bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Artificial Neural Network-Based Feed-Forward and Feedback Control Design and Convergence Analysis
Authors: Chen Guoshao , Liu Zhiping
Published: May 2022

A feed-forward and feedback control scheme based on artificial neural network (ANN) and iterative learning control is proposed. Iterative learning control and ANN are combined as a feed-forward controller, which makes the output track the desired trajectory. Feedback control is introduced to reduce the effect of disturbances. To combine the feed-forward controller and the feedback controller, the ANN is employed to simulate the plant. Since the ANN can update the weights online, it is always consistent with the plant. The convergence and robustness of the system are analyzed, and the simulation shows the feasibility of the proposed control scheme.
LSGDM with Biogeography-Based Optimization (BBO) Model for Healthcare Applications
Authors: Harshavardhan A. , Boyapati Prasanthi , Neelakandan S. , Abdul-Rasheed Akeji Alhassan Alolo , Singh Pundir Aditya Kumar , Walia Ranjan
Published: May 2022

Several studies aimed at improving healthcare management have shown that the importance of healthcare has grown in recent years. In the healthcare industry, effective decision-making requires multicriteria group decision-making. Simultaneously, big data analytics could be used to help with disease detection and healthcare delivery. Only a few previous studies on large-scale group decision-making (LSDGM) in the big data-driven healthcare Industry 4.0 have focused on this topic. The goal of this work is to improve healthcare management decision-making by developing a new MapReduce-based LSDGM model (MR-LSDGM) for the healthcare Industry 4.0 context. Clustering decision-makers (DM), modelling DM preferences, and classification are the three stages of the MR-LSDGM technique. Furthermore, the DMs are subdivided using a novel biogeography-based optimization (BBO) technique combined with fuzzy C-means (FCM). The subgroup preferences are then modelled using the two-tuple fuzzy linguistic representation (2TFLR) technique. The final classification method also includes a feature extractor based on long short-term memory (LSTM) and a classifier based on an ideal extreme learning machine (ELM). MapReduce is a data management platform used to handle massive amounts of data. A thorough set of experimental analyses is carried out, and the results are analysed using a variety of metrics.
Graph Embedding-Based Sensitive Link Protection in IoT Systems
Authors: Lu Yanfei , Deng Zhilin , Gao Qinghe , Jing Tao
Published: May 2022

In the Internet of Things (IoT), massive interconnected intelligent terminal devices constitute diverse networks. Link prediction can serve as a powerful inference attack to speculate the sensitive links in the networks, posing a security threat to entity privacy in IoT. Most antilink prediction methods reduce the prediction ability of link prediction models through link disturbance to hide sensitive links but fail to consider the impact of node attributes on link prediction. This paper proposes a sensitive link protection method based on graph embedding (SLPGE) to combat link prediction attacks. This method is aimed at compressing network topology data into an embedding matrix and lessening private information by combining Variational Graph Autoencoder (VGAE) and Adversarially Regularized Variational Graph Autoencoder (ARVGA). Based on our experiment on two datasets, SLPGE reduces the prediction accuracy of two attack models for sensitive links by up to 30.05% and 15.03% compared to the original data, and the corresponding utility sees a drop of 7.54% and 7.79% at most, which verifies the feasibility of SLPGE—achieving the tradeoff between privacy protection and data utility effectively.
BERT_LF: A Similar Case Retrieval Method Based on Legal Facts
Authors: Hu Weifeng , Zhao Siwen , Zhao Qiang , Sun Hao , Hu Xifeng , Guo Rundong , Li Yujun , Cui Yan , Ma Long
Published: May 2022

With the development of smart justice in China, the Supreme People’s Court implements the system of compulsory retrieval for similar cases continuously and comprehensively, more and more judicial big data has been continuously disclosed, and the application of case retrieval is more extensive, and then, the accuracy of similar case search results needs to be urgently improved. Legal case retrieval is a special search task; for a given query case, it refers to the searching for similar cases. Different from traditional text search, legal case retrieval has different characteristics and greater challenges, for its query case is longer and more complex than common keyword queries and short article queries. In addition, the definition of dependencies between query cases and candidate cases differs from general dependencies based on text or topic. In order to solve these problems, we propose a method for similarity case retrieval based on the legal facts, and our model combine the topic distribution and legal entity facts to make the document representation vector more suitable for legal scenarios. At the same time, the method of paragraph aggregation based on BERT is used to encode context semantic information and solve the problem of long text. The experimental results show that our method is superior to the existing method.
Detection of Dental Diseases through X-Ray Images Using Neural Search Architecture Network
Authors: AL-Ghamdi Abdullah S. AL-Malaise , Ragab Mahmoud , AlGhamdi Saad Abdulla , Asseri Amer H. , Mansour Romany F. , Koundal Deepika
Published: May 2022

An important aspect of the diagnosis procedure in daily clinical practice is the analysis of dental radiographs. This is because the dentist must interpret different types of problems related to teeth, including the tooth numbers and related diseases during the diagnostic process. For panoramic radiographs, this paper proposes a convolutional neural network (CNN) that can do multitask classification by classifying the X-ray images into three classes: cavity, filling, and implant. In this paper, convolutional neural networks are taken in the form of a NASNet model consisting of different numbers of max-pooling layers, dropout layers, and activation functions. Initially, the data will be augmented and preprocessed, and then, the construction of a multioutput model will be done. Finally, the model will compile and train the model; the evaluation parameters used for the analysis of the model are loss and the accuracy curves. The model has achieved an accuracy of greater than 96% such that it has outperformed other existing algorithms.
Construction of a Virtual Reality Model of Smart Tourism Scenic Spot Based on Cloud Computing
Authors: Lv Hengxiu
Published: May 2022

This paper studies the technology and cloud platform of “cloud computing” in detail. Technically, this paper studies Map-Reduce, HDFS, and BigTable in cloud platform technology. Using the theoretical thinking of comprehensive advantages, the design ideas and principles of the smart tourism service model based on the network platform are proposed, and the overall architecture of the smart tourism service model based on the network platform is constructed according to the three dimensions of the tourist demand level, network platform development stage, and service resource aggregation and integration. The virtual network interaction platform is realized through Unity3D combined with Web3D technology, and the system interaction function is realized according to the communication principle of the front and back of the web page, including the fast switching of scenic spots, the selection of roaming methods, and the realization of navigation maps. In the user evaluation stage, usability and user satisfaction of the system were effectively measured by the SUS system usability scale and the heuristic experiment combined with Likert scale. The virtual reality system of smart tourist attractions based on somatosensory interaction integrates immersion, interactivity, gameplay, education, and dissemination. It can break the time and space barriers for the creation and experience of smart tourist attractions, improve the extremely cold experience environment of smart tourist attractions, increase the display and publicity dimensions of smart tourist attractions, change the situation of one-way passive reception of traditional smart tourist attractions, and improve the interaction and interaction of tourists. It also provides new teaching and design methods for creators of smart tourism scenic spots, which is conducive to the promotion of teaching in smart tourism scenic spots. It enhances the importance of ice and snow culture in the ice and snow industry, changes the traditional business model of ice and snow scenic spots, and uses modern technology to make up for the cultural development defects of smart tourism scenic spots. The digital sustainable development construction of smart tourism scenic spots provides new ideas.
Recommendation Method of Online Teaching Resources in Colleges and Universities Considering Different User Preference Factors
Authors: Zhang Huaying
Published: May 2022

In order to improve the recommendation performance of online teaching resources in colleges and universities and the learning efficiency of users, this paper considers user preference factors and studies the recommendation method of online teaching resources in colleges and universities. This paper selects different user preference factors and extracts preference keywords and builds a keyword projection model for different user preference resources based on this. In this paper, Markov is used to construct a keyword probability model, and the TF-IDF algorithm is introduced to refine online teaching resources. According to the calculated closeness of the resources required by the user, this paper realizes the accurate recommendation of resources. The experimental results show that each recommendation performance index of this method has reached a high value. The recommendation accuracy rate of this algorithm is the highest at 82.2%, the recall rate is the highest at 78.7%, the

F

value is the highest at 83.5%, and the average absolute error is lower than 0.56. And the successful recommendation rate of this method is as high as 97.6%.
Influence of Distribution Modulus on the Compressive Strength of Ultra‐High‐Performance Concrete with Coarse Aggregate (UHPC‐CA)
Authors: Yu Zhihui , Wu Lishan , Zhang Cong , Bangi Toshiyuki
Published: May 2022

The Modified Andreasen and Andersen model (MAA model) is commonly chosen to realize condensed particle packing in ultra‐high‐performance concretes (UHPCs). In the MAA model, the q (distribution modulus) is a parameter that plays a critical role in the UHPC matrix design. The objective of this study is to figure out the influence of the q for the compressive strength of UHPC‐containing coarse aggregate (UHPC‐CA). Therefore, a series of investigations were conducted, covering the following aspects: first, the traditional design procedure, based on the MAA model, of UHPC‐CA is revised by taking water and steel fibers into account in the particle packing system. The results show that the revised design process of UHPC‐CA yielded more excellent products with better workability and compressive strength. Second, different q values which are 0.2, 0.21, 0.22, 0.23, and 0.25 are employed. The results show that when q is 0.25, the maximum compressive strength can be achieved. However, the flowability decreases with the increase of the q value. Third, an empirical calculation of the optimal coarse aggregate content in the light of different q values and maximum size of coarse aggregate are proposed.
Analysis of Museum Cultural Creation from the Perspective of Cultural Industry
Authors: Zhao Zhen
Published: May 2022

There is a lack of objective and rapid methods to evaluate and extract design elements in the development of museum cultural creation products. Aiming at this, an analysis method of museum cultural creation from the perspective of cultural industry is proposed. The order relation method and entropy weight method are applied to extract cultural characteristics. The optimality evaluation of the features based on the ordinal relation method aims to make a preliminary judgment on the representation value of the feature. At the same time, the entropy weight method is introduced to make decisions among various categories of cultural features. Combining the two methods makes the feature extraction process both objective and scientific. It also ensures that the selected design elements are distinct in priority and do not conflict with each other. Taking the museum cultural creation product design based on brocade patterns in the Qing Dynasty as an example, it is proved that the proposed method can effectively extract and transform the cultural features of the cultural relics, which provides a reference for the development of cultural and creative products of the museum.
Evaluation of the Development Potential of Hainan Free Trade Port Industrial Chain Driven by the Internet of Things Distribution Mechanism
Authors: Yang Jing , Zhang Xiaoying , Yang Xiuying
Published: May 2022

This paper starts from the industrial structure and characteristics of the Internet of Things and compares and analyzes the development ideas of the Internet of Things industry in the market economy under different systems. We also discuss IoT business model innovations and analyze the inadequacies of current IoT business models. We use the cost-benefit analysis method to analyze, from the aspects of social benefits, economic benefits, environmental benefits, and externalities. In this paper, factor analysis and quantitative statistics are used to calculate the weight of influencing factors, and the multilevel fuzzy evaluation method is used to score the influencing factor indicators to calculate the final score result, so as to judge the applicability of the multilevel fuzzy evaluation method to judge the profit model. In order to verify whether the establishment of economic regions plays a positive role in regional economic development, a double-difference model is established. Two sets of data from the Free Trade Zone and Hainan Free Trade Zone are selected for regression analysis, and robustness tests of various methods are carried out. This paper regresses various samples of the Hainan Free Trade Zone by region and city level to explore their characteristics in different regions. From the empirical results, it can be seen that the establishment of the Hainan Free Trade Zone has indeed promoted the economic development of the region where it is located, and this result is still significant after repeated robustness tests. Judging from the regression results by region, the establishment of the Hainan Free Trade Zone has a greater role in promoting the economic development of the eastern and western regions and it has a stronger pulling effect on the western regions than in the western regions. The policy effect of establishing a free trade zone may not be significant due to too few samples and short establishment time.
A Comparative Study of Fractional-Order Diffusion Model within Atangana-Baleanu-Caputo Operator
Authors: Alshammari Mohammad , Iqbal Naveed , Ntwiga Davis Bundi
Published: May 2022

We provided two different approaches for solving fractional-order diffusion equations in this article. The fractional Atangana-Baleanu derivative operator in addition to the Laplace transform is used to generate several new approximate-analytical solutions to the time-fractional diffusion equations. The implementation of a sophisticated and straightforward approach to solving diffusion equations having a fractional-order derivative is the motivation and uniqueness behind the current work. The solutions to some illustrative problems are calculated to ensure that the actual and approximate solutions to the targeted problems are in close contact. The results we obtained have a higher rate of convergence and provide a closed-form solution, according to analysis. The proposed method’s key advantage is the small amount of calculations required. The suggested techniques can be applied to nonlinear fractional-order problems in a variety of applied science areas due to their simple and straightforward implementation. It can be used to overcome specific fractional-order physical problems in a variety of fields of applied sciences.
Numerical Study of Spherical Particle Breakage Based on Nonlinear Discrete Interface Bonded Model
Authors: Li Lin , Zhang Sifeng , Yu Shicai , Zhang Xuanyu
Published: May 2022

To study the contact mechanical characteristics and breakage mechanism of single particle, the particle contact experiment is simulated using the discrete element method. In this paper, to solve the problem that the envelope of the shear strength of the classical model is linear, a nonlinear discrete surface bonded model is introduced by applying nonlinear tangential strength criterion. The new model is compared with the classical model to verify its validity. Then, based on the new model, the particle contact experiment is numerically simulated, and the ball-plane contact breakage mechanism is analysed and discussed from the mesoscopic perspective. The results reveal that the nonlinear discrete interface bonded model can provide shear properties similar to those of actual materials. The numerical result reflects the shear failure of the edge of the conical region and the tensile failure of the whole specimen. Combined with the analysis of the results of stress distribution, velocity field, and force chain distribution, the formation mechanism of the cone core can be obtained.
Avaliação de indicadores de qualidade na gestão do centro cirúrgico de um hospital terciário
Authors: Sousa Leonardo Resende de , Mazzo Alessandra , Almeida Ana Claudia Ferreira de , Tonello Cristiano , Lourençone Luiz Fernando Manzoni
Published: May 2022

Introdução: Por se tratar de um setor complexo e que compreende grande parte dos custos de um hospital, o centro cirúrgico demanda uma contínua avaliação de suas atividades, com o objetivo de propiciar uma melhora da sua eficiência e da segurança dos pacientes. Uma estratégia interessante para se realizar tal avaliação é a utilização de um conjunto de indicadores de qualidade preestabelecidos, dividindo os atributos do serviço em estrutura, processos e resultados. Para que isso seja possível, é necessário que o serviço analisado possua uma fonte de dados bem estruturada, tendo o Núcleo Interno de Regulação um papel importante nesse processo. Objetivo: Este estudo teve como objetivo a análise de índices de gestão do centro cirúrgico de um hospital terciário especializado em cirurgias eletivas através da mensuração de dados referentes a indicadores de qualidade. Metodologia: Trata-se de um estudo observacional descritivo feito de forma retrospectiva em um hospital escola público do interior do estado de São Paulo. Foram mensurados 18 indicadores referentes ao período de 01/06/2019 a 31/12/2019, a partir de consultas a diferentes setores administrativos do local. Os resultados passaram por uma análise estatística descritiva ao final da coleta de dados. Resultados: Os principais resultados encontrados foram: taxa de cumprimento da agenda cirúrgica de 95,8%, taxa de cancelamento de 4,1%, taxa de ocupação de 47,9%, turnover de 23,1 minutos, tempo médio de atraso no início das cirurgias de 32,8 minutos, tempo de permanência na sala de recuperação pós-anestésica de 37,4 minutos, taxa de absenteísmo dos profissionais de 8,94% e as taxas de infecção do sítio cirúrgico, de mortalidade operatória e de acidente de trabalho foram todas 0%. Conclusões: Apesar da alta taxa de cumprimento da agenda cirúrgica, a taxa de ocupação se encontrou aquém do ideal, sugerindo que o agendamento das cirurgias pode ser melhorado. Além disso, demonstrou-se que a estratégia de “cirurgias reservas” adotada no hospital auxilia no cumprimento da meta de cirurgias programadas e no aumento da taxa de ocupação.
Exercise Causes Arrhythmogenic Remodeling of Intracellular Calcium Dynamics in Plakophilin-2–Deficient Hearts
Authors: van Opbergen Chantal J.M. , Bagwan Navratan , Maurya Svetlana R. , Kim Joon-Chul , Smith Abigail N. , Blackwell Daniel J. , Johnston Jeffrey N. , Knollmann Björn C. , Cerrone, Marina , Lundby Alicia , Delmar Mario
Published: May 2022

Background:

Exercise training, and catecholaminergic stimulation, increase the incidence of arrhythmic events in patients affected with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy correlated with plakophilin-2 (PKP2) mutations. Separate data show that reduced abundance of PKP2 leads to dysregulation of intracellular Ca
2+
(Ca
2+
i
) homeostasis. Here, we study the relation between excercise, catecholaminergic stimulation, Ca
2+
i
homeostasis, and arrhythmogenesis in PKP2-deficient murine hearts.

Methods:

Experiments were performed in myocytes from a cardiomyocyte-specific, tamoxifen-activated, PKP2 knockout murine line (PKP2cKO). For training, mice underwent 75 minutes of treadmill running once per day, 5 days each week for 6 weeks. We used multiple approaches including imaging, high-resolution mass spectrometry, electrocardiography, and pharmacological challenges to study the functional properties of cells/hearts in vitro and in vivo.

Results:

In myocytes from PKP2cKO animals, training increased sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca
2+
load, increased the frequency and amplitude of spontaneous ryanodine receptor (ryanodine receptor 2)–mediated Ca
2+
release events (sparks), and changed the time course of sarcomeric shortening. Phosphoproteomics analysis revealed that training led to hyperphosphorylation of phospholamban in residues 16 and 17, suggesting a catecholaminergic component. Isoproterenol-induced increase in Ca
2+
i
transient amplitude showed a differential response to β-adrenergic blockade that depended on the purported ability of the blockers to reach intracellular receptors. Additional experiments showed significant reduction of isoproterenol-induced Ca
2+
i
sparks and ventricular arrhythmias in PKP2cKO hearts exposed to an experimental blocker of ryanodine receptor 2 channels.

Conclusions:

Exercise disproportionately affects Ca
2+
i
homeostasis in PKP2-deficient hearts in a manner facilitated by stimulation of intracellular β-adrenergic receptors and hyperphosphorylation of phospholamban. These cellular changes create a proarrhythmogenic state that can be mitigated by ryanodine receptor 2 blockade. Our data unveil an arrhythmogenic mechanism for exercise-induced or catecholaminergic life-threatening arrhythmias in the setting of PKP2 deficit. We suggest that membrane-permeable β-blockers are potentially more efficient for patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, highlight the potential for ryanodine receptor 2 channel blockers as treatment for the control of heart rhythm in the population at risk, and propose that PKP2-dependent and phospholamban-dependent arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy–related arrhythmias have a common mechanism.
Transradial Access Results in Faster Recanalization in Left Anterior Circulation Stroke with Bovine Arch Anatomy
Authors: Maud Alberto , Moreno Jorge H. , Sheriff Faheem G. , Chaudry Mohammad Rauf , Gupta Vikas , Khatri Rakesh , Rodriguez Gustavo J.
Published: May 2022

Background

We compared technical and clinical outcomes of transradial (TRA) versus transfemoral (TFA) access for mechanical thrombectomy of acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion in the left anterior cerebral circulation of bovine origin.

Methods

A single‐center retrospective review of a prospectively maintained neurointerventional database from a large volume service in a tertiary academic center. Procedural metrics, technical, and clinical outcomes data were collected and analyzed for patients who underwent mechanical thrombectomy presenting with acute ischemic stroke and large vessel occlusion in the left anterior circulation of bovine origin. Clinical and procedural outcomes included the average number of passes, single first effective pass, rate of successful recanalization (thrombolysis in cerebral infarction score≥2b), 3‐month disability modified Rankin scale scores, time from skin puncture to microcatheter placement, and recanalization.

Results

Between January 2018 and January 2021, 26 patients (TRA=13, TFA=13) underwent mechanical thrombectomy. The TRA cohort had a significantly shorter time in minutes for skin puncture to microcatheter placement (TRA: 17.0±5.8 versus TFA: 35.4±20.5;
P
=0.0001), shorter skin puncture to recanalization (TRA: 34.0±15.6 versus TFA: 58.1±34.6;
P
=0.01), and shorter total fluoroscopy time (TRA: 13.8±9.4 versus TFA: 29.5±18.0;
P
=0.03). The 3‐month modified Rankin scale score of (0–1) was higher in the TRA group (38.5% versus 7.69%;
P
=0.06).

Conclusions

In patients with large vessel occlusion in the left anterior cerebral circulation of bovine origin, right TRA access permits more direct navigation and provides a stable platform resulting in shorter procedure times and faster recanalization with potential for improved functional outcomes.
Taxonomy, ecology and zoogeography of the Recent species of Rhamphostomella Lorenz, 1886 and Mixtoscutella n. gen. (Bryozoa, Cheilostomata)
Authors: GRISCHENKO ANDREI V. , GORDON DENNIS P. , TAYLOR PAUL D. , KUKLINSKI PIOTR , DENISENKO NINA V. , SPENCER-JONES MARY E. , OSTROVSKY ANDREW N.
Published: May 2022

Twenty-four Recent species of the boreal-Arctic and Pacific cheilostome bryozoan genus Rhamphostomella are described. The species R. tatarica and R. pacifica are transferred to Rhamphostomella from Posterula and Porella, respectively. Eight species are new: R. aleutica n. sp., R. aspera n. sp., R. commandorica n. sp., R. echinata n. sp., R. microavicularia n. sp., R. morozovi n. sp., R. multirostrata n. sp. and R. obliqua n. sp. Neotypes are selected for six species, and lectotypes for eight species. Mixtoscutella n. gen. is established for several Rhamphostomella-like species, including M. androsovae [formerly Smittina androsovae Gontar], M. cancellata [formerly Escharella porifera forma cancellata Smitt], M. harmsworthi [formerly Schizoporella harmsworthi Waters], M. ovata [formerly Cellepora ovata (Smitt)], and M. ussowi [formerly Schizoporella ussowi (Kluge)]. In addition to taxonomic revision, the morphology (frontal shields, ovicells and multiporous septula), ecology and zoogeography of these cheilostomes are discussed, and identification keys are presented. Most species of Rhamphostomella have broad bathymetric distributions. Some have long protuberances on their basal walls that allow them to grow elevated above allelopathically active substrates such as sponges. The diversity of Rhamphostomella peaks in the northwestern Pacific.
Teachers for Immigrant Students: A Systematic Literature Review Across Hong Kong, Turkey, and the United States
Authors: Lee Crystal Chen , Akin-Sabuncu Sibel , Goodwin A. Lin , McDevitt Seung Eun
Published: May 2022

Background:

Diversity across the world is changing, given the growing number of immigrant children in schools. These increases in transnational mobility have teachers struggling to reconsider their everyday practices to accommodate many more newcomers in their classrooms. The need for teachers to become more responsive to changing social conditions and student populations is gaining urgency.

Purpose:

Our purpose in this study is to gain insight into what the literature says about educating immigrant children through the lens of social justice in Turkey, the United States, and Hong Kong, as each context presents a distinct case of immigration.

Research Design:

We conduct a systematic literature review on 87 articles, selected from teaching and teacher education journals. In light of documented inequities experienced by immigrant children, we conduct our review within a framework of teaching immigrant students globally within, versus parallel to, the field of teaching for social justice.

Findings:

Through cross-jurisdiction inquiry, our findings reveal both examples and counterexamples of teaching for social justice, categorized into three cross-cutting themes: (a) Ways of Teaching, (b) Ways of Knowing, and (c) Ways of Seeing. Among the literature, we found a significant focus on language acquisition in the teaching of immigrant students. Another pattern was the ways in which teachers and teacher education value (or not) immigrant students’ funds of knowledge by building on (or rejecting) what students and their communities bring to their learning. Finally, our review demonstrated how teacher educators and teachers encourage, challenge, and teach preservice teachers and students to work against institutional and societal structures that are oppressive for immigrant students.

Conclusion:

The global reality of superdiversity among immigrant students calls on teachers to be pedagogically adept to respect and support multiple ways of teaching, knowing, and seeing. Research on social justice education for immigrants needs to move beyond language acquisition/deficit as the primary lens for analysis to consider the assets that immigrants bring to classrooms. Despite the differences in the experiences of (im)migrant students in each of the national contexts, social justice must be embedded in teacher education to ensure inclusive and culturally responsive teaching for all.
Educators’ Perceptions of Immigration Policy Implications on Their Schools: A Mixed-Methods Exploration
Authors: Yammine Julie Kim , Lowenhaupt Rebecca
Published: May 2022

Background/Context:

This article draws from a larger study focused on how recent immigration policies have influenced school districts across the United States and how educators have responded to support their immigrant-origin students. Scholars have found that immigration policy powerfully shapes the lives of many immigrant youth in multiple ways. Since the 2016 election, increasingly restrictive immigrant policies have had troubling consequences for immigrant-origin youth and their families. Although researchers have found schools to be crucial contexts for immigrant-origin youth, there is a need for additional research on how educators serving immigrant-origin youth are making sense of recent immigration policies and their implications for schools.

Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study:

Focusing on data from one school district in Illinois, we explored educators’ perceptions of the implications of immigration policies on their schools along with the factors that influence their perceptions. Our research question was as follows: “What factors influence how educators perceive immigration policy implications on their schools, and how do these factors influence educators’ perceptions?”

Research Design:

We used an explanatory sequential design in a mixed-methods approach to data collection and analysis. We began the study by collecting and analyzing quantitative data. We then collected and analyzed qualitative data with the intent of explaining and expanding on the quantitative results. We took this two-phased approach because we wanted to see if there were factors that significantly influenced educators’ perceptions of immigration policy implications from a larger data set provided through survey results.

Findings/Results:

According to the quantitative analysis, White educators in nonteaching roles who had a high sense of responsibility to respond to the political climate were more likely to report an impact of immigration policies and rhetoric in their schools. The qualitative data supported the patterns shown by the regression results and highlighted one more influencing factor not captured by the survey data.

Conclusions/Recommendations:

This article contributes to research in immigration and education by taking a deeper look at educators’ perceptions of immigration policy implications and the factors affecting those perceptions. In a sociopolitical context with a legacy of anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric, it is important to become more aware of educators’ perceptions of immigration because those perceptions greatly influence how educators understand and interact with their immigrant-origin students. Immigrant-origin students need more support in an uncertain and changing policy environment, and as researchers, we must work with practitioners to bring more awareness to how our own perceptions can shape our actions.
Closing the Doors of Opportunity: A Field Theoretic Analysis of the Prevalence and Nature of Obstacles to College Internships
Authors: Hora Matthew T. , Wolfgram Matthew , Chen Zi , Lee Changhee
Published: May 2022

Background: Internships for college students can enhance their grades, skills, and employment prospects, but finding and completing an internship sometimes requires considerable resources. Consequently, before postsecondary institutions consider mandating this high-impact practice, more evidence is needed regarding the various obstacles students face as they seek an internship. Focus of Study: The purpose of this study was to document the prevalence and nature of obstacles to securing a college internship and how these factors interact in the lives of particular students. Field theory is used to highlight the ways that structural inequalities and forms of capital serve to facilitate or constrain access to an internship experience. Population: The participants in this study included students attending five postsecondary institutions—three comprehensive universities, one historically Black college and university (HBCU), and one technical college in the U.S. states of Maryland, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. Research Design: This concurrent mixed-methods study included the collection of survey (n = 1,549) and focus group and interview (n = 100) data from students who self-selected into the study. Given that this is a descriptive study, the aim was to document student experiences with obstacles to internships using varied sources of data. Data Collection and Analysis: Data were collected via an online survey (with a 26% response rate) and in-person focus groups or interviews at each campus. Data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis, social network analysis, and logistic regression techniques and interpreted in ways that highlight the situated and critical role of capital and structure in shaping opportunity and behavior. Findings: Among the 1,060 (69%) survey respondents who reported not having had an internship, 638 indicated that they had in fact wanted to pursue an internship but could not because of the need to work, a heavy course load, insufficient positions, and inadequate pay. The role of financial, social, and cultural capital also impacted students differentially depending on their majors, socioeconomic status, race, and geographic location, highlighting how context and enduring systemic forces—and not solely the possession of capital(s)—intersect to shape students’ abilities to pursue an internship. Conclusion: Internships are not universally accessible to all college students and instead favor students who have access to financial, social, and cultural capital while also being positioned in particular majors, geographic locations, and institutions. Before actively promoting internships for their students, colleges and universities should secure funding to support student pay and relocation costs, identify alternative forms of experiential learning for working students, and engage employers in creating more in-person and online positions for students across the disciplines.
Introduction: The Emergence of New Civics
Authors: Haste Helen , Bempechat Janine
Published: May 2022

New Civics has emerged in the last three decades in order to expand the definition and scope of ‘participation’ beyond elections and voting, to include the wide range of civic activities that contribute to effective democracy. The emphasis is on agency and responsibility, critical thinking and the skills for informal as well as formal action. The implications for both formal and informal education include going beyond knowledge of local political systems. This Special Issue brings together papers emerging from the Spencer Foundation funded Program supporting doctoral students at Harvard Graduate School of Education that address the widening scope of civic education. They draw on international as well as US data. They address the following questions: How do critiques of new civics reveal the current tensions between different narratives of justice, freedom of speech and social order? How does increasing digital affordance affect freedom of speech and ethics and what skills do students need? What are the historical controversies about the purposes of education that lie behind current debates? How might controversial issues be used in discussion to highlight culture and diversity issues? How does experience of community participation promote the skills and motives for commitment? How can innovative methods such as Youth Participatory Action Research enhance civic awareness and skills? How can this be used in art, and how has it contributed to civic education in the challenging environment of refugee contexts? The papers reflect innovative research and practice at the cutting edge of new civics education.
The Contentious Rise of the New Civics: Contending With Critiques of New Civics as a Leftist Enterprise
Authors: Hunt-Hinojosa Emily , Maher Brent D.
Published: May 2022

Background/Context:

New Civics scholars and practitioners aspire to move beyond curricula focused on voter participation and knowledge of government structures and mechanisms to instead prepare youth to act upon their values in ways that lead to systemic change. Critics of New Civics argue that this approach is a form of pervasive leftist politics on campuses that seek to train youth activists with particular political agendas.

Purpose and Research Questions:

New Civics scholars must contend with conservative critiques as they envision curricula and programs to encourage greater civic action and engagement universally. Because these curricula and programs embrace nontraditional notions of civic action, they must garner some modicum of public trust to gain broad traction in schools and nonprofit organizations. Opponents of New Civics frame it as exclusively leftist, “politically correct,” and hostile to alternative views. These accusations may convince an already skeptical public that New Civics advances a particular political agenda, rather than modes of civic action and engagement in a democratic and pluralistic society. We analyze the extent to which these critiques have merit.

Research Design:

Our approach explores the curricula, programs, and social movements associated with New Civics. We contextualize these critiques within historical campus culture wars that portray the university as an echo chamber of liberal politics lacking intellectual diversity, with special attention to contemporary debates about free speech and identity on campus. Finally, we consider the extent to which a conservative New Civics practice is possible and whether New Civics needs to embrace a more inclusive ideological stance to mitigate critiques.

Findings/Results:

We discuss the possibility of scholars and practitioners transcending the culture-war framework to pursue their cardinal goal of preparing all youth to initiate and engage in action that leads to social change.
Leaning Into Digital Dilemmas: How Educators’ Perspectives Can Inform New Civics Education
Authors: Weinstein Emily , James Carrie
Published: May 2022

Background/Context:

Digital life raises dilemmas that elude straightforward courses of action. These dilemmas are consequential to civic life, where participatory practices intersect with digital affordances to lend new power, stakes, and public consequences (Kahne et al., 2015). It is essential that students be able to recognize digital dilemmas and grapple with them in nuanced ways before acting (James, 2014). These realities engender calls for redesigning civic education for the digital age (Kahne et al., 2016). Engaging students with complex, authentic dilemmas builds on a rich tradition in moral education (Kohlberg, 1975). For educators on the front lines of this work, reflecting on polarizing digital civic dilemmas is an important precursor to effective classroom facilitation (Hess, 2005).

Purpose and Research Questions:

Doxing is the use of public social media to reveal personal information about an individual, often with the intent of inviting public shaming for their speech or other actions (Douglas, 2016). Doxing is a signature dilemma of today’s age that surfaces fundamental questions about freedom, privacy, and accountability. The current study examines educators’ varied responses to a doxing dilemma to illustrate how digital civic dilemmas can raise substantive themes for New Civics education. We ask: How do educators respond to a doxing dilemma? What considerations do they raise to justify different stances?

Research Design:

We draw on data from a larger survey about digital citizenship to examine views of educators (N = 769) who live and work with adolescents in varied contexts throughout the United States and in more than two dozen international contexts. We report on educators’ responses to the doxing dilemma based on an inductive analysis of their open-ended responses.

Findings:

The focal dilemma is indeed polarizing: 47% (n = 361) of educators surveyed agreed with the doxing case, while 53% (n = 408) disagreed. Respondents’ justifications reveal how the dilemma evokes reflection on the intersections of digital life with reasonable expectations of privacy, the bounds of constitutional rights and legal protections, salient moral principles, the importance of accountability and consequences for actions, and more.

Conclusions/Recommendations:

As educators are tasked with preparing youth for a New Civics era, we argue that digital civic dilemmas merit use in educator professional development settings and, ultimately, with students. Educators’ perspectives on the doxing dilemma surface diverse considerations, which we reframe as ten questions to guide and deepen engagement.
General Education for a Closed Society: Neo-Puritanism in American Civic Education After World War II
Authors: Mcallister-Grande Bryan
Published: May 2022

Background/Context:

This research is framed by both the historical lineage of the New Civics and the legacy of educational and curricular debates in the United States. It contributes to the literature on mid-20th century education.

Purpose and Research Questions:

This study explores the relationship between religion, civics, and education through the lens of university and faculty leaders at Harvard, Princeton, and Yale Universities in the mid-20th century. Research questions include (a) What were some of the major trends in curricular reform before totalitarianism emerged as an idea or concept, and how were they related to questions of freedom? (b) In the mid-to-late 1930s, how did the presidents of Harvard, Princeton, and Yale view the idea of totalitarianism/authoritarianism and its potential impact on these earlier reform efforts? In addition, what role did trustees, students, faculty, and other constituents play in these conversations? (c) What educational proposals were offered as solutions or counterattacks to totalitarian ideas? (d) What lessons can we draw today from these debates about educating for freedom?

Research Design:

This study utilized a historical case study design based on intellectual, educational, and cultural history. I examined more than 30 archival collections at Harvard, Princeton, and Yale; my focus was on curricular meeting minutes, presidential papers, dean’s papers, and individual manuscripts.

Findings/Results:

Most literature on 20th-century American education and civics focuses on secularization. My research instead emphasizes the dynamic relationship between religion and education, including the ways in which educational practices became religious in form and purpose. I illuminate the ways in which, even after World War II, Christian supernaturalism and secular facts were thought by a coterie of faculty and university leaders to be interconnected. Educators at Harvard, Princeton, and Yale referenced Christian Humanism—a fusion of supernatural and secular—as being highly relevant to their time.
Youth Research in Community Settings: Inspiring Social Engagement Through Critical Pedagogy, Collaboration, and Arts-Based Research
Authors: Kreikemeier Alyssa
Published: May 2022

Background/Context:

This article shares qualitative findings from one arts-based youth research project. It offers insights for educators and researchers working in youth-driven contexts with an interest in critical pedagogy, engaged research methods, and youth media.

Purpose and Research Questions:

Youth artist-researchers produced their own media projects that explored themes of importance to them as part of a critical media literacy project. The class was designed around the research question: What role do narratives, representation, and media-making play in the identity construction of youth in an urban setting?

Research Design:

The arts-based research project, Through the Lens of Resistance, involved six youth artist-researchers who produced media artworks during the summer class and presented their work in community spaces. I led the class and collected data, serving as both teaching artist and lead researcher. The installations explored racialized violence, representation, and the political work of media. Youth researchers learned critical media theory and media-based qualitative methods from a Global Action Project curriculum over 4 weeks. In the final 2 weeks, youths worked individually or in groups to design an arts-based installation that involved media research. After the conclusion of the class, two artists continued to show one of the final projects in various community settings. Qualitative data shared here come from interviews, participant observation, and one focus group.

Findings/Results:

This article identifies the potential of qualitative methods that foreground critical pedagogy and art-making to generate youth community engagement and critical consciousness. It shares insights for educators and researchers working in youth-driven contexts. This article demonstrates that arts-based research grounded in critical pedagogy and community spaces offers a powerful vehicle for young people to develop critical consciousness as they grapple with social issues.
Representation, detection and usage of the content semantics of comments in a social platform
Authors: Bonifazi Gianluca , Cauteruccio Francesco , Corradini Enrico , Marchetti Michele , Terracina Giorgio , Ursino Domenico , Virgili Luca
Published: May 2022

The analysis of people’s comments in social platforms is a widely investigated topic because comments are the place where people show their spontaneity most clearly. In this article, we present a network-based data structure and a related approach to represent and manage the underlying semantics of a set of comments. Our approach is based on the extraction of text patterns that take into account not only the frequency, but also the utility of the analysed comments. Our data structure and approach are ‘multidimensional’ and ‘holistic’, in the sense that they can simultaneously handle content semantics from multiple perspectives. They are also easily extensible, because additional content semantics perspectives can be easily added to them. Furthermore, our approach is able to evaluate the semantic similarity of two sets of comments. In this article, we also illustrate the results of several tests we conducted on Reddit comments, even if our approach can be applied to any social platform. Finally, we provide an overview of some possible applications of this research.