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Charting the linguistic landscape of developing writers: an annotation scheme for enhancing native language proficiency
Publication . Da Corte, Miguel; Baptista, Jorge
This study describes a pilot annotation task designed to capture orthographic, grammatical, lexical, semantic, and discursive patterns exhibited by college native English speakers participating in developmental education (DevEd) courses. The paper introduces an annotation scheme developed by two linguists aiming at pinpointing linguistic challenges that hinder effective written communication. The scheme builds upon patterns supported by the literature, which are known as predictors of student placement in DevEd courses and English proficiency levels. Other novel, multilayered, linguistic aspects that the literature has not yet explored are also presented. The scheme and its primary categories are succinctly presented and justified. Two trained annotators used this scheme to annotate a sample of 103 text units (3 during the training phase and 100 during the annotation task proper). Texts were randomly selected from a population of 290 community college intending students. An in-depth quality assurance inspection was conducted to assess tagging consistency between annotators and to discern (and address) annotation inaccuracies. Krippendorff’s Alpha (K-alpha) interrater reliability coefficients were calculated, revealing a K-alpha score of k=0.40, which corresponds to a moderate level of agreement, deemed adequate for the complexity and length of the annotation task.
Late neanderthal subsistence and foraging mobility at Lapa do Picareiro: a zooarchaeological and taphonomic analysis of Level JJ
Publication . Carvalho, Milena; Haws, Jonathan; Jones, Emily Lena
Recent revisions of Neanderthal behavioral models call into question the notion of inflexible subsistence strategies. Here, we present new zooarchaeological and taphonomic data from Level JJ at Lapa do Picareiro (Portuguese Estremadura), dating to ∼51.5–42.5 ka cal BP, to evaluate Neanderthal prey selection, mobility, and adaptive responses to climatic fluctuations during MIS 3. Our zooarchaeological and taphonomic analysis of macro-mammalian faunal assemblages—divided into three stratigraphic subunits—reveals a consistent emphasis on red deer exploitation, supplemented by occasional hunting of ibex, chamois, aurochs, and horse. Despite paleoenvironmental disturbances associated with Heinrich Stadial (HS) 5, the stable abundance and processing of red deer indicate that these key resources remained reliable, supporting a localized foraging territory estimated at 225–400 km². In contrast, the lithic record shows a shift in raw material procurement before and after the climatic event, suggesting adaptive technological responses. Overall, our findings imply that Neanderthals at Picareiro employed brief, intermittent site occupations while maintaining resilient, regionally adapted subsistence and mobility strategies in the face of environmental variability.
Topical insulin meets nanomedicine: a synergy for enhanced skin regeneration
Publication . Duarte, Sofia O. D.; Fonte, Pedro
Chronic wounds, particularly those associated with diabetes, present an increasing public health burden due to their extended healing periods and high recurrence rates. One of the most common and clinically difficult forms of chronic wounds are diabetic foot ulcers, which are frequently distinguished by poor angiogenesis, ongoing inflammation, and wound environments that are rich in proteases. Over10 million people are impacted in Europe alone, with a high prevalence among those 65 and older. Over €4 billion is spent on healthcare each year, with each patient’s treatment costing between €6,000 and €10,000 [1,2]. Because of the ongoing inflammation and protease activity, conventional therapies frequently fail to promote complete regeneration, particularly in diabetic wound beds where heal-ing is severely compromised. As a result, there is now more interest in insulin, a biomolecule that is vital for wound heal-ing and has angiogenic, proliferative, and immunomodulatory qualities [2]. However, in chronic wound beds, insulin is extremely vulnerable to enzymatic degradation [3]. By encapsulating insulin in nanoparticles that resist degradation, enhance retention at the wound site, and permit con-trolled release, recent developments in nanomedicine overcome these drawbacks. These technologies better match drug availability with the changing wound environment and improve the regenerative effects of insulin [3,4]. As a result, combining topical insulin therapy with nanocarrier systems shows promise as a wound care approach, especially for diabetic ulcers and other chronic conditions.
Evolution of research on resource slack and future directions
Publication . Freitas, Anderson Nery; Serra, Fernando Ribeiro; Guerrazzi, Luiz Antonio de Camargo; Scazziota, Vanessa; Scafuto, Isabel Cristina
This article examines how organizations manage resource slack to influence performance, addressing inconsistent findings in the literature despite four decades of scholarly attention. While research on resource slack spans diverse domains from innovation to environmental management, a knowledge gap exists in understanding the mechanisms through which organizations transform slack into performance outcomes. This study addresses this gap through a comprehensive bibliometric analysis that maps the intellectual evolution of resource slack research. From an initial sample of 340 published articles across 167 journals, bibliographic coupling analysis identified 98 articles with significant conceptual relationships. Using exploratory factor analysis and network analysis, the study reveals distinct research streams and their interconnections. Results uncover two key insights: Factor 1 consolidates traditional resource slack theory encompassing 84 articles focusing on performance optimization and strategic resource allocation, while Factor 2 reveals emerging theoretical approaches comprising 14 articles addressing contemporary organizational challenges including environmental uncertainty and dynamic resource orchestration. The analysis advances theory by explaining how organizations employ different types of slack resources across varying contexts, the specific mechanisms used to transform slack into performance outcomes, and how organizations adapt slack management approaches to environmental conditions. These findings have implications for both scholars seeking to resolve theoretical inconsistencies and practitioners aiming to optimize resource allocation decisions. The study contributes to strategic management literature by offering an integrated perspective on slack resource management that can guide future research and inform organizational resource optimization strategies.
Shuttling communicative competence to the 21st Century
Publication . Constantino Correia, Rúben
This paper examines English’s linguistic imperialism and the resulting widespread use of the language among speakers of various linguistic backgrounds. It challenges the mistaken belief that native speakers (NS) are inherently better at speaking English simply due to their birthplace. Despite the growing number of non-native speakers (NNSs), English is still taught, learned, and marketed as if primarily used for communication with NSs, on account of being based on the concept of communicative competence and deeply rooted in native-speakerism. The paper argues that it is inappropriate to project this model to NNSs and advocates a redefinition of communicative competence, in favor of language proficiency and intelligibility. The purpose of this paper is to propose a new framework for assessing spoken mastery in social and pedagogical contexts, challenging traditional views on language ownership and teaching practices. The paper will explore the implications of this new approach and provide practical recommendations for practicing teachers.