Cultural Identity in the Perspective of the European Integration

The beginning of the 21st century is the time of a new challenge for the Polish nation. Standing on the threshold of a new century, it has also stood on the ‘threshold’ of the united Europe. Culture is a binder thanks to which it is possible to discover and to maintain peoples’ identity and the bonds connecting individual members of the nation. The multitude of nations is a variety which makes Europe not a monolith in relation to culture; instead, it constitutes a mosaic of different cultures and philosophies of life. The Church does not try to identify with any of the culture patterns, but it seeks its place among the diversity of their forms. However, one can talk about the development of a Christian culture model resulting from the faith and the presence of the evangelical message in the whole of the Christians’ life. In the survey concerning Poland’s accession to the European Union, Polish people have expressed their hopes and fears connected with the process of integration. As many as 11% of the people surveyed expressed their anxiety related to the adverse effect upon culture and customs. The Church in its social instruction continuously emphasizes the necessity of maintaining one’s own cultural identity by particular ethnic, national and regional groups. The united Europe is to become not exactly a federation of countries, but rather the home of homes. In the everyday life of the new united Europe the system of norms, values and patterns of religious and cultural behaviour are going to be verified. Both the sceptics and the enthusiasts of the integration process are looking for a place and a role for the Polish Christians in the secularized European society

What influences the selection of contextual cues when starting a new routine behaviour? an exploratory study

Background Contextual cues play an important role in facilitating behaviour change. They not only support memory but may also help to make the new behaviour automatic through the formation of new routines. However, previous research shows that when people start a new behaviour, they tend to select cues that lack effectiveness for prompting behaviour. Therefore, it is important to understand what influences cue selection, as this can help to identify acceptable cues, which in turn could inform future behaviour change interventions to help people select cues that best fit their context and so ensure continued repetition. Methods We conducted a qualitative study to investigate what cues people select, how, and what influences their decisions. We recruited 39 participants and asked them to take vitamin C tablets daily for 3 weeks and later interviewed them about their experience. Quantitative habit strength and memory measures were taken for descriptive purposes. Results Cue selection was primarily influenced by a desire to minimise effort, e.g. keeping related objects at hand or in a visible place; prior experience with similar behaviours (regardless of whether the cues used in the past were reliable or not); and beliefs about effective approaches. In addition, we found that suboptimal remembering strategies involved reliance on a single cue and loosely defined plans that do not specify cues. Moreover, for many participants, identifying optimal cues required trial and error, as people were rarely able to anticipate in advance what approach would work best for them. Conclusions Future behaviour change interventions that rely on routine behaviours might fruitfully include the provision of educational information regarding what approaches are suboptimal (single factors, vaguely defined plans) and what is most likely to work (combining multiple clearly defined cues). They should also assess people’s existing beliefs about how to best remember specific behaviours as such beliefs can either enhance or inhibit the cues they select. Finally, interventions should account for the fact that early failures to remember are part of the process of developing a reliable remembering strategy and to be expected

Socially distanced games: Exploring the future opportunities of remote play

Playing games with friends and family provided a way to stay connected and deal with isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, restrictions introduced to co-located events affected how both regular and casual players scheduled, organised, participated and engaged with various games. Through an online survey, we aimed to gain preliminary insights into how the swift switch from physical to remote play – forced by the circumstances – impacted the gameplay experiences and how different players potentially changed their playing habits. Our preliminary results suggest that computer-mediated communication systems successfully allowed the translation of co-located game sessions, but also highlight the emergence of different points of player friction during remote game experiences, e.g., the tediousness of scheduling and setup, miscommunication or playmates’ wellbeing. We discuss future research and design opportunities that explore the potential to augment social game experiences at a distance and debate the future of remote or hybrid play

Use of Smartphone Apps, Social Media, and Web-Based Resources to Support Mental Health and Well-Being:Online Survey

Background: Technology can play an important role in supporting mental health. Many studies have explored the effectiveness, acceptability, or context of use of different types of mental health technologies. However, existing research has tended to investigate single types of technology at a time rather than exploring a wider ecosystem that people may use. This narrow focus can limit our understanding of how we could best design mental health technologies. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate which technologies (smartphone apps, discussion forums and social media, and websites and Web-based programs) people use to support their mental health and why, whether they combine and use more than one technology, what purpose each technology serves, and which features people find the most valuable. Methods: We conducted an online survey to gather responses from members of the public who use technology to support their mental health and well-being. The survey was advertised on social media and via posters at a university. It explored usage patterns, frequently used features, and engagement with technology. To gain deeper insights into users’ preferences, we also thematically analyzed open-ended comments about each technology type and suggestions for improvements provided by the respondents. Results: In total, 81 eligible participants completed the survey. Smartphone apps were the most commonly used technology, with 78% of the participants (63/81) using them, either alone (40%) or in combination with other technologies (38%). Each type of technology was used for specific purposes: apps provided guided activities, relaxation, and enabled tracking; social media and discussion forums allowed participants to learn from the experiences of others and use that knowledge to understand their own situation; and Web-based programs and websites helped to find out how to deal on a day-to-day basis with stress and anxiety. The analysis of open-ended responses showed that although many people valued technology and felt it could support targeted activities, it was not seen as a substitute for traditional face-to-face therapy. Participants wanted technology to be more sophisticated and nuanced, supporting personalized and actionable recommendations. There was evidence that participants mistrusted technology, irrespective of the type, and had broader concerns regarding the impact of overuse of technology. Conclusions: People use different types of technology to support their mental health. Each can serve a specific purpose. Although apps are the most widely used technology, mixing and matching different types of technology is also common. Technology should not be seen as a replacement for traditional psychotherapy, rather it offers new opportunities to support mental health as part of an overall ecosystem. People want technology to be more nuanced and personalized to help them plan informed actions. Future interventions should explore the use of multiple technologies and their combined effects on mental health support

Supporting engagement in research through a game design competition

Digital games are an engaging medium that have previously been used for communicating research to different audiences. However, there is an opportunity for engaging people more deeply by involving them in creating games. This article reports on a game design competition, based on participatory design principles and game jam practices, which challenged university students to design games within the context of a research project. Based on their interpretations of research on human error in healthcare, teams created four games to be disseminated online to a wider public audience. We outline the competition format and reflect on the extent to which it was successful

Exploring the Addition of Audio Input to Wearable Punch Recognition

Martial arts can promote healthy lifestyles, improve self-confidence and provide self-defence skills. Previous work has demonstrated that inertial sensors can be used to recognise movements such as punches in boxing and support self-directed training. However, many martial arts do not use gloves which means that punches can be performed with different parts of the hand, and therefore produce a different sound on impact. We investigate if it is possible to recognise different punches executed with a bare hand, and if the recognition rate improves by combining audio input with the traditional inertial sensors. We conducted a pilot study collecting a total of 600 punches, using a wearable wristband to capture inertial data and a stand-alone microphone for audio input. The results showed that it was possible to distinguish five types of punches with 94.4% accuracy when using only inertial data, and that adding audio input did not improve the accuracy. These findings can guide the design of future wearables for punch recognition

Zapalenie błony śluzowej jamy ustnej – wspólny problem onkologów i stomatologów

Zapalenie błony śluzowej jamy ustnej (oral mucositis – OM) spowodowane promieniowaniem jonizującym stanowi duży problem terapeutyczny. Dotyczy niemal wszystkich chorych na nowotwory regionu głowy i szyi poddanych radioterapii, jednak wciąż brakuje skutecznej metody jego leczenia. Działania lekarzy skupiają się głownie na profilaktyce, w tym na utrzymaniu właściwej higieny jamy ustnej. W 2014 roku Międzynarodowe Towarzystwo Onkologii Jamy Ustnej (International Society of Oral Oncology – ISOO) oraz Wielonarodowe Stowarzyszenie Wspomagające Leczenie Nowotworow (Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer – MASCC) opracowały wytyczne dotyczące postępowania z pacjentami z OM związanym z radioterapią i chemioterapią. W 2019 roku ukazały się uaktualnienia tych wytycznych.  Prowadzone są badania dotyczące poszukiwania lekow, ktore mogłyby mieć zastosowanie w zapobieganiu oraz leczeniu OM. Problem jest istotny, gdyż może komplikować przebieg leczenia onkologicznego, pogarszać jakość życia chorych, a nawet wpływać na rokowanie przeżycia pacjenta.  W pracy opisano patogenezę zapalenia błony śluzowej jamy ustnej, obecne trendy w leczeniu oraz podkreślono rolę lekarza stomatologa w opiece nad pacjentem z objawami tego schorzenia. Zwrocono uwagę na rolę wspołpracy interdyscyplinarnej, a także na profilaktykę OM jako części przygotowania pacjenta onkologicznego do napromieniania.

Exploring the potential of technology to promote exercise snacking for older adults who are prefrail in the home setting: user-centered design study.

Older adults have an increased risk of falls, injury, and hospitalization. Maintaining/increasing participation in physical activity (PA) into older age can prevent some of the age-related declines in physical functioning that may contribute to loss of independence and lower reported quality of life. 'Exercise snacking' has been created to overcome some commonly cited barriers to exercise and encourage older adults to engage in muscle strength and balance activity, but the best way to deliver and support this novel format remains unknown. Our aim was to explore: a) how the novel 'exercise snacking' approach, i.e. incorporating short bouts of strength and balance activities into everyday routines, could be supported by technology within a home setting; and b) what types of technologies would be acceptable for pre-frail older adults. Two design workshops (Study 1) were conducted, to understand older adults' (n=11, aged 69-89 years old) attitudes towards technology aimed at supporting exercise snacking at home and to inform the design of interactive prototypes. Based on the findings of Study 1, a feasibility home evaluation (Study 2) was conducted over one day for two prototypes (n=5 participants, aged 69-80). Participants were interviewed over the telephone afterwards about their experience. Transcripts were analyzed using Framework analysis. Results showed participants were positive towards using technology at home to support exercise snacking, but both the exercises and technology would need to be simple and match participants' everyday routines. Workshop discussions (Study 1) led to the design of two prototypes using a pressure mat to support resistance and balance exercises. The home evaluation (Study 2) identified that participants reported potential in using smart devices to support exercise snacking, but the low fidelity of the prototypes influenced participants' attitudes towards them. It also hampered the acceptability of these initial versions and highlighted challenges in fitting exercise snacking into everyday life. The study concluded that older adults were positive about using technology in their homes to support strength and balance exercise snacking. We have identified key points around the suitability of the home environment for facilitating exercise snacking. While promising, the initial prototypes' further refinement and optimization prior to feasibility, acceptability and efficacy testing is required. Developers and researchers can use these findings to inform the development and evaluation of more sophisticated technologies for integration in the home environment to support PA