Strategic Research Plan Research Articles

NIMH Releases 2020 Strategic Plan for Research

NIMH Releases 2020 Strategic Plan for Research

Investigational Therapies for the Treatment of COVID-19: Updates from Ongoing Clinical Trials

Currently there are no therapeutics approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of COVID-19. Traditionally, the development of novel therapeutics takes years, including rigorous randomized controlled trials (RCTs), the gold standard of clinical research. However, the urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to widespread use of unproven treatments, supported largely by observational studies. As outlined in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases strategic plan for COVID-19 research [1], it is essential to identify promising candidates with activity against SARS-CoV-2 and conduct treatment studies to advance high-priority therapeutic candidates.

Agricultural and rural ecological environment management: renewable resources evaluation, management methods and management measures1 1Tianjin Science and Technology Development Strategic Research Plan Project (19ZLZDZF00120)

Among agricultural and rural pollution sources, rural domestic refuse, domestic sewage, crop straw and livestock manure are recyclable renewable resources, which can alleviate non-point source pollution in agricultural and rural areas, and also produce huge economic, environmental and social benefits. Taking Tianjin as an example, the production and comprehensive benefits of these four types of pollution sources are evaluated by building models. The results showed that in 2016, the production of domestic waste, domestic sewage, crop straw and livestock manure in Tianjin were 1.31 million tons, 38.9 million tons, 3.74 million tons and 1.53 million tons. Through comprehensive utilization, these pollution sources can produce a total economic benefit of about 2.36 billion yuan, which can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1.94 million tons. The total amount of N and P emissions from manure to soil can be reduced by 10.8 thousand tons. In order to improve the utilization rate of renewable resources and control non-point source pollution in agricultural and rural areas, this paper proposes to construct BMPs system, control the source and end of pollution sources from engineering and non-engineering measures. Finally, some suggestions are put forward to improve the ecological environment of agriculture and rural areas.

Organizing Pneumonia and COVID-19

BACKGROUND: Potential sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are still largely unknown. Here, we report, for the first time to our knowledge, the occurrence of an organizing pneumonia-like disease (OPLD) in patients with COVID-19 during hospital admission. METHODS: Observational, uncontrolled series of 53 patients hospitalized in our institution because of COVID-19 pneumonia (March-April 2020). Patients were referred to us by their attending physician because of computed tomography (CT) findings. The demographics, clinical, imaging and biological characteristics of these patients were obtained from their electronic medical records. FINDINGS: Mean age was 63±11 years, most patients were males (74%) and only a few (4%) were current smokers. As previously reported in COVID-19, on admission C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin and D-Dimer levels were elevated. Pulmonary gas exchange was moderately impaired in most patients and chest X-ray mostly showed bilateral pulmonary opacities. Because persistence/worsening of radiological images and/or deterioration of pulmonary gas exchange, attending physicians ordered a CT scan that showed different degrees of groundglass opacities with peripheral, linear and perilobular consolidations, with reverse halo appearance, associated with bronchial dilatation and architectural distortion in all patients, compatible with organizing pneumonia. At CT time (10±5 days after admission), CRP levels were significantly lower and D-Dimer higher, than those determined on hospital admission. Most patients respond to systemic steroid treatment. INTERPRETATION: Patients with COVID-19 can develop an OPLD during hospitalization. Its long-term outcome remains to be determined. FUNDING STATEMENT: JS was partially supported by the Department of Health of Generalitat de Catalunya (SLT008/18/00176), in the call for grants 2019-2021, under a competitive regime, for the financing of different programs and instrumental actions included in the Strategic Research and Innovation Plan in Health 2016-2020. DECLARATION OF INTERESTS: Dr. Agusti reports grants and personal fees from GSK, Menarini, AstraZeneca and personal fees from Chiesi, outside the submitted work; Dr. Sellares reports grants and personal fees from Boehringer and Roche, personal fees from GSK, Chiesi and Gebro, outside the submitted work; R. Faner reports grants from GSK, grants from Menarini, outside the submitted work; the rest of authors have nothing to disclose. ETHICS APPROVAL STATEMENT: The Institutional Ethics Board of Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Spain, approved this study and, due to the nature of retrospective chart review, waived the need for informed consent from individual patients (Comite Etic d´Investigacio Clinica; HCB/2020/0422).

Enhancing strategic planning through strategy instruction: the effect of two types of strategy instruction on learners’ oral planned performance

This study aimed at investigating the impact of two types of strategy instruction on Brazilian learners’ planned speech performance at the level of complexity, accuracy, fluency, and adequacy. In order to do so, three groups participated in the present study: (1) the integrated group received strategy instruction during their regular English classes; (2) the isolated group received strategy instruction in a separate course; and (3) the control group received no strategy instruction. The groups also performed two narrative tasks before and after treatment, preceded by 10 minutes of strategic planning. Learners’ oral performance was analyzed and the statistical results showed that (i) the groups that received treatment outperformed the control group; and (ii) the isolated group produced more adequate and accurate speech, while the integrated groups improved their performance in terms of adequacy solely. In conclusion, one can claim that, in spite of the type of treatment, strategic planning can be enhanced by strategy instruction, shedding light on both Language Pedagogy and strategic planning research.

A strategic plan for future USDA Agricultural Research Service erosion research and model development

Soil erosion is a natural process, and the erosion potential of a site is the result of complex interactions among soil, vegetation, topographic position, land use and management, and climate. Soil erosion occurs when aeolian and hydrologic processes exceed a soil’s inherent resistance to these forces (figures 1 and 2). Soil erosion was recognized as a significant problem at both local and national scales in the United States in the 1920s; by 1935 soil erosion was considered a national disaster, covering over one-half of the country (Sampson and Weyl 1918; Weaver 1935), and is still a concern with 21% of the western United States degraded and vulnerable to accelerated soil erosion (Herrick et al. 2010; Weltz et al. 2014a; Duniway et al. 2019). In 1995, it was estimated that 4 × 109 t (4.4 × 109 tn) of soil was lost from US cropland (Pimentel et al. 1995). The most vulnerable areas for soil movement and thus erosion occur where annual precipitation is 100 to 400 mm y–1 (4 to 16 in yr–1), which limits soil moisture available to sustain plant growth. Anthropogenic-driven dust emissions have dramatically increased across …

Posttranslational modifications of HBV core protein.

Infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) often leads to development of chronic liver disease. In fact, 10% of infected adults and almost 90% of infected infants develop chronic hepatitis B associated with severe liver diseases, including acute liver failure, liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. At present there is no effective cure for chronic hepatitis B. The current treatment of chronically infected patients is long-term, expensive and relies on treatment with nucleos(t)ide analogs in combination with immune therapies, that frequently lead to adverse side effects. Recently, the National Institute of Health proposed strategic plan for Trans-NIH research to cure hepatitis B. The key priority is better understanding of HBV life cycle and its interactions with host cell. Due to the fact that HBV is a small double stranded DNA virus encoding only a limited number of proteins, HBV replication widely relies on host cell pathways and proteins. As demonstrated by numerous reports, HBV core protein (HBc) which is the main component of viral nucleocapsid, plays multiple roles in HBV life cycle and is engaged in many protein interaction networks of the host cell. Several recent studies have shown that HBV proteins can be modified by different types of posttranslational modifications (PTMs) that affect their protein-protein interactions, subcellular localization and function. In this review, we discuss diverse PTMs of HBc and their role in regulation of HBc function in the context of HBV replication and pathogenesis. Keywords: hepatitis B virus; posttranslational modifications; HBV core protein; phosphorylation; ubiquitination; arginine methylation.

PARADIGMA FISIKA QUR’ANI DALAM TRIDHARMA PERGURUAN TINGGI KEAGAMAAN ISLAM

This study aims to provide an overview on the application of the 'Qur'ani Physics' paradigm to the implementation of the Tridharma of Islamic Higher Education in Indonesia. Based on the qualitative-descriptive approach, the results of thisstudy suggest that the need for three stages to be carried out in the process of implementing the 'Qur'ani Physics' paradigm; First, the preparation phase, which begins with the equating of perceptions which the output is in the form of a decree on the integration team. Second, the planning phase, which consists of determining the main material, reviewing and revising the curriculum, as well as determining the strategic plan for research and community service. Third, the implementation phase, which consists of research and development, education and learning, as well as community service. With this integration model, the paradigm of the integration with its various philosophical variants is expected to become a solution for various social problems that occur in society. So that, organizing education at the Islamic Higher Education has a distinction with General Higher Education.

Urban and river flooding: Comparison of flood risk management approaches in the UK and China and an assessment of future knowledge needs

Increased urbanisation, economic growth, and long-term climate variability have made both the UK and China more susceptible to urban and river flooding, putting people and property at increased risk. This paper presents a review of the current flooding challenges that are affecting the UK and China and the actions that each country is undertaking to tackle these problems. Particular emphases in this paper are laid on (1) learning from previous flooding events in the UK and China, and (2) which management methodologies are commonly used to reduce flood risk. The paper concludes with a strategic research plan suggested by the authors, together with proposed ways to overcome identified knowledge gaps in flood management. Recommendations briefly comprise the engagement of all stakeholders to ensure a proactive approach to land use planning, early warning systems, and water-sensitive urban design or redesign through more effective policy, multi-level flood models, and data driven models of water quantity and quality.

Effects of external shed damage on voltage and electric field profile for overhead insulators

PurposeThis paper aims to present simulation studies on voltage and electric field characteristics for imperfect ceramic insulators using QuickFieldTM software. Based on previous studies, it is accepted that string insulator can still serve the transmission line although imperfect of certain insulator exist in a string. However, different materials of porcelain and glass type had made these insulators own different abilities to carry electricity to be transferred to the consumers.Design/methodology/approachCap and pin type of porcelain and glass insulators are used as the main subject for comparison. The simulation works begins with modeling a single insulator, followed by string of ten insulators with their respective applied voltage, that is, 11 and 132 kV. The insulator was modeled in alternate current conduction analysis problem type using QuickField Professional Software. Technical parameters for porcelain and glass insulator were manually inserted in the modeling.FindingsThis paper presents an investigation on the influence of broken porcelain and glass insulators in string for voltage and electric field characteristics. For single insulator, the voltage distribution may literally reduce when experiencing external damages; whereby the broken porcelain insulator condition is worse than the glass insulator. In terms of electric field distribution, the glass insulator is badly affected compared with the porcelain insulator, as it is pulverized comprehensively.Research limitations/implicationsFurther work needs to be done to establish whether the experiments of these simulations study will present coequal outcomes. This study endeavors in promoting a good example of voltage and electric field characteristics across high voltage (HV) insulator with the presence of broken insulator in the string.Practical implicationsThis study is beneficial to future researchers and manufacturing companies in strategic management and research planning when they involve in the field of HV insulators. It will also serve as a future reference for academic and study purposes. This research will also educate many people on how HV insulators work.Social implicationsThis study will be helpful to the industry and business practitioners in training for the additional results and knowledge to be updated in the area of HV insulators.Originality/valueThis paper presents the analysis of porcelain and glass insulators according to their respective logic conditions when broken. Consequently, the existence of a damage insulator in a string may alter the distribution of voltage and electric field which may ultimately lead to the insulation breakdown after some time. This is because the broken insulator may cause other insulators to withstand the remaining voltage allocated for that particular insulator and may affect the insulators in terms of the life span. Therefore, the distribution of voltage and electrical field characteristics in the presence of broken insulators had been studied in this project.

Oseltamivir Therapy Improves Survival in Critically Ill Patients with Severe Influenza

Background: We aimed to determine whether treatment with oseltamivir was associated with decreased mortality among patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) with severe influenza and whether early therapy (within 48 hours of symptoms onset) was associated with improved survival rates. Methods: This was a prospective observational study of patients with confirmed influenza who were admitted to 184 ICUs in Spain. The primary outcomes were to investigate the association of ICU mortality with oseltamivir therapy by comparing patients who are untreated (UT group) with those who are treated (all treated; AT group) and those in early treatment (ET) and late treatment (LT) groups. We also assessed the associations of both ET and LT with ICU mortality and compared the results. Findings: We enrolled 4,175 patients of whom 3,537 met the inclusion criteria. Most patients were diagnosed with influenza pneumonia (84·7%). When comparing the AT (n=3,439) and UT (n=98) groups, the former had higher survival after adjusting for severity and confounding factors (Hazard ratio [HR] 0·67; p=0·03). We included 3,388 patients to compare the ET and LT groups. In the multivariable analysis, ICU mortality was lower in the ET group, having an odds ratio of 0·7 (p=0·004). When propensity score matching was applied to a matched cohort (ET, n=790; LT, n=2,522), the ET group had lower ICU mortality (HR 0·78; p=0·008) compared with the LT group, even after a competing risks analysis (sub-HR 0·79; p=0·01). Interpretation: Oseltamivir treatment is associated with better survival rates in patients admitted to ICU with severe influenza, especially when initiated within 48 hours of illness onset. Funding Statement: SEMICYUC (Spanish Society of Critical Care) and Ricardo Barri Casanovas Foundation. Declaration of Interests: JSN-V-T has received research funding from F. Hoffman-La Roche for separate work. He is currently seconded to the Department of Health and Social Care, England (DHSC). The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and not necessarily those of DHSC. CG-V has received the INTENSIFICACIO Grant- a grant supported by the Catalan Health Agency [PERIS (Pla estrategic de recerca i innovacio en salut – ‘Strategic Plan for Research and Innovation in HealthCare’)]. All other authors declare no competing interests. Ethics Approval Statement: The study was approved by the Joan XXIII University Hospital Ethics Committee (IRB#11809). All data were anonymised, allowing the requirement for informed consent to be waived.

‘에코뮤지엄’의 위성박물관 개념을 활용한 DMZ박물관 기획전략 연구

‘에코뮤지엄’의 위성박물관 개념을 활용한 DMZ박물관 기획전략 연구

Predictive Analysis of First Abbreviated New Drug Application Submission for New Chemical Entities Based on Machine Learning Methodology.

Generic drug products are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) through Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs). The ANDA review and approval involves multiple offices across the FDA. Forecasting ANDA submissions can critically inform resource allocation and workload management. In this work, we used machine learning (ML) methodologies to predict the time to first ANDA submissions referencing new chemical entities following their earliest lawful ANDA submission dates. Drug product information, regulatory factors, and pharmacoeconomic factors were used as modeling inputs. The random survival forest ML method, as well as the conventional Cox model, was used for ANDA submission predictions. The ML method outperformed the conventional Cox regression model in predictive performance that was adequately assessed by both internal and external validations. In conclusion, it can potentially serve as an effective forecasting tool for strategic workload and research planning for generic applications.

Establishment of the Swedish Aeronautical Research Center (SARC)

PurposeThis paper aims to present the newly founded Swedish Aeronautical Research Center (SARC), based on the triple helix theory, to foster the seamless Swedish aerospace research interplay between academia, research organizations and industry.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is a technical paper, mainly relating and explaining sources and concepts for research planning and organization. Used concepts are the triple helix approach (for socioeconomic effects), the role of academia and industry interplay for education and the technology readiness level (TRL) concept for strategic research planning. Focusing on the establishment of a graduate school, lessons learned from previous national research schools are also presented.FindingsThe paper gives an overview of and explains the interplay between politics, social welfare and industrial R&D needs, with the academic viewpoint of aeronautical research and education. Shortcomings in both the use of TRL for research program planning and the Swedish competence cluster system are identified and remedies suggested. The main findings are suggestions for future actions to be conducted by SARC in the fields of research and education.Practical implicationsThe paper includes implications for the seamless interplay between academia, research organizations and industry.Originality/valueSo far, no publication about the newly founded SARC has been made yet. It is unique in the way that it makes substantial use of national technical documents so that this information becomes available for non-Swedish speakers. Additionally, the perhaps-unique system of industrial competence clusters is presented.

SuDS & Sponge Cities: A Comparative Analysis of the Implementation of Pluvial Flood Management in the UK and China

In recent decades, rapid urbanization has resulted in a growing urban population, transformed into regions of exceptional socio-economic value. By removing vegetation and soil, grading the land surface and saturating soil air content, urban developments are more likely to be flooded, which will be further exacerbated by an anticipated increase in the number of intense rainfall events, due to climate change. To date, data collected show that urban pluvial flood events are on the rise for both the UK and China. This paper presents a critical review of existing sustainable approaches to urban flood management, by comparing UK practice with that in China and critically assessing whether lessons can be learnt from the Sponge City initiative. The authors have identified a strategic research plan to ensure that the sponge city initiative can successfully respond to extreme climatic events and tackle pluvial flooding. Hence, this review suggests that future research should focus on (1) the development of a more localized rainfall model for the Chinese climate; (2) the role of retrofit SuDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems) in challenging water environments; (3) the development of a robust SuDS selection tool, ensuring that the most effective devices are installed, based on local factors; and (4) dissemination of current information, and increased understanding of maintenance and whole life-costing, alongside monitoring the success of sponge cities to increase the confidence of decision makers (5) the community engagement and education about sponge cities.

Banda deep-sea research: history, mission and strategic plan

Attention to the deep-sea ecosystem research in order to achieve blue economy goals is low. The Banda Sea is important deep-sea ecosystem in Indonesia and it was identified as a global marine mega-biodiversity site. The objectives of this paper are 1) to document the history, achievements, and challenges of deep-sea research development and 2) to develop a grand design and innovative strategic plan for deep-sea research. Literature reviews and questionnaire survey for scientists across Indonesia were carried out. The literature reviews indicated that deep-sea ecosystem is not well documented. Few articles on deep-sea were published (mean 0.8 article y−1) which were mainly focused on geological (45%) and physical oceanography (32%), less research on biological (16%) and chemical oceanography (8%). Deep-sea ecosystem faced tremendous threats due to ecosystem degradation, pollution, and climate change. The questionnaire survey showed that research infrastructure/facilities (Ranking 1) and institutional management systems (Ranking 2) were the main obstacles to Indonesian deep-sea research development. A grand design named Indonesian Deep-sea Research and Monitoring (I-DREAM) and its strategic plan were developed to achieve blue economy goals. Strengthening research infrastructure and institutional management systems are the top priories that should be achieved in the short-term period to support deep-sea research in Indonesia. Scientific pursuit in long-term period should be focused on biodiversity and deep-sea ecology including chemical oceanography (24%) and its interaction with other ecosystems and atmosphere (18%) were identified as the top priorities to be implemented for future research (Ranking 1 and 2). The Banda Sea was identified as a suitable core study area of the I-DREAM’s pilot project. The grand-design and its innovative strategic plan are essential to fulfilling high demand on a guideline for deep-sea research to achieve blue economic development goals.

A Strategic Plan for Increasing Scholarly Activity Among Medical Students, Residents, and Faculty.

Scholarly activity among students, residents, and faculty provides the foundation for medical education. However, a decline in the number of physician-scientists has been acknowledged during the past few decades. As a result, institutions have attempted to increase research activity among students and residents through a variety of means. This study describes a replicative model for medical institutions to increase their research enterprises among medical students, residents, and faculty. Des Moines University College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery (DMU-CPMS) developed a Strategic Research Plan (SRP) to increase scholarly activity in the college. The SRP outlined an innovative model to increase research activity, including creating a Director of Research position, modifying the existing curriculum toward an evidence-based focus, increasing extracurricular research opportunities, and fostering collaborative research efforts among students, residents, and faculty. After SRP implementation, an increase in scholarly activity was observed. In the 6 years before implementing the SRP, DMU-CPMS published 11 manuscripts. In the 6 years after initiating the SRP, manuscript publications increased to 50. During this same period, podium presentations at scientific meetings increased from 6 to 40, and students listed as lead author increased from 0 to 16. The SRP provides a replicative model for medical institutions seeking to increase their research enterprises through collaboration among students, residents, and faculty. To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate a research plan aimed at increasing scholarly activity among a comprehensive scope of individuals in medical education.

Recommendations to Sustain the Academic Mission Ecosystem at U.S. Medical Schools

Academic medical center (AMC) faculty, administrators, and leaders have the critical tasks of teaching and training the next generation of health care providers and biomedical researchers, as well as generating new knowledge that improves the health of all. In the United States, medical schools and their affiliated hospitals train remarkably high-quality physicians and scientists, and the research conducted at these institutions results in advances in health. To that end, AMCs have become essential engines for driving better health in the United States and the rest of the world; they also have become essential engines driving the economies of their respective communities and regions. The education and research missions, however, require subsidization because tuition and extramural grant funding do not cover the costs of these endeavors. This subsidization largely has come from revenues generated by AMCs' clinical endeavors. The viability of this cross-subsidization, however, is increasingly threatened in the current clinical environment. The authors of this Perspective discuss these issues in depth and provide some concrete recommendations to address these challenges. They hope to stimulate discussion and, ultimately, ensure the financial viability of U.S. AMCs-a national resource of utmost importance. Recommendations to sustain research include creating strategic biomedical research plans, developing a defined and sustained model to support National Institutes of Health funding that keeps pace with inflation, and evolving funding mechanisms. Recommendations to sustain medical education include limiting student debt, creating more cost-effective curricula, and ensuring that clinical training opportunities that meet national standards are available to students.

The interagency strategic plan for research and development of blood products and related technologies for trauma care and emergency preparedness 2015-2020.

Intensive blood use is expected to occur at levels, which will overwhelm blood supplies as they exist with current capabilities and technologies, both in civilian mass casualty events and military battlefield trauma. New technologies are needed for trauma care, and specifically to provide safer, more effective, and more logistically supportable blood products to treat patients with, or at risk of developing, acquired bleeding disorders resulting from trauma, acute radiation exposure, or other causes. Three of the primary agencies with major research and development programs related to blood products, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), the Department of Defense (DoD), and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute are uniquely positioned to partner in addressing these issues, which have significant implications for each respective agency, as well as for the US population. Providing leadership, coordination, and oversight for the Food and Drug Administration's national and global health security, counterterrorism, and emerging threats portfolios, the US Food and Drug Administration Office of Counterterrorism and Emerging Threats serves in a critical advisory and facilitative role regarding development and availability of blood products. This plan is informed by the 2012 PHEMCE Strategy (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2012), the 2007 "Shaping the Future of Research" Strategic Plan for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the 2011 BARDA Strategic Plan, the DoD Combat Casualty Care Research Program: Policy Review, the 2015 DoD Hemorrhage and Resuscitation Research and Development Strategic Plan, and more than 30 participants from other agencies who participated in planning.

Omics research ethics considerations

BackgroundPending revisions to the Common Rule include topics consistent with respect for persons, justice, and beneficence for research subjects in studies using omics technologies and are relevant to omics research. PurposeSynthesize trends in bioethics, precision health, and omics nursing science for novice and experienced nursing scholars from which to consider bioethics questions. MethodsReview topics addressed in the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) strategic plan, Common Rule pending revisions, and publications regarding human subjects protection policies. DiscussionOmics research involves decisions regarding understandable informed consent, broad consent, data sharing, trust, equal benefit, equal access, societal variables, privacy, data security, and return of findings to participants. ConclusionPrinciples of respect for persons, justice, and beneficence as articulated in the Belmont report and reflected in the American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics provide guidance for human subjects protection procedures to advance omics and nursing science.