Rapid Pace Research Articles

9.Y.2. Leveraging GenAI and Deep Learning for the Analysis of Public Health Data: A Global Perspective

Abstract The evolution from Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) represents a significant advancement in technological capabilities and applications. Advancements in computing power, algorithmic complexity, and data availability have enabled Gen AI to exhibit broader cognitive abilities such as reasoning, problem-solving, and learning across diverse domains. Private sector investment and innovation is advancing capability in this space at a rapid pace, trending toward a complete paradigm shift towards machines capable of autonomously adapting and learning in dynamic environments, promising profound impacts across industries from education and finance to healthcare and beyond. Yet harnessing the power of GenAI remains out of reach for most public health entities. Questions like “How to start” and “What to do”, let alone concerns regarding cost, security, and ethics, often thwart an agency from endeavoring to even begin their journey to the program improvement they visualize through the lens and promise of AI. Conduent’s longstanding presence and pioneering work in AI across various sectors, has led to a simple, underlying philosophy: we leverage Gen AI technologies to assist and enable humans to improve business processes. Instead of developing Gen AI technologies ourselves, we focus our efforts on making advanced technologies accessible to our clients and enabling them to achieve their outcomes. This session focuses on accessibility and enablement for public health agencies looking to jump start their journey to AI and evolve their public health programs with the use of Gen AI, covering topics such as: • The evolution of GenAI in the private sector; • Visualizing objectives in public health outcomes and improved business processes; • What to do about data; • Using human intelligence to drive machine learning; • Managing security, ethics, and equity; • Roadmap your Journey to Gen AI. For Conduent, Gen AI is not intended to replace humans but to harness its potential to support and empower humans in creating innovative, additive opportunities that enhance business process outcomes. In the public health space, its impact is immense and far reaching. Let’s shift from “How do I start” to tackling the questions that improve programs and their outcomes. So how will you optimize your program with Gen AI? Let’s get started. Key messages • Private sector Gen AI capability is expanding at a rapid pace yet many public health agencies are struggling just to start. Conduent offers an informed perspective to jump start your Gen AI journey. • Accessibility and enablement for public health agencies looking to jump start their journey to AI and evolve their public health programs with the use of GenAI. Speakers/Panelists Mark Marostica Conduent Public Health Solutions, Florham Park, USA Dianna Lydiard Conduent, Florham Park, USA Tarun Khatri Conduent, Burlington, Canada

Mapping and evaluating spatiotemporal patterns of urban expansion in global earthquake-affected areas: a nighttime light remote sensing perspective

ABSTRACT Amidst the backdrop of frequent global earthquakes, assessing the spatiotemporal dynamics of urban expansion in earthquake-affected areas is imperative for sustainable development insights. The current analyses, however, are primarily focused on administrative units or some specific natural units. Here, we quantified spatiotemporal patterns of urban expansion from 2000 to 2020 in global earthquake-affected areas globally. Specifically, we delineated such areas using data from earthquakes of magnitude 5.5 and above since 1965. Then, employing nighttime light remote sensing data, we extracted urban entities and systematically evaluated the spatiotemporal patterns of urban expansion in earthquake-affected areas. The findings indicate a phase-based differential growth in urban expansion in earthquake-affected areas from 2000 to 2020. The average deceleration factor for urban areas in earthquake-affected areas over the past 20 years is 128.67%. Urban expansion in earthquake-affected areas is growing at a rapid pace, except for Europe and North America. In addition, 66.7% of urban expansion in global earthquake-affected areas presents low-density sprawl and solitary edge expansion trends, potentially affecting population density and land use efficiency. This study offers the most exhaustive analysis of urban expansion in earthquake-affected areas in recent decades and calls for administration beyond administrative boundaries to some extent.

Environmental Impact and Decompsition of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Urban Soils: Challenges and Future Directions

The rapid pace of urbanization and development has led to an increasing global concern over polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) due to their persistent and widespread presence in the environment, posing significant threats to ecosystems and human health. PAHs originate from both natural and human-made sources and can be categorized based on their origin into pyrogenic, petrogenic, and biogenic products. Upon entering the environment, PAHs undergo various chemical and biological transformations, and their movement occurs through processes such as air-to-soil and soil-to-air transport. Composting, a green and cost-effective technology, offers a promising solution for PAH remediation. This process, which includes mesophilic, thermophilic, cooling, and maturing stages, can yield compost that is useful as fertilizer and soil amendment in agriculture. The success of composting depends on factors such as substrate bioavailability, oxygen levels, nutrient supply, and environmental conditions. While composting has shown effectiveness in reducing PAH levels, it is not without challenges, including the risk of weed infestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and odor pollution. The main obstacles in PAH remediation today are the limited bioaccessibility of PAHs and the insufficient focus on the formation of oxygenated PAHs during the process. Future research should address these challenges, particularly by improving PAH bioaccessibility and mitigating issues related to odor and greenhouse gas emissions.

A World in Transition: Rethinking the Current Global Order

Over the past three decades, the world has experienced significant turbulence, shaped by conflicts, global transformations, and crises within the international community. The end of the Cold War disrupted a long-established order, leaving both policymakers and scholars in uncharted territory. During the Cold War, international relations were more predictable, offering a stable framework for strategic analysis. In the aftermath, a wave of activity in the United States — fueled by a sense of victory — sought to redefine the future. This effort went beyond physical actions, extending into research institutions, think tanks, and academia, all striving to chart new courses in both practice and theory. Yet, the rapid pace of change and the fluid nature of the global landscape led to numerous missteps and misjudgments, affecting both major and middle powers to varying degrees. This paper examines the consequences of these intellectual efforts and the transitional phase that followed. It explores the defining features of this period and the forces that have shaped it. By shedding light on these dynamics, the paper aims to equip policymakers and scholars with the insights needed to better understand and influence the emerging international order. The ultimate goal is to foster a practical understanding of the challenges and opportunities ahead, helping navigate the complexities of the evolving global landscape.

SCUBA implements a storage format-agnostic API for single-cell data access in R

While robust tools exist for the analysis of single-cell datasets in both Python and R, interoperability is limited, and analysis tools generally only accept one object class. Considerable programming expertise is required to integrate tools across package ecosystems into a comprehensive analysis, due to their differing languages and internal data structures. This complicates validation of results and leads to inconsistent visualizations between analysis suites. Conversion between object formats is the most common solution, but this is difficult and error-prone due to the rapid pace of development of the analysis suites and their underlying data structures. To address this, we created SCUBA (Single-Cell Unified Backend API), an R package that implements a unified data access API for all common R and Python single-cell object formats. SCUBA extends the data access approach from the widely used Seurat package to SingleCellExperiment and anndata objects. SCUBA also implements new data-specific access functions for all supported object types. Performance scales well across all SCUBA-supported formats. In addition to performance, SCUBA offers several advantages over object conversion for the visualization and further analysis of pre-processed single-cell data. First, SCUBA extracts only data required for the operation at hand, leaving the original object unmodified. This process is simpler, less error prone, and less memory intensive than object conversion, which operates on the entire dataset. Second, code written with SCUBA can use any supported object class as input, with simple and consistent syntax across object formats. This allows a single analysis script or package (like our interactive single-cell browser, scExploreR) to work seamlessly with multiple object types, reducing the complexity of the code and improving both readability and reproducibility. Adoption of SCUBA will ultimately improve collaboration and reproducible research in single-cell analysis by lowering the barriers between package ecosystems.

The Role of Machine-Readable Law Technologies in Ensuring the Stability of Public-Government Communication

The relevance of this study stems from the rapid pace of digitalization and the widespread adoption of innovative digital technologies, particularly in public administration, alongside the significant political and legal changes that have ensued. The transparency and clarity of procedures for governing interaction between citizens and the state are expected to bolster the support and approval of management decisions, thereby enhancing the stability of public-government communication. Machine-readable law technologies can serve as tools for regulating these relationships. This study aims to analyze the use of machine-readable law technologies to ensure the stability of public-government communication under modern conditions. While the advantages of these technologies in the legal field are evident, attention must be given to potential challenges and risks, such as ensuring the accessibility of legal text, maintaining transparency, and addressing personnel-related issues. This study concludes that the implementation of machine-readable law technologies must be conducted with deliberate caution, incorporating expert opinions, sociological studies, and other specialized assessments. Mechanisms of public control and oversight by the professional community must also be involved. A joint human-machine approach to governance appears most promising, as it substantially mitigates the identified risks.

Nitric Oxide: Structure, Pathophysiology and Clinical Significance

Hypertension is the most important modifiable risk factor and, if treated, leads to a reduction in cardiovascular diseases and mortality. A recent perspective emphasizes the central role of nitric oxide bioavailability in the maintenance of healthy vasculature and the regulation of blood pressure. The molecule nitric oxide is very complex with far-reaching implications concerning cardiovascular well-being and pathology. Synthesis of nitric oxide as well as signaling cascades and their regulation thus stands as a critical process in acquiring an understanding regarding its involvement under physiological as well as pathological conditions. With the rapid pace at which NO research is evolving, there are significant gaps in our knowledge that must be filled in if we are ever to take full advantage of its therapeutic potential. Nitric oxide is also considered to be a very important molecule involved in the defense of hypertension through its effects on endothelial function and vascular homeostasis. This review will summarize the current state of knowledge regarding the relationship between NO and hypertension and will attempt to identify those areas where significant lacunae exist and where further research would be appropriate. In addition, focus is directed toward the structure and clinical relevance of NO, describing its functions in endothelial activity, cardiovascular health, and any possible clinical utility.

Ecosystem Sentinels as Early-Warning Indicators in the Anthropocene

We are already experiencing the rapid pace of environmental perturbation in the Anthropocene, necessitating the development of new tools and techniques for measuring changes in ecosystem dynamics. Sentinel species, from birds to invertebrates, have been used to provide insights into ecosystem function, as leading indicators of risk to human health and as harbingers of future change, with implications for ecosystem structure and function. Here, we offer an update to previous research identifying marine top predators as indicators of ecosystem shifts and examine terrestrial sentinels and the latest research on sentinels of pollution and human health. Using ecosystem sentinels enables rapid response and adaptation to ecosystem variability and environmental change in part because they may be easier to observe and in part because they may serve as leading indicators of ecosystem disruption. While there may not be a given taxon that is best suited as sentinels, we highlight how to select the most effective sentinels, including examples of when sentinel species have been incorporated into management. Choosing a suite of appropriate sentinels both will give insight into ecosystem processes and can help manage changing ecosystems into the future.

Digital Pedagogical Approaches for Preparing South African Matric Teachers for Higher Education

South African Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are undergoing a digital revolution, facing challenges from social, historical, and cultural diversity and low schooling backgrounds. Incorporating digital technology into teaching and learning has become essential, yet a notable digital divide persists. Students with Information Communication Technology (ICT) skills perform better in higher education compared to those from resource-restrained or marginalized communities, such as Pinetown, Durban, South Africa. This research aims to equip learners and teachers in South Africa to adapt to the rapid pace of technological change while examining the pedagogical approaches of matric teachers in digitally preparing matric learners for HEIs. A quantitative research approach was utilized to collect primary data from a sample of 363 teachers across 25 high schools in Pinetown, selected based on Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) methodology, ensuring an appropriate representation for the population of 1,300. A high response rate was achieved, facilitated by a pilot phase that clarified the research subject for participants. In addition to primary data, relevant secondary literature was also utilized. The findings revealed that a majority of teachers prefer problem-based and project-based pedagogical approaches and acknowledge the benefits of an online learning environment. These results indicate that most teachers are capable of digitally preparing matric students for higher education. Therefore, problem-based and project-based teaching and learning approaches should be emphasized in the field of digital technology. It is also recommended that teachers and lecturers in HEIs utilize online platforms to enhance the curriculum. Keywords: Digital pedagogy, Higher Education, Digital divide, ICT skills, South African education, Problem-based learning, Project-based learning

TRISDEŠIMTOJI NACIONALINĖ MOKSLINĖ-PRAKTINĖ KONFERENCIJA „GAMTAMOKSLINIS UGDYMAS BENDROJO UGDYMO MOKYKLOJE – 2024“: KONFERENCIJOS APŽVALGA

2024 is a truly special year. This is the year of the Jubilee Scientific and Practical Conference "Natural Science Education in a Comprehensive School - 2024". And this was the thirtieth conference. Throughout this time, science, engineering and technology have developed at a significant and rapid pace. The theory and practice of science education has undoubtedly evolved, including the strategies and practices of science education. The importance of science and technology education is unquestioned, but its orientation towards competences, with an emphasis on learning through science and the linking/integration of science with other subjects, remains. The 30th Conference continued an already established practice. The conference took place over two days. The two-day conference focused on science and technology education, which has recently become a priority in society and is likely to remain so in the future. The 30th Conference started on 25 April. On the eve of the Conference, an informal round table discussion on "Education issues" was organised. The importance of the cultural programme should also be mentioned. On the first day, at the end of the conference, participants had the opportunity to get to know Plunge better. The most important places of the city were visited. The staff of the Plunge Tourism Information Centre organised a sightseeing tour of Plunge. The city centre, the central square and the church were visited. Participants had a unique opportunity to walk around the Plunge Smart Park and to visit the Plunge Manor House, or Mykolas Oginskis Palace, one of the most beautiful monuments of 19th-century Lithuanian architecture. The plenary session of the conference provided a retrospective of all the conferences. Thirty years of really great organisational, managerial, publishing and other work. A total of 30 conference proceedings were published. It is estimated that a total of 677 papers were published, with a total page count of 4787. If all the pages were put together, it would be a single publication 281 mm thick. This is a really big work, a really good repository of scientific and didactic-methodological research and work. The work of this 30th conference has been recorded and is freely available on our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoZNO1c3zi72-RxbETp4AmMQ8Lz2C-QPC). Most conference reports were presented in the form of articles and published in the conference proceedings. One can find full texts in the database at: https://oaji.net/journal-archive-stats.html?number=1984&year=2023&issue=20002 Keywords: national conference, practical work, science education, science teachers, science pedagogy

Evolution of Information Technology: A Comprehensive Review

Pervasive computing, wireless sensor networks, and M2M communication have fuelled the Internet of Things. The IoT connects and interacts with many physical items using unique internet addresses. This article covers the structure and technologies of the Internet of Things (IoT). The Internet of Things (IoT) needs a standard structure. Thus, it begins with a complete explanation of architectural designs and then discusses communication protocols and standards. The article also includes a succinct review of common IoT protocols and standards, helping the reader comprehend the topic. It also provides concrete solutions and tactics for addressing Internet of Things issues. The essay culminates by demonstrating the practical applications of the Internet of Things (IoT). Nolan's Stages Theory offered a new perspective on commercial IT development in 1973. The rapid digital revolution has changed its underlying foundation, despite its continuous use. The initial idea focused on IT in production. Later, it expanded to include the complex relationship between IT and organisational strategy. Since its inception, the methodology has helped business and IT leaders navigate IT adoption without technical details. Nolan's Stages Theory still applies, but cloud computing, artificial intelligence, big data, and the Internet of Things require a more evolved approach. The rapid progress of technology has blurred the barriers between IT and other company functions, requiring a complete digital transformation strategy. Information systems and organisational structures have grown in importance and interconnection. As firms gained independence and flexibility, IT systems developed. IT integration into key company activities has transformed it into a strategic enabler. Nolan's strict methodology provides valuable insights into history, but it limits understanding of the dynamic and transformational forces altering the digital landscape. Contemporary studies emphasise the need for flexible and adaptive frameworks to accommodate the rapid pace of technological advances and their impact on organisational structures and business models. Nolan's Stages Theory is still significant in IT administration, although it has limitations in today's networked and data-driven business contexts. Future research should develop sophisticated and forward-thinking models to help organizations navigate the digital transition.

Sustainable Strategies for Responsible Fashion: Adopting the Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Practices

The fashion sector, which contributes approximately 10% to global carbon emissions, exerts a considerable influence on the environment. The rapid pace of fast fashion has intensified both waste generation and resource utilization, thereby rendering sustainable practices an essential requirement. This study examines sustainable methodologies within the fashion industry, with particular emphasis on the implementation of the Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle (RRR) framework. The article explores how global and local brands in Delhi incorporate such strategies into their operations and gauges consumer awareness and behavior towards sustainable fashion. Studies indicate that barriers faced by brands while trying to achieve sustainability include the high price tag of sustainable materials, minimal recycling facilities, and the price sensitivity of the consumer. Hypothesis testing was used to examine whether the consumer behavior was significant on their purchasing decisions and sustainability. The results reflected that, while there is indeed a growth in awareness, consumers' intentions and actual purchasing behaviors seem to be quite divergent concerning the acceptance of sustainable fashion. Furthermore, the paper makes workable recommendations to make the fashion industry more sustainable by focusing on policy measures, innovations in brands, and education for the consumer. Key Words: sustainable fashion, reduce reuse recycle, consumer behavior, competitive advantage, supply chain sustainability

Current issues of legal regulation on political advertising in election campaigns in social media

It is indicated that today the role of the Internet with all the unlimited amount of digital content that is produced in its spaces every day is extremely difficult to overestimate. Nowadays, it is various social networks and other online platforms that have become not only a means of placing and distributing information, but also the main communication field, which over time has made a real revolution in the field of user interaction. The article is devoted to the issues of legal regulation on political advertising and election campaignd in social media and on other online platforms, aims to highlight the central problems, as well as to outline the spectrum of possible ways to solve such problems through the study of Ukrainian and international experience of working with the control of the information field, namely, in the part of campaigning activities of the relevant subjects in social media, on other online platforms during the election process. Special focus in the current study is made on the correlation of national and corporate regulation of issues related to the use of foreign online platforms services for posting information that is considered as political advertising. In addition, it outlines a range of problems that are currently outside the scope of legal regulation and are caused, on the one hand, by the rapid pace of digital technologies development, and on the other hand, by the nature and essence of such a phenomenon as election campaigns and political advertising means in general, namely in terms of a wide range of tools for influencing the audience. As a result, the need for cooperation between the state as a legislator and corporations as non-state entities that own and manage specific resources used for posting election campaign materials is emphasized. It was also concluded that there is a need to pay special attention to the improvement of the national legislative framework in terms of understanding political advertising as a social phenomenon and creating special requirements for the regulation of legal relations regarding such advertising placement in social media and other online platforms.

EFFICIENCY AND ACCURACY OF CONVOLUTIONAL AND FOURIER TRANSFORM LAYERS IN NEURAL NETWORKS FOR MEDICAL IMAGE CLASSIFICATION

In an era where information flow is moving at a rapid pace, image data processing is becoming increasingly important as technology advances, including in healthcare. Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) has been a common approach in image classification, but the larger the volume of data and the complexity of the task, the more expensive the computational cost of CNN. With the rapid growth in the amount of image data, efficiency in data processing is becoming increasingly important. In this study, the performance of neural network models using the convolution layer and Fourier transform layer in medical image data classification was compared. The results show that models with a Fourier transform layer tend to provide higher accuracy and better Area Under Curve (AUC) compared to models using a convolution layer. In addition, the model with the Fourier transform layer also shows faster execution time per epoch, which indicates efficiency in data processing. However, the convolution layer has an advantage in terms of model size, although it is not significantly different from the Fourier transform layer. In conclusion, the Fourier transform layer has an advantage in the classification of medical image data.

High Prevalence and Impact of Shoulder Pain Among Gym Instructors: A Study on Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders

INTRODUCTION :- Gym instructors within the fitness industry play a pivotal role in guiding individuals towards achieving a range of health and fitness goals. In addition to muscular and skeletal health, gym instructors are instrumental in boosting the immune system. Even though they help in maintaining the body gym trainers have a limited knowledge of mechanism of injury, neglecting and repetitive movements of the joint leads to worsening of injury and increase in the pain. Musculoskeletal pain can stem from various sources, including uncommon or repetitive activities that strain muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Additionally, it may result from sudden, jerky movements, falls, fractures, or underlying musculoskeletal conditions. The result of repetitive activities that strain the muscles, tendons and sprain the ligaments. Insufficient recovery time, rapid pace work, repetitive motion patterns, heavy weight lifting, forceful manual exertions, mechanical pressure concentrations or whole body vibrations can lead to development of other musculoskeletal disorders. The impact of a musculoskeletal condition on an individual's quality of life is substantial, extending beyond mere physical discomfort. Such conditions not only affect personal well-being but also impose a considerable financial strain, manifested through compensation payments and lost wages. Instances of sick leave, absenteeism, and even job abandonment contribute to diminished job efficiency,further exacerbating the socioeconomic repercussions of these disorders. METHODOLOGY :- A total of 147 participants were selected on the basis of inclusion and exclusion criteria. A consent form was filled by them and the study and questionnaire was explained to them.Self-made Questionnaire was explained to each gym instructors according to language understood by that person as well as google forms were also made available for their convenience.Each gym instructor completed a self administered questionnaire which included information regarding complaints of current shoulder pain. The total data was collected and was statistically analyzed. CONCLUSION :- The Prevalence of shoulder pain in gym instructors is high (78%). The presence of shoulder pain causes a gym instructors to avoid certain activities due to pain which causes a hindrance in their work related activities.

Internationalization speed and corporate long-term performance: Exploring the inverted U-shaped relationship

Using data from China's A-share listed companies spanning 2002 – 2022, our research uncovers an intriguing inverted U-shaped dynamic between the velocity of firms' internationalization and their long-term performance. It reveals that while an initial acceleration in internationalization bolsters performance, an overly rapid pace can subsequently lead to a deterioration. Critically, the proportion of independent directors acts as a moderating factor, as a higher concentration of these directors facilitates a balance between the speed and risks associated with internationalization, ultimately optimizing long-term corporate performance. These findings offer vital insights for companies navigating their internationalization strategies and emphasize the importance of robust corporate governance.

Age-Related Changes in Insulin Resistance and Muscle Mass: Clinical Implications in Obese Older Adults.

The older segment of the global population is increasing at a rapid pace. Advancements in public health and modern medicine lengthened life expectancy and reduced the burden of disease in communities worldwide. Concurrent with this demographic change is the rise in overweight people and obesity, which is evident in all age groups. There is also an aging-related reduction in muscle mass and function, or sarcopenia, that is exacerbated by sedentary lifestyle and poor nutrition. The coexistence of muscle loss and elevated body mass index, termed "sarcopenic obesity", has particularly deleterious consequences in older individuals. Worsening insulin resistance and a proinflammatory state operate at the pathophysiologic level and lead to adverse health outcomes such as a proclivity to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and even cognitive dysfunction. Although the concept of sarcopenic obesity as a disease construct is being increasingly recognized, a clearer understanding is warranted in order to define its components and health impact. Research is needed at the molecular-cellular level to tie together derangements in insulin action, cytokines, myokines, and endothelial dysfunction with clinical outcomes. Lifestyle modifications as well as targeted nonpharmacologic approaches, such as supplements and antioxidants, appear to have a promising role in reducing the chronic burden of this emerging disorder. Breakthroughs in drug therapies that retard or even reverse the underlying dynamics of sarcopenia and obesity in older persons are being actively explored.

“It’s not your fault!”: Aging and the dilemmas of literacy in a digital world

“It’s not your fault!”: Aging and the dilemmas of literacy in a digital world As the world becomes increasingly digitally focused, Kim Sawchuk, Director of engAGE: Centre for Research on Aging, Concordia University, examines what this shift means for older adults trying to navigate media literacy. In an increasingly digital world, media literacy has become a critical life skill. Yet, having the skills to engage in this world can be challenging. In a recent workshop on navigating digital ecosystems, older participants spoke eloquently of the joys, frustrations, and threats they encountered in their daily digital lives. They recounted the difficulties they face in acquiring and maintaining the knowledge and skills needed to access this digital world safely and securely in media systems that are changing at a rapid pace.

EMhub: a web platform for data management and on-the-fly processing in scientific facilities.

Most scientific facilities produce large amounts of heterogeneous data at a rapid pace. Managing users, instruments, reports and invoices presents additional challenges. To address these challenges, EMhub, a web platform designed to support the daily operations and record-keeping of a scientific facility, has been introduced. EMhub enables the easy management of user information, instruments, bookings and projects. The application was initially developed to meet the needs of a cryoEM facility, but its functionality and adaptability have proven to be broad enough to be extended to other data-generating centers. The expansion ofEMHub is enabled by the modular nature of its core functionalities. The application allows external processes to be connected via a REST API, automating tasks such as folder creation, user and password generation, and theexecution of real-time data-processing pipelines. EMhub has been used for several years at the Swedish National CryoEM Facility and has been installed in the CryoEM center at the Structural Biology Department at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. A fully automated single-particle pipeline has been implemented for on-the-fly data processing and analysis. At St. Jude, the X-Ray Crystallography Center and the Single-Molecule Imaging Center have already expanded the platform to support their operational and data-management workflows.

Subsequent Indications in Oncology Drugs: Pathways, Timelines, and the Inflation Reduction Act.

Recent research has raised questions about potential unintended consequences of the Inflation Reduction Act's Drug Price Negotiation Program (DPNP), suggesting that the timelines introduced by the law may reduce manufacturer incentives to invest in post-approval research towards additional indications. Given the role of multiple indications in expanding treatment options in patients with cancer, IRA-related changes to development incentives are especially relevant in oncology. This study aimed to describe heterogeneous drug-level trajectories and timelines of subsequent indications in a cohort of recently approved, multi-indication oncology drugs, including overall, across subgroups of drugs characterized by the timing and pace of additional indications, and by drug type (i.e., small molecule vs. biologic). This cross-sectional study evaluated oncology drugs first approved by the FDA from 2008 to 2018 and later approved for one or more additional indications. Numbers, types, and approval timelines of subsequent indications were recorded at the drug level, with drugs grouped by quartile based on the pacing of post-approval development (i.e., "rapid pace" to "measured pace"). Multi-indication oncology drugs (N = 56/86, 65.1%) had one or more subsequent indication approved in a new: cancer type (60.7%), line of treatment (50.0%), combination (41.1%), mutation (32.1%), or stage (28.6%). The median time between FDA approvals for indications increased from 0.6 years (IQR: 0.48, 0.74) in the "rapid pace" group to 1.6 years (IQR: 1.32, 1.66), 2.4 years (IQR: 2.29, 2.61), and 4.9 years (IQR: 3.43, 6.23) in the "moderate," "measured-moderate," and "measured" pace groups, respectively. Drugs in the "rapid pace" group often received their first subsequent indication approval within 9 months of initial approval (median: 0.7 years; IQR: 0.54, 1.59), whereas the "measured pace" group took a median of 5.7 years (IQR: 3.43, 6.98). Across all multi-indication drugs, the median time to the most recent approval for a subsequent indication was 5.5 years (IQR: 3.18, 7.95). One quarter (25%) of drugs were approved for their most recent subsequent indication after the time at which they would be DPNP-eligible. Approval histories of new oncology drugs demonstrate the role of post-approval indications in expanding treatment options towards new cancer types, stages, lines, combinations, and mutations. Heterogeneous clinical development pathways provide insights into potential unintended consequences of IRA-related changes surrounding post-approval research and development.