Decisive Step Research Articles

Ethics in Business Research and Innovation. An Institutionalisation Framework

AbstractProgress in Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) has proved to be a decisive step in many institutions, following the guidelines and encouragement of the European Union and academic proposals. One of the dimensions recent studies have considered central for making progress in the practical development of theoretical proposals for RRI is the institutionalisation of reflexivity at the core of the organisations that develop RRI. This is particularly the case with the promotion of processes that facilitate the establishment of ethical standards throughout the research and innovation cycle. This study attempts to deal with discourses about the institutional reflexivity formulated in the past 15 years based on RRI from a critical-ethical point of view. It does so using the business ethics theory of discourse. This analysis shows that, for this institutional reflexivity to be possible, it is necessary to base the RRI model on a critical-ethical horizon and design an ethical governance system that allows its practical development.

Dual Interfacial Design Enables Efficient and Stable Semitransparent Wide‐Bandgap Perovskite Solar Cells With Scalable‐Coated Silver Nanowire Contact for Tandem Applications

ABSTRACTSemitransparent perovskite solar cells (PSCs) hold great potential for applications in aesthetic building facades and top‐illuminated tandem devices. Indium tin oxide is currently the frequently used top transparent contact, which would degrade the underlying perovskites during sputter process. Here, we report low‐temperature, scalable solution‐processed silver nanowires (AgNWs) as top window electrodes for fabricating efficient and stable semitransparent PSCs. As a decisive step, an impermeable SnO2 thin film deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) is applied to prevent chemical reactions between AgNWs and halides of perovskites. In parallel, the molecular absorption of propylenediamine iodine (PDADI) on perovskite surface, instead of forming two‐dimensional (2D) perovskite capping layer, is found to effectively passivate the perovskite surface, which simultaneously leads to remarkably enhanced thermal stability, thus affording the processing window for ALD‐SnO2 deposition. Eventually, the prepared semitransparent PSCs with a bandgap of 1.71 eV achieve a champion efficiency of 17.5%, being the highest efficiency for semitransparent PSCs with AgNWs top contacts. On these bases, we constructed a four‐terminal perovskite/copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) tandem cell, giving a state‐of‐the‐art efficiency of 26.85%.

A joint work package sizing and scheduling problem considering resource constraints with a look-ahead heterogeneous reinforcement learning method

Effective work package sizing and project scheduling are crucial for construction project management. However, existing studies often address them as separate optimisation problems, neglecting the interactive nature of these processes. In practical scenarios with limited resources, there is an increasing demand for integrating work package sizing and project scheduling to enhance project management efficiency. This research aims to bridge this gap by developing an integer non-linear programming model that incorporates work package sizing and project scheduling while considering their interaction within a resource-constrained environment. Moreover, we introduce a novel look-ahead heterogeneous reinforcement learning approach that dynamically adjusts work package sizes and project schedules based on observed information at each decision step. A look-ahead sequential decision mechanism is proposed to effectively address the interdependencies and constraints inherent in the joint model. We extend the heterogeneous agent mirror learning technique to our problem to improve sample efficiency and ensure progressive enhancement of the joint policy. To evaluate our approach's effectiveness, we conduct experiments using datasets of 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 tasks from Rangen and PSPLIB and validate our method in a real-world modular integrated construction project. The experimental results reveal that a joint model integrating work package sizing and project scheduling offers a more comprehensive understanding of their interplay, leading to better resource utilisation and improved project schedules. A comparative analysis against existing state-of-the-art reinforcement learning and priority rule-based methods further substantiates the superior effectiveness of our proposed approach, yielding an approximate 5% reduction in total project cost.

Roughness of Fuzzy Sets by Binary Relations Induced from Soft Relations with Application in Decision Making

Abstract Binary relations are significant in mathematics and information sciences. Meanwhile, fuzzy set (FS), rough set (RSs) and soft set (SS) are efficient mathematical schemes for dealing with uncertain and vague information in real-world circumstances. This article explores rough approximations of a FS based on induced binary relations from a soft relation that are given in terms of foresets and aftersets. Initially, two pairs of rough approximations founded on induced binary relations are analyzed, and their distinctive features are reviewed. In addition, two variants of fuzzy topologies are constructed by induced reflexive relations. Meanwhile, several similarity relations associated with induced reflexive relations are also discussed. Also, we outline a method to decision-making (DM) within the invented approach. The decision steps and the algorithms of the decision method are also specified. The legitimacy of the decision method is verified by a practical illustration. A detailed comparative analysis further authenticates the viability and efficacy of the projected method over existing decision-making techniques.

Practical tips for starting a successful national postgraduate course

Background Few start national courses, and those that do usually do it once. The aim of this paper is to outline an approach to conduct a successful national postgraduate course. Methods The practical tips were derived from personal experience. Results The 12 tips identified are: define learning needs and curriculum, create a functioning structure, recruit a committed faculty, obtain legitimacy, promote your course, try out the concept, establish administrative support, use modern techniques and accessories, create course-related social activities, keep all on board, collect ongoing evaluation, and stay in control. Conclusion It is hoped that these tips will make it easier for others to take the decisive first step in the exciting task of starting a national course; that is: ‘to know the road ahead - ask those coming back’.

Diagnosing Necrotizing Enterocolitis via Fine-Grained Visual Classification.

Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating condition affecting prematurely born neonates. Reviewing Abdominal X-rays (AXRs) is a key step in NEC diagnosis, staging and treatment decision-making, but poses significant challenges due to the subtle, difficult-to-identify radiological signs of the disease. In this paper, we propose AIDNEC - AI Diagnosis of NECrotizing enterocolitis, a deep learning method to automatically detect and stratify the severity (surgical or medical) of NEC from no pathology in AXRs. The model is trainable end-to-end and integrates a Detection Transformer and Graph Convolution modules for localizing discriminative areas in AXRs, used to formulate subtle local embeddings. These are then combined with global image features to perform Fine-Grained Visual Classification (FGVC). We evaluate AIDNEC on our GOSH NEC dataset of 1153 images from 334 patients, achieving 79.7% accuracy in classifying NEC against No Pathology. AIDNEC outperforms the backbone by 2.6%, FGVC models by 2.5% and CheXNet by 4.2%, with statistically significant (two-tailed p 0.05) improvements, while providing meaningful discriminative regions to support the classification decision. Additional validation in the publicly available Chest X-ray14 dataset yields comparable performance to state-of-the-art methods, illustrating AIDNEC's robustness in a different X-ray classification task.

Molecular Engineering L-Aspartate-Alpha-Decarboxylase to Enhance Catalytic Stability and Performance.

L-aspartate-alpha-decarboxylase (ADC) catalyzes the decarboxylation of L-aspartate to produce β-alanine, which is the decisive step in the biosynthesis of β-alanine. However, the low catalytic stability and efficiency of ADC limit its industrial applications. In this study, a variant of ADC from Bacillus subtilis were used as a starting point for engineering. After constructing a random mutagenesis library by error-prone PCR, followed by high-throughput screening,four substitutions (S7 N, K63 N, A99T, and K113R) were identified. By screening saturation mutagenesis libraries on these positions and computational analysis, two recombined variants N3(S7 N/K63 N/I88 M/A99E/K113R/I126*) and Y1(S7Y/K63 N/I88 M/A99E/K113R/I126*) with improved performance were obtained. Compared to the wild type, the catalytic efficiency and catalytic stability of the best two variants were enhanced up to 95 %(variant N3) and up to 89 %(variant Y1), respectively. In addition, Y1 exhibited 3.37 times improved half-life and 2-fold improved total turnover number. Hydrophilicity analysis and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation revealed that the increased hydrophilicity and steric hindrance of key amino acid residues would affect the catalytic activity and stability. The improved catalytic performance of the variants could be attributed to their enhanced binding capacity to the substrate within the active pocket and the alleviation of mechanism-based inactivation.

Dilute Pd−Ni Alloy through Low‐temperature Pyrolysis for Enhanced Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Oxidation

AbstractDesigning highly active and cost‐effective electrocatalysts for the alkaline hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) is critical for advancing anion‐exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs). While dilute metal alloys have demonstrated substantial potential in enhancing alkaline HOR performance, there has been limited exploration in terms of rational design, controllable synthesis, and mechanism study. Herein, we developed a series of dilute Pd−Ni alloys, denoted as x% Pd−Ni, based on a trace‐Pd decorated Ni‐based coordination polymer through a facile low‐temperature pyrolysis approach. The x% Pd−Ni alloys exhibit efficient electrocatalytic activity for HOR in alkaline media. Notably, the optimal 0.5 % Pd−Ni catalyst demonstrates high intrinsic activity with an exchange current density of 0.055 mA cm−2, surpassing that of many other alkaline HOR catalysts. The mechanism study reveals that the strong synergy between Pd single atoms (SAs)/Pd dimer and Ni substrate can modulate the binding strength of proton (H)/hydroxyl (OH), thereby significantly reducing the activation energy barrier of a decisive reaction step. This work offers new insights into designing advanced dilute metal or single‐atom‐alloys (SAAs) for alkaline HOR and potentially other energy conversion processes.

Dilute Pd-Ni Alloy through Low-temperature Pyrolysis for Enhanced Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Oxidation.

Designing highly active and cost-effective electrocatalysts for the alkaline hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) is critical for advancing anion-exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs). While dilute metal alloys have demonstrated substantial potential in enhancing alkaline HOR performance, there has been limited exploration in terms of rational design, controllable synthesis, and mechanism study. Herein, we developed a series of dilute Pd-Ni alloys, denoted as x% Pd-Ni, based on a trace-Pd decorated Ni-based coordination polymer through a facile low-temperature pyrolysis approach. The x% Pd-Ni alloys exhibit efficient electrocatalytic activity for HOR in alkaline media. Notably, the optimal 0.5 % Pd-Ni catalyst demonstrates high intrinsic activity with an exchange current density of 0.055 mA cm-2, surpassing that of many other alkaline HOR catalysts. The mechanism study reveals that the strong synergy between Pd single atoms (SAs)/Pd dimer and Ni substrate can modulate the binding strength of proton (H)/hydroxyl (OH), thereby significantly reducing the activation energy barrier of a decisive reaction step. This work offers new insights into designing advanced dilute metal or single-atom-alloys (SAAs) for alkaline HOR and potentially other energy conversion processes.

Can food sovereignty be institutionalised? Insights from the Cuban experience

AbstractCuba stands out among Latin American nations for its efforts to institutionalize food sovereignty (FS) through the promotion of alternative small‐scale farming, making it a prime case study for this model. This paper examines the extent to which Cuba has institutionalized FS and the factors driving this process from an agrarian political economy perspective. Public policies, sustainable practices and key actors—including a ‘partner state’—have advanced agroecology as a core strategy to reduce food imports since the early 1990s. However, other entities, such as the military enterprise Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A. (GAESA), may be seen as obstacles to this strategy. Whilst these struggles and tensions are not unique to Cuba, the island stands out for its decisive steps in institutionalizing FS. Cuba has achieved significant ‘pockets’ or ‘spaces’ of FS, despite lacking a fully consolidated domestic food system.

Historical Traditions and Values as Foundation of the Russian Legal System

The amendments in 2020 to the Constitution of the Russian Federation of 1993 were a decisive step towards strengthening sovereignty in the international arena and the reception in the Russian Federation of historical traditions and value attitudes characteristic of Russia in any historical form of its statehood. The unity of state ideology, which is directly prohibited in the chapter «Fundamentals of the Constitutional System» of the Basic Law of Russia, has become the subject of special attention of the developers of the text of constitutional novels due to the impossibility of amending chapters 1, 2 and 9. Additions and changes made to chapters 3‑8 positively influenced and significantly softened Art. 13 (part 3), but did not completely eliminate the problems and contradictions between constitutional norms and the objective need to restore the ideological sphere in the Russian state, before the growing aggressive expansion of alien values imposed by a number of unfriendly countries. The discourse taking place in the scientific community and at all levels of public power in the state on the issue of the invariability of chapters 1, 2 and 9 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation leads to the idea of the advisability of revising the current constitutional act in the future. At the present stage, positive prospects are noted in solving ideological, socio-economic, geopolitical and other problems, as well as developing an effective strategy in the field of national security of the Russian Federation, which is greatly facilitated by the updated and improved Constitution of the Russian Federation in 2020.

Study on Predictive Modeling for Loan Approval

In the financial business, authorizing a loan is a critical decision-making step that often necessitates a human review of applicants' financial information and credit history. However, as massive datasets become more readily available and computing technology advances, machine learning approaches will become more powerful tools for improving the precision and effectiveness of loan approval processes. This study investigates the use of machine learning techniques combined with predictive modeling to automate and optimize loan approval processes. Multiple algorithms analyze crucial features such as job status, credit score, income, and loan amount to determine if a loan will be accepted or rejected. These approaches include logistic regression, decision trees, random forests, and neural networks. The goal of the research is to create an automated loan approval system.

Boosting OER activity of Fe-N Moieties via Ni induced d-Orbital Tailoring for durable rechargeable Zn-Air batteries

Fe-N-C-based catalysts are considered the most promising Pt candidates due to their high oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity and low cost, whereas their oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance is extremely poor due to the sluggish O-O coupling process, which hampers the practical application of rechargeable zinc-air batteries. Here, we in situ infiltrate Ni and Fe ions into metal triazolidine (MET)-derived N-doped porous carbon via a microporous confinement-pyrolysis strategy to enhance the OER activity of the Fe-N sites. The introduction of Ni induced the electronic delocalization of Fe atoms at the Fe-N center, which lowered the adsorption energy barriers for the decisive velocity step (O*→OOH*), thus accelerating the O-O bond coupling and OER kinetics. In addition, the preferential formation of NiOOH at high OER potentials ensures the catalytic stability of zinc-air batteries by trapping Fe ions escaping from carbon corrosion to form FeOOH. The optimized catalyst (FeNi-NC) has an overpotential of only 351 mV at a current density of 50 mA cm−2 under alkaline conditions. More importantly, the assembled ZABs can be stably charged and discharged for more than 500 h at 10 mA cm−2, demonstrating excellent battery charging and discharging stability. This work shows the great potential of strong electronic interactions between polymetals to improve Fe-N-C catalysts.

Chiral Peropyrene by Selective Dimerization of Phenalenyl.

Two aryl substituted phenalenyl derivatives were synthesized, providing an opportunity to study the steric effects on selectivity of phenalenyl dimerization. Owing to σ-dimerization serving as the decisive step in phenalenyl-peropyrene transformation, a chiral peropyrene compound was generated by dimerization of triarylphenalenyl, while tetraarylphenalenyl did not afford any dimerized product. The structure and properties of chiral peropyrene were elaborated. Our study showcases that phenalenyl dimerization could function as a useful tool to synthesize fascinating π-conjugated hydrocarbons.

In Vitro Rooting of <em>Gyrinops walla</em> in Activated Charcoal-Containing Semi-Solid Culture and Filter Paper-Bridged Liquid Culture Systems

Plant tissue culture is the best option in producing planting material for cultivation programmes of Gyrinops walla. Perfection of in vitro rooting protocol for this species is the most decisive step in micropropagation. In the present study the effect of physical state of substrate, different concentrations of sucrose, IBA and NAA in media containing activated charcoal on in vitro rooting was investigated. In experiment-1, 0.2% (w/v) activated charcoal was added in to the ½ MS medium fortified with 30 or 40 g/L sucrose and varying concentrations of IBA or NAA (0, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mg/L). In experiment-2, filter paper-bridged liquid medium was used with 40 g/L sugar and varying concentrations of IBA or NAA (0, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mg/L). The treatments were arranged in completely randomized design with three replicates. Percentage of rooted microshoots and number of roots per shoot were recorded. The ½ MS semi-solid medium with 0.2% activated charcoal, 40 g/L sucrose and 0.1 mg/L NAA resulted in the significantly highest rooting percentage (50%)while the significantly highest number of roots (6.0) were noted in ½ MS charcoal added (0.2%) basal medium with 40 g/L sucrose and 0.5 mg/L NAA. Shoots supported with filter paper bridge on ½ MS liquid medium, supplemented with 0.5 mg/L IBA, had the highest rooting percentage (66.7%) and the highest mean number of roots per shoot (3.0) (P<0.05). Results confirmed that in vitro rooting of G. walla could be perfected by optimizing the culture medium and its constituents.

The First Step in Triadic Decision-Making Involving People with Dementia: Determining Who Talks When

ABSTRACT Everyone should have the opportunity to participate in decisions about their health, including people living with dementia. People with dementia typically bring a companion to medical appointments, so most care decisions are made in interactions involving three parties. To make decisions about their care, patients with dementia must have the opportunity to take a turn-at-talk in conversations where decisions are made. However, negotiating who speaks next in triadic talk is a complex task, especially when dementia-associated language and/or memory problems impact communication. Findings show that using second person (“you”) pronouns assist people with dementia in responding to queries, yet third person (“she/he”) can exclude them from the interaction, although this near-canonical pronoun use can be overridden by sequential placement, gesture, and gaze. We also demonstrate how midturn pronoun switching often only provides for tokenistic inclusion, though this again is dependent on sequential placement and embodied interaction. Data are in English.

Re-classification of Small Industrial Enterprises as An Approach to the Development of ‎the Small Business Sector in Iraq

Objectives: This study aims to analyze the impact of the reclassification of small industrial enterprises on the development of the small business sector in Iraq. It seeks to identify the current gaps in the current classification system and propose a new framework that considers the challenges facing these enterprises and contributes to enhancing their competitiveness. Methods: The study adopted the inductive approach to prove the importance of reclassifying industrial projects in Iraq and developing the industrial sector. The clarity of the nature of the industrial structure and its classifications according to a new perspective of classifying the project sizes of the industrial sector is an entry point for the reform of the private industrial sector. Results: The study found that the applied classification of industrial projects, whether small or medium, is not compatible with what is prevailing internationally by adopting it only within small and micro enterprises, which led to a weakness in the industrial performance of the private sector compared to its counterpart in neighboring countries and globally. Conclusion: The reclassification of small industrial enterprises represents a decisive step towards the development of the small business sector in Iraq. It contributes to creating a more sustainable business environment as well as contributing to coordination between the private sector and financial institutions under government supervision and support to attract private sector investments inside the country.

THE NATIONAL BUILDING POLICY IN KAZAKHSTAN: CIVIC OR ETHNOSOCIAL IDENTITY?

This study demonstrates how Kazakhstan, once entangled in the complex interaction between tradition and the challenges of modernity, is now actively shaping its national identity. Against the backdrop of the issues surrounding identity politics, nationalism, and post-Soviet transitional processes, this article sheds light on Kazakhstan's decisive steps in creating and exporting a unique national narrative in the realm of state-building. This narrative goes beyond simple adaptation of external models and reflects the country's growing academic and intellectual contribution to the global discourse on national identity formation. The article examines the synthesis of governmental efforts, public knowledge, and practical ideology that underpins the formation of national policy. Special attention is given to the fact that in the post-socialist space, Kazakhstan does not merely adhere to a policy of “de-Sovietization” but also redefines its policy as an expression of sovereign identity and national leadership. The study focuses primarily on the process of «Kazakhization» - a significant paradigm in the post-Soviet context. Unlike other post-Soviet narratives, which tend to criticize or deny history or use it merely as a political tool, the Kazakh approach is aimed at strengthening the multifaceted Kazakhstani identity. In this process, Kazakhstan balances between collective civic identity (Kazakhstani) and ethnonational Kazakh identity (Kazakh), reflecting a conscious departure from the rejection or opposition to the past. Instead, the country seeks to integrate and enhance its unique national essence.

Thermal index parameter investigation of coal–oxygen adsorption during low-temperature oxidation of coal

Oxidative spontaneous combustion is an inherent property of coal. In which, coal oxygen adsorption heat is the decisive speed step of coal spontaneous combustion self-acceleration process, and coal oxygen adsorption heat is closely related to coal pore structure. By utilising an automatic physicochemical adsorption instrument, it was found that the form of pore existence in coal was dominated by mesopores, that the pore structure, oxygen uptake capacity and temperature varied non-linearly, and that pore size was positively correlated with pore volume; Using a self–built air adsorption calorimetric experimental system, it was found that when oxygen was involved in the adsorption reaction, the presence of oxygen would lead to a significant time lag in the adsorption equilibrium. Additionally, the transition temperature of coal adsorption mode has been determined to be 40 °C, shedding light on the mechanism behind the thermal self-accelerating reaction of coal oxygen adsorption; Using the correlation method, it was obtained that the index affecting the physical adsorption heat release is the percentage of mesopore volume in the coal, while the index affecting the chemical adsorption heat release is the pore size. The research findings are anticipated to offer theoretical backing for advancing flame-resistant materials.

Enhancing the efficiency of high-order harmonics with two-color non-collinear wave mixing in silica

The emission of high-order harmonics from solids under intense laser-pulse irradiation is revolutionizing our understanding of strong-field solid-light interactions, while simultaneously opening avenues towards novel, all-solid, coherent, short-wavelength table-top sources with tailored emission profiles and nanoscale light-field control. To date, broadband spectra in solids have been generated well into the extreme-ultraviolet (XUV), but the comparatively low conversion efficiency in the XUV range achieved under optimal conditions still lags behind gas-based high-harmonic generation (HHG) sources. Here, we demonstrate that two-color high-order harmonic wave mixing in a fused silica solid is more efficient than solid HHG driven by a single color. This finding has significant implications for compact XUV sources where gas-based HHG is not feasible, as solid XUV wave mixing surpasses solid-HHG in performance. Moreover, our results enable utilizing solid high-order harmonic wave mixing as a probe of structure or material dynamics of the generating solid, which will enable reducing measurement times compared to the less efficient regular solid HHG. The emission intensity scaling that follows perturbative optical wave mixing, combined with the angular separation of the emitted frequencies, makes our approach a decisive step for all-solid coherent XUV sources and for studying light-engineered materials.