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.

The Motivations and Experiences of Young Women in a Microbicide Trial in the USA and Puerto Rico

Young women are an important target group in microbicide research, yet little is known about why they participate and stay in microbicide trials. Our study examined motivations for participating in a Phase I microbicide trial among 61 women ages 18 - 24 years in the continental USA and Puerto Rico. We also examined their perspectives on study participation. Participants underwent a semi-structured in-depth interview in which they were asked about factors that motivated enrollment and their experiences while participating. They also completed a Web-based Computer Assisted Self Interview in which they were asked to rate study burden (1 = low to 4 = high). Factors that motivated enrollment were altruism (29%), compensation (17%), a combination of altruism and compensation (37%) and free medical exams (17%). Factors that encouraged participants to stay in the study were study staff (95%), confirmation of good health (41%), and the opportunity to learn about their bodies (17%). Mean ratings of study burden ranged from 1.83 (having to travel to site) to 2.41 (colposcopy), indicating that participants were not highly bothered by visits or procedures. Although Phase I trials require invasive procedures, participants were not highly bothered by them and recognized them as necessary. Good relationships with staff and clear information about how procedures contribute to study goals may encourage participants to remain in trials. Young women may be motivated to enter microbicide trials by stressing the role they will play in discovering better HIV-prevention methods and highlighting the comprehensive preventive exams they will receive.

Integrating volunteered smartphone data with multispectral remote sensing to estimate forest fuels

Volunteered data sources are readily available due to advances in electronic communications technology.For example,smartphones provide tools to collect ground-based observations over broad areas from a diverse set of data collectors,including people with,and without,extensive training.In this study,volunteers used a smartphone application to collect ground-based observations.Forest structural components were then estimated over a broader area using high spatial resolution RapidEye remote sensing imagery(5 spectral bands 440–850 nm,5 m spatial resolution)and a digital elevation model following a three nearest neighbor approach(K-NN).Participants with professional forestry experience on average chose highpriority fuel load locations near buildings,while nonprofessional participants chose a broader range of conditions over a larger extent.When used together,the professional and nonprofessional observations provided a more complete assessment of forest conditions.A generalized framework is presented that utilizes K-NN imputation tools for estimating the distribution of forest fuels using remote sensing and topography variables,ensuring spatial representation,checking attribute accuracy,and evaluating predictor variables.Frameworks to integrate volunteered data from smartphone platforms with remote sensing may contribute toward more complete Earth observation for Digital Earth.

EU-Citizen.Science:A Platform for Mainstreaming Citizen Science and Open Science in Europe

Citizen Science(CS)is a prominent field of application for Open Science(OS),and the two have strong synergies,such as:advocating for the data and metadata generated through science to be made publicly available[1];supporting more equitable collaboration between different types of scientists and citizens;and facilitating knowledge transfer to a wider range of audiences[2].While primarily targeted at CS,the EU-Citizen.Science platform can also support OS.One of its key functions is to act as a knowledge hub to aggregate,disseminate and promote experience and know-how;for example,by profiling CS projects and collecting tools,resources and training materials relevant to both fields.To do this,the platform has developed an information architecture that incorporates the public participation in scientific research(PPSR)-Common Conceptual Model.This model consists of the Project Metadata Model,the Dataset Metadata Model and the Observation Data Model,which were specifically developed for CS initiatives.By implementing these,the platform will strengthen the interoperating arrangements that exist between other,similar platforms(e.g.,BioCollect and SciStarter)to ensure that CS and OS continue to grow globally in terms of participants,impact and fields of application.