Search Results (41)

A collaborative inter-laboratory study was conducted to characterise the performance of the novel 250 W External Discharge Plasma Thruster (XPT) with a channel-less Hall effect-type thruster designed to address lifetime limitations and lower-power efficiency challenges in conventional Hall effect thrusters. This study aimed to validate performance measurements across different facilities and thrust stands, investigating potential facility effects on thrust characterisation. Performance testing was conducted both at the University of Surrey using a torsional thrust balance and at the University of Southampton with a double inverted pendulum thrust stand, providing independent verification of the thrust and efficiency metrics. The comparison highlighted the importance of cross-facility testing with differing background pressures, calibration methods, and thrust balance types. These differences provide valuable insights, ensuring more robust and reliable low-power thruster characterisation. The XPT thruster demonstrated consistent performance across both the University of Surrey and University of Southampton facilities, with thrust levels ranging from 1.60 mN to 11.8 mN, specific impulses from 327 s to 1067 s, and anode efficiencies up to 11%. Higher anode voltages and mass fluxes at Southampton enabled extended operational envelopes, revealing performance plateaus at elevated powers, particularly for flow rates above 8 sccm. Cross-facility testing highlighted facility-dependent influences, with Southampton achieving a higher thrust and specific impulse at lower flow rates (5–6 sccm) due to increased anode currents, while discrepancies between test sites of up to 25% were observed at higher flow rates (8–10 sccm) and powers above 200 W. Characterisation identified an optimal operating range at 200 W of anode power with a mass flux below 8 sccm. This work underscores the importance of inter-laboratory validation in electric propulsion testing and provides insights into the best practices for assessing next-generation Hall effect-type thrusters. Full article

Promoting the Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3) of Good Health and Well-being of all people requires an approach that ensures that health systems are strengthened with comprehensive social support mechanisms. This interrelation has gained increasing recognition as a foundational pillar in realizing sustainable and equitable healthcare. Economic instabilities and social vulnerabilities have direct implications on health access and outcomes, making focused welfare and security measures important in entrenching SDG 3. This work combines interdisciplinary studies, bridging health policy and economic security, at a time when social policy decisions, more than ever, should be guided by real-world needs and evidence, dealing with key factors, interventions, and contributions from policymakers on strategies that can reinforce health systems. Thus, current achievements of SDG 3 and challenges to successfully integrate health and social support sectors are discussed. The study addresses future pathways to achieve this Goal, including greater public investment in inter-sectoral collaboration, innovative funding models, and data-driven policymaking as part of this next wave in advancing health systems resilience. Important ways to restructure public health with less inequality entail a reinforcement of social safety nets, mitigating health consequences through poverty and adverse economic conditions. Coordinated governance, cross-sectoral collaboration, and evidence-based monitoring frameworks assure policymakers of their effectiveness in achieving these policy priorities. This calls for prioritized planning that invests in scalability, sustainability, and adaptability for resilient health systems supported by inclusive welfare state policies. By aligning social policies with health priorities, this paper aims to contribute to a global agenda regarding universal, sustainable, and equitably achieved health outcomes within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals. Full article

Tennessee’s ecological diversity, spanning forests, farmland, and urban areas, provides an ideal foundation for applying the One Health approach, which integrates human, animal, and environmental health. This review examines Tennessee’s current One Health landscape, highlighting active initiatives, ongoing challenges, and future directions. Key efforts involve workforce development, disease surveillance, outbreak response, environmental conservation, and public education, led by a coalition of state agencies, universities, and the Tennessee One Health Committee. These programs promote cross-sector collaboration to address issues such as zoonotic diseases, climate change, land use shifts, and environmental contaminants. Notably, climate-driven changes, including rising temperatures and altered species distributions, pose increasing threats to health and ecological stability. Tennessee has responded with targeted monitoring programs and climate partnerships. Education is also a priority, with the growing integration of One Health into K–12 and higher education to build a transdisciplinary workforce. However, the state faces barriers, including limited funding for the One Health workforce, undefined workforce roles, and informal inter-agency data sharing. Despite these obstacles, Tennessee’s successful responses to outbreaks like avian influenza and rabies demonstrate the power of coordinated action. To strengthen its One Health strategy, the state must expand funding, formalize roles, improve data systems, and enhance biodiversity and climate resilience efforts positioning itself as a national leader in interdisciplinary collaborative solutions. Full article

The success of a cluster depends on the interplay between intra- and inter-regional collaboration, while empirical research on the mechanisms through which intra- and inter-regional collaborations trigger cluster growth is rarely focused. Based on the local buzz–global pipelines framework and incorporating an evolutionary perspective, we explore how intra- and inter-regional innovation networks can be integrated to drive the growth of emerging industries. We draw on Zhangjiang, China’s most advanced AI industry cluster, using social network analysis and qualitative methods, combining patent data with semi-structured interviews. The results indicate that with the return of multinational corporations and the limitation of Western technology, universities have become the primary source of AI innovation in Zhangjiang. The government has played a pivotal role in propelling the accelerated growth of China’s AI industry, particularly through the backing of pioneering AI private enterprises and the calibration of the potential inefficiencies associated with a state-led model with the dynamism of market forces. The ‘Buzz-and-pipeline’ dynamics in the AI innovation network are shaped by four processes: local networking, market demand, resource integration, and policy synergy. This underscores the intricate interconnections between the national and local scales in AI innovation networks. Full article

This article discusses current challenges in the field of global health and the World Health Organization’s (WHO) strategies to address them. It highlights the importance of measuring the health impacts of global recession and globalization and the need for human-centered approaches to sustainable development. Emphasis is placed on commitment to health equity and the use of strategic partnerships for health at global, national, and local levels. Improving the health and well-being of populations, as well as public health equity, are core principles of the 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These principles are expressed in SDG 3, which promotes universal access to health services and systems and recognizes global health as a basic human right. It highlights the importance of strategic partnerships to combat emerging health crises, improve public health indices, and address the burden of chronic disease. These partnerships are contemplated in SDG 17 and are manifested in different modalities, such as network governance, cross-sector collaboration, public–private partnership, and social participation. This diversity of alliances has played an important role in scaling up and strengthening universal health systems around the world, including in Latin America and the Caribbean. The text concludes by presenting the essential characteristics of these inter-organizational and inter-institutional alliances in the field of global health. Full article

Background: Shared decision-making is one key element of interprofessional collaboration. Communication is often considered to be the main reason for inefficient or ineffective collaboration. Little is known about group dynamics in the process of shared decision-making in a team with professionals, including the patient or their parent. This study aimed to evaluate just that. Methods: Simulation-based training was provided for groups of medical and allied health profession students from universities across the globe. In an overt ethnographic research design, passive observations were made to ensure careful observations and accurate reporting. The training offered the context to directly experience the behaviors and interactions of a group of people. Results: Overall, 39 different goals were defined in different orders of prioritizing and with different time frames or intervention ideas. Shared decision-making was lacking, and groups chose to convince the parents when a conflict arose. Group dynamics made parents verbally agree with professionals, although their non-verbal communication was not in congruence with that. Conclusions: The outcome and goalsetting of an interprofessional meeting are highly influenced by group dynamics. The vision, structure, process, and results of the meeting are affected by multiple inter- or intrapersonal factors. Full article

Background: In the context of global shifts in food systems, this paper explores the unique dietary practices of the Santal tribe, an indigenous group in eastern India, to understand the health, nutrition, and sustainability aspects of their traditional food systems. This study evaluates the nutritional content of the Santal diet in comparison to the EAT-Lancet Commission’s 2019 dietary guidelines for healthy and sustainable diets. Methods: The University of East Anglia, in collaboration with the NNEdPro Global Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health in Cambridge, PRADAN; colleagues in India and local Santal youth, conducted nutritional analyses of traditional Santal recipes. Two menu templates, Kanhu Thali and Jhano Thali, were selected for comparative analysis based on their representation of diverse dietary practices within the Santal community. Nutritional data, including energy as well as the distribution of macronutrients and micronutrients, were compiled and compared with the EAT-Lancet guidelines. Results: The Santal menu templates (nutritionally complete meals) demonstrated alignment with EAT-Lancet recommendations in aspects such as whole grains, starchy vegetables, vegetables, plant-based protein sources, unsaturated fats, and limited added sugars. However, notable deviations included the absence of animal-based protein sources and dairy. The Santal diet showed high protein intake, largely from plant-based sources, and emphasised the importance of whole grains. Seasonal variations in nutritional content were observed between the two templates. Conclusions: While the Santal diet aligns with some aspects of global dietary guidelines, there are notable deviations that underscore the complexity of aligning traditional diets with universal recommendations. The findings emphasise the need for culturally sensitive dietary recommendations that respect traditional diets while promoting sustainability. Research needs to support tailored global guidelines enshrining core principles of nutritional adequacy which are inter-culturally operable in order to accommodate cultural diversity, local practices, and seasonal variations, crucial for fostering sustainable and healthy eating habits in diverse sociodemographic contexts. Full article

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic strained healthcare systems around the world. This study aims to understand the preparedness of private remote hospitals in Lebanon to respond to the pandemic and evaluate the impact of inter-hospital collaborations on the hospitals’ readiness. Methods: A multi-centered study was conducted between August 2020 and June 2021 in ten Lebanese private remote hospitals based on a mixed-methods embedded approach where the quantitative supported the qualitative. Through the AUB-USAID (American University of Beirut-United States Agency for International Development) COVID-19 project, these hospitals received personal protective equipment and medical equipment in addition to COVID-19-related training using the Train-the-Trainer model. The quantitative part used knowledge and evaluation questionnaires and a pre–post-intervention hospital preparedness checklist. The qualitative approach adopted semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample from key hospital personnel. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS version 27, and a p-value of <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. For the qualitative data, a thematic analysis was performed by adopting the six-phase process described by Braun and Clarke. Results: Of the 393 healthcare workers who attended the training and completed the evaluation questionnaire, 326 completed the pre- and post-training knowledge questionnaire. A significant improvement was observed in mean knowledge scores following training for infection control, nursing, and polymerase chain reaction sampling staff (p-value < 0.001, p-value < 0.001, and p-value = 0.006, respectively), but not for housekeeping staff. More than 93% of the participants showed high trainer and content evaluation scores. As for the hospitals’ preparedness assessments, there was a clear improvement in the pre- and post-assessment scores for each hospital, and there was a significant difference in the mean of the total scores of partner hospitals pre- and post-USAID-AUB project (p-value = 0.005). These findings were supported by the qualitative analysis, where nine hospitals expressed the positive impact of the USAID-AUB intervention in improving their preparedness to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic at a critical time when it was highly needed. Despite the intervention, persistent challenges remained. Conclusions: A timely and proactive collaborative program between academic/tertiary care centers and remote community hospitals that includes sharing supplies and expertise is feasible and highly effective during public health emergencies. Full article

Based on authorized patents of China’s artificial intelligence industry from 2013 to 2022, this paper constructs an Industry–University–Research institution (IUR) collaboration network and an Inter-Firm (IF) collaboration network and used the entropy weight method to take both the quantity and quality of patents into account to calculate the innovation performance of firms. Through the hierarchical clustering algorithm and classification and regression trees (CART) algorithm, in-depth analysis has been conducted on the intricate non-linear influence mechanisms between multiple variables and a firm’s innovation performance. The findings indicate the following: (1) Based on the network centrality (NC), structural hole (SH), collaboration breadth (CB), and collaboration depth (CD) of both IUR and IF collaboration networks, two types of focal firms are identified. (2) For different types of focal firms, the combinations of network characteristics affecting their innovation performance are various. (3) In the IUR collaboration network, focal firms with a wide range of heterogeneous collaborative partners can obtain high innovation performance. However, focal firms in the IF collaboration network can achieve the same aim by maintaining deep collaboration with other focal firms. This paper not only helps firms make scientific decisions for development but also provides valuable suggestions for government policymakers. Full article

This paper focuses on a research project for the acquisition and post-production of digital data to create informative virtual representations and digital twins of different European Cultural Heritage sites. The goal was to establish a reliable database for a multi-scalar web platform, also accessible through extended reality (XR) tools. This initiative aims to support the promotion and management of cultural and historical monuments within the context of European Cultural Routes supported by the Council of Europe. The project involves different case studies spanning European geographic regions, such as the Upper Kama in Russia, the Valencian Routes of Jaime I in Spain, and the Gdańsk fortresses in Poland. The methodology employed in this effort primarily relies on integrated rapid survey techniques. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) technologies were used for data collection. These methods contribute to the creation of accurate 3D databases and models that transform the cultural routes into a digital format accessible via an informative platform. The actions presented in this paper are part of the European project “PROMETHEUS”, which is funded by the Horizon 2020 program of the European Union. The project involves collaboration between universities and enterprises, fostering inter-sectoral cooperation. Various techniques such as photographic archives, census analysis, and scan-to-BIM (building information modeling) processes are employed to develop this method further. In fact, the ultimate goal of the project is to establish a framework that can be replicated in other cultural contexts, enhancing the digital documentation and valorization of heritage sites. Full article

Driven by education policies, digitally enhanced partnerships between higher education institutions (HEIs) have become increasingly important in the pursuit of sustainability in European education. This article emphasizes the necessity of evidence-based policy implementation to prevent tensions between the decision-making layer (the upper level) and the institutional layer adopting the new norms (the bottom level) in the context of digital inter-university collaboration. To address this need, we conducted a comprehensive three-year (2020–2022) research project within the framework of Erasmus+. Our consortium comprises seven renowned European universities. The project’s primary objective was to investigate how digitalization impacts HEI cooperation and joint learning activities both at the intra- and inter-institutional levels. We conducted experiments that accounted for specific challenges or lessons emerging from three perspectives: organization, pedagogy, and technology. In the organizational domain, we identified challenges related to HEI alliance aspects, such as trust, teacher incentives, legal frameworks, operational requirements, external policies, and mobility needs; and information flow, specifically in terms of disseminating local projects, and clarifying local institutional jargon. The pedagogical perspective revealed challenges in pedagogical support, especially in developing teachers’ digital skills; learning assessment, involving agreement among teachers and externals participants; and course design, including a wide variety of aspects, such as course flexibility, different calendars, async/sync balance, mandatory and optional regimes, content creation, and learning validation. Lastly, in the technology dimension, we found challenges related to the relevance of software choices, and centralized digital structures. This research aims to highlight the importance of evidence-based data in shaping education policies. By drawing on real-world experiences from a consortium of universities, we shed light on the intricate dynamics of digital inter-university collaboration. Full article

Precision livestock farming (PLF) utilises information technology to continuously monitor and manage livestock in real-time, which can improve individual animal health, welfare, productivity and the environmental impact of animal husbandry, contributing to the economic, social and environmental sustainability of livestock farming. PLF has emerged as a pivotal area of multidisciplinary interest. In order to clarify the knowledge evolution and hotspot replacement of PLF research, based on the relevant data from the Web of Science database from 1973 to 2023, this study analyzed the main characteristics, research cores and hot topics of PLF research via CiteSpace. The results point to a significant increase in studies on PLF, with countries having advanced livestock farming systems in Europe and America publishing frequently and collaborating closely across borders. Universities in various countries have been leading the research, with Daniel Berckmans serving as the academic leader. Research primarily focuses on animal science, veterinary science, computer science, agricultural engineering, and environmental science. Current research hotspots center around precision dairy and cattle technology, intelligent systems, and animal behavior, with deep learning, accelerometer, automatic milking systems, lameness, estrus detection, and electronic identification being the main research directions, and deep learning and machine learning represent the forefront of current research. Research hot topics mainly include social science in PLF, the environmental impact of PLF, information technology in PLF, and animal welfare in PLF. Future research in PLF should prioritize inter-institutional and inter-scholar communication and cooperation, integration of multidisciplinary and multimethod research approaches, and utilization of deep learning and machine learning. Furthermore, social science issues should be given due attention in PLF, and the integration of intelligent technologies in animal management should be strengthened, with a focus on animal welfare and the environmental impact of animal husbandry, to promote its sustainable development. Full article

The animal and being animal is a proposition and position that invites observational and critical debate. Yet, the presence of the non-human animal is usually and normatively confined to representational artworks rather than the animal itself in the gallery or museum, which is, potentially, problematically anthropocentric. Using diverse methods, processes, and materials, and curious to a myriad of opening potentialities, Bartram + Deigaard, in contrast to this problem, explore working as humans from an animal-centric perspective through artistic research. They bring sensitivities to their handling of the animal, as both artistic subject and collaborator, to observe and engage with empathy and openness to animal insight and revelation and behaviour. Their works in performance, video, drawing, and printmaking foreground animal proximity and behaviour, inter-species proprioception, reciprocal caretaking, synchronised respiration, and companionate movement. This article explores the socialised and familiar in close observation, directly and indirectly, in their individual yet companion practices, illuminating the benefits of a radically enlarged sentiocentrism. It reflects on the allowing and embracing of other species within their artworks, and of being mindful and sensible with balancing sympathies and empathies as humans within an often unbalanced system of agency. Specifically, it gleans patterns and insights from their exhibition at Tippetts and Eccles Galleries at Utah State University in 2021, where they invited a canine collaborator into their thinking through praxis and the interventions and residual outcomes this created. This essay discusses two individual video artworks from each artist, which document their invitations to non-human animals into the gallery or museum, and two durational artworks curated within this exhibition. Full article

Wildfire are increasingly frequent events on a planet undergoing climate change. With more favourable climate conditions for their occurrence, like prolonged periods of drought, the frequency and intensity of these catastrophes continue to increase. Protected areas are important territories for conserving ecosystems and biodiversity around the world and serve as a key management tool in national environmental policies. Many studies have been developed around the world to assess the conditions, frequency, and intensity of fires, and, on the other hand, protected areas are intensively studied to understand whether conservation actions are effective in keeping the ecosystem balanced. However, there are few studies that contemplate these two themes together. Consequently, this study offers a bibliometric analysis of the wildfires and its occurrence in protected areas, aiming to understand the spatial and temporal relation between them, characteristics of the research studies, and trending issues to be worked on. We used the Bibliometrix package in R language, which provides the option of different methods for analysing bibliometric data to understand the temporal evolution of the published documents about wildfires and protected areas. In total, 1116 publications were analysed, ranging from 1970 to 2022. The findings show that the terms “fires” (185 occurrences), “fire” (117), “wildfire” (101), and “forest fire” (92) are more frequently used and associated with studies on topics including biodiversity (304), conservation (221), environmental protection (188), deforestation (148), ecosystems (138), forestry (133), and climate change (126) as well as protected areas (399). The highest growth of research has been registered since 2002. The majority of the publications were published by authors from universities in the USA (77), South Africa (72), the United Kingdom (22), and Brazil (19). The USA leads all other countries with 7 of the top 10 international collaborations, followed by Brazil, Australia, and South Africa. However, only the United Kingdom continues to maintain an increased number of external (inter-country) collaborations, whereas the other nine continue to maintain an increased number of internal (intra-country). Considering the top 10 authors in terms of production, only 1 was active from 1999 to 2019, and the other 9 only have been active since 2009. The topics that stand out were subjected to a coupling analysis, which revealed that environmental protection is a motor theme, endangered species, Australia, and savannah are niche themes, and protected area, biodiversity, and fire management are basic themes. Full article

Current knowledge of risk management (RM) is mainly limited to single organizations. This paper investigates RM practices from a stakeholders’ perspective applicable to university–industry R&D collaboration (UIC) programs, a particular form of inter-organizational relationship. With a view to reducing the negative impact of risk associated with such UICs, and, as a result, increasing the success rate of the related programs and projects, an RM methodology has been developed from the perspective of the main stakeholders. The results reported here are based on a large-scale UIC between the Bosch Car Multimedia in Portugal and the University of Minho. Three research methods were applied in a complementary way: participant observation over seven years, analysis of various documents supporting the management of the programs and projects, and focus group involving seven key participants from different roles. The proposed RM methodology takes into account the three main stakeholders and their respective RM roles—Program Manager, Program and Project Management Officer, and Project Manager—and helps to manage the risks incurred by a UIC program while, at the same time, emphasizing the importance of taking the stakeholders’ perspective. In inter-organizational contexts, particularly in the case of university and industry, where there is a cultural gap between members, misunderstandings may occur about the role each key stakeholder should play. This paper provides a comprehensive guideline for the application of the methodology by means of a proposed set of specific RM practices. However, the research was conducted using a single case study, therefore limiting the results’ potential for generalization. Full article