Explicit Criteria Research Articles

Evaluation of criterion-based audit in improving quality of neonatal birth asphyxia care at Balaka district hospital in Malawi

BackgroundBirth asphyxia remains one of the leading causes of neonatal deaths worldwide with a higher incidence in resource limited countries such as Malawi. At Balaka district hospital, Birth asphyxia is the primary cause of neonatal mortality accounting for 37.3% of the district’s neonatal deaths. Although various quality improvement initiatives on birth asphyxia such as Helping Babies Breathe have been documented in Malawi, there is limited information on use of criterion-based audit (CBA) to enhance the care of neonates with birth asphyxia. Criterion-based audit is a systematic and critical analysis that seeks to improve quality of care by reviewing cases against an explicit criterion and using findings to modify practice as necessary. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of CBA in improving the quality of neonatal birth asphyxia care at Balaka district hospital in Malawi.MethodsA CBA on the care of asphyxiated neonates was conducted at Balaka district hospital in Malawi. The care practices were assessed through a retrospective review of 110 cases notes which were selected by systematic random sampling technique. The care practices were compared with locally established standards, by a multidisciplinary team, based on the Malawi guidelines on care of the infant and newborn and World Health Organization documents. The gaps in the current practice were identified, reasons discussed, and recommendations were made and implemented. A re-audit was conducted on 110 case notes, six months after the initial audit.ResultsThe re-audit showed significant improvements in most of the set criteria for quality care: Checking of vital signs (80% vs. 98.2%; p = 0.000), laboratory investigations done (0.9% vs. 74%; p = 0.000), thermal support (82.7% vs. 91.8%; p = 0.041), correct diagnosis (60% vs. 81%; p = 0.001), correct treatment (18.7% vs. 81%; p = 0.000), correct feeding (12.7% vs. 56.4%; p = 0.000), Clinical officers conducting ward rounds (0% vs. 72%; p = 0.000), and daily weight check (49.1% vs. 93%; p = 0.000). Additionally, neonatal death decreased from 11% in the initial audit to 5% in the re-audit.ConclusionCriterion-based audit is a low-cost tool that can significantly improve the care of neonates with birth asphyxia in resource-limited countries.

PangeBlocks: customized construction of pangenome graphs via maximal blocks

BackgroundThe construction of a pangenome graph is a fundamental task in pangenomics. A natural theoretical question is how to formalize the computational problem of building an optimal pangenome graph, making explicit the underlying optimization criterion and the set of feasible solutions. Current approaches build a pangenome graph with some heuristics, without assuming some explicit optimization criteria. Thus it is unclear how a specific optimization criterion affects the graph topology and downstream analysis, like read mapping and variant calling.ResultsIn this paper, by leveraging the notion of maximal block in a Multiple Sequence Alignment (MSA), we reframe the pangenome graph construction problem as an exact cover problem on blocks called Minimum Weighted Block Cover (MWBC). Then we propose an Integer Linear Programming (ILP) formulation for the MWBC problem that allows us to study the most natural objective functions for building a graph. We provide an implementation of the ILP approach for solving the MWBC and we evaluate it on SARS-CoV-2 complete genomes, showing how different objective functions lead to pangenome graphs that have different properties, hinting that the specific downstream task can drive the graph construction phase.ConclusionWe show that a customized construction of a pangenome graph based on selecting objective functions has a direct impact on the resulting graphs. In particular, our formalization of the MWBC problem, based on finding an optimal subset of blocks covering an MSA, paves the way to novel practical approaches to graph representations of an MSA where the user can guide the construction.

Securing privacy in the digital age: The quest for judicial protection of personal information

Personal information is a vital productive commodity in the digital economy, and its processing has seen unparalleled transformations in both breadth and depth. This article proposes to enhance the legal remedies for personal information rights in contemporary China. Research has revealed multiple practical challenges in China’s judicial practices, such as hesitance to prosecute owing to an absence of substantial legal foundation, improper distribution of the burden of proof, and inadequate integration of criminal-civil judicial safeguards for personal information. This paper advocates for China to elucidate the definition of personal information rights via legislation, enable the litigation of personal information infringement cases, and establish explicit criteria for their acceptance into judicial proceedings. Furthermore, China must develop an appropriate structure for distributing the burden of evidence. It must also use discretionary judgment to properly tackle the problems related to evaluating damages in instances of personal information violations.

Searching for an Optimal Model for the Renewal of the Constitutional Court to Avoid a Constitutional Crisis: Dream or Reality?*

The failed renewal of the Constitutional Court in Lithuania was not the first in Europe, and will not be the last. The appointment of constitutional judges, usually undertaken with the involvement of the political institutions, became a very sensitive issue closely linked to their independence. After a sequence of unsuccessful attempts to renew the composition of constitutional courts, some states fall into a deep democratic backsliding, while some take the initiative to reform the existing appointment procedure, seeking to prevent the politicisation of constitutional control institutions. A universal and standardised one-size-fits-all model does not exist, as each particular national context must be considered. However, certain lessons are to be learned and certain pitfalls to be avoided. Constitutional courts must correspond to the criteria of the tribunal established by law, as disclosed in international jurisprudence. For this purpose, the proper law is needed. This article analyses the advantages and shortcomings of some elements of the proposed and partly realised Slovak reform on the appointment of constitutional judges that Lithuania and other states could benefit from. This allows for the conclusion that the explicit criterion of professional reputation might prevent arbitrary nominations and ensure that the best judge for the court and the society would be appointed. Contrary to most convictions, a larger majority in the Parliament is not necessary to keep this procedure in line with the principle of the rule of law. The only requirement is that the law must be clear, unambiguous and provide for the steps to be taken if the rotation fails.

Reformulating action research to facilitate territorial responses to climate change

This article serves as an introduction to the special issue by presenting the results of a learning process shared by action researchers coming from different action research traditions and geographical areas. The goal of this learning process has been to generate explicit criteria and features that action researchers can integrate in their facilitative work in territorial development processes to make these development processes more effective in facing climate change. These criteria relate to the roots of climate change, justice, innovative ways to understand democracy and governance, the contribution of feminism to climate change and the role of emotions when facing it. These reflections and learnings are synthesized into twelve principles for action research for territorial development (ARTD).

Psychological resilience and performance under pressure: a study of elite badminton players - a systematic review

Psychological resilience is a critical factor influencing athlete performance in many sports, including badminton. This study aims to systematically review the existing literature to understand the relationship between psychological resilience and elite badminton athlete performance. The research background details the importance of psychological factors in the context of sport, particularly under competitive pressure. Focusing on elite badminton players, the study aimed to identify consistency and variation in previous research findings and detail the practical implications for athlete training and coaching. Research materials and methods included a systematic design with explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria. A thorough literature search was conducted to identify relevant studies that met the inclusion criteria. A careful study selection process was completed, and data were extracted for systematic analysis. Data analysis methods used included synthesizing findings from multiple studies, potentially using meta-analysis where appropriate. The results present the main findings regarding the relationship between psychological resilience and the performance of elite badminton athletes. The analysis of findings from multiple studies highlights the consistency in this relationship while acknowledging the variation that may occur due to differences in competitive context and athlete characteristics. The practical implications of these findings are explained in the context of training and coaching badminton athletes to enhance their psychological resilience under competitive pressure.The research conclusions highlight the vital contribution of this study to understanding psychological factors in badminton. This research provides a foundation for developing more effective training strategies and coaching of athletes that can enhance their psychological resilience, thereby improving their performance at the elite level. As such, this study provides scientific insights and practical guidance for the potential development of elite badminton athletes under competitive pressure.

The role of mind-body interventions in traumatised refugees’ primary care: A qualitative exploration of professionals’ experiences in a dedicated programme in Geneva

Post-traumatic physical and psychological symptoms are pervasive among refugees. Primary care staff face numerous challenges and often seek innovative ways of addressing their refugee patients’ physical and mental health needs. A nascent body of literature suggests that mind-body interventions (MBIs11Mind-body interventions) have a positive effect on post-traumatic symptoms in this population. But the quality of evidence is still poor, and little is known about the role MBI could play in the primary care of refugees. Following the implementation of two different kinds of MBI in a dedicated primary care unit, this study aimed to explore staff members’ perceptions and prescribing habits for MBI. Given the paucity of information about this topic, we used a qualitative design combining ethnography and discourse analysis providing in-depth insight into professionals’ experiences of MBI. Data collected over five-months of non-participative observation and the transcription of twelve interviews were analysed following the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis method (IPA) yielding four main results: (1) Generally poor initial understanding of MBI; (2) A variety of conditions and situations where MBIs appeared acceptable and helpful; (3) A persistent lack of experience and knowledge about the indications for MBI, hindering prescription; (4) The importance of articulating MBIs with mental health services. These results, in the light of the existing literature, suggest that stronger evidence for MBI efficacy for refugees is required, a key to improving professionals’ understanding of MBI, providing them with explicit prescription criteria, and encouraging stakeholders to implement these innovative interventions.

A general method to synthesize planar overconstrained mechanism

Traditionally, planar overconstrained mechanisms has been explained through special geometry, which often lacks clarity and specificity. This paper addresses this challenge by introducing two explicit criteria for analyzing and synthesizing planar overconstrained mechanisms. With the criteria, one may synthesize new planar overconstrained systematically and confidently. To create new planar overconstrained mechanisms, three approaches are employed: the parallelogram-aided approach, the stretch-rotation approach, and an optimization-based method. Given that the mobility of mechanisms is independent of the choice of the ground link and that the mathematical treatment of function generation is straightforward, this paper proposes a systematic approach for synthesizing novel function cognates. By combining these approaches, new types of overconstrained mechanisms are discovered. Leveraging advanced computational tools, a special geometric condition for function cognates of inverted slider cranks is found for the first time. Through inversion, the coupler cognates for slider cranks are also identified. The success of these results indicates that the proposed criteria are explicit and crucial for discovering new mechanisms, and the concept may be extended to spherical or spatial cases.

Finding Free OER Textbooks Online: Untangling the Web

Although Open Educational Resources (OERs) can help reduce costs and maximize access to instructional materials, academics face significant problems in identifying good OER textbooks. This can be traced, in part, to the low quality of many OER directories. This study evaluated more than 350 potentially relevant resources, identifying 95 multidisciplinary and 23 subject-limited OER directories that include a relatively high proportion of free textbooks rather than other OERs (syllabi, assessment materials, etc.). Comparative information is presented for each of the 118 directories, with special attention to those with high recall, high precision, explicit and meaningful selection criteria, and consistently good textbook quality. The results focus on the characteristics of the OER directories, the extent to which they support the discovery of textbooks, the particular directories that are likely to be most useful, and the ways in which the most useful directories are systematically different from the others. There are at least 24 high-quality OER directories, but three—the Open Textbook Library, the B.C. Open Collection, and LibreTexts Commons—are especially useful. By devoting more attention to directories such as these, we can overcome the greatest barrier to the adoption of OER textbooks—the difficulty of identifying titles that can replace conventional texts.

Translation of the REMEDI[e]S (Review of potentially inappropriate MEDIcation pr[e]scribing in Seniors) explicit criteria into seminatural language for use in prescription support systems: A multidisciplinary consensus

By recovering data in an ordered manner and at the right time, clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) are designed to help healthcare professionals make decisions that improve patient care. The aim of the present study was to translate the REMEDI[e]s tool's explicit criteria, France's first reference list of potentially inappropriate drugs for the elderly, into seminatural language, in order to implement these criteria as alert rules and then enable their computer coding in a CDSS. This work was carried out at Lille University Hospital by a team of clinical pharmacists with expertise in the use of pharmaceutical decision support systems, in collaboration with the authors of the REMEDI[e]s tool. A total of 3 multi-professional consensus meetings were required to discuss the construction of each rule in seminatural language and the coding choices. All REMEDIES criteria (n=104) were translated into seminatural language. This study is the first to have translated the 104 REMEDI[e]s explicit criteria into seminatural language. One of the study's strengths relates to the close collaboration between the authors of the REMEDI[e]s tool and experts in CDSS programming rules; this ensured the exactitude of the seminatural language translations and limited (mis)interpretations.

Developing Pedagogical Principles for Digital Assessment

Digitalization has been a widely discussed topic in recent years, and it has entered various areas, including education. The issue of identifying and applying pedagogical aspects in digitalization has not been sufficiently discussed in the literature. This deficiency is particularly obvious in terms of assessment, an integral part of the education. Assessment is one of the most important aspects in managing education environments. The research data were obtained by combining two methods: ten pedagogical practices were examined that utilized various technologies in assessment already in use before the pandemic; data from the previous focus group discussions were reviewed regarding to pedagogical principles. A concept map was used in formulating the principles. Finally, the Delphi method with five experts from four counties was applied to obtain an expert view. As a result, five pedagogical principles of digital assessment were developed: (1) the clear purpose of the assessment and explicit criteria; (2) choice of adequate technology; (3) sufficient digital competence and technological equipment; (4) use of technological opportunities; (5) consistent analysis and use of assessment data. This is especially important given the need to demonstrate the appropriate and full use of technology. Those pedagogical principles contribute to a shared understanding between stakeholders in education.

Hierarchical Three-Body Problem at High Eccentricities = Simple Pendulum II: Octupole including Brown’s Hamiltonian

Abstract The very long-term evolution of the hierarchical restricted three-body problem with a massive perturber is analyzed analytically in the high eccentricity regime. Perturbations on the time scale of the outer orbit can accumulate over long timescales and be comparable to the effect of the octupole term. These perturbations are described by Brown’s Hamiltonian - having different forms in the literature. We show that at the high eccentricity regime - the effect of Brown’s Hamiltonian is an azimuthal precesssion of the eccentricity vector and can be solved analytically. In fact, the dynamics are equivalent to a simple pendulum model allowing an explicit flip criterion.

Female participation, and sex-specific reporting practices, in polypill randomised controlled trials in the prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: a secondary analysis of a systematic review

Abstract Background The polypill is an emerging strategy for the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease. We assessed the participation of females in randomised controlled trials evaluating polypills for prevention of cardiovascular disease and subsequent sex-specific analyses and reporting. Methods Cardiovascular polypill trials were identified through a systematic review. Data were extracted on the use of sex-specific eligibility criteria, female participation, and the conduct, findings, and interpretation of sex-specific analyses. Results Of 26 trials included, 12 (46%) excluded groups of females, mainly if pregnant or lactating or of childbearing potential. Female participation ranged from 10% to 73% across trials. Overall, 42% of included participants were female. Of 18 trials conducted in a mostly primary prevention population, females represented 49% of trial participants. In mixed or exclusively secondary prevention trials (n=8), females represented 26% of trial participants. Females represented 46% of trial participants in trials that excluded groups of females (n=12). In trials without explicit exclusion criteria (n=13), females represented 32% of trial participants. Nine out of 26 trials reported sex-stratified analyses (35% of trials; 70% of all participants). Of these, two found some evidence for possible sex differences, both reporting larger blood pressure effects in females than males. Four trials provided sex considerations in the discussion section of the report. Conclusion The participation of females in cardiovascular polypill trials is substantially higher in primary prevention trials as compared to trials conducted in mixed or exclusively secondary prevention populations. The use of sex-specific eligibility criteria was not linked to lower female participation. Sex-specific reporting is sparsely conducted, although most frequent in larger trials.

Hierarchical three-body problem at high eccentricities = simple pendulum I: octupole

ABSTRACT The gradual evolution of the restricted hierarchical three body problem is analysed analytically, focusing on conditions of Kozai–Lidov cycles that may lead to orbital flips from prograde to retrograde motion due to the octupole (third order) term which are associated with extremely high eccentricities. We revisit the approach described by Katz, Dong and Malhotra (2011) and show that for most initial conditions, to an excellent approximation, the analytical derivation can be greatly simplified and reduces to a simple pendulum model allowing an explicit flip criterion. The resulting flip criterion is much simpler than the previous one but the latter is still needed in a small fraction of phase space. We identify a logical error in the earlier derivation but clarify why it does not affect the final results.

Understanding copycat packaging: a systematic review and research directions

Purpose The literature on copycat packaging has developed intermittently over a 30-year period, resulting in a divergent and fragmented body of knowledge. This paper aims to synthesise the extant literature to highlight the main developments in the marketing, legal and design fields and, in doing so, contributes to a holistic understanding of the research area and suggests directions for future research. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature search retrieved 5,862 articles, and after filtering against explicit criteria, 49 studies were reviewed. These articles were subsequently evaluated and interpreted, producing a synthesis of current research. Findings The constructs of copycat packaging, including similarity-related concepts, consequences of copycat packaging and mitigating approaches, have been reported across three disciplines of marketing, legal and design, each having its own distinct focus but nonetheless sharing overlapping themes. Research limitations/implications This review discusses future directions and proposes a framework of research themes relating to brand enhancement for online purchasing, measurement of brand confusion, reinforcing design features and approaches to mitigating copycat practices. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first systematic review of the literature on copycat packaging. It brings together the latest thinking on copycat packaging and identifies distinct research issues to be addressed in future studies.

A complexity trichotomy for k-regular asymmetric spin systems with complex edge functions

We prove a complexity trichotomy theorem for a class of partition functions over k-regular graphs, where the signature is complex valued and not necessarily symmetric. In details, we establish explicit criteria, according to which the partition functions of all such systems are classified into three classes: For every parameter setting in C for the spin system, the partition function is either (1) computable in polynomial time for every graph, or (2) #P-hard for general graphs but computable in polynomial time for planar graphs, or (3) #P-hard even for planar graphs.

Building Bridges: Integrating Entrepreneurial Education into Professional Development

This research investigates the incorporation of entrepreneurial education into professional development programs for university teachers and its influence on equipping students for future professions. The study reveals primary obstacles faculty encounters, such as limited involvement in guest lectures and speaker series, reluctance towards creative teaching approaches, perceived insignificance of entrepreneurship in specific fields, time limitations, and absence of well-defined goals and results. The research employed faculty members and a heterogeneous group of students. The study used a mixed-methods approach, integrating quantitative data from surveys with qualitative data from interviews. This technique enabled a complete comprehension of the involvement of teachers and students in entrepreneurial activity. The results emphasize the significance of customizing programs to particular demographic groups and executing optimal strategies to improve efficacy. Suggestions include enhancing the frequency and diversity of guest lectures, delivering specialized professional development workshops, creating multidisciplinary resources, providing adaptable online courses, and defining explicit objectives and criteria for entrepreneurial education endeavors. These initiatives are designed to cultivate an environment that encourages creativity, enhances the involvement of teachers and students, and provides students with the necessary skills and mindsets to thrive in today's ever-changing labor market. The research results emphasize the crucial importance of entrepreneurial education in higher education and provide practical insights for institutions to improve their professional development programs and overall educational influence.

A Scoping Review of Definitions of Success in Endovascular Aortic Arch Repair.

The present standard of care to treat aortic arch pathologies is open surgical repair with cardiopulmonary bypass and deep hypothermic arrest. With approaches for total endovascular and extra-anatomic cervical debranching hybrid arch repair becoming more diverse, understanding what is considered a successful operation is prerequisite for a rigorous comparison of techniques. This review describes the specific outcomes reported, the rates of success, and the definitions of technical and clinical success in total endovascular and extra-anatomic cervical debranching hybrid aortic arch repair. A comprehensive search of MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials was performed. Studies with patients undergoing total endovascular or hybrid extra-anatomic cervical debranching repair of the aortic arch were included. Any publications including only patients with Ishimaru zone 2 or distal repairs were excluded from this review. Studies with less than 5 patients were excluded. Data extraction was performed by one author. Data items included were study design, procedure type, procedural details, underlying pathology, type of cervical debranching, type of endograft repair, surgical outcomes, definition of cerebrovascular events, technical success, and the definition of technical success. Of 1754 studies screened for review, 85 studies with 5521 patients were included. By frequency, the included studies examined the following interventions: fenestrated devices, branched devices, parallel grafting. Most studies were retrospective single-institution studies. There were no randomized controlled trials. Short-term mortality and cerebrovascular events were nearly universally reported, present in 99% and 95% of studies reviewed, respectively. Only 27% of studies provided an explicit definition for cerebrovascular events. While 75% of studies reported a technical success rate, only 45% of those studies provided explicit criteria. Clinical success rates were infrequently reported, present in only 5.9% of studies reviewed. The definitions of technical success that were provided fell short of analogous defined reporting standards in nearly all studies, inflating technical success rates. Definitions of cerebrovascular events and technical success require stringent criteria to uniformly compare various methods of endovascular aortic arch repair. A societal consensus document for reporting standards of endovascular aortic arch repair would allow for higher-quality outcomes research. Total endovascular and extra-anatomic cervical debranching hybrid operations are being increasingly utilized for complex aortic arch repair. These techniques, however, can be associated with serious complications. Currently, there is no accepted metric to define technical or report clinical outcomes. Due to the paucity of high-quality data, use of these approaches may be limited in clinical practice. This study emphasizes the need for the development of standards for reporting outcomes in endovascular aortic arch repair. Future studies can then utilize these benchmarks, whcih will allow for improved efficacy and safety in these techniques.

Internal consistency of measures for ICD-11 personality disorder severity and traits: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

A number of measures and scales have been developed for the ICD-11 personality disorder (PD) diagnosis, including severity and trait dimensions. The present systematic review and meta-analysis sought to evaluate the internal consistency of these measures across different populations and cultures. A systematic search was conducted across four databases where relevant studies were subjected to explicit eligibility criteria resulting in 49 included studies and 370 effect sizes. Study characteristics were tabulated, their methodological quality was evaluated, and findings were synthesized using random effects meta-analysis. Findings overall indicated that measures of ICD-11 PD severity and trait domains have adequate levels of internal consistency (α/ω = 0.82, 95% CI [0.81; 0.83], I2 = 97.3%). Aspects such as sample, country, language, format, and measured construct were significant sources of variation. Additional meta-analyses revealed that some measures performed better than others for certain dimensions. Internal consistency was overall supported across ICD-11 measures of severity and trait domains. Future research should further investigate the interrater reliability, test-retest reliability and stability, and alignment with interview-based PD diagnoses.

Perception-action coupling in anticipation research: a classification and its application to racket sports.

Anticipation is key to performance in many sports. By definition, anticipation as a perceptual-cognitive process is meant to inform action and help athletes reduce potential motor costs under spatiotemporal pressure. Anticipation research has repeatedly been criticized for neglecting action and raised the need for predominant testing under conditions of perception-action coupling (PAC). To the best of our knowledge, however, there is a lack of explicit criteria to characterize and define PAC conditions. This can lead to blurred terminology and may complicate interpretation and comparability of PAC conditions and results across studies. Here, we make a first proposal for a 7-level classification of PAC conditions with the defining dimensions of stimulus presentation and response mode. We hope this classification may constitute a helpful orientation for study planning and reporting in research on anticipation. Further, we illustrate the potential utilization of the PAC classification as a template for experimental protocol analysis in a review on anticipation in racket sports. Analysis of N = 115 studies reported in N = 91 articles confirms an underrepresentation of representative PAC conditions and reveals little change in PAC approaches over more than 40 years of research in that domain. We discuss potential reasons for these findings, the benefits of adopting the proposed PAC classification and reiterate the call for more action in anticipation research.