The arrival of MOOCs: Massive Open Online Courses

Summary: Internationally, a number of emerging technologies and associated developments are becoming available that could have far‐reaching effects on the delivery of tertiary education. One of these developments is Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The opportunities MOOCs present include the ability for institutions to extend their brand and reach to large international audiences, experiment with innovative pedagogical approaches, an ability to offer niche provision at scale, and a potential reduction of costs. Its challenges and risks include that they are not widely recognised as formal qualifications, the absence of an established business model, and their pedagogical approaches. We have developed this paper as the start of a conversation between and among government agencies, institutions, employers and learners on the appropriate policy settings and ways to support the introduction of these emerging technologies in the delivery of tertiary education. This paper also supports the 2014 Innovations in Tertiary Education Delivery Summit, being held in Auckland on 5 and 6 June 2014, which looks at the future of tertiary education and the role of technology in it

Approach Intelligent Writing Assistants Usability with Seven Stages of Action

Despite the potential of Large Language Models (LLMs) as writing assistants, they are plagued by issues like coherence and fluency of the model output, trustworthiness, ownership of the generated content, and predictability of model performance, thereby limiting their usability. In this position paper, we propose to adopt Norman's seven stages of action as a framework to approach the interaction design of intelligent writing assistants. We illustrate the framework's applicability to writing tasks by providing an example of software tutorial authoring. The paper also discusses the framework as a tool to synthesize research on the interaction design of LLM-based tools and presents examples of tools that support the stages of action. Finally, we briefly outline the potential of a framework for human-LLM interaction research.Comment: The Second Workshop on Intelligent and Interactive Writing Assistants co-located with The ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2023

Water Quality Deterioration of Machna River due to Sewage Disposal, Betul,Madhya Pradesh, India

In this study the Physico-chemical characteristics of Sewage waste water joining into Machna River at Betul were studied. The parameters pH, Total dissolved solids, Total suspended solids, Dissolved oxygen, BOD, COD, Nitrate, Chloride were assessed. The values of these parameters were found in excessive amounts as prescribed by World Health Organisation (WHO), which indicate towards the deterioration of water quality of water body after the joining of inlets into the river. The study emphasizes on the detrimental impact caused by the sewage water on Machna River. Key words: Water pollution, pH, Dissolved oxygen, Alkalinity, Hardnes

Novel Heuristic Algorithm & its Application for Reliability Optimization

Heuristic algorithms are practical, easy to implement, and work fast to provide short-term, feasible solutions for any kind of problem within economical budgets as compared to other meta-heuristic algorithms. This paper presents a novel heuristic algorithm named the Dahiya-Garg Heuristic Algorithm (DG-Alg) to find the optimal solution for constrained reliability redundancy allocation optimization problems. The cornerstone of the novel DG-Alg is its novel selection factor, which is a mathematical formula that helps the heuristic algorithm search for optimal subsystems for reliability optimization. A novel formulated selection factor in DG-Alg has increased its effectiveness and efficiency. To analyze the performance of the proposed heuristic algorithm and the other three existing heuristic algorithms, they are applied to a problem taken from a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant named Yaris Pharmaceuticals. During the application of the heuristic algorithms, it was ensured that redundancy allocation was done within stipulated cost constraints. Further, a comparative analysis of the obtained results has been done to judge the performance of the proposed heuristic algorithm. It is deduced that the proposed heuristic algorithm gives optimized and computationally efficient results in comparison to the other existing heuristic algorithms

A case series of IPOM-AS – intraperitoneal mesh fixation technique for ventral hernia using straight needle suture nylon 2–0

Intraperitoneal onlay mesh (IPOM) technique of mesh fixation using tackers for ventral hernia is widely done. But using tackers is costly (266.29 USD) and causes early and late post-operative pain. The aim of the study was to choose the better method of surgery for ventral hernia using composite mesh and straight needle suture nylon 2–0 for intraperitoneal mesh fixation (IPOM-AS) and will compare it with conventional IPOM technique in which Fixation of mesh is done by Tacker. Ten patients who were diagnosed with ventral hernia between November 2022 and December 2022 in the Department of Surgery, MGM Medical College and MY Hospital, Indore were taken in our study and IPOM-AS technique was performed using three ports on the left side of the abdomen, after reducing the contents of hernia, the axis for internal attachment of composite mesh is identified and marked with pair of sutures (vicryl and rapid vicryl) and intraperitoneal transabdominal fixation of mesh is done using straight needle suture nylon 2–0 with the help of suture passer. This technique was taken in our study and was assessed for cost-effectiveness, early and late post-operative pain, learning curve, early mobilization, early discharge, early return to work, and long-term complications. All the patients had less early and late post-operative pain according to VAS score (mean VAS score 2 on post-operative 1 and 1 on post-operative 2, no pain during the follow-up period), patients were discharged earlier (mostly on post-operative 1) and early return to work was possible and this technique of intraperitoneal mesh fixation using straight needle suture (2.03 USD) is more cost-effective when we compared these patients with those in whom conventional IPOM was done with the help of a tacker (266.29 USD). Good patient compliance was seen. IPOM using composite mesh and straight needle suture (IPOM-AS) for intraperitoneal mesh fixation in ventral hernia is better accepted by patients than the conventional IPOM using tacker for mesh fixation

Staging of Schizophrenia with the Use of PANSS: An International Multi-Center Study

Introduction: A specific clinically relevant staging model for schizophrenia has not yet been developed. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the factor structure of the PANSS and develop such a staging method.Methods: Twenty-nine centers from 25 countries contributed 2358 patients aged 37.21 ± 11.87 years with schizophrenia. Analysis of covariance, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Discriminant Function Analysis, and inspection of resultant plots were performed.Results: Exploratory Factor Analysis returned 5 factors explaining 59% of the variance (positive, negative, excitement/hostility, depression/anxiety, and neurocognition). The staging model included 4 main stages with substages that were predominantly characterized by a single domain of symptoms (stage 1: positive; stages 2a and 2b: excitement/hostility; stage 3a and 3b: depression/anxiety; stage 4a and 4b: neurocognition). There were no differences between sexes. The Discriminant Function Analysis developed an algorithm that correctly classified >85% of patients.Discussion: This study elaborates a 5-factor solution and a clinical staging method for patients with schizophrenia. It is the largest study to address these issues among patients who are more likely to remain affiliated with mental health services for prolonged periods of time.<br /

Research progress in the understanding and implications of stigma related to mental health

Stigma is neither new nor an isolated condition for people suffering from mental as well as physical disorders. It is regrettable that scientists, researcher, philosophers, and community leaders have been silent for a long time in recognizing and dealing with it. However, during the past 20–30 years, significant progress has taken place in stigma research, the world over including India. From research done in India, there is clear evidence that: stigma is not merely a social condition. Convergence of social, mental, and physical disorders around stigma has far-reaching consequences on risk and health outcomes. The present paper looks at the position of stigma in mental health from an Indian perspective. The research done on stigma in India is reviewed, and certain recommendation for the management and eradication of stigma are elucidated. Stigma in specific conditions such as schizophrenia, substance abuse, and child sexual abuse are also addressed. The WHO guidelines and Mayo clinic guidelines to eradicate are used as a basis to be applicable to the Indian scenario. We examine how a life of an individual is affected with stigma, how mental health advancement has changed or not changed negative impact of stigma on patients and finally how stigma is measured and minimized, mainly for work done in India

Internet-mediated psychotherapy : are we ready for the ethical challenges?

Advances in information and communication technology have facilitated the development of online psychotherapy. This form of psychotherapy would provide the developing world with better access to professional mental healthcare services. At the same time, it is prudent to carefully consider the various ethical, legal and regulatory issues involved in online psychotherapy. This paper highlights the major ethical issues involved in the use of online psychotherapy, whether conducted via e-mail, chat rooms or interactive video, and identifies practical solutions for the ethical dilemmas that exist. Many authors and organisations have expressed their opinions on the subject, but no consensus has evolved. The advice offered to psychologists is mostly skewed and the scarcity of literature available to those considering expanding their practice to include online psychotherapy is certainly a source of vexation. While reviewing the existing literature, this paper seeks to describe and discuss the major ethical issues in this area, particularly in India, but many of these issues will be equally applicable to any developing world settings