The effects of international research collaboration on the policy impact of research: A causal inference drawing on the journal Lancet

Research findings have been widely used as evidence for policy-making. The internationalisation of research activities has been increasing in recent decades, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous studies have revealed that international research collaboration can enhance the academic impact of research. However, the effects that international research collaboration exerts on the policy impact of research are still unknown. This study aims to examine the effects of international research collaboration on the policy impact of research (as measured by the number of citations in policy documents) using a causal inference approach. Research articles published by the journal Lancet between 2000 and 2019 were selected as the study sample (n = 6098). The number of policy citations of each article was obtained from Overton, the largest database of policy citations. Propensity score matching analysis, which takes a causal inference approach, was used to examine the dataset. Four other matching methods and alternative datasets of different sizes were used to test the robustness of the results. The results of this study reveal that international research collaboration has significant and positive effects on the policy impact of research (coefficient = 4.323, p < 0.001). This study can provide insight to researchers, research institutions and grant funders for improving the policy impact of research. © The Author(s) 2023.

Interaction among Undergraduate Students in Graduation Research Seminars in Japan during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Did the COVID-19 pandemic hinder free communication among undergraduate students in seminars and isolate them? In this study, we examine the effects of "online interaction” and "face-to-face interaction” among undergraduate students in seminar activities on their research activities of writing an individual graduation thesis through an interview survey. Using qualitative research methods, we found that the seminar tasks and the seminar system avoided the excessive isolation of the undergraduate students, and that "learning in a community” was established. In addition, while receiving direct advice from senior students facilitated individual research in online interactions, face-to-face interactions strengthened the upward social comparison, that is, the comparisons among peers. © ICCE 2022.All rights reserved.

Recent advances and future perspectives in engineering biodegradable face masks

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and airborne particulate matter pollution have caused a surge in the consumption of face masks in recent years. Typically, face masks are made from nondegradable petroleum-derived nonwoven materials adding to global plastic pollution and aggravating environmental concerns. Therefore, it is important to fabricate sustainable biodegradable replacements. This review intends to highlight and discuss state-of-the-art research activities that centre on the development of biodegradable nonwoven materials for face mask applications. We also identify potential candidates and strategies for future research and product development efforts. Finally, we present our perspectives on a wide avenue in need of further exploration concerning materials, methods, advanced functionalities, cost, scalability, and shelf life of sustainable advanced face masks. © 2023 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Trend on Research and Development Activities Relating to Signalling and Telecommunication Systems in Railway Fields

The spread of new coronavirus infections (hereinafter referred to as COVID-19), which began in Japan at the end of 2019, has greatly affected railway business. There is an urgent need to reduce fixed costs while responding to changing needs for mobility in a post COVID-19 society. As such it is necessary to speed up research and development so that it can contribute to helping railway companies reduce fixed costs. This paper first introduces an overall picture of research and development related to the sophistication of automatic operation and its application to conventional railway lines. Secondly, it introduces ongoing research and development efforts related to the utilization of non-failsafe processors or a public communication network such as 5th Generation mobile communication systems (5G) for critical applications in the railway field. Finally, it presents the direction and policy of future research and development for equipment saving and cost reduction. © 2022 Ken-yusha Inc.. All rights reserved.

COVID-19: Prevent Infection, Diagnosis and Vaccination using Nanotechnology

The world has been struggling with the major health crisis of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic since December 2019. The highly virulent nature and the mutation rates of the novel virus resulted in less sensitive detection techniques. The main objective of this review paper is to present the possibility of using nanotechnology for COVID-19 prevention, diagnosis, and for developing vaccination. There are different research activities conducted using dissimilar types of masks to control COVID-19 transmission, and their results showed that using single fabric mask with holes was not effective for filtering coronavirus 2019, however, the charged polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) nanofiber prevent fast-spreading of COVID-19 and the filtration efficiency may reach 98%. Many researchers suggested that nanosorbents can be used to adsorb COVID-19 virus depending on size, surface area, and the presence of appropriate functional groups. The color of nanosorbents changes relatively by increasing the amount of sorbent virus from the air (virus concentration) and can be measured using different spectral techniques. Nanotechnology can also be an ideal solution to overcome the drawbacks of inactivated vaccines. The common traditional vaccines which depend on live-attenuated or inactivated pathogens present different risks from reflection to pathogenic virulence or guide to a weak immune response. So, the non-traditional vaccines based on nanoparticles (NPs) can enhance strong immunogenicity and antigen presentation by controlling the surface, shape, size and functional groups. © 2021 American Institute of Chemical Engineers. All rights reserved.

A cross-sectional survey study of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the training and quality of life of Italian medical residents in the Lombardy region.

INTRODUCTION: The reorganization of the healthcare system prompted by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has posed unique challenges for Residency Training Programs worldwide. To mitigate its potential negative effects, it is crucial to assess how the pandemic influenced the activity and quality of life of residents. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of the pandemic on residents' competencies, satisfaction, working load, training patterns and occupational exposure in the clinical, surgical, research and didactic fields and to quantify its effects on quality of life and risk perception. METHODS: An online cross-sectional survey was distributed between 1 June 2020 and 31 July 2020 to 1645 residents enrolled in all Residency Programs of four Universities in northern Italy. The survey included questions about clinical, surgical, and research competencies, educational activity, and quality of life pre- and post-pandemic, and on policies and workplace interventions to reduce exposure to SARS-CoV-2. The main outcome measure was the variation in self-perceived clinical, surgical and research competencies and in specialistic training. Data were analysed using the statistical package R Core Team 4.0.0, estimating mean and standard deviation or median and interquartile range for continuous variables. Variables were compared using chi-square test, Fisher exact tests or McNemar test, as appropriate.A multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was performed to test the effect of different factors on the impact of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) on self-perceived clinical and research competencies and on didactic training. RESULTS: A total of 498 residents completed the survey (response rate 30.3%). The mean age of respondents was 28.9 years, 62.9% were women, and 52.4% were enrolled in the first two years of Training Programs. On the first pandemic wave, over 60% of residents reported a negative impact of the pandemic on their specialistic training. In contrast, 40% of residents involved in clinical duties perceived an improvement in their clinical competences, especially those involved in COVID-19 care, and 34.5% perceived an improvement in their research competences, particularly junior residents, while only 3.5% reported an improvement in surgical skills. Most surgical residents (88.5%) reported a decrease in surgical activities, mainly due to reduced hospital bed capacity and reduction of elective surgery. Almost 90% of all residents experienced a reduction in their didactic activities, but 80% stated their Residency Program adopted virtual training methods. A statistically significant reduction in all examined quality of life items post-pandemic vs. pre-pandemic was found. Even though most survey participants reported the availability of personal protective equipment for residents, 44% considered themselves to be at higher risk of exposure compared to senior staff. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant disruption in surgical training, but it had a positive impact on clinical competencies among residents involved in COVID-19 and urgent care. The pandemic had a detrimental effect on all quality of life aspects, and most residents considered themselves at higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to other healthcare professionals.Key MessagesCoronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused a significant disruption in surgical training, but it had a positive impact on clinical competencies among residents involved in COVID-19 and urgent care.Most residents experienced a reduction of didactic activities. Although the majority of training programs implemented virtual training methods to counteract the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, only half of the residents were satisfied of them.A vast proportion of residents had a high occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and considered themselves at higher risk of COVID-19 infection compared to senior staff.The survey highlighted a statistically significant reduction in five key quality of life measures (i.e. sleep, mood, familiar relationships and social relationships quality and employment satisfaction) during the first wave, with mood and social relationships being the most affected. Notably, employment satisfaction was significantly higher in medical compared to surgical residents.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Undergraduate Research for Engineering Students and Possible Strategies to Promote Research

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected undergraduate research activities for college students. The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of the pandemic on undergraduate research for engineering students at a teaching-focused university. Data for research grants were obtained before, during, and after the pandemic. The results showed a gradual increase in funding opportunities and awarded grants for faculty members. On the other hand, there was a reduction in the number of undergraduate students involved in these research activities. The study also discussed potential strategies and solutions that enable engineering students at the undergraduate level to conduct research. Most of these strategies focus on gathering and analyzing data without the need for fieldwork, laboratory work, or in-person interactions. © 2022 IEEE.

Research on the Strategies of Promoting the Professional Ability of College Art Teachers by Network Research during the Epidemic Period

During the novel coronavirus pneumonia, teachers use WeChat, ding talk, and other new media to carry out network training, which can break through the obstacles of time and space, effectively carry out teaching seminars and enhance occupation ability. This paper summarizes the development process of network research, analyzes the current situation of a network teaching and research activities carried out by art teachers in Colleges and universities. The network training mode based on WeChat platform is constructed. This paper designs an ERT interactive mechanism based on the Ding Talk platform, including subject experts, subject researchers, and subject teachers. It explores the mode, process and effect of online research through multiple rounds of empirical research. During the epidemic period, the network research to promote the professional ability of art teachers in colleges and universities strategy: first, the use of ding talk to carry out virtual teaching and research activities, improve the information literacy and online teaching ability of art teachers;Two, we should use official account number and APP to conduct online learning to enhance the occupation morality and professional quality of art teachers. The practice has proved that during the epidemic period, the use of WeChat platform and Ding Talking platform to carry out network research activities has the advantages of low cost, high efficiency, and diversified information presentation, and has a good application prospect. © 2021 IEEE.

In the Bubble: The Case of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Research in the Time of COVID-19

In early March 2020, a global COVID-19 pandemic led to the closure of a large majority of academic institutions including libraries, archives, and cultural heritage institutes in North America and around the world. As we write this article, almost two years later, the situation remains critical, and most universities continue to offer online teaching while most libraries provide remote access to their resources. This article presents the results of a survey that was designed and circulated to faculty and students at US and Canadian universities in the summer of 2020. This article aims to draw a portrait of the state of research in the Summer of 2020 and seeks to understand how libraries and users customized their access to resources during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The article identifies the main challenges faced by scholars in Islamic and Middle Eastern studies to develop, pursue, or complete research projects during the pandemic, and the strategies implemented to make up for the loss of access to primary source materials and field research. The article also highlights immediate initiatives developed by academic and research libraries to support the research community, and demonstrates how these responses to the crisis matched their institution’s strategies. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Library Administration is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Open-Source IoT Lab for Fully Remote Teaching

In the era of Industry 4.0, the concept of IoT has pervaded every sector of manufacturing, promoting hyperconnectivity as an enabling status for effective communication between company departments, as well as real-time monitoring of the status of manufacturing resources. The Coronavirus pandemic, due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19), confirmed the advantages provided by an IoT ecosystem in the worldwide economy. The role of universities in the development and use of this technology is twofold: on the one hand, the research activity supports the digital transformation of enterprises, and on the other hand the teaching activity trains the new managers of the future. Therefore, this work proposes a didactical activity in which students are guided to the creation of an IoT system that has several advantages: it is easy to develop, it uses only open-source components, and it includes all the necessary modules for the development of a real Industrial IoT (IIoT) system. Thanks to this experience, the students acquire different skills: (1) they operate on the hardware part of the system using sensors and actuators connected to a Raspberry Pi;(2) they develop and connect PostgreSQL database;(3) they generate an automation algorithm with for intelligent data management;finally, (4) they design a Human-Machine Interface using dashboards and social chat. The scope of this lab is not focused to university teams only. It is also accessible to high school students thanks to drag and drop programming (Node-Red) and tools (Telegram) close to the students everyday life. A further contribution of this project is to provide a method of managing a course that can be conducted entirely remotely as demonstrated during the current pandemic period. © 2022, IFIP International Federation for Information Processing.

Workshops in TEI: Development, Evaluation, Exploration, and Implementation: Development, Evaluation, Exploration, and Implementation

Workshops are frequently used in human-computer interaction research, in a diverse range of research projects. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has made this research activity difficult to conduct since they often involve group work, physical interaction with tangibles and/or bodily activity. Motivated by this, the authors conducted a review of papers from the International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction (TEI) to develop a better understanding of workshops as a research method in TEI. The meta-review led to the development of a preliminary classification for workshops in research. Four categories of workshops were identified: Design development, Evaluation, Exploration, and Implementation. This work is intended to spark discussion and further research around the value and the challenges of conducting research workshops. © 2022 Owner/Author.

LESSON LEARNED FROM AN EXPERIENCE OF TEACHING SUPPORT IN HIGHER EDUCATION FOR A DIGITAL TRANSITION IN THE NEW SCENARIO CREATED BY COVID-19

Teaching skills are fundamental for academic positions, which combine research and teaching activities. Thus, universities should look for candidates with excellent research records and teaching experience or skills;another strategy is the training of teaching staff. On the other hand, when dealing with already in-service teachers, the challenges for universities are completely different and it is often difficult to cope with digital technologies for education. Moreover, roles in the education process assume different perspectives. This is the background of this research, which investigates the measures adopted at the University of Turin to deal with the scenario of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent periods. 30 young graduates halfway between students and teachers, one per university department, support teachers and the digital transition. Their role ranges from the didactical support (online teaching methodologies and the use of the Learning Management System) to the preparation, delivery, and monitoring of online assessment and exams. These young assistants received a grant for their role and proper training over all these topics and other themes related to online education, such as accessibility, copyright, video editing. At the start of the second semester, a questionnaire was delivered to these grant holders to receive feedback on their activity during the first semester and exam period. We collected 26 answers from the questionnaire. Results show that, among the different roles, they were more involved with online examinations and students' support, while collaborating more with professors and with their peers. Most of these grant holders would like to participate again in such an experience, it being useful for their future career, the teachers of the future. © 2021 Virtual Simulation Innovation Workshop, SIW 2021. All rights reserved.

IN PURSUIT of MEANINGFUL INSIGHT;COVID REMOTE COLLABORATION and DESIGN AS PROVOCATION

Conducted from June 2020 until the time of writing, this design research activity was conducted as part of the 3 year, H2020, Pan European TInnGO project which aims to create a sustainable paradigm shift in gender and diversity mainstreaming in transport. Such a shift is needed due to the lack of sex disaggregated gender data, gender gaps in employment and decision making and women in STE(A)M able to rise to leadership positions. This lack of diversity at all levels of transport, together with difficulties in engaging ‘hard to reach groups’ in transport planning, means that transport services and innovation continue to fail to consider gender and diversity. This would also encourage design input into future transport. A central concept of TInnGO was to use design activities as provocations and ways to engage with people in new ways – e.g., through visualizations, vignettes and cocreation activities – to develop greater insights into mobility problems and drive gender and diversity sensitive smart mobility solutions. Led by Coventry University, it was anticipated that this would entail management and leadership of codesign sessions in 10 Pan-European hubs. The Covid-19 pandemic significantly disrupted plans, making travel, physical co-design and contact with vulnerable groups impossible. The paper discusses strategies developed to work with placement students to develop gender and diversity sensitive smart mobility design provocations based on information provided by national hubs, and the technological challenges computer supported cooperative design posed. © PDE 2021.

Going Viral: Researching Safely on Social Media.

Safety issues for researchers conducting and disseminating research on social media have been inadequately addressed in institutional policies and practice globally, despite posing significant challenges to research staff and student well-being. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and given the myriad of advantages that web-based platforms offer researchers over traditional recruitment, data collection, and research dissemination methods, developing a comprehensive understanding of and guidance on the safe and effective conduct of research in web-based spaces has never been more pertinent. In this paper, we share our experience of using social media to recruit participants for a study on abortion stigma in Australia, which brought into focus the personal, professional, and institutional risks associated with conducting web-based research that goes viral. The lead researcher (KV), a postgraduate student, experienced a barrage of harassment on and beyond social media. The supportive yet uncoordinated institutional response highlighted gaps in practice, guidance, and policy relating to social media research ethics, researcher safety and well-being, planning for and managing web-based and offline risk, and coordinated organizational responses to adverse events. We call for and provide suggestions to inform the development of training, guidelines, and policies that address practical and ethical aspects of using social media for research, mental and physical health and safety risks and management, and the development of coordinated and evidence-based institutional- and individual-level responses to cyberbullying and harassment. Furthermore, we argue the case for the urgent development of this comprehensive guidance around researcher safety on the web, which would help to ensure that universities have the capacity to maximize the potential of social media for research while better supporting the well-being of their staff and students.

Developing critical appraisal and evidence synthesis skills in future microbiologists.

The Covid-19 pandemic has demanded modifications to undergraduates' learning experiences and promised a more challenging scientific world in which they will live. Bespoke evidence synthesis and critical appraisal skills modules are an opportunity to utilize our information-saturated world to our advantage. This program of study made use of a virtual journal club, structured literature searches, scoping review methods and a variety of online research tools to navigate and critique the literature. The program design is here outlined with sample learning objectives and reference to the resources used.