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The Rule of Law as a Unifying Principle of Research Governance
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic brought to the forefront multiple law-related questions, especially on whether public policies aligned with national, regional and international human rights standards. Equally important questions on legally-regulated Research Ethics and Research Integrity standards, however, were rarely addressed adequately in the public discourse, leading to a disassociation between researchers and the general public. Drawing from ongoing debates and existing literature in Law, the article illustrates why questions of Research Governance are of far broader relevance to society than initially anticipated. The article uses the COVID-19 experience as a case study towards considering the wider remit of public ethics when conducting research at times of global crises, by introducing the Rule of Law principle and drawing linkages between research governance and the associated values of legal certainty, predictability, transparency, reason-giving and accountability
Fertilization Effects of Solid Digestate Treatments on Earthworm Community Parameters and Selected Soil Attributes
Get PDFAn increasing number of soils, including those in EU countries, are affected by organic matter deficiency and the deterioration of nutrients, and using mineral fertilizers is often associated with negative environmental impacts. One of the basic recommendations for sustainable agriculture is to increase the proportion of organic fertilizers in crop production and preserve soil biodiversity. An increasingly common organic fertilizer is biogas plant digestate, the physical and chemical properties of which depend primarily on the waste material used in biogas production. However, the fertilizer value of this additive and its effects on the soil environment, including beneficial organisms, remain insufficiently studied. Soil macrofauna, particularly earthworms, play a crucial role in soil ecosystems, because they significantly impact the presence of plant nutrients, actively participate in forming soil structures, and strongly influence organic matter dynamics. The present study was undertaken to determine the effects of fertilizing a silt loam soil with the solid fraction of digestate in monoculture crop production on earthworm community characteristics and the resulting changes in selected soil physicochemical properties. The research was conducted at a single site, so the original soil characteristics across the experimental plots were identical. Plots were treated annually (for 3 years; 2021–2023) with different levels of digestate: DG100 (100% of the recommended rate; 30 t ha−1), DG75 (75% of the recommended rate; 22.5 t ha−1), DG50 (15 t ha−1), DG25 (7.5 t ha−1), and CL (a control plot without fertilizer). An electrical method was used to extract earthworms. Those found at the study site belonged to seven species representing three ecological groups: endrodrilus rubidus (Sav.), Lumbricus rubellus (Hoff.), and Dendrobaena octaedra (Sav.) (epigeics); Aporrectodea caliginosa (Sav.), Aporrectodea rosea (Sav.), and Octolasion lacteum (Örley)(endogeics); and Lumbricus terrestris (L.) (anecics). Significant differences in the abundance and biomass of earthworms were found between the higher level treatments (DG100, DG75, and DG50), and the lowest level of fertilization and the control plot (DG25 and CL). The DG25 and CL plots showed an average of 24.7% lower earthworm abundance and 22.8% lower biomass than the other plots. There were no significant differences in the earthworm metrics between the plots within each of the two groups (DG100, DG75, and DG50; and DG25 and CL). The most significant influence on the average abundance and average biomass of Lumbricidae was probably exerted by soil moisture and the annual dosage of digestate. A significant increase in the abundance and biomass of Lumbricidae was shown at plots DG100, DG75, and DG50 in the three successive years of the experiment. The different fertilizer treatments were found to have different effects on selected soil parameters. No significant differences were found among the values of the analyzed soil traits within each plot in the successive years of the study
Leading Green: The Role of CEO Social Trust and Governance in Driving Sustainable Innovation
No full textDrawing on imprinting theory, this study examines the impact of CEO social trust on sustainable corporate practices, that is, firm‐level green innovation. Using a unique hand‐collected dataset on CEO social trust, we found that CEO social trust is positively associated with firm‐level green innovation. Also, this study found that various external governance factors, including media coverage, high audit quality, and environmental enforcement intensity, strengthen this relationship. Furthermore, additional analysis shows that the relationship is particularly pronounced in firms where managers have higher ability, CEOs are older, and firms operate within polluting industries. Our main result is robust across alternative measures of green innovation and multiple robustness tests. This study highlights the importance of institutional contexts and psychological traits in shaping the firms' strategic sustainability decisions. This research has practical implications for policymakers, managers, and practitioners in the areas of leadership development, recruitment, and environmental policy formulation
Ancient genomes reveal cosmopolitan ancestry and maternal kinship patterns at post-Roman Worth Matravers, Dorset
Get PDFKinship can be difficult to discern in the archaeological record, but the study of ancient DNA offers a useful window into one form of kinship: biological relatedness. Here, the authors explore possible kin connections at the post-Roman site of Worth Matravers in south-west England. They find that, while clusters of genetically related individuals are apparent, the inclusion of unrelated individuals in double or triple burials demonstrates an element of social kinship in burial location. Some individuals also carried genetic signatures of continental ancestry, with one young male revealing recent West African ancestry, highlighting the diverse heritage of early medieval Britain
Attentional disengagement differences in young children with autism: A comparative eye-movement study using static and dynamic stimuli
Get PDFWeak attentional disengagement represents a crucial concern in children with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC). Failure to disengage from attended stimuli has obvious consequences for the development of everyday communication skills, and in the real world, stimuli are often dynamic as well as static. In this study, we recorded eye movements and investigated attentional disengagement in young Chinese children with and without ASC for static and dynamic stimuli. Our approach employed the gap-overlap paradigm (GOP) with stimuli consisting of static (Experiment 1: 44 ASC, 47 typically developing (TD)) or dynamic (Experiment 2: 26 ASC, 26 TD) geometric figures. Basic oculomotor function was intact in both groups. No significant group differences were observed for reflexive saccades and attentional orienting between ASC and TD children using the classic GOP. However, young children with ASC consistently exhibited prolonged voluntary disengagement (longer saccade latencies) in a modified-overlap task across both stimulus types. Furthermore, ASC children demonstrated more delayed disengagement when presented with dynamic foveal stimuli consisting of repetitive motion compared to random motion, and this effect was absent in TD children. These findings reflect how attentional biases to both static and repetitive dynamic stimuli impact upon visual disengagement, and hence have the potential to influence future development of social cognition in individuals with ASC
Necessity of Cerebrospinal Fluid Analysis in Young Children Aged 6-60 Months Presenting With Febrile Convulsions: A Systematic Review
Get PDFFebrile seizures (FS) are common in children aged 6-60 months and often cause concern because of their potential association with central nervous system (CNS) infections like occult meningitis. While most FS are benign, distinguishing simple from complex cases is significant.
This systematic review aims to evaluate the diagnostic utility and necessity of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis in young children presenting with FS to guide appropriate clinical decision-making.
This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines where literature was searched in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Google Scholar (2015-2025) using terms related to FS, CSF analysis, and children aged 6-60 months. Inclusion criteria focused on observational studies that reported lumbar puncture. Two reviewers independently screened studies and extracted data on seizure type, age, and CSF results.
Over 1,306 records were screened, and nine studies were included that involved 3,143 children aged 6-60 months. CSF analysis usage varied widely from over 6% to 100%. Bacterial meningitis was detected in 0.7-14% without clinical signs. High yield was among infants under 18 months. The risk of bias was low in most studies.
CSF analysis in FS should be guided by age, vaccination status, and clinical signs. A selective approach avoids unnecessary lumbar punctures while ensuring serious CNS infections are not missed
The JCMT Gould Belt Survey Complete Core Catalogue: Core mass function variations between nearby molecular clouds
No full textWe present a catalogue of dense cores identified in James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) Gould Belt Survey SCUBA-2 observations of nearby star-forming clouds. We identified 2257 dense cores using the getsources algorithm, of which 59% are starless, and 41% are potentially protostellar. 71% of the starless cores are prestellar core candidates, suggesting a prestellar core lifetime similar to that of Class 0/I YSOs. Higher-mass clouds have a higher fraction of prestellar cores compared to protostars, suggesting a longer average prestellar core lifetime. We assessed completeness by inserting critically-stable Bonnor– Ebert spheres into a blank SCUBA-2 field: completeness scales as distance squared, with an average mass recovery fraction of 73 ± 6% for recovered sources. We calculated core masses and radii, and assessed their gravitational stability using the Bonnor–Ebert criterion. Maximum starless core mass scales with cloud complex mass with an index 0.58 ± 0.13, consistent with the behaviour of maximum stellar masses in embedded clusters. We performed least-squares and Monte Carlo modelling of the core mass functions (CMFs) of our starless and prestellar core samples. The CMFs can be characterised using log-normal distributions: we do not sample the full range of core masses needed to create the stellar Initial Mass Function (IMF). The CMFs of the clouds are not consistent with being drawn from a single underlying distribution. The peak mass of the starless core CMF increases with cloud mass; the prestellar CMF of the more distant clouds has a peak mass ∼3 × the log-normal peak for the system IMF, implying a ∼33% prestellar core-to-star efficiency
Assessing the Objective and Subjective Impacts of Nature for Reducing Cognitive Fatigue
No full textExposure to nature can help recover cognitive fatigue by enhancing working memory, attention control, and cognitive flexibility. However, these effects may be impacted by multiple confounding variables, including engagement level and baseline differences. Additionally, it remains unclear whether changes in objective restoration measures may extend to perceived fatigue as well. This study examined whether nature could reduce cognitive fatigue while controlling for initial fatigue levels and using a set of objective and subjective outcomes. Participants performed working memory and attention control tasks at pretest and posttest. Between these tests, they went through a cognitive fatigue task, followed by exposure to either nature or urban pictures on a computer. Measures of subjective fatigue, performance, and prefrontal cerebral activity were collected. While performance and neurophysiological measures were similar across conditions, nature exposure improved subjective fatigue reports, unlike urban exposure. This finding highlights how subjective and objective experiences of attention restoration may differ
Gamified E-Quizzes with Accountable Academic Role-Play in an Interactive Narrative Scenario
Get PDFWhile previous research on gamified e-quizzes is not scarce, the impact of accountable academic role-play in gamified e-quizzes remains underexplored. Most role-play in gamified e-quizzes is designed to shift students' attention from mundane tasks to engaging adventures or immersive storylines. In practice, however, students, regardless of age, are often motivated by exams and assignment deadlines. Therefore, it may not be necessary to distract them from their academic roles to enhance performance. For example, the teacher-in-role method has been shown to effectively engage young learners and improve learning outcomes. A strong sense of responsibility could serve as a key driving force for improved learning outcomes and engagement. This study investigated whether pupils' learning performance and engagement could be enhanced through a gamified e-quiz incorporating accountable academic role-play within an interactive narrative, compared to traditional e-quiz usage. Two academic roles, student and teacher, were selected, as they are the most familiar to pupils. In one experimental group, participants' sense of being a student was reinforced by providing a non-player character (NPC) mentor to guide them through the process of answering the e-quiz. In the other group, they assumed the role of a teacher, assisting an NPC student in answering the same questions. The role-plays were embedded within an exam preparation scenario to immerse pupils in an academic environment and heighten their sense of responsibility. A quasi-experimental approach was implemented, as participants were drawn from three schools and were not randomly assigned. The study found no significant improvements in learning performance or engagement in the experimental groups. After comparing its setup with that of previous research, possible reasons and suggestions were discussed. Future research will aim to deepen the academic role-play experience and create a more immersive virtual academic environment, thereby reinforcing pupils' sense of responsibility to perform better
Rewards, performance appraisal, and Innovative Work behavior: A multi-mediation model
No full textThis study examines the relationship between performance-based rewards and developmental performance appraisals on innovative work behavior (IWB) through the mediation of organizational trust, supervisor support, perceived organizational support, and affective commitment. Through the lenses of signaling theory and social exchange theory, we hypothesize that employees perceive that rewards and developmental performance appraisals as favorable signals sent by their organization in support of, and appreciation to, them. Hence, employees respond with greater (i) moral obligation to repay organizations and supervisors for their support; (ii) emotional motivation to commit affectively to the organization; and (iii) intention to trust their organization. Using structural equation modeling to analyze 323 survey responses from employees across various industries in Jordan, results indicated a significant positive relationship between performance-based rewards and IWB and developmental performance appraisal and IWB. Interestingly, this relationship is explained only through the mediation of affective commitment. This paper contributes to the wider conversation around the relationship between performance-based rewards, developmental performance appraisal and IWB through the mediating effect of a bundle of factors. Moreover, the findings showed that performance-based rewards and developmental performance appraisal are significant for organizational trust, supervisor support, perceived organizational support, and affective commitment