Definition Of Concept Research Articles

Weak Ergodicity in G-NHMS

In the present we provide the definition of the new concept of the General Non-Homogeneous Markov System (G-NHMS) and establish the expected population structure of a NHMS in the various states. These results will be the basis to build on the new concepts and the basic theorems of what follows.We then establish the set of all possible expected relative distributions of the initial number of memberships at time t and all possible expected relative distributions of the expansion memberships at time t. We call this set the general expected relative population structure in the states of a G-NHMS. We then proceed by providing the new definitions of weak ergodicity in a G-NHMS and weak ergodicity with a geometrical rate of convergence. We then prove the Theorem 4 which is a new building block in the theory of G-NHMS. We also prove a similar theorem under the assumption that relative expansion of the population vanishes at infinity.We then provide a generalization of the coupling theorem for populations. We proceed then to study the asymptotic behavior of a G-NHMS when the input policy consists of independent non-homogeneous Poisson variates for each time interval t-1,t\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\left( t-1,t\\right] $$\\end{document}. It is founded in Theorem 7 that it displays a kind of weak ergodicity behavior, that is, it converges at each step to the row of a stable matrix. This row is independent of the initial distribution and of the asymptotic input policy unlike the results in previous works. Hence it generalizes the result in that works. Finally we illustrate our results numerically for a manpower system with three states.

Entanglement-preserving measurement of the Bell parameter on a single entangled pair

Abstract Bell inequalities represent one of the cornerstones of quantum foundations, and a fundamental tool for quantum technologies. Although a lot of effort was put in exploring and generalizing them, because of the wave function collapse it was deemed impossible to estimate the entire Bell parameter from one entangled pair, since this would involve measuring incompatible observables on the same quantum state. Conversely, here it is reported the first implementation of a new generation of Bell inequality tests, able to extract a Bell parameter value from each entangled pair and, at the same time, preserve the pair entanglement instead of destroying it. This is obtained by exploiting sequences of weak measurements, allowing incompatible observable measurements on a quantum state without collapsing its wave function. On the fundamental side, by removing the need to choose between different measurement bases our approach stretches the concept of counterfactual definiteness, since it allows measuring the entangled pair in all the bases needed for the Bell inequality test, intrinsically eliminating the issues connected with the otherwise not-chosen bases. On the practical side, after our Bell parameter measurement the entanglement within the pair remains (basically) unaltered, hence exploitable for other quantum-technology-related or foundational purposes.

Challenges to the exercise of collective labour rights outside the employment relationship

The importance of the issues covered in this article is due to the impact of information technologies on the labour sphere, transformation of the features of “classical” labour relations and the need to rethink the categories of “employee” and “employer” in order to ensure the exercise of collective labour rights, such as the right to association, collective bargaining and collective action by all workers regardless of the form of employment, first of all, by dependent self-employed persons. The author emphasises that the ILO, the CJEU in the opinions of their supervisory bodies, and the EU Court of Justice in their judgments use a broad approach to the interpretation of the concept of employee, including self-employed persons, in particular, in the context of exercising the right to association and collective bargaining. The author presents the experience of certain European countries, in particular, France and Poland, in terms of legislative consolidation of fundamental labour rights for self-employed persons. The article demonstrates that courts in different jurisdictions have different approaches to resolving the issue of the legal status of platform workers using the example of the decision of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and the Spanish court in the Deliveroo case. It is stated that in Ukraine today, one of the fundamental labour rights - the right to join a trade union de jure is not limited by the existence of an employment relationship or the status of an employee. At the same time, the right to collective bargaining, collective bargaining agreements and the right to collective action to protect one’s rights, which are an integral part of the right to freedom of association, is de facto only possible for those who are in an employment relationship based on an employment contract and have the status of an employee. As a solution to this problem, it is proposed to introduce a broad category of “working” or “employed” in national legislation, which will be used exclusively for the purposes of unionisation, exercise of the right to collective bargaining, conclusion of collective agreements and collective action. Such a definition should be separated from the definition of the narrow concept of an employee under an employment contract used in the context of individual labour relations.

Factors that influence the clinical supervision implementation for nurses: A scoping review.

The aim of this review is to identify and map the evidence available on the factors that influence the implementation of clinical supervision for nurses. The scoping review was conducted and reported following the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. Searches were conducted on MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and CINAHL databases on 28 March 2023. A total of 1398 studies were imported into Covidence for screening. Researchers screened the papers according to the inclusion criteria. Empirical studies in English focusing on the implementation of clinical supervision for nurses were included, without year restrictions. Data from 16 studies were extracted and organized according to the constructs within the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) domains: intervention characteristics, outer setting, inner setting, characteristics of individuals, and process. When compared with the CFIR constructs, it was found that the influence of the outer setting on implementation was less explored in the literature. Most of the reviewed data highlighted recurring factors, particularly logistical challenges of nursing work such as shift work and lack of control over work time. Organizational culture and managerial support were also identified as significant factors in the implementation. Another significant challenge in implementation was the variety in clinical supervision's design, purpose, and application, despite sharing the same label, leading to questions about whether studies are implementing the same practice. Policy documents should clearly define both the design and purpose of clinical supervision, beyond just its conceptual definition. Greater emphasis on equitable implementation of clinical supervision is necessary to prevent perpetuating existing inequalities. We conclude that implementation of such complex interventions is not linear, and the implementation strategies need to align with expected implementation challenges. The advantage of using the implementation framework lies not only in observing what exists as a form of evidence but also in identifying what is underdeveloped. Healthcare services and policy developers can utilize our review to recognize and address potential challenges in introducing, modifying, scaling up, or sustaining their clinical supervision implementation. No patient or public contribution.

Conceptualizing Symptom Invalidation as Experienced by Patients With Endometriosis.

The aim of this paper is to provide foundational work to standardize the conceptual definition of what I refer to as symptom invalidation by using invalidating environments and illness representations as guiding conceptual frameworks. Mixed deductive-inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze survey responses to an open-ended question gauging an invalidating interaction patients experienced with a clinician among 1038 patients with endometriosis. Dissimilarity in illness representations between patients and clinicians, as perceived by patients, occurred with feelings of invalidation. Invalidation was experienced in relationship to all identified domains of illness representations including how clinicians communicated the diagnosis (identity label), the internal (internal cause) and/or external (external cause) nature of the cause, clinicians' understanding of the timeline (timeline) and consequences (consequences), and clinicians' understanding of control over the symptoms via the efficacy of patients (self-efficacy) and coping procedures (response efficacy). Inductive analysis revealed invalidation can also be related to how clinicians communicate judgments of whether patients are presenting with ulterior motives (secondary gains). Clinicians' actions appear to compound experiences of invalidation by not having symptoms investigated (investigative experiences). Invalidating environments and illness representations serve as effective conceptual frameworks for providing a conceptual definition of symptom invalidation.

The lucidity in dementia experience: perspectives from family and professional caregivers.

Family and professional caregivers of individuals with dementia often witness care-receiver's lucidity events. A qualitative data analysis was performed of documented family and professional caregivers' experiences and their respective appraisals of lucidity events. Using a reduction method of selection, data from 10 in-home family caregivers and 20 professional caregivers to long-term care residents was content-coded and analysed. Framed by a priori research questions, a summative approach to qualitative content analysis guided the interpretation of findings. Eight of 10 family- and 15 of 20 staff caregivers gave an example of what they believed was a witnessed lucid event; 88% of family- and 40% of staff caregivers' provided examples that appeared to fit the conceptual definition of lucidity. The emotional impact that the events had on both sets of caregivers was reported. Family caregivers' characterization of lucidity events reflected appraisals of a puzzling occurrence while staff caregivers depicted elements associated with dementia, and lucidity descriptors. The enhanced verbal communication followed by the brief, unexpected quality of lucidity, were the main elements highlighted by both sets of caregivers in their description of lucidity to others. The variability and complexity of the lucidity phenomenon and the potential challenges it poses for both sets of caregivers were characterized. Commonalities and divergences across responses were highlighted. Findings validated previous studies' results. The notions introduced by both types of caregivers were thought-provoking and borne practical, clinical, ethical, and assessment (measurement) applicability.

Conceptualizing Barriers to Individual Recycling: A Qualitative Study with Multiple Stakeholders in Türkiye

ABSTRACT Increasing individual recycling rates is critical to achieving expected recycling targets. According to the social marketing approach promoting individual recycling behavior requires exploring, measuring, and managing the barriers that may deter individuals from recycling in a specific region. Although previous studies list some barriers, these barriers are likely to vary across studies, and clear conceptualizations are mostly missing. This study aims to explore and conceptualize the barriers to set a basis for future operationalization and systematic measurement. For this purpose, in-depth interviews were conducted with municipality authorities, representatives of leading environmental NGOs, and consumers in Türkiye. A total of 54 different first-level barriers were identified, and then first-level barriers were grouped thematically, revealing 20 second-level barriers, which are considered as personal, structural, social, or mediating barriers. Conceptual definitions for 20 second-level barriers are provided. The study also includes basic statistics regarding prominent barriers for different target groups.

Unveiling the controversies of brand identity management: A holistic framework for global B2B companies through a hybrid systematic literature review and interpretive structural modelling

Corporations that present a distinctive and different brand identity are preferable for customers and the market, create value, and lead in pricing. It helps customers feel the corporation is trustworthy and reliable. Despite the remarkable advantages, the definition of brand identity for global B2B companies needs to be clearer and more complex than the definition of other close concepts. It deals with some problems and causes some challenges for managers. The present study aims to identify the main controversies and challenges in brand identity management for global B2B companies. Accordingly, a hybrid systematic literature review (SLR) and thematic analysis (TA) have been employed to extract the initial drawbacks. Afterwards, the relationships among the extracted themes are identified using an Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) to recognise the network of the problems surrounding the brand identity of global B2B companies. Ultimately, the identified themes are also categorised via the MICMAC method (Cross-Impact Matrix Multiplication Applied to Classification). After reviewing 142 articles, 12, 11, and 9 challenges were extracted as the main themes for corporate, brand, and stakeholder levels. These themes were analysed and categorised into drivers, linkages, dependents, and autonomous challenges. Moreover, three subsystems were presented, covering the causal relationship among the challenges.

Validation of the conceptual framework and intervention scope of oral function rehabilitation exercise.

This study used a Delphi survey to define the concept of oral function rehabilitation exercise (OFRE) based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) and to categorise intervention domains for community-dwelling older adults. While numerous studies have been conducted to improve oral function through exercise interventions, the conceptual definition of oral exercise remains unclear and there is a lack of systematic categorisation of oral exercise intervention domains. A preliminary model was developed based on the key findings of 19 papers selected from a prior systematic review. Its validity was confirmed through a Delphi survey conducted twice with eight expert panellists. Consensus was achieved by evaluating the validity of the OFRE conceptual framework, the accuracy of OFRE conceptual definitions, and intervention domains. Through expert consensus, an ICF-based OFRE conceptual framework was developed that includes 21 factors that affect the oral health status of the older adults. The OFRE intervention domain for improving the health status consisted of oral function rehabilitation warm-up exercise, masticatory function exercise, swallowing function exercise, articulatory function exercise, salivary function exercise, and oral function rehabilitation cool-down exercise, and 11 specific intervention methods were derived. The OFRE intervention can be used for planning and applying successful interventions to improve oral function and life function of older adults.

DNVF Memorandum: Objectives and Methods of Physical Activity-Related Health Services Research

The DNVF Memorandum: Objectives and Methods of Physical Activity-Related Health Services Research summarizes, for the first time, the highly interdisciplinary and interprofessional field of physical activity-based health care in the German healthcare system. In addition to providing a conceptual framework and definition of key measures and concepts in physical activity-related health care research, existing research gaps and needs are identified, and methods for advancing this relatively young field of research are described. A particular focus of this study is the relevant outcome parameters and their standardized assessment using established and valid measurement tools. The memorandum aims to establish a general understanding of the complex subject of promoting physical activity and sports therapy in the context of healthcare, to give an impulse to new research initiatives, and to integrate the currently available strong evidence on the effectiveness of physical activity and exercise into healthcare.

Scoping Review on Transitions in the Context of Pediatric Palliative Care.

Background: Children with complex and chronic conditions receiving palliative care will likely experience many transitions during their life and their treatments. Transition periods for children with life-limiting conditions and their families can be bewildering and highly anxiety-inducing. However, clinical observations seem to point to a more heterogenous care offer, including a lack or discontinuity of services, at the expense of their quality of life. Objective: This paper aims to establish a portrait of the existing literature and identify research gaps on the multiple transitions experienced by this population. Design: A scoping review is provided, following a PRISMA protocol. MEDLINE, PubMed and CINAHL were consulted. The search strategy is based on three key concepts: (1) palliative care/complex condition, (2) child/adolescent, and (3) transition. Articles were screened with the help of Covidence. Results: A total of 72 articles are included for analysis. The aimed population is either identified by age group or by medical status. Respondents are most often parents rather than the children themselves. Transitions include: reaching adulthood, changes in care environment, changes in medical status, and school integration. Conclusion: The discussion notices a definitional murkiness about transitions and highlights the fact that the multifaceted and complex nature of transition over time is largely ignored. New research should involve a diversity of participants and include children's voices. Recommendations include clearer concept definitions, health care policies that adopt an ecosystemic approach, and professional training in the systemic family approach in palliative care.

Mind the diversity: defining intervention concepts of built heritage in international doctrinal documents

PurposeInterventions are essential for the management of built heritage because they extend the lifespan of buildings and enable them to be enjoyed by multiple generations. International organisations and institutions, such as UNESCO and ICOMOS, have adopted doctrinal documents over time, stimulating best practices in built heritage management worldwide. Although these documents are often referenced in academic work, they are seldom systematically researched. Which interventions are referenced or omitted? Are they defined? What trends are noted in the understanding of best practices as interventions?Design/methodology/approachThis research consists of a systematic content analysis of nine international doctrinal documents, which were selected from nearly seventy international doctrinal documents—mainly adopted by UNESCO and ICOMOS. The main aim is to reveal and compare the concepts used for reference interventions and further use the definitions to reveal and discuss the relationships between them. The trends of these interventions being used were determined based on the frequency of mentions per intervention term in the selected documents.FindingsRegarding the definition of the intervention concepts, there are three main findings. First, instead of being treated as a single concept, ‘conservation’ has been presented as an umbrella concept for other interventions and thus has been the most popular concept since the first version (1992) of the New Zealand Charter was implemented. In contrast, ‘preservation’ remains a single concept, among the highest scales, to maintain the integrity of built heritage, including use. Second, ‘repair’ was found to play a paradoxical role between ‘restoration’ and ‘reconstruction’, which created divergent opinions in the documents. Third, since the notions of ‘use’ have expanded from the functions of monuments (International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites: The Venice Charter, 1964) to the ‘associations of places’ (The Burra Charter: The Australia ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance, with associated Guidelines and Code on the Ethics of Co-existence, 1999; The Burra Charter: The Australia ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance, 2013), which include activities, traditional habits, accessibility, etc., the complexity of mentioning different forms of ‘use’ has led to some (re)interventions, such as ‘adaptation’, ‘adaptive reuse’, and ‘rehabilitation’, being put into grey areas and used interchangeably.OriginalityThis research advances the current understanding of intervention concepts and their relationships, as well as differences and similarities in definitions.

Government social capital and bond credit ratings

Few studies have explored the impact of heterogeneous government investment on corporate bond ratings from the perspective of government social capital allocation. This paper examines the bond market's response to government social capital allocation, utilizing empirical data from the bond ratings of listed companies issued between 2008 and 2020. The analysis begins with a rational explanation, conceptual definition, and index construction of government social capital. The empirical research finds that government social capital allocation significantly enhances corporate credit ratings. Mechanism tests reveal that local governments provide “government support” signals through short-term and long-term borrowing, enabling firms to secure more long-term loans and reduce their default risk. These signals are captured by rating agencies, which then influence the rating outcomes. Heterogeneity tests indicate that the positive impact of government capital allocation on ratings is more pronounced during periods of corporate financial distress. Furthermore, foreign rating agencies are better able to capture signals of government social capital allocation, and their independence confirms that high ratings are not the result of rating inflation.

(Innovative) Teaching Models in Doctoral Dissertations at the Faculty of Teacher Education in the Republic of Serbia

Starting from conceptual definitions and theoretical framework of the research problem, this paper offers the findings of empirical non-experimental research on the global and fragmented approach: a) assessment of the representation of (innovative) models of class teaching within the university repository of defended doctoral dissertations in the Republic of Serbia, and b) assessment of the innovative characteristics of selected doctoral dissertations through the analysis of reports from professional committees evaluating completed doctoral dissertations. All 109 PhD dissertations defended at Serbia’s six state faculties of teacher education between 2005 and 2022 are included in the overall sample. The second component of the research specifies a fragmented or deliberate/ stratified sample that consists of 36 defended PhD dissertations and 36 evaluation reports for the approval of PhD dissertations that inherently include novel teaching models. Both quantitative and qualitative content analysis were used in the research. The units of analysis include: the title of the defended doctoral dissertation, keywords presented in the doctoral thesis (quantitative analysis), and the content of the Evaluation Report of the doctoral dissertation, specifically the segment on scientific contribution (qualitative analysis). Based on the analysis of dissertation titles and keywords, it was found that one-third of doctoral dissertations focus on research in the field of (innovative) teaching models. The analysis revealed that not all models are equally represented in different subject methodologies of class teaching, nor within individual methodologies. Content analysis showed that the selected theses are dedicated to the specified problem, they support the issue of the innovation of the teaching process and indicate that there is room for innovation in the teaching process in a creative sense. Future PhD dissertations with a thematic focus on innovative teaching models should be directed towards the affirmation of research on different work models (of the entire corpus) in subject methodologies, the synthesis of innovative teaching models within the same methodology of class teaching, exploration of learning material most suitable for implementing a specific innovative work model within various methodologies of class teaching...

Migrants From Central Asia in the Moscow Agglomeration: Social Well-Being and Demographic Attitudes

The relevance of this study lies in the fact that it addresses the lack of empirical data needed for evidence-informed policy-making in the social, economic, and demographic realms in Moscow and the Moscow Oblast. It aims to explore migrants’ emotional and evaluative attitudes toward their social reality, their role in it, and the unique demographic factors influencing their behavior. Specifically, the article seeks to characterize migrants’ social well-being, identify factors detrimental to well-being, and outline conditions that facilitate trust, cooperation, and respect among individuals. The ultimate goal is to enhance socio-demographic well-being, unlocking migrants’ full potential not only for socio-economic and demographic development in the Moscow agglomeration and society but also to help them achieve personal goals. The findings are based on a survey conducted in February–March 2023 in Moscow and Moscow Oblast, involving 766 migrants from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The article analyzes how the problem of well-being is discussed in contemporary academic literature, refines the definition of the key concept, and substantiates the factors influencing the formation of migrants’ social well-being and their demographic attitudes. The article provides an evaluation of the demographic situation in the Moscow agglomeration, along with some insights into the social well-being of migrants and their demographic attitudes. It also identifies problematic areas that pose challenges to the successful social adaptation of migrants.

Exponential Functions and their Derivatives in the light of Conceptual Image and Conceptual Definition

Exponential Functions and their Derivatives in the light of Conceptual Image and Conceptual Definition

Spatial-temporal evolution and influencing factors of green urbanization in the Northern Slope Economic Belt of Tianshan Mountains, China

Green urbanization (GU) is an urban sustainable development model. However, the conceptual definition of GU has not been clearly unified and there is limited quantitative research on it. This study constructed a theoretical framework and evaluation system of GU for the Northern Slope Economic Belt of Tianshan Mountains (NSEBTM). By using entropy weight TOPSIS model, contribution analysis and fixed effects panel model, we studied the spatial-temporal evolution and influencing factors of GU in the region. The results indicated that GU improved from 2005 to 2020 with an average annual growth rate of 1.25%, which decreased from middle to both sides with high-level cities spreading outward from Urumqi City. Technological innovation, environmental regulation and financial support played a positive role in GU, while industrialization, education security and population density hindered it. In addition, the effects of influencing factors on different subsystems and development stages of GU were heterogeneous. This study is beneficial for identifying the existing problems of GU and its subsystems in the NSEBTM, to further accelerate the transformation of urbanization through feasible technological innovation, environmental regulation and financial support.

Detecting sarcopenia in obesity: emerging new approaches.

Sarcopenic obesity is a likely common, but certainly underestimated obesity phenotype, with an important negative clinical impact. Its definition and diagnosis have however remained elusive until recently. Substantial progress has been recently made in sarcopenic obesity diagnostic tools, with the first international consensus proposed by the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) and the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO). Very encouraging results emerge from initial implementation of the ESPEN-EASO algorithm. In addition, even more recent progress in global consensus on sarcopenia conceptual definition is likely to further enhance consistency in sarcopenic obesity identification. The latter Global Leadership Initiative on Sarcopenia (GLIS) initiative also adopted a new definition of muscle specific strength. Its inclusion in sarcopenia diagnostic constructs opens the possibility of its potential evaluation in sarcopenic obesity, also considering the emerging positive impact of obesity treatment and fat loss on muscle functional parameters. New consensus tools for sarcopenic obesity diagnosis are likely to improve awareness, understanding, identification and treatment of this under-recognized obesity phenotype.

Interprofessional education in cancer care – a scoping review

BackgroundComprehensive cancer care requires effective collaboration by interprofessional healthcare teams. The need to develop educational initiatives to improve interprofessional collaboration is increasingly recognised. However, there is no agreement regarding the interprofessional competencies required for effective cancer care leading to much variation on the focus of research, planning and managing change. A scoping review was conducted to identify the current status of IPE in cancer care and to summarise the results of previous research in order to guide the development of interprofessional education in cancer care.MethodsThe JBI Scoping Review guidelines were used to guide the process of the review. A search of the available literature was conducted in CINAHL, MEDLINE (Ovid), PubMed, PsycInfo, Scopus databases from January 2012 to March 2023 to investigate IPE for health professional clinicians working in cancer care.ResultsOf the 825 initial references and 153 studies imported for screening, a total of 28 studies were included in the final review. From those studies, seven focused on the need for IPE and interprofessional competence for oncology healthcare professionals, four reviewed existing IPE programs and 17 described the development and evaluation of interprofessional education. Findings show variation and lack of concept definitions underpinning research in IPE in cancer care settings. Variation also exists in the range of research activities in IPE, most notably related to communication, teamwork and the development of interprofessional practice. The evaluation of impact of IPE is mainly focused on health care professionals’ self-evaluation and general feedback. Impact on patient care was only evaluated in one study.ConclusionsBased on the results, interprofessional education research in the field of cancer care is limited in Europe. Thus, there is a significant increase in publications in the last five years. A more systematic focus on the theoretical framework and definition of concepts would be of value. Research and programme development should be based on a shared understanding on what constitutes the interprofessional competences and IPE. Programmes to develop interprofessional practice should be developed and implemented systematically with inclusion of validated assessment methods, and evaluated and improved regularly.

Concept Analysis of Woman-Centered Care: Implications for Postpartum Care.

Approximately two-thirds of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States occur during the postpartum period, yet there is minimal research focusing on the postpartum hospital stay, a critical point of contact between women and the health care system and an important opportunity for intervention. A new approach to postpartum care is needed. "Woman-centered" postpartum care is recommended to improve maternal outcomes, but the concept of woman-centered care is not well-defined. Using Walker & Avant's method of concept analysis, we identified four defining attributes of woman-centered care in the literature: 1) choice, control, and involvement in decision-making; 2) communication and collaboration in the caregiver-woman relationship; 3) individualized and holistic care; and 4) continuity of care. Using these findings, we offer a conceptual definition of woman-centered care and apply the attributes to the postpartum hospitalization in the model and contrary cases. We discuss the potential of the concept to improve maternal health care during this critical period.