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Judicial intervention in arbitral proceedings under Nigeria's arbitration legislation: Supportive or disruptive?
No full textJudicial intervention in arbitration is widely acknowledged by experts as necessary for the effectiveness of the process. This notwithstanding, most jurisdictions limit the extent of intervention so that the object of arbitration which is to obtain the fair resolution of disputes without unnecessary delay, is not defeated. One of such jurisdictions is Nigeria. The Arbitration and Conciliation Act (ACA) 1988 and the Arbitration and Mediation Act (AMA) 2023 control court involvement in arbitral proceedings by restricting intervention to certain stages of the process, perceived as requiring the support of the courts. But in reality, does judicial intervention by the Nigerian courts in arbitral proceedings under these legislation actually support the process? Or does it disrupt it? This article will examine the significance of the well-established arbitral principle of judicial non-intervention as entrenched in Nigerian law and international instruments. It will then assess the role played by the Nigerian courts in arbitration against the backdrop of the instances of court intervention under the ACA 1988 and AMA 2023. Having considered these issues, the article will argue that judicial intervention by the Nigerian courts in arbitral proceedings under Nigerian law is supportive as well as disruptive of arbitration, and then conclude with proposals for entrenching acceptable limits for court intervention in arbitration in Nigeria
Navigating ethical challenges in online wildlife trade research
Get PDFThe surge in internet accessibility has transformed wildlife trade by facilitating the acquisition of wildlife through online platforms. This scenario presents unique ethical challenges for researchers, as traditional ethical frameworks for in-person research cannot be readily applied to the online realm. Currently, there is a lack of clearly defined guidelines for appropriate ethical procedures when conducting online wildlife trade (OWT) research. In response to this, we consulted the scientific literature on ethical considerations in online research and examined existing guidelines established by professional societies and ethical boards. Based on these documents, we present a set of recommendations that can inform the development of ethically responsible OWT research. Key ethical challenges in designing and executing OWT research include the violation of privacy rights, defining subjects and illegality, and the risk of misinterpretation or posing risks to participants when sharing data. Potential solutions include considering participants’ expectations of privacy, defining when participants are authors versus subjects, understanding the legal and cultural context, minimizing data collection, ensuring anonymization, and removing metadata. Best practices also involve being culturally sensitive when analyzing and reporting findings. Adhering to these guidelines can help mitigate potential pitfalls and provides valuable insights to editors, researchers, and ethical review boards, enabling them to conduct scientifically rigorous and ethically responsible OWT research to advance this growing field
Standard operating procedure for the operation of SEM-EDX for elemental analysis, with additional applications to biomass
Get PDFThis document and its content are an aider for our group, and it is not intended to be a replacement for the training, protocols, documents and else provided by the technical team.
This SOP is for the microscopic and elemental analysis of samples via SEM-EDX. It can be applied to all samples that are adequate for SEM-EDX. Additionally, the scope of this SOP covers the analyses of biomass and/or materials from living systems that are adequate for SEM-EDX
Comparisons of the risks of new-onset prostate cancer in type 2 diabetes mellitus between SGLT2I and DPP4I users: a population-based cohort study
No full textBackground
Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2I) have been suggested to reduce new-onset cancer amongst type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. This study aims to compare the risks of prostate cancer between SGLT2I and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4I) amongst T2DM patients.
Design, setting and participants
This was a retrospective population-based cohort study of prospectively recorded data on male patients with T2DM who were prescribed either SGLT2I or DPP4I between 1st January 2015 and 31st December 2020 from Hong Kong.
Methods
The primary outcome was new-onset prostate cancer. The secondary outcomes included cancer-related mortality and all-cause mortality. Propensity score matching (1:1 ratio) using the nearest neighbor search was performed and multivariable Cox regression was applied. A three-arm analysis including the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP1a) cohort was conducted.
Results
This study included 42129 male T2DM patients (median age: 61.0 years old [SD: 12.2]; SGLT2I: n = 17,120; DPP4I: n = 25,009). In the propensity score matched cohort, the number of prostate cancers was significantly lower in SGLT2I users (n = 60) than in DPP4I (n = 102). Over a follow-up duration of 5.61 years, SGLT2I was associated with lower prostate cancer risks (HR: 0.45; 95% CI: 0.30-0.70) than DPP4I after adjustments. The subgroup analyses showed that the interactions between SGLT2I and age, hypertension, heart failure, and GLP-1a were not statistically significant. The result remained consistent in the sensitivity analysis.
Conclusion
The study demonstrated SGLT2I was associated with lower risks of new-onset prostate cancer after propensity score matching and adjustments compared to DPP4I amongst T2DM patients
Student radiographers’ knowledge and experience of lateral hip X-ray positioning: A survey
Get PDFIntroduction: The horizontal beam lateral (HBL) position technique for X-ray imaging has been used for nearly a century; however, this can be challenging for the patient and the practitioner, as it potentially compromises patient dignity. This study explores student radiographers' knowledge and experience of lateral hip positions and their impact on diagnostic quality and patient dignity.
Method: A cross-sectional mixed-method online survey of undergraduate diagnostic radiography students was completed. Likert scale assessments, rank ordering questions, and free-test qualitative responses were utilised for questions on knowledge and experience of different positioning, ease to obtain, patient dignity, diagnostic quality, and need for repeats. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and cross-tabulation non-parametric analysis against variables of age, gender and year of study.
Results: Responses were received by n ¼ 42/158 students, a response rate of 27%. The HBL position was the most commonly repeated image (76.6%); the qualitative themes included HBL image quality issues and difficulty in the HBL positioning for elderly or frail patients, often in discomfort and pain. Analysis of student responses to perceived patient dignity in positioning identified 73.8% found the HBL undignified, and 85.7% agreed the Clements-Nakayama (CN) position would be more dignified for patients. The diagnostic image quality of the HBL position (64.2%) was compared to the CN alternative axiolateral (66.6%). Comparison of ease of obtaining the correct position for HBL (47.6%) was higher than CN position (28.6%); this could be due to the lack of experience n ¼ 3/42 (7.1%) of this position.
Conclusion: Overall, student radiographers' experience and knowledge of various lateral hip positions observed in clinical practice was good. The CN position scored high for diagnostic image (66.6%) and dignity for the patient (85.7%), over the often repeated HBL position (76.6%), which scored lower for image quality (64.2%) and dignity (76.6%).
Implications for practice: Radiographers should advocate for professional autonomy and explore alternative positioning techniques. Further investigation into the CN position's utilisation, image quality and radiation dose in England is recommended
Generation gaps, past and present
No full textThe temporal dislocation provoked by the Covid-19 pandemic has been widely acknowledged to have significant implications for young people, who were quickly labelled ‘the Covid generation’. This label lacks definitional rigour and reproduces the problems of ‘generationalism’ observable in previous forms of generational claimsmaking (Rudolph & Zacher, 2020). Nonetheless, its use raises two important questions. First, has the current period of accelerated social change, beginning with the upheavals provoked by the pandemic and followed by acute cultural, political, and geopolitical destabilisation, created the conditions for a distinctive generational consciousness (Mannheim, 1952 [1928]), in which children come of age in a world considered to be dramatically different to that taken for granted by their elders? Second, might the temporal and cultural dislocation observed during the present period give rise to a ‘generation gap’, of the kind observed following the First World War, and during the ‘cultural revolution’ of the 1960s? This paper draws on an ongoing study of the discourse of the ‘Covid generation’ in media and policy narratives (Bristow & Gilland 2020, Bristow 2023, 2024), and a study of the experiences of the ‘Covid cohorts’ of university students in the UK (Potter et al, in progress), to analyse the implications of these questions for the sociology of knowledge
Between positivism and relativism: A critical realist approach to the analysis of multimodal texts
No full textRoy Bhaskar centred his Critical Realism philosophy around a crucial philosophical conundrum, that is “reconciling the relativity of scientific knowledge as a social process with realism about its objects” (Hartwig, 2008, p. ix). The aim of this paper is to explore how such an epistemology can be applied to the analysis of multimodal texts, whilst also considering the potential cognitive effects on an audience.
The paper will begin with a summary of the main theoretical tenets of Critical Realism and will sketch a methodological and analytical framework derived from it, which sees our world as organised across and interpreted through three interconnected planes, the real, the basic social reality and the constructed discursive reality. An overview will also be offered of approaches within Critical Discourse Studies that have attempted to integrate Critical Realism (e.g. Fairclough 2010) by showing how the process of semiosis aligns with the ontology of this philosophy (Fairclough, Jessop and Sayer, 2002).
The second part of the paper will put the methodological and analytical framework introduced in the previous part to the test. For this purpose, examples from an on-going research project on the representation of Ukrainian Displaced People on British television will be used. The multimodal analysis relies on constructs borrowed from social semiotics (e.g. Kress and van Leeuwen, 1996, 2001; van Leeuwen, 1999; Machin and Mayr, 2012) and recently applied to the genre of travel and cultural documentaries (Castaldi, 2021, 2024). The purpose will be to show how the semiotic, multimodal representations can be analysed across the three planes of reality.
The paper will end with a discussion around the applicability of the methodological approach introduced and of what the cognitive effects could be for the audiences of the television programmes analysed
A systematic review for the implication of generative AI in higher education
Get PDFThe rapid advancement of genitive AI, like Chat GPT, has initiated a profound transformation in higher education. It offers customized learning experiences, automates administrative tasks, and provides personalized support to stu dents and educators. Following PRISMA guidelines, this paper presents a systematic review that delves into the implications of genitive AI, a cutting-edge language model, in higher education. We adopted ChatGPT as an example of this study. It thoroughly examines the potential advantages and constraints of integrating ChatGPT into educational environments, assessing the quality of 35 selected articles and conducting a comprehensive meta-analysis of their findings. This study yields fresh insights into the multifaceted consequences of employing ChatGPT in higher education and underscores the intricate landscape associated with AI integration in academic settings. It emphasizes the imperativeness of addressing ethical, legal, and pragmatic challenges while capitalizing on the potential benefits of AI technology in education. Our systematic review reveals a consistent reservation trend regarding generative AI integration within educational contexts. These concerns encompass many issues, emphasizing the necessity for judicious implementation and robust safeguards to mitigate potential challenges
The horror of today and the terror of tomorrow: The role of future existential risks and present‐day political risks in climate activism
Get PDFIn response to the urgent global climate crisis, climate activism has risen as a potent force. Decision‐making regarding climate collective action includes individuals' perceptions of the anticipated future existential risks of the climate crisis (risk of inaction) and present‐day political risks of climate activism (risk of action). Our research, spanning four studies (two correlational surveys and two pre‐registered experiments), focused on climate activism in Germany (N = 1027). We consistently showed that heightened politicized activist identification was associated with both confrontational and non‐confrontational climate collective action across four studies. Furthermore, the anticipated existential climate risk was associated with non‐confrontational climate action and present‐day political risk with confrontational action. Politicized climate identity remained a robust predictor across different action tactics, while the content and temporality of risk (future existential vs. present‐day political) in one's environment determined the transition between engagement in confrontational and non‐confrontational climate action dynamically. Nevertheless, we did not find causal links between risk perceptions and collective action. We discuss our findings in line with ESIM (Elaborated Social Identity Model), and potential explanations for the lack of causal relationship and future directions for alternative methodologies and comprehensive conceptualization of risk perceptions are suggested
Athletes from Great Britain report greater doping likelihood than Greek and Italian athletes: A cross-sectional survey of over 4,000 athletes
No full textIn the past twenty years, a large body of research has examined who is more likely to dope as a function of participant variables, such as gender, sport type, and competition level. However, this research is limited as studies are often conducted on modest sample sizes from one country. To overcome this issue, we recruited a large sample of athletes across three countries to examine differences in doping likelihood as a function of participant variables. Athletes (N = 4,644) were recruited from Great Britain (n = 2,505), Greece (n = 1,044), and Italy (n = 1,095) and asked to complete an anonymous measure of doping likelihood. Results indicated that doping likelihood scores were greater in men than women, for athletes competing in non-Olympic sports (e.g., American football, kickboxing, netball) than Olympic sports (e.g., Athletics, basketball, football) and in British athletes than both Greek and Italian athletes. We found an interaction between country and competitive level. Specifically, in Great Britain, higher competitive level athletes reported greater doping likelihood than lower competitive level athletes, which was not found for Greek and Italian athletes. Our results highlight that athletes report greater doping likelihood for those that are 1) from Great Britain, 2) men, and 3) participating in non-Olympic sports. We also show that differences in doping likelihood between competition levels may differ depending on country of residence