Key Methodological Approaches Research Articles

Dystocia, Delivery, and Artificial Intelligence in Labor Management: Perspectives and Future Directions

Labor management remains a critical issue in obstetrics, with dystocic labor presenting significant challenges in both management and outcomes. Recent advancements in intrapartum ultrasound have facilitated substantial progress in monitoring labor progression. This paper explores the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into obstetric care, focusing on the Artificial Intelligence Dystocia Algorithm (AIDA) for assessing spatial dystocia during labor. The AIDA utilizes intrapartum ultrasonography to measure four geometric parameters: the angle of progression, the degree of asynclitism, the head–symphysis distance, and the midline angle. These measurements are analyzed using machine learning techniques to predict delivery outcomes and stratify risk. The AIDA classification system categorizes labor events into five classes, providing a nuanced assessment of labor progression. This approach offers several potential advantages, including objective assessment of fetal position, earlier detection of malpositions, and improved risk stratification, placing labor events within a broader context of labor dystocia and obstetric care and discussing their potential impact on clinical practice. This paper serves as a more comprehensive overview and discussion of the AIDA approach, its implications, perspectives, and future directions. However, challenges such as the technological requirements, training needs, and integration with clinical workflows are also addressed. This study emphasizes the necessity for additional validation across diverse populations and careful consideration of its ethical implications. The AIDA represents a significant advancement in applying AI to intrapartum care, potentially enhancing clinical decision-making and improving outcomes in cases of suspected dystocia. This paper explicates the key methodological approaches underpinning the AIDA, illustrating the integration of artificial intelligence and clinical expertise. The innovative framework presented offers a paradigm for similar endeavors in other medical specialties, potentially catalyzing advancements in AI-assisted healthcare beyond obstetrics.

Methodological approaches to the assessment of innovation activity

Subject. This article examines the essence and content of such concepts as innovation, innovative activity of an industrial enterprise, its key elements and methodological approaches to their assessment. Objectives. The article aims to develop methodological approaches to the assessment of innovative activity of an enterprise on the basis of a system of indicators that comprehensively characterize innovative activity, innovative potential, as well as the effectiveness and efficiency of innovative activity. Methods. For the study, we used analysis and synthesis, a systems approach, indicative design of the analyzed processes, and the methods of detailing and logical generalization. Results. The article presents the author-developed methodological approaches to the comprehensive assessment of innovation activity on the basis of a system of indicators that can help quantitatively and qualitatively assess the innovation potential, trace its changes, innovative activity of the enterprise, outline the areas for improving innovation activity in order to increase the competitiveness and financial stability of the enterprise. The article also proposes a system of indicators for assessing the innovative activity of the enterprise as a whole, the research and development sector, and it recommends indicators of the impact of the results of innovation activity on the enterprise's economy, and for assessing the effectiveness of innovative projects. Conclusions and Relevance. The proposed methodology for assessing innovation activity based on a system of qualitative and quantitative indicators can help better understand innovation processes and related activities and the results obtained, as well as make optimal management decisions, identify and eliminate bottlenecks, find ways of innovative development and thereby increase the competitiveness of Russian enterprises and domestic products. The results of the study can be used in assessing the innovative activity, innovative potential of enterprises, the effectiveness and efficiency of the innovation process, in making optimal management decisions on strategic planning and making managerial decisions in the field of improving the innovation process, in the selection of the most effective innovative projects.

Experiences of Inpatient Healthcare Services Among Children With Medical Complexity and Their Families: A Scoping Review.

Children with medical complexity (CMC) have high healthcare utilization and face unique challenges during hospital admissions. The evidence describing their experiences of inpatient care is distributed across disciplines. The aim of this scoping review was to map the evidence related to the inpatient experience of care for CMC and their families, particularly related to key aspects and methodological approaches, and identify gaps that warrant further study. This scoping review was conducted in accordance with JBI methodology and included all studies that reported experiences of acute hospital care for CMC/families. All study designs were included. Databases searched included EMBASE, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, Web of Science, MEDLINE(R) and APA PsycInfo from 2000 to 2022. Details about the participants, concepts, study methods and key findings were abstracted using a data abstraction tool. A thematic analysis was conducted. Forty-nine papers were included: 27 qualitative studies, 10 quantitative studies, six mixed methods studies, two descriptive studies and four reviews. Some quantitative studies used validated instruments to measure experience of care, but many used non-validated surveys. There were a few interventional studies with a small sample size. Results of thematic analysis described the importance of negotiating care roles, shared decision-making, common goal setting, relationship-building, communication, sharing expertise and the hospital setting itself. CMC and families value relational elements of care and partnering through sharing expertise, decision-making and collaborative goal-setting when admitted to hospital. This review was conducted in alignment with the principles of patient and family engagement. The review was conceptualized, co-designed and conducted with the full engagement of the project's parent-partner. This team member was involved in all stages from constructing the review question, to developing the protocol, screening articles and drafting this manuscript.

Methodologic considerations in estimating racial disparity of mortality among very preterm infants.

This review explores methodological considerations in estimating racial disparities in mortality among very preterm infants (VPIs). Significant methodological variations are evident across studies, potentially affecting the estimated mortality rates of VPIs across racial groups and influencing the perceived direction and magnitude of racial disparities. Key methodological approaches include the birth-based approach versus the fetuses-at-risk approach, with each offering distinct insights depending on the specific research questions posed. Cohort selection and the decision for crude versus adjusted comparison are also critical elements that shape the outcomes and interpretations of these studies. This review underscores the importance of careful methodological planning and highlights that no single approach is definitively superior; rather, each has its strengths and limitations depending on the research objectives. The findings suggest that adjusting the methodological approach to align with specific research questions and contexts is essential for accurately assessing and addressing racial disparities in neonatal mortality. IMPACT: Elucidates the impact of methodological choices on perceived racial disparities in neonatal mortality. Offers a comprehensive comparison of birth-based vs. fetuses-at-risk approaches in the context of racial disparity research. Provides guidance on the cohort selection and adjustment criteria critical for interpreting studies on racial disparities in very preterm infant mortality.

Transfer learning with ResNet50 for malicious domains classification using image visualization

The Internet has become a vital part of our daily lives, serving as a hub for global connectivity and a facilitator for seamless communication and information exchange. However, the rise of malicious domains presents a serious challenge, undermining the reliability of the Internet and posing risks to user safety. These malicious activities exploit the Domain Name System (DNS) to deceive users, leading to harmful activities such as spreading drive-by-download malware, operating botnets, creating phishing sites, and sending spam. In response to this growing threat, the application of Machine Learning (ML) techniques has proven to be highly effective. These methods excel in quickly and accurately detecting, classifying, and analyzing such threats. This paper explores the latest developments in using transfer learning for the classification of malicious domains, with a focus on image visualization as a key methodological approach. Our proposed solution has achieved a remarkable testing accuracy rate of 98.67%, demonstrating its effectiveness in detecting and classifying malicious domains.

Эра персонализации: развитие креативного потенциала личности, «стена фильтров» и «информационные пузыри»

The prospects for the development of the personal potential of the student relate to the possibilities of personalised learning. The study identified key methodological approaches in understanding the process of personalisation of learning. On the basis of analysis of domestic and foreign sources, the main consequences of wide distribution and increasing influence on the person of digital personalisation tools have been determined. In education, they can become an insurmountable obstacle to the development of students' personal potential. The concepts of “wall of filters” and “information bubbles” are considered in order to determine the causes of shortage of creative resources of the person in a competitive digital environment. The development of a personalised learning model must take into account the potential dangers of Internet technology. The author focuses on the emerging anthropological threats in the digital environment to the development of the creative potential of the individual. The conclusions were confirmed by the results of sociological research. The importance of finding solutions to minimise and overcome risks of digital bases of personalisation was emphasised.

The future in the structure of the subjective image of a student professional life

Introduction. Modern concepts of education are based on the principles of anticipation, determination of the present by the future (advanced education, Life Long Learning). The same pattern applies to the personality of both the subject of life in general and professional life in particular. Aim. Based on the theoretical and methodological analysis, identification and empirical research of the psychological characteristics of the future, the present research aims to consider the future as a personal construct in the structure of the subjective image of professional life. Methodology and research methods. The key methodological approaches are the subjective approach and the theoretical and methodological foundations for using the synergetic approach to study the psyche, mental phenomena and processes. The study employs survey methods; the methods of mathematical and statistical data processing: comparative analysis and factor analysis were carried out using the IBM SPSS Statistics v.20 program. Results. Based on theoretical ideas about time modes, time perspective, psychological characteristics of organisation and perception of time, as well as the results of an analysis of the works of foreign and Russian authors, a structural-functional model of the subjective image of professional life is proposed, including four blocks: a block of retrospection, a block of regulation of actual activity, a prognostic block, and a transspective block. Scientific novelty. The use of a subjective and synergetic approach to modelling the image of the professional future is justified. A structural-functional model of the image of the professional future is proposed, including invariants that represent a formal and meaningful representation of the temporal modes of the past, present and future and a mechanism for comparing the current state with the desired (“needed future”). Practical significance. The presented structural-functional model of the subjective image of professional life can serve as the basis for the development of a subject-oriented approach to professional guidance and support of professional development at the stage of choosing a profession and professional training with practical means of constructing a professional future.

A review of two decades of research on sustainable regional and trans-border infrastructure

In spite of the budding interest of researchers, policymakers and practitioners, there are still differing and disjointed conceptualizations of sustainable regional and trans-border infrastructure (SRTBI) as its meadow is still emerging. In an effort to fill this research gap, the resolution of this study was to review and synthesize SRTBI research and to provide directions for future research. The author reviewed peer-reviewed theoretical and empirical journal articles published during the last two decades – from 2003 to 2023. Scopus database was the source of the journal articles collected to conduct this study. Selected keywords from a rigorous review of literature were pooled with Boolean operators and searched. Subsequently, a scrupulous screening procedure with an inclusion and exclusion criteria was adopted to select the relevant articles for the study. The selected journal articles on SRTBI were subsequently synthesized for further acumens. The field of SRTBI is bitty and has advanced in the passage of the last two decades in diverse ways. This study identified core publication vents and papers, key theoretical and methodological approaches and key variables of interest that exist in the SRTBI literature. The findings also suggested a few research themes for future studies. The study can significantly impact academia and organisational research literature, and it can extend conceptual perspectives of implications of resolutions made to adopt a SRTBI. Adding to its theoretical value, the study has significant implications for policy and practise, as it would expand viewpoints on decisions to adopt SRTBI. The study was based on documents retrieved from Scopus and any limitations of the database may have implications for the findings. This inquiry filled a need to review the current state of the SRTBI literature and spelt out research issues that may be addressed by researchers in future.

Actual problems of eating disorders and ways to solve them

As eating disorders become more and more common, it is necessary to understand the influence of modern life factors on the formation of these diseases in order to develop more effective strategies for their prevention and treatment, so the purpose of this study was to systematically examine the sociocultural and psychological factors of eating disorders. Two key methodological approaches were used to study the social and underlying psychological factors of these disorders: sociocultural and psychoanalytic. The empirical basis of the study is based on the interview method. Social factors, in particular media influence, determine the formation of eating disorders, especially among women, through the creation of negative standards of beauty and bodily satisfaction. Based on interviews with people with eating disorders, it was found that the underlying psychological factors of these disorders are mainly focused on intrapersonal aspects, such as the perception of food and one's own body, emotional sphere, and self-esteem. At the same time, interpersonal factors related to interaction with the environment have a lesser impact. These factors can lead to the development and complicate the course of eating disorders, so it is important to work with psychological aspects for effective treatment. It is substantiated that psychodynamic and Gestalt therapy are effective treatment methods aimed at resolving mental conflicts. Both approaches use a variety of methods, including dream analysis and physiotherapy, to help patients understand and resolve their emotional and behavioural interactions with food. The practical value of the study is that its results highlight the need to use psychodynamic and Gestalt approaches in therapy, which can address the underlying psychological and emotional factors of eating disorders. The study can be applied in the activities of institutions specializing in the treatment of eating disorders

Formation of civil identity and cultural and historical memory of Russian youth in the territories of new constituent entities of the Russian Federation: approaches, principles and directions for implementation

Introduction. The relevance of the problem considered in the article is due to the processes of integration of new subjects of the Russian Federation into the Russian space, the need to form civic identity and cultural-historical memory among young people living in these territories as a basic prerequisite for the consolidation of Russian society, strengthening Russian statehood and national sovereignty. A theoretical analysis of research on this problem is presented, and the fragmentation of its solution is revealed. The purpose of the article is to determine and substantiate methodological approaches, principles and directions for the formation of civil identity and cultural and historical memory of young people in new subjects of the Russian Federation.Materials and Methods. The study used theoretical methods, including a systematic analysis of the subject of research, generalization and systematization of philosophical, psychological, pedagogical and methodological literature, normative documents and reports; design. Empirical methods include conversation and observation.Results. Based on the analysis of scientific research, methodological approaches, principles and directions were identified that make up a theoretical and methodological outline, which serves as the basis for the development by educational organizations of programs, methodological recommendations, modules, technological maps, scenarios of educational activities for the formation of civic identity and cultural and historical memory of youth ( 14 - 22 years old), living in the territories of new constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The key methodological approaches were identified and justified: systemic, cybernetic, program-targeted, axiological, personal-activity, cultural, homeland studies, adaptive, and the principles of their implementation were presented. The directions of content of the formation of civil identity and cultural-historical memory of young people are identified and disclosed: cultural-historical, spatial-territorial, linguistic, value-orientation, legal, social-activity, psychological-pedagogical.Discussion and Conclusions. Prospects for further research are related to the development of a pedagogical model of an adaptive system of educational activities for the formation of civic identity and cultural and historical memory of young people in new subjects of the Russian Federation; the creation for teachers, advisers to the director of education, class teachers, future teachers, teaching aids containing a set of pedagogical tools and adapted educational practices for the formation of new regions of civic identity and cultural-historical memory among young people.

Evaluating the Impact of Servicescape on Customer Experience in the Hospitality Sector: A Comprehensive Review

This review paper aims to provide a comprehensive examination of the role of servicescape in the hospitality sector and its influence on customer experiences. Servicescape, encompassing the physical environment, ambient conditions, and social factors within a service setting, plays a crucial role in shaping customer perceptions and behaviors. Through an extensive literature review, this paper synthesizes existing research on servicescape in the hospitality industry, highlighting key findings, theoretical frameworks, and methodological approaches. Additionally, the paper discusses the practical implications for hospitality managers seeking to optimize their servicescape to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty. By consolidating diverse perspectives and empirical evidence, this review contributes to a deeper understanding of the multifaceted impact of servicescape on the overall guest experience in the hospitality sector.

Human Trafficking: Problems of Counteraction in Kazakhstan

Background: This paper assesses the current circumstances regarding the protection and rights of victims of human trafficking in Kazakhstan. The study aims to evaluate Kazakhstan’s main national instruments and laws adopted to combat human trafficking. Methods: The study employed several key methodological approaches, including a systematic approach, which involves the study of combating human trafficking in conjunction with the provision of guarantees of human rights; an integrated approach that consists of the study of objective and subjective factors, as well as an analysis of internal and external (socio-economic, demographic, geopolitical, etc.) factors that are the causes of illegal migration and human traf- ficking; an empirical approach involving research, taking into account the application of relevant experience available in Kazakhstan and abroad; a formal-legal approach to analyse the existing regulatory framework for combating human trafficking and ways to improve it. Results and Conclusions: Based on the study’s results, several practical proposals are put for- ward to eliminate the identified shortcomings and gaps in the legal framework of Kazakhstan and law enforcement practice. This paper concludes that Kazakhstan’s response to its interna- tional obligations to prevent human trafficking has some shortcomings. However, we conclude that significant improvements are possible through the adoption of a special law, as well as in cases of implementation of special organisational measures, strengthening legal responsibility.

Linguistic and statistical analysis of the lexical ‘Langue-Parole’ dichotomy in a restricted domain

Development of new digital methods for analyzing the ‘Langue-Parole’ dichotomy is one of the most sought-after, but least researched problems of modern theoretical and applied linguistics. This determines the relevance of this study, the purpose of which is to develop a methodology for the automated linguastatistical analysis of a domain-related lexical layer in the context of the ‘Langue-Parole’ dichotomy and to apply the methodology to the Russian-language domain “Research on athlete integrative physiology” (RAIP). The study was conducted on the material of the Russian-language corpus including 56 RAIP domain texts of 300,000 wordforms in total published over the 2013-2020 period in the scientific journals “People. Sport. Medicine” (formerly “SUSU Bulletin. Series “Education, Healthcare, Physical Culture”), “Theory and Practice of Physical Culture”, etc. The key methodological approach is the ontological analysis of corpus data using statistical and linguistic modeling methods. The domain-specific language and speech are modeled by the corresponding lexicon and corpus, while the ‘Langue-Parole’ lexical dichotomy is represented by the values of the linguistic-statistical concept verbalization parameters of the domain concepts in the lexicon and corpus. The computational parameters include the indices of lexical diversity, structural complexity, conceptual syncretism, lexical structural complexity vs. conceptual syncretism correlation, and syncretical concept junction when verbalized in the corpus. The main results of the study are: 1) а methodology for analyzing domain-specific lexical dichotomy ‘Langue-Parole’, which can be ported to other domains and national languages; 2) the RAIP domain-related resources, including language-independent ontology, conceptually annotated Russian corpus, onto-lexicon, linguistic-statistical parameter values of the lexical ‘Langue-Parole’ dichotomy; and 3) tools that automate certain stages of the study.

Bloom, Lisa E., (2022) Climate Change and the New Polar Aesthetics: Artists Reimagine the Arctic and Antarctic.

This review critically examines Lisa E. Bloom's Climate Change and the New Polar Aesthetics (2022) by studying the book’s key methodological and analytical approaches to contemporary visual art on the poles. I locate Bloom's work as part of a larger discourse on Ice Humanities and highlight her own contribution to the field by focusing on the book's reconfiguration of critical environmentalism through intersectional feminist, indigenous, and transnational frameworks. The review also discusses the dual role of aesthetics in both shaping hegemonic perceptions of the poles and in articulating strategies for their subversion.

Explainable, Domain-Adaptive, and Federated Artificial Intelligence in Medicine

Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to transform data analysis in many domains. Progress in each domain is driven by a growing body of annotated data, increased computational resources, and technological innovations. In medicine, the sensitivity of the data, the complexity of the tasks, the potentially high stakes, and a requirement of accountability give rise to a particular set of challenges. In this review, we focus on three key methodological approaches that address some of the particular challenges in AI-driven medical decision making. 1) Explainable AI aims to produce a human-interpretable justification for each output. Such models increase confidence if the results appear plausible and match the clinicians expectations. However, the absence of a plausible explanation does not imply an inaccurate model. Especially in highly non-linear, complex models that are tuned to maximize accuracy, such interpretable representations only reflect a small portion of the justification. 2) Domain adaptation and transfer learning enable AI models to be trained and applied across multiple domains. For example, a classification task based on images acquired on different acquisition hardware. 3) Federated learning enables learning large-scale models without exposing sensitive personal health information. Unlike centralized AI learning, where the centralized learning machine has access to the entire training data, the federated learning process iteratively updates models across multiple sites by exchanging only parameter updates, not personal health data. This narrative review covers the basic concepts, highlights relevant corner-stone and state-of-the-art research in the field, and discusses perspectives.

Conceptions of analysis in the analytic philosophical tradition

Analysis has been at the heart of philosophical method, though it has been understood and practiced in many different ways. This paper traces the historical conceptions of analysis in the analytic philosophical history, identified as: the Regressive Analysis, the Decompositional Analysis, and the Interpretative analysis. The key characteristic features and methodological approaches of each of these conceptions of analysis, as well as their relative era of historical significance, are explored in the paper. It concludes with the view that notwithstanding some objections against it, philosophical analysis is largely a fruitful method of philosophical inquiry, whose role in contributing to man’s better comprehension of reality remains highly significant and desired in our contemporary age. The expository and analytic methods of research are adopted in the paper.

Origin-destination inference in public transportation systems: A comprehensive review

Origin-destination (OD) modeling facilitates effective demand-responsive public transportation planning in order to meet emergent needs. Given recent advances in transit information and personal communications technology, transit OD estimation methods have evolved from relying on limited survey sources to automated big data sources. Innovative modeling approaches have also been developed over several decades to estimate trip ODs, not only for single routes, but also for full networks, including transfers. In this paper, we synthesize a review of the state of the art in research and practice, along with descriptions of key data types and methodological approaches, indicating how they interact. We also discuss current research gaps and opportunities for further innovation. This review provides a comprehensive resource that should facilitate the application of these methods to various transit systems, thus enabling planners and policymakers to gain insights from new and improved model estimates in various transit systems.

Socio-Spatial Experience in Space Syntax Research: A PRISMA-Compliant Review

Characterising and predicting socio-spatial experience has long been a key research question in space syntax research. Due to the lack of synthesised knowledge about it, this review conducts the first systematic scoping review of space syntax research on the relationships between spatial properties and experiential values. Adopting the “Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses” (PRISMA) framework, this review of space syntax research identifies 38 studies that examine socio-spatial experiences in architectural, medical, and urban spaces. The data arising from this systematic review are used to identify trends in this sub-field of research, including the growth of socio-spatial methods and applications in urban analytics since 2016 and key methodological approaches, characteristics, and factors in space syntax research about socio-spatial experience. The research identified using the systematic framework employs a mixture of descriptive, correlation, and regression methods to examine the dynamic effects of spatial configurations on human experiences. Arising from the results of the review, the article further identifies a collective, predictive model consisting of five syntactic predictors and three categories of experiential values. This article, finally, examines research gaps and limitations in the body of knowledge and suggests future research directions.

Ancestry: How researchers use it and what they mean by it.

Background: Ancestry is often viewed as a more objective and less objectionable population descriptor than race or ethnicity. Perhaps reflecting this, usage of the term "ancestry" is rapidly growing in genetics research, with ancestry groups referenced in many situations. The appropriate usage of population descriptors in genetics research is an ongoing source of debate. Sound normative guidance should rest on an empirical understanding of current usage; in the case of ancestry, questions about how researchers use the concept, and what they mean by it, remain unanswered. Methods: Systematic literature analysis of 205 articles at least tangentially related to human health from diverse disciplines that use the concept of ancestry, and semi-structured interviews with 44 lead authors of some of those articles. Results: Ancestry is relied on to structure research questions and key methodological approaches. Yet researchers struggle to define it, and/or offer diverse definitions. For some ancestry is a genetic concept, but for many-including geneticists-ancestry is only tangentially related to genetics. For some interviewees, ancestry is explicitly equated to ethnicity; for others it is explicitly distanced from it. Ancestry is operationalized using multiple data types (including genetic variation and self-reported identities), though for a large fraction of articles (26%) it is impossible to tell which data types were used. Across the literature and interviews there is no consistent understanding of how ancestry relates to genetic concepts (including genetic ancestry and population structure), nor how these genetic concepts relate to each other. Beyond this conceptual confusion, practices related to summarizing patterns of genetic variation often rest on uninterrogated conventions. Continental labels are by far the most common type of label applied to ancestry groups. We observed many instances of slippage between reference to ancestry groups and racial groups. Conclusion: Ancestry is in practice a highly ambiguous concept, and far from an objective counterpart to race or ethnicity. It is not uniquely a "biological" construct, and it does not represent a "safe haven" for researchers seeking to avoid evoking race or ethnicity in their work. Distinguishing genetic ancestry from ancestry more broadly will be a necessary part of providing conceptual clarity.

A digital transformation approach in hospitality and tourism research

PurposeBecause of the COVID-19, the digital transformation of global hospitality and tourism speeds up. This paper aims to provide comprehensive frame of the digital transformation for further hospitality and tourism research.Design/methodology/approachThrough conducting a critical review of the impact of COVID-19, the current situation about the application of digital technology and digital transformation in hospitality and travel, this study used a qualitative approach to present the viewpoints.FindingsThis research presents a theoretical research framework for the hospitality and tourism about digital transformation, including possible directions, contexts and methods. It highlights the importance of digital transformation, and further proposing specific research topics.Research limitations/implicationsThis research brings valuable implications and guidance for future research from the aspects of key research streams, research context and methodological approaches in hospitality and tourism about digital transformation.Originality/valueThis paper supplies existing critical reviewed research through paying attention to the digital transformation approach in hospitality and tourism, providing research guidance technically to the industry of hotels and travel.