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Public support for more stringent vaccine policies increases with vaccine effectiveness
Get PDFData Availability and accession codes: The datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.Supplementary Information is available online at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-51654-y#Sec11 .Under what conditions do citizens support coercive public policies? Although recent research suggests that people prefer policies that preserve freedom of choice, such as behavioural nudges, many citizens accepted stringent policy interventions like fines and mandates to promote vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic—a pattern that may be linked to the unusually high effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. We conducted a large online survey experiment (N = 42,417) in the Group of Seven (G-7) countries investigating the relationship between a policy’s effectiveness and public support for stringent policies. Our results indicate that public support for stringent vaccination policies increases as vaccine effectiveness increases, but at a modest scale. This relationship flattens at higher levels of vaccine effectiveness. These results suggest that intervention effectiveness can be a significant predictor of support for coercive policies but only up to some threshold of effectiveness.British Academy grant no. COVG7210005 (Overcoming barriers to vaccination by empowering citizens to make deliberate choices)
On the European Commission’s proposal to create a new EU-wide compulsory licensing regime.
Get PDFThis article discusses the European Commission’s proposal to implement a new EU-wide compulsory licensing regime and its key elements. The Commission’s proposal contains some novel and useful elements that may improve the effectiveness of compulsory licensing at the EU. This includes the possibility to issue a compulsory licence in relation to patent applications and SPCs, the indication of a generic name of a compulsory licensed medicine where the identification of all intellectual property rights or rights-holders requires time, the suspension of regulatory data and market protection, as well as access to confidential information and know-how. Moreover, while the proposal is focused on the use of compulsory licensing at the pan-European level, the approach taken by the Commission may also serve as an example for national compulsory licensing regimes in European and non-European countries making their mechanisms more flexible and effective. Such an approach may help to make the EU (and potentially other jurisdictions) better prepared for future national and global emergencies
Addressing fiscal uncertainty: Proposing policy pathways for enhancing economic growth and fertility rates in South Korea
Get PDFThis study investigates the critical role of fiscal uncertainty in driving economic growth in South Korea and explores the potential implications for the nation's long-standing low fertility challenge. Utilizing country-year data and advanced measures disaggregating economic policy uncertainty into dimensions like fiscal, monetary, and trade uncertainty, the analysis reveals a strong negative association between fiscal uncertainty and GDP growth rates over the past three decades. Periods of heightened fiscal volatility, characterized by unpredictable government spending, tax policies, and overall economic instability, consistently preceded declines in economic growth. Moreover, the findings indicate that fiscal uncertainty moderates the relationship between economic expansion and fertility rates. While GDP growth generally improves conditions favorable for childbearing by raising living standards, the positive impact on fertility diminishes as fiscal uncertainty increases. Strikingly, at sufficiently high levels of uncertainty, economic growth fails to boost fertility rates, underscoring the crucial role of fiscal stability in reaping the full benefits of growth. These insights highlight the importance of reducing fiscal uncertainty through strategies like implementing tax and spending "calendarization" systems and adopting long-term policy planning horizons. By promoting fiscal predictability and fostering an environment conducive to sustained economic expansion, policymakers can indirectly create conditions that support higher fertility rates by alleviating household aversion to uncertainty. While focused on economic factors, this research acknowledges the multifaceted nature of fertility decisions and calls for a holistic policy approach combined with further causal investigations using micro-level data and experimental designs. Ultimately, prioritizing fiscal stability and addressing fiscal uncertainty present a critical pathway towards stimulating economic growth and potentially revitalizing fertility rates in South Korea and similar developed nations confronting demographic challenges
Employee brand performance: The effects of internal marketing and the mediating role of employee brand behaviour in the banking sector
Get PDFThis thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonThis research investigated the concept of employee brand performance in the context of banks, which is an under-investigated topic. Both literature and practice show that branding is a major topic of concern to banks. But research on employee brand performance has not been well addressed in the literature, although its importance has been highlighted as a concept that can enhance banks’ brand performance, enabling them to gain competitive advantage. Lack of complete knowledge on the factors that contribute to employee brand performance is plaguing banks. In fact, research on the contribution of employees to the branding and brand performance of banks has not produced generalizable or parsimonious outcomes or models that could be considered by banks for implementation. This research has addressed this gap in the literature to some extent.
Based on a thorough literature review, it was identified that employees’ contribution to brand performance could be controlled and manipulated if those employees are considered as internal customers. The concept of internal marketing of branding to employees was found to be useful in grooming employees to deliver the expected brand performance of banks, although such conceptualization was rarely found in the literature. Despite the paucity of research publications addressing the linkage between internal marketing and employee brand performance, some publications offered grounds to conceive such a linkage. In the absence of supporting theories or models that could provide a basis to directly link internal marketing and employee brand performance, it was argued that certain factors could be brought into the picture that could provide such a linkage. Again, the literature review showed that internal branding, along with employee brand loyalty, employee brand commitment and employee brand identification, provide support to link the concepts of internal marketing and employee brand performance. A conceptual model was developed. Results obtained through the research showed significant differences when compared to those already published in the literature, especially those pertaining to employee brand commitment.
The outcome of the research showed that employee brand commitment was not significant in mediating the relationships between internal marketing, internal branding, and employee brand performance. The findings of the research showed that internal marketing operates better in enhancing employees’ performance through internal branding and employee brand identification. The findings also showed that internal marketing can operate through a linkage between internal branding and employee brand identity to enhance employee brand performance, although to a lesser extent when compared to the path that included employee brand loyalty. The findings further showed that banks could use both the paths—namely the linkage between internal marketing, internal branding, employee brand identity and employee brand performance on the one hand and internal marketing, internal branding, employee brand loyalty and employee brand performance on the other—to derive the best brand performance.
The research was conducted in the Kingdom of Bahrain, considered to be the hub of banking and finance for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. A quantitative research method was used, in the form of a survey involving 114 banks. Questionnaires were distributed to 700 employees. Responses were received from all 700 employees, with 396 being valid. The response rate was 56.5%. Overall, the research succeeded in bridging the gap between internal marketing and employee brand performance and developed a parsimonious model in which internal marketing could act as a useful determinant of employee brand performance, thus contributing to the body of knowledge
Research and development of image processing algorithms for effective recognition of various gestures in real time
Get PDFThe study proposed a method of sign language communication using machine learning. Various sign language standards are considered. The study uses neural networks for gesture recognition, namely Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN). The work will also use OpenCV technology to capture gestures from video. The considered dataset for the neural network is ASL Alphabet. An overview of neural networks is provided, as well as a detailed description of how to apply and build a convolutional neural network. It is indicated by what means and where the development of the software product took place. The libraries that were used to perform the given task are described. The architecture of the convolutional neural network, which was used in the implementation of the software product, is indicated. After training, the neural network was tested and showed an accuracy of 90.16%. The software product is described and a user manual is created.Ukrainian National Research Foundation, grant number 2021.01/0103
DNA replication termination and chromosome dynamics in
Get PDFThis thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonFaithful genome duplication requires accurate replication initiation, elongation, and termination.
In Escherichia coli, replication initiates bidirectionally from oriC and concludes when converging
forks meet in the termination region. Recent work from the Rudolph lab has shown that
this fusion process is risky and can jeopardize stability of the termination area. E. coli’ s chromosome
contains a specialized “replication fork trap” comprised of Tus binding ter sites to direct
termination events into a conined region. However, the function and evolution of this fork trap
system is unclear, as are the key proteins and pathways needed to complete replication. This
work investigates chromosome architecture and impacts of fork fusions on genomic instability
in E. coli by measuring recombination at deined chromosome locations and accumulation of
R‑loops that threaten genomic stability. Bioinformatics revealed maintenance of the fork trap
structure across diverse E. coli strains and related enterobacteria, and that inactivation of Tus
leads to mild growth defects, showing that while not all bacteria have a fork trap system, it is
maintained once acquired leading to advantageous growth. Ectopic replication fusion events
increased local recombination rates, implying fork collisions threaten genomic stability, with
RecG and UvrD mutants showing synergistic effects of DNA metabolism in the termination area.
R‑loop analysis demonstrated Tus synergizes with accessory helicases RecG and UvrD to limit
global R‑loop accumulation, and I suggest the R‑loop toxicity begins in the termination area.
Unrestrained R‑loop buildup induced toxicity over time, highlighting the danger of unrestricted
R‑loop accumulation and importance of enzymatic processing by RecG and UvrD. These indings
provide key insights into replication termination in E. coli. They suggest the fork trap and repair
pathways helps contain deleterious consequences of fork fusions, while promoting proper
chromosome segregation. This work establishes principles relevant to both prokaryotes and eukaryotes
regarding maintenance of genomic integrity during the essential process of DNA replication.
Elucidating bacterial systems that enable faithful completion of replication enhances
fundamental understanding of chromosome duplication mechanisms required for genome stability
across all domains of life.
Making transdisciplinarity work for complex systems: A dynamic model for blending diverse knowledges
Get PDFThe authors wish to thank all of the Long COVID: We Are Here! participants for their knowledge, insight, expertise and generosity throughout the co-curation process as well as contributions to the exhibition and this paper. The authors would also like to thank the Long COVID experts for their support, engagement and care before, during, and after the development of this work. In addition, the authors would like to thank the reviewers for their thoughtful and constructive comments on this manuscript.The world is increasingly characterized by a paradigm of interconnectivity within a complex system, so that impact to any single element or location is likely to cause unanticipated, unequal, and disruptive impacts elsewhere. As society has become more complex, the intractable problems of our global community have also become complex, interconnected, dynamic and nonlinear. Potential solutions to complex global issues will not be identifiable through efforts associated with any single discipline. Boundary-spanning collaborations and collective action are required to create the necessary paradigm shifts. In response to this need, this paper presents a transdisciplinary framework designed to blend different knowledges and resources via a non-hierarchical, self-organizing collaboration. This boundary-spanning process fosters the integration of diverse scholarly expertise, artistic expression and lived experiences to engage broad audiences in knowledge exchange. As illustration, a virtual art + science exhibition produced during the COVID-19 pandemic, Long COVID: We Are Here! is examined. The exhibition, co-created by six artists and six scientists, curated multiple voices, skills, talents and artefacts to explore perspectives of an emerging global health and social problem. This paper scrutinizes the design process, production, and outcomes of the exhibition as a model for engaging with complexity, at multiple scales; as a method of knowledge sharing and new knowledge creation, of disseminating empirical knowledge to a broad audience, and for enabling and catalyzing transformative and sustainable pathways for social change.Relational Space was awarded a City Artist Corps Grant presented by The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and the NYC Dept. of Cultural Affairs (DCLA), with support from the Mayor’s office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) as well as Queen’s Theater
Understanding Gaussian Noise Mismatch: A Hellinger Distance Approach
Get PDFThis paper explores noise-mismatched models using the Hellinger distance. In many applications, the design/training stage often assumes an independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) Gaussian prior noise, but the real world introduces Gaussian noise with arbitrary covariance, creating a mismatch. We analyze the impact on system output and study optimal injected noise intensity for training/design. While theory assumes Gaussian sources, it provides guidance for non-Gaussian settings too. Experiments with Cycle-GAN for image-to-image translation validate the theory, producing results consistenting with derivations. Overall, this work provides theoretical and empirical insights into designing systems robust to noise uncertainties beyond simplified assumptions
Internationalisation and Digital Transformation in HEIs: The Impact of Education 4.0 on Teaching, Learning and Assessment
Get PDFEditorialCopyright © The Author(s) 2024. There is a particular emphasis on embracing digital transformation to re-define how Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) impact the lives of individuals through educational means. This includes the ability to adapt and respond according to outlined graduate attributes, staff, and the wider community for continual success in 21st century learning and work. Ideally, HEI development ultimately inculcates transformation as a university vision and post-covid catalyst for digital innovation. Lastly, the pathway to transformation assumes futuristic, pre-conceived scenarios through pre-planning to inform proposed developmental change by foreseeing digital competition for target year 2030. This entails utilising effective change agents, and key stakeholders to meet and sustain objectives accordingly.The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article
Contribution to the Discussion of ‘Safe Testing’ by Grunwald, De Heide and Koolen
Get PDFThe work was the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, and the Research Funds of Renmin University of China (22XNL016)
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