Scientific Research Resources Research Articles

Breaking the financial bottleneck of local universities of China: an analysis of the current situation of university intellectual property

PurposeWith the global economic slowdown in 2023, most universities in the central and western regions of China may face the problem of shortage of government financial funding, which is directly related to the development of science and technology of the universities. With the support of the local government, most of the ordinary universities have shifted attention to the transfer and transformation of intellectual property based on school-enterprise cooperation, hoping to seek more commercialization income as an extra source of income. Therefore, this paper aimed to study the current situation of university intellectual property, i.e. the reserve and distribution of transferable patents, discipline distribution of patents, and regional cooperation of university patents.Design/methodology/approachA patent database of 10 key universities in Henan Province of China from 2012 to 2021 was established. The evaluation indicator model by the Entropy method was conducted to reveal the interaction mechanism between quantity indicators, quality indicators, and value indicators. Based on the data analysis, the development direction of the discipline construction and school-enterprise cooperation for local universities was clear.FindingsThe findings indicated that the number of patent applications from ten key universities in Henan Province has been increasing rapidly over the years. The trend for authorized invention patents has remained relatively stable. Compared with the patent applications and authorizations, the growth of transferable patents was notably slow. The significance of strategic layout of dominant disciplines and related high-value patents was not appreciated enough by Chinese government and universities. There was a large difference of dominant disciplines between 10 key universities, and the patent level of each university was directly proportional to the number of dominant disciplines. The university patent level heavily relied on the researchers' contributions and the distribution mechanism of scientific research resources within the university. Guangdong Province and the Yangtze River Delta of China, being economically developed regions, exhibited the most active engagement in patent technology cooperation. Conversely, the central and western regions displayed relatively lower participation in high-value patent research and development.Research limitations/implicationsThis study can provide a unique perspective to understand and solve the financial bottleneck problem of ordinary universities in the central and western regions of China. The discipline construction and school-enterprise cooperation are just one of the existing schemes, but it still cannot solve the financial problems faced by local universities in China towards the government.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study can serve as a foundation for further investigation into policies aimed at improving the financial problems of ordinary universities in the central and western regions of China.Originality/valueAs an important attempt, the study tried to focus the financial problem of universities in the central and western regions of China based on the evaluation of the current situation of university intellectual property. This research findings are of great value in finding optimal layout between university patents, disciplines and school-enterprise cooperation.

"Four New and Three High" Mathematical Modeling Course Construction

After years of inheritance, innovation and integration, the mathematical modeling curriculum has been reformed from the aspects of education concept, training goal, teaching system, teaching material system, course content, teaching method and learning mode. Teaching "four new" design is to organically integrate the ideological and political elements with professional characteristics into the course teaching, innovate the course content, teaching methods and evaluation methods, enhance the students' independent learning ability, and realize the integration of teaching and ideological and political education. The transformation of "three high" innovation resources into teaching: high-level design, high-quality requirements, high-level implementation, relying on high-level scientific research and innovation resources, timely transformation into teaching resources through classroom teaching, extracurricular science and innovation, school-enterprise exchanges and other ways, and focusing on cultivating students' practical ability and innovation ability.

Identifying people living with cystic fibrosis in the Danish National Patient Registry: A validation study

BackgroundThe Danish National Patient Registry (DNPR) serves as a valuable resource for scientific research. However, to ensure accurate results in cystic fibrosis (CF) studies that rely on DNPR data, a robust case-identification algorithm is essential. This study aimed to develop and validate algorithms for the reliable identification of CF patients in the DNPR. MethodsUsing the Danish Cystic Fibrosis Registry (DCFR) as a reference, accuracy measures including sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) for case-finding algorithms deployed in the DNPR were calculated. Algorithms were based on minimum number of hospital contacts with CF as the main diagnosis and minimum number of days between first and last contact. ResultsAn algorithm requiring a minimum of one hospital contact with CF as the main diagnosis yielded a sensitivity of 96.1 % (95 % CI: 94.2 %; 97.4 %) and a PPV of 84.9 % (82.0 %; 87.4 %). The highest-performing algorithm required minimum 2 hospital visits and a minimum of 182 days between the first and the last contact and yielded a sensitivity of 95.9 % (95 % CI: 94.1 %; 97.2 %), PPV of 91.0 % (95 % CI: 88.6 %; 93.0 %) and a cohort entry delay of 3.2 months at the 75th percentile (95th percentile: 38.7 months). ConclusionsThe DNPR captures individuals with CF with high sensitivity and is a valuable resource for CF-research. PPV was improved at a minimal cost of sensitivity by increasing requirements of minimum number of hospital contacts and days between first and last contact. Cohort entry delay increased with number of required hospital contacts.

The cost of being a PhD student in the UK

The cost of being a PhD student in the UK

The Ukrainian question in the historical and cultural heritage of the patriot writer I. Nechuy-Levytskyi: observations of sources

The article focuses on the role of Ivan Semenovych Nechuy-Levytskyi in the historical and cultural heritage of Ukraine. The variety of topics and literary trends that the writer's work synthesized in itself still attracts scientists today. Ways to heal our society, unite it, and return to the European community lie in turning to the national primary sources in establishing our national statehood, in restoring the prestige of national values. The purpose of the study is a source-based analysis of the work of the outstanding writer-patriot Ivan Semenovych Nechuy-Levytskyi as an information resource for further scientific research into the relationship between the Ukrainian question and the political situation in the country, the development of culture and education. The research methodology is based on general scientific methods (analysis, synthesis, comparison, descriptive, detailing, generalization) and special-historical (historical-source analysis, biographical). The scientific novelty consists in the presentation of information about the multi-vector direction of the writer's creativity. The relevance of the research is determined by the search for new assessments or classifications for rethinking intellectual experience and a new understanding of the role and significance of the figure of Ivan Semenovych Nechuy-Levytskyi in the Ukrainian cultural consciousness. Conclusions. The theoretical aspect of the problem of research and development of the collection of I. Nechuy-Levytskyi's publications is summarized. The themes of the artist's works and publications are outlined. The information contained in the writer's writings significantly expands knowledge about his activities, illuminates cooperation with domestic and foreign artists, scientists and specifies his contribution to the development of culture, education, reproduction of an objective picture of historical events in Ukraine. The analysis and scientific study of the journalistic and literary and artistic heritage of I. Nechuy-Levytskyi, which is part of the funds of the National Library of Ukraine named after V. I. Vernadskyi, shows that this collection is of great interest to researchers of biography, literary studies, linguistics and history of Ukraine. Balanced, thoughtful use of the works of Ivan Semenovych Nechuy-Levytskyi will contribute to the development of further research into the life and work of the outstanding Ukrainian writer, effective preservation of mental stability, and productive information activities of citizens in the difficult conditions of the current challenges facing the Ukrainian people.

NEW DISCOVERIES IN 2023 ON MIXED HERITAGE SITES AT DAK NONG UNESCO GLOBAL GEOPARK

Heritage in UNESCO Global Geopark Dak Nong is rich and diverse with a full range of categories including natural and cultural heritage. Many outstanding heritage sites have been preserved and become invaluable resources for scientific research, education - study and tourism exploitation, contributing to the sustainable socioeconomic development in Dak Nong province. During the recent ield surveys, several dual/mixed heritage points combining geological and cultural significance were discovered, particularly prehistoric geological heritage rsites. Some of these sites can be excavated for on-site conservation and transformed into a unique highlight to attract tourists to tourism purposes. This article introduces some valuable new discoveries related to mixed heritage to preserve and promote the heritage values and toutism development in the UNESCO Global Geopark in Dak Nong.

The Ukrainian question in the historical and cultural heritage of the patriot writer I. S. Nechuy-Levytskyi: observations of sources

The article focuses on the role of Ivan Semenovych Nechuy-Levytskyi in the historical and cultural heritage of Ukraine. The variety of topics and literary trends that the writer's work synthesized in itself still attracts scientists today. Ways to heal our society, unite it, and return to the European community lie in turning to the national primary sources in establishing our national statehood, in restoring the prestige of national values. The purpose of the study is a source-based analysis of the work of the outstanding writer-patriot Ivan Semenovych Nechuy-Levytskyi as an information resource for further scientific research into the relationship between the Ukrainian question and the political situation in the country, the development of culture and education. The research methodology is based on general scientific methods (analysis, synthesis, comparison, descriptive, detailing, generalization) and special-historical (historical-source analysis, biographical). The scientific novelty consists in the presentation of information about the multi-vector direction of the writer's creativity. The relevance of the research is determined by the search for new assessments or classifications for rethinking intellectual experience and a new understanding of the role and significance of the figure of Ivan Semenovych Nechuy-Levytskyi in the Ukrainian cultural consciousness. Conclusions. The theoretical aspect of the problem of research and development of the collection of I. Nechuy-Levytskyi's publications is summarized. The themes of the artist's works and publications are outlined. The information contained in the writer's writings significantly expands knowledge about his activities, illuminates cooperation with domestic and foreign artists, scientists and specifies his contribution to the development of culture, education, reproduction of an objective picture of historical events in Ukraine. The analysis and scientific study of the journalistic and literary and artistic heritage of I. Nechuy-Levytskyi, which is part of the funds of the National Library of Ukraine named after V. I. Vernadskyi, shows that this collection is of great interest to researchers of biography, literary studies, linguistics and history of Ukraine. Balanced, thoughtful use of the works of Ivan Semenovych Nechuy-Levytskyi will contribute to the development of further research into the life and work of the outstanding Ukrainian writer, effective preservation of mental stability, and productive information activities of citizens in the difficult conditions of the current challenges facing the Ukrainian people.

Homology Identification and Cross-Contamination Analysis: A Method for Evaluating the Quality of Biological Samples Stored in a Biobank Using the Advanta Sample ID Genotyping Panel.

Biological samples are important resources for scientific research. These samples are stored in biobanks over years until needed, and some of them can never be retrieved if they are improperly stored, causing them to be wasted. Thus, they are priceless, and they should be used correctly and effectively. Sample quality substantially affects biomedical research results. However, sample misidentification or mix-up is common. It is necessary to establish quality standards for sample identification. In this study, we used the Advanta Sample ID genotyping panel to detect homology identification and cross-contamination. We compared the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) typing results of two different samples and calculated the similarity score of homologous sample pairs and nonhomologous sample pairs. Through analysis, we obtained a similarity score cutoff point of 0.8620, which was an effective way to distinguish homology and nonhomology. Cross-contamination was detected in two sets of mixtures (STD8:STD6 and jj3:1-P) mixed at a series of special ratios. Sensitivity was dependent on the sample characteristics and mixing ratios. Finally, we assessed the effect of sample degradation degree on SNP genotyping and found that degraded samples with a minimal DNA integrity number of 1.9 had complete genotyping results. On the whole, this study shows that the Sample ID panel is reliable for homology identification and cross-contamination analysis. Moreover, this technology has promising further applications in biological sample quality control.

Barriers to the completion of bachelor thesis for bachelor nursing students during their internship: A qualitative study from dual student and faculty perspectives

BackgroundBachelor thesis are among the most important ways of exercising Chinese nursing students' research skills and developing critical thinking. However, there is a mismatch between the expectations and abilities of clinical nursing teachers and nursing students. Exploring the impediments to nursing students' research skills can provide a basis for developing targeted improvements. ObjectiveTo identify barriers to the completion of research projects among nursing undergraduates during their internships from the dual student and instructor perspectives. DesignDescriptive qualitative design. SettingAffected by the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted this study at a tertiary hospital in Fuzhou, Fujian Province. ParticipantsThe study was conducted using a purposive sample of 16 nursing interns and six instructors. MethodsData were collected through semi-structured interviews to provide nursing students and instructors with various perspectives. The collected data were analysed using thematic analysis methods. ResultsThis study included 16 students (two male and 14 female; age 21.75 ± 0.66 years), six instructors (age 34.33 ± 1.97 years), which was sufficient to reach data saturation. We identified 126 codes from the interview data and obtained seven subcategories among three categories: a) Lack of scientific research training: lack of clinical instructors' experience, lack of academic training courses, and lack of necessary scientific research resources support; b) Poor communication: excessive workload, poor instructor-student relationship, and lack of communication skills; and c) Lack of support systems: lack of support from other disciplines and negative coping patterns. ConclusionsThe findings of this study will help nursing interns develop an interest in scientific research throughout their internships. Reducing barriers will also strengthen teacher training programmes, improve the teaching process, promote teacher-student communication, and provide students with necessary social support.

The theoretical research of voluntary beliefs

We use “voluntary” to describe actions, activities, movements, or other processes that are chosen and controlled by a person's free will to explore whether beliefs are voluntary. This paper will argue that although the involuntary nature of belief is to some extent rooted in the human biological system, a person's voluntary control can still affect the original belief system if there is science-based social intervention. So we need to invest more resources in scientific research, get everyone better educated, and get these helpful, correct ideas out in the public.

Bibliometric analysis of the uveitis literature and research trends over the past two decades

ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine the publication patterns and present a current view of the field of uveitis using a bibliometric analysis.DesignBibliometric analysis.Methods and analysisA comprehensive search of three databases...

Underwater Acoustically Guided Docking Method Based on Multi-Stage Planning

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are important in areas such as underwater scientific research and underwater resource collection. However, AUVs suffer from data portability and energy portability problems due to their physical size limitation. In this work, an acoustic guidance method for underwater docking is proposed to solve the problem of persistent underwater operation. A funnel docking station and an autonomous remotely operated vehicle (ARV) are used as the platform for designing the guidance algorithms. First, the underwater docking guidance is divided into three stages: a long-range approach stage, a mid-range adjustment stage and a short-range docking stage. Second, the relevant guidance strategy is designed for each stage to improve the docking performance. Third, a correction method based on an ultra-short baseline (USBL) system is proposed for the ARV’s estimate of the depth, relative position and orientation angle of the docking station. To verify the feasibility of the docking guidance method, in this work, tests were performed on a lake and in a shallow sea. The success rate of autonomous navigation docking on the lake was 4 out of 7. The success rate of acoustic guidance docking on the lake and in the shallow sea were 11 out of 14 and 6 out of 8, respectively. The experimental results show the effectiveness of the docking guidance method in lakes and shallow seas.

Co-evolution of regional integration and green innovation under two-layer network

With global low-carbon development, green innovation has becoming a key factor for countries to obtain and maintain core competitive advantages. However, the division of scientific research resources often fails to meet the requirements of economic development. Therefore, regional integration cooperation has become an inevitable choice for innovation and development. However, the effect of the impact, direction, and interaction of regional integration policies on green innovation decision-making remains uncertain. To study the synergistic development mechanism between the two, this study constructs a two-layer network model that includes the decision and influence layers and uses a graph neural network model to map the relationship between the two-layer networks. With the help of opinion dynamics model and public goods game model, we draw the following conclusions. (1) Limited communication between regions can encourage all parties to adopt active green innovation strategies. However, excessive communication can lead to disunity of opinions among all parties, which may not be conducive to green innovation and result in an increase in free-rider behavior. (2) Regional integration development can effectively prompt all parties to choose active green innovation strategies. (3) Increasing the breadth of regional integration cooperation is more effective in promoting the active participation of all parties in green innovation, compared to increasing the depth of regional integration cooperation. This study provides theoretical support for decision-making in regional integration and green innovation development.

Managing the integration of teaching resources for college physical education using intelligent edge-cloud computing

These days, colleges and universities have accumulated many resources in teaching and scientific research due to the acceleration of education information in China. However, many teaching resources are in short supply due to a lack of standardized resource construction and the closeness of management methods. Physical education significant teaching resources in Chinese colleges and universities must be utilized. If not integrated, it would seriously restrict the development of physical education in China. However, the traditional management of physical education teaching resources tends to worsen the data management, which is easy to cause the loss of physical education teaching resources data. With the development of the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, and other technologies, intelligent edge cloud computing can ensure the integrity of physical education teaching resources and improve utilization. In this paper, cloud computing is used to manage physical education teaching resources in colleges and universities, and virtualization technology is used to research physical education teaching resources. Moreover, a resource scheduling method is proposed to ensure equal load distribution across various edge resources. The proposed strategy also provides increased utilization levels for computing resources. The comparison between the sports teaching resources under cloud computing and traditional sports teaching resources found that cloud resource management's sharing degree of teaching equipment has increased by 20.6% compared with conventional resource management. The sharing degree of courses has increased by 16.5%, and the utilization rate of sports venues has increased by 27.1% compared with traditional resource management. The utilization rate of sports film and television materials increased by 30.7%. Teachers and students benefit significantly from college and university teaching resources in the context of cloud computing. It demonstrates how cloud computing may assist colleges and universities in managing and integrating their teaching resources more effectively. The management and integration of college sports resources through cloud computing can promote the mutual exchange of college resources and have practical significance for the development of college education.

Integrated microbiome-metabolome-genome axis data of Laiwu and Lulai pigs

Excessive fat deposition can trigger metabolic diseases, and it is crucial to identify factors that can break the link between fat deposition and metabolic diseases. Healthy obese Laiwu pigs (LW) are high in fat content but resistant to metabolic diseases. In this study, we compared the fecal microbiome, fecal and blood metabolome, and genome of LW and Lulai pigs (LU) to identify factors that can block the link between fat deposition and metabolic diseases. Our results show significant differences in Spirochetes and Treponema, which are involved in carbohydrate metabolism, between LW and LU. The fecal and blood metabolome composition was similar, and some anti-metabolic disease components of blood metabolites were different between the two breeds of pigs. The predicted differential RNA is mainly enriched in lipid metabolism and glucose metabolism, which is consistent with the functions of differential microbiota and metabolites. The down-regulated gene RGP1 is strongly negatively correlated with Treponema. Our omics data would provide valuable resources for further scientific research on healthy obesity in both human and porcine.

Identification of factors influencing core competence promotion among professional nurses and midwives: A qualitative study using the COM-B model

AimTo identify factors influencing a behaviour of improving core competencies among nurses and midwives in the Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital using the capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour (COM-B) model. BackgroundWith the increasing number of women with pregnancy complications and the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses and midwives are being challenged and enhancing their core competencies is imperative to ensure high-quality care. To develop effective intervention strategies, it is essential to systematically explore what influences nurses and midwives to improve their core competencies. To this end, this study applied the COM-B model of behavioural change. DesignQualitative study using the COM-B model. MethodsThis qualitative descriptive study was conducted in 2022 using face-to-face interviews, including 49 nurses and midwives. Topic guides for the interviews were developed based on the COM-B model. Transcribed verbatim interviews were analysed using deductive thematic analysis. ResultsThe COM-B model captures several factors. Capability factors included clinical knowledge and self-directed learning abilities. Opportunity factors included professional education covering necessary clinical skills, adequate clinical practice, personalised training, available time, insufficient clinical learning resources, absence of scientific research resources and support from leadership. Motivational factors were access to long-term work, incentive policies based on individuals’ work values and responses to upward social comparison. ConclusionsThe findings of this study suggested that prior to developing intervention strategies to enhance the core competencies of nurses and midwives, processing barriers to nurses’ and midwives’ capabilities, opportunities and motivation can facilitate the implementation of interventions.

Application of Medicinal Plant Resources in Landscape Designing

Among the more than 10,000 kinds of medicinal plant resources in China, there are many precious and endangered medicinal materials, and varied plant resources suitable for using in landscape design. The rational application of medicinal plant resources in landscape engineering is of great significance in many aspects, such as increasing landscape design, improving environment, and providing resources for scientific research and popular science. However, there lack of summaries and comments on the application of medicinal plant resources in landscape engineering. This paper summarizes the significance of the application of Chinese medicinal resources in landscape design and the categories of garden medicinal plant resources. It also elucidates the using of three kinds of garden medicinal plant resources as to improve the ecological environment, to release fragrance, and to supply medicine and food. Moreover, it summarized the application of medicinal plant resources in the configuration of specialized gardens of medicinal plants, the configuration of characteristic landscapes of botanical gardens, the configuration of characteristic landscape for urban gardens and the configuration for horticultural therapy. Finally, it discusses some problems existing in the application of medicinal plant resources in landscape designing and prospects the development of medicinal plants in landscape designing, in order to provide a basis for more scientific and more extensive application of medicinal plants in landscape designing.

Aortic Dissection Research in China: Analysis of Studies Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) has made great progress in promoting the development of aortic dissection research in recent years. This study aimed to examine the development and research status of aortic dissection research in China so as to provide references for future research. The NSFC projects data from 2008 to 2019 were collected from the Internet-based Science Information System and other websites utilized as search engines. The publications and citations were retrieved by Google Scholar, and the impact factors were checked by the InCite Journal Citation Reports database. The investigator's degree and department were identified from the institutional faculty profiles. A total of 250 grant funds totaling 124.3 million Yuan and resulting in 747 publications were analyzed. The funds in economically developed and densely populated areas were more than those in underdeveloped and sparsely populated areas. There was no significant difference in the amount of funding per grant between different departments' investigators. However, the funding output ratios of the grants for cardiologists were higher than those for basic science investigators. The amount of funding for clinical researchers and basic scientific researchers in aortic dissection was also similar. Clinical researchers were better in terms of the funding output ratio. These results suggest that the medical and scientific research level of aortic dissection in China has been greatly improved. However, there are still some problems that urgently need to be solved, such as the unreasonable regional allocation of medical and scientific research resources, and the slow transition from basic science to clinical practice.

Динамічний аналіз впливу наукової та інноваційної діяльності на формування валової доданої вартості в Україні

Introduction. Factors such as scientific and innovative activities exert a significant impact on the development of national economies and the formation of individual macro indicators. However, today in Ukraine they have not yet become stimulators of economic growth and need to be updated. Problem Statement. With the help of modern methodological tools, the level of influence of scientific and innovative activities on the formation of gross added value in Ukraine has been studied, which proves the importance of these types of activities in ensuring the sustainable development of the state. Purpose. The purpose of the article is to assess the impact of scientific and innovative activities on the formation of gross added value -one of the key indicators of the country's economic development. Methods. General scientific and special methods are used: statistical - for researching indicators of scientific and innovative activity; comparison - for comparing indicators of scientific and innovative activity in Ukraine and developed countries of the world; correlation-regression analysis for assessing the impact of scientific and innovative components on gross added value; scientific generalization and systematization - for identifying areas of activation of innovative activity. Results. It has been determined that, compared to developed countries, the lack of financial resources for scientific research (R&D) explains the causes of many problems of domestic science, and the level of innovative activity of industrial enterprises in Ukraine is insufficient. Applying the method of correlation-regression analysis, it has been established that the greatest impact on the formation of gross added value is caused by indicators such as the number of innovatively active industrial enterprises as well as the number of employees involved in the implementation of R&D. Conclusions. Solving the problems that inhibit the innovative development of the national economy requires the synergy of the state, business and research environment. Taking into account the level of economic development, the state of scientific and innovative activity, efforts should be focused on priority innovative projects in selected industries and on the formation of a cluster of innovative technologies.

Dynamic Evaluation of Transformation Ability for Emergency Scientific Research Achievements Based on an Improved Minimum Distance-Maximum Entropy Combination Weighting Method: A Case Study of COVID-19 Epidemic Data.

In the process of responding to major public health emergencies, the transformation of emergency scientific research results often faces many unfavourable factors such as limited resources, tight time, changes in needs, and lack of results. It is necessary to evaluate and analyze the ability to transform emergency scientific research results under public health emergencies, so as to rationally allocate emergency scientific research resources between subjects and regions, improve the efficiency of emergency results transformation, enhance emergency scientific research capabilities, and efficiently support incident prevention, control, and treatment. Starting from the patent level, this paper constructs an indicator system to evaluate the transformation ability of emergency scientific research results under major public health emergencies. It improves the minimum distance-maximum entropy combination weighting method to realize the static evaluation of transformation ability for emergency scientific research results from the perspective of patents, then constructs the dynamic evaluation model of transformation ability for emergency scientific research results in public health emergencies from the perspective of patents, and carries out the dynamic evaluation of the emergency scientific research achievements transformation ability of different subjects and different regions. We also improve the ER index, measure the static polarization effect of the transformation ability for regional emergency scientific research results, and consider the time factor to construct a dynamic polarization effect measurement model for the transformation ability of emergency scientific research achievement. Furthermore, this paper improves the measurement model of contribution degree to the polarization effect, and analyzes the contribution degree to polarization of the transformation ability for regional emergency scientific research results.