Objective: To prepare a set of statements for randomised clinical trials (RCT) integrity through an international multi-stakeholder consensus. Methods: The consensus was developed via: multi-country multidisciplinary stakeholder group composition and engagement; evidence synthesis of 55 systematic reviews concerning RCT integrity; anonymised two-round modified Delphi survey with consensus threshold based on the average percentage of majority opinions; and, a final consensus development meeting. Prospective registrations: (https://osf.io/bhncy, https://osf.io/3ursn). Results: There were 30 stakeholders representing 15 countries from five continents including triallists, ethicists, methodologists, statisticians, consumer representatives, industry representatives, systematic reviewers, funding body panel members, regulatory experts, authors, journal editors, peer-reviewers and advisors for resolving integrity concerns. Delphi survey response rate was 86.7% (26/30 stakeholders). There were 111 statements (73 stakeholder-provided, 46 systematic review-generated, 8 supported by both) in the initial long list, with eight additional statements provided during the consensus rounds. Through consensus the final set consolidated 81 statements (49 stakeholder-provided, 41 systematic review-generated, 9 supported by both). The entire RCT life cycle was covered by the set of statements including general aspects (n = 6), design and approval (n = 11), conduct and monitoring (n = 19), reporting of protocols and findings (n = 20), post-publication concerns (n = 12), and future research and development (n = 13). Conclusion: Implementation of this multi-stakeholder consensus statement is expected to enhance RCT integrity.
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The security of online assessments is a major concern due to widespread cheating. One common form of cheating is impersonation, where students invite unauthorized persons to take assessments on their behalf. Several techniques exist to handle impersonation. Some researchers recommend use of integrity policy, but communicating the policy effectively to the students is a challenge. Others propose authentication methods like, password and fingerprint; they offer initial authentication but are vulnerable thereafter. Face recognition offers post-login authentication but necessitates additional hardware. Keystroke Dynamics (KD) has been used to provide post-login authentication without any additional hardware, but its use is limited to subjective assessment. In this work, we address impersonation in assessments with Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ). Our approach combines two key strategies: reinforcement of integrity policy for prevention, and keystroke-based random authentication for detection of impersonation. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first attempt to use keystroke dynamics for post-login authentication in the context of MCQ. We improve an online quiz tool for the data collection suited to our needs and use feature engineering to address the challenge of high-dimensional keystroke datasets. Using machine learning classifiers, we identify the best-performing model for authenticating the students. The results indicate that the highest accuracy (83%) is achieved by the Isolation Forest classifier. Furthermore, to validate the results, the approach is applied to Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) benchmark dataset, thereby achieving an improved accuracy of 94%. Though we also used mouse dynamics for authentication, but its subpar performance leads us to not consider it for our approach.
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Expectations are high for digital technologies to address sustainability related challenges. While research into such applications and the twin transformation is growing rapidly, insights in the actual daily practices of digital sustainability within organizations is lacking. This is problematic as the contributions of digital tools to sustainability goals gain shape in organizational practices. To bridge this gap, we develop a theoretical perspective on digital sustainability practices based on practice theory, with an emphasis on the concept of sociomateriality. We argue that connecting meanings related to sustainability with digital technologies is essential to establish beneficial practices. Next, we contend that the meaning of sustainability is contextspecific, which calls for a local meaning making process. Based on our theoretical exploration we develop an empirical research agenda.
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‘Dieren in de dijk’ aims to address the issue of animal burrows in earthen levees, which compromise the integrity of flood protection systems in low-lying areas. Earthen levees attract animals that dig tunnels and cause damages, yet there is limited scientific knowledge on the extent of the problem and effective approaches to mitigate the risk. Recent experimental research has demonstrated the severe impact of animal burrows on levee safety, raising concerns among levee management authorities. The consortium's ambition is to provide levee managers with validated action perspectives for managing animal burrows, transitioning from a reactive to a proactive risk-based management approach. The objectives of the project include improving failure probability estimation in levee sections with animal burrows and enhancing risk mitigation capacity. This involves understanding animal behavior and failure processes, reviewing existing and testing new deterrence, detection, and monitoring approaches, and offering action perspectives for levee managers. Results will be integrated into an open-access wiki-platform for guidance of professionals and in education of the next generation. The project's methodology involves focus groups to review the state-of-the-art and set the scene for subsequent steps, fact-finding fieldwork to develop and evaluate risk reduction measures, modeling failure processes, and processing diverse quantitative and qualitative data. Progress workshops and collaboration with stakeholders will ensure relevant and supported solutions. By addressing the knowledge gaps and providing practical guidance, the project aims to enable levee managers to effectively manage animal burrows in levees, both during routine maintenance and high-water emergencies. With the increasing frequency of high river discharges and storm surges due to climate change, early detection and repair of animal burrows become even more crucial. The project's outcomes will contribute to a long-term vision of proactive risk-based management for levees, safeguarding the Netherlands and Belgium against flood risks.
Mycelium biocomposites (MBCs) are a fairly new group of materials. MBCs are non-toxic and carbon-neutral cutting-edge circular materials obtained from agricultural residues and fungal mycelium, the vegetative part of fungi. Growing within days without complex processes, they offer versatile and effective solutions for diverse applications thanks to their customizable textures and characteristics achieved through controlled environmental conditions. This project involves a collaboration between MNEXT and First Circular Insulation (FC-I) to tackle challenges in MBC manufacturing, particularly the extended time and energy-intensive nature of the fungal incubation and drying phases. FC-I proposes an innovative deactivation method involving electrical discharges to expedite these processes, currently awaiting patent approval. However, a critical gap in scientific validation prompts the partnership with MNEXT, leveraging their expertise in mycelium research and MBCs. The research project centers on evaluating the efficacy of the innovative mycelium growth deactivation strategy proposed by FC-I. This one-year endeavor permits a thorough investigation, implementation, and validation of potential solutions, specifically targeting issues related to fungal regrowth and the preservation of sustained material properties. The collaboration synergizes academic and industrial expertise, with the dual purpose of achieving immediate project objectives and establishing a foundation for future advancements in mycelium materials.
In recent years, frequent earthquakes have been reported in the Groningen region due to gas extraction. The building stock of the region mainly consists of brick masonry structures which were built without any seismic design taken into consideration. Therefore, these structures are extremely vulnerable to the loads coming from the earthquakes hitting the Groningen area on a regular basis. Numerous damage claims for damages on structures arise after every earthquake. In order to protect and reassure the structural integrity of the numerous brick masonry structures (more than 14.000 lay in the seismic zone), innovative solutions need to be developed. One of the approaches is to strengthen these houses extensively, up to a level that earthquake forces do not affect the original structure. This approach results in heavy and most of the times ugly strengthening solutions. A promising technology seems to be the installation of a vibration isolating concrete at the foundation level in order to decrease the vibration demands to the structures during the earthquake events. This latter method has been developed by the partner of this project, Nederboom, and will be investigated further for its advantages over the conventional techniques in terms of efficacy, applicability and cost. The aim of the proposed project is to carry out an experimental campaign to provide the essential experimental background to introduce and validate the effectiveness of this technology when repeated earthquake loads are applied several times on a brick masonry structural component. The experiments will be performed at the testing facilities of BuildinG, partner of the project, and will be supervised by members of the Earthquake Research Group of Hanze University of Applied Sciences.
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