Lesson plan analysis protocol (LPAP): A useful tool for researchers and educational evaluators.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Ndihokubwayo K
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8760448 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundThe Publons platform provides integrated information on researchers, peer reviewers, publications and certain author metrics. Central Asia is a potentially growing region in terms of young researchers.MethodsUsing the inbuilt Publons search, the top institutes of nine countries of Central Asia and neighbours were identified and data on their reviewers, number of publications, number of peer reviews completed were extracted. These were compared with demographics of the countries such as population, gross domestic product, number of physicians and proportion of population enrolled for higher education.ResultsAmongst the top 15 institutes in Central Asia, China has claim to 12 while Kazakhstan has two and Iran has one. The number of top peer reviewers, number of verified reviews and Web of Science indexed publications from these top institutes varied directly with the number of researchers each had. Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are not performing well on most of these while China seems to be an outlier on the upper edge of the graphs. There is good correlation between the number of researchers in the top institutes per country and both number of publications and number of completed reviews. The number of total publications per top ten institutes of each country has high correlation with various demographic parameters like total population (Spearman rho, ρ = 0.85), gross domestic product (ρ = 0.82), total number of physicians (ρ = 0.72), and number enrolled for higher education (ρ = 0.93).ConclusionThere appears to be much disparity among the rankings, number of researchers, reviewers and published manuscripts across various countries in Central Asia. The gross heterogeneity of Central Asia needs to be minimized by nurturing and mentoring potentially upcoming researchers in publication, peer reviewing as well as in ethics involved.
| S-EPMC8167409 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The regulatory review and approval process is a significant part of the workflow associated with initiating clinical and translational research projects. Ambiguity concerning submission requirements and expected times associated with the review process can create additional work for research teams and ultimately delay important scientific projects. In an effort to provide assistance to investigators, we have developed an online interactive interface which elicits basic study characteristics for a single project and subsequently produces a list of required administrative applications needed for approval along with clear instructions concerning expectations from the research team. This system, the Vanderbilt Customized Action Plan (V-CAP), was launched in October 2006 and has been well received by researchers. In this article, the authors present (1) the V-CAP project design, (2) a reference workflow associated with Vanderbilt policies and regulations, (3) the V-CAP metrics of use by Vanderbilt research teams, and (4) a list of recommendations for other academic centers considering a similar systems-based approach for helping researchers efficiently navigate processes related to regulatory approval. The informatics-systems-based approach of the V-CAP is scalable to other academic medical centers and may serve as a useful model to help researchers navigate the complexity of the regulatory approvals process.
| S-EPMC3767144 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundSince the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, efforts have been made to develop early warning risk scores to help clinicians decide which patient is likely to deteriorate and require hospitalization. The RECAP (Remote COVID-19 Assessment in Primary Care) study investigates the predictive risk of hospitalization, deterioration, and death of patients with confirmed COVID-19, based on a set of parameters chosen through a Delphi process performed by clinicians. We aim to use rich data collected remotely through the use of electronic data templates integrated in the electronic health systems of several general practices across the United Kingdom to construct accurate predictive models. The models will be based on preexisting conditions and monitoring data of a patient's clinical parameters (eg, blood oxygen saturation) to make reliable predictions as to the patient's risk of hospital admission, deterioration, and death.ObjectiveThis statistical analysis plan outlines the statistical methods to build the prediction model to be used in the prioritization of patients in the primary care setting. The statistical analysis plan for the RECAP study includes the development and validation of the RECAP-V1 prediction model as a primary outcome. This prediction model will be adapted as a three-category risk score split into red (high risk), amber (medium risk), and green (low risk) for any patient with suspected COVID-19. The model will predict the risk of deterioration and hospitalization.MethodsAfter the data have been collected, we will assess the degree of missingness and use a combination of traditional data imputation using multiple imputation by chained equations, as well as more novel machine-learning approaches to impute the missing data for the final analysis. For predictive model development, we will use multiple logistic regression analyses to construct the model. We aim to recruit a minimum of 1317 patients for model development and validation. We will then externally validate the model on an independent dataset of 1400 patients. The model will also be applied for multiple different datasets to assess both its performance in different patient groups and its applicability for different methods of data collection.ResultsAs of May 10, 2021, we have recruited 3732 patients. A further 2088 patients have been recruited through the National Health Service Clinical Assessment Service, and approximately 5000 patients have been recruited through the DoctalyHealth platform.ConclusionsThe methodology for the development of the RECAP-V1 prediction model as well as the risk score will provide clinicians with a statistically robust tool to help prioritize COVID-19 patients.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04435041; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04435041.International registered report identifier (irrid)DERR1-10.2196/30083.
| S-EPMC8494068 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Thirty years ago, the type 1 ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP) saporin-S6 (also known as saporin) was isolated from Saponaria officinalis L. seeds. Since then, the properties and mechanisms of action of saporin-S6 have been well characterized, and it has been widely employed in the construction of conjugates and immunotoxins for different purposes. These immunotoxins have shown many interesting results when used in cancer therapy, particularly in hematological tumors. The high enzymatic activity, stability and resistance to conjugation procedures and blood proteases make saporin-S6 a very useful tool in cancer therapy. High efficacy has been reported in clinical trials with saporin-S6-containing immunotoxins, at dosages that induced only mild and transient side effects, which were mainly fever, myalgias, hepatotoxicity, thrombocytopenia and vascular leak syndrome. Moreover, saporin-S6 triggers multiple cell death pathways, rendering impossible the selection of RIP-resistant mutants. In this review, some aspects of saporin-S6, such as the chemico-physical characteristics, the structural properties, its endocytosis, its intracellular routing and the pathogenetic mechanisms of the cell damage, are reported. In addition, the recent progress and developments of saporin-S6-containing immunotoxins in cancer immunotherapy are summarized, including in vitro and in vivo pre-clinical studies and clinical trials.
| S-EPMC3813907 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Medical research has a heavy and continuing demand for rodent models across a range of disciplines. Behavioural assessment of pain in such models is highly time consuming, thus limiting the number of models and analgesics that can be studied. Facial expressions are widely used to assess pain in human infants. Recently the mouse grimace scale (MGS) has been developed and shown to be accurate and reliable, requiring only a short amount of training for the observer. This system therefore has the potential to become a highly useful tool both in pain research and clinical assessment of mouse pain. To date, the MGS has only been used as a research tool, however there is increasing interest in its use in cage-side clinical assessment. It is often wrongly assumed that MGS scores of animals not in pain (i.e. at baseline) are zero. Here, we aimed to assess the variability in baseline MGS scores between cohorts, sexes and strains of mice. Establishing the presence of a consistent baseline MGS score could lead to a valuable clinical pain assessment tool for mice when baseline information from the individual mouse may not be available as a comparator. Results demonstrated a significant difference in baseline MGS scores between both sexes (males > females) and strains of mice. The method used to score the facial action units (Live vs. retrospectively from still images) demonstrated significant differences in scores with live scores being significantly lower than retrospective scoring from images. The level of variation shown demonstrates the need for further research to be undertaken with regard to establishing baseline MGS scores for specific strains and sexes of mice, taking into account the method of scoring, prior to considering clinical implementation of this method in pain assessment.
| S-EPMC4583436 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundInadequate sustainability of implementation of evidence-based interventions has led to calls for research on how sustainability can be optimized. To advance our understanding of intervention sustainability, we explored how implementation researchers conceptualized and planned for the sustainability of their implemented interventions with studies funded by the United States (US) National Institutes of Health (NIH).MethodsWe used sequential, mixed methods to explore how researchers conceptualized and planned for the sustainability of the health interventions using (1) a document review of all active and completed US NIH R01 Grants and Equivalents reviewed within the Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (DIRH) Study Section between 2004 and 2016 and (2) a qualitative content analysis of semi-structured interviews with NIH R01 DIRH grant recipients.ResultsWe found 277 R01 profiles within the DIRH study section listed on the US NIH RePORTER website including 84 that were eligible for screening. Of the 84 unique projects, 76 (90.5%) had primary implementation outcomes. Of the 76 implementation project profiles, 51 (67.1%) made references to sustainability and none referred to sustainability planning. In both profiles and interviews, researchers conceptualized sustainability primarily as the continued delivery of interventions, programs, or implementation strategies. Few researchers referenced frameworks with sustainability constructs and offered limited information on how they operationalized frameworks. Researchers described broad categories of approaches and strategies to promote sustainability and key factors that may influence researchers to plan for sustainability, such as personal beliefs, self-efficacy, perception of their role, and the challenges of the grant funding system.ConclusionsWe explored how US NIH R01 DIRH grant recipients conceptualized and planned for the sustainability of their interventions. Our results identified the need to test, consolidate, and provide guidance on how to operationalize sustainability frameworks, and to develop strategies on how funders and researchers can advance sustainability research.
| S-EPMC6506963 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Recent advancements in contact map-based protein three-dimensional (3D) structure prediction have been driven by the evolution of deep learning algorithms. However, the gap in accessible software tools for novices in this domain remains a significant challenge. This study introduces GoFold, a novel, standalone graphical user interface (GUI) designed for beginners to perform contact map overlap (CMO) problems for better template selection. Unlike existing tools that cater more to research needs or assume foundational knowledge, GoFold offers an intuitive, user-friendly platform with comprehensive tutorials. It stands out in its ability to visually represent the CMO problem, allowing users to input proteins in various formats and explore the CMO problem. The educational value of GoFold is demonstrated through benchmarking against the state-of-the-art contact map overlap method, map_align, using two datasets: PSICOV and CAMEO. GoFold exhibits superior performance in terms of TM-score and Z-score metrics across diverse qualities of contact maps and target difficulties. Notably, GoFold runs efficiently on personal computers without any third-party dependencies, thereby making it accessible to the general public for promoting citizen science. The tool is freely available for download for macOS, Linux, and Windows.
| S-EPMC10982686 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The ability to plan for future events is one of the defining features of human intelligence. Whether non-human animals can plan for specific future situations remains contentious: despite a sustained research effort over the last two decades, there is still no consensus on this question. Here, we show that New Caledonian crows can use tools to plan for specific future events. Crows learned a temporal sequence where they were (a) shown a baited apparatus, (b) 5 min later given a choice of five objects and (c) 10 min later given access to the apparatus. At test, these crows were presented with one of two tool-apparatus combinations. For each combination, the crows chose the right tool for the right future task, while ignoring previously useful tools and a low-value food item. This study establishes that planning for specific future tool use can evolve via convergent evolution, given that corvids and humans shared a common ancestor over 300 million years ago, and offers a route to mapping the planning capacities of animals.
| S-EPMC7735258 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundIn our clinical experience, people with Parkinson's disease (PwP) and their caregivers have difficulty understanding the complexities of the disease, which has a multitude of symptoms and involved therapies. We undertook a needs assessment to understand the need for, and to guide the development of, an educational tool.MethodsWe invited PwP, caregivers and health care providers (HCP) from across Canada to participate in an online survey to determine the need and desired content for such a tool.ResultsRespondents included 450 PwP, 335 caregivers, and 96 HCP from across Canada. 86.5% of HCP reported that it was "very important" for patients to understand issues in PD and 84.4% would use a visual aid to explain these issues. Results showed that 81.9-95.7% of caregivers and PwP were not "very satisfied" with the explanations of all domains in PD. Non-motor symptoms and cognitive issues were highly ranked by all groups as difficult to understand or explain. Older PwP (those with PD for less than 5 years and those who reported that their HCP spent less than 15 minutes counselling in each clinic visit) were less likely to fully understand and be satisfied with the explanations of most issues in PD.InterpretationThere is a need for better patient education when discussing PD issues in the clinical setting. Older PwP that have been recently diagnosed have the greatest educational needs. Potential users indicate that a visual aid would help and non-motor symptoms, particularly cognitive issues, need to be a focus of such a tool.
| S-EPMC6174478 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background:Young researchers may experience difficulties when writing scientific articles for publication in biomedical journals. Various methods may facilitate the writing process including outlining the paper before the actual writing and using dictation instead of writing the first draft. The aim of this study was to investigate the experiences and difficulties for young, experienced researchers when writing articles using a detailed outline and dictation of the first draft. Methods:We used qualitative focus group interviews and the study was reported according to the COnsolidated criteria for REporting Qualitative research guideline. Participants were sampled from a group of researchers participating in a writing retreat/course. The interviews were recorded on a digital recorder and transcribed. The text was analyzed according to content analysis and coded and condensed into themes and subthemes. Groups of participants were added until data saturation was reached. Results:A total of 14 researchers participated (9 women and 5 men). Their clinical experience was median (range) of 6 (1-11)?years since graduation from medical school. Two themes arose during the analyses of the data: "Process guidance with the outline as the map" and "arrival at dictation." The outline was used in the preparation phase leading up to the day of dictation and was used in collaboration with co-authors and supervisors. The participants found it to be a useful tool for preparing the manuscript and dictating their initial first full draft. Conclusion:Experienced young researchers found beneficial effects of using a structured outline to prepare for dictation of scientific articles. The outline was a tool that would develop in close collaboration with co-authors and mentors. With dictation, a full first draft of a manuscript can be produced in a few hours. Participants positively evaluated this structured and reproducible way of producing scientific articles.
| S-EPMC5971377 | biostudies-literature