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Behavioral biases and over-indebtedness in consumer credit: Evidence from Malaysia
Get PDFOver-indebtedness in relation to consumer loans represents an important issue for consumers as it impacts their financial well-being. Identifying the risk factors associated with over-indebtedness is crucial in overcoming this problem. Existing literature shows that behavioral biases influence individuals’ financial decision making. This study analyses the relationship between behavioral biases and over-indebtedness among consumer loan holders in Malaysia. It aims to investigate whether self-control bias, overconfidence, mental accounting, and availability bias are linked to over-indebtedness. The analysis is done based on a sample of 433 credit card or personal loan holders. The results indicate that self-control bias is linked to higher overall over-indebtedness. Meanwhile, overconfidence and mental accounting are linked to lower overall over-indebtedness. Availability bias is shown to worsen credit card debt repayment decisions. These findings highlight the need for financial education programs that address self-control issues and raise awareness of behavioral biases, helping consumers make more informed financial decisions. Additionally, policymakers in Malaysia can leverage these insights to design targeted strategies that reduce over-indebtedness in managing consumer loans
Open data business models and financial stability in open innovation environments
Get PDFBusinesses increasingly rely on data to enhance operations, drive innovation, and create new products and services. Data has become a critical organizational asset, and the Open Innovation (OI) paradigm highlights its potential to be shared or freely released to stimulate innovation. The Open Data (OD) movement builds on this idea, promoting transparency, social development, and innovation through the “opening” of data. This study investigates the intersection of OD and OI by examining how organizations engaged in OD initiatives structure their business models and the impact of these models on financial performance. Open Data Business Models (ODBM) are essential for companies to leverage freely accessible, non‐proprietary data effectively, enabling them to create value through innovative services, enhanced customer engagement, or improved decision‐making processes. Using a sample of 406 UK companies, the study employs a qualitative approach to identify ODBM archetypes. A quantitative analysis investigates the relationship between industry sector, ODBM adoption, and financial performance. Findings reveal key ODBM characteristics, their prevalence, and potential links to financial performance, offering insights into the long‐term viability of ODBMs. Summed up, the study provides a foundational resource for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to maximize OD benefits while ensuring economic resilience and sustainability
Total model-free robust control of non-affine nonlinear systems with discontinuous inputs
Get PDFTaking the plant as a total uncertainty in a black box with measurable inputs and attainable outputs, this paper presents a constructive control design of agnostic nonlinear dynamic systems with discontinuous input (such as hard nonlinearities in the forms of dead zones, friction, and backlashes). This study expands the model-free sliding mode control (MFSMC), based on the Lyapunov differential inequality, to a total model-free robust control (TMFRC) for this class of piecewise systems, which does not use extra adaptive online data fitting modelling to deal with plant uncertainties and input discontinuities. The associated properties are analysed to justify the constraints and provide assurance for system stability analysis. Numerical examples in control of a non-affine nonlinear plant with three hard nonlinear inputs—a dead zone, Coulomb and viscous friction, and backlash—are used to test the feasibility of the TMFRC. Furthermore, real experimental tests on a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) are also given to showcase the control’s applicability and offer guidance for implementation
Differentials in air pollutant exposure across communities and regions in the UK
No full textThis report considers the differentials in air pollutant emissions, concentrations and exposure across the geographies and communities of the UK. It lays out the extent of evidence on these differentials and highlights gaps in our knowledge.A complete understanding of the possible causes and impacts will only be achieved through a multidisciplinary synthesis of the evidence base that is beyond the remit of AQEG. Our report synthesises aspects of this complex socio-environmental and health challenge. We hope that this report will be a catalyst for future research to better understand differentials in relation to UK air quality and identify opportunities to maximise the benefits from air pollution interventions
Developing and Implementing a Public Health and Criminological Approach to Tackling Sexual Abuse: Prevention, Treatment and Integration
No full textThis edited collection draws together and contextualises research on the Epidemiological Criminology (EpiCrim) approaches to sexual abuse carried out by the University of West England (UWE), Bristol. EpiCrim sees crime and offending behaviour, including sexual abuse, as a public health issue and advocates that to prevent first time or repeat offending behaviour we have to work in a bespoke way across a number of populations (individual, interpersonal, community, and societal). The book introduces the area of EpiCrim and how it works to address sexual abuse, before examining the UWE based research on the prevention, treatment and community integration of people impacted by sexual abuse. The book discusses policy, practice, theory and research in this area with the authors reviewing, critiquing, synthesising as well as building upon previous/current research, theory and policy
A roadmap for integrating sustainability into software engineering education
Get PDFThe world faces escalating crises: record-breaking temperatures, widespread fires, severe flooding, increased oceanic microplastics, and unequal resource distribution. Academia introduces courses around sustainability to meet the new demand, but software engineering education lags behind. While software systems contribute to environmental issues through high energy consumption, they also hold the potential for solutions, such as more efficient and equitable resource management. Yet, sustainability remains a low priority for many businesses, including those in the digital sector. Business as usual is no longer viable. A transformational change in software engineering education is urgently needed. We must move beyond traditional curriculum models and fully integrate sustainability into every aspect of software development. By embedding sustainability as a core competency, we can equip future engineers not only to minimise harm but also to innovate solutions that drive positive, sustainable change. Only with such a shift can software engineering education meet the demands of a world in crisis and prepare students to lead the next generation of sustainable technology. This paper discusses a set of challenges and proposes a customisable education roadmap for integrating sustainability into the software engineering curricula. These challenges reflect our perspective on key considerations, stemming from regular, intensive discussions in regular workshops among the authors and the community, as well as our extensive research and teaching experience in the field
Quality of life with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome/Joint Hypermobility Syndrome: A systematic review of psychosocial interventions
Get PDFBackground: Psychosocial interventions may improve QoL in people with wider chronic pain conditions. However, the evidence requires refining for application to EDS/JHMS. This systematic review aimed to identify, assess and synthesise the evidence of the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions concerning EDS/JHMS. EBSCO, OpenGrey, Cochrane, Prospero, Researchgate and BPS Wiley online were searched for papers published approximately 2000–2024 for studies in which (1) Participants diagnosed with EDS/JHMS. (2) Quantitative or mixed methods. (3) Assessed a Psychosocial intervention to a (4) quality of life outcome. (5) in English. EPHPP quality assessment tool was used to assess the quality and risk of bias.Main text: The study identified six studies, including 343 participants aged 13–69 (F = 248, M = 8), of unknown ethnicity. Five studies were cohort and one non‐randomised controlled trial. Key methodological flaws included no reported effect size and no control group. With quality assessed as low (5) or moderate (1), there was weak evidence that psychosocial interventions containing mindfulness and CBT resulted in a general improvement in QoL compared to no intervention.Conclusions: Findings from this review indicate the potential of mindfulness and CBT in improving QOL in EDS/JHMS and, in some studies, pain and fatigue. However, existing research is at high risk of bias, has low methodological quality, and is predominately focused on female patients. Future research should adopt methodologically robust approaches such as RCTs and more inclusive samples and consider co‐production
Early days of the immersive exhibition network
Get PDFOver the past 10–15 years, the appetite for immersive work both from artists and audiences has grown faster than the networks supporting it. This report brings together insights and recommendations from sector experts on the challenges and opportunities facing artists, venues, and audiences in the exhibition and distribution of immersive artworks
Augmentative versus compensatory? How context shapes the impacts of general socializing on newcomer engagement
Get PDFNewcomer relationship-building behaviors are usually considered beneficial. However, after closer inspection of past studies, the results were mixed. In this paper, we start to unpack these mixed effects by focusing on newcomer general socializing (i.e., building social connections by attending workplace events). Specifically, we investigate when newcomer general socializing is more or less beneficial for newcomer engagement by proposing two contrasting views: (1) applying conservation of resources theory, we argue general socializing increases engagement under high serial tactics, providing an augmentative effect; (2) utilizing attachment theory, we argue general socializing enhances engagement under low serial tactics, enabling a compensatory effect. Unexpectedly, neither an augmentative nor a compensatory effect was supported in Study 1 (China). To explain these results, we extend our investigation by including task interdependence as a boundary condition and test our predictions in Study 2 (Australia). The results of Study 2 support the compensatory effect: When newcomers experience low serial tactics under low task interdependence, general socializing enhances emotional engagement. However, general socializing is detrimental to cognitive engagement when newcomers experience high serial tactics under low task interdependence. Our research contributes to theory and provides insights to HR on how to tailor onboarding interventions to optimize newcomer engagement
Characterization of phylogenetically distinct temperate phages from Kenyan Mammaliicoccus sciuri
Get PDFBackground: Temperate bacteriophages are widespread in bacterial genomes and can play significant roles in bacterial evolution and pathogenicity. Despite their importance, they remain poorly characterized in nonclinical Staphylococcaceae, particularly Mammaliicoccus sciuri.Materials and Methods: We analyzed 26 M. sciuri strains isolated from the nasal cavities of East African dogs and camels. Prophages were induced using mitomycin C, and isolated phages were characterized by whole-genome sequencing, phylogenetic analysis, electron microscopy imaging, and host-range determination.Results: Eight novel siphoviruses were isolated. Phylogenomic analysis revealed two new families, each comprising two genera. Notably, phages from one of these families (with genomes >130 kbp) exhibit a broad host range, while the other family is related to previously described phages implicated in horizontal gene transfer.Conclusion: Our findings reveal unexpected diversity of temperate phages in M. sciuri, expanding current knowledge of phage distribution in animal-associated opportunistic pathogens