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Assisted reproductive technology: perceptions and behaviours in Guatemala before and during the Covid-19 pandemic
Get PDFInfertility is a challenge many people presently face and will continue to face in the future around the world. Conceiving can present several psychosocial challenges and obstacles in Western and non-Western countries. Two ethnic groups in Guatemala (a non- Western country), namely The Maya1 and Ladino (Maya n = 35, 11 males 14 females, mean age = 27.3, Sd = 7, and Ladino n = 146, 58 males and 88 females, mean age = 29.2, Sd = 10.3) were investigated on the perceptions and behaviour towards Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) (study 1). The study was conducted a few months before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. A 13-statement questionnaire e.g., “children born by ART may be socially withdrawn” was presented to the participants to rate on a Likert scale, ranging from 1 = Strongly Agree to 5 = Strongly Disagree. Furthermore, participants were instructed to justify their response by making written comments and rating their level of knowledge about ART on a scale 1 = not at all to 10 = a considerable amount. Half of the participants rated their level of knowledge before reading the questionnaire items, the other half after reading the questionnaire items. Demographic information and factors namely, age, gender, religion, education and knowing someone undergoing ART were also recorded. Data collection took six months to complete (April to September of 2019). Data was subjected to Principal Components Analysis followed by Stepwise Regression, Factorial Anova and Correlational analyses. Written responses (219 from The Maya and 931 from Ladinos) were subjected to Thematic Analysis (TA). The results generally showed that religion, social acceptance, trust in modern medicine, gender, and ethnicity play an important role in Guatemalan populations’ perceptions and behaviour towards ART.
The results of study 1 was supported by findings of key medical fertility practitioners in Guatemala (study 2) and in the UK (study 3), two single case studies. The two single case studies also extended to investigate if Covid-19 will, or has already, had an impact on study 1 findings and patients’ perception and behaviour towards ART. Findings from studies 2 and 3 via the application of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), mirrored study 1 findings to a large extent on secrecy, racial integration issues, religion, and risk factors. Both practitioners in Guatemala and the UK indicated that since Covid-19 there are new concerns about risks involved regarding ART treatment.
Study 4 was a Scope literature review (between the period of 2020-2021) of the impact of Covid-19 and possible changes in behaviour of patients involved in ART treatment. The results indicated an overall distress caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the worries triggered when undergoing infertility treatments during this very difficult time. The importance of continuing infertility treatment during the Covid-19 pandemic was also a factor in the findings. These findings also illuminate that if treatments were to stop, it would be detrimental to patients and the scientific community.
In general, these findings have significant implications for the scientific community as the data was collected before and during the outbreak of the Covid-19
pandemic. Whether such perceptions and behaviours towards ART in Guatemala may be different post Covid-19, is a study worthy of follow-up investigation. What is significant about the present findings is, the data collected before and during the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. A unique opportunity that can only be replicated retrospectively i.e., what people can recall about their perceptions and behaviour about ART before the period of the Covid-19 outbreak?
More specifically, there are significant implications from the four studies reported for practitioners and those involved in infertility treatments, in giving the best advice to their patients and to the Guatemalan public
The Wicker Man and Anthony Shaffer
No full textIn the many discussions that we have about The Wicker Man and its importance in terms of folk horror, its convoluted production and post-production processes, its place as a British horror film, its place in the filmographies of its various stars, and the curious personal history of Robin Hardy, one person who has tended to get lost is its screenwriter Anthony Shaffer. This paper aims to redress this imbalance, by placing the film in the wider of context of his work, both for screen and theatre
Customer engagement through augmented reality filter on social media influences purchase decisions
No full textThe psychology of using augmented reality (AR) filters on social media can be influenced by several factors. Some possible psychological and motivational factors influencing AR filters' use on social media include entertainment value, aesthetics, social influence, personal expression, convenience, and product information. In addition, people use AR filters if it helps them achieve their goals, such as by enhancing their social status or making them more attractive to others.
This study aims to understand the variables that affect customer engagement and their influence on purchasing decisions — participants from over 400 worldwide who took an online survey through Qualtrics and then analyzed it through IBM SPSS. The objectives are to explore the uses and gratification of AR filters on social media, identify the impact of AR filters on customer engagement on social media, and analyze purchase intention based on customer engagement of AR filters on social media. The data suggest that hedonic value affects customer engagement on social media, influencing customers' purchase decisions more than utilitarian values. AR filters that allow customers to express their style or identity may be more likely to be used. AR filters that are easy to use and do not require exceptional skills or technology may be more likely to be used by customers. The data suggest that participants enjoy using a product filter for shoes and accessories more than clothing. Brand filter plays a huge role in customers trying a product-based filter. There is a positive correlation between Customer Engagement through Augmented reality filters on social media influences purchase decisions
Mental health hygiene during a health crisis: exploring factors associated with media-induced secondary trauma in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic
Get PDFAims: Given the risk of developing vicarious trauma through news media has increased during the pandemic, we explored risk factors associated with media induced secondary trauma, and its behavioral and psychological implications.
Methods: An international study (N = 1066), with a diverse sample, was administered in July 2020. We used standardized and validated questionnaires to measure news consumption, media-related trauma, compliance, and paranoia.
Results: Greater frequency of news consumption, accessing news via social media and WHO, and believing in conspiracy theories increased likelihood of developing media-induced secondary trauma. News related trauma was associated with greater compliance with safety measures and increased paranoid ideation. Media-trauma however exhibited a greater association with paranoia than compliance.
Conclusion: Findings highlight the need to facilitate a collaborative intervention, with public, media houses, health safety officials, and social scientists to have a deeper understanding of potential psychological costs of news consumption patterns
Who is more ‘human-like’? Exploring gender and race in perception of avatars in an online classroom
No full textThe use of avatars in online and immersive environments plays a crucial role in shaping user experience. Given the recent shift towards remote interaction using online platforms, especially in the context of higher education, it is vital to study perceptions, attitudes, and biases based on avatar characteristics. The aim of this study is to explore perception of instructors represented by avatars in terms of realism and behaviour in an online undergraduate classroom.
Using a between-group design, one of the four matched videos (Male x South Asian; Female x South Asian; Male x White; Female x White) showcasing a photorealistic avatar teaching online using a Zoom platform were shown to 327 UAE-based participants (Gender: M = 76, F = 246, Other = 5; Race: SA = 214, Other = 113). Five 2x2 ANOVA were administered on the items of subscale ‘Human-like’ from the Agent Persona questionnaire. Male avatars were perceived to have more personality and were more human-like compared to female avatars. South Asian avatars scored higher on items related to personality, natural emotions, being human-like, having natural movements, and showing emotions, compared to White avatars.
Our results show that all avatars received consistently high ratings across dimensions related to human-like qualities. However, there was greater in-group preference based on race compared to gender. While these findings are encouraging, discrepancies in ratings indicate the existence of potential biases or preferences. Another notable contribution lies in the use of South Asian avatars, which have received little attention in previous research
Thermoregulation
No full textThe importance of thermoregulation in the well-being of the newborn infant is fundamental to the health of the baby, and this chapter includes the mechanism of heat loss mechanisms, the roles of the midwife in providing a neutral thermal environment for the baby at birth and in the postnatal period. In addition, the content includes the impact of cold stress and hypothermia on the baby, and the required management and care
Lived experiences of migrant and refugee parents: challenges encountered during their journey and settlement in Europe
No full textParenting in the context of migration presents a unique set of challenges for refugee parents, who must navigate the cultural norms and expectations of both their home and resettlement countries while balancing their daily parenting responsibilities and practices. This study aims to provide a critical analysis of the experiences, needs, and challenges faced by migrant and refugee parents during their journey and settlement in Europe, as recounted through their personal narratives. Utilizing a mixed-method approach, the researchers collected twenty-seven life narratives of migrant and/or refugee parents through purposive sampling. An analysis of the literature mapping identified four overarching themes that represent the primary challenges faced by refugee families and the need for support. These macro-themes include uprootedness, spatio-temporal uncertainty, trauma and abuses, and parental powerlessness. Parental powerlessness emerged as a synthesis of the causes of trauma from the previous three challenges and highlights the increased loss of parental identity and self-conflict that refugee parents experience. The study reveals that refugee parents face various challenges and barriers, such as language barriers, lack of information and awareness, and cultural differences. However, it also highlights promising strategies and solutions, such as the use of interpreters and cultural mediators, and the provision of culturally sensitive and appropriate healthcare services. Healthcare providers and policymakers should consider these findings and develop targeted interventions and policies to enhance the health and wellbeing of refugee parents and their children
Does entrepreneurial activity contribute to a nation’s happiness?
Get PDFThere has been some examination of the impact of the level of entrepreneurial activity within a country on ‘happiness’ indicators for that country, which ought to be considered as a fundamental question. Happiness in these studies is influenced not only by economic growth, social support and freedom, but also life expectancy, level of corruption, and individuals’ own assessments (World Happiness Report, 2023). Entrepreneurial activity is measured by a wide range of factors including innovation, competitiveness, infrastructure, labour skills, access to capital and openness for business. Naude, Amoros and Christi (2012) found tentative evidence of an inverse U-shape relationship between (opportunity) entrepreneurship and national happiness, concluding that opportunity-motivated entrepreneurship may contribute to a nation’s happiness, but only up to a point. They concluded that the happiness of a nation, based on a sample of 36 countries, cannot be indefinitely increased by boosting the numbers of opportunity entrepreneurs. More recently, Torres and Augusto (2020) found that a combination of conditions is required to achieve high levels of national well-being, including education, governance, and a philanthropic financial system, which potentially can be leveraged by entrepreneurial success. This paper examines indices of entrepreneurial activity across 95 countries over the 2020-2022 period and finds a positive relationship between the level of such activity and happy life evaluation, using data from the World Happiness Report (2023) and the Entrepreneurship Index (2021). The relationship between happiness and wealth (as measured by GDP per capita), is significant but marginal. This finding has implications for government policy and further research. It reinforces the suggestion that not everyone should become an entrepreneur, and innovation is not always progress. It also points to the need for a broader focus on implications of entrepreneurship for human development, which is likely to be rewarding from scientific, societal and policy-making perspectives
Effects of patient recumbency position on neonatal chest EIT
Get PDFThis paper investigates the overlooked effects of the patient recumbency positions on one of the key clinically used parameters in chest electrical impedance tomography (EIT) monitoring – the silent spaces. This parameter could impact medical decisions and interventions by indicating how well each lung is being ventilated. Yet it is largely dependent on assumptions of prior model at the reconstruction stage and the closely linked region of interest (ROI) during the final calculations. The potential effect of switching recumbency modes on silent spaces as a results of internal organ movements and consequently changes in initial assumptions, has been studied. The displacement and deformations caused by posture changes from supine to lateral recumbent were evaluated via simulations considering the simultaneous gravity-dependent movement and/or deformations of heart, mediastinum, lungs and the diaphragm. The reliability of simulations was verified against reference radiography images of an 18-month-old infant in supine and decubitus lateral positions. Inspecting a set of 10 patients from age range of 1 to 2 years old revealed improvements of up to 30% in the silent space parameters when applying posture consistent amendments as opposed to fixed model/ROI to each individual. To minimize the influence of image reconstruction technique on the results two different EIT reconstruction algorithms were implemented. The outcome emphasized the importance of including recumbency situation during chest EIT monitoring within the considered age range
Manufactured exports, disaggregated imports and economic growth: the case of Kuwait
Get PDFThis study investigates whether manufactured exports contribute to economic growth and whether imports can augment the role of exports in fostering export diversification. In the case of the latter, the study also examines which categories of imports are most likely to facilitate economic growth in the long run. In particular, the study focuses on the case of Kuwait over the period 1970–2019 and utilizes a Cobb–Douglas production function augmented with manufactured exports and primary and manufactured imports. The long-run relationships between the model variables are explored using two cointegration tests, namely the Johansen test and the dynamic ordinary least squares. The short-run causality is investigated utilizing the multivariate Granger approach in a vector autoregressive model, the parameters of which are assessed for stability using the CUSUM of squares test and recursive residuals plots. To examine the causal relationships in the long run, the Toda and Yamamoto test is applied. The cointegration tests show that the variables are cointe- grated, while the Granger causality test shows that manufactured exports and disaggregated imports, together with the inputs of production, cause economic growth in the short run, which, in turn, leads to import growth. In the long run, the expansion of both primary and manufactured imports drives export diversification, whereas manufactured exports do not contribute to economic growth. These findings are very important for Kuwait’s policymakers to consider in their plans to implement Kuwait Vision 2035 as overseas demand for oil wanes