bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of the Type of Audio‐visual Input and Listenability on Young L2 Learners' Listening Comprehension
Authors: Shin Sun‐Young , Lee Senyung 
Published: December 2023

AbstractNumerous studies have compared the effect of input mode (video‐based vs. audio‐only) on the listening comprehension of adult second language (L2) learners. However, there is a notable absence of research regarding how various types of audio‐visual input in a listening test affect young learners' listening comprehension. To address this gap, this study examined the effects of audio‐visual input type and text listenability on the listening comprehension performance of 50 English language learners (ELLs) in Grades 3–5 in the U.S. In this study, participants completed a computer‐delivered English listening test comprising three test forms, each containing six passages. These passages included a combination of three video passages and three audio‐only passages. The video passages were carefully designed to balance two key variables in a counter‐balancing manner: the listenability of the text, assessed using Lexile Audio Measure, and the nature of visual elements, which encompassed speaker‐only visuals, visual‐only elements, and a combination of speaker‐and‐visuals. This study found that students performed equally well on both video‐based and audio‐only passages, and the type of visuals accompanying the content did not have a statistically significant impact on students' listening comprehension scores. However, the listenability of the text significantly influenced students' listening scores, especially in the context of audio‐only passages. Furthermore, responses to a post‐test questionnaire revealed that students had a positive perception of all three types of audio‐visual input. This study contributes to our understanding of how audio‐visual input types and text listenability affect the listening comprehension performance of Grades 3–5 ELLs.
Conservative treatment of recurrent intervertebral disc extrusions in a lionhead rabbit
Authors: Della Camera Nicola , Sola Serena , Falzone Cristian 
Published: December 2023

ABSTRACTA 4‐year‐old lionhead rabbit with an acute onset of abnormal hindlimb gait was presented. L4–S3 neurolocalisation was determined based on clinical findings of paraparesis, bilateral proprioceptive positioning deficits, left pelvic limb hyporeflexia and discomfort during lumbar spine manipulation. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an intervertebral disc extrusion (IVDE) at L4–L5, with mild spinal cord compression. The condition was treated conservatively, with cage rest and non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs. The rabbit was fully normal after 1 month. Two months later, a relapse of clinical signs was observed. A new MRI study revealed a L5–L6 IVDE with mild spinal cord compression. Conservative treatment was repeated and full recovery was confirmed at 4‐month follow‐ups associated with MRI follow‐up study. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first case report of spontaneous IVDEs in a rabbit, where MRI was used to monitor the effectiveness of the conservative management of the disease in a rabbit.
Functional benefits of cognitively driven pupil‐size changes
Authors: Vilotijević Ana , Mathôt Sebastiaan 
Published: December 2023

AbstractPupil‐size changes are typically associated with the pupil light response (PLR), where they are driven by the physical entry of light into the eye. However, pupil‐size changes are also influenced by various cognitive processes, where they are driven by higher‐level cognition. For example, the strength of the PLR is not solely affected by physical properties of the light but also by cognitive factors, such as whether the source of light is attended or not, which results in an increase or decrease in the strength of the PLR. Surprisingly, although cognitively driven pupil‐size changes have been the focus of extensive research, their possible functions are rarely discussed. Here we consider the relative (dis)advantages of small versus large pupils in different situations from a theoretical point of view, and compare these to empirical results showing how pupil size actually changes in these situations. Based on this, we suggest that cognitively driven pupil‐size changes optimize vision either through preparation, embodied representations, or a differential emphasis on central or peripheral vision. More generally, we argue that cognitively driven pupil‐size changes are a form of sensory tuning: a subtle adjustment of the eyes to optimize vision for the current situation and the immediate future.This article is categorized under:
Neuroscience > Cognition
Neuroscience > Physiology
Neuroscience > Behavior
Rainfall extremes and trends during the little dry season in Nigeria
Authors: Adejuwon Joseph Omoniyi 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThe little dry season (LDS), a phenomenon of interest in West Africa is associated with a dry spell amid the wet season and is consequential to agriculture and global food production. However, the current literature suffers a knowledge gap on rainfall extremes and trends during this period. This study examined the rainfall extremes and trends during the LDS in Nigeria using daily and monthly rainfall data from 19 synoptic stations for the period 1960 to 2020. The Kendal tau correlation, Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), and descriptive statistics were employed for the study. The result showed the LDS reduction from the western area eastward and northward. The LDS is more intense in August than in July and is characterized by drought, ranging from mild (74.34%) to extreme (2.64%). The droughts fluctuate with wet conditions. The severe and extreme drought was mostly confined to the southwestern area. Lagos observed the highest drought occurrences, 50% of below 10‐mm rainfall and prolonged dry spells. Shaki recorded 13.73% of the total severe droughts while Osogbo recorded 43.33% of extreme drought events. The mean SPI is majorly distributed in space as mild drought and mildly wet respectively, except for a few stations where it ranged from moderate to extreme. A significant trend was negative at Bida (p ≤ .01), positive at Iseyin (p ≤ .05), Abeokuta (p ≤ .01), and Akure (p ≤ .01) in July, and Bida (p ≤ .05) in August. The LDS period is associated with hardship through prolonged dry spells and drought. This study explains the extreme rainfall and trends during the LDS to water management and suggests agricultural planning, forecasting, and mitigation of drought impacts.
Modelling the Binding of Cytotoxic Dinuclear Copper Complexes to two Neighboring Phosphate Esters of DNA Using Glutarate: A Tetranuclear Metallo‐Macrocycle vs a Dinuclear Model
Authors: Riediger Thomas , Aydin Züleyha , Stammler Anja , Oldengott Jan , Glaser Thorsten 
Published: December 2023

AbstractA family of dinuclear complexes was rationally designed to bind to two neighboring phosphate diesters of DNA by molecular recognition. Although these complexes bind strongly and irreversibly to DNA and induce apoptosis in cancer cells, a direct proof of the intended binding mode is missing. To mimic two neighboring phosphate diesters of DNA, we use here the dicarboxylate glutarate as a difunctional ligand. Starting from the acetate‐bound CuII2 complex, protonation results in the de‐coordination of acetate and allows the synthesis of the glutarate‐bound complex. Instead of bridging two CuII ions of one dinuclear complex, two glutarates bridge two dinuclear complexes resulting in a tetranuclear metallo‐macrocycle. The molecular structures of two different salts differ in the square‐pyramidal coordination to the CuII ions. The carboxylate stretching modes, the d‐d and the CT transtitions are not sensitive enough to resolve these differences. The exchange coupling is weakly antiferromagnetic between the CuII ions in the dinuclear subunits and negligible between the subunits via the glutarates. The consequences for suited ligands to model the binding to two neighboring phosphate diesters in the DNA backbone is discussed.
Future-Oriented Science Education Building Sustainability Competences: An Approach to the European GreenComp Framework
Authors: Laherto Antti , Rasa Tapio , Miani Lorenzo , Levrini Olivia , Erduran Sibel 
Published: December 2023

AbstractIn order to promote learning for environmental sustainability, the European Union launched the GreenComp framework in 2022. The framework identifies a set of sustainability competences that should be cultivated across all learning contexts to support the action-taking and transformations required by global ecological crises. The framework comprises four interrelated competence areas: ‘embodying sustainability values’, ‘embracing complexity in sustainability’, ‘envisioning sustainable futures’ and ‘acting for sustainability’. Our chapter argues that science education has significant potential to contribute to all these areas. We discuss in this chapter the affordances of current frameworks in science education for fostering sustainability competences. We argue that there is a need for a coherent approach connecting these areas, and that it can be done within future-oriented science education. We illustrate the suggestions by reviewing some examples of approaches for teaching and learning developed in the European project “FEDORA”.
Unequal Origins to Unequal Destinations: Trends and Characteristics of Migrants’ Social and Economic Inclusion in South America
Authors: Rosas Victoria Prieto , Zapata Gisela P. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThis chapter provides an overview of the trends and characteristics of recent migration flows in South America. Specifically, it examines the size of the migrant population, its sociodemographic profile, and selected indicators of social and economic inclusion in six countries: Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay. These countries have recently witnessed rising levels of intraregional migration, diversification in the origins and motivations of flows, and/or have suddenly become immigration and transit countries. These transformations have added a layer of complexity to our understanding of the historic—and persistent—socioeconomic inequalities that characterise the region, posing additional challenges to migrants’ social and economic inclusion. The analysis is based on national household surveys and census data available before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Migrant Labour and Inequalities in the Nepal–Malaysia Corridor (and Beyond)
Authors: Yeoh Seng-Guan , Ghimire Anita 
Published: December 2023

AbstractMalaysia is an upper middle-income country heavily reliant on migrant labour from 15 different countries to work in the manufacturing, construction, plantation, and service sectors. For Nepali citizens, Malaysia is a popular destination country in addition to the Gulf Co-operation Council (GOC) states. After Indonesians and Bangladeshis, Nepalis constitute the third largest migrant labour force in Malaysia. Drawing on the concept of “migration infrastructure” as a point of departure, this chapter examines the range of pre-existing everyday and structurally imposed migration inequalities faced by Nepalis along the Nepal–Malaysia corridor. It also elaborates on how these inequalities, which were relatively ignored or underplayed in the past, became accentuated and brought into public view during the COVID-19 global pandemic, and in its wake set in motion long overdue policy reforms.
Inter-regional Migration in the Global South: African Migration to Latin America
Authors: Freier Luisa Feline , Lucar Oba Leon , Fernández Bautista María Angélica 
Published: December 2023

AbstractWhile the media predominantly focuses on African migration to Europe, some scholars have noticed that African migrants are also undertaking longer and riskier journeys in search of better opportunities in destinations such as Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico. In the presence of such an increase of African migrants in the continent, this chapter examines the growing phenomenon of African migration to Latin America in various aspects. Firstly, it offers an African migration literature review and explains the reasons why African migrants are choosing Latin American host or transit countries, offering a refutation of classical “push–pull” models and instead, proposing that Africans migrate for a variety of reasons including personal aspirations. Secondly, it provides an empirical exploration of patterns of African asylum seekers and refugees in the continent. Finally, the chapter explores the socio-political reception of these migrants in three main receiving countries: Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico. In so doing, the chapter aims to contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics of African migration to non-traditional destinations, and highlight avenues for further research in the field of African migration studies. It also emphasises the need to move away from simplistic explanations based on push–pull models and to recognise the agency and diversity of African migrants.
The Enduring Impacts of Slavery: A Historical Perspective on South–South Migration
Authors: Fynn Bruey Veronica , Crawley Heaven 
Published: December 2023

AbstractIt is impossible to understand contemporary forms and experiences of South–South migration without first understanding the history of migration between countries generally classified as the “Global South”—the Majority World—and the enduring effects of slavery. This chapter begins with a historical overview and reflections on the present-day legacies of the transatlantic slave trade, the single largest forced migration between the countries of the Majority World, which mainly took place between countries in West Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Applying the “Global South” as a critical concept, this chapter examines the lasting impacts of the transatlantic enslavement of Black African peoples as a precursor of contemporary forms of South–South migration and associated responses, representation, and challenges. Arguing that much South–South migration is rooted in historical antecedents, the chapter also highlights the contemporary consequences of slavery for Liberia, where the return of captured and emancipated slaves led directly to the civil wars that devastated the country between 1989 and 2003, leading to significant displacement into other parts of West Africa.
Migrant Resource Flows and Development in the Global South
Authors: Asiedu Edward , Tapsoba Tebkieta Alexandra , Gelb Stephen 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThis chapter looks at three types of resource flows in South–South migration—financial flows of remittances and diaspora investment, trade flows of goods and services, and knowledge flows relating to skills development and production and organisational technology for enterprises. The chapter provides an overview of each of the three flows, covering both formal and informal resource flows. The chapter argues that the South–South component of resource flows has barely been addressed in the existing literature, focusing overwhelmingly on North-South flows with greater aggregate value and ignoring the migrant and diaspora population from the Global South. Secondly, it argues that many resource flows are informal and that trying to “formalise” these will leave many—both migrants and citizens—in jeopardy because they will not have access to flows of finance, trade and knowledge. Finally, the chapter argues that there is a need to think about how the development impact of South–South flows differs from North-South flows, if at all, so that the potentially unequalising impacts of the flows can be addressed by governments, international institutions and migrant organisations.
Policies towards Migration in Africa
Authors: Teye Joseph Kofi , Oucho Linda 
Published: December 2023

AbstractWhile media narratives tend to suggest an exodus from Africa to Europe, the majority of migrants from Africa move to destinations within the region. Although the African Union Commission and Member States have formulated various policies to govern migration, there is little understanding of the implementation outcomes of these policies on the ground. This chapter draws on a review of policy documents to examine the continental, regional, and national level migration policies implemented over the years in Africa. While the African Union and regional economic blocs have been making efforts to promote free movement of persons, implementation has been poor due to lack of political will to fully implement free movement policies. Additionally, while many of the individual countries have formulated migration related policies that seek to harness the benefits of migration for economic development, resources constraints have affected the implementation of these policies. The findings indicate that to improve migration governance in Africa requires the commitment of governments to implement regional frameworks in their respective countries. There is also a need to invest in capacity training of relevant actors, and better coordination of efforts to address the needs of labour migrants on the continent.
Recentring the South in Studies of Migration
Authors: Fiddian-Qasmiyeh Elena 
Published: December 2023

AbstractIt has become increasingly mainstream to argue that redressing the Eurocentrism of migration studies requires a commitment to decentring Global North knowledge. However, it is less clear whether this necessarily means “recentering the South.” Against this backdrop, this chapter starts by highlighting diverse ways that scholars have sought to redress Eurocentrism in migration studies: (1) examining the applicability of classical concepts and frameworks in the South; (2) filling blind spots by studying migration in the South and South–South migration; and (3) engaging critically with the geopolitics of knowledge production. The remainder of the chapter examines questions on decentring and recentring, different ways of conceptualising the South, and—as a pressing concern with regard to knowledge production—the politics of citation. In so doing, the chapter critically delineates the contours of these debates and sets out a number of key priorities for researchers moving forward.
Writing the Refugee Camp: A Southern–Southern Correspondence
Authors: Qasmiyeh Yousif M. , Fiddian-Qasmiyeh Elena 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThis intervention, combining critical reflections with poetry, is framed around the correspondence between the refugee camp and the process of writing—here, writing from the South—, positing that writing the refugee camp into literature is both witnessing and archiving, and that refugees are not only wait-ers but makers of time.
Rethinking Power and Reciprocity in the “Field”
Authors: Vanyoro Kudakwashe 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThis chapter explores how the distinction(s) implied by the term “fieldwork’”, gives rise to false and misleading dichotomies that are not so useful to any decolonial migration praxis that tries to undo the bureaucratic damage of hegemonic ideas about research ethics. It argues that the dichotomies of “home” and the “field” conjured by this term negate an intermediate space between these two extremes in which social relationships, kinship ties and social value define the possible extent of the risk of migration research to further marginalise or protect migrants. The opposing possibilities arise from the interaction of these social attributes to the extent that they mediate a definition of ethical responsibility that is meaningful in particular contexts. This lends, in turn, a novel meaning to power and reciprocity that necessitates a paradigm shift in the kinds of ethics procedures as well as considerations in partnerships on migration studies that presume that power relationships are evened out when research is undertaken by African researchers working in African academic institutions.
The Dynamics of South–South Migration in Africa
Authors: Yaro Joseph Awetori , Setrana Mary Boatemaa 
Published: December 2023

AbstractWhile Africa is commonly represented as a continent of exodus, the vast majority of African migration in Africa occurs within the continent. Historically, colonialism shaped movements within the African continent tremendously, through inequalities in development efforts, infrastructural imbalances, and deliberate forced movements. In recent times efforts by African states to enhance regional integration, play important roles in facilitating intra-African movements. This chapter focuses on changing patterns and dynamics of South–South migration in Africa by analysing historical and geographical patterns of migration within and between the regions of Africa.
Software Startup Ecosystem in Namibia
Authors: Aludhilu Hilma , Sutinen Erkki 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThe number of software startups in Namibia has increased over the last decade, although most of them do not survive for long in the industry. For software startups to thrive, a suitable ecosystem is required to support them as the sustainability of startups is determined by the actions and interactions of the ecosystem actors. We aimed to gain a better understanding of the current software startup ecosystem in Namibia, emphasizing how the startup is connected to and supported by other actors in the ecosystem. Understanding the ecosystem will assist in informing future support needed by software startups to increase their sustainability and the growth of the ecosystem. An online questionnaire was employed to collect data from participants from software startups, as well as institutions that support software startups and entrepreneurs in Namibia. The results show that the Namibian software startup ecosystem is still in its early development stages and offers limited assistance for startups to grow. Access to finance is a challenge for startups, as most of the startups are founded and supported by personal funds, and few are funded by investors and Venture Capital funds and receive little to no financial support from the government. The universities play a role in supporting software startups through software development and entrepreneurial education, and training. Incubators and accelerators, although not a lot in the ecosystem, offer software entrepreneurs mentorship and a supportive environment to grow their businesses. The startups require more funding, access to resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities from other ecosystem actors.
Defining a Remote Work Policy: Aligning Actions and Intentions
Authors: Smite Darja , Moe Nils Brede 
Published: December 2023

AbstractAfter the long period of forced work from home, many knowledge workers have not only developed a strong habit of remote work, but also consider flexibility as their personal right and no longer as a privilege. Existing research suggest that the majority prefers to work two or three days per week from home and are likely to quit or search for a new job if forced to return to full time office work. Given these changes, companies are challenged to alter their work policies and satisfy the employee demands to retain talents. The subsequent decrease in office presence, also calls for transformations in the offices, as the free space opens up opportunities for cutting the rental costs, as well as the other expenses related to office maintenance, amenities, and perks. In this paper, we report our findings from comparing work policies in three Nordic tech and fintech companies and identify the discrepancies in the way the corporate intentions are communicated to the employees. We discuss the need for a more systematic approach to setting the goals behind a revised work policy and aligning the intensions with the company’s actions. Further, we discuss the need to resolve the inherent conflicts of interest between the individual employees (flexibility, individual productivity, and well-being) and the companies (profitability, quality of products and services, employee retention, attractiveness in the job market).