Search

Abstract Infrastructure is often a limiting factor in microplastics research impacting the production of scientific outputs and monitoring data. International projects are therefore required to promote collaboration and development of national and regional scientific hubs. The Commonwealth Litter Programme and the Ocean Country Partnership Programme were developed to support Global South countries to take actions on plastics entering the oceans. An international laboratory network was developed to provide the infrastructure and in country capacity to conduct the collection and processing of microplastics in environmental samples. The laboratory network was also extended to include a network developed by the University of East Anglia, UK. All the laboratories were provided with similar equipment for the collection, processing and analysis of microplastics in environmental samples. Harmonised protocols and training were also provided in country during laboratory setup to ensure comparability of quality-controlled outputs between laboratories. Such large networks are needed to produce comparable baseline and monitoring assessments.

• The International Bladder Cancer Network (IBCN) celebrates its 25th anniversary. • The IBCN has evolved as a nidus for international, interdisciplinary research. • This Editorial briefly presents the IBCN and its mission. • In addition, 3 major topics in current bladder cancer research are introduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1997 an international group of scientists organized a meeting in Barcelona, Spain, to discuss the use of biomarkers in the management of patients with bladder cancer. This meeting was the offspring of an - initially informal - group that finally resulted in the foundation and incorporation of the International Bladder Cancer Network (IBCN) e.V. in 2005. Over the years the group has supported several research initiatives and generated several recommendations on the use of biomarkers in the diagnosis and treatment of bladder cancer. Meeting quality was generated by inviting experts presenting state-of-the-art lectures or work in progress reports, interdisciplinarity and the limited number of participants supporting an open and personal exchange resulted in a format increasingly attracting participants from all over the world. The recent limitations caused by the Covid-19 pandemic were partially met by organizing several well attended webinars. The future challenge is to maintain the IBCN meeting spirit despite an increasing interest of the scientific community and industrial partners to participate. However, the integration of and interaction between increasingly more specialized disciplines is a challenge that can be better catalyzed by an international multidisciplinary network than mostly national professional associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International relations (IR) scholars have examined the relationship between international ties and democratization. However, they disproportionately focus on elite-level calculus and behavior, such as hand-tying and credible commitment mechanisms. Such a narrow focus on elite behaviors can only partially account for the impacts of international ties on democratization. For example, the role of political and economic elites as veto players is relevant in the late phase of democratization. Furthermore, their strategic calculus can dilute democracy promotion imperatives. On the other hand, the broader democratization literature highlights that societal actors are important in facilitating democratization. Nevertheless, most studies on the international ties of societal actors focus on specific policy areas falling short of democratization. In this study, I argue that international ties of societal actors increase the chances of democratization while political, military, and economic elites do not have independent causal effects. I empirically test the hypothesis by disaggregating international ties into different types based on actors involved in the interaction. The case study on South Korea's democratization process substantiates the hypothesis by shedding light on the previously overlooked role of the medical community and its international ties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the creation and purpose of Chicago's Hull House. It provides an overview of volunteer work by women in the US and addresses the European influence on Jane Addams's idea for Hull House and the various educational aspects and approaches used by the Hull House educators. Founded, funded, and administered by women, the Hull House settlement is shown as a prime example of the nascent spirit of American volunteerism that epitomized that era. Women were able to participate in the settlement because of the evolving perception of their role in society. It was possible to devote one's life to charity and not to marriage and child-raising. The force of the Hull House residents was to combine their individual skills and strengths to work as a united group of very dynamic and talented women. Education, experience, and exchange were the three pillars of their very successful settlement home. In their efforts to reform and better the living conditions in the rundown Chicago neighborhood, the Hull House women became involved in politics and policymaking. Thereby, they began to have a voice which became louder and louder and could not be silenced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The DIMA Network (Developing Innovative Multi-proxy Analyses – in Siberia and the Russian Far East (SRFE)) started from a small nucleus of palaeoenvironmental researchers in the UK and SRFE at a workshop in 2008 and currently includes researchers from over 25 institutions. The mutual interest in creating long-term records of environmental change was rekindled during workshops in Magadan (2018), Tomsk (2018) and Southampton (2019). These events were organised to connect researchers from the UK and SRFE with these aims: (1) provide training in new techniques and methods, (2) facilitate knowledge transfer about local sites and conditions, (3) stimulate large-scale collaborative projects across SRFE and (4) inspire a new generation of palaeoenvironmental researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For more than two decades, the International Summer School Oncology for Medical Students (ISOMS) has organized a biennial 2-week international summer school program in Groningen, the Netherlands. The summer school aims to increase knowledge about general cancer care, reduce fear of talking to cancer patients, and expose students to cancer-related problems. After 22 years, there was a need to improve the summer school format, the application procedure, and the intensity of the course. Here, we describe and evaluate these and additional changes that were made to the program. Several changes were made to the summer school format. The course was shortened from 10 days to a more intensive 7 days. The scientific program was integrated with the clinical program and students were taught scientific writing and presentation skills. The application process involved a personal video pitch. Importantly, the new summer school format was organized by a committee in which medical students had the lead. To evaluate the changes to the summer school, we conducted knowledge tests and regularly obtained feedback. There was a high overall student satisfaction, with a median score of a 9 out of 10. Students appreciated the interactive sessions and practicals and the scientific program, and were satisfied with the course level. All students had improved test scores. Improvement points highlighted the need for a less packed schedule and more lectures on basic oncology principles, or were related to specific lectures. The student-led innovation and adaptation of the ISOMS has been successful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ciência da Informação is the property of Instituto Brasileiro de Informacao em Ciencia e Tecnologia (IBICT) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The third-generation meteorological satellites equipped with highly-improved imagers provide a huge amount of Earth observation data. Himawari-8 is the first unit of the Japan Meteorological Agency's third generation of geostationary satellites. After its starting operation in 2015, there are several websites that provide remotely sensed images in real time. However, it is hard to develop a real-time and full-resolution website, due to the large amount of data to be handled. Himawari-8 real-time web is only one website that provides full-resolution remotely sensed images in real time. To reduce network traffic and increase the access speed of it from other countries out of Japan, mirror websites of each country are needed. In this paper, we propose a cost-effective mirroring system for the Himawari-8 real-time web. A mirroring model is introduced to avoid the problem of big data processing in the mirror websites. We adopt a file copy tool based on high-performance and flexible protocol (HpFP) to transfer meteorological satellite data from the Himawari-8 real-time web to the mirror websites. Our first target is Thailand, one of the most disaster-prone countries in South-East Asia. The mirror website is set up at an institution in Thailand connected via collaborative international networks, e.g., Japan Gigabit Network (JGN) and Asia Pacific Advanced Network (APAN). The results show that the proposed mirroring system is able to overcome the big data issue by reducing the central processing unit (CPU) usage in the mirror website and transferring remotely sensed image files at high speed over international networks even under packet loss conditions. This suggests that our mirroring system has a potential for deployment in other Asian and Oceanian countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Identification of vectors is of prime importance in the field of medical entomology for both operational and research purposes. An external quality assessment of mosquito identification capacities was carried out within the MediLabSecure Network, which is composed of laboratories located in 19 countries close to the European Union around the Mediterranean and Black seas. Methods A set of blind samples consisting of 7 or 8 adult mosquitoes and 4 larvae was given to each participant laboratory. In all, 138 adult mosquitoes and 76 larvae of different species were distributed for genus and species identification. Results All identifications were exclusively morphology based. Overall, 81% of identifications were correct at the genus level, 64% at the species level. The results were highly varied among the 19 participating laboratories. The levels of correct identifications were: 100% (three laboratories), 90–95% (four laboratories), 50–75% (six laboratories) and < 50% (six laboratories). Conclusions This evaluation showed the need to maintain efforts in capacity building and quality control in the field of medical entomology and, more specifically, in the morphological identification of the Culicidae.

Copyright of Journal of International Entrepreneurship is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In recent decades, internationalization of research activities has increased, as demonstrated by the phenomena of international scientific collaboration and international mobility of researchers. This paper investigates whether the international scientific collaboration is explained by researchers' motivation as well as their international migration. Using metadata from papers published in Nature and Science from 1989 to 2009, count data estimation was conducted. The results illustrate those researchers' international migration and motivation, shown by both synergy and difference effects between countries, explain international collaboration. This implies that international co-authorship in recent decades has been based on researchers' motivation as well as their networking. The positive result for synergy effects also means that pairs of countries with rich research environments tended to have more international collaboration, which may lead to the convergence of qualified research output in advanced scientific countries. Our findings also support the conclusion that researchers move to countries with better research environments, but networks created through international collaboration are not a factor in international migration. The relationship between international mobility and collaboration is confirmed as going in one direction, from mobility to collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International Terraced Landscapes Alliance (ITLA) is a network of professionals and activists who want to protect, preserve and promote terraced landscapes in worldwide mountain/coastal sea regions. We outline the reasons to get active, explain the threats which the landscapes and its peoples and cultures confront and describe the main activity of International Conferences (China 2010, Peru 2014, Italy 2016) on Terraced Landscapes and Cultures. ITLA creates platforms for the terrace activists to voice their concerns, to dialogue with terrace farmers and constructors for the recovery of local and indigenous knowledge and to formulate defence policies and attitudes to regenerate right livelihoods in mountain/coastal areas by working and living with terraces for healthy food production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• H1: Most of rehabilitation services did not interrupt activities during the pandemic. • H2: Technologies rehabilitation use is limited among healthcare professionals. • H3: Telerehabilitation is considered feasible for psychological and dietary support. • H4: Technologies in clinical practice requires more education to healthcare professionals. Covid-19 pandemic greatly impacted on the healthcare systems worldwide with negative consequences on several aspects of clinical populations. For neurological chronic conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS), rehabilitation activities have been suspended or postponed during the pandemic. Rehabilitation is crucial for people with MS (PwMS) because it promotes recovery from relapses and maximizes opportunities for social participation. To better understand the impact of Covid-19 emergency on rehabilitation services for MS, the European network for rehabilitation in MS (RIMS) disseminated a survey to healthcare professionals (HPs) and representatives of the MS rehabilitation services (RSs), to explore the two different perspectives on the delivery of rehabilitation in usual circumstances and during the Covid-19 emergency. The online survey was distributed from July 9th to September 20th, 2020. Besides general information on the responders (e.g. location of center, and memebership to RIMS), information was collected on usual service delivery (e.g. settings, specialities, and types of treatment), the impact of Covid-19 circumstances (e.g. restrictions, use of personal protective equipment, and impact on work), and the use of technologiesin rehabilitation. Twenty-two representatives of MS rehabilitation services (RSs)and 143 health care professionals (HPs) responded. Most of RSs and HPs worked in services specialized for MS including a mixture of all usual rehabilitation settings (i.e. inpatient, outpatient and community setting). The majority of services adopted a multidisciplinary framework, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, social service, speech and language therapy, psychological support, dietary interventions, medical management, vocational rehabilitation and cognitive rehabilitaton. Overall, most of responders indicated they did not use technologies in their practice (e.g. for treatment or assessment). However, depending on the type of technology a low-to-medium percentage of responders declared to use some technologies before Covid-19 crisis (5-55% for RSs and 12-53% for HPs) and a low percentage planned the use after pandemic (0-14% for RSs and 1-10% for HPs). Moreover, for the responders the most feasible interventions deliverable through tele-rehabilitation were psychological support and dietary interventions, with psychological support considered the most necessary intervention to be remotely implemented. Moderate feasibility (30-60%) was reported for hands-off interventions (e.g. aerobic exercise and cognitive rehabilitation) whereas low feasibility (<30%) was reported for hands-on interventions. Feasibility was especially low when tools were used that are not adaptable at-home (e.g. hyperbaric oxygen therapy). The Covid-19 pandemic has stimulated the MS healthcare professionals to find new solutions to deliver alternative interventions to PwMS. In this context, the role of telemedicine is crucial to continue rehabilitation services at home, and limit exposure to infection. However, most of healthcare professionals have not incorporated the use of technologies. Therefore, the implementation of digital health solutions in the clinical practice needs more attention towards education on the potentials of technologies for rehabilitation and simplification of the national healthcare system reimbursement procedures for the rehabilitation technologies use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The study's main aim was to gain in ‐ depth understanding of how nurse scholars engage with electronic theses and dissertations. Through elicitation of opinions about challenges and opportunities, and perceptions of future development, the study also aimed to influence the design of a new international web ‐ based forum for learning and sharing information on this topic. Background: Electronic theses and dissertations provide an opportunity to radically change the way in which graduate student research is presented, disseminated and used internationally. However, as revealed by a multi ‐ national survey in 2011, many nurse scholars in vanguard universities have little awareness of how to find and exploit this ever ‐ expanding global knowledge resource that is increasingly available free in full text format. Within this context more detailed understandings of nurse scholars’ thinking and actions are required. Methods: A qualitative approach using a semi ‐ structured interview guide was utilized to elicit perceptions from 14 nurse scholars. Results: Thematic analysis of the interviewees’ responses identified six major themes: initial exposure and effect; searching; accessing; handling; using; and evaluation. Insights were gained about the value of these resources and behaviours in using them as exemplars for structure, format and methodology. Conclusion and implications for nursing and nursing policy: Despite the small study size, the findings added valuable new insights to the overview gained from the 2011 survey. These have been used to inform development of a new global initiative: the International Network for Electronic Theses and Dissertations in Nursing. Featuring an educational website (www.inetdin.net), this initiative aims to support and challenge nursing's policy makers, practitioners and especially educators to utilize this neglected but exponentially increasing wellspring of international nursing knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current methodologies employed in collecting data for suicide research present several limitations. In this article, we describe a novel method and tool to prospectively study suicidal behavior and its related risk and protective factors in different countries. This tool is a web-based database, which will initially be developed and piloted by suicide research groups from Austria, Brazil, Chile, France, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, and the US. The database will develop and integrate research tools key to collaboration, permit exploration of ethical considerations, and provide a universal interface in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, and German that will make it possible to incorporate new groups from different countries to the network. The common database resulting of this cross-national effort will allow researchers to share and compare data across countries in a large sample of patients. Using anonymous electronic records of patients, we will: 1) determine the impact of risk and protective factors (viz. aggression and religious affiliation) in different socio-cultural environments; 2) develop a clinical model of suicidal behavior that integrates the multiple dimensions implicated; 3) try differentiating the effects of biological, environmental, and cultural factors on suicidal behavior, and 4) offer the global psychiatric research community a tool that will standardize assessment across nations, allowing for better generalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International Network of Twin Registries (INTR) aims to foster scientific collaboration and promote twin research on a global scale by working to expand the resources of twin registries around the world and make them available to researchers who adhere to established guidelines for international collaboration. Our vision is to create an unprecedented scientific network of twin registries that will advance knowledge in ways that are impossible for individual registries, and includes the harmonization of data. INTR will also promote a broad range of activities, including the development of a website, formulation of data harmonization protocols, creation of a library of software tools for twin studies, design of a search engine to identify research partners, establishment of searchable inventories of data and biospecimens, development of templates for informed consent and data sharing, organization of symposia at International Society of Twin Studies conferences, support for scholar exchanges, and writing grant proposals. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

• PT delivery was more frequently impacted for moderately and severely impaired pwMS. • 33% of PT's reported that aerobic training was reduced/unavailable during the pandemic. • 15% of PT's reported increased use of relaxation/mind body techniques during the pandemic. • PT's had both positive and negative feelings about their service during the pandemic. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical therapy services for people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) is unknown. Therefore, the Special Interest Group for Mobility (SIG Mobility) of the European Network for Best Practice and Research in Multiple Sclerosis Rehabilitation (RIMS) has undertaken the initiative to examine the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on physical therapy services and physical activity participation in pwMS across Europe, Israel and Australia. To describe the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on physical therapy practice from the perspective of the therapist. An online survey was developed and conducted from December 2020 to July 2021. The survey (50 questions), included multiple-choice questions and open-ended responses. In total, 215 physical therapists (PT's) from 9 countries (Australia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Norway, Spain, and Turkey) participated in the study. The therapy most affected during the pandemic was aerobic training/conditioning exercises; 33.5% reported that these activities were either reduced or unavailable. In contrast, 15% of the PTs reported increased use of relaxation/mind body techniques and/or fatigue management programs during the pandemic. PTs reported a mixture of positive and negative feelings about the therapeutic sessions offered during the pandemic. Most reported positive feelings included "positive" (26.5%), and "optimistic" (24.7%). Negative feelings most frequently reported included "worried" (30.7%), and "hesitant" (20.9%). The PTs reported a 10% decrease in the use of hands-on techniques and a 10% increase in the use of oral instructions when treating moderately and severely pwMS during as compared to before the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected physical therapy services in pwMS internationally in terms of content, frequency of use and format. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) has yet to fully enter the mainstream of life in higher education. In this case study, we consider a specific network focused on the reform of engineering education. The network involves global collaboration within the discipline of Engineering and is based around curricular activity that affects entire departments or groups of staff. We suggest that SoTL should pay greater attention to collaboration that addresses substantive disciplinary purposes, further embodying these purposes through spaces, motivations and capacities for action in the disciplinary and departmental setting. We frame our argument around a theoretical model of collaborative working in higher education and go on to offer a synoptic overview of ways to articulate common purpose around teaching and learning at large. Our account highlights potential drivers for such collaborative activity in other settings. In this way, we offer a means for others to develop the collective commitments, structures and understanding needed to mainstream SoTL within specific disciplinary or departmental settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COST Action IS0801 on cyberbullying had the aim of a) sharing of developing expertise in knowledge base and measurement techniques across researchers, b) sharing of input from outside the research community; specifically, from legal experts as well as from mobile phone companies and internet service providers c) sharing of already nationally published guidelines, and recommended coping strategies, including positive uses of new technologies, and d) increasing awareness of the issue, as well as of the outcomes of the Action. Besides the conferences and Training schools organised, the Action has fostered or facilitated a considerable number of grant applications, publications as well as other outreach activities, and has established a fruitful international network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arte (Cá) is an international practice-based research project from LAB: ACM-Laboratory of Art and Multimedia Communication of the Polytechnic Institute of Beja, in Portugal. It intends to critically engage resource-based learning practices in artist residences to promote the development of competences and intercultural, pedagogical and conceptual relationships. This approach to artistic creation is framed within an international network of higher education institutions. Art in Nature and the concept of site-specific will be the leitmotif of several artist residencies, taking place in the participant countries. The added value of this European project arises from the concept "GLOCAL". The specificity of the Place (LOCAL) is potentiated and enriched through the interdisciplinary cooperation between international partners (GLOBAL). The thought-action framework of Arte (Cá) reflects this GLOBAL dynamic placed in context by means of LOCAL learning activities that share and maintain their identity based on the endogenous resources of each place. The outcomes of Arte (Cá) will be disseminated through several media platforms opened to the community and documented in an itinerant exhibition. A multimedia kit will also be produced based on the evaluation and results of the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A group of 38 researchers, policy makers, and practitioners from seven countries, speaking nine languages and representing diverse perspectives, gathered in May 2009 in Orlando, Florida, to establish the International Network for Justice Health. The Network can assist policy makers, researchers, and practitioners to improve the health of justice-involved populations; however, achieving progress will require individual and organizational commitment to working with colleagues across different disciplines and different countries. The Network aims to facilitate this collaboration and become a focal point for the sharing and dissemination of knowledge. Its priorities will continue to evolve and to be determined by members. As a collaborative venture, the Network is only as strong as its membership. Readers are encouraged to join (membership is free) and to contribute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A state does not have power in isolation from others without considering its linked interactions to others nor from system structure without considering its structural positions in the system; rather, it has power as a consequence of its interactive relations with other states in the system and its structural positions in the networks of relations. This paper proposes a new power concept, using the social network perspective, called "structural network power," defined as the power of an individual state arising from its location within the networks of international relations. Adapting this new network power concept, this paper also assembles and provides the data on the new measure of national power (SNPI, Structural Network Power Index) 1950-2000 for all states existing in the international system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]