Ambiguity In Definition Research Articles

Liquid biopsy-based technologies: a promising tool for biomarker identification in her2-low breast cancer patients for improved therapeutic outcomes

The molecular classification of breast cancer plays a pivotal role in developing personalized treatment strategies, with the aim of improving therapeutic outcomes. Despite significant advancements, current diagnostic workflows are hindered by several challenges, including pre-analytical variability, interpretive ambiguity, and inconsistencies in threshold definitions, particularly in cases involving human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-low breast cancer. In this context, liquid biopsy technologies have emerged as promising tools for refining breast cancer diagnostics. Techniques such as circulating tumor DNA and circulating tumor cell analysis provide a non-invasive approach to assessing tumor-associated biomarkers. These methodologies are particularly advantageous for analyzing low-abundance materials, such as formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples and liquid biopsies, thus enhancing the precision of molecular classification and informing more targeted therapeutic decisions for breast cancer patients. This review aims to explore the potential of liquid biopsy in addressing the limitations of current diagnostic practices, with a specific focus on its application in HER2-low breast cancer. Furthermore, it advocates for a transition toward high-throughput RNA-based screening and quantification, which may address critical unmet clinical needs.

Coherence in Chemistry: Foundations and Frontiers.

Coherence refers to correlations in waves. Because matter has a wave-particle nature, it is unsurprising that coherence has deep connections with the most contemporary issues in chemistry research (e.g., energy harvesting, femtosecond spectroscopy, molecular qubits and more). But what does the word "coherence" really mean in the context of molecules and other quantum systems? We provide a review of key concepts, definitions, and methodologies, surrounding coherence phenomena in chemistry, and we describe how the terms "coherence" and "quantum coherence" refer to many different phenomena in chemistry. Moreover, we show how these notions are related to the concept of an interference pattern. Coherence phenomena are indeed complex, and ambiguous definitions may spawn confusion. By describing the many definitions and contexts for coherence in the molecular sciences, we aim to enhance understanding and communication in this broad and active area of chemistry.

Partnering in construction re-visited: gauging progress in industry practice and prospects for advances in academic research

Despite the ubiquity of partnering and alliancing in industry discourse and academic research, questions remain about the extent of transformational change within the sector towards more collaborative working. Revisiting earlier work that highlighted issues, problems and dilemmas of partnering related to definitional ambiguities, conflicting (commercial) orientations and cultural reach and readiness, this paper highlights continuing problems of definition, formalization, translation and performance. Attention is directed towards the lack of external validation and institutionalization, as well as the need for more comparative analysis, situated understanding, awareness of organizational pluralism and recognition of relational dynamics. From this critical review, a framework is presented that embraces the variety and indeterminacy in the many definitions, pathways to collaboration, realizations in practice and evaluative recipes used. Partnering is presented instead as being constituted through complex and interacting bundles of practices that cut across levels of interaction, and which reflect competing (and contested) institutional influences, situated practices, outcomes/effects and performance evaluations. This practice-based approach is more attuned to the diversity and fluidity of the institutional contexts, organizational processes, and project/programme settings wherein partnering is situated and through which it is instantiated, and thus affords new avenues of research into its nature and effects.

Clinical benchmark dataset for AI accuracy analysis: quantifying radiographic annotation of pelvic tilt

Radiographic landmark annotation determines patients’ anatomical parameters and influences diagnoses. However, challenges arise from ambiguous region-based definitions, human error, and image quality variations, potentially compromising patient care. Additionally, AI landmark localization often presents its predictions in a probability-based heatmap format, which lacks a corresponding clinical standard for accuracy validation. This Data Descriptor presents a clinical benchmark dataset for pelvic tilt landmarks, gathered through a probabilistic approach to measure annotation accuracy within clinical environments. A retrospective analysis of 115 pelvic sagittal radiographs was conducted for annotating pelvic tilt parameters by five annotators, revealing landmark cloud sizes of 6.04 mm-17.90 mm at a 95% dataset threshold, corresponding to 9.51°–16.55° maximum angular disagreement in clinical settings. The outcome provides a quantified point cloud dataset for each landmark corresponding to different probabilities, which enables assessment of directional annotation distribution and parameter-wise impact, providing clinical benchmarks. The data is readily reusable for AI studies analyzing the same landmarks, and the method can be easily replicated for establishing clinical accuracy benchmarks of other landmarks.

Ruin-of-the-rivers? A global review of run-of-the-river dams.

The classification of a hydropower scheme as run-of-the-river (or run-of-river; ROR) evokes an image of a low-impact installation; however, examination of eight case studies worldwide shows that substantial negative societal and ecological impacts are tied to them, albeit in somewhat different ways. We conclude that ROR dams not only potentially displace communities, disrupt livelihoods, and degrade environments in surrounding areas, but they also divert water from areas of need, impact aquatic ecology through habitat destruction and disruption of fish migrations, emit non-trivial amounts of greenhouse gases over the lifespan of the project, and disrupt streamflow in downstream river sections. While these negative impacts vary on a case-by-case basis, medium and large ROR dams consistently have multiple and cumulative impacts, even when not having appreciable reservoirs. We contend that many impactful dams do not qualify as low-impact ROR projects, despite being defined as such. Such mislabeling is facilitated in part by the ambiguous definition of the term, which risks the ROR concept being used by proponents of impactful structures to downplay their negative effects and thus mislead the public or gain status, including within the Clean Development Mechanism in relation to mitigating climate change.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of endoscopy among gastroenterologists in diagnosis and management of inflammatory bowel disease in China: a multicenter cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe aim was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) of endoscopy among gastroenterologists in the diagnosis and management of IBD in China.MethodsA multicenter cross-sectional KAP study was performed. The questionnaire was developed and improved using feedback and opinions from a team of experienced IBD specialist professors and then distributed and collected online. In addition, eight fellow gastroenterologists participated in an IBD endoscopy training program were asked to review endoscopic images, and the consistency of the endoscopic scores before and after training was calculated.ResultsA total of 193 participants from 12 provincial-level administrative regions encompassing both the Northern and Southern parts of China completed the study questionnaire. The median age of the participants was 40 (36, 45) years, with the majority being female (70.5%). The median professional experience as gastroenterologists was 11 (7, 17) years, while the median experience as endoscopists was 8 (3, 15) years. The median knowledge score was 8 out of 10 points for single-choice questions; however, most gastroenterologists believed that some concepts in these endoscopic indices were vague, including those regarding deep ulcerations, ulcerated surfaces, affected surfaces and narrowing in open-answer questions. The UCEIS and SES-CD were considered most consistent with clinical activity score in the evaluation of UC and CD, respectively. IBD subspecialists and gastroenterologists who had previously received IBD endoscopy screening training were more likely to use endoscopic indices (p<0.001, p = 0.029, respectively). The Rutgeerts score demonstrated the most significant improvement in consistency before and after training, from 0.407 (95% CI: 0.025–0.999) to 0.909 (95% CI: 0.530–1.000).ConclusionsWe propose the elucidation of ambiguous definitions in endoscopic indices, enhancement of training, and the application of innovative technology to enhance the application of endoscopic evaluation and endoscopic indices in clinical practice.

To the problem of defining and distinguishing the definitions of "information security" and "cyber security"

The article is devoted to the problem of definition and comparison of definitions, in particular in the context of information and cyber security. The main emphasis is placed on the analysis of existing scientific approaches to the definition of these concepts, with the aim of identifying common and distinctive features between them. Different interpretations of terms in domestic and international scientific literature are studied, paying attention to their development in connection with modern challenges in the information space. Taking into account the different approaches to the definition of the terms «information security» and «cyber security» available both in science and in practice, this study compares domestic and international definitions, analyzes legislative and scientific literature, taking into account the impact of new technologies on the formation of modern definitions in the field information security. The main attention is paid to methodological approaches to the construction of definitions, their accuracy, comprehensibility and applicability in different contexts. Emphasis is placed on the need to agree on a terminology that would adequately reflect the modern challenges and risks that the state faces in the field of information and cyber security. The importance of a clear demarcation of concepts for effective legal regulation and practical application is also emphasized, emphasis is placed on the need to unify terminology and the development of standards for the construction of clear and unambiguous definitions, attention is drawn to the importance of an interdisciplinary approach in the process of creating definitions, which allows taking into account the specifics of various scientific areas. The novelty of the work lies in a comprehensive approach to the analysis of definitions, which makes it possible not only to identify key differences and similarities between different interpretations, but also to offer recommendations for their improvement. Having analyzed examples from various fields, demonstrating how ambiguous or incorrect definitions can lead to misunderstandings and errors in scientific research and practical application, the author offers his own methodology for assessing the quality of these definitions, which can be used to improve scientific communication and increase the accuracy of terminology, in the author’s vision of the definitions of «information security» and «cyber security» is published for the first time in the article, taking into account the security component and interdisciplinary nature. This makes the article an important contribution to the scientific debate on the development of terminology in the field of information and cyber security. The main aspects of the article are the analysis of different approaches to the definition of information and cyber security, the comparison of definitions by national and international researchers, the proposal of new, integrated approaches to understanding these concepts, and the discussion of practical aspects of the application of these definitions in the field of national security.

Challenges and Approaches in the Study of Neural Entrainment.

When exposed to rhythmic stimulation, the human brain displays rhythmic activity across sensory modalities and regions. Given the ubiquity of this phenomenon, how sensory rhythms are transformed into neural rhythms remains surprisingly inconclusive. An influential model posits that endogenous oscillations entrain to external rhythms, thereby encoding environmental dynamics and shaping perception. However, research on neural entrainment faces multiple challenges, from ambiguous definitions to methodological difficulties when endogenous oscillations need to be identified and disentangled from other stimulus-related mechanisms that can lead to similar phase-locked responses. Yet, recent years have seen novel approaches to overcome these challenges, including computational modeling, insights from dynamical systems theory, sophisticated stimulus designs, and study of neuropsychological impairments. This review outlines key challenges in neural entrainment research, delineates state-of-the-art approaches, and integrates findings from human and animal neurophysiology to provide a broad perspective on the usefulness, validity, and constraints of oscillatory models in brain-environment interaction.

Laws and Issues in Protecting Children from Sexual Exploitation: A Case Study in Thailand

Today, violations of children’s rights have become more intense and have taken on new forms. Child protection laws provide a legal framework designed to shield children from harm and abuse, especially sexual abuse. These laws define the rights and responsibilities of parents, the state, and others involved with children. The objectives of this research are 1) to study the legal measures regarding child protection laws and issues related to the sexual exploitation of children in Thailand, compared to international and foreign laws, and 2) to explore ways to amend and improve Thai laws on child protection from sexual exploitation of children in Thailand to align with international standards. The study found that significant child protection laws in Thailand include: 1) the Child Protection Act, B.E. 2546 (2003), 2) the Anti-Human Trafficking Act, B.E. 2551 (2008), and 3) the Domestic Violence Victims Protection Act, B.E. 2550 (2007). However, due to various factors and ambiguous definitions, the child protection laws have not fully achieved their objectives, allowing offenders to receive lighter punishments. Therefore, this article examines ways to amend and improve Thai child protection laws regarding sexual exploitation of children to be consistent with international law. The recommendations on legal action can be divided into three approaches: legal measures and child protection issues regarding sexual exploitation of children, child protection issues from sexual exploitation, and measures to suppress those who sexually exploit children.

Sleep Is a Human Right, and Its Deprivation Is Torture.

Sleep is integral to human health and well-being; it is recognized as a fundamental right by international bodies. Nevertheless, deliberate sleep deprivation is frequently employed as a form of torture, violating the right to health. Legal cases such as LeMaire v Maass, Ireland v UK, and Huertas v Secretary Pennsylvania Dept of Corrections illustrate the varying interpretations of sleep deprivation as torture or cruel and unusual punishment. Ambiguity in domestic and international legal definitions underscores the need for collaboration between health and legal professionals. Clinicians can offer expertise about physiological and psychological consequences of sleep deprivation, which informs what legally counts as torture. This commentary explores the intersection of sleep deprivation, human rights, and the role of medical professionals in addressing, identifying, and preventing sleep deprivation as a means of coercion and abuse.

Optimization of steel plate quality inspection driven by PscSE and SPPFELAN

AbstractBased on the improved YOLOv8n, a steel plate defect detection and recognition method is proposed to address the high labor costs and workload of traditional tasks. SPPFELAN processes inputs in parallel to enhance computational efficiency by executing multiple pooling operations simultaneously. The parallel feature fusion module PscSE, using a mixed‐dimension SE attention mechanism (scSE), captures global and channel‐related information better, improving characterization capability. The EIOU loss function addresses the ambiguous aspect ratio definition of CIOU loss, enhancing detection accuracy and accelerating convergence. Results show the YOLOv8n‐PscSE‐SPPFELAN model achieves 76.9% mAP@0.5 on the Northeastern University steel plate dataset, a 4.6% improvement over the original YOLOv8n, with a computation amount of 7.7 GFLOPs, reducing resource usage and greatly improving detection speed.

Маркетинговый аудит в управлении инновационной деятельностью компании: методология и метрики

In today's complex digital business world, almost every company understands the importance of introducing innovations in the process of operation. At the same time, the issues of diagnosing and assessing the results of the chosen innovative path using a marketing audit remain relevant for the reason that there is simply no ready-made template or algorithm for conducting a marketing audit of a company. The problem is the ambiguous definition of a set of indicators for the marketing audit procedure. The purpose of the work was to determine the importance of conducting a marketing audit in the process of managing an innovative company using the algorithm and metrics of a marketing audit. The methodological basis of the study was a review of scientific works of Russian and foreign authors on the issues of conducting marketing audits and an analysis of the operating features of companies involved in the development and implementation of innovations. The specific features of managing an innovative company were identified, and the methodological and methodological problems of conducting a marketing audit of an innovative company were identified. The results of the study showed that the approaches existing in foreign and domestic literature that describe the process and mechanics of conducting a marketing audit are fragmentary. The work proposed its own algorithm for conducting a marketing audit, and identified a set of additional quantitative indicators (metrics) for a more complete and comprehensive procedure for conducting a marketing audit for managing the innovative activities of a company operating in conditions of uncertainty, risks and competition. The article substantiated the importance and relevance of introducing a marketing audit algorithm. The results of the study can be used by innovative companies when conducting a marketing audit procedure.

Governmental Policies and Sustainable Outcomes in EU: How Innovations Change the Game?

Environmental degradation is one of the main challenges in today's world. Impact on the environment can be reduced through the introduction of clean and more efficient technologies. And innovation plays a crucial role in this process by replacing old equipment and methods. There are different ways how researchers understand sustainable innovations and sustainable innovation ecosystems. The terms "sustainable" and "sustainable development" have become very widely used in recent years. Sustainability is crucially important for the development of regions and national economies. Existing literature on the topic of sustainable innovation ecosystems includes vague and ambiguous definitions of sustainable innovation, as well as ways to measure it. A number of studies analyse the impact of different factors on conventional innovations and eco-innovations. However, not enough research has been done on the effects of innovations on all three dimensions of sustainable innovations, which are economic, environmental, and social. The aim of the article is to define whether governmental policies that promote innovation and sustainable development lead to environmental, social, and economic improvements in the EU countries. Our study uses the Eurostat data for 27 European Union countries. The literature review will include studies on sustainable innovation ecosystems. In the second chapter, we will describe the sustainable innovation ecosystems and ways to measure the sustainable outcomes of innovations. We study sustainable innovation ecosystems on a national level. We use partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to determine the influence of governmental policies on sustainable outcomes, with product and process innovation as mediating variables. Under sustainable outcomes, we mean the economic, social, and environmental improvements on a national scale. The analysis is based on applying a quantitative method with empirical data using SmartPLS software. The results demonstrated a significant direct impact of governmental policies on innovation, as well as on environmental and social outcomes. However, they showed no indirect impacts connected to innovations. The results contribute to the current state of knowledge on sustainable innovation ecosystems and give policymakers valuable insights on factors that influence such ecosystems.

Fuzzy deep visual panic detection

Deep visual data analysis from social network has become an increasingly important area of research. In fact, this form of assessment makes it viable to recognize new information on social users which incorporates emotions. In order to recognize users’ emotions and other latent attributes, most of the existing approaches have used textual data and have obtained accurate results. However, little attention has been paid to visual data that have become increasingly popular in recent years.This work describes how to develop a conceptual representation model for social network analysis and social emotion analysis based on the integration of fuzzy logic and ontological modeling. The primary aim is to create an ontology that can extract new information about a social user’s mood, which can be classified as panic, no-panic, or neutral. Fuzzy logic is necessary to deal with subjective data, as users share imprecise and vague data on their social profiles. Fuzzy logic has been observed as a successful method to capture the expression of emotions due to the fuzzy nature of emotions and the ambiguous definitions of emotion words. The proposed work investigate the role of fuzzy logic in social network analysis. This study simulate a fuzzy deep system integrated with ontology for classifying social visual data (shared images) into panic, no-panic or neutral classes in order to determine the social users’ stress intensity. The Social distancing and the huge amount of shared data in Tunisia were calculated to demonstrate this classification. The experiments performed in this paper aim to create not only a novel annotated visual database named visual panic database, but also a new semantic model for modeling users’ profiles, in social network, based on the combination between ontology and deep learning techniques. In this context, we will work in the future on the combination between a user’s visual and textual data in order to improve the performance of this recognition. The proposed fuzzy system reflected the viral proliferation in stressed users and achieved an accuracy of 87%.

"It's all about setting the stage." The nurse facilitator trial: perceived outcomes and implementation issues. A qualitative study among ICU clinicians and nurse facilitators.

For the first time in France, a randomised controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the impact of a nurse facilitator on family psychological symptoms. We sought to explore the implementation of the intervention, how it was experienced by clinicians, as well as the barriers and facilitators to implementing the change. We conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews with intensive care unit (ICU) clinicians and facilitators involved in the trial. Interview questions focused on participants' perceptions of the intervention and its outcomes, including the effect of the intervention on patients, families and the health care team, and barriers and facilitators to its implementation. Interviews were conducted by two social science researchers, audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic content analysis. Twenty-three clinicians were interviewed from the five participating ICUs. Three themes emerged, capturing clinicians' perspectives on implementing the intervention: (1) improved communication and enhanced care for families and the ICU team, albeit with some associated risks; (2) active listening and support, both for families and ICU clinicians but with certain limitations; (3) barriers to implementation including lack of organizational readiness, exclusion of under-represented groups, and facilitator challenges including role ambiguity and the need for role support. Participants believed the facilitator intervention potentially improved families' experience. However, they also highlighted emotional difficulties and tensions with some members of the participating teams, due to competing territories and ambiguous role definitions. Facilitators' failure to affect decision-making suggests their role in enhancing goal-concordant care was inadequate within the setting.

Dissecting Putin’s regime ideology

ABSTRACT Does the Putin regime have an ideology? This question has attracted renewed attention since Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Some scholars claim that the war is directly linked to the Putin regime’s ideological aspirations to restore Russia’s greatness and challenge the West internationally, while others argue that contemporary regimes in the “Putinist mold” have limited need for ideology and use wars instrumentally for survival purposes rather than messianic aspirations. In this paper we will, first, review arguments pro and contra ideology under the Putin regime and identify existing gaps in such literature: definitional ambiguity, conflation of concepts of totalitarianism and ideology, overfocusing on ideal types of ideology, and so forth. Second, we will offer operationalizable metrics against which the ideology is measured: coherence of ideological repertoire, temporal consistency, elite commitment, codification, indoctrination, internalization, and futuristic vision. This paper finds that the current Putin regime checks most of the ideological boxes (even if it has not necessarily always been the case historically). Lastly, we will conclude by discussing the implications of our findings to the analysis of contemporary autocracies.

The Search for Consistency in Residual Symptoms in Major Depressive Disorder: A Narrative Review.

Residual symptoms are prevalent in major depressive disorder (MDD), encompassing a wide spectrum of symptoms such as sleep disturbances, changes in weight and appetite, cognitive impairment, and anxiety. These symptoms consistently impair daily functioning, diminish quality of life, and forecast disease relapse. Despite their clinical significance, residual symptoms lack a unified definition, potentially leading to confusion with treatment-emergent symptoms and ambiguity across studies, thereby hindering the generalizability of research findings. While some research identifies insomnia and mood disturbances as critical indicators, other studies emphasize different symptoms or find no significant correlation. Inconsistencies in defining residual symptoms, as well as methodological differences across studies, contribute to these conflicting results. While clinicians focus on alleviating negative symptoms to improve functional status, patients often prioritize achieving positive affect and overall well-being as essential components of successful treatment. It necessitates a comprehensive approach to patient care in depression. This review explores the phenomenon of residual symptoms in MDD, focusing on the ambiguity in definitions, clinical characteristics, and their impact on long-term outcomes. The lack of a standardized regulatory or academic definition for residual symptoms leads to varied interpretations among clinicians, underscoring the need for standardized terminology to guide effective treatment strategies and future research.

Agritourism liability: why definition matters from a legal and risk management perspective

ABSTRACT This letter aims to illuminate the legal issues and challenges surrounding agritourism liability and agritourism legal definitions, which are overlooked in the tourism literature. By demonstrating a lack of a clear and consistent agritourism definition and its impacts on liability exemption laws in the US, we discuss the legal and industry-wide complications surrounding an ambiguous definition and argue that this ambiguity may discourage agritourism expansion and operation sustainability, lead to inequity among various forms of agritourism businesses, and undermine agritourism visitors’ right.

Knowledge exchange mechanisms: a bibliometric analysis of knowledge exchange literature

ABSTRACT Knowledge exchange, despite its burgeoning presence in literature, often grapples with definitional ambiguities due to its conflation with other knowledge management terminologies. This paper endeavours to elucidate the nuances of knowledge exchange and demarcate its contextual landscapes in existing literature. A co-occurrence of keyword analysis was completed, where 65 keywords with a threshold of 50+ occurrences were analysed. Subsequent literature scrutiny unveiled three pivotal themes: knowledge exchange geared towards assimilating health and science knowledge, the synergy of knowledge among enterprises for innovation and development, and the transposition of research into actionable decision-making and policy formulation. Rooted in these themes, this research posits that knowledge exchange seamlessly dovetails myriad knowledge management processes, spanning creation to application. Notably, this study provides essential insights to differentiate knowledge exchange from other knowledge management terms, laying a foundational reference for future research and offering a valuable compilation of reported knowledge exchange mechanisms for practical testing.

The dimensions of uncertainty and ambiguity in adolescents and young adults' romantic relationships: A systematic review

Contemporary romantic relationships in adolescence and young adulthood no longer follow a linear trajectory but come to be increasingly characterized by high heterogeneity. Social networks have also constituted a new context for interaction, which has given rise to the tendency to enact behaviors characterized by uncertainty and ambiguity. This study aims at providing a framework of the existing literature contributions on the dimensions of relational uncertainty and relational ambiguity in adolescents and young adults' romantic relationships. A state-of-art systematic review was performed on PsycInfo, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Science Direct, adopting the PRISMA statement. Through a qualitative analysis, four themes emerged from the 23 included articles: (a) the definitions of relational uncertainty and relational ambiguity, (b) the impact on the quality of the romantic relationship, (c) communicative and individual outcomes, and (d) coping strategies.