Scientific Research Process Research Articles

URP: An integrated research platform for one-stop analysis of medical images.

Medical image analysis is of tremendous importance in serving clinical diagnosis, treatment planning, as well as prognosis assessment. However, the image analysis process usually involves multiple modality-specific software and relies on rigorous manual operations, which is time-consuming and potentially low reproducible. We present an integrated platform - uAI Research Portal (uRP), to achieve one-stop analyses of multimodal images such as CT, MRI, and PET for clinical research applications. The proposed uRP adopts a modularized architecture to be multifunctional, extensible, and customizable. The uRP shows 3 advantages, as it 1) spans a wealth of algorithms for image processing including semi-automatic delineation, automatic segmentation, registration, classification, quantitative analysis, and image visualization, to realize a one-stop analytic pipeline, 2) integrates a variety of functional modules, which can be directly applied, combined, or customized for specific application domains, such as brain, pneumonia, and knee joint analyses, 3) enables full-stack analysis of one disease, including diagnosis, treatment planning, and prognosis assessment, as well as full-spectrum coverage for multiple disease applications. With the continuous development and inclusion of advanced algorithms, we expect this platform to largely simplify the clinical scientific research process and promote more and better discoveries.

Weaving Indigenous and Western ways of knowing in ecotoxicology and wildlife health: a review of Canadian studies

Western-trained, non-Indigenous researchers in Canada have an ethical responsibility to collaborate with Indigenous Peoples and to re-envision the scientific research process through the lens of reconciliation. The health of the natural environment has long been a concern to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples, and weaving different ways of knowing could provide a path forward to address critical wildlife health concerns. Here, we conducted a review of the peer-reviewed and grey literature that claims to weave Indigenous and Western ways of knowing in ecotoxicology and wildlife health in Canada, coding for background information, wildlife health stressors, research methods, Indigenous participation, and research outcomes. Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria, the majority of which were published since 2015 and took place in Canada’s North. Research collaborations were often between First Nations or Inuit knowledge holders (most frequently, active harvesters and Elders) and Western-trained, non-Indigenous academics. Most studies were initiated by mutual agreement between community partners and researchers, but no study was “Indigenous-led” at any stage of research. Studies investigated environmental contaminants and health-related topics in a range of wildlife, usually traditional subsistence species. The most commonly studied disease was avian cholera, and the most studied class of toxicants was metals and trace elements. Indigenous knowledge was primarily collected via interviews. Studies often used multiple methodologies to braid or weave knowledge, but the most frequently used methodology was community-based participatory research. To provide a more holistic understanding of the process of weaving knowledge, we conducted an in-depth examination, applying a decolonizing lens, of two exemplar cases of collaborative research with Indigenous communities. This exploration led to the conclusion that research that weaves ways of knowing must not be approached with a “one-size-fits-all” mindset, but instead should emphasize relationship building, continuous engagement, and ethical practices. By adopting such practices, Western-trained, non-Indigenous academics can better address critical wildlife health concerns while contributing meaningfully to advancing healing and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.

On the use of AI-based tools like ChatGPT to support management research

PurposeThe article discusses the current relevance of artificial intelligence (AI) in research and how AI improves various research methods. This article focuses on the practical case study of systematic literature reviews (SLRs) to provide a guideline for employing AI in the process.Design/methodology/approachResearchers no longer require technical skills to use AI in their research. The recent discussion about using Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT), a chatbot by OpenAI, has reached the academic world and fueled heated debates about the future of academic research. Nevertheless, as the saying goes, AI will not replace our job; a human being using AI will. This editorial aims to provide an overview of the current state of using AI in research, highlighting recent trends and developments in the field.FindingsThe main result is guidelines for the use of AI in the scientific research process. The guidelines were developed for the literature review case but the authors believe the instructions provided can be adjusted to many fields of research, including but not limited to quantitative research, data qualification, research on unstructured data, qualitative data and even on many support functions and repetitive tasks.Originality/valueAI already has the potential to make researchers’ work faster, more reliable and more convenient. The authors highlight the advantages and limitations of AI in the current time, which should be present in any research utilizing AI. Advantages include objectivity and repeatability in research processes that currently are subject to human error. The most substantial disadvantages lie in the architecture of current general-purpose models, which understanding is essential for using them in research. The authors will describe the most critical shortcomings without going into technical detail and suggest how to work with the shortcomings daily.

COMMUNITY WORK AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO IMPRISONMENT IN THE MODERN GEORGIAN LAW (Evolution and Transformation)

This article is devoted to community service as an alternative to imprisonment and the legal problems of its use. It includes interesting and different views on the distribution of the benefit provided by the law of exemption from serving a sentence, which is based on a deep analysis of practice and research of scientific works. This small journalistic work is an attempt to make a modern scientific analysis of the introduction/establishment of a punishment that was previously foreign to our country, to what extent the mentioned legal innovation was justified, and what can be done for its further refinement/perfection, in addition, the specified concept focuses on the factors that allow for a correct complex approach from both the court and the decision-making body when deciding on the usage of the named legal mechanism. In addition, the present article aims to discuss the main problems with the given mechanism of release from serving a sentence, as well as to propose suggestions of a recommendatory nature for the regulation of legal relations, including, as mentioned, legislative initiatives in terms of improving/perfecting the current legislation. Additionally, a comparative legal analysis is made in the article, which makes the scientific research process of changing the punishment from punishment to work useful for society even more interesting and diverse. In particular, the existing system at the national level is compared with internationally known models, based on this comparison, a comparative analysis is made, which shows the similarities and differences between the models. The final part is devoted to the summary propositions that I have acquired due to the study and scientific processing of the raised issue. Historical, formal-logical, dogmatic, formal-legal, comparative-legal, descriptive, and systematic methods are used to re- search the problem in a separate chapter. Furthermore, the data of legal statistics are used through the study and generalization of the practice of local councils and the court. The opinions, proposals, and recommendations presented in the article will be interesting for theorists and practitioners interested in the given issue, as well as for legislative and administrative bodies, as well as for the court. In addition, the work will be interesting for non-lawyers, as it scientifically elaborates on community service as an alternative to imprisonment in modern Georgian law.

Towards design science methodology for developing mobile learning applications

ABSTRACT Mobile learning applications are being developed to support the teaching and learning process. The lack of an accepted methodology for developing these applications motivated the establishment of a design science research process for developing mobile learning applications. Design science methodology from the information systems domain was inherited and modified by consolidating common practices found in the development of mobile learning applications. The proposed methodology consolidates a set of logically related processes to support the development of mobile learning applications with ease and ensure quality results. Expert review of the proposed methodology was conducted, and the results indicate it can positively contribute to the development of mobile learning applications.

Work with embryonic stem cells - legal considerations.

Apparently, there is a broad scope of legal issues affecting the work with embryonic stem cells. I cannot address them all. I would like to focus on two fields of law and discuss, rather in the overview, some salient issues of German constitutional and administrative law framing the scientific research process. Compared to the sophisticated scientific work we discuss here, legal arguments and operations remain blunt and awkward, addressing rather the identity of a society than the fluid frontiers of science and technology.

The Impact of Inquiry-Based ChemistryExperimentation on Eleventh-Grade Students’ Science Inquiry Process Skills

As the advocacy for active learning in science classrooms grows, so is the need to cultivate learners’ competencies in scientific inquiry. In this parallel convergence mixed-methods study, we examined the science process skills of 221 eleventh- grade students in four out of 30 senior secondary schools, which were selected using a two-stage sampling technique. A six–week chemistry experimentation teaching using the 4-H Inquiry- in -Action model followed a pre-test. During experiments, qualitative classroom observations were made to describe students’ science inquiry process skills. While the quantitative data were collected using the Science Inquiry Process Skills Inventory, the qualitative data were collected using the Event Sampling Observation Schedule. Grand findings show a meaningful level of acquisition of all of the science inquiry process skills under investigation. The skill to use evidence to answer scientific questions was relatively easy, and although students were more inclined to drawing and interpretation of graphs, they experienced initial challenges in designing their own experiments, making accurate measurements, and recording the masses and volumes of experimental samples. These results have underscored the need to employ guided inquiry learning strategies in the Liberian science classroom and hence serve to inform science curriculum reform programs in Liberia.

Rethinking the Ph.D. dissertation in botany: Widening the circle.

Rethinking the Ph.D. dissertation in botany: Widening the circle.

Navigating Pandemic Crises: Encountering the Digital Commons

Since the 19th century, sociologists have grappled with understanding the dynamics of social change. In this article, I explore three key changes that emerged with the COVID-19 pandemic. First, professional workers, students, and others who could manage it used platforms like Zoom to shift their work and social activities online to minimize exposure to the virus. At the same time, this surge of online activity expanded the opportunities for corporations and governments to engage in surveillance by collecting user data. I call this the “pandemic surveillance paradox.” This paradox posed potential threats to civil liberties, and particularly the right to privacy, since many users were unaware of the nature and extent of this data collection process. Second, free software and other privacy advocates built on their prior work to educate software and Internet users about strategies to protect their privacy and encounter the digital commons. In the digital commons, all participants can access, use, modify, and share software, the Internet, scientific, educational, and cultural resources. Third, during the pandemic, open science and open education advocates made vital contributions to the digital commons. They accelerated the scientific research process to develop vaccines and treatments for the virus, and disseminated key public health information and other educational resources. Through these diverse activities, digital commoners navigated crises arising from the COVID-19 pandemic by forging alternatives to the dominant capitalist system rooted in profit and proprietary control.

Questioning authority through a scientific inquiry on heliocentrism

In this paper, we present an outline for students to apply the iterative process of scientific inquiry to the study of a few models that describe our Universe. Ultimately, they will falsify some of the models such as the geocentric model, and appreciate why the heliocentric model is the most up-to-date and accepted description of our Universe. As far as possible, emphasis is also placed on allowing students to question authority, to explore alternate explanations, and to challenge well-established conclusions. The approach presented in this paper should help students improve in their critical thinking abilities, and in the process, train them to become the better scientists that we want them to be.

Near-Infrared Spectroscopy for Bladder Monitoring: A Machine Learning Approach

Patients living with neurogenic bladder dysfunction can lose the sensation of their bladder filling. To avoid over-distension of the urinary bladder and prevent long-term damage to the urinary tract, the gold standard treatment is clean intermittent catheterization at predefined time intervals. However, the emptying schedule does not consider actual bladder volume, meaning that catheterization is performed more often than necessary, which can lead to complications such as urinary tract infections. Time-consuming catheterization also interferes with patients' daily routines and, in the case of an empty bladder, uses human and material resources unnecessarily. To enable individually tailored and volume-responsive bladder management, we design a model for the continuous monitoring of bladder volume. During our design science research process, we evaluate the model's applicability and usefulness through interviews with affected patients, prototyping, and application to a real-world in vivo dataset. The developed prototype predicts bladder volume based on relevant sensor data (i.e., near-infrared spectroscopy and acceleration) and the time elapsed since the previous micturition. Our comparison of several supervised state-of-the-art machine and deep learning models reveals that a long short-term memory network architecture achieves a mean absolute error of 116.7 ml that can improve bladder management for patients.

CLOUD TECHNOLOGIES AND FEATURES OF THEIR USE IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS OF TRAINING MASTERS OF PHARMACY

Cloud technologies are an important area of development of modern information technologies. They provide Internet users with access to the computer resources of the server and the use of its software online.
 The article describes the experience of using cloud technologies in mixed and distance learning at the Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University when studying chemical disciplines by students of the Faculty of Pharmacy.
 The role of cloud technologies in the modern period of education is highlighted. It is shown that the use of cloud technologies in the educational process contributes to the improvement of students perception of educational material from disciplines, encourages them to do individual work, makes it possible to better orient themselves when performing the practical part of classes, contributes to the professional and creative growth of students, improves interpersonal communication between the teacher and the student, and for teachers it simplifies the process of teaching and encouraging students to study.
 When teaching chemical disciplines at the Faculty of Pharmacy, teachers successfully use the Microsoft Teams learning platform for both distance and blended learning, pre-posting all the necessary learning materials, including presentations and videos. As you know, what is perceived simultaneously by several senses is best learned. Today, information and computer technologies are one of the most effective means of learning, with the help of which the ancient, but still correct principle of the teaching method is implemented - it is better to see once than to hear a hundred times.
 The construction of virtual chemical laboratories allows the teacher to more easily explain the essence of complex phenomena and processes with the help of visual models and interactive animation, to demonstrate «virtual experiments» and experiments without the necessary laboratory equipment. A set of virtual chemical laboratory options allows you to study the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of environmental processes and phenomena, models of complex technical devices and equipment used in scientific research and technological processes.
 Also, thanks to cloud-based learning technologies, students will be able to learn new materials in real time, communicate with teachers and complete the tasks given to them by teachers at any time convenient for them using their own gadgets. The main feature is the mediated nature of «teacher-student» communication, because it is this form of education that makes it possible to activate students' independent work at the maximum level. Computer technologies and Internet resources ensure the efficiency and interactivity of the educational process, increase the student's activity in educational activities, and ensure the intensification of the educational process. The use of the latest technologies (forums, webinars, blogs, creation of Internet projects) in asynchronous and online modes in the process of studying chemical disciplines contributes to the formation of a communicative connection between the participants of the educational process.
 The use of cloud technologies in the teaching of chemical disciplines makes it possible to intensify the educational process, accelerate the transfer of knowledge and experience, and also improve the quality of training and education. Without cloud technologies, it is impossible to imagine the educational process in conditions of mixed or distance learning.

It’s harder than it looks: How students identify original research articles in an undergraduate biology course

Biology students must develop a foundational understanding about the role information plays in the scientific research process. Key to this is understanding that original research articles are the primary method of communicating findings from original scientific research. We analyzed data from an information literacy tutorial and worksheet integrated in a core undergraduate biology course to investigate how students identify original research articles. Our results suggest that students conceptually comprehend original research, but they need practice at identifying original research articles in real time and benefit from librarian feedback when they are actively searching for and selecting articles.

Research on Teaching Methods of Postgraduate Courses Based on PBL

As a teaching model based on learning transfer theory and constructivist education ideology, the problem driven teaching model is an effective method to combine knowledge inheritance and knowledge reconstruction to cultivate innovative talents. Under the traditional teaching model, schools often only focus on achievements and achievements in the cultivation of graduate students, while ignoring the cultivation of their own innovative and practical abilities in the scientific research process. After realizing the drawbacks of this traditional teaching model, this article applies the problem-driven teaching model to the course “Signal Detection and Estimation Theory”, and hopes to strengthen the problem awareness and practical ability of graduate students in scientific research and learning throughout the entire process of cultivating graduate students, so as to cultivate their ability to discover, analyze, and solve problems, This is the key to cultivating students’ innovative research and professional practical abilities. Under this teaching method, object-oriented autonomous learning has been achieved, further stimulating the innovative consciousness and spirit of graduate students.

Herbarium Pomeranicum jako przykład cyfryzacji w środowisku naukowym

Purpose – Presentation of the solutions adopted in the field of sharing the integrated digital resources of Pomeranian herbariums so far collected in four herbaria at three universities in Pomerania as a tool for commercializing scientific knowledge and presenting the role of classic and digital collections of individual herbariums in the present day and the interdisciplinary nature of the Herbarium Pomeranicum project. Research method – A single case study Results – Thanks to modern ICT technologies, herbarium material can be widely used by a number of stakeholders and play an important role not only in scientific research or didactic process, but also in assessing the degree of threat to species during the development of biodiversity conservation programs in a sustainable economy based on knowledge. Originality / value / implications / recommendations – Presenting the role of classic and digital collections gathered in the collections of individual herbariums and stakeholders in the digitization of scientific collections, including the interdisciplinary nature of the Herbarium Pomeranicum project.

Определение критической толщины пенного слоя для локализации и ликвидации пламенного горения проливов сжиженного природного газа

PURPOSE. Increasing attention has been paid recently to applying high-expansion foam as means of localizing and eliminating liquefied natural gas spills flaming combustion. Scientific sources widely discuss the issues of foam expansion rate and elasticity, critical intensity of its supply and application rate. However, critical foam layer thickness is underestimated. At the same time one of the reasons for fire-fighting foam low efficiency is precisely the difficulty in providing required foam layer thickness. The purpose of this publication is to assess relationship between critical foam layer thickness and main parameters of localizing and eliminating liquefied natural gas flaming combustion. METHODS. Review of scientific works covering the issue of flammable liquids and liquefied natural gas foam fire extinguishment has been carried out. Methods for providing required foam layer thickness and determining foam fire extinguishing efficiency are analyzed. Results of researchers’ own experiments have been discussed, taking into account international and domestic experience in conducting similar studies. FINDINGS. Based on researchers’ own experimental data analysis, taking into account information from scientific sources, critical foam layer thickness assessment has been made for foams of various expansions used to localize and eliminate liquefied natural gas spills flaming combustion. Approximate foam layer thickness in centimeters should be at least a quarter of high-expansion foam expansion value. RESEARCH APPLICATION FIELD. The results obtained provide general understanding that to ensure efficiency of liquefied natural gas flaming combustion localization and elimination, it is necessary to ensure not only appropriate foam expansion and application rate, but also required foam layer thickness. The results can be used in scientific research and educational process, as well as by fire services and emergency rescue units in elimination of accidents accompanied by liquefied natural gas spills flaming combustion. CONCLUSIONS. Foam layer thickness is the key parameter for liquefied natural gas spills foam fire extinguishment and providing controlled burning technology. Depending on foam supply intensity the necessary condition for providing liquefied natural gas flaming combustion localization and elimination is to achieve or exceed critical foam layer thickness. Critical foam layer thickness depends on foam expansion ratio. As foam expansion ratio increases, critical foam layer thickness rises, its value can exceed two or more meters.

Reflections on the Legal Boundaries of Scientific Research Processing of Personal Data from a Comparative Law Perspective

Reflections on the Legal Boundaries of Scientific Research Processing of Personal Data from a Comparative Law Perspective

The Social Science Research Process: A New Model

The Social Science Research Process: A New Model

A morphology of digital direct-to-consumer (D2C) models

Establishing a digital direct-to-consumer (D2C) business is a complex and challenging, yet also highly attractive opportunity for many companies. To leverage this opportunity, managers need to understand what types of digital D2C models exist and how to configure them. Based on a review of the D2C literature, an analysis of 15 D2C online shops and interviews with experts from the respective firms, this paper develops a morphological box of D2C models using a design science research process. The morphological box serves as a tool that provides orientation for managers to find a suitable D2C configuration for their business.

Compilation of 'Suggestions' Section in Postgraduate Theses with Scientific Research Theme in Educational Sciences

This study aims to compile the suggestions in the postgraduate theses prepared with the theme of "scientific research (SR) in Turkey between 2000-2022 years. In the study, 4 sub-themes were chosen for the scientific research theme; "scientific research methods (SRM)”, "scientific research processes (SRP)", "scientific consistency (SC)", and "scientific self-efficacy, (SSE)". The data were obtained from the suggestions sections of the studies conducted for the keywords obtained by so-called sub-themes at the Higher Education National Thesis Center (HENTC). The document analysis method was used in the research. A total of 40 theses including 27 master's and 13 doctoral theses were compiled and reviewed in the study. Then the findings obtained by using the MAXQDA 18 package program were mapped as the percentage (%) and frequency (F) values. In the research, theses written for 4 different groups were investigated; teachers, pre-service teachers, middle school students, and graduate students. Accordingly, the findings were arranged according to the groups and interpreted. Accordingly, in studies on teachers, it was obtained findings about the need for in-service training to be given to teachers to be more experienced in scientific research and to conduct research on a wider scale. Secondly, in studies conducted for pre-service teachers, it was determined that updates should be made to include more scientific research in the curricula for pre-service teachers. On the other hand in the studies conducted for secondary school students, it was concluded that experiments and laboratory activities would contribute to students' learning of scientific processes. And finally, in the studies on graduate students, it was determined that there was a consensus that the hours and subjects of scientific research courses should be increased.