Group Leaders Research Articles

Pediatric Rare Diseases Development in the Pharmaceutical Industry: An International Consortium for Innovation and Quality in Pharmaceutical Development, Clinical Pharmacology Leadership Group-Pediatrics Working Group, Rare Diseases Subteam Whitepaper Examining the Current Landscape and Recommendations for the Future.

Many new opportunities surround rare pediatric disease drug development, thanks to key advances in regulatory thinking and in the scientific community. As rare disease drug development brings challenges to the developers in terms of limited understanding of natural history, heterogeneity in drug response, as well as difficulty recruiting patients in pivotal trials, there has never been a greater need for quantitative integration. To understand how International Consortium for Innovation and Quality in Pharmaceutical Development (IQ) member companies approach pediatric rare disease drug development, the rare pediatric subteam of the Clinical Pharmacology Leadership Group (CPLG) sponsored Pediatrics Working Group conducted a baseline survey to assess the four main pillars of this quantitative innovation, namely, biomarkers and surrogate end points, statistical methodologies, model-informed drug development, as well as public-private partnerships. The survey was administered by IQ and yielded 13 evaluable responders from represented companies. This article presents the key findings from this baseline identifying survey, highlighting the key blind spots, and providing insightful expert opinions to address those gaps. In summary, we call an urgent attention to the community on the opportunities to enhance integration and within-industry learnings from this analysis on aspects related to platform studies, end-to-end quantitative integration, and sharing of trial-level placebo data for better understanding of disease progression and more efficient trial designs. We collectively hope that these findings will stimulate discussion and debate around cross-industry sharing and collaboration to better delineate principles and further enhance the efficiency of rare pediatric disease drug development.

The Effects of Monitoring Activities on Loan Defaults in Group-Based Lending Program: Evidence from Vietnam

The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of delegated monitoring by a group leader and peer monitoring by group members on loan defaults in a group-based lending program in Vietnam. The data used in the study were collected from a questionnaire survey of 675 participants involved in a group-based lending program conducted from August to October 2022 in the Mekong River Delta, Vietnam. This group-based lending program employs a unique monitoring system that involves hiring the group leader to supervise the group and encouraging group members to monitor each other. The empirical findings derived from the Probit model indicated that delegated monitoring significantly reduces loan defaults, but there was no evidence supporting the effectiveness of peer monitoring within the group. Additionally, under the delegated monitoring scheme, commissions and group size plays an important role in decreasing loan defaults. The implication of the findings is that the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) could maintain large group sizes to provide incentives for group leaders through commissions to enhance repayment rates.

Engagement in rapid public health research among young people from underserved communities: maximising opportunities and overcoming barriers

BackgroundInclusion in public health research of young people from low-income households and those from minority ethnic groups remains low. It is recognised that there is a need to change the way in which research is conducted so that it becomes more inclusive. The aim of this work was to identify novel and innovative ways to maximise recruitment and inclusion of diverse participants when doing co-production within very short time frames for emergency responses.MethodWe conducted interviews with young people from low-income and minority ethnic backgrounds, and members or leaders of groups or organisations supporting or representing young people from underserved communities.ResultsA total of 42 participants took part in an interview. This included 30 young people from low income or minority ethnic backgrounds and 12 community leaders/service providers. Of the 30 young people, 26 participants identified as female and 12 participants identified as being from a minority ethnic background. Participants discussed a number of interrelated barriers to research involvement and identified ways in which barriers may be reduced. Prejudice and discrimination experienced by young people from underserved communities has led to substantial mistrust of educational and governmental establishments. Rigid and unfamiliar research practices further limit the involvement of young people. Four themes were identified as ways of supporting involvement, including: making opportunities available for young people, adaptations to research governance, understanding and acknowledging challenges faced by young people, and ensuring reciprocal benefits.ConclusionThis research explored barriers to engagement in rapid public health co-production. Working with communities to co-produce rapid recruitment and research procedures to suit the needs and the context in which young people live is necessary.

Robust output group formation tracking control of heterogeneous multi-agent systems with multiple leaders using reinforcement learning

This paper studies the distributed output formation tracking problem of grouped heterogeneous multi-agent systems under multiple leaders and uncertainties using reinforcement learning (RL). The outputs of followers are supposed to achieve robust tracking to the respective convex point of group leaders while generating an expected time-varying formation configuration. First, a distributed adaptive observer is designed under a directed graph to coordinate the multiple group leaders while estimating the leaders’ dynamics in finite-time. The adaptive mechanism avoids global information of the graph. Second, an optimal tracking problem with respect to the observer is formulated for each follower, while the feedback tracking controller is derived using an action-dependent RL algorithm. An extended learning process for essential dynamics is constructed using the same data, while the output regulation equations are solved equivalently. Third, the robust formation controller and feasibility condition are further proposed based on previous learning results. Stability of the synthetical data-driven controller is analyzed under internal uncertainties and external disturbances. Finally, simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the hierarchical control framework.

Model of competency development of professional group leaders (PGL) in higher vocational colleges in Fujian province

This study aims to take Chinese higher vocational colleges professional group leaders as the research subjects to analyze the components of their key competencies, develop the competency model of professional group leaders (PGL), and analyze the main factors influencing the model. It provides a powerful help for improving the scientific level of the construction and management of the teaching staff in higher vocational colleges and filling the gap in the research on the quality and ability of Chinese professional group leaders. A mixed research method is deployed in this study. Data are collected with the help of a self-administrated questionnaire and a semi-structured interview based on grounded theory. Data analysis involves structural equation modeling using AMOS, complemented by qualitative coding in NVivo. It concludes that the competency development model of professional group leaders comprises two main dimensions: explicit competencies and implicit competencies. Explicit competencies include cross-border adaptability (CBA), resource integration ability (RIA), innovation and development practice ability (IDPA), management leadership ability (MLA), and interdisciplinary scientific research ability (ISRA). Implicit competencies include personality attitude (PA), and intrinsic motivation (IM). The study fills a significant gap in the literature by providing a detailed model of competency for professional group leaders in the context of higher vocational education, offering a practical framework for improving the training and management of teaching staff and promoting the development of professional groups effective in vocational colleges.

COMPARATIVE METHODS OF SNOWBALL AND BRAINSTORMING ON MATERNAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT DANGEROUS SIGNS OF PREGNANCY

Introduction. Maternal and infant mortality in Indonesia is still quite persistent. Maternal knowledge of danger signs in pregnancy is one of the factors that can affect expectant mothers at high risk of pregnancy risk signs. Snowball is a multilevel discussion which eventually leads to consensus responses, while brainstorming begins with the group leader presenting a particular problem and then each participant responds with an opinion or feedback. The aim of this research is to find out the comparison of snowball and brainstorming methods on maternal knowledge about the danger signs of pregnant women. Method. This research uses a quasi-experimental design with a one-group design that is pre-tested and post-tested using the Snowball method and Brain Storming group. The population was 45 expectant mothers who made antenatal visits. The samples consisted of 26 expectant mothers who were selected by purposive sampling. Data was collected using a questionnaire and analyzed by Marginal Homogeneity test. Result & Analysis. Before the health promotion, most respondents in the brainstorming group had sufficient knowledge (61.5%) and those with insufficient knowledge amounted to 38.5%. After being trained with the brainstorming method, respondents' knowledge increased to 53.8% with good knowledge, 38.5% with fair knowledge, and 7.7% with insufficient knowledge (p value 0.008). Meanwhile, 92.3% of the respondents' knowledge was insufficient and 7.7% of the respondents' knowledge was adequate (p value 0.008). However, after the health promotion, the respondents' knowledge changed to 46.1% moderately knowledgeable, 38.5% less knowledgeable, and 15.4% well knowledgeable (p value 0.013). Discussion. There is a significant difference in the knowledge of pregnant women before and after being promoted with the brainstorming and snowball methods. It is expected that the brainstorming health promotion method can be applied as one of the methods in improving the knowledge of pregnant women.

Pathway to Independence - an interview with Martina Cerise.

Martina Cerise is a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of George Coupland at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany. She is interested in using different plant organisms to understand the floral transition, which helps define plant architecture, and leads to fruit and seed production. Martina is one of the 2024 fellows of the Pathway to Independence Programme. We caught up with Martina to find out more about her research interests, her passion for science outreach and her plans as an independent group leader.

The Academic Catalyst Group: A Tactical Framework for Working Groups to Enhance Clinician-Educator Academic Career Development.

Working groups have tremendous potential to contribute to the academic career development of early-career clinician-educators. These individuals may find themselves engaged in many different working spaces, including working groups or committees such as those found within specialty societies or professional organizations. Such working groups may be underrecognized opportunities for academic skill building and professional growth because they are often characterized as primarily service-oriented, citizenship, or administrative work. Working groups can use their natural cross-institutional collaborations for mentorship and externalization-2 key building blocks for academic success that frequently represent challenges for early-career clinician-educators. In this article, the authors review common challenges that early-career clinician-educators may encounter during their academic development and propose a 3-step tactical framework, the academic catalyst group, that working group leaders can apply to groups to purposefully enhance professional development for clinician-educators. The framework urges working group leaders and members to conceptualize and develop academic catalyst groups as communities of practice by (1) assembling with intention, (2) mining the mission, and (3) finding an easy win. This framework can inspire working group leaders to align their work with academic career development and ultimately foster career growth for all group members.

Educating the Adult Learners: Development of Digital Marketing Strategies for Local Community Products of Pasakngam Village, Chiang Mai, Thailand

This study aimed to educate adult learners by addressing marketing challenges faced by Pasakngam Village, Chiang Mai. The objectives were 1) examine current marketing management procedures and the needs for community products 2) analyze and develop a digital marketing strategy model, and 3) educate the adult villagers on digital marketing strategies. This research employed a participatory phenomenological method to collect both quantitative and qualitative data including public hearings, in-depth interviews with village and product group leaders, focus group meetings with 34 village members and surveys with 215 tourists. Analytical tools included statistical analysis with SPSS software for quantitative data and content analysis for qualitative data. The research findings disclosed a lack of structured marketing management and digital, as well as insufficient public relations plans. The community attempts to promote products via a Facebook page were lacked proper supervision. The research introduced practical workshops based on the Reach, Act, Convert, Engage (RACE) to teach digital marketing to the community members. The villagers learned to operate digital marketing strategies by creating and sharing promotional videos on digital platforms such as YouTube and Facebook, aiming to increase tourist visits and product visibility. The digital marketing strategies improved community engagement and product promotion, highlighting the need for ongoing training and strategy refinement. The research underscores the importance of equipping local communities with digital marketing skills to enhance economic resilience and sustainable development. The study's comprehensive approach provides a replicable model for similar communities seeking to leverage digital marketing for local product promotion.

Academic anomie: implications of the ‘great resignation’ for leadership in post-COVID higher education

AbstractThe experience of the COVID-19 pandemic has ignited a near universal rethink of what is tolerable or desirable in work settings. In higher education—where discontent has been exacerbated by the pandemic—the potential for a ‘great resignation’ is a very real threat. The long-term impact of a crisis management approach in universities has led to a state of ‘pandemia’, according to Watermeyer et al., (British Journal of Sociology of Education 42:651-666, 2021b), whereby academics feel alienated and subjected to a ‘toxic’ work environment that lacks shared purpose and values. This article draws on Durkheim’s notion of ‘anomie’ to explore what leads academics to leave the sector and to consider how the outward migration of staff could be addressed through changes to leadership and management practice. Evidence is taken from an online survey distributed in the United Kingdom (UK), which collected demographic information of n = 167 academics and open-text responses to a question which asked respondents to provide their reasons for quitting higher education. Four key themes emerge which elucidate a trajectory of academic anomie: (i) declining quality of academic management, (ii) the pandemic as a disruptive awakening, (iii) the erosion of values and meaning and (iv) a sense of being ‘trapped’ within academia. Potential resolutions are suggested in respect of what respondents identify as the root cause of staff attrition—toxic management culture. Collective and inclusive governance and commitment from academics at all career stages to the leadership of groups, departments, institutions and the wider higher education sector are advocated as antidotes to academic anomie.

Involving patients and families in prioritising research in cardiomyopathies

Abstract Background/Introduction Cardiomyopathy affects 1 in 300 of the population and can have profound physical and psychological impacts on patients and families. There remains uncertainty around many aspects of disease management and patient needs. Research can address these uncertainties by identifying definitive treatments, optimal management strategies, and holistic support requirements. To ensure that cardiomyopathy research reflects the shared interests of patients, carers and clinicians, a leading cardiomyopathy patient charity sponsored a Research Priority Setting Partnership (PSP). Methods The Cardiomyopathy PSP was run according to the James Lind Alliance (JLA) method(1, Figure 1). Results A steering group (SG) comprised eight people with lived experience of cardiomyopathies and nine healthcare professionals (HCPs), representing the multidisciplinary team, decided on the scope and breadth of the PSP to cover cardiomyopathies and for a United Kingdom-wide survey. The initial survey was open to the cardiomyopathy community from June-August 2023 (six weeks). They were invited to submit questions that they would like answered by research. The survey was online and hard copies were also sent to peer support groups where group leaders encouraged members to complete the form during their in-person meeting. There were 1020 respondents generating just over 2000 questions. The majority of respondents (78%) were people with lived experience. The SG and an information specialist grouped submitted questions into topic headings, consolidated similar questions, removed those that were out of scope and agreed on the final list of 60 questions for the shortlisting survey. This second survey consisted of 2 steps: 1. Respondents selected from the full list of questions identified by the first survey and 2.They were then asked to choose 10 questions from their selection which were most important to them. A total of 660 responses were collected and selected questions were organised into 2 groups according to the type of respondent (those with lived experience or HCPs). Questions were weighted according to the number of times they were selected within each group and then merged into a single shortlist of 26. The final workshop was conducted on February 2, 2024 where the Top 10 Research Questions from the shortlist were agreed by a mixed group of lived experience and HCP participants (Figure 2). Conclusion A Research PSP using the JLA method facilitates the generation and prioritisation of research questions/uncertainties that address the mismatch between what researchers want to research and the practical solutions/information needed day-to-day by HCPs to give holistic care that is relevant to patients, families and carers.Fig 1James Lind Alliance MethodFig 2Top Ten Research Questions

Driving Sustainable Tourism Villages: Evaluating Stakeholder Commitment, Attitude, and Performance: Evidence from West Sumatra, Indonesia

This research paper evaluates the commitment, attitude, and performance of various stakeholders, particularly the local government authorities, academic institutions, local businesses, media, and private sector, in the sustainable development of tourism villages. Quantitative data were collected through a survey questionnaire to gather perceptions and feedback from 384 tourism awareness group leaders in the province of West Sumatra, Indonesia. This study employs Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the hypotheses. The findings indicate that stakeholders’ commitment, attitude, and performance exert a strong influence on sustainable tourism villages. In addition, community culture moderates the relationship between the attitudes of stakeholders and sustainable tourism villages as opposed to the stakeholders’ commitment and performance. These findings provide valuable insights and far-reaching consequences for stakeholders, tourism village heads, and the community. There is a need to continuously enhance a comprehensive plan for sustainable tourism, one that goes beyond cultural implication and incorporates a broader range of influencing factors.

An interview with Peter Rugg-Gunn.

Peter Rugg-Gunn is a Group Leader and Head of Public Engagement at the Babraham Institute in Cambridge, UK, interested in the epigenome during early human development. Peter is scientific lead of the Human Developmental Biology Initiative (HDBI), a member of the Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), and is active in UK and international efforts to establish guidance in stem cell-based embryo models. We spoke to Peter about his career path, his interest in public dialogue and his role as an Editor for Development.

Assessing the Impact of Autocratic Leadership Styles on Police Department Effectiveness and Community Relations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of an autocratic leadership style on police departments' operational efficacy, officer morale and performance, and departmental relationships with the communities they serve. It would also enable a study of the possible advantages and disadvantages of this kind of leadership in various contexts and groups. The aim of this study is to expose the negative aspects of authoritarian leadership and promote a transition towards more cooperative and community-focused methods of law enforcement. Principal Subjects: the pervasiveness of authoritarian management approaches in law enforcement agencies. the detrimental effects of authoritarian leadership on community relations, performance, and officer morale. The limitations of authoritarian leadership in handling the intricacies of contemporary law enforcement. The possible advantages of non-traditional leadership approaches, include situational leadership and community-focused police. Principal Arguments/Results: While autocratic leadership can be advantageous in terms of operational efficiency and response times, it can also undermine trust, inhibit creativity, and make it more difficult to solve problems. Stress levels might rise, officer morale can drop, and burnout is more likely under autocratic leadership. The public's faith and cooperation with the police might be undermined by the authoritarian leader's inherent lack of transparency and communication. Racial profiling and other forms of biased police may be made worse by autocratic leadership styles. It is possible to improve officer performance, strengthen community connections, and eventually create a safer and more just society by implementing alternative leadership styles that prioritize teamwork, communication, and community participation. Approach/Methodology: This study uses a range of sources, such as academic research looking at the relationship between police efficacy, officer morale, and community relations and leadership styles. studies and publications examining the effects of authoritarian leadership on the actions and judgments of law enforcement. Data and reports from the government on police leadership methods. Importance/Repercussions: The following audiences will find significance in the research's findings: Police leadership: Training plans and departmental procedures can be improved by having an awareness of the drawbacks of authoritarian leadership as well as the possible advantages of alternative models. Policymakers: They can promote a change to more moral and efficient enforcement techniques by providing funding for oversight and training programs. Communities: By being aware of the negative effects of authoritarian leadership, communities can become more empowered to demand changes from police agencies and demand accountability. Public: This study adds to a better-informed public conversation about the role police leadership plays in promoting community trust and public safety. Target Audience: A wide range of people are interested in this research, including the general public, community organizations, policymakers, and police leadership.

Design of consensus and cluster consensus controller for first-order nonlinear multi-agent systems based on subgroup structure

It is well known that nonlinear multi-agent systems (MASs) with a directed topology can reach a consensus if the global coupling coefficient is strong enough. In this paper, we propose a novel distributed protocol based on the subgroup structure. Our results demonstrate that the MAS design can follow a part-to-whole approach, starting with subgroups and gradually building up to a more complex system. We firstly consider two cases for the MASs: one with a single leader and one with a leader group, where agents within the leader group can communicate with each other, but cannot receive the information of other group. We show that followers can track the leader or group leaders if intra-coupling within the subgroup and information strength received by the root node are above a certain threshold. Next, we investigate cluster consensus and practical cluster consensus for the Laplacian matrix with unequal row sum, equal row sum, and mixing of partitioned matrices. Our results reveal that row sum and community structure of the partitioned matrix are crucial in determining the final state of each agent. Our proposed control protocol is highly flexible and relies only on the cluster structure and information received by the root node, rather than global information. Moreover, our method is not limited to tracking problems, cooperative control, or multi-objective control, and can accommodate new group agents joining the system, making it highly adaptable. We provide illustrative examples to demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.

The Leadership Triad: A Relational Model

Eric Berne introduced some specific ideas about leadership of groups and organizations into the field of transactional analysis. The author outlines Eric Berne’s three kinds or types of leadership as part of the group authority. This concept is subsequently linked to anthropological research, resulting in an archetype interpretation of the three kinds of leadership. On that basis, the author introduces the leadership triad as a relational model of leadership, consisting of representative, executive, and transformative leadership. The foundation of this model is a systemic interpretation with all three functions as a dynamic equilibrium or homeostatic process of cocreating cohesion. The model suggests that leadership is a cocreated, resonant group process with the whole team sharing – and not only a leader having – responsibility for the successful development of the team or the organization. Finally, implications of leadership imbalance are conceptualized and illustrated by case examples.

Transitions in development - an interview with Sonia Sen.

Sonia Sen is Group Leader at the Tata Institute for Genetics and Society in Bangalore, India. Her group is interested in understanding neurodevelopment and behaviour in Drosophila and Anopheles. We spoke to Sonia over a video call to talk about her research career, her transition to becoming a group leader, and the work that the Indian Society of Developmental Biologists is doing.

Interview with Journal of Cell Science Editor Rob Parton

ABSTRACT Rob Parton is a Group Leader and Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow in the Institute for Molecular Bioscience and Deputy Director of the Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. He completed his doctorate at the University of Leicester in the UK. After using electron microscopy (EM) during his PhD to study trafficking of tetanus toxin in neurons, he was inspired to continue using advanced microscopy approaches to further our understanding of the fundamental cellular process of membrane trafficking. After several years fostering international collaborations as a postdoctoral fellow and junior Group Leader at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany, his lab moved to the University of Queensland in 1996. In 2023, he was elected an Associate Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). Rob joined Journal of Cell Science as an Editor in March 2024 and brings to the journal his expertise in multiscale analysis of membrane function, membrane microdomains, lipid droplets and advanced microscopy techniques in cell biology. We spoke to Rob over Zoom to hear more about his career journey, the evolution of the membrane trafficking field and his advice for running a highly collaborative lab.

Photoelectrode materials for photo-assisted electrochemical water treatment

Mohamed Ateia Ibrahim (environmental engineer and group leader at the US Environmental Protection Agency and adjunct assistant professor at Rice University) and Ashley Hesterberg Butzlaff (environmental engineer at the US Environmental Protection Agency) discuss material-based guidelines for optimizing photoelectrode design with a focus on utilizing advanced nanostructure fabrication techniques to enhance charge separation and transport, as well as identifying and integrating the most effective co-catalysts to improve efficiency and stability. These insights are critical for the development of practical and efficient photo-assisted electrochemical systems, essential for future water-treatment technologies.

An interview with Jean-Paul Vincent.

Jean-Paul (JP) Vincent is Group Leader at the Francis Crick Institute, London. His lab is interested in understanding how cells communicate to form organs during development. In 2024, he was awarded the British Society for Developmental Biology (BSDB) Waddington medal, which honours outstanding research performance and services to the developmental biology community. This interview was conducted at the 2024 BSDB and Genetics Society Joint Spring Meeting in Warwick, UK, where JP was presented with the medal.