Report on Research Project: Jesuit Translations of Renaissance Scientific, Technical, and Medical Knowledge to Late Ming China

"Crisis, by its very nature, requires decisive intervention. However, important questions can be obscured by the very immediacy of the crisis condition. What is the nature of the crisis? How it is defined (and by whom)? And, subsequently, what forms of knowledge are deemed legitimate and authoritative for informing interventions?""

Understanding the translation of scientific knowledge about arsenic risk exposure among private well water users in Nova Scotia

Um desafio da investigação em saúde pública tem sido promover a utilização do conhecimento científico produzido em estratégias de ação e políticas de saúde mais eficazes, adequadas e que, consequentemente, se traduzam em efetivos ganhos em saúde. A translação do conhecimento tem, assim, assumido uma importância crítica para a investigação em saúde. Neste artigo pretende-se refletir sobre como se procurou potenciar a translação de conhecimento num projeto de investigação participativa na área do VIH/Sida. O projeto PREVIH teve como objetivo contribuir para promover a saúde sexual, reduzir a transmissão da infeção pelo VIH e melhorar o acesso aos cuidados de saúde de homens que têm sexo com homens e trabalhadores do sexo em Portugal, bem como promover a capacitação e o advocacy dos vários intervenientes. Através da abordagem participativa, o projeto constituiu uma intervenção que, enquanto processo de inovação social, contribuiu para a criação de novas sinergias e para a mudança do sistema, alterando atividades existentes, criando novos papéis e redistribuindo e transformando recursos por toda a rede. Esta experiência desencadeou um processo dinâmico e interativo de produção de conhecimento e sua tradução em iniciativas efetivas para a melhoria da saúde das populações.

Background: Despite significant expansion, indigenous research regarding health system still faces challenges in the field of research application. They include lack of reliable evidence, late arrival of evidence by policymakers or inappropriate language of evidence related to the field of knowledge exchange and translation. The aim of this study is to investigate the status of knowledge translation in research centers of Kerman University of Medical Sciences.
 Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 2020 in research centers affiliated with Kerman University of Medical Sciences. Centers entered the study through census and a standard questionnaire of self-assessment regarding knowledge-producing organizations was used. It contained 50 questions in 4 areas of research question, knowledge production, knowledge transfer and promotion of using evidence. After collecting and coding, the data were entered into SPSS 25 software and analyzed using descriptive statistics and non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test.
 Results: 20 clinical research centers and 6 non-clinical centers participated in this study. Only 3.85 % of the centers scored more than 80 % in total. Regarding the research question, knowledge production, knowledge transfer and promotion of using evidence, the mean standard deviation of scores were 35/85 ± 9/93, 31/50 ± 7/54, 76/65 ± 16/35 and 9/31 ± 3/27, respectively. The best situation was related to knowledge production with 70 % of the score. Findings of the Mann-Whitney U test showed that the mean of all domains in the two groups were not different.
 Conclusion: This study demonstrated a moderate level of knowledge translation. But, factors such as creating a structure for knowledge translation committee, considering the process of exchange, translation and transfer of knowledge in the process of approving student dissertations and research projects, reviewing research policies and creation of motivational mechanisms to promote the status of researchers can play an important facilitating role in achieving the appropriate level of knowledge exchange and translation.

The complementary use and transfer of empirical and scientific knowledge are essential for the holistic and sustainable management of fishing resources. To understand how both types of knowledge are transferred in fishing communities in three regions of Mexico, we conducted 120 in-depth interviews with young people, adults, and older adults who participated in various activities within fishing value networks. During the interviews, we identified who participated in transferring knowledge within communities, what lessons were passed on, what knowledge has been lost, and what scientific topics are known within the communities. We also investigated the sector’s most used means of communication to further explore the transfer of scientific and technical knowledge and the fundamental roles of external actors in transferring knowledge within communities. The information was coded, categorized, and analyzed for each question. The interviewees valued the continuity of inheriting traditional knowledge, which included teaching practical skills, such as fishing techniques and navigation, and transmitting values, traditions, and ways of understanding and relating to the marine environment. The interviewees perceived knowledge transfer as a bidirectional exchange of knowledge, ideas, and practices among generations. Furthermore, they recognized the value of external actors with scientific and technical knowledge in promoting innovation and adapting to new challenges. The combination of knowledge and perspectives enriches fisheries management and marine environmental conservation. Promoting the transfer of traditional and scientific knowledge is fundamental to building a future where fishing and marine life coexist in harmony and prosperity. The responsibility of supporting this integration falls on fishing communities and external actors. Working together in this collaborative learning process is the key to achieving sustainable resource management and ensuring the continuity of this valuable tradition for future generations. In doing so, these communities’ cultural and ecological richness can be preserved, ensuring a lasting balance between people and the sea.

The features of independent and mutually agreed development of natural sciences and technology were investigated. At different times and in different areas, there may be no communication and interaction between these fields of knowledges. The relationship of natural sciences, technical and technological knowledge may not be an interaction, but have a focus only in one direction from the donor area to the acceptor area. These relationships can occur in opposite directions, that is, they are actually an interaction. There are special areas of scientific and technical knowledge that have arisen and are developing as a coherent integral system, i.e. natural science technical and technological knowledge in it is inseparable. In the historical process of interaction of natural sciences, technical and technological knowledge, one can observe the development of an increasing spiral. Each round of such a spiral includes a sequence of historical episodes: new natural sciences knowledge, their synthesis with technical developments when creating a new research tool, new experimental possibilities that determine the receipt of new natural science knowledge and further along the ascending trajectory to the next round. For example, the creation and improvement of steam engines in the 18th and 19th centuries led to the emergence of thermodynamics, which determined the development of many fields of natural science and technology. Also, research in the field of microbiology and enzymology in the 19th and 20th centuries led to the extensive development of biotechnology, organic synthesis technologies and biosensors. In the 20th century. scientific research on crystal lattice defects led to the discovery of semiconductors and a revolutionary change in the element base of all radio engineering systems that have found application in many fields of natural science and technology. At the same time, sources of coherent electromagnetic radiation were created lasers, which also spread throughout all areas of technology. In the system of natural sciences, analytical chemistry stands out, which is a synthesis of fundamental knowledge and applied technology. Research in supramolecular chemistry and nanotechnology conducted in the 20th and 21st centuries became the scientific basis for the production of electrical and optical devices; for the development of targeted medicine delivery technologies in a living organism, as well as for the creation of molecular machines. Research and technological developments in the field of microelectronics have led to the progress of informatization and digitalization of all areas of human activity. Many areas of modern natural science are becoming more and more technologically advanced, and modern industrial technologists are becoming more and more scientific. Technological knowledges spreads with necessity in many areas of the modern education system. The technology has become comprehensive it has penetrated almost all areas of the intellectual, industrial, information, humanitarian and socio-economic life of society. The technological style of thinking is increasingly incorporated into the mentality and worldview of the modern person.

Background. While the body of evidence regarding knowledge translation (KT) has surged in the past decade, quality information remains largely unknown, especially in occupational therapy (OT). Evidence-based practice within the profession is therefore potentially threatened, necessitating that students are adequately trained and able to translate research into practice when entering the profession. Objective. To explore how OT student practitioners create and translate knowledge in their clinical practice settings. Methods. An open-ended questionnaire was administered to all final-year OT students ( N =24) enrolled at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa, in 2016, with a response rate of 71% ( n =17). Data were analysed thematically using an inductive-deductive approach. Results. Strategies used by students in knowledge creation included inquiry through discussions with peers and interactions with stakeholders (lecturers, mentors and clinicians); synthesis by hands-on practice and in the application of knowledge in research projects; and use of knowledge tools (e.g. electronic searches for literature, presentations and seminars) and social media (e.g. instant messages, videos and blogs). KT was enacted by educational meetings for peer development – both student and clinician driven, educational materials and dissemination channels, such as workshops, presentations and in developing communities. Conclusions. This study identified context-specific KT processes and strategies used by OT students. Strategies were simple and accessible within their contexts, and were mainly related to gaining insights geared towards specific OT practice. These findings may assist educators in developing opportunities for students that may enhance their creation and translation of knowledge into practice as clinicians.

The classic account of the role of expert in civil proceedings revolves around a crucial notion. The idea is that the role the expert plays is correlated with an evident lack of technical or scientific knowledge within the context of the judiciary. Such an approach involves several questions ranging from how to perceive the need to supplement the basic judicial knowledge to whether there is such a thing as a binding aspect in the expert evidence. For civil lawyers the expert needs to be appointed depending on judicial discretion. The appointment of expert requires judicial evaluation on a case-by-case basis. Whether or not the attorneys encourage the judge to appoint an expert, the court remains capable of recognizing that certain facts are more likely candidates to a technical or scientific assessment. If the judge is persuaded that the case can be decided regardless the opinion of an expert, the decision can be based solely on the judicial knowledge and skills. On the contrary, the common law tradition leaves the attorneys with a burden of submitting to the court the technical or scientific knowledge they deem necessary for the judgment. In this different perspective, the judge is basically called upon to evaluate the expert witnesses and select their convincing statements through the cross-examination of the parties. In both systems, the crucial question is how technical or scientific knowledge can be translated for legal decisionmaking. The judge and the expert use different languages and approach the factual questions very differently. Scientists offer empirical research studies and make general statements about natural phenomena; lawyers focus their attention on the individual decisionmaking required in the courtroom. Nonetheless, disputes involving technical or scientific issues make it inevitable that the judge and the expert face with the problem of mutual understanding. The way in which legal scholars have usually managed those differences is by adopting a structured cooperation between the judge and the expert. By construing such a relationship as a form of mutual training, they find some room for warranting an effective gatekeeping role to the judge. But such a cooperation is more a theoretical possibility than a pragmatic opportunity. Instead, reshaping the expert evidence into a lay judge can offer a concrete opportunity to entrench the scientific or technical knowledge of the court in several cases.

Linking scientific research and energy innovation: A comparison of clean and dirty technologies

The challenge of mitigating climate change has focused recent attention on basic scientific research feeding into the development of new energy technologies (Popp, 2017). Energy innovation tends to consist of a series of partially overlapping processes involving: (1) the production of scientific and technological knowledge, (2) the translation of that knowledge into working technologies or artifacts, and (3) the introduction of the artifacts into the marketplace, where they are matched with users’ requirements. However, relatively little data are available showing how long each of these processes takes for energy technologies. Here we combine information from patent applications with bibliographic data to shine light on the second process—that is, the translation of scientific knowledge into working prototypes. Our results show that “clean” energy technologies are more dependent on underlying science than “dirty” technologies, and that the average lag between publication of scientific findings and the incorporation of those findings in clean energy patents has risen from about five to about eight years since the 1980s. These findings will help policymakers to devise more effective mechanisms and strategies for accelerating the overall rate of technological change in this domain. Institutional subscribers to the NBER working paper series, and residents of developing countries may download this paper without additional charge at www.nber.org.

The challenge of mitigating climate change has focused recent attention on basic scientific research feeding into the development of new energy technologies (Popp, 2017). Energy innovation tends to consist of a series of partially overlapping processes involving: (1) the production of scientific and technological knowledge, (2) the translation of that knowledge into working technologies or artifacts, and (3) the introduction of the artifacts into the marketplace, where they are matched with users’ requirements. However, relatively little data are available showing how long each of these processes takes for energy technologies. Here we combine information from patent applications with bibliographic data to shine light on the second process—that is, the translation of scientific knowledge into working prototypes. Our results show that “clean” energy technologies are more dependent on underlying science than “dirty” technologies, and that the average lag between publication of scientific findings and the incorporation of those findings in clean energy patents has risen from about five to about eight years since the 1980s. These findings will help policymakers to devise more effective mechanisms and strategies for accelerating the overall rate of technological change in this domain.

A churn model of scientific knowledge value: Internet researchers as a knowledge value collective

In the health research field, there is a clear and growing need to use the scientific knowledge produced into health strategies, actions and policies. In this regard, the knowledge translation became critical for health research. The present project aims to maximize the potential of the knowledge translation within the context of the projects supported by the two Grand Challenges Brazil programs: Reducing the Burden of Preterm Birth and All Children Thriving. This knowledge will allow the strengthening of the theoretical framework and the understanding of the utility, potentialities and limitations of the knowledge translation process in different research projects, contexts and populations. This project also aims to reach a better understanding of the impact of the knowledge translation process in the empowerment and capacity building of several stakeholders in the promotion of their role as changing agents, maximizing globally the health results. In this paper we will describe protocol of the project, the activities already started and the preliminary results, namely the description of a workshop conducted, discussing future stages and conclusions. This process will be based in the operational activities of several projects, and it’s designed to induce collaboratively knowledge sharing amongst the different audiences in the elaboration and development of the knowledge translation plans, the decisions concerning the applicability, use of the products and followup of the impacts obtained. Therefore, it will contribute to develop the skills of the researchers in knowledge translation, promoting this process within each project, as well as contribute to maximize the relevance of the results of research to their users and for the society in general, from the beginning of its implementation.

Background and objectiveThere has been growing emphasis on increasing impacts of academic health research by integrating research findings in healthcare. The concept of knowledge translation (KT) has been widely adopted in Canada to guide this work, although lack of recognition in tenure and promotion (T&P) structures have been identified as barrier to researchers undertaking KT. Our objective was to explore how KT is considered in institutional T&P documentation in Canadian academic health sciences.MethodsWe conducted content analysis of T&P documents acquired from 19 purposively sampled research-intensive or largest regional Canadian institutions in 2020–2021. We coded text for four components of KT (synthesis, dissemination, exchange, application). We identified clusters of related groups of documents interpreted together within the same institution. We summarized manifest KT content with descriptive statistics and identified latent categories related to how KT is considered in T&P documentation.ResultsWe acquired 89 unique documents from 17 institutions that formed 48 document clusters. Most of the 1057 text segments were categorized as dissemination (n = 851, 81%), which was included in 47 document clusters (98%). 15 document clusters (31%) included all four KT categories, while one (2%) did not have any KT categories identified. We identified two latent categories: primarily implicit recognition of KT; and an overall lack of clarity on KT.ConclusionsOur analysis of T&P documents from primarily research-intensive Canadian universities showed a lack of formal recognition for a comprehensive approach to KT and emphasis on traditional dissemination. We recommend that institutions explicitly and comprehensively consider KT in T&P and align documentation and procedures to reflect these values.

WO terms now in use should awaken electrical engineers and those studying signal processing to the major role they have to play in the life sciences: systems biology and systems medicine. Systems biology involves understanding the manner in which the parts of an organism interact in complex networks, and systems medicine is the application of systems biology to medicine. Electrical engineers analyze and synthesize systems. Stimulated by the success of the Human Genome Project, genomics is a key driver of systems biology. It involves the study of large sets of genes and proteins, with the goal of understanding systems, not simply components. Translational genomics refers to the translation of scientific genomic knowledge into medicine. It constitutes a major effort in systems medicine. Electrical engineers have the requisite mathematical and statistical experience to play a central role in the new medicine that will come out of the systems movement. The current exponential expansion in systems biology is being made possible by the existence of high-throughput genomic and proteomic measurement technologies. These technologies are stimulating the growth of genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, immunomics, and a host of other “omics.” Each of these has a translational aspect in systems medicine. Engineering is the translational discipline of science. Just as the new science of Galileo and Newton stimulated engineering translation of that science into the industrial revolution, the new biology of systems is stimulating engineering translation of this science into medicine (and technology). Now, in addition to classical engineering disciplines such as mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineering, one can add genomic engineering, i.e., translational genomics. When one looks at the subject areas already contributing to translational genomics, one finds pattern recognition, image processing, signal processing, information theory, communication theory, dynamical systems, and control theory. Translational genomics may be nascent, but the contributing engineering factors to its trajectory are clear. Genomic signal processing (GSP) has been defined as the analysis, processing, and use of genomic signals for gaining biological knowledge and the translation of that knowledge into systems-based applications. A major goal of translational genomics is to discover families of genes whose products (mes