Delphi methodology in healthcare research:How to decide its appropriateness

The Delphi technique is a systematic process of forecasting using the collective opinion of panel members.The structured method of developing consensus among panel members using Delphi methodology has gained acceptance in diverse fields of medicine.The Delphi methods assumed a pivotal role in the last few decades to develop best practice guidance using collective intelligence where research is limited,ethically/logistically difficult or evidence is conflicting.However,the attempts to assess the quality standard of Delphi studies have reported significant variance,and details of the process followed are usually unclear.We recommend systematic quality tools for evaluation of Delphi methodology;identification of problem area of research,selection of panel,anonymity of panelists,controlled feedback,iterative Delphi rounds,consensus criteria,analysis of consensus,closing criteria,and stability of the results.Based on these nine qualitative evaluation points,we assessed the quality of Delphi studies in the medical field related to coronavirus disease 2019.There was inconsistency in reporting vital elements of Delphi methods such as identification of panel members,defining consensus,closing criteria for rounds,and presenting the results.We propose our evaluation points for researchers,medical journal editorial boards,and reviewers to evaluate the quality of the Delphi methods in healthcare research.

Plant Root Research Methods and Trends

The root system is an important organ that plants absorb nutrients from the soil, and can synthesize the vital substances necessary for the plant. However, the study on root system is burdened with great challenges due to its underground roots. In order to further explore the research methods and techniques of plant roots, the research mainly reviewed the research methods of root system, and summarized the methods of conventional root research, such as digging method, core drilling method, container method and isotope method. The progress of CT scan method, ground penetrating radar, special environmental culture method, nucle- ar magnetic resonance method and CCD three-dimensional imaging method were reviewed. Prospects for plant root research were made according to the trends of root research methods usincl hiqh-end technolo.qy at home and abroad.

Moving beyond Component Research in Mountain Regions: Operationalizing Systems Integration at Farm and Landscape Scales

Most research in support of agricultural development and natural resource management in densely settled mountain ecosystems continues to emphasize component over system-level goals. Research by plant breeders, foresters and animal scientists is generally designed to maximize the yield of products within their particular area of expertise (edible plant parts, tree products and livestock products, respectively), while soil scientists aim largely to increase soil nutrient stocks. At landscape level the same dynamic holds within the agronomic sciences, while water engineers work independently to conserve water through its isolation from broader landscape dynamics, and other common property resources remain largely ignored. Opportunities to foster positive synergies between system components, and to integrate livelihood with conservation goals, are generally missed. This paper presents experiences of the African Highlands Initiative, an ecoregional program of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and a network of the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), in operationalizing integrated research at farm and landscape scale. Following a discussion of the shortcomings of the conventional research paradigm that beg for strongerintegration and a review of the contributions of extant research paradigms that help us move in the right direction, the paper lays a conceptual foundation for integrated research. System components at farm and landscape level are delineated, and this somewhat arbitrary conceptual partitioning of agroecological systems shown to influence the current research paradigm as well as the partitioning of institutional mandates. Diverse meanings of systems integration are then discussed to illustrate the synergies that might be built into agricultural and natural resource research programs. The distinction between the logic of maximization and optimization is then utilized to distinguish between component and “system-level” goals. This conceptual overview is followed by several case studies to illustrate how these concepts can guide the formulation of integrated research objectives, methods and outputs at farm and landscape scale. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of this alternative research paradigm for the structure, function and skill base of national and international agricultural research systems.

Research Progress in Occupational Health Risk Assessment Methods in China

Traditional occupational disease control and prevention has remained prevalent in China over recent decades. There are appropriately 30,000 new case reports of occupational diseases annually. Although China has already established a series of occupational disease prevention programs, occupational health risk assessment （OHRA） strategies continue to be a limitation.

Quantitative comparison of cranial approaches in the anatomy laboratory: A neuronavigation based research method

AIMTo describe the development and validation of a novel neuronavigation-based method, which allows the quan-tification of the anatomical features that define anapproach, as well as real-time visualization of the surgicapyramid. METHODSThe method was initially developed with commercially-available hardware for coordinate collection （a digitizerand a frameless navigation system） and software forvolume rendering; dedicated neuronavigation software （ApproachViewer, part of GTx-UHN） was then developed. The accuracy of measurements and the possibility of volumetric rendering of surgical approaches simulated in a phantom were compared among three different methods and commercially-available radiological software. In the anatomy laboratory, ApproachViewer was applied to the comparative quantitative analysis of multiple neurosurgical approaches and was used by many surgeons who were untrained for the research method.RESULTSThe accuracy of ApproachViewer is comparable to com-mercially-available radiological software. In the anatomy laboratory, the method appears versatile. The system can be easily used after brief training. ApproachViewer allows for real-time evaluation and comparison of surgical approaches, as well as post-dissection analyses of collected data. The accuracy of the method depends on the navigation registration： with a 1-2 mm registration error, it is adequate for evaluation and comparison of most neurosurgical approaches.CONCLUSIONThis new research method and software allows semi-automated visualization, quantifcation, and comparison of neurosurgical approaches in the anatomy laboratory.

A Review of Research Directions and Research Methods of Farmland Weeds

Farmland weeds are an important part of farmland ecosystems.Research on farmland weeds is one of the major research fields in agricultural ecology.It is of great significance for achieving high yield,high quality and high efficiency in agriculture.In recent years,research on farmland weeds has focused on investigation of weed communities,research on weed seed banks,and research on weed control.These three research directions complement each other.Among them,the investigation work of weed communities and the research of weed seed banks are helpful for us to grasp the occurrence of farmland weeds more accurately and provide references for the control of farmland weeds.This article summarizes the research directions of farmland weeds in recent years(weed community investigation,weed seed bank,weed control)and the research methods used,provide reference value for the follow-up research work of farmland weeds,and provide theoretical support for promoting the development of rural ecological industry and building beautiful villages.

URBAN TOURISM RESEARCH METHODOLOGY——A Case Study of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Area

This paper tries to apply a new and more comprehensive method to urban tourism research in an expanded field instead of only partially, unilaterally and separately focusing on the city itself. Taking the urban tourism of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao as an example, it aims at presenting a new spatial system of urban tourism research and pointing out the new orientation of urban tourism research in combination of macro level and micro level, from description to explanation. The meanings of the spatial framework construction for urban tourism study are to make clear how urban tourism studies vary with the changes of dimensions of time and space. This is a meaningful discussion because it will bring great changes to the using of literatures, the opening of research perspectives on urban tourism and the upgrading of theories, so as to create a new stage for urban tourism study.

Discussion on Professor Ba Jigemude's Research Methods of the History of Mongolian Medicine

The research methods of the history of Mongolian medicine refer to the general and special methods used in the understanding and research of the history of Mongolian medicine,as well as the methods of expression and compilation of the research achievements of the history of Mongolian medicine.There are not only analysis and generalization,abstractness and concreteness,deduction and induction,historical and logical methods,but also traditional philology methods such as textual research,exegesis and collation,as well as new methods such as field investigation method,empirical method,measurement method,comparison method,and oral account method.In the actual research process,a variety of methods are often used comprehensively.This paper mainly discusses the methods used by Professor Ba Jigemude in the study of the history of Mongolian medicine,and uses specific cases to analyze and summarize the formation and development of the history of ancient traditional medicine.

Qualitative Research Methods in Spatial Urban Development： A Methodological Investigation of Approaches into Urban Development Based on Centralities in the Context of a Medium-Sized European City

Dispersed and peripheral spaces in the urban core are influenced both by the trend towards constant growth as well as social ways of life which are constantly evolving. Following a connotation, these two factors therefore play a crucial role in defining the alternation of urban space--in particular, that of the centers. The main focus of this research article is on the methodology used in the survey and evaluation of ＂centralities＂ as well as their developments over the past four decades （1974-2014） in approaches to urban development that has been developed in Graz.~ The analysis has drawn on the four editions （＂evolution＂） of approaches to urban development as conceived by the city of Graz in order to examine their verbal characteristics in regard to centralities. At the same time, the analysis does not examine presentations of plans which exist in supplementary forms （e.g., explanatory reports and supplemented plans）--it restricts itself solely to the various plans set out in the STEKs.2 The highest degree of accuracy has been applied to the notion of ＂centralis＂ in approaches to urban development. The goal of the research project was to depict the modulation of the notion of ＂centrality＂ in the urban context as a space-forming dimension. Furthermore, it clearly shows the extent to which the notion of the ＂centre＂ （in the widest sense of the word） has become distanced from qualitative, spatial development and at the current time of urban development is experiencing a sort of Renaissance. In the field of ＂urban development＂, architectural references in the context of＂centrality＂ have scarcely been researched. This has led to the opening-up of a complex interdisciplinary research field. In order to make the complex architectural determinants of ＂centrality＂ more accessible to the participating disciplines, approaches to urban development have been explored in the form of a social and spatial analysis.

Database Research Method for Researches on International Chinese Language Teaching in an Era of Big Data

The database research method is a method that analyses, generalizes and deduces from the data of subject investigated with database techniques, quantitative statistics and mathematical models. As the big data age comes with the data explosion in modem society, the International Chinese Language Teaching （ICLT） shows signs of sizable data accumulation, remarkable economic property, strong modeling requirements and notable cross-research trends, which thus make this method necessary as a new and independent research method in the researches on this area. Theory bases, applicative areas, available software and data resources, research program designs, as well as their advantages and disadvantages will be figured out in this paper. In the near future, it will bring about a revolution to the international Chinese language teaching.

Research Methods and Essay Writing Analysis of MBA Dissertation

With the vigorous development of innovation and entrepreneurship in China,a large number of managers of innovation and entrepreneurship enterprises are studying for MBA degree.The enrollment scale of the MBA program is expanding.In order to improve the quality of MBA dissertation and promote the sustainable and healthy development of MBA education,based on the author's years of MBA teaching experience and dissertation writing guidance experience,this paper introduces three research methods of dissertation writing skills:case study method,enterprise diagnosis method and survey research method,and analyzes five steps of MBA dissertation writing,which can be used as a reference for MBA(EMBA)students to improve their dissertation writing level.

A Literature Review of the Research Method in the Study of L2 Pragmatic Competence of Chinese Tertiary-Level Students

This study combs through the frequently cited papers on L2 pragmatic competence of Chinese tertiary-level students from CNKI,and analyzes the research methods used in these studies.The findings are:Metapragmatic judgement item,discourse completion task,role play,and verbal reports are the most widely used instruments in the study of L2 pragmatic competence of Chinese tertiary-level students.Besides,other methods like natural comprehension and elicited conversation have received more attention in recent years.

APPLICATION OF HARMONIC ANALYSIS METHOD TO RESEARCH ON ROTOR AIRLOADS

According to the rotor vortex theory,the rotor circulation and the rotor induced velocity are developed into Fourier series.The circulation distribution along blade spanwise is expressed in terms of segment-by-segment linear functions.In consequence the induced velocity equations and the circulation equations are derived.The engineering application of the rotor vortex theory is provided.Then the induced velocity and its harmonic components are obtained to provide a quantitative basis for the vortex model.For calculating each harmonic component of the induced velocity a simplified method is put forward which considers the effects of each order circulation with neglecting those of higher order.The method saves the computer time and is of significant benefit.

Research Methods of Computer-assisted Second Language Acquisition

In this paper, the author presents an overview of the history and trends of the Research Methods in Second Language Acquisition in recent years; and then, combining the present situation in China, indicates that the approach of Action Research will be the future trend in research on Computer Assisted Second Language Acquisition （CASLA）. To explain the author＇s viewpoint, this paper firstly sets out to describe the author＇s understanding of the Research Methods in Second Language Acquisition （SLA）, and then the comprehension of Action Research in CASLA.

Epigenetic Methods in Neuroscience Research published

Epigenetic Methods in Neuroscience Research(ISBN:978-1-4939-2753-1,e Book ISBN:978-1-4939-2754-8)was published by Springer in 2016.The editor of this book is Nina N.Karpova,Neuroscience Center,University of Helsinki.This volume presents state-of-the-art methods for reliable detection of epigenetic changes in the nervous system.Epigenetic guides readers through methods for the analyses of chromatin remodeling,transposable elements,

Epigenetic Methods in Neuroscience Research published

Epilepsy Towards the Next Decade(ISBN:978-3-319-12282-3,eBook ISBN:978-3-319-12283-0)was published by Springer International Publishing in 2015.The editor of this book is Pasquale Striano,Pediatric Neurology and Muscular Diseases Unit,University of Genoa.This volume is a comprehensive collection of the most recent knowledge on the biological bases of various kinds of

New Methods in Genomic Research of Plants

Association mapping(as opposed to population mapping) is becoming more important in establishing associations between a phenotype and a genotype.The major advantage of association mapping,

Evolution of research methods in Psychology

psychology has more than 100 years developmwnt history, and make great success during this time. But in the after development, psychology met the unprecedented contradiction and conflict, facing division and broken, and in the embrassmed situation of divorced from society, positive psychology is emerge as the times requirement in this crisis. In order to better guide the development to positive psychology, providing philosophical theory and instructions on methodology,it is neeessary to discuss about the positive psycholog from a philosophical perspective. Since 1879 the western modern psychology come into being, the psychology of natural science orientation has been the mainstream of psychology. In addition, admit the uniqueness of man, attention to people＇s inner experience of humanistic psychology, also occupies a space in the confrontation with the reflection of the mainstream of scientific psychology, positive psychology from the research content to lead psychology to another port, but the research methods are not completely abandon the previous research methods of positivism psychology, but more introduced humanism based on the oositivism research method of scientific oriented.

The Internal Examination of Ideology and Politics Education in Colleges and Universities under the Perspective of Social Subject Research Method

Human is the subject of social and historical development process.The essence of human is the sum of social relations,and the masses are the creators of history.This is the basic content of social subject research methods,and also an important principle that must be followed by the subject category in ideology and politics education in colleges and universities.From the perspective of social subject research methods,the internal examination of the thought and politics education activities in colleges and universities should include three basic dimensions:adhering to examine the ideological and political moral construction activities via communicative practice,adhering to the principle of"all members,whole process and all dimensions(three-all principle)"to examine the"macro ideological and political"education concept,and adhering to the examination of the innovation of the ideology and politics education method system in higher education for the promotion of students’subjectivity.

Research Progress about the Mixing Brine Method to Produce Low- Sodium Carnallite from Saline Lake Brine

Mixing brine method,which founded on the commonion effect,is widely used for low-sodium carnallite production.Compared with traditional carnallite preparation techniques,the mixing brine method possess a