PhD Projects Research Articles

Experiences and perceptions of acute testicular pain, with a focus on reasons for delayed presentation to hospital: a qualitative evidence synthesis

BackgroundThe annual incidence of testicular torsion is approximately 1 in 4000 males under the age of 25. Despite the 97% testicular salvage rate when surgical intervention is within 6 hours...

Needs led research: ensuring relevant research in two PhD projects within maternity care

BackgroundThere has been a growing concern regarding research waste and the mismatch between conducted research and the research needs of knowledge users. The Needs Led Research (NLR) approach is proposed as an effective method to ensure that research address actual evidence gaps that are relevant to the users of the knowledge. By search and reviewing literature and involving knowledge users, NLR aims to identify, verify, and prioritize research needs. This paper describes and compares the implementation of the NLR approach in two separate PhD projects within maternity care, and addresses the challenges encountered throughout the processes, aiming to offer valuable insights for future NLR initiatives.MethodsThe NLR processes consisted of four phases: (1) defining the scope (2) identifying and verifying research needs (3) prioritizing research needs and (4) designing the PhD projects. Literature searches were conducted during Phase 2, while knowledge user involvement took place in Phases 2 and 3. The knowledge user involvement, at a co-thinker and advocatory level, included knowledge user groups and surveys. Project groups, who were responsible for all decision-making, conducted Phases 1 and 4. The scopes of the PhD projects were labor induction (NLR-LINO) and fetal monitoring in low-risk deliveries (NLR-LISTEN).ResultsIn NLR-LINO, 17 research needs were identified and verified as actual evidence gaps relevant for the knowledge users. Among these, ten were rated as “very important” by a majority of the 322 survey respondents. The aim of the PhD LINO project was defined as “To investigate whether outpatient induction of labor is beneficial in a Norwegian setting.” In NLR-LISTEN, seven research needs were identified and verified as actual evidence gaps relevant for the knowledge users. These were prioritized by 466 survey respondents, and the aim of the PhD LISTEN project was defined as “To investigate the methods used for fetal monitoring in low-risk deliveries in Norway and evaluate adherence to evidence-based practice while also exploring potential reasons for any deviations.”ConclusionsThis paper shows that the NLR is a viable approach for prioritizing research. The findings highlight the impact of the initial scope on subsequent phases and emphasize the importance of pragmatic decision-making throughout the process. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that NLR requires dedicated resources, and if integrated into PhD projects, additional time and training should be allocated accordingly.

Work-integrated learning for working life in academia – experiences from online learning activities with PhD students

ABSTRACT The PhD period needs to provide work-integrated learning (WIL) in academia to enable the development of academic skills and handling situations of failure as well as success. During the Covid-19 pandemic there was increased risk for PhD students of losing pace in PhD projects, disconnectedness from academia and decreased well-being, while digitalisation in PhD education increased. The purpose was to test and explore the experienced value of group-based online learning activities for PhD students, and how they relate to WIL in PhD education. The two tested online learning activities were online monthly meetings and online writing retreats. The project was performed with Plan-Do-Study-Act. Evaluation data included the number of participants, types of spin-offs from the learning activities, and participants’ feedback. The data were analysed from the perspective of the experienced value of the learning activities and how they can relate to WIL in PhD education. The PhD students acquired increased academic and leadership skills, experienced less stress, enhanced self-efficacy, decreased dependency on supervisors and a safe social environment important for their well-being. In addition, there was good progress of the participants’ projects and joy at work.

Communicating and disseminating One Health: successes of the One Health European Joint Programme.

The application of a One Health approach recognizes that human health, animal health, plant health and ecosystem health are intrinsically connected. Tackling complex challenges associated with foodborne zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance, and emerging threats is imperative. Therefore, the One Health European Joint Programme was established within the European Union research programme Horizon 2020. The One Health European Joint Programme activities were based on the development and harmonization of a One Health science-based framework in the European Union (EU) and involved public health, animal health and food safety institutes from almost all EU Member States, the UK and Norway, thus strengthening the cooperation between public, medical and veterinary organizations in Europe. Activities including 24 joint research projects, 6 joint integrative projects and 17 PhD projects, and a multicountry simulation exercise facilitated harmonization of laboratory methods and surveillance, and improved tools for risk assessment. The provision of sustainable solutions is integral to a One Health approach. To ensure the legacy of the work of the One Health European Joint Programme, focus was on strategic communication and dissemination of the outputs and engagement of stakeholders at the national, European and international levels.

Editorial ART RESEARCH ENVELOPE #6

The publication Envelope offers insights into ongoing PhD projects by candidates in the PhD programme PhD in Art at the University of Applied Arts Vienna in an innovative format. The major thrust of “Envelope” presents content supplied by doctoral researchers based on their individual artistic research and provides insights into ongoing work processes. These visual and textual traces reveal the state of the Art within its ongoing research processes. This open format seeks to reflect on experiences through exchange, as well as document relevant developments in the field of art and research. Participating projects: Sanja Andelkovic: Voice-Shifting as a Method: Eco-Gods in Future Orthodox Chants, Supervisor: Gerhild Steinbuch Margit Busch: A Garden for a Fish, Supervisor: Virgil Widrich Johanna Bruckner: Xenopoetic De/Compositions: The Affect-Body as Interface, Supervisor: Jakob Lena Knebl Andrew Champlin: Technique Concerns: Ballet Practice Against the Western Archive, Supervisors: Ruth Anderwald + Leonhard Grond George Demir: Ancestral Junctures: On the Expansion of Ancestral Mythologies, Supervisor: Hans Schabus Rah Eleh: Xenofuturism: A Proposal for a Liminal Futurism, Supervisor: Bouchra Khalili Wolfgang Konrad: Before the Truth in Documentary, Supervisor: Luzius Bernhard Joseph Leung: Post-digital Angst – An Arts-Based Research on the Manifestations of Angst in the Digital Milieu, Supervisor: Gabriele Rothemann Cristiana de Marchi: Casting a Shadow. On Disappearance, Emptiness, and the Haunting Power of Absence, Supervisor: Judith Eisler Jo O’Brien: Confusion: As Resistance, as Relationship, and Towards the Relational, Supervisors: Ruth Anderwald + Leonhard Grond Marthin Rozo Castaño: Art and Conservation in the Post-Conflict, Supervisor: Cristina Garcia Grinda + Efrén Diaz Moreno Konstanze Stoiber, Untitled, Supervisor: Brigitte Felderer Fabian Weiss: Ideal Self: How We Use Photography and Technology to Present and Optimise Ourselves, Supervisor: Margarete Jahrmann Ksenia Yurkova: Figures of Reticence as a(bio)political Strategy, a Forced Necessity, and the Impossibility of Artistic Expression, Supervisor: Jakob Lena Knebl Conny Zenk: RAD Performance – Driving Voices of Resistance, Supervisor: Ruth Schnell Feel free to zoom in on each poster for ensured readability.

Generative AI --- The End of Systematic Reviews in PhD Projects?

Generative AI --- The End of Systematic Reviews in PhD Projects?

Exploring enablers of internal knowledge dissemination for boundary‐spanning industrial PhD students

Industrial PhD students, affiliating to industrial firms and academic institutions, hold unique boundary‐spanning positions as they engage in knowledge co‐creation through university–industry collaboration (UIC). Despite much research on knowledge transfer processes and boundary spanners in inter‐organizational contexts, firms who engage in UIC remain uncertain about how to reap the benefits of co‐creating knowledge through industrial PhD projects. This paper investigates the enablers of knowledge dissemination for PhD students in industrial firms. Based on a qualitative case study in Sweden, our study identifies enablers and mechanisms related to individual and organizational actions in the internal knowledge dissemination process. Based on the findings, the paper presents a model that distinguishes between surface and deep knowledge dissemination and elaborates on the symbiotic nature of enablers, with middle management mediating between the individual and organizational levels. The paper enhances research on knowledge dissemination in UIC by specifically addressing industrial PhD students' dissemination of co‐created knowledge. The findings inform organizations in managing their expectations, making more informed decisions and improving dissemination conditions for boundary‐spanning industrial PhD students in UIC.

A Serious Shortfall in Clinical Research in Doctoral Schools: A Detailed Analysis of Ten Doctoral Schools of Medicine

The amount and quality of clinical research are constantly increasing; however, the translation of results into daily practice is not keeping pace. University curricula provide minimal methodological background for understanding the latest scientific findings. In this project, we aimed to investigate the quality and amount of clinical research compared with basic research by analysing ten doctoral schools in Hungary. We found that 71% of PhD theses were submitted in basic sciences. The majority of physicians (53%) working in clinical institutions did their PhD projects in theoretical departments. Importantly, recent clinical methodologies such as pre-registered randomized clinical trials and meta-analysis are only rarely used (1% and 1%, respectively) compared with retrospective data analysis or cross-sectional studies (30% and 43%, respectively). Quality measures such as international registration, sample size calculation, and multicentricity of clinical sciences are generally absent from articles. Our results suggest that doctoral schools are seriously lagging behind in both teaching and scholarly activity in terms of recent clinical research methodology. Innovation and new educational platforms are essential to improve the proportion of science-oriented physicians.

The DELIVER study; the impact of research capacity building on research, education, and practice in Dutch midwifery.

Few examples exist of research capacity building (RCB) in midwifery. As in other jurisdictions, at the turn of this century midwives in the Netherlands lagged in research-based practice. Dutch professional and academic organisations recognised the need to proactively undertake RCB. This paper describes how a large national research project, the DELIVER study, contributed to RCB in Dutch midwifery. Applying Cooke's framework for RCB, we analysed the impact of the DELIVER study on RCB in midwifery with a document analysis comprising the following documents: annual reports on research output, websites of national organizations that might have implemented research findings, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM)), midwifery guidelines concerning DELIVER research topics, publicly available career information of the PhD students and a google search using the main research topic and name of the researcher to look for articles in public papers. The study provided an extensive database with nationally representative data on the quality and provision of midwifery-led care in the Netherlands. The DELIVER study resulted in 10 completed PhD projects and over 60 publications. Through close collaboration the study had direct impact on education of the next generation of primary, midwifery care practices and governmental and professional bodies. The DELIVER study was intended to boost the research profile of primary care midwifery. This reflection on the research capacity building components of the study shows that the study also impacted on education, policy, and the midwifery profession. As such the study shows that this investment in RCB has had a profound positive impact on primary care midwifery in the Netherlands.

Involving patients and the public in nursing PhD projects: practical guidance, potential benefits and points to consider.

Funders, academic publishers and governance bodies increasingly require research to involve patients and the public. This also enables nurse researchers to increase the visibility of scholarly nursing roles, which are poorly understood by the public. There are different approaches to involvement, and a wealth of guidance about how it can and should be implemented. Less is known about how it should be done in the context of a nursing PhD. To discuss the experiences of the authors' nursing research group in involving patients and the public in PhD research, reflect on the benefits to be gained from doing so, and highlight considerations for those planning to involve patients and the public in their doctoral research projects. Discussion It is essential to decide in advance of a study who you will involve, how to reach them and why you are involving patients and the public. Some potential benefits of involvement are: more accessible documentation, refined methods and better research outputs created in collaboration with patients and the public. Patients and the public should be involved in nursing PhD projects. Not only does this improve the quality of the research and raise the profile of nursing research, but it provides the opportunity for students to learn skills that they can develop further throughout their academic careers. Obtaining high-quality patient and public involvement is an important skill for nurse researchers. The first steps in acquiring this skill should be taken during research training.

S2-3 Physical literacy in Portugal: assessment and intervention developments

Abstract Purpose Physical literacy (PL) is being recognized as a key concept to set the foundation for health enhancing physically active lifestyles for all. Portugal is one of the European countries where PL is gaining momentum. This communication aims to present the Portuguese initiatives on PL assessment and intervention developments. Methods In a first phase the Portuguese representatives on the EUROPLIT group identified diverse national sources of knowledge on PL research, practice and policy and produced a review. After a four-step data analysis conducted by two researchers on the reviews of 25 European countries, a quantitative survey integrating items that reflected the emerging themes from the overall content analysis was completed. The data related to the state of PL in Portugal is presented. Results Portuguese PL research and pedagogical initiatives have been developed since 2016. FMH-ULisboa research group is leading the study and dissemination of PL through the development of PhD projects, the participation in European projects and the implementation of international scientific events. Regarding research efforts, it is highlighted the relevant advances on the study of PL assessment provided by the creation and validation of the Portuguese Physical Literacy Assessment instrument. Other Higher Education Institutions are also starting to create quality research on PL development. Intervention studies are missing, two recent innovative intervention projects were identified regarding PL development through blue spaces, and the effect of active breaks on PL and body composition. PL has recently been adopted in political documents and implemented in undergraduate, master, PhD level and Continuous Professional Development initiatives. Conclusions The journey of implementing PL is beginning in Portugal. Conceptual, review studies and original research on PL assessment have been developed. Intervention studies are needed. Collaborative partnerships across education, sport and health sectors may be key to move PL forward.

Early-career academic engagement in university–industry collaborative PhDs: Research orientation and project performance

Academic engagement with industry is a well-researched topic. However, research has focused on scholars in traditional university departments, overlooking more hybrid research contexts such as the growing trend of PhD students and their supervisors engaging in collaborative research projects with industry during their training. To address this gap, this study explores the early-career academic engagement of PhD students in university-industry collaborative research projects. It particularly focuses on research orientation and its association with scientific and inventive yield. Drawing on Stokes' (1997) framework, the study investigates the extent to which the research orientation (basic research, applied research, and user-inspired fundamental research) is associated with scientific and inventive yield. The study is based on a review of 631 collaborative PhD projects with industry completed in France in 2018 through a national programme (CIFRE). It finds that the three research orientations are associated with different levels of scientific and inventive yields. While basic research is the most common orientation across the sample, the rarest, user-inspired fundamental research, is associated with the highest scientific and inventive yield. Moreover, the study highlights the critical role of PhD students' taste for science or industry (and the potential change in this taste during the project) in the association between research orientation and projects' yields. Overall, this study sheds light on an understudied area of academic engagement and highlights the significance of considering research orientation and students' taste for science or industry when developing university-industry collaborations. This has implications for PhD supervisors, PhD students, their industrial partners, and policymakers.

Research on coupled socio‐ecohydrological systems—implementing a highly integrative and interdisciplinary research agenda in the Doctoral School “Human River Systems in the 21st Century (HR21)”

AbstractThe access to an adequate quantity and quality of water is vital to sustain healthy ecosystems and human socioeconomic development. However, the shift from an agrarian, solar energy based to an industrialized, fossil fuel‐based socio‐metabolic regime has put natural water resources under stress and led to dramatic transformations of riverine landscapes in the Anthropocene. Thus, we need interdisciplinary research approaches that integrate the knowledge and methods from ecology, humanities, and engineering. The Doctoral School “Human River Systems in the 21st Century” (HR21) studies riverine landscapes as coupled socio‐ecohydrological systems (SEHS) within four research clusters, that is, connectivity, metabolism, vulnerability, and governance. HR21 analyzes the transformation processes and coevolution of nature and society in rivers and their response to future environmental, social, cultural, and economic drivers of change. HR21 aims to improve the understanding of the coupling of the socioeconomic, ecological, and hydrological systems within industrialized riverine landscapes to support their urgent, more sustainable transformation. To discuss how this agenda can be implemented, five different HR21 PhD projects are presented, clearly routed in one scientific domain, applying a combination of the research clusters and addressing various topics: (i) hydropower effects in high alpine river ecosystems, (ii) wastewater impacts on carbon storage and greenhouse gas fluxes in tropical wetlands, (iii) the nutrient retention and ecosystem service potential of floodplains in large river catchments, and the influence of hydrometeorological variables on (iv) the runoff response and on (v) the transit time distribution of runoff, both impacting water resource management at the basin level. These examples highlight how disciplinary PhD research can be framed within an interdisciplinary research agenda to coupled SEHS.

Editorial ART RESEARCH ENVELOPE #5

The publication Envelope offers insights into ongoing PhD projects by candidates in the PhD programme PhD in Art at the University of Applied Arts Vienna in an innovative format. The major thrust of “Envelope” presents content supplied by doctoral researchers based on their individual artistic research and provides insights into ongoing work processes. These visual and textual traces reveal the state of the Art within its ongoing research processes. This open format seeks to reflect on experiences through exchange, as well as document relevant developments in the field of art and research. Participating projects: Margit Busch: A garden for a fish (Supervisor: Virgil Widrich) Andrew Champlin: Technique Concerns: Ballet Practice Against the Western Archive (Supervisors: Ruth Anderwald + Leonhard Grond) George Demir: Ancestral Junctures: on the expansion of ancestral mythologies (Supervisor: Hans Schabus) Cristiana de Marchi: Casting a shadow. On disappearance, emptiness and the haunting power of absence (Supervisor: Judith Eisler) Jošt Franko: The Migrating Image (Supervisor: Gerhild Steinbuch) Barbara Graf: Stitches and Sutures (Supervisor: Barbara Putz-Plecko) Joseph Leung: Post-digital Angst – An Arts-Based Research on the Manifestations of Angst in the Digital Milieu (Supervisor: Gabriele Rothemann) Conny Zenk: RAD Performance – Driving Voices of Resistance (Supervisor: Ruth Schnell) Feel free to zoom in on each poster for ensured readability.

News from the European Journal of Therapeutics: A new issue and a new editorial board

News from the European Journal of Therapeutics: A new issue and a new editorial board

Strengthening Digital Transformation and Innovation in the Health Care System: Protocol for the Design and Implementation of a Multidisciplinary National Health Innovation Research School.

Digital health technologies have the potential to transform health care services to be more cost-effective, coordinated, and accessible on equal terms for entire populations. In the future, people will be assisted by such technologies to monitor their health status, take preventive measures, and have more control of their health situation. An increase in digital supplementation or substitution of physical care visits can potentially add value to patients and care providers by increasing accessibility, safety, and quality of care. However, health care organizations struggle with the challenges of developing and implementing digital health technologies and services in practice. As a response to this, we have developed a national multidisciplinary research school to increase competence and capacity for research on the development, implementation, and dissemination of digital health technology solutions. The overall aim of the research school is to increase national competence and capacity for the development, implementation, and dissemination of digital health technology to increase the preparedness to support and facilitate the ongoing digital transformation in the health care system. The purpose of this paper is to outline the protocol for the development and implementation of a national multidisciplinary doctoral education program of health innovation supporting digital transformation in the health care system. A national multidisciplinary research school for health innovation was planned in collaboration between 7 Swedish universities and their partners from industry and the public sector. The research school will run over 6 years, of which 5 years are dedicated for the doctoral education program and 1 year for the project start-up and closing. In this paper, we outline the methodological approach of the research school; the combining of knowledge and expertise of the universities that are important to run the research school; the jointly formulated research-oriented and societally relevant research focus, goals, and objectives for the research school; the established and developed relationships with partners from industry and the public sector for joint research training projects; the forms of collaboration in the research school; and the format of the doctoral education process. The research school was funded in December 2021 and started in March 2022. The research school starts with an initiation period from March 2022 to December 2022 where the infrastructure and the action plans to run the school are set up. The PhD projects start in January 2023, and these projects will be completed in 5 years. Additional activities within the research program are doctoral courses, networking activities, and dissemination of results. The network of several partners from industry, public sector, and academia enables the research school to pose research questions that can contribute to solving relevant societal problems related to the development, evaluation, implementation, and dissemination of methods and processes assisted by digital technologies. Ultimately, this will promote innovation to improve health outcomes, quality of care, and prioritizations of resources. PRR1-10.2196/46595.

Money makes our world go round – funding landscape for polar early-career scientists in Germany

Abstract. A lot of things in life need money and so does polar science: money is needed to participate in conferences, undertake fieldwork campaigns or pay for salaries, such as in PhD projects or permanent research positions. To give an overview on the general funding landscape for polar early-career scientists in Germany, APECS Germany (the German National Committee of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists, APECS) has started to host a list of grant, fellowship and other funding opportunities at https://apecs-germany.de/funding/ (last access: 15 October 2022). This is visualized in Fig. 1. Once a suitable funding scheme has been found, grant writing requires good preparation, a well-structured and written proposal, and several back-up plans.

Embedding research codesign knowledge and practice: Learnings from researchers in a new research institute in Australia

BackgroundResearch codesign is generally defined as end-users’ involvement in planning, implementation, and evaluation of projects. Recently, there has been a growing interest in codesign to maximise research acceptability, applicability, and impact and to address longstanding issues around power and depth of involvement. Frameworks have been developed to assist in understanding research codesign processes at a project level. However, little is known about how university based researchers construct or adopt a coherent approach to sustain research codesign in governance, methodological approaches, and practice. This study investigated the perspectives of researchers within a newly formed research institute about principles and practices of research codesign in the context of their previous and current projects. We also investigated their perceptions of institution-level enablers and barriers to codesign. University based researchers are our primary focus here and we intend to consult other stakeholders in future work.MethodsUsing an interview guide informed by exploratory work and a scoping review of the literature, we conducted 15 individual interviews with Caring Futures Institute (CFI) leaders and researchers at different career stages working across multiple areas of health, care, and social research. Qualitative thematic analysis was conducted.ResultsThe researchers we interviewed were involved in projects ranging from large nationally funded projects to small studies funded by the university or PhD projects. Research codesign activities were generally part of larger researcher-led projects but there were a few examples of community-led projects. There was agreement amongst participants on the principles and perceived benefits of research codesign such as partnership, co-learning, and power sharing. Less agreement was found regarding the definition of research codesign and best terminology to be used. Themes reflecting the success of research codesign included pre-existing community relationships, communication skills, knowledge, and training on codesign, balancing power relationships, use of external facilitators, and adequacy of funding, time, and resources.ConclusionsThe study reaffirmed the complexity of research codesign from researchers’ perspectives and identified areas of potential action that may be beneficial for university based research institutions in building codesign skills, capacity and culture for example training, peer learning and funding support. Implications for practice improvement centre on a dual strategy of building practical capacity in researchers and integrating institutional dimensions (such as governance and leadership) into codesign frameworks. This can help to ensure research codesign is integrated into organisational culture and through the work of individual researchers.

Climate-induced migrant's hopeful journey toward security: Pushing the boundaries of gendered vulnerability and adaptability in Bangladesh

Every year 10,000 climate-induced migrants in Bangladesh leave their homes seeking safer locations away from the climate-induced disasters they have experienced. They commonly migrate to nearby urban areas or the capital city after losing their livelihoods in their place of origin. However, the unplanned urbanization, limited capacities of urban infrastructures, service sector deficiencies, man-made disasters, and other social vulnerabilities further push these migrants into an (in)secure state. Hopes of security and capacity to adapt in their new homes can be impacted by the patriarchal society where gender is often associated with unequal social relations and hierarchies. These might extend from every day to long term (in)security. This study draws on qualitative data collected as part of research conducted for two PhD projects. In both cases, climate-induced migrants were forced to migrate from their places of origin due to sea level rise, river erosion, and soil salinity to Dhaka (capital city) and Coxes Bazar (coastal city) of Bangladesh. In this context, are their adaptive capacities influenced by gender relations? How are these adaptive capacities shaped through different institutions? And, how can these adaptive actions improve/strengthen human security? Gendered power relations are the main analytical framework for this paper as power is an influential factor to shape adaptive capabilities. It argues that (in)security, as an outcome of unsustainable adaptability, further pushes climate-induced migrants in vulnerable conditions in their newly settled urban areas. The vulnerability, capacity to adapt, and (in)security are gendered. This will contribute to understand for whom, where, and how the exclusive adaptative initiatives would further place the climate-induced migrants in vulnerable and (in)secure conditions in their newly settled areas.

A Journey Into the Unknown: PhD Students in a European Training Network on Age-related Changes in Hematopoiesis Conduct Their Project During a Global Pandemic

A Journey Into the Unknown: PhD Students in a European Training Network on Age-related Changes in Hematopoiesis Conduct Their Project During a Global Pandemic