Research Knowledge Research Articles

Reflections on being an insider researcher: a study exploring the experiences of men accessing rural mental health services.

An embedded single case-study design was used to explore the experiences of men in rural New Zealand accessing mental health services. It is essential for researchers to acknowledge positionality in case study research and the lead author used reflexive practice to acknowledge his values and beliefs. To explore and demonstrate the reflexive process of the lead author's position as an inside researcher. Three groups were involved in the research: men with mental health challenges, their partners, and mental health clinicians. The article presents the initial research through memos and diarying in the context of current literature. Reflexivity is essential for ensuring the research process is complete and biases are identified. Positionality exists on a continuum and it is critical for researchers to be honest with themselves, the topic and the group being investigated, to show respect for the participants and the people they represent, as well as to be committed to revealing the truth. Insider research has the potential to bridge the gap between academia and practice. It facilitates the transfer of research knowledge directly to practitioners, leading to more evidence-informed decision-making and practice.

Interviewing the Interviewers: How Qualitative Professors Assess Interviews in Their Classes

When reviewing the literature relating to what instructors of qualitative research courses are teaching in their courses, we found a gap regarding qualitative faculty's motivations behind what they teach and whether they use teaching tools such as rubrics in their assessment practices. We utilized general qualitative methods to explore and describe how instructors of qualitative methodology courses conceptualize and design interview-based assessments. By conducting structured interviews with five faculty members, we embraced interpretivist descriptive traditions and sought to obtain thick, rich descriptions of each participant’s perspectives and experiences. After coding interview transcripts, we created themes to represent participant beliefs that (a) interview assignments are the most appropriate and comprehensive way to assess knowledge of qualitative research, (b) the design and/or use of rubrics for these assignments is complicated within qualitative coursework, and finally, that (c) thorough feedback is the most important aspect of providing high-quality instruction in qualitative research methods. We then summarize our findings and argue that with creative application and further research, qualitative faculty can benefit from the use rubrics to assess interview assignments in qualitative methods courses.

Aptitude for Research Among Medical Students in India: Identifying the Challenges.

Introduction Understanding the reasons behind the undervaluation of research among undergraduate medical students in India is crucial for advancing medical knowledge. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate the knowledge, interest, and barriers faced by 606 Indian medical students through an online questionnaire distributed via social media platforms. Aims To identify the knowledge of research and the challenges faced by medical students to pursue research in their undergraduate education. Methods and material This was a prospective observational study carried out over a period of one month in October 2022. Study approval was taken from the Genebandhu Independent Ethics Committee (Reference Number- ECG004/2022). The responses obtained from the questionnaire were recorded in Google Sheets and transferred to Microsoft Excel (Redmond, WA, USA). Results Among the participants, 46.53% were male and 53.47% were female, primarily from the first (11.39%) and second (9.90%) years of their medical education. Notably, the majority had undertaken United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) (54.95%), followed by National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Postgraduate) (NEET-PG) (34.65%) and Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) (7.92%). The study revealed that 78.22% considered research pivotal to their academic trajectory, with a mean age of 23.14 years (SD=2.82) and an average research knowledge score of 2.75 (SD=1.31). The type of postgraduate exam significantly influenced enthusiasm for research activities (p<0.001), with higher enthusiasm among those preparing for exams abroad. Nonetheless, the type of medical college did not significantly affect interest in research activities (p=0.4879). Conclusion Addressing the undervaluation of research among undergraduate medical students in India is imperative. The curriculum should integrate robust support mechanisms to nurture research skills, emphasizing its importance for future medical practitioners. This could involve seminars, courses, and interactive sessions aimed at fostering research acumen among students.

Green Supplier Selection Using Advanced Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Tools

In today’s competitive and environmentally conscious industries, the ability of organizations to adapt and respond is more important than ever. This study focuses on overcoming the obstacles faced by the Iranian automobile sector by highlighting the significance of incorporating green supply chain techniques. The research intends to integrate organizational operations with environmental sustainability goals by utilizing a MULTIMOORA strategy for supplier selection. The Iranian automobile sector, facing substantial environmental challenges, requires a strategy framework for selecting environmentally friendly suppliers in order to sustain competitiveness and fulfill ecological obligations. The study develops a supplier selection model based on extensive research and expert knowledge. The Delphi and MULTIMOORA techniques are employed to assess and prioritize suppliers according to green criteria, assuring conformity with environmental goals. Data are collected by conducting a comprehensive analysis of the existing literature and engaging in conversations with industry experts in order to acquire information for the construction of the model. The results emphasize the crucial significance of trust-based relationships with suppliers, rigorous compliance with quality standards in new product development, and substantial investment in employee training and development. Sector analysts view these characteristics as crucial for promoting sustainability and gaining a competitive advantage in the Iranian vehicle sector. This study provides firms with strategic instruments to effectively negotiate the intricacies of green supply chain management, with a particular focus on the need for adopting sustainable practices while selecting suppliers in the dynamic and competitive context of the Iranian automobile industry.

Surfactant-Based Chemical Washing to Remediate Oil-Contaminated Soil: The State of Knowledge.

As the energy demand increases, there is a significant expansion and utilization of oil resources, resulting in the inevitable occurrence of environmental pollution. Oil has been identified as a prevalent soil contaminant, posing substantial risks to the soil ecosystems. The remediation of soil contaminated with oil is a formidable undertaking. Increasing evidence shows that chemical washing, a remediation technique employing chemical reagents like surfactants to augment the solubilization, desorption, and separation of petroleum hydrocarbons in soil, proves to be an efficacious approach, but the latest advances on this topic have not been systematically reviewed. Here, we present the state of knowledge about the surfactant-based chemical washing to remediate oil-contaminated soil. Using the latest data, the present article systematically summarizes the advancements on ex situ chemical washing of oil pollution and provides a concise summary of the underlying principles. The use of various surfactants in chemical washing and the factors influencing remediation efficiency are highlighted. Based on the current research status and knowledge gaps, future perspectives are proposed to facilitate chemical washing of oil-polluted soil. This review can help recognize the application of chemical washing in the remediation of oil-polluted soil.

Oral processing of bakery products: An overview of current status and future outlook

Food oral processing (FOP) is an emerging research topic that allows a better comprehension of the relation between intrinsic food factors (physicochemical and sensory properties), and human physiology and eating behaviours. FOP can then help in the design of novel and healthier food to meet both quality requirements and consumer needs. In this context, this review presents the current state of knowledge and new insights for future research concerning FOP of bakery products. The application of FOP in bakery science is new, with different protocols and related evaluation being applied, as detailed in this review. The current knowledge shows that bread structure and texture, influenced by formulation and process conditions, as well as the crust and shortenings present, impact bread breakdown and bolus formation, sensory perception, and food physiological effects such as glycaemic response, satiation, and satiety. For a better comprehension of oral processing, cross-modal perception between sensory attributes is used to understand consumer perception and this is carried out using both in vivo, and in vitro methods. This review highlighted the great potential of FOP to assist researchers and producers to face the current challenges relating to i – salt, fat and sugar reduction in bakery products to fulfil current food nutrition policies, ii – the design of healthier bakery products, and iii – the development of bakery products for consumers with special dietary requirements and ageing needs. In conclusion, FOP shows great potential to assist in the development of novel and healthier foods to meet actual food nutrition policies and consumer needs and should be more explored in bakery science and production.

Understanding epistemological notions underlying scientific language use: a multifaceted analysis framework

Helping university students develop productive views of what characterizes good scientific research and scientific knowledge is an important objective of science education. However, many studies show that students’ views of the nature of science (NOS) do not become more informed or even become less informed after learning activities that engage students in scientific practice. This could mean that the way we teach students to conduct scientific research might unintentionally strengthen or bring about uninformed views of NOS. In this article, we argue that scientific discourse (how language is used in science) might play a role in this relation between learning scientific inquiry and uninformed views of NOS. We argue that there could be implicit notions relating to NOS underlying scientific discourse that uninformed readers might translate to uninformed views of NOS. We call these implicit notions underlying scientific language use “epistemological notions.” In this article, we further define this construct of epistemological notions, contrast it with explicit views of NOS and other related constructs, explain how we think epistemological notions might affect explicit views of NOS, and present a framework we developed to characterize them in scientific language use. It is a descriptive and interpretative analysis framework which combines, optimizes, and extends several text analysis methods, discourse analysis, and reflexive thematic analysis. We provide a guide to use the framework and point out quality criteria. We finish by advocating the framework for educational researchers interested in developing instructional interventions during which learning about science is combined with explicit reflection on NOS. Identifying epistemological notions in scientific language use could provide starting points for these activities by making explicit the translation from NOS understanding to scientific practice and vice versa.

Factors influencing the choice of pediatric resident: program directors perspective in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundPediatrics is one of the most important medical specialties in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) KSA) since it serves a large population. Therefore, the pediatrics residency program is considered one of the most important and competitive programs. Obtaining acceptance in Saudi programs depends mainly on the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) score, then the applicant enrolls to do the interviews with the training centers in the accepted region. This study aimed to evaluate the factors used by pediatric program directors (PD) in accepting applicants in their pediatric residency program in KSA.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, an online questionnaire consisting of 49 items was distributed among 76 current and former pediatric PDs in KSA. Participants were selected via non-probability convenience sampling. Data were collected and analyzed using the Social Sciences Statistical Package (SPSS version 26).ResultsOf the sample of PD studied, males represented 77.6%, while females represented 22.4%. Most of the PDs were over 50 years old. Most of them were former pediatric PDs (71.1%). The current study found that the Saudi Medical Licensing Exam was the most important factor [3.87 (0.89)] followed by services and electives [3.86 (0.65)], research [3.84 (0.83)], interview [3.77 (0.89)], GPA [3.50 (0.62)], and letter of recommendation [3.39 (0.76)].ConclusionsFor those interested in pediatrics residency programs in KSA, this study recommends that seeking a high Saudi Medical Licensing Exam (SMLE) score, taking pediatric elective rotations during internship, and acquiring excellent basic knowledge in research were the most important aspects of pediatrics residency selection from the pediatrics PD’s perspective.

Metacognitive awareness and mathematics teaching anxiety on knowledge of content and teaching of pre-service mathematics teachers

The problem and the aim of the study. Anxiety while teaching mathematics is one key component that may influence both teaching and learning. By investigating the relationship between anxiety levels and metacognitive awareness, the result of such investigation is expected to be able to assist pre-service teachers in overcoming obstacles and developing confidence in their abilities to teach mathematics. Based on that, this study attempts to find out how metacognitive awareness and anxiety in teaching mathematics influence the knowledge of content and teaching of pre-service mathematics teachers. Research methods. The metacognitive awareness and mathematics teaching anxiety questionnaires were used to assess pre-service mathematics teachers’ knowledge of content and teaching as well as their teaching abilities. The research employed a mixed-method approach, which combines quantitative and qualitative research. The quantitative research sample consisted of 135 pre-service mathematics teachers, with 75 being females and 60 being males. In the next step, two research participants were randomly selected to investigate the impact of metacognitive awareness and mathematics teaching anxiety on topic knowledge and instruction in the qualitative research. The two selected subjects were selected based on their knowledge of content and teaching. One had high levels of metacognitive awareness and the other one had low levels of metacognitive awareness, as well as teaching anxiety in mathematics. Results. This study found that the impact of metacognitive awareness and mathematics teaching anxiety on knowledge of content and teaching was confirmed by a multiple linear regression analysis. The results of the multiple linear regression analysis using SPSS 25 showed the influence of metacognitive awareness (X1) and anxiety (X2) on knowledge of teaching and teaching (Y). The regression model Y = – 27,077 – 0.621 X1 + 1,205 X2. According to the results of the multiple regression test, pre-service mathematics teachers with high metacognitive awareness were able to maximize their existing knowledge of content and teaching, whereas those with low metacognitive awareness were unable to do so. Additionally, pre-service mathematics teachers with low mathematics teaching anxiety were able to employ effective ways to maximize knowledge of content and teaching, but pre-service mathematics teachers with high mathematics teaching anxiety struggled to convey knowledge of content and teaching. In conclusion, the study showed that pre-service mathematics teacher students with a high level of metacognitive awareness were more able to explore their understanding of material and teaching to prepare for teaching and learning activities effectively. On the other hand, pre-service mathematics teachers with low metacognitive awareness might find it difficult, as they might struggle with content understanding and instruction. Mathematics teaching anxiety was found to have a considerable negative impact on knowledge of content and teaching. High mathematics teaching anxiety can have an impact on both material understanding and teaching.

Discovering Consumer Behavior Towards Back-of-Pack Nutrition Labels: A Systematic Literature Review

This systematic literature review aims to examine the impact of back-of-pack (BOP) labels on food manufacturers' practices in the field of consumer behaviour research. The review comprehensively analyses a wide range of articles spanning over two decades to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive analysis of the subject matter. It focuses specifically on how BOP labels affect consumers, food manufacturers' behaviors and practices. The findings highlight that BOP labels conveying intuitive information effectively prompt product reformulation, particularly in reducing unhealthy nutrients such as sodium, sugar, and calories. Voluntary BOP labeling has limited uptake and is often applied to already healthier products. Consumers and food producers' response varies based on label design and enforcement type, suggesting strategic labeling of healthier choices. The review provides valuable insights for future public health research and policymaking efforts, emphasizing the importance of mandatory policies and specific guidance in BOP labels. This research brings novelty by comprehensively examining the impact of back-of-pack (BOP) labeling on consumers and food manufacturers' practices. The findings contribute to the literature by highlighting the differential effects of mandatory and voluntary BOP labeling approaches and offering insights into label design and enforcement types. As per the researcher knowledge there is no available systematic literature review (SLR) specifically focusing on BOP labeling in recent years. Future research should explore the long-term impacts of mandatory versus voluntary BOP labeling on consumer dietary habits and food manufacturers' product reformulation strategies.

The effect of collaborative governance in social startups on social performance: The mediating effect of economic performance

Our paper empirically confirms that collaborative governance in social startups affects social performance through mediating economic performance. While there is a growing literature on the sustainable growth and performance of social economy organizations, empirical research on social startups is very scarce. Therefore, this study can contribute to the knowledge of social economy and entrepreneurship research through an empirical study that identifies factors for social startups' performance. This study utilized data from 399 social startups that are commercial companies such as corporations, which are the legal form of startups in South Korea, and the results of the analysis are as follows. First, cooperative governance of social startups had a significant positive effect on economic performance, and social performance also had a significant positive effect. Second, the economic performance of social startups had a significant positive impact on social performance. Finally, collaborative governance in social startups affected social performance through the mediation effect of economic performance. The implications and insights of this study are as follows: First, we find that collaborative governance has a positive impact on both economic and social performance of social startups, and thus is a key factor in the success of social startups. Second, this study represents the first empirical study on the performance improvement of social startups and suggests collaborative governance as an important success factor for social startups.

Application and investigation of knowledge graph in biomedical field

A large amount of drug and disease research knowledge is scattered in unstructured literature data, presenting significant challenges in text mining within the field of biomedicine. These challenges include handling professional knowledge, integrating related knowledge, and disambiguating different meanings of the same words. Therefore, constructing a biomedical knowledge graph can significantly save expert human resources and make efficient use of medical literature resources. This review paper aims to summarize the construction methods used during the development of Biomedical Knowledge Graphs. It also outlines the latest models and frameworks, such as BioBERT and LSTM+CRF, highlighting their contributions and applications. In addition, this paper points out the limitations of current biomedical knowledge graphs, such as scalability issues and the need for large annotated datasets. To address these limitations, it proposes the use of Apache Spark for improved processing capabilities and transfer learning to enhance model performance and adaptability in diverse biomedical contexts.

Consumer involvement in health service research: a cross-sectional survey of staff in an Australian public hospital and health service.

ObjectiveConsumer involvement is when patients (their families, friends, and caregivers) work with researchers on research projects. While health services are expected to support consumer-researcher collaborations, conducive environments still need to be developed, with limited research into how Australian health services support this practice. This study explores current consumer involvement in research activity and staff perceptions at an Australian tertiary hospital and health service.MethodsResearch-active employees at a health service were invited to participate in an online cross-sectional survey. It assessed experience with and confidence in involving consumers in research, the perceived value of consumer involvement, and considerations related to challenges, facilitators, and solutions to enhance consumer involvement in health service research.ResultsAmong 83 respondents, including medical, nursing, and allied health professionals, 54 completed the survey. Approximately half had experience with involving consumers in research. Over 80% recognised that involving consumers enhanced research relevance. Identified barriers included challenges in finding (46.6%) and compensating (59.3%) consumers, as well as deficiencies in researcher skills, knowledge (32.2%), and time constraints (39%). Facilitators comprised access to experienced researchers and educational opportunities. Moreover, 87% advocated for increased support to involve consumers within health services, with the appointment of a designated consumer involvement officer deemed the most beneficial solution by 92.5% of respondents.ConclusionsWhile individual barriers inhibit consumer involvement in research, more prominent institutional factors such as financial and technical support may determine successful and meaningful collaborations. As health services evolve towards co-design models in research, the outcomes of this study will guide initiatives aimed at enhancing consumer involvement in the research process within Australian health services.

The Moderating Role of Merger on the Switching Intention to Use Islamic Bank: The Case of Indonesia

Objective –Since February 2021, the government decided to merge 3 Islamic banks to increase Islamic bank markets. This policy raises pros and cons in society. This research analyses the mediating role of mergers on the switching intention to use Islamic banks.Design/Methodology –This research is a quantitative study using the Structural Equation Model Partial Least Square (SEM-PLS). A total of 108 respondents' data were analyzed. The data was collected through an online survey utilizing social media which was shared directly with respondents in the city of Surabaya. The respondents' criteria were selected using purposive sampling techniques.Results –The moderating effects showed that the merger was a poor moderator of the reality between attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control on the switching intention to use Islamic banks. However, the direct effects showed a significant relationship between mergers and switching intention. Besides, this study shows that attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control have a significant influence on switching intention. Subjective norm is the most dominant factor.Research limitation/implication – This study uses limited variables and was carried out shortly after the merger of Islamic banks. However, this study provides a comprehensive analysis related to the relationship between mergers and switching intention. The implications of this research urge the government as a policymaker to do its best to increase public awareness of Islamic banks. Islamic bank managers must conduct massive socialization by utilizing various existing technologies and media to reach all levels of society to use Islamic banking services.Contribution – This study emphasizes the significance influence of subjective norm and switching intention. Thus, the government and Islamic banks must intensify socialization of Islamic bank to encourage Islamic bank users.Novelty/Originality –This study complements the literature by analysing the impact of Islamic bank mergers with switching intention to use Islamic banks as far as the authors' knowledge of merger research is still limited to analysing the performance of Islamic banks after the merger.

From Theory to Practice: Practical Applications of the MOLD-US Framework.

The MOLD-US framework has been developed to synthesize knowledge for (usability) researchers on aging- and disease-related barriers that can hamper the use of health information technology (HIT). However, dissemination in terms of practical applications of the framework is currently unknown and could inform industry and researchers for applying MOLD-US in practice, but also provide insights on the use of theoretical frameworks in HIT research. Therefore, a citation analysis was conducted on the paper presenting the MOLD-US framework. Nine of the 241 citations were found to report practical application(s) of the MOLD-US framework in their methods section: (1) qualitative research input (n=3), (2) research design (n=3), (3) design approaches (n=2), and (4) conceptual framework development (n=2). Future work aims to explore MOLDUS-US practical applications in the industry, through for example grey literature, but also continuously monitor novel applications to enhance the development of HIT for the aging population.

Transferring knowledge and skills from an international collaborative nursing educational program to clinical practice: A qualitative study

BackgroundThe effective transfer of knowledge and skills is the primary goal of nursing education. Despite this, little is known about how knowledge and skills gained through international collaborative nursing educational programs is applied by nurses. ObjectivesTo describe the experiences of knowledge and skills transfer among nursing graduates from an international collaborative educational program to their clinical practice and ongoing study. MethodsA qualitative design was employed for this study. In 2023, fifteen interviews were conducted with nursing graduates from a Chinese-Swedish collaborative nursing educational program at Lishui University in eastern China. Directed content analysis was utilized to analyze the interview data. ResultsNursing graduates gained both knowledge and skills that surpassed the educational goals of the international collaborative program. Throughout the application and transfer of knowledge and skills, participants reported both positive and negative experiences. Notably, a gap persisted between basic nursing theoretical knowledge and clinical practice. Additionally, deficiencies were identified in the transfer of nursing research knowledge, indicating areas for improvement in future nursing education. ConclusionThe findings suggest that knowledge and skills from an international collaborative nursing educational program can be successfully transferred to clinical nursing practice and postgraduate study. However, addressing the gap between theoretical knowledge and practice, particularly in updated basic nursing knowledge and practice, is essential. Furthermore, there is a need to enhance awareness and attitudes towards nursing research among nurses, emphasizing the importance of continuous learning.

A social identity perspective on language and researchers’ cultural identities in qualitative interviews in multinational corporations

PurposeThis study aims to advance knowledge in international management research about how researchers’ cultural identity in fieldwork encounters may be grounded in the choice of language in multicultural and multilingual projects.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on critical reflections on the experience of two co-authors as Chinese nationals conducting research in overseas Chinese multinational corporations (MNCs) in developing economies.FindingsDrawing on social identity theory, the authors demonstrate that the cultural identity and cultural insider/outsider positionality of both the researcher and research participants can be shaped by language, translation and other artefacts in cross-cultural interviews, constantly being shifted, managed and renegotiated during qualitative interviewing. This study highlights the politics of language which, when combined with other forms of power relations, such as the researcher’s perceived status, economic development of the MNCs’ home country and the participants’ organisational hierarchy, affect power distribution between the researcher and participants. Researchers often need to move from being an “insider” to an “outsider” and often to an “in-betweener” at different stages in an interview interaction to balance power.Originality/valueThis study contributes to international debates about the complex interplay of languages, politics and identity in multilingual and multicultural qualitative research. In contributing to these literatures, the authors focus on the relatively under-researched Chinese MNCs in other developing countries including Mongolia and Tanzania. Recommendations for researcher training and reflexivity are proposed.

Correlations between sewage sludge composting physicochemical parameters and emissions of greenhouse gases and ammonia: A statistical analysis

Mitigating the environmental impact of composting by the reduction of greenhouse gases (N2O, CH4) and ammonia (NH3) emissions is a major challenge. To meet this challenge, the understanding of the relationships between composted substrates initial physicochemical parameters and gas emissions is essential. From a long-term perspective, it will allow to guide the recipe formulation of the initial mixture to be composted, with a view to reducing gas emissions during composting. This study gathered literature data targeting sewage sludge composting and performed statistical correlation analyses between cumulative gas emissions and the following parameters: sewage sludge, bulking agent and composted mixture initial physicochemical parameters (pH, dry matter, total carbon, total nitrogen, C/N), the dry mass ratio of sewage sludge to bulking agent and the duration of composting. The average values of cumulative emissions show a large variability: 1.37 ± 2.71 gC.kg initial mix DM−1, 0.13 ± 0.17 gN.kg initial mix DM−1 and 2.23 ± 2.79 gN.kg initial mix DM−1 for CH4, N2O and NH3 emissions respectively. Although the correlation analysis highlighted some significant interesting correlations between initial physicochemical parameters and gas emissions (p.value < 0.05), reliable multiparametric model could not fit the data, meaning that the actual literature data are not sufficient to explain most part of gas emissions. Among the most interesting relationships, the study showed that the dry matter of the composted mixture is negatively correlated to N2O emissions, while the ratio of sewage sludge to bulking agent and the duration of composting are positively correlated to N2O emissions. It was also shown that the pH of the bulking agent is positively correlated to NH3 emissions. Considering the large part of the emission variability that is not explained and the difficulty to link the correlation with their causality, it will be interesting to improve composting gas emissions knowledge in future research by analyzing free air space, bulking agent adsorption capacity and available and biodegradable organic matter. These parameters are of particular interest in solving the main problems associated with sewage sludge composting, namely porosity and nitrogen retention. This study also highlighted the necessity to extend the duration of the composting studies over 40 days in order to measure possible N2O late release and better identify parameters influencing N2O emissions.

Conceptualizing Community Engagement for Mental and Brain Health Research in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Case of Kilifi County, Kenya.

Community engagement (CE) has increasingly been recognized as a critical element for successful health promotion and intervention programs. However, the term CE has been used to mean different things in different settings. In this article, we explore how CE has been conceptualized in the field of mental and brain health in Kilifi County, Kenya. We used ethnographic methods encompassing focused group discussions, key informant interviews, and observations with 65 participants, purposively recruited from Kilifi County. Data were transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed. Our findings show that community members and stakeholders had diverse perceptions of and experiences with CE. Factors such as trust between researchers and community members, sensitization, and awareness creation were key for acceptance of research projects. Partial involvement in research, lack of access to information, poverty and socio-economic challenges, and financial expectations from researchers hindered CE and led to resistance to participation in research projects. For effective CE, there is a need to work closely with community gatekeepers, create awareness of the research projects, use local languages, and ensure continuous engagement that promotes equitable research participation. Our findings suggest that tacit knowledge, context, and mechanisms for research are all critical features of CE and should be considered to enhance acceptance and sustainability of mental and brain health interventions in Kenya.

MiRNA, New Perspective to World of Intestinal Protozoa and Toxoplasma.

miRNAs are known as non-coding RNAs that can regulate gene expression. They are reported in many microorganisms and their host cells. Parasite infection can change or shift host miRNAs expression, which can aim at both parasite eradication and infection. This study dealt with examination of miRNA expressed in intestinal protozoan, coccidia , as well as profile changes in host cell miRNA after parasitic infection and their role in protozoan clearance/ survival. The authors searched ISI Web of Sciences, Pubmed, Scholar, Scopus, another databases and articles published up to 2024 were included. The keywords of miRNA, intestinal protozoa, toxoplasma and some words associated with topics were used in this search. Transfection of miRNA mimics or inhibitors can control parasitic diseases, and be introduced as a new therapeutic option in parasitology. This review can be used to provide up-to date knowledge for future research on these issues.