Agency Level Research Articles

Changing snow water storage in natural snow reservoirs

Abstract. This work introduces a novel snow metric, snow water storage (SwS), defined as the integrated area under the snow water equivalent (SWE) curve (units: length-time, e.g., m d). Unlike other widely used snow metrics that capture snow variables at a single point in time (e.g., maximum SWE) or describe temporal snow characteristics (e.g., length of snow season), SwS is applicable at numerous spatial and temporal scales. This flexibility in the SwS metric enables us to characterize the inherent reservoir function of snowpacks and quantify how this function has changed in recent decades. In this research, changes in the SwS metric are evaluated at point, gridded and aggregated scales across the conterminous United States (hereafter US), with a particular focus on 16 mountainous Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Level III Ecoregions (ER3s). These ER3s account for 72 % of the annual SwS (SwSA) in the US, despite these ER3s only covering 16 % of the US land area. Since 1982, spatially variable changes in SwSA have been observed across the US with notable decreasing SwSA trends in the western US and in the 16 mountainous ER3s. All mountainous ER3 (except for the Northeastern Highlands in New England) exhibit decreasing trends in SwSA resulting in a 22 % overall decline in SwSA across mountainous ER3s. The peak monthly SwS (SwSM) occurs in March at all spatial scales, while the greatest percentage loss of SwSM occurs early in the snow season, particularly in November. Unsurprisingly, the highest elevations contribute most to SwSA in all mountain ranges, but the specific elevations that have experienced loss or gain in SwSA over the 39-year study period vary between mountain ranges. Comparisons of SwS with other snow metrics underscore the utility of SwS, providing insights into the natural reservoir function of snowpacks, irrespective of SWE curve variability or type (e.g., ephemeral, mountain, permanent). As we anticipate a future marked by increased climate variability and greater variability in mountain snowpacks, the spatial and temporal flexibility of snow metrics such as SwS may become increasingly valuable for monitoring and predicting snow water resources.

Epistemic outsiders: Unpacking and utilising the epistemic dimension of disruptive agency in sustainability transformations

Disruptions (systemic disturbances) are crucial to initiate and accelerate sustainability transformations of large-scale social systems (be they socio-ecological, socio-technical, or socio-institutional). Their emergence, characteristics and effects strongly relate to the role of agents who aim to disrupt and transform the status quo, and which thus possess what we call disruptive agency. In this paper, we highlight the epistemic dimension of disruptive agency in social transformations, first by conceptualizing disruptive agents as epistemic outsiders with respect to the social system that they intend to disrupt and transform, and second by connecting this conceptualization to notions of belief, social practices, social networks, discourses, or institutions. We identify five advantages of this approach. Firstly, it informs and conceptually enables various promising interdisciplinary avenues to explore and potentially influence transformative change towards sustainability. Secondly, an epistemic conception of disruptive agency offers a key for an integrated analysis of the individual and collective levels of agency involved in sustainability transformations. Thirdly, the notion of epistemic outsiders conceptually connects agent positions across system boundaries that are understood to be of crucial importance for sustainability transformations respectively (e.g., “niche innovators” or “regime intermediaries”) but which lack an integrated understanding. Fourthly, an epistemic perspective additionally highlights the changing requirements and challenges resulting in two principal stages of transformations unfolding over time, namely before/after a new epistemic layout is shared by a majority of agents. Finally, the above features allow to derive and conceive of new intervention formats and strategies.

Efektivitas Mobile Health “Nifas Sehat” terhadap Selfcare Agency pada Ibu Nifas Primigravida

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that in 2019, there were 303,000 maternal deaths worldwide, with 99% of them occurring in developing countries. According to the Ministry of Health, the maternal mortality rate in Indonesia was 305 per 100,000 live births in 2012-2015, dropping to 240 per 100,000 live births in 2019. However, this figure is still high compared to developed countries which have a maternal mortality rate of 14 per 100,000 live births.The postpartum period is a critical period for mothers, where 60% of maternal deaths occur after delivery and 50% of these deaths occur in the first 24 hours of the postpartum period. Complications during the postpartum period occur in 73% of cases, but not all of them result in maternal death. Primigravida is a term used to describe a woman who is pregnant for the first time. According to WHO data, the maternal mortality rate for primigravida women is higher than for multigravida women. The most common causes of maternal death in Indonesia are bleeding, hypertension during pregnancy, and infection. The Ministry of Health is working to improve the health service system to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates, including during the Covid-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to measure the level of self-care agency in primigravida postpartum mothers before and after using mobile health "Sehat Postpartum".

Constructing alternative interpretation: Embeddedness of illegality in small-scale mining

This paper contributes to the debate on mining policy enforcement and compliance by investigating non-compliance with Ghana's government militarization response to illegal mining activities. Drawing on Lawrence Sherman's defiance theory and using a systematic literature review, this analysis offers an alternative explanation for the persistence and increase of illegal mining in Ghana. Through a conceptual model adapted from the four core psychological conditions of defiance theory, the paper proposes interactive pathways where militarization triggers perceptions of unfair treatment, weakened bonds with authorities, feelings of stigmatization, and denial of shame, collectively eliciting a defiant mindset among illegal small-scale miners toward compliance. A thematic analysis of the small-scale mining literature guided by this framework finds evidence that past exclusionary policies and poor state-stakeholder relationships may have kindled resistance by cultivating these proposed conditions over time. The research broadens the understanding of non-compliance in small-scale mining with relevance for other natural resource domains facing persistent non-compliance challenges. Substantively, it reveals a series of government failures to adequately engage communities and deliver on sustainable development through mining, fueling a feeling of discontent and consequently defiance. Policy-wise, the paper draws attention to widespread defiance resulting from increased militarization in Ghana. In that, it recommends a broader scope of stakeholder engagement and participation beyond the level of the immediate government agencies to include multiple stakeholders, particularly affected communities, and persons. This dual theoretical and policy contribution sheds new light on persistent non-compliance challenges in the extractives sector globally.

Integrating Ai and Machine Learning Technology for Educational Enhancement and Career Guidance System

Career and education guidance is undergoing a transformative phase, especially in the context of life-long learning. Modernizing career services to meet the diverse needs of students is imperative in the age of technology. This article navigates the considerations for career services professionals, exploring the characteristics and needs of today's students, available technologies, funding requirements, and confidentiality issues. The challenge lies in creating accessible services that seamlessly connect education with employment. This paper presents a pioneering study that explores the untapped potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in revolutionizing career and education guidance, not only for higher education but also for students above the 9th standard. Drawing insights from focus groups, scenario work, and practical trials, the research provides a comprehensive view of the requirements and possibilities of integrating AI into career guidance. Perspectives from students, guidance staff, and institutions shape the findings, highlighting potential values, functions, and the driving forces and obstacles in adopting AI for career guidance. The study introduces varied modes of agency and maturity levels, establishing a framework for AI involvement in guidance processes. Future research directions include a focus on agency in guidance interaction, developing a guidance data ecosystem, and addressing ethical concerns.

Adoption of Open Educational Resources to Transform Postgraduate Studies and Practices

The purpose of this article is to present the unique challenges faced by postgraduate students, which require specific practices to ensure study completion. Narrative inquiry was used as a methodological framework to uncover current realities within postgraduate studies and practices for previously disadvantaged students in South Africa. Arguments were tabled based on first-hand experiences among the two postgraduate students and their supervisor. The two postgraduate students narrated personalised learning in this article at different levels of study. The research project resulted in the designing of personalised learning strategies, using the open educational practice (PLUOEP) model, where each student discussed open educational resources (OERs). This model enabled both students to take control of their learning by setting their own goals, making choices about their learning activities, and reflecting on their progress. In this study, the level of autonomy and agency allowed students to develop a positive mindset and belief in their ability to succeed. This article discusses how students’ individual beliefs and expectations about themselves influenced their behaviour and ultimately led to the realisation of concrete beliefs and expectations. The lessons from this study described how learning was owned by two postgraduate students who tailored their learning to their individual needs and interests. The study found that there is a lack of knowledge and understanding of OER. The study proposes training and workshops for postgraduate students. Students confirmed the sense of ownership and empowerment in their studies and practices. The study recommends adopting OER in the transformation of postgraduate studies and practices as having a “potential” to decolonise teaching and learning.

중국대학 신입생의 주체성과 진로결정수준의 관계에서 진로장벽의 매개효과와 사회적 지지의 조절된 매개효과

This study investigated the impact of agency on freshman' career decision level in the Chinese university directly and indirectly through career barriers, and also examined the moderation role of social support on the relationship between agency and career barriers. Data were collected from 270 undergraduate engineering freshmen at a large Chinese university. The results showed the mediating effect of career barriers between agency and career decision level, and supported this mediating effect was moderated by social support. The study is expected to offer practical insights for career guidance programs at Chinese universities and provide implications for Korean universities.

The host in the shell: Constructing female identity in the embodied animated media

Digitally created Virtual YouTubers (VTubers) have gained great popularity around the globe. The VTuber genre has allowed human actors to endow virtual female characters with a level of agency through real-time voice processing and motion-capture technology. Although some studies have begun to explore this emerging phenomenon, there is still a lack of clarity regarding how human actors of digital female characters construct a virtual female identity. To address this research gap, we analyzed 300 videos from 64 popular VTuber accounts, focusing on the performance strategies of VTubers. We show that creators inject human qualities into their personas and re-enact idealized feminine tropes prevalent in animated media through sophisticated vocal strategies. We also identify a new type of performance phenomenon called “virtual breaking” in which human voice hosts unmask their digital avatars and directly reveal their real identities, challenging conventional feminine representation in digital animated media at their core.

Privacy threats of behaviour identity detection in VR

This study explores the potential privacy risks associated with the use of behavioural data as an identification mechanism in immersive VR applications. With the advent of modern VR technology, tracking sensors are now able to provide a highly immersive experience with a high level of user agency, significantly increasing both the amount and richness of behavioural data being collected and recorded. However, there has been little research into the privacy risks of such approaches. In this work, we investigate the capability of machine learning algorithms to identify VR users across multiple sessions and activities, as well as their effectiveness when users deliberately change their behaviour to evade detection. We also examine how the physical characteristics of users impact the accuracy of these algorithms. Our results show that once a user is tracked in VR, they can be identified with 83% accuracy across multiple sessions of the same activity and with 80% accuracy when performing a different task. Even when users attempt to deliberately obfuscate their behaviour, they can still be recognised with 78% accuracy. These findings highlight the need for more robust technical measures to safeguard the behavioural privacy of VR users.

Strategizing as polarity management: biographical analysis of leadership in the Polish furniture industry (1989–2015)

PurposeThis article aims to analyze the strategic work of Polish entrepreneurs in the furniture industry following the political changes in 1989. The authors examined how these entrepreneurs transitioned from local craftsmen or importers into leaders of international manufacturing companies and how their strategizing contributed to the unprecedented growth of the Polish furniture sector.Design/methodology/approachThe authors examined extant data, specifically biographical interviews conducted with 11 prominent leaders in the Polish furniture industry (Hryniewicki, 2015, 2018). They analyzed within a theoretical framework that integrates J.C. Spender’s theory of strategic management with Barry Johnson’s concept of polarity management. Polarity is a way of understanding and managing interdependent, opposing pairs of values or perspectives that give rise to conflict.FindingsThe analysis reveals key patterns of strategic challenges at the level of human agency, history and sense-making. The authors identified four key polarities: life and business, knowledge presence and absence, concordance and discordance, and instrumental and non-instrumental sense-making.Originality/valueThe polarity concept illuminates the interplay of agency and determinism in strategic decision-making, offering valuable insights for methodology and a deeper understanding of Poland’s furniture industry.

Improving regulatory efficiency for biotechnology products.

Small procedural changes in how regulatory agencies implement biotech policies can make significant differences in improving regulatory efficiency. This paper discusses how science based, crop specific guidance documents can improve dossier content and the review and approval of biotech varieties. In addition, we describe how the adoption of established risk assessment methodology and applying policy-linked decision making at the agency level can boost both efficiency and developer, public and government confidence in agency decision making and in biotech crops.

The Influence of Financial Report Quality, CEO Career Concern, and CEO Gender on Investment Efficiency with Good Governance as a Moderating Variable

This study aims to examine the effect of Financial Report Quality, CEO Article Career Concern, and CEO Gender on Investment Efficiency with Good Governance as a Moderating variable. This research method uses Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA) with Eviews statistical tools. This study uses a sample of 680 observations of non-financial companies in Indonesia during 2022 using panel regression. The results showed that the quality of financial statements has no effect on investment efficiency. The quality of financial statements that has no effect is possible because the overinvestment scenario also has no effect. In this condition, the quality of financial statements has not been able to mitigate the occurrence of overinvestment due to the high agency level. Meanwhile, in underinvestment conditions, the quality of financial reporting has a significant positive effect, which means that the quality of financial reporting can reduce underinvestment because the quality of financial reporting can be used to attract external funds so that the company avoids underinvestment conditions. The career concern variable of the president director has no effect on investment efficiency, this is possible because in underinvestment conditions it also has no effect because most sample companies do not experience funding constraints so that the career concern of the president director does not mitigate underinvestment. Meanwhile, in overinvestment conditions, it has a positive effect. Thus, the concern of the CEO can reduce the occurrence of overinvestment. Good governance variables affect investment efficiency.

Effects and mechanisms of analytics‐assisted reflective assessment in fostering undergraduates' collective epistemic agency in computer‐supported collaborative inquiry

AbstractBackgroundUndergraduates' collective epistemic agency is critical for their productive collaborative inquiry and knowledge building (KB). However, fostering undergraduates' collective epistemic agency is challenging. Studies have demonstrated the potential of computer‐supported collaborative inquiry approaches, such as KB—the focus of this study, and reflective assessment to foster collective epistemic agency.ObjectivesThis study used a quasi‐experimental design to examine the impact of reflective assessment on undergraduates' collective epistemic agency and the mechanisms of this impact.MethodsAn experimental class, comprising 40 undergraduates, engaged in KB inquiry enhanced by analytics‐assisted reflective assessment, while a comparison class, comprising 41 undergraduates, engaged in portfolio‐supported reflective assessment in KB inquiry. Classroom observations, audio recordings of group discussions and reflections, and student artefacts were collected in both conditions.Results and ConclusionsThe experimental class demonstrated significantly higher levels of collective epistemic agency than the comparison class, as indicated by their collective knowledge advancement and epistemic and metacognitive actions. Qualitative thematic analysis revealed that reflective assessment enhanced the undergraduates' collective epistemic agency through their collective monitoring and regulation of inquiry and ideas, negotiation and synthesis of the community's ideas, conceptualization of collective theories and identification of collective inquiry trajectories with an internal reflective structure.Major TakeawaysHigher‐level metacognitive actions are critical for productive collaborative inquiry and higher‐level epistemic agency that does not often occur naturally and should be promoted by appropriate scaffolding strategies. Students need data from learning analytics and accompanying prompt sheets to help them develop the internal metacognitive structure for agency and learning.

The Influence of Financial Report Quality, CEO Career Concern, and CEO Gender on Investment Efficiency with Good Governance as a Moderating Variable

This study aims to examine the effect of Financial Report Quality, CEO Career Concern, and CEO Gender on Investment Efficiency with Good Governance as a Moderating variable. This research method uses Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA) with Eviews statistical tools. This study uses a sample of 680 observations of non-financial companies in Indonesia during 2022 using panel regression. The results showed that the quality of financial statements has no effect on investment efficiency. The quality of financial statements that has no effect is possible because the overinvestment scenario also has no effect. In this condition, the quality of financial statements has not been able to mitigate the occurrence of overinvestment due to the high agency level. Meanwhile, in underinvestment conditions, the quality of financial reporting has a significant positive effect, which means that the quality of financial reporting can reduce underinvestment because the quality of financial reporting can be used to attract external funds so that the company avoids underinvestment conditions. The career concern variable of the president director has no effect on investment efficiency, this is possible because in underinvestment conditions it also has no effect because most sample companies do not experience funding constraints so that the career concern of the president director does not mitigate underinvestment. Meanwhile, in overinvestment conditions, it has a positive effect. Thus, the concern of the CEO can reduce the occurrence of overinvestment. Good governance variables affect investment efficiency.

Формування людського капіталу підприємства в межах рекрутингу

The article summarizes the important elements of recruiting, which demonstrates to business entities the current state of personnel recruitment and will be practical advice for enterprises (firms) that are just thinking about modern methods of personnel selection and recruitment. The aim of the article is to generalize the experience of hiring personnel from the standpoint of recruiting (both at the level of employer enterprises and at the level of agencies, i. e. recruiting companies). The authors summarized the essence of the recruiting (recruitment) process, subject composition, significance for the enterprise, modern popular options for recruiting personnel, modern recruiting technologies, areas of business that serve recruitment, methods (tools) of recruitment. Recruiting in its general form is a set of actions to provide the enterprise (employer) with personnel with the necessary competencies – quantitative and qualitative provision of the enterprise’s workers. The subject composition of recruiting includes: re-cruiters (they represent recruiting companies, personnel agencies, funds and centers, State structures for the selection of candidates to fill vacancies); employees of the personnel department, heads of divi-sions in which there are vacancies, psychologists, polygraph examiners, handwriting experts, experts and other personnel recruitment specialists (they represent relevant divisions of the enterprise or pro-fessional structures (agencies)). The advantages and disadvantages of internal and external sources of personnel recruitment are presented. Common options for job search and personnel selection are: direct application to the employer, publication of vacancies, personal recommendations, internal personnel reserve, niche resources for mass recruitment. Recruiting services (external recruitment) are used by various areas of business: pharmaceutical, IT, finance, banking, etc. If we distinguish between the announcement and closing of vacancies by the State-owned recruiting structures (State employment service bodies) and private recruiting companies, then the State recruiting structures mainly serve or-ders (vacancies) of the State-owned enterprises, organizations, and private companies – orders (vacan-cies) of private economic entities. Regardless of the type of recruiting (internal, external), the same methods (tools) are used: traditional, additional and innovative. Knowing how to apply recruiting me-thods (tools) helps HR managers to select the best job candidates. The principles of classical recruiting are considered as the most important from the point of view of overcoming unemployment and per-sonnel selection: systematization, democratization, individualization, informatization, goal orientation, delegation. The priority directions for improving recruiting activity are summarized (improving the quality of hiring, or recruitment efficiency); speeding up hiring (recruitment); increasing the flow of quality candidates for vacant positions; automating recruiting procedures; increasing employee reten-tion rates (i. e., reducing turnover and increasing employee commitment); ensuring diversity in hiring (recruitment of employees by ethnic indicators, gender, age, experience, etc.). An analysis of the quali-fication characteristics of managers, specialists, and workers was carried out, which made it possible to determine the main components of the required human capital from the point of view of the division of employees into professional groups: management personnel (intellectual component , motivational, cultural, social, economic, creative, educational, professional, environmental, social, informational, use of time); personnel from production activities (demographic component, health, educational compo-nent, professional (activity) component).

СЕМИОТИЧЕСКИЕ ИДЕОЛОГИИ ПРАКТИКИ ГАДАНИЯ НА КАРТАХ ТАРО

This paper attempts to describe the main semiotic ideologies (interpretation systems) of the Tarot card reading, to identify what determines the choice of an interpretation system by a practioner. Based on the results of semi-structured interviews and participant observation, the author was able to distinguish two modes of the Tarot card reading: divination based on meanings and divination in the state of Flow. The Tarot card reading in the state of the Flow involves the synthesis of intuition and meanings based on intuition, building a narrative and immersion in a trance state. On the basis of ethnographic material, three main semiotic ideologies of the Tarot card reading were also identified and described: occult (spiritual), esoteric, and psychotherapeutic. They differ on the basis of two criteria: reflection on the nature of the practice (the definition of the Tarot card reading as a magical, religious or psychotherapeutic practice) and reflection on transcendental sources of information (what is perceived as a source of information in the process of divination: deities/spirits, the unconscious, Tarot egregor, information field). The initial hypothesis that the difference between the semiotic ideologies of the Tarot card reading lies in the different level of agency attributed by tarot readers to themselves has not been confirmed. An analysis of the interviews and the results of the experiment showed that most practioners attribute to themselves a high level of agency, that is, they perceive themselves as responsible for the results of their predictions. The choice of a semiotic ideology may depend on the situation of divination: when divining oneself, one is most often guided by psychotherapeutic semiotic ideology, while divining by others – spiritual or esoteric.

Disruption and Demoralization in Academic Libraries: A Snapshot

abstract: This article discusses a specific subset of results from an exploratory survey deployed in September 2021. Quantitative and qualitative results of this exploratory survey were considerable, and as such, this article focuses on question responses related to library workers' perceptions of themselves and others during times of change and views of their place in academic librarianship now and in the future. Overall, survey respondents demonstrated a high level of self-confidence and personal agency as library workers, but also illustrated consistent themes of demoralization, with respondents sometimes or often considering leaving their current roles (78 percent) or the profession entirely (60 percent).

An Approach to Construct Technological Convergence Networks Across Different IPC Hierarchies and Identify Key Technology Fields

The technological convergence network (TCN) is an effective method to identify the advancement of technology convergence. However, the previous TCN investigations are limited to a single level of International Patent Classification (IPC) rather than different IPC hierarchies, which can only provide decision support for policy makers with one dimension instead of various ones. In this article, we propose a new approach to construct TCNs across different IPC hierarchies based on technology coclassification analysis, and further identify key technology fields by employing the indicator of betweenness centrality in the TCNs from any IPC hierarchy. This article makes two important contributions. First, theoretically, our article is to contribute to understanding the advancement of technological convergence from various IPC hierarchies, rather than a single IPC level. Second, methodologically, the new approach we propose can benefit decision makers serving at various levels of technology management agencies. We conclude possible implications and future directions.

Longitudinal Analysis of Universities Management Maturity in Indonesia

The maturity of the management of public service agencies greatly determines quality and competitiveness. The main objective of this research is to assess the management maturity level of public service agencies in Indonesian state Islamic universities using the BLU-MaturityRating Model. The research design uses a mixed-methods research paradigm with a sequential approach, which collects quantitative data followed by qualitative data. The researchers collected quantitative data from secondary data published by the Directorate of Public Service Agencies, Ministry of Finance of the Indonesia Republic. Unstructured in-depth interviews were collected for qualitative data. Key informants are officials who are actively involved in the operations of public service agencies at their universities. Qualitative data analysis uses content analysis, while quantitative data uses tabulation analysis. The research results show that public service agencies' majority level of management maturity is at the second level (managed). The low level of maturity is due to a normative, sceptical and indifferent attitude to wards the demands of management maturity. This condition impacts the low performance of public service bodies at state Islamic universities in Indonesia.

EntangleVR++: evaluating the potential of using entanglement in an interactive VR scene creation system

Interactive digital stories provide a sense of flexibility and freedom to players by allowing them to make choices at key junctions. These choices advance the narrative and determine, to some degree, how the story evolves for that player. As shown in prior work, the ability to control or participate in the construction of the narrative can give the player a high level of agency that results in a stronger sense of immersion in the narrative experience. To support the design of this type of interactive storytelling, our system, EntangleVR++, borrows the idea of entanglement from quantum computing. Our use of entanglement allows creators and storytellers control over which sequences of story events take place in correlation with each other, initiated by the choices a player makes. In this work, we evaluated how well our idea of entanglement enables creators to easily and quickly design interactive Virtual reality narratives. We asked 16 participants to use our system and based on user interviews, analyses of screen recordings, and questionnaire feedback, we extracted four themes. From these themes and the study overall, we derived four authoring strategies for tool designers interested in the design of future visual interface for interactively creating virtual scenes that include relational objects and multiple outcomes driven by player interactions.