Participatory action research opens doors: Mentoring Indigenous researchers to improve midwifery in urban Australia

Problem

There is increasing demand for capacity building among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) maternal and infant health workforce to improve health outcomes for mothers and babies; yet few studies describe the steps taken to mentor novice Indigenous researchers to contribute to creating a quality evidence-base in this space.

Stillbirth research: Recruitment barriers and participant feedback

BackgroundPrioritisation of stillbirth research in high-income countries is required to address preventable stillbirth. However, concern is raised by ethics committees, maternity providers and families, when pregnant and bereaved women are approached to participate. Our aim was to 1) assess factors influencing recruitment in a multicentre case-control stillbirth study and 2) gain insight into how women felt about their participation.MethodsEligible women were contacted through maternity providers from seven New Zealand health regions in 2011-2015. Cases had a recent singleton non-anomalous late stillbirth (≥28 weeks’ gestation). Controls were randomly selected and matched for region and gestation. Participants were interviewed by a research midwife and given a feedback form asking their views about participation. Feedback was evaluated using thematic analysis.Results169 (66.5%) of 254 eligible cases and 569 (62.2%) of 915 eligible controls were recruited. Non-participants consisted of 263 (22.5% of eligible) women who declined, 108 (9.2% of eligible) uncontactable women, and 60 (5.1% of eligible) women declined by the maternity provider, with no significant differences between the proportion of non-participating cases and controls in each of these three categories. The majority (63.2%) of women did not provide a specific reason for non-participation. Written feedback was provided by 111 participants (cases 15.3%, controls 14.9%) and all described their involvement positively. Feedback themes identified were ‘motivation to participate,’ ‘ease of participation,’ and ‘post-participation positivity.’ConclusionIdentification of recruitment barriers and our reassuring participant feedback may assist women’s participation in future research and support progress towards stillbirth prevention.     

Managing “forced” technology transfer in emerging markets: The case of China

This paper explores how foreign multinational corporations (MNCs) manage risks associated with “forced” technology transfer (“FTT”) policies in emerging markets. Although MNCs are increasingly exposed to appropriability risks from these policies, how they respond is relatively understudied in international business (IB) research. We explore this topic based upon a survey and interviews with Western MNCs doing business in China, as well as a discussion about the recent US-China trade war. We find that, as traditional IB theory would predict, internally-oriented strategies (e.g., internalization, maintenance of informal intellectual property (IP), and control of technological centrality and sophistication) are often used to respond to FTT policies; however, the risks from such policies can sometimes be more efficiently managed by externally-oriented strategies (e.g., non-market activities and reliance on formal IP). We discuss how the co-evolution of MNCs' risk management strategies alongside changing value chains, IP institutions, and conditions determining the leverage of FTT policies appear to contribute to this phenomenon. We argue that IB research should more prominently recognize the role of externally-oriented strategies, not only internally-oriented ones, in managing the complex IP-related institutional challenges present in emerging markets today.     

融入人文素养教育的“运筹学”(通识课程)教学研究

人文素养是衡量当代大学生综合素质的重要标准之一，传统“运筹学”教学由于课程性质偏数学或应用数学，往往注重具体的数学理论与方法，无法顾及人文素养方面。在探讨传统“运筹学”课程教学优缺点的基础上，分别从历史观、系统观、哲学观及综合与交叉的角度，论述融入人文素养教育的“运筹学”（通识课程）的教学改革与实践探索。此教学实践能充分激发学生的学习兴趣，启发心智，提升人才培养的综合素质，并获得一系列教学成效，对相关大学课程的教学具有一定的借鉴意义。     

朱珔《说文假借义证》假借研究

清代学者朱珔所撰《说文假借义证》是探讨假借问题的文字学专书,在清代六书学研究中有重要地位。以《义证》为研究对象,结合朱之垿所补充《凡例》,对书中假借术语如“通借”“省借”“转借”“异体假借”“形近假借”“不定谁借”“互借”“通用”“两借、连借”等进行分析,以此推断朱氏所用术语的内涵。在假借观上,朱氏确立“以义正字”的假借原则,强调“义证”的作用;认为假借是用字之法,必有本字;从理论上提出了“非必假借”的分析,匡定假借字的范围;但在某些假借问题上,将假借与引申混为一谈。     

Clarifying the concept of the “Social” in risk assessments for human subjects research

International guidelines for the conduct of research with human participants, such as those put forth by the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS, 2002), recommend that research review committees account for social risk and benefits to society in their review of proposed research. What do the concepts of the “social” and “society” mean in the context of the review of human participants research? Here we analyze concepts of social and society to define the terms: social harm, social risk, social benefit, and benefits to society. We argue that use of these terms invite more questions than answers and beg for difficult empirical research to determine the nature, likelihood, and magnitude of this category of risk and benefit. Until more research is done and these questions are answered, we advise reviewers to adopt an attitude of provisionalism and caution in their review of specifically “social” risks and benefits and “benefits to society.”     

中美贸易摩擦、美国进口冲击与中国企业创新

在中美贸易摩擦不断升级的背景下，基于高度细化的微观企业数据，本文实证分析了来自美国的进口竞争对中国企业创新的影响。研究发现：①从整体上来看，来自美国的进口竞争优化了企业的专利申请结构，对企业发明专利申请量具有显著促进作用，对企业实用新型专利和外观设计专利申请量无显著影响。②来自美国的进口竞争，对内资企业、低融资约束企业的创新总产出具有显著促进作用，创新总产出增加是由于高质量创新（发明专利）与低质量创新（实用新型专利、外观设计专利）同时显著提升导致的；外资企业、高融资约束企业的创新总产出下降是由于低质量创新显著下降、高质量创新变化不显著导致的，对低生产率企业高质量创新的促进作用大于高生产率企业。③来自美国的进口竞争增加了企业退出市场的风险，为了应对美国进口冲击，中国企业积极应对，增加研发投入支出、优化就业结构、扩大就业规模，加快高质量创新，从而产生了“逃离竞争效应”。     

The state of crisis communication research and education through the lens of crisis scholars: An international Delphi study

This Delphi study explores the status of crisis communication research and education qualitatively through the lens of 22 internationally recognized crisis communication scholars, systematically recruited and retained to serve on the crisis expert Delphi panel in a two-year span. Taking a multi-iteration consensus-building approach, this study enabled the expert panel to individually elaborate and collectively evaluate shared observations and insights regarding trends, patterns, and nuances in crisis communication as a unique interdisciplinary area of research and practice. The quality and impact of current scholarship, methodological rigor and diversity, and perceived knowledge gaps between academia and industry were compared and synthesized across countries. Consensus was achieved in the majority of the proposed questions. Results show challenges and particular deficiencies within the crisis communication research domain. The main challenge is bridging the gap between academia and industry. The lack of theory development and cross-cultural studies contribute to part of this challenge. The knowledge and perceptual gaps identified by our Delphi expert panel also suggest a need to align crisis communication academic research more closely with crisis communication teaching. Despite the increasingly broadened presence of crisis communication scholarship, it remains small and stunted at some universities. The discussions and insights that emerged in this Delphi study help pave the way for further research innovation and educational program development in crisis communication.     

What key conditions and mechanisms generate health inequalities research in different contexts? Study protocol for two realist explanatory case studies

Evidence on health inequalities has grown in recent decades, however, the capacity to generate health inequalities research is uneven, worldwide. A recent bibliometric analysis found notable inequalities of the global production of health inequalities scientific research across countries. What determines the capacity to produce high volumes of health inequalities scientific research, in different settings? What mechanisms are involved? To answer these questions requires in-depth knowledge on the health inequalities research production process, in different settings. We plan to conduct two realist explanatory case studies, to understand why and how particular settings (e.g. the United Kingdom and the city of Barcelona) have generated high volumes of health inequalities research over past decades, and identify the potential key contextual conditions and causal mechanisms involved. This study protocol outlines the rationale and methodology involved, highlights the strengths and limitations of the approach, and provides guidance on how to overcome certain operational challenges and ensure validity of research findings. Valuable learning may be derived from these case experiences, with implications for research, policy and practice. This work can serve as a tool for researcher and planners to guide the development of further case studies to evaluate health inequalities research capacities in other settings.     

Is it time to revise the definition of research misconduct?

U.S. federal policy defines research misconduct as fabrication of data, falsification of data, or plagiarism (FFP). In recent years, some have argued or suggested that the definition of research misconduct should also include sexual harassment, sabotage, deceptive use of statistics, and failure to disclose a significant conflict of interest (COI). While the arguments for revising the definition of misconduct used by federal agencies to include misbehaviors other than FFP are not convincing at this point in time, the arguments for revising definitions used by other organizations, such as professional societies, universities, or journals, may be. Since these other organizations play an important role in promoting integrity in science and deterring unethical behavior, they may consider adopting definitions of misconduct that extend beyond FFP. Debates about the definition of research misconduct are a normal and healthy part of broader discussions about integrity in science and how best to promote it. These debates should continue even if the federal definition of misconduct remains unchanged.