http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/32878 2026-04-06T23:03:05Z http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/33036 Title: Investigation on Ontology-Driven Semantic Simulation of PVC Composite Sustainable Manufacturing: Lifecycle Assessment Approach and Industrial Case Study with Reinforced Agro-Industrial Waste Fillers Authors: Chidara, AC; Cheng, K; Gallear, D Abstract: This study develops and assesses sustainable polyvinyl chloride (PVC) composites reinforced with agro-industrial waste fillers, integrating an ontology-based lifecycle assessment (LCA) framework to enhance sustainability evaluation. Agro-waste reinforcements, including rice husk ash (RHA), coir, bamboo fibre, and wood flour, were examined for their capacity to improve the mechanical and environmental performance of PVC and to advance circular economy objectives. Empirical data from UK PVC window manufacturing were integrated with Granta EduPack, Eco Design, Eco Audit, OpenLCA, and Protégé within a multi-layered semantic pipeline that links materials, processes, and environmental indicators. The agro-filler composites exhibited lower embodied energy and CO2 emissions than glass fibre systems, with the PVC + 30% wood flour formulation achieving the highest efficiency. The ontology framework, comprising 25 classes, 7 object properties, 26 individuals, 16 data properties, and 218 axioms (generated automatically by Protégé’s metrics feature and verified with the Pellet reasoner), ensured semantic interoperability and consistent validation across datasets, enabling transparent and traceable sustainability analysis. Overall, coupling industrial data with digital LCA and ontology reasoning provides a reproducible pathway toward net zero-aligned, sustainable PVC composite manufacturing. Description: Data Availability Statement: The data supporting the findings of this study are publicly available in the Zenodo repository at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17051586. The archived materials include the complete ontology file (pvc_sustainability.owl), Python scripts used for automated data mapping between Granta EduPack exports and OWL ontology structures, sample datasets from three production batches for each composite formulation (F1–F5), and example SPARQL queries used for retrieving sustainability classifications and environmental indicators. Additional information related to the industrial case study data may be available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request, subject to confidentiality restrictions from the industrial partner.; Supplementary Materials: All supplementary materials are publicly archived in an open-access repository to ensure long-term availability and traceability. The dataset and associated scripts are hosted on Zenodo and can be accessed via the following DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17051586 (accessed 1 January 2026). By providing these materials, the study supports reproducible research practices and enables other researchers and industrial practitioners to extend the ontology-driven framework to additional composite systems, manufacturing environments, or lifecycle assessment scenarios. 2026-03-08T00:00:00Z http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/32943 Title: Twenty years on: Reflections on the journeys travelled and future directions for tourist studies Authors: Duffy, M; Scarles, C; Edensor, T; Waitt, G; Franklin, A Abstract: As founding, past and current editors, we are very excited to welcome you to this special issue celebrating the 20th anniversary of Tourist Studies. In 2001, this journal was established in what the founding editors, Franklin and Crang (2001), called an ‘exciting and challenging time for work on tourism’ (p. 1). In their inaugural editorial, they questioned the apparent trajectory of tourist studies at the beginning of the 21st century, puzzled because at a time of exciting scholarship in such transdisciplinary fields as mobility studies and cosmopolitanism, they felt that ‘tourism studies had become stale, tired, repetitive and lifeless’ (p. 5). Much research identified multiple variants of the tourist quest for authenticity, and expressed a preoccupation with self-aware post-tourists who commented cynically about the constructed attractions that they beheld. Indeed, tourism was often understood as something undertaken while away from home as tourists entered exciting, liminal holiday realms in which they could become satiated with alterity before once more slipping safely back into their mundane, everyday worlds. ... Description: Editorial. 2021-03-01T00:00:00Z http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/32942 Title: Everyday places to get away – Lessons learned from Covid-19 lockdowns Authors: Gatersleben, B; White, E; Wyles, KJ; Golding, SE; Murrell, G; Scarles, C; Xu, T; Brockett, BFT; Willis, C Abstract: Being able to get away from everyday stressors and demands, even if close to home and just for a few minutes, is important for wellbeing. During the Covid-19 lockdown periods, people’s ability to get away changed significantly. An increase in visits to nearby natural places is well documented. Little is known about other types of places people visited to get away. An online UK survey was conducted in 2020 (N = 850) investigating what places people visited to get away during the pandemic, what they did in those places, how place and activity choices were related to each other and to demographic variables, and to recalled hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing during those visits. Participants visited a rich array of places and engaged in a variety of activities that supported their hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing needs. Responses were grouped into four types of places (at home outdoors, at home indoors, away from home outdoors, and away from home indoors) and seven activity types (cognitive, walks, nature engagement, social activities, technology use, relaxing, and exercise). Place and activity choices were strongly linked. Visiting outdoor places was most beneficial for wellbeing (and most common), especially when it involved mindful engagement with nature (bird watching, gardening) or exercise. Staying indoors, engaging with technologies (computers, television) was least beneficial and more common among those with no degree or job, living in urban areas, and identifying as male. The findings demonstrate the importance of understanding place-activity interactions to support the wellbeing benefits derived from visits to places to get away. Description: Highlights: • During Covid-19 people visited a wide range of nearby places to get away from everyday demands, without needing to travel. • People engaged with a wide range of activities in those places, but many activities were place dependent. • All place visits benefitted hedonic and eudemonic wellbeing, but outdoor activities were more beneficial than indoor activities. • Place and activity choices varied between people. Younger people and those living in urban areas visited less outdoor places. • To support wellbeing for all it is important to identify the variety of nearby places people visit and manage access and provision of such places.; Data availability: Data will be made available on request. 2024-02-17T00:00:00Z http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/32941 Title: A comprehensive framework for phygital tourism experiences: bridging academic insights and industry practices across sectors Authors: Mameli, E; Scarles, C; Stangl, B; Frohlich, D Abstract: This study seeks to provide both researchers and industry practitioners with a more refined understanding of phygital tourism experiences by introducing a new, integrated conceptual framework, drawing on insights from multiple sectors. Using a narrative review guided by PRISMA methodology and a content analysis of 84 practical-phygital examples across 11 industries, including tourism, luxury fashion, and retail, the research identifies key gaps in the current theoretical understanding and practical applications of phygital experiences. A total of 57 academic articles were analysed, leading to the identification of four central themes in the existing literature: defining phygital, customer responses, the technological components of phygital experiences, and phygital strategies. Based on these findings, the study proposes a novel integrated framework for phygital experiences and offers a future research agenda. The study also highlights important gaps between academic research and industry practices, particularly regarding accessibility, employee perspectives, and the perceptions of older generations. This comprehensive critique goes beyond current insights, presenting a holistic perspective that addresses both the theoretical foundations and practical elements of phygital experiences while encouraging tourism and hospitality providers to adopt cross-sectoral lessons for successful implementation. Description: Data availability: No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study. 2026-02-14T00:00:00Z