Adoption versus use diffusion of iDTV in flanders

The article reflects the peculiarities of distance learning organization in the process of training specialists in administration and public administration on the example of the Polish experience. The methods of providing distance education, the challenges faced by specialists in higher education, and the advantages of such training of managers are considered. The presented article contains a review of the literature concerning distance learning in administration and public administration published in the last five years. According to the results of the processing of 45 articles presented in scientometric databases (Scopus, Web of Science, Index Copernicus), the trend of comparative analysis of distance and traditional educational models is typical. Research studies mainly focus on specific technologies and the degree of their effectiveness, the number of publications with the study of competencies has been growing only in the last two years. In addition, the predominant method is the analysis of quantitative data on students' academic performance and the adoption of the latest technologies by educators. Accordingly, the novelty of the study lies in highlighting the limitations of the discourse in the problem field: the focus on WEIRD sampling (respondents from Western, educated, industrialized, wealthy, and democratic societies), the lack of a meaningful conceptual framework for competency and self-efficacy research, the lack of qualitative data specific to a particular industry. Therefore, the purpose of the presented work is to determine the elements necessary for the professional development of future managers in a distance learning environment and the degree of their implementation. In the course of the empirical study, the subjective perception of the quality of education in the conditions of distance learning and the compliance of qualifications obtained by students with the requirements of the professional environment in the field of management were analyzed. The research methodology is embodied by exploratory design, which is based on surveys of participants in the educational process and semi-structured interviews of specialists in the field of public administration. The results allowed drawing conclusions about the sufficient level of skills in the digital environment and the sense of satisfaction with the educational process among students and teachers. The main indicator of academic achievement was determined by the content of the curricula, which corresponded to the current trends of professional activity. In addition, in the distance mode, one of the important components of learning efficiency is the interpersonal contact between the teacher and the student, guaranteeing the experience of the content and quality of the educational process.

As Industry 4.0 offers significant productivity improvements, its relevance has grown across various organisations. While it captures the attention of both the industry and the academia, very few efforts have been made to streamline useful indicators across stages of its implementation. Such work facilitates the development of strategies that are appropriate for a specific stage of implementation; therefore, it would be significant to a variety of stakeholders. As a result, this paper aims to establish an indicator system for adopting Industry 4.0 within the context of the three stages of the innovation adoption: (i) pre-adoption, (ii) adoption, and (iii) post-adoption. First, a comprehensive review was performed with a search expanding into the literature on innovation and technology adoption. Second, the resulting indicators were filtered for relevance, redundancy, description, and thorough focus discussions. Finally, they were categorised by their stage of adoption. From 469 innovation adoption indicators found in the literature, this work identified a total of 62 indicators relevant for the Industry 4.0 adoption, in which 11, 14, and 37 of them comprised the three stages, respectively. Case studies from two manufacturing firms in the Philippines were reported to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed indicator system. This work pioneers the establishment of an indicator system for the Industry 4.0 adoption and the classification of such indicators into three stages — pre-adoption, adoption, and post-adoption — which would serve as a framework for decision-makers, practitioners, and stakeholders in planning, strategy development, resource allocation, and performance evaluation of the Industry 4.0 adoption.

The aim of this survey, which was part of an English-French project supported by the Commission of the European Communities, was to compare access to HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) in the occupational and non-occupational contexts in 27 European countries. A protocol was designed in May 1998 in collaboration with all country consultants. Data were collected at country level by each consultant through interviews, review of local and national recommendations and results of national or local surveys. The final comparative analysis was carried out from the individual country reports and a review of the literature. The large majority of European countries have detailed procedures regarding occupational PEP: 20/27 have produced national guidelines, three have adopted the US CDC recommendations and only four have no official recommendations. Although no standard protocol exists, the more common one is a four-week implementation of a triple combination therapy. In the context of non-occupational exposure to HIV, only five countries have guidelines with specific recommendations and one country has adopted the CDC recommendations. In the majority of cases (13 countries), PEP is never recommended but is only available in a few circumstances, sometimes with major limitations. In the last eight countries, such PEP is not currently available. Although the estimations of HIV transmission risks in occupational and non-occupational contexts are really comparables, easy access to PEP after accidental sexual or blood exposures is not guaranteed for the general population in the majority of European countries.

Previous research has extensively investigated the drivers of the decision to volunteer on an individual level. As volunteering usually occurs within an institutional context (e.g., sport club and sport event), the characteristics of the institution must also be considered; however, they have been largely neglected in previous research. A review of the literature on both levels reveals both theoretical and methodological shortcomings which this paper attempts to address. The individual and institutional perspectives are combined resulting in a multi-level framework for the investigation of the drivers of volunteer engagement. Drawing on the heterodox approach and the concept of organizational capacity, the framework consists of an individual and an institutional level. Suggestions for indicators and statistical modeling (multi-level analysis) are provided. The suggested multi-level framework and the multi-level analysis can open new perspectives for research on volunteers in sport.

The need to optimize investments in bridge maintenance has created a demand for improved bridge management systems (BMS). Outdated practices in bridge inspection and constant advances in information technology have also contributed to this demand. The use of Digital Twins (DT), although well established in other industries, is still incipient for asset management and structural analysis of bridges. There is a great deal of research on Building Information Modelling (BIM) for bridge inspection, but its post-construction potential is still under-explored. This study presents a state-of-the-art review of the literature on asset management for bridges using digital models such as BIM and digital twins. The review was conducting using a systematic approach. Despite the rapid increase in research on DT and the amount of existing research on BIM, several gaps remain to be addressed, such as the lack of consensus about the definition of digital twins, which has led to wrongful categorisation of digital models as DT. The complex data flow and software compatibility required to develop a functional DT have hindered the exploitation of their full potential so far. The integration of BIM post-construction to BMS and existing automation technologies can also significantly improve current practices of bridge management.

During infancy, adequate nutrition is essential to warrant healthy growth and development of infants to their full potential. Nutritional deficits particularly iron, during this critical period increase the risk of illness and long-term developmental impairment. Therefore, international organizations including Health Canada recommend that infants should be primarily introduced to iron rich complementary foods (CFs) such as iron fortified cereal and meat in order to meet their iron requirements and prevent growth faltering. This review aims to provide an overview on the available research of the recommended first CFs and their effects on various health outcomes including iron. Although the studies on meat presented in this review showed inconsistent findings regarding improvement of iron status, however, consumption of meat had promising positive effects on growth and other health outcomes. Studies on the fortified cereals reported improvement of iron status and possibly growth. Further large scale, multicenter trials are needed to support the current findings and to investigate the long-term benefits of these recommended CFs.

Assisted Suicide in Switzerland: The 10-Year Experience of a Palliative Care Unit Medical Director and Ethic Committee Member (FR412)

Bibliometric analysis of publications on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in France since 1974

Health care service in paediatric and adolescent gynaecology throughout Europe: A review of the literature

Introduction:Lowering intraocular pressure (IOP) is, at present, the only therapeutic approach to the treatment of glaucoma. Good compliance is essential in every chronic therapy; therefore, the development of IOP-lowering eye drops that are well tolerated and have an easy administration schedule is essential for the treatment of glaucoma. Prostaglandins are a first-choice drug class for the treatment of glaucoma.Areas covered:This review provides a background on tafluprost, a newly synthesized prostaglandin analogue, and summarizes the existing data on its efficacy and safety, including comparative data with the other prostaglandin derivatives now available on the market. A review of the literature was performed.Expert opinion:Current research focuses not only on the efficacy of the drugs but also on their tolerability. The importance of obtaining good compliance by the patient is increasingly relevant; therefore, new formulations are studied to provide fewer side effects and an easier schedule. Tafluprost is a new prostaglandin analogue that has been marketed in some European countries and in Japan for more than 2 years and was recently (July 2009) approved in 21 countries. Besides a well-demonstrated IOP-lowering effect, tafluprost is the first topical prostaglandin available as a preservative-free formulation.

A critical analysis of existing food consumption databases was performed with particular regard for their current and potential use for the assessment of dietary exposure to additives, flavourings and residues of food contact materials.Within the European Food Consumption Validation project (EFCOVAL), a questionnaire on critical aspects of such datasets was developed and administered to researchers responsible for the collection/analysis of national food consumption data in European countries. Information collected was complemented through a review of the literature and of grey publications in order to provide an inventory of the main food consumption surveys performed in Europe from 1994 to 2007, for a total of 23 countries and 37 surveys.It appeared that existing European food consumption surveys have as a main objective the assessment of nutrient intake in the population. On the other hand, most of the databases were shown to be used also for the purpose of dietary exposure assessment.

Generally, research on the intersection of gender and affiliation with Islam in socalled ‘Western’ societies, such as many European countries, North America and Australia/New Zealand can be divided into three distinct perspectives. First, discourse analyses examine how the public and media discourse deal with Muslim women, especially in relation to issues of integration (e.g. Dustin & Phillips, 2008; Rostock & Berghan, 2008; Yurdakul & Korteweg, 2013; Zick et al., 2011, cf. Introduction). Second, the two other approaches take Muslim persons themselves as the subjects of investigation and examine gender-related issues: First, reconstructive approaches investigate how Muslim women living in countries that are not predominantly Muslim, i.e. where being Muslims means being member of a minority, negotiate gender (and religion) in various contexts.

Adequacy of Pension Systems in Europe: An Analysis Based on Comprehensive Replacement Rates

To ensure the book was read in its entirety, the text was divided into thirds and apportioned equally to each reviewer; all 3 reviewers were assigned 4 chapters in common to read as well.This summary review by 3 individuals, each of whom is internationally recognized for expertise in the broad field of general cardiology, is offered in the spirit of helping the ESC achieve its stated objective of providing a textbook that is successful in covering the knowledge that should be required of all general cardiologists.

Media freedom encourages development of society, leading to growing and sustainable democracies and healthy social, political, and economic engagement Mobile news services (MNSs) are one means to reach out to citizens to share news and provide citizens with a forum to critique and voice opinion. Current findings suggest that there is minimal research and understanding of the adoption of these mobile news services. The purpose of this study was to propose and validate a theoretical framework that articulates factors influencing the adoption of mobile news services in South Africa. A review of the literature on mobile news services and technology adoption helped to identify potential factors. Multiple interpretive case studies were conducted to understand the adoption of mobile news services within the local context. Thematic analysis supported the identification of key influencing factors of MNS adoption. The resultant MNS adoption model offers new insight in the adoption of mobile news services in terms of social factors, attributes of adopters and attributes of innovation. The results are also useful to mobile news service providers, designers, and developers, in their endeavour to satisfy distinct news consumer's needs.