Investigating the Impact of Boundaries on Knowledge Sharing in Global Virtual Teams

The sharing of knowledge is critical in the virtual team configurations that mainly interact and coordinate through information and communication technologies. However, multiple boundaries are assumed to exist within virtual teams that may pose several challenges to effective knowledge sharing. This study distinguishes between functional, organizational, and cultural boundaries and investigates their impact on knowledge sharing practices in global virtual teams. Drawing from shared mental model and media synchronicity literature, this study also aims to identify the potential moderators that can influence this relationship. The implications for research and practice are discussed and provide insights into how virtual teams can be structured so that there is effective knowledge sharing between the team members

Does physical activity mediate the relationship between loneliness and mental health in Canadian adolescents?

Objectives: Loneliness in adolescents has been consistently increasing over the previous two decades, a trend further exacerbated during to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is particularly concerning considering the links between loneliness and poor mental health. This thesis investigated prospective bidirectional relationships between loneliness and mental health outcomes (anxiety and psychological wellbeing), and additionally, aimed to assess the mediating role of physical activity (PA) within these relationships over a one-year period. Methods: This study used linked student-level survey data of 20,532 Canadian adolescents from the 9th (2020-2021) and 10th (2021-2022) years of the COMPASS study. Cross-lagged panel mediation models were used to test bidirectional associations between loneliness, anxiety symptoms, psychological wellbeing, and PA. Bootstrapping was used to detect mediation effects of PA in the relationships. Models were stratified by gender, and controlled for student grade, family affluence, province, ethnicity, and school-level clustering. Results: Gender-diverse/other adolescents reported higher loneliness frequency and anxiety scores, and lower psychological wellbeing, compared to cis-gender adolescents. Bidirectional relationships between loneliness and anxiety, and loneliness and psychological wellbeing were established in the full sample, with associations varying when stratified by gender. PA did not significantly mediate the relationships between loneliness and the mental health outcomes. Conclusions: Loneliness, anxiety, and psychological wellbeing prospectively and bidirectionally predicted each other, which reinforces current literature that supports loneliness as a risk factor for poor mental health outcomes among adolescents. PA did not mediate these relationships, thus future research should explore novel mediators to help explain the underlying mechanisms in the relationship between loneliness and mental health

Traditional storage methods and their effect on quality characteristics of wheat grain in Sindh, Pakistan

The change in quality of wheat grains in terms of physical parameters (moisture, test weight, 1000 grain weight and insect damage), chemical parameters (protein, fat, ash and starch) and flour quality tests (falling number, water absorption, dough development time and dough stability) were observed during storage in conventional structures (earthen bin, metal bin, bulk covered and room store) for 12 months. The results showed that test-weight (66.8 kg/hl), 1000 grain weight (39.67 g), protein (8.9%), fat (1.82%), ash (1.62%), starch (61.64%), falling number (285 s), water absorption (62.54%), dough development time (4.7 min) and dough stability (7.47 min) were recorded highest in grain samples collected from earthen bin followed by metal bin, bulk covered and room type store. Grain moisture and insect-infestation were increased during the whole storage period. The maximum insect-infestation (27%) and moisture content (15.2%) were observed in grain samples taken from the room type store. Wheat grain stored in earthen bin showed better quality characteristics as compared to other storage methods. Hence, the adoption of earthen bin should be encouraged in the developing countries

Examining the morphological decomposition of complex words in native and non-native speakers of English

Word knowledge is an essential component of second language acquisition. For many second language learners of English, acquiring new words can be a difficult task. Understanding the structure of words may be a valuable strategy for vocabulary development. This study examines the processing of morphologically complex English words by native and non-native speakers of English in a word typing task. The evaluation of the stimuli through word typing is also explored as a possible measure of functional ability in English in non-native speakers. A total of 270 complex affixed words were used as stimuli with true and pseudo-affixed words making up the real word-stimuli and novel-possible and novel-impossible stimuli. A total of 33 native speakers completed the lexical decision task in Experiment One that provided a validity check on the stimuli. Experiment Two had 52 native and 55 non-native speakers complete a typing task. Results indicated that complex real affixed words were typed more quickly than complex novel affixed words. Of particular interest were changes in typing speed at the morpheme boundary within a word. Native speakers displayed a greater slowing at the morpheme boundary than the non-native speakers, indicating a greater sensitivity to the internal structure of words. With respect to functional ability, the results suggest that typing sensitivity to morpheme boundaries relates to more general functional ability

Significance and Key Challenges in Conducting Stress Testing for Islamic Commercial Banks

With the current cross-border growth in Islamic finance, Islamic commercial banks (ICBs) are looking forward to being perceived as an industry in the process of becoming mature. This would require the establishment of some basic infrastructure, including sophisticated risk management tools that enhance the soundness and resilience of the ICBS. This paper focuses on the latter that is the role and significance of stress testing as a risk management tool. The stress testing has become part of the regulatory and supervisory authorities within the financial stability analysis. The global financial crisis (2008) has placed the spotlight squarely on stress tests. Though, ICBs operate within the similar financial environment, and their balance sheet composition, however, calls for different treatment in stress testing. Apart from the specificities of ICBs, there are key issues and challenges that should be given due considerations in developing an appropriate stress testing regime. This paper explores key specificities and challenges. The paper argues that in the beginning, conducting the stress testing may not appear a simple task for the ICBs. However, a proper consideration to the challenges identified in the paper would certainly tend to improve the overall effectiveness and credibility of the stress testing programmes

Significance and Key Challenges in Conducting Stress Testing for Islamic Commercial Banks

With the current cross-border growth in Islamic finance, Islamic commercial banks (ICBs) are looking forward to being perceived as an industry in the process of becoming mature. This would require the establishment of some basic infrastructure, including sophisticated risk management tools that enhance the soundness and resilience of the ICBS. This paper focuses on the latter that is the role and significance of stress testing as a risk management tool. The stress testing has become part of the regulatory and supervisory authorities within the financial stability analysis. The global financial crisis (2008) has placed the spotlight squarely on stress tests. Though, ICBs operate within the similar financial environment, and their balance sheet composition, however, calls for different treatment in stress testing. Apart from the specificities of ICBs, there are key issues and challenges that should be given due considerations in developing an appropriate stress testing regime. This paper explores key specificities and challenges. The paper argues that in the beginning, conducting the stress testing may not appear a simple task for the ICBs. However, a proper consideration to the challenges identified in the paper would certainly tend to improve the overall effectiveness and credibility of the stress testing programmes

An Invariant Dual-beam Snowflake Antenna for Future 5G Communications

A broadband snowflake antenna for future 5G and millimeter-wave communications is presented. The proposed antenna has a size of 8 × 5 mm 2 . The antenna consists of a central hexagon surrounded by a series of symmetrically placed smaller hexagons around it, resulting in broadband characteristics. The impedance bandwidth of the proposed antenna ranges from 25.284-29.252 GHz. The antenna has a gain of 3.12 dBi at 28 GHz and is more than 98% efficient. A distinct feature of the proposed antenna is its dual-beam radiation pattern. The two beams remain fixed at ±50° even if the frequency is varied with in its operating band. The proposed antenna is modelled on thin Rogers substrate which makes it very useful for future 5G smart phones

Multiband split-ring resonator based planar inverted-F antenna for 5G applications

5G, the fifth generation of wireless communications, is focusing on multiple frequency bands, such as 6GHz, 10GHz, 15GHz, 28GHz, and 38GHz, to achieve high data rates up to 10 Gbps or more.The industry demands multiband antennas to cover these distant frequency bands, which is a task much more challenging. In this paper, we have designed a novel multiband split-ring resonator (SRR) based planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) for 5G applications. It is composed of a PIFA, an inverted-L parasitic element, a rectangular shaped parasitic element, and a split-ring resonator (SRR) etched on the top plate of the PIFA.The basic PIFA structure resonates at 6GHz. An addition of a rectangular shaped parasitic element produces a resonance at 15GHz. The introduction of a split-ring resonator produces a band notch at 8GHz, and a resonance at 10GHz, while the insertion of an inverted-L shaped parasitic element further enhances the impedance bandwidth in the 10GHz band. The frequency bands covered, each with more than 1GHz impedance bandwidth, are 6GHz (5–7GHz), 10GHz (9–10.8GHz), and 15GHz (14-15GHz), expected for inclusion in next-generation wireless communications, that is, 5G. The design is simulated using Ansys Electromagnetic Suite 17 simulation software package.The simulated and the measured results are compared and analyzed which are generally in good agreement

Frequency reconfigurable patch antenna for 4G LTE applications

A compact printed multi-band frequency reconfigurable patch antenna for 4G LTE applications is presented in this paper (50 x 60 x 1.6 mm3). The antenna consists of W-shaped and Inverted-U shaped patch lines connected in a Tree-shape on the front side of the antenna. The back-side of the antenna contains a 90°-tilted T-shaped strip connected with an Inverted-L shaped strip which is shorted with a patch on the front side for increasing the electrical length to cover lower frequency bands. Frequency reconfigurability is achieved by inserting three switches i.e., PIN diodes. The most critical part of this work is the designing of RLC-based DC line circuits for providing the DC biasing to the PIN diodes used as switches and inserting them at optimum locations. This antenna is reconfigurable among eight different 4G LTE frequency bands including 0.9 GHz, 1.4 GHz, 1.5 GHz, 1.6 GHz, 1.7 GHz, 1.8 GHz, 2.6 GHz, 3.5 GHz and WLAN band 2.5 GHz. The antenna exhibits different radiation patterns having a different direction of peak gain at different frequencies and for different switching combinations. The antenna is simulated with CST, and a prototype is fabricated to compare the measured and simulated results with good accuracy