Current Opportunities Research Articles

Enhancing Enrollment in Acute Stroke Trials: Current State and Consensus Recommendations.

The Stroke Treatment Academic Industry Roundtable (STAIR) convened a session and workshop regarding enrollment in acute stroke trials during the STAIR XII meeting on March 22, 2023. This forum brought together stroke physicians and researchers, members of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, industry representatives, and members of the US Food and Drug Administration to discuss the current status and opportunities for improving enrollment in acute stroke trials. The workshop identified the most relevant issues impacting enrollment in acute stroke trials and addressed potential action items for each. Focus areas included emergency consent in the United States and other countries; careful consideration of eligibility criteria to maximize enrollment and representativeness; investigator, study coordinator, and pharmacist availability outside of business hours; trial enthusiasm/equipoise; site start-up including contractual issues; site champions; incorporation of study procedures into standard workflow as much as possible; centralized enrollment at remote sites by study teams using telemedicine; global trials; and coenrollment in trials when feasible. In conclusion, enrollment of participants is the lifeblood of acute stroke trials and is the rate-limiting step for testing an exciting array of new approaches to improve patient outcomes. In particular, efforts should be undertaken to broaden the medical community's understanding and implementation of emergency consent procedures and to adopt designs and processes that are easily incorporated into standard workflow and that improve trials' efficiencies and execution. Research and actions to improve enrollment in ongoing and future trials will improve stroke outcomes more broadly than any single therapy under consideration.

O.6.2-3 The Global Observatory for Physical Education (GoPE!): monitoring physical education and physical activity in children and adolescents worldwide

Abstract Purpose It is estimated that 80% of children and adolescents do not meet the 60 min of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (PA) per day to benefit their health.1,2 Strengthening the provision of quality physical education (PE) and PA experiences within schools is a highly recommended policy action.3 Furthermore, there is a gap in monitoring systems of PE&PA at schools, which would contribute to tracking progress and inform decision-making to drive PE&PA policy, action, and research in this population group.4 After 10 years of successful monitoring of adults’ PA by The Global Observatory of Physical Activity (GoPA!), there is an urgent need to complement and initiate high-quality monitoring in children and adolescents. The Global Observatory of Physical Education (GoPE!) will be launched in 2023, therefore, our purpose is to present the GoPE! to the HEPA network. Project description Placed within the GoPA!, GoPE!’s main mission is to monitor PE and PA in children and adolescents worldwide. The GoPE! monitoring system will use a set of surveillance, policy, and research standardized indicators to allow countries to initiate, determine and improve their current status and progress around PE and PA. Standardized indicators will be updated every 3-4 years, allowing comparability between countries and world regions. GoPE! will publish the country profiles [GoPE! Country Cards], which are going to be developed following the GoPA! stepwise approach, and will consolidate as an independent evidence and local representatives-based and global surveillance system including the best PE&PA and sports experts, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. Conclusions GoPE! will demonstrate its critical role in facilitating periodic PE&PA surveillance, policy and research data, to inform promotion, advocacy, and agenda-setting efforts to achieve international goals and recommendations. GoPE! and GoPA! will continue to monitor progress to battle the global pandemic of physical inactivity across the life course. References 1 USDHHS. 2018 PA Guidelines Advisory Committee Scientific Report. Washington: USDHHSD;2018. 2 van Sluijs, E. et al. PA behaviours in adolescence: current evidence and opportunities for intervention. The Lancet. 2021;398(10298):429-442. 3 WHO. GAPPA 2018–2030: more active people for a healthier world. Geneva;2018. 4 WHO. Global status report on PA 2022. Geneva: WHO;2022.

Evolving nutritional needs, obesity, and overweight status in cystic fibrosis.

The nutritional landscape in cystic fibrosis has shifted dramatically in the era of CFTR modulator therapy. In this review, we will critically examine the literature on overweight and obesity in CF, current nutritional care unknowns and opportunities for further investigation or adaptation in clinical care. Results of clinical trial and real-world data reflect marked improvement in nutritional status and quality of life. Clinical outcomes including CF related diabetes and CF related liver disease appear positively impacted. Secondary impacts on cardiometabolic disease have been noted, especially in association with excessive weight gain. The prior approaches to optimizing nutrition in cystic fibrosis with caloric excess can likely be safely retired for many. As modulator access expands across the lifespan, a longitudinal focus on health maintenance should be considered.

An integrated strategic framework for priority setting in the Australian vanilla industry

Global demand of vanilla, as a natural flavour, is consistently growing. Vanilla is an emerging crop with high potential for Australian growers due to its climatic suitability in some regions, and high domestic and global demand. In this paper, the priorities of Australian vanilla industry are recognised based on the current issues, challenges, and opportunities. We show the priorities and related activities as established through one-on-one interaction and group engagement with industry wide stakeholders to capture a varied range of views. Critical feedback from the industry included the need for structuring an industry association, arrangements that offer training for example on production, postharvest and product diversification, improvements to the linkages between stakeholders, and technical support from research and development agencies. The priorities were ranked by stakeholders according to their importance as follows: (a) capacity building, (b) harvest and postharvest protocols, (c) production procedures, and (d) selection of better clonal material. Addressing the industry’s needs and priorities will ensure its future development is sustainable and economically viable. Policymakers are encouraged to take into account these discerned priorities and the proposed strategies designed to confront the industry’s needs and challenges.

Macrolide esterases: current threats and opportunities

Antibiotics often contain ester bonds. The macrocyclic lactones of macrolides are pre-eminent examples in which ester bonds are essential to the form and function of antibiotics. Bacterial macrolide esterases that hydrolyze these macrocyclic lactones to confer antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are the topic of this forum. We provide insight into their role in agricultural systems and discuss their emergence and their potential extensibility to bioremediation efforts.

International GP exchanges: Opportunities, benefits, and challenges

The RCGP and its Junior International Committee have a long history of supporting early career GPs to undertake observational exchanges to experience international primary care systems first-hand. The benefits of international exchanges are wide-ranging and include allowing participants to develop collaborations, learn more about primary healthcare in the host country, reflect on that learning, and bring it back to their own practice. This article discusses the current opportunities for early career GPs and describes some of the existing evidence regarding the educational, personal and professional benefits, as well as challenges these may bring to participants, patients and the wider health system.

How the Depths of the Danish Straits Shape Gdańsk's Port and City Spatial Development

The depths of the Danish Straits limit the drafts of ships entering the Baltic Sea. The largest ships calling the Baltic in a laden condition are called Baltimax. The article presents how the dredging works carried out in the Danish Straits in the 1970s enabled the development of the Port of Gdańsk and consequently also influenced the city, being a residential base for employees of the new port and shipyards. The analysed case proves that, for port cities, overcoming a distant navigational bottleneck by dredging the existing passage or constructing a new channel might lead to a significant change in their development. The article also raises a question on the current development opportunities of the Port of Gdańsk, which is again increasingly limited by the depths of the Danish Straits, as large tankers and bulk carriers have already been entering Gdańsk not fully loaded for some time, and recently the largest container ships also reached the maximum permissible drafts.

Drowning prevention in the Americas: current and future opportunities arising from the first WHO Global Status Report on Drowning Prevention

Drowning prevention in the Americas: current and future opportunities arising from the first WHO Global Status Report on Drowning Prevention

BUSINESS ACTIVITY IN THE REGIONS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the socio-economic development of any country serve as a kind of trigger and generator of structural changes in the economy and society. Small businesses are the most receptive to innovative ideas and are ready to implement them. On the one hand, small and medium-sized businesses act as a catalyst for the economic growth of the entire country, on the other hand, they implement a number of social tasks, the key of which is to promote employment and ensure a decent standard of living for citizens. The SME sector employs more than 25 % of the country's able-bodied population. At the same time, the constituent entities of the Russian Federation are seriously differentiated in terms of the level of development of SMEs, in some regions the potential of the SMEs is used inefficiently.
 Given the current conditions for the functioning of the Russian economy and the fact that small and mediumsized businesses play an important role in its development, the study of the level of entrepreneurial activity in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and the search for ways to increase it is very relevant.
 The article carried out the clustering of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation according to indicators of business demography (“birth rate”, liquidation of organizations), entrepreneurial activity, as well as an indicator reflecting the current opportunities for expanding entrepreneurial potential in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The place of the Republic of Bashkortostan among other subjects of the Russian Federation in terms of the level of entrepreneurial activity has been determined.

Magnetic resonance imaging in cervical cancer: current opportunities of radiomics analysis and prospects for its further developmen

Introduction. Due to the dynamic development of modern imaging technologies in recent years, much attention has been paid to radiomics particularly texture analysis. The complexity of clinically evaluated tumor procession in cervical cancer (CC) accounts for a need to expand knowledge on applying medical imaging technologies in oncologic diagnostics spanning from predominantly qualitative analysis to a multiparametric approach, including a quantitative assessment of study parameters.Aim: to analyze the literature data on the use of radiomics and image texture analysis in diagnostics and prediction of aggressiveness of oncogynecological diseases including СС.Materials and Methods. A 2016–2023 systematic literature search was carried out in the PubМed/MEDLINE, eLibrary, Scopus databases, NCCN, ESUR, ACR resources. All publications on radiomics and image texture analysis used in CC diagnostics and prediction were investigated, with queries for key words and phrases in Russian and English: «cervical cancer», «radiomics»,«texture analysis», «oncology». The study included full-text sources and literature reviews on the study subject. Duplicate publications were excluded.Results. The features and advantages of using radiomics and image texture analysis in CC diagnostics were summarized. The introduction of the radiomic approach has expanded the views on interpretation of medical imaging data. The radiomics-based parameters extracted from digital images revealed high informativeness in some studies that contribute to improving diagnostic accuracy as well as expanding opportunities for predicting therapeutic effectiveness in CC patients.Conclusion. Radiomics used in diagnostics of oncogynecologic diseases including СС is one of the promising actively developing areas of analysis in radiology that requires to be further investigated.

Emerging technologies for assessing ecosystem services: A synthesis of opportunities and challenges

Rapid technological development opens up new opportunities for assessing ecosystem services (ES), which may help to overcome current knowledge gaps and limitations in data availability. At the same time, emerging technologies, such as mobile devices, social media platforms, and artificial intelligence, give rise to a series of challenges and limitations. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the broad range of technologies that are increasingly used for collecting, analyzing, and visualizing data on ES, including Earth observation, mobile technologies, data science, modeling/simulation, immersive technologies, visualization, and web-based tools. To identify current opportunities and challenges, we systematically reviewed the literature on ES of the last 10 years (2012–2022). We first describe the state-of-the-art of emerging technologies, synthesizing their applicability, opportunities, and limitations. Then, we discuss open issues, future research needs, and potential for further applications in ES research. Our findings indicate great opportunities to increase knowledge on ES thanks to low costs, high data availability, and high flexibility of the technologies. We also find a strong potential to support decision-making, learning and communication. However, limitations and challenges related to the accuracy of the variables and models, accessibility to data, technologies, and information as well as ethical concerns need to be addressed by the research community to assure an inclusive and meaningful use of the technologies. Our findings also suggest that further insights into ES may be achieved through a better integration of different technologies in the future, e.g., Earth observation, data science, and web-based platforms, a stronger transdisciplinary collaboration to advance knowledge on ES, and by broadening the perspective to technological developments in other related fields of research.

The challenge of integrating “intelligent” technologies in luxury shopping contexts: The role of brand personality appeal and consumers’ status consumption orientation

Current opportunities enabled by combining the Internet of Things and the Artificial Intelligence may allow marketers and managers to completely redesign shopping environments by integrating new interactive technologies in shopping environments. However, luxury brands have been typically skeptical to the implementation of technology, because of its conceptual contrast with the ideas of craftsmanship and human touch. To advance knowledge on the potential role of advanced technologies in the context of luxury, this study investigates the effect luxury shopping environment level of intelligence (low vs. high), in the shopping context of a luxury brand, on consumers' perceived personality appeal and, therefore, on their intention to buy. Additionally, this study sheds light on the moderating role of consumers' status consumption orientation, that is a relevant consumer-related characteristic in field of luxury consumption. Results of two experiments, conducted with international participants recruited online, where the level of technological intelligence is manipulated through Voice Assistants (Study 1) and Smart Mirrors (Study 2), show that the high (vs. low) luxury shopping environment's intelligence level positively affects consumers' willingness to buy through the effect of their perceived brand personality appeal. Moreover, this effect is moderated by consumers' status consumption orientation. Theoretical implications are discussed, together with managerial implications useful for effectively manage advanced technologies in luxury shopping environments.

Virtual Environments for Training: Human Factors Limitations, Challenges, and Opportunities

Technological advances of virtual environments offer training opportunities that can leverage solutions that extend from game-based systems to extended reality devices. However, careful consideration must be applied to advance the state of the possible and leverage innovation in other technical fields to increase the immersion and fidelity of virtual environments. This panel will provide perspectives on the current human factors limitations, challenges, and opportunities within domains seeking to leverage virtual environments for training. First, presenters will address the needs for front end analyses to underpin implementation decisions, as well as engineering a systems of systems learning environment through a human performance data strategy. Next, discussions will focus on complementary technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning that offer opportunities to advance the utility, fidelity, and effectiveness of virtual environments for training. Finally, panel members will discuss the need to evaluate resulting technologies to ensure successful adoption and implementation.

Workforce Well-Being: Current State, Opportunities, and Priorities

Workforce Well-Being: Current State, Opportunities, and Priorities

Should the Surprise Question be Used as a Prognostic Tool for People With Life-limiting Illnesses?

The surprise question screening tool ("Would I be surprised if this person died within the next 12 months?") was initially developed to identify possible palliative care needs. One controversial topic regarding the surprise question is whether it should be used as a prognostic tool (predicting survival) for patients with life-limiting illnesses. In this "Controversies in Palliative Care" article, three groups of expert clinicians independently answered this question. All experts provide an overview of current literature, practical advice, and opportunities for future research. All experts reported on the inconsistency of the prognostic capabilities of the surprise question. Two of the three expert groups felt that the surprise question should not be used as a prognostic tool due to these inconsistencies. The third expert group felt that the surprise question should be used as a prognostic tool, particularly for shorter time frames. The experts all highlighted that the original rationale for the surprise question was to trigger a further conversation about future treatment and a potential shift in the focus of the care, identifying patients who many benefit from specialist palliative care or advance care planning; however, many clinicians find this discussion a difficult one to initiate. The experts agreed that the benefit of the surprise question comes from its simplicity: a one-question tool that requires no specific information about the patient's condition. More research is needed to better support the application of this tool in routine practice, particularly in noncancer populations.

German Colonists of Northwest Russia in Conditions of Post-Revolutionary Reality (1918-1922)

The focus of this publication is on the history of the German village of the North-West of the RSFSR in the first post-revolutionary years (1918—1922). The economic and political life of the German rural population is characterized, including the resolution of land issues, economic activities, requisition policies of the Bolshevik leadership towards them, as well as the formation and functioning of Soviet and party bodies in areas with high concentrations of Germans. The condition and functioning of German farms largely depended on the extraordinary revolutionary economic measures carried out by the Bolsheviks within the framework of equalizing land use and “war communism”, where the German village was considered as an easily accessible and high-performance source of agricultural resources for the Red Army and the urban population, which resulted in an excessively high economic burden on the colonies and a selective approach to accounting for national the specifics of the economic life of the Germans and their current economic opportunities. German peasants mostly negatively perceived post-revolutionary innovations, and service in Soviet and party bodies was used as a tool to protect and promote their personal economic interests and to protect them from possible repressive measures.

Real-World Impact of Robotic-Assisted Bronchoscopy on the Staging and Diagnosis of Lung Cancer: The Shape of Current and Potential Opportunities.

The approach to peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPL) has been evolving continuously. Advanced bronchoscopic navigational techniques have improved the airway-based approaches to these lesions. Robotic Assisted Bronchoscopy (RAB) can be considered the current pinnacle of this evolution; allowing for a safer approach to sampling lesions previously considered outside of bronchoscopic reach. We present a comprehensive review of the changing epidemiology of lung cancer and the importance of early tissue sampling, the evolution of sampling and navigational bronchoscopic techniques, technical considerations and evidence pertaining to the use of RAB, and adjunct techniques in the diagnosis of lung cancer. Complications and future applications of RAB are also discussed.

Integrating forest structural diversity measurement into ecological research

AbstractThe measurement of forest structure has evolved steadily due to advances in technology, methodology, and theory. Such advances have greatly increased our capacity to describe key forest structural elements and resulted in a range of measurement approaches from traditional analog tools such as measurement tapes to highly derived and computationally intensive methods such as advanced remote sensing tools (e.g., lidar, radar). This assortment of measurement approaches results in structural metrics unique to each method, with the caveat that metrics may be biased or constrained by the measurement approach taken. While forest structural diversity (FSD) metrics foster novel research opportunities, understanding how they are measured or derived, limitations of the measurement approach taken, as well as their biological interpretation is crucial for proper application. We review the measurement of forest structure and structural diversity—an umbrella term that includes quantification of the distribution of functional and biotic components of forests. We consider how and where these approaches can be used, the role of technology in measuring structure, how measurement impacts extend beyond research, and current limitations and potential opportunities for future research.

Current and Future Opportunities for 3D Printing in Modern Board Games

Additive manufacturing (3D printing) is a set of disruptive technologies where parts are no longer produced by removing material until the desired form is achieved, but rather build the intended product layer by layer. With significant benefits in the efficient use of resources, optimizing performance, and allowing individual customization of each print, 3D printing techniques have been more widely adopted worldwide, and modern board games are no exception. However, until now its use is mostly hobbyists creating and sharing 3D models for improving player experience in two aspects: customization (upgrade) of game components, and solutions for organization/setup/logistics. Nevertheless, 3D printing opens opportunities also for game designers/developers and publishers. This paper presents a glimpse of the current use of 3D printing in modern board games and discusses opportunities for the future, highlighting how both players and professionals can take advantage of this technology.

A REVIEW ON HERBAL MEDICINE IN INDIA: CURRENT MARKET TRENDS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Herbal medicines have been integral to India's traditional health care systems, especially Ayurveda, for centuries. In recent years, there has been a significant resurgence of interest in herbal medicine both domestically and globally, driven by the growing demand for natural and alternative healthcare solutions. In this study, we are trying to analyse the current market trends and opportunities in India's herbal medicine field. This study aims to have a preliminary understanding of the Indian herbal medicine market, market size, growth prospects, key players, and regulatory framework and also highlights the significant efforts of government ministries towards promoting the Herbal medicine market in India and Abroad. By analysing market trends and consumer preferences, this study offers valuable insights for entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers looking to tap into the potential of herbal medicine in India.