scholarly journals Exploring the Connections between Agroecological Practices and Ecosystem Services: A Systematic Literature Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Palomo-Campesino ◽  
José González ◽  
Marina García-Llorente

Current patterns of global change are threatening the supply of agrarian ecosystem services on which human well-being depends. Within this context, agroecology has emerged within political and scientific arenas as a socially equitable and ecologically sustainable alternative to conventional agriculture. We performed a systematic literature review to explore how agroecology and the ecosystem services framework have been adopted together in the scientific literature, focusing on studies including empirical data on the effects of agroecological practices on the supply of ecosystem services. In our search, we combined terms related to agricultural practices and terms related to ecosystem services. A total of 179 scientific articles were analyzed. Most of the studies used a biophysical approach to evaluate ecosystem services, with regulating and provisioning services being more frequently analyzed than cultural services. More than half of the analyzed relationships between agroecological practices and ecosystem services were positive. Remarkably, our review showed that many of the ten elements of agroecology defined by the FAO have not been properly addressed in the literature. Finally, we identified research gaps and provided insights on where future research and policies should be focused in order to promote the transition towards sustainable agrarian social-ecological systems that increase the supply of ecosystem services while minimizing environmental impacts.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anushree Tandon ◽  
Amandeep Dhir ◽  
Intesar Almugren ◽  
Ghada Naif AlNemer ◽  
Matti Mäntymäki

PurposeResearch examining the “fear of missing out” (FoMO) is increasingly prominent, with a growing number of studies exploring this phenomenon. Despite the increased academic interest, no attempts have been made to synthesize extant knowledge on FoMO. There is limited holistic understanding of its conceptualization and operationalization. To address this gap, an exhaustive systematic literature review (SLR) on FoMO is presented.Design/methodology/approachSystematic review protocols and content analysis was used to analyze and synthesize insights from 58 empirical studies obtained from four academic databases: Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed and PsycINFO.FindingsSignificant diversity in prior research on FoMO was encapsulated in four themes. There are significant limitations in conceptualization of FoMO, along with narrow focus on geographic, methodological and contextual foci of prior studies. The authors propose a comprehensive framework and extensive gap-specific research directions to aid future research.Research limitations/implicationsThe SLR is limited in its consideration of empirical studies published in academic journal articles obtained from four databases.Social implicationsThe authors imply the critical need to ascertain motives for individuals' excessive engagement with social media and the subsequent impact on well-being indicators (e.g. sleep quality) and functional impairments (e.g. addiction).Originality/valueThis study magnifies and expands the intellectual boundaries of FoMO and suggests the adoption of a multidisciplinary perspective for further investigation. The use of novel theoretical lenses can further ascertain FoMO's effect on different cultures and social media users.


2020 ◽  
pp. bjsports-2020-103147
Author(s):  
William Johnston ◽  
Pedro B Judice ◽  
Pablo Molina García ◽  
Jan M Mühlen ◽  
Esben Lykke Skovgaard ◽  
...  

Consumer wearable and smartphone devices provide an accessible means to objectively measure physical activity (PA) through step counts. With the increasing proliferation of this technology, consumers, practitioners and researchers are interested in leveraging these devices as a means to track and facilitate PA behavioural change. However, while the acceptance of these devices is increasing, the validity of many consumer devices have not been rigorously and transparently evaluated. The Towards Intelligent Health and Well-Being Network of Physical Activity Assessment (INTERLIVE) is a joint European initiative of six universities and one industrial partner. The consortium was founded in 2019 and strives to develop best-practice recommendations for evaluating the validity of consumer wearables and smartphones. This expert statement presents a best-practice consumer wearable and smartphone step counter validation protocol. A two-step process was used to aggregate data and form a scientific foundation for the development of an optimal and feasible validation protocol: (1) a systematic literature review and (2) additional searches of the wider literature pertaining to factors that may introduce bias during the validation of these devices. The systematic literature review process identified 2897 potential articles, with 85 articles deemed eligible for the final dataset. From the synthesised data, we identified a set of six key domains to be considered during design and reporting of validation studies: target population, criterion measure, index measure, validation conditions, data processing and statistical analysis. Based on these six domains, a set of key variables of interest were identified and a ‘basic’ and ‘advanced’ multistage protocol for the validation of consumer wearable and smartphone step counters was developed. The INTERLIVE consortium recommends that the proposed protocol is used when considering the validation of any consumer wearable or smartphone step counter. Checklists have been provided to guide validation protocol development and reporting. The network also provide guidance for future research activities, highlighting the imminent need for the development of feasible alternative ‘gold-standard’ criterion measures for free-living validation. Adherence to these validation and reporting standards will help ensure methodological and reporting consistency, facilitating comparison between consumer devices. Ultimately, this will ensure that as these devices are integrated into standard medical care, consumers, practitioners, industry and researchers can use this technology safely and to its full potential.


2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 408-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamomilani Anduha Wong ◽  
Merle R. Kataoka-Yahiro

Purpose: The key to improving the health and well-being of Native Hawaiians is to understand the historical events that have caused change to their diet and nutrition, and identify the connection between food, life, and the land. The purpose of this article is to (a) present a review of the literature addressing nutrition and diet as it relates to health and well-being of Native Hawaiian kūpuna (elders) and (b) identify limitations and gaps to promote future research. Design: This systematic literature review focused on 29 studies. Findings: Native Hawaiians have the highest body mass index levels, highest daily energy (kilocalorie) intake, and lowest multivitamin use. They have the highest prevalence of diabetes and hypertension compared with Whites. Traditional Hawaiian diet programs and family support were beneficial to improving health and well-being. Conclusion: Future research of traditional Hawaiian diet programs and revitalization of the culture may lead to improving the health and well-being of Native Hawaiians.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shan Feng ◽  
Matti Mäntymäki ◽  
Amandeep Dhir ◽  
Hannu Salmela

BACKGROUND Self-tracking technologies are widely used in people’s daily lives and healthcare. Academic research on self-tracking and quantified self has also accumulated rapidly in recent years. Surprisingly, there is a paucity of research that reviews, classifies, and synthesizes the state of the art with respect to self-tracking and quantified self. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to identify the state of the art in self-tracking and quantified self in health and well-being. METHODS We have undertaken a systematic literature review on self-tracking and quantified self in promoting health and well-being. We reviewed altogether 81 empirical research papers. RESULTS Our results show that prior research has focused on three perspectives with respect to self-tracking and quantified self, namely individual user, healthcare professional, and market. We further describe the research themes under each of the three perspectives. Moreover, we classified the future research suggestions given in the literature into five directions: 1) employment of longitudinal research designs, 2) users’ modalities in the use of self-tracking technologies, 3) issues related to data sharing, 4) psychological and behavioral aspects of self-tracking, and 5) self-tracking in clinical use. We further described the specific research areas for each research direction. CONCLUSIONS This systematic literature review contributes to research and practice by assisting future research activities and providing practitioners with a concise view of the state of the art in self-tracking research.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rasmus Liegnell ◽  
Fredrik Wessman ◽  
Adel Shalabi ◽  
Marita Harringe

Abstract Background The amount of muscle volume (MV) varies between individuals and is important for health, well-being and performance. Therefore, the monitoring of MV using different imaging modalities is important. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered the gold standard, but is not always easily accessible, and the examinations are expensive. Ultrasonography (US) is a much less expensive imaging method widely used to measure changes in muscle thickness (MT). Whether MT may translate into MV needs further investigation. Purpose The aim of this review is to clarify whether US-derived equations based on MT predict MV based on MRI. Methods A systematic literature review was conducted according to the PRISMA statement, searching the electronic databases PubMed, CINAHL and Web of Science, for currently published equations to estimate MV with US. Results The literature search resulted in 363 citations. Twelve articles met the eligibility criteria. Ten articles scored eight out of eleven on QUADAS and two scored nine. Thirty-six prediction equations were identified. R values ranged between 0.53 and 0.961 and the standard error of the estimate (SEE) ranged between 6 and 12% for healthy adult populations, and up to 25.6% for children with cerebral palsy. Eight studies evaluated the results with a Bland–Altman plot and found no systematic errors. The overall strength and quality of the evidence was rated “low quality” as defined by the GRADE system. Conclusions The validity of US-derived equations based on MT is specific to the populations from which it is developed. The agreement with MV based on MRI is moderate with the SEE ranging between 6 and 12% in healthy adult populations. Suggestions for future research include investigations as to whether testing positions or increasing the number of measuring sites could improve the validity for prediction equations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 153473542094327
Author(s):  
Timothy R. N. Holder ◽  
Margaret E. Gruen ◽  
David L. Roberts ◽  
Tamara Somers ◽  
Alper Bozkurt

Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) use human-animal interactions to positive effect in various contexts including cancer care. As the first installment of a 2-part series, this systematic literature review focuses on the research methods and quantitative results of AAI studies in oncology. We find methodological consistency in the use of canines as therapy animals, in the types of high-risk patients excluded from studies, and in the infection precautions taken with therapy animals throughout cancer wards. The investigated patient endpoints are not significantly affected by AAI, with the exceptions of improvements in oxygen consumption, quality of life, depression, mood, and satisfaction with therapy. The AAI field in oncology has progressed significantly since its inception and has great potential to positively affect future patient outcomes. To advance the field, future research should consistently improve the methodological design of studies, report data more completely, and focus more on the therapy animal’s well-being.


Author(s):  
Muhammad Yousaf ◽  
Petr Bris

A systematic literature review (SLR) from 1991 to 2019 is carried out about EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management) excellence model in this paper. The aim of the paper is to present state of the art in quantitative research on the EFQM excellence model that will guide future research lines in this field. The articles were searched with the help of six strings and these six strings were executed in three popular databases i.e. Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct. Around 584 peer-reviewed articles examined, which are directly linked with the subject of quantitative research on the EFQM excellence model. About 108 papers were chosen finally, then the purpose, data collection, conclusion, contributions, and type of quantitative of the selected papers are discussed and analyzed briefly in this study. Thus, this study identifies the focus areas of the researchers and knowledge gaps in empirical quantitative literature on the EFQM excellence model. This article also presents the lines of future research.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 563
Author(s):  
Bing Ran ◽  
Scott Weller

Despite the growing utility and prevalence of social entrepreneurship, an accepted definition remains elusive and infeasible. Yet, it is imperative that the principles guiding social entrepreneurship are identified so that common ground is established to facilitate future research. On the basis of a systematic literature review, this conceptual paper proposes a theoretical framework outlining social entrepreneurship as a three-dimensional framework as a function of continua of “social” and “business” logics, “beneficial” and “detrimental” social change logics, and “innovation” and “mundane” logics. The framework accommodates the fuzziness and ambiguity associated with social entrepreneurship whilst remaining a workable, identifiable construct. By accounting for the shifting logics practiced by social entrepreneurship that both influence and are influenced by the organizational environment, this framework provides an exit strategy for the definitional elusiveness of social entrepreneurship. The resultant structures and functions of social entrepreneurship are shaped by these constraints as reflected by the fluidity and flexibility endorsed by the framework. Four avenues for future research regarding social entrepreneurship are recommended on the basis of the framework proposed in this article.


Author(s):  
Livio Cricelli ◽  
Michele Grimaldi ◽  
Silvia Vermicelli

AbstractIn recent years, Open Innovation (OI) and crowdsourcing have been very popular topics in the innovation management literature, attracting significant interest and attention, and inspiring a rich production of publications. Although these two topics share common themes and address similar managerial challenges, to the best of our knowledge, there is no systematic literature review that digs deep into the intersection of both fields. To fill in this gap a joint review of crowdsourcing and OI topics is both timely and of interest. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to carry out a comprehensive, systematic, and objective review of academic research to help shed light on the relationship between OI and crowdsourcing. For this purpose, we reviewed the literature published on these two topics between 2008 and 2019, applying two bibliometric techniques, co-citation and co-word analysis. We obtained the following results: (i) we provide a qualitative analysis of the emerging and trending themes, (ii) we discuss a characterization of the intersection between OI and crowdsourcing, identifying four dimensions (strategic, managerial, behavioral, and technological), (iii) we present a schematic reconceptualization of the thematic clusters, proposing an integrated view. We conclude by suggesting promising opportunities for future research.


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