Low immediate scientific yield of the PhD among medical doctors.

BACKGROUND: We studied the scientific yield of the medical PhD program at all Danish Universities. METHODS: We undertook a retrospective observational study. Three PhD schools in Denmark were included in order to evaluate the postdoctoral research production over more than 18 years through individual publications accessed by PubMed. RESULTS: A total of 2686 PhD-graduates (1995-2013) with a medical background were included according to registries from all PhD schools in Denmark. They had a median age of 35 years (interquartile range (IQR), 32-38) and 53 % were women at the time of graduation. Scientific activity over time was assessed independently of author-rank and inactivity was measured relative to the date of graduation. Factors associated with inactivity were identified using multivariable logistic regression. 88.6 % of the PhD theses were conducted in internal medicine vs. 11.4 % in surgery. During follow-up (median 6.9 years, IQR 3.0-11.7), PubMed data searches identified that 87 (3.4 %) of the PhD graduates had no publication after they graduated from the PhD program, 40 % had 5 or less, and 90 % had 30 or less. The median number of publications per year after PhD graduation was 1.12 (IQR 0.61-1.99) papers per year. About 2/3 of the graduates became inactive after 1 year and approximately 21 % of the graduates remained active during the whole follow-up. Female gender was associated with inactivity: adjusted odds ratio 1.59 (95 % confidence interval 1.24-2.05). CONCLUSIONS: The scientific production of Danish medic PhD-graduates was mainly produced around the time of PhD-graduation. After obtaining the PhD-degree the scientific production declines suggesting that scientific advance fails and resources are not harnessed.

Conversion of cardiovascular conference abstracts to publications.

BACKGROUND: The transition of scientific knowledge from discovery into practice is less than ideal. A key step in this translation occurs when presentations from major meetings are published in peer-reviewed literature, yet the completeness and speed of this process are not known. We performed a systematic and automated evaluation of rates, timing, and correlates of publication from scientific abstracts presented at 3 major cardiovascular conferences. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using an automated computer algorithm, we searched the ISI Web of Science to identify peer-reviewed publications of abstracts presented at the American Heart Association (AHA), American College of Cardiology (ACC), and European Society of Cardiology (ESC) scientific sessions from 2006 to 2008. We compared abstract publication rates and journal impact factor between the 3 meetings using multivariable logistic regression modeling. From 2006 to 2008, 11 365, 5005, and 10 838 abstracts were presented at the AHA, ACC, and ESC meetings, respectively. Overall, 30.6% of presented abstracts were published within 2 years of the conference; ranging from 34.5% for AHA to 29.5% for ACC to 27.0% for ESC (P<0.0001). Five years after conference presentation in 2005, these rates had risen slightly to 49.7% for AHA, 42.6% for ACC, and 37.6% for ESC (P<0.0001). After adjustment for abstract characteristics and contributing countries, abstracts presented at the AHA meeting remained more likely for publication relative to the ESC (adjusted odds ratio, 1.24; 95% confidence interval, 1.16-1.34) and the ACC (adjusted odds ratio, 1.20; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-1.29). Median impact factors for subsequent publications varied from 4.8 (interquartile range, 3.8-10.1) for AHA to 4.0 (interquartile range, 3.1-7.5) for ACC and 3.9 (quartile 1-3, 2.5-5.8) for ESC (P for difference between groups <0.01). Clinical science and population science were less likely to be published compared with basic science. CONCLUSIONS: One third of abstracts were translated into publications by 2 years after presentation and less than one half by 5 years after presentation. Our findings suggest that efforts to understand the barriers to publication and to facilitate the rapid dissemination of new knowledge are needed to speed up the transition of scientific discovery into clinical practice.

FeCO3 Synthesis Pathways: The Influence of Temperature, Duration, and Pressure.

FeCO3 is present as scales in process equipment, corrosion products, geological systems, and carbon storage. It is therefore crucial to investigate the properties of FeCO3 to understand scaling in all these systems. However, FeCO3 is not commercially available, and when used in the lab it is either obtained through extraction of geological formations or synthesized in-house. Geologically formed FeCO3 contains multiple impurities, which will affect its overall properties, and the synthesized product is highly sensitive to either oxidation or the synthesis pathways. This work explores the parameter space of a synthesis route routinely and pathways for FeCO3. We characterized the structure of FeCO3 using X-ray powder diffraction and its thermal properties with thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy. We show how synthesis parameters influence either the macroscopic or microscopic properties of the synthesized product. Our study serves as a guideline for future research regarding what parameters to choose when synthesizing FeCO3 and what product can be obtained. We herein present a novel fundamental understanding of FeCO3.

Solubility of Barium Sulfate in Water at Elevated Temperatures and Pressures.

There are few measurements of barium sulfate (BaSO4) solubility in water above 373 K available in the literature. BaSO4 solubility data at water saturation pressure are scare. The pressure dependence on BaSO4 solubility has not previously been comprehensively reported for the pressure range 100-350 bar. In this work, an experimental apparatus was designed and built to measure BaSO4 solubility in aqueous solutions under high-pressure (HP), high-temperature (HT) conditions. The solubility of BaSO4 was experimentally determined in pure water over the temperature range from T = (323.1 to 440.1) K and pressures ranging from p = (1 to 350) bar. Most of the measurements were done at water saturation pressure: six data points were done above the saturation pressure (323.1-373.1 K) and 10 experiments were conducted at water saturation (373.1-440.1 K). The reliability of the extended UNIQUAC model and results generated in this work was demonstrated by comparing with the scrutinized experimental data reported in the literature. The model gives a very good agreement with BaSO4 equilibrium solubility data, demonstrating the reliability of the extended UNIQUAC model. The accuracy of the model at high temperature and saturated pressure due to data insufficiencies is discussed.

Electrochemistry-Based CO2 Removal Technologies.

Unprecedented increase in atmospheric CO2 levels calls for efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective technologies for CO2 removal, including both capture and conversion approaches. Current CO2 abatement is largely based on energy-intensive thermal processes with a high degree of inflexibility. In this Perspective, it is argued that future CO2 technologies will follow the general societal trend towards electrified systems. This transition is largely promoted by decreasing electricity prices, continuous expansion of renewable energy infrastructure, and breakthroughs in carbon electrotechnologies, such as electrochemically modulated amine regeneration, redox-active quinones and other species, and microbial electrosynthesis. In addition, new initiatives make electrochemical carbon capture an integrated part of Power-to-X applications, for example, by linking it to H2 production. Selected electrochemical technologies crucial for a future sustainable society are reviewed. However, significant further development of these technologies within the next decade is needed, to meet the ambitious climate goals.

The Potential of Biogas; the Solution to Energy Storage.

Energy storage will be essential for balancing the renewable energy systems of tomorrow, especially if excess electricity from wind and solar power requires immediate utilization. The use of biogas as a carbon source can generate carbon dioxide-neutral carbon-based energy carriers, such as methane or methanol. The utilization of biogas today is limited to the generation of heat/power or biomethane (first-generation upgrading); both processes disregard the potential of the coproduced carbon dioxide during the fermentation process. By using renewable energy, biogas upgrading systems can convert carbon dioxide into hydrocarbon-based high-energy-density fuels, which can replace fossil-based fuels for applications in which they are hard to decarbonize. The possibilities for the future utilization of biogas are discussed, and the terminology for "second-generation upgrading" is introduced to help research and development within this field. It is believed that second-generation upgrading of biogas will have a huge potential for dynamic energy storage.

Experimental data of the aqueous NH3 and CO2 absorption at temperatures from 15 °C to 35 °C, NH3 concentrations from 5% to 15% and CO2 loadings from 0.2 to 0.6 measured with the Wetted Wall Column.

The absorption between aqueous NH3 and CO2 is studied using the Wetted Wall Column in order to show the effect of the solvent condition on the rate of reaction. A total of 27 different cases are investigated in the region defined by temperatures from 15 °C to 35 °C, NH3 concentrations from 5% to 15% and CO2 loadings from 0.2 to 0.6. The paper reports the data measured during the experiments, the experimental apparatus description and the experimental procedure. The data here presented are both the raw data measured with their uncertainty and the final value of the overall mass transfer coefficient. The overall mass transfer coefficient is the result of the raw data treatment explained in the research paper related to this data. The data here reported are analyzed in the paper by Lillia et al. (2018) [1].

Rate and predictors of the conversion of abstracts presented at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress scientific meetings to full peer-reviewed publications.

The rate of conversion of abstracts presented at scientific meetings into peer-reviewed published manuscripts is an important metric for medical societies, because it facilitates translation of scientific knowledge into practice. We determined the rate and predictors of conversion of scientific abstracts presented at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress (CCC) from 2006 to 2010 into peer-reviewed article publications within 2 years of their initial presentation. Using a previously validated computer algorithm, we searched the International Statistical Institute Web of Science to identify peer-reviewed full manuscript publications of these abstracts. A multivariable logistic regression was used to identify independent factors associated with successful publication. From 2006 to 2010, 3565 abstracts were presented at the CCC. Overall 24.1% of presented abstracts were published within 2 years of the conference. Mean impact factor for publications was 5.2 (range, 0.4-53.2). The type of presentation (for poster vs oral; odds ratio, 0.71; 95% confidence interval, 0.60-0.83; P < 0.001) and category of presentation (P < 0.001) were significantly associated with successful publication. Late breaking abstracts and those related to cancer and clinical sciences were more likely to be published, compared with prevention, vascular biology, and pediatrics. In conclusion, the publication rate at the CCC is only marginally lower than that reported for large international North American and European cardiology conferences (30.6%). Efforts should focus on several identified barriers to improve conversion of abstracts to full report publication.