Forward Thinking Research Articles

Innovative Strategies and Forward Thinking on the Development Trend of Urban Sludge Resource Utilization

Innovative Strategies and Forward Thinking on the Development Trend of Urban Sludge Resource Utilization

Navigating the barriers to multi-regional research administrative data access: Forward thinking solutions

In 2021, aware of both the importance of pan-Canadian data access for advancing health research and the conditions and requirements that make administrative data access onerous, HDRN Canada worked with CATCO the Canadian arm of an international COVID-19 clinical trial to create a roadmap for navigating the barriers to multi-regional administrative data access in Canada. While developing the roadmap, data access request processes were studied in real time for a multi-region study seeking access to link administrative data to clinical trial data, at the individual level. The intent was to move beyond anecdotal evidence and document the specific nature of policy and processes that hamper data access. The case study allowed the study team to define the barriers permitting application of tangible mitigating measures. In 2022, barriers such as the lack of ability to share data across provincial borders became too great to continue the study. Although the roadmap was not completed, insights were gained for waypoints along the path enabling HDRN Canada to make important process improvement to harmonize data access across regions. Solutions to challenges with data access request forms, regional data flows, data sharing partner relationships, data sharing agreements, and REB and project reviews were identified. Recently pan-Canadian initiatives have released important guidance for addressing data access challenges. The adoption of this guidance is paramount to ensure Canada continues to meaningfully contribute to health research. Forward thinking solutions to data access challenges today will establish the necessary infrastructure for a future with minimal data access barriers.

Finding the beat: A partnership to address the relationship between a music program and health among youth who have experienced trauma.

Expertise on treating trauma and traumatic stress sequelae has been siloed in the mental health professions, although somatic psychotherapies and adjuncts to treatment are gaining attention. Alternative and accessible interventions are needed, especially for youth who have experienced trauma. Lost Voices is a community-based group providing trauma-informed music therapy to youth who have experienced trauma in southern Michigan. The purpose of this program evaluation was to use a community-based participatory research approach to create a thoughtful partnership between an academic partner and a nonprofit organization in order to evaluate the outcomes of a music therapy intervention currently being delivered by professional musicians to youth who have experienced trauma. This program evaluation used semistructured interviews with 19 key stakeholders (e.g., youth participants, facility staff, musicians) from two residential youth programs in southern Michigan. A total of four themes were identified from the interviews, including (a) processing emotion, (b) building trust, (c) self-expression, and (d) future orientation. Subthemes included individual story and coping within the theme processing emotion, a focus on outside role models and peer connection within the theme building trust, the fun aspect of the intervention and confidence as part of the theme self-expression, and future orientation encompassed the motivation that youth participants gained as well as forward thinking. This program evaluation provides data to help build the evidence for alternative mental health treatments that specifically reach those impacted by a lack of access and availability of treatments due to social determinants of health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Innovative strategies and forward thinking on China’s digital maritime law enforcement

In the digital era, the limitations of traditional maritime law enforcement models have become apparent. China actively promotes digital maritime law enforcement and has conducted thorough exploration across policy, technology, and legal domains. The primary legal foundation is the Coast Guard Law, bolstered by policy initiatives like the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road”, the “Maritime Community with a Shared Future” strategy, and the “Technology Empowers the Marine” plan. By coupling law and technology, China’s digital maritime law enforcement has innovatively established a three-dimensional enforcement model of “online + offline” at sea. It utilizes artificial intelligence to assist in maritime law enforcement decision-making, employs big data sharing for collaborative maritime law enforcement, and advances maritime compliance enforcement by digital technology. Through case analysis and effectiveness assessment, China’s digital maritime law enforcement has yielded significant results. Nonetheless, it also encounters various challenges, including data privacy infringement, cybersecurity attacks, the legitimacy of digital evidence collection, and data sharing barriers. Therefore, at the institutional level, standardizing digital maritime law enforcement procedures and establishing both horizontal and vertical coordination mechanisms are imperative. At the technical level, introducing privacy protection technologies and increasing investment in network security technologies are necessary. At the conceptual level, China should adhere to data ethics principles and strengthen awareness of open data sharing. The future of the oceans is digital, and China should advance the modernization of national maritime governance through digital maritime law enforcement.

Discussion of “The Possible Profession: Joe Lichtenberg and the Restoration of the Bodily Self”

ABSTRACT This discussion of Daniel Posner’s paper has two purposes. First, it affirms Joe Lichtenberg’s lifelong forward thinking contributions to the theory and practice of psychoanalysis. In “The Psychoanalytic Situation of Infancy” he redefined infant and subsequent development in terms of the non-dynamic unconscious and the bodily self. At the end of his life, these two components of his contributions led to a redefinition of some mental pathologies making psychoanalysis applicable to those previously considered unsuitable for psychoanalytic clinical work such as the neuroatypical. Second, this discussion suggests additional possibilities for integrating and using the concepts of embodiment and subsymbolic memory in psychoanalytic theory and practice. They provide an additional language to understand and communicate with patients: brief clinical moments are illustrative.

Assessing residential sustainable energy autonomous buildings for hot climate applications

This paper introduces an innovative solution for clean energy autonomous building (AB) sustainability, offering a 5Z concept—zero-carbon, zero-energy, zero grid connections, zero energy bills, and zero emission mobility. This paper focuses on fundamental research to design sustainable, energy-ABs striving for self-sufficiency in arid climates, using Kuwait as a case study. The study highlights the importance of stringent engineering AB modeling, renewable technology integration, and clean energy storage. The technical approaches include characterizing non-thermal and thermal demands, achieving net-zero energy generation, and custom sizing renewable energy and energy storage systems (ESS) for electric vehicle (EV) charging points. The research methodology involves local construction with yearly weather and energy profile data to simulate the actual system using ESP-r building model. The study's findings reveal the need for a large-scale energy system, energy demand reduction (EDR) inclusive of heating, cooling, appliances, and EV, with the corresponding changes in local energy production system size, battery capacity, and the number of photovoltaics (PVs). The results show varying EDR levels ranging from base case to 10% and to 50% leading to proportional changes in energy system size, size of battery from 3415 kWh to 1710 kWh and the number of PVs from 362 to 181, which means EDR not only optimizes space but also proves cost-effective. The significant implication of this study, not only bridging the knowledge gap and the lack of how-know, but also making a significant advancement and forward thinking in sustainable green electric home modernization and environmentally friendly transportation. This approach transforms energy management practices for more sustainable cities and societies, reducing emissions in both urban infrastructure and transportation.

Using Chemistry To Recreate the Complexity of the Extracellular Matrix: Guidelines for Supramolecular Hydrogel-Cell Interactions.

Hydrogels have emerged as a promising class of extracellular matrix (ECM)-mimicking materials in regenerative medicine. Here, we briefly describe current state-of-the-art of ECM-mimicking hydrogels, ranging from natural to hybrid to completely synthetic versions, giving the prelude to the importance of supramolecular interactions to make true ECM mimics. The potential of supramolecular interactions to create ECM mimics for cell culture is illustrated through a focus on two different supramolecular hydrogel systems, both developed in our laboratories. We use some recent, significant findings to present important design principles underlying the cell-material interaction. To achieve cell spreading, we propose that slow molecular dynamics (monomer exchange within fibers) is crucial to ensure the robust incorporation of cell adhesion ligands within supramolecular fibers. Slow bulk dynamics (stress-relaxation─fiber rearrangements, τ1/2 ≈ 1000 s) is required to achieve cell spreading in soft gels (<1 kPa), while gel stiffness overrules dynamics in stiffer gels. Importantly, this resonates with the findings of others which specialize in different material types: cell spreading is impaired in case substrate relaxation occurs faster than clutch binding and focal adhesion lifetime. We conclude with discussing considerations and limitations of the supramolecular approach as well as provide a forward thinking perspective to further understand supramolecular hydrogel-cell interactions. Future work may utilize the presented guidelines underlying cell-material interactions to not only arrive at the next generation of ECM-mimicking hydrogels but also advance other fields, such as bioelectronics, opening up new opportunities for innovative applications.

A meta-review of global virtual team research: thematic insights and future directions

PurposeThis study provides a meta-review of global virtual team (GVT)–related reviews, creating a resource that highlights dominant themes, research trends and shifts in topics over time culminating in a summary of opportunities for future research. By analyzing and grouping the evidence presented in previous research, this meta-review provides key insights toward future research and managerial implications.Design/methodology/approachThis meta-review identifies 35 existing GVT-related reviews across 32 publication outlets, providing a longitudinal and cross-disciplinary view of GVT research to date.FindingsResults of the analysis reveal over time that there has been a largely adopted reconceptualization of the GVT paradigm toward a continuum of virtuality. There has been a shift in the view of the cross-cultural and global components of GVTs toward a recognition that a greater variance of dimensionality exists. Additionally, popular themes across the literature emerge, notably, virtuality, concepts of culture, trust, leadership and communication technology.Originality/valueAs a multidisciplinary GVT-focused meta-review, this study complements previous efforts by taking a tour across this wide topic and is dedicated to those who are researching, teaching, working and managing GVT-related strategies. The reviews selected represent work published across multiple literature streams, providing a comprehensive and forward thinking perspective.

Self-compassion letter tool for healthcare worker well-being: a qualitative descriptive analysis

ObjectiveThis qualitative study aimed to identify categories within therapeutic self-compassion letters written by healthcare workers. Resulting categories were assessed for their relevance to the construct of self-compassion.DesignThis was a qualitative...

PREFER: Prompt Ensemble Learning via Feedback-Reflect-Refine

As an effective tool for eliciting the power of Large Language Models (LLMs), prompting has recently demonstrated unprecedented abilities across a variety of complex tasks. To further improve the performance, prompt ensemble has attracted substantial interest for tackling the hallucination and instability of LLMs. However, existing methods usually adopt a two-stage paradigm, which requires a pre-prepared set of prompts with substantial manual effort, and is unable to perform directed optimization for different weak learners. In this paper, we propose a simple, universal, and automatic method named PREFER (Prompt Ensemble learning via Feedback-Reflect-Refine) to address the stated limitations. Specifically, given the fact that weak learners are supposed to focus on hard examples during boosting, PREFER builds a feedback mechanism for reflecting on the inadequacies of existing weak learners. Based on this, the LLM is required to automatically synthesize new prompts for iterative refinement. Moreover, to enhance stability of the prompt effect evaluation, we propose a novel prompt bagging method involving forward and backward thinking, which is superior to majority voting and is beneficial for both feedback and weight calculation in boosting. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our PREFER achieves state-of-the-art performance in multiple types of tasks by a significant margin. We have made our code publicly available.

Classroom to escape room: an innovative experience to prepare and test students

Paramedicine is a rapidly evolving profession and teaching strategies need to be creative and forward thinking to meet the ever-changing demands of the role. Educational escape rooms incorporate a variety of learning environments in which students participate in a range of simulation-based activities based on solving puzzles and retrieving codes, which result in finding a prize. A mixed methods action research study was undertaken to ascertain whether an escape room approach can increase engagement and attainment in year-one paramedic science degree students at a UK university. The results showed that 100% (n=52) stated they would recommend this activity, 100% (n=52) agreed it helped them to review their teamwork skills and 98% (n=51) said that it improved their communication techniques. Non-technical skills enable the development of technical skills and knowledge within the workplace and are an overarching factor in providing good practice and reducing errors. An escape room approach is arguably an effective teaching method when the activities are based on learning outcomes.

Forward Thinking

Forward Thinking

Optimising Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) Delivery Within a Leading Tertiary Cancer Centre in Southeast Wales

Expansion and enhancement of Same Day Emergency Care at Velindre Cancer Centre during 2022 compromises of Ambulatory Care Unit, Assessment Unit, Patient Support Unit and Immunotherapy toxicities service.&#x0D; To provide better value-based healthcare we have introduced an Immunotherapy Toxicities service plus expanded the existing Ambulatory Care Unit and Patient Support Unit providing 12-hour weekday working including a weekend service. &#x0D; The need for a dedicated Immunotherapy service was highlighted following NHS data which anticipated a growth of 240% in Immunotherapy treatments over the next 5 years with Immunotherapy treatments having already increased by 49% from 2018/19 to 2020/21. &#x0D; Without investment this would have led to increasing admissions in South East Wales Health Boards by over 320 patients per annum. This increase would perpetuate the strain on the Ambulatory Unit within VCC and Local Health Boards emergency departments due to the need to admit the patients experiencing toxic side-effects with no viable alternative.&#x0D; The development of the Immunotherapy service has allowed for a clear alternative to emergency/unscheduled admission by ensuring robust pathways are in place, 24/7 resilience and support of toxicities, increased patient and staff education in managing toxicities and rapid treatment and management of patients. &#x0D; The Ambulatory Care provision has expanded working hours as well as supporting a weekend service to ensure more timely interventions for patients on a same day basis, enhancing care and clinical outcomes plus removing additional demand on Local Health Boards by preventing admission. &#x0D; Since 2019 the Patient Support Unit has seen a 51% reduction for inpatient admissions for head and neck cancer with the average monthly bed days for patients reduced by 45%. Through service expansion it has been predicted that admissions and length of stay are likely to reduce by a further 10-15%. This will further decrease the burden on external services such as acute hospitals with an ever growing demand on the services.&#x0D; The expansion has improved access to a skilled multidisciplinary team including specialist nurses, dieticians, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists who will all work together to ensure all patients are cared for through robust interventions with timely follow ups.&#x0D; The model of delivery is innovative and forward thinking and endorsed by patients and staff alike. The joint MDT allows professionals to anticipate, ameliorate and treat complex and rapidly changing symptoms as an outpatient. &#x0D; The services discussed are essential in reducing the burden on internal and external services whilst ensuring the patient has the best possible outcome. Through clear robust pathways and an upskilled workforce, the service will be sustainable for years to come whilst patients are dealt with in the best way possible in an Ambulatory manner.&#x0D; The outcome is a sustainably funded, evidence-based patient-centred service offered in a day case setting, that anticipates and manages complex toxicities and challenging symptoms that develop at different points during the treatment pathway. With these side effects managed on an ambulatory basis, it prevents patients requiring prolonged inpatient admission, a wider benefit for our partners in Local Health Boards.&#x0D;

Redefining the “shape” of things to come – a case study on marketing a taboo product and averting a potential crisis

Research methodology The case is based on interviews in 2022 with the founder of Shape, Monoshita Ayruani, supplemented by classroom testing and secondary sources such as textbooks, journals, newspapers and other pertinent sources such as reports produced by marketing and consulting firms. Case overview/synopsis Shape is a private limited company operating in Bangladesh, a country in South Asia. Bangladesh is a fast-developing country where the people (the vast majority of whom are young) are practical and forward thinking, conservative, yet also generally tolerant. Its CEO is Monoshita Ayruani, who has had several years of experience in a PR and Marketing agency before starting Shape. It produces and sells “innerwear” or undergarments, which are their staple products, as well as clothing, bath products, sleepwear and various other products targeted at women. Starting off as an online business in 2019, it was about to find its footing in the market when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The problem faced by Shape at the beginning was that digital marketing was not resulting in word of mouth for the product, as undergarments were considered too “taboo” to talk or share about with most people. The second problem faced was the sudden protests about Westernised clothing and culture in 2022, which may potentially threaten the company. Complexity academic level This case would be well suited for an undergraduate or graduate-level Marketing or Strategic Management course that exposes students to the challenges of promoting a new brand and marketing taboo products imported from abroad, in a largely conservative and culturally sensitive market, and preventing a potential crisis when protests break out. The case also touches on international supply chain problems, so may also be taught in an International Business course. The level of difficulty is intermediate as the problems are nuanced.

Forward Thinking and Adaptability to Sustain and Advance IPECP in Healthcare Transformation Following the COVID-19 Pandemic

The proliferation of the novel SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus across the globe in 2020 produced a shared trauma internationally of unprecedented devastation, disruption, and death. At the same time, the pandemic has been a transformation catalyst accelerating the implementation and adoption of long overdue changes in healthcare education and practice, including telehealth and virtual learning. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed healthcare at a crossroads, either viewing it as a temporary situation that requires short-term solutions, or as a major disruption that presents opportunities for innovation for sustainable development and transformation. As COVID-19 transitions from pandemic to endemic, we have a unique opportunity to leverage lessons learned that can foster healthcare transformation through innovation, forward thinking, and interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP). With the changing landscape of higher education and healthcare, IPECP leaders need to reflect on and implement ‘Forward Thinking and Adaptability’ and ‘Sustainability and Growth’ in their IPECP approaches and strategies to achieve the Quintuple Aim. To capitalize on this opportunity and based on a recent publication by InterprofessionalResearch Global, this paper explores and debates (from a global perspective) the impact and application of healthcare education and practice transformation on IPECP with the goal to identify best practices in integrating and sustaining IPECP and building a resilient workforce.

‘Burn Like Hot Stones’: Children’s Perceptions of Environmental Change in Samoa

A survey of children in the small Pacific Island state of Samoa was undertaken through focus groups and drawings. This primary study of children of different ages demonstrated that children were aware of local environmental changes including those triggered by climate change. The majority of Samoan children of both genders were aware of the multiple dimensions of climate change affecting Samoa, namely rising temperatures, heavier rainfall, stronger winds, cyclones, and how these affected to varying degrees different parts of Samoa. Sea level rise was perceived to be a feature of future, rather than, current climate change. Gender variations reflected domestic activities of children, while village location influenced observations and perceptions of change. Their knowledge was informed by their experiences of recent events triggered by climate change and tectonic activities, attending school, as well as by listening to various media sources such as television and radio, and to family members. Younger children, aged 6-9 years, had a basic understanding of climate change. Older children, aged 10-15 years, were able to conceptualize future changes, and exhibited a degree of forward thinking that suggested potential resilience in the face of change.

‘No one knows where we fit in really’: the role of the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) in primary school settings in Ireland – the case for a distributed model of leadership to support inclusion

ABSTRACT This article examines the role of the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) in primary schools in Ireland, an area that is under researched with little or no empirical data available. The current qualitative study, congruent with an interpretivist paradigm, provides narratives from four SENCOs offering insight into both the operational and leadership role of the SENCO in Irish primary schools, focusing mainly on the latter as a distributed model approach. The findings indicate that this sample of SENCOs may be constructed as ‘apparatuses of knowledge’ (Foucault 1980) within five broad areas of responsibilities: (1) identifying children with additional needs and administrating assessments, (2) fostering in-school collaboration and supporting others, (3) determining and monitoring resource allocation, (4) providing staff development and (5) liaising with external agencies. Emerging from the findings is a reinforcement of the value of the SENCO as a leader through a distribution of power situating them as forward thinking and proactive. Despite this, there is a reluctance in assuming the position of a SENCO due to the heavy workloads and lack of recognition of the administration and coordination duties. This research calls for a consideration of the SENCO position in national policy with both monetary and leadership titled recognition for the role.

DA'WAH TASAWUF: CONCEPT AND IMPLEMENTATION IN BETAWI SOCIETY

This dissertation aims to find out how far the role of the da'wah of Sufism in improving the quality of faith of the Indonesian people, especially the Betawi people. Where the Betawi people experience moral decadence, the erosion of identity associated with the decline in religious values. And with its geographical location, namely the Metropolitan City, the Betawi community is infected with a hedonistic and materialistic lifestyle. It is hoped that this da'wah of Sufism can fortify the ummah from moral depravity and become a means of fostering human relations with its Lord, and fellow communities around it, as well as forming believers with noble character who are loved by Allah and His Messenger. The method used in this study is to use the theory used in this research is to use the theory of the sociology of knowledge, while the approach is to da'wah-sufism in the Betawi community in Indonesia. The hypothesis to be achieved in the dissertation puts forward humanist da'wah thinking. The sociology of knowledge is a theory, while on the other hand the sociology of knowledge is a sociological-historical research method. As a theory, the sociology of knowledge takes two forms, namely: first, a purely empirical investigation through the exposure and structural analysis of how social interactions in fact influence thought. Second, epistemological research that focuses on how social relations and thought affect the issue of validity. In other words, as a theory for purely empirical inquiry, the sociology of knowledge examines the living forces and actual attitudes that underlie theoretical attitudes. Strength is not seen as a mere individual thing, but rather on the collective goals of a group that underlies individual thinking.

Forward Thinking on Myopia

Miyosmart helped Hoya scoop the Lens Award in 2022. Mike Hale reports

Redefining liberal arts education in the twenty-first century

Redefining liberal arts education in the twenty-first century