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Don’t Panic : Designing Hopeful Sustainable Technological Futures with and for Young People
No full textNormal or transitional? : The evolution and properties of two type Ia supernovae in the Virgo cluster
No full textType Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are among the most precise cosmological distance indicators used to study the expansion history of the Universe. The vast increase in SN Ia data due to large-scale astrophysical surveys has led to the discovery of a wide variety of SN Ia sub-classes, such as transitional and fast-declining SNe Ia. However, their distinct photometric and spectroscopic properties differentiate them from the population of normal SNe Ia such that their use as cosmological tools remains challenged. Here, we present a high-cadenced photometric and spectroscopic dataset of two SNe Ia, SNe 2020ue and 2020nlb, which were discovered in the nearby Virgo cluster of galaxies. Our study shows that SN 2020nlb is a normal SN Ia whose unusually red colour is intrinsic, arising from a lower photospheric temperature rather than interstellar reddening, providing clear evidence that colour diversity among normal SNe Ia can have a physical origin. In contrast, SN 2020ue has photometric properties, such as colour evolution and light curve decay rate, similar to those of transitional SNe. It is hence more spectroscopically aligned with normal SNe Ia. This is evident from spectroscopic indicators such as the pseudo-equivalent width of Si II lines. Thus, such SNe Ia, which lie photometrically at the edge of the standard normal SNe Ia range, may be missed in cosmological SNe Ia samples. Our results highlight that a spectroscopic analysis of SNe Ia around peak brightness is crucial for identifying intrinsic colour variations and constructing a more complete and physically homogeneous SN Ia sample for precision cosmology
Achieving Communicative Purposes : A Cross-Linguistic and Corpus-Based Analysis of British and Chinese Conversations
No full textThis thesis investigates how whole conversations are organised to achieve communicative purposes, and how these purposes are realised lexically, grammatically and pragmatically in conversations in Mandarin Chinese, British English, and English spoken by Chinese learners of English. Existing approaches to conversations have often focused on utterance-level units or on short sequences. They do not examine how conversations are organised through functionally defined units across entire conversations, nor do they provide classifications for annotating the communicative purposes achieved within these units. To address this gap, this thesis draws on Egbert et al.’s framework to segment conversational discourse into discourse units (DUs) and annotate them with communicative purposes. This framework is applied to three corpora, all based round the Graded Examinations in Spoken English (GESE): a Mandarin Chinese conversation corpus compiled for this study, a corpus of L1 British English speakers undertaking the same examination, and a subset of the Trinity Lancaster Corpus comprising interactions between British English examiners and Chinese learners of English. Across the three corpora, patterns of DU usage were examined, and lexical items associated with specific communicative purposes were identified and examined in context to explore their syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic realisation at both micro and macro-discoursal levels. The comparative analysis reveals systematic similarities and differences in how communicative purposes are organised and realised across Mandarin Chinese, British English, and Chinese learners’ English. In particular, the findings show that some communicative purposes and lexical choices in L2 English conversations reflect influence from L1 Mandarin, resulting in patterns that differ from those observed in L1 British English. This thesis contributes to understanding how communicative purposes are realised in Mandarin Chinese and British English, demonstrates the value of DU-based analysis for examining conversation organisation across languages, and offers insights into language assessment research as well as English teaching and learning
Breakup dynamics of Newtonian fluids under extension
Get PDFWhen a Newtonian fluid is stretched via uniaxial extension, it forms a narrow filament which thins until it breaks. Thinning is governed by mechanical forces, whereby an increase in filament length necessitates a reduction in width, and by capillary forces, whereby the rate of capillary thinning depends on the fluid’s viscosity and surface tension. The timing of filament breakup is a key parameter in understanding fluid fragmentation, droplet formation and the maximum filament length achievable, which are relevant to many natural and industrial processes, from volcanic eruptions to spray paints. Here, we perform uniaxial extension experiments on Newtonian silicone oils stretched between circular, parallel plates moving at equal and opposite velocities. We find that filament breakup always occurs in a regime dominated by capillary forces, irrespective of the plate separation rate, and that breakup time can be reliably predicted from initial fluid dimensions, plate separation rate and the ratio of surface tension to viscosity. As an illustration of use, we apply our findings to an example of a volcanic eruption, predicting the maximum length of fluid filaments that could be produced by clasts of ejected lava breaking up mid-flight
Supporting sexual minority adolescents : A critical realist thematic analysis of psychological therapists' experiences
Get PDFObjectives: Sexual minority adolescents experience elevated rates of psychological distress, influenced by societal stigma and heteronormativity. Psychological therapists can play a key role in supporting identity development and advocating for systemic change. This study explored therapists' lived experiences of working with sexual minority adolescents, attending to both reported experiences and deeper social mechanisms. Design: A qualitative study using a critical realist approach to thematic analysis that integrated inductive coding with abductive and retroductive theorising. Methods: Seven UK‐based psychological therapists participated in semi‐structured interviews conducted between January and March 2024. Analysis examined both dispositional and inferential themes, exploring both surface experiences and deeper social mechanisms shaping participants' experiences. Results: Three dispositional themes were generated: (1) therapists' experiences of socio‐environmental forces shaping adolescent sexuality; (2) the striving to offer attuned, responsive therapy; and (3) the influence of socio‐political tensions on navigating identity‐related work. The analysis suggests that the therapeutic process functions as a relational shield against conflicting structural forces. By centring this relational process to navigate developmental fluidity, effective practice relied on agential striving to protect the adolescent's narrative from external agendas. This involved fundamental clinical skills: creating a non‐judgemental space, using compassionate curiosity, and maintaining awareness of relational pulls and assumptions. Conclusions: Socio‐political structures are often enacted within the therapy room, presenting both challenges and opportunities for therapeutic work. The findings suggest that therapy functions as a mediating space, shielding adolescents' developing identities from polarisation and stigma. This highlights the ethical necessity of maintaining a protected process in a politicised climate
Digital Transformation in Family Firms
No full textThe digital transformation, characterized by velocity, complexity and systemic change, is pervading societies throughout the world. This situation presents many opportunities and threats requiring firms to adapt. Financial investments, organizational support and complementary assets/capabilities are important firm requirements for adaptation. Family firms are the most common organizational form in the world, posing them to play a pivotal role in the digital transformation. Indeed, family firms possess unique attributes that can be leveraged to greatly benefit them for the digital transformation. This contribution outlines how some of the uniqueness attributes (financial preferences, specialist approaches to innovation, long-term employees and close ties to stakeholders), touching upon some of the relevant theories (Familiness, family ability-willingness paradox, family social capital, socio-emotional wealth, long-term orientation), may positively and or negatively influence family firms in the digital transformation. This contribution is relevant for scholars, policy makers and practitioners interested in family firms during the digital transformation
Universal Credit : administrative burdens of automated welfare
No full textSince 2010, the UK government has transformed social security administration using digital technology and automated instruments to create and deliver a single working-age benefit known as Universal Credit (UC). Social policy scholars have given much attention to the key policy tenets of UC but engaged less with leading aspects of automated and digital delivery and their relationship to different forms of administrative burdens for UC recipients. This article addresses this empirical and conceptual gap by drawing on administrative burdens literature to analyse empirical data from forty-four interviews with UC recipients. We conclude by highlighting three costs: temporal, financial, and emotional. These costs illustrate the political dimensions of technical features of UC, as they affect accountability procedures and paths to legal entitlements that have bearings on certain claimants’ rights
WhatsApp with doctoral researchers : A reflexive autoethnography
Get PDFPurpose: This study aims to examine how being part of a WhatsApp community of doctoral researchers over a five-year period influences the author’s well-being, learning and professional development. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopts a digital autoethnographic approach, using the author’s own contributions to a WhatsApp group of doctoral researchers as data. Findings: For the researcher, WhatsApp plays a significant and positive role in fostering community. The group engenders a sense of connection in a “backstage” community, where feelings can be shared honestly and reassurance received, thus supporting well-being. In this community, it is easy to seek advice about research. It also provides a low-stakes environment in which to learn how to offer advice to others, the experience of doing so contributing to professional development as a doctoral supervisor. Practical implications: The insights gained will be useful for doctoral researchers considering the potential value of peer support and also for those supporting and supervising them. Originality/value: This paper provides a rare glimpse into a peer-led WhatsApp community of doctoral researchers. It adds to the literature that uses rhizome theory as a theoretical lens, showing how rhizomatic principles and ideas around assemblages can be helpful in analysing multiple aspects of WhatsApp groups and other similar online communities
Netting Phish in the IPFS Ocean : Real-Time Monitoring and Characterization of Decentralized Phishing Campaigns
Get PDFThe InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) is the largest decentralized content-centric storage network. While its architecture enables resilient, distributed content delivery, it can be abused to host and disseminate malicious content. Public IPFS HTTP gateways further expand this threat surface, enabling attackers to deploy phishing websites and leverage gateway reputation to evade detection. This model can keep content available even after attackers go offline and challenges traditional phishing detection systems. We present a framework for monitoring and characterizing phish- ing on IPFS, leveraging a measurement platform that integrates multi-source data, including IPFS traffic and passive DNS. Over 11 months, we detect 10,489 phishing CIDs, grouped into 448 phishing clusters. 80% of detected CIDs originate from only 69 clustered campaigns indicating that targeting a small number of dominant clusters could yield high mitigation leverage. We also identify 588 gateways involved in dissemination, including 573 outside public gateway lists, and show that attackers can exploit caching across reputable gateways to amplify attacks and extend content availabil- ity. Finally, we find that traditional Web phishing countermeasures and IPFS blocklists provide insufficient protection. Our findings support practical mitigation and offer broader in- sights for trust and safety in decentralized web infrastructures
Accelerating Towards Sustainable Mobility : Key Factors in Electric Vehicle Adoption
No full textThe global shift toward electric vehicles (EV s) is no longer optional-it is a strategic necessity to meet climate targets and ensure energy resilience. However, despite technological progress, EV adoption remains uneven across economies. This study is part of a wider international research effort aimed at understanding consumer behavior and regulatory readiness in diverse economic contexts. Using New Zealand as the initial case, we explore key factors influencing EV adoption to inform future policy and infrastructure development worldwide. New Zealand, with over 80% renewable electricity generation but only 2.7% EV penetration, presents a valuable setting to examine this gap. Through a mixed-methods approach, including survey analysis and statistical techniques such as chi-square tests and binary logistic regression, we analyzed data from 175 respondents. Findings reveal that environmental awareness, low engine noise, and technological confidence drive adoption intent, while high upfront costs, limited vehicle models, and inconsistent perceptions of government support act as barriers. Age and education were statistically significant predictors (p < 0.05). By focusing on the intersection of consumer psychology, clean mobility, and policy alignment, this study contributes to globally scalable strategies for smart grid integration and sustainable transport. The insights presented here lay the foundation for a comparative framework across nations and support policy blueprints aligned with international efforts to accelerate the clean energy transition