bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Academic achievement prediction in higher education through interpretable modeling
Authors: Wang Sixuan , Luo Bin
Published: September 2024

Student academic achievement is an important indicator for evaluating the quality of education, especially, the achievement prediction empowers educators in tailoring their instructional approaches, thereby fostering advancements in both student performance and the overall educational quality. However, extracting valuable insights from vast educational data to develop effective strategies for evaluating student performance remains a significant challenge for higher education institutions. Traditional machine learning (ML) algorithms often struggle to clearly delineate the interplay between the factors that influence academic success and the resulting grades. To address these challenges, this paper introduces the XGB-SHAP model, a novel approach for predicting student achievement that combines Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) with SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP). The model was applied to a dataset from a public university in Wuhan, encompassing the academic records of 87 students who were enrolled in a Japanese course between September 2021 and June 2023. The findings indicate the model excels in accuracy, achieving a Mean absolute error (MAE) of approximately 6 and an R-squared value near 0.82, surpassing three other ML models. The model further uncovers how different instructional modes influence the factors that contribute to student achievement. This insight supports the need for a customized approach to feature selection that aligns with the specific characteristics of each teaching mode. Furthermore, the model highlights the importance of incorporating self-directed learning skills into student-related indicators when predicting academic performance.
Prevalence of pregnancy termination and associated factors among married women in Papua New Guinea: A nationally representative cross-sectional survey
Authors: Maviso McKenzie , Aines Paula Zebedee , Potjepat Gracelyn , Geregl Nancy , Mola Glen , Bolnga John W.
Published: September 2024

Background

Pregnancy termination or induced abortion is not decriminalized, and access to safe abortion services is largely unavailable in Papua New Guinea (PNG). However, the practice is common throughout the country. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and determine factors associated with pregnancy termination among married women aged 15–49 years in PNG.

Methods

Secondary data from the 2016–2018 PNG Demographic and Health Survey (PNGDHS) was used. A total weighted sample of 6,288 married women were included. The Complex Sample Analysis method was used to account for the cluster design and sample weight of the study. Chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression were used to assess factors associated with pregnancy termination. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs) were reported.

Results

The prevalence of pregnancy termination was 5.3%. Nearly half (45.2%) of all pregnancy terminations occurred in the Highlands region. Women aged 35–44 years (aOR = 8.54; 95% CI: 1.61–45.26), not working (aOR = 6.17; 95% CI: 2.26–16.85), owned a mobile phone (aOR = 3.77; 95% CI: 1.60–8.84), and lived in urban areas (aOR = 5.66; 95% CI: 1.91–16.81) were more likely to terminate a pregnancy. Women who experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) were 2.27 times (aOR = 2.27; 95% CI: 1.17–4.41) more likely to terminate a pregnancy compared to those who did not experience IPV. Women with unplanned pregnancies were 6.23 times (aOR = 6.23; 95% CI: 2.61–14.87) more likely to terminate a pregnancy. Women who knew about modern contraceptive methods and made independent decisions for contraceptive use were 3.38 and 2.54 times (aOR = 3.38; 95% CI: 1.39–8.18 and aOR = 2.54; 95% CI: 1.18–5.45, respectively) more likely to terminate a pregnancy.

Conclusion

The findings highlight the role of sociodemographic and maternal factors in pregnancy termination among married women in PNG. Efforts aimed at reducing unplanned pregnancies and terminations should focus on comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education and improving easy access to contraceptives for married couples. Post-abortion care should also be integrated into the country’s legal framework and added as an important component of existing sexual and reproductive health services.
Regulatory mechanism of Sarmentosin and Quercetin on lipid accumulation in primary hepatocyte of GIFT tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) with fatty liver
Authors: Guo Ruijie , Yu Kai , Huang Kai , Li Jinghua , Huang Jiao , Yang Xuhong , Wu Yaoting , Wang Dandan
Published: September 2024

Sarmentosin (SA) and Quercetin (QC) are two active components of Sedum Sarmentosum Bunge, which is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine. This study aimed to investigate the role and regulatory mechanism of SA and QC in fatty liver of Genetic Improvement of Farmed Tilapia (GIFT) tilapia. GIFT tilapia were randomly divided into two groups with three replicates per treatment (30 fish in each replicate): normal diet group (average weight 3.51±0.31 g) and high-fat diet group (average weight 3.44±0.09 g). After 8 weeks feeding trial, growth index, lipid deposition, and biochemical indexes were measured. Lipid deposition, and lipid and inflammation-related gene expression were detected in a primary hepatocyte model of fatty liver of GIFT tilapia treated with SA or QC. Our results showed that high-fat diet caused lipid deposition and peroxidative damage in the liver of GIFT tilapia. The cell counting kit-8 assay results indicated that 10 μM SA and 10 μM of QC both had the least effect on hepatocyte proliferation. Moreover, both 10 μM of SA and 10 μM of QC showed lipolytic effects and inhibited the expression of lipid-related genes (FAS, Leptin, SREBP-1c, and SREBP2) in fatty liver cells. Interestingly, QC induced autophagosome-like subcellular structure and increased the expression of IL-8 in fatty liver cells. In conclusion, this study confirmed that SA and QC improved fatty liver caused by high-fat diet, providing a novel therapeutic approach for fatty liver of GIFT tilapia.
Can digital technology innovation contribute to firms’ market value?
Authors: Ran Lijun , Zhang Qi , Li Xin
Published: September 2024

With the rapid development of digital technology, digital technology innovation has become a core driver of China’s economic development. Thus, this study uses A-share listed companies from 2003 to 2021 as the research sample. The digital patents of firms are identified to portray the level of digital technology innovation by matching the digital economy industry classification code, national economy industry classification code, and IPC number. Considers the economic effect of digital technology innovation from the perspective of firm market value. It is found that digital technology innovation significantly contributes to the increase in firm market value, and this finding still holds when robustness tests are performed. Mechanistic tests have shown that digital technology innovation affects firm market value by driving digital transformation, promoting productivity, and enhancing market profitability. Further analysis reveals that digital technology innovation has a more significant effect on increasing firm market value for large, non-state, capital-intensive, technology-intensive and low internal control costs firms. This study verifies the enabling effect of digital technology innovation on the development of the real economy at the micro level, and provides insights for the optimization of China’s digital technology innovation policies and the formulation of firms’ digital development strategies.
Repurposing methuosis-inducing anticancer drugs for anthelmintic therapy
Authors: Rajasekharan Satish Kumar , Ravichandran Vinothkannan , Boya Bharath Reddy , Jayachandran Anirudh , Lee Jintae
Published: September 2024

Drug-resistant parasitic nematodes pose a grave threat to plants, animals, and humans. An innovative paradigm for treating parasitic nematodes is emphasized in this opinion. This approach relies on repurposing methuosis (a death characterized by accumulation of large vacuoles) inducing anticancer drugs as anthelmintics. We review drugs/chemicals that have shown to kill nematodes or cancerous cells by inducing multiple vacuoles that eventually coalesce and rupture. This perspective additionally offers a succinct summary on Structure–Activity Relationship (SAR) of methuosis-inducing small molecules. This strategy holds promise for the development of broad-spectrum anthelmintics, shedding light on shared molecular mechanisms between cancer and nematodes in response to these inducers, thereby potentially transforming both therapeutic domains.
Dual-role epitope on SARS-CoV-2 spike enhances and neutralizes viral entry across different variants
Authors: Ye Gang , Bu Fan , Pan Ruangang , Mendoza Alise , Saxena Divyasha , Zheng Jian , Perlman Stanley , Liu Bin , Li Fang
Published: September 2024

Grasping the roles of epitopes in viral glycoproteins is essential for unraveling the structure and function of these proteins. Up to now, all identified epitopes have been found to either neutralize, have no effect on, or enhance viral entry into cells. Here, we used nanobodies (single-domain antibodies) as probes to investigate a unique epitope on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, located outside the protein’s receptor-binding domain. Nanobody binding to this epitope enhances the cell entry of prototypic SARS-CoV-2, while neutralizing the cell entry of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. Moreover, nanobody binding to this epitope promotes both receptor binding activity and post-attachment activity of prototypic spike, explaining the enhanced viral entry. The opposite occurs with Omicron spike, explaining the neutralized viral entry. This study reveals a unique epitope that can both enhance and neutralize viral entry across distinct viral variants, suggesting that epitopes may vary their roles depending on the viral context. Consequently, antibody therapies should be assessed across different viral variants to confirm their efficacy and safety.
ATRX restricts Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) viral DNA replication through heterochromatinization and minimizes unpackaged viral genomes
Authors: Walter Ryan M. , Majumder Kinjal , Kalejta Robert F.
Published: September 2024

ATRX limits the accumulation of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) Immediate Early (IE) proteins at the start of productive, lytic infections, and thus is a part of the cell-intrinsic defenses against infecting viruses. ATRX is a chromatin remodeler and a component of a histone chaperone complex. Therefore, we hypothesized ATRX would inhibit the transcription of HCMV IE genes by increasing viral genome heterochromatinization and decreasing its accessibility. To test this hypothesis, we quantitated viral transcription and genome structure in cells replete with or depleted of ATRX. We found ATRX did indeed limit viral IE transcription, increase viral genome chromatinization, and decrease viral genome accessibility. The inhibitory effects of ATRX extended to Early (E) and Late (L) viral protein accumulation, viral DNA replication, and progeny virion output. However, we found the negative effects of ATRX on HCMV viral DNA replication were independent of its effects on viral IE and E protein accumulation but correlated with viral genome heterochromatinization. Interestingly, the increased number of viral genomes synthesized in ATRX-depleted cells were not efficiently packaged, indicating the ATRX-mediated restriction to HCMV viral DNA replication may benefit productive infection by increasing viral fitness. Our work mechanistically describes the antiviral function of ATRX and introduces a novel, pro-viral role for this protein, perhaps explaining why, unlike during infections with other herpesviruses, it is not directly targeted by a viral countermeasure in HCMV infected cells.
Building Back Truth in an Age of Misinformation, Leslie Stebbins (2023)
Authors: Lawson Brendan T
Published: September 2024

Review of: Building Back Truth in an Age of Misinformation, Leslie Stebbins (2023)

Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 206 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-53816-314-6, h/bk, £25.00
Legislación Farmacéutica Española. Medicamentos y productos sanitarios
Authors: Castillo Rodríguez Carlos del , González Leonor Maria del Carmen , González Bueno Antonio
Published: September 2024

Esta obra estudia las principales novedades jurídicas relacionados con la actividad farmacéutica: desde las normas generales que regulan el registro, distribución y dispensación del medicamento hasta temas más específicos como la receta médica, estupefacientes y psicótropos o la actividad en la oficina de farmacia y en otros establecimientos destinados a la dispensación de medicamentos y productos sanitarios. Esta monografía se constituye como una obra de referencia obligada tanto para quienes realizan su primera aproximación a la legislación farmacéutica como para aquellos otros que requieren de información contrastada en su trabajo cotidiano.
The combined effects of ursodesoxycholic acid and quercetin on liver health and cardiac function in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and atrial fibrillation
Authors: Teslenko O. B. , Fedorov S. V. , Bielinskyi M. V. , Herashchenko A. S. , Stoika I. V.
Published: September 2024

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or due modern nomenclature – metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and atrial fibrillation are interconnected health problems that require reassessment of treatment strategies to address their common underlying causes. Lifestyle changes and pharmacotherapy are used to manage NAFLD, while treatment for atrial fibrillation focuses on anticoagulation and rhythm control.
Aim. To evaluate the efficacy of combining ursodesoxycholic acid and quercetin with standard treatment to improve liver health and heart function in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and atrial fibrillation.
Material and methods. A prospective, randomized controlled trial was conducted on patients with NAFLD and atrial fibrillation at two hospitals from January 2020 to December 2023. The study involved 127 patients who were divided into three groups: standard treatment, standard treatment + ursodesoxycholic acid (UDCA), and standard treatment + UDCA + quercetin.
Results. The average age and sex distribution were similar among the three groups, suggesting that the randomization process successfully balanced the demographic characteristics. Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation was the most common form in all groups, followed by persistent atrial fibrillation and permanent atrial fibrillation, with no statistically significant differences between the groups. The body mass index was comparable across all three groups as well. The results showed a decrease in liver stiffness in all groups, with groups 2 and 3 showing the most significant improvements. Fibrosis stages also shifted after treatment, with group 3 showing a marked reduction in progressive fibrosis. Groups 2 and 3 also showed significant reductions in steatosis levels, with an increase in the proportion of patients without steatosis. Left atrial diameter decreased in all groups, with group 3 showing the most significant reduction. Left ventricular ejection fraction improved in all groups, with the most significant increase in group 3. Group 3 also showed improvements in diastolic filling and left ventricular filling pressure. Overall, the combined treatment regimen in group 3 appeared to have the most favourable effects on liver and cardiac health.
Conclusions. The addition of UDCA and quercetin to standard treatment regimens for NAFLD and atrial fibrillation shows promising improvements in liver health and cardiac function.
Cancer metastasis of an unknown primary location into a postoperative kelody scar after a mine blast wound of the neck
Authors: Kovalyov O. O. , Zavhorodnii S. M. , Tolok O. P. , Kubrak M. A. , Kovalov K. O.
Published: September 2024

The connection between military trauma and cancer is not sufficiently studied. We present a clinical observation of metastasis of cancer of unknown primary localization into a keloid scar of the neck, which occurred after surgical treatment of a wound due to a previously suffered mine-explosive injury. There are no similar descriptions in the literature.
The aim of this article is analysis of a clinical case of adenocarcinoma metastases in keloid scar tissue, which occurred after gunshot wounds to the body.
Clinical observation. A young man, a military serviceman, developed a keloid scar after a landmine-explosive wound and primary surgical treatment of a neck wound, in which 2 years after excision, a metastasis of intestinal-type adenocarcinoma was detected (Cytokeratin-20+, Cytokeratin-7-, CDX-2+ and SATB 2+). With the help of clinical, endoscopic and radiological methods (computed tomography and positron emission tomography / computed tomography), the primary tumor and additional metastases in the neck, chest, abdominal cavity and pelvis could not be detected. The article analyzes the possible mechanisms of the rare case of metastasis of adenocarcinoma in the tissue of an uninfected keloid scar and discusses the concept of the formation of a premetastatic niche in the early stages of carcinogenesis of a preclinical tumor.
Conclusions. This observation raises new questions for fundamental and translational studies of the process of hematogenous metastasis during the parallel progression of the primary tumor and its metastases.
Don’t be abstract: Crafting an impactful abstract for educational technology research
Authors: Corrin Linda , Huijser Henk , Han Feifei , Lodge Jason
Published: September 2024

The abstract is a key element of a research article that can enhance the utility, discoverability and impact of the work presented. However, the quality and consistency of abstracts can vary, and the state of abstracts in the educational technology field has received little attention to date. In this editorial, we examine the purpose, structure and future of the abstract in educational technology research to provide advice on how to write a good and impactful abstract. A list of 14 elements derived from the literature was used to analyse the abstracts of the first 10 articles published in 2024 from each of the top 10 educational technology journals ranked by Google Scholar (n = 100). Elements such as background, aim, methods, results and implications were found to be present in most abstracts, although there is room for improvement in clarity in some cases. Other elements, including research questions, hypotheses and future directions, are not often incorporated, indicating these elements may not be necessary in this context. These findings can be used by authors to structure an impactful abstract and also highlight elements (e.g., theoretical framework, sample size and context) that should be included to improve discoverability of published work.
Humanizing e-lecturers and engaging online writing students via dialogic video
Authors: Andrew Martin
Published: September 2024

This paper reports on a study of integrating instructor-produced video 'profcasts' (Edirisingha, Salmon & Fothergill, 2007) into all 12 units of an online Master of Arts in Writing delivered asynchronously. While the value of short, targeted, quickly-made podcasts and extensive streamed video lectures in educational contexts has been researched (Williams, Birch & Hancock, 2012), few studies consider how customized videocasts supplement and complement core content to create engaging units of learning that learners value. Instead of producing instructivist, sage-on- stage, reiterative lectures, the Writing team filmed lecturers in semi-spontaneous dialogues to create critically challenging interactive experiences. The teaching and learning challenge is deeper than humanizing e-lecturers; it is about creating sustainable interfaces drawing on unique human capital: the lecturers as future-makers. It is a journey of creating enduring and impactful resources. Foregrounded by a literature review, this paper presents qualitative data from students and staff responding to the question of how valuable dialogic videos are to students‘ experiences as online students of Writing. In addition to confirming students appreciate the humanizing of lecturers, data shows video makes ideas more accessible to visual learners and more engaging overall. Most importantly, informal dialogues with their exchanges of ideas clarify written course materials, supporting learning while helping to future-proof the program in a time of change.
Sustainable futures for learning in a climate of change
Authors: Willems Julie
Published: September 2024

Emergencies and disasters are different types of crisis events which can affect students and staff in their on-campus roles and off-campus activities. In such events, mobile technologies, mobile software applications (apps), and mobile social networks are becoming increasingly relied upon to communicate, to swiftly send and received information and images, to deliver learning moments, and to check the safety of colleagues and friends. This paper investigates the intersection of m- learning, mobile social media, mobile apps, and crisis informatics in times of emergencies and disasters, using the recent Gipplsand earthquake in south-eastern Australia as an exemplar. It also discusses proactive preparation for educational resilience during emergencies and disasters.
A Preliminary Investigation into Technology and Processes Facilitating the Assurance of Learning
Authors: Von Konsky Brian R. , Watkins Annette , Atkinson Douglas , Broadley Tania
Published: September 2024

This paper reports on the outcomes from a preliminary evaluation of technologies and processes intended to support the Assurance of Learning initiative in the business faculty of an Australian university. The study investigated how existing institutional information systems and operational processes could be used to support direct measures of student learning and the attainment of intended learning goals. The levels at which learning outcomes had been attained were extracted from the University Learning Management System (LMS), based on rubric data for three assessments in two units. Spreadsheets were used to link rubric criteria to the learning goals associated with the assessments as identified in a previous curriculum mapping exercise, and to aggregate the outcomes. Recommendations arising from this preliminary study are made to inform a more comprehensive pilot based on this approach, and manage the quality of student learning experiences in the context of existing processes and reporting structures.
Assisting student learning through professional development
Authors: Van Raalte Lisa , Boulay Rachel , Campbell Chris
Published: September 2024

To improve student learning and success in a science field while at university, it is important that students begin their studies with good basic science knowledge. Thus, it is important for high school science teachers to be teaching current scientific methods. To update their skills high school teachers need to participate in professional development programs to update their own knowledge of current science research and techniques used in labs. Towards this goal, the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii developed a professional development program for high school science teachers. In 2012, eight high school science teachers attended the program for eight week days over a two week period. This study is a report of the teachers’ experiences within the program. Specifically, this paper reports on the results of the teachers’ evaluation of the online materials and their perspectives of real world application of the learned material are investigated. The data set in this study includes all eight teachers’ pre-survey responses and final survey data.
Towards a sustainable support strategy for online students
Authors: Smith Elizabeth , Lonie Anne
Published: September 2024

Helping first year students develop the sociological competencies required of 21st century engineers, such as professional reflection, effective teamwork and cross-cultural sensitivity, remains a challenge, particularly for external students. This paper reports on the experience of conducting an online engineering practice course, which focusses on these competencies, for external students and on the strategies adopted to support and encourage student participation. Some of the strategies and practices which were implemented were successful in the short term, but many will not be sustainable. However, it is hoped that the lessons learnt from this development will improve future offerings of the course and generally enhance the way we support online students.
Designing to close the gap
Authors: Reedy Alison
Published: September 2024

This paper reports on the initial phase of the development of a large scale online design and implementation project, known as the ACIKE Online Unit Development Project, for the Australian Centre of Indigenous Knowledges and Education (ACIKE). The project is underpinned by a design-based research framework and encompasses the design, development and staged delivery of 81 units across seven higher education undergraduate and post-graduate courses. The rationale underpinning the project is to promote Indigenous learners’ participation and success in higher education, with a particular focus on the online environment, whilst providing opportunities for all students to develop the skills and knowledge to work cross-culturally in a learning environment focused on building Indigenous cultural competence.
Taming the devil
Authors: Nankervis Scott , Meredith Grant , Vamplew Peter , Fotinatos Nina
Published: September 2024

Immunology is a complex field requiring rapid memorisation of numerous components. An in- depth understanding of cellular and molecular biology is required before even moderately advanced concepts can be taught. We sought methods that actively engage students and help develop new knowledge and consolidate existing concepts to support lectures. We created an interactive and entertaining prototype immunology computer game as a tool for learning and revision, with the ability to interactively cover course content outside of class that modern learners expect. Our prototype appears to be a successful study aid when used additionally to attendance at lectures. We seek to continue the development of the game in a higher education context, but also produce a modified version for a secondary school context, in an effort to raise the profile of this key health area and promote learning for the future through the study of the sciences prior to students entering higher education.
Impacts of Scheduling Algorithms on Resource Availability
Authors: Lowe David
Published: September 2024

Cost and space constraints typically limit the provision of many educational resources, with laboratory apparatus being a common example. This limitation is often ameliorated by utilizing scheduling techniques to manage access over an extended period of time. The specific scheduling algorithms that are used have been shown to have a significant impact on the overall availability of a set of resources and hence the level of access that can be supported. This paper considers ways in which these scheduling algorithms can be enhanced and the resulting impacts. Whilst the results are illustrated through their application to remote laboratory access, the implications are equally applicable to scheduling of access to any constrained resource.
An innovative approach to facilitate critical thinking and reflective learning in prescribing and therapeutics e-learning
Authors: Khanal Santosh , Zuo Y.
Published: September 2024

A fully online and standardised national curriculum for prescribing education, National Prescribing Curriculum (NPC), is offered to students of multiple health disciplines in Australia. The NPC consists of 28 self-paced one hour modules based on World Health Organisation’s Guide to Good Prescribing. Health professional education requires didactic teaching to be blended with interactivity, problem solving, critical thinking and self-reflection. The NPC offers the students flexibility and interactivity and increases their prescribing knowledge to help them solve relevant problems. Going forward, there is a need to enhance the teaching capabilities of the module by facilitating critical thinking and reflective learning. In this paper, we discuss an innovative approach of embedding certainty based multiple choice questions in the NPC modules to facilitate critical thinking and reflective learning in a highly demanding learning environment and present the results of a study to evaluate the usefulness of this approach.
Finding a Voice
Authors: Kerr Thomas
Published: September 2024

This paper reports on a recent experiment that used Wimba Voice Board (WVB), an online asynchronous recording and playback utility, for teaching basic pronunciation rules to a group of novice learners of Spanish. The experimental design used a pre/post-test format with an intervention where participants in the experimental group were given access to a built-for-purpose Blackboard online unit and encouraged to engage with the learning materials in self-directed study (Victori and Lockhart, 1995; Lee, 1997). Participants were also able to voluntarily upload their own attempts at pronunciation to a WVB module accessed by all group members, listen to attempts uploaded by peers, and provide optional feedback. Control group members were taught the same content in a traditional teacher-led classroom setting. Two focus groups were conducted with members of the experimental group. Analysis of the collected data showed that WVB was able to produce results that were equivalent to those achieved by members of the control group.
(Trans) Formation through educational technologies
Authors: Keane Therese , Blicblau Aaron S.
Published: September 2024

Historically, the 3Rs (reading, writing, and arithmetic) have laid the foundations for student life-skills, however, to function in the 21st century, students need to embrace the 4Cs (collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and communication). Teachers need to employ a variety of educational technologies, which embrace various aspects of the 3Rs and 4Cs in their practice. This work provides a framework for teachers to practically implement the 4Cs in a transformative space so they are then able to apply the 4CS through technology by implementing this approach to their teaching. This mode of teaching prepares students with the necessary tools for the 21st century.
Using Mobile Learning to Facilitate Early Engagement
Authors: Goldacre Paul
Published: September 2024

Mobile Learning is an emerging learning and teaching field and the strategies for conceptualising, designing, developing and evaluating the mobile learning experience are embryonic and evolving. This paper describes the process of development of a mobile learning experience for use on an iOS device with "engagement" and "learning" sitting at the core of the research, design and development of the project.
Implications of the non-traditional student becoming the traditional
Authors: Fleckhammer Lorraine , Richardson Helene
Published: September 2024

The challenge that the new digital technologies brings to education today is in the shift to online education. Online education, as delivered through Open Universities Australia, is open access, and affords entry into Higher Education for many non-traditional students who are much more diverse in terms of academic skills than traditional-entry students. The aim of this study was to improve academic writing skills, specifically in the correct use of APA formatting for psychology research reports. A "low-stakes" assessment task worth 5% replaced optional referencing, formatting and report writing exercises. The results found no improvement in student reports (i.e., no increase in assignment grades) in the intervention year compared to three other years where the tasks were optional.
Beyond the afterglow
Authors: Egan John P.
Published: September 2024

This exploratory study examines aspects of student experiences both during an online applications course in the University of British Columbia’s Master of Educational Technology (MET) programme, and subsequent to having completed the course in the realm of professional educational practice. Transfer of learning (Caffarella, 2002) related to specific learning activities, a learning community-centered/community of practice course structure, and the overall course design were examined. Broadly speaking, transfer of learning was significant for nearly all study participants; specific learning activities designed to foment this did so successfully for most participants. However, the community of practice aspect during the course (Lave and Wenger, 1991), whilst strong, was not as evident after the course ended. This paper represents a preliminary analysis of the findings from the quantitative (questionnaire) portion of a larger, mixed methods study.
Implementing a learner response system in one university
Authors: Campbell Chris
Published: September 2024

Although students expect to be engaged in lectures, it has been acknowledged that this can be challenging at universities across the world. When students lack engagement, attendance at lectures can be affected and students can become disengaged from the course. For these reasons and more it was decided by academics who lecture at one Australian university to implement a learner response system (LRS) for their large first year Education cohort. This paper investigates the literature and focuses on this implementation as well as initial data obtained by a group of first year students.
Consulting the ‘oracle’
Authors: Willems Julie , Sutton Keith , Maybery Darryl
Published: September 2024

What happens when time, staffing pressures and a reduced funding base begin to impact on considerations for the future deployment of a successful university-based program promoting professional career options in rural mental health for completing students? This paper outlines the initial steps of shifting the Gippsland Mental Health Vacation School (GMHVS) from a successful week-long face-to-face program to a blended, collaborative and interactive model, distributed across space and time. Further, this blended learning approach encompassing social media opens the possibility to enable greater student numbers to participate in future GMHVS programs.
An exploration in the inclusive teaching practices within a New Zealand university
Authors: Te Wiata Ina , Sayles Feona
Published: September 2024

This demonstration is intended to relate some of the initial findings of research into the issues surrounding students with a disability when undertaking assessments.
Engaging students in writing
Authors: Nair Shanthi Suraj , Tay Lee Yong
Published: September 2024

This research paper explores the difference between conventional composition writing and writing of composition on online blogs by 224, 6 classes of Grade 5 students in an elementary-level future school in Singapore. Students in this study are savvy information communication technology (ICT) users who have been exposed to one-to-one computing since Grade 1. A total of 4 written assignments were given to the students – two conventional paper and pencil and two online blogs written assignments. No significant difference was found in students’ scores on the four written assignments and their penmanship. The submission rate for the conventional paper and pencil composition written assignments was 93.75% as compared to 75% for the online blogs entries. Although interviews with teachers seem to suggest that the ICT mode could facilitate the learning of higher-order type of learning, the significantly lower submission rate for the online blogs is of concern and interest.
Bridging Digital Divides in the Learning Process
Authors: Adhikari Janak , Parsons David
Published: September 2024

This study is investigating the phenomenon of digital divides, in the context of integrating one-to- one ICTs into the learning process. For this purpose, we are studying a ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD) initiative by a New Zealand School. This poster discusses the background and agenda of the study, as well as some of the initial findings from an analysis of the baseline data.
Les taxes en ancienne Pologne (XIV/XV-XVIII siècles). Types, mécanisme d’edition, domaine, destinataires, forme et langage
Authors: Chodyła Zbigniew
Published: September 2024

Dans la période depuis les XIVe/XVe jusqu’au XVIIIe siècle il s’est formé et il fonctionnait en Pologne, selon le statut légal de leurs éditeurs officiels, plus d’une dizaine de genres de taxes, qui, en plus, se différaient les unes des autres par le mécanisme, c’est à dire par la manière (l’appareil) et la fréquence de leur édition, leur sphère thématique (quoique pas toujours), temporelle et territoriale, parfois par les catégories (sociales, professionnelles, organisatoiro-professionnelles et même confessionnelles et nationales) de leurs destinataires, ainsi que par leur caractère formel et légal.
Probleme der wirtschaftlichen Integration des Ost-Mitteleuropas (1992-1999)
Authors: Szczepaniak Marian
Published: September 2024

In den Jahren 1949-1990 integrierten sich die ost-mitteleuropäischen Staaten und die Sowjetunion im Rahmen des Rates für gegenseitige Wirtschaftshilfe. In dieser Organisation waren die Beziehungen der sowjetischen Wirtschaft zu den Wirtschaften der einzelnen Partner vorherrschend. RGW brach nach der Wende des Jahres 1989 zusammen. Sein tatsächlicher Zerfall erfolgte im Jahre 1991, nachdem die Rubelabrechnungen durch Dollarabrechnungen ersetzt worden waren. Im Endeffekt sank der Handelsaustausch zwischen den bisherigen Partnern katastrophal, denn jeder litt wegen des Mangels an konvertierbaren Währungen, und die konnten ausschließlich vom Überschuß im Handel mit Westen oder aber von westlichen Krediten gewonnen werden.
A novel autonomous navigation constellation in the Earth–Moon system
Authors: Liu Bin , Li Hengnian , Hou Xiyun , Yang Jie , Huyan Zongbo
Published: September 2024

With more and more activities in cislunar space and deep space, a navigation system that can provide autonomous navigation service for cislunar or even deep space missions has become an urgent need. This article proposes a new type of navigation constellation which is placed on two kinds of special orbits, namely the dynamical substitutes around the triangular libration points and the distant retrograde orbits (DROs). Both types of orbits have the same characteristics of long-term stability under the full force model, so no orbit control is needed and it can operate autonomously without ground support. First, using inter-satellite range data, the autonomous orbit determination between navigation satellites on the dynamical substitutes and the DROs is investigated under the full force model. Then, taking a translunar orbit as an example, the constellation’s navigation performance based on inter-satellite range observation is evaluated. With range errors of 1, 10, and 100 m, respectively, the navigation capability of the constellation is successfully verified in the sense that the accuracy of the determined orbit reaches the level of the observation data. From the viewpoint of stable autonomous navigation, the current results are meaningful and deserve further consideration when deploying the navigation constellation in the Earth–Moon system.
Development and characterization of functional low-fat frozen dairy dessert enhanced with dried lemongrass powder
Authors: Khalil Rafik A. M. , El-Sawah Talaat H. , Alsulami Tawfiq , Zaidalkilani Ayah T. , Al-Farga Ammar , Elkot Wael F.
Published: September 2024

Dried lemongrass (DLG) herb is high in total phenolic compounds (1,388 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 g), antioxidant scavenging activity (57.88%), and dietary fibers (19.61%), and it also imparts lemon flavor, minerals, and several health benefits. Therefore, it is considered a cost-effective and functional ingredient for various food systems. A trial was conducted to incorporate DLG into a functional low-fat lemon frozen dessert as a fat mimetic and to assess its impacts on physicochemical, rheological, total phenolic compounds, antioxidant scavenging activity, sensory properties, and production costs. A control full-fat frozen dairy dessert (FFD) with 6% fat was prepared for comparison. DLG was added to a low-fat frozen dessert (LFD) with 1% fat at ratios of 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5%. Results showed that FFD had higher rheological characteristics, melting resistance, production costs, and sensory properties compared to LFD. The use of DLG increased mix specific gravity, freezing point depression, apparent viscosity, consistency coefficient index, overrun, total phenolic compounds, and antioxidant scavenging activity while decreasing the pH value compared to LFD. Adding 0.5–1.0% DLG to LFD significantly improved overall acceptability and reduced production costs by 23.80 and 18.56%, respectively. The functional LFD with 0.5–1% DLG achieved comparable quality characteristics to the full-fat treatment.
A corpus-based study on semantic and cognitive features of bei sentences in Mandarin Chinese
Authors: Xie Yonghui , Niu Ruochen , Liu Haitao
Published: September 2024

Bei sentences in Mandarin Chinese with SOV word order have attracted extensive interest. However, their semantic features lacked quantitative evidence and their cognitive features received insufficient attention. Therefore, the current study aims to quantitatively investigate the semantic and cognitive features through the analysis of nine annotated factors in a corpus. The results regarding bei sentences show that (i) subjects exhibit a tendency to be definite and animate; non-adversative verbs have gained popularity over time, and intransitive verbs are capable of taking objects; (ii) subject relations tend to be long, implying heavy cognitive load, whereas the dependencies governed by subjects are often short, suggesting light cognitive load; and (iii) certain semantic factors significantly impact cognitive factors; for instance, animate subjects tend to govern shorter dependencies. Overall, our study provides empirical support for the semantic features of bei sentences and reveals their cognitive features using dependency distance.
The red dress is cute: why subjective adjectives are more often predicative
Authors: Glass Lelia
Published: September 2024

Which adjectives tend to occur as attributive (the cute/red dress) versus predicative (the dress is cute/red) and why? Building on findings from Wiegand et al. (2013. Predicative adjectives: An unsupervised criterion to extract subjective adjectives. In Lucy Vanderwende, Hal DauméIII & Katrin Kirchhoff (eds.), Proceedings of the 2013 conference of the North American chapter of the
Association for Computational Linguistics
: Human language technologies (NAACL-HLT), 534–539. Atlanta, GA: Association for Computational Linguistics) and Vartiainen (2013. Subjectivity, indefiniteness and semantic change. English Language and Linguistics 17(1). 157–179), this paper argues that subjective adjectives such as cute tend to be placed in predicative position not just because they often describe discourse-new information, but because this position serves to foreground information that the hearer may disagree with. This claim is supported using data from the Corpus of Contemporary American English (Davies, Mark. 2008. The corpus of contemporary American English: One billion words, 1990-present. Available at: https://www.english-corpora.org/coca/) combined with human annotations for subjectivity from Scontras et al. (2017. Subjectivity predicts adjective ordering preferences. Open Mind 1(1). 53–66) et seq.; and data from image captions versus descriptions (for seeing versus low-vision people) from the National Gallery of Art. A production experiment manipulates the discourse context to further show that adjectives tend to be placed in predicative position when they express controversial information. Overall, this paper explores how the lexical semantics of adjectives shapes the pragmatic contexts in which they tend to be used, which in turn shapes the syntax of the sentences using them.
Effect of tannic acid chelating treatment on thermo-oxidative aging property of natural rubber
Authors: Wei Chuanyu , Zheng Tingting , Luo Yuhang , Yang Changjin , Wei Yanchan , Liao Shuangquan
Published: September 2024

Metal ions are crucial in the production and preservation of fresh natural rubber latex. However, they also catalyze the thermo-oxidative aging of rubber products, leading to premature product degradation. This study investigates the use of tannic acid (TA) to chelate metal ions, thereby enhancing the thermo-oxidative aging resistance of natural rubber (NR). The findings indicate that NR treated with a 1.5 g·L−1 TA solution exhibits superior tensile strength, elongation at break, and crosslink density post-thermo-oxidative aging compared to untreated samples. Analysis of ultraviolet–visible absorption spectra, Fourier transform infrared spectra, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms that TA’s resistance to thermo-oxidative aging stems from its ability to form stable chelates with metal ions, reducing their catalytic activity and mitigating oxidative degradation. Consequently, TA chelation treatment is proposed as an effective method to enhance the thermo-oxidative aging resistance of NR.
Integrating optical communication in MIMO-OTFS using hybrid signal detection methods: analyzing the throughput and spectrum
Authors: Kumar Arun , Kanjilal Pushpendu , Syamala Maganti , Nanthaamornphong Aziz
Published: September 2024

MIMO-OTFS (multiple input multiple output in orthogonal time-frequency space) modulation is a key component of sophisticated optical radio systems, helping to increase their speed and range. The increased capacity of optical communication can be put to use in a number of applications. In order to minimize latency, we optimize the bit error rate (BER) and power spectral density (PSD) of the framework by applying the hybrid signal detection technique known as zero forcing equalizer and minimal mean square error (ZFE + MMSE) to the MIMO-optical OTFS system (16 × 16, 64 × 64, and 256 × 256) in this article. The suggested ZFE + MMSE works better than the traditional signal detection algorithms, according to the work’s experimental study. Furthermore, without using any detection techniques, the MIMO-OTFS outperforms the MIMO-OFDM by attaining an SNR gain of 1.2–2.3 dB.
Performance analysis of V2V visible light communication systems under diverse scenarios
Authors: Kumar Ajit
Published: September 2024

The present paper analyzes the performance of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) visible light communication (VLC) systems across various practical scenarios. Metrics including bit error rate (BER), frequency response, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), channel capacity, and time delay are analyzed for three distinct scenarios. Results indicate that inadequate lateral displacement between vehicles of adjacent lanes can significantly impact BER performance. Moreover, frequency response analysis reveals undesirable periodic variations in scenario-2, posing challenges for V2V communication. In the case of non-line-of-sight (NLoS) communication (scenario-3), both longitudinal and lateral displacements exhibit notable impacts across all analyzed metrics.
Zwei Nachweise der beiden Ausdrücke „Feuerschätze“ und „Phönix der Natur“ in Kants
Allgemeiner Naturgeschichte und Theorie des Himmels
Authors: Walter Martin
Published: September 2024

Kant uses two metaphors in his early works on cosmogony: “Fire Treasures” and his famous figure of a “Phoenix of Nature”. This study suggests two sources Kant may have known. The first metaphor, goes back to the German translation of Leibniz’s Protogaea (1749) or a review of the Protogaea by Gottsched. Both appeared in the same year as the Latin text. Kant receipts the second metaphor most likely from the English poet Abraham Cowley (his poem: “The Extasie”). Both metaphors are significant because they explain and illustrate Kant’s recourse to the Stoic doctrine of ekpyrosis, i. e. the passing away through a world-fire and the renewal of the cosmos from the elementary particles created in this holocaustic process.