Research Practice Research Articles

Bringing gut microbiota into the spotlight of clinical research and medical practice

Despite the increasing scientific interest and expanding role of gut microbiota (GM) in human health, it is rarely reported in case reports and deployed in clinical practice. Proteins and metabolites produced by microbiota contribute to immune system development, energy homeostasis and digestion. Exo- and endogenous factors can alter its composition. Disturbance of microbiota, also known as dysbiosis, is associated with various pathological conditions. Specific bacterial taxa and related metabolites are involved in disease pathogenesis and therefore can serve as a diagnostic tool. GM could also be a useful prognostic factor by predicting future disease onset and preventing hospital-associated infections. Additionally, it can influence response to treatments, including those for cancers, by altering drug bioavailability. A thorough understanding of its function has permitted significant development in therapeutics, such as probiotics and fecal transplantation. Hence, GM should be considered as a ground-breaking biological parameter, and it is advisable to be investigated and reported in literature in a more consistent and systematic way.

Research outcomes informing the selection of public health interventions and strategies to implement them: A cross-sectional survey of Australian policy-maker and practitioner preferences

BackgroundA key role of public health policy-makers and practitioners is to ensure beneficial interventions are implemented effectively enough to yield improvements in public health. The use of evidence to guide public health decision-making to achieve this is recommended. However, few studies have examined the relative value, as reported by policy-makers and practitioners, of different broad research outcomes (that is, measures of cost, acceptability, and effectiveness). To guide the conduct of research and better inform public health policy and practice, this study aimed at describing the research outcomes that Australian policy-makers and practitioners consider important for their decision-making when selecting: (a) public health interventions; (b) strategies to support their implementation; and (c) to assess the differences in research outcome preferences between policy-makers and practitioners.MethodAn online value-weighting survey was conducted with Australian public health policy-makers and practitioners working in the field of non-communicable disease prevention. Participants were presented with a list of research outcomes and were asked to select up to five they considered most critical to their decision-making. They then allocated 100 points across these – allocating more points to outcomes perceived as more important. Outcome lists were derived from a review and consolidation of evaluation and outcome frameworks in the fields of public health knowledge translation and implementation. We used descriptive statistics to report relative preferences overall and for policy-makers and practitioners separately.ResultsOf the 186 participants; 90 primarily identified as policy-makers and 96 as public health prevention practitioners. Overall, research outcomes of effectiveness, equity, feasibility, and sustainability were identified as the four most important outcomes when considering either interventions or strategies to implement them. Scores were similar for most outcomes between policy-makers and practitioners.ConclusionFor Australian policy-makers and practitioners working in the field of non-communicable disease prevention, outcomes related to effectiveness, equity, feasibility, and sustainability appear particularly important to their decisions about the interventions they select and the strategies they employ to implement them. The findings suggest researchers should seek to meet these information needs and prioritize the inclusion of such outcomes in their research and dissemination activities. The extent to which these outcomes are critical to informing the decision of policy-makers and practitioners working in other jurisdictions or contexts warrants further investigation.

Unused, expired pharmaceuticals and their disposal practices among the general public in Burdur-Türkiye: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundUnused pharmaceuticals are currently a public health problem. This study aimed to identify unused pharmaceuticals, research practices about the disposal methods, classify the medicines according to Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical codes (ATC) and, to determine the number of unused medicines.MethodsThe study was designed as a cross-sectional study. Data were collected between April and August 2023 in Burdur-Türkiye by non-probability sampling technique (convenience method). Pharmaceuticals were classified according to ATC. Statistical Package for Social Science SPSS (V.24) package program was used for data analysis.ResultsA total of 1120 people, 1005 in the first sample group and 115 in the second sample group, participated in the study. Findings of first sample group: A total of 4097 boxes of unused pharmaceuticals (4.7 ± 4.3 boxes/per capita) were detected. It was found that pharmaceuticals were stored in areas such as kitchens (59.1%) and refrigerators (38.6%), the reason for keeping them was reuse (41%), and the disposal practice was household garbage (81%). Paracetamol (648 boxes), Other cold preparation (303 boxes), Dexketoprofen (239 boxes), Diclofenac (218 boxes), Amoxicillin and beta-lactamase inhibitor (190 boxes) were found to be the most frequently unused pharmaceuticals. Using the unused medicines at home without consulting a physician was 94.1% (self-medication). Findings of second sample group: Of the 6189 dosage forms in 265 boxes pharmaceutical, 3132(50.6%) dosage forms were used and 3057(49.4%) were found to be unused.ConclusionThere is a significant amount and number of unused medicines in households, and self-medication is common. Medicines are not properly disposed of and some of them expire. Public information is needed. A “drug take-back system” for unused medicines can be useful in solving this problem.

A Critique of Supervisory Practices of Doctoral Student Research in Emerging Higher Education Context, Botswana

The science community in Botswana holds a broad consensus that not enough quality PhDs are being produced to meet the needs of societal developments in the country. There appears to be a connection between the level of knowledge advancement of a nation and its economic wealth. The role of supervision in the quest for a leap towards quality and quantity knowledge output therefore, cannot be overemphasised. This paper provides a critique of supervisory practices of doctoral student research in emerging higher education context of Botswana. The study adopted a desk top research methodology which focused on a scoping view of studies related to the phenomenon of study. The areas interrogated included the initial stage of student recruitment and selection, allocation of supervisors, proposal development, and management environment for research, implementation of the proposal, and document compilation for examination.

INTERDISCIPLINARY DICTIONARY: MEETING OF HUMAN PHILOSOPHY AND CULTURE WITH PSYCHOLOGY

Relevance. The authors present the encyclopedic edition of 2022 - an interdisciplinary dictionary that intersects research fields and methodological approaches of a number of humanities. In this case, such sciences are philosophical anthropology, philosophy of culture and cultural studies, as well as psychology. Methodology. The basic heuristics of the categorical analysis of the concepts and philosophical practices presented in the dictionary is the author's original metaanthropological approach, which involves a level interpretation of the phenomenology of existing and new terms and techniques of working with the client. Among the main ones, the dictionary includes such terms as "psyche", "psychoanalysis", "philosophical psychoanalysis", "androgynous analysis", "philosophical art therapy", "aphorism therapy", etc. Results. In the context of psychological understanding, the reader may be most interested in dictionary articles devoted to philosophical psychoanalysis and androgynous analysis. The term "philosophical psychoanalysis" describes the modern domestic direction of psychoanalysis, which developed thanks to the efforts of the authors based on the original methodology of philosophical anthropology as meta anthropology. Its essence consists in the specialist's organization during psychotherapeutic work of a special psycho developmental practice of a consistent transition of the client from the everyday worldview to the personal one and further - from the personal one to the philosophical one, which actualizes constructive material changes in a person. From the standpoint of metaanthropological vision, the text also presents the understanding of human immortality and beauty and the practice of androgynous analysis. Androgynous analysis (from the Greek Andros – man, gin – woman) is the theory and practice of research and deep correction of the existence of the individual and relationships between people through the use of the strategy of interaction of the existential dimensions of masculinity and femininity as spirituality and spirituality.

Some Positive Trends in the Development of University Science in Russia at the Present Time

The development of university science is one of the state policy priorities in Russia today. To determine this process prospects, it is important to identify positive trends and best practices of leading Russian universities scientific activity. For this purpose, the article considers the organizational features and sources of university science funding, analyzes the main indicators of research performance and practices of research policy implementation, summarizes the scientific achievements of leading Russian universities. The article uses the methods of universities monitoring activities statistical analysis and substantive analysis of information about the universities` scientific activities posted in open sources. The conclusions are drawn about the formation in Russia leading universities group with a stable priority of research activities, the core of which is formed by leading technical sectoral universities and regional polytechnic universities, the practices of science organization and the main scientific achievements of which can significantly influence the further development of domestic university science, as well as the world scientific knowledge expansion and Russian society socio-economic development issues solution.

The Next, Next-Generation of Sequencing, Promising to Boost Research and Clinical Practice.

The Next, Next-Generation of Sequencing, Promising to Boost Research and Clinical Practice.

Decolonising research and folk media: a methodology for Exploring narratives of HIV and AIDS in rural Malawi

ABSTRACT Background In Malawi, well-meaning HIV and AIDS interventions imagined in the “Global North” continue to ignore how local people construct the world. This paper explores how folk media can be used to enable research on HIV and AIDS to be positioned within localised cultural paradigms. Methods Drawing on Chewa epistemology, I used folk media methods supported by participant observation. The research was conducted in three phases over 15 days in two rural communities and captured the workshop processes, participants’ process reviews, verbal journals and creative outputs through pictures, audio and video recordings, field notes and reflections. Data was analysed thematically. Finding Folk media can be used to structure research, to facilitate a conducive environment for research practice, as data and as a method for the generation of data/knowledge. Conclusions Folk media can be a strong, replicable, culturally grounded, decolonizing research methodology that promotes collaboration and the deconstruction of power relations.

Palliative Care Research and Clinical Practice Priorities in the United States as Identified by an Interdisciplinary Modified Delphi Approach.

Background: Palliative care demands in the United States are growing amid a comparatively small workforce of palliative care clinicians and researchers. Therefore, determining research and clinical practice priorities is essential for streamlining initiatives to advance palliative care science and practice. Objectives: To identify and rank palliative care research and clinical practice priority areas through expert consensus. Design: Using a modified Delphi method, U.S. palliative care experts identified and ranked priority areas in palliative care research and clinical practice. Priorities were thematically grouped and analyzed for topic content and frequency; univariate analysis used the median of each priority item ranking, with a cutoff median of ≤8 indicating >76% agreement for an item's ranking. Results: In total, 27 interdisciplinary pediatric and adult palliative care experts representing 19 different academic institutions and medical centers participated in the preliminary survey and the first Delphi round, and 22 participated in the second Delphi round. The preliminary survey generated 78 initial topics, which were developed into 22 priority areas during the consensus meeting. The top five priorities were (1) access to palliative care, (2) equity in palliative care, (3) adequate financing of palliative care, (4) provision of palliative care in primary care settings, and (5) palliative care workforce challenges. Conclusions: These expert-identified priority areas provide guidance for researchers and practitioners to develop innovative models, policies, and interventions, thereby enriching the quality of life for those requiring palliative care services.

Case report: Rapidly progressive desmoid tumor after surgery for esophagogastric junction cancer and slowly progressive primary desmoid tumor: a report of two cases and literature review

BackgroundDesmoid tumor (DT) is a rare locally aggressive but non-metastatic mesenchymal soft tissue neoplasm that predominantly occurs in the abdominal wall, abdominal cavity, and extremities. Its occurrence in the mesentery is relatively uncommon.Case reportsThis article reports two cases of desmoid tumor treated at the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Weifang People’s Hospital. The first case was a 59-year-old male patient who had previously undergone surgery for esophagogastric junction cancer. Postoperatively, he developed an intra-abdominal mass that rapidly increased in size within three months. The second case was a 60-year-old male patient who incidentally discovered a mass in the left lower abdomen. Both patients underwent surgical treatment, and the postoperative pathological diagnosis was mesenteric desmoid tumor.ConclusionThe treatment of desmoid tumor remains challenging. Simple surgical resection often yields unsatisfactory outcomes, and the efficacy of adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy is also limited. Further research and clinical practice are necessary to improve diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, aiming to enhance patient survival and quality of life.

The future of dynamic networks in research and clinical practice.

The future of dynamic networks in research and clinical practice.

Values, bias and replicability

The Value-free ideal of science (VFI) is a view that claims that scientists should not use non-epistemic values when they are justifying their hypotheses, and is widely considered to be obsolete in the philosophy of science. I will defend the ideal by demonstrating that acceptance of non-epistemic values, prohibited by VFI, necessitates legitimizing certain problematic scientific practices. Such practices, including biased methodological decisions or Questionable Research Practices (QRP), significantly contribute to the Replication Crisis. I will argue that the realizability of VFI is not a necessary condition for its validity. Then, I will show how some of the prominent proposals of value-laden science legitimize problematic scientific practices, provide real-world examples, and generalize the argument. Finally, I will show how value-laden methodological decisions contribute to the Replicability Crisis and discuss two strategies for realizing VFI.

Teachers’ engagement in online professional development—The interplay of online professional development quality and teacher motivation

AbstractEffective online teacher professional development (OPD) is crucial to support teachers. The effectiveness of OPD depends on teachers’ engagement. According to offer-use models, teachers’ engagement in OPD relates to the OPD quality and teachers’ motivation to learn. However, whereas OPD activities have increased in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, findings on the importance of OPD quality and teachers’ motivation to learn for teachers’ engagement in OPD are scarce. We analyzed data from N = 593 teachers participating in 61 OPD courses. The predictive power of perceived OPD quality (i.e., clarity and structure, practical relevance, cognitive activation, and collaboration) and teachers’ motivation to learn for their behavioral, affective, and cognitive engagement during OPD were examined using structural equation modeling. We used latent moderated structural equations to gain insights into the interaction effects between OPD quality and teachers’ motivation. Our findings indicate that OPD quality positively predicted teachers’ OPD engagement. When controlling for OPD quality, teachers’ motivation to learn also predicted teachers’ behavioral and cognitive engagement but not their affective engagement. The findings on the interactions between OPD quality and teachers’ motivation demonstrated that for the different facets of teachers’ OPD engagement, different OPD quality characteristics could compensate for low teacher motivation to learn. For instance, for behavioral engagement, opportunities for collaboration can compensate for low motivation. Implications for practice (e.g., ensuring high-quality OPD) and future directions in research (e.g., conducting longitudinal studies) in the field of OPD are discussed.

The biobehavioural pain and movement questionnaire (BioPMovQ): development and psychometric validation of a new questionnaire

ObjectiveThe purpose of this research was to design and psychometrically validate a new instrument (the Biobehavioural Pain and Movement Questionnaire/BioPMovQ), which assesses the relationship between pain and various factors related to motor behaviour from a biobehavioural perspective.MethodsA mixed-method design combining a qualitative study with an observational and cross-sectional study was employed to develop (content validity) and psychometrically validate (construct validity, reliability and concurrent/discriminant validity) a new instrument. A total of 200 patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain were recruited.ResultsAccording to the exploratory factor analysis, the final version of the BioPMovQ consists of 16 items distributed across 4 subscales (1, disability, 2, self-efficacy for physical activity; 3, movement avoidance behaviours; and 4, self-perceived functional ability), all with an eigen value greater than 1, explaining 55.79% of the variance. The BioPMovQ showed high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.82; McDonald’s ω = 0.83). The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.86 (95% confidence interval 0.76 to 0.91), which was considered to demonstrate excellent test–retest reliability. The standard error of measurement and minimal detectable change were 3.43 and 8.04 points, respectively. No floor or ceiling effects were identified. There was a positive, significant and moderate magnitude correlation with the Graded Chronic Pain Scale (r = 0.54), kinesiophobia (r = 0.60), pain catastrophising (r = 0.44) and chronic pain self-efficacy (r = −0.31).ConclusionThe BioPMovQ showed good psychometric properties. Based on the findings of this study, the BioPMovQ can be used in research and clinical practice to assess patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.

Physics Education for Special Needs Students: A Descriptive Analysis

This essay examines the difficulties and possibilities involved in teaching physics to students with special needs. It talks about how important it is for physics courses to use inclusive pedagogies and teaching practices that are designed to meet the different needs of their students. The study looks at different strategies for modifying physics curricula, instructional strategies, and assessment procedures to fit the needs of students with special needs. It does this by reviewing relevant literature and doing empirical research. It draws attention to how important collaborative learning settings, assistive technology, and customized instruction are to ensuring that all students have equitable access to physics education. The report also addresses how professional development and teacher training might improve teachers' ability to successfully support students with exceptional needs. It highlights how crucial it is to promote policies and cultivate an inclusive culture across physics education communities. This study attempts to provide guidance and insights for educators, policymakers, and stakeholders trying to establish inclusive and supportive learning environments for children with special needs in physics education by combining current research and best practices. It emphasizes how important it is to acknowledge and recognize each learner's unique talents and abilities in order to support their engagement, success, and mastery of physics.

Deciphering male influence in gynogenetic Pengze crucian carp (Carassius auratus var. pengsenensis): insights from Nanopore sequencing of structural variations

In this study, we investigate gynogenetic reproduction in Pengze Crucian Carp (Carassius auratus var. pengsenensis) using third-generation Nanopore sequencing to uncover structural variations (SVs) in offspring. Our objective was to understand the role of male genetic material in gynogenesis by examining the genomes of both parents and their offspring. We discovered a notable number of male-specific structural variations (MSSVs): 1,195 to 1,709 MSSVs in homologous offspring, accounting for approximately 0.52%–0.60% of their detected SVs, and 236 to 350 MSSVs in heterologous offspring, making up about 0.10%–0.13%. These results highlight the significant influence of male genetic material on the genetic composition of offspring, particularly in homologous pairs, challenging the traditional view of asexual reproduction. The gene annotation of MSSVs revealed their presence in critical gene regions, indicating potential functional impacts. Specifically, we found 5 MSSVs in the exonic regions of protein-coding genes in homologous offspring, suggesting possible direct effects on protein structure and function. Validation of an MSSV in the exonic region of the polyunsaturated fatty acid 5-lipoxygenase gene confirmed male genetic material transmission in some offspring. This study underscores the importance of further research on the genetic diversity and gynogenesis mechanisms, providing valuable insights for reproductive biology, aquaculture, and fostering innovation in biological research and aquaculture practices.

A comprehensive investigation of clustering algorithms for User and Entity Behavior Analytics

IntroductionGovernment agencies are now encouraging industries to enhance their security systems to detect and respond proactively to cybersecurity incidents. Consequently, equipping with a security operation center that combines the analytical capabilities of human experts with systems based on Machine Learning (ML) plays a critical role. In this setting, Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platforms can effectively handle network-related events to trigger cybersecurity alerts. Furthermore, a SIEM may include a User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) engine that examines the behavior of both users and devices, or entities, within a corporate network.MethodsIn recent literature, several contributions have employed ML algorithms for UEBA, especially those based on the unsupervised learning paradigm, because anomalous behaviors are usually not known in advance. However, to shorten the gap between research advances and practice, it is necessary to comprehensively analyze the effectiveness of these methodologies. This paper proposes a thorough investigation of traditional and emerging clustering algorithms for UEBA, considering multiple application contexts, i.e., different user-entity interaction scenarios.Results and discussionOur study involves three datasets sourced from the existing literature and fifteen clustering algorithms. Among the compared techniques, HDBSCAN and DenMune showed promising performance on the state-of-the-art CERT behavior-related dataset, producing groups with a density very close to the number of users.

Policy impacts in dynamic relation to food, income, learning and security: COVID-19 lockdowns in a Nigerian Agrarian Community

AbstractWhose Crisis? The Global COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of communities in Africa is an international research project that aims to investigate and represent the diverse experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic from those marginalized by mainstream media and policy influence. This article focuses on the multidimensional effects of the generalized lockdown policy in an agrarian community in Nigeria. The project engaged participatory and culturally responsive adaptations of qualitative methods including participatory engagement and individual and group discussions with purposively selected community members. This relational research practice is supported by a Systems Thinking approach to data analysis. In particular, a Causal Loop Diagram (CLD) is used to analyse and visually present the relationships between various elements (variables) of the research context (the system). This study reveals the interrelated effects of the COVID-19 prompted generalised lockdown policies on livelihoods, education, health, and security in rural Nigeria. Although the lockdown policy was intended to curtail the impact of COVID-19, it had severe unintended consequences, exposing weaknesses in the social support system and threatening the foundations of the agrarian community of this study. This article culminates in recommendations for participatory and culturally responsive approaches to future policy formulation.

Research breakdowns: A constructive critique of research practice involving grief, trauma and displaced people

Research breakdowns: A constructive critique of research practice involving grief, trauma and displaced people

Metabarcoding advances agricultural invertebrate biomonitoring by enhancing resolution, increasing throughput and facilitating network inference

Abstract Biomonitoring of agriculturally important insects is increasingly vital given our need to understand: (a) the severity of impacts by pests and pathogens on crop yield and health and (b) the impact of environmental change and land management on insects, in line with sustainable development and global conservation targets. Traditional entomological traps remain an important part of the biomonitoring toolbox, but sample processing is laborious and introduces latency, and accuracy can be variable. The integration of molecular techniques such as environmental DNA and DNA metabarcoding into insect biomonitoring has gained increasing attention, but the advantages of doing so, the kind of data this can generate, and how easily and effectively molecular analyses can be integrated with the diverse types of entomological traps currently used remains relatively unclear. In this review, we examine how combining DNA metabarcoding with a range of conventional and unconventional entomological sampling techniques can advance biomonitoring in a way that is useful to researchers and practitioners. We highlight some of the key challenges and how to mitigate them, using examples of its integration with different sampling methods from the literature (e.g., interception, pitfall and sticky traps) to demonstrate efficacy and suitability. We discuss how metabarcoding data can be used to infer ecological networks, emphasizing the importance of this as a framework for understanding species interactions and ecosystem functioning for more effective and descriptive biomonitoring. Finally, future advances in biomonitoring are highlighted, alongside recommendations of best practice for researchers both new to and experienced in invertebrate biomonitoring with metabarcoding.