Use Of E-technologies Research Articles

Use of E-Technology in Organic Supply Chain: Enhancing the Growth of Organic Business

World agricultural sector has seen shifting significantly by suitably using e- technology. A good number of studies have been conducted on agriculture and food security. The growth rate of world organic farming or business increases to more than the growth rate of traditional agriculture. In Bangladesh the pace of growth of organic agriculture is insignificant. The organic agriculture or organic supply chain in Bangladesh was scarcely studied. Hence, an intensive study is needed for the organic agriculture industry to pursue the organic supply chain that leads to a promising growth of organic business. A great deal of research has been conducted to explore the factors that may influence the organic supply chain and growth of the organic business. This study aims to explore the influence of e-technology and the dynamics of the actors on the organic supply chain enhancing the growth of the organic business. By collecting data (primary data) using self-administrated questionnaires the research work was evaluated. A total of 389 responses from the organic agriculture industrial actors, consumers, and transporters were collected using stratified random sampling methods. To inspect and analyze data, Path Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) techniques were used with AMOS. The research objectives of this study were accomplished and research hypotheses were supported. The results of the study indicated that the proposed model provided a good understanding of the factors influencing the organic supply chain. From the result, it was revealed that e-technology and dynamics of the actors of the organic supply chain influences the growth of organic business. This study theoretically offers useful information and collected data might help to further research relevant to the organic supply chain and the impact of factors and e-technology of the organic supply chain from various aspects.

Promotion of healthy nutrition in primary and secondary cardiovascular disease prevention: a clinical consensus statement from the European Association of Preventive Cardiology.

Poor dietary habits are common and lead to significant morbidity and mortality. However, addressing and improving nutrition in various cardiovascular settings remain sub-optimal. This paper discusses practical approaches to how nutritional counselling and promotion could be undertaken in primary care, cardiac rehabilitation, sports medicine, paediatric cardiology, and public health. Nutrition assessment in primary care could improve dietary patterns and use of e-technology is likely to revolutionize this. However, despite technological improvements, the use of smartphone apps to assist with healthier nutrition remains to be thoroughly evaluated. Cardiac rehabilitation programmes should provide individual nutritional plans adapted to the clinical characteristics of the patients and include their families in the dietary management. Nutrition for athletes depends on the sport and the individual and preference should be given to healthy foods, rather than nutritional supplements. Nutritional counselling is also very important in the management of children with familial hypercholesterolaemia and congenital heart disease. Finally, policies taxing unhealthy foods and promoting healthy eating at the population or workplace level could be effective for prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Within each setting, gaps in knowledge are provided. This clinical consensus statement contextualizes the clinician's role in nutrition management in primary care, cardiac rehabilitation, sports medicine, and public health, providing practical examples of how this could be achieved.

Information and communications technology in distance assessment of learning outcomes in linguistics students

The purpose of the study is to find the optimal conditions for using digital technologies to evaluate learning outcomes and the quality of educational services. The article presents the results of an empirical study (an anonymous online survey) of the attitude of teachers and students in three Russian universities to pedagogical assessment using distance technologies. The educational environments of higher education institutions of different universities have achievements in activating the use of e-technologies and demand for their development in the pedagogical assessment of learning outcomes remains. The main problems hindering the process of introducing remote assessment of the results of teaching linguists using ICT are the lack of highly qualified personnel; insufficient level of readiness of subjects of the educational process for this form of control; difficulty in forming project groups for the development of educational tests; weak feedback and insufficient motivation among teachers and students.

Digital transformation as the main condition for the development of modern higher education

The article considers the potential and limitations that arise in the higher education system as a result of the e-technology use. E-learning has become an integral part of the 21st century education system. The pace of dissemination and implementation of e-technologies in all spheres of public life, in science and education in particular, is constantly growing. There are different views in the scientific community and the public on the digital transformation of education. However, with the entry into our lives of COVID-19, the use of e-technologies in education ceases to be a matter of innovation, and becomes a vital necessity for the functioning of the educational system and the activities of educational institutions. Analysis of more than 50 concepts that characterize the modern education system, educational technologies and the process of digital transformation of education allowed the authors to draw conclusions about the importance of information technology in education and the main trends in their development. The article also summarizes the different views of scientists on the digital transformation of higher education, the use of e-technology in the educational process. The advantages that e-technologies provide to the educational process and the challenges of their use that need to be addressed are outlined. The study of the experience of the leading universities of Ukraine allowed the authors to draw conclusions about the state of digital transformation of higher education in Ukraine. Elaboration of scientific literature, own observations and research have allowed to define the tendencies of development of higher education in the epoch of digital transformation.

Streamlined Operational Approaches and Use of e-Technologies in Clinical Trials: Beat Acute Myeloid Leukemia Master Trial

Advances in genomic technologies and an increased understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of cancer have resulted in development of new effective, mutation-targeted therapies. In turn, these informed the development of Master Trial designs to test these therapies. The Beat Acute Myeloid Leukemia (BAML) Master Trial (Sponsor: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) tests several targeted therapies in patients aged ≥ 60 years with AML based on genomic profiling obtained within 7 days of study enrollment. We hypothesized that integrating operational strategies with new electronic technologies (e-technologies) might streamline the conduct and management of this Master Trial. BAML’s 5 core operational strategies revolve around the guiding principle of “patients first.” The e-technology platforms employed in BAML include: Clinical Oversight Platform: a central collaborative tool; e-Protocol/e-Source Upload/Electronic Data Capture Platform: digitizes the protocol, allows remote data monitoring, and collects/exports data in Study Data Tabulation Model format; and Data Review Platform: ingests data from different sources for clinical response and safety data reviews. The operational approaches, e-technologies and sponsor/contract research organization’s (CRO) expertise together allow: the complexity and size of the BAML Master Trial to be better managed; near real-time study data oversight; better collaboration, communication and training; improved data collection, enhanced transmission and accessibility; data integration, review and generation of reports; while maintaining data privacy, and compliance. Initial e-technology challenges were overcome through training, learning, discipline and adjustment. In conclusion, to successfully manage Master Trials, significant time should be spent re-evaluating, improving and developing new operational approaches.Clinical Trial Registration: Clinical Trials.gov Identifier: NCT03013998. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03013998.

An Overview of Statutes Relating to Civil Procedure in South Africa in Light of the Changes in Technology

E-technology has fast become an acceptable and convenient method of communication and a prerequisite of business transactions globally. South Africa is no exception to the trend. While technological progress has facilitated rapid change in the way humans communicate and transact, South African law has not kept abreast of the swift transformation and growth in this sector. This lacuna is especially evident in the South African law of civil procedure, which regulates the civil process in South African courts. Although subject to regular amendment, it appears prima facie not to embrace advances in e-technology and their effect – or potential effect – on the legal process.Moreover, the existing corpus of legislation governing civil process appears to have disregarded the provisions of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (ECTA) to the extent that it already provides mechanisms for the use of e-technology. In South Africa, the law of civil procedure is regulated by statutes such as the Rules Board for Courts of Law Act, the Superior Courts Act, the Magistrates’ Courts Act, the Sheriffs Act, the National Credit Act, the Small Claims Court Act, and the Divorce Act, which inter alia regulate court process and ensure the fair administration of justice. The submission made here explores this indicated gap within selected legislation pertinent to civil procedure and postulates the effect of e-technology in the context of the abovementioned legislation.As an example, section 35 of the Superior Courts Act indicates that parties and witnesses must make a physical appearance in the court of issue. This provision, however, does not expressly allow for the use of video conferencing, which would enable witnesses to give evidence via e-technology, and thus allow parties to investigate and re-examine witnesses situated in any geographical location outside of court. Further, section 74Q of the Magistrates’ Courts Act makes it mandatory for garnishee orders to be served personally or by registered mail. This provision is not in line with developments in e-technology. Email, Facebook, or other digital means of service could facilitate the service of garnishee orders issued by magistrates’ courts more effectively and remove delays posed by slow postal delivery, and also inhibit the prohibitive cost of personal service. With this contribution, select statutory provisions are compared to ECTA provisions and specific e-technology laws so as to determine the extent of the gap in the implementation of e-technology within the sphere of civil process. The authors then provide insights into how the current civil law statutes could be amended in line with selected e-technology legislation discussed here.

Digital resocialisation of the elderly people in the territorial centre of social services

The relevance of the study is stipulated by the fact that modern digital technologies are radically changing the economy and lifestyle in general. The information society determines the transformation of social structure, revision of patterns of social activities and stereotypes of behaviour, strategies and tactics of adaptation. Today's information technology and software encourages our society to accelerate in order to learn more and keep up with the scientific and technological progress. Under such conditions, the people of the "third" age appear to be the most vulnerable ones. Without social services and educational services, they are not able to independently master the array of innovative knowledge, including e-technology. Nowadays, a good command of the basics of the personal computer, E-technologies is becoming a necessary condition for orientation in the information flow and successful resocialisation and adaptation of the elderly people in the modern society, for overcoming digital inequality, immersion into the global information flows. The purpose of the study is to determine the features of the mechanisms enabling digital resocialisation of the elderly people within the educational environment of the University of the Third Age. The method of questionnaire survey was used to collect data, as this form of survey has an advantage – it allows respondents to carefully consider their answers without limiting their time. The article characterises and identifies the features of the impact of digital resocialisation mechanisms on the elderly within the educational environment of the University of the Third Age functioning on the platform of the territorial centre of social services (the one which provides social services). Different approaches to the mechanisms of digitalisation are presented, the importance of the University of the Third Age as an institution of digital resocialisation of elderly students is substantiated. The adaptability of the educational environment of the University of the Third Age as a resocialisation space, motivational components of the elderly have been determined, which allows the latter to realise the essential properties of the human personality at a respectable age. A social role of the digital resocialisation is transmitted through its contribution to the improvement of the quality of human life. The use of e-technologies can be considered one of the topical problems of social work with the elderly. There is still no consensus on the extent or impact of digital stratification on the process of resocialisation at an old age, which may be considered the prospect of our further research.

IS PREVIOUS STUDENT COMPUTER EXPERIENCE RELATED TO THEIR ATTITUDES TOWARDS INTERNET USE

In the recent past, university students were confined to traditional educational technologies such as chalkboards, papers and textbooks for pedagogical purposes. Institutions of higher learning in Uganda have provided Internet services to students, increasing their access to global resources through surfing, downloading and obtaining electronic materials. Students’ use of technology as a university provision should be explored in order to establish and meet their needs more effectively. This study was conducted in Kyambogo University in Uganda, to explore the impact of students’ previous computer experience on use of the Internet. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 280 university students. The quantitative data, collected using a questionnaire, was analyzed descriptively using SPSS for frequencies, means standard deviation and cross tabulation. The qualitative data, collected using interviews, was analyzed using thematic analysis. The results corroborated each other, indicating a significant relationship between previous computer experience and students’ use of Internet. It was recommended that students be incentivized in order to develop positive attitudes towards use of e-technology; and learners be introduced to use of ICT at both primary and secondary levels of education. Article visualizations:

Big Data Framework for Kenya’s County Governments

Digitalization is transforming governments across the globe. At the national level, down to regional and multiple departments in the public institutions, unprecedented change is occurring exponentially as a result of massive digitalization. Digitalization is compelling governments at all levels to embrace voluminous data and institute appropriate multi-channel platforms to support digital transformation. While this is the case, most governments have been caught unprepared thwarting maximum benefits spurred by digitalization. Inherently, the social media and e-participation tools for generating huge amount of data have convoluted most governments’ appetite in Big Data management. This situation is further compounded with the slow pace of adoption of these technological tools by citizens and the public sectors. For enhanced e-citizen satisfaction and engagement, as well as e-participation processes, public institutions need to promote engagement and collaboration. In view of advancing benefits to their citizens, public institutions need to institute appropriate measures to collect citizen’s data. The information collected is vital for public institutions in actualizing what services the citizens want. Using literature reviews and cases, the authors examine Big Data benefits in counties and propose a Big Data model to improve efficiency of e-governance services and productivity in county governments. The authors demonstrate Big Data framework has the aptitude of molding citizen’s opinion in county decision making process. Better use of e-technologies is shown in the proposed model which illustrates sharing resources among various data analytics sources. Our proposed framework based on Big Data analytics is a viable initiative to progress effectiveness and productivity, strengthen citizen engagement and participation and encourage decision-making in e-governance services delivery in the counties.

Support for teams, technology and patient involvement in decision-making associated with support for patient-centred care.

Patient-centred care is recommended to transform healthcare delivery to improve the quality and safety of healthcare. This study aimed to assess the determinants of support for attributes of patient-centred care (PCC) from Canadian public and professionals' perspectives. A national population-based survey, the Health Care in Canada Survey. Canada. One-thousand Canadian adults, 101 doctors, 100 nurses, 100 pharmacists and 104 administrators, randomly selected from online panels based on multiple source recruitment. None. Support for PCC, assessed using a summary score across seven items. Of 1000 Canadian public adults surveyed, 51% were female, 74% were living with another person, and 62% had at least one chronic condition. Only 18% of health professionals were working in teams. Multivariable regression models showed that work in teams (0.24, 95%CI: 0.20, 0.28), use of e-technology (0.29, 95%CI: 0.17, 0.42), and patient older age (0.59, 95%CI: 0.32, 0.86) and involvement in decision-making (0.42, 95%CI: 0.30, 0.55) were significantly associated with higher support for PCC while lower adherence to medications (-0.81, 95%CI: -1.16, -0.47) was associated with a decreased support for attributes of PCC. The findings confirmed that perceptions of requiring health professionals to work in teams and the use of technology in healthcare are associated with support for PCC from both the public and health professionals. Programs to accelerate the implementation of healthcare teams supported by information and communication technologies are needed to deliver PCC, particularly for individuals living with chronic conditions.

Responding to Emerging Diseases Requires Multi-disciplinary and One Health Training, Egypt.

In Egypt, several infectious diseases of zoonotic origin have emerged in recent years like H1N1, MERSCoV and H5N1, the latter now endemic. Responding to these diseases requires a workforce trained in multi-disciplinary approaches to zoonotic disease research and control. It is difficult to deliver multidisciplinary and one health training globally because of the limited number of higher education programs that support such training. In low and middle-income countries where the impacts of emerging zoonotic diseases are felt more directly there is enthusiasm for such training and the use of e-technology can foster international, long-term collaborations. To provide health training for infectious diseases research and to foster multidisciplinary collaboration. We designed and simultaneously held two training workshops, one focused on pediatric infectious diseases and another on emerging infectious diseases to meet the objective. Both workshops had pre- and post-workshop activities for multi-disciplinary methods with an emphasis on the use of mobile technologies to enhance emerging infectious diseases surveillance and research for public health professionals in Egypt. Faculty and scientists from all universities in Egypt and from the National Research Center were invited to participate. 85 participants attended, 31 abstracts were submitted, and over a 3 year period 3 international grant applications were submitted, and 4 abstracts were presented at international conferences. An online forum was developed to continue building collaboration. Interactive on-site workshops are suitable for providing multi-disciplinary training for disease surveillance, research and disease control. Participants shared the opinion that grant proposal and scientific manuscript writing were important skills that they felt they did not have. Long term investments in workshops of this nature are needed to build upon the excitement generated by these activities.

Responding to Emerging Diseases Requires Multi-disciplinary and One Health Training, Egypt

Background:In Egypt, several infectious diseases of zoonotic origin have emerged in recent years like H1N1, MERSCoV and H5N1, the latter now endemic. Responding to these diseases requires a workforce trained in multi-disciplinary approaches to zoonotic disease research and control. It is difficult to deliver multidisciplinary and one health training globally because of the limited number of higher education programs that support such training. In low and middle-income countries where the impacts of emerging zoonotic diseases are felt more directly there is enthusiasm for such training and the use of e-technology can foster international, long-term collaborations.Objectives:To provide health training for infectious diseases research and to foster multidisciplinary collaboration.Methods:We designed and simultaneously held two training workshops, one focused on pediatric infectious diseases and another on emerging infectious diseases to meet the objective. Both workshops had pre- and post-workshop activities for multi-disciplinary methods with an emphasis on the use of mobile technologies to enhance emerging infectious diseases surveillance and research for public health professionals in Egypt. Faculty and scientists from all universities in Egypt and from the National Research Center were invited to participate.Results:85 participants attended, 31 abstracts were submitted, and over a 3 year period 3 international grant applications were submitted, and 4 abstracts were presented at international conferences. An online forum was developed to continue building collaboration.Conclusions:Interactive on-site workshops are suitable for providing multi-disciplinary training for disease surveillance, research and disease control. Participants shared the opinion that grant proposal and scientific manuscript writing were important skills that they felt they did not have. Long term investments in workshops of this nature are needed to build upon the excitement generated by these activities.

The Significance of Trust to the Adoption of E-Working Practices Within Local Government

Drawing upon an in-depth study of one local authority based in the United Kingdom, this article examines the significance of trust to local government workers who are beginning to make increasing use of e-technologies through e-working practices. The article identifies trust to be of particular significance but that the examined context is not supportive of that trust being developed. It notes differences in the perceptions surrounding trust development, that consideration of trust is not just limited to the relationship between management and their workers, and that there is a fear that trust is at risk of abuse. In the face of e-work serving to raise the profile of trust as a significant factor for concern, the associated technologies are suggested to have the potential to offer a solution to some of the issues arising.

Cutting the Distance in Distance Education: Reflections on the Use of E-Technologies in a New Zealand Social Work Program

ABSTRACTThe development of new e-technologies and an increased focus on developing distance social work education programs has created the impetus for social work educators to consider the tools they can employ in delivering distance courses. This article reflects on an action learning research project involving the development of an online toolbox of e-technologies to support social work educators in the delivery of distance courses. It highlights the opportunities and challenges when considering the integration of e-technologies as part of social work education.

Perspectives on Counselling Supervision in Aotearoa New Zealand.

This article is based on an invited keynote address delivered at the first New Zealand Association of Counsellors' National Supervision Conference Day in July 2017. It considers questions that have continued to be significant for professional supervision over time in counselling in Aotearoa New Zealand, noting considerations for contemporary practice. It reviews a range of research studies of supervision, highlighting recent contributions to discussions of culture and supervision and the use of e-technology in supervision. long white cloud our map in the sky (Robin Fry, 2008)1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of New Zealand Journal of Counselling is the property of New Zealand Association of Counsellors and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Ethics, relationships and pragmatics in the use of e-technologies in counselling supervision.

International literature and local anecdotal evidence report increasing use of video and other e-technology in counselling supervision. In this small-scale study, five experienced supervisors were interviewed about their use of e-technology within supervision. The research was part of a postgraduate paper in professional supervision and worked to introduce and engage researcher-students, all of whom were experienced counselling practitioners, in a supervised collaborative project. It also generated new knowledge for the researchers and participants for their supervision practice. This article offers a review of literature, and ideas about safe and ethical practice for the wider professional counselling community engaged in offering supervision using e-technology. While the use of e-technologies is an effective means of providing supervision, this study found that inquiry should be encouraged within supervision conversations to nourish the quality of supervisory relationships, and thereby enhance the effectiveness of supervision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of New Zealand Journal of Counselling is the property of New Zealand Association of Counsellors and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Using e-technologies in clinical trials

Clinical trials have been slow to incorporate e-technology (digital and electronic technology that utilizes mobile devices or the Internet) into the design and execution of studies. In the meantime, individuals and corporations are relying more on electronic platforms and most have incorporated such technology into their daily lives. This paper provides a general overview of the use of e-technologies in clinical trials research, specifically within the last decade, marked by rapid growth of mobile and Internet-based tools. Benefits of and challenges to the use of e-technologies in data collection, recruitment and retention, delivery of interventions, and dissemination are provided, as well as a description of the current status of regulatory oversight of e-technologies in clinical trials research. As an example of ways in which e-technologies can be used for intervention delivery, a summary of e-technologies for treatment of substance use disorders is presented. Using e-technologies to design and implement clinical trials has the potential to reach a wide audience, making trials more efficient while also reducing costs; however, researchers should be cautious when adopting these tools given the many challenges in using new technologies, as well as threats to participant privacy/confidentiality. Challenges of using e-technologies can be overcome with careful planning, useful partnerships, and forethought. The role of web- and smartphone-based applications is expanding, and the increasing use of those platforms by scientists and the public alike make them tools that cannot be ignored.

Peripheries, Mobilities and e-Technologies: The Rise of Regional Social Network Policies

The mobility of highly qualified people is a major issue for regional development and represents a matter of particular concern for peripheral regions, which tend to be characterized by the out-migration of their graduates (brain drain). While regional policies have traditionally focused on the labor market and framework conditions in order to foster territorial development, a new kind of instrument is emerging: the regional social network. This approach to policymaking no longer considers highly qualified people leaving their home region as a loss, but sees them as potential resources to be mobilized and capitalized at a distance. Based on six case studies, this paper elaborates a typology of regional social networks and analyzes their governance and management. It situates this new approach in a more general debate on regional innovation policies with regard to the specific needs of peripheral regions in a time of growing spatial mobility and the ubiquitous use of e-technologies.

Use of web 2.0 to recruit Australian gay men to an online HIV/AIDS survey.

BackgroundContinuous prevention efforts for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) are recommended among those men who have sex with men (MSM). Creative use of e-technologies coupled with a better understanding of social networks could lead to improved health interventions among this risk population.ObjectiveThe aims of the study were to (1) compare the impact of various advertising strategies on recruiting MSM participants to an online HIV/AIDS survey, and (2) explore the feasibility of using a social network service (SNS) for study advertising.MethodsA cross-sectional online survey was conducted in 2009. South Australian men over 18 years were invited to participate if they had had sexual intercourse with men in the previous year. A short questionnaire was used to collect demographics and information on sexual behavior, HIV history, use of the Internet for dating purposes, and sources of health information. The survey was promoted in community settings and online, including advertisements through social networks.ResultsA total of 243 men completed the online survey during the 8-week data collection period. Online advertisements recruited 91.7% (220/240) of the sample. Conversely, traditional advertisements in the community recruited only 5.8% (14/240) of the sample. Ten volunteers were asked to advertise on their personal SNS application, but only 2 effectively did so. Only 18/240 (7.5%) of the respondents reported having learned of our study through the SNS application. In this sample, 19.3% (47/243) of participants had never been tested for HIV. Among the participants who had been tested, 12.8% (25/196) reported being HIV-positive. Regarding Internet use, 82.3% (200/243) of participants had dated online in the previous 6 months. Among the participants who had dated online, most (175/200, 87.5%) had found an Internet sexual partner and two-thirds (132/200, 66.0%) had had anal sex with these partner(s). Among men who had anal sex with an Internet partner, 68.2% (90/132) used a condom during sex.ConclusionsThe MSM participants in this study had high-risk profiles for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), which highlights the need for ongoing health interventions among this group. In this study, the SNS marketing strategy did not appear to create a viral effect and it had a relatively poor yield.

Which e-Learning Technology is Right for me?

The range of technologies available to support teaching and learning in higher education continues to grow exponentially. There is a growing expectation for educators to be well informed and familiar with the many suitable technologies and systems that are available to be used for delivering courses online, and to complement classroom (face-to-face) education. Detailed evidence of the perceptions and applications of the use of e-technologies is needed to inform not only teaching practice, but also policy development. These e-technologies need to be matched to pedagogical styles in order for online teaching and learning to be successful. Based on 33 semi-structured interviews, this paper presents a study of staff experiences of e-technologies, using Chickering and Gamson's 'Seven Principles of Good Practice' to provide educators with information about the most appropriate e-technology to support their pedagogical aims.