bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Lavender Aromatherapy (Lavendula Angustifolia) on Anxiety Level in Labor at Kediri City Hospital
Authors: Affanin Hanun , Kundarti Finta Isti , Mediawati Mika
Published: February 2024

Anxiety in mothers is a clinical problem that can cause maternal depression and affect development. However, there is actually no special treatment that can be given to maternity mothers to reduce the anxiety felt. Giving lavender aromatherapy is one way of reducing maternal anxiety before labor. This study aims to analyze the effect of lavender aromatherapy on the level of anxiety in labor. This quantitative research uses a quasi-experimental design and a pretest-posttest control design. The sampling for the research was carried out by using random sampling techniques. The sample was 60 maternity mothers in the active phase with 30 intervention group respondents and 30 control group respondents, with lavender aromatherapy intervention in one of the hospitals in Kediri. The results showed a difference in anxiety levels in the intervention group and the control group after lavender aromatherapy was given to maternity mothers. Lavender aromatherapy has been proven to affect the hypothalamus and reduce the secretion of corticotrophin-stimulating hormone through olfactory pathway stimulation, which can ultimately lower maternal anxiety levels before labor. The use of lavender aromatherapy in labor rooms in various services, both services at PUSKESMAS (Community Health Centre) and hospitals, should be considered to reduce maternal anxiety before delivery.
Concurrent perception of competing predictions: a “Split-Stimulus Effect”
Authors: Melling Joseph , Turner William , Hogendoorn Hinze
Published: February 2024

Visual illusions are systematic misperceptions that can help us glean the heuristics with which the brain constructs visual experience. In a recently discovered visual illusion (the “Frame Effect”), it has been shown that flashing a stimulus inside of a moving frame produces a large misperception of that stimulus’s position. Across two experiments, we investigated a novel illusion (the “Split Stimulus Effect”) where the symmetrical motion of two overlaid frames produces two simultaneous positional misperceptions of a single stimulus. That is, one stimulus is presented but two are perceived. In both experiments, a single red dot was flashed when the moving frames reversed direction, and participants were asked to report how many dots they saw. Naïve participants sometimes reported seeing two dots when only one was presented indicating spontaneous perception of the illusion. A Bayesian analysis of the population prevalence of this effect was conducted. The dependence of this effect on the frames’ speed, the dot’s opacity, selective attention, as the presence/absence of pre-flash motion (‘postdiction’) was also investigated, and the features of this illusion were compared to similar motion position illusions within a predictive processing framework. In demonstrating this illusory “splitting” effect, this study is the first to show that it’s possible to be simultaneously aware of two opposing perceptual predictions about a single object, and provides evidence of the hyperpriors that limit and inform the structure of visual experience.
Naming before Taming? Emotion Differentiation and Emotion Regulation Variability Hinder Each Other within Adolescents.
Authors: Lo Tak Tsun (Edmund) , Verhagen Maaike , Pouwels J. Loes , van Roekel Eeske , O'Brien Sarah Taylor , Debra Gillian , Braet Jolien , Vink Jacqueline , Maciejewski Dominique
Published: February 2024

To adapt to changing situations in daily lives, adolescents vary the intensity of strategies or switch between strategies to regulate their emotions. This emotion regulation variability is thought to be enhanced by emotion differentiation, which refers to how well adolescents distinctively label their emotions. We tested this assumption in five experience sampling method datasets, which repeatedly assessed emotion differentiation and emotion regulation variability in 750 adolescents’ daily life (aged 11 to 25, 59.17% female, 25834 observations). Unexpectedly, moments of higher emotion differentiation were followed by more consistent use of emotion regulation strategies (i.e., lower emotion regulation variability). Reciprocally, moments with high emotion regulation variability were followed by less emotion differentiation. These negative bidirectional temporal influences were present regardless of the types of variability (intensity or switching) and emotions (positive or negative). Our results prompt the need of further studying the benefits and interplay between emotion differentiation and regulation variability.
Does the Big Five Explain Envy? ‘True’ Correlations and Associations with Age, Sex, Education, and Income in Multi-rater Data
Authors: Dragostinov Yavor , Henry Sam , Stewart Ross David , Maher Paddy , Hofmann Roxana , Xu ling , Zhang Ye , Vainik Uku , Mõttus René
Published: February 2024

Most of the literature has examined envy using predominantly self-report measures. In the current study, we combined self- and informant-reports to estimate personality domains’ (Big Five, Dark Dyad) ‘true’ correlations (rtrues) with benign and malicious envy using three samples tested in different languages (Estonian, N = 20,925; Russian, N = 767; English, N = 593). This allowed us to control for measurement- and occasion-specific biases, as well as random error. We assessed how the two types of envy relate to age, sex, education, and income (both personal and household). Additionally, we conducted linear regressions on self-reports (Estonian, N = 62,545; Russian, N = 3025; English, N = 640), controlling for the Big Five and demographic variables. Big Five domains’ rtrues with benign (-.65 to .21; -.69 to .37; -.76 to .08) and malicious envy (-.40 to .26; -.47 to .30; -.49 to .14) replicated across the Estonian-, Russian-, and English-speaking samples, respectively. Across the three samples, we found benign and malicious envy to be negatively associated with age (in years) and sex (female). In the Estonian-speaking sample, those with higher levels of benign and malicious envy tended to report higher personal and household incomes. Our findings show that envy is not redundant with the Big Five personality domains. We also highlight the importance of incorporating and collecting data from multiple raters in personality studies, especially for socially transgressive traits.
Precursors of Students’ Cost Perceptions: Identifying Proximal and Distal Antecedents
Authors: Allen Elise C. , Beymer Patrick N. , Rosenzweig Emily Quinn
Published: February 2024

Studies of students’ cost perceptions have been prevalent in recent years; however, little work has examined what may precede the formation of these costs. In the present study, we examine proximal and distal precursors of students’ (N=351) weekly cost perceptions throughout a semester in college physics using a weekly diary survey. Costs were examined across four dimensions: task effort, outside effort, loss of valued alternatives, and emotional cost. Multilevel modeling indicated that weekly measures of belonging and self-regulated learning predicted lower levels of nearly all cost types. Additionally, baseline measures of students’ expectancies for success and physics identity were negatively related to most cost dimensions. Conversely, the number of credits students were enrolled in did not predict costs. This study contributes to better understanding how cost perceptions are formed and has implications for contributing to future interventions aimed at reducing costs.
Mapping Knowledge: Topic Analysis of Science Locates Researchers in Disciplinary Landscape
Authors: Hladik Radim , RENISIO Yann
Published: February 2024

The study presents a new approach for constructing an epistemological coordinate system that locates individual researchers within the disciplinary landscape of science. Drawing on a comprehensive national dataset of scientific outputs, we build a topic model based on a semantic network of publications and terms derived from textual content comprising titles, abstracts, and keywords. Compositional data transformation applied to the topic model enables a geometric analysis of topics across disciplines. The design yields four important results for addressing the gap between knowledge and knowledge-producers. 1) Hierarchical clustering confirms an alignment between traditional disciplinary classification and our empirical, bottom-up topic model. 2) Principal component analysis reveals three axes — Culture- Nature, Life-Non-life, and Materials-Methods — that primarily structure this scientific knowledge space. 3) The projection of individual researchers via their topic portfolios allows to locate them relationally on these three continuous measures of epistemological distinctions. 4) The robustness of our approach is validated by examining the links between researchers’ topic orientation and supplementary variables such as publication practices, gender, institutional aﬀiliations, and funding sources. Our method could inform science policy and evaluation practices, as well as be extended to uncover associations between products and producers in other cultural fields.
Contacts in contexts: Measuring intergroup contact opportunities at the population-scale through linked administrative and survey data
Authors: Soler Nicolás , Heemskerk Eelke , Kazmina Yuliia
Published: February 2024

The notion of “social opportunity structure” (SOS) is central in research on segregation and intergroup relations, but notoriously difficult to measure because it requires capturing potential rather than actual contacts across multiple social contexts at once. We propose a new comprehensive approach to measure the notion of SOS for a whole country. We leverage population-scale social network data from administrative registers to measure the size and social composition of five social contexts: families, households, neighborhoods, workplaces, and schools. We link this SOS at the individual level to survey-sourced personal network data on intergroup social ties. We showcase the potential of this population-scale measurement approach through data linkage by studying how the probability that Dutch natives have a social tie with an immigrant varies depending on the presence of immigrants and immigrant descendants in their SOS. We reflect on the advantages and limitations of our approach by documenting the data linkage process in detail and discussing the longitudinal and network nature of the data.
Wrapped Up in the Cis-Tem: Trans Liveability in the Age of Algorithmic Violence
Authors: Andersen Christoffer Koch
Published: February 2024

Algorithms pervade our reality—promising to universally enhance our lives—but what happens when this promise is reserved for cisgender people while subjecting trans individuals to legacies of anti-trans violence implicating trans liveability? Despite this key consideration, existing critiques engage only sparingly with the violent legacies perpetuated by algorithms that trans people encounter, rarely bring this beyond notions of bias and fail to centre trans experiences. In this paper, I extend scholarship on critical algorithm studies, trans studies and necropolitics to show the vicious algorithmic operations on trans lives by forwarding three accounts of lived trans experiences. Centrally, this paper argues that algorithms are not neutral, distinct or progressive, but rather as a ‘cis-tem’ enact forms of violence towards the possibility of transness rooted in legacies of capitalist, colonial and cisheteronormative power that violate trans lives and radicalise transphobia. Contrasting trans voices against the algorithmic machines, this paper offers a novel perspective on the entanglement between algorithms and trans liveability through the lens of algorithmic violence. I demonstrate how algorithms embody racialised and gendered ideals of the human targeting trans people through (1) engineered transphobic feedback-loops (2) cisnormative default, and (3) capitalist fear profit to (4) reimagine liberatory digital futures.
Quality Assurance in West African TVET Institutions: A Brief Literature Review
Authors: Odjo Cosme Zinsou , Kaoti Cordula , Oyewusi Alaba Oluwatoyin
Published: February 2024

The study reviews the role of quality assurance in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) systems in supporting economic development, enhancing labor market competitiveness, and meeting industry expectations. The authors use a desk research strategy, focusing on document review and qualitative content analysis to analyze credible reports on the role of quality assurance in TVET to promote competent workforce. As per findings, quality assurance in TVET institutions is crucial to ensuring that graduates possess the necessary skills and competencies for the workforce, reducing skills gaps and enhancing employability. It aligns TVET programs with industry standards, enabling graduates to contribute effectively to the workforce. Quality assurance mechanisms also enhance the credibility and reputation of TVET institutions, increasing their attractiveness to students and employers. It helps produce highly skilled individuals, contributing to the country’s economic development and global competitiveness. However, the TVET sector in West Africa faces several challenges, including inadequate infrastructures, curriculum relevance, teaching and learning quality, limited industry collaboration, and lack of quality assurance mechanisms. To address these issues, the authors suggest some innovative dimensions of quality standards to strengthen and improve quality assurance in TVET institutions. These quality standards include leadership, governance, management, physical environment, human resources, curriculum, student participation, access, equity, career guidance, financial management, program evaluation, research, innovation and development. All of these are interrelated, thereby spurring the overall quality and effectiveness of TVET programs and institutions.
Experiences of Private Sector Employees on Transfer of Soft Skills Trainings
Authors: Singh Divya , Bhurtel Anup
Published: February 2024

The issue of low training transfer remains prevalent despite private organizations' efforts in conducting soft skills training programs for its employees. Varying experiences of training transfer process are also reported. In this context, the purpose of this study aimed to explore the experiences of participants of private organizations of Nepal during soft skills training (reaction level), and their experiences while applying the knowledge and skills back to their workplace. The research design was qualitative and a total of 34 employees from four private companies of Nepal participated in this study who had attended a soft-skills training. Data was collected using five focus group discussions (FGDs) and thematic analysis used in which three overarching themes were generated with 25 categories and 210 codes. The study found that the participants had perceived soft skill training as the means for refreshments and socialization. In the post-training phase, they experienced changes in their mindset and improvement in interpersonal relationship with others in their workplace. Besides, irrespective of whether they participated in indoor or outdoor based programs, the duration and content of the program and their perspective towards whether they took it as an actual training or just a means of refreshment also affected their training transfer intentions. They experienced that for training transfer to occur, their own willingness to transfer guided by training content’s job relevance, micro-sessions based training designs, and importantly the post training interventions and support from employers or HR/line managers were necessary. Practical and research implications have been discussed in the paper.
Geografie
Authors: Giancarlo Alfano
Published: February 2024

Il saggio propone una riflessione intorno al lavoro poetico di Anedda mettendone in evidenza alcune delle matrici concettuali e delle soluzioni espressive che permettono di interpretare l’esperienza dell’autrice come forma di meditazione intorno alla temporalità. Per mostrare come si articoli questo «esercizio» dell’esposizione al tempo si prende in esame in particolare il libro Geografie.
 
Writing as Exercise
This essay offers a reflection on Anedda's poetic work, highlighting some of her probable conceptual matrices and some of her main expressive solutions. The analysis delves on her recent book “Geografie”, and brings to the conclusion that the author's experience is related to the tradition of meditation on temporality.
«In cucina si ha l'impressione di sopravvivere»
Authors: Peterle Patricia
Published: February 2024

Abstract missing
Funções são como máquinas de suco
Authors: Barbosa Wilbert Viana
Published: February 2024

Esta pesquisa, de abordagem qualitativa, apresenta uma análise da analogia “função é como uma máquina de suco” desenvolvida para o ensino de funções. A análise utilizou o mapeamento estrutural de analogias e modelos proposto por Ferry, no qual foi possível estabelecer correspondências que permitiram evidenciar as potencialidades de seu uso em sala de aula. A analogia em questão fornece recursos úteis para que se possa trabalhar o conceito de função no ensino de matemática, além de apontar outros conceitos, como domínio e contradomínio, úteis para a aprendizagem dos estudantes.
Fen Bilimleri Öğretmenlerinin 21. Yüzyıl Becerileri ile Bilimsel Araştırma Öz Yeterlikleri Arasındaki İlişkinin İncelenmesi
Authors: KAFALI Candan , AKÇÖLTEKİN Alptürk
Published: February 2024

Bu araştırma fen bilimleri öğretmenlerinin 21. yüzyıl becerileri öz yeterliği ile bilimsel araştırma öz yeterliğini çeşitli değişkenlere göre incelemeyi ve 21. yüzyıl becerileri öz yeterliği ile bilimsel araştırma öz yeterliği arasındaki ilişkiyi araştırmayı amaçlamaktadır. Araştırma ilişkisel tarama modeline göre yürütülmüştür. Araştırmanın çalışma grubu, 2022-2023 eğitim-öğretim yılında Türkiye genelinde resmi özel ve devlet okullarında çalışmakta olan 335 fen bilimleri öğretmenidir. Veriler “Kişisel Bilgi Formu”, “21. Yüzyıl Becerileri Öz yeterlik Algısı Ölçeği” ve “Bilimsel Araştırma Öz Yeterlilik Ölçeği” ile elde edilmiştir. Verilerin analizinde tek yönlü varyans analizi (ANOVA), bağımsız örneklem t-testi ve Pearson momentler korelasyon analizi kullanılmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda 21. yüzyıl becerileri öz yeterliğinin cinsiyet, öğrenim durumu ve okul türüne göre anlamlı olarak farklılaşmakla beraber kıdem yılına göre anlamlı bir fark olmadığı tespit edilmiştir. Bilimsel araştırma öz yeterliğinin cinsiyet ve öğrenim durumuna göre anlamlı olarak farklılaşırken, okul türü ve kıdeme göre anlamlı bir fark olmadığı tespit edilmiştir. 21. yüzyıl becerileri öz yeterliği ile bilimsel araştırma öz yeterliği arasında pozitif, orta seviyede ve anlamlı bir ilişki olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Araştırma sonuçları ışığında öğretmenleri lisansüstü eğitime teşvik edici çalışmaların yapılması ve devlet okullarında 21. yüzyıl becerilerinin geliştirilmesini sağlayacak fiziki koşulların, sosyal ve bilimsel çalışmaların geliştirilmesi önerilmektedir.
Жоғары оқу орындарының жаратылыстану-ғылыми жəне техникалық мамандықтары бойынша оқитын студенттерінің зерттеушілік қабілеттіліктерін дамыту
Authors: Сакипова С.Е. , Камбарова Ж.Т. , Танашева Н.К. , Сакипова Ш.Е.
Published: February 2024

Жоғары оқу орындарында студенттердің ғылыми-зерттеушілік іс-əрекеттілігін ұйымдастыру мəселесі өзекті міндет, себебі ол құзыретті маман даярлау кезінде маңызды құрал болып табылады. Мақала ЖОО-да студенттердің ғылыми-зерттеушілік іс-əрекеттілігін ұйымдастыру жүйесінің ерекшеліктерінзерттеуге арналған. Оқу іс-əрекеттілігімен қатар, ғылыми-зерттеушілік іс-əрекеттілік студенттердің зерттеушілік кəсіби құзыреттіліктерін қалыптастыруға ықпал етеді, ал бұл өз кезекте таңдалған мамандыққа деген қызығушылықты арттырады. Студенттердің ғылыми-зерттеушілік жұмысы болашақ мамандардың қазіргі жағдайда кəсіби ұтқырлыққа дайындығын қалыптастыруда қажетті құрамдас бөлігі болып табылады. Мақалада ғылыми-зерттеу жұмысын ұйымдастыру мəселелері қарастырылып, ЖОО-да студенттердің ғылыми-зерттеушілік іс-əрекеттілігін дамыту үшін мақсаттар мен міндеттер белгіленді. Студенттердің ғылыми-зерттеушілік іс-əрекеттілігін белсендіруге мəліметтерді модельдеу мен талдаудың заманауи компьютерлік технологияларын пайдалануымен, интерактивті əдістер ықпал етеді. Студенттер нақты мəселелерді шешуде өз білімдерін қолдана білуі, өз тəжірибесінде қолданбалы зерттеулер жүргізе білуі, жаңа стратегиялар құра білуі қажет. Зерттеу жұмысын ұйымдастырудың факультеттегі ағымдық жағдайды бағалау үшін бітіруші курс студенттері арасында сауалнама жүргізілді. Физика-техникалық факультетте жүргізілген зерттеулердің үш кезеңінің жалпыланған нəтижелері ұсынылған. Студенттер көзімен бакалавриат студенттерінің ғылыми-зерттеушілік іс-əрекеттілігін дамытудың заманауи жағдайларына бағалау жүргізілді, студенттердің ғылыми-зерттеушілік іс-əрекеттілігіне деген қызығушылығы зерттелген. Жүргізілген сауалнама нəтижелері студенттердің ғылыми-зерттеушілік іс-əрекеттілігіне айтарлықтай жоғары қызығушылығын көрсетті. Студенттерді ғылыми-зерттеушілік іс-əрекеттілігіне даярлау кезінде оқытушының рөлі жəне оның студенттердің ғылыми-зерттеу жұмыстарын жетекшілік етуге деген қызығушылығы маңызды екендігі көрсетілген.
A Ação Direta de Inconstitucionalidade N. 5.766/DF: Sob o Argumento da Law and Economics?
Authors: Copetti Neto Alfredo , Luz Segundo Elpidio Paiva
Published: February 2024

O presente texto pretende discorrer acerca da Ação Direta de Inconstitucionalidade n. 5.766/DF, mormente no que permeia os argumentos estabelecidos pelo Movimento Law and Economics, trazidos pelos ministros Luis Roberto Barroso e Ricardo Lewandowski em seus votos. Os argumentos apontam para profundas divergências sobre o alcance e sobre a recepção do Movimento pelo texto constitucional pátrio. Enquanto o ministro Barroso, em uma dimensão pragmática, sustenta a constitucionalidade da “Law and Economics”, de recorte posneriano, o ministro Ricardo Lewandowski afirma a sua inconstitucionalidade, o que faz do dissenso a marca do debate. Em sede final, considerou-se a perspectiva da necessidade de uma evolução dogmática sobre a problematização teórica do movimento a fim de que se possa consolidar um  minimum racional  sobre o tema.
Anti-diabetic effect of a combination of black seed (Nigella sativa) and cumin (Cuminum cyminum), a two-step study from bench to bed
Authors: Ghods Maryam , Karimi Sara , Salari Sahar , Alem Emad , Bahmani Parsa , Karimi Abdolghader , Saeedpour Atousa , Noormohamadi Morvarid , Jahromi Soodeh Razeghi
Published: February 2024

Background: Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a prevalent chronic condition causing one-fifth million deaths globally. Standard treatments for diabetes are not sufficiently effective, highlighting the need to find adjunctive treatments to improve glycemic control. Nigella sativa (NS) and Cuminum cyminum (CC) are two herbal medicines known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic properties.
Objective: This study aims to assess the impact of supplementation with a combination of NS and CC on glycemic regulation among individuals with T2DM. The research was conducted in two phases, pre-clinical and clinical.
Methods: In the in-vivo phase, thirty-two male mice were allocated into four groups, each comprising eight mice. These groups were categorized as follows: control, diabetic-type 2, diabetic-intervention-NS, and diabetic-intervention-NS+CC. Following the induction of diabetes using Streptozotocin, the mice in NS and NS-CC groups received 400 mg/kg/d or 360 mg/kg/d NS oil plus 40 mg/kg/d CC oil respectively for 30 days. An insulin tolerance test (ITT), an intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT), and blood glucose were conducted subsequently. In the clinical study, eighty patients who have been clinically diagnosed with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to two distinct groups to receive a daily dosage of 2000 mg NS-CC soft gel or sunflower oil soft gel for 12 weeks.  The examination of fasting blood glucose (FBG) and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) was performed both before and after the completion of the intervention.
Results: Preclinical findings exhibited a notable decrease in glucose levels in NS (decrease from 271.1±21.71 to 167.6±8.14 mg/dl) and NS-CC (decrease from 275.4±25.57 to 136±13.07 mg/dl). Also, ITT and IPGTT levels showed significantly more reduction in NS and NS-CC compared to the non-treated diabetic group. Treating with NS-CC, but not NS alone decreased ITT to a normal level with no significant difference with the non-diabetic group. In phase 2, supplementation with NS-CC led to a significantly greater reduction of the mean of fasting blood sugar (FBS) (P=0.001) concentration and HbA1C (P<0.001) compared to placebo.
Conclusions: NS-CC oil may reduce insulin resistance and blood glucose levels in murine models and individuals with T2DM.
Keywords: Nigella sativa, Cuminum cyminum, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, Glycemic control, Diabetic mice
Modernization of E-Commerce and Logistics Platforms of Enterprises Based on Artificial Intelligence Technology
Authors: Aliyev Alovsat G. , Shahverdiyeva Roza O. , Hagverdiyeva Ulker H.
Published: February 2024

E-commerce systems have become one of the global trends in the current era when large-scale technological innovations are rapidly applied to all fields of activity. In particular, in recent times, the digital transformation of the economy and society has created conditions for the massive replacement of traditional trade with electronic trade. The rapid development of e-commerce has led to the emergence of many modern trends in the activity sectors, the formation of new requirements for e-commerce systems, and the beginning of a new era in logistics and supply chain management. An overview analysis of relevant scientific research works was conducted and the state of problem solving was studied. Providing a personalized approach to customers, optimizing supply chain operations, and responding to customer inquiries in a timely and accurate manner are the problems that await their solution. For this reason, in the presented article, directions for improving the performance of e-commerce systems and optimizing supply chain management processes by applying innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and big data have been studied. A conceptual model of intelligent e-commerce systems has been proposed based on the application of these technologies. Appropriate recommendations were given for modernizing e-commerce and logistics platforms applied at the national, regional, and enterprise levels based on new digital transformation technologies.
Developing the English Language Communicative Competence of Future Teachers by Means of Mobile Apps
Authors: Pahsko Anatolii , Pinchuk Iryna
Published: February 2024

The integration of Ukraine into the world community requires perfect mastery of English not only from citizens, but also from intending professionals. So, English proficiency becomes an important ability and additional educational skill of the future foreign language teachers. The article deals with using the mobile applications as the means of pre-service teachers’ English language communicative competence developing. At first, the main professionally oriented mobile applications for studying English and their advantages were identified. Then criteria and levels of assessing students’ English proficiency were defined. Four main language skills (listening, reading, writing, speaking) were chosen as the basic criteria and four levels (high, sufficient, average, low) of assessing undergraduates’ English language communicative competence were determined. During the implementing stage of pedagogical experiment, the respondents of experimental group used mentioned mobile apps with the aim of improving English. The comparison of the experimental and control groups took place at the ascertainment, and later at the control stages of the experiment with the help of mathematical statistics methods. The effectiveness of using mobile applications in order to improve English language skills during the educational process at the pedagogical faculty at the university has been proved.
Wear performance of Ti-based alloy coatings on 316L SS fabricated with the sputtering method: Relevance to biomedical implants
Authors: Murugan Shunmuga Priyan , George Godwin , Jaisingh Julyes
Published: February 2024

BACKGROUND: This investigation was conducted to encapsulate 316L SS with a Ti-based alloy coating. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to fabricate a coating using TiN, TiO2, and TiCoCr powders on 316L SS through the physical vapor deposition (PVD) sputtering process. METHODS: The powders were consecutively coated on 316L SS through the PVD sputtering process with coating durations of 30, 60, and 90 min. Further microhardness, surface roughness, microabrasion, and adhesion strength tests were also carried out. RESULTS: A 60% improvement in abrasion resistance was observed in TiCoCr-coated samples compared to the uncoated substrate. The X-ray diffraction results confirmed the optimal formation of Ti alloy coatings with corresponding orientation over the SS substrates. Moreover, TiCoCr with a 90 min coating duration had much better surface characteristics than TiO2 and TiN. CONCLUSION: The 90 min coating duration should be optimal for coating in steel for bio-implants.
Biomimetic grafts from ultrafine fibers for collagenous tissues
Authors: Mukasheva Fariza , Zhanbassynova Ainur , Erisken Cevat
Published: February 2024

BACKGROUND: The ligament is the soft tissue that connects bone to bone and, in case of severe injury or rupture, it cannot heal itself mainly because of its poor vascularity and dynamic nature. Tissue engineering carries the potential to restore the injured tissue functions by utilization of scaffolds mimicking the structure of native ligament. Collagen fibrils in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) have a diameter ranging from 20 to 300 nm, which defines the physical and mechanical properties of the tissue. Also, the ACL tissue exhibited a bimodal distribution of collagen fibrils. Currently, the ability to fabricate scaffolds replicating this structure is a significant challenge. OBJECTIVE: This work aims at i) measuring the diameter of collagens of bovine ACL tissue, ii) investigating the fabrication of sub-100 nm fibers, and iii) fabricating aligned scaffolds with bimodal diameter distribution (with two peaks) resembling the healthy ACL structure. It is hypothesized that such scaffolds can be produced by electrospinning polycaprolactone (PCL) solutions. METHODS: To test the hypothesis, various PCL solutions were formulated in acetone and formic acid in combination with pyridine, and electrospun to generate sub-100 nm fibers. Next, this formulation was adjusted to produce nanofibers with a diameter between 100 nm and 200 nm. Finally, these solutions were combined in the co-electrospinning process, i.e., two-spinneret electrospinning, to fabricate biomimetic scaffolds with a bimodal distribution. RESULTS: Electrospinning of 8% and 15% PCL solutions, respectively, resulted in the production of fibers with diameters below and above 100 nm. The combined scaffold exhibited a bimodal distribution of aligned fibers with peaks around 80 and 180 nm, thus mimicking the collagen fibrils of healthy ACL tissue. CONCLUSION: This research is expected to have a society-wide impact because it aims to enhance the health condition and life quality of a wide range of patients.
Digital transformation in higher education: A comprehensive review of e-learning adoption
Authors: Shard  , Kumar Devesh , Koul Sapna
Published: February 2024

BACKGROUND:

Data-driven practices are now crucial in the digital age for streamlining operations and boosting output across a range of industries. With e-Learning emerging as a cutting-edge and promising strategy to improve educational delivery and student engagement, higher education institutions are also adopting this trend. Despite the potential advantages, e-Learning adoption in higher education is still a developing topic with scant published research.

OBJECTIVE:

This study aims to conduct a thorough analysis of existing literature, seeking to determine the present status of e-Learning adoption in higher education while also identifying promising avenues for further research.

METHODS:

In this study, a systematic literature review methodology and a bibliometric approach are utilized to examine 63 papers sourced from the Scopus database, encompassing the years 2017 to 2021. These papers were specifically chosen due to their pertinence to e-Learning adoption in higher education institutions, following the exclusion and inclusion criteria outlined in the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) framework. The analysis techniques employed include descriptive overviews, citation analysis, and keyword co-occurrence.

RESULTS:

The systematic review of the literature revealed a significant increase in e-Learning adoption within higher education institutions (HEIs) in recent times. The findings highlighted several crucial factors influencing e-Learning adoption, including perceived ease of use, usefulness, learner attitude, self-efficacy, and facilitating conditions. However, further investigation is needed to better understand the impact of perceived learning and teaching styles on e-Learning acceptance in higher education settings.

CONCLUSION:

This study suggests conducting future investigations on e-Learning in developing countries, with a specific focus on intention, usage, adoption, and impact. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of exploring the influence of learning and teaching styles on e-Learning acceptance within higher education institutions. These valuable insights will facilitate the development of effective strategies for the successful implementation of e-Learning in higher education settings.
Application research of credit fraud detection based on distributed rotation deep forest
Authors: Chen Hongwei , Shi Dewei , Zhou Xun , Zhang Man , Liu Luanxuan
Published: February 2024

Credit fraud is a common financial crime that causes significant economic losses to financial institutions. To address this issue, researchers have proposed various fraud detection methods. Recently, research on deep forests has opened up a new path for exploring deep models beyond neural networks. It combines the features of neural networks and ensemble learning, and has achieved good results in various fields. This paper mainly studies the application of deep forests to the field of fraud detection and proposes a distributed dense rotation deep forest algorithm (DRDF-spark) based on the improved RotBoost. The model has three main characteristics: firstly, it solves the problem of multi-granularity scanning due to the lack of spatial correlation in the data by introducing RotBoost. Secondly, Spark is used for parallel construction to improve the processing speed and efficiency of data. Thirdly, a pre-aggregation mechanism is added to the distributed algorithm to locally aggregate the statistical results of sub-forests in the same node in advance to improve communication efficiency. The experiments show that DRDF-spark performs better than deep forests and some mainstream ensemble learning algorithms on the fraud dataset in this paper, and the training speed is up to 3.53 times faster. Furthermore, if the number of nodes is further increased, the speedup ratio will continue to increase.
A dual-ways feature fusion mechanism enhancing active learning based on TextCNN
Authors: Shi Xuefeng , Hu Min , Ren Fuji , Shi Piao
Published: February 2024

Active Learning (AL) is a technique being widely employed to minimize the time and labor costs in the task of annotating data. By querying and extracting the specific instances to train the model, the relevant task’s performance is improved maximally within limited iterations. However, rare work was conducted to fully fuse features from different hierarchies to enhance the effectiveness of active learning. Inspired by the thought of information compensation in many famous deep learning models (such as ResNet, etc.), this work proposes a novel TextCNN-based Two ways Active Learning model (TCTWAL) to extract task-relevant texts. TextCNN takes the advantage of little hyper-parameter tuning and static vectors and achieves excellent results on various natural language processing (NLP) tasks, which are also beneficial to human-computer interaction (HCI) and the AL relevant tasks. In the process of the proposed AL model, the candidate texts are measured from both global and local features by the proposed AL framework TCTWAL depending on the modified TextCNN. Besides, the query strategy is strongly enhanced by maximum normalized log-probability (MNLP), which is sensitive to detecting the longer sentences. Additionally, the selected instances are characterized by general global information and abundant local features simultaneously. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed model, extensive experiments are conducted on three widely used text corpus, and the results are compared with with eight manual designed instance query strategies. The results show that our method outperforms the planned baselines in terms of accuracy, macro precision, macro recall, and macro F1 score. Especially, to the classification results on AG’s News corpus, the improvements of the four indicators after 39 iterations are 40.50%, 45.25%, 48.91%, and 45.25%, respectively.
The Memory Binding Test Detects Early Subtle Episodic Memory Decline in Preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Rapos Pereira Filipa ,   the INSIGHT-preAD study group, George Nathalie , Dalla Barba Gianfranco , Dubois Bruno , La Corte Valentina
Published: February 2024

Background: The asymptomatic at-risk phase might be the optimal time-window to establish clinically meaningful endpoints in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Objective: We investigated whether, compared with the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT), the Memory Binding Test (MBT) can anticipate the diagnosis of emergent subtle episodic memory (EM) deficits to an at-risk phase. Methods: Five-year longitudinal FCSRT and MBT scores from 45 individuals matched for age, education, and gender, were divided into 3 groups of 15 subjects: Aβ-/controls, Aβ+/stable, and Aβ+/progressors (preclinical-AD). The MBT adds an associative memory component (binding), particularly sensitive to subtle EM decline. Results: In the MBT, EM decline started in the Aβ+/progressors (preclinical-AD) up to 4 years prior to diagnosis in delayed free recall (FR), followed by decline in binding-associated scores 1 year later. Conversely, in the FCSRT, EM-decline began later, up to 3 years prior to diagnosis, in the same group on both immediate and delayed versions of FR, while on total recall (TR) and intrusions decline started only 1 year prior to diagnosis. Conclusions: The MBT seems more sensitive than the FCSRT for early EM-decline detection, regarding the year of diagnosis and the number of scores showing AD-linked EM deficits (associated with the AD-characteristic amnesic hippocampal syndrome). Considering the MBT as a detection tool of early subtle EM-decline in an asymptomatic at-risk phase, and the FCSRT as a classification tool of stages of EM-decline from a preclinical phase, these tests ought to potentially become complementary diagnostic tools that can foster therapies to delay cognitive decline. Clinical trial registration title: Electrophysiological markers of the progression to clinical Alzheimer disease in asymptomatic at-risk individuals: a longitudinal event-related potential study of episodic memory in the INSIGHT pre-AD cohort (acronym: ePARAD).
Harnessing Passive Pulsatile Shear Stress for Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention and Intervention
Authors: Adams Jose A. , Uryash Arkady , Lopez Jose R.
Published: February 2024

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) affects more than 40 million people worldwide and is the leading cause of dementia. This disease is a challenge for both patients and caregivers and puts a significant strain on the global healthcare system. To address this issue, the Lancet Commission recommends focusing on reducing modifiable lifestyle risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, and physical inactivity. Passive pulsatile shear stress (PPSS) interventions, which use devices like whole-body periodic acceleration, periodic acceleration along the Z-axis (pGz), and the Jogging Device, have shown significant systemic and cellular effects in preclinical and clinical models which address these modifiable risks factors. Based on this, we propose that PPSS could be a potential non-pharmacological and non-invasive preventive or therapeutic strategy for AD. We perform a comprehensive review of the biological basis based on all publications of PPSS using these devices and demonstrate their effects on the various aspects of AD. We draw from this comprehensive analysis to support our hypothesis. We then delve into the possible application of PPSS as an innovative intervention. We discuss how PPSS holds promise in ameliorating hypertension and diabetes while mitigating physical inactivity, potentially offering a holistic approach to AD prevention and management.
Neuropsychiatric and Cognitive Symptoms: Two Sides of the Same Coin?
Authors: Siafarikas Nikias
Published: February 2024

Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are increasingly being recognized as clinical markers for incipient dementia in Alzheimer’s disease (AD dementia). NPS may reinforce cognitive impairment or decline and vice versa. Although NPS are frequent already in mild cognitive impairment, their mechanisms are poorly understood. It is unclear if they share biological mechanisms with cognitive symptoms and how they are associated to structural brain changes, but evidence suggests associations of NPS to cerebral atrophy. An additional NPS dimension in AD dementia concepts might add valuable information to detect patients at risk for AD dementia.
Cognitive work in future manufacturing systems: Human-centered AI for joint work with models
Authors: Denno Peter
Published: February 2024

Manufacturers perpetually adapt their systems to meet unforeseen events, new objectives, competition, and improved understanding of processes. In that human-directed work, models mediate an enduring relationship between production resources and engineers. Accommodating new understanding in the models controlling production can lead to more effective manufacturing. That work has previously been the province of quality programs such as Six Sigma, but is now fertile ground to study human-computer interaction about that enduring relationship mediated by models. Can AI augment human capability in the arcane work of formulating and refining models? This question is relevant to complex system engineering generally, not just manufacturing. In answering this question, this paper adapts Klein’s flexecution for use in adaptable manufacturing systems. Theory flexecution, the methodical refinement of models, points to human-computer interactions that emphasize the roles of models, explanation, and machine agents that recognize the engineer’s goals. This perspective article illustrates these ideas with an example of formulating models for production scheduling.
Maximum Power Point Tracking control of a variable speed wind turbine via a T-S fuzzy model-based approach
Authors: Allouche Moez , Dahech Karim , Gaubert Jean-Paul
Published: February 2024

This paper proposes a multi-objective H2/H ∞ maximum power tracking control of a variable speed wind turbine to minimize the H2 tracking error and ensure the H ∞ model reference-tracking performance, simultaneously. The optimal condition is obtained via a boost converter use, which adapts the load impedance to the wind turbine generator. Thus, based on the fuzzy T-S model, a multi-objective Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) controller is developed, ensuring maximum power transfer, despite wind speed variation and system uncertainty. To specify the optimal trajectory to follow, a TS reference model is proposed taking as input the optimal rectified DC current. The conditions of stability and stabilization are expressed in terms of linear matrix inequality (LMI) for uncertain and disturbed T-S models leading to determining the controller gains. Finally, an example of MPP tracking applied to a Wind Energy Conversion System (WECS) illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed fuzzy control law.
Personalized multi-attribute recommendation method based on partial order set
Authors: Yue Lizhu , Wang Qian
Published: February 2024

With the rapid development of big data and continuous optimization of online shopping platforms, personalized recommendation has become a standard feature of recommendation methods. In order to effectively provide personalized recommendations to customers, improve recommendation accuracy, and customer satisfaction, it is necessary to consider customers’ preferences for multiple product attributes when making product recommendations. However, existing recommendation methods require precise calculation of product attribute weights, which is computationally expensive, complex, and often results in unstable weight values. This paper proposes a multi-attribute recommendation method based on consumer decision preference information that overcomes the need for weights and reflects personalized customer preferences. Based on the acquisition of customer product attribute preference sequences, a partial order relation for recommended products is constructed using partial order set theory. Finally, the recommended products are determined through the partial order Hasse diagram, where the top layer elements of the Hasse diagram represent the recommended product set. This method addresses challenges that traditional content-based recommendations cannot overcome. The experiment in this paper uses a dataset of 30,000 records from Beeradvocate beer reviews. The experimental results show that, compared to traditional multi-attribute recommendation methods, this method only requires decision-maker preference information to complete product recommendations, requiring less information and having lower computational costs, resulting in more robust results.
Tit-For-Tat and Win Stay-Lose Shift strategies via memory-two
Authors: Atef Shimaa , El-Seidy Essam , Reda Naglaa M.
Published: February 2024

Decisions in many dilemmas are based on a combination of factors, including as incentive, punishment, reputation, and memory. The impact of memory information on cooperative evolution in multi-round games is a decision-making process in group evolution. The iterated prisoner’s dilemma is an excellent model for the development of cooperation amongst the payoff-maximizing individuals. Since tit-for-tat proved successful in Axelrod’s repeated prisoner’s dilemma tournaments, there has been a great deal of interest in creating new strategies. Every iterative prisoner’s dilemma method bases its decision-making on a specific duration of past contacts with the opponent, which is referred to as the memory’s size. This study examines the impact of strategy memory size on the evolutionary stability of n-person iterated prisoner’s dilemma strategies. In this paper, we address the role that memory plays in decision-making. We interested in the model of the Iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma game for three players with memory two, and we will look at strategies with similar behavior, such as Tit-For-Tat (TFT) strategies as well as Win Stay-Lose Shift (WSLS) strategies. As a result of this paper, we have shown that the effect of memory length is almost non-existent in the competitions of strategies that we studied.
RETRACTED: Integrating IoT with WSNs using fuzzy logic-based middleware
Authors: Sran Sukhwinder Singh , Singh Harmandeep , Mittal Puneet , Kumar Manoj , Sharma Sukhwinder
Published: February 2024

This article has been retracted. A retraction notice can be found at https://doi.org/10.3233/JIFS-219433.