All posts by VPInstitute

Mapping Case-Based Learning Research from 2014 to 2024: a Bibliometric and Network Analysis

Network analysis

Abstract

Case-based learning (CBL) is a globally recognized pedagogical approach known for
fostering critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and active engagement
among learners. Despite its implementation across multiple educational levels and dis
ciplines worldwide, the global research landscape of CBL remains underexplored. To
address this gap, a comprehensive overview is needed to map the evolution of CBL
research, delineate its geographical and institutional hubs, and identify dominant the
matic areas. This study aims to map global research on CBL. We used the Preferred
Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, bibliometrics, and network
analyses to evaluate 883 articles indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection
between January 2014 and August 2024. Our findings indicate a relevant increase in
annual publications over time. The main author keywords are CBL, medical education,
and problem-based learning. The main Research Areas are Education & Educational
Research, followed by General & Internal Medicine, and Healthcare Sciences &
Services. The United States, China, and Canada are the most productive countries,
while the University of California, the University of Toronto, and Harvard University are
the top organizations contributing to the field. This study provides a general under
standing of the global research landscape on CBL, offering important insights for
future studies and fostering research collaboration between organizations around the
world

For FULL-TEXT: Mapping Case-Based Learning Research from 2014to 2024: a Bibliometric and Network Analysis

Author(s): Fabio Batista Mota, Claúdio Damasceno Pinto, Luiza Amara Maciel
Braga, Renato Matos Lopes

Organization(s): Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;

Source: Cogent Education

Year: 2025

International Boundary Organisationsand the Knowledge-Governance Interface

Dissertations and Theses, ST&I policy

Abstract

Deliberation on Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) for global grand challenges
takes place within International Organisations, where complexity, uncertainty, and
value divergence complicate traditional notions of the science-policy interface. This
thesis argues that the Knowledge-Governance Interface (KGI) better captures the
reciprocal and power-laden relations between knowledge and decision making. It
develops an analytical framework for studying KGIs within International Boundary
Organisations (IBOs), institutions that mediate between communities through the co
production of knowledge and social order. The framework is applied, through mixed
methods, to negotiations under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on
benefit-sharing for Digital Sequence Information (DSI), to examine how divergences
emerge, are mediated and negotiated within an IBO. The empirical chapters
conceptualise DSI as a boundary object whose interpretive flexibility enables
coordination across divergent communities, and trace its emergence and dynamics via
documentary and bibliometric analysis. Subsequent chapters use participant
observation and 35 interviews to show that divergences in knowledge and values
surface through the provision of a deliberative forum, and are shaped by uneven
knowledge politics. Mediation occurs not through deliberative consensus, but through
layered accessibility, the use of DSI as a strategic boundary object, and broader
organisational dynamics, producing anticipatory responses in the wider knowledge
control regime. Findings identify dilemmas that IBOs must navigate, including
balancing broad participation with focused consensus building, and leveraging
strategic ambiguity while anticipating the need for an eventual definition of DSI, each
shaped by formal and informal institutional processes. Despite these tensions, IBOs
remain imperfect yet essential venues for deliberation on STI, enabling stakeholders to
articulate concerns, negotiate conflicts, and shape governance regimes. Accordingly,
the thesis recommends reflexive and anticipatory workshops focused on the identified
dynamics and dilemmas, together with capacity building for policy-relevant knowledge
production on DSI. It makes three contributions. It proposes the KGI analytical
framework, demonstrates its empirical utility, and offers practical insights for
international STI governance.

For FULL-TEXT: International Boundary Organisations and the Knowledge-Governance Interface

Author(s): Adam R. McCarthy

Organization(s): The University of Manchester

Source: A thesis submitted to The University of Manchester for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Year: 2025

Biogas Upgrading to Biomethane in Brazil: Networks, Technologies, and Industrial Pathways

novel source, Patents, Strategic planning

Abstract

Waste management is a critical global challenge for sustainability, requiring solutions that integrate efficient treatment, energy generation, and value recovery. This study analyzes the evolution of the biogas sector in Brazil, focusing on the integration of waste sources and industrial plants to produce biogas and biomethane. Using a scientometric approach, we analyzed 3289 peer-reviewed articles and 248 patent documents, to map knowledge production in Brazil on biogas and biomethane, identifying research themes, collaboration patterns, and technological focus in upgrading. We then integrated field evidence, industry datasets, and technical reports to characterize installed capacity, feedstocks, and the upgrading routes currently adopted to produce biomethane. Results show that the number of biogas plants in Brazil increased from 2 in 2003 to 755 in 2021, with annual production rising from 1.09 million Nm³ in 2003 to 2.3 billion Nm³ in 2021. In 2023, annual production reached approximately 2.9 billion Nm³. biomethane is obtained by upgrading biogas, whereby major contaminants are removed and its heating value increases. Seventeen biomethane plants were identified, with seven authorized by the National Petroleum Agency (ANP) and projected capacity of 547,481 Nm³ day⁻¹ in 2024. In Brazil, co-location of biogas plants with waste sources predominates, optimizing logistics and supporting decentralized energy solutions. Collaboration among universities, industry, utilities, and regulators can expand the use of biomethane in small and medium industries and reduce the volume of waste still disposed of in open dumpsites.

For FULL-TEXT: Biogas upgrading to biomethane in Brazil: Networks, technologies, and industrial pathways – ScienceDirect

Author(s): Carolina da Silveira Bueno, José Maria Ferreira Jardim da Silveira, Bruna de Souza Moraes, Telma Teixeira Franco 

Organization(s): University of Campinas

Source: Sustainable Futures

Year: 2025

Smart Irrigation Systems in Agriculture: A Systematic Review

Uncategorized

Abstract: This research aims to carry out a systematic review of the available literature about smart irrigation systems. It will be focused on systems using artificial intelligence techniques in urban and rural agriculture for soil crops to identify those that are currently being used or can be adapted to urban agriculture. To this end, a modified PRISMA 2020 method is applied, and three search equations are formulated. From those filters, and after a screening process, 170 articles are obtained. These articles are analyzed through VantagePoint, a text processing software. After this, they are taken through a detailed analysis phase in which 50 sources are selected as the most relevant to be read and analyzed by topic. Finally, the different phases of the analysis are used to draw conclusions that might be interesting for researchers working in this specific field or for the general public interested in rural and urban agriculture and its automation.

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Author(s):  David Vallejo-Gómez, Marisol Osorio, Carlos A. Hincapié

Organization(s): Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana

Source: Agronomy

Year: 2023

Identification of technology frontiers of artificial intelligence-assisted pathology based on patent citation network (FULL-TEXT)

Citation analysis, Patents, Research profiling

Patents related to artificial intelligence-assisted pathology were searched and collected from the Derwent Innovation Index (DII), which were imported into Derwent Data Analyzer (DDA, Clarivate Derwent, New York, NY, USA) for authority control, and imported into the freely available computer program Ucinet 6 for drawing the patent citation network. The patent citation network according to the citation relationship could describe the technology development context in the field of artificial intelligence-assisted pathology. The patent citations were extracted from the collected patent data, selected highly cited patents to form a co-occurrence matrix, and built a patent citation network based on the co-occurrence matrix in each period. Text clustering is an unsupervised learning method, an important method in text mining, where similar documents are grouped into clusters. The similarity between documents are determined by calculating the distance between them, and the two documents with the closest distance are combined. The method of text clustering was used to identify the technology frontiers based on the patent citation network, which was according to co-word analysis of the title and abstract of the patents in this field.

For FULL-TEXT https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0273355

Author(s): Ting Zhang,Juan Chen,Yan Lu,Xiaoyi Yang,Zhaolian Ouyang
Organization(s):Institute of Medical Information & Library, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College
Source: PloSone
Year: 2022

Twenty years of US nanopatenting: Maintenance renewal scoring as an indicator of patent value (FULL-TEXT)

ST&I indicators

This paper introduces a new measure of patent value – Maintenance Renewal Score (MRSc) – reflecting assignee valuing the patent by paying successive renewal fees. We generate MRSc’s for nanotechnology patents issued by the US Patent Office from 1999 through 2009, with US assignees and US inventors. Patenting increases over this period, coincident with increased US funding of nanotechnology R&D. We compare maintenance rates over the period, and against a comparison set of all 1999 USPTO grants to US inventors/assignees. We find differences in propensity to maintain the nanopatents by institution type, technological sector, and patent complexity.

  • We introduce a new measure of patent quality – Maintenance Renewal Score.
  • We report differences in propensity to maintain US patents.
  • The US National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) begins in 2003.
  • US Nanotechnology patenting increases from 1999 to 2009 as NNI takes place.
  • 52.5% of 1999 US patents maintain to full term; 1999–2009 US nanopatents, 40.5%.

For FULL-TEXT https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wpi.2023.102178

Author(s): Alan L. Porter, Mark Markley, Richard Snead, Nils C. Newman
Organization: Search Technology, Inc.
Source: World Patent Information
Year: 2023

Data Analytics Research in Nonprofit Organisations: A Bibliometric Analysis

Uncategorized

Profitable organisations that applied data analytics have obtained a double-digit improvement in reducing costs, predicting demands, and enhancing decision-making. However, in nonprofit organisations (NPOs), applying data analysis can interpret and discover more patterns of donors, volunteers, and forecasting future funds, gifts and grants. To uncover the usage of data analytics in different NPOs and understand its contribution, this article presents a bibliometric analysis of 2673 related publications to reveal the research landscape of data analytics applied in NPOs. Through a co-term analysis and scientific evolutionary pathways analysis, we profile the associations between data analysis techniques and NPOs and additionally identify the research topic changes in this field over time. The results yield us three major insights: (1) Robust and classic statistical methods-based data analysis techniques are dominantly prevalent in the NPOs field through all the time; (2) Healthcare and public affairs are two crucial sectors that involve data analytics to support decision-making and problem-solving; (3) Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based data analytics is a recently emerging trending, especially in the healthcare-related sector; however, it is still at an immature stage, and more efforts are needed to nourish its development.

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-1520-8_61

Author(s): Idrees Alsolbi, Mengjia Wu, Yi Zhang, Siamak Tafavogh, Ashish Sinha, Mukesh Prasad
Organization(s): University of Technology Sydney
Source: Pattern Recognition and Data Analysis with Applications. Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering
Year: 2022

The Landscape of Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibodies (nAbs) for Treatment and Prevention of COVID-19

Research evaluation, S&T lit, , , ,

Abstract: After nearly 3 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, even though a vast body of knowledge and products (including vaccines and treatments) have been developed and disseminated, the virus is still evolving and new variants arising. Consequently, thousands of lives continue to be lost. Neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (nAbs) are promising drugs that emerged to treat SARS-CoV-2. In the uncertainty of the current situation, there is the question of whether organizations should continue to invest in this technology. To help decision-making in scientifical and pharmaceutical organizations, it is of major importance to monitor the development of products and technologies. Therefore, the aim of this study is analyze the landscape of nAbs for COVID-19.

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Author(s): Aline de Almeida Oliveira, Diana Praia Borges Freire, Ana Rodrigues de Andrade, Amanda de Miranda Marques, Luciana da Silva Madeira, José Procópio Moreno Senna, Ivna Alana Freitas Brasileiro da Silveira, Beatriz de Castro Fialho

Organization(s): Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz

Source: Journal of Pharmaceutical Innovation

Year: 2023

Evaluation of Sources and Methods of Pectin Extraction from Fruit and Vegetable Wastes: A Systematic Literature Review (SLR)

Research evaluation, S&T lit

Abstract:The potentially commercial sources of pectin are limited. Researchers have studied different extraction methods using a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to obtain pectins with better characteristics. The objective of this work was to identify the methods used in the extraction of pectin, the most used sources and the operation parameters that enable the achievement of higher yields and the final characteristics of the obtained product. These are based on bibliometric methods for exploring the structure of knowledge in this field for the last twelve years. To this end, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) using the SCOPUS database was carried out, which allowed identifying keywords and formulating search equations to find scientific articles on the topic in question. After selecting the articles, a detailed reading of these works was carried out, and the used extraction methods and the evaluated variables, yields and characteristics were analyzed. This article compares and discusses the effects of conventional and non-conventional pectin extraction techniques, which may provide valuable information on sources and alternatives for pectin extraction to ease decision-making in future research. The acid hydrolysis method remains the most widely used pectin extraction technique since it provides higher yields. It is followed by microwave-assisted extraction, ultrasonic extraction, and the enzymatic method, which have a greater capacity to deliver pectins with high methoxyl content. Finally, non-conventional methods such as radiofrequency, ohmic heating, and aqueous two-phase extraction are presented as promising techniques that offer pectins with a high degree of esterification in addition to good yields.

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Author(s): Carolina Sofía Salazar Ripoll, Gustavo Adolfo Hincapié-Llanos

Organization(s): Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana

Source: Food Bioscience

Year: 2023

Modifiable Contributing Factors to COVID-19: A Comprehensive Review

Research evaluation, S&T lit, , , , ,

Abstract: The devastating complications of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) result from an individual’s dysfunctional immune response following the initial severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Multiple toxic stressors and behaviors contribute to underlying immune system dysfunction. SARS-CoV-2 exploits the dysfunctional immune system to trigger a chain of events ultimately leading to COVID-19.
The current study identifies eighty immune system dysfunction-enabling toxic stressors and behaviors (hereafter called modifiable contributing factors (CFs)) that also link directly to COVID-19. Each CF is assigned to one of the five categories in the CF taxonomy shown in Section 3.3.: Lifestyle (e.g., diet, substance abuse); Iatrogenic (e.g., drugs, surgery); Biotoxins (e.g., micro-organisms, mycotoxins); Occupational/Environmental (e.g., heavy metals, pesticides); Psychosocial/Socioeconomic (e.g., chronic stress, lower education).
The current study shows how each modifiable factor contributes to decreased immune system capability, increased inflammation and coagulation, and increased neural damage and neurodegeneration. It is unclear how real progress can be made in combatting COVID-19 and other similar diseases caused by viral variants without addressing and eliminating these modifiable CFs.

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Author(s): Ronald Neil Kostoff, Michael Brandon Briggs, Darja Kanduc, Saikat Dewanjee, Ramesh Kandimalla, Yehuda Shoenfeld, Alan L. Porter, Aristidis Tsatsakis

Organization(s):  Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa)

Source: Food and Chemical Toxicology

Year: 2023