Machine learning applications in healthcare clinical practice and research

Machine learning(ML)is a type of artificial intelligence that assists computers in the acquisition of knowledge through data analysis,thus creating machines that can complete tasks otherwise requiring human intelligence.Among its various applications,it has proven groundbreaking in healthcare as well,both in clinical practice and research.In this editorial,we succinctly introduce ML applications and present a study,featured in the latest issue of the World Journal of Clinical Cases.The authors of this study conducted an analysis using both multiple linear regression(MLR)and ML methods to investigate the significant factors that may impact the estimated glomerular filtration rate in healthy women with and without non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD).Their results implicated age as the most important determining factor in both groups,followed by lactic dehydrogenase,uric acid,forced expiratory volume in one second,and albumin.In addition,for the NAFLD-group,the 5th and 6th most important impact factors were thyroid-stimulating hormone and systolic blood pressure,as compared to plasma calcium and body fat for the NAFLD+group.However,the study's distinctive contribution lies in its adoption of ML methodologies,showcasing their superiority over traditional statistical approaches(herein MLR),thereby highlighting the potential of ML to represent an invaluable advanced adjunct tool in clinical practice and research.

Synthetic data as an investigative tool in hypertension and renal diseases research

There is a growing body of clinical research on the utility of synthetic data derivatives,an emerging research tool in medicine.In nephrology,clinicians can use machine learning and artificial intelligence as powerful aids in their clinical decision-making while also preserving patient privacy.This is especially important given the epidemiology of chronic kidney disease,renal oncology,and hypertension worldwide.However,there remains a need to create a framework for guidance regarding how to better utilize synthetic data as a practical application in this research.

Harnessing artificial intelligence for identifying conflicts of interest in research

This editorial explores the transformative potential of artificial intelligence(AI)in identifying conflicts of interest(COIs)within academic and scientific research.By harnessing advanced data analysis,pattern recognition,and natural language processing techniques,AI offers innovative solutions for enhancing transparency and integrity in research.This editorial discusses how AI can automatically detect COIs,integrate data from various sources,and streamline reporting processes,thereby maintaining the credibility of scientific findings.

基于Clarivate Analytics “Highly Cited Researchers”的中美高被引科学家分析

运用文献计量学的方法,分析了Clarivate Analytics 2016年度高被引科学家的国家分布、高校分布、学科分布和科研合作等情况。结果表明:中国的一流科学家、学科建设和科研水平已经取得了巨大进步,但是与美国相比,除了工程、材料、化学等传统优势学科外,中国大部分学科仍然处于弱势地位。因此提出应当继续加快一流大学、一流学科和一流科学家的建设,逐步缩小与美国的差距。

The Association between Researchers’Conceptions of Research and Their Strategic Research Agendas

Purpose:In studies of the research process,the association between how researchers conceptualize research and their strategic research agendas has been largely overlooked.This study aims to address this gap.Design/methodology/approach:This study analyzes this relationship using a dataset of more than 8,500 researchers across all scientific fields and the globe.It studies the associations between the dimensions of two inventories:the Conceptions of Research Inventory(CoRI)and the Multi-Dimensional Research Agenda Inventory—Revised(MDRAI-R).Findings:The findings show a relatively strong association between researchers’conceptions of research and their research agendas.While all conceptions of research are positively related to scientific ambition,the findings are mixed regarding how the dimensions of the two inventories relate to one another,which is significant for those seeking to understand the knowledge production process better.Research limitations:The study relies on self-reported data,which always carries a risk of response bias.Practical implications:The findings provide a greater understanding of the inner workings of knowledge processes and indicate that the two inventories,whether used individually or in combination,may provide complementary analytical perspectives to research performance indicators.They may thus offer important insights for managers of research environments regarding how to assess the research culture,beliefs,and conceptualizations of individual researchers and research teams when designing strategies to promote specific institutional research focuses and strategies.Originality/value:To the best of the authors’knowledge,this is the first study to associate research agendas and conceptions of research.It is based on a large sample of researchers working worldwide and in all fields of knowledge,which ensures that the findings have a reasonable degree of generalizability to the global population of researchers.

Extracting a Heterogeneous Social Network of AcademicResearchers on the Web Based on Information Retrieved from Multiple Sources

The majority of academic researchers present the results of their scientific activity on the Web. This trace can be used to derive useful information of their past, present activity and forecast the future intentions. Hence, social network of academic researchers can be of important value for scientific community. This information can be retrieved from various data source currently available on the Web. From each of them a separate net-work can be built. In this paper we present a method which can be used to combine multiple single-relational networks into a single network which will combine all relations, hence it will be multi-relational.

Research funding and citations in papers of Nobel Laureates in Physics, Chemistry and Medicine, 2019-2020

Purpose:The goal of this study is a comparative analysis of the relation between funding(a main driver for scientific research)and citations in papers of Nobel Laureates in physics,chemistry and medicine over 2019-2020 and the same relation in these research fields as a whole.Design/methodology/approach:This study utilizes a power law model to explore the relationship between research funding and citations of related papers.The study here analyzes 3,539 recorded documents by Nobel Laureates in physics,chemistry and medicine and a broader dataset of 183,016 documents related to the fields of physics,medicine,and chemistry recorded in the Web of Science database.Findings:Results reveal that in chemistry and medicine,funded researches published in papers of Nobel Laureates have higher citations than unfunded studies published in articles;vice versa high citations of Nobel Laureates in physics are for unfunded studies published in papers.Instead,when overall data of publications and citations in physics,chemistry and medicine are analyzed,all papers based on funded researches show higher citations than unfunded ones.Originality/value:Results clarify the driving role of research funding for science diffusion that are systematized in general properties:a)articles concerning funded researches receive more citations than(un)funded studies published in papers of physics,chemistry and medicine sciences,generating a high Matthew effect(a higher growth of citations with the increase in the number of papers);b)research funding increases the citations of articles in fields oriented to applied research(e.g.,chemistry and medicine)more than fields oriented towards basic research(e.g.,physics).Practical implications:The results here explain some characteristics of scientific development and diffusion,highlighting the critical role of research funding in fostering citations and the expansion of scientific knowledge.This finding can support decision-making of policymakers and R&D managers to improve the effectiveness in allocating financial resources in science policies to generate a higher positive scientific and societal impact.

Can first or last name uniqueness help to identify diaspora researchers from any country?

Purpose:Diaspora researchers work in one country but have ancestral origins in another,either through moves during a research career(mobile diaspora researchers)or by starting research in the target country(embedded diaspora researchers).Whilst mobile researchers might be tracked through affiliation changes in bibliometric databases,embedded researchers cannot.This article reports an evidence-based discussion of which countries’diaspora researchers can be partially tracked using first or last names,addressing this limitation.Design/methodology/approach:A frequency analysis of first and last names of authors of all Scopus journal articles 2001-2021 for 200 countries or regions.Findings:There are great variations in the extent to which first or last names are uniquely national,from Monserrat(no unique first names)to Thailand(81%unique last names).Nevertheless,most countries have a subset of first or last names that are relatively unique.For the 50 countries with the most researchers,authors with relatively national names are always more likely to research their name-associated country,suggesting a continued national association.Lists of researchers’first and last name frequencies and proportions are provided for 200 countries/regions.Research limitations:Only one period is tracked(2001-2021)and no attempt was made to validate the ancestral origins of any researcher.Practical implications:Simple name heuristics can be used to identify the international spread of a sample of most countries’diaspora researchers,but some manual checks of individual names are needed to weed out false matches.This can supplement mobile researcher data from bibliometric databases.Originality/value:This is the first attempt to list name associations for the authors of all countries and large regions,and to identify the countries for which diaspora researchers could be tracked by name.

Lone Geniuses or One among Many?An Explorative Study of Contemporary Highly Cited Researchers

Purpose:The ranking lists of highly cited researchers receive much public attention.In common interpretations,highly cited researchers are perceived to have made extraordinary contributions to science.Thus,the metrics of highly cited researchers are often linked to notions of breakthroughs,scientific excellence,and lone geniuses.Design/methodology/approach:In this study,we analyze a sample of individuals who appear on Clarivate Analytics’Highly Cited Researchers list.The main purpose is to juxtapose the characteristics of their research performance against the claim that the list captures a small fraction of the researcher population that contributes disproportionately to extending the frontier and gaining—on behalf of society—knowledge and innovations that make the world healthier,richer,sustainable,and more secure.Findings:The study reveals that the highly cited articles of the selected individuals generally have a very large number of authors.Thus,these papers seldom represent individual contributions but rather are the result of large collective research efforts conducted in research consortia.This challenges the common perception of highly cited researchers as individual geniuses who can be singled out for their extraordinary contributions.Moreover,the study indicates that a few of the individuals have not even contributed to highly cited original research but rather to reviews or clinical guidelines.Finally,the large number of authors of the papers implies that the ranking list is very sensitive to the specific method used for allocating papers and citations to individuals.In the"whole count"methodology applied by Clarivate Analytics,each author gets full credit of the papers regardless of the number of additional co-authors.The study shows that the ranking list would look very different using an alternative fractionalised methodology.Research limitations:The study is based on a limited part of the total population of highly cited researchers.Practical implications:It is concluded that"excellence"understood as highly cited encompasses very different types of research and researchers of which many do not fit with dominant preconceptions.Originality/value:The study develops further knowledge on highly cited researchers,addressing questions such as who becomes highly cited and the type of research that benefits by defining excellence in terms of citation scores and specific counting methods.

Do Research Incentives Promote Researchers’Mental Health?

Background:Researchers have a higher risk of anxiety and depression than the general population,so it is important to promote researchers’mental health.Method:Based on the data from 3210 global researchers surveyed by the journal Nature in 2021,confirmatory factor analysis,OLS regression and other regressions were used to explore the research incentive dimensions and their effects on researchers’mental health.Results:(1)Material incentive factors,work-family life balance factors,good organizational environment and spiritual motivation had significant positive effects on researchers’mental health.(2)The spiritual motivation could better promote researchers’mental health than the other factors.(3)Heterogeneity analysis showed that material incentive factors and spiritual motivation created more significant stimulating effects on the mental health of humanities and social sciences researchers.Work-family life balance factors were more effective in promoting the mental health of the mid-career group and the overtime group.Conclusion:Application of the four research incentives resulted in lower likelihood of anxiety or depression among researchers,and special attention should be paid to the role of the spiritual motivation.In order to promote researchers’mental health,different incentives should be applied to different researcher groups to better improve researchers’mental health.

Participative Research:What Are the Advantages of Thinking about Research on the Cancer Care Pathway?Views of Two Patient Co-Researchers

Two patients relate their experience as co-researchers in a research project in the human and social sciences.From the genesis of the research project to the results,they detail their participation in each stage of this project alongside care professionals and researchers:their difficulties,their contributions,their pleasure,and speculations on the conditions for improving this type of active collaboration in a participative research project.

General laws of funding for scientific citations:how citations change in funded and unfunded research between basic and applied sciences

Purpose:The goal of this study is to analyze the relationship between funded and unfunded papers and their citations in both basic and applied sciences.Design/methodology/approach:A power law model analyzes the relationship between research funding and citations of papers using 831,337 documents recorded in the Web of Science database.Findings:The original results reveal general characteristics of the diffusion of science in research fields:a)Funded articles receive higher citations compared to unfunded papers in journals;b)Funded articles exhibit a super-linear growth in citations,surpassing the increase seen in unfunded articles.This finding reveals a higher diffusion of scientific knowledge in funded articles.Moreover,c)funded articles in both basic and applied sciences demonstrate a similar expected change in citations,equivalent to about 1.23%,when the number of funded papers increases by 1%in journals.This result suggests,for the first time,that funding effect of scientific research is an invariant driver,irrespective of the nature of the basic or applied sciences.Originality/value:This evidence suggests empirical laws of funding for scientific citations that explain the importance of robust funding mechanisms for achieving impactful research outcomes in science and society.These findings here also highlight that funding for scientific research is a critical driving force in supporting citations and the dissemination of scientific knowledge in recorded documents in both basic and applied sciences.Practical implications:This comprehensive result provides a holistic view of the relationship between funding and citation performance in science to guide policymakers and R&D managers with science policies by directing funding to research in promoting the scientific development and higher diffusion of results for the progress of human society.

Analyzing COVID-19 Impact on the Researchers Productivity through Their Perceptions

Context:Since the end of 2019,the COVID-19 pandemic had a worst impact on world’s economy,healthcare,and education.There are several aspects where the impact of COVID-19 could be visualized.Among these,one aspect is the productivity of researcher,which plays a significant role in the success of an organization.Problem:There are several factors that could be aligned with the researcher’s productivity of each domain and whose analysis through researcher’s feedback could be beneficial for decision makers in terms of their decision making and implementation of mitigation plans for the success of an organization.Method:We perform an empirical study to investigate the substantial impact of COVID-19 on the productivity of researchers by analyzing the relevant factors through their perceptions.Our study aims to find out the impact of COVID-19 on the researcher’s productivity that are working in different fields.In this study,we conduct a questionnaire-based analysis,which included feedback of 152 researchers of certain domains.These researchers are currently involved in different research activities.Subsequently,we perform a statistical analysis to analyze the collected responses and report the findings.Findings:The results indicate the substantial impact of COVID-19 pandemics on the researcher’s productivity in terms of mental disturbance,lack of regular meetings,and field visits for the collection of primary data.Conclusion:Finally,it is concluded that researcher’s daily or weekly meetings with their supervisors and colleagues are necessary to keep them more productive in task completion.These findings would help the decision makers of an organization in the settlement of their plan for the success of an organization.

Study on good clinical practices among researchers in a tertiary healthcare institute in India

BACKGROUND Good clinical practice(GCP)is put in place to protect human participants in clinical trials as well as to ensure the quality of research.Non-adherence to these guidelines can produce research that may not meet the standards set by the scientific community.Therefore,it must be ensured that researchers are wellversed in the GCP.But not much is known about the knowledge and practices of the GCP in the medical colleges of North India.AIM To assess the knowledge and practices of researchers about GCP and analyze these with respect to the demographics of participants.METHODS This is a cross-sectional study.A self-structured questionnaire about GCP,after expert validations,was circulated among researchers,at a tertiary healthcare institute,All India Institute of Medical Sciences(AIIMS),Rishikesh.A total of 59 individuals,who were selected by universal sampling,participated in the study.All healthcare workers who have been investigators of Institutional Ethics Committee-approved research projects,except residents and faculty,and are still a part of the institute have been included in the study.The study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of AIIMS,Rishikesh.We used descriptive analysis and the Chi-squared test to analyze data.P value<0.05 was considered significant.RESULTS Out of 59 participants,only 11(18.6%)were certified for GCP.Most of the participants(64.4%)had“Average”knowledge,33.9%had“Good”knowledge and 1.7%had“Poor”knowledge.Only 49%of participants had satisfactory practices related to GCP.There was a significant difference in the knowledge based on the current academic position for the items assessing knowledge of institutional review board(P=0.010),confidentiality&privacy(P=0.011),and participant safety&adverse events(P<0.001).There was also a significant difference in knowledge of research misconduct(P=0.024)and participant safety&adverse events(P=0.011)based on certification of GCP.There was a notable difference in the practices related to recruitment&retention on the basis of current academic position(P<0.001)and certification of GCP(P=0.023).We also observed a considerable difference between the knowledge and practices of GCP among the participants(P=0.013).CONCLUSION Participants have basic knowledge of GCP but show a lack thereof in certain domains of GCP.This can be addressed by holding training sessions focusing on these particular domains.

Evaluation of District-Based Indigenous Farmers’ and Researchers’ Fertilizer Application for Optimal Maize Production

Most research-based fertilizer inputs proposed for small scale farmers to increase their productivity do not achieve the required results and should consider indigenous practices. This study evaluates the practices of nutrient fertilizer input by farmers and researchers and relates them to their corresponding yields and profit so as to establish the appropriateness of the practices in 13 districts of the Northern regions of Ghana. Soil nutrients assessment of Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K) contents used to evaluate the soil NPK status was based on previous studies. Data on fertilizer application by farmers and researchers were obtained from the Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI). The amount of N, P and K fertilizer input in 13 Districts and its associated maize grain yields by both farmers (89) and researchers were calculated and compared using two-sample t-test. The t-test results indicated that average amount of fertilizer input by researchers was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than the average amount of fertilizer input by the smallholder farmers, but the high fertilizer input did not significantly (p = 0.74) increase researchers’ maize yields and profits in all 13 study districts grouped together, but there was maize increment in only eight districts. On the average, farmers from five districts applied low fertilizer and recorded low yields. However, when researchers increased quantities of fertilizer applied in these five districts, yield significantly (p < 0.05) increased. The outcome showed that smallholder farmers in these five districts could increase maize yields by 36% in the region should they adopt the maize production strategy by the researchers. The study concluded that, for best options, recommended fertilizer doses to enhance maize yields should consider district-specific farmers’ practices and soil NPK status. The study could enable better implementation of location-based nutrient recommendation in the Northern Region of Ghana.

The Romanian researchers＇ profile and career in the knowledge based economy

This study examines the international profile and career of 157 Romanian researchers. The majority considers the insufficient funding of research in Romania as playing a major role in their decision to work in the knowledge based economy. In addition, the survey reveals several other factors which motivate the emigration of Romanian scientists. While abroad, the majority kept in touch with their former university/research institute, colleagues and/or the Romanian scientific community, in general. More than half of the respondents prefer to work outside Romania, after completing their current professional projects.

Attaching Importance to the Training of Young Researchers and Promoting the Echelon Construction of the Research Institute

This paper analyzes the current situation of training young scientific and technological talents,attracting talents and making good use of talents in Changli Fruit Tree Research Institute of Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences.There are some problems,such as lack of talent recruitment planning,and lack of follow-up training mechanism.This paper puts forward some measures,such as formulating a scientific recruitment plan,making a follow-up plan for talent training,building an ability-and performance-oriented evaluation mechanism for scientific and technological talents,so as to attach importance to the training of young scientific research talents and promote the echelon construction of the research institute.

Financial Aid for Female Graduate Students, Researchers and Foreign Residents in Mexico, Over 35 Years Old

CONACYT in Mexico has implemented in recent years three types of scholarships and different specific supports for women who wish to complete their professional training, based on the National Development Plan ＂Equal Opportunities＂. These are in first place, Support for mothers who are heads of household （Bachelor and technical formation of a third level） such as single, divorced, widowed or separated Mexican mothers. In second place, it is the program complementing an education, specialization, masters or PhD--through Scholarship grants for academic strengthening of indigenous women in CONACYT enrolled in graduate studies in Mexico or abroad and the third place the Young Talents Program. Those modalities have met their specific objectives （we will focus on the first type）; however, the realities pertaining to the academic, scientific, work and life cycle of women in the XXI century go beyond marital statuses, motherhood, or any particular social statuses or being indigenous and this study motives the analysis of this matter in the country.

Research Progress and Prospects of Total Factor Productivity in the Construction Industry

The high-quality development of the construction industry fundamentally stems from the significant improvement of total factor productivity.Therefore,it is of crucial significance for promoting the development of the construction industry to a higher level by scientifically and accurately measuring the total factor productivity of the construction industry and deeply analyzing the influencing factors behind it.Based on a comprehensive consideration of research methods and influencing factors,this paper systematically reviews the existing relevant literature on total factor productivity in the construction industry,aiming to reveal the current research development trend in this field and point out potential problems.This effort aims to provide a solid theoretical foundation and valuable reference for further in-depth research,and jointly promote the continuous progress and development of total factor productivity research in the construction industry.

Recent Ventures in Interdisciplinary Arctic Research:The ARCPATH Project

This paper celebrates Professor Yongqi GAO's significant achievement in the field of interdisciplinary studies within the context of his final research project Arctic Climate Predictions: Pathways to Resilient Sustainable Societies-ARCPATH(https://www.svs.is/en/projects/finished-projects/arcpath). The disciplines represented in the project are related to climatology, anthropology, marine biology, economics, and the broad spectrum of social-ecological studies. Team members were drawn from the Nordic countries, Russia, China, the United States, and Canada. The project was transdisciplinary as well as interdisciplinary as it included collaboration with local knowledge holders. ARCPATH made significant contributions to Arctic research through an improved understanding of the mechanisms that drive climate variability in the Arctic. In tandem with this research, a combination of historical investigations and social, economic, and marine biological fieldwork was carried out for the project study areas of Iceland, Greenland, Norway, and the surrounding seas, with a focus on the joint use of ocean and sea-ice data as well as social-ecological drivers. ARCPATH was able to provide an improved framework for predicting the near-term variation of Arctic climate on spatial scales relevant to society, as well as evaluating possible related changes in socioeconomic realms. In summary, through the integration of information from several different disciplines and research approaches, ARCPATH served to create new and valuable knowledge on crucial issues, thus providing new pathways to action for Arctic communities.