Second Set Of Criteria Research Articles

Suitability of two WHO research and development initiatives for COVID-19 to promote equitable innovation: the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator and COVID-19 Technology Access Pool.

To analyze the World Health Organization's (WHO's) contribution to promotion of access to innovative technologies by assessing its initiatives on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) research, development, and innovation. A document search was done for previous criteria used by WHO working groups to evaluate innovation and access merits. Two sets of criteria were identified. One set was used to assess the suitability of existing mechanisms to coordinate research, development, and innovation and pool funds globally. The second set was used to measure success in implementing demonstration projects and consider the extent of innovative components being implemented by them. These criteria were applied to the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) and Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) initiatives. Scores were classified as: meets the criteria (2); partially meets the criteria (1); does not meet the criteria (0). Both initiatives met all the first set of criteria. C-TAP, an initiative based on a patent pool and other open knowledge approaches, best met the second set of criteria, scoring 7 out of 12 points. ACT-A, based on pooled funds, advanced purchase agreements, and voluntary contributions, met none of the second set of criteria. Equitable access to health technologies has been a recurring problem in recent pandemics and initiatives were proposed to prevent it. However, even though COVID-19 has been the greatest health crisis in the 21st century, market dynamics still prevailed. Income disparities between countries and lack of support for solidarity and a global health approach only aggravated the negative health and economic impacts.

Improving and evaluating deep learning models of cellular organization.

Cells contain dozens of major organelles and thousands of other structures, many of which vary extensively in their number, size, shape and spatial distribution. This complexity and variation dramatically complicates the use of both traditional and deep learning methods to build accurate models of cell organization. Most cellular organelles are distinct objects with defined boundaries that do not overlap, while the pixel resolution of most imaging methods is n sufficient to resolve these boundaries. Thus while cell organization is conceptually object-based, most current methods are pixel-based. Using extensive image collections in which particular organelles were fluorescently labeled, deep learning methods can be used to build conditional autoencoder models for particular organelles. A major advance occurred with the use of a U-net approach to make multiple models all conditional upon a common reference, unlabeled image, allowing the relationships between different organelles to be at least partially inferred. We have developed improved Generative Adversarial Networks-based approaches for learning these models and have also developed novel criteria for evaluating how well synthetic cell images reflect the properties of real images. The first set of criteria measure how well models preserve the expected property that organelles do not overlap. We also developed a modified loss function that allows retraining of the models to minimize that overlap. The second set of criteria uses object-based modeling to compare object shape and spatial distribution between synthetic and real images. Our work provides the first demonstration that, at least for some organelles, deep learning models can capture object-level properties of cell images. http://murphylab.cbd.cmu.edu/Software/2022_insilico. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Criteria and Guideline for Dyslexic Intervention Games

The utilization of game-based interventions is growing as a result of technological advancements, and it has shown to be effective in the treatment of dyslexia and other medical conditions. Games are typically viewed as activities having the essential components of challenge, incentive, and reward. Games were originally created for pleasure, and they can make dyslexic teaching and learning more enjoyable and exciting. Although there are numerous applications available for treating dyslexic children, the inclusion of games and their standards in those applications has not yet been established. Therefore, there is a need for a standard design guideline to be formulated in establishing a guideline for designing and developing games specifically for dyslexic children. This article proposes a design guideline for dyslexic intervention games. Two methods have been employed which are interviews and systematic literature reviews (SLR) to discover the characteristics of dyslexic games. The first set of the criteria was developed through interviews with the stakeholders who are directly associated with dyslexic children. Scopus, the ACM digital library, EBSCO-host, Wiley, and Web of Science (WOS) are the five primary databases used in SLR. 50 articles out of the 551 that were early screened from the five primary databases are qualified to be studied based on the criteria. Only 23 publications could be selected for the study after further screening, which led to the creation of a second set of criteria. These two sets of criteria are thoroughly analyzed, combined, and formulated as a guideline which comprises of four main categories; device and platform, interface, game features, and gameplay. The guideline consists of guidance to be used for designing and developing Dyslexic therapy games with the purpose of assisting Dyslexic children to read. The guideline is believed to be beneficial to many parties especially the educational game developers, therapists, and educationist who are dealing with intervention for Dyslexic children. This study is aligned and significant to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) three and four, Good Health and Well-being and Quality Education respectively.

The vestibular implant: Opinion statement on implantation criteria for research.

This opinion statement proposes a set of candidacy criteria for vestibular implantation of adult patients with bilateral vestibulopathy (BVP) in a research setting. The criteria include disabling chronic symptoms like postural imbalance, unsteadiness of gait and/or head movement-induced oscillopsia, combined with objective signs of reduced or absent vestibular function in both ears. These signs include abnormal test results recorded during head impulses (video head impulse test or scleral coil technique), bithermal caloric testing and rotatory chair testing (sinusoidal stimulation of 0.1 Hz). Vestibular implant (VI) implantation criteria are not the same as diagnostic criteria for bilateral vestibulopathy. The major difference between VI-implantation criteria and the approved diagnostic criteria for BVP are that all included vestibular tests of semicircular canal function (head impulse test, caloric test, and rotatory chair test) need to show significant impairments of vestibular function in the implantation criteria. For this, a two-step paradigm was developed. First, at least one of the vestibular tests needs to fulfill stringent criteria, close to those for BVP. If this is applicable, then the other vestibular tests have to fulfill a second set of criteria which are less stringent than the original criteria for BVP. If the VI-implantation is intended to excite the utricle and/or saccule (otolith stimulation), responses to cervical and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials must be absent in addition to the above mentioned abnormalities of semicircular canal function. Finally, requirements for safe and potentially effective stimulation should be met, including implanting patients with BVP of peripheral origin only, and assessing possible medical and psychiatric contraindications.

Batoid nurseries: definition, use and importance

Nursery areas are crucial for many elasmobranch species, providing benefits that increase fitness and survival. Shark nurseries are well studied and our knowledge of their function and importance has expanded over the past few decades. However, little attention has been given to batoid nurseries, with studies covering less than 6% of the 663 currently described species. Threats of extinction faced by batoids reinforce the importance of defining these critical habitats. This review synthesises current knowledge of batoid nursery areas to provide a better understanding of their ecological roles and importance. Historically, different criteria have been used to define viviparous and oviparous batoid nurseries, causing confusion that could lead to failure of conservation and management strategies by under-or overestimating the importance of areas and delaying effective action. We suggest the criteria used to identify shark nurseries be applied to juvenile batoids, standardizing this nursery definition for all elasmobranchs, but we also advocate for a second set of criteria that identifies egg case nurseries. Batoids are thought to play 3 main ecological roles in nursery areas: energetic links, bioturbators and mesopredators. Biotic and abiotic features affect abundance and distribution of batoids within nurseries and likely play a key role in their habitat use. However, analysis of batoid ecological roles in nursery areas is limited by the lack of research on their early life history stages. Thus, identification of areas that support sensitive life stages and an improved understanding of early life history are crucial for the efficient management and conservation of batoid species and their nurseries.

Conservatism and Women's Political Representation

Abstract Conservative political actors appear rather troubling for many gender and politics scholars and feminist activists. What should we make of their claims to represent women? How should we best understand their actions? This article, based on a critical rereading of the empirical literature and informed by contemporary representation theory, develops a new conceptual framework for assessing the quality of women's substantive representation by conservatives. We find that under specified conditions, conservative representatives do further women's substantive representation. A first set of conditions relates to conservative claims to represent women. These are considered to be “for women” when they marry conservative women's concerns in society; when conservative representatives act and do not simply engage in rhetoric; and when their actions are not undercut by other acts, policies, or outcomes unfavorable to women. A second set of criteria considers the quality of the process of women's substantive representation. We contend that a feminist process of deliberation about women's interests can include conservative claims as long as they meet the requirements of responsiveness, inclusiveness, and egalitarianism.

Unmet need for bariatric surgery

IntroductionWith the rising prevalence of severe obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D), bariatric surgery offers a clinical and cost-effective treatment for carefully selected patients. Despite this, the provision of surgical services varies significantly between countries. ObjectiveTo inform health service planning by estimating the number of people who would potentially benefit from bariatric surgery. SettingNationally representative sample of community-dwelling older adults. MethodsWe applied two separate evidence-based criteria sets for eligibility for bariatric surgery. For the first set of criteria, we considered those with body mass index≥40 kg/m2 or≥35 kg/m2 and one or more of the following: T2D, hypertension, previous myocardial infarction, or sleep apnea. For the second set of criteria, we considered patients with T2D and body mass index≥35 kg/m2, with one or more of the following: previous myocardial infarction, elevated urine albumin-creatinine ratio, retinopathy, neuropathy, or peripheral vascular disease. Prevalence estimates were applied to census figures for 2011, estimating absolute numbers meeting the criteria. ResultsAmong adults aged≥50 years, 7.97% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 7.23, 8.78), representing 92,573 people (95% CI: 83,978, 101,981), met criteria one and 0.97% (95% CI: 0.73, 1.28), representing 11,231 people (95% CI: 8471, 14,890), met criteria two. With fewer than 1/100,000 population publicly funded surgeries taking place annually, current service provision meets much less than 0.1% of the need. ConclusionsWhile many adults who fulfill the eligibility criteria for bariatric surgery may not want or require it, the current level of need for bariatric surgical services is not being met. A strategy to develop and expand the provision of bariatric care is urgently needed.

The aesthetics of astonishment and contemplation in the early British scenic film

The field of early cinema has been strongly influenced by Tom Gunning and André Gaudreault’s ‘cinema of attractions’ model, where films produced before approximately 1906 were valued primarily because of their ability to put a view on display rather than as a vehicle for storytelling. This model of spectatorship, established by both the gaze of the spectator and the recurring look of the subjects on screen, engendered a kind of exhibitionism that was in stark contrast to both the voyeuristic drive embedded in institutional modes of narrative absorption, and earlier models of aesthetic experience, which were characterized as contemplative, because the curiosity derived from each attraction remained only momentarily and usually was induced by a visual shock. This paper will interrogate the distinction made by the second set of criteria by analyzing how many early ‘scenics’ produced in Great Britain constructed a dialectic between a state of detached contemplation and visceral immersion. It will do so by drawing on questions about the role of proximity, distance and point of view invoked by the model of spectatorship described as part of the formulation for the Romantic sublime. This early conceptualization of the relationship between subject and spectacle becomes a framework that could allow both historians and theorists to better understand the link between shock and contemplation in the realm of early film aesthetics and more broadly in the domain of landscape aesthetics.

Using Analysis of Governance to Unpack Community-Based Conservation: A Case Study from Tanzania.

Community-based conservation policies and programs are often hollow with little real devolution. But to pass a judgment of community-based or not community-based on such initiatives and programs obscures what is actually a suite of attributes. In this paper, we analyze governance around a specific case of what is nominally community-based conservation-Ikona Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Tanzania-using two complementary sets of criteria. The first relates to governance "powers": planning powers, regulatory powers, spending powers, revenue-generating powers, and the power to enter into agreements. The second set of criteria derive from the understanding of governance as a set of social functions: social coordination, shaping power, setting direction, and building community. The analysis helps to detail ways in which the Tanzanian state through policy and regulations has constrained the potential for Ikona WMA to empower communities and community actors. Although it has some features of community-based conservation, community input into how the governance social functions would be carried out in the WMA was constrained from the start and is now largely out of community hands. The two governance powers that have any significant community-based flavor-spending powers and revenue-generating powers-relate to the WMA's tourism activities, but even here the picture is equivocal at best. The unpacking of governance that we have done, however, reveals that community empowerment through the processes associated with creating and recognizing indigenous and community-conserved areas is something that can be pursued through multiple channels, some of which might be more strategic than others.

Sustainable tourism indicators: selection criteria for policy implementation and scientific recognition

The use of sustainable tourism indicators (STI) raises several issues, mainly because of the multiple interpretations of the concept of sustainable development, and by extension of the concept of sustainable tourism. It also brings to light incompatibilities between the needs and objectives of academics and policy-makers in developing a set of STI. The STI are then either scientifically relevant but too complex to be operational, or else they result from a political consensus, which could lead to conflicts of interest, such as in the destination branding strategy. In this paper, we argue that the trade-off between academic and policy-maker approaches to indicator development can be achieved through the development of core STI, based on the application of two sets of selection criteria to 507 expert-recognized indicators. The first set of criteria allows us to select 20 core STI, while the second set of criteria aims to match the selected indicators with a destination's policy framework in order to guarantee their usability. We illustrate the selection procedure using the Gaspésie region in Québec as a case study.

The Diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment due to Alzheimer’s Disease: Recommendations from the National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer’s Association Workgroups on Diagnostic Guidelines for Alzheimer’s Disease

The National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association charged a workgroup with the task of developing criteria for the symptomatic predementia phase of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), referred to in this article as mild cognitive impairment due to AD. The workgroup developed the following two sets of criteria: (1) core clinical criteria that could be used by healthcare providers without access to advanced imaging techniques or cerebrospinal fluid analysis, and (2) research criteria that could be used in clinical research settings, including clinical trials. The second set of criteria incorporate the use of biomarkers based on imaging and cerebrospinal fluid measures. The final set of criteria for mild cognitive impairment due to AD has four levels of certainty, depending on the presence and nature of the biomarker findings. Considerable work is needed to validate the criteria that use biomarkers and to standardize biomarker analysis for use in community settings.(Reprinted with permission from Alzheim...

Caught between war repressions and party purge

AbstractThe article tries to seize the role of the Second World War in the evolution of the criteria that defined the good communist. This evolution completed a shift initiated in the 1930s from genealogical criteria (social origin, political past...) to criteria focused on the communist’s inner “self.” First, the author examines the launching and mechanisms of the purge from 1942 to the immediate postwar years, at the national level as well as that of a region whose liberation started early in the war. For Moscow, the purge was a top priority despite the lack of activists in liberated territory. However, there was some misunderstanding between the various levels of authority about the criteria of censure, expulsion or reinstatement. The second part of the article examines these criteria and their meaning in the history of Soviet Party purges. Some communists were punished for the same motives that triggered judicial prosecution, whereas others were heavily censured although their acts were not considered as crimes in the penal system. The deep meaning of the purge lies in this second set of criteria: for Party members, the Second World War was indeed the “Armageddon of Revolution” (A. Weiner). It revived the original values of the good Bolshevik (fighting spirit and sense of sacrifice for the collective project) while confirming the new method of appraising Party members by scrutinizing their intimate conscience, supposedly revealed by their acts. At the same time, the ordeal did not only test communist pugnacity: more broadly, it questioned sincerity and devotion to the Party. This broader viewpoint preserved some members despite their sojourn in occupied territory. However, it deeply shook Party structures just when the latter were central to the restoration of control over society.

Caught between war repressions and party purge

AbstractThe article tries to seize the role of the Second World War in the evolution of the criteria that defined the good communist. This evolution completed a shift initiated in the 1930s from genealogical criteria (social origin, political past...) to criteria focused on the communist’s inner “self.” First, the author examines the launching and mechanisms of the purge from 1942 to the immediate postwar years, at the national level as well as that of a region whose liberation started early in the war. For Moscow, the purge was a top priority despite the lack of activists in liberated territory. However, there was some misunderstanding between the various levels of authority about the criteria of censure, expulsion or reinstatement. The second part of the article examines these criteria and their meaning in the history of Soviet Party purges. Some communists were punished for the same motives that triggered judicial prosecution, whereas others were heavily censured although their acts were not considered as crimes in the penal system. The deep meaning of the purge lies in this second set of criteria: for Party members, the Second World War was indeed the “Armageddon of Revolution” (A. Weiner). It revived the original values of the good Bolshevik (fighting spirit and sense of sacrifice for the collective project) while confirming the new method of appraising Party members by scrutinizing their intimate conscience, supposedly revealed by their acts. At the same time, the ordeal did not only test communist pugnacity: more broadly, it questioned sincerity and devotion to the Party. This broader viewpoint preserved some members despite their sojourn in occupied territory. However, it deeply shook Party structures just when the latter were central to the restoration of control over society.

The diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease: Recommendations from the National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer’s Association workgroups on diagnostic guidelines for Alzheimer's disease

The National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association charged a workgroup with the task of developing criteria for the symptomatic predementia phase of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), referred to in this article as mild cognitive impairment due to AD. The workgroup developed the following two sets of criteria: (1) core clinical criteria that could be used by healthcare providers without access to advanced imaging techniques or cerebrospinal fluid analysis, and (2) research criteria that could be used in clinical research settings, including clinical trials. The second set of criteria incorporate the use of biomarkers based on imaging and cerebrospinal fluid measures. The final set of criteria for mild cognitive impairment due to AD has four levels of certainty, depending on the presence and nature of the biomarker findings. Considerable work is needed to validate the criteria that use biomarkers and to standardize biomarker analysis for use in community settings.

Creativity assessment in school settings through problem posing tasks

Research in math education on mathematical creativity relies on the idea that creativity is potentially within all students and it can be fostered by properly structured activities. The tasks most commonly used for its assessment are problem solving and problem posing. In our approach we use problem posing tasks to get insight into students’ creativity. Based on a qualitative analysis of the participants’ answers to the questionnaire that followed the task, we define algorithmic, combined and innovative creativity as constructs that can be put in correspondence with the types and level of knowledge involved in the problem posing task. We propose criteria to identify these types of creativity and discuss aspects related to the quality of the resulting problems. A second set of criteria is defined in order to assess the novelty of the posed problems.

Clinical image quality criteria for full field digital mammography: a first practical application

In order to quantify the clinical quality of full-field digital mammography, a set of image quality parameters is developed. The set consisted of 12 image quality criteria and 8 physical characteristics of the image. The first set interrogates the visibility of anatomical structures and typical characteristics of a digital image, such as noise and saturation of dark and white areas. The second set of criteria evaluates contrast, sharpness and confidence with the representation of masses, microcalcifications and the image. The use of these criteria is reported in a retrospective study, in which the impact of dose on the radiological quality of digital mammograms is evaluated. Fifty patients acquired in a low-dose mode were retrieved and compared with 50 patients acquired in a dose mode that was set 41% higher. The dose affects, more than expected, contrast and sharpness of the image, whereas the visibility of the anatomical structures remains unchanged. With these parameters, quantification of the image quality is possible; however, because of subjectivity of the parameters, only intra-observer comparison and evaluation of the individual parameters rather than the overall results are advised. Together with physical tests of image quality, critical radiological evaluation of the quality should be included in the acceptance process of digital mammography.

A Multicriteria Decision Support Methodology for Annual Rehabilitation Programs of Water Networks

Abstract: This article provides an overview of a multicriteria decision support methodology for annual rehabilitation programs of water networks. A first set of criteria is formulated for the purpose of comparing and ranking rehabilitation projects. Each proposed criterion is a measure of a particular impact of the condition of a pipe. The ELECTRE TRI method is implemented for defining rehabilitation priorities. Two reference profiles are used to define the limits of three categories associated with three increasing priority levels. With these two reference profiles, applying the ELECTRE TRI method to an asset stock (a set of pipes that are candidates for rehabilitation) means assigning each pipe to one of six possible priority groups. A second set of criteria, based on the concept of efficiency, is proposed for comparing alternative rehabilitation programs (subsets of the asset stock).

Chapter 22: Assuring the quality, safety and efficacy of HPV vaccines: The scientific basis of regulatory expectations pre- and post-licensure

The potential of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines will only be realized if the vaccine candidates under development prove to be safe and effective and can be consistently produced to define quality standards. Whilst the responsibility for delivering a safe and effective product rests with the vaccine producer, a vaccine requires a license to allow it to be placed on the market. Licensure is based on an evaluation of the safety and efficacy profile of a vaccine candidate by national regulatory authorities, ideally on the basis of internationally agreed, science-based specifications and procedures. For vaccines, these international specifications are developed by the World Health Organization (WHO). The scientific basis for the regulatory evaluation of the safety and efficacy of HPV vaccines is described in this paper. Once a vaccine is licensed, a second set of criteria are evaluated by a different group of experts to provide advice to national health policy decision makers as to whether the vaccine should be introduced into national immunization programmes. Factors, such as evidence of high disease burden and high cost-effectiveness are taken into account in this second decision-making process.

Welche Qualitätskriterien sind Angehörigen in der stationären Altenpflege wichtig? Eine Einzelfallstudie

This single-case study undertakes to determine criteria for quality in nursing homes as deemed important by immediate family members of inhabitants. The design is an explorative, qualitative design with the aim of generating hypotheses. This study consists of two parts: 1. a case study of the selected institution 2. qualitative interviews with the family members of inhabitants. In order to describe the case study of the institution, documents about the nursing home were examined and analysed, observations in the nursing home were made, and experts of the nursing home were interviewed. Six close relatives of five inhabitants are interviewed. The results of these narrative interviews are analysed using coding (Strauss, 1998) in the context of this specific home for care of the elderly. Findings reveal that interviewees differentiate between a first set of criteria for quality of the institution, a second set of criteria for quality of the care and a third set of criteria they view as important for their relative living in the institution. The overruling priority is given to the third set of criteria among which the subjective well-being of the nursing home inhabitant dominates. Even in cases where the institution does not meet the requirements of the family member, the subjective well-being of the inhabitant is the main reason for not moving her/him to another nursing home.

La selección de las noticias en el entorno de un centro de documentación de información de actualidad

In information retrieval systems operation, lack of adequate selection criteria originates information overload and has negative consequences in relevance judgments. In the context of a news reference service, three leveis in the selection process are proposed. The first one relates to the type of sources covered by the system, the second set of criteria determines which publications are included in the process of document analysis. The last one applies to the selection of individual documents based on their informative content.