Dimensions Of Integration Research Articles

The influence of context on the implementation of integrated palliative care in an academic teaching hospital in South Africa.

Palliative care (PC) has been integrated to a limited extent in the South African healthcare system. Contextual factors may be a pivotal influence in this integration. This study aims to explore contextual factors that are possibly influencing the integration or lack thereof in an academic teaching hospital (ATH). A mixed-method study was conducted in a large ATH in South Africa. The mixed methods were conducted in parallel and then merged. Findings were integrated to describe the contextual factors influencing PC integration, to develop a timeline of implementation and assess the probable influence of context on the integration process. The mixed-methods phases included a narrative review of published literature related to health systems, integration of health interventions and PC in teaching hospital settings; followed by interviews, documentary and routine data analyses. Semi-structured interviews with purposively sampled participants provided the qualitative data. Primary national, provincial and organizational documents expanded the contextual phenomena and corroborated findings. Routine hospital admission and mortality data was statistically analysed to expand further and corroborate findings. All qualitative data was thematically analysed using deductive coding, drawing from the aspects of the contextual dimensions of integration. Enabling contextual factors for local PC integration were global and local advocacy, demonstrated need, PC being a human right, as well as the personal experiences of hospital staff. Impeding factors were numerous misconceptions, PC not valued as a healthcare priority, as well as limitations in functional elements necessary for PC integration: national and regional political support, leadership at all levels and sustainable financing. The normative and functional contextual aspects interplay at macro, meso and micro levels positively and negatively. How stakeholders understand and value PC directly and indirectly impacts on PC integration. Strategic interventions such as mandatory education are required to ensure PC integration. The health system is dynamic, and understanding the context in which the health system functions is core to the integration of PC. This may assist in developing integration strategies to address PC integration and the transferability of these strategies.

Age at arrival and integration outcomes of refugee youth and emerging adults: a longitudinal study.

Age at arrival is one factor that could influence the integration of humanitarian migrants, especially for children and teenagers. Previous research has focused on the influence of the age at arrival on education, employment, social and language learning outcomes, but there is limited research, especially for longitudinal study, on other important measures of integration. Moreover, young adult and adolescent refugees, and the relationship between age and integration outcomes are under-studied. To address these gaps, this study examined the relationships between age at arrival and different dimensions of integration of young refugees in Australia, using five years' panel data from the Building a New Life in Australia (BNLA) longitudinal study from 2013 to 2018 (282 individuals). Our findings indicate that age at arrival is significantly correlated with multiple integration outcomes. Old entrants tend to have a higher probability of having a paid job but have poorer mental health and English proficiency. On the other hand, older entrants were more likely to know their rights well compared to younger entrants at arrival. However, younger entrants' knowledge of their rights overtook older entrants four to five years after their arrival. These findings suggest that a shorter assessment process and enabling earlier entry especially among refugee youth and young adults could effectively improve their future settlement outcomes under the current humanitarian policies and system.

Review of the VIII institutional conference of the Bachelor of Nursing degree at the University of Buenos Aires: History and innovation

Introduction: nursing is the pillar of the health system that is oriented in a scientific and humanistic way to the care of the person, family, groups, and communities. Qualitative historical-documentary research was carried out whose objective of this article is to describe the historical evolution and innovation in the Bachelor's Degree in Nursing at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). Nursing acquired its character as a university degree in 1960 and is structured in two cycles. The teaching scenarios of the career are organized in the central academic unit and in a decentralized manner in 16 Nursing Teaching Units distributed in the City and Province of Buenos Aires. The future perspectives and focus on career innovation include promoting scientific research, editorial management and scientific publication, health communication, clinical simulation, telehealth, and advanced education, as well as training in teaching and research careers and continuation in programs of postgraduate programs to all those who work in higher education and optimize the study plan in accordance with national curricular standards, which strengthened the narrative of the topics presented at the VIII institutional nursing conference of the UBA on November 24, 2023. Objective: to characterize the origins of nursing in Argentina and in the regional context linked to patterns that typify the birth and development of the Bachelor of Nursing degree at the UBA in epoch and contextual terms, highlighting the sociohistorical and institutional contributions both in the unit central academic center and in the nursing teaching units where the program operates, crystallizing the integrative dimensions that work in university life. Method: qualitative historical-documentary research. The research methods used were both theoretical and empirical. The theorists facilitated fulfilling the epistemological function of the conceptual interpretation of the information, which were: Analytical-Synthetic; Deductive-Inductive and Historical-Logical: Development: a dialectical, discursive sequencing and a narrative of events that appeal to organizational values or define in a sense attribute of the reference institution that anchors in amalgamation with the mission and vision of the Bachelor of Nursing degree at the UBA were programmed. Conclusions: the process of making the proposal programmed for the VIII institutional day of the Bachelor of Nursing degree at the UBA was enhanced as in a tessellar network, as it represented an organizational, operational and collaborative logic that highlighted the unity in action, guided by the leadership and direction of the course direction and with notable support in terms of the presence of prominent authorities from the House of Higher Studies itself, the Ministry of Health of the Nation and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, of disciplinary organizations: Argentine Nursing Federation, Nursing Association of the Federal Capital, Association of University Schools of Nursing of the Argentine Republic, Argentine Nursing Networks, career directors of local universities, as well as the UBA educational community made up of students, teachers, graduates, directors, coordinators of headquarters, areas and commissions that the convergence space selected for the occasion has flourished in the imposing Aula Magna “José Arce”, with a spirit of joy commemorating on such an occasion Nursing Day in Argentina, as an anniversary declared of interest by the race managers, focused on history and innovation

A 360<sup>0</sup> scan of primary care in Flanders: what is needed and how to address challenges to build a strong primary care.

The primary care (PC) in Flanders is going through a transition to realize integrated care (IC).
 Artevelde University of Applied Sciences (AUAS), as knowledge institution, wants to contribute to a strong PC and undertook a needs analysis incorporating the problems PC-actors are facing and the support AUAS could offer.
 A stakeholder mapping (e.g. care, welfare actors at micro-, meso- and macrolevel) was executed. 44 in dept interviews were conducted. After data-analyze, a member check (n=17) took place, followed by validation by the Flemish Patient Organization representing the person with care and support need, the Flemish Institute for PC, and the King Baudouin Foundation, a philanthropy organization.
 Key is the paradigm shift from supply-led care to person-centered care. Transformation towards IC encompasses various dimensions of integration: clinical, service, functional and organizational (Lewis et al.). Our findings showed obstacles on those dimensions. At the clinical level, care professionals and providers stressed the need for shared guidelines and protocols. At the service level, implementation of IC-services through interdisciplinary teams is hampered. Professionals do not know each other or what to expect, since they are mainly organized in ad hoc or fluid teams, hampering good collaboration. Participants indicated at the functional level the lacking of an integrated, patient-centered electronic record.Integration of organizations is still ongoing. Different obstacles within and without the sphere of influence of an organization were brought up, e.g., the current legal and financial framework.
 The participants indicated that both the PC- sector as well as education, research and policy hold a piece of the puzzle to facilitate the different forms of cooperation. 
 They reached out to educational institutions to coordinate their educational and lifelong learning programs more co-creatively and flexible. Basic courses should work on interdisciplinary courses to promote cooperation later in the field. There is a need for further development of the so-called t-shaped professional, a professional with skills and expertise in a single field, but the ability to collaborate across disciplines with experts in other areas and to apply knowledge in areas of expertise other than one's own.
 Lifelong learning should work out multidisciplinary education courses targeting broad topics and develop a tailor-made offer, including coaching of PC actors, organizations, and networks. 
 They also called for more cooperation between PC and research. Research must be tailor-mode and needs to speed-up. Support in all forms and phases of research is wanted. A willingness to work together as equal partners from scratch is formulated. Co-creation and transfer of research competence are key. In addition, mandate is given to researchers to report results to policy.
 Based on those findings AUAS is working together with PC to develop an ""academic collaborative center (ACC)"" a sustainably funded collaboration between end users, science, care practice and education with complete equality between partners. Central is co-creation with intensive and equal collaboration between various stakeholders, creating scientific knowledge in which the perspectives of the end users are central (f.i. implementation of IC in PC) and creating societal impact (improve quality of care) are ambitions that are intertwined.
 
 

How Do Supply Chain Integration and Product Innovation Capability Drive Sustainable Operational Performance?

This study analyzes the influence of supply chain integration dimensions (internal integration and external integration) on the product innovation capability (market knowledge and product development) and operational performance of manufacturing firms, considering product innovation capability as a mediator. A purposive sampling method was used, and data were collected through a survey completed by 129 medium and large manufacturers in Pakistan and analyzed using the structural equation modeling technique. The results show internal and customer integrations are not directly related to operational performance. Furthermore, supplier integration was positively related to both product innovation capability and operational performance. Likewise, the link between product innovation capability and operational performance is positive. The study uniquely evaluates that product innovation capability positively mediates the impacts of internal and external integration on operational performance. The outcomes of this study will help managers of manufacturing firms boost their firms’ product innovation capability and operational performance by focusing on supply chain integration. Moreover, to achieve sustainability in the supply chain, practitioners are provided with directions on operationalizing supply chain integration. The study uniquely identifies the mediation effects of product innovation capability (market knowledge and product development) between internal and external integration and operational performance.

Pikoe: A computer program for distorted-wave impulse approximation calculation for proton induced nucleon knockout reactions

pikoe, Proton-Induced KnockOut reaction calculation for Exclusive processes, is a Fortran 90 program that calculates triple- and quadruple-differential cross sections, vector analyzing powers, and momentum distributions of reaction residues, for proton-induced nucleon knockout reactions in normal and inverse kinematics. The distorted-wave impulse approximation with the factorization approximation to the nucleon-nucleon transition matrix is adopted, and the distorted waves of the incoming proton and the outgoing two nucleons are calculated quantum mechanically. Kinematics of the reaction particles are treated in a relativistic manner, which gives the proper asymptotics of the three-body scattering wave in the plane-wave limit. Program summaryProgram Title: pikoeCPC Library link to program files:https://doi.org/10.17632/m594h58kck.1Licensing provisions: MITProgramming language: Fortran 90Supplementary material: See https://www.rcnp.osaka-u.ac.jp/~kazuyuki/pikoe/index.phpNature of problem: Calculation of triple- and quadruple-differential cross sections, vector analyzing powers, and momentum distributions of reaction residues, for nucleon knockout reactions with proton beams/targets in normal/inverse kinematics.Solution method: Numerov method for solving single-channel second-order differential equations; multi dimensional integration with the Gauss-Legendre quadrature rule.Additional comments including restrictions and unusual features: The global optical potential by Koning and Deraloche [1] for nucleons at energies from 1 keV to 200 MeV, for (near-)spherical nuclei with mass number between 24 and 209, is implemented in the program. Tables of nucleon-nucleon (NN) elastic differential cross sections and NN transition amplitudes calculated with the NN effective interaction by Franey and Love [2] are provided as external files for pikoe (included in the package). Users are encouraged to prepare tables for the optical potentials and the cross sections of the elementary process according to the reaction system of interest by themselves. With external files thus prepared, pikoe can be applied to various kinds of knockout processes such as α or deuteron knockout by proton, α-induced knockout reactions, etc. Calculation of spin observables, the vector analyzing power in fact, however, is restricted to nucleon-induced nucleon knockout processes with the coplanar kinematics.

Spatial and Social Dimensions of Roma Segregation and Integration (A Case Study of the City of Kyustendil, Bulgaria)

Spatial and Social Dimensions of Roma Segregation and Integration (A Case Study of the City of Kyustendil, Bulgaria)

L'histoire du nouvel univers en tant que levain du changement

This paper explores ways of motivating persons of good will to see the signs of a planet in distress, recognize our human and political paralysis, and change our behavior in ways commensurate to the historical challenge of our time. Framing this exploration within a “tapestry of stories”, the author examines ways creation itself learns, for clues as to how humans may grasp the large systems changes and collapses in which we are involved and/or implicated. Thomas Berry calls this the “great work” of our time. In the end, the paper concludes that the power we need to address climate change is not education, activism or financing, as important as these are. As an integral dimension of a 13.8 billion year evolutionary process, humans’ reflexive consciousness, is a power we can call upon. We need a major shift in consciousness, related to a new understanding of our place in the universe.

Fracture behavior of AZ31B magnesium alloy under high-temperature ultrasonic-assisted shearing with related ductile-brittle transformation mechanism

A wide width is one of the fundamental requirements for magnesium alloy sheets to fulfill the lightweight needs of the aerospace and rail transportation industries. Nevertheless, ensuring the dimensional integrity of wide-format magnesium alloy sheets is a challenge in most manufacturing facilities. Simultaneously, processing operations are susceptible to encountering production issues, including but not limited to significant loss of raw materials, elevated costs, environmental contamination, and safety risks. Therefore, to fulfill the operational demands of the hot rolling finishing line for wide sheets made of magnesium alloy, the present study employed ultrasonic-assisted shearing (UAS) to carry out a high-temperature shearing test investigation on the AZ31B magnesium alloy sheet. In this research, we employed scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy, and a micro-hardness tester to investigate the relationship between ultrasonic amplitude and fracture behavior, deformation mechanism, and mechanical properties of magnesium alloy sheets following exposure to ultrasonic vibration. The fracture morphology of the sheet fracture demonstrates that the behavior of the magnesium alloy sheet fractures under ultrasonic vibration changes from ductile fracture under conventional shearing to brittle fracture under ultrasonic-assisted shearing. The primary cause of this transformation between ductile and brittle is the effect of ultrasonic vibration on the material's internal energy. High-energy ultrasonic amplitude action causes magnesium to absorb a significant amount of ultrasonic energy. This results in an increase in the number of dynamic re-crystallization grains in the material organization, a decrease in the number of twins, and significant refinement of the grains. The sheet's hardness also changes along the rolling and normal directions, with a uniform distribution. The magnesium alloy sheet's fracture quality is optimal when the ultrasonic amplitude is 10 μm in the UAS process. This treatment results in notable enhancements in the section's straightness and brightness. Our study aims to advance the mass manufacturing of wide-format magnesium alloy sheets by investigating a cost-effective and high-yield technique for shearing magnesium alloy sheets.

Antecedent configurations toward supply chain resilience: The joint impact of supply chain integration and big data analytics capability

AbstractMany antecedents identified as essential to supply chain resilience (SCR) are often studied independently, without considering their synergistic effects. Based on a case study and resource orchestration theory, this article focuses on configurations of different antecedents regarding supply chain integration and big data analytics capability to develop proactive and reactive SCR. Using survey data from 277 Chinese manufacturing firms, we consider three dimensions of supply chain integration, information integration, operational integration and relational integration, and three dimensions of big data analytics capability, technical skills, managerial skills and data driven‐decision culture, and conduct fuzzy‐set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to explore antecedent configurations generating high proactive and reactive SCR. We find that multiple antecedent configurations can achieve high SCR and configurations for high proactive and reactive SCR are not identical, which may involve alternative effects across different antecedents. We further implement propensity score matching analysis and reveal that firms following these configurations for high SCR also have better economic and operational performance. Moreover, we check the robustness of findings by using secondary data and attributes analysis with machine learning. This article complements and extends existing SCR literature from the configurational perspective and provides practical insights for managers to build SCR.

Navigating the Future: Blockchain’s Impact on Accounting and Auditing Practices

This study seeks to meticulously analyze the scholarly discussion on the integration of blockchain technology into accounting and auditing. Based on a total of 67 articles from the Web of Science (WoS) database, this study adopts a bibliometrics and content analysis approach which uses both numerical and visualization techniques to examine the extant literature. It spans the timeframe between 2016 and 2022. Bibliometrix R-package (Biblioshiny, version 4 is employed to analyze the descriptive analysis, which includes publication trends, the most trustworthy sources of scientific publications, prominent scientific authors, prominent documents, and country collaborations. VOSviewer software Version 1.6.20, is used for a network visualization of keywords and bibliographic coupling. Leveraging the content analysis, this research reveals three fundamental themes: first, the use of blockchain technology to strengthen financial reporting systems; second, blockchain technology and the future of auditing; and third, the valuation of cryptocurrencies. Research gaps in the current literature include a lack of comprehensive studies on blockchain’s regulatory and governance aspects in accounting, insufficient exploration of risks and challenges in adopting new technologies in auditing, and a limited understanding of tax consequences, disclosure requirements, and regulatory frameworks for cryptocurrencies, necessitating future research endeavors. Thus, this study extends existing theoretical insights by exploring blockchain’s role in financial reporting, its transformative impact on auditing, and the possible adaptation or development of new valuation methods for cryptocurrencies. It further identifies and discusses future research directions, contributing to potential novel frameworks for addressing regulatory, governance, and socio-economic dimensions of blockchain integration into accounting and auditing practices.

Philosophy of Education In Digital Transformation: Ethical Considerations For Students’ Data Security In Online Learning Platforms

The integration of technology into education has ushered in transformative changes, but ethical considerations pose significant challenges. This survey-based study delves into the complexities of educational technology ethics, exploring perspectives from both lecturers and students in the context of Indonesian Society and Arts at Ekasakti University of Padang. Twenty students and three lecturers participated as respondents, shedding light on the ethical dimensions of technology integration. Lecturers exhibited diverse preferences in online learning platforms, emphasizing the need for flexibility in educational tools. Meanwhile, students generally expressed confidence in data security on e-learning platforms, coupled with a moderate awareness of privacy policies. However, experiences with security issues warrant attention, signaling areas for improvement in data protection measures. The study underscores the importance of understanding varied preferences among educators and enhancing data security measures to foster a positive online learning experience. By addressing ethical concerns, this research contributes to navigating the evolving landscape of educational technology, ensuring that the digital transformation aligns with ethical principles and facilitates meaningful learning experiences.

Exploring pathways to project success through project delivery team integration: a qualitative comparative analysis

Integration within project delivery teams can improve project outcomes in the building construction industry. However, integration across multiple firms and disciplines can be more challenging to manage, when compared to functionally organized, or siloed, teams. Given that resources to manage integration are limited and that most teams are only partially integrated in practice, this research seeks to explore pathways for their success. Using data collected from ten completed projects in the U.S., a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis was performed to identify which combinations of six dimensions of integration were sufficient for improved project performance. The analysis revealed six distinct and highly consistent pathways to success, as evaluated by the criteria of being on-budget, on-time, or achieving the planned sustainable certification. Across all pathways, having a single team focus and equitable team relationships were the only dimensions consistently found in pathways leading to desirable project outcomes. Other dimensions, such as co-location, seamless operation across organizational boundaries, and a no-blame culture were found in pathways to both desirable and undesirable project outcomes, depending on their combination with other dimensions. These results contribute to theories on implementing team integration, suggesting that fully integrated teams are not always necessary for success. Instead, integrated teams that can work collaboratively, while still maintaining organizational separation or autonomy, can be as effective. While the study does not enable the identification of all possible pathways to success, it provides guidance to practitioners by highlighting a small subset of pathways, giving greater flexibility in managing integration within their teams.

Participation in an Outdoor Music Festival Effects on Social Integration

The process of social integration enables individuals to adapt to societal norms. It is timely for tourism scholars to evaluate the growing phenomenon of outdoor music festivals, which are associated with participation in processes of social integration. The current study investigates the extent to which participating in an outdoor music festival affected participant levels of social integration. In line with the research purpose, a questionnaire was applied to the participants ( N = 426) of the MillionFest'19 festival in Eskişehir, Turkey. The study results show that participation in the festival has a medium- and high-level effect on dimensions of social integration. It is found that participating in an outdoor music festival provides elements of bilateral relations, physical development, and emotional development.

Dynamic capabilities for sustainability: Toward a typology based on dimensions of sustainability‐oriented innovation and stakeholder integration

AbstractThis study aims to synthesize the current state of knowledge on conceptualizations of dynamic capabilities for sustainability (DCsS)—patterns of behavior in organizations specialized in adapting to sustainability demands. Our main goal is to elucidate the theoretical nature of the DCsS construct and provide a theoretical foundation for future empirical works. We perform a systematic literature review focused on existing conceptualizations of DCsS. Our content analysis of 86 articles reveals two emerging dimensions that account for variation in DCsS definitions: (i) the novelty degree of pursued sustainability‐oriented innovations and (ii) the level of stakeholder integration. Based on these dimensions, we identify four distinct types of DCsS: (1) firm‐level eco‐efficiency; (2) Firm‐level transformation; (3) supply chain or network level eco‐efficiency; and (4) systemic transformation. We illustrate the predominant underlying practices and related outcomes of each type, as described in the literature. By developing a typology that integrates distinct conceptualizations, we substantiate and clarify the DCsS construct, thus providing a fruitful starting point for more distinct and focused operationalizations of DCsS. By conceptualizing sustainability‐oriented innovation and level of stakeholder integration as integral dimensions constituting DCsS, we offer a more nuanced theoretical understanding of the DCsS construct.

BACNN: Multi-scale feature fusion-based bilinear attention convolutional neural network for wood NIR classification

Effective development and utilization of wood resources is critical. Wood modification research has become an integral dimension of wood science research, however, the similarities between modified wood and original wood render it challenging for accurate identification and classification using conventional image classification techniques. So, the development of efficient and accurate wood classification techniques is inevitable. This paper presents a one-dimensional, convolutional neural network (i.e., BACNN) that combines near-infrared spectroscopy and deep learning techniques to classify poplar, tung, and balsa woods, and PVA, nano-silica-sol and PVA-nano silica sol modified woods of poplar. The results show that BACNN achieves an accuracy of 99.3% on the test set, higher than the 52.9% of the BP neural network and 98.7% of Support Vector Machine compared with traditional machine learning methods and deep learning based methods; it is also higher than the 97.6% of LeNet, 98.7% of AlexNet and 99.1% of VGGNet-11. Therefore, the classification method proposed offers potential applications in wood classification, especially with homogeneous modified wood, and it also provides a basis for subsequent wood properties studies.

Molecular self-assembled cellulose enabling durable, scalable, high-power osmotic energy harvesting

In recent years, renewable cellulose-based ion exchange membranes have emerged as promising candidates for capturing green, abundant osmotic energy. However, the low power density and structural/performance instability are challenging for such cellulose membranes. Herein, cellulose-molecule self-assembly engineering (CMA) is developed to construct environmentally friendly, durable, scalable cellulose membranes (CMA membranes). Such a strategy enables CMA membranes with ideal nanochannels (∼7 nm) and tailored channel lengths, which support excellent ion selectivity and ion fluxes toward high-performance osmotic energy harvesting. Finite element simulations also verified the function of tailored nanochannel length on osmotic energy conversion. Correspondingly, our CMA membrane shows a high-power density of 2.27 W/m2 at a 50-fold KCl gradient and super high voltage of 1.32 V with 30-pair CMA membranes (testing area of 22.2 cm2). In addition, the CMA membrane demonstrates long-term structural and dimensional integrity in saline solution, due to their high wet strength (4.2 MPa for N-CMA membrane and 0.5 MPa for P-CMA membrane), and correspondingly generates ultrastable yet high power density more than 100 days. The self-assembly engineering of cellulose molecules constructs high-performance ion-selective membranes with environmentally friendly, scalable, high wet strength and stability advantages, which guide sustainable nanofluidic applications beyond the blue energy.

Modular Ontology to Support Manufacturing SMEs Toward Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0 (I4.0) implementation is a hot topic among manufacturing organizations to reach smart factory status and integrate a fully connected ecosystem. Achieving such a transition presents notable challenges for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) since they often face resource and skilled personnel limitations. This study developed a domain ontology to represent various stages of maturity toward I4.0 implementation. Ontology provides a tool for SMEs to self-assess in situations of machines, processes, and factories for the dimensions of control, integration, and intelligence. This study focused on the identification of classes and relationships according to I4.0 implementation situations in the context of a manufacturing setting, the reuse of ontologies related to the domain of observations to model situations, and the creation and validation of the ontology through the information obtained from the questionnaires applied to SMEs. Finally, the ontology delivers a tool to understand SMEs' current state concerning I4.0 implementation and plan based on informed decisions about the maturity state and the technology required to advance to the next stage in their manufacturing processes.

Linguistic Integration of Adult Migrants in Greece and Italy: Language Requirements and Learning Opportunities in L2 Greek and L2 Italian

Migration has almost always been accompanied by language-related processes and concerns. Integration dimensions interact with numerous language-related issues, such as language requirements and learning opportunities, and the purpose of our paper is situated in the broader field of linguistic integration of adult refugees and migrants in Greece and Italy. Greece and Italy share a double role both as host and transition countries, as two of the main EU entry points for refugees and migrants since the 2015 refugee crisis, and therefore they have been selected as two suitable cases to be further explored. This paper aims to give an overview of the language requirements and language-learning opportunities in the migration context in Greece and Italy. Through our comprehensive review of language requirements and language-learning opportunities in Greece and Italy, we have undertaken an examination of the two contexts employing a comparative approach to scrutinize the processes of linguistic integration. The information presented has shown that similar linguistic requirements are set in both countries although the use and implementation of the Knowledge of Society (KoS) tests seem to discriminate between the two contexts. The results agree with similar findings through indexes such as the Language Policy Index for Migrants (LAPIM) and the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX).

Dimensional interaction is driven by feature integration: A binding theory of garner interference.

For nearly half a century now, Garner interference has been serving as the gold standard measure of dimensional interaction and selective attention. But the mechanisms that generate Garner interference are still not well understood. The current study proposes a novel theory that ascribes the interference (and dimensional interaction in general) to episodic feature integration processes at the micro (trial-to-trial) level. The novel account builds on earlier well-established notions of "feature integration" and "object files," and is augmented by formal derivations. The sequential binding account predicts that the magnitude of Garner interference is related to the strength of feature integration along consecutive trials. Three experiments were set to test this novel binding theory. Experiment 1 and Experiment 2 tested performance with integral dimensions (chroma and value, and width and height of rectangles); whereas Experiment 3 examined performance with a pair of separable dimensions (circle's size and angle of a diameter). In addition, the time lag ensuing between consecutive trials was manipulated. The results strongly supported the predictions of the sequential binding account: (a) with integral dimensions, substantial amounts of Garner interference were correlated with large partial repetition costs (e.g., consensual markers of feature integration), but this pattern was not observed with separable dimensions, and (b) the magnitude of both Garner interference and partial repetition costs diminished as a function of the ensuing time lag between consecutive trials, pointing to a common time-dependent memory mechanism. These results adduce strong support in the predictions of the feature binding theory of Garner interference, giving currency to the idea that dimensional interaction is driven by feature integration. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).