26729 research outputs found
Sort by
How can reporters and others affected by the whistleblowing process be compensated for psycho-social harm?
No full textUnder Part IVA of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA 1996), compensation for injury to feelings is available when UK workers suffer retaliation after raising concerns about wrongdoing. However, whistleblowers may suffer serious psychiatric harm and this article considers how and when damages for personal injury might be awarded. It also discusses the remedies that might be made available to others adversely affected by whistleblowing process. These others could be, inter alia, bystanders(people who have observed wrongdoing and/or retaliation but not reported it) and perpetrators (those who cover up wrongdoing or victimise a whistleblower). The authors outline the most common forms of reprisal and their possible impact on mental and physical health. They then discuss both the employment tribunal and civil court mechanisms for recovering damages for psychiatric illness as a form of personal injury. The article concludes by suggesting that those adversely affected by the whistleblowing process would benefit from extensions to the statutory provisions on protected disclosures. It also notes that in some circumstances whistleblowing might amount to a protected act within the meaning of Part 2 of the Equality Act 2010 (EA 2010) and points out that treating whistleblowers as having a protected characteristic might inhibit reprisals by bringing into play the wide enforcement provisions in the anti-discrimination legislation
Blockchain adoption and coordination strategies for green supply chains considering consumer privacy concern
Get PDFConsumers’ uncertainty about the value of green products will reduce their willingness to pay, thereby obstructing green product promotion. Blockchain can eliminate this uncertainty but bring privacy concerns. We develop a game theoretical model to study a green supply chain composed of one manufacturer and one retailer, aiming to explore the implications of partial or full blockchain adoption on green product manufacturing. Subsequently, we consider the use of revenue-sharing and cost-sharing contracts as mechanisms to coordinate the supply chain that adopts blockchain technologies. We show that adopting blockchain for some products benefits the manufacturer and the retailer, and consumers’ privacy concerns make it impossible for blockchain to be adopted for all products. Interestingly, partial or full blockchain adoption does not affect the green investment level. Furthermore, we find that revenue-sharing and cost-sharing contracts are always beneficial for the manufacturer. However, it can be beneficial for the retailer only when the revenue-sharing or cost-sharing ratio is small. Surprisingly, the effectiveness of the coordinating contract is not affected by consumers’ privacy concerns. Finally, when comparing the wholesale price contract with two coordination mechanisms, we find that the manufacturer and the retailer can agree on adopting a cost-sharing contract when both revenue- and cost-sharing ratios are low. When the revenue-sharing ratio is moderate and the cost-sharing ratio is low, a revenue-sharing contract is adopted. In all other cases, trading is conducted according to the wholesale price contract. These insights can contribute to optimize the application of blockchain in green supply chains
Residual network-based deep learning framework for diabetic retinopathy detection
Get PDFArtificial intelligence and machine learning have been transforming the health care industry in many areas such as disease diagnosis with medical imaging, surgical robots, and maximizing hospital efficiency. The Healthcare service market utilizing Artificial Intelligence is expected to reach 45.2 billion U. S. Dollars by 2026 from its current valuation, off $4.9 billion. Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is a disease that results from complications of type one and Type two diabetes and affects patients' eyes. Diabetic retinopathy, if remains unaddressed, is one of the most serious complications of diabetes, resulting in permanent blindness. The disease has been affecting the lives of 347 million people worldwide. The paper aims to propose a residual network-based deep learning framework for the detection of diabetic retinopathy. The accuracy of our approach is 83% whereas the precision value for checking the absence of DR is 95%
Are dry-land measurements and their asymmetries related to swimming performance?
No full textThis study aimed to verify the correlations between variables obtained from dry-land tests and swimming performance, in addition to examining the associations between the dry-land asymmetries and swimming performance. Thirty-seven male swimmers performed a test battery, including shoulder isokinetic torque, shoulder range of motion (ROM), vertical jump, anthropometric, and in-water force tests. Additionally, the best official performance in the events of 50 and 200 m front crawl were obtained. Interlimb asymmetries were calculated for all tested metrics, and Pearson and Spearman’s correlations were used to determine the association between the metrics (and their asymmetries) and swimming performance. Results showed that most of the dry-land metrics were significantly associated with 50 m front crawl (r = -0.59 to -0.83) and 200 m front crawl (r = -0.48 to -0.62) performance, and with peak force at tethered swimming (r = 0.54 to 0.80), except the ROM test (r = -0.22 to 0.33). None of the asymmetries originating from the dry-land tests were significantly correlated with swimming performance (ρ = -0.29 to 0.34). In conclusion, most dry-land outcomes measured are related to swimming performance, while the dry-land inter-limb asymmetries are not
Application of a fuzzy, indicator‐based methodology for investigating the functional vulnerability of critical infrastructures to flood hazards
Get PDFHazard vulnerability assessment of critical infrastructures (CIs) is crucial for ranking infrastructures based on their level of criticality, enabling the urban managers to prioritize CIs for allocating funds in the hazard mitigation/recovery process. This study aims to provide a framework for ranking CIs based on a rapid and preliminary flood vulnerability assessment by introducing a methodology for classifying CIs according to their vulnerability to riverine flooding. An indicator-based vulnerability curve is calculated both quantitatively (using Fuzzy Logic Toolbox in MATLAB) and qualitatively (using susceptibility–exposure matrix), based on which CIs prioritization is accomplished with a focus on functional flood vulnerability considering structural/nonstructural damages. Besides, this study addresses the consequences that a damaged infrastructure may have on the rest of CIs and estimates their vulnerability given the additive impact of the surrounding failed infrastructures considering their interdependence. The methodology was applied to Berat (Albania) and Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina) with findings compared to those of a multi-criteria decision-making-based approach commonly used in CI ranking literature. The obtained results from both methods represent that roads are the most vulnerable studied infrastructure in the case of Berat, while regarding the city of Sarajevo, road infrastructures are considered the least vulnerable to riverine floods compared to bridges and schools
Enhancing privacy, censorship resistance, and user engagement in a blockchain-based social network
Get PDFIn the contemporary digital era, online social networks have become integral to global communication, facilitating connectivity and information dissemination. Millions of people use centralised social media platforms today, which raises concerns about user control, privacy, and censorship. These platforms profit from user data and content, as the single authority of these platforms has complete control over user data. Although peer-to-peer decentralised online social networks were developed to address the weaknesses in centralised platforms, they still have significant limitations in terms of securing privacy, and handling censorship resistance issues. In this work, we propose a novel decentralised online social network leveraging blockchain technology to address these pressing issues in centralised and peer-to-peer online social networks. The proposed system prioritizes user control by decentralizing data storage and network governance, thereby reducing the issues associated with centralized control. By employing blockchain technology, individuals maintain ownership of their data and gain greater control, thereby enhancing user privacy protection. Additionally, the cryptographic security and immutable ledger of blockchain technology protect freedom of expression and information exchange by resisting censorship. Moreover, with the integration of incentivization mechanisms, users are incentivized to contribute to the network’s growth and sustainability, as well as promoting engaging content and encouraging ownership among users. The evaluation results show that our blockchain-based decentralised online social network (DOSN) accomplishes the aim and objectives for preserving privacy, censorship resistance and enhancing user engagement in online social network with the use of blockchain technology
‘The Aesthetic Cold War: Decolonisation and Global Literature’ by Peter J Kalliney reviewed by Daniel Neofetou
Get PDFArt which is not explicitly and overtly propagandistic is difficult to pin down to a determinate position on the political spectrum. There are exceptions, such as the mainstream Hollywood film, which has always served to essentialise the norms of US society and thus provide, in the words of Fredric Jameson, ‘the apprenticeship to a specific culture, to an everyday life as a cultural practice’ (Jameson 2009: 443). However, for the most part, a substantial amount of legwork is required to make the case that a painting or a poem or a piece of music has some inherent political bent.
Given this, it is unsurprising that scholars have alighted upon the state patronage of artists, especially those working during the Cold War, in order to buttress such arguments. Perhaps the most ubiquitous example of this is the indictment of Abstract Expressionist painting by left-wing art historians since the 1970s. For these thinkers, it is crucial that the style was promoted in international exhibitions organised by bodies at the heart of the US establishment, particularly the United States Information Agency and the International Council at the Museum of Modern Art. They argue that this renders the ‘freedom’ with which Jackson Pollock flicked and poured paint onto his canvases emblematic of the supposed ‘freedom’ of liberal capitalism.
This is a debate in which I have been a partisan. In Rereading Abstract Expressionism, Clement Greenberg and the Cold War (2021), I argue against these art historians on the basis that the art cannot be reduced to the political ends to which it was deployed. In The Aesthetic Cold War, Peter J. Kalliney makes his own case against easy equations between politics and art, focusing instead on the literary output of the decolonizing world
Nutzungsabsicht und Akzeptanz von Dienstleistungsangeboten eines bundesdeutschen Branchenverbands durch Mitglieder und Relevanz für Verbandserfolg – eine empirische Analyse am Beispiel des DEHOGA Baden-Württemberg
Get PDFThis study attempts to redefine association success. The level of organization that has so far been recognized as a success-determining indicator is neither necessary nor sufficient to va-lidly measure association success. Among other things, the corona pandemic has clearly de-monstrated that this causal relationship cannot be confirmed in reality.
Other business calculation bases, such as the profit and loss statements of associations, are also not effective due to the specific organizational purpose (non-profit organizations). Many association services are provided to members free of charge or at cost price.
This work examines the connection between association success, intention to use and accep-tance of association services by members. The case study refers to the industry association DEHOGA Baden-Württemberg, the regional hospitality association with the largest number of members in Germany.
A mixed-methods approach was used to analyze documents, interviews (n = 15, volunteer members (N = 40/600) and a survey (n = 556) among all DEHOGA members who can be reached by email (N = 9,168/12,400). The document analysis led to factual and legal insights, while interviews and the survey additionally identified emotional influences among the associ-ation members.
The work can prove that determining association success based on organizational levels is not appropriate and valid. It also confirms the previous theoretical findings that usage intention and member acceptance are both shaped by factual and emotional motives Factors form the basis for a newly developed acceptance formula to make association success measurable. The mathematical model allows the first measurements of association success to be made. The acceptance formula presented in the study can lead to further insights, but cannot measure concrete acceptance values.
This work makes a contribution to the theory of association success. However, the topic needs to be deepened in further empirical studies in order to arrive at a generally valid model of association success
Hot rule of law potatoes: the CJEU’s formalism in joined cases C‑313/23, C‑316/23, C‑332/23 and its implications
Get PDFOn 30 April 2025, the CJEU handed down its much-anticipated judgment in joined cases C‑313/23, C‑316/23, C‑332/23, which, among other pertinent questions on the GDPR, concerns the compatibility of Article 19 TEU and Article 47 of the EU Charter with a situation in which the members of a judicial inspection body have de facto remained in office indefinitely. Regrettably, however, the highly formalistic ruling will hardly make a difference in Bulgaria from where the preliminary references originated. It fails to address the underlying rule of law challenges faced by both the Judicial Inspectorate and the Supreme Judicial Council in Bulgaria at their core. As such, the judgment is a missed opportunity – an attempt to hand off a hot “rule of law” potato
Music for displaced dyads: a mixed methods feasibility study on the impact of music therapy on the mental health and wellbeing of Ukrainian refugee families
Get PDFBackground: Global displacement has reached unprecedented levels, with refugee mothers and children particularly vulnerable to psychological distress. Following the war in Ukraine, many families face trauma, disrupted parenting, and limited access to mental health services. Music therapy (MT) offers a non-pharmacological, culturally adaptable approach to support psychosocial wellbeing. This feasibility study explored the impact of a dyadic MT intervention on Ukrainian refugee caregivers and their children resettled in the UK.
Methods: Four groups of 4–6 caregiver-child dyads participated in an 8-week improvisational MT program, co-designed with caregivers and culturally tailored. A mixed-methods approach included: (1) quantitative pre/post measures of PTSD, depression, anxiety, wellbeing, cognitive functioning, parenting self-efficacy, musical home environment, and social connectedness; (2) physiological assessment of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) as an index of autonomic regulation; and (3) post-intervention semi-structured interviews with caregivers.
Results: Significant improvements were observed in caregivers’ PTSD, depression, anxiety, and cognitive functioning. RSA data indicated increased parasympathetic activity, suggesting improved emotional regulation. Non-significant trends emerged in parenting and home musical engagement. Qualitative analysis identified enhanced child communication, socio-emotional functioning, and transference of musical engagement into the home.
Conclusion: This study is the first to demonstrate the feasibility and potential efficacy of MT for improving mental health and parent-child dynamics among displaced Ukrainian families. Findings support MT as a low-cost, trauma-informed, and scalable intervention. Further research is needed to evaluate its impact in larger, culturally diverse refugee populations through randomized controlled trials