PFAS contamination: regulatory landscape and future perspectives for India

This article highlights the escalating concern of PFAS (Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances) contamination, which poses significant global concern and potentially serve implications for India. It offers a comprehensive overview of the types of PFAS, including sources, pathways, and regulatory challenges they present. Additionally, the article examines the regulatory limits proposed and followed by United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), European Union (EU) and guidelines followed in United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Furthermore, it provides an update on the present status of PFAS research and contamination in India and outlines the necessary steps to mitigate this contaminant in the long-term following the non-sum zero approach derived from game theory

Healthy Brain Healthy Life: An innovative and culturally-tailored approach to dementia prevention in minority ethnic communities

Despite having increased risk of developing dementia, individuals from minority ethnic communities are largely overlooked by research and dementia services and are less likely to receive timely diagnosis and appropriate support. Culturally-specific programmes and policies that promote awareness and engage with minority ethnic communities around brain health and dementia are urgently needed to prevent, diagnose and support people living with dementia. In response to these challenges, we developed and evaluated the Healthy Brain Healthy Life (HBHL) project, a targeted culturally-tailored dementia prevention public engagement project to create dialogue and engage with minority ethnic communities around brain health and dementia. The project involved a series of co-produced, culturally-tailored interactive workshops with minority ethnic communities and community organisations in the United Kingdom. Outputs, which remain an available resource, included: (i) co-produced culturally-tailored information booklet (ii) a recipe book, including six recipes and information on ingredients that support brain health; and (iii) digital stories from each workshop, sharing the experiences of participants and highlighting key messages on brain health, This article is a practice case study that describes the co-production process, implementation and evaluation of the workshops. The project achieved national and international impact creating dialogue around dementia in the workshops, the local community, and on social media. Here, we share the learning from our approach as an example of best-practice in engaging minority ethnic communities to develop knowledge and understanding of this stigmatised condition to inform future research. Our lessons demonstrate the value and impact of co-production and participatory methods embedded in cultural competency to create community discussion around public health agendas and messages

What do stakeholders understand of the links between diet and terrestrial biodiversity loss? A systematic review of the literature

1. The topics of biodiversity loss and dietary impact have received extensive individual scrutiny within the scientific community. However, there is a notable gap in understanding the level of awareness among stakeholders regarding the impact of dietary choices on biodiversity. Using a systematic review approach, this paper will, identify how different stakeholders perceive and engage with the interconnected dynamics of biodiversity conservation and dietary choice. 2. Following systematic processes, 26 articles were identified as suitable for inclusion in a qualitative synthesis. Results delineated four distinct stakeholder categories: consumers, indigenous populations, producers and policymakers, each with a unique understanding of the relationship between biodiversity and diet. This variation is more pronounced in regions where food sourcing is more closely linked to local environmental conditions and reflects cultural identities. 3. In developed countries, consumer behaviour tends to prioritise individual autonomy in dietary choices, posing significant implications for biodiversity conservation. Indigenous communities view themselves as essential elements of the environment, upholding collective culture, emphasising community, heritage, and shared values in conservation efforts. Producers play a critical role in preserving terrestrial biodiversity through informed land management decisions, and policymakers lead by enacting policies aligned with conservation goals and discontinuing harmful subsidies. 4. This systematic review reveals a strong consensus among stakeholders on the critical link between biodiversity and dietary practices, highlighting the importance of traditional food systems, consumer education, and policy support in promoting sustainable diets that protect biodiversity

Creative Bricks, Endless Possibilities: Using Lego® Serious Play® (LSP) to Manage Player Transition in Women’s Semi-Elite Association Football in England.

This study uses the Lego® Serious Play® (LSP) methodology to explore the lived experiences and inequalities facing women’s participation in semi-elite association football in England. The study uniqueness is using Lego® Serious Play® to provide nuanced, abstract insights into leisure. It investigates how women navigate the transition process, both into and out of semi-professional sporting environments. By adopting a creative, experiential methodology, the focal point is the Lego® and not the footballer. Data was collected from fifteen women football players based at a semi-elite club in the South of England. Three key data themes emerged surrounding the transition process in the women’s game; (i) barriers facing women in male-dominated sports, (ii) governance and polices to support women’s football, and (iii) effective coaching to facilitate women’s progression in sport. This is the first study to use Lego® Serious Play® as a creative, experiential methodology in the context of managing sport organisations

Value co-destruction behavior in peer-to-peer accommodation: evidence of dark triad, moral disengagement, and host incivility

Drawing on value co-destruction literature, moral disengagement, social exchange and trait activation theories, this study investigates the role of dark triad traits, moral disengagement, and host incivility on peer-to-peer accommodation guests’ value co-destruction behavior. Data was collected from 428 Indian Airbnb customers and analyzed using partial least squares-structural equation modeling. Results show that among dark triad traits, only psychopathy directly influences value co-destruction behavior. However, all three dark traits lead to value co-destruction behavior through moral disengagement. Host incivility positively influences value co-destruction behavior and also moderates the relationship between psychopathy and value co-destruction behavior. The study offers a comprehensive understanding of the antecedents of guests’ value co-destruction behavior in peer-to-peer accommodation. The findings suggest that P2P accommodation managers need to instill moral accountability among guests and foster civil behaviors among hosts to prevent value co-destruction

Mapping the landscape of employer value propositions in Asian hotels through online job postings analysis

This study explores how Asian hotels leverage job postings, an often-overlooked branding channel, to communicate Employer Value Propositions (EVPs) as an employer branding tactic. Analyzing 4603 job postings from Indeed, a prominent job search website, the research categorizes EVPs into Economic, Functional, and Psychological types (E−, F-, P-EVPs) and reveals their frequency of communication across five key Asian cities. The findings indicate that approximately three-quarters of job postings convey at least one type of EVP, with F-EVPs and P-EVPs being more prevalent than E-EVPs. Chain hotels demonstrate a higher frequency of EVP communication compared to independent hotels, with no discernible differences between non-managerial and managerial positions. These findings offer valuable resources for hotels to assess their EVP strategies through benchmarking and identifying areas for improvement. It also pioneers the application of signaling theory to job advertisements, contributing to the theoretical fields of employer branding, talent management, and recruitment research

Fighting against the machine: Inside a solutions journalism campaign in UK local newsrooms

There is growing momentum behind the solutions journalism (SOJO) movement, with news organizations across the world increasingly embedding news reporting practices on how people respond to social problems. Previous research suggests that SOJO has potential to reconfigure relationships between news audiences and journalists, while simultaneously opening new revenue streams. But what impediments might SOJO face in fast-paced and resource-poor newsroom contexts, especially those that serve local audiences? Following a year-long campaign where we helped introduce SOJO into 47 UK local news titles, we begin to answer this question, based on interviews with eight SOJO mentors, 17 journalists and 10 editors, alongside observations from mentors’ fora. While journalists saw many benefits to the practice, we outline several impediments to the successful implementation of SOJO in local media, including time and workflow, metrics and institutional rewards, and editorial commitment. Further, we identify the emergence of a pragmatic form of that we call “SOJO lite”; characterized as news that contains elements of solutions journalism but falls short of the widely used definitions suggested by industry leaders. Both findings have implications for the future direction of this emergent journalism practice

Macroalgal mat species diversity, composition, and seasonality at four coastal sites across the English Channel/La Manche region

Seaweed mats are a consequence of eutrophication in coastal waters and can have negative ecological impacts. Consequently, many European environmental assessment frameworks (e.g. the Water Framework Directive, Marine Strategy Framework Directive) monitor seaweed mat biomass. Ulva, commonly referred to as sea lettuce, is often assumed to be the dominant taxon, but mats can contain multiple Ulva species, and other taxa, and within-mat diversity is often poorly known. Understanding the composition of seaweed mats has implications for nutrient removal from coastal waters because seaweeds uptake and store nutrients differently between species, time of year and location. The use of traditional molecular methods to identify seaweed species cannot easily be applied to mats. In contrast, with the development of Next Generation Sequencing and Cleaved Amplified Polymorphic Sequences assay, a bulk sampling approach for monitoring the seaweed species within mats can be applied. Here, we applied this bulk sampling approach to monitor seaweed species at four sites: three estuarine sites containing mudflats and one exposed sandy site across the English Channel/La Manche region that historically and currently have occurrences of seaweed mats. We assessed variability between sites with respect to biomass, entrainment, species composition and seasonality. The highest mat abundance was found at Holes Bay, Poole, UK and entrainment or burial of seaweed within the sediment was found at two sites, Holes Bay and the Ledano Estuary, France, correlating with similar sediment types and high seaweed biomass. Foliose Ulva lacinulata dominated at Holes Bay, while Langstone Harbour, Portsmouth, UK had many tubular and filamentous green species and one brown filamentous species. At the two French sites we identified foliose Ulva species. This study demonstrates the high seaweed species diversity and biomass that can be found within macroalgal mats, information that will be important in the refinement and development of model-based nutrient removal estimates as part of nutrient mitigation and management strategies

Safeguarding Children and Young People from Gambling Harms: A Scoping Review of the Grey Literature

Purpose of Review This scoping review aims to assess the range and efectiveness of interventions in the UK or relevant to the UK context designed to prevent or reduce gambling-related harms among children and young people (CYP) aged up to 25 years based on grey literature. Grey literature captures practical strategies and innovations not documented in academic literature, ofering a comprehensive understanding of existing interventions. Recent Findings The review identifed fourteen organisations ofering interventions primarily focused on prevention and treatment. Educational interventions, delivered through workshops, online courses, and digital resources, were most prevalent. Innovative approaches, such as interactive web-based games, showed higher engagement levels among CYP. However, most interventions lacked rigorous evaluation data, especially concerning CYP’s developmental needs. Summary The review indicates the importance of multi-systemic approaches involving various stakeholders to mitigate gambling-related harms. It highlights the need for tailored, evidence-based strategies addressing CYP’s vulnerabilities, incorporating robust evaluation methods. Future research should include diverse linguistic and cultural contexts to ensure comprehensive protection for CYP from gambling-related harm