scholarly journals Modeling Musculoskeletal Dynamics during Gait: Evaluating the Best Personalization Strategy through Model Anatomical Consistency

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 8348
Author(s):  
Michele Conconi ◽  
Erica Montefiori ◽  
Nicola Sancisi ◽  
Claudia Mazzà
Keyword(s):  
Research Question ◽  
Joint Models ◽  
Joint Work ◽  
External Work ◽  
Internal Forces ◽  
High Level ◽  
Tissue Deformations ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Individual Specificity ◽  
And Cartilage

No consensus exists on how to model human articulations within MSK models for the analysis of gait dynamics. We propose a method to evaluate joint models and we apply it to three models with different levels of personalization. The method evaluates the joint model’s adherence to the MSK hypothesis of negligible joint work by quantifying ligament and cartilage deformations resulting from joint motion; to be anatomically consistent, these deformations should be minimum. The contrary would require considerable external work to move the joint, violating a strong working hypothesis and raising concerns about the credibility of the MSK outputs. Gait analysis and medical resonance imaging (MRI) from ten participants were combined to build lower limb subject-specific MSK models. MRI-reconstructed anatomy enabled three levels of personalization using different ankle joint models, in which motion corresponded to different ligament elongation and cartilage co-penetration. To estimate the impact of anatomical inconsistency in MSK outputs, joint internal forces resulting from tissue deformations were computed for each joint model and MSK simulations were performed ignoring or considering their contribution. The three models differed considerably for maximum ligament elongation and cartilage co-penetration (between 5.94 and 50.69% and between −0.53 and −5.36 mm, respectively). However, the model dynamic output from the gait simulations were similar. When accounting for the internal forces associated with tissue deformation, outputs changed considerably, the higher the personalization level the smaller the changes. Anatomical consistency provides a solid method to compare different joint models. Results suggest that consistency grows with personalization, which should be tailored according to the research question. A high level of anatomical consistency is recommended when individual specificity and the behavior of articular structures is under investigation.

scholarly journals Implications of ownership identity and insider’s supremacy on the economic performance of the listed companies

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 399-411
Author(s):  
Qaiser Rafique Yasser ◽  
Abdullah Al-Mamun
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Theoretic Approach ◽  
Main Research ◽  
The Government ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

We adopt a multi-theoretic approach to investigate a previously unexplored phenomenon in extant literature, namely the differential impact of ownership identity and director dominate shareholding on the performance of emerging market firms. The main research question addressed is, whether the impact of this relationship is conditional on the identity of the block investor. First, the relationship between overall block ownership and firm performance is tested by employing multiple regressions on 500 firm-year observations for the period from 2007 to 2011. Then, the block ownership is classified as the state, individuals, insiders, financial institutions, corporate and foreign investors and the influence of these identities on firm performance is examined. It was found that only the ownership categories such as the government, institutions and foreign ownership have positive influence on the firm performance. The results also indicate that high level of insider ownership also negatively associated with the firm performance. The main contribution of this paper is the examination of the relationship between block ownership and firm performance from the perspective of the identity of investors

scholarly journals The New ISO/IEC Standard for Automated ECG Interpretation

Hearts ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 410-418
Author(s):  
Brian Young ◽  
Johann-Jakob Schmid
Keyword(s):  
Work Group ◽  
Regulatory Agencies ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Joint Work ◽  
Work In Progress ◽  
Industry Standards ◽  
International Industry ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Ecg Interpretation

Updates to industry consensus standards for ECG equipment is a work-in-progress by the ISO/IEC Joint Work Group 22. This work will result in an overhaul of existing industry standards that apply to ECG electromedical equipment and will result in a new single international industry, namely 80601-2-86. The new standard will be entitled “80601, Part 2-86: Particular requirements for the basic safety and essential performance of electrocardiographs, including diagnostic equipment, monitoring equipment, ambulatory equipment, electrodes, cables, and leadwires”. This paper will provide a high-level overview of the work in progress and, in particular, will describe the impact it will have on requirements and testing methods for computerized ECG interpretation algorithms. The conclusion of this work is that manufacturers should continue working with clinical ECG experts to make clinically meaningful improvements to automated ECG interpretation, and the clinical validation of ECG analysis algorithms should be disclosed to guide appropriate clinical use. More cooperation is needed between industry, clinical ECG experts and regulatory agencies to develop new data sets that can be made available for use by industry standards for algorithm performance evaluation.

scholarly journals Can Gamification Increase Employee Engagement in a New Zealand Context?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Daniel McIntyre
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Application Framework ◽  
Template Analysis ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact

<p>Gamification is the application of game principals in non-game contexts (i.e. the workplace). With unsatisfactory employee engagement in New Zealand, gamification is proposed as a possible solution in this thesis. Theoretically, gamification is linked to self-determination theory which recognises that individuals have innate psychological needs (i.e. relatedness, autonomy, competence). The rewards, status, progress through gamification, potentially provides a pathway to satisfying psychological needs, which when fulfilled can foster engagement.  Two research questions in relation to gamification were formulated to structure this thesis: How does gamification impact employee engagement in New Zealand? How can gamification be successfully managed within New Zealand workplaces?  Considering that gamification is a relatively new concept within workplaces, the literature gained from an applied search methodology was satisfactory. Four themes and additional content were identified and communicated in relation to gamification and employee engagement. The information extracted from the review was ultimately used to validate and inform an empirical study. Methods to ensure valid research included bracketing, creating an interview schedule, a recruitment plan, and template analysis. In total, twelve in-depth qualitative interviews with employees who had some form of experience with gamification, were conducted for data collection.  To ensure high levels of employee engagement there needed to be a managerial ability to eliminate gamesmanship, clarify gamified rules and purpose, and to promote employee input, otherwise engagement levels would suffer. A framework created within this thesis, the “Gamified Perception Framework”, aimed to link managerial actions which equate to both high and low levels of engagement. Employee engagement was also dependent on gamification applications pertaining to employees’ psychological needs. To have high levels of engagement there needed to be applications which satisfied specific psychological needs. If gamification applications could not cater to employees’ psychological needs, it correlated with lower engagement levels. To communicate the utility of gamified applications a framework was created. The “Gamification Application Framework” attempts to illustrate the impact of the four primary applications utilised within workplace gamification. In addition to the discovery of the two variables, a way to commonly assist in gamification structure was deemed unsatisfactory, an alternative way to generate structure was formulated, and gamified engagement was found to not be generation (age) or industry specific.  The primary implication of findings was the formulation of a “Five Step Guide to Installing Gamification in New Zealand Workplaces”, aiming to assist managers with workplace gamification. The guide provides a method to answer the second research question within this thesis. The guide’s multi-step nature is a metaphor for the high amount of devotion needed to manage workplace gamification. Complex in the sense of needing to constantly assess, communicate, and implement gamification when necessary.  Based on findings, gamification can both increase and decrease employee engagement within New Zealand. However, increased employee engagement would require a lot of dedication entailing a high level of professional commitment. Gamification, with serious devotion, can improve the state of employee engagement within New Zealand.</p>

scholarly journals Analisis Perkiraan Biaya Ekonomi Deforestasi Di Kalimantan Barat

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
Akhmad Yani
Keyword(s):  
Research Question ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Economic Loss ◽  
Forest Area ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Economic Costs ◽  
West Kalimantan ◽  
High Level ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Impact

Almost all forest areas in the districts / cities in West Kalimantan experience reduced area. Reducing the area of forest area or deforestation can, of course, have a detrimental impact on the environment which in turn can disrupt the sustainability of development itself. Deforestation has ecological, economic and social impacts. The higher the rate of deforestation, it will cause the potential impact will also increase. West Kalimantan experienced a fairly high level of deforestation. This gives an indication that the impact caused by deforestation in West Kalimantan has a relatively high potential. In other words, deforestation causes losses including economic losses. Related to this, the research question is how much economic value is the loss caused by deforestation in West Kalimantan? This research has 2 (two) objectives: first, calculating the economic costs of deforestation in West Kalimantan during the period 2009-2015, and second, analyzing the effect of the economic costs of deforestation on West Kalimantan's GDP during the period 2009-2015. Based on the data base for the period 2009 to 2015 and using the benefit transfer technique, this research has found that the highest economic losses occur in the secondary production forest and the lowest in the conservation forest area. Furthermore, during the period 2009 to 2015, this study has found that the highest economic loss value occurred in 2013 and the lowest occurred in 2011. Overall, the value of economic losses in the form of a combination of depletion and degradation provides a less significant reduction on the value of the forestry sub-sector GRDP in West Kalimantan.

Should you follow your gut? The impact of expertise on intuitive hiring decisions for complex jobs

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Vinod U. Vincent ◽  
Rebecca M. Guidice ◽  
Neal P. Mero
Keyword(s):  
Research Question ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Hiring Decisions ◽  
Employment Selection ◽  
Selection Research ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Decision Environments ◽  
Experimental Study Design

Abstract As jobs become increasingly complex, organizations are challenged with finding effective ways to select and hire successful employees. The high level of uncertainty generally associated with hiring decisions is greater for complex jobs where it is difficult to identify the predictors of good job performance. Intuition research has found expert intuition to be effective in highly uncertain decision environments. However, most employment selection research dismisses the use of intuition and argues that even expert interviewers should not rely on their intuition. To bridge the two research streams, this paper addresses the research question: for complex jobs, can the intuition of expert decision-makers enhance the effectiveness of hiring decisions? The hypotheses were tested via an experimental study design using expert and nonexpert interviewer samples. The results demonstrate that, when recruiting for complex jobs, interviewer expertise does increase the quality of intuitive hiring decisions.

scholarly journals Can Gamification Increase Employee Engagement in a New Zealand Context?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Daniel McIntyre
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Application Framework ◽  
Template Analysis ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact

<p>Gamification is the application of game principals in non-game contexts (i.e. the workplace). With unsatisfactory employee engagement in New Zealand, gamification is proposed as a possible solution in this thesis. Theoretically, gamification is linked to self-determination theory which recognises that individuals have innate psychological needs (i.e. relatedness, autonomy, competence). The rewards, status, progress through gamification, potentially provides a pathway to satisfying psychological needs, which when fulfilled can foster engagement.  Two research questions in relation to gamification were formulated to structure this thesis: How does gamification impact employee engagement in New Zealand? How can gamification be successfully managed within New Zealand workplaces?  Considering that gamification is a relatively new concept within workplaces, the literature gained from an applied search methodology was satisfactory. Four themes and additional content were identified and communicated in relation to gamification and employee engagement. The information extracted from the review was ultimately used to validate and inform an empirical study. Methods to ensure valid research included bracketing, creating an interview schedule, a recruitment plan, and template analysis. In total, twelve in-depth qualitative interviews with employees who had some form of experience with gamification, were conducted for data collection.  To ensure high levels of employee engagement there needed to be a managerial ability to eliminate gamesmanship, clarify gamified rules and purpose, and to promote employee input, otherwise engagement levels would suffer. A framework created within this thesis, the “Gamified Perception Framework”, aimed to link managerial actions which equate to both high and low levels of engagement. Employee engagement was also dependent on gamification applications pertaining to employees’ psychological needs. To have high levels of engagement there needed to be applications which satisfied specific psychological needs. If gamification applications could not cater to employees’ psychological needs, it correlated with lower engagement levels. To communicate the utility of gamified applications a framework was created. The “Gamification Application Framework” attempts to illustrate the impact of the four primary applications utilised within workplace gamification. In addition to the discovery of the two variables, a way to commonly assist in gamification structure was deemed unsatisfactory, an alternative way to generate structure was formulated, and gamified engagement was found to not be generation (age) or industry specific.  The primary implication of findings was the formulation of a “Five Step Guide to Installing Gamification in New Zealand Workplaces”, aiming to assist managers with workplace gamification. The guide provides a method to answer the second research question within this thesis. The guide’s multi-step nature is a metaphor for the high amount of devotion needed to manage workplace gamification. Complex in the sense of needing to constantly assess, communicate, and implement gamification when necessary.  Based on findings, gamification can both increase and decrease employee engagement within New Zealand. However, increased employee engagement would require a lot of dedication entailing a high level of professional commitment. Gamification, with serious devotion, can improve the state of employee engagement within New Zealand.</p>

ПРАГМАТИЧНИЙ ПОТЕНЦІАЛ НАТИВНОЇ РЕКЛАМИ: ФОРМИ, ТРЕНДИ (НА ПРИКЛАДІ НАТИВНОГО КОНТЕНТУ В СОЦІАЛЬНІЙ МЕРЕЖІ FACEBOOK ЩОДО БРЕНДА ФАКУЛЬТЕТУ ЖУРНАЛІСТИКИ ЗНУ)

2020 ◽  
pp. 113
Author(s):  
V. Kovpak ◽  
N. Trotsenko
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Communication Strategy ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Teacher Student ◽  
The Social ◽  
National University ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact

<div><p><em>The article analyzes the peculiarities of the format of native advertising in the media space, its pragmatic potential (in particular, on the example of native content in the social network Facebook by the brand of the journalism department of ZNU), highlights the types and trends of native advertising. The following research methods were used to achieve the purpose of intelligence: descriptive (content content, including various examples), comparative (content presentation options) and typological (types, trends of native advertising, in particular, cross-media as an opportunity to submit content in different formats (video, audio, photos, text, infographics, etc.)), content analysis method using Internet services (using Popsters service). And the native code for analytics was the page of the journalism department of Zaporizhzhya National University on the social network Facebook. After all, the brand of the journalism department of Zaporozhye National University in 2019 celebrates its 15th anniversary. The brand vector is its value component and professional training with balanced distribution of theoretical and practical blocks (seven practices), student-centered (democratic interaction and high-level teacher-student dialogue) and integration into Ukrainian and world educational process (participation in grant programs).</em></p></div><p><em>And advertising on social networks is also a kind of native content, which does not appear in special blocks, and is organically inscribed on one page or another and unobtrusively offers, just remembering the product as if «to the word». Popsters service functionality, which evaluates an account (or linked accounts of one person) for 35 parameters, but the main three areas: reach or influence, or how many users evaluate, comment on the recording; true reach – the number of people affected; network score – an assessment of the audience’s response to the impact, or how far the network information diverges (how many share information on this page).</em></p><p><strong><em>Key words:</em></strong><em> nativeness, native advertising, branded content, special project, communication strategy.</em></p>

THE IMPACT OF UKRAINE'S EXCISE DUTY POLICY ON THE TRANSFORMATION PROCESSES OF THE TOBACCO MARKET

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (10) ◽  
pp. 19-33
Author(s):  
Nadiia NOVYTSKA ◽  
◽  
Inna KHLIEBNIKOVA ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Changes ◽  
Tax Avoidance ◽  
Transformation Process ◽  
State Regulation ◽  
Tobacco Products ◽  
Excise Duty ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Transformation Processes

The market of tobacco products in Ukraine is one of the most dynamic and competitive. It develops under the influence of certain factors that cause structural changes, therefore, the aim of the article is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of transformation processes in the market of tobacco and their alternatives in Ukraine and identify the factors that cause them. The high level of tax burden and the proliferation of alternative products with a potentially lower risk to human health, including heating tobacco products and e-cigarettes, are key factors in the market’s transformation process. Their presence leads to an increase in illicit turnover of tobacco products, which accounts for 6.37% of the market, and the gradual replacement of cigarettes with alternative products, which account for 12.95%. The presence on the market of products that are not taxed or taxed at lower rates is one of the reasons for the reduction of excise duty revenues. According to the results of 2019, the planned indicators of revenues were not met by 23.5%. Other reasons for non-fulfillment of excise duty revenues include: declining dynamics of the tobacco products market; reduction in the number of smokers; reorientation of «cheap whites» cigarette flows from Ukraine to neighboring countries; tax avoidance. Prospects for further research are identified, namely the need to develop measures for state regulation and optimization of excise duty taxation of tobacco products and their alternatives, taking into account the risks to public health and increasing demand of illegal products.

The Fiscal Effects of Economic Immigration on Subnational Government Finance in Poland

e-Finanse ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-58
Author(s):  
Marzanna Poniatowicz ◽  
Agnieszka Piekutowska
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Income Tax ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Personal Income Tax ◽  
Government Finance ◽  
Subnational Government ◽  
Migration Research ◽  
The Impact ◽  
High Share

AbstractThe aim of the paper is to analyse the effects of economic immigration on subnational government finance (SNG) in Poland. The goal to achieve is to answer the following research question: what are the fiscal effects of immigration on SNG budget revenues and expenditures. To answer this question, logarithmic models were developed. The analysis refers to the years 2007-2016. In this respect, data from Statistics Poland - referring to budget revenues and expenditures of communes, cities of district status, districts and voivodeships - were used. As far as immigration statistics are concerned, data from the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy were used. The results indicate an increase in both revenues and expenditures of SNG as a result of immigration. Such results can be explained inter alia by the nature of migration - research were focused on economic immigration. Results confirm that the level of employment of foreigners is one of the determinants shaping the fiscal effect of immigration. Moreover, the impact of economic immigration on SNG budget revenues and expenditures depends on the structure of this budget. This explains the differentiated results of the analysis of the impact of immigration on SNG in different countries. The positive correlation between immigration and SNG revenues in Poland can be associated with a high share of subnational governments in personal income tax revenues as this tax is one of the main categories of SNG revenues. Furthermore, results show that the impact of immigration on local government budgets in Poland is modest. This confirms the conclusions drawn by other authors (e.g. Auerbach and Oreopoulos), that in the long term, immigration cannot be considered as a potential instrument for resolving fiscal imbalances.

Role of Credit Rating in determining Capital structure: Evidence from Non-Financial sector of Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shoaib Ali ◽  
Imran Yousaf ◽  
Muhammad Naveed
Keyword(s):  
Capital Structure ◽  
Credit Rating ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Annual Data ◽  
Leverage Ratio ◽  
Financial Decisions ◽  
Financial Firms ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Capital Structure

This paper aims to examine the impact of external credit ratings on the financial decisions of the firms in Pakistan.  This study uses the annual data of 70 non-financial firms for the period 2012-2018. It uses ordinary least square (OLS) to estimate the impact of credit rating on capital structure. The results show that rated firm has a high level of leverage. Moreover, Profitability and tanagability are also found to be a significantly negative determinant of the capital structure, whereas, size of the firm has a significant positive relationship with the capital structure of the firm.  Besides, there exists a non-linear relationship between the credit rating and the capital structure. The rated firms have higher leverage as compared to the non-rated firms. The high and low rated firms have a low level of leverage, while mid rated firms have a higher leverage ratio. The finding of the study have practical implications for the manager; they can have easier access to the financial market by just having a credit rating no matter high or low. Policymakers must stress upon the rating agencies to keep improving themselves as their rating severs as the measure to judge the creditworthiness of the firm by both the investors and management as well.

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