Teaching research integrity and bioethics to science undergraduates

Undergraduate students in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of South Alabama, Mobile, are required to take a course entitled "Issues in Biomedical Sciences," designed to increase students' awareness about bioethical questions and issues concerning research integrity. This paper describes the main features of this course and summarizes the results of a survey designed to evaluate the students' perceptions about the course. A summary of this study was presented at the 2002 Conference on Research Integrity in Potomac, MD, sponsored by the Office of Research Integrity of the National Institutes of Health.     

A Procedure for Life-Cycle-Based Solid Waste Management with Consideration of Uncertainty

The development of integrated solid-waste management (SWM) strategies that are efficient with respect to both cost and environmental performance is a complex task. It must incorporate the numerous interrelations among different unit operations in the solid waste system (e.g., collection, recycling, and combustion), and the large number of design parameters that affect estimates of cost and environmental emissions. Uncertainty in design and operational parameters can lead to uncertainty in the estimates of cost and emissions. This article describes an extension of the capability of the Integrated Solid Waste Management Decision Support Tool (ISWM DST) to enable consideration of the effects of uncertainty in input parameters. The uncertainty analysis capability is illustrated using a hypothetical case study of a typical municipality. Results show that increased expenditure does not necessarily result in a reduction in the expected levels of environmental emissions and that some SWM alternatives may be more robust, although deterministic estimates of their expected performances are similar. The uncertainty analysis also facilitates use of the ISWM DST by policy makers responsible for evaluation of the expected effect of SWM practices on, for example, greenhouse-gas emissions.     

The hove assessment method: principal structure and pilot application

The German Waste Avoidance, Recovery and Disposal Act (KrW-/AbfG) creates the demand to select for “high quality” and “environmentally sound” waste treatment and disposal techniques. Waste disposers have to choose the most “high quality” and “environmentally sound” technique among different treatment and disposal options, and therefore must have a way to comparably evaluate the different techniques. Prognos developed an assessment method called HoVe to evaluate waste treatment and disposal facilities based on these new guidelines. It adheres to international standards of life cycle assessments (DIN/ ISO 14 040). The assessment is based on emission, material, energy and economic data which already exists, making it practical, time and cost efficient. HoVe employs three Impact Categories (IC) to evaluate the impact of waste treatment. Each IC is characterized by Impact Clusters (ICL) to which original plant data are allocated. The ICL consider the amount and quality of produced products and residues from treatment processes, as well as the issues of ecological impact and energy balance. Further they incorporate economic aspects in order to assess the economic soundness of treatment and disposal plants, a requirement of the KrW-/AbfG. A pilot assessment of treatment options for shredder residues proves the viability of the method.     

Reframing placebo in research and practice

The terms 'placebo' and 'placebo effects' cause confusion among patients, practitioners and scientists. This confusion results in both the adoption of practices that have no evidence of specificity yet considerable risk (such as surgery for low back pain) or the elimination of clinical practices proven to facilitate healing because they are not 'better than placebo' (such as acupuncture for low back pain). In this article, I discuss these issues and introduce the concept of optimal healing environment as a framework for disentangling what is useful from placebo research for adopting into clinical practice in a manner that is ethical and evidence-based.     

Biological response of using municipal solid waste compost in agriculture as fertilizer supplement

Waste management and declining soil fertility are the two main issues experienced by all developing nations, like India. Nowadays, agricultural utilization of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is one of the most promising and cost effective options for managing solid waste. It is helpful in solving two current burning issues viz. soil fertility and MSW management. However, there is always a potential threat because MSW may contain pathogens and toxic pollutants. Therefore, much emphasis has been paid to composting of MSW in recent years. Application of compost from MSW in agricultural land helps in ameliorating the soil’s physico-chemical properties. Apart from that it also assists in improving biological response of cultivated land. Keeping the present situation in mind, this review critially discusses the current scenario, agricultural utilization of MSW compost, role of soil microbes and soil microbial response on municipal solid waste compost application.     

Bullying among medical students in a Saudi medical school

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Bullying and sexual harassment of medical students by their teachers appears to be widespread phenomenon. However, nothing is published about its prevalence in conservative countries such as Saudi Arabia. This survey aims to ascertain the extent of these mistreatments among students in a Saudi medical school. FINDINGS: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted on a group of 542 clinical years' medical students in a Saudi medical school to explore students' perceptions of their educational environment including exposure to different kinds of bullying. Bullying was defined as "a "persistent behaviour against a medical student that is intimidating, degrading, offensive or malicious and undermines the confidence and self- esteem of the recipient". Results revealed that more than one quarter (28.0 %) of the surveyed students reported exposure to some sort of bullying during their clinical . Ninety percent of the reported insults were verbal, 6 % sexual and 4 % physical. Males were more exposed but difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Bullying among Saudi medical students is an existing problem. A policy against bullying and harassment should be adopted in all of medical colleges to monitor this phenomenon and support students who have been bullied.     

全科医师急救技能调查分析

目的:了解全科医师对急救技能掌握情况和对培训的态度。方法:对在我院参加培训28名社区全科医师急救技能进行调查,对心肺复苏中的胸外心脏按压频率、电除颤功率等问题进行理论和技能考核,并对4项技术(止血、包扎、固定和转运)进行技能考核。根据职称分为初级和中级2组,比较2组成绩差异;发放调查问卷,了解对急救技能培训的需求情况。结果:社区全科医师急救技能掌握普遍较差,心肺复苏技能平均合格率为14.2%,4项技术合格率为17.8%;初级与中级职称组成绩无差别(P>0.05);89.2%的社区全科医师认为急救技能非常重要,92.8%希望定期得到急救技能培训。结论:社区全科医师急救技能普遍掌握较差,应定期进行对他们急救技能培训。     

Food waste posing a serious threat to sustainability in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – A systematic review

Worldwide, food waste is one of the prime issues threatening food security and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is not an exception. With 427 kg of food wasted per capita per year, the country ranks among the top food wasters. Ironically, the Kingdom has limited arable lands and scarce water resources to support mass-scale agriculture and to feed its increasing population, KSA relies heavily on imports and subsidized food to meet needs. Yet, food is wasted at restaurants, caterers, cafeterias and, especially, by households such that food waste is the single-largest component of the landfills. The review article is based on the grey and scientific literature published in the English and Arabic languages on the issue of food waste in Saudi Arabia. Information sources like Web of knowledge, online resources and the databases available through the King Saud University, Saudi Arabia were accessed and used to collect information on food waste, its social, cultural, economic and environmental impacts and related topics. Since food items and groceries are abundantly available to all living in KSA and they are highly subsidized, the residents take food for granted. According to a recent survey, about 78% of food purchased in KSA is discarded each week in order to make room for new groceries. The factors responsible for food waste include: lack of awareness; and insufficient and inappropriate planning when shopping. Food waste in restaurants, celebrations, social events and occasions are enormous. Waste is common in festivals and special events where the customs is to provide more food than required. There is a need to change society’s food culture, particularly among the women and the youth, as they are largest segment of the society and the prime food wasters. The analysis of the factors responsible for food waste, identified in this article suggests a “Stop Wasting Food” campaign should be launched. It is also recommended to determine and activate the role of extension education to reduce food waste in the KSA through vibrant capacity building programs for youth and women, in particular, and society in general.     

Survey of general practitioners' attitudes to AIDS in the North West Thames and East Anglian regions

As the numbers of people suffering from human immunodeficiency virus infection and the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) increase, so will the contribution to care required from general practice. A postal questionnaire survey was therefore carried out among general practitioners in the North West Thames and East Anglian regions to determine their attitudes to AIDS and the issues it raises for them. One hundred and thirty seven questionnaires were returned (response rate 57%) and four factors underlying the doctors'' attitudes identified; these concerned disease control, general practitioner care, patient support, and perception of seriousness. There were wide divergencies of attitude among the general practitioners, younger doctors being more in line with specialist thinking on AIDS than older colleagues, and evidence of important gaps between policies advocated by AIDS specialists and bodies of opinion in general practice.Attitudes to AIDS in general practice may partly be a function of personal experience; further study is required.     

Contemplating choice: attitudes towards intervening in human reproduction in Sri Lanka

To date, relatively little is known about the ethical, legal and social responses to recent advances in reproductive and genetic technology outside of Europe and North America. This article reports on a survey carried out among doctors (n?=?278) and medical students (n?=?1256) in Sri Lanka to find out more about their responses to novel interventions in human reproduction such as In-Vitro Fertilization, Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis and genetic engineering. In the first part of the paper comparisons are drawn between this survey and a survey carried out in 1985 which also considered issues surrounding amniocentesis and therapeutic termination. The second part of the paper deals with more recent developments. The analysis reveals high levels of support for the use of new technologies in treating infertility and identifying genetic disorders. However, differences are apparent among the major religious communities represented in the sample and these are particularly in evidence in relation to pre-natal genetic diagnosis. An important theme throughout both surveys is the continuing tension surrounding State policy on termination of pregnancy and the implications this has for the development of screening and counseling services where genetic disorders are concerned.     

Smoking Experimentation among Elementary School Students in China: Influences from Peers,Families, and the School Environment

The aim of this study was to investigate experimentation with smoking among primary school students in China. Data were acquired from a recent survey of 4,073 students in grades 4 to 6 (ages 9–12) in 11 primary schools of Ningbo City. The questions were adapted from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS). Results suggest that although the Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE) encourages smoke-free schools, experimentation with cigarettes remains a serious problem among primary school students in China. Peers, family members, and the school environment play important roles in influencing smoking experimentation among students. Having a friend who smoked, seeing a family member smoke, and observing a teacher smoking on campus predicted a higher risk of experimentation with smoking; the exposure to anti-tobacco materials at school predicted a lower risk of experimentation with smoking. The evidence suggests that public health practitioners and policymakers should seek to ensure the implementation of smoke-free policies and that intervention should target young people, families, and communities to curb the commencement of smoking among children and adolescents in China.     

Measuring Garbage: Three Books and Three Perspectives on Solid Waste Management

Book reviewed in this article:
Integrated Solid Waste Management: A Life Cycle Inventory, byForbes R. McDougall, Peter R. White1, Marina Franke1, andPeter Hindlel
Solid Waste Engineering, by P. Aarne Vesilind1, William A. Worrell, and Debra R. Reinhart1
Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash, by Elizabeth Roytel     

A Survey of The Appreciation of Anaerobic Infections by Venezuelan Medical Students

The background of a successful clinical diagnosis of an anaerobic infection is dependent, to a large extent, on the skills, knowledge and awareness that the examining clinician acquired during his or her time as a medical student. To assess the quality of current teaching protocols in anaerobic microbiology in Venezuela, a survey was carried out among 300 medical students attending three medical schools. The survey consisted of a questionnaire of 18 questions on fundamental aspects of anaerobic bacteria, the infections they cause and their treatment. Although there was only a poor response rate (from 16% of students), the conclusion of the study was that there was a distinct lack of knowledge and appreciation of anaerobic infections among medical students in Venezuela.     

Contemplating choice: attitudes towards intervening in human reproduction in Sri Lanka

To date, relatively little is known about the ethical, legal and social responses to recent advances in reproductive and genetic technology outside Europe and North America. This article reports on a survey carried out among doctors (n=278) and medical students (n=1256) in Sri Lanka to find out more about their responses to novel interventions in human reproduction such as In-Vitro Fertilization, Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis and genetic engineering. In the first part of the paper comparisons are drawn between this survey and a survey carried out in 1985 which also considered issues surrounding amniocentesis and therapeutic termination. The second part of the paper deals with more recent developments. The analysis reveals high levels of support for the use of new technologies in treating infertility and identifying genetic disorders. However, differences are apparent among the major religious communities represented in the sample and these are particularly in evidence in relation to prenatal genetic diagnosis. An important theme throughout both surveys is the continuing tension surrounding State policy and termination of pregnancy and the implications this has for the development of screening and counseling services where genetic disorders are concerned.     

城市垃圾堆肥及其复合肥对黑麦草草坪质量的影响

为加速城市生活垃圾堆肥农业资源化利用研究,避免重金属等有害物质进入食物链,利用盆栽试验,研究了垃圾堆肥及以其为原料研制而成的3种复合肥的不同施肥水平对土壤肥力,黑麦草生长及草坪质量的影响,以选取最佳的适合黑麦草生长的垃圾肥料及其施用量。共设空白、堆肥、化肥、复合肥1、复合肥2、复合肥3等6个处理,每个处理又分为高、中、低3种施肥水平,测试草坪生物指标的质量状况和土壤肥力。结果表明:与化肥比较,垃圾复合肥可以显著提高土壤有机质、全氮、碱解氮、全磷的含量。垃圾复合肥明显促进了黑麦草的茎与根系的生长,提高了生物量,改善了叶片的色泽和整齐度,提高了草坪的密度和质量;促进了黑麦草对氮的吸收,尤其是生长后期,叶片中氮和叶绿素的含量明显高于化肥与空白处理,且差异显著。草坪质量综合评价以垃圾复合肥1的中量施肥处理为最好,黑麦草分蘖最高,地上生物量适度;除复合肥的高量施肥处理外,复合肥1的中量施肥处理茎叶中氮素和叶绿素含量最高,草坪品质最高。     

Using Role Play to Debate Animal Testing

The use of animals in biomedical research is a socio-scientific issue in which decision-making is complicated. In this article, we describe an experience involving a role play activity performed during school visits to the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) to debate animal testing. Role playing games require students to defend different positions and permit participants to debate and reflect on their personal opinions. A total of 262 students from 15- to 30-years-old participated in the activity. The article presents an analysis of the students’ opinions on this topic before and after performing the activity. Our results show that students actively took part in debate and made use of the new information provided by the game, especially the legal aspects. In conclusion, the role play activity helped participants to create a more informed opinion, stimulated critical thinking and argumentation skills. We encourage science teachers to use role playing games to discuss socio-scientific issues.     

Medical Student Knowledge of Neglected Tropical Diseases in Peru: A Cross-Sectional Study

In developing countries, education to health-care professionals is a cornerstone in the battle against neglected tropical diseases (NTD). Studies evaluating the level of knowledge of medical students in clinical and socio-demographic aspects of NTD are lacking. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was conducted among students from a 7 year-curriculum medical school in Peru to assess their knowledge of NTD by using a pilot survey comprised by two blocks of 10 short questions. Block I consisted of socio-demographic and epidemiological questions whereas block II included clinical vignettes. Each correct answer had the value of 1 point. Out of 597 responders (response rate: 68.4%), 583 were considered to have valid surveys (male:female ratio: 1:1.01; mean age 21 years, SD ± 2.42). Total knowledge showed a raising trend through the 7-year curriculum. Clinical knowledge seemed to improve towards the end of medical school whereas socio-demographic and epidemiological concepts only showed progress the first 4 years of medical school, remaining static for the rest of the curricular years (p = 0.66). Higher mean scores in socio-demographic and epidemiological knowledge compared to clinical knowledge were seen in the first two years (p<0.001) whereas the last three years showed higher scores in clinical knowledge (p<0.001). In conclusion, students from this private medical school gained substantial knowledge in NTD throughout the career which seems to be related to improvement in clinical knowledge rather than to socio-demographic and epidemiological concepts. This study assures the feasibility of measuring the level of knowledge of NTD in medical students and stresses the importance of evaluating education on NTD as it may need more emphasis in epidemiological concepts, especially at developing countries such as Peru where many people are affected by these preventable and treatable diseases.     

From Life Cycle Assessment to Life Cycle Management

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a widely accepted methodology to support decision‐making processes in which one compares alternatives, and that helps prevent shifting of environmental burdens along the value chain or among impact categories. According to regulation in the European Union (EU), the movement of waste needs to be reduced and, if unavoidable, the environmental gain from a specific waste treatment option requiring transport must be larger than the losses arising from transport. The EU explicitly recommends the use of LCA or life cycle thinking for the formulation of new waste management plans. In the last two revisions of the Industrial Waste Management Programme of Catalonia (PROGRIC), the use of a life cycle thinking approach to waste policy was mandated. In this article we explain the process developed to arrive at practical life cycle management (LCM) from what started as an LCA project. LCM principles we have labeled the “3/3” principle or the “good enough is best” principle were found to be essential to obtain simplified models that are easy to understand for legislators and industries, useful in waste management regulation, and, ultimately, feasible. In this article, we present the four models of options for the management of waste solvent to be addressed under Catalan industrial waste management regulation. All involved actors concluded that the models are sufficiently robust, are easy to apply, and accomplish the aim of limiting the transport of waste outside Catalonia, according to the principles of proximity and sufficiency.