Value co-creation with stakeholders using action research as a meta-methodology in a funded research project

© 2015 by the Project Management Institute. A large applied research study is a challenging exercise in project management and is often unpredictable because of its complexity. In the beginning, funding bodies, ethics committees, and participating organizations expect a plan of what is intended. As the research evolves, researchers must meet the expectations of stakeholders while being responsive to the emergent reality that the research faces and partly uncovers. This article describes action research used as an umbrella process that enabled us to manage the research project. We used action research as a meta-methodology-that is, a process that can subsume multiple subprocesses and under which these contradicting demands can be satisfied. In particular, two characteristics enable action research to do this. One is its cyclic process, iteratively tracing out a rhythm of planning, acting, and observing the results. The other is the nesting of its cycles, applied at scales ranging from the overall study to the moment-by-moment facilitation. We illustrate this use of action research with examples from a long-term applied study of leadership in faith-based, not-for-profit organizations

The relationship between erectile dysfunction, sexual self efficacy and the dark triad

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is the lack, or loss of ability to achieve or maintain an erection and is a commonly reported sexual dysfunction in healthcare. Whilst research has centred on the dark triad, personality, and sexuality; associations between dark triad traits, and sexual dysfunction appear scarce. This study aimed to establish whether there was a relationship between the dark triad traits, sexual self-efficacy (SSE) and ED. Sixty-four participants including 45 men with ED and 19 men without ED, aged between 18-60 years contributed to an online cross-sectional survey consisting of questionnaires measuring ED, the dark triad traits, SSE and demographic information. Results suggested a moderate to high positive correlation with narcissism and psychopathy traits on ED (aggravating effect) and a negative moderate to high correlation with Machiavellianism and SSE (protective effect) on ED. Both Machiavellianism, specifically subscale reputation and SSE were predictors of ED. This suggests that higher levels of SSE and Machiavellianism (reputation) were associated with lower levels of ED and narcissism and psychopathy were associated with higher levels of ED. However, until further research is conducted on a larger and diverse cohort, which examines the causal pathways SSE and the dark triad might have on ED, this remains inconclusive. Nevertheless, this area warrants further exploration, with a view to developing suitable assessment and intervention stratagem in psychosexual services to support ED

Genomic Resources Notes Accepted 1 August 2014–30 September 2014

This article documents the public availability of (i) transcriptome sequence data, assembly and annotation, and single nucleotide polymorphisms ( SNP s) for the cone snail Conus miliaris ; (ii) a set of SNP markers for two biotypes from the Culex pipiens mosquito complex; (iii) transcriptome sequence data, assembly and annotation for the mountain fly Drosophila nigrosparsa ; (iv) transcriptome sequence data, assembly and annotation and SNP s for the Neotropical toads Rhinella marina and R. schneideri ; and (v) partial genomic sequence assembly and annotation for 35 spiny lizard species (Genus Sceloporus ).Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110107/1/men12340-sup-0004-AppendixS4.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110107/2/men12340-sup-0003-AppendixS3.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110107/3/men12340-sup-0002-AppendixS2.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110107/4/men12340-sup-0005-AppendixS5.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110107/5/men12340.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110107/6/men12340-sup-0001-AppendixS1.pd

Does right thoracotomy increase the risk of mitral valve reoperation?

ObjectiveThe study objective was to determine whether a right thoracotomy approach increases the risk of mitral valve reoperation.MethodsBetween January of 1993 and January of 2004, 2469 patients with mitral valve disease underwent 2570 reoperations (1508 replacements, 1062 repairs). The approach was median sternotomy in 2444 patients, right thoracotomy in 80 patients, and other in 46 patients. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with median sternotomy versus right thoracotomy, mitral valve repair versus replacement, hospital death, and stroke. Factors favoring median sternotomy (P < .03) included coronary artery bypass grafting (30% vs 2%), aortic valve replacement (39% vs 2%), tricuspid valve repair (27% vs 13%), fewer previous cardiac operations, more recent reoperation, and no prior left internal thoracic artery graft. These factors were used to construct a propensity score for risk-adjusting outcomes.ResultsHospital mortality was 6.7% (163/2444) for the median sternotomy approach and 6.3% (5/80) for the thoracotomy approach (P = .9). Risk factors (P < .04) included earlier surgery date, higher New York Heart Association class, emergency operation, multiple reoperations, and mitral valve replacement. Stroke occurred in 66 patients (2.7%) who underwent a median sternotomy and in 6 patients (7.5%) who underwent a thoracotomy (P = .006). Mitral valve replacement (vs repair) was more common in those receiving a thoracotomy (P < .04).ConclusionsCompared with median sternotomy, right thoracotomy is associated with a higher occurrence of stroke and less frequent mitral valve repair. Specific strategies for conducting the operation should be used to reduce the risk of stroke when right thoracotomy is used for mitral valve reoperation. In most instances, repeat median sternotomy, with its better exposure and greater latitude for concomitant procedures, is preferred

The sensuous secrets of shelter: how recollections of food stimulate Irish men's reconstructions of their early formative residential experiences in Leicester, Sheffield and Manchester

This paper examines the intersection between food, recollection and Irish migrants’ reconstructions of their housing pathways in the three English cities of Leicester (East Midlands), Sheffield (South Yorkshire) and Manchester (North). Previous studies have acknowledged more implicitly the role of memory in representing the Irish migrant experience in England. Here, we adopt a different stance. We explore the mnemonic power of food to encode, decode and recode Irish men’s reconstructions of their housing pathways in England when constructing and negotiating otherness. In doing so, we apply a ‘Proustian anthropological’ approach in framing the men’s representations of their formative residential experiences in the boarding houses of the three English cities during the 1950s and 1960s are examined. The extent to which food provided in the boarding houses was used as an instrument of discipline and control is examined. The relevance of food related acts of resistance, food insecurity and acts of hedonic meat-centric eating in constructing the men’s sociocultural identity are also explored

Engaging Multistakeholder Perspectives to Identify Patient-Centered Research Priorities Regarding Vaccine Uptake Among Adults With Autoimmune Conditions

Objective: The study objective was to prioritize topics for future patient-centered research to increase uptake of common vaccines, such as for pneumococcal pneumonia, influenza, herpes zoster, human papillomavirus, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, among adults living with autoimmune conditions. Methods: A steering committee (SC) was formed that included clinicians, patients, patient advocates, and researchers associated with rheumatic diseases (psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitis), inflammatory bowel disease, and multiple sclerosis. Through a scoping review and discussions, SC members identified research topics regarding vaccine uptake and/or hesitancy for prioritization. A larger multistakeholder alliance that included patients and patient advocates, clinicians, researchers, policy makers, regulators, and vaccine manufacturers conducted a modified Delphi exercise online with three rating rounds and one ranking round. Frequency analysis and comparisons across stakeholder groups were conducted. A weighted ranking score was generated for each item in the ranking round for final prioritization. Results: Through the Delphi process, 33 research topics were identified, of which 13 topics were rated as critical by more than 70% of all stakeholders (n = 31). The two highest ranked critical topics per the full stakeholder group were “How well a vaccine works for adults with autoimmune conditions” and “How beliefs about vaccine safety affect vaccine uptake.”. Conclusion: A multistakeholder group identified key topics as critically important priorities for future research to decrease vaccine hesitancy and improve uptake of vaccines for adults with autoimmune conditions