Reforms to improve reproducibility and quality must be coordinated across the research ecosystem: the view from the UKRN Local Network Leads

Many disciplines are facing a “reproducibility crisis”, which has precipitated much discussion about how to improve research integrity, reproducibility, and transparency. A unified effort across all sectors, levels, and stages of the research ecosystem is needed to coordinate goals and reforms that focus on open and transparent research practices. Promoting a more positive incentive culture for all ecosystem members is also paramount. In this commentary, we—the Local Network Leads of the UK Reproducibility Network—outline our response to the UK House of Commons Science and Technology Committee’s inquiry on research integrity and reproducibility. We argue that coordinated change is needed to create (1) a positive research culture, (2) a unified stance on improving research quality, (3) common foundations for open and transparent research practice, and (4) the routinisation of this practice. For each of these areas, we outline the roles that individuals, institutions, funders, publishers, and Government can play in shaping the research ecosystem. Working together, these constituent members must also partner with sectoral and coordinating organisations to produce effective and long-lasting reforms that are fit-for-purpose and future-proof. These efforts will strengthen research quality and create research capable of generating far-reaching applications with a sustained impact on society

Triagem molecular de portadores assintomáticos de Plasmodium sp. entre Bancos de Sangue da região Amazônica brasileira

The transmission of malaria in Brazil is heterogeneous throughout endemic areas and the presence of asymptomatic Plasmodium sp. carriers (APCs) in the Brazilian Amazon has already been demonstrated. Malaria screening in blood banks is based on the selection of donors in respect to possible risks associated with travel or residence, clinical evidence and/or inaccurate diagnostic methods thereby increasing the probability of transfusion-transmitted infection. We evaluated the frequency of APCs in four blood services in distinct areas of the Brazilian Amazon region. DNA was obtained from 400 human blood samples for testing using the phenol-chloroform method followed by a nested-PCR protocol with species-specific primers. The positivity rate varied from 1 to 3% of blood donors from the four areas with an average of 2.3%. All positive individuals had mixed infections for Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum. No significant differences in the results were detected among these areas; the majority of cases originated from the transfusion centres of Porto Velho, Rondônia State and Macapá, Amapá State. Although it is still unclear whether APC individuals may act as reservoirs of the parasite, efficient screening of APCs and malaria patients in Brazilian blood services from endemic areas needs to be improved.A transmissão da malária no Brasil é heterogênea em todas as áreas endêmicas e a presença de portadores assintomáticos de Plasmodium sp. (PAPs) na Amazônia brasileira já foi demonstrada. A triagem de pacientes maláricos em bancos de sangue é baseada na seleção dos doadores com relação aos riscos possíveis associados com residência, evidência clínica e/ou os métodos diagnósticos não acurados que aumentam a probabilidade da infecção transmitida por transfusão. Avaliamos a freqüência de PAPs em quatro bancos de sangue em áreas distintas da região Amazônica brasileira. O DNA foi obtido a partir de 400 amostras de sangue humano usando o método do fenol-clorofórmio, seguido por um protocolo de nested-PCR com oligonucleotídeos espécie-específicos. A taxa de positividade variou de 1 a 3% de doadores do sangue das quatro áreas, com uma média de 2,3%. Todos os indivíduos positivos tinham infecções mistas entre o Plasmodium vivax e o Plasmodium falciparum. Nenhuma diferença significativa nos resultados foi detectada entre estas áreas; a maioria dos casos originou dos Hemocentros de Porto Velho, do Estado de Rondônia e de Macapá, Estado do Amapá. Embora ainda não esteja claro se os indivíduos PAPs possam agir como reservatórios do parasito, a triagem eficiente de PAPs e de pacientes com malária em bancos de sangue no Brasil das áreas endêmicas necessita ser implementada

Optimization of flow shop scheduling through a hybrid genetic algorithm for manufacturing companies

A task scheduling problem is a process of assigning tasks to a limited set of resources available in a time interval, where certain criteria are optimized. In this way, the sequencing of tasks is directly associated with the executability and optimality of a preset plan and can be found in a wide range of applications, such as: programming flight dispatch at airports, programming production lines in a factory, programming of surgeries in a hospital, repair of equipment or machinery in a workshop, among others. The objective of this study is to analyze the effect of the inclusion of several restrictions that negatively influence the production programming in a real manufacturing environment. For this purpose, an efficient Genetic Algorithm combined with a Local Search of Variable Neighborhood for problems of n tasks and m machines is introduced, minimizing the time of total completion of the tasks. The computational experiments carried out on a set of problem instances with different sizes of complexity show that the proposed hybrid metaheuristics achieves high quality solutions compared to the reported optimal cases

Reforms to improve reproducibility and quality must be coordinated across the research ecosystem: the view from the UKRN Local Network Leads

Many disciplines are facing a "reproducibility crisis", which has precipitated much discussion about how to improve research integrity, reproducibility, and transparency. A unified effort across all sectors, levels, and stages of the research ecosystem is needed to coordinate goals and reforms that focus on open and transparent research practices. Promoting a more positive incentive culture for all ecosystem members is also paramount. In this commentary, we-the Local Network Leads of the UK Reproducibility Network-outline our response to the UK House of Commons Science and Technology Committee's inquiry on research integrity and reproducibility. We argue that coordinated change is needed to create (1) a positive research culture, (2) a unified stance on improving research quality, (3) common foundations for open and transparent research practice, and (4) the routinisation of this practice. For each of these areas, we outline the roles that individuals, institutions, funders, publishers, and Government can play in shaping the research ecosystem. Working together, these constituent members must also partner with sectoral and coordinating organisations to produce effective and long-lasting reforms that are fit-for-purpose and future-proof. These efforts will strengthen research quality and create research capable of generating far-reaching applications with a sustained impact on society

Population Genetics of GYPB and Association Study between GYPB*S/s Polymorphism and Susceptibility to P. falciparum Infection in the Brazilian Amazon

Merozoites of Plasmodium falciparum invade through several pathways using different RBC receptors. Field isolates appear to use a greater variability of these receptors than laboratory isolates. Brazilian field isolates were shown to mostly utilize glycophorin A-independent invasion pathways via glycophorin B (GPB) and/or other receptors. The Brazilian population exhibits extensive polymorphism in blood group antigens, however, no studies have been done to relate the prevalence of the antigens that function as receptors for P. falciparum and the ability of the parasite to invade. Our study aimed to establish whether variation in the GYPB*S/s alleles influences susceptibility to infection with P. falciparum in the admixed population of Brazil.Two groups of Brazilian Amazonians from Porto Velho were studied: P. falciparum infected individuals (cases); and uninfected individuals who were born and/or have lived in the same endemic region for over ten years, were exposed to infection but have not had malaria over the study period (controls). The GPB Ss phenotype and GYPB*S/s alleles were determined by standard methods. Sixty two Ancestry Informative Markers were genotyped on each individual to estimate admixture and control its potential effect on the association between frequency of GYPB*S and malaria infection.GYPB*S is associated with host susceptibility to infection with P. falciparum; GYPB*S/GYPB*S and GYPB*S/GYPB*s were significantly more prevalent in the in the P. falciparum infected individuals than in the controls (69.87% vs. 49.75%; P<0.02). Moreover, population genetics tests applied on the GYPB exon sequencing data suggest that natural selection shaped the observed pattern of nucleotide diversity.Epidemiological and evolutionary approaches suggest an important role for the GPB receptor in RBC invasion by P. falciparum in Brazilian Amazons. Moreover, an increased susceptibility to infection by this parasite is associated with the GPB S+ variant in this population

Polymorphisms in the DNA repair gene XRCC1 and susceptibility to alcoholic liver cirrhosis in older Southeastern Brazilians

The population of Southeastern Brazil has a very high mortality rate from liver cirrhosis, a disease that is considered an irreversible pre-malignant condition. This is largely due to the high prevalence of alcohol abuse in the region, Chronic alcohol consumption is associated with the production of free radical intermediates that can cause several DNA lesions. Reduced repair of these DNA lesions would. therefore, constitute a significant risk factor for liver cirrhosis and subsequent cancer, Recently, a number of polymorphisms in several DNA repair genes have been discovered, and it is possible that these polymorphisms may affect DNA repair capacity and thus modulate susceptibility to the disease. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that polymorphisms in the DNA repair gene XRCC1 are associated with increased risk of liver cirrhosis in Southeastern Brazilians. We conducted a pilot case-control study of 97 liver cirrhosis cases and 96 controls (matched for age, sex, and ethnicity) to investigate the role of two allelic variants coding for amino acid changes in the XRCC1 gene (the Arg194Trp and the Arg399Gln polymorphisms). Overall, we observed a 1.8-fold increase in the relative risk of liver cirrhosis associated with the 399Gln allele (either the heterozygous ArglGln or the homozygous Gln/Gln genotypes). The adjusted odds ratio (OR) was 1.82 (95% confidence limit (CL) 1.10-3.30). The relative risk appears to be highest among the Mestiso ethnic group (OR 2.60. 95% CL 0.92-7.34). There was a significant association between the 399Gln polymorphism and the risk of liver cirrhosis in older individuals over the age of 45 years (OR 170 (95% CL 1.14-6.48) compared to an OR of 1,24 (95% CL 0.55-2.78) for those under 45 years of age. No association was observed between the XRCC1 194Trp polymorphism and risk of liver cirrhosis. These preliminary results suggest that the XRCCl 399Gln polymorphism may be a significant risk modifier for alcoholic liver cirrhosis and justifies additional studies in that direction. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.180217318

Construção da identidade profissional na Educação Interprofissional em Saúde: percepção de egressos

Trata-se de estudo de abordagem longitudinal qualitativa, descritivo-analítico e natureza exploratória. Apresenta a percepção de egressos acerca da construção da identidade profissional na perspectiva da Educação Interprofissional, com dados coletados mediante entrevista de aprofundamento com egressos de seis profissões da saúde. Os resultados foram organizados em núcleos direcionadores e tratados com análise de conteúdo. Apresentam-se os resultados referentes ao núcleo Educação Interprofissional e à construção da identidade profissional. Os participantes relataram a trajetória formativa em currículo inovador, interprofissional e interdisciplinar, destacando a oportunidade da prática colaborativa e interprofissional como importantes para o desenvolvimento, construção e reforço da identidade profissional em cada área de formação mediante o reconhecimento das especificidades das outras áreas. A delimitação do próprio campo profissional e de papéis na equipe, bem como a ampliação do olhar profissional, também foram evidenciadas pelos egressos