Franciscan Books and their Readers

The book explores the manuscripts written, read, and studied by Franciscan friars from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries in Northern Italy, and specifically Padua, assessing four key aspects: ideal, space, form and readership. The ideal is studied through the regulations that determined what manuscripts should aim for. Space refers to the development and role of Franciscan libraries. The form is revealed by the assessment of the physical configuration of a set of representative manuscripts read, written, and manufactured by the friars. Finally, the study of the readership shows how Franciscans were skilled readers who employed certain forms of the manuscript as a portable, personal library, and as a tool for learning and pastoral care. By comparing the book collections of Padua’s reformed and unreformed medieval Franciscan libraries for the first time, this study reveals new features of the ground-breaking cultural agency of medieval friars.

Dilemmas of resistance: How concerns for cultural identity shape and constrain resistance among minority groups

A major theme in social psychological models of collective action is that a sense of shared social identity is a critical foundation for collective action. In this review, we suggest that for many minority groups, this foundational role of social identity can be double edged. This is because material disadvantage is also often coupled with the historical erosion of key aspects of ingroup culture and other group-defining attributes, constituting a threat to the very sense of who “we” are. This combination presents a set of dilemmas of resistance for minority groups seeking to improve their ingroup’s position. Focusing on the role of ingroup language and history, we present an integrative review of our research on five different dilemmas. We conclude that the central role of social identity in collective action and resistance can itself present challenges for groups whose core sense of who they are has been eroded.

Postcode Lottery in Healthcare? Findings from the Scottish National Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment in Secondary Care Audit 2019

Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) is provided differently across Scotland. The Scottish Care of Older People (SCoOP) CGA Audit was a national audit conducted in 2019 to assess this variation in acute hospitals. Two versions of audit questionnaires about the provision of CGA were developed (one each for larger hospitals and remote/rural areas) and piloted. The questionnaires were sent to representatives from all hospitals in Scotland using the REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) system. The survey asked each service to provide information on CGA service delivery at the ‘front door’. The questionnaire was open for completion between February and July 2019. Of the 28 Scottish hospitals which receive acute admissions, we received information from 26 (92.9% response rate). Reporting sites included seven hospitals from remote and rural locations in the Scottish Highlands and Islands. Significant variations were observed across participating sites for all key aspects studied: dedicated frailty units, routes of admission, staffing, liaison with other services and rehabilitation provision. The 2019 SCoOP CGA audit highlights areas of CGA services that could be improved and variation in specialist CGA service access, structure and staffing at the front door across Scotland. Whether this variation has an impact on the outcomes of older people requires further evaluation.

THE INTEGRATED REPORTING FRAMEWORK ACROSS PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION: A THEMATIC REVIEW

Background and Purpose: The Integrated Reporting framework as emphasised by The International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) in 2013 (revised 2021), was accepted as one of the mechanisms nationwide to enhance public accountability. However, far fewer studies examined the intersection of the Integrated Reporting (IR) framework and the public sector. Addressing the gap, reviews of the literature were presented synthesising the adoption of the IR framework across public administration. Methodology: By drawing upon SCOPUS, Science Direct and Mendeley databases were employed to generate academic literature beginning in 2011 through 2020. Following the inclusion and exclusion processes, 23 articles were selected and analysed by using ATLAS.ti 8. Findings: The findings of the review were discussed qualitatively and quantitatively. Particular discerning were the qualitative findings; the findings outlined insights into key developments on the IR framework across the following groups, namely, ‘Fundamental Concepts’, ‘Guiding Principles’, and ‘Content Elements’. Key aspects of challenges concerning the adoption of existing frameworks in public administration were discussed. Contributions: Future research might better consider developing a more appropriate IR framework for public administration, a framework that integrates policy and practice. By focusing on the academic literature emphasising the IR framework, academics, regulators, and reporting organisations could formulate appropriate strategies for public administration. Keywords: Framework, integrated reporting, public sector, thematic review. Cite as: Othman, M., Basnan, N., Ahmad, A., & Md Salleh, M. F. (2022). The integrated reporting framework across public administration: A thematic review. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 7(1), 410-440. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol7iss1pp410-440

Teaching in a Global World: Challenges and Opportunities for Small-Sized Universities - Insights from Italy

Today’s academic institutions are strongly involved in the modern globalization process. The aim of the paper is to investigate if small-sized universities face particular challenges and if they obtain some advantages or are adversely affected by the ongoing process. The focus is on Europe and, specifically, on Italy, one of the signatory countries of the Bologna Declaration, that has implemented the European international reform process. Based on official data from the Italian Ministry of University and Research, first we analyse university characteristics and then we calculate performance selected indicators that are informative of a few key aspects, such as teaching quality and internationalisation and look at student satisfaction. Results show that teaching quality in small-sized public universities is similar to that in big-sized public ones whereas small-sized private universities perform better than big-sized private ones. Attractiveness for students abroad is greater for smaller and more specialized universities, and this is especially evident for private universities. Satisfaction as well is higher for students studying in small-sized universities. However, doubts exist for the future due to the possible negative effects of the very complex and strict administrative procedures of the current organization and evaluation system. Keywords: universities, small-sized, teaching, performance, Europe, Italy

Transition of adolescents with severe asthma from pediatric to adult care in Spain: the STAR consensus

Objective: To assess the consensus level among a multidisciplinary expert panel on the transition of adolescents with severe asthma from pediatric to adult care. Methods: A 61-item survey was developed based on guidelines for other chronic pathologies, covering transition planning, preparation, effective transfer, and follow-up. A two-round Delphi process assessed the consensus level among 98 experts (49 pediatricians, 24 allergists and 25 pulmonologists). Consensus was established with ≥70% agreement. Results: Forty-two items (70%) reached consensus. No age range to initiate the transition was agreed upon by the panelists. The main goal to achieve during the transition identified by the experts is that adolescents gain autonomy to manage their severe asthma and prescribed treatments. The panelists agreed on the importance of developing an individualized plan, promoting patient’s autonomy, and identifying home environment factors. They agreed that the adult healthcare team should have expertise in severe asthma, biologics and management of adolescent patients. Pediatric and adult healthcare teams should share clinical information, agree on the criteria to maintain the biological therapy, and have an on-site joint visit with the patient before the effective transfer. Adult healthcare professionals should closely follow the patient after the effective transfer to ensure correct inhaler technique, treatment adherence and attendance to healthcare appointments. Conclusions: This consensus document provides the first roadmap for Spanish pediatric and adult teams to ensure that key aspects of the transition process in severe asthma are covered. The implementation of these recommendations will improve the quality of care offered to the patient.

SELF-DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATION SEEKERS IN THE CONTEXT OF SYNERGETIC APPROACH AND POST- NEOCLASSICAL EDUCATIONAL PARADIGM

The problem of self-development of a student related to the transformation of the educational process in the post- neoclassical science is highlighted. This problem is considered in the context of a synergetic approach with the actualization of the needs and opportunities for self-organization of the applicant’s personality as a holistic characteristic of a human. It is noted that the pedagogical process of an educational institution of innovative type should be aimed at developing the abilities of the applicant, their ability to meet the challenges of the information society and self-realization in the changing conditions of the modern world. It is stated that self-development of an applicant within the synergetic paradigm of education requires a reorientation of the educational process from traditional conservative to innovative creative, in which the acquisition of vital competencies is carried out in interaction (communication) with other subjects and taking into account external (physical) and internal (mental) human activity. It is substantiated that the key aspects of the self-development of the student should be focused on the formation of their optimal developmental lifestyle. It is about the ability to self-determination, personal growth, self-regulation, existence, self-expression, self-realization. In the projections of the synergetic paradigm, the individual as a complex, open, nonlinear system appears with all the potential opportunities for self-development, which can be realized under certain organizational and pedagogical conditions. It is stated that despite the fact that the applicant – the future specialist controls their own development, the teacher of higher education should exercise general management of educational activities and is fully responsible for the quality of training of the applicant. This is inherent in any level of education. The new roles of the modern teacher (“moderator”, “coach”, “tutor”, “speaker”, “medium”, etc.) set adequate requirements for these roles. Not only the updated knowledge, but also the ways of obtaining it and the possibilities of its application become valuable for the student at various stages and levels. Key aspects of self-development: the ability to self-determination, personal growth, self-regulation, existence, self-expression, self-realization will contribute to the formation of the individual’s personality, open to new knowledge and values, able to realize their own life purpose.

Understanding Query Combination Behavior in Exploratory Searches

In exploratory search, users sometimes combine two or more issued queries into new queries. We present such a kind of search behavior as query combination behavior. We find that the queries after combination usually can better meet users’ information needs. We also observe that users combine queries for different motivations, which leads to different types of query combination behaviors. Previous work on understanding user exploratory search behaviors has focused on how people reformulate queries, but not on how and why they combine queries. Being able to answer these questions is important for exploring how users search and learn during information retrieval processes and further developing support to assist searchers. In this paper, we first describe a two-layer hierarchical structure for understanding the space of query combination behavior types. We manually classify query combination behavior sessions from AOL and Sogou search engines and explain the relationship from combining queries to success. We then characterize some key aspects of this behavior and propose a classifier that can automatically classify types of query combination behavior using behavioral features. Finally, we summarize our findings and show how search engines can better assist searchers.

Competition of Tariff Regulation Models: Results of a Critical Analysis of the Draft Federal Law “On the Foundations of State Regulation of Prices (Tariffs)”

The key aspects of the draft federal law “On the fundamentals of state regulation of prices (tariffs)” submitted by FAS Russia to the Government of the Russian Federation on June 8, 2021 following the discussion of this draft law by the working group on the implemen- tation of the “regulatory guillotine” mechanism were considered.This draft law is an attempt to form the general part of the tariff legislation of the Russian Federation.The article also discusses an alternative model for regulating issues related to the setting of prices (tariffs) — the codification of tariff legislation, which would take into account both general and specific or industry-specific components of tariff regulation.As the most preferable solution to the problems considered in the article, the author proposes the simultaneous codification of competitive and tariff regulation, the result of which should be the simultaneous adoption of the Competition Code and the Tariff Code of the Russian Federation.

Organ on Chip Technology to Model Cancer Growth and Metastasis

Organ on chip (OOC) has emerged as a major technological breakthrough and distinct model system revolutionizing biomedical research and drug discovery by recapitulating the crucial structural and functional complexity of human organs in vitro. OOC are rapidly emerging as powerful tools for oncology research. Indeed, Cancer on chip (COC) can ideally reproduce certain key aspects of the tumor microenvironment (TME), such as biochemical gradients and niche factors, dynamic cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions, and complex tissue structures composed of tumor and stromal cells. Here, we review the state of the art in COC models with a focus on the microphysiological systems that host multicellular 3D tissue engineering models and can help elucidate the complex biology of TME and cancer growth and progression. Finally, some examples of microengineered tumor models integrated with multi-organ microdevices to study disease progression in different tissues will be presented.