Research Design Challenges of an Early Career EDI Researcher

Research doesn’t always go as planned. There are the usual challenges of balancing resources and shifting timelines to accommodate the unexpected. Throw in the learning curve of an early career researcher and the multi-faceted understanding and application of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in archives, and designing a research project becomes a complex journey of understanding. This presentation will outline challenges the researcher faced in designing and modifying a research project examining EDI initiatives in digital collections metadata practices. More specifically, it will address the challenges of: defining and operationalizing equity, diversity, and inclusion; ensuring the design is inclusive itself through sampling methods and input from experts; navigating organizational and terminology differences among academic archives; and finding space for self-care and understanding. While this research project is ongoing and has not yet reached the data collection stage, these challenges give insight into the complexity of archival research designs and prove that just as much can be learned from the process as from the results

Polling in Impossible Conditions: Pre-election Polling in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina

Just months after Hurricane Katrina made landfall, New Orleans held a mayoral election. With so many displaced residents, it was difficult to gauge attitudes, but there are perhaps few more important situations in which the public’s attitudes need to be examined. This paper examines the methodological challenges with survey research in the aftermath of a natural disaster. We conducted a traditional survey just days before the election and attempted to correct for our inability to reach particular segments of the population through post-stratification weights. The results of our poll were relatively accurate for all of the candidates but one – the winner. We recommend in the aftermath of a disaster that researchers provide not only a range of possible outcomes, but also that they should consider other methods, such as focus groups, and alter the usual questions to account for the post-disaster context. Given that the opinion environment after a major disaster is marked by indecision and confusion, it is not surprising that respondents were unsure of their vote choice and/or changed their mind just before the election. Our experience should provide some caution to researchers seeking to measure opinion in these circumstances

Doing Participatory Research: A Feminist Approach

Doing Participatory Research does not begin with a pretentious clarion call to action but with a personal narrative enclosing the sharp edge of her critique of male chauvinism in participatory research. As graduate students, we often see the inconsistencies in the theories and practices of the current generation of respected scholars and activists, but we rarely find the courage to own these criticisms fully. In Pat\u27s case, she was astonished that the great men of participatory research could simply ignore women\u27s voices while claiming universalist and humane values and liberationalist practices. She simply saw with a clear feminist eye that the participatory research, at that time, was just business as usual. Seeing this so clearly and weighing the implications of confronting so many established people in the field gave her the kind of bout of self-questioning that all committed graduate students experience at critical moments. But, characteristically, Pat forged ahead with her critique and forever changed the face of action research. She wrote a book that has given a generation of readers a model of afairer, more ethical, and expert form of social research. Her practice is theoretically informed, politically alert, personally coherent, and the issues she deals with are among the most difficult in our society: violence against women. Because of the way Pat elected to write this book, a new reader is not likely to realize the scope of Pat\u27s project. At the time she wrote it, located and self-referential narratives were neither popular nor professionally acceptable. We were unaware of the notion of voice (other than the passive voice). So, without models to build on, she reformulated social science practice to match her feminist commitments and did so by linking feminism and action research into a single, though multi-faceted, practice wound into elements of personal narrative. She did this not by telling the reader how smart and how well read she is, though I have had the good luck to get to know her personally and to know that she is a consummate scholar. Instead, she tells a story, hooks the reader to her problem by giving an effective voice to her own concerns as a feminist scholar and her desire to be honest and decent to the collaborators in her project. And like all good stories, this one has a moral: no more male business as usual in the social sciences if we want to live up to our typically pretentious assertions that the social sciences, and particularly action research, are of value to society at large. Because she does not use the conventional apparatus of drums and trumpets at the beginning, massive literature reviews in the second chapter, and obscurantist jargonizing, the story simply imprints itself on the reader\u27s consciousness and invokes a dialogue between her research/action practice and the reader\u27s. This is wonderful pedagogy in action and its impact on so many readers is no accident. Feminist action research is not just conventional social research with some added dimensions; it is a rejection of business as usual and the adoption of new forms of narrative to convey its rejection of the past

Tracing the maddening effects of abuses of authority: Rationalities gone violent in mental health services and universities

Organisations such as mental health systems and universities can be places where violence is part of the business as usual and hence taken-for-granted functionality of the workplaces. The paper challenges dominant perceptions of who is mad and what is dangerous to unsettle the largely unquestioned legitimacy of indirect and mainly, but not always, non-coercive forms of organisational power. To enable this analysis the research and language of domestic violence is presented to help anchor the nature of organisational violence so that it doesn’t get ignored or deferred as non-problematic, as something that just happens somehow separate from peoples’ actions or non-actions. The discursive and material nature of violence in our human organisations can be addressed through tracing the maddening effects it can have on people and by addressing issues of harm, loss and injustice through dialogue, resistance and restorative justice work

Educational interventions for the management of cancer-related fatigue in adults

Background: Cancer-related fatigue is reported as the most common and distressing symptom experienced by patients with cancer. It can exacerbate the experience of other symptoms, negatively affect mood, interfere with the ability to carry out everyday activities, and negatively impact on quality of life. Educational interventions may help people to manage this fatigue or to cope with this symptom, and reduce its overall burden. Despite the importance of education for managing cancer-related fatigue there are currently no systematic reviews examining this approach. Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of educational interventions for managing cancer-related fatigue in adults. Search methods: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ERIC, OTseeker and PEDro up to 1st November 2016. We also searched trials registries. Selection criteria: We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of educational interventions focused on cancer-related fatigue where fatigue was a primary outcome. Studies must have aimed to evaluate the effect of educational interventions designed specifically to manage cancer-related fatigue, or to evaluate educational interventions targeting a constellation of physical symptoms or quality of life where fatigue was the primary focus. The studies could have compared educational interventions with no intervention or wait list controls, usual care or attention controls, or an alternative intervention for cancer-related fatigue in adults with any type of cancer. Data collection and analysis: Two review authors independently screened studies for inclusion and extracted data. We resolved differences in opinion by discussion. Trial authors were contacted for additional information. A third independent person checked the data extraction. The main outcome considered in this review was cancer-related fatigue. We assessed the evidence using GRADE and created a 'Summary of Findings' table. Main results: We included 14 RCTs with 2213 participants across different cancer diagnoses. Four studies used only 'information-giving' educational strategies, whereas the remainder used mainly information-giving strategies coupled with some problem-solving, reinforcement, or support techniques. Interventions differed in delivery including: mode of delivery (face to face, web-based, audiotape, telephone); group or individual interventions; number of sessions provided (ranging from 2 to 12 sessions); and timing of intervention in relation to completion of cancer treatment (during or after completion). Most trials compared educational interventions to usual care and meta-analyses compared educational interventions to usual care or attention controls. Methodological issues that increased the risk of bias were evident including lack of blinding of outcome assessors, unclear allocation concealment in over half of the studies, and generally small sample sizes. Using the GRADE approach, we rated the quality of evidence as very low to moderate, downgraded mainly due to high risk of bias, unexplained heterogeneity, and imprecision. There was moderate quality evidence of a small reduction in fatigue intensity from a meta-analyses of eight studies (1524 participants; standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.28, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.52 to -0.04) comparing educational interventions with usual care or attention control. We found low quality evidence from twelve studies (1711 participants) that educational interventions had a small effect on general/overall fatigue (SMD -0.27, 95% CI -0.51 to -0.04) compared to usual care or attention control. There was low quality evidence from three studies (622 participants) of a moderate size effect of educational interventions for reducing fatigue distress (SMD -0.57, 95% CI -1.09 to -0.05) compared to usual care, and this could be considered clinically significant. Pooled data from four studies (439 participants) found a small reduction in fatigue interference with daily life (SMD -0.35, 95% CI -0.54 to -0.16; moderate quality evidence). No clear effects on fatigue were found related to type of cancer treatment or timing of intervention in relation to completion of cancer treatment, and there were insufficient data available to determine the effect of educational interventions on fatigue by stage of disease, tumour type or group versus individual intervention. Three studies (571 participants) provided low quality evidence for a reduction in anxiety in favour of the intervention group (mean difference (MD) -1.47, 95% CI -2.76 to -0.18) which, for some, would be considered clinically significant. Two additional studies not included in the meta-analysis also reported statistically significant improvements in anxiety in favour of the educational intervention, whereas a third study did not. Compared with usual care or attention control, educational interventions showed no significant reduction in depressive symptoms (four studies, 881 participants, SMD -0.12, 95% CI -0.47 to 0.23; very low quality evidence). Three additional trials not included in the meta-analysis found no between-group differences in the symptoms of depression. No between-group difference was evident in the capacity for activities of daily living or physical function when comparing educational interventions with usual care (4 studies, 773 participants, SMD 0.33, 95% CI -0.10 to 0.75) and the quality of evidence was low. Pooled evidence of low quality from two of three studies examining the effect of educational interventions compared to usual care found an improvement in global quality of life on a 0-100 scale (MD 11.47, 95% CI 1.29 to 21.65), which would be considered clinically significant for some. No adverse events were reported in any of the studies. Authors' conclusions: Educational interventions may have a small effect on reducing fatigue intensity, fatigue's interference with daily life, and general fatigue, and could have a moderate effect on reducing fatigue distress. Educational interventions focused on fatigue may also help reduce anxiety and improve global quality of life, but it is unclear what effect they might have on capacity for activities of daily living or depressive symptoms. Additional studies undertaken in the future are likely to impact on our confidence in the conclusions. The incorporation of education for the management of fatigue as part of routine care appears reasonable. However, given the complex nature of this symptom, educational interventions on their own are unlikely to optimally reduce fatigue or help people manage its impact, and should be considered in conjunction with other interventions. Just how educational interventions are best delivered, and their content and timing to maximise outcomes, are issues that require further research

More than an add-on? The Europeanization of the Dutch civil service

[From the introduction]. European integration does not stop to fascinate political scientists. Many of us are excited about this institution that transcends national interests, overcomes collective action problems, and presents member states with such a durable and authoritative framework that they slowly but unrecognizably loose authority to model their own policies as desired. But does it? Despite our excitement, many of us have troubles escaping the reflexes caused by the years of international relations hegemony in studying the EU. Does the EU really have the clout to force member states to adopt unwanted policies? Then how about the never-ending stories about non-compliance, the European Commission’s hesitance in adopting a tough stance on reluctant member states, the difficulties of monitoring actual application and enforcement on the ground? The tension between member state dominance and supranational control continues to offer a well of fascinating research topics. In order to demonstrate the success of the EU in transcending member states’ institutions and policies, or even the domestic interests underlying them, we are advised to answer at least three questions. First, we should answer the question of the extent to which Europe matters for the member states. Because even if we can identify compliance by initially reluctant member states, this may not be very meaningful if the EU’s share in national matters is only minimal. Even though interesting from a theoretical viewpoint, the societal relevance of massive research attempts to explain the fate of EU intervention in member states is slight when it affects only a minimal terrain of national policy making. Second, we should try to answer the question to what extent any processes of Europeanization we observe are truly affecting the core of what member states are doing or are just added on to existing structures and policies. That is, if we believe that the EU really is capable of overriding member state concerns, the adaptations made by member states should be far from ‘easy’. The adoption of coordination structures, for instance, is an interesting phenomenon, but it does not constitute evidence of the EU’s transformative effect as coordination structures may simply be added on to existing organizational arrangements and can perfectly well co-exist with domestic institutions that were already out there. Finally, we should answer the question of how the European Union impacts on member states. Under what conditions does the EU succeed in bringing about domestic change, and when do member states carry on their business as usual

Summaries of Arkansas Cotton Research 2021

While the basic growth and development of the cotton plant have not changed significantly in recent history, the business of cotton production is ever-changing. The last two years have seen us plant a crop just about as late as we thought possible, yet extended favorable conditions at season\u27s end have been our salvation, helping to lead us to record yields. The economic environment over the last few years has been such that farmers need to produce record or near-record yields to advance. Unfortunately, production levels at the state yield average barely cover out-of-pocket expenses. Great uncertainties exist for the upcoming 2022 season as it appears “business as usual” is out the door. While record prices are being seen for cotton lint, record increases in production inputs have far exceeded the pace of the increase of lint value. While we can lock in our lint price, input availability and cost are in question. Without judicious management and use of inputs, many feel it could be possible to not pay out even with cotton over $1.00 per pound. The need for recommendations of unbiased research- based cotton production practices is perhaps as great now as it has ever been. We are fortunate in Arkansas that publications such as this contain the latest research that validates and serves to fine-tune existing recommendations and is freely available to all

Breast Cancer Advocacy and Public Policy

The issue of breast cancer, and women’s health generally, is a political issue and requires an expanded approach to public interest law. Decisions that affect how individual women are treated—such as how much and what research is performed, whether the environmental connections to breast cancer are understood and dealt with, whether all women will have access to quality health care—are made at the political level. Appropriations for breast cancer research come from Congress. Congress tells the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) what to do, and the FDA approves drugs and devices. Government-regulated programs, such as Medicaid and Medicare, provide access to health care for many individuals in this country. Even private insurance companies are regulated by the states. As a lawyer, I recognize that to have a significant impact on breast cancer—not just for individual women but on the systems that affect all women—the usual public interest law approach is not enough. Necessary, overarching change will not likely come about through the judicial system, a system that is bound by tradition and precedent. What breast cancer advocates realized in the early 1990s was the need to make new law to change the systems that affect everyone— the systems of research, access to care and regulation. Fortunately, my background and education equipped me to meet the challenges of forging new law and refusing to settle for the status quo in the name of precedent