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The friendship dilemma: an empirical analysis on the effects of academic leaders’ friendships on faculty members’ well-being
Get PDFUniversities are known for their unique, intellectually stimulating culture, where leadership actions significantly shape the learning environment. This study examines the impact of academic leaders’ friendships on faculty members’ psychological well-being within public, private, and semigovernment universities in Pakistan. This research also investigates the roles of bullying behaviors by leaders’ friends and perceived ostracism among faculty members, alongside the moderating effects of resilience. Employing a quantitative research approach, a survey was designed by adopting validated scales from authentic sources. The questionnaire was distributed among approximately 200 faculty members of higher education institutions (HEIs) in Pakistan. Findings reveal that while bullying by leaders’ friends severely impacts faculty well-being, workplace ostracism does not show a similar effect. Furthermore, resilience does not moderate these negative consequences, offering intriguing insights into the complex dynamics of leadership and social interactions within Pakistani universities. The study recommends implementing policies to curb favoritism and bullying while introducing training programs to promote equitable leadership. However, its findings are limited by the cross-sectional design and lack of representation from some regions of Pakistan, suggesting a need for future research to include more diverse samples and explore qualitative insights into faculty experiences
Demographic trends, the rent-to-price ratio, and housing market returns
No full textWe characterize the relationship between the rent-to-price ratio, expected re- turns, and expected rent growth in a dynamic housing valuation model, where the middle-aged-to-young (MY) ratio determines the slowly evolving mean of the rent-to-price ratio. The link between demographic trends and the housing mar- ket dynamics is established by analyzing how individuals’ housing demand varies across age cohorts using household-level survey data. Empirical results show that deviations of the rent-to-price ratio from its slowly evolving mean, which is deter- mined by the MY ratio, exhibit pronounced predictive power for returns but weak predictive power for rent growth. Further analysis reveals heterogeneous evidence across sample cities
Identification to cytospecies of the vector of onchocerciasis in the Republic of Niger
Get PDFIn order to incriminate the vector that was responsible for onchocerciasis transmission in the Republic of Niger, where WHO have declared that the disease has been eliminated, cytotaxonomic identifications were collated from published and unpublished sources. Data on 1205 cytotaxonomic identifications of members of the Simulium damnosum complex collected as larvae in the country from 1967 to 1991 showed that, with the exception of five S. damnosum s.str., all identifications were S. sirbanum, which is thus confirmed as the almost exclusive vector in Niger. Some of the main breeding sites are described and illustrated and circumstantial evidence is presented that the form of S. sirbanum commonly found in Niger is zoophilic as well as anthropophilic
Detrended fluctuation analysis of gait cycles: a study of neuromuscular and ground force dynamics
Get PDFGait analysis provides crucial insights into neuromuscular coordination and postural control, especially in ageing populations and rehabilitation contexts. This study investigates the complexity of muscle activation and ground reaction force patterns during gait by applying detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) to electromyography (EMG) and force-sensitive resistor (FSR) signals. Data from a two-arm randomised clinical trial (RCT) supplemented with an observational control group were used in this study. Participants performed a single-task walking protocol, with EMG recorded from the tibialis anterior and lateral gastrocnemius muscles of both legs and FSR sensors placed under the feet. Gait cycles were segmented using heel-strike detection from the FSR signal, enabling analysis of individual strides. For each gait cycle, DFA was applied to quantify the long-range temporal correlations in the EMG and FSR time series. Results revealed consistent α-scaling exponents across cycles, with EMG signals exhibiting moderate persistence (α≈0.85–0.92) and FSR signals showing higher persistence (α≈1.5), which is indicative of stable and repeatable gait patterns. These findings support the utility of DFA as a nonlinear signal processing tool for characterising gait dynamics, offering potential markers for gait stability, motor control, and intervention effects in populations practising movement-based therapies such as Tai Chi. Future work will extend this analysis to dual-task conditions and comparative group studies
Exploring sustainable language assessment through a teacher-learner practitioner inquiry
Get PDFThis Exploratory Practice inquiry investigates the sustainable use of language portfolios as an alternative assessment strategy. As a form of practitioner research, it engages with the nexus between research and practice in language education, demonstrating how inquiry grounded in practice can help bridge gaps between theoretical insights and classroom learning in sustainable ways. Conducted within a university Italian language program, the inquiry explores a redesign of assessment activities to promote Assessment as Learning, in alignment with the core principles of sustainable development. Through collaborative teacher–student dialogue, the inquiry addresses two interconnected puzzles: the disconnect between classroom learning and the language portfolio, and the nature of learner engagement with assessment tasks. The findings suggest that open-ended, multimodal tasks grounded in translanguaging pedagogy enabled learners to draw on their full semiotic repertoire, fostering meaning-making and reflective learning. Learners valued the portfolio’s flexibility, autonomy, and personalized feedback, highlighting its role in reducing exam anxiety and supporting well-being. However, systemic challenges, such as time constraints and performativity pressures, limited the portfolio’s full alignment with sustainable pedagogical aims. The inquiry concludes that language portfolios have strong potential to support sustainable, inclusive, and critical assessment practices, particularly when pedagogical design is shaped through bottom-up practitioner inquiry
Effect of a multi-ingredient post-workout dietary supplement on body composition and muscle strength – a randomized controlled trial
Get PDFThe aim of the current parallel randomized controlled trial was to compare the effects of ingesting a dietary supplement admixture providing carbohydrates, leucine-fortified whey protein, creatine, β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate, and vitamin D3 (Master Recovery 1:1, Crown Sport Nutrition, Spain), versus an isoenergetic carbohydrate-only comparator on body composition, muscle thickness, muscle strength, and performance over a 6-week resistance training program, performed three times per week, in aging, physically active individuals. Twenty participants (10 peri- and post-menopausal females and 10 males) completed the study after being randomly assigned to one of the following groups: post-workout multi-ingredient (PWS: n = 10, 52.0 ± 5 years, body mass 82.0 ± 18.0 kg) or a comparator (COM: n = 10, 51 ± 3 years, body mass 85.9 ± 17.0 kg). Treatment consisted of ingesting 60.0 g of the assigned supplement immediately after each workout. Compared to baseline, only PWS increased fat-free mass (+1.34 ± 1.2 kg, p = 0.003), reduced fat mass (–1.09 ± 0.7 kg, p < 0.001), waist circumference (–2.5 ± 1.8 cm, p < 0.001), and waist-to-hip ratio (–0.03 ± 0.03 cm, p = 0.007). At post-intervention, waist circumference reduction was different between groups (p = 0.02, d = 1.19). Both treatments similarly improved vastus lateralis and elbow flexor thickness, medicine ball throw, and endurance performance. Although countermovement jump improved for both treatments, the PWS group showed a significantly higher performance increase compared to COM (p < 0.01, d = 1.47). Compared to ingesting carbohydrates only, the use of a targeted multi-ingredient promoted noticeable body composition outcomes and better vertical jump improvements with no further effects on hypertrophy, upper body, and endurance performance. The study was registered as a clinical trial at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05769088)
A global industrial perspective on Lean Industry 4.0: a qualitative wide-angle lens approach
Get PDFThis paper provides an insight into the global state of Lean Industry 4.0 (LI4) with over 1,000 industry responses from 66 countries. It looks at 26 different aspects derived from identified gaps in previous research. The approach employs a rigorous qualitative open-response survey undertaken by 33 global researchers and 6 partner organisations. Our findings indicate that there was no unified industry perspective of LI4 terminology. The evolution of I4 is taking a similar path to Lean and making the same mistakes by not focusing on leadership, engagement, competencies, and behaviours. Past academic research has, from an industry perspective, over-emphasised the environment and supply chain. Additionally, the benefits of LI4 application are largely in terms of areas such as efficiency and cost reduction, as well as in terms of learning and engagement. This work contributes to future studies by highlighting research avenues, such as why a piecemeal approach has been taken by industry to LI4, why LI4 has not been more widespread, and more detailed studies around contingent factors such as industry, firm size, or country). It also provides industry with lessons on how to implement LI4 and the mistakes to avoid such as seeing implementation as a purely technical exercise
Literary Exophonic Translation
No full textThis Element explores literary translation into a non-native language (L2 translation), investigating how it has been regarded by translation studies, particularly in the anglophone context. L1 directionality (into the translator's L1) remains the norm in the literary translation world, reflecting a systemic bias against the multilingual subject and towards the monolingual. In a post-monolingual paradigm, the notion of a mother tongue has become increasingly problematic. What are the implications of this for directionality in translation? Studies on L2 translation still focus on and privilege the native speaker. Applying the notion of exophony (i.e., writing in a foreign language) to translation (in what is termed exophonic translation), this Element draws on insights from sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, translation history, and translator studies to lay the groundwork in advocating for an exophonic, multilingual turn in translation studies. To what extent can this change the way L2 translation is approached and studied
A process to produce a continuous liquid metal stream for gas atomisation
Get PDFThe heating and melting of reactive alloys in a cold crucible are considered in this study to produce a continuous melt stream as feed to a gas atomiser. A pre-heated rod of material enters the crucible at a rate equal to the amount of mass leaving as a liquid stream through the outlet. An induction coil is used to melt the contents of the crucible, which then pours out as a stream to enter a gas atomizer. The outlet nozzle may be controlled using an induction valve, operating at a different AC frequency. The concept is tested through simulations using titanium and a nickel superalloy as model materials
Post-Brexit: Hate crimes and Human Rights violations in the UK
Get PDFAs discussion of the political, economic, social and cultural consequences of Brexit for the UK continues, this article will explore how Brexit has affected human rights. With hate crimes increasing after the EU Referendum, there is anxiety regarding human rights and the traditional British lifestyle, based on tolerance and pluralism. Therefore, this article will endeavour to find answers to these questions: will Brexit undermine fundamental human rights? Will the Government’s policies to tackle hate crimes and Brexit-linked human rights violations work? What is the best way to deal with hate crimes
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