Methodological Issues Research Articles

Chasing Yesterday: Struggle for Digitalization in Serial Violent Crimes Investigation in Russia

Mirroring the public administration digitalization trend, most Russian law enforcement agencies have either started or intensified digitalisation of their governance, criminal procedure, and operational-investigative activities. However, while setting certain rather ambitious goals, the agents of such changes at times lack, on the one hand, technical and scholar methodological issues and, on the other hand, do not pay the necessary attention to hiring skilled personnel for the divisions concerned. Those issues are especially relevant as Russian science and practice are falling behind already rather obsolete technical means in the field of quantitative analysis of data on serial violent crimes, prevention and countering of which have long been a ‘sore point’ of Russian law enforcement agencies. The author uses phenomenological approaches to the analysis of developmental patterns and digitalization of serial violent crimes investigation. Besides, the historical method and systemic approach to the analysis of regulatory acts, as well as specialised sources containing valuable information about the progress of quantitative research methodology in Russia and abroad, are used. Criminal anthropology approaches to the assessment of relevant behavioural characteristics of serial violent offenders, essential for the dataset creation process, were followed during the analysis of the methodological aspects of data collection and analysis. The records of interviews with attorneys, investigators, and employees of law enforcement higher educational institutions, conducted by the author, were also assessed. Methodological deficiency of databases containing criminological significant information about serial violent crimes, as well as the issue of the divisions responsible for detecting such crimes being under-equipped, were examined in detail in the article. The author is convinced that the system of criminal statistics in Russia is incapable of collecting and analysing quantitative data about crimes. Under such circumstances, it is justifiably questionable whether the introduction of not only artificial intelligence but also quantitative data analysis as a whole in the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Public Prosecutor’s Office, and Investigative Committee of Russia will be productive.

Dual form of education within the framework of contemporary educational trends in Ukraine

As a result of the reforms carried out in our society, great changes are taking place in the education system. Taking into account the prospects and priorities of the economic development, modern equipment and technological trends, the urgent problem is the fundamental improvement of the quality of personnel training necessary for the industries and sectors of the economy. Existing work experience of an employee is highly valued by companies, so its absence is the main obstacle for those who are looking for a job for the first time. Many young people fall into a vicious circle: they cannot find their first job, cannot get a job, because they do not have work experience. The practice of mentoring has a large-scale impact on promoting youth employment and is one of the main reasons for reducing youth unemployment. Purpose. The main goal of the research is to study the peculiarities of the organization of the educational process in the conditions of dual education of students. Methodology. Research methods can be divided into two categories – theoretical ones: systematic analysis, synthesis, generalization, analysis of philosophical, pedagogical, psychological, methodological and technical issues related to the research problem, and experimental ones: observation, conversation, monitoring, survey and testing, pedagogical experiment. Innovative methods are introduced into the research process; they are used during lectures, seminars, practical classes, business games, projects, simulation modeling of problem situations, thematic conferences with the participation of employers. Despite certain shortcomings, the dual system of training is one of the successful models of cooperative training and production, which can be used as an innovative type of organization of targeted training. Findings. The work considers the main aspects of the organization of specialist training in the conditions of interaction between educational institutions and enterprises. After all, the organization of the training process at the enterprise according to the dual form of obtaining education is aimed at the formation of special knowledge, abilities and skills necessary for the performance of qualified professional activities. Originality. The authors considered the concept of the development of the system of dual-form education in Ukraine in modern conditions, which takes into account the historical chronology of the formation of this process, formalizes individual stages and initiates the principles of planning the future development of this domestic system in institutions of higher education. Practical value. The results of this study can be applied by scientific and pedagogical teams of educational institutions of higher and vocational education, as well as by representatives of employers who implement a dual education system.

Theoretical underpinnings of the university ranking discourse

AbstractThe major aim of this contribution is to summarize the theoretical underpinnings of the most popular rankings, as they have been identified within the discourse of “world class universities” during the first decade of the 21st century. This period is chosen, because the discourse thereafter did not elicit further key issues to be discussed. Additionally, other dimensions of the critique will be briefly touched upon, notably methodological issues. In this framework, attention will be paid as well to the handling of humanities and social sciences within such rankings. Finally, the question will be raised, where we are now - some years after such a period of heated controversies about the rankings of “world class universities”: Are rankings “here to stay” and thus go on more or less unchanged by the fundamental critique of their specific theoretical underpinnings, often called “ideological underpinnings”? Do we observe changes in the ranking mainstream? Can we expect new accents of higher education policy, which will successfully call for another “map” of the higher education system?

IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL REALITY INTERVENTIONS FOR OLDER ADULTS: A SERIES OF META-ANALYSES

Abstract Many older adults desire to age in place, a term used to describe living independently versus transitioning to a residential care facility. Virtual reality (VR) has the potential to positively impact the functioning of older adults as an assessment or intervention to help compensate for lost or declining functions. VR captures a wide variety of technologies ranging from non-immersive to fully immersive, designed to give the user a feeling of presence. To date, VR interventions have been used with older adults including improving health outcomes, improving functional abilities, and for neuropsychological purposes. A handful of meta-analyses (M-As) attempt to summarize the overall effectiveness of VR interventions with older adults, but many contain methodological issues and cover the gamut of VR technology. The present M-A fills a gap in the literature by assessing the literature on immersive VR interventions for older adults. Sixteen articles met inclusion for meta-analysis, and 41 effect sizes (ES) were calculated. ES were grouped by category, neuropsychological, health/mental health, functional, and eight meta-analyses were performed with one exploratory analysis. Results revealed small, significant ES for VR interventions on measures of global cognition, simple attention tasks, executive functioning tasks, anxiety ratings, and pain ratings. Nonsignificant ES were found for stress ratings, gait speed, depression ratings, and TUG task (exploratory M-A). Continuing to develop affordable, safe interventions to assist with aging in place is important as the number of older adults continues to increase. Immersive VR is a promising avenue to continue exploring to better assist the aging population.

Methodological issues in the evaluation of cold snare endoscopic mucosal resection for colon polyps.

Methodological issues in the evaluation of cold snare endoscopic mucosal resection for colon polyps.

Experimental Translation: Techniques, Forms, Metalanguages

The aim of the article is to introduce a new series of studies on theoretical, methodological, analytical, and interpretive issues concerning “translation anomalies”. Functioning as a medium of artistic innovation and creative cognition, experimental literary translation can be compared to a laboratory, both for translators as well as literary and cultural scholars. It enables us to highlight the fundamental problems of artistic creation, the theory of literature, the theory of artistic translation and the theory of intercultural communication. On the one hand, experiments in translation confirm the necessity of using interdisciplinary research instruments; on the other hand, they show translation as a fundamental metaphor that describes the innovative and dynamic nature of technology.

Issues of designing new educational disciplines for training and advanced training of transport security forces

Methodological issues of pedagogical design of creative models of new programs are considered on the example of the construction of the educational program “Features of sanitary and epidemiological protection of passengers and personnel of railway transport and metro enterprises in the conditions of military threat and the spread of acute viral infection” and the program “Features of protection of metro transport infrastructure from acts of unlawful interference in the conditions of escalation of military conflicts and the emergence of epidemics”. for training and advanced training of the security forces transport security. The organizational and pedagogical conditions for the implementation of these models in educational institutions of additional professional education are described. It is shown that the creation of a creative model of a new program should be preceded by a longterm work on the selection and classifi cation of information carriers about the industry of relevant knowledge, technology and technology. The sequence of introduction to the specialty, the content component of lectures, seminars and practical classes, the volume of classroom classes and independent training are substantiated. The presented program models suggest the possibility of their subsequent expansion and deepening, as well as integrated use with existing programs. Attention is drawn to the need for early adoption of measures to restructure the educational process with a sharp aggravation of the military-political situation and in conditions of the spread of acute viral infection.

Историософские аспекты отечественного народовластия: статья 1

The article represents the first part of the planned work on the historiosophical consideration of domestic de-mocracy. It reflects the methodological issues concerning the definition of this concept, as well as the general specific features of the Russian political genesis, the component of which is the democracy. The authors ad-here to an expanded interpretation of democracy, seeing here as the key criterion the weight of the initiative of the grassroots – in fact, it acts as a basic circumstance, albeit intertwined in some cases with the initiatives of the central government. The three most common forms of democracy are stated: corporate, local government and social movements. Domestic political genesis is characterized by the distancing of the supreme power from grassroots initiatives, which is largely due to a number of objective factors: natural-geographical, geopolit-ical, diffuse and the factor of intra-elite contradictions, which initiates competition in Russian history between two models of political order: polycentric and monocentric.

Some methodological issues in language research: Dealing with transcribed interpreted courtroom data

Transcription is a crucial tool in language research, particularly in discourse analysis, as it provides a distillation of real-time interactions. In the 21st century, researchers are increasingly interested in studying authentic data samples, such as audio-recorded court hearings, to turn evanescent speech into readable and analysable formats. However, transcription involves a complex process of theoretical or methodological issues about language, making it a rich source of examinable data. Researchers need to develop adequate methodologies to make such data available for their research endeavours. This exploratory research presents transcription as a methodology for researchers interested in language and ethnographic methods, addressing critical considerations such as the data to be transcribed, the transcriber responsible, and how to represent it. The paper explores innovations in transcription and presents the benefits and challenges of transcription as a methodology, particularly in language research.

Deriving a zero-truncated modelling methodology to analyse capture–recapture data from self-reported social networks

AbstractCapture–recapture (CRC) is widely used to estimate the size (N) of hidden human populations (e.g., the homeless) from the overlap of sample units between two or more repeated samples or lists (a.k.a., capture occasions). There is growing interest in deriving CRC data from social-network data. The current paper hence explored if self-reported social networks (lists of social ties) submitted by participants from the target population could function as distinct capture occasions. We particularly considered the application of zero-truncated count distribution modelling to this type of data. A case study and follow-up simulation study focused on two methodological issues: (1) that a participant cannot be named in their own self-reported social network and hence cannot be named as many times as non-participants; and (2) positive dependence between being a participant and being named by (a social tie of) other participants. Regarding the latter, a further motivation of the simulation study was to consider the impact of using respondent-driven sampling to select participants, because all non-seed RDS participants are recruited as a social tie of another participant. Exponential random graph modelling was used to generate the simulation study’s target populations. Early comparison was also made to estimates of N from Successive Sampling.

Using Ecological Momentary Assessments to Study How Daily Fluctuations in Psychological States Impact Stress, Well-Being, and Health.

Despite great interest in how dynamic fluctuations in psychological states such as mood, social safety, energy, present-focused attention, and burnout impact stress, well-being, and health, most studies examining these constructs use retrospective assessments with relatively long time-lags. Here, we discuss how ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) address methodological issues associated with retrospective reports to help reveal dynamic associations between psychological states at small timescales that are often missed in stress and health research. In addition to helping researchers characterize daily and within-day fluctuations and temporal dynamics between different health-relevant processes, EMAs can elucidate mechanisms through which interventions reduce stress and enhance well-being. EMAs can also be used to identify changes that precede critical health events, which can in turn be used to deliver ecological momentary interventions, or just-in-time interventions, to help prevent such events from occurring. To enable this work, we provide examples of scales and single-item questions used in EMA studies, recommend study designs and statistical approaches that capitalize on EMA data, and discuss limitations of EMA methods. In doing so, we aim to demonstrate how, when used carefully, EMA methods are well poised to greatly advance our understanding of how intrapersonal dynamics affect stress levels, well-being, and human health.

Board of directors, COVID-19, and corporate social responsibility monetary performance: direct and interaction effects analysis

Purpose This study aims to provide archival evidence on the impact of board characteristics on corporate social responsibility (CSR) monetary performance and how they interact with the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of CSR monetary performance. Design/methodology/approach This study analyzes listed companies in Oman’s capital market from 2016 to 2021, using pooled ordinary least squares and unique CSR performance measures such as budgeting and spending. Findings The study finds that companies with more expertise and frequent meetings are more likely to allocate a larger budget for CSR activities. However, this does not apply to larger boards or to independent directors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the effect of independent directors on CSR budgeting and spending is more pronounced, and boards with more expertise and meetings show a negative interaction with the pandemic. The interaction of board characteristics with COVID-19 in terms of CSR monetary performance varies depending on company size. Board independence and expertise show a significant reaction to COVID-19 infection and death cases when setting CSR budgeting and spending. Research limitations/implications The findings of this study are stimulating, but stem from an emerging country with unique cultural and institutional characteristics. Methodological issues were also encountered during the analysis, so readers should exercise caution when applying the results to other settings. Practical implications This study highlights board involvement in deciding a company’s CSR investment, as it was believed that chief executive officers are considered responsible for CSR activities. Additionally, this research underscores the significance of incorporating the financial aspects of CSR into reporting. Originality/value This study examines the seldom explored relationship between corporate boards and CSR monetary aspects during regular and irregular times, offering theoretical and practical insights that benefit multiple stakeholders.

SYSTEM AS A WHOLE AND EDUCATION AS A SYSTEM: RELEVANT THOUGHTS AND CONSIDERATIONS

It is obvious that the World is the largest and most complex system. It is obvious that the essence of the World cannot be known without analysing it as a system. System (gr. system - connected, composed of parts) – a collection of elements components) that are interconnected by certain connections; this forms a whole in one form or another. The whole can be understood quite differently (various contexts), but basically, three important moments can be distinguished: a system as a certain whole (a certain organised and interacting set of components, performing a certain function (s) and having a purpose (s)), a system as philosophy (simply all things in the world are connected), a system as technology (technological system or systems act as certain entities). Of course, the goal here is not to discuss deep methodological issues of systematics (systemology).

Russian Intellectual Studies: Specifics, Main Scientific Schools, and Prospects

The article examines the phenomenon of intelligentsia as an object of modern Russian science. The authors focus on the contribution of various Russian scientific schools that study the past and present of Russian intelligentsia, e.g., the school founded by Professor V.S. Memetov at the Ivanovo State University, as well as scientific schools in the Urals, St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Omsk. The Intelligentsia and the World is a twenty-year-old periodic edition that publishes research connected with intelligentsia and intellectuals in different historical periods. The article features methodology issues, including the activity approach, which is very popular in domestic Russian science. The authors believe that the domestic intellectual studies need a wide range of methods to approach a number of unresolved issues, as well as a stronger interuniversity cooperation.

The many ways to Transparency

This article explores a sample of the literature on transparency in the 1984-2020 period through a systematic review. The sample consists of 242 works (articles, books, and book chapters) collected from different academic databases. Latent dirichlet allocation (LDA) probabilistic topic modelling – an unsupervised machine learning approach – is employed in order to classify and construct a typology of topics within the literature. This approach is complemented by a structured overview of the varieties of transparency framework and is aimed at addressing three research questions: a) What analytical approaches are identified in the literature? b) How is transparency conceptualised through such analytical approaches? And, c) where has transparency’s focus been placed in relation to an event-process framework? The findings show unequal methodological approaches, topics, and issues investigated. These insights and the novel approach utilised outline key challenges and opportunities for future transparency research.

Heterogeneity of pore space properties at the pedon scale of the Phaeozems humus horizon

The variability of soil parameters depends on the chosen method of measurements, the genesis and type of soil land use, and the level of hierarchy of soil structure organization. Computed tomography of soils is an actively growing method of soil structure study, for which many methodological issues remain relevant. The aim of this work was to examine the variability of the main parameters of the pore space (total porosity, number and average pore size) by the example of the humic horizon of a Phaeozem soil. For this purpose, an excessive number (15 microcores of 2 × 3 cm volume) was sampled from soil profile. Based on statistical evaluation of parameter variation, the objective was to determine the optimal number of replicates allowing full characterization of the soil pore space microstructure at the pedon scale. The smallest difference in heterogeneity between pedon and representative elementary volume REV was observed for total porosity (~12 times), while this ratio is larger (~14 times) for number and average pore size. On average, the threshold level, at which the dispersion of properties stopped decreasing, was 7.3 ± 0.6 monoliths for total porosity, 6.5 ± 0.6 monoliths for pore number, and 7.5 ± 0.4 monoliths for LT. Thus, minimal number of replicates necessary for full characteristic of soil structure is 7 monoliths. Sampling and analysis of microcores in 3 repetitions allows to describe the heterogeneity of the structure of the upper pedon horizon only by 25–30%.

Threats and opportunities of using ChatGPT in scientific writing-The risk of getting spineless.

ChatGPT and AI chatbots are revolutionizing several science fields, including medical writing. However, the inadequate use of such advantageous tools can raise numerous methodological and ethical issues.

Anthropomorphic Design and Self-Reported Behavioral Trust: The Case of a Virtual Assistant in a Highly Automated Car

The latest advances in car automation present new challenges in vehicle–driver interactions. Indeed, acceptance and adoption of high levels of automation (when full control of the driving task is given to the automated system) are conditioned by human factors such as user trust. In this work, we study the impact of anthropomorphic design on user trust in the context of a highly automated car. A virtual assistant was designed using two levels of anthropomorphic design: “voice-only” and “voice with visual appearance”. The visual appearance was a three-dimensional model, integrated as a hologram in the cockpit of a driving simulator. In a driving simulator study, we compared the three interfaces: two versions of the virtual assistant interface and the baseline interface with no anthropomorphic attributes. We measured trust versus perceived anthropomorphism. We also studied the evolution of trust throughout a range of driving scenarios. We finally analyzed participants’ reaction time to takeover request events. We found a significant correlation between perceived anthropomorphism and trust. However, the three interfaces tested did not significantly differentiate in terms of perceived anthropomorphism while trust converged over time across all our measurements. Finally, we found that the anthropomorphic assistant positively impacts reaction time for one takeover request scenario. We discuss methodological issues and implication for design and further research.

COVID-19 vaccination effectiveness in the population of Friuli Venezia Giulia, North-East Italy. Control of bias associated with divergent compliance to policies in a test-negative case-control study

BackgroundVaccine effectiveness (VE) studies consolidate knowledge of real-world effectiveness in different contexts. However, methodological issues may undermine their conclusions: to assess the VE against COVID-19 within the Italian population, a specific threat to validity is related to the consequences of divergent compliance to the Green Pass policy.MethodsTo address this challenge we conducted a test negative case-control (TNCC) study and multiple sensitivity analysis among residents aged ≥ 12 in Friuli Venezia Giulia Region (FVG), North-east Italy, from February 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022. Information regarding 211,437 cases of COVID-19 infection and 845,748 matched controls was obtained from the regional computerized health database. The investigation considered: COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and death. Multiple conditional logistic regressions adjusted for covariates were performed and VE was estimated as (1-OR COVID-19vaccinated vs. unvaccinated)x100. Mediation analyses were carried out to offset potential collider variables, particularly, the number of swabs performed after the introduction of pandemic restrictions.ResultsFull-cycle VE against infection decreased from 96% (95% CI: 96, 97) in the Alpha period to 43% (95% CI: 42, 45) in the Omicron period. Booster dose raised the protection in Omicron period to 67% (95% CI: 66, 67). Against the evasive Omicron variant, the protection of the booster dose was 87% (95% CI: 83, 90) for hospitalization and 90% (95% CI: 82, 95) for death. The number of swabs performed was included as a covariate in the adjustments, and the mediation analysis confirmed that it was a strong mediator between vaccination and COVID-19-related outcomes.ConclusionsThe study suggests that, under similar TNCC settings, mediation analysis and adjustment for number of diagnostic tests should be included, as an effective approach to the challenge of differential testing behavior that may determine substantial selection bias. This correction allowed us to align with results from other studies that show how full-cycle VE against infection was initially high but decreased over time by variant circulation, counterbalanced by booster dose that raised protection across variants and outcome severity.

Patient experience, functional and quality of life outcomes in patients receiving surgical and non-surgical treatment for residual, recurrent, or new oropharyngeal cancer in a previously irradiated field: A systematic review

BACKGROUND: National guidance recommends counselling on functional (swallowing/ speech/ voice) and quality of life outcomes (QoL) for patients with recurrent, residual or new primary head and neck cancer (HNC) in a previously irradiated field (ReRuNeR). AIM: To investigate the measurement and reporting of function and QoL outcomes and patient/carer experience for ReRuNeR, focussing exclusively on oropharyngeal cancer (OPC). METHODS: Systematic narrative review of quantitative/qualitative studies. RESULTS: Seventeen articles reporting functional/ QoL outcomes following surgery were included. Gastrostomy dependence was the primary method of reporting function. Previously validated outcome measures (OMs) were used for reporting swallowing in four, speech in one and QoL in two trials. Qualitative data or non-surgical studies reporting function/QoL outcomes specific to ReRuNeR OPC were not identified. Methodological issues and heterogeneity noted across studies including absent baseline data, varying/ undefined timepoints for outcome measurement and the use of unvalidated tools. Patient-reported swallowing outcomes were mixed. Whereas instrumental assessment of swallowing showed a deterioration in safety/ efficiency. A post-surgical decline in speech was noted. Stable overall HR-QoL was reported but an increase in specific symptoms including speech, saliva and swallowing were noted. Pooled long term gastrostomy feeding rate was 23.42% (95% CI 10.2 to 36.6) (n = 108). CONCLUSION: A core dataset of patient and clinician-rated OMs is required to provide a comprehensive understanding of functional and QoL complications with ReRuNeR OPC. In combination with patient/carer experience data, these data can be used to inform pre-treatment counselling, rehabilitation and future clinical trial design.