International Funding Agencies Research Articles

Adaptation of the technology readiness levels for impact assessment in implementation sciences: The TRL-IS checklist

BackgroundIntervention development is a critical process in implementation research. There are key stages involved in the process to design, pilot, demonstrate and release a technology or an intervention. The Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is a globally accepted instrument for assessing the maturity of research development. However, the original levels do not fit all, and some adjustments are required for its applicability in implementation sciences. AimsThis study aimed to gather the prior knowledge base on TRL in public and population health research; to develop a standard definition of readiness, and to adapt and validate the TRL to an implementation science context (TRL-IS). Materials and methodsA Mixed methods approach has been followed in this study. A scoping review using the PRISMA extension (PRISMA-ScR) informed a nominal expert panel for developing a standard definition of readiness and to modify the TRL following an ontoterminology approach. Then the maturity of six practical case study examples were rated by ten researchers using the modified TRL to estimate inter-rater reliability, and a group of experts provided final content and face validity and feasibility.This mixed methods study included 1) a scoping review to examine the current literature and develop a knowledge base, identify knowledge gaps and to clarify concepts; 2) the development of a standard definition of ‘Readiness’ and related terms; and 3) adaptation of the TRL to implementation science and development of a checklist to rate the maturity of applications.A standard definition of readiness and related terms was produced by the core team, and an international nominal group (n = 30) was conducted to discuss and validate the definition and terms, and the location of ‘Readiness’ in the initiation and early development phases of implementation.Following feedback from the nominal group, the development of the TRL-IS was finalised and a TRL-IS rating checklist was developed to rate the maturity of applications. The TRL-IS checklist was tested using six cases based on real world studies on implementation research.The inter-rater reliability of the TRL-IS was evaluated by ten raters and finally six raters evaluated the content and face validity, and feasibility, of the TRL-IS checklist using the System Usability Scale (SUS). ResultsFew papers (n = 11) utilised the TRL to evaluate the readiness of readiness of health and social science implementation research. The main changes in the adaption of the TRL-IS included the removal of laboratory testing, limiting the use of “operational” environment and a clearer distinction between level 6 (pilot in a relevant environment) and 7 (demonstration in the real world prior to release). The adapted version was considered relevant by the expert panel. The TRL-IS checklist showed evidence of good inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.90 with 95 % confident interval = 0.74–0.98, p < .001) and provides a consistent metric. ConclusionsIn spite of recommendations made by national and international research funding agencies, few health and social science implementation studies include the TRL as part of their evaluation protocol. The TRL-IS offers a high degree of conceptual clarity between scientific maturity phases or readiness levels, and good reliability among raters of varying experience. This study highlights that adoption of the TRL-IS framework in implementation sciences will bolster the scientific robustness and comparability of research maturity in this domain.

Eliminating invisible deaths: the woeful state of global rabies data and its impact on progress towards 2030 sustainable development goals for neglected tropical diseases

Like other neglected diseases, surveillance data for rabies is insufficient and incompatible with the need to accurately describe the burden of disease. Multiple modeling studies central to estimating global human rabies deaths have been conducted in the last two decades, with results ranging from 14,000 to 74,000 deaths annually. Yet, uncertainty in model parameters, inconsistency in modeling approaches, and discrepancies in data quality per country included in global burden studies have led to recent skepticism about the magnitude of rabies mortality. Lack of data not only limits the efficiency and monitoring of rabies elimination strategies but also severely diminishes abilities to advocate for support from international funding agencies. Meanwhile, the most vulnerable communities continue to suffer from deaths that could have been prevented through more robust reporting. The Zero by 30 global strategy to eliminate dog-mediated human rabies by 2030 recommends endemic countries adopt the intersectoral approach, Integrated Bite Case Management (IBCM), as a cost-effective method to enhance surveillance. However, effective implementation of IBCM is impeded by challenges such as limited capacity, resources, knowledge, skills, and attitudes toward compliance. To address this, the World Health Organization and United Against Rabies Forum have developed several open-access tools to guide national control programs in strong data collection practices, and online data repositories to pragmatically streamline reporting and encourage data sharing. Here, we discuss how current and future initiatives can be best employed to improve the implementation of existing surveillance tools and prioritization of effective data reporting/sharing to optimize progress toward 2030 elimination.

Pesticides in soil, groundwater and food in Latin America as part of one health.

We here report of a conference about "Pesticides in Soil, Groundwater and Food in Latin America as part of One Health" that took place at the "IV Seminario Internacional de Sanidad Agropecuaria (SISA)" in Varadero, Cuba, 8-12 May 2023. Researchers of Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico) and Switzerland (workshop initiator) held presentations about occurrence and effects of pesticides on the environment, human health, the replacement of highly hazardous pesticides (HHP) by agroecological alternatives and the agri-food value chain. In a subsequent round table discussion, the presenters identified deficits, needs, interests and opportunities. According to them, the lack of awareness of pesticide use affects the health and safety of workers applying the chemicals. Despite Latin America representing the main agricultural area in the world with a very intense pesticide use, monitoring data of pesticides in soil, surface and groundwaters, food, as well as in humans are missing. Risks of pesticides to humans should be assessed so that authorities can withdraw or limit within "short time" the access to corresponding formulations on the market. Also, communication is not state of the art and should be improved as, e.g. the teaching of workers and farmers, how to correctly use and apply pesticides or the briefing of decision makers. Pollinators suffer from multiple stressors not the least due to pesticides, and alternatives are badly needed. On the technical side, the different analytical methods to determine residues of active ingredients and transformation products in matrices of concern should be harmonized among laboratories.Seven future actions and goals were identified to overcome the above deficits. Next steps after the publishing of this conference report are to harmonize and complete the information status of the presenters by exchanging the results/data already present. Therefore, a platform of interaction to address issues described above and to enhance collaboration shall be created. Samples of different matrices shall be exchanged to harmonize the chemical analysis and establish interlaboratory comparisons. Such activities might be facilitated by joining international associations or organizations, where researchers can offer their expertise, or by forming a new pesticide network for Central and South America that could present tailored projects to national and international organizations and funding agencies.

Gamut of Urological Diseases in a Tertiary Hospital in North Central Nigeria.

Worldwide, urological disorders vary from one topography to another. An in-depth understanding of their distribution in each region could serve as a basis for the distribution of manpower, equipment's alongside determine policy formulation and training. This study enumerates the annual frequency and distribution of urological disorders at the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi. A cross-sectional retrospective study from November 2021 to November 2022 of all new patients who attended the urology outpatient clinic, emergency department as well as those who had surgical interventions at the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, Nasarawa State. The pertinent records were extracted from the patient's electronic medical records (EMR) and entered into a semistructured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 20. A total of 452 new patients were seen over the study period. There were 428 (94.5%) males and 24 (5.3%) females, with a male-to-female ratio of 17.8:1. The median age was 58 years, with the age range of 2-97 years. Urological emergencies were seen in 13.5% patients. Ninety-eight percent of cases were acquired, whereas 1.8% were of congenital etiology. Overall, the most commonly diagnosed urologic diseases among new patients in order of decreasing frequency were benign prostatic enlargement (BPE) (54.7%), urethral stricture disease (11.0%), upper tract urinary calculi (6.3%), prostate adenocarcinoma (5.9%), and male infertility (4.3%). BPE, urethral stricture disease, upper tract urinary calculi, prostate adenocarcinoma, and male infertility are common in our environment. An understanding of the urological disease distribution will enhance policy-making and drive manpower needs inspiring core areas of subspecialization with a view at improving the standard of urological care and promoting collaboration with international organizations and funding agencies.

Rethinking urban risk and resettlement in the Global South, edited by Cassidy Johnson, Garima Jain, and Allan Lavell

Facing disproportionately many mankind-induced risks and natural hazards, low-income populations in the Global South are also exposed to another threat, namely resettlement and relocation processes, although they are meant to reduce the risk of disaster. On many occasions, national and local governments as well as international funding agencies regard these as good measures. The problem is: “While this may reduce people’s exposure to hazard, it can lead to numerous other problems, which can leave people more vulnerable or worse off than they were before [given the fact that it is a difficult task to] “reconstitute their livelihoods and their infrastructural, economic, social, cultural and psychological foundations”.

Air quality management status and needs of countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia

Countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia are experiencing severe air pollution problems. Most countries lack technical capabilities and adequate air quality management (AQM) infrastructure. A capacity building workshop on AQM was organised from 19-23 September 2022 for countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia. A total of 17 countries (eight in South Asia and nine in Southeast Asia) participated in the workshop. Each country was invited to present on available AQM infrastructure, including challenges and needs. This article synthesises information on available AQM facilities, challenges and needs of the countries. The information reveals that, except for a few low-population countries and Thailand, most countries lack enough ambient air quality monitoring stations (AAQMS) based on the population-weighted criteria. It is also found that only a few countries have started compiling emissions inventories (EI) and performing air quality modelling, including air pollution impact assessments. It is noted that all countries have enacted air pollution mitigation regulations, including the development of clean policies and action plans. However, policies and action plans lack scientific evidence based on local data. The findings of this article, including challenges and gaps, provide immense opportunities for countries to invest in strengthening various components of AQM, including mobilising financial resources from international funding agencies.

Defining operational research priorities to improve malaria control and elimination in sub-Saharan Africa: results from a country-driven research prioritization setting process

BackgroundIn order to reignite gains and accelerate progress toward improved malaria control and elimination, policy, strategy, and operational decisions should be derived from high-quality evidence. The U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) Insights project together with the Université Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar, Senegal, conducted a broad stakeholder consultation process to identify pressing evidence gaps in malaria control and elimination across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and developed a priority list of country-driven malaria operational research (OR) and programme evaluation (PE) topics to address these gaps.MethodsFive key stakeholder groups were engaged in the process: national malaria programmes (NMPs), research institutions in SSA, World Health Organization (WHO) representatives in SSA, international funding agencies, and global technical partners who support malaria programme implementation and research. Stakeholders were engaged through individual or small group interviews and an online survey, and asked about key operational challenges faced by NMPs, pressing evidence gaps in current strategy and implementation guidance, and priority OR and PE questions to address the challenges and gaps.ResultsAltogether, 47 interviews were conducted with 82 individuals, and through the online survey, input was provided by 46 global technical partners. A total of 33 emergent OR and PE topics were identified through the consultation process and were subsequently evaluated and prioritized by an external evaluation committee of experts from NMPs, research institutions, and the WHO. The resulting prioritized OR and PE topics predominantly focused on generating evidence needed to close gaps in intervention coverage, address persistent challenges faced by NMPs in the implementation of core strategic interventions, and inform the effective deployment of new tools.ConclusionThe prioritized research list is intended to serve as a key resource for informing OR and PE investments, thereby ensuring future investments focus on generating the evidence needed to strengthen national strategies and programme implementation and facilitating a more coordinated and impactful approach to malaria operational research.

Trends Of Adult Height in India Using National Family Health Survey Data: A Systematic Review

The national family health survey (NFHS) is a multi-round, large scale, survey conducted throughout India in a customary sample of households. It was first conducted in 1992-93, till then five surveys have been conducted. The survey was done using four types of questionnaires namely Men’s, Women’s, Biomarker, and household. The survey was funded by many international Funding agencies likeUnited States Agency for International Development (USAID), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) etc. In India department of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) has delegated the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai as a nodal agency for mutual support in the survey. Each survey of NFHS has two definite goalsi.ei) to anticipate data on family welfare and health for program and policy purposes and ii) to contribute an information on important family welfare and emerging health issues. Systematic review was conducted as per PRISMA guidelines, we carried out an extensive electronic search of PubMed, Google and Google Scholar to identify published studies on trends in adult height using NFHS India data. Out of a total 43 potential studies 38 were excluded and 5 relevant studies were used for final review. There is a decrease in average adult height in India. Despite of genetic, non-genetic factors like social, nutritional, and environmental plays a very important role in adult height.

Patient Advocates and Researchers as Partners in Cancer Research: A Winning Combination.

Inclusion of advocates as partners in research is now required by numerous international funding agencies. The role of advocates has expanded in recent years to include all areas of research, including basic cancer research, translational research, and clinical trial design and development. The involvement of advocates as partners in cancer research can be challenging for the advocate and for the researchers, but this collaboration is beneficial to all involved. Herein, we will define patient advocacy, explore advocate engagement, and share information on programs that train advocates and researchers to work together as partners.

Restore or rewild? Implementing complementary approaches to bend the curve on biodiversity loss

Abstract Restoration and rewilding are both relevant conservation approaches to addressing the current nature, health and climate crises. Here, we discuss the benefits of integrating restoration and rewilding in conservation projects. We highlight how such integration could increase the amount of space available for nature recovery; boost knowledge exchange and raise nature recovery ambitions; enhance landscape heterogeneity and dynamics and improve large‐scale connectivity. In particular, the two approaches may be deployed to exploit synergisms. We argue that developing a portfolio of integrated approaches that capitalise on the strengths of both restoration and rewilding and target different scales and socio‐ecological contexts is the best way to jointly address the biodiversity and climate crises. We call for major policy platforms and international funding agencies to support the emergence of infrastructures and frameworks that facilitate the coordination and integration of the restoration and rewilding agendas. Such a step would benefit biodiversity and support broader efforts to integrate different conservation strategies into whole landscape approaches.

Climate, Urbanization and Environmental Pollution in West Africa

The need to elucidate the urbanization–climate–pollution nexus in West African arose from the several reported, but disjointed cases of climate extremes and environmental degradation in the sub-region. This review analyzed several scenarios, to appraise the trends and relationships among the individual elements in the nexus and to ascertain the status of sustainable development in the sub-region, using the expository review methods. Urbanization was essentially characterized by population growth without complementary infrastructural development, weak coping strategies against climate extremes, numerous economic challenges, and high risk of environmental pollution. Initiative for urban renewal, urban greening and smart city development was low, and preparedness against future impact of extreme climate events and climate change is uncertain. However, there is clear evidence that the concept of sustainable development is growing in the sub-region. This is intensified by the international funding agencies insisting on the incorporation of environmental issues into development, the enactment of environmental laws and policies, and the establishment of institutions of enforcement in each country. The review concluded that although the sub-region is at the brink of severe effects of population explosion and environmental degradation, the growing awareness and implementation of the sustainable development goals may come to the rescue.

Special issue on International Conference on Computing and Communication Networks

Special issue on International Conference on Computing and Communication Networks

Neither carrots nor sticks? Challenges surrounding data sharing from the perspective of research funding agencies-A qualitative expert interview study.

BackgroundData Sharing is widely recognised as crucial for accelerating scientific research and improving its quality. However, data sharing is still not a common practice. Funding agencies tend to facilitate the sharing of research data by both providing incentives and requiring data sharing as part of their policies and conditions for awarding grants. The goal of our article is to answer the following question: What challenges do international funding agencies see when it comes to their own efforts to foster and implement data sharing through their policies?MethodsWe conducted a series of sixteen guideline-based expert interviews with representatives of leading international funding agencies. As contact persons for open science at their respective agencies, they offered their perspectives and experiences concerning their organisations’ data sharing policies. We performed a qualitative content analysis of the interviews and categorised the challenges perceived by funding agencies.ResultsWe identify and illustrate six challenges surrounding data sharing policies as perceived by leading funding agencies: The design of clear policies, monitoring of compliance, sanctions for non-compliance, incentives, support, and limitations for funders’ own capabilities. However, our interviews also show how funders approach potential solutions to overcome these challenges, for example by coordinating with other agencies or adjusting grant evaluation metrics to incentivise data sharing.Discussion and conclusionOur interviews point to existing flaws in funders’ data sharing policies, such as a lack of clarity, a lack of monitoring of funded researchers’ data sharing behaviour, and a lack of incentives. A number of agencies could suggest potential solutions but often struggle with the overall complexity of data sharing and the implementation of these measures. Funders cannot solve each challenge by themselves, but they can play an active role and lead joint efforts towards a culture of data sharing.

Open Access Availability of Indias Scientific Research Funded by National and International Agencies

&#x0D; Funding has become the most significant element of supportive action for research that has served the research community in numerous ways to improve the advancement and development of society. Scientific research in India is funded by many public and corporate sector institutions and autonomous organisations, NGOs, and regional and international agencies. However, access to publicly funded scientific research literature has been an essential issue of debate among the advocates of the Open Access (OA) movement during the last two decades. This study maps OA availability to India’s research publications funded by national and international agencies. The study applied a scientometric approach using the Scopus database to identify funding research publications available in the OA domain. The findings revealed that 570320 research articles were published by the Indian researchers during 2016-to 2020, of which 150638 (26.41 %) were produced with the financial support of different national and international funding agencies. Of the funded research publications, 44166 (29.32 %) articles were freely available OA to the public with no or fewer restrictions for reuse. Most of the funded research literature is available via green routes of OA, followed by gold and bronze OA. The study also showed that Horizon 2020 and the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning are the primary funding sources for researchers in India during study period. The study’s findings are helpful for researchers and policymakers to promote OA availability of funded research to researchers for advancing the country’s scientific progress.

Noma: A Neglected Area for Research

Noma, a debilitating and destructive orofacial gangrene, remains endemic in the poor countries of sub-Saharan Africa and other noma hotbeds across the globe, mainly in countries characterized as underdeveloped economies with significant impoverished populations. Noma mostly affects children and infants. This is in spite of the universally held notion that noma is a preventable disease. Indeed, the current noma status quo has been cast as a human rights shortfall, since this devasting disease overwhelmingly affects children from poor countries. At the recently held Noma Research Day, a renewed call for the World Health Organization (WHO) to recognize and include noma as one of the neglected tropical diseases was accompanied by a recognition that research into all aspects of noma has waned or remained completely lacking—particularly that which addresses the basic science questions of the etiology, pathophysiology/pathobiology, and underlying mechanisms of the disease. Yet, a lack of incremental knowledge on the various aspects of noma continues to hamper our composite understanding of its biology. Without a fundamental understanding of the biology of noma, current preventive measures and treatment modalities will continue to fall short of the goals of prevention and eradication. This opinion piece draws renewed attention to the urgency of listing noma as a neglected tropical disease by the WHO. It also calls for major international research funding agencies, including the WHO and the National Institutes of Health, to renew their resolve to robustly fund structured, collaborative, and coordinated proposals that address questions on the epidemiology, etiology, pathophysiology/pathobiology, and molecular mechanisms of the disease. This is with a view to achieving more effective public health approaches toward prevention and to designing potential therapeutic regimens for early lesions. These steps are key to the ultimate eradication of noma.

Monitoring Alaskan Arctic Shelf Ecosystems Through Collaborative Observation Networks

Ongoing scientific programs that monitor marine environmental and ecological systems and changes comprise an informal but collaborative, information-rich, and spatially extensive network for the Alaskan Arctic continental shelves. Such programs reflect contributions and priorities of regional, national, and international funding agencies, as well as private donors and communities. These science programs are operated by a variety of local, regional, state, and national agencies, and academic, Tribal, for-profit, and nongovernmental nonprofit entities. Efforts include research ship and autonomous vehicle surveys, year-long mooring deployments, and observations from coastal communities. Inter-program coordination allows cost-effective leveraging of field logistics and collected data into value-added information that fosters new insights unattainable by any single program operating alone. Coordination occurs at many levels, from discussions at marine mammal co-management meetings and interagency meetings to scientific symposia and data workshops. Together, the efforts represented by this collection of loosely linked long-term monitoring programs enable a biologically focused scientific foundation for understanding ecosystem responses to warming water temperatures and declining Arctic sea ice. Here, we introduce a variety of currently active monitoring efforts in the Alaskan Arctic marine realm that exemplify the above attributes.

Research Output of University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka during 2000 2019

Universities play a vital role in the research and development of a country. A scientometric analysis is an essential tool used by the administrators, funding agencies, government, and researchers to know the publication trend on a topic, institution, author, journal, etc. This study analyses pattern of articles published by the University of Jaffna (UoJ) during 2000-2019; identifies publication growth rate, most prolific authors and their citation impact, communication pattern in terms of type of documents, journal publishing country and impact factor of these journals and also the international collaboration. Analysis of the data indicates, there are 293 articles were published in WOS indexed journals. The publication growth rate indicates that there is a consistent growth in the number of publications after 2014. It was found that multi-authorship dominates among UoJ researchers. A high number of publications were on Multidisciplinary Sciences. The UoJ collaborated with different countries; among them 59 articles were published with United Kingdom. Among the highly cited top 10 publications, an article authored by Ravirajan P received a high number of citations of 480. Among the funding agencies National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka funded for 24 publications, while UoJ funded for 16 and among the international funding agencies UK Research Innovation (UKRI) funded for 7 publications during the study period.

Evaluating Environmental Contents in Comprehensive Passages in Junior Secondary School English Language Textbooks Used in Cross River State, Nigeria

Serious concerns have been raised by many stakeholders in environmental issues including Cross River State Government, educationists, non-governmental organisations and even, the international funding agencies, about the quality and level of environmental information that can be accessed in both print and electronic media. This has become imperative because proper understanding of the origin of the present environmental challenges is the key to minimise the on-going abuses in future. This study was undertaken to investigate the level of environmental awareness issues contained in comprehensive passages present in English Language textbooks used by Junior Secondary School students in Cross River State, Nigeria. The study involves counting and analysing the number of passages dealing with environmental issues in 27 textbooks based on the four types of environments: abiotic, biotic, neutral and social. Two research questions were formulated and used to guide the study. Observed data were analysed using simple percentage technique. Results show that issues concerning the environment were reflected in all the textbooks but sometimes in an undesirable proportion. It was concluded that the practice of emphasising social and abiotic environments issues at the detriment of others do not auger well for proper development and impartation of environmental awareness to students. &#x0D; &#x0D; Received: 28 July 2021 / Accepted: 30 September 2021 / Published: 5 November 2021

Can Sound Public Health Policies Stem the Tide of Burgeoning Epidemic of Cardiovascular Disease in South Asians?

Purpose of ReviewTo revisit the importance of prevention strategies and policies in reducing the burden of ischemic heart disease in South Asian countries.Recent FindingsSouth Asia has seen rapid growth in its population with variable improvement in health indicators such as life expectancy at birth over the last three decades. Parallel to these improvements, there has been a stark rise in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) but without a commensurate improvement in infrastructure/policies and health system interventions to address NCDs. South Asia is the epicenter of the cardiovascular disease (CVD) epidemic in Asia. It has a population that manifests accelerated atherosclerosis at a younger age. Poverty, lower health literacy, lack of health-promoting behaviors, poor urban design, rising air pollution, weak health systems, and lack and poor implementation of existing policies contribute to the continued rise in the incidence of CVD and the associated case fatality rates.SummaryA relatively young population presents an opportunity for implementation of prevention measures now which if not adequately utilized will result in an exponential rise in the CVD burden. There is a large gap between policymaking and implementation in this part of the world. Economic realities further constrain coverage of prevention policies; and therefore, stronger collaboration between governments, stakeholders, civil society, and regional and international funding agencies is needed to universally implement prevention strategies in South Asia.

Scaling Innovation Hubs: Impact on Knowledge, Innovation and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Tanzania

This study has explored the impact of innovation hubs on knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems. To gain deeper insights, the study adopted an exploratory case study design along a qualitative approach to conduct an empirical investigation. The study reveals a noticeable contribution of the X-Innovation Hub in empowering youths in aspects of knowledge co-creation and transfer, and promotion of diverse innovations. The findings of the study also disclose that the contribution of the innovation hub in transforming innovations into entrepreneurial opportunities is still unsatisfactory. Furthermore, the findings suggest that not all start-ups emanating from the hub are taking off. This is due to various undermining factors such as financial constraints and unfriendly legal frameworks. For X-Innovation Hub to satisfactorily and sustainably contribute to national innovation systems, deliberate efforts must be made, and strategies put in place by different stakeholders such as the government. Particularly, diversification of funding sources to minimise dependence on international development funding agencies and organisations is important.