110830 research outputs found
Sort by
Room for optimism : Editor–reviewer interaction networks reveal positive outcomes of enhanced board diversity
Get PDFScientific publishing has been historically dominated by a limited number of countries and demographics. Here we examine whether diversification of the editorial board of Journal of Applied Ecology propagates to its reviewer community. Using data from 2004, 2014 and 2024, we constructed tripartite networks linking senior editors, associate editors and reviewers and quantified gender ratios, geographic diversity and network modularity. We also fitted generalized linear mixed models to test whether associate editors preferentially invited reviewers of the same gender or region and whether these patterns changed over time. As associate editors became more gender‐balanced and geographically diverse, reviewer diversity increased: the reviewer gender ratio (number of men divided by number of women) halved, the number of countries represented rose from 33 to 52, and the Simpson's index for geographic diversity increased from 0.60 to 0.75. Network modularity and the number of smaller modules increased, indicating a more segmented and specialized editor–reviewer structure. Men editors showed a declining tendency to invite men reviewers, while women increasingly invited women; only Western European editors showed significant regional homophily, although effect sizes were small. Overall, increased diversity among associate editors was associated with a more globally representative, structurally complex reviewer network. Synthesis and applications . Our results show that editorial diversification is a practical lever for making peer review more inclusive and better aligned with the global distribution of ecological research. These changes make the publication process fairer and improve the quality and global impact of the papers published
On Mapping a Marketing Monstrosity : Barbie, Barbara and the Reorientation of Literary Criticism
Get PDF‘Where there’s a monster, there’s also a miracle’, according to literary legend Neil Gaiman. With the aid of an array of Barbara Stern-sourced literary devices, this experimental article – an academic omnium gatherum – considers the miraculous monstrosity that is Mattel’s Barbie doll. Accompanied by an extensive empirical study of young adult consumers, it not only maps the many and varied meanings of an adorably abominable brand but explores and evaluates some recent, arguably monstrous, developments in literary approaches to marketing scholarship
Specific learning differences in learning, teaching, and assessing additional languages
No full textThe prominence and significance of research on specific learning differences (SpLDs) in language learning, teaching, assessment, and teacher education have substantially increased in the past ten years, which justifies the need to review the findings of studies conducted in recent years. The growth of the field also requires that the scope of the review is extended to research in the area of L2 assessment and teacher education. In our paper, we first offer a short discussion of different views of disability and inclusion and a succinct summary of the definitions of SpLDs. We then summarize recent research developments in five main areas: (1) the impact of SpLDs on L2 learning and achievement, (2) the identification of SpLDs in multilingual contexts, (3) teaching techniques and programmes in supporting language learners with SpLDs, (4) assessing the second language competence of test-takers with SpLDs, and (5) raising language teachers’ awareness and knowledge of SpLDs. In our conclusion, we highlight the implications of recent scholarship in this field for language teaching and testing, teacher education, and suggest further research directions
Enabling Scalability and Flexibility into Network Routing Protocol using Behavior Tree
Get PDFCurrent network routing protocol design is faced with novel challenges due to evolving network scale, various network service demands, and dynamic network states. However, the conventional finite state machine models lack both scalability and flexibility for the description of network routing protocol states. In this article, we enable scalability and flexibility into network routing protocol by exploring and exploiting behavior trees, where behavior trees can reformulate the network routing protocol by characterizing state transformation as action nodes. We first present a generic routing protocol architecture with a comparative analysis of the behavior tree, finite state machine, etc. Then, we propose an implementable functional scheme, which provides a foundation for extending the functionality and enabling flexible configurations towards the network routing protocol. Finally, we design two use cases to verify that behavior trees can effectively replace finite state machines and the excellent scalability of behavior trees in terms of routing protocols
Field Notes from an Extinction
No full textA novel of famine, extinction and Greak Auks in 1849s Ireland
A Cripped Marketing Manifesto : in conversation with Carol Kaufman-Scarborough and Stacey Menzel Baker
Get PDFThis state-of-the-art review puts forward a ‘Cripped MarketingManifesto’. In doing so, it reviews previous marketing research focusingon disability and engages in conversation with two seminal scholarswithin this area, Carol Kaufman-Scarborough and Stacey Menzel Baker.This allows us to extrapolate key insights into the lineage of disability-focussed marketing research. We suggest that scholars should adopt‘crip theory’ as a means of rethinking, re-evaluating, researching andcrucially better including consumers with disabilities in both disability-focussed and all marketing research and practice. Resultantly, thisarticle is both a state-of-the-art compilation of the growing body ofwork on disability-focussed marketing research, and a ‘CrippedMarketing Manifesto’ calling on all marketing scholars, to reduce theperpetuity of inaccessibility and ableism inherent in our research andmarketplaces
Deprivation indices and their association with fragility fractures and bone density : evidence from a large observational cohort
No full textSocioeconomic deprivation as a fracture risk factor remains underexplored. We evaluated associations between deprivation indices and bone health outcomes in a UK clinical population. 40,951 patients aged ≥50 years underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanning between June 2004-May 2025 in northwest England. Socioeconomic status was assessed using the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) and Townsend Deprivation Score (TDS). Generalised additive models examined associations between deprivation and major osteoporotic fractures (MOF), hip fractures (HF), bone density and body composition while adjusting for FRAX risk factors. Of 40,951 patients who underwent DXA scanning, 32,324 (79%) were women with mean age 68.2 years and 11,811 major osteoporotic fractures including 2,208 hip fractures. After excluding patients with missing deprivation data, 29,693 patients were analysed. The most deprived patients (IMD) had higher odds of MOF (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.02-1.14) and HF (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.11-1.46). TDS was also associated with MOF (OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.03-1.18). Both indices were linked to higher osteoporosis odds: TDS showed ORs of 1.45 (95% CI 1.33-1.59) for femoral neck and 1.30 (95% CI 1.19-1.29) for lumbar spine, while IMD showed ORs of 1.34 (95% CI 1.24-1.45) and 1.20 (95% CI 1.13-1.29), respectively. Deprived patients had increased regional body fat: TDS had 0.90% higher femoral fat and 0.84% higher abdominal fat, while IMD showed 0.60% and 0.67% higher fat percentages respectively. Socioeconomic deprivation is independently associated with increased fracture odds, osteoporosis, and high fragility fracture risk-related body composition. [Abstract copyright: © The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology.
Grazer exclusion is associated with higher fast-cycling carbon pools but lower slow-cycling mineral-associated carbon across grasslands
Get PDFThe removal of livestock grazers from historically grazed grasslands is widely proposed as a key strategy for the enhancement of soil organic carbon (SOC) for climate mitigation. Yet, accurate assessments of how grazer exclusion impacts SOC pools of differing stability are lacking, with most studies focusing on total SOC rather than the distribution of SOC within fast and more stable, slow-cycling pools. Here, we used 12 historically grazed grassland sites along an 800 km south–north gradient across the United Kingdom to test how particulate (POC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) pools were linked to long-term (>10 y) exclusion of large domesticated grazers. We found that grazer exclusion was associated with relatively higher fast-cycling C pools, including plant and litter C, and to a lesser extent POC, but lower more stable, slow-cycling MAOC pools compared to grazed controls. Grazer exclusion was also associated with a marked shift in vegetation composition, with greater cover of ericoid mycorrhizal (ErM) shrubs over arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) graminoids. This vegetation shift likely played a dual role in regulating SOC, contributing to higher POC via both the input of recalcitrant litter and by the enhancement of soil moisture and lower MAOC due to priming and decreased mineral protection of SOC. Our findings provide evidence that while the exclusion of grazers tends to favor fast-cycling C pools, it coincides with lower SOC persistence, potentially increasing the vulnerability of grassland SOC stocks to future climate change
Industry season four exposes the Faustian bargain of modern work culture
No full textThe series has never really been about finance. It’s always been about the totalising world of work – where self-worth is measured in real time, loyalty is a liability, and the promise of power demands everything
Development, performance and energy trade-off analyses of wind turbine precipitation-reactive control at offshore and onshore sites in Western Europe
Get PDFLeading edge erosion of wind turbine blades increases Annual Energy Production (AEP) losses and maintenance. Precipitation-Reactive Control (PRC) curtails rotor speed during erosive precipitation events, alleviating erosion but incurring curtailment-induced AEP losses. Using novel methods combining accurate wind and rain measurements and computationally efficient algorithms to select optimal precipitation metrics to steer PRC, the trade-offs of AEP losses for curtailment and erosion at an onshore site in England (Lancaster-Hazelrigg), and a Mediterranean and North Sea offshore site are evaluated. All analyses use time-series of wind speed from cup, sonic or lidar anemometers, and droplet size distributions from laser beam disdrometers. Varying levels of AEP losses for erosion are considered. The assessment at the Mediterranean site, with low erosivity, shows that PRC enables 25+ years of erosion-free operation with a 0.07% curtailment-induced AEP loss, against a 1% loss for moderate erosion. At Lancaster-Hazelrigg, the three-year mean AEP loss of 1.3% considering curtailment and erosion losses is lower than with standard control. The doubled erosion-free life gives a net positive contribution to cost of energy reductions. At the North Sea site, the three-year mean total AEP loss with PRC is higher than without, indicating the need for long-term cost analyses to evaluate PRC viability