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24h movement behaviors and self-regulation in preschoolers: Cross-sectional associations using compositional and isotemporal analyses
No full textEarly childhood is a critical period for brain development, particularly in self-regulation (SR), which is essential for pre-academic success and socio-emotional competence. Recent studies highlight the role of 24-h movement behaviors (i.e., physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB), and sleep) in SR. However, the relationship between the composition of these behaviors and SR remains unclear. This study aimed to analyze the association between the composition of 24-h movement behaviors and cognitive and behavioral SR in preschoolers; and to investigate predicted changes in SR when time in different behaviors is reallocated. The sample comprised 223 preschoolers (4–5 years-old) enrolled in public early childhood education centers in Petrolina, Brazil. Movement behaviors were assessed using accelerometry, sleep was evaluated by parent report, and cognitive and behavioral SR were measured using the Early Years Toolbox and the Head, Toes, Knees, Shoulders–Revised test, respectively. Compositional and isotemporal data analysis were used to examine the relationships between movement behaviors and SR, and time reallocations, respectively. The 24-h movement behaviors composition predicted 6 % of the variance in visuo-spatial working memory and cognitive flexibility; and 13 % in behavioral SR. Reallocating 5, 10 or 15 min from sleep and moderate-to-vigorous PA to light PA or SB was positively associated with behavioral SR, though no association has been seen on cognitive SR. These findings suggest a possible positive mechanism linking low-intense activities with children's behavioural SR, that should be further explored in longitudinal and interventional designs aimed at optimizing SR in early childhood
Do we need Prevent Duty in Greece? An Analysis of Teachers’ Experiences in Building Resilience against Radicalisation related to Right-Wing Extremism in Greek State Schools
No full textRecent decades have seen an international debate on extremism connected to right-wing ideology and how best to tackle this alarming phenomenon take place both within and outside academic communities and governmental policy bodies. Scholarship worldwide delves into the mechanisms of radicalisation that map the paths into extremist and terrorist acts. Concurrently, to build resilience against extremism that leads to terrorism, many countries enact national strategies focusing on the pre-crime sphere and the role of the public sector. The United Kingdom’s Government was the first to introduce one of the most influential counter-radicalisation agendas, which aims to identify people at risk of committing terrorist acts and intervene, known as the Prevent strategy. Unlike in the UΚ, in Greece, a solid legal framework regarding radicalisation and the engagement of the education sector in the prevention of extremism is absent. The conviction of Golden Dawn, an extreme right-wing political party, for being a criminal organisation and a number of its members in prison sentence was the motivation for my study. This adjudication sparked a debate in the educational community on how to discuss its meaning with students. Theoretically informed by the interpretivist-constructivist paradigm, my fieldwork combined fourteen classroom observations in twelve schools with semi-structured interviews, participant-generated photographs and follow-up interviews with twenty participants, teachers and Heads of schools. The data reveals different views and interpretations of the visibility of right-wing extremism threat in state secondary schools in Greece and its normalised form. Moreover, my research investigates the responsibility to deal with this alarming threat regarding social actors involved, professionalism and concerns about traumatised relationships of trust between teachers and students. Furthermore, my thesis aims to shed light on the mechanisms of building resilience against right-wing extremism within educational settings and investigate the necessity of a more securitised agenda, similar to Prevent in the UΚ. The influence of my research could be a starting point for reinforcing the idea of ‘active citizenship’ built on a humanistic and cosmopolitan approach and not under a strict securitised framework. Thus, this study could pave the way for a change that could provide the educational society in Greece with the essential tools to confront the above phenomenon
Introducing cyber-loafing as a coping mechanism for suicidal ideation resulting from social isolation, and domestic violence, among employees
No full textCyberloafing, commonly viewed as the misuse of the internet at work, results in significant financial losses estimated at about $85 billion annually. Workers engage in cyberloafing, spending approximately two hours daily on non-work-related internet activities, which is traditionally seen as counterproductive. However, recent studies suggest that cyberloafing might also yield positive workplace outcomes, particularly in mitigating negative emotions and behaviors that could lead to suicidal ideation. This study explores the potential of cyberloafing as a coping mechanism in contexts of social isolation, and domestic violence, as contributors to suicidal thoughts. Utilizing a cross-sectional quantitative design, the research involved 467 participants from a mental health and rehabilitation center, assessed via closed-ended questionnaires. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the data. Findings indicate that social isolation, and domestic violence, significantly contribute to suicidal ideation, cyberloafing negatively moderates the relationships between both social isolation, domestic violence, and suicidal thoughts. These results highlight a complex perspective on cyberloafing, suggesting that it could be strategically used to alleviate negative emotional states. The implications are substantial for organizational management, providing a nuanced understanding that could inform strategies to harness cyberloafing's potential benefits, thereby reducing counterproductive behaviors and enhancing employee wellbeing
Government expenditures on education and economic growth in the UK
No full textThis paper investigates the impact of government expenditures on the main tiers of education on economic growth in the UK. Using annual data spanning from 1971 to 2019, we employ the vector autoregression (VAR) model to examine the relationship between the variables. Our findings indicate that the UK government's expenditure on secondary education has a positive and statistically significant impact on economic growth in the country. Further findings show a unidirectional causality running from economic growth to government expenditure on pre-primary education in the UK, while a bidirectional causality exists between government expenditure on secondary education and economic growth in the UK
Platform Activism and the Mediation of Electoral Process in Semi-Authoritarian Regimes: A Zimbabwean Case Study
No full textThis study examines Zimbabwe’s 2023 harmonized elections within the context of digital platforms mediation. In authoritarian regimes with tightly controlled information flow, social media becomes a crucial space for political discourse and challenging hegemonic narratives. Using data mined from X, formerly Twitter, during August 2023, this paper analyses how digital activists framed and discussed the electoral process, focusing on key discourses, influential actors, and activist media platforms. The research explores the intersection of platformization and digital activism. The study also examines the emergence of “platform journalism” and its role in disseminating election-related information. By constructing an electoral crisis narrative, digital activists challenged the credibility of the elections and called for fresh polls. Findings reveal that X users critically scrutinized the electoral process, exposing alleged malpractices and voter intimidation. This paper contributes to understanding the evolving nature of political communication and activism in semi-authoritarian regimes, demonstrating how social media platforms enable citizens to reclaim their political agency and challenge state narratives in contexts of restricted traditional media freedom
What did Couperin learn from Charpentier?
No full textBy the time Marc-Antoine Charpentier died in 1704, the 36-year-old François Couperin had already amassed a considerable portfolio of compositions, among them his two organ masses, several ensemble sonatas and numerous motets. While there is no documentary evidence that these two men ever met, they were in close proximity for much of their working lives
AEDGAN: A Semi-Supervised Deep Learning Model for Zero-Day Malware Detection
No full textMalware presents an increasing threat to cyberspace, drawing significant attention from researchers and industry professionals. Many solutions have been proposed for malware detection; however, zero-day malware detection remains challenging due to the evasive techniques used by malware authors and the limitations of existing solutions. Traditional supervised learning methods assume a fixed relationship between malware and their class labels over time, but this assumption does not hold in the ever-changing landscape of evasive malware and its variants. That is malware developers intentionally design malicious software to share features with benign programs, making zero-day malware. This study introduces the AEDGAN model, a zero-day malware detection framework based on a semi-supervised learning approach. The model leverages a generative adversarial network (GAN), an autoencoder, and a convolutional neural network (CNN) classifier to build an anomaly-based detection system. The GAN is used to learn representations of benign applications, while the auto-encoder extracts latent features that effectively characterize benign samples. The CNN classifier is trained on an integrated feature vector that combines the latent features from the autoencoder with hidden features extracted by the GAN’s discriminator. Extensive experiments were conducted to evaluate the model’s effectiveness. Results from two benchmark datasets show that the AEDGAN model outperforms existing solutions, achieving a 5% improvement in overall accuracy and an 11% reduction in false alarms compared to the best-performing related model
Navigating residual diagnostic categories: The lived experiences of women diagnosed with autism and ADHD in adulthood
No full textThis article conceptualises a combined autism and ADHD (AuDHD) diagnosis as a residual category not formally represented in diagnostic systems, addressing a critical gap in neurodiversity research. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of email interviews with six women diagnosed in adulthood, it examines the ambivalence arising from inhabiting this liminal diagnostic space. Residuality generates conflicting feelings about autism, ADHD, and the self, resulting in fragmented identities shaped more by societal narratives than by interpersonal perceptions. Themes include the contradictions between autism and ADHD (‘two separate parts of my brain’), their sometimes-complementary relationship (‘two sides of the same coin’), and the tension between neurodiversity and medicalisation narratives (‘autism is a part of me, ADHD is an add-on’). To resolve this ambivalence, participants sought an objective understanding of their conditions and distinguished between neurodivergent and neurotypical identities. Collectively, their narratives reveal a fluid and dynamic understanding of AuDHD. As the first study to explore the lived experiences of adults diagnosed with both autism and ADHD, it makes an original contribution by developing an AuDHD phenomenology and analytical framework. By amplifying the voices of women historically marginalised, the findings underscore the need for integrated diagnostic processes and tailored support to foster cohesive self-identity. This article contributes to neurodiversity literature, broadens understandings of categorical systems, and illuminates the complexities of navigating residual diagnostic spaces
Reflective Practice in Paramedic Head Injury Management: Exploring the Need for Quality Improvement and Implementation in Clinical Practice.
No full textObjective
Head injuries, a leading cause of death and disability (NICE, 2023) demand swift identification and intervention due to the 20% mortality rate associated with elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) (Fakhry et al., 2004). The lack of specific pre-hospital guidance and ICP monitoring poses challenges. Recognising the need for change in clinical practice, paramedic professions must assess the feasibility of implementing evidence-based medicine for improved pre-hospital head injury patient outcomes (Institue for Health Improvement, 2019).
This research has used a 3-phased design to answer the overall research question:
To improve the assessment and management of pre-hospital head injury patients, is there a need to introduce a change ‘in to’ clinical practice or change how paramedics clinically practice?
Methods
This research has used Mediated Discourse Analysis, a specific form of discourse analysis, whereby ‘discourse’, ‘agency’ and ‘practice’ are mediated into a ‘nexus of practice’. Unlike some other of forms of discourse analysis, MDA focuses on discourse ‘in’ action as opposed to discourse ‘as’ action, in doing so researchers aim to enable the various discourse into practical application (Scollon, 2001c). The overall aim of this thesis was achieved through three phases, comprising of the analysis of 12 semi structured interviews, analysis of 10 written reflections in practice and analysis of transcripts from 4 online case studies involving 94 participants with post case study questionnaires.
Results
Key findings reveal that paramedics face challenges in implementing best practices due to issues such as outdated guidelines, conflicting recommendations, and the complexity of clinical decision-making. Reflective practice is identified as a critical tool for enhancing clinical skills and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. The study introduces the “What, Why, How, QI” model of reflection and the TRIAD 9 Model (Triangulation of Reflective Improvement Activities and Dissemination) to support reflective practice and QI initiatives.
Conclusion
The research concludes that both introducing changes into clinical practice and changing how paramedics practice are necessary to improve the assessment and management of head injury patients. Recommendations include enhancing clinical guidelines, promoting continuous professional development, fostering a reflective culture, and addressing barriers to implementation. The findings contribute to the broader field of paramedicine and healthcare, offering valuable insights and practical frameworks for improving patient care in the pre-hospital setting
Teachers’ perspectives on factors which affect increasing classroom teacher workload in Scotland
No full textTeachers in Scotland are employed to work a 35-hour week. However, research indicates that they have routinely worked above this. This research analysed how many extra hours Scottish teachers worked in one week in March 2024 to provide insights into the activities and drivers that contribute to workload. A sequential mixed methods research design was used for the collection of survey (n = 1, 834) and interview data (n = 40). This paper reports the findings for class-based teachers (n=1,511), who worked 14.82 hours above contracted hours in the focus week. A number of factors contributed to this increased workload and resulted in core duties of planning, preparing resources and marking work being relegated to non-contracted hours. Factors include: an increase in diversity and complexity of pupil need; increasing pupil attendance and behaviour issues; and the use of digital devices by teachers to engage in out of hours school-related tasks