11237 research outputs found
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Cultivating change: persuasive counter-messaging strategies to foster consumer acceptance of cultured meat
No full textPurposeConventional meat is linked to environmental and animal welfare-related concerns. Cultured meat, produced in the laboratory from animal cells, has been suggested as an alternative that could overcome these negative consequences of conventional meat, as it can incur fewer environmental impacts and avoid unnecessary animal suffering. Despite these prospective advantages, cultured meat acceptance varies substantially. In this study, we examined whether counter-messages emphasizing environmental damage, animal welfare impacts and unnatural aspects of conventional meat affect cultured meat acceptance compared to conventional meat.Design/methodology/approachThe current study employs a quantitative approach, with participants reading one counter-message (environmental, animal welfare, unnaturalness or control). The study follows a 2 (meat type: cultured vs conventional; within-subjects) × 4(essay condition: environmental, animal welfare, unnaturalness, control; between-subjects) mixed MANOVA design, with anticipated eating enjoyment and purchase intent as dependent variables.FindingsCounter-messages highlighting unnaturalness and negative animal welfare impacts of conventional meat increased cultured meat acceptance. However, counter-messages did not reduce conventional meat acceptance.Originality/valueThe current study uniquely indicates that counter-messages highlighting unnaturalness and negative animal welfare impacts of conventional meat enhance cultured meat acceptance, suggesting marketers of cultured meat should focus on unnaturalness and animal welfare, rather than environmental impacts, of conventional meat to promote cultured meat.</p
An exploration into students’ experiences of a wellbeing service in their school
No full textThis thesis is an interpretive research study that explores the experiences of ten participants (aged eleven to fifteen years old) before, during, and after they received specialist wellbeing support on their school premises. Since the release of Every Child Matters policy, by the UK Government in 2003 several policies and initiatives have increasingly recognised the importance of children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing across England. More importantly is the recognition that as mental health statistics continue to rise in England, there is an increasing pressure being put on schools to support children and young people who are suffering with their emotional wellbeing, so that they are then enabled to be academically successful in school and later in life. To promote positive change in children and young people’s wellbeing and mental health, their voices need to be listened to so that their knowledge can prompt changes to both policy and practice in ways that work best for them.Adopting the narrative inquiry model crafted by Jean Clandinin and Michael Connelly (2000), a methodical journey of gathering and delving into a collection of diverse experiences through a series of semi-structured interviews and storyboards is discussed within this thesis. Participant’ stories were analysed using a multi-layered approach. The analysis revealed the participants’ sageness, offering valuable insights into their lived experiences whilst concluding that children and young people would benefit from having specialist wellbeing support on the school premises, with suggestions that multiple sectors would need to work together, in parity, to make this happen and prompt future policy and practice. Finally, proposing that further research in a wider range of schools is necessary to fully refine this strategy.</p
Percipience, Embodiment, Contamination(s). Practicing a Feminist Care Aesthetics
No full textNo description supplied</p
Refractive error maps: A predictive tool for refractive error progression
No full textPurpose: To investigate the influence of axial length on different ocular parameters and create a predictive tool for refractive error progression.MethodsTwo eye models were used to simulate refractive errors, namely the Liou–Brennan and the Goncharov–Dainty. Both models were simulated using Zemax OpticStudio. Simulations were made by varying axial length and central corneal radii of curvature, with values ranging from 21.5 to 28.5 mm and 7.0 to 8.5 mm, respectively. Additionally, simulations of different lens parameters were included.ResultsRefractive error maps were produced for different ethnicities and a comparison with experimental results was undertaken. These showed the relationships between axial length and crystalline lens thickness, refractive index and curvatures of the cornea and lens.ConclusionsThe concept of refractive error maps may provide more insight into the refractive state of individuals and groups with provision for a comparative analysis. With further experimental data added, such refractive error maps could be used as a predictive tool.</p
Integrating corporate identity, social responsibility, and reputation: A triadic framework for sustainable branding in hospitality & tourism
No full textPrevious studies have explored the impact of corporate identity (CI), corporate social responsibility (CSR), and corporate reputation (CR), but they have largely overlooked the effects of inconsistent CSR strategies on unexpected outcomes among hospitality employees. To address this gap, this study examines the interplay among CI, CSR, and CR within the hospitality industry. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, the research reviews the literature from marketing, design, organizational studies, and management. It then employs qualitative methods, including interviews with managers and focus groups with employees, supplemented by a survey conducted among hospitality and tourism employees in the UK, Malaysia, and Iran. The findings reveal 20 critical CI factors across corporate communication, visual identity, and management behavior, demonstrating that CI influences CSR and CR. This study introduces a triadic framework that integrates CI, CSR, and CR, offering a holistic perspective essential for sustainable branding in hospitality.</p
Exploring the Intersection of ADHD and Music: A Systematic Review
No full textAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a highly prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder, affecting both children and adults, which often leads to significant difficulties with attention, impulsivity, and working memory. These challenges can impact various cognitive and perceptual domains, including music perception and performance. Despite these difficulties, individuals with ADHD frequently engage with music, and previous research has shown that music listening can serve as a means of increasing stimulation and self-regulation. Moreover, music therapy has been explored as a potential treatment option for individuals with ADHD. As there is a lack of integrative reviews on the interaction between ADHD and music, the present review aimed to fill the gap in research. Following PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive literature search was conducted across PsychInfo (Ovid), PubMed, and Web of Science. A narrative synthesis was conducted on 20 eligible studies published between 1981 and 2023, involving 1170 participants, of whom 830 had ADHD or ADD. The review identified three main areas of research: (1) music performance and processing in individuals with ADHD, (2) the use of music listening as a source of stimulation for those with ADHD, and (3) music-based interventions aimed at mitigating ADHD symptoms. The analysis revealed that individuals with ADHD often experience unique challenges in musical tasks, particularly those related to timing, rhythm, and complex auditory stimuli perception, though these deficits did not extend to rhythmic improvisation and musical expression. Most studies indicated that music listening positively affects various domains for individuals with ADHD. Furthermore, most studies of music therapy found that it can generate significant benefits for individuals with ADHD. The strength of these findings, however, was limited by inconsistencies among the studies, such as variations in ADHD diagnosis, comorbidities, medication use, and gender. Despite these limitations, this review provides a valuable foundation for future research on the interaction between ADHD and music.</p
Contested science communication: representations of scientists and their science in newspaper articles and the associated comment sections
No full textThis qualitative study uses inductive thematic analysis to investigate how journalists and their readers perceive scientists and their science. The data-driven approach was applied to 84 articles (reporting on the contested science issues of climate change, vaccines, or GMOs) and their associated comment sections. Two dominant groups were observed: The pro-science group (consisting of commentators and journalists) and the contra-science group (nearly exclusively commentators). The identified themes show that both groups represent scientists and their science in a particular and similar way across the three contested science topics. These representations are used to justify both support and opposition (e.g., each group refers to scientists’ motives; however, they express this theme differently by either describing scientists’ actions as born out of a desire to help or out of arrogance). Understanding how non-experts perceive scientists could help improve science communication, which may be the first step toward decreasing societal polarization over contested science.</p
Body appreciation mediates the association between satisfaction with autistic identity and flourishing in autistic adults
No full textUnderpinned by the neurodiversity paradigm, scholars are increasingly interested in relationships between positive autistic identity (i.e., feeling satisfaction and pride with being autistic) and states of flourishing (i.e., where numerous aspects of a person’s life and well-being are good) in autistic people. However, possible mediational pathways between these constructs remain relatively under-researched. Here, we propose a conceptual model wherein positive autistic identity is associated with flourishing in autistic adults via positive body image. To test this model, we recruited an online sample of 384 autistic adults (189 women, 195 men; M = 34.66 years, SD = 10.77) from the United Kingdom. Participants were asked to complete measures of satisfaction with autistic identity, body appreciation, and flourishing, and provide their demographic information. Structural equation modelling showed that body appreciation mediated the association between satisfaction with autistic identity and flourishing. The mediational triangle remained significantly robust after controlling for participant demographics. Future research should consider promoting positive autistic identity as a means of developing more positive body image and capacities to flourish in autistic adults.</p
Applications of AI-Based Models for Online Fraud Detection and Analysis
No full textAbstract
Background
Fraud is a prevalent offence that extends beyond financial loss, impacting victims emotionally, psychologically, and physically. Advances in online communication technologies continue to create new opportunities for fraud, and fraudsters increasingly using these channels for deception. With the progression of technologies like Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), there is a growing concern that fraud will increase in scale using these advanced methods, with offenders employing deep-fakes in phishing campaigns, for example. However, the application of AI, particularly Natural Language Processing (NLP), to detect and analyse patterns of online fraud remains understudied. This review addresses this gap by investigating the potential role of AI in analysing online fraud using text data.
Methods
We conducted a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) to investigate the application of AI and Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques for online fraud detection. The review adhered to the PRISMA-ScR protocol, with eligibility criteria including language, publication type, relevance to online fraud, use of text data, and AI methodologies. Out of 2457 academic records screened, 350 met our eligibility criteria, and 223 were analysed and included herein.
Results
We discuss the state-of-the-art AI and NLP techniques used to analyse various online fraud categories; the data sources used for training the AI and NLP models; the AI and NLP algorithms and models built; and the performance metrics employed for model evaluation. We find that the current state of research on online fraud is broken into the various scam activities that take place, and more specifically, we identify 16 different frauds that researchers focus on. Finally, we present the most recent and best-performing AI methods employed for detecting online scams and fraud activities.
Conclusions
This SLR enhances academic understanding of AI-based detection methods for online fraud and offers insights for policymakers, law enforcement, and businesses on safeguarding against such activities. We conclude that existing approaches focusing on specific scams are unlikely to generalise effectively, as they will require new models to be developed for each fraud type. Furthermore, we conclude that the evolving nature of scams limits the effectiveness of models trained on outdated data. We also identify that researchers often omit discussions of the limitations of their data or training biases. Finally, we find issues in the consistency with which the performance of models is reported, with some studies selectively presenting metrics, leading to potential biases in model evaluation.</p
Floods after drought: storytelling with agro-pastoralists in a Kenyan dryland
No full textIn East African drylands, agro-pastoralists are continuously dealing with recurrent droughts and floods damaging to their livelihoods. Although droughts and floods have been widely studied as separate phenomena, little attention has been paid to agro-pastoral experiences of the relations between successive droughts and floods over time. Yet when floods follow a drought, they are likely to exacerbate or alleviate the impacts of the preceding drought. To address this, we conducted a study in southeastern Kenya’s drylands, organizing storytelling sessions with 213 agro-pastoralist participants. By reconstructing a history of droughts and floods experiences from the 1940s to the early 2020s, we found that droughts and floods are strongly interrelated and ambivalent phenomena. During the latter half of the 20th century, agro-pastoralists narrated droughts as severely disruptive, distinct periods that frequently concluded with flooding, which both alleviated and intensified drought impacts. In the 21st century, however, droughts and floods are no longer experienced as discrete, named events but rather as a new normal. Floods after drought have become more frequent, short-lived, intense, and erosive, their regenerative function diminishing. The participants articulated how they adapt to droughts and floods amidst rapid socio-economic and socio-environmental changes. We found that various drought adaptation measures, largely initiated by (non)governmental organizations operating in drylands, have introduced flood risks. As droughts and floods are expected to become even heavier and frequent in future East African drylands and beyond, the stories underscore a need for adaptation approaches that benefit from the regenerative potential of floods after drought.</p
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