Search results for: cognitive card

Authors: Khayra Zerrouki, Noureddine Djebli, Esra Eroglu, Afife Mat, Ozhan Gul

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Neurodegenerative diseases of the human brain comprise a variety of disorders that affect an increasing percentage of the population. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a complex, multifactorial, heterogeneous mental illness, which is characterized by an age-dependent loss of memory and an impairment of multiple cognitive functions, but this 10 last years it concerns the population most and most young. Hypericum perforatum has traditionally been used as an external anti-inflammatory and healing remedy for the treatment of swellings, wounds and burns, diseases of the alimentary tract and psychological disorders. It is currently of great interest due to new and important therapeutic applications. In this study, the chemical composition of methanolic extract of Hypericum perforatum (HPM) was analysed by using high performance liquid chromatography – diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). The in vitro antioxidant activity of HPM was evaluated by using several antioxidant tests. HSM exhibits inhibitory capacity against posphatidylcholine liposome peroxidation, induced with iron and ascorbic acid, scavenge DPPH and superoxide radicals and act as reductants. The cytotoxic activity of HSM was also determined by using MTT cell viability assay on HeLa and NRK-52E cell lines. The in vivo activity studies in Swiss mice were determined by using behavioral, memory tests and histological study. According to tests results HPM that may be relevant to the treatment of cognitive disorders. The results of chemical analysis showed a hight level of hyperforin and quercitin that had an important antioxidant activity proved in vitro with the DPPH, anti LPO and SOD; this antioxidant activity was confirmed in vivo after the non-toxic results by means of improvement in behavioral and memory than the reducing shrunken in pyramidal cells of mice brains.

Keywords: AlCl3, alzheimer, mice, neuroprotective, neurotoxicity, phytotherapy

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Authors: Seyed-Ali Sadegh-Zadeh, Mahboobe Bahrami, Sahar Ahmadi, Seyed-Yaser Mousavi, Hamed Atashbar, Amir M. Hajiyavand

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This paper presents an investigation into the concept of neural reshaping, which is crucial for achieving strong artificial intelligence through the development of AI algorithms with very high plasticity. By examining the plasticity of both human and artificial neural networks, the study uncovers groundbreaking insights into how these systems adapt to new experiences and situations, ultimately highlighting the potential for creating advanced AI systems that closely mimic human intelligence. The uniqueness of this paper lies in its comprehensive analysis of the neural reshaping process in both human and artificial intelligence systems. This comparative approach enables a deeper understanding of the fundamental principles of neural plasticity, thus shedding light on the limitations and untapped potential of both human and AI learning capabilities. By emphasizing the importance of neural reshaping in the quest for strong AI, the study underscores the need for developing AI algorithms with exceptional adaptability and plasticity. The paper's findings have significant implications for the future of AI research and development. By identifying the core principles of neural reshaping, this research can guide the design of next-generation AI technologies that can enhance human and artificial intelligence alike. These advancements will be instrumental in creating a new era of AI systems with unparalleled capabilities, paving the way for improved decision-making, problem-solving, and overall cognitive performance. In conclusion, this paper makes a substantial contribution by investigating the concept of neural reshaping and its importance for achieving strong AI. Through its in-depth exploration of neural plasticity in both human and artificial neural networks, the study unveils vital insights that can inform the development of innovative AI technologies with high adaptability and potential for enhancing human and AI capabilities alike.

Keywords: neural plasticity, brain adaptation, artificial intelligence, learning, cognitive reshaping

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Authors: Lloyd B. Ranises

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The Philippine labor force has been affected by the pandemic recently. The situation was added by the high inflation rate, which makes matter worse. Since the Philippines has a new government after the 2022 national election, the labor condition under the previous government has been passed on to the new one. To understand the labor challenges the present government faces, this study revisits the labor conditions and responses of the previous government from 2016 to 2022. Thus, this study reviews the labor force of the Philippines within the time frame. It explores the challenges in the labor market and examines government policy. This study uses secondary sources in tracing the labor conditions and government actions that addressed them. The Literatures are consolidated to see its relevance to the new government’s labor policy. This study found that the labor force had a sluggish growth earlier until 2018 and thrived on but was affected by the pandemic. By 2020, the National Capital Region’s labor force dropped, although, after which, it begins to thrive again, showing recovery. However, its composition is much more complex. Cognitive skill is high in demand that requires tertiary education. But the production of goods and services is low in the scientific workforce in addition to the mismatch between position and profession. Moreover, Philippine labor has poor female participation. In addition to these complexities, the agricultural rural areas have high underemployment, which implies surplus labor of low skill. Overseas employment, on the other, is significant to the decrease in domestic production. The major responses of the previous government, by far, have been focused on the minimum wage increase and the social services and health insurance, which are appropriate to the post-pandemic needs. Yet still, some issues are unattended. This study concludes that the previous government’s policy needs to be fleshed out substantially. It necessitates that the new administration shall consider encompassing all aspects of the Philippine labor force to sustain and strengthen the economy of the country.

Keywords: cognitive skills, minimum wage, national capital region, underemployment

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Authors: Akaash Tawade, Manan Khattar, Lucas Spangher, Costas J. Spanos

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Many grids are increasing the share of renewable energy in their generation mix, which is causing the energy generation to become less controllable. Buildings, which consume nearly 33% of all energy, are a key target for demand response: i.e., mechanisms for demand to meet supply. Understanding the behavior of office workers is a start towards developing demand response for one sector of building technology. The literature notes that dynamic computational modeling can be predictive of individual action, especially given that occupant behavior is traditionally abstracted from demand forecasting. Recent work founded on Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) has provided a promising conceptual basis for modeling behavior, personal states, and environment using control theoretic principles. Here, an adapted linear dynamical system of latent states and exogenous inputs is proposed to simulate energy demand amongst office workers engaged in a social energy shifting game. The energy shifting competition is implemented in an office in Singapore that is connected to a minigrid of buildings with a consistent 'price signal.' This signal is translated into a 'points signal' by a reinforcement learning (RL) algorithm to influence participant energy use. The dynamic model functions at the intersection of the points signals, baseline energy consumption trends, and SCT behavioral inputs to simulate future outcomes. This study endeavors to analyze how the dynamic model trains an RL agent and, subsequently, the degree of accuracy to which load deferability can be simulated. The results offer a generalizable behavioral model for energy competitions that provides the framework for further research on transfer learning for RL, and more broadly— transactive control.

Keywords: energy demand forecasting, social cognitive behavioral modeling, social game, transfer learning

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Authors: Yi Shan Cheng, Ya Hui Yeh, Hsiao Wen Hsu

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Delirium is an acute state of confusion, which is mainly the result of the interaction of many factors, including: age>65 years, comorbidity, cognitive function and visual/auditory impairment, dehydration, pain, sleep disorder, pipeline retention, general anesthesia and major surgery… etc. Researches show the prevalence of delirium in hospitalized elderly patients over 50%. If it doesn't improve in time, may cause cognitive decline or impairment, not only prolong the length of hospital stay but also increase mortality. Some studies have shown that multiple nonpharmacological interventions are the most effective and common strategies, which are reorientation, early mobility, promoting sleep and nutritional support (including water intake), could improve or prevent delirium in the hospitalized elderly. In Taiwan, only one research to compare the delirium incidence of the older patients who have received orthopedic surgery between multi-nonpharmacological interventions and general routine care. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to address the prevention or improvement of delirium incidence density in medical hospitalized elderly, provide clinical nurses as a reference for clinical implementation, and develop follow-up related research. This study is a quasi-experimental design using purposive sampling. Samples are from two wards: the geriatric ward and the general medicine ward at a medical center in central Taiwan. The sample size estimated at least 100, and then the data will be collected through a self-administered structured questionnaire, including: demographic and professional evaluation items. Case recruiting from 5/13/2023. The research results will be analyzed by SPSS for Windows 22.0 software, including descriptive statistics and inferential statistics: logistic regression、Generalized Estimating Equation(GEE)、multivariate analysis of variance(MANOVA).

Keywords: multiple nonpharmacological interventions, hospitalized elderly, delirium incidence, delirium

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Authors: Marlene Rosa, Susana Lopes

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There are few studies that explore the potential of board games as a performance measure, despite it can be an interesting strategy in the context of frailty populations. In fact, board games are immersive strategies than can inhibit the pressure of being evaluated. This study aimed to test the ability of gamed-base strategies to assess executive function in elderly population. Sixteen old participants were included: 10 with affected executive functions (G1 – 85.30±6.00 yrs old; 10 male); 6 with executive functions with non-clinical important modifications (G2 - 76.30±5.19 yrs old; 6 male). Executive tests were assessed using the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), which is a quick-applicable cognitive screening test (score<12 means impairment). The board game used in this study was the TATI Hand Game, specifically for training rhythmic coordination of the upper limbs with multiple cognitive stimuli. This game features 1 table grid, 1 set of Single Game cards (to play with one hand); Double Game cards (to play simultaneously with two hands); 1 dice to plan Single Game mode; cards to plan the Double Game mode; 1 bell; 2 cups. Each participant played 3 single game cards, and the following data were collected: (i) variability in time during board game challenges (SD); (ii) number of errors; (iii) execution speed (sec). G1 demonstrated: high variability in execution time during board game challenges (G1 – 13.0s vs G2- 0.5s); a higher number of errors (1.40 vs 0.67); higher execution velocity (607.80s vs 281.83s). These results demonstrated the potential of implementing board games as a functional assessment strategy in geriatric care. Future studies might include larger samples and statistical methodologies to find cut-off values for impairment in executive functions during performance in TATI game.

Keywords: board game, aging, executive function, evaluation

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Authors: T. Hansen

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Many consumers are uncertain of what financial borrowing behavior may serve their interests in the best way. This is important since consumers’ risky financial decisions may not only negatively affect their short-term liquidity but may haunt them for years after they are made. Obviously, this is especially critical for young adults who often carry large amounts of student loans or credit card debt, which in turn may hinder their future ability to obtain financial healthiness. Even though factors such as financial knowledge, attitudes towards risk, gender, and motivations of borrowing, among others, are known to influence consumer borrowing behavior, no existing model comprehensibly describes the mechanisms behind young adults’ risky borrowing behavior. This is unfortunate since a better understanding of the relationships between such factors and young adults’ risky borrowing behavior may be of value to financial service providers and financial authorities aiming to improve young adults’ borrowing behavior. This research extends prior research by developing a conceptual framework for the purpose of understanding young adults’ risky borrowing behavior. The study is based on two survey samples comprising 488 young adults aged 18-25 who have not obtained a risky loan (sample 1) and 214 young adults aged 18-25 who already have obtained a risky loan (sample 2), respectively. The results suggest several psychological, sociological, and behavioral factors that may influence young adults’ intentional risky borrowing behavior, which in turn is shown to affect actualized risky borrowing behavior. We also found that the relationship between intentional risky borrowing behavior and actualized risky borrowing behavior is negatively moderated by perceived risk – but not by perceived complexity. In particular, the results of this study indicate that public policy makers, banks and financial educators should seek to eliminate less desirable social norms on how to behave financially. In addition, they should seek to enhance young adults’ risky borrowing perceived risk, thereby preventing that intentional risky borrowing behavior translates into actualized risky behavior.

Keywords: financial services, risky borrowing behavior, young adults, financial knowledge, social norms, perceived risk, financial trust, public financial policy

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Authors: Hai L. Tran

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When covering events and issues, the news media often employ both personal accounts as well as facts and figures. However, the process of using numbers and narratives in the newsroom is mostly operated through trial and error. There is a demonstrated need for the news industry to better understand the specific effects of storytelling and data-driven reporting on the audience as well as explanatory factors driving such effects. In the academic world, anecdotal evidence and statistical evidence have been studied in a mutually exclusive manner. Existing research tends to treat pertinent effects as though the use of one form precludes the other and as if a tradeoff is required. Meanwhile, narratives and statistical facts are often combined in various communication contexts, especially in news presentations. There is value in reconceptualizing and theorizing about both relative and collective impacts of numbers and narratives as well as the mechanism underlying such effects. The current undertaking seeks to link theory to practice by providing a complete picture of how and why people are influenced by information conveyed through quantitative and qualitative accounts. Specifically, the cognitive-experiential theory is invoked to argue that humans employ two distinct systems to process information. The rational system requires the processing of logical evidence effortful analytical cognitions, which are affect-free. Meanwhile, the experiential system is intuitive, rapid, automatic, and holistic, thereby demanding minimum cognitive resources and relating to the experience of affect. In certain situations, one system might dominate the other, but rational and experiential modes of processing operations in parallel and at the same time. As such, anecdotes and quantified facts impact audience response differently and a combination of data and narratives is more effective than either form of evidence. In addition, the present study identifies several media variables and human factors driving the effects of statistics and anecdotes. An integrative model is proposed to explain how message characteristics (modality, vividness, salience, congruency, position) and individual differences (involvement, numeracy skills, cognitive resources, cultural orientation) impact selective exposure, which in turn activates pertinent modes of processing, and thereby induces corresponding responses. The present study represents a step toward bridging theoretical frameworks from various disciplines to better understand the specific effects and the conditions under which the use of anecdotal evidence and/or statistical evidence enhances or undermines information processing. In addition to theoretical contributions, this research helps inform news professionals about the benefits and pitfalls of incorporating quantitative and qualitative accounts in reporting. It proposes a typology of possible scenarios and appropriate strategies for journalists to use when presenting news with anecdotes and numbers.

Keywords: data, narrative, number, anecdote, storytelling, news

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Authors: Timea Harmath-Tánczos

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Drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) is defined as the persistence of seizures despite at least two syndrome-adapted antiseizure drugs (ASD) used at efficacious daily doses. About a third of patients with epilepsy suffer from drug resistance. Cognitive assessment has a crucial role in the diagnosis and clinical management of epilepsy. Previous studies have addressed the clinical targets and indications for measuring neuropsychological functions; best to our knowledge, no studies have examined it in a Hungarian therapy-resistant population. To fill this gap, we investigated the Hungarian diagnostic protocol between 18 and 65 years of age. This study aimed to describe and analyze neuropsychological functions in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy and identify factors associated with neuropsychology deficits. We perform a prospective case-control study comparing neuropsychological performances in 50 adult patients and 50 healthy individuals between March 2023 and July 2023. Neuropsychological functions were examined in both patients and controls using a full set of specific tests (general performance level, motor functions, attention, executive facts., verbal and visual memory, language, and visual-spatial functions). Potential risk factors for neuropsychological deficit were assessed in the patient group using a multivariate analysis. The two groups did not differ in age, sex, dominant hand and level of education. Compared with the control group, patients with drug-resistant epilepsy showed worse performance on motor functions and visuospatial memory, sustained attention, inhibition and verbal memory. Neuropsychological deficits could therefore be systematically detected in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy in order to provide neuropsychological therapy and improve quality of life. The analysis of the classical and complex indices of the special neuropsychological tasks presented in the presentation can help in the investigation of normal and disrupted memory and executive functions in the DRE.

Keywords: drug-resistant epilepsy, Hungarian diagnostic protocol, memory, executive functions, cognitive neuropsychology

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Authors: Yvonne A. Unrau

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Social work education is a competency-based curriculum that relies mostly on cognitive frameworks and problem-solving models. Absent from the curriculum is knowledge and skills that draw from an embodiment perspective, especially somatic practice methods. Embodiment broadly encompasses the understanding that biological, political, historical, and social factors impact human development via changes to the nervous system. In the past 20 years, research has well-established that unresolved traumatic events, especially during childhood, negatively impacts long-term health and well-being. Furthermore, traumatic stress compromises cognitive processing and activates reflexive action such as ‘fight’ or ‘flight,’ which are the focus of somatic methods. The main objective of this paper is to show how embodiment perspectives and somatic methods can enhance social work practice overall. Using an exploratory approach, the author shares a decade-long journey that involved creating an education-support program for college students who exited the state foster care system. Personal experience, program outcomes and case study narratives revealed that ‘classical’ social work methods were insufficient to fully address the complex needs of college students who were living with complex traumatic stressors. The paper chronicles select case study scenarios and key program development milestones over a 10-year period to show the benefit of incorporating embodiment perspectives in social work practice. The lessons reveal that there is an immediate need for social work curriculum to include embodiment perspectives so that social workers may be equipped to respond competently to their many clients who live with unresolved trauma.

Keywords: social work practice, social work curriculum, embodiment, traumatic stress

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Authors: Tamir Michal

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The subject of Bedouin dispersion has accompanied the State of Israel from the day of its establishment. From a legal point of view, this subject has offered a launchpad for creative judicial decisions. Thus, for example, the first court decision in Israel to recognize affirmative action (Avitan), dealt with a petition submitted by a Jew appealing the refusal of the State to recognize the Petitioner’s entitlement to the long-term lease of a plot designated for Bedouins. The Supreme Court dismissed the petition, holding that there existed a public interest in assisting Bedouin to establish permanent urban settlements, an interest which justifies giving them preference by selling them plots at subsidized prices. In another case (The Forum for Coexistence in the Negev) the Supreme Court extended equitable relief for the purpose of constructing a bridge, even though the construction infringed the Law, in order to allow the children of dispersed Bedouin to reach school. Against this background, the recent verdict, delivered during the Protective Edge military campaign, which dismissed a petition aimed at forcing the State to spread out Protective Structures in Bedouin villages in the Negev against the risk of being hit from missiles launched from Gaza (Abu Afash) is disappointing. Even if, in arguendo, no selective discrimination was involved in the State’s decision not to provide such protection, the decision, and its affirmation by the Court, is problematic when examined through the prism of the Theory of Recognition. The article analyses the issue by tools of theory of Recognition, according to which people develop their identities through mutual relations of recognition in different fields. In the social context, the path to recognition is cognitive respect, which is provided by means of legal rights. By seeing other participants in Society as bearers of rights and obligations, the individual develops an understanding of his legal condition as reflected in the attitude to others. Consequently, even if the Court’s decision may be justified on strict legal grounds, the fact that Jewish settlements were protected during the military operation, whereas Bedouin villages were not, is a setback in the struggle to make the Bedouin citizens with equal rights in Israeli society. As the Court held, ‘Beyond their protective function, the Migunit [Protective Structures] may make a moral and psychological contribution that should not be undervalued’. This contribution is one that the Bedouin did not receive in the Abu Afash verdict. The basic thesis is that the Court’s verdict analyzed above clearly demonstrates that the reliance on classical liberal instruments (e.g., equality) cannot secure full appreciation of all aspects of Bedouin life, and hence it can in fact prejudice them. Therefore, elements of the recognition theory should be added, in order to find the channel for cognitive dignity, thereby advancing the Bedouins’ ability to perceive themselves as equal human beings in the Israeli society.

Keywords: bedouin dispersion, cognitive respect, recognition theory, sustainable development

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Authors: Hepinda Fajari Nuharini, Sugiarti A. Musabiq

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Background: Various and continuous pressures that exceed individual resources can cause first-year undergraduate college students to experience psychological distress. Psychological distress can occur when individuals use rumination as cognitive coping strategies. Rumination is one of the cognitive coping strategies that can be used by individuals to respond to psychological distress that causes individuals to think about the causes and consequences of events that have occurred. Rumination had two subtypes, such as brooding and reflective. Therefore, the purpose of this study was determining the role of brooding and reflective as subtypes of rumination toward psychological distress in University of Indonesia first-year undergraduate students. Methods: Participants of this study were 403 University of Indonesia first-year undergraduate students aged between 18 and 21 years old. Psychological distress measured using self reporting questionnaire (SRQ-20) and brooding and reflective as subtypes of rumination measured using Ruminative Response Scale - Short Version (RRS - Short Version). Results: Binary logistic regression analyses showed that 22.8% of the variation in psychological distress could be explained by the brooding and reflective as subtypes of rumination, while 77.2% of the variation in psychological distress could be explained by other factors (Nagelkerke R² = 0,228). The results of the binary logistic regression analysis also showed rumination subtype brooding is a significant predictor of psychological distress (b = 0,306; p < 0.05), whereas rumination subtype reflective is not a significant predictor of psychological distress (b = 0,073; p > 0.05). Conclusion: The findings of this study showed a positive relationship between brooding and psychological distress indicates that a higher level of brooding will predict higher psychological distress. Meanwhile, a negative relationship between reflective and psychological distress indicates a higher level of reflective will predict lower psychological distress in University of Indonesia first-year undergraduate students. Added Values: The psychological distress among first-year undergraduate students would then have an impact on student academic performance. Therefore, the results of this study can be used as a reference for making preventive action to reduce the percentage and impact of psychological distress among first-year undergraduate students.

Keywords: brooding as subtypes of rumination, first-year undergraduate students, psychological distress, reflective as subtypes of rumination

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Authors: Milan N. A. Van Der Kuil, Anne M. A. Visser-Meily, Andrea W. M. Evers, Ineke J. M. Van Der Ham

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Navigation ability is essential for autonomy and mobility in daily life. In patients with acquired brain injury, navigation impairment is frequently impaired; however, in this study, we tested the effectiveness of a serious gaming training protocol as a tool for cognitive rehabilitation to reduce navigation impairment. In total, 38 patients with acquired brain injury and subjective navigation complaints completed the experiment, with a partially blind, randomized control trial design. An objective navigation test was used to construct a strengths and weaknesses profile for each patient. Subsequently, patients received personalized compensation training that matched their strengths and weaknesses by addressing an egocentric or allocentric strategy or a strategy aimed at minimizing the use of landmarks. Participants in the experimental condition received psychoeducation and a home-based rehabilitation game with a series of exercises (e.g., map reading, place finding, and turn memorization). The exercises were developed to stimulate the adoption of more beneficial strategies, according to the compensatory approach. Self-reported navigation ability (wayfinding questionnaire), participation level, and objective navigation performance were measured before and after 1 and 4 weeks after completing the six-week training program. Results indicate that the experimental group significantly improved in subjective navigation ability both 1 and 4 weeks after completion of the training, in comparison to the score before training and the scores of the control group. Similarly, goal attainment showed a significant increase after the first and fourth week after training. Objective navigation performance was not affected by the training. This navigation training protocol provides an effective solution to address navigation impairment after acquired brain injury, with clear improvements in subjective performance and goal attainment of the participants. The outcomes of the training should be re-examined after implementation in a clinical setting.

Keywords: spatial navigation, cognitive rehabilitation, serious gaming, acquired brain injury

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Authors: Indu ray

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In today’s digital world the internet is already flooded with information on how to master grammar in a foreign language. It is well known that one cannot master a language without grammar. Grammar is the backbone of any language. Without grammar there would be no structure to help you speak/write or listen/read. Successful communication is only possible if the form and function of linguistic utterances are firmly related to one another. Grammar has its own rules of use to formulate an easier-to-understand language. Like a tool, grammar formulates our thoughts and knowledge in a meaningful way. Every language has its own grammar. With grammar, we can quickly analyze whether there is any action in this text: (Present, past, future). Knowledge of grammar is an important prerequisite for mastering a foreign language. What’s most important is how teachers can make grammar lessons more interesting for students and thus promote grammar skills more successfully. Through this paper, we discuss a few important methods like (Interactive Grammar Exercises between students, Interactive Grammar Exercise between student to teacher, Grammar translation method, Audio -Visual Method, Deductive Method, Inductive Method). This paper is divided into two sections. In the first part, brief definitions and principles of these approaches will be provided. Then the possibility and the case of combination of this approach will be analyzed. In the last section of the paper, I would like to present a survey result conducted at my university on a few methods to quickly learn grammar in Foreign Language. We divided the Grammatical Skills in six Parts. 1.Grammatical Competence 2. Speaking Skills 3. Phonology 4. The syntax and the Semantics 5. Rule 6. Cognitive Function and conducted a survey among students. From our survey results, we can observe that phonology, speaking ability, syntax and semantics can be improved by inductive method, Audio-visual Method, and grammatical translation method, for grammar rules and cognitive functions we should choose IGE (teacher-student) method. and the IGE method (pupil-pupil). The study’s findings revealed, that the teacher delivery Methods should be blend or fusion based on the content of the Grammar.

Keywords: innovative method, grammatical skills, audio-visual, translation

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Authors: Anželika Teresė

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In order to solve issues in sign language linguistics, address matters pertaining to maintaining high quality of sign language (SL) translation, contribute to dispelling misconceptions about SL and deaf people, and raise awareness and understanding of the deaf community heritage, this presentation discusses literature in Lithuanian Sign Language (LSL) and inherent metaphors that are created by using the phonological parameter –handshape, location, movement, palm orientation and nonmanual features. The study covered in this presentation is twofold, involving both the micro-level analysis of metaphors in terms of phonological parameters as a sub-lexical feature and the macro-level analysis of the poetic context. Cognitive theories underlie research of metaphors in sign language literature in a range of SL. The study follows this practice. The presentation covers the qualitative analysis of 34 pieces of LSL literature. The analysis employs ELAN software widely used in SL research. The target is to examine how specific types of each phonological parameter are used for the creation of metaphors in LSL literature and what metaphors are created. The results of the study show that LSL literature employs a range of metaphors created by using classifier signs and by modifying the established signs. The study also reveals that LSL literature tends to create reference metaphors indicating status and power. As the study shows, LSL poets metaphorically encode status by encoding another meaning in the same sign, which results in creating double metaphors. The metaphor of identity has been determined. Notably, the poetic context has revealed that the latter metaphor can also be identified as a metaphor for life. The study goes on to note that deaf poets create metaphors related to the importance of various phenomena significance of the lyrical subject. Notably, the study has allowed detecting locations, nonmanual features and etc., never mentioned in previous SL research as used for the creation of metaphors.

Keywords: Lithuanian sign language, sign language literature, sign language metaphor, metaphor at the phonological level, cognitive linguistics

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Authors: Daniel F. Bohorquez, Luis M. Agudelo, Henry H. León

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Heart rate variability (HRV) is defined as the temporary variation between heartbeats or RR intervals (distance between R waves in an electrocardiographic signal). This distance is currently a recognized biomarker. With the analysis of the distance, it is possible to assess the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. These systems are responsible for the regulation of the cardiac muscle. The analysis allows health specialists and researchers to diagnose various pathologies based on this variation. For the acquisition and analysis of HRV taken from a cardiac electrical signal, electronic equipment and analysis software that work independently are currently used. This complicates and delays the process of interpretation and diagnosis. With this delay, the health condition of patients can be put at greater risk. This can lead to an untimely treatment. This document presents a single portable device capable of acquiring electrocardiographic signals and calculating a total of 19 HRV metrics. This reduces the time required, resulting in a timelier intervention. The device has an electrocardiographic signal acquisition card attached to a microcontroller capable of transmitting the cardiac signal wirelessly to a mobile device. In addition, a mobile application was designed to analyze the cardiac waveform. The device calculates the RR and different metrics. The application allows a user to visualize in real-time the cardiac signal and the 19 metrics. The information is exported to a cloud database for remote analysis. The study was performed under controlled conditions in the simulated hospital of the Universidad de la Sabana, Colombia. A total of 60 signals were acquired and analyzed. The device was compared against two reference systems. The results show a strong level of correlation (r > 0.95, p < 0.05) between the 19 metrics compared. Therefore, the use of the portable system evaluated in clinical scenarios controlled by medical specialists and researchers is recommended for the evaluation of the condition of the cardiac system.

Keywords: biological signal análisis, heart rate variability (HRV), HRV metrics, mobile app, portable device.

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Authors: Khachen Kongpakwattana, Charungthai Dejthevaporn, Orapitchaya Krairit, Piyameth Dilokthornsakul, Devi Mohan, Nathorn Chaiyakunapruk

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Background: Although an increase in the burden of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is evident worldwide, knowledge of costs and health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) associated with AD in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) is still lacking. We, therefore, aimed to collect real-world cost and HR-QoL data, and investigate their associations with multiple disease-severity indicators among AD patients in Thailand. Methods: We recruited AD patients aged ≥ 60 years accompanied by their caregivers at a university-affiliated tertiary hospital. A one-time structured interview was conducted to collect disease-severity indicators, HR-QoL and caregiving information using standardized tools. The hospital’s database was used to retrieve healthcare resource utilization occurred over 6 months preceding the interview date. Costs were annualized and stratified based on cognitive status. Generalized linear models were employed to evaluate determinants of costs and HR-QoL. Results: Among 148 community-dwelling patients, average annual total societal costs of AD care were 8,014 US$ [95% Confidence Interval (95% CI): 7,295 US$ - 8,844 US$] per patient. Total costs of patients with severe stage (9,860 US$; 95% CI: 8,785 US$ - 11,328 US$) were almost twice as high as those of mild stage (5,524 US$; 95% CI: 4,649 US$ - 6,593 US$). The major cost driver was direct medical costs, particularly those incurred by AD prescriptions. Functional status was the strongest determinant for both total costs and patient’s HR-QoL (p-value < 0.001). Conclusions: Our real-world findings suggest the distinct major cost driver which results from expensive AD treatment, emphasizing the demand for country-specific cost evidence. Increases in cognitive and functional status are significantly associated with decreases in total costs of AD care and improvement on patient’s HR-QoL.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease, associations, costs, disease-severity indicators, health-related quality of life

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Authors: Pravin Kumar, Rajendra K. Singh, Prabhakar Singh

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A widespread research work on Mo-based double perovskite systems has been reported as a potential application for electrode materials of solid oxide fuel cells. Mo-based double perovskites studied in form of B-site ordered double perovskite materials, with general formula A₂B′B″O₆ structured by alkaline earth element (A = Sr, Ca, Ba) and heterovalent transition metals (B′ = Fe, Co, Ni, Cr, etc. and B″ = Mo, W, etc.), are raising a significant interest as potential mixed ionic-electronic conductors in the temperature range of 500-800 °C. Such systems reveal higher electrical conductivity, particularly those assigned in form of Sr₂CoMoO₆₋δ (M = Mg, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn etc.) which were studied in different environments (air/H₂/H₂-Ar/CH₄) at an intermediate temperature. Among them, the Sr₂CoMoO₆₋δ system is a potential candidate as an anode material for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) due to its better electrical conductivity. Therefore, Sr₂CoMoO₆₋δ (SCM) system with La-doped on Sr site has been studied to discover the structural and electrical properties. The double perovskite system Sr₂CoMoO₆₋δ (SCM) and doped system Sr₂-ₓLaₓCoMoO₆₋δ (SLCM, x=0.04) were synthesized by the citrate-nitrate combustion synthesis route. Thermal studies were carried out by thermo-gravimetric analysis. Phase justification was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) as a tetragonal structure with space group I4/m. A minor phase of SrMoO₄ (s.g. I41/a) was identified as a secondary phase using JCPDS card no. 85-0586. Micro-structural investigations revealed the formation of uniform grains. The average grain size of undoped (SCM) and doped (SLCM) compositions was calculated by a linear intercept method and found to be ⁓3.8 μm and 2.7 μm, respectively. The electrical conductivity of SLCM is found higher than SCM in the air within the temperature range of 200-600 °C. SLCM system was also measured in reducing atmosphere (pure H₂) in the temperature range 300-600 °C. SLCM has been showed the higher conductivity in the reducing atmosphere (H₂) than in air and therefore it could be a promising anode material for SOFCs.

Keywords: double perovskite, electrical conductivity, SEM, XRD

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Authors: Thomas Nally, Jane Ireland, Roxanne Khan, Philip Birch

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Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), a significant societal problem, affects individuals worldwide. However, the strategies victims use to keep safe are under-researched. IPV is significantly under-reported, and services often are not able to be accessed by all victims. Thus they are likely to use their own strategies to manage their victimization before being able to seek support. Two studies were completed to understand these strategies. A systematic review of the literature and study completed with professionals who work with victims was undertaken to understand this area. In study one, a systematic review of the literature (n=61 papers), were analyzed using Thematic Analysis. The results indicated that victims use a large array of behaviors to increase their sense of safety and coping with emotions but also experience significant barriers to help-seeking. In study 2, sixty-nine professionals completed a measure exploring the likelihood and effectiveness of various victim strategies regarding increasing their sense of safety. Strategies included in the measure were obtained from those identified in study 1. Findings indicated that professionals perceived victims of IPV to be more likely to employ safety strategies and coping behaviors that may be ineffective but not help-seeking behaviors. Further, the responses were analyzed using Cluster Analysis. Safety strategies resulted in five clusters; perpetrator-directed strategies, prevention strategies, cognitive reappraisal, safety planning and avoidance strategies. Help-Seeking resulted in six clusters; information or practical support, abuse-related support, emotional support, secondary support and informal support. Finally, coping resulted in four clusters; emotional coping, self-directed coping, thought recording/change and cognitive coping. Both studies indicate that victims may use a variety of strategies to manage their safety besides seeking help. Professionals working with victims, using a strength-based approach, should understand what is used and is effective for victims who are unable to leave the relationships or access external support.

Keywords: intimate partner violence, help-seeking, professional support, victims, victim coping, victim safety

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Authors: Fleura Shkëmbi, Sevim Mustafa, Naim Fanaj

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Hypnosis, often known as cognitive therapy, is a sort of mind-body psychotherapy. A professional and certified hypnotist or hypnotherapist guides the patient into this extreme level of focus and relaxation during the session by utilizing verbal cues, repetition, and imagery. In recent years, hypnotherapy has gained popularity in the treatment of a variety of disorders, including anxiety and particular phobias. The term "phobia" is commonly used to define fear of a certain trigger. When faced with potentially hazardous situations, the brain naturally experiences dread. While a little dread here and there may keep us safe, phobias can drastically reduce our quality of life. In summary, persons who suffer from anxiety are considered to see particular environmental situations as dangerous, but those who do not suffer from anxiety do not. Hypnosis is essential in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Hypnosis can help patients minimize their anxiety symptoms. This broad concept has aided in the development of models and therapies for anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder, panic attacks, hypochondria, and obsessional disorders. Hypnosis techniques are supposed to be attentive and mental pictures, which is conceivable; this is why they're associated with improved working memory and visuospatial abilities. In this sense, the purpose of this study is to determine how effectively specific therapeutic methods perform in treating persons with anxiety and phobias. In addition to cognitive-behavioral therapy and other therapies, the approaches emphasized the use of therapeutic hypnosis. This study looks at the use of hypnosis and related psychotherapy procedures in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Following a discussion of the evolution of hypnosis as a therapeutic tool, neurobiological research is used to demonstrate the influence of hypnosis on the change of perception in the brain. The use of hypnosis in the treatment of phobias, stressful situations, and posttraumatic stress disorder is examined, as well as similarities between the hypnotic state and dissociative reactions to trauma. Through an extensive literature evaluation, this study will introduce hypnotherapy procedures that result in more successful anxiety and phobia treatment.

Keywords: anxiety, hypnosis, hypnotherapy, phobia, technique, state

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Authors: Modi Alsubaie, Chris Dickens, Barnaby Dunn, Andy Gibson, Obioha Ukoumunned, Alison Evans, Rachael Vicary, Manish Gandhi, Willem Kuyken

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Background: Depression co-occurs in 20% of people with cardiovascular disorders, can persist for years and predicts worse physical health outcomes. While psychosocial treatments have been shown to effectively treat acute depression in those with comorbid cardiovascular disorders, to date there has been no evaluation of approaches aiming to prevent relapse and treat residual depression symptoms in this group. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a randomised controlled trial design evaluating an adapted version of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) designed specifically for people with co-morbid depression and cardiovascular disorders. Methods: A 3-arm feasibility randomised controlled trial was conducted, comparing MBCT adapted for people with cardiovascular disorders plus treatment as usual (TAU), mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) plus TAU, and TAU alone. Participants completed a set of self-report measures of depression severity, anxiety, quality of life, illness perceptions, mindfulness, self-compassion and affect and had their blood pressure taken immediately before, immediately after, and three months following the intervention. Those in the adapted-MBCT arm additionally underwent a qualitative interview to gather their views about the adapted intervention. Results: 3400 potentially eligible participants were approached when attending an outpatient appointment at a cardiology clinic or via a GP letter following a case note search. 242 (7.1%) were interested in taking part, 59 (1.7%) were screened as being suitable, and 33 (<1%) were eventually randomised to the three groups. The sample was heterogeneous in terms of whether they reported current depression or had a history of depression and the time since the onset of cardiovascular disease (one to 25 years). Of 11 participants randomised to adapted MBCT seven completed the full course, levels of home mindfulness practice were high, and positive qualitative feedback about the intervention was given. Twenty-nine out of 33 participants randomised completed all the assessment measures at all three-time points. With regards to the primary outcome (depression), five out of the seven people who completed the adapted MBCT and three out of five under MBSR showed significant clinical change, while in TAU no one showed any clinical change at the three-month follow-up. Conclusions: The adapted MBCT intervention was feasible and acceptable to participants. However, aspects of the trial design were not feasible. In particular, low recruitment rates were achieved, and there was a high withdrawal rate between screening and randomisation. Moreover, the heterogeneity in the sample was high meaning the adapted intervention was unlikely to be well tailored to all participants needs. This suggests that if the decision is made to move to a definitive trial, study recruitment procedures will need to be revised to more successfully recruit a target sample that optimally matches the adapted intervention.

Keywords: mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), depression, cardiovascular disorders, feasibility, acceptability

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Authors: Resham Badri

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Cities today are unable to justify equitable distribution of theirsocio- economic and infrastructural benefits to the marginalized urban poor, and the emergence of a pressing pandemic like COVID-19 has amplified its impact. Lack of identity, vulnerability, and inaccessibility contribute to exclusion. Owing to systemic gaps in institutional processes, urban development policiesfail to represent and cater to the urban poor. This paper aims to be a roadmap for the Indian Government to understand the significance of the designation of a navigable spatial identity to slum dwellers in the form of a digital address, which can form the fundamental basis of identification to enable accessibility to not only basic servicesbut also other utilities. Capitalizing on such a granular and technology backed approach shall allow to target and reach out to the urban poor strategically andaid effective urban governance. This paper adopts a three-pronged approach;(i) Policy analysis- understanding gaps in existing urban policies of India, such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Swachh Bharat Mission, and Adhaar Card policy, (ii) Program Evaluation- analyzing a case study, where slum dwellers in Kolhapur city in India have been provided with navigable addresses using Google Plus Codes and have gained access to basic services, vaccinations, and other emergency deliveries in COVID-19 times, (iii) Policy recommendation. This designation of a navigable spatial identity has tremendous potential to form the foundation on which policies can further base their data collection and service delivery processes to not only provide basic services but also other infrastructural and social welfare initiatives. Hence, a massive window of opportunity lies in addressing the unaddressed to elevate their living standards and respond to their basic needs.

Keywords: policy analysis, urban poor, navigable spatial identity, accessibility

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Authors: Zahra R. Almansoor

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Background: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s) and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) are the main treatment methods used for patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) under the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. Yet many patients are left with residual symptoms or remit, so several other therapeutic approaches have been explored. Objective: The objective was to systematically review the available literature regarding the treatment efficacy of current and potential approaches and diagnostic strategies. Method: First, studies were examined concerning diagnosis, prognosis, and influencing factors. Then, one reviewer conducted a systematic search of six databases using stringent search terms. Results of studies exploring the efficacy of treatment interventions were analysed and compared separately for adults and children. This review was limited to randomised controlled trials (RCT’s) conducted from 2016 onwards, and an improved Y-BOCS (Yale- Brown obsessive compulsive scale) score was the primary outcome measure. Results: Technology-based interventions including internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) were deemed as potentially effective. Discrepancy remains about the benefits of SSRI use past one year, but potential medication adjuncts include amantadine. Treatments such as association splitting and family and mindfulness strategies also have future potential. Conclusion: A range of potential therapies exist, either as treatment adjuncts to current interventions or as sole therapies. To further improve efficacy, it may be necessary to remodel the current NICE stepped-care model, especially regarding the potential use of lower intensity, cheaper treatments, including iCBT. Although many interventions show promise, further research is warranted to confirm this.

Keywords: family and group treatment, mindfulness strategies, novel treatment approaches, standard treatment, technology-based interventions

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Authors: Britt Erni, Aldara Vazquez Fernandez, Roland Maurer

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Visuospatial perspective taking (VSPT) is a process that allows to integrate spatial information from different points of view, and to transform the mental images we have of the environment to properly orient our movements and anticipate the location of landmarks during navigation. VSPT is also related to egocentric perspective transformations (imagined rotations or translations of one's point of view) and to infer the visuospatial experiences of another person (e.g. if and how another person sees objects). This process is deeply related to a wide-ranging capacity called the theory of mind (ToM), an essential cognitive function that allows us to regulate our social behaviour by attributing mental representations to individuals in order to make behavioural predictions. VSPT is often considered in the literature as the starting point of the development of the theory of mind. VSPT and ToM include several levels of knowledge that have to be assessed by specific tasks. Unfortunately, the lack of tasks assessing these functions in clinical neuropsychology leads to underestimate, in brain-damaged patients, deficits of these functions which are essential, in everyday life, to regulate our social behaviour (ToM) and to navigate in known and unknown environments (VSPT). Therefore, this study aims to create and standardize a VSPT task in order to explore the cognitive requirements of VSPT and ToM, and to specify their relationship in healthy adults and thereafter in brain-damaged patients. Two versions of a computerized VSPT task were administered to healthy participants (M = 28.18, SD = 4.8 years). In both versions the environment was a 3D representation of 10 different geometric shapes placed on a circular base. Two sets of eight pictures were generated from this: of the environment with an avatar somewhere on its periphery (locations) and of what the avatar sees from that place (views). Two types of questions were asked: a) identify the location from the view, and b) identify the view from the location. Twenty participants completed version 1 of the task and 20 completed the second version, where the views were offset by ±15° (i.e., clockwise or counterclockwise) and participants were asked to choose the closest location or the closest view. The preliminary findings revealed that version 1 is significantly easier than version 2 for accuracy (with ceiling scores for version 1). In version 2, participants responded significantly slower when they had to infer the avatar's view from the latter's location, probably because they spent more time visually exploring the different views (responses). Furthermore, men significantly performed better than women in version 1 but not in version 2. Most importantly, a sensitive task (version 2) has been created for which the participants do not seem to easily and automatically compute what someone is looking at yet which does not involve more heavily other cognitive functions. This study is further completed by including analysis on non-clinical participants with low and high degrees of schizotypy, different socio-educational status, and with a range of older adults to examine age-related and other differences in VSPT processing.

Keywords: mental transformation, spatial cognition, theory of mind, visuospatial perspective taking

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Authors: Agogo Agnes

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An attempt was made in the paper to x-ray the progressive and systematic development of the Nigerian child vis-a-vis the role of social studies as a discipline in the 21st century. An indepth explanation was equally made with regards to the commitment and role of teachers in both cognitive and social modification of the attitude of the Nigerian child.

Keywords: social studies, systematic development, social skills, vis-a-vis

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Authors: Silvia Sommella

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Islamic terrorism has gained a lot of media attention in the last years also because of the striking increase of terror attacks since 2014. The main aim of this paper is to illustrate the phenomenon of Islamic terrorism by applying frame semantics and metaphor analysis to German and Italian press headlines of the two online weekly publications Der Spiegel and L’Espresso between 2014 and 2019. This study focuses on how media discourse – through the use of conceptual metaphors – let arise in people a particular reception of the phenomenon of Islamic terrorism and accept governmental strategies and policies, perceiving terrorists as evildoers, as the members of an uncivilised group ‘other’ opposed to the civilised group ‘we’: two groups that are perceived as opposed. The press headlines are analyzed on the basis of the cognitive linguistics, namely Lakoff and Johnson’s conceptualization of metaphor to distinguish between abstract conceptual metaphors and specific metaphorical expressions. The study focuses on the contexts, frames, and metaphors. The method adopted in this study is Konerding’s frame semantics (1993). Konerding carried out on the basis of dictionaries – in particular of the Duden Deutsches Universalwörterbuch (Duden Universal German Dictionary) – in a pilot study of a lexicological work hyperonym reduction of substantives, working exclusively with nouns because hyperonyms usually occur in the dictionary meaning explanations as for the main elements of nominal phrases. The results of Konerding’s hyperonym type reduction is a small set of German nouns and they correspond to the highest hyperonyms, the so-called categories, matrix frames: ‘object’, ‘organism’, ‘person/actant’, ‘event’, ‘action/interaction/communication’, ‘institution/social group’, ‘surroundings’, ‘part/piece’, ‘totality/whole’, ‘state/property’. The second step of Konerding’s pilot study consists in determining the potential reference points of each category so that conventionally expectable routinized predications arise as predictors. Konerding found out which predicators the ascertained noun types can be linked to. For the purpose of this study, metaphorical expressions will be listed and categorized in conceptual metaphors and under the matrix frames that correspond to the particular conceptual metaphor. All of the corpus analyses are carried out using Ant Conc corpus software. The research will verify some previously analyzed metaphors such as TERRORISM AS WAR, A CRIME, A NATURAL EVENT, A DISEASE and will identify new conceptualizations and metaphors about Islamic terrorism, especially in the Italian language like TERRORISM AS A GAME, WARES, A DRAMATIC PLAY. Through the identification of particular frames and their construction, the research seeks to understand the public reception and the way to handle the discourse about Islamic terrorism in the above mentioned online weekly publications under a contrastive analysis in the German and in the Italian language.

Keywords: cognitive linguistics, frame semantics, Islamic terrorism, media

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Authors: Zarine Avetisyan

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The paradigm of Modern Linguistics incorporates disciplines which allow to analyze both language and discourse units and to demonstrate the multi-layeredness of lingo-cultural consciousness. By implementing lingo-cognitive approach to discourse and communication studies, the present paper tries to create the integral linguistic picture of the concept of joy and to analyze the lexico-semantic groups and relevant lexico-semantic variants of its realization in the context of Modern English fiction.

Keywords: concept of joy, lexico-semantic variant, semantic sign, cognition

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Authors: Ian O'Loughlin

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Memory networks aim to integrate some of the recent successes in machine learning with a dynamic memory base that can be updated and deployed in artificial reasoning tasks. These models involve training networks to identify, update, and operate over stored elements in a large memory array in order, for example, to ably perform question and answer tasks parsing real-world and simulated discourses. This family of approaches still faces numerous challenges: the performance of these network models in simulated domains remains considerably better than in open, real-world domains, wide-context cues remain elusive in parsing words and sentences, and even moderately complex sentence structures remain problematic. This innovation, employing an array of stored and updatable ‘memory’ elements over which the system operates as it parses text input and develops responses to questions, is a compelling one for at least two reasons: first, it addresses one of the difficulties that standard machine learning techniques face, by providing a way to store a large bank of facts, offering a way forward for the kinds of long-term reasoning that, for example, recurrent neural networks trained on a corpus have difficulty performing. Second, the addition of a stored long-term memory component in artificial reasoning seems psychologically plausible; human reasoning appears replete with invocations of long-term memory, and the stored but dynamic elements in the arrays of memory networks are deeply reminiscent of the way that human memory is readily and often characterized. However, this apparent psychological plausibility is belied by a recent turn in the study of human memory in cognitive science. In recent years, the very notion that there is a stored element which enables remembering, however dynamic or reconstructive it may be, has come under deep suspicion. In the wake of constructive memory studies, amnesia and impairment studies, and studies of implicit memory—as well as following considerations from the cognitive neuroscience of memory and conceptual analyses from the philosophy of mind and cognitive science—researchers are now rejecting storage and retrieval, even in principle, and instead seeking and developing models of human memory wherein plasticity and dynamics are the rule rather than the exception. In these models, storage is entirely avoided by modeling memory using a recurrent neural network designed to fit a preconceived energy function that attains zero values only for desired memory patterns, so that these patterns are the sole stable equilibrium points in the attractor network. So although the array of long-term memory elements in memory networks seem psychologically appropriate for reasoning systems, they may actually be incurring difficulties that are theoretically analogous to those that older, storage-based models of human memory have demonstrated. The kind of emergent stability found in the attractor network models more closely fits our best understanding of human long-term memory than do the memory network arrays, despite appearances to the contrary.

Keywords: artificial reasoning, human memory, machine learning, neural networks

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Authors: Lok Yi Joyce Poon

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China's mobile payment market has boomed in the past few years. WeChat (Chinese name as Weixin) owned by Tencent is known as the fastest growing all-in-one social messaging platforms. The company has launched the WeChat Pay in 2013, in which users can link their credit card to their user account and make payments within the app’s built in digital wallet. WeChat Payment is a one-stop payment tool that can provide a seamless online experience for the shoppers to transfer money between WeChat users (peer-to-peer) and make payments online by scanning a QR code, a prominent facilitator for transactions in WeChat, to complete the payment with the app without directing the users to the external websites. The aims of this study are to examine the effectiveness of WeChat mobile payment in China as well as the impacts of the China teen’s online purchasing behavior since the establishment of WeChat Payment. The research method of this study is conducted by both online survey on Sojump, a popular online survey platform in China. A total of 120 respondents among 18 to 25 teens in China completed the survey. Data sources included participants’ response to an end-of-session questionnaire, encompassing with the types of multiple choice, open-ended questions. To have an in-depth analysis, a face-to-face interview with a Chinese teen who is a frequent user of the WeChat Pay. The main finding of the study shows that the majority of the teenagers frequently use the WeChat payment tool because of its convenience, user-friendliness and the scenarios offered within the WeChat Wallet. The respondents claimed that they will settle the bills in their daily lives via WeChat Pay. However, the respondents in the age group of 40 or above will not use the WeChat Pay due to the security concern and they do not see the app as a platform for commercial activities like online shopping. Throughout the study, it is recommended WeChat should put more efforts on the security issue and improve the payment technology by adopting the near-field communication terminals instead of requiring users to scan QR codes before they complete the transaction.

Keywords: digital wallet, mobile payment, online purchasing behavior, WeChat Pay

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Authors: Li-Fang CHou, Chun-Jung Tseng, Sung-Chun Tsai

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Zhong-Yong represents unique values and cognitive beliefs of Chinese culture. Zhong-Yong thinking emphasizes (a) holistic thinking and perspective taking, (b) tolerance of contradictions, and (c) pursuance of a person’s interpersonal and inner harmony. With a unique way of naïve dialectical thinking based on Chinese culture, previous studies have found that people with higher Zhong-Yong thinking have more cognitive resources and resilience to make decision for dilemmas and cope stresses. Creativity is defined as the behavior to create novel and value products and viewed as the most important capital for individuals and enterprises. However, the relationship between Zhong-Yong thinking and creativity is still remaining to be unexplored. Three studies were conducted to explore the effects of Zhong-Yong thinking on creativity. In Study1, with 87 undergraduate students from a university in southern Taiwan as participants, we used questionnaire to measure Zhong-Yong thinking and processed creative task (unusual uses task) to get indicators of fluency and flexibility. After controlling background and openness to experience of Big five, the results showed that Zhong-Yong thinking had significant positive effects on fluency and flexibility. In Study 2, 97 undergraduate students were recruited to do Zhong-Yong thinking task and creative task. The result showed that, compared with control group, the participants had higher creative performance after being primed with Zhong-Yong thinking. In Study 3, we adopted questionnaire survey and took 397 employees from private enterprises in Taiwan as sample. Besides the main effects of Zhong-Yong thinking, the moderating effects on the relationship between leadership behavior and employee’s creative performance were also investigated. We found that (a) Zhong-Yong thinking was positively associated to creative performance; (b) Zhong-Yong thinking strengthened the positive effects of transformational and authoritative leadership on creative performance. Finally, the implications of theory/practice and limitations/future directions were also discussed.

Keywords: Zhong-Yong thinking, creativity and creative performance, unusual uses task, transformational leadership, authoritative leadership

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