Top-down Research Research Articles

Tensions at the University and Living in Liminality: English Language Teachers Navigating through New Research Expectations

This study examined tensions affecting university English language teachers, and subsequently the liminal space they occupied. In this study, tensions arose because of the introduction and promotion of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) for conducting language pedagogical research. This move had inadvertently displaced existing research perspectives and approaches and compelled a reconfiguration of the teacher’s professional sense of self. There were four English language teachers involved in this study, all of whom were teaching different types of English courses for academic purposes in a public university in Singapore. Data for this study comprised reflections written by the participants, which were analyzed as case studies. Through the examination of tensions and liminality affecting the participants, it became apparent that distinct strategies and coping mechanisms were enacted. There were those who sought to distinguish existing research perspectives, and those who embarked on a productive journey to navigate through the new research requirement. All these constituted professional development for the participants in personalized ways. The examination of the case studies also indicated how top-down research endeavors may be challenged, especially in a field like English language education, given its long-standing and established research traditions. Yet, the circumstance which saw novel research approaches being introduced illustrate how the professional community of English language teachers in the higher education setting remain on the fringes of academia. Future studies should consider taking an ecological approach to examining tension to gain a more comprehensive understanding of English language teachers’ professional identity.

A new evaluation system for drug-microbiota interactions.

The drug response phenotype is determined by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. The high clinical conversion failure rate of gene-targeted drugs might be attributed to the lack of emphasis on environmental factors and the inherent individual variability in drug response (IVDR). Current evidence suggests that environmental variables, rather than the disease itself, are the primary determinants of both gut microbiota composition and drug metabolism. Additionally, individual differences in gut microbiota create a unique metabolic environment that influences the in vivo processes underlying drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME). Here, we discuss how gut microbiota, shaped by both genetic and environmental factors, affects the host's ADME microenvironment within a new evaluation system for drug-microbiota interactions. Furthermore, we propose a new top-down research approach to investigate the intricate nature of drug-microbiota interactions in vivo. This approach utilizes germ-free animal models, providing foundation for the development of a new evaluation system for drug-microbiota interactions.

Abstract PO-077: High-throughput 3D-spheroid invasion assay: A powerful tool to identify novel drugs targeting tumor micro-environment in HNSCC

Abstract Cancer metastasis is a complex cascade that involves activation of cancer cell invasion and migration. This activation is greatly attributed by multiple factors, including the tumor-microenvironment (TME). Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF), a prominent cell type within the TME, have been shown to promote cancer cell invasion and migration, causing metastasis in various cancers including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The molecular mechanisms of how CAFs promote HNSCC invasion remain elusive. Our research goal is to understand how CAFs influence HNSCC cells to become invasive and potentially metastatic. Using a top-down research approach, our aim is to identify novel therapeutic chemical probe/drug regimens that potentially target CAF-dependent HNSCC cancer cell-invasion. In-order to perform high-throughput small molecule screens, we have established a 384-well format, three-dimensional (3D) spheroid invasion assay, as a powerful tool to study CAF-dependent HNSCC cancer cell invasion. This platform is currently being used to screen small molecule libraries and identify putative molecular targets, providing insights into underlying mechanisms of CAF-induced cancer cell invasion and candidate therapeutic strategies. Citation Format: Kunal Karve, Stephanie Poon, Panagiotis Prinos, Laurie Ailles. High-throughput 3D-spheroid invasion assay: A powerful tool to identify novel drugs targeting tumor micro-environment in HNSCC [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-AHNS Head and Neck Cancer Conference: Innovating through Basic, Clinical, and Translational Research; 2023 Jul 7-8; Montreal, QC, Canada. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2023;29(18_Suppl):Abstract nr PO-077.

Collective renovation decisions in multi-owned housing management: the case of public–private homeowners associations in Poland

The increasing popularity of multi-owned housing in various parts of the world and the need to constantly maintain these stocks in good condition raises issues of collective renovation decisions made by groups of unit owners in this housing sector. The main aim of the study was to identify the exogenous factors influencing collective decision-making actions of public–private homeowners associations regarding common property renovations in the management of housing condominiums in Poland. To achieve this aim, an original multi-stage top-down research methodology was applied. As the dependent variable representing the success of collective decision-making actions on common property renovations, the renovation fund rate passed by homeowners associations was adopted. Empirical research was conducted on representative samples of public–private homeowners associations with the participation of the municipality of Olsztyn in Poland. The results showed that building age, the number of unit owners and the share of the municipality in the common property significantly influenced renovation fund rates, ceteris paribus, with the influence of the former factor being positive and the others negative. This confirmed the hypothesis that the municipalities tend to negatively influence the collective renovation decisions of public–private homeowners associations by their shares in common properties. This study contributes to collective action theory when public and private actors co-participate in group decision-making and has far-reaching policy and practical implications. Hence, further research on this topic in different markets and institutional arrangements is recommended.

Optimization on Spatial Distribution of Shelter through Dynamic Evacuation Simulation of High Density Urban Area-Xinjiekou Case

The optimal location of emergency shelters is essential for boosting the evacuation efficiency and resilience of cities. For determining evacuation demands and residents' evacuation allocations, a two-stage model for the optimization of shelter site that utilizes high-precision day and night population data derived from mobile signalling has been developed. In the initial phase, static network analysis served as the foundation for identifying the site arrangements with the smallest number of additional shelters via the enhanced set-covering model. The second-stage optimization determines the best location scheme with the minimum evacuation time using a modified social force model, along with the population's spatial heterogeneity, age structure, and evacuation route selection. Xinjiekou was chosen to assess evacuation efficiency. The utilization rates of shelters and the amount of congestion on the roads before and after optimization are assessed. The outcome demonstrated a 76.5% reduction in evacuation time, a vast improvement in the usage efficiency of shelters, and a significant reduction in congestion along the evacuation route. This method of location optimization marks a break from the usual empirical top-down research paradigm in favor of a bottom-up numerical simulation of the real evacuation process, which satisfies all local residents' and government's needs.

Linking Agriculture Research Extension Education and Farmer (Areef) In Local Level: Municipal Perspectives

Purpose: The main research issue of study is to identify the nature of existing linking mechanisms among AREE institutions at municipality level affecting the agriculture service delivery. Study also focused to explore the possibilities of university-community engagement to strengthen the linkage gaps.
 Design/Methodology/Approach: Convergent parallel mix methods design along with systematic review was employed to attain the study objective. Ten observation of service delivery embedded with KIIs were conducted in five Rural-Municipalities and five Municipalities. The theoretical framework was discussed to improve the current linkage interface at local level
 Findings: The literature from systematic review showed, top-down research and extension management, fragmented research, extension, and academic institutions, lower perception of the value of linkage, poor infrastructure of basic services, absenteeism of human resource, and with inadequate competencies were the main causes of weak research, extension, education, and farmer linkages at the local level.
 Implications/Originality/Value: The paper discussed and conceptualize various linkage modalities that are being practiced over the country must be contextualize based on the characteristics of agriculture research, extension and education institutions existing and working in municipalities.

Participatory approaches in the context of research into workplace health promotion to improve physical activity levels and reduce sedentary behaviour among office-based workers: protocol for a scoping review

IntroductionPhysical activity (PA) workplace health promotion (WHP) interventions have traditionally used a top-down research approach where end-users are considered as passive subjects. Whereas participatory research (PR) involves the end-users within...

Look Who’s Asking—Reflections on Participatory and Transdisciplinary Marine Research Approaches

Marine conservation transdisciplinary researchers often get to the field with a previously designed question, often formulated outside the actual geographical, social, cultural and ecological setting in which the research projects are supposed to be anchored. Involving people on the ground in the initial phase of formulating the questions and setting the research agenda is still uncommon. Once in the field, transdisciplinary researchers may or may not have the support of local communities to sample their data, although they will regularly need to count on these same communities if a collaborative regime is to be pursued and informed by the research outcome. This paper discusses measures that can be taken by marine fisheries and marine conservation researchers to improve participation in, and ownership of, the research by local counterparts, most importantly members of the communities where research is being conducted. The data was generated with a purposively sampled survey of 18 members of our research networks. Key proposed measures derived from this data include: (1) build rapport; (2) engage and exchange; (3) be accommodating and attentive; and (4) be respectful. Knowing who is asking the questions and assuring that all stakeholders have a voice in this process becomes especially relevant under extreme circumstances (e.g., disasters, pandemics), when problems are numerous but can only be accessed by those on the ground. We advise for faster progress in transforming academic and funding environments for true “level-playing-field” transdisciplinary and co-designed research projects that can help change top-down research tendencies.

Whose action research is it?: Promoting linguistically sensitive teacher education in Europe

ABSTRACT This article examines the possibilities and challenges in turning a top-down action research project led by high-level public authorities into a shared and collaborative, multi-site and multi-professional bottom-up action research project. For this purpose, the article explores the initial stages of a European level action research project called ‘Linguistically Sensitive Teaching in All Classrooms’ that aimed to help teacher education systems better acknowledge linguistically diverse student populations in seven European countries. The analysis of the data sought to identify how to promote linguistically sensitive initial teacher education by incorporating reflection tasks into existing courses, and how to transform a top-down research project into a shared and collaborative bottom-up action project. The primary data consisted of 19 video-recorded online research meetings. Qualitative analysis was used to identify ‘critical moments’ in the data; these included a moment of major insight where transformation of project related ideas took place. The findings showed that linguistically sensitive teaching as a phenomenon is complex and the related terminology challenging to translate between languages and contexts. Furthermore, a European level action research requires negotiating a joint understanding of the roles of the participants and the individual perceptions of project ownership in each context. This suggests that a deeper understanding of the processes of participation and the partnerships involved in the action research may be as valuable as the actual reflection tools developed in the project in securing a systematic change towards linguistically sensitive teacher education.

Transdisciplinary sport and physical activity development in urban real-world labs

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to present a research approach that can contribute to a sustainable development of urban spaces for sports and physical activity, comprising theoretical reflections and directions for applied research.Design/methodology/approachThis research builds on an urban real-world lab in a city district. It is based on principles of transdisciplinary research and intense processes of participation.FindingsFive projects with regard to sport and physical activity development were implemented. The projects resulted in exchange and learning of citizens and other stakeholders as well as transformations of the social and built environment.Research limitations/implicationsInstead of top-down research and planning this approach enables bottom-up processes in which affected citizens and stakeholders can contribute to sport and physical activity development.Practical implicationsThe approach can help to integrate sport and physical activity development and transformative processes of sustainable development in urban areas.Social implicationsThrough participation and involvement, citizens can be empowered and social capital can be generated.Originality/valueUrban real-world labs are a new approach for sport and physical activity development. This approach opens up the possibility to include sport and physical activity development in processes of city development. Hence, urban real-world labs are able to address an integrated urban and sport development process and can be used for city marketing purposes.

The next big thing for silicon nanostructures - CO2 photocatalysis.

Silicene is a relatively new member of the growing family of two-dimensional single-element materials. Both top-down and bottom-up approaches provide access to silicene, the former via vapor deposition on a substrate and the latter via exfoliation of the layered CaSi2 precursor. Most top-down research has been concerned with understanding the various electronic, optical, magnetic, mechanical, electrical, thermal transport and gas-adsorption properties of silicene. By contrast, the focus on bottom-up silicene has primarily been on its synthesis, structure and chemical properties as they relate to its function and utility. Herein, emphasis is placed on the bottom-up strategy because of its scalability and the ease of subsequent silicene modification, with both qualities being important prerequisites for heterogeneous catalysis applications. In this context, synthetic freestanding silicene exists as single sheets or multilayer assemblies, depending on the CaSi2 exfoliation synthesis conditions. The structure of a sheet comprises three connected chair-configuration silicon 6-rings. This connectivity creates buckled sheets in which the hybridization around the unsaturated silicon atoms is sp2-sp3. By adjusting the CaSi2 exfoliation synthesis conditions, either layered silane (Si6H6) or siloxene (Si6H3(OH)3) nanosheets can be obtained. In our studies, we have explored the nucleation and growth of different transition metal nanoparticles on and within the layer spaces of these nanosheets, and explored their thermochemical and photochemical reactivity in CO2 hydrogenation reactions. An overview of these findings, related works and a new-and-optimized catalyst are provided in this article.

Financial flow models in municipal housing stock management in Poland

The privatization of public housing in Poland has contributed to the rise of a hybrid municipal housing management system where financial operations are carried out in both public and private finance sectors. The paper identifies and analyzes the existing model of financial flows in municipal housing stock management in Poland and proposes a modification to improve the quality and efficiency of these services. The existing model was developed using a multi-stage top-down research methodology combining various descriptive, explanatory and analytical methods. The model presents the standardized structure and mechanisms of financial flows in municipal housing stock management in a synthetic, consistent and universal approach. It provides a platform for detailed research aiming to improve the analyzed management processes, and it can be deployed to perform analytical, diagnostic and normative functions as a tool for promoting good management practices. The existing model was modified based on the results of an empirical analysis. The modified model proposes a general framework for the financial transformation of municipal housing management systems in Poland in line with the New Public Management concept. The identified models could be of interest to other countries where social housing management leans towards the narrower property-based approach.

The review on top-down research for character education for young children through constructivism perspectives

The review on top-down research for character education for young children through constructivism perspectives

Shift in the paradigm towards next-generation microbiology.

ABSTRACTIn this work, the position of contemporary microbiology is considered from the perspective of scientific success, and a list of historical points and lessons learned from the fields of medical microbiology, microbial ecology and systems biology is presented. In addition, patterns in the development of top-down research topics that emerged over time as well as overlapping ideas and personnel, which are the first signs of trans-domain research activities in the fields of metagenomics, metaproteomics, metatranscriptomics and metabolomics, are explored through analysis of the publication networks of 28 654 papers using the computer programme Pajek. The current state of affairs is defined, and the need for meta-analyses to leverage publication biases in the field of microbiology is put forward as a very important emerging field of microbiology, especially since microbiology is progressively dealing with multi-scale systems. Consequently, the need for cross-fertilisation with other fields/disciplines instead of ‘more microbiology’ is needed to advance the field of microbiology as such. The reader is directed to consider how novel technologies, the introduction of big data approaches and artificial intelligence have transformed microbiology into a multi-scale field and initiated a shift away from its history of mostly manual work and towards a largely technology-, data- and statistics-driven discipline that is often coupled with automation and modelling.

Power Hierarchies between the Researcher and Informants

Scholars have long been interested in researching Roma; a form of “top-down research,” where the researcher analyzes, gathers data, and interviews the “objects” of the research, is still dominant in the field, although an increasing number of critics have been proposing ways of including Roma in knowledge production to shape the discourse about themselves. Exclusion of Roma in the process of research silences their voices and contributes to incomplete, flawed findings that often reinforce stereotypes. This paper takes a critical look at interactions and the power dynamics between the researcher and the informant(s) during research based on one in-depth case study: fieldwork conducted in a small town in Hungary in 2012–13. The presented research is one small step towards deconstructing knowledge production with a focus on research ethics and practice, rather than a large-scale paradigm change. This paper strives to transcend the scholarly field of Romani Studies specifically, and contribute to the broader literature on Social Science methodology, especially scholarship about interpretive methods and fieldwork.

Change Research: Narrating Social Change from the Bottom-Up

This essay provides a review of Bent Flyvbjerg’s critique of conventional social science research, including its limitations in applied fields such as social work, followed by a specification of his alternative for a “phronetic social science.” I detail how I with two colleagues practiced phronetic social science in our collaboration with Philadelphia housing activists, including most especially the role of interpretive narrative analysis as part of our case study research. In conclusion, I discuss the somewhat ironic challenges of trying to increase the legitimacy of such activist research in applied fields like social work where an obsession with being seen as scientific is prevalent as a means to improve prestige of applied research. I discuss how we need less top-down research which focuses on a “what works” agenda that serves the management of subordinate populations and more research that provides bottom-up understandings of a “what’s right” agenda tailored to empowering people in particular settings. Real social science research needs to listen to how people on the bottom experience their own subordination so that we can help them overcome their subjugation. Good social science includes taking the perspective of the oppressed in the name of helping them achieve social justice. In the end, there are a number of tension points between the model of conventional social science and phronetic social science that starkly highlight how we need to change research in order do research that promotes positive social change.

Top-Down Research, Generalists, and Google Scholar: Does Google Scholar Facilitate Breakthrough Research?

Researchers long ago demonstrated that top-down, inference-based approaches to research have comfortably co-existed with more traditional bottom-up, hypotheses-driven research. Yet most faculty omit any mention of top-down approaches in direct instruction or training of students, despite these approaches being both relatively common, occasionally necessary, and considerably more efficient than traditional bottom-up research. The growing sophistication of search engine algorithms, like those used by Google Scholar, makes possible highly efficient, inter-disciplinary top-down research. This article explores both the existence and operation of top-down approaches to research in the sciences and the ways in which Google Scholar could work with top-down research strategies to transform collaboration and inter-disciplinary research, particularly in the sciences.

Climate change impact chains in the water sector: observations from projects on the East India coast

With regional variations, climate change has a significant impact on water quality deterioration and scarcity, which are serious challenges in developing countries and emerging economies. Often, effective projects to improve water management in the light of climate change are difficult to develop because of the complex interrelations between direct and indirect climate impacts and local perceptions of vulnerabilities and needs. Adaptation projects can be developed through a combination of participatory, bottom-up needs assessments and top-down analyses. Climate change impact chains can help to display the causal chain of climate signals and resulting impacts and thereby establish a system map as a basis for stakeholder discussions. This article aims to develop specific climate change impact chains for the water management sector in rural coastal India that combine bottom-up and top-down perspectives. Case studies from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, India, provide a basis for the impact chains developed. Bottom-up data were gathered through a vulnerability and needs assessment in 18 villages complemented with top-down research data. The article is divided into four steps: (1) system of interest; (2) data on climate change signals; (3) climate change impacts based on top-down as well as bottom-up information; (4) specific impact chains complemented by initial climate change adaptation options.

The potential and limitations of farmer participatory research in organic agriculture: A review

Farmer participatory research (FPR) emerged in response to limitations of top-down Research and Development (R&D) approaches. The main purpose of this paper is to inspire and guide aspiring and new practitioners of participatory research and development (PR&D) to learn, reflect and constantly refine the way they work. The primary target users are field-based researchers involved in activities dealing with the interrelated issues of natural resource management, agriculture and rural livelihoods. They may have technical or social science backgrounds but share a common interest in drawing on the PR&D knowledge base. The paper is intended to enhance access to systematized information on field-tested PR&D concepts and practices among field practitioners and their organizations. This paper offers a conceptual model for participatory research projects that aim to improve the sustainability of organic agriculture. Key words: Farmer participatory research, appropriate technology, agricultural research, on farm research, sustainability.

Detecting Psychological Phenomena: Taking Bottom-Up Research Seriously

For more than 50 years, psychology has been dominated by a top-down research strategy in which a simplistic account of the hypothetico-deductive method is paired with null hypothesis testing in order to test hypotheses and theories. As a consequence of this focus on testing, psychologists have failed to pay sufficient attention to a complementary, bottom-up research strategy in which data-to-theory research is properly pursued.This bottom-up strategy has 2 primary aspects: the detection of phenomena, mostly in the form of empirical generalizations, and the subsequent understanding of those phenomena through the abductive generation of explanatory theories. This article provides a methodologically informative account of phenomena detection with reference to psychology. It begins by presenting the important distinctions between data, phenomena, and theory. It then identifies a number of different methodological strategies that are used to identify empirical phenomena. Thereafter, it discusses aspects of the nature of science that are prompted by a consideration of the distinction between data, phenomena, and explanatory theory. Taken together, these considerations press for significant changes in the way we think about and practice psychological research. The adoption of these changes would help psychology correct a number of its major current research deficiencies.