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Is Alternative Care on the Violence Against Children Agenda? A Review of Pledges Made at the 1st Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children
No full textIn 2024, the 1st Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children (VAC) brought together 103 governments to make formal commitments to prevent and respond to VAC. This review analyses the pledges announced at the time of the conference, while acknowledging that some governments may have subsequently refined or expanded their commitments, as noted in the limitations. With a focus on how alternative care, family strengthening and family-based care feature within broader VAC strategies. Recognising that violence is both a driver for entry into care and a significant factor within care systems, the review explores trends, gaps and emerging priorities across national contexts. It identifies where countries have made explicit commitments to care reform, highlights financial and accountability mechanisms, and considers the implications for children in alternative care. The findings underscore the need to integrate care reform as a central pillar in efforts to end VAC globally
‘The Cheese that Tastes Good and Does Good’: Corporate Social Responsibility and National Belonging in ICA’s Folke Cheese Initiative
No full textThis paper critically examines the Folke Initiative, a corporate social responsibility project launched by the Swedish supermarket retailer ICA in 2017 and linked to its hard cheese brand, Folke. Using a historical-archival approach to multimodal critical discourse analysis, the study traces the Initiative’s evolution across product development, launch and promotion, call to action, and impact, analysing social media campaigns, promotional videos, packaging, and websites. The analysis demonstrates how ICA constructs Folke as a symbol of national identity, embedding banal nationalist cues, familiar landscapes, and rural imagery, while linking consumption to collective responsibility and social good. While the Initiative foregrounds community engagement, sustainability, and national cohesion, it offers limited solutions to structural social and economic inequalities. Folke, thus, exemplifies how food packaging—and its associated promotional materials—can function as strategic instruments, aligning with Swedish social-democratic values while extending corporate influence over local communities. By presenting everyday consumption as a contribution to society, ICA positions itself as a socially responsible actor, even as the long-term efficacy of the Initiative remains uncertain. Overall, this case contributes new insights into the temporal evolution of CSR discourse, the multimodal construction of product-based social responsibility, and the national specificity of sustainability practices in the Swedish food retail sector
Book Launch : Examining Stereotypes and Parenting Behaviours of South Asian Heritage Parents: Discourse and Case Studies
No full textThe Book Launch was organised by the the Centre for Global Challenges and Social Justice (GCSJ) inviting global audience for the discussion and showcasing of the book content and related conversations.
Examining Stereotypes and Parenting Behaviors of Asian Heritage Parents: Discourse and Case Studies offers a pioneering solution to this problem. It represents a ground breaking initiative to break free from the constraints of traditional research methodologies and provide an unfiltered, in-depth look at the real narratives of South Asian parents in the UK. By weaving together the psychological, emotional, social, and cultural dimensions of parenting, this book uncovers a holistic view of this complex journey, one that transcends the limitations of sociology, psychology, or cultural studies. It does not aim to solve problems but rather seeks to capture authentic "family stories" and parenting experiences directly from the voices of the parents themselves
Water Vapor Vertical Distribution on Mars After Six Years of TGO/NOMAD Solar Occultations: 1. Global Climatology
No full textWe present vertical profiles of water vapor obtained during six continuous years of solar occultation observations in the infrared by the Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery (NOMAD) instrument on board Trace Gas Orbiter. The retrievals have been performed with an inversion code previously applied to smaller samples of this data set, but improved to combine pairs of diffraction orders allowing for sounding water vapor up to about 120 km altitude. As a first part of a set of two papers, this study presents the most extended data set of water vapor measurements from the NOMAD instrument to date, covering three full and consecutive Martian Years. Building upon previous researches primarily focused on the perihelion season, this analysis now includes the aphelion season, offering a comprehensive view of Mars' water cycle. Observations from April 2018 to December 2023 were analyzed, covering perihelion of Mars Year (MY) 34 to aphelion of MY 37 and presenting water vapor vertical profiles from approximately 5–10 km to 110–120 km in altitude. This study reveals consistent seasonal and latitudinal water vapor patterns, showing water vapor systematically more vertically extended during the perihelion season than during the aphelion. We present an extensive analysis of the water vapor local time variability, confirming overall larger abundances during the evenings than during mornings. These data provide new insights into the vertical distribution of atmospheric water vapor on Mars, aiding future comparisons and global climate model validation
Further updates to the Committee on Space Research Planetary Protection Policy for missions to Icy Worlds
No full textRecent discoveries have underscored the potential habitability of outer Solar System bodies like icy moons and dwarf planets. Such discoveries have elevated these bodies to high-priority targets for future astrobiology missions. However, the exploration of these environments necessitates a review and update of existing Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) planetary protection policies in view of new discoveries and to be more encompassing. A recent study by Doran et al. (Doran et al. 2024 Life Sci. Space Res. 41, 86–99. (doi:10.1016/j.lssr.2024.02.002)) proposed modifications to the COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy. Here, members of the COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection (PPP) update those proposals based on additional community input garnered since that publication. Updates include (i) a refined definition of Icy Worlds, (ii) establish Ceres as an Icy World in addition to others under this new definition, (iii) the creation and explanation of the two-stage probability calculation for Icy Worlds, and (iv) ensuring that samples returned from an Icy World follow the same six-question framework used for small bodies in the current policy to determine whether they require restricted or unrestricted return. By incorporating critical updates, we aim to ensure the responsible exploration of these potentially life-bearing worlds while safeguarding their pristine state for future scientific investigation. The input presented in this paper will be used to make final proposals for changes to the COSPAR Policy regarding Icy Worlds by the PPP. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Planetary Protection for sustainable space exploration’
Isolator/glovebox technical challenges for the curation of samples returned from Mars
No full textMars sample return (MSR) is classified by COSPAR as a Class V restricted science mission because of the non-zero risk that selected rock and regolith may contain an unknown extra-terrestrial microbiology. Once returned to Earth, the samples will be initially curated in a specialized high-containment sample receiving facility (SRF), using isolators that meet or exceed the containment standards of a Class III biosafety cabinet (BSC). A key challenge in designing such a facility is integrating biological containment with ultra-clean cabinet operations for curation. A double-walled isolator (DWI) concept is often discussed as a containment solution to this challenge. To support planetary protection (PP) requirements of the mission, a DWI breadboard (DWI BB) model has been developed in the UK to demonstrate and test the double-wall concept. Its multi-barrier technology enables the safe handling/movement, analysis and curation of precious samples in a pristine environment. This article explores the technical challenges of sample curation under high containment and how the double-wall design, incorporating a tertiary pressure barrier, supports enhanced Class III BSC development within a biosafety level (BSL) 3 or 4 (BSL-3/4) laboratory. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Planetary Protection for sustainable space exploration’
An ensemble binning approach to identify functional diversity in cleanroom environments
No full textCleanroom environments, crucial for spacecraft assembly, are subject to stringent sterilization protocols to minimize microbial contamination. However, tolerant microbes can persist and pose a potential risk for planetary protection. This study employs an ensemble binning approach, integrating multiple metagenome binning programs, to analyse published metagenomic datasets generated from NASA cleanrooms to investigate functional diversity within cleanrooms. Twenty-six medium and high-quality, non-redundant metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) spanning six bacterial phyla were generated. Functional analysis of these MAGs identified potential metabolic pathways for the degradation of commonly used cleaning agents, suggesting that these compounds could serve as carbon sources. Furthermore, genomic analyses identified diverse physiological tolerances, with many MAGs possessing polyextremophilic traits, including resistance to high salinity, temperature and alkalinity. Growth rate index (GRiD) analysis also suggested some MAGs were actively replicating within the cleanroom environments. This study demonstrates the power of ensemble binning in revealing the functional diversity and adaptive strategies of cleanroom microbiomes and provides critical insights for refining planetary protection protocols. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Planetary Protection for sustainable space exploration’
The Wolfenden Report, homosexuality, and women
No full textIn 1957, the Committee on Homosexual Offences and Prostitution, better known as the Wolfenden Committee, published its report. That publication retains a higher profile than many other legal developments of the 1950s thanks to its cultural as well as legal effects. Legislation implementing its recommendations – the Street Offences Act 1959 and Sexual Offences Act 1967 – remained in force for the remainder of the century. More profoundly, the Wolfenden Report encouraged the shift to a liberal approach for sexual offences law which remains influential in the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
This chapter focuses upon the part of the Report addressing homosexual offences, especially its implications for women. The Report is well-known for its recommendation that sexual activity between men should be partially decriminalised; this was eventually given legal effect by the 1967 Act. Academic analysis has also established its importance in importing the concepts of ‘homosexuality’ and ‘the homosexual’ into the law of England and Wales. Its significance for legal understandings of women’s same-sex relationships is less obvious, since it made no recommendations on these, and statute law on sex between women was unchanged. Indeed, ‘female homosexuality’ receives only passing mention in the Report. Nonetheless, this chapter argues that Wolfenden was a watershed moment for the regulation of sex between women, as well as for public perceptions of it. Lesbianism had previously been understood as a distinct phenomenon but was now reconceptualised as ‘female homosexuality’. This marked it as parallel to, but also less prevalent, less troublesome, and less sexual than, male homosexuality. The Wolfenden Report was therefore the start of a transformation in the wider approach of courts, Parliament, and broader campaigns whose repercussions continue to be felt today in both law and wider culture
The golf and strength and conditioning coach interface: A model to optimise performance support for golfers
No full textThe benefits of strength and conditioning (S&C) for golf are well established in the empirical scientific evidence base. While more longitudinal training studies are required, recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses have confirmed the viability of S&C for golfers, particularly for improving clubhead speed, a critical performance determinant. Golfer support is also evolving, whereby the historic “team” of golfer and golf coach is expanded. Elite golfers seek additional coaching from various sport science disciplines including S&C in the quest for sustained optimal performance. However, until recently, how S&C integrates within an overall golf plan had not been considered. Our research addressed this knowledge gap. This article is the first to synthesise these findings, make practical recommendations for golfers and their support team and suggestions for future research. The article highlights a continued need for improved communication between S&C coach, golf coach, and golfer. The golfer’s wants and needs are not always aligned to those of the golf coach and the qualities the S&C coach needs to possess, vary depending on the perceptions and practices of the golf coach and/or golfer. The S&C coach also needs to be cognisant of their varying overall impact on performance potential in a highly technical sport
Measuring Children’s Actual Exposure to Unhealthy Food Marketing in (and With) Digital Media: A Narrative Scoping Review
No full textThis review aimed to identify and evaluate methods to measure children’s actual exposure (marketing that actually reaches children) to food marketing in digital media. Monitoring actual marketing exposure in digital media is challenging. It is delivered via complex, data-driven, personalized systems to children’s personal devices—so viewing this presents privacy and methodological challenges. Digital marketing monitoring therefore often instead assesses potential exposure (marketing that children are likely to encounter in their usual digital places). Yet, measuring actual exposure is essential for policy development, enforcement, and research. We searched for eligible articles published during 2000–2024 using free-text searches combined with database thesauruses in Academic Search Complete (EBSCOhost), Ovid Medline, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), PsycInfo (EBSCOhost), and Scopus. A horizon scan, gray literature search, and consultation with experts were also performed. Data extracted were (1) type of method and tools, (2) how the method captures data, (3) challenges and limitations, (4) researcher burden, (5) recruitment and retention, (6) privacy, and (7) food marketing definitions and nutrient profiling system applied. We identified 25 sources (reporting on 16 studies) and grouped these into 4 methods clusters, each with different attributes and limitations: screen capture, where participants’ device screen is recorded while they use it; wearable cameras, which capture participants’ exposure to all marketing across a day; screenshots of self-identified marketing captured by participants themselves; and automated extraction of paid advertising metadata using software installed on participants’ devices. Screen capture is currently the optimal method. No identified method is straightforward: all carry a heavy data management and analysis load and involve trade-offs of validity, ease of use, privacy, and overall cost. Capturing children’s screens with currently available tools is challenging, but the benefits are clear, as identifying children’s actual exposure to harmful marketing in digital media is essential