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Navigating “proper food” and “good mothering” on social media
Full text linkThis study contributes to understandings about how UK mothers use social media practices to navigate, negotiate and enact family food provisioning. “Proper food” and “good mothering” remain entangled sociocultural conventions that govern a range of food provisioning practices. In the face of time pressures and the challenges of children’s fussy eating, we explore how mothers use social media to avoid misaligning their practice performances with these cultural ideals. Through our practice theoretic analysis of qualitative interviews and online forum discussion threads on Mumsnet, we illuminate three social media practices that represent the dynamic entanglement of mothering, food provisioning and social media interaction. Mothers attune food provisioning practices online to the conventions of “Proper food,” which includes admitting misdemeanors and seeking advice on how to attend to the collective governance of established conventions. Mothers collectively contest existing conventions through skillful negotiation, although in-so-doing invoking other “good mothering” conventions that limit the scope of the renegotiation. Finally, social media interactions displace “good mothering” by allowing mothers to demonstrate attentive love online, while severing this care from food provisioning. Our research advances our understanding of the role of social media practices in the everyday enactment of food provisioning by middle-class mothers
‘Out here, you live and die by your reputation’:organised crime and dark capital in <i>Star Wars: Outlaws</i>
Full text linkThis paper examines the video game Star Wars: Outlaws (2024), exploring its portrayal of organised crime and associated forms of capital. The game follows Kay Vess, a young street thief seeking a fresh start, whose journey is shaped by an in-game reputation system that enhances gameplay immersion and deepens narrative complexity. Analysing data from 53 dedicated gameplay sessions, this paper explores Kay’s transition from emergence and survival to ascent, agency, and autonomy in the underworld. Critically assessing the extent to which the game encourages the accumulation and deployment of street capital and criminal capital, the paper introduces the concept of dark capital as a lens for understanding organised crime. It concludes by exploring the potential contribution of dark capital to the policing of organised crime
The environmental crisis and social work in practice:creating spaces to explore awareness in the social work profession in Scotland
Full text linkIn September 2023, the UN Secretary-General announced that the world is in ‘climate breakdown’, echoing concerns of activists and scientists, calling for the global community to act with a sense of urgency. This article, reports on the findings from empirical research using art-based research methods to create space for discussion with seventeen social worker practitioners based in the Northeast of Scotland. The aim was to examine front line social workers’ understanding of environmental changes and how these changes affected their work with service users. The interviews demonstrated that social workers widely acknowledged the relevance of these issues. However, they expressed concerns about how to address them in the context of their already extensive workload and other professional pressures. Additionally, there was a perceived lack of preparedness within the profession regarding how to respond to these challenges in the future, leading to uncertainty about social work’s role in this area. The evidence provided in this research paper will benefit policymakers, social work practitioners, and social work educators when developing plans to improve the profession’s state of preparedness for climate change
<i>Botryococcus braunii</i> lipid production pathways and biorefinery potential
Full text linkBotryococcus braunii is a colonial microalga recognized for its ability to produce and secrete long-chain hydrocarbons, positioning it as a promising feedstock for biofuel and bioproduct applications. This review synthesizes current knowledge on race-specific hydrocarbon profiles, genetic markers for classification, and the biochemical pathways underlying lipid biosynthesis. It evaluates cultivation strategies alongside stress-based approaches to enhance productivity. Lipid recovery technologies are discussed with emphasis on sustainable, non-destructive methods such as milking and switchable solvents, which reduce energy demands and preserve cell viability. The integration of these processes within biorefinery frameworks highlights opportunities for the co-production of fuels and high-value compounds. By linking molecular insights with process engineering, this work underscores the potential of B. braunii to contribute to sustainable energy systems
Understanding exposure of informal, displaced and migrant populations to e-waste processing residues in the context of Nigeria
Full text linkBackground: The increasing production and generation of electronic waste has globally seen increased levels of export from developed to developing countries. A range of policies, legislation or regulations have been introduced in many regions, and they are often not supported by strong implementation strategies and infrastructure. Global trade in e-waste has seen many African countries as the destination of e-waste , as well as significant internally generated sources as digital technology has become more accessible. This waste is predominately controlled by the informal sector where collection activities, repair shops and operations for disassembly and recovery of valuable metals release a range of hazardous substances. This study, focused on the informal e-waste sector in Nigeria. Using Ghana as a comparison, the socio-demographic characteristics of informal sector was reviewed and is shown to thrive and establish material handling hubs, as good income can be earned and waste continues to be readily available. Methods: Thirty-six peer reviewed studies were analysed, retrieved from a range of established sources including Web of Science and PubMed databases . Studies were identified using keywords that included e-waste or waste electrical and electronic equipments or informal waste sector or internally displaced persons or Nigeria. Results:The findings reveal the informal processing is hazardous for both workers and residents with limited understanding of personal protection, health risks and wider environmental harm. The processing of raw waste and releases of a cocktail of potentially harmful substances and uncontrolled disposal of residues drives the exposure of workers, and residents in processing locations. This affects the local environment including the food chain with accumulation in open dumpsites (local landfills) and by open burning, and acid leaching.Conclusion: The communities comprise of indigenous inhabitants, migrants seeking income and from internally displaced persons driven by conflict and climate extremes in other parts of the country and vulnerable groups are disproportionately impacted. If we are to identify critical groups most at risk, assessment processes need to be refined to consider the dynamic nature of these groups, including the social structures and behaviour. There is much to debate on the regulation of informal sector which provides a tangible and important service whilst being excluded from mainstream global society
Set fire to the rain:can empathetic crisis communication help when CSR signalling backfires?
Full text linkThis study examines how corporate social responsibility (CSR) signalling and empathetic crisis communication shape stakeholder backlash during externally constrained market exits. Drawing on expectancy-disconfirmation and attribution theories, it explores whether strong CSR signalling, traditionally viewed as reputationally protective, can become a liability during crises in which external conditions constrain firm actions, and whether empathetic communication mitigates negative stakeholder reactions. Evidence from 182 multinational corporations’ exits from Russia following Ukraine-related sanctions indicates that firms with higher levels of CSR signalling experienced greater company-directed public outrage, suggesting that CSR signalling elevates stakeholder expectations and intensifies backlash when externally constrained actions generate expectancy disconfirmation among stakeholders. Empathetic crisis communication is associated with lower negative reactions overall but does not moderate the effect of CSR signalling. These findings extend expectancy-disconfirmation theory to externally constrained victim crises by demonstrating that empathetic communication operates independently of CSR signalling in shaping stakeholder reactions
A unified machine learning framework for gestational diabetes mellitus diagnosis
Full text linkPregnancy is an extraordinary journey marked by many bodily changes. One notable change is the rise in blood sugar levels, leading to a condition called gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). It happens when the body struggles to produce or effectively use insulin during pregnancy. Several health risks of GDM highlight the critical need for accurate prediction and timely intervention. To address this, the study presents a predictive framework validated on a small real-world cohort dataset from a Brazilian public health setting. The core of this research is a composite predictive model that integrates a diverse ensemble of machine learning and deep learning algorithms. In order to enrich the training material, a function was created to generate new instances based on initial dataset records. The framework's ability to combine the strengths of various models and leverage a meta-classifier for final predictions was rigorously tested across multiple datasets. The results demonstrate exceptional performance by achieving high AUC scores of 88.91%, 95.55%, and 98.71% on original imbalanced, balanced, and augmented datasets, respectively. Additionally, the model shows strong performance across other metrics, including accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score. These findings validate the generalizability and robustness of the predictive framework. Furthermore, the paper outlines a practical application of this model within a remote-sensing framework in the management information system (MIS) at basic health units (BHUs). It can facilitate proactive GDM management and improve maternal-fetal health outcomes in low-resource settings. The work showcases the predictive framework’s potential to improve GDM management and maternal-fetal health outcomes
Beyond biohazards:teaching forensic biology practicals with synthetic and non-human samples
Full text linkPractical laboratory classes are essential in forensic biology education, providing valuable hands-on experience that bridges theoretical knowledge and real-world practices. However, delivering authentic, safe, and legally compliant practical experiences presents significant challenges, particularly for programmes lacking access to specialised biohazard laboratories. The authors outline the development and implementation of synthetic alternatives to human body fluids, specifically saliva and semen, to minimise biohazard risks, alongside the in-house production of amylase detection paper (adapted from Phadebas® tablets), as a cost-effective alternative to expensive commercial options, helping resource-limited departments provide high-quality laboratory experiences for forensic and crime scene science students.The work highlights the collaborative efforts of teaching and technical staff across institutions in developing these solutions, to support students in realistic forensic casework simulations while maintaining safety, legal compliance, and inclusivity. These innovations demonstrate how practical challenges in resource-limited departments can be overcome through sustainability-conscious design and pedagogical creativity, contributing to the wider goals of Education for Sustainable Development
Beyond biohazards:teaching forensic biology practicals with synthetic and non-human samples
Full text linkPractical laboratory classes are essential in forensic biology education, providing valuable hands-on experience that bridges theoretical knowledge and real-world practices. However, delivering authentic, safe, and legally compliant practical experiences presents significant challenges, particularly for programmes lacking access to specialised biohazard laboratories. The authors outline the development and implementation of synthetic alternatives to human body fluids, specifically saliva and semen, to minimise biohazard risks, alongside the in-house production of amylase detection paper (adapted from Phadebas® tablets), as a cost-effective alternative to expensive commercial options, helping resource-limited departments provide high-quality laboratory experiences for forensic and crime scene science students.The work highlights the collaborative efforts of teaching and technical staff across institutions in developing these solutions, to support students in realistic forensic casework simulations while maintaining safety, legal compliance, and inclusivity. These innovations demonstrate how practical challenges in resource-limited departments can be overcome through sustainability-conscious design and pedagogical creativity, contributing to the wider goals of Education for Sustainable Development
Integrative leadership in complex adaptive systems:a multi-modal analysis of strategic decision-making processes
Full text linkThis study examines the relationship between integrative leadership and strategic outcomes in complex adaptive systems. We aim to develop a theoretical framework that explains how leadership practices influence organizational adaptability in turbulent environments and provide practical guidance for organizational leaders. We employed a multi-modal methodology combining systematic meta-analysis of 87 empirical studies (2010-2025) with multi-level network analysis of six multinational organizations. This approach enabled triangulation across different data sources and analytical techniques to comprehensively map leadership-strategy dynamics across diverse organizational contexts. We identified six mechanisms through which leadership and strategy co-evolve: collective sensemaking, adaptive tension management, network reconfiguration, paradoxical integration, distributed cognition, and temporal synchronization. Network analysis revealed three distinct leadership-strategy configurations, with distributed-integrated networks demonstrating superior adaptive capacity. Organizations with moderate centralization, high cross-level connectivity, and dense middle management clusters exhibited 37% higher adaptive performance. Our sample focused on large multinational organizations, potentially limiting generalizability to smaller entities or different cultural contexts. Future research should examine leadership-strategy dynamics in diverse organizational types, entrepreneurial ventures, and ecosystem contexts. For practitioners, we provide actionable guidance for developing leadership systems that enhance strategic adaptability, including recommendations for leadership development, organizational design, and strategic decision-making processes that enable simultaneous exploration and exploitation in complex environments. In enhancing organizational adaptability, our framework contributes to organizational sustainability and resilience, potentially enabling more effective responses to societal challenges and promoting stable employment during periods of disruption and change. This study transcends traditional dichotomies between leadership and strategy by empirically mapping their co-evolution within complex adaptive systems, offering the novel concept of "network fluidity" as a critical capability for strategic adaptation in volatile environments