Innovative Topics Research Articles

Editorial Policy

Editorial Policy

The LTER-Greece Environmental Observatory Network: Design and Initial Achievements

Five years after its establishment (2016), the LTER-Greece network outlines its vision, aims, objectives and its achievements through a series of case studies. The network consists of eight observatories, focusing on innovative research topics, aiming to be both cooperative and complementary, while currently being in the process of expanding. LTER-Greece acknowledges the complexity of ecosystems and the fact that effective management of natural resources may only be achieved by addressing every sector of a nexus system in order to understand inter-dependencies, thus accounting for solutions that promote resilience. Hence, LTER-Greece focuses on the holistic study of the water-environment-ecosystem-food-energy-society nexus, in order to face environmental and socio-ecological challenges at local and global scales, particularly climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, natural disasters and unsustainable water and land management. Framed around five research pillars, monitoring and research targets nine research hypotheses related to climate change, environmental management, socio-ecology and economics, biodiversity and environmental process dynamics. As environmental monitoring and related research and conservation in Greece face critical shortcomings, LTER-Greece envisages confronting these gaps and contributing with interdisciplinary solutions to the current and upcoming complex environmental challenges.

Editorial Policy

Editorial Policy

LEARNING THROUGH VIRTUAL TOOLS: VISIT A PLACE IN THE PANDEMIC ERA

Abstract. The concept of combining learning activities and Cultural Heritage is a highly effective approach, both in the pandemic era and no. Knowledge and awareness of a place cultural identity by the local community is itself a conservation action. Therefore, a training activity was tested at the “Liceo Leopardi” (Lecco) according to the guidelines of Italian work-school projects. It is an innovative didactic methodology that allows students to combine school training with practical experience in a public or private institution. Since 2015, it has been compulsory in Italy for all high school students. The didactic tool used to face innovative topics related to heritage digitisation and its remote access was the Virtual Tour of the Monumental Complex of Laorca. The VT is a very effective immersive tool and easy to use even for non-expert users. Through some frontal lessons and laboratory activities, the students learned the basic concepts about the acquisition techniques to realise multimedia data (artistic photography, light painting, panoramic photography, video, etc.) to enrich the Laorca complex VT frame. The didactic experimentation was very engaging for the students who created a cultural game for the younger middle school students. The game is structured like a path consisting of 10 phases, designed in two versions: one version played directly on-site and another available online within VT. The research presented aims at the CH digitisation for the involvement and participation of the local community in the territorial identity promotion. The didactic experiment involved students reinforcing the link with their territory.

Preface

The IV Latin American Conference on Bioimpedance (CLABIO 2021) were carried out in November 10-13, 2021, in San Luis Potosí, SLP, Mexico. The conference was hosted by the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi. Plenary conferences, lectures, mini-courses, tutorials and workshops were developed in both on-site and on-line modes. We are proud to present in this proceedings book a selection of papers from latin america and all over the world, reporting on the latest findings and technological outcomes in the bioimpedance field. The content is organized to reflect outstanding scientific research lines in bioimpedance, innovative topics on tissue and molecular engineering, biosensors on the basis of bioimpedance, novel devices and clinical applications are discussed in this book. Content innovation and academic quality have been warranted by a careful peer-reviewing process, which was coordinated by an expert Scientific Committee and involved academic reviewers. With a final acceptance rate of 95%, this book is the result of a great effort involving more than 100 scientists, both professors and students, participating as authors, reviewers, and Scientific Committee members. We are sure that the contributions presented in this book will give you a deep overview of the leading edge in bioimpedance area. On behalf of Scientific and Organizing Committees, we thank authors, academic reviewers as well as sponsoring societies such as the Mexican Society of Biomedical Engineering (SOMIB)-Mexico, for their contribution. Moreover, we encourage readers to enjoy this amazing piece of scientific literature as a breadth of knowledge in the bioimpedance and biomedical engineering fields. We hope that all of you had enjoyed the outstanding opportunity we had during CLABIO 2021—a tremendous experience and expertise throughout the length and breadth of wide range of fields under one roof—generating a wave of motivation and diversity spreading across the Americas to the world.List of Editors, Distinguished Lecturer Message, Scientific Committee, Organizing Committee, Plenary Lectures, Mini-courses, Reviewers, Sponsors are available in this pdf.

Big Data-IoT: An Analysis of Multidimensional Proximity Implications on Green Innovation Performance—An Empirical Study of the Data from the Chinese Power Industry

With the global energy crisis and environmental degradation getting more rigorous, an essential approach is required to attain introverted development through structural optimization, autonomous invention, and technological innovation system. It is an important way to include energy conservation, emission reductions, and the implementation of a low-carbon mode in the power industry, which is a highly polluting sector of the national economy. This article is based on the State Intellectual Property Office of China’s patent search and analysis database. We choose the number of green patents jointly submitted for innovative topics in the power industry from 2016 to 2020. The negative binomial regression is constructed from the standpoint of multidimensional closeness by employing Gephi visual analysis, Ucinet, and the Stata 15 regional model. Furthermore, we investigate the impact of geographical closeness, technological closeness, and institutional closeness, as well as their interaction, on the green innovation performance of inventive organizations in China’s power industry. According to the findings of the study, geographical and institutional closeness have an important influence in increasing the green innovation performance. The suggested model applies to the power sector, and technological closeness has an inverted U-shaped association with green innovation performance in the power business. Furthermore, the model output at inference time is just a collection of successive parameters that improve the interaction of the closeness of innovation subjects to the green innovation performance of the power industry, all of which are represented as complementary effects.

New editor welcome editorial: Respecting the past while moving forward.

This is to thank the outgoing editorial team and welcome the new editorial team for Current Issues in Sport Science (CISS), the journal of the sport science organizations of Austria (ÖSG) and Switzerland (SGS). CISS focuses on current issues in our multi- and interdisciplinary field reflected its sections: Biology & Medicine; Biomechanics & Informatics; Movement & Exercise Science; Pedagogy & History; Psychology & Philosophy; Public Health; Sociology & Economics; and Technology. We welcome articles that address timely topics, push the envelope, set the stage, and motivate the science in new and innovative topics.

Teleconferencing for Virtual Visiting Professors and Virtual Grand Rounds.

The 2020 global pandemic related to the coronavirus has led to unprecedented interruptions in typical patient care and resident education. Teleconferencing software was deployed by many institutions to comply with quarantine and social-distancing regulations. To supplement the loss of clinical experience for trainees, the authors implemented a novel virtual-educational programming using virtual visiting professors and virtual grand rounds. The authors describe the two different formats and advantages such as access to multiple speakers on diverse, innovative topics and decreased financial burdens to the host program. However, the authors do acknowledge some disadvantages from lack of face-to-face social interaction/networking and the need to consider time-zone differences. Both new programs were embraced by trainees at the authors' own institution and residents/medical students across the United States and Canada and around the world. The authors believe teleconferencing should be permanently incorporated into future educational opportunities for plastic surgeons, as it provides easy access to high-quality information.

Opportunities, balancing acts, and challenges - doing PhDs in transdisciplinary research projects

Doing a PhD in a transdisciplinary research (TDR) project allows early-career scientists (ECSs) to study innovative topics in socioecological systems and to apply methods involving the co-design and co-production of knowledge with practitioners. However, a series of interviews and a group discussion with ECSs involved in TDR projects revealed not only the benefits for career development but also a number of challenges and even risks related to working on such projects. We discuss the vital role of ECSs in sustainability science and the professionalization of TDR processes. To ensure fair conditions for these researchers, experienced supervisors who assume responsibility for ECSs in TDR projects are required, as is the acknowledgement of the twofold efforts of ECSs in TDR projects and support from scientific networks (e.g., Future Earth) to transform the academic system and build the careers of ECSs in sustainability science. Finally, it has been shown that the scientific discourse on TDR and sustainability science must pay more attention to the specific roles of ECSs and work conditions.

Dynamic pricing for information goods using revenue management and recommender systems

With the advent of the Internet and creation of information goods, the concept of price and pricing information goods has become one of the most interesting and innovative topics in information technology management and economics. In the cost structure of information goods, its reproduction cost is negligible compared to original version. Therefore, policies must be adopted to prorate the prime cost of the original version according to the demand for all reproduced copies. It means that based on the cost structure, market and the characteristics of information goods, the usual methods for pricing information products are not efficient and traditional pricing (cost plus profit), which is common way for most consumer and industrial goods, is not useful. In this paper, a model is proposed for dynamic pricing of information goods that adapts revenue management systems to create more profit for sellers and uses recommender systems to personalize prices which leads to customer welfare along with increasing profit. Economic analysis of the model by movie store datasets illustrates its desirable performance for increasing seller’s profit and customer’s welfare.

Wounds Week 2: 1–5 February 2021

On 1 February, Journal of Wound Care and the University of Huddersfield streamed the first of the live webinars on their Wounds Week channel (www.woundsweek.com). All sessions are now available to watch on-demand. With highly innovative topics, Wounds Week 2 gives a chance for the wound care community to come together in these difficult times and engage in key education, free of charge. The sessions had live question and answer sessions; participants asked questions of the experts, making them a key part of the event. The registration process takes just a minute. There's nothing to install or set up-simply register and fill out your details. Follow on twitter at #WoundsWeek.

A double design-science perspective of entrepreneurship – the example of smart contracts in the insurance market

PurposeFollowing the call for strengthening the third pillar of knowledge in entrepreneurship as well as work-applied management contexts constituted by pragmatic design principles, we present a case study on an insurtech for insurance firms specialized in smart contract insurance solutions such as flight delay or ski resort insurance.Design/methodology/approachDesign science.FindingsThis not only serves as a pointer for how insurances may master their digital transformation while remaining competitive. But moreover, on the meta level, we find that the adoption of entrepreneurial design principles by the students, whose experiential project represents our case study, does not necessarily require continuous support or foundational knowledge to be delivered beforehand. However, for a deeper or more holistic assessment of the case sketched in their project, it makes sense to introduce them to newer developments such as the simple, practical framework of the Entrepreneur's Question Index.Originality/valueInnovative teaching method on innovative topics.

The European Seaborne Empires: From the Thirty Years' War to the Age of Revolutions

The European Seaborne Empires: From the Thirty Years' War to the Age of Revolutions

Young Research Forum on Obstetrics and Gynecology

The 5th International Conference on Obstetrics and Gynecology opens Young Researchers Forum a platform for medical and Ph.D. students, Research Fellows, Post-Doctoral researchers, and anyone who considers themselves a young researcher to present their research work alongside others in the international Obstetrics and Gynecology community. The Forum hopes to offer young researchers an opportunity to convene and discuss research topics and policies, share and propose ideas, and gain knowledge from fellow scholars. Submissions on case studies and innovative topics are particularly encouraged. Both oral and poster presentations are welcome. Oral presentations should be of 10-15 minutes duration in related scientific track followed by 5 minutes question hour. The forum would also like to encourage students to participate as delegates and encompass themselves in the innovative discussion of current research scenario. The 5th International Conference on Obstetrics and Gynecology is scheduled on April 13-14, 2020 in Dubai, UAE. Interested researchers must submit their abstract by March 05, 2020 which will be reviewed by the Scientific Committee. Applications will be selected based on past research yield and potential future prospect. Selected authors will be notified through e-mail who must confirm their participation by completing the registration before March 15, 2020. Gynecology 2020 introduces Young Researcher Awards 2020 to encourage the young research community for their excellent contributions towards the scientific community and for the betterment in the field of Women Health, through the Gynecology 2020 Conference. The awards will be decided after careful evaluation and paper reading, and the best of the flock will be chosen meticulously. The Young Researcher Award will be given to the author of an exceptional idea presented at the Young Researchers Forum. All the YRF presenters are eligible for the Gynecology 2020- Young Researcher Award.

Drug Information Association (DIA) Europe - 32nd Annual Meeting, Virtual (June 29-July 3, 2020).

The Drug Information Association (DIA) Europe 2020 brought together multiple stakeholders from around the world including regulatory agencies, industry, patients and academia, to discuss the most innovative topics in healthcare. Main subjects covered were regulatory science, data and data standards, clinical safety and pharmacovigilance, translational medicines and science, patient engagement in clinical development, value and access, medical affairs and scientific communication, health policy, and public affairs and legal issues. The meeting, which was initially intended to take place in Brussels, was finally held virtually due to the COVID-19 situation. This report covers some of the sessions held on these 5 days of state-of-the-art topic discussions.

Increasing International Perspectives in Theoretical Roman Archaeology

The editorial of this second issue of the Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal (TRAJ) celebrates diverse and innovative topics related to Roman theoretical studies and reflects upon new ways to stimulate more international participation in the Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference (TRAC). The data collected on the attendance demonstrates that Roman studies are becoming more diverse with delegates travelling from 27 countries. The guest editors of this edition consider how formative education differs in both Italy and the UK and how this may affect the accessibility of Roman studies. Moreover, the increasing homogenisation of Roman Archaeology Conference (RAC) and TRAC has been considered and it is suggested that in order to allow the two conferences to grow further, we need to develop a more constructive dialogue. The guest editors here seek to address these issues in order to encourage a better level of international contribution and attendance, as well as to consider the discussion of theory within RAC and whether jointly organised sessions may be productive.

Case Reports in Pediatric Dentistry Journals: A Systematic Review about Their Effect on Impact Factor and Future Investigations.

Background: The effects of publishing case reports on journal impact factor and their impact on future research in pediatric dentistry has not been clearly evaluated yet. Aim. To assess the relevance and role of case reports in pediatric dentistry. Methods: A systematic review (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42018108621) of all case reports published between 2011 and 2012 in the three major pediatric dentistry journals was performed manually. Data regarding citations of each report were acquired from the Institute for Scientific Information database available online. The authors analyzed information regarding citations (number, percentage, and mean) received by each case report and considered their relation with the 2013 journal impact factor. Results: Case reports accounted for almost sixteen per cent of all articles published between 2011 and 2012. The citation rate of case reports was generally low and the highest mean citation was 0.5. This review revealed that 6 (9.52%) case reports had at least 5 citations and that the majority of the citing articles were also case reports (27.78%) or narrative reviews (25%). Conclusions: The publication of case reports affected the journal impact factor in a negative way, this influence is closely related to the percentage of the published case reports. Case reports about innovative topics, describing rare diseases, syndromes, and pathologies were more frequently cited.

The effects of cognitive remediation on cognitive abilities and real-world functioning among people with bipolar disorder: A systematic review: Special Section on “Translational and Neuroscience Studies in Affective Disorders”. Section Editor, Maria Nobile MD, PhD. This Section of JAD focuses on the relevance of translational and neuroscience studies in providing a better understanding of the neural basis of affective disorders.

BackgroundBipolar disorder (BD) is characterized by cognitive impairments that are known to predict psychosocial functioning and quality of life. While cognitive remediation (CR) was originally developed to directly target cognitive symptoms in traumatic brain injury and psychotic illnesses, the efficacy of CR in BD has begun to emerge only in the last decade. Functional Remediation (FR) is an integrated intervention that has been developed to restore psychosocial functioning by means of ecological neurocognitive techniques that involve psychoeducation about cognitive dysfunctions and their impact on the general functioning. Because of the heterogeneity of treatment targets and mechanisms of actions, here we aim to illustrate the effects induced by existing CR/FR approaches in BD. MethodsIn this systematic review, we evaluated cognitive and functional outcomes after CR/FR in studies conducted in BD. ResultsEleven studies met inclusion criteria: 3 RCTs that compared CR/FR to one or more control condition (n = 354), 5 secondary analyses that further examined data from these trials, 2 single-arm studies, and 1 naturalistic study. While features such as the use of computerized training tools and a group-based format recurred across studies, CR/FR paradigms targeting different cognitive and functional domains showed specificity of training focus to outcomes. Effect sizes were in the medium-large range, suggesting that patients with BD respond to treatment at or above the level reported in psychotic patients. Integrated approaches that combined cognitive exercises with group-based experiences were associated with both cognitive and functional improvements. ConclusionsIn this review, we found support for the use of CR/FR paradigms in patients with BD with evidence of cognitive and functional improvements. The scarcity of currently published RCTs as well as of data examining mechanisms of action and neural correlates limits the generalizability of our findings.

A systematic review of the antidepressant effects of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) functional agonists: Further link between metabolism and psychopathology: Special Section on “Translational and Neuroscience Studies in Affective Disorders”. Section Editor, Maria Nobile MD, PhD. This Section of JAD focuses on the relevance of translational and neuroscience studies in providing a better understanding of the neural basis of affective

IntroductionAn increasing amount of preclinical and clinical evidence links together metabolic regulations and psychopathological mechanisms, in particular linking mood disorders with changes in Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta and 5′Adenosine Monophosphate-activated Protein Kinase expression and activity. New hypoglycemic drugs, including thiazolidinediones and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) functional agonists, which work by these mechanisms, have also been described as potential antidepressants. The putative role of thiazolidinediones in depression has been already supported, but no clear evidence exists yet for GLP-1 functional agonists. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature to describe the effect of GLP-1 functional agonists on depression rating scales and either support or confute a potential antidepressant role. MethodsWe searched the PubMed and Scopus databases for terms related to DPP-4 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists, and depression, including symptoms and rating scales with acronyms and full names. We included longitudinal interventional and observational studies on GLP-1 functional agonists used for depression symptoms. We applied a random effects meta-analysis on standardized mean differences before-after treatment, comparing GLP-1 functional agonists versus control treatments. ResultsLiterature searches found 815 papers, 8 of which were eligible for meta-analysis. Both control treatments (-0.67, 95%C.I. -0.99 – -0.36, Z = 4.24, p < 0.0001) and GLP-1 functional agonists (-1.28, 95%C.I. -2.34 – -0.21, Z = 2.35, p = 0.02) resulted in a significant reduction of depression rating scores, although GLP-1 functional agonists tended to be superior. When a selection was made, including only studies conducted on diabetic patients that did not exclude depressed patients, the effect of GLP-1 functional agonists (-2.09, 95%C.I. -2.28 – -1.91, Z = 22.5, p < 0.00001) was significantly superior to that of control treatments (-0.57, 95%C.I. -0.66 – -0.49, Z = 13.6, p < 0.00001). DiscussionResults of this meta-analysis must be carefully considered, since the amount of studies available was low and heterogeneity was high. If further trials will confirm this hypothesis, GLP-1 functional agonists may be considered as antidepressants, either as adjuncts or in mono-therapy, with a peculiar value for preventing the adverse metabolic effects of long-term antipsychotic therapies used in rehabilitation.

Recent Publications on Archaeological Ceramic Analyses and their Contributions to the Study of Ancient Pottery Technology

Recent Publications on Archaeological Ceramic Analyses and their Contributions to the Study of Ancient Pottery Technology