Four-step Process Research Articles

Study on the fabrication of high-quality hafnium oxide thin films using spatial rotated atomic layer deposition and supercritical fluids treatment

This study explores the experimental outcomes and discussions surrounding the deposition of high-quality hafnium oxide (HfO2) thin films using spatial rotated atomic layer deposition (SRALD). The primary objective was to enhance the efficiency of ALD processes while maintaining film quality comparable to conventional methods. The SRALD system, developed by Kudos Nano Technology, was employed to deposit HfO2 films over a four-step process. Following deposition, the films underwent high-pressure annealing and supercritical fluids treatment, which are known for reducing thermal budgets. The key findings revealed that high-pressure annealing resulted in a significant reduction in the leakage current by up to 50%, while supercritical fluids treatment improved the dielectric constant of the films, reaching values as high as 23. These treatments also contributed to enhancing the uniformity and density of the films, as confirmed by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy and x-ray reflectometry analyses. The electrical properties of the resulting metal–insulator–semiconductor capacitors were thoroughly investigated, demonstrating a marked improvement in capacitance-voltage characteristics with minimal hysteresis.

Opening Doors: (in)Equity Audits in Accounting Education

ABSTRACT An equity audit is a data-driven approach to identify and mitigate inequitable student achievement outcomes. Equity audits are a tool K–12 teachers and administrators use to incorporate data into decision-making, identify achievement gaps, and prompt remedial action. The working hypothesis behind equity audits is the existence of a subset of students who could meet high academic standards and produce exceptional work but are prevented from doing so by current resource allocation and andragogic (i.e., adult education) practice. This learning strategy presents a simple, four-step process to address inequitable student outcomes: find a goal, gather data, uncover root causes, and enact change. Data Availability: Contact the authors. JEL Classifications: I23; O42.

중년 대상 음악문화예술교육 연구 동향

Objectives This study aims to analyze the trends of research on music and cultural arts education for middle-aged adults in South Korea and discuss future challenges. Methods To achieve the research objectives, the study conducted a literature search using key terms such as ‘middle-aged’, ‘adults’, ‘music and cultural arts education’, ‘music’, ‘choir’, and ‘performance’. Following a four-step selection process, 20 relevant papers were analyzed based on established analytical categories. Results The research has increased since 2011-2015, with master's theses comprising the highest proportion. The primary subjects of these studies were middle-aged women aged 40-60, focusing mainly on the analysis of effects and impacts. Personal domain topics were frequently addressed, with quantitative research being the predominant method. Among the various music activities, singing was the most commonly studied. Conclusions The findings highlight the need for further research targeting middle-aged men, the development of programs and content exploration, as well as literature reviews and qualitative research approaches. Future studies in these areas could contribute to the design and advancement of music and cultural arts education for middle-aged adults, both academically and practically.

Non-optimality of intellectual capital inputs: a new avenue for research

PurposeThis paper aims to initiate new avenues of research by examining optimal intellectual capital (IC) inputs, introducing three theories into the discussion: diminishing returns to scale, transaction costs economics and efficiency wage theory. In the second part, it advocates for demonstrating the existence of such non-optimality through empirical tests.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is divided into two parts. The first part provides a theoretical justification for the necessity of observing nonlinear relationships between IC inputs and firm performance. In the empirical section, the research design follows a four-step process, each progressively building on insights gained from the preceding phase: (1) establishing a baseline linear regression model; (2) introducing the logarithm of the IC inputs; (3) incorporating the square terms of the IC inputs and (4) investigating the phenomena of over- and under-input in IC.FindingsThe background theories and the obtained results highlight the necessity for firms to adopt a strategic approach to IC, acknowledging the diverse effects of IC components on different outcomes. They emphasize the nonlinear nature of IC returns, underscoring the importance of investing up to an optimal level to maximize benefits.Practical implicationsThe study’s discovery of optimal levels for the components of IC highlights the importance for practitioners to identify and invest up to these optimal levels. This ensures that IC initiatives are strategically aligned to maximize their positive impact on firm performance.Originality/valueThe integration of theories such as diminishing returns to scale, transaction costs economics and efficiency wage theory, alongside traditional frameworks like the resource-based view, the theory of dynamic capabilities and the knowledge-based theory of the firm, opens up new avenues for research on IC. The proposed methodology and measures – from financial reports – provide opportunities for replicating this type of study.

Practical Multigram Approach to Conformationally Constrained α-Proline-Based Building Blocks with γ-Spiro Conjunction

AbstractUnusual amino acids have arisen as an indispensable instrument at the disposal of modern medicinal chemistry. While extensively exploited as building blocks in the search for new pharmaceuticals, their application goes far beyond. They are currently involved in explorations of the structure and conformational mobility of peptides, modification and amplification of peptidomimetic activity, and others. Herein, we report an effective synthetic approach to nonplanar, conformationally restricted, sp3-enriched spirocyclic α-prolines. The protocol employs readily available nitrile-based starting materials and conventional experimental procedures. The synthetic sequence is concise and includes three principal stages (one of them a four-step telescopic process). The reactions proceed on a multigram scale affording the target prolines in overall good yields. The possibility of chiral separation of the synthesized racemic spiro prolines to both pure enantiomers is shown. The building blocks synthesized in the study are expected to have practical uses in the field of medicinal chemistry.

An intelligent character segmentation system coupled with deep learning based recognition for the digitization of ancient Tamil palm leaf manuscripts

Palm-leaf manuscripts, rich with ancient knowledge in areas such as history, art, and medicine, are vital cultural treasures, making their digitization essential for preserving this heritage. Digitization of these organic and fragile manuscripts is required to safeguard the essential ancient data. This requires optimal character segmentation and recognition algorithms. A limited number of studies have been carried out in Tamil character recognition in literature. Handling row-overlapped characters, noise introduced due to lightning issues, and dirt, as well as the removal of punch holes, auto-cropping the content, filtering out noisy or improper segmentation, etc. are the essential concerns carried out in our proposed work. This work is executed as a four-step process (1) Palm Leaf Manuscript Acquisition (2) Pre-Processing (3) Segmentation of Tamil Characters and (4) Tamil Character Recognition. During acquisition, the scanners are used for recording palm leaf manuscripts from the Tamil Nadu-oriented manuscript library. In the Pre-processing step, the Fast Non-Local Means (Fast-NLM) method, paired with median filtering is used for Denoising the scanner output image. Later, the pixels that make the characters and borders (i.e., the foreground) are identified using Sauvola thresholding. The proposed methodology introduces efficient techniques to remove Punch hole impressions from the pre-processed image, and to crop the written content from the edges. After pre-processing, the Segmentation of Tamil Characters is performed as a three-step process (a) Manuscript (b) Line, and (c) character segmentation, which addresses conjoined lines, partially/completely empty segmentations that are not previously addressed by existing techniques. This work introduces an Augmented HPP line-splitting algorithm that accurately segments written lines, handling wrong segmentation cases that were previously not considered by existing techniques. The system achieves an average segmentation accuracy of 98.25%, which far outperforms existing techniques. It also proposes a novel Punch hole removal algorithm that can locate and remove the punch-hole impressions in the manuscript image. This algorithm, along with the automated content cropping technique, increases recognition accuracy and eliminates any manual labor needed. These features make the proposed methodology highly suitable for real-time archaeological and historical researches that include manuscripts. All 247 letters and 12 numeric digits are analyzed and separated into 125 distinct writable characters. In our work, characters are segmented and used for recognition of all 247 letters and 12 digits in Tamil using a multi-class CNN with 125 classes, which drastically reduces the complexity of the neural network compared to having 257 output nodes. It offered a notable performance of 96.04% accuracy. As compared with existing Tamil and other character recognitions, this work is effective in essence of considering real-time images and the increased number of characters used.

Experimental study of four-step thermal swing adsorption cycle to upgrade biogas obtained from anaerobic digestion

Biogas is a renewable source of energy that when upgraded can be adopted as a reliable and sustainable alternative. This study evaluates the performance of thermal swing adsorption technology applying resistive heating, in upgrading biogas obtained from anaerobic digestion to biomethane. Commercial coconut shell-based activated carbon was used as an adsorbent in the four-step cycle process to capture carbon dioxide, using a fabricated adsorption model. The influence of minor gas constituents of biogas in carbon dioxide breakthrough curves was analyzed. Dynamic adsorption tests were carried out to evaluate the system performance in carbon dioxide capture. The maximum regeneration temperature of 60 ℃ was found to have peak carbon dioxide concentration of 39% in the waste gas, maximum energy requirements of 0.1538kWh per cycle, and an energy efficiency of 87%. This is a good trade-off between adsorbent recovery and system energy efficiency. The adoption of thermal swing adsorption technology in biogas upgrading systems is a viable alternative for water-deficient regions.

Adaptation of unified protocol treatment for transdiagnostic disorders in Pakistan: A heuristic framework.

The access to evidence-based treatments for mental health problems is limited in low-resource settings. Transdiagnostic approaches, such as the Unified Protocol (UP), are a potential solution for these settings because they are multi-problem focused, modular, flexible, and have low complexity. This study aimed to adapt UP to the mental health context of an urban speciality clinic in Pakistan using a four-step process of heuristic framework. The study employed an iterative and stakeholder-based approach to align the protocol with local values, language, and needs. Primarily, the proposed modifications focus on language use, matching literacy level, graphical illustrations, and relevance of examples. A multi-method approach including expert review, cognitive interviewing, and adaptation testing ensured cultural equivalence. Participants diagnosed with depression and anxiety were provided culturally adapted treatment (N = 15) at the testing phase. Findings indicated that the participants not only experienced significant reductions in symptoms of depression and anxiety but also found the culturally adapted UP to be easy to understand, culturally relevant, and engaging. This study provides evidence that the UP can be culturally adapted and used in the mental health context of Pakistan. The findings suggest that the UP is a promising intervention for individuals with depression and anxiety in low-resource settings.

Roadmap of Creating a Bilingual Uzbek-German Electronic Dictionary of Forestry Terms

This article examines the significant problem that Uzbek lexicography currently faces, namely the translation of forestry-related terms and lexicons into a bilingual Uzbek-German online dictionary. Naturally, in consideration of the fact that we live in the era of information, the valuable perspectives of scholars regarding online dictionaries are presented, and the disparities between printed and electronic dictionaries are elucidated. Additionally, forestry terms are actively employed in the discourse of experts in this domain, and initially, they are gathered, summarized, and organized into a system, thereby showcasing the ways in which online dictionaries can better serve users compared to their printed counterparts. At the same time, the article provides a general understanding of the four-step process of creating a dictionary, which is intended to meet the demand for online dictionaries of forestry professionals. The matter of developing high-quality and flawless bilingual online dictionaries is explored, and a recommendation is posited that, in the future, dictionaries should be entirely electronic rather than solely online.

A Sustainable Model for Forecasting Carbon Emission Trading Prices

Carbon trading has garnered considerable attention as a pivotal policy instrument for advancing carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, which are essential components of sustainable development. The capacity to precisely anticipate the cost of carbon trading has significant implications for the optimal deployment of market mechanisms, the economic advancement of technological innovations in corporate emissions reduction, and the facilitation of international energy policy adjustments. To this end, this paper proposes a novel and sustainable trading price prediction tool that employs a four-step process: decomposition, reconstruction, prediction, and integration. This innovative approach first utilizes the Improved Complete Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition with Adaptive Noise (ICEEMDAN), then reconstructs the decomposition set using multi-scale entropy (MSE), and finally uses the Long Short-Term Memory neural network model (LSTM) enhanced by the Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO) to predict the carbon emission trading price. The experimental results demonstrate that the tool achieves high accuracy for both the EU carbon price series and the carbon price series of China’s seven major carbon trading markets, with accuracy rates of 99.10% and 99.60% in Hubei and the EU carbon trading markets, respectively. This represents an improvement of approximately 3.1% over the ICEEMDAN-LSTM model and 0.91% over the ICEEMDAN-MSE-LSTM model, thereby contributing to more sustainable and efficient carbon trading practices.

Exploring Important Attributes, the Potential Use Cases and Feasibility of Introduction of Measles and Rubella Microarray Patches (MR-MAPs): Insights from Nine Countries.

Background: Microarray patches (MAPs) are innovative, needle-free vaccine delivery systems, suitable for administration by minimally trained health care workers or trained community health workers. Their introduction may transform immunization programmes, particularly for vaccines where high coverage is required for population immunity, such as measles, and where vaccine delivery is challenging, such as in low- and middle-income countries. Recognizing the need to understand how best to tailor these products to reflect country priorities, workshops on measles and rubella MAPs (MR-MAPs) were conducted in multiple regions to collect insights on needs and preferences from relevant stakeholders at country level. Methods: The CAPACITI Innovation Framework was used to structure stakeholder discussions in nine countries in the period from August 2022 to July 2023. The discussions, building on the findings from a situation analysis on the barriers related to measles and rubella vaccine delivery, followed the four-step process outlined in the framework. Results: Key barriers hindering delivery of measles and rubella vaccines across the countries were in the categories of human resource management, service delivery, and demand generation. MR-MAP attributes that stakeholders believed would reduce or eliminate these barriers included ease of preparation and administration, improved thermostability, fewer (ancillary) components, and single-dose presentation. Some attributes such as the site of administration, wear time, and storage volume could exacerbate certain barriers. Based on an understanding of key barriers, product attributes, and underserved populations, stakeholders identified several potential use cases for MR-MAPs: (i) delivery at a fixed health post, (ii) delivery through outreach sessions conducted by health workers, and (iii) administration by community health workers. To enable robust national decision making about the introduction of MR-MAPs and successful implementation, global and national evidence on feasibility and acceptability of MR-MAPs should be generated. To prepare for the potential introduction of MR-MAPs, immunization programmes should evaluate their immunization policies based on their preferred use cases and modify them if needed, for example, to enable community health workers to administer vaccines, along with making programmatic adjustments to waste management and training. Conclusions: MR-MAPs have the potential to reduce key barriers to MR delivery. Yet, their future impact depends on the ability of global stakeholders to steer the development of MR-MAPs to be responsive to country needs and preferences. The generation of evidence to enable robust decision making, timely modification of vaccine policies, and addressing programmatic considerations will be key to successful uptake.

Drivers and consequences of microbial community coalescence.

Microbial communities are undergoing unprecedented dispersion and amalgamation across diverse ecosystems, thereby exerting profound and pervasive influences on microbial assemblages and ecosystem dynamics. This review delves into the phenomenon of community coalescence, offering an ecological overview that outlines its four-step process and elucidates the intrinsic interconnections in the context of community assembly. We examine pivotal mechanisms driving community coalescence, with a particular emphasis on elucidating the fates of both source and resident microbial communities and the consequential impacts on the ecosystem. Finally, we proffer recommendations to guide researchers in this rapidly evolving domain, facilitating deeper insights into the ecological ramifications of microbial community coalescence.

There is no limitation for CO2 excretion across the lung in exercising American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis).

Vertebrates utilize various respiratory organs like gills, lungs, and skin in combination with diverse cardiovascular structures, including single, three, and four-chambered hearts, to enable oxygen delivery and carbon dioxide removal. They also exhibit differences in aerobic and anaerobic metabolism during exertion, but the cardiorespiratory gas transport of all vertebrates follow is a similar a four-step process governed by Fick's Principle and Fick's Law of Diffusion over the entire range of metabolic rates. Hillman et al. (2013) suggested that previous exercise studies have focused too narrowly on mammals and proposed that the cardiorespiratory system's excess capacity serves an evolutionary role in enhancing CO2 excretion in non-mammalian vertebrates. In contrast, an analysis by Hicks and Wang (2021) concluded that vertebrates maintain effective gas exchange even at peak activity, finding no evidence of arterial hypercapnia at maximal oxygen consumption and thus challenging the proposal of significant limitations to pulmonary or branchial CO2 efflux. In the present study, we investigate the limits for CO2 exchange in exercising American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) and provide evidence that the cardiorespiratory system is adequately built to sustain CO2 excretion during strenuous exercise and maintain arterial PCO2 , with no evidence of diffusion limitation for pulmonary CO2 excretion.

‘Unsponsoring Football’: Sign Value, Symbolic Exchange, and Simulacra in a Gambling-Related Marketing Campaign

This article utilises Baudrillard’s concepts of sign value and symbolic exchange to examine the ‘Unsponsoring Football’ campaign which was designed by the marketing and creative agencies VCCP and Octagon, and carried out in conjunction with the bookmakers Paddy Power. Clubs were ‘unsponsored’ by Paddy Power, which paid for the right to not display its logo on football shirts. The campaign concept involved ‘spoof’ shirts which are simulations of the ‘real’ items. A four-step process through which the simulacra develop is outlined in the article. The campaign parodies UK government policy on gambling-related sponsorship, which has been criticised for its failure to regulate what is a globalised market. The 2023 White Paper ‘High Stakes: Gambling Reform for the Digital Age’ is notably similar to the parodic position taken in ‘Unsponsoring Football’. Removing some elements of sponsorship while retaining a wider relationship with the gambling industry means that the gamblification of the sport remains in place.

Entrepreneurial Innovation Responsibility (EIR): Mitigating the Political Risks of Disruptive Innovation

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a concept with a long history in research literature and the classroom. However, CSR mainly pertains to established companies with extensive resources and influence in markets and communities. Startups may acquire this influence, but it is likely to be in the future. As entrepreneurs build their businesses, current concerns related to establishing their products and enterprises is of utmost consideration. The startups with the most upside for investment opportunities pursue entrepreneurial innovation. Yet, entrepreneurial innovation changes not only markets but society itself. For many entrepreneurs, they do not consider the ramifications and challenges society and government may bring as the status quo is disrupted. Therefore, in this paper, we offer Entrepreneurial Innovation Responsibility (EIR) as a concept tailored to the unique challenges startup entrepreneurs may face. EIR is grounded in entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility research and is a forward-looking approach to help entrepreneurs consider and plan for stakeholders who may resist the innovations they bring to the world. We provide a four-step process for mitigating these risks, as well as examples for illustrating how the process can be applied.

Using mixed methods and partnership to develop a program evaluation toolkit for organizations that provide physical activity programs for persons with disabilities

BackgroundThe purpose of this paper is to report on the process for developing an online RE-AIM evaluation toolkit in partnership with organizations that provide physical activity programming for persons with disabilities.MethodsA community-university partnership was established and guided by an integrated knowledge translation approach. The four-step development process included: (1) identify, review, and select knowledge (literature review and two rounds of Delphi consensus-building), (2) adapt knowledge to local context (rating feasibility of outcomes and integration into online platform), (3) assess barriers and facilitators (think-aloud interviews), and (4) select, tailor, implement (collaborative dissemination plan).ResultsStep 1: Fifteen RE-AIM papers relevant to community programming were identified during the literature review. Two rounds of Delphi refined indicators for the toolkit related to reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. Step 2: At least one measure was linked with each indicator. Ten research and community partners participated in assessing the feasibility of measures, resulting in a total of 85 measures. Step 3: Interviews resulted in several recommendations for the online platform and toolkit. Step 4: Project partners developed a dissemination plan, including an information package, webinars, and publications.DiscussionThis project demonstrates that community and university partners can collaborate to develop a useful, evidence-informed evaluation resource for both audiences. We identified several strategies for partnership when creating a toolkit, including using a set of expectations, engaging research users from the outset, using consensus methods, recruiting users through networks, and mentorship of trainees. The toolkit can be found at et.cdpp.ca. Next steps include disseminating (e.g., through webinars, conferences) and evaluating the toolkit to improve its use for diverse contexts (e.g., universal PA programming).

Leveraging implementation science theories to develop and expand the use of a penicillin allergy de-labeling intervention

BackgroundPenicillin allergy is the most frequently reported drug allergy, yet most patients can tolerate the drug if challenged. Despite this discrepancy, large scale penicillin allergy de-labeling interventions have not been widely implemented in many health care systems. The application of a multi-method implementation science approach can provide key tools to study this evidence to practice gap and provide insight to successfully operationalize penicillin allergy evaluation in real-world clinical settings.MethodsWe followed a four-step process that leverages qualitative analysis to design evidence-based, actionable strategies to develop an intervention. First, we specified the clinician-perceived barriers to penicillin allergy de-labeling (intervention targets). We then mapped intervention targets onto Theoretical Domains Framework (domains and constructs) and found the root causes of behavior. Next, we linked root causes of behavior with intervention functions (BCW). In the final step, we synthesized participants’ suggestions for process improvement with implementation strategies aligning with the intervention functions.ResultsEvidence-based strategies such as focused education and training in penicillin allergy evaluation can address knowledge and confidence barriers reported by frontline clinicians. Other key strategies involve developing a system of champions, improving communications systems, and restructuring the healthcare team. Implementation mapping can provide a powerful multi-method framework to study, design, and customize intervention strategies. Conclusion: Empowering clinicians beyond allergy specialists to conduct penicillin allergy assessments requires designing new workflows and systems and providing additional knowledge to those clinicians.

Solar-driven photocatalytic nitrogen fixation on transition metal-doped covalent organic frameworks: First-principles study

Designing highly efficient single-atom catalysts for converting nitrogen into ammonia under ambient temperature conditions holds significant importance. Current research predominantly focuses on electrocatalytic nitrogen fixation, but compared to that, photocatalytic nitrogen fixation requires only sunlight as an energy source, making it more environmentally friendly and cost-effective. Developing efficient nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) photocatalysts presents a promising yet highly challenging task. Two-dimensional (2D) covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have garnered interest because of their elevated surface area and regular pore structure. This study employs density functional theory calculations to investigate the potential of NRR photocatalysts using the 2D COF TMT-TFPT-COF (TT-COF) supported with 18 different transition metal atoms (TM = Rh, Nb, Os, Mo, Ru, Pt, Ni, Co, V, Cu, Fe, Re, W, Cr, Ta, Mn, Pd, Ti). Through a four-step selection process, the most promising photocatalyst is identified. The results indicate that a single Re atom loaded onto TT-COF (Re@TT-COF) displays the optimal nitrogen fixation performance, demonstrating excellent catalytic activity and selectivity with a limiting potential of only −0.30 V. Furthermore, its good light absorption efficiency, suitable band edge position, and significant photo-generated electron potential enable spontaneous nitrogen fixation. Our study provides useful guidance for the rational design of COF-based NRR photocatalysts with high activity, stability, and selectivity.

Optimizing a national examination for medical undergraduates via modern automated test assembly approaches

BackgroundAutomated test assembly (ATA) represents a modern methodology that employs data science optimization on computer platforms to automatically create test form, thereby significantly improving the efficiency and accuracy of test assembly procedures. In the realm of medical education, large-scale high-stakes assessments often necessitate lengthy tests, leading to elevated costs in various dimensions (such as examinee fatigue and expenses associated with item development). This study aims to augment the design of the medical education assessments by leveraging modern ATA approaches.MethodsTo achieve the objective, a four-step process employing psychometric methodologies was used to calibrate and analyze the item pool of the Standardized Competence Test for Clinical Medicine Undergraduates (SCTCMU), a nationwide summative test comprising 300 multiple-choice questions (MCQ) in China. Subsequently, two modern ATA approaches were employed to determine the optimal item combination, accounting for both statistical and content requirements specified in the test blueprint. The qualities of the assembled test form, generated using modern ATA approaches, underwent meticulous evaluation.ResultsThrough an exploration of the psychometric properties of the SCTCMU as a foundational step, the evaluation revealed commendable quality in the item properties. Furthermore, the evaluation of the quality of assembled test form using modern ATA approaches indicated the ability to ascertain the optimal test length within the predefined measurement precision. Specifically, this investigation demonstrates that the application of modern ATA approaches can substantially reduce the test length of assembled test form, while simultaneously maintaining the required statistical and content standards specified in the test blueprint.ConclusionsThis study harnessed modern ATA approaches to facilitate the automatic construction of test form, thereby significantly enhancing the efficiency and precision of test assembly procedures. The utilization of modern ATA approaches offers medical educators a valuable tool to enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of medical education assessment.

Concise synthesis of pyridopyridazines

An efficient and concise method is hereby reported for the synthesis of pyrido[3,4-c]pyridazin-8(7H)-ones from the commercially available material, methyl 4,6-dichloropyridazine-3-carboxylate. The four-step reaction process involves Suzuki coupling, Buchwald coupling, ammoniation, and intramolecular cyclization. The advantage of this route represents the development of a novel C5 site-selective Suzuki monocoupling of 3,5-dichloropyridazine, with an overall yield of over 73 %.