise they risk losing touch with their humanity, and depleting their ability to receive and transform inspiration organically
Potential Applications of Realist Methodologies to Implementation Science Research
No full textThere is a growing demand for more focus on developing and testing theories in implementation science (IS). This involves creating and testing theories about the different dynamics contributing to implementation strategies’ success or failure in different settings. While the application of realist methodologies is gaining traction in IS, their contributions to the field have not been explicitly articulated. To this end, we highlight six potential contributions of realist methodologies to IS: (1) leading with ontology, (2) formulating “program theories” of implementation strategies, (3) opening up the “black box” of implementation strategies, (4) moving from “context as nuanced” to “context as causal”, (5) mixed-methods integration for causality-based theorizing and (6) embracing the complex and adaptive nature of health systems. Through these six potential contributions, realist methodologies can greatly contribute to understanding the role of implementation strategies in improving the uptake of evidence-based interventions. This combination calls for IS and realist methodologies to join forces when appropriate, adding an additional dimension to both IS and realist work. Such integration can enhance the transferability and contextualization of evidence-based practice by more fully accounting for the complex interplay between implementation components, contextual conditions, actors, causal mechanisms, and expected outcomes