Assessing Risk to Researchers: Using the Case of Sexuality Research to Inform Research Ethics Board Guidelines

Das Augenmerk von Ethikkommissionen liegt typischerweise auf dem Schutz der Teilnehmenden. Zunehmend werden jedoch auch Risiken diskutiert, welche Forschende selbst betreffen. Sollten Ethikkommissionen festlegen, welche Risiken für Forschende akzeptabel sind? Falls ja, worauf sollte sich ihre Einschätzung stützen? Aktuell scheinen die Implikationen einer Risikoeinschätzung für Forschende durch Ethikkommissionen zu wenig theoretisch durchdacht. An den Ansatz der kritischen Queer Studies anschließend zeigen wir am Beispiel von Forschung zu Sexualität mögliche Probleme auf, die im Zuge der Einschätzung von Risiken für Forschende auftreten können. Wir stellen hierfür zwei zentrale Fragen der Ethikbegutachtung in den Fokus: 1. Wie verhält sich das Risiko der Teilnahme an Forschung zu alltäglichen Risiken? 2. In welchem Verhältnis stehen mögliche Schädigungen zu dem antizipierten Nutzen der Studie?Teilweise werden Untersuchungen zu Sexualität sowohl für Teilnehmende als auch für Forschende als besonders risikobehaftet erachtet und deshalb kritischer geprüft als andere Forschungsvorhaben. Angesichts der hier inhärenten moralischen Untertöne ethischer Verfahren argumentieren wir, dass falls eine Risikoeinschätzung vorgenommen werden muss, diese in den Aufgabenbereich pädagogischer Betreuungsverhältnisse oder der Arbeitssicherheit, nicht aber in den von Ethikkommissionen fallen sollte. Auch eine Risikoschulung sollte gegebenenfalls für alle Forschenden gelten, unabhängig von dem spezifischen Forschungsgebiet.Research Ethics Boards (REBs) typically focus on ensuring the safety of participants. Increasingly, the risk that research poses to researchers is also discussed. Should REBs involve themselves in determining the degree of allowable researcher risk, and if so, upon what should they base that assessment? The evaluation of researcher safety does not appear to be standardized in any national REB protocols. The implications of REB review of researcher risks remain undertheorized. With a critical queer framework, we use the example of sexuality research to illustrate problems that could arise if researcher risk is assessed. We concentrate on two core research ethics guidelines: 1. How research risk compares to the risks of everyday life. 2. How potential harms compare to the anticipated research benefits. Some argue that sexuality research is more deeply scrutinized than research in other fields, viewed as inherently risky for both participants and researchers. The example of sexuality research helps make explicit the moral undertones of procedural ethics. With these moral undertones in mind, we argue that if adopted, researcher risk guidelines should be the purview of pedagogical relationships or workplace safety requirements, not REBs. Any risk training should be universally required regardless of the research area

Analytical review of the Australian policy context for work-related psychological health and psychosocial risks

Psychosocial hazards and risks are widely acknowledged to be a serious challenge in WHS. WHS regulatory (hard law) and non-regulatory binding (soft law) policies should strive to engage organisations in psychosocial risk management practices and set a standard for good psychological health in the workplace. Therefore, policies should contain key definitions and aspects of good-practice psychosocial risk management principles. However, at present there has been limited review on policy in this area, despite growing evidence of poor work-related psychological health. Using qualitative methods, the current paper reviews relevant regulatory and non-regulatory policy documents and conducts a gap analysis according to criteria identified in models of good psychosocial risk management practice. The paper extends upon European research by Leka et al. (2015) and examines 39 policies (6 regulatory and 33 non-regulatory) in Australia. We found that most policy documents included psychological health in the objective of the policy. Moreover, non-regulatory policies showed sound coverage of exposure factors and preventive actions and, to a slightly lesser degree, risk assessment. Non-regulatory policy documents scored higher than regulatory policies. Within regulatory policies, there is poor inclusion of risk assessment, preventive action and poor coverage of exposure factors and psychological health outcomes. All policies could be strengthened by including greater coverage of work-related psychological health problems/disorders and associated outcomes. This is a novel review, which contributes to a broader program of research on Australian WHS policy. The next research phase seeks detailed information from WHS experts about the effectiveness and/or implementation of these policies in order to ascertain potential improvements

Video: Adding to Your Case: Examining and Cross Examining Expert Witnesses

Learn skills for using expert witness testimony at trial: Developing strategy for selecting topics and order of presentation Using proper form of questioning on direct and cross Understanding rules of evidence, procedure, and ethics Two role play demonstrations help you learn technique

The procoagulant activity of tissue factor expressed on fibroblasts is increased by tissue factor-negative extracellular vesicles

Tissue factor (TF) is critical for the activation of blood coagulation. TF function is regulated by the amount of externalised phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) on the surface of the cell in which it is expressed. We investigated the role PS and PE in fibroblast TF function. Fibroblasts expressed 6–9 x 104 TF molecules/cell but had low specific activity for FXa generation. We confirmed that this was associated with minimal externalized PS and PE and characterised for the first time the molecular species of PS/PE demonstrating that these differed from those found in platelets. Mechanical damage of fibroblasts, used to simulate vascular injury, increased externalized PS/PE and led to a 7-fold increase in FXa generation that was inhibited by annexin V and an anti-TF antibody. Platelet-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs), that did not express TF, supported minimal FVIIa-dependent FXa generation but substantially increased fibroblast TF activity. This enhancement in fibroblast TF activity could also be achieved using synthetic liposomes comprising 10% PS without TF. In conclusion, despite high levels of surface TF expression, healthy fibroblasts express low levels of external-facing PS and PE limiting their ability to generate FXa. Addition of platelet-derived TF-negative EVs or artificial liposomes enhanced fibroblast TF activity in a PS dependent manner. These findings contribute information about the mechanisms that control TF function in the fibroblast membrane

Large-scale neuroanatomical study uncovers 198 gene associations in mouse brain morphogenesis.

Brain morphogenesis is an important process contributing to higher-order cognition, however our knowledge about its biological basis is largely incomplete. Here we analyze 118 neuroanatomical parameters in 1,566 mutant mouse lines and identify 198 genes whose disruptions yield NeuroAnatomical Phenotypes (NAPs), mostly affecting structures implicated in brain connectivity. Groups of functionally similar NAP genes participate in pathways involving the cytoskeleton, the cell cycle and the synapse, display distinct fetal and postnatal brain expression dynamics and importantly, their disruption can yield convergent phenotypic patterns. 17% of human unique orthologues of mouse NAP genes are known loci for cognitive dysfunction. The remaining 83% constitute a vast pool of genes newly implicated in brain architecture, providing the largest study of mouse NAP genes and pathways. This offers a complementary resource to human genetic studies and predict that many more genes could be involved in mammalian brain morphogenesis

From student to graduate: Four learners’ perspectives of the professional doctorate journey

This paper presents a consideration of the experiences and perspectives of four female academics who are the first graduates of a new Professional Doctorate programme at a university in the South West of England. The authors position themselves simultaneously as researchers and research participants, engaging in collaborative autoethnography to reflect critically on their experiences. Key issues are identified, including the need to navigate some significant shifts in identity throughout the doctorate, and how the course structure and peer relationships supported each of the authors to reach their end goal – the successful completion of their studies. The paper concludes with a discussion of the potential implications of the authors’ experiences for leaders of professional doctorates. These include student/lecturer contracts and actively facilitating opportunities for students to establish relationships for peer support

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

The Lantern, 2020-2021

One Thousand and One is Never Enough • House on Hazel Ave. • Crooked Men at Crooked Alley • Home • Honeybee • The Witch\u27s Daughter • Traveling to Reyu • December 31st, 2019 • The Dominator Rolls the Dice Again • Red Flowers • Military Ball • Drowning in Color • Early Bird • Introspection • Hot Water • Reaching Into Space • Floating Marigolds Before COVID-19 • Smokestack 4 • Longing • His Fifth Year on Amstel Road • Wonderful Moments • Clean Glass • Betty, the Debutante • Teakettles Have it Easy • Fuimos, Somos y Seramos Parte de la Historia de la Isla • Kitchen Table • She Couldn\u27t • Cooling Down • Not so Precious Stones • Domestic Wild • Violet Eater • I Will be Sweet • Flavor of Life • Clogged Artery • All Twenty-Six • The Greatest • From Ashes of War to Golden Cities • A Good Thing • Introduction • Devotion • Life of the Gambler • Impressions: Or a Dining Table\u27s Soliloquy • Looking Glass • Montgomery Pie • Under the Hill • Paperback Lesbian • Girl With Pearl Earring • Your Mirror • Jacket • Illusions • Strawberry Girl (Raw Sugar, Shattered Glass) • I Don\u27t Jam With Instagram • The Morning After Saturday • A Brisk Monday Morning • Emergence • Politeness and Pattern Recognition • Douglas Adams\u27 Guide to Florida • A Love Story With Femininity • Roots • Dysmorphia IIIhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1189/thumbnail.jp

Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry:Workshop Summary

This document presents a summary of the 2023 Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry Workshop hosted by CERN. The workshop brought together experts from around the world to discuss the exciting developments in large-scale atom interferometer (AI) prototypes and their potential for detecting ultralight dark matter and gravitational waves. The primary objective of the workshop was to lay the groundwork for an international TVLBAI proto-collaboration. This collaboration aims to unite researchers from different institutions to strategize and secure funding for terrestrial large-scale AI projects. The ultimate goal is to create a roadmap detailing the design and technology choices for one or more km-scale detectors, which will be operational in the mid-2030s. The key sections of this report present the physics case and technical challenges, together with a comprehensive overview of the discussions at the workshop together with the main conclusions