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Module two resources - Evidencing Performance and Quality
No full textTMDP Module 2 resources for days 1 and 2
Demographic rates of Adélie penguins from Approximate Bayesian Computation and time-lapse cameras
No full textThe underlying mechanisms by which Pygoscelis penguin populations are changing cannot be fully understood without knowledge of how stressors influence specific phases of their life histories. We developed a method to estimate key vital rates of Adélie penguins- age-specific survival, breeding success, and breeding propensity- using Approximate Bayesian Computation and data from time series of abundances and breeding success samples. Our goals were to (1.) estimate demographic vital rates without tracking individuals, (2.) determine the spatial autocorrelation of breeding propensity, and (3.) assess whether auxiliary estimates of breeding success, such as from time-lapse cameras, can improve estimates of penguin demographic rates. We estimated demographic rates for eight Adélie penguin populations in the Antarctic Peninsula region and found that time series of abundances yielded the strongest inference on average adult survival, which our model assumed was shared by all populations, and mean breeding propensity rates for two populations. Adult survival and the highest and lowest cases of breeding propensity were likely discernible because they are strong drivers of trend and interannual variability, respectively. Breeding propensity rates varied by population, though were more similar to nearby populations. This points to breeding propensity being driven primarily by local environmental factors. Surprisingly, the inclusion of auxiliary breeding success data did not improve our estimates of demographic transitions or model performance. This study demonstrates that while some demographic insights remain limited without mark-recapture data, time series of abundances can provide key information on survival and breeding propensity that is readily and cost effectively scaled up
Digital hate, health and safety, and the labour politics of public academia : “Universities don’t value this sort of work at all”
Full text linkThis article examines the institutional cultures and contradictions surrounding public-facing academic work in UK universities, particularly in regard to the backlash and harm experienced by those engaging in public discourse. Drawing on survey responses and interviews with academics, professional services and senior management, and speaker accounts from a series of public events, we interrogate how the labour of public academia is simultaneously mandated, quantified, individualised and institutionally marginalised. We evidence the persistent (under)valuing of public academia both in material terms (time, workload, resourcing) and symbolic terms (prestige, legitimacy) within a sector shaped by conflicting institutional logics. This double bind enables universities to promote researcher visibility while absolving themselves of accountability for the vulnerabilities of public exposure. Until public-facing work is taken seriously as work, it will fall outside of institutional frameworks for workplace health and safety, leaving individuals to bear the consequences unsupported. This article contributes to emerging scholarship on the politics of academic visibility and safety in the context of intensified demands for public engagement
How the politics of culture and identity drive a gender gap among young voters : a study of UK voters in 2024
No full textIn recent years, a wide gender gap has emerged both in voting and in political ideology among young voters in a number of countries, with young women more likely to vote for left-wing and socially liberal parties than young men. The width of the gap, disproportionate in comparison with older generations, challenges explanations that propose (gradual) structural change. Using British Election Study Internet Panel Waves 27–29 around the UK's 2024 election, I estimate Generalized Additive Models (GAM) on Mokken-derived economic and cultural ideology scales. I find that the gender gap among the young is limited to issues of culture and identity, not economics. These results are consistent with conjunctural, gendered dynamics in the salience and framing of these issues and not fully consistent with a purely gradual, structural account
US satire and the everyday politics of decline
No full textThe paper analyses US satire as a cultural archive of American decline. Extending the everyday turn in global politics, we argue that US satire—from sitcoms like The Office to political parody shows like The Daily Show and dramas like Succession—reflects and narrates perceptions of decline in American political discourse. By comparing the burgeoning US satire industry at the start of the 21st Century with the British ‘satire boom’ of the 1960s, we highlight how this cultural archive of jokes and irony negotiates social anxieties about imperial decline. On one hand, we observe, US satire is dominated by a recurring attempt to resolve such anxieties through progressive liberal narratives of renewal. Yet, on the other hand, a more critical line of humour anticipates a deeper reckoning with the limits of US hegemony. Beyond mere entertainment, US satire serves as an important and productive site for understanding embedded global power hierarchies. An everyday politics approach to US satire can foreground the recurring myths of American exceptionalism and the contingent limits of liberal progressivism in addressing systemic crises. The paper develops the literature on US decline to transcend materialist questions of whether it ‘is’ or ‘is not’ happening to examine the prevalence of declinism in the popular psyche. As such, the argument contributes to the everyday turn in global politics by (further) centring the role of humour in constructing and developing the everyday practices and routines of global power even – or especially – in the more ‘resistant’ tones of satir
IPC - How to submit an assignment outline or project plan
No full textHow to submit an assignment outline or project plan to Moodle for IPC Student
University contributions to business cluster and localised economic development : The advantages of an expanded definition of university knowledge exchange and associated measurement challenges
Full text linkScholarship on university knowledge exchange activities is increasingly recognising a wider range of potential roles and impacts of higher education in economic development. For example, Kelleher and Ulrichsen’s (2024) model envisions five such roles – generative, supportive, boundary spanning, developmental, and transformative – and offers an expanded map of what universities are capable of or, in many cases, are actually doing. However, many of these activities are not tracked and can be difficult to measure. Higher education institutions hold a privileged place in literature on business clusters. As key sources of research, expertise, and skills, stakeholders interested in developing business clusters often seek to improve university-business relationships focusing on increasing relevant skills provision, boosting knowledge exchange, encouraging partnerships, promoting university involvement in cluster governance, and leveraging expertise to enhance place-based competitive advantage. All of which has tended to foreground university’s science and technology capabilities and their functions as economic actors. But what role do arts, humanities, and social sciences (AHSS) disciplines have for cluster development? And how does applying an AHSS lens to the roles of universities in clusters reveal challenges in developing metrics for evaluating impact across all disciplines? The paper suggests that applying an AHSS lens exposes important limitations in current metrics and evaluation frameworks, which are ill-equipped to capture the full spectrum of universityled value creation—including cross-disciplinary and social impacts. It draws from recent research on AHSS valorisation (Abdul-Rahman et al., 2025) and innovation clusters (Nelles et al., 2023, 2024, 2025) to advocate for an expanded definition of university knowledge exchange, one that recognises and makes visible the diverse ways that universities contribute to cluster development and socioeconomic growth beyond conventional commercialisation and science and technology-oriented frameworks
Applying social marketing techniques to reduce problematic drinking among UK university students : a quasi-systematic review
Full text linkPurpose.
University students are at a life-course stage of gaining independence in choices about health risk behaviours, including alcohol consumption. Individual, social and environmental factors within university settings contribute to the appeal of drinking. Social marketing has the potential to modify health behaviours, yet its application in alcohol reduction interventions remains unclear. This study aims to synthesise evidence on how social marketing techniques have been applied to reduce problematic drinking among UK university students.
Design/methodology/approach.
A quasi-systematic review was conducted using CINAHL, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Academic Search Complete, PsycINFO, SportDiscus, Web of Science and Business Source Complete. A narrative synthesis was conducted to identify the social marketing techniques applied within interventions and evaluate their usefulness.
Findings.
Eleven studies published between 2008 and 2019 met the inclusion criteria. All incorporated behavioural goal setting, consumer orientation, motivational exchange and methods mix, while fewer addressed theory, segmentation and targeting, competition or actionable insights. Application of social marketing was often ambiguous, with few interventions integrating multiple techniques. Only four studies reported significant reductions in alcohol consumption. Most studies exhibited moderate to high risk of bias, limiting confidence in their findings.
Originality/value.
By combining multiple studies and evaluating methodological quality, this review highlights how some social marketing techniques are underused in alcohol reduction interventions among university students, a population at higher risk of harm. The authors propose a programme of research to examine the effectiveness of comprehensive integration of social marketing techniques using rigorous evaluative methods
A low overhead chemical measurement architecture with memristive sensors
No full textMemristors, traditionally considered as non-volatile resistive memories for high-density applications, also exhibit excellent sensitivity to chemicals, making them suitable for chemical sensing with intrinsic memory capabilities. This paper introduces an innovative technique for directly measuring and digitising sensor readings, such as gas concentration, using the switching state of the device, which is influenced by the applied bias voltage or current in the presence of chemicals. When a sensor itself detects and measures a chemical property, its state changes, enabling the direct digitisation of the sensed information. The proposed memristive sensor employs a TiO2 based memristor as both the sensing and digitising element, and is evaluated using SPICE simulations with hydrogen gas (H2 ) at different concentrations. We present a calibration curve that establishes a reliable correlation between pulse counts and chemical concentration, highlighting the consistent relationship between switching behaviour and concentration levels. This method significantly reduces the reliance on separate analogue to digital converters (ADC), simplifying the sensor architecture in terms of power consumption and circuit complexity. Additionally, the inherent nonlinearity of the fabricated devices renders this digitisation method significantly nonlinear, which can provide an added layer of security to the measured information. This approach paves the way for compact, low-power chemical sensing nodes, making them suitable for future integrated environmental monitoring systems