Search results

1 – 10 of over 1000
Article
Publication date: 9 October 2023

David Eugene Johnson and Debora Jane Shaw

The purpose of this paper is to inform or alert readers to the extensive use and ready availability of genetic information that poses varying degrees of social and legal danger…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to inform or alert readers to the extensive use and ready availability of genetic information that poses varying degrees of social and legal danger. The eugenics movement of the 1920s and the general acceptance of genetic essentialism provide context for considering contemporary examples of the problem.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper takes an argumentative approach, supporting proposals with ideas from historical and current research literature.

Findings

The limits of data protection, extensive use of direct-to-consumer genetic testing and use of genetic information in white nationalist circles portend a resurgence of eugenic beliefs from a century ago.

Social implications

Research-based recommendations may help to avoid extreme consequences by encouraging people to make informed decisions about the use of genetic information.

Originality/value

The paper counterposes contemporary understanding of genetic testing and data accessibility with the much older ideology of eugenics, leading to concerns about how white nationalists might further their aims with 21st century technology.

Details

Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, vol. 21 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-996X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 April 2024

Xiaohong Shi, Ziyan Wang, Runlu Zhong, Liangliang Ma, Xiangping Chen and Peng Yang

Smart contracts are written in high-level programming languages, compiled into Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) bytecode, deployed onto blockchain systems and called with the…

Abstract

Purpose

Smart contracts are written in high-level programming languages, compiled into Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) bytecode, deployed onto blockchain systems and called with the corresponding address by transactions. The deployed smart contracts are immutable, even if there are bugs or vulnerabilities. Therefore, it is critical to verify smart contracts before deployment. This paper aims to help developers effectively and efficiently locate potential defects in smart contracts.

Design/methodology/approach

GethReplayer, a smart contract testing method based on transaction replay, is proposed. It constructs a parallel transaction execution environment with two virtual machines to compare the execution results. It uses the real existing transaction data on Ethereum and the source code of the tested smart contacts as inputs, conditionally substitutes the bytecode of the tested smart contract input into the testing EVM, and then monitors the environmental information to check the correctness of the contract.

Findings

Experiments verified that the proposed method is effective in smart contract testing. Virtual environmental information has a significant effect on the success of transaction replay, which is the basis for the performance of the method. The efficiency of error locating was approximately 14 times faster with the proposed method than without. In addition, the proposed method supports gas consumption analysis.

Originality/value

This paper addresses the difficulty that developers encounter in testing smart contracts before deployment and focuses on helping develop smart contracts with as few defects as possible. GethReplayer is expected to be an alternative solution for smart contract testing and provide inspiration for further research.

Details

International Journal of Web Information Systems, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-0084

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 March 2023

William C. Curran and Matt C. Danbrook

Child welfare services (CWSs) globally continue to absorb high rates of children living with or suspected of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Such high prevalence rates…

Abstract

Purpose

Child welfare services (CWSs) globally continue to absorb high rates of children living with or suspected of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Such high prevalence rates render CWS with major ethical and moral dilemmas of meeting complex needs. Currently, many jurisdictions are challenged by diagnostic capacity and cost implications of formal FASD diagnosis. This paper aims to recommend a screening protocol to address management gap between FASD initial presentation and formal diagnosis.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a follow-up paper from a grounded-theory study of a sample (N = 18) of child welfare social workers (CWSWs), allied health professionals and foster parents. A stepwise protocol was developed through systematical interpretation of the final data.

Findings

The application of a five-step screening protocol would greatly support CWSW in meeting the needs of children with suspected FASD. This CWSWs-led assessment model incorporates a clinical evaluation to exclude neurodevelopmental conditions caused by known genetic disorders, followed by behavioral and neurocognitive psychosocial assessments.

Research limitations/implications

This study had several limitations. Firstly, as a specific social work-based sample, it is not necessarily representative of the wider population of social workers globally due to different cultural responses to FASD in CWSs. The transferability of findings will have to be considered due to cultural variations concerning FASD.

Practical implications

By offering a management and nonlabeling approach, this five-step screening protocol offers a delineated pathway for CWSW and addresses the major professional frustrations while seeking to plan safe care for a child suspected of having FASD.

Social implications

The research offers a pragmatic low-cost to society to alleviate the mounting social and monetary implications of FASD. A large percentage of children impacted by prenatal alcohol exposure do not qualify under formal clinical diagnostic guidelines. Leaving these children without intervention is problematic. The recommendation of this study addresses this critical gap in services. The primary aim is to alleviate the burden on this cohort of vulnerable children by offering nonlabeling neurodevelopmental screening.

Originality/value

The direct implications of FASD and how it impacts CWS are well documented. However, few studies focus on the critical interface of FASD and the role of CWSW responsible for planning their safe care. This paper offers a novel pragmatic and functional multistep protocol to aid CWSW in this complex area of practice.

Article
Publication date: 17 March 2023

Janet K. Brewer

The purpose of this paper is to analyse how novel homicide defences predicated on contemporary neuroscience align with legal insanity.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse how novel homicide defences predicated on contemporary neuroscience align with legal insanity.

Design/methodology/approach

Doctrinal analysis, systematic investigation of relevant statutes and cases, was used to elucidate how the law of insanity is evolving. Cases represent the first recorded instance of a particular neuroscientific defence. US appellate cases were categorised according to the mechanism of action of neurotransmitter relied upon in court. A case study approach was also used to provide a contextualised understanding of the case outcome in depth.

Findings

Findings broadly depict how the employment of expert testimony runs parallel with our contemporary understanding of key neurotransmitters and their function in human behaviour. Generally, medico-legal evidence concerning neuromodulating agents and violent behaviour was inconclusive. However, the outcome of defence strategy may depend on the underlying neurotransmitter involved.

Practical implications

This study shows that as more discoveries are made about the neurobiological underpinnings of human behaviour; this new knowledge will continue to seep into the US court system as innovative defence strategies with varying success. Medical and legal practitioners may gauge the success of a defence depending on the neuromodulating agent.

Originality/value

Many scholars have focused on the role of neuroimaging as neuroscientific evidence and how it is used is shaping US criminal jurisprudence. To the best of the author’s knowledge, no study has incorporated the true origin of neuroscientific evidence as being underpinned by the understanding of neurotransmitters.

Details

The Journal of Forensic Practice, vol. 25 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-8794

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 October 2022

Jeffrey Gauthier, Jeffrey A. Kappen and Justin Zuopeng Zhang

This paper aims to consider the legitimacy challenges faced by hybrid organizations, examining the narrative strategies hybrids use in responding to these challenges and offering…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to consider the legitimacy challenges faced by hybrid organizations, examining the narrative strategies hybrids use in responding to these challenges and offering a framework for managers to consider in their choice of narratives.

Design/methodology/approach

A narrative analysis of texts addressing the legitimacy of the business models used by four hybrid organizations is conducted.

Findings

The results of the analysis suggest that the nature of conflicting stakeholder demands – centered on goals or means – is an integral factor influencing hybrids’ choice of narrative strategies to emphasize distinctiveness or conformity.

Research limitations/implications

This paper adds to extant research examining the challenges hybrid organizations face and emphasizes that the choice of narrative strategies is an important factor hybrids must consider when managing legitimacy. Generalizability is a notable limitation of the case approach; the authors suggest areas for future research to address this limitation.

Practical implications

The research offers a practical framework for hybrids’ leaders, as they manage legitimacy, choosing to emphasize distinctiveness or conformity in the face of conflicts regarding goals or means.

Originality/value

By studying the legitimacy challenges faced by hybrid organizations, this study can form a more complete view of legitimation, encompassing different types of enterprises offering distinct value propositions.

Details

Society and Business Review, vol. 19 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5680

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 March 2023

Rui Tian, Ruheng Yin and Feng Gan

Music sentiment analysis helps to promote the diversification of music information retrieval methods. Traditional music emotion classification tasks suffer from high manual…

Abstract

Purpose

Music sentiment analysis helps to promote the diversification of music information retrieval methods. Traditional music emotion classification tasks suffer from high manual workload and low classification accuracy caused by difficulty in feature extraction and inaccurate manual determination of hyperparameter. In this paper, the authors propose an optimized convolution neural network-random forest (CNN-RF) model for music sentiment classification which is capable of optimizing the manually selected hyperparameters to improve the accuracy of music sentiment classification and reduce labor costs and human classification errors.

Design/methodology/approach

A CNN-RF music sentiment classification model is designed based on quantum particle swarm optimization (QPSO). First, the audio data are transformed into a Mel spectrogram, and feature extraction is conducted by a CNN. Second, the music features extracted are processed by RF algorithm to complete a preliminary emotion classification. Finally, to select the suitable hyperparameters for a CNN, the QPSO algorithm is adopted to extract the best hyperparameters and obtain the final classification results.

Findings

The model has gone through experimental validations and achieved a classification accuracy of 97 per cent for different sentiment categories with shortened training time. The proposed method with QPSO achieved 1.2 and 1.6 per cent higher accuracy than that with particle swarm optimization and genetic algorithm, respectively. The proposed model had great potential for music sentiment classification.

Originality/value

The dual contribution of this work comprises the proposed model which integrated two deep learning models and the introduction of a QPSO into model optimization. With these two innovations, the efficiency and accuracy of music emotion recognition and classification have been significantly improved.

Details

Data Technologies and Applications, vol. 57 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9288

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 24 October 2023

Ilpo Helén and Hanna Lehtimäki

The paper contributes to the discussion on valuation in organization studies and strategic management literature. The nascent literature on valuation practices has examined…

Abstract

Purpose

The paper contributes to the discussion on valuation in organization studies and strategic management literature. The nascent literature on valuation practices has examined established markets where producers and consumers are known and rivalry in the market is a given. Furthermore, previous research has operated with a narrow meaning of value as either a financial profit or a subjective consumer preference. Such a narrow view on value is problematic and insufficient for studying the interlacing of innovation and value creation in emerging technoscientific business domains.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors present an empirical study about value creation in an emerging technoscience business domain formed around personalized medicine and digital health data.

Findings

The results of this analysis show that in a technoscientific domain, valuation of innovations is multiple and malleable, entails pursuing attractiveness in collaboration and partnerships and is performative, and due to emphatic future orientation, values are indefinite and promissory.

Research limitations/implications

As research implications, this study shows that valuation practices in an emerging technoscience business domain focus on defining the potential economic value in the future and attracting partners as probable future beneficiaries. Commercial value upon innovation in an embryonic business milieu is created and situated in valuation practices that constitute the prospective market, the prevalent economic discourse, and rationale. This is in contrast to an established market, where valuation practices are determined at the intersection of customer preferences and competitive arenas where suppliers, producers, service providers and new entrants to the market present value propositions.

Practical implications

The study findings extend discussion on valuation from established business domains to emerging technoscience business domains which are in a “pre-competition” phase where suppliers, customers, producers and their collaborative and competitive relations are not yet established.

Social implications

As managerial implications, this study provides insights into health innovation stakeholders, including stakeholders in the public, private and academic sectors, about the ecosystem dynamics in a technoscientific innovation. Such insight is useful in strategic decision-making about ecosystem strategy and ecosystem business model for value proposition, value creation and value capture in an emerging innovation domain characterized by collaborative and competitive relations among stakeholders. To business managers, the findings of this study about valuation practices are useful in strategic decision-making about ecosystem strategy and ecosystem business model for value proposition, value creation and value capture in an emerging innovation domain characterized by collaborative and competitive relations among stakeholders. To policy makers, this study provides an in-depth analysis of an overall business ecosystem in an emerging technoscience business that can be propelled to increase the financial investments in the field. As a policy implication, this study provides insights into the various dimensions of valuation in technoscience business to policy makers, who make governance decisions to guide and control the development of medical innovation using digital health data.

Originality/value

This study's results expand previous theorizing on valuation by showing that in technoscientific innovation all types of value created – scientific, clinical, social or economic – are predominantly promissory. This study complements the nascent theorizing on value creation and valuation practices of technoscientific innovation.

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. 26 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 11 October 2023

Murali Chari

The purpose of this paper is to make the case that ethical guardrails in emerging technology businesses are inadequate and to develop solutions to strengthen these guardrails.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to make the case that ethical guardrails in emerging technology businesses are inadequate and to develop solutions to strengthen these guardrails.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on literature and first principles reasoning, the paper develops theoretical arguments about the fundamental purpose of ethical guardrails and how they evolve and then uses this along with the characteristics that distinguish emerging technology businesses to identify inadequacies in the ethical guardrails for emerging technology businesses and develop solutions to strengthen the guardrails.

Findings

The paper shows that the ethical guardrails for emerging technology businesses are inadequate and that the reasons for this are systematic. The paper also develops actionable recommendations to strengthen these guardrails.

Originality/value

The paper develops the novel argument that reasons for the inadequate ethical guardrails in emerging technology businesses are systematic and stem from the inadequacy of laws and regulations, inadequacy of boards and the focus of business executives.

Details

Journal of Ethics in Entrepreneurship and Technology, vol. 3 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2633-7436

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 October 2021

John Peter Cooney, David Oloke and Louis Gyoh

This study aims to demonstrate the possibility of showing the functionality of complex microbial groups, within ancient structures within a process of refurbishment on a heritage…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to demonstrate the possibility of showing the functionality of complex microbial groups, within ancient structures within a process of refurbishment on a heritage building information modelling (BIM) platform.

Design/methodology/approach

Both a qualitative and qualitative research method will be used throughout, as observational and scientific results will be obtained and collated. This path being; phenomena – acquisition tools – storage – analysis tools – literature. Using this methodology, one pilot study within the scope of demolition and refurbishment, using suitable methods of collecting and managing data (structural or otherwise), will be used and generated by various software and applications. The principle methods used for the identification of such micro-organisms will incorporate a polymerase chain reaction method (PCR), to amplify DNA and to identify any or all spores present. The BIM/historical BIM (HBIM) process will be used to create a remotely-based survey to obtain and collate data using a laser scanner to produce a three-dimensional point cloud model to evaluate and deduce the condition, make-up and stature of the monument. A documentation management system will be devised to enable the development of plain language questions and an exchange information requirement, to identify such documentation required to enable safe refurbishment and to give health and safety guidance. Four data sampling extractions will be conducted, two for each site, within the research, for each of the periods being assessed, that being the Norman and Tudor areas of the monument.

Findings

From laboratory PCR analysis, results show a conclusive presence of micro-organism groups and will be represented within a hierarchical classification, from kingdom to species.

Originality/value

The BIM/HBIM process will highlight results in a graphical form to show data collected, particularly within the PCR application. It will also create standardisation and availability for such data from ancient monuments to make available all data stored, as such analysis becomes substantially important to enable the production of data sets for comparison, from within the framework of this research.

Details

Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology , vol. 21 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1726-0531

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Eating Disorders in a Capitalist World
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80455-787-7

1 – 10 of over 1000