This study investigates patients' access to surgical care for burns in a low- and middle-income setting by studying timeliness, surgical capacity, and affordability. A survey was conducted in a regional referral hospital in Manyara, Tanzania. In total, 67 patients were included. To obtain information on burn victims in need of surgical care, irrespective of time lapsed from the burn injury, both patients with burn wounds and patients with contractures were included. Information provided by patients and/or caregivers was supplemented with data from patient files and interviews with hospital administration and physicians. In the burn wound group, 50% reached a facility within 24 hours after the injury. Referrals from other health facilities to the regional referral hospital were made within 3 weeks for 74% in this group. Of contracture patients, 74% had sought healthcare after the acute burn injury. Of the same group, only 4% had been treated with skin grafts beforehand, and 70% never received surgical care or a referral. Together, both groups indicated that lack of trust, surgical capacity, and referral timeliness were important factors negatively affecting patient access to surgical care. Accounting for hospital fees indicated patients routinely exceeded the catastrophic expenditure threshold. It was determined that healthcare for burn victims is without financial risk protection. We recommend strengthening burn care and reconstructive surgical programs in similar settings, using a more comprehensive health systems approach to identify and address both medical and socioeconomic factors that determine patient mortality and disability.
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Recommenders play a significant role in our daily lives, making decisions for users on a regular basis. Their widespread adoption necessitates a thorough examination of how users interact with recommenders and the algorithms that drive them. An important form of interaction in these systems are algorithmic affordances: means that provide users with perceptible control over the algorithm by, for instance, providing context (‘find a movie for this profile’), weighing criteria (‘most important is the main actor’), or evaluating results (‘loved this movie’). The assumption is that these algorithmic affordances impact interaction qualities such as transparency, trust, autonomy, and serendipity, and as a result, they impact the user experience. Currently, the precise nature of the relation between algorithmic affordances, their specific implementations in the interface, interaction qualities, and user experience remains unclear. Subjects that will be discussed during the workshop, therefore, include but are not limited to the impact of algorithmic affordances and their implementations on interaction qualities, balances between cognitive overload and transparency in recommender interfaces containing algorithmic affordances; and reasons why research into these types of interfaces sometimes fails to cross the research-practice gap and are not landing in the design practice. As a potential solution the workshop committee proposes a library of examples of algorithmic affordances design patterns and their implementations in recommender interfaces enriched with academic research concerning their impact. The final part of the workshop will be dedicated to formulating guiding principles for such a library.
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Social acceptance is an important aspect in the realization and implementation of various renewableenergy technologies. Our main objective with this literature review is to provide insight into publicsupport, social acceptance and societal readiness for new energy technologies in general, andhydrogen, both as an energy carrier and as an application in the built environment, in particular. 110relevant articles were identified, of which 28 have been included in this literature review, based onrelevance and year of publication (2012-2022). Generally, the findings show there is low awarenessconcerning hydrogen, as well as limited knowledge and familiarity with this new energy technology,especially concerning hydrogen storage. Despite this, there is overall moderate to high willingness toaccept hydrogen, which decreases when it comes to the local implementation of hydrogen projects.Safety and affordability were two important characteristic of a hydrogen industry that would motivatepeople to support this industry, together with climate change mitigation. Safety concerns over theflammability of hydrogen are mostly expressed when used for household activities and storage, andless so when it concerns the use of hydrogen for transportation. Communication about safety and risks,transparent interaction between all parties and the community, as well as giving the community avoice in the decision-making process, will be essential for hydrogen acceptance. Together with theresults from five case studies (deliverable 10.3 of the HyDelta 2.0 project), recommendations regardingthe elements that should and should not be included in a development and implementation strategywill be given.
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Mode heeft een cruciale functie in de samenleving: zij maakt diversiteit en inclusiviteit mogelijk en is een middel voor individuen om zich uit te drukken. Desalniettemin is mode ook een raadsel op het gebied van duurzaamheid, zowel aan de sociale als aan de milieukant. Er bestaan echter alternatieven voor de huidige praktijken in de mode. Dit project heeft tot doel de ontwikkeling van een van die initiatieven te ondersteunen. In samenwerking met twee Nederlandse MKB bedrijven in de mode-industrie, willen we een of meer business modellen co-designen voor het vermarkten van circulair ontworpen laser geprinte T-shirts. Door lasertechnologie te introduceren in plaats van traditionele inktopties, kunnen de T- shirts hun CO2 voetafdruk verder verkleinen en een verstandig alternatief zijn voor individuen, die op zoek zijn naar duurzame modekeuzes. Maar hoewel de technologische haalbaarheid vaststaat, vereist het vermarkten sterke, schaalbare, bedrijfsmodellen. Via een haalbaarheidsstudie willen we dergelijke businessmodellen ontwikkelen en de commercialisering van deze producten ondersteunen. Wij zijn van plan de reacties van de consument op een dergelijke innovatie te bestuderen, evenals de belemmeringen en stimulansen vanuit het oogpunt van de consument, en de inkoop-, toeleveringsketen- en financiële kwesties die kunnen voortvloeien uit de schaalbaarheid van een potentieel bedrijfsmodel. Om praktische relevantie voor de bredere industrie te verzekeren, streven we ernaar om de resultaten te presenteren op evenementen georganiseerd door een van de consortiumpartners (in 2023), als ook om een teaching case en een wetenschappelijk artikel te ontwikkelen op basis van de resultaten van het project.
The DPP4CD project, “Digital Product Passport(s) for Circular Denim: From Pilot to Practice,” focuses on delivering pilot and scalable Digital Product Passports (DPPs) in the circular denim industry. This aligns with the upcoming European Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), making DPPs mandatory for textiles from 2027. A DPP for circular denim should clearly detail material composition, production methods, repair records, and recycling options to meet EU rules like ESPR, Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). It combines dynamic lifecycle data into a standard, interoperable system that boosts traceability, cuts SME admin burdens, and supports sustainable, circular practices. Led by Saxion and HvA, the multidisciplinary project is based on a real-world Dutch use case with MUD Jeans, a leader in circular denim. The project combines circular economy principles with existing digital technologies, working with partners such as tex.tracer, Tejidos Royo, bAwear, Denim Deal, MODINT, EuFSI and, GS1 Netherlands. Instead of developing new tools, the project applies scalable technologies (augmented DPP extension) and methods e.g. blockchain, life cycle assessments, and traceability standards to denim supply chains. The project defines legal, environmental, technical, and user requirements for DPPs in circular denim and designs a modular, data-driven, and ESPR-compliant system that integrates offline and online components while ensuring interoperability, affordability, reliability, accountability, and scalability. It develops a data framework for material tracking, supported by interoperable digital solutions to improve data-sharing and transparency. A pilot DPP with MUD Jeans will cover the full lifecycle from production to recycling, enabling scalable DPP. The project aims to address societal challenges related to circularity, ensure scalable and implementable solutions, and create a digital platform where knowledge can be developed, shared, and utilised. By combining circular practices with digital technologies, DPP4CD will help textile businesses transition towards sustainable, transparent, and future-proof supply chains.
The Hospitality, Tourism, Innovation & Technology Experts Network (HTIT-EN) is a pivotal initiative aimed at unlocking societal impact potential. The Dutch hospitality and tourism sector, which employs over half a million individuals and annually hosts more than 40 million guests, ranks as the Netherlands’ 8th largest economic sector. However, this sector faces numerous challenges, including the uncertain impact of emerging technologies and issues such as unethical behavior, workforce attrition, and staff shortages, which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The advent of emerging technologies like service robots, immersive experiences, and artificial intelligence has brought the sector to a critical juncture. These innovations pose significant disruptions, challenging the traditional concept of hospitality and questioning the positive societal impact in terms of ethical considerations, inclusivity, affordability, and data privacy.Strategically positioned to address these challenges, HTIT-EN focuses on leveraging emerging technologies to create impactful scenarios and shape the future of hospitality and tourism. Our motivation stems from the sector’s societal importance and its continuous influence on our daily lives. By harnessing technology and innovation, we aim to tackle industry-specific issues and extend the positive societal impact to related human-centered service industries.The overarching mission of HTIT-EN is to empower the Dutch Hospitality and Tourism sector to serve as a driving force for technology-enabled societal impact. The primary objective is to align research activities and promote collaboration. Key objectives include bringing together leading professors specializing in technology-driven impact within the hospitality and tourism sector, initiating research projects in line with a shared research agenda and in collaboration with local and international industry partners, and collaboratively developing expertise in emerging technologies that empower the role of hospitality and tourism as catalysts for societal impact. This endeavor contributes to the development and acceleration of the Knowledge and Innovation Agenda (KIA) ‘Key technologies’ & ‘Digitalization’. The aim is to foster an excellent reputation for Dutch hospitality and tourism as a global leader in technology-driven societal impact.We have strong support from CELTH, the Centre of Expertise within the domain of leisure, tourism and hospitality for the overall ambitions of the research project.Societal issueThe HTIT-EN project bridges societal importance and cross-cutting issues in the tourism and hospitality sectors. It’s fueled by the ambition to leverage emerging technologies to tackle industry-specific challenges, including knowledge and skills gaps, labor shortages and replacements, and evolving consumer expectations.Benefit to societyThe platform brings together professors and researchers from MBO, HBO and WO knowledge institutes as well as diverse set of professional partners to stimulate collaboration, align research lines and establish joint a joint research agenda on how technology-driven impact may become a catalyst within hospitality and tourism.
