Entanglements with the fireside and responses to low carbon heating transitions: analysis using Actor Network Theory

This paper sets out early findings from the UK component of a European project seeking to establish a social and cultural history of home heating, in order to distil lessons for a more socially conscious shift from fossil fuelled to low carbon heating systems. Here we share findings from 30 oral histories of home heating (from 1945 to present day) gathered in the former coal mining town of Rotherham in the North of England. By analysing the findings through the lens of Actor Network Theory (ANT), we reveal the coal fire (or coal fired range) as a powerful actant shaping domestic life in the decades following the end of the second world war. We argue that relational-material entanglements with the fireside endure, despite many decades of gas central heating in the UK, and have implications for current policy efforts to transition to more abstracted and technological low carbon heating systems, such as heat pumps. These entanglements with the fireside hold important implications for the sensitive handling of the current heating transition

A Systematic Review Study on Lived Experiences of People Living with Hepatitis B (PLHB)

Background: Hepatitis B (HB) is a serious "silent infection" with an infection rate of around 325 million worldwide, with an expected death rate of 1.14 million in 2035. Chronic HB is a burden and a threat to People Living with Hepatitis B (PLHB), and it is predicted that the situation for PLHB will become even worse by 2030 if nothing is done to reduce its prevalence and eliminate it. Objective: To determine the lived experiences of PLHB and their impact on their quality of life. Methods: The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Protocol was used as a guide to systematically search four electronic databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, Science Direct, and Google Scholar, published in English from 2000 to 2022 with adult volunteers aged 18 years and above. The data screening and selection process was facilitated by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) 2020 flow chart, and the methodological quality of the studies selected was evaluated using the JBI Critical Assessment Skill Program (JBI CASP). Data analysis and synthesis were done using the JBI qualitative meta-aggregation approach. Results: Five themes emerged: informational needs, socio-cultural issues as barriers to treatment and care, health system challenges as barriers to healthcare and follow-up, coping strategies to overcome the challenges, and impacts of HB on the psychological, social, spiritual, and physical domains of life. Conclusion: HB burden is a global burden affecting PLHB caused by several factors such as lack of knowledge, healthcare-seeking behaviors, barriers to healthcare, and healthcare system challenges and policy making. To address these challenges, policymakers and stakeholders are to commit funds for HB health education and the awareness creation, free screening for all, creation of HB clinics for early diagnosis and treatment, as well as subsidizing HB treatment and health insurance subscription at the district levels. More healthcare workers should be trained as professional counselors to address and improve the well-being needs of PLHB

Desistance and Substance Use: An Exploration of the Support in the Community for Service Users on Probation with a Particular Focus on Alcohol Use

This thesis is an examination of how effective support for substance use and desistance from crime, was within Staffordshire and West Midlands Community Rehabilitation Company (SWM CRC). This thesis provides insight into positive practice and identifies possible areas for change. Furthermore, with SWM CRC being a newly formed part-privatised element of the probation service at the time fieldwork being undertaken, it provides a unique insight into how support works within a part-privatised service. There is limited information from those receiving or delivering provision, on the level and effectiveness of substance use and desistance support, and the experiences of delivery, in Staffordshire and the West Midlands. Additionally, despite the legality of alcohol and its link to violent behaviour, the focus is often on generic substance use rather than alcohol. This research therefore intended to understand the service users’ and practitioners’ perspectives and experiences of what works, and what areas may need to change. Additionally, this thesis acts as a piece of contemporary history in acknowledging the experiences and challenges that can come from a part-privatised probation service, and therefore provide a basis for the future. The study adopted a qualitative approach, drawing on semi-structured interviews with 8 service users on probation, and 10 practitioners. The data collected was analysed using Hermeneutic Phenomenology (van Manen, 2016). There was a general positivity felt by service users regarding their probation provision, however there was a clear desire shown for less outsourcing, and development in the delivery of substance use support. Practitioners shared issues regarding the delivery of provision, particularly of supporting service users with treatment requirements, and the challenges of working within a part-privatised service

Teaching Law Students to Advocate for Human Rights and Global Justice through the UPR Project at BCU

Today, the need for clinical human rights teaching and advocacy within higher education institutions is vital for law students (and their teachers and wider communities). Students often leave university to enter the workplace and do so in an increasingly internationalised context. Clinical legal education (CLE) provides the ideal space to support students to navigate a globalised world, whilst providing them with transferrable employability skills. The chapter focuses on using extra-curricular opportunities as a vehicle to provide such opportunities, specifically to teach our law students to advocate for human rights and global social justice, through the UPR Project at BCU. Under the auspice of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council, the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is an intergovernmental process providing a review of the human rights record of all UN Member States. Crucially, it involves the participation of civil society organisations (CSOs) of all shapes and sizes acting as ‘stakeholders’. The UPR Project at BCU engages with the UPR mechanism through three intersecting streams: (1) research, (2) education, and (3) practice, providing CLE opportunities through extra-curricular activities. In 2012, Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum, Esteban Hoyos-Ceballos and Melissa C. Del Aguila Talvadkar published their article, ‘Catalysts for Change: A Proposed Framework for Human Rights Clinical Teaching and Advocacy’ (‘Catalysts for Change’). They provide six distinct components to this framework, arguing that ‘rethinking roles and adopting certain models for clinical legal education and advocacy can successfully realize both the pedagogical and advocacy goals of [human rights clinics]’. This chapter applies the six framework components to the UPR Project at BCU in terms of its ability to teach law students to advocate for human rights and global justice. Section 2 introduces the UPR Project at BCU, its aims, and work to date. Section 3 situates the UPR Project within the existing literature on CLE. Section 4 then analyses the UPR Project at BCU’s operation through the framework set out in Catalysts for Change, identifying the positives and challenges, along with providing suggestions for further developing clinical human rights teaching in relation to advocating for human rights and global justice. Section 5 concludes with broader proposals for engaging, supporting, and celebrating law students in international human rights CLE

International Internships: Preparing Students for Rights and Justice in Action

This chapter explores intercultural competency as a critical skill for law students, using Birmingham City University’s American Legal Practice module as a case study. Part I outlines the American Legal Practice model for context. Part II links culture and intercultural competence with legal education. Part III introduces strategies to foster students' intercultural competency, categorised as student-led, module design, and institutional approaches. Infused with examples and reflections from American Legal Practice, the chapter offers educators practical insights for applying this field of research

A menu of standards for green infrastructure in England: effective and equitable or a race to the bottom?

Multi-functional urban green infrastructure (GI) can deliver nature-based solutions that help address climate change, while providing wider benefits for human health and biodiversity. However, this will only be achieved effectively, sustainably and equitably if GI is carefully planned, implemented and maintained to a high standard, in partnership with stakeholders. This paper draws on original research into the design of a menu of GI standards for England, commissioned by Natural England—a United Kingdom Government agency. It describes the evolution of the standards within the context of United Kingdom government policy initiatives for nature and climate. We show how existing standards and guidelines were curated into a comprehensive framework consisting of a Core Menu and five Headline Standards. This moved beyond simplistic metrics such as total green space, to deliver GI that meets five key ‘descriptive principles’: accessible , connected , locally distinctive , multi-functional and varied, and thus delivers 5 ‘benefits principles’: places that are nature rich and beautiful, active and healthy, thriving and prosperous, resilient and climate positive, and with improved water management . It also builds in process guidance, bringing together stakeholders to co-ordinate GI development strategically across different sectors. Drawing on stakeholder feedback, we evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the standards and discuss how they provide clarity and consistency while balancing tensions between top-down targets and the need for flexibility to meet local needs. A crucial factor is the delivery of the standards within a framework of supporting tools, advice and guidance, to help planners with limited resources deliver more effective and robust green infrastructure with multiple benefits

Digital Twins and AI Decision Models: Advancing Cost Modelling in Off-Site Construction

The rising demand for housing continues to outpace traditional construction processes, highlighting the need for innovative, efficient, and sustainable delivery models. Off-site construction (OSC) has emerged as a promising alternative, offering faster project timelines and enhanced cost management. However, current research on cost models for OSC, particularly in automating material take-offs and optimising cost performance, remains limited. This study addresses this gap by proposing a new cost model integrating Digital Twin (DT) technology and AI-driven decision models for modular housing in the UK. The research explores the role of DTs in enhancing cost estimation and decision-making processes. By leveraging DTs and AI, the proposed model evaluates the impact of emergent technologies on cost performance, material efficiency, and sustainability across social, environmental, and economic dimensions. As proposed, this integrated approach enables a cost model tailored for OSC systems, providing a data-driven foundation for cost optimisation and material take-offs. The study’s findings highlight the potential of combining DTs and AI decision models to enhance cost modelling in modular construction, offering new capabilities to support sustainable and performance-driven housing delivery. The paper introduces a dynamic, data-driven cost model integrating real-time data acquisition through DTs and AI-powered predictive analytics. This dynamic approach enhances cost accuracy, reduces lifecycle cost variability, and supports adaptive decision-making throughout the OSC project lifecycle

Rhythms of Vocational Education: A Lefebvrian Perspective

This thesis explores how historic spatial and temporal influences have shaped both vocational education and vocational teachers in a Further Education College in England. It tenders an under-researched individual reflexivity, explored through a novel repurposing of Henri Lefebvre’s tri-dimensional spatial dialectic, that challenges previous literature. Vocational education has been forged through a complex interplay of historical influences, policy initiatives, and reform. Repeated attempts to achieve parity of esteem with academic education or to enhance productivity in response to global competition have left the sector struggling with a contradictory sense of purpose. At the centre of these cyclical policy shifts are vocational teachers, who face a culture of continuous measurement and bureaucracy that clashes with altruistic intentions to impart practical knowledge and skills to future generations. Literature suggests that vocational teachers identify more strongly with their prior occupation than with their role as a teacher, despite being fully qualified in both disciplines. This thesis, however, challenges this narrative, adapting Lefebvre’s tri-dimensional spatial dialectic from The Production of Space away from a geographically rooted methodology centred on space, to one that centres on the self. Through this lens, it argues that vocational teachers no longer consider an overwhelming allegiance to their former occupations. Instead, the evolution of further education—shaped by policy shifts including the extension of compulsory education to age 18, the introduction of the study programme, the impact of austerity, and the disruption of the global pandemic—has redefined their professional identities. Vocational teachers displayed a transcendence beyond the dual professional inference, emerging as reflexive individuals, with the ability to navigate and adapt to incessant reform, escalating bureaucratic and managerial pressures, and the increasing complexity of student needs. It is this reflexivity that flows through the dialectic, demonstrating how vocational educators continuously reshape their professional selves, offering a compelling counter-narrative to established assumptions. The study employed a combination of semi-structured go-along interviews with teachers in their everyday vocational settings, supplemented by an observation in an automotive workshop to enhance and contextualise their contributions. The findings were grouped and themed using reflexive thematic analysis, then examined through Lefebvre’s rhythmic characteristics and the adaptation of his spatial dialectic. The findings highlight the need for more inclusive and well-planned reforms, with greater involvement from vocational practitioners, addressing shifting student behaviours, reducing administrative burdens, and enhancing support for continuing professional developmen