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Beyond a reasonable doubt: ordinary people’s views of an extraordinary concept
No full textBeyond a reasonable doubt (BRD) is the standard of proof required for conviction in criminal trials in Anglo-American legal systems. We examined how lay people (N = 220) define BRD in qualitative terms, and quantitatively measured their perceptions of existing definitions of this standard of proof as well as the grounds they believe create ‘a reasonable doubt’. The qualitative data suggests that although individuals used relevant synonyms for BRD (i.e., degree of doubt present, certainty or probability required, amount and strength of proof provided, and alternative explanations beyond the defendant being guilty), the concept is vague in individuals’ minds, has variable meanings across people, and its interpretation can increase or reduce the threshold for conviction. There was no significant difference between the sure and firmly convinced definitions of BRD (used in England and Wales, and the US Federal courts, respectively) in terms of self-reported understanding, confidence in application, and judged likelihood of wrongful conviction or wrongful acquittal. However, for each of these two definitions, greater self-reported understanding was significantly positively associated with greater confidence in applying the standard of proof, and both self-reported understanding and confidence were significantly negatively associated with judged likelihood of wrongful conviction and wrongful acquittal. Finally, a weak prosecution case and strong defence case were each rated as creating significantly greater grounds for a reasonable doubt than either victim and offender behavior or the punitive impact of a guilty verdict. The present findings have implications for jury instructions
A Kripke semantics for commutative generalised basic logic
No full textWe provide a generalisation of Kripke semantics for generalised Basic logic without the structural rule of weakening and ex falso quodlibet, designated \emph{commutative} \GBLe. We prove soundness and completeness of this system with respect to our semantics, using the earlier work of Peter Jipsen and Franco Montagna \cite{JIPSEN20101559}. This paper extends the insights of \cite{Robinson2021-LEWKSF} from \GBLewf to the unbounded, weakening and contraction-free case, making for a fuzzy form of linear logic
Evaluating the impact of ChatGPT on student performance in academic writing
Full text linkUnderstanding how Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT can be useful for students and educators is essential as AI is being integrated into our everyday lives and is shaping educational practices and can enhance student learning. This study investigated whether the use of ChatGPT helped students write their essays better. Data were collected from 21 undergraduate students at a UK university. All participants were required to write two essays: one with the use of ChatGPT and one without the use of ChatGPT. They were given 25 minutes to write each essay. The results indicated that there was a difference in the quality and structure of the essays which led to a higher grade for essays where ChatGPT was used. Students who used AI for their first essay also scored higher in the second essay where they did not use AI. These results aligned with our hypotheses that students would score higher grades when writing essays with the help of ChatGPT, and that students who used ChatGPT for the first essay would score higher in the second essay which was without the use of ChatGPT. The findings provide insights on the usefulness of ChatGPT and how its further development can enhance student learning experiences. The study signifies the importance and reliability of AI tools like ChatGPT in the education sector
Ground reaction force and centre of pressure during the golf swing and associations with clubhead speed and skill level: a systematic review
No full textBackground: Optimising performance with a driver, fairway woods and long irons is a key focus for many players, with the primary goal of hitting the ball as far as possible while maintaining the ball in play. As such, recent years have seen a strong focus in the literature on how to maximise performance off the tee by investigating the factors that lead to the increase in clubhead speed (CHS). These factors include: i) effective use of ground reaction force (GRF) during the swing, and ii) the path followed by the centre of pressure (CoP).
Objectives: The primary purpose of this systematic review was to investigate GRF and CoP within golf research and to identify what association there is to CHS and skill level.
Methods: This systematic review followed the most recent PRISMA 2020 guidelines. In total, 129 studies where initially retrieved from SPORTDiscus, Medline and CINAHL databases, with studies meeting the inclusion criteria being subject to the Newcastle-Ottawa’s quality assessment criteria (with a maximum score of 9 being possible).
Results: A total of 24 studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. Nine empirical investigations showed moderate to strong relationships between either: i) CoP and CHS, or ii) GRF and CHS. In addition, more skilled golfers tended to exhibit higher GRF and superior CHS than less skilled golfers. From a quality assessment standpoint, all 24 studies scored either a 7 or 8.
Conclusions: Both changes in CoP and GRF represent important factors which contribute to superior golf performance, as defined by increases in CHS or reduced handicaps. Clearly defined methods for assessing force during the golf swing and universal terminology regarding GRF and CoP metrics, are recommended for further research
Archives and endurance: a roundtable discussion
No full textInterweaving the perspectives of eight contributors who share a range of experiences with archives from founders and creators to users and researchers, this roundtable discussion explores the dynamic connections that link artistic and creative practice; different forms of grassroots organizing; and the formation, care, maintenance and use of archives. Rather than a static or closed institutional repository, archives emerge through this discussion as crucial resources for art production and activism alike, providing connections with previous initiatives and campaigns, as well as future-oriented, embodied, and dialogic modes of engagement. At the same time, the participants consider the vulnerability and potential co-option of archives, particularly in a context of austerity politics, neoliberalism, digitization and AI, and the rise of far-right extremism, while attending to the dynamics of surveillance and control involved in processes of institutionalisation
Why individuals do not visit a destination? The role of familiarity and novelty seeking in shaping non-visitors’ destination image
Full text linkNon-visitors constitute a large but underexplored market pool with strong potential for tourist destinations. Drawing on the mere exposure and motivation frameworks, this study explores image differences among two groups of non-visitors (i.e., uninterested, unable to visit), along with the underlying factors for such variations. Findings drawn from two studies suggest that the groups significantly differ in terms of their images, novelty, familiarity, and intentions toward a destination. For the uninterested group it is familiarity, along with cognitive and affective image that shape intentions; while novelty and familiarity are the key determinants of conative image for those who cannot visit. The study contributes to the tourism marketing literature by demonstrating clear differences on destination image and its determinants across the two groups of non-visitors. In practical terms, such knowledge proves prudent in cultivating a place’s novelty, familiarity and desirability, thereby increasing the possibility that more non-visitors turn into goers
The early-stage, equity finance journey of potential high-growth companies in the UK
No full textEarly-stage equity finance plays a critical role in supporting the commercialisation strategies of potential high-growth firms and helping them to scaleup. This study explores the under researched early-stage equity funding of UK potential high growth startups. The study provides a market assessment drawn from key informants and draws on a unique survey of 1200 UK startup firms seeking equity in the period from 2023-2025.The report finds that despite a broadening of the SME equity finance base in the UK in recent times, accessing early-stage equity rounds remains very tough. Insights are revealed in terms of the numbers of applications, stages of application process bottlenecks, timelines and success rates of equity applications. Recommendations for improved government support for tax incentives, and targeted patient capital and minority entrepreneur policies are made
Influence of temperament and personality on help-seeking and mental health service use
No full textUnderstanding what factors facilitate help-seeking and mental health service use is crucial given the economic and personal costs involved. Temperament and personality traits have been shown to influence the likelihood of accessing mental health services but the mechanisms driving this association remain unclear. In the current study, 29 young adults were interviewed regarding their help-seeking behavior and attitudes. Participants were chosen based on temperament and personality (disposition) profile, developed from a latent class analysis (LCA) that demonstrated four groups. Resilient: individuals with high positive affect, agreeableness and conscientiousness, Reserved: high agreeableness and conscientious, moderate inhibition and low negative affect Overcontrolled: high negative affect and inhibition, and low positive affect and Undercontrolled: high negative affect, low agreeableness and conscientiousness and moderate extraversion. Results suggest the disposition styles may influence help-seeking preferences and be associated with how young adults engage with mental health services. Therefore, disposition may be useful for services to take into account when considering how young people seek help for problems and connect with services
Closeness, distance, quality in reading
Full text linkLe projet de « lecture distante » (Moretti 2013), par opposition au processus établi de « lecture attentive », a été lancé parallèlement aux humanités numériques et aux possibilités ouvertes par l'analyse des mégadonnées et d'autres méthodes computationnelles. Cependant, Moretti (2000) avait déjà exposé les possibilités de la lecture distante dans un récapitulatif de la méthode de l'école des Annales. On peut soutenir que ces méthodes informatiques ont une histoire encore plus longue (Igarashi 2015). Ce qui marque l'opposition entre la lecture attentive et la lecture distante est souvent considéré comme une question d'échelle, avec parfois pour corollaire que la lecture distante entraîne un manque d'attention et une perte de concentration (éditeurs de SubStance 2009). Cet article examine la critique de la lecture distante par opposition à la lecture attentive. Il considère de manière critique l'idée selon laquelle l'échelle de lecture équivaut à la qualité, cette dernière étant entendue comme une interprétation plus nuancée sur le plan affectif et mettant l'accent sur le travail du lecteur pour négocier les différences entre « les déterminants extrinsèques et intrinsèques de l'échelle littéraire » (Orlemanski 2014 : 230). L'article soutiendra également que la question de l'échelle est plus complexe que ne le laisse supposer la dichotomie apparente entre les méthodes quantitatives et qualitatives (Eve 2019). Il cherchera à démontrer comment les nouveaux débats sur la nature même de la lecture (Trasmundi et Cobley 2021 ; Engberg et al 2023) remettent en question et renforcent les promesses de l'intelligence artificielle en matière d'échelle.The project of ‘distant reading’ (Moretti 2013), as opposed to the established process of ‘close reading’, was inaugurated parallel with both digital humanities and the possibilities opened by Big Data analysis and other computational methods. Already, however, Moretti (2000) had set out the possibilities of distant reading in a recapitulation of Annales School method. Arguably, such computational methods have a longer history still (Igarashi 2015). What marks the opposition of close and distant reading is often assumed to be the issue of scale, sometimes with the corollary that distant reading entails a lack of attention and a loss of focus (Editors of SubStance 2009). This paper will examine the criticism of distant reading in opposition to close reading. It will critically consider the idea that scale in reading is equivalent to quality, the latter in the sense of a more affectively nuanced interpretation and with its emphasis on the reader’s work in negotiating differences of “extrinsic and intrinsic determinants of literary scale” (Orlemanski 2014: 230). The paper will also argue that the matter of scale is more complicated than the apparent dichotomy of quantitative vs. qualitative methods would seem to imply (Eve 2019). It will seek to demonstrate the ways in which new debates about the character of reading itself (Trasmundi and Cobley 2021; Engberg et al 2023), challenge and augment the scale-related promises of Artificial Intelligence
The role of the mentoring programme manager
No full textChapter three focuses on the mentoring programme manager’s role, highlighting the increasing professionalisation of the role, guided by frameworks like the EMCC Global Programme Manager Quality Award (PMQA) and Individual Programme Manager Accreditation (IPMA). We set out their responsibilities, spanning programme planning, financial management, governance, stakeholder engagement, participant recruitment, training, evaluation, risk management, and quality assurance. We also explore the role of the steering group and the programme managers’ need to champion mentoring, secure leadership buy-in, and sustain engagement, navigating challenges such as funding constraints, evolving workplace needs, and stakeholder expectations. Common obstacles are identified, from limited resources to the complexities of equality, diversity, and inclusion, as well as integrating new technologies and demonstrating impact. The chapter concludes that the role is dynamic and multifaceted, demanding a blend of expertise, adaptability, and commitment to ensuring that mentoring initiatives achieve organisational and individual growth