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‘It was a challenge to look at things from a perpetrator perspective’ : The problem of holding domestically abusive men to account in multi-agency partnership work
Get PDFOne of the most challenging aspects of multi-agency partnership work aimed at reducing domestic abuse is the problem of holding perpetrators to account. Drawing on findings from our recent mixed methods evaluation of a revised approach to multi-agency policing of domestic abuse, this article explores this problem from the perspective of the multi-agency practitioner stakeholders. We present evidence attesting to the challenge these stakeholders are experiencing as they strive to ensure they play their part in ensuring the perpetrator is accountable for their behaviour. We review what is known about male perpetrators and perpetrator programmes and examine our findings in the context of the wider challenges of engaging perpetrators in behavioural change. We argue that the perpetrator is the elusive stakeholder in multi-agency partnership work to reduce domestic abuse and that the web of accountability requires strengthening if domestically abusive men are to be held to account
Digital Resilience for the Climate Crisis : A Multi-Perspective Analysis
No full textThis commentary explores multiple perspectives on the potential use of digital technologies to improve organizational resilience in the context of climate change. Such an approach is needed to address this complex problem space, especially since it encompasses a wide variety of phenomena, including floods and landslides, disruptions to global supply chains, heat waves, biodiversity loss, greenhouse gas emissions, and food insecurity. We assembled a diverse set of five scholarly teams specializing in multiple problem topics, research approaches, and theoretical perspectives on this project. Each team identified and problematized a specific facet of digital resilience for the climate crisis. The perspectives cover a range of rich narratives, including digital resilience in the context of floods and landslides in Brazil and Indonesia; conceptual development efforts incorporating the natural environment with people and technology; reconceptualization of the problem space in terms of time and type; and two applications of digital resilience in the domains of global supply chains and carbon emissions tracking. This research commentary thus presents a multi-perspective examination and interrogation of digital resilience for addressing climate crisis, out of which four transcending themes emerge: the need to integrate nature into sociotechnical thinking, to examine actions at both micro and macro levels, to include both reactive and proactive strategies, and to view climate crisis as a process rather than a series of events. This commentary aims to motivate other scholars who take diverse theoretical perspectives to join us in developing fundamental knowledge and practical solutions needed to achieve digital resilience for the climate crisis
Classification of donkey systems in Ethiopia
Get PDFWorking donkeys play a critical role in transportation, agriculture and household resilience in low- and middle-income countries. Other animals that are kept for production purposes, such as cattle, are often grouped into broad production system classes, such as dairy or pastoral, for comparison between and better understanding of the needs and outputs of animals within specific sectors. Despite the importance of working donkeys for sustaining livelihoods there are no systematic classifications of these populations. The aim of this study was to classify and characterise donkey systems in Ethiopia using household-level questionnaire data which included donkey ownership, husbandry, use and local environment data, through multiple factor and hierarchical cluster analysis. Household questionnaire data from 241 donkey-owning households in three districts of Ethiopia were used. Three distinct clusters of donkey ownership were identified: ‘Domestic-Pastoral’; ‘Domestic-Agricultural’ and ‘Commercial’. Differences between systems are primarily influenced by donkey purpose, environmental (agro-ecological) factors, and husbandry practices. Constraints associated with donkey ownership varied across clusters: households in the commercial system reported higher incidence of injuries and welfare concerns, in the pastoral system the main constraints were drought and feed shortage, and domestic-agricultural households reported infectious diseases as the main challenge. This new classification of donkey systems provides a framework for analysing donkey health and welfare data, enabling more context-specific needs assessments and facilitating the design of targeted interventions to improve equid health and household livelihoods
Underground futures : The essential role of the subsurface in a net zero carbon future
No full textThis viewpoint examines the overlooked yet crucial role of the underground in achieving net zero carbon transitions. Drawing on insights from the Underground Futures scoping study, a collaboration between Lancaster University and the British Geological Survey, the viewpoint explores how subsurface spaces, once associated with extraction, are now central to energy storage, carbon sequestration, and geothermal heat generation, and the governance and regulatory challenges this presents. Through interviews and focus groups with UK stakeholders, it identifies governance, limited data, and a lack of integrated planning as major barriers to sustainable underground use. The viewpoint bridges geoscience, spatial planning, and concepts from political geology to ultimately suggest that the underground is a dynamic and active component of planetary change, that is both shaping and being shaped by human efforts toward a sustainable net zero future
Enhancing access, participation and progression of refugee background students in English higher education
No full textThis paper adds to the literature on refugee background students’ (RBS) access to and widening participation in Higher Education (HE) in England. It briefly outlines who may be considered as a refugee background student and then highlights changes to the governing frameworks impacting access and widening participation policy in English HE. An outline of existing literature relating to access and participation of RBS in UK HE is provided, and a gap is identified in the debate around how institutions can move beyond ‘access’ to more holistically address ‘access, participation and progression’ (OFS, 2023). A deductive thematic analysis of four English university websites is then undertaken using Wilson-Strydom’s ‘pragmatic capabilities list for transition into university’ and concepts of ‘access with success’ (2012; 2016a). Results are analysed in context to whether institutional provision enhances the capabilities of RBS to access, participate and progress in English HE, and recommendations for practice are suggested
DNA Methylation of FAM50B / PTCHD3 Mediates the Relationships between Low Blood Lead Exposure and Neurobehavioral Development of 0–3 Aged Infants : A Prospective Birth Cohort Study in Southern China
No full textLead, recognized by the World Health Organization as one of the 10 chemicals of major public health concern, ranks as the fourth leading environmental risk factor contributing to the global burden of disease. Nevertheless, the neurodevelopmental consequences of prenatal low-level lead exposure remain inadequately characterized, with limited understanding of its mechanistic underpinnings and a lack of robust biomarkers for susceptibility. In this birth cohort study, we quantified the concentrations of 27 metals along with DNA methylation levels at 12 gene regions in cord blood. Neurodevelopment was assessed longitudinally in infancy using the Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ). Associations between metal exposures and neurodevelopmental outcomes were evaluated via three complementary statistical approaches: mixed-effect models, quantile g-computation, and Bayesian kernel machine regression. Among all metals examined, only lead (mean concentration of 15.3 μg/L) exhibited consistent and statistically significant negative associations with neurodevelopmental performance. A linear dose–response relationship was observed between lead levels and deficits in problem-solving, fine motor, and gross motor skills. Furthermore, we identified four CpG sites within FAM50B and PTCHD3 that mediate the effects of lead exposure and demonstrated strong predictive capacity for neurodevelopmental outcomes using a random forest model. Our results provide novel evidence that even low-level prenatal lead exposure adversely affects early neurodevelopment and implicate FAM50B/PTCHD3 methylation as both a promising biomarker of lead-related neurodevelopmental risk and a potential target for therapeutic intervention
35(+1) challenges in materials science being tackled by PIs under 35(ish) in 2025
Get PDFThis year, we present 36 emerging researchers from around the world, all roughly under the age of 35 (or thereabouts). This is our fourth year highlighting emerging researchers in this age group, and this year's cohort was formed through an initial set of invitations from the editorial team, followed by contributors each nominating two peers in a guided, self-propagating pyramid process. The resulting group exemplifies the vibrant diversity and innovation shaping today’s materials science landscape