Related Research Activities Research Articles

A Systematic Literature Review on Automotive Digital Forensics: Challenges, Technical Solutions and Data Collection

A modern vehicle has a complex internal architecture and is wirelessly connected to the Internet, other vehicles, and the infrastructure. The risk of cyber attacks and other criminal incidents along with recent road accidents caused by autonomous vehicles calls for more research on automotive digital forensics. Failures in automated driving functions can be caused by hardware and software failures and cyber security issues. Thus, it is imperative to be able to determine and investigate the cause of these failures, something which requires trustable data. However, automotive digital forensics is a relatively new field for the automotive where most existing self-monitoring and diagnostic systems in vehicles only monitor safety-related events. To the best of our knowledge, our work is the first systematic literature review on the current research within this field. We identify and assess over 300 papers published between 2006 - 2021 and further map the relevant papers to different categories based on identified focus areas to give a comprehensive overview of the forensics field and the related research activities. Moreover, we identify forensically relevant data from the literature, link the data to categories, and further map them to required security properties and potential stakeholders. Our categorization makes it easy for practitioners and researchers to quickly find relevant work within a particular sub-field of digital forensics. We believe our contributions can guide digital forensic investigations in automotive and similar areas, such as cyber-physical systems and smart cities, facilitate further research, and serve as a guideline for engineers implementing forensics mechanisms.

Letter: Research Productivity of Physicians in the Pandemic and Post-pandemic Era: A "Productive Outbreak'".

Letter: Research Productivity of Physicians in the Pandemic and Post-pandemic Era: A "Productive Outbreak'".

Analysis of the prevalence, evolution, and severity of dishonest behaviors of Spanish graduate students: the vision of academic heads

Most of the studies aimed at analyzing academic dishonesty amongst university students target the undergraduate cluster. This study aims to improve this situation by exploring and describing the opinion and perception of postgraduate degree academic heads (i.e. university vice-rectors, heads of the doctoral programs, heads of the postgraduate office, etc.) about the prevalence, evolution, and severity of dishonest behaviors and misconducts potentially committed by students in order to generate evidences that can help improving institutional strategies and policies to confront academic misconduct. The research it is based on the results of an online questionnaire administered to 102 postgraduate studies academic heads from 42 Spanish universities in relation to: improper conduct during exams and tests, dishonest behavior in the preparation or writing of assignments and dissertations, dishonest practices of a general nature and, finally, dishonest behavior in research. The study results highlight that the most prevalent practices and those that have increased the most are related to the preparation and submission of academic assignments and written activities and, also, research related activities. Regarding the severity, there is considerable consensus among Spanish academic heads that most of the dishonest actions analyzed are very serious and critical behaviors. In general terms, the results obtained point out focus areas of possible interventions aimed at the prevention, detection and punishment of fraudulent and dishonest behaviors in postgraduate studies, with the analysis of the degree of consensus/dissent among academic heads being a key element when designing and implementing these reforms and institutional interventions. This paper covers a deficit of evidences regarding academic integrity in postgraduate level and it does it using relevant informants: academic postgraduate heads, a target group that has high relevance as can generate synergies of change and improvement on the situation described by the present study.

Enhancing Fusion Teaching based Research from the Student Perspective

There has been a growing need for fusion based research studies on the relations between university teaching and research. The higher educational universities of the current generation believe in and focus on the teaching-research nexus in academics. To improve teaching methodology there is more emphasis given to the fusion teaching by enabling the information fusing concept through pedagogy. Many discussions have been carried out to evaluate the contribution of teaching–research nexus from the student's point of view. The current study highlights teaching through research where the learners are taught with a special focus on research activities at the same time. The objective of this work is to promote fusion of research related activities into the teaching and learning process to achieve positive impact on enhancing students’ interest towards learning. In view of this and to support this, various opportunities were provided for students and teachers to conduct research and a strategic approach was implemented to achieve this objective. We explore a) student involvement in different scholarly activities b) analyse research skill acquisition of the experimental group c) collect feedback to find students satisfaction level on FTBR approach.The findings demonstrate (mean score 3.09) the positive contribution of the fusion research-teaching towards achieving academic excellence.The strategies discussed in the methodology and results of the study may be used to broaden the fusion teaching-research at the graduate and undergraduate levels.

Species action plan for conservation of an isolated Steppe Eagle population in Turkey

Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis) is a globally Endangered (EN) species according to IUCN Red List, with a breeding range extending through the arid zones of southern Russia and Kazakhstan, from Kalmykia in the west to Dauria in the east. There is a small, isolated breeding population in Turkey, discovered in 2003, which lost contact with the main breeding range. Although there are studies carried out between 2015 and 2021, the size of the isolated population is not exactly known. To protect this small population on the brink of extinction, the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks (GDNCNP), which is officially responsible for wildlife conservation, programmed to prepare a species action plan in 2021. As part of the “Preparation, Implementation and Monitoring of Species Action Plans for Endangered Species in Turkey within the Concept of a New Methodology”, shortly “Endangered Species” project, Steppe Eagle was selected, based on a prioritization study, to be one of the pilot species for which species actions to be prepared. Field studies were conducted in the 2022 breeding season to identify threats causing stress to the Steppe Eagle. During the breeding studies in 2022, it was determined that 4 pairs of Steppe Eagles were confirmed to be breeding in Central Anatolia, and 4 pairs attempted to breed. During the field studies, threat factors were listed based on direct observations, indirect observations (nest records, mortality records, etc.), and bilateral discussions with local communities. Using the threat analysis adopted by IUCN and adapted to Turkey within the framework of the same project, a national-level threat analysis was conducted. Direct threat factors causing stress to the species were listed as conversion of grasslands into agricultural areas, excessive use of groundwater and surface water leading to the drying of wetlands, power transmission lines, human activities and grazing pressure on breeding islands in wetlands, illegal hunting, predation, researcher pressure, hybridization with Eastern Imperial Eagles (Aquila heliaca), and artificial materials in nests. Additionally, the use of rodent poisons was also identified as a potential threat. As a result of the threat analysis, the threats with the highest level of impact on the species were identified as the conversion of grasslands into agricultural areas and excessive water usage. These threats result in the transformation of steppe habitat and decrease in the species' food sources. Another high-level threat is illegal hunting. The identified threats were transferred to a problem tree and, following the method generated in the “Endangered Species” project, problem tree was transformed to a result chain. In the result chain, the selected results for eliminating/reducing threats were defined by identifying intervention points and transforming them into objectives. Activities were defined to achieve the identified objectives. Within the scope of the 10-year action plan a total of 34 activities were designed under 9 objectives to be achieved. Eight out of the 9 objectives involve conservation, and one involves research-related activities. The aim of the 10-year plan is to conserve and support the breeding population of the species in Turkey.

Current Requirements and Attitudes Toward Research: A Survey-Based Analysis of Orthopedic Surgery Programs.

Objective The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) guidelines require scholarly activity but do not specify what research-related activity is necessary to meet this requirement. The current components and opinions regarding research and its implementation that qualify as scholarly activity are unknown among US orthopedic surgery programs. We aimed to survey program directors of orthopedic surgery programs to evaluate and better understand the current state of research during training. Design A survey was sent to the program directors of all ACGME-accredited orthopedic surgery between 2019 and 2020 with questions evaluating each program's research requirements and barriers to improvement. Results One-hundred eighteen (N=118) surveys were collected from 94 academic (79.6%) and 24 community (21.4%) programs. Although nearly all (97.5%) programs required research for graduation, only 45% of them allotted protected time: 52 academic programs (55.3%) allotted a median of nine weeks (interquartile range (IQR): 8-12 weeks) of dedicated timeand 13 community programs (54.2%) allotted six weeks (IQR: 4-28 weeks)(p=0.595). We distinguished dedicated research as either consecutive weeks or a formal research track for a year. All programs indicated a desire for an increased focus on basic science compared to the current focus on outcomes-based research (p=0.04). The greatest identified obstacle to research improvement reported by community programs was faculty and resource commitment (p=0.003). The overall level of satisfaction with the current research experience among directors is 50.8%. Conclusion Despite differences between academic and community programs, directors agree on shifting the focus of research toward basic science. To improve preclinical research, additional time may be required, and individualized improvement plans should be undertaken at academic and community programs alike.

Research capacity and culture in an Australian metropolitan public mental health service: scoping the skills and experience of social workers and occupational therapists

BackgroundInvestment in a clinical research culture appears to be associated with benefits for consumers, staff, and overall organisational performance. The validated 55-item Research Capacity and Culture (RCC) tool was developed specifically to gauge the research capacity and culture of health professionals and workplace settings within which they work. Results of some individual studies suggest that professional discipline and workplace setting may impact RCC results however it has never been used in a dedicated public mental health setting. Therefore, this study will explore the research capacity and culture of allied mental health clinicians (Part 1). Another aim is to explore potential connections between workplace settings, locations and disciplines based on published RCC-based data to help signpost potential impediments to service improvements (Part 2).MethodsPart 1: An RCC-based online survey canvased Australian Social Workers and Occupational Therapists (n = 59) based in a metropolitan public mental health service. Non-parametric analyses explored links between research-related experience and participant characteristics.Part 2: Comparative analyses explored the potential influence of workplace settings and professional disciplines on published RCC results.ResultsPart 1: Overall, the research capacity and experiences of mental health Social Workers and Occupational Therapists seemed modest. Discipline was statistically associated with level of research-activity experience, weighted towards occupational therapy; demographic characteristics were not. Only two items in the RCC were rated high; many more items were rated low.Part 2: Published studies exploration found no link between RCC ratings and workplace location, setting, or professional discipline. Sampling biases and use of modified, non-validated RCC versions likely impacted the results.ConclusionsAllied mental health clinicians may not be sufficiently experienced, knowledgeable, or confident with a range of research-related activities given the emphasis on workforce research capability in policy and practice nowadays. This may be commonplace across health-based organisations. We recommend the systematic implementation of research training programs in (mental) health services, and a ‘whole-of-service levels’ approach be used i.e., transform policy, culture and leadership as well as provide practical resources with individual training. Potential benefits include a positive impact on organisation functioning, clinicians’ confidence and practice, and improved consumer outcomes.

A Multi-Scale Approach for Modelling Airborne Transport of Mucosalivary Fluid

COVID-19 pandemic promoted a lot of research activities in relation to mucosalivary fluid airborne transport. Indeed, infection mechanisms are the result of mucosalivary fluid droplets exchange and the knowledge in this area is still largely inadequate. One of the main challenges concerns the modelling of mucosalivary fluid complex nature. Specifically, this is a key element to predict small diameters dry nuclei formation which are highly relevant from the transmission risk point of view. For this reason, in this paper we present and discuss the development of a new multi-scale modelling technique which incorporates the Population Balance Equation into a standard particle-source-in-cell method. Thus, the effectiveness of the aforementioned technique in droplet nuclei generation modelling is showed and discussed. Also the impact of velocity boundary conditions at the mouth print is assessed as well as the effect of the correlations for mass transfer showing that their neglect causes an underestimation in distance reached by the droplets.

"If You Don't Trust Your Doctor That Much...You'd Feel Less Confident Doing a Research Study": Factors Influencing Black Patient Participation in Hematology Trials

Background Racial disparities exist in incidence and survival from hematological cancers. These differences are driven by multiple factors, including disease biology and access to high-quality cancer care (e.g., enrollment in a clinical trial). Black persons constitute 5-7% of participants in therapeutic cancer clinical trials (Bhatnagar et al. 2017, S. Al Hadidi et al. 2020, S. Al Hadidi et al. 2022), despite accounting for 14% of the US population. While previous studies have broadly focused on understanding factors that underpin that disparity in clinical trials, very few have focused explicitly on populations with hematological cancers. Further, research evaluating the perspectives of hematologists on factors that influence clinical trial enrollment for the Black population remains limited. The objective of this study was to understand factors that influenced Black participant enrollment in hematology-focused clinical trials by examining the perspectives of Black patients with multiple myeloma and their hematologists. Methods Between August 2021-January 2022, hematologists were recruited to participate in single semi-structured 60-minute virtual interviews, while patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma were asked to participate in focus group discussions (FGDs) lasting up to 90 minutes via videoconferencing. Through the Sort and Sift, Think, and Shift approach (Maietta et al. 2021),analytic memoing and diagramming of key quotations were used to assess topics and identify larger conceptual themes. We tabled and grouped themes, topics, and associated quotations at multiple levels using the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities Research framework. Topics and themes from FGDs and hematologist interviews were then distilled into key claims. Results We conducted 6 FGDs with 23 patients and 13 semi-structured interviews with hematologists. Hematologists perceived trust at multiple levels (e.g., patient-provider, patient-health care system) as an influential determinant of Black patients' enrollment in clinical trials (Table 1). Factors that fostered patient-hematologist trust included the length of the relationship, use of transparent and empathic communication, and shared racial identities of patients and hematologists. For patients, trust in the hematologist, health care system, and proposed trial intervention were determinants of whether Black patients enrolled in a clinical trial. Patients also emphasized the importance of hematologists acknowledging the historical events that led to the intentional harm of Black persons engaged in research-related activities and recommended additional efforts to foster shared medical decision-making. Some hematologists perceived clinical trial discussions as potentially harmful when building trust in their patient relationships. Hematologists also considered patient context--such as geographic location, socioeconomic challenges, and health literacy along with study eligibility criteria--when deciding to offer a clinical trial (Figure 1). Hematologists also viewed lack of time, trial availability, and adequate clinical trial infrastructure as barriers to discussing and enrolling Black patients in clinical trials. Conclusion Black patients and hematologists perceived trust at multiple levels as critical to enhancing the enrollment of Black participants in hematology-focused cancer clinical trials. Additionally, hematologists' perceptions about patients, including the additional burdens associated with clinical trial participation, also impacted whether or not Black patients are given the opportunity to participate in a clinical trial. Addressing disparities in clinical trial enrollment among Black participants requires multilevel interventions such as 1) fostering patient-clinician relationships, 2) increasing clinical trial availability and partners in community-based settings, 3) providing support to overcome logistical barriers, 4) acknowledging and finding strategies to address physician biases. Figure 1View largeDownload PPTFigure 1View largeDownload PPT Close modal

High-impact educational practices: participation of Chinese and American undergraduates during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to challenges in high-impact extra-curricular educational practice. Using cross-national, large-scale survey data, this study discusses the current state of participation of high-impact educational practices (HIPs) among Chinese and American undergraduates, changes in this participation over time, and the differences between undergraduates in the two countries in this regard, from 2018 to 2021. We find that participation in social practices was significantly greater than research-related and extended learning activities in both China and the U.S. The involvement of first-year undergraduates in the three typical HIP activities was lower than that of seniors, especially in doing research with faculty. American seniors participated more in service learning and study abroad than Chinese seniors. The proportion of senior students who had studied abroad was lower than the proportion of first-year students who planned to study overseas, particularly in China. COVID-19 led to a significant drop in participation in service learning and study abroad in China, and it also amplified the impact of institutional support on the participation of undergraduates in HIPs.

Overview of high-speed TDM-PON beyond 50 Gbps per wavelength using digital signal processing [Invited Tutorial

The recent evolution of passive optical network standards and related research activities for physical layer solutions that achieve bit rates well above 10 Gbps per wavelength ( λ ) is discussed. We show that the advancement toward 50, 100, and 200 G b p s / λ will certainly require a strong introduction of advanced digital signal processing (DSP) technologies for linear, and maybe nonlinear, equalization and for forward error correction. We start by reviewing in detail the current standardization activities in the International Telecommunication Union and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and then we present a comparison of the DSP approaches for traditional direct detection solutions and for future coherent detection approaches.

Dynamic analysis and investigation of the thermal transient effects in a CSTR reactor producing biogas

In the field of primary energy saving, biomethane is becoming more and more attractive. The need to manage urban waste, combined with the increasing use of biofuels, makes this resource crucial for sustainability objectives. Therefore, a detailed estimation of biogas production from an anaerobic digester is an important aspect for the related research activity. This work presents a thermal transient model developed in MATLAB® that can accurately predict heat transfer and biological phenomena occurring within the digester. The model developed in this paper can conveniently consider the thermal inertia of the treated biomass during the retention time. This model is subsequently linked to the TRNSYS environment, where the produced biogas is upgraded to biomethane. For this purpose, a membrane permeation model is considered. A concentrating photovoltaic/thermal collector is coupled to the digester to meet the plant electricity and thermal energy demands. In particular, the electricity demand is mainly due to the upgrading process while the thermal energy is necessary for the anaerobic digestion process. The results of the dynamic analysis show that neglecting the thermal inertia of the digester leads to an overestimation of the total biogas production by 20%. Furthermore, the integration of renewables with the anaerobic digestion process shows remarkable results. In this case study, the Primary Energy Saving is roughly 5% and the Simple-Pay Back is less than 10 years, despite the small scale selected for solar collectors.

Improving Reporter Gene Assay Methodology for Evaluating the Ability of Compounds to Restore P53 Activity.

Tumor suppressor protein P53 induces cycle arrest and apoptosis by mediating the transcriptional expression of its target genes. Mutations causing conformational abnormalities and post-translational modifications that promote degradation are the main reasons for the loss of P53 function in tumor cells. Reporter gene assays that can scientifically reflect the biological function can help discover the mechanism and therapeutic strategies that restore P53 function. In the reporter gene system of this work, tetracycline-inducible expression of wild-type P53 was used to provide a fully activated state as a 100% activity reference for the objective measurement of biological function. It was confirmed by RT-qPCR, cell viability assay, immunofluorescence, and Western blot analysis that the above-mentioned reporter gene system could correctly reflect the differences in biological activity between the wild-type and mutants. After that, the system was tentatively used for related mechanism research and compound activity evaluation. Through the tetracycline-induced co-expression of wild-type P53 and mutant P53 in exact proportion, it was observed that the response modes of typical transcriptional response elements (TREs) to dominant negative P53 mutation effect were not exactly the same. Compared to the relative multiple-to-solvent control, the activity percentage relative to the 100% activity reference of wild-type P53 can better reflect the actual influence of the so-called P53 mutant reactivator. Similarly, relative to the 100% activity reference, it can objectively reflect the biological effects caused by the inhibitor of P53 negative factors, such as MDM2. In conclusion, this study provides a 100% activity reference and a reliable calculation model for relevant basic research and drug development.

Beliefs of public health nurses about solution-focused parenting support – A questionnaire study

BackgroundParenting support guidelines for public health nurses have shifted from a problem-focused to a solution-focused approach. Given the fundamental differences between these two approaches, implementation of solution-focused parenting support is assumed to be difficult. Since the way public health nurses provide parenting support is largely guided by their beliefs, knowledge about their beliefs concerning solution-focused parenting support is important for its actual implementation. This study aims to explore the behavioral, normative, and control beliefs of public health nurses about solution-focused parenting support for future design of implementation interventions and related research activities. MethodsA theory of planned behavior questionnaire was systematically developed and tested using focus groups. Thematic analysis and nominal group technique were used to analyze the data and to reach consensus. Next, this questionnaire was conducted among 449 public health nurses in the Netherlands. Factor analysis and descriptive statistical analysis were performed. ResultsFactor analysis resulted in three distinguishing subscales: behavioral beliefs (α = 0.79), normative beliefs (α = 0.80), and control beliefs (α = 0.64). Beliefs of public health nurses about solution-focused parenting support were moderately positive to positive (means varying from 4.24 to 5.54, on a 1–7 scale), and differences were statistically significant for various background variables. Control beliefs were less positive than behavioral and normative beliefs. Public health nurses trained in solution-focused parenting support reported more positive control beliefs (M = 4.34, SD = 0.83) as compared to untrained public health nurses (M = 4.00, SD = 0.82). ConclusionThis study is the first to provide insight into public health nurses’ beliefs about solution-focused parenting support. The overall moderately positive to positive beliefs of PHNs about solution-focused parenting support suggests that PHNs tend to accept solution-focused parenting support as a viable approach. Compared to behavioral and normative beliefs, PHNs score the lowest on control beliefs.

Reflections on the Challenges and the Prospects of a Post-pandemic Doctoral Supervision in Moulay Ismail University

There has been an extensive growth of ICT-based models adopted in doctoral supervision as a major avenue in maintaining relationships with doctoral candidates engaged in research at a geographical distance from university and those undertaking research-related activities off-campus. However, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in recommendations of safety procedures and extended restrictions issued by the World Health Organization, has considerably affected doctoral education in ways that have revitalized distance, online supervision and so moved this latter from being an option on the side to a requisite. The main endeavor of this study is to examine the challenges doctoral supervisors have encountered whilst supervising candidates’ projects in the present circumstances and also explore the prospects of post-pandemic distance-delivered doctorate programs in the Moroccan university. The study employs a qualitative analysis guided by semi-structured interviews of 17 supervisors to obtain a clearer perception of doctoral supervision practices in light of the pandemic as well as the efficacy of alternative online distance modes. The findings yielded compelling issues grounded on institutional support, financial restrictions, adaptability of existing platforms, as well as technical unpreparedness to move online, all of which demand a critical reflection and strategic attention to build research capacity. Eventually, this study brings in various pedagogical implications sought to enlighten the uptake of online supervision and its integration and efficacy as a current alternative.

The actuality and influences of undergraduates' participation in high impact educational practices in Chinese universities.

High Impact Educational Practices (HIPs) are effectively educational practices that have an important impact on student learning and development. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of different types of high-impact educational activities on students’ learning outcomes. The data comes from the 2019 “tracking research survey on learning and development of Chinese college students,” in which undergraduates from 39 Chinese colleges and universities participated. This study first clarified the concept and classification of high-impact educational activities, and then used multiple linear regression analysis to analyze the impact of three types of high-impact educational activities, including extended learning activities, research-related activities, and social practice activities, on students’ learning gains. It’s found that most Chinese college students do not perform well on HIPs, while the “Double First-Class” university students engage more than other colleges. Participating in HIPs has a significant impact on students’ knowledge, ability and values, especially on the latter two. This study provides valuable enlightenment for universities on how to promote students’ participation in high impact educational activities and improve the quality of higher education.

A Comparison of Demographic and Research Characteristics of Faculty in a Philippine Private University: Assessing Self-Efficacy, Attitude, and Interest

As the country shifts toward institutionalizing research-related activities for both basic and higher education, research productivity (RP) still exhibited low ratings, with most of the universities still developing their own research cultures. To keep up with this shift, the current paper aimed to provide an assessment of the current research characteristics (i.e., research self-efficacy, research attitudes, and research interests) of faculty members in a private university in Bacoor, Cavite. Focusing on a relatively small scale of faculty members (n= 49), the investigation tried to compare the faculty’s demographic profile and research characteristics to further understand the overall university faculty research productivity. The findings revealed that they have an above-average confidence level with their research skills, have a somewhat positive view of research, and are likely to be interested in doing research. The study found no significant differences among the participants' research characteristics when grouped according to their gender and educational attainment using Mann-Whitney U tests and Kruskal-Wallis tests. However, there is a significant difference in the research attitudes among different age groups. Results have provided an objective assessment of the current research characteristics of university faculty members that may inform potential research training programs.

Homology detection method for voltage sags based on space vector and maximum mean discrepancy

A single voltage sag source may trigger multiple power quality monitors to record waveforms resulting in the redundancy of voltage sag monitoring data. To address this problem, a homology detection method for voltage sags based on a space vector and maximum mean discrepancy was proposed, which is conducive for locating accurate voltage sag sources and inverting sag event propagation paths. First, a waveform transformation method based on a space vector was proposed to eliminate the influence of the transformer on voltage sag propagation. Second, a two-sample test method for voltage sags based on the maximum mean discrepancy was proposed to detect whether any two voltage sag waveforms are caused by the same voltage sag source. The connected graph method was used to identify the number of sag sources; this avoids the difficulty in accurately selecting the number of clusters. The measured and simulation data of the IEEE 30-bus system were used for verification, and the results verified the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed method. The proposed method can be implemented in a power quality monitoring system as a pre-processing step to support related research activities.

Increasing Student Self-Efficacy: A Case for Assigning Oral Communication Activities before Written Assignments

Because strong oral communication skills have well-known academic, social, and professional benefits, they are increasingly targeted and reinforced throughout general education programs in higher education. In these efforts, public speaking assignments most often ask students to discuss information they have previously written about (e.g., theses defenses, position statements, research papers). This article presents a reverse approach—using short oral presentations to prepare students for subsequent written assignments. Previous studies have found that students will more closely read and evaluate source materials when they must articulate the information orally for an audience. Integrating oral presentations in the writing process gives students practice with language and vocabulary, but maybe more importantly, it also has the potential to increase students’ self-efficacy—their confidence in their ability to understand and successfully complete additional research-related activities—which can, in turn, positively affect engagement and retention.

Assessment of measured and estimated meteorological data in terms of sorghum production on the example of Hamelmalo, Eritrea

Eritrea is exposed to climate variability and extreme events like drought and precipitation variability. Hamelmalo, a sub region in Eritrea, suffers from all the problems brought by climate change, especially because local people mainly depend on rainfed agriculture. I it is difficult to conduct climate related research activities for the region due to the shortage of meteorological data. However, in 2015, a new, complete meteorological station was established providing the chance of the first observations for practical and scientific purposes. The main objective of this study was to evaluate some climatic parameters from crop productional point of view by comparing the observed values with ones calculated by the Local Climate Estimator (LCE) model. Chi-square test was used to statistically analyse the differences. Based on the results, all the studied climatic parameters, except for precipitation, were almost on a par, which means there were no statistically significant differences between the observed and the estimated values. It can be concluded that the most variable climatic parameter in Hamelmalo is precipitation and this also affects the climatic water balance hence the need for irrigation if higher yields are wanted to be achieved. Sufficient water is vital in the mid-season and the late developmental stage of sorghum. Therefore, sowing time is advised to be adjusted to early July to ensure the maximum vegetative growth and seed setting period to be reached at the end of August in order to take the advantage of the positive climatic water balance of these two months.