Yes / Studies of nanosized forms of bismuth (Bi)-containing materials have recently expanded from optical, chemical, electronic, and engineering fields towards biomedicine, as a result of their safety, cost-effective fabrication processes, large surface area, high stability, and high versatility in terms of shape, size, and porosity. Bi, as a nontoxic and inexpensive diamagnetic heavy metal, has been used for the fabrication of various nanoparticles (NPs) with unique structural, physicochemical, and compositional features to combine various properties, such as a favourably high X-ray attenuation coefficient and near-infrared (NIR) absorbance, excellent light-to-heat conversion efficiency, and a long circulation half-life. These features have rendered bismuth-containing nanoparticles (BiNPs) with desirable performance for combined cancer therapy, photothermal and radiation therapy (RT), multimodal imaging, theranostics, drug delivery, biosensing, and tissue engineering. Bismuth oxyhalides (BiOx, where X is Cl, Br or I) and bismuth chalcogenides, including bismuth oxide, bismuth sulfide, bismuth selenide, and bismuth telluride, have been heavily investigated for therapeutic purposes. The pharmacokinetics of these BiNPs can be easily improved via the facile modification of their surfaces with biocompatible polymers and proteins, resulting in enhanced colloidal stability, extended blood circulation, and reduced toxicity. Desirable antibacterial effects, bone regeneration potential, and tumor growth suppression under NIR laser radiation are the main biomedical research areas involving BiNPs that have opened up a new paradigm for their future clinical translation. This review emphasizes the synthesis and state-of-the-art progress related to the biomedical applications of BiNPs with different structures, sizes, and compositions. Furthermore, a comprehensive discussion focusing on challenges and future opportunities is presented. / M.-A. Shahbazi acknowledges financial support from the Academy of Finland (grant no. 317316). P. Figueiredo acknowledges the Finnish Cultural Foundation for its financial support (decision no. 00190246). H. A. Santos acknowledges financial support from the HiLIFE Research Funds, the Sigrid Juse´lius Foundation, and the Academy of Finland (grant no. 317042). / Research Development Fund Publication Prize Award winner, Jan 2020.

Yes / This paper presents the development of a new chatter model using measured cutting forces instead of a mathematical model with empirical nature that describes them. The utilisation of measured cutting forces enables the prediction of real-time chatter conditions and stable machining. The chatter model is validated using fast Fourier transform (FFT) analyses for detection of chatter. The key contribution of the developed chatter model is that it can be incorporated in digital twins for process monitoring and control in order to achieve greater material removal rates and improved surface quality in future industrial applications involving machining processes. / Research Development Fund Publication Prize Award winner, Sep 2020.

Yes / The northern and western isles of Scotland have proved fertile ground for archaeological investigation over the last 100 years. However, the nature of the landscape with its rugged coastlines and irregular topography, together with rapid peat growth rates, make for challenging surveying. Commonly, an archaeological monument or series of monuments is identified but little is known about the surrounding areas and, in particular, the palaeo-landscapes within which the monuments are located. This situation is exemplified by the standing stones of Calanais in Lewis. Here, surrounding peat bogs have buried a significant portion of the landscape around which the stones were first erected. This project identifies remote sensing geophysical techniques that are effective in mapping the buried (lost) landscape and thus aid better contextualisation of the stone monuments within it. Further, the project demonstrates the most appropriate techniques for prospecting across these buried landscapes for as yet unidentified stone features associated with the lives of the people who constructed the monuments. / Scottish Enterprise / Research Development Fund Publication Prize Award winner, December 2019.

This study was originally undertaken to change and improve the way I do my practice at Walter Sisulu University as a Research Associate whose responsibility is to facilitate research capacity development and research excellence within the University, amongst academics and postgraduate students. The success of the Research Resource Centre that I manage depends on the way I promote research culture and research productivity amongst academics and postgraduate students. According to Leedy and Ormrod (2013, p. 2), research is a systematic process that is used to collect, analyse, and interpret data in order to increase my understanding of the phenomenon about interest and concern about a given/identified phenomenon. In this case my own practice changed and improved for the better. The main objective of this study, therefore, was to examine the reasons behind the decline in research productivity in terms of research output and how this could be reversed through action research study intervention in order to enhance research productivity at Walter Sisulu University (WSU). The Department of Higher Education and Training’s (DHET) allocation of research output units for WSU indicated that there was a decline in research output from 2005 to 2010. The extent to which my practice improvement could contribute towards changing or improving research productivity was a question which this study addressed through a quantitative, qualitative and self-reflective action research cyclic inquiry. I organized sample strategies of this study as follows: For quantitative data, I used 120 lecturers as my respondents through questionnaires (females = 47 and males = 73) who were randomly selected; For qualitative data, I used 24 lecturers as respondents who were randomly selected with whom I conducted interviews; and For self-reflective action research cyclic inquiry I used 7 Transformative Education/al Studies (TES) project group members as my focus group. My research findings concluded that the heavy teaching workload at WSU was problematic and lecturers/academics could not devote time to do research. My recommendation is that research should be made compulsory so that academics become aware that at least one or two published articles are required from them, for the benefit of annual university research productivity. Some research participants also recommended that the Research Resource Centre must include programs that focus directly on active participation in research in order to increase the capacity of individual researchers so as to build a critical mass of competent researchers, perhaps by even including incentives as a reward for doing research. According to Koshy (2010), action research is a specific method of conducting research by professionals and practitioners with the ultimate aim of improving practice. My new knowledge, therefore, in respect of how a concerned Research Associate, from a Historically Disadvantaged Institution (HDI), provided the impetus to create a collaborative practice in a higher education institution which was forced to merge with two former technikons (which lacked understanding of what a university means by research productivity and research output). I consequently developed the Nkosinathi Sotshangane’s cyclic practice improvement model through self-reflective action research, from which I believed other research practitioners could learn by doing something similar in their own context.

Over recent years, reflections regarding the inadequacy of many technologies recommended by the agricultural research and disseminated by extensionists to family farmers have grown. In the beginning of 2000‟s, Rio Grande do Sul northwest, a group of extensionists and researches evaluated that the practical result of this way of working was below farmers‟ demands, and the problem could have been related to the unfamiliarity with the context of technical problems, with repercussions in the formulation of occasionally inappropriate propositions. As an alternative, since 2003, the construction of an integration process among farmers, extensionists and researchers has begun to be elaborated, aiming at qualifying the interpretation of reality and seeking more sustainable productive systems. In this perspective, in 2008, the Networking Program of Research-Development of Production Systems on Dairy Activity in Northwest Rio Grande do Sul (Network of Milk) was consolidated, an articulation involving approximately 140 extensionists, thirty researchers and a network of sixty farmers, reaching 5 thousand farmers‟ families. The Research-Development methodology and other contributions on participative process of construction and knowledge are the benchmarks of the program. On this master thesis, the operation of the Network of Milk is described and the nature and characteristics of the generated knowledge are analyzed, on field extensionists‟ viewpoint who deal directly with the beneficiary families. As a general result, it was identified that the Network of Milk, through its reflections and actions,provided a shift in attitude in the relationship between extensionists and farmers as a main innovation. The attitudes of dialogue and constant reflections about farmers‟ practices result in new techniques to specific conditions of their systems. The insertion of new themes, such as social, environmental and economical aspects, in the analysis of technical context is considered a breakthrough. To extensionists, the agricultural research in the context of the Network of Milk presents itself as a new paradigm, in which the researcher descends to the level of production units in order to assist in the interpretation of this reality. / Nos últimos anos, são crescentes as reflexões que vêm sendo feitas a respeito da inadequação de muitas das tecnologias preconizadas pela pesquisa agropecuária e difundidas pelos extensionistas aos agricultores familiares. No início dos anos 2000, na região noroeste do Rio Grande do Sul, um grupo de extensionistas e pesquisadores avaliou que o resultado prático dessa forma de atuação estava aquém das demandas dos agricultores, e o problema poderia estar relacionado ao desconhecimento do contexto dos problemas técnicos, com repercussão na formulação de proposições por vezes inapropriadas. Como alternativa, desde 2003, começou a ser pensada a construção de um processo de integração entre agricultores, extensionistas e pesquisadores, visando qualificar a interpretação da realidade e buscar sistemas produtivos mais sustentáveis. Nessa perspectiva, em 2008, consolida-se o Programa em Rede de Pesquisa-Desenvolvimento em Sistemas de Produção com Atividade Leiteira no Noroeste do Rio Grande do Sul (Rede Leite), uma articulação envolvendo aproximadamente 140 extensionistas, 30 pesquisadores e uma rede de 60 agricultores, com alcance de 5 mil famílias de agricultores. A metodologia da Pesquisa-Desenvolvimento e outros aportes sobre os processos participativos de construção de conhecimentos são os referenciais do programa. Nesta dissertação, descreve-se o funcionamento da Rede Leite e analisam-se a natureza e as características dos conhecimentos gerados, na ótica dos extensionistas de campo que operam diretamente com as famílias beneficiárias. Como resultado geral, identificou-se que a Rede Leite, através de suas reflexões e ações, proporcionou como principal inovação a mudança de postura no relacionamento desses extensionistas com os agricultores. A postura de diálogo e reflexão constantes sobre as práticas dos agricultores resulta em novas técnicas para as condições específicas de seus sistemas. A inserção de novos temas, como aspectos sociais, ambientais e econômicos, na análise do contexto técnico é considerada um avanço. Para os extensionistas, a pesquisa agropecuária no contexto da Rede Leite se apresenta com um novo paradigma, no qual o pesquisador desce ao nível das unidades de produção para ajudar na interpretação dessa realidade.

(English) The R&D management system was examined in terms of legislation, managing authorities, types of support, support providers, budget and strategic documents in this thesis. In the area of strategic documents, persistent shortcomings were revealed and manifested in non-specific interconnections or overlaps. At the same time, a qualitative shift in the quality of the documents was identified. Furthermore, it was examined whether the strategic measures for the development in the field of molecular biology were fulfilled in more detail. The research was carried out on data related to targeted support, which were obtained from the R&D Information System. Two periods in the years 1995-2014 were analyzed. The structure of the second period from 2005 to 2014 was related to the structure of the first period from 1995 to 2004, which served as a reference. In relation to strategic measures, research has shown that resources have been optimized, capacities have been strengthened and infrastructure has been massively developed. Keywords research, development, innovation, targeted support, R&D policy, molecular biology

Yes / In this paper, we propose an eight-port/four-resonator slot antenna array with a dual-polarized function for multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) 5G mobile terminals. The design is composed of four dual-polarized square-ring slot radiators fed by pairs of microstrip-line structures. The radiation elements are designed to operate at 3.6 GHz and are located on the corners of the smartphone PCB. The squarering slot radiators provide good dual-polarization characteristic with similar performances in terms of fundamental radiation characteristics. In order to improve the isolation and also reduce the mutual coupling characteristic between the adjunct microstrip-line feeding ports of the dual-polarized radiators, a pair of circular-ring/open-ended parasitic structures is embedded across each square-ring slot radiator. The −10-dB impedance bandwidth of each antenna-element is 3.4–3.8 GHz. However, for −6-dB impedance bandwidth, this value is 600 MHz (3.3–3.9 GHz). The proposed MIMO antenna offers good S-parameters, high-gain radiation patterns, and sufficient total efficiencies, even though it is arranged on a high-loss FR-4 dielectric. The SAR function and the radiation characteristics of the proposed design in the vicinity of user-hand/userhead are studied. A prototype of the proposed smartphone antenna is fabricated, and good measurements are provided. The antenna provides good features with a potential application for use in the 5G mobile terminals. / This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement H2020-MSCA-ITN-2016 SECRET-722424. / Research Development Fund Publication Prize Award winner, January 2019.

Yes / Random sets are used to get a continuous partition of the cardinality of the union of many overlapping sets. The formalism uses Möbius transforms and adapts Shapley's methodology in cooperative game theory, into the context of set theory. These ideas are subsequently generalized into the context of finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces. Using random projectors into the subspaces spanned by states from a total set, we construct an infinite number of continuous resolutions of the identity, that involve Hermitian positive semi-definite operators. The simplest one is the diagonal continuous resolution of the identity, and it is used to expand an arbitrary vector in terms of a continuum of components. It is also used to define the function on the 'probabilistic quadrant' , which is analogous to the Wigner function for the harmonic oscillator, on the phase-space plane. Systems with finite-dimensional Hilbert space (which are naturally described with discrete variables) are described here with continuous probabilistic variables. / The full-text of this article will be released for public view at the end of the publisher embargo on 15 Oct 2020. / Research Development Fund Publication Prize Award winner, October 2019.

Yes / Our aim is to offer and illustrates a novel meta-methodology to enhance the rigour of method selection and understanding of results in pluralist qualitative research (PQR). To do so, we make innovative use of Braun and Clarke’s (2006) articulation of four discrete dimensions characterising different forms of thematic analysis. We provide secondary analyses of an interview from the Social Media, Men who have Sex with Men and Sexual Health project using critical discursive psychology, dialogical analysis, interpretative phenomenological analysis, and psychosocial narrative analysis. All four methods identified aspects of three central foci: Compartmentalisation, Detachment, and Jouissance. We discuss how our proposed meta-methodology provides a rationale for the selection of methods in a PQR, offer evidence that it can anticipate the relative similarity in focus of the methods employed, and argue that our meta-methodology reveals the possibility of identifying an ‘axial’ or ‘hub’ method’ of a PQR which might be particularly fruitful in exploring commonalities and differences in results. Finally, we examine the synergies and challenges of combining pairs of the methods we used. / Research Development Fund Publication Prize Award winner.

Yes / Past studies have shown evidence of transfer of learning in action video games, less so in other types e.g. strategy games. Further, the transfer of learning from games to inhibitory control has yet to be examined from the perspectives of time constraint and logic contradiction. We examined the effect of strategy games (puzzle, turn-based strategy ‘TBS’, real-time strategy ‘RTS’) on inhibition (response inhibition and distractor inhibition) and cerebral hemispheric activation over four weeks. We predicted that compared to RTS, puzzle and TBS games would (1) improve response and distractor inhibition, and (2) increase cerebral hemispheric activation demonstrating increased inhibitory control. A total of 67 non-habitual video game players (Mage = 21.63 years old, SD = 2.12) played one of three games; puzzle (n = 19), TBS (n = 24) or RTS (n = 24) for four weeks on their smartphones. Participants completed three inhibition tasks, working memory (WM), and had their tympanic membrane temperature (TMT) taken from each ear before and after playing the games. Results showed that only the puzzle game group showed an improved response inhibition while controlling for WM. There were no significant changes in the distractor inhibition tasks. We also found that there was an increase in left TMT while playing RTS, suggesting the presence of increased impulsivity in RTS. Our findings suggest that puzzle games involving logical contradiction could improve response inhibition, showing potential as a tool for inhibition training. / Newton Fund Institutional Links grant ID: 331745333, under Newton-Ungku Omar Fund partnership. The grant is funded by the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT) and delivered by the British Council / Research Development Fund Publication Prize Award winner, Dec 2021.