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Decolonizing speech language “Pathology”: critical foundational concepts for research, pedagogy and praxis
Get PDFThis article critically interrogates how knowledge in speech and language pathology is conceptualized, constructed, and controlled by a dominant Euro-centric epistemology. There is an increasing trend in the profession to uncritically apply diversity, equity and inclusion practices in scholarship, pedagogy, and praxis without problematizing the historical and socio-political context of colonialism and the racist origins of the field. The article will first offer a critical commentary on the active erasure of White supremacy and the profession’s complicity in perpetuating performative diversity. It will review the role of critical and decolonial theories in actively challenging the superficial “rituals of diversity” measures that are utilized in the profession. Anchored from critical and decolonial theories, the article will discuss five foundational concepts on decolonization that can dismantle the dominance of Euro-centrism in speech and language pathology. The article calls for scholars, educators, and practitioners in speech and language pathology to create an epistemological shift through adopting a decolonial and critical framework in theory, pedagogy, and praxi
Housebuilders’ landbanks: Inventory, asset or hoard?
Get PDFIn the context of longstanding allegations of land hoarding and/or speculation, this paper examines the land holdings of major housebuilders. The paper discusses the concept of landbanking and potential motives for and consequences of holding land inventories. Through a descriptive analysis of quantitative, temporal data of the landbanks of leading, listed housebuilders, the paper analyses the land holdings of residential developers in both the US and UK. The analysis encompasses various aspects including the relative scale of their land holdings, the extent of land ownership compared to control (typically through options) and the evolution of these patterns over time. It is found that the main motives for holding significant land inventories could be operational, investment or anti-competitive but that holding land also comes with opportunity costs and risks. Despite operating in a highly imperfect land market and restrictive planning regime, the large UK housebuilders have been able to maintain significant and relatively stable landbanks. In comparison, the US has seen a major shift towards land-light strategies. US housebuilders increasingly rely upon relatively short-term options, rather than outright land ownership, to secure their pipeline of development plots. The shift primarily aims to hedge risks associated with holding land. Although the comparative evidence is limited and imperfect, it generally indicates that UK housebuilders tend to maintain smaller land inventories compared to their counterparts in the US, Australia, and Ireland
TeTe Wo Bi Kyere: lessons from Akan indigenous entrepreneurship in the modern Ghanaian economy
No full textThe Akan are a cluster of ethnic groups in West Africa. Some are indigenous entrepreneurs that are
thriving in Ghana’s modern economy. In contrast, Ghana has a growing youth unemployment
challenge. In recent years much research has been conducted globally in indigenous knowledge
systems, however there is little focus on individual ethnic groups and their entrepreneurial
knowledge. Africa as the second largest continent with the highest number of entrepreneurs,
consists of hundreds of ethnic groups, languages, and cultures, each with its own indigenous
knowledge systems. This empirical, qualitative study aimed to explore the Akan indigenous
entrepreneurship knowledge systems (AIEKS) as a viable pathway to youth employment. Can AIEKS
be used to drive successful businesses within the modern Ghanaian economy? Key objectives
included the identification, use and possible future applications of AIEKS. My thesis research
identified nine Akan indigenous entrepreneurs operating in farming, construction, publishing,
fashion design, herbal medicine, and soap manufacturing. The methodology was empirical within
an interpretivism theoretical perspective, utilizing qualitative case studies of the nine indigenous
Akan entrepreneurs. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted on their business
premises providing opportunities for observation of the products. Thematic analysis was used to
identify common themes in the data. Some major themes emerging included 1) indigenous
entrepreneurship education and educators, 2) business skills, 3) indigenous financial strategies, 4)
knowledge intersections 5) resilience, and 6) government intervention. The study found the
entrepreneurs received indigenous education through family members, community experts and the
wider community. The indigenous education was flexible but structured into four main phases.
Students started at age six and graduated at age sixteen to twenty years, with significant business
skills to commence their own businesses. Many innovative financial strategies that lowered the
vbarriers of entry into entrepreneurship for financially disadvantaged youth were identified. The
study proposes the integration of Akan indigenous entrepreneurship education into the formal
educational system at primary and secondary level to ensure that all secondary school students
graduate with an entrepreneurial mindset and the business skills needed to start their own
businesses
Do extratropical cyclones impact synoptic-scale variability of the Arctic Oscillation during cold season?
Get PDFThe Arctic Oscillation (AO) is the most significant mode of sea level pressure (SLP) anomalies in the Northern Hemisphere, exhibiting significant multiple-timescale variability from synoptic to decadal. Using NCEP Climate Forecast System Reanalysis data from 1979 to 2022 during the cold season (November to April), this study identifies the relationship between the number of extra-tropical cyclones entering and exiting the Arctic and the AO synoptic variability. The Joint Net Cyclone Flux (JNCF) is significantly correlated to the spatio-temporal evolution of the synoptic AO and the composites of SLP associated with the JNCF perform AO-like patterns. Subsequent piecewise potential vorticity inversion reveals the impacts of extratropical cyclones on the synoptic-scale AO-like geopotential height anomalies at different altitudes. The effects of extratropical cyclone are more important than the Arctic stratospheric PV intrusion. Furthermore, the upper-level dynamic process among all extratropical cyclone effects dominates the evolution of synoptic-scale AO-like geopotential height anomalies
Genetic analysis of grain protein content and deviation in wheat
Get PDFGrain protein content (GPC) is generally inversely correlated with grain yield (GY) but some genotypes
consistently have higher or lower grain protein contents than predicted by simple regression analysis: this is
called grain protein deviation (GPD). Positive GPD reflects greater nitrogen use efficiency and is an important
target for breeders to develop more sustainable types of wheat.
Here, we investigate the genetic architecture of GPC, GY, thousand grain weight (TGW) and GPD using a
population of 104 doubled haploid lines derived from a cross between two cultivars with positive (Hereward)
and negative (Malacca) GPD and grown in replicated randomised field trials over three years. A total of 9 QTL
were detected for all traits, five for GPC, two for GPD and one each for GY and TGW. All of the increasing alleles
for GPC and GPD and the single QTL for TGW were contributed by Hereward while Malacca contributed the
single increasing allele for GY. The two QTLs for GPD located on chromosomes 3A and 5B explained 23.3% and
16.6% of the variance in the sample sets, respectively. Three QTL for GPC (on chromosomes 3A, 3B, 5B) each
explained more than 14% of the variance, with those on chromosomes 3A and 5B having similar locations to the
GPD QTLs on the same chromosomes. A survey of the gene content between the markers bordering the confidence
intervals for the two GPD QTLs on chromosomes 3A and 5B identified 136 and 704 protein coding genes,
respectively, including possible candidate genes
Exploring knowledge spillovers: innovation strategies in resource-rich countries
Get PDFExploring innovation strategies within the knowledge spillover theory is key to understanding how knowledge generated in one context can unintentionally flow or "spill over" into other contexts, leading to new insights, ideas, and innovations. Resource-rich countries face unique challenges and opportunities when applying this theory, which primarily focuses on the influence of external factors on entrepreneurial behaviour and the innovation process. While abundant natural resources can provide a strong economic base, they also pose the risk of a resource curse, where overreliance on resource extraction hampers diversification and innovation in other sectors. This study aims to unravel how and why the knowledge spillover theory can facilitate regional economic development and growth in resource-rich countries. We do so by performing a systematic literature review of relevant peer-reviewed articles published between 1996 and 2024 and discussing the mechanisms and conduits of knowledge spillover in countries rich in natural resources
Circadian functioning, student wellbeing, and academic achievement: associations with use of electronic devices at night
Get PDFEveningness preference is associated with measures of poor wellbeing. However, recent research has found that Morning Affect (sleep inertia) and Distinctness (amplitude of diurnal variations in functioning) may be more strongly related to wellbeing indices. The current study investigated associations between Eveningness, Morning Affect, Distinctness, academic achievement, and student wellbeing (assessed with the College Student Subjective Wellbeing Scale). Data was obtained from an online survey of 232 Chinese university students aged 19-27 (mean = 20.65; SD = 1.365); additional measures included conscientiousness, mind wandering, sleep quality, life satisfaction, substance use, and use of electronic devices at night. Morning Affect (MA) was positively correlated with academic achievement, Academic Satisfaction and Academic Efficacy; Eveningness was positively correlated with School Connectedness and School Gratitude; Distinctness was negatively correlated with Academic Efficacy. The negative correlation between Eveningness and academic achievement was mediated by lower MA. The negative correlation between Eveningness and MA was mediated by more use of electronic devices at night, and also the negative correlation between use of electronic devices at night and MA was mediated by Eveningness. These results suggest potentially important relationships between use of electronic devices at night, circadian functioning, student wellbeing, and academic achievement
High prediction skill of decadal tropical cyclone variability in the North Atlantic and East Pacific in the met office decadal prediction system DePreSys4
Get PDFThe UK Met Office decadal prediction system DePreSys4 shows skill in predicting the number of tropical cyclones (TCs) and TC track density over the eastern Pacific and tropical Atlantic Ocean on the decadal timescale (up to ACC = 0.93 and ACC = 0.83, respectively, as measured by the anomaly correlation coefficient—ACC). The high skill in predicting the number of TCs is related to the simulation of the externally forced response, with internal climate variability also allowing the improvement in prediction skill. The Skill is due to the model’s ability to predict the temporal evolution of surface temperature and vertical wind shear over the eastern Pacific and tropical Atlantic Ocean. We apply a signal-to-noise calibration framework and show that DePreSys4 predicts an increase in the number of TCs over the eastern Pacific and the tropical Atlantic Ocean in the next decade (2023–2030), potentially leading to high economic losses
“It feels like we’re doing something good.” Mapping farmer perceptions of Zero Budget Natural Farming onto crop yields in Andhra Pradesh
Get PDFIndia is a leader in the transition to natural farming, and the state of Andrah Pradesh is at the forefront. This interdisciplinary study seeks to understand the motivations behind Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) adoption in two districts in different climatic zones in Andhra Pradesh (Anantapur and Visakhapatnam). Public messaging about ZBNF generally relies on success stories based on increases in yield and income, with a reduction on expenditures. We use participatory photography to understand subjective farmer stories about natural farming and map these responses onto field experiments measuring crop yield to reveal a more complex range of drivers behind adoption. By studying the contents and effects of subjective farmer stories and comparing the yields of natural farming plots with organic and conventional plots, we show that natural farming yields support public messaging in some contexts where the transition is taking place, but less so in others. While the mainstream messaging about the benefits of natural farming is certainly a motivating factor for adoption, there are also many unquantifiable subjective gains perceived by farmers inclusive of memory, legacy, independence, and a rejection of industrialized agriculture, which also drive adoption. Understanding these unquantifiable subjective gains, and how they connect to ZBNF innovations in the fields, can improve two-way rural communication about natural farming and drive future context-specific research
Using high-resolution climate models to predict increases in atmospheric turbulence
Get PDFClear Air Turbulence (CAT) and Mountain Wave Turbulence (MWT) are two types
of upper-level atmospheric turbulence that have a dangerous impact on aircraft.
Understanding how these types of turbulence are changing with global tropospheric warming is important for the future of the aviation sector. Using high resolution global climate models, this thesis initially focuses on how moderate CAT
could vary in a high-end warming scenario over the transatlantic basin. Across
simulated projected data from the year 1950 to 2050, moderate CAT on average
increased in frequency by +14%, +9%, +9%, and +14% over Northern Hemisphere
autumn, winter, spring and summer per degree of global near-surface warming.
Furthermore, the increase in CAT frequency is decomposed into patch size and
number. The region of interest was expanded to the mid to high latitudes over
the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. For winter, both hemispheres experienced an increase in the average area and number of patches. This combined
effect led to large increase in moderate winter-time CAT, with the total area increasing on average by +360 km2 and +474 km2 per year, for the Northern and
Southern Hemispheres respectively