Focus Of Priorities Research Articles

Human rights and freedoms under martial law: focus of priorities

Human rights and freedoms under martial law: focus of priorities

Regency Clusterization Based on Village Characteristics to Increase the Human Development Index (IPM) in Papua Province

Inequality in the Human Development Index (IPM) in Papua Province amid the disbursement of development funds needs to be studied adequately so that the policies and programs that have been planned can be more directed and on target. For this reason, research is needed that can map the priority needs of each district in Papua Province by identifying regional characteristics, namely villages. By using Cluster Analysis and Factor Analysis, the results of this research show that 4 district clusters in Papua Province were formed with different priority focuses on increasing the HDI. The main focus of the district HDI improvement priorities in Papua Province is divided into three through factor analysis: the infrastructure-telecommunication factor, the sanitation-economic factor, and the health-education factor. Each cluster is generally still dominated by districts with a low HDI category. The main obstacle to increasing HDI in Papua Province is the transportation and telecommunications infrastructure factor. Local governments are expected to be able to formulate human development programs and policies concerning the priority needs of each district as a result of this research.

Real estate in the focus of development priorities 2030 (based on the materials of the Gaidar Forum 2022)

The annual Gaidar Forum traditionally opens the agenda for the development of the national economy for the next year with an eye to the implementation of strategic goals. The dynamism of modern economic processes requires not just taking into account external challenges and internal problems, but forecasting chan­ges in the global economic landscapes, modeling systemic changes in the allocation of productive forces and the possibilities of integrating Russia into existing and emerging technological chains. The intensive development of new industries, the targeted focus of investments on investments in the knowledge economy, the transformation of the industrial, transport, energy and housing and communal framework of capital funds set a new rhythm of construction. Its ultimate goal is to create a real estate sector that provides balanced spatial development, accelerated energy transfer and advanced development of human capital as a basis for impro­ving the comfort, quality and standard of living of citizens.
 The range of topics discussed touched upon almost all strategic objectives of achieving the goals of national projects. Priorities for the development of the real estate sector were announced in various contexts: digital and administrative transformation, scientific and personnel support, formation of a comfortable urban environment, housing construction and mortgage boom, master planning tools, etc. At the same time, behind the obvious thematic favorites of the new rhythm of construction and transformation of the real estate sector, a number of important problems remained in the “shadow” of panel discussions. Among them: the euphoria of housing construction and the danger of possible imbalances, professional transformation and the challenges of digitalization, the risks of human-centered and distance education, the discomfort of the business environment in real estate, the vacuum of modern tools for resolving economic disputes and coordinating economic interests, etc.
 Developing a view on the priorities of the development of the real estate sector in terms of ensuring the rights of shareholders and the transition to project financing, the issues of ensuring the quality of housing and communal services, further capitalization of the housing stock, mechanisms for resolving contradictions between tenants and management companies, etc. remained outside the Forum. These issues, being an integral part of a comfortable business environment and the living environment of citizens, actualize a new context of development from Priorities to Parities of economic interests and tracks of development of “power – business – man”.

Lessons Learnt: Changes in the Methodology of the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process in Defining the Priorities of Hungarian Smart Specialisation Strategies

This study shows how one of the fundamental methods of designing and implementing the Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3), the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process (EDP), was applied in the period of 2014–2020 and how, taking accrued experience into account, it has been adjusted in the new planning cycle in Hungarian practice. Based on Hungarian strategies and other policy documents, international and Hungarian literature, the study shows that although the involvement of relevant actors in strategic planning and prioritising was achieved in both cycles, the nature of the actors’ participation differed fundamentally in the two periods. We found that learning from the experience of planning the S3 for 2014–2020, the design of the 2021–2027 strategy required improving the focus of priorities, validating priorities and creating an institutional system capable of making EDP continuous during the cycle 2021–2027, in line with the European Commission’s expectations. We concluded that a well-functioning EDP methodology is an essential part of the substantive realisation of an S3 that can be dynamically shaped according to the challenges.

Relationship Between Enablers and Barriers to Financial Inclusion—the Case of North Macedonia

This research aims to examine the relationship between factors that act as enablers or barriers to financial inclusion, as independent variables, and the environment for financial inclusion, as a dependent variable, for the case of North Macedonia. For accomplishing the main research objective, first, the factors that act as enablers or barriers to financial inclusion were identified by collecting primary data using questionnaires and performing comparative analysis on our country’s position with different regions categorized by income groups and World, through the benchmarking model of Global Microscope (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2018. Global Microscope 2018. The Enabling Environment for Financial Inclusion. The EIU, The Economist). Second, primary data from questionnaires served to furtherly examine the correlation between each identified enabler or barrier to financial inclusion and the overall environment for financial inclusion through multiple regression analysis. Results revealed important information and recommendations for the future focus of national priorities, institutional arrangements, policies, and strategies in terms of creating enabling environment for financial inclusion, benefits of which can be felt by the overall society.

Internacionalização no Ensino Superior e o Brasil como Case Study

A internacionalização tem sido um dos fatores mais críticos que moldam o ensino superior nas últimas três décadas. Além de transformar o ensino superior a internacionalização mudou substancialmente. A bifurcação da internacionalização em dois pilares interdependentes, “em casa” e “no exterior”, é evidência dessa mudança. Por meio de um estudo qualitativo, utilizando dados primários e secundários e técnicas de análise de conteúdo e documental, o estudo tem como objetivo realizar um diagnóstico da internacionalização das instituições de ensino superior entre três tipos de Universidades Brasileiras, sendo elas: uma IES Privada, sem fins lucrativos, confessional e filantrópica, uma IES Pública Federal e uma IES Privada com fins lucrativos. Os resultados indicaram convergência dos especialistas quanto a percepção sobre a internacionalização nas Universidades Brasileiras e diferenças significativas quanto a cultura, consciência, foco das atividades, prioridades, riscos e benefícios de internacionalização.

The Baltic Health Index (BHI): Assessing the social–ecological status of the Baltic Sea

Abstract Improving the health of coastal and open sea marine ecosystems represents a substantial challenge for sustainable marine resource management, since it requires balancing human benefits and impacts on the ocean. This challenge is often exacerbated by incomplete knowledge and lack of tools that measure ocean and coastal ecosystem health in a way that allows consistent monitoring of progress towards predefined management targets. The lack of such tools often limits capabilities to enact and enforce effective governance. We introduce the Baltic Health Index (BHI) as a transparent, collaborative and repeatable assessment tool. The Index complements existing, more ecological‐oriented, approaches by including a human dimension on the status of the Baltic Sea, an ecosystem impacted by multiple anthropogenic pressures and governed by a multitude of comprehensive national and international policies. Using a large amount of social–ecological data available, we assessed the health of the Baltic Sea for nine goals that represent the status towards set targets, for example, clean waters, biodiversity, food provision, natural products extraction and tourism. Our results indicate that the overall health of the Baltic Sea is suboptimal (a score of 76 out of 100), and a substantial effort is required to reach the management objectives and associated targets. Subregionally, the lowest BHI scores were measured for carbon storage, contaminants and lasting special places (i.e. marine protected areas), albeit with large spatial variation. Overall, the likely future status of all goals in the BHI averaged for the entire Baltic Sea is better than the present status, indicating a positive trend towards a healthier Baltic Sea. However, in some Baltic Sea basins, the trend for specific goals was decreasing, highlighting locations and issues that should be the focus of management priorities. The BHI outcomes can be used to identify both pan‐Baltic and subregional scale management priorities and to illustrate the interconnectedness between goals linked by cumulative pressures. Hence, the information provided by the BHI tool and its further development will contribute towards the fulfilment of the UN Agenda 2030 and its Sustainability Development Goals. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

Mapping Paddy Rice with Satellite Remote Sensing: A Review

Paddy rice is a staple food of three billion people in the world. Timely and accurate estimation of the paddy rice planting area and paddy rice yield can provide valuable information for the government, planners and decision makers to formulate policies. This article reviews the existing paddy rice mapping methods presented in the literature since 2010, classifies these methods, and analyzes and summarizes the basic principles, advantages and disadvantages of these methods. According to the data sources used, the methods are divided into three categories: (I) Optical mapping methods based on remote sensing; (II) Mapping methods based on microwave remote sensing; and (III) Mapping methods based on the integration of optical and microwave remote sensing. We found that the optical remote sensing data sources are mainly MODIS, Landsat, and Sentinel-2, and the emergence of Sentinel-1 data has promoted research on radar mapping methods for paddy rice. Multisource data integration further enhances the accuracy of paddy rice mapping. The best methods are phenology algorithms, paddy rice mapping combined with machine learning, and multisource data integration. Innovative methods include the time series similarity method, threshold method combined with mathematical models, and object-oriented image classification. With the development of computer technology and the establishment of cloud computing platforms, opportunities are provided for obtaining large-scale high-resolution rice maps. Multisource data integration, paddy rice mapping under different planting systems and the connection with global changes are the focus of future development priorities.

Occupational Health Could be the New Normal Challenge in the Trade and Health Cycle: Keywords Analysis Between 1990 and 2020.

This brief report aims to establish the keyword content of studies on occupational health and safety—the key framework of the world of work in the trade and health domain. Data were collected from the SCOPUS database, focusing on articles on occupational health and safety and related keywords, with an emphasis on abstracts and titles. Data were analyzed and summarized based on keywords included from the MeSH database. There were 24,499 manuscripts in the domain and 1,346 (5.40%) occupational health-related keywords, including those that overlapped. The most frequently referenced occupational health–related keyword was “occupational health” (452 articles), followed by “occupational safety” (141 articles). There were fewer keywords on occupational health in the trade and health literature. As the world of work has been prioritized because of the recent new normal of work life since the COVID-19 pandemic, examining the focus of occupational health priorities within the global perspective is crucial.

Experiences of social scientists in health research settings: SBM Leadership Institute.

The Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) Leadership Institute provides leadership training for mid-career behavioral medicine scientists. As an institute fellow, I explored the experiences of social scientists working in healthcare settings. Exploratory research to describe the experiences, barriers, and facilitators social scientists face working in a healthcare delivery and research system. Our research questions were exploratory, focused on understanding (a) the experiences of social scientists working in a healthcare delivery and research system, (b) barriers that social scientists face working in a healthcare delivery and research system, (c) perceived value of sociological and anthropologic methods to clinicians and other health researchers, and (4) to understand the landscape of organizational models that feature social scientists as part of a larger scientific enterprise. We developed a plan for needs assessment activities. We conducted a design workshop of social scientists (n = 11). Using human-centered design methods, we elicited experiences and asked participants to develop a prototype model where social scientists could find career fulfillment with minimal structural barriers. We found that social scientists feel a strong sense of pride in their social science training and passion for the work they do. They reported occupying multiple disciplines at once, including multiple promotion and reputational expectations. Participants commonly reported that they themselves, as well as collaborators, viewed social science work, particularly qualitative research, as supplemental to quantitative work. Participants described perceptions that social science research is less rigorous or requires less training compared with other disciplines. Participants identified several contextual factors that influenced the perceived value of social science research in healthcare, including the focus of external funding priorities on larger clinical questions, organizational structure, and tangible leadership support of social science. The SBM Leadership Institute created a space for preliminary research into an area that could improve the experiences and research impact of social and behavioral scientists.

Identifying spatial conservation priorities using Traditional and Local Ecological Knowledge of iconic marine species and ecosystem threats

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) can be an effective spatial approach to conservation, especially when they involve genuine consultation that considers the diversity of stakeholders. Participatory mapping and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 52 stakeholders and 22 managers and scientists to identify ecological priorities and concerns across a large temperate MPA in Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park, Australia. There were 19 iconic species of fish, dolphins, whales, and sea turtles that were the focus of ecological priorities and stakeholder interactions with the marine environment. Effectiveness of the current MPA management plan for addressing stakeholder priority and concerns, was assessed using GIS spatial modelling that created fuzzy-set species distribution models (SDMs) based on Traditional and Local Ecological Knowledge as well as scientific and citizen-science survey data. These spatial models for the iconic species across the MPA were then overlaid with ecological concerns of the stakeholders to create a spatial understanding of local threats, and priority areas for targeted management. Poor water quality from terrestrial primary sources was the main concern of stakeholders, more so than in-water threats such as poor fishing practices or impacts to iconic species. While local managers and scientists were relatively reluctant to answer interview questions, there was a general misalignment in approaches to iconic species management, especially for mobile and migratory species, and misunderstanding of stakeholder perceptions of threats. Participatory mapping of social-ecological values provides a method for stakeholders and decision-makers to better understand, discuss, and adapt marine spatial management approaches that support a diversity of conservation and management priorities.

Inconvenient truths about early childhood education and care: Workers’ lives matter

The collection of articles (four empirical research and one conceptual), two colloquia and book review that make up this special issue share many of the important, uncomfortable and ignored topics that the original editors of this special issue foregrounded in their call for papers. Together, the works contained in this issue make visible truths about the ECEC workforce across the globe that have long been ignored or marginalised. The inconvenience of these truths – why they are so and to whom – has been laid bare. Also included are the many reasons why the inconvenient truths are significant and deserve to become the focus of priorities within the early childhood sector and government policies. Ultimately, recognising and acting to better support educators is critical if we really do want children to have the high-quality experiences that make a difference to their lives now and in the future. It is also critical that the work of millions of educators – most of them women – be recognised and valued for the skill it requires and for the social good it provides, and because the goals of social justice that we work towards for children and families should also be extended to educators themselves.

Medication appropriateness tool for co-morbid health conditions in dementia: consensus recommendations from a multidisciplinary expert panel.

BackgroundMedication management for people living with dementia is a complex task as it is unclear what constitutes optimal medication management in this population due to the shifting focus of health priorities and the balance between the benefits and harms of medications.AimThis study sought expert opinion to create a consensus list to define appropriate medication management of co‐morbidities for people with dementia.MethodsThis study used the Delphi technique. We invited multidisciplinary experts in geriatric therapeutics including pharmacists, doctors, nurse practitioners, a patient advocate and a psychologist to participate. Participants were asked to engage into three or more rounds of questioning. Round 1 was a questionnaire comprised of one question defining dementia and seven open‐ended questions about appropriate management of co‐morbidities in people with dementia. Two investigators qualitatively analysed the responses to questions from Round 1 using thematic analysis. The results of this analysis were provided to participants as statements in the Round 2 survey. The participants were asked to rate their agreement with each statement on a 5‐point Likert scale. The median and interquartile range (IQR) were calculated for the responses to each statement. Consensus was pre‐specified as an IQR less than or equal to 1. Statements where consensus was not achieved were presented to participants in Round 3. The Round 2 median and IQR values were provided and participants were again asked to rate their agreement with each statement on a 5‐point Likert scale. The statements where participants agreed or strongly agreed were included in the Medication Appropriateness Tool for Co‐morbid Health conditions in Dementia criteria.ResultsFifty‐seven experts agreed to participate in the study, of whom 58% were pharmacists and 36% were medical practitioners. Fifty‐five participants completed the Round 1 (95% response rate). A total of 128 statements was included in the Round 2 survey. Consensus was reached on 93 statements in Round 2 (n = 48 responders, 84% response rate) and on 18 statements in Round 3 (n = 43 responders, 75% response rate). The participants reached consensus on 111 of 128 statements. Of these statements, 67 statements were included in the Medication Appropriateness Tool for Co‐morbid Health conditions in Dementia criteria. The statements were in the broad themes of preventative medication, symptom management, disease progression, psychoactive medication, treatment goals, principles of medication use, side‐effects and medication reviews.DiscussionThis research provides consensus‐based guidance for clinicians who manage co‐morbid health conditions in people with dementia.

Strengthening national capacities for researching on Social Determinants of Health (SDH) towards informing and addressing health inequities in Tanzania.

BackgroundTanzania’s socio-economic development is challenged by sharp inequities between and within urban and rural areas, and among different socio-economic groups. This paper discusses the importance of strengthening SDH research, knowledge, relevant capacities and responsive systems towards addressing health inequities in Tanzania.MethodsBased on a conceptual framework for building SDH research capacity, a mapping of existing research systems was undertaken between February and June 2012. It involved a review of national policies, strategies and published SDH-related research outputs from 2005 onwards, and 34 in-depth interviews with a range of stakeholders in Tanzania.ResultsThe conceptualization of SDH varies considerably among stakeholders and their professional background, but with some consensus that it is linked to “inequities” being a consequence of poverty, poor planning, limited attention to basic humanity and citizenship rights, weak governance structures and inefficient use of available resources. Commonly perceived SDH factors include age, income, education, beliefs, cultural norms, gender, occupation, nutritional status, access to health care, access to safe water and sanitation and child bearing practices. SDH research is in its infancy but gaining momentum. In the absence of a specific “SDH portfolio”, SDH research is scattered and hidden within disease specific, poverty-related research and research on universal health coverage. Research is mainly externally funded, which has implications on the focus of context specific SDH research, national priorities and transfer to policy. This create mismatch with population and research capacity needs.ConclusionMost research analysis in the country fails to consider the context specific structural determinants of health and inequities towards a broader understanding of existing vulnerabilities. The challenge is on promoting a culture of critical inter-disciplinary research and analysis that is central to SDH research. Establishing a system to promote collaboration across sectors and strengthen collective capacities for individuals and institutions researching in SDH will augment existing SDH research initiatives and better inform appropriate intersectoral policies towards addressing prevailing health inequities across the country.

Bird ringing and nest recording in Britain and Ireland in 2012

This is the 76th annual report of the British Trust for Ornithology's Ringing Scheme, covering work carried out and data processed in 2012. Demographic integrated population monitoring has been the focus of the Scheme priorities in recent years and models that integrate ringing and nest record data and abundance trends were built for ten species for which sufficient data were available. Population drivers vary between species but they can be split between changes in breeding success, survival, or both. Multi-brooded species exhibited more seasonal variation in reproductive output than single-brooded species. In particular, migratory species showed a seasonal decrease in fledgling output, as do single-brooded species while residents generally showed a seasonal increase in productivity. Constant Effort Site (CES) data showed long-term (1984–2011) declines in four long-distance migrants and five resident species. However, four species (two short-distance migrants and two residents) have increased over the same period. Productivity of migrants monitored by CES was poor in 2012: seven of the eight species showed significant reductions in productivity compared to the five-year average and had the lowest productivity since CES began in 1983. Breeding performance of resident birds was low in 2012, with juvenile:adult ratios significantly lower than those calculated over the preceding five years for 10 of the 16 species. The number of CE sites increased in 2012, with data submitted for 125 sites, the highest total for a decade. The number of active RAS projects increased to 163 in 2012, with 21 new projects, eight of which involved RAS target species. In 2012 the total number of birds ringed (970,957) was the second highest recorded, and included 408,225 first-year birds, 377,199 adults (birds in their second calendar year or older), 23,772 unaged birds and 161,761 nestlings. In addition, there were 249,551 recaptures of ringed birds at or near the ringing site. The reduction in numbers ringed compared to 2012 was probably the result of the record wet weather that most of Britain & Ireland experienced in spring and summer 2012. A total of 18,693 BTO-ringed birds were recovered in 2012, which was lower than in 2011 but higher than in any previous year. This is the result of an increased number of birds ringed in the past 10 years, an increasing number of colour-ringed and tagged birds and subsequent resightings, more ringers within the Ringing Scheme, efforts to increase reports from members of the public of both metal and colour-ringed birds and an improvement in the way recoveries are processed. Recoveries of 22 BTO-ringed and 11 foreign-ringed individual birds that have extended our knowledge of movement of the species or constitute a new longevity record are presented. In total 44,895 nest records were submitted in 2012, the highest annual submission since the scheme began. Of these, 81% originated from England, 9% from Wales and 9% from Scotland, the remaining 1% divided equally between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Submissions from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland have all risen by similar proportions since 2007 (18–22%), while those from Wales have increased by 34% over the same period. Long-term annual productivity trends have been calculated for three additional species. Long-term productivity trends were significant for 40 of the 72 species monitored and nine of these trends were negative, indicating a decline in breeding success over time.

Racializing the "Social Development" State: Investing in Children in Aotearoa/New Zealand

This paper focuses on the claim that the child is emerging as a key figure of governance. International studies suggest that as liberal welfare states increasingly draw on investment discourse, the child—particularly the child-as-worker-in-becoming—has emerged as an iconic figure. This has resulted in the child becoming the central subject of policies and programs and the focus of new spending priorities. In Aotearoa/New Zealand, however, the figure of the child is much less prominent than elsewhere. Moreover, in the policies and programs of the New Zealand social state, the child is often racialized by virtue of its location within specific family groupings and geographical communities. In turn, this has implications for the positioning of women. As we show, the child/mother who stands to benefit from the investments of development in Aotearoa/ New Zealand is actually more likely to be a Pākehā child/mother, whereas the child/mother requiring continued programmatic intervention is more likely to be Māori or Pacific. This finding points to the need for feminist scholars to examine further the complex interpenetration of gender and race/ethnicity in the shaping of contemporary socio-political landscapes.

Funding Priorities in Animal Reproduction at the United States Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service1

The National Research Initiative (NRI) Competitive Grants Program is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's major competitive grants program and is administered by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES). Since its inception in 1991, the NRI has funded competitive grants in the discipline of animal reproduction. Previously, this program provided funding for a broad range of projects encompassing almost every subdiscipline in reproductive biology of farm animals, including aquatic species important to the aquaculture industry. During fiscal year 2004, the NRI Animal Reproduction Program narrowed the focus of funding priorities to the topics of infertility, basic mechanisms regulating fertility, cryopreservation of gametes, reducing the postpartum interval to conception, and sterilization methods or development of monosex populations. In response to a directive to further narrow the focus of funding priorities for fiscal year 2005 and beyond, CSREES conducted a Stakeholder Workshop on Funding Priorities in Animal Reproduction at the 37th Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Reproduction in Vancouver, Canada. More than 75 stakeholder scientists from a cross section of federal, public, and private institutions from across the United States participated in the workshop and provided recommendations to CSREES for future NRI-funding priorities in Animal Reproduction. The recommendations provided by stakeholders included continuing efforts to focus funding priorities into fewer high-impact areas relevant to animal agriculture and aquaculture. Recommendations also included movement back toward subdisciplines of animal reproduction that cut across all applicable species. The three funding priorities that consistently emerged as recommendations from the workshop participants were 1) gonadal function and production of gametes, 2) pituitary-hypothalamic function, and 3) embryo and conceptus development, including interaction between the conceptus and uterus. These funding priorities were considered when preparing the fiscal year 2006 NRI Request for Applications.

NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF DIETS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY: INTRODUCTION

ABSTRACTMeeting the nutritional needs of healthy Americans is a focus of national health priorities. Americans of all ages are being encouraged to make “healthy food choices.” Food science and human nutrition professionals are playing many roles in helping Americans to improve the nutritional quality of their diets.