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Fabrication of immiscible Cu-V alloy by high-pressure torsion
No full textThis study describes the fabrication of immiscible Cu-V alloys through the application of high-pressure torsion (HPT). For this purpose, stacked Cu/V/Cu disks were subjected to HPT from 0.5 to 250 turns under a pressure of 6.0 GPa at room temperature. The V layers became thinner and fragmented with increasing numbers of HPT turns but finally mixed well with the Cu matrix throughout the disk samples. After 200 turns HPT processing, the nanostructured Cu-V alloy displays a submicron level heterostructure with a mixture of coarser grains (~100 nm and high Cu content) and finer grain (~20-30 nm and high V content). An ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 1300 MPa with 3.5% elongation was achieved in a sample subjected to 200 turns HPT processing and post-HPT annealing at 773 K for 1 hr. Thus, the HPT-processed immiscible Cu-V alloy achieved not only a significant microstructural refinement but also a remarkable strength enhancement through the solid mixing of Cu and V at room temperature
The Padel paradox: Disruptive discourses and innovative practices in sport and leisure
No full textThrough the theoretical lens of disruptive innovation, this study explores the expansion of Padel in England. It examines the paradoxical situation whereby despite heightened popularity and unprecedented growth, the sport faces significant barriers which threaten to restrict future development. Using a qualitative approach, data were collected from participants through semi-structured interviews with both regular and ‘new’ participants from the Padel community in the South of England. Thematic analysis identified three main themes: (i) Barriers to Entry, (ii) Exposure and Expansion, and (iii) Governance and the role of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). Barriers to entry included financial barriers, infrastructural and geographical limitations, and issues surrounding accessibility and inclusivity. Broader findings revealed equipment costs and court hire presented obstacles for participating, whilst disparities between urban and rural regions exacerbated accessibility issues. Infrastructure limitations, notably court scarcity outside major conurbations coupled with limited indoor facilities, negatively impacted Padel participation. Concerns were raised amongst participants regarding governance issues and Padel’s perceived associations with exclusivity, mirroring challenges faced by traditional racquet sports, notably tennis. Recommendations to better support Padel development are proposed
Navigating the digital landscape: the impact of social media agility on customer-based brand equity, customer engagement, and customer motivation
Full text linkDespite the increasing number of social media users and the advantages linked to agility in other areas, the implementation of agility within a social media framework remains unexamined. This study aims to examine how perceived social media agility influences customer-based brand equity through the mediating roles of customer engagement and customer motivation. A quantitative method was utilized. Data was collected from 420 Social Networking Site users in Turkey using a questionnaire. The study utilised convenience sampling method to gather the data. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data, employing SmartPLS 4. The results show that perceived social media agility has a positive impact on customer-based brand equity, customer engagement, and customer motivation. Customer engagement and customer motivation were found to impact customer-based brand equity significantly. Furthermore, customer motivation has no significant impact on customer engagement. Change-seeking has a positive influence on customer engagement and customer motivation. Customer engagement and customer motivation were found to significantly mediate the link between perceived social media agility and customer-based brand equity. The study contributes to the literature by integrating social media agility into established frameworks of brand equity and consumer behaviour. Practically, the results suggest that firms should develop agile and responsive social media strategies to enhance customer engagement and strengthen brand equity
First Romanian health multi-stakeholder roundtable (24 November 2025): Event report
Full text linkThe first Romanian Health Roundtable Event took place on 24 November 2025 at the Romanian Consulate General in London. This was a multidisciplinary event consisting of two parts: presentations from experts (followed by a Q&A) and a workshop for reflections on potential solutions addressing health inequalities impacting Romanian nationals in the UK.
Aiming to bridge grassroots community initiatives, policy making and practice, this strategic event brought together over 70 public health practitioners, community leaders, policy makers, and researchers helping them to connect and explore three central themes, specific to the Romanian community: navigating the NHS, health inequalities, and attitudes towards vaccination. The shared aim was to highlight and progress existing work, generate insights, and co-design practical solutions for a common approach in tackling specific inequalities that this event aimed to address
What’s ‘critical’ in creative writing PhDs?
No full textThe PhD in creative writing, like other practice-oriented advanced degrees, suffers from academic scepticism and even disdain. Unlike other practice-focused degrees, it claims the label concerning philosophy, and with it a standard of making a contribution to knowledge. This paper responds a challenge to make explicit what types of knowledge the hybrid model of the degree – with its expectation of a book-length piece of creative work and a long essay – creates. It does so through examining accounts of the detrimental effects of the lack of clarity and the remedies students and supervisors have identified. It analyses the expectations that universities in Britain set and a personal account of undertaking such a project, before relating accounts of the practice in one such university and the problems that arose there. While prior accounts have considered work-arounds, this paper suggests we focus on what knowledge such work creates, how it is created, and to whose knowledge it contributes. Practitioners can thus see ways to decide whether to make more explicit what types of knowledge the degree can create and decide whether a different label might describe better the nature of the degree they choose to offer
Inspiring green choices: The influence of restaurant social responsibility on sustainable consumer habits
Full text linkReducing restaurant food waste depends on active consumer involvement, yet its psychological drivers remain underexplored. This study investigates how perceived restaurant social responsibility shapes consumer attitudes and ethical intentions toward food waste reduction, based on a survey of 246 restaurant consumers in Northern Cyprus. The results show that perceived consumer effectiveness fully mediates the CSR–attitude relationship, while trust shows no indirect effect and socially responsible consumption does not moderate the attitude– intention link. These findings highlight empowering consumers’ perceived impact, advancing understanding of food waste reduction, and offering actionable insights for restaurants and policymakers to promote sustainable consumption
'The best way we can stop suicides is by making lives worth living': a mixed-methods survey in the UK of perspectives on suicide prevention from the autism community
Full text linkBackground
Autistic people are at higher risk of dying by suicide than are non-autistic people, but research focused on suicide prevention in autistic individuals is lacking. We aimed to understand, from autistic people and those who support them, the pathways to suicide prevention, the balance of crisis measures vs. longer-term prevention, the importance of formal diagnosis, and the role of co-design and co-production in suicide prevention activities.
Methods
We undertook a mixed-methods, two-phase online survey focused on the priorities, views and perspectives of autistic people and their supporters/allies on approaches and strategies to prevent suicide. In Phase 1 (Jan 10–July 31, 2024), via the first survey, we collected and thematically analysed ideas for suicide prevention from almost 1200 autistic people and more than 200 people who identified as supporters and/or allies of autistic people. In Phase 2 (reported herein), a larger group of participants rated and ranked these ideas via a second online survey, during which we collected qualitative and quantitative data. Participants were UK residents aged ≥16 years who self-identified as being in one or more of the following groups: autistic; someone with experience supporting an autistic person of any age or ability; and/or someone with experience of bereavement by the suicide of an autistic person they supported. The online survey included closed-ended and open-ended (qualitative) questions. We thematically analysed free-text responses, and computed descriptive statistics for closed-ended questions.
Findings
Between Nov 1, 2024, and Jan 31, 2025, 2778 individuals responded to the online survey (Phase 2), comprising 2463 autistic people and 315 non-autistic people who identified as supporters/allies of autistic people, some of whom had been bereaved by the suicide of an autistic person. Although some participants reported that crisis interventions (eg, dedicated helplines) were most urgent, a greater number prioritised larger-scale preventative measures (eg, improving support in schools) to address systemic inequalities, which some participants perceived as the root of suicidal thoughts. Across their qualitative and quantitative responses, most participants recommended providing support to people awaiting autism assessment, but some were less supportive of providing dedicated autism supports to people who self-diagnose or who are questioning a possible autistic identity. The qualitative and quantitative data suggested that most participants viewed co-design and co-production of interventions and initiatives to prevent suicide as vital for ensuring these reflect the expertise and empathy that autistic people could bring to individuals struggling with similar experiences.
Interpretation
This qualitative work with experts by experience supports that suicide in autistic people should be viewed in the context of pervasive and systemic injustices, rather than individualistic psychopathology. Accordingly, the extent to which crisis interventions can reduce suicide rates is contingent on additional systemic, preventative, and coordinated actions to tackle the social determinants of suicide and support enduring wellbeing in this group. Support should be produced in partnership with autistic people and their advocates, and be needs-based rather than diagnosis-based. In future research, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers should develop community partnerships to facilitate co-development of strategic, multi-level action plans and initiatives for suicide prevention
Perfectionism, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and health-thinness-cleanliness motivations as primary correlates of orthorexia nervosa
No full textPurpose: Orthorexia Nervosa (ON) is characterized by an obsessive preoccupation with eating foods perceived as healthy or clean. Despite growing research interest, risk factors and underlying motivations for ON remain poorly understood. This study examined demographic factors, psychological correlates, and dietary motivations associated with ON symptomatology, building on McComb and Mills' (2019) theoretical model.
Methods: Participants (N= 697) completed validated measures of ON, alongside assessments of demographic factors (age, gender, socioeconomic status, dietary means), psychological variables (perfectionism, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, perceived control, perceived vulnerability to disease, past eating disorder diagnosis), and dietary motivations (thinness, health, cleanliness, muscularity, feeling mentally well).
Results: Three dietary motivations: desires to be thin, healthy, and clean were significantly associated with ON symptoms across both measures. Perfectionism (specifically perfectionistic striving) and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (particularly the 'washing' subscale reflecting contamination concerns) emerged as the strongest psychological predictors of ON symptomatology. Demographic variables (age, gender, socioeconomic status) were not associated with ON symptoms, although lower perceived dietary means was associated with higher ON symptomatology. Results were largely replicated using both ON scales.
Conclusion: ON appears driven by perfectionist striving and contamination-related obsessive-compulsive symptoms, alongside complex motivations that extend beyond health to also include thinness and cleanliness concerns. These findings suggest that ON represents a convergence of multiple motivational domains and highlights potential targets for intervention, including perfectionism-based and exposure-response prevention approaches adapted from obsessive-compulsive disorder and eating disorders treatments
Addressing food waste management challenges in NHS hospital kitchens
Full text linkFood waste within National Health Service (NHS) hospital kitchens constitutes a persistent and structurally embedded sustainability challenge with significant environmental, financial, and organisational
consequences. As one of the largest institutional food providers in the United Kingdom, the NHS prepares approximately 141 million patient meals annually. Despite this scale and the centrality of food to patient
care, food waste remains a material concern across healthcare settings. Current sector estimates indicate that reducing avoidable food waste by 50% could deliver savings of approximately £43 million annually,
alongside improvements in patient experience, operational efficiency and environmental performance (NHS England, 2026).
Beyond financial considerations, food waste represents a critical sustainability issue, embodying wasted agricultural inputs, energy, labour, and water, while contributing to greenhouse gas emissions through production and disposal. This study critically examines sustainability and food waste management practices in NHS hospital kitchens in England. Using a purposive sample (n=37) with a structured questionnaire administered to healthcare chefs, catering managers, and sustainability and facilities professionals, the study conceptualises food waste not as a discrete operational inefficiency but as a socio-technical and behavioural phenomenon embedded within complex healthcare
systems. The analysis is informed by the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB - Ajzen, 1991) applied in the context Healthcare Catering Food Waste Reduction (HCFW); the proposed theoretical framework extends
the original TPB model by integrating organisational support, policy mandates, digital infrastructure, and feedback mechanisms.
The findings reveal a consistent disconnect between awareness and action. While respondents demonstrated high levels of awareness of sustainability policies and NHS Net Zero ambitions, this awareness
did not consistently translate into effective food waste reduction practices. Food waste continues to be driven by structural and operational constraints, including overproduction, dietary complexity, patient non-consumption, workforce instability, and fragmented
approaches to measurement and reporting. Behavioural intentions to reduce waste are frequently undermined by limited perceived behavioural control, uneven access to training, and weak organisational
feedback loops.
Rather than framing food waste as a technical or managerial problem alone, this report argues that waste in NHS hospital kitchens is best understood as an outcome of organisational culture, governance
arrangements, and everyday decision-making under conditions of clinical uncertainty and institutional constraint. Meaningful and sustained reductions in food waste require the alignment of behavioural change initiatives with systemic reform, supported by long term
investment in skills development, robust data infrastructures, and visible leadership commitment. The report concludes by outlining implications for policymakers seeking to enable more sustainable healthcare food systems
River barriers as a driver of elevated mortality rates in an iteroparous anadromous fish
Full text linkAnadromous fishes are vulnerable to anthropogenic stressors, especially river fragmentation, with the conservation of iteroparous populations requiring an understanding of survival during their freshwater migrations. Here, spatial, temporal and biological drivers of mortality were determined during the spawning migrations of iteroparous anadromous twaite shad Alosa fallax in the highly fragmented River Severn basin, western Britain. Acoustic telemetry tracked 393individuals over seven successive spawning migrations. Shad mortality rates in areas immediately downstream of migration barriers were more than double compared to unimpeded river sections, but the extent of excess mortality varied between individual barriers. In-river mortality differed between years for returning shad, but there were no significant temporal patterns of mortality within migrations. Newly tagged shad and returning individuals had similar survival rates, and increasing size was the only significant biological predictor of mortality, with sex and spawning history not significant. These results suggest that where migration barriers increase mortality rates, the population- stabilizing and resilience benefits of iteroparity may be reduced, so river fragmentation mitigations should focus on both improving passage and reducing hazard exposure