Missing links?: an examination of the contributions made by Social Surveys to our understanding of child well-being in South Africa

The aim of this paper is to examine the available data on children's lives in South Africa in order to see whether we have the necessary tools to trace changes in child poverty and well-being over time, and to link these changes to broader social, political and economic trends. The analysis offered in this paper is important not only in terms of understanding the factors that currently influence the lives of almost half of South Africa's population, but also in terms of gaining insight into the links between child poverty and adult poverty, and the opportunities that exist to break the poverty cycle. Before addressing these concerns, I set the scene by briefly describing the major developments in the social sciences and in social development policy with respect to the study of children and childhood

Effectiveness of a six-week high-intensity interval training programme on cardiometabolic markers in sedentary males

High-intensity interval training (HIT) has been proposed as an effective, time efficient strategy to elicit similar cardiometabolic health benefits as traditional moderate-intensity endurance training. This is an important consideration as "lack of time" is a common cited barrier to regular physical activity

Effectiveness of short-term heat acclimation on intermittent exercise in thermoneutral and hot environments

It is well-established that repetition of heat stress exposure has been shown to facilitate adaptations to the heat but these protocols have tended to be of a fixed work intensity, continuous exercise, long-term in duration (>7 days) and use hydration. Secondly, there is limited information on the potential use of heat acclimation as a training method for human performance in thermoneutral conditions. Therefore, the aims of this study were to investigate the effectiveness of short-term heat acclimation (STHA) for 5 days, using the controlled hyperthermia technique with dehydration, on intermittent exercise in thermoneutral and hot environments

Applying ‘merging of knowledge’ in Tanzania: what can we learn about interrupting patterned relationships to reveal hidden dimensions of poverty?

Merging of Knowledge is a research approach that creates the conditions for people with lived experience of poverty to participate at an equal level with academics and practitioners, in the co-generation of knowledge about poverty. This paper reflects critically on the application of ‘Merging of Knowledge’ to study poverty in Tanzania, assessing its challenges, achievements, and lessons learned about revealing hidden knowledge about poverty. It also provides a brief literature review to place the Merging of Knowledge alongside other participatory approaches. This paper finds that Merging of Knowledge can effectively interrupt patterned social relationships, and empower individuals and peer groups, thereby stimulating transformation of both academics and people and poverty. It does so by addressing imbalances in social status, empowering all groups of participants at each stage of the research, and building trust, confidence, and freedom from fear in a sustainable manner. The conclusion drawn is that Merging of Knowledge holds great promise for future research on topics where strong hierarchies of knowledge exist, and where the physical inclusion of participants in data collection is not readily translated into intellectual inclusivity during analysis and the dissemination of findings

What is childcare really about? An ethnographic analysis of care relationships in a resource-poor community

The main aim of this paper is to examine critically the nature of childcare, including ideals and practices, in a resource-poor community through close ethnographic analysis of three sets of data generated over the course of two years. We argue that childcare in Masiphumelele should be conceptualised as having an emotional component that operates in parallel with, and is as important as, material provision and practical action. Further, the analysis reveals the extent to which childcare is shaped by poverty and must be thought about in relation to broader physical and social mobility, and the continuities within such movement. We also show that HIV can further shape childcare by challenging existing cultural practices, such as those pertaining to communication between children and adults regarding death. Future work on childcare would benefit from the conceptual approach adopted across this work, one which views children and their carers in a series of interrelated and dynamic contexts that include both kin and non-kin, and extend from the household to the broader family and friendship networks which support these multiple individuals

Barriers to Independent Aggregators in Europe

Various studies and consultations have been undertaken in recent years which examine the benefits that independent aggregators can bring to the European electricity markets. Independent aggregators can provide an important route to market for demand side response providers and small-scale generators, by bringing together providers who would be too small to participate in the markets individually. In addition, aggregators have detailed knowledge of these markets which many small providers might lack. Aggregation can also increase the reliability of DSR by bringing together resources from across different industries and geographies. However, at present there is no coordinated approach across Europe for the inclusion of independent aggregators into these markets. There is therefore a united view in industry bodies that further development and a coordinated approach to the aggregator role is necessary to enable their full inclusion

Cornwall Local Energy Market - Organisations Survey

In 2019 the University of Exeter undertook a survey with the organisations who participated in the commercial trial component of the Cornwall Local Energy Market project. The Organisations Survey included an online survey which was emailed to all participants, and interviews held with 10 organisations. This report outlines the results of the Organisations Survey and is scoped around three research objectives

A randomised controlled trial of student nurse performance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a simulated family-witnessed resuscitation scenario

© 2017 Elsevier Ltd This randomized controlled trial, conducted in a UK University nursing department, compared student nurses' performance during a simulated cardiac arrest. Eighteen teams of four students were randomly assigned to one of three scenarios: 1) no family witness; 2) a “quiet” family witness; and 3) a family witness displaying overt anxiety and distress. Each group was assessed by observers for a range of performance outcomes (e.g. calling for help, timing to starting cardiopulmonary resuscitation), and simulation manikin data on the depth and timing of three cycles of compressions. Groups without a distressed family member present performed better in the early part of the basic life support algorithm. Approximately a third of compressions assessed were of appropriate pressure. Groups with a distressed family member present were more likely to perform compressions with low pressure. Groups with no family member present were more likely to perform compressions with too much pressure. Timing of compressions was better when there was no family member present. Family presence appears to have an effect on subjectively and objectively measured performance. Further study is required to see how these findings translate into the registered nurse population, and how experience and education modify the impact of family member presence

Energy Justice POINTs : Policies to Create a More Sustainable & Fairer Future for All

The transition to clean energy is one of the UK’s five priority areas for COP26. Alongside the potential benefits from creating green energy jobs, transition to a net-zero energy system offers the potential for delivering broader social, political, and economic benefits (Hamilton and Akbar, 2010; Hepburn et al., 2020; Roy et al., 2018; Sovacool et al., 2020). History shows us that socio-economic disruptions associated with transitions tend to amplify inequalities (Sovacool and Brisbois, 2019). It is likely that without intervention, these benefits, and the costs to deliver them, will not be evenly distributed across society, with negative impacts disproportionately affecting those in lower socio-economic and minority groups. Against this backdrop there has been increasing recognition for the need for Energy Justice – to deliver a socially inclusive and equitable net-zero transition (Abram et al., 2020). This growing awareness of the importance of energy justice has created the need for a framework or lens through which policy impact can be explored at the wider system level to help mitigate against unintended consequences. Energy Justice POINTs (Policy Overview and Impacts for Net-zero Transitions) provides a useful and usable framework to help decision makers explore the wide-reaching energy justice implications of their net-zero visions, strategies, and policies. It is based on four tenets of justice: * Distributional – where injustices lie * Recognition – who is affected * Procedural – how injustices can be overcome * Restorative – what we can do to ameliorate past injustices and mitigate against future injustices It also includes an additional four dimensions to take a whole-systems approach to a just transition which has been developed through a review of the literature. In this paper we outline the development of the Energy Justice POINTs framework, discuss how it can be used, and provide a worked example of how the framework could be applied to a specific project. The framework has also been tested by several other organisations and we provide two case studies which are published here with the respective organisations permission. These case studies can be used as templates for other organisations to consider when developing their own energy related policies or projects. The CARES case study has been completed by the team at Local Energy Scotland who manage the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme. The Glasgow Community Energy case study has been completed by this community-owned renewable energy co-operative who have recently installed solar panels on the roofs of two schools in Glasgow