This community contains the ePrints and eTheses produced by the School's staff and students. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/2672 2026-10-19T01:48:28Z 2026-10-19T01:48:28Z Bulut, Cevdet Onwona-Hwesofour Asante, Kwaku Akon-Yamga, Gordon Adu-Gyamfi, Monica Ode Appiah-Kubi, Zippora Odame Afari, Sarah Brett, Josua Onwona Simpe, Kwame Nutefe Kuavedzi, Reuben http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38392 2026-10-14T14:21:42Z 2026-10-06T00:00:00Z

Title: A stage-weighted environmental risk and visual severity integration model for climate-smart management of cassava anthracnose in humid tropical systems Author(s): Bulut, Cevdet; Onwona-Hwesofour Asante, Kwaku; Akon-Yamga, Gordon; Adu-Gyamfi, Monica Ode; Appiah-Kubi, Zippora; Odame Afari, Sarah; Brett, Josua; Onwona Simpe, Kwame; Nutefe Kuavedzi, Reuben Abstract: Colletotrichum anthracnose is a persistent constraint on cassava root yield and planting material quality in humid tropical systems, where calendar-based management often leads to poorly timed or excessive fungicide use. This study developed and pilot-tested the Cassava Anthracnose Risk Index (CARI), a stage-sensitive, persistence-adjusted early-warning framework integrating low-cost environmental sensing with structured visual severity scoring for climate-smart, input-reduced disease management. Microclimate sensors were deployed at CSIR-CRI Fumesua, Ghana, across a 13-month rainfed crop cycle (March 2025 – April 2026) using the susceptible landrace Debo. A stage-weighted Environmental Risk Subscore (ERS; 0–600 points, ERS%) was constructed from six environmental components, moderated by a persistence factor requiring sustained infection-favorable conditions, and stratified across three growth stages. A Visual Symptom Subscore (VSS; 0–40) was derived from standardised weekly severity assessments of 15 sentinel plants, integrated into a composite CARI (0–100) with stage-specific alert thresholds. Across 73 valid Stage 3 monitoring days, CARI classified all observations as Low Risk and issued no Amber or Red alerts, including on 37 of 73 days with sustained nocturnal high-humidity conditions that would have triggered a precautionary alert under a simple threshold approach. In the single confirmed disease episode observed, an approximately one-day interval separated the highest environmental risk signal from confirmed symptom onset; this is not presented as a validated lag value, a preceding 25-day sensor outage means antecedent conditions cannot be characterised. CARI did not issue an intervention recommendation during this episode (11–24 February 2026) because concurrent environmental risk remained below the Amber threshold. Published decision support systems for Colletotrichum anthracnose in other pathosystems report fungicide reductions of 30–70% relative to calendar-based approaches; these figures are cited only for benchmarking and were not measured here, as no comparative fungicide trial was conducted. These results provide proof of concept for the technical operability of CARI and identify the dataset and analyses required for formal predictive evaluation in a planned multi-season study; they should not be interpreted as evidence of CARI’s predictive accuracy or input-reduction performance.

2026-10-06T00:00:00Z Hart, Robert A Singleton, Carl http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38390 2026-10-14T14:06:18Z 2026-10-13T00:00:00Z

Title: The Hidden Effects of Company Strikes: Workers Made Idle in UK Engineering and Metalworking from 1920 to 1970 Author(s): Hart, Robert A; Singleton, Carl Abstract: This study examines a neglected aspect of industrial relations: workplace disputes in which workers are incidentally made idle because of strike actions of others. These spillover effects have received little systematic attention despite potentially accounting for a substantial share of the employment consequences of industrial conflict. The analysis uses a comprehensive dataset of company strikes compiled by the UK Engineering Employers’ Federation (EEF) between 1920 and 1970, recording both workers directly involved in disputes and non-striking employees made idle. During the interwar and wartime periods, relatively few workers were made idle compared with those directly on strike. In contrast, the post-war period saw a substantial rise in the likelihood and scale of incidental idleness. By the late 1960s, the number of EEF workers made idle by strikes nearly matched the hundreds of thousands on strike. Incidental idleness was especially likely when strikes were caused by non-pay disputes, most notably those involving a demarcation disagreement about how workers from different unions or with different trades were assigned to tasks in the plant. These findings highlight wider employment consequences of industrial conflict, especially where there are production interdependencies.

2026-10-13T00:00:00Z Liu, Huabin http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38388 2026-10-13T08:51:43Z 2026-05-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Exploring the Role of Energy-Saving Awareness on Stated Behavior under the Context of Carbon Neutrality: A Case Study of Frontline Pilots in Chinese Civil Aviation Author(s): Liu, Huabin Abstract: With ongoing economic and social development, sustainability and environmental protection have become major global concerns. In response to the United Nations’ call for sustainable development, China has adopted the long-term “Dual Carbon Goal” to address climate change and promote a greener economy and a more environmentally balanced society. This goal contains two parts: carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. It aims to bring carbon dioxide emissions to their highest level by 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, meaning that carbon dioxide emissions from human activities will be offset through measures such as afforestation, so that net-zero emissions can be reached (State Council of the People’s Republic of China, 2022). The introduction of China’s Dual Carbon Goal has had a significant impact on most industries, imposing more stringent requirements. Civil aviation enterprises, among all, are urged to adopt optimized measures to reduce carbon emissions, improve energy utilization and promote the industry’s development toward a greener and more environmentally friendly direction. This includes increasing aircraft fuel efficiency, optimizing the aviation transportation system, and strengthening training on sustainability for employees. In this context, frontline pilots need to strengthen their energy-saving awareness and engagement in energy-efficient flight operations to meet the new requirements of the development of the civil aviation industry. This proactive approach is expected to contribute to achieving the Dual Carbon Goal, promoting low-carbon development in flight, and providing positive momentum for enterprises. Drawing mainly on Social Cognitive Theory, complemented by Theory of Planned Behavior and related behavioral theories used in a supporting role, this study examines Energy-Saving Awareness (ESA) among frontline pilots in China and the relationship between Energy-Saving Intention (ESI) and Stated Energy-Saving Behavior (SESB). Based on a review of the literature, this study develops a theoretical framework on the pathway of ESA-ESI-SESB. A survey of 200 frontline pilots from Chinese civil aviation enterprises was then used to examine the associations among the three terms. Quantitative results demonstrate that: 1. Energy-Saving Awareness (ESA) is positively associated with Energy-Saving Intention (ESI), indicating that pilots with stronger energy-saving awareness also report stronger motivation to make fuel-efficient and environmentally responsible decisions during flight operations. 2. Energy-Saving Awareness (ESA) is positively associated with Stated Energy-Saving Behavior (SESB), indicating that pilots with higher awareness scores also report more frequent use of energy-saving and fuel-efficient operating practices. 3. Energy-Saving Intention (ESI) is positively associated with Stated Energy-Saving Behavior (SESB), indicating that pilots with a stronger self-reported intention to save energy also report greater engagement in energy-saving operational practices. To clarify the two concepts, Energy-Saving Intention (ESI) refers to an individual’s psychological willingness to perform energy-saving practices, while Stated Energy-Saving Behavior (SESB) refers to the self-reported physical actions aimed at reducing energy consumption or improving efficiency, such as optimized flight procedures, reduced taxiing, and fuel-efficient climb profiles. SESB serves as the dependent variable in this study, representing pilots’ self-reported behavioral practices related to awareness and intention. 4. Energy-Saving Intention (ESI) partly explains the association between Energy-Saving Awareness (ESA) and Stated Energy-Saving Behavior (SESB), indicating that awareness is related to stated behavior partly through pilots’ energy-saving intention. 5. Psychological Factors (PF) moderate the association between Energy-Saving Awareness (ESA) and Energy-Saving Intention (ESI), with higher self-efficacy and stronger personal norms strengthening the positive relationship between awareness and intention. 6. Situational Factors (SF) moderate the relationship between Energy-Saving Intention (ESI) and Stated Energy-Saving Behavior (SESB), indicating that supportive organizational and policy conditions strengthen the relationship between intention and stated behavior. Conclusion: In this sample, energy-saving awareness, intention, and stated behavior are closely related. Energy-saving awareness is associated with stated behavior both directly and indirectly through energy-saving intention. Psychological factors are associated with the strength of the awareness–intention link, while situational factors are related to the strength of the intention–stated behavior link. Given the cross-sectional and self-reported nature of the data, these findings should be interpreted as statistically supported associations within the proposed model, not as evidence of a temporal or causal sequence. Finally, in light of the empirical findings and the broader need for sustainable and low-carbon development, this study proposes practical recommendations for strengthening pilots’ energy-saving intention, improving organizational support and policy incentives, and fostering a stronger culture of energy conservation within civil aviation enterprises.

2026-05-01T00:00:00Z Butler, David Butler, Robert Singleton, Carl http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38377 2026-10-07T00:15:05Z 2026-12-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Do Professionals Choke in the Face of Pressure and Distraction? Author(s): Butler, David; Butler, Robert; Singleton, Carl Abstract: We ask whether facing partisan audiences affects the execution of a skilled task. Our setting is penalty shootouts in the high-stakes environment of elite professional football (soccer). In this context, performers take penalties under intense pressure, while facing a subset of the crowd behind the goal who attempt to distract them through visual and auditory tactics. Using data on 1,322 penalties taken in the later rounds of major English cup competitions from 1992 to 2026, we find no evidence that having supportive allied spectators behind the goal provides a strategic advantage. This implies that elite professionals in this domain can effectively screen out crowd-induced distractions when performing under extreme stress.

2026-12-01T00:00:00Z