Dipping Your Toe in The CURE Pool: Longitudinal Tracking of Instructors Suggests Use of a Short-Duration CURE Can Catalyze Expansion to Longer CURE Experiences.

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are an effective method of engaging large numbers of students in authentic research but are associated with barriers to adoption. Short CURE modules may serve as a low-barrier entryway, but their effectiveness in promoting expansion has not been studied. The Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance in the Environment (PARE) project is a modular CURE designed to be a low-barrier gateway into CURE use. In a series of interviews, we track and characterize use of PARE in 19 PARE-interested instructors throughout the Innovation-Decision Process described by Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations theory. The majority (16/19) implement PARE at least once, and a majority of these implementers (11/16) expanded use by the final interview. Three of four cases of discontinuance were due to a disruption such as moving institutions or a change in course assignment and occurred for community college faculty. Expanders expressed fewer personal challenges than nonexpanders. Overall analysis shows that perception of barriers is nuanced and impacted by the innovation itself, the institutional context, and one's own experiences. These results suggest that a short duration, low barrier CURE can serve as a catalyst for implementation of a longer duration CURE.

Research as resistance: Naming and dismantling the master narrative of "good" science.

The call for psychological science to make amends for "causing harm to communities of color and contributing to systemic inequities" (American Psychological Association, 2022a) requires a critical acknowledgment that science itself is not neutral but a sociopolitical and ideological endeavor. From its inception, psychology used science to produce what was framed as incontrovertible "hard" evidence of racial hierarchy, infallible "proof" that white people (i.e., cismale, heteronormative, and economically resourced white people) were superior to Indigenous and Black people. We first trace the historical links between postpositivist epistemology and the ideology of white supremacy in psychological science, showing that although explicitly racist science (e.g., eugenics) has faded, the widely shared and strictly enforced epistemological norms about what is (and is not) "good" science remain entrenched. We then outline three epistemic imperatives to resist this harmful master narrative: (a) embrace humanizing epistemologies, (b) listen and learn from those who have been systematically left out of science, and (c) recognize resistance as normative and necessary. We discuss how these imperatives, rooted in critical, feminist, and antiracist scholarship, disrupt oppression and guide us toward doing science that does good. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Epistemic exclusion: A theory for understanding racism in faculty research evaluations.

Despite institutional efforts, growth in the number of faculty of color has largely plateaued, limiting research innovation and other benefits of diversity. In this article, we seek to understand structural barriers to faculty equity by (a) detailing a theory of epistemic exclusion within academia and (b) applying the theory of epistemic exclusion to the specific context of faculty departmental reviews of scholarly research (e.g., annual review, promotion and tenure review). Epistemic exclusion is a form of scholarly devaluation that is rooted in disciplinary biases about the qualities of rigorous research and identity-based biases about the competence of marginalized group members. These biases work in tandem to systemically and disproportionately exclude marginalized scholars (e.g., people of color, women) from the academy. In the context of faculty departmental reviews, epistemic exclusion can happen in formal systems of evaluation through criteria, metric, and application exclusion. It can also occur informally during interpersonal interactions and communications through legitimacy, contribution, and comprehension exclusion. In this article, we detail each of these types of exclusion, how they may interact with each other, and their consequences. We assert that epistemic exclusion threatens the diversification of academia and offer suggestions for equitable evaluation practices and reducing epistemic exclusion within higher education broadly. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Building bridges: evaluating policymakers' research capacities, engagement, and utilization in health policymaking within the Kuwaiti context: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Health policymaking is a critical aspect of governmental decision-making that shapes the well-being of populations. In the Middle East and North Africa, particularly in Kuwait, limited attention has been given to exploring the research capacities, engagement, and utilization among health policymakers. This study aims to bridge this gap by investigating how Kuwaiti health policymakers incorporate evidence-based research into the formulation of health-related policies. METHODS: This cross-sectional study targeted health policymakers in leadership positions within the Kuwait Ministry of Health (MOH). Using the Seeking, Engaging with and Evaluating Research (SEER) questionnaire, participants' capacities, engagement, and use of research were assessed. The targeted sample was all health policymakers in leadership positions, starting from the head of departments and above. The questionnaire comprises four domains, 14 sections, and 50 questions and utilizes Likert and binary scales, with aggregate scores predicting engagement actions and research use. The data were collected between March and July 2023. All the statistical analyses were performed using SPSS v27, and the numerical and categorical variables were analyzed using appropriate statistical tests, including t-tests, ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation. RESULTS: Out of 205 policymakers, 88 participated (42.9% response rate): predominantly male (51.1%) and married (78.4%). The mean age was 49.84 ± 7.28 years, with a mean MOH tenure of 24.39 ± 6.80 years. Participants demonstrated high value for research (mean score 4.29 ± 0.55) and expressed confidence in the research utilization. Organizational emphasis on research use exhibited nuanced perceptions, identifying areas where MOH support may be lacking. Access to research resources and processes for policy development guidance were highlighted as challenges. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides crucial insights into the research capacities and engagement of Kuwaiti health policymakers. It emphasizes the need for targeted interventions to align individual perceptions with organizational expectations, address confidence disparities, and enhance collaborative efforts. Organizational investments are crucial for fostering a dynamic research ecosystem to improve evidence-based policy development in Kuwait's healthcare landscape.

Research priorities on microplastics in marine and coastal environments: An Australian perspective to advance global action.

Plastic and microplastic contamination in the environment receive global attention, with calls for the synthesis of scientific evidence to inform actionable strategies and policy-relevant practices. We provide a systematic literature review on microplastic research across Australian coastal environments in water, sediment and biota, highlighting the main research foci and gaps in information. At the same time, we conducted surveys and workshops to gather expert opinions from multiple stakeholders (including researchers, industry, and government) to identify critical research directions to meet stakeholder needs across sectors. Through this consultation and engagement process, we created a platform for knowledge exchange and identified three major priorities to support evidence-based policy, regulation, and management. These include a need for (i) method harmonisation in microplastic assessments, (ii) information on the presence, sources, and pathways of plastic pollution, and (iii) advancing our understanding of the risk of harm to individuals and ecosystems.

Impact of National Centralized Drug Procurement policy on chemical pharmaceutical enterprises' R&D investment: a difference-in-differences analysis in China.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the National Centralized Drug Procurement (NCDP) policy on chemical pharmaceutical enterprises' R&D investment and provide references for improving NCDP policy design and encouraging innovation in the pharmaceutical industry. Methods: Using the panel data of 102 Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share listed enterprises from 2016 to 2022 under the chemical pharmaceutical classification of Shenwan in Wind database as the research sample, this study developed difference-in-differences (DID) models on bid-winning and bid-non-winning enterprises, respectively, to evaluate the impact of NCDP policy on their R&D investment. In addition, this study tested the heterogeneity of bid-winning enterprises based on the bid success rate, the decline of drug price, and enterprise size. Results: The NCDP policy could encourage chemical pharmaceutical companies to increase R&D investment, but the low bid success rate and excessive drug price reduction would reduce their R&D enthusiasm, especially for small- and medium-sized enterprises. Discussion: It is suggested that the NCDP policy should be further improved: first, revise the bidding rule of the NCDP policy and increase the bid success rate so that more enterprises can win bids, and second, to solve the problem of excessive drug price reduction, evaluate the rationality of bid-winning prices, and introduce a two-way selection mechanism between medical institutions and supply enterprises. Integrate pharmacoeconomic evaluation into the NCDP rules to form a benign competition among enterprises. Third, attention should be paid to supporting policies for small- and medium-sized enterprises. By increasing procurement volume, shortening payment time limits, and increasing the proportion of advance payments, enterprises' cash flow shortages can be alleviated, thus achieving fairness and inclusiveness in the implementation of the NCDP policy.

Contributions of Prof. P. Venkataramaiah to the research on radiation physics and education in India.

Prof. P. Venkataramaiah (P.V.), born on July 08, 1937, has been active in research for the past five decades in several areas of Nuclear Physics and Environmental Sciences. He has visited several Universities and research institutes in various countries such as Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, France, the UK, Canada and the USA. Apart from research work he has also held many administrative positions and made revolutionary improvements in the education sector of India. Even after retirement, Prof. P.V. has actively involved himself inspiring and encouraging the younger generation at secondary level. As an honour for his untiring dedication even in his eighties, his colleagues and students have written articles about his contributions to research and education. This include contributions from Prof. P.V. himself along with Prof. K.S. Mallesh, Prof. N. Nagaiah, Prof. S.A. Bari, Prof. M. Venkateshwaralu, Shri. M. Vasudev, Dr K. Nagaraja, Mrs. Sreemathi Hariprasad and Dr N. Bhagyalakshmi.

Role of independent research at AERB for ensuring safety of nuclear facilities in India.

The mission of Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) of India is to ensure that the use of ionising radiation and nuclear energy in India does not cause unacceptable impact on the workers, members of the public and to the environment. AERB has the mandate to carry out detailed safety review for the siting, construction, commissioning, operation and decommissioning of nuclear and radiation facilities established within the country. To deliver and maintain a strong, credible and technically sound regulation, AERB has established the Safety Research Institute (SRI) at Kalpakkam with a robust technical infrastructure and wide knowledge base. This paper highlights the independent safety research activities carried out at SRI and its role to support and facilitate the decision-making process by AERB at various stages of regulatory review for ensuring safety of the nuclear facilities in India.