Exemplary Case Research Articles

A community-of-practice-based evaluation methodology for knowledge intensive computational methods and its application to multimorbidity decision support

ObjectiveThe study has dual objectives. Our first objective (1) is to develop a community-of-practice-based evaluation methodology for knowledge-intensive computational methods. We target a whitebox analysis of the computational methods to gain insight on their functional features and inner workings. In more detail, we aim to answer evaluation questions on (i) support offered by computational methods for functional features within the application domain; and (ii) in-depth characterizations of the underlying computational processes, models, data and knowledge of the computational methods. Our second objective (2) involves applying the evaluation methodology to answer questions (i) and (ii) for knowledge-intensive clinical decision support (CDS) methods, which operationalize clinical knowledge as computer interpretable guidelines (CIG); we focus on multimorbidity CIG-based clinical decision support (MGCDS) methods that target multimorbidity treatment plans. Materials and methodsOur methodology directly involves the research community of practice in (a) identifying functional features within the application domain; (b) defining exemplar case studies covering these features; and (c) solving the case studies using their developed computational methods—research groups detail their solutions and functional feature support in solution reports. Next, the study authors (d) perform a qualitative analysis of the solution reports, identifying and characterizing common themes (or dimensions) among the computational methods. This methodology is well suited to perform whitebox analysis, as it directly involves the respective developers in studying inner workings and feature support of computational methods. Moreover, the established evaluation parameters (e.g., features, case studies, themes) constitute a re-usable benchmark framework, which can be used to evaluate new computational methods as they are developed. We applied our community-of-practice-based evaluation methodology on MGCDS methods. ResultsSix research groups submitted comprehensive solution reports for the exemplar case studies. Solutions for two of these case studies were reported by all groups. We identified four evaluation dimensions: detection of adverse interactions, management strategy representation, implementation paradigms, and human-in-the-loop support. Based on our whitebox analysis, we present answers to the evaluation questions (i) and (ii) for MGCDS methods. DiscussionThe proposed evaluation methodology includes features of illuminative and comparison-based approaches; focusing on understanding rather than judging/scoring or identifying gaps in current methods. It involves answering evaluation questions with direct involvement of the research community of practice, who participate in setting up evaluation parameters and solving exemplar case studies. Our methodology was successfully applied to evaluate six MGCDS knowledge-intensive computational methods. We established that, while the evaluated methods provide a multifaceted set of solutions with different benefits and drawbacks, no single MGCDS method currently provides a comprehensive solution for MGCDS. ConclusionWe posit that our evaluation methodology, applied here to gain new insights into MGCDS, can be used to assess other types of knowledge-intensive computational methods and answer other types of evaluation questions. Our case studies can be accessed at our GitHub repository (https://github.com/william-vw/MGCDS).

Sustainable Higher Education Systems - Approaches & Practices with Emphasis on Green Technologies and their Integration in Higher Education Systems

This chapter delves into a diverse range of methodologies and practices pertaining to green technologies and their integration within higher education systems, highlighting the importance of embedding sustainability across all facets of campus life. It scrutinises green campus endeavours, ecologically minded curricula and research, and the inclusion of green technologies in higher education institutions. Moreover, the chapter exhibits exemplary approaches and case studies, emphasises the challenges and potentialities associated with the implementation of green technologies, and explores the prospective pathways for sustainable higher education systems. By adopting green technologies and sustainable practices, higher education establishments can significantly contribute to global sustainability pursuits and aid in forging a more sustainable future.

Understanding the chemistry of 2D rhodium trihalide solid solutions: tuning of optical properties and nanocrystal deposition

In the search for novel 2D materials with potentially valuable properties, such as a tunable band gap for optoelectronic or catalytic applications, solid solutions hold the potential to significantly expand the inventory of available 2D nanomaterials. In this study, we present for the first time the synthesis of such 2D rhodium trihalide solid solutions: RhBr x Cl3−x and RhBr x I3−x . We use thermodynamic simulations and simultaneous thermal analysis to predict conditions for their rational synthesis and to investigate suitable chemical vapor transport (CVT) parameters for these solid solutions. The evolution of the lattice parameters was investigated by powder x-ray diffraction, showing an isostructural relationship of the synthesized compounds and only minor deviation from Vegard’s law. The optical band gap of these materials can be tuned in an energy range from 1.5 eV (RhCl3) to 1.2 eV (RhI3) by choosing the composition of the solid solution, while the samples also exhibit photoluminescence in similar energy ranges. Ultimately, the successful deposition of bulk as well as ultrathin 2D nanocrystals of RhBr x Cl3−x by CVT from 925 °C to 850 °C is shown, where the composition of the deposited crystals is precisely controlled by the choice of the starting composition and the initial amount of material. The high quality of the obtained nanocrystals is confirmed by atomic force microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction. For RhBr x I3−x , the CVT from 900 °C to 825 °C is more difficult and has only been practically demonstrated for an exemplary case. According to the observed properties, these novel solid solutions and nanocrystals show a great potential for an application in optoelectronic devices.

Statistical approaches applicable in managing OMICS data: Urinary proteomics as exemplary case.

With urinary proteomics profiling (UPP) as exemplary omics technology, this review describes a workflow for the analysis of omics data in large study populations. The proposed workflow includes: (i) planning omics studies and sample size considerations; (ii) preparing the data for analysis; (iii) preprocessing the UPP data; (iv) the basic statistical steps required for data curation; (v) the selection of covariables; (vi) relating continuously distributed or categorical outcomes to a series of single markers (e.g., sequenced urinary peptide fragments identifying the parental proteins); (vii) showing the added diagnostic or prognostic value of the UPP markers over and beyond classical risk factors, and (viii) pathway analysis to identify targets for personalized intervention in disease prevention or treatment. Additionally, two short sections respectively address multiomics studies and machine learning. In conclusion, the analysis of adverse health outcomes in relation to omics biomarkers rests on the same statistical principle as any other data collected in large population or patient cohorts. The large number of biomarkers, which have to be considered simultaneously requires planning ahead how the study database will be structured and curated, imported in statistical software packages, analysis results will be triaged for clinical relevance, and presented.

System integration analysis of a zeolite 13x thermal energy storage

Nowadays a major energy transition aimed at cutting CO2 emissions has begun, with the ambitious goal of drastically reducing the dependence on fossil fuels and promoting the use of renewable energy sources. In this context, energy storage systems play a key role in ensuring a stable, secure and time-aligned energy availability. Open sorption thermal energy storages (TESs) can contribute to such transition, since they are simple and cheap devices able to provide a hot airflow with a high energy density and to store energy for long time. In this work, open sorption TES systems operated with Zeolite13X are investigated with a focus on the integration in practical applications. First, the experimental analysis and modelling of the sole TES system is described. Then, the integration of the TES at system level is carried out. The analysis evidences that a significant reduction of storage capacity occurs if air humidification is necessary before the adsorption process or afterwards to keep adequate indoor comfort conditions for the occupants. For the exemplary case study considered, an energy density of 150 kWhm−3 can drop to 40 kWhm−3 in case of complete compensation of the adsorbed water through a humidifier. This paper provides useful guidelines for evaluating the performance of a TES integrated system in terms of specific energy and efficiency. It also identifies applications involving high latent loads (e.g., swimming pools, locker rooms) or for which low relative air humidity is required (e.g. interior of vehicles to prevent condensation on windows) as particularly beneficial for using a TES system.

Web archive analytics: Blind spots and silences in distant readings of the archived web

Abstract In this article, we discuss epistemological and methodological aspects of web archive analytics, a recent development towards more data-centred access to web archives. More specifically, we suggest understanding both the process of archiving and subsequent steps of analysis at scale as acts of observation that can be questioned for their epistemological priori. Therefore, we propose the concepts of ‘blind spots’ (features of the live web not included upon creation in the archive) and ‘silences’ (latent features present in the archive but requiring a particular method to be made articulate). In particular, we address two forms of silences playing a structural role in web archive analytics, crucial to both historians and social scientists alike: abundance (or scale) and time. We trace epistemological implications of web archive analytics across an exemplary case study workflow and suggest methodological answers to the issues raised in this process. On the data extraction side, we introduce warc2corpus (w2c), a new tool for extracting granular, structured data, especially temporal information related to the creation, modification, and publication specifically of webpages. For data analysis, we demonstrate how distant reading techniques—more specifically structural topic modelling (STM)—can contribute to providing a rich, temporally structured representation of textual web archive content that in turn can be subjected to scholarly inquiry, interpretation, and re-contextualization.

Rapid Reviews Methods Series: Involving patient and public partners, healthcare providers and policymakers as knowledge users

Rapid reviews (RRs) are a helpful evidence synthesis tool to support urgent and emergent decision-making in healthcare. RRs involve abbreviating systematic review methods and are conducted in a condensed timeline...

The importance of theory at the Information Systems Journal

The importance of theory at the <i>Information Systems Journal</i>

Exploring the Innovative Pathways of Chinese Traditional Culture's Foreign Communication through 'Domestic Games Going Abroad': A Case Study of Genshin Impact

In contemporary times, China has placed an elevated significance on the development and establishment of global communication initiatives, as they strive to effectively convey their narratives to a larger audience, ultimately resulting in the dissemination of a positive image of China. Consequently, the Chinese government has actively invested in the growth and expansion of digital networking technologies, recognizing the potential of online gaming as a nascent medium for communication. It is in this vein that online games have been tasked with the pivotal responsibility of leading the dissemination of Chinese culture overseas, serving as the vanguard of "Chinese excellent traditional culture to the sea" via the approach of "games to the sea". The Genshin Impact, a successful and exemplary case of Chinese "domestic games going abroad", serves as a benchmark for the study of innovative methods for foreign communication of Chinese traditional culture. This article endeavors to explore the novel pathways employed by Chinese traditional culture's foreign communication through the process of "domestic games going abroad", specifically through the lens of the game's space construction, character construction, and community construction in Genshin Impact. It is hoped that this research will serve as a reference point for the cross-cultural and international communication of Chinese games, offering invaluable insights to the field.

Design of medical tympanostomy conduits with selective fluid transport properties.

Implantable tubes, shunts, and other medical conduits are crucial for treating a wide range of conditions from ears and eyes to brain and liver but often impose serious risks of device infection, obstruction, migration, unreliable function, and tissue damage. Efforts to alleviate these complications remain at an impasse because of fundamentally conflicting design requirements: Millimeter-scale size is required to minimize invasiveness but exacerbates occlusion and malfunction. Here, we present a rational design strategy that reconciles these trade-offs in an implantable tube that is even smaller than the current standard of care. Using tympanostomy tubes (ear tubes) as an exemplary case, we developed an iterative screening algorithm and show how unique curved lumen geometries of the liquid-infused conduit can be designed to co-optimize drug delivery, effusion drainage, water resistance, and biocontamination/ingrowth prevention in a single subcapillary-length-scale device. Through extensive in vitro studies, we demonstrate that the engineered tubes enabled selective uni- and bidirectional fluid transport; nearly eliminated adhesion and growth of common pathogenic bacteria, blood, and cells; and prevented tissue ingrowth. The engineered tubes also enabled complete eardrum healing and hearing preservation and exhibited more efficient and rapid antibiotic delivery to the middle ear in healthy chinchillas compared with current tympanostomy tubes, without resulting in ototoxicity at up to 24 weeks. The design principle and optimization algorithm presented here may enable tubes to be customized for a wide range of patient needs.

Denormalising surveillance through curation in Face Value: Surveillance and Identity in the Age of Digital Face Recognition

ABSTRACT In spite of a range of fundamental issues, biometric surveillance has become an integral part of everyday life. Artists are creating a range of creative responses to the emergence of biometric control that critically interrogate and denormalise it. Most of the existing research in this topic however ignores the exhibitionary context in which surveillance art is usually experienced. This article shifts the analytical perspective to the site of the exhibition in order to attend to the specificity of the artworks’ critical potential – that is influenced by their spatial and narrative context, as well as their juxtaposition with each other. Specifically, it analyses the exhibition Face Value: Surveillance and Identity in the Age of Digital Facial Recognition (2021) as an exemplary case study to discuss how exhibitions can construct a multi-faceted framework through which visitors can get a grip of the ‘society of control’. Drawing on Pisters and Deleuze, this article argues that exhibitions can engender a constellation of ‘circuit breakers’ in which the biometric control of faces is disrupted through a configuration of artistic strategies. In Face Value, these strategies include exposing the black-boxed structures of facial recognition software, showing the human stories behind data and imagining alternative technologies.

Waste to Wealth: Vegetable market waste to generate electricity, a design proposal suitable for any medium scale vegetable market in Indian cities

A biogas plant is current energy source and is reasonable to the necessities representing things to come. With the suitable use of the processing innovation, the improvement of financially plausible natural waste biogas digesters which produces power isn't entirely unachievable. The central purpose of the study is to design the proper power generation unit based on organic waste and to calculate the efficiency of power generation at Monda market of Secunderabad, Telangana by taking exemplary and prototype case of Bowenpally market and implementing it. The development of biogas by anaerobic processing of natural waste is an experienced skill that might introduce unmistakable advantages to society. Natural biogas innovation can lighten many grave issues in the agricultural nations, “The model that has been decided for the review, Bowenpally vegetable market, Hyderabad, India has gotten Prime Minister Narendra Modi's consideration for its creative waste administration framework. Modi lauded the one-of-its-sort bioelectricity, bio fuel and bio compost age project in his 73rd episode of radio program Mann Ki Baat on Sunday. The project has scope to foster in areas, for example, country energy shortage, low horticulture yield and waste administration department. Moreover through the usage of biogas innovation harmful ranch waste can be appropriately dealt \ hrough anaerobic processing, age of regular composts and eventually lead to an productive outcome and expansion in result and pay. From examination it will become obvious that markets utilizing digesters frameworks have more prominent profit or advantages than those markets who don't bringing about the conservation and increment practicality of the natural waste.

The transformation of European welfare states and its implications for social work (research): staying on the tanker or choosing a small sloop?

Since the conception of post-war national welfare states and the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, the notions of citizenship and of civic, political and social rights were institutionalised in European welfare states. In that vein, a social work workforce acquired a professional and public mandate to implement social policies. During recent decades, however, welfare state arrangements seem to have moved in another direction. The premise that the welfare state is responsible for social protection and the redistribution of resources has subtly shifted into one of an active welfare state, with a stronger focus on individual responsibility and conditionality. In addition, welfare state arrangements have been based on the premise of a territorial logic of the nation state, making it more difficult for migrants to access services. In this article, we first discuss the transformation of welfare state arrangements. We then make use of an exemplary case, namely, the emergence of new social work practices during the COVID-19 pandemic, to illustrate the current positioning of social work practice. In the final part, we critically tease out the changing role of social work and social work research in these circumstances.

Uncanny Teletherapy: Working with Extimacy.

Responses to the question of teletherapy have multiplied over the past decades, yet many therapists are grappling with the challenges and opportunities of teletherapy for the first time in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. For many clinicians, teletherapy was, at least initially, unfamiliar and unsettling. Much of the literature construes teletherapy as a degradation of an original-incapable of providing the intimacy achieved and maintained in two-bodies-in-a-room therapy-or as a good enough simulation. Both positions risk enshrining the consulting room as offering an unmediated scene of therapy. An alternative approach to the strangeness, distance, and mediations so prominent in the transition to teletherapy takes up a qualified sense of Freud's concept of the uncanny: the "minimal uncanny" and its reformulation in Lacanian theory as extimacy, a lens through which to explore intimacy and bodily proximity in the transition to teletherapy. Through the logic of extimacy, a theoretical view emerges that approaches teletherapy not as a poor substitute for real therapy, or a good enough substitute, but as an exemplary case of the therapeutic encounter.

Karl Marx’s thoughts on critical pedagogy, reproduction, and aesthetic literacy in STEAM education and praxis

This article sheds new light on Karl Marx’s theoretical legacy to promote educational philosophy and theory in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) education. Accordingly, this article selects Marxian thought as an exemplar case to elaborate critical pedagogy and aesthetics and culminate with an overview of the Marxian approach to the theoretical underpinnings of STEAM education. Hence, the article critically reviews Marx’s original works and earlier Marxian scholars’ contributions to extending critical pedagogy and its applications to the STEAM paradigm and informational and communication technology (ICT) development. This article critiques notable structural problems of STEAM education that produce power differentials such as educational gaps and digital divides in the current age of digital capitalism. Given the context, this article refines art and communication theories through the lens of his biography and writings. Additionally, this article incorporates the Marxian viewpoints about reproduction and aesthetic literacy into STEAM education. Overall, this article reviews the theoretical legacy of Marx and his essential critical and pedagogical theory, calling on scholars to pay close attention to re-orienting STEAM pedagogy as an emerging multidisciplinary field.

Neither oblivion nor reconciliation. An analysis of post-Francoist Spanish historical memory and Transitional Justice

Authoritarian regimes seek their preservation through the systematic repression of any dissidence, leading to the perpetration of crimes against anyone who might challenge the regime's values and legitimacy. Thus, when transitioning from an authoritarian regime to a democratic system, implementing a comprehensive transitional justice process is imperative to close old wounds and ensure reconciliation and reparation between the parties. Francoism, like every authoritarian regime, was not exempt from committing serious crimes against its enemies for more than three decades. Nonetheless, when Spain transitioned from a dictatorial to a democratic model, democratization was prioritized over justice. Despite the Spanish reluctance to adopt all necessary transitional justice measures during the democratization process, the Spanish Transition has been claimed to be an exemplary case to follow and study. This article aims to overview the three legal documents that were supposed to guarantee transitional justice to the victims and the Spanish society: the 1977 Amnesty Law, the 2007 Historical Memory Law, and the recently passed 2022 Law of Democratic Memory. This article concludes that although the 2022 Law of Democratic Memory has solved some of the flaws of previous legislation, there are still some key aspects of transitional justice which remain unaddressed.

'You have to put a lot of trust in me': autonomy, trust, and trustworthiness in the context of mobile apps for mental health

Trust and trustworthiness are essential for good healthcare, especially in mental healthcare. New technologies, such as mobile health apps, can affect trust relationships. In mental health, some apps need the trust of their users for therapeutic efficacy and explicitly ask for it, for example, through an avatar. Suppose an artificial character in an app delivers healthcare. In that case, the following questions arise: Whom does the user direct their trust to? Whether and when can an avatar be considered trustworthy? Our study aims to analyze different dimensions of trustworthiness in the context of mobile health app use. We integrate O'Neill's account of autonomy, trust, and trustworthiness into a model of trustworthiness as a relational concept with four relata: B is trustworthy with respect to A regarding the performance of Z because of C. Together with O'Neill's criteria of trustworthiness (honesty, competence, and reliability), this four-sided model is used to analyze different dimensions of trustworthiness in an exemplary case of mobile health app use. Our example focuses on an app that uses an avatar and is intended to treat sleep difficulties. The conceptual analysis shows that interpreting trust and trustworthiness in health app use is multi-layered and involves a net of interwoven universal obligations. At the same time, O'Neill's approach to autonomy, trust, and trustworthiness offers a normative account to structure and analyze these complex relations of trust and trustworthiness using mobile health apps.

“Of the octave the relation 2:1”: how an exemplary case of formal causation turned against the Neo-Aristotelians

ABSTRACT In this paper, I address how music theory, generally, and the case of the octave more specifically, played an instrumental and under-appreciated role in the development of seventeenth-century mechanization of sensory perception. In particular, I argue that investigation into the causes of the octave, Aristotle’s chosen example of a formal cause, and other musical intervals like it served to undermine the Neo-Aristotelian framework, while also providing key evidence in support of a mechanistic account of sensory perception. I begin by discussing how the case of the octave was understood in Scholastic Neo-Aristotelian philosophy and how this framework was applied in sixteenth-century music theory. Following this, I show how developments in music theory and acoustics challenged the status of formal causes and real qualities in this Neo-Aristotelian framework. Finally, I show how these developments provided a much needed detailed, empirically supported example of the mechanistic-style metaphysics of sensory perception that was prevalent in the Early Modern period, focusing primarily on Descartes.

Experimental and Computational Aspects of Electrochemical Reflection Anisotropy Spectroscopy: A Review

AbstractElectrode/electrolyte interfaces play a crucial role in many electrochemical energy conversion and storage technologies. Hence, a deep understanding of the interfacial structure, energetic alignment and processes is of high relevance and has triggered the development of a number of in situ and operando techniques. One approach for gaining information about the change in surface chemistry and structure on an atomic scale is reflection anisotropy spectroscopy (RAS). This review presents and discusses the continuing effort to develop RAS as an in situ optical probe for solid‐liquid interfaces under applied potentials. Experimental and computational basic principles are presented and key challenges of electrochemical RAS are highlighted. Furthermore, we exemplarily demonstrate the potential of the method for spectroelectrochemistry, focusing on indium phosphide‐ and gold‐aqueous electrolyte interfaces as exemplary case studies, and outline research directions for battery systems.

Integration of LCA and LCCA through BIM for optimized decision-making when switching from gas to electricity services in dwellings

This study aims to assess electric heating system retrofit options and identify the optimal solution by applying a combined LCA and LCCA approach using BIM for existing UK homes. Exemplary case study illustrating an LCA and LCCA calculation using a BIM model of a house in Bristol (UK), to assess: (baseline) gas boiler; (i) electric boiler; (ii) air source heat pump; (iii) electric boiler + PV; and (iv) ASHP + PV. The optimal option overall is (iv) ASHP + PV, which reduces the kgCO2e emitted by 77% while increasing lifetime cost by 2.1%, compared to the classic gas boiler. This research also finds that embodied carbon still has a low impact on the decision, since the main impact of heating systems like ASHP (SCOP = 3.4) is to reduce kgCO2e by improving the efficiency of old gas boilers (COP = 0.76). Electric boilers are not the optimal alternative; they reduce kgCO2e by 47% but increase the lifetime cost of the system by 105% compared to gas boilers. The change in the “carbon factor” of electricity from 0.519 kgCO2/kWh to 0.136 kgCO2/kWh means that now dwellings using electrical systems emit 35% less kgCO2 than those that use gas (0.210 kgCO2/kWh).