The Gendered Stigma-Vulnerability Nexus and Women Who Use Drugs Such as Spice in Prison. A Feminist Critical Realist Discourse Analysis

This paper explores the intersection of discourses around gender, stigma and vulnerability in the context of Spice use in English women’s prisons. Using Feminist Critical Realist Discourse Analysis, the study analyzes 15 semi-structured interviews. Two themes of gendered stigma-vulnerability are explored. First, embodied and social othering and second, gender norm non-conformity. The findings highlight how vulnerability and stigma are deeply entwined with gendered expectations and power dynamics in institutional settings. While criminalized women and drug users may share such experiences, the paper highlights the distinct nexus of gendered stigma-vulnerability discourses increasing marginalization for women who use Spice in prison

Shifting the paradigm of teaching migrant and refugee children: inclusive welcome practices for ECEC

In this article, we seek to reconceptualize early childhood education and care (ECEC) for migrant and refugee children through the lens of teachers’ positionality, and funds of knowledge. Our study adopts an ethical, power-conscious approach that integrates the diverse backgrounds of children within pedagogical practices. It further incorporates play-based, trauma-informed, child-centered, and community-cohesive approaches as a foundation for inclusive teaching practices in ECEC. Drawing on Rayner’s (2017) Natural Inclusion theory, as introduced by Gaywood (2023) in refugee studies, we argue that the natural social inclusion of migrant and refugee children is essential for broader social evolution and change. This theoretical framework is complemented by the concept of “Welcome,” an introductory theme of our Educational Toolkit, which was developed and trialed for ECEC teachers and practitioners across five countries: England, Australia, Greece, Turkey, and Poland. The Toolkit’s evaluation assessed how welcoming practices facilitate natural inclusion and foster classroom interaction. This paradigm shift in the education of migrant and refugee children aims to enhance current models of teacher professional development by promoting pedagogical strategies that address the needs of diverse child populations. Our findings contribute to reshaping teacher’s practices and advancing a more inclusive and equitable approach to early childhood education

Food Taxes

Food taxes have been levied in societies around the world for millennia. Purposes include generating revenue, improving public health, and more recently, reducing environmental harm. Many current issues in food taxation can be illustrated via taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), which have been introduced in over 40 countries globally, and meat taxes, which are often discussed as a mechanism to reduce high meat consumption in industrialised Western countries such as the UK and the USA. Critics of taxation tend to highlight concerns around fairness and scientific uncertainty. Advocates of taxation tend to emphasise positive impacts on consumption and health benefits for low-income groups. Debates around food taxes are likely to continue as we seek solutions to interconnected health and climate crises. Further research is needed to better understand the impacts of health-motivated food taxes on consumption, health, and food production

Disaster preparedness behaviour of tourist village managers in Mount Merapi, Indonesia

Disaster preparedness behaviour in Indonesia is still considered low. The purpose of this study is to understand the factors that influence the disaster preparedness behaviour of tourist village managers around Mount Merapi. This study is a qualitative study with a phenomenological approach. Data were collected through a focus group discussion (FGD), with 32 participants in 3 sessions with 10–11 participants per session. The data were analysed using Collaizi’s approach by reading the transcripts to obtain an overview and insight, extracting important statements, formulating meaning using codes and grouping into themes. We examined factors influencing disaster preparedness of tourist village managers in Mount Merapi using the PRECEDE component guide from the PRECEDE-PROCEED model. The results of this study indicated that seven themes were found related to the disaster preparedness factors of tourist village managers: four themes related to predisposing factors, namely, belief, knowledge, risk perception and experience; two themes related to enabling factors, namely, availability of infrastructure and training; and one theme related to reinforcing factors, namely, support from various parties. Contribution: By knowing all three factors that drive behaviour – predisposing, enabling and reinforcing factors – interventions can be more comprehensive, targeting not only the initial motivation for behaviour change but also the necessary resources and ongoing support for sustainability. This holistic approach is critical to achieving behavioural change in disaster preparedness behaviour among tourism village managers

Analysing the email data using stylometric method and deep learning to mitigate phishing attack

The high-volume usage of email has attracted cybercriminals to the platform and criminals are aware of difficulties users often have in separating legitimate from illegitimate emails and seek to take advantage of those difficulties by impersonating staff of a trusted organisation to persuade users into divulging their private information. To help users overcome the difficulty in detecting phishing attacks, a system is proposed. Recent advancement uses: stylometric features, gender features and personality features to carry out a sender verification process. The existing approaches are more complex and if the system fails to detect bad email, and it gets to users, the possibility of becoming a victim becomes high if not detected by the user. The proposed framework adds Colour Code to Email Verification (CCEV). It conducts sender’s verification at the recipients’ end based on 3-features related with senders, writing pattern, gender, and header

Quaternary rivers, tufas and mires of southern England: Description of Geological Conservation Review sites

Southern England contains a wealth of sites, reviewed here, that contain evidence for past deposition in freshwater environments over a period of over 0.5 million years and have been designated as Geological Conservation Review sites for their representativeness of a range of such environments. They include nine sites from two complete terrace sequences (the Solent in Hampshire [Solent Cliffs West, Calshot Cliffs, Hillhead Cliffs, Dunbridge Pit, Wood Green Gravel Pit] and Stour in Kent [Fordwich Pit, Sturry Gravel Pits, Wear Farm Pit, Chislet, Bishopstone to Reculver Cliffs]), alongside a further fluvial gravel site at Aylesford, in the valley of the Medway in Kent. Sites from the Thames catchment, although geographically nearby, are not included, having been previously described by Bridgland (1994). Many of these sites contain abundant Palaeolithic artefacts and some also fossils of multiple groups. A further four sites record fluvial landforms (Mole Gap, Surrey) and ancient ‘high-level gravels’ that may relate to very Early Pleistocene river activity (Upper Common, Mountain Wood, Upper Hale). Tufa and mire sites are relatively rare in this region, making those which are preserved more significant. The tufa sites at Blashenwell Farm and Wateringbury provide context for adjacent archaeological sites and record landscape development in the early and mid Holocene. The mire deposits at Cranes Moor, Mark Ash Wood, Cothill Fen and Rimsmoor together record vegetation history from key regional ecosystems for the entirety of the Holocene

Jumping and Landing Kinematics in Spanish Female Soccer Players: A Comparison Between Elite and Non-Elite Athletes

Landing from a jump has been identified as a common situation of increased risk in sport and the tuck jump assessment (TJA) has been proposed for a comprehensive examination of landing mechanics. However, group-specific data on female athletes are limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the movement mechanics during a TJA in Spanish female soccer players and to explore potential differences between players of different performance levels. A total of 96 (elite and non-elite) female soccer players performed a TJA, and a rater visually graded the technique using the modified 10-item scoring system (0, 1, or 2 for “none”, “small”, or “large” flaws). Descriptive statistics were calculated. The association between the flaws and performance groups was assessed using the chi-square test. Almost 90% of all players involved were categorized with small and large flaws for the item “Lower extremity valgus at landing”. The proportion of players categorized with technical flaws was also high for “Foot contact timing not equal” (85%) and “Does not land in same footprint” (82%). Differences between elite and non-elite players were only found for “Foot placement not parallel” and “Excessive landing contact noise” (p < 0.008). These results reveal the importance of implementing training programs to reduce jumping and landing deficits in female soccer players, independently of the players’ level of performance

Profiling hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS): factors in health and wellbeing with chronic conditions and opportunities for improving self-management

Purpose Factors affecting physical and psychological outcomes for those with chronic conditions are complex, extending beyond medical symptomology to numerous demographic influences. Living with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) is characterised by diagnostic delay and numerous comorbidities, known to impact wellbeing. Materials and methods This high-powered study (n = 415 participants) investigates the mediating effect of diagnosis, comorbidity and age on wellbeing, and provides insights into the effects of the latest hEDS reclassification. Validated measures were used to assess quality of life, perceived social support, physical health, fatigue, anxiety, pain and loneliness. Results Results indicated worse outcomes for those diagnosed after the reclassification and for those with higher numbers of comorbidities. Conversely, improved outcomes were associated with older age. Findings were supported by insights captured in participants’ demographic profiles where a wider breadth of comorbidities were recorded than previously identified. Meanwhile, there was no evidence of a change in the route to diagnosis over time, and data showed ongoing limitations in terms of options for effective treatment. Conclusions These findings point to the potential effectiveness of self-management techniques for improving well-being with chronic conditions and highlight the need for improved awareness of hEDS and its management amongst primary care practitioners. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) is a complex, debilitating condition where rehabilitation is often hampered by protracted diagnoses, multiple comorbidities and limited treatment options. Findings support evidence that self-management is influential in improving outcomes. Greater awareness of hEDS at primary care level is urgently required both to improve diagnosis and enable opportunities for rehabilitation through self-management

The non-autogenic carbon accumulation process in a peatland of the Changbai Mountains and its response to climate changes during the Late Holocene

Peatland carbon accumulation is an important process in the global carbon cycle, yet autogenic processes such as long-term decay and ecosystem succession often obscure the climatic impact. To isolate climate controls more effectively, we investigated the Zhibian peatland in the Changbai Mountains, which is located at the southern margin of northern peatlands and is strongly influenced by the East Asian monsoon (EASM). This climatically sensitive setting provides an opportunity to examine non-autogenic impacts on peat carbon dynamics. In this study, we used conceptual models to reconstruct the non-autogenic carbon accumulation rate (NCAR) at both millennium and decades time scales. Based on the results, the analysis of plant fossils and basic physicochemical indicators were used to establish the characteristics of peat carbon accumulation stages. Subsequently, we analyzed the sensitivity of peatland carbon accumulation to temperature and hydroclimate changes at different time scales. The research results indicate that carbon accumulation in peatlands at the millennium scale is driven by a combination of solar radiation, temperature, and hydroclimate. Changes in solar radiation, temperature and precipitation alter primary productivity and decomposition processes, thereby affecting the NCAR in the Zhibian peatland. For the past few decades, water conditions seem to be a key factor affecting the NCAR. Continuous warming and reduced water availability may lead to an increase in peat decomposition, thereby reducing NCAR and lead to the transformation of peatlands from carbon sinks to carbon sources