Key Principles Research Articles

Embracing FAIR Data on the Path to AI-Readiness

Key principles of data management achieved via FAIR implementation can have positive effects on many aspects of R&D, from workflow efficiency to collaboration to costs. While machines offer incredible benefits in terms of the speed and scale at which they can process data, they lack the judgment, intuition, and contextual understanding that humans bring to the table. Making data FAIR is in essence making them more accessible to machines and humans alike.

A systematic review of real-world applications of genome sequencing for newborn screening

Aim: With the costs of genomic sequencing falling quickly and an ever-increasing number of clinical laboratories equipped with new-generation sequencing machines, healthcare systems around the world are getting ready to enter the era of genomic newborn screening (NBS). However, the adoption of Genomic Sequencing (GS), encompassing whole-exome sequencing (WES) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS), in NBS programs raises a number of clinical, ethical, and legal questions as well as organizational and economic challenges. This systematic review is part of a feasibility study to assess the introduction of WGS for NBS in Lombardy region with the specific aim of gathering evidence from existing pilots in the field whose results have been published. Methods: Three different sources were identified for the selection of articles in order to obtain a various and unbiased set of publications. 33 articles were retained for analysis to answer the following questions: 1. Clinical: Does genomic sequencing demonstrate clinical utility in the context of NBS? What are the limitations of these kind of programs? 2. Societal: What are the social, ethical and psychological implications of using GS for NBS? 3. Governance: What are the legal, economic, and organizational challenges for GS-based NBS programs? Results: There is a general consensus in the literature on the key principles that should guide the adoption of GS in NBS, such as the inclusion of actionable genes only, the need for informed consent from the parents, the right of the newborn to an open future, which means the exclusion of late-onset diseases even when those are considered treatable. However, there are still several differences in how these principles are detailed and applied. Conclusion: Real-world evidence from a handful of pilot projects (namely BabySeq and NC-Nexus, both carried out in the USA) have been published recently; however, this evidence is not yet sufficient to put an end to the broad and animated debate on the use of GS for NBS. Ethical, legal, and social issues still constitute great challenges and major barriers to wide and uniform adoption of GS in NBS. On the clinical side, a number of issues remain unaddressed, such as the benefits and limitations of the different approaches (targeted sequencing, GS only versus GS+standard NBS), the genes/diseases to include and the frequency of incidental findings, identification of carrier status, and variants of uncertain significance (VUS). Further pilots and consultations with involved stakeholders will be necessary before GS-based NBS can be accepted and systematically implemented in national healthcare programs.

How should prospective research be designed to legitimately assess the value of urodynamic studies in female urinary incontinence?

Since formal evidence demonstrating the value of urodynamic studies (UDS) in functional urology remains elusive, we aimed to consider how best to design robust research for this purpose in female urinary incontinence. An expert group was convened to debate the following considerations: (a) precedents for formally proving the value of a gold standard diagnostic test, (b) key research principles, (c) defining a study population, (d) selecting endpoints, (e) defining interventional and controls arms, (f) blinding, (g) powering the study, and (h) duration of follow-up. In each case, we considered the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches in terms of scientific validity, ethical acceptability, practicality, and likelihood of bias. We agreed that unlike evaluating therapies, attempting to judge the value of a diagnostic test based on eventual treatment success is conceptually flawed. Nonetheless, we explored the design of a hypothetical randomized controlled trial for this purpose, agreeing that: (1) the study population must sufficiently reflect its real-world counterpart; (2) clinical endpoints should include not only continence status but also other lower urinary tract symptoms and risks of management; (3) participants in the interventional arm should receive individualized management based on their UDS findings; (4) the most scientifically valid approach to the control arm-empiric treatment-is ethically problematic; (5) sufficient statistical power is imperative; and (6) ≥ 2 years' follow-up is needed to assess the long-term impact of management. Although a perfect protocol does not exist, we recommend careful consideration of our observations when reflecting on past studies or planning new prospective research.

Kidney paired donation in developing countries: A global perspective.

We review the key principles of kidney paired donation (KPD) and discuss the status and unique considerations for KPD in developing countries. Despite the advantages of KPD programs, they remain rare among developing nations, and the programs that exist have many differences with those of in developed countries. There is a paucity of literature and lack of published data on KPD from most of the developing nations. Expanding KPD programs may require the adoption of features and innovations of successful KPD programs. Cooperation with national and international societies should be encouraged to ensure endorsement and sharing of best practices. KPD is in the initial stages or has not yet started in the majority of the emerging nations. But the logistics and strategies required to implement KPD in developing nations differ from other parts of the world. By learning from the KPD experience in developing countries and adapting to their unique needs, it should be possible to expand access to KPD to allow more transplants to happen for patients in need world-wide.

Prospects of blockchain governance: Understanding key public values, principles, challenges, and opportunities

AbstractThe article elaborates on the potential of blockchain technology to transform governance in different sectors of economy. The research primarily relies on rich empirical data that have been collected from semistructured interviews and focus group studies with professional blockchain developers. In this regard, the article aims to answer the following questions: How could blockchain governance conceptually work? How could one illustrate schematically key principles of its implementation? What are the key features of blockchain governance? Why are they important? What benefits could the concept bring to different sectors of economy if its potential is realized? What are the typical barriers and limitations of blockchain governance? What could be recommended to overcome them?

Educational Design Principles of Using AI Chatbot That Supports Self-Regulated Learning in Education: Goal Setting, Feedback, and Personalization

The invention of ChatGPT and generative AI technologies presents educators with significant challenges, as concerns arise regarding students potentially exploiting these tools unethically, misrepresenting their work, or gaining academic merits without active participation in the learning process. To effectively navigate this shift, it is crucial to embrace AI as a contemporary educational trend and establish pedagogical principles for properly utilizing emerging technologies like ChatGPT to promote self-regulation. Rather than suppressing AI-driven tools, educators should foster collaborations among stakeholders, including educators, instructional designers, AI researchers, and developers. This paper proposes three key pedagogical principles for integrating AI chatbots in classrooms, informed by Zimmerman’s Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) framework and Judgment of Learning (JOL). We argue that the current conceptualization of AI chatbots in education is inadequate, so we advocate for the incorporation of goal setting (prompting), self-assessment and feedback, and personalization as three essential educational principles. First, we propose that teaching prompting is important for developing students’ SRL. Second, configuring reverse prompting in the AI chatbot’s capability will help to guide students’ SRL and monitoring for understanding. Third, developing a data-driven mechanism that enables an AI chatbot to provide learning analytics helps learners to reflect on learning and develop SRL strategies. By bringing in Zimmerman’s SRL framework with JOL, we aim to provide educators with guidelines for implementing AI in teaching and learning contexts, with a focus on promoting students’ self-regulation in higher education through AI-assisted pedagogy and instructional design.

Case Studies of Small-Medium Food Enterprises around the World: Major Constraints and Benefits from the Implementation of Food Safety Management Systems.

Global food safety and security are key principles to be followed in the context of the implementation of food safety management systems. The objective of this paper is to assess the contemporary developments of Food Safety Management System standards (FSMS) worldwide and to identify the primary constraints and advantages associated with their implementation by small and medium-sized enterprises across different regions. The effectiveness of these systems has also been evaluated. 116 case studies have been employed across developing and developed regions worldwide across 27 primary food sectors. After the implementation of FSMS, there was a significant increase in the percentage of companies that have implemented the international FSMS, both in developed (16.7% to 63.9%) and developing countries (26.6% to 48.1%). Certification has also increased from 34.2% to 59.6% in the total sample, namely from 33.3% to 61.1% in developed countries and from 34.6% to 59.0% in developing countries. There was a significant increase in medium vs. small company size (57.1% to 62.3%, p = 0.046), only in developing countries. Food safety culture and manager leadership implementation were increased to over 80% after FSMS implementation in both developed and developing countries (p < 0.001). Training, resources, and technology adequacy were also increased in all companies (p < 0.001).

Developing an Evaluation Rubric for Planning and Assessing SSI-Based STEAM Programs in Science Classrooms

This multi-phase study designed a program evaluation rubric which used a qualitative rating system to help teachers identify key learning goals, dimensions, and principles related to the socio-scientific issues (SSI)-based science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) approach for science education. This rubric contains 37 criteria that address one or more key principles of the SSI-based STEAM approach embedded in a 6E inquiry-based instructional model. It is organised into seven evaluation categories: (1) learning outcomes, (2) engage, (3) explain, (4) explore, (5) elaborate, (6) evaluate, and (7) enact. The newly developed rubric was used to evaluate six different climate change programs to determine whether it could measure the intended dimensions and principles and to assess its applicability across varying contexts. This research has implications for providing a tool for teachers to plan and design SSI-based STEAM programs.

Impact of Maker Movement on the Urban Resilience Development: Assessment Methodology and Analysis of EU Research and Innovation Projects

Cities are the engine of human development, and increasing urban sustainability is crucial to ensure human prosperity. The development of smart cities generally increases the sustainability of the cities. However, technical and environmental aspects are generally developed in smart cities neglecting socio-economic dimensions. The urban resilience concept includes the complex interactions of environmental, economic, and societal pillars. In this context, the emerging maker movement proposes an economic paradigm shift, with the interaction of humans and technology at the center of urban evolution. This paper proposes a multi-criteria methodology to define and assess the main characteristics of the resilient approach of the projects involving maker practices applied to urban development. The proposed methodology is based on the application of computer-assisted qualitative text analysis and a subsequent classification according to 12 indicators (community and urban efficiency, co-creation and professional, making sense and problem-solving, network and site-specific, implementation and optimization, sustainability-oriented and market-oriented) that define different dimensions of a bottom-up project’s resilient approach in three main key principles: inclusiveness, complexity, and durability. The method has been tested in 94 EU-funded projects. This analysis reveals the evolution and orientation of EU-funded projects from economic, technical, and social perspectives. Specifically, the patterns of remediation of non-participatory practices, the weak presence of open innovation initiatives, and the development of activities focusing on co-creation as a participatory tool. The applied methodology could be subsequently implemented at different scales and integrated with LCA in order to evaluate the sustainability of bottom-up projects toward urban development.

International Legal Cooperation in the Field Of Criminal Justice: New Challenges and Ways to Overcome Them

Purpose: Nowadays, international legal cooperation in criminal justice is one of the most important components of each country's legal system. Due to the growing number of international crimes, such as terrorism, cybercrime, cross-border crime and others that have become transnational, the need for effective international cooperation is becoming increasingly important. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the principles, forms and instruments of international cooperation in criminal matters. Method: The article uses general and special scientific methods. Results: The article emphasizes the importance of trust, mutual responsibility and cooperation, mutual legal assistance and protection of human rights as key principles of international cooperation. The article also considers various instruments of international cooperation, such as Interpol, Europol, the Hague Conference on Private International Law and others. Conclusions: The article argues that these instruments play a crucial role in facilitating cross-border cooperation and improving the effectiveness of criminal justice systems around the world. The article is a valuable contribution to understanding the importance of international cooperation in criminal justice and its impact on national legal systems. The article provides a clear explanation of the concepts and principles of international cooperation in criminal justice, its current problems, challenges, work currently underway to overcome them, and future plans to improve international cooperation in the field of criminal justice.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN RURAL REGIONS AND PARTNERSHIP AS AN INSTRUMENT FOR ITS ENSURING

Currently, the theoretical and methodological foundations of partnership as a tool for ensuring economic development remain little studied and require a detailed analysis of the existing experience, both domestic and foreign, as well as the development of universal models to ensure the effective practical implementation of partnerships at the tactical and strategic levels. It is proved that the development of rural entrepreneurship is an important aspect of the revival of rural areas in Ukraine and at the same time an important sector of the economy that plays a special role in creating competitive products, as it is the basis for further expansion of production and improvement of the well-being of the rural population. The article reveals the content and essence of the concept of partnership as the main tool for ensuring the economic development of entrepreneurship, the study of the key principles of the formation of this form of interaction. The authors proposed a scheme of key elements of planning the mechanism of economic development of entrepreneurship in the countryside, including common features of government, community, business and scientific component, which, when interacting, provide the result that manifests itself in supporting business, attracting external resources and strategic investments, as well as creating a favorable image of rural areas. The main motives of entrepreneurial activity in the countryside, which indicate the prospects for the development of rural areas, are identified. The components of partnerships in the direction of economic development of entrepreneurship in the countryside, which include consideration of socio-economic, natural, energy and administrative resources of rural areas, are investigated, this interaction allows to obtain efficiency: economic, social and environmental. The article proposes a model of economic self-sufficiency of an agrarian enterprise in rural areas, which shows the closed cyclical nature of economic development, using the example of an ECO-farm, which includes state support at all levels, new jobs, green tourism, processing and implementation, as well as social responsibility. The prerequisites for the partnership on the example of farmers, characterized by interaction (availability of common yards, purchase of fertilizers, rental of equipment, sowing campaign, supply of raw materials for the production of biofuels) and common features (processing of raw materials, sale of finished products in domestic and foreign markets) are revealed. Therefore, it was grounded that the prospects for the economic development of entrepreneurship in the countryside will directly depend on the established partnership.

Establishing and sustaining an acute care for elders unit: An incremental journey to success.

Acute Care for Elders (ACE) units reduce hospital-associated delirium, functional decline, and lengths of stay. However, establishing and sustaining such units have proven difficult. There are only 43 ACE units among the >3500 hospitals in the United States. This study describes an iterative quality improvement process, which allowed us to establish and sustain an ACE unit care model in a modern academic hospital. This continuous process was centered on implementing the key principles of the ACE unit model of care: patient-centered care assessments, medical care review, specialized prepared environment, early mobilization, physical therapy, and early planning for discharge to home. Quality of care and patient outcomes data for older adults admitted to our ACE unit includes mortality index (observed/expected) consistently <1 (FY22 = 0.86), 30-day readmission rate of <10% (FY22 9.31%), and length of stay index of ~1 (FY22 1.07). We describe how work on our ACE unit has led to hospital-wide initiatives, including dementia-friendly hospital certification. Our hope is that others can use this process to enhance the dissemination of the ACE unit model of care.

What Got You through Lockdown?

What Got You through Lockdown?

Quality indicators of effective teacher-created summative assessment

PurposeThe current literature on school teacher-created summative assessment lacks a clear consensus regarding its definition and key principles. The purpose of this research was therefore to arrive at a cohesive understanding of what constitutes effective summative assessment.Design/methodology/approachConducting a systematic literature review of 95 studies, this research adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The objective was to identify the core principles governing effective teacher-created summative assessments.FindingsThe study identified five key principles defining effective summative assessment creation: validity, reliability, fairness, authenticity and flexibility.Research limitations/implicationsThe expansiveness of education research is such that not all relevant studies may have been identified, particularly outside of mainstream databases. This study considered only the school environment, so contextual limitations will exist.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study contributes original insights by proposing a holistic definition that can facilitate consensus-building in further research. The assimilation of core principles guided the development of quality indicators beneficial for teacher practice. The comprehensive definition, key principles and quality indicators offer a unique perspective on summative assessment discourse.

Programmable multi-layered auxetic mechanisms

The present work investigates programmable auxetic surfaces and how they can be enabled to achieve a general surface shape upon external control. To actively generate target geometries from an initial geometry, a process of non-uniform expansion or contraction as well as an alteration of local curvatures are necessary. This implies the alignment of a multiplicity of control factors. The present work suggests that auxetic mechanisms hold a high potential to achieve and simplify such alignments. As a key principle for achieving defined target forms and the required shape transitions, the study identifies the modification of the local scaling factor and the Gaussian curvature of plane surfaces. Within this work, such active surfaces are created utilizing multi-layered auxetic tessellations. To control the scaling factor and the curvature of the resulting structure, we propose different multi-layered auxetic structures comprising rotational actuators. These concepts are demonstrated for the example of kagome tessellations but can easily be transferred to other auxetic tessellations.

Developing a combined framework for priority setting in integrated health and social care systems

BackgroundThere is an international move towards greater integration of health and social care to cope with the increasing demand on services.. In Scotland, legislation was passed in 2014 to integrate adult health and social care services resulting in the formation of 31 Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs). Greater integration does not eliminate resource scarcity and the requirement to make (resource) allocation decisions to meet the needs of local populations. There are different perspectives on how to facilitate and improve priority setting in health and social care organisations with limited resources, but structured processes at the local level are still not widely implemented. This paper reports on work with new HSCPs in Scotland to develop a combined multi-disciplinary priority setting and resource allocation framework.MethodsTo develop the combined framework, a scoping review of the literature was conducted to determine the key principles and approaches to priority setting from economics, decision-analysis, ethics and law, and attempts to combine such approaches. Co-production of the combined framework involved a multi-disciplinary workshop including local, and national-level stakeholders and academics to discuss and gather their views.ResultsThe key findings from the literature review and the stakeholder workshop were taken to produce a final combined framework for priority setting and resource allocation. This is underpinned by principles from economics (opportunity cost), decision science (good decisions), ethics (justice) and law (fair procedures). It outlines key stages in the priority setting process, including: framing the question, looking at current use of resources, defining options and criteria, evaluating options and criteria, and reviewing each stage. Each of these has further sub-stages and includes a focus on how the combined framework interacts with the consultation and involvement of patients, public and the wider staff.ConclusionsThe integration agenda for health and social care is an opportunity to develop and implement a combined framework for setting priorities and allocating resources fairly to meet the needs of the population. A key aim of both integration and the combined framework is to facilitate the shifting of resources from acute services to the community.

Valuing surfing ecosystems: an environmental economics and natural resources management perspective

Surfing ecosystems—surf breaks and their surrounding areas—can provide multifaceted benefits, including support for tourism industries, personal and social wellbeing and shoreline protection. Previous research has predominantly concentrated on quantifying direct expenditures, sidelining non-market values, and failing to consider the interactions between multiple ecosystem components. To address these gaps, this paper provides a review of key principles of environmental economics and natural resource management in relation to surfing ecosystems. We examine how the value of surfing ecosystems can affect (and be affected by) factors related to environmental sustainability, tourism demands and economic development. We propose a novel framework for characterizing the values of surfing ecosystems and conducting economic assessments, based on six main features: (i) surf breaks, (ii) surfing resources, (iii) surfing ecosystems, (iv) economic values, (v) economic valuation, (vi) equity and sustainability. This structured approach may serve to improve decision-making processes concerning environmental changes that impact surfing ecosystems, including tourism management plans and environmental regulations. Our study aligns with broader global initiatives to better account for ocean-based values and support sustainable, nature-based tourism.

Innovative DMHS Algorithm Application in Wireless Sensor Networks for Efficient Routing in High-Risk Environments.

Efficient routing is essential for the proper functioning of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Recent research has focused on optimizing energy and delay for these networks. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of studies that have examined the effects of volatile settings, such as chemical plants, coal mines, nuclear power plants, and battlefields, where connectivity is inconsistent. In such contexts, sensor networks may face security incidents, and environmental factors such as node movement and death can result in dynamic changes to the network topology. A novel design algorithm grounded on Dynamic Minimum Hop Selection (DMHS) was introduced in this paper. The key principle behind DMHS is to use a probabilistic forwarding decision-making process through a distributed route discovery strategy that utilizes dynamically adjusted minimum hop counts of nodes. Simulation results indicate that the life cycle of the DMHS algorithm increases by more than 12% over 700 nodes when compared to the traditional energy-saving algorithm. Furthermore, our algorithm performs better in the average delivery rate of node, and has a 10% to 21% improvement compared to the other algorithms. Overall, the DMHS algorithm represents an important contribution to the development of WSNs that can function robustly in high-risk and unstable environments.

Development Of A Small Tile Craft Industry In An Effort To Increase The Welfare Of Crawings In Islamic Economic Perspective

This study aims to analyze the development of the small tile craft industry in Pragak, Pekalongan Selatan, Pekalongan City, from the perspective of Islamic economics, with the primary goal of enhancing the welfare of craftsmen. Adopting a field research approach, the researcher directly engages with the industry and collects data to gain comprehensive insights into the existing challenges and potential solutions. The process of business development is viewed as a gradual and systematic means to improve the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and overall performance of those responsible for managing the craft industry. Central to this approach are key Islamic principles such as honesty, trust, friendliness, fairness, and patience, which guide the formulation and implementation of strategies that ensure mutually beneficial outcomes for all stakeholders involved. The study emphasizes the significance of aligning the tile craft industry's activities with the needs and aspirations of the community, contributing to humanitarian causes, and promoting prosperity within the society. By adhering to Islamic values and positively impacting the community, the small tile craft industry has the potential to thrive while fostering the well-being of craftsmen and society as a whole.

Integrative teaching of metabolic modeling and flux analysis with interactive python modules.

The modeling of rates of biochemical reactions-fluxes-in metabolic networks is widely used for both basic biological research and biotechnological applications. A number of different modeling methods have been developed to estimate and predict fluxes, including kinetic and constraint-based (Metabolic Flux Analysis and flux balance analysis) approaches. Although different resources exist for teaching these methods individually, to-date no resources have been developed to teach these approaches in an integrative way that equips learners with an understanding of each modeling paradigm, how they relate to one another, and the information that can be gleaned from each. We have developed a series of modeling simulations in Python to teach kinetic modeling, metabolic control analysis, 13C-metabolic flux analysis, and flux balance analysis. These simulations are presented in a series of interactive notebooks with guided lesson plans and associated lecture notes. Learners assimilate key principles using models of simple metabolic networks by running simulations, generating and using data, and making and validating predictions about the effects of modifying model parameters. We used these simulations as the hands-on computer laboratory component of a four-day metabolic modeling workshop and participant survey results showed improvements in learners' self-assessed competence and confidence in understanding and applying metabolic modeling techniques after having attended the workshop. The resources provided can be incorporated in their entirety or individually into courses and workshops on bioengineering and metabolic modeling at the undergraduate, graduate, or postgraduate level.