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This study aimed to review various existing methods for improving the quality of recycled concrete aggregates (RCAs) as a possible substitution for natural aggregates (NAs) in concrete. It is vital as the old paste attached to the RCA weakens its structure. It is due to the porous structure of the RCA with cracks, weakening the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between the RCA and binding material, negatively impacting the concrete's properties. To this end, various methods for reinforcement of the RCA, cleaning the RCA's old paste and enhancing the quality of the RCA-based concrete without RCA modification are studied in terms of environmental effects, cost and technical matters. Furthermore, this research sought to identify gaps in knowledge and future research directions.

The review of the relevant journal papers revealed that various methods exist for improving the properties of RCAs and RCA-based concrete. A decision matrix was developed and implemented for ranking these techniques based on environmental, economic and technical criteria.

The identified methods for reinforcement of the RCA include accelerated carbonation, bio deposition, soaking in polymer emulsions, soaking in waterproofing admixture, soaking in sodium silicate, soaking in nanoparticles and coating with geopolymer slurry. Moreover, cleaning the RCA's old paste is possible using acid, water, heating, thermal and mechanical treatment, thermo-mechanical and electro-dynamic treatment. Added to these treatment techniques, using RCA in saturated surface dry (SSD) mixing approaches and adding fibres or pozzolana enhance the quality of the RCA-based concrete without RCA modification. The study ranked these techniques based on environmental, economic and technical criteria. Ultimately, adding fibres, pozzolana and coating RCA with geopolymer slurry were introduced as the best techniques based on the nominated criteria.

The study supported the need for better knowledge regarding the existing treatment techniques for RCA improvement. The outcomes of this research offer an understanding of each RCA enrichment technique's importance in environmental, economic and technical criteria.

The practicality of the RCA treatment techniques is based on economic, environmental and technical specifications for rating the existing treatment techniques.

Globally, hepatitis C treatment uptake is lower among people who are homeless or unstably housed compared to those who are housed. Understanding and addressing this is essential to ensure no one is left behind in hepatitis C elimination efforts. This study aims to explore peoples’ experiences of unstable housing and health care, and how these experiences influenced engagement in hepatitis C treatment.

Purposive sampling was used to recruit people with lived experience of injection drug use, hepatitis C and unstable housing in Melbourne, Australia. In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted and a case study approach with interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to identify personal experiential themes and group experiential themes.

Four people were interviewed. The precarious nature of housing for women who inject drugs was a group experiential theme, however, this did not appear to be a direct barrier to hepatitis C treatment. Rather, competing priorities, including caregiving, were personal experiential themes and these created barriers to treatment. Another group experiential theme was “right place, right time, right people” with these three elements required to facilitate hepatitis C treatment.

There is limited research providing in-depth insight into how personal experiences with unstable housing and health care shape engagement with hepatitis C treatment. The analyses indicate there is a need to move beyond a “one size fits-all” approach to hepatitis C care. Instead, care should be tailored to the needs of individuals and their personal circumstances and regularly facilitated. This includes giving greater attention to gender in intervention design and evaluation, and research more broadly.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the current state of the literature on the variables associated with self-harm and aggression in women who committed a criminal offence.

Studies were identified through online databases, namely, PsycINFO, PubMed, ERIC and EBSCOhost, as well as manual searches of reference lists of the selected studies. The target population included women who committed a criminal offence and have engaged in self-harm and aggressive behaviors during their incarceration, either in correctional institutions or in forensic psychiatric settings.

Of the 1,178 studies identified, nine met inclusion criteria. The studies were conducted in six different countries and included data from 6360 female participants. Few studies examine self-harm and aggression in women who committed a criminal offence which speaks to the still sparse literature on this topic. This review of the association between self-harm and aggression in women offenders highlights the finding that a small group of women is often involved in both self-harm and aggression. The authors have identified possible psychological factors associated with women engaging in both self-harm and aggression. The findings also reveal a possible connection between types of aggressive behaviors and specific time periods during sentences or stays in forensic psychiatry.

The findings of this scoping review have clinical implications which may be considered by both researchers and the case management teams of women involved in both self-harm and aggression.

Despite the limited number of studies examining self-harm and aggression in women, this scoping review highlights gaps in the literature as well as notable psychological correlates of women who engage in self-harm and aggression.

This paper aims to explore the intricate relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and health information literacy (HIL), examining the rise of AI in health care, the intersection of AI and HIL and the imperative for promoting AI literacy and integrating it with HIL. By fostering collaboration, education and innovation, stakeholders can navigate the evolving health-care ecosystem with confidence and agency, ultimately improving health-care delivery and outcomes for all.

This paper adopts a conceptual approach to explore the intricate relationship between AI and HIL, aiming to provide guidance for health-care professionals navigating the evolving landscape of AI-driven health-care delivery. The methodology used in this paper involves a synthesis of existing literature, theoretical analysis and conceptual modeling to develop insights and recommendations regarding the integration of AI literacy with HIL.

Impact of AI on health-care delivery: The integration of AI technologies in health-care is reshaping the industry, offering unparalleled opportunities for improving patient care, optimizing clinical workflows and advancing medical research. Significance of HIL: HIL, encompassing the ability to access, understand and critically evaluate health information, is crucial in the context of AI-driven health-care delivery. It empowers health-care professionals, patients and the broader community to make informed decisions about their health and well-being. Intersection of AI and HIL: The convergence of AI and HIL represents a critical juncture, where technological innovation intersects with human cognition. AI technologies have the potential to revolutionize how health information is generated, disseminated and interpreted, necessitating a deeper understanding of their implications for HIL. Challenges and opportunities: While AI holds tremendous promise for enhancing health-care outcomes, it also introduces new challenges and complexities for individuals navigating the vast landscape of health information. Issues such as algorithmic bias, transparency and accountability pose ethical dilemmas that impact individuals’ ability to critically evaluate and interpret AI-generated health information. Recommendations for health-care professionals: Health-care professionals are encouraged to adopt strategies such as staying informed about developments in AI, continuous education and training in AI literacy, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and advocating for policies that promote ethical AI practices.

To enhance AI literacy and integrate it with HIL, health-care professionals are encouraged to adopt several key strategies. First, staying abreast of developments in AI technologies and their applications in health care is essential. This entails actively engaging with conferences, workshops and publications focused on AI in health care and participating in professional networks dedicated to AI and health-care innovation. Second, continuous education and training are paramount for developing critical thinking skills and ethical awareness in evaluating AI-driven health information (Alowais et al., 2023). Health-care organizations should provide opportunities for ongoing professional development in AI literacy, including workshops, online courses and simulation exercises focused on AI applications in clinical practice and research.

This paper lies in its exploration of the intersection between AI and HIL, offering insights into the evolving health-care landscape. It innovatively synthesizes existing literature, proposes strategies for integrating AI literacy with HIL and provides guidance for health-care professionals to navigate the complexities of AI-driven health-care delivery. By addressing the transformative potential of AI while emphasizing the importance of promoting critical thinking skills and ethical awareness, this paper contributes to advancing understanding in the field and promoting informed decision-making in an increasingly digital health-care environment.

The current study uses an advanced machine learning method and aims to investigate whether auditors perceive financial statements that are principles-based as less risky. More specifically, this study aims to explore the association between principles-based accounting standards and audit pricing and between principles-based accounting standards and the likelihood of receiving a going concern opinion.

The study uses an advanced machine-learning method to understand the role of principles-based accounting standards in predicting audit fees and going concern opinion. The study also uses multiple regression models defining audit fees and the probability of receiving going concern opinion. The analyses are complemented by additional tests such as economic significance, firm fixed effects, propensity score matching, entropy balancing, change analysis, yearly regression results and controlling for managerial risk-taking incentives and governance variables.

The paper provides empirical evidence that auditors charge less audit fees to clients whose financial statements are more principles-based. The finding suggests that auditors perceive financial statements that are principles-based less risky. The study also provides evidence that the probability of receiving a going-concern opinion reduces as firms rely more on principles-based standards. The finding further suggests that auditors discount the financial numbers supplied by the managers using rules-based standards. The study also reveals that the degree of reliance by a US firm on principles-based accounting standards has a negative impact on accounting conservatism, the risk of financial statement misstatement, accruals and the difficulty in predicting future earnings. This suggests potential mechanisms through which principles-based accounting standards influence auditors’ risk assessments.

The authors recognize the limitation of this study regarding the sample period. Prior studies compare rules vs principles-based standards by focusing on the differences between US generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and international financial reporting standards (IFRS) or pre- and post-IFRS adoption, which raises questions about differences in cross-country settings and institutional environment and other confounding factors such as transition costs. This study addresses these issues by comparing rules vs principles-based standards within the US GAAP setting. However, this limits the sample period to the year 2006 because the measure of the relative extent to which a US firm is reliant upon principles-based standards is available until 2006.

The study has major public policy suggestions as it responds to the call by Jay Clayton and Mary Jo White, the former Chairs of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to pursue high-quality, globally accepted accounting standards to ensure that investors continue to receive clear and reliable financial information globally. The study also recognizes the notable public policy implications, particularly in light of the current Chair of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) Andreas Barckow’s recent public statement, which emphasizes the importance of principles-based standards and their ability to address sustainability concerns, including emerging risks such as climate change.

The study has major public policy suggestions because it demonstrates the value of principles-based standards. The study responds to the call by Jay Clayton and Mary Jo White, the former Chairs of the US SEC, to pursue high-quality, globally accepted accounting standards to ensure that investors continue to receive clear and reliable financial information as business transactions and investor needs continue to evolve globally. The study also recognizes the notable public policy implications, particularly in light of the current Chair of the IASB Andreas Barckow’s recent public statement, which emphasizes the importance of principles-based standards and their ability to address sustainability concerns, including emerging risks like climate change. The study fills the gap in the literature that auditors perceive principles-based financial statements as less risky and further expands the literature by providing empirical evidence that the likelihood of receiving a going concern opinion is increasing in the degree of rules-based standards.

This study aimed to assess the influence of the community-based campaign on weight loss and healthy lifestyle adoption among Bahrain's adult population.

A cross -sectional self-reported online questionnaire completed in February 2021. The survey evaluated the impact of the community-based campaign health program which includes (exercise, diet plan and psychological eating behavior) weight reduction using social media platforms. The authors employed data from young and middle-aged healthy adults (n = 842) between the ages of 18-55 years, of both sexes. The intervention group (n = 842) was made up of the supporters of the voluntary community initiative called Obesity does not Suit Me (n = 194), and the control group (n = 648) was made up of non-followers of the campaign.

The study showed a statistically significant difference among the followers of the community-based campaign health program in the following parameters: 3.90-4.23 kg less, 1.46-1.59 difference in BMI and 0.05-0.06 WHR. All changes were of low effect size.

Diet and exercise had significant impact on weight, BMI and WHR among the followers of the community campaign. However, more research is required for sponsorship to increase the motivation and rewards for the community campaign.

The rapid advancement of technology has transformed the health-care industry and enabled the emergence of m-Health solutions such as health apps. The viability and success of these apps depends on the definition of a monetization model appropriate to their specificities. In this sense, the purpose of this paper is to study the mechanisms of monetization of health apps, to stablish how alternative revenues determine if a health app is to be free or paid.

Probability models are used to identify the factors that explain if a health app is free or paid.

Results show that the presence of alternative monetization mechanisms negatively impacts the likelihood of a health app being paid for. The use of personal data to customize advertising (the monetization of “privacy capital”) or the inclusion of ads on the app are alternative means of monetization with potential to decrease the likelihood of a health app being paid for. The possibility of in-app purchases has a lower negative impact on the probability of a health app being paid for. The choice of platform to commercialize an app is also a strategic decision that influences the likelihood of an app being paid for.

This work stands out for bringing together the two largest platforms present in Portugal and for focusing on the perspective of revenue and monetization of health apps and not on the perspective of downloads.