The factors influencing the adoption of mental health applications

Dissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Information Management, specialization in Marketing IntelligenceMental illnesses are a growing issue nowadays. According to the World Health Organization, the gap between the need for treatment for mental disorders and the accessibility of treatment is widening. One potential solution to making treatment more accessible is mental health apps. In recent years, mental health apps have been essential tools for providing healthcare services at an affordable cost. Despite the effectiveness and benefits of new technologies, the uptake of these apps remains a challenge, especially in Europe compared to the US. This study aims to investigate the factors that influence the adoption of mental health apps. To this end, a conceptual framework based on the UTAUT2 and the HBM was developed, which was tested using a quantitative study. For operationalization, 309 participants aged between 18 and 70 years old were collected through an online questionnaire. The results show that all of the tested factors impact behavioral intention. The determinants that stand out are performance expectancy, social influence, hedonic motivation, and cues to action, which significantly affect the behavioral choice to use a mental health application. The findings lead to implications for promoting and developing greater adoption of mental health apps

Self-reported training and confidence levels among practitioners managing genital lymphedema

Introduction Genital lymphedema (GL) can present with significant psychological, social, and physical impairments. Barriers to treatment include under-reporting, socio-cultural issues, patient/healthcare practitioner (HCP) perception/comfort, and lack of knowledge among HCPs.1-4 General lymphedema training utilizes hands-on approaches to learning for extremities; yet GL training is often minimal with little to no hands-on component. This self-reporting retrospective study investigates GL training, instruction methods, and confidence levels among HCPs. Methods An online 20 question survey was disseminated via direct email to HCPs that had previously downloaded tools for males/females with GL, announcements on social media pages related to lymphedema, links provided at conferences/courses, and in a published article. Respondents include 245 HCPs from 19 countries. Results Respondents presented from different countries, professions, and practice settings. Initial lymphedema training included a genital component for 66% of HCPs but included hands-on learning for less than 50%. Only 29% reported confidence in treating GL post training. Additional GL training was sought by 37% of HCPs, 63% of which included a hands-on component. HCPs reported higher confidence post hands-on learning for both initial and additional training. The most common type of hands-on training included models attached to another HCP and 96% of HCPs who used this type reported it increased their confidence over other types/no models. 86% of all HCPs felt training with genital models attached to another participant would increase their confidence, and 75% said they felt they needed additional training to treat GL. Significance This study showed courses that not only included specific GL focused training, but included a hands-on component, lead to higher levels of confidence.Additionally, genital models on other HCPs also increased this perception in all HCPs who utilized this technique. This highlights HCPs’ need for comprehensive training in GL and lack of confidence following current training methods

Flicker light stimulation enhances the emotional response to music: a comparison study to the effects of psychedelics

Flicker light stimulation (FLS) is a non-pharmacological method of inducing altered states of consciousness (ASCs), producing hallucination-like phenomena as well as effects extending beyond the visual modality, including emotional effects. Research into the psychological and neural mechanisms of FLS is still in its infancy, but can be informed by research into other methods of inducing ASCs. For instance, research on classic psychedelics has reported enhancement of emotional responses to music. Here, we test to what degree FLS might also enhance the emotional response to music, using a study protocol designed to resemble a previous study on the effects of LSD as closely as possible, to allow for comparison of effect sizes across modalities and inform future research into FLS as an ASC-induction method. Twenty participants listened to emotionally evocative music in two conditions – with and without FLS – and reported on their emotional response to the music. FLS showed a significant enhancing effect on reported music-evoked emotion, especially emotions relating to “Joyful Activation”; additionally, we found that the experienced intensity of FLS correlated with reports of higher levels of emotional arousal. These findings motivate further research into FLS as a method for inducing ASCs and into the interactions between visual phenomena and music-evoked emotion

Flicker light stimulation enhances the emotional response to music: a comparison study to the effects of psychedelics

Flicker light stimulation (FLS) is a non-pharmacological method of inducing altered states of consciousness (ASCs), producing hallucination-like phenomena as well as effects extending beyond the visual modality, including emotional effects. Research into the psychological and neural mechanisms of FLS is still in its infancy, but can be informed by research into other methods of inducing ASCs. For instance, research on classic psychedelics has reported enhancement of emotional responses to music. Here, we test to what degree FLS might also enhance the emotional response to music, using a study protocol designed to resemble a previous study on the effects of LSD as closely as possible, to allow for comparison of effect sizes across modalities and inform future research into FLS as an ASC-induction method. Twenty participants listened to emotionally evocative music in two conditions – with and without FLS – and reported on their emotional response to the music. FLS showed a significant enhancing effect on reported music-evoked emotion, especially emotions relating to “Joyful Activation”; additionally, we found that the experienced intensity of FLS correlated with reports of higher levels of emotional arousal. These findings motivate further research into FLS as a method for inducing ASCs and into the interactions between visual phenomena and music-evoked emotion.Peer Reviewe

The State of the Birds 2011 Report on Public Lands and Waters: United States of America

Foreword Public Lands and Waters Are Essential for Birds Each year, the State of the Birds report provides important scientific data to a broad audience with a call to action to improve the conservation status of birds and the environment. This year’s report brings attention to the tremendous promise of public lands and waters for conserving America’s wildlife and habitats. The United States has a long history of conservation on public lands. More than one-third of U.S. lands and all of our oceans are publicly owned, including some of our nation’s most spectacular natural areas. These habitats support more than 1,000 bird species, one-third of which are endangered, threatened, or of conservation concern. In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln established Yosemite as the first park set aside by the federal government specifically for public use and preservation. As environmental exploitation continued across unprotected lands, the Passenger Pigeon, once the world’s most abundant bird, was driven to extinction in the wild by the turn of the century. Recognizing that this loss meant “mankind was just so much poorer,” President Theodore Roosevelt championed the irreplaceable value of birds and other wildlife, and set aside 80 million acres for public land conservation, including the first National Wildlife Refuge in 1903. Today, more than 850 million acres of land and 3.5 million square miles of ocean are publicly owned, including more than 245 million acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management, 6,000 State Park units, 1,600 Marine Protected Areas, 550 National Wildlife Refuges, 350 military installations, 150 National Forests, and nearly 400 National Park Service units. These areas support our native bird species, many of which are declining, as described in the 2009 and 2010 State of the Birds reports. This year’s report provides the nation’s first assessment of the distribution of birds on public lands and helps public agencies identify which species have significant potential for conservation in each habitat. This assessment used high-performance computing techniques to analyze a massive data set on bird distribution from citizen-science participants across the U.S. (eBird), along with the first comprehensive database of public land ownership (Protected Areas Database of the U.S.). The state of our birds is a measurable indicator of how well we are doing as stewards of our environment. The signal is clear. Greater conservation efforts on public lands and waters are needed to realize the vision of a nation sustained economically and spiritually by abundant natural resources and spectacular wildlife. President Obama’s new initiative, “America’s Great Outdoors,” recognizes that throughout our nation’s history, conservation actions have been grounded in the premise that our natural heritage belongs to the people, and that its protection is shared by all Americans. The call to action for bird conservation in this report goes hand in hand with “America’s Great Outdoors,” which empowers all Americans to share in the responsibility to conserve, restore, and provide better access to our lands and waters in order to leave a healthy, vibrant outdoor legacy for generations yet to come

El rol de las redes sociales on-line en la difusión de información y conocimiento en emprendimientos de base tecnológica : Estudio de casos

El objetivo de este trabajo es presentar un análisis del rol de las redes sociales virtuales en la difusión de la información y el conocimiento. Se utiliza una metodología basada el estudio de casos que incluye el análisis de redes construidas a partir de contactos profesionales en LinkedIn; de colaboración científica entre la academia y la industria a partir de redes de coautorías; y la conducta en redes más generalistas como las generadas a partir de una Fan Page de Facebook. Se describen dos casos. Los resultados permiten apreciar las conexiones entre los ámbitos académicos, productivos y de gobierno y resultan de interés para investigadores, administradores de incubadoras, y emprendedores asistiéndolos en la construcción de redes virtuales como herramienta intercambio de conocimiento con colegas.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO

El rol de las redes sociales on-line en la difusión de información y conocimiento en emprendimientos de base tecnológica : Estudio de casos

El objetivo de este trabajo es presentar un análisis del rol de las redes sociales virtuales en la difusión de la información y el conocimiento. Se utiliza una metodología basada el estudio de casos que incluye el análisis de redes construidas a partir de contactos profesionales en LinkedIn; de colaboración científica entre la academia y la industria a partir de redes de coautorías; y la conducta en redes más generalistas como las generadas a partir de una Fan Page de Facebook. Se describen dos casos. Los resultados permiten apreciar las conexiones entre los ámbitos académicos, productivos y de gobierno y resultan de interés para investigadores, administradores de incubadoras, y emprendedores asistiéndolos en la construcción de redes virtuales como herramienta intercambio de conocimiento con colegas.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO

MANAGEMENT OF WORKING CAPITAL: DESCRIPTIVE AND CORRELATIONAL ANALYSIS FOR ARGENTINE COMPANIES IN THE STOCK MARKET

There is ample literature on the management of working capital, i.e., the relationships and interdependencies between its individual components and the influence on corporate performance. The objective of this paper is to perform a bivariate descriptive and correlational statistical analysis on a series of variables applicable to Argentine listed companies on the stock exchange, for the 2009-2018 timeframe of analysis. The most relevant results that emerge from the investigation show the existence of a strong direct relationship between the size and the indebtedness of the firms and a strong inverse link between the size and the operating cycle of the same.</p

Gestión del capital de trabajo: análisis descriptivo y correlacional para empresas argentinas cotizantes en bolsa

There is ample literature on the management of working capital, i.e., the relationships and interdependencies between its individual components and the influence on corporate performance. The objective of this paper is to perform a bivariate descriptive and correlational statistical analysis on a series of variables applicable to Argentine listed companies on the stock exchange, for the 2009-2018 timeframe of analysis. The most relevant results that emerge from the investigation show the existence of a strong direct relationship between the size and the indebtedness of the firms and a strong inverse link between the size and the operating cycle of the same.Existe amplia literatura sobre la gestión del capital de trabajo, i.e., las relaciones e interdependencias entre sus componentes individuales y la influencia en el desempeño corporativo. El objetivo del presente trabajo es realizar un análisis estadístico descriptivo y correlacional bivariado sobre una serie de variables aplicables a empresas argentinas cotizantes en bolsa, para el rango temporal de aná­lisis 2009-2018. Los resultados más relevantes que surgen de la investiga­ción muestran la existencia de una fuerte relación directa entre el tamaño y el endeudamiento de las firmas; y una fuerte vinculación inversa entre el tamaño y el ciclo operativo de las mismas

Effect of frequency and rhythmicity on flicker light-induced hallucinatory phenomena

Flicker light stimulation (FLS) uses stroboscopic light on closed eyes to induce transient visual hallucinatory phenomena, such as the perception of geometric patterns, motion, and colours. It remains an open question where the neural correlates of these hallucinatory experiences emerge along the visual pathway. To allow future testing of suggested underlying mechanisms (e.g., changes in functional connectivity, neural entrainment), we sought to systematically characterise the effects of frequency (3 Hz, 8 Hz, 10 Hz and 18 Hz) and rhythmicity (rhythmic and arrhythmic conditions) on flicker-induced subjective experiences. Using a novel questionnaire, we found that flicker frequency and rhythmicity significantly influenced the degree to which participants experienced simple visual hallucinations, particularly the perception of Klüver forms and dynamics (e.g., motion). Participants reported their experience of geometric patterns and dynamics was at highest intensity during 10 Hz rhythmic stimulation. Further, we found that frequency-matched arrhythmic FLS strongly reduced these subjective effects compared to equivalent rhythmic stimulation. Together, these results provide evidence that flicker rhythmicity critically contributes to the effects of FLS beyond the effects of frequency alone, indicating that neural entrainment may drive the induced phenomenal experience