Multidisciplinary Research Center Research Articles

Building a successful transplant research center: Blueprints and barriers.

A successful multidisciplinary research center depends on the quality of the science being conducted and the quality of the center's design, culture, infrastructure, and institutional support. In this perspective, we describe our experience building and maintaining a multidisciplinary transplant research center with a large focus on transplant infectious diseases. We identify principles that we believe contributed to our success including: taking inventory, defining culture, creating a multidisciplinary shared leadership model, establishing expertise in a multiple method approach, investing in operations and management, building and sharing resources, and securing institutional support. We share our experience putting these principles into practice and highlight potential roadblocks.

Current Practices and Continuing Needs in Thermophysical Properties for the Chemical Industry

The status of thermophysical property needs of the chemical industry is reviewed and updated relative to similar observations from 20 years ago. The paper is informed by a series of symposia held over several years in conjunction with the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) national meetings. Experiences of the authors are also incorporated, including a discussion of the state of the art in this area, as well as references to several of the articles included in a recent special issue of Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. (2022, volume 61, issue 42) devoted to the subject. In general, the trend is toward more rigorous molecular methods but ingrained empirical methods tend to hold on for extended times by adding increasingly sophisticated multiparameter correlations. There is also a tendency for research in newer methods to end prematurely with anecdotal proofs of principle, undermining their ability to supersede tried and true methods. Significant gaps exist in experimental data, for the development of estimation methods and validation of models besides a general need for technical knowledge development. Although progress is clear, some of the goals articulated 20 years ago remain to be achieved, even as new needs are identified in estimation. modeling, and measurements. One possible solution, to close experimental data gaps and to provide a continuous stream of trained personnel, is to establish multidisciplinary research centers of excellence in this important methodology.

How Multi-disciplinary Research Centers and Networks Can Advance the Science of Firearm Injury Prevention

Firearm injuries are a leading cause of injury-related deaths in the U.S., but there is a dearth of federal funding for research on firearm injury prevention, compared to funding for research on other injuries and diseases. University research centers/institutes (C/Is) are in a position to help generate such research: they are multidisciplinary, have the capacity to conduct large-scale research projects, and commonly address complex health and social problems. In this article, we trace the history of research on firearm injury prevention, describe the different kinds of C/Is and C/I networks that have been developed to build knowledge in other areas of critical social concern, and argue for the development of a national coordinated network of firearm injury prevention C/Is.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Acupuncture in Chronic Low Back Pain: Protocol for Two Linked Randomized Controlled Trials.

BackgroundNonpharmacologic mind-body therapies have demonstrated efficacy in low back pain. However, the mechanisms underlying these therapies remain to be fully elucidated.ObjectiveIn response to these knowledge gaps, the Stanford Center for Low Back Pain—a collaborative, National Institutes of Health P01–funded, multidisciplinary research center—was established to investigate the common and distinct biobehavioral mechanisms of three mind-body therapies for chronic low back pain: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that is used to treat pain, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), and electroacupuncture. Here, we describe the design and implementation of the center structure and the associated randomized controlled trials for characterizing the mechanisms of chronic low back pain treatments.MethodsThe multidisciplinary center is running two randomized controlled trials that share common resources for recruitment, enrollment, study execution, and data acquisition. We expect to recruit over 300 chronic low back pain participants across two projects and across different treatment arms within each project. The first project will examine pain-CBT compared with MBSR and a wait-list control group. The second project will examine real versus sham electroacupuncture. We will use behavioral, psychophysical, physical measure, and neuroimaging techniques to characterize the central pain modulatory and emotion regulatory systems in chronic low back pain at baseline and longitudinally. We will characterize how these interventions impact these systems, characterize the longitudinal treatment effects, and identify predictors of treatment efficacy.ResultsParticipant recruitment began on March 17, 2015, and will end in March 2023. Recruitment was halted in March 2020 due to COVID-19 and resumed in December 2021.ConclusionsThis center uses a comprehensive approach to study chronic low back pain. Findings are expected to significantly advance our understanding in (1) the baseline and longitudinal mechanisms of chronic low back pain, (2) the common and distinctive mechanisms of three mind-body therapies, and (3) predictors of treatment response, thereby informing future delivery of nonpharmacologic chronic low back pain treatments.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT02503475; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02503475International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)PRR1-10.2196/37823

Center for Mental Health Research and Innovation in Treatment Engagement and Service (MH-RITES Center) at the University of Houston

The Center for Mental Health Research and Innovation in Treatment Engagement and Service (MH-RITES Center) at the Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston is an international multidisciplinary research center focused on improving treatment engagement and outcomes for those experiencing mental health concerns. Established in 2017, the mission of the MH-RITES Center is to drive empirically supported and evidence-based innovation that achieves optimal treatment access and engagement in mental health services by individuals and families who need them, specifically in historically marginalized communities. This article describes the history and guiding principles, organizational structure, funding sources, and physical resources of the MH-RITES Center while highlighting completed, ongoing, and future projects supporting the Center's mission.

Society Awards 2021.

Society Awards 2021.

The Influence of National Economy Specifics on the Interaction between Universities and Corporations in the Field of Innovation

Questions of the influence of national economy features on innovation activity do not lose their relevance at the beginning of the XXI century. In different countries of the world, new approaches to stimulating innovation are emerging that take into account the peculiarities of national economies. However, the main problem of such activities remains the speed of movement of new technologies from universities to corporations and the further creation of new products and technologies. The number of patents obtained by various organizations is becoming one of the main indicators of the development of the national economy. It is noted that the relationship between research costs and the number of patents obtained is not as linear as it seems in theory. The practical implementation of diffuse processes in an innovative environment also does not have a linear dependence on the "investment – result". The use of statistical analysis methods allowed us to identify the facts that signal that the model of stimulating innovation activity, formed in the 1980s of the XX century, is losing its advantages. The article examines in detail the progress of higher education reform in the EU countries and identifies the key features of combining scientific organizations to create large multidisciplinary research centers. The authors conclude that the experience of such a reform in France is very interesting to study in Russia. It is noted that since the 2000s. in the United States and the European Union, questions are raised about the revision of the University tax system, as well as changes in the legal status of educational organizations. Similar trends occur in Russia, however, due to historical and social processes, they have their specifics. According to the authors, the regulation of taxation of scientific activities leads to the formation of unique elements of the economic mechanism for stimulating innovation.

REVISITING THE TRAINING OF SCIENTIFIC PERSONNEL IN DAGESTAN IN 1950S: A GENDER ASPECT

The modern rapidly developing world is filled with highly scientific technological discoveries, constantly improving technological equipment. The attention paid by society to the quality of human resources, their experience and knowledge, as well as high qualifications plays an important role. The era of information technology requires an appropriate approach and adaptation of the science personnel potential. This determines the relevance of the research and the importance of understanding and generalizing the Soviet experience in the training of scientific personnel. After all, the high level of training of scientific personnel and a strong scientific school in the Soviet state was the result of ongoing qualitative reforms in the field of science and education. In this context, the creation and further activities of the Dagestan branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences, in which the training of scientific personnel began in 1946 is of undoubted scientific and practical interest. The determining factor for the development of Dagestan science was the creation of the Dagestan branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences, designed to solve the most complex scientific problems. The branch was formed on the basis of the first institution of science in the Republic, the Dagestan Research Institute, opened back in 1924 in Makhachkala as an integrated, multidisciplinary research center, which took over the functions of organizing survey work in all areas. The main purpose of the research is to highlight various aspects of the training of scientific personnel and the involvement of women in science in 1950s, based on the analysis of a wide range of diverse sources and monographic studies. The article aims to show the formation of the scientific intelligentsia in the Republic and to celebrate the first mountain girls who got the opportunity to study in graduate school for further seeking the degree of Candidate and Doctor of science. Analyzing the available material, the author has come to the conclusion that in Dagestan, the training of scientific personnel among women until the 1950s was practically not carried out. In subsequent years the dynamics changes towards an increase in a number of girls among graduate students.

Dislike for schooling as risk factor for teenage pregnancy: Development of a hypothesis using data from a study conducted on understanding factors associated with teenage pregnancy.

This paper is informed by the data extracted from a study conducted by the Multidisciplinary Research Centre (MRC) in 2014, titled, 'Understanding Factors Associated with Teenage Pregnancy in Namibia' that focused on 602 boys and 2875 girls aged between 14 to 22 years of age. The aim of the paper was to test the hypothesis of dislike of school as a catalyst to teenage pregnancy. The analysis of the paper is based on 1,393 school learners that were all female. In testing the hypothesis both univariate and multivariate regression analysis were used. No clear associations were found between dislike of school and attitudes and behaviours (outcome measures) which may predict the risk of subsequent teenage pregnancy except for alcohol use and parental employment. Parental employment as proxy for socio-economic status emerged as a significant predictor of unhappiness at school while higher levels of alcohol use predicted higher odds of dislike of school. Interventions to promote youth satisfaction with schooling should be based on longitudinal research to inform effective policy and practice.

Zhentang Zhao: past and future of the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility.

A synchrotron light source is familiar to many researchers. Biologists use it to determine structures of proteins and other biomacromolecules; material scientists use it to analyze internal structures of different materials; physicists use it to explore the basic matter states; and physicians use it to perform medical imaging. A high-performance synchrotron light source is often the workhorse supporting a prosperous multi-disciplinary research center. In China, that is the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF).Since its opening to users in 2009, SSRF has bred many significant scientific achievements and laid the foundation for the Shanghai Zhangjiang Cluster of Big Science Facilities. On 3 August 2021, National Science Review (NSR) interviewed Professor Zhentang Zhao, Director of the SSRF Science Center and vice president of the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Prof. Zhao introduced the construction and development of the synchrotron light source and X-ray free electron laser facilities in Shanghai, as well as how SSRF experiences may be valuable for big science facilities and centers now under construction in China.

Commentary: how person-centred is pharmaceutical care?

Health systems in many countries are currently undergoing an evolution towards more person-centred care. However, an overview of the literature shows that there is little or no guidance available on how to apply person-centred care to pharmaceutical care and clinical pharmacy practices. In this paper we apply a model for person-centred care created by a national multidisciplinary research centre in Gothenburg, Sweden, to the clinical work tasks of outpatient and inpatient pharmacists and describe how pharmaceutical care can become more person-centred.

Management problems of an interdisciplinary research center

The practice of creating interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary research centers in Russia is caused by the need to implement interdisciplinary projects in accordance with the objectives of the Strategy of scientific and technological development and priority directions of science development in the Russian Federation. However, the development of complex research within a single institution faces a number of problems related to the management of the multidisciplinary center, the system of evaluation of research efficiency in separate divisions of the center, funding of individual research areas, creation of a comfortable psychologicalclimate that promotes the performance and effective completion of interdisciplinary projects, creation of an effective stimulation system, aimed not only at increasing the publication activity of researchers, but also to produce world-class results that require in-depth, focused work. The problems of creating an effective management system focused on ensuring maximum creative freedom of a scientist and reducing bureaucratic pressure on a researcher and creating a comfortable psychological climate in an interdisciplinary research center depend mainly on the head of the organization and his management apparatus. The development of scientometric system of comparative rating of the effectiveness of scientific teams within separated units, the creation of a differentiated system of motivation of scientists, aimed not only at increasing the publication activity, but also to obtain breakthrough scientific results requires the involvement of a serious scientific approach, despite the fact that scientometric research is not among the prestigious and attractive scientific directions, but at the same time it causes a high critical reaction from officials and scientists of all scientific fields.

Beyond the State of the Art of Electric Vehicles: A Fact-Based Paper of the Current and Prospective Electric Vehicle Technologies

Today, there are many recent developments that focus on improving the electric vehicles and their components, particularly regarding advances in batteries, energy management systems, autonomous features and charging infrastructure. This plays an important role in developing next electric vehicle generations, and encourages more efficient and sustainable eco-system. This paper not only provides insights in the latest knowledge and developments of electric vehicles (EVs), but also the new promising and novel EV technologies based on scientific facts and figures—which could be from a technological point of view feasible by 2030. In this paper, potential design and modelling tools, such as digital twin with connected Internet-of-Things (IoT), are addressed. Furthermore, the potential technological challenges and research gaps in all EV aspects from hard-core battery material sciences, power electronics and powertrain engineering up to environmental assessments and market considerations are addressed. The paper is based on the knowledge of the 140+ FTE counting multidisciplinary research centre MOBI-VUB, that has a 40-year track record in the field of electric vehicles and e-mobility.

Embedding responsible innovation within synthetic biology research and innovation: insights from a UK multi-disciplinary research centre

ABSTRACT Over the last decade the discourse of responsible innovation (RI) has become a significant feature of debates concerning the relationships between science, innovation and society in the fields of biosciences and biotechnologies. We document how this discourse has evolved over the period 2014–2019 at a Synthetic Biology Research Centre hosted within a University in the UK (BrisSynBio). We describe how an approach to RI has evolved to include but go beyond public engagement, by encouraging practices aimed at anticipation, reflexivity and deliberation in sometimes creative and innovative ways. We describe how the Centre has struggled to capture the impacts of RI interventions on the everyday practices and behaviours of scientists and the outcomes of their work. The study reveals the importance of leadership, creativity, innovation, institutional support, openness to change and mechanisms of capturing impact for successful RI institutionalisation.

An Analysis of the World Cafe Approach to Exploring a Model of a Multidisciplinary Research Center: A Case Study from Siriraj Integrated Perioperative Geriatric Excellent Research Center

An Analysis of the World Cafe Approach to Exploring a Model of a Multidisciplinary Research Center: A Case Study from Siriraj Integrated Perioperative Geriatric Excellent Research Center

Risk Factors of Mortality Among Patients with Stroke in Low Middle-Income Countries:  A Series of 180 Patients

Introduction: Stroke is one of the leading causes of acquired disability, the second cause of dementia after Alzheimer's disease and the third cause of mortality after the ischemic heart diseases, which altogether make them, therefore, a public health priority. The rapid and adequate management (diagnosis and multidisciplinary care) and keeping cardiovascular risk factors well-controlled (e.g: arterial hypertension) can help to reduce the incidence of stroke-related death. The study aims to identify factors associated with stroke mortality in low middle-income countries, especially in the Eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Methods: This series was retrospectively carried out from 2016 to 2020 in different departments managing stroke patients of the following hospitals of Butembo and Katwa health zones: Katwa Referral Hospital, Kitatumba Referral Hospital, Matanda Hospital and the Catholic University of Graben Teaching Hospital. Files of patients with the diagnosis of stroke were retrieved and reviewed. The parameters such socio-demographics, medical history, clinical findings, treatment received and patients’ mortality outcomes were recorded. The Odds Ratio was used for assessing the risk level attributable to mortality from strokes. Results: One hundred and eighty (180) patients with stroke were included. Stroke related mortality was 57/180 (31.7 %). Several factors have been significantly associated with this mortality especially the advanced age with a female predominance, poor compliance to antihypertensive, and anti-diabetic medication, recurrent stroke, alcoholism, and chronic smoking, obesity, hemorrhagic stroke, use of estrogen-progesterone pills by women, as well as the delayed management. Conclusion: Stroke is a common cause of mortality in Butembo. Prevention measures, and efficient specialized care for stroke, especially targeting modifiable prognostic factors, can help to reduce mortality significantly. Funding Statement: No funding is to be disclosed. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing interest. Ethics Approval Statement: The proposal of this work had been presented and approved by the ethical review board of the Integrated Multidisciplinary Research Center (IMRC) of the Adventist University of Lukanga before the data gathering.

From plan to action: Adapting evaluation to serve the developmental needs of a newly-funded multidisciplinary research center

The Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (SCCAHS) is one of many newly-funded federal research centers, housing five multidisciplinary research projects and seven pilot projects, and serving a multi-state region. In the early stages of such a complex project, with multiple teams separated by geography and disciplines, the evaluation program has been integral in connecting internal and external stakeholders at the center and project levels. We used a developmental evaluation (DE) framework to respond to the complex political environment surrounding agricultural health and safety in the southeast; to engage external stakeholders in guiding the center’s research and outreach trajectories; to support center research teams in a co-creation process to develop logic models and tailored indicators; and to provide timely and feedback within the center to address communications gaps identified by the evaluation program. By using DE principles to shape monitoring and evaluation approaches, our evaluation program has adapted to the dynamic circumstances presented as our center’s progress has been translated from a plan in a grant proposal to implementation.

The Role of Academia in Reorientation Models of Care—Insights on eHealth

This paper provides a summary of progress on implementation research conducted to deliver evidence-based informatics infrastructure and guidance resources to advance integrated care in Ireland. (1) Background: The International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP©) R&D centre has progressed with its agenda to advance informatics theory and optimise the nursing contribution within eHealth Ireland. The centre has evolved as a formal multi-disciplinary research centre in Dublin City University expanding its research activity to become the Centre for eIntegrated Care (CeIC). The mission of the CeIC is to advance eIntegrated care in order to improve health and wellbeing of citizens; (2) Methods: In this paper, CeIC offers insights into the specific approaches adopted to realise this vision using Innovation 2.0 and Open Science as an emerging paradigm and rigorous methodology to drive transformational change; (3) Conclusions; we provide here a summary of our activity and discuss our experiences to date. We present detail on our progress through three core viewpoints namely (1) the individual and stakeholder engagement; (2) the development of technology infrastructure and (3) the political process considering the academic role in advancing informatics research. Our conclusions suggest that one needs to intrinsically link all three perspectives and provide focused interactions in order to bring about sustainable change for progression of eHealth.

‘Adding another spinning plate to an already busy life’. Benefits and risks in patient partner–researcher relationships: a qualitative study of patient partners’ experiences in a Canadian health research setting

ObjectiveTo better understand, based on patient partners’ experiences, benefits and risks in patient partner–researcher relationships in a health research setting.DesignQualitative interviews with thematic analysis informed by a relational ethics lens.SettingA...

Thoughts on intelligent control

This paper systematically introduces the origin, development, and the state-of-the-art of artificial intelligence, and from the viewpoint of control, elaborates the possible problems, challenges, and opportunities when applying artificial intelligence to control systems. We highlight the importance of intelligent algorithms and simulations in intelligent control, and emphasize that the core of intelligent control is the control algorithms constructed via artificial intelligence. We discuss the relations between artificial intelligence and the classic control theory. We further state that classic control and intelligent control do not conflict and thus should cooperate with each other. We should thoroughly investigate the merits, disadvantages, and feasible scenarios of classic control and intelligent control, to ensure that one can complement the other. Finally, we provide some suggestions on presenting novel intelligent control methods, establishing simulation platforms of intelligent control, and setting up multidisciplinary joint research centers.