Tool For Resolution Research Articles

Corrigendum: Very high resolution tools for the monitoring and assessment of environmental hazards in coastal areas

\subsection*{Additional Affiliation(s)}In the published article, there was an error regarding the affiliation(s) for \textbf{Guillermo Garc\'ia-S\'anchez}. As well as having affiliation \textbf{1}, they should also have \textbf{\textit{Escuela T\'ecnica Superior de Ingenieros de Telecomunicaci\'on, Universidad Polit\'ecnica de Madrid,28040 Madrid, Spain}}.\par The authors apologize for this error and state that this does not change the scientific conclusions of the article in any way. The original article has been updated.

Conflict resolution in a pediatric inpatient unit: a best practice implementation project.

The aim of this project was to promote evidence-based practices regarding conflict resolution in the hospital setting on a pediatric inpatient unit. Conflict is an inevitable reality in healthcare organizations. Evidence suggests that to facilitate constructive conflict resolution among staff, organizational-level education, as well as formal policies and procedures are both necessary. A baseline audit on conflict resolution utilizing the JBI Practical Application of Clinical Evidence System program was undertaken and involved 34 nurses and two nursing assistants. The implementation project used a three-phase approach, with audits and feedback for the evaluation of compliance with best practices. Following baseline audits, an intervention, including conflict resolution education, was implemented, and recommendations to update the current policy and procedure were communicated to unit leadership. Then a postimplementation audit was undertaken. Postimplementation audits revealed improvements in compliance across all seven audit criteria. The greatest improvement was for audit criterion 4, having a structured formal process for remediation if conflict occurs, and criterion 7, having a follow-up of agreed solutions occur, which garnered 75 and 83% improvements, respectively. For all seven audit criteria, compliance improved from 24% at baseline to 71% after the implementation of an educational module regarding conflict resolution strategies, tools, and best practices and a recommendation to update the existing policy to include the use of a conflict resolution documentation tool. Recommendations for the next steps include making educational materials and visual reminders about conflict resolution strategies readily available and easily accessible to staff.

Higher antigen occupancy of high avidity CSP serum antibodies associates with protection against human malaria.

R21, a next generation malaria vaccine candidate, demonstrated 74-77% efficacy among children living in a malaria endemic area. In a phase IIa controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) study, R21 demonstrated 48.6% to 78.2% vaccine efficacy. The immune mechanisms responsible for protection by the R21 immunogen are unknown. We hypothesized that both magnitude and avidity of R21-induced polyclonal antibodies (pAbs) contribute to protection status. The biophysical properties of plasmodium falciparum (Pf) circumsporozoite protein (CSP) specific pAbs of participants from CHMI study were measured by Biolayer Interferometry, including antigen binding response and dissociation rate constant (kd) when binding to recombinant CSP, central repeat-peptides (NANP)6 and (NPNA)3, and the virus like particle R21 vaccine immunogen presenting 19 repeats of NANP motif, with the C-terminal region of CSP fused to the hepatitis B surface antigen. An innovative polyclonal antibodies avidity resolution tool (PAART) was used to derive kd values reflecting different avidities of pAbs and the fraction of their contribution to total binding (antigen occupancy). We found that protected vaccinees from all groups combined displayed higher median binding response (p<0.05 for R21, CSP and (NPNA)3, Mann-Whitney U test) and slower median kd values (p<0.01 for (NANP)6 and (NPNA)3, Mann-Whitney U test) compared to non-protected vaccinees. For the majority of participants, further dissecting the heterogeneity of avidities of the R21 immunogen-induced antibodies revealed two kd components, 10−4 s−1 (higher avidity component) and >10−2 s−1 (lower avidity component). Interestingly, the median antigen occupancy of higher avidity component for CSP, (NANP)6 and (NPNA)3 binding, i.e., the dominant fraction (82-99% occupancy, mean value 95%), was greater in the protected than non-protected vaccinees. These results suggest that high magnitude and avidity pAbs contribute to the R21 vaccine protection against Pf sporozoite infection.

From text to ties: Extraction of corruption network data from deferred prosecution agreements

Abstract Deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) are a legal tool for the nontrial resolution of cases of corruption. Each DPA is accompanied by a Statement of Facts that provides detailed and publicly available textual records of the given cases, including summarized evidence of who was involved, what they committed, and with whom. These statements can be translated into networks amenable to social network analysis allowing an analysis of the structure and dynamics of each case. In this study, we show how to extract information about which actors were involved in a given case, the relations and interactions among these actors (e.g., communication or payments), and their relevant individual attributes (gender, affiliation, and sector) from five Statements of Fact. We code the extracted information manually with two independent coders and subsequently, we assess the inter-coder reliability. For assessing the coding reliability of nodes and attributes, we use a matching coefficient, whereas for assessing the coding reliability of ties, we construct a network from the coding of each coder and subsequently calculate the graph correlations of the two resulting networks. The coding of nodes and ties in the five extracted networks turns out to be highly reliable with only slightly lower coding reliability in the case of the largest network. The coding of attributes is highly reliable as well, although it is prone to missing data on actors’ gender. We conclude by discussing the flexibility of our data collection framework and its extension by including network dynamics and nonhuman actors (such as companies) in the network representation.

Razumijevanje federalne institucionalne arhitekture i dinamike u Bosni i Hercegovini

Federalism has come to be seen as an important tool for conflict resolution and management providing a framework suitable to accommodate diversity, equal representation, and democracy. This article analyses the federal institutional architecture and dynamics in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The methodology used in this article is the one of a case study analysis. By applying single case analysis to our study, we will be able to examine the particularities of Bosnia and Herzegovina's federal system, we will look at distribution of competences , inter-governmental relations, and the impact of these structures on governance and internal dynamics. The goal of this article is to contribute to a broader understanding of federalism, especially to its role in post-conflict societies and multi-ethnic countries.

Fluid mobility calculation based on improved window parameters optimized S-transform for reservoir delineation

Time-frequency analysis is an important tool for seismic signal analysis and time-frequency resolution is the key to high-precision reservoir prediction. The time-frequency method of conventional S-transform is difficult to meet the requirements of high precision reservoir prediction at present. In this paper, an improved window-parameter optimization S-transform (IWPOST) method is proposed. In the IWPOST method, the scale parameters of the window function can be adaptively obtained according to the amplitude spectrum of the actual signal, and a new optimization adjustment parameter is introduced to further improve the window parameters. The comparison analysis of the synthetic signals shows that the IWPOST method has better time-frequency aggregation and can maintain high resolution at both high-frequency and low-frequency. Finally, the proposed method is used to extract the reservoir fluid mobility attribute from the real seismic data and the results indicate that the fluid mobility has a higher time resolution and exhibits better performance for reservoir delineation. The proposed method is conducive to delineate the reservoir range and provides reference for the exploration and development of the oil and gas reservoirs in this area.

Quantitative structural proteomics in living cells by covalent protein painting.

The fold and conformation of proteins are key to successful cellular function, but all techniques for protein structure determination are performed in an artificial environment with highly purified proteins. While protein conformations have been solved to atomic resolution and modern protein structure prediction tools rapidly generate near accurate models of proteins, there is an unmet need to uncover the conformations of proteins in living cells. Here, we describe Covalent Protein Painting (CPP), a simple and fast method to infer structural information on protein conformation in cells with a quantitative protein footprinting technology. CPP monitors the conformational landscape of the 3D proteome in cells with high sensitivity and throughput. A key advantage of CPP is its' ability to quantitatively compare the 3D proteomes between different experimental conditions and to discover significant changes in the protein conformations. We detail how to perform a successful CPP experiment, the factors to consider before performing the experiment, and how to interpret the results.

Development of a computational tool in the Python language for the application of the AHP-Gaussian method

A known barrier to the adoption of mathematical methods in decision-making in everyday problems is the lack of basic knowledge of the applicable methods, as well as of adequate tools for resolution, without the requirement of deepening in specific disciplines. In this context, this work proposes an interactive tool developed in the Python language that enables the resolution of decision-making problems using the AHP-Gaussian method, from an online environment of free access. A hypothetical problem is solved with the tool, demonstrating its operation and the results obtained. The solution to a problem from the literature was also reproduced, demonstrating its applicability to real and complex problems. The tool proved to be a viable alternative to enable the access of people with little computational and mathematical instruction to a promising method that has been achieving good results in applications of the most different areas of knowledge.

PERSPECTIVES OF STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF THE NOTARY IN THE MEDIATION PROCEDURE: THE COMPARATIVE LEGAL ANALYSIS

The article discusses new ways to resolve legal conflicts, including from the perspective of introducing various legal subjects to use alternative dispute resolution tools. Namely: we are talking about mediation and the participation of a notary in the mediation procedure on the example of the legislation of the Russian Federation and foreign states.

Georgia

In response to a request from the National Bank of Georgia (NBG), the Monetary and Capital Markets Department (MCM) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) conducted a Technical Assistance (TA) mission between March 17 and April 20, 2022, which sought to support the operationalization of the bank recovery and resolution framework, building on recommendations from the 2021 Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) for Georgia. In collaboration with the authorities, the mission identified several priority actions, including (i) reinforcing the NBG’s internal procedures for reviewing banks’ recovery plans; (ii) strengthening its resolution function and developing playbooks for the main resolution tools; (iii) clarifying the current crisis management escalation process; (iv) revising the credit hierarchy; (vi) introducing bank-specific targets for loss-absorbing capacity; (vii) performing a stock taking of contractual clauses in banks’ current subordinated and senior debt issuances; and (viii) undertaking further efforts to advance resolution planning.

Online dispute resolution: can we leave the initial decision to Large Language Models (LLM)?

In the era of digitization and artificial intelligence, online dispute resolution has become a topic of growing interest. In this article, we will explore the potential of Large Language Models (LLM) in online dispute resolution, how they can be implemented, the necessary technological resources, as well as their limitations and challenges. LLMs have the ability to process and analyze large volumes of data in a short period of time. This allows them to evaluate many indicators, criteria, and parameters, something that could take a long time for human judges or experts. This speed and efficiency can be particularly useful in cases involving a large number of documents, such as contracts, expert reports, and others. To implement LLMs in online dispute resolution, adequate technological resources are needed. One of the main challenges is ensuring the security and privacy of the data processed by these models. To do this, the use of technologies such as blockchain can be of great help, as it allows for the creation of secure, decentralized, and unalterable records of transactions and decisions made during the dispute resolution process. LLMs are promising tools for online dispute resolution, but it is important to recognize their limitations and challenges. Although they can offer greater efficiency and agility in the analysis of legal cases, they should not be used as substitutes for human legal professionals. Instead, LLMs should be considered as complementary tools, which can enhance and enrich the decision-making process in legal cases. By responsibly and ethically implementing LLMs in online dispute resolution, and proactively addressing the risks of bias and partiality, these tools can provide great value in the legal field and improve accessibility to justice for all.

Editorial

Editorial

Ethical Issues in Religiously Affiliated Disputes: Sant’Egidio’s Mediation in Mozambique and Algeria

Despite its potential, the use of mediation as a conflict resolution mechanism in a religiously affiliated conflict entails a problem in terms of ethical challenges. Both religion and mediation carry its own ethical standards, where, if both collides, might jeopardizes the efficacy of mediation as conflict resolution tool. This article discusses in detail ethical challenges in mediation where religion persists in various manners. Religion might exist in the conflict (1) as the main ideologies of mediator and/or disputants, (2) as the substance being disputed and (3) in the use of religious values as peacemaking resources. Problems may arise in terms of impartiality, conflict of interest, sense of fairness and directiveness, however often it can be seen as situated concept of neutrality especially when the mediator possess profound understanding of the context. As an empirical proof, it is evident Sant’Egidio has faced problems in perception of impartiality, that affected result in both Algeria and Mozambique. This paper further suggests that appropriate pre-mediation assessment in determining the religious dynamic on the dispute is a crucial stage to tackle possible ethical problems to implement mediation in religiously affiliated conflict.

ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATING THE KNOWLEDGE OF A SAMPLE OF PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS ON SAFETY MEASURES AND FIRST AID IN THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT (FIELD STUDY)

The current research aims to evaluate the knowledge of a sample of primary school teachers from different disciplines in The City of Baghdad, where the size of the random research sample (50 teachers) distributed on both sides of al-Karkh and Al-Rasafa, About safety measures and first aid and their role in implementing those measures and carrying out first aid for students in the event of accidents within the school environment and then arranging the transfer of the injured person to the nearest hospital within the geographical area of the school, The aim of the research was also to evaluate that knowledge by making recommendations and suggestions. The descriptive analytical method of the research sample vocabulary was adopted using the resolution tool that set its questions to achieve the above-mentioned research objectives. Hence the scheduling and presentation of research data and the adoption of the percentage as a statistical means of research and then presenting the findings and conclusions followed by a review of the most important recommendations and proposals that may contribute to raising the efficiency and role of primary school teachers in the field of health, safety and accident prevention, as well as early detection of infection swells among pupils, Finally, the research was appendixed to the most important sources used, which were used to record search information‎‎.‎

Briefing: The role of the Technology and Construction Court in alternative dispute resolution

The construction industry is highly litigious, and disputes can be costly, not merely in a financial sense but also in terms of the breakdown of otherwise valuable relationships due to the conflict. While arbitration and adjudication are commonly used in the construction sphere as dispute resolution tools, the adversarial nature of such processes may hold deleterious consequences for parties in terms of financial costs, delays, risks and loss of business. It was not until the late 1980s that it was realised that conventional litigation for construction disputes was far too cumbersome and expensive. Arbitration was the traditional method for the resolution of construction disputes for many years until the introduction of a range of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) techniques, adjudication and the introduction of pre-action protocols in litigation. The English courts have also proven eager to embrace ADR during the early stages of litigation proceedings, particularly when litigation costs will exceed the amount in dispute. This briefing examines the role of the Technology and Construction Court in ADR.

Mexico

The Mexican financial authorities strengthened the financial safety net since the last FSAP and need to continue and accelerate enhancements. Recovery and resolution plans are in place for all commercial banks, systemic banks are required to increase their loss absorbency complementing the critical Basel III reforms that the authorities have advanced, and the authorities progressed preparations for using the bridge bank tool, signed cooperation agreements with all major home jurisdictions of the Mexican systemic banks, clarified the emergency lending facilities including to banks in resolution, and improved the depositor payout process. Yet, accelerated enhancements are necessary, including by further improving the credibility and feasibility of banks’ financial contingency arrangements, removing impediments to banks’ resolvability and the use of the bridge bank and purchase and assumption transaction resolution tools, expanding the resolution regime’s remit to financial holding companies, and reinforcing the resolution and deposit insurance agency’s governance, autonomy, and resources.

An Examination of Bangladesh’s Current Situation with Regard to Non- Performing Loans (NPLs) and Its Effect on the Banking Sector

The purpose of this article is to investigate the extent of non-performing loans (also known as "NPLs") in Bangladesh's banking sector. Non-performing loans (NPLs) with systemic levels require a complex and expensive resolution process. In structurally weak financial systems, bank NPL issues typically appear following credit booms or extended periods of slow growth. New lending is stifled by NPLs, which harms banks' capacity to make money and stay solvent. The financial system ceases to operate regularly when high NPL levels affect a sufficient number of banks, and banks are unable to continue lending to the economy. Market dysfunction and bank coordination issues may prevent a quick recovery. Authorities typically intervene in such situations to take control of the crisis response. They can use a range of resolution tools for this purpose, but they normally demand a lot of resources and take some time to produce results. Non-performing loans are one of the primary issues that commercial banks are currently dealing with. What exactly is a non-performing loan? Financial assets known as nonperforming loans (or "NPLs") are those from which banks no longer receive interest or installment payments on time. Since the loan no longer "performs," or brings in money for the bank, it is known as non-performing (Choudhury at al .2002). Keywords: Non-Performing Loans (NPLs), Commercial Bank, Financial System, Loan Recovery Measures, Bangladesh. DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/14-22-01 Publication date: November 30 th 2022

Bisulfite-Free and Single-Base Resolution Detection of Epigenetic DNA Modification of 5-Methylcytosine by Methyltransferase-Directed Labeling with APOBEC3A Deamination Sequencing.

DNA methylation (5-methylcytosine, 5mC) is the most prevalent epigenetic modification that is predominantly found in CG dinucleotides in mammalian genomes. In-depth investigation of the functions of 5mC heavily relies on the quantitative measurement of 5mC at single-base resolution in genomes. Here, we proposed a methyltransferase-directed labeling with APOBEC3A (A3A) deamination sequencing (MLAD-seq) method for the single-base resolution and quantitative detection of 5mC in DNA. In MLAD-seq, a mutant of DNA methyltransferase, M.MpeI-N374K, is utilized to selectively transfer a carboxymethyl group to the 5 position of cytosine in the CG dinucleotide to form 5-carboxymethylcytosine (5camC) using carboxy-S-adenosyl-l-methionine (caSAM) as the cofactor. After A3A treatment, 5camC is resistant to the deamination and base pairs with guanine. Thus, the cytosines in CG sites are read as C in sequencing. On the contrary, the methyl group in 5mC inhibits its carboxymethylcytosine by M.MpeI-N374K and therefore is readily deaminated by A3A to produce thymine that pairs with adenine and is read as T in sequencing. The differential readouts from C and 5mC in the MLAD-seq enable the single-base resolution mapping of 5mC in CG sites in DNA. With the developed MLAD-seq method, we observed the hypermethylation in the promoter region of retinoic acid receptor β (RARB) gene from human nonsmall cell lung tumor tissue. Compared to harsh reaction conditions in bisulfite sequencing that could lead to significant degradation of DNA, the whole procedure of MLAD-seq is carried out under mild conditions, which will avoid DNA damage. Thus, MLAD-seq is more suitable in the scenario where only limited input DNA is available. Taken together, the MLAD-seq offers a valuable tool for bisulfite-free, single-base resolution and quantitative detection of 5mC in limited DNA.

Chromosomes as Barcodes: Discovery of a New Species of Black Fly (Diptera: Simuliidae) from California, USA.

Simple SummaryThe discovery and elucidation of species, especially those that are structurally similar, often require special tools and approaches. The basic principle of a unique barcode, as used in retail stores and more recently as DNA sequences in taxonomy, is also inherent in the giant banded chromosomes of flies (Diptera). We used the sequence of chromosome bands—the barcode—in the discovery of a new species of black fly from California, USA. The chromosomal barcode indicates this species is unique among all others in the Simulium (Boreosimulium) annulus group to which it belongs. To provide an integrated taxonomic approach, we analyzed and described the larvae, pupae, males, and females of this new species and assigned the formal name Simulium ustulatum n. sp. We also provided a traditional DNA barcode using the cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene. The new species has the most rearranged chromosomes of all North American members of its species group and differs most conspicuously by having a large chromocenter from which all six chromosome arms radiate. The species is structurally unique in the larva and male. The COI barcode enables identification of the female and pupa, which are structurally similar to other species in the group. The new species is the only western North American member of the Simulium annulus group that inhabits low-elevation, disturbed landscapes.One of the most popular tools for species discovery and resolution is the DNA barcode, typically based on the cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene. However, other non-genic barcodes are available for Diptera. The banding sequence of polytene chromosomes in some dipteran cells, particularly of the larval silk glands, can provide a unique species barcode. We used the sequence of bands to reveal a new species of black fly in the Simulium (Boreosimulium) annulus species group from California, USA. To further characterize the species and provide more integrated taxonomy, we morphologically described all life stages above the egg, formally named the species Simulium ustulatum n. sp., and provided a conventional COI barcode. The COI barcode confirmed the chromosomal and morphological evidence that the species is a new member of the S. annulus group, and enabled identification of the larva and female, which are structurally similar to those of other species. The chromosomal barcode shows that this species has the most rearranged complement, compared with the eight other North American members of its species group, with up to 12 times the number of fixed rearrangements. Up to six chromosomal rearrangements, including autosomal polymorphisms and sex-linked phenomena, are shared with other members of the group. The most unique and conspicuous chromosomal feature of this new species is a large, pale-staining chromocenter from which the six chromosomal arms radiate. The distribution of this univoltine species in lowland rivers of California’s Central Valley could make it vulnerable, given climate change and increasing land development.

Social Mediation as a grassroots method fostering sustainable community collaboration

The purpose of this article is to introduce social mediation as a non-formal conflict resolution tool that empowers everyday citizens to resolve social conflicts through non-legal and non-political routes. The findings and discussion are based on a series of social mediation workshops undertaken in Cyprus from May 2018 to January 2022 as part of a project initiative aiming to deliver the tool to prospective social mediators. It offers a theoretical background to the need for and the use of Social Mediation in Cyprus, and describes its application in practice. It is based on the experience of the authors, and feedback received during a series of workshops that led to a newly-established Social Mediators Network.