Interdisciplinary Research Team Research Articles

What does the public know about technological solutions for achieving carbon neutrality? Citizens' knowledge of energy transition and the role of media

The present study explores the relation between media use and knowledge in the context of the energy transition. To identify relevant knowledge categories, we relied on the expertise of an interdisciplinary research team. Based on this expertise, we identified awareness-knowledge of changes in the energy system and principles-knowledge of hydrogen as important knowledge categories. With data obtained from a nationwide online survey of the German-speaking population (n = 2,025) conducted in August 2021, we examined the level of knowledge concerning both categories in the German population. Furthermore, we studied its associations with exposure to journalistic media and direct communication from non-media actors (e.g., scientists). Our results revealed a considerable lack of knowledge for both categories. Considering the media variables, we found only weak, and in some cases even negative, relations with the use of journalistic media or other actors that spread information online. However, we found comparably strong associations between both knowledge categories and the control variables of sex, education, and personal interest. We use these results to open up a general discussion of the role of the media in knowledge acquisition processes.

Methods of Recruitment for Surgical and Perioperative Randomized Controlled Trials: A Rapid Review.

Due to the complex nature of surgical randomized controlled trials (RCTs), reaching target recruitment can be challenging. The primary objective was to report on characteristics of successful pilot surgical and perioperative RCTs and the methodological strategies implemented to optimize recruitment. The secondary objective was to provide recommendations for successful recruitment strategies for future surgical RCTs. Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, and Web of Science (via Ovid) databases were searched from 2012 to 2022. This review included surgical and perioperative pilot studies that met their recruitment targets. Study and recruitment characteristics were summarized, and potential relationships between study design and recruitment rate were assessed. Optimized recruitment strategies were extracted when reported. Of 4156 total articles identified, 255 underwent full-text screening, and 52 articles were included. Of the included pilot studies, 21% (n = 11) did not indicate a target sample size or recruitment rate. Recruitment methods were minimally reported in pilot studies for perioperative or surgical RCTs. Strategies to optimize recruitment included internal iterative evaluations of the recorded recruitment appointments and staged introduction of the study. Recruitment rate was not associated with invasiveness of intervention or burden of participation. Patient involvement is absent from current reports on methodological design and offers valuable opportunity to optimize recruitment. Recruitment strategies in perioperative and surgical RCTs can be optimized with iterative qualitative evaluation of the recruitment methods with input from the interdisciplinary research team.

Navigating the labyrinth of RI through a practical application — A case study in a cross-disciplinary research project

Responsible Innovation (RI) aims to enable research and innovation to take a more systematic approach to anticipating potential risks and consequences of planned research/innovative outputs. The Anticipation, Reflection, Engagement and Action (AREA) framework provides a flexible mechanism for organisations and researchers to align research and innovation with societal values, needs and challenges. However, its actual application may prove challenging for practitioners. In this paper, we describe how the AREA framework has been embedded in an interdisciplinary research project in the UK over the period of 2019–2021 through dedicated monthly RI workshops. To gain insights from this practice, we have collected qualitative data from discussions throughout the project and performed a systematic analysis of the logging practice itself. We discuss benefits and challenges associated with embedding an RI framework within an interdisciplinary research team, and present recommendations for future adoption of the AREA framework in a cross-disciplinary research setting.

Identifying Priorities and Needs to Improve Oncology Research in the Gaza Strip, Palestine.

The purpose of this study was to (1) identify the priorities of oncology research in the Gaza Strip; (2) explore the needs for improving oncology research in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. A qualitative approach for data collection was used in this study. After obtaining the ethical approvals to conduct this study, a sample of 42 health-care providers who are involved in providing oncology care and research in the Gaza Strip were included in this study. Data were collected by the researchers through seven focus groups. Thematic coding was used for data analysis. Two main themes and several sub-themes were extracted during the data analysis. The two main themes extracted from data analysis were research priorities and research needs. Participants identified several priorities in relation to oncology research that are assessing for cancer awareness, cancer prevention, exploring and finding new molecular biomarkers, screening for germ-line mutations related to the most common cancers, determining genetic and environmental risk factors for developing cancer, and exploring and testing new cancer therapies. Concerning research needs, participants identified several needs to enhance oncology research, which are financial needs, need for training, availability of data, creation of interdisciplinary research teams, and transforming in vitro studies to in vivo. Well-designed studies will certainly help to identify the priorities and needs to improve oncology research in the Gaza Strip, which is considered one of the most important steps to help push these priorities onto the agenda of health policymakers. Therefore, they will work to set goals and design policies and programs aiming to reduce incidence and prevalence rates of cancer in the Gaza Strip, promote early detection of cancer, improve prognosis, and reduce mortality related to cancer.

Exploring the experiences of researchers in the interdisciplinary humanities research teams on knowledge creation: a qualitative study

PurposeThe process of knowledge creation is recognized as an essential process for organizational learning and innovation. Creating knowledge to solve the problems and complexities of today's world is like opening a black box. Hence, the higher education system and universities are exploring ways to overcome the complexities and cope with global changes. In this regard, interdisciplinary collaborations and activities are crucial in creating knowledge and innovation to counter these changes. This study aimed to know the experiences of Shiraz university interdisciplinary researchers in the field of humanities and also design and explain the conceptual model of knowledge creation in interdisciplinary research teams in the field of humanities.Design/methodology/approachIn this qualitative research, grounded theory was implemented based on Strauss and Corbin's systematic approach. The sampling method was purposeful, and the participants included sixteen faculty members of shiraz university who had at least one experience of performing an interdisciplinary activity in one of the humanities fields. The first participant was selected as a pilot, and the rest were selected by snowball sampling. Semi-structured interviews were also used to collect data and continued until theoretical saturation was attained. After collecting the available information and interviewing the people, the data were organized and analyzed in three stages, open coding, axial coding, and selective coding, using the proposed framework of Strauss and Corbin. Finally, the researcher reached a final and meaningful categorization.FindingsIn this research, the results were presented as a paradigm model of knowledge creation in the interdisciplinary research teams in the field of humanities. The paradigm model of the study consists of causal factors (internal and external factors), main categories (specialized competencies, scientific discourse, understanding of knowledge domains), strategies (structuring and synchronizing), context (individual and organizational), interfering factors (leadership, industry, and society), and consequences (individual and group achievement).Originality/valueThe present study aimed to explore the experiences of researchers in the interdisciplinary humanities research teams on knowledge creation in qualitative research. The study used Strauss and Corbin's systematic approach to recognize the causal factors of knowledge creation and the contexts. Discovering the main category of knowledge creation in interdisciplinary research teams, the authors analyze the strategies and consequences of knowledge creation.

Similar skills, different frames: a thematic analysis exploring conceptualizations held by community-based organization practitioners and academics regarding skills to use evidence-based interventions to address cancer inequities

BackgroundCommunity-based organizations (CBOs) are critical partners in delivering evidence-based interventions (EBIs) to address cancer inequities. However, CBO practitioners do not typically have access to opportunities to build the necessary capacity (skills, knowledge, motivation, and resources) for using EBIs. Although capacity-building interventions can offer a solution, inconsistent definitions and measurements of capacity limit the ability to develop and evaluate such efforts. We explored how and why conceptualizations of core skills for EBI use differ between practitioners and academics addressing cancer and other health inequities. We anchored the inquiry with a commonly used set of target skills for EBI capacity-building efforts.MethodsThe study was conducted by an interdisciplinary team of academic researchers and CBO practitioners. We gathered data through semi-structured, hour-long interviews with practitioners and academics working to address cancer and other health inequities (n = 19). After hearing a brief vignette about a CBO addressing cervical cancer inequities, participants considered a widely accepted list of skills for EBI use that included assessing needs, engaging stakeholders, and selecting, adapting, implementing, evaluating, and sustaining the EBI. We used a team-based, reflexive thematic analysis approach grounded in critical and constructivist perspectives.ResultsOverall, the original list resonated with practitioners and academics and they added new skills to the list (cultural humility and systems change). Practitioners’ responses described skills from the reference point of addressing broader community needs and context and achieving change over the long term, emphasizing aspects of health promotion in their descriptions. Academics offered a mix of perspectives, with some focused on addressing community needs (and related flexibility regarding EBIs) but more emphasized skills needed to deliver a specific EBI to achieve a focused set of health and equity outcomes.ConclusionsThere is a significant opportunity to leverage complementary expertise and perspectives held by practitioners and academics addressing cancer inequities. However, the different frames utilized suggest proactive efforts will be required to find alignment across groups, particularly in valuing diverse contributions and identifying relevant outcomes of interest for each group. Such alignment is critical to designing effective capacity-building interventions and supporting the routine utilization of EBIs to address cancer inequities.

Delivery and evaluation of simulations to promote authentic and meaningful engagement in childhood disability research

BackgroundIn 2019, our interdisciplinary team of researchers, family members, and youth co-designed four simulation training videos and accompanying facilitation resources to prepare youth, family members, trainees, and researchers to build the knowledge and skills to engage in patient-oriented research (POR) authentically and meaningfully. Videos covered challenges in aspects of the research process including (1) forming a project team; (2) identifying project objectives and priorities; (3) agreeing on results; and (4) carrying out knowledge translation.MethodsThe purpose of the study was to deliver four simulation training videos across 2 two-hour facilitated workshops with researchers, trainees, and family partners. We evaluated whether the training videos and facilitated discussion of the simulations helped to improve knowledge and attitudes about authentic and meaningful partnership in research and self-perceived ability to engage in POR. An explanatory sequential two-phase mixed methods design was used. Phase 1 (quantitative) included two training workshops and a pre/post-training survey. Phase 2 (qualitative) included two qualitative focus groups. Results of each phase were analyzed separately and then combined during interpretation.ResultsSixteen individuals (including researchers/research staff, trainees, family members, clinicians) took part in this research study. Overall, participants were highly receptive to the training, providing high scores on measures of acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility. While the training videos and facilitated discussion of the simulations were found to increase participants’ knowledge and ability to engage in authentic and meaningful POR, we found no significant change in attitude or intent. Recommendations about the simulation content and delivery were provided to inform for future use.ConclusionsThe simulations were found to be a positive and impactful way for collaborative research teams to build knowledge and ability to engage in authentic and meaningful POR. Recommendations for future work include covering different content areas with varying levels of nuance; and offering the training to stakeholders in a variety of roles, such as those higher-ranked academic positions.

Toward the Next Generation of Neural Iontronic Interfaces.

Neural interfaces are evolving at a rapid pace owing to advances in material science and fabrication, reduced cost of scalable complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technologies, and highly interdisciplinary teams of researchers and engineers that span a large range from basic to applied and clinical sciences. This study outlines currently established technologies, defined as instruments and biological study systems that are routinely used in neuroscientific research. After identifying the shortcomings of current technologies, such as a lack of biocompatibility, topological optimization, low bandwidth, and lack of transparency, it maps out promising directions along which progress should be made to achieve the next generation of symbiotic and intelligent neural interfaces. Lastly, it proposes novel applications that can be achieved by these developments, ranging from the understanding and reproduction of synaptic learning to live-long multimodal measurements to monitor and treat various neuronaldisorders.

Analyzing scenarios and designing initiatives toward just transitions: coproducing knowledge with(in) the dried fish sector in the Indian Sundarbans

The south-western fringe of the Indian Sundarbans hosts a number of fish drying collectives that are exposed to a bundle of mutually reinforcing social-ecological-institutional risks. Despite its wide contribution to local-regional food security and livelihoods, dried fish production has received little attention in research and policy circles so far. As part of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) sponsored Dried Fish Matters global partnership project, our research team seeks to address this lack in two ways: (i) delineating knowledge base through a systematic literature review on intersecting social-ecological and sociohydrological dimensions of integrated fisheries and fish drying practices, and (ii) employing a knowledge co-production approach that involves participation of dry-fishers, researchers, fishworkers' forum (partner organization), and scientists for meaningful understandings about the constraints and potentials in the sector. In this essay, we applied a three-step methodology to arrive at a crisscrossing conceptual, empirical, and collective understandings on the 'invisible' dried fish value chain in the Indian Sundarbans. With detailed lessons from the field, our interdisciplinary research team acts as a liaison among the groups to build a collaborative space for interactions, recognize prevalent adaptive practices and identify pathways toward short-, intermediate-, and long-term co-interventions through which fish drying practices can be more effectively improvised upon and up scaled. The essay lays out detailed insights and sensible recommendations from the knowledge co-production workshop, organized as a part of solution-focused participatory research on climate-resilient and gender-aware dried fish practices in the Indian Sundarbans. In light of the collective observations on the complex problems and reflections on needs-driven initiatives, the authors advocate for collaborative research praxes in forging just transitions for the less explored dried fish sector.

Reflections on good practice in evaluating Violence Reduction Units: Experiences from across England and Wales

Internationally, interpersonal violence places huge burdens on the health, wellbeing and prosperity of society. In response to a notable increase in serious knife crime, in 2019, the UK Government awarded £35 million for the establishment of 18 Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) across England and Wales. There has been limited evaluation of community-level approaches for violence, with almost no published literature on the impact of VRUs. The article presents the approaches and experiences of two interdisciplinary teams of researchers from public health, psychology, criminology, and systems change, working as evaluators of four VRUs in England and Wales. The article describes the value of adopting a whole-system approach to evaluations, outlines good practice in evaluating VRUs, and elicits challenges to developing and embedding evaluation within complex systems.

Transforming Masculinities Through Cross-Cultural Collaboration: Reflections on Building a Community of Practice Framework

Interdisciplinary, local, regional, and cross-regional efforts are required to further men’s gender justice engagement on a global scale. There is limited understanding of how cross-regional collaborations account for intersectionality, geo-political differences among stakeholders, and the value of local strategies when designing and sharing prevention frameworks. Catalyzed by emerging and long-standing gender equity movements, our interdisciplinary research team from Canada, the Caribbean, Nepal, and Pakistan employed a community of practice (CoP) framework to share and mobilize research and experiential knowledge with the purpose of promoting regional and cross-regional strategies to involve men in gender justice efforts. Through a collective process, we co-created position statements, process dimensions, and key CoP activities to root our international collaboration. In this article, we emphasize the unique local contexts for our work and the learnings that emerged from our CoP. We propose a framework that can be used to advance collective and interdisciplinary agendas across global contexts and further the work of groups committed to transformative social change.

Supporting occupational therapists to initiate conversations about sexuality with people with intellectual disability: Co-design by deliberative dialogue.

Occupational therapists routinely report low levels of confidence in addressing needs related to sexuality and intimacy. These issues are compounded when supporting clients with intellectual disability, due to prevailing assumptions about capacity and few practical support resources. At a disciplinary level, there is ongoing discourse around how to best conceptualise and support sexual and gender identities generally, within models of human occupation. Leveraging interdisciplinarity, where sexuality overlaps as a sphere of interest, can aid the development of practical support resources. Engagement with sociology (focussed on relationality) and disability studies (focussed on embodiment) offers a generative path forward. The deliberative dialogues framework was used to develop a co-designed resource by occupational therapists for occupational therapists. Six Australian occupational therapists with experience working with clients with intellectual disability and/or sexuality were purposively recruited to participate in co-design groups. Using the eight features of deliberative dialogue, data was collected and analysed by an interdisciplinary research team to collaboratively produce a practical support resource. Participants agreed the greatest need was to develop a resource for clinicians, to support conversations with clients about sexuality. Five key themes emerged: (1) Theoretical explanations addressing why sexuality is important must be paired with practical advice; (2) make a conversational call to action from 'OTs' for 'OTs' by locating sexuality within the domain of occupational therapy; (3) make explicit that people with intellectual disability are sexual beings; (4) need for self-reflection; and (5) demonstrate how existing understandings of occupation apply to sexuality. A resource in the form of a brochure was developed, intended to be used as a conversation primer. The process used to develop the resource demonstrated the value of interdisciplinary collaboration and the utility of deliberative dialogue as a co-design method.

Applying Complex Adaptive Systems to Build Interdisciplinary Collaborations and Aid in Understanding Complicated Social Phenomena

ABSTRACT The Grand Challenges for Social Work were introduced by the American Academy for Social Work & Social Welfare in 2016, which are social problems that are interrelated and “exceedingly complex”. We discuss the relevance of complexity theory, operationalized by complex adaptive systems (CAS), to the Grand Challenges. CAS moves beyond current ecological systems approaches and is more appropriate for studying nonlinear, dynamic phenomena such as the Grand Challenges. We explore ideas for incorporating CAS into the social work curriculum at all levels. Adopting CAS into social work practice and research via changes to the curriculum will complement current practices and can facilitate interdisciplinary research teams, and thus has tremendous promise for helping social workers address the Social Work Grand Challenges.

Team principles for successful interdisciplinary research teams

Interdisciplinary research teams can be extremely beneficial when addressing difficult clinical problems. The incorporation of conceptual and methodological strategies from a variety of research disciplines and health professions yields transformative results. In this setting, the long-term goal of team science is to improve patient care, with emphasis on population health outcomes. However, team principles necessary for effective research teams are rarely taught in health professional schools. To form successful interdisciplinary research teams in cardio-oncology and beyond, guiding principles and organizational recommendations are necessary. Cardiovascular disease results in annual direct costs of $220 billion (about $680 per person in the US) and is the leading cause of death for cancer survivors, including adult survivors of childhood cancers. Optimizing cardio-oncology research in interdisciplinary research teams has the potential to aid in the investigation of strategies for saving hundreds of thousands of lives each year in the United States and mitigating the annual cost of cardiovascular disease. Despite published reports on experiences developing research teams across organizations, specialties and settings, there is no single journal article that compiles principles for cardiology or cardio-oncology research teams. In this review, recurring threads linked to working as a team, as well as optimal methods, advantages, and problems that arise when managing teams are described in the context of career development and research. The worth and hurdles of a team approach, based on practical lessons learned from establishing our multidisciplinary research team and information gleaned from relevant specialties in the development of a successful team are presented.

Can CBD help to combat COVID variants?

There is an urgent need to find new treatments that complement the use of vaccines and antiviral drugs to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Our interdisciplinary research team uncovered evidence that cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive compound produced by cannabis plants, has the potential to inhibit SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID.

Role development, implementation and evaluation of nurse practitioners in a Belgian university hospital: a mixed methods study protocol

IntroductionDue to the increased prevalence of chronic conditions, multimorbidity and an increased complexity of care, the burden on healthcare teams is high resulting in unmet needs of patients and their...

Understanding Adoption as a Reproductive Justice Issue

Adoption is frequently invoked as a universal social good—an uncomplicated win for adoptees, adoptive parents, and birth parents alike—that obviates the need for abortion. As antiabortionists weaponize adoption to attack reproductive rights, psychologists must recognize adoption as a key reproductive justice issue with significant, lifelong physical and psychological impacts, especially on adopted people and birth parents. Recognizing critical adoption studies as an application of a reproductive justice framework, we argue that psychologists must understand how adoption is both sustained by and reinforces structural inequality and global reproductive injustice. In a post- Roe reality, clinicians and researchers must critically examine adoption histories and myths in order to address the needs of the adoption triad. As an interdisciplinary team of researchers and clinicians in psychology; medicine; genetic counseling; and women's, gender, sexuality, and Asian American studies, we examine adoption's ties to settler colonialism, racism, classism, and imperialism and interrogate harmful dominant narratives about adoption. We then summarize clinical considerations for working with members of the adoption triad, future directions for research on adoption, and recommendations for both clinicians and researchers to advance adoption competence in the face of current attacks on reproductive rights in the United States.

Where is Community Involvement in Open Science? A Commentary on "(Why) Are Open Research Practices the Future for the Study of Language Learning?"

Where is Community Involvement in Open Science? A Commentary on "(Why) Are Open Research Practices the Future for the Study of Language Learning?"

Ongoing collaborative project for building a symbiotic society with dementia: the analysis of Alzheimer's pathogenic changes by 'ageing' of disease-relevant proteins.

In Japan, the ageing society correlates to a significant burden of care for elderly people with dementia. Researchers are exploring the epidemiology of the disease, as well as the social aspects. This includes understanding what a well-functioning society encompassing people with dementia looks like. Professor Naoko Utsunomiya-Tate, Laboratory Head at the Laboratory of Biomolecular Chemistry, Faculty of Pharma-Sciences, Teikyo University, Japan, is engaged in two key research strands: 'Building a symbiotic society with dementia' and 'Biophysical and structural chemical research on the racemisation of the pathogenic protein in the onset process of Alzheimer's disease'. Utsunomiya-Tate envisions a symbiotic society in which people with dementia aren't tucked away in care homes and healthcare facilities but, rather, well integrated into, and respected by, society. She and her team are working to develop diagnostic, preventative and treatment measures and anticipate possible issues in advance of implementing these in society in order to develop solutions. Utsunomiya-Tate is collaborating with Senior Assistant Professor Genta Ito and an interdisciplinary team of researchers to identify pathogenic protein variants that suppress fibrillisation and aggregate formation, to elucidate the mechanism underlying the cell-to-cell transfer of Tau aggregates, and to develop gene therapy targeting the etiological proteins of dementia. The team also aims to understand how D-isomerisation of the amino acids constituting amyloid β and Tau protein is involved in the process of their fibrillisation and aggregation.

Embracing Complexity Within Creative Approaches to Dementia Research: Ethics, Reflexivity, and Research Practices.

In this paper, we present reflections from three research studies that have engaged with creative approaches to qualitative research with people living with dementia. Creative approaches to qualitative research are increasingly advocated within dementia research as they foreground alternative routes to expression and can facilitate flexible, meaningful participation. Such approaches are typically cited as illuminating people's lived experiences as they often enable nuanced understandings around how people with dementia engage in the world around them. Yet creative approaches to research with people living with dementia involve specific complexities that require rigorous planning, generous timelines, and interdisciplinary research teams. It is important to examine the role of the researcher(s) in the development and application of creative approaches, as this impacts the extent to which the voices and experiences of people living with dementia are authentically heard and felt throughout the research. In this reflective article, we come together as three researchers who have used a range of creative and sensory approaches to understand the everyday lived experiences of people living with dementia in different contexts. We present examples taken from three doctoral research studies in which we navigated the creative research space to ensure the voices of people living with dementia are placed centrally and actively within the research process. We pay particular attention to the creative reflexive processes used in each example and explore what ethical research practices look and feel like in the context of creative research with people living with dementia. Our critical reflections lead us to discuss the opportunities that embracing creative approaches may afford in future research with people living with dementia.