ABSTRACT
Due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, mobile technologies, services, and Internet connectivity have become critical among the Malaysian elderly as an alternative to staying actively and socially connected. However, the elderly find it difficult to adapt to online technology tools with restricted skills under technology challenges. Studies related to mobile adoption and usage experiences among the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic or endemic are not rigorously conducted by researchers. Little discussion was focused specifically on aging and gender perspectives, including the importance of an intersectionality lens in understanding the interconnected factors that influence one's ability to benefit from technology. To fill in the research gaps, this paper aims to use an intersectionality lens to identify experiences on how female elderly use their mobile phones and services, as women are constantly underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) studies. The study employed qualitative case studies method with seven older women in Malaysia, 60 to 77 years old, using multiple data sources through semi-structured interviews, mobile walkthrough, and diary studies. Data were transcribed and analyzed by categorizing the key themes digitally using Nvivo. The findings showed that mobile culture and supportive environment;family roles;socialization;education and economic backgrounds;digital literacy level;well-being;and motivation were interconnected, shaping the experiences of the seven female elderly in accessing, learning, and using their mobile phones. This study has built an understanding of the intersecting factors that can contribute to a more inclusive society, especially in promoting the elderly to embrace mobile technologies in their lives.
ABSTRACT
Increasing volatility in the global economy since the 2009 financial crisis, including the USA-China trade war and recent COVID-19 outbreak, has compelled businesses to build resilience to respond quickly to unexpected disruptions. Consistent with organizational information processing theory (OIPT), we posit that openness to technological innovation helps to build information processing capabilities (i.e., interfunctional coordination and interpartner informational justice), which are required to build supply chain resilience (SCR) and improve performance. Structural equation modeling is used to analyze survey data gathered from 241 Chinese manufacturers. The results reveal interfunctional coordination and interpartner informational justice fully mediate the relationship between openness to technological innovation and SCR, and information processing capabilities and SCR are significantly and positively associated with operational performance. This article extends OIPT by elucidating the role of openness to technological innovation and enhances the SCR literature by providing empirical evidence of the important roles for information processing capabilities. The findings provide a unique information processing perspective to help managers broaden their solutions against disruptive events, and thus avoid or minimize potential negative impacts on firms.
ABSTRACT
With the sudden outbreak of the deadly COVID-19 virus, countless academic institutions around the world were driven to shift entirely from teaching in physical classrooms to online teaching overnight. One of the biggest challenges faced by educators is how to sustain student engagement in online delivery. Gamification, the approach of engaging users by employing game design elements and mechanics is one such solution. Nevertheless, in most cases the practice of gamification is more on being results oriented and less experience-centric, while the success of video games is usually more focused on its overall player experience. For the purpose of this paper, the term 'vertical gamification' is used to describe the lower-tier levels of gamification which utilizes game elements such as leader-boards, points and badges as its purpose is to attain higher points for rewards. The utilization of social gameplay elements such as the challenge, opposition, and competition aspects of game design within gamification is termed as 'horizontal gamification'. The horizontal reference refers to a more social-centric aspect of game experience. This paper aims to examine learners and their perceived experience in the gamification of online classes and to gauge the level of engagement and challenges faced by these learners. The research also aims to investigate if a vertical gamification procedure provides a similar level of engagement as the horizontal gamification procedure. Through a series of surveys involving 108 participants within a normal online class environment, online classes utilizing vertical gamification and online classes utilizing horizontal gamification;the research was able to determine at which point the learner's level of engagement increases. The research will apply the GAMEFULQUEST instrument to assess the perceived gamefulness between the various online classes to ascertain the success of using a more distinctive experienced-based gamification approach to enhance engagement for online teaching and learning. © The Authors, 2021. All Rights Reserved.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Ivermectin became a popular choice for COVID-19 treatment among clinicians and the public following encouraging results from pre-print trials and in vitro studies. Early reviews recommended the use of ivermectin based largely on non-peer-reviewed evidence, which may not be robust. This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the efficacy and safety of ivermectin for treating COVID-19 based on peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies (OSs). METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE and PubMed were searched from 1 January 2020 to 1 September 2021 for relevant studies. Outcomes included time to viral clearance, duration of hospitalization, mortality, incidence of mechanical ventilation and incidence of adverse events. RoB2 and ROBINS-I were used to assess risk of bias. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted. GRADE was used to evaluate quality of evidence. RESULTS: Three OSs and 14 RCTs were included in the review. Most RCTs were rated as having some concerns in regards to risk of bias, while OSs were mainly rated as having a moderate risk of bias. Based on meta-analysis of RCTs, the use of ivermectin was not associated with reduction in time to viral clearance, duration of hospitalization, incidence of mortality and incidence of mechanical ventilation. Ivermectin did not significantly increase incidence of adverse events. Meta-analysis of OSs agrees with findings from RCT studies. CONCLUSIONS: Based on very low to moderate quality of evidence, ivermectin was not efficacious at managing COVID-19. Its safety profile permits its use in trial settings to further clarify its role in COVID-19 treatment. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: The review was prospectively registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021275302).