6,424 research outputs found
Police responses to cyberstalking during the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK
This research aims to explore how police officers responded to cyberstalking during the unprecedented period of the Covid-19 pandemic (March 2020-April 2021). More specifically, it aims to report the police experience of responding to cases of stalking, including cyberstalking, during this period; to explore officer confidence in identifying cyberstalking and to explore the challenges faced by frontline police. One hundred and two frontline police officers from two forces in the South of England took part in the online survey and, subsequently, ten officers and six key stakeholders each participated in a one-hour qualitative interview. The data indicates that the Covid-19 pandemic has prompted an increase in cyberstalking, and this has been attributed, by both the police and stakeholders, to the lockdown whereby people worked from home, had more time to become tech savvy and, as a result, developed digital skills that facilitate cyberstalking. Furthermore, it emerged that there is professional uncertainty among officers surrounding cyberstalking and how to deal with the problem effectively. However, this uncertainty is unquestionably not related to the lack of officersâ motivation, but to absence of a stalking screening tool that addresses cyberstalking, accompanied by effective multiagency training that would assist officers to understand the nature of the issue and to respond to it effectively
Frontline response: exploring the impact of COVIDâ19 on stalking behaviours
COVID-19 pandemic lockdown changed the way in which we engage with others and our ability to enjoy free movement away from the confinement of our own homes. Whilst this dramatic change affected everyone, it constituted something much more threatening for victims of stalking, repeatedly targeted by those with an obsessive and fixated behaviour. Whilst we know more about the impact of lockdown stalking behaviour, very little is known about how the police and frontline workers are responding to this challenge. This research aims to increase an understanding of stalking in this context. Firstly, it presents a quantitative examination of recorded data on stalking offences provided by all 43 police forces across England and Wales. In addition, it explores the experiences of those working on the frontline who respond to reports of stalking made by victims. A total of 15 in-depth interviews were conducted with twelve police officers from three forces in England, as well as three advocates of victims from two national stalking services. Analyses show that stalking behaviour has increased and evolved to use accessible channels alongside the COVID restrictions. In conclusion, considerable pressure has been placed on front- line workers to adapt and respond not only to increased incidents but also the changes in the nature of stalking behaviour
A value mapping tool for sustainable business modelling
Purpose â Although business models that deliver sustainability are increasingly popular in the literature, few tools that assist in sustainable business modelling have been identified. This paper investigates how businesses might create balanced social, environmental and economic value through integrating sustainability more fully into the core of their business. A value mapping tool is developed to help firms create value propositions better suited for sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach â In addition to a literature review, six sustainable companies were interviewed to understand their approaches to business modelling, using a case study approach. Building on the literature and practice, a tool was developed which was pilot tested through use in a workshop. The resulting improved tool and process was subsequently refined through use in 13 workshops.
Findings â A novel value mapping tool was developed to support sustainable business modelling, which introduces three forms of value (value captured, missed/destroyed or wasted, and opportunity) and four major stakeholder groups (environment, society, customer, and network actors).
Practical implications â This tool intends to support business modelling for sustainability by assisting firms in better understanding their overall value proposition, both positive and negative, for all relevant stakeholders in the value network.
Originality/value â The tool adopts a multiple stakeholder view of value, a network rather than firm centric perspective, and introduces a novel way of conceptualising value that specifically introduces value destroyed or wasted/ missed, in addition to the current value proposition and new opportunities for value creation.This paper builds on work undertaken on SustainValue, a European Commission's 7th Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013). The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the European Commission, and the contribution of the academic and industrial partners on this project in developing and testing the ideas presented herein.This is the accepted version of the original article published in Corporate Governance and available online at http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=17094853. This article is (c) Emerald Group Publishing and permission has been granted for this version to appear here (https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/245028). Emerald does not grant permission for this article to be further copied/distributed or hosted elsewhere without the express permission from Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Superconductivity and Cobalt Oxidation State in Metastable Na(x)CoO(2-delta)*yH2O (x ~ 1/3; y ~ 4x)
We report the synthesis and superconducting properties of a metastable form
of the known superconductor NaxCoO2*yH2O (x ~ 1/3, y ~ 4x). Instead of using
the conventional bromine-acetonitrile mixture for sodium deintercalation, we
use an aqueous bromine solution. Using this method, we oxidize the sample to a
point that the sodium cobaltate becomes unstable, leading to formation of other
products if not controlled. This compound has the same structure as the
reported superconductor, yet it exhibits a systematic variation of the
superconducting transition temperature (Tc) as a function of time. Immediately
after synthesis, this compound is not a superconductor, even though it contains
appropriate amounts of sodium and water. The samples become superconducting
with low Tc values after ~ 90 h. Tc continually increases until it reaches a
maximum value (4.5 K) after about 260 h. Then Tc drops drastically, becoming
non-superconducting approximately 100 h later. Corresponding time-dependent
neutron powder diffraction data shows that the changes in superconductivity
exhibited by the metastable cobaltate correspond to slow formation of oxygen
vacancies in the CoO2 layers. In effect, the formation of these defects
continually reduces the cobalt oxidation state causing the sample to evolve
through its superconducting life cycle. Thus, the dome-shaped superconducting
phase diagram is mapped as a function of cobalt oxidation state using a single
sample. The width of this dome based on the formal oxidation state of cobalt is
very narrow - approximately 0.1 valence units wide. Interestingly, the maximum
Tc in NaxCoO2*yH2O occurs when the cobalt oxidation state is near 3.5. Thus, we
speculate that the maximum Tc occurs near the charge ordered insulating state
that correlates with the average cobalt oxidation state of 3.5.Comment: 22 pages, 9 figures, 1 tabl
A case-linkage study of crime victimisation in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders over a period of deinstitutionalisation
Abstract Background: Despite high rates of self-reported crime victimisation, no study to date has compared official victimisation records of people with severe mental illness with a random community sample. Accordingly, this study sought to determine whether persons with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders have higher rates of recorded victimisation than the general population, and to explore whether there have been changes in rates of recorded victimisation over a period of deinstitutionalisation. Methods: The schizophrenia-spectrum cases were drawn from a state-wide public mental health register, comprising all persons first diagnosed with a schizophrenic illness in five year cohorts between 1975 - 2005. The criminal histories of 4,168 persons diagnosed with schizophrenic-spectrum disorders were compared to those of a randomly selected community sample of 4,641 individuals. Results: Compared to community controls, patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders were significantly more likely to have a record of violent (10.1% vs. 6.6%, odds ratio 1.4) and sexually violent victimisation (1.7% vs. 0.3%, odds ratio 2.77), but less likely to have an official record of victimisation overall (28.7% vs. 39.1%, odds ratio 0.5). Over the approximate period of deinstitutionalisation, the rate of recorded victimisation has more than doubled in schizophrenia-spectrum patients, but stayed relatively constant in the general community. Conclusions: People with schizophrenic-spectrum disorders are particularly vulnerable to violent crime victimisation; although co-morbid substance misuse and criminality both heighten the chances of victimisation, they cannot fully account for the increased rates. Deinstitutionalisation may have, in part, contributed to an unintended consequence of increasing rates of victimisation amongst the seriously mentally ill
Thermodynamic entropy of a many body energy eigenstate
It is argued that a typical many body energy eigenstate has a well defined
thermodynamic entropy and that individual eigenstates possess thermodynamic
characteristics analogous to those of generic isolated systems. We examine
large systems with eigenstate energies equivalent to finite temperatures. When
quasi-static evolution of a system is adiabatic (in the quantum mechanical
sense), two coupled subsystems can transfer heat from one subsystem to another
yet remain in an energy eigenstate. To explicitly construct the entropy from
the wave function, degrees of freedom are divided into two unequal parts. It is
argued that the entanglement entropy between these two subsystems is the
thermodynamic entropy per degree of freedom for the smaller subsystem. This is
done by tracing over the larger subsystem to obtain a density matrix, and
calculating the diagonal and off-diagonal contributions to the entanglement
entropy.Comment: 18 page
Actions of the braid group, and new algebraic proofs of results of Dehornoy and Larue
This article surveys many standard results about the braid group with
emphasis on simplifying the usual algebraic proofs.
We use van der Waerden's trick to illuminate the Artin-Magnus proof of the
classic presentation of the algebraic mapping-class group of a punctured disc.
We give a simple, new proof of the Dehornoy-Larue braid-group trichotomy,
and, hence, recover the Dehornoy right-ordering of the braid group.
We then turn to the Birman-Hilden theorem concerning braid-group actions on
free products of cyclic groups, and the consequences derived by Perron-Vannier,
and the connections with the Wada representations. We recall the very simple
Crisp-Paris proof of the Birman-Hilden theorem that uses the Larue-Shpilrain
technique. Studying ends of free groups permits a deeper understanding of the
braid group; this gives us a generalization of the Birman-Hilden theorem.
Studying Jordan curves in the punctured disc permits a still deeper
understanding of the braid group; this gave Larue, in his PhD thesis,
correspondingly deeper results, and, in an appendix, we recall the essence of
Larue's thesis, giving simpler combinatorial proofs.Comment: 51`pages, 13 figure
The broadening of Fe II lines by neutral hydrogen collisions
Data for the broadening of 24188 Fe II lines by collisions with neutral
hydrogen atoms have been computed using the theory of Anstee & O'Mara as
extended to singly ionised species and higher orbital angular momentum states
by Barklem & O'Mara. Data have been computed for all Fe II lines between
observed energy levels in the line lists of Kurucz with log gf > -5 for which
the theory is applicable. The variable energy debt parameter Ep used in
computing the second order perturbation theory potential is chosen to be
consistent with the long range dispersion interaction constant C6 computed
using the f-values from Kurucz.Comment: Accepted for A&A. 5 pages, 5 figures, 2 electronic tables. Tables
will be available via CDS; presently also at
http://www.astro.uu.se/~barklem/papers/fe2_data.tar.g
Feasibility, acceptability and efficacy of a web-based computer-tailored physical activity intervention for pregnant women - the Fit4Two randomised controlled trial
Background: Physical activity (PA) during pregnancy is associated with a variety of health benefits including a reduced risk of pregnancy related conditions such as pre-eclampsia and pregnancy-induced hypertension and leads to greater control over gestational weight gain. Despite these associated health benefits, very few pregnant women are sufficiently active. In an attempt to increase health outcomes, it is important to explore innovative ways to increase PA among pregnant women. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the feasibility, acceptability and efficacy of a four week web-based computer-tailored PA intervention among pregnant women. Methods: Seventy-seven participants were randomised into either: (1) an intervention group that received tailored PA advice and access to a resource library of articles relating to PA during pregnancy; or (2) a standard information group that only received access to the resources library. Objective moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was assessed at baseline and immediately post-intervention. Recruitment, attrition, intervention adherence, and website engagement were assessed. Questions on usability and satisfaction were administered post-intervention. Results: Feasibility was demonstrated through acceptable recruitment (8.5 participants recruited and randomised/ month), and attrition (25%). Acceptability among intervention group participants was positive with high intervention adherence (96% of 4 modules completed). High website engagement (participants logged in 1.6 times/week although only required to log in once per week), usability (75/100), and satisfaction outcomes were reported in both groups. However, participants in the intervention group viewed significantly more pages on the website (p < 0.05), reported that the website felt more personally relevant (p < 0.05), and significantly increased their MVPA from baseline to postintervention (mean difference = 35.87 min), compared to the control group (mean difference = 9.83 min) (p < 0.05), suggesting efficacy. Conclusions: The delivery of a computer-tailored web-based intervention designed to increase PA in pregnant women is feasible, well accepted and associated with increases in short-term MVPA. Findings suggest the use of computer-tailored information leads to greater website engagement, satisfaction and greater PA levels among pregnant women compared to a generic information only website. Trial registration: The trial was âretrospectively registeredâ with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials RegistryMelanie Hayman, Peter Reaburn, Matthew Browne, Corneel Vandelanotte, Stephanie Alley and Camille E. Shor
UV excess measures of accretion onto young very low-mass stars and brown dwarfs
Low-resolution spectra from 3000-9000 AA of young low-mass stars and brown
dwarfs were obtained with LRIS on Keck I. The excess UV and optical emission
arising in the Balmer and Paschen continua yields mass accretion rates ranging
from 2e-12 to 1e-8 Mo/yr. These results are compared with {\it HST}/STIS
spectra of roughly solar-mass accretors with accretion rates that range from
2e-10 to 5e-8 Mo/yr. The weak photospheric emission from M-dwarfs at <4000 A
leads to a higher contrast between the accretion and photospheric emission
relative to higher-mass counterparts. The mass accretion rates measured here
are systematically 4-7 times larger than those from H-alpha emission line
profiles, with a difference that is consistent with but unlikely to be
explained by the uncertainty in both methods. The accretion luminosity
correlates well with many line luminosities, including high Balmer and many He
I lines. Correlations of the accretion rate with H-alpha 10% width and line
fluxes show a large amount of scatter. Our results and previous accretion rate
measurements suggest that accretion rate is proportional to M^(1.87+/-0.26) for
accretors in the Taurus Molecular Cloud.Comment: 13 pages text, 15 tables, 14 figures. Accepted by Ap
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