Australian radiation therapists rank technology-related research as most important to radiation therapy

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 228-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Cox ◽  
Georgia Halkett ◽  
Claudia Anderson ◽  
Robert Heard

AbstractBackground and purpose: Research is increasingly important in radiation therapy, but radiation therapists (or therapy radiographers) (RTs) are relatively new to research and may have difficulty defining research topics. Our aim was to identify the group interests and focus research priorities of Australian RTs. Although not measured, an additional aim was to make RTs more aware of the relevance of RT research.Materials and methods: An Australia-wide Delphi process was used, examining the problems related to patient care, working with colleagues, and radiotherapy in general, that RTs experienced in their daily work. In an initial study, 374 problems were identified. These were translated into 53 research areas which were prioritised in the second stage of the study. Agreement between groups was analysed using a hierarchical cluster procedure and post hoc Scheffe multiple comparisons.Results: There were three groups of responders with varying degrees of research interest. There was agreed high importance (p > 0.01) for the technical aspects of radiation therapy, such as image guidance, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and patient positioning. There was significant disagreement (p < 0.001 to p = 0.023) between groups on the importance of patient care research.Conclusions: The strong interest in technical research is consistent with the rapid influx of technology, particularly in imaging. The disagreement on patient-related research may be of concern. The list of potential research areas specific to radiation therapy will be useful for new RT researchers to consider.

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Graulich

Organic chemistry education is one of the youngest research areas among all chemistry related research efforts, and its published scholarly work has become vibrant and diverse over the last 15 years. Research on problem-solving behavior, students' use of the arrow-pushing formalism, the investigation of students' conceptual knowledge and their cognitive skills have shaped our understanding of college students' understanding in organic chemistry classes. This review provides an overview of research efforts focusing on student's perspectives and summarizes the main results and pending questions that may guide subsequent research activities.


2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Weeks ◽  
Dugald Seely ◽  
Lynda Balneaves ◽  
Heather Boon ◽  
Anne Leis ◽  
...  

Objectives: An increasing number of integrative oncology programs are being established across Canada that offer a combination of complementary and conventional medical treatments in a shift towards whole-person cancer care. It was our objective to identify consensus-based research priorities within a coherent research agenda to guide Canadian integrative oncology practice and policy moving forward.Methods: Members of the Integrative Canadian Oncology Research Initiative and the Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre organized a 2-day consensus workshop, which was preceded by a Delphi survey and stakeholder interviews.Results: Eighty-one participants took part in Round 1 of the Delphi survey, 52 in Round 2 (66.2%) and 45 (86.5%) in Round 3. Nineteen invited stakeholders participated in the 2-day workshop held in Ottawa, Canada. Five inter-related priority research areas emerged as a foundation for a Canadian research agenda: Effectiveness; Safety; Resource and Health Services Utilization; Knowledge Translation; and Developing Integrative Oncology Models. Research is needed within each priority area from a range of different perspectives (e.g., patient, practitioner, health system) and that reflects a continuum of integration from the addition of a single complementary intervention within conventional cancer care to systemic change. Participants brainstormed strategic directions to implement the developing research agenda and identified related opportunities within Canada. A voting process helped to identify working groups to pursue strategic directions within the interest and expertise of meeting participants.Conclusion: The identified research priorities reflect the needs and perspectives of a spectrum of integrative oncology stakeholders. Ongoing stakeholder consultation, including engagement from new stakeholders, is needed to ensure appropriate uptake and implementation of the Canadian research agenda.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doyeon Lee ◽  
Jongseok Kang ◽  
Keunhwan Kim

In the post-COVID-19 era, virology-related research, which not only depends on the governments as its main source of funding but also requires international and interdisciplinary collaborations, is recognized as an essential defense for sustainability. Few published studies have examined the trend, but only for certain viruses before the mid-2010s. Moreover, it is challenging to define generally accepted virology-related research fields due to its broad spectrum. Thus, it is time that we confront the unprecedented pandemic to understand the status of nationally supported projects in developed nations to establish international collaborative research strategies from an interdisciplinary perspective. In this study, 32,365 national-funded projects were collected from the US, EU, and Japan and assigned to five scientific fields to conduct a cluster analysis. Then, an expert-based approach was utilized to define an individual cluster. Moreover, a comparative analysis between nations was carried out to determine if there was a competitive edge for collaboration. As a result, a framework for virology-related research areas was constructed to provide the status quo and differences between nations’ research capabilities, thereby eliciting practical global research and development (R&D) cooperation to achieve a common agenda and a direction for goals in the post-COVID-19 era. These findings have implications for viral response R&D, policy, and practice for future pandemics. A systematic approach based on scientific evidence and an R&D collaboration strategy between industry and academia is essential to resolve the interdisciplinary barriers between countries and promote sustainable virus R&D collaboration.


Author(s):  
Kia Ng ◽  
Paolo Nesi

The MUSICNETWORK project was co-supported by the European Commission to bring music industry and related research areas into the interactive multimedia era. It represented a virtual Centre of Excellence during the period of the project and today an international association where music content providers, cultural institutions, industry, and research institutions work together, drawing on their collective assets and mutual interests, to exploit the potential of multimedia music contents with new technologies, tools, products, formats and models. Due to large gaps between needs and real products and solutions, many products in the market fail to exploit the potential of new multimedia technologies effectively. MUSICNETWORK helps research solutions to reach the market by seeking agreements between different actors and formats, by bringing together research institutions, industries, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and experts to build the required momentum to study and define multimedia music modelling and coding for the new age. MUSICNETWORK activities, actions and services are provided through the project website which can be found online at http://www.interactivemusicnetwork.org.


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