Big data: the potential role of research data management and research data registries

Universities generate and hold increasingly vast quantities of research data – both in the form of large, well-structured datasets but more often in the form of a long tail of small, distributed datasets which collectively amount to ‘Big Data’ and offer significant potential for reuse. However, unlike big data, these collections of small data are often less well curated and are usually very difficult to find thereby reducing their potential reuse value. The Digital Curation Centre (DCC) works to support UK universities to better manage and expose their research data so that its full value may be realised. With a focus on tapping into this long tail of small data, this presentation will cover two main DCC, services: DMPonline which helps researchers to identify potentially valuable research data and to plan for its longer-term retention and reuse; and the UK pilot research data registry and discovery service (RDRDS) which will help to ensure that research data produced in UK HEIs can be found, understood, and reused. Initially we will introduce participants to the role of data management planning to open up dialogue between researchers and library services to ensure potentially valuable research data are managed appropriately and made available for reuse where feasible. DMPs provide institutions with valuable insights into the scale of their data holdings, highlight any ethical and legal requirements that need to be met, and enable planning for dissemination and reuse. We will also introduce the DCC’s DMPonline, a tool to help researchers write DMPs, which can be customised by institutions and integrated with other systems to simplify and enhance the management and reuse of data. In the second part of the presentation we will focus on making selected research data more visible for reuse and explore the potential value of local and national research data registries. In particular we will highlight the Jisc-funded RDRDS pilot to establish a UK national service that aggregates metadata relating to data collections held in research institutions and subject data centres. The session will conclude by exploring some of the opportunities we may collaboratively explore in facilitating the management, aggregation and reuse of research data

Effects of ozone and water stress on plant growth and physiology

Imperial Users onl

Psychosocial support within a global movement

Events such as the Haiti earthquake or crises nearer home, such as floods and fires, may lead us to wonder about what we can do to help. As funds are raised and food, shelter and water are distributed, is there a place for psychology? This article explores how psychology can make a meaningful contribution, but only when it is embedded in coordinated responses that are informed by and tailored to the social context. Beginning with an exploration of the current and historical context of both psychosocial support within the humanitarian sector, and the origins of the British Red Cross, the article includes examples of the way psychology informs the British Red Cross psychosocial framework and..

Defining the pro-tumour impact of the evolving stromal microenvironment

Much like normal tissues, tumours require a supporting microenvironment for growth and survival, known as the tumour stroma. However, tumours represent a dynamic and turbulent environment, in which factors such as hypoxia, fibrosis, nutrient deprivation and the local cytokine milieu continually fluctuate as the tumour grows and develops. These factors influence stromal phenotypes and create heterogeneity, which can confound our understanding of their role within the microenvironment. In particular, cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) represent a diverse population of cells, which cannot be identified by one universal marker. CAFs promote tumour growth and dissemination by secreting growth factors, stimulating angiogenesis, aiding the development of tumour-promoting inflammation and remodelling the extra-cellular matrix (ECM). However, recent investigations have shown these functions belong to defined populations that differ between tumour types. This project aimed to investigate stromal heterogeneity across melanoma development, with a specific focus on the CAF compartment. Whilst conventional techniques such as IF and flow cytometry showed varied expression of fibroblast markers, they lacked the resolution to discern functional subsets. Thus, we employed single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) to profile CAF populations at different stages of tumour development. To avoid bias, CAFs were isolated from the B16-F10 melanoma model using a ‘negative selection’ approach. Our data revealed the presence of 3 functionally distinct fibroblast populations, termed ‘immune’, ‘desmoplastic’ and ‘contractile’, which expressed genes involved in immune cross talk, matrix remodelling and stress fibre contraction respectively. Furthermore, these populations are dynamic, changing in prevalence as the tumour grows. While ‘immune’ and ‘desmoplastic’ populations were present from early stages, ‘contractile’ CAFs were more abundant at later time points. Owing to their unique marker profiles, we were able to identify these populations within the tumour stoma and validate their temporal nature. Subsequent investigation into the contribution of these subsets to tumour growth, revealed that ‘immune’ CAFs promoted accumulation of suppressive macrophages by production of C3 and its cleavage product C3a. Significantly, inhibition of the C3a/C3aR axis reduced the number of macrophages and decreased tumour volume. This reduction in tumour growth was accompanied by increased CD8 T-cell infiltration, implying that ‘immune’ CAFs may inhibit adaptive anti-tumour immunity through controlling the myeloid compartment. The interaction between C3 producing CAFs and C3aR expressing macrophages was conserved in different murine tumours and human cancer. Thus, ‘immune’ CAFs and C3a signalling may represent therapeutic targets in multiple cancer types. Overall, our data highlights the complexity of stromal phenotypes and microenvironment interactions, which likely reflects the convoluted climate of the developing tumour

Emerging good practice in managing research data and research information within UK Universities

Sound data intensive science depends upon effective research data and information management. Efficient and interoperable research information systems will be crucial for enabling and exploiting data intensive research however it is equally important that a research ecosystem is cultivated within research-intensive institutions that foster sustainable communication, cooperation and support of a diverse range of research-related staff. Researchers, librarians, administrators, ethics advisors, and IT professionals all have a vital contribution to make in ensuring that research data and related information is available, visible, understandable and usable over the mid to long term. This paper will provide a summary of several ongoing initiatives that the Jisc-funded Digital Curation Centre (DCC) are currently involved with in the UK and internationally to help staff within higher education institutions prepare to meet funding body mandates relating to research data management and sharing and to engage fully in the digital agenda

FOSTER D2.1 - Technical protocol for rich metadata categorization and content classification

FOSTER aims to set in place sustainable mechanisms for EU researchers to FOSTER OPEN SCIENCE in their daily workflow, supporting researchers optimizing their research visibility and impact and the adoption of EU open access policies in line with the EU objectives on Responsible Research & Innovation.<p></p> More specifically, the FOSTER objectives are to:<p></p> • Support different stakeholders, especially young researchers, in adopting open access in the context of the European Research Area (ERA) and in complying with the open access policies and rules of participation set out for Horizon 2020;<p></p> • Integrate open access principles and practice in the current research workflow by targeting the young researcher training environment;<p></p> • Strengthen the institutional training capacity to foster compliance with the open access policies of the ERA and Horizon 2020 (beyond the FOSTER project); <p></p> • Facilitate the adoption, reinforcement and implementation of open access policies from other European funders, in line with the EC’s recommendation, in partnership with PASTEUR4OA project.<p></p> As stated in the project Description of Work (DoW) these objectives will be pursued and achieved through the combination of 3 main activities: content identification, repacking and creation; creation of the FOSTER Portal; delivery of training.<p></p> The core activity of the Task T2.1 will be to define a basic quality control protocol for content, and map available content by target group, and content type in parallel with WP3 Task 3.1.<p></p> Training materials include the full range of classical (structured presentation slides) and multi-media content (short videos, interactive e-books, ) that clearly and succinctly frames a problem and offers a working solution, in support of the learning objectives of each target group, and the range of learning options to be used in WP4 (elearning, blended learning, self-learning).<p></p> The map of existing content metadata will be delivered to WP3 for best choice of system requirements for continuous and sustainable content aggregation, enhancement and content delivery via “Tasks 3.2 e-Learning Portal” and “Task 3.4 Content Upload”. The resulting content compilation will be tailored to each Target Group and delivered to WP4

Physicians' perspectives on the treatment of patients with eating disorders in the acute setting

Abstract Background Hospitalisation for an eating disorder is rare, however treatment in the acute medical setting can be a life-saving admission. While the multidisciplinary team delivers overall patient care, medical decisions are the responsibility of the treating physicians. Treatment decisions directly impact on patient care and outcomes. This study aimed to explore the considerations that influence the medical decisions of physicians when treating patients with eating disorders in the acute setting. Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten medical physicians who had previously treated eating disorders on a general medical unit in two Australian tertiary hospitals. An interview schedule, based on the literature and four relevant domains from the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, was developed. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically. Coding and interim themes and sub-themes were developed by two dietitian researchers; these were further refined through researcher discussion and triangulation with two additional dietitian researchers. Results Ten doctors were interviewed (3 consultants (1 adult general medical and 2 paediatricians: 13–16 years medical experience), 2 registrars (4–7 years experience), 1 resident (1 year experience), and 4 interns (< 1 year experience). Doctors described memorable patient cases, related to hospital stays over several weeks. Interviews ranged in length from 58 min to 91 min. Four themes (with five sub-themes) were developed: 1) navigating uncertainty (focusing on processes and goals and seeking information), 2) being “the good doctor” (doing the right thing), 3) seeing the big picture (depending on key players and considering short and long-term), and 4) involving family and patient. Conclusions Non-specialist physicians described challenges in the treatment of eating disorders in the inpatient setting. They take a holistic approach that considers both short and longer-term goals, relying on specialist colleagues, the wider multidisciplinary team and sometimes family members to guide treatment decisions during admissions on general medical wards. Additional support, education and training centered on the key themes may increase physicians’ confidence and ability to make effective treatment decisions for this patient group. The results are relevant to all health professionals working in this field to better understand the priorities of medical physicians and to support them to achieve positive outcomes in the inpatient treatment of patients with eating disorders

The Advantage of Ethical Leadership over Amoral Management for Nonprofits

This research paper seeks to identify the difference between organizations that practice ethical leadership methods, and those that do not. This comparative research explores literature on both amoral leadership and ethical leadership methods of nonprofit management. The methods used can be described as research-based analysis between two case studies, personal interviews, and comparative analysis of two theories. A literature review and analysis are the main research methods used in this paper. In addition, two individual case studies are compared in this study, as they exemplify both types of organizational leadership. Findings from the review and analysis show that nonprofit managers who employ ethical leadership methods over amoral management will successfully institute greater cultures of integrity, leading to more effective organizations. Research shows that ethical leadership lends itself to higher productivity within organizations, higher levels of trust of management, and also positively impacts individual work engagement. The two case studies explored in this paper detail the circumstances of both an organization that failed to enact and follow ethical leadership standards, and also of an organization that leads with ethical intentionality. The norms and behaviors deemed as important by organizational management and leadership are reflected throughout organizations, and as a result, is reflected in how successfully a nonprofit meets their mission. Amoral management is a modern concept of management that avoids instituting ethical decision making within an organization. This can lead to moral fall-out and unethical decision making, including fraud or malfeasance. As nonprofit, public, and private leaders look to the future of motivational and intentional leadership, an ethical approach focused on key stakeholders, the public they serve, and those leading the mission will prevail

Benchmark Dose Modeling with Covariates for Nanomaterials

In the last decade, the use of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) such as titanium dioxide (TiO2), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon nanofibers (CNFs), as well as a variety of other materials have become increasingly popular in commerce because of their many beneficial properties (e.g. ability to manufacture products that are lighter, stronger, and/or more compact). However, according to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, with the development of new nanotechnology it is prudent to ensure the health and safety of workers who are producing or using these materials at the forefront. For many ENMs, occupational exposure limits (OELs) are not available and the OELs developed for microscale materials may not be adequate for ENMs. In the absence of human data, rodent assays are often used to find a dose estimate which can then be used as a point of departure (POD) to extrapolate to humans. Some bioassays report summary statistics, which can be used to determine benchmark dose (BMD) estimates – the dose that corresponds to a specified level of increased response called a benchmark response or BMR [4]. Pooling data across studies with a small number of dose groups (as in many of the studies in this dataset) provides a more robust dataset by increasing the sample size, although also adding variability across different experimental designs (i.e. species, strain, gender). Thus, the aim of this project was to examine the influence of material type on the dose-response relationship using statistical regression modeling in R (statistical software) since the EPA’s Benchmark Dose Software (BMDS) does not allow for covariates, and building upon these regression models by adding covariates to account for experimental design features which add variability that may obscure these relationships