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The fifth Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations targets achieving gender equality by 2030, but recent progress has been sluggish. Gender inequalities in the labor markets may have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 recession. This paper aims to investigate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on gender inequalities in the labor markets by...

This research unveils to predict consumer ad preferences by detecting seven basic emotions, attention and engagement triggered by advertising through the analysis of two specific physiological monitoring tools, electrodermal activity (EDA), and Facial Expression Analysis (FEA), applied to video advertising, offering a twofold contribution of significant value. First, to identify the most relevant physiological features for consumer preference prediction. We integrated a statistical module encompassing inferential and exploratory analysis tools, which identified emotions such as Joy, Disgust, and Surprise, enabling the statistical differentiation of preferences concerning various advertisements. Second, we present an artificial intelligence (AI) system founded on machine learning techniques, encompassing k-Nearest Neighbors, Support Vector Machine, and Random Forest (RF). Our findings show that the RF technique emerged as the top performer, boasting an 81% Accuracy, 84% Precision, 79% Recall, and an F1-score of 81% in predicting consumer preferences. In addition, our research proposes an eXplainable AI module based on feature importance, which discerned Attention, Engagement, Joy, and Disgust as the four most pivotal features influencing consumer ad preference prediction. The results indicate that computerized intelligent systems based on EDA and FEA data can be used to predict consumer ad preferences based on videos and effectively used as supporting tools for marketing specialists.

The aim of this study is to examine the online learning experiences of university students with Special Educational Needs (SEN), and how their experiences might differ from their typically developing peers. Fifty typically developing students (mean age = 22; 29 females) and 31 students with SEN (mean age = 22; 15 females) from a local

The purpose of this study was to explore the correlation between empathy, love maintenance behaviors, relationship satisfaction in a convenience sample of young adult lovers in Macau. Participants were N = 183 (84 males, 99 females) recruited from the social media platform (e.g. Instagram, WeChat, Facebook). Firstly, young adult lovers who tended to have high relationship satisfaction and empathy are tended to use positive love maintenance behaviors but less likely to use negative love maintenance behaviors. Besides, there were differences found by gender in empathy (affective empathy & total empathy), some dimensions of positive love maintenance behaviors (openness & advice), and negative love maintenance behaviors (causing jealousy, destructive conflict & negative love maintenance behaviors in general). Lastly, the findings in this study supported the hypotheses that love maintenance behaviors mediated the relationship between relationship satisfaction and empathy among young adult lovers in Macau. It was revealed that there was higher satisfaction in younger adult lovers in younger group (18-24 years) compared to older groups (32-40 years). For empathy, it correlated positively with relationship satisfaction and most positive love maintenance behaviors, but also with certain negative love maintenance behaviors. Positive love maintenance behaviors mediate the relationship between relationship satisfaction and empathy, highlighting their critical role in maintaining healthy relationships

The cosmological constant is normally introduced as an additional term entering the Einstein–Hilbert (EH) action. In this letter, we demonstrate that, instead, it appears naturally from the standard EH action as an invariant term emerging from spacetime symmetries. We then demonstrate that the same constraint emerging from this invariant suppresses the short wavelength modes and it favors the long wavelength ones. In this way, inside the proposed formulation, the observed value for the vacuum energy density is obtained naturally from the zero-point quantum fluctuations.

The mutual information method has demonstrated to be very useful for deriving the potential order parameter of a system. Although the method suggests some constraints which help to define this quantity, there is still some freedom in the definition. The method then results inefficient for cases where we have order parameters with a large number of constants in the expansion, which happens when we have many degenerate vacuums. Here, we introduce some additional constraints based on the existence of broken symmetries, which help us to reduce the arbitrariness in the definitions of the order parameter in the proposed mutual information method.

Theories and models try to describe the complexity of how people embrace and make use of innovations. The determinants of behavior concerning battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have traditionally revolved around factors such as vehicles’ price and range. Surprisingly, despite being small and one of the wealthiest territories in the world, Macau SAR faces challenges in BEV market penetration, underscoring the need to explore alternative causes of behavioral intention. To explain the adoption of technologies, this paper focuses on technology show-off (TS), which combines Rogers’ (2003) concepts of visibility and trialability of technology in a single construct as a determinant of behavioral intention. Therefore, when individuals perceive technology as more visible and available for trial, their behavioral intention to adopt it strengthens. Using structural equation modeling for quantitative analysis, this study examines the significance of TS in terms of the intention to adopt battery electric vehicles. The findings highlight the salience of the technology show-off construct in explaining behavioral intention, underscoring its significance in the context of modern society’s characteristics. This study contributes to advances in understanding technology acceptance and highlights the importance of incorporating experiential aspects (such as TS) into the traditional technology acceptance models.

It has been claimed in \cite1, that the idea proposed in \cite2 has certain mistakes based on arguments of energy conditions and others. Additionally, some of the key arguments of the paper are criticized. Here we demonstrate that the results obtained in \cite2 are correct and that there is no violation of any energy condition. The statements claimed in \cite1 are based on three things: 1). Misinterpretation of the metric solution. 2). Language issues related to the physical quantities obtained in \cite1, where the authors make wrong interpretations about certain results over the geometry proposed in \cite2. 3). Non-rigorous evaluations of the vacuum condition defined via the result over the Ricci tensor R_\mu\nu=0.

This article reports a case study of older adults learning English in China. It indicates how, founded on consequentialist ethics, risk analysis, and safeguarding, it was decided to use covert research, drawing on the confluence of risk analysis, risk evaluation, risk management, safeguarding, research ethics, and important contextual and cultural features. Ethical principles of nonmaleficence, beneficence, safeguarding, and protection were addressed, and account was taken of the strength, likelihood, and consequences of risks, safeguards, and benefits, informed by Chinese cultural contexts, values, behaviors, and features of teaching and learning based on andragogy and geragogy. Implications are drawn for teaching and learning with older adults, advocating significant account to be taken of contextual factors.

Since 2006, the Government of Macau has been promoting inclusive education. This has now been ongoing for seventeen years. As education policies gradually improve, the focus has shifted from students in inclusive settings to the realm of teachers. With an increasing number of inclusive students, the corresponding work pressures faced by teachers has also increased. The aims of this study are to better understand the work-related stress, sources of stress, and subsequent coping strategies used by mainstreamteachers within the inclusive education sector of Macau. This study used qualitative research methods, interviewing twelve frontline teachers from eight different private primary educational institutions. Eight of these teachers work in schools practicing inclusive education, while four were employed in regular schools. However, all twelve participating teachers had experience in teaching inclusive students but also lacked any specialized background in special education. Following and obtaining and meticulously analyzing interview data, supported by relevant literature, the study findings are presented as follows: 1. Views and Attitudes of Regular Teachers in Inclusive Schools towards Inclusive Education The interviewed teachers support the concept of inclusive education but were concerned about student behaviors and their learning challenges. These concerns included inappropriate behaviors, learning disabilities, and the teachers’ own pedagogical demands. In managing student behaviors, teachers found it difficult to handle the emotional control of inclusive students, leading to disruptions in class. Regarding learning, teachers had to use additional and extra time on after-class tutoring, increasing their workload. Teaching inclusive students also complicated the instruction, requiring teachers to undergo additional training and preparation. 2. Work-Related Stress and its Sources among Regular Teachers within Inclusive Schools The participating teachers rated their stress-resilience as not low, but rather they experienced medium to high levels of work-related stress, mainly due to long working hours and extensive workloads. The study identifies four main sources of stress: （i） The nature of work, including extensive teaching and non-teaching tasks, including heavy class management, or multiple roles. （ii） Social relationships, where regular teachers lacked an understanding of resource teachers’ roles, leading to ineffective communication and an underutilization of resource teachers in schools. （iii） Organizational structure, where schools involved in inclusive education required improvements in facilities and teaching environments, particularly in the safety of sports areas. Additionally, not all mainstream teachers had access to inclusive education resources, and the instructional adjustments for inclusive students did not fully meet their needs. （iv） Social aspects, where the public did not fully understand the concepts of inclusive education, and expectations on teachers were excessively high. Furthermore, teachers were dissatisfied with their salaries and benefits, which they felt were not commensurate with their heavy workload. The study also found that female teachers faced additional stress from both work and family responsibilities, as they also bear the burden of caring for and educating their own children at home. 3. Responses and Coping Methods of Regular Teachers in Inclusive Schools to Work-Related Stress The study analyzed the negative impacts of work-related stress on teachers’ physical health, psychological state, and behavior. The impacts included poor sleep quality or insomnia and emotional states of worry and anxiety. In response to stress, teachers engaged in communication and social activities, exercise and rest, and dietary adjustments. However, these stress-relief methods did not effectively address the root causes of the stress, making long-term stress management a crucial issue for teachers. Based on the findings regarding stress perceptions, sources, and coping methods, the researcher proposes recommendations for teachers, educational institutions, and relevant government departments, with an aim to support and aid future policymaking in the area of inclusive education in Macau

Remote Learning's Impact on Students' Cognitive Development: Evidence from Time Series Assessment [Conference presentation]

The understanding of how people accept and embrace new policies is vital in today's world. This paper introduces an original way of looking at this by adapting the widely recognized Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT-2). The goal is to provide a foundational model for assessing policy acceptance. More specifically, we adapted the UTAUT-2 framework to study how Macau residents perceive the "Northbound Travel for Macau Vehicles" policy, which allows cars with Macau registration plates to enter China. Using structural equation modeling software (SmartPLS), we analyze data collected from 136 respondents who experienced the policy.Our findings reveal that Performance Expectancy (PE) and Habit (HB) significantly influence individuals' intention to take advantage of the policy. In other words, people are more likely to embrace policies they perceive as beneficial and that align with their existing habits. Effort Expectancy (EE) and Facilitating Conditions (FC) do not significantly impact acceptance, perhaps as a result of participants' familiarity with the policy and their resource availability. Surprisingly, while not directly tied to usage, Social Influence (SI) shows a high mean value, suggesting its potential role in policy acceptance when influential individuals adopt the policy. This pioneering research contributes to the field by bridging the gap between technology acceptance models and policy studies. Most importantly, it validates the use of the UTAUT-2 as a technology framework that is adapted for assessing policy acceptance.

As environmental awareness grows, sustainable modes of transportation have garnered increasing importance. With the rising popularity of electric vehicles (EVs), a broader community now acknowledges their numerous advantages, such as lower noise levels, enhanced efficiency, and cost-effectiveness in comparison to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles. Furthermore, EVs significantly contribute to a more sustainable future by emitting fewer pollutants and reducing overall environmental impact. However, consumers' perceptions and expectations about the vehicle's country of origin - the nation where the vehicle is manufactured - remain unclear, particularly in the case of Chinese-manufactured EVs due to China's reputation for pollution and product safety concerns. This study employsa qualitative framework based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2(UTAUT-2) to assess the acceptance of Chinese electric vehicles, and the influence of the Country-of-Origin Effect (COE) on a sample of Portuguese residents. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using qualitative methods. The study's results shed light on the significance of the country of origin in shaping consumers' behavioral intentions to purchase Chinese electric vehicles, indicating a positive influence. This suggests that country of origin is a crucial factor when considering an individual's intention to adopt electric vehicles. Additionally, the research highlights the importance of various other factors such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, price value, hedonic motivation, and habit in shaping consumers' attitudes and intentions. Our results underscore the complexity of consumer behavior toward electric vehicles, suggesting the need for a multifaceted approach to understanding andpromoting EV adoption. Research is needed to examine the COE in different cultural and geographic contexts to develop effective strategies to enhance the global adoption of electric vehicles, particularly from countries with varying environmental reputations

Integrating financial technologies with green initiatives is critical to the sustainable development agenda. This is particularly true for newly developed smart cities like Tongzhou, the sub-city center of Beijing. To assess the adoption of green fintech in Tongzhou, this paper extends the EnergyAugmented Technology Acceptance Model (EA-TAM) to incorporate two green factors – environmental awareness and green knowledge. This paper applies structural equation modeling techniques to analyze data from 403 respondents who live, work, or study in Tongzhou and finds allhypothesized constructs significant. Since green knowledge is significant to the adoption of green fintech, this paper further divides the sample into a high-education group (162 respondents with university-or-above degrees) and a low-education group (251 respondents with post-secondary-orlower degrees) to evaluate the impact of education. All the hypothesized factors are significant to the high-education group,but environmental awareness and perceived usefulness are insignificant to the low- education group. Hence, the results provide evidence that people in the newly developed smart city adopt green fintech due to their environmental sensitivity. The adoption of green fintech is more environmentally sensitive for people with high education levels.