Narrow Terms Research Articles

Electronic governance in advancing sustainable development goals through systematic literature review

E-governance has become a crucial element in transforming government institutions globally. In the digital era, governments are increasingly adopting information and communication technology (ICT) to improve efficiency, transparency, and public participation in decision-making processes. This article conducts a systematic literature review (SLR) of studies from 2018 to 2023, examining the intersection between e-governance and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through a rigorous inclusion and exclusion process, 52 articles were identified, focusing on the relationship between e-governance and SDGs. This study aims to highlight critical trends and knowledge gaps in the current literature and offers insights into how e-governance can contribute to achieving SDGs. Additionally, it provides policy recommendations and suggests future research directions to enhance governance practices. While this research significantly advances understanding of e-governance’s role in sustainable development, it is limited by its reliance on a single database and narrow search terms, which may constrain the comprehensiveness of the findings. Expanding the scope of future research to include multiple databases and broader search terms is recommended to provide a more holistic view of the field.

Utopianism in state–society interaction: reflections on the transdisciplinary intervention ‘Places of Hope’

ABSTRACT Awareness is growing that current climate policy approaches for citizen and policymaker interaction are inadequate. ‘Public participation’ is often found to be hampered by narrow technical and functional terms under which engagement occurs. This paper explores an alternative, ‘utopian’ approach of state–society interaction, which seeks to engage both citizens and policymakers in an exploration of sustainable futures. We discuss a Dutch example of such an intervention: the exhibition ‘Places of Hope’, with which all three authors were closely involved. Places of Hope was designed to give participants ‘appetite for the future’. By iterating between utopian theory and our empirical case material, we explore three categories of ‘situations’ through which the utopian repertoire engaged the audience and mobilized alternative ways of futuring: (1) Reconnecting with the future as a collective object of care, (2) Experiencing the future as a space of possibility, (3) Sensing the emotive power and distinct temporalities of nature. We discuss how these dimensions illuminate both the promises and risks of utopian approaches to state–society interactions. The case also reveals that utopian experimentalism can surface and help navigate the contestations that are inherent to the politics of sustainable futures.

Bridging theory and practice via education: Insights from the erasmus mundus journalism programme

The disconnect in how practitioners and scholars talk about what journalism is and does, and what it could be or do, is often striking. With more universities and other institutions worldwide offering journalism education, and the growing number of journalists turned scholars or instructors, there have been sporadic efforts to bridge the pervasive gap between theory and practice. In this paper, I discuss some of the challenges and opportunities of bridging said gap by drawing on the Erasmus Mundus Journalism Programme as a case study. I delve into some ways in which we deal with co-teaching across institutions to train an exceptionally diverse group of students with a global, collaborative, and interdisciplinary mindset. Finally, I claim that we tend to talk about the theory-practice gap in rather narrow terms and point towards ways to rethink the directionality of this relationship to further a truly reflective and critical journalism education.

Reimbursement or compensation for damages caused by war: the civil law aspect

The article is devoted to the study of the correlation between the concepts of reimbursement and compensation for damages, including during the war. The author highlights the issue of distinguishing between the concepts of reimbursement and compensation as synonymous categories. It is determined that the term “compensation” is broader in scope and includes the narrower term “reimbursement”, as well as additional features – remuneration or payments. It is proposed to change the use of the established phrase “reimbursement of moral damage” to “compensation for moral damage” due to the impossibility of accurate determination of the amount of reimbursement due to the non-property component and the need to compensate a person for a certain amount of compensation for suffering, especially in wartime. It is established that the categories of “damage” and “losses” are not identical. The characteristic features of both concepts are analysed. Losses are defined as material losses which should be determined in monetary terms. Damage is a broader concept and is considered to be the negative consequences of unlawful behaviour towards a certain entity in connection with the violation of its rights. Damage can be tangible or intangible, which is not inherent in losses. It is proved that damage and losses are interrelated, i.e. damage may include losses, but only in respect of property damage. It is emphasised that losses are defined as losses due to damage or destruction of property or losses which a person could have suffered. It is determined that the definition of “non-pecuniary damage” contains a reference to the fact that it is also disclosed as losses of a non-property nature. The article analyses and notes that losses are deprivation of a person of a certain benefit. Non-pecuniary damage is inflicted on a person in non-property terms and cannot be considered losses. The particularities of reimbursement of damage caused by war are considered. The article establishes the absence of a single mechanism for reimbursement of damages caused by violation of their rights as a result of armed aggression. The need and possibility of reimbursement, in addition to property damage, of moral damage caused by war is revealed. It is emphasised that today the State, either independently or with the involvement of international partners, provides compensation to victims of war.

Dynamic machine learning model to forecast patient availability for clinical trials.

e13641 Background: Patient eligibility is a routine concept in clinical research, comprised of simple or complex set of inclusion or exclusion criteria applied in a specific sequence. Our methodology introduces the concept of ‘availability’ as a narrower term that is closer to the actual number that will be considered for a specific study and who may decide to participate. This specific research develops Machine Learning (ML) model that dynamically predicts likelihood of Multiple Myeloma progression and departure from targeted outcomes to sustain therapy and to indicate potential availability for clinical trials – to reduce screening efforts and improve screening precision of clinical research organizations. Methods: The cohort for training these models was drawn from the ConcertAI Oncology Research database, further enriched by key variables derived from unstructured data sources. Eligible patients for the analysis had a diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma made after Jan 1, 2020. Progressions were labelled using International Myeloma Working Group Criteria. Patients that did not satisfy the criteria were censored. Labels were assigned to patients after initial diagnosis of MM, and the duration between diagnosis to label was computed to build time to event (TTE) models. Over 2000 features were created to build this model, e.g., laboratory values, vitals, biomarkers, medications, ECOG, stage, etc. Variable creation preserved temporality of lab variables and vitals and noted presence of other variables. Several ML methods were employed to build the TTE models, with gradient boosting resulting in the highest c-index (0.8) based on 12 clinically relevant features. A temporal validation of the model was performed on a simulated index date. Results: Cohort used for training the model comprised of N = 4315 patients with average age at diagnosis of 72.3 years, and ~11% of the patients labelled as progressing. Temporal validation was performed on N = 1874 patients, with ~9% progression rate. The area under the curve (AUC) and weighted F1 score for this cohort was 87% and 89% respectively. Conclusions: Patient availability assessments are complex, not supported effectively by existing solutions and often require 100’s of hours from highly trained clinical personnel. An AI model predicting Multiple Myeloma progression built using a large-scale real-world dataset demonstrated 2-4x improvement in forecasting patient availability over other approaches. Integrating these solutions into clinical workflows can improve the effectiveness of research teams; enable more patients to have clinical trials as viable options at the right time; and allow care teams to have forward visibility to choices of standard-of-care and clinical trial alternatives in the best interest of patient outcomes. [Table: see text]

Don’t say peace: militarisation and the shrinking space for critical voices in the Swedish NATO debate

ABSTRACT Sweden, long known as a voice for peace on the international arena, has undergone a rapid and far-reaching domestic (re-)militarisation the last decade. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this process intensified with a surge in military spending and a radical shift from a longstanding position of non-alignment towards NATO membership. As ‘war’ moves to the center of Swedish public debate, military and security experts occupy most of the space, leaving little room for alternative and critical perspectives. Drawing from feminist scholars, we offer some reflections on Sweden’s (re-)militarisation and ask who gets to speak, who is silenced, and why? Focusing on the domestic public debate post February 2022, we argue that when war moves to the center of the debate, peace is considered an ‘issue for later’. As war is understood in narrow military terms, war expertise is limited to matters of warfare instead of being seen as a broader societal issue. Critical voices and peace advocates are considered naive, unrealistic, and even dangerous. Our reflections invite a discussion on how militarisation and the politics of war expertise affect democratic debate with potentially far-reaching consequences for domestic and international politics.

The Judicialisation of Parliamentary Privilege in Canada: A Cautionary Tale

Over the past few decades, Canadian courts have exerted strong influence over the meaning and operation of parliamentary privileges. Starting with a television producer’s Charter rights claim to access a provincial legislature’s public gallery and followed by an employment law claim made by the chauffeur to the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Supreme Court of Canada has articulated an approach under which judges closely scrutinise privileges invoked by legislatures when defending themselves against litigated claims. By applying the doctrine of necessity, Canadian courts make authoritative rulings on what counts as a valid legislative function and the processes and activities needed to fulfil those functions. Canadian courts also require the scope of parliamentary privileges to be pleaded in narrow terms that correspond to the details of a plaintiff’s claim, which has resulted in a hollowed-out conception of privilege over time. In scrutinising the necessity and scope of privilege, Canadian courts have chipped away at the separation of powers. Further, the Canadian approach unjustifiably prioritises the judicial vindication of private rights over the institutional needs of the legislature. Courts in other jurisdictions should reject the Canadian approach and avoid scrutinising the propriety of the exercise of privilege through a necessity test. Instead, courts should engage in a more limited jurisdictional test to confirm the availability of a relevant category of parliamentary privilege in law or historical practice. Judicialising parliamentary privileges weakens the autonomy and vitality of legislative institutions, with the Canadian approach serving as a cautionary tale. Ultimately, the legislature is accountable to the electorate for the exercise of its privileges. To promote fairness and reduce the risk of court interference, parliaments should strengthen the accountability and transparency associated with the exercise of their privileges, including by developing guidelines for their appropriate use.

Hildaland, or bringing the ice: Reflections on missing persons, Intermittent Islands, and the ethnography of uncertain presence

AbstractTaking its cue from the loss (more precisely, the disappearance) of a close friend and sometime collaborator, and drawing on my long‐term fieldwork on an experimental arts festival held annually in the Orkney Islands, this essay reflects on the challenges of documenting uncertain or intermittent presence, as well as the possibilities the latter affords for unsettling and expanding received conceptions of identity, place, and belonging, especially in a political moment in which these are being defined in increasingly narrow and exclusionary terms. Bringing ethnography and autoethnography into dialogue with literature, visual arts, and oral storytelling, it suggests that anthropology can most effectively respond to the challenges of the present by acknowledging that it is, inescapably, a creative as much as a descriptive practice.

Anaphylaxis in Clinical Trials of Sublingual Immunotherapy Tablets

There is no consensus method to identify anaphylaxis in sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) trials. Standardized Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) queries (SMQs) are standardized groupings of MedDRA terms used in drug safety monitoring. To develop a method to identify potential anaphylaxis in SLIT-tablet trials using SMQ searches and case definitions of anaphylaxis adopted from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. The SMQ search tool contained 2 criteria including treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs): (1) narrow MedDRA terms related to anaphylaxis and (2) all AEs with broad MedDRA terms from at least 2 of 3 categories (respiratory/skin/cardiovascular) occurring on the same day. Criteria were applied to a pooled data set of all subjects from 48 timothy grass, ragweed, house dust mite, and tree SLIT-tablet trials (SLIT-tablet, N= 8200; placebo, N= 7033). Additional search strategies were any treatment-emergent AE with MedDRA preferred term "hypersensitivity" and epinephrine administrations. Identified potential cases underwent blinded independent medical expert review. Nonanaphylaxis cases were designated local AEs or mild to moderate systemic reactions. Using the SMQ search tool and after subsequent medical review, 8 anaphylaxis cases were identified; 3 were considered treatment-related, resulting in a proportion of anaphylaxis cases/subject of 0.02% (2 of 8200) with SLIT-tablet and 0.01% (1 of 7033) with placebo. One additional anaphylaxis case related to SLIT-tablet was identified by the preferred term "hypersensitivity." The 3 anaphylaxis cases associated with SLIT-tablet treatment were not life-threatening. The epinephrine administration rate was 17 of 8200 (0.2%) with SLIT-tablet treatment and 2 of 7033 (0.03%) with placebo. SMQ search criteria for identifying potential anaphylaxis related to SLIT were developed. Anaphylaxis was rare for SLIT-tablets.

Perceived Conversation Quality in Spontaneous Interactions

The quality of daily spontaneous conversations is of importance towards both our well-being as well as the development of interactive social agents. Prior research directly studying the quality of social conversations has operationalized it in narrow terms, associating greater quality to less small talk. Other works taking a broader perspective of interaction experience have indirectly studied quality through one of the several overlapping constructs such as rapport or engagement, in isolation. In this work we bridge this gap by proposing a holistic conceptualization of conversation quality, building upon the collaborative attributes of cooperative conversation floors. Taking a multilevel perspective of conversation, we develop and validate two instruments for perceived conversation quality (PCQ) at the individual and group levels. Specifically, we motivate capturing external raters' gestalt impressions of participant experiences from thin slices of behavior, and collect annotations of PCQ on the publicly available MatchNMingle dataset of in-the-wild mingling conversations. Finally, we present an analysis of behavioral features that are predictive of PCQ. We find that for the conversations in MatchNMingle, raters tend to associate smaller group sizes, equitable speaking turns with fewer interruptions, and time taken for synchronous bodily coordination with higher PCQ.

Focussing on people who experience poverty and on poor-led social movements: the methodology of moral philosophy, collective capabilities, and solidarity

ABSTRACT In this commentary, I discuss three aspects of Monique Deveaux’s account. First, the method of Grounded Normative Theorizing she adopts to engage directly with the contexts and views of those experiencing poverty fits within a range of proposals to enhance the methodology of moral and political philosophy, and I would call on all philosophers working in this space to further develop these innovative methodologies. Second, Deveaux extends the capabilities approach by focusing on the group-based character of poverty and making the case for building the collective capabilities of poor-led social movements. While I do not substantially disagree with this argument (in practice), I argue that we should be careful to avoid normative collectivism (as a theoretical assumption). Finally, Deveaux discusses political solidarity with people experiencing poverty. I argue that this should be based on esteeming each other’s various contributions in more diverse ways than only in narrow economic terms. Treating people in poverty and poor-led social movements as agents of justice, as Deveaux advocates, is a significant step in this endeavour.

A quaternary epistemic code

Abstract Evidentiality has often been described in narrow terms as an independent grammatical category denoting an overt source of information (e.g., perception, inference, assumption and hearsay). Drawing on fieldwork data, this paper explores how evidentiality is encoded at the copula level in Chhitkul-Rākchham (West Himalayish). In doing so, it is argued that the relevant evidentials, part of a comparatively complex scheme consisting of nine elements, together with a negative sub-system, fall under the broader umbrella of epistemic modality. The contention finds an illustration in an egophoric marker following two inflectional tracks with two resulting degrees of assertiveness, and in a handful of combinatorial constructions. Evidentiality as expressed by copulas points to the self, which builds bridges with the study of consciousness. The latter term is underappreciated within linguistics and this work emphasizes the need for a broader cross-disciplinary outlook.

Safety of the Concurrent Administration of Serotonergic Antidepressants and Ozanimod in Patients With Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (P7-3.013)

Safety of the Concurrent Administration of Serotonergic Antidepressants and Ozanimod in Patients With Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (P7-3.013)

Photoinduced Dynamics of 13,13'-Diphenylpropyl-β-carotene.

Carotenoids are ubiquitous pigment systems in nature which are relevant to a range of processes, such as photosynthesis, but the detailed influence of substitutions at the polyene backbone on their photophysics is still underexplored. Here, we present a detailed experimental and theoretical investigation of the carotenoid 13,13'-diphenylpropyl-β-carotene using ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy and steady-state absorption experiments in n-hexane and n-hexadecane, complemented by DFT/TDDFT calculations. In spite of their bulkiness and their potential capability to "fold back" onto the polyene system, which could result in π-stacking effects, the phenylpropyl residues have only a minor impact on the photophysical properties compared with the parent compound β-carotene. Ultrafast spectroscopy finds lifetimes of 200-300 fs for the S2 state and 8.3-9.5 ps for the S1 state. Intramolecular vibrational redistribution with time constants in the range 0.6-1.4 ps is observed in terms of a spectral narrowing of the S1 spectrum over time. We also find clear indications of the presence of vibrationally hot molecules in the ground electronic state (S0*). The DFT/TDDFT calculations confirm that the propyl spacer electronically decouples the phenyl and polyene π-systems and that the substituents in the 13 and 13' positions point away from the polyene system.

Towards just futures: a capabilitarian approach to transforming undergraduate learning outcomes

ABSTRACT Learning outcomes are predominantly framed in narrow and measurable terms, with students as decontextualised learners. As an alternative, the paper outlines a capabilitarian approach, building a four-dimensional matrix for reconceptualising learning outcomes. It is made up of a varied, multi-dimensional set of opportunities, processes and outcomes to enable students to flourish and become people who can live fulfilling and connected lives in and beyond higher education. The matrix dimensions are made up of a capability set, corresponding functionings, material resources and conversion processes, underpinned by Constitutional and human development values. The paper draws on a project on higher education outcomes in South Africa, especially the longitudinal life history data. It makes the case for a reparative futures orientation which might dismantle the colonial-apartheid past and present, and outlines key capabilitarian concepts. The social and higher education context is sketched, followed by a focus on the capability set and what data supports its value to students.

Mapping out the arguments for and against patient non-attendance fees in healthcare: an analysis of public consultation documents

BackgroundPatients not attending their appointments without giving notice burden healthcare services. To reduce non-attendance rates, patient non-attendance fees have been introduced in various settings. Although some argue in narrow economic...

COVID-19 & Problematics of Global Health Security

COVID-19 illustrates our fragile and precarious global health security. Global health governance has failed miserably to ensure health security. This study examines the problematics of health security. The findings reveal that the problem lies in the conception of health security. A narrow understanding of the term "security" has been used to define and implement health security at the national and global levels, based on the Westphalian legacy of protecting countries against external public health threats through many emergency measures. Nationalistic and sovereign norms constantly stand in the way of collaboration among states. The problem is primarily interpretation, acceptability, and implementation of the concept. This study recommends that health security be redefined from a human security paradigm. As a second step, revamp the global health governance regime through de-politicization of WHO, constructing a pandemic treaty and making 'health security a priority.

The Whigs' America: Middle-Class Political Thought in the Age of Jackson and Clay

In The Whigs' America, Joseph W. Pearson seeks to explore and explain “the deeply felt, shared cultural soil” underlying the politics of the Antebellum Whigs (p. 1). He argues that one of the most illuminating ways to understand both Whig policies and their fundamental assumptions about the country is to see them as reflections of a bourgeois or middle-class mentality. Pearson's Whigs were not all middle class in narrow economic terms but, more generally, in how they celebrated the virtues of thrift, prudence, and self-control. In contrast to many of their Democratic opponents, most Whigs were optimistic about the future of the young republic and were more at ease with the impersonal, contractual cash economy taking shape amid the market revolution. Pearson describes the Whig world view as “built from the past they sought to escape, the present that they hoped to improve, and the future that they hoped to build” (p. 8).

Methods of Inquiry: Police Corruption, Historical Anti-Corruption Experiences and Implications for Contemporary Practices

Historically, establishing a judicial commission in response to allegations of police corruption has been a regular method used by Australian governments. In Queensland alone, no less than five major inquiries with a remit to examine police corruption took place during the 27 years between 1963 and 1989. By using historical criminology, it is possible to unpack the cyclical need for such commissions as well as the reasons that most were unable to realise their goal to stamp out corruption in the public service and, more specifically, the police. This research reveals several key areas of weakness in the temporary inquiry system, including narrow terms of reference and the potential for obstruction in the investigatory process. Based on this, this article identifies several viable policy proposals centred on a renewed commitment to standing anti‑corruption bodies, separate from politics and with a broad remit to investigate police misconduct.

Fintechs and the financial inclusion gender gap in Sub-Saharan African countries

This study addresses the issue of financial innovation in developing countries, focusing specifically on the role fintechs have in closing the gender gap of financial inclusion in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) over the period 2011–2017. The empirical evidence is based on the multilevel tobit regression model fitted to panel data. The results of this study show that fintechs reduce the financial inclusion gender gap by mitigating the gender gap in access to and use of financial services. Furthermore, the results cast doubt on the ability of fintechs development to bridge this gap on its own, and hint on the joint importance of targeted policy initiatives aimed at directly closing the gender gap to this end. These findings have important economic policy implications and provide evidence of improved economic conditions for women in terms of financial inclusion or narrowing of the gender gap.