8383 research outputs found
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PhyBaSE: A Bayesian structural equation model approach to causal inference in phylogenetic comparative analyses
Get PDF© 2025 The Author(s). Methods in Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society.One of the main limitations of phylogenetic comparative analyses is that associations between traits can only be interpreted as correlations. Here, we present a novel Bayesian structural equation model (PhyBaSE) which allows us to disentangle direct from indirect relationships among variables to propose potential causal hypotheses while accounting for phylogenetic non‐independence. Compared with the existing maximum‐likelihood based approach, PhyBaSE models are more flexible, allowing the inclusion of trait and phylogenetic uncertainty, as well as non‐continuous variables. To facilitate the application of the method, we provide worked examples, data and code. We exemplify the method both with simulated as well as empirical data. Our analyses with simulated data indicate that PhyBaSE models have higher power than classic Phylogenetic Path Analysis to discriminate between competing models. As an example of PhyBaSE using empirical data, we revisit different hypotheses proposed to explain the relationship between relative brain size and group size in Bovids. Our results challenge the previously supported social brain hypothesis and provide support for an allometric effect of body size on social group size and an effect of brain size on life span, as predicted by the cognitive buffer hypothesis. The flexibility of PhyBaSE models will allow researchers to explore more complex hypotheses on the evolution of behavioural, ecological and life history traits at a macroevolutionary level and how these are linked to anthropogenic drivers of biodiversity loss and extinction, taking full advantage of the increasing number of publicly available species‐specific datasets.This work was partly funded by a Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet) Young Researcher grant to AGV (2013-5064), and by funding from Programa de Intercambio Académico, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México to AGV and AvH. AvH was funded by an International Research Excellence Grant by the University of Chester funded by Santander Universities. Open access publishing facilitated by Universita degli Studi di Pavia, as part of the Wiley - CRUI-CARE agreement
Correction to: Ethnic and minority group differences in engagement with COVID-19 vaccination programmes – at Pandemic Pace; when vaccine confidence in mass rollout meets local vaccine hesitancy
Get PDFIn the original publication of this article [1] an error was introduced during the publication process in the reference numbering. This caused all citations after 13 to be incorrect. The citations in the original article have now been corrected.Unfunde
Influenza A virus encoding secreted Gaussia luciferase as useful tool to analyze viral replication and its inhibition by antiviral compounds and cellular proteins
Get PDF© 2014 Eckert et al.Reporter genes inserted into viral genomes enable the easy and rapid quantification of virus replication, which is instrumental to efficient in vitro screening of antiviral compounds or in vivo analysis of viral spread and pathogenesis. Based on a published design, we have generated several replication competent influenza A viruses carrying either fluorescent proteins or Gaussia luciferase. Reporter activity could be readily quantified in infected cultures, but the virus encoding Gaussia luciferase was more stable than viruses bearing fluorescent proteins and was therefore analyzed in detail. Quantification of Gaussia luciferase activity in the supernatants of infected culture allowed the convenient and highly sensitive detection of viral spread, and enzymatic activity correlated with the number of infectious particles released from infected cells. Furthermore, the Gaussia luciferase encoding virus allowed the sensitive quantification of the antiviral activity of the neuraminidase inhibitor (NAI) zanamivir and the host cell interferon-inducible transmembrane (IFITM) proteins 1-3, which are known to inhibit influenza virus entry. Finally, the virus was used to demonstrate that influenza A virus infection is sensitive to a modulator of endosomal cholesterol, in keeping with the concept that IFITMs inhibit viral entry by altering cholesterol levels in the endosomal membrane. In sum, we report the characterization of a novel influenza A reporter virus, which allows fast and sensitive detection of viral spread and its inhibition, and we show that influenza A virus entry is sensitive to alterations of endosomal cholesterol levels.This work was supported by the Leibniz Graduate School EIDIS (FW) and the Leibniz Foundation
Misogyny, misogynoir and violent online rhetoric against women and girls in sport: The case of Joey Barton
No full text© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.Research question: This study adopts an intersectional feminist lens to investigate misogynistic and violent online rhetoric directed at women and girls in sport, focusing on the case of former footballer and heavy social media user, Joey Barton. This research aims to fill the gap in understanding how online platforms provide an outlet for, and in many ways amplify, misogyny, creating a hostile environment for female athletes.
Research methods: The study employs a thematic analysis of social media data, examining three specific trigger events where Barton targeted women with abusive language: his comments on goalkeeper Mary Earps winning Sports Personality of the Year, his attacks on football pundit Eni Aluko, and his criticism of young goalkeeper Ava Easdon. This qualitative analysis focuses on the nature of the public response and the discursive strategies used.
Results and Findings: The findings reveal a pervasive culture of misogyny and online violence directed at women in sport. Barton's behaviour highlights the intersection of gender, race, and online violence, demonstrating how social media platforms can amplify harmful content. Key themes identified include widespread public condemnation, calls for accountability, intersectional violence, and the symbolic use of emojis to convey hostility.
Implications: The study highlights the urgent need for effective countermeasures to protect women athletes from abuse and the role of social media platforms in perpetuating harmful content. It also calls for increased accountability and the implementation of robust policies to safeguard female athletes online.N/AAAM removed and archived and VoR uploaded to CR 15/12/202
High temperatures during early development reduce adult cognitive performance and reproductive success in a wild animal population
Get PDF© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.Global warming is rapidly changing the phenology, distribution, behaviour and demography of wild animal populations. Recent studies in wild animals have shown that high temperatures can induce short-term cognitive impairment, and captive studies have demonstrated that heat exposure during early development can lead to long-term cognitive impairment. Given that cognition underpins behavioural flexibility and can be directly linked to fitness, understanding how high temperatures during early life might impact adult cognitive performance in wild animals is a critical next step to predict wildlife responses to climate change. Here, we investigated the relationship between temperatures experienced during development, adult cognitive performance, and reproductive success in wild southern pied babblers (Turdoides bicolor). We found that higher mean daily maximum temperatures during nestling development led to long-term cognitive impairment in associative learning performance, but not reversal learning performance. Additionally, a higher number of hot days (exceeding 35.5 °C, temperature threshold at which foraging efficiency and offspring provisioning decline) during post-fledging care led to reduced reproductive success in adulthood. We did not find evidence that low reproductive success was linked to impaired associative learning performance: associative learning performance was not related to reproductive success. In contrast, reversal learning performance was negatively related to reproductive success in breeding adults. This suggests that reproduction can carry a cost in terms of reduced performance in cognitively demanding tasks, confirming previous evidence in this species. Taken together, these findings indicate that naturally occurring high temperatures during early development have long-term negative effects on cognition and reproductive success in wild animals. Compounding effects of high temperatures on current nestling mortality and on the long-term cognitive and reproductive performance of survivors are highly concerning given ongoing global warming.We thank the Kuruman River Reserve managers and the families at the surrounding farms (Van Zylsrus, South Africa) for making this work possible. We thank Lina Peña-Ramirez, Grace Blackburn, Amy Hunter, Samantha Wagstaff and Mara Zali for fieldwork assistance and all the researchers that contributed to the long-term life history database. We thank the Hot Birds Research Project for the weather station data and the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology for logistical support. We thank Grace Blackburn for helpful discussions and Prof. Leigh Simmons for his support as co-supervisor to CS. We also thank Nicholas Pattinson for taking the photographs used in the graphical abstract. This work was supported by the Australian Government (RTP scholarship awarded to CS and grant DP220103823 awarded to ARR, BJA and AT) and by the Rotary Club of Melville and The University of Western Australia (two awards to CS). The KRR was financed by the Universities of Cambridge and Zurich, the MAVA Foundation and the European Research Council (grant 294494 to Tim Clutton-Brock) and received logistical support from the University of Pretoria. This research was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee, UWA (RA/3/100/1619 and 2021/ET000414) and the Department of Environment and Nature Conservation, Northern Cape Province, South Africa (permit n. 0024.2022
Oil-driven consumption in rentier economies: Evidence from a proxy-based MPC model in the Gulf Cooperation Council
Get PDFThis study proposes a novel macroeconomic approach, specifically formulated to estimate the Marginal Propensity to Consume (MPC) in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) economies, based on high-frequency commodity price and trade data. As there are no reliable household consumption datasets, U.S. imports are used as a proxy for consumption, while crude oil prices serve as an instrument for measuring income. Controls are included for the American Consumer Price Index (CPI), bilateral exchange rates, and international uncertainty, as measured by the Volatility Index (VIX). Estimation via a fixed effects pooled panel regression model, covering the period from January 1992 to April 2025, yields an estimated MPC of 0.68. Controlling for demographic variations—specifically, expatriation induced lower consumption rates—the population-weighted adjustment yields a citizen MPC close to 1.0. Additionally, simulation analysis reinforces model robustness by demonstrating uniform and proportionate import responses to crude oil price shocks. These findings have significant implications for shaping fiscal policy decisions and macroeconomic forecasting in energy-exporting economies that struggle to utilize microdata, while also serving as a valuable tool for policymakers and researchers. Moreover, this novel macroeconomic model, with its forward-looking features, has significant potential to predict the demand-side effects of energy price volatility and inform adaptive and equitable energy policy decisions in the context of the GCC region.Unfunde
Charitable organisations and ambidexterity: implications for charity sector leaders
Get PDFThis author accepted manuscript is deposited under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC) licence. This means that anyone may distribute, adapt, and build upon the work for non-commercial purposes, subject to full attribution. If you wish to use this manuscript for commercial purposes, please contact [email protected]: This paper is an outcome of professional doctoral research into charitable organisations and ambidexterity. The study aims to offer a new contribution to the organisational literature on charity and organisational ambidexterity through determining key components of organisational ambidextrous design in the delivery of social mission. Design/methodology/approach: The research was conducted using a mono method, in the form of 14 semi-structured interviews with executive members of UK-based charities in the disability, health or social care arena. Analysis took place through a reflexive thematic analysis process.
Findings: Findings culminated in eight key components for the application of organisational ambidexterity in charity.
Research limitations/implications: The research advances prior debates, relating to charities and organisational ambidexterity respectively, and develops previous associated research on organisational ambidexterity and public enterprise. In doing so, it proposes a new framework model of eight components for ambidextrous working in charity. Findings are based on a small purposive research sample and are embryonic, meaning that there is opportunity for this field of study to evolve and mature over time.
Practical implications: The paper points to clear evidence of organisational ambidexterity represented in multi-dimensional structural models, culture, systems and strategy, which has resulted in a model of components for ambidextrous working relevant to the charity sector.
Social implications: Research within this paper provides awareness and new knowledge for charity sector leaders and managers in the achievement of social mission.
Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper represents the first scholarly research conducted into organisational ambidexterity applied to private charities in the UK.Unfunde
Association between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and constructs of the Health Belief Model in young adult students at the University of Chester
Get PDFCopyright (c) 2024 Goodluck Chiemela Ndubuisi, Stephen FallowsBackground: Young adults are reported as one of the major consumers of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) globally and the consumption of SSBs is associated with long-term medical conditions. The Health Belief Model (HBM) has been applied to understand SSB consumption by children and adolescents through the use of its constructs. There is a gap in knowlege of HBM application to SSB consumption of young adults. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to fill this gap.
Objective: The primary objective of the study was to determine if an association existed between SSB consumption status and the constructs of the HBM: perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived barriers, perceived benefits, self-efficacy, and cues in young adult students.
Design: Cross-sectional data were obtained using an online self-administered structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and Chi-squared (X2) test for association were used to analyse the data.
Setting: Participants were recruited via email and WhatsApp.
Participants: Seventy young adult students aged 18 to 30 years studying at the University of Chester, England.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 25.5 years (SD: 3.0). 53% consumed SSBs on a given day. Postgraduates (58%), Blacks (52%), and Asian students (70%) had the greater percentages of SSB consumers. There was a very strong significant association between SSB consumption status and level of perceived severity of diseases from a high intake of SSBs, X2 (1, N = 70) = 6.94, P = 0.01, Cramer’s V = 0.32. Also, a very strong association existed between SSB consumption status and self-efficacy level to control SSB intake, X2 (1, N = 70) = 8.83, P = 0.00, Cramer’s V = 0.36.
Conclusions: A high percentage of young adult students especially those from minority ethnic groups in the UK consumed SSBs which indicates that targeted initiatives at these groups are required to control their intake. Interventions to control SSB intake in young adult students should consider increasing their level of perceived severity of diseases from a high intake of SSBs and self-efficacy to control SSB intake. We recommend actions that can further increase their awareness of how serious diseases from a high intake of SSBs are. We also recommend measures intended to increase the confidence of young adult students in their ability to avoid SSBs when they are stressed, after writing exam, when they are eating, and when they engage in sedentary activities. In particular, modifying their environment to prevent the availability of SSBs at home and regulating the promotion and cost (via taxation) of SSBs in stores would help to increase their self- efficacy level. Further studies to determine why a greater percentage of postgraduate students are consuming SSBs despite their level of education is required. More comprehensive research on SSB consumption in young adults using the HBM is necessary.Unfunde
A qualitative study of how and why gym-based resistance training may benefit women's mental health and wellbeing
Get PDF© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.Purpose: This study used photovoice methodology to explore women's lived experiences of gym-based resistance training, and the potential mechanisms by which resistance training may promote wellbeing. Methods: Ten women aged between 18 and 27 years from various locations across England each generated a total of three photographs illustrating 1) what they like and 2) what they dislike about gym-based resistance training, and 3) what gym-based resistance training means to them, and completed a subsequent photo-elicitation telephone interview via Zoom video conferencing software. Data were analysed through an iterative deductive and inductive process, firstly using Ryff's psychological wellbeing model (Ryff, 1989) as a thematic framework, and then inductively to further explore the data. Results: Five themes linking gym-based resistance training and mental health and wellbeing were identified: (1) self-acceptance, (2) personal growth, (3) flow state, (4) social affiliation and (5) autonomy. Through engaging in resistance training participants exercise self-direction (i.e., autonomy) and have the opportunity to develop positive relations with like-minded others. The activity itself can facilitate the achievement of the “flow state” of mind. The setting, pursuit and achievement of meaningful “intrinsic goals” can result in feelings of personal growth and realisation a more positive self-regard. Conclusion: Gym-based resistance training provides various paths to wellbeing. Greater emphasis of these wellbeing benefits in public health messaging may encourage more women to engage in gym-based resistance training.Unfunde
Floreat Salopia: A Celebration of Shropshire’s History and Archaeology
No full textThis paper analyses the intractable and fragmented history of Shropshire from c.500–1050. The written sources for this period are extremely poor in Shropshire’s case but are now being enriched by excavations and, more widely, by PAS finds and sculpture. The concept of ‘persistent places’ in the landscape is used to pursue key sites through specific episodes in Anglo-Saxon Shropshire’s history that can be established by reference to the wider historical events within the emerging kingdoms of England. Through this mechanism, a more detailed picture emerges of how Mercian Shropshire gradually came together so that by the eleventh century, the new shire had been created as a stable entity with rich cultural relationships in the face of external threats from its surrounding polities: Welsh, English and Viking.Unfunde
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