PurposeAddressing food insecurity, youth unemployment, poverty and insecurity remain a pressing priority in most nations. Thus, promoting agripreneurship among young people is increasingly recognized as a viable pathway to tackle these challenges. Thus, this study investigates how and under what conditions entrepreneurial education (EE) and psychological traits – innovativeness, locus of control, need for achievement, risk propensity and tolerance for ambiguity – shape youths’ willingness to pursue agripreneurship in a resource-constrained and fragile context. Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a quantitative research design, and 300 final-year students in public secondary schools were sampled. Structural equation modeling was used for analysis. FindingsEE moderates the influence of these traits on agripreneurial readiness of secondary school students. Complementary fuzzy-set analysis reveals that while no single trait or exposure to EE is a necessary condition, various combinations can drive similar outcomes. Originality/valueThis study examined how EE and psychological traits jointly shape agripreneurial readiness among final-year secondary school students preparing to enter the workforce. The findings provide important insights for policymakers seeking to promote youth engagement in agripreneurship, particularly in rural, resource-constrained and fragile contexts.
Abstract The accelerated growth of population and the rise in the number of vehicle owners are expected to create a sharp demand in the global market for brake pads, which will exert an acute demand to substitute asbestos-containing materials. Asbestos, which was previously employed in friction composites, is dangerous and does not withstand hot climates; hence, substitutes with safer ones are required. This paper explores the utilization of doum palm shell (DPS) as an agro-waste that contains silica as a reinforcement in asbestos-free brake pads manufactured using phenolic (PR) and epoxy (EP) binders. DPS is biodegradable, economical, and locally available, and it helps in valorizing waste and recovering resources that are sustainable. Graphite, glass fibre, aluminium oxide, and alkali-treated DPS were used to create brake pads. FTIR analysis showed better bonding, and TGA showed better thermal stability in EP and more char yield with better flame resistance in PR. Compressive strengths of EP samples of 47–77 MPa and impact energies of 4.27–7.09 J/m² were obtained in mechanical tests, compared to 70.12–80.20 MPa and 8.75 J/m² in PR samples. Hardness peaked at 95.6 Hv in S1PR. The tribological analysis showed that PR composites had lower wear levels and increased friction coefficients, while EP had high thermal resistance and lower water absorption (0.098%). The best performance was recorded in S2PR with 20 g DPS and 15 g glass fibre, which had a balance between strength and friction. Phenolic binders outperformed epoxy in tribological criteria, while epoxy had greater heat stability. The results reveal that DPS is a potential reinforcement in the manufacturing process of sustainable brake pads. Future research ought to address fade and recovery behaviour, thermo-mechanical coupling, and long-term durability. Graphical Abstract
Docetaxel (DTX) is an efficient and normally used anticancer drug. But it results in systemic organ toxicity and damages various non-target organs of the body. Vanillic acid (VA) is a biologically active phenolic acid that exhibits potential therapeutic properties. This research was conducted to understand the protective effects of VA against DTX-induced liver damage in rats. Forty male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assorted into four groups. One group was the control, and the other groups were as follows: DTX group, DTX + VA group, and VA group. Thirty milligrams per kilogram DTX was given once on the first day of the trial while VA (50 mg/kg) was given on a daily basis via intragastric gavage for 7 days. The results showed that DTX disrupted TLR4/MyD88/TRAF6, NF-κB, and JAK/STAT signaling pathways and caused oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis as well as mitochondrial and histological damages in liver. However, the supplementation of VA protected the hepatic tissues from these damages by mitigating the effects of DTX. VA protected the hepatic tissues by reducing the expressions of TLR4, MyD88, TRAF6, NF-κB, and other inflammatory cytokines, while upregulating the expressions of IκB. Importantly, it lowered the levels of ALT and AST by 29.10
In June 2020, a group of football supporters from Burnley FC arranged for a 'White Lives Matter' banner to be flown over Manchester City's Etihad Stadium in protest against the English Premier League's (EPL) decision to support the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Utilizing a mixed-methods social network analysis (SNA) approach, we identified opinion leaders on X (formerly Twitter) to assess their influence in shaping the discussions and narrative. Systemic racism theory (SRT) was used to theoretically underpin the findings. In turn, we found that many users were critical of BLM and offered perspectives within a White supremacist frame; however, others supported football's anti-racist endeavours. We found that some users hijacked the incident to help fuel far-right agendas, demonstrating that football fans are being targeted online. Our study highlights the differences between individual and organized racism and illustrates that far-right and White supremacist groups use football to fuel racist rhetoric and potentially radicalize fans. The study emphasizes the cruciality of understanding digital influence networks, information dissemination and the role of opinion leaders in shaping online narratives in contexts that intersect sports, politics and societal issues.
The manifesto for fieldwork is an invitation to engage in pedagogic discussion that sets out visions for the future of teaching fieldwork. At a time when curriculum projects in many universities are advocating for more experiential learning in authentic and real-world contexts, teaching and learning in the field faces challenges from climate and nature crises, pandemics, financial pressures, technology and the importance of ensuring fieldwork is inclusive and accessible. The manifesto offers provocations that we hope will be discussed, shared and contested. Fieldwork must be part of an ethical education that works towards just and liveable futures.Fieldwork must build new habits that address traditions rooted in masculinist, extractivist and colonialist science.Making fieldwork inclusive demands radical shifts in field practices, sites and relations.Fieldwork must be accountable to climate and nature crises.AI, VR and digital tools demand a re-imagining and remaking of the field.Fieldwork must be built on collaboration.Our ambition for the manifesto is not to encourage righteous equivocation about good or bad fieldwork. Instead, we invite you to reflect on, and respond to, these provocations as part of a project that will articulate a renewed vision for, and robust justification of, the future of fieldwork.
