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Investment in English language learning by adult Iranians
No full textThis paper investigates how Iranian learners invest in English language education amid various cultural and societal influences. Recently, Iranian authorities have expressed concern about the impact of English on society and culture. The first author interviewed eight adult learners in Iran to explore their perceptions of learners’ investment in English language learning, drawing on Darvin and Norton’s (2016) model. The findings reveal a complex interplay between local and global factors affecting language learning and identity formation. Despite government policies aimed at preserving traditional values, learners express personal and societal benefits from acquiring English. The research highlights that learners’ motivations stem more from this interplay of benefits, rather than just globalisation, which Iranian authorities often view as a threat. This underscores the resilience of Iranian learners as they navigate their linguistic and cultural identities, demonstrating that they see English not only as a foreign language but as a tool for personal and societal advancement. This study contributes to the understanding of how Iranian learners navigate and invest in English language education, shedding light on the cultural and societal factors that shape their perceptions and motivations
'Effect of street-pricing deregulation in U.S. airports on customer satisfaction
No full textThis study investigates the impact of pricing policies and food and beverage (F&B) strategies on traveler satisfaction in the dynamic airport environment, with a focus on Phoenix airport in comparison with two other (undisclosed) major U.S. airports. Using a mixed-methods approach that integrates unstructured observations and social media analytics, the research provides a comprehensive understanding of passenger behavior, satisfaction, and spending patterns in airside F&B outlets.Key findings reveal that traveler satisfaction is driven by factors such as service quality, timeliness, perceived value, and emotional engagement, with price sensitivity playing a relatively minor role. Phoenix International Airport exemplifies a successful premiumization model, leveraging deregulated pricing to offer upscale experiences through tech-enabled services and luxury branding. Conversely, Airport 1's adherence to street pricing highlights the challenges of balancing affordability with service innovation, while Airport 2 demonstrates a balanced approach, emphasizing health-conscious and regional offerings.The study’s strengths lie in its novel methodological framework and focus on underexplored aspects of airport F&B management, such as the effects of street pricing policies. However, limitations include its exclusive focus on U.S. airports and the absence of longitudinal sales data, which restrict broader generalizability and long-term impact assessment.The findings offer actionable implications for airport operators and F&B managers, emphasizing the importance of aligning offerings with traveler demographics, investing in regional branding, and adopting hybrid pricing models to balance affordability with premium experiences. Opportunities for future research include expanding the geographical scope to international contexts, examining demographic-specific preferences, and integrating additional data sources such as passenger interviews and real-time sales metrics.By addressing these areas, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the critical role that strategic F&B management plays in enhancing traveler satisfaction and optimizing airport revenue
Naturalistic driving study data applied to road infrastructure:a systematic review
Get PDFIntroduction: Naturalistic driving studies (NDS) have great potential to characterize the road infrastructure factors influencing everyday driving. A systematic review was undertaken to evaluate the objectives, data processing, and analyses in best-practice applications of NDS data to road infrastructure. Method: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic search of seven databases was conducted on 27 June 2023 (PROSPERO CRD42023434948). Fifty-three English-language, peer-reviewed studies were analyzed on the basis of the primary infrastructure category reflected in the research aims. Results: Studies described curves (14), turns at intersections (8), intersections (6), multi-modal treatments (6), ramps (4), work zones (4), charging (2), and other factors (9). Each study was assessed for the risk of methodological bias using amended National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute templates for Quality Assurance. 74% of studies were assessed to be of ’Good’ quality, 13% of ‘Fair’ quality, and 13% of ‘Poor’ quality. Road infrastructure was characterized by external video (38%) complemented by non-NDS sources including satellite imagery (21%) and government data (19%). Data preparation was required in 91% of studies to extract meaningful variables (e.g. manual video coding) and/or link multiple datasets. Analysis predominantly determined correlations between aspects of driver behavior (speed, trajectory, etc.) and infrastructure factors (geometry, lane configuration, etc.). Conclusions: The methods employed were broadly applicable, but required considerable subject-specific adaptation for non-NDS datasets and/or time-consuming video coding. The incorporation of road infrastructure factors in NDS research can continue to be improved by reducing the computational cost of sample processing.Practical Applications: Encouraged by the adaptability of the identified methods, NDS research has the potential to benefit from the consideration of road infrastructure factors in a Safe System context. The analytical requirements for all components of the Safe System should be considered when planning future NDS data collections and/or analysis.</p
Revisiting ABC Transporters and Their Clinical Significance in Glioblastoma
Get PDFBackground: The multiple drug-resistant phenomenon has long since plagued the effectiveness of various chemotherapies used in the treatment of patients with glioblastoma (GBM), which is still incurable to this day. ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters function as drug transporters and have been touted to be the main culprits in developing resistance to xenobiotic drugs in GBM. Methods: This review systematically analyzed the efficacy of ABC transporters against various anticancer drugs from 16 studies identified from five databases (PubMed, Medline, Embase, Scopus, and ScienceDirect). Results: Inhibition of ABC transporters, especially ABCB1, improved drug efficacies. Staple GBM phenotypes, such as GBM stem cells and increased activation of the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB pathway, have been implicated in the expression of several ABC transporters. Using the datasets in The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus, we found upregulated ABC transporters that either negatively impacted survival in univariate analyses (ABCA1, ABCA13, ABCB9, ABCD4) or were independent negative prognosis factors for patients with GBM (ABCA13, ABCB9). Our multivariate analysis further demonstrated three ABC transporters, ABCA13 (Hazard Ratio (HR) = 1.31, p = 0.017), ABCB9 (HR = 1.26, p = 0.03), and ABCB5 (HR = 0.77, p = 0.016), with the administration of alkylating agents (HR = 0.41, p < 0.001), were independent negative prognosis factors for patients with GBM. Conclusions: These findings reinforce the important role played by ABC transporters, particularly by ABCA13, ABCB9, and ABCB1, which could be potential targets that warrant further evaluations for alternate strategies to augment the effects of existing alkylating agents and xenobiotic drugs.</p
Towards recognition and redistribution:solidaric demands and subaltern subjectivities in Bangladeshi jute mills
Get PDFThis study develops a solidaric theory of organizational recognition through learning from one of the world’s most disenfranchised group of workers: women working in Bangladesh’s jute mills. Drawing on Nancy Fraser and Richa Nagar’s theoretical concerns with justice-seeking as central to subaltern modes of recognition, this study explores the gendered potential and limitations of solidaric recognition as constituted through institutionalized patterns of interpretation and valuation. Through a qualitative, in-depth study of a state-owned jute mill in Bangladesh that spanned over 10 years, our analysis focuses on how solidaric modes of recognition are both enabled and constrained through place-based, corporeal and diasporic conditions and socio-religious and economic experiences. In paying close attention to the interplay between political-economic and localized conditions that inform organizational subjectivities, we show how solidaric recognition, as an ontologically generative site for worker subjectivity, is inseparable from the broader socioeconomic conditions of provisional work.</p
Public health in a transnational context:Hong Kong and the Third Bubonic Plague Pandemic
No full textOriginating in south-western China, the Third Plague Pandemic reached the Pearl River Delta in the early 1890s, whereupon steamships took the disease to port cities worldwide. We examine the impact of responses to plague on the built environment in Hong Kong, a British colony, as well as the comparable experiences of Honolulu and San Francisco. Bubonic plague is not the result of polluted water, but officials drawing on contemporary understandings of miasmic theory believed it to be so. Fearing the epidemic would spread beyond crowded Chinese districts, governments quarantined affected areas, carrying out house-to-house inspections and in America, controlled burnings of condemned buildings. To improve sanitation, the Hong Kong government commissioned reports that recommended a sewerage system, lower density housing, and rat control, but large-scale urban redevelopment was not undertaken due to high costs, and water infrastructure would prove to be ineffective in the face of twentieth-century population growth.</p
Prevalence and characteristics of online child sexual victimization:findings from the Australian Child Maltreatment Study
No full textBackground: Online child sexual victimization is increasingly facilitated by technology, but evidence of its prevalence and characteristics remains scarce. Reliable population-based data is critical to understand the magnitude and nature of the problem, and inform evidence-based prevention. Objective: To determine the prevalence of nonconsensual sharing of sexual images of the child by any perpetrator, and of online sexual solicitation by any adult perpetrator; and to determine the characteristics of these experiences. Participants and setting: A nationally representative sample of 3500 individuals aged 16–24 years in Australia, comprising a sub-sample of participants in the Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS). Methods: We administered the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire-R2: Adapted Version (ACMS). Survey items captured self-reported information from participants about whether, before age 18, they had experienced nonconsensual sharing of sexual images of themselves by any perpetrator, and online sexual solicitation by an adult. Follow-up items generated information about the characteristics of these experiences. We generated weighted national prevalence estimates for each experience, and estimated chronicity (number of times the experience occurred), age at onset, and perpetrator characteristics. Results: National prevalence of nonconsensual sharing of sexual images of the child before age 18 was 7.6 % (95 % CI 6.6–8.6 %), and of online sexual solicitation by an adult was 17.7 % (95 % CI 16.3–19.2 %). Girls were significantly more likely than boys to experience both nonconsensual image sharing victimization (10.9 % v 3.8 %) and online sexual solicitation by an adult (26.3 % v 7.6 %) before age 18. Gender diverse individuals experienced higher online sexual solicitation (47.9 %), although cell sizes were small. Chronicity of online sexual solicitation (median: n = 5) was higher than nonconsensual image sharing victimization (median: n = 2). Median ages at onset were 15 (image sharing) and 14 (sexual solicitation). Most perpetrators of nonconsensual image sharing were other known adolescents (48.8 %) and adolescents who were current or former romantic partners (23.4 %), while perpetrators of online sexual solicitation were typically unknown adults (86.7 %). Conclusions: Online childhood sexual victimization is widespread in Australia, especially for girls. Many children's experiences begin in middle childhood, and events are often chronic. Results can inform enhanced targeted prevention efforts.</p
‘It's not personal, it's strictly business’:behavioural insurance and the impacts of non-personal data on individuals, groups and societies
Get PDFThis article uses the case study of an insurance product linked to a health and wellbeing program—the Vitality scheme—as a lens to examine the limited regulation of collection and use of non-personal (de-identified/anonymised) information and the impacts it has on individuals, as well as society at large. Vitality is an incentive-based engagement program that mobilises online assessment tools, preventive health screening, and physical activity and wellness tracking through smart fitness technologies and apps. Vitality then uses the data generated through these activities, mainly in an aggregated, non-personal form, to make projections about changes in behaviour and future health outcomes, aiming at reducing risk in the context of health, life, and other insurance products. Non-personal data has been traditionally excluded from the scope of legal protections, and in particular privacy and data regimes, as it is thought not to contain information about specific, identifiable people, and thus its potential to affect individuals in any meaningful way has been understood to be minimal. However, digitalisation and ensuing ubiquitous data collection are proving these traditional assumptions wrong. We show how the response of the legal systems is limited in relation to non-personal information collection and use, and we argue that irrespective of the (possibly) beneficial nature of insurance innovation, the current lack of comprehensive regulation of non-personal data use potentially leads to individual, collective and societal data harms, as the example of the Vitality scheme illustrates.</p
Law students’ perspectives on a single session compassion training seminar
No full textCompassion training aims to protect healthcare workers from empathic distress and enhance their wellbeing. It is a new and under-evaluated area for the legal profession. Law students and lawyers face rising mental health, physical and behavioural problems, which compassion training may help to reduce. This preliminary study evaluated the impact of a single compassion training session on 52 law students at Monash University law school, Australia. The students rated the session highly and considered it important for law students. They also reported how they would use the training and whether it could improve their wellbeing and resilience. The students believed that compassion training would increase their resilience and wellbeing, especially when dealing with distressed or difficult people. This pilot study suggests that compassion training could benefit law students.</p