Quality education, social cohesion and active labour market policies. A case study from a Southern European island state

Societies can benefit from the delivery of inclusive education, lifelong learning as well as from active labour market policies. Therefore, this paper reviews the relevant literature on the provision of quality education for social cohesion. Afterwards, it analyses the latest socioeconomic policies that are being implemented in the smallest European island state of Malta. The findings suggest that the Maltese Government’s labour market policies are increasingly targeting vulnerable individuals who are not in employment, education or training, including women and migrant workers, among others. At the same time, the policy makers are striving in their endeavours to attract more students in higher and vocational education to reduce the number of early school leavers. In conclusion, this contribution implies that the pursuit towards continuous improvements in quality education and in social cohesion can create a virtuous cycle of productivity outcomes, including job creation and societal well-being.peer-reviewe

South American Expert Roundtable : increasing adaptive governance capacity for coping with unintended side effects of digital transformation

This paper presents the main messages of a South American expert roundtable (ERT) on the unintended side effects (unseens) of digital transformation. The input of the ERT comprised 39 propositions from 20 experts representing 11 different perspectives. The two-day ERT discussed the main drivers and challenges as well as vulnerabilities or unseens and provided suggestions for: (i) the mechanisms underlying major unseens; (ii) understanding possible ways in which rebound effects of digital transformation may become the subject of overarching research in three main categories of impact: development factors, society, and individuals; and (iii) a set of potential action domains for transdisciplinary follow-up processes, including a case study in Brazil. A content analysis of the propositions and related mechanisms provided insights in the genesis of unseens by identifying 15 interrelated causal mechanisms related to critical issues/concerns. Additionally, a cluster analysis (CLA) was applied to structure the challenges and critical developments in South America. The discussion elaborated the genesis, dynamics, and impacts of (groups of) unseens such as the digital divide (that affects most countries that are not included in the development of digital business, management, production, etc. tools) or the challenge of restructuring small- and medium-sized enterprises (whose service is digitally substituted by digital devices). We identify specific issues and effects (for most South American countries) such as lack of governmental structure, challenging geographical structures (e.g., inclusion in high-performance transmission power), or the digital readiness of (wide parts) of society. One scientific contribution of the paper is related to the presented methodology that provides insights into the phenomena, the causal chains underlying “wanted/positive” and “unwanted/negative” effects, and the processes and mechanisms of societal changes caused by digitalization

The Impact of Registered Apprenticeships on the Middle-Skills Gap in Virginia

The skills gap debate has raged among scholars and policymakers for the last few decades. The key questions are whether the gap exists, the extent of the gap and how to minimize the gap. Of particular concern is a skills gap for middle-skills occupations. Since 2014, the federal government has invested over $500 million in registered apprenticeships as a strategy to address the skills gap. Likewise, Virginia has invested over$7.5 million and implemented policies such as VA Executive Order 49 (EO49), to expand registered apprenticeships as a workforce strategy to diminish the skills gap. The goal of this research was to examine the impact of registered apprenticeships on the middle-skills gap in Virginia prior to and after the implementation of EO49. Using secondary data, this study first determined if Virginia had a middle-skills gap and the extent to which registered apprenticeship positions are being created in occupations that have a middle-skills gap. Next, logistic regression was employed to examine the likelihood of a registered apprenticeship being in an occupation with a middle-skills gap comparing results before and after implementation of EO49. Results confirm there’s a middle-skills gap in Virginia and a majority of registered apprenticeship positions are filling middle-skill occupations with a gap. However, registered apprenticeships are less likely to fill middle-skill gap occupations after EO49 than prior to its implementation. While registered apprenticeships are having an impact on Virginia’s middle-skills gap, it appears policies and money put in place to encourage the relationship did not enhance the likelihood

An Empirical Study Comparing Unobtrusive Physiological Sensors for Stress Detection in Computer Work.

Several unobtrusive sensors have been tested in studies to capture physiological reactions to stress in workplace settings. Lab studies tend to focus on assessing sensors during a specific computer task, while in situ studies tend to offer a generalized view of sensors' efficacy for workplace stress monitoring, without discriminating different tasks. Given the variation in workplace computer activities, this study investigates the efficacy of unobtrusive sensors for stress measurement across a variety of tasks. We present a comparison of five physiological measurements obtained in a lab experiment, where participants completed six different computer tasks, while we measured their stress levels using a chest-band (ECG, respiration), a wristband (PPG and EDA), and an emerging thermal imaging method (perinasal perspiration). We found that thermal imaging can detect increased stress for most participants across all tasks, while wrist and chest sensors were less generalizable across tasks and participants. We summarize the costs and benefits of each sensor stream, and show how some computer use scenarios present usability and reliability challenges for stress monitoring with certain physiological sensors. We provide recommendations for researchers and system builders for measuring stress with physiological sensors during workplace computer use

Heart Failure Monitoring System Based on Wearable and Information Technologies

In Europe, Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) are the leading source of death, causing 45% of all deceases. Besides, Heart Failure, the paradigm of CVD, mainly affects people older than 65. In the current aging society, the European MyHeart Project was created, whose mission is to empower citizens to fight CVD by leading a preventive lifestyle and being able to be diagnosed at an early stage. This paper presents the development of a Heart Failure Management System, based on daily monitoring of Vital Body Signals, with wearable and mobile technologies, for the continuous assessment of this chronic disease. The System makes use of the latest technologies for monitoring heart condition, both with wearable garments (e.g. for measuring ECG and Respiration); and portable devices (such as Weight Scale and Blood Pressure Cuff) both with Bluetooth capabilitie

"Impact of economic growth on scientific production in Latin America and the Caribbean based on panel data analysis [version 1; peer review: 2 approved with reservations, 1 not approved] "

"Background: The great difference in scientific production among countries, especially in Latin America and the Caribbean, may be related to the economic growth of each nation, but countries with larger economies do not necessarily have higher scientific production. Political changes and unstable economies result in little sustainability of scientific production in the countries in these regions. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of economic growth on scientific production, measured as the variation in the gross domestic product and the number of scientific publications, in Latin American and Caribbean countries. Methods: The analyzed information was collected from the open data source of the World Bank for the years from 2000 to 2018. The analysis was performed using unbalanced data panel models that cross-sectionally considered the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean and longitudinally considered the period 2000-2018 using grouped regression models, fixed effects models or random effects models. The Hausman test was used to choose between fixed and random effects models. Results: The results of both the random effects models and the fixed effects models demonstrated the negative impact of economic growth on scientific production. This proves that it is necessary to state alternatives to mend and improve the state of scientific production. Conclusion: The present study is relevant because it is one of the first to study the impact of gross domestic product on scientific production in Latin American and Caribbean countries from a longitudinal perspective that also allows evaluating the dynamics of both variables.

12th Annual Student Academic Conference: Showcasing the Work and Talents of MSUM Students

Minnesota State University Moorhead Student Academic Conference abstract book.https://red.mnstate.edu/sac-book/1011/thumbnail.jp