bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Culture of listening in professional activity of a preschool educator
Authors: Kost Svitlana , Haida Olha
Published: February 2025

The culture of listening is a key component of the professional activity of a preschool educator. In the conditions of the modern information society, when quality communication becomes a strategic resource, the ability to listen becomes an important skill that directly affects the effectiveness of the educational process. The article examines the importance of the culture of listening in the professional activity of a preschool educator, with special attention paid to various types of listening, which are necessary for interaction with children, their parents and colleagues. Critical listening helps the educator to implement information hygiene, which is especially important for evaluating new methodological materials and educational approaches. Empathic listening allows to build trusting relationships with children, understand their emotional needs and provide a comfortable environment for development. Non-reflective listening is important in cases where the educator is faced with complex emotional reactions of children or their parents that need space for expression. Active reflective listening contributes to a better understanding of children’s needs and allows for more effective organization of educational activities. The article also focuses attention on barriers to listening in the professional activity of an educator, in particular on the influence of external factors and subjective features that can hinder the process of effective communication. The study shows that the development of a listening culture requires not only professional knowledge, but also practical skills of self-regulation, emotional stability, and the ability to empathize. The conclusions emphasize that the integration of various types of listening into the daily activities of a preschool educator contributes to increasing the effectiveness of communication and creating a harmonious educational environment, which, in turn, improves the quality of education in general.
Keywords: preschool educator, preschool education institution, listening, communication, professional activity, educational process.
Factory tours as a method of forming the professional competence of future fashion industry specialists
Authors: Bilotska Larysa , Lozovenko Svitlana , Vodzinska Oksana
Published: February 2025

The article highlights the issue of the formation of professional competence of future specialists in the fashion industry. The authors reviewed scientific research to develop the professional competence of specialists in various fields of knowledge and models of the formation of professional competence in future specialists focused on sustainable development. The research is based on a systematic approach, applying theoretical (synthesis, analysis, generalisation) and empirical methods (observation, questionnaires, interviews, testing, conversations). The work results indicated the growing relevance of strengthening the interaction between the system of higher professional education and potential employers, as well as the need for new forms of integration of universities and business. In order to develop the professional competence of the fashion industry professionals and help students understand their professional path, the authors suggest involving experienced specialists in the field. It is advisable to use the technical resources of enterprises in the educational process. Such interaction between academic institutions and enterprises of the industry can take place through conducting excursions to familiarise students with the structure and technological processes. This interaction implies involvement of leading specialists in the field to give lectures and conduct practical training and master classes. Reciprocal interaction is possible in organising laboratory classes by the faculty’s scientific and pedagogical staff at production facilities using modern equipment and the technical base of enterprises. The authors highlighted the experience of organising educational events for students majoring in 182 – Light Industry Technologies in the production conditions of fashion industry enterprises and the methodology of conducting such classes.
Keywords: professional competence of fashion industry specialists, formation of competencies, excursions to enterprises.
Politics, Policy Alternatives, and Potential for School Desegregation: The Case of Howard County, Maryland
Authors: Bill Kayla
Published: February 2025

In 2019, Maryland’s Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) attempted to redistrict, or redraw school attendance boundaries, to desegregate. Whereas political resistance and legal constraints have thwarted redistricting efforts elsewhere, HCPSS’s diversity and commitments to equity positioned it favorably to desegregate. Using a mixed methods design, I explore how political factors shaped (a) different redistricting alternatives’ potential to reduce segregation and (b) segregation rates under the new attendance boundaries. I find that, despite some advocacy for desegregation, resistance from White and Asian parents led the school board to enact a segregative redistricting plan. Findings highlight the challenges with redistricting to reduce segregation, but also point to policy changes that could help districts capitalize on their limited remaining opportunities to desegregate.
ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ ТРАЄКТОРІЇ РУХУ СНАРЯДА, ВИПУЩЕНОГО ПІД КРИТИЧНИМ КУТОМ ДО ГОРИЗОНТУ
Authors: Здещиц Валерій , Здещиц Анастасія , Слюсаренко Микола
Published: February 2025

Робота присвячена дослідженню законів руху тіла, випущеного з початковою швидкістю під кутом до горизонту. До цього класу задач відноситься, наприклад, постріл з гармати снарядом.
Формулювання проблеми. Якщо випустити снаряд верти-кально, то він спочатку віддаляється, а потім наближається до місця пострілу. Якщо випустити снаряд горизонтально, то він постійно віддаляється. Отже, повинен існувати критичний кут, який розділяє ці два режими польоту снаряду.
Матеріали і методи. Поставлена мета: теоретичне визначення залежності радіальної відстані снаряда від часу, координати х та експериментальне доведення справедли-вості виявлених закономірностей – вирішувалася за допомо-гою установки у вигляді пружинної та магнітної гармати зі снарядом-кулькою. Кут пострілу регулювався в межах 0-90° та реєструвався інклінометром у складі мобільного засто-сунку Phyphox з точністю до десятих градуса. За допомогою інклінометра також горизонтально виставлялася лінійка. Для реєстрації траєкторії кульки один смартфон використо-вувався у режимі slow motion, а інший як мілісекундомір.
Результати. Теоретично обґрунтовано наявність трьох типів траєкторій польоту снаряда, випущеного під кутом α до горизонту. Виявлено феномен знаходження снаряду тричі в різний час на тій самій відстані від точки пострілу. Показано, що для кутів запуску, що перевищують теоре-тично та експериментально визначений критичний кут 70,53°, снаряд спочатку відходить від початку координат, потім рухається назад до нього, а потім знову віддаляється.
Висновки. Розглянуто цікаве явище, пов’язане з рухом снаряда. Показано, що для кутів запуску, які перевищують теоретично та експериментально визначений критичний кут 70,53°, снаряд спочатку відходить від початку координат, потім рухається назад до нього, а потім знову віддаляється, поводячись всупереч здоровому глузду, який каже нам, що снаряд повинен лише віддалятися від місця пострілу. Наявність трьох типів траєкторій польоту снаряда, випущеного під кутом α до горизонту та виявлення феномену знаходження снаряду тричі в різний час на тій самій відстані від точки пострілу є несподіванним результатом для студентів, які вивчають механіку.
STEM-ПІДХІД ДО НАВЧАННЯ ТЕОРІЇ ЙМОВІРНОСТЕЙ ТА МАТЕМАТИЧНОЇ СТАТИСТИКИ МАЙБУТНІХ УЧИТЕЛІВ
Authors: Крамаренко Тетяна
Published: February 2025

Формулювання проблеми. Впровадження STEM-орієнтованих підходів до навчання є актуальною проблемою. Потребує удосконалення методика навчання математики та підготовка учителів. Мета статті – розкрити особливості впровадження STEM-підходів у навчанні теорії ймовірностей та математичної статистики.
Матеріали і методи. Здійснено аналіз науково-методичної літератури з проблеми впровадження STEM-навчання та навчання стохастики, синтез провідних ідей та формулювання власних висновків.
Результати. У статті висвітлено використання STEM-підходів у навчанні теорії ймовірностей та математичної статистики майбутніх учителів математики та інформатики (спеціальність 014 Середня освіта). Приділено увагу аналізу сучасних методик, що поєднують науку, технології, інженерію та математику, зокрема, у навчанні стохастики. Особлива увага приділяється підготовці учителів математики до використання у навчанні стохастики систем динамічної математики Gran1 та GeoGebra, таблиць Google, Wolfram Demonstrations Project, калькулятора ймовірностей. Програмні засоби використовуються як для створення симуляцій, генерації вибірок за певними законами розподілу ймовірностей, так і для опрацювання вибірок, визначення числових та графічних характеристик. Використання наочностей Wolfram Demonstrations Project сприяє кращому розумінню студентами низки тем з теорії ймовірностей: законів розподілу ймовірностей випадкових величин, закону великих чисел, кореляції та регресії. Одним із STEM-підходів є використання методу Монте-Карло, зокрема для наближених обчислень площ фігур та об’ємів тіл. Зроблено акцент на прикладній спрямованості навчання. Важливим є використання практико-орієнтованих завдань. Для реалізації STEM-підходів у навчанні стохастики доцільна розробка фрагментів програм на мовах програмування та демонстрація результатів їх виконання. Наприклад, для статистичної перевірки статистичних гіпотез. Завдання доцільно виконувати у міні-групах як навчальні проєкти.
Висновки. Застосування STEM-підходів у навчанні теорії ймовірностей та математичної статистики сприятиме підвищенню рівня підготовки майбутніх учителів, удосконаленню у них практичних навичок та інтеграції теоретичних знань.
ФОРМУВАННЯ У ЗДОБУВАЧІВ СЕРЕДНЬОЇ ТА ПРОФІЛЬНОЇ ОСВІТИ НАВИЧОК ХХІ СТОЛІТТЯ ЗАСОБАМИ ЦИФРОВИХ ІНСТРУМЕНТІВ
Authors: Яремій Софія , Власій Олеся , Яремій Іван
Published: February 2025

Формулювання проблеми. Актуальною проблемою освіти є переосмислення використання цифрових техноло-гій не тільки як технічних засобів навчання, але і як засобів, які сприяють, зокрема, формуванню навичок ХХІ століття. Різноманіття цифрових сервісів передбачає нескінченну варіацію підходів до їх використання, тому в даній статті увагу зосереджено на таких цифрових інструментах, як, офісні пакети, віртуальні лабораторії, сервіси відкритих даних, хмарні технології, штучний інтелект для формування навичок ХХІ століття у здобувачів середньої та профільної освіти при вивченні інформатичних дисциплін.
Методи та матеріали дослідження. Для проведення дослідження було використано комплекс методів, зокрема, теоретичні методи дослідження (аналіз, узагальнення, пояснення, класифікація, порівняння, узагальнення педагогічного досвіду) та емпіричні методи дослідження (опис, спостереження, анкетування та опитування, експеримент, статистичний аналіз). Педагогічний експеримент проводився на базі фахового медичного коледжу Івано-Франківського національного медичного університету у 2023-2024 н.р. Участь взяло 60 студентів другого курсу, які навчаються за освітньо-професійною програмою «Стоматологія ортопедична».
Результати. Матеріали, розроблені в ході дослідження, було впроваджено в процес вивчення дисципліни «Основи медичної інформатики». На їх основі прооведено аналіз впливу інтеграції цифрових технологій у навчальні курси (на прикладі дисципліни «Основи медичної інформатики») для формування у здобувачів освіти навичок ХХІ ст. Педагогічний експеримент показав, що застосування перелічених вище цифрових інструментів підвищує мотивацію та успішність студентів у порівнянні з традиційними методами.
Висновки. Використання цифрових інструментів розширює можливості формування навичок ХХІ століття, зокрема, розвиває цифрові навички для вирішення комплексних проблем та сприяє критичному мисленню і креативності. Інтеграція проєктно-орієнтованих курсів у навчальний процес сприяє розвитку командної роботи, лідерських якостей та практичному застосуванню знань.
Gödel Syndrome of Food Refusal Secondary to Psychosis after the Earliest Reported Case of Genius Mathematician Kurt Gödel (1906-1978)
Authors: Ashrafian Hutan
Published: February 2025

Kurt Gödel (1906-1978) is considered amongst the greatest mathematicians and logicians of all time. Herein his case of food refusal and self-starvation are presented to highlight the necessity for vigilance and multi-disciplinary approach to manage this complex physico-psychiatric disorder.
Effects of interventions on sedentary behaviour and cardiovascular disease biomarkers in individuals with a spinal cord injury: a systematic review
Authors: Cooper Daniel L , Warland Alyson , Norris Emma , Kilbride Cherry , Paddison Sue , Bailey Daniel P.
Published: February 2025

Individuals with a spinal cord injury have a high risk of cardiovascular disease. Reducing sedentary behaviour may be an intervention target to improve cardiovascular health in this population. The aim of this study was to systematically review the effects of interventions on sedentary behaviour and cardiovascular disease biomarkers in individuals with paraplegia. Following prospective protocol registration (CRD42023420260), eleven sources were searched to identify articles, which were screened by two reviewers. Eligible articles included participants with paraplegia, interventions targeting physical activity and/or sedentary behaviour and studies that measured sedentary behaviour and cardiovascular disease biomarkers. Quality of evidence was assessed for each outcome. One study targeting sedentary behaviour and five targeting physical activity interventions were included. Three of five interventions led to reductions in sedentary behaviour. Four of five interventions improved cardiovascular disease biomarkers. Quality of evidence was very low for sedentary behaviour and low for cardiovascular disease biomarker outcomes. Physical activity interventions may be effective for reducing sedentary behaviour and improving cardiovascular disease biomarkers in individuals with paraplegia. There is insufficient evidence to make conclusions regarding interventions targeting sedentary behaviour, which requires further investigation to inform public health and rehabilitation guidelines.
自由意志的幻象：从硬决定论视角解析因果关系与选择的误解
Authors: Yu Xiaoyang
Published: February 2025

在现代物理学的发展中，量子力学的不确定性被认为是对经典确定性观念的挑战。然而，这是否意味着宏观系统（如蒸汽机或人体）失去了机械性，或必须用量子不确定性来重新定义其运行规律？本文探讨了物理学层次性的基本原理，论证了宏观系统的运行规律并不会因量子不确定性的存在而发生改变。我们通过类比康威生命游戏（Conway’s Game of Life）中规则与宏观模式的关系，指出更基础的物理理论并不会否定更高层次上的有效规律，而是作为其内在支撑。进一步地，本文分析了量子不确定性是否能够成为自由意志的物理学基础，并得出结论：即便量子随机性在宏观层面上产生可观测的影响，这种影响仍然是随机性的体现，而非自由选择的展现。因此，试图将量子不确定性与自由意志相联系的观点并无科学依据。 本论文探讨了自由意志的幻象如何建立在选择的幻象之上，而选择的幻象又如何依赖于多重可能世界的假设。我们指出，人类的思维模式倾向于将自然的展开误认为是自身思考所产生的因果力的作用，从而构造出自由意志的概念。然而，硬决定论表明，所有事件的发生是整体上被决定的，而非某个局部事件触发另一个局部事件。因此，所谓的“因果链”仅仅是一种人类认知上的误导，而世界的真实运作更类似于一部已固定的电影，其每一帧皆已预定，并非由角色的思考或行动推动。本论文通过剖析自由意志与因果关系的认知错觉，挑战主流哲学和心理学对个体决策过程的理解，并指出量子力学的不确定性无法为自由意志提供支撑。
The Cost-Benefit Analysis of Heuristic Decision Making
Authors: Bhowmick Moumita
Published: February 2025

Our daily life is filled with innumerable decisions on topics ranging from what to eat, where to meet, where to invest, whom to marry to several policy decisions by government, medical decisions by doctors, judicial decisions etc. How do one make decisions and how should one make them forms the basis of decision making sciences. According to the popular belief, the best way to decide is by relying on the rationally optimal algorithm which necessitates one to gather as much information as possible to infer the options, and then decide which option suits the best. It is considered to be ‘ideal’ as it often produces guaranteed result such as maximization or minimization accurately. However, in reality decision makers often don’t follow the rules of rational optimization which is why they make certain decision making shortcuts or heuristics that guides one to judge and take the decision. The reason for following heuristics may be due to various kind of constraints that is imposed on the decision makers in the real world. Given its ability to capture the constraints of the real world, can we consider heuristics to be the ideal decision making algorithm? This paper makes an attempt to critically evaluate by reviewing the literature.
Frequency Following Responses to Electric Cochlear Stimulation in an Animal Model
Authors: Richardson Matthew L. , Carlyon Robert P. , Lin Harrison W. , Middlebrooks John C.
Published: February 2025

Purpose.Present-day cochlear-implant (CI) users can achieve high levels of speech reception in quiet surroundings. Nevertheless, sensitivity to the temporal pitch of sounds is limited, which contributes to deficits in speech reception amid multiple talkers and in appreciation of musical melodies. Short-term, invasive neurophysiological studies in animals have demonstrated limitations in neural phase locking in the tonotopic range of the auditory pathway that is activated by CIs. It remains an open question, however, whether those neural limitations can account for perceptual deficits in those animal species, let alone in human CI users. For that reason, we have evaluated non-invasive scalp recordings evoked by electrical pulse trains from CIs chronically implanted in cats. Methods.Ten deafened cats were implanted with an animal version of a clinical CI array. The electrically-evoked frequency following response (eFFRs) was recorded from sedated animals at ≳10 weeks post-implantation. Stimuli consisted of constant-amplitude electrical pulse trains at rates from ~40 to 640 pulses per second. Results.Recordings of the eFFR demonstrated robust responses synchronized to electrical pulse trains across all stimulus rates. Analyses of eFFR amplitude and phase transfer functions confirmed that the eFFR, as with its normal-hearing counterpart, originates from multiple subcortical and cortical generators. The slopes of segments of eFFR phase transfer functions revealed stimulus-to-response latencies of generators that dominated the eFFR across restricted ranges of pulse rates. Those rate ranges must coincide with the limits of phase locking by putative generators at successive levels of the auditory neuroaxis and could inform our understanding of the limits to perceptual temporal acuity. Conclusion.The eFFR demonstrated here in an animal model provides a valuable non-invasive measure of temporal processing in electric cochlear stimulation that can be related to ongoing perceptual measures in the same animals and is well-suited to evaluate novel modes of auditory prothesis for enhanced temporal acuity.
Collectivism was Associated Late Vaccination Uptake During COVID Pandemic: A National Survey and A Global Analysis
Authors: Chan Hiu Sze , Chiu Chi-yue , Yunyun Mao , Wu Wu Shengtao , Cohen Adam B. , Zhu Jing , Lu Jackson G.
Published: February 2025

Introduction Vaccination by enabling herd immunity was crucial to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. Collectivism as a cultural value prioritizes social responsibility over personal choice and prescribes the use of the wait-and-adjust heuristic in decision-making. Past COVID-19 research showed that in more collectivist cultures, enforcement of non-pharmaceutical interventions was more effective and infection and mortality rates were lower. However, more collectivist cultures, with their greater reliance on the wait-and- adjust heuristic in decision-making, might delay vaccination before the vaccines’ effectiveness and safety was ascertained.Methods The hypothesized relationship between collectivism and slow vaccination uptake was tested in two studies. In a national survey (n = 5,438) conducted in China (a country with significant regional variations in collectivism), 153 days after COVID-19 vaccines were available, respondents’ collectivism and their vaccination behavior and intention were measured (Study 1). Next, data on collectivism and daily changes in vaccination rates from 183 cultures were analyzed with a series of multilevel models to assess the relationship of collectivism with changes in the vaccination rates across cultures (Study 2).Results When vaccines were unavailable, more collectivist cultures had fewer COVID-19 infection and death rates. However, after vaccines were released in China, more collectivist Chinese citizens were less likely to receive early vaccination (Study 1). Furthermore, around the world, more collectivist cultures had slower vaccination rates in the first year of vaccination administration (Study 2). Conclusions Although collectivism motivates compliance with NPI requirements, it is associated with late vaccination uptake. Past research shows that strengthening a shared sense of identity and inoculation against misinformation are two effective COVID-19 control strategies. The present research suggests that for pandemic management, identity strengthening is particularly commendable in less collectivist cultures before and after vaccines are available, whereas misinformation inoculation is particularly commendable in more collectivist cultures when vaccines are available.
The Fractal Nature of Time: A Fractional Calculus Hypothesis Integrating Physics and Philosophy
Authors: Ashrafian Hutan
Published: February 2025

Time is traditionally modelled as a smooth one-dimensional continuum in physics, yet evidence from complex systems, quantum gravity, and cosmology suggests a richer structure. I propose the fractal time hypothesis, which posits that time exhibits self-similarity and scale invariance, concepts that echo MacTaggart’s argument for time’s infinite regress via self-referentiality. A rigorous mathematical framework for fractal time is developed using fractional calculus, integrating these ideas into physical laws from classical mechanics to quantum physics, relativity, and cosmology. I derive fractional differential formulations of physical laws and scaling laws that link fractal time to observable effects. Key outcomes include modified equations of motion with memory effects, a generalized Schrödinger equation and uncertainty relations under fractional time evolution, corrections to relativistic time dilation, and an extension of cosmological models. These yield testable predictions, such as deviations in high-precision clock measurements, anomalous relaxation dynamics, altered particle decay rates, and potential explanations for cosmological puzzles including the Universe’s expansion rate, Penrose conformal cyclic cosmology and Gödel closed timelike curves. If time is fractal, foundational physics must be rethought, offering a unified framework that connects phenomena such as 1/f noise, anomalous diffusion, and quantum gravity’s dimensional reduction. This interdisciplinary approach also explores the ontological and epistemological implications of fractal time, contrasting it with classical views from McTaggart and Bergson, and demonstrating how a fractal model circumvents traditional paradoxes. Overall, the results suggest that fractal time can reconcile disparate descriptions of temporal reality, introduce scale-invariant laws, and pave the way for new theoretical and experimental advancements.
Které hlasy jsou evropské? Ústavní geografie po zákonu o korespondenční volbě
Authors: Ochodková Kateřina
Published: February 2025

V článku se zabývám recentními změnami módu reprezentace vnějšího elektorátu ve volbách do Poslanecké sněmovny. Ve dvojjediné případové studii ze substantivního a z procesního hlediska analyzuji změny v módu reprezentace, jednom z institucionálních omezení extrateritoriálního hlasování, zavedené zákonem č. 89/2024 a zákonem č. 268/2024. Předmět studie, otázka územního vymezení oblastí v zahraničí, je českým právní věděním přehlížen, předkládaná studie je pak první a jedinou analýzou recentních změn. Důležitost rozboru změn v asimilované reprezentaci plyne z toho, že jde o prvek volebního systému, jehož nastavení může ovlivnit výsledek prvořadých voleb. Ze substantivního hlediska je nové územní vymezení oblastí v zahraničí provedeno nevhodně, protože nezaručuje bezrozporné přiřazení některých států ke konkrétní oblasti v zahraničí. Z procesního hlediska je případ příkladem „ne tak dobrého“ volebního zákonodárství, zapříčiněného neschopností vyhodnotit pravou povahu změn v podmínkách nedostatečné péče o kvalitu volební legislativy. Studií poukazuji na vysoce aktuální problém s nezanedbatelnými důsledky pro integritu nejdůležitějších voleb v České republice.
Scrutinizing the Value and Implementation of Volitional Personality Development at Work
Authors: Hennecke Marie , Ingold Pia V.
Published: February 2025

In this commentary, we discuss Dupré and Wille’s proposal (2024) to consider employees’ personality change goals in the work context. We compare volitional personality development to skill development and call for more evidence to determine the benefits for both employees and organizations in this context. We also put forward that a clearer understanding is required of how job demands influence personality traits and of how these demands interact with and shape the integration of potential complementary personality development training modules. In closing, we provide avenues for future research.
When can we and when do we adapt? Evidence that conflict adaptation can transcend contexts early in childhood.
Authors: Potamianou Hera , Bryce Donna
Published: February 2025

*This manuscript is not yet published* Developing the ability to focus on relevant information and ignore irrelevant information is crucial for navigating an ever-changing environment. This skill, cognitive control, can be studied using conflict tasks in which the relevant and irrelevant information in a trial either align or compete (congruency). Performance in these tasks can be affected not only by the current trial’s congruency but also by the previous trial’s congruency. In adults, this conflict adaptation has been reported to occur between trials of the same task and different tasks. The goal of this study was to study the development and flexibility of cognitive control by assessing conflict adaptation across different age groups and contexts. Two groups of children (aged 6 and 9 years) and one group of adults processed adaptations of the Stroop and Simon tasks and the resulting mouse-tracking variables (total movement time, initiation time, maximum absolute deviation, changes of direction) were analysed. Across three experiments different context similarities were created depending on which tasks were combined. The results indicate that within-task conflict adaptation occurs in all age groups, and that some aspects of the unfolding response are increasingly affected by the current and previous trial’s congruency with age (namely, the deviation from a direct path to the correct response). Adults show less consistent across-task conflict adaptation effects as the paired tasks become more dissimilar, whereas data collected from children demonstrated conflict adaptation effects that transferred across tasks that were considered to be medium or low similarity. This represents a remarkable capacity for conflict adaptation early in development.
Associations between real-world tobacco retail exposure and smoking outcomes: a geolocation study
Authors: Muzekari Benjamin , Cooper Nicole , Resnick Anthony , Paul Alexandra M. , Torres Omaya , Andrews Mary , Mattan Bradley D. , Scholz Christin , Johnson Darin G. , Carreras Tartak Jose , Cakar Melis , Hao Susan , Zhou Emily , Beard Elizabeth , Mesquiti Steven , Sayed Farah , Fichman Michael , Lydon-Staley David M. , Barnett Ian , Strasser Andrew , Kirchner Thomas , Henriksen Lisa , Falk Emily B.
Published: February 2025

Importance: The tobacco industry spends over $8 billion annually in the United States on marketing at the point-of-sale. Exposure to tobacco retail has been associated with smoking outcomes, but few studies have objectively logged day-to-day, real-world tobacco retail exposure and linked exposure to smoking outcomes, which can provide insight into dynamic associations.Objective: To assess pre-registered hypotheses that individuals report greater craving and cigarettes smoked on days when their objectively logged retail exposure is higher than usual. Design: A 14-day within-person observational study combining geolocating tracking, public tobacco-retail location records, and ecological momentary assessment. Data collection occurred from 2022 to 2024.Setting: A remote study including participants statewide in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.Participants: Main eligibility criteria were: aged 21-65 years, smoked at least five cigarettes per day for the previous six months, owned an iPhone or Android smartphone, and a resident of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or Delaware. Participants were selected via convenience sampling. A total of 310 participants enrolled and 273 participants were included in the final analysis.Exposure: To assess tobacco retail exposure, mobility data collected objectively via geolocation tracking was matched with locations of tobacco retailers across three states.Main Outcomes and Measures: Daily average craving and daily number of cigarettes smoked, reported via ecological momentary assessment.Results: Multilevel models revealed support for both pre-registered hypotheses. On days when individuals had more tobacco marketing exposure than their usual baseline, they reported significantly higher levels of craving (b = 0.04, t(3,456.79) = 2.56, p = 0.01) and smoking significantly more cigarettes (b = 0.01, t(3,469) = 2.47, p = 0.01).Conclusions and Relevance: People’s environments shape their feelings and behaviors. Exposure to tobacco retail in the real-world is associated with increases in craving and smoking. Findings highlight the significance of retail exposure in relation to smoking, information that is critical for developing effective tobacco control interventions.
Neuromodulation for Tourette syndrome: Current Techniques and Future Perspectives
Authors: Haslam Sarah , Johnson Kara , Anderson Daria Nesterovich , Mahant Neil , Anderson Collin
Published: February 2025

Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (TS) is a chronic tic disorder characterized by both motor and vocal tics, with onset in childhood. Neuropsychiatric symptoms are nearly universal in TS, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive compulsive disorders, and anxiety disorders. TS can have substantial effects on quality of life, social and intellectual development, opportunities, relationships and more. There are limited treatment options for TS, such as behavioral therapy or pharmacological interventions, often with unsatisfactory benefit. Neuromodulation has been established as a viable treatment strategy for specific aspects of TS through modulation of neural pathways and networks. Several neuromodulation techniques have been utilized for TS, with deep brain stimulation (DBS) exhibiting the strongest efficacy. The invasive nature of DBS remains a disincentive for its uptake, in conjunction with the fact that tics often reduce in severity in early adulthood. Less invasive neuromodulation approaches have also been explored, but their efficacy remains limited. However, given its efficacy in TS, DBS provides the unique opportunity to record neural activity from deep brain structures, which has been used to investigate pathophysiology and to search for biomarkers of treatment response. This may guide strategies for less invasive neuromodulation therapies. To maximize progress in the field, we suggest several strategies: multicenter data sharing is crucial due to the small number of people treated at single centers, utilization of recording capabilities on recent DBS devices, correlation with the precise location of the implanted electrodes, and the use of pre-clinical studies to better understand the mechanisms of successful neuromodulation for TS.
One direction? Cultural aspects of the mental number line beyond reading direction
Authors: Bulut Merve , Roth Lilly , bahreini narjes , Cipora Krzysztof , Reips Ulf-Dietrich , Nuerk Hans-Christoph
Published: February 2025

Spatial-Numerical Associations (SNAs) refer to the demonstrations of spatial processing of numbers. The Mental Number Line (MNL) is a representation model describing numbers as aligning left-to-right (LR) and was suggested to account for directional biases in participants’ responses during numerical tasks. One common behavioral demonstration of this is the Spatial-Numerical Associations of Response Codes (SNARC) effect, which describes faster left/right-hand responses to smaller/larger numbers, respectively. The MNL, and, consequently, directional SNAs, show variabilities across different cultures. Reading direction is considered to be the main factor in explaining these differences. In line with this, individuals with right-to-left (RL) reading habits show a weaker or even reverse SNARC effect. In the present study, we investigated whether SNAs are influenced not only by reading direction, but also by cultural directional preferences such as drawing lines, arranging objects, imagining objects (i.e., rightward or leftward facing), or representing events in time (i.e., mentally representing the past and the future on the left or right). To test this hypothesis, we measured the cultural directional preferences and the SNARC effect across three cultures in an online setup; German, Turkish, and Iranian. LR preferences in the Cultural Directional Preferences Questionnaire were most prominent in German participants, intermediate in Turkish participants, and least prominent in Iranian participants. In line with this, the LR SNARC effect was strongest in German, intermediate in Turkish, and weakest (but not RL) in Iranian culture. These findings suggest that cultural directional preferences are involved in the emergence of adult SNAs in addition to the reading direction.
How Regulatory Flexibility in Strategy Use Helps Self-Control: Theoretical Models, Empirical Evidence, and Empirical Challenges
Authors: Hennecke Marie , Bürgler Sebastian , Hofmann Wilhelm , Friese Malte
Published: February 2025

This chapter does not contain an abstrat. It reviews current research on the role of regulatory flexibility in strategy use for self-control.
The Oxford Visual Perception Screen: development and normative data of a standardised assessment for visual perception difficulties
Authors: Vancleef Kathleen , Castellani Ruby , Shorthose Rebecca , Guo Catherine , Cai Fulin , Guazzo Federica , Demeyere Nele
Published: February 2025

Objective: We aimed to develop and standardise a practical systematic screening tool for visual perception impairments after a stroke to replace current subjective methods.Study design: A mixed methods study including test development, a cross-sectional study, and a case series.Methods: Development of the Oxford Visual Perception Screen (OxVPS) follows a published Delphi, a survey and performance data on visual perception tasks. Stakeholder feedback from patients and health professionals improved iterative prototypes. Subsequently, we collected normative data from community dwelling older volunteers without a neurological history. Our case series included patients with ocular conditions or a stroke. For each task of OxVPS, we determined 5th centile cut-off scores. We further explored effects of age, visual acuity, and gender on visual perception through Generalised Linear Models. Results: OxVPS is a 15-minute paper-and-pen assessment comprising 10 tasks including picture naming, star counting, and reading. Normative data of 107 participants demonstrated persistent high performance with most cut-offs near ceiling. Apart from the Figure Copy (p<0.001) and Global Shape Perception task (p<0.001) we found no evidence for an effect of visual acuity on OxVPS. An effect of age was only observed in the Face Recognition (p<0.001) and Reading task (p<0.001). No effects of gender were observed. A series of eight cases illustrates the interpretation of OxVPS.Conclusion: We present the Oxford Visual Perception Screen, a standardised visual perception screening tool alongside normative data and illustrative cases. OxVPS can potentially change screening for visual perception impairments in clinical practice and is available at https://oxvps.webspace.durham.ac.uk/.
Sense of Agency remains unchanged despite Motor Adaptation
Authors: Takada Kazuma , Wen Wen , Kasahara Shunichi , Froese Tom
Published: February 2025

The Sense of Agency (SoA), the subjective feeling of controlling one’s actions and theirconsequences, has been explained through two primary theoretical frameworks: thecomparator model and retrospective views. While the comparator model focuses on theconsistency between the sensory prediction generated through internal models and theactual sensory input, retrospective theories emphasize the detection of regularitiesbetween one’s own actions and sensory input and self-attribution based on thisinformation. However, how the two types of processes contribute to the exploration ofcontrol remains unclear. In the present study, we explored this question by examining theeffect of updating the internal model for motor control on the SoA in a control detectiontask. Participants first adapted to a rotation of visual feedback while controlling a dot onthe screen, then conducted free movements to choose the dot they felt they could controlmost effectively among five dots with different rotation angles (i.e., the control detectiontask). Experiment 1 used a tracking task for the motor adaptation, while Experiment 2used a reaching task to replicate the result of Experiment 1. The results of the twoexperiments showed that the motor adaptation in both tasks did not have a significanteffect on the control detection task. In other words, it is likely that the updating of theinternal model only has a minimal effect on the control detection. Our findings indicatedthat the regularity detection process is likely to dominate in the exploration of the SoA,compared to the predictive process, which requires the internal model to generatepredictions for each movement. These findings provide important insights forunderstanding the sense of agency in the context of exploratory behaviors within the novelenvironments.
The Power and Pitfalls of Industrial Policy: Evidence from China
Authors: Wei Hannah Yi
Published: February 2025

I study the impacts of industrial policy on innovation and industrial development by deciphering the landmark Chinese industrial policy - the Strategic and Emerging Industries initiative (SEI), from 2010 to 2018. Using differences-in-differences methods with staggered adoption and city-industry level data, I find that the policy significantly boosts patent counts, firm turnover, and output in targeted sectors, though gains in innovation quality and employment remain subdued. Additionally, I identify inefficiency in China’s top-down approach, where local governments prioritize alignment with national priorities over local comparative advantages. Sectors targeted with a pre-existing innovation advantage see at least double the gains in innovation and output compared to those without, underscoring the path-dependent nature of innovation. These findings emphasize the importance of aligning industrial policy with local strengths to foster quality-based growth. While the SEI initiative demonstrates China's ability to drive numerical growth, it also reveals the challenge of fostering widespread, quality-driven upgrading. These insights offer broader lessons for other developing economies navigating similar transitions.
Does why we drink alcohol matter? A cross-sectional study investigating associations between alcohol drinking motives and alcohol-free and low-alcohol drink consumption amongst adults in Great Britain.
Authors: Burke Lucy C , Angus Colin , Brown Jamie , Kersbergen Inge
Published: February 2025

IntroductionThe UK has promoted increasing the availability of alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks (no/lo, ≤1.2% ABV) as a public health strategy. To be effective, no/lo beverages must replace, and not supplement, standard alcoholic drinks. Emerging qualitative evidence suggests the reasons people drink alcohol may be important when investigating the potential public health impact of these drinks. This has not yet been explored quantitatively. This study aimed to determine whether alcohol drinking motives were associated with no/lo consumption after accounting for sociodemographic characteristics and alcohol consumption.MethodsA cross-sectional sample of adults residing in Great Britain (aged 16-93) who had drunk alcohol in the past year were recruited via the Alcohol Toolkit Study (N = 2555; 49.0% female). The dependent variable was frequency of no/lo consumption (less than/ at least monthly). Five questions captured respondents’ alcohol drinking motives (enhancement, social, conformity, coping-anxiety, coping-depression). Sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, social grade, education, index of deprivation) and hazardous alcohol use (AUDIT-C) were included in the analyses. The proportion of respondents who reported drinking no/lo at high and low levels of endorsement of each drinking motive is presented. Quasibinomial regression modelling explored relationships between alcohol drinking motives and no/lo consumption, accounting for sociodemographic characteristics and hazardous drinking. ResultsDrinking alcohol to conform was the only drinking motive associated with no/lo consumption after accounting for sociodemographic characteristics and hazardous drinking (OR = 1.10, 95% CI 1.00-1.21, p=0.041). A higher frequency of drinking alcohol to conform was associated with an increased probability of drinking no/lo at least monthly. Conclusions No/lo drinks may be a useful substitute for those wishing to reduce their alcohol consumption whilst avoiding pressure to conform to social norms. Those drinking alcohol to conform were not typically higher-risk drinkers, which may limit the public health benefit of no/lo drinks.
Mapping subnational gender gaps in internet and mobile adoption using social media data
Authors: Breen Casey , Fatehkia Masoomali , Yan Jiani , Zhao Xinyi , Leasure Douglas R. , Weber Ingmar , Kashyap Ridhi
Published: February 2025

The digital revolution has ushered in many societal and economic benefits. Yetaccess to digital technologies such as mobile phones and internet remains highly un-equal, especially by gender in the context of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).While national-level estimates are increasingly available for many countries, reliable,quantitative estimates of digital gender inequalities at the subnational level are lack-ing. These estimates, however, are essential for monitoring gaps within countries andimplementing targeted interventions within the global sustainable development goals,which emphasize the need to close inequalities both between and within countries. Wedevelop estimates of internet and mobile adoption by gender and digital gender gaps atthe subnational level for 2,075 regions in 117 LMICs from 2015 through 2025, a contextwhere digital penetration is low and national-level gender gaps disfavoring women arelarge. We construct these estimates by applying machine-learning algorithms to Face-book user counts, geospatial data, development indicators, and population compositiondata. We calibrate and assess the performance of these algorithms using ground-truthdata from subnationally-representative household survey data from 33 LMICs. Ourresults reveal striking disparities in access to mobile and internet technologies betweenand within LMICs. These disparities contribute to a global context where women are22% less likely to use the internet and 14% less likely to own a mobile phone, corre-sponding to over 384 million fewer women owning a mobile phone and over 312 millionfewer women using the internet.
Buddhism and South Asian Folklore
Authors: Lewis Todd T.
Published: February 2025

Background: This article examines interaction between Buddhism and South Asian folklore exploring the influences of Buddhist traditions over culture, traditions, beliefs and practices of the local people specifically in northern India since the origin of Buddhism in the region.
Objective: The objective of the paper is to focus the impacts of the Buddhist principles in various culture, custom and folklore in the South Asian region as the Dhamma gets expanded across South Asia and beyond.
Methodology: Interdisciplinary methodology is employed while going through the research work, drawing from historical, textual, ethnographic, and sociological approaches to analyze the relationships between Buddhism, folklore, and contemporary South Asian society.
Result: The paper depicts how the states were formed adopting the values of the Dhamma and how it brought a cultural integration becoming a popular religious practice in the region. There were people who preferred monastic life with Spiritual Practices and Meditations under the guidance of core Buddhist Philosophy whereas there were others, the householders, who were much more influenced by Buddhist rituals and local folklore. The role of Buddhist Monks and Nuns in facilitating the laities with ritual practices and Buddhist teachings is highlighted in the article. The article reflects the role of monastic folklorists in transforming folk traditions into an important part of Buddhist Practices by mixing up local deities, spirits and rituals into Buddhist cosmology. Jatakas and Avadanas stories of the Buddha's past lives are highlighted in the paper as the key sources of Teaching Buddhist ethics and doctrines to the common people.
Conclusion: The paper investigates how Buddhism, in South Asia, got flourished with its modest engagement with various cultures and traditions in the region with significant influences over the folklore of the contemporary societies
Models of Cognitive Processes as Depicted in the Sutta Literature
Authors: Neupane Fanindra Kumar
Published: February 2025

Background: Buddhism renders all the miseries and sorrows in human beings to the evils inherent in the cognitive process. In the Pāli Commentaries and Sub-commentaries, a comprehensive model of cognitive process is discussed in the terminology of Citta-Vīthi, however, this concept is depicted in the original Sutta, Vinaya, and Abhidhamma Canonical texts at the very basic level. In such teachings, knowledge acquired through sense perception is taken as the phenomena leading towards sorrow and misery.
Objective: The objective of the study is to explore the models of five aggregates, six āyatana and eighteen dhātus, dependent origination, and thought proliferation in Sutta teachings.
Methodology: This research work has adopted the critical thinking skill research method to explore the cognitive process models depicted in the Sutta Literature.
Result: From such study, it has been found that in Sutta teachings cognitive process is depicted as the models of five aggregates, six āyatana and eighteen dhātus, dependent origination, and thought proliferation.
Conclusion: The teachings of the Buddha always focus on the rational understanding (sammā-diṭṭhi) of the subject matter how the senses work and how the misery entails in these processes. Thus, it is important to explore the models of cognitive processes depicted in the original Sutta literature. For that purpose. At the end of this research, a conclusion is drawn that every event of the cognitive process begins from a simple sensation process and proceeds by degrees to a discriminative apprehension of the sense object.