Modelling and analysing human behaviour in a department store using discrete event and agent based simulation

Discrete Event Simulation (DES) is a very popular simulation technique in Operational Research. Recently, there has been the emergence of another technique, namely Agent Based Simulation (ABS). Although there is a lot of literature relating to DES and ABS, we have found less that focuses on exploring the capabilities of both in tackling human behaviour issues. In order to understand the gap between these two simulation techniques, therefore, our aim is to understand the distinctions between DES and ABS models with the real world phenomenon in modelling and simulating human behaviour. In achieving the aim, we have carried out a case study at a department store. Both DES and ABS models will be compared using the same problem domain which is concerning on management policy in a fitting room. The behaviour of staffs while working and customers’ satisfaction will be modelled for both models behaviour understanding.

A NATURALISTIC COMPUTATIONAL MODEL OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN NAVIGATION AND SEARCH TASKS

Planning, navigation, and search are fundamental human cognitive abilities central to spatial problem solving in search and rescue, law enforcement, and military operations. Despite a wealth of literature concerning naturalistic spatial problem solving in animals, literature on naturalistic spatial problem solving in humans is comparatively lacking and generally conducted by separate camps among which there is little crosstalk. Addressing this deficiency will allow us to predict spatial decision making in operational environments, and understand the factors leading to those decisions. The present dissertation is comprised of two related efforts, (1) a set of empirical research studies intended to identify characteristics of planning, execution, and memory in naturalistic spatial problem solving tasks, and (2) a computational modeling effort to develop a model of naturalistic spatial problem solving. The results of the behavioral studies indicate that problem space hierarchical representations are linear in shape, and that human solutions are produced according to multiple optimization criteria. The Mixed Criteria Model presented in this dissertation accounts for global and local human performance in a traditional and naturalistic Traveling Salesman Problem. The results of the empirical and modeling efforts hold implications for basic and applied science in domains such as problem solving, operations research, human-computer interaction, and artificial intelligence.

Mental health and human rights in forensic psychiatry in the European Union

One of the most important events which characterizes the process of transitioning to the European Union is the ratification of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms by the European Council in 1950. Since then, the topic of human rights has become the inspiring principle in the construction of the European Community and afterwards the institutional apparatus which constitutes the Union. The primary objective of the European Union States currently is to promote a harmonization of the national legislations on mental health, favoring a central health policy which reduces inequalities amongst the member States. For this reason Europe is a region of the world in which is more abundant the normative one about mental health, especially in form of Recommendations directed to the States by the Council of Europe, although norms of direct application also exist. Special interest has the sentences dictated by the European Court of Human Rights and the conclusions of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. It should be mentioned the work of European Union equally and of the Office for Europe of the World Organization of the Health. This group of juridical instruments configures the most complete regulation on the mental patient's rights.

Re-imagining the theology of human sexuality in the Methodist Church: the use of narrative in theological methodology

This thesis proposes the development of a narrative methodology in the British Methodist Church. Such a methodology embraces and communicates both felt experience and critical theological thinking, thus producing and presenting a theology that might have a constructive transformative impact on wider society. In chapter one I explore the ways in which the Church speaks in public, identify some of the challenges it faces, and consider four models of engagement. If the Church is to engage in public discourses then I argue that its words need to be relevant and connect with people’s experiences. To ground the thinking I focus on the context of the British Methodist Church and explore how the Church engages in theological reflection through the lens of its thinking on issues of human sexuality. Chapter two reviews how theological reflection is undertaken in the British Methodist Church. I describe how the Methodist Quadrilateral of Scripture, tradition, reason and experience remains a foundational framework for theological reflection within the Methodist Church and consider the impact of institutional processes and the ways in which the Methodist people actually engage with theological thinking. The third and fourth chapters focus on how the British Methodist Church has produced its theology of human sexuality, giving particular attention to the use of personal and sexual stories in this process. I find that whilst there has been a desire to listen to the stories of the Methodist people, there has not been a corresponding interrogation or analysis of their stories so as to enable robust and constructive theological reflection on these experiences. Using resources from Foucauldian approaches to discourse analysis, I critique key statements and the processes involved in their production, offering an analysis of this body of theological thinking and indicating where possibilities for alternative ways of thinking and acting arise. The proposed methodology draws upon resources from social science methodologies, and in chapter five I look at the use of personal experience and relevant strategies of inquiry that prompt reflection on the hermeneutical process and employ narrative approaches in undertaking, analysing and presenting research. The exploration shows that qualitative research methodologies offer resources and methods of inquiry that could help the Church to engage with personal stories in its theological thinking in a robust, interrogative and imaginative way. In chapter six an examination of story and narrative is undertaken, to show how they have been understood as ways of knowing and how they relate to theological inquiry. Whilst acknowledging some of the limitations of narrative, I indicate how it offers constructive possibilities for theological reflection and could be a means for the British Methodist Church to engage in public discourse. This is explored further in chapter seven, which looks in more detail at how the British Methodist Church has used narrative in its theological thinking, and outlines areas requiring further attention in order for a narrative theological methodology to be developed, namely: attention to the question ‘whose experience?’; investigation of issues of power and the dynamics involved in the process of the production of theological thought; how personal stories and experiences are interrogated and how narrative is constructed; and how narrative might be employed within the Methodist Quadrilateral. The final chapter considers the advantages and limitations of such an approach, whether the development of such a method is possible in the Methodist Church today and its potential for helping the Church to engage in public discourse more effectively. I argue that this methodology can provoke new theological insights and enable new ways of being in the world

Characterizing human cysticercosis in Portugal 2006-2013

Cysticercosis results from the ingestion Taenia solium eggs directly by faecal-oral route or contaminated food or water. While, still considered a leading cause of acquired epilepsy in developed countries, this zoonosis has been controlled or eradicated in industrialized countries due to significant improvements in sanitation, pig rearing and slaughterhouse control systems. We developed a retrospective study on human neurocysticercosis (NCC) hospitalisations based on the national database resulting from National Health Service (NHS) hospital episodes except those of Madeira and Azores Islands. Between 2006 and 2013 there were 357 hospitalized NCC cases in Portugal. Annual frequency of cases between 2006-2013 kept stable (mean 45). NCC was most frequent in those aged 25-34 years (59; 16,5%) and those >75 years (65; 18,2%). Overall, mean age was 47,3 years (median age 45, standard deviation 41,1, mode 28) and 176 cases were in males (49,3%); no significant differences were observed between age and gender (t-student, p>0,05). In Norte Region cases tended to be older than in Lisboa and Vale do Tejo Region. The Directorate-General of Health established the National Observatory of Cysticercosis and Teniiasis which will define criteria for NCC cases monitoring and surveillance (hospitalized and non-hospitalized cases).

Human cysticercosis in Portugal: long gone or still contemporary?

Cysticercosis, a leading cause of acquired epilepsy in developing countries, has been controlled or eradicated in industrialized countries. This paradigm has recently been challenged, with human neurocysticercosis (NCC) being increasingly diagnosed in these countries. In order to assess the NCC burden in Portugal, a retrospective study on NCC hospitalizations (2006–2013) was conducted based on the national database on hospital morbidity: 357 hospitalized cases were detected. NCC was most frequent in the following age groups: 20–64 years (n = 197, 55·2%) >64 years (n = 111, 31·1%), and <20 years (n = 49, 13·7%). In the Norte and Centro regions cases tended to be older than in the Lisboa and Vale do Tejo Region. The results raise concerns for imported and autochthonous disease, suggesting the Lisboa and Vale do Tejo Region, due to its higher frequency of cases at younger ages, as a priority for research and intervention, and further suggest that NCC should be under surveillance (notifiable). The National Observatory of Cysticercosis and Taeniasis has been established and will define NCC cases as well as monitoring and surveillance.

Keys on the Formation and Human Development in Pedagogy

This paper is based on the experiences of the author, who has worked in the various levels of the Venezuelan educational system. This has been a very important platform to understand the ideas of education and human development within the Venezuelan institutionality in the educational field. The idea of education that we have, as teachers, should be rethought in order to consider the personal stories of those who share with us their time, interests and willingness: children, young people or adults, all with particular identities, differences and coincidences. The teachers, the schools and the State cannot consider an education for someone they do not know. In this sense, we provide some reflections resulting from our ethnographic work, based on the school life, interviews, class analysis, observations, and stories, among others. Our thoughts are classified as formation, hope, dialogue, attitude, and school life.

The empire of cancer: Gene patents and cancer voices

In his book, The Emperor of All Maladies, Siddhartha Mukherjee writes a history of cancer — "It is a chronicle of an ancient disease — once a clandestine, 'whispered-about' illness — that has metamorphosed into a lethal shape-shifting entity imbued with such penetrating metaphorical, medical, scientific, and political potency that cancer is often described as the defining plague of our generation." Increasingly, an important theme in the history of cancer is the role of law, particularly in the field of intellectual property law. It is striking that a number of contemporary policy debates over intellectual property and public health have concerned cancer research, diagnosis, and treatment. In the area of access to essential medicines, there has been much debate over Novartis’ patent application in respect of Glivec, a treatment for leukaemia. India’s Supreme Court held that the Swiss company’s patent application violated a safeguard provision in India’s patent law designed to stop evergreening. In the field of tobacco control, the Australian Government introduced plain packaging for tobacco products in order to address the health burdens associated with the tobacco epidemic. This regime was successfully defended in the High Court of Australia. In the area of intellectual property and biotechnology, there have been significant disputes over the Utah biotechnology company Myriad Genetics and its patents in respect of genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2, which are related to breast cancer and ovarian cancer. The Federal Court of Australia handed down a decision on the validity of Myriad Genetics’ patent in respect of genetic testing for BRCA1 in February 2013. The Supreme Court of the United States heard a challenge to the validity of Myriad Genetics’ patents in this area in April 2013, and handed down a judgment in July 2013. Such disputes have involved tensions between intellectual property rights, and public health. This article focuses upon one of these important test cases involving intellectual property, public health, and cancer research. In June 2010, Cancer Voices Australia and Yvonne D’Arcy brought an action in the Federal Court of Australia against the validity of a BRCA1 patent — held by Myriad Genetics Inc, the Centre de Recherche du Chul, the Cancer Institute of Japan and Genetic Technologies Limited. Yvonne D’Arcy — a Brisbane woman who has had treatment for breast cancer — maintained: "I believe that what they are doing is morally and ethically corrupt and that big companies should not control any parts of the human body." She observed: "For my daughter, I've had her have [sic] mammograms, etc, because of me but I would still like her to be able to have the test to see if the mutation gene is in there from me." The applicants made the following arguments: "Genes and the information represented by human gene sequences are products of nature universally present in each individual, and the information content of a human gene sequence is fixed. Genetic variations or mutations are products of nature. The isolation of the BRCA1 gene mutation from the human body constitutes no more than a medical or scientific discovery of a naturally occurring phenomenon and does not give rise to a patentable invention." The applicants also argued that "the alleged invention is not a patentable invention in that, so far as claimed in claims 1–3, it is not a manner of manufacture within the meaning of s 6 of the Statute of Monopolies". The applicants suggested that "the alleged invention is a mere discovery". Moreover, the applicants contended that "the alleged invention of each of claims 1-3 is not a patentable invention because they are claims for biological processes for the generation of human beings". The applicants, though, later dropped the argument that the patent claims related to biological processes for the generation of human beings. In February 2013, Nicholas J of the Federal Court of Australia considered the case brought by Cancer Voices Australia and Yvonne D’Arcy against Myriad Genetics. The judge presented the issues in the case, as follows: "The issue that arises in this case is of considerable importance. It relates to the patentability of genes, or gene sequences, and the practice of 'gene patenting'. Briefly stated, the issue to be decided is whether under the Patents Act 1990 (Cth) a valid patent may be granted for a claim that covers naturally occurring nucleic acid — either deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or ribonucleic acid (RNA) — that has been 'isolated'". In this context, the word "isolated" implies that naturally occurring nucleic acid found in the cells of the human body, whether it be DNA or RNA, has been removed from the cellular environment in which it naturally exists and separated from other cellular components also found there. The genes found in the human body are made of nucleic acid. The particular gene with which the patent in suit is concerned (BRCA1) is a human breast and ovarian cancer disposing gene. Various mutations that may be present in this gene have been linked to various forms of cancer including breast cancer and ovarian cancer.' The judge held in this particular case that Myriad Genetics’ patent claims were a "manner of manufacture" under s 6 of the Statute of Monopolies and s 18(1)(a) of the Patents Act 1990 (Cth). The matter is currently under appeal in the Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia. This article interprets the dispute over Myriad Genetics in light of the scholarly work of Nobel Laureate Professor Joseph Stiglitz on inequality. Such work has significant explanatory power in the context of intellectual property and biotechnology. First, Stiglitz has contended that "societal inequality was a result not just of the laws of economics, but also of how we shape the economy — through politics, including through almost every aspect of our legal system". Stiglitz is concerned that "our intellectual property regime … contributes needlessly to the gravest form of inequality." He maintains: "The right to life should not be contingent on the ability to pay." Second, Stiglitz worries that "some of the most iniquitous aspects of inequality creation within our economic system are a result of 'rent-seeking': profits, and inequality, generated by manipulating social or political conditions to get a larger share of the economic pie, rather than increasing the size of that pie". He observes that "the most iniquitous aspect of this wealth appropriation arises when the wealth that goes to the top comes at the expense of the bottom." Third, Stiglitz comments: "When the legal regime governing intellectual property rights is designed poorly, it facilitates rent-seeking" and "the result is that there is actually less innovation and more inequality." He is concerned that intellectual property regimes "create monopoly rents that impede access to health both create inequality and hamper growth more generally." Finally, Stiglitz has recommended: "Government-financed research, foundations, and the prize system … are alternatives, with major advantages, and without the inequality-increasing disadvantages of the current intellectual property rights system.’" This article provides a critical analysis of the Australian litigation and debate surrounding Myriad Genetics’ patents in respect of genetic testing for BRCA1. First, it considers the ruling of Nicholas J in the Federal Court of Australia that Myriad Genetics’ patent was a manner of manufacture as it related to an artificially created state of affairs, and not mere products of nature. Second, it examines the policy debate over gene patents in Australia, and its relevance to the litigation involving Myriad Genetics. Third, it examines comparative law, and contrasts the ruling by Nicholas J in the Federal Court of Australia with developments in the United States, Canada, and the European Union. Fourth, this piece considers the reaction to the decision of Nicholas at first instance in Australia. Fifth, the article assesses the prospects of an appeal to the Full Federal Court of Australia over the Myriad Genetics’ patents. Finally, this article observes that, whatever happens in respect of litigation against Myriad Genetics, there remains controversy over Genetic Technologies Limited. The Melbourne firm has been aggressively licensing and enforcing its related patents on non-coding DNA and genomic mapping.

Siirtonaisena Singaporessa : Ulkomaantyökomennuksille mukaan muuttaneet suomalaisnaiset kertovat kokemuksistaan

The objective of this qualitative study is to reveal the discursive reality of Finnish women, who have chosen to follow their husbands to expatriate assignments. The research material includes interviews of seventeen (17) Finnish housewives who lived in Singapore in 1999. The primary theoretical framework of the study is a social-constructive view, in which the reality is seen to have been constructed through meanings that create and maintain cultural practices, social roles and institutions. Gender is interpreted as produced socially, politically and in language. Human beings in the study exist as cultural and social beings with sex. An underlying assumption of the analysis is that the women in the study do not recognize their experience from their position that has been located to the prompt box in a play of expatriate assignment a role that is offered to them by the business sciences. Referring to Somers (1994) these women suffer of narrative silence as they lack public narratives that correspond to their circumstances. According to Williams (1983), an experience is an evidence of conditions. Therefore, the experiences of the women, who have followed their husbands to expatriate assignments, include information of their conditions. The analysis of the interview material has been performed in two phases: First, the women's experiences are identified from the research material. Thereafter, by means of discourse analysis the experiences are revealed analytically. This revealing process can also be regarded as an articulation of a counter-narrative. The research results can be found from three such discursive interpretations that are offered to the women and from eight such discursive interpretations that can be drawn from the women's own experiences. One of the discursive interpretations, which came out from the women's own experiences, is named as cultural dysphasia. In the study, cultural dysphasia is defined as a condition, in which the women have a difficulty in making their lived reality understood by others outside the sphere of their situation. Finnish women do not only lack public narrative, but the absence of a housewife-culture in Finland prevents them from any public narrative that would have a positive tone. To avoid dependence on the housewife concept, a woman's decision to follow her husband to an expatriate assignment is interpreted as a demonstration of solidarity to the relationship. In this connection, these Finnish women are re-named as 'siirtonainen' (Finnish, literally 'transfer woman'). This is the first scientific study to make visible the lived reality of Finnish women who have followed their husbands to expatriate assignments. The study will help the women in similar circumstances to find their marks among the current narratives. By reducing dichotomy between housewives and career women, which is damaging to women, and by creating the concept of 'siirtonainen' it will be possible to expand the cultural space of Finnish women. Finally, the study argues that a Finnish career woman, grown together with the imperative of self-support, has been lifted up as one symbol of modern Finland. Key words: expatriate research, experience, public narrative, narrative silence, cultural dysphasia, siirtonainen - transfer woman

Nuevas esperanzas que la ciencia abre a la vida

Resumen: La ciencia es un complejo fenómeno social que abarca no solo factores materiales sino también espirituales. Es una actividad cognoscitiva del hombre que valora objetivamente tanto la naturaleza como la sociedad, en donde las abstracciones se vinculan con la práctica. Pero ¿el saber científico es un medio o un fin en sí mismo? Si fuera un fin, solo nos interesaría saber el cómo investigar. Pero entendida la ciencia como un medio, la pregunta entonces es ¿para qué investigar y generar saberes científicos? y también ¿para quién investigar? Sin duda la razón de la investigación científica es el hombre y su objetivo debería ser el desarrollo, entendiendo éste como la posibilidad de que todas las potencialidades del hombre puedan expresarse. La ciencia es un medio para alcanzar el desarrollo y el bienestar social, poniendo al hombre en el centro de la escena. El boom científico-tecnológico aumentó la media de años de vida, modificó el perfil epidemiológico y también, en algunos casos, la calidad de vida del hombre, se abrieron nuevas esperanzas pero también nuevos desafíos, paradojas y contradicciones que intentaremos desarrollar en este art��culo.

Psicología Evolutiva y Psicología Evolucionista. Claves para la discusión

[Es] La teoría creacionista, universalmente en vigor antes de Darwin (y aún hoy sostenida por más de uno) sostenía que había habido una mente (divina), encargada de diseñar al hombre; que le puso ojos para que viera, oídos, mente para que pensara...Desde Darwin, por el contrario, se opina que la necesidad de enfrentarse a problemas diversos hizo que la mente fuera diversificándose, a través de sucesivas selecciones de las mentes más adaptativas. Según esto: 1.-¿Existen maquinarias biológicas “especializadas” en nuestro cerebro?. Y si existieran, 2.-¿Se desarrollan de forma espontánea?; es decir, sin esfuerzo ni instrucción formal? 3.-¿Se despliegan de forma inconsciente, autónoma y similar en todos los seres humanos? En definitiva: ¿Existe algo (facultad psicológica, órgano mental, sistema neurológico, módulo computacional…) que permita decir que las personas saben esto… o aquello… en el mismo sentido que las arañas saben tejer o los pájaros construir sus nidos?

Relação da violência na gestação e o processo de abortamento: uma perspectiva da gestante

O estudo tem como objeto as relações estabelecidas pela mulher entre o processo de abortamento e as situações de violência vivenciadas durante a gestação. A violência e o aborto caracterizam-se por serem temáticas de grande complexidade, envolvendo questões interdisciplinares de gênero, saúde, saúde reprodutiva, religião, movimentos sociais, ética e direitos humanos. No aprofundamento do objeto de estudo, traçamos os seguintes objetivos: identificar os tipos de situações de violência vivenciados, durante a gravidez, pela mulher em processo de abortamento; descrever a vivência de violência sob a ótica da gestante em processo de abortamento e analisar as relações estabelecidas pela gestante em processo de abortamento e a ocorrência de situações de violência na gestação. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, que teve como sujeitos 15 mulheres com o diagnóstico de abortamento, internadas em maternidades públicas da cidade de Niterói/Rio de Janeiro. A coleta de dados foi iniciada com a busca nos prontuários do diagnóstico e, posteriormente, foram realizadas entrevistas com roteiro semi-estruturado, gravadas atendendo à legislação vigente acerca das diretrizes de pesquisas com seres humanos. Na análise dos dados utilizamos a técnica de Análise de Conteúdo de Bardin. Os resultados demonstraram a visão ampliada da mulher sobre a violência, sendo de gênero e psicológica as mais apontadas. O aborto foi indicado como uma das manifestações de violência contra a mulher, tanto nos processos espontâneos como nos induzidos. Esse fenômeno, assim como o da violência, é permeado por determinantes sociais, éticas, morais e religiosas. Quando espontâneo, pode ser visto como um fracasso da mulher diante de sua capacidade vital de ser mãe gerando culpa e derrota diante de companheiros e familiares, além da possibilidade de ser vista como pecadora e/ou criminosa, em decorrência do princípio social, religioso e legal do aborto como crime, acarretando o desgaste psicológico. As relações estabelecidas pelas mulheres acerca da violência na gestação e o processo de abortamento versaram basicamente sobre os dilemas vivenciados nas gestações indesejadas; sobre o cotidiano feminino nos espaços públicos e privados, refletidos em conflitos; o excesso da dupla jornada de trabalho; e sobre a violência institucional perpetuada pelos serviços de saúde, principalmente na busca por uma assistência digna e humanizada nas unidades de emergência.

Adolescente infrator: as práticas restaurativas (mediação) e a nova Lei do Sistema Nacional de Atendimento Socioeducativo (SINASE) na cidade do Rio de Janeiro

Este estudo, intitulado Adolescente infrator: A mediação prevista na nova Lei do Sistema Nacional de Atendimento Socioeducativo (SINASE) na cidade do Rio de Janeiro trata da mediação na vertente transformativa, com o objetivo de permitir nova ótica sobre a conduta infratora e as consequências dos atos no mundo social. Esta forma de atuação, dentre outros benefícios, pode evitar o desgaste jurisdicional, na medida em que os casos selecionados a partir de suas características passam a ser operados por especialistas em composição pacífica de conflitos, com a perspectiva de seres humanos que necessitam da inter-relação no convívio social. Os mediadores trabalham com os adolescentes em conflito com a lei, seus pais e as vítimas. Destarte, verificando as circunstâncias favoráveis à mediação, passa-se ao diálogo para alcançar um acordo, mantendo-se o centro da intervenção no conflito e na relação dos conflitantes, incentivando a capacitação para a negociação a partir do reconhecimento do direito do outro, produzindo a transformação interna dos litigantes que causará, como efeito desejado, a dissolução do conflito. A princípio os mediadores devem atuar apenas em fatos de menor potencial ofensivo, como agressões leves e outros conflitos entre adolescentes. Com o passar do tempo e o aperfeiçoamento da prática, é possível abarcar outras classes de prática infracional, a exemplo de pequenos furtos. Para tanto, na fase de pesquisa, tentando-se explicar a mediação transformadora a partir das referências teóricas publicadas em livros ou obras congêneres, utilizou-se a técnica bibliográfica; na fase da redação, ordenou-se o material coletado, segundo a lógica necessária à elaboração de um trabalho científico. O método a presidir este estudo foi o dedutivo, na medida em que parte da análise geral das crianças e dos adolescentes, em especial aqueles em conflito com a lei, para depois apresentar a teoria geral da mediação e em seguida, numa abordagem mais particular, enfrentar as questões envolvendo a mediação no Sistema Nacional de Atendimento Socioeducativo (SINASE) para, ao final, defender que é preciso desvendar o marco normativo que autoriza a prática da mediação como instrumento de resolução de questões relacionadas com o adolescente em conflito com a lei, para identificar a natureza jurídica desse modelo de mediação e, ao final, a título de sugestão, desenhar seu procedimento não estabelecido pela lei material que a prevê, qual seja, a Lei n 12.594, de 18 de janeiro de 2012. O grande desafio é establecer a metodologia adequada para que a autocomposição de conflito seja restaurativa ao adolescente infrator e aos integrantes desse conflito instaurado. O resgate do meio social abalado com a prática infracional é tão importante quanto a conscientização do adolescente. A pretensão é sugerir um marco normativo que posicione o procedimento da mediação como instrumento de ligação do indivíduo adolescente infrator, com o ambiente social onde está inserido, e com o formalismo processual que vem afastando o Poder Judiciário de sua função social de dizer o direito e fazer justiça.

Towards a situation-awareness-driven design of operational business intelligence & analytics systems

With the swamping and timeliness of data in the organizational context, the decision maker’s choice of an appropriate decision alternative in a given situation is defied. In particular, operational actors are facing the challenge to meet business-critical decisions in a short time and at high frequency. The construct of Situation Awareness (SA) has been established in cognitive psychology as a valid basis for understanding the behavior and decision making of human beings in complex and dynamic systems. SA gives decision makers the possibility to make informed, time-critical decisions and thereby improve the performance of the respective business process. This research paper leverages SA as starting point for a design science project for Operational Business Intelligence and Analytics systems and suggests a first version of design principles.

Talking about colds and flu: The lay diagnosis of two common illnesses among older British people

This paper reports on a study of the ways in which 54 older people in South Wales (UK) talk about the symptoms and causes of cold and influenza (flu). The study was designed to understand why older people might reject or accept the offer of seasonal flu vaccine, and in the course of the interviews respondents were also asked to express their views about the nature and causes of the two key illnesses. The latter are among the most common infections in human beings. In terms of the biomedical paradigm the common cold is caused by numerous respiratory viruses, whilst flu is caused by the influenza virus. Medical diagnosis is usually made on clinical grounds without laboratory confirmation. Symptoms of flu include sudden onset of fever and cough, and colds are characterized by sneezing, sore throat, and runny nose, but in practice the symptoms often overlap. In this study we examine the degree by which the views of lay people with respect to both diagnosis and epidemiology diverge with that which is evident in biomedical discourse. Our results indicate that whilst most of the identified symptoms are common to lay and professional people, the former integrate symptoms into a markedly different observational frame from the latter. And as far as causation is concerned it is clear that lay people emphasize the role of 'resistance' and 'immunity' at least as much as 'infection' in accounting for the onset of colds and flu. The data are analyzed using novel methods that focus on the co-occurrence of concepts and are displayed as semantic networks. As well as reporting on its findings the authors draw out some implications of the study for social scientific and policy discussions concerning lay diagnosis, lay expertise and the concept of an expert patient.