Northampton Community College

Abstract This article addresses ‘non-intimate femicide’ (NIF), referring to the killing of women and girls outside of family and intimate relationships. Despite substantial proportions of femicides involving non-intimate circumstances, there is a dearth of evidence, research and policy on NIF. Using Homicide Index data for England and Wales (2002–2022), this article provides original insight into the victim, perpetrator and incident characteristics in NIF cases, and reveals important differences between intimate and NIF, as well as high levels of missing or poorly recorded data. We argue for more accurate recording of NIF, alongside a ‘continua thinking’ approach to femicide research, which documents the killing of all women and girls across a range of intimate and non-intimate contexts.

Following total laryngectomy, surgical voice restoration is considered the optimal modality for re-establishing communication via tracheoesophageal voice. Yet beyond the insertion of a voice prosthesis to elicit voice production, there is suboptimal clinical knowledge of how to rehabilitate the perceptual quality of tracheoesophageal voice. This systematic review will identify and critically evaluate the quality and effectiveness of therapeutic interventions for tracheoesophageal voice. The findings of this review will inform the development of a novel tracheoesophageal voice therapy intervention. Systematic literature review carried out in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. The review protocol was registered with PROSPERO. Eight electronic databases were searched using a prespecified search strategy. Records were independently screened by two reviewers against inclusion and exclusion criteria. Eligible studies were assessed for quality using the PEDro, ROBIN-T, and NHLBI critical appraisal tools. Data was extracted pertaining to participant characteristics and the content, dosage, intensity and outcomes of interventions. 6344 records were identified, of which 38 were included for full-text review. Six studies met the eligibility criteria for inclusion. Voice rehabilitation was not the primary focus in the majority of studies, and the risk of bias was identified across studies. There was significant heterogeneity in the interventions and outcome measures used within studies with insufficient detail provided on intervention content for tracheoesophageal voice. Evidence for the effectiveness of interventions was limited and inconsistent across studies. This review found that tracheoesophageal voice therapy is an under-researched area of clinical practice. Evidence from the small body of existing studies was not sufficiently robust to inform clinical practice at this time. This review highlights the necessity to develop and test interventions aimed at improving the perceptual quality of tracheoesophageal voice.

ABSTRACT This study presents a qualitative, case-based risk assessment to evaluate participant safety and regulatory accountability in suborbital spaceflight. Currently, the suborbital flight sector is operating under a regulatory “learning period” moratorium that offers minimal oversight from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA-AST). A qualitative Bowtie-based case study is presented herein, applying the ICAO risk matrix and the ALARP (As Low As Reasonably Practicable) methodology to a representative loss-of-pressurization scenario in Blue Origin’s suborbital operations. This approach demonstrates that structured qualitative risk-management frameworks can effectively assess catastrophic hazards with limited empirical data and reduce risks to acceptable levels without imposing excessive costs on operators. To address existing safety and regulatory gaps, this study recommends: (1) establishing a defined regulatory framework with mandatory vehicle certification and legal protections for participants; (2) the adoption of risk-management methodologies such as ALARP and CBA by commercial operators; (3) developing FAA-AST– directed medical screening and training programs for spaceflight participants; (4) incorporating personal safety equipment, including breathing apparatus; and (5) fostering collaboration with established aerospace institutions such as NASA. Overall, the findings highlight the need for near-term policy action to support a safe, sustainable, and accountable evolution of suborbital space tourism.

The rise in energy demand of Electric Vehicles (EVs) is an increasing burden on the grid. Solutions proposed to reduce grid load, for example, storing surplus energy from EVs, are costly and do not address associated challenges such as communication reliability and the optimum number of charging stations. This paper proposes an optimized energy management by availing supply from EVs and renewable resources for achieving net zero. We consider that EVs sell their surplus energy via bidirectional Vehicle-to-Grid exchange. Demand and supply from EVs and energy output from renewables are intelligently predicted and shared with the grid through a 5G communication network. A cost minimization solution alters grid supply according to available EV supply. This paper analyzes the upper bounds of EV demand and supply, utilizes game theory to incentivize EVs, and discusses the optimum number of charging stations. Results show that the proposed solution reduces 38.21% of the grid load and 5.3% cost.

Despite growing evidence depicting the importance of trauma-informed practices within mental health services, little is known about Black groups who have experienced complex trauma and their unique experiences of accessing and receiving mental health support. Black communities are disproportionately exposed to various forms of trauma, including systemic and interpersonal violence, with elevated rates of trauma related conditions such as PTSD. In addition to these heightened exposures, Black groups are also more likely to encounter mental health services through adversarial and coercive care pathways, placing them at risk of further trauma and harm. This qualitative study focuses on Black adults with complex trauma by understanding their journeys, experiences, and perceptions of mental health care. Ten in-depth interviews were conducted. Using a thematic narrative analysis approach and underpinned through a critical realist framework, six themes emerged within the data: a fragmented mental health system, alternative support systems, inadequate or inappropriate assessments, overly clinical and medical focuses, cultural matching, and improving person-centred care. The study provides grounded examples of what trauma-informed, culturally responsive care may look like in practice, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of how support systems can better meet the needs of those most often underserved. • Black adults face significant barriers when accessing complex trauma services. • Their needs are often overlooked, dismissed, or inadequately addressed within existing systems. • The absence of culturally responsive practices can cause further harm and worsen outcomes. • This study offers insight into how trauma-informed care can be adapted to better serve Black adults with complex trauma.

Abstract Previous research highlights the impact of nonverbal cues and visual layouts on respondents’ interpretations and answers to survey questions (Schwarz et al. in Pub Opin Q 55(4):570–582, 1991; Tourangeau et al. in Pub Opin Q 71(1):91–112, 2007; Toepoel and Dillman in Soc Sci Comput Rev 29(2):193–207, 2011). In this study, we investigate the effect of numerical values on responses to five questions measured using 11-point bipolar scales. These questions asked for evaluations of the general impact of climate change and its effects on different groups. Respondents were randomly assigned to scales ranging from 0 to 10, or from − 5 to + 5. The scales were presented horizontally and had identical verbal endpoints anchored as “extremely negative” and “extremely positive”. The experiment was embedded in a cross-national face-to-face survey conducted in Hungary, Portugal, and Great Britain. Contrary to prior research (Schwarz et al. in Pub Opin Q 55(4):570–582, 1991; O’Muircheartaigh et al. J Off Stat 11:295–308, 1995; Tourangeau et al. in Pub Opin Q 71(1):91–112, 2007), our analyses show an opposite trend: the means tend to be consistently and significantly lower for the − 5/+5 scale. The discrepancy between our findings and previous studies suggests that the interpretations of the 0/10 and − 5/+5 scales could be item specific. The implications of these findings and how they fit with previous work are discussed.

Abstract This study investigates the cognitive and emotional impacts of specific “Deceptive Patterns” in user interface design on well-known online platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, Salesforce, Eventbrite, and PayPal. The focus is on two types of deceptive patterns, “hard to cancel” and “hidden subscription” practices. Employing an integrated methodology of electroencephalogram (EEG), eye-tracking, and sentiment analysis, this research analyzes how these patterns influence user behaviour, attention, and emotional responses. The study utilized EEG to measure cognitive load as users interacted with “hard to cancel” interfaces revealing that these platforms increase cognitive demands, inducing greater mental effort and frustration. Eye-tracking data demonstrated that platforms with more transparent mechanisms effectively captured and held user attention on the Terms and Conditions as the key elements, thereby fostering user trust and enhancing transparency. Sentiment analysis further assessed users’ emotional responses, underscoring the positive association between transparent interfaces and user satisfaction. This research highlights the importance of ethical design practices that prioritize user autonomy and transparency, offering a unique methodological contribution through the combined use of EEG, eye-tracking, and sentiment analysis to comprehensively capture cognitive and emotional responses.

Axial flow fans are essential for cooling processes in various industrial settings, making noise reduction a vital factor. Initial studies indicate that adding a porous structure to the fan casing can effectively reduce noise caused by tip-leakage vortices. Expanding on this idea, a porous casing based on triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMSs) was used to assess the fan's aeroacoustic performance. This study introduces the first application of TPMS casings for axial fan tip-leakage noise control. A thorough experimental and numerical analysis was carried out to investigate the aerodynamic properties and identify the mechanisms behind noise reduction. The findings show that the porous casing notably diminishes the strength and size of the tip-leakage vortex while also decreasing turbulence intensity near the casing walls. Additionally, the analysis indicates that the degree of noise reduction depends on both the porosity percentage and unit cell size. A diamond TPMS structure with 55% porosity and a unit cell size of 6 mm provides an optimal configuration, enhancing viscous damping and sound energy absorption at low frequencies. This well-designed TPMS structure can effectively reduce both blade passing frequency and turbulence interaction noise, achieving an overall noise reduction of up to 10 dB.

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