A Realist Perspective on Agile Policy for Future Skills in a Digital Age—An Example from the Kingdom of Bahrain

Within the context of the Kingdom of Bahrain, this case study applies a realist lens to analyse a new policy approach to education reform. Called the ‘Tertiary Action Plan' (TAP), the design and consultation of this policy process provides an example of a different more Agile policy approach. Critics of traditional linier policy processes highlight that they do not consider the cultural, social and economic complexities of the policy context. This has become particularly important within the future skills agenda driven by the fourth industrial revolution and post-COVID recovery. Interviews with policy experts directly involved at a senior level in the TAP process highlight key themes that describe the ‘different' approach. These themes include whole system change and different rhetoric used to describe education ‘transformation' rather than reform;focusing on educational and labour market outcomes over delivering KPIs;and high-level integrated collaboration and responsibility. The conclusion and recommendations state that there is some evidence of Agile policy making, but this could be made more explicit by ensuring realist evaluation and monitoring principles are added to the implementation of the various TAP initiatives. © 2023, Gulf Research Centre Cambridge.

Of "the Life of Fyodor Mikhailovich and Aleftina Pavlovna, or a Hot Covid Summer" by J. Pulinovich": Socio-Cultural Perspective

The range of definitions of the concept of "socio-cultural perspective" in the proposed article extends to the classification of the precedence of a literary work, which is also interpreted quite freely. The material under study, thanks to its special intertextual properties, is semantically very condensed, which can be demonstrated by analyzing the variously transformed artistic polyvalence of the title and finale. The method of doubling the title refers to paired Old Russian naming conventions and to a common emotional and logical causality, at the same time pointing to the synthetic nature of the genre organization of the text (drama / agiography // drama / epic). The specificity of the use of a precedent anthroponym in the title (Fyodor Mikhailovich) reveals several semiotic correlations in the text (from Dostoevsky to St. Christopher). The inclusion in the finale of two "alien" texts ("Zakalyaka" by Korney Chukovsky (virtually unchanged) and an interpretation of the New Testament story of Judas' betrayal) allows us to reach a universal level of reading the play as extraordinary not only in the context of Jaroslava Pulinovich's work, but also in the context of the literary trend of New Realism to which, we believe, it belongs. The chronotopic and figurative textual implicatures that lend themselves to multiple interpretations are reproduced punctually in the formulas "the interpenetration of time / eternity - the spaces of reality / memory / irreality - the spaces of the common / individual / existential / ontological".

Knowledge Creation in Social Work During the Time of COVID-19

This chapter discusses the experience of three graduate students of social work enrolled in field instruction during the first semester that was restructured to be managed remotely, due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 community quarantine in the Philippines. Specifically, the researcher examined the integrative reports and reflexive notes of the students and faculty supervisors, and audio/video recordings of the department's field sharing of experiences. Comparison of the data from the proposed models of practice submitted by the graduate students revealed different knowledge sources used by the students in evaluating the gaps in practice in their respective agencies. The proposed models of the graduate reflected the combination of knowledge shared by the different stakeholders, (organizations, clients, faculty supervisors, agency supervisors), the application of theories and perspectives in social work and other disciplines, and the insights and strategies gleaned from innovative practice. This knowledge creation is vital toward the remaking of social work for the future. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Making COVID dis-connections: designing intra-active and transdisciplinary sound-based narratives for phenomenal new material worlds

In this article, we reflect on the design and implementation of an interactive transhistorical and transmedial web-based digital narrative audio experience, PATTER(n)INGS: Apt 3B, 2020 that we developed in 2020. This work is an immersive audio-only application, and it focuses on the complex, material living conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing inspiration from PATTER(n)INGS and its complex, material audio and narrative design, we propose a model for creating the content and delivery for similar sound-based interactive digital narratives. Our proposed model focuses primarily on the creative process for designing such sound-based work. To construct our analytical model, the New Material/Spectral Morphology Design Model (or NM/SM Design Model), we draw on theoretical influences from critical posthumanism, feminist new materialism and non-human narrative that critique notions of stable subjectivity as sites for power and authority over semiotic meaning-making. We combine these views with foundational theoretical research in electroacoustic musical composition notation, and audio experimentation that complicate notions of sound, sound making, spatial perception, psychoacoustic phenomena, and listening practices. Together, this theoretical/compositional framework provides a unique method to consider how one can sustain and maximize sonic agents as core phenomena to create anti-cognitive worlds and stories.

The Generative Mechanisms of Financial Strain and Financial Well-Being: A Critical Realist Analysis of Ideology and Difference

Background: Rapid, strategic action is required to mitigate the negative and unequal impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the financial well-being (FWB) of global populations. Personal financial strain (FS) worsened most significantly among systematically excluded groups. Targeted government-and community-led initiatives are needed to address these inequities. The purpose of this applied research was to identify what works for whom, under what conditions, and why in relation to community and government initiatives that promote personal and household FWB and/or address FS in high-income economies. Methods: We employed a critical realist analysis to literature that reported on FWB/FS initiatives in high-income countries. This included initiatives introduced in response to the pandemic as well as those that began prior to the pandemic. We included sources based on a rapid review. We coded academic, published literature (n = 39) and practice-based (n = 36) reports abductively to uncover generative mechanisms – ie, underlying, foundational factors related to community or government initiatives that either constrained and/or enabled FWB and FS. Results: We identified two generative mechanisms: (1) neoliberal ideology;and (2) social equity ideology. A third mechanism, social location (eg, characteristics of identity, location of residence), cut across the two ideologies and demonstrated for whom the initiatives worked (or did not) in what circumstances. Neoliberal ideology (ie, individual responsibility) dominated initiative designs, which limited the positive impact on FS. This was particularly true for people who occupied systematically excluded social locations (eg, low-income young mothers). Social equity-based initiatives were less common within the literature, yet mostly had a positive impact on FWB and produced equitable outcomes. Conclusion: Equity-centric initiatives are required to improve FWB and reduce FS among systemically excluded and marginalized groups. These findings are of relevance now as nations strive for financial recovery in the face of the ongoing global pandemic. © 2023 The Author(s);Published by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

COVID-19 impacts on sport governance and management: a global, critical realist perspective

This commentary considers the impacts of COVID-19 on sport governance and management, given the global threat to sport services and organizations evident as a result of the disease since early 2020. To frame this analysis of the impacts and lessons to be learned, we use a Critical Realist (CR) perspective, which takes a multi-level view of reality and seeks to establish how and why something occurs in reality [Byers, T. (2013). Using critical realism: A new perspective on control of volunteers in sport clubs. European Sport Management Quarterly, 13(1), 5–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2012.744765]. While the existing commentaries and emerging research on COVID19 have focused on a superficial level of reality (i.e. what stakeholder responses have been), a CR view encourages a more holistic account of what and why something happens. Specifically, this commentary contributes to the discussion of COVID-19 impacts focusing on sport governance, using a philosophy that encourages examination of what is happening in sport organizations, how different stakeholder's perspectives and assessment of the legitimacy of COVID-19 may reveal underlying social structures and biases that help explain sport administrator's responses and value systems. We hope this novel perspective on sport governance encourages readers to think of new ways of organizing and governing that is more inclusive of diversity (e.g. race, gender, disability) in sport.

Engaging the customer with augmented reality and employee services to enhance equity and loyalty

PurposeThis study aims to understand customer equity and loyalty using augmented reality (AR) and employee services in a physical retail environment. The current study investigated how customers' experiences with AR-based and employee service affect their satisfaction, equity and loyalty.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual framework was developed by reviewing AR and employee services literature. The Smart PLS-SEM technique was used to test the responses of 620 Chinese respondents empirically.FindingsThe findings provided valuable insights into AR and employee services in a physical retail environment. Customers are more inclined to use AR services in the current business climate.Research limitations/implicationsThis study's sample was drawn from a single city, with a total of 620 respondents, which may not be a complete representation of China as a whole. As a result, the results may not be generalizable to a single city.Practical implicationsRetail brand managers should emphasize implementing innovative technologies in the physical retail environment to retain and attract customers. Pandemic consumers are opting for innovative technologies as part of their shopping experience due to changes in business models.Originality/valueThe researchers recognized AR and employee services as innovative domains in physical retail stores because they can increase sales, customer equity and loyalty. As a result, the framework results are precious to practitioners interested in implementing such innovative technologies for retail stores.

The Artificial Intelligence Explanatory Trade-Off on the Logic of Discovery in Chemistry

Explanation is a foundational goal in the exact sciences. Besides the contemporary considerations on ‘description', ‘classification', and ‘prediction', we often see these terms in thriving applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in chemistry hypothesis generation. Going beyond describing ‘things in the world', these applications can make accurate numerical property calculations from theoretical or topological descriptors. This association makes an interesting case for a logic of discovery in chemistry: are these induction-led ventures showing a shift in how chemists can problematize research questions? In this article, I present a fresh perspective on the current context of discovery in chemistry. I argue how data-driven statistical predictions in chemistry can be explained as a quasi-logical process for generating chemical theories, beyond the classic examples of organic and theoretical chemistry. Through my position on formal models of scientific explanation, I demonstrate how the dawn of AI can provide novel insights into the explanatory power of scientific endeavors.

The Evolution of Ecuador's Foreign Policy in the 21st Century: Analysis from the Theory of Peripheral Realism

This article analyses the evolution of Ecuador's foreign policy during the governments of Rafael Correa, Lenín Moreno and Guillermo Lasso in the framework of the theoretical postulates of peripheral realism, which argues that small and medium-sized states should develop a policy of collaboration with major powers and reduce their opposition to those events that directly affect the interests of their nationals. To this end, key moments in each of the abovementioned governments are analysed, including the closure of the Manta Base, the relationship with the IMF, the handover of Julian Assange and the purchase of vaccines against Covid-19. The article concludes by showing how the three presidents developed strategies that did not maximise Ecuador's interests, as they alternated policies where confrontation with the great powers was generalized with policies that prioritised rapprochement with them at the expense of national interests. © UNISCI, 2023.

Arousing Real or Real Threat? How Realism in Avatars Affects the Perception of Virtual Reality Pornography and Relationships for Heterosexual Women

New immersive technologies and COVID lockdowns increase the attention for Virtual Reality Pornography (VRP). In this study, heterosexual women were interviewed about the effect of realism in VRP, using a new VRP Role-framework based on six dimensions. Results showed that VRP evokes strong negative and positive emotions. Different types of realism evoked confusion around fidelity and pornography and triggered different relationship boundaries, roles, and rules. Feelings of betrayal and fidelity seemed less when the partner experiences 360° recorded VRP (VR-type-dimension) alone (companion-dimension). Acceptance and confusion appear high around shared computer-generated experiences with control over avatars (interactive-dimension) that look like the self (resemblance-dimension). Feelings of doubt and betrayal seem high when the partner experiences VRP with strangers using realistic-looking avatars (realism-dimension) that resemble (well)known persons or the partner. This study helps companies explore ways to improve VRP content while considering ethical questions society raises concerning VRP's impact on relationships. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

A Case of Pandemic Narrative and the End of Post-Cold War

The topical book Wuhan Diary, authored by the Chinese writer Fang Fang during the COVID-19 lockdown of Wuhan, is not so much a diary as a "becoming-diary,” given its performative practices. Wuhan Diary's emphasis on the individual or private nature of its writing activity is attributable to its characteristic realistic conception of authenticity, which resulted historically from the humanist trend within Chinese literature in the 1980s as a significant element of post-socialist realism. Insofar as Wuhan Diary claims an overarching authorship that does not cohere with—or is, indeed, utterly subverted by—its textual complexities, it can be interpreted as a dual allegory of neoliberalism. In 2020, when the established pattern of globalization was in crisis and the post-Cold War state of affairs seemed unprecedentedly unstable, the post-socialist realism implicit in Wuhan Diary proved ineffective in representing the epidemic, as well as in justifying, by its (mis)representation, the conditions that have contributed to the general crisis.

Participatory development of a 3D telemedicine system during COVID: The future of remote consultations.

BACKGROUND: The COVID pandemic brought the need for more realistic remote consultations into focus. 2D Telemedicine solutions fail to replicate the fluency or authenticity of in-person consultations. This research reports on an international collaboration on the participatory development and first validated clinical use of a novel, real-time 360-degree 3D Telemedicine system worldwide. The development of the system - leveraging Microsoft's Holoportation™ communication technology - commenced at the Canniesburn Plastic Surgery Unit, Glasgow, in March 2020. METHODS: The research followed the VR CORE guidelines on the development of digital health trials, placing patients at the heart of the development process. This consisted of three separate studies - a clinician feedback study (23 clinicians, Nov-Dec 2020), a patient feedback study (26 patients, Jul-Oct 2021), and a cohort study focusing on safety and reliability (40 patients, Oct 2021-Mar 2022). "Lose, Keep, and Change" feedback prompts were used to engage patients in the development process and guide incremental improvements. RESULTS: Participatory testing demonstrated improved patient metrics with 3D in comparison to 2D Telemedicine, including validated measures of satisfaction (p<0.0001), realism or 'presence' (Single Item Presence scale, p<0.0001), and quality (Telehealth Usability Questionnaire, p = 0.0002). The safety and clinical concordance (95%) of 3D Telemedicine with a face-to-face consultation were equivalent or exceeded estimates for 2D Telemedicine. CONCLUSIONS: One of the ultimate goals of telemedicine is for the quality of remote consultations to get closer to the experience of face-to-face consultations. These data provide the first evidence that Holoportation™ communication technology brings 3D Telemedicine closer to this goal than a 2D equivalent.

Meeting Karen Barad: An Agential Realist Life

This chapter is an extraordinary meeting with Karen Barad. Diffracting through their own posts on social media, YouTube videos, and scholarly writing Barad is introduced. The chapter articulates a deep respect for how Karen Barad enacts their agential realist philosophy as a non-binary way of life, including how they teach and write—disrupting individualism, competitiveness, human exceptionalism, and human-centred educational practices. Resisting the kind of criticism normalised in academia, Barad's passionate yearning for complexity shows how agential realism can work affirmatively and relationally and how it re-works concepts such as time, disease, memory, identity, family, and difference. Living a feminist, agential realist way of life demands attention to the ethical fibre that runs through the fabric of the world. Through other-than-human characters, such as magnets, 1945, slime moulds, nuclear bombs, stardust, constellations, SARS-CoV-2, lightning, and queer atoms, Barad invites the reader to meet the question How can I be responsible for that which I love? Barad's care for differences that matter in their specificity and the Slow scholarship this entails are a true inspiration. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

SEIR models in the light of Critical Realism - A critique of exaggerated claims about the effectiveness of Covid 19 vaccinations.

In a recent modeling study Watson et al. (Lancet Infect Dis 2022;3099:1-10) claim that Covid-19 vaccinations have helped to prevent roughly 14-20 million deaths in 2021. This conclusion is based on an epidemiological susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered (SEIR) model trained on partially simulated data and yielding a reproduction number distribution which was then applied to a counterfactual scenario in which the efficacy of vaccinations was removed. Drawing on the meta-theory of Critical Realism, we point out several caveats of this model and caution against believing in its predictions. We argue that the absence of vaccinations would have significantly changed the causal tendencies of the system being modelled, yielding a different reproduction number than obtained from training the model on actually observed data. Furthermore, the model omits many important causal factors. Therefore this model, similar to many previous SEIR models, has oversimplified the complex interplay between biomedical, social and cultural dimensions of health and should not be used to guide public health policy. In order to predict the future in epidemic situations more accurately, continuously optimized dynamic causal models which can include the not directly tangible, yet real causal mechanisms affecting public health appear to be a promising alternative to SEIR-type models.

Theorising sociomateriality in online learning: cutting through the complexity

The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the need to develop theory and practice in digital education. In this position paper, we expand on the research conducted in information systems (IS) on sociomateriality by applying it to online learning. The aim was to provide a theoretical underpinning for guidelines to reduce the complexity of social and material combinations in digital education. An overview of sociomateriality within IS research is provided, distinguishing between two sociomaterial perspectives to situate the research. A high-level review of student learning as the social and online learning as the material is applied to a four-quadrant model to unbundle the complexities within this space. Our perspectives are supported by feedback from a third-year information systems course that confirmed the merit of the model and broadened research in online learning. The model is further refined with a philosophical underpinning of Ackoff's four pursuits of humankind to provide recommendations for future interventions © Copyright the author(s);published under a Creative Commons NonCommercial 4.0 License

Meeting Karen Barad: An Agential Realist Life

This chapter is an extraordinary meeting with Karen Barad. Diffracting through their own posts on social media, YouTube videos, and scholarly writing Barad is introduced. The chapter articulates a deep respect for how Karen Barad enacts their agential realist philosophy as a non-binary way of life, including how they teach and write—disrupting individualism, competitiveness, human exceptionalism, and human-centred educational practices. Resisting the kind of criticism normalised in academia, Barad's passionate yearning for complexity shows how agential realism can work affirmatively and relationally and how it re-works concepts such as time, disease, memory, identity, family, and difference. Living a feminist, agential realist way of life demands attention to the ethical fibre that runs through the fabric of the world. Through other-than-human characters, such as magnets, 1945, slime moulds, nuclear bombs, stardust, constellations, SARS-CoV-2, lightning, and queer atoms, Barad invites the reader to meet the question How can I be responsible for that which I love? Barad's care for differences that matter in their specificity and the Slow scholarship this entails are a true inspiration. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Practical and social interaction justice of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

The implementation of learning in the current situation can be carried out using online learning as part of the methodology to answer the educational challenges caused by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The role of technology in the online learning process in previous research studies has made it a major and important factor for successful learning in this emergency situation. This study aimed to investigate a philosophical perspective using the critical realism paradigm regarding the role of technology in online learning practices based on e-learning systems and justice in social interaction in aspects of learning implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a qualitative method with a critical realism approach. The results indicated that several critical arguments exist to rebalance the role of technology back to its origin, which is not a major factor, but a factor that still requires support from personal factors, personal behavior, and teacher readiness in facing technological developments. The findings of the study can be used to implement technology-based online learning while keeping practical and social justice in mind for both students and teachers. © 2023, Institute of Advanced Engineering and Science. All rights reserved.

IoT-based mock oxygenator for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation simulator.

BACKGROUND: Training is an essential aspect of providing high-quality treatment and ensuring patient safety in any medical practice. Because extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a complicated operation with various elements, variables, and irregular situations, doctors must be experienced and knowledgeable about all conventional protocols and emergency procedures. The conventional simulation approach has a number of limitations. The approach is intrinsically costly since it relies on disposable medical equipment (i.e., oxygenators, heat exchangers, and pumps) that must be replaced regularly due to the damage caused by the liquid used to simulate blood. The oxygenator, which oxygenates the blood through a tailored membrane in ECMO, acts as a replacement for the patient's natural lung. For the context of simulation-based training (SBT) oxygenators are often expensive and cannot be recycled owing to contamination issues. METHODS: Consequently, it is advised that the training process include a simulated version of oxygenators to optimize reusability and decrease training expenses. Toward this goal, this article demonstrates a mock oxygenator for ECMO SBT, designed to precisely replicate the real machine structure and operation. RESULTS: The initial model was reproduced using 3D modeling and printing. Additionally, the mock oxygenator could mimic frequent events such as pump noise and clotting. Furthermore, the oxygenator is integrated with the modular ECMO simulator using cloud-based communication technology that goes in hand with the internet of things technology to provide remote control via an instructor tablet application. CONCLUSIONS: The final 3D modeled oxygenator body was tested and integrated with the other simulation modules at Hamad Medical Corporation with several participants to evaluate the effectiveness of the training session.

The Generative Mechanisms of Financial Strain and Financial Well-Being: A Critical Realist Analysis of Ideology and Difference

Background: Rapid, strategic action is required to mitigate the negative and unequal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the financial well-being (FWB) of global populations. Personal financial strain (FS) worsened most significantly among systematically excluded groups. Targeted government-and community-led initiatives are needed to address these inequities. The purpose of this applied research was to identify what works for whom, under what conditions, and why in relation to community and government initiatives that promote personal and household FWB and/or address FS in high income economies.Methods: We employed a critical realist analysis to literature that reported on FWB/FS initiatives in high income countries. This included initiatives introduced in response to the pandemic as well as those that began prior to the pandemic. We included sources based on a rapid review. We coded academic, published literature (n=39) and practice-based (n=36) reports abductively to uncover generative mechanisms - i.e., underlying, foundational factors related to community or government initiatives that either constrained and/or enabled FWB and FS.Results: We identified two generative mechanisms: 1. neoliberal ideology;and, 2. social equity ideology. A third mechanism, social location (e.g., characteristics of identity, location of residence), cut across the two ideologies and demonstrated for whom the initiatives worked (or did not) in what circumstances. Neoliberal ideology (i.e., individual responsibility) dominated initiative designs, which limited the positive impact on FS. This was particularly true for people who occupied systematically excluded social locations (e.g., low-income young mothers). Social equity-based initiatives were less common within the literature, yet mostly had a positive impact on FWB and produced equitable outcomes.Conclusion: Equity-centric initiatives are required to improve FWB and reduce FS among systemically excluded and marginalized groups. These findings are of relevance now as nations strive for financial recovery in the face of the ongoing global pandemic.

Farmers’ Markets as Resilient Alternative Market Structures in a Sustainable Global Food System: A Small Firm Growth Perspective

A sustainable food system is a key target of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The current global food system operates on market mechanisms that prioritise profit maximisation. This paper examines how small food businesses grow and develop within grassroot economies that operate on different market mechanisms. Focusing on artisan food producers and farmers’ markets, this research highlights the potential of resilient, small-scale, diverse markets as pathways to sustainable food systems. An applied critical realist, mixed-methods study was conducted at a macro (Irish food industry), meso (farmers’ markets in the region of Munster, Ireland) and micro (artisan food producers and their businesses) level. The resulting framework provides a post-growth perspective to sustainability, proposing that farmers’ markets represent an alternative market structure to the dominant industrial market, organised on mechanisms where producers ‘Mind what they make’ and ‘Make peace with enough’. In their resilience, these markets can provide pathways for structural change. This implies a call to action to reorientate policies targeting small food businesses to move beyond the concept of firms as profit-maximizing enterprises and to instead focus on a local food policy framework that reinforces the regional ‘interstices’ within which small food businesses operate to promote diversity, resilience and sustainability in the food system.