Design and evaluation of a widget-based dashboard for awareness support in Research Networks

In this article, we describe the rationale, design and evaluation of a widget-based dashboard to support scholars’ awareness of their Research Networks. We introduce the concept of a Research Network and discuss Personal Research Environments that are built of as a development parallel to Personal Learning Environments. Based on the results of an international interview study, we report on the design of a paper prototype of an awareness dashboard (AWESOME). Research in the Internet age has changed; the dashboard is tailor-made for use in modern research. We compared existing scholarly toolsets with our paper prototype. The evaluation of the user tests shows that, on all tested items, AWESOME performs better than the existing toolsets: it is easier to use, less time-consuming, more user-friendly, more supportive with regards to technology and awareness and, finally, helps researchers to carry out their tasks more effectively.     

Book reviews

Publishing Research Quarterly -     

Optimal dispersion of R&D activities in multinational corporations with a genetic algorithm

This paper presents a new communication-economic network model to predict the allocation of R&D activities in MNCs. While traditional models examine the influencing factors of R&D internationalization separately for each country and come to a one-dimensional result, this multi-dimensional approach integrates the influencing factors in a way that allows to identify an efficient configuration of the entire R&D subsystem in many countries at a time. It captures the information flows and employs a genetic algorithm to find a dispersion of R&D activities in which the problems of international communication have the least negative impact. The model is tested with data from seven MNCs covering a range of 48 countries as potential R&D locations.     

Assessment drives learning: The effect of central exit exams on curricular knowledge and mathematical literacy

In this paper, we use data from the German PISA 2003 sample to study the effects of central exit examinations on student performance and student attitudes. Unlike earlier studies we use (i) a value-added measure to pin down the effect of central exit exams on learning in the last year before the exam and (ii) separate test scores for mathematical literacy and curriculum-based knowledge. The findings indicate that central exit exams improve curriculum-based knowledge but do not affect mathematical literacy. Students, although showing a better performance, are less intrinsically motivated in school.     

Does schooling affect health behavior? Evidence from the educational expansion in Western Germany

During the postwar period German states pursued policies to increase the share of young Germans obtaining a university entrance diploma (Abitur) by building more academic track schools, but the timing of educational expansion differed between states. This creates exogenous variation in the availability of upper secondary schooling, which allows estimating the causal effect of education on health behaviors. Using the number of academic track schools in a state as an instrumental variable for years of schooling, we investigate the causal effect of schooling on health behavior such as smoking and related outcomes such as obesity. We find large and robust negative effects of education on smoking for women. These effects can mostly be attributed to reductions in starting rates rather than increases in quitting rates. We also find large negative effects of education on smoking for men. However, the precision of these is not robust to sample specification changes and results for men should thus be interpreted with caution. We find no causal effect of education on reduced overweight and obesity.     

Liver transplantation reverses hypergammaglobulinemia in patients with chronic hepatic failure

Introduction

Sparse data are available about the effect of therapy methods on antibody levels in patients with liver failure. The aim of this study was to determine serum immunoglobulin concentrations in patients with chronic hepatic failure (CHF), acute- (ALF), or acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) and to evaluate the impact of MARS treatment or liver transplantation (LT) on antibody levels.

Materials and methods

We followed ten patients with ALF, twelve with ACLF and 18 with CHF. Eight patients with ALF and seven with ACLF underwent MARS therapy, whereas the rest received LT. 13 healthy volunteers served as controls. Serum antibody concentrations were measured using ELISA-technique.

Results

Median serum levels of IgA, IgG and IgM were significantly increased in patients with CHF compared to ALF or controls (P < 0.02, P < 0.01, and P < 0.01). IgM and IgG concentrations were also significantly elevated in patients with CHF compared to ACLF (IgM, 3.7 vs. 1 g/L, P < 0.001; IgG, 8.7 vs. 3.1 g/L, P = 0.004). Immediately after LT a significant decrease of IgA (6.9 vs. 3.1 g/L, P = 0.004), IgG (8.7 vs. 5.1 g/L, P = 0.02) and IgM (3.7 vs. 1.8 g/L, P = 0.001) was detected in patients with CHF and antibody levels further decreased the days after LT reaching levels comparable to healthy individuals. MARS treatment had no apparent effect on the immunoglobulin profile in patients with ALF or ACLF.

Conclusion

We provide evidence that LT reverses hypergammaglobulinemia in patients suffering from CHF within one day, which could be explained to a reconstituted hepatic antibody clearance, whereas MARS treatment has no immediate effect on immunoglobulin levels.Key words: antibodies, immunoglobulins, liver failure, liver transplantation, artificial liver support system, molecular adsorbent recirculating system     

Lessons learnt from applying action research to support strategy formation processes in long-term care networks

This study demonstrates how action research (AR) that is aimed at scaling-up experiments can be applied to support a strategy formation process (SFP) in a subsidized long-term care network. Previous research has developed numerous AR frameworks to support experiments in various domains, but has failed to explain how to apply AR and action learning (AL) on the strategic level of organizational networks. Given this situation, we used a generic AR framework to explore its usefulness in supporting SFPs. The framework consists of four steps: (1) identifying the problem situation, (2) planning a solution, (3) taking action, and (4) reflecting on the action. The results show that utilizing AL in AR helps actors to reflect on and understand the challenges in forming a joint strategy in a network. We demonstrate that it can help to visualize the process and to create a common ground for discussion, to create a shared vision as well as commitment to scaling-up experiments. These insights should be used in future SFPs in networks. However, the results also show that the key barrier, the lack of executive commitment, was only identified at a late stage. This paper constitutes a first step toward a more sophisticated AR framework for strategy research. The mistakes highlighted here should help others avoid them in the future.     

Ressourcen und Anreize im Bildungswesen

Zusammenfassung  ?konomen haben viel Vertrauen in M?rkte und individuelle Entscheidungen. Jeder Staatseingriff bedarf der Begründung. Das gilt auch dann, wenn dies einen für die Wohlfahrt eines Landes so wichtigen Bereich wie die Bildung betrifft. Es muss zun?chst geprüft werden, ob und wo Marktversagen bei individuellen Entscheidungen über Bildungsinvestitionen vorliegt. Weiter bleibt zu diskutieren, wie der Staat geeignete Rahmenbedingungen für ein Bildungssystem setzen kann. Sollen mehr ?ffentliche Mittel in den Bildungssektor flie?en? Oder sind vielmehr im Bildungssystem Anreize zu setzen, damit sich sowohl die Lernenden als auch die Lehrenden intensiver im Bildungsprozess engagieren? Zur Gestaltung von Anreizen gibt es in der bildungs?konomischen Literatur eine Vielzahl von Ansatzpunkten, von denen in diesem Beitrag exemplarisch (und für Deutschland m?glicherweise besonders interessant) die Einführung zentraler Abschlussprüfungen und leistungsabh?ngiger Bezahlung von Lehrkr?ften diskutiert werden.

The impact of educational research: Reflections on the American experience

In the past fifteen years, expenditure on educational research and development in the United States has totalled 2.5 billion (US) dollars, but this amounts to only half a per cent of all educational expenditure. The agencies involved include a number of federal agencies (of which the National Institute of Education, established in 1972, is the main one), state agencies, colleges and universities, and specially created new institutions (R & D centers, regional educational laboratories).The initiative in research has shifted, since 1965, from the researchers themselves to the funding agencies, which operate both hard styles of funding (inviting bids for a prescribed project) and soft (declaring a general programme area).Teachers and policy makers are usually unaware of research findings, even when these form the basis of their decisions.Recent development of R & D is best understood as reflecting an over-riding concern with maximising its impact. Five strands of development illustrate this concern: development work, especially in curriculum; evaluation; the long-term effect of fundamental research; dissemination; and the growing attention given to study of the process of social inquiry.The complexity of the decentralized, loosely-coupled US system of education makes the impact of research difficult to identify and uncertain to forecast.

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Zusammenfassung In den USA beliefen sich die Staatsausgaben für Bildungsforschung und -entwicklung (R & D) in den letzten fünfzehn Jahren auf insgesamt 2,5 Milliarden Dollar. Dieser Betrag stellt jedoch nur 0,5% des Gesamtaufwands für Bildung dar. Zu den Stellen, die sich mit R & D befassen, gehören verschiedene Bundeseinrichtungen (vor allem das im Jahre 1972 errichtete National Institute of Education), staatliche Institutionen, Colleges und Universitäten sowie speziell für diesen Zweck gegründete neue Institutionen (R & D Zentren, regionale erziehungswissenschaftliche Laboratorien).Seit 1965 hat sich die Initiative für solche Forschung von den Forschern selbst auf die finanzierenden Organisationen verlagert. Diese betreiben sowohl eine harte (Vergabe von feststehenden Projekten) als auch eine weiche Finanzierungspolitik (Festsetzung eines allgemeinen Programmbereichs).Lehrer und Bildungspolitiker wissen gewöhnlich nichts von den Forschungsergebnissen, selbst wenn diese die Grundlage ihrer Entscheidungen bilden.Die neuere Entwicklung des R & D ist am besten als Reflektion eines überragenden Interesses an seiner maximalen Auswirkung zu verstehen. Fünf Stränge bezeugen dieses Interesse: Entwicklungsarbeit, besonders Curriculum-Entwicklung; Evaluation; die Langzeit-Wirkung von Grundforschung; und die wachsende Aufmerksamkeit, die dem Studium des Prozesses sozialer Untersuchung gewidmet wird.Wegen der Kompliziertheit des dezentralisierten, lose zusammenhängenden Bildungssystems der USA sind die Auswirkungen der Forschung schwer festzustellen und nicht mit Sicherheit vorauszusagen.

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Résumé Au cours de ces quinze dernières années, les dépenses relatives à la recherche et au développement en matière d'éducation aux Etats-Unis ont atteint 2,5 billions de dollars, toutefois cette somme ne représente que 0,5% de l'ensemble des dépenses afférentes à l'éducation. Les organismes officiels concernés comprennent un grand nombre d'organismes fédéraux (dont l'Institut national d'éducation, fondé en 1972, est le plus important), des organismes d'état, des collèges et des universités, ainsi que de nouvelles institutions créées spécialement à cet effet (centres R & D, laboratoires régionaux pour l'éducation).L'initiative dans le domaine de la recherche est passée, depuis 1965, des chercheurs eux-mêmes aux organismes officiels de financement dont le style va de la manière forte (sollicitant des soumissions pour un projet imposé) à la manière douce (décidant du champ du programme général).Les enseignants et les décisionnaires sont généralement tenus dans l'ignorance des résultats de la recherche, même lorsque ceux-ci constituent la base de leurs décisions.Le développement récent de la R & D, portant son impact au maximum, peut être regardé comme le reflet d'un intérêt des plus attentifs. Cinq plages de développement illustrent cet intérêt: tout d'abord travail de développement, principalement dans le curriculum; l'évaluation; l'effet à long-terme de la recherche fondamentale; la diffusion; et l'attention croissante portée à l'étude du processus de l'enquête sociale.La complexité du système américain d'éducation, décentralisé et couplé de façon relâchée fait qu'il est difficile d'identifier l'impact de la recherche et également de le prévoir.