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Socially assistive robots in health and social care: acceptance and cultural factors. Results from an exploratory international online survey
Get PDFAim: This study explored the views of an international sample of registered nurses and midwives working in health and social care concerning socially assistive robots (SARs), and the relationship between dimensions of culture and rejection of the idea that SARs had benefits in these settings.
Methods: An online survey was used to obtain rankings of (among other topics) the extent to which SARs have benefits for health and social care. It also asked for free text responses regarding any concerns about SARs.
Results: Most respondents were overwhelmingly positive about SARs' benefits. A small minority strongly rejected this idea, and qualitative analysis of the objections raised by them revealed three major themes: things might go wrong, depersonalization, and patient‐related concerns. However, many participants who were highly accepting of the benefits of SARs expressed similar objections. Cultural dimensions of long‐term orientation and uncertainty avoidance feature prominently in technology acceptance research. Therefore, the relationship between the proportion of respondents from each country who felt that SARs had no benefits and each country's ratings on long‐term orientation and uncertainty avoidance were also examined. A significant positive correlation was found for long‐term orientation, but not for uncertainty avoidance.
Conclusion: Most respondents were positive about the benefits of SARs, and similar concerns about their use were expressed both by those who strongly accepted the idea that they had benefits and those who did not. Some evidence was found to suggest that cultural factors were related to rejecting the idea that SARs had benefits
Does duration of team governance decrease corporate carbon emission intensity
Get PDFThe study explores the effects of duration of team governance (DTG) on carbon emission intensity of 608 U.S. listed corporations merged three official datasets of Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), Compuatat and BoardEx over the period 2009–2018, using unbalanced panel data analysis. It bridges three theoretical approaches: group development theory (GDT), social identity theory (SIT) and resource dependence theory (RDT) and applies econometric analysis techniques to investigate corporate carbon emission intensity. The result shows an inverted U-shaped relationship between DTG and carbon emission intensity. It is interesting that carbon emission intensity increased when the duration is less than 6.52 years, however, the duration exceeds 6.52 years decreases carbon emission intensity. We also find other factors of team size and gender diversity moderate the U-shaped relationship, further testing the optimal team of 8–11 members and 3–4 women members. Meanwhile, the finding shows that the low-carbon innovation is an effective mediator for DTG to decrease carbon emission intensity. The paper is important for managerial implication and policy making
Insights into accuracy of social scientists' forecasts of societal change
Get PDFHow well can social scientists predict societal change, and what processes underlie their predictions? To answer these questions, we ran two forecasting tournaments testing accuracy of predictions of societal change in domains commonly studied in the social sciences: ideological preferences, political polarization, life satisfaction, sentiment on social media, and gender-career and racial bias. Following provision of historical trend data on the domain, social scientists submitted pre-registered monthly forecasts for a year (Tournament 1; N=86 teams/359 forecasts), with an opportunity to update forecasts based on new data six months later (Tournament 2; N=120 teams/546 forecasts). Benchmarking forecasting accuracy revealed that social scientists’ forecasts were on average no more accurate than simple statistical models (historical means, random walk, or linear regressions) or the aggregate forecasts of a sample from the general public (N=802). However, scientists were more accurate if they had scientific expertise in a prediction domain, were interdisciplinary, used simpler models, and based predictions on prior data
Employer branding: confirmation of a measurement model and its implication for managing the workforce
No full textEmployer branding is becoming increasingly important for organizations to attract and retain top talent. While practitioners use a range of tactics to build and promote employer branding, it is still unclear as to what exactly constitutes effective employer branding. This gap in the literature formed the motivation of this study, which aims to develop, validate and apply a multi-dimensional measurement model of employer branding. First, a comprehensive measurement model of employer branding comprising eight constructs (brand value, development value, economic value, ethical and moral value, functional value, interest value, management value, and work-life balance) was developed through an extensive literature review. Next, using data collected through a structured survey, the validity of the proposed model, including the relevance/appropriateness of each construct and its unique contribution to employer branding, was assessed. The second-order confirmatory factor analysis results established the existence of a robust higher-order measurement model for employer branding, with each of the eight constructs contributing significantly and uniquely. The model was then applied to assess the hypothesized difference in employer branding across different demographic groups, namely gender and overall work experience. The results indicate a significant difference in the model across the various demographic groups. Overall, the study significantly contributes toward the theoretical advancement of employer branding. Future researchers could adopt the validated model and measurement items in different settings. For practitioners, the results indicate that employer branding requires an all-encompassing effort rather than being oriented towards few attributes. Also, the study findings highlight the need to customize employer brand strategies across different demographic groups
Regulatory and innovative mechanisms of bacterial quorum sensing-mediated pathogenicity: a review
Get PDFQuorum sensing (QS) is a system of bacteria in which cells communicate with each other; it is linked to cell density in the microbiome. The high-density colony population can provide enough small molecular signals to enable a range of cellular activities, gene expression, pathogenicity, and antibiotic resistance that cause damage to the hosts. QS is the basis of chronic illnesses in human due to microbial sporulation, expression of virulence factors, biofilm formation, secretion of enzymes, or production of membrane vesicles. The transfer of antimicrobial resistance gene (ARG) among antibiotic resistance bacteria is a major public health concern. QS-mediated biofilm is a hub for ARG horizontal gene transfer. To develop innovative approach to prevent microbial pathogenesis, it is essential to understand the role of QS especially in response to environmental stressors such as exposure to antibiotics. This review provides the latest knowledge on the relationship of QS and pathogenicity and explore the novel approach to control QS via quorum quenching (QQ) using QS inhibitors (QSIs) and QQ enzymes. The state-of-the art knowledge on the role of QS and the potential of using QQ will help to overcome the threats of rapidly emerging bacterial pathogenesis
A practitioner inquiry into the creation & application of a contextualised therapeutic model to raise the competencies of youth facilitators in Singapore
Get PDFBringing about change in any field or work domain can be onerous, with no linear progression towards the certainty of efficacy. Regardless, one of the hallmarks of effective clinical practice is to constantly strive towards improved care for clients and this is often accomplished by practitioners expanding their scope of practice through rigorous inquiry to enhance their competencies. In similar vein, the present project, aimed at advancing real-world practice via the utilisation of action research, served as a practitioner inquiry into the creation and application of a structured, transdisciplinary and contextualised model (i.e. Bio-Psycho-Social Work, or BPSw Model) to guide intervention programmes for at-risk youth in Singapore. Furthermore, the model was reviewed to assess if it could be used as a competency-raising mechanism for facilitators of youth work in the country.
Accordingly, it was assessed that the action-reflection steps enacted within the project aided the inquiry into improving clinical practice and training in Singapore regarding work with at-risk youth. In this light, the project is the first of its kind in Singapore (i.e. a ground-up, practitioner-led project concerning youth work aimed at improving practice at a national level); serving as an important contribution to research and practice.
The project utilised a mixed-methods design which was crafted around action research. The latter was selected due to its emphasis on action and its promotion of goal-oriented research. Data reflected findings that met the aims of the project and was used to create a training manual for facilitators (i.e. the project artefact); a reference document that could also be used for anyone interested in working with at-risk youth in Singapore. The value and implications of utilising the BPSw Model, along with the training manual, as a potential therapeutic framework and a contribution to practice in Singapore, are elaborated on and reviewed
Improved quality of online education using prioritized multi-agent reinforcement learning for video traffic scheduling
Get PDFThe recent global pandemic has transformed the way education is delivered, increasing the importance of videobased online learning. However, this puts a significant pressure on the underlying communication networks and the limited available bandwidth needs to be intelligently allocated to support a much higher transmission load, including video-based services. In this context, this paper proposes a Machine Learning (ML)-based solution that dynamically prioritizes content viewers with heterogeneous video services to increase their Quality of Service (QoS) and perceived Quality of Experience (QoE). The proposed approach makes use of the novel Prioritized Multi- Agent Reinforcement Learning solution (PriMARL) to decide the prioritization order of the video-based services based on networking conditions. However, the performance in terms of QoS and QoE provisioning to learners with different profiles and networking conditions depends on the type of scheduler employed in the frequency domain to conduct the scheduling and the radio resource allocation. To decide the best approach to be followed, we employ the proposed PriMARL solution with different types of scheduling rules and compare them with other state-of-theart solutions in terms of throughput, delay, packet loss, Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR), and Mean Opinion Score (MOS) for different traffic loads and characteristics. We show that the proposed solution achieves the best user QoE results
Breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast cancer: a call for action in high-income countries with low rates of breastfeeding
Get PDFWomen in the UK have a 15% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer. Like other high-income countries, women in the UK are having children later in life which increases their risk. The risk of breast cancer is reduced by 4.3% for every 12 months of breastfeeding, this is in addition to the 7.0% decrease in risk observed for each birth. Breastfeeding reduces the risk of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (20%) and in carriers of BRCA1 mutations (22–55%). The mechanisms of reduced risk as a result of pregnancy are related to changes in RNA processing and cellular differentiation. The UK has a low rate of breastfeeding (81%) and this is contrasted to countries with higher (Sweden, Australia) and lower rates (Ireland). The low UK rate is in part due to a lack of experience in the population, todays grandmothers have less experience with breastfeeding (62%) than their daughters. An estimated 4.7% of breast cancer cases in the UK are caused by not breastfeeding. The UK only has 43% of maternity services with full Baby-Friendly accreditation which promotes compliance with the WHO ‘Ten Steps to Successful Breast Feeding’. Legislation in the UK and Europe is far short of the WHO Guidance on restricting the advertising of formula milk. Expansion of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, stricter laws on the advertising of formula milk and legislation to support nursing mothers in the workplace have the potential to increase breastfeeding in the UK. Women with a family history of breast cancer should particularly be supported to breastfeed as a way of reducing their risk
A study into Georgian universities' approach to the national standards of quality for teaching and learning
Get PDFThis paper reports on a study conducted in Georgia on the issues of the university sector to implement new strategic principles and standards devised by the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement (NCEQE) for learning and teaching in higher education. This paper specifically considers the government’s institutional relations concerning the quality of teaching and learning. This is done by borrowing the conceptual framing of the governance relationship of Government and institution provided by Principle Agency (PA) theory. The paper presents the results of the survey and follow-up interviews and concludes that institutions differ in approach, embracing both symbolic compliance and professional pragmatism in regard to the accreditation requirements. A discussion follows, embracing a principle agency interpretation of what the results might mean in practical and policy terms for governance and the development of the sector. It is accepted that learning and teaching is a challenging space for nearly all universities across the world but the Georgia example highlights the dynamics of change within the context of a post-Soviet country and the emerging practical problems this legacy creates. The research identifies some of these tensions between national systems and institutional readiness. The paper closes by offering recommendations for improvement