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Since female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) entered the wider Western consciousness in the 1970s, feminist debates surrounding these practices have wrestled with the tensions between recognising the specificity of women's experiences of oppression and challenging gender-based violence (GBV) as a global phenomenon. Crucially, although intersectionality is now readily applied to analyses of different forms of GBV, the international anti-FGM/C discourse has been slow in embracing more nuanced analyses of women's vulnerability. This chapter draws from still often-overlooked Black and postcolonial feminist thinking to problematise the radical feminist legacy which continues to prescribe the dominant explanations to women's participation in FGM/C in terms of ‘Third World’ un-educatedness and lack of feminist consciousness. In framing women's participation as a patriarchal bargain (Kandiyoti, 1988), this chapter argues that women's complicity in FGM/C takes place amidst complex constraints which inhibit women's spaces for action in FGM/C-practising societies. The chapter reflects findings from qualitative research which has interrogated women's experiences of continuums of interpersonal and structural violence to make sense of women's participation and constrained resistance in FGM/C-practising contexts. In doing so, this chapter problematises the gender and racial binaries which continue to influence decontextualised understandings of women's acts of ‘honour’-based violence.

The purpose of this study is to report findings from interviews with seven African-heritage women attending a female genital mutilation (FGM) Clinic in the north of England, during the COVID-19 lockdown. The Clinic, established several years before the pandemic, provides specialist therapeutic support to women and girls from minority ethnic communities who are affected by harmful “traditional” practices, including FGM. The services provided by the Clinic include early interventions, peer support, community engagement and empowerment around FGM.

Data was collected during an online focus group discussion with seven women who had received counselling for FGM, to gain insight into their lived experiences of therapeutic support during the pandemic.

Using Braun and Clarke (2006) six-step thematic analysis, four superordinate themes derived from the data: consistency and continuity; safety in shared experience and creativity; feeling heard, feeling stronger; and altruism and desire for change.

It is important to recognise some limitations within this study. It is based on one focus group discussion that involved seven participants, who had experienced FGM, were living in a targeted area and whose mental health had been further compromised by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The findings of this study indicate that it is essential to consider participants’ experiences of receiving therapeutic support during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was observed that emotional stressors linked with participants’ experiences of FGM may be exacerbated by those related to COVID-19.

There is a need to conduct similar research, perhaps on an individual basis, that would reach a wider sample of women from ethnic minority populations who are survivors of FGM, including those from FGM practicing communities who have been hospitalised through their deteriorating mental health. This would add to the small but growing body of evidence, to provide a better understanding of the experiences of their mental health needs during the COVID-19 pandemic and perhaps better identify effective therapeutic interventions.

These themes provide an insight into these women’s experiences of the trauma associated with FGM and receiving mental health support during the pandemic.

Hoping to uncover the physical principles of the vibration of the functionally graded material (FGM) microplate, by which the authors can make contributions to the design and manufacturing process in factories like micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) and other industries.

The authors design a method by establishing a reasonable mathematical model of the physical microplate composed of a porous FGM.

The authors discover that the porosity, the distributions of porosity, the power law of the FGM and the length-to-thickness ratio all affect the natural frequency of the vibration of the microplate, but in different ways.

Originally proposed a model of the micro FGM plate considering the different distributions of the porosity and scale effect and analyzed the vibration frequency of it.

This study delves into the factors that influence the practice of female genital mutilation in West Africa, as well as the health implications. An online cross-sectional study was conducted with the use of electronic questionnaire. The study was targeted at adult females who were between the age of 18 and 50 years old. The Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the electronic questionnaire was administered on social media platforms (Facebook and WhatsApp) only through convenience and snowball sampling techniques. A sample size of 3,119 adult females participated in the study. Spearman rank correlation (r) was employed to test the hypotheses. Responses were gathered from adult females whom originates from nine West African countries which are Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, Liberia, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Gambia and Guinea. The study found a strong and positive relationship between culture and the practice of female genital mutilation in West Africa, and there was a weak and positive relationship between religion and education, and the practice of female genital mutilation in West Africa. Despite the health risks, it was revealed that female genital mutilation remained uninterrupted in West Africa. The findings of this study imply that the culture of the people, religious belief system and education are critical factors in efforts to be considered when discouraging the practice of female genital mutilation. Therefore, for healthy living, the practice of female genital mutilation should be discouraged in the study area. Based on the study outcome, recommendations were suggested.

The purpose is to explore the free vibration behaviour of elastic foundation-supported porous functionally graded nanoplates using the Rayleigh-Ritz approach. The goal of this study is to gain a better knowledge of the dynamic response of nanoscale structures made of functionally graded materials and porous features. The Rayleigh-Ritz approach is used in this study to generate realistic mathematical models that take elastic foundation support into account. This research can contribute to the design and optimization of advanced nanomaterials with potential applications in engineering and technology by providing insights into the influence of material composition, porosity and foundation support on the vibrational properties of nanoplates.

A systematic methodology is proposed to evaluate the free vibration characteristics of elastic foundation-supported porous functionally graded nanoplates using the Rayleigh-Ritz approach. The study began by developing the mathematical model, adding material properties and establishing governing equations using the Rayleigh-Ritz approach. Numerical approaches to solve the problem are used, using finite element methods. The results are compared to current solutions or experimental data to validate the process. The results are also analysed, keeping the influence of factors on vibration characteristics in mind. The findings are summarized and avenues for future research are suggested, ensuring a robust investigation within the constraints.

The Rayleigh-Ritz technique is used to investigate the free vibration properties of elastic foundation-supported porous functionally graded nanoplates. The findings show that differences in material composition, porosity and foundation support have a significant impact on the vibrational behaviour of nanoplates. The Rayleigh-Ritz approach is good at modelling and predicting these properties. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the possibility of customizing nanoplate qualities to optimize certain vibrational responses, providing useful insights for engineering applications. These findings expand understanding of dynamic behaviours in nanoscale structures, making it easier to build innovative materials with specific features for a wide range of industrial applications.

The novel aspect of this research is the incorporation of elastic foundation support, porous structures and functionally graded materials into the setting of nanoplate free vibrations, utilizing the Rayleigh-Ritz technique. Few research have looked into this complex combo. By tackling complicated interactions, the research pushes boundaries, providing a unique insight into the dynamic behaviour of nanoscale objects. This novel approach allows for a better understanding of the interconnected effects of material composition, porosity and foundation support on free vibrations, paving the way for the development of tailored nanomaterials with specific vibrational properties for advanced engineering and technology applications.

The main objective of this study is to develop a numerical model based on Isogeometric Analysis to study the dynamic behavior of multi-directional functionally graded plates with variable thickness.

A numerical study was conducted on the dynamic behavior of multi-directional functionally graded plates. Rectangular and circular plates with variable thickness are taken into investigation. The third-order shear deformation plate theory of Reddy is used to describe the displacement field, while the equation of motion is developed based on the Hamilton's principle. Isogeometric Analysis approach is employed as a discretization tool to develop the system equation, where NURBS basis functions are used. The famous Newmark method is used to solve time-dependent problems.

The results obtained from this study indicated that the thickness gradation has a more considerable effect than in-plane variation of materials in MFGM plates. Additionally, the influence of the damping factor is observed to affect the vibration amplitude of the plate. The results obtained from this study could be used for future investigations, where the viscous elasticity and other dynamic factors are considered.

Although there have been a number of studies in the literature devoted to analyzing the linear static bending and free vibration of FGM and MFGM plates with variable thickness, the study on dynamic response of FGM and MFGM plate is still limited. Therefore, this study is dedicated to the investigation of the dynamic behavior of multi-directional functionally graded plates.

The author aims to study and predict the sustainability governance performances of firms using an advanced grey prediction model. The case implication of the prediction model is also studied considering select firms in the Indian context.

The author has proposed an advanced grey prediction model, the first-entry grey prediction model (FGM (1, 1)) for forecasting the sustainability governance performances of firms. The proposed model is tested using the periodic data of sustainability governance performances of 10 Indian firms.

The author observes that the majority of firms (6 out of 10) show dipping performances for sustainability governance for the future predicted period. This throws insights into the direction of improving good governance practices for Indian firms.

The idea and motivation for sustainability-focussed governance need a bi-directional focus from the side of managers that act as the agents and from the side of shareholders that act as the principals, as seen from an agency theory perspective for sustainability governance.

Sustainability governance culture can be inculcated to a firm at the strategic level by having a bi-directional focus from managers and shareholders, so as to enhance the social and environmental sustainability performances.

The governance performance evaluations for firms particularly in developing countries were not dated back more than a decade or two. Hence, the author implements a prediction model that can be best suited, when there are small periodic data sets available for prediction.

This study aims to explore the impact of COVID-19 on women and children in the UK who were victims of domestic abuse.

The authors draw from their experiences of working in the domestic abuse sector to reflect on the impact of lockdown restrictions on women and children, focussing on the impact of government restrictions that created an environment in which abusers could control the movement of victims.

The impact of the pandemic was significant as victims were locked into the abuse, unable to escape for fear of breaching lockdown rules. The lockdown affected victims of different forms of violence against women and girls in the UK including forced marriage and female genital mutilation, which highlighted the ramifications of intersectional inequalities for abuse victims.

This paper articulates the devastating impact of the pandemic on vulnerable women, and their fair and just access to the family courts. This paper concludes that women were failed by the government and that there was not nearly enough support from support agencies, which has left many at risk and suffering significant harm.

Theoretically, the quality of representation is likely to be enhanced when more societal segments are included in formal political structures. An interesting question, however, is whether a similar correlation holds empirically outside established Western democracies. In the 2015 Egyptian parliament, women representation achieved an all-time high of 14.9% of total seats – nearly four times the historical Egyptian average. It is asked whether female legislators riding this unprecedent tide were different from their male colleagues in terms of their socio-economic backgrounds. But more importantly, the authors examine whether this increased representation led to any change in inclusion of more women’s issues in the legislative agenda, and how traditional topics are debated.

The authors conducted a content analysis of selected parliamentary scripts – generating on an original data set – to trace the topics and interventions raised by female MPs. The authors draw on the extensive literature on women’s representation, giving special attention to the structure versus agency dichotomy in this quest.

The authors conclude that female MPs were as active in parliamentary debates as to their male colleagues. Moreover, women did stress women issues more than men. The results indicate that the inclusion of traditionally under-represented groups does affect parliamentary agendas.

The authors conducted a content analysis of selected parliamentary scripts – generating on an original data set – to trace the topics and interventions raised by female MPs based on a case study of the 2015 Egyptian parliament.

Prior to manufacturing, designing plays a vital role in the selection of materials and other design parameters. Therefore, during the deposition of materials, substrate materials provide support and affect the microstructure of the deposits, which may not be desirable in the manufactured product. Hence, the main purpose of the study is to analyse the behaviour of the microstructure at the interface of deposited material and substrate.

In this study, two blocks of Inconel 625 (IN625) and Stainless steel 304L (SS304L) metal powders were deposited on an SS304L substrate using laser directed energy deposition (DED) technique. Deposited blocks comprised 50% IN625 + 50% SS304L or 100% IN625. After deposition, microstructural behaviour at the interface of the deposits and substrates was analysed using different tests such as optical microscopy (OM), microhardness testing, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). An improvement in microstructure was proposed by performing heat treatment of the deposited sample.

Formation of martensite and precipitates at the interface of the deposit and substrate was observed. Formation of martensite and precipitates such as α, carbide and δ phases were observed in OM and SEM images. Due to the formation of these phases, interface regions showed a peak in the hardness graphs. Post-heat treatment of the samples was one of the solutions to resolve these issues.

This paper suggests the formation of a heat-affected zone (HAZ) at the interface of the deposit and substrate, which may negatively affect the overall utility of the deposited part. The properties of the HAZ were investigated. To suppress these detrimental effects, post-heat treatment of the deposited sample was performed, and the samples were further analysed. The post-heat-treated samples exhibited as reduction in HAZ thickness and had more uniform hardness throughout the cross-section compared with the untreated samples.