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Dabbled vs sustained self-employment: exploring educational returns within dynamic employment groups
No full textPurpose
This study examines the returns from education for three distinct groups: always employees, dabblers in self-employment and sustained self-employed individuals. We aim to understand how educational attainment translates into earnings across these employment types in the UK.
Design/methodology/approach
Using data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) and Understanding Society: The UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS), we employ a random effects (RE) model to account for unobserved individual characteristics and the Heckman selection model to address self-selection bias, ensuring accurate estimates of educational returns.
Findings
Our findings indicate that sustained self-employed individuals benefit more from education compared to dabblers and, in certain cases, traditional employees. Dabblers with postgraduate education report higher returns than always employees, but those with lower educational levels experience disadvantages due to their intermittent labour market engagement.
Originality/value
This study introduces new evidence on the heterogeneity of educational returns for self-employed individuals in the UK, providing a novel comparative analysis of different employment types and highlighting the unique challenges and outcomes related to educational attainment and earnings.Publishe
Wait! What’s my job? Role ambiguity and role conflict as predictors of commitment among faculty
Full text linkPurpose: Faculty play a unique role in universities performing duties along the three fronts of teaching, research, and service. While it might be teaching that contributes most to the bottom line of a small university, it is often research by which faculty merit is judged. This study explores the relationships between role ambiguity, role conflict, and commitment (affective, normative and continuance) as mediated by job satisfaction among faculty members.
Design/Methodology/Approach: A sample of 133 faculty members at a US-accredited university in Lebanon served as the basis for this study. The faculty members completed a survey covering scales on role ambiguity, role conflict, commitment, and job satisfaction in addition to
demographic variables.
Findings: We find that a decrease in role ambiguity strengthens affective and normative commitment but weakens continuance commitment. Structural equation modeling indicates that job satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between role ambiguity and affective
commitment, while not mediating the relationship between role ambiguity and normative and continuance commitments. Similar findings hold for job satisfaction as a mediator in the relationship between role conflict and commitment.
Originality: Based on statistical modeling, this work (1) puts forth a revised scale for organizational commitment tailored to academia and (2) provides guidance to higher education institutions in terms of the differential impacts on faculty commitment that stem from reducing
role-ambiguity versus role-conflict. Managerial recommendations focus on improving normative and affective commitment through the design of policies to reduce role conflict among faculty.Publishe
Doping for the sake of appearances: What are young adults’ attitude towards dangerous performance- and image enhancing drugs (PIEDS)?
No full textI dagens samhälle så finns det allt fler som tränar för att förbättra sitt utseende, för att nå en kroppsideal som sprids i samhället på olika sätt som tillexempel social media. För att uppnå dessa kroppsideal så vänder sig många till PIEDs. Syftet med studien är att hitta samband mellan användning av sociala medieroch syn på kroppsideal samt synen på prestations- och utseendeförändrande preparat (PIEDs) och att få en bättre förståelse runt det ämnet. I denna studie så frågades det om PIEDs som Testosteron, Trenobolon, Proteinpulver och keratin. Undersökningen gjordes genom att fråga om ungdomars (upp till 25) syn på kroppsideal, fysiska tärning, syn på dopingpreparat och om sociala medier påverkar ungdomarnas syn. Denna studie är baserad på den kvantitativa metoden enkäter, och genomfördes på 40 ungdomar i gymnasieåldern i Värmland. Resultaten visar att ungdomar vet mycket om PIEDs och att social media inte verkar ha någon påverkan om deras syn om PIEDs. Social media verkar dock påverka ungdomars syn på kroppsideal och hur man ska se ut. Slutsatsen som man kan dra från denna studie är att sociala medier påverkar ungdomars syn om kroppsideal men inte deras syn på PIEDs. In today's society, more and more people are training to improve their appearance in order to achieve a body ideal that is spread in various ways, such as through social media. To reach these body ideals, many turn to PIEDs. The purpose of the study is to find connections between the use of social media and perceptions of body ideals, as well as attitudes toward performance- and appearance-enhancing drugs (PIEDs), and to gain a better understanding of the topic. In this study, questions were asked about PIEDs such as testosterone, trenbolone, protein powder, and creatine. The survey examined young people's (up to age 25) views on body ideals, physical training, attitudes toward doping substances, and whether social media influences these views. This study is based on the quantitative method of surveys and was conducted with 40 high schoolaged youths in Värmland. The results show that young people are well-informed about PIEDs and that social media does not appear to influence their views on these substances. However, social media does seem to affect young people's perceptions of body ideals and how one should look. The conclusion that can be drawn from this study is that social media influences young people's views on body ideals, but not their views on PIEDs.
Gender hierarchies in reporting genocide: an analysis of the dehumanization of Palestinian men in Western media
Full text linkThis article investigates how Western media’s coverage of the first three months of the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, specifically the language adopted by two major Western media outlets the BBC and CNN, dehumanizes Palestinian men. This research question is answered through a quantitative methodology that applies web scraping to collect 265 articles from the BBC and 4,441 from CNN to then analyze the number of articles and occurrences of keywords plus the frequency variation of both from October 7 to December 31, 2023. The analysis uncovers a clear dehumanization of Palestinian men, mainly by ignoring or naturalizing the suffering and death of these men and by framing them as violent, hypersexual and irrational terrorists. The article concludes that the BBC and CNN adopt a coverage that conveys an anti-Palestinian media bias and dehumanizes Palestinian men while reinforcing gender hierarchies in reporting genocide.Publishe
Cybersecurity and the State: Comparing Centralized and Decentralized Political Systems in Cyber Defense Resilience
No full textThis thesis, titled Cybersecurity and the State: Comparing Centralized and Decentralized Political Systems in Cyber Defense Resilience, authored by Aida Jaber, examines how political centralization influences the development and effectiveness of national cybersecurity governance and frameworks. Through a comparative case study analysis of China, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, and the Czech Republic, the study uses a Most Different Systems Design (MDSD) to assess how varying governance models shape cybersecurity capacities. It draws on realism and neorealism, the government size efficiency hypothesis, and state capacity theory to evaluate performance indicators derived from both quantitative and qualitative data. The findings reveal that while centralized systems facilitate streamlined decision-making and enable coordinated national policies, these advantages do not guarantee effective implementation or adaptive crisis response. This is often due to limited transparency, rigid structures, and a lack of institutional flexibility. Conversely, decentralized systems may face coordination challenges and political fragmentation, yet they tend to achieve better overall cybersecurity performance. This is attributed to broader inclusion, external governance alignment, and context-sensitive implementation. Ultimately, the study concludes that cybersecurity effectiveness is not solely determined by centralization, but by the interaction between internal institution structure, external influence, and normative policy goals
Constructing Threats Through Discourse: The Free Patriotic Movement’s Populism and the Securitization of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon
No full textThis thesis investigates how the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), a prominent Lebanese political party, utilized populist discourse to securitize Syrian refugees in Lebanon between 2012 and 2023, and analyzes the ramifications for refugee governance. Following the massive influx of Syrian refugees after 2011, Lebanon's initial relatively open policy shifted towards a more restrictive approach. This study argues that the FPM, led by Gebran Bassil, played a crucial role in this shift by framing Syrian refugees as an existential threat to Lebanon's security, economy, and national identity through populist rhetoric. Employing a multidimensional framework of populism and securitization theory, this research utilizes Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to meticulously deconstruct the FPM’s, particularly Gebran Bassil’s discourse across political statements, media discourse, and social media posts, primarily X (formally known as twitter). The analysis reveals how the FPM constructed anti-Syrian refugee narratives across economic, cultural, and security dimensions, portraying them as a burden, a threat to national identity and the delicate sectarian balance, and a source of instability. The thesis demonstrates how the Gebran Bassil’s populist securitization discourse, embedded within Lebanon’s sectarian structure and economic vulnerabilities, contributed to the hindering of rights-based approaches to refugee management and the promotion of restrictive policies. This discourse reinforced a climate conducive to “strategic institutional ambiguity” in refugee governance and influenced municipal-level actions. Ultimately, this research provides a nuanced understanding of how populist discourse functions as a tool for securitization in the context of mass migration within a complex sectarian state, shaping the narrative and governance of Syrian refugees in Lebanon
The Impact of Gamification on English Language Teaching in Higher Education: A Systematic Review
No full textGamification, which is a modern instructional strategy, has recently been recognized and praised for its potential to transform the classroom into an energetic and interactive environment by simply adding game-like elements to teaching. Not only that, but it has also gained attention in education as a means to enhance engagement and student learning. Based on this, a systematic review was conducted to review the impact of gamification, particularly on English language teaching within higher educational settings, by analyzing peer-reviewed research studies published between 2014 and 2024. These studies were selected according to pre-defined specific inclusion and exclusion criteria after a comprehensive search across academic databases was administered. Accordingly, the review examines literature conducted in different geographical contexts and using different methodological approaches with the same focus on the use of gamification in English language teaching at the higher educational level. Findings of this study highlight the most effective gamification tools and elements implemented by university instructors in English learning classrooms. More than that, it presents the most key advantages and challenges of incorporating gamification in English language teaching and learning at the university level. Finally, recommendations are offered for students, educators, and institutions on the use of gamification and its integration with the intention of improving the overall student experience and learning outcomes, especially in foreign language learning contexts
Can AI Save Us from Burnout? Exploring Developer and QA Engineer Well-being
No full textArtificial Intelligence has emerged as a major advancement in various industries
including the software development industry. While AI improves efficiency and
automation in the software industry, it also poses challenges among QA professionals and
developers. However, a gap exists in studying the impact of AI on the well-being of
developers and QA professionals within the development industry. This paper aims to
investigate the impact of AI on QA and development processes, as well as the challenges
it presents, by considering the psychological effects of AI adoption on the well-being and
work processes of QA specialists and developers, using burnout theory and
McDonaldization theory as analytical frameworks; in addition, to investigating the role of
organizational support with the emergence of AI. Our research revealed benefits of AI tools in terms of efficiency, speeding development and QA processes. However, several
challenges have been presented by AI, including context misinterpretation, validation
workload, and reducing human collaboration which can result in stress and pressure
leading to burnout. Additionally, insufficient organizational support and training
increases stress and exhaustion. Finally, The adoption of AI is further complicated by
ethical considerations, budgetary limitations, and data privacy difficulties
Efficiency of Azithromycin-Loaded Lipid Polymer Hybrid Nano-vehicle as a Repurposing formulation in Colon Cancer Management
No full textColorectal cancer (CRC) despite notable progress in treatment still ranks third in terms of
occurrences and second in terms of mortality. Numerous synthetic chemotherapies have
been used in CRC; nevertheless, they do not specifically target cancerous cells resulting
in serious side effects and significant harm to healthy cells. Accordingly, many alternative
safer therapies have been extensively investigated against CRC. Azithromycin (AZI), a
member of macrolides antibiotics, has been reported to inhibit the proliferation of cancer
cells by targeting mitochondria and eradicating cancer cells. Despite its promising
therapeutic activity, it is restricted by its poor aqueous solubility leading to efforts
focusing on the development of safe and efficient anticancer Nano carriers. Liposomes
are the most widely studied Nano-drug carriers in drug delivery. Compared with other
Nano carriers, liposomes exhibit prominent properties that include targeted delivery, high
biocompatibility, biodegradability, low toxicity, and improved therapeutic indices. Thus,
the current work aims is to design a liposome to augment azithromycin anticancer effects.
Liposome was prepared from soybean phospholipid using an ethanol injection technique
and coated chitosan. The designed coated and uncoated systems were characterized both
physicochemically and on colorectal cancer cell line in vitro. The results displayed Nano
metric size range for azithromycin-loaded uncoated and coated liposomes of values 65.5± 2.83 nm and 73.53 ± 2.01 nm, respectively with uni-modal particle size distribution with
PDI less than 0.3. The shifting of the negative charge (-17.22± 5.99 mV) of the uncoated
liposomes to the positive charge (13.17± 3.34 mV) of the coated one approved the
success of the coating. The formulation showed ideal characteristics of 70% AZI
entrapment and in vitro controlled release. It displayed a safe profile on HT29 cell line,
with the coated formulation having the lowest IC50= 24.17 μM at 24 hours that even
decreases at longer time intervals, which confirms its potential for colorectal cancer management
The Natural and Pathogenic Respiratory Tract Microbiota in Lebanon: Metagenomics and Beyond
No full textHuman microbiota, influenced by factors like geography and lifestyle, significantly contributes to immune responses. Despite its importance in respiratory health, respiratory microbiota remains understudied, with research primarily focused on Europe, North America, and East Asia. To address this gap, this study establishes the core natural microflora of the respiratory tract in Lebanon, an understudied population. Nasal swab samples were collected from Lebanese individuals and 16S rRNA targeted metagenomic sequencing was performed to characterize the core respiratory microbiota and compared it to other populations. Results revealed a diverse bacterial community in the upper respiratory tract, with Corynebacterium and Staphylococcus being the dominant genera. Additionally, the study conducts an in-depth genomic analysis of bacterial pathogens isolated from patients with respiratory tract infections, focusing on Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strains. Genomic, biochemical, and microbial analyses were performed. These strains exhibited multidrug resistance in a clinical setting, which was confirmed by genomic analysis, that also revealed virulence factors, with evidence of horizontal gene transfer. In conclusion, this pilot study provides a first glimpse into the respiratory microbiota and a deeper glance into antibiotic resistance of emerging pathogens in Lebanon, marking a foundational step toward tailoring therapeutic strategies to the specific needs of Lebanese and Eastern Mediterranean populations and advancing the understanding of the respiratory micro-community in the region while contributing to global efforts to uncover the lifestyle of superbugs in a world threatened by antimicrobial resistance