The Capability Approach in Research on Ageing Well at Home for Frail Older People

This chapter describes the work of the Frail Elderly Support Research Group (FRESH) in relation to the capability approach as a theoretical framework. The FRESH research group works with people who are at risk of developing frailty, as well as those who are already frail or very frail. In this chapter, FRESH aims to utilise the capability approach as a theoretical framework for research with and for frail older people, and to focus on the older people’s opportunities to realise their goals in relation to contextual factors that may influence them. A broad understanding of the concept of frailty in general is also presented. The capability approach makes a fundamental contribution to the understanding of the process of becoming frail, and how it may influence people as they age, because it focuses on people’s real opportunities, what it is possible to achieve and what people have reason to value, in relation to the resources that they have at hand. This chapter will hopefully encourage future researchers to consider evaluating the capability approach and implementing it in their own research.

Grandparent Caregiver Wellbeing: A Strengths-Based Approach Utilizing the Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment (PERMA) Framework

Grandparent caregivers experience a complex web of rewards and challenges as the primary source of support for their grandchildren. Consistent with the trend towards a more positive framing of grandparent caregiving, this paper explores the grandparent caregiver experience through a strengths-based approach and makes the case for Seligman's Wellbeing Theory, or PERMA model, being used to support research, programming, and policy. A scoping review of 16 current empirical articles relevant to grandparent caregiver wellbeing revealed the experience of grandparent caregivers aligns well with the five components of Seligman’s PERMA model: positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. Using this framework with grandparent caregivers, both in theory and in practice, can provide relevant stakeholders with a more comprehensive picture of the needs of this population, enabling them to more effectively support wellbeing for grandparent caregivers and positive developmental outcomes for the growing number of children in their care.

Potential opportunities and risks of sharing agricultural research data in Tanzania

Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to examine the potential opportunities and risks of sharing agricultural research data in Tanzania identified in the existing research literature. Design/methodology/approach: The study involved a review of the literature on research data sharing practices. Findings: The findings indicate that, research data sharing have significant positive benefits among researchers such as increase high research impact; enhancing international community collaboration among researchers with same interests; improving scientific transparency and accuracy of data (Rappert and Bezuidenhout, 2016); increasing research output whereby a single dataset can be used to generate more than one article by different authors; and many more. The risks hampering data sharing practices includes researchers’ fears that data will be scooped, poached or misused (Onyancha, 2016); unreliable electric power; lack of fund to support research data sharing activities; absence of institutional governmental support for data management; perceived lack of evidence benefits (Leonelli, Rappert and Bezuidenhout, 2018); and others. However, in Tanzania research data sharing is relatively new, thus, no any governmental agency mandating or encouraging research data sharing; therefore, there is no research data management; no research open data repositories and no research data sharing policy at any agricultural institution in Tanzania. The study recommends that agricultural researchers should be sensitized to share their data, research data policy and data repositories should also be established to support data sharing practices in Tanzania. Originality and usefulness: From the available literature, this has been the first time that an effort has been made to examine the potential opportunities and risks of sharing agricultural research data in Tanzania. The study could be used by agricultural institutions and other institutions to assess the researchers’ needs in supporting research data sharing. Also, it can be used by the government and institutions to see the need of establishing open data repositories and open data policies to support research data sharing.

The Piggy in the Middle

Researchers are becoming cognizant of the value of conducting predictive analysis using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) for both the evaluation of overfit and to illustrate the practical value of models. Mediators are a popular mechanism for adding nuance and greater explanatory power to causal models. However, mediators pose a special challenge to generating predictions as they serve a dual role of antecedent and outcome. Solutions for generating predictions from mediated PLS-SEM models have not been suitably explored or documented, nor has there been exploration of whether the added model complexity of such mediators is justified in the light of predictive performance. We address that gap by evaluating methods for generating predictions from mediated models, and propose a simple metric that quantifies the predictive contribution of the mediator (PCM). We conduct Monte Carlo simulations and then apply the methods in an empirical demonstration. We find that there is no simple best solution, but that all three approaches have strengths and weaknesses. Further, the PCM metric performs well to quantify the predictive qualities of the mediator over-and-above the non-mediated alternative. We present guidelines on selecting the most appropriate method and applying PCM for additional evidence to support research conclusions.

Reproducibility and research integrity in applied linguistics

This preprint contains the text of a submission of written evidence to the UK Parliament, House of Commons Science and Technology Committee inquiry on reproducibility and research integrity (submitted: 24 September 2021. Viewable on the parliament website). In our review of the breadth of the reproducibility crisis within applied linguistics, we emphasise the necessity for full disclosure of data and code as well as full provision of experimental materials and protocols. We also highlight the critical role research funders have in supporting the field-specific open digital infrastructures which are needed to support research reproducibility. Finally, we call for a concerted effort to reduce the power of the large publishing houses and support society-led publishing efforts, and non-profit publication platforms.

Health Disparities Research With the National Institute on Aging (NIA)

The National Institute on Aging has taken special efforts to support research endeavors that explore ways to address health disparities. For example, the NIA Health Disparities Research Framework was developed in 2015 to provide a visualization of priority areas in Aging Research. The Framework can help researchers assess advances and potential opportunities for stimulating and supporting rigorous methods to address health disparities in Aging Research among the phases of research. The goal of this symposium is to highlight the different resources and research opportunities that NIA offers to support aging researchers, centers, and institutions for health disparities-related research or programs. Dr. Ron Kohanski will present a concept piece on how laboratory animals might be leveraged to mimic the impact of early life disparities on aging over the life-course, based on research in the hallmarks of aging support by NIA’s Extramural Division of Aging Biology. Dr. Damali Martin will identify the different resources focused on health disparities related research within the Division of Neuroscience. Dr. Lyndon Joseph will discuss the different health disparities research opportunities that are available from the Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Geriatrics. Dr. Frank Bandiera will highlight the different resources and research opportunities that are available to address health disparities within the Division of Behavior and Social Research. These presentations, taken together, will provide important information that bolsters knowledge of resources and research opportunities to address health disparities over the lifecourse and in late life.

Noosphere-space direction of development of Ukraine and the world

The article considers the original conept of the transition to noosphere-space thinking in the cultural-informational space of Ukraine, and the idea of a New Noosphere-Space Art. The importance of the noosphere-space direction of development in today’s realities is substantiated. quotes from thinkers, scientists and poets are cited to support research statement, emphasizing the inclination of the Ukrainian ethnos to this path. It is proposed to adopt a new pantheon of personalities, significant for Ukraine, who could become inspirational symbols. Three figures should become such symbols: Grigory Skovoroda, Vladimir Vernadsky, Kazimir Malevich. The article can be considered both research and a kind of creative manifesto of the artist.

International mobile marketing: a satisfactory concept for companies and users in times of pandemic

PurposeThis study’s purpose is to analyze the international mobile marketing (IMK) in order to stage the importance of this tool in the internationalization of companies. Our understanding of mobile marketing is constantly evolving, due to its high business penetration in a world globalized by technologies.Design/methodology/approachA review of the relevant literature on IMK, companies and customers is undertaken to understand the link between them. The paper begins by explaining the coronavirus disease 2019 is accelerating the change of the rules of the game in traditional and online commerce around the world. Furthermore, this study uses secondary data from organisation for economic co-operation and development (OECD), Sensor Tower, mobile marketing association (MMA), App Annie, among others, to support research results.FindingsThe results have shown that IMK has opened a melting pot of opportunities for companies and consumers in this period of pandemic; the potential of this tool is being redefined, in order to identify, anticipate and satisfy customers requirement profitably and efficiently. This study aims to provide an assessment of new concept of IMK and how this tool has to be integrated into the firm’s digital marketing strategies.Originality/valueThe study contributes to make better future decisions in the international digital expansion of companies by company executives and marketing experts. This paper provides a comprehensive framework intended to guide research efforts focusing on digital marketing as well as to aid practitioners in their quest to achieve IMK success.

A System for Resilience Learning: Developing a Community-Driven, Multi-Sector Research Approach for Greater Preparedness and Resilience to Long-Term Climate Stressors and Extreme Events in the Miami Metropolitan Region

There is a growing need for integrated approaches that align community priorities with strategies that build resilience to climate hazards, societal shocks, and economic crises to ensure more equitable and sustainable outcomes. We anticipate that adaptive management and resilience learning are central elements for these approaches. In this paper, we describe an approach to build and test a Resilience Learning System to support research and implementation of a resilience strategy developed for the Greater Miami and the Beaches or the Resilient305 Strategy. Elements foundational to the design of this integrated research strategy and replicable Resilience Learning System are: (1) strong partnerships among community members, government and non-government organization leaders, and researchers from multiple academic institutions; (2) contributions of subject matter expertise and local knowledge to identify information and translational gaps, formulate metrics and evaluate outcomes of Resilient305 Strategy actions from the community perspective; and (3) a comprehensive understanding of civic engagement activities, technological tools, and resilience-building capacities, including policy and financial innovations, from which to advance socio-technological, smart and connected regional-to-hyperlocal community translation through co-design/co-production. Initial results on co-produced metrics are provided. This work produces a new, replicable framework for resilience research that includes a comprehensive set of metrics, translation to communities through structured dialogues, a collaborative process involving all stakeholders and researchers, and evaluation of resilience actions to inform new investments and improve understanding and effectiveness over time.