bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Monetary Policy Transmission, Central Bank Digital Currency, and Bank Market Power
Authors: Chen Hanfeng , Hänsel Matthias , Nguyen Hiep
Published: February 2025

Interest rates on new central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) can be expected to enter the monetary policy toolkit soon. Using an extended Sidrauski (1967) model featuring an oligopsonistic banking sector, we study the complex transmission of interest rates on CBDC, which generally involve both direct and indirect effects. This is because a CBDC rate cut does not only affect the rate on the CBDC itself, but also induces the non-competitive deposit providers to adjust their spreads, as the new substitute for their products becomes relatively less attractive. A calibration exercise suggests that the indirect effects depend strongly on the sources of deposit market power: If driven by high concentration, they substantially amplify the aggregate effects of the CBDC policy rate, both in response to transitory shocks as well as regarding its long-run welfare effects. This contrasts them with policies directed at the banking sector which are weakened by a less competitive deposit market.
Analytical and numerical solution via group theoretic method for magnetogasdynamics shock wave under monochromatic radiation in non-ideal self-gravitating gas
Authors: Nath Gorakh , Upadhyay Prakash
Published: February 2025

The shock propagation in non-ideal self-gravitating gas with the azimuthal magnetic field and the monochromatic radiation effect have been investigated utilizing the Lie group theoretic method. The gas is assumed to be at rest having constant initial density and the magnetic fields in front of the shock front are assumed to be varying with time. For this problem, we obtained analytical and numerical solutions for the different classes of infinitesimal generators. The impacts of varying the strength of the magnetic field, gravitational parameter, parameter of non-idealness, and adiabatic exponent of the gas on the flow variable in the flow field region behind the shock, and on the moving shock with an exponential shock path have been studied in detail. The software package “Mathematica” has been used for numerical computation to obtain a similarity solution. It has been shown that the presence of magnetic field, non-idealness of the gas, and adiabatic exponent of the gas have decaying effect on the shock wave, but in the presence of the gravitation the shock strength is enhanced. The entire energy of the disturbance is not constant is not constant and varies with some power of the shock radius in the flow field behind the shock wave.
Evinacumab as an adjunct to lipid apheresis in an infant with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia
Authors: Stirnkorb Christian , Ney Verena , Bergmann Carsten , Bald Martin
Published: February 2025

Objectives

Investigation of the efficacy of the angiopoietin-like protein 3 (ANGPTL3) antibody evinacumab in a four-year-old infant with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) as an adjunct to lipid apheresis.

Case presentation

A two-year-old boy was found to have xanthomas of the Achilles tendon and LDL cholesterol levels around 900 mg/dL. HoHF was subsequently confirmed by molecular genetics. At the age of three, lipid apheresis was started twice a week. At the age of four, a four-weekly infusion of evinacumab was started. This resulted in a 67 % reduction in LDL cholesterol before apheresis, allowing the frequency of apheresis to be reduced to once a week. The mean LDL concentration fell by a further 37 % despite the reduction in apheresis. With the addition of ezetimibe, the mean LDL concentration was reduced to below 115 mg/dL.

Conclusions

The administration of evinacumab can significantly lower the concentration of LDL cholesterol in infants and thus reduce the frequency of lipid apheresis.
Diabetes distress, depression, and future glycemic control among adolescents with type 1 diabetes
Authors: Damilano Cecilia P. , Hong K. Ming Chan , Glick Bethany A. , Kamboj Manmohan K. , Hoffman Robert P.
Published: February 2025

Objectives

Increased diabetes distress and depression in adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are associated with poor glycemic control but it is not known whether they predict future glycemic control.

Methods

Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Problem Areas in Diabetes–Teen version (PAID-T) scores were given to 275 adolescents (age 13–17 years) with T1D. Robust rank order multivariate regression analysis was used to assess how age, duration of diabetes diagnosis, HbA1C at screen, PHQ-9 score, PAID-T screen, and insurance status predicted HbA1C at 1, 2, and 3 years after, and the changes in HbA1C over time.

Results

HbA1c and changes in HbA1c after one year were related to baseline HbA1c. At 2 and 3 years HbA1c was related to the initial HbA1C [β: 0.64 (95 % CI 0.53–0.75) and β: 0.47 (95 % CI 0.33–0.61), respectively], and to PHQ9 at screening [β: 0.07 (95 % CI 0.01–0.14) and β: 0.11 (95% CI 0.03–0.18), respectively]. Relationships were also demonstrated between PHQ9 and changes HbA1c after 2 and 3 years [β: 0.07 (95% CI 0.01–0.14) and β: 0.11 (95 % CI 0.03–0.18), respectively]. PAID-T score was not related to future glycemic control or changes in glycemic control at any time. Insurance status (private 1, public 2) also predicted future glycemic control and changes in HbA1C at 1, 2, and 3 years too.

Conclusions

Higher PHQ9 scores and public insurance predict worsening glycemic control over 3 years in adolescents with T1D while increased diabetes distress does not.
Statistical inference and data analysis of the record-based transmuted Burr X model
Authors: Alrweili Hleil
Published: February 2025

Probability distribution has proven its usefulness in almost every discipline of human endeavors. A novel extension of Bur X distribution is developed in this study employing the record-based transmuted mapping technique, which can be used to fit skewed and complex data. We referred to this novel distribution as a record-based transmuted Burr X model. We established the shape of the probability density function and hazard function. Numerous statistical and mathematical properties are provided, including quantile function, moment, and ordered statistics of the proposed model. Further, we obtain the estimation of the model parameters using the maximum likelihood estimation method, and four sets of Monte Carlo simulation studies are carried out to evaluate the efficiency of these estimates. Finally, the practical applicability of the developed model is demonstrated by analyzing three data sets, comparing its performance with several well-known distributions. The results highlight the flexibility and accuracy of the model, establishing it as a powerful and reliable tool for advanced statistical modeling in environmental and survival research.
Improving quantum metrology protocols with programmable photonic circuits
Authors: de las Heras Alberto Muñoz , Porras Diego , González-Tudela Alejandro
Published: February 2025

Photonic quantum metrology enables the measurement of physical parameters with precision surpassing classical limits by using quantum states of light. However, generating states providing a large metrological advantage is hard because standard probabilistic methods suffer from low generation rates. Deterministic protocols using non-linear interactions offer a path to overcome this problem, but they are currently limited by the errors introduced during the interaction time. Thus, finding strategies to minimize the interaction time of these non-linearities is still a relevant question. In this work, we introduce and compare different deterministic strategies based on continuous and programmable Jaynes–Cummings and Kerr-type interactions, aiming to maximize the metrological advantage while minimizing the interaction time. We find that programmable interactions provide a larger metrological advantage than continuous operations at the expense of slightly larger interaction times. We show that while for Jaynes–Cummings non-linearities the interaction time grows with the photon number, for Kerr-type ones it decreases, favoring the scalability to big photon numbers. Finally, we also optimize different measurement strategies for the deterministically generated states based on photon-counting and homodyne detection.
Establishing continuous reference intervals for liver function analytes using fractional polynomial regression
Authors: Derici Yıldırım Didem , Balcı Fidancı Şenay , Türkegün Şengül Merve , Çimen M. Burak Y. , Tamer Lülüfer
Published: February 2025

Objectives

Reference intervals (RIs) play a crucial role in contemporary healthcare by providing critical support for clinical decision-making. RI calculation methods have certain limitations. They cannot capture age-related variations in laboratory values and non-linear relations between variables. Therefore, alternative methods that preserve the continuous type of age and consider non-linear relations must be explored. This study aimed to suggest an alternative method, namely, fractional polynomial (FP) regression models, to overcome these limitations and estimate the reference limits based on this method for ALT and AST markers.

Methods

This retrospective study is conducted on a large hospital database to establish continuous age and sex-specific RIs for ALT and AST in a Turkish population. The study included 4,386 and 2,834 individuals for ALT and AST, respectively, aged 18–92 years. FP models and a non-parametric approach are used to calculate RIs.

Results

For AST in females, a linear model indicated the relationship between age and AST in females (p=0.673). However, more complex models (m0=4) were explored for female ALT values. After several comparisons, the FP3 model was chosen as the best fit (p=0.098). For male ALT and AST, FP analysis showed no significant age-related effects (p=0.679 and p=0.507, respectively). Therefore, traditional non-parametric methods were used to calculate RIs.

Conclusions

Compared with discrete RIs, continuous RIs are more accurate. Laboratories should determine RIs that reflect their population. Future research could explore the application of FP models in the pediatric population.
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Green: How Different Domains of Traditional, Alternative, and Complementary Medicine Use Are Rooted in an Irrational Mindset
Authors: Purić Danka , Živanović Marko , Petrović Marija B. , Lukić Petar , Knežević Goran , Teovanović Predrag , Ninković Milica , Lazić Aleksandra , Opačić Goran , Branković Marija , Lazarević Ljiljana B. , Žeželj Iris
Published: February 2025

Despite insufficient evidence base for some of its practices, traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine (TCAM) use is rapidly growing; psychological roots of this trend are still under-studied. Based on previous research, input from TCAM practitioners, and content analysis of online media, we developed a comprehensive instrument to measure the use of TCAM and administered it to an online community sample (N=583). Factor analysis indicated four domains of TCAM use, in line with theoretical taxonomies: Alternative medical systems, Natural/biological products and practices, New Age medicine, and Rituals/Customs, all converging toward a common tendency. Irrational beliefs and cognitive biases, especially magical health beliefs and naturalness bias, predicted unique variance in both TCAM attitudes and overall TCAM use, above sociodemographic variables, reported health status, and ideological beliefs. Furthermore, each domain of TCAM use, although differing slightly in sociodemographic/psychological profile, was consistently associated with an irrational mindset, even after controlling for other factors. This provides strong evidence for exploring psychological susceptibility to the use of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine.
Symbiotic Architectures: Infrastructure as a Catalyst for Landscapes in the Jacuí River Delta
Authors: Osellame Lucca Schmidt
Published: February 2025

Abstract: This paper presents discussions and explorations regarding new ways of intervening with infrastructures located in environmentally sensitive territories. By identifying in the Jacuí Delta a space where socio-environmental fragilities are latent, in contrast to the biodiversity of the local biome and the socioeconomic potential of the archipelago neighbourhood, the task of outlining mediating actions arises. The objective was then a multi-scalar urban intervention project with an approach in the areas of mobility, circular economy, housing, and public spaces, through a methodology guided by the analysis of the management plan of the Jacuí Delta, ecosystemic urbanism, post-extractivism and architectural design influenced primarily by the idea of symbiosis by Michel Serres. With this project, which is placed at the apex between architecture and public policies, we hope to propose design mechanisms for environmental devices that reorganize anthropic-natural relations and reimagine the vocabulary of practices in response to social inequality deepened by climate change.
Manuel Casal Aguado y Alberto Lista, ilustres copistas de «El semejante a sí mismo» de Ruiz de Alarcón
Authors: Santos de la Morena Blanca
Published: February 2025

Este trabajo toma como punto de partida el análisis de los dos testimonios manuscritos conservados de El semejante a sí mismo, de Juan Ruiz de Alarcón. Se prueba que el primero de ellos, que se conserva como parte de una colección de comedias de la British Library, fue copiado por Manuel Casal y Aguado, médico y dramaturgo que utilizaba el pseudónimo de Lucas Alemán. Asimismo, se demuestra que el otro manuscrito, conservado en la Universidad de Sevilla, se debe a la mano de Alberto Lista. En ambos casos, estos autores son responsables de la copia de otras obras, hasta ahora anónimas, por lo que el hallazgo se plantea como un punto de partida para profundizar en su labor como transmisores del teatro del Siglo de Oro y para comprender mejor la historia textual de las comedias copiadas por ellos. En la última parte del trabajo se analizan textualmente ambos manuscritos y se ponen en relación con la edición realizada por Hartzenbusch. Los datos permiten arrojar nueva luz sobre la historia textual de El semejante a sí mismo y sobre el proceder de Hartzenbusch como editor del teatro del Siglo de Oro.
Tradición garcilasiana y ecos musicales en Laínez al «templado aire» de Montemayor (con reminiscencias de fray Luis y Cabezón)
Authors: Escobar Borrego Francisco Javier
Published: February 2025

El objetivo del artículo se centra en el análisis de fuentes en la poesía de aliento musical de Pedro Laínez, con énfasis en Montemayor, Garcilaso y fray Luis de León. La metodología, sustentada en el comparatismo literario y en la intertextualidad, ubica su encuadre en la confluencia del discurso literario y el musical en el corpus lírico de Laínez y en Obras de música para tecla, arpa y vihuela de Antonio de Cabezón, a quien el escritor madrileño dedicó un soneto-epicedio. Como resultados principales, se han identificado modelos y paradigmas en el imaginario poético-musical de Laínez, cuestión no abordada en el estado de la cuestión.
De reinas a plebeyas. Las mujeres en los tercios (siglos XVI-XVII)
Authors: Rodríguez Contreras Miriam
Published: February 2025

Este artículo analiza los distintos roles que las mujeres tuvieron dentro de los Tercios españoles, desde mujeres con poder como Isabel Clara Eugenia o Isabel de Borbón, hasta las esposas y «metresas» que acompañaban a los soldados durante los conflictos bélicos. Todas ellas como veremos, a pesar de la oposición de algunos tratadistas militares, desempeñaron funciones de diverso índole como gobernadoras, lavanderas, auxiliares de militares, prostitutas o, incluso guerreras.
Cost-effectiveness analysis of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine administered to children under 5 years of age in the Republic of Moldova
Authors: Balanuta Ana-Mihaela , Bujor Dina , Paraschiv Angela , Horodisteanu-Banuh Adela , Revenco Ninel
Published: February 2025

Background. The Moldovan health authorities introduced the 13 valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine into the national immunization schedule for children in 2013. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine compared to a no-vaccination strategy in children under 5 Years of age in the Republic of Moldova.
Methods. We used UNIVAC (version 1.7), a static decision model, to evaluate the health and economic outcomes of vaccination in a single-cohort of children under five years. We modeled vaccine introduction over 10 birth cohorts starting in 2013. We assumed a 2+1 (two doses + booster) schedule and a vaccination price of US$ 16.34 per dose. We used locally-specific data for pneumonia incidence, mortality, treatment, and costs. Model outcomes included pneumonia cases, hospitalizations, deaths, disability-adjusted life years, and costs presented in USD. Cost-effectiveness was reported as Incremental Cost Effectiveness Ratio. The Incremental Cost Effectiveness Ratio was calculated to estimate the additional cost to save an additional life year.
Results. From the governmental health sector the Incremental Cost Effectiveness Ratio was $5939 and from society perspective, $7272, respectively. Withal cost per disability-adjusted life years (DALY) averted was US$ 6311. PCV-13 was projected to prevent 2310 hospitalizations due to pneumococcal disease, including 118 deaths. Vaccination could potentially reduce the highest treatment cost from the payer perspective at $ 4 081 412 for the 13 valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.
Conclusion. This study evidenced that cost per DALY averted is US$ 6311, which is between one and three times Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, these findings extrapolate PCV-13 as a cost-effective intervention. Considering the scenario of Republic of Moldova the PCV program is a cost effective intervention and justifies the introduction of PCV into routine immunization schedule throughout the country in order to reduce morbidity and mortality among the under-five-year-old children.
The role of pharmacists in ensuring rational antibiotic therapy within the interdisciplinary team
Authors: Królak-Ulińska Aneta , Religioni Urszula , Chełstowska Beata , Panford-Quainoo Edwin , Doniec Zbigniew , Vaillancourt Regis , Merks Piotr
Published: February 2025

The irrational use of antibiotics is one of the biggest threats to public health, as recently highlighted in the documents from the World Health Organization. It includes both the choice of an inappropriate drug, dose, form, or length of therapy for the patient, and a lack of attention to the global cost of treatment. One of the effects of excessive and irrational use of antibiotics worldwide is the increasing number of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. The growing number of bacterial illnesses and deaths caused by this type of pathogens is of great significance, making the consequences of incorrect antibiotic use both medical and economic.
In the rationalization of pharmacotherapy, the significant role of medical staff, including pharmacists, who have extensive knowledge in the field of antibiotic therapy, is emphasized. The main goal of the rational management of antimicrobial drugs should be to improve patient treatment outcomes and minimize the medical and economic consequences of antibiotic use. Antibiotic therapy rationalization programs are needed in all healthcare facilities, both in open care and in hospital settings. Educational interventions that target primary care physicians and physicians prescribing antibiotics in hospitals are necessary. Additionally, pharmacists, being the most accessible healthcare workers, can build awareness of rational antibiotic therapy among patients.
Severity, outcomes, and vaccination status in hospitalized children who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during two pandemic waves
Authors: Bulată-Pop Irina , Cozma Angela , Briciu Violeta Tincuța , Lupșe Mihaela Sorina , Junie Lia-Monica
Published: February 2025

Background. The infection with SARS-CoV-2 in children usually manifests as a mild respiratory tract infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the severity, outcome and vaccination status in children hospitalized for COVID-19 in a single center during two pandemic waves determined by different SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs).
Methods. A retrospective study on 656 consecutive pediatric patients was performed from September 1, 2021, to April 30, 2023. The study interval was divided into waves, according to official data on the circulation of Delta and Omicron VOCs. Data collected included sex, age, comorbidities, date of diagnosis, duration of hospitalization, vaccination status, clinical outcome.
Results. The Delta group consisted of 234 children with a mean age of approximately 9 years, while the Omicron group included 422 children with a mean age of around 2.5 years. Most cases were mild, although in the Omicron wave the hospitalization rate was higher and 41.7% of the cases were medium in severity. The presence of comorbidities was not linked to an increase in severity. Vaccination rates were low in both groups, with a mean of 4% for the total of eligible patients.
Conclusion. This pioneering study highlights the nature of COVID-19 in children, focusing on both clinical aspects and public health issues.
Figura czarownicy w Boginiach z Žítkovej Kateřiny Tučkovej i w Sońce Ignacego Karpowicza
Authors: Banot Aleksandra E.
Published: February 2025

Kateřina Tučková’s Boginie z Žítkovej(Žítkovské bohyně, 2012) and Ignacy Karpowicz’s Sońka (2014), despite their different accents, tell the story of witches – goddesses, whisperers, quacks, herbalists. Comparing the two novels, I look at the creations of female heroines as unique characters because of the abilities they possess or are attributed to them. I ask how the stories of their lifes were presented and whether they were written into a broader, not only feminocentric, context. That is the function of the places in which the stories of the heroines are set, especially the Surmena from Žítkova on Moravian Slovakia (MoravianSlovak border) and Sońka from Królowe Stołjo in the Polish-Belarusian Podlasie. What do the characters of the „guardians of the fairy tail” – Dora and Igor – serve? Referring to the insights of Mona Chollet and Silvia Federici, I finally try to determine the subversive potential of the story of modern witches – do they implement the postulates of feminists, not just of the second wave?
Ta rana wciąż krwawi. Międzypokoleniowy transfer traumy – Granica zapomnienia Siergieja Lebiediewa i Koniec Marty Hermanowicz
Authors: Ziomek Marcin
Published: February 2025

The present article is a comparative analysis of Sergei Lebedev’s Oblivion and Marta Hermanowicz’s In the End through the prism of the category of trauma transmitted between generations. The protagonists of both works struggle with the rejected past of their ancestors, which hampers their attempts at constituting their own identities. Oblivion and In the End are examples of autofiction, which on the one hand belong in the current of postmemory literature, in the sense given to the term postmemory by Marianne Hirsch, and on the other hand represent the generational novel. Dreams play a key role in each of the texts. In the End sees a granddaughter dream the dreams of her grandmother from the time she was exiled in Siberia, and this mingles the war past with the present of the political transformation in Poland. In Oblivion dreams give the narrator insight into the dark past of the Second Grandpa. In both works time is as if arrested by means of past events, and the protagonists, because of traumatic experiences to which they don’t have full access, remain immobilized in time with no chance of internal development.
The Organization and Development of Shevchenko Studies in the All-Ukrainian Academy of Sciences (1921–1934)
Authors: Karpinchuk Halyna
Published: February 2025

The becoming of academic Shevchenko studies began in the 1920s, after the formation of the All-Ukrainian Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR (hereinafter – VUAN) – the centre that united the scientific forces of Ukrainians.

This paper covers the organization of research work of Shevchenko scholars in various societies and committees of the Academy. First of all, Shevchenko’s works were the subject of research by the Historical and Literary Society [Історично-літературне товариство; 1922–1928] in Kyiv as well as scientific societies of Odesa, Poltava, and St. Petersburg, which cooperated with the Ukrainian Academy. The achievement of the Historical and Literary Society was the publication of the two-volume Poetry [Поезія] book by Shevchenko in 1927. In total, the two volumes contain 246 poems.

Shevchenko’s work was investigated most intensively by the Committee for Publishing the Works of Modern Ukrainian Literature [Комісія для видавання творів новітнього українського письменства], which was headed by the academic and the vice-president of the VUAN, S. Yefremov. Its greatest achievement was the publication of two out of the planned 10 volumes of Shevchenko’s Complete Works Correspondence [Листування] and Diary [Щоденник] that was supported by 1,100 pages of comments. Separate studies about the poet appeared in the Committee for Compiling a Dictionary of the Living Ukrainian Language [Комісії для складання словника живої української мови] and the Committee for Studies of Public Currents in Ukraine [Комісія для дослідів громадських течій на Україні], etc.

We should note the general problem in philology at that time – the lack of a coherent presentation of Shevchenko’s literary and artistic heritage as well as his scientific biography. The paper outlines the contribution to the development of Shevchenko studies made by the Academy employees: S. Yefremov, V. Miyakovsky, M. Novytsky, O. Novytsky, P. Fylypovych, and others.

From the second half of the 1920s, Shevchenko studies advanced actively at the Taras Shevchenko Institute, which was opened in 1926 as an independent institution.

Shevchenko studies reached a turning point in the 1930s: academic Shevchenko studies were replaced by Soviet Shevchenko studies, subordinated to the party’s marxist-leninist ideology. Arrests and murders of patriotic-leaning Ukrainians intensified, including the Academy’s employees. Their works were removed from libraries and severely criticized. There was no way that all of this would not affect the development of Shevchenko studies.
Increases in Neonatal Intensive Care Admissions in the United States, 2016-2023
Authors: Martin Joyce , Osterman Michelle
Published: February 2025

This report examines trends in NICU admission in the United States overall and by maternal age, race and Hispanic origin, gestational age and birthweight of the newborn, and state of residence of the mother from 2016 to 2023.
Impact of Professors’ Behavioral Variables on Performance and Ranking of Universities
Authors:   University of Tehran, Iran, Sohrabi Babak , Gholipour Aryan ,   University of Tehran, Iran, Kuzekanan Samira Fakheri ,   University of Tehran, Iran
Published: February 2025

In the era of intense competition, universities too try to secure the top most position among global 500 universities. With regard to Iranian universities, a TWENTY-YEAR VISION emphasizes the fact that Iran may achieve the top academic position in the Middle East by 2025. The present paper intends to review effective individual factors including the performance of professors in augmenting universities’ status. Since a desired scientific status needs the efforts of faculties and prudent administrators, attempt has been made to examine the effects of professors’ narcissism, self-efficacy and locus of control on their performance. The research is quantitative and the data was gathered through a questionnaire. The findings show that high ranking universities consist of academics with high self-efficacy and internal locus of control. Simultaneously, high ranks manifest high narcissism. However, the results show an insignificant relationship between professors’ propensity to learn and performance. In sum, considering the latest findings, one can conclude that professors’ personality is highly effective in their propensity to learning, hence it can be for important factor in employing academic professors.
Interdisciplinary Counselling Inquiry and the Promotion of Change
Authors:   Oestfold University College, HALDEN, Norway, Sandell Ove
Published: February 2025

This article describes two separate counselling programmes focusing upon interdisciplinary basic groups of six persons and a teacher, which interact together for 60 evening hours during two terms. During each meeting at least one participant presents a problem or a difficult task related to work that he/ she has already experienced or is going to face in near future. The description embraces curricular objectives, organisational framework, appreciated inquiry, counselling as participant action research, appreciated cooperation, appreciated counselling and organisations, construction of reality as theory of practice and relevant evaluation-based objections about how to carry through the desired promotion of change
Significant Aspects of Professional Orientation of Beginning Teachers
Authors:   University of Hradec Králové, Czech Republic, Juklová Kateřina
Published: February 2025

This paper summarizes the results of qualitative research concerning the process of becoming a teacher based on the concept of professional identification (Rymeš, Štikar et al., 2003). A semi-structured in-depth interview combined with the “lifeline“ method (Schütze, 1991) were used. The research was carried out on 13 teachers (male/female), having experience ranging from 1 to 6 years at the 2nd stage of primary schools, and its results show that the success rate among beginning teachers in forming a relationship with their profession, which later leads to their identification with the profession and assuming the resulting professional obligations, is connected with both internal and external factors. Connecting one’s own future with the teaching profession is preceded by self-affirmation, telling oneself that the work satisfies one’s internal needs and enables one to assert one’s abilities. On the basis of this research, we identified significant internal variables which are part of beginning teachers’ professional orientation.
Evaluation of the Relationship between Organizational Commitment and the Teacher’s Organizational Behavior in Iran Primary Schools
Authors:   Islamic Azad University, Iran, Rekabdarkolaei Saeid Moradi
Published: February 2025

The presented study examines the structure of organizational commitment in relation to the teacher’s organizational behavior in Iranian primary schools. The data were gathered through a questionnaire returned by a sample of 225 teachers of primary schools in Mazandaran province. In the survey model study, answers to given questions were sought. Data were gathered by using “Teachers Organizational Scale” and “Organizational Commitment Scale”. Results show the teachers’ positive perceptions about organizational behavior and organizational commitment. There was a meaningful relationship between the teachers’ organizational behavior and organizational commitment.
Organizational Transparency in Schools: Effects and Obstacles
Authors: Özgan Habib
Published: February 2025

This research aims to explore transparent and non-transparent practices, their effects and obstacles in secondary schools. The study is valuable in that it could contribute to the future transparency of schools. It is a qualitative case study. Among purposive sampling methods, easily accessible case sampling was chosen to determine the participants. The participant group consisted of 38 teachers. The data were collected using an interview method. The data were analyzed using descriptive and content analysis methods. The study found out transparent and non-transparent practices in schools. Positive effects of transparent practices and negative effects of non-transparent practices were identified, and obstacles to transparency in schools were revealed.
Educational Leadership: Change through Self Understanding
Authors:   Lahore School of Economics. Pakistan, Siddiqui Shahid
Published: February 2025

In the recent past there was a realization of the significant role a head teacher can play to initiate and sustain change in educational institutions. To have a fuller understanding and to bring a meaningful change in the educational leadership practices we need to study lives and beliefs of head teachers and the way they view themselves as a person and as a head teacher. Inspired by this perspective the belief-practice relationship is now considered to be a powerful strategy in the reconceptualization process of teachers. Marland (1993) refers to this relationship by suggesting that teachers’ classroom actions are guided by internal frames of reference which are deeply rooted in personal experiences. Tillema (1998) supports this view by suggesting that in a teacher education programme, study of teachers’ beliefs becomes more important as teachers view new concepts through the lenses of their existing beliefs and do not practise new strategies unless these strategies are congruent with their beliefs. This view advocates that head teachers cannot become change agents unless an inner change, at the belief level, takes place. To tap the belief system “Metaphor” is considered to be a powerful tool. The essence of Metaphor is to understand and experience one kind of thing in terms of another. This paper is based on my experience of working with heads of educational institutions in a course organized by the ICI Pakistan-British Council Management Centre on Educational Leadership in Pakistan. The core of the metaphor activity, which was just an opening activity for the course, was to facilitate the course participants to critically review their existing beliefs about educational leadership and reflect on the potential alternatives suitable to their own context. In most of the cases the metaphors selected by the head teachers depicted the notion of a ‘giver’, placing their colleagues/subordinates at the receiving end. Some ways that helped the course participants to re-conceptualize the notion of educational leadership were pair work, group work, brainstorming, debriefing session, cooperative learning and presentations.
Validating Mobile Devices in the Spanish University Entrance Exam English Paper
Authors:   Universidad de Alcalá c/ Trinidad, Madrid, Espania, Laborda Jesús García , Lopez Jose Luis Gimenez , Magal Royo M. Teresa
Published: February 2025

The Spanish University Entrance Examination underwent significant changes in 2010 both in content and pedagogical validation. This paper examines the validation of cellular phones both for the test delivery and as students’ valid personal devices for test preparation. 26 high school students (19 boys and two girls), aged between 16 and 18, who attended a middle class in a rural area of Valencia (Spain) took the Spanish University Entrance examination test through mobile phone emulators. This paper intends to outline the qualitative findings and some quantitative data from student surveys, the teacher’s reactions and field observations. The results indicated that the majority of the students responded to close answer questions adequately and thought that this innovation was very motivating.
Correlation between Traditional and Computer-Based Interactive Teaching Method in the Presentation of a Lesson on Proteins
Authors:   University of Nis, Serbia, Kostic Danijela A. , Mitic Snezana S. ,   University of Nis, Serbia, Gosnjic-Ignatovic Aleksandra J. ,   University of Nis, Serbia, Randjelovic Jovica ,   University of Nis, Serbia, Zarubica Aleksandra R. ,   University of Nis, Serbia
Published: February 2025

A lesson on proteins, which consists of three parts : proteins, enzymes and amino acids, was taught in the traditional way (dominant one) and using the interactive-cooperative approach. Comparative analysis of the statistical results for the experimental and control groups was carried out. The results obtained by the use of the interactive-cooperative method show overall improvement. The effect after teaching the lesson on proteins using the interactive approach shows an increase from 50% up to 71%, which points to a significant improvement and higher achievements by the students. The improvement is also represented in higher average grades of the experimental group.
Museums as Learning Centers : Pluralism of Theoretical-Methodological Paradigm
Authors:   University of Novi Sad, Serbia, Gajić Olivera , Milutinović Jovana ,   University of Novi Sad, Serbia
Published: February 2025

The paper takes into consideration the issue of theoretical bases for the development and (re)conceptualization of educational work in museums. The goal of the action research that was carried out in parallel in Italy and Serbia and involved 170 children, was to devise, realize and evaluate an educational programme that would bring museums closer to children. Upon reflection about the activities carried out and the data collected, the authors of this paper, as participants in the research, are able to validate a highly significant segment of undertaken research – inspiring children’s creative expression in the process of education through art.
Selective Attention in Children with Intellectual Disabilities
Authors:   Faculty for Special Education and Rehabilitation, Belgrade, Serbia, Japundža-Milisavljević Mirjana , Đurić-Zdravković Aleksandra ,   Faculty for Special Education and Rehabilitation, Belgrade, Serbia, Slavnić Svetlana ,   Faculty for Special Education and Rehabilitation, Belgrade, Serbia
Published: February 2025

The purpose of the study designed in this manner relates to establishment of the quality of development of attention evaluated through an ability to select and resistance to distraction. The main purpose of the study relates to the fact that it is necessary to establish the attention profile in children with intellectual disabilities since attention is the main cognitive function and its quality determines the education process and rehabilitation of children with intellectual disabilities. Stroop test for attention evaluation was used to study 124 intellectually disabled children aged 8 – 16. Our study suggested a high percentage of unsuccessful subjects in the test of attention selectivity. It has also been highlighted that development of this ability is directly related to the maturation process.
Escenarios de Aprendizaje: oportunidad de desarrollo de la capacidad creativa e innovación
Authors: Gómez Barbosa Mónica De Jesús , González-Velasco Juan Miguel , Álvarez De Zayas Carlos
Published: February 2025

Objetivo: implementar escenarios de aprendizajes que coadyuven al desarrollo de la creatividad e innovación a partir de las representaciones de los participantes en programas de educación superior. Metodología: la vía metodológica fue la Investigación-Acción-Educativa, teniendo en cuenta las fases: diagnóstica, declaración de la hipótesis, aplicación de estrategias, comprobación de hipótesis y la nueva evaluación para reformular hipótesis de acción. Las técnicas utilizadas fueron observaciones, entrevistas en profundidad y talleres pedagógicos. Resultados: los principales hallazgos muestran significancia interpretativa de la formación mediante la implementación de escenarios de aprendizaje en aula-mente-creativa, que permitan la cocreación y emergencia de ideal creativo necesario para la innovación, develando en el proceso la integración de saberes y la participación del estudiante en la internalización de la lógica consciente para la toma de decisiones e intervención profesional con originalidad. Conclusiones: los escenarios de aprendizaje como oportunidad de desarrollo de la capacidad creativa e innovación implican procesos didácticos de planificación, interacción y evaluación con estrategias provocadoras de la creatividad y desarrolladoras del pensamiento que, a través del aula-mente-creativa, activan las funciones de la imaginación, aumentan la función de la noosfera creativa (mundo de las ideas) y aportan a la solución de problemas con valor agregado.
Percepciones sobre la Ley 21.369 sobre acoso sexual en universidades chilenas
Authors: López Dietz Ana Paola
Published: February 2025

Este artículo analiza las percepciones sobre la Ley 21.369 que aborda el acoso sexual y la discriminación de género en las universidades chilenas, por parte de estudiantes y académicas que participaron de las movilizaciones feministas entre 2014 a 2018. Para la investigación se aplicó una metodología cualitativa, en base a la aplicación de 10 entrevistas semiestructuradas, realizadas entre los años 2023 y 2024, como también la revisión análisis de distintas normativas y leyes. La implementación de la Ley 21.369 fue una demanda que se instaló en la sociedad chilena a partir de las movilizaciones realizadas para visibilizar la problemática del acoso y segregación por género que se vive al interior de la educación superior. A partir de ello, se puede concluir, desde la percepción de las personas que participaron del estudio, que la Ley contra acoso es un avance importante para generar cambios en las universidades, aun cuando existe desconfianza respecto de su aplicación e institucionalización, por lo que se consideraría necesario implementar otras medidas para avanzar hacia espacios libres de violencia y discriminación de género en las universidades.
La democracia en tres tiempos: representación, participación y protesta social en Colombia
Authors: Horta Gaviria Carolina María , Peláez Grisales Holmedo , Estrada Jaramillo Lina Marcela
Published: February 2025

Este artículo tiene como objetivo descubrir el sentido de la democracia en Colombia en tres tiempos: el primero, representativo (1810-1991); el segundo, participativo (1991-2022) y; el tercero, de protesta social (2016-2023). En este orden, analiza cuál ha sido la experiencia histórica de la democracia en Colombia y cuestiona la concepción atemporal, ahistórica, formal, idealista, unidimensional y pacífica. Los resultados de la investigación demuestran que la democracia es un hecho histórico, social, político y jurídico en constante construcción, producto de una lucha de poderes en la que cada tiempo impone un significado material en contrapeso de otros significados formales. La indagación aplica una metodología socio jurídica crítica, cuyo enfoque permite concluir que la democracia en Colombia entraña una experiencia estructural de violencia, exclusión y protesta social.
The Search for a Fair System of Greenhouse Gas Emission QuotaDistribution: a Multicomponent Heterogeneous Model
Authors: Sevost'yanov Pavel , Shunkov Valentin
Published: February 2025

Emissions trading systems are essential for combating climate change and the energy transition because they create incentives to limit and control emissions. However, there is also a perception that taxing pollutants is a more effective way to limit emissions than setting caps on pollution. This creates an ambiguity in which taxation predicts the cost of collective action but not the volume of emissions. Caps, on the other hand, make pollution quantifiable but not its cost. Emissions trading systems, which set a ceiling on pollutants but allow companies to set a price on the market by trading allowances within the cap, provide an alternative to this ambiguity. However, the issue of equitable allocation of allowances to developing countries and the most vulnerable countries remains. The importance of allowances is directly related to political stability, as governments implement measures and instruments to regulate greenhouse gas trade, including incentives, financial incentives and accountability. In general, emission quotas are no less a political task than an economic one, since the fight against global warming is a global public good and does not fit into standard market mechanisms. The purpose of the study is to develop a model for distributing quotas for private mathematical calculations that takes into account country variables and allows, based on the level of industrial development, calculation of quotas, as well as the environmental friendliness of production factors. The methodology is presented by mathematical modeling methods through the creation of an equilibrium model for calculating the distribution of emission quotas. As a result of the study, the authors developed a multicomponent heterogeneous equilibrium model for calculating the distribution of greenhouse gas emission quotas, taking into account not only the volume of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) but also the volume of GDP per capita, which prevents excessive underquoting of developing countries, as well as separately regulating the quota system for the poorest countries.
“Win-lose” Globalization and The Weaponizationof Economic Policies by Nation-states
Authors: Mariotti Sergio
Published: February 2025

Purpose – After decades of hypergrowth, since the 2008 global financial crisis there has been a deceleration of globalization and a partial jamming of its main engines (trade and foreign direct investment [FDI]). This study aims to critically reflect on the current phase, labeling it as “win-lose globalization” characterized by firm-firm competition increasingly intertwined with that between the respective nation-states, which aim to be the relative winners, even at the expense of joint absolute gains. Acting as “strategists,” states implement policies to weaponize economic interdependences, which the paper analyzes.
Design/methodology/approach – The approach is “problem setting” rather than “problem solving.” The latter offers well-defined solutions but often assumes unambiguous definitions of problems, which obscure their complexity. This phase is so intricate that the problem itself is problematic. Thus, to advance knowledge, the focus is given on nation-state policies: FDI screening and the politicization of international trade relations; protectionism; misuses of antitrust and regulation.
Findings – The intensification of firm-firm/state-state competition, seeking disproportionate gains over rivals, is the ultimate result of the contradictions and dissatisfactions accumulated over decades of globalization, the benefits of which have been far from equally distributed. Conflicts in international economic relations are bound to intensify, and a return to win-win globalization is unlikely. International cooperation to strengthen existing/new supranational governance institutions in the interest of absolute global inclusive benefits is urgently needed.
Originality/value – The paper integrates the international business debate on the fate of globalization with interpretations from industrial policy studies and international relations theory. This allows for suggestions for policymakers, corporate executives and scholars.
Reversed phase LC-MS analysis of organic acids involved in the tricarboxylic acid cycle v2
Authors: Wang George , Kakumanu Ramu , Amer Bashar , Akyuz Turumtay Emine , EK Baidoo Edward
Published: February 2025

Organic acids of primary metabolism are essential for energy metabolism. They can range from formate (C1), glyoxylate (C2), to citrate (C6), or greater. While reversed phase (RP) C18 chromatography may not be the ideal separation technique for these acids, due to their polar nature, the use of mixed-mode polar RP stationary phases can provide retention through hydrogen bonding and other polar interactions. To this end, we have developed a RP-QTOF-MS method (via the Sulpeco Ascentis Express RP-Amide column) capable of separating, detecting, and quantifying organic acids involved in the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA).