2,499 research outputs found
Researching animal research: What the humanities and social sciences can contribute to laboratory animal science and welfare
Every year around 80 million scientific procedures are carried out on animals globally. These experiments have the potential to generate new understandings of biology and clinical treatments. They also give rise to ongoing societal debate.This book demonstrates how the humanities and social sciences can contribute to understanding what is created through animal procedures - including constitutional forms of research governance, different institutional cultures of care, the professional careers of scientists and veterinarians, collaborations with patients and publics, and research animals, specially bred for experiments or surplus to requirements.Developing the idea of the animal research nexus, this book explores how connections and disconnections are made between these different elements, how these have reshaped each other historically, and how they configure the current practice and policy of UK animal research
Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) Applications in Payment, Clearing, and Settlement Systems:A Study of Blockchain-Based Payment Barriers and Potential Solutions, and DLT Application in Central Bank Payment System Functions
Payment, clearing, and settlement systems are essential components of the financial markets and exert considerable influence on the overall economy. While there have been considerable technological advancements in payment systems, the conventional systems still depend on centralized architecture, with inherent limitations and risks. The emergence of Distributed ledger technology (DLT) is being regarded as a potential solution to transform payment and settlement processes and address certain challenges posed by the centralized architecture of traditional payment systems (Bank for International Settlements, 2017). While proof-of-concept projects have demonstrated the technical feasibility of DLT, significant barriers still hinder its adoption and implementation. The overarching objective of this thesis is to contribute to the developing area of DLT application in payment, clearing and settlement systems, which is still in its initial stages of applications development and lacks a substantial body of scholarly literature and empirical research. This is achieved by identifying the socio-technical barriers to adoption and diffusion of blockchain-based payment systems and the solutions proposed to address them. Furthermore, the thesis examines and classifies various applications of DLT in central bank payment system functions, offering valuable insights into the motivations, DLT platforms used, and consensus algorithms for applicable use cases. To achieve these objectives, the methodology employed involved a systematic literature review (SLR) of academic literature on blockchain-based payment systems. Furthermore, we utilized a thematic analysis approach to examine data collected from various sources regarding the use of DLT applications in central bank payment system functions, such as central bank white papers, industry reports, and policy documents. The study's findings on blockchain-based payment systems barriers and proposed solutions; challenge the prevailing emphasis on technological and regulatory barriers in the literature and industry discourse regarding the adoption and implementation of blockchain-based payment systems. It highlights the importance of considering the broader socio-technical context and identifying barriers across all five dimensions of the social technical framework, including technological, infrastructural, user practices/market, regulatory, and cultural dimensions. Furthermore, the research identified seven DLT applications in central bank payment system functions. These are grouped into three overarching themes: central banks' operational responsibilities in payment and settlement systems, issuance of central bank digital money, and regulatory oversight/supervisory functions, along with other ancillary functions. Each of these applications has unique motivations or value proposition, which is the underlying reason for utilizing in that particular use case
Influence of Preaching’s Rhetorical Appeal on Evangelical Listeners’ Motivation
Preaching is a form of rhetorical narratology aimed at persuading its audience via sermons to experience a renewal of the mind and the transformation of their life. While previous research established the fact that listeners comprehend sermons through their rhetorical appeal, it has been unclear how this has motivated evangelical listeners to act. The purpose of this qualitative narrative study was to explore how the rhetorical appeal of preaching influences evangelical listeners’ motivation at evangelical churches in Savannah, Georgia. A comprehensive approach to exploring a sermon’s rhetorical appeal was utilized by focusing jointly on individual perception and social context. The Narrative Transportation Theory served as the theoretical framework, and 34 participants from six churches were interviewed to reach saturation. The findings showed that the rhetorical appeal embedded in preaching, plus its narrative essence, influences evangelical listener motivation. In addition, listeners subconsciously understand that aspects of rhetoric and narrative work together in sermons to influence their motivation. This study specifically identified three themes, seven categories, 13 conditions, and 32 codes relevant for rhetorical appeal to be effective and to help motivation occur. The three themes of Relatability, Applicability, and Engagement were aligned with Ethos, Logos, and Pathos, and then integrated with Environmental, Cognitive, and Behavioral functions, to create the Sermon Listener Motivation Triangle. This study’s corroboration of preaching’s collaborative nature between the perfectly divine and the imperfectly human is shared in hopes of helping speakers prepare scripturally authentic sermons and communicate in engaging ways that inspire change
Measuring the Impact of China’s Digital Heritage: Developing Multidimensional Impact Indicators for Digital Museum Resources
This research investigates how to best assess the impact of China’s digital heritage and focuses on digital museum resources. It is motivated by the need for tools to help governing bodies and heritage organisations assess the impact of digital heritage resources. The research sits at the intersection of Chinese cultural heritage, digital heritage, and impact assessment (IA) studies, which forms the theoretical framework of the thesis. Informed by the Balanced Value Impact (BVI) Model, this thesis addresses the following questions: 1. How do Western heritage discourses and Chinese culture shape ‘cultural heritage’ and the museum digital ecosystem in modern China? 2. Which indicators demonstrate the multidimensional impacts of digital museum resources in China? How should the BVI Model be adapted to fit the Chinese cultural landscape? 3. How do different stakeholders perceive these impact indicators? What are the implications for impact indicator development and application? This research applies a mixed-method approach, combining desk research, survey, and interview with both public audiences and museum professionals. The research findings identify 18 impact indicators, covering economic, social, innovation and operational dimensions. Notably, the perceived usefulness and importance of different impact indicators vary among and between public participants and museum professionals. The study finds the BVI Model helpful in guiding the indicator development process, particularly in laying a solid foundation to inform decision-making. The Strategic Perspectives and Value Lenses provide a structure to organise various indicators and keep them focused on the impact objectives. However, the findings also suggest that the Value Lenses are merely signifiers; their signified meanings change with cultural contexts and should be examined when the Model is applied in a different cultural setting. This research addresses the absence of digital resource IA in China’s heritage sector. It contributes to the field of IA for digital heritage within and beyond the Chinese context by challenging the current target-setting culture in performance evaluation. Moreover, the research ratifies the utility of the BVI Model while modifying it to fit China’s unique cultural setting. This thesis as a whole demonstrates the value of using multidimensional impact indicators for evidence-based decision-making and better museum practices in the digital domain
Leadership in virtual teams during the Covid-19 pandemic
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, an accelerated shift to remote work has obstructed traditional working models and methods and advanced adoption of virtual and hybrid work models. Digital-based businesses have been shown to survive without the need for a physical office; it opens the door for new challenges, skills, and opportunities for leaders to thrive in a virtual environment. Critical considerations for e-leaders to address are communication, technology, diversity, trust, and distance. Individual and organizational adaptation to this new reality requires e-leaders to embrace new skills such as communication, building trust, change management, ICT tools, and emotional intelligence to stay competitive in a fast-phased and constantly changing virtual environment. Nevertheless, there is a lack of research in understanding virtual leadership challenges and skills within the private sector during Covid-19. There is also limited information on how leadership has changed or evolved since the pandemic's beginning and its transition to remote work until today's ‘new normal’. Prior research focuses more on the employees’ experiences in a virtual-only environment, overlooking the leaders’ perspectives.
This research aims to investigate the leadership evolution during Covid-19, focusing on challenges faced by leaders and the skills required to lead effectively in a virtual environment during crisis times. The objectives are to identify the skills required by successful leaders in leading their teams and to examine the challenges faced by leaders managing virtual teams during the pandemic as well as investigate how virtual leadership may have evolved from the start of the pandemic until the present day.
The research was a qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews. Eight interviewees who have been leading remote teams during the pandemic participated in the study. The data analysis was based on qualitative content- and thematic analysis. Furthermore, the study was abductive and exploratory in nature.
The results of this thesis suggest that effective leadership in a virtual environment re-quires general adaptability and flexibility in communication and management styles. Commitment in several areas, such as trust building, good command of handling ICT tools, upholding boundaries in work-life balance, and showing empathy and understanding, were other critical factors of effective leadership. Further, change management and emotional intelligence were mentioned as crucial for success in virtual leadership. All in all, the research suggests that e-leadership during the pandemic has become more complicated, which requires a broad set of skills to address any imminent challenges and the need to adapt to an emerging virtual environment.
Some implications for leaders include doubling down on open communication a priority and making it a priority, building trust with employees through consistent meetings, maintaining a balance between work and personal life, and being adaptable to any emerging e-leadership challenges or skills in the virtual environment.Covid-19-pandemian vuoksi etätyöhön siirtyminen on nopeutunut, mikä on muokannut ja monimuotoistanut perinteisiä työskentelymalleja ja -menetelmiä ja edistänyt virtuaalisten ja hybridityömallien käyttöönottoa. On osoitettu, että digitaalisiin liiketoimintoihin perustuvat yritykset voivat selviytyä ilman fyysistä toimistoa, ja tämä avaa uusia haasteita, taitoja ja mahdollisuuksia johtajille menestyä virtuaalisessa ympäristössä. E-johtajien on tärkeää käsitellä viestintää, teknologiaa, monimuotoisuutta, luottamusta ja etäisyyttä. Yksilöiden ja organisaatioiden sopeutuminen tähän uuteen todellisuuteen edellyttää e-johtajilta uusien taitojen, kuten viestinnän, luottamuksen rakentamisen, muutosjohtamisen, tietotekniikan työkalujen ja tunneälyn, omaksumista kilpailukyvyn säilyttämiseksi nopeasti muuttuvassa ja jatkuvasti muuttuvassa virtuaalisessa ympäristössä. Siitä huolimatta yksityissektorin virtuaalijohtamisen haasteiden ja taitojen ymmärtämisessä on vähän tutkimusta Covid-19-aikana. Tieto siitä, miten johtajuus on muuttunut tai kehittynyt pandemian alusta ja etä-työhön siirtymisestä nykyiseen "uuteen normaaliin", on myös rajallista. Aiemmat tutkimukset keskittyvät enemmän työntekijöiden kokemuksiin vain virtuaalisessa ympäristössä ja jättävät huomiotta johtajien näkökulmat. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena on selvittää johtajuuden kehitystä Covid-19-aikana keskittyen johtajien kohtaamiin haasteisiin ja kriisiaikoina virtuaalisessa ympäristössä tehokkaasti johtamiseen tarvittaviin taitoihin. Tavoitteina ovat tunnistaa menestyksekkäiden johtajien tarvitsemat taidot johtaessaan tiimejään ja tarkastella pandemian aikana virtuaalitiimejä johtavien johtajien kohtaamia haasteita sekä selvittää, miten virtuaalinen johtajuus on voinut kehittyä pandemian alusta nykypäivään. Tutkimus oli laadullinen tutkimus, joka perustui puolistrukturoituihin haastatteluihin. Kahdeksan haastateltavaa, jotka ovat johtaneet etätiimejä pandemian aikana osallistui tutkimukseen. Aineiston analyysi perustui laadulliseen sisältö- ja teema-analyysiin. Lisäksi tutkimus oli abduktiivinen ja tutkiva luonteeltaan. Tämän tutkimuksen tulokset viittaavat siihen, että tehokas johtaminen virtuaalisessa ympäristössä edellyttää yleistä sopeutumiskykyä ja joustavuutta viestinnässä ja johtamistyyleissä. Sitoutuminen useilla alueilla, kuten luottamuksen rakentaminen, hyvä tietotekniikan työkalujen käsittelytaito, työ- ja yksityiselämän tasapainon ylläpitäminen sekä empatian ja ymmärryksen osoittaminen, olivat muita tehokkaan johtajuuden kriittisiä tekijöitä. Lisäksi muutosjohtaminen ja tunneäly mainittiin ratkaiseviksi menestykselle virtuaali- johtamisessa. Kaiken kaikkiaan tutkimus viittaa siihen, että e-johtajuus pandemian aikana on muuttunut monimutkaisemmaksi, mikä edellyttää laajaa taitojoukkoa käsitelläkseen kaikkia mahdollisia haasteita ja sopeutuakseen nousevaan virtuaaliseen ympäristöön. Johtajille tarkoitetut joitain seurauksia ovat avoimen viestinnän kaksinkertaistaminen ja sen asettaminen etusijalle, luottamuksen rakentaminen työntekijöihin säännöllisten tapaamisten avulla, työ- ja henkilökohtaisen elämän välisen tasapainon ylläpitäminen sekä mukautumiskyky kaikkiin nouseviin e-johtajuuden haasteisiin tai taitoihin virtuaalisessa ympäristössä
Smart object-oriented access control: Distributed access control for the Internet of Things
Ensuring that data and devices are secure is of critical importance to information technology. While access control has held a key role in traditional computer security, its role in the evolving Internet of Things is less clear. In particular, the access control literature has suggested that new challenges, such as multi-user controls, fine-grained controls, and dynamic controls, prompt a foundational re-thinking of access control. We analyse these challenges, finding instead that the main foundational challenge posed by the Internet of Things involves decentralization: accurately describing access control in Internet of Things environments (e.g., the Smart Home) requires a new model of multiple, independent access control systems. To address this challenge, we propose a meta-model (i.e., a model of models): Smart Object-Oriented Access Control (SOOAC). This model is an extension of the XACML framework, built from principles relating to modularity adapted from object-oriented programming and design.
SOOAC draws attention to a new class of problem involving the resolution of policy conflicts that emerge from the interaction of smart devices in the home. Contrary to traditional (local) policy conflicts, these global policy conflicts emerge when contradictory policies exist across multiple access control systems. We give a running example of a global policy conflict involving transitive access. To automatically avoid global policy conflicts before they arise, we extend SOOAC with a recursive algorithm through which devices communicate access requests before allowing or denying access themselves. This algorithm ensures that both individual devices and the collective smart home are secure. We implement SOOAC within a prototype smart home and assess its validity in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. Our analysis shows that SOOAC is successful at avoiding policy conflicts before they emerge, in real time. Finally, we explore improvements that can be made to SOOAC and suggest directions for future work
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Production networks in the cultural and creative sector: case studies from the publishing industry
The CICERONE project investigates cultural and creative industries through case study research, with a focus on production networks. This report, part of WP2, examines the publishing industry within this framework. It aims to understand the industry’s hidden aspects, address statistical issues in measurement, and explore the industry’s transformation and integration of cultural and economic values. The report provides an overview of the production network, explores statistical challenges, and presents qualitative analyses of two case studies. It concludes by highlighting the potential of the Global Production Network (GPN) approach for analyzing, researching, policymaking, and intervening in the European publishing network.
The CICERONE project’s case study research delves into the publishing industry, investigating its production networks and examining key aspects often unseen by the public. The report addresses statistical challenges in measuring the industry and sheds light on its ongoing transformations and integration of cultural and economic values. It presents an overview of the production network, explores statistical issues, and provides qualitative analyses of two case studies. The report emphasizes the potential of the GPN approach for analyzing and intervening in the European publishing network, ultimately contributing to research, policymaking, and understanding within the industry
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