Methodological Challenges Research Articles

Public History: Infrastructure, Climate Change, and Radical Action.

This essay reviews the 2022 American film How to Blow Up a Pipeline, examining its significance for historians of technology. The film highlights do-it-yourself technologies, the experiences of marginalized technology users, and the environmental consequences of infrastructures. Central to the discussion is the film's dystopian portrayal of infrastructure, which drives the characters to take extreme measures, such as the bombing of an oil pipeline, to raise awareness about climate change. While the film might seem to advocate for radical action, this review suggests that it offers historians an opportunity to engage with broader social issues and reflect on the methodological challenges within the history of technology.

Digital transformation technologies for conveyor belts predictive maintenance: a review

The availability of condition-monitoring data has increased due to internet of things (IoT) technologies, providing information on various parameters like vibration, temperature, current, and voltage. Cloud computing and big data facilitate the prevention of failures and estimation of remaining useful life through advanced mathematical models and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques. These enable prompt and suitable maintenance actions. This article conducts a systematic review of digital transformation technologies, including cloud computing, edge computing, AI, machine learning (ML), and TinyML, in predictive maintenance for conveyor belt systems. This article reviews how these digital transformation technologies improve predictive maintenance strategies for conveyor belts. The systematic review summarizes the results and challenges of various methodologies used in conveyor belt systems and suggests areas for further research. This paper aimed to serve as a useful resource for researchers, practitioners, and industry professionals seeking insights into current predictive maintenance technologies for conveyor belt systems. The takeaways of the review are expected to ignite discussion on efficient and proactive maintenance strategies and promote the development of innovative solutions for ensuring the reliability and longevity of conveyor belt systems in the digital era.

TOWARDS JUSTICE, EQUITY, AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT IN GENOMICS STUDIES ON BEHAVIORAL, PSYCHIATRIC AND NEURODEVELOPMENTAL TRAITS

Genomics research on sensitive traits such as neurodevelopmental, psychiatric, and behavioral traits poses numerous conceptual, methodological, ethical, legal, and social challenges. Community engagement and participatory research have been proposed as tools to increase the relevance, rigor, and acceptability of research, including genetic and biomedical studies. Informed by a growing body of research and lessons learned from recent and ongoing efforts to engage communities affected by genomics studies, I set a vision for more just, equitable, and collaborative genomics where primary stakeholders are included in research and decision-making as peers and collaborators, not solely as objects of study. Further, considering recent debates, lapses, and successes, I propose frameworks to promote respectful and productive engagement, communication, and collaboration between diverse stakeholders.

Administering a Chill Pill? Better Regulation and the Potential for Regulatory Chill in European Union Health Policy

The European Union's “good governance” program, known as Better Regulation, seeks to improve the quality of EU legislation by controlling the policy-making process. Despite its importance, it is rarely accounted for in the EU health policy literature. Seeking to address this gap, this article introduces Better Regulation in the context of health policy making. It conceptualizes a model of regulatory chill, drawn from the literature on international trade, to interrogate the impact of Better Regulation on EU policy-making processes. Using examples from the literature and data from a series of interviews with EU officials, it explores potential pathways of response and anticipatory chill, identifying direct enforcement of Better Regulation, its utilization by corporate actors, interpretation of its provision by officials, and feedback loops as possible routes of influence. The article argues that such an approach not only presents methodological challenges but also offers a valuable way of conceptualizing the relevance of political institutions in general, and Better Regulation specifically, for health. As part of broader calls for attention to the political determinants of health, the article's findings highlight the particular, and often overlooked, importance of metaregulatory policy frameworks.

Designing the First Trials for Parkinson's Prevention.

For decades the greatest goal of Parkinson's disease (PD) research has often been distilled to the discovery of treatments that prevent the disease or its progression. However, until recently only the latter has been realistically pursued through randomized clinical trials of candidate disease-modifying therapy (DMT) conducted on individuals after they received traditional clinical diagnosis of PD (i.e., tertiary prevention trials). Now, in light of major advances in our understanding of the prodromal stages of PD, as well as its genetics and biomarkers, the first secondary prevention trials for PD are beginning. In this review, we take stock of DMT trials to date, summarize the breakthroughs that allow the identification of cohorts at high risk of developing a traditional diagnosis of PD, and describe key design elements of secondary prevention trials and how they depend on the prodromal stage being targeted. These elements address whom to enroll, what interventions to test, and how to measure secondary prevention (i.e., slowed progression during the prodromal stages of PD). Although these design strategies, along with the biological definition, subtype classification, and staging of the disease are evolving, all are driven by continued progress in the underlying science and integrated by a broad motivated community of stakeholders. While considerable methodological challenges remain, opportunities to move clinical trials of DMT to earlier points in the disease process than ever before have begun to unfold, and the prospects for PD prevention are nowtangible.

‘Like a velvet whisper’: Nikki van der Zyl – The Voice of James Bond's Women

This article explores the career of voice actress Nikki van der Zyl (1935–2021), who dubbed many of the early ‘Bond girls’. The article takes van der Zyl's re-voicing work on the Bond films as a starting point to highlight some of the methodological challenges involved in researching the history of voice artists – a group of film workers who are doubly invisible in so far as they are neither seen on screen nor are they usually credited. To that end the article considers the contexts and reasons for the re-voicing of performers in films and explores both the archival and anecdotal sources that document van der Zyl's contribution to the Bond films. It argues that the re-voicing of the early ‘Bond girls’ can be seen as a form of ‘cultural ventriloquism’ where the overlaying of the same voice onto actresses of different nationalities creates a uniform cultural identity.

Dynamic allocation of display advertising impressions in dual sales channels

We study a multi-period ad allocation problem faced by an online publisher who sells ad impressions on websites through two sales channels. In the guaranteed sales channel, advertisers submit heterogeneous offers for contracts under which the publisher guarantees delivery of a certain number of ad impressions over a certain period; in the real-time bidding (RTB) sales channel, the publisher runs an RTB auction to sell ad impressions. In each period, the publisher decides whether to accept or reject contract proposals; how to allocate ad impressions across existing contracts; and how many impressions to sell via RTB. The publisher faces uncertain demand from advertisers and an uncertain supply of impressions, which are generated by viewers visiting the publisher’s websites. We formulate the problem as a finite-horizon stochastic dynamic program, which poses significant methodological challenges. We first present structural properties of optimal policies under certain cases. To avoid the curse of dimensionality in dynamic programming, we develop an approach involving Lagrangian relaxations. We decompose the problem into a series of solvable subproblems and derive optimal policies. We further develop Lagrangian policies with performance guarantees. We show that when Lagrange multipliers depend on more signal history, the linear term’s weight of the number of contract types in the performance upper bound decreases. Furthermore, if the Lagrange multipliers depend on the full signal history, the corresponding Lagrangian policies will be asymptotically optimal to the number of contract types. We also explore a more suitable case for large-scale real-time ad allocation and create Lagrangian policies that yield comparable performance guarantees. Finally, we extend our main results to four new scenarios.

Unraveling the Complexity of the N e/N c Ratio for Conservation of Large and Widespread Pelagic Fish Species: Current Status and Challenges.

Estimating and understanding the ratio between effective population size (N e) and census population size (N c) are pivotal in the conservation of large marine pelagic fish species, including bony fish such as tunas and cartilaginous fish such as sharks, given the challenges associated with obtaining accurate estimates of their abundance. The difficulties inherent in capturing and monitoring these species in vast and dynamic marine environments often make direct estimation of their population size challenging. By focusing on N e, it is conceivable in certain cases to approximate census size once the N e/N c ratio is known, although this ratio can vary and does not always increase linearly, as it is influenced by various ecological and evolutionary factors. Thus, this ratio presents challenges and complexities in the context of pelagic species conservation. To delve deeper into these challenges, firstly, we recall the diverse types of effective population sizes, including contemporary and historical sizes, and their implications in conservation biology. Secondly, we outline current knowledge about the influence of life history traits on the N e/N c ratio in the light of examples drawn from large and abundant pelagic fish species. Despite efforts to document an increasing number of marine species using recent technologies and statistical methods, establishing general rules to predict N e/N c remains elusive, necessitating further research and investment. Finally, we recall statistical challenges in relating N e and N c emphasizing the necessity of aligning temporal and spatial scales. This last part discusses the roles of generation and reproductive cycle effective population sizes to predict genetic erosion and guiding management strategies. Collectively, these sections underscore the multifaceted nature of effective population size estimation, crucial for preserving genetic diversity and ensuring the long-term viability of populations. By navigating statistical and theoretical complexities, and addressing methodological challenges, scientists should be able to advance our understanding of the N e/N c ratio.

Emerging trends in survival analysis: Applications and innovations in clinical and epidemiological research

This study provides an in-depth examination of the critical role that survival analysis plays across various disciplines, with a particular emphasis on its applications in clinical research, public policy, and economics. The research is designed to offer a comprehensive overview of traditional survival analysis methods, highlight emerging trends, explore practical applications, and discuss the challenges and future directions for the field. By conducting a thorough review of existing literature and analyzing contemporary advancements, this study employs a robust and methodical approach. Key findings suggest that traditional survival analysis techniques, such as the Kaplan-Meier estimator and the Cox (1072) proportional hazards model, continue to serve as foundational tools in the field. However, the integration of big data and advanced computational technologies has significantly enhanced the precision and broadened the applicability of survival analysis, facilitating more accurate predictions and wider applications. In clinical research, survival analysis remains indispensable for assessing patient outcomes and guiding treatment decisions. Furthermore, the study highlights the growing importance of cross-disciplinary collaborations, which are increasingly essential for addressing both ethical and methodological challenges, thereby enhancing the utility of survival analysis across various sectors. The study concludes that while traditional methods retain their relevance, the future of survival analysis will be shaped by the integration of modern computational tools and the promotion of cross-disciplinary collaborations. Recommendations include further exploration of machine learning and artificial intelligence within survival analysis, as well as encouraging collaborative efforts across diverse fields to address current challenges and expand the application of survival analysis in new and innovative ways.

ChatGPT as a Digital Assistant for Archaeology: Insights from the Smart Anomaly Detection Assistant Development

The introduction of generative AI has the potential to radically transform various fields of research, including archaeology. This study explores the potential of generative AI, specifically ChatGPT, in developing a computer application for analyzing aerial and satellite images to detect archaeological anomalies. The main focus was not on developing the application itself but on evaluating ChatGPT’s effectiveness as an IT assistant for humanistic researchers. Starting with a simple prompt to analyze a multispectral orthophoto, the application was developed through successive iterations, improved through continuous interactions with ChatGPT. Various technical and methodological challenges were addressed, leading to the creation of a functional application with multiple features, including various analysis methods and tools. This process demonstrated how the use of large language models (LLMs) can break down the barriers between humanities and computer science disciplines, enabling researchers without programming skills to develop complex applications in a short time.

Toddlers and Adults Link Nouns to Typical Space, but What do Infants do?

ABSTRACT When adults hear a noun with an implicit up location, like “moon”, they typically respond faster with an up compared to a down response. Conversely, for nouns with an implicit down location, like “stone”, they respond faster with a down response. We test when respective language-space associations develop. German-learning infants (11–14 months), toddlers (2–4 years) and adults participated in an eye-tracking experiment. Participants first heard a noun implying an up or down location. We selected nouns that are likely to be known even by the infants. Following the spoken word, a target stimulus appeared either at the upper or lower screen part. In half of the trials the target appeared at the noun’s implicit position. In the other half of the trials the target appeared in the opposite position. Participants’ time to fixate the target (our preregistered measure) was not influenced by the previously heard nouns. We discuss methodological challenges of infant research that might have compromised the power needed for this preregistered analysis. However, our exploratory measure – participants’ fixations while listening to the implicit spatial words – revealed language-space association in adults and toddlers (but not in infants). Adults and toddlers fixated the upper part of the screen more than the lower part while listening to an “up word” and, conversely, the lower part more while listening to a “down word”. Thereby, our results provide evidence that children link nouns to typical space at least from the age of two.

Secondary metabolites with antimicrobial activity produced by thermophilic bacteria from a high-altitude hydrothermal system.

Thermophilic microorganisms possess several adaptations to thrive in high temperature, which is reflected as biosynthesis of proteins and thermostable molecules, isolation and culture represent a great methodological challenge, therefore High throughput sequencing enables screening of the whole bacterial genome for functional potential, providing rapid and cost-effective information to guide targeted cultures for the identification and characterization of novel natural products. In this study, we isolated two thermophilic bacterial strains corresponding to Bacillus LB7 and Streptomyces LB8, from the microbial mats in the Atacama Desert. By combining genome mining, targeted cultures and biochemical characterization, we aimed to identify their capacity to synthesize bioactive compounds with antimicrobial properties. Additionally, we determined the capability to produce bioactive compounds under controlled in vitro assays and detected by determining their masses by Thin-Layer Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (TLC/MS). Overall, both isolates can produce antimicrobial (e.g., Myxalamide C by-product) and antioxidants (e.g. Dihydroxymandelic Acid, Amide biotine and Flavone by-products) compounds. Bacillus LB7 strain possesses a more diverse repertoire with 51.95% of total metabolites unmatched, while Streptomyces LB8 favors mainly antioxidants, but has over 70% of unclassified compounds, highlighting the necessity to study and elucidate the structure of novel compounds. Based on these results, we postulate that the uncultured or rare cultured thermophiles inhabiting high-altitude hydrothermal ecosystems in the Atacama Desert offer a promising opportunity to the study of novel microbial bioactive compounds.

Human exposure to microplastics: A review on exposure routes and public health impacts

The presence of microplastics (MPs) in human body parts has raised significant concerns due to their status as a major environmental pollutant. Despite existing methods for detecting and identifying MPs in human tissues, there is a lack of standardized techniques, compromising the comparability of data across studies. This review critically analyzes the current knowledge on MPs in human body parts, sources and potential exposure pathways. This study underscores the urgent need for standardized and validated techniques for accurate MP analysis and characterization in human tissues, addressing the methodological challenges in MP detection. The findings of this review indicate that humans are exposed to MPs potentially through several routes such as ingestion, inhalation and dermal contact. However, the exact routes for MPs entering the body remain unclear. It also examines the wide range of health impacts associated with MPs, such as oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, endocrine disruption, and potential genotoxicity. Nevertheless, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these effects are still not well understood, especially when considering the diverse concentrations, shapes, and sizes of MPs. Therefore, further research is essential, particularly to enhance epidemiological studies that can robustly establish the link between MP exposure and health impacts in large populations. Advancing this knowledge will be crucial for developing effective strategies to safeguard both environmental and public health from the detrimental effects of MPs.

Methodological approach to investigating spatial cognition in Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus).

Assessing cognitive traits poses consistent methodological challenges. We describe a method for testing Arctic charr by incorporating a T-maze into their housing, which reduced stress and improved the engagement of the tested fish in the task. We outline the phases of testing to evaluate learning efficiency and determine which orientation strategies, such as motor response versus beaconing, are prioritized by the animals. We emphasize the stress management aspects of the design, aiming to inspire other researchers tackling similar obstacles, rather than delving into the specific aspects of cognitive abilities assessment.

Harnessing digital footprint data for population health: a discussion on collaboration, challenges and opportunities in the UK

Digital footprint data are inspiring a new era in population health and well-being research. Linking these novel data with other datasets is critical for future research wishing to use these...

“To Be so Like a Bird in a Cage”: touch, comfort and connecting with the eighteenth-century madhouse

ABSTRACT For the modern researcher, the eighteenth-century private madhouse proves an intriguing space. Sometimes conceived as sites of innovative care, they suffered an appalling reputation across contemporary cultural sources. This article expands this misleading conception by focusing on the sensory landscape of one madhouse through letters written by Urania Fellowes about her privately incarcerated sister, Dorothea. Considering methodological challenges faced when excavating sensory and material histories, the article views letters as compelling channels of shared sensorial experience. Arguing that Urania utilized associative positive feelings linked to touch to connect with and care for her sister, it presents sensorial empathy as a key coping mechanism through which relatives might emotionally, temporally and spatially connect with the incarcerated.

Population level interventions to prevent severe mental health conditions: Methodological challenges and opportunities for universal and targeted approaches

Population level interventions to prevent severe mental health conditions: Methodological challenges and opportunities for universal and targeted approaches

Making Archives in Place: adopting a creative exchange approach in heritage research

ABSTRACT This paper provides a reflexive account of creative exchange in critical heritage studies research. It does so by recounting the methodological opportunities and challenges of researching on a large interdisciplinary heritage programme. We tested this creative exchange approach when undertaking fieldwork with a museum and a history society in the UK’s Clay Country in Cornwall, which resulted in a public-facing output: a short film titled ‘Archives in Place’. We argue that this creative exchange approach enabled us to cross-fertilise our heritage research themes of ‘transformation’ and ‘profusion’, and we illustrate how new insights were revealed through examples taken while we were recording, analysing and editing the short film. By means of conclusion, we encourage heritage researchers to critically engage with methods and to have confidence in experimenting with creative methodologies which have the potential to open up new perspectives for heritage studies.

Soliciting Diaries for "Real-Time" Insights Into the COVID-19 Pandemic: Methodological Reflections on Using Digital Technologies to Engage the Public.

To discuss the opportunities and challenges of the qualitative solicited diary approach using digital technologies as an innovative way to access insights into people's lives and their unique stories in times of COVID-19-related social distancing in Switzerland. This case study provides reflective arguments from a social science perspective for the selection of different (digital) diary designs to optimize data collection in the SNSF-funded project "PubliCo - an experimental online platform for COVID-19-related public perception." The findings highlight some opportunities of using (digital) diaries, such as empowering participants, gathering real-time data, and ethical and methodological challenges when it comes to gaining access to alternative narratives. To gain in-depth insights during a crisis and to reach the lesser-heard voices that are central to democratic debates, it is necessary to adapt data gathering methods and build trust with diverse communities. While digital technologies open up new possibilities for public engagement, there is a need to think critically how data gathering is approached, how trustworthy the results are, and whose voices are captured, amplified, or left out.

Towards a sociolinguistics of deglobalization

Abstract This article advocates for a ‘sociolinguistics of deglobalization’ that focuses on the sociolinguistic impacts of major shifts in the world system that have taken place since 2008 and have become particularly salient amidst the covid pandemic. Drawing on case studies of China, Indonesia, Ethiopia, and Nigeria, we describe the period after 2008 as an emerging post-neoliberal epoch characterized by the intensifying of state power, constrained resistance, differential inclusion, and organized abandonment. Our article explores the theoretical, methodological, and ethical challenges of researching the sociolinguistic impacts of these developments. We also argue that our discipline's dominant approach to global-scale analysis—the sociolinguistics of globalization—has impeded our ability to perceive the emerging dynamics of deglobalization. Our call for a sociolinguistics of deglobalization is offered as both a provocation and invitation to our discipline to engage with the rapidly changing nature of world politics. (Deglobalization, sovereignty, neoliberalism, coloniality, securitization)*