National Conference Research Articles

Contextually appropriate nurse staffing models: a realist review protocol

IntroductionDecisions about nurse staffing models are a concern for health systems globally due to workforce retention and well-being challenges. Nurse staffing models range from all Registered Nurse workforce to a...

Systematic challenges and opportunities in insect monitoring: a Global South perspective.

Insect monitoring is pivotal for assessing biodiversity and informing conservation strategies. This study delves into the complex realm of insect monitoring in the Global South-world developing and least-developed countries as identified by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development-highlighting challenges and proposing strategic solutions. An analysis of publications from 1990 to 2024 reveals an imbalance in research contributions between the Global North and South, highlighting disparities in entomological research and the scarcity of taxonomic expertise in the Global South. We discuss the socio-economic factors that exacerbate the issues, including funding disparities, challenges in collaboration, infrastructure deficits, information technology obstacles and the impact of local currency devaluation. In addition, we emphasize the crucial role of environmental factors in shaping insect diversity, particularly in tropical regions facing multiple challenges including climate change, urbanization, pollution and various anthropogenic activities. We also stress the need for entomologists to advocate for ecosystem services provided by insects in addressing environmental issues. To enhance monitoring capacity, we propose strategies such as community engagement, outreach programmes and cultural activities to instill biodiversity appreciation. Further, language inclusivity and social media use are emphasized for effective communication. More collaborations with Global North counterparts, particularly in areas of molecular biology and remote sensing, are suggested for technological advancements. In conclusion, advocating for these strategies-global collaborations, a diverse entomological community and the integration of transverse disciplines-aims to address challenges and foster inclusive, sustainable insect monitoring in the Global South, contributing significantly to biodiversity conservation and overall ecosystem health. This article is part of the theme issue 'Towards a toolkit for global insect biodiversity monitoring'.

Resilient city plans as important aspect of future development plans of Indian cities

While in developed countries urbanisation has mainly taken place in the second half of the 19th century, developing countries are in the middle of their urban growth now. The other major issue of Climate change is now a current reality. Three major movements are coming together:  urbanization, decentralization, and the rise of domestic capital markets. The rapid process of urbanisation and the growing number of the megacities, cause a lot of different ecological, economical and social problems and risks. This impacts cause challenges for urban policies and urban planning strategies to manage the development in a sustainable way, when the population in some cities doubles every 10 to 15 years. As the numerous national and international conferences on urbanisation and megacities show, there is an obvious need for more and better urban development strategies, long term land policy and forceful urban management.

Embracing Innovation and Collaboration: A Perspective on the National Conference on Radiation Physics (NCRP) 2022

Embracing Innovation and Collaboration: A Perspective on the National Conference on Radiation Physics (NCRP) 2022

Hospital at home for elderly acute patients: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

IntroductionThe increasing elderly population has led to a growing demand for healthcare services. A hospital at home treatment model offers an alternative to standard hospital admission, with the potential to...

The Evolution of Consumer Adoption in AI-Enhanced Social Commerce

The Evolution of Consumer Adoption in AI-Enhanced Social Commerce

Monitoring Global Progress in Core Diabetes Control Metrics: Protocol for a Systematic Review of Prevalence (2015–2023)

Background The Global Diabetes Compact is a WHO-sponsored initiative that aims to improve diabetes care and prevention, and to reduce the global burden of diabetes. This includes the goal of monitoring the progress and achievement of country-level diabetes metrics and targets. The objective of this systematic review is to examine population-based studies from 2015–2023 to determine the status of core diabetes control metrics: glycaemic (HbA1c), blood pressure and lipid control (low-density lipoprotein and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol), and statin use. This review will describe regional and country-level variation in attainment gaps concerning these indicators. Methods This review will follow the JBI methodological approach to systematic reviews of prevalence, and will be reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. We will include population-based observational studies, conducted in all geographic settings that report data on adult populations (≥18 years) with diagnosed Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, with no language restrictions. We will search the following databases: Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and WHO Global Index Medicus. Using Covidence, two reviewers will independently screen titles and abstracts against eligibility criteria, review potentially relevant full-text articles, and extract data from eligible studies. A third reviewer will resolve any conflicts. Reviewers will use a standardised data extraction form to extract study population, methodological, and outcome data. Primary outcomes are levels of glycaemic, blood pressure, and lipid control, and statin use. Methodological quality of included studies will be assessed using the JBI Critical Appraisal tool for studies reporting prevalence data. Extracted data will be synthesised using descriptive statistics and summarised narratively. Dissemination Findings will be used to inform global diabetes surveillance, prevention, and treatment initiatives. The completed review will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, and presented at national and international conferences. PROSPERO registration CRD42024505286 OSF https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/DZYJK

M&As and the value chain of host countries in the “belt and road” — Based on path test of technological innovation

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) are crucial for capital concentration and rapid enterprise expansion. Most countries along the “Belt and Road” are developing economies, facing the dilemma of “low-end locking” of the global value chain. Utilizing data on global value chain participation of countries along the “Belt and Road” from 2003 to 2018, obtained from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, this study examines the impact and mechanisms of M&As on the global value chain participation of host countries along the “Belt and Road.” Our findings are as follows: (1) M&As, primarily foreign, exert a significant inhibitory effect on the improvement of value chain participation in host countries along the “Belt and Road.” This conclusion holds even after excluding abnormal data and considering endogeneity issues; (2) the inhibitory effect of M&As on enterprises has cyclical differences in the economy and heterogeneity among countries, particularly evident after the 2007 global subprime crisis. This effect is less pronounced in developed countries along the “Belt and Road” than on developing countries; and (3) M&As hinder the rise of the host country's global value chain by restraining the host country's government intervention and advancements in basic science and technology.

A dual approach to addressing gaps in scholar diversity in aging research

ABSTRACT The number of people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) in the United States is steadily increasing, with minoritized populations having a disproportionate burden of disease. One strategy to address the racial and ethnic disparities in aging is to diversify scholars in the field of aging, to increase dynamic solution development and create cultural congruence among researchers and participants. The National Institute on Aging has a committed effort to increase and diversify the number of scientists who conduct aging and ADRD research, placing a call for Centers to focus on this effort. In response to the National Institute on Aging call, the Carolina Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Minority Research, housed at the University of South Carolina, proposed a dual approach to addressing these gaps through a joint national conference and mentorship program for underrepresented minoritized faculty. After one year of the program, the participating scholars were surveyed, and successes and growth points of the program were identified to help guide the improvement of this dual approach to addressing gaps in scholar diversity in aging research.

Effective communication in a crisis requires advance planning

CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla. — From cybercrime, on‐campus violence, student deaths, and natural disasters to academic scandals and faculty/staff misconduct, there's no shortage of potential crises that can hit college campuses. In the midst of a crisis, higher education administrators often find themselves unprepared to manage communications effectively, which only exacerbates the problem, according to James Haggerty, J.D., CEO of PRCG/Haggerty LLC, a strategic crisis communications firm. He spoke at Stetson University's Annual National Conference on Higher Education Law and Policy.

Evaluation of respiratory allergies burden and management in primary care and comparative analysis of health care data from Romania, Poland, Czech Republic and Bulgaria - preliminary study.

Respiratory allergies mostly allergic rhinitis and asthma represent an important and increasing public health problem and one of the priorities for the European health systems. There is an increasing public concern regarding the persistence and severity of allergic diseases and many difficulties of health systems in providing prompt specialized medical assistance. Our study aims to highlight the main results of the Alliance 4Life project focused on the evaluation of the burden and management of respiratory allergies in primary care from Romania and comparative health-related data from four Central and Eastern European countries. We developed a questionnaire focused on patients with allergic rhinitis and asthma directly addressed to general practitioner (GP) specialists from Romania who attended the annual national conference in Bucharest. The main results showed that patients with respiratory allergies are frequently encountered in primary care practice, only a few patients are evaluated by allergists and there is a clear need for education in this field. This preliminary study confirms that respiratory allergies represent a considerable burden in primary care and the questionnaire may be a useful tool in further studies considering the experience of other healthcare systems. More advanced studies integrating epidemiology with data on air pollution and environmental conditions should be envisaged.

Linking genetic counseling communication skills to patient outcomes and experiences using a community-engagement and provider-engagement approach: research protocol for the GC-PRO mixed methods sequential explanatory study

IntroductionIn over 50 years since the genetic counseling (GC) profession began, a systematic study of GC communication skills and patient-reported outcomes in actual sessions across multiple clinical specialties has never...

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder stimulant trial in children: an N-of-1 pilot trial to compare stimulant to placebo (FASST): protocol

IntroductionFetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by alcohol exposure during pregnancy. FASD is associated with neurodevelopmental deviations, and 50%–94% of children with FASD meet the Diagnostic...

Randomised controlled, patient-blinded, multicentre, superiority trial to evaluate the efficacy of the line-attached sheath-type traction device for endoscopic submucosal dissection in patients with superficial gastric neoplasms

IntroductionEndoTrac is a line-attached sheath-type traction device that enables us to control the direction and the force of traction during endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). The efficacy of EndoTrac for gastric...

Coming up…

The inaugural meeting of The National Conference on Addiction Recovery and Science will be held virtually April 24–25. For more information, go to https://www.recoveryanswers.org/coarsconference/

Reform and Ideological Practice of Operations Research Course in Management and Engineering with The Integration of CDIO and PYTHON

It is pointed out in the National Education Conference and the National Conference on Ideological and Political Work in Colleges and Universities that colleges and universities should apply for ideological-political courses throughout the whole process of higher education, which provides incentives for deepening the reform and ideological-political practice of management engineering and operations research courses. Based on the integration of the CDIO teaching concept and Python and the immersive teaching process of the operations research course, this paper designs the teaching reform and practice of student-oriented management engineering and operations research course, which leads students to realize the algorithm design, program implementation, and visualization of operations research modeling and machine learning step by step. On this basis, based on the inventory management and its expansion model in operational research, taking grain supply chain management as the case object, this paper explores the strategic deployment of the CPC Central Committee and the state to realize the dynamic balance of grain supply and demand at a high level and deal with the uncertainty of the external environment with the security and stability of grain supply,  from the perspective of variable cost, supply capacity, consumption demand, holding cost and shortage cost in the model. The research results are conducive to strengthening students' problem analysis and modeling ability, programming, and in-depth analysis, and have theoretical and practical value.

The Adoption of Renewable Energy Technologies by Oil-Producing Countries: An Inevitable Outcome at a Time of Global Challenges and Demand for Sustainable Development

This paper addresses the necessity of adopting renewable energy technologies in order to achieve sustainable development goals in light of increasing global challenges, with a particular focus on the current generation’s well-being. It addresses the potential impacts of global crises, such as energy and food crises, on the transition to renewable energy. Using a descriptive and analytical approach, this paper examines the environmental and economic costs and benefits of renewable energy as well as the commitment of oil-producing countries to international environmental treaties. The research utilises an econometric model to analyse the relationship between sustainable development goals and global challenges. Data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the International Renewable Energy Agency are used to inform the analysis. The findings showed that the rights and well-being of current generations are currently maintained by the persistent use of fossil fuels in oil-producing nations. Fossil fuels continue to be, and may likely remain, the primary energy source in various sectors of development, despite their significant contribution to environmental and climate issues. The paper offers insights and recommendations for policymakers seeking to determine when government spending should best be allocated to renewable energy technologies, balancing national economic interests with international agreements.

Undiagnosed and uncontrolled hypertension in rural African adults: a scoping review protocol of primary health care interventions

IntroductionNon-communicable diseases cause 74% of global deaths, with cardiovascular diseases as the major contributor. Hypertension, a primary risk factor for cardiovascular disease, is highly prevalent in Africa. Diagnosis, treatment and...

Coming Up…

The inaugural meeting of The National Conference on Addiction Recovery and Science will be held virtually April 24‐25. For more information, go to https://www.recoveryanswers.org/coarsconference/

Randomised multicentre effectiveness trial of rapid syndromic testing by panel assay in children presenting to European emergency departments with acute respiratory infections—trial protocol for the ADEQUATE Paediatric trial

IntroductionSyndromic panel assays, that is, using one test to simultaneously target multiple pathogens with overlapping signs and symptoms, have been integrated into routine paediatric care over the past decade, mainly...