Individual Research Research Articles

Understanding feelings, thoughts, and actions: Social work students and individual research consultations

The purpose of this study was to better understand how individual research consultations (IRCs) with a librarian impact undergraduate social work students' feelings, thoughts, and actions during their information search process. Screencast videography was the primary method of data collection in this qualitative case study. Participants (n = 7) were sampled from a social work research seminar course at a regional university in the upper Midwest. Both prior to and after an IRC, study participants joined a recorded Zoom meeting with the researcher, share their screen, and talk aloud during their search process. Follow up interviews with participants were also conducted. Results showed participants' feelings moved from confused prior to the IRC to confident after the IRC. Participants had a more refined topic and were more effective in applying inclusion and exclusion criteria when selecting articles for their literature review assignment after the IRC. The actions students took after the IRC were more beneficial to their information search process, especially when it came to reading and understanding scholarly research. These results underscore the value IRCs can provide to undergraduate social work students. The findings of this study demonstrate and explain changes in student information seeking as a result of an IRC.

Electrophysiology in the language classroom

Using electrophysiological methods, Second Language Acquisition researchers have uncovered significant information about the neural correlates of late-learned additional language (L2) processing. An overarching question in much of this research is whether L2 learners show ‘nativelike’ event-related potential (ERP) patterns for grammar and semantic processing. The conclusions from early work on this question indicated that L2 ERP patterns can change qualitatively over time, for example as L2 proficiency increases, and that L2 learners do tend to show ‘nativelike’ ERP responses for some linguistic structures, particularly at higher proficiency. Certainly, whether L2 learners can achieve native speaker-like processing and behaviour has implications for the L2 classroom. This paper presents a review of L2 ERP individual differences research on grammar and semantic processing and highlights implications for L2 research and teaching. We focus the review on recent work that has examined individual differences in L2 ERPs, an area of research that may be especially fruitful for advancing knowledge of L2 neurocognition in classroom learners.

Geospatial foundation models for image analysis: evaluating and enhancing NASA-IBM Prithvi’s domain adaptability

Research on geospatial foundation models (GFMs) has become a trending topic in geospatial artificial intelligence (AI) research due to their potential for achieving high generalizability and domain adaptability, reducing model training costs for individual researchers. Unlike large language models, such as ChatGPT, constructing visual foundation models for image analysis, particularly in remote sensing, encountered significant challenges such as formulating diverse vision tasks into a general problem framework. This paper evaluates the recently released NASA-IBM GFM Prithvi for its predictive performance on high-level image analysis tasks across multiple benchmark datasets. Prithvi was selected because it is one of the first open-source GFMs trained on time-series of high-resolution remote sensing imagery. A series of experiments were designed to assess Prithvi’s performance as compared to other pre-trained task-specific AI models in geospatial image analysis. New strategies, including band adaptation, multi-scale feature generation, and fine-tuning techniques, are introduced and integrated into an image analysis pipeline to enhance Prithvi’s domain adaptation capability and improve model performance. In-depth analyses reveal Prithvi’s strengths and weaknesses, offering insights for both improving Prithvi and developing future visual foundation models for geospatial tasks.

A Brief Review of Investigations into Earth’s Temperature Since the Year 1800

For billions of years, natural processes alone, often working over millennia, drove Earth’s temperature and climate. For the last several centuries, human activities are a new driving force that is acting on a very short time scale. Knowing history helps chart necessary future actions with greater confidence. Since the end of the 17<sup>th</sup> century, investigations relating to Earth’s temperature and its climate have evolved from only scientific interest to also include practical concerns triggered by global warming. The early studies were relatively episodic with gaps of a decade or more common until the mid 20<sup>th</sup> century when they burgeoned starting with the International Geophysical Year. From the early to mid 1800s, to the early to mid 20<sup>th</sup> century, the investigations were at the initiation of the individual researchers. Starting in the mid 1950s, the investigations became more extensive, comprehensive and interrelated. Early researchers inferred that the atmosphere played a role in Earth’s temperature, and as far back as the 1850s it was concluded that higher CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations in the atmosphere could result in warming Earth. Later investigations provided information on the mechanism which established that atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> concentration and its absorption and re-emitting of infrared radiation was a major factor in Earth’s temperature. Further, its increasing atmospheric concentration is a major driver of a warming globe at a rate far surpassing those detected in the geologic record. This paper traces the history of those researches based on the premise that knowing how we arrived at our current knowledge helps in supporting future research and actions to address the consequences of Earth’s warming.

Building expert consensus regarding sharing of individual research results in Alzheimer’s disease research: a Delphi study protocol

IntroductionInformed decisions to enrol in the clinical investigations of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) require careful consideration of complex risks and uncertain benefits. Decisions regarding whether to receive information...

The re-making of a Europe of differences: mobile lives and the globalization of categories in revolutionary and post-imperial times (c.1770–1970)

ABSTRACT This article discusses the fundamental question of how the differentiation of people on the move or in transit and their categorization changed in revolutionary and post-imperial times. These interacting processes have affected Europe and the negotiation of its internal and external boundaries. Drawing on examples from the rich history of migration and mobility since the late eighteenth century, the article demonstrates how individual research studies can be situated and expanded within a broad temporal and analytical framework which focuses on the historical actors’ struggles over the distinctions and categories imposed upon them by others (e.g. the administration or the family). It explores dynamics arising both from the socio-economic and cultural practices of mobile people (e.g. on localizing or globalizing their concepts of life) and from legal-administrative procedures to distinguish between these people (e.g. through categories). These differentiations interacted and changed especially during two threshold phases, around 1800 and 1945. During these periods, international actors renegotiated the relationship between territory and population by grappling with the distinction between ‘refugees’ and numerous other migrants and claiming a universalist or more particularistic definition over which people were entitled to protection and support. Through this approach, Europe is understood as a lived, administered and negotiated space whose external and internal boundaries are also the result of long, more or less overlapping processes of self- and external evaluation of people located outside their place of origin.

Beyond the hype: using AI, big data, wearable devices, and the internet of things for high-throughput livestock phenotyping.

Phenotyping of animals is a routine task in agriculture which can provide large datasets for the functional annotation of genomes. Using the livestock farming sector to study complex traits enables genetics researchers to fully benefit from the digital transformation of society as economies of scale substantially reduces the cost of phenotyping animals on farms. In the agricultural sector genomics has transitioned towards a model of 'Genomics without the genes' as a large proportion of the genetic variation in animals can be modelled using the infinitesimal model for genomic breeding valuations. Combined with third generation sequencing creating pan-genomes for livestock the digital infrastructure for trait collection and precision farming provides a unique opportunity for high-throughput phenotyping and the study of complex traits in a controlled environment. The emphasis on cost efficient data collection mean that mobile phones and computers have become ubiquitous for cost-efficient large-scale data collection but that the majority of the recorded traits can still be recorded manually with limited training or tools. This is especially valuable in low- and middle income countries and in settings where indigenous breeds are kept at farms preserving more traditional farming methods. Digitalization is therefore an important enabler for high-throughput phenotyping for smaller livestock herds with limited technology investments as well as large-scale commercial operations. It is demanding and challenging for individual researchers to keep up with the opportunities created by the rapid advances in digitalization for livestock farming and how it can be used by researchers with or without a specialization in livestock. This review provides an overview of the current status of key enabling technologies for precision livestock farming applicable for the functional annotation of genomes.

Thirty Years of Legal Research: An Empirical Analysis of Outputs Submitted to RAE and REF (1990‐2021)

The external assessment of the research activities of universities in the United Kingdom began in 1986. In 1992, for the first time, the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) required institutions to submit books, articles and other ‘outputs’ for peer assessment and ultimately ranking. This exercise was followed by others in 1996, 2001 and 2008, and then by a revised approach, the Research Evaluation Framework (REF), in 2014 and 2021. We have conducted a long‐term longitudinal study of the ‘outputs’ submitted across these exercises for review by the law panels. By analysing these 30,028 outputs, and by using various methods of ranking journals and publishers, we are able to provide insights into the beliefs and prejudices of institutions and individual researchers regarding the publication of legal research over a 30‐year period.

Scoring story recall for individual differences research: Central details, peripheral details, and automated scoring.

Story recall is an episodic memory paradigm that is popular among researchers interested in the effects of aging, disease, and/or injury on memory functioning; it is less popular among individual-differences researchers studying neurotypical young adults. One reason differential psychologists may favor other episodic memory paradigms is that the prospect of scoring story recall is daunting, as it typically requires manually scoring hundreds or thousands of freely recalled narratives. In this study, I investigated two questions related to scoring story recall for individual differences research. First, whether there is anything to gain by scoring story recall for memory of central and peripheral details or if a single score is sufficient. Second, I investigated whether scoring can be automated using computational methods-namely, BERTScore and GPT-4. A total of 235 individuals participated in this study. At the latent variable level, central and peripheral factors were highly correlated (r = .99), and the two factors correlated with external factors (viz., fluid intelligence, crystallized intelligence, and working memory capacity) similarly. Regarding automated scoring, both BERTScore and GPT-4 derived scores were strongly correlated with manually derived scores (r ≥ .97); additionally, factors estimated from the various scoring methods all showed a similar pattern of correlations with the external factors. Thus, differential psychologists may be able to streamline scoring by disregarding detail type and by using automated approaches. Further research is needed, particularly of the automated approaches, as both BERTScore and GPT-4 derived scores were occasionally leptokurtic while manual scores were not.

Advanced Electrochromic Energy Storage Devices Based on Conductive Polymers

AbstractAs the demand for multifunctional optoelectronic devices rises, the integration of electrochromic and energy storage functionalities represents a cutting‐edge pursuit in the electrochromic devices domain. The realm of conductive polymer‐based electrochromic energy storage devices (EESDs) stands as a vibrant area marked by ongoing research and development. Despite a plethora of individual research articles exploring various facets within this domain, there exists a conspicuous dearth of comprehensive reviews systematically scrutinizing the advancements, challenges, and potentials intrinsic to these systems. To fill this void, this review systematically outlines the latest progressions in EESDs centered on conductive conjugated polymers (CPs). The review commences with a thorough exploration of the foundational principles underpinning EESDs, encompassing their operational mechanisms, device configurations, and representative key performance indicators. Furthermore, the review categorizes diverse conductive polymers, shedding light on the latest advancements in EESD research utilizing these specific CP variants. This in‐depth analysis centers on their collaborative role in shaping electrochromic energy storage devices. Overall, this review is poised to captivate the interest of researchers toward state‐of‐the‐art CP‐based EESDs, establishing these pioneering technologies as pivotal contenders in defining the forthcoming landscape of wearable electronics, portable devices, and advanced energy storage systems.

Potential of ChatGPT to Pass the Japanese Medical and Healthcare Professional National Licenses: A Literature Review.

This systematic review aimed to assess the academic potential of ChatGPT (GPT-3.5, 4, and 4V) for Japanese national medical and healthcare licensing examinations, taking into account its strengths and limitations. Electronic databases such as PubMed/Medline, Google Scholar, and ICHUSHI (a Japanese medical article database) were systematically searched for relevant articles, particularly those published between January 1, 2022, and April 30, 2024. A formal narrative analysis was conducted by systematically arranging similarities and differences between individual research findings together. After rigorous screening, we reviewed 22 articles. Except for one article, all articles that evaluated GPT-4 showed that this tool could pass each exam containing text only. However, some studies also reported that, despite the possibility to pass, the results of GPT-4 were worse than those of the actual examinee. Moreover, the newest model GPT-4V insufficiently recognized images, thereby providing insufficient answers to questions that involved images and figures/tables. Therefore, their precision needs to be improved to obtain better results.

Taxonomy of interventions at academic institutions to improve research quality

Background Research waste has become an increasing issue for research institutions and researchers due to poor research reproducibility and replicability. Interventions to improve research quality at research institutions are important to reduce research waste. This review aims to identify and classify possible interventions to improve research quality, reduce waste, and improve reproducibility and replicability within research-performing institutions. Methods Steps to develop the taxonomy were 1) Use an exemplar paper looking at journal-level interventions to improve research quality, 2) Adapt intervention titles to align with Michie’s behaviour change wheel, 3) Conduct a 2-stage search in PubMed using seed articles and reviews, and a forward and backward citation search to identify articles that evaluated or described the implementation of interventions to improve research quality, 4) Pilot draft taxonomy with researchers at an openscience conference workshop, and 5) Iterative drafting and revisions by the research team. Results Overall, 93 individual interventions were identified through the peer-review literature and researcher reporting. Eleven peer-reviewed articles were identified. Interventions identified covered research stages from before, during, and after study conduct, and whole of institution. Types of intervention included: Tools, Education & Training, Incentives, Modelling and Mentoring, Review & Feedback, Expert involvement, and Policies & Procedures. The taxonomy identified areas for research institutions to focus on to improve research quality, reproducibility, and replicability. Conclusions Areas of focus and future research include improving incentives to implement quality research practices, evaluating current interventions, encouraging no- or low-cost and high-benefit interventions, examining institution culture and individual research ethos, and encouraging researcher mentor-mentee relationships.

Parental perspectives regarding the return of genomic research results in neurodevelopmental disorders in South Africa: anticipated impact and preferences

Few policies and little research exist regarding the disclosure of genomic results to research participants in Africa. As understanding participant preferences would be pivotal to the success of the feedback process, this study set out to address this issue by engaging with enrolled participants from an ongoing genomics research project on neurodevelopmental disorders with the aim to assess the anticipated impact of receiving pertinent results and explore the preferences for feedback in a South African context. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 parents of children participating in the research study. Transcribed interview data and observational notes were analysed using thematic analysis and framework matrices. Participants linked their own meaning to the impact of receiving a pertinent result and perceived the information as useful for reasons other than only clinical utility. These included closure, improved management of their child’s condition and information regarding recurrence risks. In terms of preferences for feedback, an in-person result delivery session, conducted by a member of the study team or medical professional familiar with their child was preferred. In addition, participants felt a sense of ownership over their blood or their contribution to the research study, finding meaning even in non-pertinent results. These findings provide insight into the type of discussions that may be valuable in enabling the development of best practices and guidelines for the return of individual genetic research results, in a culturally appropriate manner, within South African communities.

Incorporating Anti-racist Principles Throughout the Research Lifecycle: A Position Statement from the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM).

Biomedical research has advanced medicine but also contributed to widening racial and ethnic health inequities. Despite a growing acknowledgment of the need to incorporate anti-racist objectives into research, there remains a need for practical guidance for recognizing and addressing the influence of ingrained practices perpetuating racial harms, particularly for general internists. Through a review of the literature, and informed by the Research Lifecycle Framework, this position statement from the Society of General Internal Medicine presents a conceptual framework suggesting multi-level systemic changes and strategies for researchers to incorporate an anti-racist perspective throughout the research lifecycle. It begins with a clear assertion that race and ethnicity are socio-political constructs that have important consequences on health and health disparities through various forms of racism. Recommendations include leveraging a comprehensive approach to integrate anti-racist principles and acknowledging that racism, not race, drives health inequities. Individual researchers must acknowledge systemic racism's impact on health, engage in self-education to mitigate biases, hire diverse teams, and include historically excluded communities in research. Institutions must provide clear guidelines on the use of race and ethnicity in research, reject stigmatizing language, and invest in systemic commitments to diversity, equity, and anti-racism. National organizations must call for race-conscious research standards and training, and create measures to ensure accountability, establishing standards for race-conscious research for research funding. This position statement emphasizes our collective responsibility to combat systemic racism in research, and urges a transformative shift toward anti-racist practices throughout the research cycle.

University rankings in the context of research evaluation: A state-of-the-art review

Abstract Initially created as a marketing and benchmarking tool, global university rankings have evolved into a part of research evaluation and policy initiatives. Governments around the world, concerned about the low rankings of national universities, have launched numerous excellence initiatives in higher education. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the literature on the use of university rankings in research evaluation and excellence initiatives. A systematic review of the literature on rankings in the context of research evaluation and excellence initiatives was performed. The majority of the review is based on English-language sources, but the review also covers literature from Russia, where the role of rankings is emphasized by their mention in the title and goal of the policy project 5top100. In addition, the review also includes gray literature. The general academic consensus is that rankings cannot be used in research assessment, though a few authors have a positive or neutral attitude. The literature reveals a lot of issues, such as technical and methodological flaws; biases of different nature, including bias towards research in evaluation of both universities and individual researchers; conflicts of interest; and risks to national identity. However, we must acknowledge the complexity of rejecting rankings.

Exploring Collaboration and Individual Research Experience among Ghanaian Academics: A Qualitative Research

Background: This study seeks to understand collaborative and individual research among academics in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Ghana, what that means to them, and the challenges they face. Internal and external research collaboration is seen as the driving force behind teaching and learning in HEIs. In Ghana, both collaborative and individual research comes with power dynamics among academics, yet they also present unique opportunities to enhance their well-being and professional careers. Methods: This study employed a qualitative research approach to gather the experiences, views, and stories of 10 academics from Ghanaian HEIs. The data were analysed using an interpretative phenomenology approach (IPA). This method focused on understanding the lived experiences of the academics to interpret their stories and experiences regarding their involvement in collaborative and individual research, as well as the meanings and challenges. Results: The results positioned individual research ahead of collaborative research. Monetary rewards were the primary motivation for collaborative research regarding grant applications. In contrast, for most academics in Ghana's HEIs, collaboration for research publications was driven by the quest for promotion, recognition, self-actualisation, and respect among colleagues. Conclusion: This study is the first to explore the impacts of collaborative and individual research among Ghanaian academics in HEIs. The results suggest that individual and collaborative research exists among Ghanaian academics in HEIs. However, individual research is driven by monetary gain. In contrast, collaborative research is driven by publications and citation rates, the pursuit of promotion, recognition, self-actualisation, and respect among most academics in Ghana's HEIs. The study highlights the importance of individual and collaborative research in the context of Ghanaian academic workplace well-being. The study recommends a mindset change regarding collaborative research among academics in HEIs in Ghana. This way, the most experienced and elite researchers could share and guide early researchers to bridge the research knowledge gap. Also, leadership roles could be established to ensure effective research collaboration through mentorship and training programs that align with academic career growth. This initiative could foster relationship-building and increase collaboration to reduce the monetary-driven and individualistic mindset.

Half a Century of School Management Research: A Bibliometric Analysis

School management helps owners of educational institutions easier to manage their education system. Good school management will make it easier to achieve the goals of education itself. This paper aims to examine the status and position of the visual map of research in international school management publications using a bibliometric approach. In this study, researchers used document data collected from 2,241 documents published from 1970 to 2020. The results showed that the University of South Africa and Tshilidzi G. Netshitangani are the most active institutions and individual researchers in school management publications. Articles are the most common type of document in school management publications. There are four groups of collaborative researchers in research on the issue of school management publications. In order to classify the body of knowledge resulting from the publication of half a century, this study establishes a clustering of convergence axes associated with school management publications: Schools, Organization and management, Leadership, and Education, abbreviated as SOLE research themes

Cost-Related Drivers and Barriers of Passivhaus: A Systematic Literature Review

Passivhaus (PH) has gained global recognition for its energy-efficient features despite a 5% to 10% higher construction cost than traditional houses, especially within European countries. However, its adoption and popularity have not met the same fate in other countries like New Zealand. The higher upfront cost has been critical to the slow adoption of the PH movement in New Zealand. This study aimed to demystify the mist around the cost of PHs with a focus on the effects of drivers and barriers on their life cycle costs (LCCs). As such, a systematic literature review was conducted to provide a comprehensive understanding of the cost implications associated with PH. Using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) review method, we examined 71 past studies on PHs from 2005 to 2023. We found that the drivers of PHs include reduced heating demand, increased thermal comfort, and indoor air quality (IAQ). Research showed that the rising market for PHs is fueled by climate change, environmental awareness, innovative materials and technologies, individual commitment, improved regulations, pilot studies, research efforts, and governmental funding and initiatives. However, PHs face significant challenges such as increased complexity, advanced technology, higher initial investments compared to conventional and low-energy houses, national requirements, overheating, difficulties in affording the technologies, and a lack of options in the market. Despite the wealth of research on the economic aspects of PH, there is a lack of in-depth studies exploring the LCC of PHs focusing on cost commitments and benefits. Such studies are essential for assessing and optimising the cost-effectiveness of PH, considering different climates and regions, and comparing them with other low energy standards. The findings of our review provide a crucial focus for PH stakeholders in assessing the long-term financial viability of PH projects, thereby improving decision-making and facilitating effective planning for sustainable and cost-effective housing.

A Protocol to Extract a Specific Genomic Region from a Public Whole-Genome Database and Modify Analytical Bin Length for Population Genetic Studies.

With the advent of "next-generation" sequencing and the continuous reduction in sequencing costs, an increasing amount of genomic data has emerged, such as whole-genome, whole-exome, and targeted sequencing data. These applications are popular not only in mega sequencing projects, such as the 1000 Genomes Project and UK BioBank, but also among individual researchers. Evolutionary genetic analyses, such as the dN/dS ratio and Tajima's D, are demanded more and more for whole-genome-level population data. These analyses are often carried out under a uniform custom bin size across the genome. However, these analyses require subdivision of a genomic region into functional units, such as protein-coding regions, introns, and untranslated regions, and computing these genetic measures for large-scale data remains challenging. In a recent investigation, we successfully devised a method to address this issue. This method requires a multi-sample VCF file containing population data, a reference genome, target regions in the BED file, and a list of samples to be included in the analysis. Given that the targeted regions are extracted in a new VCF file, targeted population genetic analysis can be performed. We conducted Tajima's D analysis using this approach on intact and pseudogenes, as well as non-coding regions.

Cysteine protease cathepsin B promotes lysosome integrity to extend the lifespan of alternative day fasting worms.

Alternative day fasting (ADF) has been shown to enhance the lifespan of animals. However, human trials evaluating the efficacy of ADF have only recently emerged, presenting challenges due to the extreme nature of this dietary regimen. To better understand the effects of ADF, we investigated its impact using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism. Our findings reveal that ADF extends the lifespan of worms nourished on animal-based protein source, while those fed with plant-based protein as the primary protein source do not experience such benefits. Remarkably, initiating ADF during midlife is sufficient to prolong lifespan, whereas implementation during youth results in developmental damage, and in older age, fails to provide additional extension effects. Furthermore, we discovered that midlife ADF up-regulates the expression of two cysteine protease cathepsin B genes, cpr-2 and cpr-5, which preserve lysosomal integrity and enhance its function in digesting aggregated proteins, as well as enhancing lipid metabolism and ameliorating neurodegenerative disease markers and phenomena during aging. This suggests that midlife ADF has long lasting anti-aging effects and may delay the onset of related diseases, specifically in animals consuming animal-based protein source. These findings offer valuable insights into the effects of ADF and provide guidance for future research and potential applications in individuals.