MOTIVATION AND BARRIERS OF UNEPLOYED PEOPLE REGARDING THEIR PARTICIPATION IN LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAMS: A CASE STUDY IN A PREFECTURE OF GREECE

This article presents the results of a survey on the motivation and barriers of unemployed people regarding their participation in lifelong learning programs in a prefecture of Greece. As for the methodology followed, we selected the quantitative research, which was based on the collection of quantitative research data from 109 unemployed persons using a structured questionnaire during November and December 2019. The questionnaire used in this study was based on the PRB Questionnaire, which was slightly adjusted to fit the unemployed population. Specifically, most of the unemployed (62.4%) who participated in this survey stated that they did not participate in any seminar, training program or educational activity related to their profession. Even lower participation rates are found in general adult education programs, with only 22% saying they have attended some educational activity. Regarding the motivation of unemployed people to participate in a vocational training program, the research participants stated that finding a job was the most important motivation. They then set priorities to be more efficient in their jobs, to increase their financial returns and to maintain their future jobs. With regard to the barriers for unemployed people to participate in a vocational training program, the most important obstacle in all questions is the cost of participation. Next in the hierarchy are the lack of information, the difficulty of moving, the lack of time due to work obligations, the lack of time for occupations and the lack of time due to family obligations. Article visualizations

DISTANCE EDUCATION AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN ADULT EDUCATION DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: VIEWS OF POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS IN HELLENIC OPEN UNIVERSITY, GREECE

Distance education has always been an important pillar of Hellenic Open University, through which undergraduate, postgraduate, and short programs’ students participate in. Before the pandemic crisis education in HOU had been characterized as synchronous and asynchronous with a choice of face-to-face classes. Under the new circumstances, due to the pandemic crisis, a lot of educational institutes all over the world had to adjust and offer a flexible synchronous and asynchronous electronic way of learning. This new, unprecedented situation came up as an emergency, as well as an opportunity, not only for the students, but also for the institutions so that they could evolve electronic distance education with the use of communication and collaboration online platforms. In this regard, HOU modulated the teaching in electronic form with the basic tool of teleconference for the group meetings and exams electronic platform. In this paper, there has been an attempt to research about the students’ satisfaction level, concerning the group meetings and exams changes, the main difficulties they dealt with, in which way their smooth attendance was influenced, and finally their agreement level about ways to reinforce their digital education in HOU with suggested ways deriving from literature. The conducted survey was quantitative out of 125 participants’ sample, with the use of a personal online questionnaire. It was found that the majority of participants had been satisfied with the changes in HOU, mainly with the communication they had with the counselor-teacher in online group meetings. Moreover, their attendance remained undisturbed, not only to their assignments, but also to their success in the exams, and regarding the difficulties they faced, their main ones were a feeling of stress or insecurity due to the unanticipated changes, a problem with their online connection and with the available time to answer the exams’ questions. It is also interesting their high level of agreement with the suggested ways to reinforce their digital education since the majority of the participants are in favor of those mentioned.  Article visualizations

How providing mentoring relates to career success and organizational commitment: A study in the general managerial population

Purpose – This study aims to investigate the relationship of mentoring provided with career success and organizational commitment in the general managerial population. Design/methodology/approach – Participants were 194 native British who were employed in a variety of jobs, professions and industries in the United Kingdom. Findings – Mentoring provided was positively associated with objective and subjective career success and with mentoring received. Furthermore, mentoring provided mediated the relationship between mentoring received and both aspects of career success. However, although career-related mentoring provided was positively associated with mentors' career success and affective organizational commitment, socio-emotional mentoring provided was unrelated to mentors' career success and was negatively related to their affective commitment. Research limitations/implications – The study adds to the literature by indicating that, at least in the Anglo-Saxon organizational environment, mentoring provided, and especially its career-related dimension, is associated with positive outcomes across occupational, professional and organizational boundaries, and that mentoring receipt increases the likelihood of mentoring provision later in the career. Practical implications – Encouraging organizational members to provide mentoring for junior colleagues establishes and perpetuates a mentoring cycle, which entails benefits for mentors, protégés and the organization. Originality/value – This is the first study to investigate the relationship of mentoring provision with career success and organizational commitment in the general working population; hence, to yield generalizable conclusions. In addition it informs on the relative contribution of career-related and socio-emotional mentoring provided to mentor's career outcomes

Mentoring Receipt and Personality: Evidence for Non-Linear Relationships

The research investigates the relationship of the Big-Five of personality with mentoring receipt with the use of two independent studies. The findings of the studies show substantial consistency. Equations of quadratic form describe half of the tested relationships better than linear equations. The association of openness to experience and agreeableness with mentoring receipt is of inverted U-shape. The benefits of being open and agreeable for mentoring receipt cease to exist at high values of these traits. On the other hand, emotional stability and conscientiousness demonstrate exclusively positive linear relationships with mentoring receipt. The form of the relationship of extraversion differs between the two studies, but the overall trend is positive. The substantial quadratic component in the association of personality with receipt of mentoring means that research hitherto may be grossly underestimating the effects of personality on developmental relationships because earlier studies assume strictly linear associations. Parts of the results also imply that the associations of certain personality traits with mentoring receipt may depend upon the occupational context

Case study of a differential single-pole double-throw RF switch using memristors

© 2023 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes,creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.Nanotechnology-enabled novel RF switches have emerged as a promising alternative to MEMS, owing to current technological limitations of the latter. Additionally, recent research endeavors in the telecommunications sector have aimed on the gradual replacement of MEMS with memristive switches harnessing the unique properties of memristors. Such switches have been recently fabricated and characterized, providing optimal behavior under high-frequency stimuli. In this study, a novel double-pole double-throw (DPDT) memristor-based switch is proposed, that can be also utilized as a differential single-pole double-throw (SPDT) switch for use in RF applications. Memristor elements are incorporated into the circuit design, providing a more area-, power-, and cost-efficient approach. The designed circuits utilize a widely employed memristor model and are properly matched for 50O loads. The performance of the three circuit variants is evaluated using various key figures of merit, and the selected topology is further assessed under noisy input stimuli. Through this work, we aim to contribute to the ongoing discussion on the application of memristor-based switches in RF circuits, highlighting their potential advantages and addressing the need for more efficient and reliable alternatives.The present work was supported by the research project “3D Transceiver integration technologies for antenna array phase-shifting systems (3DTOPOS)” (MIS 5131411), which is funded by the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) Operational Program 2014-2020.Peer ReviewedObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i InfraestructuraObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats SosteniblesObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::8 - Treball Decent i Creixement EconòmicPostprint (published version

Modeling of memristor-based RF switches

The enticing properties of memristors have been exploited for the design of novel circuits with great prospects, owing to the visible challenges posed by CMOS technology. Similarly, research efforts in the field of RF engineering over the last few years have focused on replacing MEMS with memristive switches. These switches have been recently investigated, fabricated, and characterized, demonstrating promising operational characteristics under high-frequency stimuli. In this work, a widely employed memristor model has been used to accurately fit the physical characteristics of the devices under investigation, including geometry and material composition. Subsequently, three common circuit topologies are adopted, studied, and simulated to extract the S-Parameters of the memristor-based switches matched to 50O load terminations. Our findings ensure sufficient functionality of the examined memristor-based switches up to F MAX =50GHz and suggest promising perspectives, slightly exceeding the projected results in previous studies found in the literature. Finally, a method for further enhancing the proposed circuit, in terms of increasing the power handling capability of the designed switches, is also proposed.The present work was supported by the research project “3D Transceiver integration technologies for antenna array phase-shifting systems (3D-TOPOS)” (MIS 5131411), which is funded by the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) Operational Program 2014-2020.Peer ReviewedObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i InfraestructuraPostprint (published version

Deep Phenotyping Reveals Distinct Immune Signatures Correlating with Prognostication, Treatment Responses, and MRD Status in Multiple Myeloma

Despite recent advances, Multiple Myeloma (MM) remains an incurable disease with apparent heterogeneity that may explain patients’ variable clinical outcomes. While the phenotypic, (epi)genetic, and molecular characteristics of myeloma cells have been thoroughly examined, there is limited information regarding the role of the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment in the natural history of the disease. In the present study, we performed deep phenotyping of 32 distinct immune cell subsets in a cohort of 94 MM patients to reveal unique immune profiles in both BM and peripheral blood (PB) that characterize distinct prognostic groups, responses to induction treatment, and minimal residual disease (MRD) status. Our data show that PB cells do not reflect the BM microenvironment and that the two sites should be studied independently. Adverse ISS stage and high-risk cytogenetics were correlated with distinct immune profiles; most importantly, BM signatures comprised decreased tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and erythroblasts, whereas the unique Treg signatures in PB could discriminate those patients achieving complete remission after VRd induction therapy. Moreover, MRD negative status was correlated with a more experienced CD4- and CD8-mediated immunity phenotype in both BM and PB, thus highlighting a critical role of by-stander cells linked to MRD biology

Deep Phenotyping Reveals Distinct Immune Signatures Correlating with Prognostication, Treatment Responses, and MRD Status in Multiple Myeloma

Simple Summary In Multiple Myeloma (MM) malignant cells accumulate in the bone marrow (BM), where they interact with various cell populations. These complex interactions impose mechanisms of tumor growth and proliferation, immune surveillance and immune evasion. The aim of the present study was a detailed immune characterization of MM during the course of the disease, in order to highlight signatures which are clinically relevant. Analyses of both BM and peripheral blood (PB) in matched patients' samples, we showed that PB cannot representatively reflect the BM microenvironment. Particular immune signatures in BM and PB significantly correlated with established prognostic features and could independently associate with distinct responses to the same induction therapy. Moreover, our data provide evidence of a diverse immune profile according to patients' MRD status post treatment. Finally, we provide insights that unique PB immune profiles may be used for the prediction of MRD status through a simple non-invasive approach. Despite recent advances, Multiple Myeloma (MM) remains an incurable disease with apparent heterogeneity that may explain patients' variable clinical outcomes. While the phenotypic, (epi)genetic, and molecular characteristics of myeloma cells have been thoroughly examined, there is limited information regarding the role of the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment in the natural history of the disease. In the present study, we performed deep phenotyping of 32 distinct immune cell subsets in a cohort of 94 MM patients to reveal unique immune profiles in both BM and peripheral blood (PB) that characterize distinct prognostic groups, responses to induction treatment, and minimal residual disease (MRD) status. Our data show that PB cells do not reflect the BM microenvironment and that the two sites should be studied independently. Adverse ISS stage and high-risk cytogenetics were correlated with distinct immune profiles; most importantly, BM signatures comprised decreased tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and erythroblasts, whereas the unique Treg signatures in PB could discriminate those patients achieving complete remission after VRd induction therapy. Moreover, MRD negative status was correlated with a more experienced CD4- and CD8-mediated immunity phenotype in both BM and PB, thus highlighting a critical role of by-stander cells linked to MRD biology