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McDonald's is an American fast food company, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. Currently, McDonald's is the world's largest restaurant chain by revenue, serving over 69 million customers daily in over 100 countries across approximately 36,900 outlets. In 2014, McDonald’s was ranked fifth place 2014 as Most Valuable Global Brand. Based on the online research done, the issues faced by McDonald’s are price sensitivity, increased competition, health threats and many more. The main issue faced by McDonald’s that we are going to focus is the health threats caused by eating McDonald’s. The phrase “fast food” has almost a negative connotation these days. The average McDonald’s meal contains so much of sodium, unhealthy fat, sugar and empty carbs. In fact, the processed fat in McDonald’s foo promotes endothelial dysfunction which is linked to erectile dysfunction down the road. Multiple studies have indicated that eating McDonald’s food could lead to serious health risks such as heart attack, diabetes and high blood pressure. The purpose of this project paper is to analyze the challenges or issues faced by McDonald’s and suggest some business ideas for the company to overcome the challenges. Online research and brainstorming with group members regarding this topic are one of the crucial methods used to collect information regarding this topic. By suggesting a business idea to McDonald’s, it is expected to help McDonald’s overcome this issue quicker.

Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) is widely used by behavioral scientists to recruit research participants. MTurk offers advantages over traditional student subject pools, but it also has important limitations. In particular, the MTurk population is small and potentially overused, and some groups of interest to behavioral scientists are underrepresented and difficult to recruit. Here we examined whether online research panels can avoid these limitations. Specifically, we compared sample composition, data quality (measured by effect sizes, internal reliability, and attention checks), and the non-naivete of participants recruited from MTurk and Prime Panels—an aggregate of online research panels. Prime Panels participants were more diverse in age, family composition, religiosity, education, and political attitudes. Prime Panels participants also reported less exposure to classic protocols and produced larger effect sizes, but only after screening out several participants who failed a screening task. We conclude that online research panels offer a unique opportunity for research, yet one with some important trade-offs. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.3758/s13428-019-01273-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

This article written by Hester Swift is based on the online course entitled, ‘Customary International Law’, which was created by the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS) Library for the Postgraduate Online Research Training (PORT) platform and is available to all at . The PORT service is provided by the University of London's School of Advanced Study.

Mothers in academia (“motherscholars”), whether faculty or doctoral students, are confronted by structures and policies often impeding promotion and movement through the academic pipeline. While research has examined these struggles, such as our own research over the last few years, this study addresses these issues from a new perspective — wellbeing. Using an arts-based participatory study, this article discusses how six motherscholars (including the authors) living in the US, Kazakhstan, and New Zealand sought to alleviate their conflicting roles of mother and academic through sharing online practices and struggles through self-care activities. Findings demonstrated how collaborative encouragement, and even pressure, to focus on self-care appeared to support participants’ daily lives in and out of academia as participants became aware of themselves as individuals, beyond being a mother or an academic. Implications suggest the importance of informal support networks (especially when formal structures do not exist) for motherscholars to reduce role conflict by encouraging wellbeing through self-care.

Many ethical concerns in online big data research stem from a pervasive assumption that data are disembodied and place-less. While some scholars have begun addressing the ethical dilemmas of big da...

Drawing on 5090 English reviews of 486 psychiatrists working in Canada posted on ratemds.com, this study empirically analyses how Canadian mental health service users critique or appraise t...

Purpose Sustainability has become a global concern to deal with complex and unprecedent survival, social, political and peace issues. Higher education institutions play a key role in this transformation. This paper aims to conduct a comparative analysis by continents of innovation and sustainability barriers in universities. The document also offers opportunities and potential actions for universities to create initiatives to minimize barriers and move towards a sustainable future. Design/methodology/approach To carry out the study, 25 closed questions, composed of a five-point Likert scale, were applied to 283 university representatives (rectors, managers or specialists in the area of innovation and sustainability), to check the degree of application of the questionnaire. Findings From an exploratory statistical analysis, it was found that the main barriers were lacking of planning and focus, lacking of environmental committee, lacking of applicability and continuity of actions and resistance to changes. Among continents, Africa and Oceania presented the best innovation and sustainability indicators in universities. The main approach of this exploratory study on barriers in universities is as an international research, whose findings showed that several barriers currently prevent universities from getting involved in sustainable development efforts. However, as we debate sustainable development, which is gaining momentum, universities are supposed to move forward to overcome barriers for the sake of implementing goals and initiatives. In addition, universities must seize opportunities to contribute through innovation in teaching, research and initiatives to achieve the 17 sustainable development goals. Research limitations/implications This study has two main limitations: first, online research has involved professionals working in the field of sustainable development in higher education. Second, there were no interviews conducted to gather personal information with students and servers. However, the broad scope of the study and its strong international base provide important results that enable the design of an adequate profile of sustainability and innovation challenges that are currently found in universities. Practical implications The study showed that there is lack of knowledge management to connect science, technology, innovation and sustainability, to improve management conditions, innovate, make decisions, support initiatives, create incentives and control mechanisms. Trends suggest that future professional activities involve skills in dealing with complex problems, sometimes in careers and jobs yet to be created. Traditional teaching methods are generally only prepared for routine tasks and for existing jobs, thus requiring the creation of new approaches capable of stimulating creativity and autonomy, which are essential for the present and future demands of innovation and sustainability. Social implications The exploratory study on barriers in universities brings international research as main approach, which made it possible to check that several barriers currently prevent universities from getting involved in sustainable development efforts. However, as we debate sustainable development, which is gaining momentum, it is important that universities should move forward to overcome the barriers to implementation of goals and initiatives. In addition, universities should take advantage of opportunities to contribute through innovation in teaching, research and action to achieve the 17 sustainable development goals. Originality/value Developed countries are leaders in promoting sustainability, while developing or underdeveloped countries are laggards. In this approach, the study sought to verify the differences through a comparative analysis across continents. As for originality and innovation, this paper presents an international study in the view of specialists who respond based on the experience of their university.

Purpose This paper developed a theoretical and research framework by identifying the behavioral biases in investment decision and by presenting a review of the available literature in the field of behavior finance-related biases. This paper aims to present a compressive review of the literature available in the public domain in past five decades on behavior finance and biases and its role in investment decision-making process. It also covers insights on the subject for developing a deeper understating of the behavior of investor and related biases. Design/methodology/approach The work follows the comprehensive literature review approach to review the available literatures. The review carried out on different parameters such as year of publication, journal of publication, country, type of research, data type, statistical technique used and biases identified. This is a funnel approach to decrease the number of behavior biases up to six for further research. Findings Most of the existing works have summarized behavior finance as an emerging area in finance. This indicates the limited valuable research in developing economy in this area. This literature review helps in identifying major research gap in this domain. It helps in identifying the behavior biases which work dominantly in investment decision-making. It would be interesting to explore the area of behavior biases and their impact on investment decision of individual investors in India. Originality/value This paper worked on literature prevailing on the subject and available on various online research data source and search engines. It covers a long time frame of almost five decades (1970-2015). This paper is an attempt to look at the impact of behavior finance and biases and its role in investment decision-making process of the investor behavior. This study builds up a strong theoretical framework for researchers and academicians by detailed demonstration of available literature on behavior biases.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how government affairs micro-blog (also referred to as GAM) are applied to the disclosure of government emergency information in China, to identify its existing problems and to provide solutions. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, online research, case analysis and other methods were used to analyze the application status of China’s Government micro-blog in emergency information disclosure in recent years. Based on the relevant data and cases, a systematic theoretical research is conducted according to the established research framework. Findings There are some problems in the application of GAM to crisis management, such as insufficient information dissemination, incomplete information disclosure, fragmentation of information and lack of dynamic updating and communication. So, it is necessary to strengthen the organization and management of GAM, establish a perfect emergency management mechanism of GAM, increase the positive influence of GAM on public opinions and establish an evaluation accountability system of administrative micro-blog management. Originality/value The analysis of the application of GAM to the disclosure of government emergency information and the proposed strategies for improving its performance are all original, and they are both meaningful to more effective usage of GAM and facilitation of government emergency information disclosure.

Employees in the twenty-first century must be equipped to effectively process information from print and online sources; yet, many students struggle with online research and comprehension skills, m...

Background Internet-based research is increasing in popularity, but concerns remain about ethical issues and guidance is sparse in relation to generating data using online forums. Aim To describe and discuss ethical considerations concerning the collecting of data through online forums by using the authors' research exploring women's views and experiences of birth plans. Discussion Using online discussion forums helped to generate data rapidly. However, ethical concerns required attention throughout the study. The authors engage with debates about the public/private nature of online research, the complexities of ensuring consent in this context is informed, and questions about anonymity and confidentiality, where data are traceable and identifiable through search engines. Conclusion Research undertaken using online forums generates ethical issues similar to those seen in 'real world' studies. Implications for practice Researchers need to explore how the designs of their studies are affected by issues such as ensuring informed consent and mitigating for the publicly viewable and searchable nature of the data obtained.

Studies on Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) often include check questions in personality inventories to ensure data quality. However, a subset of MTurk workers may give only meaningful responses to these checks while giving noncompliant responses to the other questions. We demonstrate in an analysis of five MTurk datasets using the statistical approach of Lee and Ashton (2018) that this selectively responsive subset can be detected on the HEXACO personality inventory. Our lower bound estimate is that at least 2% in each sample did not get caught with the check questions while giving noncompliant responses on the personality inventory. Overall, researchers who strive to remove noise due to noncompliant responding may benefit from complementing check questions with a statistical approach.

The considerations and recommendations set out by Bhatia-Lin and colleagues (2019) for the appropriate use of social media platforms to locate and track research participants are timely and importa...

This essay contends the introduction to Croft Middle School in Nashville based on online research and interviews. The author focuses more on the student population school-wide support for English Language Learners, and the learning environment. From the school visit, the author noticed the ESL classroom decoration was very creative and attractive, and it was also the valuable learning resources for English learning. Besides, the story books in the classroom were related to students’ funds of knowledge, which could raise students’ learning motivation. In addition, during the class observation, the author noticed some strengths and learned great teaching skills of Ms. Levy’s class. On the other hand, based on theories from previous researches and articles, the author also provided some recommendations in order to have students get more benefits in ESL classes.

It is important for the health care community to understand the impact of a child’s death on parent functioning. Yet involving bereaved parents in research that enquires about such a stressful time in their life can potentially bring harm to them. The current study examines the perceived benefit and burden of parents participating in a survey exploring their perceptions of their child’s end-of-life (EoL) and bereavement experiences. Parents whose child died from cancer or complications of cancer treatment were invited to complete a survey developed by pediatric psychosocial oncology professionals with input from bereaved parent advocates through a closed social media (Facebook) group. One hundred seventy-eight parents of children aged 0 to 37 years at death (median age 12 years) participated. More than three quarters of parents reported at least “a little benefit” and half reported at least “a little burden” associated with participation. Less burden was perceived by younger and female parents, parents of younger children, those who had felt prepared to meet their children’s emotional needs at EoL, and those not using bereavement services at the time of the survey. With the increasing use of social media as a source for bereaved parents to receive and provide emotional support, it is important for clinicians and researchers to understand the perceived benefits and risks of participating in research about EoL experiences via online recruitment. Our findings suggest that the benefit and burden of online research participation may vary for bereaved parents, but further research is necessary to replicate the findings and explore ways to optimize the use of this approach.

Objective: To identify mental health and treatment utilization correlates of somatic symptoms.Participants: Undergraduate students (N = 184) were recruited through an online research portal from No...

Research and research publications are key elements in continuing professional development (CPD) as part of the mix of learning and development activities we undertake to keep ourselves current in our practice. Papers published in journals can be used by colleagues to support their evidence based practice. Posters and presentations seen and heard at a conferences can prompt ideas and developments at other organisations. In this way research is more than the publication of a piece of work it is about dissemination and its impact; for our CPD this is about how it benefits us and our patients.

Theoretical basis It is recommended that students apply the arguments of resource-based theory to analyze the potential strategic partnership that the case focuses on. The resource-based view suggests that strategic partnerships between firms have the potential to create value when resources are pooled together. Scott Crump faces a decision-making situation wherein he analyses the value-creation potential of the original equipment manufacturer partnership with Hewlett-Packard (HP). In addition, contrasting the cultural environments within both organizations would bring in greater complexity and depth to the reflections, analyses and discussions. Often research experts explore these concepts in isolated streams of research. However, in real-world scenarios, these aspects must be integrated for a more comprehensive decision making to take place. It is also recommended for students to analyze how founder characteristics and resources imprint organizations with certain enduring “imprints” that determine strategic outcomes for the firm in unique ways. Research methodology For the development of this case, the authors interviewed the top management at Stratasys including Scott Crump, Founder and CEO. The authors also interviewed former and current employees of Stratasys, HP, other experts in the printing industry and existing customers in the 3D printing industry. The company made internal documents available to the authors including financial statements, internal meeting presentations, company forecasts and assessment tools. All interviews were recorded and analyzed to obtain and include multiple perspectives from various stakeholders. The authors also conducted extensive online research on the 3D printing industry and utilized data from news articles, interviews and other relevant press materials. Case overview/synopsis Scott Crump, Founder of Stratasys, a company that developed and sold 3D printers, had always envisioned a future when it would be commonplace for a 3D printer to be on the desk of every engineer. HP approached him with a proposal that had the potential to make that dream come true. Crump knew that Stratasys did not need to partner with HP for a financial reason, but he loved the idea of the technology becoming a standard method for creating parts universally. The case highlights a true-life account of a firm’s founder considering an important strategic alliance and analyzing the ramifications of taking on or refusing this partnership. Complexity academic level This case has applications in strategic management and small business management courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels. It also contains critical areas of decision making relevant to an advanced strategic management course that focuses on manufacturing strategy or strategic alliance decision making. This case would be relevant to MBA, Executive MBA or Masters of Science in Accountancy level students as well. Specifically, it is intended for use in courses involving topics such as mergers and strategic partnerships, negotiation and leadership, risk analysis, financial statement analysis, financial modeling and market analysis.

The present study evaluated the extent to which literacy skills (reading fluency, written spelling, and reading comprehension), together with nonverbal reasoning, prior knowledge, and gender, are related to students’ online research and comprehension (ORC) performance. The ORC skills of 426 sixth graders were measured using a Finnish adaptation of the Online Research and Comprehension Assessment. Results of a structural equation model showed that these ORC skills were divided into six highly correlated factors, and that they formed a common factor in ORC. Altogether, these predictor variables explained 57% of the variance in ORC. Reading comprehension, along with gender, was the strongest predictor for ORC performance. In addition, reading fluency and written spelling explained ORC variance over and above reading comprehension. These findings suggest that struggling readers probably face difficulties online.

Leseprobe ----- Zusammenfassung Basierend auf Forschungserfahrungen im Umgang mit transnational hochmobilen Interviewpartner*innen untersucht dieser Beitrag den Einsatz von Online- Interviews mit Skype. Dazu werden auf Basis von Intervieweinstiegen, Meta-Kommunikationen und ethnographischen Protokollen die Interviewsituationen reflektiert, um Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten digitaler und analoger Face-to-Face Interviews herauszuarbeiten und Perspektiverweiterungen zu diskutieren. Schlagworter: Skype, Interview, Jugendliche, qualitative Online-Forschung, transnationale Eliten ----- Qualitative Skype Interviews. A research access to transnational elites Abstract Based on research experiences with transnationally highly mobile young adults this article discusses the use of online communication programmes, such as Skype, as a way of conducting interviews. This paper examines the starting phases of the interviews, the meta communications and ethnographical protocols to identify similarities and differences of VoIP- and face-to-face interviews as well as their enrichments of perspectives. Keywords: Skype, interviews, adolescents, qualitative online research, transnational elites ----- Bibliographie: Leinhos, Patrick: Qualitative Skype-Interviews. Ein Forschungszugang zu hochmobilen transnationalen Jugendlichen, ZQF – Zeitschrift fur Qualitative Forschung, 1-2019, S. 27-42. https://doi.org/10.3224/zqf.v20i1.03

In today’s technology-enriched environment, online research databases have become an indispensable tool in learning and research activities. Libraries worldwide have incorporated them as an integral part of their current service delivery. This study intends to determine whether the technology satisfaction model (TSM) validly measures postgraduate students’ satisfaction of using online research databases in an academic library. It further explores the relationships among antecedents within the model. To measure the components of the TSM, the stratified random sampling strategy was used to conduct a survey with 300 postgraduate students from six faculties of COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI) in Pakistan. The data were statistically analysed using the Rasch model and structural equation modelling (SEM). The results of the study illustrate direct and indirect associations among the exogenous, endogenous and mediating variables of the TSM, with the studied postgraduate students’ computer self-efficacy playing a crucial role in influencing their satisfaction. The TSM shows that 69% of the variance in the postgraduate students’ satisfaction can be explained by perceived usefulness, computer self-efficacy and perceived ease of use, which confirm that the TSM has a strong predictive power and is viable for measuring endogenous variable. The findings also make a significant contribution to the testing of databases for academics, service providers and researchers in higher education.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the effectiveness of systems for ensuring cooperation in online transactions is impacted by a positivity bias in the evaluation of the work that is produced. The presence of this bias can reduce the informativeness of the reputation system and negatively impact its ability to ensure quality. Design/methodology/approach This research combines survey and experimental methods, collecting data from 1,875 Mechanical Turk (MTurk) workers in five studies designed to investigate the informativeness of the MTurk reputation system. Findings The findings demonstrate the presence of a positivity bias in evaluations of workers on MTurk, which leaves them undifferentiated, except at the extremity of the reputation system and by status markers. Research limitations/implications Because MTurk workers self-select tasks, the findings are limited in that they may only be generalizable to those who are interested in research-related work. Further, the tasks used in this research are largely subjective in nature, which may decrease their sensitivity to differences in quality. Practical implications For researchers, the results suggest that requiring 99 per cent approval rates (rather than the previously advised 95 per cent) should be used to identify high-quality workers on MTurk. Originality/value The research provides insights into the design and use of reputation systems and demonstrates how design decisions can exacerbate the effect of naturally occurring biases in evaluations to reduce the utility of these systems.

As research in the behavioural sciences increasingly relies on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) for recruiting participants, it is an empirical question whether an intentional memory experiment cou...

Summary There is a need to update the legal system to recognize the use of hypnosis and undue influence occurring throughout the world. Extremist groups are deceptively recruiting and indoctrinating people to do terrorist attacks. Human traffickers are grooming and using hypnosis and social influence techniques to create labor and sex slaves. In this paper, a number of key concepts and models will be used to more fully define DSM-5's Dissociative Disorder 300.15: Festinger's Cognitive Dissonance Theory, along with Robert Jay Lifton and Margaret Singer's work (1995) are the foundation of the BITE model of mind control (Hassan, 1988). Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotional Control are the four overlapping components through which destructive groups bring people to be obedient and compliant to authority. A programmed cult identity is created through a complex social influence process. That false identity dominates real identity. The ethics and morality of undue influence are understood differently. In this paper, we analyze the techniques of breaking down the existing personalityand creating a false or pseudo-identity. The Influence Continuum and BITE mind control model and Lifton's eight criteria for Thought Reform are discussed; Scheflin's Social Influence Model (2015) is presented as one tool for analyzing undue influence in a forensic and juridical context. To support the hypothesis presented here, an anonymous online research survey was conducted involving 1033 participants to gather data regarding specific variables of the BITE model, in an effort to develop an instrument that might be useful in determining key aspects of undue influence.

In peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation settings such as Airbnb, social interactions between peers are distinctively different from those between guests and employees in conventional lodging establishments. This study focuses on a reciprocal aspect of social interactions in P2P accommodations and aims to: 1) explore how guests and hosts perceive online and face-to-face interactions between them and 2) investigate the association between P2P interactions and some outcome variables (encounter satisfaction, word-of-mouth intention, and continuous intention to use) based on the roles of guest and host. A total of 503 responses from an online research panel were analyzed. The results show that guests perceive overall interaction experiences more positively than do hosts. Moreover, guests and hosts place weight on different interaction factors that contribute to their satisfaction and behavioral intentions. This study sheds light on the reciprocal interactions between guests and hosts, providing important theoretical and practical implications for the P2P lodging experience.

Objectives Qualitative research has thoroughly investigated the diagnostic journeys of patients, who have often reported difficulty with healthcare providers regarding the acknowledgement of an organic, pathological cause for their symptoms (hereafter referred to as invalidation of symptoms). These encounters also reportedly contributed to reductions in self-esteem and to feelings of depression, particularly prior to diagnosis. The aim of this research was to quantitatively validate these observed relationships and examine the potential compounding effect of personalization of this reported invalidation. Methods Participants were 609 patients with self-reported endometriosis from a larger online research study. Invalidation and personalization of invalidation were measured with survey items developed for this research. Self-esteem and depression were assessed with well-known validated and reliable self-report instruments. Hierarchical linear regressions were performed, with path analysis to test for mediation. Results Invalidation predicted self-esteem but not depression. However, when personalized, invalidation predicted both self-esteem and depression. Path analysis testing the effect of personalization of invalidation on depression through self-esteem was significant, demonstrating full mediation. Conclusions Results confirm qualitative research and provide the first known quantitative support that invalidation, particularly when personalized, can be associated with reduced self-esteem and, in turn, greater depression. Practice implications These findings demonstrate an important barrier to patient-centered communication.

Abdulkarim A Jawhari,1 Maha A Safhi,1 Mawadah M Magadmi,1 Rajwa H Alobaidi,1 Khaled M Alghamdi,1 Reem N Basyouni,1 Omar M Saggaf,1 Murad A Yasawy,2 Rania M Magadmi3 1Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 2Faculty of Medicine, Ibn Sina College, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Abdulkarim A JawhariFaculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 23212, Saudi ArabiaTel +966559977079Email Kremjohari@gmail.comPurpose: Research methodology is an essential part of evidence-based medicine. Many educational programs include clinical research methodology within their curriculum. Moreover, students’ preferences for learning methods are different than before, as they now prefer alternative methods, such as peer teaching. Peer-assisted learning enhances students’ tutoring skills. Thus, the current study aimed to evaluate the effect of peer teaching on enhancing clinical research skills.Participants and Methods: Peer-assisted learning was evaluated during a four-week online research methodology course designed for medical students at King Abdulaziz University. A total of 121 students’ and 38 tutors’ attitudes and perceptions of peer teaching were evaluated using a self-administered questionnaire. The effectiveness of peer teaching was assessed using pre- and post-course knowledge tests. Chi-square was used to assess the association of qualitative data, and Mann–Whitney U-test and Wilcoxon rank test were used as nonparametric tests for the variables that were not normally distributed.Results: The post-course knowledge score was significantly higher than the pre-test score. Students had a positive perception of peer-assisted learning. Over 90% of the students preferred peer-assisted learning to traditional teaching. Similarly, the tutors had significantly positive perceptions of peer-assisted teaching. Younger students who had higher post-test mean knowledge scores had a good perception of peer teaching.Conclusion: The current study demonstrates students’ and tutors’ positive perceptions of peer-assisted learning as well as the effectiveness of peer learning. Medical schools should pay more attention to students and prepare them for peer-teacher roles.Keywords: peer-assisted learning, medicine, clinical, methodology, education

In this paper, we share our approach and the process for qualitative analysis of online video data recorded during an after-school robotics program that emphasized computational thinking (CT). Online research strategies may be necessary for various reasons such as when working with a geographically distributed research team, when conducting research with students in an online program, or when resources are inaccessible due to campus closures like those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. We followed a three-stage process during qualitative analysis of the videos that included planning and setup, online analysis of videos, and structural coding of memos to explore patterns across the data. Analysis was conducted with a combination of technologies including Google Drive for collaborative coding online and NVivo to collate and summarize findings. The methods and process we describe are readily applicable to other research studies that include video as part of the data set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Qualitative Report is the property of Qualitative Report and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objectives: To determine the level of evidence in dermatology research over the last five years and to assess the frequency of publication in different journals in the field of dermatology in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, western region. Methods: All published research were reviewed during the period of 2015 till 2020 using online research database through PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar. A list of all Saudi dermatologists who are registered by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties as consultants, and who worked in public institutions at Jeddah and Makkah was retrieved. The Oxford Level of Evidence Scale was utilized to determine the level of evidence of these studies. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the frequency of different study types and levels of evidence. Results: A total of 125 articles were published in 62 different national and international journals. Majority of the published studies were level IV (76%). Case reports were the most common type of published research (56%) and meta-analysis studies accounted for (6.4%). Thirty-two articles were produced by academic institutions, compared to 68 published articles from governmental institutions, and 22 from military hospitals. Conclusion: Only a small percentage of publications in Saudi Arabia are considered high level clinical research. The number of publications during the past five years was high compared to the previous years and case reports constituted the majority. Authors should be encouraged to conduct higher-level studies to enhance patient care.

Author(s): Albright, Jack; Ashford, Miriam T; Jin, Chengshi; Neuhaus, John; Rabinovici, Gil D; Truran, Diana; Maruff, Paul; Mackin, R Scott; Nosheny, Rachel L; Weiner, Michael W | Abstract: IntroductionThis study investigated the extent to which subjective and objective data from an online registry can be analyzed using machine learning methodologies to predict the current brain amyloid beta (Aβ) status of registry participants.MethodsWe developed and optimized machine learning models using data from up to 664 registry participants. Models were assessed on their ability to predict Aβ positivity using the results of positron emission tomography as ground truth.ResultsStudy partner-assessed Everyday Cognition score was preferentially selected for inclusion in the models by a feature selection algorithm during optimization.DiscussionOur results suggest that inclusion of study partner assessments would increase the ability of machine learning models to predict Aβ positivity.

Research suggests that a socioeconomic gradient in employed adults’ mental health may be partially mediated by their work conditions. Largely ignored in this body of research is the potential role of unpaid domestic labor. The objectives of this paper were to determine whether socioeconomic disparities in mental health were present in a sample of employed, partnered mothers, and if so, identify the intervening mechanisms which contributed to the disparity. Participants for this cross-sectional study were 512 women recruited from an online research panel of residents living in Saskatchewan, Canada. Household income was the primary exposure and psychological distress was the dependent variable. Potential mediators included material deprivation, job control, job demands, work–family conflict, and the conditions of domestic labor. Descriptive analyses followed by simple and multiple mediation analyses were performed. Lower income was associated with greater distress, with material deprivation, work–family conflict, and inequity in responsibility for domestic work acting as mediators. These results suggest that in addition to more well-established mechanisms, the conditions of unpaid domestic labor, particularly how that labor is shared within households, may play a role in the genesis of mental health inequities among employed partnered mothers. Limitations of the study are discussed as are implications for future research.

On March 16, 2020, the US Government introduced strict social distancing protocols for the United States in an effort to stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. This had an immediate major effect on the job market, with millions of Americans forced to find alternative ways to make a living from home. As online labor markets like Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) play a major role in social science research, concerns have been raised that the pandemic may be reducing the diversity of subjects participating in experiments. Here, we investigate this possibility empirically. Specifically, we look at 15,539 responses gathered in 23 studies run on MTurk between February and July 2020, examining the distribution of gender, age, ethnicity, political preference, and analytic cognitive style. We find notable changes on some of the measures following the imposition of nationwide social distancing: participants are more likely to be less reflective (as measured by the Cognitive Reflection Test), and somewhat less likely to be white, Democrats (traditionally over-represented on MTurk), and experienced with MTurk. Most of these differences are explained by an influx of new participants into the MTurk subject pool who are more diverse and representative – but also less attentive – than previous MTurkers. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.3758/s13428-021-01588-4.

Individuals vary in emotion recognition ability (ERA), but the causes and correlates of this variability are not well understood. Previous studies have largely focused on unimodal facial or vocal expressions and a small number of emotion categories, which may not reflect how emotions are expressed in everyday interactions. We investigated individual differences in ERA using a brief test containing dynamic multimodal (facial and vocal) expressions of 5 positive and 7 negative emotions (the ERAM test). Study 1 (N = 593) showed that ERA was positively correlated with emotional understanding, empathy, and openness, and negatively correlated with alexithymia. Women also had higher ERA than men. Study 2 was conducted online and replicated the recognition rates from Study 1 (which was conducted in lab) in a different sample (N = 106). Study 2 also showed that participants who had higher ERA were more accurate in their meta-cognitive judgments about their own accuracy. Recognition rates for visual, auditory, and audio-visual expressions were substantially correlated in both studies. Results provide further clues about the underlying structure of ERA and its links to broader affective processes. The ERAM test can be used for both lab and online research, and is freely available for academic research.

Educational games and digital game-based learning (DGBL) provide pupils interactive, engaging, intelligent, and motivating learning environments. According to research, digital games can support students’ learning and enhance their motivation to learn. Given the central role teachers play in the learning process, their perceptions of DGBL play a significant role in the usage and effectiveness of game-based learning. This paper presents the main findings of an online research on primary school teachers’ attitudes toward DGBL. Furthermore, the research investigates teachers’ opinions about the functionalities provided by the implemented Multiplication Game (MG) and the newly incorporated teacher dashboard. The MG is an assessment and skills improvement tool that integrates an adaptation mechanism that identifies student weaknesses on the multiplication tables and in its latest version also supports a strong social parameter. Students can be informed about their own progress as well as the progress of their peers in an effort to examine if social interaction or competition can increase players’ motivation, which is a subject that raised some concerns in the teaching community. The paper describes the functional options offered by the MG dashboard and documents the outcomes of an online survey conducted with the participation of 182 primary school teachers. The survey indicated the potential usefulness of MG and the benefits it can offer as a learning tool to improve pupil multiplication skills and help teachers identify individual pupil skills and difficulties and adapt their teaching accordingly. The analysis applied has found a correlation between teachers’ perceptions about MG and their view on using digital games in general.

The confinement of the population, researchers, shows the need to adapt the qualitative methodology, techniques and tools, to the current context generated by COVID-19. The Internet and the social media allow the collection of textual data, sequences, images or narratives about a limited reality for access to it in person. We enter the era of e-research, nuancing and reorienting the observation, conversation, collection and analysis of information. Currently, we are working on techniques and models of good practice in this area. This note includes data collection tools used in qualitative research in health sciences, a selection of techniques for qualitative online research is made, and 10 rules for the design of an e-research of this type are provided. Yes El confinamiento de la población, incluidas las personas investigadoras, pone de manifiesto la necesidad de adaptar la metodología cualitativa, sus técnicas y herramientas, al contexto actual generado por la COVID-19. Internet y los medios o redes sociales posibilitan la recogida de datos textuales, secuencias, imágenes o narrativas sobre una realidad limitada para el acceso a ella de forma presencial. Entramos en la era de la e-investigación, matizando y reorientando la observación, la conversación, la recogida y el análisis de la información. En la actualidad se trabaja en técnicas y modelos de buena práctica en esta materia. Esta nota incluye métodos de obtención de datos empleados en las investigaciones cualitativas en ciencias de la salud; se hace una selección de técnicas para una investigación cualitativa en línea y se aportan 10 reglas para el diseño de una e-investigación de este tipo.

Objectives Although general principles related to vaccination hesitancy have been well researched, reports on reluctance to be vaccinated for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States are somewhat surprising, given the disease's substantive disruption of everyday life. However, the landscape in which people are making COVID-19 vaccination decisions has recently evolved with releases of encouraging vaccine-related data and changes to official messaging about the virus. Therefore, this study sought to identify factors associated with reported likelihood to get vaccinated for COVID-19 among US adults in late January 2021. Study design We used the Prolific online research panel to survey a nationally representative sample of 1017 US adults. Methods Respondents were asked about their behavioral intentions toward COVID-19 vaccination, trust in science, perceptions related to COVID-19, and selected sociodemographic factors. We computed associations between those 11 independent variables and likelihood to get vaccinated for COVID-19 using multiple linear regression. Results Around 73.9% of respondents indicated at least some likelihood to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Trust in science and perceived seriousness of COVID-19 were positively associated with intention to get vaccinated, and identifying as Black or African American was negatively associated with intention to get vaccinated. Other factors were moderately, weakly, or not at all associated with intention. Conclusions Building trust in science and truthfully emphasizing the seriousness of catching COVID-19 should be further researched for their potential to support campaigns to encourage COVID-19 vaccination. Data continue to suggest the importance of dialogue with Black communities about COVID-19 vaccination.

The growing shift to online research provides numerous potential opportunities, including greater sample diversity and more efficient data collection. While online methods and recruitment platforms have gained popularity in research with adults, there is relatively little guidance on best practices for how to conduct remote research with children. The current contribution will provide recommendations for conducting behavioral research with children and adolescents using remote synchronous (i.e., real-time interactions between the experimenter and child) and asynchronous (i.e., the child completes the study independently without experimenter interaction) methods. We will discuss considerations regarding sample diversity and provide recommendations on implementing remote research with children, including discussions about remote software, study design, and data quality. These recommendations can promote the use of remote research amongst developmental psychologists by contributing to our knowledge of effective online research practices and the building of standardized guidelines when working with children.

OBJECTIVE Expanded carrier screening (ECS) assesses the risk of individuals and couples of having a child affected with a set of genetic conditions. Carriers have options available to optimize pregnancy outcomes based on personal values and preferences. The greatest range of options is available prior to pregnancy, therefore professional societies recommend this screening be performed preconception. This study aimed to assess awareness of, and interest in, ECS in women preconception. Additionally, it aimed to evaluate preferences for timing and location of education and availability of ECS. METHODS A total of 260 nulliparous women from the general population were surveyed through Qualtrics, a national market research survey platform. Data were delineated using descriptive statistics. RESULTS Of this cohort, 43.5% reported being aware of ECS prior to the survey and 77.8% indicated interest. Those previously aware were first informed by family, friends, or independent online research. Interest was primarily driven by a desire for reassurance and to make informed decisions about future pregnancies. Interested respondents indicated a willingness to request testing from providers. Participants showed a preference for education and access from a healthcare provider in person. CONCLUSION These findings provide insight regarding when and where to best educate and reach women prior to pregnancy about ECS to maximize pregnancy outcomes.

There were changes in Internet safety during the pandemic 2020 year compared to 2018 data. The results of Ukrainian online research of cyber risks for school students, conducted by the Laboratory of Psychology of Mass Communication and Media Education at the Institute of Social and Political Psychology of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine at the end of 2020 show general trend of cyber risks rising, and warn educators and parents for what risks they should be focused more attention for prevention.

This chapter describe a real-market food development carried out using an online research platform (BimiLeap) that utilizes a variation of conjoint analysis, a powerful stimulus–response experiment process. The study determines what resonates in a possible consumer's mind by listing various attributes of a product, mixing them in a proprietary systematic way, presenting them to the consumer, and obtaining ratings. It simulates Nature as a full experiment, investigating the final product of the algebra of the consumer mind, how different propositions of ideas drive a person's response and how ideas influence each other.

This article collection is a response to the rapid acceleration of research interest in ‘motherhood online’, defined here as a field concerned with the production and reception of digital media that is produced by mothers and/or about motherhood, and is related to issues of maternal identities, communities or practices. It contributes to this field of study by presenting a selection of six articles that examine these concerns from a discourse analytical perspective. These articles explore a range of socio-maternal practices such as experiential knowledge-sharing (Lyons) and infant feeding (Coffey-Glover), and experiences such as maternal regret (Matley) and postnatal depression (Kinloch & Jaworska). They examine contemporary concepts of motherhood and mothering practice as they intersect with domains such as religion (Ringrow), healthcare (Coffey-Glover; Kinloch & Jaworska) and gendered (in)equalities (Lazar & Ke). Further, the articles consider the opportunities and challenges that arise when individuals navigate these issues in a range of online contexts, from now well-established sites such as blogs (Coffey-Glover; Ringrow) and online forums (Kinloch & Jaworska; Matley), to newer forms of digital media including messaging apps (Lyons) and video-sharing platforms (Lazar & Ke). In this introduction, we summarise some key themes of motherhood online research to date, outline the rationale for a discourse analytical perspective in this field, and locate this article collection within a broader interdisciplinary context.

En los últimos años, la investigación con encuestas ha estado marcada por el uso más frecuente de muestras no probabilísticas fruto de la expansión de internet y la caída sostenida de las tasas de respuesta. Para garantizar el proceso de inferencia cada vez son necesarios ajustes más complejos para los que se precisan variables auxiliares, es decir, información acerca de toda la población. En este trabajo se comprueba el potencial de los datos administrativos agregados a nivel de municipio para ajustar dos encuestas provenientes de un panel de internautas, el panel AIMC-Q, promovido por la Asociación Española para la Investigación de los Medios de Comunicación (AIMC). Los resultados muestran que la capacidad de las variables administrativas agregadas para reducir el sesgo de las estimaciones es mínima.

Background The HIV epidemic disproportionately impacts transgender women in the United States. Cohort studies identify unique risks for affected populations, but use of facility-based methods may bias findings towards individuals living in research catchment areas, more engaged in health services, or, in the case of transgender populations, those who are open about their transgender identity. Digital clinical trials and other online research methods are increasingly common, providing opportunity to reach those not commonly engaged in research. Simultaneously, there is a need to understand potential biases associated with digital research, how these methods perform, and whether they are accepted across populations. Objective This study aims to assess the feasibility of developing and implementing an online cohort of transgender women to assess risks for HIV acquisition and other health experiences. Further, this study aims to evaluate how an online cohort compares to a site-based, technology-enhanced cohort for epidemiologic research. The overarching goal is to estimate incidence of HIV and other health outcomes among transgender women in eastern and southern United States. Methods This substudy is part of a larger multisite prospective cohort (LITE) conducted among transgender women, which also includes a site-based, technology-enhanced cohort in 6 eastern and southern US cities. The online cohort was launched to enroll and follow participants across 72 cities in the same region and with similar demographic characteristics as the site-based cohort. Participants are followed for 24 months. Adult transgender women are recruited via convenience sampling (eg, peer referrals, social media, and dating apps). Participants reporting negative or unknown HIV status are enrolled in a baseline study visit, complete a sociobehavioral survey, and provide oral fluid specimens to test for HIV. Participants not living with HIV (lab-confirmed) at baseline are offered enrollment into the cohort; follow-up assessments occur every 6 months. Results Enrollment into the online cohort launched in January 2019. Active recruitment stopped in May 2019, and enrollment officially closed in August 2020. A total of 580 participants enrolled into and are followed in the cohort. A recruitment-enrollment cascade was observed across screening, consent, and completion of study activities. Implementation experiences with HIV test kits highlight the need for heavy staff engagement to support participant engagement, visit completion, and retention, even with automated digital procedures. Conclusions This study is responsive to increasing research interest in digital observational and intervention research, particularly for populations who are most affected by the HIV epidemic and for those who may otherwise not participate in person. The progression across stages of the recruitment-enrollment cascade provides useful insight for implementation of cohort studies in the online environment. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/29152

Background Certified peer support specialists (CPS) have a mental health condition and are trained and certified by their respective state to offer Medicaid reimbursable peer support services. CPS are increasingly involved as partners in research studies. However, most research ethics training in the protection of human subjects is designed for people who, unlike CPS, have had exposure to prior formal research training. Objective The aim of this study is to explore the perspectives of CPS in completing the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative Social and Behavioral Responsible Conduct of Research online training. Methods A total of 5 CPS were recruited using a convenience sample framework through the parent study, a patient-centered outcomes research study that examined the comparative effectiveness of two chronic health disease management programs for people with serious mental illness. Participants independently completed the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative Social and Behavioral Responsible Conduct of Research online training. All participants completed 15 online modules in approximately 7-9 hours and also filled out a self-report measure of executive functioning (the Adult Executive Functioning Inventory [ADEXI]). Qualitative data were collected from a 1-hour focus group and qualitative analysis was informed by the grounded theory approach. The codebook consisted of codes inductively derived from the data. Codes were independently assigned to text, grouped, and checked for themes. Thematic analysis was used to organize themes. Results Passing scores for each module ranged from 81%-89%, with an average of 85.4% and a median of 86%. The two themes that emerged from the focus group were the following: comprehension (barrier) and opportunity (facilitator). Participants had a mean score of 27.4 on the ADEXI. Conclusions The CPS perceived the research ethics online training as an opportunity to share their lived experience expertise to enhance current research efforts by nonpeer scientists. Although the CPS completed the online research ethics training, the findings indicate CPS experienced difficulty with comprehension of the research ethics online training materials. Adaptations may be needed to facilitate uptake of research ethics online training by CPS and create a workforce of CPS to offer their lived experience expertise alongside peer and nonpeer researchers.

Scientific writing plays a crucial role in determining the quality of students and universities. So far, the ability of students to establish scientific works is varied. Some students can produce scientific work in an APIK (Asli, Penting, Ilmiah, Konsisten) way which means Original, Important, Scientific, and Consistent), as well as in a "SMART" (Specific, Manageable, Acceptable, Realistic and Time-bound) way. However, some of them also encounter difficulties so they need assistance on a collaborative based scientific writing through Online Research Clinic (ORC) approach. Collaborative-based mentoring can build collegiality and collaboration among tutors, students, and UPBJJ-UT managers. Effective mentoring requires an ORC approach. An online research clinic is a place designed to help students who have difficulty writing scientific papers through clinical methods, starting from problem identification, diagnosis, prognosis, synthesis, treatment, reflection using internet / online network media such as website, email, WhatsApp, telegram, Google classroom, webinars, zoom and so on. Online Research Clinic is a solution to solve students' difficulties in writing scientific papers. The existence of ORC is an innovation to create independent learning in the digital era due to its flexibility and easy accessibility at all times both face-to-face and online. Besides, it is also used by tutors and managers to collaborate in providing consultation services to students. This study aims to analyze and synthesize the management model of scientific work mentoring with a proper online clinical research approach for UPJJB-UT Semarang students. The research method uses Research and Development. Data obtained from the results of scientific work mentoring, needs analysis, testing, and model validation. Data collection techniques use questionnaires, interviews, documentation studies, observation, and FGD. The validity test uses model validation from experts and practitioners. The qualitative descriptive analysis uses data displays, data reduction, data verification, and conclusion. The results of the study conclude that the mentoring management model implemented so far was categorized as sufficient, still theoretical, and not practical yet. ORC assistance model is very important and needed because it is practical, effective, and efficient. The ORC mentoring model is very feasible so that it can be implemented to improve the quality of students in producing scientific papers for fulfilling assignments, requirements for completing study program, and scientific publications.

BackgroundRiding a bike is beneficial for health, the environment and for reducing traffic congestion. Despite this, bike riding participation in the state of Victoria, Australia, is low. To inform planning and practice, there is a need to understand the proportion of the population (the ‘near-market’) that are interested in riding a bike, and how this varies across regions. The Geller typology classifies individuals into one of four groups, based on their confidence to ride a bike in various infrastructure types, and frequency of bike riding. The typology has been used at a city, state and country-wide scale, however not at a smaller spatial scale. We aimed to characterise and quantify the distribution of the Geller typology within Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state of Victoria, Australia.MethodsAn online survey was conducted in 37 LGAs in Victoria, including all LGAs in Greater Melbourne, and a selection of six key regional centres. Participants were recruited from an opt-in online research company panel with the objective of recruiting a representative sample of adults across each LGA. The Geller typology classified individuals as either: ‘Strong and Fearless, ‘Enthused and Confident’, ‘Interested but Concerned’, or ‘No Way No How’. ‘Interested but Concerned’ participants are those that would ride a bike if protected infrastructure were provided.ResultsThe survey was completed by 3999 individuals. Most participants owned a bike (58%), however only 20% rode at least once per week. The distribution of the Geller groups was: ‘Strong and Fearless’ (3%), ‘Enthused and Confident’ (3%), ‘Interested but Concerned’ (78%), and ‘No Way No How’ (16%). While variation in the distributions of the Geller groups was observed between LGAs within Greater Melbourne., the ‘Interested but Concerned’ group, reflecting people who are comfortable riding only in protected lanes or off-road paths, was high across all LGAs and all demographic sub-groups. Even though the frequency of riding a bike was lower in women, interest in riding a bike was high and comparable to men. Participants who resided in the outer urban fringe regions of Greater Melbourne had high interest, but low participation in bike riding.ConclusionsWhile there was variation in interest in bike riding across an entire metropolitan region and across population groups, interest was high across all areas and demographics. Our results show the potential for substantial increases in cycling participation, but only when high-quality cycling infrastructure is provided. Further research is required to understand the policy and practice barriers to equitable provision of protected infrastructure.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an explosion of online research using rating scales. While this approach can be useful, two of the major challenges affecting the quality of this type of research include selection bias and the use of non-validated scales. Online research is prone to various forms of selection bias, including self-selection bias, non-response bias or only reaching specific subgroups. The use of rating scales requires contextually validated scales that meet psychometrical properties such as validity, reliability and—for cross-country comparisons—invariance across settings. We discuss options to prevent or tackle these challenges. Researchers, readers, editors and reviewers need to take a critical stance towards research using this type of methodology.