Doctoral Studies as part of an Innovative Training Network (ITN): Early Stage Researcher (ESR) experiences [version 2; peer review: 2 approved]

Background: The Marie-Skłodowska-Curie Actions’ (MSCA) Innovative Training Network (ITN) is a doctoral training programme jointly implemented by academic institutions and industries from countries across Europe and beyond. To our knowledge no study has examined the experience of students participating in MSCA-ITNs. This study aims to evaluate and report MSCA-ITN Early Stage Researcher (ESR) experiences. Methods: The Innovative Training Network - Evaluation Questionnaire (ITN-EQ) was developed to assess supervision, training, collaborations and experiences of ESRs and forwarded to two tinnitus-related ITNs and seven ITNs of other disciplines. Results: Key advantages identified included better career prospects, multidisciplinary research opportunities/collaborations, international exposure, personal/professional development, plus generous salaries and research budgets. However, lack of a common EU framework resulted in the experience being largely dependent on the host institution, country and supervisor. Moreover, managing the dual requirements of ITNs and host institutions while completing a three-year PhD seemed challenging for most ESRs. ESR involvement in workshop and training school planning was desirable. More than 80% of ESRs rated the overall ITN experience favourably and 98.3% would recommend the same to prospective PhD students. Conclusions: This report could provide valuable insights in planning and management of future ITNs and could assist prospective students in their decision of joining an ITN for their PhD

Doctoral Studies as part of an Innovative Training Network (ITN):Early Stage Researcher (ESR) experiences [version 2; peer review: 2 approved]

Background: The Marie-Skłodowska-Curie Actions’ (MSCA) Innovative Training Network (ITN) is a doctoral training programme jointly implemented by academic institutions and industries from countries across Europe and beyond. To our knowledge no study has examined the experience of students participating in MSCA-ITNs. This study aims to evaluate and report MSCA-ITN Early Stage Researcher (ESR) experiences. Methods: The Innovative Training Network - Evaluation Questionnaire (ITN-EQ) was developed to assess supervision, training, collaborations and experiences of ESRs and forwarded to two tinnitus-related ITNs and seven ITNs of other disciplines. Results: Key advantages identified included better career prospects, multidisciplinary research opportunities/collaborations, international exposure, personal/professional development, plus generous salaries and research budgets. However, lack of a common EU framework resulted in the experience being largely dependent on the host institution, country and supervisor. Moreover, managing the dual requirements of ITNs and host institutions while completing a three-year PhD seemed challenging for most ESRs. ESR involvement in workshop and training school planning was desirable. More than 80% of ESRs rated the overall ITN experience favourably and 98.3% would recommend the same to prospective PhD students. Conclusions: This report could provide valuable insights in planning and management of future ITNs and could assist prospective students in their decision of joining an ITN for their PhD

Standardised profiling for tinnitus research: The European School for Interdisciplinary Tinnitus Research Screening Questionnaire (ESIT-SQ)

Background: The heterogeneity of tinnitus is substantial. Its numerous pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical manifestations have hampered fundamental and treatment research significantly. A decade ago, the Tinnitus Research Initiative introduced the Tinnitus Sample Case History Questionnaire, a case history instrument for standardised collection of information about the characteristics of the tinnitus patient. Since then, a number of studies have been published which characterise individuals and groups using data collected with this questionnaire. However, its use has been restricted to a clinical setting and to the evaluation of people with tinnitus only. In addition, it is limited in the ability to capture relevant comorbidities and evaluate their temporal relationship with tinnitus. Method: Here we present a new case history instrument which is comprehensive in scope and can be answered by people with and without tinnitus alike. This ‘European School for Interdisciplinary Tinnitus Research Screening Questionnaire’ (ESIT-SQ) was developed with specific attention to questions about potential risk factors for tinnitus (including demographics, lifestyle, general medical and otological histories), and tinnitus characteristics (including perceptual characteristics, modulating factors, and associations with co-existing conditions). It was first developed in English, then translated into Dutch, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish, and Swedish, thus having broad applicability and supporting international collaboration. Conclusions: With respect to better understanding tinnitus profiles, we anticipate the ESIT-SQ to be a starting point for comprehensive multi-variate analyses of tinnitus. Data collected with the ESIT-SQ can allow establishment of patterns that distinguish tinnitus from non-tinnitus, and definition of common sets of tinnitus characteristics which might be indicated by the presence of otological or comorbid systemic diseases for which tinnitus is a known symptom

Multidisciplinary Tinnitus Research: Challenges and Future Directions from the Perspective of Early Stage Researchers

Tinnitus can be a burdensome condition on both individual and societal levels. Many aspects of this condition remain elusive, including its underlying mechanisms, ultimately hindering the development of a cure. Interdisciplinary approaches are required to overcome long-established research challenges. This review summarizes current knowledge in various tinnitus-relevant research fields including tinnitus generating mechanisms, heterogeneity, epidemiology, assessment, and treatment development, in an effort to highlight the main challenges and provide suggestions for future research to overcome them. Four common themes across different areas were identified as future research direction: (1) Further establishment of multicenter and multidisciplinary collaborations; (2) Systematic reviews and syntheses of existing knowledge; (3) Standardization of research methods including tinnitus assessment, data acquisition, and data analysis protocols; (4) The design of studies with large sample sizes and the creation of large tinnitus-specific databases that would allow in-depth exploration of tinnitus heterogeneity

Epidemiological investigations of tinnitus

Subjective tinnitus is defined as the conscious perception of an auditory sensation in the absence of a corresponding external stimulus. Severe tinnitus can significantly affect physical and mental well-being while incurring substantial social and financial costs on the individual and society. Nonetheless, tinnitus research and financial investment are substantially lower than other comparable conditions. Adequate assessment of tinnitus prevalence and investigating tinnitus-related risk factors could help recognise the burden of tinnitus and the need for adequate resource allocation. Understanding the epidemiology of tinnitus is crucial for addressing the population-level questions and identifying and quantifying exposures that predispose an individual to tinnitus. The objectives of this PhD was to address two major aspects of tinnitus epidemiology: (i) estimating the Pan-European prevalence of tinnitus and (ii) identifying tinnitus-related risk factors and quantifying their association with tinnitus, particularly modifiable lifestyle-related risk factors. A cross-sectional study using standardised assessment questions across 12 European countries estimated 15% prevalence for any, 6% for bothersome, and 1% for severe tinnitus. Eastern European countries showed a consistently higher prevalence compared to the rest of Europe. A literature search for tinnitus-related risk factors was conducted. Evidence from high-quality analytical studies reported an increased risk of tinnitus in the presence of hearing loss, occupational noise exposure, temporomandibular joint disorders, head injury, and ototoxic medications, and decreased risk in people with diabetes. Meta-analyses conducted mostly on cross-sectional studies, reported significantly increased tinnitus risk for smokers and the obese, but no effect of alcohol consumption. Analysing a real-world prospective cohort dataset, moderate alcohol consumption was observed to reduce the risk of incident tinnitus. Adherence to healthy dietary patterns, namely Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) pattern and Alternative Mediterranean diet (AMED) diet, increased tinnitus risk. Obesity was observed to have no effect on incident tinnitus. Around 65 million in the EU28 (including UK) report any tinnitus, 26 million report bothersome tinnitus and 4.4 million report severe tinnitus. Not much is known about the causal risk factors for tinnitus since most data are derived from cross-sectional studies. A meta-analysis on modifiable lifestyle-related risk factors found smoking to be related to tinnitus. In women, healthy diet increased the risk of developing tinnitus, while alcohol consumption in moderation was protective. Obesity did not affect tinnitus risk in women

High temperature, experimental thermal memory based on optical resonances in photonic crystal slabs

We present an experimental thermal memory with direct optical control and readout. Information is stored in the internal temperature of the device, while laser illumination is used to read, write, and erase stored bits. Our design is based on an absorptive optical resonance in a silicon photonic crystal slab. When the slab is illuminated by a laser with a wavelength close to the resonance, the optical absorption is nonlinear with power, resulting in thermo-optic bistability. We experimentally demonstrate bistability in a fabricated device and show the reading, writing, and erasing of a single memory bit. A hybrid optothermal model shows good agreement with the experiment. Time dependent measurements show that the experimental write/erase times are less than 500 µs. We demonstrate that memory reliability is maintained over 106 cycles, with less than 3% change in the transmission values for the memory ON and OFF states. Our approach allows operation in high temperature and/or highly fluctuating temperature environment up to 100 °C or greater