Types Of Research Projects Research Articles

Perfil científico de estudantes de Medicina em uma universidade pública

*** Scientific profile of medical students in a public university ***AIMS: To describe the characteristics of scientific activities conducted by medical students at the State University of Pará, Brazil, including their participation in research, events, and publications of medical articles.METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June 2015 with over-18-year-old students from the medical school of the State University of Pará, after they signed an informed consent form for their participation. Thirty students from each academic year (6 in total) answered a questionnaire developed and applied by the researchers. The questionnaire addressed the students’ participation in research activities, the types of research developed, and their scientific production. The participants were grouped according to academic cycles (1st and 2nd years, 3rd and 4th years, and 5th and 6th years). The type of scientific research was classified into four categories: database search, experiments with animals, clinical practice at outpatient clinics and health centers, and analyses of biological samples. The categorical variables were expressed as frequencies and percentage and compared by the chi-square test. A p ≤0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.RESULTS: Out of 180 assessed students, 96 (53.3%) conducted research. Of these, 23 (12.7%) were 1st- or 2nd-year students, 33 (18.3%) were in the 3rd or 4th year, and 40 (22.2%) were attending the 5th or 6th year. Regarding the type of research, there was a larger participation in database search (26.7%) and in clinical studies (26.7%). Participation of undergraduates in scientific events consisted of poster sessions (40.6%) and oral presentations (14.4%).CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed a high frequency of participation of medical students in research activities, with a major focus on clinical studies and database search. Students from the 3rd to the 6th year showed a higher degree of participation. The students’ scientific production was made known more frequently through their participation in scientific events, especially in poster sessions. There was a paucity of publications by the investigated undergraduate students.

Course‐embedded Undergraduate Research in an Animal Physiology Laboratory Course

It is widely accepted that undergraduate research experience enhances scientific education. A well‐established approach to provide undergraduate research opportunities is to have students work in a faculty's laboratory. The large number of Biology Majors at most comprehensive universities makes this approach highly challenging. Course‐embedded undergraduate research experience (CURE) has been proven to be as beneficial to students as the traditional faculty‐mentored research. Different types of research projects have been used in CURE. This course differed in that students worked as co‐investigators with the faculty on a small subtask of a large research project. The overall aim of this particular large research project is to investigate the role of gut microbiota on gut motor functions in irritable bowel syndrome. One approach to study the impact of gut microbiota on health and diseases is to deplete the gut microbiota by using a broad‐spectrum antibiotic cocktail. The antibiotics may influence gut motility directly by activating receptors on the smooth muscle cells or indirectly via depletion of gut microbiota. The student experiment was designed to test the direct effects of the antibiotics on gut smooth muscles. During the first twelve weeks, students performed six pre‐designed experiments, among which one lab was to study gut smooth muscle motility. The last three weeks were reserved for independent research. Students were responsible for searching relevant primary literature, designing the experiments, determining the materials and equipment needed, performing the experiments, and analyzing the data. Students reported their findings in the format of an original research journal article. Pre‐ and post‐tests were administered to assess student learning gain of physiological concepts and research skills. A post‐course survey was conducted to assess student attitudes toward scientific research. The results suggested that although this CURE approach didn't significantly enhance student learning gain in physiological concepts, it helped to build student research skills. The post‐course survey results suggested that performing independent research increased students' understanding of research, increased their confidence in doing research, and made them proud of their contribution to faculty research. This co‐investigator approach could be easily adapted to a CURE in other biology courses.Support or Funding InformationThis work was supported by a grant from Center for Advanced Teaching and Learning, University of Wisconsin‐La Cross.

The Small Mammal Project: Engaging Students as Scientists

This article describes a sustained, student-driven, inquiry-based set of activities meant to illuminate the scientific process from the initial scientific questions to oral dissemination of results. It is appropriate for science majors and nonmajors, advanced high school through upper-level college courses. Involving students in hands-on, self-driven investigations will allow them to see the challenges of quantitative scientific investigations, and the role of scientific creativity in experimental design and interpretation. This project allows a large group of students to engage in the type of research project often only available to students working one-on-one with instructors or in research labs. This activity requires skeletons of multiple species of small mammals, but there are many ways to alter the project to suit available resources. We expect that students involved in hands-on, self-directed scientific investigations early in their academic careers are less likely to view science as a mere accumulation of facts and more likely to be empowered to participate later in more sustained scientific investigations.

Видеоигры, академическая успеваемость и внимание: опыт и итоги зарубежных эмпирических исследований детей и подростков

The article is a review of empirical studies on the problem of children and adolescents’ videogaming and its effects on academic performance and attention problems (including ADHD). Despite many types of research projects, and the variety of their designs and methods, the consistent point of view on how videogaming affect school marks and cognitive developments of schoolers of different ages is missing. There is an evidence of both negative and positive effects of videogaming on academic performance and ADHD; some results also show no significant effect. Diversity of research results may be caused by basic methodological position of research teams — whether videogaming is studied as a form of addiction, or normal leisure activity; a place which videogaming holds in conglomerate of determinants of children’ well-being; specificity of methods which are used for assess of academic performance, attention problems and intensiveness of videogaming.

Research projects and secondary mathematics pre-service teachers’ sense of efficacy

ABSTRACTThis two-year study investigated the differences in the level and amounts of change in teaching efficacy of secondary pre-service mathematics teachers who completed one of two different research projects during a methods course. The first type, field research, involved a three day trip to an urban school to investigate successful mathematics teaching and learning from engaging directly with practitioners. For the second type, text-based research, participants remained on campus and investigated successful mathematics teaching and learning through text-based literature. Pre-service teachers were separated into two self-selected groups based on the type of research project they completed. The two types of research projects were focused and grounded one source of self-efficacy: vicarious experience. Within the possible vicarious experiences that inform pre-service teachers’ sense of efficacy, two are readily applicable for teacher educators: watching others teach followed by discussing results (field research) and reading professional literature followed by discussions of enacting those ideas (text-based research). Data revealed that pre-service mathematics teachers showed improved teaching efficacy. Those who did field-based research had a higher level and greater increase on measures of teaching efficacy compared to peers completing text-based research. Implications for mathematics teacher educators are discussed.

SECUENCIACIÓN DE PRÓXIMA GENERACIÓN Y SU CONTEXTO EUGENÉSICO EN EL EMBRIÓN HUMANO

The advent of omic technologies and, more specifically, the progress made with specific second- and third-generation sequencing technologies, gives us the possibility of knowing the particular sequence of individual genomes at a relatively affordable cost. In the not too distant future, these sequencing technologies combined with specific functional analysis will be used, at a genomic level and with a much finer degree of detail than the old molecular diagnostic tests, to identify the diseases associated with each person’s genetic map. New dilemmas in different contexts have emerged with the advent of these technologies. From a bioethical perspective, the problem is not rooted in detailed research on the human genome per se, but in the purpose that can be given to information derived from this type of scientific research, which could become a useful tool for selecting, rejecting and discriminating against persons, because they have a hereditary disease or the potential to develop specific diseases in the future. This article analyzes the relationship between the eugenic mentality, the concept of quality of life, and genomic molecular diagnosis, when applied to human embryos for the purpose of preventing their implantation. Such action threatens the very life and dignity of a human being in its early stages of development.

Regulatory barriers to international scientific innovation: approving new biotechnology in North America

The regulation of science often differs among countries and leads to a divergence that can create barriers to research, knowledge transfer and product trade. Many types of scientific research are mobile activities that be done in a number of countries for a comparable cost. With technology development firms facing comparable development costs regardless of location, it is well understood that location decisions are driven by the time and monetary costs of compliance with regulatory systems. In this article we show the compatibility of a country's regulatory system with foreign regulatory systems can also impact the viability of research investment. We argue there may be considerable economic gain from bilateral, and eventually multinational, agreements to adopt a harmonized or shared regulatory process. This is particularly germane for the United States and Canada which are already in a free trade agreement.

Where next for global environmental research? The answer is Future Earth

It is likely that you live in a crowded European city. You want fresh air when you cross the road, you want to see that everyone everywhere has quality of life, you want to know that plants and animals are safe from extinction through local habitat destruction and globally from climate change. This world that we want needs a different type of scientific research to what has gone before. It needs research that can help solve environmental problems as well as better analyse and understand them. Future Earth has been created for scientists across all disciplines to work together with societies’ experts to find solutions to the most pressing challenges facing people and the planet. Here we describe this new global organisation called Future Earth and what it wants to achieve in Europe and how.

Aerosol Measurements at South Pole: Climatology and Impact of Local Contamination

The Atmospheric Research Observatory (ARO), part of the National Science Foundation's (NSF's) Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, is located at one of the cleanest and most remote sites on earth. NOAA has been making atmospheric baseline measurements at South Pole since the mid-1970's. The pristine conditions and high elevation make the South Pole a desirable location for many types of research projects and since the early 2000's there have been multiple construction projects to accommodate both a major station renovation and additional research activities and their personnel. The larger population and increased human activity at the station, located in such close proximity to the global baseline measurements conducted at the ARO, calls into question the potential effects of local contamination of the long-term background measurements. In this work, the long-term wind and aerosol climatologies were updated and analyzed for trends. Winds blow toward the ARO from the Clean Air Sector ~88% of the time and while there is some year-to-year variability in this number, the long-term wind speed and direction measurements at South Pole have not changed appreciably in the last 35 years. Several human activity markers including station population, aircraft flights and fuel usage were used as surrogates for local aerosol emissions; peak human activity (and thus likely local emissions) occurred in the 2006 and 2007 austral summer seasons. The long-term aerosol measurements at ARO do not peak during these seasons, suggesting that the quality control procedures in place to identify and exclude continuous sources of local contamination are working and that the NSF's sector management plan for the Clean Air Sector is effective. No significant trends over time were observed in particle number concentration, aerosol light scattering coefficient, or any aerosol parameter except scattering Angstrom exponent, which showed a drop of ~0.02 yr^(-1) over the 36-year record. The effect of discrete local contamination events in the Clean Air Sector is discussed using one well-documented example.

A framework for analysing research types and practices

In this paper we present a framework for examining the changes that are taking place in the research communication practices of academics from four Southern African universities in the wider context of global moves towards open access. We argue that changes in research activity in higher education systems globally, accompanied by the communicative affordances offered by web 2.0 technologies, are having effects on the ways in which scholars are communicating their research. We assess the extent of change on the scholars in the four universities, drawing on data from the Scholarly Communication in Africa Programme (SCAP) in which 23 academics were interviewed about three recent pieces of research. We therefore developed an overview of 70 pieces of research work, from scholars working in universities in Botswana, Namibia, Mauritius and South African. Traditionally scholars have focused on communicating their research through journal articles or monographs and current rewards and incentives systems at universities continue to emphasise this form of scholar-to-scholar communication. However, growing numbers of academics now communicate their work to governments, to industry and to civil society. Developing a systematic picture of the changing practices of scholars in communicating their work is not easy, given the variety of research projects undertaken across disciplines and contexts. Our framework starts off with identifying five types of research projects, which cut across disciplines and the pure/applied distinction. We then examine these in the light of the scholarly communication cycle and its six stages of conceptualization, data collection and analysis, articulation of findings, and translation and engagement. At each stage we argue the importance of considering social relations, audiences and genres. Finally, we consider these along a continuum of degrees of openness.

Don't take your EHR to heaven, donate it to science: legal and research policies for EHR post mortem.

Recently, an important public debate emerged about the digital afterlife of any personal data stored in the cloud. Such debate brings also to attention the importance of transparent management of electronic health record (EHR) data of deceased patients. In this perspective paper, we look at legal and regulatory policies for EHR data post mortem. We analyze observational research situations using EHR data that do not require institutional review board approval. We propose creation of a deceased subject integrated data repository (dsIDR) as an effective tool for piloting certain types of research projects. We highlight several dsIDR challenges in proving death status, informed consent, obtaining data from payers and healthcare providers and the involvement of next of kin.

Integration of Three Different Medical Research Projects for Medical Students in a Department of Pediatrics

At the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre (RUNMC), all medical students perform one or more scientific studies. The Department of Pediatrics is involved in three different types of research projects: First, the Research Training Internship, which all medical students participate in during their Master program. This 12-week internship is considered an educational or learning activity and comprises general learning objectives as well as specific learning objectives. Second, the Radboud Honors Program Medical Sciences, a supplementary two-year program that gives exceptional Bachelor medical students the opportunity to train in medical research and to perform research at a host institute abroad. Finally, the Excellent Student Program that invites excellent students to participate in research projects in our pediatric clinic over a period of 2–6 years. The main goal of this program is to engage medical students in (clinical) science and translational research. The three different student research projects have been highly productive over the past three years resulting in multiple scientific manuscripts and presentations as well as PhD applications and personal grants. Students are very positive about the programs. We believe these programs increase enthusiasm for medical research among medical students and challenge outstanding students.

Researcher–teacher relationships and models for teaching development in mathematics education

This article offers theoretical and analytical approaches to investigating how researchers and teachers can work together to create knowledge in mathematics education. It argues that researchers and teachers are members of separate, but related, communities of practice, which create and value different types of knowledge. However, connections between communities can be established through discrete boundary encounters, longer term boundary practices, or peripheral participation by members of one community in the practices of another community. A framework for analyzing researcher–teacher relationships is presented and then used to compare ways in which I, as a university-based researcher, worked with teachers in three different types of research projects. The analysis indicates that successful research collaborations are characterized by mutuality of researcher and teacher motivations, roles, and purposes, and complementarity of their expertise and knowledge. Such collaborations build two-way connections between communities through practices that support mutual engagement across the boundaries that define them.

Incorporating Exclusion Clauses into Informed Consent for Biobanking

Determining how best to obtain valid consent for the use of human biological samples collected for research is a challenging issue for investigators, sponsors, and institutional review boards (IRBs) because the goals of maximizing participants’ autonomous decisionmaking and advancing scientific research may conflict. Some participants want control over their samples to avoid research projects that they find morally objectionable. In this article, we argue that the use of exclusion clauses in informed consent can minimize risks to participants and social groups and promote accountability and trust without significantly deterring research. Exclusion clauses are written statements used during informed consent to (1) exclude the use of biological samples and personal health information for certain types of research and (2) limit sharing of biological samples and personal health information with specific researchers, biobanks, or organizations—for example, investigators working on certain types of research projects, insurance companies, government or law enforcement agencies, advocacy organizations, and private companies, that is, employers. Exclusion clauses are meant to capture contentious research that could risk discrimination or stigmatization of individuals or groups and sharing with organizations the public perceives as less trustworthy. Exclusion clauses are statements included in consent forms by the researchers on areas of contentious research in which they will not take part in the future and organizations they are unlikely to share with. Although exclusion clauses may limit unrestricted use and global sharing, they can be useful for smaller biobanks with specific purposes.

Polish version of Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D): results of a preliminary study on the psychometric properties of the scale

<b>Background</b><br /> The Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) is one of the most popular diagnostic tools used to assess depression symptoms, both in epidemiological studies and other types of research projects. The aim of the presented study was the assessment of the psychometric qualities of the Polish version of the scale.<br /> <br /> <b>Participants and procedure</b><br /> The study was conducted on a group of patients suffering from a somatic illness and at risk of developing depression (n = 826) and among healthy individuals from the general population (n = 1160).<br /> <br /> <b>Results</b><br /> The results confirmed the factorial structure of the questionnaire. Convergent validity was confirmed by correlations with other measures of affect and resources consistent with the theory.<br /> <br /> <b>Conclusions</b><br /> The results of our analyses confirmed that the Polish version of the questionnaire is satisfactory in terms of construct and criterion validity and provides a reliable psychometric tool.

A Simple Semi-Automatic Approach for Land Cover Classification from Multispectral Remote Sensing Imagery

Land cover data represent a fundamental data source for various types of scientific research. The classification of land cover based on satellite data is a challenging task, and an efficient classification method is needed. In this study, an automatic scheme is proposed for the classification of land use using multispectral remote sensing images based on change detection and a semi-supervised classifier. The satellite image can be automatically classified using only the prior land cover map and existing images; therefore human involvement is reduced to a minimum, ensuring the operability of the method. The method was tested in the Qingpu District of Shanghai, China. Using Environment Satellite 1(HJ-1) images of 2009 with 30 m spatial resolution, the areas were classified into five main types of land cover based on previous land cover data and spectral features. The results agreed on validation of land cover maps well with a Kappa value of 0.79 and statistical area biases in proportion less than 6%. This study proposed a simple semi-automatic approach for land cover classification by using prior maps with satisfied accuracy, which integrated the accuracy of visual interpretation and performance of automatic classification methods. The method can be used for land cover mapping in areas lacking ground reference information or identifying rapid variation of land cover regions (such as rapid urbanization) with convenience.

The future will have been animal: Dr Moreau and the aesthetics of monstrosity

In a note to his 1896 novel The Island of Doctor Moreau, H.G. Wells writes: “Strange as it may seem to the unscientific reader, there can be no denying that, whatever amount of credibility attaches to the detail of this story, the manufacture of monsters—and perhaps even quasi-human monsters—is within the possibilities of vivisection”. Wells has been proven right about the possibility of producing interspecies hybrids. Moreau is a late-Victorian text that remains relevant today, in part at least, because it anticipates certain key developments in late-twentieth-century molecular biology. In this essay, I relate Wells' novel to current human-chimera research, in which human tissue is genetically blended with animal tissue. Moreau is relevant to any discussion of scientific chimeras, I argue, not just because it anticipates their development, but also because it speculates upon the possible consequences of this type of scientific research. While orientating us towards a posthuman future, Wells also uses the ancient form of the folktale to demonstrate that humans are irreducibly animals. He blends science fiction and folktale anachronistically in his novel so that his reader might recognise in Moreau's vivisections a form of anthropomorphism that is monstrous or grotesque for being literalised. This, then, is perhaps the supreme anachronism of Moreau: the future will have been animal.

The Importance of Ethics in Scientific Research

A healthy ethics constitutes the essence of a civilized society, in other words the ethics is the foundation on which we build relations both in everyday life and in business. One can say that ethics does not refer to the links that you build with others, because all the people have relations with each other or some over others. It refers to the quality and integrity of these links. Regardless of the type of scientific research, it must not be carried out at random and must be rigorously designed, organised and planned. The purpose of the article is to highlight the close link between ethics and science created in order to improve the quality of scientific research.

RESEARCH PROJECT PLANNING METHODS

Classic project planning methods are summed up. It is shown that they are not suited for research projects and it is justified that a research project should be planned in a different way from the other ones. A review of methods from the literature is conducted – of the methods dedicated to research projects, but also of the methods dedicated to other types of projects biased by a high uncertainty and changeability degree. It is indicated how the latter might be applied to research projects. Further research directions are shown, which will allow one to work out planning methods for research projects adapted to their specificity. Attention is drawn to the fact that various types of research projects exist, while each type may potentially require a different planning method. The requirements set to research project plans by such institutions as the European Commission, the National Centre of Research and Development and the National Centre of Science are mentioned, and it is pointed out that these requirements should be changed in order to optimise the expenditure of financial resources earmarked for research.

Eurekometrics: Analyzing the Nature of Discovery

Eurekometrics: Analyzing the Nature of Discovery