Funded Research Projects Research Articles

NEFT SƏNAYESİNDƏ TEXNOLOJİ İNKİŞAF

The role of oil in the world economy is known to everyone. For this reason, the application of more advanced technologies in the production of black gold can be considered a forced measure. Improvement of existing production methods is a great driving force for the development of scientific and research works in this field. It can be said that the most important trend in the development of scientific achievements in all fields is the creation of new environmental technologies. Of course, this trend has not bypassed the oil industry. To this end, in 2020, most countries began to allocate additional funding for research projects in the field of lowcarbon energy. Thus, due to the crisis of the time, there was clearly a decline in R&D spending by private organizations. The International Energy Agency estimates that by 2030, the amount of funding allocated to research on large-scale low-carbon energy technologies by various countries will be $50 billion. Of particular note is Japan's planned investment of about 20 billion dollars. The article will discuss the main directions of the mentioned research and development activities and new technologies.

A Machine Learning and Large Language Model-Integrated Approach to Research Project Evaluation

Research project evaluation upon completion is one of the important tasks for research management in government funding agencies and research institutions. Due to the increased number of funded projects, it is hard to find qualified reviewers in the same research disciplines. This paper proposes a machine learning and large language model integrated approach to provide decision support for research project evaluation. Machine learning algorithms are proposed to compute the weights of key performance indicators (KPIs) and scores of KPIs based on the evaluation results of completed projects, large language models are used to summarize research contributions or findings on project reports. Then domain experts are invited to consolidate the weights and scores for the KPIs and assess the novelty and impact of research contribution or findings. Experiments have been conducted in practical settings and the results have shown that the proposed method can greatly improve research management efficiency and provide more consistent evaluation results on funded research projects.

Global pattern, trend, and cross-country inequality of early musculoskeletal disorders from 1990 to 2019, with projection from 2020 to 2050

This study aims to estimate the burden, trends, forecasts, and disparities of early musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders among individuals ages 15 to 39 years. The global prevalence, years lived with disabilities (YLDs), disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), projection, and inequality were estimated for early MSK diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis (OA), low back pain (LBP), neck pain (NP), gout, and other MSK diseases (OMSKDs). More adolescents and young adults were expected to develop MSK disorders by 2050. Across five age groups, the rates of prevalence, YLDs, and DALYs for RA, NP, LBP, gout, and OMSKDs sharply increased from ages 15-19 to 35-39; however, these were negligible for OA before age 30 but increased notably at ages 30-34, rising at least 6-fold by 35-39. The disease burden of gout, LBP, and OA attributable to high BMI and gout attributable to kidney dysfunction increased, while the contribution of smoking to LBP and RA and occupational ergonomic factors to LBP decreased. Between 1990 and 2019, the slope index of inequality increased for six MSK disorders, and the relative concentration index increased for gout, NP, OA, and OMSKDs but decreased for LBP and RA. Multilevel interventions should be initiated to prevent disease burden related to RA, NP, LBP, gout, and OMSKDs among individuals ages 15-19 and to OA among individuals ages 30-34 to tightly control high BMI and kidney dysfunction. The Global Burden of Disease study is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The project is funded by the Scientific Research Fund of Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences& Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital (2022QN38).

СТАНДАРТИЗАЦІЯ ЛЛЯНОЇ СИРОВИНИ: ПОРІВНЯЛЬНИЙ АНАЛІЗ ДОСВІДУ США ТА УКРАЇНИ

The main problem in the primary processing of bast fiber raw materials is Ukraine's significant lag in the field of standardization compared to the USA, which negatively affects production efficiency, product quality, and competitiveness in the global market. The article aims to provide a comprehensive comparative analysis of flax raw material quality assessment systems in Ukraine and the USA, identify the key reasons for Ukraine's lag, and develop practical solutions to address these issues. The research found that while Ukraine still relies on outdated standards for flax fiber quality evaluation, which are primarily based on organoleptic methods and do not take into account modern requirements, the USA is actively developing and implementing innovative standards that regulate a wide range of quality indicators, such as fiber fineness, strength, color, shive content, and other important parameters. The main reasons for Ukraine's lag in the field of flax standardization include persistent economic difficulties, obsolete infrastructure and equipment, insufficient funding for scientific research, and weak integration with international standardization organizations. The authors propose a set of solutions to overcome these challenges, which involve increasing state support for the flax industry, intensifying research efforts aimed at developing new methods for assessing the quality of flax raw materials, harmonizing national standards with international ones, deepening international cooperation, and fostering the development of industry associations and clusters. The article emphasizes the necessity of introducing modern instrumental methods for assessing the quality of flax raw materials, such as spectrophotometry for color measurement, computer vision systems for analyzing fiber structure, and automated methods for determining fineness and shive content. The importance of developing standards for new and innovative flax products to expand the range, improve the competitiveness of domestic products, and enter promising markets is underlined.

Research funding in the Middle East and North Africa: analyses of acknowledgments in scientific publications indexed in the Web of Science (2008–2021)

Funding acknowledgments are important objects of study in the context of science funding. This study uses a mixed-methods approach to analyze the funding acknowledgments found in 2.3 million scientific publications published between 2008 and 2021 by authors affiliated with research institutions in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The aim is to identify the major funders, assess their contribution to national scientific publications, and gain insights into the funding mechanism in relation to collaboration and publication. Publication data from the Web of Science is examined to provide key insights about funding activities. Saudi Arabia and Qatar lead the region, as about half of their publications include acknowledgments to funding sources. Most MENA countries exhibit strong linkages with foreign agencies, mainly due to a high level of international collaboration. The distinction between domestic and international publications reveals some differences in terms of funding structures. For instance, Turkey and Iran are dominated by one or two major funders whereas a few other countries like Saudi Arabia showcase multiple funders. Iran and Kuwait are examples of countries where research is mainly funded by domestic funders. The government and academic sectors mainly fund scientific research in MENA whereas the industry sector plays little or no role in terms of research funding. Lastly, the qualitative analyses provide more context into the complex funding mechanism. The findings of this study contribute to a better understanding of the funding structure in MENA countries and provide insights to funders and research managers to evaluate the funding landscape.

Discovery potential of the Glashow resonance in an air shower neutrino telescope* *Project Supported by the ``CUG Scholar'' Scientific Research Funds at China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) (2024014)

The in-ice or in-water Cherenkov neutrino telescope, such as IceCube, has already proved its power in measuring the Glashow resonance by searching for the bump around arising from the W-boson production. There are many proposals for the next few decades for observations of cosmic tau neutrinos with extensive air showers, also known as tau neutrino telescopes. The air shower telescope is, in principle, sensitive to the Glashow resonance via the channel followed by the tau decay in the air (e.g., TAMBO, which has a geometric area of approximately ). Using a thorough numerical analysis, we find that the discovery significance can be up to 90% with a TAMBO-like setup if PeV neutrinos primarily originate from neutron decays, considering the flux parameters measured by IceCube as the input. The presence of new physics affecting the neutrino flavor composition can also increase the significance. However, if ultrahigh-energy neutrinos are dominantly produced from meson decays, it will be statistically difficult for an advanced proposal such as TAMBO to discriminate the Glashow resonance induced by from the intrinsic background. We have identified several limitations for such advanced telescopes, in comparison with the in-ice or in-water telescope, when measuring resonances: (i) a suppressed branching ratio of 11% for the decay ; (ii) the smearing effect and reduced acceptance because the daughter neutrino takes away 75% of the energy from the W decay; and (iii) a large attenuation effect for Earth-skimming neutrinos with the resonance.

Evolutionary trends and research hotspots in electrochemical machining: A bibliometric analysis from 2010 to 2023

Electrochemical Machining has played an important role in solving manufacturing scenarios with difficult-to-machine materials, complex shapes, special requirements, and many other aspects. To systematically grasp the evolutionary trends, current status, and hotspots of research in the field of Electrochemical Machining, data analysis and mining of literature big data in the field of Electrochemical Machining from 2010 to 2023 were conducted, and graph visualization analysis was carried out. The research results indicate that: 1) Electrochemical Machining is highly valued by research institutions in various countries, with steady growth in research results and relatively high funding for research projects. China is in a leading position in terms of the number of papers and funding;2) A certain degree of cooperation has been formed globally around the research of Electrochemical Machining, and the cooperation between research institutions has obvious regional characteristics; 3) The research level of Electrochemical Machining has gradually deepened from theoretical research to interdisciplinary application research in materials science, energy, engineering, technology, and other fields. Research on machine learning based Electrochemical Machining has received increasing attention, and artificial neural networks have achieved new results in processing optimization applications. Artificial intelligence is the key technology and cutting-edge direction in the next stage of Electrochemical Machining research.

Emerging γ-soft-like spectrum in 196Pt in the SU3-IBM (I)* *This research is supported by the Educational Department of Jilin Province, China (JJKH20210526KJ), C.-X. Z. gratefully acknowledges support from the Project Supported by Scientific Research Fund of Hunan University of Art and Science (23ZZ04)

Recently, studies have argued that a spherical-like spectrum emerges in the SU3-IBM, thus creating new approaches to understanding γ-softness in realistic nuclei. In a previous study, γ-softness with degeneracy of the ground and quasi-γ bands was observed. In this paper, another special point connected to the middle degenerate point is discussed. It is found to be related to the properties of 196Pt. This emergent γ-softness is also shown to be important for understanding the prolate-oblate asymmetric shape phase transition. The low-lying spectra, values, and quadrupole moments in 196Pt are discussed, and we show that the new model can account for several observed features. This is the first part of the discussion on the γ-soft-like spectrum of 196Pt.

224 Influence of gender on animal science research funding from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Abstract According to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, females and males in science disciplines obtain bachelor of science degrees at or near parity, yet females are not equally represented in academic faculty positions. This is true for agricultural field including the animal sciences. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) administers the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) at USDA, a flagship competitive grants program that fund research, education, and extension efforts with a total appropriation of $455 million in 2023. Our objective was to determine the difference between genders for submission rates (i.e., number of standard and seed grant applications submitted), success rates (i.e., number of grant award/number of applications submitted), and peer reviewers of grant applications in the main animal related AFRI program area priorities. All applications submitted to AFRI programs in animal genomics, reproduction, health, nutrition and growth, and welfare during 2013 to 2022 were evaluated. Gender was assigned to Project Directors (PD) and peer reviewers using first names as input into Gender API software (Gender-API.com; Passau, Germany) with ≥ 95% accuracy and ≥ 20 database occurrences used as quality filters and binary outcomes only (i.e., male or female). Effect of gender on submission rates, success rates, and peer review panel compositions were then analyzed using Pearson’s Chi-squared tests with P ≤ 0.05 considered significant. A total of 3,392 applications were submitted, of which 2,579 (76%) PD genders were assigned and analyzed further. Overall, the proportional submission rate for females was 28% and for males was 72%. Submission rates for females increased (P = 0.0497) over time ranging from 22% in 2013 to 33% in 2021. Submission rates differed by gender across programs (P < 0.0001) and ranged from 22% female in animal reproduction to 48% female in animal welfare. Overall, the funding success rate was 22% and did not differ between genders (P = 0.9826). Success rates did not differ between genders over time (P = 0.4691), but differences among programs approached significance (P = 0.0670). Across 53 panels, 42% of panelists were female; no differences were identified for the proportion of female panelists over time (P = 0.9762) or by program (P = 0.7028). Females submitted less than one-half as many applications as males, but the proportion of submissions by females increased over time. This trend remained consistent despite challenges of relocation of NIFA and COVID-19 during this time. Funding success rates did not differ by gender, but some variation was observed across programs. Overall, the proportion of NIFA panelists who were female exceeded the proportion of applications submitted by females. These results indicate that although differences in gender existed for application submission rate and panel composition, these differences did not impact funding success rate of applications in animal science programs at NIFA, which did not differ between genders.

Antihypertensive effect of chicken blood peptide hydrolysate in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Chicken blood peptide hydrolysate (CBH) has been reported to exert antioxidant, angiotensin 1-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory, and cholesterol-lowering activities. Antihypertensive effect of the CBPH was also demonstrated in spontaneously hypertensive rats. This study aimed to assess the anti-diabetic and antihypertensive effect of the CBH in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. CBH was prepared from fresh chicken blood collected from an industrial slaughterhouse in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. Adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 2 main groups: normal and STZ-induced diabetes mellitus (DM) groups. Five subgroups of each main group were given distilled water, metformin (200 mg/kg), and CBH (300, 600, 1200 mg/kg) by oral gavage for 28 days (n=10 per each group). Fasting blood sugar level and OGTT were evaluated before and at the end of experiment. Each rat underwent monitoring of blood pressure using femoral artery. STZ-induced diabetic rats showed higher fasting blood glucose concentration and area under curve from OGTT than normal rats, which was not reduced by all treatments. STZ-induced diabetic rats showed higher mean arterial blood pressure than normal rats, which was significantly reduced by metformin and CBH (300 and 1200 mg/kg) (p<0.05). The blood pressure-lowering effect of CBH suggested the potential for the application of CBH in the management of diabetic hypertension. However, attention must be paid to concerns about bird flu in certain places and prohibition of the use of blood product. This work was supported by Suranaree University of Technology (SUT), Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI), and National Science Research and Innovation Fund (NSRF) (FF1-111-65-12-30(08)). This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Antidiabetic activity of egg white protein hydrolysate in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Egg white protein hydrolysate (EWH) has been reported to work as a cardiovascular protective agent. EWH exert antioxidant, vascular relaxing, anti-inflammatory properties and antihypertensive properties. This study aimed to assess the anti-diabetic and antihypertensive effect of the EWH in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 2 main groups: normal and STZ-induced diabetes mellitus (DM) groups. Five subgroups of each main group were given distilled water, metformin (200 mg/kg), and EWH (300, 600, 1200 mg/kg) by oral gavage for 28 days (n=10 per each group). Fasting blood sugar level and OGTT were evaluated before and at the end of experiment. Each rat underwent monitoring of blood pressure using femoral artery. STZ-induced diabetic rats showed higher fasting blood glucose concentration and area under curve from OGTT than normal rats, which was significantly reduced by 600 mg/kg of EWH (p<0.05). STZ-induced diabetic rats showed higher mean arterial blood pressure than normal rats, which was significantly reduced by metformin (p<0.05). A decrease in hypertension in STZ-induced diabetic rats following EWH, but without significant difference, was observed. EWH may be useful in controlling the blood glucose level in diabetes mellitus and is therefore recommended for further studies. This work was supported by Suranaree University of Technology (SUT), Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI), and National Science Research and Innovation Fund. (NSRF) (FF1-111-65-12-30(08)). This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

INNOVATIVE TYPE OF USE OF INVESTMENTS

The innovative type of use of investments is a direction in which investments are directed to stimulate and support innovation. This includes funding scientific research, developing new products, technologies and processes, supporting start-ups and entrepreneurship, modernizing enterprise technology bases, education and training, and creating innovation infrastructure and ecosystems. Innovative investments play an important role in stimulating economic growth, improving the competitiveness of companies and creating new jobs, contributing to the development of new technologies and solving complex problems.

Discussion on Strengthening the Reimbursement Management of Scientific Research Funds in Institutions of Higher Learning under the Background of"Streamlining Administration and Delegating Power"

Discussion on Strengthening the Reimbursement Management of Scientific Research Funds in Institutions of Higher Learning under the Background of"Streamlining Administration and Delegating Power"

Determinants of lung function development from birth to age 5 years: an interrupted time series analysis of a South African birth cohort

Early life is a key period that determines long-term health. Lung development in childhood predicts lung function attained in adulthood and morbidity and mortality across the life course. We aimed to assess the effect of early-life lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) and associated risk factors on lung development from birth to school age in a South African birth cohort. We prospectively followed children enrolled in a population-based cohort from birth (between March 5, 2012 and March 31, 2015) to age 5 years with annual lung function assessment. Data on multiple early-life exposures, including LRTI, were collected. The effect of early-life risk factors on lung function development from birth to age 5 years was assessed using the Generalised Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape and Interrupted Time Series approach. 966 children (475 [49·2%] female, 491 [50·8%] male) had lung function measured with oscillometry, tidal flow volume loops, and multiple breath washout. LRTI occurred in 484 (50·1%) children, with a median of 2·0 LRTI episodes (IQR 1·0-3·0) per child. LRTI was independently associated with altered lung function, as evidenced by lower compliance (0·959 [95% CI 0·941-0·978]), higher resistance (1·028 [1·016-1·041]), and higher respiratory rate (1·018 [1·063-1·029]) over 5 years. Additional impact on lung function parameters occurred with each subsequent LRTI. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) LRTI was associated with lower expiratory flow ratio (0·97 [0·95-0·99]) compared with non-RSV LRTI. Maternal factors including allergy, smoking, and HIV infection were also associated with altered lung development, as was preterm birth, low birthweight, female sex, and coming from a less wealthy household. Public health interventions targeting LRTI prevention, with RSV a priority, are vital, particularly in low-income and middle-income settings. UK Medical Research Council Grant, The Wellcome Trust, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, US National Institutes of Health Human Heredity and Health in Africa, South African Medical Research Council, Hungarian Scientific Research Fund, and European Respiratory Society.

Public research funding and science-based innovation: An analysis of ERC research grants, publications and patents

Abstract This study aims to advance the discussion around the linkages between public funding for scientific research and new technology development. We develop and test a methodology that matches patents to scientific publications, the latter of which stemming from publicly funded research. We specifically focus on projects that were funded by the European Research Council (ERC) in the Life Sciences and Physical Science and Engineering sectors during the FP7 Programme. We also compare this method’s results with the patents directly reported by the PIs of ERC-funded projects at the end of their grants, finding that the two methods are complementary. In addition to documenting important technological diffusion effects generated by ERC-funded research, our results highlight some factors that shape the relationships between patents, publications, and grants, such as project type, age, duration, scientific domain and number and quality of associated publications. Therefore, our findings present significant policy implications for funding agencies, universities, TTOs, and policymakers who want to monitor the technological outcomes of public research investments.

Species of the Poaceae family suitable for Andean livestock farming in the Peruvian Andes reported in GBIF and local studies

Andean grassland ecosystems are covered by a mega-vascular floristic diversity constituted by families such as Poaceae, Rosaceae, Asteraceae, Plantaginaceae, Fabaceae, and Cyperaceae, among the most important ones that include suitable species for Andean Livestock feeding such as sheep, cattle, and South American camelids. However, the accelerated degradation of ecosystems and the extinction of several important species, have put it in our interest to know better the spatio-temporal distribution of these species as a starting point for spatio-temporal monitoring. With this purpose, we compiled information on those identified as D species in the Poaceae family, from thesis studies and published scientific articles. We also examined the record and spatial distribution of D species of this family in the Global Biodiversity Information System (GBIF) corresponding to the Sierra region of Peru. Specific geo-processed maps were generated after data curation. It was found that there are 63 D species included in the genus: Agrostis, Agropirum, Bromus, Calamagrostis, Dissanthelium, Festuca, Hordeum, Muhlenbergia, Nasella, Paspalum, Poa, Stipa, Trisetum and Vulpia, of which only 52 species are registered in GBIF, noting the concentration of records in places of greater tourist interest and with funded research projects such as the Huascaran National Park and others. The few studies on natural grassland species in Peru and the low spatial coverage of the species recorded in GBIF still limit the generation of adequate monitoring strategies.

Cyber Insurance and Post-Breach Services: A Normative Analysis

Cyber insurance is becoming an essential tool for managing cybersecurity risks. In this study, we analyze how having the option to subscribe to cyber insurance services affects firms’ risk prevention and mitigation decisions. We model the scenario where the firm purchases cyber insurance in a competitive insurance market and compare it against the case when it does not purchase cyber insurance. When there is a breach, cyber insurance can help cover mitigation expenses and breach losses. Consistent with the prior literature, we find that in most cases cyber insurance exacerbates ex ante moral hazard by decreasing expected risk prevention. However, it enhances ex post efforts by increasing expected risk mitigation, which can lead to more positive outcomes for the insured firm. The mechanism involves designing the contract with a delicate calibration of the coverage of breach losses and the coinsurance rate. Moreover, the findings highlight the importance of a healthy risk mitigation service market in managing cybersecurity risks. Funding: This research was supported in part by the Hong Kong SAR General Research Fund project [16502417]. Supplemental Material: The e-companion is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/serv.2021.0120 .

Evolving trends in vertebrate palaeontology (2013–2022): a bibliometric analysis using DeepBone and Web of Science databases

ABSTRACT Vertebrate palaeontology, essential for understanding the evolutionary processes of backboned animals, has witnessed substantial increase in research activity and publications over the past decade. This bibliometric analysis utilising the data from the DeepBone database, which includes 9,255 literature entries, with 8,259 overlapping entries from the Web of Science, to capture these changes. Our analysis reveals a continuous growth in publication volumes over the decade, alongside a marked expansion in interdisciplinary collaborations and the integration of innovative technological methodologies. The contribution of key regions such as the U.S.A., UK, Argentina, and China underscores the global collaboration in vertebrate palaeontology. The EU, despite its foundational economic and political union focus, stands out as a key contributor in vertebrate palaeontology, showing its extensive influence on scientific collaboration and research funding. A thematic exploration using keyword analysis and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) analysis identifies prominent research themes, highlighting the field’s towards integrated research approaches. This study offers a quantitative overview of the recent decade in vertebrate palaeontology, providing insights into dynamic trends, major contributions, and future research directions in the field.

Psychedelics in PERIL: The Commercial Determinants of Health, Financial Entanglements and Population Health Ethics.

The nascent for-profit psychedelic industry has begun to engage in corporate practices like funding scientific research and research programs. There is substantial evidence that such practices from other industries like tobacco, alcohol, pharmaceuticals and food create conflicts of interest and can negatively influence population health. However, in a context of funding pressures, low publicly funded success rates and precarious academic labor, there is limited ethics guidance for researchers working at the intersection of clinical practice and population health as to how they should approach potential financial sponsorship from for-profit entities, such as the psychedelic industry. This article reports on a reflective exercise among a group of clinician scientists working in psychedelic science, where we applied Adams' (2016) PERIL (Purpose, Extent, Relevant harm, Identifiers, Link) ethical decision-making framework to a fictionalized case of corporate psychedelic financial sponsorship. Our analysis suggests financial relationships with the corporate psychedelic sector may create varying degrees of risk to a research program's purpose, autonomy and integrity. We argue that the commercial determinants of health provide a useful framework for understanding the ethics of industry-healthcare entanglements and can provide an important population health ethics lens to examine nascent industries such as psychedelics, and work toward potential solutions.

Co-creating Inclusive Intersectional Democratic Spaces across Europe (CCINDLE): Counteracting Anti-gender through Feminist Knowledge

Abstract: The construction of feminist democratic societal projects relies on the production of feminist knowledge and ideas within social movements, as well as academic, professional, and institutional settings. In the context of a rising opposition against democracy and gender, race, and sexuality equality at a global level, the European Union has launched the call Feminisms for a New Age of Democracy with the purpose of supporting knowledge production about opposition to gender equality in Europe and feminist democratic responses. The CCINDLE (Co-creating Inclusive Intersectional Democratic Spaces across Europe) project is one of the funded research projects under this call. CCINDLE's objectives include analyzing not only anti-gender politics and the problems that they create for democracy in Europe but especially feminist movements' and institutional responses to anti-gender and anti-democratic forces. The project aims to co-create feminist knowledge with the actors that are already working to counter the antidemocratic project that anti-gender movements and far right parties are trying to construct, and to envision feminist futures building on theories and practices of intersectional justice, inclusion, and participation in European democracies.