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Analysing the role of adaptive risk management in empowering digital supply chain resilience
No full textThe business landscape is evolving as more volatile and unpredictive, which stresses the need for more agile supply chain systems. With a focus on building robustness and adaptability, organizations need to opt for digital tools and strategies that can be harnessed to build more resilient supply chain networks. This research aims to explore the dynamics of adaptive risk management strategies and how those contribute toward digital supply chain resilience. The study delves into the integration of adaptive risk management practices into the digital supply chain system and analyzes the associated challenges.
The impact of risk management strategies to foster digital supply chain resilience is vital across various sectors; however, the disruptions can be particularly profound in the manufacturing industry, where supply chains are highly globalized and complex. The manufacturing sector plays a key role in the UK's economy, and this study offers a unique opportunity to explore how digital technologies can enhance supply chain resilience, particularly in the aftermath of Brexit and a shift toward Industry 5.0 paradigm. The adoption of digital technologies, like artificial intelligence and big data analytics, is examined in this study identifying challenges, opportunities, and best practices. The collaboration and extent of engagement of key stakeholders are analyzed to identify the constraints in the process of integrating adaptive risk management practices into the supply chain of the UK manufacturing sector.
The context of this research is highly relevant for the organizations seeking to develop more flexible and responsive risk management strategies to enhance the resilience in their supply chain system. The study will offer a roadmap to opt for more responsive risk management and integrate digital technologies into supply chain to enhance operational efficiency, effective risk handling and offer guidance in developing policies promoting the adoption of digital technologies and more transparent supply chain operations
Navigating the Transition to Remote Online Examinations in Undergraduate Medical Education in a Resource-Limited Setting: A Student Satisfaction and Perception Analysis.
Get PDFBackground Remote online assessment (ROA) systems gained prominence in undergraduate medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study describes a uniquely phased implementation of an ROA system in a resource-limited setting, guided by an analysis of student satisfaction and perceptions. Methodology This observational study presents data from the implementation of ROAs at a private medical school in Lahore, Pakistan. Four principal activities were conducted on five undergraduate medical and four dental program classes, including two mock and two summative assessments. The ROA system utilized open-source, web-based software to administer the assessments. Primary outcomes included the rate of uninterrupted exam completions and student satisfaction (measured on a five-point Likert scale) during the first three activities. Secondary outcomes examined perceptions of educational impact, perceived usefulness, and the effectiveness of anti-cheating measures. Results Over 800 students participated in the ROA implementation process. Clinical-year students reported significantly higher levels of satisfaction compared to preclinical students (mean ranks = 443.18 vs. 372.81, 454.31 vs. 409, and 435.50 vs. 380.13, p < 0.05), while female students consistently reported lower satisfaction. One-on-one online training sessions conducted in small groups and mini-mock exams significantly improved overall satisfaction (p < 0.005). Key challenges included insufficient exam time (n = 614, 73.9%) and internet connectivity issues (n = 470, 57%). Although live proctoring effectively deterred cheating, it also heightened exam-related anxiety (n = 313, 77.9%). Despite perceiving ROAs as inferior to traditional examinations, students acknowledged their value in supporting course completion and preparation for summative assessments. Conclusions A phased, adaptive approach is essential for implementing ROAs in resource-limited settings. Repeated mock exams, small-group training, and targeted support for preclinical and female students can improve satisfaction and program outcomes. Addressing technical and psychological barriers is critical to successfully integrating online assessments into undergraduate medical education. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2025, Ali et al.
The unexpected influence of a stiff minimalist insole on the forefoot and ankle joint biomechanics during walking
No full textThe aim of this study was to explore the efficacy of a minimalist stiff insole in limiting/reducing first metatarsophalangeal joint (1MTP) range of motion and to explore the impact on the ankle joint during walking. It was hypothesized that the minimalist stiff insole would significantly reduce 1MTP kinematic and kinetic parameters whilst causing compensatory effects at the ankle joint.
Methods
Fourteen healthy participants were recruited. Three-dimensional lower limb and forefoot kinematics were measured during walking at a self-selected speed with a stiff and control insole. Discrete point statistical analysis and Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) were used to evaluate the main effects of the insole conditions on kinematic and kinetic parameters.
Results
Significant differences were seen between insole conditions during the 3rd rocker phase during walking with the stiff insole surprisingly increasing the range of motion (p<0.001), reducing the MTP dorsiflexion angular velocity and increasing the MTP plantarflexion angular velocity (p<0.001), and increasing the external MTP dorsiflexion moment and power generation (p<0.001). For the ankle the stiff insole increased the ankle dorsiflexion angular velocity (p<0.001), decreased the ankle plantarflexion angular velocity (p<0.001), and decreased the ankle power absorption (p<0.001) and power generation (p<0.001).
Conclusion/ Clinical Relevance
Clinicians and researchers should be cautious about the expected mechanical effects and the actual biomechanical impacts of stiff insoles and keep in mind that acting on one joint can create proximal compensations
Flesh and Text: Devising Performance by Bodies in Flight
No full textPresents the history and an analysis of the experimental theater works produced by Bodies in Flight.
Based in Bristol and Nottingham, the performance group Bodies in Flight makes works where flesh utters and words move, challenging and re-energizing the relationship between audiences and performers as well as audiences and place.
Drawing on rigorous interdisciplinary and collaborative methods, they use words and images, movement and stillness, and voices and bodies to engage audiences emotionally and spiritually.
Intended as an inspiration to emerging artists, the volume covers key themes for any maker of contemporary performance: the relationship of choreography and spoken word; the use of new technologies and multimedia; the role of original music and soundscapes; the differences between work presented in a theater, gallery, or sited in non-theatrical places; and the persistence of theater as an art form in an increasingly digital culture.
This highly illustrated volume includes selections of scripts and archival material from thirty years of making devised theater and performance in the UK and internationally. It also features texts by collaborators, arts professionals, and scholars exploring the company’s collaborative working method, contextualizing it in the wider performance ecology and culture
Reproductive Capital: Theoretical Foundations 1 Reproductive Capital: Theoretical Foundations and Empirical Evidence from the Workplace
No full textThe workplace encompasses structural and personal tensions related to both reproduction and non-reproduction, and ambiguity and ambivalence permeate policies, practices, and social interactions. This article critically examines the concept of 'reproductive capital' and its interaction with other forms of capital: ageing, biological, cultural, economic, social, and symbolic. The concept of 'reproductive capital' emerged from a latent thematic analysis of interviews with 80 people (67 women and 13 men) and their accounts of how the workplace affected their reproductive journeys. The aim of this study was to explore and record participants' diverse fertility journeys and the effect of work on their preconception/infertility experience. The workplace was an alienating space for people accessing Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) treatment, who were subjected to scrutiny and judgement. Challenges faced by individuals included matters surrounding disclosure and subsequent consequences, desired/expected support, and what was received. Some participants challenged the pronatalist policy status quo and sought changes to make the workplace more inclusive. Participants' accounts highlighted numerous situations in which reproductive capital was present. Contextualising theory through empirical data allows for a broader understanding of how socio-economic, socio-cultural, norms, and values influence individual and organisational behaviour
Effects of high-frequency rTMS and home-based exercise on locomotion in individuals with Parkinson’s disease: A double-blind randomized controlled trial
No full textObjective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of combining repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) with home-based exercise (HB) over 10 sessions and examined locomotion outcomes over 8 weeks in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Methods: Thirty-nine individuals with mild to moderate PD were randomly assigned to real rTMS combined with HB (real rTMS+HB), sham rTMS combined with HB (sham rTMS+HB), and a control group. The intervention groups received 10 sessions of rTMS alongside an 8-week HB program.
Results: Significant improvements (p < 0.05) were found in both intervention groups over time for clinical outcomes and turning characteristics compared to the control group. No significant clinical or kinematic differences were observed between the real and sham rTMS+HB groups. Only the real rTMS+HB group showed reduced motor-evoked potential amplitude after 10 sessions and at 8-week follow-up.
Conclusion: Home-based exercise improved locomotion in individuals with PD. Although real rTMS modified cortical excitability, it did not provide additional clinical or kinematic benefits beyond home-based exercise alone.
Significance: The combination of rTMS combined with home-based exercise may influence cortical excitability; however, locomotion improvements in individuals with PD appear to be primarily driven by home-based exercise, and the neuromodulatory role of rTMS warrants further investigation
Horror and the body in the new western: Yellowstone as a genre of excess
No full textThe highly popular television series Yellowstone (2018–24) is to many a ‘modern revisionist Western’. Detractors call it a ‘red-state show’, with its right-wing, conservative themes, centred around kinship, land ownership, loyalty and what it takes to preserve a way of life against the forces of economic progress. On the surface the series revels in its ‘neo-Western’ generic conventions, but there is a deeper set of themes articulated through the tropes of the horror genre: body mutilation, blood and gore, the evil of the land, demon spawn, the association of women with blood and victimhood, as well as Oedipal fear. This clash of genres creates a strange juxtaposition and challenge to the dominant tone. This article discusses the many instances of horror ‘intruding’ on Yellowstone’s predominantly western genre, and in each case asks why these connections are being made so overtly
Spatially resolved near-infrared spectroscopic indices for the massive elliptical galaxy IC 4296
Get PDFIn the near-infrared (NIR) region, a large number of absorption features may be used to constrain the properties of unresolved stellar populations of galaxies. We present the results of a pilot project assessing the feasibility of measuring the distribution and radial trends of NIR line-strength indices on spatially resolved spectra. We used the ESO/KMOS multi-object spectrograph to observe the massive, nearby elliptical galaxy IC 4296. We analysed the distribution of the NIR line-strength indices that are most sensitive to the age and metallicity of the galaxy stellar populations both on 2D maps and on stacked spectra of five radial bins. This allowed us to build the radial profiles of the line-strength indices out to 0.80 R_e and compare them to those measured in the optical range. For the particular case of IC 4296, we find that the metal indices have negative radial trends. The results are in agreement with literature radial profiles obtained from the analysis of the optical Lick/IDS indices and favour in situ galaxy formation over multiple merging events. The obtained results demonstrate the usefulness of the NIR wavelength domain to unveil the processes of galaxy formation and evolution