Context-dependent Factors Research Articles

DEVELOPMENT OF A LINGUISTIC DATABASE FOR SENTIMENT ANALYSIS

Sentiment analysis is a field of research that uses NLP/Artificial Intelligence techniques to determine thoughts, emotions, and attitudes expressed about an object or event. This means analyzing the tone or mood of the text, feelings and thoughts. Many sentiment analysis studies and linguistic resources have been developed for the English language. However, there are a limited number of studies on the Uzbek language. The reasons for this are insufficient data collection, direct translation of existing English language resources not being compatible with the Uzbek language, differences in the grammatical structure of the two languages, and regional, religious, and mental differences. The study aims to identify emotional-expressiveness units that express emotional evaluation and to develop a linguistic database for emotional analysis. It deals with the issues of developing the linguistic support for sentiment analysis of Uzbek language texts; the study of context-dependent factors in emotional analysis; and determining the best style for the Uzbek language. Attention is paid to the analysis of expressing emotional evaluation means specific to the Uzbek language levels.

Cardiac sympathetic neurons are additional cells affected in genetically determined arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (AC) is a familial cardiac disease, mainly caused by mutations in desmosomal genes, which accounts for most cases of stress-related arrhythmic sudden death, in young and athletes. AC hearts display fibro-fatty lesions that generate the arrhythmic substrate and cause contractile dysfunction. A correlation between physical/emotional stresses and arrhythmias supports the involvement of sympathetic neurons (SNs) in the disease, but this has not been confirmed previously. Here, we combined molecular, in vitro and ex vivo analyses to determine the role of AC-linked DSG2 downregulation on SN biology and assess cardiac sympathetic innervation in desmoglein-2mutant (Dsg2mut/mut) mice. Molecular assays showed that SNs express DSG2, implying that DSG2-mutation carriers would harbour the mutant protein in SNs. Confocal immunofluorescence of heart sections and 3-D reconstruction of SN network in clarified heart blocks revealed significant changes in the physiologialc SN topology, with massive hyperinnervation of the intact subepicardial layers and heterogeneous distribution of neurons in fibrotic areas. Cardiac SNs isolated from Dsg2mut/mut neonatal mice, prior to the establishment of cardiac innervation, show alterations in axonal sprouting, process development and distribution of varicosities. Consistently, virus-assisted DSG2 downregulation replicated, in PC12-derived SNs, the phenotypic alterations displayed by Dsg2mut/mut primary neurons, corroborating that AC-linked Dsg2 variants may affect SNs. Our results reveal that altered sympathetic innervation is an unrecognized feature of AC hearts, which may result from the combination of cell-autonomous and context-dependent factors implicated in myocardial remodelling. Our results favour the concept that AC is a disease of multiple cell types also hitting cardiac SNs. KEY POINTS: Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy is a genetically determined cardiac disease, which accounts for most cases of stress-related arrhythmic sudden death. Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy linked to mutations in desmoglein-2 (DSG2) is frequent and leads to a left-dominant form of the disease. Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy has been approached thus far as a disease of cardiomyocytes, but we here unveil that DSG2 is expressed, in addition to cardiomyocytes, by cardiac and extracardiac sympathetic neurons, although not organized into desmosomes. AC-linked DSG2 downregulation primarily affect sympathetic neurons, resulting in the significant increase in cardiac innervation density, accompanied by alterations in sympathetic neuron distribution. Our data supports the notion that AC develops with the contribution of several 'desmosomal protein-carrying' cell types and systems.

The simple macroeconomics of AI

Abstract This paper evaluates claims about large macroeconomic implications of new advances in AI. It starts from a task-based model of AI’s effects, working through automation and task complementarities. So long as AI’s microeconomic effects are driven by cost savings/productivity improvements at the task level, its macroeconomic consequences will be given by a version of Hulten’s theorem: GDP and aggregate productivity gains can be estimated by what fraction of tasks are impacted and average task-level cost savings. Using existing estimates on exposure to AI and productivity improvements at the task level, these macroeconomic effects appear nontrivial but modest—no more than a 0.66% increase in total factor productivity (TFP) over 10 years. The paper then argues that even these estimates could be exaggerated, because early evidence is from easy-to-learn tasks, whereas some of the future effects will come from hard-to-learn tasks, where there are many context-dependent factors affecting decision-making and no objective outcome measures from which to learn successful performance. Consequently, predicted TFP gains over the next 10 years are even more modest and are predicted to be less than 0.53%. I also explore AI’s wage and inequality effects. I show theoretically that even when AI improves the productivity of low-skill workers in certain tasks (without creating new tasks for them), this may increase rather than reduce inequality. Empirically, I find that AI advances are unlikely to increase inequality as much as previous automation technologies because their impact is more equally distributed across demographic groups, but there is also no evidence that AI will reduce labor income inequality. Instead, AI is predicted to widen the gap between capital and labor income. Finally, some of the new tasks created by AI may have negative social value (such as design of algorithms for online manipulation), and I discuss how to incorporate the macroeconomic effects of new tasks that may have negative social value.

Construction of a beneficial microbes-enriched rhizosphere system assists plants in phytophagous insect defense: current status, challenges and opportunities.

The construction of a plant rhizosphere system enriched with beneficial microbes (BMs) can efficiently help plants defend against phytophagous insects. However, our comprehensive understanding of this approach is still incomplete. In this review, we methodically analyzed the progress made over the last decade, identifying both challenges and opportunities. The main methods for developing a BMs-enriched rhizosphere system include inoculating exogenous BMs into plants, amending the existing soil microbiomes with amendments, and utilizing plants to shape the soil microbiomes. BMs can assist plants in suppressing phytophagous insects across many orders, including 13 Lepidoptera, seven Homoptera, five Hemiptera, five Coleoptera, four Diptera, and one Thysanoptera species by inducing plant systemic resistance, enhancing plant tolerance, augmenting plant secondary metabolite production, and directly suppressing herbivores. Context-dependent factors such as abiotic and biotic conditions, as well as the response of insect herbivores, can affect the outcomes of BM-assisted plant defense. Several challenges and opportunities have emerged, including the development of synthetic microbial communities for herbivore control, the integration of biosensors for effectiveness assessment, the confirmation of BM targets for phytophagous insect defense, and the regulation of outcomes via smart farming with artificial intelligence. This study offers valuable insights for developing a BM-enriched rhizosphere system within an integrated pest management approach. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

“We Are the Woman and We Are the Man”: Insights from Focus Group Analysis on How Scholars Should Measure Sex and Gender

ABSTRACT Traditional ways of measuring sex and gender – often by conflating the two – have been criticized on empirical and normative grounds. This article presents the results of 15 focus groups conducted in Canada in 2016 that were motivated by two questions: How do people think about gender and how can this inform or refine current approaches to the measurement of gender? Several patterns emerged. First, participants seem to understand gender most often in the context of gendered roles and responsibilities, with physical appearances or traits playing secondary roles. Second, the salience of gender tends to be highest at home and in the workplace. Third, ethnicity/race, age, and sexual orientation are, predictably, important lenses through which individuals perceive and experience gender. Fourth, focus groups provide important opportunities for reflection on and improvement of gender measurement in survey research, including the different context-dependent factors that go into gender identity and the need for multi-dimensional measures. Taken together, findings help identify tangible practices that could be adopted for enhancing measurement of gender in survey research.

Effect of residence time on trait evolution in invasive plants: review and meta-analysis

The success of invasive species is often attributed to rapid post-introduction evolution, due to novel selection pressures at the introduced range. However, evolutionary shifts in invasion-promoting traits can also take place within the introduced range over time. Here, we first present a review of the proposed hypotheses regarding the selection pressures and trait divergence along gradients of invasion history and the studies that examined them. In addition, we present the results of a meta-analysis aimed to provide a more general overview of current knowledge on trait evolution with time since introduction. Invasion-promoting traits, including growth, competitive ability and dispersal ability, were proposed to decline in more established populations with a long invasion history due to the attenuation of selection pressures, such as enemy release or interspecific competition, while herbivore defence was suggested to increase. Our meta-analysis results reveal a general indication for the evolution of invasive plants with residence time for most of the studied traits. However, this divergence did not have a consistent direction in most traits, except for growth, which, in contrast with our prediction, increased with residence time. The lack of empirical support for the predicted change in most of the studied traits over time suggests trait evolution might be affected by other context-dependent factors such as climatic gradients along invasion routes. Similarly, the increased allocation to size in older and more established populations may be driven by increased conspecific competition pressure experienced in these populations. The general temporal effect found in our meta-analysis stresses the need to consider population age when comparing attributes of invasive plants between native and invasive ranges. Moreover, the increased size of invasive plants in older populations, suggests that the dominance of these plants might not attenuate with time since introduction, thus highlighting the need to further explore the long-term dynamics between invasive plants and their recipient native communities.

SOX2 Expression Does Not Guarantee Cancer Stem Cell-like Characteristics in Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Effectively targeting cancer stemness is essential for successful cancer therapy. Recent studies have revealed that SOX2, a pluripotent stem cell factor, significantly contributes to cancer stem cell (CSC)-like characteristics closely associated with cancer malignancy. However, its contradictory impact on patient survival in specific cancer types, including lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), underscores the need for more comprehensive research to clarify its functional effect on cancer stemness. In this study, we demonstrate that SOX2 is not universally required for the regulation of CSC-like properties in LUAD. We generated SOX2 knockouts in A549, H358, and HCC827 LUAD cells using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Our results reveal unchanged CSC characteristics, including sustained proliferation, tumor sphere formation, invasion, migration, and therapy resistance, compared to normal cells. Conversely, SOX2 knockdown using conditional shRNA targeting SOX2, significantly reduced CSC traits. However, these loss-of-function effects were not rescued by SOX2 resistant to shRNA, underscoring the potential for SOX2 protein level-independent results in prior siRNA- or shRNA-based research. Ultimately, our findings demonstrate that SOX2 is not absolutely essential in LUAD cancer cells. This emphasizes the necessity of considering cancer subtype-dependent and context-dependent factors when targeting SOX2 overexpression as a potential therapeutic vulnerability in diverse cancers.

The integration movement by a central stimulation team or integrator: 8 success factors from Leuven Cares (Zorgzaam Leuven)

The “Leuven Cares” (Zorgzaam Leuven) project started in 2018 as a government supported change management project, focusing chronic care integration. It covers and uses the officially defined primary care zone of Leuven (102.000 inhabitants). The project Zorgzaam Leuven is created thanks to the funding of the federal government Integreo.be, and the contribution of 60 local organizations in Leuven.
 As a basic methodology Leuven Cares opts for an ‘integrator’, i.e. a centrally stimulated integration movement amongst all professional caregivers and their local organizations, using the principles of integrated care and a population health approach. The central integrator functions as a back office.
 A broad array of actions were needed to develop this centrally stimulated integration movement, initially by co-creation and cooperation with a broad field of existing initiatives. All initiatives were brought in line and actively supported by a new central integrator team, that focused on multiple key activity areas.
 We have gained insights into the success factors that have led to the “integration movement by central stimulation” (in random order):
 1.The integrator structure functions as a back office to permanently catalyze the transition towards integrated care.
 2.The integrator is defined as the involvement of up to 40 liaison persons working within the 60 collaborating organizations, and a small central support team. The structure of the support team is lean, effective and stays integrated with all partner organizations through the close cooperation with 40 liaison persons.
 3.The integrator facilitates a co-creation attitude in all aspects of the project. Up to 60% of the professionals are voluntarily united in primary care neighborhood teams.
 4.The integrator works in line with a shared plan for the region with the focus on population health and provides regular updates based on continuous evaluation of care interventions.
 5.Involvement of patients and informal caregivers is a basic principle in care planning and caring neighborhoods.
 6.The integrator provides nudge-wise financial incentives to support integrated care starting from a population health approach, which is crucial for ‘double accountability’.
 7.Academic researchers are involved within the integrator, to implement and evaluate interventions with proof of concept.
 8.Shared communication for professional caregivers and patients is provided by the central support team, in co-creation with all partner organizations.
 The Leuven Cares project is an ongoing integrated care project. To date, the process shows good voluntarily and motivated participation of professional caregivers and their organizations. Among several other success factors a strong central integrator team supporting the transition towards integrated care is essential to support this transition towards more and sustainable integrated care.
 The next steps for Leuven Cares include developing methods to spread the best practices, including an integration team, to other regions. The roll-out will be gradual, with specific evaluation of context-dependent factors influencing the process towards integrated care.

Active School Commuting in School Children: A Narrative Review of Current Evidence and Future Research Implications.

Active school commuting (ASC) has been proposed as a practical way to inculcate positive physical activity habits in children. This paper reviews the current evidence regarding ASC among children, highlights advances in research techniques and existing limitations in the field, and outlines future implications for research and promotion. A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify English language studies on ASC among children aged 6-12 years, followed by a narrative review. ASC has witnessed a global decline, despite evidence of its contribution to physical activity levels. Context-dependent factors such as commuting distance and parental safety concerns are consistently identified as key determinants of ASC. Several promising interventions have been identified. Despite the limitations in intervention scope and quality, notable advancements in research techniques, such as multilevel regression and agent-based modelling, have been identified. Effective promotion of ASC to tackle childhood physical inactivity requires collaborative efforts among schools, parents, and the government, and should be tailored to address multilevel determinants within the local context. Future research should leverage recent advancements in research techniques to develop effective promotion strategies, while considering the context-dependent nature of ASC behaviours and addressing existing limitations, including the lack of standardised definitions and limited geographical and age coverage.

Process Virtualization Goes Mainstream: Diving into its Normalization

ABSTRACT Businesses are increasingly preparing for remote working by equipping managers and their teams with the necessary tools and technology. This research focuses on understanding how technology–enabled remote working practices are implemented and normalized, taking into consideration the context in which they are applied. By utilizing process virtualization theory (PVT) to quantitatively evaluate context-dependent factors and normalization process theory (NPT) to explore the normalization of new technology-driven remote work practices, this study investigates the static and dynamic factors affecting the virtualization of remote work processes, as well as their implementation and normalization. The results from multiple surveys reveal that sensory requirements along with relationship requirements and control requirements are dynamic factors that are driven by the context and enable the technology–enabled virtualization of remote work processes. Furthermore, the relative normalization of this work transformation is sustained through flexible co–construction, legitimation, contextual integration, and effective leadership.

Selected Articles from This Issue

Highlights| October 14 2022 Selected Articles from This Issue Author & Article Information Online ISSN: 1557-3265 Print ISSN: 1078-0432 ©2022 American Association for Cancer Research2022American Association for Cancer Research Clin Cancer Res (2022) 28 (20): 4355. https://doi.org/10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-28-20-HI Related Content A commentary has been published: CircIPO7 Promotes Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Metastasis and Cisplatin Chemoresistance by Facilitating YBX1 Nuclear Localization A commentary has been published: EWS::FLI1 and HOXD13 Control Tumor Cell Plasticity in Ewing Sarcoma A commentary has been published: Combined TRIP13 and Aurora Kinase Inhibition Induces Apoptosis in Human Papillomavirus–Driven Cancers View more A commentary has been published: Inhibition of LSD1 with Bomedemstat Sensitizes Small Cell Lung Cancer to Immune Checkpoint Blockade and T-Cell Killing View less Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Article Versions Icon Versions Version of Record October 14 2022 Citation Selected Articles from This Issue. Clin Cancer Res 15 October 2022; 28 (20): 4355. https://doi.org/10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-28-20-HI Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest Search Advanced Search Metastatic progression of Ewing sarcoma requires that activity of its oncogenic driver, EWS::FLI1, be moderated. Apfelbaum and colleagues have identified HOXD13 as a tumor-specific regulator of EWS::FLI1 activity. Transcriptomic and epigenomic studies showed that EWS::FLI1 directly activates HOXD13 and that antagonism between these transcription factors determines mesenchymal cell state. In particular, cells with high HOXD13 activity selectively activated mesenchymal programs that are repressed by EWS::FLI1. These studies demonstrate the importance of cell context-dependent transcription factors as moderators of fusion gene activity and phenotypic cell state. Future studies are indicated to determine if these transcriptionally distinct cell states define metastasis-initiating cells. Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes >5% of cancers worldwide leading to significant morbidity and mortality. To address an unmet need for therapies that uniquely target HPV-driven cancers, Ghosh and colleagues tested the efficacy of 864 drugs and identified Aurora kinase inhibitors as effective in HPV-positive cancers. HPV-positive cells, which have low... You do not currently have access to this content.

Measuring embodied conceptualizations of pitch in singing performances: Insights from an OpenPose study

People conceptualize auditory pitch as vertical space: low and high pitch correspond to low and high space, respectively. The strength of this cross-modal correspondence, however, seems to vary across different cultural contexts and a debate on the different factors underlying this variation is currently taking place. According to one hypothesis, pitch mappings are semantically mediated. For instance, the use of conventional metaphors such as “falling” or “rising” melodies strengthens a pitch-height mapping to the detriment of other possible mappings (e.g., pitch as bright/dark color or small/big size). Hence, entrenched pitch terms shape specific conceptualizations. The deterministic role of language is called into question by the hypothesis that different pitch mappings share a less constraining conceptual basis. As such, conceptual primitives may be concretizedad hocinto specific domains so that more local variation is possible. This claim is supported, for instance, by the finding that musicians use language-congruent (conventional) and language-incongruent (ad hoc) mappings interchangeably. The present paper substantiates this observation by investigating the head movements of musically trained and untrained speakers of Dutch in a melody reproduction task, as embodied instantiations of a vertical conceptualization of pitch. The OpenPose algorithm was used to track the movement trajectories in detail. The results show that untrained participants systematically made language-congruent movements, while trained participants showed more diverse behaviors, including language-incongruent movements. The difference between the two groups could not be attributed to the level of accuracy in the singing performances. In sum, this study argues for a joint consideration of more entrenched (e.g., linguistic metaphors) and more context-dependent (e.g., musical training and task) factors in accounting for variability in pitch representations.

Abstract B020: Multimodal single-cell analyses reveal identification of unique transcriptional subgroups in ewing sarcoma

Abstract Ewing sarcoma (EwS) tumors are driven by pathognomonic fusions between FET proteins and ETS family transcription factors (most frequently EWS::FLI1). EWS::FLI1 drives tumorigenesis through massive transcriptomic and epigenomic rewiring. Despite mutational homogeneity, EwS are highly transcriptionally heterogeneous suggesting that cell context is a key determinant of EWS::FLI1-driven gene signatures. Fusion protein activity has been revealed as a core source of EwS heterogeneity. However, deep investigation into the transcriptomic and epigenomic heterogeneity of EwS cells has yet to be described. Molecular subtyping of EwS has thus far proven to be difficult to achieve with bulk RNA-sequencing approaches. We hypothesized that single-cell characterization of EwS cells would provide the necessary resolution to allow identification and characterization of transcriptionally distinct tumor subgroups. We subjected eight established EwS cell lines, one PDX-derived EwS line, and five non-EwS cell lines to single-cell multiomic (ATAC + RNA) sequencing. A range of 1300-3800 live cells were captured per sample, with an average of 25,000 transcript and accessible reads per cell. Initial analysis of transcriptomes confirmed the EwS-specific, EWS::FLI1-dependent signature gene sets in EwS samples. Integrated analysis of the multiome data from the 9 EwS samples identified inter-tumor heterogeneity and unsupervised k-means clustering revealed three molecular subgroups that were not evident from expression data alone. Subgroup 1 comprised only the A673 cell line, while the remaining 8 EwS samples were split between subgroups 2 and 3. Gene ontology analysis defined enrichment of distinct gene sets across the 3 subgroups. Interestingly, expression of subgroup 2-defining genes was reduced following knockdown of EWSR1::FLI1, while expression of subgroup 3-defining genes increased. Thus, these data show that transcriptionally distinct subgroups of EwS exist and these are defined, in part, by whether EWS::FLI1-dependent gene activation or gene repression dominates transcriptional rewiring. Our ongoing studies suggest that these molecular subgroups are defined by cooperation between the fusion and cell context-dependent transcription factors. Future analyses will determine if these distinct multiomic programs exist in primary patients tumors and test the pathobiologic and clinical significance of these novel molecular subgroups. Citation Format: April A. Apfelbaum, Olivia Waltner, Shruti S. Bhise, Sami Kanaan, Jay F. Sarthy, Scott N. Furlan, Elizabeth R. Lawlor. Multimodal single-cell analyses reveal identification of unique transcriptional subgroups in ewing sarcoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Sarcomas; 2022 May 9-12; Montreal, QC, Canada. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2022;28(18_Suppl):Abstract nr B020.

Virtual wine experiences: is covid extending the boundaries of wine tourism?

Wine tourism has long been a strategic tool for Italian wineries. The Covid-19 outbreak jeopardised its dynamics on multiple levels, creating physical (e.g., social distancing, travel bans) and psychological barriers. Online wine experiences constitute one of the key resilience strategies adopted by wine tourism actors, being still a relatively unexplored phenomenon in the scientific literature. The current study tackles this gap by analysing the drivers of interest in online wine experiences on the demand side, i.e. among a sample of Italian wine tourists (n=408), through Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Notably, the model considers long-term (involvement with wine) and short-term (Covid-19 fear and anxiety) factors, digitalisation and willingness to support local wineries by partaking in wine tourism. Results highlight that the interest in online wine experiences is driven by context-dependent factors like fear and anxiety linked to Covid-19, and the involvement with wine. Diversely, willingness to go on a wine holiday is not a significant antecedent, even with Covid-19 fear and anxiety as limiting factors. Practical and managerial implications are discussed.

Previous inter-sexual aggression increases female mating propensity in fruit flies

Abstract Female mate choice is a complex decision making process that involves many context-dependent factors. Understanding the factors that shape variation in female mate choice has important consequences for evolution via sexual selection. In many animals including fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster, males often use aggressive mating strategies to coerce females into mating, but it is not clear if females’ experience with sexual aggression shapes their future behaviors. Here, we used males derived from lineages that were artificially selected to display either low or high sexual aggression toward females to determine how experience with these males shapes subsequent female mate choice. First, we verified that males from these lineages differed in their sexual behaviors. We found that males from high sexual aggression backgrounds spent more time pursuing virgin females, and had a shorter mating latency but shorter copulation duration compared with males from low sexual aggression backgrounds. Next, we tested how either a harassment by or mating experience with males from either a high or low sexual aggression backgrounds influenced subsequent female mate choice behaviors. We found that in both scenarios, females that interacted with high sexual aggression males were more likely and faster to mate with a novel male one day later, regardless of the male’s aggression level. These results have important implications for understanding the evolution of flexible polyandry as a mechanism that benefits females.

Exploring the Context Dependent Factors That Shape Teachers’ Practice of Quality Classroom Questioning: A Case of a Secondary School Setting

Classroom questioning as one of the practices and tools at a teacher’s disposal in the teaching and learning process can be considered the strongest tool to teach students how to think. In the teaching and learning process, there is traditional questioning and quality classroom questioning. The purpose of this study is to explore the context dependent factors that shape quality classroom questioning practices manifested in the teaching and learning process in a form four class. The study used the Bloom’s taxonomy and the Information Processing model as theoretical framework for the study to analyze the quality of questions and activities used to direct learner attention, encourage thinking, and promote real learning. The study was based on interpretivist paradigm that is exploratory in nature taking a qualitative approach. It involved use of classroom observation, semi-structured interviews involving four teachers and six learners, and document analysis on departmental minutes, schemes of work, lesson observation forms and lesson plans to collect data. It was found out that the context dependent factors that shape questioning were found to include the classroom setting, examinations, pedagogical culture, and learners’ state of mind. Further studies are recommended to establish relationship between contextual factors and question presentation practices, and on the influence of contextual factors on cognitive level of questions and responses.

Diversity in Protected Area Governance and Its Implications for Management: An Institutional Analysis of Selected Parks in Iceland

A protected area (PA) is essentially a governance system, a spatially defined area encompassing natural and/or cultural attributes, governed by a set of actors with different roles and institutional frameworks. There are many types of PA governance systems, guided by historical-, site-specific- and context-dependent factors. This study has the objective to advance understanding of PA governance systems, their diversity and the implications for management. We take the case of Iceland and five of its major PAs. We develop an analytical framework for the study of PA governance systems, investigating their evolutionary trajectories, conducting a comparative institutional analysis of their environmental governance systems (EGS), and assessing their management implications using nature-based tourism as a key variable. We find this framework effective and applicable beyond this study. We find great diversity in the five PA governance systems that has not come by chance but deliberately negotiated in their protracted establishment trajectories. At the individual park level, such PA diversity can be embraced as a sign of an adaptive approach to governance instead of a one-size-fits-all solution while at the national level, however, such fragmentation constitutes coordination challenges. Our analysis of the current portfolio of PA governance systems reveals they accommodate most of the needed management measures, but a problem remains concerning scattered and locked-in individual governance systems that do not support coordinated action and sharing of expertise and resources. This calls upon policy guidance with more formal coordination, such as a legal and national policy framework embracing PA governance diversity, but also securing more coordinated measures for day-to-day management.

Considering the role of context when implementing government policies in hospitals: introduction of a prospective payment system for psychiatry

PurposeThe context in which an innovation is implemented is an important and often neglected mediator of change. A prospective payment system (PPS) for psychiatric and psychosomatic facilities with major implications for inpatient psychiatric care in Germany was implemented from 2013 to 2017. This study aims to examine the determinants of implementation of this government policy using the Diffusion of Innovations theory and consider the role of context.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory case study was conducted in two wards of a psychiatric hospital in Germany: geriatric psychiatry (GerP) and general psychiatry (GenP). Fifteen interviews were conducted with different occupational groups and analyzed in-depths. Routine hospital data were analyzed for delimiting the two contexts.FindingsRoutine hospital data show a higher day-mix index (1.08 vs. 0.94) in the GerP context and a very different structure regarding PPS groups, indicating a higher patient complexity. Two types of factors influencing implementation were identified: Context-independent factors included social separation between nurses and doctors, poor communication behavior between the groups and a lack of conveying information about the underlying principles of the PPS. Context-dependent factors included compatibility of the new requirements with existing routines and the relative advantage of the PPS, which were both perceived to be lower in the GerP context.Practical implicationsDepending on the patient characteristics in the specific context, compatibility with existing routines should be ensured when implementing. Clear communication of the underlying principles and reduction of organizational and communicative barriers between professional groups are crucial success factors for implementing such innovations.Originality/valueThis study shows how a diffusion process takes place in an organization even after the organization adopts an innovation. The authors could show how contextual differences in terms of patient characteristics result in different determinants of implementation from the views of the employees affected by the innovation.

Is it possible to teach English through EBA TV? Exploring student teachers’ concerns and self-efficacy beliefs

This qualitative study explored student teachers’ perceptions and feelings about teaching English in an emergency remote teaching platform, Educational Information Network TV. To this end, sixty-eight student teachers participated in this study. The participants were first invited to watch English language courses specifically designed for primary and secondary-level education provided through this medium of instruction. They were later asked to write two-page reflective journals on the strengths and weaknesses of these courses drawing upon their own feelings and opinions. Their written reflections were content analyzed, and the findings revealed two main themes: student teachers’ concerns and self-efficacy beliefs. More specifically, the student teachers were concerned about macro-level factors, pedagogical issues, teachers’ competencies, and context-dependent factors. Additionally, the findings shed light on the contributing factors to their self-efficacy beliefs. They attributed their future success to student-oriented factors, teacher-oriented factors, and parental involvement. The overall findings showed that their concerns outweighed their perceived self-efficacy beliefs. We hope that these findings will inform second language teacher education programs for the future since it could be of pivotal importance to prepare student teachers for distance or online learning platforms by helping them deal with their concerns and enriching their self-efficacy beliefs in their own teaching contexts.

Motivational Regulation for Learning English Writing Through Zoom in an English-Medium Instruction Context

Due to growing concerns regarding the effectiveness of full-scale online education, this study investigated motivational regulation strategies employed by tertiary-level English as a foreign language (EFL) learners taking a writing course via Zoom. Using a mixed method, this study examined a dataset comprising questionnaire responses of 154 Korean students with two proficiency levels and subsequent semi-structured interviews. Findings showed that the learners with a high English proficiency level utilized the instructor’s feedback significantly more than those having a low proficiency level. The high proficiency group also appreciated the Zoom context and the university-wide policy of English-medium instruction (EMI) significantly better than the other group. Finally, correlation analysis revealed significant relationship between the students’ uses of motivational regulation strategies and their responses to the context-dependent factors. For example, the strategic choice of instructor feedback was positively related to their perception of EMI. These findings are discussed for effective online EFL writing instruction in the post-pandemic era.