Interdisciplinary Environment Research Articles

An interdisciplinary living laboratory approach to investigate college food waste co-composting with additional on-site organic waste feedstocks

In an effort to curb monetary and environmental costs of food waste disposal, colleges and universities are developing composting programs. Incorporating additional on-site wastes could improve composting efficiency and provide cost savings. A living laboratory team of faculty and students with expertise in biology, engineering, and economics investigated non-food organic wastes as co-compostable supplementary feedstocks with dining hall residues. The interdisciplinary learning environment inspired students to develop a specialised sampling method using nylon mesh bags embedded in large bins to monitor biotic and abiotic composting responses. Bark, leaves, and paper were equally effective as co-compostable wastes. Economic analysis showed that incorporating non-food organic feedstocks into food waste composting could save $17,500 USD per dining hall per year when balanced with waste disposal or recycling costs for these materials. This project shows how a living laboratory approach can address local waste management issues with sustainable economic practices by examining alternative disposal methods of common organic wastes.

Medico Legal Mediation: Developing an Interdisciplinary Roleplay

Creating opportunities for law students to expand their horizons by working with students from other disciplines offers a unique learning opportunity. Authentic simulation exercises offer students a dynamic and engaging learning experience. A multi-media based interdisciplinary medical negligence ‘case’ developed in partnership between the University of Adelaide Law and Medical schools combines both elements, offering a truly immersive and realistic educational platform for students from both schools. This article outlines the development, implementation and evaluation of this exercise, and provides both philosophical and practical commentary on the challenges and successes experienced in the process. The article arises out of a proof of concept project developed over a three year period at Adelaide Law School that was aimed at exploring the potential for interdisciplinary engagement between medical and law students in a dispute resolution exercise. Three academics were involved – the developer of the initiative, a medico/legal ethicist and law teacher teaching the undergraduate subject Medical Law and Ethics (Associate Professor Bernadette Richards); a medical practitioner and teacher responsible for the management of simulated learning in the Medical School (Dr Adelaide Boylan); and, a mediator and dispute resolver teaching Civil Procedure and Dispute Resolution to mainly final year law students (Margaret Castles). This article explores the rationale behind the initiative and highlights the value of teaching complex practice skills in an interdisciplinary environment. The scope of this model is not limited to the medico-legal environment, it could be expanded to other law subjects and would enrich the learning of students of both law and other disciplines.

Making Function Part of the Conversation: Clinician Perspectives on Measuring Functional Status in Primary Care.

Although there is increasing interest in using functional status to guide clinical decision making, function is seldom routinely assessed in primary care. We explored clinician perspectives on barriers and facilitators to routine measurement of older adults' functional status in primary care settings. Qualitative study using semistructured interviews. Primary care and geriatrics clinics at six Veterans Affairs Medical Centers. Twenty-four primary care providers, including 17 from primary care clinics and 7 from geriatrics clinics. We conducted interviews to elicit clinician perspectives about functional status measurement, including barriers and facilitators to routine assessment. We analyzed transcripts iteratively using a hybrid inductive and deductive thematic approach. Interviews revealed three distinct aspects to measuring function: screening and assessment, documentation, and use of data to inform care. Barriers and facilitators to screening and assessment included time availability, clinic processes, and degree of interdisciplinary environment. Barriers and facilitators to documentation included the usability and integration of electronic instruments into workflows and the availability of a standardized location to document function in the electronic medical record. Barriers and facilitators to use of data included the availability of a standardized location to retrieve data on function, the availability of appropriate referrals and services, and provider knowledge of available resources to address functional impairments. To address these barriers, providers emphasized the critical importance of connecting measurement of function directly to improved patient care. Although clinicians emphasized the importance of measuring function, they also cautioned against additional workload burdens, cumbersome electronic documentation, and measurement of function without ensuring that these data are used to improve care. Approaches to functional status measurement must address these barriers to improve care and outcomes for older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:493-502, 2019.

Exploring Chiropractic Services in the Canadian Forces Health Services - Perceptions of Facilitators and Barriers Among Key Informants.

Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions have a significant impact on the health and operational readiness of military members. The Canadian Forces Health Services (CFHS) provides a spectrum of health services in managing Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel health care needs with on-base and off-base services provided by civilian and uniformed health care professionals, including chiropractors. Although chiropractic services are available in US DoD and VA systems, little is known about the facilitators and barriers to integrating on-base chiropractic services within the CFHS. This study explored key informants' perceptions of facilitators and barriers to the integration of on-base chiropractic services within the CFHS. We conducted a qualitative study to describe and understand how an integrated chiropractic service could be designed, implemented, and evaluated within the current interdisciplinary CFHS. Telephone interviews were conducted, using a semi-structured interview guide, to explore key informants' perceptions and experiences of chiropractic care within the CFHS. In total, we invited 27 individuals across Canada to participate; 15 were identified through purposeful sampling, 12 through a snowball sampling technique, and 2 declined. The 25 participants included military personnel (52%), public servants and contractors employed by the Department of Defense (24%), as well as civilian health care providers (24%). All participants were health care providers [physicians (MD) (7), physiotherapists (PT) (13), chiropractors (DC) (5)]. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were prepared and analyzed using an interpretivist approach that explored key informants' perceptions and experiences. Qualitative analysis revealed numerous facilitators and barriers to chiropractic services in the CFHS. These were categorized under three broad themes: base-to-base variations, variable gatekeeper roles, and referral processes. Barriers to integrating chiropractic services included: lack of clarity about a chiropractor's clinical knowledge and skills; CFHS team members' negative prior experiences with chiropractors (e.g., inappropriate patient-focused communication, clinical management that was not evidence-based, ignorance of military culture); suboptimal bi-directional communication between CAF personnel and DCs across bases; and wide-ranging perspectives pertaining to duplication of services offered by PTs and DCs in managing MSK conditions. Facilitators associated with the integration of chiropractic services within a collaborative and interdisciplinary CAF environment included: patient benefits associated with multiple approaches utilized by different providers; adoption of up-to-date, high-quality evidence and guidelines to standardize care and curtail "dependency" between patient and providers; and co-location of providers to strengthen existing interprofessional communication and relationships. Key informants called for patient care that is collaborative, integrated and patient-centered, rather than "patient-driven" care; civilian providers understanding and respecting military culture rather than assuming transferability of patient management processes from the public civilian sector; standardization of communication protocols and measures to evaluate outcomes of care; and the need to move slowly and respectfully within the current CAF health care system if planning the on-base implementation of chiropractic services. This study illuminated many opportunities and barriers, in complex and diverse domains, related to introducing collaborative chiropractic services in the CFHS. The findings are relevant to increasing understanding and strengthening interprofessional collaborative care within the unique CAF health care delivery system.

Abstracts from the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health 2018 Annual BIRCWH Meeting – Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health November 28, 2018

Abstracts from the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health 2018 Annual BIRCWH Meeting – Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health November 28, 2018

OptiqueVQS: A visual query system over ontologies for industry

An important application of semantic technologies in industry has been the formalisation of information models using OWL 2 ontologies and the use of RDF for storing and exchanging application data. Moreover, legacy data can be virtualised as RDF using ontologies following the ontology-based data access (OBDA) approach. In all these applications, it is important to provide domain experts with query formulation tools for expressing their information needs in terms of queries over ontologies. In this work, we present such a tool, OptiqueVQS, which is designed based on our experience with OBDA applications in Statoil and Siemens and on best HCI practices for interdisciplinary engineering environments. OptiqueVQS implements a number of unique techniques distinguishing it from analogous query formulation systems. In particular, it exploits ontology projection techniques to enable graph-based navigation over an ontology during query construction. Secondly, while OptiqueVQS is primarily ontology driven, it exploits sampled data to enhance selection of data values for some data attributes. Finally, OptiqueVQS is built on well-grounded requirements, design rationale, and quality attributes. We evaluated OptiqueVQS with both domain experts and casual users and qualitatively compared our system against prominent visual systems for ontology-driven query formulation and exploration of semantic data. OptiqueVQS is available online and can be downloaded together with an example OBDA scenario.

Challenges in developing collaborative interdisciplinary research between gastroenterologists and engineers

The role of technology in healthcare is rapidly evolving. However, it can be argued that gastroenterology has not kept pace with other medical fields due to the multifaceted needs of this speciality and other issues. Innovation in healthcare technology increasingly requires interdisciplinary collaboration between engineers and clinicians. Nevertheless, working in such an interdisciplinary environment can be challenging due to factors such as working culture, communication and difference in priorities. We surveyed the views of clinicians specialising in gastroenterology and engineers on interdisciplinary health research. The 21 respondents expressed a range of opinions on the perceived benefits and challenges of interdisciplinary collaboration. Though engineers and clinicians recognised its advantages, they expressed a need for further improvement. However, engineers and clinicians differed in how best this could be achieved. The results of this survey are discussed with reference to the literature on interdisciplinary collaboration.

Enhancing research for undergraduates through a nanotechnology training program that utilizes analytical and bioanalytical tools

Nanotechnology is a broad field combining traditional scientific disciplines; however, analytical chemistry plays an important role in material design, synthesis, characterization, and application. This article emphasizes the uniqueness of nanotechnology and the importance of providing high-quality undergraduate research experiences to both attract and retain talented individuals to the field of nanotechnology. In response to this need to develop a strong and sustainable nanotechnology work force, strategies to create authentic research experiences are considered within the framework of an interdisciplinary nanotechnology environment at West Virginia University. The program, named NanoSAFE Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), embeds students in different departments at West Virginia University and in research laboratories within the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. A large number of participants have little or no prior research experience and a strong effort is made to recruit applicants from under-represented populations. Components designed to foster research proficiency include frequent reporting, a strong peer-network, and training for secondary mentors. Evidence, which includes student publications and assessment findings demonstrating self-efficacy, is discussed to substantiate the viability of the strategies used in the 2016–2018 program.Graphical abstractᅟ

Social sustainability as a challenge for urban scholars

Urban sustainability is an increasingly popular term used by scientists and policymakers from all disciplines, increasingly without any reference to the tradition of critical urban studies. It is often observed that the social pillar is missing, if sustainability is understood via the ‘three-legged stool’ concept encompassing social, economic and environmental dimensions. With a few notable exceptions, there appears to be a lack of interest also within urban scholarship to use the term ‘social sustainability’ to address this gap, although critical urban scholars are productive in the critique of sustainability as a social and political construct. Drawing on the idea of a politics of knowledge, this paper points to political, institutional and conceptual factors that have limited the purchase of social sustainability in research. These factors are rooted in sustainability being predominantly understood as an environmental concern, and a culture that may marginalise research subscribing to a post-positivist epistemology. This article asks whether the social pillar of sustainability could offer a discursive and symbolic tool for researchers to make the case for a critical urban epistemology in interdisciplinary research environments.

Improving Biomedical Engineering Education Through Continuity in Adaptive, Experiential, and Interdisciplinary Learning Environments.

This study reports our experience of developing a series of biomedical engineering (BME) courses having active and experiential learning components in an interdisciplinary learning environment. In the first course, BME465: biomechanics, students were immersed in a simulation laboratory setting involving mannequins that are currently used for teaching in the School of Nursing. Each team identified possible technological challenges directly related to the biomechanics of the mannequin and presented an improvement overcoming the challenge. This approach of exposing engineering students to a problem in a clinical learning environment enhanced the adaptive and experiential learning capabilities of the course. In the following semester, through BME448: medical devices, engineering students were partnered with nursing students and exposed to simulation scenarios and real-world clinical settings. They were required to identify three unmet needs in the real-world clinical settings and propose a viable engineering solution. This approach helped BME students to understand and employ real-world applications of engineering principles in problem solving while being exposed to an interdisciplinary collaborative environment. A final step was for engineering students to execute their proposed solution from either BME465 or BME448 courses by undertaking it as their capstone senior design project (ENGR401-402). Overall, the inclusion of clinical immersions in interdisciplinary teams in a series of courses not only allowed the integration of active and experiential learning in continuity but also offered engineers more practice of their profession, adaptive expertise, and an understanding of roles and expertise of other professionals involved in enhancement of healthcare and patient safety.

Facilitating integrated agricultural technology development through participatory research

ABSTRACTPurpose: In this paper, we discuss the role of participatory research in integrated agricultural technology development using the example of a solar fruit drying project in Mozambique.Design/methodology/approach: We engage in seven participatory exercises with groups of farmers from two farmers’ associations in Inharrime district in Mozambique to identify their needs for solar fruit drying that are crucial for solar dryer technology design. We focus in the analysis on three of these exercises including a daily schedule exercise, SWOT (Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats) analysis and technology requirement exercise.Findings: Participatory research takes a dual function for integrated agricultural technology development. First, it can help to identify the technology needs of farmers and second it can enable the exchange and creation of different sets of knowledge for agricultural technology development between multiple stakeholders.Practical implications: Participatory research provides a tool for joint knowledge exchange and creation, which allows the identified technology requirements to be translated into practical technology design.Theoretical implications: This paper extends the concept of integrated research to integrated agricultural technology development and shows how participatory research is a tool that enables transdisciplinarity, which presents the most desired form of integrated research.Originality: This research is highly relevant for researchers working in an interdisciplinary environment with agricultural technology development in cross-cultural contexts. From a meta-level perspective, it provides insights for joint and integrated technology development.

Regression Using Pairs vs. Regression on Differences: A Real-life Case Study for a Master's Level Methods Class

ABSTRACTWhen teaching regression classes real-life examples help emphasize the importance of understanding theoretical concepts related to methodologies. This can be appreciated after a little reflection on the difficulty of constructing novel questions in regression that test on concepts rather than mere calculations. Interdisciplinary collaborations can be fertile contexts for questions of this type. In this article, we offer a case study that students will find: (1) practical with respect to the question being addressed, (2) compelling in the way it shows how a solid understanding of theory helps answer the question, and (3) enlightening in the way it shows how statisticians contribute to problem solving in interdisciplinary environments. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.

Teachers’ multidimensional role towards meaningful learning: the potential value of interdisciplinary environments

The definition of “interdisciplinary learning environment” gives rise to different interpretations. This article presents and discusses interdisciplinarity in pedagogical practice for the construction of meaningful learning, strengthening the construction of knowledge in personal, scientific and social spheres. Case studies respectively show: the contribution of interdisciplinary work to self-identity and subjective constitution in early childhood; interdisciplinary work in an informal learning environment as a facilitating element towards scientific knowledge consolidation; and the university’s interdisciplinary work in social projects for building a fairer society. In the light of neuroscience, the article discusses aspects of cognitive and social-emotional developments, as well as the approximations and estrangements between the object of study and the epistemic subject. In the so-called Society of Information, the multidimensional character of the teacher’s work becomes a necessity and a challenge, since it is the school’s role to form citizen-students, developing competences to increase students´ academic knowledge and extend it to their personal, professional and social lives.

The i3S initiative: a Portuguese blend of Research and Innovation.

The i3S initiative: a Portuguese blend of Research and Innovation.

From Occupational Therapy to Environmental Gerontology

Based on reflections on childhood experiences, my autobiography starts out from completing professional training as an occupational therapist. After academic studies in gerontology, I pursued PhD education in public health, with a specific interest in housing and health issues related to aging and disability. My early scientific work was concentrated to methodology development based on the notion of person-environment fit, with the Housing Enabler instrument as a recognized contribution. Crucial research career steps were establishing collaboration with public transport planning, and coordinating the ENABLE-AGE project engaging colleagues in five European countries. In addition to describing my research achievements over a period of 25 years, this chapter includes reflections on how unforeseen events boosted my development as an academic leader. Key facets include establishing the interdisciplinary research environment Centre for Ageing and Supportive Environments and the Swedish National Graduate School for Competitive Science on Ageing and Health. With home, health, and disability dynamics at the core, my research has expanded to focus on user participation in research, health promotion, and rehabilitation for specific diagnose groups, and environmental facets such as use of assistive technology. A challenge for coming years is to continuously reframe research priorities based on societal developments and challenges. (Less)

Extending the applicability of design-based research through research-practice partnerships

This research explored the implementation of a technology-enhanced instructional model for interdisciplinary learning. The model was developed in a previous phase of this research via DBR in the context of higher-education. Our aim in the current phase was to extend the applicability of the model and refine its underlying design principles based on their implementation in three secondary schools. For this purpose, a research-practice partnership was established, which included researchers, practitioners from an educational non-governmental organization, school principals, and teachers. Three practitioner-teams, facilitated by one of the researchers, collaboratively designed their own technology-enhanced interdisciplinary learning environments, in which they adapted the instructional model. This paper presents a new type of principled practical knowledge (PPK) —enhanced principled instructional model— which was obtained by comparison between the practitioners' designs and the original, higher-education context design. The PPK broadened the partnership's understanding of ways to promote interdisciplinary learning. Furthermore, it has raised new perspectives that were not considered during the development of the model, thereby allowing deeper understanding of the notion of interdisciplinary learning. Thus, this study illustrates how the establishment of productive research-practice partnerships can serve as a powerful strategy for implementing and scaling educational innovations beyond the original DBR context.

Exploring the anatomy of Geographic Information Systems and Technology (GIS&T) textbooks

AbstractChoosing a textbook is among the most important decisions instructors make in preparation for an academic term. Geographic Information Systems and Technology (GIS&T) textbook development has been influenced by a unique set of circumstances, mainly the rapid development of the discipline within an interdisciplinary environment, which has resulted in a continuous state of evolution. We examine the anatomy of GIS&T textbooks through a comparison of their organization, content, and depth of coverage. Specifically, utilizing the Geographic Information Science and Technology Body of Knowledge (BoK) as a comprehensive reference, we categorize the content of 26 of the most widely used introductory GIS textbooks. Our results show that there has been consistent coverage of topics over time, with analytical methods and geospatial data being the most prominent topics covered in texts. However, individual textbooks place varying emphasis on the BoK knowledge areas, which is potentially useful to instructors seeking books that emphasize particular knowledge areas. Additionally, long‐term trends indicate a shift toward an emphasis on new forms of geospatial data (e.g., social media). Ongoing efforts to expand and revise the BoK reflect how the discipline continues to manage its own evolution as new geographic research linked to GIS and GIScience emerges.

Recent Perspectives on Genome, Transmission, Clinical Manifestation, Diagnosis, Therapeutic Strategies, Vaccine Developments, and Challenges of Zika Virus Research.

One of the potential threats to public health microbiology in 21st century is the increased mortality rate caused by Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus. The severity of ZIKV infection urged World Health Organization (WHO) to declare this virus as a global concern. The limited knowledge on the structure, virulent factors, and replication mechanism of the virus posed as hindrance for vaccine development. Several vector and non-vector-borne mode of transmission are observed for spreading the disease. The similarities of the virus with other flaviviruses such as dengue and West Nile virus are worrisome; hence, there is high scope to undertake ZIKV research that probably provide insight for novel therapeutic intervention. Thus, this review focuses on the recent aspect of ZIKV research which includes the outbreak, genome structure, multiplication and propagation of the virus, current animal models, clinical manifestations, available treatment options (probable vaccines and therapeutics), and the recent advancements in computational drug discovery pipelines, challenges and limitation to undertake ZIKV research. The review suggests that the infection due to ZIKV became one of the universal concerns and an interdisciplinary environment of in vitro cellular assays, genomics, proteomics, and computational biology approaches probably contribute insights for screening of novel molecular targets for drug design. The review tried to provide cutting edge knowledge in ZIKV research with future insights required for the development of novel therapeutic remedies to curtail ZIKV infection.

Guidelines for Developing Successful Short Advanced Courses in Systems Medicine and Systems Biology.

Systems medicine and systems biology have inherent educational challenges. These have largely been addressed either by providing new masters programs or by redesigning undergraduate programs. In contrast, short courses can respond to a different need: they can provide condensed updates for professionals across academia, the clinic, and industry. These courses have received less attention. Here, we share our experiences in developing and providing such courses to current and future leaders in systems biology and systems medicine. We present guidelines for how to reproduce our courses, and we offer suggestions for how to select students who will nurture an interdisciplinary learning environment and thrive there.

Guidelines for Developing Successful Short Advanced Courses in Systems Medicine and Systems Biology.

Systems medicine and systems biology have inherent educational challenges. These have largely been addressed either by providing new masters programs or by redesigning undergraduate programs. In contrast, short courses can respond to a different need: they can provide condensed updates for professionals across academia, the clinic, and industry. These courses have received less attention. Here, we share our experiences in developing and providing such courses to current and future leaders in systems biology and systems medicine. We present guidelines for how to reproduce our courses, and we offer suggestions for how to select students who will nurture an interdisciplinary learning environment and thrive there.