Systematic Review Of Recent Research Research Articles

Social Robots: A Promising Tool to Support People with Autism. A Systematic Review of Recent Research and Critical Analysis from the Clinical Perspective

AbstractIn the past decade, interdisciplinary research has revealed the potential benefits of using social robots in the care of individuals with autism. There is a growing interest in integrating social robots into clinical practice. However, while significant efforts have been made to develop and test the technical aspects, clinical validation and implementation lag behind. This article presents a systematic literature review from a clinical perspective, focusing on articles that demonstrate clinical relevance through experimental studies. These studies are analysed and critically discussed in terms of their integration into healthcare and care practices. The goal is to assist healthcare professionals in identifying opportunities and limitations in their practice and to promote further interdisciplinary cooperation.

An update of skin permeability data based on a systematic review of recent research

The cutaneous absorption parameters of xenobiotics are crucial for the development of drugs and cosmetics, as well as for assessing environmental and occupational chemical risks. Despite the great variability in the design of experimental conditions due to uncertain international guidelines, datasets like HuskinDB have been created to report skin absorption endpoints. This review updates available skin permeability data by rigorously compiling research published between 2012 and 2021. Inclusion and exclusion criteria have been selected to build the most harmonized and reusable dataset possible. The Generative Topographic Mapping method was applied to the present dataset and compared to HuskinDB to monitor the progress in skin permeability research and locate chemotypes of particular concern. The open-source dataset (SkinPiX) includes steady-state flux, maximum flux, lag time and permeability coefficient results for the substances tested, as well as relevant information on experimental parameters that can impact the data. It can be used to extract subsets of data for comparisons and to build predictive models.

Shifting ethical priorities and the architectural profession: a systematic review of recent research and its alignment with contemporary professional codes of conduct

PurposeThe architectural profession faces an increasingly complex ethical landscape. In recent decades, the ethical foundations for architecture – formally defined in professional codes of conduct and reflected in regulatory frameworks – have expanded to incorporate imperatives derived from environmental and social responsibilities. The present research examines how these expanding ethical expectations are reflected in, and supported by, recent research about architectural ethics.Design/methodology/approachAnalysis is based on a systematic review of recent research (2002–2023) focussing on ethical values and associated behaviours in the architectural profession. The review identifies 37 research articles (from a starting set of 2,483 articles), which are analysed empirically and then qualitatively to draw out views around three types of ethical behaviour. The paper then discusses how these findings align thematically with the evolving ethical needs of architectural practitioners (as defined in the professional codes of ethics and conduct of the RIBA in the UK, AIA in Australia and the AIA in the USA).FindingsWhile business ethics remains the focus of past research, there has been a rise in research about ethics and social and environmental factors. The content of professional codes reflects this shift, setting the conditions for architects to aspire to increased expectations of environmental and social responsibility.Originality/valueThis article undertakes the first systematic review of recent research about architectural ethics and its alignment with the content of contemporary professional codes. Organised thematically, recent research about ethical values and associated behaviours can offer guidance for the evolving ethical needs of architects.

Recent studies on Indian primates show declining population trends, even in protected areas

AbstractPopulation size and geographical range are the key quantitative criteria used by the IUCN to assess the conservation status of a species. However, such information is often incomplete and inconsistent, even for seemingly abundant species. To assess the population and conservation status of Indian primates, we conducted a systematic review of recent research using the searching, appraisal, synthesis and analysis (SALSA) approach. We reviewed a total of 41 studies on Indian primates conducted during the last 2 decades (2000–2021) for information on various parameters that influence their conservation. We found that 20 out of a total of 26 primate species were evaluated for their population status, and the majority of these studies (71%) showed an overall declining population trend. Remarkably, all but one of the studies conducted exclusively within protected areas revealed declining population trends, whereas trends were more variable for primate populations in non-protected areas. Our data indicate that only 27% (n = 7) of Indian primate species have been surveyed or re-surveyed to assess their population status within the last 5 years. Although threats vary in time and space from species to species, 78% of the studies recorded natural system modifications including habitat loss and fragmentation among the main threats to the survival of Indian primates. Most studies on the population status of Indian primates have either been spatially limited or used outdated methods. We recommend that future studies adopt robust techniques to estimate populations and work across larger geographical scales to develop effective management strategies for the conservation of primates in India.

Task Design Features and Pragmatics Learning: A Systematic Review of Recent Research

The learning effects of task-based interaction is an emerging topic in the field of instructed pragmatics for ESL learners. Specifically, researchers are exploring the impact of different task features on pragmatics learning. This article reports a review of the extant research. First, the review aimed to identify specific task design and implementation characteristics that appeared to enhance learners’ use of pragmatic features during task performance. Inter alia, the review indicated greater benefits from tasks which learners completed collaboratively versus individually and tasks which presented learners with relatively complex versus relatively simple cognitive demands. Secondly, the review aimed to assess evidence of learning across this body of research. The review could not establish whether the enhanced pragmatic language use observed during task performance equated with long-term learning as very few studies included delayed post-tests, an obvious lacuna in the body of research to date.

Boosting Creativity through Users' Avatars and Contexts in Virtual Environments-A Systematic Review of Recent Research.

As an artificial space extended from the physical environment, the virtual environment (VE) provides more possibilities for humans to work and be entertained with less physical restrictions. Benefiting from anonymity, one of the important features of VEs, users are able to receive visual stimuli that might differ from the physical environment through digital representations presented in VEs. Avatars and contextual cues in VEs can be considered as digital representations of users and contexts. In this article, we analyzed 21 articles that examined the creativity-boosting effects of different digital user and contextual representations. We summarized the main effects induced by these two digital representations, notably the effect induced by the self-similar avatar, Proteus effect, avatar with Social Identity Cues, priming effect induced by contextual representation, and embodied metaphorical effect. In addition, we examined the influence of immersion on creativity by comparing non-immersive and immersive VEs (i.e., desktop VE and headset VE, respectively). Last, we discussed the roles of embodiment and presence in the creativity in VEs, which were overlooked in the past research.

How to Improve Self-regulation among Preschoolers

In this paper, a thorough review is provided of how different aspects of self-regulation are affecting a child's development and the manner in which they are influenced by various components of self-regulation in the process of development. The ability to self-regulation has been recognized to be one of the most essential components in the development of cognitive, behavioral, and academic abilities. It is noteworthy that there have been only a few studies that have specifically focused on preschoolers, who are proved to be at the perfect age to learn self-regulation. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to critically comment a number of recent studies on how to improve self-regulated skills in preschool children following a systematic review of recent research and gives some constructive opinions. It presents an analysis of three different types of interventions: physical activities, mindfulness practices, and game-based interventions. In spite of the strengths and weaknesses of each form of self-regulation learning, the paper concludes that both physical and game-based activities are more practical and acceptable to preschoolers, while mindfulness is suggested to apply among special groups. Additionally, at the end of the paper, two common disabilities which suffer from hard-wired deficiencies in the ability to self-regulate their development are also mentioned and discussed in order to encourage future research on these special groups. This paper provides some reference for follow-up research.

Human–robot collaboration and machine learning: A systematic review of recent research

Technological progress increasingly envisions the use of robots interacting with people in everyday life. Human–robot collaboration (HRC) is the approach that explores the interaction between a human and a robot, during the completion of a common objective, at the cognitive and physical level. In HRC works, a cognitive model is typically built, which collects inputs from the environment and from the user, elaborates and translates these into information that can be used by the robot itself. Machine learning is a recent approach to build the cognitive model and behavioural block, with high potential in HRC. Consequently, this paper proposes a thorough literature review of the use of machine learning techniques in the context of human–robot collaboration. 45 key papers were selected and analysed, and a clustering of works based on the type of collaborative tasks, evaluation metrics and cognitive variables modelled is proposed. Then, a deep analysis on different families of machine learning algorithms and their properties, along with the sensing modalities used, is carried out. Among the observations, it is outlined the importance of the machine learning algorithms to incorporate time dependencies. The salient features of these works are then cross-analysed to show trends in HRC and give guidelines for future works, comparing them with other aspects of HRC not appeared in the review. • Machine learning is assuming an important role in human–robot collaboration. • Features of human–robot collaboration works using machine learning are reported. • It is crucial to use machine learning techniques sensitive to time dependencies. • Stacking multiple machine learning models is an approach suggested to pursue.

The Effect of Tissue Flossing Technique on Sports and Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review of Recent Research

Flossband, as a novel and effective tissue flossing technique, is becoming increasingly popular in the field of athletic training, sports injury prevention, and rehabilitation. The purpose of this literature review is to summarize updated evidence about the effects of flossband application on joint range of motion (ROM), pain, muscle tightness, strength, and physical functional performance as well as identify research gaps for future study. Google Scholar, PubMed, EBSCO, and Web of Science were used to search related articles. The keywords of floss bands, flossbands, floss band, tissue flossing, flossing band, voodoo floss band, voodoo floss bands, track floss, rock floss, life floss band, and Rogue voodoo floss were used to extract target articles. English journal articles, full-text available, and content related to outcome measures were included. Conference abstracts, books, case studies, guideline reviews were omitted. 23 full-text journal articles were included for further qualitative analysis after removing duplicates and deleting articles that violate the screening criterion. Flossband application on limbs, soft tissue, or joints with about 50% flossing tension or 150 mmHg wrapping pressure could have small to medium effects on the parameters of ROM, muscle stiffness, muscle strength, and physical function performance, and large effects on pain management. Most previous studies were mainly focused on the acute effect of flossband application on peripheral joints or soft tissues in healthy and active participants or well-trained athletes. Therefore, for future studies, more evidence is needed on the benefits of long-term flossband trunk application and concerning patients with various diseases.

Pornography Use and Holistic Sexual Functioning: a Systematic Review of Recent Research

Purpose of ReviewPornography use is a common recreational activity in most developed nations with unrestricted internet access. As public awareness of pornography’s popularity has grown, so have concerns about potentially deleterious effects of pornography. One domain of particular concern has been the impact of pornography use and online sexual behaviors on sexual wellbeing. Over recent years, a number of studies have examined how pornography use relates to sexual wellbeing. The present work seeks to review such literature, with a particular focus on the effects of pornography on sexual functioning and sexual satisfaction. To this end, a systematic review of recent research (within the past 5 years) was conducted.Recent FindingsA total of 44 articles were included in the systematic review. In some situations, pornography use is associated with greater sexual functioning and greater sexual satisfaction, and in other cases it seems to be associated with lower sexual functioning and lower sexual satisfaction. Specifically, mere pornography use itself was most often not associated with sexual functioning in either direction, but self-reported problematic use of pornography was consistently associated with more sexual functioning problems.SummaryCollectively, results suggest a nuanced understanding of the effects of pornography on sexual wellbeing, with the context of and perceptions about pornography use being extremely important in predicting whether or not pornography has negative effects.

Social Aspects of Electric Vehicles Research—Trends and Relations to Sustainable Development Goals

E-mobility sustainability assessment is becoming more comprehensive with research integrating social aspects without focusing only on technical, economic, and/or environmental perspectives. The transportation sector is indeed one of the leading and most challenging greenhouse gas polluters, and e-mobility is seen as one of the potential solutions; however, a social perspective must be further investigated to improve the perception of and acceptance of electric vehicles. This could consequently lead to the European Green Deal’s holy grail: faster decarbonization of the transportation sector. Another way to achieve it is by promoting more comprehensive sustainable development goals. Therefore, this paper combines a systematic review of recent research with research emphasis focused on social aspects of electric vehicles and their interconnection with specific UN Sustainable Development Goals. By knowing the current research focus mainly related with “perception” of electric vehicles and assessing their social “impact” as well as an emerging area of “user experience” and their relations with UN Sustainable Development Goals enables better insight on the current and future directions of electric vehicle social sustainability research. The current priority is identified as “climate actions”. Increasingly important “sustainable cities and communities” shows potential for becoming one of the future research, policy, and community priorities.

Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Among Sexual and Gender Minority Youth: a Systematic Review of Recent Research

Research has demonstrated that sexual and gender minority youth are at elevated risk for self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs). This systematic review aimed to synthesize and critically examine research published within the last 5 years, with a particular emphasis on (1) prevalence rates; (2) disparities over time; and (3) individual- and macro-level risk and protective factors contributing to risk for SITBs within this population. Overall, 97 peer-reviewed articles, published since 2015, were identified for inclusion. Across studies, rates of SITBs among sexual and gender minority youth were substantially elevated compared to heterosexual and/or cisgender youth and the general population. Studies identified several common risk factors, including bullying and other forms of victimization, minority-specific discrimination and harassment, and general mental health factors, as well as several common protective factors, including support from close others, school-based programs, and statewide policies. Further research is needed in numerous domains, including the examination of identity-specific factors in large, representative samples, additional protective factors, disparities across subgroups of LGBTQ youth, and intersectionality, as well as the use of longitudinal designs and randomized controlled trials examining interventions in this population. Critical areas for further research on SITBs among this high-risk population are discussed.

Denial and Distraction: How the Populist Radical Right Responds to COVID-19 Comment on "A Scoping Review of PRR Parties' Influence on Welfare Policy and its Implication for Population Health in Europe".

This commentary considers the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the study of populist radical right (PRR) politicians and their influence on public health and health policy. A systematic review of recent research on the influence of PRR politicians on the health and welfare policies shows that health is not a policy arena that these politicians have much experience in. In office, their effects can be destructive, primarily because they subordinate health to their other goals. Brazil, the US and the UK all show this pattern. PRR politicians in opposition such as the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) in Austria or the Lega in Italy, said very little during the actual health crisis, but once the public no longer appeared afraid they lost no time in reactivating anti-European Union (EU) sentiments. Whether in government or in opposition, PRR politicians opted for distraction and denial. Their effects ranged from making the pandemic worse.

Leadership for professional learning towards educational equity: a systematic literature review

ABSTRACT This systematic review of recent research explored the uncharted intersection of literature on educational leadership, professional learning, and educational equity. It investigated leadership approaches to shaping the professional development and ongoing learning of educators which supports more equitable outcomes for students. The underlying motivation for the work is our concern for the educational experiences and achievements of marginalised students, and for professional learning to address these inequalities. Guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Statement, and iterative selection of literature based on relevance and quality judged by the weight of evidence assessments, we identified 41 empirical items for detailed analysis. The outcome was five themes: Critical framing of social justice issues; Dialogue and enquiry; Learning and identity development; Context, resources, and motivations; Normalising inclusion and shared leadership. A further six articles informed a conceptual framework linking professional learning and outcomes that developed existing models. Critique of linear conceptualisations of learning, and affinity with the values and philosophy of the process model of education championed by Lawrence Stenhouse, prompted proposing the themes as nascent principles. These require further research, yet they have immediate practical utility for educational leaders and teachers working in pursuit of educational equity.

Energy-Sufficiency for a Just Transition: A Systematic Review

Efforts to achieve an energy transition often neglect to account for the levelling of benefits realizable with higher levels of energy use, despite knowledge of a saturation effect and recognition of increasing harms of use. This research examines energy sufficiency as a maximum quantity of energy associated with improvements in human well-being to inform a recalibration of energy targets among high-energy societies. A systematic review of recent research was performed to identify the point at which increasing levels of energy use no longer correlate with meaningful increases in well-being. For selected studies (n = 18), energy sufficiency values range from 60–221 gigajoules per capita per year with a mean of 132 gigajoules per capita per year for associated measures of well-being. The review finds agreement in a pattern of saturation and provides a range of values for energy sufficiency maximums, suggesting that a relatively modest amount and a diverse quality of energy is needed to support high levels of human well-being. Beyond the conventional emphasis on energy efficiency and renewable energy, energy sufficiency therefore offers a necessary and complementary approach for supporting just and ecological energy transitions.

Emerging evidence from a systematic review of safety of pre-exposure prophylaxis for pregnant and postpartum women: where are we now and where are we heading?

IntroductionHIV incidence is high during pregnancy and breastfeeding with HIV acquisition risk more than doubling during pregnancy and the postpartum period compared to when women are not pregnant. The World Health Organization recommends offering pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to pregnant and postpartum women at substantial risk of HIV infection. However, maternal PrEP national guidelines differ and most countries with high maternal HIV incidence are not offering PrEP. We conducted a systematic review of recent research on PrEP safety in pregnancy to inform national policy and rollout.MethodsWe used a standard Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analysis (PRISMA) approach to conduct a systematic review by searching for completed, ongoing, or planned PrEP in pregnancy projects or studies from http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, PubMed and NIH RePORTER from 2014 to March 2019. We performed a systematic review of studies that assess tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF)‐based oral PrEP safety in pregnant and breastfeeding HIV‐uninfected women.Results and discussionWe identified 14 completed (n = 5) and ongoing/planned (n = 9) studies that evaluate maternal and/or infant outcomes following PrEP exposure during pregnancy or breastfeeding. None of the completed studies found differences in pregnancy or perinatal outcomes associated with PrEP exposure. Nine ongoing studies, to be completed by 2022, will provide data on >6200 additional PrEP‐exposed pregnancies and assess perinatal, infant growth and bone health outcomes, expanding by sixfold the data on PrEP safety in pregnancy. Research gaps include limited data on (1) accurately measured PrEP exposure within maternal and infant populations including drug levels needed for maternal protection; (2) uncommon perinatal outcomes (e.g. congenital anomalies); (3) infant outcomes such as bone growth beyond one year following PrEP exposure; (4) outcomes in HIV‐uninfected women who use PrEP during pregnancy and/or lactation.ConclusionsExpanding delivery of PrEP is an essential strategy to reduce HIV incidence in pregnancy and breastfeeding women. Early safety studies of PrEP among pregnant women without HIV infection are reassuring and ongoing/planned studies will contribute extensive new data to bolster the safety profile of PrEP use in pregnancy. However, addressing research gaps is essential to expanding PrEP delivery for women in the context of pregnancy.

Understanding How and Why Spatial Segregation Endures: A Systematic Review of Recent Research on Intergroup Relations at a Micro-Ecological Scale

Social psychological research has increasingly extolled the benefits of intergroup contact as a means of promoting positive relations. However, a growing body of research suggests that formal policies of desegregation are often offset by informal ‘micro-ecological’ practices of (re)-segregation, in everyday life spaces. This paper presents a systematic literature review of recent evidence on this topic (2001-2017), outlining key findings about how, when, where, and why micro-ecological divisions are reproduced. Informal segregation can happen based on ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, gender, or gender and ethnicity, despite people being in a shared place. People generally maintain patterns of ingroup isolation as a result of: a) negative attitudes and stereotypes; b) ingroup identification and threat; or c) feelings of anxiety, fear and insecurity. Educational settings have been the main context studied, followed by leisure and recreational places, public urban places and public transport. The paper also identifies three areas of potential future research, highlighting the need to: (1) capitalise on methodological innovations; (2) explore systematically how, when and why the intersectionality of social categories may shape micro-ecological practices of contact and separation; and (3) understand more fully why micro-ecological patterns of segregation are apparently so persistent, as well as how they might be reduced.

Correction to: ‘Aboriginal Voices’: An overview of the methodology applied in the systematic review of recent research across ten key areas of Australian Indigenous education

In the original publication of the article, the author name “Cathie Burgess” was inadvertently missed in the author group.

‘Aboriginal Voices’: An overview of the methodology applied in the systematic review of recent research across ten key areas of Australian Indigenous education

The ‘Aboriginal Voices’ project is a consortium of researchers invested in seeking long-term solutions to the many and varied issues that have been identified as factors contributing to the underachievement of Indigenous students in education across Australia. The Aboriginal Voices systematic review project established an agreed methodology and protocols in order to map ten reviews to an overarching question: ‘What are the issues affecting the underachievement of Indigenous students in Australia and how can research inform solutions to the complex and inter-related issues needing to be addressed?’ The Project focuses on bringing clarity to the overarching question by applying a rigorous process with an Indigenous methodology to undertake these unique reviews. This introductory paper outlines the development of a critical Indigenous methodology used in these discrete but inter-linked systematic investigations. Using a consistent systematic methodology facilitated the re-aggregation of separate review findings to achieve new whole-of-systems insights into the complex issues affecting the educational opportunities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

A systematic review of research design and modeling techniques in inpatient bed management

Abstract The proper allocation of limited hospital bed resources is a complex problem caused by uncertainties in patient length of stay, fluctuations in demands, unexpected admission decisions, patient recover status, and other factors. Hospitals in the United States usually have a dedicated bed allocation team that assigns the beds and works as a bridge between the resource departments (such as emergency department (ED), operating rooms (OR), labor and delivery (L&D), and referrals) and the inpatient units (such as intensive care units (ICU), step-down units, and medical or surgical units). Prolonged inpatient length of stay because of non-clinical need increases hospitals cost and can reduce patient satisfaction. This paper provides a systematic review of recent research on inpatient bed management and evaluates a range of problem definitions, measuring metrics, and decision support techniques in the reviewed studies. We search related articles from 2013 to 2017 on Google Scholar, PubMed, and Levy Library databases using keywords such as “bed management,” “bed assignment,” “bed planning,” and “bed allocation.” We categorize and classify these articles based on the problem settings (e.g. various practices, measurement metrics, or in-scope units) and applied methodologies (e.g. queueing theory, simulation, integer programming, etc.). Moreover, recent research trends, research gaps, and future research directions on inpatient bed management are summarized and presented at the end of this study. As a high-level conclusion, simulation modeling is the dominant technique being used in studying inpatient bed management, and there are opportunities in considering system-wide inpatient flow, applying heuristic methods, and integrating predictive models in inpatient bed management and allocation optimization.