A narrative approach exploring phenomenology in education and educational research: The use and abuse of phenomenology

This paper utilises a narrative approach to explore how phenomenology is often used in education and educational research, with the aim of opening-up a serious debate concerning the ‘use’ and the ‘abuse’ of phenomenology in non-philosophical contexts. We argue that this is necessary given the waywardness of methodological rigour and the weaknesses of over reliance on descriptive remembrances of experience that are problematically privileged, which often characterise current attempts to merge phenomenological theory with educational research. We employ two fictional dialogues to emphasise and highlight how discussion around the complexities of engagement with phenomenological thinking can be beneficial or otherwise. These fictional dialogues accentuate the need for academic carefulness in the way language is used and in terms of expectation of what is interpretively possible within an overarching context that seeks to cultivate a deeper epistemic-practical relationship that is underpinned by a nuanced deployment of phenomenology methods in non-philosophical contexts.

The Living Earth Community : A Gateway to a Sustainable Future

Review of Novel Ecologies: Nature Remade and the Illusions of Tech Allison Carruth. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2025 (ISBN: 9780226837734)

Executive Orders and Henry VIII Clauses

Children in Environments of Fear and Poverty

Putting EHF into practice: five (more) challenges

Geometric Proofs of the Irrationality of Square-Roots for Select Integers

This paper presents geometric proofs for the irrationality of square roots of select integers, extending classical approaches. Building on known geometric methods for proving the irrationality of2, the authors explore whether similar techniques can be applied to other non-square integers. They begin by reviewing well-known results, such as Euclid’s proof for the irrationality of2, and discuss subsequent geometric extensions for3,5, and6. The authors then introduce new geometric constructions, particularly using hexagons, to prove the irrationality of6. Furthermore, the paper investigates the limitations and challenges of extending these geometric methods to triangular numbers. Through detailed geometric reasoning, the authors successfully generalize the approach to several square-free numbers and identify cases where the method breaks down. The paper concludes by inviting further exploration of geometric irrationality proofs for other integers, proposing potential avenues for future work.

Sum of Consecutive Terms of Pell and Related Sequences

We study new identities related to the sum of adjacent terms in the Pell sequence, defined byP n : = 2 P n − 1 + P n − 2forn ≥ 2andP 0 = 0 , P 1 = 1, and generalize these identities to many similar sequences. We prove that the sum ofN > 1consecutive Pell numbers is a fixed integer multiple of another Pell number if and only if4 | N. We consider the generalized Pell( k , i )-numbers defined byp ( n ) : =   2 p ( n − 1 ) + p ( n − k − 1 )forn ≥ k + 1, withp ( 0 ) = p ( 1 ) = ⋯ = p ( i ) = 0andp ( i + 1 ) = ⋯ = p ( k ) = 1for0 ≤ i ≤ k − 1, and prove that the sum ofN = 2 k + 2consecutive terms is a fixed integer multiple of another term in the sequence. We also prove that for the generalized Pell( k , k − 1 )-numbers such a relation does not exist when N and k are odd. We give analogous results for the Fibonacci and other related second-order recursive sequences.

ESG Ratings, ESG News Sentiment, and Firm Credit Risk Perception

We investigate the impact of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) rating changes and daily ESG news sentiment on firm credit risk. We document a significant increase in credit default swap (CDS) spreads following ESG rating downgrades, especially for the social pillar, while we find a muted reaction to ESG upgrades. A similar asymmetrical effect is documented for ESG news. We further show that the adverse effect of ESG downgrades on the CDS market is stronger for firms with lower creditworthiness, but mitigated in the presence of positive ESG sentiment, a transparent information environment, and higher rating disagreement.

Performance of simplicia herbs drying in a dryer assisted with superabsorbent polymer

The high moisture content of simplicia herbs can deteriorate when stored, so drying is proposed to preserve them. This study, hence, aims to conduct the simplicia herbs drying in a dryer assisted with superabsorbent polymer (SAP). The objectives are to determine the performance of this dryer in terms of moisture content, drying time, morphology and color of the dried product, specific energy consumption, and the techno-economic aspect. Following the results, drying assisted with SAP for ginger can save drying time by 3 h. Also, the heater addition aids in reducing drying time by 51 h. Overall, all dried simplicia herbs have a moisture content of 8.70–9.27% (shrinkage factor of 83.27–92.19% on a mass basis) after 15–22 h of drying. The specific energy consumption of polydryer is 4.14–5.65 kWh/kg. The morphology of the dried product also exhibits more pores. Meanwhile, the color of the dried products does not show significant differences with the commercial products. Fascinatingly, the addition of two drying chambers alters the net present value from 635.91 US$ to 2795.01 US$, enhances the internal rate of return from 149 to 260%, and alleviates the discounted payback period from 16 batches to 11 batches.