Professor Of Science Research Articles

Tuning the Citizen Science Radio: Inclusion, Methodological Pluralism and 8 Billion Brains

Abstract Science has always been driven by human consciousness in the context of an ambiguous environment. In modern times, the environment is characterised by sociotechnical complexities and uncertainty, rendering science fundamentally information-driven and statistically-informed, which focuses on uncertainty in contrast to the certainties of the enlightenment. In the context of this, and in the spirit of the point made initially by Popper that all people are scientific in their approach to everyday life, we must ask ‘whose uncertainties are not relevant to scientific inquiry?’ While inclusion has been a key feature of citizen science, there is a tendency for scientific control to remain with professional scientists, rather than in the hands of citizens. This paper is about new forms of coordination of citizen science activity which coordinate by tuning into citizen-level inquiry. Using the metaphor of a radio tuner, we suggest that tuning can take the form of identifying different levels of uncertainty, and selecting methods which allow for the deeper exploration of uncertainties and coordination of communities. We argue that the nineteenth century science of psychophysics alongside a topological view of scientific selection derived from Lewin’s social field theory, provides a theoretical foundation for the selection of appropriate methods in different circumstances. Ranking uncertainty with AI can steer flexible selection of methods and results, providing an inclusive science where analysis, synthesis, and experiment are left in the hands of communities and individuals.

Health Care Professionals and Data Scientists' Perspectives on a Machine Learning System to Anticipate and Manage the Risk of Decompensation From Patients With Heart Failure: Qualitative Interview Study.

Heart failure (HF) is a significant global health problem, affecting approximately 64.34 million people worldwide. The worsening of HF, also known as HF decompensation, is a major factor behind hospitalizations, contributing to substantial health care costs related to this condition. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of health care professionals and data scientists regarding the relevance, challenges, and potential benefits of using machine learning (ML) models to predict decompensation from patients with HF. A total of 13 individual, semistructured, qualitative interviews were conducted in Portugal between October 31, 2022, and June 23, 2023. Participants represented different health care specialties and were selected from different contexts and regions of the country to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the topic. Data saturation was determined as the point at which no new themes emerged from participants' perspectives, ensuring a sufficient sample size for analysis. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using MAXQDA (VERBI Software GmbH) through a reflexive thematic analysis. Two researchers (JS and AH) coded the interviews to ensure the consistency of the codes. Ethical approval was granted by the NOVA National School of Public Health ethics committee (CEENSP 14/2022), and informed consent was obtained from all participants. The participants recognized the potential benefits of ML models for early detection, risk stratification, and personalized care of patients with HF. The importance of selecting appropriate variables for model development, such as rapid weight gain and symptoms, was emphasized. The use of wearables for recording vital signs was considered necessary, although challenges related to adoption among older patients were identified. Risk stratification emerged as a crucial aspect, with the model needing to identify patients at high-, medium-, and low-risk levels. Participants emphasized the need for a response model involving health care professionals to validate ML-generated alerts and determine appropriate interventions. The study's findings highlight ML models' potential benefits and challenges for predicting HF decompensation. The relevance of ML models for improving patient outcomes, reducing health care costs, and promoting patient engagement in disease management is highlighted. Adequate variable selection, risk stratification, and response models were identified as essential components for the effective implementation of ML models in health care. In addition, the study identified technical, regulatory and ethical, and adoption and acceptance challenges that need to be overcome for the successful integration of ML models into clinical workflows. Interpretation of the findings suggests that future research should focus on more extensive and diverse samples, incorporate the patient perspective, and explore the impact of ML models on patient outcomes and personalized care in HF management. Incorporation of this study's findings into practice is expected to contribute to developing and implementing ML-based predictive models that positively impact HF management.

Educational strategies for teaching metabolic profiles across three endurance training zones.

This article explores an innovative educational approach using a metabolic board designed to enhance understanding of muscle metabolism across three endurance training zones: Z1 (light intensity), Z2 (moderate intensity), and Z3 (intense/severe intensity). The aerobic threshold marks the transition from light to moderate domains and the anaerobic threshold separates moderate from intense domains, with both thresholds adapting to training. Exercises within each training zone elicit specific adaptive responses through distinct signaling pathways, but the metabolic profile induced remains relatively constant across these intensity domains. The assembly of the metabolic board is guided by interpretative questions derived from recent incremental exercise studies. By interacting with the board, students gain clear insights into the rationale for choosing between continuous and interval exercises. This interactive tool simplifies complex physiological processes into understandable components, clarifying the relationships among motor unit types and their metabolism and principal energy sources at each intensity level. By assembling the board, students demystify muscle metabolism as a continuum of responses crucial for sustaining various exercise intensities. This integration of theoretical knowledge with practical application empowers students and professionals to make informed decisions about training prescriptions, a critical element of training periodization.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Our pedagogical tool offers a unique and enriching learning experience. By active construction of a metabolic board using real data, focused on a predominance of a specific muscle fiber type and its metabolic characteristics across three ranges of exercise intensity domains, the tool promotes deep learning for sports science professionals.

The ongoing impact of COVID-19 on the clinical education of Australian medical radiation science students.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant and ongoing impact on health care, particularly for medical radiation science (MRS) professionals. There exist many studies that describe the negative effects of clinical placement restrictions and access to universities on the well-being of all health professional students during the pandemic. There also exists evidence of changes to MRS student teaching and impacts to students and academic clinical educators; however, there exists a paucity of research that investigates how changes have affected the performance of students within the clinical environment and entering the workforce. This study surveyed workplace MRS clinical educators within Australia to gather their perspectives regarding the impact of COVID-19 on student clinical education. A descriptive study comprising an online structured survey of 44 questions was provided to Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Clinical Educators across Australia. A total of 55 survey responses were received. Of note, respondents described heavy reductions to student intake capacity, losses of clinical placement time, a noted theory-practice gap and possibility of sites 'failing to fail' students. Negative impacts to all domains of MRPBA professional capabilities, as well as a perceived unpreparedness to meet the MRPBA capabilities were described. There was general agreement that graduating students will require supportive periods upon entry into the profession. This study highlights the considerable impact of changes to the education and training of MRS students in response to COVID-19. The results pose a real concern for a generation of MRS students affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Identifying story types of PhD candidates lecturing in higher professional education: “ups and downs”, “turnaround”, “continuous growth”, and “scholarly recognition”

Purpose Guided by the quest concept, this study aims to explore how profession-focused PhD candidates, who are concurrently lecturing at a Dutch University of Applied Sciences (UAS), make sense of change while pursuing doctoral objectives. The research question was: How do these PhD candidates navigate, experience and evaluate their enduring profession-focused doctoral quests across the nexus of research, education and professional fields, considering their aspirations? Design/methodology/approach Eight PhD candidates shared one-year quest experiences, illustrating how interactions with ‘actors’, ‘settings’ and ‘events’ shape doctoral transitions. These narratological concepts guided within-case and cross-case analyses, while grounded theory methodologies served to explore candidates’ sense-making of change over time. Findings Four story types of doctoral transitions emerged: “ups and downs”, “turnaround”, “continuous growth” and “scholarly recognition”. Candidates valued the Dutch UASs’ formal policy of supporting academic research with professional relevance. Across the story types, differences in aligning doctoral expectations among research and workplace supervisors and candidates affected knowledge exchange throughout the doctorate. When available, engagement in varied and comprehensive doctoral learning resources advanced candidates’ research competencies, including bridging diverse knowledge types. Autonomous candidate navigation was crucial for building partnerships, accessing dispersed learning resources and responding to uncertainties. Collaborative learning involving BSc-MSc students, colleagues and practitioners varied in strength across the story types, but enhanced the doctorate’s relevance, visible outcomes, feasibility and sustainability. The story types represent transition patterns that shaped how candidates developed new knowledge and contributed to their fields. While passion was a key motivator for candidates, it also heightened their vulnerability. Practical implications Analysing patterns in doctoral transitions provided actionable insights for optimising conditions and candidate navigation within the science–profession nexus. Originality/value The findings highlight that diverse actors can contribute to and benefit from profession-focused doctorates, driving momentum in integrating this research into education and innovation.

Exploring the landscape of libraries on smart devices: a systematic literature review using PRISMA

Purpose The systematic literature review aims to highlight the transformative influence of mobile technology in reshaping library services for Library and Information Science (LIS) professionals and users. Design/methodology/approach The selection of relevant literature utilized the PRISMA-20 guidelines and a systematic literature review, wherein 39 articles were meticulously examined from a pool of 198. The inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to articles retrieved from the Scopus database and Google Scholar, focusing on data from 2018 to 2023 and excluding all the literature except journal articles. Findings The results demonstrate a significant awareness among LIS professionals and users regarding adopting mobile-based library services. Nonetheless, the adoption of mobile technology in libraries faces impediments from internal and external factors. These challenges encompass the need for coherent policies and practical issues such as insufficient financial resources, limitations in infrastructure, unpredictable electricity and Internet connectivity. The study also highlights concerns related to data security, the digital divide, a shortage of IT experts and inadequate staffing. The findings suggest that libraries must navigate this evolving landscape to provide improved and more accessible services to their users. Practical implications This study addresses a gap in the existing research by contributing to the literature on using mobile technology for accessing library services and resources. The findings aim to assist LIS professionals in developing plans, policies and strategies for implementing mobile-based library services. Originality/value The results of this study contribute to improving and expanding current mobile-based services in libraries, ensuring that information and resources are universally accessible “on the go environment.”

Harnessing Community Science for Seahorse Population Monitoring: Insights From the iSeahorse Programme in Tampa Bay

ABSTRACTCommunity science provides a valuable approach for population monitoring, offering benefits such as public engagement, cost‐effectiveness and broad geographic coverage. Seahorses are excellent candidates for community science monitoring because they are iconic and sedentary and because their cryptic nature and patchy distribution hampers formal professional research. We analysed data collected by a non‐profit organization for the iSeahorse programme. Data were collected by community members over a 5‐year period in two locations in Tampa Bay, Florida, using otter trawls and seines. Their data for the two local seahorse species (Hippocampus erectus and Hippocampus zosterae) were valuable in complementing professional science. Densities found in community monitoring were orders of magnitude lower than those found professionally, at least partly because the areas differed. However, sex ratios were similar in both areas, being predominantly female‐biased. Community data on timing of pregnancy confirmed professional findings but also extended the season. Usefully, community science provided the first published torso lengths of H. zosterae anywhere and of H. erectus in Tampa Bay. Beyond the biological, we interviewed the project leaders for their opinions on the programme's impact, challenges and areas for improvement, to give a societal context to the study. It became clear that there should had been more and ongoing communication between the non‐profit organization and the iSeahorse programme during the course of the surveys. Overall, our analysis endorses the strong potential of community science for population monitoring and its complementarity with professional science.

Introducing Our Custom GPT: An Example of the Potential Impact of Personalized GPT Builders on Scientific Writing

Introducing Our Custom GPT: An Example of the Potential Impact of Personalized GPT Builders on Scientific Writing

Charting EDA: Characterizing Interactive Visualization Use in Computational Notebooks with a Mixed-Methods Formalism.

Interactive visualizations are powerful tools for Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA), but how do they affect the observations analysts make about their data? We conducted a qualitative experiment with 13 professional data scientists analyzing two datasets with Jupyter notebooks, collecting a rich dataset of interaction traces and think-aloud utterances. By qualitatively coding participant utterances, we introduce a formalism that describes EDA as a sequence of analysis states, where each state is comprised of either a representation an analyst constructs (e.g., the output of a data frame, an interactive visualization, etc.) or an observation the analyst makes (e.g., about missing data, the relationship between variables, etc.). By applying our formalism to our dataset, we identify that interactive visualizations, on average, lead to earlier and more complex insights about relationships between dataset attributes compared to static visualizations. Moreover, by calculating metrics such as revisit count and representational diversity, we uncover that some representations serve more as "planning aids" during EDA rather than tools strictly for hypothesis-answering. We show how these measures help identify other patterns of analysis behavior, such as the "80-20 rule", where a small subset of representations drove the majority of observations. Based on these fndings, we offer design guidelines for interactive exploratory analysis tooling and refect on future directions for studying the role that visualizations play in EDA.

Investigation of the relationship between healthy lifestyle behaviours and health literacy in university students

The investigation of healthy lifestyle behaviours and health literacy, a topic of increasing interest in public health, is of particular importance in the context of young people, a crucial phase of human life. These behaviours have the capacity to influence the course of subsequent periods of life. The present study aimed to determine the relationship between healthy lifestyle behaviors and health literacy among university students. The design of the study was descriptive and cross-sectional. The population of the study consisted of 1210 students enrolled in 2 different faculties randomly selected in a university in eastern Türkiye. The research was completed with 495 participants. The study utilized the 'personal information form,' 'healthy lifestyle behaviors scale' (HLBS), and 'health literacy scale' (HLS) to collect its data. The participant students' mean scores for the ‘HLBS’, and ‘HLS’ were 133.28±22.86 and 32.05±8.38, respectively. The study also identified a positive and moderate relationship between the HLBS and HLS mean scores (r=0.453, p<0.001). As a result, the study findings revealed that a high level of health literacy may significantly improve university students' quality of life by supporting healthy lifestyle behaviors. Public health professionals, sports science professionals and most importantly policy makers should develop policies and organise training programs to improve healthy lifestyle behaviours by increasing the health literacy levels of individuals.

Design and Development of Schema for Schemaless Databases

A schema database functions as a repository for interconnected data points, facilitating comprehension of data structures by organizing information into tables with rows and columns. These databases utilize established connections to arrange data, with attribute values linking related tuples. This integrated approach to data management and distributed processing enables schema databases to maintain models even when the working set size surpasses available RAM. However, challenges such as data quality, storage, scarcity of data science professionals, data validation, and sourcing from diverse origins persist. Notably, while schema databases excel at reviewing transactions, they often fall short in updating them effectively. To address these issues, a Chimp-based radial basis neural model (CbRBNM) is employed. Initially, the Schemaless database was considered and integrated into the Python system. Subsequently, compression functions were applied to both schema and schema-less databases to optimize relational data size by eliminating redundant files. Performance validation involved calculating compression parameters, with the proposed method achieving memory usage of 383.37[Formula: see text]Mb, a computation time of 0.455[Formula: see text]s, a training time of 167.5[Formula: see text]ms, and a compression rate of 5.60%. Extensive testing demonstrates that CbRBNM yields a favorable compression ratio and enables direct searching on compressed data, thereby enhancing query performance.

The impact of air pollution on living things and Environment: A review of the current evidence

Everything is impacted by air pollution. It affects the environment by creating acid rain, obstructing sunlight, decreasing visibility, and damaging agriculture, wildlife, and forests. It is also bad for our health. Because it affects not just climate change but also public and individual health by increasing illness and death, air pollution is one of the biggest scourges of our day. The impacts of air pollution on health are numerous. The high hospitalization rates, asthma, respiratory diseases, coughing, wheezing, kidney failure, shortness of breath, and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) are all strongly associated with short-term exposure to air pollution. Numerous contaminants are significant contributors to living things. These include Particulate Matter (PM), which are particles with varying but extremely small diameters that enter the respiratory system through inhalation and can lead to cancer, reproductive and cardiovascular disorders, and malfunctions of the central nervous system and reproductive system. In addition, air pollutants that are detrimental to people include sulfur dioxide (S02 ), nitrogen oxide, dioxins, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). High concentrations of carbon monoxide can potentially cause immediate poisoning. Depending on exposure, heavy metals like lead and mercury can cause either chronic intoxication or direct poisoning when absorbed into the human body. People who live in big cities are primarily impacted by air pollution, as traffic emissions are the primary cause of the deterioration in air quality. Additionally, there is the risk of industrial mishaps, in which the local population may perish due to the spread of a poisonous fog. Wind and atmospheric stability are two of the many factors that affect how pollutants spread. National and international organizations must confront the rise of this threat and offer long-term remedies; the only way to handle this issue is through public awareness combined with a multidisciplinary approach by scientific professionals. Air pollution has become a significant issue on a global scale. When large quantities of harmful substances fill the atmosphere, the air becomes contaminated. These toxic substances can originate from both human activities and natural sources. This study outlines the factors that contribute to air pollution. It also addresses the consequences, such as health issues, environmental challenges, and economic repercussions. Furthermore, the article highlights the harmful components associated with pollution and presents strategies for reducing these elements in the air. The discussion encompasses environmental changes, health effects, economic variations, and climate shifts.

Social Relevance Environmental Education in Medical Universities

Introduction: Today's world faces a serious environmental crisis, which demands the training of professionals with a broad environmental culture, constituting Environmental Education an essential pillar in the substantive processes of medical education. The objective of this work is: To substantiate the social meaning of Environmental Education in the training of Medical Sciences professionals. Methods: Qualitative research predominates in the work, it is based on dialectical materialism as a scientific conception of the world, which enables the use of theoretical methods, such as historical-logical, analytical-synthetic and inductive-deductive. At the empirical level, the analysis of documents emanating from Cuban environmental legislation, and others of international scope, was carried out. Results: The importance of Environmental Education has been highlighted in the professional training of future graduates of Medical Sciences, and emphasizes the need to deploy systematic actions in all spheres of university life to develop their environmental awareness and responsibility. Conclusions: The need to include Environmental Education in the substantive university processes of Medical Sciences was founded, on the basis of critical and evaluative training towards the environment and its conservation, which allows the integration of ethical knowledge, axiology and the environmental contextualization in correspondence with the objectives demanded by their profession and the health and disease processes that are verified in the community environment, where the students develop.

АРХЕОЛОГ В.Ф.ЗАЙБЕРТТІҢ ҒЫЛЫМИ ЕҢБЕКТЕРІ ТАРИХИ ДЕРЕККӨЗ РЕТІНДЕ

The scientific article is devoted to the study of the materials of the scientific archive of V.F. Seibert, an outstanding scientist, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of Archaeological Sci-ences, Corresponding Member of the German Archaeological Institute. These materials give us an idea of the scientist’s personality. His main qualities are hard work and organization, multiplied by the abil-ity to withstand and overcome difficulties without giving in to despair. They can be clearly traced in the records of the materials from the scientific archives. During the leadership of the North Kazakhstan, Kokshetau and Botai international archaeological expeditions, the scientist can be seen writing many scientific reports, articles and monographs. Currently, archaeological artifacts found at the monuments of the Atbasar and Botai cultures are stored in large museum collections of the country.

Examining “Salami slicing” publications as a side-effect of research performance evaluation: An empirical study

ABSTRACT Purpose This study investigates whether publication-centric incentive systems, introduced through the National Scientific Accreditation (ASN: Abilitazione Scientifica Nazionale) for professorships in Italy in 2012, contribute to adopting “salami publishing” strategies among Italian academics. Design/methodology/approach A longitudinal bibliometric analysis was conducted on the publication records of over 25,000 Italian science professors to examine changes in publication output and the originality of their work following the implementation of the ASN. Findings The analysis revealed a significant increase in publication output after the ASN’s introduction, along with a concurrent decline in the originality of publications. However, no evidence was found linking these trends to increased salami slicing practices among the observed researchers. Research limitations Given the size of our observation field, we propose an innovative indirect approach based on the degree of originality of publications’ bibliographies. We know that bibliographic coupling cannot capture salami publications per se, but only topically-related records. On the other hand, controlling for the author’s specialization level in the period, we believe that a higher level of bibliographic coupling in his scientific output can signal a change in his strategy of disseminating the results of his research. The relatively low R-squared values in our models (0.3-0.4) reflect the complexity of the phenomenon under investigation, revealing the presence of unmeasured factors influencing the outcomes, and future research should explore additional variables or alternative models that might account for a greater proportion of the variability. Despite this limitation, the significant predictors identified in our analysis provide valuable insights into the key factors driving the observed outcomes. Practical implications The results of the study support those who argue that quantitative research assessment frameworks have had very positive effects and should not be dismissed, contrary to the claims of those evoking the occurrence of side effects that do not appear in the empirical analyses. Originality/value This study provides empirical evidence on the impact of the ASN on publication behaviors in a huge micro-level dataset, contributing to the broader discourse on the effects of quantitative research assessments on academic publishing practices.

At the heart or on the periphery: gender, (in)visibility and epistemic positioning in academia

ABSTRACT This article analyses barriers for women’s careers in higher education from a theoretical perspective focusing on epistemic positioning and gendered (in)visibility. The study is based on 96 qualitative interviews with associate professors in economics, political science and sociology in Denmark. Epistemic positioning is operationalized as four distinct processes of marginalization: reproduction of men’s privileges from cohort to cohort of academics; naturalization of men’s collaboration with other men; appropriation where men’s research fields and methods are defined as constituting the centre of a discipline; and bounding as the discreditation of some types of research by labelling them ‘female’. Taken together, the four processes of positioning marginalize women (as epistemic subjects) and their research (as epistemic objects).

Multiple mini-interviews as admission process: A study on perception of health science students in Universiti Brunei Darussalam.

As multiple mini-interviews (MMI) have grown in popularity in selecting applicants to health science programmes, it is essential to comprehend students' views towards MMI and its usefulness in the admissions process. The study aims to explore students' perceptions on the usefulness and satisfaction of the MMI as an admission process into the health science programmes offered in Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD). A cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire was distributed to all Year 1 and 2 health sciences students in the university. For qualitative data, the responses obtained from the answers to the open-ended questions were analyzed manually using thematic analysis. Open coding was performed initially to identify words with similar meanings, recurring patterns and ideas. Focus coding was performed to group codes which sounded and felt similar. Themes were formulated and then reviewed. Descriptive statistics and univariate analysis were applied. 127 students participated in this study (53.4% response rate). 38.6% underwent the online MMI and 61.4% had the face-to-face MMI. 81% of participants agreed that the MMI was a fair assessment tool (81%), with adequate time allocated (91%), provided opportunity to demonstrate understanding of the profession (81%), and to express themselves (81%) but only 27% agreed that MMI was an enjoyable experience. No statistically significant differences were detected by gender. Those who did online MMI (89%) reported higher opportunity to express themselves, where 80% agreed it was an effective tool to assess selection of students in the health science profession. Univariate analysis revealed that male participants (42%) and those who did the online MMI (40%) were slightly more satisfied than those who did it onsite. Student perception is important for MMIs because it provides valuable insights into the effectiveness and fairness of the interview process. Study participants' perceptions of the MMI were positive, with objective reports on its fairness, timing, and feasibility but felt unprepared for the interview process and less enjoyable. Online MMI is favoured more by participants who rated it higher effectiveness and adequate timing with a better understanding of stations.

Enabling Manual Workplace Optimization Based on Cycle Time and Musculoskeletal Risk Parameters

Recently the concept of Industry 5.0 has been introduced, reinforcing the human-centric perspective for future industry. The human-centric scientific discipline and profession ergonomics is applied in industry to find solutions that are optimized in regard to both human well-being and overall system performance. It is found, however, that most production development and preparation work carried out in industry tends to address one of these two domains at a time, in a sequential process, typically making optimization slow and complicated. The aim of this paper is to suggest, demonstrate, and evaluate a concept that makes it possible to optimize aspects of human well-being and overall system performance in an efficient and easy parallel process. The concept enables production planning and balancing of human work in terms of two parameters: assembly time as a parameter of productivity (system performance), and risk of musculoskeletal disorders as a parameter of human well-being. A software demonstrator was developed, and results from thirteen test subjects were compared with the traditional sequential way of working. The findings show that the suggested relatively unique parallel approach has a positive impact on the expected musculoskeletal risk and does not necessarily negatively affect productivity, in terms of cycle time and time balance between assembly stations. The time to perform the more complex two-parameter optimization in parallel was shorter than the time in the sequential process. The majority of the subjects stated that they preferred the parallel way of working compared to the traditional serial way of working.

The Annual Canadian Sociological Association Conference 2023. Research Cluster: Sociology of Housing

From May 29 to June 2, 2023, the Annual Conference of the Canadian Sociological Association was held at York University in Toronto, where various academic, research, educational, and administrative topics were discussed. The conference was part of the Congress of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences and attracted speakers and attendees from Canada and other countries. Notably, for the first time since 2003, a research cluster focusing on the sociology of housing was presented, which had been initiated within the association at the end of 2021. Participants included scientific and pedagogical professionals, students, practitioners, and independent researchers, who engaged in two sections dedicated to sociological studies of housing and homelessness. Discussions covered a range of topics including chronic homelessness among women, mobile homelessness, the risk of homelessness among youth, attitudes towards the homeless, housing conditions of different social groups, and housing precarity. Special attention was given to state housing policy and the federal 'Housing First' strategy, the outcomes of which are subject to debate. The reports presented by the Sociology of Housing Research Cluster are of great interest to researchers focusing on housing issues in liberal democratic countries, including Canada, and to sociologists interested in developing housing sociology in Russia based on international experiences.

SWOT analysis of e-library initiatives in Punjab, Pakistan: perspectives from library and information science professionals

Purpose This study aims to meticulously examine the current state and operational dynamics of e-libraries in Punjab, Pakistan. Using a qualitative research methodology and strength, weakness, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis as a principal analytical framework, the study seeks to capture a detailed portrait of these digital repositories. The goal is to uncover the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats associated with the e-libraries. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative research approach was chosen to gain deeper insights into the e-libraries in Punjab. The study involved conducting detailed interviews with 14 librarians from these e-libraries, an interview guide that was developed specifically for this study. The guide was refined by experts and validated in a pilot study. Findings The study reveals that e-libraries in Punjab, Pakistan, excel in providing access to diverse digital resources and enhancing digital literacy but face significant challenges related to infrastructure, hardware and digital skills. Opportunities exist in leveraging mobile technology and enhancing staff training to improve service delivery. However, financial constraints, inadequate skilled personnel and regulatory issues pose threats to their efficacy and sustainability. Practical implications This study offers key recommendations for improving Punjab’s e-libraries, such as upgrading infrastructure, enhancing staff training and bolstering cybersecurity. It stresses the need for sustained government funding and support. The findings can help librarians boost digital literacy, refine resources and increase community involvement, while guiding policymakers in shaping effective legal frameworks and practitioners in enhancing resource quality and access. Social implications This research highlights the transformative potential of e-libraries in fostering education and culture in Punjab. It emphasizes integrating technology with community and government support to maximize benefits, bridge digital divides and promote social equity. The study calls for ongoing collaboration among librarians, educators and policymakers to harness e-libraries as catalysts for social change and development. Originality/value The originality of this study stems from its innovative application of SWOT analysis to e-libraries in Punjab, a first in this context. This approach not only offers new insights into the operational strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of e-libraries but also significantly aids in strategic planning. The findings are pivotal in shaping decisions that foster the effective use of e-libraries, ultimately enhancing digital literacy and educational growth across the region.