Analytical Framework Research Articles

Adaptation, Feasibility, and Acceptability of a Health Insurance Literacy Intervention for Caregivers of Pediatric Cancer Patients (CHAT-C)

We adapted CHAT, a four-session virtual program to help individuals affected by cancer manage insurance and medical costs for caregivers of pediatric cancer patients (called CHAT-C); we then pilot-tested CHAT-C. Eligible caregivers were ages 18+ and the primary caregiver to a pediatric cancer patient (≤25 years old) diagnosed in the past five years and treated at Primary Children’s Hospital. We conducted engagement studios to adapt the program. Feedback was evaluated using a rapid qualitative analysis framework and included content preferences, navigator preferences, logistics/structure, timing of delivery, and feasibility/acceptability. A small pilot test of CHAT-C was conducted; feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy were evaluated based on enrollment rates, qualitative feedback, and baseline/follow-up surveys. Participants in the pilot (n = 14) were primarily white (93%), married (93%), female (86%), ages 40–49 (50%), and college-educated (57%). Most participants (64%) completed all four sessions of CHAT-C. Those who did not complete the sessions cited a lack of time, a child’s disease progression, and a perceived lack of benefit. Health insurance literacy (measured by nine items) improved by 10.8 points on average (SD = 6.0, range: 9–36) after CHAT-C. Caregivers of childhood cancer patients are willing to participate in a health insurance program, but some caregivers need less time-intensive options.

Triple bottom line analysis of the decline in foreign tourist demand in Japan due to the COVID‐19 pandemic: Counterfactual structural decomposition approach

AbstractThis study developed a consumption‐endogenous input–output analysis framework and a novel counterfactual structural decomposition analysis (SDA) framework to assess the economic, social, and environmental effects of the 2020 decline in foreign tourists due to the COVID‐19 pandemic. The results show a pandemic‐induced loss of 33 million tourists, resulting in 3.44 trillion JPY in value‐added losses, employment declines for 868,976 people, and environmental benefits of an 11.6 Mt‐CO2 emissions reduction. Sectors hit the hardest include hotels, eating and drinking services, and wholesale and retail trade. The deterioration revealed a 100% reduction in value added from foreign visitors, whereas shifts in production contributed to a 3.6% increase in CO2 emissions. This study recommends government intervention, focusing on stipends for sectors with the highest value‐added losses and employment declines, as well as support funds for sectors that reduce environmental impact.

Identifying the Reference Framework in the State Aid Cases – From Past to Future, with a Turning Point in 2024

This note considers the evolution of the identification of a reference framework for the selectivity analysis in the “State aid cases”, prompted by the 2024 (unexpected) holding of the ECJ in the Apple decision.

Can Conflict Be Planned Away? A Critical Assessment of Participatory Land Use Planning in Swedish Forest Governance

A widespread governance response to land use conflict is to seek improved communication through the employment of dialogue-based instruments. In this paper, we interrogate the guiding presupposition that conflict can be planned away through a case study on the Reindeer Husbandry Plan (Renbruksplan), a tool used to address land use conflicts between industrial forestry and Indigenous Sámi reindeer herding. Drawing on critical policy analysis and environmental justice frameworks, we analyze the problematizations, silences, and effects emerging from the tool’s use in forestry planning and land use decisions. Our findings reveal that, operating in its current institutional and legal context, the tool offers limited improvements in procedural justice, exacerbates unequal distribution of burdens and benefits in terms of who gets to use forest resources, privileging a forestry-centered representation of the land use conflict. We therefore conclude that, in absence of institutional reform, the tool is likely to perpetuate conflicts and continue to reproduce the injustices embedded in Swedish forest and land use governance.

Human Rights in Occupied Tibet: A Succinct Study of Consistent Atrocities and Genocide

The discussion surrounding Tibet and China has been a prominent topic of global conversation for a considerable period of time. Tibetans have advocated for self-determination and engaged in nonviolent efforts to establish an independent state. Tibetans in exile have undertaken many initiatives to garner international assistance and backing, including the establishment of student organisations worldwide to advocate the restoration of their autonomous statehood, organising peaceful demonstrations against the Chinese government’s acts of violence, and engaging in writing endeavours to reinforce their objections. China flagrantly violates the Human Rights of Tibetans, posing a grave threat to the preservation of Tibetan culture. Nevertheless, the international community appears to be taking no action. Accusations of human rights breaches and deliberate cultural destruction are grave charges levelled against China. This could be termed cultural annihilation or cultural genocide in general terms, involving deliberate acts that go beyond the physical and biological dimensions of a population in the pursuit of destroying its broader institutions. The research will extensively examine cultural genocide, a heinous crime that warrants significant attention. However, this research encompasses more than just this aspect and also addresses other international legal norms. This research paper will examine critical human rights issues, including the deaths of political prisoners resulting from torture and lack of proper medical care, the People’s Republic of China’s failure to provide sufficient education, high child mortality rates, forced sterilizations, and maternal health concerns, especially in Tibetan areas. The paper will also explore religious persecution and the struggle for self-determination among Tibetans. This paper attempts to grossly analyse the violation by China on Human Rights of Tibetan people. This study will use a multi-dimensional methodological approach involving doctrinal and analytical strategies as well as qualitative fieldwork. Secondary materials engaged include books, research papers, and international reports. Historical analysis contextualized Tibet’s socio-political status before and after its annexation, while thematic categorization of issues such as religious freedom, resource exploitation, and cultural genocide provided a structured framework for analysis.

Standardized Extraction of Air Traffic Control Hazard Features Based on Expert Knowledge

Air traffic control (ATC) hazard feature extraction is a key information retrieval task for air traffic hazard records. While text-based feature extraction ranks term importance based solely on statistical results, we aim to use external knowledge to extract features that meet the definition of hazards. This paper proposes a feature extraction method based on expert knowledge to define hazard features and construct a hazard analysis framework. We illustrate the model training process using communication navigation and surveillance (CNS) data, which includes candidate feature generation, feature vectorization, and cluster-based standardization. The correct structure of terms in hazard records, the vector distribution of candidate features, and the clustering effect of different methods are briefly explored. The algorithm refines and accumulates expert knowledge through iteration. The experiment results demonstrate that the dataset obtained after specific linguistic processing based on expert knowledge could extract more informative candidate features to construct analysis context by k-means. The proposed model outperformed four comparative algorithms in accuracy, reaching 82% and 86% in the air traffic control operation (ATCO) dataset and the CNS dataset, respectively. Additionally, the information-rich hazard features support safety management departments’ decision-making, reducing the cost of investigating hidden hazards.

Real-world assessment to estimate multiple attributes related to treatment cost driver for mantle cell lymphoma in Japan by econometric modeling

This study was conducted using a nationwide health care database of Japan between 1 April 2008 and 30 September 2022 to evaluate the economic burden on patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Structural equation modeling (SEM) is an advanced multivariate analysis framework used to assess the relationships between observed and latent variables within predefined causal models. In this study, SEM was employed to identify cost drivers and estimate variables related to MCL treatment cost. A total of 2,838 patients having at least one confirmed diagnosis of MCL participated in this study. As for the index regimen, a combination of bendamustine rituximab was the most frequently used (n = 328), followed by rituximab combined with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone-like regimen (n = 112), and others. The median of total health care cost (unadjusted and adjusted) were 32,228 USD and 31,918 USD, respectively. The mean (SD) of the frequency of bleeding treatment was 23 (35) per year, and that of outpatient visits was 19 (12) per year. SEM analysis revealed Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor-based treatment as a cost driver (β: 0.398 [0.340; 0.457], p < 0.001). Key health care resource utilization (HCRU) factors associated with an increased cost were the total length of hospitalization (β: 0.598 [0.551; 0.646], p < 0.001) and number of outpatient visits (β: 0.132 [0.083; 0.180], p < 0.001). This real-world study delivers insights for optimizing MCL care in Japan.

Optimizing the role of pharmacists at the primary healthcare centres in Indonesia through an integrated information system

IntroductionThe role of pharmacists at primary healthcare centers (PHCs) in Indonesia still needs long-term improvement. Enhancing interprofessional collaboration through data-driven collaboration is essential to strengthening cooperation. This study aimed to identify the need for an integrated information system to enhance the role of pharmacists at PHCs in Indonesia.MethodsA desk review was applied as the initial step to analyze the role of pharmacists at the PHCs in Indonesia. Furthermore, a qualitative study was conducted using Walt and Gilson’s health policy analysis framework. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in four sections (context, content, process, and actors) with consideration of selected key respondents. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and then analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analyses, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the situation.ResultsWe identified two significant challenges in optimizing the use of integrated systems at the PHCs to increase the role of pharmacists. Considering context-content-process-actors, implementing integrated pharmaceutical care standards relies significantly on human resources and infrastructures. Key challenges related to human resources are a limited number of human resources, a high workload, and insufficient use of working tools. We found several challenges regarding infrastructure, such as network connectivity issues, non-integrated systems or applications, and suboptimal benefits from the current systems.ConclusionVarious systems or applications in PHC involve reporting to the Ministry of Health, but detailed integration of these systems needs to be achieved immediately. According to informants, the criteria for desired applications are crucial to optimizing the integrated system, using it, and streamlining tasks for pharmacists at PHCs. Common expectations include an integrated system for monitoring drug usage and orders. Apart from usefulness, network connectivity must be assured for accessibility by all parties.

Timing of Preventive Highway Maintenance: A Study from the Whole Life Cycle Perspective

As the mileage of China’s highways increases, the focus of highway development has shifted from construction to maintenance and management. With the rapid increase in highway traffic, the overuse of highways, combined with the effects of climate change, has accelerated the occurrence of highway problems and poses new challenges to maintenance strategies. From a system optimization perspective, this paper examines the problem of determining the optimal timing of preventive maintenance on highways. To overcome the shortcomings of this method, which cannot reflect the economic benefits and costs, the total benefits and costs were calculated for different pavement ages within a given analysis period, based on the framework of life cycle analysis. The maintenance timing program with the highest cost-benefit ratio was taken as the optimum maintenance timing program and an example analysis was adopted to validate the feasibility of this method. When the timing of preventive maintenance is later in a pavement’s life cycle, the total life cycle benefit decreases while the total life cycle cost increases. Compared to previous studies, this paper considers both direct and indirect influences simultaneously, showing that indirect influence contributes to shortening the timing of pavement preventive maintenance.

Measuring and Analysing the Impact Factors of China's Tourism Economic Resilience in the Context of a Major Shock

ABSTRACTMeasuring and exploring the tourism economic resilience and the impact of tourism shocks allows the depiction of patterns that may assist in the prediction of economic trends. The study utilises official statistics from data such as the China Statistical Yearbook from 31 Chinese provinces between 2020 and 2022. Results suggest that tourism economic resilience is generally low, and demonstrates a polarised phenomenon, with a pyramid structure showing a gradual increase in the number of provinces with high to low tourism economic resilience. From a geographical perspective, tourism economic resilience tends to exhibit a decreasing trend from east to west, with the ‘low resilience effect in the central region’ moving towards the western regions. Insufficient investment in tourism spending power and marketing were obstacles for tourism economic resilience within the obstacle model. A fuzzy‐set qualitative comparative analysis method derived four types of paths affecting tourism economic resilience: ‘infrastructure‐guaranteed’, ‘talent‐employment‐encouraging’, ‘innovation‐driven development’ and ‘market‐opening and interactive’. This study expands the application of niche theory in the field of socio‐economic resilience and constructs a new theoretical framework of resilience stratification, barrier model and path analysis. The research results provide important references for the government to optimise tourism economic policies, enterprises to improve market adaptability and regional coordinated development.

Exposing the hidden costs of ‘free’: Personal data commodification in the digital economy via X.0 Theory, Fuzzy Delphi, thematic analysis, and problem-solving frameworks

In this article, various techniques such as Fuzzy Delphi, thematic analysis method, and Creative Problem Solving (TRIZ Algorithm) are investigated to model the antecedents and consequences of personal data commodification in the digital economy in the post-truth world, through the X.0 wave/era theory. The article’s findings highlight and reveal the hidden costs of ‘free’ products and services that are offered in exchange for personal data. To address these issues, there is a growing need for increased regulation and transparency in the digital economy, as well as greater awareness among consumers about the value of their personal data and their rights to privacy. The article draws upon the metaphor of ‘free cheese and mousetrap’, which emphasizes how individuals can be lured into providing their personal data, only to be exploited or used for someone else’s benefit. Additionally, this article addresses three topics that have become increasingly relevant in recent years. Firstly, it is crucial to, beware of products that appear to be free—they’re not intended for your benefit, but rather to exploit you as a commodity. Secondly, the article examines the ‘velvet revolution’ that has taken place, which has facilitated the commodification of personal data in the digital economy. Thirdly, the article explores the intersection of hybrid, cognitive, and disinformation warfare with information disorder, which is used to control social and cultural capital.

Masculinities in Doraemon: A Critical Discourse Analysis

This study conducts a Critical Discourse Analysis of the masculinities of male characters in Doraemon, a famous Japanese manga series. It explores the masculinities in Doraemon from three perspectives by utilising the following Critical Discourse Analysis framework: text, process and society. Five male characters in Doraemon were selected as the main research objects. Firstly, the text analysis of the male characters in terms of their appearances, characteristics, behaviours and values reveals major masculine traits such as the maintenance of patriarchy, the pursuit and yearning for fame and fortune, competition and aggression. Analysing these masculinities can help remind audiences and consumers to be cautious about works that seemingly do not convey gender stereotypes to viewers. The process analysis identifies corresponding masculinities of the creator of Doraemon through his life experiences. Innovative spirit led him to create characters and manga that could both reflect and confront social reality and promote new gender concepts and ideas that were different from the mainstream at the time. The social analysis of Doraemon attributes the masculinities in the manga to Japanese culture, which has been deeply influenced by the culture of the salaryman, Confucianism, androcentrism and Bushido. For audiences in Japan, anime is a way of spreading and consolidating traditional Japanese cultural ideas, at the same time provoking reflection on whether these inherent gender roles are reasonable and should be perpetuated in the contemporary era. For audiences outside of Japan, this manga and cartoon is equivalent to a typical case of the export and recreation of Japanese culture to the world. This study conveys gender equality values, especially in children’s TV programmes.

DLCDroid an android apps analysis framework to analyse the dynamically loaded code

To combat dynamically loaded code in anti-emulated environments, DLCDroid is an Android app analysis framework. DL-CDroid uses the reflection API to effectively identify information leaks due to dynamically loaded code within malicious apps, incorporating static and dynamic analysis techniques. The Dynamically Loaded Code (DLC) technique employs Java features to allow Android apps to dynamically expand their functionality at runtime. Unfortunately, malicious app developers often exploit DLC techniques to transform seemingly benign apps into malware once installed on real devices. Even the most sophisticated static analysis tools struggle to detect data breaches caused by DLC. Our analysis demonstrates that conventional tools areill-equipped to handle DLC. DLCDroid leverages dynamic code interposition techniques for API hooking to expose concealed malicious behavior without requiring modifications to the Android framework. DLCDroid can unveil suspicious behavior that remains hidden when relying solely on static analysis. We evaluate DLCDroid’s performance using a dataset comprising real-world benign and malware apps from reputed repositories like VirusShare and the Google Play Store. Compared to state-of-the-art approaches, the results indicate a significant improvement in detecting sensitive information leaks, more than 95.6% caused by reflection API. Furthermore, we enhance DLCDroid’s functionality by integrating it with an event-based trigger solution, making the framework more scalable and fully automated in its analysis process.

RSTMAQI: framework for prescriptive analysis and precision factor in forecasting on air quality index

RSTMAQI: framework for prescriptive analysis and precision factor in forecasting on air quality index

Crafting emotional narratives: autoethnography as a tool for reflexive inquiry in healthcare codesign practice during COVID-19

ABSTRACT Autoethnography can be used in design to deepen the reflexive analysis of the participants but also of the researchers, especially in sensible fieldwork. This article analyzes the emotional journey of two researchers in a healthcare co-design context, specifically Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Our research aimed to understand patient experiences with home dialysis and other techniques, while the COVID-19 pandemic (2021 to 2023) required innovative adjustments due to restricted fieldwork. Our mixed-methods approach integrated co-design, research/creation, social innovation by design, and sensory ethnography. We examine how emotional dimensions in autoethnographic research shaped our methodological choices, using a narrative emotional journey as a tool. The practice of narrative tools during and after the fieldwork is analysed as a contribution to autoethnography in design research. Our analysis highlights the relevance of structuring autoethnography around the researcher’s narrative emotional journey, communication practices, and co-design media materiality, to reveal how project conditions influenced methodology. This approach underscored the performative nature of design material culture in fostering relationships with participants. Our findings offer both an autoethnographic tool and a tripartite framework for reflexive analysis, offering insights for research in constrained and sensitive contexts.

Conflict of rights in high-rise underground space development: Comprehensive analysis of legal regulation and biomechanical impact

Aiming at the conflict of rights in the development of underground space of high-rise buildings, this paper puts forward a comprehensive analysis framework combining the influence of legal norms and biomechanics. Starting from biomechanics, this paper specifically discusses the rights disputes in three aspects of underground space land transfer fee, the ownership of underground civil air defense project and the ownership of community underground garage, and introduces a biomechanical evaluation model supported by GIS platform to ensure the safety and stability of the project. When considering the underground space land transfer fee, the stability and load-bearing capacity of the soil, which can be analyzed through biomechanical principles, directly affect the feasibility and cost of construction. Just as the skeletal structure of an organism provides the foundation for its movement and survival, the underground geological structure dictates the safety and economic viability of building projects. In the discussion of the ownership of underground civil air defense projects, biomechanical models can be employed to evaluate the potential impact of disasters. By simulating how the structure withstands external forces like earthquakes or explosions, similar to how a creature's body adapts to survive in harsh environments, we can better determine the responsibilities and rights of different parties. Regarding the community underground garage, the layout and design need to conform to human biomechanics. Adequate space for vehicle entry, exit, and pedestrian movement, considering factors such as comfortable walking angles and clear sightlines, ensures convenience and safety, much like how organisms' habitats are optimized for their daily activities. The study found that the municipal government has issued policies to clarify the specific content and scope of underground space use rights, established a unified approval process to strengthen supervision, and promoted the application of biomechanical evaluation models, thereby improving project quality and reducing potential risks. The experimental results show that this comprehensive management strategy effectively alleviates the conflict of rights, promotes the smooth progress of the project, and provides institutional guarantee and technical support for the sustainable development of the city. This paper not only solves the current right conflict problem, but also provides valuable experience for the rational use of urban underground space resources and the maximization of social benefits in the future.

The effect of coagulation traits on the risk of retinal vein occlusion: a mendelian randomization study

Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is the leading cause of vision loss due to an obstruction in the retinal venous system. While RVO is often linked to thrombotic tendencies and coagulation abnormalities, the exact role of coagulation traits in its development is not fully understood. This study aims to investigate the potential causal relationship between coagulation traits and the risk of RVO by analyzing publicly available genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics. A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis framework was employed to investigate the causal relationship between coagulation traits and the risk of RVO. Stringent quality control measures were applied to select appropriate instrumental variables strongly linked to exposure, such as coagulation factor III (FIII), coagulation factor V (FV), coagulation factor VIII (FVIII), coagulation factor XI (FXI), coagulation factor VII (FVII) and coagulation factor X (FX), as well as plasmin, platelet count, platelet crit (PCT), mean platelet volume (MPV), and platelet distribution width (PDW). The study utilized the FinnGen project RVO GWAS summary statistics cohort, consisting of 372 RVO cases and 182,573 controls. The analysis focused on 11 coagulation traits. The research suggests that genetically predicted plasma levels of FIII, FVII, MPV, and PCT may be potentially causative for reducing the risk of RVO, and that levels of FVIII may be potentially causative for increasing the risk of RVO. Our MR analysis, utilizing GWAS data from a comprehensive population-based study, revealed a causal association between plasma levels of FIII, FVII, FVIII, MPV, and PCT with the risk of RVO.

An Omitted Variable Bias Framework for Sensitivity Analysis of Instrumental Variables

Abstract We develop an omitted variable bias framework for sensitivity analysis of instrumental variable estimates that naturally handles multiple side-effects (violations of the exclusion restriction assumption) and confounders (violations of the ignorability of the instrument assumption) of the instrument, exploits expert knowledge to bound sensitivity parameters, and can be easily implemented with standard software. Specifically, we introduce sensitivity statistics for routine reporting, such as (extreme) robustness values for instrumental variables, describing the minimum strength that omitted variables need to have to change the conclusions of a study. Next we provide visual displays that fully characterize the sensitivity of point estimates and confidence intervals to violations of the standard instrumental variable assumptions. Finally, we offer formal bounds on the worst possible bias under the assumption that the maximum explanatory power of omitted variables is no stronger than a multiple of the explanatory power of observed variables. Conveniently, many pivotal conclusions regarding the sensitivity of the instrumental variable estimate (e.g. tests against the null hypothesis of zero causal effect) can be reached simply through separate sensitivity analyses of the effect of the instrument on the treatment (the first stage) and the effect of the instrument on the outcome (the reduced form). We apply our methods in a running example that uses proximity to college as an instrumental variable to estimate the returns to schooling.

Advantages of the connective strategic narrative during the Russian–Ukrainian war

In this article, we expand the methodological approach to strategic narrative analysis based on the case of the contemporary Russian–Ukrainian war. Namely, we introduce the concept of a “connective strategic narrative.” Such a narrative is not intentionally constructed by elites but created by the “affective public” on social media—emotionally tied social media users, according to Papacharissi’s definition. We argue that the patriotic Ukrainian narrative about the war evolved in social media can be considered a connective strategic narrative that is more comprehensive than the “normal” strategic narrative shaped by authorities, while the pro-Russian social media war narrative is merely a reflection of the official strategic narrative. Based on social media data, we conducted a structural narrative analysis of both strategic narratives used in the ongoing war in Ukraine and deployed in the Ukrainian information space: the offensive pro-Russian narrative and the defensive Ukrainian narrative. The pattern for such analysis is based on Korostelina’s framework for national narrative analysis. Our analysis emphasizes the key differences between these narratives and shows that the Russian one has crucial disadvantages that prevent it from successfully engaging the Ukrainian people. Instead, as it was developed with the significant participation of ordinary citizens, the Ukrainian strategic narrative had the total advantage in the struggle for the attention of Ukrainians at the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

Heterogeneous influences of urban compactness on air pollution: evidence from 285 prefecture-level cities in China

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution can harm the climate, the environment, and human health. With sustainability initiatives receiving increasing attention, whether compact urban development can yield green environmental benefits has become an essential research proposition among urban planners. The compact city theory advocates energy efficiency enhancement through the mutual superposition of urban functions. First, a theoretical analysis framework for the effect of urban compactness on environmental quality was constructed. Second, on the basis of panel data from 285 prefecture-level cities in China from 2010 to 2021, exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) was applied to reveal the spatiotemporal nonstationary distribution of urban PM2.5 pollution. Finally, the heterogeneous influence mechanisms of compact urban factors on PM2.5 pollution were empirically studied through the geographical and temporal weighted regression (GTWR) model. The main findings are as follows: (1) From 2010 to 2021, the proportion of cities in China with good air quality significantly increased. The cities with high–high pollution clustering are currently located mainly in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei, Shandong, and Henan. (2) Economic and transportation compactness factors mitigated PM2.5 pollution in most cities, whereas the long-term combined effects of the population and land compactness factors may have exacerbated urban PM2.5 pollution. (3) There was significant spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the effects of urban compactness factors on air pollution. Cities where land-use compactness exerts a pollution mitigation effect were located east of the Hu line. Cities in Northeastern China had the strongest pollution mitigation effect from transportation compactness, followed by the cities in Southwestern China.