Human Behavior Research Articles

Exploring Phishing Awareness and User Behavior: A Survey-based Investigation

Abstract: Phishing attacks remain a significant threat to internet users, exploiting vulnerabilities in human behaviour to deceive individuals into divulging sensitive information. Understanding user awareness of these attacks and their responses is crucial for developing an effective environment. This paper presents findings from a survey-based study aimed at assessing public awareness of phishing attacks and evaluating user responses. The survey explored participants' familiarity with phishing, knowledge levels, encounter frequencies, security practices, and responses to suspicious emails. Additionally, participants were queried about their experiences with phishing awareness training and their interest in receiving further education on the topic. The results provide insights into the current landscape of phishing awareness among internet users, highlighting areas of strength and vulnerability. These findings contribute to the ongoing efforts to enhance internet security and mitigate the risks posed by phishing attacks. The implications of the study's findings for cybersecurity education, awareness campaigns, and the development of anti-phishing tools are discussed.

New Perceptions and Identities in Media Narratives

Communication has existed since the beginning of mankind. Over the years, its practices have evolved, becoming more and more sophisticated but its principal motive has remained the same; to effectively spread messages. As one of the arms of communication, mass media has evolved to become a dominant force for the dissemination of information. The implication of this is that not only have our modes of communication evolved, but the ways in which we view each other in the global community has also altered our phenomenological experience of everyday life. Marshall McLuhan describes this as the ‘global village’ where traditional barriers of time and space have been broken and bridged. The inevitable march of human civilization towards technology has brought about the information age where the reliance on mass media is more a rule than an option. We no longer live with mass media, but we live within its confines. This in turn affects the way that we process information including cultural stimuli and the entire architecture of human thought. The ubiquity of mass media has created an environment where mass media not only dictates norms but also reflects human behavior creating a new reality that is not only framed, but also made immediate by it. This means that as we become more and more entrenched in the realities created by mass media, we begin to become blasé of the ways it shapes and dictates our lives.

Combined Effects of Thermal Buoyancy, Wind Action, and State of the First-Floor Lobby Entrance on the Pressure Difference in a High-Rise Building

The stack effect in high-rise buildings, stemming from an inside/outside temperature difference, may produce a significant pressure difference on the elevator doors, potentially causing elevator malfunctions. This effect can also be influenced by wind action and human behaviors, e.g., opening/closing of building entrances. In this study, a wind tunnel test was conducted to determine the real wind pressure distribution on a high-rise building in northern China. A numerical simulation utilizing the Conjunction of Multizone Infiltration Specialists software (COMIS) was carried out to investigate the pressure difference of elevator doors under the effects of thermal buoyancy, wind action, and opening/closing of the first-floor lobby entrance. An alternative solution of a locally strengthened envelope is proposed and validated for the studied building zone. The study reveals that the opening of the first-floor lobby entrance increases the pressure difference regardless of the environmental conditions, and the increase of wind speed tends to increase the pressure difference in winter but decrease it in summer. The proposed countermeasure combination, involving using revolving doors instead of swing doors, increasing additional partitions, and strengthening the local building envelope, was found to be synergistic and effective in reducing the pressure difference inside the building. The research findings offer practical engineering solutions for mitigating elevator door pressure challenges in high-rise buildings.

القيادة الأخلاقية ودورها في بناء الثقافة التنظيمية في المؤسسات التعليمية الابتدائية في منطقة الدمام

The study aimed to reveal the role of ethical leadership in building organizational culture in educational institutions in the Dammam region. To achieve the goal of the study, the descriptive analytical approach was followed, so that a stratified random sample of school leaders was selected, numbering (13) leaders, (37) educational and administrative supervisors, and (3) Department director, (41) department heads, and (79) other leadership professions. The electronic questionnaire was applied to them, and the study concluded the following: 1. There is a high degree of practicing ethical leadership among them, as well as a large degree of practicing organizational culture in primary educational institutions in the Dammam region. 2. There was also a close, statistically significant correlation at the level of (0.01) between ethical leadership and its role in the organizational culture of the educational institutions in the study sample. 3. Most of the leaders in the study strongly agreed on the degree of practicing ethical leadership with regard to the dimensions of human, personal, and professional relations behaviors. 4. Most of the leaders in the study agreed to a moderate degree on the degree of organizational culture with regard to its elements, which are values, beliefs, norms, and finally, expectations.

Chronic Behavioral and Neurochemical Effects of Four Novel N-Benzyl-2-phenylethylamine Derivatives Recently Identified as "Psychoactive" in Adult Zebrafish Screens.

Potently affecting human and animal brain and behavior, hallucinogenic drugs have recently emerged as potentially promising agents in psychopharmacotherapy. Complementing laboratory rodents, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a powerful model organism for screening neuroactive drugs, including hallucinogens. Here, we tested four novel N-benzyl-2-phenylethylamine (NBPEA) derivatives with 2,4- and 3,4-dimethoxy substitutions in the phenethylamine moiety and the -F, -Cl, and -OCF3 substitutions in the ortho position of the phenyl ring of the N-benzyl moiety (34H-NBF, 34H-NBCl, 24H-NBOMe(F), and 34H-NBOMe(F)), assessing their behavioral and neurochemical effects following chronic 14 day treatment in adult zebrafish. While the novel tank test behavioral data indicate anxiolytic-like effects of 24H-NBOMe(F) and 34H-NBOMe(F), neurochemical analyses reveal reduced brain norepinephrine by all four drugs, and (except 34H-NBCl) - reduced dopamine and serotonin levels. We also found reduced turnover rates for all three brain monoamines but unaltered levels of their respective metabolites. Collectively, these findings further our understanding of complex central behavioral and neurochemical effects of chronically administered novel NBPEAs and highlight the potential of zebrafish as a model for preclinical screening of small psychoactive molecules.

Reduced Right Hippocampal Volume on MRI and Correlation with Major Depressive Disorder

Introductions: Many studies have shown in the field of psychiatry results in specific changes in brain anatomy and function associated with measurable clinical outcomes. One of the biggest difficulties in diagnosing and treating psychiatric disorders is that human behavior involves complex mechanisms when compared to experimental animals. Case: 25-year-old female, diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) 6 months ago at a General Hospital in Malang, Indonesia. The patient felt depressed, had trouble sleeping, and had attempted suicide. MRI of the hippocampus was performed at the power of 3 Tesla magnetic strength (PHILIPS INGENIA 3.0T). MRI data processing and hippocampal volumetric analysis were performed using the volBrain HIPS software. Discussion: The left hippocampus volume was larger than the right volume, with a history of the patient never doing exercise or exercising regularly. In general, the hippocampus can be asymmetrical on both sides and larger on the right side. Although asymmetry in the hippocampus is normal, but there are no studies that say the volume of the left hippocampus is larger than the volume of the right hippocampus in a normal people. Conclusions: a person with depression should be screened and planned for early treatment. In the field of radiology, psychoradiology plays an important role in the main clinical situation in guiding decisions, especially treatment planning, as well as monitoring the results of care carried out in patients with psychiatric disorders.

When remembering less is more: Unfiltered items are associated with reduced memory fidelity in visual short-term memory.

Visual short-term memory (VSTM), the ability to store information no longer visible, is essential for human behavior. VSTM limits vary across the population and are correlated with overall cognitive ability. It has been proposed that low-memory individuals are unable to select only relevant items for storage and that these limitations are greatest when memory demands are high. However, it is unknown whether these effects simply reflect task difficulty and whether they impact the quality of memory representations. Here we varied the number of items presented, or set size, to investigate the effect of memory demands on the performance of visual short-term memory across low- and high-memory groups. Group differences emerged as set size exceeded memory limits, even when task difficulty was controlled. In a change-detection task, the low-memory group performed more poorly when set size exceeded their memory limits. We then predicted that low-memory individuals encoding items beyond measured memory limits would result in the degraded fidelity of memory representations. A continuous report task confirmed that low, but not high, memory individuals demonstrated decreased memory fidelity as set size exceeded measured memory limits. The current study demonstrates that items held in VSTM are stored distinctly across groups and task demands. These results link the ability to maintain high quality representations with overall cognitive ability.

Indoor Light Environment Factors That Affect the Psychological Satisfaction of Occupants in Office Facilities

Recently, human well-being has emerged as a pivotal concern that affects not only quality of life but also social and economic dimensions. Lighting in office spaces is crucial for the health and cognitive function of occupants, and various methods are used to assess it. However, there is still a lack of research investigating the relationship between lighting satisfaction and its key factors in diverse spaces. This study focused on the office light environment, using quantitative and qualitative data analysis to understand occupants’ satisfaction and the factors influenced by lighting characteristics. According to the results, occupant satisfaction was higher in light environments with illuminance levels exceeding the appropriate illuminance standard. Furthermore, the influx of daylight and its influencing factors, such as daylight exposure and window size, played a significant role in enhancing satisfaction. However, while daylight was a primary source of glare, its mitigation was not solely reliant on installations, such as blinds; architectural designs, including space arrangement, were also crucial in addressing it. Furthermore, the perception of the lighting environment varied based on work behaviors and spatial arrangements, influencing satisfaction with the lighting conditions. Therefore, a comprehensive approach that considers lighting elements, human behavior, and architectural design is essential in creating a lighting environment for office occupants.

Analyzing Reddit Data: Hybrid Model for Depression Sentiment using FastText Embedding

Depression, a prevalent mental condition globally, exerts a substantial influence on various aspects of human cognition, emotions, and behaviour. The alarming increase in deaths attributable to depression over the past few years demonstrates the imperative need to address this problem through prevention and treatment interventions. In the era of thriving social media platforms, which have a significant impact on society and psychological aspects, these platforms have become a means for people to convey their emotions and experiences openly. Reddit stands out among these platforms as a significant place. The main aim of this study is to examine the feasibility of forecasting individuals' mental states by classifying Reddit articles on depression and non-depression. This work aims to employ deep learning algorithms and word embeddings to analyze the textual and semantic settings of narratives to detect symptoms of depression. The study effectively employed a BiLSTM-BiGRU model that applied FastText word embeddings. The BiLSTM-BiGRU model analyzes information bidirectionally, detecting correlations in sequential data. It's suitable for tasks dependent on input order or addressing data uncertainties. The Reddit dataset, featuring text concerning depression, achieved an accuracy score of 97.03% and an F1 score of 97.02%.

From the Journal Editor

Haere mai! Welcome to volume 1, edition 1 of the New Zealand Journal of Health and Safety Practice! The Journal is open access and online and subscriptions are free. Although published in New Zealand we hope it will be read by workers everywhere who work in the field of health, safety and wellbeing. This edition is published at the time of International Workers' Memorial Day and the 29th anniversary of the New Zealand Cave Creek tragedy. I hope the Journal will grow to share practical, research-based knowledge that will help every worker (and visitors to workplaces) to go home physically and mentally unharmed. Much work went into the development of the Journal and I thank: the authors who spent time writing and revising the articles our anonymous reviewers who spent their time reading the submissions and making comments: you have helped set the standard for the Journal. Nik Crombie and Max Sullivan in the Victoria University of Wellington Library who helped with the backroom work and technology making the Journal free to publish. The editorial team also thanks HASANZ, Engineering New Zealand, Faculty of Asbestos Management of Australia & New Zealand, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of New Zealand, Institute of Organisational Psychology, New Zealand Institute of Safety Management, New Zealand Occupational Health Nurses Association, New Zealand Occupational Hygiene Society, New Zealand Safety Council, AVID Plus Limited and Risk Management Ltd for financial and other support to help establish the Journal. Terje Aven, a Norwegian academic, wrote that “safety science is multidisciplinary. Its contributors and its audience range from psychologists to chemical engineers”; that safety science “covers the physics and engineering of safety; its social, policy and organisational aspects; the management of risks; the effectiveness of control techniques for safety; standardization, legislation, inspection, insurance, costing aspects, human behaviour and safety and the like.” The founding organisations of NZJHSP are similarly drawn from those disciplines. A call for papers for the July 2024 edition will go out shortly. I look forward to submissions for future editions of this Journal those focused on the practice of workplace health and safety through implementing the broad subject area of safety science to help protect workers and others and achieve good work conditions. References Aven, T. (2014). What is safety science? Safety Science, 67, 15-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2013.07.026

Teaching and Anxiety: Experiences of Teachers in the Beginning of the Career

This article will allow us to scientifically obtain an updated view of work anxiety, focused on the beginning of a university professor's career, with the aim of understanding what the experience of a beginning professor is like and how they build their identity. Specifically describe the challenges that these professionals face in their professional practice. S. Freud's psychoanalytic theory was used, according to which human behavior is based on instincts or unconscious impulses, some being aggressive and others destructive. Currently, the challenges that society poses, and that schools face, are increasingly demanding, with the level of anxiety and stress among teachers being notorious and their possible association with the degree of satisfaction in the educational process. For this research, the qualitative approach was used for a deeper analysis and in-depth interviews were used to collect the data. The target audience for the research was beginner and seasoned teachers from higher education institutions. As the results indicate, every teacher is affected by anxiety in the exercise of their profession, which is good when it drives and pathological when it creates obstacles in the teaching activity. Professionals are satisfied with their profession, but hard work is still needed on a personal and professional level to achieve the university's objectives and overcome the challenges imposed on it. However, it is necessary to invest in the continuous training of teaching staff to improve the quality, pedagogical conditions of teaching and scientific production.

An Innovative Probiotic-Based Supplement to Mitigate Molecular Factors Connected to Depression and Anxiety: An In Vitro Study.

The gut-brain axis is a bidirectional relationship between the microbiota and the brain; genes related to the brain and gut synaptic formation are similar. Research on the causal effects of gut microbiota on human behavior, brain development, and function, as well as the underlying molecular processes, has emerged in recent decades. Probiotics have been shown in several trials to help reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms. Because of this, probiotic combinations have been tested in in vitro models to see whether they might modulate the gut and alleviate depression and anxiety. Therefore, we sought to determine whether a novel formulation might affect the pathways controlling anxiety and depression states and alter gut barrier activities in a 3D model without having harmful side effects. Our findings indicate that B. bifidum novaBBF7 10 mg/mL, B. longum novaBLG2 5 mg/mL, and L. paracasei TJB8 10 mg/mL may influence the intestinal barrier and enhance the synthesis of short-chain fatty acids. Additionally, the probiotics studied did not cause neuronal damage and, in combination, exert a protective effect against the condition of anxiety and depression triggered by L-Glutamate. All these findings show that probiotics can affect gut function to alter the pathways underlying anxiety and depression.

“The Philosophy of Ethical Education” In Family Relationships of the Southern Khmer Ethnic Group in Vietnam

Ethics is an area of social and spiritual life, which born from the practice of social relationships between people. It encompasses all notions and beliefs held by humans on morality, conscience, duty, happiness, justice, and other related topics that associates with rules of evaluation, adjustment, and orientation and human's behavior in that society. For that reason, morality, as a type of social consciousness, always represents distinct facets of the social existence of humans. Which is the value that elevates human virtue as the aim and focal point of growth and a gauge of civilization, emphasizing its role, goodness in the core of the human soul and the advancement of human civilization so the Southern Khmer people in Vietnam always take “Ethics” as the foundation and center of organizing, building, and developing society in their educational philosophy. Starting from the above reason, in this entire article, the author only focuses on researching the moral education philosophy of the Khmer people of Southern Vietnam in family relationships to see the diversity deeply rooted in the cultural traditions of a community with a long history of settlement and birth in Vietnam. For the reasons outlined above, the author only focuses on researching the philosophy of ethical education of the Khmer people in family relationships to see the diversity and depth in a group of people who were born and have lived in Vietnam for a long time.

How Can Conflicts with Supervisors or Coworkers Affect Construction Workers’ Safety Performance on Site? Two Cross-Sectional Studies in North America

A safety plateau in the construction industry has been reported in the US and Canada, which has prompted researchers to seek new factors affecting construction safety performance. Tapping into advancements in the theory of human and organizational behaviors can yield valuable new perspectives. Therefore, by leveraging the advancement of the Job Demand Control Support model in the field of occupational safety and health, this paper firstly tested the impact of one newly added hindrance stressor (i.e., interpersonal conflicts on construction sites) by researchers on organizational behaviors on the safety performance of construction workers, based on two cross-sectional studies in the US and Canada. Differentiations were made between conflicts with supervisors and conflicts with coworkers. One personal resource factor, i.e., individual resilience, was also considered in this paper. A “causal” chain that shows the mitigation impact of individual resilience on conflicts with supervisors or coworkers, and the adverse impact of conflicts with supervisors or coworkers, on unsafe events were found to hold true for both US and Canadian construction sites, based on the results from measurement invariance tests and structural equation modelling. Recommendations regarding how to improve construction workers’ individual resilience and reduce interpersonal conflicts on site, thereby reducing safety incidents on site, are provided.

Does Land Approval Facilitate Conservation Tillage? An Examination through the Lens of Straw- Returning Technology

Does Land Approval Facilitate Conservation Tillage? An Examination through the Lens of Straw- Returning Technology

Assessing Data Quality in the Age of Digital Social Research: A Systematic Review

While survey data has long been the focus of quantitative social science analyses, observational and content data, although long-established, are gaining renewed attention; especially when this type of data is obtained by and for observing digital content and behavior. Today, digital technologies allow social scientists to track “everyday behavior” and to extract opinions from public discussions on online platforms. These new types of digital traces of human behavior, together with computational methods for analyzing them, have opened new avenues for analyzing, understanding, and addressing social science research questions. However, even the most innovative and extensive amounts of data are hollow if they are not of high quality. But what does data quality mean for modern social science data? To investigate this rather abstract question the present study focuses on four objectives. First, we provide researchers with a decision tree to identify appropriate data quality frameworks for a given use case. Second, we determine which data types and quality dimensions are already addressed in the existing frameworks. Third, we identify gaps with respect to different data types and data quality dimensions within the existing frameworks which need to be filled. And fourth, we provide a detailed literature overview for the intrinsic and extrinsic perspectives on data quality. By conducting a systematic literature review based on text mining methods, we identified and reviewed 58 data quality frameworks. In our decision tree, the three categories, namely, data type, the perspective it takes, and its level of granularity, help researchers to find appropriate data quality frameworks. We, furthermore, discovered gaps in the available frameworks with respect to visual and especially linked data and point out in our review that even famous frameworks might miss important aspects. The article ends with a critical discussion of the current state of the literature and potential future research avenues.

The chemical basis of seawater therapies: a review

AbstractThe rising number of diseases and deaths caused by pollution and modern lifestyle habits is a growing societal concern. Marine ecosystems are both victim to this human behaviour as a recipient of human pollution as well as being a source of medicinal chemicals which can cure a variety of diseases. In this paper, we review the chemical basis of water-based treatments and their effects on human health, while focusing on the threats to marine ecosystems and the potential benefits of balneotherapy, thalassotherapy, and bioactive chemical species. We found that seawater has potential benefits for skin health, demonstrating emollient properties, protection against skin barrier disruption, and inhibition of atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions. We present the putative mechanisms by which minerals, salts, and marine organic matter can slow down disease progression, through their numerous activities, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and wound healing properties. Water-living organisms also have an impact on such mechanisms by producing biologically active compounds with beneficial effects on human health.

A method for human behavior identification based on integrated sensor data using XGBoost classifier with PCA techniques

In recent decades, there has been a noticeable increase in the recognition among professionals of the importance of human acts. The identification of human activity has gained significant prominence because of its wide-ranging applications in several domains, including healthcare and recreational activities. Moreover, a substantial body of research in the field of machine learning has been dedicated to the development of methodologies aimed at automating the identification and analysis of human behavior. This increased interest is mostly due to the fact that there are now more tools that can collect information about how people live their daily lives. The data utilized in this study is readily available for public access on the Internet. The data set under consideration comprises sensor readings from several components integrated inside the smartphone, including the global positioning system (GPS), accelerometer, magnetometer, and gyroscope. The data sets are indifferent to the categories, positions, or alignments of the items. The data set is of considerable magnitude due to its collection from several sensors, including GPS, accelerometer, magnetometer, and gyroscope. Consequently, we are employing the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) technique to diminish the dimensionality of the data and enhance its precision. Our recommendation is to utilize the XGBoost classifier in combination with Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The recommended model had a total identification rate of 97.58%. In order to demonstrate the flexibility of the proposed method, we employ a 10-fold cross-validation technique, together with the utilization of a confusion matrix and ROC curve. These evaluation metrics serve to provide a tangible illustration of the recommended strategy. The proposed methodology might have encouraging outcomes in effectively discerning human behaviors, thereby potentially facilitating the restoration of walking and pushing gaits into a Bipedal Robot and other Parkinson’s diseases.

The Role of Economic Education in the Family on the Consumptive Behavior of University Students

Consumptive behavior is a behavior in humans where people spend their money to fulfill needs that tend to prioritize not only needs but unrestrained wants. This behavior is identical to the tendency in spending too much money with the inability to control purchase of goods and services that are not in priority. Impulsive shopping, lack of financial planning and the tendency to prioritize prestige within their social setting. These behaviors are frequently observable among teenagers or, in this case, university students. They would be avoidable, if students have self-control to follow a rational consumption pattern. Consumptive behavior among university students should be watched carefully because it would have an impact on students’ personal wellbeing, mental health and academic advancements. Overbuying on goods should be controlled through improvement of personal financial awareness, development of prudent financial management habit and learning to differentiate between needs and wants. The family setting, as an informal education to support formal education, has a role in forming students’ mindset. Habit formation, exemplar and explanation from parents are major elements in forming a child’s mindset to behave in an economically rational way. Habits are taught by parents. Financially responsible habits are formed by the parents in their children. Through exemplars, parents provide examples on how to consume through the practices of financial management. Explanations are provided by the parents on the importance of living prudently

Oxytocin transported from the blood across the blood-brain barrier by receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) affects brain function related to social behavior

Oxytocin (OT) is a neuropeptide that primarily functions as a hormone controlling female reproductive processes. Since numerous recent studies have shown that single and repetitive administrations of OT increase trust, social interaction, and maternal behaviors in humans and animals, OT is considered a key molecule that regulates social memory and behavior. Furthermore, OT binds to receptors for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE), and it has been demonstrated that loss of RAGE in the brain vascular endothelial cells of mice fails to increase brain OT concentrations following peripheral OT administration. This leads to the hypothesis that RAGE is involved in the direct transport of OT, allowing it access to the brain by transporting it across the blood–brain barrier; however, this hypothesis is only based on limited evidence. Herein, we review the recent results related to this hypothesis, such as the mode of transport of OT in the blood circulation to the brain via different forms of RAGE, including membrane-bound full-length RAGE and soluble RAGE. We further review the modulation of brain function and social behavior, which seem to be mediated by RAGE-dependent OT. Overall, this review mostly confirms that RAGE enables the recruitment of circulating OT to the brain, thereby influencing social behavior. The requirement for further studies considering the physiological aspects of RAGE is also discussed.