Core Research Questions Research Articles

Analysis of Historical Federal R&D Priorities: The OMB-OSTP Memorandum and the R&D Section of the Analytical Perspectives in the President's Budget

Each year, the directors of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) jointly produce a memorandum of research and development priorities and how those priorities align with the fiscal year budget. This memo guides the actions of executive branch departments and agencies towards the administration’s science and technology priorities. By presenting these priorities yearly, these memoranda serve as a record of the science and technology priorities of respective Presidential administrations and, in turn, can reflect a changing science and technology policy landscape over the duration of several Presidential terms. This paper assesses how science and technology policy priorities, as established in these memoranda, are reflected in the Presidential budget within and across administrations. Additionally, this paper compares and analyzes priority topic areas from the OMB/OSTP memos with another representation of science and technology areas of emphasis: the research and development (R&D) section of the Analytical Perspectives in the President’s budget. The Analytical Perspectives document highlights items from the Presidential budget requests. This paper discerns the extent to which these two sources of priority-setting become aligned in order to identify trends in which science and technology topics are prioritized by the White House across time and administration. This study addresses two core research questions: 1) How do science and technology priorities change over time, both across and/or within Presidential administrations?; and 2) To what extent, if any, are the ideas in the OMB/OSTP science and technology priorities memoranda and the Analytical Perspectives documents aligned?

Exploring inclusivity in entrepreneurship education provision: A European study

This paper explores inclusivity in entrepreneurship education (EE) provision. This is an important area of research given the growth in EE provision globally and the intention for it to be a discipline and a competence accessible to everyone. Drawing on data from nine European Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and their respective entrepreneurship programs, our core research question asks: how inclusive are European entrepreneurship education programs, and how might their inclusivity be enhanced? Answering this question could help raise awareness of the need for inclusive EE, identify specific student cohorts who are potentially excluded and help widen EE participation generally. We contribute to the existing body of literature in this field by underscoring the significance of inclusivity in EE programs, proposing an adapted version of an existing inclusivity-proofing tool as a first step for HEIs on their inclusivity journey and offering insights designed to bolster HEIs' EE inclusivity efforts.

"My resistance melts away": The role of mindfulness in supporting participatory researchers' efforts to share power with youth co-researchers.

Youth participatory action research (YPAR) is an approach widely utilized in various social science disciplines (e.g., community psychology, social work, public health), which requires researchers to share power with youth co-researchers and to collaborate across identities to work equitably. Understanding what approaches and practices support YPAR adult facilitators' ability to share power is a vital area of knowledge that can support greater freedom in how researchers approach YPAR. Mindfulness offers a powerful set of tools for adult researchers to track their reactions and equitably collaborate with youth co-researchers. Drawing on insights from our youth participatory research, the present study employed a collaborative autoethnography to integrate our unique experiences as YPAR facilitators. We reflected on a core research question: How does mindfulness inform and support our YPAR work? Two major themes emerged that relate to power-sharing in YPAR: (1) Mindfulness supports our ability to overcome barriers to being present in facilitating YPAR groups; (2) Facilitator presence fosters deeper connection with youth co-researchers and stronger collaboration. Mindfulness can provide researchers a holistic, strengths-based approach in youth collaboration, and may also provide skillful tools for researchers to counter the pressures of White supremacy culture in academia.

Integrating Machine Learning with Non-Fungible Tokens

In this paper, we undertake a thorough comparative examination of data resources pertinent to Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) within the framework of Machine Learning (ML). The core research question of the present work is how the integration of ML techniques and NFTs manifests across various domains. Our primary contribution lies in proposing a structured perspective for this analysis, encompassing a comprehensive array of criteria that collectively span the entire spectrum of NFT-related data. To demonstrate the application of the proposed perspective, we systematically survey a selection of indicative research works, drawing insights from diverse sources. By evaluating these data resources against established criteria, we aim to provide a nuanced understanding of their respective strengths, limitations, and potential applications within the intersection of NFTs and ML.

The Nature of AI Ethics Education in the Posthuman Era

In light of the development and widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), ethical issues surrounding AI have garnered significant attention in both academia and society. Consequently, this paper explores the theoretical foundations of AI ethics based on posthumanism and seeks to outline directions for AI ethics education. The core research questions of this study are twofold: first, what are the theoretical foundations of posthuman ethics, and second, what are the practical considerations and educational directions for posthuman AI ethics? The key conclusions of this paper can be summarized as follows. Firstly, ethical challenges are increasingly important for AI developers, emphasizing the need to establish supervisory systems that highlight ethical elements and incorporate ethical considerations into algorithm design. Secondly, AI ethics education should encompass not only the ethical attitudes of human users but also the ethical roles of AI itself. Thirdly, fundamental ethical considerations related to societal changes in the posthuman era are essential now and in the future. This paper aims to stimulate discussions in academia and educational settings by providing essential directions for AI ethics and education in anticipation of a future posthuman society.

The visual representation of the hologram: a comparative approach to its political and social uses

On April 28, 2017, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a prominent French politician, pioneered a unique way of engaging with multiple groups. While he was in Dijon in person, he simultaneously connected with a Grenoble audience using a hologram. A central focus is the tangible bond between a politician and their listeners. This study starts by analyzing the semiotic cues in photos and videos on official and social platforms. Subsequently, there’s a deep dive into the reactions of Grenoble attendees to various forms of expression. Each method is integral to the total experience. As suggested by Kress and Van Leeuwen (2001), meaning is molded socially via channels like discourse, production, design, intake, and the “textual” backdrop. In M.lenchon’s holographic instance, the scope for creative engagement and the idea of heightened modality is evident (highlighted by Andrieu: 2011). Holography offers: • Voice-driven auditory engagement. • Observation of physical actions, hand movements, and facial expressions. • Recognition of visual elements such as clothing, colors, and proportions. • A three-dimensional display, evoking a feeling of actual presence. • Interaction with the spoken content, both pre-written and extemporaneous. This is termed as hypermodal interaction. Designing a tailored hologram in line with the core research question effectively combined theoretical perspectives on holographic interaction. The goal wasn’t merely a visual portrayal of the research but to emphasize this visual method, especially in formulating a visual strategy (as put forth by Pink, 2006). This process captures both visuals and sounds for subsequent engagements with holograms. Furthermore, this research seeks to outline and present the aspects of an innovative, immersive, and visually centric research approach.

Complex terrains and wind power: enhancing forecasting accuracy through CNNs and DeepSHAP analysis

Accurate prediction of wind power generation in regions characterised by complex terrain is a critical gap in renewable energy research. To address this challenge, the present study articulates a novel methodological framework using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to improve wind power forecasting in such geographically diverse areas. The core research question is to investigate the extent to which terrain complexity affects forecast accuracy. To this end, DeepSHAP—an advanced interpretability technique—is used to dissect the CNN model and identify the most significant features of the weather forecast grid that have the greatest impact on forecast accuracy. Our results show a clear correlation between certain topographical features and forecast accuracy, demonstrating that complex terrain features are an important part of the forecasting process. The study’s findings support the hypothesis that a detailed understanding of terrain features, facilitated by model interpretability, is essential for improving wind energy forecasts. Consequently, this research addresses an important gap by clarifying the influence of complex terrain on wind energy forecasting and provides a strategic pathway for more efficient use of wind resources, thereby supporting the wider adoption of wind energy as a sustainable energy source, even in regions with complex terrain.

Survey Of AI Based Stock Market Prediction

The main aim of this study is to investigate and assess data to derive relevant findings. Substantial effort is invested in the background to collect data through techniques that guide us toward the specific data needed to address the core research question. This chapter explores various options for data analysis techniques available for our data and identifies the most suitable technique for analysing the data. The research delves into the analysis of stock market forecasting in India through AI application technology. We critically evaluate the effectiveness, challenges, and future directions of AI in forecasting stock prices and market movements, aiming to provide insights and guidance for researchers, practitioners, and investors.

Private Enforcement of EU State Aid Rules: Is There Any Room for National Procedural Autonomy Left?

This article deals with the private enforcement of EU State aid rules in national civil proceedings. This kind of enforcement proved to be highly challenging for national judges, particularly those who ignore the limits of the principle of national procedural autonomy. Since the full understanding of those limits is crucial (also) for private enforcement activities, we focus on the principle of the effectiveness of EU law which, when interpreted and applied correctly, most intensively limits national procedural autonomy. In fact, it is questionable if Member States and their courts and judges enjoy a real or genuine autonomy in the discussed field. For this reason, the article first sets the scene by discussing the fundamental legal concepts and principles as being essential for the private enforcement of EU State aid rules in national civil litigious proceedings, and the interplay between private and public enforcement proceedings. The public enforcement case law is used as a benchmark or guide when dealing with open questions of private enforcement. The article offers a careful analysis of selected legal challenges related to remedies and res judicata, which clearly reveal the limits of the principle of national procedural autonomy as mostly set by the principle of effectiveness of EU law. Finally, the main findings of the article are considered in order to answer the core research question; namely, is there any room left for national procedural autonomy (also) in case of private enforcement of EU State aid rules in proceedings before national civil courts?

Public funding in R&D and R&D outcome sustainable development: Analysis of Member States EU

This paper examines the relationship between public funding in research and development (R&D) and the sustainable development outcomes within the European Union (EU) member states from 2000 to 2022. It investigates the allocation and effectiveness of public funding towards R&D in sustainable technologies and its alignment with the EU's strategic growth and sustainability goals. Through a mixed-method approach, including descriptive analysis, econometric modelling, and a review of pa-tents and scientific publications, the study addresses three core research questions: the extent of public R&D funding, the R&D outcomes in sustainable development, and the efficacy of recent EU public research funding in fostering innovation in sustainable technologies. The analysis reveals that while there is a positive correlation between targeted public expenditures and R&D outcomes, disparities exist among member states in terms of investment levels and innovation outputs. The paper also dis-cusses the implications of these findings in the context of the EU's broader sustainability objectives, including the European Green Deal, and suggests pathways for future research to enhance the impact of public R&D funding on sustainable development.

Leading a post-pandemic workforce: Understanding employees’ changing work ethic

A recent cross-cultural study suggests employees may be classified, based on their scores on a measure of work ethic, into three profiles labeled as “live to work,” “work to live,” and “work as a necessary evil.” The present study assesses whether these profiles were stable before and after an extended lockdown that forced employees to work from home for 2 years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. To assess our core research question, we conducted a longitudinal study with employees of a company in the financial sector, collecting data in two waves: February 2020 ( n = 692) and June 2022 ( n = 598). Tests of profile similarity indicated a robust structural and configural equivalence of the profiles before and after the lockdown. As expected, the prolonged pandemic-based lockdown had a significant effect on the proportion of individuals in each profile. Implications for leading and managing in a post-pandemic workforce are presented and discussed. JEL CLASSIFICATION: M12

The Prominence of Rhetoric in Japanese University English Oral Communication Courses

Due to a rapidly globalizing world, there has been a recent resurgence in the demand for university graduates entering the workforce who understand and utilize spoken English rhetorical strategies and techniques. These rhetorical skills are necessary in a wide range of fields (e.g., advertising, communication, international relations, politics, psychology, etc.), yet rhetoric rarely features in EFL or ESL curriculums. With the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in Japan emphasizing the need for English education to specifically foster the development of oral communication skills through the Global Human Resources (GHR) project (2018), there is a definite need for integrating instruction on English rhetorical strategies and techniques into the curricula of higher education. However, explicit rhetorical instruction in EFL and ESL curriculums in Japan almost exclusively focuses on written genres, such as essay writing. The core research question framing this exploratory study is: How prominent is instruction on rhetoric in Japanese university English oral communication courses? This qualitative study firstly examines if rhetoric-based instruction is addressed in a sample of English language oral communication textbooks, before documenting the language learning experiences of ten Japanese university students. An amalgamation of the data reveals a dearth of explicit rhetoric-based instruction in Japanese university English language oral communication courses. The implications of this finding are discussed, and suggestions are then proffered on how to better equip Japanese university graduates with practical English language rhetorical tools so that they may play a more active role in the globalizing world.

Exploring Intrapreneurial Activities in the Context of the Entrepreneurial University: An analysis of five EU HEIs

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are actively encouraged to strive toward entrepreneurial university status to enable them to deliver their third mission and create entrepreneurial graduates. To achieve these goals, HEIs engage in a wide range of entrepreneurial activities. In this paper, we posit that many of these activities could be categorized as intrapreneurship rather than entrepreneurship. We further posit that considerable benefit may be garnered by focusing on intrapreneurial activities if universities and HEIs are to progress and sustain their entrepreneurial university status. Our research focus is driven by assumption-challenging because, to date, scholarship has tended to attribute entrepreneurial university success solely to entrepreneurial activities, largely neglecting the intrapreneurial behaviours that drive them. Our core research question asks: What activities do HEIs engage in as part of their entrepreneurial university journey, and which of these could be categorized as intrapreneurial rather than entrepreneurial? We draw on a unique data set and adopt an in-depth, qualitative approach to critically examine the entrepreneurial activities of five HEIs in Finland, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain to highlight their intrapreneurial dimensions. Our findings make three important contributions: First, we enhance understanding of the nature and scope of the activities in which HEIs engage as part of their entrepreneurial university journey; second, we offer an analytical framework to highlight the intrapreneurial dimensions of activities traditionally deemed to be entrepreneurial; third, we signpost scholars toward promising avenues of future research in the context of intrapreneurship and the entrepreneurial university.

Editorial: Weaving Hybrid Futures

Sustainability is currently one of the most important topics in higher education and curriculum development. As a connected and interdependent global community, we are facing increasingly complex and multidimensional socio-political, economic, and environmental challenges. It is clear that trans-disciplinary efforts are necessary to tackle sustainability. Integrating sustainability in educational curricula involves cultivating a way of thinking that is holistic and collaborative so that we can adequately prepare students to work across disciplines, sectors, institutions, and geographies. Problem-based learning, a student-centered learning approach that focuses on real-life problems and where students typically work in groups (Servant-Miklos et al., (2023)), was shown to be a good method for teaching students to engage with complex topics such as sustainability. Defining sustainability is a double act of communication across disciplines and planning for and imagining the future, which requires creativity and, at times, speculation. This act is made more difficult by the fact that there is a lack of consensus surrounding sustainability and through what means and metrics sustainability should be assessed (Horsbøl, 2023; Smith, 2019). How can we use often conflicting conceptions to imagine and design sustainable futures? How can transdisciplinarity inform education and equip future students with a sustainability mindset to face the challenges of their time? These are the core research questions that inform this special issue on Weaving Hybrid Futures: Sustainability in Higher Education with PBL Through Art, Science, and Robotics.

Amin’s progressive internationalism

ABSTRACT In 2018, Samir Amin called for a ‘new wave of revival and progress’ which would replace the system of neoliberal globalisation which is to blame for leaving multiple, interlinked global crises. Five years after his death, this article aims to evaluate if his call has been heeded and how far the world is from a new wave of revival and progress. The article investigates the movement of ‘progressive internationalism’ - as a movement that opposes the perpetuation of the legacy of global imperlialism that has manifested in global power assymetry, producin structural inequality and poverty - as a possible response to Amin’s request. . The core research question is: ‘how far are we from realising Amin’s vision’. To do this, the article will also explore initiatives of the progressive internationalist movement with reference to south-south cooperation thorough the BRICS bloc, structural reform of the international system and the United Nations Security Council, and Active Non-Alignment, among other nascent initiatives.

‘When we meet, we play football, it reminds me of home': emotions, institutional work, and sport-for-development and peace

ABSTRACT Research question While there is a growing body of scholarship on institutional work in sport, less is known about the role of emotions by which institutions are affected. This study aims to explore the role of emotions in sport-for-development and peace (SDP)-related institutional work to challenge conditions of social inequality for refugees in Kampala, Uganda. Two core research questions are: (1) How do emotions related to forced displacement inform the institutional work of an SDP organization? (2) What emotions are mobilized by refugees and an SDP organization to challenge the institution of social inequality? Research methods Guided by a participatory action research approach, fieldwork was undertaken with a refugee-led organization in Kampala. Data collection included semi-structured interviews, photovoice, and photocollaging. Ethical consent was obtained from all individuals participating in the research and for the display of images. Results and Findings The findings demonstrate that a variety of emotions experienced as positive (e.g. love of sport) or negative (e.g. stress) stimulate SDP-related work to change relations between host communities and refugees. The findings also illustrate that emotions experienced positively (e.g. nostalgia, happiness) were generated via SDP activities, including creation of sport groups related to homelands and conflict resolution among refugees and host communities. Three mechanisms – diverting, bonding, peacemaking – are identified that enabled SDP-related practices to transform refugees’ emotions. The resulting positive emotional state helped to undermine the institution of social inequality between the host community and refugees. Implications This study advances theoretical development of institutional theory in sport management by accounting for the lived experience and emotions that play a role in SDP-related institutional work.

The Sale of EU Citizenship and the 'Law' Behind It

Investment migration in the European Union (‘EU’) as well as outside of it has been the subject of many legal and socio-political studies, with numerous developments emerging in recent years. There is considerable disagreement on the legal position at EU level, which can be observed in the differing views of commentators on the EU’s competence on the matter. Thus, this article maps the situation concerning citizenship by investment (‘CBI’) in the EU by canvassing the policy and legal developments to date as well as the main critical perspectives from scholarly work. In doing so, this article explores the exact legal position of both EU Member States and organs in the context of the split of competence on nationality matters, as well as routes to potential intervention at EU level. The core research question in this regard is whether the matter is one of law or merely policy, and what could justify EU level intervention in an effort to approximate Member States’ laws on investment migration. Thus, the first part of this article explores relevant theoretical frameworks before moving onto a discussion of trends and tendencies among states (inside and outside the EU). A brief overview of the risks, scandals and controversies attached to CBI throughout the years will follow. Next, the internal and external dimensions of the EU’s approach to CBI will be discussed in order to lay the foundation for a more substantive analysis of the EU’s legal position on CBI, including a discussion on EU citizenship and nationality laws. Last, this article will briefly consider CBI from a public international law perspective, and conclude with a critical commentary of the issues canvassed, including on the so-called ‘soft law’ considerations of citizenship and on the European Commission’s proposals in response to investment migration in the EU.

An Information Theory Based Method for Quantifying the Predictability of Human Mobility

Research on human mobility drives the development of economy and society. How to predict when and where one will go accurately is one of the core research questions. Existing work is mainly concerned with performance of mobility prediction models. Since accuracy of predict models does not indicate whether or not one’s mobility is inherently easy to predict, there has not been a definite conclusion about that to what extent can our predictions of human mobility be accurate. To help solve this problem, we describe the formalized definition of predictability of human mobility, propose a model based on additive Markov chain to measure the probability of exploration, and further develop an information theory based method for quantifying the predictability considering exploration of human mobility. Then, we extend our method by using mutual information in order to measure the predictability considering external influencing factors, which has not been studied before. Experiments on simulation data and three real-world datasets show that our method yields a tighter upper bound on predictability of human mobility than previous work, and that predictability increased slightly when considering external factors such as weather and temperature.

Social justice implications of smart urban technologies: an intersectional approach

Techno-optimistic visions around smart buildings, homes, cities, grids, healthcare, etc. have become ubiquitous over the past decade. Using variations of machine learning and artificial intelligence, smart urbanism (SU) envisions an efficient, digital society. However, research shows that smart technologies reinscribe inequalities by prioritising the interests of the free market, technology-centric governance and data monetisation. Although there has been a growing concern over the injustices SU perpetuates, there is a lack of systematic engagement with power systems such as capitalism or heterosexism that underpin SU visions. A novel framework is presented that situates intersectional justice at the heart of SU. A mapping of 70 cases of ‘trouble’ with the promises of SU is used to address three core research questions: What are the ‘troubles’ with SU? To what extent are they intersectional? What can intersectionality add to the development of a just SU? The analysis shows how SU politics play out in relation to how users are understood and engaged, how different actors institutionalise SU and how dominant power systems are challenged. The presented strategy contributes to understanding not just the data politics in urban spaces, but also how they can be renegotiated and re-evaluated to solve multiple and interconnected urban crises without compromising on social justice. Practice relevance Citizen-led initiatives against SU should commit to intersectionality’s radical core to dismantle power structures to ensure local smart urban projects do not entrench global business-as-usual neoliberal agendas. Intersectional thinking can create spaces for deliberative dialogues between civil society groups and build alliances across groups that seek to challenge the hegemony of exclusionary urban policies. Urban planners and local governments, which are at the forefront of SU applications, should decentre technologies and rather focus efforts on working out how smart technologies can work in conjunction with other kinds of urban interventions, such as social, economic and environmental policy changes, collaborative planning, community development, etc. to herald more just urban futures. Designers of smart urban technologies should apply intersectional approaches to further challenge ‘Homo economicus’ (rational, White, technophilic, able-bodied) as the primary user type and to replace it with diverse user archetypes that express humanity, justice and generosity.

Carolin Krahn, 'Topographie der Imaginationen. Johann Friedrich Rochlitz’ Musikalisches Italien um 1800', Wien 2021

How were music and musicians from Italy imagined in Germany around 1800? This core research question is treated by Carolin Krahn in her monograph Topographie der Imaginationen. Johann Friedrich Rochlitz’ musikalisches Italien um 1800, a publication based on her doctoral dissertation defended in 2017 at the University of Vienna. Krahn’s monography is a valuable study for research into German intellectual culture in musical circles of the early nineteenth century.