A Culture of Integrity Through the Lens of Supervision

A talk focussed on how we create a culture to support Research Integrity, with a particular focus on the role of the doctoral supervisor

Promoting Ethical Authorship for a Positive Research Culture

In this webinar, the speakers cover ways of promoting ethical authorship and preventing fraudulent authorship. The CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) system, authorship definitions and policies, and relevant operating procedures and education are reviewed from institutional and publishing perspectives. "Sam Oakley Researcher Development and Integrity Specialist at the University of Glasgow (UofG), spoke about activities at UofG where helping researchers navigate the challenges of publication decisions in a way that supports the highest quality research while also giving them the best opportunities for their careers. Sam explains how the work institutions do on research culture supports authorship. UofG have guidelines for good practice in research, and a clear misconduct policy and process, supported by internal training and learning. Work on the research culture action plan at UofG since 2015 leads the direction of travel for the university and what it values in research culture. Key to this is societal impact, and the people who are involved in the process: “A better research culture is not an alternative to excellence but rather it is what will enable more of us to excel

Open Access Books: an International Collaboration to Explore the Practical Implications for Librarians of Increasing Access to Scholarly Research Outputs

Open access advocacy and partnership is an established role for libraries across the world: books continue to be a challenge. Books and book chapters remain a vital output for many research areas. Open access policies have focused primarily on journal articles and serial publications, potentially creating an imbalance in the research literature freely available, and possibly having a negative impact on book publications in terms of readership and citations. Publisher permissions for journal articles can usually be accessed from Sherpa RoMEO, but book contracts continue to be a mostly hidden agreement between publisher and researcher, inaccessible to librarians who are supporting and driving the open access agenda within an institution. What are the current challenges for librarians in making academics books openly available? To what extent will this limit the mediating role of librarians in scholarly communication? Is this role sustainable? A global perspective is provided with a comparison of distinctive experiences at two leading international universities: Swansea University; and the University of Nottingham Ningbo China. Swansea University is seeking to create more open access book content in line with the United Kingdom’s Higher Education Funding Council for Education Research Excellence Framework Open Access policy. The University of Nottingham Ningbo China is seeking to maximize the dissemination and visibility of research to a global audience through open access. This paper focusses on the issues and challenges for librarians who wish to increase the number of books and book chapters available open access, including: relationships with global publishing partners; the complexity of publisher policies for books; challenging existing researcher practices; and, reskilling librarians for advocacy and influencing roles in scholarly communication. A set of recommendations is drawn from this in order to improve the library and information service roles in supporting research, publishing process and improving open access to book content

Open access books: an international collaboration to explore the practical implications for librarians of increasing access to scholarly research outputs

Open access advocacy and partnership is an established role for libraries across the world: books continue to be a challenge. Books and book chapters remain a vital output for many research areas. Open access policies have focused primarily on journal articles and serial publications, potentially creating an imbalance in the research literature freely available, and possibly having a negative impact on book publications in terms of readership and citations. Publisher permissions for journal articles can usually be accessed from Sherpa RoMEO, but book contracts continue to be a mostly hidden agreement between publisher and researcher, inaccessible to librarians who are supporting and driving the open access agenda within an institution. What are the current challenges for librarians in making academics books openly available? To what extent will this limit the mediating role of librarians in scholarly communication? Is this role sustainable? A global perspective is provided with a comparison of distinctive experiences at two leading international universities: Swansea University; and the University of Nottingham Ningbo China. Swansea University is seeking to create more open access book content in line with the United Kingdom’s Higher Education Funding Council for Education Research Excellence Framework Open Access policy. The University of Nottingham Ningbo China is seeking to maximize the dissemination and visibility of research to a global audience through open access. This paper focusses on the issues and challenges for librarians who wish to increase the number of books and book chapters available open access, including: relationships with global publishing partners; the complexity of publisher policies for books; challenging existing researcher practices; and, reskilling librarians for advocacy and influencing roles in scholarly communication. A set of recommendations is drawn from this in order to improve the library and information service roles in supporting research, publishing process and improving open access to book content

Protection motivation theory: a proposed theoretical extension and moving beyond rationality-the case of flooding

Despite the significant financial and non-financial costs of household flooding, and the availability of products that can reduce the risk or impact of flooding, relatively few consumers choose to adopt these products. To help explain this, we combine the existing theoretical literature with evidence from 20 one-to-one discussions and three workshops with key stakeholders, as well as five round tables, to draw practical evidence of actual responses to flood risk. This analysis leads us to propose an extension to Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), which more accurately captures the decision-making process of consumers by highlighting the role of 'ownership appraisal'. We then assess the extent to which behavioral biases impact on this revised framework. By highlighting the interaction with an augmented model of PMT and behavioral biases, the paper sheds light on potential reasons behind the fact that consumers are unlikely to adopt property-level flood resilience measures and identifies strategies to increase flood protection. The Augmented PMT suggests that policymakers might focus on increasing the Ownership Appraisal element, both directly and by targeting the creation of more supportive social norms. The work presented here opens up a wide range of areas for future research in the field

Lab on skin: real-time metabolite monitoring with polyphenol film based subdermal wearable patches

The advent of digital technologies has spurred the development of wearable sensing devices marking a significant shift in obtaining real-time physiological information. The principal objective is to transition from blood-centric monitoring to minimally invasive modalities, which will enable movement from specialised settings to more accessible environments such as the practices of general practitioners or even home settings. While subcutaneously implanted continuous monitoring devices have demonstrated this transition, detection of analytes from sample matrices like skin interstitial fluid (ISF), is a frontier that offers attractive minimally invasive routes for detection of biomarkers. This manuscript presents a comprehensive overview of our work in subdermal wearable biosensing patches for the simultaneous monitoring of glucose and lactate from ISF in ambulatory conditions. The performance of the subdermal wearable glucose monitoring patch was evaluated over a duration of three days, which is the longest reported duration reported till date. The subdermal wearable lactate sensing patch was worn for the duration of the exercise. Our findings highlight a critical observation that biofouling effects become apparent after a 24-h period. The data presented in this manuscript extends on the knowledge in the areas of continuous metabolite monitoring by introducing multifunctional polyphenol polymer films that can be used for both glucose and lactate monitoring with appropriate modifications. This study underscores the potential of subdermal wearable patches as versatile tools for real-time metabolite monitoring, positioning them as valuable assets in the evolution of personalised healthcare in diverse settings

Open access books: an international collaboration to explore the practical implications for librarians of increasing access to scholarly research outputs

Open access advocacy and partnership is an established role for libraries across the world: books continue to be a challenge. Books and book chapters remain a vital output for many research areas. Open access policies have focused primarily on journal articles and serial publications, potentially creating an imbalance in the research literature freely available, and possibly having a negative impact on book publications in terms of readership and citations. Publisher permissions for journal articles can usually be accessed from Sherpa RoMEO, but book contracts continue to be a mostly hidden agreement between publisher and researcher, inaccessible to librarians who are supporting and driving the open access agenda within an institution. What are the current challenges for librarians in making academics books openly available? To what extent will this limit the mediating role of librarians in scholarly communication? Is this role sustainable? A global perspective is provided with a comparison of distinctive experiences at two leading international universities: Swansea University; and the University of Nottingham Ningbo China. Swansea University is seeking to create more open access book content in line with the United Kingdom’s Higher Education Funding Council for Education Research Excellence Framework Open Access policy. The University of Nottingham Ningbo China is seeking to maximize the dissemination and visibility of research to a global audience through open access. This paper focusses on the issues and challenges for librarians who wish to increase the number of books and book chapters available open access, including: relationships with global publishing partners; the complexity of publisher policies for books; challenging existing researcher practices; and, reskilling librarians for advocacy and influencing roles in scholarly communication. A set of recommendations is drawn from this in order to improve the library and information service roles in supporting research, publishing process and improving open access to book content

Lab on skin: real-time metabolite monitoring with polyphenol film based subdermal wearable patches.

The advent of digital technologies has spurred the development of wearable sensing devices marking a significant shift in obtaining real-time physiological information. The principal objective is to transition from blood-centric monitoring to minimally invasive modalities, which will enable movement from specialised settings to more accessible environments such as the practices of general practitioners or even home settings. While subcutaneously implanted continuous monitoring devices have demonstrated this transition, detection of analytes from sample matrices like skin interstitial fluid (ISF), is a frontier that offers attractive minimally invasive routes for detection of biomarkers. This manuscript presents a comprehensive overview of our work in subdermal wearable biosensing patches for the simultaneous monitoring of glucose and lactate from ISF in ambulatory conditions. The performance of the subdermal wearable glucose monitoring patch was evaluated over a duration of three days, which is the longest reported duration reported till date. The subdermal wearable lactate sensing patch was worn for the duration of the exercise. Our findings highlight a critical observation that biofouling effects become apparent after a 24 h period. The data presented in this manuscript extends on the knowledge in the areas of continuous metabolite monitoring by introducing multifunctional polyphenol polymer films that can be used for both glucose and lactate monitoring with appropriate modifications. This study underscores the potential of subdermal wearable patches as versatile tools for real-time metabolite monitoring, positioning them as valuable assets in the evolution of personalised healthcare in diverse settings

Wearable technology for one health: Charting the course of dermal biosensing

Over the last decade, a significant paradigm shift has been observed towards leveraging less invasive biological fluids—such as skin interstitial fluid (ISF), sweat, tears, and saliva—for health monitoring. This evolution seeks to transcend traditional, invasive blood-based methods, offering a more accessible approach to health monitoring for non-specialized personnel. Skin ISF, with its profound resemblance to blood, emerges as a pivotal medium for the real-time, minimally invasive tracking of a broad spectrum of biomarkers, thus becoming an invaluable asset for correlating with blood-based data. Our exploration delves deeply into the development of wearable molecular biosensors, spotlighting dermal sensors for their pivotal roles across both clinical and everyday health monitoring scenarios and underscoring their contributions to the holistic One Health initiative. In bringing forward the myriad challenges that permeate this field, we also project future directions, notably the potential of skin ISF as a promising candidate for continuous health tracking. Moreover, this paper aims to catalyse further exploration and innovation by presenting a curated selection of seminal technological advancements. Amidst the saturated landscape of analytical literature on translational challenges, our approach distinctly seeks to highlight recent developments. In attracting a wider spectrum of research groups to this versatile domain, we endeavour to broaden the collective understanding of its trajectory and potential, mapping the evolution of wearable biosensor technology. This strategy not only illuminates the transformative impact of wearable biosensors in reshaping health diagnostics and personalized medicine but also fosters increased participation and progress within the field. Distinct from recent manuscripts in this domain, our review serves as a distillation of key concepts, elucidating pivotal papers that mark the latest advancements in wearable sensors. Through presenting a curated collection of landmark studies and offering our perspectives on the challenges and forward paths, this paper seeks to guide new entrants in the area. We delineate a division between wearable epidermal and subdermal sensors—focusing on the latter as the future frontier—thereby establishing a unique discourse within the ongoing narrative on wearable sensing technologies

Prospecting environmental mycobacteria: combined molecular approaches reveal unprecedented diversity

Background: Environmental mycobacteria (EM) include species commonly found in various terrestrial and aquatic environments, encompassing animal and human pathogens in addition to saprophytes. Approximately 150 EM species can be separated into fast and slow growers based on sequence and copy number differences of their 16S rRNA genes. Cultivation methods are not appropriate for diversity studies; few studies have investigated EM diversity in soil despite their importance as potential reservoirs of pathogens and their hypothesized role in masking or blocking M. bovis BCG vaccine. Methods: We report here the development, optimization and validation of molecular assays targeting the 16S rRNA gene to assess diversity and prevalence of fast and slow growing EM in representative soils from semi tropical and temperate areas. New primer sets were designed also to target uniquely slow growing mycobacteria and used with PCR-DGGE, tag-encoded Titanium amplicon pyrosequencing and quantitative PCR. Results: PCR-DGGE and pyrosequencing provided a consensus of EM diversity; for example, a high abundance of pyrosequencing reads and DGGE bands corresponded to M. moriokaense, M. colombiense and M. riyadhense. As expected pyrosequencing provided more comprehensive information; additional prevalent species included M. chlorophenolicum, M. neglectum, M. gordonae, M. aemonae. Prevalence of the total Mycobacterium genus in the soil samples ranged from 2.3×107 to 2.7×108 gene targets g−1; slow growers prevalence from 2.9×105 to 1.2×107 cells g−1. Conclusions: This combined molecular approach enabled an unprecedented qualitative and quantitative assessment of EM across soil samples. Good concordance was found between methods and the bioinformatics analysis was validated by random resampling. Sequences from most pathogenic groups associated with slow growth were identified in extenso in all soils tested with a specific assay, allowing to unmask them from the Mycobacterium whole genus, in which, as minority members, they would have remained undetected