The ‘economic rural’ – supporting recovery and regeneration

This chapter examines the economic rural and the role of planning in supporting and enabling the development or transformation of the rural economy. Central to the analysis is the way that other forms of capital (built, land-based, social-cultural) can be ‘converted’ to economic capital through the revalorisation of the rural resource base. These are fixed or less than mobile assets that are unique to a specific rural place and includes tangible (e.g. built heritage) and intangible (e.g. cultural practices, traditions, networks) assets. The chapter ‘unpacks’ the economic rural into three subcomponents that underpin rural prosperity: i) physical productive infrastructure as material assets for direct conversion to money; ii) enterprise infrastructure, which captures entrepreneurial culture, existing businesses and business links; and iii) community wealth building capacity. The chapter also considers how key societal challenges or mega-trends may potentially disrupt current economic trajectories. These themes are explored in relation to three case studies. First, an example of a smart rural economy in Ireland is examined, followed by the challenge of managing rural tourism in an area with a sensitive environmental and social context in Scotland. Finally, restructuring a local rural economy in relation to food security concerns and agricultural transitions in Wales is examined. The chapter concludes by drawing out lessons for future rural planning practice

Student communications: a review of current practices and scoping a new vision

Student communications has developed as a professional field in universities in recent decades, as universities seek to more strategically engage diverse student populations with ever-changing expectations and needs. Whilst most universities now have some form of function or resourcing dedicated to considering how to best communicate with current students, there is minimal research exploring the priorities of these functions. This article takes a narrative review of practice approach, critiquing and highlighting the student communications practices of 17 universities around the world. The review thematically grouped the efforts of these institutions, finding that the main activities of student communications functions are: (1) implementing structures, strategic frameworks and policies (2) creation of campaigns to build campus pride and belonging (3) development of channels to better inform students about support and opportunities (4) evaluate students’ engagement, satisfaction and trust with their institution. Following the review of current practice, this article identifies gaps that should be addressed to enhance student communications functions, as well as principles that student communicators should adopt to gain legitimacy in their work

'Understanding domestic violence and abuse: victim, suspect and crime predictors of police outcomes'

Purpose: Domestic violence and abuse (DVA) cases remain under-reported and under-prosecuted in the criminal justice system (CJS), with researchers frequently having limited access to raw police data. Here, a range of factors relating to DVA offences occurring between 2018 and 2020 in one large English police force were described and measured. As part of the research, it was investigated if victim and suspect characteristics predicted outcome decisions, specifically charge rate, case attrition, and evidential difficulties despite victims’ support in pursuing the allegations. The number of offences meeting the DVA legal definition, and those falling outside that definition, were also explored. Methods: Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to predict the relationship between demographic information and criminal history on three coded crime outcome categories (namely, ‘charge’, ‘victim does not proceed’, and ‘law does not pursue’). Results: The dataset included 198,617 crimes, and for 94.1% of them, the suspect was not charged. Relationship type, age, crime type, and the number of victim allegations predicted all three outcomes. For instance, being partners of the victim significantly decreased the chances of a charge compared to suspects who were not partners. Conclusions: The findings are in line with evidence from the literature which highlights all-time low charge rates for DVA and high levels of victim attrition. We argue that the influence of victim/suspect characteristics and DVA-related dynamics should be considered by police personnel and members of the CJS when assessing crime reports

Signature-based security analysis and detection of IoT threats in advanced message queuing protocol

The Advanced Message Queuing Protocol (AMQP) is a widely used communication standard in IoT systems due to its robust and reliable message delivery capabilities. However, its increasing adoption has made it a target for various cyber threats, including Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), Man-in-the-Middle (MitM), and brute force attacks. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of AMQP-specific vulnerabilities and introduces a statistical model for the detection and classification of malicious activities in IoT networks. Leveraging a custom-designed IoT testbed, realistic attack scenarios were simulated, and a dataset encompassing normal, malicious, and mixed traffic was generated. Unique attack signatures were identified and validated through repeated experiments, forming the foundation of a signature-based detection mechanism tailored for AMQP networks. The proposed model demonstrated high accuracy in detecting and classifying attack-specific traffic while maintaining a low false positive rate for benign traffic. Notable results include effective detection of RST packets in DDoS scenarios, precise classification of MitM attack patterns, and identification of brute force attempts on AMQP systems. This research highlights the efficacy of signature-based approaches in enhancing IoT security and offers a benchmark for future machine learning-driven detection systems. By addressing AMQP-specific challenges, the study contributes to the development of resilient and secure IoT ecosystems

Understanding the factors and consequences of student belonging in higher education: a critical literature review

Student belonging is becoming an increasingly prominent concept in how universities pursue policies and practices to ensure student success. Through this increased prevalence, there has been a substantial increase in research output on this topic in recent years. This critical literature review aims to provide a comprehensive and accessible synthesis of research around the factors that affect student belonging and how it links to student success. Utilising a systematised search and appraisal method, 118 studies were included and reviewed. The existing literature has robustly shown the connections between belonging and many different aspects of student success – including student engagement levels, wellbeing, and retention. Critical analysis of the studies shows that the factors affecting student belonging are also multiple, although only some – such as experiential pedagogies and personalised support from staff – have been replicated in studies across multiple contexts and with experimental research methods. Importantly, there are also factors which negatively impact students’ sense of belonging – such as experiences of being stereotyped by staff. Utilising these findings around factors that influence student belonging, this article provides a set of recommendations for practitioners and identified gaps for future research on student belonging. Overall, this article contributes to understandings of how to impact students’ sense of belonging and how this links to student success

Appropriation behaviour predicted by environmental uncertainty, but not social uncertainty, in a common-pool resource game

The tragedy of the commons is a difficult problem. Overfishing, for example, is detrimental to all, but is a social dilemma for the fishers: do they overfish (maximising one’s benefit) – or do they inhibit their consumption (accepting a reduced benefit)? Our study investigated factors that contribute to inhibition. Using a common-pool resource game, we recorded the consumption choices of 83 dyads (166 participants) in a multi-round game where each player decided on how many units of currency to consume from the common pool. The game had four rules: (1) the game ends if the dyad jointly consumes ≥ 100% of the pool, (2) the game continues if the dyad jointly consumes ≤ 50% of the pool (pool is then replenished), (3) the game continues if the dyad jointly consumes 51-99% (“depletion”: pool is not replenished) and (4) no communication between players. Our study had a 2x2x3 factorial design: first factor (within-dyad) had two levels – pre or post-depletion – comparing consumption before/after a depletion event. The next two factors (between dyads) were “environmental uncertainty” (where players had complete or incomplete knowledge of the pool size) and “social uncertainty” (based on whether players knew each other in real life). In our results, we found no significant effects of social uncertainty, but significant effects for depletion and environmental uncertainty. While consumption decreased across all participants after resource depletion, the magnitude of this reduction differed depending on the certainty condition: the decrease was especially pronounced when the resource availability was initially uncertain. Furthermore, games lasted longer when there was certainty. In our results, we found no significant effects of social uncertainty, but significant effects for depletion and environmental uncertainty. While consumption decreased across all participants after resource depletion, the magnitude of this reduction differed depending on the certainty condition: the decrease was especially pronounced when the resource availability was initially uncertain. Furthermore, games lasted longer when there was certainty

A risk assessment of information security in a diet centre business: a case study

This paper employed the framework of Operationally Critical Threat, Asset, and Vulnerability Evaluation Allegro (OCTAVE-Allegro) to analyse the key risks and challenges faced by the business of Diet Centre X, particularly in terms of security, operational efficiency, and customer trust. The primary concerns identified include data input errors, outdated billing systems, weak password management practices, and a lack of comprehensive security awareness training. These issues pose significant risks to the centre’s productivity, financial health, and reputation. Contributions of this paper include the proposal of several lessons learned and solutions: creating a customer registration system that is connected to the client data validation in the management system, along with implementing a validation for all input fields to reduce human errors and upgrading the billing system to remove outdated payment methods and enhance the user interface, and conducting quarterly security awareness training for all employees to increase their preparedness against potential security threats

Embracing inclusivity in student healthcare practice - educating and supporting staff

Studies show that up to 20% of the population are neurodivergent. Healthcare students and staff report experiencing bias and discrimination in the workplace. The People Plan for 2020/21 (NHS England, 2020) promotes a vision placing a compassionate and inclusive culture at the centre of the NHS. It highlights that all NHS employees and employers are accountable for tackling bullying and harassment. This resource focusses on creating a more civil and respectful culture This team utilised a wide range of ND stakeholders (nursing and radiology students, nurses, midwives and lecturers) from across the UK to develop a series of interactive resources, including animated case studies for healthcare workers working with and assessing students. An intersectional approach based on lived experience was used to ensure that diversity of all kinds (race, gender, sexual identity, age and disability) was considered. The aim was to enhance understanding of the experience and needs of the ND student community through immersion in realistic scenarios, contributing to the education and support of staff in practice settings to maximise student potential, manage student needs effectively and support retention. This project was evaluated by pairing a ND student with a Practice Supervisor (PS) and Practice Assessor (PA). The PS/PAs completed a pre-package questionnaire evaluating their understanding of neurodivergence. They then completed the package and a post-package questionnaire. A follow-up questionnaire was sent to the PA/PSs following the placement and semi-structured interviews were conducted with students either in a focus group or individually if requested. Healthcare staff stated their understanding of supporting ND students following the training. It improved their awareness and gave them tools to support students using a more personalised approach. Students reported that the tool made supervisors more receptive to discussions surrounding reasonable adjustments and that this had improved their overall experience on placement through individualised adaptations

A critical comparison between democratic, neo-Vygotskian and dialogic pedagogies

Based on a thorough consideration of pedagogical and sociological literature, combined with authors’ reflections on their own research with children, this article pursues two interrelated objectives. The first objective is discussing the circular relationships between facilitation of children’s agency and dialogue in educational contexts: facilitation is a dialogical form of communication, and a methodology to secure the sustainability of dialogue in educational interactions. Descending from the first, the second objective is to propose a critical comparison between facilitation of children’s agency, democratic pedagogies and neo-Vygotskian methodologies, considering the intersection between facilitation of children’s agency, democratic pedagogies and neo-Vygotskian methodologies, and the social structures underpinned by generational order. Although shared ethical and methodological underpinnings are identified, it is argued that the facilitation of children’s agency is more compatible with the construction of sustainable dialogic pedagogies because it positions children as authors of valid knowledge in educational interactions

Ensuring culturally competent nursing care for LGBT+ people

People who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other sexual and gender minorities (LGBT+) can encounter various challenges when seeking healthcare. For example, many LGBT+ individuals experience discrimination and social stigma from healthcare professionals, leading to feelings of mistrust. This might manifest as explicit homophobia or transphobia, inappropriate questioning, or a lack of consideration for the sensitivities around LGBT+ identities. Similarly, healthcare organisations may have policies that lack inclusivity, with administrative forms and procedures that do not consider diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. Nurses are increasingly recognising the importance of providing inclusive care for individuals who identify as LGBT+, which involves being attentive to their specific needs. This article examines the barriers that may be encountered by LGBT+ individuals in healthcare services and offers recommendations for how nurses can deliver culturally sensitive healthcare to the LGBT+ community