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“A Woman’s Labour” – Speculations, Interpretations and Evaluations of Health Inequalities Beyond Disciplines
No full textThe effect of Blood Flow restriction (BRF) in the management of Patello Femoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS) - A Systematic Review.
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Developing Team Resilience In High-Proformance Women's Football
No full textPrevious research explored the construct of team resilience in high-performance contexts, suggesting that it can be developed, but empirical evidence is limited. This research aimed to address this gap by developing, implementing, and evaluating an evidence-based team resilience intervention in high-performance women’s football. The series of studies involved a needs assessment, including focus groups with five football teams and an expert panel to identify contextual stressors, existing resilience practices, and perceived gaps. Based on these findings, a season-long resilience intervention was co-produced and implemented with a
professional women’s football team. A multi-level approach was used to assess resilience, with team resilience measured by the Characteristics of Resilience in Sports Teams Inventory (CREST) and individual resilience assessed by the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS). A postintervention
process evaluation was conducted with 12 participants. At the individual level, participants’ resilience scores did not demonstrate a statistically significant change over time,
suggesting sustained levels of resilience. Conversely, at the team level, the resilient characteristics subscale of the CREST displayed a positive trend at the beginning of the
season but thereafter a statistically significant decline was evident. The team vulnerabilities subscale of the CREST showed a statistically significant increase. The process evaluation of participants’ lived experiences of the intervention identified positive impacts and important
features for effective intervention design. Finally, the research aimed to examine the insights and experiences of a sport psychologist conducting interventions in a professional sport to highlight challenges faced and strategies for successful interventions. The findings advanced the field of psychology by developing and implementing the first longitudinal multi-level team resilience intervention in high-performance women’s football, revealing temporal
changes and their impact for practitioners. Additionally, the findings demonstrated the importance of complementary measures for enhancing insight into intervention effectiveness, along with in-depth practitioner led insights from working in this performance context
Zaibatsu: the rise of business conglomerates in 19th century Japan
No full textBusiness conglomerates in Japan have been thoroughly documented from the Meiji period (1868-1912) until the present day. From a historical perspective, business conglomerates have been developed mostly during the Meiji period, however certain business practices have been adapted from earlier business engagement, at times reaching back to the Edo period (1603-1868). As resources are scarce concerning business engagement prior to the Edo period, it is impossible to make an accurate assessment of the exact date when business appeared in Japan. For that reason, scholars generally focus on the 17th century and onward. From the beginning of the Meiji period and onwards, the Japanese economy experienced drastic changes, often prosperous, with the main benefactor being the help of these business conglomerates, or zaibatsu. When considering that Japan experienced several state renovations (e.g. Taishō Democracy) as well as two World Wars, an occupation period, etc., questions arise as to how economic prosperity was achieved under these circumstances
Derivatives in corporate finance
No full textÍ þessari ritgerð er fjallað um notkun og hlutverk afleiðna í fjármálum fyrirtækja með áherslu á líkön sem meta matsáhættu út frá fjárhagsstöðu fyrirtækisins. Byggt er á líkani Leland (1994) sem tengir saman hvernig skattaafslættir, gjaldþrotakostnaður og skuldsetningar tengjast við ákvarðanir um hagkvæmustu fjármagnsskipan. Líkanið veitir innsýn í hvernig fjármögnunarákvarðanir og áhætta birtast í verðlagningu skuldabréfa. Líkanið er borið saman við eldri líkön, þar á meðal Merton, Black-Cox og Cox-líkön sem byggja á fyrsta-skiptis nálgun, og sýnt hvernig það virkar í gegnum sviðsmyndagreiningar og næmnigreiningar.This thesis explores the role of derivatives in corporate finance with a focus on structural credit risk models. It builds on the Leland (1994) model to examine how tax shields, default risk, and leverage interact to determine optimal capital structure. The model’s analytical tractability makes it a powerful tool for understanding real-world financing decisions and credit spreads. We compare Leland’s approach with earlier models by Merton, Black-Cox, and Cox’s first-passage framework and demonstrate its applicability through scenario-based simulations and sensitivity analysis
"When push comes to shove, anybody can just step in and do the job": The Challenges of Preschool Teachers in Iceland Amidst Staff Shortages
No full textThe preschool staff shortage in Iceland presents significant challenges for teachers, affecting their capacity to maintain high standards of skill and expertise for effective teaching. This shortage affects not only the professional growth of teachers but also the quality of education they provide to the children. Although awareness of the significance of preschool education in Iceland is increasing, difficult working conditions hinder teachers’ effectiveness and deter potential teachers from pursuing careers in this field. This paper investigates the difficulties preschool teachers face due to staffing shortages and explores potential solutions. The aim is to evaluate how these staffing issues influence teachers’ professional development and affect the children’s early education journey. An interview was conducted with two preschool teachers to gain two different perspectives. This research utilises the concepts of Professionalism and Human Capital as its theoretical foundation. Insights gathered from the interview indicate that both educators face similar challenges, particularly in executing daily plans due to insufficient staffing. This situation is consistent with the idea of professionalism, which states that poor working conditions deter teachers from flourishing in this profession. Additionally, both teachers highlight their salaries as inadequate and do not reflect the critical nature of their roles as well as the length of their education to acquire the title of a preschool teacher officially. This further reinforces the concept of human capital, highlighting that many professionals, particularly preschool teachers, struggle to convert their educational qualifications into economic benefits due to the lack of recognition for this profession in society. Therefore, this research advocates for a concerted effort to enhance the working conditions of preschool educators. It is essential to advocate for changes that recognise these preschool educators’ indispensable roles in laying the foundation of children’s education
Umhverfisáhrif fiskeldis í Arnarfirði (Vestfirðir, Ísland) á botnlægt vistkerfi sjávar: Greining á götungum og skelkröbbum
No full textThe aquaculture industry in Iceland is rapidly growing and, thus the need for studying the environmental effects of aquaculture sites is also growing. Foraminifera and ostracods are an important component of the marine fauna due to their wide distribution, abundance and sensitivity to environmental changes. The benthic foraminifera and ostracods in Arnarfjörður (the Westfjords, Iceland) were investigated to examine whether aquaculture sites have an effect on the foraminifera and ostracod fauna in their surrounding environment. Foraminifera and ostracod assemblages from two sample groups were studied. First, samples obtained by the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute in Iceland (MFRI) were studied, and second, bottom and top sediment samples from six short sediment cores, obtained as part of the thesis project. Both sample groups were obtained relatively close to the Haganes aquaculture site in Arnarfjörður.
A total of 39 foraminifera species were documented in Arnarfjörður, two of which have not been recorded in Iceland before: Buliminella elegantissima and Bulimina elongata. The most common foraminifera species in Arnarfjörður are Elphidium clavatum, Cassidulina reniforme and Rosalina williamsoni. The ostracod fauna in Arnarfjörður consists of 30 species and is dominated by four species: Normanicythere leioderma, Robertsonites tuberculatus, Xestoleberis depressa and Elofsonella concinna. The Haganes aquaculture site has apparently a slight negative impact on the foraminifera diversity closest to and north of the fish farms. A negative effect on the ostracod diversity was determined closest to and north of the fish farms too. However, the aquaculture also seems to be positively affecting the ostracod specimen abundance closest to the fish farms. In contrast, both the foraminifera and the ostracod assemblages seem to be thriving at a sample location on the southern side of the Haganes aquaculture site, farthest away from the aquaculture and probably the least affected by the fish-farming activities.
This research, as the first of its kind in Iceland, provides important information with respect to environmental effects of aquaculture sites on the benthic marine ecosystem and serves as valuable reference for future studies.Fiskeldi er ört vaxandi iðngrein á Íslandi og þar af leiðandi eykst þörfin fyrir rannsóknir á umhverfisáhrifum af völdum fiskeldissvæða. Götungar (e. Foraminifera) og skelkrabbar (e. Ostracods) eru mikilvægir þættir í sjávarlífríkinu vegna mikillar útbreiðslu, fjölda og næmni þeirra fyrir umhverfisbreytingum. Götungar og skelkrabbar sem er að finna á hafsbotni í Arnarfirði (Vestfirðir, Ísland) voru skoðaðir í þeim tilgangi að rannsaka hvort eldissvæði hafi einhver áhrif á botndýrasamfélagið í nærumhverfi þeirra. Rannsóknin fólst í því að greina samfélög götunga og skelkrabba úr tveimur sýnahópum. Í fyrri hópnum voru sýni sem fengin voru frá Hafrannsóknarstofnun, en í seinni hópnum voru sýni sem tekin voru af höfundi skýrslu úr efri og neðri botnsetlögum frá sex litlum setkjörnum. Sýni úr báðum hópum voru sótt tiltölulega nálægt Haganes eldissvæðinu í Arnarfirði.
Alls fundust 39 tegundir af götungum í sýnunum frá Arnarfirði, þar af tvær tegundir sem ekki hafa fundist við Íslandsmið áður: Buliminella elegantissima og Bulimina elongata. Algengustu tegundir götunga í Arnarfirði eru Elphidium clavatum, Cassidulina reniforme og Rosalina williamsoni. Alls voru 30 tegundir skelkrabba greindar í Arnarfirði og þar af eru fjórar ríkjandi tegundir: Normanicythere leioderma, Robertsonites tuberculatus, Xestoleberis depressa og Elofsonella concinna. Eldissvæðin í Haganesi virðast hafa lítilsháttar neikvæð áhrif á fjölbreytni götungafánunnar næst, og norðan við, eldiskerin. Svipuð neikvæð áhrif komu fram á fjölbreytni skelkrabbafánunnar næst, og norðan við, Haganes eldissvæðið líkt og hjá götungafánunni. Hinsvegar virðast eldisvæðin einnig hafa jákvæð áhrif á fjölda skelkrabba úr hverri tegund í sýnum sem tekin voru næst Haganes eldissvæðinu. Bæði götungar og skelkrabbar virðast dafna hjá staðsetningu sunnan við Haganes, lengst frá eldissvæðinu og líklega þar sem áhrif eldissvæðisins eru minnst.
Þessi rannsókn verandi fyrsta sinnar tegundar á Íslandi, veitir mikilvægar upplýsingar um umhverfisáhrif eldissvæða á botnlægt vistkerfi sjávar og þjónar sem verðmæt heimild fyrir framtíðar rannsóknir