8,083 research outputs found

    Implementing screening and brief Interventions for excessive alcohol consumption in primary health care

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    O consumo de bebidas alcoólicas é um dos principais fatores de risco da morbilidade e mortalidade prematura a nível mundial. As pessoas que consomem este género de bebidas têm um risco aumentado de vir a desenvolver mais de 200 problemas de saúde diferentes. A maioria do impacto do consumo de álcool na saúde humana é determinado por duas dimensões: o volume total de álcool consumido e o padrão de consumo. Existem várias medidas com comprovada eficácia que podem ser empregues para reduzir o risco associado ao consumo de álcool, entre as quais se encontra a deteção precoce e intervenção breve ao nível dos Cuidados de Saúde Primários. A maioria dos profissionais de saúde neste nível de cuidados considera o consumo de álcool como um importante problema de saúde e manifesta o seu apoio a medidas que visem reduzir o seu impacto. No entanto, poucos são os profissionais dos Cuidados de Saúde Primários que de forma sistemática identificam e aconselham os seus doentes relativamente aos seus hábitos etílicos. Como tal, o objetivo geral desta tese foi investigar como implementar a deteção precoce e intervenção breve no consumo excessivo de álcool nos Cuidados de Saúde Primários. Foi realizada uma revisão sistemática das barreiras e facilitadores à implementação da deteção precoce e intervenção breve no consumo excessivo de álcool nos Cuidados de Saúde Primários. As barreiras e facilitadores identificados nesta revisão foram analisados à luz da teoria de modificação comportamental para compreender a ligação destes fatores aos determinantes da mudança de comportamento, e para identificar as estratégias conceptualmente mais eficazes para abordar as barreiras e facilitadores à mudança de comportamento dos profissionais dos Cuidados de Saúde Primários no sentido de aumentar as taxas de deteção precoce e intervenção breve no consumo excessivo de álcool. Esta metodologia foi utilizada para desenhar um programa de implementação com base em pressupostos teóricos que foi testado num estudo experimental randomizado e controlado em clusters. Esta tese identificou diversas barreiras à implementação, ligadas a todos os domínios teóricos da mudança comportamental. As barreiras mais frequentemente mencionadas pelos profissionais foram: preocupação sobre as suas competências e eficácia para realizar a deteção precoce e intervenção breve; falta de conhecimento específico sobre o consumo de álcool; falta de tempo; falta de materiais; falta de apoio; e atitudes para com o doente com consumos excessivos de álcool. Esta tese mostrou também a existência de dois grupos distintos de médicos de família com base nas suas atitudes para com estes doentes, um com atitudes mais positivas, o outro com atitudes mais negativas. Esta tese mostrou ainda que um programa de implementação da deteção precoce e intervenção breve, desenhado com base em pressupostos teóricos de modificação comportamental, adaptado às barreiras e facilitadores da implementação, aumenta de forma significativa as taxas de identificação precoce dos consumos de álcool. Esta tese contribui para aumentar o conhecimento atual no sentido em que põe à disposição dos investigadores evidência prática sobre como abordar os fatores com influência na implementação da identificação precoce e intervenção breve para o consumo de álcool ao nível dos Cuidados de Saúde Primários. Esta tese contribui também para um melhor entendimento dos mecanismos subjacentes à resistência e à mudança de comportamento dos profissionais dos Cuidados de Saúde Primários no que respeita à implementação da deteção precoce e intervenção breve do consumo de álcool. Os resultados desta tese poderão ser usados por investigadores e decisores políticos para desenhar novos programas de implementação tendo como objetivo modificar esta prática clínica ao nível dos Cuidados de Saúde Primários.Alcohol use is among the leading risk factors for the global burden of disease and premature death. People who drink alcoholic beverages are at risk of developing more than 200 diseases and injury conditions. Most of the impact of alcohol consumption on human health and well-being is determined by two dimensions of drinking: the total volume of alcohol consumed and the pattern of drinking. Several effective strategies exist to reduce the harmful use of alcohol, which includes screening and brief interventions for excessive alcohol use in primary health care. The majority of primary health care providers agree that the excessive consumption of alcohol is an important health issue and express their support to policies for reducing the impact of alcohol on the health of their patients. Notwithstanding, implementation of screening and brief interventions is low at the primary health care level. Therefore, the overall aim of this thesis is to investigate how to implement screening and brief interventions for excessive alcohol consumption in primary health care. This thesis reviewed the barriers of, and facilitators for, the implementation of alcohol screening and brief interventions in primary health care. Behaviour change theory was used to understand how these factors linked to the determinants of behaviour change and how they could be addressed in order to change primary health care providers’ behaviour, i.e. to increase the delivery of alcohol screening and brief interventions. A comprehensive theory-based implementation programme was designed and tested in a cluster randomized controlled trial. This thesis identified several barriers to implementation which were mapped to all the theoretical domains of behaviour change. Primary health care providers concerns about their ability to deliver alcohol screening and brief interventions and to help patients to cut down, lack of alcohol-related knowledge, lack of time, lack of materials and support, and providers’ attitudes towards at-risk drinkers were among the most commonly cited barriers. This thesis found evidence that the attitudes of family physicians could be used to divide practitioners into two distinct groups, one with more positive and the other with more negative attitudes towards at-risk drinkers. This thesis also found that a behaviour change theory-based programme, tailored to the barriers for, and facilitators of, the implementation of screening and brief intervention in primary health care is effective in increasing alcohol screening rates. This thesis contributed to the evidence base by providing researchers with practical evidence on how to address the factors influencing the implementation of screening and brief interventions in primary health care. This thesis also provides researchers with insight into the behavioural mechanisms mediating primary health care providers’ decision to deliver alcohol screening and brief interventions. The results of this thesis could be used by researchers and policymakers to inform the design of novel theory-oriented interventions to support the implementation of alcohol screening and brief interventions in primary health care

    Proceedings of the 10th International congress on architectural technology (ICAT 2024): architectural technology transformation.

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    The profession of architectural technology is influential in the transformation of the built environment regionally, nationally, and internationally. The congress provides a platform for industry, educators, researchers, and the next generation of built environment students and professionals to showcase where their influence is transforming the built environment through novel ideas, businesses, leadership, innovation, digital transformation, research and development, and sustainable forward-thinking technological and construction assembly design

    Integrating art and AI: Evaluating the educational impact of AI tools in digital art history learning

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    This study delves into the burgeoning intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and art history education, an area that has been relatively unexplored. The research focuses on how AI art generators impact learning outcomes in art history for both undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in Ancient Art courses, covering eras from ancient Mesopotamia to the fall of Rome. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the study analyzes AI-generated artworks, reflective essays, and survey responses to assess how these generative tools influence students’ comprehension, engagement, and creative interpretation of historical artworks. The study reveals that the use of AI tools in art history not only enhances students’ understanding of artistic concepts but also fosters a deeper, more nuanced appreciation of art from the periods studied. The findings indicate that engaging with AI tools promotes critical thinking and creativity, which are crucial competencies in the study of art history. Survey data further suggest that the integration of AI in art history positively influences students’ perceptions of the discipline, aligning well with contemporary digital trends. One of the significant outcomes of the study is the varied experiences of students with AI tools. While some faced challenges with the technology, particularly in accurately capturing complex artwork details and crafting effective prompts, others found success in using AI to generate detailed and creative interpretations of historical pieces. These experiences underscore the potential of AI as a valuable pedagogical tool in art history and humanities education, offering novel insights into teaching methodologies

    IT skills, occupation specificity and job separations

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    This paper examines how workers’ earnings change after involuntary job separations depending on the workers’ acquired IT skills and the specificity of their occupational training. We categorize workers’ occupational skill bundles along two independent dimensions. First, we distinguish between skill bundles that are more specific or less specific compared to the skill bundles needed in the overall labor market. Second, as digitalization becomes ever more important, we distinguish between skill bundles that contain two different types of IT skills, generic or expert IT skills. We expect that after involuntary separations, these different types of IT skills can have opposing effects, either reducing or amplifying earnings losses of workers with specific skill bundles. We find clearly opposing results for workers in specific occupations—but not in general occupations: Having more generic IT skills is positively correlated with earnings after involuntary separations, whereas more expert IT skills is negatively correlated

    Head in the BitCloud: A Discussion on the Copyrightability and Ownership Rights in Generative Digital Art and Non-Fungible Tokens

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    This Comment discusses three major copyright questions raised by non-fungible tokens (NFTs) creation and distribution in the digital art world. First, how does employing AI in the creation of generative and derivative digital art and NFTs affect the copyright requirements of authorship? Second, who is the rightful owner of an NFT image pre- and post-purchase? Finally, how does the first sale doctrine apply to NFT image purchases and are those protections enough to resolve future copyright-specific NFT claims? In Part I, an introductory example is laid out to showcase the complex issues generative and derivative digital art and NFT images create within copyright law. Part II provides a foundational knowledge of key topics. This section explains what blockchain technology, smart contracts, and cryptocurrency are, and how they relate to the creation and sale of NFTs and NFT images. It goes on to address key NFT concepts such as on-chain and off-chain transactions, while outlining why there is real value in purchasing NFT images. This section concludes by discussing the future application of NFTs to other professional industries. Part III discusses how copyright law and NFTs interact. It explores the arguments on both sides of the copyright debate discussing AI-generated creative works and the authorship requirement. It then determines that most original and generated NFT images should be copyrightable because of the amount of creativity and planning that goes into creating the NFT projects and the AI that generates these NFT images. This portion also discusses who the rightful owner should be when generative NFT image projects spawn derivative NFT images, determining the artist who created the derivative NFT project is likely the default owner of the resulting works. Part IV then turns to the question of how the current first sale doctrine applies to NFT images. It briefly discusses how past legislative amendments have failed to address default rights in digital works while arguing the current doctrine does not adequately protect NFT image artists or purchasers. It then discusses how amending the first sale doctrine is the most efficient way to ensure an NFT image’s copyright is not diluted, while subsequently protecting both NFT artists and purchasers. It proposes an amendment to the first sale doctrine that would grant NFT image purchasers specific default rights in the NFT images they are purchasing. It distinguishes NFT images from former digital goods seeking first sale protection by addressing long-held concerns Congress has wrestled with when discussing digital asset ownership in the past. This section focuses on how the transparency and immutability of blockchain and smart contracts has nullified the issues of increased piracy risk and former inadequate asset tracking protocols. Finally, Part V summarizes why this type of amendment would be the best way to ensure NFTs continue providing value to the artistic community without diluting the creative rights they were created to track and protect

    La Forma del cáncer: Socialización y representación visual de la enfermedad en Instagram

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    Social media platforms like Instagram are a source of information and support for cancer patients. On this platform, millions of images shared by patients, organisations and the general public give shape to the social imagination of one of the most feared illnesses around the world. This thesis proposes a method to identify and obtain images of cancer from Instagram, a social media that in 2022 remains nearly inaccessible to research. Through a transdisciplinary lens, it combines the sociology of everyday life, visual sociology and methodologies from social media analysis to discover visual patterns in the images and find alternative discourses. The results show the variety of visual resources that patients use to communicate their illness and support the construction of their identity. They also show how Instagram’s economy of affection favours the publication of positive images, aligned with the discourse of survivorship, while they hamper the expression of other experiences. It concludes with the proposal for a new regime in the communication of cancer, based on the concept of socialisation.Las redes sociales visuales como Instagram son una fuente de información y apoyo para pacientes de cáncer. En esta red, millones de imágenes compartidas por pacientes, organizaciones y por el público general configuran la imaginación social de una de las enfermedades más temidas en todo el mundo. Esta tesis plantea una metodología para extraer y estudiar imágenes de esta red, prácticamente inaccesible para la investigación en 2022, y para su codificación. A través de un enfoque transdisciplinar, combina la sociología de la vida cotidiana, la sociología visual y las metodologías del análisis de redes sociales para descubrir patrones visuales en las imágenes de cáncer e identificar discursos alternativos. Los resultados muestran la variedad de recursos visuales que utilizan los pacientes de cáncer para comunicar su enfermedad y apoyar un proceso de construcción de la identidad. Muestran también cómo la economía afectiva de esta plataforma favorece la publicación de imágenes positivas y alineadas con el discurso de la supervivencia, mientras que supone un reto para visibilizar otras experiencias. Concluye con la propuesta de un nuevo modelo de comunicación sobre cáncer, basado en el concepto de la socialización.Departamento de Sociología y Trabajo SocialDoctorado en Investigación Transdisciplinar en Educació

    Building Inclusive Libraries: Kindness, Equity, and Candidate Experiences in Hiring & Onboarding Toolkit

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    Grounded in an understanding of leading recruitment practices as well as an understanding of the profession’s opportunities and challenges, the toolkit offers pragmatic approaches to move from the theory of inclusive hiring and onboarding to implementation. At each stage of the hiring lifecycle, tips and questions to consider are provided, from language bias in position announcements to methods for developing interview questions to onboarding approaches. The toolkit is designed to be used by supervisors, employees, and any key decision makers involved in the job description writing process. The first half of the toolkit focuses on inclusive hiring processes. First, the section outlines best practices in inclusive hiring from both process and equity perspectives. The toolkit then dives deeper into various components of the hiring process and associated equity lenses. Lastly, the toolkit focuses on articulating responsibilities and duties in position descriptions. The appendices contain sample documents and templates for each stage of the hiring process. The second half of the toolkit focuses on inclusive onboarding, subdivided into four main parts. First, it outlines best practices in inclusive onboarding from both process and equity perspectives. The second part offers an equity lens to use to review the process. The third part outlines components of the onboarding process over a full year in checklist form. The fourth part focuses on responsibilities and duties related to onboarding

    Impacted Communities Leading Authentic Legal Mobilization: A Refugee-Led Access-To-Justice Story

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    (Excerpt) I have a modest proposal to begin addressing the civil access-to-justice problem in the United States: eliminate the barriers for refugees to provide legal representation. In discussions of access to civil justice, immigration and immigrant rights compel our attention—images of children as young as three facing deportation without representation and non-citizens detained because of civil immigration infractions come to mind. But we hear less about the access-to-justice challenges of immigrants fighting for their rights to safe housing, public benefits, education for their children, or often-contingent or under-the-table jobs. The cries of immigrant communities about informal and formal threats from immigration enforcement—and harassment and exploitation beyond the formal legal system—are rarely treated as civil access-to-justice problems. All of us who work with immigrants are forced to turn down most very needy potential immigration clients, despite knowing that there is nowhere else for them to go. To fill in the gaps, many hold meetings, conduct know-your-rights or organizing sessions, or try to write about complex immigration law issues in ways that people can understand—all of which make us feel better because we think it might do some good or narrow the breach in our unkept promise of fairness, due process of law, or the dignity of human possibility. All of us who do this work also meet people every day who have been refugees, are seeking asylum, or have otherwise encountered the immigration system—and who, given the chance and a little training, could do at least as well as immigration and human rights attorneys. In my more honest moments, I admit that they likely would do my job much better than I can. They might find ways to do that work differently, and my generation of immigration advocates must admit that, however much we tried to change the immigration system for the better, we failed. We were not prepared nor fit for the challenges of the Trump and Biden administrations. And even if we had, there will never be enough lawyers to satisfy immigrant communities’ needs, even if every lawyer had the knowledge, attitude, and commitment to do so—and fat chance of that
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