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DDI: A Novel Technology And Innovation Model for Dependable, Collaborative and Autonomous Systems
Get PDFYesDigital transformation fundamentally changes established practices in public and private sector. Hence, it represents an opportunity to improve the value creation processes (e.g., “industry 4.0”) and to rethink how to address customers' needs such as “data-driven business models” and “Mobility-as-a-Service”. Dependable, collaborative and autono-mous systems are playing a central role in this transformation process. Furthermore, the emergence of data-driven approaches combined with autonomous systems will lead to new business models and market dynamics. Innovative approaches to re-organise the value creation ecosystem, to enable distributed engineering of dependable systems and to answer urgent questions such as liability will be required. Consequently, digital transformation requires a comprehensive multi-stakeholder approach which properly balances technology, ecosystem and business innovation. Targets of this paper are (a) to introduce digital transformation and the role of / opportunities provided by autonomous systems, (b) to introduce Digital Depednability Identities (DDI) - a technology for dependability engineering of collaborative, autonomous CPS, and (c) to propose an appropriate agile approach for innovation management based on business model innovation and co-entrepreneurship.Science Foundation Ireland grant 13/RC/2094, by the Horizon 2020 programme within the OpenInnoTrain project (grant agreement 823971) ; H2020 SESAME project (grant agreement 101017258)
Rostow's Stages of Growth
No full textNoIn this chapter we lay out a broad outline of Rostow’s Stages growth theory. Rostow in his seminal work identified five different stages of economic growth - the traditional society, the preconditions for take-off, the take-off, the drive to maturity, and the age of high mass consumption. Interest in Rostow’s stages theory was in 1960s and persists even now as researchers are still intrigued by the ideas and notions laid out in Rostow’s theory (Costa et al. 2016 a,b; McCartney 2018; Solivetti 2005). Interestingly in today’s world, the theory is being applied to different contexts and scenarios such as application of theory to environment, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor etc (Kesgingoz, H. and Serkan 2016; McCartney 2018). The stages of growth theory covered a broader spectrum of issues ranging from economic, social and political to US-Russia (the then USSR) cold war and their dominance at the global level. In this chapter we restrict ourselves to economic aspects of stages theory only.The chapter is published under the title: 'Stages of Growth
Barriers and facilitators of successful deprescribing as described by older patients living with frailty, their informal carers and clinicians: a qualitative interview study
Get PDFYesObjective To explore the barriers/facilitators to deprescribing in primary care in England from the perspectives of clinicians, patients living with frailty who reside at home, and their informal carers, drawing on the Theoretical Domains Framework to identify behavioural components associated with barriers/facilitators of the process.
Design Exploratory qualitative study.
Setting General practice (primary care) in England.
Participants 9 patients aged 65+ living with frailty who attended a consultation to reduce or stop a medicine/s. 3 informal carers of patients living with frailty. 14 primary care clinicians including general practitioners, practice pharmacists and advanced nurse practitioners.
Methods Qualitative semistructured interviews took place with patients living with frailty, their informal carers and clinicians. Patients (n=9) and informal carers (n=3) were interviewed two times: immediately after deprescribing and 5/6 weeks later. Clinicians (n=14) were interviewed once. In total, 38 interviews were undertaken. Framework analysis was applied to manage and analyse the data.
Results 6 themes associated with facilitators and barriers to deprescribing were generated, respectively, with each supported by between two and three subthemes. Identified facilitators of deprescribing with patients living with frailty included shared decision-making, gradual introduction of the topic, clear communication of the topic to the patient and multidisciplinary working. Identified barriers of deprescribing included consultation constraints, patients' fear of negative consequences and inaccessible terminology and information.
Conclusions This paper offers timely insight into the barriers and facilitators to deprescribing for patients living with frailty within the context of primary care in England. As deprescribing continues to grow in national and international significance, it is important that future deprescribing interventions acknowledge the current barriers and facilitators and their associated behavioural components experienced by clinicians, patients living with frailty and their informal carers to improve the safety and effectiveness of the process
Transparent 2-Element 5G MIMO Antenna for Sub-6 GHz Applications
Get PDFYesA dual-port transparent multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna resonating at sub-6 GHz 5G band is proposed by using patch/ground material as transparent conductive oxide (AgHT-8) and a transparent Plexiglas substrate. Two identical circular-shaped radiating elements fed by using a microstrip feedline are designed using the finite element method (FEM) based highfrequency structure simulator (HFSS) software. The effect of the isolation mechanism is discussed using two cases. In case 1, the two horizontally positioned elements are oriented in a similar direction with a separate ground plane, whereas in case 2, the elements are vertically placed facing opposite to each other with an allied ground. In both cases, the transparent antennas span over a −10 dB band of 4.65 to 4.97 GHz (300 MHz) with isolation greater than 15 dB among two elements. The diversity parameters are also analyzed for both the cases covering the correlation coefficient (ECC), mean effective gain (MEG), diversity gain (DG), and channel capacity loss (CCL). The average gain and efficiency above 1 dBi and 45%, respectively with satisfactory MIMO diversity performance, makes the transparent MIMO antenna an appropriate choice for smart IoT devices working in the sub-6 GHz 5G band by mitigating the co-site location and visual clutter issues.Moore4Medical project, funded within ECSEL JU in collaboration with the EU H2020 Framework Programme (H2020/2014-2020) under grant agreement H2020-ECSEL-2019-IA-876190, and Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (ECSEL/0006/2019
Demonstrating the Potential of Using Bio-Based Sustainable Polyester Blends for Bone Tissue Engineering Applications
Get PDFYesHealthcare applications are known to have a considerable environmental impact and the use of bio-based polymers has emerged as a powerful approach to reduce the carbon footprint in the sector. This research aims to explore the suitability of using a new sustainable polyester blend (Floreon™) as a scaffold directed to aid in musculoskeletal applications. Musculoskeletal problems arise from a wide range of diseases and injuries related to bones and joints. Specifically, bone injuries may result from trauma, cancer, or long-term infections and they are currently considered a major global problem in both developed and developing countries. In this work we have manufactured a series of 3D-printed constructs from a novel biopolymer blend using fused deposition modelling (FDM), and we have modified these materials using a bioceramic (wollastonite, 15% w/w). We have evaluated their performance in vitro using human dermal fibroblasts and rat mesenchymal stromal cells. The new sustainable blend is biocompatible, showing no differences in cell metabolic activity when compared to PLA controls for periods 1-18 days. FloreonTM blend has proven to be a promising material to be used in bone tissue regeneration as it shows an impact strength in the same range of that shown by native bone (just under 10 kJ/m2) and supports an improvement in osteogenic activity when modified with wollastonite.We would like to acknowledge the Medical Research Council in the UK (MRC) for funding this research throughout a MRC Proximity to Discovery award (P2D) with grant number MC_PC_16084. We would also like to acknowledge CONACYT for funding DH RamosRodriguez’s work
Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Whole-System Intervention to Increase the Physical Activity of Children Aged 5 to 11 Years (Join Us: Move Play, JU:MP): Protocol for a Quasiexperimental Trial
Get PDFYesDaily physical activity is vital for the health and development of children. However, many children are inactive. Previous attempts to achieve sustained increases in daily physical activity in children have been ineffective. Join Us: Move Play (JU:MP) is a whole-system, complex, community-based intervention aiming to increase the physical activity levels of children aged 7 to 11 years who live in areas of Bradford, England, which are multicultural and have high levels of deprivation.
The purpose of this quasiexperimental controlled trial is to assess whether the JU:MP program increases primary school children's physical activity.
The study has a 2-arm, quasiexperimental, nonblinded, nonequivalent group design and will be conducted with primary school children aged 5 to 11 years at 3 timepoints, including baseline (before intervention), 24 months (during intervention), and 36 months (after intervention). Children attending primary schools within the intervention area will be invited to participate. Children attending similar schools within similar neighborhoods based on school and community census demographics (deprivation, free school meals, and ethnicity) outside of the JU:MP geographical area will be invited to participate in the control condition. At each timepoint, consenting participants will wear an accelerometer for 7 consecutive days (24 hours a day) to measure the primary outcome (average daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity). Multivariable mixed effects linear regression will be applied to estimate differences in the primary outcome between the 2 arms at 24 months and 36 months on an intention-to-treat basis. The secondary outcome analysis will explore changes in socioemotional well-being (teacher reported), quality of life (parental/carer reported), and other contextual factors (parents/carer reported), as well as segments of the day activity, sleep, sedentary screen time, frequency of places to be active, parent practices (nondirective support and autonomy support), social cohesion, and neighborhood walking/exercise environment.
Recruitment occurred from July 2021 to March 2022, and baseline data were collected from September 2021 to March 2022. As of March 2022 (end of baseline data collection), a total of 1454 children from 37 schools (17 intervention schools and 20 control schools) have been recruited. The first follow-up data collection will occur from September 2023 to March 2024, and the second and final follow-up data collection will occur from September 2024 to March 2025. Data analysis has not begun, and the final results will be published in December 2025.
This article describes the protocol for a quasiexperimental controlled trial examining a novel whole-system intervention.
ISRCTN ISRCTN14332797; https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN14332797.
DERR1-10.2196/43619
Perception of Health Care Workers (HCWs) towards early antenatal booking in Fiji: A qualitative study
Get PDFYesEarly booking or registration into Antenatal Care (ANC) can be defined as initiation of ANC before 12 weeks of gestation and is important for the best health outcome of the mother and the baby. Delayed initiation of ANC has been linked to increased rate of maternal and fetal mortality. There is international consensus that ANC should begin within first trimester yet pregnant women delay initiation of ANC. Health Care Workers (HCWs) understanding of reasons for this can improve patient provider relationship.
Objectives: This study aims to explore the perception of the HCWs in Fiji towards early antenatal booking.
Methods: A qualitative study was employed using four Focus-Group Discussions (FGDs)with the HCWs who provide health care service for pregnant women in Ba Mission Hospital (BMH) in 2020. Each group comprised of medical officers, mid-wives and registered nurse who were chosen purposively. A semi-structured open ended questionnaire was used to guide the discussion. Data was transcribed and analyzed manually using thematic content analysis using the following process: familiarization, coding, identifying themes, reviewing and refining, integration and interpretation.
Results: There was a total of 18 HCWs for the FGDs. The mean age of the participants was 37.4±11.8years. The three themes identified were: knowledge of HCWs on early booking, their perceived barriers and perceived enabling factors to early antenatal booking. The FGDs identified that the HCWs had adequate knowledge on early initiation of ANC and that there were a range of barriers to early initiation of ANC. The HCWs also suggested factors that could enable women to book early.
Conclusion: Based on the study it can be concluded that the HCWs have a positive perception of early antenatal booking, however, there are various factors that contribute to delayed antenatal booking. The barriers to early ANC are both an opportunity and a challenge to strengthen and review the maternal services offered. The enabling factors should be reinforced from an individual level to the health system and the general context. The implications of the barriers and enabling factors identified in this study is to implement evidence-based policies to improve early antenatal booking in Ba, Fiji
Configuring political relationships to navigate host-country institutional complexity: Insights from Anglophone sub-Saharan Africa
No full textYesWe examine how ties with multiple host-country political institutions contribute to MNE subsidiary performance in countries with weak formal institutions. We suggest that forging relationships between subsidiaries and host-country government actors, local chieftains, and religious leaders generates regulative, normative, and cultural-cognitive political resources. We integrate institutional and configuration theories to argue that similarity to an ideal configuration of the three political resources contributes to MNE subsidiary performance, and that the more dysfunctional host country institutions, the greater the impact on performance. We test our hypotheses using primary and archival data from 604 MNE subsidiaries in 23 Anglophone sub-Saharan African countries and find support for our hypotheses. In our conclusion we discuss the wider theoretical, managerial, and public policy implications of our findings
Evaluating the ‘Success’ of The British Intervention in Sierra Leone 20 Years On: Implications for Sierra Leone, The UK, and Interventions Globally
Get PDFOver the last two decades the frequency of humanitarian interventions in Africa,
delivered by a wide range of actors, has increased. The British military
intervention in the Sierra Leonean civil war in the early 2000s is often cited as
an example of successful intervention and solidified Security Sector Reform
(SSR) as a key component of state-building and development. Yet in-depth
analysis of the long-term legacies of this ‘successful’ intervention are sparse
and there remains a notable dearth in research exploring the British
involvement from the perspectives of those directly involved or affected. This
qualitative research provides a novel outlook by exploring micro-level
experiences, thus addressing this lacuna through examining the legacies within
Sierra Leone and in British foreign policy from an experiential perspective. The
Responsibility to Protect (R2P) is used as a framework in order to draw out
implications for global intervention practice, as arguably R2P must also be accompanied by a responsibility to fully understand the legacy of this social
phenomenon.
A themed analysis of original data explores the link between official narratives
and the perspectives of those on the ground, often exposing a disconnect and
identifying important nuances within the interpretation of the success of the
British intervention. Through a critical analysis of these experiences significant
questions are raised regarding the dynamics between intervening forces and
the affected population; perceptions of legitimacy; accountability; and the
implications for R2P more broadly
Pathways to public life for professional women in Afghanistan: Negotiating shifting patriarchal political regimes and gender regimes
Get PDFThis thesis examines how Afghan women from the professional social class have negotiated the patriarchy in that country and claimed their agency and public life during different political regimes. Resisting the Western representation of Afghan women as passive victims, it uses the life story method, based on interviews with a wide range of women in public life during the period of US-sponsored democracy and intervention, to analyse the complex factors involved in enabling women to access public life. From a historical sociological viewpoint it examines the shifts in the forms of patriarchy and their sustaining gender regimes from 19th century to the present, and draws on Walby’s six structures of patriarchy in order to understand how those shift affected the ability of women to access public life and employment. Those structures – culture, religion, education, employment, family – are explored through the experiences and life histories of my interviewees. The thesis also pays attention to the involvement of external, foreign actors in the affairs of Afghanistan and the impact of those interventions on the possibility for women’s agency and participation in professional and public life through different political regimes. It thus challenges a simplistic view 9/11 was a water-shed moment for women’s empowerment, and notes that the economic is-sues, an aid-dependent economy and political regimes, security and safety, poverty and psychological trauma, corruption and power struggles among different forces (local and foreign) in many ways undermined women’s prospects in public life. The finding of the research shows that the rights and position of women in Afghanistan have fluctuated over the last 100 years depending on the patriarchal cultural, political and religious ideology and practice of the political regimes, and in no small part due to the influence and interference of external actors in the country