Sound Assessment Research Articles

The Efficacy of Inclusive Education Practices in Zimbabwean Rural Schools: Challenges and Opportunities

Purpose. The purpose of this research is to assess the extent of implementation and the efficiency of inclusive education practices at a selected secondary school in Zimbabwe. Methodology. The study employed a qualitative research design; data was gathered through interviews, and observed responses, from 15 purposive-selected participating teachers, holding different teaching positions. Consequently, the study relied on social learning theory (SLT) to determine how the process of implementing and participatory education for all is in its local context. Results. The results show that although Zimbabwe has robust national legislation that protects the rights of students with disabilities to access inclusive education, the process is plagued by poor physical facilities, lack of appropriate training for teachers, and social prejudice towards people with disabilities. Some of the implementation differences that stood out included the areas of students with disabilities, policy, resources, and teachers. Accordingly, the study concludes that unless teachers in Zimbabwean secondary schools begin to practice inclusive education in a more focused manner, it is unlikely that many of the disabled students will be empowered to participate fully. Conclusions. Among the suggestions are improving physical and communication access to school buildings, and providing on-going staff training on integration, promoting cooperation among the various actors, and the development of sound assessment mechanisms. This study adds to the existing literature on the predictors of effective inclusive education in Zimbabwean secondary schools. It offers implications on how to foster the educational experiences of students with learning disabilities.

Safety Aspects of Sodium-Ion Batteries: Prospective Analysis from First Generation Towards More Advanced Systems

After an introductory reminder of safety concerns pertaining to early rechargeable battery technologies, this review discusses current understandings and challenges of advanced sodium-ion batteries. Sodium-ion technology is now being marketed by industrial promoters who are advocating its workable capacity, as well as its use of readily accessible and cheaper key cell components. Often claimed to be safer than lithium-ion cells, currently only limited scientifically sound safety assessments of sodium-ion cells have been performed. However, the predicted sodium-ion development roadmap reveals that significant variants of sodium-ion batteries have entered or will potentially enter the market soon. With recent experiences of lithium-ion battery failures, sodium-ion battery safety management will constitute a key aspect of successful market penetration. As such, this review discusses the safety issues of sodium-ion batteries, presenting a twofold innovative perspective: (i) in terms of comparison with the parent lithium-ion technology making use of the same working principle and similar flammable non-aqueous solvent basis, and (ii) anticipating the arrival of innovative sub-chemistries at least partially inspired from successive generations of lithium-ion cells. The authors hope that the analysis provided will assist concerned stakeholders in the quest for safe marketing of sodium-ion batteries.

Learner training for phonetic transcription of typical and/or disordered speech: A scoping review.

Phonetic transcription is a core skill of speech and language therapists/pathologists (SLT/Ps) for clinical assessment of speech sounds and/or errors, and linguists for investigation of phonetic phenomena in various languages; hence, it is included in the curriculum of the corresponding degree programme. Many experts and course instructors have discussed their opinions on different aspects of phonetic transcription teaching and/or reported their own training programmes. However, no review has systematically summarized the types of expert recommendations and training methodology reported in the literature. Such information is important for mapping the knowledge gaps, refining current teaching and planning further research. To systematically summarize (1) the materials and procedures for delivering and evaluating phonetic transcription training programmes, and (2) the opinions from experts in phonetic transcription teaching regarding but not limited to the content, rationale(s), format and structure, and timing of teaching phonetic transcription of typical speech and/or disordered speech reported in the literature. A scoping review was carried out by following the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. PubMed, EBSCOhost and Web of Science were searched and citation searching of included papers was completed. The included papers were divided into training programme reports, of which data (e.g., type and number of speech stimuli used, type and number of learners, outcome measures) were charted, and expert opinion papers, analysed using content analysis. A total of 565 studies were retrieved. After excluding duplicates and irrelevant papers and merging two sources that reported the same training, a total of 23 sources on training programmes and six opinion papers were analysed. Most training were for English and for SLT/P students, with some for the linguistics students. There are variations in the training content (with phonetic transcription practice as the main procedure), delivery mode (some presented via websites or computer software), stimuli (audio recordings of typical adults and children with speech disorders were most used), feedback (mostly immediate feedback using answer keys) and outcome measures (mainly transcription accuracy of learners and user opinions). Content analysis of opinion papers determined five main categories: rationale for training; aspects of the delivery of training; transcription; problem areas noted; and strategies/resources. Implications and considerations for teaching are discussed, along with recommendations for research in the design of evidence-based training. The findings can contribute to the development of general guidelines about phonetic transcription training in educational programmes and the establishment of pre-registration competencies. What is already known on this subject Phonetic transcription is a core skill of SLT/Ps and linguists for clinical speech assessment and research, and it is an important component in the curriculum of the relevant degree programmes. Many experts and course instructors have discussed their opinions regarding phonetic transcription teaching and/or reported their own training programmes in various sources such as books and book chapters, research papers and conference proceedings. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge The paper reports a scoping review that systematically summarized the materials and procedures for delivering and evaluating phonetic transcription programmes and experts' opinions and recommendations for phonetic transcription teaching, reported in the literature. The data from these two types of sources allowed an integrated discussion of the various aspects of phonetic transcription training, such as content, format and structure, materials and timing of teaching and the evaluation of training efficacy. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? The data synthesized and discussed provide a foundation for a review of current practice in phonetic transcription teaching in SLT education. The findings can contribute to the development of general guidelines about phonetic transcription training in educational programmes and the establishment of pre-registration competencies.

The impact of trauma core dimensions on anxiety and depression: a latent regression model through the Post-Traumatic Symptom Questionnaire (PTSQ)

Adverse life events (e.g., severe accidents, violence/abuse, organic disorders) can elicit traumatic responses characterized by intrusive thoughts, hyperarousal, and avoidance—highlighting the need for sound assessment tools. Also, these traumatic components could heighten anxiety and depression symptoms. This study aims included to: (1) assessing the psychometric properties of the Post-Traumatic Symptom Questionnaire (PTSQ) and delineating clinical cut-offs; (2) investigating how distinct trauma components contribute to anxiety and depression symptoms. Involving 761 participants who experienced a traumatic event, Part I tested the PTSQ psychometric properties, defining clinical cut-offs. Part II tested the impact of traumatic components on anxiety and depression symptoms, using a multiple multivariate latent regression model. PTSQ exhibited exemplary fit indices and robust psychometric properties. Clinically relevant cut-offs were identified. The differential contributions of intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal to anxiety and depression symptoms were evaluated, elucidating the strength and nature of these relationships. This study reaffirms the PTSQ as a psychometrically sound and reliable instrument. It underscores the effects of intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal on anxiety and depression symptoms in individuals with traumatic experiences. These insights advocate for evidence-based interventions aimed at alleviating the psychological suffering associated with trauma components, fostering adaptation and supporting psychological health.

The Role of Scenario-Building in Risk Assessment and Decision-Making on Urban Water Reuse

Urban resilience and water resilience are both increasingly relying on urban non-potable water reuse under the context of the Climate Emergency, but sound risk assessment is lacking. Compared to the state of art, the proposed framework for health risk assessment and management of urban non-potable water reuse includes (i) an additional step for establishing the context and (ii) the risk identification step being extended to introduce a description of the activities from which the hazard exposure scenarios may be built. This novel scenario-building process allows for a clear and comprehensive risk description, assessment, and treatment. The model of risk management is structured around three primary components: the decision-makers, i.e., the municipal services and the population at risk (users and workers); data elements relevant for the risk management process (reclaimed water quality, hazards, hazardous events, sites where exposure can happen, exposure routes, and activities developed by the population at risk and their vulnerabilities); and the links between the decision-makers and these elements and between the elements themselves. Its application in a representative case study shows that the framework comprehensively guides decision-making and communication to relevant stakeholders. From this practical exercise, the main recommendations were derived for risk mitigation by the municipal risk manager and the park users.

Factor analysis of the feeding and eating in AutiSm Together Assessment

BackgroundAutistic children experience high rates of feeding challenges, negatively affecting their.health, eating patterns, and social eating experiences. The Feeding and Eating in AutiSm Together; FEAST, a caregiver-report questionnaire, was developed to characterize feeding challenges in autistic children ages 2 to 12 years. The purpose of this study is to determine the construct validity of the FEAST assessment using a large national sample of autistic children. MethodA large national sample (N = 396) of caregivers completed the online survey. An ordinal confirmatory factor model using a robust weighted least squares approach validated the four predicted groupings of feeding challenges (sensory processing; behavior; oral.motor skills; and gastrointestinal) with generally strong loadings onto the four distinct.factors. ResultsModel fit statistics indicated good model fit (Robust Root Mean Square Error of.Approximation=.080, Robust Comparative Fit Index =.909, Robust Tucker-Lewis.Index=.901) Findings provide preliminary confirmation of the construct validity of the.FEAST assessment to characterize feeding difficulties for autistic children ages 2–12. Small to medium correlations between all factors indicate items successfully targeted.four unique areas of feeding challenge. For all factors, the largest correlation was with.behavior. ConclusionAssessments developed to address the complex feeding and mealtime challenges for.autistic children are essential to identify and integrate the most appropriate intervention.approaches. FEAST offers researchers and clinicians with a comprehensive and psychometrically sound assessment tool to address autistic children’s unique feeding.challenges.

Mapping the costs and socioeconomic characteristics involved in traumatic brain injuries: a scoping review.

To identify the articles in the existing literature that analyse healthcare costs according to the socioeconomic position (pre- or post-injury) for traumatic brain injury survivors. Secondary aims were to describe the types of costs and socioeconomic characteristics and to determine whether socioeconomic characteristics affect the risk of traumatic brain injury or whether the consequences of trauma alter living conditions post-injury. This scoping review followed the methods proposed by Arksey and O'Malley. The literature search was performed in 5 databases. Twenty-two articles were included, published between 1988 and 2023. Only 2 articles (9%) followed the guidelines for economic evaluation of healthcare programmes and 2 articles (9%) evaluated socioeconomic position "completely" with 3 main individual measures of socioeconomic characteristics (i.e., education, income, and occupation). The relationship between costs and socioeconomic characteristics could vary in 2 ways in traumatic brain injury: socioeconomic disadvantage was mostly associated with higher healthcare costs, and the cost of healthcare reduced the survivors' living conditions. This work highlights the need for a detailed and methodologically sound assessment of the relationship between socioeconomic characteristics and the costs associated with trauma. Modelling the care pathways of traumatic brain injury would make it possible to identify populations at risk of poor recovery or deterioration following a TBI, and to develop specific care pathways. The aim is to build more appropriate, effective, and equitable care programmes.

Influences of noise reduction on speech intelligibility, listening effort, and sound quality among adults with severe to profound hearing loss.

Noise reduction (NR) algorithms have been integrated into modern digital hearing aids to reduce noise annoyance and enhance speech intelligibility. This study aimed to evaluate the influences of a novel hearing aid NR algorithm on individuals with severe-to-profound hearing loss. Twenty-five participants with severe-to-profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss underwent three tests (speech intelligibility, listening effort, and subjective sound quality in noise) to investigate the influences of NR. All three tests were performed under three NR strength levels (Off, Moderate, and Strong) for both speech in noise program (SpiN) and speech in loud noise program (SpiLN), comprising six different hearing aid conditions. NR activation significantly reduced listening effort. Subjective sound quality assessments also exhibited benefits of activated NR in terms of noise suppression, listening comfort, satisfaction, and speech clarity. Individuals with severe-to-profound hearing loss still experienced advantages from NR technology in both listening effort measure and subjective sound quality assessments. Importantly, these benefits did not adversely affect speech intelligibility.

Investigation of methods to estimate NLR of residential structures for airport sound insulation programs

This paper investigates methods to estimate outdoor-to-indoor noise level reduction (NLR) for single family residential structures before and after the installation of sound insulation treatments to improve the structure's NLR. Acoustical modeling results and Outdoor-Indoor Transmission Class (OITC) ratings are evaluated in the context of treatment design for airport sound insulation programs and assessment of soundproofing product performance. Overall, post-construction NLR predictions are observed to have a high degree of accuracy when the results are generated using a combination of pre-construction measurement data and acoustical modeling techniques. The composite OITC rating of the noise exposed building façade is also shown to be an effective metric for predicting NLR values.

Evaluating flood hazards in data-sparse coastal lowlands: highlighting the Ayeyarwady Delta (Myanmar)

Coastal lowlands and river deltas worldwide are increasingly exposed to coastal, pluvial and fluvial flooding as well as relative sea-level rise (RSLR). However, information about both single and multiple flood-type hazards, their potential impact and the characteristics of areas, population and assets at risk is often still limited as high-quality data either does not exist or is not accessible. This often constitutes a main barrier for generating sound assessments, especially for scientific and public communities in the so-called Global South. We provide a standardised, integrative approach for the first-order assessment of these single and multiple flood-type hazards and show how this can be conducted for data-sparse, hardly accessible and inaccessible coastal lowlands such as the Ayeyarwady Delta in Myanmar by using only open accessible and freely available datasets of satellite imagery, global precipitation estimates, satellite-based river discharge measurements, elevation, land use, and population data. More than 70% of the delta, mainly used for agriculture, and about 40% of its present population are prone to flooding due to either monsoon precipitation and runoff, storm surge, and RSLR, or their combination, jeopardising food security and economic development in the region. The approach allows for the integration and combination of various datasets, combined in a highly flexible workflow that performs at low computational capacities, supporting the evaluation of flood-prone areas on regional and local scale for data-sparse coastal lowlands worldwide. It thereby allows to attribute different types of flood hazards, complements concepts of vulnerability and risk, and supports risk-informed decision making and development of effective multi-flooding adaptation strategies.

Is ChatGPT an Accurate and Readable Patient Aid for Third Molar Extractions?

Artificial intelligence (AI) platforms such as Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT) (Open AI, San Francisco, California, USA) have the capacity to answer health-related questions. It remains unknown whether AI can be a patient-friendly and accurate resource regarding third molar extraction. The purpose was to determine the accuracy and readability of AI responses to common patient questions regarding third molar extraction. This is a cross sectional in-silico assessment of readability and soundness of a computer-generated report. Not applicable. Accuracy, or the ability to provide clinically correct and relevant information, was determined subjectively by 2 reviewers using a 5-point Likert scale, and objectively by comparing responses to American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) clinical consensus papers. Readability, or how easy a piece of text is to read, was assessed using the Flesch Kincaid Reading Ease (FKRE) and Flesch Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL). Both assess readability based on mean number of syllables per word, and words per sentence. To be deemed "readable", FKRE should be >60 and FKGL should be <8. Not applicable. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the findings of this study. AI-generated responses above the recommended level for the average patient (FKRE: 52; FKGL: 10). The average Likert score was 4.36, suggesting that most responses were accurate with minor inaccuracies or missing information. AI correctly deferred to the provider in instances where no definitive answer exists. Of the responses that addressed content in AAOMS consensus papers, 18/19 responses closely aligned with them. All prompts did not provide citations or references. AI was able to provide mostly accurate responses, and content was closely aligned with AAOMS guidelines. However, responses were too complex for the average third molar extraction patient, and were deficient in citations and references. It is important for providers to educate patients on the utility of AI, and to decide whether to recommend using it for information. Ultimately, the best resource for answers is from the practitioners themselves because the AI platform lacks clinical experience.

Facilitators and Barriers to the Implementation of a Digital Pain Assessment Tool in Pediatric Oncology Practice: A Qualitative Evaluation of a Quality Improvement Project.

Background: Most children and adolescents with cancer experience acute pain, and many experience longer-lasting chronic pain, negatively impacting health-related quality of life and resulting in long-term morbidity. Digital apps can aid in enhancing pain assessment and management by offering children and adolescents with cancer an accessible tool to describe their pain as a multifaceted biopsychosocial construct. Pain Squad is a useable, acceptable, and psychometrically sound multidimensional cancer pain assessment app for children and adolescents with cancer. This project aimed to evaluate the capacity to implement Pain Squad into routine pediatric oncology practice. Method: Nurse champions were asked to prescribe the Pain Squad app to patients over a 6-month implementation period. After the implementation period, we conducted audiorecorded, semistructured interviews with nurse champions to investigate the facilitators and barriers related to nurses' experiences with implementing Pain Squad. Results: The facilitators and barriers to Pain Squad implementation were organized into four overarching Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR)-related themes: (a) characteristics of the Pain Squad app; (b) clinic setting and its context; (c) nurse implementation champions; and (d) the process of implementing Pain Squad into clinical practice. Conclusions: Interviewed nurses believed Pain Squad had the potential to improve child cancer pain care, but barriers to everyday use were evident, described in relation to the internal setting, especially the lack of compatibility between app prescription and current nurse workflows. The use of CFIR to map identified implementation facilitators and barriers can formally support the recognition of factors that may boost the chances of successful uptake.

Evaluation of predictive ability of linear type gonadal traits on reproductive capacity of breeding dairy bulls.

Dimensions of linear type traits facilitate selection of livestock for breeding and rearing. To date, use of linear type traits for selection of breeding bulls is highly concentric to scrotal circumference (SC), with probable overlook to other important traits. Present study reported the importance of various gonadal linear type traits on spermatozoa production, age-related changes in gonadal linear type traits of bulls and predictive ability of these traits on bulls' reproductive potentials. Among all gonadal traits, testicular density (TD), scrotal volume (SV), paired testicular weight (PWT) and SC were found most important predictor variables in order, which can discriminate between good/poor breeding bulls, that is, produced frozen semen doses (FSD) or not. Dimensions of gonadal traits increased significantly up to 36 months age and thereafter, development became slow and negligible. In contrast, TD decreased by 30%, 51%, 64%, 68% and 71% at 12, 24, 36, 48 and >49 months age, respectively, from its base value at 6 months. Bulls of lower TD (≤0.88 g/cm3) had significantly higher ejaculate volume (+9%), sperm motility, sperm concentration (+100 million/mL) and sperm output (+26%)/ejaculate as compared to bulls of higher TD (>0.88 g/cm3). Discriminant function was developed using TD, SV, PWT and SC to identify bulls of superior reproductive potentials. It was concluded that among the investigated traits, TD was the strongest to discriminate between FSD and Non-FSD bulls. Therefore, our findings suggested that TD could be more potential trait than SC for dairy bulls' breeding soundness evaluation and assessment of reproductive ability.

Temporal variability of sinkhole hazard illustrated in the western shore of the Dead Sea

AbstractThe growing economic and societal damage caused by sinkhole activity worldwide requires the development of scientifically sound sinkhole hazard assessment approaches. Currently, there is a striking paucity of quantitative sinkhole hazard studies largely related to the incompleteness of sinkhole inventories and the lack of chronological data. Moreover, the probability of occurrence of sinkholes (i.e., sinkhole hazard) is commonly considered as a steady variable, a concept that may lead to significant hazard over- or under-estimates. The extraordinarily high frequency of sinkhole occurrence of the studied sector of the western shore of the Dead Sea has allowed us to explore for the first time the potential temporal variability of sinkhole hazard parameters. Here, we produced six multi-temporal sinkhole inventories with morphometric data between 2005 and 2021 using remote-sensed imagery. The frequency-size relationships generated for successive time intervals with a total of 667 new sinkholes reveal substantial temporal changes in the sinkhole hazard components (i.e., frequency and size). Moreover, the work illustrates that spatial redundancy (sinkholes nested within or intersecting pre-existing ones) can lead to significant hazard overestimates if not considered, especially in areas with high sinkhole density and clustering. This work discusses the limitations of some widely used methods and concepts for sinkhole hazard assessment and illustrates the advantages of detailed multi-temporal mapping for assessing frequency-size relationships and their temporal trends.

Wearing surgical face mask has no significant impact on auscultation assessment.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, universal mask-wearing became one of the main public health interventions. Because of this, most physical examinations, including lung auscultation, were done while patients were wearing surgical face masks. The aim of this study was to investigate whether mask wearing has an impact on pulmonologist assessment during auscultation of the lungs. This was a repeated measures crossover design study. Three pulmonologists were instructed to auscultate patients with previously verified prolonged expiration, wheezing, or crackles while patients were wearing or not wearing masks (physician and patients were separated by an opaque barrier). As a measure of pulmonologists' agreement in the assessment of lung sounds, we used Fleiss kappa (K). There was no significant difference in agreement on physician assessment of lung sounds in all three categories (normal lung sound, duration of expiration, and adventitious lung sound) whether the patient was wearing a mask or not, but there were significant differences among pulmonologists when it came to agreement of lung sound assessment. Clinicians and health professionals are safer from respiratory infections when they are wearing masks, and patients should be encouraged to wear masks because our research proved no significant difference in agreement on pulmonologists' assessment of auscultated lung sounds whether or not patients wore masks.

The Sociodemographic Biases in Machine Learning Algorithms: A Biomedical Informatics Perspective.

Artificial intelligence models represented in machine learning algorithms are promising tools for risk assessment used to guide clinical and other health care decisions. Machine learning algorithms, however, may house biases that propagate stereotypes, inequities, and discrimination that contribute to socioeconomic health care disparities. The biases include those related to some sociodemographic characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender, age, insurance, and socioeconomic status from the use of erroneous electronic health record data. Additionally, there is concern that training data and algorithmic biases in large language models pose potential drawbacks. These biases affect the lives and livelihoods of a significant percentage of the population in the United States and globally. The social and economic consequences of the associated backlash cannot be underestimated. Here, we outline some of the sociodemographic, training data, and algorithmic biases that undermine sound health care risk assessment and medical decision-making that should be addressed in the health care system. We present a perspective and overview of these biases by gender, race, ethnicity, age, historically marginalized communities, algorithmic bias, biased evaluations, implicit bias, selection/sampling bias, socioeconomic status biases, biased data distributions, cultural biases and insurance status bias, conformation bias, information bias and anchoring biases and make recommendations to improve large language model training data, including de-biasing techniques such as counterfactual role-reversed sentences during knowledge distillation, fine-tuning, prefix attachment at training time, the use of toxicity classifiers, retrieval augmented generation and algorithmic modification to mitigate the biases moving forward.

Productions of Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation–Third Edition Stimulus Words Among Teenage Speakers of Anguillian Eastern Caribbean English

Purpose: This study documents consonant and vowel variation in typically developing teenage speakers of Anguillian English, demonstrates how consonant variation impacts performance on the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation–Third Edition (GFTA-3), and provides culturally responsive clinical recommendations for GFTA-3 scoring involving native speakers of Anguillian English. Method: Twenty Anguillian teenagers (14;3–17;9 [years;months]) completed the GFTA-3 Sounds in Words subtest. The audio-recorded productions were phonetically transcribed and analyzed to determine consonant and vowel variations that differed from Mainstream U.S. English. To demonstrate the importance of culturally responsive assessment, deficit scores were compared with language-appropriate scores. Results: Anguillian consonant variation heavily impacted GFTA-3 stimuli that were meant to elicit /ɚ/, postvocalic /ɹ/, interdental fricatives, and present participle /ŋ/. Vowel variations included production of /ʌɪ/ in knife, /ɑɪ/ in boy, and /oʊ/ in house. Some speakers demonstrated more consistent use of Anguillian speech variation than others. When language-appropriate scoring was not used, 19 of the 20 participants scored below the first percentile in the Sounds in Words subtest. Conclusions: Culturally and linguistically responsive practices and tools are needed throughout the Eastern Caribbean region. This study's description of Anguillian English speech variation in GFTA-3 stimuli is a resource that will improve culturally responsive speech sound assessment in Anguillian children. We encourage clinicians and researchers to replicate this study with speakers of other Eastern Caribbean English languages.

A REVIEW PAPER ON: DECORDING THE IMPACT OF INFLUENCER MARKETING ON MODERN CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

The Internet has become an important part of daily life in the electronic age, with approximately 5 billion users and 80% of people participating in social networks. The development of the program was then transferred to this electronic domain and the beautiful display of energy emerged as a clear method of communication. A strong influence allows local influencers to promote business and product development to solve all kinds of problems of brands and customers. This is research into the complex connection between customer dynamic cycles and the power of promotion. By uncovering speculative development and examining the evidence from a local and holistic perspective, this research aims to uncover the mysterious systems that drive the impact of buyer decisions of sensational uniqueness. Additionally, this study aims to determine the key factors that contribute to the success of business operations and their impact on businesses. Knowledge of technology. Data is collected on the basis of comprehensive analysis and processed from various sources such as sound assessments, annual consolidated reports, non-academic inventories and experts. This distinction involves a general assessment of the difference between a particular aesthetic improvement and its effect on the recipient's freedom of action. important workplaces. Factors such as partner base, emotional profile, authenticity, and accountability are seen as important factors in making a good decision. Additionally, the surprising possibility of building a relationship with fans is the main consideration that makes buyers come and see the show. An important element of trust, creativity and long-term cooperation with large companies have been proven to yield significant products. Key Words: Influencer; Influencer marketing; Decision-making process; Consumer behavior; Social media; Digital marketing; Brand engagement; Authenticity; Relationship building; Content creation; Follower engagement; Brand promotion.

Risk Management in Indonesian Local Government: A Literature Study

The primary objective of this research is to provide an in-depth understanding of the concept of risk management in Indonesian local governments, specifically focusing on the legal frameworks and cultural aspects surrounding risk awareness. The research employs a literature review methodology, utilizing articles, research journals, and 30 open-access local risk management regulations. Data analysis follows Miles and Huberman's qualitative approach, involving four key phases: data collection, data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion/review. The study reveals that some Indonesian local governments have established legal frameworks for risk management since approximately 2017. Key elements for effective risk management include a culture of risk awareness, robust risk management processes, effective communication and consultation, and sound assessment and reporting practices. The development of a risk-aware culture involves communication of risk understanding across all organizational levels, internalization of risk management in decision-making processes, and the enhancement of a control environment supporting a risk- aware culture. While this research sheds light on the progress of risk management in Indonesian local governments, there may be limitations inherent in the study, such as the scope of literature available and potential variations in local practices. The implication of these findings suggests the need for further research to delve deeper into specific regional contexts and challenges that may impact the effectiveness of risk management.

Risk and protective factors in risk assessment: Predicting inpatient aggression in adult males detained in a forensic mental health setting.

Structured clinical risk assessments represent a preferred means of assessing levels of aggression risk at different times and in different individuals. Increasing attention has been given to capturing protective factors, with sound risk assessment critical to high-secure forensic mental health care. The aim was to assess the predictive value of the HCR-20v3 for aggression risk and the long-term care pilot version of the SAPROF (the SAPROF-LC-pilot) in a high-secure forensic mental health inpatient population and to determine the incremental value of protective over risk factors.Participants were adult males detained in a high secure forensic mental health service, with a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia and/or personality disorder. The focus was on examining hospital based aggression (self- and other-directed) at two time points; up to 6 months (T1) and between 7 and 12 months (T2).The HCR-20V3 and SAPROF-LC-pilot demonstrated good predictive validity but with variability across subscales and aggression types/periods. Historical factors of the HCR-20V3 and External factors of the SAPROF-LC-pilot failed to predict, aside from a medium effect at T1 for verbal aggression and self-harm, for Historical factors. There was evidence for protective factors adding to prediction over risk factors alone, with the integration of protective and risk factors into a risk judgement particularly helpful in improving prediction accuracy.Protective factors contributed to risk estimates and particularly if integrated with risk factors. Combining risk and protective factors has clear predictive advantages, ensuring that protective factors are not supplementary but important to the aggression assessment process.