Large International Projects Research Articles

Supply Chain Management for the Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) Model: A Review and Bibliometric Analysis

China’s “Going Out” strategy and the “Belt and Road” initiative have significantly propelled the expansion of overseas contractual engagements, with a pronounced impact in the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) sector. EPC contracting is increasingly recognized for its superior resource allocation and integration efficiency. Within the EPC framework, procurement is pivotal, exerting a direct influence on project cost, schedule, and quality parameters. The biblio-metric analysis of this paper reveals the research trend of EPC projects in the past decade, especially in supply chain integration, procurement management, and stakeholder management. This indicates an increasing interest in efficient project management and supply chain optimization in international engineering EPC projects. Although the application of supply chain integration in the manufacturing industry has been a successful experience, its practical application in construction and EPC projects is still insufficient. Integration strategies mentioned in the literature, such as achieving supply chain transparency through digital platforms, reducing operating costs, and optimizing delivery time, are directions that need to be further explored in this field. Effective supply chain integration and increased maturity of procurement management in EPC projects are still less involved areas. In addition, there is also a lack of research on how to manage high-risk and unpredictable risks in large international engineering projects. This article suggests that future research should focus on developing flexible supply chain management tools and practices to adapt to a project-oriented supply chain environment.

Use of vignettes in an international comparative social work research

The aim of this article is to reflect on the strengths and challenges in qualitative comparative research on personal social services. The specific methodological approach that these reflections emerge from is the application of case vignettes in focus group interviews with social workers, working in different welfare regimes. We describe the process of vignette construction and implementation in focus group interviews, and relate this to findings in a large international project with researchers and data from Chile, Mexico, Norway, Sweden, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Ireland and the UK. Findings reveal that some globally spread professional norms prevail when they are applied locally, while others are more formed through welfare systems with strong contextual norms and legal and socio-economic barriers. Furthermore, the project showed that to use case vignettes and focus groups, in order to compare ‘social work’ in its totality between countries, is really difficult. It appears more fruitful to use such research methods to compare subsectors and sub-disciplines instead of social work as a whole. The strength of the data retrieved from the study is that it makes it possible to separate information on actual practice from information on principles and system norms, thus providing in-practice and on-practice reflections.

Performance of the 2017 EULAR/ACR Classification Criteria for adult and juvenile idiopathic inflammatory myopathies and their major subgroups: a scoping review.

The 2017 EULAR/ACR classification criteria for adult/juvenile idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) were established using a data-driven approach by an international group of myositis experts to allow classification of IIM and its major subtypes. Since their publication, the performance of the criteria has been tested in multiple cohorts worldwide and significant limitations have been identified. Moreover, the understanding and classification of IIM have evolved since 2017. This scoping review was undertaken as part of a large international project to revise the EULAR/ACR criteria and aims to i) summarise the evidence from the current literature on the performance characteristics of the 2017 EULAR/ACR classification criteria in various cohorts and IIM subtypes, and ii) delineate the factors that need to be considered in the revision of the classification criteria. A systematic search of Medline (via PubMed), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and conference abstract archives was conducted independently by three investigators for studies on the EULAR/ACR criteria published between October 2017 and January 2023. This scoping review of 19 articles and 13 abstracts revealed overall good performance characteristics of the EULAR/ACR criteria for IIM, yet deficiencies in lack of inclusion of certain IIM subtypes, such as immune mediated necrotising myopathy, amyopathic dermatomyositis, antisynthetase syndrome and overlap myositis. Published modifications that may improve the performance characteristics of the criteria for classification of IIM subtypes were also summarised. The results of this review suggest that a revision of the EULAR/ACR criteria is warranted.

Gender-Related Violence: What Can a Concept Do?

This paper explains the logic for using the concept of gender-related violence (GRV) as a broad category that problematises homophobia, transphobia and the policing of gender norms and the gender binary, as well as gender-based violence—understood as primarily violence against women and girls (VAWG). It then evaluates the utility of this concept and its capacity to introduce theoretical refinement to the study of gendered violence, by reviewing its reception within a large international feminist project on gendered violence in the lives of children and young people. The aim of this study was to improve knowledge and understanding of forms of violence and discrimination among practitioners who have everyday contact with general populations of children and young people. It sought to improve their ability to identify and challenge sexist, sexualising, homophobic or transphobic language or behaviour, and their knowledge of how and when to refer children and young people to appropriate support. The paper reports my view of the contribution that the concept of gender-related violence made in each of the four project sites: Ireland, Italy, Spain and the UK. The findings are mixed: in Spain and the UK the concept seemed helpful, but in Italy and Ireland it was initially expected to be helpful but, in practice, a conceptualisation closer to gender-based violence plus homophobia was employed. It is tentatively concluded that where LGBTQIA+ rights were well-established as well as the problematisation of VAWG, this framework was successful, but that it was less successful in more heteronormative sites where homophobia was less problematised. It is suggested that, as a concept, GRV can make a valuable intervention in sites like the former.

Landolt Indicator Values in Modern Research: A Review

The conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem sustainability is essential for human well-being. An important tool for addressing this issue is ecological indicators. This overview document examines recent studies covering the period 2018–2022 that use the values of the Landolt indicator as one of the analysis methods. The total number of records examined was 8910. After excluding irrelevant, inconsistent and duplicate records, 91 records were selected. The selection criteria were the presence of the English abstract and a digital object identifier (DOI). We chose the VOSviewer software for data analysis and visualization. The analysis of research geography, types of plant communities under research, research topics, the network of co-authorship and relationship papers, as well as the publication activity and citation rate of the authors, is carried out. The results revealed that the geography of using Landolt indicator values is quite wide, while they are more often used in Switzerland, Italy and Russia. The most important and frequently cited studies were carried out in the context of large international projects, confirming the importance of scientific cooperation in the development of environmental indicators. The Landolt indicator values showed effectiveness in the study of forests, bogs, riparian vegetation, a coarse quarry waste dump, and in assessing the urban environment. At the same time, the vegetation dynamics and influence of various factors on plants were studied most often. It was revealed that Landolt indicator values can serve as an effective universal method that integrates many aspects of the environment and allows for a comprehensive multicriteria analysis of environmental factors, habitat stability, vegetation diversity and dynamics for different plant communities at different spatial scales over a wide geographical area. This is confirmed by the high citation rate of the papers. We recommend the Landolt indicator values for a wider use, including in the monitoring of ecosystems and individual species for their conservation and sustainable management. In order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to extend the network of relationships between the authors, which is not very well developed at the moment. The research results obtained are useful for the further successful development not only of the Landolt indicator values but also of environmental indicators in general.

Team building’s social practice in large international projects

The article presents the results of an analytical review of publications and practical experience of team building in a large-scale international project for the development of agro-ecological education SAGRIS. The purpose of the study is to broadcast the positive experience of organizing teamwork in solving global problems, developing modern principles for the implementation of educational projects covering several large regions of the world. We carried out a comparative analysis of the identification of common goals and specific tasks of national project teams from countries that participated in the implementation of the SAGRIS program. 29 people took part in the team building procedures at the full-time stage of the program and in the subsequent expert survey – scientific and pedagogical staff of 4 Russian agricultural universities. The positive experience of team building in a large international project is formulated, which can be used to develop and implement new organizational and methodological approaches in the development of agro-ecological education at the international level, effectively combining the efforts of representatives of the scientific and pedagogical community of several universities in solving scientific problems of our time.

PetroSahand International Group: investigating the reasons for strategy implementation failure – focusing on organization capitals such as alignment, leadership, and organizational culture

Learning outcomes After completing the case, students will be able to understand the reasons for the lack of successful strategy implementation in companies, especially engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and general contractors in Iran’s oil, gas and petrochemical industry; understand the importance of alignment as an organization capital in successful strategy implementation and familiarize themselves with assessing the alignment readiness of companies; understand the importance of leadership as an organization capital in successful strategy implementation, comprehend one of the most essential theories of leadership in the world of management and familiarize themselves with assessing leadership readiness using this theory; and understand the importance of leadership as an organization capital in successful strategy implementation, comprehend one of the most essential models of organizational culture in the world of management and understand how to assess the readiness of organizational culture in companies. Case overview / synopsis This case discusses the reasons for strategy implementation failure at PetroSahand International Group, one of the most prominent EPC and general contractors in the oil, gas and petrochemical industry in Iran. This case also examines organization capitals such as alignment, leadership and organizational culture, the three most important factors for the successful implementation of strategies, at this company. PetroSahand is an international, project-oriented company that has been able to successfully complete more than 100 large domestic and international projects during its four decades of activity. However, the company is currently facing many difficulties such as overdue debts and projects. Complexity academic level The target audience of this case are graduates and undergraduates in the courses of Strategic Planning, Strategic Management, Strategy Implementation, Strategy in Action and Change Management. Additionally, this case study can be useful for senior managers of companies and can help in the successful implementation of strategies as well as improving their company’s alignment, leadership and organizational culture. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 11: Strategy.

GoPro(blem)s and possibilities: Keeping the child human of colour in play in an interview

In response to the call for papers for this special issue and the questions it poses, the authors show how the ontological posthumanist shift of agential realism does not erase but keeps the child human of colour in play, despite the inclusion of the other-than-(Adult)human in its methodologies. Through a montaging technique, the authors explore the philosophical complexity of ‘decentering without erasure’ by re-turning to data from a large international research project – Children, Technology and Play (2019–2020). Through an agential realist reading of interview data ‘of’ ‘seven-year-old’ Henry when visiting him at home in an informal settlement in Cape Town, they show what else is going on, and the politically radical and subtle philosophical difference this makes for reconfiguring child subjectivity. To do more justice to the complexity of reality, the analysis bounces around like Henry's sack ball and zooms in on the role apparatuses such as GoPros play in research. The authors ‘follow the child’ literally but differently, without excluding or erasing the more-than-(Adult)human. In meeting Henry, they also meet Eshal, who introduces the GoPro(blem). By diffractively reading Karen Barad's scholarship through visual and aural texts, the authors respond to the question of how posthumanist research makes a difference to childhood studies. They show how the agential realist move(ment) from Object and Subject to Phenomenon explodes ageist, ableist, racist, extractive and settler-colonial logics in education research.

Launch of the 11th discussion: Large international projects on the development of official statistics, the 50x2030 initiative as an example

Launch of the 11th discussion: Large international projects on the development of official statistics, the 50x2030 initiative as an example

The prevalence of obesity in the adult population of the Russian Federation (literature review)

This review analyzes the prevalence of obesity among the adult population in the Russian Federation. The data of various studies, including large international projects (WHO MONICA 1985–1995, HAPIEE 2003–2005), all-Russian screenings (RLMS - HSE 1993, Federal monitoring of arterial hypertension 2003, ESSE-RF 2013 — present.), as well as selected regional studies. In some regions, the long-term dynamics of obesity has been studied. The history of studying the epidemiology of obesity in Russia has more than thirty years. According to the data obtained, the prevalence of obesity throughout the country remains high and continues to increase. Thus, among men, the prevalence increased from 10.8% in 1993 to 27.9% in 2017, among women — from 26.4% to 31.8%, respectively. In all regions where it was possible to assess long-term trends, the prevalence of obesity among adults increased (maximum — 48.5% in the Belgorod region). In the adult population, obesity is more common in women (maximum — 47.0% in the Novosibirsk region) than in men (maximum — 30.0% in Ivanovo and Voronezh regions). It is necessary to expand the number of regions in Russia in which studies of the prevalence of obesity are carried out, as well as to strengthen measures to combat overweight and obesity in all age groups throughout the country.

Predictors of Positive Surgical Margins after Robot-Assisted Partial Nephrectomy for Localized Renal Tumors: Insights from a Large Multicenter International Prospective Observational Project (The Surface-Intermediate-Base Margin Score Consortium).

Background: To explore predictors of positive surgical margins (PSM) after robotic partial nephrectomy (PN) in a large multicenter international observational project, harnessing the Surface-Intermediate-Base (SIB) margin score to report the resection technique after PN in a standardized way. Methods: Data from consecutive patients with cT1-2N0M0 renal masses treated with PN from September 2014 to March 2015 at 16 tertiary referral centers and included in the SIB margin score International Consortium were prospectively collected. For the present study, only patients treated with robotic PN were included. Uni- and multivariable analysis were fitted to explore clinical and surgical predictors of PSMs after PN. Results: Overall, 289 patients were enrolled. Median (IQR) preoperative tumor size was 3.0 (2.3–4.2) cm and median (IQR) PADUA score was 8 (7–9). SIB scores of 0–2 (enucleation), 3–4 (enucleoresection) and 5 (resection) were reported in 53.3%, 27.3% and 19.4% of cases, respectively. A PSM was recorded in 18 (6.2%) patients. PSM rate was 4.5%, 11.4% and 3.6% in case of enucleation, enucleoresection and resection, respectively. Patients with PSMs had tumors with a higher rate of contact with the urinary collecting system (55.6% vs. 27.3%; p < 0.001) and a longer median warm ischemia time (22 vs. 16 min; p = 0.02) compared with patients with negative surgical margins, while no differences emerged between the two groups in terms of other tumor features (i.e., pathological diameter, PADUA score). In multivariable analysis, only enucleoresection (SIB score 3–4) versus enucleation (SIB score 0–2) was found to be an independent predictor of PSM at final pathology (HR: 2.68; 95% CI: 1.25–7.63; p = 0.04), while resection (SIB score 5) was not. Conclusions: In our experience, enucleoresection led to a higher risk of PSMs as compared to enucleation. Further studies are needed to assess the differential impacts of resection technique and surgeon’s experience on margin status after robotic PN.

The Specific Uses of the Rorschach in Clinical Practice

Abstract. Our study addresses the question, “In what settings, with what age groups, and for what purposes is the Rorschach used internationally?” We present preliminary results from 342 Rorschach users representing 36 different countries from a survey created as part of the US contribution to a larger international project on teaching and using the Rorschach in different countries. The survey was distributed to R-PAS account holders with a request to forward to non-R-PAS users. Of the respondents, 80% used R-PAS, 35% used the CS, and 17% used both. Overall, 91% used the Rorschach with adults, and 43% and 69% with children and adolescents, respectively. The most common setting was private practice (63%). The most common reason for using the Rorschach was differential diagnosis (65%), with psychosis (58%) and personality disorders (56%) as the main diagnoses. US respondents were more likely to use the Rorschach to assess for psychosis (65% vs. 48%), especially emerging psychosis in adolescents (46% vs. 25%). We discuss the strong meta-analytic support for using the Rorschach to assess psychosis, a use supported by even the test’s staunchest critics. We close by discussing study limitations and future directions, such as translating the survey to different languages and implementing a wider distribution.

Generation, Selection, and Face Validation of Items for a New Generic Measure of Quality of Life: The EQ-HWB

ObjectivesThis article aims to describe the generation and selection of items (stage 2) and face validation (stage 3) of a large international (multilingual) project to develop a new generic measure, the EQ-HWB (EQ Health and Wellbeing), for use in economic evaluation across health, social care, and public health to estimate quality-adjusted life-years. MethodsItems from commonly used generic, carer, social care, and mental health quality of life measures were mapped onto domains or subdomains identified from a literature review. Potential terms and items were reviewed and refined to ensure coverage of the construct of the domains/subdomain (stage 2). Input on the potential item pool, response options, and recall period was sought from 3 key stakeholder groups. The pool of candidate items was tested in qualitative interviews with potential future users in an international face validation study (stage 3). ResultsStage 2 resulted in the generation of 687 items. Predetermined selection criteria were applied by the research team resulting in 598 items being dropped, leaving 89 items that were reviewed by key stakeholder groups. Face validation (stage 3) tested 97 draft items and 4 response scales. A total of 47 items were retained and 14 were modified, whereas 3 were added to the candidate pool of items. This resulted in a 64-item set. ConclusionsThis international multiculture, multilingual study with a common methodology identified many items that performed well across all countries. These were taken to the psychometric testing along with modified and new items for the EQ-HWB.

Ключевые научные институты скандинавских стран и международные проекты, ведущие исследования по изучению и освоению Арктики

The Arctic region, having tremendous natural resources, is of strategic importance for the Russian Federation. Protection of the Arctic environment, its progressive development, modernization and reorganization of the expeditionary infrastructure as well as scientific research implementation become more effective in close international cooperation. Establishment of strong scientific relationships between research institutes of the Arctic Council States is essential for the achievement of their national and regional goals. This article is concerned with the description of the scientific-research institutes based in Norway, Finland and Sweden, which focus on the study of the Arctic. The paper covers their main objectives, areas of a scientific activity, educational projects arrangement and participation in the Arctic expeditions. The article discusses an existing interaction of the considered scientific institutes of the Scandinavian countries with the institutes and universities of the Russian Federation, investigating the Arctic and Antarctic. This review will allow expanding current ways and outlining new possibilities of collaboration between the countries of the Arctic pool within the Arctic exploration and development. The paper particularly emphasizes on such large international projects as the University of the Arctic (UArctic), the MOSAiC expedition and the International Meteorological Institute (IMI).

The forest restoration frontier.

Forest restoration has resulted in approximately 300 million ha of restored forests until today. During the second decade of the twenty-first century several international initiatives have sprung up which aim to add 350 million ha of restored forest by 2030. The paper reviews the development of the forest restoration frontier. It tracks trends of the increase of restored forests, emphasizing developments since the second half of the last century. It equally reviews past and ongoing policies, programs, and projects to restore forests. Available data show how the area of restored forests has progressively increased since the 1960s. There are three major objectives to restoring forest: (1) to produce forest products (timber and other products) or spaces for recreation, (2) to produce regulatory ecosystem services (sequestered carbon, erosion control) and (3) to achieve improvement of rural livelihoods. The emphasis on each of these objectives has changed over time and each objective implied different policies and arrangements, involvement of actors and use of technology and know-how. The large international programs and projects since the beginning of the twenty-first century promote forest restoration for biodiversity conservation, regulatory ecosystem services and improving wellbeing of resident populations. Some of the findings related to the development of the forest restoration frontier since the mid-twentieth century suggest that some of the ambitious goals may be unrealistic and result in unwanted outcomes.

Diagnosing delivery capabilities on a large international nature-based solutions project

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are increasingly at the centre of urban strategies to mitigate heatwaves and flooding, improve public health and restore biodiversity. However, on-ground implementation has been slow, inconsistent and often limited to demonstration sites. A broad literature consistently highlights institutional barriers as a major reason for the observed implementation gap. In this study, we developed and deployed an assessment tool to identify barriers to NBS delivery on a European Commission Horizon 2020 project spanning seven cities. We found that practitioners were effectively navigating challenges in the areas where they had significant control, including community engagement, strategy development and technical skills. The greatest barriers were outside the influence of project teams: understaffing, a lack of intra-organisational processes, and risk-averse organisational cultures. These findings emphasise that after cities embrace NBS at the strategic and political level, it is vital that executives follow through with the necessary pragmatic reforms to enable delivery.

The ISGyP Endocervical Adenocarcinoma Project: Master Plan Summary, Acknowledgment of Participants, and Participant Responses to Final Recommendations of the Expert Panels.

The International Society of Gynecological Pathologists carried out a multifaceted project with the broad aim of improving the pathological reporting of endocervical adenocarcinoma (EAC). The intentions were to promote and align practices with the WHO 2020 classification, which endorses HPV status-based classification of EAC and the Silva pattern-based assessment of HPV-associated EAC, to promote uniformity in applying the recent FIGO staging revisions on cervical carcinoma, and to provide best practice guidelines on all aspects of EAC pathology reporting. To facilitate the use of the new WHO/IECC classification and the Silva system, two online educational portals were set up with training and test sets of scanned slides; these remain available to society members on the ISGyP educational website. In addition, a large international collaborative individual data collection project is ongoing, aiming to ascertain the prognostic value of EAC categories, and to provide a database with the potential to address unanswered questions. A single on-site meeting was held on February 29, 2020 in Los Angeles, in advance of the USCAP Annual Meeting; all other correspondence was by email and through electronic surveys. Project participants were invited to vote and comment on the recommendations contained within the practice guideline articles. The project received an enthusiastic response from pathologists across the world. This report includes an overview and summary of all aspects of the project, a list of participants and the results of polling on practice recommendations.

Conducting Virtual Qualitative Interviews with International Key Informants: Insights from a Research Project

There is an increasing need for cross-cultural qualitative studies in an era of globalization. A focus group of five researchers, who were involved in a large international research project, identified effective strategies and challenges associated with five key domains of qualitative research with key informants: identification, recruitment, preparation, conducting the interview, and follow-up. Content analysis revealed nuanced tactics related to effective strategies and challenges associated with each domain. Examples of effective strategies include interview preparation to understand the specific expertise of the interviewee and allowing the informant to offer additional information beyond the questions asked. Challenges included technical difficulties with virtual platforms and scheduling interviews in multiple time zones. These findings provide practical guidelines for researchers conducting virtual interviews with international key informants.

Natalya Sergeevna Sysoeva: the artist, teacher, art critic, public figure

The article is devoted to the Irkutsk artist Natalya Sysoeva, chairman of the Irkutsk branch of the Union of Artists of Russia, director of the Irkutsk Regional Art Museum, painter, author of still-lives and landscapes. In addition, Natalya Sysoeva was engaged in teaching activities both in art educational institutions of Irkutsk and at PJE University, Republic of Korea. Thanks to her energy, organizational skills, several large international projects have been carried out with universities and art schools in Russia, Korea, China, Mongolia. Under her curatorship, more than two dozen albums, catalogues dedicated to the work of Irkutsk artists and the collection of the Irkutsk Art Museum have been published. Статья посвящена творческой деятельности иркутского художника Натальи Сергеевны Сысоевой, председателя Иркутского регионального отделения ВТОО «Союз художников России», директора Иркутского областного художественного музея им. В.П. Сукачёва, живописца. Помимо этого, Н.С. Сысоева много лет преподавала как в художественных учебных заведениях Иркутска, так и в университете Pai Chai, Республика Корея. Благодаря ее энергии, организаторским способностям осуществлено несколько больших международных проектов с университетами и художественными училищами России, Кореи, Китая, Монголии. Под ее кураторством издано более двух десятков альбомов, каталогов, посвященных творчеству иркутских художников и коллекции Иркутского художественного музея.

Defining the clinical genomic landscape for real-world precision oncology

Through the delivery of large international projects including ICGC and TCGA, knowledge of cancer genomics is reaching saturation point. Enabling this to improve patient outcomes now requires embedding comprehensive genomic profiling into routine oncology practice. Towards this goal, this study defined the biologically and clinically relevant genomic features of adult cancer through detailed curation and analysis of large genomic datasets, accumulated literature and biomarker-driven therapeutics in clinic and development. The characteristics and prevalence of these features were then interrogated in 2348 whole genome sequences, covering 21 solid tumour types, generated by the PCAWG project. This analysis highlights the predominant contribution of copy number alterations and identifies a critical role for disruptive structural variants in the inactivation of clinically important tumour suppressor genes, including PTEN and RB1, which are not currently captured by diagnostic assays. This study defines a set of essential genomic features for the characterisation of common adult cancers.