bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Strategic Marketing Performance on Educational Service Quality and Student Satisfaction: A Case Study of Imam Al-Kadhim College
Authors: Abdullah Ali Ashour
Published: October 2024

Strategic marketing performance holds paramount importance in revealing the structural capital of all institutions, particularly educational institutions, amidst the heightened competition witnessed across various sectors. This competition ranges from market saturation of universities and colleges, whether governmental, private, local, or international, to Arab, regional, and global universities. This research aims to elucidate the impact of strategic marketing performance in its dimensions (marketing message, marketing environment, marketing objectives, marketing and strategic planning strategies, human and material resources) on the quality of educational service represented by the following factors (employees, recruitment, faculty members, institutional image (reputation), college infrastructure, educational material, student activities, admissions and registration, library), and student satisfaction represented by dimensions (satisfaction with teaching, administrative, and technical staff, satisfaction with educational material, satisfaction with institutional image (reputation), satisfaction with college infrastructure) for the study sample (Imam Al-Kadhim College) by preparing a questionnaire encompassing three above-mentioned variables and their key inquiries. The results were extracted, confirming the study hypothesis of the significant effect of marketing strategies on the quality of banking service and student satisfaction at Imam Al-Kadhim College.
Foreign Experience In The Transformation Of The Chemical Industry And Its Practical Significance
Authors: Botir Sokhibov
Published: October 2024

This article explores the transformation of the chemical industry in developed nations and its implications for Uzbekistan. Despite extensive research on this subject, a knowledge gap exists in understanding how these transformations can be adapted to the Uzbek context. The study uses a comparative analysis of international case studies and Uzbekistan’s industrial policies, focusing on key metrics like asset profitability, innovation, and financial stability. Findings reveal that adopting international practices can significantly enhance efficiency and profitability in Uzbekistan's chemical sector. The results have critical implications for policymakers, highlighting strategies for integrating global expertise into domestic industry practices.
Development and Promotion of Military-Sports Tourism in Uzbekistan: Challenand Prospects
Authors: Gennadievich Yelizarov Maxim
Published: October 2024

Military-sports tourism in Uzbekistan has emerged as a growing sector, yet its development is still in its early stages, with many untapped opportunities. Despite the country's rich natural and cultural resources, the lack of structured programs and limited awareness hampers its potential. This study addresses the gap by analyzing the current state of military-sports tourism and identifying areas for improvement. Utilizing qualitative methods, including interviews and document analysis, the research uncovers key challenges, such as inadequate infrastructure and minimal promotion efforts. Findings reveal that, while the sector is supported by government initiatives, more focused strategies are needed to enhance international and domestic tourist flow. The results highlight the importance of a comprehensive regulatory framework and targeted investment to improve tourism outcomes. These implications suggest that with proper development, military-sports tourism could significantly contribute to Uzbekistan's tourism economy and cultural visibility.
Special Exercises to Develop Some Visual Abilities and Defensive Movement Skills for Players of the Middle Euphrates Education Handball Teams
Authors: Jaber Mohammed Qasim , Al-Awady Khalid Shaker Hussein
Published: October 2024

The purpose of this paper is to preparing special exercises to develop some visual abilities and the skill of defensive movements for the players of the educational teams of the Middle Euphrates in handball, preparing tests for some visual abilities for the players of the educational teams of the Middle Euphrates in handball, and identifying some visual abilities and defensive movement skills of players of the Middle Euphrates handball teams. The research objectives addressed by the researchers are what determine the nature of the method used, so the researchers used the experimental method in the style of two equivalent groups (control and experimental) with pre- and post-tests to suit the research objectives. The research community was determined by handball players for the teams of the Middle Euphrates region's education affiliated to the general education directorates in the governorates, distributed according to the governorates (Karbala, Najaf, Babylon, Muthanna, Diwaniyah), totaling (150) players. The research sample was chosen randomly and represented the players of the Karbala Education team affiliated to the holy Karbala Governorate, numbering (30) players who represent if the goalkeepers were excluded due to the specificity of the exercises, numbering (2) and (4) players were absent from performing the exercises, and the total number of the sample became (24) where they were randomly divided into two equal groups (control and experimental) with (12) players for each group, thus representing the research community, its sample and the percentage. The exploratory sample was 8 players from the Education of Babylon Governorate. One of the most important results reached by the researcher is that: The tests prepared by the researchers gave real results for visual abilities in handball, and the special exercises contributed to developing visual abilities and the skill of various defensive movements better among the members of the experimental group. One of the most important recommendations recommended by the researchers is that: Necessity of using special exercises to develop special visual abilities and the skill of defensive movements that were not studied with the same sample and other samples, and preparing special tests for visual abilities for each game according to the nature of its performance and needs
The Concept of Civilizational Revival in the Thought of Sayyid Jamal Al-Din Al-Afghani
Authors: Al-Saadi Ali Tahseen Mohsen
Published: October 2024

The issue of Islamic civilizational revival has been a significant concern for Muslim thinkers in past ages and continues to be relevant today. This underscores the critical importance of this topic and its role in the Islamic renaissance. Mr. Jamal al-Din al-Afghani was one of the pioneers in researching this issue. He endeavored to liberate the Islamic community from its state of decadence through various means. Although his efforts encompassed many aspects of reform, his primary focus was on religious and political reform. Consequently, we investigated the reasons behind the emergence of the idea of civilizational revival as articulated by Mr. Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, how this idea developed, and some of the methods of revival he sought to implement in Islamic society. In this research, we employed a descriptive analytical approach along with a historical approach. The most important findings of the research indicate that Mr. Jamal al-Din al-Afghani concentrated his efforts on revitalizing Islamic society to restore its civilization from decadence by emphasizing rigorous diligence, while respecting religious texts, avoiding imitation of others, combating colonialism and tyranny, and achieving unity among Muslims so that they are not separated by sect or nationality.
The Role of the New Media in Spreading the Culture of Volunteering in the Iraqi Society: Facebook as a Model
Authors: Al-Shami Dalal Abdullah Maktoof
Published: October 2024

Volunteering is considered and continues to be the cornerstone of building society, spreading love, and fostering social cohesion among its members. This practice varies from time to time and from one community to another. Sometimes it decreases, and other times it increases. It can take the form of monetary donations or other charitable deeds. Volunteering is a humanitarian act closely tied to all the meanings of goodness and pure, righteous deeds for the sake of Allah. It is connected to the religious aspect, as Allah says: 'So whoever volunteers good, it is better for him.
So volunteering has become a necessity among life's necessities due to its social message aimed at participation in building, developing, and strengthening the foundations of society. Consequently, the culture of volunteering has become an integral part of the cultures of developed societies, representing a system of principles, ethics, standards, and practices that encourage initiative and positive actions that benefit others (1).
At the global level, volunteering has received increasing attention from the United Nations through its programs and institutions that provide assistance to the poor, marginalized, afflicted, and refugees. December 5th has been designated as International Volunteer Day as a tribute by the international organization to the significant role that volunteering can play in all areas of humanitarian and developmental work (2).
In this research, the study indicates a significant increase in the number of donors among both young and adult individuals. The study seeks to shed light on the role of new media in promoting a culture of volunteering within Iraqi society, especially among the audience in Thi Qar province. The aim of promoting the culture of volunteering through new media platforms is to instill positive values of volunteering, encourage active participation in volunteer programs at the individual, institutional, and community levels, and extend this to regional and international levels. It emphasizes that volunteering is not merely about good intentions; rather, it has evolved into a professionally performed activity that employs new skills in management, finance, service delivery, and communication with others. The study emphasizes the importance of setting performance standards and evaluation criteria to develop, renew, and innovate new mechanisms for volunteering (3).
The Psychological and Social Effects of Social Media on Adolescents
Authors: Katee Imam Mohammed
Published: October 2024

This study examines the psychological and social effects of social media on adolescents, using a sample of 300 participants to analyze their social media interaction behaviors. Through descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, regression models, and independent samples tests, variables such as social media usage duration, frequency of checks, notification responses, and online interaction preferences were examined. The regression analysis revealed an R^2 value of 0.031, indicating a poor model fit and suggesting that the predictors did not significantly explain the variance in the psychological outcomes measured. The findings indicate a minimal influence of specific measured social media behaviors, pointing to the potential impact of unmeasured factors such as personality traits and offline social environments. The study highlights the need for future research to incorporate a broader range of variables and employ longitudinal designs to better understand the complex effects of social media on adolescent well-being.
Voices of Feminism in Monica Ali’s Brick Lane
Authors: Abd Ali Asst. Lect. Zahraa Abdulhasan , Abdullah Asst. Prof. Nibras Ahmed , Yousif Salman Asst. Lect.Yousif Ali
Published: October 2024

This paper explores the feminist voices in Monica Ali’s novel Brick Lane, focusing on the character development of Nazneen as she evolves from a compliant, dependent wife into a self-reliant, empowered individual. The analysis highlights how Nazneen’s journey toward financial independence through her sewing work plays a critical role in her personal transformation. The paper also examines the impact of female support networks on her empowerment, alongside the cultural obstacles she encounters as an immigrant woman living in London. Using feminist theory, this study discusses the complex interplay between culture, gender, and identity, emphasizing the multifaceted nature of women’s empowerment in a diverse cultural setting. Brick Lane is presented as a narrative that not only portrays the challenges faced by women in patriarchal societies but also celebrates their strength and capacity to reclaim their autonomy.
Manifestation of the Phenomenon of Interspecific Transposition (Analysis of Examples Within Prose Texts)
Authors: Iroda Mamarasulova
Published: October 2024

This study explores interspecific transposition in Uzbek artistic prose, addressing a gap in current linguistic research. While grammatical and semantic transposition have been studied, their role in artistic texts remains underexamined. The research aims to analyze how shifts in word categories, such as nouns to adjectives, influence the style and meaning within selected prose. Using syntactic and semantic analysis, the findings reveal that transposition enhances the expressiveness of Uzbek prose, enriching its stylistic variety. These insights offer valuable contributions to both linguists and literary scholars, highlighting the fluid and dynamic nature of linguistic systems.
Building a Sustainable and Resilient U.S. Disaster Response and Relief Logistics System: Lessons from Domestic and International Events
Authors: Onwuzulu Chinelo , Asawasukhon Piyanut
Published: October 2024

The United States (U.S.) has experienced frequent and severe natural disasters in recent time. This has in turn uncovered significant challenges in disaster relief and emergency response systems, particularly in the area of logistics. These challenges often lead to delays, inefficiencies and environmental consequences. Hence, creating a two-sided challenge, that requires both sustainability initiatives as well as a resilient Logistics system to fix. The lessons learned from prior domestic and international occurrences such as Hurricane Katrina, the 2011 Japan tsunami, and the Haiti earthquake presents the basis for the paper to examine the weaknesses and develop means of improving the current system. Therefore, this paper focuses on how the U.S. can improve its disaster response and relief system while building a resilient logistics system through unique strategies and recommendations inspired by the lessons learned from previous happenings. The recommendations for improvement include the implementation of green technologies, the decentralization of the system, improved public-private partnerships, and the optimization of the supply chain through the uses of predictive analytics and blockchain technology (Ahmed et al., 2024; Bealt et al., 2016; Hoshiba & Ozaki, 2014).
Do mindfulness-based interventions reduce the number of incidents in schools?
Authors: Gyongyosi Emily , Donovan Courtney
Published: September 2024

Previous research has shown that Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) hold promise in improving school performance. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between the number of incidents reported in schools that do and do not implement MBIs. The data used in this analysis was collected from the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) administered by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2018 to 2,762 K-12 public schools. We hypothesized that schools that implemented MBIs would have a significantly lower number of total incidents than schools that did not implement MBIs. We found no significant differences in total number of incidents reported amongst schools. Our results suggest that more research is needed on the efficacy of MBIs.Key Words: Mindfulness-Based Interventions, School Incidents.
Primary Concerns: The Lack of Forward-Looking Strategic Voting in Primary Elections
Authors: Cohen Hayley
Published: September 2024

A few districts and states with competitive general elections now decide control ofcongressional chambers. In these closely contested generals, the identities of parties’nominees can win or lose the election. As such, we must think about elections in thesedistricts as a single, two-stage game beginning with the primary. Yet we do not knowwhether primary voters think about primary elections as a first stage that affects thesecond stage. Do primary voters vote strategically to give their party the best chanceof winning the general election? I use six experiments to investigate the willingnessof primary voters in both parties to vote for the most “electable” candidate. I findthat, though primary voters increase support for candidates they are told have the bestchance of winning the general election, they do not vote strategically. Instead, the entirepositive effect of treatment is derived from voters that have their preconceptions aboutelectability confirmed. When treatment confirms a voter’s perceptions about primarycandidates’ general election chances, treatment increases support for the more electablecandidate enormously. When treatment presents counter-attitudinal information aboutelectability, primary voters are less likely to support the more electable candidate.That primary voters do not vote strategically runs counter to work on strategic votingin general elections, and suggests novel limits on party elites’ ability to control theirchances in general elections and the influence of partisan concerns on voter behavior.Future research will explore why primary voters do not switch support to the moreelectable candidate: are primary voters spurred to change their preferred candidate’schances or are they motivated reasoners who reject counter-attitudinal information?
Engaging Leadership Scale (12 items version): Translation and validation in Greek
Authors: Katsiroumpa Aglaia , Moisoglou Ioannis , Kalogeropoulou Maria , Konstantakopoulou Olympia , Gallos Parisis , Tsiachri Maria , Galanis Petros
Published: September 2024

Background: Among other forms of leadership, engaging leadership may act positively in working environments.Aim: To translate and validate the “Engaging Leadership Scale” (12 items version) in Greek.Methods: Study population included 126 nurses in Greece. We performed our study during August 2024. We employed the forward-backward method to translate and adapt the Engaging Leadership Scale (ELS-12) in Greek language. We examined the construct validity of the ELS-12 by performing confirmatory factor analysis. We examined the concurrent validity of the ELS-12 using the “Quiet Quitting Scale” (QQS), the single item burnout measure, and the single item turnover intention measure. We examined the reliability of the ELS-12 by calculating Cronbach’s alpha.Results: The ELS-12 showed very good psychometric properties. Our confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the four-factor structure of the ELS-12; strengthening, connecting, empowering, and inspiring. Concurrent validity of the Greek version of the ELS-12 was very good. We found statistically significant correlations between the ELS-12 and QQS (r = -0.466, p-value < 0.001), single item burnout measure (r = -0.192, p-value = 0.030), and single item turnover intention measure (r = -0.296, p-value = 0.001). We found that the ELS-12 had very good reliability since Cronbach’s coefficient alpha was 0.962.Conclusions: The Greek version of the “Engaging Leadership Scale” is a reliable and valid tool to measure engaging leadership among workers.
A Comprehensive Proof of the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer Conjecture Using the CASU Framework
Authors: Wilson Jonathan Jared
Published: September 2024

This paper presents a comprehensive proof of the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer (BSD) Conjecture using the Coherent Arithmetic Syzygy Unification (CASU) framework. I extend previous work to cover all elliptic curves over arbitrary number fields, including cases of bad reduction. The proof incorporates techniques from arithmetic geometry, quantum field theory, and string theory, providing a novel perspective on this long-standing problem in number theory.
Outcome measurement in functional neurological disorder: a qualitative study on the views of patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals
Authors: Rutten Sonja , Westguard Abby , Nicholson Timothy , Pick Susannah
Published: September 2024

Background:In this qualitative study, we aimed to obtain and synthesise the views of patients with functional neurological disorder (FND), their caregivers, and relevant healthcare professionals (HCPs) on outcome measurement in FND. Methods:Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 FND patients, 18 caregivers and 21 HCPs, sampled purposively in the United Kingdom. Transcripts were analysed through inductive thematic analysis.Results:While reduction or resolution of FND symptoms were frequently mentioned as important treatment goals in all groups, this was reported by a larger proportion of caregivers and HCPs than patients. Patients most frequently hoped for improvements in mental health/wellbeing. Other important treatment goals were resuming work, and an increase in independence, self-management or self-efficacy.Of the 20 domains deemed relevant for outcome assessment, improvements in FND symptoms, emotional well-being, activities of daily living and quality-of-life, were mentioned most frequently.None of the participants thought that outcome assessment should be purely clinician-rated or objective; all believed that the patient’s subjective experience should be central. Nevertheless, participants in all groups acknowledged that clinician-rated or objective OMIs have added value in clinical outcome assessment. The benefits of digital outcome assessment were also mentioned by several participants. Conclusions:This is the first study to capture the views of key stakeholders on outcome assessment in FND. The findings indicate that outcome measures for FND should be patient-centred, whilst also including HCP opinion. Critical domains for assessment are FND symptoms, mental health, quality-of-life and the ability to perform activities of daily living.
A mechanistic approach to psychotherapy? Critically evaluating the hype
Authors: Fite Robert E. , Lorenzo-Luaces Lorenzo
Published: September 2024

Mechanistic psychotherapy research promises to study which intervention components best address which mechanisms of psychopathology for specific individuals. This mechanistic approach to therapy is expected to lead to interventions that are more effective, more efficient, and more personalized. Mechanistic psychotherapy is a laudable goal. Here, we argue that the goals of mechanistic psychotherapy may not be equally achievable across all stages of complexity of psychopathology. Crucially, individuals with more severe, chronic, or recurrent presentations, who are heavy users of mental health services, may simply require more intensive treatments. We also argue that mechanistic psychotherapy research is somewhat limited in its focus, putting a large burden on psychotherapy while ignoring biological and social influences. Finally, we highlight how without careful attention to dissemination and implementation any findings from a mechanistic approach to psychotherapy will be unlikely to make a meaningful impact on the public health burden of psychopathology.
Arguing for Covariate Balance
Authors: Harden Jeffrey Joseph
Published: September 2024

Covariate balance is an important component of causal identification in observational studies. Balance assessment is common empirical practice, but typical implementations erroneously reflect the a priori expectation that balance is achieved, as is plausible in a randomized experiment. Consequently, analysts do not provide sufficient evidence or compelling argumentation supporting balance. Instead, standard practice involves checking for patterns of statistical significance consistent with a randomized treatment. I propose an alternative framework that facilitates positive, persuasive covariate balance tests with observational data. The framework evaluates multiple moments of the covariate distributions and estimates balance statistic uncertainty using either classical or Bayesian bootstrapping. I demonstrate that it is more informative and intuitive compared to the conventional emphasis on the statistical significance of covariate mean differences. The framework greatly enhances insight into the credibility of observational designs by encouraging analysts to argue positively for covariate balance rather than tenuously suggest the absence of imbalance.
Perceived Control as a Resilience Factor: Influences on neural, physiological and affective stress responses and mental health
Authors: Kollmann Bianca , Meier Jana , Meine Laura Elisabeth , Meyer Benjamin , Yuen Kenneth S.L. , Storck Magdalena , Tüscher Oliver , Wessa Michele
Published: October 2024

Perceived control is a key mechanism implicated in stress resilience. A tendency to perceive control over stressors may protect individuals against negative outcomes across various situations by increasing active coping and preventing exacerbated stress reactions. Assuming that individual differences in perceived control during an uncontrollable stress task may represent an underlying resilience factor, we investigated associations of perceived control with neural, endocrine, and affective responses to a different, psychosocial stressor, and with overall mental health. 116 male participants aged 18-30 completed a psychosocial stress task, and we assessed stress responses via functional magnetic resonance imaging, cortisol levels, and affective state questionnaires. General mental health was assessed via self-report. Perceived control was measured during a second, uncontrollable stress task and growth mixture modeling revealed a high- and a low-control class. Comparison of these classes showed that the high-control class experienced less helplessness during the uncontrollability task and demonstrated more flexible responses to psychosocial stress as reflected in cortisol secretion and activation of the bilateral posterior insula. Further, the high-control class reported fewer psychosomatic symptoms and a less external locus of control. These findings suggest that perceived control acts as a resilience factor, influencing stress processing across multiple domains. The study highlights the potential for perceived control to be harnessed in resilience-building interventions and underscores the need for further experimental and longitudinal research to confirm its role in modulating stress responses.
Disgust
Authors: Meule Adrian
Published: September 2024

This is a preprint of an encyclopedia entry that will be published asMeule, A. (2025). Disgust. In J. A. Schermer (Ed.), Elgar Encyclopaedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd.
Capturing Strategic Shifts in An Uncertain World: A Distributional Dual-Process Model for Decision-Making
Authors: Hu Mianzhi , Don Hilary , Worthy Darrell A.
Published: September 2024

In an uncertain world, human decision-making often involves adaptively leveraging different strategies to maximize gains. These strategic shifts, however, are overlooked by many traditional reinforcement learning models. Here, we incorporate parallel evaluation systems into distribution-based modeling and propose an entropy-weighted dual-process model that leverages Dirichlet and multivariate Gaussian distributions to represent frequency and value-based decision-making strategies, respectively. Model simulations and empirical tests demonstrated that our model outperformed traditional RL models by uniquely capturing participants’ strategic change from value-based to frequency-based learning in response to heightened uncertainty. As reward variance increased, participants switched from focusing on actual rewards to using reward frequency as a proxy for value, thereby showing greater preference for more frequently rewarded but less rewarding options. These findings suggest that increased uncertainty encourages the compensatory use of diverse evaluation methods, and our dual-process model provides a promising framework for studying multi-system decision-making in complex, multivariable contexts.
Entrusted power enhances psychological other-orientation and altruistic behavioural tendencies
Authors: Gobel Matthias S , Choi Eunsoo , Uchida Yukiko
Published: September 2024

From the playground to the boardroom, social power shapes the way people think and behave. Social psychological research has provided a nuanced understanding of the different psychological and behavioural tendencies of powerholders. We add to this literature, suggesting that powerholders can differ in their construal of where their power originates from. Specifically, we differentiate construing the origin of one’s power as being based on personal merit and achievement (i.e., achieved power construal) from construing the origin of one’s power as being granted by others (i.e., entrusted power construal). We predicted that entrusted more than achieved power construal would increase powerholders’ psychological other-orientation - the tendency to put oneself into another’s shoes and to feel what they feel - and their altruistic behavioural tendencies. Using a multi-method approach, we tested these predictions across three studies (N = 926). We found that powerholders who adopted an entrusted compared to achieved power construal increased their psychological other-orientation and their altruistic behavioural tendencies. We discuss how our findings can be applied to the training of future powerholders and educate them about the reciprocal nature of power.
Early Language Acquisition: From Birth Order Effect to Child-to-Caregiver Ratio
Authors: Rosslund Audun , Kartushina Natalia , Serres Nora , Mayor Julien
Published: September 2024

Growing up with multiple siblings might negatively affect a child’s language development. This study examined the associations between birth order, sibling characteristics and parent-reported vocabulary size in 6,163 Norwegian 8–36-month-old children (51.4% female). Results confirmed that birth order was negatively associated with vocabulary, yet exhibited a U-shaped pattern. A ‘child-to-caregiver ratio’ in the household was introduced, in which old-enough siblings are considered caregivers for their younger siblings. This index explained variance in vocabulary better than birth order, and suggested that female siblings may adopt a caregiving role 1–3 years earlier than males, indicating sex differences in the age at which siblings contribute, rather than deplete, available resources. A child-to-caregiver ratio might better capture the interplay between language learning resources and demands within households.
When language background does not matter: Bilingual children disambiguate and learn novel words just like their monolingual peers
Authors: Bleijlevens Natalie , Behne Tanya
Published: September 2024

Do mono- and bilingual children differ in the way they learn novel words in ambiguoussettings? Listeners may resolve referential ambiguity by assuming that novel words refer tounknown, rather than known, objects –a response known as the mutual exclusivity effect. Pastresearch suggested a bilingual disadvantage with regard to this disambiguation strategy,perhaps because, across languages, bilinguals’ experience contradicts one-to-one mappings oflabel and referent. Another line of research suggested a bilingual advantage in resolvingreferential ambiguity, based on bilinguals’ advanced pragmatic skills. Here, we examine boththese claims in a preregistered study with comparable samples of mono- and bilingual 3-yearolds(n=74) and adults (n=86). We tested referent disambiguation and retention in two tasks:In the Mutual-Exclusivity task, a speaker used a novel label in presence of a known and anunknown object. In the Pragmatic task, she used another novel label in presence of twounknown objects and participants could infer from the pragmatic context that the speakerreferred to the object that was new in their discourse. Mono- and bilinguals were equallysuccessful in inferring the correct label-referent links in both tasks and retained them after adelay. These findings indicate that children with different language backgrounds can developthe same strategies and pragmatic skills to learn novel words, highlighting the importance oftesting comparable samples of mono- and bilinguals. Children can use their lexical knowledgeand socio-cognitive skills to infer the meanings of novel words, irrespective of whether theyare acquiring one or more languages.
Finding the balance between lumping and splitting. A response to Martin et al.
Authors: Forbes Miriam K. , Neo Bryan , Nezami Omid Mohamed , Fried Eiko I , Faure Katherine , Michelsen Brier , Twose Maddison , Dras Mark
Published: September 2024

We appreciate the careful examination of sleep-wake symptoms in our paper (Forbes et al., 2023) by Martin et al. (2024). The authors highlight a number of important points of difference in which symptoms were “lumped” versus “split” in our output compared to the results in Gauld et al. (2021a)—an earlier study that aimed to inventory all of the different symptoms of the sleep-wake disorders. Martin et al. (2024) also highlight that some of these differences have important clinical implications for differential diagnosis and treatment planning for sleep-wake disorders. In this response to their commentary we consider our points of agreement, points of difference with minor implications for the patterns of symptom overlap described in the target paper, and one point of difference with more substantial implications (i.e., splitting vs. lumping several different insomnia symptoms). Overall, it seems likely that the different aims of our studies (mapping the patterns of repetition throughout the DSM vs. creating an inventory of symptoms from a clinical sleep medicine perspective) led us to err on different ends of the lumping versus splitting spectrum.
Avoiding harm or creating benefit? How a risk focus sidelines social considerations in early decisions for Australian infrastructure projects
Authors: O'Connor Ruth , Sanchez Emerson , Bice Sara , Jones Kirsty , Henderson Hayley
Published: September 2024

There is a growing need to maximise the social benefits achieved from public investment in infrastructure, particularly with the transition to net zero economies. Project Delivery Models (PDMs)—the contractual agreements that set out roles and responsibilities for infrastructure project partners—can underpin the delivery of social benefits, yet the processes involving their selection are largely opaque. In this paper we explore how social considerations inform PDM selection and how this is facilitated by policy. We interviewed highly experienced procurement professionals from the sector about how social benefits and risks are considered. We also examined how the associated regulatory environment supports social considerations through documentary analysis of auditing guidance documents. We found that not only are social benefits sidelined in early project decisions, but social risks are inadequately considered. An entrenched gap in social expertise contributes to this situation while project compartmentalisation presents challenges for inclusion and transparency in decision-making. Current auditing processes provide little incentive for social benefit consideration and reinforce both risk framing and compartmentalisation of major infrastructure projects. The paper offers new and important insights into this early project stage and distils five recommendations for improving social benefit creation from infrastructure investments, particularly in developed economies.
On a different route: Why platform-coordinated food delivery in Germany is conducted without self-employed gig work
Authors: Beyer Jürgen , Legantke Katharina
Published: September 2024

This study examines the divergent development of the platform-based food delivery sector in Germany, focusing on why the ideal-typical gig economy model based on self-employed couriers has not taken hold. Unlike other countries, Germany stands out as an exceptional case where large food delivery platforms classify their workers as employees, providing them with rights and benefits such as minimum wage, paid vacation, and sick leave. The study uses a historical-sociological case study approach to reconstruct the development of the sector and the decision-making processes that have influenced this development. Drawing on historical institutionalism, the analysis examines different heuristics for divergent paths: self-reinforcing path dependence, self-induced reactive sequences, critical junctures, mindful path creation, and transformative incremental change. The study finds that early market shaping by the pioneering company Bringdienst.de (later called Pizza.de), which focused on equipping restaurants to deliver online orders without taking responsibility for the delivery itself, significantly influenced the market environment. In addition, a court ruling in 2020 has increased the risk perception of bogus self-employment among platforms, leading to the abandonment of the gig worker model with self-employed couriers. The study concludes that the critical juncture heuristic, combined with a shadow of the past effect of market constitution, best explains the unique development in Germany.
Korean American Help-Seeking Behavior as Seen Through the Theory of Planned Behavior
Authors: Ha Miri
Published: October 2024

While barriers to accessing professional psychological service have been identified among Korean communities in the United States, research surrounding the facilitating factors for accessing services is still largely nascent. This quantitative study utilized the Theory of Planned Behavior framework to examine factors that influence Korean Americans’ intent and decision to seek psychological services. Through a convenience sample of 130 Korean American adults between the ages of 18 and 60, this study examined the effect of their attitude toward seeking psychological services, the perceived norms regarding psychotherapy, and perceived behavioral control on the intentions to seek help. To account for the unique acculturative experience of Korean Americans, bicultural self-efficacy was also measured to examine its moderating effect on the relationship between attitude, perceived norms and perceived behavioral control and intentions to seek professional help. Attitudes toward seeking help, perceived norms, and general mental health symptoms were found to be significantly correlated with intentions to seek help. Furthermore, bicultural self-efficacy was found to have a significant moderating effect on the relationship between attitudes toward seeking help and intentions to seek help.
Towards a Deep Learning approach to regularise discourse of collaborative learner
Authors: Chowdhury Koushik
Published: October 2024

Collaborative learning is a method of education in which a group of learners solves a particular task. A collaborative setting encourages learners to take a more active role in knowledge construction. However, when they communicate on a virtual platform such as a chat platform, it is important that they can refer to each other correctly so that they can improve their learning activities with the help of each other, but learners can be sidetracked, which retards their learning progress. To address this issue, this thesis practiced text classification approaches to regularize the conversation betweenlearners so they could refer to each other correctly. The dataset was collected from a focus group experiment designed for students in the Educational Technology Department at Saarland University. The report gives a clear idea of how the collected dataset has been coded and validated with the help of intercoder reliability measurements. After data preprocessing, state-of-the-art data augmentationtechniques such as spelling, insertion, substitution, and synonym augmentation are applied. The thesis examines various neural network models to identify the best model for the dataset. Among them, Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) provides the best performance with an accuracy of 0.94 and a 0.17 loss value for the augmented preprocessed dataset, where recurrent neural network models tend to overfit. In the evaluation part, a summary of performance matrices is shown, and to evaluate the model, a new dataset with similar data is generated with the help of the OpenAI API Key. The BERT model is able to classify 960 responses out of 1005, where both recurrent neural networks are classified less than 200. The thesis also discussed the issue of model poisoning so that when the model is updated, it can tackle the unclassified responses. Finally, a simple demo of how this BERT model is used to regularize the discourse of two collaborative learners is presented with the help of the Jupyter interface.
A Survey of Current Balloon Trajectory Prediction Technology
Authors: Renegar Luke
Published: October 2024

High-altitude scientific balloons allow for very little control over their trajectories. Although systems exist to influence the burst altitude of the balloons, their horizontal motion is dictated solely by the vagrancies of the wind. The accurate prediction of balloon trajectories is thus a topic of great importance to flight operations personnel, since launch/no-launch decisions must be made based on the likelihood of the balloon landing in some undesirable location. Such concerns are particularly acute in areas with high population densities or significant areas of restricted airspace, both of which are prevalent in the Mid-Atlantic region. This paper presents an overview of the present state of balloon trajectory prediction. The mathematical fundamentals of balloon trajectory prediction are discussed, as are the major available software implementations.
Comparative Study on Water Quality of Major Rivers of Uttar Pradesh: ANOVA analysis
Authors: Agarwal M.K. , Rastogi Himangi
Published: September 2024

Water is one of the most essential components of life. Fresh water on Earth is present in rivers, ponds, lakes, springs, etc. India is particularly blessed with some of the most significant rivers in the world. Uttar Pradesh has been blessed with many important rivers. These rivers are the lifeline of the state. In this research, we analyse the water quality of four essential rivers of Uttar Pradesh: Ganga, Gomti, Saryu and Yamuna. The rivers considered in this study are critical for the state. This study considers the stretch of these rivers flowing in Uttar Pradesh. For analysis, we consider the data for the year 2022, from January to December. The water quality parameters considered for the study include pH, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total coliform and faecal coliform. We have applied one-way ANOVA (analysis of variance) for each parameter on the data, and then we have compared the water quality of these rivers according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India.
First data on copper mineralization of the Sharomskoye ore occurence, Central Kamchatka
Authors:   Institute of Volcanology and Seismology FEB RAS, Skilskaia E.D. , Kudaeva Sh.S. ,   Institute of Volcanology and Seismology FEB RAS, Zoben’ko O.A. ,   Institute of Volcanology and Seismology FEB RAS
Published: October 2024

The report provides new data on the mineralogy of the ores of the Sharomskoye copper ore occurrence, the Kirganik-Sharom ore zone in Central Kamchatka. Copper ores are confined to the central part of the submeridional massif of subalkaline metasomatites. Mineralization is disseminated, less often vein-disseminated in nature.The studied ore samples, collected during field works in 2023, are represented by silicified metasomatites with developed sulfide mineralization. Among the vein and accessory minerals are quartz, chlorite, barite and apatite. Ore minerals are represented by magnetite, chalcopyrite and bornite. Hematite and malachite are the most common supergene minerals, while cuprite and hydroxides of Fe and Cu are less common. The established chalcopyrite-bornite mineral association of the Sharomskoye ore occurrence is considered typical of other copper mineral prospects in central Kamchatka and is characteristic of porphyry copper deposits.
The results of the application of the statistical method for forecasting the oil and gas potential of tectonic-concentric structures of the Far East of Russia using reference territories
Authors:   Pushkov Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation of Russian Academy of Sciences, A.L. Kharitonov
Published: October 2024

he paper presents the results of using the statistical method to analyze geological and geophysical data measured within several tectonic-concentric structures in oil and gas-bearing regions in the Far East of the Russian Federation (depth of the Mohorovichi surface, depth of the the lithosphere bottom, values of geothermal energy). The distribution and values of some statistical parameters (histograms, distribution densities, probabilities, median and mean values) used for forecasting zones of hydrocarbon deposits location have been calculated. It was found that the most informative initial data used for statistical prediction of areas of location of oil and gas deposits are the presence of concentric zones at the depth of the Mohorovichich surface, and concentric inhomogeneites at the lower boundary of the lithosphere associated with the «root» structures of paleo-mantle plumes. Based on the calculated statistical parameters, four local tectonic-concentric structures promising for prospecting new oil and gas fields were identified.
Trace element emission by fumaroles of the Avachinsky volcano (Kamchatka)
Authors:   Institute of Volcanology and Seismology FEB RAS, Malik N.A. , Plutakhina E.Yu. ,   Institute of Volcanology and Seismology FEB RAS, Nikolaeva I.Yu. ,   Lomonosov Moscow State University
Published: October 2024

The trace element composition of high-temperature gases of Avachinsky volcano was investigated. For that purpose 25 samples of gas condensates and sublimates deposited in four quartz tubes were analyzed. The total average concentration of trace elements (excluding S, Cl, F, Si) in the condensates was 87 mg/l, the maximum 210 mg/l, among which B, K, Na, Br, As predominated. A large number of samples taken over a period 2013–2023 allowed us to evaluate the variations of element concentrations, their dependence on fumarole temperature and the season of sampling. The enrichment factors normalized for magnesium, made it possible to determine the elements transported in the plume in the form of volatile compounds (S, Cl, Te, I, B, Br, Cd, As, F, Re, Se, Bi, Tl, Hg, Sn, Sb, Pb, etc.) and in the form of silicate aerosol (Ti, Fe, Ga, Al, Ca, Mn, REE et al.). The ore element emission by Avachinsky volcano is comparable to that of Mutnovsky volcano (Kamchatka) and significantly lower than the emission by volcanoes in the stage of stationary degassing, such as Kudryavy and Pallas Peak (Kuril Islands), which can be explained by higher concentrations of HCl in the gases of the latter.