Project Launch Research Articles

Urban Growth and Sustainability. Case Study, Ribera Norte Project, Concepción, Chile

During the last decade of the past century, a new term emerges that extends and introduces all human activity, sustainability. The second World Habitat Conference in Istanbul, under Agenda 21, highlights the role of cities and local authorities in the implementation of the global environment compromises and the generation of life quality and habitat. The design, development and management of “sustainable human communities” points to good urban life quality. Chile joins Agenda 21 and in 1998 promulgates a Law of Environment, together with the launch of various urban projects as mechanisms for recuperation and “relaunching” of its cities. One of these projects was Ribera Norte Project, an initiative that sought to recuperate a degraded area of the city of Concepción and generate urban soil in response of an increasing demand for a sustainable urban growth. The present study attempts to explore the relation and/or articulation between urban growth and sustainability through a concrete urban action, such as the Ribera Norte Project. The objective is to deepen the theoretical knowledge of one of the most discussed urban interventions of the past years in Chile, with the goal to gather lessons about sustainable urban planning in our cities. Starting with the premise that underdeveloped countries have to resolve both problems of urban poverty today and ecological preservation tomorrow, a task that becomes titanic in nature and almost impossible to resolve due to the lack of resources to cover so many urban problems at a time.

Ensuring global access to COVID-19 vaccines

Ensuring global access to COVID-19 vaccines

An Intervention to Decrease Benzodiazepine Prescribing by Providers in an Urban Clinic

The objective of this quality improvement project was to decrease the amount of benzodiazepines (BZDs) prescribed by providers at a Midwestern university outpatient clinic. Clinic providers participated in a brief, live educational intervention combining academic detailing (i.e., the provision of current evidence about BZD) and pharmaceutical detailing (i.e., a sales technique borrowed from pharmaceutical companies). A 1% decrease in BZD prescribing was set as the measure of success. Using data from the electronic medical record, the monthly average of BZD prescriptions written within calendar year 2017 (before project launch) was compared to the number written 30 days after the intervention. Following the intervention, an 80% reduction in BZD prescribing was calculated. Combined academic and pharmaceutical detailing could be an effective way to change prescribing behavior in this provider population. Further investigation is needed to ascertain whether the change in prescribing behavior can be sustained, and that no harm is being done to patients who are currently dependent on BZD medications. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 58(1), 39-45.].

Customer-driven supply chains: Trends and practices in leading Italian companies

This paper aims at understanding whether and to what extent companies are facing the challenge of improving their supply chains according to a customer-driven approach. Although the most recent supply chain management literature developed theoretical reflections and conceptualizations on the need for customer centricity in supply chain management, companies' practice does not seem to follow these prescriptions and the empirical research highlighted a frequent misalignment between market strategy and supply chain management processes. The aim of this paper is to bridge these two perspectives by answering two research questions. First, how are companies revising their supply chains, that is, what is the nature of the most recent projects concerning supply chain improvements? Second, to what extent are companies that invest in such projects prioritizing those specific projects that make a concrete alignment between market orientation and supply chain operating conditions possible? The paper reports and discusses the findings of an empirical investigation conducted among leading Italian companies or Italian subsidiaries of multinational companies. In particular, a two-step research was conducted, consisting of ten indepth interviews and a survey. According to our study, Italian companies are revising their supply chains to provide prompt availability of the product in different (but coordinated) distribution channels. This led to the launch of projects related to Demand Forecasting and to Omnichannel strategy adoption. However, in most cases, the managerial and technological readiness of companies is not in line with the relevance of the challenges. Another area of improvement concerns projects aimed at adopting up-to-date technologies, mostly connected to the Industry 4.0 paradigm, to improve operational performance. In this case the major opportunities perceived by the companies relate to the adoption of Big Data Analytics in order to better understand market trends

RAMESIS PROJECT: COLLABORATION WITH SCHOOLS AND INSTITUTIONS ON THE BUILDING OF A CITIZEN MONITORING NETWORK.

In a radiation emergency situation, including its post-emergency recovery phase, substantial needs for radiation measurements can be expected. In such situations, responsible authorities might not be able to satisfy all requirements for measurement. Therefore, involvement of local communities is desirable. Citizen radiation monitoring networks, established in advance as citizen science structures, can serve as a knowledge basis for later participation in self-help protective actions. The article describes the progress of citizen radiation monitoring networks being established in the Czech Republic in the frame of Radiation Monitoring Network for Institutions and Schools project. During the project launch, it has been shown that conducting radiation measurements and results processing have educational effect on students and enhance awareness among interested groups in the field of radiation protection and radiation in general. This article describes the socially oriented part of the project.

Redefinition of Cost-Benefit Efficiency of Land-Use Projects: Focusing on Environmental Cost

The cost-benefit efficiency of projects is often wrongly evaluated due to the neglect of projects’ impact on the environment. In this paper, we aim to establish a model to measure such an impact and hence propose a more reasonable approach to evaluating cost-benefit efficiency of projects. We divide the total cost of a certain project into two parts: Business Cost (BC) and Environmental Cost (EC). BC is the explicit cost that can be approached from financial statements, while EC is the implicit cost which we try to quantify. EC is composed of three parts: (1) the Ecosystem Service Value (ESV), (2) the Restoration Cost (RC) to treat the pollution caused by the projects, and (3) the Disaster Cost (DC), potential losses caused by disasters due to launch of new projects. In order to make a cost-benefit efficiency analysis, we introduce profitability index, which is further developed into an adjusted profitability index by taking time value into consideration. Two case studies are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the model. A regional case of a coal-mining project proves that RC and DC play a significant role in cost-benefit efficiency analysis, while a nationwide case of high-speed rail shows that project scale matters. Additionally, we put our attention on the intensity of the project, which is a created measurement to characterize the project. Based on the study of intensity, the mechanism of cost-benefit break-even is further explained and some suggestions are proposed to policy makers.

Integrating family caregiver identification into a gynecologic oncology practice: An ASCO quality training program project.

177 Background: Family caregivers (CGs) in gynecologic (gyn) cancer are essential members of the care team, but no formal systems exist to provide CGs with information and support. A needs assessment of family caregivers (CGs) in our clinic found 50% of CGs report > 9 distressing unmet needs, but chart reviews found only 19% of patients had a documented CG--the first step in mitigating unmet needs. Our ASCO QTP-supported project aim was to identify (ID) and document primary CGs for 85% of patients within 2 clinic visits of a gyn cancer diagnosis. Methods: An Interprofessional team reviewed baseline data, defined the problem and project aim, created process maps, and identified root causes of poor CG documentation. After securing stakeholder buy-in we implemented eight successive PDSA cycles to intervene on root causes. Biweekly team meetings were held to study results, troubleshoot, and plan each PDSA cycle. Primary outcome was the percentage of patients with a CG documented. Results: Root causes of poor CG ID were 1) no protocol for IDing CGs, 2) no designated EHR field for CGs, 3) no designated staff to “own” CG ID, and 4) lack of CG awareness of available support in clinic. Interventions to prepare for project launch (PDSA 1) included protocol development, staff training, spirit activities, and selection of staff ‘champions’. In PDSA 2 CGs were ID’d for 25.3% of all patients in the clinic. By PDSA 4, CG ID dropped to a low of 12.5%. Major changes to PDSA 5 sought to reduce staff burden by narrowing focus to newly diagnosed patients, with an increase in CG ID to 56% of new patients. PDSA cycles 6-8 focused on increasing process efficiency while broadening CG ID to other times of high CG stress (e.g. recurrence; inpatient stays); CG ID rate stabilized at 57-60% over the last 6 weeks. In total, 288 primary CGs were documented. Conclusions: Proportion of CGs ID’d increased initially and then again after PDSA 4 as process efficiency improved. Despite falling short of our benchmark, CG ID more than doubled and we are planning further PDSA cycles to continue this momentum. Our results demonstrate systematic CG ID is feasible in a high volume Gyn Onc clinc and sets the stage for CG assessment and intervention.

Tanzania – Controversial Project Launched

Africa Research Bulletin: Economic, Financial and Technical SeriesVolume 56, Issue 7 p. 22668A-22668B Industries Tanzania – Controversial Project Launched First published: 04 September 2019 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6346.2019.09079.xRead the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume56, Issue7September 2019Pages 22668A-22668B RelatedInformation

The Implications of Social Media Marketing on Fashion Brand Purchase

Social networking sites today are one of the “best opportunities” for a brand to connect with potential consumers. Social media is a medium for communication. Fashion industry has increasingly adopted customer engagement levels in Social networking sites to achieve superior firm performance. The buyer points out the differences between social networks and the launch of new social projects with speed. Social media marketing and the companies that use it have become more sophisticated. This study mainly aims to know the impact of social network marketing and consumer engagement on consumer purchase intention.

Analytical and numerical models for thermal related design of a new pico-satellite

Modelling, simulating and testing the on-orbit thermal behaviour of a pico-satellite before launch is critical to ensure component reliability and performance. Due to small thermal inertia and hence small time constant, a pico-satellite may undergo larger temperature swings than those experienced by larger satellites. Weight, size and power limitations are especially restrictive in pico-satellites and limit thermal control to passive systems such as controlling conduction and radiation heat transfer paths. A lumped parameter thermal model was developed to study the on-orbit thermal response of the UoMBSat-1 PocketQube, Malta’s first pico-satellite project. A numerical finite element model is presented in order to test and validate the thermal model and passive thermal control. Small satellites are usually launched on rockets as piggyback satellites; therefore, orbit parameters are rarely known in the early stages of the project and various launch opportunities would need to be evaluated and compared. This paper presents a parametric analysis where the effects of orbit parameters, such as altitude and beta angle, on the thermal response are evaluated. We show that by controlling the surface finish and beta angle, it is possible to place a pico-satellite in a thermal regime that is suitable for typical electronic components, and batteries.

Experiences from the Implementation of the Assessment System for Sustainable Building (BNB) in Germany

Sustainability is one of the most important challenges for the future. Sustainable building is therefore an important component of the national sustainability strategy in Germany. The Federal Ministry of Building has developed instruments to implement its ambitious goals with the Guideline and the Assessment System for Sustainable Building (BNB). The aim was, to implement federal building on a sustainable basis and to assume an exemplary role for other public clients. This strategy has been successful to date. The combination of mandatory introduction and exemplary effect has motivated some federal states already introducing sustainability assessment with the BNB in their area of responsibility, while others are testing this approach at least with the launch of pilot projects. In order to support implementation, instruments and tools for the application of the BNB were developed as part of the national "Future Building" research initiative. An important step is the introduction of the Electronic Assessment System for Sustainable Building (eBNB). It enables the recording and control of all parameters necessary for the effective implementation of the requirements of sustainable building. As part of an ongoing scientific monitoring, the implementation will be evaluated on the basis of the federal buildings currently completed and certified by the BNB. So far, the BNB certifications show that even high sustainability requirements can be economically implemented.

Practical Story: Real People, Real Urine, Unreal UTI

Practical Story: Real People, Real Urine, Unreal UTI

INSTITUTIONAL STRATEGIES OF SYSTEM SECURITY OF TECHNOLOGICAL & INNOVATION SYSTEMS

The purpose of this study is to consider the main aspects of system security providing institutional concept within the technological & innovation systems research methodology development through institutional innovations. In this paper, we will consider how the new evolutionary institutional theory of economic systems in the context of the space-time approach can help in organizing strategic management of development path of the innovation system, increasing system security, and effectiveness of its activities through the balance of system structure. Methodology. The scientific novelty of the research and the solution of its tasks deals, first of all, with the application of the non-system approach, which allows one to consider the factors and results of functioning of such complex economic systems as innovation macro projects, innovation processes, institutional and informational environments, etc. within the framework of providing national security. Involvement on a systematic basis of spatiotemporal analysis allows us to consider in the interrelation processes the distribution of flows of innovation resources and functions, on the one hand, and the distribution in time of similar flows. To solve the tasks of research, the classical scientific methods (analysis and synthesis, logical generalization, analogies, comparative comparison, and grapho-analytical methods), and specific methods of high technologies economy and innovation management were used. Results. As a result of the study, the features of the systemic socio-economic patterns of the functioning of innovation system institutions and the mechanism of management of innovation development in the conditions of modern global technological transformations have been determined. In the future, this makes possible the substantiation of promising areas of state regulation (participation) aimed at activating innovation processes in the economy according to the priorities related to scientific and educational, cluster and network development, and the development of a set of models for the harmonization of the system of priorities of national security and sectoral priorities of innovation development. Using the gained knowledge in practice will help to improve the state of national security, resource saving, improve conditions, and increase labour productivity, as well as the transition to sustainable development of the national economy. Practical implications. Systemic coordination of innovation components of state programs, stimulation of innovation activity, involvement of financial strategies in the innovation economy, expansion of international cooperation and activation of demand for high-tech products, increasing the effectiveness of innovation development programs of companies, and launching of national projects have been proposed as the objectives of forming institutional innovations. The proposed institutional and technological design methodology provides for the selection of institutional tools and scaling of the most effective development tools. Value/originality. The proposed network mechanisms for systemic security ensuring provide the improvement of implementing innovative development programs for the largest companies with state participation; further development of priority technological platforms and innovation networks; harmonization of technological priorities and projects formed within the framework of technological platforms, with the tools of state strategies.

ФОРМИРОВАНИЕ ПРОЕКТНЫХ АЛЬТЕРНАТИВ НА ОСНОВЕ ОНТОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО ПОДХОДА

The article describes ontological models along with the technology of their application in decision making on the launch and implementation of industrial investment projects. The ontology development is based on the production, marketing, and financial project implementation strategies available for the decision-makers. It accounts for the managed and partially-managed negative risks. The article describes the project domain ontology and the scenario generation process. The authors provide an example of the generated ontologies use for the design alternatives selection in the project of concrete products manufacture setup. The novel feature is the research into the possibility to formalize the design alternative development process at the level of scenarios, which account for the project implementation strategy and potential risks. This requires outlining certain concepts, links, and knowledge interpretation tools in the ontology generation, as well as identifying the nodes, the scope and the content of the scenario nodes with regard to the industrial investment PLC.

Rural Teachers in Project Launch

The success of Project Launch, a teacher induction program sponsored by a regional teacher center and a consortium of universities, is compared for rural and non-rural participants. Indicators of success include teacher accomplishment of action plan goals, teacher self and mentor assessment of teaching strengths related to action plan goals, profiles of teaching strengths, and retention in teaching. Measures of teaching strength are related to INTASC standards. Rural participants differed significantly from non-rural participants in their lower self-perceived accomplishment of action plan goals. Rural participants were significantly more likely to move from their 1st positions after 1 year, but their attrition was not significantly different in later years. Ways to structure induction programs more effectively for rural participants are proposed.

Defining barriers and enablers for clinical pathway implementation in complex clinical settings

BackgroundWhile clinical pathways have the potential to improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs, their true impact has been limited by variable implementation strategies and suboptimal research designs. This paper explores a comprehensive set of factors perceived by emergency department staff and administrative leads to influence clinical pathway implementation within the complex and dynamic environments of community emergency department settings.MethodsThis descriptive, qualitative study involved emergency health professionals and administrators of 15 community hospitals across Ontario, Canada. As part of our larger cluster randomized controlled trial, each site was in the preparation phase to implement one of two clinical pathways: pediatric asthma or pediatric vomiting and diarrhea. Data were collected from three sources: (i) a mediated group discussion with site champions during the project launch meeting; (ii) a semi-structured site visit of each emergency department; and (iii) key informant interviews with an administrative lead from each hospital. The Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) was used to guide the interviews and thematically analyze the data. Domains within each major theme were then mapped onto the COM-B model—capability, opportunity, and motivation—of the Behaviour Change Wheel.ResultsSeven discrete themes and 58 subthemes were identified that comprised a set of barriers and enablers relevant to the planned clinical pathway implementation. Within two themes, three distinct levels of impact emerged, namely (i) the individual health professional, (ii) the emergency department team, and (iii) the broader hospital context. The TDF domains occurring most frequently were Memory, Attention and Decision Processes, Environmental Context and Resources, Behavioural Regulation, and Reinforcement. Mapping these barriers and enablers onto the COM-B model provided an organized perspective on how these issues may be interacting. Several factors were viewed as both negative and positive across different perspectives. Two of the seven themes were limited to one component, while four involved all three components of the COM-B model.ConclusionsUsing a theory-based approach ensured systematic and comprehensive identification of relevant barriers and enablers to clinical pathway implementation in ED settings. The COM-B system of the Behaviour Change Wheel provided a useful perspective on how these factors might interact to effect change.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01815710.

Protocol for the development of a CONSORT extension for RCTs using cohorts and routinely collected health data

BackgroundRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) are often complex and expensive to perform. Less than one third achieve planned recruitment targets, follow-up can be labor-intensive, and many have limited real-world generalizability. Designs for RCTs conducted using cohorts and routinely collected health data, including registries, electronic health records, and administrative databases, have been proposed to address these challenges and are being rapidly adopted. These designs, however, are relatively recent innovations, and published RCT reports often do not describe important aspects of their methodology in a standardized way. Our objective is to extend the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement with a consensus-driven reporting guideline for RCTs using cohorts and routinely collected health data.MethodsThe development of this CONSORT extension will consist of five phases. Phase 1 (completed) consisted of the project launch, including fundraising, the establishment of a research team, and development of a conceptual framework. In phase 2, a systematic review will be performed to identify publications (1) that describe methods or reporting considerations for RCTs conducted using cohorts and routinely collected health data or (2) that are protocols or report results from such RCTs. An initial “long list” of possible modifications to CONSORT checklist items and possible new items for the reporting guideline will be generated based on the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) and The REporting of studies Conducted using Observational Routinely-collected health Data (RECORD) statements. Additional possible modifications and new items will be identified based on the results of the systematic review. Phase 3 will consist of a three-round Delphi exercise with methods and content experts to evaluate the “long list” and generate a “short list” of key items. In phase 4, these items will serve as the basis for an in-person consensus meeting to finalize a core set of items to be included in the reporting guideline and checklist. Phase 5 will involve drafting the checklist and elaboration-explanation documents, and dissemination and implementation of the guideline.DiscussionDevelopment of this CONSORT extension will contribute to more transparent reporting of RCTs conducted using cohorts and routinely collected health data.

Enhancing the SCIROCCO tool using quantitative and qualitative methods

Background: The SCIROCCO tool, developed as part of the SCIROCCO project, incorporates the Maturity Model for the adoption of Integrated Care developed by the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (B3 Action Group on Integrated Care). The online self-assessment tool can be used to facilitate scaling-up of integrated care across different health and care sectors, at different levels in health or care systems, and in a range of communities. Currently, more than 30 European regions are involved in testing the SCIROCCO tool. Since the project launch in April 2016, the tool underwent two iterations. Each of the iterations of the tool was followed by a round of refinement to inform its subsequent development so that the tool increases its usability and usefulness. Moreover, several focus group sessions were conducted to gather end-users’ experiences and perspectives on the tool. Aims and Objectives: The three-fold objective of this workshop is to present the SCIROCCO tool and the learnings that have taken place around it: Use of the tool to facilitate knowledge transfer and scaling-up of integrated care. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation methodologies used for the SCIROCCO tool construction, refinement, and improvement. Future directions for the use of the tool. The workshop is also intended to gather feedback from the workshop participants on their opinions and perspectives about the SCIROCCO tool and its potential (policy) impact. Format (timing, speakers, discussion, group work, etc.): A workshop session of 90 minutes in length will be conducted. Four individual members of the SCIROCCO project will be responsible for conducting the workshop (the chair, and three people making two presentations). The session will be chaired by a SCIROCCO project leader, who will introduce the workshop. A set of presentations will follow, covering the different session objectives. First, a presentation on the tool construction and use will be given. This will be followed by a second presentation on the users’ experiences and perspectives on the SCIROCCO tool collected through focus group sessions in four European regions. This second presentation will include the learnings about the future directions of the SCIROCCO tool and its policy implications. Participants will be asked to actively join in the discussion on the further enhancement of SCIROCCO tool. Target audience: This workshop targets all stakeholders interested in the scaling-up of integrated care and the development of new tools that help to understand this complex process. Learnings/Take aways: Workshop participants will learn about: The development of the SCIROCCO online self-assessment tool. The experiences in using the SCIROCCO tool to facilitate the learning and scaling-up of integrated care in more than 30 European regions. Policy impact of the SCIROCCO tool. The project itself will benefit from this workshop by: Promoting the SCIROCCO tool and sharing the insights of users of the SCIROCCO tool. Collecting feedback on the SCIROCCO tool’s usability and potential policy implications.

Development of a method for ranking factors that influence the maturity of project quality management processes

According to the results of the theoretical analysis of well-known and widely practically applied standards of quality management and project management, as well as models of maturity assessment of processes, 13 key risk-dominant factors influencing the maturity of project quality management processes have been identified.A methodology of ranking risk-dominant factors, which highly influence the organizational maturity of quality management processes in projects, has been developed. The basis of the developed methodology is the expert method. A distinctive feature of the methodology when it is implemented is to obtain a nomenclature of ranked key risk-dominant factors, taking into account the expertise of experts. This result is achieved through the involvement of two target groups, «Process Implementers» and «Consumers of the Process Results and Stakeholders», for peer review. A systematic scientifically-based ranking of risk-dominant factors in accordance with the proposed methodology contributes to the objective assessment of the potential of quality management processes in projects. In addition, it will increase the likelihood of obtaining expected results of processes and will determine the priority directions of growth and organizational changes of processes to achieve the target levels of maturity. The proposed methodology can be implemented in the processes of certification, self-assessment and auditing in a QMS.The practical testing of the proposed methodology was carried out using the example of the «Project Launch» process. According to the results of the expert evaluation of the «Process Implementers», it has been established that the factor «The degree of documenting the process» and, to a lesser extent, the «The degree of applicability of the process evaluation results for its improvement» is influenced to a greater extent by the maturity of the investigated process. According to the results of the expert evaluation «Consumers of the Process Results and Stakeholders», the following has been established. To a greater extent, the maturity of the investigated process is influenced by the factor «The degree of the possibility of integrating the process with other internal and external processes. «To a lesser extent, the factor is «Behaviour of the process implementers». There is a high degree of consistency between expert assessments within each group and a significant connection between the assessments of the two groups of experts.

Romania's Strategy in the Field of Research and Innovation, in the Context of the European Union

The evolution of each country must also be based on cooperation in economic sciences. To the extent that each Member State progresses and participates in the launch of joint projects, it is also possible to strengthen the European Union (EU). This article will undertake a study that highlights the role of international cooperation. The authors present details of Romania's R & D and innovation strategy by 2020, in line with the strategy adopted by the European Union in its Horizon program in this area. Examples of projects are given. In this article, the authors focus on presenting Romania's strategy and policy in the field of industrial, technological and innovation research, in the general context of the European Union's Horizon development program. Elements of Romania's development-innovation strategy are highlighted by 2020 and beyond. We present details of some projects initiated by our country in the context of the European Union.