108 research outputs found
Safeguarding Scientific Integrity: Examining Conflicts of Interest in the Peer Review Process
This case study analyzes the expertise, potential conflicts of interest, and
objectivity of editors, authors, and peer reviewers involved in a 2022 special
journal issue on fertility, pregnancy, and mental health. Data were collected
on qualifications, organizational affiliations, and relationships among six
papers' authors, three guest editors, and twelve peer reviewers. Two articles
were found to have undisclosed conflicts of interest between authors, an
editor, and multiple peer reviewers affiliated with anti-abortion advocacy and
lobbying groups, indicating compromised objectivity.
This lack of transparency undermines the peer review process and enables
biased research and disinformation proliferation. To increase integrity, we
recommend multiple solutions: open peer review, expanded conflict of interest
disclosure, increased stakeholder accountability, and retraction when ethical
standards are violated. By illuminating noncompliance with ethical peer review
guidelines, this study aims to raise awareness to help prevent the propagation
of partisan science through respected scholarly channels.Comment: 15 pages, 3 tables, 2 figure
Taxonomomy of Disinformation
Disinformation permeates science through individuals, organizations, and
governments that manipulate scholarly communication, media, and institutions.
This new taxonomy provides a framework and language to explain the actors,
outlets, and methods. For example, scholars recently published misinformation
about COVID-19 vaccines in a peer-reviewed journal. Now retracted, an author
reposted the debunked claims as legitimate research on their website. This case
demonstrates how the credibility of a professor's website can be exploited to
introduce falsehoods, and how bad actors circumvent corrections. With clarity
on the nature and flow of scientific disinformation, journalists and
policymakers can better identify and respond.Comment: 10 pages, 3 table
A Note on Cascade Climbing of Migrating Goby and Shrimp Postlarvae in Two Maui Streams
In this study, we documented cascade climbing rates of 133 and 230 postlarvae of Lentipes concolor (Oāopu alamoāo) and Atyoida bisulcata (Opae kahaole), respectively, from two streams on the island of Maui, Hawaii. Climbing measurements and observations were made of postlarvae at the water-substrate interface in cascade habitats of constricted water flow. Both species were observed to move in short bursts of forward progression within or above the pulsing water-substrate interface. Goby postlarval climbing rates ranged from 0.04 ā 1.50 cm sā1 and were slower than shrimp rates which ranged from 0.30 ā 3.06 cm sā1. The high variability is attributed to the bursting movement behaviors exhibited by both species. During one night of monitoring, a mean of 9.4 shrimp minā1 were observed to climb along ~ 0.4 m stretch of the watersubstrate interface, resulting in conservative recruitment estimate of 564 shrimp hā1. Potential applications to stream management are discussed
Coordinating culture change across the research landscape
Scientific integrity necessitates applying scientific methods properly, collecting and analyzing data appropriately, protecting human subjects rightly, performing studies rigorously, and communicating findings transparently. But who is responsible for upholding research integrity, mitigating misinformation, and increasing trust in science beyond individual researchers? We posit that supporting the scientific reputation requires a coordinated approach across all stakeholders: funding agencies, publishers, scholarly societies, research institutions, and journalists and media, and policy-makers
Effects of a culturally responsive speech and language intervention for students of Indigenous and non-Indigenous ancestry
This study explored the effectiveness of a speech and language intervention that was designed to be culturally responsive and adapted to provide explicit language instruction. Participants included all 774 kindergarten students from a mid-sized rural school district in British Columbia. Seventy-seven students screened as at risk received the intervention, and the remaining students participated in the regular kindergarten curriculum. Results indicated statistically significant effects of the intervention on language and vocabulary skills. No differential effects were observed between students of Indigenous and non-Indigenous heritage. Results are discussed in terms of culturally responsive and explicit instruction for early language development.Key words: early intervention, language intervention, cultural responsiveness, Aboriginal educationCette eĢtude a examineĢ l'efficaciteĢ d'une intervention orthophonique et linguistique concĢ§ue pour eĢtre culturellement adapteĢe et permettre un enseignement explicite des langues. 774 eĢleĢves de maternelle d'un district scolaire rural de taille moyenne en Colombie-Britannique ont participeĢ aĢ cette eĢtude. Parmi eux, 77 eĢtudiants, seĢlectionneĢs comme eĢtant aĢ risque, ont participeĢ aĢ l'intervention, tandis que les autres eĢtudiants ont participeĢ au programme de maternelle habituel. Les reĢsultats ont montreĢ des effets statistiquement significatifs de l'intervention sur le langage et le vocabulaire. Aucune diffeĢrence n'a eĢteĢ observeĢe entre les eĢtudiants ayant un patrimoine culturel autochtone ou non autochtone. Ces reĢsultats sont deĢbatus en termes d'enseignement explicite et culturellement adapteĢ pour le deĢveloppement preĢcoce du langage.Mots cleĢs: intervention preĢcoce, intervention linguistique, sensibilisation aĢ la culturel, eĢducation des Autochtone
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Summary of second annual MCBK public meeting: Mobilizing Computable Biomedical KnowledgeāA movement to accelerate translation of knowledge into action
The volume of biomedical knowledge is growing exponentially and much of this knowledge is represented in computer executable formats, such as models, algorithms and programmatic code. There is a growing need to apply this knowledge to improve health in Learning Health Systems, health delivery organizations, and other settings. However, most organizations do not yet have the infrastructure required to consume and apply computable knowledge, and national policies and standards adoption are not sufficient to ensure that it is discoverable and used safely and fairly, nor is there widespread experience in the process of knowledge implementation as clinical decision support. The Mobilizing Computable Biomedical Knowledge (MCBK) community formed in 2016 to address these needs. This report summarizes the main outputs of the Second Annual MCBK public meeting, which was held at the National Institutes of Health on July 18ā19, 2019 and brought together over 150 participants from various domains to frame and address important dimensions for mobilizing CBK.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154970/1/lrh2-sup-0001-supinfo.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154970/2/lrh210222.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154970/3/lrh210222_am.pd
Spindle microtubule dynamics in sea urchin embryos: analysis using a fluorescein-labeled tubulin and measurements of fluorescence redistribution after laser photobleaching.
Electronic nutritional intake assessment in patients with urolithiasis: A decision impact analysis
Purpose: To evaluate a physicianās impression of a urinary stone patientās dietary intake and whether it was dependent on the
medium through which the nutritional data were obtained. Furthermore, we sought to determine if using an electronic food frequency
questionnaire (FFQ) impacted dietary recommendations for these patients.
Materials and Methods: Seventy-six patients attended the Stone Clinic over a period of 6 weeks. Seventy-five gave consent for
enrollment in our study. Patients completed an office-based interview with a fellowship-trained endourologist, and a FFQ administered
on an iPad. The FFQ assessed intake of various dietary components related to stone development, such as oxalate and calcium.
The urologists were blinded to the identity of patientsā FFQ results. Based on the office-based interview and the FFQ results,
the urologists provided separate assessments of the impact of nutrition and hydration on the patientās stone disease (nutrition impact
score and hydration impact score, respectively) and treatment recommendations. Multivariate logistic regressions were used
to compare pre-FFQ data to post-FFQ data.
Results: Higher FFQ scores for sodium (odds ratio [OR], 1.02; p=0.02) and fluids (OR, 1.03, p=0.04) were associated with a higher
nutritional impact score. None of the FFQ parameters impacted hydration impact score. A higher FFQ score for oxalate (OR, 1.07;
p=0.02) was associated with the addition of at least one treatment recommendation.
Conclusions: Information derived from a FFQ can yield a significant impact on a physicianās assessment of stone risks and decision
for management of stone disease
Assembly properties of fluorescein-labeled tubulin in vitro before and after fluorescence bleaching.
Sustainability considerations for clinical and translational research informatics infrastructure
A robust biomedical informatics infrastructure is essential for academic health centers engaged in translational research. There are no templates for what such an infrastructure encompasses or how it is funded. An informatics workgroup within the Clinical and Translational Science Awards network conducted an analysis to identify the scope, governance, and funding of this infrastructure. After we identified the essential components of an informatics infrastructure, we surveyed informatics leaders at network institutions about the governance and sustainability of the different components. Results from 42 survey respondents showed significant variations in governance and sustainability; however, some trends also emerged. Core informatics components such as electronic data capture systems, electronic health records data repositories, and related tools had mixed models of funding including, fee-for-service, extramural grants, and institutional support. Several key components such as regulatory systems (e.g., electronic Institutional Review Board [IRB] systems, grants, and contracts), security systems, data warehouses, and clinical trials management systems were overwhelmingly supported as institutional infrastructure. The findings highlighted in this report are worth noting for academic health centers and funding agencies involved in planning current and future informatics infrastructure, which provides the foundation for a robust, data-driven clinical and translational research program
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