• Time-dependent thixotropic behaviours of lead-free Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) solder pastes and flux mediums used in electronic assemblies

      Mallik, S; Ekere, Nduka; Depiver, Joshua (David Publishing, 2025-12-31)
      Solder pastes are widely used as crucial joining material in microelectronic assemblies. This study investigates time-depended behaviours of paste materials (solder pastes and flux mediums) in relation to their transportation, storage, handling and applications. Two fluxes and four commercially available lead-free solder pastes prepared from those fluxes were evaluated. Two rheological test methods – ‘hysteresis loop test’ and ‘step shear test’ were adapted, taking account of actual shear profile of solder pastes and flux mediums. Within hysteresis loop tests, samples were sheared for both single and multiple cycles, with increasing and decreasing shear rates. These tests provided a quick and straightforward way of benchmarking time-depended structural breakdown and build-up of paste materials. The test results also provided an effective means of predicting how the pastes will behave during their use, such as at various stages of the stencil printing process. Step shear tests were performed by applying a sequence of stepwise increase in shear rates. The step-wise increase in shear rate has influenced the timedependent behaviours of solder paste samples and flux mediums. The result from the stepshear-test implies that the build-up of solder paste structure depends mainly on both the previous shear history and the intensity of structural break-down.
    • Black Britain in the weekly music press during the late-1960s and 1970s

      Glen, Patrick (Taylor & Francis, 2025-12-31)
      Music is a means of communicating and sharing. Sounds and lyrics, even the most abstract or oblique, can document memories, impressions of the present and articulate desires for the future that listeners unpack and reinterpret imposing their own contexts, experiences and prior understandings. Recorded music provided a memory technology that allowed these ideas, sounds and cultures to be articulated, transmitted and interpreted more quickly and further than oral cultures previously allowed. A culture industry and mass media (newspapers, magazines, books television and radio) gave certain—profoundly shaped by capitalism, creating and perpetuating structures of power in society—recorded songs and musics the chance to be shared across and between countries and continents. Within the colonial and post-colonial context Britain after 1945, music made and performed by people who had arrived in Britain from colonies, created in dialogue with those who remained, and the reaction to it by their ‘hosts’, provided an impression of both new arrivals and British society. As Jon Stratton argues regarding Caribbean migration to Britain, ‘[music] offered sites for memory and identity, a refuge from the present and a source of opposition and to and commentary on the migrants’ circumstances. In the new situation cultural exchange with the dominant culture was inevitable.’
    • Determinants of environmental sustainable behaviour amongst logging companies in Cameroon

      MBZIBAIN, AURELIAN (Academic Star Publishing Company, 2025-12-31)
      This paper presents the findings of an indepth qualitative study of the most important forest logging companies and syndicates to explore the factors which influence forest exploitation and related businesses in the Congo Basin of Africa to act or not in environmentally sustainable ways. More specifically, the study explored the motivations, the benefits and the factors which facilitate or constrain sustainable behaviour amongst forest exploitation companies in Cameroon. Data analysis was undertaken using a holistic model consisting of institutional, economic and resource based factors. Economic motivations were the most cited factors driven by increased awareness and demands from clients. Interestingly, the most cited benefit from adopting environmentally sustainable behaviour related to gains in internal organisation, transparency and productivity within the company. The regulatory institutional environment was the most cited constraint because of illegality, weak law enforcement and corruption in the country’s forest sector followed by high costs of investment and unclear financial premiums from environmentally sourced timber. The policy implications are discussed.
    • Misogyny in music: a feminist reading of performers' rights

      Potočnik, Metka; Bowrey, Kathy; Lai, Jessica (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2024-12-31)
    • Strength and conditioning (S&C) practices of judo athletes and S&C coaches: a survey-based investigation

      Weldon, Anthony; Cloak, Ross; Kirk, Christopher; Ruddock, Alan; Langan-Evans, Carl; Detanico, Daniele; Loturco, Irineu; Kons, Rafael (Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, 2024-12-31)
      The benefits of strength and conditioning (S&C) for improving judo performance and reducing injuries have been widely studied. However, the S&C practices employed and perspectives held by those delivering S&C have yet to be elucidated. Therefore, this study investigated the S&C practices and perspectives of judokas and S&C coaches working within judo. Forty-two judokas and nine S&C coaches completed an online survey comprising six sections: (a) written informed consent; (b) background information; (c) education, qualifications, and prescription; (d) views on S&C; (e) exercise selection; and (f) issues and improvements. Frequency analysis was used to report responses to fixed-response questions, and thematic analysis for open-ended questions. Results indicated that S&C coaches were primarily responsible for delivering S&C programs (60%), and S&C information was predominantly sourced from S&C coaches (43%). Strength and conditioning was deemed very important for randori (78-88%), overall judo-performance (67-79%), and judo-fitness (62-78%). Similarly, S&C was considered very important for the development of speed and power (76-89%), strength (71-89%), and injury reduction (69-78%). Novel findings were also observed, such as integrating judo-specific training within S&C practice, which may be partly explained by more S&C coaches holding judo belts (67%) than S&C qualifications (11%). This study supports practitioners delivering S&C in judo by offering a base of information to critique or align with their existing S&C practices and perspectives. Furthermore, our results may help identify potential gaps between methods used, proposed guidelines, and actual practice, facilitating the development of research and education resources tailored to the current climate.
    • Misogyny in music: actors, business and law

      Bain, Vick; Potočnik, Metka; Arditi, David M.; Nolan, Ryan C. (Palgrave, 2024-12-31)
    • The efficacy of strength and conditioning training on dance injury, physical fitness and dance performance in Chinese pre-professional dancers

      Dang, Yanan; Niemz, Mark; Koutedakis, Yiannis; Chen, Ruoling; Wyon, Matthew (Taylor & Francis, 2024-12-31)
      Objective: To examine the effects of a strength and conditioning training intervention on dance injury, physical fitness and dance performance in Chinese pre-professional dancers. Design: A prospective non-randomized controlled trial. Methods: A total of 89 full-time pre-professional dancers participated. Sixty-seven dancers volunteered for a 12-week strength and conditioning training intervention (2-session/week, 4060-min/session), and 22 dancers acted as controls. All members of the intervention group carried out seven physical fitness tests pre- and post-intervention and a dance performance test using a ratified 10-item performance proficiency tool. Information on injury was self-reported by the dancers using a weekly remote dance injury monitoring tool. An inclusive definition of injury was used to record all injuries, even if they didn’t cause a cessation of training. Multivariate analysis of variance was employed to assess differences in physical fitness and dance performance pre and post-intervention. Injury data were initially analyzed for differences between the intervention and control groups; the intervention groups’ injury data were further analyzed by comparing to their own data collected during the previous year at the same period. Results: The intervention group demonstrated significant increases in physical fitness (p<0.001), but their dance performance data remained statistically unchanged (p>0.05). The intervention group also demonstrated lower weekly injury prevalence (28% vs 15%, p<0.001) and injury incidence (8.09 vs 5.16 injuries per 1000hrs, p<0.05) during the intervention period compared to their own injury just a year earlier. Conclusion: Strength and conditioning training improved physical fitness levels and decreases the risk of injury in pre-professional dancers, without detrimentally affecting dance performance.
    • Women in social housing and the pursuit of entrepreneurship

      Hussain, Sundas; Onjewu, Adah-Kole Emmanuel; Carey, Charlotte; Jafari-Sadeghi, Vahid (Inderscience, 2024-12-31)
      Women’s engagement in entrepreneurship from a social housing perspective has scarcely been explored in the literature. Thus, insights into how the social housing system may condition participation in entrepreneurship have been excluded from empirical understanding. In order to address this gap, we assess the entrepreneurial intention of women in a deprived area of one of the UK’s largest cities. Through an inductive analysis, we develop a conceptual model in which attitude towards entrepreneurship, self-efficacy and subjective norms emerge as mediators of entrepreneurial intention. Our findings pose theoretical implications for future variance-based analyses, as well as practical implications for social housing providers and the role of public institutions in fostering entrepreneurial outcomes.
    • Exploring sustainable horizontal collaboration in urban last-mile logistics: an initial framework for enhancing competitive advantage in the UK

      Ayad, Khaled; Georgakis, Panagiotis; Renukappa, Suresh (The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, 2024-12-31)
      This study explores the potential of horizontal collaboration (HC) in urban last-mile logistics (LML) to enhance sustainability and competitiveness amidst the rapid growth of e-commerce and urbanisation. Through a comprehensive literature review and a plan to undertake semi-structured interviews with logistics professionals, the research identifies key drivers, strategies, and challenges of HC. Theoretical lenses of Transaction Cost Economics and the Resource-Based View are used to understand the benefits of HC, including reduced transaction costs and enhanced competitiveness through resource synergy. The study aims to develop an initial sustainable theoretical framework for HC in LML, contributing to improved sustainability outcomes and increased competitiveness in urban last-mile delivery.
    • Relative energy deficiency in dance (RED-D): a consensus method approach to REDs in dance

      Allen, Nick; Kelley, Shane; Lanfear, Martin; Mountjoy, Margo; Reynolds, Andy; Clarke, Richard; Wyon, Matthew; Wolman, Roger (BMJ Publishing Group, 2024-12-31)
      Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) is a potentially severe, challenging, broad-spectrum syndrome with potential negative health and performance outcomes. The numerous research publications and International Olympic Committee consensus statements relating to REDs testify to the challenges faced in early identification or screening, diagnosis, and management. Like sport, dance, in its simplest form, can be identified as an activity resulting in physiological energy demands and, as such, requires appropriate energy availability concerning energy expenditures. However, the specificity of physiological and psychological demands in dance must be considered when considering REDs. An environment where physical activity can exceed 30 hours per week and where culture may instil a value that thinness is required puts dancers at increased risk for REDs. The purpose of this study was to provide dance specific guidance dance on this complex condition. A RAND/UCLA Delphi Panel method with nominal group technique was used to review the literature from REDs to evaluate how it may relate to dance. In addition to the EP, which was assembled from a multidisciplinary background with expertise in REDs and multiple genres of dance, six focus groups were commissioned. Four of the focus groups were drawn from the EP members and two additional focus groups formed by dancers and artistic leaders. These panels were used to guide the development of a RED-D Diagnosis Pathway, Management Plan and Risk stratification and Return to Dance Pathway. The dance specific pathways are designed to be a practical tool for guiding and supporting clinicians managing RED-D. Furthermore, this paper represents an important focus of this area in dance and serves to stimulate discussion and further research within the sector.
    • Companies, damned companies and statistics – corporate insolvency through the years: have we got it right with the existing regimes?

      Keay, Andrew; Walton, Peter (Lloyds List Intelligence, 2024-12-31)
      When companies experience insolvency, they may well enter a formal insolvency regime provided for under statute. This paper examines the statistics that have been gathered in relation to company insolvencies in England and Wales and it focuses on the number of all of the formal corporate insolvency regimes that have been available for insolvent companies since records were first kept in 1960. A way to assess whether a policy approach has been successful is to consider changes in the use of formal regimes over time. The aim of the paper is to analyse the statistics, and then to ascertain what can be learned from the statistics as far as the employment of the regimes is concerned.
    • The Bayeux Tapestry: new yarns

      Black, Daisy (Brepols, 2024-12-31)
    • Triggers, content, and enforcement: directors’ duties to creditors – where are we after Sequana?

      Walton, Peter (University of Wolverhampton, 2024-12-31)
      Despite their codification by the Companies Act 2006, there remain several unresolved issues in relation to directors’ duties, in particular, how those duties operate when a company becomes insolvent or where its insolvency is imminent. In 2022, the Supreme Court in BTI 2014 LLC v Sequana SA provided much needed clarity in this area but some questions remain unanswered. This article looks at the Supreme Court’s decision in order to assess when the directors’ duty owed to their company shifts from a duty to act in the best interests of the company’s members to one where the interests of the company’s creditors are paramount or at minimum must be considered alongside the interests of the members. The nature of this ‘creditors’ duty’ will be considered, along with what triggers it and who, if anyone, can enforce it. Although limited to the duty under section172 of the Companies Act 2006, the Sequana case appears to open up the creditors’ duty to all of the directors’ codified duties. The Sequana decision also points out the similarities between the creditors’ duty and the insolvency office-holder actions available under sections 214 and 239 of the Insolvency Act 1986. It is argued here that it may be time to consider opening up the opportunity for creditors to bring a derivative action on behalf of the company for breach of the creditors’ duty.
    • In the lab with the Kardashians: how Kardashian-linked research finds its audience

      Taylor, Michael; Areia, Carlos; Jones, Meredith; Burton, Kath; Brien, Donna Lee (Routledge, 2024-06-28)
    • Conspiracy theory beliefs in the adolescent population: A systematic review

      Byrne, Anthony; Martin, David; Jones, Claire; Galbraith, Niall; Mercer, Tom (Wiley, 2024-03-13)
      Introduction While the study of conspiracy theory beliefs is a relatively new research area, there has been a rise in academic interest in recent years. The literature provides evidence of relationships between conspiracy theory beliefs and a range of factors, but the vast majority of studies are limited to adult samples, and it is unclear how such beliefs present in adolescence. Methods The systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA-S format. Relevant databases were searched up to February 23, 2023, for quantitative studies related to adolescent conspiracy theory beliefs. Results The six included articles show that conspiracy theory beliefs are present from the start of adolescence, and stable from age 14 upwards, with correlations reported for mistrust and paranoid thinking. Negative relationships were reported for cognitive factors such as ontological confusion, cognitive ability, and actively open-minded thinking. Health-related beliefs correlated with adverse childhood experiences, peer problems, conduct, and sociodemographic factors. Right-wing authoritarianism and anxiety positively correlated with intergroup conspiracy theory beliefs. Conclusion While some factors from adult studies are replicated in the review, there are differences between age groups. The age at which conspiracy theory beliefs begin to form indicate developmental aspects of adolescence, and possibly childhood, that require further examination. Cognitive factors show promise for interventions and should be explored further. However, the lack of studies using adolescent populations is an issue that must be resolved for a greater understanding of conspiracy theory beliefs and a move toward effective interventions.
    • The role of smart cities in managing the COVID-19 outbreak in India

      Renukappa, Suresh; Suresh, Subashini; Shetty, Nisha; Gandhi, Lingaraju; Abdalla, Wala; Yabbati, Nagaraju; Hiremath, Rahul (Emerald, 2024-03-05)
      Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic has affected around 216 countries and territories worldwide and more than 2000 cities in India, alone. The smart cities mission (SCM) in India started in 2015 and 100 smart cities were selected to be initiated with a total project cost of INR 2031.72 billion. Smart city strategies play an important role in implementing the measures adopted by the government such as the issuance of social distancing regulations and other COVID-19 mitigation strategies. However, there is no research reported on the role of smart cities strategies in managing the COVID-19 outbreak in developing countries. Design/methodology/approach This paper aims to address the research gap in smart cities, technology, and healthcare management through a review of the literature and primary data collected using semistructured interviews. Findings Each city is unique and has different challenges, the study revealed six key findings on how smart cities in India managed the COVID-19 outbreak. They used: Integrated Command and Control Centres, Artificial Intelligence and Innovative Application-based Solutions, Smart Waste Management Solutions, Smart Healthcare Management, Smart Data Management, and Smart Surveillance. Originality/value This paper contributes to informing policymakers of key lessons learnt from the management of COVID-19 in developing countries like India from a smart cities’ perspective. This paper draws on the 6 Cs for the implications directed to leaders and decision-makers to rethink and act on COVID-19. The 6 Cs are: Crisis management leadership; Credible communication; Collaboration; Creative governance; Capturing knowledge; and Capacity building.