Political leaders' identity leadership and civic citizenship behavior: The mediating role of trust in fellow citizens and the moderating role of economic inequality

AbstractIdentity leadership captures leaders efforts to create and promote a sense of shared group membership (i.e., a sense of “we” and of “us”) among followers. The present research report tests this claim by drawing on data from 26 countries that are part of the Global Identity Leadership Development (GILD) project to examine the relationship between political leaders' identity leadership and civic citizenship behavior (N = 6787). It also examines the contributions of trust and economic inequality to this relationship. Political leaders' identity leadership (PLIL) was positively associated with respondents' people‐oriented civic citizenship behaviors (CCB‐P) in 20 of 26 countries and civic citizenship behaviors aimed at one's country (CCB‐C) in 23 of 26 countries. Mediational analyses also confirmed the indirect effects of PLIL via trust in fellow citizens on both CCB‐P (in 25 out of 26 countries) and CCB‐C (in all 26 countries). Economic inequality moderated these effects such that the main and indirect effects of trust in one's fellow citizens on CCB‐C were stronger in countries with higher economic inequality. This interaction effect was not observed for CCB‐P. The study highlights the importance of identity leadership and trust in fellow citizens in promoting civic citizenship behavior, especially in the context of economic inequality.</jats:p

Perceived usability evaluation of learning management systems via axiomatic design with a real life application

Purpose Usage of learning management systems (LMSs) has become widespread with the disruption of face-to-face educations after the COVID-19 pandemic. There are several software products, usually named as LMS to enable and support distance education. However, selection of a suitable LMS is a complex multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) problem that requires consideration of many criteria and inputs from different parties like students, academicians, education managers, etc. Usability evaluation of LMS is one of the critical steps in deciding which LMS system to be adapted. There are several studies related to usability evaluation of LMS in the literature, but utilization of MCDM methods and real life case studies are very rare. Based on this motivation, perceived usability evaluation of SAKAI-LMS that is in use at an academic department is performed by employing axiomatic design procedure (ADP). This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned issues. Design/methodology/approach ADP is considered as a suitable MCDM method for perceived usability evaluation as it allows an easy approach to data fusion and setting performance targets for decision makers. A questionnaire is developed to collect data from three types of system users about predetermined usability criteria and their importance. After detailed statistical analyses and weighting criteria via analytical hierarch process (AHP), ADP is carried out to evaluate usability of the LMS. Findings It is found that the proposed ADP based approach is easy to apply in practical circumstances and able to quantify perceived usability of the LMSs. Research limitations/implications The proposed approach provides an easy and practical evaluation of perceived usability of the LMSs for decision makers who are responsible for the implementation of LMSs. The developed novel and practical MCDM-based perceived usability approach for LMS in this study has been verified through a real life case study at an academic department. Perceived usability results, therefore, reflects only the views of this focus group and are not generalizable. Originality/value First time in the literature, a comprehensive ADP based MCDM approach is proposed based on the analyses of the related literature and information gathered from the system users

High-intensity interval training ameliorates spatial and recognition memory impairments, reduces hippocampal TNF-alpha levels, and amyloid-beta peptide load in male hypothyroid rats

Thyroid hormones are critical for healthy brain functions at every stage of life. Hypothyroidism can cause severe cognitive dysfunction in patients who do not receive adequate treatment. Although thyroid hormone replacement alleviates cognitive decline in hypothyroid patients, there are studies showing that there is no complete recovery. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in hypothyroid rats on spatial and recognition memory, neuroinflammation, amyloid-beta load and compare these effects with T3 replacement. Hypothyroidism was induced and maintained by administration of 6-n-propyl-2-thiouracil (PTU) with their drinking water to 6-weeks-old male Sprague-Dawley rats for 7 weeks. The animals exercised in the treadmill according to the HIIT protocol for four weeks. T3 was injected intraperitoneally daily during the last two weeks of the study. All animals performed in the elevated plus maze test, Morris water maze test, novel object recognition test, and rotarod motor performance test in the last week of the study and then the animals were sacrificed. Amyloid beta (1-42) and TNF alpha levels were measured in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus by ELISA. Anxiety-like behaviors did not significantly differ between groups. T3 replacement with or without HIIT increased motor performance in PTU-treated rats. HIIT and/or T3 replacement increased the exercise performance. HIIT and/or T3 replacement alleviated spatial and recognition memory impairments and normalized TNF alpha and amyloid-beta levels in the hippocampus in hypothyroid rats. In summary, regular physical exercise may have potential benefits in preserving cognitive functions in hypothyroid patients

In and off- axes mechanical properties of three- dimensional textile reinforced carbon composites

Orienting or placing the yarns at the third direction of three dimensional (3D) textiles may improve or degrade the in- plane mechanical properties of 3D composites. In the previous study, the bending and out- of- plane mechanical properties of 3Dcomposites were comprehensively investigated. As the controversial results can be clarified in the literature, the study was extended to investigate the in and off- axes mechanical properties of 3D composites. The tensile and in- plane shearproperties of 3D carbon woven, 3D carbon multi- axis warp knitted, and 3D carbon stitched fabrics were comparatively examined from dry structure to the composite. In addition, a carbon traditional laminated composite was produced andtested to make a comparison. According to the load bearing capacity of 3D textiles from dry structure to the composite, the 3D woven fabric shown the worst performance.</p

Magnetic field dependent thermal conductivity investigation of water based Fe3O4/CNT and Fe3O4/graphene magnetic hybrid nanofluids using a Helmholtz coil system setup

Magnetic hybrid nanofluids are making a name of themselves in mainstream application areas such as heat transfer, solar systems, acoustic applications, etc. These nanofluids are highly favorable as their ability to advance the properties of their constituent particles such as their thermophysical properties. This study aims to investigate the magnetic field dependent thermal conductivity of Fe3O4/CNT – water and Fe3O4/Graphene – water magnetic hybrid nanofluids. The thermal conductivity investigations are carried out with the 3ω method under a uniform magnetic field generated by a 3D Helmholtz coil system. Fe3O4/CNT – water and Fe3O4/Graphene – water magnetic hybrid nanofluids were purchased commercially as 20 wt% colloids. Then, the samples with 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 wt% were prepared by diluting them with DI water. Thermal conductivity measurements were carried out for the samples under the external uniform magnetic field in the range of 0–250 G in both parallel and perpendicular directions to the temperature gradient generated by the thermal conductivity measurement probe. The results pointed out that the thermal conductivity of the samples increases as the magnetic field and particle concentration increase for both magnetic hybrid nanofluids. Additionally, it is obtained that the thermal conductivity enhancement of Fe3O4/Graphene – water is up to 3 times higher than Fe3O4/CNT – water samples. Moreover, the maximum thermal conductivity enhancement was observed as ∼12 % and ∼9 % for Fe3O4/CNT – water, and ∼51 % and ∼21 % Fe3O4/Graphene – water under external magnetic field application with parallel and perpendicular direction, respectively

Sedentary behaviour and related factors in people with multiple sclerosis

Background: Sedentary behaviour is a major problem in persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). However, little is known about the related factors of sedentary behaviour in MS. Our study aimed to examine the association between sedentary behaviour and physical activity level, fear of falling, and fatigue. Method: Demographic and clinical data have been recorded. Sedentary behaviour was assessed with the Marshall Sitting Questionnaire, physical activity level was evaluated with the Godin Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire, fear of falling was evaluated with the Fall Efficacy Scale International, and fatigue was evaluated with the modified fatigue impact scale (MFIS). The Timed 25-Foot Walk, 6-Minute Walk Test, Timed Up and Go Test, and 12-Item Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale were also used to assess walking and perceived walking disability. Results: We recruited 71 pwMS [49 were female (69 %), mean age:38.08 years, median EDSS:1.5]. The mean daily sitting time was 593.54 min (∼10 h). No significant correlation was found between sitting times and demographics, leisure time physical activity, fear of falling, walking, perceived walking disability, and neurological disability level (p > 0.05). Logistic regression analysis indicated that being male increased the risk of sedentary behaviour by 3.08 times, being employed increased the risk of sitting by 4.65 times, and each point increase in MFIS scores resulted in a 1.03-fold elevation in the odds of prolonged sitting. Conclusion: The fact that pwMS, even with a mild disability spend almost 10 h sitting highlights the significance of sedentary behaviour in this population. Developing strategies to address modifiable factors, such as fatigue, may be effective in reducing sedentary behaviour