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Talent identification and development strategies in elite women's soccer:a pan-European perspective
Get PDFThe question of how best to identify and develop youth soccer players has received considerable attention from the scientific community. Existing literature has, however, largely focused on male players, with comparatively little exploration of the specific approaches employed within women’s soccer. Accordingly, we sought to investigate the key factors deemed important by elite women’s soccer clubs concerning the: 1) identification of potential talent; 2) development of players within the player pathway; and 3) selection of players for the next age group or senior team. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews with 11 key representatives from seven elite women’s soccer clubs. Clubs were purposefully sampled to include the highest performing teams (38 domestic titles and 10 UEFA Women’s Champions League titles) from five European nations (Spain, France, Sweden, Germany, and Italy). Data were analysed using thematic content analysis, resulting in six higher-order themes: 1) prioritising local talent; 2) recruitment from mixed grassroots leagues; 3) creating challenging developmental environments; 4) ensuring player wellbeing; 5) patience in decision-making; and 6) facilitating the youth-to-senior transition through a top-down approach. A total of 17 lower-order themes were subsequently identified. The present study offers novel insights of key strategies deemed important by some of the most successful women’s clubs in top-performing European nations. Future research examining the efficacy of such approaches could help inform the development of evidence-based practices for nurturing the next generation of elite female players
Integrative leadership in complex adaptive systems:a multi-modal analysis of strategic decision-making processes
Get PDFThis 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
Anomaly detection of multivariate finite-horizon process based on the rank-energy statistic
Get PDFIn this Industry 5.0 era, many online production processes resemble multivariate Finite Horizon Production (FHP) process, a time-bound stochastic process characterized by several variables. While the literature on monitoring multivariate FHP processes is scarce, these methods often rely heavily on the assumption of a multivariate normal distribution, which is challenging to achieve in real-world applications. To address this limitation, this article proposes a non-parametric exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) control chart based on the rank-energy (RE2) statistic. The RE2 test, founded on the measure transportation theory, offers a robust approach for detecting shifts in multivariate process distributions. The robustness and anomaly detection ability of the proposed EWMA-RE2 chart is assessed using Monte Carlo simulations. Two real-world industrial production datasets are used to demonstrate the practical relevance for industrial applications. The proposed method displayed a stable performance for a reference sample of size more than 50 (m>50). Comparison study demonstrates a superior robustness and efficient shift detection ability of the proposed EWMA-RE2 chart over it's competitors, especially for multivariate processes with skewed distributions
Navigating “proper food” and “good mothering” on social media
Get PDFThis 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
Optical losses in SiN<sub>x</sub> and SiO<sub>x</sub>N<sub>y</sub> coatings deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition for gravitational wave detectors
Get PDFGravitational wave detectors (GWDs) rely heavily on low mechanical and optical loss mirror coatings to detect cosmic events happening in the universe. This work discusses optical losses through light absorption and scattering mechanisms in silicon nitride (SiNx ) and silicon oxynitride (SiOxNy ) thin films deposited by the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. We report an efficient and repeatable procedure to tune the refractive index of both SiNx and SiOxNy thin films, while preserving a low optical absorption and scattering in the range of ppm. Finally, we demonstrate the design, fabrication, and characterization of an SiNx /SiOxNy multi-layer stack composed of 20 layers with a total thickness of 3.9 µm, achieving a reflectance above 99% (and a low absorbance of 0.259%) in the near-infrared region, which is a promising step toward meeting the optical requirements of the third generation of GWDs
A digital platform with activity tracking for energy management support in long COVID:a randomised controlled trial
Get PDFIn a 6-month pragmatic randomised controlled trial (RCT; ISRCTN16033549), we compared a just-in-time intervention to support energy management in adults with long COVID (LC) to standard care. Participants received either the ‘Pace Me’ app and a wearable activity tracker (intervention) or an app only with data entry screens (control). The intervention group received just-in-time messages on energy management when they reached 50%, 75%, and 100% of their daily ‘activity allowance’. The primary outcome was post-exertional malaise (PEM) measured by the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire-PEM (DSQ-PEM).Of 369 participants assessed for eligibility, 250 participants were randomised 1:1, and 77 controls and 84 intervention participants were included in the final per-protocol analysis. There was no time by group interaction for the DSQ-PEM. The intervention group value was 48 (95% CI 44-53) at baseline and 46 (95% CI 41-51) post-intervention (arbitrary units). The control group value was 47 (95% CI 42-52) at baseline and 44 (95% CI 39-49) at follow-up (interaction effect p=0.614, η²p=0.002; trivial). No individual question exhibited an interaction effect (p>0.05).Although the intervention had minimal effect compared to control, the substantial recovery rates previously reported in LC, coupled with our wide inclusion criteria may have masked intervention effects. Therefore, future studies should consider this energy management framework in conditions without such recovery rates, such as CFS
Neuromuscular performance development in highly trained youth soccer players over time:a longitudinal observational study
Get PDFAttributes required for soccer performance may be developed through involvement in pitch-based training and its interaction with growth and maturation processes even in the absence of specific strength, speed, and power training. This study was designed to investigate the effects of training stimuli and its interaction with growth and maturation on changes in physical performance over a 7−8-month period. Highly-trained youth soccer players affiliated to a professional soccer club (PSA; age: 13.8 ± 0.53, stature: 162.8 ± 8.3 cm, body mass: 52.2 ± 7.1 kg) exposed to both pitch-based training and strength, speed, and power training, were compared to amateur (ASA; age: 14.3 ± 0.53, stature: 166.8 ± 8.9 cm, body mass: 55.4 ± 7.7 kg) players that undertook pitch-based training alone. Two age groups from each club completed an isometric squat test (ISqT), countermovement jump (CMJ), 10 m, 20 m, and 30 m sprint tests. PSA players improved (p = < 0.001 and 0.023, respectively) CMJ and ISqT relative peak force (rPF) scores by 3.53 cm and 6.75 N/kg respectively, compared to the ASA players. Maturation improved (p < 0.05) performance in all physical tests and metrics apart from ISqT rPF. The results suggest that maturation combined with pitch- and specific training results in greater improvements in muscle force production and CMJ height compared to maturation pitch-based training alone. Although maturation processes likely contributed towards a significant proportion of the improvements in aforementioned characteristics, practitioners should consider programming additional tailored training strategies to optimise these effects
From awareness to action:embedding a trauma informed toolkit for the teaching of sensitive topics in victimology and forensic science
Get PDFThis paper presents a conceptual and practice-informed contribution to trauma-informed teaching within forensic science, supported by a focused review of relevant literature. Sensitive topics such as violence, trauma and victimisation are essential elements of forensic science curricula, yet the discipline lacks structured pedagogical guidance to help educators deliver this material safely. Drawing together key evidence from trauma-informed education, psychology and criminal justice, alongside insights from the authors’ own teaching practice, this paper identifies the emotional risks faced by students and the potential for educator desensitisation. These strands of evidence inform the development of a practical trauma-informed teaching toolkit designed to enhance psychological safety, support student autonomy and strengthen resilience in learning environments. By offering actionable strategies and outlining institutional considerations, the paper proposes a framework for embedding trauma-informed approaches across forensic science education to better prepare students for the emotional realities of professional practice
A comparison of UK and Malaysian customers’ attitudes towards private label grocery goods in a major supermarket:a case study
Get PDFThis study identifies factors that most influence customers’ attitudes toward and intention to purchase private label grocery goods (PLGG) in a major international supermarket by comparing the views of customers in the United Kingdom and Malaysia, focusing on product packaging, price, place and promotion using a case study, survey approach. 209 customers completed a questionnaire, providing an overview of factors affecting their attitudes. The results revealed similar attitudes in both countries. Structural equation modelling produced a model identifying the factors that most influenced customers’ intention to buy PLGG. The results of this study offer organisations such as grocery stores and supermarkets, particular insights regarding intrinsic and extrinsic that most inform customers’ attitudes towards and intention to buy PLGG. These findings give this particular business sector insights into customers’ behaviour. This knowledge can be used to inform how they can optimally present their PLGG
The ISARIC Anti-Stigma Guidelines:A toolkit for stigma mitigation in infectious disease outbreaks
Get PDFThe ISARIC Anti-Stigma Guidelines are a practical resource collaboratively developed by outbreak responders, stigma researchers, and people with relevant lived experience to guide outbreak response organisations in identifying and mitigating stigma during infectious disease outbreaks. Stigma is a recurring, harmful feature of outbreaks that undermines public health responses and exacerbates social inequality. Despite growing awareness of these harms, operational guidance for outbreak-related stigma reduction remains limited