Anticipatory Uncertainty: How Academic and Industry Researchers in the Life Sciences Experience and Manage the Uncertainties of the Research Process Differently

The institutional contexts of research increasingly require researchers to anticipate their productivity and the uncertainties inherent in their research. This applies to both academic researchers and to researchers in start-up companies. This creates a specific kind of uncertainty, anticipatory uncertainty, that we define as the state of being uncertain as to whether research processes will be productive in a specific time frame and along situated definitions of good performance. In the life sciences, this anticipatory uncertainty is experienced and managed differently, depending on how research is organized and the cultural resources available in specific institutional contexts. In biotechnology companies, there is a readiness to embrace dynamic changes in both research strategies and the organization of work in response to new developments in the progress of the overall research agenda. In academia, the ability of research groups to react with similar flexibility seems significantly constrained by the individual attribution of research work and credit, and the correspondingly high level of individual anticipatory uncertainty. This raises questions about how far the current organization of academic research allows epistemic uncertainty to be embraced and corresponding risks to be taken, rather than safe questions to be pursued.© 2018 The Author(s

IMAGINE RRI. A card-based method for reflecting on responsibility in life science research

Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) has become a new buzzword in science policy, pointing to a shift in the role of research in contemporary societies. While on a discursive level responsibility is easily welcomed, implementing RRI in research practice appears challenging. RRI as an agent for change must compete with other forces shaping the current research system and its institutions, such as innovation orientation, competition and indicator-driven evaluation cultures. To address these challenges, we created a new format for engaging life science researchers in reflections on the meaning of responsibility in their own research practices. In this conceptual paper, we present and discuss a card-based method: IMAGINE RRI. The method’s aim is twofold. First, it is meant to empower researchers to appropriate RRI through shared reflection while connecting it to their practices. Second, it aims to enable researchers to reflect on how the institutional context of their work and the embedded values fosters or hinders responsible research practices. Supplementary material (including card design and discussion map) is available under a creative commons license at the following link: https://phaidra.univie.ac.at/view/o:690945.© 2018 The Author(s

Data from UK Pension Reforms (1997-2015)

This dataset contains video content created and documents collected by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Bath for the research project ‘Pension Reforms in the UK: 1997 to 2015’, funded by the National Employment Savings Trust (Nest) Insight. The pension reforms that were initiated in the early 2000s with the 'Turner' Pensions Commission, and implemented during the 2010s, represent a milestone in the history of UK pensions provision. The ‘Pension Reforms in the UK’ project is about bringing together existing information on these reforms and augmenting it with new material and content. This dataset is part of that work and aims ultimately to contribute to a UK Pension Reforms Archive. The dataset contains 24 elite semi-structured video interviews with former UK prime ministers, secretaries of state, ministers, special advisers, Pensions Commission’s members, civil servants, stakeholders, academics and journalists, and 97 documents related to the reforms. The files are freely available for researchers and anyone who is interested in the UK's pension reforms or policy change more widely, to review and use in an appropriate manner. The dataset is divided into four stages of reform: - Stage 1: Pensions in the later 1990s and early 2000s; - Stage 2: The Pensions Commission (2002-2006); - Stage 3: Policy enactment (2006-2010); - Stage 4: Implementation (2010-2015). You can also watch a 10-minute summary video with highlights of the interviews with participants

Data from UK Pension Reforms (1997-2015)

This dataset contains video content created and documents collected by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Bath for the research project ‘Pension Reforms in the UK: 1997 to 2015’, funded by the National Employment Savings Trust (Nest) Insight. The pension reforms that were initiated in the early 2000s with the 'Turner' Pensions Commission, and implemented during the 2010s, represent a milestone in the history of UK pensions provision. The ‘Pension Reforms in the UK’ project is about bringing together existing information on these reforms and augmenting it with new material and content. This dataset is part of that work and aims ultimately to contribute to a UK Pension Reforms Archive. The dataset contains 24 elite semi-structured video interviews with former UK prime ministers, secretaries of state, ministers, special advisers, Pensions Commission’s members, civil servants, stakeholders, academics and journalists, and 97 documents related to the reforms. The files are freely available for researchers and anyone who is interested in the UK's pension reforms or policy change more widely, to review and use in an appropriate manner. The dataset is divided into four stages of reform: - Stage 1: Pensions in the later 1990s and early 2000s; - Stage 2: The Pensions Commission (2002-2006); - Stage 3: Policy enactment (2006-2010); - Stage 4: Implementation (2010-2015). You can also watch a 10-minute summary video with highlights of the interviews with participants

Assessing sustainability and adaptive capacity in Arctic tourism

The shrinking Arctic sea ice is enabling an increase in Arctic cruise tourism opportunities Simultaneously Arctic tourism is increasing as a response of increased demand. Tourism is also a driver of change in the Arctic coupled socio-ecological system, inflicting changes on communities and local environments. This paper presents a framework for assessing local sustainability and resilience of tourism in fjord systems in Svalbard and Greenland. By co-production of salient impact categories of environmental and climate change in collaborations with marine biologists, oceanographers, social scientists and industry stakeholders, projections for these changes will be developed and subsequently used for co-development of sustainability indicators for tourism. The environmental change projections will also be used as input to participatory scenario workshops, which again enables social learning across different stakeholder groups, promoting community-owned solutions, and facilitating the sharing of experiences in a creative and collaborative way. Finally, we will co-develop adaptive co-management strategies for a sustainable and resilient tourism system in the Arctic

Additional file 2: of Music therapy versus treatment as usual for refugees diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Informed consent (English version). (DOCX 167 kb

Data for 'Toward healthy housing for the displaced'

The population of people living in temporary settlements after disasters is in the millions and the average stay in these settlements exceeds a decade. The issue of the thermal performance of shelters and their impact on health is generally overlooked by the academic community. In an attempt to rebalance this situation, thermal surveys were conducted in two refugee camps in Jordan. Thermal monitoring data of the shelters over two weeks in summer and winter are presented in this dataset

Music therapy versus treatment as usual for refugees diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background Meta-analyses of studies on psychological treatment of refugees describe highly varying outcomes, and research on multi-facetted and personalized treatment of refugees with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is needed. Music therapy has been found to affect arousal regulation and emotional processing, and a pilot study on the music therapy method Trauma-focused Music and Imagery (TMI) with traumatized refugees resulted in significant changes of trauma symptoms, well-being and sleep quality. The aim of the trial is to test the efficacy of TMI compared to verbal psychotherapy. Methods A randomized controlled study with a non-inferiority design is carried out in three locations of a regional outpatient psychiatric clinic for refugees. Seventy Arabic-, English- or Danish-speaking adult refugees (aged 18–67 years) diagnosed with PTSD are randomized to 16 sessions of either music therapy or verbal therapy (standard treatment). All participants are offered medical treatment, psychoeducation by nurses, physiotherapy or body therapy and social counseling as needed. Outcome measures are performed at baseline, post therapy and at 6 months’ follow-up. A blind assessor measures outcomes post treatment and at follow-up. Questionnaires measuring trauma symptoms (HTQ), quality of life (WHO-5), dissociative symptoms (SDQ-20, DSS-20) and adult attachment (RAAS) are applied, as well as physiological measures (salivary oxytocin, beta-endorphin and substance P) and participant evaluation of each session. Discussion The effect of music therapy can be explained by theories on affect regulation and social engagement, and the impact of music on brain regions affected by PTSD. The study will shed light on the role of therapy for the attainment of a safe attachment style, which recently has been shown to be impaired in traumatized refugees. The inclusion of music and imagery in the treatment of traumatized refugees hopefully will inform the choice of treatment method and expand the possibilities for improving refugee health and integration. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov ID number NCT03574228, registered retrospectively on 28 June 2016

Music therapy versus treatment as usual for refugees diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background Meta-analyses of studies on psychological treatment of refugees describe highly varying outcomes, and research on multi-facetted and personalized treatment of refugees with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is needed. Music therapy has been found to affect arousal regulation and emotional processing, and a pilot study on the music therapy method Trauma-focused Music and Imagery (TMI) with traumatized refugees resulted in significant changes of trauma symptoms, well-being and sleep quality. The aim of the trial is to test the efficacy of TMI compared to verbal psychotherapy. Methods A randomized controlled study with a non-inferiority design is carried out in three locations of a regional outpatient psychiatric clinic for refugees. Seventy Arabic-, English- or Danish-speaking adult refugees (aged 18–67 years) diagnosed with PTSD are randomized to 16 sessions of either music therapy or verbal therapy (standard treatment). All participants are offered medical treatment, psychoeducation by nurses, physiotherapy or body therapy and social counseling as needed. Outcome measures are performed at baseline, post therapy and at 6 months’ follow-up. A blind assessor measures outcomes post treatment and at follow-up. Questionnaires measuring trauma symptoms (HTQ), quality of life (WHO-5), dissociative symptoms (SDQ-20, DSS-20) and adult attachment (RAAS) are applied, as well as physiological measures (salivary oxytocin, beta-endorphin and substance P) and participant evaluation of each session. Discussion The effect of music therapy can be explained by theories on affect regulation and social engagement, and the impact of music on brain regions affected by PTSD. The study will shed light on the role of therapy for the attainment of a safe attachment style, which recently has been shown to be impaired in traumatized refugees. The inclusion of music and imagery in the treatment of traumatized refugees hopefully will inform the choice of treatment method and expand the possibilities for improving refugee health and integration. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov ID number NCT03574228, registered retrospectively on 28 June 2016

Additional file 1: of Music therapy versus treatment as usual for refugees diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) 2013 Checklist: recommended items to address in a clinical trial protocol and related documents*. (DOCX 45 kb