24762 research outputs found
Sort by
Exploring digital landscapes : an analytical book review of computer-assisted language learning : learners, teachers, and tools
Get PDFJeong-Bae Son's edited volume, Computer-Assisted Language Learning: Learners, Teachers, and Tools (2014), offers an extensive examination of the landscape of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), illuminating the intricate dynamics among learners, educators, and digital tools. This review delves into the book’s diverse contributions, which range from empirical studies to theoretical discussions, shedding light on the evolving role of technology in language education. The book is structured into eight chapters, each addressing distinct aspects of CALL. Notably, Kao and Windeatt’s exploration of multimedia environments for low-achieving learners challenges the presumption that technology alone can overcome educational barriers, emphasising the need for supportive learning strategies. Similarly, Gobel and Kano’s analysis of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) in Japanese contexts highlights the potential of mobile devices but underscores gaps related to the digital divide. Park’s task-based needs analysis for MALL offers insights into enhancing language proficiency but lacks a critical view of the limitations of mobile contexts. Dashtestani’s examination of Wikipedia use among English for Academic Purposes (EAP) students underscores the double-edged nature of open-access resources, stressing the need for digital literacy. The book also addresses professional development, with chapters focusing on Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) and the transition from CALL coursework to practice. Despite its comprehensive coverage, the book would benefit from a more integrated approach to synthesising its diverse perspectives and addressing broader theoretical issues. Son’s volume remains a useful resource for understanding the complexities of integrating technology in language learning and offers practical insights for educators and researchers exploring this dynamic field.peer-reviewe
Wellbeing and policy : evidence for action
No full textNotwithstanding its inherent vulnerabilities, Malta, a small Mediterranean island, has undergone rapid development over its 60 years of independence. Now a fully-fledged EU member state, it ranks among the world’s top performers on the Human Development Index. But reviewing Malta’s performance on some Subjective Wellbeing accounts suggests that Malta’s “doing well” by traditional metrics may not necessarily translate into people “feeling good”. A closer look at indicators and research on the determinants of wellbeing in Malta provides some insights as to why this may be so, highlighting the aspects that merit attention - including environmental quality/engagement, working conditions/time use, rapid population growth, corruption perceptions, rising inequality, schools and obesity. The chapter also outlines the efforts to measure progress beyond GDP growth, focusing on the work of the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, including its collaboration with the University of Malta. It concludes by presenting some actionable points which may be useful in other contexts, including the different insights provided by objective and subjective measures of wellbeing, the potential of international efforts to shed light on wellbeing in diverse contexts, the role of collaboration between the public sector and academic/research institutions, the role of leadership and the potential of using the momentum of the International Day of Happiness to generate media interest.peer-reviewe
Microseism amplitude and wave power in the Mediterranean Sea (1996–2023)
Get PDFIn this work, we integrate seismic data recorded by nine coastal Mediterranean seismic stations and wave hindcast data for 1 January 1996 through 15 October 2023. We examine the relationships between the ocean wave-generated microseism signal (the most continuous and ubiquitous seismic signal on Earth) in terms of temporally varying spectral content, root mean square amplitude, and microseism power spectral density, with the main features of principal ocean wave attributes, specifically significant wave heights, wave period and wave power. To explore relationships between microseism and sea state, we performed a correlation analysis between seismic root square mean amplitude and significant wave height time series for the entire Mediterranean Sea for 1996–2023, including retrieving long-term trends for microseism energy and independently estimated wave power and calculating the Spearman correlation coefficient between the two trend time series. Despite the small number of stations available the analysis allows for a useful exploratory study on the microseism and its relationship with Mediterranean Sea state and wave power spanning 27 years. Given the recent increase in the number of regional seismic stations, the growth of data sharing, and the intensification of global warming and climate extreme events, the results and methods explored here can be further implemented and developed in coming years for coastal monitoring purposes in complement with other data sources.peer-reviewe
Gender, and women’s political activism : insights from small states
Get PDFThis article discusses the gender dynamics of women’s political activism from the
vantage point of small states. While women tend to be globally underrepresented in politics
and parliaments, small states have specificities which ultimately affect women’s political
participation and presence. The undercurrents of small scale lead to limited anonymity in the
societies of small states, which has a significant gender dimension. Small scale also causes
greater resistance to cultural change, including progressive change towards gender equality and
women’s political representation. Women therefore face greater odds to make inroads in the
political sphere in small states due to the specifics of small scale.peer-reviewe
VSL-gravity in light of PSR B1913+16 full data set : upper limits on graviton mass and its theoretical consequences
Get PDFVery Special Linear Gravity (VSL-Gravity) is an alternative model of linearized gravity that incorporates massive gravitons while retaining only two physical degrees of freedom thanks to gauge invariance. Recently, the gravitational period-decay dynamics of the model has been determined using effective field theory techniques. In this study, we conduct a comprehensive Bayesian analysis of the PSR B1913+16 binary pulsar dataset to test the predictions of VSL-Gravity. Our results place a 95% confidence level upper bound on the graviton mass at mg≲10−19eV/c2. Additionally, we observe a significant discrepancy in the predicted mass of one of the binary's companion stars. Lastly, we discuss the broader implications of a non-zero graviton mass, from astrophysical consequences to potential cosmological effects.peer-reviewe
Post‐intensive care syndrome : a growing and under‐recognised condition
Get PDFDespite intensive care significantly improving short-term
mortality
and 28-day
survival rates (Shi et al. 2024), a growing
number of people discharged from intensive care units (ICUs)
experience long-lasting
impairments to their physical, cognitive,
social and psychological health, which are often under-recogonised.
To raise awareness of these issues among clinicians,
patients and their families, the Society of Critical Care Medicine
(SCCM) convened a multi-stakeholder
meeting in 2010, coining
the term ‘Post-Intensive
Care Syndrome’ (PICS) to conceptualise
these long-term
impairments (Needham et al. 2012). However,
the features of this syndrome are often diffuse and varied, hampering
diagnostic and treatment efforts.peer-reviewe
Transformation of a beekeeping farm as a unique family business model : insights from Poland
Get PDFPURPOSE: The article's main goal is to assess the development potential of beekeeping farms
and identify the main barriers accompanying it in Polish zonal conditions.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: In Poland, there is a clear regional differentiation of
individual components characterizing the beekeeping sector - the number of bee colonies,
obtained bee products, or people running apiaries is growing. Visible changes also appeared
over the years under study (2015-2020) in terms of honey yield and price, species diversity of
bee products, and the periods of honey bee collection. Among most surveyed beekeepers,
recent years have resulted in implementing many innovative solutions in methods and
production processes, products offered, forms, and sales channels.FINDINGS: Research on bee farms in the years 2015–2020 indicates a systematic increase in
the number of bees and a broadening of beekeeping practices, which shows a growing
interest in the traditional craft of beekeeping. The modernisation of production methods,
while maintaining traditional principles, has contributed to the increase in the efficiency of
apiaries and the diversification of bee products on offer. Adaptation to changing climatic
and market conditions, including through the modification of harvesting periods and the
expansion of sales channels, confirms the sector's flexibility. Despite the organisational,
financial and demographic barriers, the prospects for the development of beekeeping remain
optimistic. A key element of further development is integrated institutional support, which,
together with the cultivation of family traditions, enables the harmonious combination of
experience with modern solutions.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The study demonstrates a significant increase in the average number
of bee colonies per apiary, underscoring the need for enhanced management practices that
can effectively handle rapid expansion. Diversification of bee products beyond traditional
honey production opens new avenues for value addition and market expansion, thereby
improving the economic resilience of family-run apiaries. Legislative changes and evolving
consumer preferences are reshaping sales channels, which necessitates a strategic
integration of both conventional and digital marketing approaches. Finally, these practical implications highlight the critical role of targeted advisory services and supportive policies
in ensuring the long-term sustainability and profitability of Polish apiary farms.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The motives guiding the modern apiary management process are mainly
hobby-related, resulting from the continuation of multi-generational family traditions and
less frequently from economic reasons.peer-reviewe
Communicating the 1957 Asian influenza outbreak in a small state : the Times of Malta as a case study
Get PDFThis work proposes an overview of a pandemic from a communication perspective, based on the systematic analysis of the coverage of a particular influenza outbreak from a specific newspaper in Malta, a small European island state. The paper documents the various cycles of coverage of the Asian influenza pandemic of 1957, from its origins in China and spread across the globe to its eventual arrival in Malta, with a focus on containment measures to be taken by the public and by the health authorities. The study suggests that Malta’s status as a fortress colony throughout the centuries, and its experiences with various other communicable diseases, prepared the population and its administration for a suitable protocol to minimise the negative consequences of the ‘invasion’.peer-reviewe
Addressing physician burnout mental health strategies
Get PDFBurnout is a state of total exhaustion which is commonly experienced by physicians due to the intense work
environment in which they find themselves working in. The causes and effects of burnout will be tackled in
this career-related piece, addressing symptoms in which stress and exhaustion can manifest themselves. The
symptoms are also taken from a neurobiological perspective, observing how burnout affects different parts
of the brain, hence resulting in both physical and emotional distress. The causes of burnout are not only
related to the medical aspect of healthcare, but it also involves the legal area of a physician's profession,
which may include organisation of health records for instance. The effects on both doctors and patients will
be tackled, including issues which the healthcare organisation faces on a daily basis due to the high burnout
levels constantly being experienced by physicians. This piece compares the overall performance between a
burnt out and a not burnt out doctor, highlighting the importance of being in a mentally fit state when
working in such a profession. The latter is crucial so as to ensure that patients' trust is enhanced, and medical
errors are prevented. Finally, strategies which aid in preventing and ultimately improving physician burnout
will be discussed, so that they may be implemented within healthcare organisations.peer-reviewe
Evaluating longshore sediment transport : a comparison between empirical formulas and XBeach 2DH numerical model
Get PDFLongshore sediment transport (LST) is a crucial process shaping coastal environments. As multiple site-specific factors (e.g. wave height, coastal topography) influence the LST, an accurate estimation of LST rate represents a scientific challenge. This research evaluates the predictive capacity of three widely used empirical formulas (CERC, 1984; Kamphuis, 1991; Van Rijn, 2014) and the XBeach 2DH numerical model for estimating the LST rate by comparing the obtained results with field LST data. We chose three coastal sites in Malta Island (Għadira Bay, GB) and northern Sicily (Cefalù, CF, and Campofelice di Roccella, CR) based on different sediment grain size, coastal type (open or embayed) and morpho-bathymetry. For each site, we analysed wave parameters, grain size of the beach and seabed sediments, coastal morphology, and marine vegetation distribution. Furthermore, we used field measurements to calibrate the numerical model's sediment transport and morphological parameters. The calibrated numerical model provides greater accuracy in LST rate estimation than the empirical formulas. The latter overestimates the LST rates by factors ranging from 435 to 7885, whereas the numerical model overestimates by factors of 1.8 and 1.9 at the CF site and GB, respectively, and underestimates by a factor of 0.5 at the CR site. The good performance of the numerical model is due to its consideration of site-specific factors. The parameter values for the model calibration can be used successfully in embayed fine/coarse sandy beaches. Moreover, the numerical model, tested so far only for sandy beaches, also works well on gravelly beaches.peer-reviewe