Development Of Best Practices Research Articles

Framework for Assessing Virtualization Maturity of Universities

Purpose: The main purpose of this paper is to discuss universities’ virtualization activities and to propose a framework for assessing the maturity of these actions at any university. Design/methodology/approach: The maturity model has been developed according to the Design Science Research in Information Systems (DSRIS) methodology as outlined by Vaishnavi, Kuechler and Petter (2019). Findings: The main finding in the paper is a new framework called Virtual Index of Maturity (VIM) that can help to measure the current state of universities’ virtualization activities and to plan their future development. The proposed framework includes all areas of their activity: teaching, research and administration and allows for assessing the virtualization maturity of each of them, considering their specificity. Consequently, the overall information on universities’ maturity in the context of virtualization activities is obtained. Such information can be used by university authorities to plan subsequent steps of development. Research limitations/implications: Once published and applied, the proposed framework of the Virtual Maturity Index (VIM) should be evaluated as part of further research, with any necessary corrections as deemed necessary. This should lead to the development of best practice for university managers, researchers and other stakeholders involved in virtualization issues. Originality/value: Our paper provides important contributions to both theory and practice in the area of universities’ virtualization operations. The Virtual Maturity Index (VIM) is a proprietary, original solution.

Sex and Gender Health Educational Tenets: A Report from the 2020 Sex and Gender Health Education Summit.

Background:Sex as a biological variable and gender as a sociocultural variable influence many health conditions and outcomes. However, they have not been incorporated systematically into education across health professions.Methods:Areas of knowledge and abilities that apply to sex and gender education across health professions were summarized from the 2015 and 2018 Sex and Gender Health Education Summits.Results:Using this summary, draft tenets were developed by facilitated interprofessional discussion groups at the 2020 Summit, and then reviewed, edited, and refined by a writing group who recommended four tenets that health care professionals should be able to do: (1) demonstrate knowledge of sex and gender specific health (SGSH), (2) evaluate literature and the conduct of research for incorporation of sex and gender, (3) incorporate sex and gender considerations into clinical decision making, and (4) demonstrate patient advocacy with respect to sex and gender.Conclusion:These tenets provide the framework for collaborative interprofessional education about SGSH. Individual professions can also use the tenets to develop practice-specific competencies, competency statements, and/or assessment benchmarks within the structures of their respective accrediting bodies to advance the health of women, men, and sex and gender minority persons. Interprofessional collaborations are key for sharing best practices in development, curricular integration, and dissemination.

Two Specialists, Two Recommendations: Discordance Between Urologists’ & Radiation Oncologists’ Prostate Cancer Treatment Recommendations

ObjectiveTo examine the treatment recommendation patterns among urologists and radiation oncologists, the level of concordance or discordance between physician recommendations, and the association between physician recommendations and the treatment that patients received. MethodThe study was a secondary analysis of data from a randomized clinical trial conducted November 2010 to April 2014 (NCT02053389). Eligible participants were patients from the trial who saw both specialists. The primary outcome was physician recommendations that were scored using an adapted version of the validated PhyReCS coding system. Secondary outcomes included concordance between physician recommendations and the treatment patients received. ResultsParticipants were 108 patients (Mean age 61.9 years; range 43-82; 87% non-Hispanic White). Urologists were more likely to recommend surgery (79% of recommendations) and radiation oncologists were more likely to recommend radiation (68% of recommendations). Recommendations from the urologists and radiation oncologists were concordant for only 33 patients (30.6%). Most patients received a treatment that both physicians recommended (59%); however, 35% received a treatment that only one of their physicians recommended. When discordant, urologists more often recommended surgery and radiation oncologists recommended radiation and surgery as equally appropriate options. ConclusionUrologists and radiation oncologists are more likely to differ than agree in their treatment recommendations for the same patients with clinically localized prostate cancer and more likely to favor treatment aligned with their specialty. Additional studies are needed to better understand how patients make decisions after meeting with two different specialists to inform the development of best practices within oncology clinics.

Family Interview Evaluation for Organ Donation: Communication of Death and Information About Organ Donation

The aim of this study was to identify variables related to organ donation that can contribute to the development of best practices in planning and conducting family interviews by health professionals. This descriptive and prospective study of quantitative approach was conducted at 2 southern Brazil health institutions referenced in organ donation. Data collection occurred between 2018 and 2019 by health professionals who conduct family interviews using validated instruments that assessed the stages of the interview. Analysis was performed by means of the proportions of the studied variables associated with the donation authorization categories per the χ2 test. The significance level adopted was 0.05. The variables that presented the highest level of significance in the correlation with the prevalence of family authorization for organ donation included the following: communication with the family about the results of each test in the brain death diagnostic protocol; identification of whether the family understood the information about the death; presence of a member of the transplantation commission who had training to communicate information about organ donation; presence of a family member who had power to authorize the donation; and the interval between the communication of death and information about organ donation. The study presents important gaps that can be filled by health teams and hospitals in order to improve the welcoming and respect for families, as well as the organ donation rates. It is important to understand that each family is unique when facing mourning, and to distance the communication of death from the discussion about organ donation is an act of respect and empathy.

Retrospective study to estimate the prevalence of HER2-low breast cancer (BC) and describe its clinicopathological characteristics.

1087 Background: Approximately 50% of BCs traditionally categorized as HER2 negative (HER2-neg) express low levels of HER2 (IHC 1+ or IHC 2+/ISH-; Miglietta, NPJ Breast Cancer 2021). HER2-targeted therapies for HER2-low metastatic BC (mBC) are under investigation (eg, T-DXd in the phase 3 DESTINY-Breast04 study; NCT03734029), but HER2 assays currently used to select patients (pts) for approved anti-HER2 therapies are optimized for high HER2 expression and are not validated for HER2-low detection. A recent study found relatively poor agreement (<70% interrater agreement) in evaluation of IHC scores of 0 and 1+ using current HER2 assays (Fernandez, JAMA Oncol 2022). Our objectives were to assess the prevalence of HER2-low among HER2-neg based on rescored HER2 IHC slides after training on low-end expression scoring and to describe pt characteristics of HER2-low vs HER2 IHC 0 mBC. Preliminary results are reported for 233 of 1000 planned pts. Methods: This multicenter, retrospective study (NCT04807595) included pts with confirmed HER2-neg unresectable/mBC diagnosed between 2015 and 2017. Local laboratories, blinded to historical HER2 scores, rescored HER2 IHC-stained slides. HER2 was assessed using Ventana 4B5 and other assays. BCs were categorized as HER2-low or HER2 IHC 0. The prevalence of HER2-low BC among pts originally scored as HER2-neg was measured. Demographics (eg, age, country, race) and clinicopathological characteristics were examined via medical charts/electronic health records. Concordance between historical HER2 scores and rescores was assessed. Results: HER2 rescores were obtained for 233 pts (mean age, 54 y). HER2-low prevalence was 63.2% overall and numerically greater in hormone receptor (HR)–positive vs HR-negative subgroups (66.1% vs 54.8%; Table). No notable differences in prevalence were seen among different HER2 assays or in demographic/baseline disease characteristics between the HER2-low and HER2 IHC 0 groups. Concordance rate between historical and rescored slides for HER2-status classification was 82.3%. The presentation will include an expanded data set (≈400 pts) with additional results. Conclusions: Data on HER2-low prevalence in BC is limited. Preliminary data from this study of mBC samples suggest a somewhat higher prevalence estimate (≈63%) than a previous study of primary BC samples (≈50%). Concordance was 82%; ongoing analyses with updated data will clarify the concordance between rescored and historical HER2 slides. These data can support development of best practices for identifying pts with HER2-low expression who may benefit from HER2-targeted therapies. Clinical trial information: NCT04807595. [Table: see text]

Safeguarding China’s native trees – A review of integrated conservation practices between 2008 and 2020

As part of an integrated initiative to compile the world’s tree species (GlobalTreeSearch), assess their conservation status (Global Tree Assessment, GTA) and devise practical conservation action for threatened taxa (Global Trees Campaign, GTC), this review provides a synthesis of the collaborative efforts carried out in China under this framework between 2008 and 2020 by the botanic garden community, the forestry sector, other conservation organisations, and Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). Using GlobalTreeSearch and GTA data, the analysis reveals that China boasts some 4886 native tree species of which virtually half, 2429, are endemic to the country. With nearly one in five Chinese tree species threatened, conservation action has been implemented under the umbrella of the GTC for some hundred taxa. This included development of best-practice in propagation, population recovery in situ and creation of ex situ conservation collections as an insurance policy for the future. Although urgency prevails to scale up conservation action for many more species at the brink of extinction, the GTC offers an ecologically more nuanced conceptual framework for application in China’s large-scale tree planting and reforestation efforts. This integrated approach is especially opportune now, at a time when China is reviewing the effectiveness and plans for expansion of its protected area system, but is also compelled to increase forest cover for carbon capture and economic growth. The GTC provides a comprehensive method to ascertain planting the ‘right tree in the right place’, but also ‘for the right purpose at the right time and with the right care’. • Half of the 4886 tree species native to China are endemic to the country. • Nearly 20% of Chinese tree species are threatened with extinction. • Between 2008 and 2020, the Global Trees Campaign has conserved over 100 Chinese tree taxa. • The Global Trees Campaign offers integrated species and habitat recovery in China.

The American Broncho-Esophagological Association Position Statement on Swallowing Fluoroscopy.

To develop an expert consensus statement on the clinical use of swallowing fluoroscopy in adults that reduces practice variation and identifies opportunities for quality improvement in the care of patients suffering from swallowing impairment. A search strategist reviewed data sources (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Science, Scopus) to use as evidence for an expert development group to compose statements focusing on areas of controversy regarding swallowing fluoroscopy. Candidate statements underwent two iterations of a modified Delphi protocol to reach consensus. A total of 2184 publications were identified for title and abstract review with 211 publications meeting the criteria for full text review. Of these, 148 articles were included for review. An additional 116 publications were also included after reviewing the references of the full text publications from the initial search. These 264 references guided the authors to develop 41 candidate statements in various categories. Forty statements encompassing patient selection, fluoroscopic study choice, radiation safety, clinical team dynamics, training requirements, videofluoroscopic swallow study and esophagram techniques, and interpretation of swallowing fluoroscopy met criteria for consensus. One statement on esophagram technique reached near-consensus. These 40 statements pertaining to the comprehensive use of swallowing fluoroscopy in adults can guide the development of best practices, improve quality and safety of care, and influence policy in both the outpatient and inpatient settings. The lack of consensus on some aspects of esophagram technique likely reflects gaps in knowledge and clinical practice variation and should be a target for future research. Laryngoscope, 133:255-268, 2023.

Telemedicine in Adult Rheumatology: In Practice and in Training.

Many rheumatology providers, including fellows-in-training, responded to the immediate need for maintaining patient access to care via telerheumatology during the COVID-19 pandemic. The rapidity of this transition did not permit an intentional approach to integrating fellow education and training into virtual patient care. Virtual patient care has since become an integrated, and perhaps, an embedded part of rheumatology practice that will likely endure beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the development of best practices in telerheumatology, including those for fellow education and training as these new entrants prepare to enter our workforce, will benefit the entire specialty. In this work, we seek to describe current models for training learners in virtual patient care, characterize existing barriers to virtual care models, and offer strategies to integrate telerheumatology into curriculum development and training.

"Artificial Intelligence" for Pharmacovigilance: Ready for Prime Time?

There is great interest in the application of ‘artificial intelligence’ (AI) to pharmacovigilance (PV). Although US FDA is broadly exploring the use of AI for PV, we focus on the application of AI to the processing and evaluation of Individual Case Safety Reports (ICSRs) submitted to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). We describe a general framework for considering the readiness of AI for PV, followed by some examples of the application of AI to ICSR processing and evaluation in industry and FDA. We conclude that AI can usefully be applied to some aspects of ICSR processing and evaluation, but the performance of current AI algorithms requires a ‘human-in-the-loop’ to ensure good quality. We identify outstanding scientific and policy issues to be addressed before the full potential of AI can be exploited for ICSR processing and evaluation, including approaches to quality assurance of ‘human-in-the-loop’ AI systems, large-scale, publicly available training datasets, a well-defined and computable ‘cognitive framework’, a formal sociotechnical framework for applying AI to PV, and development of best practices for applying AI to PV. Practical experience with stepwise implementation of AI for ICSR processing and evaluation will likely provide important lessons that will inform the necessary policy and regulatory framework to facilitate widespread adoption and provide a foundation for further development of AI approaches to other aspects of PV.

Promoting Healthy Lifestyles and Well-Being in Autistic Youth.

According to data from the National Health and Examination Survey, ∼40% of adults and 19% of youth in the United States were obese in 2015 and 2016, with a disproportionate burden seen in non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic youth when compared with non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Asian youth.1 The etiology of the obesity epidemic is complex and multifaceted, spanning physiologic, behavioral, genetic, social–emotional, political, and economic factors. As the epidemiology of morbidity and mortality has shifted from infectious to chronic and, most often, preventable diseases, the importance of healthy lifestyle behaviors for all families, including autistic individuals, could not be more pressing.Autistic children and adolescents are at disproportionate risk for unhealthy weight status and represent just one of many communities with unique considerations when it comes to tailoring interventions designed to improve nutrition and physical activity.2,3 Restrictive eating behaviors, sensory issues, specialized diets, social and behavioral impairments, motor impairments, and family factors are key considerations in addressing barriers to optimal nutrition and physical activity in autistic children.4–6 For American Black and Hispanic/Latinx families with autistic children, a history of structural racism and the generation of limiting social structures further complicate efforts at healthier living via the disproportionate burden of food insecurity, food deserts, and safe built environments they share. Multifaceted interventions offering touchpoints in multiple social arenas (ie school, church, home, community center) that are tailored to the needs and strengths of diverse communities will be required for meaningful and effective change for families with autistic individuals.7Lifestyle medicine focuses on 6 key tenets of health: (1) whole food, plant-based diet, (2) regular physical activity, (3) restorative sleep, (4) stress management, (5) social connectedness, and (6) avoiding risky substance use. When optimized, these 6 tenets can prevent and even help reverse chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. Our goal is to pursue interventions that, first and foremost, use the local autistic community’s input to guide the development and implementation of interventions aimed at improving the lifestyle of autistic individuals and their families. By prioritizing creative educational delivery methods such as a virtual teaching kitchen that promotes social engagement, sensory exposure to a variety of foods, and meal preparation skills that promote self-care and independent living skills, we aim to promote whole-person growth and wellness.The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has undoubtedly altered every family’s life in deep and meaningful ways. It has also spurred and required innovative solutions, including the explosive growth of virtual meeting platforms, whose use will require continued input from autistic youth and their families for the development of best practices. Virtual platforms provide expansive virtual reach to autistic youth and families in a variety of historically underserved settings such as rural and urban underserved areas. By funding small-scale pilots, enabling researchers to engage with a network of collaborating research entities, and providing a centralized data infrastructure, the lifestyle node of the Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health is poised to scale and more robustly evaluate novel interventions.

Exploring Experiences of Bereaved Caregivers of Older Adult Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Caregivers of older adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are requiring more support now that novel, nonintensive therapies, such as hypomethylating agents and venetoclax, are shifting the burden of care to the outpatient setting. Early findings from a larger study describe supportive care needs from the perspective of bereaved caregivers that align with existing research, informing the development of best practices for oncology nurses who support caregivers of older adults with AML.

159 Community Engagement (CE) Brokers: Diversity and the Science of CE

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Since 2013, managers of community engagement (CE) programs across the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) consortium funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) have convened monthly to build connections, share knowledge, and enable collaboration. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Notable for focus on staff leadership, the CE Brokers group has been central to the ongoing success of CTSA community engagement partnerships and approaches to research. In early 2022, a survey of the 139-member group asked about their roles and responsibilities, the ways the CE Brokers network has contributed to their hubs adoption and development of best practices and innovations, resources and lessons learned, and the creation of opportunities for members to collaboratively conduct and disseminate original research, and research on the science of community engagement. The survey also asked CE Brokers if they or their community partners are part of an underrepresented community. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: These demographic data will be shared, along with analyses of data on growth of the group over time, evolving themes, and a SWOT analysis completed in 2021. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: This will provide a platform to explore new avenues for the CE Brokers and their impact within the NCATS CTSA consortium, in line with the evolving direction of the clinical and translational research enterprise.

Acoustic impact studies and assessments by Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on offshore wind development

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) manages the exploration and development of offshore energy resources, including offshore wind development, on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. Construction, operation, and decommissioning of offshore wind facilities generate intense or long-lasting underwater sounds and vibrations that may be detrimental to marine life. This presentation will provide an overview of the activities that BOEM is in engaging in to address these impacts. BOEM’s Environmental Studies Program (ESP) has been developing funding and managing numerous studies to understand sound field characteristics and sound propagation from pile driving and geophysical surveys related to offshore wind development, as well as marine species responses to these activities. In addition, BOEM established the Center for Marine Acoustics (CMA) to strengthen its role as a driving force within the regulatory community on sound in the marine environment and provides acoustical expertise within the environmental permitting process. The CMA continues to provide guidance on the development of best practices for the use of acoustics in the evaluating the effects of offshore wind on marine fauna. This presentation will highlight the relevant acoustic studies and explain how BOEM is using the science to better manage noise impacts on the ocean environment.

Effects of urbanisation on regional water consumption in China

Water shortages are becoming increasingly serious around the world. The concept of the water footprint provides a new method for evaluating the consumption of regional water resources. We evaluated the spatial variation in the level of urbanisation for provinces in China and analysed the influences of urbanisation on regional water footprints from the perspectives of both production and consumption. Our results indicated that (1) the urbanisation evaluation score was highest for Guangdong (0.759) and lowest for Tibet (0.071), and the values were 0.424, 0.270 and 0.179 for eastern, central and western China, respectively; (2) the water footprint of production was largest for Xinjiang (35.55 × 109 m3), the water footprint of consumption was largest for Shandong (8.03 × 109 m3), and the agricultural sector consumed the most water in >80% of the provinces; and (3) most urbanisation indicators were significantly correlated with the water footprints, and the impacts of urbanisation indices on specific sectors’ water footprints were different. The urbanisation development in China could be influenced by natural resources, population, industrial structure, policy, etc. To achieve a relative balance development, the focus of local government should be specific. Considering the significant role of the agricultural sector in regional water consumption, measures such as planting new water-saving varieties and using advanced irrigation technologies could be adapted. The level of urbanisation will likely increase in the future, so more water resources will be needed for production and consumption. Measures such as improving water use efficiency, controlling land expansion and adjusting industrial structure should be taken. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the effects of urbanisation on regional water consumption and will contribute to the development of better practices for managing water resources.

Helping Vulnerable Older Adults in NYS - Developing a New Geriatric Forensic Program

Part 1: Enhanced Multidisciplinary Teams (E-MDT) by Dr. Elizabeth J. Santos, MD, MPHPart 2: The Geriatric Forensic Psychiatry Clinic by Dr. Brittany Mott MDPart 3: Innovation Opportunities for Legal Partnerships and Research by Corey Nichols-Hadeed, JDEnhanced Multidisciplinary Teams (E-MDT) are partnerships between public, profit, and non-profit organizations who collaborate to improve the process of identifying elder abuse and improving outcomes. The development of these programs to include capacity evaluations is an innovative advancement in addressing both the medical and legal needs of an older adult. Capacity evaluations can have important implications for the overall well-being of an older adult by increasing awareness of potential susceptibility to elder abuse and influencing decisions made about medical options and legal issues. Further, the innovation goes beyond providing important medical and legal advocacy by allowing research opportunities for evolution of the process, outcomes for patients, and development of best practices. Designing services with quality improvement and research activities in mind leads to better data to support positive outcomes for patients. This session will discuss the current structure of E-MDT, the development of the novel geriatric forensic capacity clinic, and the plans for rigorous research activities.

Effect of The Size of Audit Committee on Internal Audit Effectiveness in Kericho and Nyandarua County Governments in Kenya

The study sought to determine the effects of audit committee characteristics on internal audit effectiveness in the county governments of Nyandarua and Kericho, Kenya. The study was confined to four independent variables, that is, size of audit committee, audit committee independence, audit committee financial expertise and audit committee management support. The study was guided by the Stakeholders Theory, the Agency Theory, and Institutional Theory. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The target population for this study comprised of internal audit staff, accountants and revenue officers of county executive and county assembly in the county government of Nyandarua and Kericho who number 35 and 32 respectively. The study adopted a census where all members were taken as respondents. Questionnaires were used to collect data after pilot testing. The questionnaires were pretested to ensure content validity and also for reliability at the recommended Cronbach alpha of 0.7. Data collected was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The data collected was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical methods. It is hoped that the findings of the study were beneficial to all stakeholders in the county governments. This would lead to the development of better practices to improve the management efficiency in the county governments. Findings indicated that the independent variables; size audit committee, audit committee independence had a positive significant relationship with internal audit effectiveness in Nyandarua and Kericho Counties. Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that the size of audit committee, have significant influence on internal audit effectiveness in both counties. The study recommended that the county governments should ensures that the composition of audit members should clearly be spelt out to enable their functions effectively.

Anterior mesh length as a predictor of sacrocolpopexy success

To evaluate the effect of anterior mesh length as a predictor of success or failure after sacrocolpopexy using a Y-shaped synthetic mesh. A retrospective cohort study was performed of women who underwent sacrocolpopexy at a single institution in 2018 and 2019. All patients whose operative documentation reported the final anterior length of the Y-shaped synthetic mesh and who had surgical outcome data reported postoperatively were included. Anterior mesh length was analyzed as a proportion of each patient’s preoperative total vaginal length (TVL). Objective outcomes were reported and analyzed using the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) System. Objective failure was defined as any POP-Q point meeting or exceeding 0 (representing prolapse extending to or beyond the hymenal ring), or Stage 2 and greater if quantitative data were not reported. Subjective failure was defined as patient complaint of persistent or worsening vaginal bulge since surgery. Descriptive characteristics were compared between patients with objective or subjective failure versus those who did not. A total of 88 patients were identified to have undergone sacrocolpopexy during the specified timeframe and met our study’s inclusion criteria. There were no significant differences in demographic or preoperative characteristics between patients who experienced objective failure and those who did not. Patients who reported subjective failure were statistically more likely to have been pregnant fewer times, had a history of hysterectomy prior to their sacrocolpopexy, or underwent hysterectomy at the time of their sacrocolpopexy. The overall objective and subjective failure rates in our sample were 19.3% and 9.1% respectively, with no statistically significant differences in the primary surgeon or route (robotic-assisted versus laparoscopic) for either outcome. There was a statistically significant difference in objective failure rates depending on the percentage of TVL reached with the anterior vaginal mesh; the lowest objective failure rate (7.1%) was noted when the final anterior mesh length was within 71% to 80% of preoperative TVL, while the highest objective failure rate (40%) was demonstrated when the final anterior mesh length exceeded 80% of preoperative TVL. These findings were not corroborated nor statistically significant upon comparing patients reporting subjective failure and those who did not. This data suggest that the final length of the anterior portion of the Y-shaped synthetic mesh commonly used for sacrocolpopexy may have an effect on objective failure postoperatively. However, longer final anterior mesh lengths do not necessarily correlate with greater objective success which may be related to technical and other confounding factors. Future research with larger sample sizes may further elucidate these factors and aid surgeons in the development of best practice guidelines.View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT)

전문대 재학생단계 일학습병행 정착을 위한 탐색적 연구

The purpose of this study is to prepare basic data for the stable settlement of Work and Learning Dual System in the hospitality field of junior college students and to secure the competitiveness of colleges. The subject of the study was limited to hotel companies, and an exploratory study was conducted through in-depth interviews with experts. In addition, the problems of hotel companies were analyzed, and methods for improvement and activation of the work-learning system were presented. <BR> As a result of the study, the hotel industry is currently experiencing difficulties due to abnormal business conditions due to COVID-19. Also, as for the improvement of the work-study dual system at the junior college student level, simplification of administrative requirements, diversification of training courses, application of the IPP concept, and listening to the demands of human resources managers and learning companies were suggested. Promotion of the system, development of best practices, easing of barriers to entry, and strengthening of competitiveness compared to similar projects were suggested as revitalization measures.

UAV in the advent of the twenties: Where we stand and what is next

The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has surged in the last two decades, making them popular instruments for a wide range of applications, and leading to a remarkable number of scientific contributions in geoscience, remote sensing and engineering. However, the development of best practices for high quality of UAV mapping are often overlooked representing a drawback for their wider adoption. UAV solutions then require an inter-disciplinary research, integrating different expertise and combining several hardware and software components on the same platform. Despite the high number of peer-reviewed papers on UAVs, little attention has been given to the interaction between research topics from different domains (such as robotics and computer vision) that impact the use of UAV in remote sensing. The aim of this paper is to (i) review best practices for the use of UAVs for remote sensing and mapping applications and (ii) report on current trends - including adjacent domains - for UAV use and discuss their future impact in photogrammetry and remote sensing. Hardware developments, navigation and acquisition strategies, and emerging solutions for data processing in innovative applications are considered in this analysis. As the number and the heterogeneity of debated topics are large, the paper is organized according to very specific questions considered most relevant by the authors.

Key factors influencing productivity of whole-tree ground-based felling equipment commonly used in the Pacific Northwest

Around the globe, various types of forest machinery are employed to conduct fully mechanized ground-based timber harvesting. In the Pacific Northwest, the whole-tree harvesting method remains dominant. While machine-integrated sensors provide accurate productivity information in the cut-to-length harvesting method, productivity is more complicated to determine in whole-tree harvesting. This literature review compiles and analyses the existing evidence on productivity studies of feller–bunchers and feller–directors in a systematic manner and identifies the factors influencing machine productivity. The study indicates that most of the previous research was conducted in North America, particularly in Canada. It was also found that a considerable portion of the literature lacked statistical analysis. Piece size, slope, and silvicultural treatment were the most commonly studied productivity-influencing factors among the results. Although there is already a general understanding of the most important factors influencing the productivity of feller–bunchers and feller–directors, there is still a lack of accurate measurement and isolation of individual factors to facilitate accurate productivity prediction. Further research is needed for the development of systems that use integrated sensors capable of estimating machine productivity. Updated productivity models will optimize harvesting operations, identify bottlenecks, and allow for the development of best practices.