bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PENGEMBANGAN E- MODULE INTERAKTIF BERBASIS WEBSITE GOOGLE SITE DENGAN METODE TEAM BASED PROJECT PADA MATERI PERPINDAHAN KALOR DI KELAS V SD NEGERI 101768 TEMBUNG
Authors: Aziz Nasrullah
Published: July 2023

Abstract: Research on developing interactive E-Module products based on the Google Site Website with the Team Based Project Method, researchers used the Research and Development Model 4D (define, design, develop, and disseminate) method, the research instruments were observation, interviews, tests, and validation questionnaires. The results of the research are the e-module, Google Site Website and Information Board products. As for the 3 aspects of the assessment, the content of the material obtained 88.42% (Valid), the display of design and technology of the e-module obtained 81.05% (Valid), the Practicality of the e-module obtained 93.88% (Valid). Data from the pre-test in class V-A showed that 23 students had not completed and post-test results showed that 22 students had completed and 5 students had not completed with a percentage of 80.55% (effective).Keywords: Science learning outcomes, E-Module, Team Based Project, Elementary School StudentsAbstrak: Penelitian mengembangkan produk E- Module Interaktif Berbasis Website Google Site Dengan Metode Team Based Project, Peneliti menggunakan metode Research and Development Model 4D (define, design, develop, dan dessiminate ), instrumen penelitiannya observasi, wawancara, test, dan angket validasi. Hasil penelitian tersusunnya e- module interaktif berbasis Website Google Site dan produk Papan Informasi. Adapun 3 aspek penilaian meliputi, Isi materi e-module diperoleh 88,42% (Valid), Tampilan desain dan teknologi e-module diperoleh 81,05% (Valid), Praktikalitas e- module diperoleh 93,88% (Praktis). Data dari pre-test di kelas V-A terdapat 23 siswa belum tuntas dan 4 siswa tuntas.  Sedangkan data hasil post-test terdapat 22 siswa tuntas dan 5 siswa tidak tuntas dengan persentase 80,55% (efektif).Kata Kunci: Hasil Belajar IPA, Modul Elektronik,  Proyek Berbasis Kelompok, Siswa Sekolah Dasar
An overview of research topics and focuses of the empirical MOOC literature
Authors: Rasheed Rasheed Abubakar , Kamsin Amirrudin , Abdullah Nor Aniza , Zakari Abubakar , Maitama Jaafar Zubairu
Published: July 2023

Over the years, MOOCs have been an attractive research area and has yielded large quantities of empirical and review studies. However, existing review studies in MOOCs are characterized by short year coverage or focusing on a specific theme. Therefore, we aim to examine the overall research topics, focuses and research productivity of the empirical MOOC literature from 2009 to 2018. Findings show that research in MOOCs have risen significantly since 2013. MOOC studies have mostly focused on learners’ completion/dropout, and other learner dropout related topics. Specific types of learners’ self-regulation themes in MOOCs were not researched.
Perception, motivation and performance of students in food preservation technology course through game-based and gamification approach
Authors: Md Zaki Nurul Asyikin , Kadri Atikah
Published: July 2023

Interactive learning that involves students participation and cooperation has been reported to help develop creativity, problem-solving and critical thinking skills, which are among top ten skills needed in 2020. The incorporation of game-based and gamification in teaching and learning is an interesting approach to enhance students learning abilities and skills acquisition through fun and immersive learning experience. This study aims to examine the implications of game-based and gamification of learning towards students perception, motivation and performance in engineering students particularly for those who attended the Food Preservation Technology course. Positive improvements were seen through the implementation of the game-based and gamification of learning. Findings show that game-based and gamification prepared students with better grasp and retention of knowledge, hence they achieved better grades at the end of the semester compared to students that involved in traditional classroom teaching method.
SIR: exploring the significant role of phonetics in the teaching of pronunciation
Authors: Ibrahim Sueb , Noyan John Francis , Metom Lilly , Ismail Ismariani , Bohari Zubaidah
Published: July 2023

Pronunciation is one of the most overlooked aspects of English language teaching, despite the fact that its accuracy is the basis for effective communication in English. Malaysian learners generally encounter challenges in pronouncing English words due to the fact that there are many English phonemes (i.e. 44 phonemes). Hence, this study has developed an essential and practical tool called SIR to help learners pronounce the English words correctly with the aid of phonetic sounds and symbols. SIR stands for ‘Say It Right’, which is an interactive multimedia software that emphasizes phonetic sounds and symbols from the English phonemes. SIR’s novelty lies in its specific focus on commonly mispronounced words in English and the phonological awareness the software introduces into the learner’s cognition to facilitate comprehension and production Taking phonetics as a framework, SIR makes use of the different components of English phonetics in order to apply them in the software. The tool guides learners on the correct pronunciation of English words based on the 44 English phonemes. Since English spelling is not a reliable guide to pronunciation, the phonetic symbols serve as a dependable guide to correct pronunciation.
Students’ and lecturers’ perception towards student-centred learning method: the 4-Pit Stop 6-Motion Technique
Authors: Mohammad Maslinawati , Othman Intan Waheedah , Raja Abdullah Raja Nurul Afiah , Nahar Hairul Suhaimi
Published: July 2023

Prior research on culture suggests that people are culturally heterogeneous. The culture heterogeneity is based on the varying region, religion, gender, generation and class. The extant literature has established four cultural dimensions which differentiate national culture values into power distance, asculinity versus femininity, individualism versus collectivism, and uncertainty avoidance2. From the perspective of the Malaysian races, the first two value dimensions i.e. power distance and masculinity versus femininity and define Malay cultural values as feminine (such as discretion and modesty) and high power distance. These effectively create unique personality traits among the Malay students in the educational setting which are shyness and introversion, as well as relatively wide social gap between teachers and learners. Accordingly, this necessitates the conventional teaching method to be less effective for Malay learners as learning styles has been identified in the literature to be culturally driven. Against this theoretical conjecture, we develop an alternative, non–conventional teaching method termed the “4-pitstop and 6-motion technique” (4P6M) which aims at removing students’ shyness by creating a relaxed learning environment whilst eliminating the power distance by letting students to teach their friends under the teacher’s oversight.
The acceptance of mobile learning for the subject of geography among pre university students (Form 6)
Authors: James Jemson Dympna , Sharif Sabariah , Bakar Singh Soon Sigh
Published: July 2023

21st century technology and skills in education are two of the key issues in research over the years. Mobile learning has shown great potential of 21st century technology in education today. Technological developments such as mobile learning have changed the way students communicate, learn, think, and share information among them. This study was conducted to look at the acceptance of mobile learning among form 6 students in geography subjects. The quantitative method was used in this study involving 137 form 6 student from Pre University center located in the district of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. All students taking geography subjects were taken as samples. The results from statistical analysis show that the acceptance level of students on mobile learning is in the high level.
The application of soft skills development module through the preparation of group assignment of the UiTM professional islamic education courses, based on the leadership approach
Authors: Mohd Yacob Hamdi Rahman , Yusof @ Salleh Muhammad Yusri Yusof , Hassan Paiz , Che Ahmat Amin , Mohd Nor Mohd Syukri
Published: July 2023

Managing student group assignments as one of the assessment instruments with the need to ensure student soft skills development which were mapped to the course outcomes of a program of study, is one of the major challenges to the teaching and learning process. This is because of the using of cross-curricular approach where students are not trained specifically to those skills, but at the same time the development of the skills is evaluated. For the Islamic education professional courses offered to the UiTM diploma students, there are four soft skills to be developed through the preparation of group assignments namely: teamwork; information management and the lifelong learning skills; communication skills and professional ethics. The aim of this study is to propose an appropriate module that faculty can integrate into the teaching and learning process of the courses, to ensure that every student receives training before their soft skills are evaluated. The module reliability test was conducted by five lecturers on five groups of student from four different Islamic education professional courses.
Utilizing the linguistic landscapes for contextual language learning
Authors: Ariffin Kamisah , De Mello Geraldine , Husin Misyana Susanti , Anuarudin Shirin , Omar Nurhidayatul Shima
Published: July 2023

The usual contexts of language learning are mainly limited to the classroom. There is a challenge to connect the contents of classroom lessons to the world outside the classroom. This mini project explores the potential of using the linguistic landscapes as a learning space for contextual language learning. Its objectives are to find an approach that can supplement formal learning as well as to provide meaningful and continuous learning for the students. In this project, students were asked to apply what they learned in the classroom in the real world context. The findings suggest that linguistic landscapes can serve as an authentic source of learning materials that positively facilitate learning. The project supports a positive learning experience through learner immersion, engagement and motivation.
Impact of GBL on student performance and learning behaviour: experience in UiTM Melaka
Authors: Othman Rani Diana , Md Badarudin Ismail , Ahamad Nawawi Nurul Hidayah
Published: July 2023

Computer integrated system has commonly used to increase classroom engagement by educators in schools and universities. It is to enhance students’ learning interest toward studies and improve their academic result which relates to weakness of the traditional based learning process. Moving towards the 21th century, education environment has also introduced with Game-Based Learning (GBL) used to encourage students to participate in learning, while having fun and creating more interesting learning process. As an interactive learning setting, GBL provides an opportunity for the teaching process to evolve through the incorporation of game elements. GBL is suggested able to capture students’ attention, motivation towards goals, promote competition, effective teamwork and improve communication. This study investigates the effectiveness of a game based learning program adapted from a television show known as ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’ to assess students’ academic performance. It compares students’ performance before and after the game was introduced in the learning process.
Innovation in teaching by applying neuro linguistic programming
Authors: Abdul Karim Muhamad Fuad , Abdul Razak Hanim , Mahmud Mohammad Bastyian
Published: July 2023

NLP provides various alternatives in teaching and learning such as delivery and communication method based on basic human senses acceptance namely visual, auditory and kinesthetic. NLP application is capable in engaging enthusiasm and facilitates the learning and teaching process just as the information or knowledge has been successfully delivered, observed and understood by the student and consequently aiding an excellent academic achievement. This article discusses in brief the NLP usage to educators for an effective communication purpose and serves as the basis in introducing the advantage of using NLP during teaching and learning session. To provide exposure and as a catalyst in producing a comprehensive NLP model that focuses to the teaching and learning purpose in each IPTA and IPTS especially in Universiti Teknologi MARA.
Innovative pedagogies in CDIO implementation in engineering education
Authors: Alias Asmidar , Mohd Noor Nur Asmaliza , Mohd Saim Noraida
Published: July 2023

Engineering accreditation council (EAC) and Engineering Technology Accreditation Council (ETAC) requires CDIO initiative to be implemented in engineering programs. In term of delivery, CDIO standards emphasis on integrated learning experiences and active learning. While there formed curriculum has been developed at macro level, changes impact directly on academics’ skills development and delivery to suit 21st century learning environment which are ubiquitous, flexible and technology based. Faculty of Civil Engineering UiTM Pahang (FCE) shared the classroom implementation applying innovative pedagogies to provide students with learning experiences stresses engineering fundamentals that are set in the context of Conceiving – Designing – Implementing – Operating (CDIO). The paper describes the diversity of classroom practices shared by FCE, progress and impact.
Educators’ needs and perceived readiness for teaching in a pandemic emergency
Authors: Luaran Johan Eddy , Jain Jasmine
Published: July 2023

The Covid-19 outbreak has forced teachers in Malaysia to abruptly shift from face-to-face teaching to online teaching. To teach online and to ensure lesson learning outcomes were met, it is vital for the teachers to be prepared with online teaching competencies. Due to this scenario, the objectives of this study are: (1) To investigate teacher’s readiness in online teaching based on their online teaching competencies, (2) To identify demographic factors that are related to teacher readiness in online teaching, and (3) To determine what are the teachers’ needs for them to be ready with online teaching competencies. There are 4 dimensions of online teaching competencies which are (1) Instructional Design, (2) Communication, (3) Time Management, (4) Technology Proficiency. The demographic factors that were identified in this research are (1) Gender, (2) Academic Rank, (3) Education Level, (4) Years of Teaching. This research used a quantitative approach involving a sample of 226 primary school academics in the district of Kuala Selangor, Selangor where they were asked to complete a questionnaire. The findings revealed that teachers have a high level of readiness in online teaching resulting in a mean value of (mean=3.67). However, it was also found that despite their high level of online teaching readiness, the teachers feel that they could achieve better outcomes if they have gone through techno-pedagogy related trainings, and if they are provided with better internet connectivity.
Mattering & Marginality: a study among non-traditional learners at a higher learning institution
Authors: Lin Nur Maizura , Othman Noor Ahnis , Ahmad Basri Noraini , Abd Rahman Hezlin Aryani
Published: July 2023

The theory of Mattering and Marginality was first formulated in 1981 by Morris Rosenberg and Claire McCullough. It is a form of acceptance of an individual by other people. Mattering is divided into two and they are Interpersonal Mattering and Societal Mattering. Interpersonal Mattering is where a person feels that he or she matters to their siblings, spouse or parents and Societal Mattering refers to a community, learning institution, workplace and others. In this pilot study the Societal Mattering is the focus. This is because the study was carried out at a higher leaning institution. The two objectives of this study looked into Mattering and Marginality among non-traditional learners with regards to their perception towards their peers and faculty at their univeristy. A number of 30 non-traditional learners from a public university took part in this online survey. Mattering Scales for Adult Students in Postsecondary Education was adapted and used to measure the variables; peers and faculty. Interesting implications in the field of Education was found in this study specifically under the concept of Mattering.
An exploratory study of a conceptual framework for developing micro-credential courses in Malaysian higher education institutions
Authors: Abdul Halim Fauziah Saadah
Published: July 2023

The rapid growth of technology and digitalization has led to a new model of learning known as micro-credential to reorient Higher Education Institutions and prepare graduates for work related skills in the 21st century. Even with much attention and support from the Malaysian Government, there is, however, still a lack of consensus for proper implementation of micro-credentials in Higher Education Institutions due to its infancy stage. Using grounded theory and qualitative content analysis, a conceptual framework was developed with three main themes emerging. These are; (1) learning principles, (2) e- learning theories and models and (3) assessment principles with reference to micro- credentials. The creation of this conceptual framework intends to help guide practitioners in the development of micro-credential courses in Higher Education Institutions in Malaysia.
Metabolismo del azúcar y enfermedad mental: Estudio en una unidad de pacientes hospitalizados
Authors: GARCIA Mª Jesus
Published: July 2023

Se realiza una revisión bibliográfica con estudio posterior en una muetra de 4 pacientes ingresados a lo largo de un año en la unidad de hospitalización breve del hospital clinico de Valladolid. Objetivo principal: Mejorar las dietas de los pacientes durante y despues de la hospitalización. Material: Estudio mediante determinacion de cifras de glucosa y hemoglobina glicada. Cuestionario de datos sociodemográficos,  de diagnóstico, tratamiento y alimentación previa. Resultados: Analizados mediante prueba t (contraste de medias) y análisis porcentual. Discusion: Resulta significativa la cifra de glucedmia en el caso de uso de antipsicóticos atípicos Se precisaria ampliar muestra con estudios posteriores.
Neutropenia febril en paciente con tumor sólido. A propósito de un caso.
Authors: Peña López Jesús
Published: July 2023

La neutropenia febril es un síndrome relativamente frecuente en pacientes que reciben quimioterapia. El estado de inmunodepresión puede reducir la expresión clínica de la enfermedad en las primeras horas y enmascarar potenciales complicaciones graves. Se trata de una urgencia oncológica y los pacientes deberían recibir antibioterapia empírica en la primera hora. Se han desarrollado escalas para intentar determinar los pacientes estables con mayor riesgo de desarrollar complicaciones.En este artículo se reporta un caso clínico de neutropenia febril en paciente de 59 años con carcinoma epidermoide de pulmón y tratamiento con cisplatino-vinorelbina. Se revisarán distintos aspectos de la neutropenia febril como etiología, diagnóstico, pronóstico y tratamiento.
Experiencia en prácticas: Historia de un alumno de medicina.
Authors: CLINICA Equipo editorial , Mellina Vicente Manuel
Published: July 2023

Experiencia del alumno Manuel Mellina Vicente en prácticas desde 3º hasta 6º en la Universidad de Valladolid. Un pequeño texto para nuevos estudiantes de medicina
Confusión emocional. Su efecto en la postergación de petición de ayuda en depresión subsindrómica.
Authors: Merizalde Torres Milton , Jiménez Aparicio Teresa , Fernández Lozano María , Rodríguez Campos Alicia
Published: July 2023

En la práctica clínica se ha observado que los pacientes con cuadros subsindrómicos de depresión que han tardado en acudir a salud mental presentaron dificultades en la identificación y verbalización de los síntomas depresivos. El objetivo de este estudio es determinar diferencias significativas en el tiempo de síntomas sin tratar considerando grados de confusión emocional (medida con el ítem 1 de la Escala de Alexitimia de Toronto). La muestra se compone de 126 participantes con trastorno depresivo sin especificación que acudieron por primera vez a salud mental en el Área Este de Valladolid. Se aplicó la prueba de Kruskal-Wallis encontrándose diferencias significativas entre grupos (p=0,02). Estos resultados son novedosos en nuestro medio y señalan que la confusión emocional se asocia a retrasos en la llegada de ayuda profesional. Adicionalmente orienta a considerar intervenciones psicoeducativas en el reconocimiento e identificación de malestar psíquico y una petición de ayuda oportuna en salud mental.
La obra secreta española de Servet: El Resumen español con Hans Holbein, el Joven y las traducciones gramaticales de Erasmo, Cordier y Rabier
Authors: GONZALEZ ECHEVERRIA FRANCISCO JAVIER BENJAMÍN
Published: July 2023

La obra poética de Miguel Servet se ilustrará con 94 xilografías de Hans Holbein en el denominado  Resumen español, impreso en  1543 y 1549, en los talleres de Lyon de Jean Frellon. En este mismo período también Servet realizó traducciones españolas de tratados gramaticales de autores como Erasmo, Cordier y Rabier en Lyon y Flandes.
El cuerpo de Cristo en cuestión: Lutero, Zwinglio y la (des)localización de lo sobrenatural y lo natural en los albores de la temprana modernidad
Authors: Macías Facundo Sebastián
Published: July 2023

El presente artículo busca adentrarse en la pluma de dos autores centrales de la querella eucarística intraevangélica de mediados de 1520: Martín Lutero (1483-1546) y Ulrico Zwinglio (1484-1531). Proponemos indagar los puntos nodales de sus posiciones en la materia y cómo, al momento de pensar la corporalidad crística, entran en escena, a veces difusos, a veces diáfanos, los límites del orden natural y sobrenatural. Ello nos permitirá observar no sólo las disímiles posturas en torno a un problema teológico y político nodal para la cultura religiosa durante los albores del Mundo Moderno, sino también cómo la hermenéutica bíblica y la concepción física del mundo que porta cada uno de los autores se expresan en la (des)localización de lo creado frente a lo Increado.
Studi In Silico dan In Vitro Senyawa Aktif pada Rimpang Kunyit (Curcuma domestica) sebagai Antiinflamasi pada Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)
Authors: Winardi Devani Olivia , Alliyah Syahla Afaaf , Fadilah Shafa Nurul , Sirait Jessyca , Putra Hafidh Beta Arif , Puspitadewi Nurhanifah , Neli Neli , Muchtaridi Muchtaridi , Zuhrotun Ade
Published: July 2023

Dismenore merupakan kondisi nyeri yang umum pada wanita pada saat sedang menstruasi. Pengobatan untuk dismenore umumnya menggunakan obat berupa obat antiinflamasi non steroid (NSAID).  Efek antiinflamasi ini juga dapat diperoleh dari bahan alami, seperti rimpang kunyit. Rimpang kunyit mengandung senyawa kurkuminoid yang telah dikonfirmasi dari berbagai studi memiliki berbagai khasiat bagi tubuh, diantaranya adalah sebagai antivirus, antibakteri, antioksidan, antikarsinogenik, dan antiinflamasi. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk menguji keefektifan dan potensi sifat antiinflamasi pada senyawa-senyawa yang terkandung dalam kunyit yang dilakukan berdasarkan studi in silico dan in vitro dengan prediksi sifat fisikokimia dan sifat farmakokinetik berdasarkan sifat Lipinski dan ADME-T, penambatan molekul, pemodelan farmakofor, dan pengujian toksisitas menggunakan metode BSLT. Hasil yang diperoleh adalah senyawa-senyawa uji memenuhi Lipinski rules of five, beberapa senyawa hasil uji bersifat mutagen dan karsinogen. Senyawa dengan potensi antiinflamasi tinggi adalah dihidrokurkumin. Dari hasil BSLT, ditemukan bahwa ekstrak infus kunyit memiliki sifat toksik.
The trade dependence of Mexico and Canada towards the USA: An input-output approach (1965-1990)
Authors: Romero-Ramírez Héctor
Published: July 2023

This paper studies the integration of Canada and Mexico with the United States of America (USA) prior to the North American Free Trade Agreement. Input-Output techniques were used, and it was found that Canada and Mexico were integrated with the USA but with different characteristics. Since most Canadian industries with greater integration are not linked to the automotive industry, these results are curious because, during practically the entire period, the free trade agreement in force was that of the automotive industry. Among the most integrated Mexican industries are some associated with maquiladoras, which suggests a concordance between Mexico's policies and its integration with the USA.
An elementary transfers procedure for sharing the joint surplus in games with externalities
Authors: Sánchez-Pérez Joss Erick
Published: July 2023

Sánchez-Pérez (2017, Theorem 3) presents an analytic characterization for all solutions for games with externalities that satisfy the axioms of linearity, symmetry, and efficiency. The main goal of this paper is to recast such formulation to a more intuitive interpretation. In particular, we are interested in an interpretation based on the idea of transfers among players.
The Variation of Temperature with the Heights of 3D Printed ABS Parts
Authors: Rădulescu Bruno , Rădulescu Mara-Cristina
Published: July 2023

This paper presents the influence of the temperature on vertical to the part that has more than 100 mm.
Particularities of the Digital Transformation of the Manufacturing Industries
Authors: Loghin Emil-Constantin , Vâlcu Adrian , Verzea Ion
Published: July 2023

Digital transformation is a global process that has an impact on all economic, administrative, and social domains. In industrial sectors, particularly in manufacturing industries, the widespread implementation of concepts and principles of Industry 4.0 is underway. Digital transformation involves operationalizing the principles of Industry 4.0, and companies are determined to formulate implementation strategies for the digitization process. A preliminary step in this endeavor is evaluating the level of digital maturity or preparedness for digitization, for which various tools are utilized. This paper discusses some evaluation tools, how they are structured, and the information they provide.
The Great Synthesizer: Natural Rights, the Law of Nations, and the Moral Sense in the Philosophical and Constitutional Thought of James Wilson
Authors: Webb Derek A.
Published: July 2023

This article argues that the key to understanding James Wilson, one of the leading architects of the Constitution and the first Supreme Court Justice to be sworn in, and yet arguably the most neglected and misunderstood figure from the founding generation, is as a “great synthesizer” of seemingly disparate philosophical and constitutional commitments. Drawing upon the natural rights tradition of early classical liberalism as envisioned by John Locke, Wilson insisted that the new federal government be as democratic and broadly reflective of “We the People” as possible. Drawing upon the law of nations tradition as articulated particularly by Cicero, he became one of the nation's leading proponents of a strong, centralized federal government in order to form “a more perfect union.” And inspired by the concept of the moral sense and the innate sociality of the human person as discussed in the Scottish Enlightenment by Thomas Reid and Francis Hutcheson, he made clear that the “blessings of liberty” were contingent upon an active and engaged citizenry on the national level. By understanding this overlooked, synthetic quality of Wilson's thought, we may better understand, in all its richness and complexity, the unique role Wilson played in America's creation story, gain a new perspective on the original Constitution itself, its achievements and flaws, and reconstruct a compelling constitutional theory that cut across the political alignment of the day but perhaps better anticipated subsequent constitutional development than any of the prevailing positions in 1787.
Dependence between foreign trade performance and exchange rate volatility: Panel ARDL approach
Authors: Oyinlola Mutiu Abimbola , Adeniyi Oluwatosin , Kumeka Terver Theophilus
Published: July 2023

The purpose of this study is to analyse the influence of exchange rate shocks on foreign trade (exports and imports) of fifteen economies within the ECOWAS sub-region. To accomplish the goal of this paper, Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) procedure was employed to investigate the impact volatility in the exchange rate market has on foreign trade in both long- and short-term with data between 1980 and 2020. To compute volatility, it relied on the GARCH (1, 1) model which predicted the conditional variances as proxy for volatility. Our empirical results are distinguished into export model and import model, and reveal that volatility in exchange rate influence foreign trade performance (exports and imports) negatively in the short-run, though statistically insignificant. The impact however becomes positive in the long run, and statistically significant for the two models. These results signpost that while the volatilities in foreign exchange market appear to deteriorate the international trade of these economies in the short-term, it substantially and significantly causes its improvement in the long-term. Hence, our results validate the J curve effect in the case of these ECOWAS economies. Policy implication from the findings suggests that to develop a robust international trade and ultimate economic growth, it is recommended that policymakers of these economies maintain a short-term stability in their foreign currency markets by way of adopting some intervention measures.
Unveiling the diverse efficacy of artificial neural networks and logistic regression: A comparative analysis in predicting financial distress
Authors: Sabek Amine
Published: July 2023

The prediction of financial distress has emerged as a significant concern over a prolonged period spanning more than half a century. This subject has garnered considerable attention owing to the precise outcomes derived from its predictive models. The main objective of this study is to predict financial distress using two types of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) compared to the Logistic Regression (LR), and this will be done by relying on the data of 12 Algerian companies for the period 2015-2019. The reason for choosing these two types of networks in particular, is attributed to the fact that Elman Neural Network (ENN) is commonly used network, in contrast to the Feed-forward Distributed Time Delay Neural Network (FFDTDNN). Regarding the choice of these companies as a study sample, can be attributed to the similarity in the temporal range covered by their financial statements, coupled with their approximate parity in terms of asset size. This study concluded that the ENN model outperformed the LR model in predicting financial distress with a classification accuracy of 100%. On the other hand, the LR model outperformed the FFDTDNN with a classification accuracy of 83.33%. Therefore, it can be asserted that ANNs cannot be regarded as superior to Logistic Regression (LR) in all statuses. Instead, it is accurate to affirm that specific types of ANNs exhibit greater efficacy than LR in predicting financial distress, while other types demonstrate relatively diminished effectiveness.
Exploring the impact of family stressors on financial behavior: A study of Croatian youth
Authors: Barbić Dajana , Palić Irena , Lučić Andrea
Published: July 2023

This paper examines the relationship between family stressors and subsequent financial behavior of young individuals in Croatia. Previous research indicates that family stressors are associated with increased levels of financial stress, resulting in impulsive purchases, risky financial behavior, and increased debt. More specifically, family stressors during youth are shown to significantly affect an individual's financial behavior later in life. Research has shown that youth family stressors, such as poverty, parental divorce, and parental unemployment, can lead to financial stress and affect financial behavior in adulthood. This paper provides an illustrative review of the Family Stress Model (FSM) framework to understand how family stressors influence youngsters in the financial domain. Using regression modeling, we estimate that family stress significantly impacts the financial behavior of young individuals in Croatia. Specifically, the study finds that family stress is negatively associated with responsible financial behavior. These findings have important implications for policymakers and practitioners, particularly those involved in financial education and family support programs, highlighting the need to address family stress as a potential risk factor for poor financial outcomes among young individuals. It is important to recognize the relationship between youth family stressors and financial behavior and work on managing both to improve financial well-being in adulthood.
The burden of diabetic nephropathy in India: Need for prevention
Authors: Viswanathan Vijay , Mirshad Reshma
Published: July 2023

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a growing public health problem with a high economic burden. DN is the main cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The pathogenesis and risk factors associated with DN must be assessed to better understand the disease and its complications. Therefore, the early identification and treatment of DN have been shown to slow, stop, or even reverse the progression of ESRD.
Home-based palliative care services from the perspective of family caregivers: an evaluation of the Integrated Palliative Care model in Tyrol / Häusliche Palliativversorgung aus der Sicht der pflegenden Angehörigen - eine Evaluation des Modells Integrierte Palliativversorgung in Tirol
Authors: Rungg Christine , Schiefermeier-Mach Natalia
Published: July 2023

Background

Palliative care has always been a field of healthcare in which interprofessional and interdisciplinary cooperation of various healthcare professions is of enormous importance. Home-based palliative care services aim to support family caregivers caring for terminally ill patients at home. Previous studies showed that the quality of collaborative work with palliative services strongly influences the caregivers’ perception of provided services.

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate how family caregivers experienced the home-based palliative care services “Integrated Palliative Care” (IPB) model in Tyrol.

Methods

Using a problem-centred interview, 14 former family caregivers were interviewed about their experiences in caring for terminally ill patients supported by IPB services. Interviewees were adult (21+) partners (spouse), daughters/sons, daughters-in-law/sons-in-law or parents of the adult cared-for person living in Tyrol. The transcribed material was subjected to qualitative content analysis.

Results

The identified overlapping categories were “organization of care”, the “function of professional support as experienced by family caregivers”, “family caregivers’ perception of the quantity and quality of professional help”, and “around death and dying”.

Conclusion

Our study highlights the importance of efficient collaborative work to enable high standards of palliative care and to decrease caregivers’ burden. Interviewees emphasised the importance of flexible models of palliative care that can address patients’ as well as family caregivers’ needs. Using the avoidance of hospitalization at the end of life and dying in the desired place as criteria to assess the success of home-based care, one can say that the IPB model was successful in the present sample.
A powerful PTS strategy boosted by a novel discrete crow search algorithm for reducing the PAPR of UFMC signals
Authors: Şimşir Şakir , Taşpınar Necmi
Published: July 2023

As being one of the main waveform candidates developed for meeting the demands of fifth generation (5G) and beyond telecommunication technologies, universal filtered multicarrier (UFMC) has various appealing features contributing to overcome many obstacles in wireless communication. However, due to the usage of multiple subcarriers, UFMC signals suffer from having high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR), which has to be kept at low level to prevent the communication quality from being deteriorated. To overcome the problem of high PAPR in the UFMC signals, an advanced version of partial transmit sequence (PTS) was created for PAPR alleviation by integrating an intelligent optimization algorithm in place of its random phase generator. To this end, crow search algorithm (CSA) was utilized. Initially, its novel discrete version called DCSA was developed to make it suitable to be employed in phase sequence optimization, which is a type of combinatorial optimization problem to be solved in discrete space. After the integration of DCSA into the conventional PTS, an advanced PTS variant named DCSA-PTS was created for the UFMC. Optimizing the phase sequences via the DCSA instead of generating them in a random way enhances the performance of PTS scheme. Thanks to the DCSA-based phase optimization, it becomes possible to attain better phase combinations in smaller number of searches. The advantage of using DCSA as a phase optimizer is supported by the simulation results. Due to the superior phase optimization performance of our novel DCSA, the proposed DCSA-PTS strategy clearly outperforms the other schemes considered in this paper.
Encountering children’s perspectives in play: How a play experiment with animal cloaks became a research approach in ECEC
Authors: Jørgensen Hanne Hede
Published: July 2023

In Danish early childhood education and care (ECEC), pedagogues traditionally work in a child-centred manner, valuing the children’s experiences. During the last 150 years pedagogues have developed expertise in framing everyday life for children while paying double attention to the children’s perspectives, on one hand, and to their own pedagogical interests, on the other. Therefore, play and experiments are essential components of Danish ECEC. This article starts from this pedagogical tradition and explores if and how researchers can benefit from employing such double attentiveness and use it to bridge the gap between encountering children’s perspectives and making those perspectives an object of investigation. The empirical materials were derived from a pilot study. Pivotal to this study was the exploration of play experiments as an encounter between children, pedagogues and researchers in which the children’s different perspectives could emerge. The findings suggest that play experiments can be effective as a child-sensitive research approach that enhances children’s embodied knowledge and promotes children’s participation in research. However, methodological questions are raised concerning how to maintain the children’s perspectives and transforming their embodied knowledge into empirical data. Also, the need for further exploration of play experiments as a space for collaborative encounters is appointed.
Exploring pedagogues’ understanding and detection of vulnerability in Danish early childhood education and care
Authors: Theilmann Birgitte Madsen
Published: July 2023

The conceptualisation of vulnerability among Danish pedagogues in the context of early childhood education and care (ECEC) is framed by both Danish legislation (Dagtilbudsloven, 2020) and key pedagogical concepts such as well-being, learning, development and formation (Ministry of Children and Education, 2020). Employing a phenomenological approach, this study investigated how pedagogues perceive vulnerability through interviews conducted with 15 informants. Drawing on Abbott’s key concepts of jurisdiction, diagnosis, inference and treatment, the collected data are operationalised to discern pedagogues´ different understandings of vulnerability. The findings highlight the inherent ambiguity surrounding pedagogues’ comprehension of vulnerability, closely tied to their primary responsibilities within the ECEC setting, namely, promoting well-being, facilitating learning, fostering development and enabling formation. The implications of the study shed light on the challenges faced by pedagogues in identifying vulnerability within ECEC, which encompasses both “traditional” and “new” understandings. Pedagogues tend to focus on detecting individual factors, such as personality traits and developmental disorders, or contextual factors related to a child’s family background, without considering the institutional context as a potential source of vulnerability production. This study emphasises the importance of re-evaluating current approaches to vulnerability detection in ECEC, particularly with regard to children in vulnerable positions.
Does Board Gender Diversity Really Improve Financial Performance and Default Risk? Evidence from Romanian Companies Engaged in International Trade
Authors: Tanasuica Coralia
Published: July 2023

Currently, in the business world, important attempts are being made to assess the possibility of verifying the creditworthiness of companies by going beyond traditional financial data and incorporating alternative data as well. Does the fact that the board of a company has a certain structure influence the financial health of that company? The paper’s objective is to ascertain if there is a correlation between the board of directors’ gender diversity, financial performance, and the probability of default for that respective company. The empirical study examined a sample of Romanian companies engaged in international trade. Using natural language processing techniques, I predicted the gender of the respective director by his/her first name. The second step of the research was the analysis of the correlation between the percentage of women on the board and traditional financial indicators such as profit or turnover, and the correlation between the percentage of women on the board and that company’s probability of default. The results show that there is generally not a strong correlation between the percentage of women on the board of the company and the other financial and risk indicators at the entire population level, but there is a strong correlation for some specific industries such as education, meaning that there are industries were the presence of women in board really impacts the performance of the business.
A Review on Fatigue Performance of Concrete Structures Part II, Material Parameters and Environmental Factors
Authors: Afaghi Mohammad , Klausen Anja B. E. , Øverli Jan Arve
Published: July 2023

Fatigue is a critical issue for concrete structures subjected to repetitive and varying loads, particularly in infrastructure and transportation systems. This review paper presents a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge on concrete fatigue and identifies areas for further research. Material and size factors that influence fatigue performance and life estimation of concrete such as concrete composition, internal moisture content and reinforcement are explored, along with environmental conditions such as presence of external moisture and seawater exposure. The paper also acknowledges the challenges associated with predicting concrete fatigue life accurately due to the heterogeneous nature of concrete and its complex behavior under cyclic loading.
Consensus on targeted drug therapy for spondyloarthritis
Authors: Tian Xinping , Li Mengtao , Liu Shengyun , Leng Xiaomei , Wang Qian , Zhao Jiuliang , Liu Yi , Zhao Yan , Zhang Yizhi , Xu Huji , Gu Jieruo , Zeng Xiaofeng
Published: July 2023

Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is a group of chronic inflammatory diseases that predominantly involve the spine and/or peripheral joints. The clinical manifestations of SpA are highly heterogenous and complicated with various comorbidities. SpA is a disabling disease and adversely affects the quality of life of patients. Many new medications that target cytokines or pathways specific for the pathogenesis of SpA have been developed and they are becoming increasingly important in the treatment of SpA. However, identifying the target patient population and standardizing the usage of these drugs are critical issues in the clinical application of these “targeted therapeutic drugs”. Under the leadership of National Clinical Research Center for Dermatologic and Immunologic Diseases (NCRC-DID), managed by Peking Union Medical College Hospital, the “Consensus on targeted drug therapy for spondyloarthritis” has been developed in collaboration with the Rheumatology and Immunology Physicians Committee, Chinese Medical Doctors Association, Rheumatology and Immunology Professional Committee, Chinese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine, and Chinese Research Hospital Association Rheumatology and Immunology Professional Committee. This consensus has been developed with evidence-based methodology and has followed the international standard for consensus development.
mRNA vaccine against fibroblast activation protein ameliorates murine models of inflammatory arthritis
Authors: Zhang Xiaowei , Jozic Antony , Song Pingfang , Xu Qiang , Shi Xiaofei , Wang Hong , Bishop Lindsey , Struthers Hillary M , Rutledge John , Chen Shuang , Xu Fei , Hancock Meaghan H , Zhu Daocheng , Sahay Gaurav , Chu Cong-Qiu
Published: July 2023

Objective

Synovial fibroblasts in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) contribute substantially to the perpetuation of synovitis and invasion to cartilage and bone, and are potential therapeutic targets. Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is highly expressed by RA synovial fibroblasts and the expression is relatively specific. We tested whether FAP can serve as a molecular target to modulate synovial fibroblasts for therapy in experimental arthritis.

Methods

mRNA encoding consensus FAP (cFAP) was encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNP) and was injected intramuscularly as vaccine prior to induction of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) and collagen antibody induced arthritis (CAIA) in mice. Development of CIA and CAIA was assessed clinically and by histology.

Results

cFAP mRNA-LNP vaccine provoked immune response to cFAP and mouse FAP (mFAP); prevented onset of CIA in 40% of mice and significantly reduced the severity of arthritis. In CAIA, cFAP mRNA-LNP did not prevent onset of arthritis but significantly reduced the severity of arthritis.

Conclusion

cFAP mRNA-LNP vaccine was able to provoke immune response to mFAP and suppress inflammatory arthritis.
Carbon Footprint Evaluation Tool for Packaging Marketplace
Authors: Patel Nidhiben , Feofilovs Maksims , Romagnoli Francesco
Published: July 2023

Businesses willing to reduce their carbon footprint embrace sustainability and positively impact the progress towards achieving climate neutrality. Well-prepared and presented information to the business customer before purchasing can be a strong driver for better decision-making towards less impactful product alternatives. This study presents the development of a tool for packaging products online marketplace that informs customers about the carbon footprint of packaging products and allows them to evaluate which of the select packaging alternatives is most preferable from an environmental perspective. The tool implements a life cycle analysis (LCA) approach, including the stages of raw material extraction, packaging production, and transportation to the customer. The impact assessment in the tool is performed according to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2021 methodology for assessing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions based on information obtained from the Ecoinvent database. The final output of carbon footprint calculation is provided with an indicator marking the carbon footprint performance of customer-defined alternatives in a clear, simple, and consistent way. The tool aims to educate customers, foster informed purchasing decisions, and improve the environmental outcomes of their decisions.