Private Environment Research Articles

Sequence-to-Sequence Models and Their Evaluation for Spoken Language Normalization of Slovenian

Sequence-to-sequence models have been applied to many challenging problems, including those in text and speech technologies. Normalization is one of them. It refers to transforming non-standard language forms into their standard counterparts. Non-standard language forms come from different written and spoken sources. This paper deals with one such source, namely speech from the less-resourced highly inflected Slovenian language. The paper explores speech corpora recently collected in public and private environments. We analyze the efficiencies of three sequence-to-sequence models for automatic normalization from literal transcriptions to standard forms. Experiments were performed using words, subwords, and characters as basic units for normalization. In the article, we demonstrate that the superiority of the approach is linked to the choice of the basic modeling unit. Statistical models prefer words, while neural network-based models prefer characters. The experimental results show that the best results are obtained with neural architectures based on characters. Long short-term memory and transformer architectures gave comparable results. We also present a novel analysis tool, which we use for in-depth error analysis of results obtained by character-based models. This analysis showed that systems with similar overall results can differ in the performance for different types of errors. Errors obtained with the transformer architecture are easier to correct in the post-editing process. This is an important insight, as creating speech corpora is a time-consuming and costly process. The analysis tool also incorporates two statistical significance tests: approximate randomization and bootstrap resampling. Both statistical tests confirm the improved results of neural network-based models compared to statistical ones.

Why do we argue about risk? The invisibility of worldviews in marine decision-making

The paper asks “why are we always arguing about risk?” It explores what drives risk perception in decision-making processes in Aotearoa New Zealand’s marine environment. The research’s holistic framing shows that the prevailing concern with risk and uncertainty (RU) issues in government and managerial settings deflects attention from and hides the background influences of worldviews. After introducing the invisibilities around RU and outlining worldview-based perceptions of risk, the paper turns to an empirical investigation focusing on deep-seabed mining investment in the context of Aotearoa’s Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf Act (Environmental Effects) 2012. Enacted as part of neoliberal reforms, the Act seeks to reduce environmental degradation in tandem with economic growth. A situated methodology examines a consenting process within this Act as a strategic site to establish expressions of RU and shaping invisibilities. Three key influences are revealed: the positionality of decision-makers, their disciplinary training, and the largely unknown filtering of environmental and economic options that come from 3 worldviews held in Aotearoa (dominant social paradigm, new environmental paradigm, Te Ao Māori). We contend hidden worldviews impact on economy–environment relations and ensuing economic and environmental practices and outcomes. This arises because they underpin and fuel debates around what RU are acceptable and how benefits should be distributed (public vs. private benefits investment decisions, and economy vs. environment). Unless we recognize and understand these hidden influences, we simply cannot work with them. This insight has major implications for how RU ideas might be framed and navigated in emerging policy settings.

Evaluating Methods for Violence Classification and Firearm Detection in Indoor CCTV Environment

The adoption of security systems based on computer vision for violence detection has the potential to significantly improve safety in various public and private properties. However, developing these systems can be extremely challenging.We can choose to use classification models to identify violence in images or also use object detection models to identify firearms, which may indicate robbery. Additionally, when developing such systems focused on private environments, we encounter specific challenges, such as obtaining appropriate datasets to train the algorithms. Many publicly available datasets for violence detection consist of outdoor images, with elements such as streets and cars, which do not adequately reflect the nuances and unique characteristics of private properties. In this work, we evaluate both learned and handcrafted features to classify videos as 'violence' or 'non-violence' across a variety of datasets, including a new dataset composed exclusively of closed-circuit television (CCTV) images. Additionally, we propose a new dataset for firearm detection in CCTV images and conduct some experiments using YoloV8. In this way, we hope to provide a clearer insight into the possible decisions when developing a security system for indoor environments.

HYBRID CLOUD DATABASES FOR BIG DATA ANALYTICS: A REVIEW OF ARCHITECTURE, PERFORMANCE, AND COST EFFICIENCY

The increasing reliance on big data analytics has driven organizations to seek more flexible, scalable, and cost-effective data management solutions, with hybrid cloud databases emerging as a prominent option. Hybrid cloud databases integrate both public and private cloud environments, allowing businesses to balance the scalability and cost advantages of public clouds with the security and control provided by private clouds. This systematic review, conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, examines the architecture, performance, cost efficiency, security, and technological advancements of hybrid cloud databases. The study synthesizes findings from 40 peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2024, focusing on key factors that affect the performance of hybrid cloud databases, such as workload distribution, network latency, and the use of advanced data analytics tools like Hadoop and Spark. The review also explores cost-saving mechanisms, including dynamic resource scaling and pay-as-you-go pricing models, which help organizations reduce infrastructure costs by up to 28%. Additionally, it discusses the security risks and privacy concerns associated with hybrid cloud environments, highlighting the effectiveness of encryption protocols and identity access management systems in mitigating data breaches by as much as 40%. Furthermore, the review identifies emerging trends in the integration of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), which have significantly enhanced system automation and resource optimization in hybrid cloud infrastructures, leading to performance improvements of up to 45%.

Chronic Hand Eczema.

Chronic hand eczema (CHE) is a complex, challenging, and frequently multifactorial skin disease of the hands. It is very common in the general population, especially in certain professions. When hand eczema (HE) persists for longer than 3 months or has a minimum of two relapses per year after initial manifestation with complete clearance, it is considered chronic. In this case, health-related quality of life and the patient's working life are often impaired. CHE can be considered as an umbrella term because it covers different clinical pictures and etiologies. To date, there is no definite and unique HE classification. Treatment starts with identifying the individual HE etiology paralleled by symptomatic therapy (local and/or systemic and/or ultraviolet phototherapy). Sustainable management of HE requires the identification and avoidance of its triggering factors, from the professional and private environment. This includes ruling out allergic contact dermatitis if any HE persists for more than 3 months despite adequate therapy. Randomized controlled trials investigating the efficacy in HE are lacking for several treatment modalities. Patient education measures of skin protection and prevention complete the multimodal treatment.

Alone Together, Together Alone: The Effects of Social Context on Nonverbal Behavior in Virtual Reality

Abstract Social virtual reality (VR), by definition, focuses on people using networked VR systems to bring avatars together. Previous studies have examined how different factors affect social interaction, in small groups such as dyads or triads. However, in a typical social VR scene there tends to be dozens of avatars, even those not directly interacting with a given user. Furthermore, beyond the virtual environment, VR users are also situated in various immediate physical social contexts. In two field experiments, we investigate how the presence of virtual and physical people contextualize and influence nonverbal behaviors. Study 1 examines virtual context and asks how interacting with others in a private or public virtual environment influences nonverbal outcomes during interactions in a social VR platform. Across two sessions, participants (n = 104) met either in a private virtual environment with their group members alone or in a public environment surrounded by four other groups. Results showed that participants moved their avatars slower and stood closer to group members in public versus private environments. Study 2 examines physical context and asks how interacting with virtual others while physically together or alone influences nonverbal behaviors. Participants (n = 61) met in virtual environments while they were in either a shared physical environment or separated physical environments. Results showed that, compared to remote participants, participants who were physically together moved their bodies more slowly, but their avatars faster. Moreover, there was more mutual gaze among remote participants. We discuss implications to theories of social influence in VR.

Incorporating Privacy by Design Principles in the Modification of AI Systems in Preventing Breaches across Multiple Environments, Including Public Cloud, Private Cloud, and On-prem

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) across various sectors has significantly amplified privacy concerns, particularly with the growing reliance on cloud environments. Existing methods often fall short of effectively preventing privacy breaches due to inadequate risk assessment and mitigation strategies. These limitations highlight the necessity for more robust solutions, indicating the importance of Privacy by Design (PbD) principles. This study addresses these gaps by proposing a comprehensive approach to incorporating PbD principles into AI systems to prevent breaches across public, private, and on-prem environments. The proposed work utilizes logistic regression analysis to identify significant predictors of privacy breaches, revealing that both the environment (B = -1.142, p < .001) and severity of vulnerabilities (B = 0.932, p < .01) play crucial roles. Additionally, a strong positive correlation (r = 0.791) between breach detection rates and PbD effectiveness is observed, indicating the need for enhanced detection mechanisms. To support the empirical findings, this study also reviews existing case studies. It conducts a thematic analysis to provide a deeper understanding of the practical challenges and solutions associated with PbD implementation, particularly in healthcare and smart city applications. These analyses serve to supplement the empirical evidence and demonstrate the effectiveness of PbD over other existing methods. The study concludes that implementing PbD principles is critical for achieving robust privacy protection, and the study recommends prioritizing advanced breach detection mechanisms, comprehensive privacy impact assessments, continuous stakeholder engagement, and investment in privacy-enhancing technologies to address privacy risks effectively.

Psychological Needs in the Built Environment

We assume that the built space—as part of the physical environment—has the power to affect basic human need fulfillment. Accordingly, we investigated how design features of the built space within a physical environment contribute to this effect. In two studies, we used computer-aided design to manipulate the degree of privacy, clutter, and biophilia as well as color temperature of the environment in study spaces, then measured need fulfillment (total N = 314). In Study 1A, participants (N = 260) felt more inclined to enter private study environments than nonprivate ones and felt more competent, autonomous, and related to others in private environments. Some participants (n = 227) continued on to Study 1B, in which they preferred to enter warm, cluttered, biophilic environments and felt more competent, autonomous, and related to others in warm and cluttered environments. In Study 2 (N = 54), we investigated the effects in a virtual reality office setting. The participants indicated that they felt more competent, autonomous, and related to others in more cluttered environments than in empty ones. At the same time, they felt more related to others in biophilic environments compared to nonbiophilic environments. The findings provide the first evidence that the built environment affects need fulfillment.

How do entrepreneurs influence their social environment? A bibliometric analysis and editorial

AbstractThis article introduces the special issue on how entrepreneurs influence their social environment. The purpose of this special issue is to illustrate recent research exploring some of the unresolved questions relating to and uncovering connections between entrepreneurs' characteristics, actions, and experiences with their social environment. First, we report the results of a bibliometric analysis of articles addressing how entrepreneurs influence their immediate business environment (N = 873), the immediate private environment (N = 813), and the broader societal environment (N = 2,380). Second, we describe the seven articles in this special issue, which encompass a range of theoretical frameworks, research designs, and methodologies. We believe that the research featured in this special issue offers meaningful contributions to existing knowledge and will stimulate future research into examining the boundary conditions and psychological mechanisms that potentially explain the complex effects of entrepreneurs' experiences, characteristics, and behavior on different stakeholders and entities in their proximal and distal environments.

Analyzing the 7C psychological antecedents of vaccine acceptance throughout the COVID-19 pandemic among healthcare sector workers in France: A repeated cross-sectional study (CappVac-Cov)

BackgroundAcross various stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and related vaccine recommendations in France, we assessed the association of the 7C-psychological antecedents with vaccine uptake/intention for booster vaccination among healthcare-sector workers (HCSWs). We also assessed whether 7C-antecedent profiles changed over time. MethodologyThe Research Group for the Prevention of Occupational Infections in Healthcare Workers (GERES) conducted three repeated web-surveys which were disseminated by email chain-referral among HCSWs throughout France. The questionnaires waves took place: July-November 2021, February-March 2022 and January-March 2023 (P2, P3 and P4). We also reanalysed data from a prior similar study conducted late 2020-early 2021 (Moirangthem et al. (2022)) (P1). To evaluate the association of 7C-items with vaccine uptake-intention for future vaccination, we estimated adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) using robust variance Poisson regression. We report the 7C-item population attributable loss in vaccine intention. ResultsThe four surveys (P1-P4) encompassed 5234, 339, 351 and 437 participants. At earlier stages of the vaccine campaign, the principal antecedents of vaccine intention were favorable perception of vaccination benefit-risk-balance (BRB) (vs. unfavorable, aPR: 2.32), reactance to employer encouragement for vaccination (motivates vs. dissuades-me, aPR:2.23), vaccine confidence (vs. not-being-confident, aPR: 1.71) and social conformism towards vaccination (favorable vs. skeptical opinion in private environment, aPR: 1.33). Under a vaccine mandate for HCSWs, only perceiving vaccination as a collective action was associated with current vaccine status (agree vs. disagree, aPR: 2.19). At later stages of the epidemic, hypothetical booster vaccine intentions were strongly associated with BRB perception (favorable vs. unfavorable, aPR: 2.07) and perceiving vaccination as a collective action (agree vs. disagree, aPR: 1.69). Fearing a severe side effect from vaccination decreased population vaccine intention by 26.2 %. ConclusionOur results suggest that both 7C-antecedents and their association with vaccine behaviour can change over time, and underscore the importance of assuring confidence in vaccine safety.

P-490 ‘Your Fertility @ Home’, a clinical pilot study on a new diagnostic smartphone app for treatment naive fertility patients

Abstract Study question What are patients’ experiences with a newly developed diagnostic smartphone app? Summary answer The first patients’ experiences with the content of the app are positive. Also, participants made positive changes in their lifestyle after advice from the app. What is known already Previous studies on digital healthcare for fertility patients are promising. However, many e-Health initiatives are not thoroughly evaluated, which hampers implementation. During a fertility trajectory patients often feel a lack of control, we therefore developed a new smartphone app with a dual purpose. First, to give new fertility patients more control and empowerment over their situation by providing reliable information and personalized advice. Second, to support healthcare professionals in choosing the right diagnostic tests and interpretation of the results. This app was first validated on a historical cohort of patient data, before testing the app in a prospective patient group. Study design, size, duration This is an ongoing, prospective pilot study of 70 heterosexual patient couples. Patients were followed up from the start of the fertility workup until the work-up finished. This abstract covers the preliminary results of the first 19 participants. Follow up is expected to be complete at time of the ESHRE annual meeting. Participants/materials, setting, methods The study population consists of treatment naïve infertile couples, who were referred to a fertility-clinic. Before the first appointment, patients used the smartphone app, which consisted of a medical anamnesis questionnaire for both women and partners. Based on the anamnesis the app provided recommendations about lifestyle and diagnostic tests, which were in line with current Dutch guidelines. Patients were given advice on the results of the tests and filled in a questionnaire about their experiences. Main results and the role of chance The experience questionnaire for patients included three parts. The questions in the first part were based on the validated Patient-Centered Questionnaire Infertility. This covered questions about the use of the app, for example the ease of installation and if they felt involved with use of the app. Sixteen out of nineteen patients (84%) felt taken seriously, eleven patients (58%) experienced enough attention to their emotions and fourteen patients (74%) would advise their friends to use the app. The second part included questions about the results of the diagnostic tests. Ten patients (52%) found the explanation of the results clear, three patients (15%) wanted additional information. Eleven patients (58%) thought the results and information matched their personal situation. The third part of the questionnaire asked about the lifestyle advice patients received in the app. Twelve patients (63%) found this advice useful. The other patients found the advice not matching their situation. After using the app, ten patients (52%) said they made a change in their lifestyle to optimize their fertility situation. On a ten point Likert scale, 16 patients (84%) scored the app an eight or higher. Limitations, reasons for caution These are results of a pilot study and thus must be interpreted with caution. Secondly, this is the first version of the app that has been tested with patients, so next the app needs further optimization before it can be fully implemented. Wider implications of the findings Considering the positive reception, this app holds potential for a beneficial change in fertility care. It may increase the accessibility to reliable personal information and advice for new fertility patients in a safe and private environment. This might lead to patient empowerment and positive lifestyle changes enhancing their fertility potential. Trial registration number 2022.09.05.01

A novel clustered-based detection method for shilling attack in private environments.

The topic of privacy-preserving collaborative filtering is gaining more and more attention. Nevertheless, privacy-preserving collaborative filtering techniques are vulnerable to shilling or profile injection assaults. Hence, it is crucial to identify counterfeit profiles in order to achieve total success. Various techniques have been devised to identify and prevent intrusion patterns from infiltrating the system. Nevertheless, these strategies are specifically designed for collaborative filtering algorithms that do not prioritize privacy. There is a scarcity of research on identifying shilling attacks in recommender systems that prioritize privacy. This work presents a novel technique for identifying shilling assaults in privacy-preserving collaborative filtering systems. We employ an ant colony clustering detection method to effectively identify and eliminate fake profiles that are created by six widely recognized shilling attacks on compromised data. The objective of the study is to categorize the fraudulent profiles into a specific cluster and separate this cluster from the system. Empirical experiments are conducted with actual data. The empirical findings demonstrate that the strategy derived from the study effectively eliminates fraudulent profiles in privacy-preserving collaborative filtering.

The Member States in the EU Food System: National Regulatory Options for Sustainable Food Offer, Food Consumption and Food Environments

AbstractThe Framework for Sustainable Food Systems law will either not be published at all or after a long delay. Whereas the first part of the article constructs an empirical and theoretical underpinning about why the EU Member States should therefore act on food sustainability, the second part focuses on what legal measures Member States can take.In the first part, leaning on food systems thinking, we argue that in the absence of EU action in the matter, the Member States remain the most potent lever for taking regulatory action on addressing sustainability in the food system.In the second part, the article provides an exploratory study of potential national legal instruments for making domestic food systems more sustainable, with an emphasis on the regulation of offer and consumption of foods and food environments. The article discusses the following legal instruments in the context of EU law and Member States’ room for action, with examples from a comparative perspective: public procurement purchasing by governments, product composition requirements, fiscal measures, non-fiscal pricing instruments, labelling & certification, marketing, and the regulation of private and public food environments. The article further concludes that it may prove useful to better enshrine the food sustainability paradigm in law at national level.

Leveraging Distributed Systems for Fault-Tolerant Cloud Computing: A Review of Strategies and Frameworks

Ensuring system availability and reliability is crucial in the quickly developing field of cloud computing. The importance of fault tolerance in cloud infrastructure systems grows as organizations become more reliant on it to support their critical operations. The purpose of this article is to investigate the intricate realm of cloud computing and distributed systems. Specifically, the paper will investigate the numerous forms of cloud computing, fault tolerance methods, and frameworks that enable cloud services to be robust and durable. Cloud computing has transformed the way in which organizations and individuals access and administer computing resources. The paper discusses several deployment options, including public, private, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments, which provide organizations with the advantages of flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. The inherent flexibility of cloud computing renders it well-suited for a diverse range of applications, spanning from the hosting of websites to the execution of intricate data analytics processes. Generally, cloud computing encounters substantial obstacles, including the need of maintaining uninterrupted service in the face of hardware failures, network outages, or software errors, despite its tremendous benefits. The critical importance of fault tolerance in this particular situation cannot be overstated, as it plays a pivotal role in maintaining the dependability and availability of the system. The primary objective of this study is to examine the utilization of distributed systems as a means to augment fault tolerance within the realm of cloud computing and distributed systems. Distributed systems offer an optimal approach for addressing difficulties related to fault tolerance, owing to its intrinsic capability to divide workloads and data over several nodes. This approach utilizes redundancy, replication, and the ability to recover seamlessly from disturbances, hence enhancing the resilience and resource efficiency of cloud services. This research reviews novel techniques and frameworks that utilize distributed systems to create fault-tolerant cloud computing architectures, emphasizing their substantial influence on the cloud computing domain. In conclusion, this research report includes a comparative analysis table that encompasses twenty preceding works.

Post-play communication of emotions facilitates prosociality and cooperation

Social decisions with monetary consequences are often accompanied with emotional consequences. Previous studies document a robust role of pre-play message communication in facilitating pro-sociality and cooperation. Yet, the effects of communicating emotional experiences in social interactions (particularly post-play) remain understudied. Here, we examine the value of a social environment where emotional expressions are shared post-play in contrast to a private environment where emotion exposure is absent. We develop an experimental design that facilitates emotion exposure and can be readily administered in or outside the laboratory. In this pre-registered online study, participants (N = 196) completed incentivized extensions of the Dictator Game (DG) and the Prisoners' Dilemma Game (PD). Participants learned to classify their emotional experiences on the arousal, valence, and dominance dimensions using non-verbal pictorial representations. Our experiment comprised both a within-subject and a between-subject manipulation: each participant completed a control condition (C, no emotional exposure) as well as an emotion exposure condition (Emotions), but the type of exposure varied between subjects (certain exposure, or Emotions-E, or probabilistic exposure, or Emotions-P). In all conditions, participants complete a one-shot DG and PD. We find that emotion exposure increases other-regarding behavior under both Emotions-E and Emotion-P conditions in the DG and under Emotions-E only in PD. Further, we find that demand for emotion exposure is hardly driven by the outcome of the social interaction (or the actions selected). We also document how empathic concern influence other-regarding behavior and how reports of emotional experiences vary across treatments and with the different outcomes of social interactions. Our results highlight the integral role of emotion exposure in social decision making. Environments that facilitate the communication of emotional experiences increase pro-sociality and encourage cooperation.

Radiative cooling and indoor light management enabled by a transparent and self-cleaning polymer-based metamaterial

Transparent roofs and walls offer a compelling solution for harnessing natural light. However, traditional glass roofs and walls face challenges such as glare, privacy concerns, and overheating issues. In this study, we present a polymer-based micro-photonic multi-functional metamaterial. The metamaterial diffuses 73% of incident sunlight, creating a more comfortable and private indoor environment. The visible spectral transmittance of the metamaterial (95%) surpasses that of traditional glass (91%). Furthermore, the metamaterial is estimated to enhance photosynthesis efficiency by ~9% compared to glass roofs. With a high emissivity (~0.98) close to that of a mid-infrared black body, the metamaterial is estimated to have a cooling capacity of ~97 W/m2 at ambient temperature. The metamaterial was about 6 °C cooler than the ambient temperature in humid Karlsruhe. The metamaterial exhibits superhydrophobic performance with a contact angle of 152°, significantly higher than that of glass (26°), thus potentially having excellent self-cleaning properties.

Development of a protocol for using geo-trackers to identify zoonotic enteric pathogen transmission pathways in a pilot study in Kenya

Abstract Humans and animals can be exposed to fecally-transmitted pathogens in both private and public domain environments. Animals may also acquire pathogen infections from these two environments and transmit them to humans through different pathways. Evidence on how often and where interactions occur between the two environments could improve the effectiveness of public health programs for preventing zoonotic disease transmission and response to disease outbreaks. This study aimed to develop a protocol for using geo-trackers to measure the spatial-temporal movement and interaction between animals and children in households and public areas in low- and middle-income categories of urban neighbourhoods in Kenya. It also aimed to identify opportunities and challenges for the scale-up of these methods’ for surveillance of other zoonotic diseases of public health significance. One commercial geo-tracker device with the best technological performance and usability that met pre-defined criteria for the study context was identified. Community engagement meetings were then conducted to gather input on a proposed study protocol. Afterwards, infants and animals were geo-tracked in 10 households in urban informal settlements of Kibera and Jericho, Nairobi over two consecutive weeks with iterative improvements to protocols. The effectiveness of the geo-tracking exercise was evaluated through in-depth interviews with Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) and infant caregivers. Animal and infant behaviour and battery reliability of the geo-trackers were also monitored; and observed opportunities and challenges in implementing the protocol during the exercise were documented. Community members were receptive and accepted the use of geo-trackers on animals and children. In pilot testing, there was no change of behaviour from 10 infants tracked. Discomfort was observed for up to 30 min after the placement for some of the seven animals tracked, but the animals quickly adjusted. The battery for all geo-tracker devices lasted for the 24-h geo-tracking period. Some caregivers and CHVs were concerned whether the geo-trackers could record personal information. It was shown that geo-tracker devices can be successfully deployed to study animal-child interactions and movement in different categories of urban neighbourhoods. Recommendations have been made on the lessons learnt from the study to help scientists who would use geo-trackers for future community-based human and animal research. One Health impact statement Assessing human and animal risks of acquiring enteric infections from environmental contamination, or contributing to pathogen contamination of the environment requires understanding spatial-temporal patterns of human and animal movement between private households and the community. Movement of domestic animals is relevant for understanding household-community spatial patterns of pathogen transmission because animal ownership and contact with humans is common, and free-roaming animals carrying enteric pathogens can spread diverse faecal pathogens between environments. The community-based participatory research approach of this study evaluated implementation feasibility from the lens of technical usability and reliability of geo-tracking devices, as well as social acceptability and ethics related to using such devices for the community-based study of human and animal subjects in urban settings. Evidence and recommendations from this study will be useful to anyone interested in understanding human-animal-environment interactions and their contributions to infectious disease transmission.

The smart home, a true home? How new technologies disrupt the experience of home for older persons

AbstractSmart home technologies (SHTs) can support older persons to age in place. However, adoption of SHTs remains low among this population. A reason for this is that they are not accustomed to having a home that is technologically enhanced. In this article, we focus on the older persons’ lived experience of “home” and show how SHTs potentially disrupt it. In consulting the currently available literature, both theoretical and empirical, we propose and use the concept of somatic capability assessment (SCA) in the discussion surrounding the design of SHTs for older persons. First, we propose SCA as a concept to grasp how humans take decisions while relying on their physical body, undisturbed by suggestions from technologies. Furthermore, we show that SCA functions best in a familiar and private environment—the home. SHTs have the potential to make the home seem unfamiliar and exposed, precisely through added data and the resulting suggestions, as we show through related empirical studies. Thus, SHTs hold an increased disruptive potential for older persons at home. By introducing SCA into the discussion of SHTs for older persons, and thus paying attention on how SHTs potentially disrupt the experience of home, further advances the ethical discussion on the adequate use and design of technologies in daily life, especially for the group of older persons. Our analysis offers important insights for the design and implementation processes of SHTs for older persons.

Preface

International Conference on “Advances in Mechanical Engineering-2023 (ICAME-2023) December, 22-23, 2023 Nagpur, India International Conference on “Advances in Mechanical Engineering-2023” (ICAME-2023) was organized on 22nd & 23rd December 2023 in association with Journal of Physics: Conference Series IOP-publishing organized by Department of Mechanical Engineering GHRCE, Nagpur. ICAME-2023 was provided a platform to understand the latest technological and innovative advancements especially in the fields of Materials, Thermal, Design and Industrial/Production Engineering. The inaugural function of ICAME-2023 was conducted at the auspicious presence of Chief Guest Dr. Sukanta Roy, Curtin University, Malaysia, the Guest of Honor Dr. B.J. Shinde, Divisional Manager, Force Motors Limited, Pune, Patrons Mr. Sunil Raisoni, Hon’ble Chairman, BOG, GHRCE & Mr. Shreyas Raisoni, Executive Director, RGI, Dr. Sachin Untawale, Honorary Chair & Director, GHRCE, Nagpur, Dr. Rupesh Shelke, Convener & Head of Mechanical Engineering Department, Dr. Vivek Khond, Conference Chair, Ashish Raut Conference Co-chair and Dr. S.B. Jaju, Organizing Chair & Dean (R&D), and many acclaimed academicians & Researchers from India and abroad, also renowned industrial personals on 22nd December 2023 at 10 am. The unveiling of proceeding was conducted by the hands of dignitaries present on WEBEX platform At inauguration it was declared that the conference received huge response with 100 plus papers from across the India such as Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh, Uttarkhand etc. Papers prominently received from IIT, Government colleges, reputed private institutions and environment consultants. Out of total papers received, 62 papers were accepted for publication for online oral presentation and 43 papers were registered authors and presented in four sessions and also, invitees taken advantage of the plenary, keynote and technical sessions. Dr. Vivek Khond, Conference Chair proposed vote of thank at end of inaugural function. Dr. Sukanta Roy, Curtin University, Malaysia, in his keynote talk said that renewable energy is important source of future energy and wind energy have lot of potential in coastal part of India. And Dr. B.J. Shinde, Divisional Manager, Force Motors Limited Pune delivered keynote talk on hydrogen as a sustainable fuel for next generation energy source on 22nd December 2023. Plenary talk of Dr. Vishal Zade, Intel Packaging Innovation Chandler, Arizona USA was arranged for all the participant and he give emphasis on use of nano technology and its application in various field. For the valedictory function, on 23rd December 2023, the chief guest was Dr. Neelesh Kumar Jain, Professor, IIT, Indore. He appreciated the efforts of conference organizer for organizing conference in the recent development in mechanical engineering and congratulated GHRCE. All the accepted and presented papers will be published in Journal of Physics; Conference Series, IOP Publishing Scopus indexed proceedings subjected to quality & policy check by IOP.The ICAME 23 Organizing Committee extends its gratitude to all who contributed to the Success of the conference, including Keynote speakers, International advisory committee, National advisory committee, reviewers authors, presenters, participants. Moreover, we extend our special gratitude to the dedicated conference Organizing Committee. Our special gratitude to management of GHRCE,Shri Sunilji Raisoni, Chairman RGI, Mr. Shreyas Raisoni, Executive Director, RGI, Dr. Sachin Untawale, Honorary Chair & Director, GHRCE, Nagpur, for continuous inspiration and support. The organizing committee convey deep regards and hearty thanks to IOP Journal of Physics conference series editors for their support to get indexing and publishing conference proceedings.List of ICAME-2023 Conference Committees are available in this pdf.

Stigmatizing attitude of psychiatrists in the Netherlands

IntroductionEven in the current times people with mental health disorders face negative treatment due to negative stereotyping. This occurs not only within their private environment and in the public community, but also by healthcare professionals. Mental health related stigma results in various disadvantages, such as: worse treatment in healthcare and discrimination in job interviews, in work environment, in education and in housing.ObjectivesOur aim with this cross-sectional study, was to investigate the attitudes of adult and child psychiatrists in the Netherlands towards people with mental health problems.MethodsWe used the Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC) to measure the stigmatizing attitudes. Participants filled in this internet-based survey anonymously. The OMS-HC total scores as well as the subscales were used to determine the stigma.ResultsAltogether, N=170 practitioners (n=45 males, n=124 females) completed the survey. The bifactor ESEM model showed the best model fit (RMSEA=0.057, CFI=0.968, TLI=0.935); however, exploratory factor analysis results indicated the weakness of items 13 and 15. Participants who provide psychotherapy to their patients prefer less social distance towards them (9(7-10) vs 10(7.5-11), p=0.051)). Also those who have ever been treated medically for their own mental health problems, prefer less social distance (7,5(6-10) vs 9(8-11), p=0.009). Rural working psychiatrists are more willing to disclose and seek help for their mental health problems than those working in urban areas (9 (8-10) vs 8 (6.5-9.5), p = 0.024). Those who are open to (29(26-32.5) vs 32.5(31.25-35), p=0.009) or having an opportunity to regularly participate in case discussion groups (29(25.25-32) vs 32(28-35.25), p=0.012) have an overall favourable attitude towards people with mental health problems.ConclusionsThis is the first study on the stigmatizing attitude of practicing psychiatrists in the Netherlands from their own perspectives. It will contribute to the gaps of knowledge of the stigmatizing attitude of psychiatrists towards people with mental health problems. Moreover this study will provide new interventions towards less stigmatizing attitude of psychiatrists.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared