Scientific Infrastructure Research Articles

Scientific infrastructure of social sciences and humanities in European Union

The concept of scientific infrastructure in the interpretation adopted in the European Union is considered. It is indicated that this is a modern form of organization of scientific information services. The structure of European organizations and projects forming the scientific infrastructure of European organizations is described. The activities of European consortia of scientific infrastructure of social and humanitarian profile, including information resources and services implemented in these consortia, are described in particular detail. It is concluded that the European experience can be very useful for the development of scientific information services in Russia.

NCI Imaging Data Commons

National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Research Data Commons (CRDC) aims to establish a cloud-based data science infrastructure. Imaging Data Commons (IDC) is a component of CRDC supported by the Cancer Moonshot™, which aims to enable access and exploration of de-identified imaging data, and to support integrated analyses with non-imaging data. IDC will interoperate with other components of CRDC, which include repositories of other types of data, such as genomics and proteomics repositories, and computational resources to perform analysis of the data. IDC builds on the strengths of the established efforts such as The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA) to collect and share FAIR (Findable Accessible Interoperable Reusable) imaging data.IDC uses a combination of commercially available tools and capabilities provided by Google Cloud Platform (GCP) together with a range of open-source components. While the initial focus is to support clinical radiology and radiotherapy data, IDC aims to provide similar capabilities for brightfield microscopy, multi-channel immunofluorescence and other imaging modalities. Equally important is the ability to support the results of imaging data analysis, such as annotations of regions of interest in the images or various descriptors of image findings. The IDC search portal provides an interface for exploring the data, defining cohorts, and summarizing attributes of the cohort. Images can be viewed in the integrated browser-based viewer, which uses DICOMweb to access the IDC data. IDC data is public and contains no Protected Health Information (PHI). As CDRC grows, imaging datasets will be increasingly cross-linked to genomic, proteomic, and clinical data about the subjects.The pilot of IDC was released in October 2020, including 28 collections of the TCIA: radiology images related to The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project, and several collections prioritized to establish the capabilities of IDC in handling image-derived data. DICOM and collection-level metadata is available from the BigQuery tables, and does not require a project configured with billing. The IDC portal is available at https://portal.imagingdatacommons.cancer.gov, and integrates a customized web viewer that supports visualization of both the images and image annotations (specifically, visualization of DICOM Segmentation and Radiotherapy Structure Set is supported, including multiplanar reformatting). IDC also provides documentation and a user forum.The IDC pilot available to the cancer research community explores the promise of cloud-hosted public imaging collections co-located with the compute resources and a growing number of tools to support data analysis. Production release of IDC is planned for Fall 2021, and will include all of the public TCIA collections, including those that contain imaging and annotation data from radiotherapy studies and clinical trials.

Technical and Vocational Education and Technology Transfer: Departments of Computer and Communications at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, PAAE&T, Kuwait, As A case Study

The transfer of technology plays a vital role in the advancement of a country, particularly in gulf states where the shortage of skilled and semi-skilled in visible in essential sectors on their economy (e.g., oil, health, water and electricity). The transfer of technology is considered a significant factor in the development, and is most effective and efficient. When it is absorbed in such a way as to provide a springboard for the move into the next stage of industrialization. The transfer of technology to Kuwait has brought with it enormous changes in terms of industrial development, lower the rate of youth unemployment, increase wages, and upgraded the standard of living. However, the success of technology transfer depends extensively on the contribution of the imported technology in building a sound indigenous scientific and technical infrastructure. In other word, the ability to transfer the know-how and know-why to indigenous manpower that are capable of managing, monitoring, maintaining, and adapting the imported technology to suit local environment. In this paper, I present some of the empirical results and observations which describe the interactions between the supplier of technology (Internet Works and Communications System) and the recipient of the technology (PAAE&T) in the field of technology transfer. In other word, whether the PAAE&T have taken the opportunity, while building its new headquarter, in the transfer of technology from the supplier of internet works and communications system to its academic staff in the various computer and communication academic departments at the PAAE&T colleges and institutions. The paper argues that, for effective and efficient transfer of technology, the recipient (PAAE&T) must ensure that the agreement with the supplier of Internet Works and Communications System must include calluses that would allow the PAAE&T academic staff in its various computer and communications academic departments in its various colleges and institutions to acquire the technology embedded in the agreement. The paper concludes that the transfer of technology and the building of a local scientific and technical infrastructure must be viewed by Kuwaiti decision-makers as a complementary to one another. Thus, reducing, to great extent, the level of dependence on expatriate, particularly in essential sector of the economy (e.g., oil, electricity and water, health).

Technical and Vocational Education and Technology Transfer: Departments of Electrical Engineering at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, PAAE&T, Kuwait, As A case Study

The role of technology transfer in technical and vocational education is significant since lecturers, trainers, and students can obtain the updated knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are currently being practice by local and international business and industries. Technology transfer can indeed close the gap between what is being learned and practice in technical and vocational institutions and the world of work. However, the success technology transfer in technical and vocational education perspective would depend entirely on the quality of management. It is their responsibility, when signing an agreement with internal or external providers of technology, to include calluses that enable academic staff in related specialty to interact positively and freely with the supplier on technology. In other terms, ensuring no clear or hidden restriction imposed by the supplier of technology to acquire the know-how and know-why that are embedded in the agreement. In this paper, I present some of the empirical results and observations which describe the interactions between the supplier of technology (Electrical Engineering System) and the recipient of the technology (PAAE&T) in the field of technology transfer. In other word, whether the PAAE&T have taken the opportunity, while building its new headquarter, in the transfer of technology from the supplier of electrical engineering system to its academic staff in its various Electrical Engineering Academic Departments at the PAAE&T colleges and institutions. The paper argues that, for effective and efficient transfer of technology, the recipient (PAAE&T) must ensure that the agreement with the supplier of Electrical Engineering System must include calluses that would allow the PAAE&T academic staff in its various Electrical Engineering Academic Departments in its various colleges and institutions to acquire the technology embedded in the agreement. The paper concludes that the transfer of technology and the building of a local scientific and technical infrastructure must be viewed by Kuwaiti decision-makers as a complementary to one another. Thus, reducing, to great extent, the level of dependence on expatriate, particularly in essential sector of the economy.

Looking Back, Looking Forward: What to do with Philippine Agriculture

Compared with our ASEAN neighbors against whom we usually benchmark ourselves, the Philippines is making the least progress in providing a better life for its people. While they have significantly brought their poverty rates down, poverty among Filipinos has persisted at a painfully embarrassing rate of 26%, most of that poverty is found in the countryside, among farmers and fisherfolk. The 1.7% rate of growth of agriculture, which does not even match our population growth during the last five years (2011-2015), is symptomatic of this malaise, yet the ingredients to make agriculture move forward and be more productive, competitive, sustainable, and economically rewarding to our millions of small farmers and fisherfolk are largely in place. Our moderate tropical environment and rainfall with irrigation make year-round growing possible. Our vast and carefully-managed fisheries resources should provide a sustainable supply of affordable and quality animal proteins in our diets. We have a fairly educated workforce and a modest but working higher education and scientific research infrastructure in agriculture. We have an established and increasingly competitive food and beverage manufacturing subsector. Progressive legislations are in place with the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA) of 1997 and the Fisheries Code of 1998, and a palpable improving political will to support agriculture is established, as manifested by the expanding congressional appropriations for the Department of Agriculture (DA). What should we do with agriculture in 2016 and beyond to move it forward? Beyond generalities, what do we specifically want to see done by the government and those with a stake in agriculture to help farmers and fisherfolk attain a better standard of living for themselves, for all of us, now and in the future? There is no single magic bullet that will cure all the ills of Philippine agriculture. We need to come together, marshal, and direct our resources along four major platforms of reform, namely (a) reform the bureaucracy of the Department of Agriculture; (b) meaningful participation of stakeholders in the governance of agriculture; (c) continuing investments in rural institutions and infrastructure; and (d) closure on a few important but contentious issues such as a rice-centric agriculture.

The development of artificial intelligence in Brazil: emphasis on the military sphere and the questions of intellectual property

The subject of this research is the development of artificial intelligence in Brazil based on the recently adopted act “National Strategy for the Development of Artificial Intelligence” of April 2021 with an emphasis on the military sphere through the prism of legislative provisions on intellectual property, potential and needs of the country, as well as real joint projects with its foreign partner Israel in the sphere of procurement and engineering of unmanned aerial vehicles (Harpia, Elbit Hermes 900 and 450, IAI Heron). The relevance of this article is substantiated by timely consideration of the legal perspective of the approaches of Brazil towards the implementation of artificial intelligence, as multiple foreign states aim to implement the adopted strategies in this sphere. The scientific novelty consists in the following positions: artificial intelligence can be implemented in production, public safety and public authority, through ensuring the due level of the development of such crucial components as education and human resources, scientific and technology infrastructure, and business foundation, legal regulation and management, as well as taking into account international experience. At the same time, the technologies underlying artificial intelligence and machine learning – computational models, algorithms of classification, clusterization, educational, and others are not subject to patenting in Brazil (same as in the European Union), although are regarded as inventions for solution of technical issues – as the engineering applications of artificial intelligence.

Traditional wisdom as a starting point for conservation: A review

Traditional wisdom was established on familiarity and concern for the homeland, where people are very dependent on their local resources and they developed management values based on their cultural beliefs. Traditional wisdom and its application can be useful for ecological management plans, especially conservation programs. The application of traditional wisdom as a starting point for conservation is based on: (1) Community institutional system (2) Community collective knowledge (3) Community relationship with their environment. Traditional wisdom is part of the basic theoretical framework in strengthening research designs with specific local knowledge, including environmental relationships that occur in the area. When conservationists recognize usefulness of traditional wisdom, they can engage in knowledge exchange and foster sharing of responsibilities with indigenous peoples. This type of exchange can also provide opportunities for indigenous peoples to develop scientific infrastructure.

Research Fee: The Costs of Accessing Holotypes Obtained Through Parachute Science

Museums started as a way to show off the results of conquests and the exotic lands that have been folded into territories. In the 18th century, most colonies gained independence, research still embraced a model where former colonies had their specimen taken as a scientific token to developed countries. Museums are vitally important in maintenance and accessibility for scientific research. But the scientific infrastructure of the past still plays a role in today's studies. Mexico has struggled with this scientific framework with examples showing Mexican researchers struggling to find sufficient funding and ways to broadcast their results to the rest of the world. This has led to the attribution of a lower value to otherwise important scientific research from these countries. The science community needs to work to bridge the gap between nations to help create more advancements in research.

FORMS AND METHODS OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES USED IN LEGAL EDUCATION

The article is devoted to the application of forms and methods of information and communication technologies in the training of Bachelor of Law students. Information resources that are used in the process of teaching law students, forms and methods of their use in the educational process are considered. The main feature of modern information and communication technologies is their versatility and versatility. However, despite the wide range of possibilities, these technologies can only make human activities more efficient. The problem of using technological potential in the educational process is the main multi-faceted task of improving science and education based on information and communication technologies. Its successful solution will improve the quality and accessibility of education, integrate the education system into the world's scientific, industrial, social and cultural information infrastructure. In law schools, the analysis of the training session is rarely used. It is generally accepted that the reflection of the lesson is the responsibility of the teacher, not the students, while the students are the main participants in the educational process. It should be noted that the involvement of students in the analysis of the training session, extracurricular activities and other forms of training leads to rapid improvement and increase in the effectiveness of the educational process. During the reflection of the lesson, students can also express their criticism of the teacher and offer ideas for improving the effectiveness of the educational process. In our opinion, all this contributes to a respectful and professional relationship between teachers and students, since the activities of students and communication with the teacher are the main levers of student learning. The fulfillment of the above conditions in the article will contribute to the achievement of the main goal of education-improving the quality of education, increasing the availability of education, meeting the needs of the harmonious development of the student's personality and the information society as a whole. Conclusions about the importance of these technologies for the development of classes in legal disciplines are formulated.

Apparatuses of observation and occupation: Settler colonialism and space science in Hawai'i

This paper examines two space science infrastructures in Hawai'i, the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) and the Hawai'i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS). It considers how scientific observation and colonial occupation are co-constituted through the production of apparatuses – extensive material practices and arrangements that iteratively produce subject–object relations. By analyzing TMT and HI-SEAS as apparatuses, we show how both involve the active ordering of space, time, and matter in ways that are dependent upon existing settler colonial relations while enacting specific subject positions key to the projection of settler colonialism across space and time. TMT materializes the Archimedean point, or view-from-nowhere, on which Western scientific “objectivity” depends, while HI-SEAS works to produce ideal colonizer-subjectivities and orient their bodies to the spatialities of the colony. Engaging Native Hawai’ian, Indigenous, and allied anti-colonial critiques, we argue that social science of outer space research must critically address the colony, as its basic logics are foundational to the practices of contemporary space science and imaginaries of space exploration.

The Contribution of Experimental Energy Facilities to the Achievement of SDG in their Environment: The Case of IFMIF-DONES

Scientific infrastructures are known to have a deep impact from two main perspectives: the finality they were designed to, and other collateral impacts like changes in the economic geographic land where they are settled. However, the effects from other perspectives like social evolution and contribution to Sustainable Development have not been studied in depth yet. In this work, the effects of the implementation of the "International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility – Demo Oriented NEutron Source" (IFMIF-DONES) in a rural area in the Southern Spain will be discussed.

Suitability of maternal health care staff quantity in Beijing and Shanghai: a comparison analysis

Objective To analyze the extent of deficit in total quantity of maternal health care (MHC) staff, the changing trend of maternal mortality rate (MMR) and their regional disparities in Beijing and Shanghai municipality during the period from 2000 through 2017 and to explore the suitable scale of MHC staff for the two regions. Methods We searched China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Web of Science for research literatures on human resource for MHC in Beijing and Shanghai municipality from 1995 to 2017. The information on the deficit in total quantity of MHC staff was extracted from 166 retrieved studies (79 in Beijing and 87 in Shanghai) for calculation of a severity score to evaluate the deficit. Spearman correlation and linear regression analysis were used to analyze the relationship between the deficit in total quantity of MHC staff and MMR. Results For Beijing municipality, the severity score for the deficit in total quantity of MHC staff decreased from 3.76 in 2000 to 3.40 in 2017, while for Shanghai municipality, the score decreased from 4.00 to 2.10. A significant correlation between MMR and the severity score was detected for Shanghai (r = 0.756, P Conclusion The suitability of maternal health care staff quantity increased gradually in both Beijing and Shanghai municipality during 2000 – 2017 and the impact of the increase in total quantity of the staff on maternal mortality rate is more obvious for Shanghai. The study verified the feasibility of quantitative assessment on the scale of maternal health care staff.

The STEM Enhancement in Earth Science “Mosquito Mappers” Virtual Internship: Outcomes of Place-Based Engagement with Citizen Science

In this paper, we describe a virtual high school earth science enhancement program that embeds a citizen science experience within a scientist-mentored research internship. We demonstrate the success of the program as measured by knowledge of pertinent science concepts and processes, and changes in future career orientation, and explore the role of place-based citizen science in interns’ experience of their research projects. The STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) Mosquito Mappers Virtual Internship connected high school interns with research opportunities applying NASA Earth Observations to the global health threat of mosquito-vector borne diseases. The interns engaged in 120–150 h of research working closely with NASA subject matter expert mentors, and making use of the GLOBE Observer citizen science infrastructure to collect and analyse data. In the virtual format, interns were able to participate in activities synchronously or asynchronously through an online learning platform, web conferencing software and social media. Students developed and completed either an independent or small team research project leveraging data collected using the place-based citizen science mobile application, GLOBE Observer. We found that participants were motivated by conducting fieldwork in and around their communities using the GLOBE Observer app. Local fieldwork enabled the student researchers to apply their prior knowledge of their natural and built landscapes, while also contributing to the reduction of mosquito-borne disease risk in their communities. This finding highlights the benefit of coupling citizen science to a virtual internship. Interns shared that their interest in research, and research in the earth sciences specifically, increased as a result of participating in the internship program. By leveraging citizen science data collection and reporting tools, existing data, and analysis tools, the program represented a robust, cost effective research experience conducted in a virtual environment, lowering barriers to participation and broadening access to STEM enhancement opportunities for all.

Knowledge networks in Brazil’s health sciences

AbstractThis study aims to analyze the network of interactions of Brazilian medical research groups, identifying key actors and their roles in generating and diffusing knowledge. Social network analysis was applied, with data from the Research Groups Directory Census of the National Council of Scientific and Technological Development, from 2016. The main results show (1) the central role of universities, public institutes, and university hospital research groups; (2) the importance of scientific infrastructure and research capability of scientists in knowledge production; (3) the minor role of the industry, denoting the fragility of university–industry interactions; (4) spatial concentration of network actors, mostly located in the south and southeast of Brazil; and (5) a great opportunity to expand flows and cooperation. Regarding these results, the recent budgetary cuts in science and technology resources since 2016 seem to be a misguided and detrimental strategy as these resources are essential for future technological and industrial development.

Mambillikalathil Govind Kumar Menon. 28 August 1928—22 November 2016

M. G. K. Menon, referred to as Goku, was an outstanding particle physicist and an extraordinary statesman of science. He made his major contributions to particle physics during the tortuous years of the unravelling of the full complexity of the families of elementary particles. It was an exciting but perplexing period, and the elucidation of the complexities of the world of elementary particles took the combined efforts of the experimentalists and the theorists. Goku's contributions were central to establishing what was eventually to become the standard picture of elementary particles. He will be remembered for his studies of the two- and three-body decay modes of the charged kaon that gave rise to the ‘τ–θ’ puzzle signalling non-conservation of parity. He coined the evocative phrase ‘associated production’ to describe the creation of kaons and hyperons together in high-energy interactions. He led a team that carried out experiments at great depths underground, and in 1965 they detected an event in which a cosmic-ray neutrino interacted with rock, producing an energetic muon. In the 1980s, with a large detector, also deployed underground, he set a lower bound on the lifetime for the decay of the proton. Menon was a great builder of academic and scientific institutions and a pre-eminent advocate for science. Accordingly, he stimulated and participated actively in building up the scientific and technological infrastructure in independent India, initially as the secretary of the Government of India and subsequently as the minister of state for science and technology. As the president of the International Council of Scientific Unions, he spearheaded its participation in the policymaking body of the United Nations. He was at various times the president of the three leading academies of sciences in India and a founding member and vice-president of the World Academy of Sciences. He was a gentle and loving family man and an energetic and engaged scientific colleague.

Learning From What We Do, and Doing What We Learn: A Learning Health Care System in Action.

Different models of learning health systems are emerging. At Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the Learning Health Care System (LHS) Platform was established with the goal of creating generalizable knowledge. This differentiates the LHS Platform from other efforts that have adopted a quality improvement paradigm. By supporting pragmatic trials at the intersection of research, operations, and clinical care, the LHS Platform was designed to yield evidence for advancing content and processes of care through carefully designed, rigorous study. The LHS Platform provides the necessary infrastructure and governance to leverage translational, transdisciplinary team science to inform clinical and operational decision making across the health system. The process transforms a clinical or operational question into a research question amenable to a pragmatic trial. Scientific, technical, procedural, and human infrastructure is maintained for the design and execution of individual LHS projects. This includes experienced pragmatic trialists, project management, data science inclusive of biostatistics and clinical informatics, and regulatory support. Careful attention is paid to stakeholder engagement, including health care providers and the community. Capturing lessons from each new study, the LHS Platform continues to mature with plans to integrate implementation science and to complement clinical and process outcomes with cost and value considerations. The Vanderbilt University Medical Center LHS Platform is now a pillar of the health care system and leads the evolving culture of learning from what we do and doing what we learn.

Igbo Apprenticeship System: A Cradle of Socio-economic Development in Nigeria (REVISITED)

The Nwaboi Apprenticeship System is by far the most entrenched and vibrant entrepreneurship promotion vehicle in Nigeria and it plays a major role in the growth and development of micro, small and medium scale enterprises. The system is a big driver for wealth creation, employment generation and poverty reduction and thus economic growth and development. The paper starts with a brief historical background and it is contended that the system is strongly rooted in Igbo culture. There are basically two major types of 'the Nwaboi apprenticeship system: 'Imu-Oru Aka' (Learning a craft or skill) and 'Imu-Ahia' (Learning to trade) and the scope is wide; ranging from all kinds of trading to various crafts and skills. The system is very informal, not integrated with the organized private sector and virtually outside the ambit of government oversight and support. However, in a bid to tackle the growing rate of youth and graduate unemployment, the Nigerian government took an unusual positive step and established the National Directorate of Employment in 1987 to equip young people with marketable skills that will help them to become employable or self-employed. Unfortunately, like many government initiatives in Nigeria that are prone to inconsistency and short life cycle, most if not all the programmes put in place as part of the NDE initiative are now either not functional or on the verge of becoming moribund. Some of the challenges facing the Nwaboi Apprenticeship System are explored while recommendations on how the system can be improved and reinvented for the 21 st Century include the realignment of the anti-industry dimensions of entrepreneurial ecosystem to promote the embedding of the enterprise culture; provision of physical, scientific and technological infrastructure; the establishment of a good legal framework to guide and formalize the system; establishment of entrepreneurship development and skills acquisition centres to promote the training and development of apprentices on basic and technological literacy and on entrepreneurship skill-sets such as technical, management and entrepreneurship skills and the promotion of linkage with well managed local organizations and multinational corporations. The paper concludes that the Nwaboi Apprenticeship System has the potential to significantly increase the level of entrepreneurial metabolism and to stimulate the rate and pace of new venture creation and thus a viable platform for entrepreneurship promotion in Nigeria.

An Outbreak of Dengue Virus Serotype 2 Cosmopolitan Genotype in Nepal, 2017.

Dengue virus (DENV) is one of the most prevalent neglected tropical diseases, with half of the world’s population at risk of infection. In Nepal, DENV was first reported in 2004, and its prevalence is increasing every year. The present study aimed to obtain and characterize the full-length genome sequence of DENV from the 2017 outbreak. Hospital-based surveillance was conducted in two provinces of Nepal during the outbreak. Acute-phase serum samples were collected from 141 clinically suspected dengue patients after the rainy season. By serological and molecular techniques, 37 (26.9%) and 49 (34.8%), respectively, were confirmed as dengue patients. The cosmopolitan genotype of DENV-2 was isolated from 27 laboratory-confirmed dengue patients. Genomic analysis showed many amino acid substitutions distributed mainly among the E, NS3, and NS5 genes. Phylogenetic analyses of the whole genome sequence revealed two clades (Asian and Indian) among DENV-2 isolates from Nepal. The DENV isolates from hilly and Terai areas were similar to Asian and Indian strains, respectively. Further genomic study on different DENV serotypes is warranted to understand DENV epidemics in Nepal, where there are limited scientific resources and infrastructure.

MaDCrow, a Citizen Science Infrastructure to Monitor Water Quality in the Gulf of Trieste (North Adriatic Sea)

Within the United Nations Sustainable Development 2030 agenda, sustainable growth in the marine and maritime sector needs sea water quality monitoring. This is a very demanding and expensive task which results in the sea being largely undersampled. MaDCrow is a research and development project supported by the European Regional Development Fund, that involves citizens as data collectors while aiming to improve public environmental awareness and participation in scientific research. Its goal is to create an innovative technological infrastructure for real-time acquisition, integration and access of data, thus generating knowledge on sea water quality and marine ecosystem of the Gulf of Trieste. Data acquisition is based on an autonomous and removable device, developed within the project, that can be deployed on any small size sailing boat, recreational vessel, or fishing boat. The device holds low-cost sensors to measure pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen and salinity and the hardware and software to acquire, georeference and transmit the environmental data without interfering with the activities of the boats. In this work we analyze the use, capabilities and advantages of low-cost sensors but also their limitations, comparing, with a special focus on pH, their performances with those of the traditional ones. Applying the paradigm in a highly anthropized area such as the Gulf of Trieste, which is characterized also by a very high spatial and temporal variability of environments, we point out that this new approach allows to monitor sea water quality and highlight local anomalies with a resolution and spatial and temporal coverage that was not achievable with previous procedures, but yet at very low costs. Once received, data are then processed and submitted to a mediation flow that contextualizes and disseminates them for public use on a website. The final products have been customized to reach stakeholders such as tourists, fishermen and policy makers. The availability of information understandable to everyone, while fostering environmental awareness, stimulates, at the same time, involvement and participation of citizen scientists in the initiative. In the future, while committing to enlarge the number of participants, we will extend the analysis also toward other types of sensors.

The Effect of Different Traditional Chinese Exercises on Blood Lipid in Middle-Aged and Elderly Individuals: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

Although the impact of physical exercise on blood lipids is well documented, less information is available regarding the effect of traditional Chinese exercises (TCEs), and it is unclear what the best TCE treatment for dyslipidemia in middle-aged and elderly individuals is. The aim of this study was to systematically assess the effects of TCEs (Taijiquan, TJQ; Wuqinxi, WQX; Baduanjin, BDJ; Liuzijue, LZJ; Yijinjing, YJJ; Dawu, DW) on blood lipids in middle-aged and elderly individuals. Chinese and English databases were searched, including PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, Chongqing VIP, and Web of Science. A total of 42 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) including 2977 subjects were analyzed. Outcome indicators include total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triacylglyceride (TAG), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Summary mean differences (MD) were calculated using pairwise and network meta-analysis with a random-effects model. The results of this study showed that compared to non-exercise intervention (NEI), all six kinds of TCE treatment had some kind of influence on blood lipid indicators, among which WQX and TJQ could improve all four blood lipid indicators, whereas BDJ was effective on three indicators but not on TC. The results of cumulative probability ranking showed that WQX (84.9%, 73.8%, 63.4%, 63.1% to TC, TAG, HDL-C, LDL-C, respectively) was at the top spot being the best intervention, followed by BDJ (55.6%, 83.7%, 68.4%, 56.1%) and TJQ (73.7%, 47.6%, 63.1%, 54.1%). The network meta-analysis of RCTs demonstrates that WQX may be the best TCE treatment for dyslipidemia in middle-aged and elderly individuals.