186 research outputs found
Looking both ways: A review of methods for assessing research impacts on policy and the policy utilisation of research
Background: Measuring the policy and practice impacts of research is becoming increasingly important. Policy impacts can be measured from two directions â tracing forward from research and tracing backwards from a policy outcome. In this review, we compare these approaches and document the characteristics of studies assessing research impacts on policy and the policy utilisation of research.
Methods: Keyword searches of electronic databases were conducted in December 2016. Included studies were published between 1995 and 2016 in English and reported methods and findings of studies measuring policy impacts of specified health research, or research use in relation to a specified health policy outcome, and reviews reporting methods of research impact assessment. Using an iterative data extraction process, we developed a framework to define the key elements of empirical studies (assessment reason, assessment direction, assessment starting point, unit of analysis, assessment methods, assessment endpoint and outcomes assessed) and then documented the characteristics of included empirical studies according to this framework.
Results: We identified 144 empirical studies and 19 literature reviews. Empirical studies were derived from two parallel streams of research of equal size, which we termed âresearch impact assessmentsâ and âresearch use assessmentsâ. Both streams provided insights about the influence of research on policy and utilised similar assessment methods, but approached measurement from opposite directions. Research impact assessments predominantly utilized forward tracing approaches while the converse was true for research use assessments. Within each stream, assessments focussed on narrow or broader research/policy units of analysis as the starting point for assessment, each with associated strengths and limitations. The two streams differed in terms of their relative focus on the contributions made by specific research (research impact assessments) versus research more generally (research use assessments) and the emphasis placed on research and the activities of researchers in comparison to other factors and actors as influencers of change.
Conclusions: The Framework presented in this paper provides a mechanism for comparing studies within this broad field of research enquiry. Forward and backward tracing approaches, and their different ways of âlookingâ, tell a different story of research-based policy change. Combining approaches may provide the best way forward in terms of linking outcomes to specific research, as well as providing a realistic picture of research influence
Anisotropic charge dynamics in the quantum spin-liquid candidate -(BEDT-TTF)Cu(CN)
We have in detail characterized the anisotropic charge response of the dimer
Mott insulator -(BEDT-TTF)\-Cu(CN) by dc conductivity, Hall
effect and dielectric spectroscopy. At room temperature the Hall coefficient is
positive and close to the value expected from stoichiometry; the temperature
behavior follows the dc resistivity . Within the planes the dc
conductivity is well described by variable-range hopping in two dimensions;
this model, however, fails for the out-of-plane direction. An unusually broad
in-plane dielectric relaxation is detected below about 60 K; it slows down much
faster than the dc conductivity following an Arrhenius law. At around 17 K we
can identify a pronounced dielectric anomaly concomitantly with anomalous
features in the mean relaxation time and spectral broadening. The out-of-plane
relaxation, on the other hand, shows a much weaker dielectric anomaly; it
closely follows the temperature behavior of the respective dc resistivity. At
lower temperatures, the dielectric constant becomes smaller both within and
perpendicular to the planes; also the relaxation levels off. The observed
behavior bears features of relaxor-like ferroelectricity. Because
heterogeneities impede its long-range development, only a weak tunneling-like
dynamics persists at low temperatures. We suggest that the random potential and
domain structure gradually emerge due to the coupling to the anion network.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figure
Mean Field study of the heavy fermion metamagnetic transition
We investigate the evolution of the heavy fermion ground state under
application of a strong external magnetic field. We present a richer version of
the usual hybridization mean field theory that allows for hybridization in both
the singlet and triplet channels and incorporates a self-consistent Weiss
field. We show that for a magnetic field strength B*, a filling-dependent
fraction of the zero-field hybridization gap, the spin up quasiparticle band
becomes fully polarized--an event marked by a sudden jump in the magnetic
susceptibility. The system exhibits a kind of quantum rigidity in which the
susceptibility (and several other physical observables) are insensitive to
further increases in field strength. This behavior ends abruptly with the
collapse of the hybridization order parameter in a first-order transition to
the normal metallic state. We argue that the feature at B* corresponds to the
"metamagnetic transition" in YbRh2Si2. Our results are in good agreement with
recent experimental measurements.Comment: 9+ pages, 5 figures. Final versio
Tracking funded health intervention research
Objective: To describe the research publication outputs from intervention research funded by Australiaâs National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
Design and setting: Analysis of descriptive data and data on publication outputs collected between 23 July 2012 and 10 December 2013 relating to health intervention research project grants funded between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2007.
Main outcome measures: Stages of development of intervention studies (efficacy, effectiveness, replication, adaptation or dissemination of intervention); types of interventions studied; publication output per NHMRC grant; and whether interventions produced statistically significant changes in primary outcome variables.
Results: Most of the identified studies tested intervention efficacy or effectiveness in clinical or community settings, with few testing the later stages of intervention development, such as replication, adaptation or dissemination. Studies focused largely on chronic disease treatment and management, and encompassed various medical and allied health disciplines. Equal numbers of studies had interventions that produced statistically significant results on primary outcomes, (27) and those that did not (27). The mean number of total published articles per grant was 3.3, with 2.0 articles per grant focusing on results, and the remainder covering descriptive, exploratory or methodological aspects of intervention research.
Conclusions: Our study provides a benchmark for the publication outputs of NHMRC-funded health intervention research in Australia. Research productivity is particularly important for intervention research, where findings are likely to have more immediate and direct applicability to health policy and practice. Tracking research outputs in this way provides information on whether current research investment patterns match the need for evidence about health care interventions
Origin of Low-Energy Excitations in Charge-Ordered Manganites
The low-energy excitations in the charge-ordered phase of polycrystalline
La0.25Ca0.75MnO3 are explored by frequency-domain terahertz spectroscopy. In
the frequency range from 4 cm^-1 to 700 cm^-1 (energies 0.4 meV to 90 meV) and
at temperatures down to 5 K, we do not detect any feature that can be
associated with the collective response of the spatially modulated charge
continuum. In the antiferromagnetically ordered phase, broad absorption bands
appear in the conductivity and permittivity spectra around 30 cm^-1 and 100
cm^-1 which are assigned to former acoustic phonons optically activated due to
a fourfold superstructure in the crystal lattice. Our results indicate that
characteristic energies of collective excitations of the charge-ordered phase
in La0:25Ca0:75MnO3, if any, lie below 1 meV. At our lowest frequencies of only
few wavenumbers a strong relaxation is observed above 100 K connected to the
formation of the charge-ordered state.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
We are all one together : peer educators\u27 views about falls prevention education for community-dwelling older adults - a qualitative study
Background: Falls are common in older people. Despite strong evidence for effective falls prevention strategies, there appears to be limited translation of these strategies from research to clinical practice. Use of peers in delivering falls prevention education messages has been proposed to improve uptake of falls prevention strategies and facilitate translation to practice. Volunteer peer educators often deliver educational presentations on falls prevention to community-dwelling older adults. However, research evaluating the effectiveness of peer-led education approaches in falls prevention has been limited and no known study has evaluated such a program from the perspective of peer educators involved in delivering the message. The purpose of this study was to explore peer educatorsâ perspective about their role in delivering peer-led falls prevention education for community-dwelling older adults.
Methods: A two-stage qualitative inductive constant comparative design was used.In stage one (core component) focus group interviews involving a total of eleven participants were conducted. During stage two (supplementary component) semi-structured interviews with two participants were conducted. Data were analysed thematically by two researchers independently. Key themes were identified and findings were displayed in a conceptual framework.
Results: Peer educators were motivated to deliver educational presentations and importantly, to reach an optimal peer connection with their audience. Key themes identified included both personal and organisational factors that impact on educatorsâ capacity to facilitate their peersâ engagement with the message. Personal factors that facilitated message delivery and engagement included peer-to-peer connection and perceived credibility, while barriers included a reluctance to accept the message that they were at risk of falling by some members in the audience. Organisational factors, including ongoing training for peer educators and formative feedback following presentations, were perceived as essential because they affect successful message delivery.
Conclusions: Peer educators have the potential to effectively deliver falls prevention education to older adults and influence acceptance of the message as they possess the peer-to-peer connection that facilitates optimal engagement. There is a need to consider incorporating learnings from this research into a formal large scale evaluation of the effectiveness of the peer education approach in reducing falls in older adults
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