Related Research Approaches Research Articles

The key values and factors identified by older adults to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour using co-production approaches: a scoping review

BackgroundInactivity and sedentary behaviour in older adults adversely impacts physical function, reduces social networks, and could contribute to population healthcare costs. To encourage and support the planning and uptake of physical activity by older adults, it is important to understand what physical activity means to older adults. Therefore, the aim of this scoping review was to collate what older adults have self-identified as the key factors for sustaining and increasing their physical activities.MethodsArksey and O’Malley’s Scoping Review framework was used to guide the review process. SCOPUS, ASSIA, PsychINFO and MEDLINE databases were searched. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they were peer-reviewed, the target population were older adults (aged 55 and above), co-production related research approaches were explicitly stated in the methods and there was a focus on design of physical activity interventions or products to support or enhance physical activity. Assets and values important for physical activity were first extracted from included studies and were subsequently thematically analysed. Themes are presented to provide an overview of the literature synthesis.ResultsSixteen papers were included in the analysis. Data from these papers were gathered via designing interventions or services (n = 8), products (n = 2), ‘exergames’ (n = 2) or mobile applications (n = 4). Outcomes were varied but common themes emerged across papers. Overarching themes identified by older adults were associated with a desire to increase activity when it was accessible, motivational, and safe. In addition, older adults want to enjoy their activities, want independence and representation, want to stay connected with families and friends, be outdoors, familiarity, activities to be tailored and resulting in measurable/observed progress.ConclusionsPopulation demographics, personal attributes, and life experiences all affect preferences for physical activity. However, the key factors identified by older adults for increasing physical activity were common—even in separate co-production contexts. To promote physical activities in older adults, activities must fundamentally feel safe, provide a sense of social connectedness, be enjoyable and be accessible in terms of cost and ability.

The Possibility and Promise of Action Research in Pediatrics: A Scoping Review.

Action research (AR) is an umbrella term encompassing a range of related research approaches and frameworks such as participatory AR, participatory research, community-based participatory research, and community-engaged research. In contrast to conventional, investigator-led research that is conducted on or about participants, AR is conducted with those who have a "stake" in the research topic. Despite growing acceptance as an established research approach, AR is noticeably limited within pediatric health care literature. Following a structured process, we conducted a scoping review to explore AR in pediatrics within the last 10 years. Twenty-eight articles met eligibility criteria. Study themes included eliciting stakeholder perspectives, improving stakeholder experiences, and developing/evaluating tools. Future AR in pediatrics should include the measurement of specific health outcomes and greater detail of the actionable steps that resulted from the research process. Action research has potential application to improve the quality and stakeholder relevance of pediatric clinical, educational, and community research.

Network Learning-Enabled Sensor Association for Massive Internet of Things

The massive Internet of Things (IoT) comprises different gateways (GW) covering a given region of a massive number of connected devices with sensors. In IoT networks, transmission interference is observed when different sensor devices (SD) try to send information to a single GW. This is mitigated by allotting various channels to adjoining GWs. Furthermore, SDs are permitted to associate with any GW in a network, naturally choosing the one with a higher received signal strength indicator (RSSI), regardless of whether it is the ideal choice for network execution. Finding an appropriate GW to optimize the performance of IoT systems is a difficult task given the complicated conditions among GWs and SDs. Recently, in remote IoT networks, the utilization of machine learning (ML) strategies has arisen as a viable answer to determine the effect of various models in the system, and reinforcement learning (RL) is one of these ML techniques. Therefore, this paper proposes the use of an RL algorithm for GW determination and association in IoT networks. For this purpose, this study allows GWs and SDs with intelligence, through executing the multi-armed bandit (MAB) calculation, to investigate and determine the optimal GW with which to associate. In this paper, rigorous mathematical calculations are performed for this purpose and evaluate our proposed mechanism over randomly generated situations, which include different IoT network topologies. The evaluation results indicate that our intelligent MAB-based mechanism enhances the association as compared to state-of-the-art (RSSI-based) and related research approaches.

Global tourism in crisis: conceptual frameworks for research and practice

Purpose The aims of this Editorial are twofold: (i) synthesise emergent themes from the special issue (ii) tender four theoretical frameworks toward examination of crises in tourism. Design/methodology/approach The thematic analysis of papers highlights a diversity of COVID-19 related crises contexts and research approaches. The need for robust theoretical interventions is highlighted through the four proposed conceptual frameworks. Findings Crises provides a valuable seam from which to draw new empirical and theoretical insights. Papers in this special issue address the unfolding of crises in tourism and demonstrate how its theorization demands multi and cross-disciplinary entreaties. This special issue is an invitation to examine how global crises in tourism can be more clearly appraised and theorised. The nature of crisis, and the extent to which the global tourism community can continue to adapt remains in question, as dialogues juxtapose the contradictions between tourism growth and tourism sustainability, and between building back better and returning to normal. Originality/value The appraisal of four conceptual frameworks, little used in tourism research provides markers of the theoretical rigour and novelty so often sought. Beck’s risk society reconceptualises risk and the extent to which risk is manmade. Biopolitics refers to the power over the production and reproduction of life itself, where the political stake corresponds to power over society. The political ecology of crisis denaturalises “natural” disasters and their subsequent crises. Justice complements an ethic of care and values like conative empathy to advance social justice and well-being.

Political discourse and mobility of worlds: Arguments for methodological narrative\institutional dualism

Methodological narrative\institutional dualism was developed as an epistemological strategy to facilitate an approach to the study of political discourse that incorporates figures of disorder into the construction of order. The symmetrization of various theories of narration and argumentation and related analytical research approaches enables an examination of how discursive world-making engages syncretically narrative and argumentative repertoires of rhetoric and hermeneutics to ensure interconnected discursive and organizational interventions. Actors strive to occupy a strategically important position in discourse-worlds as the prelude to their occupation of influential power positions in organizational fields. Such a two-fold – textual and pragma-dialectical – interventionism can be uncovered by a ‘perspective interplay’ between complementary research strategies, one based on a narrative\routine duality (focused on communicability by studying the textualized sequencing of speech acts), the other on a duality of the pragmatic use of plot\argument (focused on the pragmatic implications of speech acts by studying the political claim-making accompanying strategic maneuvering). Our efforts at theory-building are illustrated by an empirical probe into a moment in a Czech election campaign (a three-day media dialogical network) in which the metaphor of dinosaurs was deployed as a powerful trope by candidates, opponents and journalists in credibility and consistency tests with respect to qualification for political office.

Transmission and prevention of SARS-CoV-2.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a novel virus of the β-coronavirus genus (SARS-CoV-2), has been spreading globally. As of July 2020, there have been more than 17 million cases worldwide. Determining multiple transmission routes of SARS-CoV-2 is critical to improving safety practices for the public and stemming the spread of SARS-CoV-2 effectively. This article mainly focuses on published studies on the transmission routes of SARS-CoV-2 including contact transmission, droplet transmission, aerosol transmission and fecal-oral transmission, as well as related research approaches, such as epidemiological investigations, environmental sampling in hospitals and laboratories and animal models. We also provide four specific recommendations for the prevention and control of SARS-CoV-2 that may help reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection under different environmental conditions. First, social distancing, rational use of face masks and respirators, eye protection, and hand disinfection for medical staff and the general public deserve further attention and promotion. Second, aerodynamic characteristics, such as size distribution, release regularity, aerosol diffusion, survival and decline, infectious dose and spread distance, still require further investigation in order to identify the transmissibility of COVID-19. Third, background monitoring of the distribution of pathogenic microorganisms and environmental disinfection in crowded public places, such as railway stations, schools, hospitals and other densely populated areas, can give early warning of outbreaks and curb the transmission routes of SARS-CoV-2 in those high-risk areas. Forth, establishing novel predictive models can help us to not only assess transmission and impacts in communities, but also better implement corresponding emergency response measures.

Modeling artificial agents’ actions in context – a deontic cognitive event ontology

Although there have been efforts to integrate Semantic Web technologies and artificial agents related AI research approaches, they remain relatively isolated from each other. Herein, we introduce a new ontology framework designed to support the knowledge representation of artificial agents’ actions within the context of the actions of other autonomous agents and inspired by standard cognitive architectures. The framework consists of four parts: 1) an event ontology for information pertaining to actions and events; 2) an epistemic ontology containing facts about knowledge, beliefs, perceptions and communication; 3) an ontology concerning future intentions, desires, and aversions; and, finally, 4) a deontic ontology for modeling obligations and prohibitions which limit agents’ actions. The architecture of the ontology framework is inspired by deontic cognitive event calculus as well as epistemic and deontic logic. We also describe a case study in which the proposed DCEO ontology supports autonomous vehicle navigation.

Prevention of atopic dermatitis: Etiological considerations and identification of potential strategies

Research during the last decade has given many new insights into factors contributing to the development and evolution of atopic dermatitis (AD). Factors identified include skin barrier defects, proinflammatory predispositions, anomalies in the microbiome, and some environmental influences. There is now the possibility of personalizing therapy and potentially, of disease prevention. However, discerning the respective roles of early factors leading to AD development is complex. Stringent analysis for confounders must precede attribution of causality to any factor. This review examines current understandings of AD pathogenesis and related research approaches in AD primary prevention.

Editorial: Self-enquiry as an intrapersonal means to promoting scholarship of professional development: Our quest for new meaning making

Editorial: Self-enquiry as an intrapersonal means to promoting scholarship of professional development: Our quest for new meaning making

Analysis of Research Methods in Construction Pollution Related Research Approaches

Analysis of Research Methods in Construction Pollution Related Research Approaches

Form Follows Force: A theoretical framework for Structural Morphology, and Form-Finding research on shell structures

Form Follows Force: A theoretical framework for Structural Morphology, and Form-Finding research on shell structures

Tentative Theses on Transformative Research in Real-World Laboratories

Real-world laboratories are growing in popularity promising a contribution to both: the understanding and facilitation of societal transformation towards Baden-Wurttemberg substantially funds real-world labs as part of the initiative science for sustainability. To facilitate learning with and from these so-called BaWu-Labs, they are supported by accompanying research conducted by two teams. This article presents first insights and theses on real-world labs as a research format, based in particular on the work of the accompanying research team ForReal. The team supports the labs in their realization and in providing general insights, e.g. by learning from related international research approaches and dialog with international experts, and analyzes suitable quality features and methods (the latter together with the University of Basel team). The theses presented here put up for discussion first insights on real-world labs as a transformative research approach and reflect on them from a theoretical perspective. They illustrate the relevance of a goal-oriented use of methods and present learning processes as core characteristics of real-world labs. The theses were formulated based on discussions with the BaWu-Labs, exchange in international contexts as well as a thematic literature review.

Sense-making in business markets – the interplay between cognition, action and outcomes

Business markets are characterized by interdependences between business actors. How these actors make sense of such interdependencies is a matter of both theoretical and practical importance. Research on cognitive foundations for competition in business markets, based on organization and strategic management, has evolved considerably since the 1980s. Also, researchers on business markets that are based on marketing and adopt a network perspective, have become increasingly interested in cognition and sense-making over the last two decades. The concepts network pictures and network understanding have been in focus for this research, which has resulted in a demand for improved clarity of the interplay between cognition, action and outcome, as well as for a stronger integration between parallel research developments from related disciplines and research approaches. A better understanding of how individual and collective views are developed is also required. This Special Issue, originated in the network perspective of business markets, is aimed to address these issues.

Stock Market Trend Prediction Based on Text Mining of Corporate Web and Time Series Data

Predicting the behaviors of the stock markets are always an interesting topic for not only financial investors but also scholars and professionals from different fields, because successful prediction can help investors to yield significant profits. Previous researchers have shown the strong correlation between financial news and their impacts to the movements of stock prices. This paper proposes an approach of using time series analysis and text mining techniques to predict daily stock market trends. The research is conducted with the utilization of a database containing stock index prices and news articles collected from Vietnam websites over 3 years from 2010 to 2012. A robust feature selection and a strong machine learning algorithm are able to lift the forecasting accuracy. By combining Linear Support Vector Machine Weight and Support Vector Machine algorithm, this proposed approach can enhance the prediction accuracy significantly above those of related research approaches. The results show that data set represented by 42 features achieves the highest accuracy by using one-against-one Support Vector Machines (up to 75%) and one-against-one method outperforms one-againstall method in almost all case studies.

Relating Quality of Life to Glasgow Outcome Scale Health States

There has recently been a call for the adoption of comparative effectiveness research (CER) and related research approaches for studying traumatic brain injury (TBI). These methods allow researchers to compare the effectiveness of different therapies in producing patient-oriented outcomes of interest. Heretofore, the only measures by which to compare such therapies have been mortality and rate of poor outcome. Better comparisons can be made if parametric, preference-based quality-of-life (QOL) values are available for intermediate outcomes, such as those described by the Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended (GOSE). Our objective was therefore to determine QOL for the health states described by the GOSE. We interviewed community members at least 18 years of age using the standard gamble method to assess QOL for descriptions of GOSE scores of 2-7 derived from the structured interview. Linear regression analysis was also performed to assess the effect of age, gender, and years of education on QOL. One hundred and one participants between the ages of 18 and 83 were interviewed (mean age 40 ± 19 years), including 55 men and 46 women. Functional impairment and QOL showed a strong inverse relationship, as assessed by both linear regression and the Spearman rank order coefficient. No consistent effect or age, gender, or years of education was seen. As expected, QOL decreased with functional outcome as described by the GOSE. The results of this study will provide the groundwork for future groups seeking to apply CER methods to clinical studies of TBI.

Achievements and challenges in bioartificial kidney development

Bioartificial kidneys (BAKs) combine a conventional hemofilter in series with a bioreactor unit containing renal epithelial cells. The epithelial cells derived from the renal tubule should provide transport, metabolic, endocrinologic and immunomodulatory functions. Currently, primary human renal proximal tubule cells are most relevant for clinical applications. However, the use of human primary cells is associated with many obstacles, and the development of alternatives and an unlimited cell source is one of the most urgent challenges. BAKs have been applied in Phase I/II and Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of critically ill patients with acute renal failure. Significant effects on cytokine concentrations and long-term survival were observed. A subsequent Phase IIb clinical trial was discontinued after an interim analysis, and these results showed that further intense research on BAK-based therapies for acute renal failure was required. Development of BAK-based therapies for the treatment of patients suffering from end-stage renal disease is even more challenging, and related problems and research approaches are discussed herein, along with the development of mobile, portable, wearable and implantable devices.

Transdisciplinary research: characteristics, quandaries and quality

There is a shifting landscape for knowledge generation in contemporary societies that suggests a bright future for transdisciplinary (TD) research. Interestingly, however, there is currently no clear consensus on what transdisciplinarity is or how its quality can be evaluated. This paper uses three avenues to advance and clarify our understanding of transdisciplinarity. Firstly, we survey the theoretical literature and identify key characteristics used by authors in the field to distinguish transdisciplinarity from related research approaches. These characteristics are problem focus, evolving methodology and collaboration. In our discussion of these we highlight variations in description that have significance for practice. Secondly, we explore three interesting quandaries that transdisciplinary researchers face (integration, reflection and paradox) discussing how these quandaries manifest in different dimensions and their potential as both challenge and opportunity for practice. Finally, we use our synthesised characteristics and challenges to shape two alternative frameworks for evaluating the quality of TD endeavours. Our first framework is based on strategic questioning and is potentially useful to individuals seeking to improve the quality of their work. Our second framework adapts an existing quality schema to the unique challenges of transdisciplinarity and may be more appealing to those seeking to compare TD research projects.