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Community-based organizations (CBOs) serving older ethnic minority adults, especially older immigrants, are vital to satisfy their complex social, health, and behavioral health needs. This study uses organizational theories and a case study approach to examine how the organizational responses to the multifaceted impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and progress beyond the pandemic-related responses. Four CBOs serving older Chinese immigrants in New York City were examined. Results indicate that driven by unmet psychosocial needs of older Chinese immigrants and public health measures, CBOs modified practice protocols and established (or strengthened) collaborative relationships with medical providers and other CBOs. COVID-19 responses include CBOs' transformations in organizational structures (e.g. collaboration) and operational activities (e.g. telehealth). Successful transformations of CBOs were primarily due to prior adaptiveness to integrated care reform and assured needed resources before the pandemic; the transformation reflected orderly organizational progress rather than a temporary management strategy. PRACTICE POINT: CBOs modified practice protocols, established (or strengthened) collaborative relationships, and increased service coordination to address the unmet psychosocial needs of older Chinese immigrants and public health measures. Amidst evolving pandemic-related challenges, community-based organizations (CBOs) fostered collaborative partnerships and provided integrated care services, playing a crucial role in addressing the mental health needs of older immigrants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizational theories explain CBOs' adaptive behaviors during the pandemic, as they provided essential services to vulnerable older immigrants while navigating normative and coercive pressures to meet evolving needs and secure funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) model, social work students based in three different countries (U.S. China, U.K.) were invited to participate in intercultural discussions about the development of the welfare systems in these countries. The discussion forum and COIL activities were conducted using synchronous virtual meetings via Zoom which were referred to as ‘virtual cocktail parties.’ Fifteen synchronous sessions were offered, and a total of 91 students participated in the COIL classes. This endeavor aims to enhance students’ utilization of a peer learning format for intercultural effectiveness, thereby fostering a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the intricate aspects of social work practice. Through discussions with their peers in different countries, social work students recognized how, interculturally, they were impacted by social problems and professional situations. Learners also reflected, dialogued, and shared in contexts marked by cultural diversity. COIL appears to encourage students to develop a sense of global citizenship, fostering a deeper understanding of their roles and responsibilities in an interconnected world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since decision-makers in reality are not always able to analyze problems perfectly rationally, a pursuit evasion game algorithm based on bounded rationality is proposed. It establishes a pursuit evasion game model and first solves the saddle point strategies of the two players under perfect rationality. Introducing the bounded rationality level- k model, a structural assumption is made on the level of thinking strategies for pursuers and evaders. It allows both parties to have different strategic reasoning abilities, and gives corresponding levels' value functions and strategies, which satisfy the HJI equation. As the level increases, the strategy will eventually tend towards Nash equilibrium. Due to the difficulty in directly solving the HJI equation, an actor critic algorithm based on reinforcement learning is used to solve it. The algorithm is designed to enable pursuers to estimate the thinking level of evaders and adopt appropriate strategies. Simplify the motion of a ship as a two-dimensional mathematical model, this paper establishes a ship pursuit and evasion game model, and performs algorithm simulation verification on it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preparation methods can affect the type and dispersion of Cu species, as well as the interaction between Cu species and supports in catalysts. Cu/Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 catalysts with Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 sosolid as the support and Cu loading (mass fraction) of 15% were prepared by deposition precipitation, ammonia evaporation, impregnation and co-precipitation methods, respectively. The phase compositions, texture properties, Cu dispersions and microstructures of the catalysts were characterized by XRD, N2 physical adsorption/desorption, N2O titration, SEM, etc. And the catalytic performances of the catalysts for methanol steam reforming to produce hydrogen were evaluated in a fixed-bed reactor. The results show that compared with the Cu/Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 catalysts prepared by another three methods, the Cu/Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 catalyst (Cu/Ce0.8Zr0.2O2-DP) prepared by deposition precipitation method has the largest specific surface area (82.5 m2/g) and Cu specific surface area (206.0 m2/g), as well as the highest Cu dispersion (30.5%). Under the reaction conditions of 250, atmospheric pressure, n(deionized water):n(methanol) of 1.3:1.0 and liquid space velocity of 6 mL/(g·h) for 24 h, Cu/Ce0.8Zr0.2O2-DP shows relatively optimal catalytic performance with methanol conversion rate of 95.2%, hydrogen production rate of 286.8 mmol/(g·h) and CO selectivity of 0.86%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: Lin. Lin, Qingwen. Xu, Feipeng. Xu, Caijin. Zhou, Xianjin. Huang, Rihong. Chen, Haiping. Jiang Background: To summarise data from previous reports and perform a meta-analysis to compare the short-term [...]

Objective: The study aimed to reinvestigate psychological mechanisms of the influence of construction workers' experience on hazard recognition performance, with signal detection theory (SDT) and electroencephalogram (EEG) readings. Background: Existing evidence regarding the effect of experience on hazard recognition performance in the construction industry remains inconsistent. Behavior-wise, identification of dominant hazard recognition factors (sensitivity or response bias, or both) would help determine appropriate training strategies to improve hazard recognition. In terms of neuro-responses, induced gamma-band activity was expected to reflect the cognitive functions mediating the psychological effects of experience. Method: Seventy-seven construction workers participated in a predesigned hazard recognition task, in which participants judged whether a hazard was present from a series of construction scenario pictures. We computed and compared the sensitivity and response bias of SDT and time-frequency representations of recorded EEG signals of the two experience-level groups. Results: Novice workers had higher hazard recognition rates. Behavior-wise, novices were more sensitive than more experienced workers. Compared with experienced workers, novices showed stronger gamma-band difference power (hazardous minus safe) in the left frontal and right posterior parietal areas during the hazard recognition process. Conclusion: Novices performed better at hazard recognition, indicating their sensitivity to the hazards without a clear difference in response bias. Based on the EEG data, novices' sensitivity may be attributed to more efficient working memory and attentional control. Application: There is a need for continuous refreshment of hazard recognition skills for experienced workers for safety interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid urbanisation and population growth in the cities, the People's Republic of China has recognised the importance of community development based on an ever-increasing demand for social services. In 1994, the Chinese government adopted community service as an alternative way of providing the supplemental safety net in urban areas. Along with this top-down approach, resident-initiated activities, participation and grassroots organisations at the community level are growing at an incredible pace. Using a case study, this study explores the context and aspects of community services, participation and community development in a Chinese urban community. Results indicate that China's reformed market economy and welfare system presses ordinary urban people to reconnect to the local community to ensure welfare security and quality of life. Community participation in China has rediscovered the path of community development and re-interpreted the top-down and bottom-up approaches in the context of community services. © 2006 The Author(s) Journal compilation © 2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare.

With the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, welfare recipients are faced with new work requirements and sanctions, including a five-year time limit on receiving public assistance. Due to difficulties in adjustment to American society and lack of human capital for the labor market, Asian immigrants and refugees face obstacles transitioning from welfare to work. The majority of individuals in the San Francisco Bay Area who have reached the five-year time limit since January 2003 are of Asian descent. Without adequate welfare-to-work services, restrictions and time limits are leaving many Asian recipients without the proficiencies required for employment, as well as without the cash assistance needed for survival. Using a qualitative study approach by conducting three focus groups with Asian welfare recipients in the San Francisco Bay Area, findings of this study indicate that existing welfare-to-work programs do not meet the unique needs of this population. Their barriers for achieving self-sufficiency are not adequately addressed by welfare reform’s “work first” approach. Instead, findings suggest that welfare-to-work program strategies for this population should incorporate culturally competent support services, human capital development, and strength-based approaches. As more Asian immigrant families lose cash assistance as a result of reaching the five-year time limit, the need to improve welfare-to-work programs and policies for this population has become increasingly urgent.