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As the demand for clean water sources increases, it is crucial to identify the best wastewater treatment technology that is cost-effective and energy efficient. Despite their separation performance and durability limitations due to the membrane materials and chemicals used in current production techniques, membranes are useful for recovering water from contaminated water sources. This review focuses on nanocellulose-based membranes that utilize various methods, as biodegradable and inexpensive nanocellulose has been used widely in membrane research in recent years. The research regarding nanocellulose-based membranes is growing widely as incorporating nanocellulose enhances the hydrophilic properties and mechanical strength and increases the membrane adsorption capacities, which is ideal for future commercialization. The material high aspect ratio explains this potential, large specific surface area, good capacity retention, and environmental inertness. In addition to the benefits already described, active sites include chemical moieties that might improve the efficacy of pollutants attaching to surfaces. Besides that, nanocellulose could be chemically modified to increase the surface affinity and reactivity of membranes to remove specific contaminants efficiently. Future research directions for lignocellulosic nanocellulose for wastewater treatment and the difficulties and possibilities of nanocellulose-based membranes in these fields are also discussed. Lastly, the application of nanocelluloses in water treatment with an emphasis on membranes and filters fabricated primarily of nanocellulose. Hence, nanocellulose for these membrane applications provides tremendous potential for the wastewater treatment industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

France and Germany agree on the need to further European defence-industrial cooperation, but boast radically different preferences on how to structure such cooperation. Why? To answer this question, we introduce the distinction between the two faces of market size – the first exclusively related to defence, the second including the broader commercial-industrial base. Since Germany is, overall, more competitive than France in the commercial sector but less competitive in the defence one, it will advocate for a full-fledged integration of the European defence market but seek to protect its less competitive defence industry from France by championing autonomy in ad-hoc arms programmes. In turn, France would prefer to leverage its defence-industrial advantage by injecting efficiency on arms programmes but resist pan-EU initiatives to integrate the defence market, which would benefit Germany more over the long-term. To test our argument, we examine French and German preferences towards the European Defence Fund and the Future Combat Air System. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Supervised online exercise training (OET) may help to counteract physical inactivity in healthy older adults. Few studies to date have compared the effect of OET and traditional face-to-face exercise training (TET). Aims: With this study we compared the effect of OET and TET on physical function in healthy older adults and investigated the feasibility of OET. Methods: Power analysis indicated that a sample size of n = 20 per group was necessary to detect a moderate effect size. Of 80 individuals potentially interested in the study, 32 did not meet the inclusion criteria and 22 declined participation; 26 were assigned to receive OET via Zoom© and 19 to receive TET twice a week for 12 weeks. The exercise training program was the same for both groups: fine finger and muscle strengthening and balance exercises. Performance was measured using the 400-m Walk, Timed Up and Go, Four Square Step, One Leg Stance, Five Time Chair Stand, and Hand Grip tests. Results and conclusions: In general, physical function was improved after OET and TET (ηp2 range, 0.349–0.642). No improvement in upper limb strength was observed in either group (p > 0.05), whereas endurance on the 400-m Walk Test was increased for the OET group and decreased for the TET group (Time × Group interaction F 5.540, ηp2 0.187; p = 0.007). Good adherence was noted for the OET group (82%). No adverse events during the 12-week study period were recorded. Our findings suggest a positive effect of exercise training on physical function over time, regardless of how delivered. OET was found to be feasible and acceptable, making it a viable alternative to conventional exercise programs for older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically examines why urban studies should be interested in the emergence of controlled environment agriculture. Over the last decade, there has been significant commercial and urban policy interest in controlled environment agriculture systems for producing food in enclosed environments. Furthermore, there has been a significant expansion in research publications on urban controlled environment agriculture, stressing the novel character of these systems and the complex relationships with the conventional concerns of urban agriculture. The paper subjects these claims to critical scrutiny and then reconceptualises urban controlled environment agriculture as an emergent urban infrastructure of artificial, highly productive microclimates and ecosystems for non-human life designed to increase the productive use of 'surplus or under-utilised' urban spaces. We argue that controlled environment agriculture tries to secure food production through three spatial–temporal fixes: (1) the enclosure move – holding food closer by substituting the increasingly hostile outdoors for the controlled indoors in order to optimise yield, quality, efficiency and the 'cleanness' of the food; (2) the urban move – holding food closer to the city by substituting rural agricultural space for urban space to shorten supply chains and thereby help secure food production and improve its green credentials; and (3) combining 1 and 2, the urban interiorisation move – holding food yet closer still by moving food production into city buildings and intricate infrastructural systems, increasing control by securing total environments. In these ways, the paper shows how urban controlled environment agriculture selectively extends existing logics of urban and rural agriculture and identifies the future research challenges for urban studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Army has made insufficient progress in arming its officers with science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and management (STEM+M) knowledge. The contemporary battlefield is faster paced, technologically enabled, and data driven, requiring officers to possess more skills, knowledge, and experience. We examine the Army's history with STEM education and show that, in terms of education, the current Army officer corps has fallen behind its requirements for technology-enabled forces and modern society. We conclude with recommendations on how the Army can close the STEM+M education gap through advances in higher education and adopting talent management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is the first in a series of three that describes the development and delivery of the Environmental Health and Land Reuse (EHLR) Basic Training and the first pilot of the EHLR Immersion Training. The EHLR Basic Training is based on the 5-step Land Reuse Model from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Through a collaboration with the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA), we developed the EHLR Basic Training in two modalities: virtual/live (maintained by ATSDR) and online/asynchronous (maintained by NEHA). The modules include: 1) Engaging With Your Community, 2) Evaluating Environmental and Health Risks, 3) Communicating Environmental and Health Risks, 4) Redesigning With Health in Mind, and 5) Measuring Success: Evaluating Environmental and Health Change. From June 2019--August 2022, ATSDR and NEHA delivered 10 EHLR Classroom Basic Trainings, launched the EHLR Online Basic Training, and developed the EHLR Immersion Training. We piloted the EHLR Immersion Training in July 2022, March 2023, and July 2023. Our participants included science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students from Diné College who were in a Summer Intern Program; tribal environmental professionals; NEHA members in environmental health careers; and environmental professionals, students, and community members who were engaged in environmental work or environmental justice. We have learned that individual training modules can be used for specific learning needs among our participants. Perhaps more importantly, we have learned that undergraduate students and community members can and should be engaged in EHLR Training. The results of the evaluation and longterm follow-up of the EHLR Training will be presented in the second and third articles in this series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine needs, expectations, facilitators, and barriers of insurance physicians (IPs) for using eHealth in their work. Also, we investigated differences between age groups. All insurance physicians employed at the Dutch Social Security Institute (SSI) received an online anonymous survey in July 2020. Three hundred and fifteen IPs (31%) responded. According to these IPs, the most important need for using eHealth was to collect medical information more effectively and efficiently (71%). Main facilitators were that eHealth could make IPs' work more effectively and efficiently (61%) and more future-proof (60%). Main barriers were losing human interaction (54%) and security issues (51%). Younger IPs saw more options for using eHealth, compared to older IPs. The majority of IPs (in particular younger IPs) had a positive view towards using eHealth in their daily work. Nevertheless, differences in needs, expectations, facilitators and barriers between the age groups should be taken into account for the successful development and implementation of interventions using eHealth in insurance medicine. For the successful development and implementation of eHealth interventions in insurance medicine and rehabilitation, the needs, expectations, facilitators, and barriers that physicians indicate should be taken into account. Insurance physicians support the use of eHealth interventions to collect medical information more effectively and efficiently, to contribute to and maintain the quality of care, in the perspective of managing expected shortages in insurance physicians. When concretizing eHealth interventions for rehabilitation professionals, one should take the importance of face to face interaction with patients into account. Extra education and training for older insurance physicians may improve the implementation of eHealth interventions, because they are less inclined to see its value and feel less competent to use it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolving virtual health care experience highlights the potential of technology to serve as a way to enhance care. Having virtual options for assessment, consultation and intervention were essential during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, especially for children with disabilities and their families. The purpose of our study was to describe the benefits and challenges of outpatient virtual care during the pandemic within pediatric rehabilitation. This qualitative study, part of a larger mixed methods project, involved in-depth interviews with 17 participants (10 parents, 2 youth, 5 clinicians) from a Canadian pediatric rehabilitation hospital. We analyzed the data using a thematic approach. Our findings demonstrated three main themes: (1) benefits of virtual care (e.g., continuity of care, convenience, stress reduction and flexibility, and comfort within the home environment and enhanced rapport); (2) challenges related to virtual care (e.g., technical difficulties and lack of technology, environmental distractions and constraints, communication difficulty, and health impacts); and (3) advice for the future of virtual care (i.e., offering choice to families, enhanced communication and addressing health equity issues). Clinicians and hospital leaders should consider addressing the modifiable barriers in accessing and delivering virtual care to optimize its effectiveness. Families are invested in access to virtual care appointments and can benefit from clear communication about choices regarding appointment options and supports in how to access and use technology for equitable access to care. Hospitals should aim to provide clinicians with an appropriate workspace (i.e., private, quiet with adequate room to demonstrate what they need to do), equipment and technology to have virtual care appointments. Current understanding of virtual care delivery suggests a tailored approach, with some types of appointments, such as follow-ups or check-ins, more suited to this modality than other more hands-on therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In August 2019, The Shenzhen Model City Initiative was released in which the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced its decision to support Shenzhen, the long-standing poster city for China's economic reform, in building a demonstration pilot zone for Chinese socialism with a particular emphasis on further developing the city's technological prowess. What are the ideological implications of the latest model-making of Shenzhen? And how does the city's innovative turn relate to its role as the nation's perceived civilizational front line? This study explores the continuities and evolution of contemporary Chinese governance by considering the reinvention of the "Shenzhen Model" in relation to processes of urbanization, globalization and industrial upgrading. Drawing upon Tim Oakes's theory of the "urban" as an ideological device, it examines the (re)making of the "Shenzhen Model" through different discourses, apparatuses and policies related to the city's technological innovation and entrepreneurship. Situating the "Shenzhen Model" at a time of precarity and uncertainty amidst economic growth slowdown, the China-United States trade war and the COVID-19 pandemic, this article demonstrates how the state mobilizes narratives and practices pertinent to technological innovation and entrepreneurship to enhance its political influence and thus sheds light on the latest developments in urban governance during China's post-industrial turn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autistic youth engage in higher levels of screen time and are more likely to experience mental health problems than their typically developing peers; however, few studies have investigated a potential relationship between daily screen time hours and mental health in autistic youth. This study examined the relations among daily screen time hours and commonly co-occurring psychopathology (i.e., anxiety, depression, conduct/behavioral problems, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]) in autistic youth utilizing data from the 2018–2019 National Survey of Children's Health. Results indicated screen time was significantly related to conduct problems; however, contrary to findings from studies with neurotypical samples, screen time was not significantly related to anxiety, depression, or ADHD diagnoses in autistic children and adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research and experimental development (R&D) is an important driver of economic growth and productivity. Gross expenditure on domestic R&D (GERD) is a country's total expenditure on R&D performed by all sectors of the economy. South Africa's GERD as a percentage of its GDP (GERD/GDP) remains below government targets and has stagnated over the past decade, largely due to declining business sector R&D. This paper aims to identify the drivers of firm-level R&D intensity, defined as the firm's R&D expenditure as a percentage of turnover. It is the first South African study to examine both micro- and macro-economic drivers of firm R&D, with a paucity of literature on this topic for middle-income countries. Using the South African National R&D Survey data, the study utilized the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) model and found that public financial support for firms, smaller firm-size, firm-level collaboration, political stability, foreign direct investment, and public R&D investment are positively associated with firm R&D intensity. The results highlight the importance of public financial support for smaller firms and investments in higher education and research institutions in promoting firm-level R&D, thereby providing useful policy insights for boosting business sector and economy-wide R&D expenditure and reaching national GERD/GDP targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital devices such as iPads are prevalent in children's play from an early age. How this shapes young children's play is an area of considerable debate without any clear consensus on how different forms of play are brought into the iPad interaction. In this study, we examined 98 play activities of children in two preschool settings, featuring 2 and 4–5-year-olds, their play with iPads and non-digital artefacts. Three analytical approaches were used: an index built on a digital play framework [Bird, Jo, and Susan Edwards. 2015. "Children Learning to Use Technologies Through Play: A Digital Play Framework." British Journal of Educational Technology 46 (6): 1149–1160. doi:10.1111/bjet.12191 ], a quantitative description of the index, and a qualitative interaction analysis of children's play. Results show how play with iPads is characterised as less ludic than play with other artefacts, and diverges from the age-typical norms of play. We discuss what these results might mean for children's play in contemporary early childhood settings and for children's learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engagement with video games can potentially advance student digital competence however, there is a digital skills gap by the time young people progress into adolescence. This current research explores how elementary school students' digital self-efficacy might relate to experiences in video game environments to influence perceptions of digital competence. We examine the differential impact of sex, self-efficacy, and socioeconomic status (SES) on 7–10-year-old students' (N = 613) perceptions of video gaming and their digital skills. Analysis revealed the unexpected finding that SES was inversely related to enjoyment for gaming and digital technology, with students in the lower-SES category responding more positively compared to students in higher SES categories. As expected, boys self-reported digital skills higher than girls across all SES categories. We argue for the use of gaming pedagogies to support learning in classrooms that accounts for nuances in students' digital self-efficacy moderated by gender and SES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1980s, most reforms in major arms-producing countries focus on keeping costs under control by either promoting competition between suppliers or by reducing information asymmetry through audits and controls. Indeed, cost escalation represents a challenge but, in fact, these reforms try to adjust the functioning of defence market rather than questioning the institutional features of this latter. The success of defence acquisition structures also explains their limits. The current organisation of defence market was perfectly adapted to the geostrategic context of Cold War and a technological momentum that favours symmetrical arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union. Even if these structures still help deliver advanced capabilities, they can be considered as not sufficient to cover all the operational needs of armed forces. The conception of capabilities needs to go beyond a long-term planning while industrial approaches open the way to more agile development and manufacturing. An alternative defence industrial policy is necessary to complement the existing one. More modular architectures for complex systems provide the opportunity to increase the reactiveness of capability deliveries and to foster both innovation and competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research focuses on the social-spatial relationship between device and subject and identifies the possibilities that digital technology lets listeners perform as listening modalities, such as individual listening, mobility, and multimedia listening. Analyzing the most relevant specialized literature, this work explores the socio-technological origins of current possibilities of listening to classify them as 'innovative change' or 'substantial improvement'. A sound reproduction device timeline and their contributions determine what the enrichment of the digital era to the act of listening is and what reasonable future trends are to be expected. The digital era does not add any new possibility to the social-spatial act of listening itself. Nevertheless, the digital era has prepared the technological basis for a new leap that would tend toward hyperpersonalization and the maximization of operative easiness. This research shows how digital has made great progress 'inside' devices functioning, but not so much 'outside' them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reflects on the study of consumer-related emerging topics in the Journal of Consumer Research (JCR) and looks ahead to consider what the next generation of emergent issues might be that capture consumer researchers' attention and interest. Drawing on conversations with eminent scholars who have made major contributions to JCR by introducing emerging topics to our literature, the author (i) provides a commentary of past approaches to researching novel emerging topics, (ii) suggests some domains from which new emerging topics for consumer research can be sourced, such as new digital technologies (e.g. artificial intelligence) and major societal challenges (e.g. climate change, sustainability, and health), and (iii) offers guidance on how to approach research on important emerging topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Centralised core facilities have evolved into vital components of life science research, transitioning from a primary focus on centralising equipment to ensuring access to technology experts across all facets of an experimental workflow. Herein, we put forward a seven‐pillar model to define what a core facility needs to meet its overarching goal of facilitating research. The seven equally weighted pillars are Technology, Core Facility Team, Training, Career Tracks, Technical Support, Community and Transparency. These seven pillars stand on a solid foundation of cultural, operational and framework policies including the elements of transparent and stable funding strategies, modern human resources support, progressive facility leadership and management as well as clear institute strategies and policies. This foundation, among other things, ensures a tight alignment of the core facilities to the vision and mission of the institute. To future‐proof core facilities, it is crucial to foster all seven of these pillars, particularly focusing on newly identified pillars such as career tracks, thus enabling core facilities to continue supporting research and catalysing scientific advancement. Lay abstract: In research, there is a growing trend to bring advanced, high‐performance equipment together into a centralised location. This is done to streamline how the equipment purchase is financed, how the equipment is maintained, and to enable an easier approach for research scientists to access these tools in a location that is supported by a team of technology experts who can help scientists use the equipment. These centralised equipment centres are called Core Facilities. The core facility model is relatively new in science and it requires an adapted approach to how core facilities are built and managed. In this paper, we put forward a seven‐pillar model of the important supporting elements of core facilities. These supporting elements are: Technology (the instruments themselves), Core Facility Team (the technology experts who operate the instruments), Training (of the staff and research community), Career Tracks (for the core facility staff), Technical Support (the process of providing help to apply the technology to a scientific question), Community (of research scientist, technology experts and developers) and Transparency (of how the core facility works and the costs associated with using the service). These pillars stand on the bigger foundation of clear policies, guidelines, and leadership approaches at the institutional level. With a focus on these elements, the authors feel core facilities will be well positioned to support scientific discovery in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advances in technology have brought about transformative changes in the wine industry, leading to a convergence of multisensory perception and technological innovation. This special issue explores the intersection of multisensory experiences and technology within the context of the wine industry, examining the impact that various digital technologies have had on sensory engagement, consumer behavior, and the vinicultural landscape. From augmented reality (AR) wine label experiences to smart decanters and aroma simulators, technology is reshaping the way in which consumers perceive, interact with, and appreciate wine. The research curated in this special issue investigates how multisensory technologies influence consumers' wine consumption experiences by enhancing their visual, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, and auditory sensations. Additionally, it explores some of the implications of multisensory digital technology on wine production, marketing strategies, and brand storytelling. By examining the dynamic interplay between sensory perception and technological innovation, this special issue offers insights into the evolving nature of the wine industry and the potential for multisensory digital technologies to redefine the future of wine consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, epistocrats have challenged the value of democracy by claiming that policy outcomes can be improved if the electorate were narrowed to empower only those with sufficient knowledge to inform competent policy decisions. I argue that by centering on contesting how well regimes employ extant knowledge in decision-making, this conversation has neglected to consider how regimes influence the production of knowledge over time. Science and technology studies scholars have long recognized that political systems impact the productivity of expert research. I argue that in order to evaluate which regime is "smarter," we must consider not only how well they employ existing knowledge in decision-making, but we must also assess how those regimes influence the ongoing production of policy-relevant knowledge. Thus, I offer an instrumental defense of democracy based on its capacity to encourage a superior pattern and quality of expert research to inform policy decisions over time. Epistocracy may be effective at employing extant knowledge in the short run, but in the long run, democracy is a superior environment for producing knowledge to inform policy decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the evolution of productivity and markups in US food and beverage manufacturing from 1959 through 2018. We account for non‐Hicks‐neutral (labour‐augmenting) productivity changes and compare markups with those in general manufacturing using the same dataset and model. We also compare our results with those of the increasingly popular De Loecker and Warzynski (2012, American Economic Review, 102, 2437) method, which does not account for non‐Hicks‐neutral productivity growth. Empirical results show that productivity growth in the food and beverage sector has been relatively slow and driven with equal intensity by Hicks‐neutral and labour‐augmenting productivity gains. General manufacturing shows higher productivity growth that is mostly labour‐augmenting, with markups comparable to those of food manufacturing. We find that accounting for labour‐augmenting productivity produces more moderate markup estimates than the De Loecker and Warzynski (2012) method. We also find no evidence of markups rising in either food manufacturing or general manufacturing in the last 20 years, in contrast to much of the recent economic literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Technology is essential in the facilitation of many operations in higher educational institutions. The use of web-based platforms to deliver academic content, including practice-based training, has gained popularity. However, their use in practicum process administration is not well studied. In the 2020/2021 academic year, a graduate program in the Faculty of Health Science within a public university in Ontario incorporated the InPlace platform to streamline the administration of the practicum process, including goal setting. This study aimed to understand the user experience of the platform in facilitating competency-based learning. Methods: Twelve students participated in two focus group sessions that lasted approximately 1.5 hr each. Two staff members participated in one-on-one semi-structured interviews. The System Usability Scale (SUS) was used as a measure of the platform's usability. Other outcomes included staff and students' user experience. Result: Overall, the students and staff believe the platform is good for facilitating competency-based learning. The SUS score was 61.8 (95% confidence interval, [56.7, 66.9]). Eight students (66.7%) indicated that the platform was useful in helping them navigate their learning goals. Staff expressed appreciation of the program with respect to communication, practicum process, and overall program administration. Some suggestions for improving the platform were made. Conclusion: The practicum placement platform has shown some initial benefits in communication and practicum process administration. In a future configuration of similar platforms, the implementation of the suggestions provided in this study may be necessary to improve usability and enhance the facilitation of competence-based learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Journalism is a highly technology-dependent profession, and students, educators, and professionals must develop specific digital skills. This study uses the theory of disruptive innovation to examine how journalism educators adapt their programs in response to changing media environments. A survey of accredited journalism and mass communication programs identified three key challenges: the need for long-term investment, the ability to predict future change and demand, and difficulty in hiring faculty expertise. When asked which technologies will affect journalism curricula in the next 3 to 5 years, artificial intelligence (AI) topped the list, followed by drone journalism, virtual reality, and augmented reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on promotional materials in 2007–2008 and in 2021–2022, this article examines both Olympics to explore how the state has evolved in its governmental rationalities, and the related cultural and political implications. The 2022 Winter Games, despite its comparatively low profile and challenges posed by Covid-19, provided the Chinese state with a key moment to advance its confidence doctrine. Three discourses were mobilised pertaining to, first, the CCP's superb leadership and problem-solving skills; second, China's mega-infrastructure; and, third, created + made in China. The 2022 Olympics thus mobilised three confidence-driven discourses: leadership confidence, techno-scientific confidence, and creative confidence. In doing so, the 2022 Olympics envisioned, narrated, and materialised the popular discursive signifiers – technology, green and sustainability, and the future – the authorities already actively promoted in its political initiatives and policies. This contributed to the inward-oriented beliefs of self-reliance and self-improvement. Where we witnessed in 2008 a sense of curiosity and openness, within China and the world at large, we now face the complexities, dangers, and cultural essentialism, if not narcissism, of a confident China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article responds to three reviews of Philosophy of Christian Life, focussing on issues of heteronomy, abuse of power, the authority of the call, language, technology, and deliverance from self-hatred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employs the media system dependency theory to explore both macro- and micro-level dependencies between South Korean sojourners and Chinese media during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through semi-structured interviews with 25 South Korean sojourners in Beijing, we find that under the influence of Confucianism and collectivistic culture, South Korean sojourners are hard to identify with China's media environment and rely on Chinese media. Apart from Chinese television meeting South Korean sojourners' goal of play, other traditional media outlets, new media, and interpersonal communication with Chinese people fail to fulfill their goals of understanding, orientation, and play. These findings suggest that future research should take cultural factors into account to understand media dependency theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marx's account of technical progress has been criticized by philosophers as being a metanarrative, by ecological economists as being unduly strong, by economists as being unduly weak, and by post-Sraffian authors as being ill-founded. This article discusses Marx's account of technical progress in light of these criticisms on a conceptual, theoretical, and empirical level, relying on the apparatus of wage curves. It argues that some of the critiques cannot be sustained, since the criticized positions cannot be attributed to Marx. The remaining critiques, in turn, amount to alternative predictions on the evolution of wage curves which are, however, and in contrast to those of Marx, not in line with empirical evidence, as the estimation of wage curves for thirteen countries from 2000 to 2013 shows. JEL Classification : B14, B24, O33 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The starting point of this article is the observation that the emergence of the Anthropocene rehabilitates the need for philosophical reflections on the ontology of technology. In particular, if technological innovations on an ontic level of beings in the world are created, but these innovations at the same time create the Anthropocene World at an ontological level, this raises the question how World creation has to be understood. We first identify four problems with the traditional concept of creation: the anthropocentric, ontic and outcome orientation of traditional concepts of creation, as well as its orientation of material fabrication. We subsequently develop a progressive concept of World creation with four characteristics that move beyond the traditional conceptuality: (1) a materialistic concept of creation that accounts for (2) the ontogenetic process and (3) the ontic and ontological nature of creation, and (4) is conceptualized as semantic creation of the World in which we live and act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study analyses outcomes for 660 patients managed via a novel telescopic pathway for suspected head and neck cancer referrals. Method: Data were collected prospectively between January 2021 and December 2022, capturing all two-week-wait referrals triaged as low risk and managed via a nurse-led clinic for nasendoscopic examination and consultant-led remote assessment. Results: In total, 660 patients were included. There were six head and neck cancers diagnosed, giving a conversion rate of 0.9 per cent. Mean (standard deviation) time to informing the patient whether they did or did not have cancer (28-day faster diagnosis standard) was 28.6 days (20.2), with no significant difference observed in patients imaged prior to review (p = 0.63). No missed cancers were detected in the follow-up period. Conclusion: Low-risk head and neck cancer referrals can be safely managed in a nurse-led clinic for recorded examination with asynchronous consultant-led management. Further work is required to ensure adherence to the new faster diagnosis standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Study: Previous systematic reviews concluded that online professional‐learning communities (OPLCs) have positive effects on teachers' development, but explored neither the technological affordances that make this possible nor the potential negative impacts of technology use in OPLCs. Objectives: The aim of this study is to systematically analyse previous research on teachers' OPLCs, and thus help answer the question of what technological affordances (dis)empower members of teachers' OPLCs, and how they do so. Methods: This study applied the systematic‐review method. A total of 28 studies were identified and analysed using rigorously defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The results are reported as a synthesis. Results and Conclusions: First, in theme, the selected articles primarily focused on features of OPLCs and of teachers' knowledge. Second, mixed‐methods approaches were commonly used in the sampled research, and the number of studies employing advanced statistical methods and machine learning increased over time. And third, the reviewed studies' findings suggest that technology supports 'bottom‐up' teachers' communities (as distinct from 'top‐down' professional development organized by educational authorities) in seven ways: that is, by promoting collaboration opportunities, expanding the participants' networks, facilitating knowledge sharing, delivering support more rapidly, providing emotional support, allowing ubiquitous learning, and enabling multiple modes of participation. Lay Description: What is currently known about the subject matter: Previous reviews found OPLCs have positive effects on teachers' development. What their paper adds to this: What technological affordances empower teachers in OPLCs.How technological affordances empower teachers in OPLCs. The implications of study findings for practitioners: The sampled articles primarily focused on OPLC features and teacher knowledge.Mixed‐methods approaches were commonly used.Technology provides various affordances to 'bottom‐up' teachers' communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore affective registers that characterise game-angling, particularly fly-fishing, through a critical engagement with the discursive and visual strategies employed in a key game-angling periodical, Trout and Salmon magazine, across a period of sixty years. We examine how angling brands and textual utterances evoke the affective and emotional states of becoming and being an angler, and in doing so bring the sport into a state of being and becoming in which traditional and modern values work with, and in tension to, each other. We focus on three interconnected themes. First, the extent to which the practice of angling is mediated by specific brands and technologies which blur the boundaries between the natural and the artificial. Second, the extent to which branded technologies and brand values foster angling practices that either adhere to or deviate from traditional understandings of what game-angling is and entails. Third, the ways in which dominant tropes conceptualise, frame, and canonise idealised game-angling spaces and spatial practices. We conclude with an exegesis that game-angling texts and brands tell us much about what it is to be human and animal in the choreographing and enactment of this ever-popular and ever-evolving, yet anchored, leisure world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the claimed loss of meaning in modern societies, this article investigates how the experience of the sacred is disclosed in technological practices. The experience of the sacred is studied through four framings that approach the sacred as (i) extreme im/purity or sublimity, (ii) a religious framework, (iii) a sense of connection, and (iv) a cognitive experience related to skills. Sacred experiences may emerge in all technological practices, but their meaning is implied to be of a particularly fleeting kind in highly technological practices – measured by their increase in matter-energy throughput – and prone to cause the experience of alienation. Sacred experience in less technological practices is consequently proposed to hold the potential to offer a more sustained experience of meaning. However, the proper kinds of skills are essential to reach experiences of the sacred that may serve to restore life and its purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professional expertise is a legitimate cornerstone of modern global culture. The unfolding of the polycrisis, however, arguably destabilizes expertise as a privileged and uniform position of knowledge production. Even sustainability expertise, while considered part of the solution, is arguably part of the problem, due to its structural links to environmentally detrimental technological practices. Hence technology relations in expertise are explored by autoethnography. Expert attitudes towards technology are traditionally demarcated between optimistic technocrats and critical humanists, but a third category is suggested, which embodies determined technology criticism, anti-colonialism and post-professional ethos. This peripheral expert position, labelled spurner, may seem dubious and dark from the point of view of paradigmatic expertise. But since the polycrisis calls for plural and inclusive modes of expertise, peripheral knowledge and skills should be seen as one end in the spectrum of possible sustainable expertise. True plurality means that hardly any final unification or mutual consensus in sustainability expertise seems plausible or even desirable. However, due to the polycrisis, many experts may have to reconsider what role their professions and technological progress in general play in the unfolding events. Recognizing peripheral "grey zone" expertise may foster such self-reflection in individual experts and in expert cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early childhood (EC) education has usually involved in-person teaching and learning. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has imposed remote teaching on EC practitioners and complicated practicum students' fieldwork experiences. This study explored EC practicum students' fieldwork experiences in the U.S. during the pandemic and their preparedness for online teaching and technology employment and integration. Participants included 28 students enrolled in Directed Field Experience in Spring 2021. A mixed-methods approach incorporating multiple sources of data, including reflection papers, interviews, and questionnaires, was used. The findings showed that the EC practicum students changed their perceptions of and attitudes toward a remote field experience course and online teaching with young children over the semester. Additionally, EC practicum students' challenges and professional and academic growth were evident in their reporting. These findings have implications for the development of effective strategies for alleviating EC practicum students' challenges, facilitating their professional growth, and providing resources to integrate digital technology in their teaching in developmentally appropriate ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Commentary critiques Paul Showler’s combination view of robot moral status, which combines sophisticated cognitive capacities like consciousness with highly valued machine-human relationships. Showler holds that a combined approach carries the advantage of more fully accounting for ordinary folk psychology views about of what it means to have moral standing and be a person. This commentary paper is largely sympathetic to Showler, but argues for a stronger view: being a person is a cluster concept that can include a combination of different possible sufficient conditions, none of which is necessary. What must be constrained, then, is the strong claim that a quality is necessary for personhood. Since most approaches that appeal to sophisticated cognitive capacities make the strong claim, they require constraint. Since most approaches that appeal to highly valued relationships, do not make the stronger claim, they generally do not require constraint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing COVID‐19 pandemic has brought profound change to many areas of our lives, and perhaps most of all in terms of how we communicate. A testament to our vital need for social connection, millions of people have sought to shed the physical constraints of isolation and restricted mobility by using online video calling to reaffirm relations with friends, colleagues and wider communities. Drawing on qualitative in‐depth interviews with users of online video call platforms, this paper explores the social and subjective impacts of video calling, and how they are transforming habitual modes of relating to ourselves and others. The paper argues that grasping the impact of such technological encounters requires new modes of thinking attuned to the less conscious and more material processes though which technologies come to shape how we think and behave. In theorising these unconscious and non‐representational potentials, the paper engages with Félix Ravaisson's innovative theorisation of habit. In contrast to those thinkers who would reduce habit to the unthinking and automatic repetition of the same, we explore how Ravaisson's theorisation of habit offers a dynamic ontology for understanding how bodies change and how change comes to be registered in bodies through encounters with technology. We argue that this conceptualisation of habit opens a powerful way of thinking about how the repeated use of online video calls has become bound with the production of new habits of attention, transforming the embodied ways in which we perceive and relate to our own subjectivities, other people, and the spaces in which we live and work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For severe cases of anorexia nervosa (AN), including when poor prognostic factors like low body mass index (BMI) and longer illness duration are present, intermediate levels of care are often indicated. Current guidelines call for treatment programs to use an evidence-based practice approach to individualize treatment and optimize outcomes. Research supports the effectiveness of intermediate levels of care, including remote programs which increase access to treatment. However, conflicting evidence exists regarding the ability to safely weight restore clients during remote care, necessitating further research. This case report highlights the viability of treating clients with AN remotely using an evidence-based practice approach, resulting in weight restoration and symptom remission. The client presented with a longstanding history of severe binge-eating/purging AN with numerous medical complications but was motivated and treatment-compliant. Her eating disorder (ED) was conceptualized using a biopsychosocial perspective and treated using a multidisciplinary, evidence-based practice approach encompassing individual, group, and supportive interventions. She was successfully discharged from treatment after 150 days, having restored weight to a healthy range and showing substantial improvements in ED, depressive, and anxiety symptoms based on validated measures. This case contributes to the evidence that remote care can be an accessible and effective treatment option, even in cases of severe AN. The case highlights how an evidence-based practice approach can enable safe weight restoration via a personalized treatment plan that emphasizes the use of remote devices and self-monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Commentary critiques an extremely relational view of robot moral status, drawing out its practical implications for ethics and law. It also suggests next steps for AI ethics if extremely relational reasoning is compelling. Section I introduces the topic, distinguishing an ‘extremely relational’ view from more moderate relational views. Section II illustrates extremely relational views using the example of embodiment. Section III explores practical implications of extremely relational views for ethics and law. Section IV offers possible responses to extreme relationism. Section V concludes by suggesting next steps for AI ethics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression is a major cause of disability and, if left untreated, can increase the risk of suicide. Evidence on the determinants of depression is incomplete, making it challenging to interpret results across studies. This study aims to identify the social, economic, environmental, political, and technological factors influencing the great recession in Iran. The study was conducted in two parts. The first step involved a literature review to identify the factors, using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science for the search. The reference lists of all identified articles were reviewed to find relevant studies, and the extracted information was summarized and reported descriptively. The second steps involved compiling and consulting 14 experts from different fields, using a framework analysis method. Twenty-four articles were used as primary sources of information, and a total of 28 factors were found to exist. After removing duplicates and related factors, 19 of these were subsequently declared as factors, resulting in a total of 36 determinants being identified. Most of these factors belong to the social category. The health policies implemented have a significant impact on disease risk factors and ultimately their occurrence. Political decisions and policy-making processes play a crucial role in all areas, particularly in addressing disease risk factors. Severe depression can disrupt all aspects of the healthcare system, underscoring the importance of access to care. Policies concerning physical education, transportation, nutrition, employment, green spaces, recreational facilities, and tobacco are vital in this context. The influence of health policies on disease risk factors and disease occurrence is profound. Severe depression can have far-reaching effects on the healthcare system, emphasizing the critical need for access to care. The formulation of policies to combat depression must be thoroughly evaluated in terms of economic, political, social, technological, and environmental factors. The findings suggest that addressing social inequalities and emphasizing the role of political action, as highlighted by the social determinants of health, should be top priorities in addressing depression. Efforts to prevent depression should incorporate ecological approaches that consider the impact of the socioeconomic environment on depressive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Background Methods Results Conclusion This study aims to investigate the following questions: (1) how Chinese preschoolers’ usage of digital devices differ by their family socioeconomic status (SES), and (2) how socioeconomic differences in children's usage of digital devices can be accounted for by parents’ digital parenting attitudes and behaviors.Scholars in social stratification and inequality have warned about “Digital Inequality” and argued that the fact that people from different socioeconomic backgrounds differ in their access to digital equipment and their knowledge of how to use digital devices effectively would eventually contribute to social inequality. Unfortunately, most of the current studies on digital inequality focus on the population of adults or adolescents; whether and how digital inequality emerges in early life remains heavily understudied.We use data from Early Childhood Study‐The Great Bay Area (ECS‐GB), a regional representative survey conducted in 2018 and designed to assess preschool children's social‐emotional and cognitive development in Guangdong, a coastal province in South China. Our analytical sample consists of 11,445 preschool children aged from 3 to 6 with urban hukou.Our results show that compared with children from lower‐SES families, preschoolers from higher‐SES families spend less time on digital devices daily, are less likely to use digital devices for prolonged time, and spend significantly less time on non‐education purposed and leisure activities. These socioeconomic differences in children's digital usage in terms of time and types of activities are attributable to the fact that parents of higher SES families impose more restrictions, provide more guidance to their children's digital activities, and are more conscious about their children's digital usage in daily life.In contemporary China, digital inequality emerges in early life and such inequality is closely related to family's digital parenting practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although statins reduce adverse cardiovascular outcomes, less than one-half of eligible patients receive treatment. A nonprescription statin has the potential to improve access to statins. This study sought to assess concordance between clinician and consumer assessment of eligibility for nonprescription statin treatment using a technology assisted self-selection Web application (Web App) and evaluate effect on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. This study was a prospective actual use 6-month study to evaluate use of a Web App to qualify participants without a medical background for a moderate-intensity statin based on current guidelines. Participants entered demographic information, cholesterol values, blood pressure, and concomitant medications into the Web App, resulting in 3 possible outcomes: "do not use," "ask a doctor," and "OK to use." The study included 1,196 participants, with a median age of 63 years (Q1-Q3: 57-68 years); 39.6% were women, 79.3% were White, 11.7% were Black, and 4.1% had limited literacy. Mean LDL-C was 139.6 ± 28.3 mg/dL and the median calculated 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease was 10.1% (Q1-Q3: 7.3%-14.0%). Initial Web App self-selection resulted in an outcome concordant with clinician assessment in 90.7% (95% CI: 88.9%-92.3%) of participants, and 98.1% (95% CI: 97.1%-98.8%) had a concordant final use outcome during treatment. Mean percent change in LDL-C was −35.5% (95% CI: −36.6% to −34.3%). Serious adverse events occurred in 27 (2.3%) participants, none related to the study drug. In this actual use study, a technology-assisted Web App allowed >90% of consumers to correctly self-select for statin use and achieve clinically important LDL-C reductions. (Technology-Assisted Cholesterol Trial in Consumers [TACTiC]; NCT04964544) [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explains the value of music for applying the UDL framework to university-level history instruction and highlights practical ways to integrate music in history teaching. It uses content analysis of convenience samples of degree program learning outcome statements and syllabi from American history courses addressing the nineteenth century to assess the suitability of musical materials. It explains how instructors can incorporate musical materials to provide learners with multiple means of representation and expression when working with course concepts. Relevant technologies discussed include repositories of digitized music and apps facilitating instructor and learner engagement with musical materials in history courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stress is a pervasive occurrence within certain professions, including nurses working in emergency and intensive care unit environments. Nurses in these settings often confront various stress-inducing factors, such as unsupportive management and distressing events like patient mortality, and experience notably higher levels of stress. Nevertheless, information is scarce regarding the precise level of stress in Ethiopia, particularly within southern hospitals. Objective: To assess stress levels and associated factors among nurses working in the critical care unit and emergency rooms at comprehensive specialized hospitals in southern Ethiopia, 2023. Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional explanatory sequential mixed-method study was undertaken, involving a total of 239 nurses. For the quantitative component, all nurses working in intensive care units and emergency rooms were included as participants, while a purposive sampling technique was employed to select participants for the qualitative aspect. Data for the quantitative study were gathered through the utilization of self-administered questionnaires, while interviews were conducted using a structured interview guide for the qualitative portion. Quantitative data entry and analysis were performed using EpiDataV4.6 and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software, respectively. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data was conducted using the OpenCode software. Results: The level of stress among nurses in the emergency and intensive care units was low (19.3%), moderate (55.9%), and high (24.8%). Workload (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 3.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.17–10.56) and time constraints (AOR = 2.5, 95% CI (1.03–6.07) were significantly associated with moderate stress level, while duty demands (AOR = 3.03, 95% CI (1.17–7.14), availability of medical equipment and supplies (AOR = 1.42, 95% CI (1.18–4.97), and witnessing death and dying (AOR = 2.34, 95% CI (1.13–5.88) were significantly associated with high-stress level. The qualitative data analysis revealed that the participants underscored the significant impact of organizational factors, individual factors, and profession-related factors on the stress levels experienced by nurses in emergency and critical care settings. Conclusion and recommendation: Based on the findings, the participants in this study experienced some level of stress, to varying degrees. Therefore, it is crucial to implement effective strategies such as optimizing staffing and workflow, improving communication and collaboration, providing adequate support and resources, leveraging technology and innovation, emphasizing patient-centered care, and implementing data-driven quality improvement to alleviate the burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Low-quality data presents a significant challenge for community health workers (CHWs) in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Mobile health (mHealth) applications offer a solution by enabling CHWs to record and submit data electronically. However, the barriers and benefits of mHealth usage among CHWs in informal urban settlements remain poorly understood. This study sought to determine the barriers and benefits of mHealth among CHWs in Banda parish, Kampala. Methods: This qualitative study involved 12 key informant interviews (KIIs) among focal persons from Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) and NGOs involved in data collected by CHWs, and officials from the Ministry of Health (MOH) and two mixed-sex Focused Group Discussions (FGDs) of CHWs from Banda parish, Kampala district. Data analysis utilised Atlas Ti Version 7.5.7. Thematic analysis was conducted, and themes were aligned with the social-ecological model. Results: Three themes of institutional and policy, community and interpersonal, and individual aligning to the Social ecological model highlighted the factors contributing to barriers and the benefits of mHealth among CHWs for iCCM. The key barriers to usability, acceptability and sustainability included high training costs, CHW demotivation, infrastructure limitations, data security concerns, community awareness deficits, and skill deficiencies. Conversely, mHealth offers benefits such as timely data submission, enhanced data quality, geo-mapping capabilities, improved CHW performance monitoring, community health surveillance, cost-effective reporting, and CHW empowering with technology. Conclusion: Despite limited mHealth experience, CHWs expressed enthusiasm for its potential. Implementation was viewed as a solution to multiple challenges, facilitating access to health information, efficient data reporting, and administrative processes, particularly in resource-constrained settings. Successful mHealth implementation requires addressing CHWs' demotivation, ensuring reliable power and network connectivity, and enhancing capacity for digital data ethics and management. By overcoming these barriers, mHealth can significantly enhance healthcare delivery at the community level, leveraging technology to optimize resource utilization and improve health outcomes. mHealth holds promise for transforming CHW practices, yet its effective integration necessitates targeted interventions to address systemic challenges and ensure sustainable implementation in LMIC contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Methods Results Consumer and community consultation Conclusion Individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI) experience high rates of poor functional outcomes such as inability to complete activities of daily living (ADL). Occupational therapy needs to be customised to the individual's function, goals, and environment to facilitate improvement in ADLs after ABI. Virtual reality (VR) is a novel treatment approach that aims to improve skills within an individualised environment. This study aimed to review the current literature for the use of VR platforms that incorporate ADLs to improve functional outcomes after ABI.This review followed the six‐stage framework by Arksey & O'Malley (2005). Electronic databases were searched for peer‐reviewed journal articles based on inclusion and exclusion criteria.One thousand and six hundred eighty articles were screened, including 413 full text articles and 13 articles were included for review. Among the 13 articles, six were RCTs and the rest were pre‐post intervention studies. Studies largely used non‐immersive VR platforms, which incorporated ADLs such as grocery shopping, aiming to improve functional outcomes.Consumer and community were not involved in executing this study.This review suggests mixed results if VR is effective at treating upper limb, cognition, and ADL function after ABI. Using their clinical reasoning, occupational therapists can determine the suitability of VR for ADL rehabilitation for specific patient populations and settings.Plain Language SummaryIndividuals who sustain an acquired brain injury can have difficulty performing their daily activities such as, making a meal or getting dressed, because of limited function (e.g., physical and cognitive problems). To help improve their ability to complete daily activities, occupational therapy needs to be customised to the individual's function, goals, and environment. Virtual reality is a new rehabilitation approach that allows individuals to improve their function in an individualised environment. In this study, we reviewed the current studies that have used virtual reality platforms that incorporate daily activities to improve function after acquired brain injury. We searched databases and screened the titles and abstracts of 1,680 studies. Then, 413 full‐text studies were screened, and 13 studies were included. Studies mostly used non‐immersive platforms to practise daily activities such as, grocery shopping, aiming to improve function after acquired brain injury. This review suggests mixed results if virtual reality can effectively treat function after acquired brain injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Despite recent advancements in experimental technology for genome-wide molecular profiling, our understanding of the dynamic mechanism underlying cancer drug resistance remains limited. In this study, we present an approach that combines mathematical modeling with the pseudotime analysis of single-cell time-series transcriptome data of drug-treated breast cancer cells. Our method identifies approximately 600 genes out of 6000 exhibiting multistable expression states, including RPS6KB1, a predictor of poor prognosis, cell survival, and growth in estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancers. The bifurcation analysis elucidates the regulatory mechanisms of the key regulatory genes, which can also be mapped into a molecular network based on cell survival and metastasis-related pathways, providing a comprehensive understanding of the interplay between signaling pathways and regulatory genes. Our method serves as a powerful tool for deciphering the complexities of drug resistance mechanisms in human diseases. Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology has provided significant insights into cancer drug resistance at the single-cell level. However, understanding dynamic cell transitions at the molecular systems level remains limited, requiring a systems biology approach. We present an approach that combines mathematical modeling with a pseudotime analysis using time-series scRNA-seq data obtained from the breast cancer cell line MCF-7 treated with tamoxifen. Our single-cell analysis identified five distinct subpopulations, including tamoxifen-sensitive and -resistant groups. Using a single-gene mathematical model, we discovered approximately 560–680 genes out of 6000 exhibiting multistable expression states in each subpopulation, including key estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer cell survival genes, such as RPS6KB1. A bifurcation analysis elucidated their regulatory mechanisms, and we mapped these genes into a molecular network associated with cell survival and metastasis-related pathways. Our modeling approach comprehensively identifies key regulatory genes for drug resistance acquisition, enhancing our understanding of potential drug targets in breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Virtual reality (VR) is one of the most rapidly growing technological advancements being studied, developed, and implemented in mental health care. It offers a wide array of possibilities that go beyond the traditional ways of providing mental health care services. Many interventions require clients to learn new skills in order for change to occur. Relevant to this study, behavioral parent-training (BPT) interventions are focused on the acquisition of parenting skills in order to change child behavior. VR was added to the Parent–Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) – a known BPT intervention — as an additional practice tool. In the present study, which is part of a larger study, the qualitative experiences of (PCIT-)VR from both parents' and therapists' perspectives are evaluated, as well as their suggestions for implementation. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven parents. Five therapists participated in a focus group and three additional semi-structured interviews were conducted with therapists. To analyze, a combination of deductive and inductive thematic analysis was used. Results: Responses from interviews were divided into three categories: (1) parents' evaluation, (2) therapists' evaluation, and (3) suggestions for implementation from both parents and therapists. Next to a positive overall experience with PCIT, a large number of parents were also positive about the addition of VR to treatment. Both parents and therapists experienced VR as a useful additional practice tool. The additional practice in VR led to a boost in confidence in using positive parenting skills. There were mixed experiences regarding the ease and immersion of the tool. Suggestions for implementation from both parents and therapists were to make the tool more appealing and realistic, to vary more in VR modules and to improve certain practical aspects. Conclusion: Adding VR to PCIT is still a pioneering piece of technology within PCIT. The value of this VR tool lies in the provision of the possibility to practice with skills outside of the therapeutic encounter, which has the potential to instill confidence in using those skills. Given the positive experiences regarding PCIT-VR, it is important to further develop the VR tool. We believe that ultimately, PCIT-VR can potentially serve as a customized way for parents to practice what they are taught during the treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractObjective: Computerized assessment of cognitive functioning has gained significant popularity over recent years, yet options for clinical assessment of executive functioning (EF) are lacking. One computerized testing platform, CNS Vital Signs (CNS-VS), offers tests designed to measure EF but requires further validation. The goal of the present study was to validate CNS-VS executive scores against standard clinical measures of EF. We also sought to determine whether a modified CNS-VS composite score that included variables purported to measure inhibition, switching, and working memory would outperform the currently available CNS-VS Executive Function Index. Method: A sample of 73 cognitively healthy older adults completed four tests from the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System, the Digit Span subtest from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-fourth edition, and three CNS-VS tasks purported to measure inhibition, switching, and working memory. Results: Performances on the CNS-VS tests were predicted by performances on standard paper-and-pencil measures. Although the currently available CNS-VS Executive Function Index predicted unique variance in a well-validated paper-and-pencil EF composite score, our Modified CNS-VS EF composite accounted for unique variance above and beyond the original CNS-VS Executive Function Index, while the reverse was not true. Conclusions: The present results support the construct validity of CNS-VS EF tests but also suggest that modifications to their current composite scores would improve the prediction of EF performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]