Specific Hypotheses Research Articles

Navigating Generational Change: The Role of Leadership Skills in Sustaining Family Businesses in Indonesia

A 2014 PwC survey reported that 60% of the next generation is involved in senior executive roles within family businesses, and 27% are present in the company but not as senior executives. The survey also indicated that 37% of family businesses extend up to the second generation, and 33% reach the third generation. This highlights a phenomenon in Indonesia—the lack of sustainability of family businesses across multiple generations. While acknowledging the importance of accounting, management, and internal control, effective leadership in the succeeding generation can further ensure the sustainability of a family business. Therefore, it is crucial for the preceding generation to engage in efforts to acquire or prepare for such leadership. The paradox concerning the importance of the next generation in family businesses is seen as a fundamental phenomenon for developing specific hypotheses with reference to the relationship between leadership, organizational change capability, and the sustainability of family businesses. This enables these businesses to continue thriving and expanding. This study aims to identify and analyze the rules and relationships between skills, the capability of change, and the economic sustainability of family businesses in Indonesia. Utilizing a quantitative approach with an explanatory study design, the research concludes that the impact of leadership skills on the economic sustainability of family businesses, the effect of change capability on economic sustainability, and the moderating role of change capability on the relationship between leadership skills and economic sustainability are all significant, albeit at varying levels of significance. The indirect influence of leadership skills on economic sustainability through change capability is also significant, though minimal. When change capability acts as a moderator, it is proven to strengthen the relationship between economic sustainability and leadership skills.

A review of virus host factor discovery using CRISPR screening.

The emergence of genome-scale forward genetic screening techniques, such as Haploid Genetic screen and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) knockout screen has opened new horizons in our understanding of virus infection biology. CRISPR screening has become a popular tool for the discovery of novel host factors for several viruses due to its specificity and efficiency in genome editing. Here, we review how CRISPR screening has revolutionized our understanding of virus-host interactions from scientific and technological viewpoints. A summary of the published screens conducted thus far to uncover virus host factors is presented, highlighting their experimental design and significant findings. We will outline relevant methods for customizing the CRISPR screening process to answer more specific hypotheses and compile a glossary of conducted CRISPR screens to show their design aspects. Furthermore, using flaviviruses and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as examples, we hope to offer a broad-based perspective on the capabilities of CRISPR screening to serve as a reference point to guide future unbiased discovery of virus host factors.

Synchrony dynamics underlie irregular neocortical spiking.

Cortical neurons are characterized by their variable spiking patterns. We challenge prevalent theories for the origin of spiking variability. We examine the specific hypothesis that cortical synchrony drives spiking variability in vivo . Using dynamic clamp, we demonstrate that intrinsic neuronal properties do not contribute substantially to spiking variability, but rather spiking variability emerges from weakly synchronous network drive. With large-scale electrophysiology we quantify the degree of synchrony and its time scale in cortical networks in vivo . We demonstrate that physiological levels of synchrony are sufficient to generate irregular responses found in vivo . Further, this synchrony shifts over timescales ranging from 25 to 200 ms, depending on the presence of external sensory input. Such shifts occur when the network moves from spontaneous to driven modes, leading naturally to a decline in response variability as observed across cortical areas. Finally, while individual neurons exhibit reliable responses to physiological drive, different neurons respond in a distinct fashion according to their intrinsic properties, contributing to stable synchrony across the neural network.

Inference in cluster randomized trials with matched pairs

This paper studies inference in cluster randomized trials where treatment status is determined according to a “matched pairs” design. Here, by a cluster randomized experiment, we mean one in which treatment is assigned at the level of the cluster; by a “matched pairs” design, we mean that a sample of clusters is paired according to baseline, cluster-level covariates and, within each pair, one cluster is selected at random for treatment. We study the large-sample behavior of a weighted difference-in-means estimator and derive two distinct sets of results depending on if the matching procedure does or does not match on cluster size. We then propose a single variance estimator which is consistent in either regime. Combining these results establishes the asymptotic exactness of tests based on these estimators. Next, we consider the properties of two common testing procedures based on t-tests constructed from linear regressions, and argue that both are generally conservative in our framework. We additionally study the behavior of a randomization test which permutes the treatment status for clusters within pairs, and establish its finite-sample and asymptotic validity for testing specific null hypotheses. Finally, we propose a covariate-adjusted estimator which adjusts for additional baseline covariates not used for treatment assignment, and establish conditions under which such an estimator leads to strict improvements in precision. A simulation study confirms the practical relevance of our theoretical results.

OS FUNDAMENTOS DA PRESUNÇÃO DE RELEVÂNCIA E TRANSCENDÊNCIA PARA O RECURSO ESPECIAL EM AÇÕES DE IMPROBIDADE ADMINISTRATIVA E A EFETIVIDADE DOS DIREITOS FUNDAMENTAIS

After the promulgation of Constitutional Amendment No. 125/2022, which introduced the relevance filter for the special appeal, it started a debate regarding the concept and scope of this institute, especially when considering the hypotheses of presumption of transcendence inserted in the constitutional text itself. In this research, we seek to address the concept of the relevance filter, focusing on a specific presumption hypothesis addressed in the constitutional text: the presumption of relevance in administrative improbity actions. In this area, using the method of bibliographic and documentary review and an interdisciplinary approach, the aim is, then, to justify the presumption of relevance in this specific hypothesis, proposing the recognition, also, of a presumption of transcendence. In this way, an alternative is proposed to support the possibility of setting precedents of a binding nature in administrative improbity actions, as a general rule, as a way of giving greater effectiveness to a liability regime with outstanding importance in the legal system, aiming to achieve fundamental rights.

Sensitive Profiling of Mouse Liver Membrane Proteome Dysregulation Following a High-Fat and Alcohol Diet Treatment.

Alcohol consumption and high-fat (HF) diets often coincide in Western society, resulting in synergistic negative effects on liver function. Although studies have analyzed the global protein expression in the context of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), none has offered specific insights on liver dysregulation at the membrane proteome level. Membrane-specific profiling of metabolic and compensatory phenomena is usually overshadowed in conventional proteomic workflows. In this study, we use the Peptidisc method to isolate and compare the membrane protein (MP) content of the liver with its unique biological functions. From mice fed with an HF diet and ethanol in drinking water, we annotate over 1500 liver proteins with half predicted to have at least one transmembrane segment. Among them, we identify 106 integral MPs that are dysregulated compared to the untreated sample. Gene Ontology analysis reveals several dysregulated membrane-associated processes like lipid metabolism, cell adhesion, xenobiotic processing, and mitochondrial membrane formation. Pathways related to cholesterol and bile acid transport are also mutually affected, suggesting an adaptive mechanism to counter the upcoming steatosis of the liver model. Taken together, our Peptidisc-based profiling of the diet-dysregulated liver provides specific insights and hypotheses into the role of the transmembrane proteome in disease development, and flags desirable MPs for therapeutic and diagnostic targeting.

Healthcare Service Delivery and Patients’ Satisfaction in Public Hospitals in Akwa Ibom State

This study is centred on healthcare service delivery and patients’ satisfaction in public hospitals in Akwa Ibom State. We formulated two specific objectives and hypotheses to guide this investigation. We also adopted a cross-sectional research approach and selected the respondents using simple random sampling. Given the study's infinite population, we used the Topman formula to determine the sample size. The data assembled from the participants was analysed using the simple linear regression technique. Findings from the study demonstrated that patient waiting time (PWT) and healthcare provider-patient communication (HCP-PC) have positive and significant effects on patient satisfaction in selected public hospitals in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The researcher’s conclusion is that healthcare service delivery has a significant positive effect on patients’ healthcare satisfaction in the studied public hospitals in Akwa Ibom State. Based on these findings, public hospitals should prioritise the proper management of patient administrative concerns, as this could potentially reduce patient waiting times. Given that patients place their trust in healthcare workers, it is important for healthcare providers in the studied public hospitals to respect their private healthcare information.

Fronto-Central Changes in Multiple Frequency Bands in Active Tactile Width Discrimination Task.

The neural basis of tactile processing in humans has been extensively studied; however, the neurophysiological basis of human width discrimination remains relatively unexplored. In particular, the changes that occur in neural networks underlying active tactile width discrimination learning have yet to be described. Here, it is hypothesized that subjects learning to perform the active version of the width discrimination task would present changes in behavioral data and in the neurophysiological activity, specifically in networks of electrodes relevant for tactile and motor processing. The specific hypotheses tested here were that the performance and response latency of subjects would change between the first and the second blocks; the power of the different frequency bands would change between the first and the second blocks; electrode F4 would encode task performance and response latency through changes in the power of the delta, theta, alpha, beta, and low-gamma frequency bands; the relative power in the alpha and beta frequency bands in electrodes C3 and C4 (Interhemispheric Spectral Difference-ISD) would change because of learning between the first and the second blocks. To test this hypothesis, we recorded and analyzed electroencephalographic (EEG) activity while subjects performed a session where they were tested twice (i.e., two different blocks) in an active tactile width discrimination task using their right index finger. Subjects (n = 18) presented high performances (high discrimination accuracy) already in their first block, and therefore no significant improvements were found in the second block. Meanwhile, a reduction in response latency was observed between the two blocks. EEG recordings revealed an increase in power for the low-gamma frequency band (30-45 Hz) for electrodes F3 and C3 from the first to the second block. This change was correlated with neither performance nor latency. Analysis of the neural activity in electrode F4 revealed that the beta frequency band encoded the subjects' performance. Meanwhile, the delta frequency band in the same electrode revealed a complex pattern where blocks appeared clustered in two different patterns: an Upper Pattern (UP), where power and latency were highly correlated (Rho = 0.950), and a sparser and more uncorrelated Lower Pattern (LP). Blocks belonging to the UP or LP patterns did not differ in performance and were not specific to the first or the second block. However, blocks belonging to the LP presented an increase in response latency, increased variability in performance, and an increased ISD in alpha and beta frequency bands for the pair of electrodes C3-C4, suggesting that the LP may reflect a state related to increased cognitive load or task difficulty. These results suggest that changes in performance and latency in an active tactile width discrimination task are encoded in the delta, alpha, beta, and low-gamma frequency bands in a fronto-central network. The main contribution of this study is therefore related to the description of neural dynamics in frontal and central networks involved in the learning process of active tactile width discrimination.

Analyzing User Satisfaction of the SMP Negeri 1 Sungai Lilin Website Using the End User Computing Satisfaction (EUCS) Method

Education plays a central role in society, with schools serving as crucial institutions in providing access to relevant information for all stakeholders. With advancements in technology, many schools have established an online presence through their websites. SMP Negeri 1 Sungai Lilin is one such school that provides various information related to school activities on its website. However, overall user engagement and feedback, particularly from students, have been limited, and the level of user satisfaction remains unknown. This study aims to analyze the user satisfaction of the school website using a quantitative descriptive approach to test specific hypotheses. Data were collected from 250 respondents selected through purposive sampling, conducted at SMP Negeri 1 Sungai Lilin between February and April 2024. The End User Computing Satisfaction (EUCS) method was employed to assess user satisfaction and the influencing factors. EUCS evaluates satisfaction based on five parameters: content, accuracy, format, ease of use, and timeliness. Data analysis was conducted using multiple linear regression and classical assumption tests, processed with SPSS version 23. Initial validity and reliability tests revealed inadequacies, but subsequent tests confirmed that all instruments were valid and reliable. The results confirm that all research hypotheses are accepted. The F-test results indicate that the regression coefficients of content, accuracy, format, ease of use, and timeliness significantly affect user satisfaction (sig < 0.05). The T-test results further reveal that each variable positively influences user satisfaction individually (sig < 0.05). An R Square value of 0.297 suggests that 29.7% of user satisfaction is explained by the variables of content, accuracy, format, ease of use, and timeliness, indicating a weak relationship, while the remaining 70.3% is influenced by other factors not included in this study. The findings indicate that respondents generally exhibit low levels of satisfaction when using the SMP Negeri 1 Sungai Lilin website, as evidenced by the influence of content, accuracy, format, ease of use, and timeliness on user satisfaction.

Diverging destinies: How children are faring under demographic transition

India reached the replacement level of fertility in 2020. However, the journey of fertility transition is unconventional and heterogeneous within the country and across the different socio-economic groups. The fertility transition is considered to be faster than its socio-economic and health transition in several states. Thus, it has been presumed that the returns to fertility decline are heterogeneous across the states and population sub-groups. Our specific hypothesis is that although rich and poor, and educated and un-educated, everyone had significantly contributed to the fertility decline in response to family planning policies, only those socio-economically better-off have been investing relatively more in their children compared to the poor, and this has led to diverging destinies for children. We tested this supposition using a macro-level panel dataset (1992–2021), fixed and random effects, and IV regression models. The results confirm that child health care and outcomes have diverged while fertility declined from 1992 to 2021. These results are sustained in multiple robustness checks. While fertility is declining with highly state-sponsored family planning programmes, the persistent socio-economic inequalities are leading to unequal progress in health outcomes for children in India.

Privacy-Preserving Search on Medical Data.

Data sharing spaces for medical data are necessary to facilitate research. To make medical data available for research, a mechanism is preferable that not only provides data a researcher has legal access to, but also contributes to the investigation of their specific research hypothesis. We propose a three-party two-stage search algorithm initiated by a researcher on centrally stored but technically and organizationally separated data. The search seeks to minimize the risk of reidentification of patients and to enable data minimization. In the first stage, we only access data IDs of patients meeting the cohort criteria. In the second stage, the actual data is downloaded if the set of matching patients satisfies the minimum cohort size. Our approach is privacy preserving, as only the researcher is able to connect medical and demographic data, while no single malicious party can get data access. We thereby hope to pave the way for a privacy-aware health data sharing space as currently proposed by the EU.

Development of the Patient-Reported Indicator Surveys (PaRIS) conceptual framework to monitor and improve the performance of primary care for people living with chronic conditions

BackgroundThe Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Patient-Reported Indicator Surveys (PaRIS) initiative aims to support countries in improving care for people living with chronic conditions by collecting information on...

Activated sludge microbial community assembly: the role of influent microbial community immigration.

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are host to diverse microbial communities and receive a constant influx of microbes from influent wastewater. However, the impact of immigrants on the structure and activities of the activated sludge (AS) microbial community remains unclear. To gain insight on this phenomenon known as perpetual community coalescence, the current study utilized controlled manipulative experiments that decoupled the influent wastewater composition from the microbial populations to reveal the fundamental mechanisms involved in immigration between sewers and AS-WWTP. The immigration dynamics of heterotrophs were analyzed by harvesting wastewater biomass solids from three different sewer systems and adding to synthetic wastewater. Immigrating influent populations were observed to contribute up to 14% of the sequencing reads in the AS. By modeling the net growth rate of taxa, it was revealed that immigrants primarily exhibited low or negative net growth rates. By developing a protocol to reproducibly grow AS-WWTP communities in the lab, we have laid down the foundational principles for the testing of operational factors creating community variations with low noise and appropriate replication. Understanding the processes that drive microbial community diversity and assembly is a key question in microbial ecology. In the future, this knowledge can be used to manipulate the structure of microbial communities and improve system performance in WWTPs.IMPORTANCEIn biological wastewater treatment processes, the microbial community composition is essential in the performance and stability of the system. This study developed a reproducible protocol to investigate the impact of influent immigration (or perpetual coalescence of the sewer and activated sludge communities) with appropriate reproducibility and controls, allowing intrinsic definitions of core and immigrant populations to be established. The method developed herein will allow sequential manipulative experiments to be performed to test specific hypothesis and optimize wastewater treatment processes to meet new treatment goals.

The ethical motivation for post-normal science

This paper focuses on the concept of post-normal science, originally proposed by Silvio Funtowicz and Jerome Ravetz, as an advanced method of knowledge generation for policy, and reflects on the ethical motivations for both its theoretical meaning and its practical realisation. In order to put the reflection on the why and how of post-normal science in a broader contemporary and future-oriented context, I will first elaborate on what I call ‘the politics of hypothesis’ and argue that the fundamental challenge for science that aims to advice policy today is not the problem of strategic manipulation of scientific advice by politics, civil society or the market, but rather the problem of dealing with the lack of evidence in situations where politics, civil society or the market ‘need’ that evidence to (urgently) inform, criticise or justify specific actions or practices. Confronted with the need to deal with incomplete and speculative knowledge, in many cases, scientific hypotheses have become the ‘end products’ of science themselves, and society has no other choice than to deal with them in a responsible way. The challenge of science in these cases is therefore not any longer the production of convincing proofs, it is the construction of credible hypotheses. Against this backdrop, a second part will recall how the normative motivation for post-normal science was originally worked out by Funtowicz and Ravetz. I will re-emphasize why and how the argumentation of Funtowicz and Ravetz in favour of the democratisation of science and the opening up of the dialogue to include opinions, beliefs and lay knowledge of ‘non-experts’ is ethical. Consequently, the third part proposes some paths for further ethical reflection with regard to the value and meaning of post-normal science in the ‘post-normal age’. I will briefly elaborate on the concept of transdisciplinarity, the idea of ‘co-creation’ of complexity, the concept of holism and the idea of the unavoidable moral authority of the present generation in intergenerational ethics. The reason is that each of these explorations is at the same time and in its own way an invitation to reflect on who we are as humanity, and on how we can possibly make sense of things for the better. I hope to make clear not only how these concepts and ideas may inspire the ethics of post-normal science, but also that they should become topic of concern in post-normal science dialogues themselves. Finally, in conclusion, I will situate the original ethical motivation for post-normal science in a broader perspective on responsible knowledge generation ‘in face of’ the complexity of complex problems and argue that the overall ethical motivation for postnormal science is to enable an emancipatory and (respectfully) confrontational dialogue and not to come to a full understanding of the complexity of a complex problem or to ‘proof’ specific hypotheses. I will consequently suggest that, responding to the ‘ethical appeal’ of complexity, ‘reflexivity’ with respect to the own position, interests, strategies, hopes, hypotheses, believes and concerns would be the fundamental ethical attitude for anyone concerned. Reflexivity as a ‘quality’ of the science-policy interface does not only require science to reform in order to enable it to generate more reflexive policy advice, but also politics to reform into inclusive and deliberative forms of decision making prepared to become inspired and instructed by that reflexive policy advice. Post-normal science can in that sense be understood as a ‘method’ that can generate reflexivity at the science-policy interface and even as a deliberate political ‘act’ of knowledge generation involving science, political decision makers and civil society.

Alternating gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine alone versus continuous gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel after induction treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer (ALPACA): a multicentre, randomised, open-label, phase 2 trial

A standardised dose-reduction strategy has not been established for the widely used gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel regimen in patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of alternating treatment cycles of nab-paclitaxel-gemcitabine combination therapy and gemcitabine alone versus continuous treatment with the nab-paclitaxel-gemcitabine combination. ALPACA was a randomised, open-label, phase 2 trial conducted at 29 study centres across Germany. Patients aged 18 years or older with a histologically or cytologically confirmed diagnosis of metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who had not been previously treated for advanced disease were enrolled. After an induction phase with three cycles of nab-paclitaxel-gemcitabine combination therapy (nab-paclitaxel 125 mg/m2 and gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 administered intravenously on days 1, 8, and 15 of each 28-day cycle), patients were randomly assigned (1:1) by stratified permuted block randomisation either to continue treatment with standard nab-paclitaxel-gemcitabine or to receive alternating cycles of nab-paclitaxel-gemcitabine and gemcitabine alone. Patients and investigators were not masked to treatment allocation. Randomisation was done centrally by the study statistician using a computer-generated randomisation list, and was stratified by Karnofsky Performance Status and presence of liver metastases. The primary endpoint was the derivation of an unbiased point estimate and an associated confidence interval with a confidence coefficient of 80% for the hazard ratio (HR) for overall survival after randomisation, without testing a specific hypothesis, analysed by intention to treat in all patients who started randomised treatment. Safety was analysed according to treatment received. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02564146, and is completed. Between May 27, 2016, and May 27, 2021, 325 patients were enrolled. Following three cycles of induction treatment, 174 patients were randomly assigned: 85 to continue receiving standard nab-paclitaxel-gemcitabine, of whom 79 started treatment, and 89 to the alternating treatment schedule, of whom 88 started treatment. Of the 167 patients who started randomised treatment, 88 (53%) were female and 79 (47%) were male. Median overall survival after randomisation was 10·4 months (80% CI 9·2-12·0) in the group that received standard treatment and 10·5 months (10·2-11·1) in the group that received alternating treatment (HR 0·90, 80% CI 0·72-1·13; p=0·56). The most common adverse events of any grade were peripheral neuropathy (59 [74%] of 80 patients in the continuous treatment group vs 53 [62%] of 85 patients in the alternating treatment group) and fatigue (43 [54%] vs 44 [52%]). Treatment-emergent serious adverse events after randomisation occurred in 40 (50%) patients in the continuous treatment group and in 28 (33%) in the alternating treatment group. Fewer treatment-emergent adverse events of grade 3 or higher occurred in patients treated with alternating cycles compared with those receiving standard therapy, especially for peripheral neuropathy (17 [21%] patients in the continuous treatment group vs 12 [14%] in the alternating treatment group) and infections (16 [20%] vs nine [11%]). There were two treatment-related deaths after randomisation, both in the continuous treatment group (one multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, not treated after randomisation, and one interstitial lung disease). Our findings suggest that a dose-reduced regimen with alternating cycles of nab-paclitaxel-gemcitabine and gemcitabine alone after three induction cycles is associated with similar overall survival to that for standard treatment with nab-paclitaxel-gemcitabine, but with improved tolerability. We therefore propose that a switch to the alternating schedule could be considered in a clinical setting for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer who have at least stable disease after three cycles of nab-paclitaxel-gemcitabine treatment. Celgene/Bristol Myers Squibb.

Questioning the use in a Muslim society of an IPIP measure of the Big Five Factors: a problem with reverse-coded items?

ABSTRACT This paper examines within a Muslim society the inte­rnal consistency reliability of an established IPIP measure of the Five Factor Model of personality drawing on the International Personality Item Pool. The specific hypothesis under investigation concerned the performance of the negatively-voiced items included within the measure, testing whether these items (that may imply disrespect for self) detract from the unidimensionality of the five factors. Data provided by 370 young adults between the ages of 18 and 26 years who were born in Punjab and who had lived there since their birth supported this hypothesis. The recommendation is that further work is now required to revisit the IPIP to source items to construct and test a new IPIP measure of the Five Factor Model of personality specifically designed for use in Muslim societies.

Mixbiotic society measures: Assessment of community well-going as living system.

Social isolation and fragmentation represent global challenges, with the former stemming from a lack of interaction and the latter from exclusive mobs-both rooted in communication issues. Addressing these challenges, the philosophical realm introduces the concept of the "mixbiotic society." In this framework, individuals with diverse freedoms and values mix together in physical proximity with diverse mingling, recognizing their respective "fundamental incapacities" and uniting in solidarity. This study aims to provide novel measures to balance freedom and solidarity, specifically the intermediate between isolation and mobbing, within a mixbiotic society. To achieve this, we introduce simplified measures to evaluate dynamic communication patterns. These measures complement traditional social network analysis of static structures and conventional entropy-based assessments of dynamic patterns. Our specific hypothesis posits that the measures corresponding to four distinct phases are established by representing communication patterns as multidimensional vectors. These measures include the mean of Euclidean distance to quantify "mobism" for fragmentation, the relative distance change for "atomism" indicating isolation, and a composite measure derived from multiplying the mean and variance of cosine similarity for "mixism," reflecting the well-going state of a mixbiotic society. Additionally, nearly negligible measures correspond to "nihilism." Through the evaluation of seven real-society datasets (high school, primary school, workplace, village, conference, online community, and email), we demonstrate the utility of the "mixism" measure in assessing freedom and solidarity in society. These measures can be employed to typify communities on a radar chart and a communication trajectory graph. The superiority of the measures lies in their ability to evaluate dynamic patterns, ease of calculation, and easily interpretable meanings compared to conventional analyses. As a future development, alongside additional validation using diverse datasets, the mixbiotic society measures will be employed to analyze social issues and applied in the fields of digital democracy and platform cooperativism.

Determining a Statistical Analysis for the Quantitative Study in Research

The manner in which research will be conducted follows from the research questions or hypotheses; the type of research must be in support of the project. Several types of research are conducted in studies, including experimental, quasi-experimental, and observational research. Researchers must weigh the advantages and drawbacks of each type of research to determine which design is best for their specific research questions or hypotheses. Alternately, researchers can employ several methods, known as triangulation, to provide a varied and complementary perspective. The use of several methods, measures, or theoretical frameworks to examine a particular phenomenon or behavior improves the robustness of study and can corroborate findings across the various measures (Keyton 2014). Quantitative Designs states the research questions the study will answer, identifies the variables, and states the hypotheses (predictive statements) using the format appropriate for the specific design. For a quantitative study, the theory(ies) or models(s) guides the research question(s) and justifies what is being measured (variables) and describes how those variables are related. Quantitative study: Describes each research variable in the study discussing the prior empirical research that has been done on the variable(s) and the relationship between variables. The overall structure for a quantitative design is based on the scientific method. It uses deductive reasoning, where the researcher forms a hypothesis (Albers, 2017), collects data in an investigation of the problem, and then uses the data from the investigation, after analysis is made and conclusions are shared, to prove the hypotheses not false or false

Quantifying massively parallel microbial growth with spatially mediated interactions.

Quantitative understanding of microbial growth is an essential prerequisite for successful control of pathogens as well as various biotechnology applications. Even though the growth of cell populations has been extensively studied, microbial growth remains poorly characterised at the spatial level. Indeed, even isogenic populations growing at different locations on solid growth medium typically show significant location-dependent variability in growth. Here we show that this variability can be attributed to the initial physiological states of the populations, the interplay between populations interacting with their local environment and the diffusion of nutrients and energy sources coupling the environments. We further show how the causes of this variability change throughout the growth of a population. We use a dual approach, first applying machine learning regression models to discover that location dominates growth variability at specific times, and, in parallel, developing explicit population growth models to describe this spatial effect. In particular, treating nutrient and energy source concentration as a latent variable allows us to develop a mechanistic resource consumer model that captures growth variability across the shared environment. As a consequence, we are able to determine intrinsic growth parameters for each local population, removing confounders common to location-dependent variability in growth. Importantly, our explicit low-parametric model for the environment paves the way for massively parallel experimentation with configurable spatial niches for testing specific eco-evolutionary hypotheses.

Multiple pandemic waves vs multi-period/multi-phasic epidemics: Global shape of the COVID-19 pandemic

The overall course of the COVID-19 pandemic in Western countries has been characterized by complex sequences of phases. In the period before the arrival of vaccines, these phases were mainly due to the alternation between the strengthening/lifting of social distancing measures, with the aim to balance the protection of health and that of the society as a whole. After the arrival of vaccines, this multi-phasic character was further emphasized by the complicated deployment of vaccination campaigns and the onset of virus’ variants. To cope with this multi-phasic character, we propose a theoretical approach to the modeling of overall pandemic courses, that we term multi-period/multi-phasic, based on a specific definition of phase. This allows a unified and parsimonious representation of complex epidemic courses even when vaccination and virus’ variants are considered, through sequences of weak ergodic renewal equations that become fully ergodic when appropriate conditions are met. Specific hypotheses on epidemiological and intervention parameters allow reduction to simple models. The framework suggest a simple, theory driven, approach to data explanation that allows an accurate reproduction of the overall course of the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy since its beginning (February 2020) up to omicron onset, confirming the validity of the concept.