Research through designing?

With this panel-contribution I will address a lacuna in landscape architecture theory on the connection of the role of ‘research through designing’. I consider the role of ‘research through designing’ crucial for the further production of new practical knowledge within landscape architecture. The necessity to generate such new knowledge that is tightly connected to research has various reasons. This concerns the call for legitimation of design decisions and interventions with scientific knowledge, but also with societal consensus. But it is also the call for innovation and novelty. Based on Creswell’s widely used model of ‘knowledge claims’ or research paradigms (positivist, constructivist, advocacy and pragmatic) and the related research methods I suggest that for the types of research that Creswell described, similar types of ‘research through designing’ can be conceived of. I propose how these ‘research through design’ methods can be differentiated in landscape architecture. This encompasses an overview of the types of research questions that can be answered, the type of new knowledge to be generated, the suitable ‘research through designing’ methods and how the results can be evaluated

Fission yeast Csk1 is a CAK-activating kinase (CAKAK).

Cell cycle progression is dependent on the sequential activity of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). For full activity, CDKs require an activating phosphorylation of a conserved residue (corresponding to Thr160 in human CDK2) carried out by the CDK-activating kinase (CAK). Two distinct CAK kinases have been described: in budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the Cak1/Civ1 kinase is responsible for CAK activity. In several other species including human, Xenopus, Drosophila and fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, CAK has been identified as a complex homologous to CDK7-cyclin H (Mcs6-Mcs2 in fission yeast). Here we identify the fission yeast Csk1 kinase as an in vivo activating kinase of the Mcs6-Mcs2 CAK defining Csk1 as a CAK-activating kinase (CAKAK)

Relevant Study: Patient and Clinician Perspectives on Clinically-Meaningful Outcomes in Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive cancer with a poor prognosis and significant symptom burden. This prospective observational study aimed to evaluate expectations and priorities of patients with advanced PDAC and their clinicians through a study survey and two quality of life (QoL) questionnaires (QLQ-C30 and PAN26) at three time-points: baseline (T1), before (T2) and after (T3) their 1st on-treatment CT scan. Over a 1-year period, 106 patients were approached, 71 patients and 12 clinicians were recruited. Choosing between treatment options, patients prioritised: 54% overall survival (OS), 26% balance between side-effects and OS, 15% could not choose and 5% favoured symptom control. These were significantly different from the clinician’s answers (p p = 0.03) and shorter OS compared to those who prioritised balance (p = 0.01). Most (86%) patients had personal goals they wanted to reach; clinicians knew of these in 12% of instances. Patient and clinicians’ views regarding survival improvement from chemotherapy were significantly different: 81% of clinicians and 12% of patients thought 1–2 or 3–6 months extension, 58% of patients and 0% physicians thought 1–5 or >5 years (p p < 0.001). Overall, there are significant discrepancies between patient and clinicians’ views about the aims, priorities and expected extension of life

Targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor in addition to chemotherapy in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer::a systematic review and meta-analysis

Overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) occurs in &gt;90% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs) and is associated with a poorer prognosis. A systematic review of electronic databases identified studies exploring the addition of EGFR-targeted treatment to chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced (LA)/metastatic PDAC. Efficacy, safety and tolerability of EGFR-targeted therapy were explored using meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Meta-regression was utilised to explore factors associated with improved prognosis (all studies) and benefit from EGFR-targeted therapy (RCTs). Twenty-eight studies (7 RCTs and 21 cohort studies) comprising 3718 patients were included. The addition of EGFR-targeted treatment to chemotherapy did not improve progression-free (pooled hazard ratio (HR): 0.90, p = 0.15) or overall survival (HR: 0.94, p = 0.18). EGFR-targeted therapy was associated with increased treatment-related deaths (pooled odds ratio (OR): 5.18, p = 0.007), and grade (G)3/4 rash (OR: 4.82, p = 0.03). There was a borderline significant increase in G3/4 diarrhoea (OR: 1.75, p = 0.06), but no effect on treatment discontinuation without progression (OR: 0.87, p = 0.25). Neither G3/4 rash nor diarrhoea were associated with increased survival benefit from EGFR-targeted therapy. The effect of EGFR-targeted therapy on overall survival (OS) appeared greater in studies with a greater proportion of LA rather than metastatic patients (R = −0.69, p &lt; 0.001). Further studies in unselected patients with advanced PDAC are not warranted. The benefit from EGFR inhibitors may be limited to patient subgroups not yet clearly defined

Targeting the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor in Addition to Chemotherapy in Patients with Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) occurs in &gt;90% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs) and is associated with a poorer prognosis. A systematic review of electronic databases identified studies exploring the addition of EGFR-targeted treatment to chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced (LA)/metastatic PDAC. Efficacy, safety and tolerability of EGFR-targeted therapy were explored using meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Meta-regression was utilised to explore factors associated with improved prognosis (all studies) and benefit from EGFR-targeted therapy (RCTs). Twenty-eight studies (7 RCTs and 21 cohort studies) comprising 3718 patients were included. The addition of EGFR-targeted treatment to chemotherapy did not improve progression-free (pooled hazard ratio (HR): 0.90, <i>p</i> = 0.15) or overall survival (HR: 0.94, <i>p</i> = 0.18). EGFR-targeted therapy was associated with increased treatment-related deaths (pooled odds ratio (OR): 5.18, <i>p</i> = 0.007), and grade (G)3/4 rash (OR: 4.82, <i>p</i> = 0.03). There was a borderline significant increase in G3/4 diarrhoea (OR: 1.75, <i>p</i> = 0.06), but no effect on treatment discontinuation without progression (OR: 0.87, <i>p</i> = 0.25). Neither G3/4 rash nor diarrhoea were associated with increased survival benefit from EGFR-targeted therapy. The effect of EGFR-targeted therapy on overall survival (OS) appeared greater in studies with a greater proportion of LA rather than metastatic patients (<i>R</i> = −0.69, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). Further studies in unselected patients with advanced PDAC are not warranted. The benefit from EGFR inhibitors may be limited to patient subgroups not yet clearly defined