University Scientific Research Research Articles

Research Projects of Universities and Government Research Institutes

Research Projects of Universities and Government Research Institutes

Evaluate the Impact of Covid-19 Epidemic on Tertiary Education, Training, and Scientific Research in Universities in Vietnam

Evaluate the Impact of Covid-19 Epidemic on Tertiary Education, Training, and Scientific Research in Universities in Vietnam

FAIR research data integration in CRIS at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg

CRIS systems are an important resource about the university's scientists, research projects and publications. The functionality of FAU's CRIS was constantly extended by several additional entity types in the last years, such as affiliations, research infrastructure, internal applications and more. Most of them go beyond standards like CERIF or ”Kerndatensatz Forschung”, but follow their general principles. In this paper, we present the current state of our approach in supporting FAIR research data management in our CRIS. We achieve synergy effects between research data and research information, since some parts of research data's meta data are already contained in the CRIS.

НАУЧНЫЙ ВКЛАД Л.В. КУЗНЕЦОВОЙ В РАЗВИТИЕ САМАРСКОЙ АРХЕОЛОГИИ И МУЗЕЙНОГО ДЕЛА

The article is dedicated to the jubilee of the outstanding archaeologist, leading specialist in the field of studying Paleolithic of the Volga region, Liudmila Vasilievna Kuznetsova. After graduating from the Kuibyshev (Samara) State University, she became a member of the university scientific research group No 7, which was engaged in security and rescue works in the construction zones of various facilities. In the 1985, after being a post-graduate in the Leningrad branch of the Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (now the Institute of the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences) she defended her Candidate of History thesis “Paleolithic of the Middle and Lower Volga Region”. Since 1992, she works at the Samara Museum for History and Regional Studies named after P.V. Alabin, the director of which she has been for more than two decades. The article describes the scientific, administrative and pedagogical activities of Liudmila V. Kuznetsova.

Opinions of Medical Faculty Students about Anatomy Practical Education: A Survey Study

Aim: In our study, it was aimed to evaluate the opinions of students studying at Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University Faculty of Medicine about the current state of anatomy practical education. Material and Method: A total of 64 students, 36 men and 28 women, were included in the study. In this cross-sectional, descriptive type study, students’ views on anatomy education were determined using a voluntary survey method. In the content of the survey, there were questions that questioned the demographic characteristics of the students, their thoughts about the practical education of anatomy they received, and questions that determined their ideas about the provision of models. In the answer to other questions, a likert-type scale of 5 was used consisting of the options “always”, “mostly”, “often”, “occasionally”, “never”. The data was analyzed with IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0 package program. Results: The average age of 64 students participating in the study was 20.98± 1.10. Of these students, 33(51.6%) were in semester II and 31(48.4%) were in semester III. Students reported that the practical training in anatomy they received was moderate, that the model and cadaver should be used together in lessons, that training on the model was very effective in learning anatomy. In the results, it was observed that the variety of models available in our laboratory was sufficient, but due to the presence of classes, the number of models was not sufficient, it would be better to drop one model for every 1-5 people on the average. Conclusion: Students were moderately satisfied with the learning practices within the scope of the anatomy practical course. With the support of Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University Research Projects Coordination Unit (Project no:2020/3-28A), thanks to the newly provided models, the reinforce laboratory allows students to better understand the lesson and learn the subjects they are having difficulty with.

EXPLORING THE L2 MOTIVATIONAL SELF-SYSTEM IN ECUADOR: A QUESTIONNAIRE STUDY IN SECONDARY SCHOOL / HIGH SCHOOL CONTEXTS

Over the last decade, Zoltán Dörnyei’s L2 Motivational Self-System (L2MSS) theoretical framework has been used to explore the relationship between successful second language learning and learner motivation in a myriad of language learning contexts. However, not many studies have been carried out in developing countries. Through the lens of L2MSS’s three main components: Ideal L2 self, Ought to L2 self, and Learning experience, this study explores Language Learning Motivated Behavior (LLMB) in an Ecuadorian EFL setting. The article is part of a university research project. One hundred twenty-eight senior high school students completed a questionnaire drawn from previous research studies on the L2MSS. The results confirm that the Ideal L2 Self is a strong predictor of language learning motivation in Ecuador, validating this component as one of the highest-order motivational forces across different populations of L2 learners. Concerning its counterpart, the Ought to L2 self, it was not found a significant correlation between this variable and the criterion measure (LLMB), determining that the external force of the L2MSS presents socio-cultural variances. The Learning experience component also has a noticeable impact on motivated behavior in the context of the study.

LEARNERS’ AGENCY IN FOCUS: INTRODUCING THE 21ST CENTURY ACADEMIC WRITING PEDAGOGY IN INDONESIA

The notion of transformative learning has been echoed by the Indonesian government in the National Standard of Education (2020, 2015). A shift from the teacher-centric into the student-centric pedagogy is a prerequisite to trigger the learning transformation. However, in the field of English language teaching (ELT) in particular, there remains a firm reliance on the dogma of modern linguistics that positions linguistic description and grammatical mastery as the key for meaning-making mechanism. Consequently, such monolithic ELT pedagogy expects a steady compliance from the students in relation to learning, and thus learners’ creative agency was removed. This paper is a reflection on how the learning of academic writing unit was approached differently by using a multisensorial-multicognitive pedagogy as informed by neuroscience, thus breaking away from linguistics as the sole informing theory for learning language. This new academic writing pedagogy embraces language learning as a complex system, thus incorporating other bio-psychological components in learning such as rhythm, intonation, movement, emotion, and aesthetics. This paper highlights how these components were used creatively in the three innovative learning tools – Verbotonal Approach, Reading for Emotions, and Aesthetics – to support agentive learning practice in academic writing course. This new pedagogy was developed in a doctoral research project in an Australian university and was proven effective to help students transform their learning practices.

A general framework for selecting appropriate criteria of student as research assistant using fuzzy delphi method

<span lang="EN-US">This research aims to build a general framework for choosing the most appropriate set of criteria for recruiting student as a research assistant in a university research project. University researchers could benefit from such a framework because it could optimize the costs of research while also enhancing students research skills. In the same time, it is also essential that the quality of research ought to measure up to the grants provided by the university. Nevertheless, it is a challenging problem for many research supervisors in the selection of qualified research assistants. In this paper, we attempted to resolve this problem by building a general framework for selecting the appropriate criteria in the evaluation of student performance. We explored earlier studies on the proposed evaluation criteria of the research assistant and identified 47 most impactful criteria criteria. We obtained experts in engineering and information technology fields from two universities to answer questionnaires to identify their commonly used criteria for grant research assistant (GRA). Then, all the identified criteria were evaluated using the fuzzy delphi method (FDM) for finding the best fitting criteria which resulted in 16 most impactful criteria.</span>

Event related delta and theta oscillations are reduced in severe obstructive sleep apnea as a possible electrophysiologial evidence of subtle cognitive changes

AbstractBackgroundObstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) is a common sleep disorder that leads to widespread cognitive impairment when left untreated. OSAS is also reported as a risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s disease. Recent studies report a shared pathophysiology between OSAS and Alzheimer’s disease (Polsek et al., 2018; Baril et al., 2018). Working memory and attention related ERP P300 deficits were previously reported (for a review see, Raggi and Ferri, 2012). This study aims to investigate electrophysiological changes by using time‐frequency analysis to gain a better understanding on cognitive impairment in OSAS.Method56 severe OSAS patients and age, education and gender matched 33 healthy controls were participated to the study. Participants completed a classical auditory oddball task. A complex Morlet with Gabor normalization was applied and total power within four frequency bandwidths, delta (0.5‐3.5 Hz), theta (4‐7 Hz), alpha (8‐13 Hz), and beta (15‐30 Hz), was calculated using Event‐Related Spectral Perturbation (ERSP) analyses.ResultOSAS patients had reduced delta and theta ERPS to target stimuli compared to healthy controls in repeated measures ANOVA yielding a significant main GROUP effect (respectively, [F(1,87)=9.181, p=0.003] and [F(1,87)=5.083, p=0.027]). No differences were found on alpha and beta power.ConclusionWe found reduced delta and theta activity in severe OSAS patients. Delta EROs activity is associated with attention and decision making (Başar ve Stampfer, 1985; Stampfer ve Başar, 1985), whereas theta activity was associated with task induced activation of working memory (Yordanova et al. 2000). Reduced delta and theta EROs activity can be useful indices of subtle cognitive impairment in severe OSAS even before neuropsychological test. These results strengthen our understanding of the cognitive changes in OSAS by means of electrophysiological methodologies. This study was supported by Dokuz Eylul University Scientific Research Projects (Project Number: 2014.KB.SAG.058).

Methodological development for teaching environmental management within the framework of the university research and teaching project in the Central of Heredia (March to September 2020), Costa Rica. A preliminary study

In January 2020, the “Urban and social reconfiguration project of Heredia, and youth population, 1985-2020” starts its operations. Its objective is to analyze the urban capacities for social life, and the imprint of young people has developed between 1985 to 2020 in Heredia. Thus, to achieve the proposed goals, a methodology is established that joins research and teaching areas. Consequences of institutional policies impact this methodology to come from a national emergency of Covid-19, which causes the substantial methodological changes of the project. This preliminary study aims to communicate the methodological challenges in teaching environmental management in the current context. The method is interviews applied to students and academics participating in the project, consultation of secondary sources, records, databases, institutional reports, and observation of areas representing a less epidemiological risk to researchers. The conclusions of this experience are the following: (i) changes in the techniques of the methods and tools used in science; (ii) resilience of academic staff to take on extra hours; development of new learning technologies; and (iii) approach to the pedagogical discussion related to the project in the current conditions, which it makes a solid and enriching panorama for academic issues.

Monitoring the effectiveness of selected sorption materials in removing diclofenac from water

One of the contemporary problems is the widespread use of medicaments, which leads to an increased occurrence of these substances in the environment. The efficiency of conventional treatment processes for removing drugs from water is in most cases very little, if not zero. Treatment processes for removal of drugs include adsorption on activated carbon, membrane processes, and advanced oxidation processes. Within a specific university research project, a laboratory test was performed at the Institute of Municipal Water Management of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Brno University of Technology, to monitor the effectiveness of diclofenac removal by selected sorption materials. Diclofenac was chosen for this experiment as a representative of one of the most widespread groups of drugs - non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The removal of diclofenac from water was performed using columns filled with sorption materials Filtrasorb F100, GEH and Bayoxide E33. The aim of the test was to compare the selected sorption materials in terms of their effectiveness in removing diclofenac from water. From analyses of water taken at predetermined time intervals after filtration through said materials, it was found that the most suitable material for removing diclofenac from water is Filtrasorb F100.

Analysis on Evolution Characteristics of Industry University Research Innovation Network in Guizhou Province Based on Patent

Based on the industry-university-research cooperation patent data of Guizhou Province from 1986 to 2020, this paper constructs Guizhou industry-university-research innovation network, and empirically explores the overall structural characteristics of Guizhou industry-university-research innovation network, such as network scale and network density, as well as the time evolution dynamics of nodes and cooperation intensity. It is found that the scale of industry-university-research innovation network in Guizhou Province is gradually expanding, the nodes are gradually increasing, and more cooperative groups have been formed, but the overall network is low density; Guizhou University and other universities and scientific research institutions have always occupied the central position of the network. Although enterprises are not in the core position, the intensity of cooperation with institutions is gradually increasing.

Assessment of ECG variables in patients with CRO revascularization: comparison of patients with evidence of ischemia versus patients with angina only

Abstract Objective Recent studies have shown that CTO intervention improves ECG depolarization. however, its effect on mortality and left ventricular function is uncertain. Therefore, decision to revascularisation in CTO patients remains challenging. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the electrical changes in CTO patients according to the ischemia status detected by myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS). Method The study population consisted of two groups. CTO patients with angina were included in the first group and CTO patients with ischemia detected by MPS were included in the second group. Only symptomatic patients were included. CTO patients without angina were excluded from the study. After successful percutaneous CTO recanalization, ECG variables were measured before the procedure and 12–18 months after the procedure. Results After pre-assessment, 94 patients met study criteria. 49 patients without MPS. 45 patients were included in the MPS group. Three studies showed a significant decrease in mean QT dispersion of 17.46 ms [95% CI 10.62–24.30] after successful CTO PCI. In both groups, post-PCI QT dispersion did not differ between groups. All groups were similar in terms of ventricular arrhythmia. There was no sudden cardiac death in either group. However, more symptomatic improvement was observed in the group with ischemia with MPS. Conclusion According to our findings, CTO intervention has reduced proarrhythmic ECG findings. But similar electrical changes were observed between symptomatic (with angina) patients and patients with evidence of ischemia. In this context, CTO PCI should be considered in terms of electrical stability and improvement in symptoms in all patients presenting with anginal symptoms, with or without evidence of ischemia. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): Ondokuz Mayis University Scientific Research Office

Research on the Scientific Research Efficiency of Provincial Universities Based on the DEA Model

As the main factor of China’s higher education, effective evaluation of the scientific research efficiency of domestic universities is extremely significant to improve the scientific research management system of local universities, optimize the allocation of scientific research resources, and promote regional economic development. Based on the ten-year statistical data of the compilation of science and technology statistics of colleges and universities, this paper adopts the data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to study the scientific research efficiency of 31 provincial universities in Shandong Province from three dimensions: level, type, and region. The results show that, first, the overall scientific research efficiency of the sample universities is not high and takes on a downward trend; there are some differences, changes in the same direction, and level convergence in each dimension of scientific research efficiency. Second, there is a positive correlation between the comprehensive scientific research strength of the sample universities and the technical efficiency. Third, the level of regional economic development has a positive impact on the scale efficiency of scientific research, which is closely related to the technical efficiency, and there is no positive correlation between these two. Thus, the research suggests that, in the future, colleges and universities should formulate differentiated management policies, build a “Government University” two-level scientific research performance evaluation system guided by scientific research quality, change the concept of scientific research managers, and improve the ability of personnel to improve the efficiency of scientific research in colleges and universities.

Greatly Exaggerated in Canada: Diverging Data and Media Bailouts

Background: The Canadian government allocated $595 million in subsidies over five years to news media in 2019, but the bailout was based on questionable data. Financial losses were exaggerated; a think tank report was criticized for using data selectively; data from a university research project differed sharply from annual industry counts; and job loss figures were disputed. Analysis: Hard data can diverge markedly from soft data accepted in pursuit of policy outcomes. Conclusions and implications: A second campaign under way on behalf of entertainment industries could yield a bailout several times larger than the first. Closer scrutiny should be exercised of media narratives and offered data. An independent media research centre should collect and verify data for policy purposes.

İş Sağlığı ve Güvenliği ve İş Tatmini: Rol Belirsizliğinin Düzenleyici Etkisi

It is revealed by researchers that occupational health and safety measures should be taken and inspected to reduce and eliminate health problems arising from physical working conditions. Although numerous studies have been carried out on occupational health and safety, the effects of occupational health and safety practices on employee behaviour has not been fully researched which remains as an intriguing area. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the effect of occupational health and safety on job satisfaction and to reveal the moderator effect of role ambiguity on this relationship. To achieve the aim of the research, quantitative methods were adopted to collect and analyse data. Muş Alparslan University Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Committee approved the conduct of this research with the decision dated 26/11/2020 and numbered E-10879717-050.01.04-13802. 202 participants from furniture manufacturing firms in Bursa, Turkey provided valid questionnaires. Multiple regression analysis was conducted using SPSS v22 software. The results suggested that occupational health and safety positively influences the job satisfaction of employees. Furthermore, the analysis showed that role ambiguity plays a moderating role on the relationship between occupational health and safety and job satisfaction. The contribution that the research model makes to the literature is unique as it is the first model that integrates the three variables work together in a theoretically meaningful way. In addition, the contributions, limitations, recommendations and aspects of the research that will inspire future studies are discussed.

Chasing two hares at once? Effect of joint institutional change for promoting commercial use of university knowledge and scientific research

Stimulating the university’s scientific research while encouraging the commercial use of the resulting knowledge is one of the foremost missions to science policymakers. This study examines the short-term impact of joint institutional changes for facilitating the commercial use of university knowledge and stimulating scientific research activities by introducing a research performance evaluation system on the university scientists’ research outcomes. Our empirical analysis is based on Japan’s national university reform in 2004, which introduced institutional measures to support the income-generating activities of academic staff while implementing a regular evaluation of their performance. Using data on over 5,000 scientists in Japan’s national and private universities, we find an increase in the research productivity among national university scientists without a significant change in their research quality by this institutional change. Moreover, we find evidence showing that the reform induced more scientists to engage in research that serves as a knowledge input for developing technological applications. These short-term effects are specific to the scientists in the Life Science domain and those who were inactive in developing technical applications before the reform. We discuss the contributions of the present study to the strain of literature on how an institutional change to encourage commercial use of university knowledge affects science and draw the implications for science policy therein.

An Empirical Study on Scientific Research Performance of Universities in Different Regions of China Based on PCA and Malmquist Index Method

This paper uses principal component analysis (PCA) and entropy method to construct the evaluation index system of the scientific research performance of universities in 31 provinces and cities in China. Based on the traditional DEA model, the development trend of the scientific research performance of the research objects from 2015 to 2019 is dynamically evaluated by the Malmquist index method. The results show that the scientific research performance of universities in various regions of China is not ideal, and the level of scientific research performance is declining. The total factor productivity of scientific research in the central and western regions is much higher than that in the eastern region. The main factor that hinders the improvement of scientific research performance is the efficiency of technological progress. Finally, aiming at the existing problems, some feasible suggestions are put forward to further improve the input-output efficiency of scientific research in universities.

P–372 Maternal circadian disruption is associated with impaired rhythmic expression of molecular clock genes and IUGR during placenta development in mice

Abstract Study question Are molecular clock genes (MCGs) expressed rhythmically in mouse placenta, and whether maternal circadian rhythm disruption (MCRD) is associated with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) through disturbing rhythmic expression of MCGs? Summary answer Maternal circadian disruption causes impaired rhythmic expression of MCGs (Bmal1, Clock, Npas2, Per1, Per2, Per3, Cry1, and Cry2) and IUGR during placenta development in mice. What is known already The world economy is based on a 24/7 society and shift work or jet travel across time zones disrupts circadian rhythm in pregnant women. Evidence indicates that gestational chrono-disruption results in IUGR. Mature mouse and human placenta express MCGs. There is no information in the literature on whether the MCG expression in the placenta is rhythmic or not and whether the rhythmic expression of MCGs is impaired due to MCRD during pregnancy. Also, it is not known whether the association with MCRD and IUGR is related to MCGs. Study design, size, duration Young adult female BALB/c mice were paired with males until vaginal plug formation was verified. Females were randomly assigned to two groups: control and phase-advance. Controls remained on a constant 12-hr light:12-hr dark cycle, whereas phase-advanced mice were subjected to 6-hr advances in the LD cycle every 5 days. Placentae (n = 1329) and fetuses were obtained from 144 mice at Zeitgeber time (ZT)0, ZT6, ZT12, and ZT18 days 12, 14, and 16 of pregnancy. Participants/materials, setting, methods The following analysis was performed: (i) open field test was used for locomotor activity evaluations to confirm MCRD, (ii) placenta/fetus weight ratio for evaluation of IUGR development, (iii) morphometric evaluation of placental compartments utilizing H&E staining (iv) gene expression analysis of MCGs utilizing qRT-PCR. One-way and Two-way ANOVA test followed by Holm-Sidak posthoc test was used for multiple comparisons. Values are expressed as mean ± standard error, and values below p < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Main results and the role of chance Expression of MCGs (Bmal1, Clock, Npas2, Per1, Per2, Per3, Cry1, and Cry2) was rhythmic in the early and mature placenta development stages (days 12, 14, 16). Locomotor activity tests reveal that the total distance covered on the 16th day of pregnancy significantly decreased compared to the control group (p = 0.000158). The ratio of the time spent in the outer/inner quadrant, an anxiety indicator, significantly increased in the MCRD group on the 14th (p = 0.0351) and 16th days of pregnancy (p = 0.000329). While the number of fetuses was similar in both groups for all gestational days (p = 0.896), in the MCRD group, the fetus/placenta weight ratio decreased significantly on the 12th and 16th days of pregnancy (p < 0.001). Thus, IUGR developed due to MCRD. Histomorphometry analysis of the placental compartments revealed a significant reduction in the spongiotrophoblast layer’s size on all days of pregnancy and the labyrinth layer on day 16 (p < 0.05). Finally, the rhythmic expression MCGs were impaired in placentas obtained from MCRD groups on days 12th, 14th, 6th of pregnancy (p < 0.001). In conclusion, we found a robust relationship with the disturbed MCGs expression and occurrence of IUGR during a chrono-disrupted gestation. Limitations, reasons for caution Since this study was conducted in mice, care should be taken when translating the results to humans. Wider implications of the findings: Our results in mice are important for initiating basic science knowledge regarding the outcomes of maternal chrono-disruption. Moreover, research in the placenta of gestational chrono-disrupted mothers, such as shift-workers, are urgently needed to translate our findings into the clinic. Trial registration number TUBITAK–119S121 and Akdeniz University Research Projects Unit TYL–2018–3960

Assessing the Static and Dynamic Efficiency of Scientific Research of HEIs China: Three Stage DEA–Malmquist Index Approach

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are the key to the economic and social development of a country. However, the recent advancements of higher education institutions’ universities in China have become a pivotal factor contributing to their swift growth. Considering the impact of the external environment, applying a three-stage data-envelopment analysis (DEA) and the Malmquist index method, we evaluated the static and dynamic efficiency of input–output data of scientific research produced by universities directly under the Ministry of Education in the period of 2010 to 2017. Results showed that the three stage DEA model is more accurate than the traditional DEA method for measuring the efficiency of scientific research input and universities’ output. The overall efficiency of universities’ scientific research activities increased at an average annual rate of 3.7% from 2010 to 2017. Further analysis showed that the optimization of the scale was the primary internal factor able to promote the efficiency of scientific research in universities. Technological progress slightly diminishes the efficiency of scientific research in universities, which should, therefore, take measures to improve pure technical efficiency to enlarge the scale of their scientific research according to the characteristics of scientific research efficiency. Such steps will strengthen internal motivation towards scientific research efficiency in universities.