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

'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

Improving dental treatment outcomes through direct communications between deaf patients and student dentists: SQUIRE report on a UMDP deaf dental care initiative

In 2014, the UW1 Mona School of Dentistry (UWI MSOD) identified the Jamaican Deaf community as an underserved population with regards to the provision of dental care. The response of the School was to design and implement an intervention programme through its public dental clinic, UWI Mona Dental Polyclinic (UMDP), bolstered by the 2006 UNCRPD and CARICOM Declaration of Petion Ville in 2013. A protocol was created that covered all aspects of clinical operations for deaf patients, from infrastructure to patient care. UMDP has been running a Deaf Clinic since 2014. Now, seven years later, is an opportune time to review its processes and share an improved model for a dental Deaf Clinic with other healthcare institutions. The SQUIRE Explanation and Elaboration paradigm was chosen as the analytic framework for the review. Our findings were that the student dentists experienced affective learning and came to value treating Deaf patients using direct communication in sign language. Another finding was that changes had to be made with regards to scheduling and communicating with patients about appointments. Additionally, the electronic patient records management system which was included in the intervention plan is not yet on stream and a low technology plan had to be created. The intervention achieved its primary goals of improving dental health and creating a culture of good oral hygiene practices among the Jamaican deaf population. The evidence indicates that sign language competence of healthcare practitioners does indeed improve treatment outcomes and the quality of healthcare received by deaf patients. This valuable outcome of the intervention makes it worthy of duplication across CARICOM. This chapter describes and evaluates this intervention with an aim to providing a template for other health facilities regionally and internationally

The solar shading performance of the multi-angled façade system and its impact on the sustainable improvement of the buildings

This research paper explores the visual potential of the multi-angled façade system, allowing office employees to achieve optimal exposure to the external environment through the room façade. This contributes to sustainability objectives by enhancing indoor climate quality, promoting health and well-being, and aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals 3, 9, and 11. This façade concept provides a solution to the issue of shading devices being fully closed for long periods due to intense solar radiation on the room’s window. The concept of a multi-angled window involves incorporating two differently oriented window sections within each façade along a vertical axis (right and left), rather than tilting them upward or downward. The larger section is oriented more toward the north to maximize daylight access and external views, while the smaller section faces south to enhance passive solar heating. The visual potential is assessed based on the periods when the solar shading devices are not fully closed—meaning one section of the multi-angled façade may remain open while the other is shaded. To evaluate this, along with the resulting energy consumption and indoor climate, the software program IDA ICE version 4.8 is utilized. Simulation results indicate that the duration of complete shading closure is significantly lower for a multi-angled façade compared to a flat façade, in some instances nearly half, thereby improving visual comfort, daylight availability, and heat gain while simultaneously reducing spatial energy consumption

Decoding accountability: the importance of explainability in liability frameworks for smart border systems

This paper examines the challenges posed by Automated Decision-Making systems (ADMs) in border control, focusing on the limitations of the proposed AI Liability Directive (AILD)—now withdrawn– in addressing potential harms. We identify key issues within the AILD, including the plausibility requirement, knowledge paradox, and the exclusion of human-in-the-loop, which create significant barriers for claimants seeking redress. Although now withdrawn, the commission is contemplating putting up a new proposal for the AI Liability regime; if the new proposal is anything like the AILD (now withdrawn), there is a need to address the substantial shortcomings discovered in the AILD. To address these shortcomings, we propose integrating sui generis explainability requirements into the AILD framework or mandatory compliance with Article 86 of the Artificial Intelligence Act (AIA), notwithstanding its ineffectiveness. This approach aims to bridge knowledge and liability gaps, empower claimants, and enhance transparency in AI decision-making processes. Our recommendations include expanding the disclosure requirements to incorporate a sui generis explainability requirement, implementing a tiered plausibility standard, and introducing regulatory sandboxes. These measures seek to engender accountability and fairness. With the refinement of the AILD in mind, these considerations aim to influence and make recommendations for any future proposals for an AI liability regime and to foster a regulatory environment that encourages both the development and use of AI technologies to be responsible and accountable, ensuring that AI-driven or smart border control systems enhance security and efficiency while upholding fundamental rights and human dignity

What is the experience of vivid dreaming and its impact on the dreamer’s life? A phenomenological inquiry

Dreams that are impactful continue to hold significance throughout a dreamer's life, shaping their perceptions, emotions, and behaviours. Psychological research has been challenged by methodological difficulties owing to the fact that dreams can only be studied through first-person accounts. Building upon the work of Pagel & Vann (1992), Kuiken & Sikora (1993), and Olsen, Schredl, and Carlsson (2020), this study, grounded in existential-phenomenological philosophy, aims to deepen our understanding of how vivid dreamers are affected upon awakening. Through structured existential analysis (SEA) with eleven purposefully selected participants aged between 22 and 45, their profound dreams were explored, revealing three temporal themes (Dreaming as Being, Awakening to Being, and Living with the Dream) and nineteen subthemes that encompassed personal, social, physical, and spiritual dimensions. Notably, the study uncovered novel findings related to transformative encounters within their dreams, significantly altering the participants' perceptions of themselves, others, and their relationship to their dreams. The participants' psychological journeys and existential concerns, including freedom and responsibility, isolation and connectedness, death and embodiment, and meaning and meaninglessness, emerged as key themes. Unexpected novel themes, 'Accumulating Insight', 'Replaying Dreams: Assembling Meaning from Experiences', and Coping Mechanisms in the Dream's Wake: The Compulsion to Move Forward, illustrated their sense of immersion and engagement with dream content, leading to experiences of complex emotions such as shame, guilt, and anger. Moreover, the study revealed the transformative potential of vivid dreams in the participants' lives, providing them with insights that led to overcoming struggles, personal growth, and the development of strong relationships from the insights of their dreams. These novel findings offer valuable implications for counselling psychologists, suggesting that vivid dreams can be valuable tools to explore dreamers' profound lived experiences facing existential realities. By addressing existential concerns and exploring opportunities for personal growth, vivid dreams can have an ongoing impact by enhancing individuals' self-understanding and well-being, as well as psychotherapy and academic training for counselling psychologists

Are coordinative abilities impaired during adolescence in academy soccer?

The current study sought to compare single leg (SL) landing and cutting mechanics within a cohort of youth footballers. A secondary aim was to examine how task complexity modulates the relationship between maturation and performance. Thirty-nine soccer players from an English football academy were categorised as pre-, circa- and post-peak height velocity (PHV). As part of routine club testing, players performed 1) bilateral and SL jumps (countermovement jump (CMJ) and 10/5 rebound jump tests), 2) speed (30-m sprint), and 3) change of direction (COD; 505 test and 45° cut) assessments. Landing (LESS score) and cutting mechanics (CMAS score) were determined during SL CMJ and 45° cuts, respectively. Differences in landing mechanics were not observed between groups. However, large effect sizes indicated that CMAS scores were lower in the post-PHV group versus pre- and circa-PHV groups, indicative of a favourable cutting technique. The circa-PHV group outperformed the pre-PHV group in the ‘simpler’ bilateral CMJ and linear sprint assessments, but not in the SL CMJ, 10/5 or COD assessments. The observed variability between participants in the circa-PHV period could be interpreted by changes in coordinative abilities. It is possible that athletes may require closer monitoring and possible training modification during this phase

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

Building cell assembly based associative memory with spiking neurons

Associative memory is a fundamental component of cognitive function. The CA (CA) frame-work, first proposed by Hebb, provides a biologically plausible foundation for understanding the operation of associative memory. The formation and storage of memories depends on structural changes and modifications in synaptic conditions and strength between neurons. This thesis explores networks of spiking neurons to implement CAs and to simulate cognitive functions. The Stroop test, a prominent cognitive interference task, is replicated in a task-completion simulation using binary CAs. Additionally, a question-answering system with CA-based memories models the natural responses predicted by Collin’s hierarchical structure of semantic memory. These experiments underscore the pivotal role of CAs in advancing our understanding of cognitive processes. The thesis also investigates how to improve CA models by proposing standards for evaluating CAs and defining expectations for robust short-term memory simulations. Existing and novel topological structures, incorporating insights and constraints derived from neuroanatomical evidence, are assessed to examine particular CA topologies. A significant contribution is the development of CA models composed solely of excitatory neurons, which exhibit persistent yet non-binary group firing and self-termination behaviours. The small-world rich-get-richer network emerges as a good structure to support CA functions. An associative memory model consisting of a CA group with multiple orthogonal sub-CAs demonstrates that stimulating two of three connected sub-CAs activates the third (2/3 assembly). Moreover, a single sub-CA can participate in multiple 2/3 pairs, enabling the network to achieve a storage capacity of O(N). The phasic interactions among sub-CAs are also explored to support more complex co-activation conditions and demonstrate basic CA behaviours