challenges to ascertain

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "challenges to ascertain" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing difficulties or obstacles in determining or finding out information or facts. Example: "The researchers faced several challenges to ascertain the true impact of the new policy on local communities."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Our study is not unique in its challenges to ascertain appropriate biological samples for a developmental disease, particularly with respect to developmental stage.

BMC Medical Genomics

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

In the model outputs presented in this paper we have not placed any restrictions on disposal sites as it is challenging to ascertain an appropriate restriction without site specific assessment of each disposal site.

Journal of Applied Volcanology

However, the representativeness of a plot network for an entire landscape remains challenging to ascertain [1], but recommendations on the shape, size or number of sample plots have recently been proposed (e.g. [2 4]).

Carbon Balance and Management

However, due to the difficulty in strictly controlling the participating subject's mental status and their cognitive behaviors during R-fMRI/T-fMRI scans, it has been challenging to ascertain whether or not an R-fMRI/T-fMRI scan truly reflects the participant's functional brain states during task-free/task-performance periods.

Medical Image Analysis

However, it has been challenging to ascertain whether unliganded TRs have transcriptional or physiological functions in a convincing manner since the transplacental supply of maternal T3 to the fetus complicates any analysis in mammalian systems.

Cell and Bioscience

Pool sequencing is a relatively young variant of whole genome sequencing, and it is a challenge to ascertain candidate SNP assays for individual genotyping, which may limit the efficiency of replicating pooled sequence loci using individual genotyping [ 42].

BMC Genomics

Second, exome sequencing of a small number of isolated probands can reveal strong candidate hearing loss mutations, although in some cases it remains challenging to ascertain disease-causing mutations.

BMC Genomics

However, the representativeness of a plot network for an entire landscape remains challenging to ascertain [ 1], but recommendations on the shape, size or number of sample plots have recently been proposed (e.g. [ 2– 4]).

Carbon Balance and Management

However, the validity of the self-administered version of the IBHQ may be challenging to ascertain in this population, which might benefit from having the questionnaire administered by an interviewer.

BMC Health Services Research

Although it is well established that HIV-positive women are less likely to become pregnant, and that they are substantially more likely to die from numerous causes irrespective of pregnancy (30), it has been a challenge to ascertain the mortality risks to HIV-positive women who do become pregnant, in terms of possible interactions between HIV positivity and pregnancy (31).

Global Health Action

Because the identification of emotion centers has been rooted in their ability to mediate emotional learning (LeDoux, 1996; Panksepp, 1998, 2011b), it has been challenging to ascertain whether innate defensive behaviors also reflect underlying emotion states, and therefore to investigate whether structures that mediate these behaviors, such as the medial hypothalamus serve as emotion centers.

eLife

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "challenges to ascertain", ensure that the context clearly indicates what is difficult to determine. For example, specify the exact information, fact, or outcome that presents a challenge in being ascertained.

Common error

Avoid using "challenges to ascertain" in excessively long or convoluted sentences. Simpler phrasing can often improve clarity and readability. Instead of a complex sentence, try breaking it down into smaller, more digestible parts.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "challenges to ascertain" functions as a purpose connector, indicating the presence of difficulties or obstacles that hinder the process of discovering or establishing something. Ludwig's examples show it's often used in contexts where finding a definitive answer is problematic.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

70%

News & Media

15%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Academia

3%

Wiki

1%

Encyclopedias

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "challenges to ascertain" is a grammatically correct and usable expression, as confirmed by Ludwig. It highlights the difficulties encountered in determining or establishing something. While somewhat infrequent, it appears primarily in scientific and news-related contexts. To ensure clarity, specify what is difficult to determine and avoid overly complex sentence structures. Alternatives like "difficulties in determining" or "obstacles to discovering" can be used for variety. Ludwig's analysis indicates that using simpler phrasing is often beneficial for improving clarity and readability.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

difficulties in determining

Replaces "challenges" with a more direct synonym, emphasizing the problematic nature of the determination.

issues in determining

Replaces challenges with issues, keeping the meaning of determination.

obstacles to discovering

Substitutes both "challenges" and "ascertain" with synonyms, highlighting the impediments to finding something out.

hurdles to confirming

Emphasizes the difficulties to confirm something.

hard to establish

Simplifies the phrasing while retaining the core meaning of making something definite.

complications in verifying

Focuses on the difficulty in proving the truth of something.

problems in figuring out

Uses a more informal tone while still conveying the difficulty of understanding or resolving something.

complexities in identifying

Highlights the intricate nature of identifying something, replacing "ascertain" with a more specific action.

limitations in proving

Emphasizes restrictions that influence the demonstration of a fact.

impediments to validating

Focuses on obstacles that can prevent the act of validating something.

FAQs

How can I use "challenges to ascertain" in a sentence?

Use "challenges to ascertain" when you want to express the difficulties or obstacles involved in discovering or determining something. For example, "There are significant "challenges to ascertain" the long-term effects of this policy".

What are some alternatives to "challenges to ascertain"?

You can use alternatives like "difficulties in determining", "obstacles to discovering", or "hard to establish" depending on the context.

Is it better to say "challenges in ascertaining" or "challenges to ascertain"?

Both are grammatically correct, but "challenges to ascertain" is more common and direct. "Challenges in ascertaining" is also acceptable but can sometimes sound more convoluted.

What's the difference between "challenges to ascertain" and "difficulties in determining"?

"Challenges to ascertain" emphasizes the problematic nature of the task. "Difficulties in determining" focuses more directly on the trouble involved in the determination process itself, without necessarily highlighting the obstacles.