1. Cognitive and emotional perceptions of illness in patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitusLucija Gosak, Gregor Štiglic, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) affects a patient’s physical, social, and mental well-being. Perceptions of the illness are linked to quality of life. The aim of this study was to assess illness perception in patients diagnosed with T2DM and to validate the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire in the Slovenian language. A cross-sectional study involved 141 patients diagnosed with T2DM. We performed a content analysis of the questionnaire and estimated the S-CVI, I-CVI, kappa coefficient. We also used Cronbach’s alpha to assess the reliability. Participants did not have a very threatening perception of T2DM, but being overweight and having cardiovascular disease were significant contributors to a more threatening perception. The most frequently indicated factors influencing the onset and development of T2DM were heredity and genetics, stress and other psychological distress, and poor and inadequate nutrition. I-CVI ranged from 0.833 to 1.00, while the kappa is greater than 0.74, confirming the excellent validity of the questions. The content validity assessment of the questionnaire further confirms that the questionnaire is suitable for use with the target population in Slovenia. The questionnaire proved to be a valid and reliable tool that can be used to assess the relationship between illness perception and self-management of T2DM.
Keywords: type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), illness perception, psychometric properties
Published in DKUM: 28.11.2024; Views: 0; Downloads: 0
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2. Development and validation of the perceived deepfake trustworthiness questionnaire (PDTQ) in three languagesNejc Plohl, Izidor Mlakar, Letizia Aquilino, Piercosma Bisconti, Urška Smrke, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Exposure to false information is becoming a common occurrence in our daily lives. New developments in artificial intelligence are now used to produce increasingly sophisticated multimedia false content, such as deepfakes, making false information even more challenging to detect and combat. This creates expansive opportunities to mislead individuals into believing fabricated claims and negatively influence their attitudes and behavior. Therefore, a better understanding of how individuals perceive such content and the variables related to the perceived trustworthiness of deepfakes is needed. In the present study, we developed and validated the Perceived Deepfake Trustworthiness Questionnaire (PDTQ) in English, Italian, and Slovene. This was done in three phases. First, we developed the initial pool of items by reviewing previous studies, generating items via interviews and surveys, and employing artificial intelligence. Second, we shortened and adapted the questionnaire according to experts’ evaluation of content validity and translated the questionnaire into Italian and Slovene. Lastly, we evaluated the psychometric characteristics via a cross-sectional study in three languages (N ¼ 733). The exploratory factor analyses suggested a two-factor solution, with the first factor measuring the perceived trustworthiness of the content and the second measuring the perceived trustworthiness of the presentation. This factorial structure was replicated in confirmatory factor analyses. Moreover, our analyses provided support for PDTQ’s reliability, measurement invariance across all three languages, and its construct and incremental validity. As such, the PDTQ is a reliable, measurement invariant, and valid tool for comprehensive exploration of individuals’ perception of deepfake videos.
Keywords: deepfakes, misinformation, perception, questionnaire validation, trust
Published in DKUM: 03.09.2024; Views: 30; Downloads: 8
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3. Energy security of the European Union and corruption in Central Asia as the main challenges for the European sustainable energy futureBojana Vasić, Ivan Pekić, Goran Šimić, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: Background
The main goal of the paper is to define, analyze and assess the basic security, development and institutional challenges faced by the Central Asian countries after 2022. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis, Europe faced problems in ensuring energy security, which were further complicated by its decision to stop importing natural gas from the Russian Federation. The Central Asian region is rich in energy resources, but at the same time, it is also a region of special geopolitical interest of often-conflicting parties, characterized by limited information and insufficient academic literature about development, various aspects of security, internal specificities and future challenges.
Methods
The research included qualitative and quantitative analyses carried out for Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Germany. Data processing was performed based on 16 selected indicators in the fields of economy, energy, governance and climate change, for the time period 2011 to 2021. Data processing was performed using correlation and regression analysis (ANOVA).
Results
The results showed that corruption represents one of the biggest problems faced by the countries of Central Asia, with the biggest variations in the calculated Standardized Confidence level, which shows that this indicator trend, in relation to the 16 indicators used, is the least predictable. This represents a significant problem for all countries that are supplied with energy products from this region, or plan to do so. Energy security is positive only in the case of Turkmenistan. Regression analysis shows that Kazakhstan reported the best positive trend for most indicators. Data for Germany show consistent values over the observed period.
Conclusions
The main conclusions of the paper indicate that the countries of Central Asia have certain specificities when it comes to sustainable development, where energy security, corruption and government efficiency can be considered the biggest problems. The European Union must find ways and mechanisms to overcome these and many other impediments if they decide to import energy products from the aforementioned region.
Keywords: energy security, corruption perception, governance efectiveness, Central Asia, Germany
Published in DKUM: 15.04.2024; Views: 257; Downloads: 9
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4. Integrating social dimensions into future sustainable energy supply networksMatevž Obrecht, Yigit Kazancoglu, Matjaž Denac, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: Environmental protection and sustainable development have become an inevitable trend in many areas, including the energy industry. The development of energy supply networks is strongly correlated with the economics of energy sources as well as ecological and socio-political issues. However, the energy supply network is often distant from the social perspective. This paper therefore combines examination of perceptions and awareness of general public (web-based questionnaire) and top energy experts (a Delphi survey) on the energy supply network and identifies their potential integration in energy supply decision making processes. The results showed that public should be better informed as well as integrated into designing energy supply network as the prosumers gain power and the energy suppliers will no longer dominate the market. Public actors are ready to shape sustainable energy supply and also willing to pay 5.8% more for a sustainable energy supply. The majority are prepared to invest in renewable energy supply network close to their place of residence. Another result is that the public is calling for a shift in priority towards more sustainable and socially friendlier energy supply rather than focusing mainly on the economic and technical perspectives.
Keywords: energy supply, supply networks, sustainable energy, public perception, social integration, supply chain management
Published in DKUM: 19.02.2024; Views: 306; Downloads: 15
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5. The Differences in perceptions of organisational values in the hospitality sector : what do they tell us?Mitja Gorenak, 2019, original scientific article Abstract: Organisational values have been in the focus of management for several years. Knowing that strong values can help organisations stay on the right course in the fast-changing working environment has proven to be a solid basis for their prosperity. However, organisations are nothing without their employees; this led as to the question of what the differences in the perception of organisational values between employees of different ages and genders are.We have conducted research in the hospitality sector; based on a paper-pencil survey among a representative sample of 388 employees,we have determined that there are six predominant organisational values within the sector. In the second part, we have identified that two out of six identified organisational values are statistically significantly more highly evaluated in terms of importance by women in comparison to men. There were no statistically significant differences found regarding the age of employees.
Keywords: values, organisational values, hospitality, demographics, perception
Published in DKUM: 30.01.2024; Views: 331; Downloads: 15
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6. Supplementary material for paper Perceived threat of COVID-19 and future travel avoidance : results from an early convenient sample in SloveniaMaja Turnšek, Boštjan Brumen, Marjetka Rangus, Mitja Gorenak, Janez Mekinc, Tanja Lešnik Štuhec, 2020, complete scientific database of research data Keywords: COVID-19, coronavirus, tourism, health threat perception, future travel avoidance, fear appeals
Published in DKUM: 23.11.2020; Views: 17513; Downloads: 527
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7. Perceived threat of COVID-19 and future travel avoidance : results from an early convenient sample in SloveniaMaja Turnšek, Boštjan Brumen, Marjetka Rangus, Mitja Gorenak, Janez Mekinc, Tanja Lešnik Štuhec, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: The present study provides a snapshot of Slovenian tourists' perceptions in a historically unique point of time - the early days of the covid-19-related lockdown. Based on an online survey performed in March and April 2020 the study provides first insights into Slovenian tourists% perceived threats of covid-19 on two dimensions: severity and susceptibility; how this depends on their demography and past travel experience and what, in this specific point in time, they think about future travel avoidance. The results have shown that age affects the two measured dimensions of perceived threat and future travel avoidance, but only with women. Furthermore, people who have travelled the most in the past express the least likelihood of avoidance to travel due to the covid -19 pandemic. Those who are more educated, on the other hand, perceive higher risk, yet education has no role in their expressed future travel avoidance. The results, moreover, show that the moral obligation towards taking care of others might be a highly important element in the success factor of covid-19 measures and thus future appeals by the tourism industry. Finally, the results show that we cannot easily predict how the general population will behave regarding their future travel avoidance since the opinions are not polarised in the extremes. This does indicate, however, that tourists will be susceptible to the context-specific factors of future travel decisions, such as assurances of health safety provided by the tourism industry.
Keywords: COVID-19, coronavirus, tourism, health threat perception, future travel avoidance, fear appeals
Published in DKUM: 12.11.2020; Views: 1221; Downloads: 353
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8. How do Croatian police officers perceive certain characteristics of police management?Ksenija Butorac, Ante Orlović, Mislav Stjepan Žebec, 2016, original scientific article Abstract: Purpose:
To explore the importance and existence of Croatian police managers’ relevant characteristics from the perspective of police officers, and in relation to several police officers’ demographic and professional characteristics.
Design/Methods/Approach:
A convenience sample of 132 Croatian police officers (104 males) who attended a study programme in criminal investigation (average age 31.5 years) was examined by means of a questionnaire that – within Katz’s skill theory of successful management – assesses the perceived importance and the perceived existence of technical/expert, social and strategic knowledge/skills, as well as the most representative characteristics of current police managers.
Findings:
A dominant perception of the highest level of importance for all three categories of managerial knowledge/skills was detected, while possession of the said skills was mainly assessed to be at the medium level. The largest difference was found between the perceived importance and the perceived possession of social skills. Social skills were also perceived to be significantly more important than the other ones, while police managers were perceived to most frequently possess expert skills. Out of 12 offered police manager characteristics, the most frequently selected were negative ones. Finally, there were no significant and systematic effects of demographic and professional factors on the perceived importance and perceived possession of any of the three knowledge/skills categories.
Research Limitations / Implications:
A larger and more representative sample would ensure the study’s greater external validity and statistical power. Additional management skill items are needed in the questionnaire to improve the construct validity (besides including other relevant factors and questions useful for interpreting the trends detected).
Practical Implications:
Within the research limitations, the findings suggest possible changes to the education system, staff assessment and police officers’ promotion.
Originality/Value:
This is the first police management research in Croatia and probably the first generally within the framework of Katz’s skill theory of successful management.
Keywords: police officers, perception, police management, categories of knowledge or skills
Published in DKUM: 16.05.2020; Views: 1174; Downloads: 43
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9. Technological valley of death as an emergent evolutionary phenomenonPetra Fic, 2019, master's thesis Abstract: Perceptual researchers often argue that natural selection supports veridical perceptions, respectively those that accurately reflect the environment. They also claim that beings whose perceptions are truer are also more fit. This assumption was tested using standard tools of evolutionary game theory in a simple environment. The result was that more veridical perceptions are not necessarily more successful. In the majority of the parameter space, veridical perceptions are extinct in competition with simplified perceptions, based on adaptive behavior in a given environment. In the thesis, we build upon mentioned territorial games introduced by Mark, Marion, and Hoffman in 2010, and extend four of their territory perception and selection strategies with two novel ones that together constitute a model of technological readiness valley of death. Whenever utility of a resource is not monotonous in the amount of that resource, the technological valley of death emerges. While the development of the science behind these models is in its infancy, modeling and understanding the phenomenon may shed light on progress and related phenomena in society.
Keywords: evolution, perception, utility, Monte Carlo simulation, game theory
Published in DKUM: 22.11.2019; Views: 1781; Downloads: 182
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10. Dramatic Present for Deception of PerceptionAnja Simreich, 2017, master's thesis Abstract: The main subject of my master’s thesis is to discuss the topic of English tenses and their relation to time. In order to develop a clearer understanding of the topic, four tenses (the Present simple, Present Continuous, Past simple and Past continuous) that were later used for the analysis in the empirical part, and the time and tense differences were presented theoretically. All four tenses were thoroughly described and supported with examples. For the empirical part and further analysis, the following books were used: The Front by Patricia Cornwell, In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant, and The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason. With the help of these novels, the use of tenses and their compatibility with time were analysed. Special focus was put on dramatic present. We wanted to see if the time and tense in the stories were compatible and what happened with the reader’s perception if other tenses, especially the Past simple, were used.
The results have shown that all three novels are mainly written in the Present Simple regardless of the time when the story happened. Such story where dramatic present is a predominant tense is given more sense of drama and acts more vividly. For this reason, the reader is not aware of the real time of the happening. Their perception is deceptive because time and tense are not consistent.
Keywords: time, present simple, progressive tenses, past simple, dramatic present, perception of reception, sense of drama, immediacy
Published in DKUM: 06.03.2018; Views: 1517; Downloads: 117
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