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The Effects of 12-Week Prebiotic Supplementation on General Wellness and Exercise-Induced Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Recreationally Trained Endurance Athletes: A Triple-Blind Randomised Controlled Pilot Trial
No full textBackground/Objectives: Ingestion of galactooligosaccharides (GOSs) or GOS mixtures has been purported to improve exercise-induced gastrointestinal (GI) distress and post-exercise recovery. However, the effects have not been explored in recreationally trained endurance athletes. This triple-blind randomised controlled trial, therefore, investigated whether 12 weeks of B-GOS® supplementation affects gastrointestinal comfort and psychological wellbeing in recreational athletes. Methods: Eighteen physically active individuals (12 males, 8 females, 44 ± 14 years, 1.7 ± 0.1 m and 73 ± 14 kg) volunteered for this study. Participants were assigned to independent groups in a placebo-controlled, triple-blind manner via stratified randomisation. A 20 min run at 80% VO2max was completed, with measures for GI distress and Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 questionnaire (CSAI-2) pre- and post-exercise. A 12-week supplementation period then ensued, where participants ingested either 3.65 g of B-GOS or an appearance-matched maltodextrin placebo. During this time, physical activity levels (IPAQ-7), general stress (REST-Q), mental wellbeing (WEMWBS), and sleep (core consensus sleep diary) were measured at regular time points. Results: There were no significant differences in VO2max (p = 0.437), GI discomfort (p = 0.227), or CSAI-2 (p = 0.739–0.954) from pre- to post-exercise at any time point or between conditions. Over the 12 weeks there were no significant differences between B-GOS and placebo in IPAQ-7 (p = 0.144–0.723), REST-Q (p = 0.282–0.954), WEMWBS (B-GOS pre = 51 ± 10, post = 53 ± 7; PLA pre = 51 ± 4, post 54; p = 0.862), or sleep (p = 0.065–0.992). The linear mixed model suggests that some may benefit on an individual level in terms of WEMWBS, general stress score, recovery-related scores, sleep, and sport-specific recovery score. Conclusions: There were no group benefits of B-GOS supplementation compared with placebo, although the individual variation may warrant further research in larger sample sizes and longer-duration studies
Green Purchase Intentions in Emerging Markets: A Theory of Planned Behavior Perspective on Consumer Behavior and Brand Dynamics
No full textPurpose —This study investigates the antecedents of green purchase intention within the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector of Punjab, Pakistan, emphasizing the influence of marketing-related constructs. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), it explores how green advertising, green brand equity, green consumer behavior, and green marketing communication shape consumers’ intention to purchase environmentally friendly products. The study also assesses the moderating role of social media usage in these relationships. Design/methodology/approach —A cross-sectional quantitative design was adopted using a structured questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale. Data were collected from 299 purposively selected environmentally aware consumers in Punjab. All constructs were operationalized using validated scales from prior literature. Structural Equation Modeling using Partial Least Squares (PLS-SEM) was employed for data analysis, assessing the direct and moderating relationships among variables. Findings —The results reveal that green advertising, green brand equity, green consumer behavior, and green marketing communication significantly and positively influence green purchase intention. However, the hypothesized moderating role of social media usage was statistically insignificant across all examined relationships. These outcomes affirm the predictive utility of TPB within a green consumerism context in emerging economies. Practical Implications—The findings offer actionable insights for marketing strategists and sustainability policymakers. By understanding which marketing constructs drive eco-friendly purchasing behavior, FMCG firms can craft more effective green marketing campaigns. Additionally, the limited moderating role of social media suggests the need for more targeted digital engagement strategies in Pakistan's socio-digital landscape. Originality/Value—This study contributes to the green marketing literature by integrating multiple antecedents of green purchase intention within a single TPB-based framework. It provides empirical evidence from a developing country context and critically examines the underexplored moderating role of social media usage in sustainable consumer behavior
Fintech Adoption and Project Efficiency in Pakistan: Examining the Role of Risk Management and Trust within Organizations
No full textAim: In the rapidly transforming financial and technological landscape, the FinTech adoption has become critical for ensuring efficiency in project-based environments. This study seeks to explore the intricate relationship between Risk Management, Organizational Trust, and FinTech Adoption, and how these variables collectively influence Project Efficiency within Pakistani FinTech firms. The investigation aims to uncover the mechanisms through which internal organizational capabilities foster digital adoption and operational excellence. Methodology: The data for this study were systematically gathered from employees working in various FinTech firms across Pakistan. These respondents were primarily engaged in project planning, execution, risk oversight, and digital transformation roles. A structured, self-administered questionnaire consisting of 191 items was used for data collection. A total of 400 questionnaires were distributed using a convenience sampling method, out of which 191 valid responses were retained for final analysis. The data was analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling - Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) technique to assess the strength and direction of relationships among the proposed constructs. Findings: The results confirm that both risk management and organizational trust have significant and positive effects on FinTech Adoption. Additionally, FinTech Adoption plays a strong mediating role in the relationship between these two independent variables and Project Efficiency. This indicates that without adequate trust and risk governance, digital tool implementation may fall short in delivering desired project outcomes. The findings offer robust empirical support for seven of the eight proposed hypotheses. Implications: The study offers valuable insights for FinTech leaders, project managers, and policy advocates by emphasizing the strategic importance of cultivating organizational trust and formalizing risk management systems to accelerate FinTech adoption. These findings reinforce the need for tailored interventions in emerging economies like Pakistan, where digital transformation efforts are growing but often lack structural support
The Extent to which Ghana’s Laws Comply with International Law to Protect Children’s Right to Education: Towards Harmonisation of Law and Culture
No full textThis study evaluates the extent to which Ghana’s laws comply with international law to protect the right to education. The study explores factors that create dichotomies in Ghana’s government’s ability to effectively protect the right to education as established by international law. Thus, barriers to education could be attributed to Ghana’s non-compliance with international law, which impedes the implementation and enforcement of children’s right to education in Ghana. The study finds that although poverty is a contributory factor towards the lack of education in Ghana. However, poverty is not the main factor that hinders the right to education in Ghana.
Instead, this research uncovers two additional factors that hinder children’s rights to education: legislative inefficacy and parents' cultural beliefs. The literature review reveals no lack of domestic, regional, and international legal and policy commitments in Ghana about children’s right to education. However, the proliferation of local and international human rights instruments within the Ghanaian legal firmament has not yielded the desired real-world literacy impact on attaining the right to education for all children in Ghana.
Adopting a desk-based research approach and employing the doctrinal research method, this study critically examines the Ghanaian legal system and cultural practices. It juxtaposes them with the normative standards of international law regarding the right to education. International standards are used as an interpretive lens to identify examples of national non-compliance. Using these examples, the research recommends improving national standards and the utility of the international mechanisms for preserving the right to education in Ghana.
It argues that beyond the paper commitment to children’s rights to education, the Government of Ghana should show sincere legal and political will towards children’s rights to education and ensure that cultural practices that impede the rights to education are addressed, ensuring harmonisation with the human rights instruments and culture, to protect the children’s rights to education
Assessing Episodic and Semantic Autobiographical Recall in Healthy Older APOE ε4 Carriers
No full textThe APOE ε4 gene is associated with increased risk of developing sporadic Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Several studies have focused on declarative memory, where episodic memory deficits are reported in ε4 carriers, while semantic memory has received much less attention. To clarify whether the impact of APOE ε4 on declarative memory is specific to episodic memory, we administered a novel measure of autobiographical memory, the Semantic Autobiographical Interview (SAI). Thirty-eight healthy older adults were recruited, 19 ε4 carriers and 19 non-carriers, matched in age, education, and gender. The groups did not significantly differ in any neuropsychological tests except for recognition memory, where ε4 carriers showed reduced performance. On the original Autobiographical Interview (AI), results revealed a reduced number of target details in carriers. Together, these results suggest a reduction of episodic specificity in ε4 carriers. In contrast, carriers had very similar semantic production to non-carriers, whether it was for off-task semantic details in the AI, or on-task general and personal semantic details produced in the SAI. These results suggest that older adults retain the gist of their personal experience and that the semanticization of their autobiographical narratives is robust and less sensitive to risk for AD than episodic memory
A systematic review of technologies, measures, and CO2 emission reduction potential for maritime transport decarbonisation
No full textThe maritime shipping sector is a significant contributor to global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, accounting for approximately 2.7%-3% of global emissions. In response, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set ambitious targets: a 30% reduction in emissions by 2030, 80% by 2040, and net-zero by 2050, relative to 2008 levels. Meeting these goals requires a comprehensive understanding of the full range of viable decarbonisation measures. Therefore, this study conducts a systematic review of maritime decarbonisation measures, applying the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology. Unlike previous studies, this paper not only provides an updated overview of CO2 reduction measures but also maps them to specific vessel types based on data reported in the literature. Furthermore, the findings are compared with literature to highlight shifts in mitigation potential. A case study is also included to schematically demonstrate how these measures can be applied in practice. Following a rigorous analysis: (i) thirty-two individual CO2 mitigation measures were identified and classified into six categories, (ii) alternative fuels shown the highest long-term potential (5–100 % CO2 emission reduction), whereas hull design improvements show the lowest (1–20 %), (iii) the wide disparity in reported abatement values is attributed to inconsistent system boundaries, variability in fuel origin, partial-blend scenarios, and differing assumptions across studies, (iv) combinations of measures provide the most practical and realistic pathway to phased emissions reduction. These findings are expected to assist decision-makers in selecting effective, context-appropriate strategies to support global maritime decarbonisation and ensure long-term sectoral sustainability
A physics-derived and datasheet-driven non-iterative analytical model for comparing MOSFETs in various power converter conditions faster than SPICE simulations to help device selection
No full textThis paper introduces a fast, datasheet-driven analytical model for estimating the switching energy loss in MOSFETs, achieving reasonable accuracy (minimum error is 0.3% and maximum error is approximately 26%) against SPICE simulations, datasheet values and previous experimental results under various operating conditions across different devices. It is a non-iterative model and takes into account the non-linearity of gate-drain and drain-source capacitance, the impact of reverse recovery current, variation of forward transconductance and the non-linearity of transfer characteristics smoothly. It does not require any curve fitting to obtain necessary parameters. Therefore, it is straightforward to use and particularly useful for device selection. Due to the simple parameter driven nature of the model, the primary objective is not to do a direct comparison with the experiments, rather to get closer to the SPICE simulations, yet the model has been found to be more useful than the typical Figure of Merit (FoM) in comparing the efficiency of Power MOSFETs and predicted similar trends as seen in practical experiments with a Four Switch Buck Boost (FSBB) converter
Adoption of BIM in Architectural Firms in Nigeria: A Survey of Current Practices, Challenges and Enablers
No full textBuilding Information Modelling (BIM) has increasingly transformed global architectural and construction practices by enhancing collaboration, design accuracy, and project efficiency. However, BIM adoption remains slow in several developing countries, including Nigeria, where architectural firms play a critical role in driving digital transformation across the wider construction sector. This study investigates the current level of BIM implementation within Nigerian architectural practices and identifies key factors that either enable or constrain its uptake. Survey findings (77 responses; 77% response rate), analysed using SPSS 26.0 and the Relative Importance Index (RII), reveal that although some firms have begun integrating BIM tools, many still rely heavily on traditional 2D CAD (Computer-Aided Design) workflows. Major barriers include high software acquisition and maintenance costs, limited technical expertise, and insufficient organisational readiness. The results highlight the urgent need for government incentives, targeted capacity-building programmes, and industry-wide digital skill development to accelerate BIM diffusion among architectural firms, whose early adoption is essential for sector-wide modernisation. Future research should explore how socio-technical alignment can reshape BIM-enabled workflows to generate measurable value for clients, contractors, and end users. Examining collaborative data environments, information exchange standards, and participatory design practices will be crucial for demonstrating BIM’s long-term return on investment and establishing sustainable digital transformation pathways within Nigeria’s architectural and construction industries
A Maturity Model to Improve Inventory Management Systems in SMEs
No full textAccurate inventory data is critical for effective inventory management to meet customer demands. Although inventory management systems (IMS) integrate processes, inaccurate inventory data remains a significant problem in small to medium enterprises (SMEs).
Existing research to improve inventory data accuracy focuses on discrete solutions implemented in isolation, such as automated inventory tracking and inventory storage policies, with limited success. Recent research highlights that challenges of inventory data inaccuracy still exist and are not one-directional but are interrelated, identifying the need for a holistic socio-technical systems approach to address inventory data challenges collectively to improve inventory management systems. The thesis addresses this gap by proposing a maturity model and a supporting practical application framework to enable SMEs to adopt a socio-technical systems approach to assess and address the causes of inaccurate inventory data, thus improving the operation of inventory management systems.
A thematic literature review adopted a socio-technical systems lens in identifying inventory data quality measures and categorising inventory management systems challenges and critical success factors into four areas: Organisational, People, Process, and Technology (OPPT). The literature findings were validated through primary data collection with inventory managers of 5 e-commerce retail SMEs in West Midlands, UK. Rich pictures were developed to analyse the interview data and the application of soft systems methodology was used to identify improvements to inventory management systems in SMEs. This led to the development of a practical application framework consisting of 3 stages: (i) Context capture to identify the nature of inventory management systems in an SME (IMCCT), (ii) Inventory Management System Maturity Model (IMSMM) to assess the current state of inventory management in an SME and (iii) Recommended actions to improve inventory management systems. The maturity model adopts a socio-technical approach by assessing maturity across all four socio-technical areas (OPPT) and identifying improvements to be implemented jointly across these areas. The maturity model was validated through application in an SME, leading to improvements in the accuracy of inventory data in the SME, improving maturity from 31% to 66%, reducing the inaccuracy from 10.21% to 0.53% and saving just over £22,000 within six months.
This thesis demonstrates the importance of adopting a socio-technical systems approach to improve inventory management systems and proposes a maturity model to address the research gap of how to adopt a holistic socio-technical systems approach to improve data accuracy in inventory management systems in SMEs. A second theoretical contribution is a set of data quality measures to assess inventory data. It is proposed that the approach can improve data quality in other domains. This thesis's methodological contribution is its novel application of soft systems methodology in using rich pictures to analyse interview data. This was continued into applying the stages of SSM producing a CATWOE analysis, root definition and a conceptual model, which was used to develop the framework. The framework, including the inventory management system maturity model (IMSMM), is a practical contribution for e-commerce SMEs that has achieved a measurable impact in improving the accuracy of inventory data in inventory management systems
AI-driven biomedical perspectives on mental fatigue in the post-COVID-19 Era: trends, research gaps, and future directions
No full textMental fatigue is a complex condition arising from various neurological processes and influenced by external factors such as stress and cognitive demands. This comprehensive review elucidates the primary neurological mechanisms underlying mental fatigue, particularly emphasizing how it was elevated or otherwise affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. We explore the intricate relationship between prolonged cognitive tasks, chronic stress, and the development of mental fatigue, emphasizing the impacts that mental fatigue has on mental health across diverse populations. Utilizing advanced artificial intelligence techniques, including machine learning and deep learning, this study identifies and quantifies the patterns of mental fatigue. The innovative approach deployed in this study enhances our understanding of the complex interplay between mental fatigue and psychological disorders, uncovering potential predisposing factors and underlying mechanisms. A thorough bibliometric analysis highlights global research trends, key contributors, and emerging interdisciplinary methods in mental fatigue research. This paper identifies gaps in knowledge and methodological challenges. It proposes promising avenues for future investigations that emphasize multidisciplinary approaches and the development of novel diagnostic and treatment tools tailored to address mental fatigue. By integrating insights from neurological studies with the psychological implications of mental fatigue, this study aims to inform better interventions to improve mental health outcomes. Our findings have significant implications for healthcare professionals, researchers, and policymakers working to mitigate the impact of mental fatigue in various contexts