bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Amino acid profile and potential utilization purposes of albumin from four types of freshwater fish in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia
Authors: NURFAIDAH NURFAIDAH , ASIKIN ANDI NOOR , KASMIATI KASMIATI , ANGRAENI ANGRAENI
Published: January 2025

Abstract. Nurfaidah, Asikin AN, Kasmiati, Angraeni. 2024. Amino acid profile and potential utilization purposes of albumin from four types of freshwater fish in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 25: 4199-4207. Albumin, a high-quality protein, is known for its complete amino acid profile, which is essential for numerous biological functions, including immune response and nutritional status maintenance. This study investigates the amino acid composition of albumin in four freshwater fish species commonly found in Indonesia: Cyprinus carpio, Pangasius pangasius, Channa striata, and Trichopodus trichopterus to asses their potential utilization in sustainable food resources and nutritional and health-related products. Albumin extraction was performed using homogenization and incubation techniques, followed by amino acid analysis using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The results revealed the presence of 18 amino acids, including 9 essential and 9 non-essential amino acids. The most abundant amino acids were glutamic acid, aspartic acid, leucine, and lysine, with lysine being particularly noteworthy for its role in wound healing and protein synthesis. Significant variations in the amino acid composition were observed across the species, influenced by factors such as diet, habitat, and species-specific physiology. Pangasius pangasius exhibited the highest lysine content (12.01%), while C. carpio had the highest glutamic acid content (24.55%) of total amino acid. These findings suggest that the albumin from these freshwater fish species is a valuable source of high-quality protein, with potential applications in developing nutraceuticals, functional foods, and dietary supplements aimed at improving health and nutritional status. Importantly, the study highlights the potential of these fish species as a sustainable source of protein, contributing to food security and supporting the development of affordable, protein-rich products that can enhance public health while reducing the reliance on conventional livestock-based proteins. This study provides new insights into the amino acid composition of fish albumin from Indonesian freshwater species, contributing to the broader understanding of the nutritional value of local fish resources and their role in promoting sustainable food systems.
Far from Flawless Socialist Cinema: Shifting Hungarian Judgments of North Korea’s Ceaseless Cinematic Schematism
Authors: Sebo Gabor
Published: January 2025

Abstract: Throughout the Cold War era, the film partnership between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Hungarian People’s Republic (HPR, 1949–1989) remained steadfast, manifesting through various avenues such as film exchanges and exhibitions. A multitude of prominent North Korean creations—ranging from early seminal works like My Home Village (1949) or Partisan Boys (1951), to the revered “Immortal Classics,” including Sea of Blood (1969) and The Flower Girl (1972), alongside family melodramas such as The Fate of Geumhui and Eunhui (1974), traditional folktales like The Tale of Chunhyang (1959), and experimental endeavors, such as An Emissary of No Return (1984)—served as poignant reflections of the diverse cinematic epochs and altering policies within the DPRK. North Korea reciprocated by exhibiting Hungarian productions at specialized film events, with a noteworthy uptick in frequency during the 1980s, coinciding with the expansion in broadcasting of Eastern European works on North Korean television channels. Nevertheless, this does not imply that Hungarian film critics demonstrated unwavering solidarity in their engagement with North Korean counterparts. During the 1950s, film articles exuberantly celebrated North Korean cinema for its steadfast adherence to Soviet socialist realist paradigms. However, this narrative shifted profoundly with the advent of the Hungarian New Wave in the 1960s, as Hungarian film critics began to adopt a more critical stance, scrutinizing the formulaic narratives prevalent in North Korean cinema. These voices expressed discontent with the overt imposition of personality cults, the pervasive sense of ennui induced by the films, and an aesthetic saturated with repetitive tropes ad nauseam. This study investigates the changing reception and assessment of North Korean cinema by Hungarian socialist film critics, drawing upon archival documents and analytical pieces sourced from Hungarian film publications spanning the designated periods.
Assessing Access to Education for Children with Disabilities in the DPRK
Authors: Barrett Jasmine , McVilly Keith
Published: January 2025

Abstract: When the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2016 it made a commitment to provide access to education for children with disabilities. Furthermore, DPRK domestic legislation guarantees free compulsory twelve-year education for all children, meaning withholding education from a child is illegal. Currently a network of eleven special (segregated) schools cater to deaf and blind children. Children with other disabilities are supposed to enroll in mainstream schools. We analyze DPRK state media news reports and other publications to assess access to education for children with disabilities in the DPRK. We find that the special school system is well developed but that children educated in special schools lack opportunities to interact with non-disabled children and have achieved worse academically than their mainstream peers. Accessing mainstream education is difficult for some children due to a lack of systematic support combined with cultural and structural barriers. Inclusive education is beginning to emerge but largely depends on the discretion of individual teachers and their willingness to perform additional labor to accommodate a child’s learning needs.
Capitalizing on Korean Heritage: A Case Study of Mask Dance Drama Students
Authors: Saeji CedarBough T.
Published: January 2025

Abstract: A mask dance drama preservation association ( bojonhoe ) is required, under heritage preservation policy, to transmit its art to students and perform regularly. In this article, I discuss a diverse group of students who learned the mask dance drama Bongsan Talchum at the Bongsan Talchum training center in a twice-weekly class. These students, who were training not to join the bojonhoe but acquire a set of skills they could strategically capitalize on, demonstrate the complex motivations for the study of Korean traditional performing arts in the twenty-first century. I explain how knowledge of Bongsan Talchum is transmitted within the context of this paying course, introduce the students in the class, and argue that these students’ major motivations are to engage in “entrepreneurship of the self” and cosmopolitan striving. I carried out research for the article over several years of participant observation in this class, including a twelve-month period in 2010–2011, which is the focus of the research presented here.
AI-based photonic inverse design: hugely polarization-selective multilayered scatterers
Authors: Umetaliev Temirkul , Valagiannopoulos Constantinos
Published: January 2025

Artificial intelligence (AI) is used for the photonic inverse design of multilayered cylindrical nanorods that exhibit maximal polarization selectivity in the way they scatter the visible light. The optimal setups are obtained from a neural network whose training dataset contains only designs with significantly lower performance. The reported particles can be incorporated into on-chip systems, serving a wide spectrum of photonic applications from ultra-efficient sensing and imaging to secure optical communications and sharp filtering.
Improving the accuracy of vortex beam rotational velocity measurement based on phase recovery and polarization reference
Authors: Wang Hongyang , Liu Hao , Zhang Zijing , Lyu Xinran , Cui Chengshuai , Song Jiayu , Feng Rui , Zhao Yuan
Published: January 2025

In remote rotational velocity measurements, atmospheric turbulence-induced phase distortion of the vortex beam increases velocity measurement error (VME). Previous studies overlooked the reference to new dimensional information for measurement error analysis and accuracy enhancement. Our work proposes the Optimal Joint Reference VME (OJR-σ) method as a, to our knowledge, novel error optimization method; it references the measurement error information from the left- and right-handed polarized components (LP and RP) of the polarized vortex beam and optimizes the velocity measurements values weights of LP and RP in the result to minimize the VME. Combined with the GS phase recovery algorithm, this method effectively reduces system VME, enabling distortion compensation and optimal VME mode distribution evaluation. The results indicate that the OJR-σ method achieves a lower VME advantage across all modes compared to both the General Joint Reference VME (GJR-σ) and General VME (G-σ) methods, with maximum VME decreases of 29% and 71% for the High VME decline rate modes, respectively. Additionally, the OJR-σ method exhibits fewer High VME modes, resulting in an average VME of 83.6% and 71.0% compared to the other two methods. After GS compensation, the VME of High VME modes decreases by 6.12%, 4.7%, and 6.78% for the three error methods, respectively. Furthermore, the OJR-σ method proves more effective than GJR-σ in reducing the VME for high topological charge modes, achieving a decline reaching 69.9%. Our work combines the phase recovery algorithm with the reference of measurement error information from both polarization dimensions, significantly reducing VME and demonstrating the potential of polarized vortex beams in high-precision applications. This innovatively provides, to our knowledge, a novel method and theoretical support for further enhancing the accuracy of free-space rotational velocity measurements.
Experimental assessment of the optical transfer function for quantitative oblique back illumination microscopy (qOBM)
Authors: Li Zhenmin , Casteleiro Costa Paloma , Serafini Caroline , Bharadwaj Srinidhi , Guang Zhe , Robles Francisco E.
Published: January 2025

Quantitative oblique back illumination microscopy (qOBM) is a recently developed imaging technique that enables 3D quantitative phase imaging (QPI) and refractive index (RI) tomography of thick scattering samples. To quantify the phase and RI information with qOBM, the optical transfer function (OTF) of the system must be known or estimated, which requires knowledge of the angular distribution of light at an imaging plane inside a highly scattering medium. To date, this information has been estimated using a Monte Carlo photon transport method which relies on documented tissue scattering properties. While this numerical approach has shown high-fidelity quantitative results, it is limited by its dependence on published scattering parameters and simulated conditions. Here we propose a novel approach that allows experimental measurement of the angular distribution of the multiple-scattered light at the imaging plane inside a highly scattering medium. Experimental results using samples with known and unknown scattering properties are presented, including excised brain tissue, in-vivo skin, and formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues. Results further support qOBM’s quantitative fidelity across different tissue types, and show how directly measuring the angular distribution of light can widen qOBM’s utility to more complex samples with unknown or highly variable scattering properties.
Optical initialization and manipulation of higher-order electron states with spin and orbital angular momentum in a semiconductor quantum disk
Authors: Terashima Kaito , Ito Ryota , Kakue Takashi , Yokoshi Nobuhiko , Morita Ken
Published: January 2025

Electrons confined in quantum-disk structures exhibit an intrinsic spin vortex state with spin angular momentum (SAM) and orbital angular momentum (OAM) [Phys. Rev. B 79(15), 155450 (2009)10.1103/PhysRevB.79.155450]. A higher-order electron state, which is a SAM – OAM entangled state expressed by superposition of spin–vortex states, has a spatial spin structure and can be represented as a higher-order Bloch vector on a higher-order Bloch sphere [Optica Quantum 2(4), 245 (2024)10.1364/OPTICAQ.527615]. In this study, we analyzed the Rabi oscillation of higher-order electron states in a quantum disk structure driven by higher-order photons possessing both SAM and OAM, with the aim of manipulating SAM – OAM entangled electron states. The higher-order Bloch vector precesses about the Stokes vector of the higher-order photon-driven field, and its precession behavior can be controlled by the state of the driving photon field, pulse width, and intensity. These results will lead to the realization of high-dimensional quantum computations and high-dimensional quantum interfaces using SAM and OAM of electrons and photons.
Highly sensitive and selective carbon dot sensor for hydrogen sulfide based on dual quenching effect
Authors: Xie Tian , Liu Liping , Zhou Wei , Kang Weide , Wen Lili , Wang Shiyue , Li Zongbao , Yang Jianxin , Ho Ho-Pui , Jiang Xiaofang , Xing Xiaobo
Published: January 2025

Due to the serious impact of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) on the environment and human health, a series of sensors have been increasingly used in industrial production and daily life. In this work, we introduce a novel, to the best of our knowledge, detection method for trace H2S in the liquid and gaseous phases based on the dual-quenching mechanism (DQE) of silver ion-doped nitrogen-sulfur co-doped carbon dots (N, S-CDs@Ag+). Ag+ could significantly enhance the fluorescence intensity and detection sensitivity. In the linear detection range of 10–120 nM H2S solution, the N, S-CDs@Ag+ sensor has a limit of detection (LoD) of 0.83 nM and a response time of 1 min. An enhanced fluorescent sensing film is prepared by assembling N, S-CDs@Ag+ on a silica microsphere (SM) microstructured substrate (N, S-CDs@Ag+/SM@PVA) using the layer-by-layer method. In the linear detection range of 1–50 ppm, the film sensor has the advantages of low detection limit (0.41 ppm), fast response time (5 min), stable performance, electromagnetic interference resistance, ease of integration, and in-field detection. It is expected to develop into a compact portable on-site H2S trace sensor.
Frequency-scanning burst-mode filtered Rayleigh scattering for kHz-rate, multi-parameter, gas-phase measurements
Authors: Braun Amanda M. , Rodrigues Neil S. , Danehy Paul M. , Suppiah Alexander R. , Braun James , Slipchenko Mikhail N. , Meyer Terrence R.
Published: January 2025

Molecular Rayleigh scattering (RS) is sensitive to the pressure, temperature, velocity, and number density of the gaseous flow. Filtered Rayleigh scattering (FRS) utilizes a narrowband molecular filter to remove stray scattering and deconvolve the effect of flow conditions on the signal intensity. As single-frequency, intensity-based FRS techniques can typically only deconvolve a single parameter per detector angle, frequency-scanning (FS) FRS has been used to semi-spectrally resolve the signal and quantify multiple parameters using a single detector. In this work, the FS-FRS data rate was increased by a factor of 105 using a rapid wavelength-tunable burst-mode laser operated at 20 kHz. The technique is demonstrated for simultaneous, spatially resolved temperature, pressure, and radial velocity measurements time-averaged across 1 ms in an underexpanded jet, yielding a measurement rate of 1 kHz for potential use in high-speed flow test facilities.
Arbitrary hue-brightness structural colors with high saturation generated by anisotropic metasurfaces
Authors: Wang Chong , Li He , Li Longjie , Shang Xiao , Chen Shengqiong , Xue Huiwen , Zhang Peiwen , Niu Jiebin , Zhang Yongliang , Shi Lina
Published: January 2025

Structural colors have always attracted much attention due to important applications in display devices, imaging security certification, optical data storage, and so on. The brightness of structure colors, as the carrier of chiaroscuro information, is the key to making images appear stronger in the spatial and three-dimensional sense. However, relatively little work has been done on the control of the color brightness, and the reported structures are complex and difficult to fabricate. Here, we demonstrate a low-aspect-ratio anisotropic metasurface consisting of a PMMA film patterned by arrays of elliptical-shaped holes clamped by two thin aluminum films. By utilizing localized surface plasmon resonances, we realize a three-dimensional (3D) HSB (hue, saturation, and brightness) structure color with independent brightness control and enhance the cross-polarization reflection, covering approximately 120% of the sRGB color gamut. It is shown that the ratio of the major and minor axes leads to the independent control of brightness of the structural colors. The nanoprinting of HSB images with smooth brightness transitions is demonstrated through elaborate design of the metasurface geometry parameters and CMOS-compatible micro–nano fabrication process. Our findings will facilitate the broad range of 3D nanoprinting and modern advanced display applications.
Ambivalent partnership of the Drosophila posterior class Hox protein Abdominal-B with Extradenticle and Homothorax
Authors: Curt Jesús R. , Martín Paloma , Foronda David , Hudry Bruno , Kannan Ramakrishnan , Shetty Srividya , Merabet Samir , Saurin Andrew J. , Graba Yacine , Sánchez- Herrero Ernesto
Published: January 2025

Hox proteins, a sub-group of the homeodomain (HD) transcription factor family, provide positional information for axial patterning in development and evolution. Hox protein functional specificity is reached, at least in part, through interactions with Pbc (Extradenticle (Exd) in Drosophila) and Meis/Prep (Homothorax (Hth) in Drosophila) proteins. Most of our current knowledge of Hox protein specificity stems from the study of anterior and central Hox proteins, identifying the molecular and structural bases for Hox/Pbc/Meis-Prep cooperative action. Posterior Hox class proteins, Abdominal-B (Abd-B) in Drosophila and Hox9-13 in vertebrates, have been comparatively less studied. They strongly diverge from anterior and central class Hox proteins, with a low degree of HD sequence conservation and the absence of a core canonical Pbc interaction motif. Here we explore how Abd-B function interface with that of Exd/Hth using several developmental contexts, studying mutual expression control, functional dependency and intrinsic protein requirements. Results identify cross-regulatory interactions setting relative expression and activity levels required for proper development. They also reveal organ-specific requirement and a binary functional interplay with Exd and Hth, either antagonistic, as previously reported, or synergistic. This highlights context specific use of Exd/Hth, and a similar context specific use of Abd-B intrinsic protein requirements.
Rapid changes in plasma corticosterone and medial amygdala transcriptome profiles during social status change reveal molecular pathways associated with a major life history transition in mouse dominance hierarchies
Authors: Milewski Tyler M. , Lee Won , Young Rebecca L. , Hofmann Hans A. , Curley James P.
Published: January 2025

Social hierarchies are a common form of social organization across species. Although hierarchies are largely stable across time, animals may socially ascend or descend within hierarchies depending on environmental and social challenges. Here, we develop a novel paradigm to study social ascent and descent within male CD-1 mouse social hierarchies. We show that mice of all social ranks rapidly establish new stable social hierarchies when placed in novel social groups with animals of equivalent social status. Seventy minutes following social hierarchy formation, males that were socially dominant prior to being placed into new social hierarchies exhibit higher increases in plasma corticosterone and vastly greater transcriptional changes in the medial amygdala (MeA), which is central to the regulation of social behavior, compared to males who were socially subordinate prior to being placed into a new hierarchy. Specifically, the loss of social status in a new hierarchy (social descent) is associated with reductions in MeA expression of myelination and oligodendrocyte differentiation genes. Maintaining high social status is associated with high expression of genes related to cholinergic signaling in the MeA. Conversely, gaining social status in a new hierarchy (social ascent) is related to relatively few unique rapid changes in the MeA. We also identify novel genes associated with social transition that show common changes in expression when animals undergo either social descent or social ascent compared to maintaining their status. Two genes, Myosin binding protein C1 (Mybpc1) and μ-Crystallin (Crym), associated with vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and thyroid hormone pathways respectively, are highly upregulated in socially transitioning individuals. Further, increases in genes associated with synaptic plasticity, excitatory glutamatergic signaling and learning and memory pathways were observed in transitioning animals suggesting that these processes may support rapid social status changes.
Specialty palliative care use among cancer patients: A population-based study
Authors: Cassel J. Brian , McClish Donna , Buxton David , Yanni Leanne , Roberts Seth , Skoro Nevena , May Peter , Del Fabbro Egidio , Noreika Danielle
Published: January 2025

Background

Rigorous population-based assessments of the use of specialty palliative care (SPC) in the US are rare.

Settings/subjects

This study examined SPC use among cancer patients in a mid-sized metropolitan area in Southeast US.

Measurements

In this cancer decedent cohort study, data were acquired and linked from the state-wide cancer registry; state-wide hospital discharge dataset; and local SPC providers.

Results

12,030 individuals with cancer were included in this study; only 2,958 (24.6%) used SPC. Of the 9,072 persons who did not use SPC, 3,877 (42.7%) went only to hospitals that did not offer SPC; and 3,517 (38.8%) went to hospitals that offered SPC but did not use it. About half of SPC recipients (1493; 50.5%) first received SPC in the final 30 days of life, including 768 (26.0%) in the final week of life. Characteristics associated with using SPC use included being in an socio-economic status quintile other than the lowest; being younger; being Black; having a solid (versus hematological) cancer; having a shorter survival with cancer; dying in the latter two years of the study; being from an area of low or complete rurality; having a hospital admission in the final 60 days prior to initiation of PC or death; having more days in hospital; and living within 15 miles of a hospital offering SPC.

Conclusions

In this population-based study, only one-quarter of cancer patients used SPC, and for half who did so, it came in the final 30 days of life.
Food insecurity and early childhood development among children 24–59 months in Nigeria: A multilevel mixed effects modelling of the social determinants of health inequities
Authors: Ujah Otobo I. , Adaji Omojo C. , Ujah Innocent A. O. , Kirby Russell S.
Published: January 2025

Food insecurity (FI) has been identified as a determinant of child development, yet evidence quantifying this association using the newly developed Early Childhood Development Index 2030 (ECDI2030) remains limited. Herein, we provide national estimates of early childhood development (ECD) risks using the ECDI2030 and examined to what extent FI was associated with ECD among children aged 24–59 months in Nigeria. This population based cross-sectional analyses used data from the UNICEF-supported 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey in Nigeria. The analytic sample comprised children aged 24–59 months (weighted N = 12,112). We measured early childhood development for each child using the ECDI2030, measured across three domains: learning, psychosocial well-being and health. Food insecurity was assessed using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), categorized as none/mild, moderate and severe. We fitted mixed-effects multilevel logistic regression models, with random intercepts, to estimate the odds of association between FI status and ECD. A total of 11,494 children aged 24–59 months (mean ± SD age, 43.4 ± 9.9 months), including 5,797 boys (50.2%) and 5,697 girls (49.8%), were included in the study. Approximately 46.4% of children were developmentally off track and about 76% of children lived in food-insecure households. The intercept-only model indicated significant variation in ECD prevalence across communities (τ00 = 0.94, intraclass correlation = 0.22, p < 0.0001), suggesting nonignorable variability in ECD across communities. Adjusting for confounders, we observed no significant association between FI and ECD. However, increasing child’s age and disability status appeared as significant risk factors for higher odds of children being developmentally off track. These findings highlight that while FI alone may not explain ECD, a combination of individual and contextual factors plays a crucial role. Future interventions addressing ECD in Nigeria should consider these multidimensional influences to promote optimal child development.
Risky behavior in virtual reality: The roles of personality, environment, and physiology
Authors: Pajić Dejan , Sadiković Selka , Oljača Milan , Popović Željko , Milić Lazar , Stojanović Goran , Smederevac Snežana
Published: January 2025

Virtual reality (VR) provides a unique opportunity to simulate various environments, enabling the observation of human behavior in a manner that closely resembles real-world scenarios. This study aimed to explore the effects of anticipating reward or punishment, personality traits, and physiological arousal on risky decision-making within a VR context. A custom VR game was developed to simulate real-life experiences. The sample comprised 52 students (63.46% female) from the University of Novi Sad, Serbia. The study assessed four parameters within the VR environment: elapsed game time, number of steps taken, average score, and decision-making time. Three physiological signals, heart rate, skin conductance, and respiratory rate, were recorded. Results indicated that personality traits, specifically Fight (β = -0.33, p = 0.024) and Freeze (β = 0.431, p = 0.009), were significantly related to behavior in the VR environment (R = 0.572, R2_adj = 0.227, RMSE = 23.12, F(6, 40) = 3.25, p = 0.011). However, these effects were not significant after negative feedback. Emotional arousal, measured by respiratory rate amplitude (β = 0.276, p = 0.045), showed a more pronounced role after feedback (β = 0.337, p = 0.028). These findings indicate that personality traits primarily influence behavior in a VR environment prior to the actual threat, whereas environmental characteristics become more important afterwards. The results offer valuable insights for experimental and personality psychologists by revealing how risk-taking is influenced by situational, emotional, and personality factors. Additionally, they provide guidance for VR designers in creating more ecologically valid environments, highlighting VR’s potential as a tool for psychological research, while also underscoring the critical importance of selecting objective VR measures to accurately capture the complexities of human behavior in immersive environments.
Cost efficiency of commercial banks in Ethiopia: Does financial technology matter?
Authors: Ebissa Tarekegn Tariku , Lakew Deresse Mersha
Published: January 2025

This study aims to assess the effects of financial technology on the cost efficiency of commercial banks in Ethiopia. Secondary panel data were collected from the audited annual reports of seventeen commercial banks for twelve fiscal years between 2011 and 2022. The cost efficiency of banks was investigated via a stochastic frontier approach. The findings indicate that commercial banks operating in Ethiopia are efficient in cost management, with an 83% efficiency rate on average. In addition to financial technology, the effects of bank size, interest spread rate, management quality, foreign exchange rate, capitalization and bank ownership are significant for cost efficiency. Notably, financial technology plays a remarkable role in the cost efficiency of commercial banks in Ethiopia. The study results show the presence of a positive association between financial innovation platforms and the cost efficiency of commercial banks. Banking services delivered via card banking, mobile banking, and internet banking improve the cost efficiency of commercial banks in Ethiopia. As a strategic resource, financial innovation in banking operations enhances the cost efficiency of banks by reducing noneconomic costs and the time needed to deliver banking services. To improve their cost efficiency, commercial banks in Ethiopia are encouraged to use financial innovation platforms to deliver financial services and update the current cost management strategy intended to reduce operating costs incurred to generate and collect loans and advances and interest expenses paid to maintain deposits and other interest-bearing liabilities.
"No pain, no gain": Simulation-based learning in teacher education: The mediating role of simulation hindrances
Authors: Levin Orna , Frei-Landau Rivi , Goldberg Chen
Published: January 2025

Research on educational simulations has attempted to decipher the simulation-based learning (SBL) process by examining factors that facilitate and impede this process. In the current study, we examined the role of SBL participants’ hindrances, in particular their experience of anxiety or fear, which we view using the framework of leaving one’s comfort zone. Departure from one’s comfort zone has never been studied in the context of SBL in teacher education. A quantitative analysis of data collected via a questionnaire on Simulation Learning Outcomes in Teacher Education (SLOTE) revealed a model in which the hindrance variable potentially mediated all of the relationships between the background variables and the simulation learning outcomes (i.e., communication skills and collaborative learning insights). These results improve the theoretical understanding of the SBL process in this field and indicate ways to optimally utilize potential hindrances to plan and apply SBL for the purpose of learning.
Inpatient service utilization amongst infants diagnosed with Respiratory Syncytial Virus infection (RSV) in the United States
Authors: Gantenberg Jason R. , Thompson Kathryn D. , van Aalst Robertus , Smith David M. , Richards Megan , Nelson Christopher B. , La Via William V. , Chaves Sandra S. , Bengtson Angela M. , Savitz David A. , Zullo Andrew R.
Published: January 2025

Introduction

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of hospitalization among US infants. Characterizing service utilization during infant RSV hospitalizations may provide important information for prioritizing resources and interventions.

Objective

The objective of this study was to describe the procedures and services received by infants hospitalized during their first RSV episode in their first RSV season, in addition to what proportion of infants died during this hospitalization.

Methods

In this retrospective observational study, we analyzed three different administrative claims datasets to examine healthcare service utilization during RSV hospitalizations among infants. The study population included infants born between July 2016 and February 2020 who experienced an RSV episode during their first RSV season and had an associated inpatient hospitalization. We stratified infants into three comorbidity groups: healthy term, palivizumab-eligible, and other comorbidities. Outcomes included extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, supplemental oxygen use (in-hospital and post-discharge), mechanical ventilation (invasive and non-invasive), chest imaging, infant mortality, length of inpatient stay, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and number of days in the ICU.

Results

Chest imaging was the most frequently administered procedure during RSV-associated hospitalizations, with approximately 34–38% of infants receiving it. Around one-quarter of infants were admitted to the ICU during their first RSV hospitalization. Median lengths of stay in the hospital were 3–4 days, extending to 4–6 days in the presence of ICU admission. Palivizumab-eligible infants had higher utilization of healthcare services and spent more time in the hospital or ICU compared to healthy infants or those with other comorbidities.

Conclusions

This study provides insights into the utilization of healthcare services during RSV hospitalizations among infants. Understanding service utilization patterns can aid in improved management and resource allocation for infants in the United States, ultimately contributing to better outcomes and reduced healthcare costs overall. However, likely under-ascertainment of ventilation and oxygen-related services in insurance claims remains an impediment to studying these outcomes.
Artistic methods for remote touch: A practice-based research with audio recordings
Authors: Gauhe Greta
Published: January 2025

This article investigates the creation of ‘Until We Meet’, an outdoor sensory performance that used pre-recorded audio tracks to recreate the sensation of touch for participants. The project was designed to engage individuals who are unable or uncomfortable with direct physical contact, offering a remote alternative to experience touch-like sensations. Through practice-based research, including rehearsals and participant feedback, the study explores how sensory language and diverse types of touch can evoke emotional connection and bodily awareness through audio. Employing an interpretive framework, the research highlights the potential of these audio-guided performances to foster sensory engagement, connection and well-being, especially for individuals with limited access to affective touch. The findings underscore the broader implications for integrating touch-based experiences into accessible and inclusive creative practices, offering new possibilities for therapeutic innovation in both physical and digital spaces.
A research conversation: Stephanie Arsoska and Andrew Morrish
Authors: Arsoska Stephanie , Morrish Andrew
Published: January 2025

This interview is a research dialogue between Stephanie Arsoska and Andrew Morrish, focusing on their exploration of Stephanie’s solo improvisation practice. Over the course of a year, they conducted ten, ten-minute solo improvisations via Zoom, analysing emerging patterns over time. Stephanie’s practice, which integrates movement and text, is deeply rooted in acting and physical theatre traditions. Rather than engaging in conceptual analysis, they adopted reflective and descriptive methods to gain insights through lived experience. Their goal was to better understand and articulate their creative processes. The conversation highlights the importance of cultivating a pedagogical awareness within artistic practice, fostering openness and mapping these practices to achieve a deeper understanding. Their methodology involved gathering data from multiple perspectives, promoting a reflective engagement with personal experiences and uncovering new insights through the process of improvisation.
A Novel Approach to Intellectual Property Development: Blockchain-Based Verifiable Collaboration
Authors: Obuz Safa
Published: January 2025

This proposal introduces a blockchain-based platform designed to offer a novel approach to intellectual property (IP) development. Day-to-day tasks in creating documents, designs, and music often involve recreating standard templates or predefined material—content that likely already exists but is inaccessible. By enabling users to upload, enhance, rate, and track modifications to any IP asset, the platform fosters innovation and ensures verifiable contribution tracking. Leveraging blockchain technology, it guarantees the integrity of records and offers monetary incentives when user-submitted work is commercially utilized. The platform addresses inefficiencies in generating "boilerplate" material by providing transparency and traceability. Analyzing the business landscape through the VRIO framework to identify strengths and Porter’s Five Forces to assess risk, this proposal highlights potential challenges and strategic priorities for execution. Key recommendations include establishing a clear definition of accountability in the business mission, prioritizing user interface design that suggests trust, focusing on peer-to-peer features, ensuring ease of access, and maintaining proper decentralization of the blockchain to guarantee and convey verifiability. By integrating these elements, the platform aims to advance IP development with a focus on collaboration, innovation, and trust.
Bilingual Perspectives of Functional Dyspepsia Management in People From Underserved Areas
Authors: Vélez Christopher , Garcia-Fischer Isabelle , Paz Mary , Regassa Alisa , Guerrero-López Ingrid , Mendez April , Konkel Hannah , Bar Nir , Barreto Esteban A. , Betancourt Joseph , Burton-Murray Helen , Staller Kyle , Kuo Braden
Published: January 2025

INTRODUCTION:

Disorders of gut-brain interaction, such as functional dyspepsia (FD), are prevalent and challenging conditions. In other gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, individuals from underserved areas (UAs) have difficulty accessing care. Little is known about UA FD patient perspectives of their care, especially in those with limited English proficiency. We aimed to characterize patients' experiences with FD management with the goal of informing future studies targeting disorders of gut-brain interaction management in potentially vulnerable communities residing in UAs.

METHODS:

Participants meeting FD criteria were identified in 2 community health centers affiliated with a large academic medical center in the Northeastern United States. Semistructured interviews were conducted in English and Spanish. Transcripts were reviewed by a bilingual panel of investigators using the constant comparative method of iterative data acquisition. Psychosocial stressors and GI symptom severity were assessed.

RESULTS:

A total of 26 participants were interviewed (12 English-speaking and 14 Spanish-speaking). Broadly, GI symptoms were mild and there was mild-to-moderate psychological distress present. Adverse social determinants of health were highly prevalent. Despite mild symptom severity on objective scales, FD severely affected quality of life and interfered with physical, psychological, and social well-being, including avoidance of certain foods and professional/social situations. Study participants (particularly those with limited English proficiency status) reported difficulty in receiving care. Thematic saturation was achieved.

DISCUSSION:

Even when symptoms were mild, interviewees from UAs reported significant FD-related impairment, along with psychological distress. Education interventions targeting FD-related care in UAs should be designed to improve shared decision making in FD, sensitive to the burden of social determinants of health.
INDONESIAN CONSTITUTIONAL GUARANTEES AGAINST DISCRIMINATORY TREATMENT: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY
Authors: Manitra Ramalina Ranaivo Mikea , Prabandari Adya Paramita
Published: January 2025

The right to be free and protected from discriminatory treatment is universal. Such right is incorporated into the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia. This paper examines the perception of international students (30 respondents) in Indonesia regarding the discriminatory treatment they have experienced and the effort of the Indonesian Government to address such issue in educational institutions. The study focuses on the operation of positive law, particularly Article 28I Paragraph (2) and Paragraph (4) of the 1945 Constitution. The method used was empirical legal research, combined with statutory and sociological approaches, utilizing primary data (from questionnaires) and secondary data. The analysis of questionnaire output reveals a concerning reality of discriminatory treatment in various forms experienced by the respondents. A significant percentage of them experience discriminatory treatment and perceive a lack of effective measures to address and prevent such discrimination in educational institutions. Recommendations are made to bridge the gap between constitutional guarantees and the actual experiences of international students: Indonesian government should strengthen the implementation of anti-discrimination laws, foster inclusive environments in educational institutions, and enhance government efforts through better monitoring, complaint systems, and legal remedies for victims, in alignment with constitutional guarantee.
Alienasi Pada Tokoh Utama Novel Ningen Shikkaku Karya Dazai Osamu
Authors: Aenum Nur , Anwar Fithyani
Published: January 2025

The novel is one of the most popular forms of literature that serves as a medium for authors to represent their characters. Novels are literary works that can represent the life of society and a means of criticizing the social phenomena witnessed by the author. One of the novels that illustrates the social phenomenon of alienation in Japanese society is Ningen Shikkaku by Dazai Osamu. This study uses a descriptive qualitative approach to analyze social phenomena in Ningen Shikkaku to identify the phenomenon of alienation using Melvin Seeman's theory of alienation, which is grouped into five aspects, including powerlessness, meaninglessness, normlessness, social isolation, and self-estrangement experienced by the main character Yozo Oba. The results show that the five aspects of alienation experienced by Yozo gradually became primarily relevant to what happened in Japanese society at that time. His father controls Yozo's life, and he does not know what he wants and does not want, so he lives a life without meaning and purpose. Yozo is also dominated by feelings of emptiness or loss of meaning, which leads to a desire to end his life. Yozo also experiences social isolation and alienation. In Japanese society, suicide or hikikomori as an effect of alienation, like Yozo's, is common until now.
Kekerabatan Bahasa Sunda dan Bahasa Bali
Authors: Oktaviana Ika , Junawaroh Siti
Published: January 2025

In the field of comparative historical linguistics, examining language kinship can illuminate the relationships between languages in a particular region and their evolutionary paths over time. Sundanese and Balinese are two prominent languages that originated in different areas of Indonesia, yet both are part of the Austronesian language family. This study aims to investigate the kinship relationship between Sundanese and Balinese by employing lexicostatistics and phonemic correspondence techniques, providing a structured approach to analyzing their linguistic connections. Data collection was conducted through interviews, focusing on 200 Swadesh vocabulary words that encompass basic terms. The findings reveal a kinship degree of 41% between Sundanese and Balinese, indicating that they diverged approximately 2,058 years ago. Several phonemic correspondences were identified, including /a ~ ə/, /ɣ ~ ə/, /d~ r/, and  /a,u/ ~ o/. The analysis further unveiled sound change processes such as lenition, merger, and splitting. Notably, Sundanese appears to be more closely aligned with Proto-Austronesian (PAN) than Balinese, as it has preserved certain phonemes, including /b/, /d/, and /h/, without significant alterations. These findings support the conclusion that Sundanese and Balinese belong to the same language family classification.
Korean Indigenous Knowledge of Health in Korean Drama Jewel in The Palace
Authors: Nurislaminingsih Rizki , Rizal Edwin , Laksono Arido
Published: January 2025

Korea is famous for the creative industry such as drama which set in modern times and the kingdom era (saeguk). In the saeguk drama, Korean Indigenous knowledge is also shown. It represents their traditional life, such as livelihoods, how to make tools, survive in four seasons, how to farm or garden, and also about health. One of the saeguk with the theme of Indigenous knowledge is Jewell in the Palace, with the background of the lives of physicians and healers in the Joseon era. This study aims to identify the health themes in the drama text. Therefore, we use qualitative content analysis. The results of the study show that in Jewell in the Palace, there are twelve main themes about health: the relationship between body changes and health, herbs, flowers, acupuncture, healthy drinks, environmental influence on health, benefits of plants for health, spices, fruits, benefits of animals for human health, healthy tips, and natural ingredients for skincare. The conclusion is that the Korean drama Jewell in the Palace has main themes and sub-themes about health based on their characteristics, types of plants, names of animals, and the benefits. The results of this study can be a source of reference for further research from several disciplines: cultural science (cultural and media studies), health (traditional medicine), education (the effectiveness of drama as a source of learning about Indigenous knowledge), and research studies to analyze the use of entertainment media (films, movies, comedy series, and dramas) as sources of research data.
Modal Kultural Masyarakat di Daerah Rawan Bencana di Indonesia: Kajian Berdasarkan Karakteristik Wilayah
Authors: Hammada Mortaza A Syafinuddin , Sampean Sampean
Published: January 2025

This research aims to explain the existence of cultural capital and its role in strengthening disaster resilience in various regions of Indonesia as a country that often faces natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. This research also aims to assess cultural traditions and practices in efforts to increase preparedness and response to natural disasters in various communities. This research uses a qualitative approach. Data was collected through observations and interviews in areas prone to natural disasters using Bourdieu's social capital analysis framework. This research uses purposive sampling to identify representative communities where cultural responses to natural disasters can be observed and documented. Primary data was taken through observation and direct involvement with the communities to understand the use of cultural knowledge in dealing with disasters. The results of this research show that communities rich in cultural heritage have stronger resilience and proactive disaster management behavior, utilizing historical wisdom and more advanced communal practices to mitigate the impact of disasters. Communities with less prominent cultural capital tend to experience greater difficulties, although they are gradually developing new cultural mechanisms to overcome the threat of natural disasters. The conclusion of this research shows that cultural capital is an important factor in efforts to strengthen community resilience to natural disasters. Efforts to integrate cultural insights into national natural disaster management policies and practices are very necessary. This integration not only preserves cultural heritage but also strategically increases response efficacy and disaster preparedness.