Assessment, Evaluations and Definitions of Research Impact: A Review

This article aims to explore what is understood by the term ‘research impact’ and to provide a comprehensive assimilation of available literature and information, drawing on global experiences to understand the potential for methods and frameworks of impact assessment being implemented for UK impact assessment. We take a more focused look at the impact component of the UK Research Excellence Framework taking place in 2014 and some of the challenges to evaluating impact and the role that systems might play in the future for capturing the links between research and impact and the requirements we have for these systems.Jisc [DIINN10

Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera) : a revised classification, and descriptions of some new taxa particularly from southern Africa

Previous classifications of the Nepticulidae were based on species from the northern hemisphere, primarily western Europe (including the United Kingdom) and North America. The revised classification presented in the present work was developed from a study of material primarily from southern Africa, but also from Australia, Europe, North America, and the Orient. Most of the descriptive section deals with the taxonomy of the Nepticulidae of southern Africa. Nevertheless, a guide to the supraspecific classification of the family was a major aim. Cladistic methods were used to assess genealogy as far as possible. The degree to which it has been elucidated is incorporated into the classification. As a result of the study, the Nepticulidae are divided into two subfamilies. One of these subfamilies is divided into two tribes. Fifteen genera and six subgenera are recognised. Two keys are presented, one to subfamilies and tribes and the other to genera and subgenera. The species from southern Africa are included in eight genera, three of which are new. One hundred and seventeen species from southern Africa are considered. Seventy- two new species are described in this work. Of these 40 have been published and 32 appear as manuscript names. For some species described by previous workers lectotypes have been designated where appropriate. The primary types of all the known species from southern Africa have been examined. Observations on adult structure are discussed from the viewpoint of phylogenetic relationships both within the Nepticulidae and between the family and other lepidopteran groups. This has led to a re-interpretation and expansion of some aspects of nepticulid morphology. Numerical phenetic methods, which include cluster analyses and an ordination technique (principal component analysis), were used to check my personal assessment of phena. The illustrations (phenograms and ordination diagrams) provide a visual summary of phenetic relationships of as wide a range of Nepticulidae as possible. Aspects of the nature of taxonomic characters, ancestor-descendant relationships, and homoplasy are discussed. Brief comments are made on distribution, and host-plant choice and phylogeny

UK Research Information Shared Service (UKRISS) Final Report, July 2014

The reporting of research information is a complex and expensive activity for research organisations (ROs). There is little alignment between funders of the reporting requests made to institutions and requests made to individual researchers about their research outputs and outcomes. This inevitably results in duplication and increased costs across the sector, whilst limiting the potential sharing and reuse of the information. The UK Research Information Shared Service (UKRISS) project conducted a feasibility and scoping study for the reporting of research information at a national level based on CERIF (Common European Research Information Format), with the objective of increasing efficiency, productivity and quality across the sector. The aim was to define and prototype solutions which are compelling, easy to use, have a low entry barrier, and support innovative information sharing and benchmarking. CERIF has emerged as the preferred format for expressing research information across Europe. To date, CERIF has been piloted for specific applications, but not as a format for reporting requirements across all UK ROs. The final report presents the work carried out by the UKRISS project, including requirements gathering, modelling and prototyping, as well as recommendation for sustainability. UKRISS was divided into two phases. Phase 1, mapping the reporting landscape, ran from March 2012 to December 2012. Phase 2, exploring delivery of potential solutions, began in February 2013 and ended in December 2013

Optimisation of classification methods to differentiate morphologically-similar pollen grains from FT-IR spectra

A growing body of research is demonstrating the potential of Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) to identify and differentiate morphologically similar pollen taxa. The Poaceae (grass) family is a large and complex with morphologically similar pollen grains. It is not possible to use traditional light microscopy to differentiate Poaceae species, or genus, based on pollen morphological characteristics. This research presents a study of five species from the Poaceae family found across a wide variety of different moorland vegetation communities, to test the extent to which FT-IR microspectroscopy can be used to separate and identify these species and develop statistical approaches for the analyses of these data. Moorland grasses are of particular importance to assess conservation status and baselines in fragile and scarce vegetation communities, whose vegetation composition in the past remains cryptic owing to low taxonomic resolution. Non-differentiated and second derivative spectra were combined with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) to determine whether species had different chemical compositions and would cluster. Decision trees and random forest were used to classify each species and demonstrated 100% successful classification rate. This success demonstrates that using FT-IR microspectroscopy alongside spectral pre-processing and multivariate analysis can successfully identify and separate these moorland Poaceae species and has the clear potential to improve taxonomic resolution and classification of fossil pollen records. This will improve our understanding of how past land-use practice has shaped upland communities, provide more detailed ecologically-relevant palaeoecological information, and be utilised for the restoration and conservation of upland habitats

Institutional strategies for capturing socio-economic impact of academic research

Evaluation of socio-economic impact is an emerging theme for publicly-funded academic research. Within this context the paper suggests that the concept of institutional research capital be expanded to include the capture and evaluation of socio-economic impact. Furthermore, it argues that understanding the typology of impacts and the tracking from research to impact will assist the formulation of institutional strategies for capturing socio-economic impact. A three-stage approach is proposed for capturing and planning activities to enhance the generation of high-quality impact. Stage one outlines the critical role of user engagement that facilitates the tracking of such impact. Stage two employs an analytical framework based on the criteria of ‘depth’ and ‘spread’ to evaluate impacts that have been identified. Stage three utilizes the outcomes of the framework to devise strategies, consisting of either further research (to increase depth) or more engagement (to increase spread) that will improve the generation of higher quality impact

Challenging the 'New Professionalism': from managerialism to pedagogy?

In recent years there have been changes made to the conceptualisation of continuing professional development for teachers in both the Scottish and English systems of education. These changes have been instigated by successive UK governments (and more recently, by the Scottish Executive), together with the General teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) and the General Teaching Council for England (GTCE). This paper argues that these changes have not provided a clear rationale for CPD, but instead have introduced tensions between the concept of teacher education and that of training. The need for a less confused understanding of CPD and its purposes is underlined, as is the need for school based approaches to continuing teacher education. Arguably, teacher education must move from technicist emphases to a model which integrates the social processes of change within society and schools with the individual development and empowerment of teachers

Familial hypomagnesaemia with hypercalciuria and nephrocalcinosis (FHHNC): Compound heterozygous mutation in the claudin 16 (CLDN16) gene

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Familial hypomagnesaemia with hypercalciuria and nephrocalcinosis (FHHNC) is an autosomal recessive disorder of renal calcium and magnesium wasting frequently complicated by progressive chronic renal failure in childhood or adolescence.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A 7 year old boy was investigated following the findings of marked renal insufficiency and nephrocalcinosis in his 18-month old sister. He too was found to have extensive nephrocalcinosis with increased fractional excretion of magnesium: 12.4% (<4%) and hypercalciuria: 5.7 mmol (< 2.5/24 hours). He had renal impairment, partial distal renal tubular acidosis and defective urinary concentrating ability. Therapy with thiazide diuretics and magnesium supplements failed to halt the progression of the disorder. Both children subsequently underwent renal transplantation. Both children's parents are unaffected and there is one unaffected sibling.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Mutation analysis revealed 2 heterozygous mutations in the claudin 16 gene <it>(CLDN16</it>) in both affected siblings; one missense mutation in exon 4: C646T which results in an amino acid change Arg216Cys in the second extracellular loop of <it>CLDN16 </it>and loss of function of the protein and a donor splice site mutation which changes intron 4 consensus splice site from 'GT' to 'TT' resulting in decreased splice efficiency and the formation of a truncated protein with loss of 64 amino acids in the second extracellular loop.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The mutations in <it>CLDN16 </it>in this kindred affect the second extra-cellular loop of claudin 16. The clinical course and molecular findings suggest complete loss of function of the protein in the 2 affected cases and highlight the case for molecular diagnosis in individuals with FHHNC.</p

External Morphology and Ultra-Structure of Eggs and First Instar of Prepona Laertes Laertes (Hübner, [1811]), with Notes on Host Plant use and Taxonomy

The external morphology and the tegument ultra-structure of Prepona laertes laertes (Hübner, [1811]) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Charaxinae) eggs and first instar larvae feeding on Inga spp. (Fabaceae) in a forest fragment in Joinville, Santa Catarina, Brazil, are described. Descriptions of the morphology with illustrations are presented, based upon observations through scanning electron microscopy and stereoscopic and optic microscopes attached to a camera lucida. Descriptions and illustrations of the head capsule, chaetotaxy, tegument, and setae are presented. The taxonomy, morphological characters, and host plant use of Prepona laertes immature stages are discussed