Participation In International Collaborations Research Articles

International cooperation in radiology training: A multipronged approach

IntroductionMedical imaging has undergone significant technical advancements in recent years, posing a considerable challenge for radiologists to stay up-to-date with emerging modalities and their applications in daily practice. This challenge is even more daunting in developing countries with limited resources compared to the US and other developed nations with greater economic assets. The collaboration between the United States and other advanced nations with radiological institutions in Latin America has been a significant achievement in the pursuit of new opportunities for continuous medical education. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of international collaborations among Spanish-speaking Latin American institutions and radiologists through a survey. Materials and MethodsA group of radiologists and institutions from various countries, including the USA, Spain, and Argentina, who have been working together for several years to improve Radiology education across Latin America, were selected. An online survey was conducted. The survey included questions about interest in the activities, participation, and impact of radiologic education during these educational efforts. ResultsThe survey received responses from 166 participants, all of whom reported knowledge of at least one type of educational activity. The most well-known activity was ALAT Webinars. The primary motivators for participation were the quality of the content and the opportunity to learn new information. Additionally, improving local education in radiology and receiving expert advice on radiology issues were identified as priorities for participation in international collaborations. The Cronbach alpha coefficient was calculated for individual and global Likert questions, resulting in a global score of 0.96. ConclusionThe study confirms the significance of a multifaceted approach to address gaps in radiology education. While traditional models have relied on hosting international visitors or sending US teachers abroad, the results suggest that using a variety of methods will have a greater impact than relying on a single technique for those who benefit most from collaborative efforts.

From Reform to Resurgence on Somalia's Journey to Economic Stability and Global Confidence

Examining Somalia's journey from political instability to economic recovery, this analysis focuses on the significant impact of recent efforts to relieve the country's debt burden. A major achievement was Somalia's successful inclusion in the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, which granted the nation relief from repaying its debts. This article aims to explore the complex landscape, thoroughly examining the essential role of debt relief. It dissects the factors contributing to economic stability, evaluates the newfound global confidence, analyses elements enhancing investor appeal, and navigates the challenges and opportunities defining the nation's economic resurgence. The challenges arising from the debt write-off include the effective implementation of economic reforms, managing heightened expectations, and addressing the persistent historical political instability that requires ongoing attention. Despite these challenges, opportunities emerge, providing Somalia with the chance to strategically reallocate resources to vital sectors, enhance its attractiveness to investors, and engage in potential global collaborations. This exploration concludes by outlining policy implications for Somalia's policymakers. It emphasizes the importance of sustainable economic reforms, initiatives promoting political stability, prudent resource allocation, the implementation of investor-friendly policies, active participation in international collaborations, and targeted efforts to promote investment. Addressing these policy implications could empower Somalia to transform challenges into catalysts for sustained economic growth and development, charting a course toward a prosperous and resilient future

National fractional calculations and evaluating organization’s science efficiency

Russian science policy in 2012–2018 appeared to be efficient which is proved by increased number of Russian publications indexed by Web of Science and Scopus. Dubious publication practices on and out of the fringes of science ethics is the other side of the coin. One cannot deny the scale of these practices while it is hard to be estimated. This scientometric challenge may be met through the transfer from integer calculation to fractional one. The authors introduce the term “national fractional calculation” which enables to estimate objectively organizations’ and researchers’ contributions into national science while not to demotivate participation in international collaborations. Based on the example of three groups, i. e. research organizations, Project 5-100 universities and other universities, the integer and fractional calculations are compared in detail for the 2018 as well as in the dynamics for the period 2000–2018 and for different disciplines. The authors show that, moving forward, fractional calculations increasingly differ from the integer ones. The largest differences are characteristic for the group of leading universities of Project 5-100 group being “scientometrically pressurized” within the framework of the national science policy.

The American Space Exploration Narrative from the Cold War Through the Obama Administration

We document how the narrative and the policies of space exploration in the United States have changed from the Eisenhower through the Obama administrations. We first examine the history of U.S. space exploration and also assess 3 current conditions of the field of space exploration including (1) the increasing role of the private sector, (2) the influence of global politics and specifically the emergence of China as a global space power, and (3) the focus on a human mission to Mars. To further understand the narrative of U.S. space exploration, we identify 5 rhetorical themes: competition, prestige, collaboration, leadership, and “a new paradigm.” These themes are then used to analyze the content of 40 documents over the course of space exploration history in the U.S. from 8 U.S. presidential administrations. The historical narrative and content analysis together suggest that space exploration has developed from a discourse about a bipolar world comprised of the United States and the Soviet Union into a complicated field that encompasses many new players in the national to the industrial realms. The results also suggest that the United States was at a crossroads in 2017 on the issues of how it participates in this changing field of space exploration. From this, we make 3 observations regarding recent U.S. space policy: (1) there is a disconnect between stated policy goals in American space exploration efforts and the implementation of those goals, (2) the United States communicates mixed messages regarding its intent to be both the dominant leader in the field of space exploration and also committed as a participant in international collaboration, and (3) the United States cannot remain a true pioneer of space exploration if it does not embrace the realities of globalization and the changing dynamics within the field of space exploration. We conclude with 3 suggestions: (1) the U.S. government and NASA should critically examine space exploration priorities and commit to implementing a program that will further realistic and robust stated policy and goals, (2) the U.S. should reexamine its intention to play a dominant leadership role in space exploration and consider emphasizing a commitment toward active participation in international collaboration in space, and (3) the U.S. should fully embrace the new paradigm of space exploration by lowering barriers such as International Traffic in Arms Regulations that hinder the competitiveness of the American space industry. The U.S. should review the challenges and advantages of collaborative endeavors with rising spacefaring nations such as China and abandon Cold War era thinking, thus paving the way to Mars by encouraging the participation of many nations and space agencies on future human missions.

GEOPARKS MANAGEMENT AND ASSESSMENT

Established in 2000, the European Geoparks Network (EGN), comprising 35 members (November 2009), aims to protect geodiversity, to promote geological heritage to the general public as well as to support sustainable economic development of geopark territories primarily through the development of geological tourism. All requests for recognition as a “European Geopark” must be submitted by the organisation in charge of managing the area. The application dossier includes precise information dealing with identification of the zone, scientific description of the existing geoheritage, management body, management plan, infrastructure, educational and promotional activities, sustainable development policy instituted and geo-tourism. Membership of the EGN is for a period of four years after which membership is reviewed and assessed. The first revalidation procedure occurred during 2004 and since then has helped to keep all Geopark operations, infrastructure and services at a high quality level. The revalidation process involves a field visit by two independent evaluators nominated by the EGN and UNESCO. Assessment methodology examines the progress in geological heritage protection and promotion as well as the development of sustainable economic activity within each territory. However it also takes into account the Geopark’s degree of active participation in international collaboration and networking.

Gendered patterns in international research collaborations in academia

Although women's representation in higher education nears parity with men at the undergraduate level, this representation diminishes as one ascends the academic ranks. Because gender gaps in the ‘elite’ activity of international research collaborations might contribute to the underrepresentation of women in the upper ranks, we ask if gender differences exist in participation in international collaborations and if family responsibilities constitute a glass fence – a gendered obstacle that keeps women from this engagement. Using an international data set, we find that women engage less in international collaborations than men, and that complex gendered patterns exist regarding the impacts of partner employment status and children. Both men and women benefit from having an academic partner, although men benefit more. Partner employment status matters more than children in certain family arrangements, suggesting that the former constitutes a glass fence, potentially impacting women's access to cutting-edge international knowledge production and elite academic positions.

Strategic Innovation Search by Firms in Weak National Systems of Innovation : The Case of the Jordanian Generic Drug Industry = البحث الإستراتيجي للابتكار في الشركات الصناعية ذات النظم الوطنية الضعيفة للابتكار : دراسة حالة لمصانع الأدوية الأردنية

This paper examines why and how some firms embedded in weak National Systems of Innovation out-perform others in their innovation performance. It investigates how strategic practices associated with participation in international collaboration, specifically strategic search, contribute to different types and degrees of innovation.The researchis an exploratory study. It is based upon an innovation survey of 17 local pharmaceutical firms in Jordan, and detailed case studies of the four leading firms. It identifies how the firms perform strategic search for international collaboration, and how this influences the innovation performance. A key factor influencing the degree of participation in international collaboration is management pro-activeness in the search and sense-making process. Informal and direct sense-making appear to be more important than formal sense-making in explaining differences in terms of the firms’ participation in international collaboration. Informal and direct sense-making facilitate firms to participate in highly integrated deals such as joint ventures and RandD acquisition, which are associated with higher innovation performance. In addition, the research identifies specific organizational practices that support greater senior employee involvement and integration during strategy decision- making contribute to improved international collaboration and innovation performance.

Trend and impact of international collaboration in clinical medicine papers published in Malaysia

Research collaboration is the way forward in order to improve quality and impact of its research findings. International research collaboration has resulted in international co-authorship in scientific communications and publications. This study highlights the collaborating research and authorship trend in clinical medicine in Malaysia from 2001 to 2010. Malaysian-based author affiliation in the Web of Science (Science Citation Index Expanded) and clinical medicine journals (n = 999) and articles (n = 3951) as of 30th Oct 2011 were downloaded. Types of document analyzed were articles and reviews, and impact factors (IF) in the 2010 Journal Citation Report Science Edition were taken to access the quality of the articles. The number of publications in clinical medicine increased from 4.5 % (n = 178) in 2001 to 23.9 % (n = 944) in 2010. The top three contributors in the subject categories are Pharmacology and Pharmacy (13.9 %), General and Internal Medicine (13.6 %) and Tropical Medicine (7.3 %). By journal tier system: Tier 1 (18.7 %, n = 738), Tier 2 (22.5 %, n = 888), Tier 3 (29.6 %, n = 1170), Tier 4 (27.2 %, n = 1074), and journals without IF (2.1 %, n = 81). University of Malaya was the most productive. Local collaborators accounted for 60.3 % and international collaborations 39.7 %. Articles with international collaborations appeared in journals with higher journal IFs than those without international collaboration. They were also cited more significantly than articles without international collaborations. Citations, impact factor and journal tiers were significantly associated with international collaboration in Malaysia’s clinical medicine publications. Malaysia has achieved a significant number of ISI publications in clinical medicine participation in international collaboration.

Developing International Research Partnerships

Developing international partnerships is increasingly important for university researchers in the 21 st century. A qualitative study was conducted to explore factors affecting faculty and student involvement in a collaborative project between Texas A&M University, U.S.A. and the Universidad Autόnoma de Nuevo Leόn, Mexico. Factors were found to cluster under the major themes of (a) research and programmatic opportunities, (b) communication, (c) international experience, and (d) student opportunities. Communication can be a significant barrier to participation in international collaborations, but faculty and students should be encouraged to pursue such experiences because of their many benefits.