Key Demands Research Articles

Biological Invasion Data Gaps in China: Examples of Distribution, Inventories, and Impact

The impact of invasive alien species (IAS) on nature and society is increasing globally. It is crucial to utilize information systems for evidence-based management, enabling the assessment and supporting survey and control actions. However, the lack of accessible and comprehensive baseline IAS data often impedes the ability to prioritize and allocate resources efficiently. Despite the increased public awareness of biological invasions in China over the past decades, the critical importance of data requirements has not been fully recognized, leading to gaps in available data. Here, we outline the key data demands for the management of biological invasions and highlight the current lack of high-quality data for invasion management in China, and critically assess data gaps in IAS distribution, inventory, and impact. Additionally, we propose a conceptual framework to illustrate the data requirements throughout the invasion management process, along with indicators to assess data quality within three dimensions: relevance, resolution, and reliability.

Maintaining the Free Flow of Information. A Manifesto-like Intervention for Practice-Based Research in Academic Training Programs for Multimedia Journalism

With a changing media landscape in mind, this article takes a closer look at academic training standards for journalists. Focusing on multimedia production and innovative science, it analyses the impact on business models, resources and working conditions. As an interventionist appeal, it argues in favour of practice-based research and new training methods. Key demands include a greater awareness of the democratic role of journalism, ethical sensitivity and sustainable funding. By interweaving theory, practice and politics, this Manifesto-like paper aims to strengthen the profession of journalism and build a bridge between academia and practical training.

Demand-Side Flexibility in Power Systems, Structure, Opportunities, and Objectives: A Review for Residential Sector

The integration of renewable energy sources (RESs) is rapidly increasing within energy systems worldwide. However, this shift introduces intermittency and uncertainty on the supply side. To hedge against RES intermittency, demand-side flexibility introduces a practical solution. Therefore, further studies are required to unleash demand-side flexibility in power systems. This flexibility is relevant across various sectors of power systems, including residential, industrial, commercial, and agricultural sectors. This paper reviews the key aspects of demand-side flexibility within the residential sector. To achieve this objective, a general introduction to demand flexibility across the four sectors is provided. As a contribution of this paper, and in comparison with previous studies, household appliances are classified based on their flexibility and controllability. The flexibility potential of key residential demands, including heat pumps, district heating, electric vehicles, and battery systems, is then reviewed. Another contribution of this paper is the exploration of demand-side flexibility scheduling under uncertainty, examining three approaches: stochastic programming, robust optimization, and information-gap decision theory. Additionally, the integration of demand flexibility into short-term electricity markets with high-RES penetration is discussed. Finally, the key objective functions and simulation software used in the study of demand-side flexibility are reviewed.

Intraoperative teamwork and occupational stress during robot-assisted surgery: An observational study

Robot-assisted surgery (RAS) differs from traditional OR set-ups in several ways such as operation of technology and obstructed team communication that potentially affect surgical staff's stress experiences. The current study investigates the effects of key intraoperative job demands and resources on mental workload and perceived stress in RAS. We focused on the role of intraoperative teamwork as a resource that potentially reduces occupational stress. Combining standardized expert observations in the OR with healthcare providers' self-reports, the study involved two types of robot-assisted, urological interventions. The sample consisted of 73 observed surgeries and included 242 post-operative surveys on perceived stress and mental workload from surgeons and surgical nurses. Multilevel regression analyses reveal differential effects for stress and workload. Importantly, whereas better surgical teamwork was associated with lower stress, it was unrelated to workload. Our findings provide a nuanced picture of occupational stress in RAS, particularly regarding the role of intraoperative teamwork.

Prototyping in Polymethylpentene to Enable Oxygen-Permeable On-a-Chip Cell Culture and Organ-on-a-Chip Devices Suitable for Microscopy.

With the rapid development and commercial interest in the organ-on-a-chip (OoC) field, there is a need for materials addressing key experimental demands and enabling both prototyping and large-scale production. Here, we utilized the gas-permeable, thermoplastic material polymethylpentene (PMP). Three methods were tested to prototype transparent PMP films suitable for transmission light microscopy: hot-press molding, extrusion, and polishing of a commercial, hazy extruded film. The transparent films (thickness 20, 125, 133, 356, and 653 µm) were assembled as the cell-adhering layer in sealed culture chamber devices, to assess resulting oxygen concentration after 4 days of A549 cell culture (cancerous lung epithelial cells). Oxygen concentrations stabilized between 15.6% and 11.6%, where the thicker the film, the lower the oxygen concentration. Cell adherence, proliferation, and viability were comparable to glass for all PMP films (coated with poly-L-lysine), and transparency was adequate for transmission light microscopy of adherent cells. Hot-press molding was concluded as the preferred film prototyping method, due to excellent and reproducible film transparency, the possibility to easily vary film thickness, and the equipment being commonly available. The molecular orientation in the PMP films was characterized by IR dichroism. As expected, the extruded films showed clear orientation, but a novel result was that hot-press molding may also induce some orientation. It has been reported that orientation affects the permeability, but with the films in this study, we conclude that the orientation is not a critical factor. With the obtained results, we find it likely that OoC models with relevant in vivo oxygen concentrations may be facilitated by PMP. Combined with established large-scale production methods for thermoplastics, we foresee a useful role for PMP within the OoC field.

Considerations on Prevention of Pollution from Ships in a Seaport

Negative effects on the port environment can originate from ports’ hinterland, ports’ activities and operations, and from ships. According to the available literature and long-lasting experience of numerous ports presented in different sources, pollution from ships belongs to the group of environmental priorities in ports. After a theoretical introduction where the importance of ports, their development, and the challenges/risks faced by ports (with special attention to environmental risks) are analyzed, an overview of the literature from the domain of prevention of pollution from ships is presented. Based on the standard structure of the PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) management cycle, in this paper, a process model of the management (sub)system of prevention of pollution from ships in a port is proposed. Key demands related to the modeled (sub)system and bases which directly determine those demands are made concrete through an analysis of a case study: the Port of Bar (Montenegro). A categorization of domains of risks of pollution from ships in the analyzed port is conducted using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method: considerations are based on a three-level hierarchy model: “0”—goal; level “1”—criterion; and level “2”—choice. The results of the analyses show that a domain with the highest rank of risk of pollution from ships is variant (alternative) M1: unloading oil/oil derivatives from ships to tanks (and vice versa), with a composite weight of 0.5365 (53.65%). The results of considerations presented in this paper can be used in a process of optimization of the (sub)system of prevention of pollution from ships in a multipurpose port as well as a reliable base for further research in this domain.

Participatory planning as a factor in the development of urban space

The article examines the theoretical underpinnings of collaborative design and its application in Russian urban contexts. It seeks to analyze the methodology of participatory design, evaluate the experience of its implementation, identify advantages and challenges, and identify potential stakeholders involved in the process. These stakeholders include residents, entrepreneurs, businesses, experts, environmentalists, non-governmental organizations, government bodies, budgetary institutions, and cultural organizations. The article explains why traditional face-to-face approaches to collaborative design are becoming less effective and why a more inclusive, hybrid approach is necessary to engage and involve diverse groups of stakeholders. A case study methodology was employed to conduct the empirical research. Cases from three cities in Russia — Tyumen, Buinsk, and Tchaikovsky — were selected and analyzed to illustrate the application of participatory design. Using the example of the Orenburg case, the stages and processes of participatory design have been examined, including a survey of residents and experts in the museum sector to assess the potential for the development of cultural spaces in the city. Participatory design has been presented as a methodology, social process, and practical activity. Key demands from various interest groups have been identified, and the benefits and limitations of collaborative design have been outlined based on the findings of the study.

Demands and Resources of Working from Home: From Pandemic to Economic Crisis

Situated in the backdrop of Sri Lanka, this article delves into the challenges hindering work from home (WFH) for employees and explores how organisations have navigated these hurdles during the ever-evolving stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic turmoil. Employing a qualitative approach, 77 in-depth, semi-structured interviews were carried out with 46 individuals—comprising 20 employees and 26 human resources practitioners (HRPs). Some participants were interviewed multiple times, offering insights into various phases of the study. Through the lens of the job demands and resources (JD-R) framework, our analysis uncovered four key job demands impeding remote work and identified resources that have empowered employees to navigate and alleviate these challenges: (a) adjustment demands and resources, (b) work demands and resources, (c) family demands and resources, and (d) emotional demands and resources. Despite persistent challenges across stages, their manifestations were unique. Even after two years of widespread WFH practice and extensive use of resources, WFH demands endure in diverse ways. In conclusion, our findings underscore numerous resources available to HRPs, offering valuable insights to address WFH demands and fortify the success and sustainability of WFH practices.

Understanding Australia’s teacher shortage: the importance of psychosocial working conditions to turnover intentions

AbstractAustralian policymakers are currently attempting to address an ‘unprecedented teacher shortage’. Through a survey of 905 teachers in Australian government schools, this paper examines some of the key factors influencing the career intentions of teachers in Australian government schools. Drawing upon the concept of the psychosocial work environment from the field of occupational health, this analysis examines the relationship between key workplace demands, workplace resources, teachers’ experiences and attitudes towards work, teachers’ mental health outcomes, and their intentions to either remain in or leave their roles. The results reveal significant relationships between teachers’ intentions to leave their roles and challenging working conditions, adverse work experiences, as well as heightened levels of stress, burnout, and depressive symptoms. In contrast, remaining in their role was associated with factors indicative of a supportive psychosocial work environment, such as job recognition, trust in management, organisational justice, positive work experiences, and lower levels of mental health difficulties. The study underscores the urgent need to understand and assess the psychosocial work environments of teachers, and for multi-level strategies that address both protective and risk factors.

Current Status, Problems and Suggestions of Import and Export of Goods Trade between China and Chile

As one of the largest trading countries in the world, China continues to expand its trade relations with various countries, which has promoted the development of China-Chile trade in goods. Bilateral goods trade has consistently exhibited robust growth. This paper aims to delve into the current status of goods trade between China and Chile, analyze the existing challenges, and propose feasible recommendations. Through comprehensive data analysis, this research unveils the key features and challenges of their trade relationship, providing substantial support for enhancing cooperation.To begin with, this paper provides a detailed overview of the scale of China-Chile trade, emphasizing the mutually beneficial nature of their relationship. Simultaneously, it highlights the primary categories of Chinese exports to the Chilean market and Chile’s key import demands from China. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis of the major issues confronting the current merchandise trade between the two nations is conducted, encompassing concerns such as trade imbalances, product structures, and investment levels. Finally, recommendations are put forth to address these challenges, primarily focusing on enhancing policy coordination to promote bilateral investments, improving product structures to augment the value of traded goods, and optimizing investment structures to deepen bilateral cooperation.

Reconstruction with antibiotic loaded single-side gore-tex “Tartine” methyl-methacrylate cementoplasty for pediatric chest wall reconstruction: A 10-case series

IntroductionChest wall reconstruction in children after large resection of tumors may be performed with rigid or soft materials. Cementoplasty is commonly used with the “Sandwich” method i.e. gore-tex meshes surrounding both faces of the cement. HypothesisIs antibiotic loaded single-side gore-tex “Tartine” methyl-methacrylate cementoplasty an interesting alternative to the double-side “sandwich” method for chest wall reconstruction? Material and methodsConsecutive patients who were treated from 2011 to 2023 in our hospital were included. ResultsAmong the ten children treated with a median 5.6 years follow-up, there were no surgical complications related to the reconstruction, loss of function, infections, post operative complications (versus 22.7% in meta-analysis encompassing the 50 rigid reconstructions reported worldwide) nor scoliosis (versus 25%). Three patients have an asymmetric chest wall appearance. Discussion“Tartine” cementoplasty is a simple, low-cost technique for pediatric chest wall reconstruction. It is well tolerated and checks key demands for chest wall reconstructions. Level of evidenceIV; retrospective case series.

Tapping the Full Potential of Infrared Spectroscopy for the Analysis of Technical Lignins.

We present an approach to overcome the challenges associated with the increasing demand of high-throughput characterization of technical lignins, a key resource in emerging bioeconomies. Our approach offers a resort from the lack of direct, simple, and low-cost analytical techniques for lignin characterization by employing multivariate calibration models based on infrared (IR) spectroscopy to predict structural properties of lignins (i. e., functionality, molar mass). By leveraging a comprehensive database of over 500 well-characterized technical lignin samples - a factor of 10 larger than previously used sets - our chemometric models achieved high levels of quality and statistical confidence for the determination of different functional group contents (RMSEPs of 4-16 %). However, the statistical moments of the molar mass distribution are still best determined by size-exclusion chromatography. Analyses of over 500 technical lignins offered also a great opportunity to provide information on the general variability in kraft lignins and lignosulfonates (from different origins). Overall, the effected savings in analysis time (>7 h), resources, and required sample mass combined with non-destructiveness of the measurement satisfy key demands for efficient high-throughput lignin analyses. Finally, we discuss the advantages, disadvantages, and limitations of our approach, along with critical insights into the associated chemical-analytical and spectroscopic challenges.

Exploring key job demands and resources in Norwegian child mental health services: a cross-sectional study of associations with and relationship between compassion satisfaction, burnout, secondary traumatic stress and turnover intention.

Burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and high turnover rates among child mental health clinicians are a challenge, not only for the individual therapist and the organization but also for the successful implementation of evidence-based practices. However, little is known about which and how job-and implementation-related factors are associated with burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and turnover intention as well as compassion satisfaction among child therapists. In the present study, we aimed to explore these factors and related mechanisms by integrating the "professional quality of life" and the "job demands-resources" models of occupational health. We measured the perceived professional quality of life and turnover intention among a national sample of 256 therapists working in Norwegian Child and Adolescence Mental Health Clinics (n = 44) that implemented Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT). Seventeen Job-and implementation-related resources and demands were also measured using the General Nordic Questionnaire for Psychological and Social Factors at Work and the Implementation Component Questionnaire. Path analysis was used to test whether burnout and compassion satisfaction mediate the relationship between job demands and resources on one hand, and secondary traumatic stress and turnover intention on the other hand. Results revealed that two job resources, i.e., positive challenges at work and mastery of work, were significant predictors of all professional outcomes. The proposed model was only partly supported. That is, while burnout did mediate the relationship between some job demands (i.e., work-family interference and role conflict) and job resources (i.e., human resource primacy, positive challenges, and mastery of work) with secondary traumatic stress and turnover intention, compassion satisfaction did not mediate the relationship between job resources and turnover intention. Moreover, in addition to their indirect effects via burnout, role conflict and organizational climate (human resource primacy) also directly affected turnover intention. These findings propose that interventions that reduce burnout should be prioritized to improve the professional quality of life and turnover intention among child therapists. Theoretically, it seems that compassion satisfaction and work engagement act differently.

The nomos of citizenship: migrant rights, law and the possibility of justice

Superficially, citizenship appears relatively simple: a legal status denoting political membership. However, critical citizenship studies scholars suggest that citizenship is first and foremost a political practice. When non-citizens, such as irregularised migrants, constitute themselves as citizens through their actions, irrespective of legal status, these practices of citizenship have transformational potential because they are extra-legal. Yet, there is an ambivalence here: rights-claiming migrants tend to frame their key demands within the terms of the law often by calling for the regularisation of their status. This article addresses this ambivalence by adopting a ‘deconstructive method’ to investigate the legal dimensions of citizenship as sites of theoretical and political intervention. It is argued that practices of rights-claiming by irregularised migrants are important to grasp because they mobilise the paradoxes inherent to the fact that universal rights are enshrined in the constitutional texts of modern citizenship in order to generate new legal meanings and horizons of justice. This hypothesis is explored through a series of illustrative examples of rights-claiming taking place within and beyond the formal confines of legal orders. In so doing, the article sets out a novel conceptual framework for analysing how migrants’ claims to justice strategically negotiate citizenship in its legal form.

Diagności laboratoryjni – czy nowa ustawa rozwiąże stare problemy?

The outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic has brought health care issues to the forefront. The necessity to perform tests for the presence of this pathogen and to evaluate their results brought to wider public awareness what exactly laboratory diagnosticians do. On July 12th, 2022, a draft of a completely new legal act was submitted to the Parliament, which would regulate how to obtain the professional title of laboratory diagnostician, as well as the rules for practicing this profession. The legislative process ended on October 10th, when the bill was sent to the President for signature. The new legal act, in its essential part, came into force on December 10th, 2022. The new law provides for a number of significant changes aimed at bringing the rules governing the performance of laboratory diagnostics activities in line with the standards that exist for other professions involved in the provision of health care services. In view of its progressive nature, the draft justifiably raised high hopes for a reasonable and thoughtful regulation of the legal situation of laboratory diagnosticians. However, the changes introduced during the legislative process significantly reduced the effectiveness of the solutions proposed by the authors of the draft. As a result, already shortly after the law was passed, there were voices that despite the creation of a completely new legal act that, in principle, normalizes the legal situation of laboratory diagnosticians, the key demands that had been formulated for many years - particularly with regard to the recognition that the profession of laboratory diagnostician consists of performing health care tasks - had not been realized. It therefore becomes crucial to decide whether the Laboratory Medicine Act can positively affect the profession of laboratory diagnostician. This article aims to answer the question so posed, in particular, taking into account the differences, between the draft law and its enacted content, as well as in comparison with other legislation, which normalizes the way in which health care professions are carried out.

An Australian Perspective on Occitan and Breton Ethnoregionalism in the Post-war Period to 1981

In France, the student occupations and strikes of May ’68 are well known, but the period was also of immense significance to the country’s ethnoregionalist movements, who sought to increase power and self-determination. From a period of rebuilding following the Second World War, the Breton and Occitan movements, which campaigned against the perceived oppression of their regions by the central French state, were able to find new audiences and grow significantly in the 1960s and 1970s. Through an analysis of primary and secondary sources, this article charts the history of the movements throughout the era, demonstrating how the growth of the movements was linked to the broader societal politicisation of the era. As the period of radicalism waned, so did the Breton and Occitan movements, which saw many of their key demands implemented following the election of François Mitterrand as President, depriving the movements of their key reasons for existence. Nevertheless, the movements left a significant legacy in this period, through both the acceptance of regionalist political demands by the national left, and the ideological refoundation of Breton and Occitan ethnoregionalism. The author reflects on how these movements have some parallels in Australian history.

A coordination model for closed-loop supply chain systems with a single manufacturer and retailer

This paper develops a coordination model for a closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) system consisting of a single manufacturer and retailer where market demand depends on the green technology level, retailer’s selling price, and promotional efforts. The manufacturer manufactures products from raw materials to finished products and adapts them for sale to meet key market demands. Used products from consumers will be returned to the retailer to be processed by remanufacturing under a technology license, and the rest will be returned to the manufacturer for remanufacturing, refurbishing, recycling, or waste disposal. The models are formulated mathematically and constructed under three scenarios – centralized, decentralized, and a Stackelberg game led by the manufacturer. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the results of the developed model. The result suggests that both types of investment can assist the closed-loop supply chain in enhancing its financial and environmental performance. It also suggests that lowering emissions levels through green technology might increase product selling prices, hence increasing sales volume.

Unveiling the Key Demands: Exploring Tourism Student Needs at a Vocational School

Tourism plays a pivotal role by substantially boosting foreign exchange, highlighting its immense significance for the region. This study is aimed at exploring the target needs concerning the communicative competencies of tenth-grade tourism students at vocational institutions in Makassar. To delineate these needs, open-ended questionnaires focusing on three specific target need dimensions were directed toward the teaching faculty. The subsequent data were meticulously processed through reduction, display, and conclusion phases. The distilled findings shed light on three cardinal facets of students' target needs: 1. Necessities: A realm encompassing pivotal skills such as speaking, listening, writing, and reading in tandem with the indispensable teaching materials. 2. Lacks: This underscores the discernible voids in students' grammar and lexical repertoire. 3. Wants: A domain where students manifest an ardent aspiration to master oral communication skills. These revelations underscore the intertwined complexities of target needs in the pedagogy of the English language. Additionally, this investigative endeavor empowers educators in Makassar's vocational institutions with a compass to navigate the intricate landscape of tourism students' requisites. Such profound insights germinate the seeds for sculpting potent English language curricula, harmoniously resonating with the students' ambitions while adeptly bridging their skill deficits. In summation, this research not only augments the caliber of tourism pedagogy but also unfurls a roadmap for educators, equipping them with the acumen to meticulously tailor their instructional strategies, ensuring a holistic address of students' target needs.

Investigation on the effect of the cooler design on the performance of onboard supercritical carbon dioxide power cycle for hypersonic vehicles

The scramjet cooling and power generation are the key demands for the hypersonic vehicle. To satisfy the cooling and electricity generation requirements of hypersonic vehicles, the onboard supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) power cycle is adopted in this paper. Moreover, the cooler design has a significant effect on the feasibility and overall performance of onboard sCO2 power cycle, but there is no research considering the effect of the cooler design. Accordingly, the effects of the cooler design on the overall performance of onboard sCO2 power cycles applied in hypersonic vehicles are comprehensively investigated based on the thermodynamic models. The results indicated that the optimum cooler designs are suggested to adopt a small channel diameter and a relatively large channel number for minimizing the cooler mass and fuel consumption for cooling sCO2 and maximizing the system thermal efficiency. Moreover, the cold channel diameter is designed to be smaller than the hot channel diameter. The cold channel number is required to be larger than the hot channel number. The total flow area of cold channel is smaller than that of hot channel. The geometric parameters of cooler hot channel could be designed based on the Re ranging from 15,000 to 34,000.

A Factor Marginal Effect Analysis Approach and Its Application in E-Commerce Search System

Feature explanation plays an increasingly essential role in the e-commerce search platform. Most of the existing studies focus on modeling the user’s interests to estimate the click-through rate (CTR). A good e-commerce system not only needs precise ranking to inspire users’ shopping desire but also needs feature explanation to meet the demands of shop owners. The e-commerce traffic health of merchants is very important. How to effectively achieve shop owners’ multiple goals still remains as an open problem. In industrial search systems, merchants’ key demands mainly include two aspects. On the one hand, merchants want to know rule analysis of online traffic distribution, so as to help them understand the logistics of online traffic. On the other hand, they need relevant online traffic participation tools, which instruct them to participate. To address these issues, we propose a factor marginal effect analysis approach (FMEA) based on game theory, which can compute the contribution of one-dimensional features to the enhancement of online traffic. First, we use machine learning to model the business target. Then, we improve the SHAP value algorithm, which can provide clear business insights. Finally, we calculate the marginal effect of each feature on the business outcome. In this way, we provide a traffic analysis guidance method and address merchants’ participation challenges. In fact, the FMEA has been deployed in a real-world Large-Internet-Company’s App search systems and successfully serves online e-commerce service to over hundreds of millions of consumers. Our approach can guide operational decisions effectively and bring +10.05% revenue for the flow index, +7.54% for the user feedback index, and +2.46% for the service index.