General Desire Research Articles

Time's Sublimest Target: Practices of Forgetting in HCI and CSCW

In our contemporary moment, there exists a hegemonic design practice and a general social desire to retain information. With the help of sociotechnical platforms and other contemporary technologies, information has changed its temporal and spatial boundaries, creating unbounded, algorithmic, and emergent forms of retention. The consequences of such retention are numerous, ranging from an overabundance of autobiographical information that cannot be fully understood by the individual to the improper use and economization of such information by state and corporation alike. Within this context, this paper investigates a counter-hegemonic practice of forgetting, specifically from the perspective of human-computer interaction and computer-supported cooperative work research, with additional insight drawn from adjacent fields. In doing so, we present forgetting as a significant area of research with HCI and CSCW, a burgeoning and contradictory space that may offer solutions to issues we face within a moment of persistence by default. This paper also explores potential directions for future research and design on forgetting in HCI and CSCW through an investigation of an art piece by Chinese artist Song Dong.

Choosing to Study Human Development and Family Science

Previous research reports that undergraduate students in Human Development and Family Science (HDFS) programs are motivated more by an interest in the content area and a general desire to be helpful than by specific career goals. Some have speculated that HDFS is a “discovery major”: one that students stumble upon accidentally while in college rather than being motivated to attend college specifically to pursue that course of study. The two studies reported here were designed to explore these possibilities. Study 1 surveys current students (n = 129) in HDFS programs in the California State University (CSU) system, and interviews a subset (n = 17) of that sample. Study 2 surveys current HDFS students (n = 47) along with students in other social science programs (n = 226) at one CSU campus. Results indicate that students select HDFS because they recognize its applicability to everyday life, its importance in society, and its personal relevance to their own lives; HDFS students are not generally driven by specific career goals. In addition, about 45% of HDFS students discovered the major after starting college – this is similar to the rate of “discovery majors” in other social sciences. Discovery majors are less likely to pursue work as preschool or elementary school teachers, and more likely to be transfers from community college, but this history of “discovery” is unrelated to their sense of belongingness, their satisfaction, and their success in the program.

Regulation of Sexual Behavior and Health in German Prisons and Forensic Psychiatric Hospitals.

Individuals housed in prisons or forensic hospitals experience significant restrictions on their sexual rights. There is a lack of data on how sexual behavior and sexual health of institutionalized persons are managed and to what extent they are based on shared guidelines or decisions of the individual staff. Using a standardized online questionnaire, the heads of 35 prisons and 32 forensic psychiatric hospitals across 14 German federal states were surveyed, reflecting the situation of 16,902 inmates and patients. The findings reveal an absence of shared guidelines as well as an institution-specific approach to sexual behavior and sexual health. Exploratory multiple linear regression identified four variables that predict differences in the regulation of individual's sexual behavior and sexual health: type of institution (prison or forensic hospital), percentage of institutionalized sex offenders, number of housed individuals, and an item concerning the sexuality-related attitudes of the respondent. Respondents, particularly in the field of forensic psychiatry, expressed a general desire for guidelines. Our study shows that possibilities for sexual expression and sexual health vary strongly, depending on the institution. Therefore, it appears useful and desirable to develop guidelines on how to regulate sexual behavior and sexual health of institutionalized individuals.

Family Influence and Social Conditioning: Exploring Chinese High School Students' Perspectives on Gender Differences

This study examines how family structure and social conditions shape Chinese high school students' perceptions of gender roles and expectations for future gender equality. Conducted through qualitative interviews at a Beijing international school, the research finds that students from egalitarian families tend to have less traditional gender role perceptions, while those from traditional families often reinforce stereotypes. External influences, including peers, societal norms, and media, also significantly impact these views. Despite a general desire for gender equality, many students remain concerned about persistent societal biases. The findings underscore the need for policies that promote gender equality from both family and societal perspectives.

Expected benefits and concerns regarding virtual reality in caring for terminally ill cancer patients – a qualitative interview study

BackgroundMany palliative cancer patients require inpatient hospital treatment for medical reasons, which contrasts their frequent desire to be at home. Virtual reality (VR) could be a way of bringing the home environment closer to them. First observations have shown benefits from VR for inpatients in palliative care. The aim of this qualitative, descriptive study was to explore the expectations of in-patients suffering from incurable cancer and their relatives about VR, in particular individualized VR images of the patients’ own home.MethodsSemi-structured interviews with inpatients suffering from incurable cancers and their relatives in three medical settings (palliative care, hematology, radiotherapy) of a German university hospital. Qualitative content analysis about expected benefits and concerns regarding VR-videos showing their private home; defining the main topics deductively and the subcategories inductively. We also assessed the patients’ subjective perspective on their remaining time to live to estimate the impact of double awareness on the results. The Patient Advisory Board informed the study protocol and conduct.ResultsWe interviewed 15 patients (8 men; age M = 63.4, SD = 11.34; range 39–82) under palliative care, and four relatives. We organized the interview content in 6 themes (general interest, desired content, non-desired content, expected benefits, concerns, and irregularities) and 26 sub-themes. Most patients and relatives were interested in using VR during hospital treatment. They often preferred viewing nature or tourist sites over seeing their home or family. Reasons could be linked to privacy concerns and the general desire for distraction from the current situation that they specified with their expectation of well-being, a break from the patient-experience, the pursue of curiosity, and the VR evoking fond memories.ConclusionVR seems to be of interest for palliative cancer patients, especially as distraction and relief from their illness. The desired content can be very different, so a choice from a selection of VR-content should be made available. If patients want to see videos of their own home, recordings by relatives instead of study or hospital staff seem to meet the need for privacy.Trial registrationRegistered at Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien; registration number: DRKS00032172; registration date: 11/07/2023. https://drks.de/search/de/trial/DRKS00032172.

Musicians' pursuit of expertise-related goals is characterised by strategic regulation of functional and counterproductive affect.

Emotion regulation is an important part of effective goal pursuit. Functional accounts of emotion regulation suggest that the attainment of challenging goals may be supported by regulating emotions which promote utilitarian over hedonic outcomes. When pursuing the challenging, long-term goal of acquiring expert musical skills and knowledge, musicians may wish to prioritise whichever emotions are most conducive to attaining this goal, even if those emotions are not necessarily positive. Via an online questionnaire, musicians (N = 421) answered questions concerning their musical experience and their expertise-related practice goals. They also reported how strongly they experienced different emotions during practice, and how strongly they desired to either increase or decrease the intensity of those same emotions. Data were analysed using inferential frequentist statistics and Bayesian mixed effects models. Evidence ratios (ER) > 19 were considered strong evidence in favour of an effect. Our analysis showed that musicians experienced and desired strong levels of positive emotions in their practice. In addition, they reported greater desire to intensify positive compared to negative emotions [paired t (420) = 58.13, p < 0.001]. Our Bayesian mixed effects model provided strong evidence that greater desire to intensify anger increased the probability that an observation derived from a musician with stronger expertise-related goals [Est = 0.70; Odds (Est > 0) > 9,999]. In addition to anger, higher levels of expertise-related goals were increasingly predicted by less strong desire to intensify guilt and gloom and greater desire to reduce downheartedness (all ER > 19). Overall, musicians had a strong, general desire to intensify positive emotions during their musical practice. However, musicians with higher levels of expertise-related goals increasingly indicated a nuanced approach regarding how they desired to regulate certain negative emotions. Findings suggest that musicians engage in selective and sophisticated emotion regulation behaviour that aligns with their long-term commitment to develop musical expertise. They may prioritise emotions which may be functionally beneficial, whilst avoiding emotions which may be counterproductive or undermine efforts. Findings from this study contribute to our understanding of expertise-related, domain-specific emotion regulation behaviour and may inform the design of prioritised musical practice strategies.

Importance of early detection of esophageal cancer before the tumor progresses too much for effective treatment

This editorial comments on an article by Qu et al published in the World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology . It focuses on the importance of early detection of esophageal cancer, including recurrence or secondary malignancy after chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Endoscopic resection is the first choice for treatment for esophageal cancer remaining within the mucous membrane, while surgery or radical CRT are treatment options for advanced stages depending on the patient’s general condition and desire. Although these treatments are potentially curative, they are more invasive than endoscopic resection. Early-stage esophageal cancer is often asymptomatic and difficult to detect. Uniform periodic endoscopy is unrealistic. Although less burdensome tests exist, including liquid biopsy and urinary biomarkers, these have not yet been widely used in clinical practice. Early detection is important after radical CRT because the local recurrence rate is higher than that after surgery. However, endoscopic resection or photodynamic therapy is indicated if detected in the early stages, and positive results have been reported. Early detection of esophageal cancer is crucial. Endoscopy is the main diagnostic method; however, new and less burdensome methods should be established to ensure early treatment for patients with esophageal cancer.

“Don't Touch!”: The Role of Cultural Knowledge in Low‐SES Parents' Perceptions of Museums

Museums can provide valuable benefits for children, but children from low socioeconomic (SES) backgrounds are less likely to have exposure to such institutions. We draw on interviews with 52 low‐SES parents to explore how perceptions of museums influence whether parents would consider bringing their children there. Respondents express a clear preference for enriching activities for their children. However, our findings reveal a tension between this general desire and parents' impressions of what museums are and how their children will experience them. We illustrate how limited familiarity with museums produces a circumscribed view of the range of experiences available at different kinds of museums and influences parents' perceptions of their child‐appropriateness, thus demonstrating the role of class‐based cultural knowledge in shaping the choices parents make about out‐of‐school activities. Our findings complicate the binary narrative that attributes parental investments to either preferences or resources and highlights how cultural knowledge about such activities may contribute to social inequality. The study also offers insights for cultural institutions that wish to attract a more socioeconomically diverse base of visitors.

On fraud and certification of green production

AbstractWe present a novel model of fraud and certification in green production. We focus on settings where firms decide between a green or a standard version of a product together with an advertising strategy that can include fraud. In addition, green firms can choose to certify their production to guarantee the truthfulness of their claims. This results in four production‐advertising possibilities (standard, genuine green, fraudulent green, and certified green), by which we provide new insights about the prevalence of fraud and certification. We characterize the perfect Bayesian equilibrium of the resulting game for given green production costs, certification costs, and consumers' willingness to pay for standard production, and we perform comparative statics for the main parameters of the resulting game. We find that changes in certification and green production costs affect consumers' beliefs differently, whereby increases in certification and decreases in green production costs can broaden the likelihood of fraud. These novel results are robust to different market structures and question the general desirability of public subsidies for promoting green production without accompanying certification.

Nuclear Facilities Maintenance Culture Development Study

Maintenance is an essential part of the assets and facilities in the organization/company. This deserves serious attention because it is necessary for organizational/company resources, especially for aging nuclear facilities/installations. Maintenance is the main program used to manage company assets and facilities. A lack of asset and facility maintenance culture increases management and maintenance costs. A maintenance culture is needed to improve maintenance skills, tenacity, and perseverance. Maintenance culture is recognized as an essential aspect to improve the quality of maintenance work to maintain structures, systems, and components (SSC) so that they are ready for use at any time/when needed, as well as part of the implementation of aging management programs to extend the life of assets and facilities. This paper will discuss the development of the maintenance culture and review poor maintenance cultures and their solutions. This paper aims to develop a maintenance culture to prevent premature aging and extend the life of assets and facilities. Factors developing maintenance culture include leadership, communication, rewards and recognition, responsibility, rules and standards, empowerment, motivation, involvement, policies, work strategy and planning, teamwork, training and education, awareness, and organizational structure. Corruption, poor leadership, attitude problems, and lack of policy cause poor maintenance culture. The solution to a poor maintenance culture is selecting the right people, improving job skills and knowledge, repairing equipment, ensuring machine/equipment readiness, good planning, scheduling, and general organization, measuring performance, motivating and encouraging desire, and providing sufficient funding. Maintenance culture has an impact on facility performance. Keywords: maintenance culture, nuclear organization, assets, nuclear facility

Understanding hepatitis C virus (HCV) health literacy and educational needs among people in prison to enhance HCV care in prisons

BackgroundHepatitis C virus (HCV) is a significant concern within prison populations. Provision of HCV testing and treatment for people in prison is expanding and a key component of global elimination efforts. Despite growing service availability, several challenges remain in HCV testing and treatment engagement during incarceration. The PIVOT study demonstrated that a ‘one-stop-shop’ intervention (point-of-care HCV RNA testing, Fibroscan®, nurse-led clinical assessment, and fast-tracked direct-acting antiviral prescription) enhanced HCV testing and treatment at a reception prison in Australia. Utilising Squier et al's Health Literacy Skills Framework, this analysis aimed to understand HCV health literacy and educational needs among people at a reception prison in Australia. MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-four male PIVOT study participants. Purposive sampling ensured comparable representation of those with: 1) prior HCV testing history (standard pathology / no prior testing), and 2) injecting drug use history (IDU; ever / never). ResultsVaried HCV health literacy levels and educational needs were evident amongst people in prison. Whilst those with multiple incarceration episodes and IDU history (prior knowledge) appeared to have stronger HCV health literacy than those without, substantial gaps in HCV health literacy were evident. Knowledge of HCV transmission risks in prison was high, and most understood the importance of HCV testing and treatment in prison (comprehension), but ability to engage with HCV testing and treatment services, participation in safe injecting behaviours (health-related behaviours), and knowledge of re-infection and re-treatment, within the context of the prison environment, were suboptimal. There was a general desire for increased HCV education in prison. ConclusionGaps in HCV health literacy among people in prison were evident, indicating opportunities for improvement. A targeted HCV education program for people in prison, addressing the gaps identified in this analysis, may enhance HCV testing, treatment, and prevention by fostering stronger HCV health literacy among people in prison.

Social desirability, social-emotional competencies and intelligence: Using quadruplets to estimate evaluative and descriptive content

This study investigated the application of item quadruplets to control social desirability in measuring socio-emotional competencies and their relationship with intelligence. Quadruplets involve four variations of an item, differing in the polarity of their descriptive content and evaluative content (social desirability): positive-desirable, negative-desirable, positive-undesirable, and negative-undesirable. The sample consisted of 431 individuals aged 18-67, predominantly female (71.1%). To control social desirability, items were manipulated in quadruplets. The results indicated a superior model fit when a general social desirability factor was estimated, with factor loadings reinforcing the presence of a general evaluative content factor. Additionally, controlling for this general factor led to more interpretable and enhanced loadings for the descriptive factors, affirming the hypothesis that controlling a general evaluative factor improves the theoretical congruence. The study also found negative correlations between intelligence and both social desirability and extroversion. The findings support the effectiveness of the quadruplets method in assessing social desirability.

The Impact of Corporate Culture on Education and Training Environment Success

This article tries to counter this gap and to treat the relation which is established between the organizational performance and the corporate culture in the case of the universities of Saudi Arabia through a quantitative survey analysis. The results show that corporate culture is essential within Saudi universities as it can lead to better employee performance in terms of productivity and efficiency. Moral motivation is important in motivating workers and developing their affiliation with a prestigious university or academic institution, which is reflected in the willingness of workers to do their best to serve the university. The results also showed that there is a general desire expressed by employees for their universities to excel and stand out from the rest.

Self-determination in older patients: Experiences from nurse-dominated ambulance services.

To describe ambulance clinicians' experiences of self-determination in older patients. The study had an inductive and explorative design, guided from a life-world perspective. Thirty-two Swedish ambulance clinicians were interviewed in six focus groups in November 2019. The data were analysed with content analysis, developing manifest categories and latent themes. The ambulance clinicians assessed the older patients' exercise of self-determination by engaging in conversation and by being visually alert, to eventually gain an overall picture of their decision-making capacity. This assessment was used as a platform when informing older patients of their rights, thus promoting their participation in care. Having limited time and narrow guidelines counteracted ambulance clinicians' ambitions to support older patients' general desire to avoid hospitalization, which resulted in an urge to displace their responsibility to external decision-makers. Expectations that older patients with impaired decision-making ability will give homogeneous responses mean an increased risk of ageist attitudes with a simplified view of patient autonomy. Such attitudes risk the withholding of information about options that healthcare professionals do not wish older patients to choose. When decision-making is difficult, requests for expanded guidelines may paradoxically risk alienation from the professional nursing role. The findings show ambulance clinicians' unwillingness to shoulder their professional responsibility when encountering older patients with impaired decision-making ability. In assuming that all older patients reason in the same way, ambulance clinicians tend to adopt a simplistic and somewhat ageist approach when it comes to patient autonomy. This points to deficiencies in ethical competence, which is why increased ethics support is deemed suitable to promote and develop ethical competence. Such support can increase the ability to act as autonomous professionals in accordance with professional ethical codes. This study adhered to COREQ guidelines. None.

Crucial postulates of integration and social inclusion of representatives of the generation of locals with «migrational background»: triggers and remedies

While analyzing crucial aspect of integration and social inclusion, we are tended to underestimate representatives of special generations, which are supposed to be “automatically included and integrated”. We expect that someone, born to parents living permanently on the territory of the given country, will be fully adapted and naturally included into the outer community. The general desire to belong to this social community or another postulates the same requirements. However, in many situations, the person’s disposition to be integrated, adapted and socially included does not depend exceptionally on his/her desire, or even efforts to be “a member of a great society”. Sometimes, however, grand societal processes, prejudices and biases may block the necessary integration and social inclusion of people possessing foreigners’ backgrounds, even though they consequently are blocking multiple areas of social, societal, economical and general development of their community.

Dekarbonisierung des Verkehrssektors in Berlin: Bürgerinnen- und Bürgergutachten zu wissenschaftlich erstellten Szenarien

As part of this work, a citizens’ assembly was set up to obtain feedback on measures to decarbonize Berlin’s transport sector. The general goal of decarbonization was widely supported. Based on existing studies, discussions were held for private passenger transport, commercial passenger transport, freight transport, and all other transport modes. Agreement could be found on the decarbonization paths for all segments, with the exception of private passenger transport. For the latter, pull measures, like improvements of public transport or bike lanes, are generally accepted, going along with a general desire to switch to non-fossil fuels and to make the transport system in Berlin less car-oriented. Simulations show that pull measures will be far from sufficient to decarbonize private passenger transport. However, more effective push measures, such as higher prices or ban on fossil-fueled vehicles, did not yield clear majorities for this segment.

The consensus-clarifying role of deliberative mini-publics in constitutional amendment: A reply to Oran Doyle and Rachael Walsh

Abstract Oran Doyle and Rachael Walsh’s article “Constitutional Amendment and Public Will Formation: Deliberative Mini-Publics as a Tool for Consensus Democracy” is a welcome addition to the literature on Ireland’s efforts to integrate deliberative citizen-involved structures into its constitutional amendment process. We agree that the Citizens’ Assembly on abortion played a role in shaping the legal position that ultimately emerged in Irish law; we disagree, however, with the authors’ account of how that occurred. In particular, we do not believe the Irish experience supports the claim that deliberative mini-publics help to build the consensus for constitutional amendment. On the contrary, on each occasion where amendment processes incorporating a deliberative element have succeeded in Ireland, there has been clear evidence of an enduring pre-existing public consensus over the core of the amendment proposed. We suggest that the potential value of deliberative mini-publics might more accurately be seen as one of consensus-clarifying rather than consensus-building. While a mini-public may be unlikely to create a novel constitutional consensus, it can have a significant—potentially causal—role in converting a general and disparate desire for change into a specific form. That, in our view, is what occurred with the repeal and replacement of Ireland’s constitutional position on abortion. We argue that a careful analysis of the process provides tangible evidence that the Assembly affected the outcome in clear and specific ways: its significant impact was not in creating a constitutional consensus that had previously been absent, but rather, we argue, in putting on the agenda, and coalescing support around, a specific form of legal change.

Comprehensive assessment of technical condition of vehicles during operation based on Harrington’s desirability function

The object of research is the process of changing the technical condition of vehicles during their operation. The study solved the problem of comprehensive evaluation of change in the technical condition based on Harrington’s desirability function. The essence of the results is as follows. A scale of desirability was built and a set of criteria for assessing the technical condition of vehicles was clarified. A general desirability index is proposed as a convolution of partial Harrington desirability functions. When solving the investigated problem, the characteristics and properties of the partial and generalized Harrington’s desirability function and their graphical representation were taken into account. Using an example of the technical condition of the chassis and braking system of vehicles, a set of controlled parameters was formed. Based on the values of the controlled parameters, the regression equation of the partial Harrington desirability functions was obtained. The value of the weighting coefficients of each of the criteria was determined and the generalized desirability function was calculated. As a result of the study, it was established that if the generalized criterion of desirability is D&lt;0.37, then individual nodes, systems, and units of the vehicle are in a pre-accident condition, if 0.37£D£0.63 – in a satisfactory condition, and if D&gt;0.63 – in a good condition and cannot be the cause of a traffic accident. An applied aspect of the results is the implementation of the technique of comprehensive assessment of the technical condition of the vehicle. This causes an increase in the productivity of the expert (specialist), will shorten the period of the auto technical examination, and improve its quality. The results could be used by insurance companies and investigators, investigators and judges when considering traffic accidents

Defining innovative areas and prospects to develop the patenting of technological advances in the automotive power plant industry

The object of this study is the field of patenting of technological advances registered in the world in the field of automotive power plants. The subject of the study is the dynamics of patenting in the automotive power plant industry, associated with the need to harmonize the trajectories of technological development with global trends in energy efficiency and manufacturability, in order to ensure sustainable economic growth. Patenting in the industry is considered in the following areas: gasoline engines, diesel engines, hybrid cars, electric cars, hydrogen cars. The relevance of this study is determined by the general desire of society to innovate through the latest tools and the introduction of systemic measures to comprehensively address the problem of increasing energy efficiency and reducing air pollution caused by road transport. The paper analyzes the statistics of patents registered in the world, examines patent activity and trends in the patenting of technological advances in the automotive industry from 2010 to 2022. In the industry of gasoline and diesel engines, hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles and hydrogen vehicles, the current work investigates through systematization and analysis of important aspects of patenting statistics and innovation dynamics. For the period of 2017–2022, the average increase in the number of registered patents per year compared to the previous period was found to be 1.37 times higher for the area of "hybrid vehicles", 1.3 times higher for the area of "electric vehicles", and 26 times higher for the area of "hydrogen vehicles". A comparative analysis of the number of registered patents by areas was carried out, further patenting rates were predicted, and priority areas of research and innovation were identified

A mixed-methods assessment of the Australasian Society of Genetic Counselors (ASGC) Mentor Program

PurposeIn Australia and New Zealand, one third of genetic counselors have less than 5 years’ experience. Sharing experienced practitioners’ professional knowledge is needed as the profession grows. Formal mentoring is an important facilitator of career progression and shared knowledge. In 2022, the Australasian Society of Genetic Counselors developed a 6-month mentor program, matching mentees with experienced genetic counselors (>10 years). We aimed to evaluate and assess the overall satisfaction and acceptability of the program, the matching process, and barriers to participation. MethodsWe used an explanatory mixed-method design with cross-sectional surveys deployed at baseline and follow-up and opt-in semi-structured interviews. Interview transcripts were analyzed using codebook thematic analysis, and data were integrated in a narrative approach. ResultsFifteen mentors and 15 mentees (N = 30) from 17 dyads were included in the analysis (response rate 83%). Eighteen completed the postprogram survey, and 12 were interviewed. The majority were female (93%), European (90%), and worked clinically in public hospitals (63%). Mentors’ main reason for participating was “to give back to the next generation,” whereas mentees sought “help with career progression.” Time was a barrier to participating. The majority (89%) achieved their goals, and all participants would recommend the program. Most (61%) found the mentor/mentee matching to be excellent, and 44% believed they would continue the relationship after the program. ConclusionThe Australasian Society of Genetic Counselors Mentor Program filled a gap in professional development within the Australian and New Zealand genetic counseling community and highlighted a general desire to share knowledge with new members of the profession.