bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
STORIES OF TECHNOLOGY-ENHANCEMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION – A CRITICAL APPROACH
Authors: Fossland Trine
Published: December 2021

There is a large body of research on technology-enhanced learning, but questions related to the educational effectiveness of technology use still needs to be questioned. In this paper, I argue that digital innovators’ stories about technology enhancement may constitute a rich source for understanding this complex educational phenomenon both in relation to teachers’ daily practices and the implementation of ICT in higher education at large. Based on biographical interviews with “digital innovators”, the aim of this paper is to investigate how [their] digital competence is used to enhance teaching and learning in higher education. This paper asks; how do digital innovators approach the use of ICT to enhance students’ learning and what are the organisational conditions for this approach? The findings suggests that technology-enhancement is linked to nine key characteristics: different educational models, authenticity, pedagogical added values, meaningful student activities, changing approaches to feedback, assessment and connection with the outside world, as well as holistic planning, supportive leaders and strong micro-cultures. This paper proposes a more nuanced understanding of the term technology enhanced learning and suggests strategies for educational development and further investigations related to this phenomenon in higher education.
Title One Laptop on Each Desk: Teaching Methods in Technology Rich Classrooms
Authors: Player-Koro Catarina , Tallvid Martin
Published: December 2021

This article takes its point of departure from the main findings from research in four upper secondary schools in a 1:1 initiative (one laptop per student) and reports on a deeper analysis of four classrooms that are part of the empirical study. This study aims to investigate how teaching and learning in technology-rich classrooms are structured and thus contribute to the development of knowledge about the impact of technology on the structuring of teaching and learning in educational practices.Bernstein’s theoretical concept of the pedagogic discourse is used to make visible how the main incentive for teaching methods is the evaluation system that recontextualises traditional discourses about teaching and learning. The conclusion is that fundamental transformations of education is less about technology and more about the changing of the structures and discourses concerningteaching, learning and education.
Website Preferences of Finnish and Mexican University Students: A Cross-Cultural Study
Authors: Santiago Miguel , Hyvönen Pirkko
Published: December 2021

This paper is focused on understanding Internet use and comparingcross-cultural differencesaccording tothe contents and preferences of the websites that are most visited bytwogroupsof university students from Finland (n=30) and Mexico (n=30).The following research is anexploratory qualitative study with some basic statistics. A questionnairewas used in this study as a data collection instrument. The findings show that in both groups, university students prefer websites about social networking (Facebook), sending email (MSN), videos (YouTube), multiplatform applications (Google), educational sites (UniversityofOulu), and wikis (Wikipedia). Thisdemonstratedthat both groups have an interest in sharing ideas and meetingfriends.The differences reveal that Finnish students use their university’swebsite more regularly thanthe Mexican student respondents and that theytend to implementtheirideas more often.Furthermore, thisstudyexplored how university students use the Internet and whattype of influencethe Internet has onthem.The emotional effects suggest thatalmost quarter ofstudents reportedusing the internet to escapenegativefeelings, such as depression or nervousness.The findings provide information for university teachers about students’habitsand prior knowledge regarding Internetusefor educational purposes. The informationwill behelpful when designing learning and teaching in multicultural student groups.
ICT-enabled innovation in technology rich schools?
Authors: Player-Koro Catarina , Beach Dennis
Published: December 2021

This article takes its point of departure from the main findings from research into four upper secondary schools that have implemented digital technology through one-to-one laptop initiatives. Various data sources have been used in order to identify and understand how teaching and learning are organised and the reasons why and how digital technologies are used in educational settings. This is a response to a demand for more knowledge regarding the ways in which desirable changes of education can be realised and the potential role of educational technology this process. The conclusion drawn is that fundamental transformations in education are less concerned with technology and have more to do with changing structures and discourses regarding teaching, learning and education.
At Home with Students – Observing Online and Offline Contexts
Authors: Lyngsø Anita
Published: December 2021

This article reflects the methodological challenges presented in the research process, where the principle of 'following the field’ means that the researcher must also follow students engaged in online activities in their own homes. The ethnographic studies are a part of a PhD project on “NETeducation,” a full-scale development project in nursing education (Lyngsø, 2014). With a focus on online professional education as the starting point, the process of research will follow the shifting learning process, through phases in the virtual classroom and in the students’ own homes.Research in online contexts demands a rethinking of the traditional ethnographic approach (Hammersley, 2006; Hine, 2005), sharpening the focus on the online and offline contexts, and the shifting between them (Webster, da Silva, 2013). The methodological reflections in the first part of this article can relate to this division due to the “netstudents” activities in studying online at home. On the other hand, the dichotomy between online and offline contexts is found to be inadequate, during the observations conducted. In light of some preliminary findings, the challenges of observing online and offline activities almost simultaneously are considered, despite a dearth of literature existing on this subject.
How to Gain Knowledge When Data Are Shared? Open Government Data from a Media Pedagogical Perspective
Authors: Dander Valentin
Published: December 2021

Numerical data are becoming one of the dominant codes for describing society. Public services are sharing Open Government Data (OGD) as public goods. Academic interest so far has focused on political, technical and organizational implications. Educational research has been widely neglecting OGD. I argue that contemporary media pedagogy needs to productively and critically consider this development in research and practice, engaging with the question of how these data can be turned into knowledge. What objections to OGD as a political project have emerged, and what skills are required by data users? Apart from giving examples of how data use can be learned and supported, this paper illustrates and discusses potentials and risks for OGD use in terms of learning and subject transformation. Various objectives for media pedagogy – such as media, digital and data literacy, numeracy and picturacy – will be discussed in order to draw conclusions on a conceptual level. This paper aims at a differentiated approach to OGD and data education, taking into account their growing importance as well as emerging paradox constellations.
Towards Considerations beyond Dichotomies: The Study of Material Culture faces challenges in Online Playgrounds
Authors: Rizzolli Michaela
Published: December 2021

This paper problematizes dichotomous thinking in academia, exemplified by the study of material culture in online playgrounds. The purpose of this paper is to deepen our understanding of how dichotomies can lead to misconceptions and misrepresentations of phenomena. This paper argues that there are three dichotomies which account for a number of difficulties in dealing with material culture in online playgrounds: First, the critical division between the material and non-material dimensions of material culture. Second, the distinction between immaterial and material space. Third, the dichotomy between real and virtual. Instead of using a “dichotomous” way of thinking, the article advocates an “interdependent” way of thinking.
Adopting digital skills in an international project in teacher education
Authors: Nordseth Hugo
Published: December 2021

The aim of the CoTech project was to develop a concept of using ICT tools for international cooperation in teacher education, and the output result was to develop and test a pilot project for an online course. Our pilot shows that it is possible to implement an integrated curriculum using a variety of ICT tools for the development and deployment of video-based learning resources, as well as collaboration between international groups of students in teacher education without these students meeting physically or using coeducation. At each location, it is important to provide training in the appropriate ICT tools to be used.
Scaffolded filmmaking in PlayOFF: A playground for worldwide film experiments
Authors: Philipsen Heidi
Published: December 2021

How is it possible to make an entire short film in only 48 hours? This task was carried out in the global online film contest, called PlayOFF, held by Odense International Film Festival (OFF) in August 2010 and -11. Contestants came from all over the world — from countries as different as Palestine, China and Romania. I believe this kind of contest to be a fruitful area for research, giving better understanding of how motivation, flow and creative ways of thinking can be initiated through filmmaking. Creative competences, environments, educations, classes etc. are in constant demand. Nevertheless, only a few scholars have actually studied conditions behind these elements, and even fewer have researched them in relation to filmmaking. I will seek to expand knowledge in this field which has hitherto been assigned insufficient priority in media research. How to analyse and experience films is very well described, but when it comes to the process of creating films we find almost no scientifically based research or qualifying designs for stimulating creativity. While other media researchers focus on successful films, I find it crucial to study the idea-making, team work and other conditions behind the productions. This article is based on an empirical study of film processes in PlayOFF 2010 and -11, and I will point out how these findings could be used in developing creativity. Based on my empirical studies I will suggest a learning design for scaffolded filmmaking and propose some ideas of how to transfer this knowledge to an educational context.
EFA in Pakistan: Struggle for Upgrading Literacy
Authors: Ahmad Mumtaz
Published: December 2021

Literacy is an instrument of stability within and among countries and thus may prove an indispensable means of effective participation in the societies and (the) economies of today’s world. Eradication of illiteracy from the world is an important agenda of UNESCO, and one of the six goals of Dakar Framework of Action on Education for All. Illiteracy is also a major problem in Pakistan. The picture of illiteracy in Pakistan is grim, and although successive governments have announced various programmes to promote literacy the situation is still poor because of various political, social, economic and cultural obstacles. To sum up, it can be said that literacy is a skill necessary to acquire or transmit (information) to others.  It is a means not an end in itself. Keeping in view the gravity of the situation of literacy and basic education in the country, Pakistan has completed/implemented a number of actions/activities for broad-based consultations with principal actors of EFA. Furthermore, the Government of Pakistan has accomplished the preparation of provincial and national plans of action and resource mobilization for EFA planning. This paper therefore examines the efforts to decrease illiteracy in Pakistan, a signatory of the worldwide EFA movement.
Wiki Storyline in Second Language Teaching
Authors: Rimmereide Hege Emma , Blair Barbara , Hoem Jon
Published: December 2021

Wiki Storyline is a web-based Storyline project. The interdisciplinary approach to second language teaching provided by combining the Storyline method and ICT is dynamic, and ideal for practicing receptive and productive skills in English. Being a learner-centered approach, the Storyline creates motivation for written and oral communication and this is facilitated by digital tools. The Wiki Storyline project has been carried out with two in-service courses and this study presents a comparative analysis of the various technical solutions, as well as of the pedagogical potential explored in the two courses. In addition to the wiki, Etherpad and a blog were the key digital media tools included in the project. In the wiki a virtual world was created, while Etherpad served as a tool for real time collaborative text editing, and the blog as an arena for reflection for the participants, outside the virtual world.
E-learning for sustainable development - rationale, strategies, choices and actions. Experiences from the study programme MSc in Development Management
Authors: Bjørke Sven Åke
Published: December 2021

The concept of e-learning is vague. ICT-supported education, online education, distance education, e-teaching and e-learning – what is the difference? This article describes the differences and practical pedagogical consequences depending on the choices made and is based on a concrete example and experiences. Modern ICT-supported educational methods demand awareness of various classifications of knowledge when developing curricula and appropriate learning activities.In the quest for a more sustainable development, there are now opportunities to leapfrog several stages. The education sector may jump directly to state of the art in e-pedagogy for building blended or purely online learning environments. To achieve this, investments in the training of teachers might be even more crucial than investing in the technology.
Student attitudes toward teaching English with technology
Authors: Jenset Gard B.
Published: December 2021

The present study investigates attitudes among student teachers toward using electronic resources in teaching. Two groups of student teachers, one composed of students in their first semester and the other composed of students in their third or fourth year, were asked to assess their skills and attitudes, before being shown an example of how open-source, Web-based data and software can be used in teaching English culture and history. The results show that student teachers are positive toward using technology, but that the teacher training program changes neither their attitudes nor their self-reported skills to any large extent.
Title Lecturers' Conception of Learning and Use of Methods in Blended Learning Courses at Three Swedish Universities
Authors: Olsson Ulf
Published: December 2021

This study examines the extent to which 387 lecturers at Karlstad University, Mälardalen University and the University of Gävle use certain methods in their blended learning/web-based courses. The teaching methods are compared to the lecturers' conceptions of learning as indicated in the survey. Questionnaires have been used for the survey and responses from lecturers in 10 subjects are compared to each other. The main aims are to compare chosen teaching forms to conceptions of learning, and to compare subject areas with each other according to lecturers' use of methods. In the order of frequency of use, the main stated purposes of using the web tools are: Distribution of materials, communication, administration, evaluation, examination. Three out of four lecturers use a learning management system in their teaching, while only a few use e-meeting tools. The results show similarities at both the department and faculty level, though there are large differences between how lecturers of various subjects report the frequency of use. The relationship between the lecturers' conceptions of learning and the teaching methods used reveal some inconsistencies.
University teaching staff as learners of the pedagogical use of ICT
Authors: Löfström Erika , Nevgi Anne
Published: December 2021

The aim of the article is to increase the understanding of how university teachers think about pedagogy in web-based teaching. The orientation to pedagogy that teachers have in their instruction is evident from their thoughts about student learning. The focus of this study is on the pedagogy that the teachers displayed in their collegial interaction during a web-based staff training course. The objective of this course was to enhance the teachers’ pedagogical skills in their web-based teaching. The qualitative data consisting of the teachers’ web-based discussions provides insight into their conceptions of what constitutes good teaching and learning. These conceptions can be understood in light of the theoretical model of meaningful learning (Jonassen, 1995). Furthermore, deepening a teacher’s understanding by taking the learner’s position appears to be a powerful tool in understanding the prerequisites for the successful use of information and communication technology (ICT) in teaching. The results show that teachers were more focused on how to facilitate student collaboration in their web-based teaching and less on how to contextualise the content or how to facilitate the transferability of the content taught into other contexts and situations. The teachers’ own experiences of what it means to be a learner in a web-based environment may be an essential learning experience through which they realise that when teaching in web-based environments, it is necessary that every choice they make be justifiable in terms of pedagogy.
Technocultural education
Authors: Løvlie Lars
Published: December 2021

In this essay I try to describe the development of a traditional liberal education into a technological liberal one. I propose that we start by dropping the classical oppositions between man and animal, and man and machine; that we stop pitting morality against technology and rhetoric; and that we do away with the idea that ICT in our schools will necessarily tear the fabric of education apart. We should rather try and re-describe the idea of an unencumbered and independent self in terms of relational concepts, like the cyborg or more radically: like the self as interface. John Dewey led the way to this view a century ago, by coining the word intelligence as the name of educative interactions between man, animal and machine. The self as interface is a self of differences rather than identities. But that idea does not do away with our emplaced body, or our personal sense of self and identity. In the postmodern world, the cyborg is a migrant with the ability to interpret signs, understand symbols of power, see through rhetorical games, engage in argumentation, and in these activities partake in his or her own political education. The Internet nomad does not bode anarchy. He or she is the radically decentred subject that may well participate in Kant’s cosmopolitanism, Jürgen Habermas’ discourse ethics and Jacques Derrida’s deconstruction. –  But this is to go slightly beyond the text submitted here …
Society's Educational System
Authors: Qvortrup Lars
Published: December 2021

In the spring of 2002, probably the last large manuscript of Niklas Luhmann, the German sociologist, who died in 1998 at the age of 70, was published. The manuscript is an almost completely developed analysis of the educational system of contemporary society. The book is entitled Das Erziehungssystem der Gesellschaft. Despite the fact that the work is one of many analyses of the differentiated functional systems of contemporary society, it is not only one book in a series, but is also based on Luhmann’s lifelong interest in educational questions, which, among others, is expressed in a series of books published in 1982, 1986, 1990, 1992 and 1996, which he edited together with Karl Eberhard Schorr: Zwischen Technologie und Selbstreferenz, Zwischen Intransparenz und Verstehen, Zwischen Anfang und Ende, Zwischen Absicht und Person and Zwischen System und Umwelt. In addition, in 1997, he published a book with Dieter Lenzen entitled Bildung und Weiterbildung im Erziehungssystem. In this article, Das Erziehungssystem der Gesellschaft is introduced; it is put into the context of Luhmann’s total oeuvre; and it is related to the situation and function of education in our modern, “hypercomplex“ society.
Message posting Or dialogue?: On the dialectics of on-line practice in adult education
Authors: Hamilton David , Dahlgren Ethel , Hult Agneta , Söderström Tor
Published: December 2021

This paper examines on-line communication in liberal adult education. It highlights the problematic space between message posting and the promotion of dialogue. Conference software in Swedish adult education is widely based on message posting. But can message posting also foster the democratic practices associated with reasoned discussion or dialogue?
Adequate digital competence – a close reading of the new national strategy for digitalization of the schools in Sweden
Authors: Fransson Göran , Lindberg J. Ola , Olofsson Anders D.
Published: December 2021

In this paper, the notion of ‘adequate digital competence’, as it is used in the 2017 Swedish strategy for digitalization of the school system, is in focus. Based on a close reading of the strategy, three dimensions are formulated for discussion: time, context, and interpretation. These dimensions open a more general discussion about the content of policies regarding digital competence. The notion of striving for an ‘adequate digital competence’ for children, students, teachers, school leaders, and other school staff is loaded with a variety of possible meanings. The strategy provides guidance in some aspects, but leaves a lot to local enactment of the strategy.
Nonlinear Storytelling Method and Tools for Low-Threshold Game Development
Authors: Letonsaari Mika
Published: December 2021

In our research project, an educational computer game was developed. To enable a low-threshold participation to the game development process for people with low information technology skills, tools for nonlinear storytelling software were reviewed. Nonlinear storytelling is a method in digital storytelling where the storyline is not linear but has branches. This is typical for interactive stories such as computer game plots. The aim of the study was to find easy to use tools suitable for educational game development. The history of nonlinear storytelling is shortly discussed from the early experimental literacy in pre-information technology age to hypertext and game development tools of information technology. Software for nonlinear storytelling is reviewed. Special attention is paid for usability, software licensing models, and integration with modern game engines. An open source storytelling software Twine was chosen for this project. Nonlinear stories (n = 14) were collected during the game development project. Participants were over 30 year old adults who had low information technology skills. A qualitative analysis of the collected stories is performed. Writing nonlinear stories is activity that is not familiar to most people. Common errors and misconceptions in collected stories are studied. Usability of the stories in the context of game integration is examined. These observations and findings are used to develop storytelling process more meaningful to students and to harness the nonlinear storytelling method more effectively in educational game development.
Comparative analysis of machine learning approaches to analyze and predict the COVID-19 outbreak
Authors: Naeem Muhammad , Yu Jian , Aamir Muhammad , Khan Sajjad Ahmad , Adeleye Olayinka , Khan Zardad
Published: December 2021

Background

Forecasting the time of forthcoming pandemic reduces the impact of diseases by taking precautionary steps such as public health messaging and raising the consciousness of doctors. With the continuous and rapid increase in the cumulative incidence of COVID-19, statistical and outbreak prediction models including various machine learning (ML) models are being used by the research community to track and predict the trend of the epidemic, and also in developing appropriate strategies to combat and manage its spread.

Methods

In this paper, we present a comparative analysis of various ML approaches including Support Vector Machine, Random Forest, K-Nearest Neighbor and Artificial Neural Network in predicting the COVID-19 outbreak in the epidemiological domain. We first apply the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) method to identify and model the short and long-run relationships of the time-series COVID-19 datasets. That is, we determine the lags between a response variable and its respective explanatory time series variables as independent variables. Then, the resulting significant variables concerning their lags are used in the regression model selected by the ARDL for predicting and forecasting the trend of the epidemic.

Results

Statistical measures—Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) and Symmetric Mean Absolute Percentage Error (SMAPE)—are used for model accuracy. The values of MAPE for the best-selected models for confirmed, recovered and deaths cases are 0.003, 0.006 and 0.115, respectively, which falls under the category of highly accurate forecasts. In addition, we computed 15 days ahead forecast for the daily deaths, recovered, and confirm patients and the cases fluctuated across time in all aspects. Besides, the results reveal the advantages of ML algorithms for supporting the decision-making of evolving short-term policies.
Quantifying the association of natal household wealth with women’s early marriage in Nepal
Authors: Marphatia Akanksha A. , Saville Naomi M. , Manandhar Dharma S. , Cortina-Borja Mario , Wells Jonathan C. K. , Reid Alice M.
Published: December 2021

Background

Women’s early marriage (<18 years) is a critical global health issue affecting 650 million women worldwide. It is associated with a range of adverse maternal physical and mental health outcomes, including early childbearing, child undernutrition and morbidity. Poverty is widely asserted to be the key risk factor driving early marriage. However, most studies do not measure wealth in the natal household, but instead, use marital household wealth as a proxy for natal wealth. Further research is required to understand the key drivers of early marriage.

Methods

We investigated whether natal household poverty was associated with marrying early, independently of women’s lower educational attainment and broader markers of household disadvantage. Data on natal household wealth (material asset score) for 2,432 women aged 18–39 years was used from the cluster-randomized Low Birth Weight South Asia Trial in lowland rural Nepal. Different early marriage definitions (<15, <16, <17 and <18 years) were used because most of our population marries below the conventional 18-year cut-off. Logistic mixed-effects models were fitted to estimate the probabilities, derived from adjusted Odds Ratios, of (a) marrying at different early ages for the full sample and for the uneducated women, and (b) being uneducated in the first place.

Results

Women married at median age 15 years (interquartile range 3), and only 18% married ≥18 years. Two-thirds of the women were entirely uneducated. We found that, rather than poverty, women’s lower education was the primary factor associated with early marriage, regardless of how ‘early’ is defined. Neither poverty nor other markers of household disadvantage were associated with early marriage at any age in the uneducated women. However, poverty was associated with women being uneducated.

Conclusion

When assets are measured in the natal household in this population, there is no support for the conventional hypothesis that household poverty is associated with daughters’ early marriage, but it is associated with not going to school. We propose that improving access to free education would both reduce early marriage and have broader benefits for maternal and child health and gender equality.
Spatiotemporal changes, trade-offs, and synergistic relationships in ecosystem services provided by the Aral Sea Basin
Authors: Chen Chao liang , Chen Xi , Qian Jing , Hu Zengyun , Liu Jun , Xing Xiuwei , Yimamaidi Duman , Zhakan Zhanar , Sun Jiayu , Wei Shujie
Published: December 2021

Intense human activities in the Aral Sea Basin have changed its natural distribution of land use. Although they provide certain economic benefits, these anthropogenic influences have led to the rapid shrinkage of the Aral Sea, severely affecting the region’s ecosystem. However, the spatiotemporal variability of the Aral Sea Basin’s Ecosystem Service Values (ESVs) is not well understood. In this study, we used 300-meter resolution land use maps from 1995, 2005, and 2015 and the Patch-generating Land Use Simulation (PLUS) model to predict the future land use patterns of the Aral Sea Basin in 2025. Simultaneously, we divided the Aral Sea Basin into three regions (upstream, midstream, and downstream) and evaluated the dynamic responses of their ESVs to Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) changes. The changes in the types of ecosystem services provided by the Aral Sea Basin, their trade-off, and synergistic relationships were analyzed by weighting their associations. The results showed that from 1995 to 2025, the grassland, urban, and cropland areas in the Aral Sea Basin will expand rapidly, while the areas covered by water bodies will shrink rapidly, causing a total loss of 31.97 billion USD. The downstream loss of 27.79 billion USD of the total amount is mainly caused by the conversion of water bodies to bare land. The ESVs of the middle region will increase by 6.81 billion USD, mainly due to the large amount of water extracted from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya Rivers in the middle regions of the Aral Sea Basin that are used to reclaim cultivated land and expand urban areas. The ESVs and areas experiencing land use changes in the upper regions are relatively small. At the same time, our results show that biodiversity, food production, and water regulation are the major ecosystem service functions, and account for 79.46% of the total ESVs. Of the ecosystem service relationships in the Aral Sea Basin, synergy accounts for 55.56% of the interactions, with a fewer amount of trade-off exchanges. This synergy mainly exists in the relationships involving water regulation, waste treatment and recreation, and culture and tourism. We propose protection measures that will coordinate eco-environmental protection efforts with socioeconomic development in the region in order to achieve the United Nations’ sustainable development goals.
A Mixed Questionnaire Study on Prayer as Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Ghana
Authors: Obu Raphael Nyarkotey , Aggrey-Bluwey Lawrencia
Published: December 2021

Background: Prayer is paramount in the spiritual welfare and development of an individual. Interestingly, prayer is also considered as a form of complementary alternative medicine and is employed in primary healthcare delivery.

Aim: The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of prayer in primary healthcare delivery as a form of complementary healthcare. This study also investigates why patients opt for prayer as an alternative to standard medical care and ultimately to review the scientific aspect of prayer in medicine.

Methods: The study incorporates a mixed methods study with integrated data analysis. The respondents in this study were selected practitioners of Naturopathic Medicine with pastoral background, who belong to the Association of Naturopathic Medicine Practitioners in Ghana.

Results: Patients and complementary and alternative medicine practitioners alike in Ghana believe that prayer is very important to aid recovery and hence, plays an integral role as complementary medicine in healthcare.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that there is a role of prayer as complementary alternative medicine in primary healthcare delivery. We therefore hold the view that, pastors at the prayer camps should be well educated in basic medical sciences to enable an effective referral pathway to the standard medical centers.
Comparative Evaluation of Open Flap Debridement Therapy with Two Different Types of Platelet Concentrates, T-PRF and L-PRF as Adjuncts- A Systematic Review
Authors: Pendyala Gowri , Srivastava Ekta , Pawar Babita , Manthena Satish , Pustake Swati , Joshi Saurabh , Mani Ameet , Mopagar Vidyasagar
Published: December 2021

Conventional Periodontal therapy such as scaling and root planing and open flap debridement aims to halt the inflammation process and promotes repair of disease-related defects. Current regenerative procedures offers a limited potential toward attaining a complete periodontal restoration and none is considered a gold standard in the treatment of intrabony defects. This study was done to compare the efficiency of Titanium-Platelet Rich Fibrin and Leukocyte-Platelet Rich Fibrin as adjuncts to Open Flap Debridement  therapy to treat intra-bony periodontal defects. A search was conducted through PubMed and various other databases such as Cochrane, Google Scholar and EBSCO Host , under the key words, OFD , T-PRF,L-PRF, Clinical Outcomes, Comparison and  Randomised Contolled Trials. Six relevant articles were selected for analysis. Compared to non-platelet concentrates, L-PRFproves to be the better adjunct to open flap debridement therapy. When compared to T-PRF, however, L-PRF has comparatively inferior properties of bone defect resolution and fill.We can conclude that T-PRF has better properties, greater bone defect fill and defect resolution as compared to L-PRF.
Circadian Dysregulation: A Mainstream Mess of the Present World
Authors: Mehta Pankaj , Kaur Gurpreet , Thakur Neelam , Kaur Navneet
Published: December 2021

The physiological systems of humans and other organisms are periodic in nature. One such system is a circadian rhythm, a biological internal clock that is endogenous and entrainable. The circadian rhythm regulates essential functions such as the sleep/wake cycle, hormones, feeding behaviour, metabolism and cell division as well. Due to shift work or jet lag or even irregular sleep, diet, etc., circadian rhythm disorders are one of the most common problems in this century. It is a major factor that can trigger various diseases like depression, lung tumorigenesis, cancer, anxiety, depression and many more. The purpose of this review is to discuss circadian dysregulation and its potential long-term effects in cancer including lung tumor and mental illness including depression, anxiety. Loss of autonomous cells containing Bmal1 and Per2 (the core components of circadian rhythm) will increase growth and metabolism imbalance and increase in c-Myc levels. To treat circadian rhythm disorders, zeitgebers (external cues) should be used to entrain or synchronize the circadian rhythm and sleep phase chronotherapy can also be used.
Prescription Audit and Dispensing Errors in the Outpatient Pharmacy of Tertiary Care Multispecialty Teaching Hospital
Authors: Ahamed T. Irsath , Vaishnavi K. , Harini R. R. , Yalavarthi Likhita , M. Jagadeesan
Published: December 2021

Background: Although errors occurring during the process of dispensing may affect the goal of the treatment, they also can be the significant cause of morbidity and mortality. There are only few published evidences which focuses on the errors of dispensing that occurs in the pharmacy.             This study focuses on identifying the dispensing errors, impact of brand substitution on cost and DDIs.

Objective: To identify the dispensing errors, impact of brand substitution on cost and DDIs.

Methodology: Prospective observational study conducted over a period of eight weeks in outpatient hospital pharmacy of tertiary care multispecialty teaching hospital, Tamil Nadu. Prescriptions and medication bills and dispensed medicines are collected from the hospital pharmacy to obtain data required for the study. Prescription containing only medical devices were excluded from the study.

Results: Out of 1010 prescriptions, dispensing errors were present in 419 (41.48%) prescriptions which consist of 557 errors. The errors include dispensing multi-pills to make the required dose is 3.77%,tablet splitting is 0.8%, incorrect strength is 1.07%, omission error due to unavailability is 31.4%,dispensing drugs with brands other than prescribed brands is 63.7%. Prescriptions which had more than three drugs were analyzed for drug-drug interactions (n=389). DDIs were present in 156(40.1%) prescriptions which had a total of 281 interactions.

Conclusion: The brand substitution and omission errors are the major causes of dispensing errors. Brand substitution is not always recommended as it may have some adverse effects because of salt and excipients variation. Pharmacists are in the position to identify and reduce DDIs by discussing with the physicians.
Black Holes, Gravitational Waves and Quantum Gravity
Authors: Chagas-Filho W. F.
Published: December 2021

Loop Quantum Gravity is a theory that attempts to describe the quantum mechanics of the gravitational field based on the canonical quantization of General Relativity. According to Loop Quantum Gravity, in a gravitational field, geometric quantities such as area and volume are quantized in terms of the Planck length. In this paper we present the basic ideas for a future, mathematically more rigorous, attempt to combine black holes and gravitational waves using the quantization of geometric quantities introduced by Loop Quantum Gravity.
CAFÉ AS STUDENT’S INFORMAL LEARNING SPACE: A CASE STUDY IN BANDUNG, INDONESIA
Authors: Adityawirawan Samuel Sri Kurnia , Kusuma Hanson E.
Published: December 2021

For the past years, the café's functionality has shifted from serving light food or beverages to being used by students as an informal learning space (ILS). This paper discusses university student's motivation to study in a café and the desired café's characteristics as an ILS in Bandung, Indonesia. The research uses a quantitative method using a questionnaire to reveal the dimensions of students' internal motivation and spatial characteristics of the café and its effect on students' informal learning responses while in the café. Results found 6 (six) groups of student motivations and 7 (seven) characteristics of cafés as an ILS. Results uncover a positive relationship between utilitarian motivation and physical characteristics in the form of the availability and quality of café amenities on students' cognitive and affective responses. It is implied that students choose a café as an ILS because such informal space can provide satisfactory physical amenities so that their learning performance is expected to increase. Through this trend, universities and/or related stakeholders could use this opportunity to improve the well-being of the student.
COMPARISON OF AIRFLOW IN TYPE 36 LOW-INCOME HOUSING UNIT USING CFD SIMULATION
Authors: Lestari Lestari , Muazir Syaiful
Published: December 2021

Type 36 houses are built for people who have low income. Because of this, the buildings’ ventilation relies on natural airflow. One of the variables that affects natural ventilation is airflow. Airflow can affect the quality of indoor air, influencing the comfort and health of those within. This study aims to evaluate the designs of type 36 buildings from the perspective of the airflow through the unit. It uses computational fluid dynamics simulations to compare the pattern and velocity of airflow in each building design. There are six designs of type 36 house that have different layouts and placements of air vents. The results of the simulation and analysis show that rooms arranged in a way that allows for the placement of vents that were facing each other, even if they were in different rooms, generated continuous airflow without experiencing turbulence.
PERFORMANCE OF BIOCLIMATIC ARCHITECTURE IN BUGIS VERNACULAR HOUSING: A CASE STUDY OF JIDA AND LAMMADA HOUSES
Authors: Nugroho Agung Murti
Published: December 2021

Bioclimatic architecture is composed of climate-responsive knowledge in vernacular buildings as an effort to create comfortable conditions. This study aims to evaluate the suitability of the application of bioclimatic design to the performance of the thermal environment in one type of Bugis house. The method used is visual assessment and measurement of temperature and humidity in the case studies of Jida and Lammada houses, South Sulawesi. The results of visual observations show the accuracy of the bioclimatic design on the volume and slope elements of the roof; wall type and material; floor height and shade tree layout. The performance of the thermal environment in the living room and bedroom of Lammada house is better than similar rooms at Jida house. The bioclimatic elements that affect the performance of the thermal environment are the volume of the roof, the type and material of the walls and the height of the floor.
Demand Forecasting of The Automobile Sales Using Least Square, Single Exponential Smoothing and Double Exponential Smoothing
Authors: Fahrudin Tresna Maulana , Ambariawan Rysda Putra , Kamisutara Made
Published: December 2021

Sales strategies require the right managerial in marketing products with the development of technology and communication, the decision making in product sales supported by complete data and can be analyzed into intelligence business solutions. The research discussed and provided solutions about how to forecast future demand targets from a set of data history by making a predictive model of product demand in the real case. The research study was obtained from automobile sales, which the company probably set the strategy from the forecast result of automobile sales by the system in the future. The research used forecasting methods such as Least Square, Single Exponential Smoothing, and Double Exponential Smoothing to achieve a small percentage of prediction error. The dataset was collected from Mitsubishi Motors Corporation which obtained 60 samples of popular product types such as Pajero, FE and L300 from 2014 to 2018 over a period of months. The experimental results reported that Double Exponential Smoothing has given a better performance than other methods. The forecasting result of Pajero reached the MAPE of 3.26%, FE reached the MAPE of 3.24%, and L300 reached the MAPE of 3.37%. This study indicates that the selection of the forecasting method depends on the actual data pattern and the adjustment of the parameters in predicting future points.
INTERRUPÇÃO VOLUNTÁRIA DA GRAVIDEZ: A CRIMINALIZAÇÃO QUE NÃO PROTEGE A VIDA DOS FETOS
Authors: Paiva Mesquita João Vitor
Published: December 2021

A presente investigação versa sobre a criminalização do aborto e o não alcance do objetivo de proteção da vida do feto, uma vez que as gestantes não deixam de realizar o procedimento em virtude da proibição legal. Destarte, a pesquisa tem como objetivo propor que a temática do aborto seja discutida sob a perspectiva da saúde pública. O estudo realizado trata-se de pesquisa teórica, de abordagem qualitativa e método de abordagem indutivo, uma vez que são apresentadas algumas premissas no intuito de atingir uma conclusão, bem como método de procedimento bibliográfico de fontes secundárias. Portanto, a investigação concluiu que a legalização do aborto significaria a redução das mortes de mulheres dos marcadores sociais vulneráveis com a garantia do acesso ao procedimento de forma rápida, segura e digna, ausente do julgamento penal e moral.
POR UMA POLÍTICA PÚBLICA EDUCACIONAL NACIONAL DE FORNECIMENTO DE PRODUTOS DE HIGIENE MENSTRUAL
Authors: Motta Ivan Dias da , Araújo Maria de Lourdes , Silva Marcos Alves Da
Published: December 2021

O acesso à educação emancipa pessoas, desperta consciência de si e do mundo, revela direitos e indica caminhos pela respectiva efetivação, o que pressupõe estar presente no ambiente escolar. Adolescentes menstruadas, sem artigos de higiene menstrual adequados, não vão à escola. Neste contexto, o propósito do artigo é analisar o efeito que o fenômeno menstrual provoca acesso de meninas ao ensino e, fixado tal pressuposto, se esta ocorrência justifica a instituição de uma política pública que ofereça estes artigos de higiene menstrual para a efetivação do direito social à educação. A metodologia utilizada foi a abordagem crítica qualitativa e exploratória da produção científica e acadêmica atual relativa à matéria, acompanhado da análise de dados alusivos ao tema, colhidos por entidades oficiais e da sociedade civil organizada. Concluiu-se que, de fato, existe um obstáculo no acesso satisfatório de meninas e mulheres a artigos de higiene menstrual; o que repercute severamente no acesso desta população, dentre outros, ao direito social à educação; o que legitima a instauração de uma política pública para atendimento desta carência, como instrumento de efetivação do direito humano fundamental à equidade de gênero.
LINGUAGEM NEUTRA: OFENSA À LÍNGUA PORTUGUESA OU PRECONCEITO VELADO?
Authors: Cunha Leandro Reinaldo da
Published: December 2021

Texto editorial.
APRESENTAÇÃO
Authors: Cunha Leandro Reinaldo da
Published: December 2021

Apresentação
Historical orientation of Yohannes IV Palace in Mekelle, Tigray State, Ethiopia, from the aspects of planning and building techniques
Authors: Shimizu Nobuhiro , Asfha Alula Tesfay
Published: December 2021

The Yohannes IV Palace, located in Mekelle, the present regional capital of Tigray, Ethiopia, was constructed in the 1880s supervised by the Italian craftsman Giacomo Naretti. This study aims to clarify its historical orientation by analyzing its location, planning, and building elements, by considering Naretti’s contribution, the building’s relationship with local masonry buildings, and the characteristics of the preceding Ethiopian palace quarters. Through the research activities, it becomes clear that the palace’s locational characteristics are in common with the preceding Ethiopian palace sites, especially Gonder. Its planning methods are similar to that of the former residential site of Yohannes IV, which was constructed without foreign builders. Its basic building elements were derived from the former Tigray’s church buildings. Although these results suggest that the palace was a local product of the Ethiopian emperor Yohannes IV, the contribution of Naretti was also evident in more detailed elements of the palace such as the use of elaborate materials, decorative wooden works, stone arches, plaster, and its symmetrical appearance. These design achievements were most likely realized through Naretti’s observation of the local building techniques and the natural environment, and his training of the local craftsmen during his stay in Ethiopia from 1871.
A study on the residential history and variability of dwelling units in KEP Estate Tsurumaki‐3 low‐rise building part 2
Authors: Minami Kazunobu , Ma Lingxiang , Suzuki Atsuya , Chiba Saori
Published: December 2021

The authors investigated the experimental project, Kodan Experimental Housing Project, which the Japanese Housing Corporation started in 1973, to research and develop the flexibility and adaptability of housing. The residents decided the layout of the free spaces, except the stairs and toilet on the second floor of some of the units. The movable partition wall on the second floor was confirmed to be effectively used by many households. It can be inferred that the concept of adaptability was effective, as many of the resident households had children of school age or younger.