Scientific Community Research Articles

Prototyping a wearable and stretchable graphene-on-PDMS sensor for strain detection on human body physiological and joint movements.

In the era of wearable electronic devices, which are quite popular nowadays, our research is focused on flexible as well as stretchable strain sensors, which are gaining humongous popularity because of recent advances in nanocomposites and their microstructures. Sensors that are stretchable and flexible based on graphene can be a prospective 'gateway' over the considerable biomedical speciality. The scientific community still faces a great problem in developing versatile and user-friendly graphene-based wearable strain sensors that satisfy the prerequisites of susceptible, ample range of sensing, and recoverable structural deformations. In this paper, we report the fabrication, development, detailed experimental analysis and electronic interfacing of a robust but simple PDMS/graphene/PDMS (PGP) multilayer strain sensor by drop casting conductive graphene ink as the sensing material onto a PDMS substrate. Electrochemical exfoliation of graphite leads to the production of abundant, fast and economical graphene. The PGP sensor selective to strain has a broad strain range of ⁓60%, with a maximum gauge factor of 850, detection of human physiological motion and personalized health monitoring, and the versatility to detect stretching with great sensitivity, recovery and repeatability. Additionally, recoverable structural deformation is demonstrated by the PGP strain sensors, and the sensor response is quite rapid for various ranges of frequency disturbances. The structural designation of graphene's overlap and crack structure is responsible for the resistance variations that give rise to the remarkable strain detection properties of this sensor. The comprehensive detection of resistance change resulting from different human body joints and physiological movements demonstrates that the PGP strain sensor is an effective choice for advanced biomedical and therapeutic electronic device utility.

Musculoskeletal disorders and risk indicators for pain chronification among German dentists: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal (MS) disorders in practicing German dentists and identify risk factors for pain chronification. MethodsThis was a cross-sectional, quantitative, questionnaire-based study in which the validated German version of the Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Questionnaire was sent out to practicing German dentists. ResultsOf the 8,072 questionnaires sent out, 576 dentists responded (60.2% men, 39.8% women; mean [SD] age, 50 [10.1] years; response rate, 7.1%). Overall, 344 dentists had current pain at 719 pain sites (point prevalence, 59.7%). The risk of chronic pain in dentists with current MS pain was high in 28.5% (n = 98), moderate in 30.5% (n = 105), and low in 41% (n = 141). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that specialization in restorative dentistry was associated with a significantly higher risk of experiencing pain chronification (odds ratio [OR], 3.94; P = .008), followed by specialization in pediatric dentistry (OR, 0.35; P = .048). A history of current pain, particularly current leg pain, was predictive of higher chronification risk (OR, 22.0; P < .001) and neck pain (OR, 4.51; P = .001). ConclusionsAlmost two-thirds of practicing German dentists have MS pain, and one-third of these have a moderate through high risk of developing pain chronification. These health problems have an adverse impact on their ability to successfully perform dental services, with the potential for prolonged sick leave, disability, and early retirement. Accordingly, these problems deserve greater attention from the scientific community (identification of risk factors), universities (sensitization and education), and policy makers (development and implementation of appropriate countermeasures for MS disorders in the dental profession). Practical ImplicationsKnowing the risk factors associated with acute and chronic MS pain may help dentists take preventive measures and thereby improve their physical well-being and work-related quality of life.

Smart traffic management of vehicles using faster R-CNN based deep learning method

With constant growth of civilization and modernization of cities all across the world since past few centuries smart traffic management of vehicles is one of the most sorted after problem by research community. Smart traffic management basically involves segmentation of vehicles, estimation of traffic density and tracking of vehicles. The vehicle segmentation from videos helps realization of niche applications such as monitoring of speed and estimation of traffic. When occlusions, background with clutters and traffic with density variations, this problem becomes more intractable in nature. Keeping this motivation in this research work, we investigate Faster R-CNN based deep learning method towards segmentation of vehicles. This problem is addressed in four steps viz minimization with adaptive background model, Faster R-CNN based subnet operation, Faster R-CNN initial refinement and result optimization with extended topological active nets. The computational framework uses adaptive background modeling. It also addresses shadow and illumination issues. Higher segmentation accuracy is achieved through topological active net deformable models. The topological and extended topological active nets help to achieve stated deformations. Mesh deformation is achieved with minimization of energy. The segmentation accuracy is improved with modified version of extended topological active net. The experimental results demonstrate superiority of this framework with respect to other methods.

Anthropogenic particle abundance and characteristics in seawater and intertidal sediments of the Tonkin Bay Coast (North Vietnam).

Microplastics (MPs, plastic items from 1µm to 5mm in size) are present in all environmental compartments. The evaluation of their concentration, fate, and spatial distribution is still a challenge for the scientific community. This concern is just debuting in developing countries, (i.e., Asia, South America, and Africa). This study deals with the MP contamination in the abiotic marine compartments of Northern Vietnam: seawater and intertidal sediments. Four sites located in the intertidal zone or near the coastline in Tonkin Bay, Vietnam were studied. A total of 16 samples (eight for each compartment) were collected in July 2020 (rainy season) and January 2021 (dry season). Anthropogenic particles (total observed fibers and fragments) were found at levels ranging from 3 to 303 particles/m3 in seawater and from 63 to 955 particles/kg dry weight in sediments. Most of these were fibers less than 300-µm long. Higher levels of seawater at the Nam Dinh site were found in the rainy season compared to the dry one. As the river flow was estimated six times higher during the rainy season than during the dry season, these results suggest the river discharge is a potential source of contamination for the coastal zone. The temporal variability was lower for the sediments than for the seawater, suggesting the long-term integration of the anthropogenic particles in this compartment. A small portion of sorted particles were analyzed by µFTIR (8.35%), and this sub-sample was only composed of fragments. Still, fragments were mostly composed of polypropylene (PP, 82%), polyethylene (PE, 9%), and polystyrene (PS, 9%). The fragment size was similar in the two studied compartments, but it was dependent on polymer types since PS fragments (140 ± 17µm) were smaller than those made of PE (622 ± 123µm) and PP (869 ± 905µm). Future works should investigate the smallest fraction of MP (even nanoplastics) as well as find solutions in order to mitigate MP contamination in the marine environment.

Teaching transposon classification as a means to crowd source the curation of repeat annotation – a tardigrade perspective

BackgroundThe advancement of sequencing technologies results in the rapid release of hundreds of new genome assemblies a year providing unprecedented resources for the study of genome evolution. Within this context, the significance of in-depth analyses of repetitive elements, transposable elements (TEs) in particular, is increasingly recognized in understanding genome evolution. Despite the plethora of available bioinformatic tools for identifying and annotating TEs, the phylogenetic distance of the target species from a curated and classified database of repetitive element sequences constrains any automated annotation effort. Moreover, manual curation of raw repeat libraries is deemed essential due to the frequent incompleteness of automatically generated consensus sequences.ResultsHere, we present an example of a crowd-sourcing effort aimed at curating and annotating TE libraries of two non-model species built around a collaborative, peer-reviewed teaching process. Manual curation and classification are time-consuming processes that offer limited short-term academic rewards and are typically confined to a few research groups where methods are taught through hands-on experience. Crowd-sourcing efforts could therefore offer a significant opportunity to bridge the gap between learning the methods of curation effectively and empowering the scientific community with high-quality, reusable repeat libraries.ConclusionsThe collaborative manual curation of TEs from two tardigrade species, for which there were no TE libraries available, resulted in the successful characterization of hundreds of new and diverse TEs in a reasonable time frame. Our crowd-sourcing setting can be used as a teaching reference guide for similar projects: A hidden treasure awaits discovery within non-model organisms.

Sharing insect data through GBIF: novel monitoring methods, opportunities and standards.

Technological advancements in biological monitoring have facilitated the study of insect communities at unprecedented spatial scales. The progress allows more comprehensive coverage of the diversity within a given area while minimizing disturbance and reducing the need for extensive human labour. Compared with traditional methods, these novel technologies offer the opportunity to examine biological patterns that were previously beyond our reach. However, to address the pressing scientific inquiries of the future, data must be easily accessible, interoperable and reusable for the global research community. Biodiversity information standards and platforms provide the necessary infrastructure to standardize and share biodiversity data. This paper explores the possibilities and prerequisites of publishing insect data obtained through novel monitoring methods through GBIF, the most comprehensive global biodiversity data infrastructure. We describe the essential components of metadata standards and existing data standards for occurrence data on insects, including data extensions. By addressing the current opportunities, limitations, and future development of GBIF's publishing framework, we hope to encourage researchers to both share data and contribute to the further development of biodiversity data standards and publishing models. Wider commitments to open data initiatives will promote data interoperability and support cross-disciplinary scientific research and key policy indicators. This article is part of the theme issue 'Towards a toolkit for global insect biodiversity monitoring'.

Enhanced Elastocaloric Effects in γ-Graphyne.

The global emphasis on sustainable technologies has become a paramount concern for nations worldwide. Specifically, numerous sustainable methods are being explored as promising alternatives to the well-established vapor-compression technologies in cooling and heating devices. One such avenue gaining traction within the scientific community is the elastocaloric (eC) effect. This phenomenon holds promise for efficient cooling and heating processes without causing environmental harm. Studies carried out at the nanoscale have demonstrated the efficiency of the eC effect, proving to be comparable to that of state-of-the-art macroscopic systems. In this study, we used classical molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the elastocaloric effect for the recently synthesized γ-graphyne. Our analysis goes beyond obtaining changes in eC temperature and the coefficient of performance (COP) for two species of γ-graphyne nanoribbons (armchair and zigzag). We also explore their dependence on various conditions, including whether they are deposited on a substrate or prestrained. Our findings reveal a substantial enhancement in the elastocaloric effect for γ-graphyne nanoribbons when subjected to prestrain, amplifying it by at least 1 order of magnitude. Under certain conditions, the changes in the eC temperature and the COP of the structures reach expressive values as high as 224 K and 14, respectively. We discuss the implications of these results by examining the shape and behavior of the carbon-carbon bond lengths within the structures.

Employing consumer knowledge to protect consumer rights

The research aims to measure the level of connection and impact of consumer knowledge in protecting consumer rights, and the sample consisted of (275) consumers in five markets (large retail markets in Baghdad) as they represent the research community of consumers who go to the markets to buy products. The data and hypotheses were analyzed and tested using appropriate statistical tools, including the arithmetic mean and standard deviation to measure the level of descriptive responses of the research sample, correlation coefficients (Pearson) to test the relationships between the research variables, and the simple and multiple linear regression equation to test the effect. The results showed the validity of the research hypotheses, and concluded with a number of Conclusions and recommendations.

Exploring the understanding of reproducibility among stakeholders within academia and their expectations for a web-based education tool: A qualitative study

ABSTRACT Although reproducibility is central to the scientific method, its understanding within the research community remains insufficient. We aimed to explore the perceptions of research reproducibility among stakeholders within academia, learn about possible barriers and facilitators to reproducibility-related practices, and gather their suggestions for the Croatian Reproducibility Network website. We conducted four focus groups with researchers, teachers, editors, research managers, and policymakers from Croatia (n = 23). The participants observed a lack of consensus on the core definitions of reproducibility, both generally and between disciplines. They noted that incentivization and recognition of reproducibility-related practices from publishers and institutions, alongside comprehensive education adapted to the researchers’ career stage, could help with implementing reproducibility. Education was considered essential to these efforts, as it could help create a research culture based on good reproducibility-related practices and behavior rather than one driven by mandates or career advancement. This was particularly found to be relevant for growing reproducibility efforts globally. Regarding the Croatian Reproducibility Network website, the participants suggested we adapt the content to users from different disciplines or career stages and offer guidance and tools for reproducibility through which we should present core reproducibility concepts. Our findings could inform other initiatives focused on improving research reproducibility.

9 Use of new technology to measure methane emissions

Abstract Over recent decades, the impact of human-induced climate change and the role of ruminant agriculture has been of growing concern for both the public and the scientific community. This has led to rapid advancements in technology needed to measure methane emissions accurately and precisely. Primarily, these advancements have been focused on measurements of enteric methane, with the proliferation of GreenFeed emission measurement systems (GEM; C-Lock, Inc; Rapid City, SD) being utilized by animal scientists across the world. The GEM relies on spot measurements collected in a portable head-box, either in a freestall or on a trailer. The GEM uses bait feed to entice animals to place their head into the head-box to collect measurements. Use of respiration chambers or head-boxes are still considered the “gold standard”, but the GEM allows for quantification in production environments and with greater number of animals. While enteric emissions are the primary source of methane from ruminant agriculture, manure methane emissions account for 15.8% of direct emissions from cattle in the U.S. This emission source is a significant contributor to confined feeding operations’ greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), where consolidation and changes in manure handling practices have occurred over the last several decades. From 2010 to 2020, manure methane emissions were a larger contributor to climate warming than enteric methane (90.8 MMT CO2-we vs. 89.2 MMT CO2-we, respectively) when calculated using the new GWP* metric. However, few advancements have been made in quantifying emissions from manure, with the cost-effective static chamber methodology still widely used. This technique allows for the determination of temporal gas concentration change in a known volume of air with a PVC cylinder, inserted 5-10 cm in the soil and posteriorly closed with a PVC lid to generate “known volume” headspace. However, this method does have known limitations on spatial and temporal flux calculations. These limitations include: the PVC chamber may alter the soil microenvironment thereby altering soil GHG flux estimates; they have potential for technician bias; and are short term monitoring, limiting interpretations to that snapshot in time and making comparisons across experiments difficult. Differing measuring techniques, such as eddy covariance and dual-comb, that more accurately and precisely monitor the soil-atmosphere interface may help better understand gas fluxes from livestock systems. Key Word: cattle, enteric, manure, methane

Publishing important work that lacks validity or reproducibility – pushing frontiers or corrupting science?

ABSTRACT Scientific research requires objectivity, impartiality and stringency. However, scholarly literature is littered with preliminary and explorative findings that lack reproducibility or validity. Some low-quality papers with perceived high impact have become publicly notable. The collective effort of fellow researchers who follow these false leads down blind alleys and impasses is a waste of time and resources, and this is particularly damaging for early career researchers. Furthermore, the lay public might also be affected by socioeconomic repercussions associated with the findings. It is arguable that the nature of scientific research is such that its frontiers are moved and shaped by cycles of published claims inducing in turn rounds of validation by others. Using recent example cases of room-temperature superconducting materials research, I argue instead that publication of perceptibly important or spectacular claims that lack reproducibility or validity is epistemically and socially irresponsible. This is even more so if authors refuse to share research materials and raw data for verification by others. Such acts do not advance, but would instead corrupt science, and should be prohibited by consensual governing rules on material and data sharing within the research community, with malpractices appropriately sanctioned.

Research ethics in social science research during health pandemics: what can we learn from COVID-19 experiences?

The COVID-19 pandemic posed many ethical and practical challenges for academic research. Some of these have been documented, particularly in relation to health research, but less attention has been paid to the dilemmas encountered by educational and social science research. Given that pandemics are predicted to be more frequent, it is vital to understand how to continue crucial research in schools and other learning communities. This article therefore focuses specifically on research ethics in educational and social science during the pandemic of 2020–2022. The research involved interviews and workshops with University College London (UCL) academics, professional staff and graduate students and encompassed those involved in reviewing ethics applications, researchers dealing with ethics in projects that continued despite disruptions caused by COVID-19, and successful research projects specifically designed to study the effects of COVID-19 in various contexts. The article discusses some of the crucial knowledge and practical experiences that were accumulated. The operational and epistemological lessons learned from this particular institution may have wider relevance to research ethics processes in higher education environments where academics and students are grappling with post-COVID-19 ethical dilemmas and inform broader debates about how research institutions can build institutional knowledge to improve practices of ethics review at the times of health emergencies in future. Our evidence points to the significance of inter- and multidisciplinary, collaborative approaches that flatten institutional hierarchies and to the crucial role played by professional staff. In addition, we argue that ethics review processes must be underpinned by critical debates about wider issues of unequal power relationships between research partners, the nature of knowledge production, ownership and utilisation. To enhance equity and epistemic justice in research practices, ethics education should be an ongoing integral part of research ethics within research institutions.

A PPP kinematic application on historical GPS data: the reprocessing of the ITASE98-99 Antarctica mission height profiles

The analysis of altimetric profiles in Antarctica and their evolution over the years is a sensitive topic for the scientific community since it helps understand the effects of climate change that the continent undergoes. Different geomatic techniques, including the GNSS technology, can be employed to obtain altimetric profiles. However, the GNSS differenced approaches, such as the Post Processing Kinematic, are hardly usable to define long profiles in Antarctica because of the low number of CORS stations. In these conditions, the Precise Point Positioning (PPP) approach is a valid alternative to avoid processing very long baselines. The aim of this article is to define a standard procedure for the processing of historical GPS data, thanks to the availability of a dataset from the International Trans-Antarctic Scientific Expedition, which took place between 1998 and 1999 (ITASE98-99). This expedition focused on mapping the Antarctic territory, subdividing it by nations of influence, using geophysical and geodetic technologies, including GPS. The altimetric profiles had already been calculated in 2002 by the Geomatics group of the University of Bologna using the Gipsy-OASIS II software. In this work, the new version of the JPL software, GipsyX, is used to apply the newly implemented models and reprocessed products. The calibration of the processing parameters leading to the final PPP solution is described in the paper, including details on the implementation of a post-processing filtering procedure. The average a posteriori elevation error is 4.6 cm, while 99% of them are within 27 cm. The comparison of the new results to both the previous processing and the REMA elevation model shown that about double the number of solutions are now available, meter-level elevation spikes have been avoided, and a half meter bias is now reduced to a few centimeters. Given the almost 15 years difference between the 1999.0 expedition epoch and the REMA reference epoch, the obtained results can be used to study accumulation/erosion effects on the Antarctica ice sheet.

Kenya Psychosis-Risk Outcomes Study (KePROS): Development of an Accelerated Medicine Partnership Schizophrenia (AMP SCZ)-Aligned Project in Africa

Abstract Background and Hypothesis The Accelerating Medicines Partnership Schizophrenia (AMP SCZ) funds a longitudinal study of 43 research sites across 5 continents to develop tools to stratify developmental trajectories of youth at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR) and identify homogenous targets for future clinical trials. However, there are no sites in Africa, leaving a critical gap in our knowledge of clinical and biological outcomes among CHR individuals. Study Design We describe the development of the Kenya Psychosis-Risk Outcomes Study (KePROS), a five-year NIH-funded project in Kenya designed to harmonize with AMP SCZ. The study will recruit over 100 CHR and 50 healthy participants and conduct multiple clinical and biomarker assessments over two years. Capacity building is a key component of the study, including the construction of an EEG laboratory and the upgrading of a local 3T MRI machine. We detail community recruitment, study methodologies and protocols, and unique challenges with this pioneering research in Africa. Study Results This paper is descriptive only. Planned future analyses will investigate possible predictors of clinical outcomes and will be compared to results from other global populations. Conclusions KePROS will provide the research community with a rich longitudinal clinical and biomarker dataset from an African country in the developing Global South, which can be used alongside AMP SCZ data to delineate CHR outcome groups for future treatment development. Training in mental health assessment and investment in cutting-edge biomarker assessment and other technologies is needed to facilitate the inclusion of African countries in large-scale research consortia.

Ecosystem Resilience Monitoring and Early Warning Using Earth Observation Data: Challenges and Outlook

AbstractAs the Earth system is exposed to large anthropogenic interferences, it becomes ever more important to assess the resilience of natural systems, i.e., their ability to recover from natural and human-induced perturbations. Several, often related, measures of resilience have been proposed and applied to modeled and observed data, often by different scientific communities. Focusing on terrestrial ecosystems as a key component of the Earth system, we review methods that can detect large perturbations (temporary excursions from a reference state as well as abrupt shifts to a new reference state) in spatio-temporal datasets, estimate the recovery rate after such perturbations, or assess resilience changes indirectly from stationary time series via indicators of critical slowing down. We present here a sequence of ideal methodological steps in the field of resilience science, and argue how to obtain a consistent and multi-faceted view on ecosystem or climate resilience from Earth observation (EO) data. While EO data offers unique potential to study ecosystem resilience globally at high spatial and temporal scale, we emphasize some important limitations, which are associated with the theoretical assumptions behind diagnostic methods and with the measurement process and pre-processing steps of EO data. The latter class of limitations include gaps in time series, the disparity of scales, and issues arising from aggregating time series from multiple sensors. Based on this assessment, we formulate specific recommendations to the EO community in order to improve the observational basis for ecosystem resilience research.

STUDY OF MICROSCALE PORE STRUCTURE AND FRACTURING ON THE EXAMPLE OF CHINA SHALE FIELD

Accurate characterization of pores and fractures in shale reservoirs is the theoretical basis for effective exploration and development of shale oil and gas. Currently, the scientific community has developed methods for determining the characteristics of the pore and fracture structure of shales with different resolutions, and also discussed the mechanisms of the influence of the characteristics of pores and cracks on the filtration of shale oil and gas. In this work, firstly, a three-dimensional model of a variable-scale pore-fracture structure was created. Secondly, on the basis of data obtained using computed tomography, the characteristics of the development of pores and cracks at different geometric sizes (25 and 2 mm) were statistically analyzed. Third, pore and fracture structures of mixed, felsitic and laminated felsitic shale have been relatively studied. The results show that: (a) the fractured porosity of group I felsite shale is 0.36–0.89 %; mixed shale of group I is 0.34–0.47 %; mixed shale of group III is 0.12–0.86 %; mixed shale of group III is 0.13–0.15 %. (b) Compared to mixed shale of group I, fracturing in felsite shale of the same group is more developed. In addition, the average fractured porosity of felsite shale is 0.28 % greater than that of mixed shale. After analyzing group III, it was noticed that the cracks of the mixed dolomite shale are less developed compared to the mixed shale of the same group, while the average porosity of the cracked shale is 0.33 % less than that of the cracks of the mixed shale (c). Various components of shale samples are distinguished on a gray scale. High density components are bright white (e.g. pyrite); medium density components — light gray (for example, quartz, carbonate and clay minerals); low-density components — dark gray (for example, organic matter); cracks — black (d). The volume of matrix components is relatively high and constitutes the bulk of the total volume of shale samples. The distribution of high-density minerals has a certain randomness. High-density ellipsoidal or irregular minerals (mainly pyrite) range in diameter from a few microns to hundreds of microns, and their volume is relatively small (e). Three types of microscale fractures are mainly developed in shale: microscale fractures within mineral particles (intragranular fractures), microscale fractures between mineral particles (intergranular fractures), and shrinkage fractures. Intragranular cracks are mainly microscale cracks formed by rigid particles that collapse in a certain direction under stress.

The Pentameric Ligand-Gated Ion Chanel Family: A New Member of the Voltage Gated Ion Channel Superfamily?

In this report we present seven lines of bioinformatic evidence supporting the conclusion that the Pentameric Ligand-gated Ion Channel (pLIC) Family is a member of the Voltage-gated Ion Channel (VIC) Superfamily. In our approach, we used the Transporter Classification Database (TCDB) as a reference and applied a series of bioinformatic methods to search for similarities between the pLIC family and members of the VIC superfamily. These include: (1) sequence similarity, (2) compatibility of topology and hydropathy profiles, (3) shared domains, (4) conserved motifs, (5) similarity of Hidden Markov Model profiles between families, (6) common 3D structural folds, and (7) clustering analysis of all families. Furthermore, sequence and structural comparisons as well as the identification of a 3-TMS repeat unit in the VIC superfamily suggests that the sixth transmembrane segment evolved into a re-entrant loop. This evidence suggests that the voltage-sensor domain and the channel domain have a common origin. The classification of the pLIC family within the VIC superfamily sheds light onto the topological origins of this family and its evolution, which will facilitate experimental verification and further research into this superfamily by the scientific community.

Durable graphene-based alkyd nanocomposites for surface coating applications.

Recently, the scientific community's main goal is the long-term sustainability. Vegetable oils are easily accessible, non-depletable, and cost-effective materials. Vegetable oils are used to prepare polymeric alkyd surfaces. Novel and exciting designs of alkyd/graphene nanocomposites have provided eco-friendly thermal stability and protective coating surfaces. This review has briefly described important graphene-based alkyd nanocomposites along with their applications as protective coatings. These alkyd composites have high hydrophobicity, corrosion resistance, and durability. Graphene-based alkyd nanocoatings have many industrial and research interests because of their exceptional thermal and chemical properties. This work introduces an advanced horizon for developing protective nanocomposite coatings. The anti-corrosion properties and coatings' longevity may be improved by combining the synergistic effects of hybrid nanofillers introduced in this work.

Future proofing core facilities with a seven-pillar model.

Centralised core facilities have evolved into vital components of life science research, transitioning from a primary focus on centralising equipment to ensuring access to technology experts across all facets of an experimental workflow. Herein, we put forward a seven-pillar model to define what a core facility needs to meet its overarching goal of facilitating research. The seven equally weighted pillars are Technology, Core Facility Team, Training, Career Tracks, Technical Support, Community and Transparency. These seven pillars stand on a solid foundation of cultural, operational and framework policies including the elements of transparent and stable funding strategies, modern human resources support, progressive facility leadership and management as well as clear institute strategies and policies. This foundation, among other things, ensures a tight alignment of the core facilities to the vision and mission of the institute. To future-proof core facilities, it is crucial to foster all seven of these pillars, particularly focusing on newly identified pillars such as career tracks, thus enabling core facilities to continue supporting research and catalysing scientific advancement. Lay abstract: In research, there is a growing trend to bring advanced, high-performance equipment together into a centralised location. This is done to streamline how the equipment purchase is financed, how the equipment is maintained, and to enable an easier approach for research scientists to access these tools in a location that is supported by a team of technology experts who can help scientists use the equipment. These centralised equipment centres are called Core Facilities. The core facility model is relatively new in science and it requires an adapted approach to how core facilities are built and managed. In this paper, we put forward a seven-pillar model of the important supporting elements of core facilities. These supporting elements are: Technology (the instruments themselves), Core Facility Team (the technology experts who operate the instruments), Training (of the staff and research community), Career Tracks (for the core facility staff), Technical Support (the process of providing help to apply the technology to a scientific question), Community (of research scientist, technology experts and developers) and Transparency (of how the core facility works and the costs associated with using the service). These pillars stand on the bigger foundation of clear policies, guidelines, and leadership approaches at the institutional level. With a focus on these elements, the authors feel core facilities will be well positioned to support scientific discovery in the future.

Returns: Back Stitch Methodology as a Reflective Approach to Artistic Research

This paper explores the ongoing investigation by the artist-researcher group Returns, revisiting the Spode ceramics factory in Stoke-on-Trent, England, and broader post-industrial settings. This paper describes and reflects upon the group’s ‘back stitch’ methodology (derived from embroidery), valuing the hidden under-thread that reinforces and sustains the investigation. Through collaborative dialogue, the group uses the back stitch to produce momentum by returning ‘backwards into the beneath’. The paper considers how the back stitch methodology can slow investigations to deepen understanding, enable rhizomatic complexity and support the critical potential for a community of artistic scholarship and research evidenced through the individual’s practice.