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Understanding Perceptions of a Peruvian Local Market Program: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis
No full textDespite growing global interest in short food supply chains (SFSCs), little is known about how consumers in developing countries perceive these models, especially through digital platforms like social media. This study investigates how Twitter users represent and perceive SFSCs in the context of the Peruvian government´s “De la Chacra a la Olla” program. The study analyzed 1,167 tweets from Peruvian Twitter users referencing the hashtag #DeLaChacraALaOlla between 2014 and 2020, using reflexive thematic analysis within an exploratory case study framework to examine consumer perceptions of SFSCs. The analysis revealed three key themes in consumer perceptions of SFSCs on Twitter: direct relationships and fair pricing (“without intermediaries”), product quality and health benefits (“food well-being”), and appreciation for local identity and producers (“local valorization”). Our findings suggest that SFSCs are perceived by Twitter users as trustworthy alternatives to conventional supply chains due to their direct producer-consumer connections, promotion of food well-being, fair pricing, local valorization, and the role of social media in enhancing visibility, trust, and resilience within these networks
A Mixed Method Approach to Assessing the Feasibility of Implementing the Ottawa Paramedic Physical Abilities Test (TM) in the Australian Context
No full textIntroduction: There is a need for evidence-based pre-employment physical fitness test standards in paramedic organisations. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of implementing an existing, international, standardised pre-employment paramedic physical capacity test, the Ottawa Paramedic Physical Abilities Test (OPPATTM), in the Australian context. Methods: In this mixed-method feasibility study, 12 undergraduate paramedicine students completed two generic predictive tests - a three-minute step test (3MST20) and a grip strength test - and two physical employment tests: the Ottawa Paramedic Physical Abilities Test (OPPATTM) and the New South Wales Ambulance Test (NSWAT) – and a brief perception questionnaire after each test. Physiological data were collected during testing using Hexoskin® devices and analysed descriptively. Qualitative data relating to participant and investigator perceptions of the feasibility of the tests for use in the Australian paramedicine context were analysed through content analysis. Results: Of the 12 participants, six met the criteria to begin all physical tests. Two successfully completed all physical tests, measured by current pre-employment requirements. Participants reported feeling underprepared for the current physical employment standards and were uncertain about the physical capacity demands of the paramedic role. All the physical tests were considered, in part, feasible based on participant performance, cost, time requirements for test setup, and perceived job relatedness criteria; however, the OPPATTM was considered most relevant to the paramedic role. Conclusion: The OPPATTM is adaptable and likely feasible for application in Australian ambulance services as a physical pre-employment test that could be implemented by universities within curricula for student physical preparation. Current student paramedics, however, may not be sufficiently physically prepared for the test. Further work is needed to ensure standardised and appropriate student paramedic preparation, and pre-employment testing specific to the paramedic role, supporting both staff and patient safety
Evidence To Support Certification in Online Nursing Teaching Excellence: A Systematic Review
No full textAbstract
A systematic review of the literature following PRISMA© (2020) was conducted to determine the evidence within nursing and higher education literature to support certification in online teaching and to determine the value of additional certification for nurse educators in higher education nursing programs. Data from CINAHL, ERIC, EBSCO, COCHRANE, AND PUBMED databases were collected following inclusion and exclusion criteria. An independent review by two authors was conducted with twenty-seven articles and one report identified. Bias was examined, followed by deductive analysis, which identified common themes and subthemes within the research. The results suggest that high-quality online courses require instructors with specific skills and competencies that are distinct and separate from those developed for face-to-face instruction. Professional development and training through certification or credentialing promote excellence in teaching for online higher education. There was intrinsic value associated with professional development and training for online educators. Institutional recognition of the extrinsic value and support for additional training and certification were identified as paramount for excellence in online education for educators
Integrating Domain Knowledge and Machine Learning in Rice Cultivation: A Case Study of Algeria
No full textResearch has highlighted Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a promising solution to mitigate the threat of food insecurity. Rice, a staple in the global diet, is particularly vulnerable to heat stress caused by climate change. The challenges of climate change, population growth, and increased famine risk may be alleviated through the implementation of AI models in rice cultivation. For decades, agricultural workers have faced the dilemma of needing to increase crop yields while dealing with dwindling resources and the need for more efficient practices. AI models, however, are limited by the quality and scope of the data they receive. Integrating domain knowledge with machine learning systems offers an advanced approach to predictive analysis in rice cultivation. Precision agriculture, which involves using AI software for data-driven decision-making, has the potential to significantly improve crop management practices. This study examines the role of AI in agriculture with a specific focus on rice cultivation in Algeria and provides a comprehensive overview of the intersection between domain knowledge and machine learning. Data from World Bank Group was analyzed for historical and projected temperature patterns, identifying Algeria as one of the countries most affected by climate change and its resulting impact on crop yield. This region thus, presents substantial opportunities for leveraging machine learning systems to enhance agricultural outcomes. Based on thirty years of Algerian agricultural and climate data, our study proposes a framework for synthesizing domain knowledge with machine learning algorithms to support climate-resilient rice production
Conflict Resolution and Intimate Partner Violence: Promoting Peace, Respecting Procedural Rights, and Reducing Mass Incarceration
No full textOne of the most important ways to strengthen a local community is to replace criminal prosecution with appropriate dispute resolution to the maximum extent possible. While ADR has won support in many contexts, criminal justice officials have historically been reluctant to extend ADR to cases involving intimate partner violence. The concern is that the imbalance of power in these cases makes ADR inappropriate, and that survivors of domestic violence would suffer further harm unless prosecutors imposed criminal sanctions on abusers. Scholars are beginning to challenge this traditional view. A growing concern about mass incarceration, coupled with research demonstrating the efficacy of ADR in domestic violence cases, could present an opportunity to modernize our dispute resolution procedures. My presentation will focus on the viability of ADR in three settings: pretrial diversion, victim-offender mediation, and post-conviction restorative justice. I will explain that when properly managed, ADR promotes peace, advances the interests of all parties, and protects procedural rights better than does the conventional criminal justice system. I will identify ethical boundaries for ADR that usually prevent the mistreatment of complainants and respondents. Recent research indicates that DV survivors favor the use of ADR procedures, and are more likely to report DV in jurisdictions that have adopted such procedures.
My presentation will draw from my extensive experience relating to this topic. Bonnie Campbell, the former director of the U.S. Violence Against Women Office, commended me as a national leader in the prosecution of domestic violence. I have authored legislation addressing the unique challenges faced by survivors of intimate partner violence. In 2006, Senator Joseph Biden\u27s staff invited me to participate in a work group advising the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on legislative reform in domestic violence cases, and I have testified before several states’ legislatures since that time. My research on domestic violence and sexual assault has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court and nearly half of the states’ supreme courts, as well as by the New York Times, the Washington Post, and other media outlets. I have presented my scholarship at most of the top-50 law schools in the U.S. I have particular expertise in conflict resolution: I taught for a decade in the Master’s Program for Conflict Resolution, I practiced as a mediator, and I was involved in several ADR sessions that resolved criminal cases
The Inescapable Interconnectedness between Human Security and the Security of Nature
No full textWe propose a two-person presentation on campus to examine the essential interdependence between human security rights and the security rights of nature. The concept of nature’s security transcends the legal frameworks of nature’s rights, embracing peace-building perspectives that prioritize relational and values-based approaches to ensure the security of all life on Earth. Our presentation will address macro-level initiatives, such as the Escazú Agreement in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as micro-level initiatives led by indigenous communities across the globe. The Escazú Agreement, for its part, underscores the civic responsibility to uphold the right to information and democratic participation as vital means of protecting livelihoods and environmental defenders (CEPAL; BBVA).
As defined by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), human security encompasses seven interrelated dimensions: economic, food, health, environmental, personal, community, and political security. A threat to any of these can reverberate across all others (Guarnizo & Pardo, 2021). However this paper critiques the paradigm that underpins this approach, because nature is all-encompassing and environmental collapse represents an existential threat to not only these human dimensions as well as the non-human.
In the face of this urgent challenge, the need for a paradigmatic shift that embraces interdependence with nature becomes more pronounced: human life cannot be sustained without healthy ecosystems. Therefore, we underscore the pressing need to adopt integrated approaches that acknowledge and address this relationship. We will also highlight exemplary examples, such as the Coordinating Body of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA) and local level initiatives in Florida and South America by both environmentalists and indigenous communities. These cases demonstrate how indigenous communities have pioneered sustainable practices, defending whole eco-systems and biodiversity.
But it also makes a case for the right of nature to exist for its own sake, apart from its utility for human beings. This can be conceptualized as a values based approach in line with peacebuilding approaches, or as the theologican and philosopher Karen Armstrong refers to “sacred nature”. And it is what Elise Boulding called for in her chapter entitled “Gaia” in which she asserts that the coming challenge for peacebuilding is peace with the non-human. This presentation emphasizes the imperative to transform our relationship with nature from passive dependence to an active, respectful interdependence and from exploitation to stewardship. This shift is not just desirable, but necessary to ensure the survival of all life on earth
Cognitive Function and Hypertension
No full textGiven the brain’s high energy demands, the blood supply to the brain is critical for its function. Hence the importance of an intact brain vascular system to adequately perfuse the brain to sustain cognitive function. Given the damage to the vascular system that ensues from hypertension, it is a foregone conclusion that chronic hypertension will lead to cognitive impairments that can ultimately lead to dementia. Despite this logical connection, it was not until the 1990’s that the association between hypertension and dementia began to be made. And, it was not until 2000 that the first definitive connection between hypertension and dementia was reported (Launer et al., 2000). With the expanding characterization of different types of dementias, including subtypes of Alzheimer’s disease, this presentation will focus on mechanisms whereby hypertension promotes the development of different types of cognitive impairment and dementia, including mitigation strategies for protection of cognitive function
Evaluación de las Competencias Digitales Aplicadas en la Investigación Formativa de los Estudiantes de Una Universidad al Sur de Colombia
No full textLa presente investigación evaluó las competencias digitales de 109 estudiantes en los procesos de investigación formativa, con un enfoque cuantitativo, cuasiexperimental, descriptivo y correlacional. En este estudio, se aplicó un instrumento para recolección de datos con 24 ítems relacionados con la gestión de la información, alfabetización informacional, colaboración digital, creación de contenido digital, seguridad digital y resolución de problemas tecnológicos. Este cuestionario de recolección de información fue validado mediante el juicio de siete (7) jueces y se obtuvo un índice de confiabilidad de α = 0.970 mediante el coeficiente Alfa de Cronbach.
Los resultados obtenidos indicaron que el uso de algunas herramientas influye en el desarrollo de competencias digitales, siendo la utilización de navegadores el recurso que más utilizan los estudiantes para la búsqueda y filtrado de datos (χ² = 17.4151; p = 0.0079). De igual manera, se observó el impacto directo y positivo de los niveles de competencias digitales en la calidad de los procesos de investigación con un valor de Pseudo R² (Nagelkerke = 0,989 y p \u3c 0,001). Aunque no se encontró una diferencia significativa entre las competencias digitales de los estudiantes que participan en semilleros o grupos de investigación y aquellos que no tienen participación en dichos grupos, se evidenció un alto conocimiento y manejo de las competencias fundamentales en los procesos de investigación formativa
Comparative Analysis of MMPI-2-RF Scale Differences Based on History of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
No full textThe present study investigated differences in MMPI-2-RF scale scores between individuals with and without a history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The goal was to identify distinct psychosocial functioning patterns in individuals with mTBI. Archival outpatient sample of 147 adults aged 18 to 70 (M = 43.28, SD = 11.13) was utilized, comprising 65 participants with mTBI and 82 without TBI. Significant differences were observed across multiple MMPI-2-RF scales. The group with mTBI history exhibited higher levels of symptom overreporting, symptom validity concerns, emotional and internalizing dysfunction, somatic and cognitive complaints, and negative emotionality, as compared to the non-mTBI group. Effect sizes ranged from medium to large (Cohen’s d range: 0.46 – 1.09). These findings highlight the need for comprehensive multidisciplinary assessments and psychosocial interventions for individuals with mTBI history. Such approaches can significantly enhance the psychosocial well-being of individuals affected by mTBI, ultimately improving their overall quality of life