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A confluence of interests in Filipino seafarers’ employment on EU-flagged ships : the European Commission as regulatory intermediary in Philippine compliance to the STCW Convention
No full textOver a 15-year period beginning in 2006, the European Commission (EC), through the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), inspected Philippine compliance to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), which governs globally the training, certification, and watchkeeping of seafarers. This article examines the EC as a regulatory actor, approaching it through the lens of regulatory intermediation. Drawing on interviews and analysis of documents, reports, and secondary literature, it identifies a confluence of interests among the regulator, intermediary, and target as a vitally important element that led to an outcome beneficial to all but especially the EU and the Philippines. The Philippines implemented the most consequential reforms ever undertaken in its maritime administration and education infrastructure resulting in the EC’s continued recognition of the certificates of Filipino seafarers that guaranteed their continued employment on European Union (EU)-flagged ships
WFPC7001: An Introduction to Managing Practice Quality (M1 English)
No full textTaught day materials (English) from module 1; An Introduction to Managing Practice Quality
The ‘objective necessity’ of resistance : corporeal fragility against algocracy
Get PDFBased on: Fleming, Peter. Capitalism and Nothingness: Critical theory in unwanted times. London: Bloomsbury, 2025
Unleashing social commerce : the power of persuasion knowledge on social commerce information sharing in positive brand behaviour
Get PDFPurpose.
The study aims to examine the role of social commerce in shaping persuasion knowledge (first-tier consequence) and driving positive brand-related outcomes (second-tier consequence). It leverages uses and gratifications theory and persuasion knowledge theory to better understand the theorised relationships.
Design/methodology/approach.
This study uses a synergistic quantitative approach, a novel method in this field, to examine data obtained from 335 active social commerce users. Relationships among the exogenous and endogenous variables are analysed using structural equation modelling, spotlight analysis and probabilistic analysis to validate the proposed model.
Findings.
Results show that social commerce, influenced by contextual factors like media richness and content trustworthiness, significantly encourages positive, persuasive communication. This fosters the development of favourable persuasion knowledge, which leads to positive brand behavioural outcomes. Spotlight analysis revealed that at high levels of media richness and content trustworthiness, social commerce information sharing exerts a stronger effect on persuasion knowledge. At lower and medium levels, this effect is weaker. Content trustworthiness and media richness play a crucial role in promoting brand co-creation, boosting brand advocacy and increasing resistance to brand switching.
Practical implications.
The use of probabilistic analysis provides valuable insights for scholars and practitioners, helping them understand how to leverage the impact of social commerce on brand dynamics.
Originality/value.
The study contributes to social commerce, persuasion knowledge and branding literature by providing unique insights into developing favourable persuasion knowledge and its effects on brand behavioural outcomes within social commerce. It highlights the importance of social commerce and its contextual factors as key drivers of persuasive communication. The use of probabilistic analysis provides valuable insights for scholars and practitioners, helping them understand how to leverage social commerce’s impact on brand dynamics
The language of alcohol: Similarities and differences in how drinkers and policymakers frame alcohol consumption
Get PDFIntroduction.
The primary objective of the paper was to compare semantic domains reported by drinkers and policymakers in their alcohol consumption narratives. The research question was ‘How do drinkers and policymakers use semantic domains to construct alcohol consumption narratives?’.
Design.
Secondary analysis of open-ended survey responses (The Drinker Corpus: TDC) and three English alcohol policies (The Policy Corpus: TPC).
Methods.
Wmatrix software was used to identify semantic domains that appeared more frequently in our corpora compared to general usage. Wmatrix outputs a log-likelihood (LL) score; a score of 6.63 corresponds to a p value of 0.05, indicating frequently used domains.
Results.
Five domains appeared more frequently in both corpora than general usage: ‘Cause & Effect/Connection’; ‘Disease’; ‘Drinks and Alcohol’; ‘Excessive drinking’; ‘Knowledge’ (LL >226.68 for all). Domains were represented differently in the two corpora; the TPC focused on long-term health consequences, like liver disease, whereas the TDC talked about short-term consequences like hangovers. The ‘Emotional actions’ domain appeared in the TDC more than expected (LL = 231.26). Drinkers reported experiencing positive and negative emotions following drinking. The ‘Social actions/states/processes’ domain was used more frequently in the TPC than expected (LL = 408.17). Policymakers talked about changing ‘behaviour’ in partnership with organisations rather than working with drinkers.
Discussion and Conclusions.
This study shows that while drinker and policymaker alcohol consumption narratives draw on the same semantic domains, how these domains are used to construct these narratives differs. To improve the effectiveness of policy initiatives, we recommend greater dialogue between policymakers and drinkers
Queering UK refugee law : sexual diversity and asylum administration
No full textIn the context of a global backlash against both migrant and LGBTIQA+ rights , this book critically examines the experiences of LGBTIQA+ people within the UK asylum system. The book draws on interviews with refugees, legal practitioners and charity workers to analyse the systemic challenges faced by LGBTIQA+ people seeking asylum. By blending empirical data and critical theory, the text highlights the contradictions between the UK’s purportedly LGBTIQA+ inclusive narratives and its treatment of sexually diverse refugees, offering insights for researchers, practitioners and policy makers on the pressures facing LGBTIQA+ people within the asylum system
Recovery After Critical Illness: A Meta‐Ethnography of Patient, Family and Staff Perspectives
Get PDFAim
To synthesise primary qualitative studies reporting experiences of post-hospital recovery for critical care survivors, their family and the healthcare professionals supporting them with a particular focus on physical impairment.
Design
The review was conducted through a meta-ethnography using the seven stages of Noblit and Hare.
Methods
Qualitative studies or mixed-method studies which included qualitative research were included if they were based on the phenomenon of interest. Study quality was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist and confidence in the findings with the GRADE CERQual framework.
Data Sources
Five electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED and PEDro) were searched from inception to February 2022 and updated in November 2024. Grey literature for primary qualitative studies was also searched.
Results
A total of 26,249 studies were initially screened, and 38 eligible studies were analysed. Four themes were distilled describing the experiences of critical care survivors, their family members and staff involved in their care: ‘I survived, but I didn't thrive’, ‘Healthcare was there to save my life, but not for my long-term recovery’, ‘I am a burden on my family, and they feel the weight of carrying me’ and ‘My body still doesn't work like it used to’.
Conclusion
This meta-ethnography is unique in bringing together the experiences of patients recovering from critical illness, their families, and the staff who support them after hospital discharge. Ongoing diverse physical impairments prevented patients from thriving, significantly impacting family members. All groups clearly identified unmet rehabilitation needs following critical illness
Genetic and environmental influences on sweet taste liking and related traits : new insights from twin cohorts
Get PDFReducing sugar intake is a key component of global health policies and dietary guidelines. However, individuals vary substantially in sweet-liking, commonly characterized by sweet-liking status (extreme sweet-likers, moderate sweet-likers, and sweet-dislikers), yet the heritability of these categories remains unexplored. Monozygotic and dizygotic twins from Finland (FinnTwin12; n = 468; 60% female, aged 21–24) and the UK (TwinsUK; n = 967; 90% female, aged 18–81) rated their liking and perceived intensity of a 20% (w/v) sucrose solution, reported their liking and consumption-frequency of food and beverages and completed additional behavioral, eating and personality measures. We estimated the contribution of additive genetic (A), nonadditive genetic (D), shared (C), and unshared environmental factors (E) in the variance and covariance of sweet-liking (defined ordinally through sweet-liking status and continuously) with related traits to see if they share similar proportions of genetic and environmental factors. Model-fitting indicated 30–48% of the variability in sweet-liking was attributed to (A) additive genetic factors and 52–70% to (E) environmental exposures not shared by siblings. Importantly, such AE models consistently fit best, regardless of sex, cohort, or sweet-liking assessment method. Broadly, correlations between sweet-liking and behavioral, eating, and personality measures were modest (–0.19 to 0.21), mostly positive and largely driven by shared genetic rather than environmental factors, with the strongest relationship seen for reported liking, consumption-frequency and craving for sweet foods. We demonstrate that unshared environment modulates individual differences in sweet-liking alongside a substantial genetic component that is partly shared with reported liking, consumption-frequency and craving for sweet foods
Reconciling conservation and sustainability: Energy-efficient retrofit strategies in listed buildings through the case of Charlbury Corner House
No full textThe decarbonisation of the built environment is a central challenge in the transition towards Net Zero, particularly in the United Kingdom, where a significant proportion of the building stock is listed for its cultural and historical value. Heritage buildings are often characterised by poor thermal performance, limited insulation, and regulatory restrictions that complicate the implementation of standard retrofit measures. This dissertation explores strategies for energy-efficient retrofitting of listed buildings, with a focus on Charlbury Corner House, a Grade II listed building in Oxfordshire. The research aims to identify retrofit interventions that improve energy performance while respecting conservation principles and national policy targets.
The study adopted a quantitative methodology combining three main approaches: an energy audit based on electricity bills and heating degree days; indoor environmental monitoring of temperature using data loggers during winter and summer; and building performance simulation with DesignBuilder software. A physical survey was also conducted to document the construction fabric and support the case study analysis.
The findings reveal a building with very high heating demand and significant performance gaps. The simulation estimated an annual requirement of approximately 317 kWh/m²/a, far above benchmark values. Monitoring confirmed that indoor temperatures regularly fell below 10°C in winter, highlighting the mismatch between theoretical heating needs and actual energy consumption. Analysis of the thermal envelope showed that external walls account for most heat losses, over half of the total, while windows and the basement floor represent secondary sources. Although recent interventions, such as the installation of secondary glazing, improved window performance by reducing transmission losses by nearly 40%, their overall impact remains limited compared with potential wall insulation strategies.
These results underline the importance of adopting a “fabric-first” approach in heritage retrofits, prioritising interventions on walls and major envelope elements before addressing smaller components.
The contribution of this research lies in bridging technical evidence with conservation practice. By demonstrating that targeted retrofit measures can significantly improve energy performance without compromising heritage value, the study provides transferable insights for similar listed buildings across the UK. It also reinforces the need for policy frameworks that encourage context-sensitive solutions rather than prescriptive approaches. Ultimately, this research highlights that heritage buildings, rather than being obstacles, can become active participants in the Net Zero agenda when conservation and sustainability are carefully balanced
Overheating Risks in UK Passivhaus Office: Occupant Behaviour and Passive Design Performance with PHPP
No full textPassivhaus-certified buildings are known for their ultra-low energy use, high level airtightness, and super-insulated building envelope. These features are highly effective for reducing heat loss and ensuring thermal comfort during winter season. However, their highly insulated and airtight building envelope can increase the risk of overheating during summer, particularly in the context of climate change (Mitchell and Nataraja, 2018). As Passivhaus buildings become increasingly popular, it is important to carry out research that examines specifically the weakness, and limitations to mitigate the risk of overheating (Goncalves et al, pg.2). One of the key factors contributing to the overheating in Passivhaus buildings is unanticipated occupant behaviour after handover, particularly in how operational choices affect overheating risks (Gupta and Gregg, pg.24). This dissertation aims to assess summertime overheating risk in a UK non-domestic Passivhaus-certified office building which is Bicester Eco Business Centre (BEBC) in Oxfordshire and to evaluate the effectiveness of selected passive design strategies (including external shading, glazing ratio, low-g- value glazing, and exposed concrete thermal mass) alongside the influence of occupant operational behaviour (such as window opening patterns, use of internal shading, and night-time purge ventilation) using PHPP modelling. Overheating risk was simulated under current climate conditions using PHPP. Occupant surveys and interviews explored how operational behaviour influenced actual overheating risks and interacted with the building’s passive design features. The findings highlight that the success of passive design strategies in mitigating overheating depends strongly on occupant operational behaviour after handover, particularly in how users engage with shading, window operation, and ventilation to complement the building’s design features. The findings show that passive design features alone are not sufficient to ensure summer comfort unless occupants are well-informed, engaged, and empowered to use them effectively. Barriers such as lack of controls, conflicting priorities, or unclear guidance limited the intended performance of passive features. The study concludes that mitigating overheating in non-domestic Passivhaus buildings requires not only excellent design but also proactive user engagement, behavioral support, and context-aware modelling assumptions. These insights offer valuable lessons for future climate-resilient, low-energy office designs.
Key words: Passivhaus, Overheating Risks, Non-Domestic Building, Passive Design Strategies, Occupant Behaviour, PHPP Modelling, Thermal Comfort, Climate Resilience, User Interactio