Committee on air pollution effects research: 40 years of UK air pollution

The UK Committee on Air Pollution Effects Research (CAPER) was established 40 years ago. This special section was compiled to mark this anniversary. During this time there have been dramatic changes in the composition of the air over the UK. The four papers in this special section of Environmental Pollution represent the current air pollution effects research focus on ozone and nitrogen deposition, two related issues and are proving from a policy perspective to be quite intractable issues. The UK CAPER research community continues to advance the underpinning science and engages closely with the user community in government departments

Towards typologies of virtual maltreatment: Sport, digital cultures and dark leisure.

A changing technological context, specifically that of the growth of social media, is transforming aspects of leisure behaviour, especially in terms of negative interactions between followers of sport and athletes. There is a growing body of research into the maltreatment of adult athletes, exploring issues such as abusive acts or behaviours against the individual, including acts of physical and/or psychological violence to the person. Existing research however, focuses upon face-to-face behaviours, and to date the nature of abuse in online spaces has been overlooked. It is becoming ever more apparent that virtual environments create optimal climates for abuse to occur due to the ability for individuals to communicate in an instantaneous, uncontrolled and often anonymous manner in virtual worlds. Using a netnographic approach, an analysis of a popular social media platform (Twitter) was conducted to examine the types of abuse present in online environments. This paper presents a conceptual typology, identifying four broad types of abuse in this setting; physical, sexual, emotional and discriminatory; examples of each form are presented. Findings highlight how online environments can pose a significant risk to individual emotional and psychological safety

Crossing the line: an exploration of the experiences of male athletes who commit crimes.

In terms of research into sport and crime, there has been considerable investigation into the power of sport as a crime reduction tool. Evidence is far from conclusive and within the UK research has predominantly focussed on the links between active participation in sport and reduced criminal behaviour. Sport is widely hailed as a positive mechanism for crime reduction however, some have questioned the assumption that involvement in sport routinely leads to positive outcomes. Involvement in sport is not a barrier to negative behaviours, and the athlete world, like all sections of the population, contains those who become involved in crime. It is not clear the extent to which athletes are involved within crime, or how sport could contribute to criminal behaviour. There is a relative paucity of research into the experiences of athletes who commit crimes. Whilst previous links exist between involvement in sport and violent and sexual crimes, a more significant body of empirical evidence is lacking. This thesis adopted a qualitative approach to explore the experiences of athletes who have committed crimes. Narrative inquiry was used to develop an understanding of the experiences of these athletes. This thesis utilised the concept of elite interviewing to explore the stories of ten male athletes who committed criminal offences either during or immediately after their athletic careers. Thematic analysis was used to explore the data and five key themes were established: the sporting experience, the criminal experience, the impact of external influences, the role of drugs and alcohol, and finally reflection on the participant’s journey. Overall this research extends knowledge in the area of athlete criminality, increasing understanding of athletes who commit crimes and the role sport plays in their criminal experiences. A conceptual framework is presented to illustrate the potential paths an athlete may take in the commission of crime, and considers the pursuit of edgework as a possible component, with criminal acts occurring as a consequence of edgework behaviour. Implications for practice and future research are provided, and this study supports the need to further explore the experiences of athletes who commit crimes. This study makes an important contribution to knowledge in this area, and is the first in depth examination of elite male athlete criminality from the perspective of the offender

A strategic framework to support the implementation of citizen science for environmental monitoring. Final report to SEPA

In this report we provide a decision framework that can be used to guide whether and when to use a citizen science approach for environmental monitoring. Before using the decision framework we recommend that five precursors to a citizen science approach are considered

Choosing and using citizen science: a guide to when and how to use citizen science to monitor biodiversity and the environment

Here we aim to provide guidance to support people considering using a citizen science approach, especially (but not necessarily restricted to) monitoring biodiversity and the environment in the UK. It will help you decide whether citizen science is likely to be useful, and it will help you decide which broad approach to citizen science is most suitable for your question or activity. This guide does not cover the practical detail of developing a citizen science project. That information is provided in the ‘Guide to Citizen Science’ (Tweddle et al., 2012)

An evaluation of the progress made towards the implementation of treatment summaries for cancer patients across Wessex

This report details an evaluation of the implementation of treatment summaries for cancer patients across the Wessex Deanery, encompassing Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight. The service evaluation commenced at the end of September 2015 and this report presents the progress made towards the implementation of cancer treatment summaries (CT) across the Wessex Deanery and service users’ experiences of receiving the TSs from two NHS Trusts in the catchment area. The survey results present the progress that has been made in the first six months of implementation and include descriptive data relating to the progress and process of implementation. The qualitative findings from an analysis of service user experience are presented and the findings from the evaluation are discussed in the context of national policy and the wider literature

Life at the edge: exploring male athlete criminality

Involvement in sport is not a barrier to negative behaviours, and athletes, like others in society, become involved in criminality. There is a relative paucity of research into the experiences of athletes who commit crimes. Whilst previous links exist between involvement in sport and violent and sexual crimes, a more significant body of empirical evidence is lacking. This paper utilises the concept of elite interviewing to explore the stories of ten male athletes who committed criminal offences either during or immediately after their athletic careers. Key emerging themes include the restrictive nature of sport, the need for excitement, risk appetite, and the impact of social influence. Male athlete behaviour is considered within the model of edgework, and themes are analysed as potential paths to edgework activities. The findings suggest the nature of both sport and male athletes can result in them seeking edgework experiences, and committing crimes as a consequence

University Students’ Notion of Autism Spectrum Conditions: A Cross-Cultural Study

Cultural background might influence knowledge and attitudes regarding autism, influencing willingness to interact. We studied whether beliefs, knowledge, contact, and attitude differed between the UK and Malaysia. With mediation analyses, we studied how these factors influenced willingness to interact. Autism was more often linked to food in the UK, and to upbringing in Malaysia. Knowledge, contact, and acceptance were greater in the UK. When excluding psychology students, Malaysian students were less willing to interact with autistic people. Knowledge and contact appeared to improve acceptance, but acceptance did not mediate the relation between country, beliefs, knowledge, and experience; and willingness to interact. Knowledge and contact regarding autism might improve acceptance in different cultures, but how acceptance could improve interaction is unclear