Science Statement Research Articles

Positionality statements in science.

The goal of this essay is to clarify positionality as an epistemological scientific concept and address related misunderstandings to help researchers assess whether statements thereof contribute to their work. Positionality statements can be useful for various research designs across scientific fields, when they are used knowingly.

Positionality statements in science

The goal of this essay is to clarify positionality as an epistemological scientific concept and address related misunderstandings to help researchers assess whether statements thereof contribute to their work.

Abstract 17819: Latent Class Analysis of Heart Health in a Marginalized Black Community

BACKGROUND Mounting evidence associates Black American’s experiences of chronic stress with younger age hypertension (HTN) onset, higher prevalence rates, and poorer treatment outcomes. Epigenetic research findings attribute these trends to DNA methylation, commonly referred to as stress related premature biological aging. Guided by the current American Heart Association (AHA) Science Statement on heart health, this health equity study aims to examine positive Black identity as a measure of positive psychological health in Black adults. METHODS Our community-engagement survey measured self-reports of: (1) environmental wellbeing, positive self-regard, spirituality, chronic stress, Black identity, anxiety, depression, anger, and five AHA essential cardiovascular health (CVH) factors: (2) physical activity, fruit, vegetables, smoking tobacco, and sleep. Multivariable linear regressions examined psychological health and CVH as predictors of systolic blood pressure. Latent class analysis (LCA), using ordinal indicators, assessed for latent sample profiles as statistical probabilities of similar responses and sample heterogeneity. RESULTS In a community sample (N=201) of Black adults (age M=46.7, SD=15.9), primarily female (N=141, 69.5%), increases in systolic blood pressure (Mean=134, SD=20.9) were associated with more chronic stress and less environment wellbeing; decreases were associated with less expressed anger. The LCA results show a four-class statistical solution with greater heterogeneity in spirituality, anger, anxiety, and depression. Among the four profiles, two theoretical latent classes for high and low systolic blood pressure were distinct. Low systolic blood pressure is associated with higher levels of environmental wellbeing, physical activity, and self-regard, both more and less spirituality, more positive Black identity, moderate anger, anxiety, and depression, and checking your BP. CONCLUSION In addition to emotion regulation, physical activity, and self-care, our findings support CVH promotion strategies in marginalized communities of Black Americans designed to reduce chronic stress, improve environmental wellbeing, and support positive Black identity.

Typing of the Homokhát settlements with factor- and cluster analysis

With the passing of time, it is sometimes necessary and useful to re-examine “classic” themes and territories. In my view, such a theme is the restructuring of rural economy, and such a territory is Homokhátság. Unfortunately, the territory under investigation mostly only receives attention during summer droughts, when the lack of water is so severe, that farm fields, or even gardens, may not be watered. The explored economic and social processes are most certainly also affected by the lack of water, but unravelling the relationship between these two processes is not the subject of this writing. My goal is to shed light on those phenomena, in which the restructuring of the rural economy is manifested. It may well be that we do not obtain an epoch-marking result, or one which is surprising, but I consider it important to “keep our fingers on the wrist of Homokhátság and to check its pulse”. In my opinion it is also important we do, because it true for regional science statement of Herakleitosz, what is; the only constant is change.

Is A Therapeutic Approach Required To Treat Insomnia In Pakistan?

Insomnia, defined as difficulty falling or staying asleep, is prevalent among one-third of the general population. (1) It can give rise to various physical and mental problems, such as obesity, diabetes, anxiety, and depression. (2) While there are many effective medications for insomnia, a therapeutic approach for treating it is more likely to be dependable over time. A meta-analysis exploring the benefits of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for chronic insomnia revealed an improvement of sleep onset latency by 19.03 minutes, a gain of total sleep time by 7.61 minutes, and improved sleep efficiency by 9.91%. (3)CBT has been recognized as a first-line treatment for insomnia by NIH Consensus and State of the Science Statements (4)as it is equally effective as medication for a brief treatment and is more reliable over time. One in every three persons in Pakistan is reported to have sleep problems and, a third of those take sleeping pills. (5)In developing countries like Pakistan, where people don't have resources, a therapeutic approach is likely to reduce the cost and risk of adverse effects of medications. Pakistan is a pill-oriented society, and people prefer pills over therapy. The awareness among the population to adopt treatments or shift to therapeutic interventions is close to none. The cultural stigma associated with therapy is a significant hurdle as well. Unlike medicines, therapy reduces the risk of relapse after its discontinuation. Introducing therapy in the public sector can result in more jobs for therapists and counsellors and provide a cheaper alternative to pills. The best way to introduce CBT among the population is through awareness campaigns, media, and discussions on public platforms. In addition, counsellors can provide outreach in places where additional resources are required to combat the stigma associated with psychotherapy and inform people regarding its benefits. Counsellors collaborating with other health care professionals and gaining a valuable referral source from primary care physicians can also be a meaningful strategy. It would be worth mentioning here that more studies comparing the pills to CBT should be conducted to address the issue.

From New Public Management to public value: Irish education policy through the lens of Statements of Strategy

ABSTRACT Through the lens of successive Department of Education and Science (DES) Statements of Strategy (1997–2021) the author considers the evolution of Irish education policy making from the perspectives of New Public Management (NPM) and the public value paradigm. In the context of changing international and national environments, the Strategic Management Initiative (SMI), introduced in 1994, was rooted in NPM principles and characterised by performance indicators, measurable outcomes/outputs, and value for money. However, more recent strategy statements have been predicated on vision, a whole-of-system approach, and values that include learning as a public good, and wellbeing. This evolution occurred in an environment where social partnership has been a constant feature. Following consideration of the main contours of ten SSs, and discussion of the relevant antecedents and the move towards public value, some unresolved issues are briefly identified in the concluding remarks.

CONCEPTUAL APPROACH TO FORMATION OF INNOVATIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP`S CREATIVE POTENTIAL

In accordance with the basic statements of management science, which help to a based conceptual approach to the formation of innovative entrepreneurship`s creative potential, its elements are the purpose and objectives, objects and subjects, principles, functions and subsystems, consideration of which the most significant managerial influences and stages of the process of forming the creative potential of enterprises. The theoretical and methodological basis of scientific research were scientific concepts and theoretical developments on methods of forming and evaluating the creative potential of innovative enterprises; information and analytical materials. During the writing of the article, the methods of theoretical generalization, comparative analysis and synthesis were used. The purpose of the article is to develop a conceptual approach to the formation of the creative potential of an innovative enterprise and substantiation of the method of evaluating its creative component. To achieve this goal, the following tasks are solved in the article. The essence and components of the formation of the creative potential of the innovative enterprise are defined. The factors influencing the formation of the creative potential of an innovative enterprise (socio-economic, demographic and socio-mental) are identified. The relationship between the creative, intellectual and competence components of the creative potential of an innovative enterprise is established. An algorithm for calculating the relative coefficient of the creative potential of the employee is proposed. It is reasonable that the direct parameter of the creative component is an integral indicator of the biological (natural) and socio-economic activity of man. The principles of formation of the creative potential of the innovative enterprise (system, complexity, flexibility, efficiency, consistency, protection of innovative business from threats and dangers of external, internal and design environment) are developed. Subsystems for ensuring the formation of the creative potential of an innovative enterprise (organizational, methodological, personnel, information, and software) are considered.

L. Wittgenstein: «mystery» and «mysticism» in the interpretation of the value content of science

In L. Wittgensteins philosophy, the concept of life and the concept of the world as sides of the man science dichotomy differ and correlate, despite the fact that the position of the thinker is traditionally considered in line with the philosophy of analysis and the positivist methodology of science. The conducted critical analysis of the literature and the proposed interpretation of the philosophers views show that Wittgensteins ideas go beyond the boundaries of the consideration of scientific reason and the language of science into the field of culture. On the other hand, some of his ideas allow us to draw a conclusion about the reverse influence of culture through the expert evaluation function of philosophy in relation to the statements of science.

High Achievement in Mathematics and Science among Students in Ireland: An In-Depth Analysis of International Large-Scale Assessment Data Since 2000

ABSTRACT National policy initiatives in Ireland, such as Project Maths and the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Policy Statement have sought to increase the engagement and performance of students in mathematics and science. The current study investigated the performance of students in Ireland in these areas and in reading in international large-scale assessments (Programme for International Student Assessment [PISA], Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study [TIMSS], and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study [PIRLS]), with a view to better understand the performance of high-achieving students, relative to their counterparts in other countries in general, and in countries with similar average performance. Lower than expected proportions of high achievers were noted and a pattern of relative underachievement was observed among high achievers – those performing at the highest levels of proficiency, and those performing at key benchmarks, including the 75th and 90th percentiles – in mathematics and science to a greater extent than in reading. These issues were found to be consistent over time, and more prevalent at post-primary level, compared with primary level. The findings of this study are discussed with reference to individual and societal costs, and specific issues that need to be investigated further are identified.

“Ignorance is strength”

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how Danish textual news satire constructs its social critique of the many Facebook users whose comments during COVID-19 imitate expert statements in disregard of authoritative health science statements. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, UNESCO has proclaimed a disinfodemic of emotive narrative constructs and pseudo-science on the internet and especially in social media. As with the ruling Party’s paradoxical slogan “ignorance is strength” in George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984, we sense a similar trend of the public disinfodemic, but studies of this paradox in satirical publications are scarce. Thus, the goal here is to scrutinize this enigma exemplified in an article in the Danish spoof news online media of RokokoPosten in which such experts are parodied in a kind of “doublethink” style which begs critical reflection on social media credibility. Hence, such textual news satire may potentially provide a vaccine against post-truth delusions of health science as it provides immunity against the disinfodemic by its own causative agents.

Promoting scientific integrity through open science in health psychology: results of the Synergy Expert Meeting of the European health psychology society

ABSTRACT The article describes a position statement and recommendations for actions that need to be taken to develop best practices for promoting scientific integrity through open science in health psychology endorsed at a Synergy Expert Group Meeting. Sixteen Synergy Meeting participants developed a set of recommendations for researchers, gatekeepers, and research end-users. The group process followed a nominal group technique and voting system to elicit and decide on the most relevant and topical issues. Seventeen priority areas were listed and voted on, 15 of them were recommended by the group. Specifically, the following priority actions for health psychology were endorsed: (1) for researchers: advancing when and how to make data open and accessible at various research stages and understanding researchers’ beliefs and attitudes regarding open data; (2) for educators: integrating open science in research curricula, e.g., through online open science training modules, promoting preregistration, transparent reporting, open data and applying open science as a learning tool; (3) for journal editors: providing an open science statement, and open data policies, including a minimal requirements submission checklist. Health psychology societies and journal editors should collaborate in order to develop a coordinated plan for research integrity and open science promotion across behavioural disciplines.

Evidence Evaluation Process and Management of Potential Conflicts of Interest: 2020 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations.

Evidence Evaluation Process and Management of Potential Conflicts of Interest: 2020 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations.

From the Chief Executive and IFST News

From the Chief Executive and <scp>IFST</scp> News

Non-monotonic Logic and the Compatibility of Science and Religion

The article aims to show how the acceptance of non-monotonic logic enables arguments to be held between science and religion in a way that does not exclude either of these two spheres. The starting point of the analyses is the idea of the 13th century Danish philosopher, Boethius of Dacia, who states that it is both acceptable that: (1) a natural scientist negates that the world had a beginning, and (2) a Christian theologian asserts that the world had a beginning, because each of them is basing their statements on the principles of their respective discipline: the first on the principles of nature, and the latter on knowledge supplemented by divine revelation. What is more, analogically: (3) a metaphysician, when limited to his principles, cannot settle the issue, as he takes into account supranatural beings and their powers, but cannot know what God or another powerful supranatural would have decided in a such a case. The paper shows that Boethius’s approach: (1) violates the rule of monotonicity, (2) cannot be finally interpreted in terms of classical logic and (3) assumes certain non-monotonic logic as its inference framework. Other presented examples of arguments between religious beliefs and the statements of natural science are resolved in the same way. Thus, it is shown how non-monotonic thinking allows us to seriously treat both scientific and religious inference as compatible.

From the Chief Executive and News

From the Chief Executive and News

A Mental Model of the Learner: Teaching the Basic Science of Educational Psychology to Future Teachers

ABSTRACTAlthough most teacher education programs include instruction in the basic science of psychology, practicing teachers report that this preparation has low utility. Researchers have considered what sort of information from psychology about children's thinking, emotion, and motivation would be useful for teachers' practice. Here, I take a different tack. I begin by considering three varieties of statements in basic science: empirical observations, theoretical statements, and epistemic assumptions. I suggest that the first of these can support classroom application, but the latter two cannot. I use that conclusion as a starting point for considering the instruction of prospective teachers in psychology.

National innovation policy and public science in Australia

In this paper, I have positioned myself with Kean Birch and explored some of the political-economic actors/actants of policy suites implicated in the biotechnologies and bioeconomy. In particular, I have considered Australia’s recent National Innovation and Science Agenda and allied documents and entities (that is, Innovation and Science Australia, the National Science Statement and the 2016 National Research Infrastructure Roadmap) as one of the National Innovation Strategies in place now in OECD countries and beyond. In overview, these policy suites utilise the same high knowledge creation/low translation and commericalisation arguments as elsewhere to press for particular ideologically based ‘improvements’ to public science. Mapping the terrain of these entities has revealed the innovation, biotechnology and bioeconomy policy space to be inordinately complex and challenging to navigate. Reviewing Australia’s position enables the type of comparative work that contributes to a closer understanding of the largely neoliberal global economic imperatives shaping contemporaneity. Moreover, while these policy suites attempt to constitute and circulate particular visions of science education, their complex nature mitigates against science teachers/educators grappling with their implications.

ФОРМУВАННЯ КЛІНІЧНОГО МИСЛЕННЯ У СТУДЕНТА-ІНОЗЕМЦЯ ПРИ ВИВЧЕННІ ДИСЦИПЛІНИ “ПЕДІАТРІЯ”

Мета дослідження. Вивчити основні поняття щодо формування клінічного мислення у студентів старших курсів факультету підготовки іноземних громадян під час вивчення дисципліни “педіатрія”.Матеріали та методи дослідження. Проаналізовано наукові праці за останні десять років і наш викладацький досвід за останні десять років.Результати й обговорення. Термін “клінічне мислення” позначає процес інтелектуальної обробки інформації про хворого, який дає лікарю чітке розуміння конкретної клінічної ситуації. Це дозволяє не лише вчасно встановити діагноз, але й в стислі терміни призначити додаткові методи діагностики, скласти план лікування. Як відомо, від поняття “когнітивна недостатність” залежить не лише сам лікувальний процес, але і його наслідки, тому без цих засад клініцисту складно відбутися. Основні складові клінічного мислення, які має опанувати студент-медик у процесі навчання, включають дані медичної науки, її аксіоми, досягнення, а також інформацію про хворого. Водночас іноземець при вивченні клінічних дисциплін стикається з певними проблемами, які стають на заваді розвитку в нього основ клінічного мислення. Це: мовний бар’єр, дефіцит теоретичних і практичних знань із базових предметів, нестача часу з боку викладача на розбір помилок студента в рамках Робочої програми з дисципліни “Педіатрія”.Висновок. Суттєво покращити становище могла б мережа університетських клінік із задовільною лабораторно-інструментальною базою, а також диференційні підходи до проведення занять (тестування за типом Крок-І та ІІ, праця біля ліжка хворого та у тренінговому центрі, участь студента в лікувально-діагностичному та науковому процесі під контролем викладача тощо).

Reference values for spirometry and their use in test interpretation: A Position Statement from the Australian and New Zealand Society of Respiratory Science.

Traditionally, spirometry testing tended to be confined to the realm of hospital-based laboratories but is now performed in a variety of health care settings. Regardless of the setting in which the test is conducted, the fundamental basis of spirometry is that the test is both performed and interpreted according to the international standards. The purpose of this Australian and New Zealand Society of Respiratory Science (ANZSRS) statement is to provide the background and recommendations for the interpretation of spirometry results in clinical practice. This includes the benchmarking of an individual's results to population reference data, as well as providing the platform for a statistically and conceptually based approach to the interpretation of spirometry results. Given the many limitations of older reference equations, it is imperative that the most up-to-date and relevant reference equations are used for test interpretation. Given this, the ANZSRS recommends the adoption of the Global Lung Function Initiative (GLI) 2012 spirometry reference values throughout Australia and New Zealand. The ANZSRS also recommends that interpretation of spirometry results is based on the lower limit of normal from the reference values and the use of Z-scores where available.

Do We Understand What the Public Hears? Stakeholders’ Preferred Communication Choices for Discussing River Issues with the Public

AbstractCommunication between stakeholders and the larger public is an increasingly important issue in today's policy world. This communication often takes the form of policy narratives; however, few studies have empirically examined what type of communication style stakeholders prefer for communication with the public. This study uses a survey of 87 river stakeholders to determine the preferred communication choices of stakeholders. The study finds that 39% of the stakeholders chose a duty‐based narrative, 28% choose a science statement, 23% choose an engaged citizen narrative, and 10% choose a do nothing statement. Some of these preferences were related to issues of trust, other policy preferences, and demographic background. Based on previous research, the findings demonstrate that stakeholders can make decisions about how to communicate with the public that are not necessarily reflective of the own values.