Lab Approach Research Articles

Living Lab: Design a digital health intervention for healthy diet of ethnic minority adolescents

Abstract Eating habits cultivated during adolescence continue through adulthood, and can widen the health gap in adulthood for vulnerable ethnic minority adolescents (EMA). Living Lab is a methodological approach through which stakeholders co-create innovations as citizen scientists in real-life settings. This study aimed to design a digital health intervention (DHI) for enhancing the heathy diet of EMA using the Living Lab approach. The DHI’s content and strategies were derived through literature reviews and focus group interviews. The Living Lab was structured by using 5 principles: real-life setting, user engagement, multi-stakeholder participation, multi-method, and co-creation. It has four activity phases of discovering problems, exploring solutions, solving problems, and disseminating solutions putting more emphasis on the use of digital device and multiple stakeholders such as peers and teachers in co-ideation. DHI participants were grouped into equal proportions of EMA and Korean-ethnic peers. The DHI operates for 2 hours once a week for 4 weeks, with orientation and wrap-up sessions before and after the DHI. Each activity of the co-working process is designed by applying behavior change techniques such as prompts/cues, framing/reframing, and credible sources in a digital educational environment: creating content using Google Jamboard and Padlet, and working on the metaverse platform ZEP. The responses and feedback from the participants are received through an online reflection diary weekly. Usability and acceptability of digital technology are assessed by an online survey on completion of the DHI. The efficacy of DHI is assessed through the change in dietary behavior and food literacy. This study was designed to enable EMA recognize the harmful effects of an unhealthy diet and co-create solutions through dynamic activities in a digital environment. Further, it may serve to change the cultural sensitivity of native peers that influence the health choices of EMA. Key messages • Digital-based intervention would be an effective way for vulnerable ethnic minority adolescents to engage in healthy diet. • The Living Lab approach was used as an essential strategy to develop a digital health intervention to improve the healthy diet of ethnic minority adolescents.

Defining patients needs and expectations for eHealth-based cardiac rehabilitation in Germany and Spain: living lab data from the TIMELY study

Abstract Background eHealth innovations have set the stage to optimize personalized care and provide assistance for disease control to patients with CAD. TIMELY is the first artificial intelligence (AI)-driven eHealth approach that employs internet of things devices and is based on cardiac rehabilitation (CR) components. To guarantee acceptance and usability of eHealth solutions, patients are actively participating in development through a Living Lab approach. Purpose To define patients' needs for an eHealth-based lifestyle intervention and self-care support. Methods The Living Lab approach included a guided survey conducted among CAD patients at CR centers in Germany and Spain during inpatient or outpatient CR, respectively. Questions referred to current use of technology and patients' opinion on the usefulness of suggested features of a future eHealth application. Ratings for usefulness/importance were recorded on a 5-point Likert scale reported as median score. Results 79 patients (20% female) were interviewed (DE, n=49; ES, n=30). Patients' mean age was 57 years (range 37–79), educational level was 87% ≤ high school and 13% > high school. All patients owned a smartphone that they also used for information (76%) and documentation (43%). Patients rated the importance of all CR components (regular exercise, healthy diet, stress management, smoking cessation, risk factor reduction) along the continuum of care as “very high” (5/5). Individual need for regular exercise support after structured CR was rated “high” (4/5). Exercise reminders, suggestions on activities, update of recommended training heart rate, evaluation of training progress, and achieved goals were rated “useful” (4/5) to “very useful” (5/5). The importance of support for diet, stress management, overall risk factor management, and medication was rated 3/5. Usefulness of a learning/education tool was rated 4/5, while motivational messages scored 3/5 and individual feedback of a person or virtual agent scored 4/5 and 3/5, respectively. The availability of electronic health records was evaluated as “very useful” (5/5) remote ECG monitoring and blood pressure management were rated as “useful” (4/5). The range of all items accessed was 1–5, indicating large interindividual differences. No significant differences existed between female and male patients or German and Spanish patients, though the importance of sharing training progress with family/ friends was rated higher by men (3/5) compared to women (1/5) and higher by Spanish (4/5) compared to German patients (2/5). Conclusions CR patients expressed a strong need for individual support of regular physical exercise and updated training recommendations. The observed inter-individual differences regarding usefulness and acceptance indicate the need for a highly adaptive system to prevent exclusion from eHealth access. CR patients from Germany and Spain showed equally high acceptance of eHealth components for the management of CAD. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – EU funding. Main funding source(s): European Commission Horizon 2020

Capacity development for water reuse in in-formal partnerships in northern Namibia

In central northern Namibia, challenges in water governance related to scarcity meet needs in capacity development on municipal levels. Reuse of treated water in agriculture forms a technical innovation in urbanizing arid regions, because it potentially contributes to both improving water availability and reducing pollution from waste water in arid regions. Governing this transformative approach entails a complexity of processes and actors at different levels and in a range of sectors. The aim of this research is to assess the potential of an informal municipal partnership to (a) support capacity development in implementation of innovation in urban water systems (here: water reuse), and (b) compensate for lack of coordination in governance. Establishing a municipal partnership for wastewater treatment was part of a living lab approach analyzing the potential for water reuse, in collaboration of an interdisciplinary team of researchers, municipal decision-makers, engineers and farmers. Findings show the potential and limitations in capacity development in municipal water governance by means of an informal partnership. The lessons learnt on establishing an informal municipal partnership for learning and capacity development in water governance provide valuable insights for water governance in both research and practice, in particular but not limited to the field of water reuse as means of transforming socio-hydrological relations toward sustainability. The research thus contributes to research on water reuse governance, and to transformative research on water in social-ecological systems.

Identification of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway domain by hyperparameter optimization based on a 2D convolutional neural network.

The major mechanism of proteolysis in the cytosol and nucleus is the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway (UPP). The highly controlled UPP has an effect on a wide range of cellular processes and substrates, and flaws in the system can lead to the pathogenesis of a number of serious human diseases. Knowledge about UPPs provide useful hints to understand the cellular process and drug discovery. The exponential growth in next-generation sequencing wet lab approaches have accelerated the accumulation of unannotated data in online databases, making the UPP characterization/analysis task more challenging. Thus, computational methods are used as an alternative for fast and accurate identification of UPPs. Aiming this, we develop a novel deep learning-based predictor named “2DCNN-UPP” for identifying UPPs with low error rate. In the proposed method, we used proposed algorithm with a two-dimensional convolutional neural network with dipeptide deviation features. To avoid the over fitting problem, genetic algorithm is employed to select the optimal features. Finally, the optimized attribute set are fed as input to the 2D-CNN learning engine for building the model. Empirical evidence or outcomes demonstrates that the proposed predictor achieved an overall accuracy and AUC (ROC) value using 10-fold cross validation test. Superior performance compared to other state-of-the art methods for discrimination the relations UPPs classification. Both on and independent test respectively was trained on 10-fold cross validation method and then evaluated through independent test. In the case where experimentally validated ubiquitination sites emerged, we must devise a proteomics-based predictor of ubiquitination. Meanwhile, we also evaluated the generalization power of our trained modal via independent test, and obtained remarkable performance in term of 0.862 accuracy, 0.921 sensitivity, 0.803 specificity 0.803, and 0.730 Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) respectively. Four approaches were used in the sequences, and the physical properties were calculated combined. When used a 10-fold cross-validation, 2D-CNN-UPP obtained an AUC (ROC) value of 0.862 predicted score. We analyzed the relationship between UPP protein and non-UPP protein predicted score. Last but not least, this research could effectively analyze the large scale relationship between UPP proteins and non-UPP proteins in particular and other protein problems in general and our research work might improve computational biological research. Therefore, we could utilize the latest features in our model framework and Dipeptide Deviation from Expected Mean (DDE) -based protein structure features for the prediction of protein structure, functions, and different molecules, such as DNA and RNA.

Exploring the potential of local stakeholders’ involvement in crisis management. The living lab approach in a case study from amsterdam

This article presents the outcome of research into the potential of local stakeholders’ involvement in crisis management in two Amsterdam neighborhoods. It addresses the recognized challenge of enabling and improving collaboration between established formal response organizations and local actors engaged in extending and emergent organizational behavior during crises. To further explore the potential of local actors in responding to a crisis, the authors adopted the living lab approach to bring together actors from established response organizations, the municipality and local stakeholders. The so-called Amsterdam Crisis Resilience Living Lab, set up in the Zuidas and Indische Buurt neighborhoods, enabled the co-creation of knowledge produced by both formal organizations and local stakeholders in close collaboration with researchers from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the Institute for Societal Resilience. The results and lessons learned show potential of collaboration between formal, traditional response organizations and local stakeholders in crisis response. Strengthening the links between them can ultimately lead to a more inclusive and resilient crisis management approach.In addition the article shows the added value of the living lab approach in bringing together multiple responding stakeholders from different backgrounds.

The relationship between the living lab approach and successful implementation of healthcare innovations: an integrative review

ObjectivesThe concept of living labs as a research method to enhance participation of end-users in the development and implementation process of an innovation, gained increasing attention over the past decade....

Advancing the Water Policy Lab approach in and out of the pandemic: A call for stories from practice

Advancing the Water Policy Lab approach in and out of the pandemic: A call for stories from practice

Mersin City-Lab: Co-creative and participatory design approach for a circular neighbourhood

While environmental, economical and social challenges that the world has been facing recently are increasing dramatically; cities have played critical role in generation many of these problems like negative impacts on environment and overconsumption of resources. Most of the cities today face severe sustainability challenges including sanitation, air pollution, environmental degradation, over population and lack of livability. However, cities may also raise answers to find solutions against many of such complex urban problems, since they are assumed as creative and innovative platforms for social ecosystem of ideas. In this sense, there is increasing interest in ‘City Laboratories’ or ‘Urban Living Labs’, which are established to provide creative experimental platforms with participation of city actors to discuss urban sustainability issues before implementation of deep and structural urban changes for citizens. They provide participatory, co-creative and experimental platforms for self-organizing cities. The aim of this paper is to discuss a collaborative City Laboratory approach -Mersin City Lab- to achieve sustainability principles during urban regeneration process for the selected case-study area located in Mersin. Mersin City Lab focuses on two aspects: Firstly, ‘City Lab’ approach, involves citizens and stakeholders into decision-making process. Secondly, it focuses on urban transformation process with circularity principles including water, mobility, energy, waste management, food and circular economy to achieve sustainable neighborhood development. The paper starts with introduction of ‘city-gaming’ methodology which has been adopted as the main structure of participation of multi-stakeholders. It continues with discussions on stages of the case-study project through implementation of workshops and game sessions by participation of multi stake-holders. Following, the results gathered from overall evaluations of participants’ proposals regarding land-use, mobility and urban water management, local economy, urban development, urban agriculture and food strategies in neighborhood level are discussed. Finally, the paper concludes with impacts of City Labs approach and city-gaming methodology on decision-making process for real urban problems and urban settings.

Emergency transition to remote learning: DoIt@Home Lab in engineering

PurposeThe interruption of on-campus teaching and learning, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, forced universities around the globe to rethink their pedagogical models and adopt innovative strategies and approaches that enabled continuity of learning. Engineering schools and faculties were faced with the challenge of how to continue to engage students with the practical component of coursework, especially in terms of lab work and experimentation, which are mandatory requirements for degree awards.Design/methodology/approachThis study documents how the Faculty of Engineering in a university in Oman engaged students with the practical component of their course during the pandemic by launching the remote DoIt@Home Lab. The DoIt@Home Lab approach included the design and development of video recorded labs, virtual labs, simulation exercises and DoIt@Home experiments which were provided to students as teaching tools and guides to conducting home experiments remotely.FindingsThis study presents the DoIt@Home Lab approach introduced to Year 2 Chemistry for engineering students. Students' grades improved by 11% over the previous year when the course was delivered face-to-face. Failure rates dropped by 8% while the number of students earning a 3.25 grade point average (GPA) or higher increased by 18%.Originality/valueThe DoIt@Home Lab for engineering courses could enhance students' learning experience and create an effective remote learning environment. While the DoIt@Home Lab was created to supplement on-campus activity in the event of a temporary disruption, it can also be used to supplement regular face-to-face program delivery.

ENTERPRISE MODELLING METHODOLOGY FOR SOCIO-CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS DESIGN: CASE FROM CYBERSECURITY EDUCATION AND CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE

ENTERPRISE MODELLING METHODOLOGY FOR SOCIO-CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS DESIGN: CASE FROM CYBERSECURITY EDUCATION AND CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE

A research agenda for evaluating living labs as an open innovation model for environmental and agricultural sustainability

The magnitude of environmental challenges we are facing today requires the involvement of a diversity of stakeholders and collaborators to develop socially, culturally, and economically robust sustainability practices. Living labs catalyse the development of user-centric solutions for complex environmental issues by exploring, co-creating, testing, and evaluating innovations within real-world contexts. The living lab approach is relatively new in the environmental and agricultural sectors but is quite well established in many areas such as information and communication technology. For living labs to play a greater role in environmental sustainability, we present a research agenda related to the evaluation and effectiveness of living labs in the context of environmental and agricultural sustainability. We refer to evaluation as the act of assessing the process and outcomes of a living lab, and effectiveness as the level to which a living lab is successful in achieving a certain desirable process or outcome. Our research agenda is based on empirical research using an adapted Delphi method – a process to iteratively gather input from a panel of experts – involving a total of 44 researchers and experts in the domains of living labs, evaluation methods, and agro-environmental issues. The resulting integrated research agenda identifies important gaps in both research and practice to improve the impact of living labs. Our findings highlight the need to better understand effective use of this collaborative, open innovation approach in research and management focused on environmental and agricultural sustainability. Future research should investigate the knowledge gaps for we have identified in terms of diversity of stakeholders, key dimensions of evaluation and how to enable effectiveness of living labs.

Embedding non-industrial private forest owners in forest policy and bioeconomy issues using a Living Lab concept

International policies have set sustainable development goals that put emphasis on bioeconomy strategies based on renewable resources. The forestry sector, by providing bio-based products, is expected to take part in this bioeconomy with, among other things, the reduction of society's dependence on fossil fuels. Nevertheless, in Europe, the forestry sector is facing an increase in the number of small private forest ownerships, called non-industrial private forests (NIPF), where wood mobilization is difficult due to both ownership fragmentation and the lack of interest of non-industrial forest owners in existing forest-wood chains. Although many policy instruments have been put in place to address this situation, the problem persists for two main reasons. First, a lack of use of policy instruments by forest owners and second, a lack of collaboration between stakeholders. To provide solutions, we propose a methodology to design territorial projects with non-industrial forest owners in the framework of a Living Lab innovation process. This paper presents both the general method developed and analyzed through open and user-centered innovation concepts and its practical implementation in the Vosges department in France. Our results show how the Living Lab approach can improve the acceptance, adoption and use of policy instruments by NIPF owners and how it promotes multi-stakeholder collaborations to design and deploy innovative solutions. The main interest of our study is to provide a methodology to pilot a forestry Living Lab for policy makers and practitioners, based on rigorous concepts of innovation management. Finally, future developments and limitations of our study are discussed in a global research perspective.

A Combined Field–Lab Approach for Assessing Salmonella Infantis Persistence in Broiler Litter in a Stockpile and Composting Sleeve

Broiler litter (BL) is often contaminated by a variety of zoonotic pathogens. This study attempts to assess the persistence of Salmonella enterica serovar Infantis (S. Infantis) in BL based on spatial and temporal variation of physicochemical properties in a stockpile and composting sleeve. A single trial of two pilot-scale setups, ~35 m3 each, included an open static pile (stockpile) and composting in a polyethylene sleeve with forced aeration. The initial water content was adjusted only for the sleeve (~50% w/w) as in a common composting practice. Both systems were monitored weekly and then biweekly during 2 months in 47–53 sampling points each on every campaign. Measurements included temperature, water content, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), gas-phase oxygen, and ammonia, and the collected data were used to construct multiple contour grid maps. Of the stockpile volume, 83, 71, and 62% did not reach the commonly required minimum temperature of 55°C for three consecutive days during the first, second, and third weeks, respectively. Oxygen levels showed a strong gradient across the stockpile, while anaerobic conditions prevailed in the core. Variation was also recorded within the sleeve, but due to the water content adjustment and active aeration, the conditions favored more intense degradation and higher temperatures. Combining the grid maps drawn in this study with decay rate constants recently published for S. Infantis in BL under 36 combinations of temperature, water content, and pH, we assessed the spatial persistence of S. Infantis in the stockpile and the sleeve. Temperature was shown as a major factor, while water content and pH had only a small effect, in the stockpile only. Co-correlations between temperature, water content, EC, and oxygen suggest that selected physicochemical properties may be sufficient for such assessments. Up to 3 weeks would be recommended to achieve 7–8 log10 reduction in Salmonella in a stockpile, while this would be fully achieved within 1 week in a sleeve. This approach of combining high-resolution spatial field sampling along with decay rates of pathogens under controlled lab conditions may improve quantitative microbial risk assessments and future regulations of manure utilization.

Capacity Needs Assessment in Transport Innovation Living Labs: The Case of an Innovative E-Mobility Project

Cities around the globe are implementing innovative transport solutions as part of measures to address pertinent socio-economic and environmental challenges in urban areas and help drive the transition to low carbon development. Planning and implementing such solutions require an effective and collective approach that includes the needs and aspirations of all relevant stakeholders. In the planning and implementation of urban transport projects, capacity building components have assumed great significance but seem to be the most eluded activity for project implementers. The Living Lab concept, which allows for co-creation in innovation development, presents the opportunity to adopt innovative participatory approach in capacity building activities in transport projects; and is largely seen as a potential catalyst for rapid transformation to low carbon and sustainability transitions in cities. To this end, this paper highlights the usefulness of the Living Lab approach and provides some perspectives on how key elements of the approach are adapted in the process of assessing the capacity needs of nine (9) cities in planning and implementing e-mobility innovations. The cities are participating in an innovation research project. In the case studied, the project’s capacity needs assessment process was analyzed using an assessment framework built on four (4) key elements of the Living Lab approach, namely: extent of real-life contextualization, level of participation, diversity of stakeholders, and the time span of engagement. Insights from the assessment suggest that relevant project partners and city representatives with diverse expertise were actively involved from the onset and throughout the first 5 months of the project in defining and refining the capacity needs of partner cities based on local e-mobility conditions. This co-creative process helped determine priority areas where the need for capacity building mostly lied. Designing and operationalizing capacity building interventions tailored to the identified needs, as realized in the project, could therefore help build the necessary capacity and complement other measures aimed at developing e-mobility in the project’s partner cities.

ADAM: A multicenter, non-interventional, prospective cohort study for determination of prevalence of homologous recombination repair genes mutations (HRRm) in metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC)—Interim analysis.

169 Background: The HRRm detection is used to prescribe PARP inhibitors in mCRPC patients. The frequency of HRR alterations has been investigated in several clinical studies, but the prevalence of HRRm in real clinical practice remains unclear. We conducted the first study to evaluate prevalence of HRRm in mCRPC patients in Russia. This interim analysis is aimed to provide HRRm rate in real practice in Russian population. Methods: Patients with mCRPC and available tumor tissue samples (FFPEs) were enrolled from October 2020 till May 2021. Samples were analyzed in 3 labs. Target enrichment using multiplex PCR and library preparation of genes involved in HRR (BRCA2, BRCA1, RAD54L, FANCL, BARD1, ATM, CHEK1, RAD51B, PALB2, RAD51D, CDK12, RAD51C, BRIP1, CHEK2) was performed using three different techniques: GeneReader NGS System (QIAGEN), KAPA HyperPlus and SeqCap EZ Choice (Roche) and in-house targeted NGS-panel. For last 2 sequencing was performed using MiSeq (Illumina). Results: In this interim analysis we included 331 mCRPC patients from 20 sites with median age 67 years, 86,7% caucasian. Family or personal history of oncological diseases had 66 (20%) of pts 300 FFPEs were analyzed by NGS, 31 (9%) were not valid (poor quality/not enough DNA). HRRm rate is 19,7% (59/300). Most frequently mutated genes ( > 1%) listed in the table below. Other mutations (RAD51B, RAD51C, BARD1, FANCL, RAD51D, RAD54L) were detected in 1-2 cases per gene. Conclusions: This first systematic analysis of HRRm in Russian population of mCRPC patients showed general consistency with previously reported HRRm data (19,7% in our trial in comparison with 27.9% in PROfound trial). Lab approach using different techniques in real practice has to be established.[Table: see text]

Online lab design for aviation engineering students in higher education: a pilot study

ABSTRACT There is a strong need for educators to change the way they conduct aviation education to bring up future professionals in the industry. To cope with the COVID-19 challenge, creative online distance learning approaches become necessary. This article shows how an online lab approach offers social and cognitive support for engineering students to sustain their learning. A series of learning activities including flight simulation and virtual tours were held in an online lab setting by aviation professionals and lecturers at a university in Hong Kong to 35 undergraduate engineering students. The online lab encouraged students to apply knowledge into practice and develop their theoretical and conceptual knowledge through activities. Workshops focusing on aviation laboratory education aimed at students’ development of aviation theoretical and technical knowledge, collaborative skills, field-specific, and practical skills. A mixed research method was employed with the use of a motivational survey, teachers’ observation, and semi-structured interviews to understand students’ learning perceptions. This study found that the online laboratory activities could effectively motivate students to learn about aviation and improve their aviation knowledge cognitively and socially. It is recommended for online engineering educators to use lab technologies to teach aviation and related disciplines for future career preparation.

Using structure to predict function in protein biochemistry: a combined computational and wet lab approach

We have developed an undergraduate biochemistry lab curriculum based on authentic inquiry. The Biochemistry Authentic Scientific Inquiry Lab (BASIL) uses a combined computational and wet lab approach to study proteins of known structure but unknown function. There are over 3800 structures in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) that have unknown function. Students use a combination of sequence and structure alignment tools to study these structures with the goal of identifying possible enzymes. They then use molecular docking to predict what model substrates fit near a proposed active site.

Living Lab Concept for Sensor Based Energy Performance Assessment of Houses

All the social, economic and industrial development depends on the availability of energy. Since energy demand is increasing exponentially throughout the world, more and more CO2 is being emitted out into the atmosphere, giving rise to global warming. Therefore, establishing a sustainable environment is becoming increasingly important. It has been found through research that domestic sector contributes a great deal to the rising energy consumption. Due to prevailing energy crisis, efforts are being made to reduce the increasing energy consumption and make efficient use of energy by making the buildings energy efficient. For this, realistic assessment of energy use patterns in existing houses and buildings is necessary to assure dataset accuracy. Living lab concept integrated with sensor technologies can be used for assessment of such patterns. This paper presents living lab concept for sensor-based energy performance assessment of Houses. First, detailed literature review to benchmark concepts of energy efficiency of buildings, living labs concept, sensor based assessment, energy audit, and application of living lab concept has been discussed. Thereafter, sensors based living lab assessment and living lab approach has been introduced as being utilized by the author in a research project for development of guidelines for energy efficient housing. The paper also highlights important parameters to be monitored that effect energy performance. The concept reflects usefulness of living lab concept for sensor-based energy performance assessment of houses that help in substantial reduction in the energy consumption. As such data can be utilized for both realistic energy simulations by improving level of development of models as well as better usage comparisons with modeled analysis, hence helping in identifying true and effective improvement measures

Introducing the Living Lab Approach in the Coastal Area of Constanta (Romania) by Using Design Thinking

Living Labs are an innovative concept that combines research, governance, and citizens, using technology and knowledge. Using design thinking techniques as a method of approach, this innovative idea builds a bridge between decision makers and stakeholders, promoting a shared vision of growth and innovation at the community level. The coastal zone is an extremely dynamic area in terms of human and natural activities. This is a particularly sensitive area to climate change, necessitating ongoing adaptation and mitigating action. This paper aims to introduce the application of the Living lab concept in the management of the coastal area of Constanta (Romania). The concept of the Living Lab means involving citizens along with public bodies and research structures. This new coastal management model will use the design thinking approach and will consider the pressures that exist between the activities that occur in the examined coastal zone. In the study, “Multi-Criteria Analysis of the Mass Tourism Management Model Related to the Impact on the Local Community in Constanța (Romania)”, published in MDPI Inventions on 28 June 2021, a coastal management model was built that took into consideration only the data given by the government. In this paper, the authors aim to expand their research by including data from independent sources, using the concept of a Living Lab.

Experimental lab approach for water based drilling fluid using polyacrylamide friction reducers to drill extended horizontal wells

Horizontal and multilateral wells increase continuously and are considered as a mechanical stimulation method for enhancing reservoir performance. However, drilling these wells is challenging with the conventional circulation technology because of the existence of significant pressure loss. Hence, Friction Reducers (FR) may offer a solution to this problem.The objectives of this paper are: (1) to present the possibility of using polyacrylamide based FRs in water base drilling fluids to replace oil based drilling fluids used to drill long lateral sections; (2) to show the optimal pH values of the newly developed FR water base drilling fluids; and (3) to present the effect of FR on both drilling fluid rheological performance and shale inhibition at optimal pH values. Two commercial groups of FR were used in this study, anionic FR (AFR) and cationic FR (CFR). Lab experiments were conducted initially to obtain the effect of pH on the FRs with water and with bentonite by using a low pressure and high temperature rheometer and a Zeta potential analyzer. The rheological properties of formulated Water Based Fluid (WBF) with and without anionic FRs were measured at temperatures ranging from 120° F to 180° F. The zeta potential was also measured to investigate the capability of using anionic FRs as shale inhibition in WBF.The experimental results reveal that the isoelectric point of CFR is at pH value of 8.5 and this CFR charges negatively above pH 8.5. With increasing pH, the viscosity of CFR decreases and there is rise in shear stress of bentonite with CFR. There are obvious effects of pH on anionic FRs with bentonite due to the attraction of negative carboxylate group on AFR surface to positive edge of bentonite. This attraction is a good indicator that anionic FRs can be used as shale inhibition. The optimal pH of using AFR with WBF is from 8.5 to 9.5 for better WBF system stability. The results also reveal that AFR supports thermal stability of the formulated KCl polymer WBF. Furthermore, the formulated WBF with AFR minimize formation damage due to having lower API and high pressure and high temperature filter loss. Zeta potential measurements indicates the initial concentration of AFR used in WBF without KCl for shale stabilization is 18 pptg (0.72 lbm/bbl).This study introduces a promising alternative WBF which could be used to replace oil based drilling fluids when drilling long lateral sections. This proposed approach is important for the oil and gas industry not only for cost effectiveness but also to avail environmental concerns.