bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Independent Curriculum : Educational Innovation For The Future
Authors: Arsalan Fidelalika
Published: December 2023

This article discusses that the Government of Indonesia's efforts to address students' low reading and math competencies and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education. Through the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), it was revealed that most students in Indonesia are below the minimum competency level in reading and mathematics. In response to this, the Ministry of Education has implemented an emergency curriculum that has shown positive results in reducing learning lag. In addition, Merdeka Belajar Curriculum, which allows students to choose their own subjects, is expected to meet the diverse needs of students and aims to produce a generation with academic, emotional, and social intelligence. This curriculum is based on the principles of freedom of choice, autonomous learning, flexibility, relevance, and character development. Although its implementation involves various parties and has its own challenges, it is hoped that this curriculum will benefit students and the education system in Indonesia
Arguments for gasocrine signaling
Authors: Anbalagan Savani
Published: December 2023

In cellular signaling, a cell can send specific signals to another cell with a clear intention. The sent signals are sensed by the receiving cell, triggering a cellular response. If these sender and receiver cells are in direct physical proximity, the signaling is labeled as paracrine. If these cells are far and the signal is transported, the signaling is labeled as endocrine. In this manuscript, as others have argued in the past, I also argue that gasotransmitters must not be excluded as endocrine signaling molecules. I argue that, like LEGO bricks that can be built, dismantled, and rebuilt into anything of the builder's imagination, gasotransmitters are also LEGO bricks of endocrine signaling. I argue that we must bend the rules of definitions in endocrine signaling to incorporate gasotransmitter-based endocrine signaling, which I call gasocrine signaling. If the reason that oxygen is not considered an endocrine molecule is based on the fact that it does not satisfy the definition of signal – ‘signal is something that passes from a sender to a receiver that carries a ‘specific’ message’, then I argue that the ‘message’ is simply ‘live’ or ‘die’, depending on whether the organism is aerobe or anaerobe, respectively. I argue that HIFα is the receptor for oxygen. Gasocrine signaling, I propose, is our Earth’s equivalent of Na’vi’s connection with the ecosystem of Pandora in the movie Avatar.
Adapting to Tomorrow: Exploring the Role of Robotics Process Automation in the Modern Workplace
Authors: Carter Emily , Reynolds Michael
Published: December 2023

Adapting to Tomorrow: Exploring the Role of Robotics Process Automation in the Modern Workplace
Seizing the day
Authors: Vuong Thu-Trang , Van Ngoc Tran
Published: December 2023

How determined and decisive are Vietnamese entrepreneurs?
The circulating and central endocannabinoid system in obesity and weight loss
Authors: Mattelaer Nele , Van der Schueren Bart , Van Oudenhove Lukas , Weltens Nathalie , Vangoitsenhoven Roman
Published: December 2023

Introduction: In the past decade major advances have been made in the treatment of obesity, focused on restoring disturbances along the gut-brain axis. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a neuromodulatory signaling system, present along the entire gut-brain axis, that plays a critical role in the central and peripheral regulation of food intake and body weight. It is a promising treatment target for obesity, as several components of the ECS have been linked to body weight or food intake in humans. Evidence on the impact of weight loss on the ECS is more limited. Therefore, we set out to review the existing evidence for changes in central and circulating endocannabinoid levels after bariatric surgery and other weight loss strategies in humans. Methods: The PubMed, Embase and Web of Science databases were searched for relevant articles.Results: 56 human studies were identified that measured the circulating or central ECS in obesity or after a weight loss intervention. Most studies measuring circulating 2-AG found no difference between normal weight and obesity, or no correlation with BMI. In contrast, studies measuring circulating AEA in obesity found an increase or positive correlation with BMI. Two studies found a negative correlation between BMI and CB1 receptor availability in the brain. Only one study investigated the effect of pharmacological weight management on circulating endocannabinoid concentrations and found no effect on AEA concentrations. So far, six studies investigated potential changes in circulating endocannabinoids after bariatric surgery and reported conflicting results.Conclusion: The available evidence does not univocally support that circulating endocannabinoids are upregulated in people with obesity. There is a lack of studies investigating the involvement of the endocannabinoid system in weight loss. In addition, we identified several research needs which should be fulfilled to better understand the role of the ECS in obesity and its treatments.
RETRACTIONS UND DIE ROLLEN VON WISSENSCHAFTLICHEN BIBLIOTHEKEN ZUR FÖRDERUNG GUTER WISSENSCHAFTLICHER PRAXIS
Authors: Köstenbach Tamara
Published: December 2023

Wissenschaftliches Fehlverhalten ist in der Forschungspraxis omnipräsent und hinterlässt Spuren: Dies kann einerseits mit der Tatsache zusammenhängen, dass die Forschenden unter einem enormen Zeitdruck stehen und die Qualität der wissenschaftlichen Publikationen darunter leidet. Andererseits schließt der Begriff auch Datenmanipulationen aller Art ein, die nicht mehr mit Irrtum zu begründen sind, sondern mit Vorsatz. Solche Fälle sind immer wieder zu beobachten, aber sie werden in den Medien trotz eines starken Anstiegs von Retractions seit der Jahrtausendwende nicht ausreichend diskutiert. Um diesem Phänomen mehr Raum zu geben und entsprechende Ansätze und Lösungen zu finden, wie mit Verstößen gegen die gute wissenschaftliche Praxis verfahren werden kann, die nachweislich an Hochschulen in Deutschland festgestellt wurden, unternimmt die vorliegende Studie den Versuch wissenschaftliche Bibliotheken als Dienstleister in diesen Klärungsprozess einzubeziehen, indem sie deren Rollen und Möglichkeiten erörtert. Zu diesem Zweck wurden Expert*innen befragt, die sich in ihrer Berufspraxis mit akademischer Integrität beschäftigen. Anschließend wurden die Expert*inneninterviews mit gängigen Methoden der qualitativen Sozialforschung ausgewertet, die Aufschluss über mögliche Herausforderungen und Chancen geben.
Belief in Conspiracy Theories that Differ in Evil Intentions: Correlations with Anger and Other Traits
Authors: Harmon-Jones Eddie , Szymaniak Kinga , Sebban Gabriel , Harmon-Jones Cindy
Published: December 2023

The present research extended past correlational research (Harmon-Jones & Szymaniak, 2023) by manipulating the mediator – evil perceptions – in the relationship between trait anger and conspiracy beliefs. This past research revealed that trait anger correlated positively with conspiracy beliefs and with perceiving conspirators to have more evil intentions. Moreover, perceived evil intentions statistically mediated the relationship between trait anger and conspiracy beliefs. The current research first created a questionnaire to manipulate the evil intentions associated with relatively novel and unknown conspiracy theories (Study 1). Then, trait anger and other personality characteristics were measured along with beliefs in the low- and high-evil conspiracy theories (Study 2). Results revealed that trait anger correlated positively with beliefs in both types of conspiracy theories. Moreover, trait anger continued to predict belief in high-evil conspiracy theories when statistically controlling for belief in low-evil conspiracy theories. A general conspiracy mentality yielded similar results. Discussion focuses on how perceiving evil intentions in conspiracy theories may be one explanation for why trait anger relates to conspiracy beliefs.
Jumping to Attributions during Social Evaluation
Authors: Lau Isabel Hei Wing , Norman Jessica , Stothard Melanie , Carlisi Christina , Moutoussis Michael
Published: December 2023

Social learning is crucial for human relationships and well-being. Self- and other- evaluations are universal experiences, playing key roles in many psychiatric disorders, particularly anxiety and depression. We aimed to deepen understanding of the computational mechanisms behind social learning, which have been implicated in internalizing conditions like anxiety and depression. We built on prior work based on the Social Evaluation Learning Task (SELT) and introduced a new computational model to better explain rapid initial inferences and progressive refinement during serial social evaluations.The Social Evaluation Learning Task-Revised (SELT-R) was improved by stakeholder input, making it more engaging and suitable for adolescents. A sample of 130 adults from the UK completed the SELT-R and questionnaires assessing symptoms of depression and anxiety. ‘Classify-refine' computational models were compared with previously successful Bayesian models. The 'classify-refine' models performed better, providing insight into how people infer attributes and motives of others. Task parameters from the SELT-R were correlated with Anxiety factor scores, with higher symptoms associated with greater decision noise and higher (less flexible) policy precision. Our results replicate findings regarding the classify-refine process and set the stage for future investigations into the cognitive mechanisms of self and other evaluations in internalizing disorders.
Do neuroticism and efficacy beliefs moderate the relationship between climate change worry and mental wellbeing?
Authors: Ogunbode Charles Adedayo , Salmela-Aro Katariina , Maran Daniela Acquardo , van den Broek Karlijn L. , Doran Rouven , Lins Samuel , Torres-Marín Jorge , Carrillo Ginés Navarro , Rocchi Giulia , Schermer Julie Aitken
Published: December 2023

People around the world are worried about the climate crisis and increased attention is being drawn to the implications that this can have for mental wellbeing. While research on the nature and prevalence of phenomena like climate anxiety (or eco-anxiety) is increasing rapidly, there is still very little understanding of the conditions under which people’s worries about climate change become more or less likely to significantly impact their mental wellbeing. Here, we considered two plausible moderators of the relationship between climate change worry and mental wellbeing: neuroticism and efficacy beliefs. Our findings show that climate change worry is negatively related to mental wellbeing at any level of perceived efficacy. In contrast, climate change worry is only significantly related to mental wellbeing at low and average levels of neuroticism. High neuroticism appears to have a masking, rather than amplifying, effect on the relationship between climate change worry and mental wellbeing.
Water is and is not H2O, depending on who you ask. Conceptualisations of water vary across chemists and laypeople
Authors: Mazzuca Claudia , Arcovito Marta , Falcinelli Ilenia , Fini Chiara , Borghi Anna M.
Published: December 2023

Conceptual representations can be shaped by multiple factors, including expertise. In this preregistered study, we tested whether the concept of “water” is represented differently across laypeople and chemists focusing on psychological essentialism. Essentialised categories are thought to be determined by internal factors (e.g., chemical composition). Previous research suggests laypeople do not essentialise “water”. Here, we sought to verify whether extensive experience with chemicals might lead to more essentialist conceptions. In the first two experiments participants provided H2O estimates, typicality, centrality, and frequency ratings for water examples, which showed that chemists partially incorporate H2O in their conceptual representation of “water”. Experiment 3 underlined qualitative differences in the semantic organisation of “water” across the two groups using similarity ratings. Experiment 4 consolidated these results with a sentence acceptability task, underlying the importance of chemical composition in determining what counts as “water” for chemists. Finally, Experiment 5 showed that laypeople consider both “H2O” and “water” as more abstract compared to chemists. Our results provide evidence on the variability of both psychological essentialism and conceptual representation overall, that can vary as a function of expertise.
Biased career choices? It depends what you believe: Trainee teachers' aversions to working in low-income schools are moderated by beliefs about inequality, meritocracy, and growth mindsets.
Authors: Doyle Lewis , Easterbrook Matthew John
Published: December 2023

Schools serving diverse and low-income communities tend to have disproportionately high numbers of low-quality or inexperienced teachers, thereby creating an inequality of access to high-quality teaching. Across two pre-registered experiments and one exploratory survey (Ntotal = 956), we investigated the factors associated with trainee teachers’ bias in school choices, and the role of teacher education in mitigating this issue. In Studies 1 and 3, trainee teachers demonstrated a preference for working in a school with average (vs. diverse/low-income) demographics, even though all other aspects of the school were equal. These disparities were most pronounced when trainees more strongly believed that (a) educational inequality can be attributed to external factors; (b) intelligence is fixed, and (c) schooling is truly meritocratic. Study 2 revealed that levels of equity-related input during initial teacher education vary hugely, but that, where implemented, it may better prepare trainees for the challenges associated with teaching in diverse and low-income communities. Finally, Study 3 revealed tentative evidence to suggest that a brief intervention that challenges teachers to think beyond the internal causes of inequality could reduce some of these troubling disparities.
Immigrant–native pay gap driven by lack of access to high-paying jobs
Authors: Hermansen Are Skeie , Penner Andrew , Elvira Marta , Godechot Olivier , Hällsten Martin , Henriksen Lasse Folke , Hou Feng , Lippényi Zoltán , Petersen Trond , Reichelt Malte , Sabanci Halil Ibrahim , Safi Mirna , Tomaskovic-Devey Donald , Vickstrom Erik
Published: December 2023

Immigrants to high-income countries often face considerable and persisting labor market difficulties upon arrival, yet their native-born children often experience economic progress. Little is known about the degree to which immigrant–native earnings differences reflect unequal pay when doing the same work for the same employer versus differential sorting into lower-paid jobs and broader labor market segregation. Using linked employer–employee data from nine European and North American countries, we document that sorting of immigrant-background workers into lower-paying jobs on average accounts for about four-fifths of immigrant–native earnings differences. However, within-job pay inequality remains consequential in several countries. These findings highlight the centrality of policies aimed at reducing between-job immigrant–native segregation, but also the relevance of policies ensuring equal pay for equal work.
The meaning of the default language. A critical analysis of the development process of a WebGIS functionality.
Authors: Volpini Marco
Published: December 2023

The article aims at showing how softwares, and in this specific case GIS softwares, are imbued withgeographical imaginations, embodying cultural assumptions and biases of the people involved intheir developing. The author presents an analysis of the implementation of geographic metadatainternationalisation in GeoServer, a free software used to setup WebGIS. To perform the analysismethodologies derived from Critical Code Studies are employed: by critically engaging with thesource code of the application it will be shown how it is loaded with geographical meanings that gobeyond the mere technical functioning of the software. The article thus aims, on one side, atcontributing to the field of critical code studies showing how a geographical approach might beused to analyse source code. On the other side this essay aims at showing how GIS software shouldbe analysed also with respect to functionalities not directly related with spatial analysis andgeoprocessing, thus contributing to the field of critical GIS. The critical reading of source code, theauthor will argue, can be an important tool for geographers that want to contribute to theintroduction of higher reflexivity inside open source software communities.
Assessing the Biennial Conference on Science and Technology (BICOST IX) 2023 technical output on Renewable energy, Energy storage and Green Hydrogen in line with UN SDG Commitments.
Authors: D Silva S. K. B. , K.G.D Piyumali , Perera Rasitha Thilini Suranjana , Kaluarachchi K.D. K. G , Munagamage Thilini , R.M.R Ahammed , P Piyankarage C. S. , Shahmy Seyed , Karunaratne Veranja
Published: December 2023

Renewable energy, energy storage, and green hydrogen (EES) in Sri Lanka have a significant relationship with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This commentary aims to provide a critical perspective on the report's recommendations of the National Science and Technology Commission's Biennial Conference 2023 on Science and Technology (BISOST IX), the sub-thematic technical report on Clean Energy, and their alignment with the UN SDGs in the Sri Lankan context. The technical report provides insightful recommendations for Sri Lanka's energy sector under three main sections: renewable energy, energy storage, and green hydrogen. Also, it explores the potential of various renewable energy sources, energy storage systems, and green hydrogen as sustainable solutions to address the country's energy challenges with spill over effects that contribute the enterprise's job creation to the development of the economy.
NOHATE: Automatisierte Identifikation von Hate Speech in Nutzerkommentaren zum Thema Flucht und Migration (Projektdokumentation)
Authors: Paasch-Colberg Sünje , Strippel Christian , Laugwitz Laura , Emmer Martin , Trebbe Joachim , van Aken Betty , Löser Alexander , Trömel Marc
Published: December 2023

In the interdisciplinary research project "NOHATE – Overcoming crises in public communication about refugees, migration, foreigners", communication scholars, information scientists and computer linguists analyzed hate speech in user comments on refugees and immigration posted on German news websites and social media. On that basis, a machine learning model for automated hate speech detection was developed.
Works by and on ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Čištī (d. 1683): a very incomplete catalogue of his errors and of the historians and cataloguers who referred to him (1879–2023)
Authors: Naqvi K. Razi
Published: December 2023

By no possible freak of his admittedly fertile imagination could ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Čištī,a peripheral figure in the Indian Ṣūfī arena, have pictured a situation in which quite a few scholars,communicating their thoughts in English more than three centuries after his death (1683), wouldbe sifting through his manuscripts in search of historical data and sociopolitical clues concerningthe Muǧal era and even the preceding period. The purpose of this essay is to argue that, as anauthor, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān has numerous shortcomings, most of which can be traced to his view ofthe role of historiography and the paucity of handwritten texts in his days. He fabricates his ownversion of history by blending historical raw material (dates, names of persons and places) withoneiric visions, making it toilsome for the more sceptical among his readers, and impossible forthose who happen (or choose) to be more trusting, to separate plausible truth from pious fantasy;he refers to sources he has read only perfunctorily or not at all, quotes from memory, or makes upspurious quotations, or adapts the cited author’s words to fit his message. The abstract is not theproper place to justify, through concrete illustrations, the denunciation levelled above, but at leastone example of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān’s authorial misdemeanour must be given here. A striking featureof Mirʾāt-i Madārī (completed 1654) is the fervent support given by its author, himself a Sunnī,to the Šīʿah doctrine on the promised Mahdī, one of the many issues that divide the two sects.The Šīʿah inclination of this small tract has led the author of The Mughals and the Sufis (2021) toportray ʿAbd al-Raḥmān as a supporter of the policy of religious toleration pursued by the Muǧalemperors of the time. This charitable inference is undermined by the fact that ʿAbd al-Raḥmāntook up the Mahdī controversy also in his masterwork Mirʾāt al-asrār (completed 1655), but therehe mounted a spirited defence of the Sunnī standpoint! And in each work he supported his stanceby invoking chapter 366 of Ibn ʿArabī’s al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyyah. Several authors (identified inthe main text), having accepted the information vouchsafed by ʿAbd al-Raḥmān and by compilersof two catalogues raisonnés (published 1879 and 1925), now serve willy nilly as purveyors ofhistorical reports fact-checked only by the spirits of eminent Ṣūfī Šayǩs, and as perpetuators ofbogus genealogical information set down by two cataloguers who paid insufficient attention toʿAbd al-Raḥmān’s account of his ancestry.
Using Student Reflections to Develop Deep Teaching
Authors: Kostiuk Jordan
Published: December 2023

National studies continue to indicate that the graduating STEM student body is not representative of the diversity of the U.S. population. In addition to, or in the absence of, institutional change, instructors must learn how to implement equity-focused pedagogical changes in order to better support their students. This article describes my experience introducing a weekly reflection protocol in a proof-based mathematics course with the dual goals of promot- ing metacognition and opening an additional communication channel with my students. Towards these goals, this intervention was largely successful and I provide examples of how I was able to use what I learned from my students to better support them throughout the semester. Drawing on the “Deep Teaching Model” for faculty development, I share how this experience continues to be a critical component of my evolving teaching practice. Though this intervention on its own may not solve the representation and equity problems in our field, the self-awareness I developed through this experience has positioned me as a more effective instructor, mentor, and advocate.
Assessing Bias in LLM-Generated Synthetic Datasets: The Case of German Voter Behavior
Authors: von der Heyde Leah , Haensch Anna-Carolina , Wenz Alexander
Published: December 2023

[For the more comprehensive version of this work, please see https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.08563] The rise of large language models (LLMs) like GPT-3 has sparked interest in their potential for creating synthetic datasets, particularly in the realm of privacy research. This study critically evaluates the use of LLMs in generating synthetic public opinion data, pointing out the biases inherent in the data generation process. While LLMs, trained on vast internet datasets, can mimic societal attitudes and behaviors, their application in synthesizing data poses significant privacy and accuracy challenges. We investigate these issues using the case of vote choice prediction in the 2017 German federal elections.Employing GPT-3, we construct synthetic personas based on the German Longitudinal Election Study, prompting the LLM to predict voting behavior. Our analysis compares these LLM-generated predictions with actual survey data, focusing on the implications of using such synthetic data and the biases it may contain. The results demonstrate GPT-3’s propensity to inaccurately predict voter choices, with biases favoring certain political groups and more predictable voter profiles. This outcome raises critical questions about the reliability and ethical use of LLMs in generating synthetic data.
Uncovering Regional Inequalities in Digitalization: A Multifaceted Measurement for Germany
Authors: Detemple Jonas , Wicht Alexandra
Published: December 2023

The ongoing global digital transformation has significant implications for economies and societies, with potential benefits and challenges. This study addresses the critical need for a comprehensive measure of regional digitalization in Germany to better understand its impact on various aspects of life, including education, employment, and working conditions. Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), it introduces a multifaceted regional digitalization indicator at the administrative district level (NUTS-3) that incorporates digital infrastructure, culture, technology capacity, high-tech human capital, and digitalization-related innovativeness. The study reveals that digitalization varies significantly across regions. Urban regions tend to have higher digitalization levels, which are positively associated with economic productivity and high-skilled labor demand. Moreover, regional digitalization complements the established measure of regional automation potential, as the two are only slightly correlated, highlighting the complexity of regional disparities in the digital age.
Back to cyberspace: digital territories, cyberscape and posthuman dwelling.
Authors: Volpini Marco
Published: December 2023

Geographical analysis in the digital world, namely the descriptionof computational environments as geographical domains with their owncharacteristics, has been an interest carried on by geographers since the first studiesof digital geography, in particular through the use of the concept of cyberspace. Thepitfalls of this concept and its analytical limits caused the subsequent dropping outof such analysis. Producing geographical interpretations of the digital, however,remains a fundamental task to prevent the analysis of the internal functioning of ITlife remaining exclusively object of technical considerations, and to effectively posequestions about the future of the relationships between man and digitalenvironments. The article therefore intends to follow the path traced by these firstgeographical studies, on the one hand circumscribing the use of the concept ofcyberspace and on the other mobilizing other geographical concepts, in this caseterritory and landscape, as metaphors for the description of the Internet. Theauthor will focus on the exploration of the parallels that can be found between thefunctioning of web applications and the concept of territory and also betweengraphic user interfaces and the concept of landscape. Secondly will be consideredthe possibility of qualifying the relationship between human beings and ITenvironments as a dwelling one. If from an epistemological point of view territoryand landscape can be effectively applied as metaphors to our online life, dwellingdigital environments, it will be argued, must necessarily be redefined in aposthuman sense, marginalizing the role of the human component in thisdefinition. Applying territory and landscape as metaphors to describe thegeographies of non-human users, it will be concluded, can help to establish astarting point in defining the characteristics of such dwelling.
Understanding the drivers and outcomes of public housing tenant relocation
Authors: Porter Libby , Davies Liam , Ruming Kristian , Kelly David , Rogers Dallas , Flanagan Kathleen
Published: December 2023

For public housing tenants, having to relocate from their home is a significant and sustained stress. Even if the final housing outcome may be improved, the relocation can be a negative emotional experience which deeply affects tenants’ wellbeing. This research, ‘Understanding the drivers and outcomes of public housing tenant relocation’, examined the drivers and experiences of tenant relocation from public housing in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. High maintenance costs, stock redundancy and poor quality public housing are often cited as the reasons for demolishing public housing and relocating tenants. An assumption used to justify renewal is ‘poverty deconcentration’, which argues that continued proximity to poverty further entrenches poverty and social dysfunction. Despite being repeatedly challenged for ignoring the structural conditions that perpetuate poverty, this idea remains highly influential in Australian housing policy. Even when the final housing outcome may be improved, relocation can be a negative experience with tenants experiencing it as an intense emotional stress that affects their wellbeing before, during and after moving. Relocation can destroy the networks that exist between vulnerable residents and the wider community, leading to people experiencing intense ‘placelessness’ and grief at the loss of home. For tenants living in public housing estates that are to be renewed, learning about their future relocation is a particularly stressful moment. As a consequence, clear, honest, early and ongoing information is critical to a successful renewal and relocation process. To make sure tenants and the community know exactly what is happening, media outlets require up-to-date and accurate data from governments about renewal programs, relocations processes, the numbers of tenants affected, the numbers of public housing units being demolished and where the capital generated from renewal will be invested.
Polysemy and the Sociolinguistics of Policy Ideas: Resilience, Sustainability and Wellbeing 2000 – 2020
Authors: Gupta Ayan-Yue
Published: December 2023

In policy studies there is a concern with understanding how new ideas affect policy making. Central to this is the issue of how ideas become collectively adopted by policy actors. The policy paradigm perspective – the classical way of understanding collective adoption – has faced criticism for overestimating the coherence of adopted ideas and not paying sufficient attention to the micro-scale cognitive processes at play during collective adoption and how these are conditioned by macro-scale organisational processes and structures.This paper provides a sociolinguistic account of the collective adoption of policy ideas that explicitly relates micro-scale cognitive processes (interpretation, attention allocation) to macro-scale organisational structure (division of labour). Drawing on relevance theory, it argues that implicit in the diffusion of an idea within policy circles is an organisationally coordinated interpretive process which results in multiple versions of the idea adapted to the division of labour of government.Supporting this is an empirical analysis of the collective adoption of resilience, sustainability and wellbeing by the British government during 2000 – 2020. Using a dataset of policy documents (~85 million tokens) published by 12 British central departments, I use BERT to automatically extract the different senses expressed by occurrences of ‘resilience’, ‘resilient’, ‘sustainable’, ‘sustainability’ and ‘wellbeing’. I examine how these senses contribute to changes in the use of this vocabulary, the contents of these senses, and the distribution of these senses across the 12 departments. Through this, I examine senses that express versions of resilience, sustainability and wellbeing adapted to particular departmental functions.
Shifts in Emancipative Values during Times of Crises: Longitudinal Evidence from the Covid-19 Pandemic in Russia
Authors: Korsunava Viyaleta , Sokolov Boris , Welzel Christian
Published: December 2023

This study explores the dynamics of emancipative value orientations (EV) in Russia throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, using data for the period from June 2020 until December 2021 based on three panel waves of the international longitudinal survey “Values in Crisis”. Despite the profound impact that the pandemic has had on Russian society, we don't find any substantial decline in EV among our sample, in line with the “baseline stability theorem” in value research. However, we observe opposite trends for two components of EV: mean scores on choice values have been negligibly increasing over time, whereas the scores on equality values have been negligibly decreasing. Also, in line with the “baseline stability theorem”, we interpret these subtle value shifts as a periodic situational adjustment to Corona-specific infringements into people’s daily lives. As for within-individual dynamics, such indicators of the personal pandemic experience as (1) encountering the disease personally or in family; (2) losing а job/business, or (3) health-related anxiety, do not have any effect on choice values, although we find a weak positive association between equality values and (4) worries about a potential economic recession. In addition, latent growth mixture modelling suggests that considerable changes in EV occurred only among a very small fraction of the population (about 2% of the panel sample). Overall, our results are the first to demonstrate that the “baseline stability theorem” in value research holds even in the face of a most dramatic external shock, with radically new threats to the economic sustenance and physical health of everyone.
PELATIHAN TENTANG BERCOCOK TANAM DENGAN METODE HIDROPONIK VERTIKULTUR DI DESA KEDAMEAN KABUPATEN GRESIK
Authors: Puspitasari Nia Dwi , Kamandang Zetta Rasullia , Aryaseta Bagas , Alfiansyah Achmad Dzulfiqar
Published: December 2023

Desa Kedamean Gresik adalah salah satu desa yang terletak di Kabupaten Gresik, Jawa Timur. Desa ini dikenal sebagai desa yang produktif dalam sektor pertanian, namun dengan lahan yang terbatas. Kondisi ini membuat para petani di desa Kedamean harus kreatif dalam memanfaatkan lahan sempit yang tersedia. Untuk membantu masyarakat desa dalam mengatasi masalah ini, Program Studi Teknik Sipil Universitas Pembangunan Nasional (UPN) Veteran Jawa Timur menyelenggarakan kegiatan pengabdian masyarakat berupa penyuluhan dan pelatihan tentang bercocok tanam dengan metode hidroponik. Metode hidroponik vertikultur merupakan salah satu cara bercocok tanam tanpa tanah yang sangat cocok untuk lahan sempit. Dalam metode ini, tanaman ditanam secara vertikal dengan menggunakan media seperti potongan pipa PVC atau botol bekas. Tanaman diletakkan di dalam pipa PVC atau botol bekas dan diberi nutrisi melalui air yang mengalir pada sistem hidroponik. Kegiatan pelatihan ini diikuti oleh sekitar 40 peserta dari masyarakat sekitar balai desa Kedamean Gresik yang didominasi oleh ibu-ibu yang berprofesi sebagai petani. Kegiatan pelatihan dan workshop ini juga diharapkan dapat membantu masyarakat desa Kedamean Gresik dalam meningkatkan produktivitas pertanian dan kesejahteraan masyarakat. Selain itu, melalui kegiatan ini juga diharapkan adanya kesadaran masyarakat tentang pentingnya menjaga lingkungan dan memanfaatkan sumber daya alam secara bijak. Kedepannya, Prodi Teknik Sipil UPN Veteran Jawa Timur akan terus melakukan kegiatan pengabdian masyarakat yang bermanfaat bagi masyarakat dan lingkungan sekitar.
PENGOLAHAN AIR MATA AIR MENJADI AIR MINUM YANG BERKELANJUTAN DARI MATA AIR POLAMAN KEBUMEN
Authors: Sugiarto Bambang , Kusuma Heri Septya , Suranto Suranto , Nyamiati Retno Dwi
Published: December 2023

Tujuan dari pengabdian ini adalah untuk memberikan pengetahuan tentang teknologi pengolahan air dari mata air Polaman di Dusun Polaman, Desa Kebakalan, Karanggayam, Kebumen, Jawa Tengah, dengan tujuan meningkatkan kemampuan Mitra UKM dalam mengolah air menjadi produk air kemasan yang siap dikonsumsi, serta meningkatkan nilai jual air tersebut. Mata air Polaman merupakan sumber air utama bagi penduduk di daerah tersebut, tetapi kualitas airnya belum mencapai standar yang aman untuk dikonsumsi. Pengabdian ini melibatkan implementasi teknologi pengolahan air dalam beberapa tahap. Tahap pertama adalah melakukan survei awal untuk memahami kondisi sumber air dan kebutuhan masyarakat setempat. Kemudian, dipilih metode pengolahan air yang sesuai dengan kondisi dan kebutuhan tersebut, yaitu dengan memanfaatkan teknologi Dry Heat Sterilization with Combination Membrane UV. Tim pengabdian juga memberikan pelatihan, pendampingan, dan sosialisasi terkait pengolahan air dengan sistem membran seperti yang telah disebutkan sebelumnya. Dengan penerapan sosialisasi pengolahan air ini, diharapkan kualitas air dari mata air Polaman dapat ditingkatkan sehingga aman untuk dikonsumsi oleh penduduk setempat. Selain itu, diharapkan juga dapat meningkatkan kesadaran masyarakat akan pentingnya pengolahan air yang aman dan penggunaan air dengan baik.
A Comparison between Total Phenols and Total Alkaloids Antibacterial Activity Extracted from Bulbs of Narcissus tazetta L
Authors: Mohammed Hasan Zainab Yaseen , Ola Kareem Ali  , Arwa Abdul-Kareem Tawfiq
Published: December 2023

Narcissus tazetta plant from Amaryllidaceae family is known to be rich in bioactive metabolites such as Alkaloids, phenolics and flavonoid which detected in almost species of this family. N. tazetta cultivated in Iraq, had not yet been studied for its active components as antimicrobial; thus the current study employed the antibacterial activity for total phenolic compounds and total alkaloids extracted from this plant. The plant bulb pieces were defatted with n-hexane before extraction of total phenols(TP) and total alkaloids(TA) from the plant. Results showed that the plant contains about 0.95g/140g bulb as total phenols residue and 0.7g/150g bulb as total alkaloids residue. The major Tp compounds observed in HPLC assay were Salycilic acid, Sinapic  acid, vanillic acid, Caffeic acid, Chlorogenic acid, and p-coumaric acid in desending quantity. Four layer had been collected that might contain different kinds of alkloids. The methanolic layer (1) and layer (3) which represented the chloroform layer after acidification represented the richest layers in 'Glanthamine' alkloid represented by HPLC assay. The antibacterial as inhibitory effects of TP and TA on E.coli, P.auroginosa, S.aureus and  Bacillus subtillus, showed moderate antibacterial activity for both plant extracts in coparisin to some trade antibiotics.
Possible Protective Anticancer effect of Ethanol Fraction of Iraqi Hibiscus Tiliaceus L. Leaves Extract on Diethylnitrosamine-induced Hepatocarcinogenesis in Male Rats
Authors: Maan Abdul-Azeez Zahraa , Hattab Mutlag Shihab
Published: December 2023

Abstract

 Liver cancer with hepatocellular carcinoma a serious clinical illness that progresses quickly and has a bad prognosis because to increased malignancy. Fibrosis is the precursor of liver cancer, which progresses to cirrhosis and carcinoma Diethylnitrosamine (DEN) is a chemical molecule that has been used as a carcinogenic agent to promote cancer in test animals because of its strong carcinogenic potential. Herbal plants have long been used as inexpensive, effective alternatives to pharmaceuticals in various liver-associated complications, since they contain many bioactive compounds useful in liver disorders. Hibiscus tiliaceus L. (Malvaceae) contain various phytochemicals in the plant extracts such as Flavonoids, phenols, alkaloids, Tannins, Saponins, Quinones, Coumarine, Triterpenoids, glycosides and Steroids. Thus, has various health benefits, and have medicinal and therapeutic values, It could be a source of natural antioxidants, antimicrobials, hepatoprotective compounds, and antimutagenic effects.

The study was designed To study the possible protective role of Iraqi Hibiscus tiliaceus L. ethanol leaves extract administered in two different doses on diethylnitrosamine induced liver carcinoma in male Wistar Albino rats. Rats utilized in this study were randomized into 4 groups (six rats per each group); Group I: (Control) Rats were administered oral daily dose of 1ml /kg/day of distilled water for 20 weeks; Group II: rats intraperitoneally injected with 70 mg/kg diethyl nitrosamine once per week for 10 continuous weeks; Group III: Rats were administered 250mg/kg of Iraqi Hibiscus tiliaceus L.  ethanol leaves extract as chronic oral administration with food for 5 days per week for 20 weeks and subsequently intraperitoneal dose of diethylnitrosamine (70 mg/kg) once per week for 10 continuous weeks; Groups IV: Rats were administered 500mg/kg of Hibiscus tiliaceus L. ethanol leaves extract as chronic oral administration with food for 5 days per week for 20 weeks with subsequently intraperitoneal dose of diethylnitrosamine (70 mg/kg) once per week for 10 continuous weeks. The finding revealed that Iraqi Hibiscus tiliaceus L.  ethanol leaves extract showed significant reduction (P<0.05) in malondialdehyde, alpha fetoprotein (AFP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TSB), pro-inflammatory cytokines include transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and significant elevation (P<0.05) of anti-oxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) in dose dependent manner. In conclusion this study demonstrated that the chemoprotective role of Hibiscus tiliaceus L. ethanol leaves extract might be explained by; lowered levels of hepatic enzymes, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and antioxidant levels, as well as decreased levels of alpha fetoprotein (AFP), the gold standard for detecting hepatocellular carcinoma.
Design, Optimization and Characterization of Self-Nanoemulsifying Drug Delivery Systems of Bilastine
Authors: Abbas Ishraq Kadhim , Shaimaa Nazar Abd-AlHammid
Published: December 2023

Self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems are innovative methods that have the potential to resolve a variety of drug formulation issues, including solubility, stability and bioavailability. Bilastine is a potent and highly selective H1-antihistamine. The aim of this study is to develop bilastine as an oral self-nanoemulsion to enhance its permeability from prepared formulas and possibility of lymphatic transport. Based on the solubility investigations of bilastine in some oils, surfactants and cosurfactants, fifteen formulae of liquid SNEDDS were created utilizing oleic acid, tween 60 and transcutol as oil, surfactant and co-surfactant respectively. Pseudoternary phase diagrams were used to evaluate the component phase behavior and the area of the nanoemulsion. The prepared formulas were evaluated for particle size, polydispersity index, zetapotential, self-emulsification time, drug content, and robustness to dilution. When compared to the pure drug powder, the produced SMEDDS formulations showed enhanced drug release. This study's findings showed that a formula 8 with a 20% oleic acid, 40% tween 60, and 40% transcutol composition exhibited lower particle size and higher zetapotential with acceptable drug content compared to other formulas and better in-vitro drug release characteristics than pure bilastine powder. All of these criteria favor the development of self-nano emulsifying drug delivery systems as a potential approach to enhance the bioavailability of drugs like bilastine that are poorly soluble.
Keywords: Bilastine, SNEDDS
Professional Challenges Facing Pharmacists Working at Public Hospitals in an Iraqi Province: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Nassrullah Zahraa , Al-Jumaili Ali Azeez
Published: December 2023

In Iraq, because of the dramatic turnovers facing the country for three decades, pharmacists continue to experience significant professional challenges in both the public and private sectors.
The present study aimed to explore the professional challenges and obstacles facing Iraqi pharmacists working in public hospitals.
This qualitative study included face-to-face semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions with hospital pharmacists. The participants were selected purposefully (with ≥ 3 years of experience) to work at governmental hospitals in Karbala province between December 2022 and April 2023. The audio-recording interviews were scripted. Thematic analyses were used to generate themes and subthemes from the interviews.
Thirty-two pharmacists participated in this study. The study found that there are many challenges facing Iraqi pharmacists in hospitals. Some of which are related to the pharmacists themselves, such as suboptimal competency with an overwhelming number of pharmacists in each hospital, while the others are related to suboptimal organizational conditions, such as inadequate interdisciplinary collaboration, an unfriendly hospital environment as patients' confrontation, unequal task distributions, and inadequate technology and tools.
According to the study findings, greater emphasis should be placed on improving multidisciplinary teamwork, pharmacist competency, the pharmacists' role in hospitals and securing the supply of essential medicines. Most participants recommend enhancing quality over quantity of pharmacists in addition to finding areas and horizons to benefit from these large numbers of pharmacists.
Keywords: Iraqi pharmacists, hospital pharmacists, challenges, obstacles, Qualitative study.
Study the Variables Affecting Formulation of Ethylcellulose-based Microsponges Loaded with Clobetasol
Authors: Saad Ahmed , Sabri Lubna
Published: December 2023

Clobetasol propionate (CP) is a super potent corticosteroid widely used to treat various skin disorders such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. However, its utility for topical application is hampered due to its common side effects, such as skin atrophy, steroidal acne, hypopigmentation, and allergic contact dermatitis. Microsponge is a unique three-dimensional microstructure particle with micro and nano-meters-wide cavities, which can encapsulate both hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs providing increased efficacy and safety. The aim of the current study is to prepare and optimize clobetasol-loaded microsponges. The emulsion solvent diffusion method is used for the preparation of ethylcellulose (EC)-based microsponges. The impact of various formulation variables on microsponge's properties includes; drug: polymer ratio, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) quantities, the volume of external phase, and stirring rates investigated. The microsponges were characterized in terms of particle size, product yield, CP entrapment %, and in-vitro drug release behavior. The results report that increasing EC concentration led to a significant increase in particle size, with a decrease in product yield and drug entrapment %. Increasing stirring speed or external aqueous volume or PVA w/v % caused a non-significant decrease in production yield and CP entrapment % but showed a significant decrease, and increase in particle size, respectively. Finally, it was concluded that the ability to use ethylcellous as a Msg polymer matrix to prepare uniform, highly porous particles was confirmed by microscope observation and compatibility with CP.
Factors affecting the preparation of Cilnidipine nanoparticles
Authors: Alzalzalee Ruaa , Kassab Hanan
Published: December 2023

Cilnidipine is a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker used to improve the neurological outcome following subarachnoid hemorrhage. It belongs to BCS class II drugs that have a low oral bioavailability of 13%, thus preparation as nanoparticles would be expected to improve bioavailability.

The aim of the study is to prepare Cilnidipine as nanoparticles using different carriers and co-carriers, concentrations, and types.

Cilnidipine nanoparticles were prepared by a solvent anti-solvent method using different carriers (Soloplus®, Poloxamer 188, PVA cold) with co-stabilizers  (PEG200, glycerol) at different ratios.

Based on the obtained results, formula N4, which included Soloplus in a 1:1:1 weight ratio of drug to the polymer to co-stabilizer, exhibited a particle size of 88.89 nm when stirred at 1000 rpm with an injection speed of 1 ml/min. The polydispersity index (PDI) for this formula was measured at 0.2413. Furthermore, formula N4 demonstrated an impressive 92.2% drug content and an entrapment efficiency (EE) of 95.8%, giving 100% release in 30 min.